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“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice” – Bob Marley
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I HURRIED THROUGH MY last hour of work. I couldn’t keep my mind straight most of the day. I kept rehearsing conversations in my head. I wanted to say just the right things to Jed. I wanted to be honest, but not so honest that it drove him away again. I wanted to tell Jed how wounded I was when he stopped being my friend. I wanted to ask Jed why, after so many years, we hadn’t yet made up. What was wrong with us?
I locked my office door, pulled the blinds, and slipped out of my work outfit. I had stuffed jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, a pair of sandals, and my toothbrush in my backpack that morning so that I could get ready to meet Jed after work. I released my hair from the bun and combed my fingers through my long tresses to loosen the waves. After I changed my clothes, I headed to the staff bathroom to brush my teeth and apply my makeup—just a little tinted face cream, mascara, and lipstick to freshen up. I told myself, This is not a date. This—is—I didn’t know what. I decided that this was two old friends reconnecting, trying to heal past wrongs. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I wasn’t convinced it was going to work.
I left the Chalet a few minutes later and walked to Delilah’s. The tavern is pretty central so it’s walkable to most everything in town. I knew that I was over thirty minutes early to meet Jed when I stepped into the place. I decided that I needed a drink to calm my nerves before I met him. I headed toward the bar and found myself distracted from my pursuit of alcohol when I noticed Rebecca McMurphy sitting alone at a booth toward the back of the room. My feet went on autopilot, and a few seconds later, I found myself at her table. The napkin-wrapped silverware on the table suggested that Rebecca was getting ready to to have dinner. I didn’t plan to speak to her long.
“Hi, Rebecca? You probably don’t remember me. I am Mandy Swift.” Rebecca’s face was made up, mascara, lipstick the whole works.
Rebecca looked up at me with her large, dark eyes. At first, I don’t mind telling you, I was a bit worried that the tall muscular woman might attack me—verbally if not physically—she gave me a discerning look before she spoke. “Right, you are the manager at the Chalet.”
“That’s right. I just wanted to let you know that I am so terribly sorry for your loss.”
Rebecca’s mouth formed a small smile. “Thank you. I am afraid I owe you an apology. I was awful the other day.”
“No, not at all. You didn’t say or do anything awful. The circumstances were awful.”
“You are kind for saying that.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just saw you here, and,” I looked at the table. Rebecca seemed so alone. “I don’t want to offend you, but do you have anyone here? I mean, a support network to help you out?”
“No, actually, I came here on my own. I don’t know what I was thinking. I must seem a bit crazy. I can’t even remember the things I said at the police department, but I think I said some horrible things.”
“You were upset.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, would you like to sit down? I just ordered my dinner, but I wouldn’t mind company.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you.” I slid into the seat across from Rebecca. She seemed so down-to-earth. I found this entirely surprising after Rebecca’s brusque behavior at the Chalet. “I’m meeting a friend for dinner at six, but if you want to talk while I am waiting for him...” I smiled.
“That would be nice. It’s just hitting me all of the sudden. I understand that my husband spoke to you a few times. Do you mind telling me what you talked about?”
“Yes, I spoke with him briefly,” I replied. “He was pretty busy with his military friends while he was staying at the Chalet.”
Rebecca nodded. “Yes, they were a big part of his life. You know, I used to be involved in the adventures myself. I worked on the set of several of the programs Jonah produced.”
“I remember you said you were in the military too.”
“I was. I retired shortly after Jonah did. We have a ranch in Wyoming; I spend most of my time there these days.”
“Do you and Jonah have children?”
Rebecca shook her head. “No. I always wanted kids, but that didn’t happen for us. Look, I know you’ve heard the rumors by now. Jonah had an eye for the ladies.” She stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “That’s not the full truth. Jonah was a cheater. He liked women. He had a hard time controlling his impulses. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he hit on you. You’re kind of his type—pretty, tall, athletic.”
I felt the color rise to my face. Darn my capillaries for betraying me again.
“Maybe he did hit on you?” Rebecca’s eyebrows rose, understanding.
“He may have done some harmless flirting, but that was all. I honestly thought those rumors were old.”
“Oh, I wanted to believe they were too, but you know once you catch someone in a lie like that—lies like that—it’s a bit difficult to completely trust him again. That’s part of the reason we didn’t have children.”
“I’m not in a relationship, but I think I can understand what you are saying. If you don’t trust your spouse, it would be challenging to raise a family with him.”
