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IN THE DARKNESS OF an otherwise peaceful and quiet night, Birdie was awakened by the sound of a baby crying. Abruptly wide awake, she sat up in bed and listened but the crying stopped. At length, she lay back down and turned on her side with her back to the man lying beside her.
Michael was wide awake too. “Nightmare?” he asked. The bruises from his fist fight with Jerry were not quite healed.
She didn’t answer.
“The crying baby again?”
“Go to sleep, Michael.”
“Don’t get all touchy, I’m only trying to...”
She finally turned to face him. “I never should have listened to you.”
“Birdie, it was years ago. We were just kids, and...”
“We knew better, even then. How many lives have we screwed up so far? Ten, fifteen? And that’s not even counting Earl’s.”
“You miss your daughter; I miss her too.”
Birdie threw the covers off, got out of bed, and turned to face him. “You miss her?” she scoffed. “Oh, Now I’ve heard everything!”
He rose up to a sitting position. “Are you going to hold that against me for the rest of my life? I messed up, okay?”
“You messed up?” she spat. “You make it sound like it was no worse than losing a football game. Messed up is not what I call leaving a trail of broken lives in your wake. I call it unforgivable selfishness. Go home Michael. Better yet, got back to Jolie if she’ll still have you, and don’t ever come here again.”
“You don’t mean that. You can’t live without me.”
“The whole world would have been better off without you, especially me!”
He tried to laugh it off and laid back down. In her fury, she grabbed her robe and put it on. “Get out, Michael!”
“Come back to bed, Birdie. You know you’ll be over this by morning.”
She went to her desk, pulled a drawer out, reached inside, and then turned around. In her hand she held a loaded pistol. She pulled the hammer back and pointed it right at him. “I’ll shoot you Michael, I swear I will. I should have shot you years ago. The state prison would have been better than the one I’ve been in all these years.”
At last, he got out of bed and put his pants on. “Call me when you come to your senses.” Michael grabbed his shirt and shoes, and then fled out the door.
“Don’t hold your breath,” she said. He’d been gone several minutes before she finally sat down on the bed. The gun was still in her hand, and as she had more times than she could count, she raised it to her temple and closed her eyes.
At length, she opened her eyes again. “Not just yet, Birdie old girl, not just yet.”
*
ALEX WOODBURY WAS BACK. He marched into the bookstore, walked up to Tiffany and laid two tickets on the counter in front of her.
“And these are for?” Tiffany asked.
“Our escape,” he answered.
“I don’t need to escape.”
“Not even to go to an arena and listen to the best music Iowa has heard in ages. Say yes, Tiffany, I had to drive to Des Moines to get them and these are the last two tickets.”
She picked up the tickets and tried not to, but smiled anyway. “The Oregon Tenors?”
“You’re pleased, I see. I thought you might like them. They’re playing at the arena tonight and I know it’s short notice, but this is the last night.”
She batted her eyes, “But I haven’t a thing to wear.”
“It’s not formal, you know. Just throw something on. I’ll pick you up at six. The concert starts at eight-thirty and...”
“I have to work until seven.” She tipped her head to one side and tried to look vastly disappointed. “What a pity. Maybe another time.” Tiffany left him standing at the counter and went to put a book away. She heard him click his tongue on the top of his mouth in disgust, walk out, and let the door slam behind him. “Poor guy doesn’t take rejection well,” she said.
*
AS SOON AS SHE GOT home, Tiffany hurried upstairs and opened her laptop. She checked and the arena was still selling cheap tickets in the back rows. “Can’t bluff an old bluffer, Alex Woodbury,” she muttered. She closed her laptop and then went downstairs to have a late dinner with Earl and Beverly.
“I talked to the deputy last night.” She boldly announced as she sat down and unfolded her napkin.
What did he say?” Earl asked.
“He’s a good cop and didn’t give me any information at all. They are trained not to, you know. He didn’t know about the foundation, and now that he does, I think he’ll try to find out.” Tiffany helped herself to a spoonful of peas and then passed the bowl to Earl. “He wants to know if you’ll talk to him.”
“Not yet,” said Earl. “It’s not time.”
“I understand. I hope you don’t mind if I help him. I keep coming up empty and maybe the two of us can figure this out together.” Tiffany continued to take a helping of potatoes and then a pork chop. “At the picnic, I heard something I think you should know.”
“What?” Beverly asked.
“Tiffany told them about the postal worker and seeing Shelley’s car parked in front of an office.” When she looked, Earl’s brow was wrinkled. “You didn’t know she had a job?”
“I can’t imagine why she needed one. I could certainly afford anything she needed or wanted,” said Earl.
“Well, maybe she got bored,” Tiffany suggested. “Some people work just to keep from getting...”
“Then why didn’t she tell me?” Earl asked. “I wouldn’t have objected.”
Neither Beverly or Tiffany had an answer to that one.
Tiffany tasted her mashed potatoes and then started to cut her pork chop. “Nora Coulter said she heard Shelley had people over late at night. Did she?”