Rebecca lowered her eyes. “That’s true. But I was referring to the health considerations. I was afraid to take any risks where Jonah was concerned. Trust me, men like Jonah aren’t always safe. That’s why I vowed that as long as Jonah and I were together, I always would be safe.”
“Oh.” I practically stammered with embarrassment. I mean, what could I say to Rebecca’s frank remark? I was surprised that Rebecca told me these intimate details about her marriage to Crater. I didn’t even know her.
“Oh, my goodness, you must think I am crazy to tell you these things. Honestly, I’m just so relieved to get that off of my chest, and I had a couple of shots of Scotch before I came here. I guess that loosened my tongue.” Rebecca fanned herself with her hand. That’s when I noticed her fingernails. Rebecca had obviously taken time to apply her makeup, but her fingernails were another story. They were short and covered in chipped red polish. I wondered if she’d been biting them or if she hastily trimmed them for some reason.
I nodded. “Don’t worry about it. How long are you in town? Maybe we could meet up another time, and have a drink.”
“I’ll be in town for a few more days, I imagine. I’m waiting for Jonah’s body to be released. God, it’s awful saying those words. Here,” Rebecca opened her bag and extracted a business card. “The card is old, but it still has my correct phone number on it.” She extended the card to me.
I took the card and glanced at it, ‘Rebecca McMurphy, Talent Coordinator.’ The card also contained her phone number.
“Thanks, I will give you a call.” I pocketed the card, then I surreptitiously glanced at my phone to check the time. I still had about ten minutes until I expected Jed to arrive, but I wanted to extract myself from the conversation I was having with Mrs. McMurphy. “Ah, well, my friend is always early. I should probably go meet him.” I was happy to turn and see a server approaching us carrying a tray with a meal on it. That gave me another excuse to get away from her.
“I’ll look forward to hearing from you, Mandy,” Rebecca said as I stepped away.
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I RUSHED AROUND THE corner from Rebecca. I hid from her view and texted Jed. I needed to cancel our meet-up. I hoped Jed would understand my reason and let us reschedule for another time. I hid behind the wall that separates the dining area from the hallway to the bathroom and I watched Rebecca McMurphy. I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t quite aboveboard with Crater McMurphy’s widow. She’d come into town bold and threatening, and now she was candid and as sweet as a kitten. I didn’t buy it. Rebecca McMurphy’s attitude brought to mind my competitive days when I was on the pro snowboarding circuit. I realized that to our audience, my opponents and I exhibited friendly, easy, supportive vibes, but in truth, we were fierce opponents. While we cheered each other on, we were actually hoping our competition would catch an edge or just have a bad ride. Every one of us was in it to win it, and I got a distinct impression that Rebecca McMurphy was the same. For that reason, I stood and watched the widow as she accepted her dinner, picked up her silverware, and began eating. I watched for several minutes collecting the information that I needed.
My cellphone buzzed, and I pulled it from my pocket. Fortunately, I had remembered to turn the alert off. I glanced at the screen. It was Jed responding to my text.
Jed: What’s going on? I thought you wanted to talk.
I quickly typed my response and sent it back to Jed.
Mandy: I think I have eyes on the suspect.
Jed: Dammit Mandy, what are you up to? Where are you?
I texted Jed one more time. I didn’t want to run into Rebecca in the tavern again. I slid out the door and headed to my car ready to start surveillance.
Mandy: I’ll text you when I know where I am going.
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IT TOOK QUITE A WHILE for Rebecca to exit the tavern. By the time she left, my stomach was rumbling with hunger. I was supposed to be having dinner with Jed, not spying on Crater McMurphy’s widow. I watched Rebecca enter her car, and I started the ignition in mine. Then, with extra care, I followed Rebecca to her next destination. It took several minutes of driving. The road narrowed the longer we drove. We were headed towards the outskirts of town. I realized where we were going just before we arrived. We were on the edge of the village, and Rebecca pulled her car up to an older motel that had seen better days. I was surprised that Rebecca would choose to stay in the place. Her husband chose the Chalet for himself, and it looked like a palace compared to the Highway’s End Motel. I pulled in a few rows behind Rebecca’s car and waited as she got out, locked her car, and walked to the building. I watched as she approached a room, reached for her key, unlocked the door, and entered her room.