Earl answered, “Once or twice that I know of, but I wouldn’t say often. But then, I wasn’t aware of a lot of things she did until after she died. This is a big house with four outside doors. Anything is possible. I remember waking up one night and hearing Shelley talking to someone downstairs, but I assumed it was Mariam.”
Tiffany decided to start asking more probing questions. “How old was Shelley?”
Earl answered, “Thirty-two, she said, but I suspected she was older than that. It didn’t matter at the time. Does it now?”
“Only if it helps me eliminate people younger than her when I search the internet.”
“I see,” said Earl.
He didn’t seem to be bothered by her questions, so Tiffany asked what she thought was the most important one. “Do you think she gave her baby to someone intentionally?”
Earl stared at his full plate for a long moment. “I hope that’s what she did.” He chose his next words carefully. “Next time you call the deputy, tell him when I got to the crib, Tiffany’s bottle was still warm.”
Beverly gasped. “She’d just been fed?”
“What other explanation could there be?” Earl asked.
“Then...if Mariam didn’t feed her, and you didn’t...” Tiffany started.
There was anger in her voice when Beverly said, “Shelley did. The whole thing was a setup!” she slumped in her chair and let her fork drop in her plate. Earl reached over and touched Beverly’s hand to comfort her, but it didn’t help much. “You knew, all this time?” she asked him. “How...”
“Did you ask Shelley about it?” Tiffany interrupted.
Earl let go of Beverly’s hand. “I knew Shelley loved her baby, and I was so certain once they had the ransom, we would get the baby back safe and sound. By the time I realized I was wrong, Shelley was dead. I remember staring at her body in the garden, knowing she was the only one who could tell us who had the baby – the only one, and she was dead.”
This time it was Beverly who put a comforting hand on Earl’s arm. “I can’t imagine what that was like for you.”
“Wow,” said Tiffany, “If she did it for the money, she was the most callous and cold human being I’ve ever heard of. But why? She had her own money and yours if she needed it. Why the elaborate ruse to get more?”
“She didn’t have a million dollars,” Earl said, “and after that, neither did I.”
It sounded a little like Earl’s first attempt at humor, but Tiffany wasn’t sure she should laugh until he finally smiled. She watched him take a bite of his pork chop. “So the answer is to find out who Shelley trusted enough to simply hand her baby over to and my money is on that Hadley guy.”
*
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO be his day off, but the new man Otis hired to take Wayne Griffin’s place was due to arrive in the afternoon, and the sheriff wanted Rod to show him the route. Rod didn’t mind. Other than spending more time on the case, he didn’t have a lot to do until time to play cards with Nancy, Ben, and Tiffany.
As they rode together in the cruiser, Rod soon discovered that Calix Cobb was not exactly the chatty sort. In fact, getting him to answer questions produced only the minimum of information. The new guy was from Kentucky, single, liked fishing, and that was the extend of it. Calix had red hair, green eyes, was a little overweight, yet was clean and looked good in his uniform.
Rod turned onto the frontage road and headed west to show Calix were the county line was. “A word of caution,” he said. “There’s an old man in town wearing a cowboy hat and boots. I made the mistake of arresting him for vagrancy when I first started, only to find out he’s the richest guy in town.”
Calix chuckled. “He have any daughters?”
That was the last question Rod expected to hear and suddenly he wasn’t in the mood to explain. The new deputy would hear about it soon enough. For the next couple of hours, he mentioned points of interest such as the new middle school, the lake and even the best place to get a car repaired. Other than that, he said little and neither did Deputy Calix Cobb.
After Rod dropped off the cruiser, the keys and Calix at the office, he got in his car and drove out to the lake for a little peace and quiet. He parked and was about to get out when he noticed another car pull up behind him. “Some cop I am,” he muttered. “I need to pay more attention.” He stayed seated, watched in his rearview mirror and was relieved when a woman got out. Just in case, he opened the door and looked back to make sure she wasn’t carrying a weapon. Then he got out and turned to face her. “Do you need help?” he asked.
“No,” she answered, “well, yes I suppose I do. I’ve been carrying this burden nearly nineteen years, and I can bear it no longer.”
Rod motioned to one of the picnic tables. “Would you like to sit down?”
“No, I’ll stand.” Instead, she walked to the table and sat down anyway.
Rod followed but chose not to sit. “What burden do you carry, Mrs.?”
“Samantha Worthington,” she said, “but you can call me Sam. Mariam is the only one who calls me Samantha.”
“Okay, Sam, want to tell me what’s troubled you all these years?”
“Well, you see I can’t remember if I told Birdie or not, and she’s never been as good at keeping a secret as Mariam thinks, so I figured I might as well tell you before Birdie does.”
“I’m listening.”
“I saw who took the baby. I never told because I was too scared.”
“Who scared you?”
“I don’t know who he was, but he had a gun.”
“So you didn’t see his face?”
“No, it was dark and I was only ten at the time.”
“I see. How do you know he took the baby?”
“I heard it cry.” She abruptly covered her face with her hands. “It couldn’t have been any other baby – baby Tiffany was the only one missing the next morning.”
“Can you remember where you were at the time?”
She took her hands away from her face and looked up. “How could I forget? I wanted some candy, you see. I had a little money so I crawled out my bedroom window and walked to the store. It was real late at night and Dad would have killed me if he knew. I’d just come out of the store when I heard a baby crying and went to look in a car window.” Sam paused just long enough to breathe.” That’s when he came up behind me and put the gun in front of my face. He told me to run and not look back. I tell you, I dropped my candy, ran like the wind all four blocks home, and nearly dove back through the window. That night I cried in my sleep. Mother came and I told her it was just a bad dream. The next morning, I thought it was just a bad dream until I went back and found my bag of candy. Then I knew.”
“Anything else you can remember?”
“No, that’s all.”
“You’ve been very helpful, Sam.”
“How so. It was dark, I didn’t get a good look at the car, and didn’t even notice what color it was.”
“Well, now we know it was a man and not a woman who kidnapped the baby.”
Sam caught her breath. “You’re right. I’m certain it was a man.”
“You didn’t recognize his voice?”
“No, like I said, I was only ten.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts and then stood up. “I am so relieved to have finally said something. All these years.”
“Sam, if you think of anything else, will you call me?”
“Sure, but there isn’t anything else.” She ignored the card he tried to give her, walked back to her car, got in, and left.
*
THAT NIGHT, ROD WAS the last to arrive at Nancy’s house. He presented her with a bottle of wine and then went inside to greet Willie, and Tiffany. A bowl full of fresh cut lilacs made the room smell sweet and an array of finger foods and dips were already set out on a second small table. This time, Willie was far more interested in the chips than in Rod. Nancy smiled and finally nodded to her son, who was all too happy to grabbed a handful of chips.
“Gin Rummy or Monopoly?” Nancy asked.
“Monopoly?” Rod asked. “I haven’t played that in years.”
“I hear you can make a lot of money playing that game,” said Tiffany.
“I’ve heard that too. Where’s Ben?” Rod asked.
“On the back porch trying to figure out what’s wrong with the freezer.”
“Come on, Willie,” said Rod, “we better go help him.” The delighted child grabbed another chip, beat Rod to the back door, and opened it. Ben already had the cover plate over the motor removed and was shining a flashlight into the small space “There it is,” said Ben. He tried to wedge his hand inside the small space, but it was too big. “It’s just a screw that fell out. Willie, go ask your mom if she has some tongs.”
“Thongs?” he heard a shocked Nancy ask from the kitchen.
“Tongs!” Ben shouted. “Tongs!”
“Oh, that’s way different.” Nancy reached in a kitchen drawer, pulled her tongs out and gave them to Willie. Next, she went to a cupboard, got the monopoly set, and took it to the table. “How do you like Iowa so far?” she asked Tiffany.
“I’m becoming more and more fond of it every day.” Tiffany answered.
“I hear you’re from Rhode Island. I’ve barely been out of Iowa.”
“I can see why, it’s beautiful here.”
“You don’t like Rhode Island?”
“I do, but the winters are brutal sometimes.” As soon as Nancy opened the box and laid the board on the table, Tiffany began to sort the play money. “I know absolutely nothing about farming. Are you happy here?”
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else. I love watching things grow and discover something new every day.”
“You don’t have animals? I thought all farms had chickens, cats, and dogs.”
Nancy lowered her voice, “Don’t tell Willie that.” Just as she set the cards and dice on the board, the men came back in. “Fixed?” she asked Ben.
“Just a loose bolt.” He went to the kitchen sink and washed up before he joined the rest of them at the table. Willie, on the other hand, headed right back to the snacks.
The game turned out to be great fun, with each player trying to buy up as much property as possible and charge rent. Their discussions turned from fixing things, to working the farm, and to a little boy who would soon fall asleep on the sofa, before Nancy said, “Crazy Eddie came by today. He’s taken some some beautiful pictures of you and couldn’t wait to show them off.”
“Of me?” a surprised Tiffany asked.
“You didn’t tell her?” Nancy asked Ben.
“It never came up,” Ben answered.
“Tell me what?” Tiffany asked.
“Well,” Nancy began, “on the nights Crazy Eddie’s ex-wife won’t let him in the house, he parks his truck in one of his hiding places, watches people and takes pictures. He’s been taking pictures for years.”
“You mean he’s the one who puts videos on the internet?” Tiffany asked.
“He’s the one,” Ben answered.
Nancy smiled at Rod. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Eddie caught Wayne sleeping on the job one night. Eddie revved the engine of his truck and nearly sideswiped Wayne’s cruiser. When Eddie doubled back, he said the deputy was so scared, he had to take a walk into a cornfield to relieve himself.”
Even Rod laughed. “I bet that was the last time Wayne fell asleep on the job.”
“At least not where Eddie could see him,” Nancy answered.