I waited several more minutes while I debated what to do next. I knew two things. First, in the case of murder, the spouse is usually the first suspect, and second, Rebecca McMurphy used her left hand to hold her knife at the restaurant. The killer was presumed to be a leftie and a woman. And while Jed believed most women were physically too weak to subdue a man like Crater McMurphy, I felt that if there was any woman who could subdue the man, it was Rebecca McMurphy. After all, Rebecca told me that she had also been in the military, AND she had worked on Crater’s programs. And, if Rebecca showed up at Crater’s suite early on Saturday morning, he was unlikely to turn her away, she was his wife. My decision was made. I was going to talk to her. I composed a quick text message to Jed telling him I was at the Highway’s End Motel with Rebecca McMurphy, and then I turned on my phone’s voice recorder before hiding it in my back pocket.
I stepped from my car and walked to Rebecca’s room. I must have stood by the door, unmoving, for a minute before I worked up the courage to knock.
It didn’t take long for Rebecca to answer the door. In fact, it almost felt like she was expecting someone.
“Oh hey, what are you doing here?” Rebecca said with a note of surprise in her voice.
“I didn’t really mean to catch you off-guard, Rebecca, but I was wondering if you were free to talk some more.”
Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. Then she laughed. “Yeah, you meant to catch me off guard. But it’s okay. Come on in. We’ll have a drink.”
I should have known it was too easy.
I stepped into the room, and Rebecca closed and locked the door behind us. I took a quick look around. I saw an open suitcase on the bed. It looked like she was packing to leave. I noticed an open bottle of whiskey on a writing table against the far wall and a glass of whiskey beside it. The TV was on and tuned to a news program.
“So,” Rebecca walked to the table, grabbed a second glass, and poured a large measure of the whiskey into it. She handed the fresh glass to me and picked up her own. “I have my suspicions, but why don’t you tell me the real reason you are here, Mandy?”
I took a deep breath and blew it out again. I needed to buy some time to think up an excuse for my presence. I should have thought of an excuse before I knocked on Rebecca’s door. “Honestly?” I sipped my drink and felt it sting my throat as I swallowed it. “I have some questions.”
Rebecca laughed. “I bet you do.” She walked to the bed and sat on the corner. She stared at me over the edge of her glass as she took a sip of the fiery amber liquid.
“I do.” I remained standing. “When did you decided to kill your husband?”
Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. “My, you seem to have an active imagination. That’s a bit surprising considering your background. I would think that a professional snowboarder needs to keep a tight rein on her imagination.”
“Not really. There’s an art to snowboarding, Rebecca. How interesting would the sport be if we all approached it in the same way?”
“Touché,” Rebecca smiled.
“So, did you think about killing Crater for a while? Was this trip your best opportunity to do that?”
Rebecca stared at me with her dark eyes, but she didn’t speak. She set her glass of whiskey on the bedside table and just watched me. I felt goosebumps rise on my flesh. “How did you figure it out?”
“At first, I thought someone else was to blame for your husband’s death. But then, I met you, and I realized if anyone was capable of killing Crater, you were.”
“But that’s not proof of anything.”
“No. But then I learned that you are a leftie, and so was the killer. And despite your impeccable makeup—your fingernails were really messed up—like they’d been hastily trimmed. I imagine you broke your nails the night you killed Crater and climbed off the balcony to get away.”
Rebecca didn’t reply to me.
“Why did you want to see his suite? That’s the part I’m not sure about. Were you looking for something?”
Rebecca remained silent.
“Were you looking for the discarded condom? You must know by now that Agent Riley found it.”
“Why would I be interested in that?” Rebecca deflected.
“Oh, at first I thought it was because you needed proof of your husband’s infidelity. On the day we met, you mentioned you needed closure. I thought that maybe evidence of his indiscretion provided you with the closure you needed. But after I spoke to you tonight, I realized I was wrong. You see, Crater was a flirt, but I got the feeling that he changed his lecherous ways. Maybe he learned his lesson. But what you told me in the tavern? You let something slip. You didn’t trust Crater. You suspected that he was still cheating on you. You were afraid he would catch a disease and that he would give it to you. Sorry, if I sound a bit insensitive.”
Rebecca’s eyes looked even sharper, but the rest of her face remained neutral. “Not at all.”
“It’s difficult to get pregnant when you always use protection, isn’t it?” I took another sip of the vile liquid, coughed, and set my glass down on the table. “The other thing I couldn’t figure out is why was Agent Riley investigating? You see, I did some research, and the FBI doesn’t involve itself in everyday murder cases. But you probably already knew that, didn’t you?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting that you found out Crater’s big secret. You and Crater didn’t have any children together, but Crater had a daughter. How did you figure it out? Did he tell you?”