“For years Eddie used an old camera and had a darkroom where he developed the film,” Ben explained. “His darkroom was one of the reasons his wife left him. He wouldn’t let her see some of the pictures, she assumed they were of other women, and didn’t believe him when he denied it. He didn’t give in though. Those are his prize pictures and no one is going to see them until after he dies, not even her.”
“That was before cellphones,” Nancy added. “Eddie had one of the first cellphones on the market, and calls the guys who put cameras on them geniuses. It’s made his hobby easier and a lot less expensive.”
Tiffany scoffed, “Like he needs to care about spending money.”
In unison, both Nancy and Ben said, “That’s why they call him Crazy Eddie.” Their laughter filled the room.
“How long has he been taking pictures?” Rod asked.
“As long as I’ve known him,” Ben answered, “and that’s my whole life.”
“I have yet to meet him. How old is he?” Rod asked.
Tiffany touched the back of Ben’s hand. “Careful, I believe Rod has suddenly changed from the regular guy to the cop.”
“I just wondered if Crazy Eddie was taking pictures around the time of the kidnapping? It might be a great help...”
“You could ask him,” Ben suggested.
“If I can catch him,” Rod admitted. “What kind of engine did you put in that truck, anyway? Millie says not to even try to catch him in a cruiser. There’s no point.”
“If I told, the sheriff would have me soup up all the cop cars in town. Besides, Eddie wouldn’t hurt a fly. If you want me to, I’ll ask him if he has any pictures from around that time. Anyone special you’re looking for?”
“Yes, a man by the name of Charles Hadley. Mariam said he visited Shelley Woodbury before the kidnapping.”
“I’ll ask him,” said Ben.
“I appreciate that.” Rod said. “By the way, do you know a man by the name of Levi Coaster?”
“I do,” Nancy said. “He’s my uncle.”
“Then you know where I can find him?”
“Yes, his daughter couldn’t take care of him any longer and put him in the Blue Falls Nursing Home a couple of years ago.”
“Is he still alert enough to talk to me?”
“His limitations are mostly physical, but his mind is sound – that is if you can keep him awake.”
Rod chuckled. “Thanks.”
Annoyed, Tiffany tapped Rod on the shoulder, “It’s been your turn for about an hour now.”
“Oh, sorry.” He grabbed the dice and tossed them. “Ah ha, Boardwalk is mine at last.”
“He cheats,” Nancy moans.
“Yes he does,” Tiffany agreed. “He reminds me of Tanner Hyde.”
“Oh boy, here we go,” Ben mumbled.
“You love my stories,” Tiffany said, “You know you do.”
“True, but do they all have to be your ex-boyfriends?”
“Not this one,” Tiffany answered. “Tanner Hyde lived right next door.”
“Very well, go on,” Ben said.
“Well, he was only fifteen when they moved in and...”
“How old were you?” Ben asked.
“Fourteen.”
Ben scoffed, “And he didn’t eventually become a boyfriend?”
“No he didn’t.” she paused. “Come to think of it, I did like him for a day or two, but it was just a passing fancy.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ben said as he rolled the dice and moaned when he landed on Rod’s Boardwalk.
“Who’s telling this story me or you?” Tiffany asked.
Ben rolled his eyes. “Pardon me.”
“Who was Tanner Hyde?” Nancy asked.
“Well, Tanner Hyde had a one track mind. He loved boats of all shapes and sizes and could not think of anything else. He built models, he went to the docks to watch the ships come in as often as he could, and once, he even drug me along with him.” Tiffany abruptly ended her story.
“And?” Rod asked.
“Well, you’re obsessed with your profession the way he loved ships, but you’re not like the rest of the story at all, so I thought...”
“Please continue,” Rod insisted.
“There’s not a lot to tell. Tanner Hyde was awkward, careless, and willing to take more chances than he should. Twice he nearly drowned when he discovered he couldn’t jump as far as he thought, and missed when he tried jumping from boat to boat tied to the dock. Then know what?”
All three of the others asked in unison, “What?”
“When he finally got on a boat that took him out to sea, he discovered he had seasickness of the worst kind, and ended up staying in bed for days and days. There was something wrong with his inner ears, they said.”
“That’s too bad,” said Nancy.
“It would have been, but these days they’ve got drugs for that. The last I heard of Tanner Hyde, he was in the Navy intending to become a Lieutenant Commander someday.” Tiffany stared at Rod. “I suppose if you become sheriff someday, you and Tanner Hyde will have success in common too.”
“I’m not sure I want to be a sheriff. The pay is better, but Otis sits in an office all day. I would rather be helping people.”
*
FOR THE REST OF THE evening, a good time was had by all, and after Ben and Tiffany left, Rod gently picked a sleeping Willie up off the sofa and followed Nancy into his small bedroom. Willie had plenty of toys, which Rod suspected came mostly from Millie and her dad. He waited while Nancy dressed her son in pajamas, pulled the covers up, and then turned out the light.
“He’s a tired little boy,” said Rod.
“We haven’t done much entertaining lately and he was so excited.” She led the way back to the living room, began to gather what was left of the food, and take it to the kitchen.
“Nancy,” he said as he picked up a platter. “You look tired too.”
“Do I?” She smiled. “Don’t tell Millie, she likes to fuss over me too much as it is. Are you going to see my uncle tomorrow?”
“If I can get away.”
“Give him my love, will you?”
She seemed to be saying goodbye, and he got the hint. “I better let you get some rest. Call me if you need anything, ok?”
She left the kitchen and walked him to the door. “Or if I just want to talk?”
He smiled, “Even better.” To his surprised, she went into his arms and hugged him. He held her for as long as he dared and then lightly kissed her on the cheek. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” She laughed when he started to tip a hat he forgot he wasn’t wearing. Nancy watched him get in his car and then as he drove up the lane. “Millie is right, he is a good man,” she whispered.
*
LEVI COASTER JUST HAPPENED to be the second name Millie’s dad had written on the napkin, and after Rod drove his usual route, he headed for the Blue Falls Nursing home. From the outside of the two-story brick building, he estimated they had less than thirty beds available for the elderly and frail. He wasn’t surprised when the sign on the door noted they were not accepting any new patients. When he entered, he expected it to smell more like a hospital, but the faint odor of pine-scented cleaner greeted him instead.
“May I help you, Deputy?” the young woman at the desk asked.
Rod respectfully removed his hat. “I would like to speak to Levi Coaster if he is available.”
“They just took him into dinner. Follow me.” She got up, led the way down the hall, and then opened a door. Inside were several round tables that seated four patients each, most of whom were in wheelchairs. “Will you be staying for dinner?” She asked. “We’re having our favorite rigatoni and French bread tonight.”
“No, but thank you for the offer.”
She led him around two of the tables, put her hand on an older gentleman’s shoulder, and woke him up. “Levi, the deputy would like to talk to you.”
“Arrest me, please!” said Levi. “They try to poison us here, you know.”
“Oh, Levi,” she purred. “We’d make no money at all if we killed everybody off.”
Levi winked at the woman, who promptly left the room. “Nancy said you’d be coming by.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner,” Rod said. “I could come back later.”
“No need, I can talk and eat at the same time.”
The elderly woman next to Levi was having trouble opening a small packet of crackers to put in her soup, so she handed it to Levi. His hands didn’t work well enough either, so he handed it to the woman sitting on the opposite side of him. She managed to get the package open, but instead of passing the crackers back, she dumped them into her own bowl of soup.
“Gretchen, those were for Myra,” Levi scolded.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Gretchen shot back.
Rod struggled to keep from laughing while the others at the table roared – all but Myra.
“Don’t worry about Myra,” Levi said, “she’ll forget soon enough – they all will. Pull up a chair, Deputy.”
Behind him, Rod found an empty chair, turned it around and sat down. “What can you tell me about the night of the kidnapping?” He was too late. Levi had fallen asleep again. “Mr. Coaster?”
Apparently, Myrna was still not happy about her lack of crackers, so she swatted Levi’s arm. “Wake up, old man. You’ve got company!”
“Oh,” said Levi. “Where was I?”
“You were about to tell me what happened the night of the kidnapping.”
“That’s right. We lived across the street, you know, and I heard Mrs. Woodbury scream. Thing is, I’d seen her standing in front of the baby’s window looking out just a few minutes earlier.”
“Could you tell what she was looking at?”
“No, Sir, I didn’t see anything at all on the street. I figure she was making sure whoever took the baby had gotten away clean.”
“I see. Do you remember what time that was?”
“Sure I do. It was 1:50 a.m. I remember because I could hear the train coming and I knew the schedule. It was right on time.”
“Why were you awake that late?”
“I worked nights, so on my days off I didn’t bother changing my sleeping hours.”
“I see. Why didn’t you tell the sheriff what you saw?”
“You mean he doesn’t know? I told half the town when it happened.”
“There’s nothing in his file about it,” Rod answered. “In fact, I don’t recall seeing your name.”
Levi wrinkled his brow. “I’m sure I told the cop that came to talk to me the next day, what was his name? I remember now, it was that city cop, Dan Shaw, yes that was his name. He died, oh, about a month later. It was a hit and run outside of town and Otis never did find the car that hit him. Of course, Otis had his hands full trying to solve the kidnapping case.”
“Anything else you can remember?”
“No, that’s all,” Levi said and then promptly fell asleep.
Rod quietly put his chair back and left. In his cruiser, he crossed Levi’s name off the napkin. What Levi saw confirmed what Rod thought all along – Shelley waited to scream until after her accomplice had time to get away. It was unfortunate, though, that Otis was never told what Levi saw. If he had, he would have been a lot harsher on Shelley during the questioning, and she might have cracked and confessed. Too late now. Way too late now.
*
THAT EVENING, ROD HELPED Victor wash graffiti off the outside walls of the middle school, and then tried once more to find the stray dog. At least the dog found the food Rod left for it the day before, but the dog was still too wary of him to catch.