“No. I used to manage our personal checking account. Jonah grew careless one day. He made a money transfer out of our joint account to an address in Colorado. I looked into it, and I found Shannon Tennyson. When I questioned Jonah, he eventually came clean with me. Shannon had been blackmailing Jonah for years. She threatened to tell me about the child, and to go public with the paternity results if he didn’t pay her ten thousand dollars a month.”
Holy crap! Shannon was blackmailing Crater for child support, and quite a bit of it too.
“I was furious when I found out.”
“Of course, you were,” I agreed. “Not only did you not have the children you wanted, but Crater had a daughter that he never told you about.”
“He’d been paying Shannon for years. I did some research and figured out who Shannon Tennyson was. I told Jonah that he shouldn’t pay an extortionist. If the child was his, he should have custody rights. I was the one who contacted the FBI about the extortion.”
“Wait. You wanted to get Shannon arrested for extortion because you wanted shared custody of Skye?” I felt my jaw fall open.
“She is Jonah’s daughter. We should have a right to see her.”
“That’s what Tate’s unfinished business was. He wanted to warn off Crater. You were going to frame Tate for Crater’s death and get Shannon arrested for felony extortion. Skye wouldn’t have anywhere to go but to Crater, her biological father. Only you made a mistake. You somehow lured Crater back to the Chalet, then you killed him. Only you were worried that you evidence you left behind”
“I didn’t lure Jonah. He was my husband. I called him to say I missed him, and that I would meet him at his suite.”
Rebecca smirked at me, and I knew I was on the right track. “But why? Why did you kill Crater if you wanted him to share custody of Skye with Shannon? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just get rid of Shannon with the extortion plot?” I swallowed hard when I said that. I didn’t advocate getting rid of anyone.
“Jonah didn’t want her. He didn’t want that precious little girl. He said that Shannon was too much trouble. Tate was trouble too. I did some research. I thought as Jonah’s widow, I could apply to care for her. I just needed Shannon and Tate out of the picture. The extortion charge would take care of Shannon and Tate could be charged with murder.”
My mind was boggled. “The authorities are no longer looking at Tate as the suspect in Crater’s murder. They are sure the killer is a woman.”
Rebecca shrugged. “There’s still Shannon.”
Doh! Rebecca was right. Shannon could be a suspect in both Crater McMurphy’s murder and in the extortion plot. I held the key—the recording that I was making on my phone. I knew that recordings—especially hidden recordings by non-sleuths such as myself—would probably be inadmissible in a court of law, but they could be damning. I could still give Agent Riley and Jed a good reason to find Rebecca McMurphy guilty. I just had to let them hear the recording that I was making.
“Of course, Mandy, we have a problem now, don’t we?”
“Um?” Playing coy, I set my whiskey glass on the table.
Rebecca laughed. “Don’t play stupid with me, Mandy. You hurt your knee, not your brain. You heard my confession. You might have even recorded it. Where’s your cellphone? Is it in your pocket?” Rebecca stood from the bed and darted across the room towards me. I jumped from my seat to avoid her onslaught, and I tried to flee for the door. Rebecca snaked one leg out and hooked me behind my right knee. I felt a sharp pull in my leg as I crumbled to the floor.
“I picked the correct knee, didn’t I?” Rebecca sneered from above me.
I didn’t imagine that Rebecca knew that during my summer breaks from snowboarding, I had earned my blackbelt in Taekwondo. I took several small cleansing breaths to stop the anxiousness that threatened to overcome me. Then as Rebecca lifted her right leg intending to send a catastrophic blow to my temple, I spun my body kicking and punching as I bounded from the floor. I grazed her with a roundhouse kick to her lower back, and then I threw a right hook to Rebecca’s abdomen for good measure. A couple of well-placed blows like those would knock the average person down, but they weren’t enough to dissuade Rebecca McMurphy from trying to pummel me.
Rebecca recovered her balance. Her dark eyes grew fiery and she omitted a loud guffaw. Then she stepped closer. I really wanted to pull the door open and run, but my knee was sending out SOS signals to my brain. I knew there was no way I would be able to outrun Rebecca on my newly damaged knee. I needed to fend her off and try to make enough noise so that the neighbors in the next room would call the police.