At home, he returned to reading more of the Woodbury file. He’d been thinking about Jason Woodbury all day. While he couldn’t imagine why Earl’s younger son would take part in the kidnapping, Emma, the woman in the restaurant was positive she had seen him. There wasn’t much in the files about Jason either. Apparently, Jason’s college professor in Atlanta produced an exam Jason had taken that afternoon, making it impossible for him to be in Iowa before 2:00 the next morning.
Next, Rod took a closer look at Shelley Woodbury’s interview. The sheriff interviewed the distraught mother in her home and not down at the office. Several times, the interview was stopped so Mrs. Woodbury could dry her tears and pull herself together. However, Rod did notice that it was the more probing questions that caused her to break down and guessed it was an act just to buy time for her to think of the best answer.
Just as the report said, Shelley Woodbury claimed she put the baby down around 10:00 and went to check on her baby before she headed to bed at around two o’clock in the morning. She went to wake Earl, and together they went downstairs to see if Mariam had the baby.
“Together?”
Rod leafed back through the material until he found Mariam’s statement. No, Shelley was not with Earl when he burst into Mariam’s room. Rod flipped back to Shelley’s testimony. Mrs. Woodbury thought she screamed then, but didn’t remember exactly.
Question: Your husband said you screamed before that and that’s what woke him up.
Answer: Did I? (sobs)
Question: Mrs. Woodbury, could your husband have harmed the baby?
Answer: (Long pause) I can’t imagine him doing that. He loves Tiffany.
Question: I have to ask, you understand. Mrs. Woodbury, did you accidentally harm her?
Answer: Of course not. (uncontrollable sobs)
When he tried to turn the page, Rod discovered two pages were stuck together. As soon as he carefully separated the two, he discovered a picture of Mrs. Shelley Woodbury and more closely examined it. She was a pleasant looking woman in her late thirties or early forties, with a somewhat seductive smile. Rod could certainly see why Earl was attracted to her, if indeed that’s why he married her.
Rod took the picture out and put it in his notebook. It would help to have a picture of her when he questioned people. He knew law enforcement started videotaping interrogations in the late 1980s, but a small town like Blue Falls probably couldn’t afford the expensive equipment. Too bad, too. Rod would have liked seeing the expressions on Shelley’s face during the interview.
Once more, he looked at the Police photo of her lifeless body in the garden. “What happened to you, Mrs. Woodbury?” Rod whispered.
When the phone rang, he instantly answered it. “Tiffany?”
“Yep, Earl doesn’t want to talk to you. He said it isn’t time yet, whatever that means.”
“Okay, I can live with that, although I would like to see the inside of his house – just to get a lay of the place.”
“I’ll ask him. Rod I was going to tell you last night at Nancy’s, but I didn’t think I should. Earl said to tell you that when he went to see what his wife was screaming about, the baby’s bottle was still warm.” Rod didn’t say anything and Tiffany gave him plenty of time to comment. “I’ll be in touch.” With that, she disconnected the call.
Rod was completely taken aback as he hung up and set his cellphone on the table. He’d read Earl’s statement several times and there was nothing about a warm baby bottle. He thoughtfully rubbed his forehead. Shelley forgot the bottle! That’s why she was looking out the window, wondering if her accomplice would come back for it. Instead, her accomplice went to the store to by milk, and left the baby in the car where Samantha saw it. But why didn’t Earl mention the warm bottle to Otis? Because he suspected Shelley and couldn’t believe his wife could do such a thing? There was no doubt in Rod’s mind that he was right about her from the start. Shelley was in on the kidnapping, and was likely murdered to keep her quiet.
An hour later, Rod was in bed and nearly asleep when his eyes shot wide open. Why feed a baby if you intended to kill it? Why not just suffocate it when it started to cry? Because...he wanted the baby alive in case Earl demands proof that he had her. He picked up the ransom, killed the baby and her mother, and then he was rich and a thousand miles away before anyone was the wiser.
Kill her how?
“An injection,” Rod whispered. Shelley met him at an arranged time in the garden, he gave her an injection saying it would help her calm down. When she passed out, he picked her up, and laid her right in front of the fountain where someone was sure to find her the next morning. And the glass? Of course, her accomplice knew someone might hear a breaking glass, so he made sure it didn’t break. He also knew the coroner would check for barbiturates if there was a glass nearby and not look for an injection site on her body.
Only one question remained – who was the man?
*
BIRDIE FINISHED CHECKING a family of four out of the Bed and Breakfast, hung the key to their room on the hook behind the counter, and watched through her big picture window as they got in their car before she joined Pamela on the sofa. “What brings you out here this early in the morning?”
“I’ve been up half the night. I’m worried, Birdie, It’s only a matter of time until that deputy gets around to us, and we need to get our stories straight.”
“I’ve been thinking about that too. Didn’t you tell the sheriff Michael was home with you all night?”
“Yes, but people saw him with you, so I had to admit I lied.”
“And then I lied and said he was with me,”
“Right,” said Pamela. “Michael said as soon as he heard, he went to be with Earl and stayed with him all night.”
“Is that what Earl told the sheriff?”
Pamela sighed. “I have no idea what Earl told the sheriff. The thing is, you said no one called Michael that night, so how did he know?”
Birdie closed her eyes and tried to think. “He wasn’t with me all night, remember? He left around eleven and I have no idea where he was after that. The baby wasn’t kidnapped until around two the next morning.”
“So he could have taken the baby, couldn’t he?”
“Pamela, what are you saying? Michael is a stupid man on most days, but he’s not that stupid.”
“I know, I know. I keep telling myself he wouldn’t do that to Earl either.”
Birdie stared at the Woodbury tile on her floor. “Do you suppose he was already seeing Andrea back then?”
“Oh, now wouldn’t that be rich? We’d only been married two years in 1998.”
Birdie grinned. “They said Michael did look a little pained when he married Andrea.”
“I heard that too. Well, I doubt she would admit it if he was already seeing her, so since we don’t know where he was, I guess we’re stuck with our lies.”
“I suppose so.” Birdie touched the back of Pamela’s hand. “Feel better?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t get much sleep last night either.”
“More nightmares?”
“Unfortunately.” Birdie watched as one of her maids came down the stairs. “Guess I better get back to work.”
Pamela crossed the lobby and headed into the bar, “I need a drink.”
“Help yourself.” She waited, and then closed her eyes and shook her head. “Lies, upon lies, upon more lies. I swear this will never end.” When she opened them again, a sheriff’s cruiser was pulling into the parking lot. “Show time,” said Birdie as she went back behind the counter and waited.
The first thing Rod noticed when he walked in, was the head of a brown bear mounted on the wall above the sofa. He slowly drew his eyes away and nodded to the pretty woman watching him. It wasn’t hard to guess who she was. “Birdie?”
“Deputy,” she answered.
He motioned toward the bear. “You shoot it?”
“Hardly. My parents bought this place from an old man, who held out as long as he could to get the outrageous price he wanted, and then died before he could spend the money.” She returned Rod’s smile. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m hoping you can answer a few questions.”
“About the kidnapping?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you hoping to ask Pamela Woodbury a few questions too, because if you are, you’re in luck. She’s in the bar.” Birdie came around to the front of the counter and opened the back door. “I don’t suppose I can offer you a drink, but you can have coffee, soda or tea. Take your pick?”
“A soda will do just fine.” He followed her in, glanced around and noticed the place was empty except for three women sitting at the bar. Rod nodded to each of Michael’s ex-wives.
“We meet for coffee every Thursday,” Birdie announced as she put her apron on. She filled a glass with ice, added the soda, and then set the glass in front of Rod. “You met them at the picnic, but in case you’ve forgotten, this is Pamela, Andrea and Jolie Woodbury.”
“Ladies.”
“I lied,” Pamela abruptly said, “but I guess you know that already.” She kept an eye on Andrea’s reaction as she continued. “I was married to him, but Michael wasn’t with me that night; he was with Birdie.”
Andrea didn’t noticeably react, but Jolie did. “I thought you said Birdie didn’t sleep with Michael while he was married to one of us.”
Pamela was caught and had no idea what to say. Thankfully, Birdie answered, “Jolie, that was the only time. I learned my lesson that night and it never happened again.”
Jolie didn’t look too convinced, but she let it go.
“Do any of you know where Michael was the next night?” Rod asked.
Neither Birdie nor Pamela were prepared for that question. “The next night?” Pamela asked.
“Yes,” Rod answered, “the night the ransom was picked up.”
“Well,” Pamela scoffed, “He sure didn’t bring a million dollars’ home to me, I can tell you that much. If he had, I would have asked for a much higher settlement in the divorce.”
“Deputy,” Birdie said, “Michael isn’t clever enough to pull that off.”
“Yes,” Andrea interrupted, “but he has more money than he makes, at least he did when I was married to him.”
“More than you were able to spend?” Pamela asked. “I’m shocked.”
“What in the world is wrong with you today, Pamela,” Andrea asked. “Did I somehow become your worst enemy over night?”
“Maybe,” Pamela said before she thought better of it. “I was just wondering if...”
“Just a few more question,” Rod interrupted. “Did either of you see Jason Woodbury that weekend?” Rod was surprised when both women giggled. “What?”
“You’ve been talking to Emma,” Pamela said. “She saw him in town that day, or so she has said all these years, but truly, Jason could have cared less about this town or anyone in it. After his mother died, he washed his hands of the whole place, even his father.”
“Poor Earl,” said Andrea. “Two wives’ dead, a daughter kidnapped, and a son who wanted nothing to do with him. All he had left was Michael and little Alex. That might have been enough for some people, but Earl just closed himself off from the world. The sorrow was just too much for him.”