I reached for the desk lamp on the table and yanked it hard enough to dislodge the plug from the wall.
“You know only one of us can leave this room tonight?” Rebecca sneered. Then she dove at me. I threw the lamp in her path hoping that it would catch her in the head or somewhere painful. It hit the wall behind her as she dove downwards. Rebecca McMurphy had all the moves. Frankly, she was terrifying.
I hobbled to the bedside table and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. I held it out in front of me, threatening Rebecca with it. She merely grinned. I grasped the neck of the bottle, and I smacked the base against the table. The end of the bottle broke with a loud shattering sound and I felt the amber liquid splash me as I held the jagged bottle aloft.
“Come at me, baby!” Rebecca screamed in a blood-curdling voice. I heard the blood pumping in my ears as Rebecca reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and removed a large pocket knife. I heard the click as the weapon opened and the shining serrated blade was exposed. Apparently, knives were Rebecca’s weapon of choice.
I pointed the bottle at her and steadied my nerves. “I intend to be the one who leaves the room tonight, Rebecca.”
“In a body bag!” Rebecca countered as she dived towards me with the knife.
What happened next is a bit of a blur, and I apologize for that. When your adrenaline is pumping it can be hard to remember specific details. What I do remember is hurdling myself on top of the bed and bouncing off the other side, despite my injured knee. That’s right, lady, I am pretty great on a trampoline too. I rushed to the door and began unlocking the bolt. I could feel the heat of Rebecca’s body as she appeared behind me. I did a blind rear kick, making contact with her knife hand before I pulled the door open and ran. I heard the dull thud of the knife as it hit the carpeted floor.
I didn’t get far before I felt Rebecca dive on top of me. My body collided with the asphalt of the parking lot, I let out an ‘oof’ as my breath was knocked completely out of my body. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. I felt myself being dragged across the warm asphalt. I felt the dry sharpness of the parking lot tearing at the skin of my arms and my face as Rebecca dragged me towards her room by my legs. I felt completely helpless and breathless. My knee throbbed. Rebecca didn’t bother to close the door as she turned me on my back and raised the knife that she recovered over me.
“Drop the weapon!” I heard the voice, but I didn’t believe my ears. I had to be dreaming.
“Drop the weapon!” The harsh voice repeated. I looked up at Rebecca’s eyes, and I swear, her irises were swirling like a crazed cartoon character’s. I was motionless as Rebecca’s arm swept down towards me the knife still clutched in her left hand. That’s when I heard the loud report of a gun. Things got hazy after that. I fainted for the first time in my life.
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HE’D WINGED HER. JED was an excellent shot—a real marksman with a gun. I didn’t know this about him until Rebecca tried to kill me. Soon the parking lot of the motel was swarming with first responders and I watched as Rebecca McMurphy was loaded into an ambulance. I opted to get checked out in the parking lot before Jed persuaded me to let the paramedics take me to the hospital to be examined and treated.
No one had called the police about a disturbance at the motel that night. I guess loud guests were pretty commonplace at the Highway’s End Motel. Jed tracked me down using only the text messages I sent him and his keen intuition. I guess that’s why he is a good policeman despite his hemophobia.
At first, Rebecca denied killing her husband. I played my audio recording to both Jed and Agent Riley, and eventually, Rebecca admitted her guilt. I learned that Agent Riley had not been brought in to investigate Crater McMurphy’s death per se. She was investigating the interstate extortion claim filed by Rebecca McMurphy, and when Crater turned up dead, Agent Riley was brought in on the case. Of course, now, thanks to my recording, the agent had more damning evidence against Shannon. Getting Shannon in trouble had never been my intention. It turned out that Skye was right. She did see Shannon on the mountain the day we had ice cream. Shannon never left Colorado when she learned that Crater McMurphy was in town. We can only speculate what Shannon’s intentions were. The photos she sent to Tate from California were just old photos from her photo library taken the last time she went there.
Jed and I rescheduled our dinner because a matter of attempted murder and arrest made it necessary. It turned out that I had merely sprained my knee during my altercation with Rebecca McMurphy. I had to wear a brace for a few weeks, and I would be fine. The surgery that I had three years before held up to Rebecca’s blow. I had a few cuts and scrapes that I sustained during my skirmish with Rebecca, but my prognosis was excellent. Jed was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation thanks to him shooting Rebecca McMurphy in the shoulder in an attempt to save me.