Pamela rolled her eyes. “What would you know about it, you didn’t even know Michael existed at the time, right?”
Andrea turned to look Pamela in the eye. “Right! But I was part of the family at one time too, you may recall. I’m just saying how sad it was for Alex and Gloria to have a grandfather who didn’t care one iota about them their whole lives.”
Rod cleared his voice to get their attention. “Did any of you know Shelley, I mean Mrs. Woodbury?”
This time it was Birdie who glanced at Pamela’s reaction before she answered. “She came in here a time or two, that I recall.”
“Maybe a little more often than a time or two.” Pamela corrected. “Birdie, who was that guy she used to come in with?”
“I don’t remember,” Birdie answered.
Jolie smirked. “Michael loves telling people how much he hated Shelley.”
“Why did he hate her,” Rod asked, but Jolie realized her mistake, hung her head, and didn’t answer. “Did Michael know Shelley before she married Earl?”
“I don’t know,” said Pamela while Birdie shrugged.
“Do you recall if she came in here with him before she married Earl?” Rod asked Birdie.
“Sorry, deputy,” Birdie answered. “It was too long ago.”
“After,” Pamela corrected. “Don’t you remember her flashing her wedding ring around?”
“That’s right, she did. It must have been after,” said Birdie.
“Does the name Charles Hadley sound familiar?” Rod asked.
Pamela frowned. “I think his name was Charles, something.”
When Birdie looked at Rod, she said, “I don’t think I ever knew his name.”
“Shelley used to give him a check,” Pamela added. “I don’t know what for though.”
“What a memory,” Andrea scoffed. “How come you can’t remember where Michael was the next night?”
Pamela ignored her and so did Rod. “Do you remember if you saw him after the kidnapping?”
“Not right after,” Birdie answered. “We were all out looking for the baby and the place was locked up for three days.”
Rod decided he’d asked enough questions. “Thank you ladies, you’ve been...I wonder, did Michael have a key to Earl’s house?”
“Sure,” Pamela answered. “when Jason lost his key, Michael had a new one made off of his.”
“Was that before or after the kidnapping?”
Pamela answered, “I’m not positive, but I think it was the summer before.”
Rod put two dollars on the bar, left his untouched sodas, and tipped his hat. “Ladies.”
Birdie took her apron off and came around to walk him out. At the front door, she said, “I truly don’t think Michael was behind the kidnapping and I know him better than anyone. Like I said, he’s just not that smart.”
“I appreciate your help.” Rod could hear raised voices coming from the bar, opened the door and then nodded that direction. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Birdie said with a grin. She closed the door and then hurried back. Behind the bar, she set out four shot glasses and began to fill them with Vodka.
“You shouldn’t have mentioned Michael’s Shelley stories,” said Andrea.
Jolie shrugged. “Well, it’s hardly a secret. He tells them every chance he gets and to anyone who will listen.”
“You have to admit they’re pretty funny,” Pamela said. “Especially the one about her claiming to be a direct descendent of Louis IV, as if Michael would be impressed. Nothing impresses Michael except what he hopes to inherit when Earl passes away.”
“You know,” said Birdie, “There is one thing about Michael that always bothered me. Where does he get all that money he throws around?”
“I asked him that once,” said Jolie, “and he told me to mind my own business.”
“You think he figured out a way to get the ransom money?” Andrea asked.
“I don’t see how, unless...” Pamela started.
“Unless what?” Birdie asked.
“Well, if he wasn’t with either of us the night of the kidnapping, and he was with Earl instead, he might have heard where the money was to be...”
“Wait a minute,” said Jolie, “Michael wasn’t with either of you that night? Birdie, didn’t you just tell the cop, Michael was with you?”
Birdie set the first filled shot glass in front of Jolie. “You mean, did we lie about who he was with that night – or did we lie to you, about my sleeping with him while he was married? You decide.”
Jolie wrinkled her brow. “Both, probably.”
Birdie ignored her and handed out the rest of the drinks. “All I remember is Michael being upset about Earl putting everything he owned up to get the bank to give him the money.”
“So where was he the next night when the ransom was picked up?” Jolie asked.
“He was probably with Andrea,” Pamela sneered.
“Have you lost your mind, Pamela?” Andrea asked. “I was what, eight years old at the time? I was only nineteen when I married him.”
“I forgot about that,” Pamela admitted.
The four of them saluted Michael, downed their shots, and then took a moment to calm down.
“Do you really think Michael was involved in the kidnapping?” Jolie asked.
“I don’t,” said Andrea. “I can’t imagine him pulling something like this off and staying quiet about it all these years.”
“She’s right,” Birdie agree. “If Michael did it, he would have bragged about it by now.”
“Then who did?” Jolie asked.
Andrea pushed her shot glass toward Birdie, “I’m buying this time.”
Birdie grabbed the bottle and poured another round. “Maybe that new cop can figure it out – we never have.”
“So did you tell him the truth or not?” Jolie insisted.
She exchanged glances with Pamela before Birdie answered, “Most of it.”
