CHAPTER 18
A fter we ordered dinner, we stood in my office, where I had a huge whiteboard hung above the whitewashed desk. I tossed the teal throw pillow that had fallen off the chair back on it and rolled the white office chair aside. I put Lucy’s name in blue at the top of the board. Sam’s theory was shot, now that we knew Lucy was unequivocally dead. I put Alex’s name under hers in red, with money clip in parentheses, and beside his, the biker with a question mark. We still didn’t have a positive identification on him. To the left of their names, I added the body being dumped at my house and evidence planted. In parentheses, fentanyl.
Under the evidence, I put the names of everyone who had been inside my home after the murder. If it was a murder. I put a question mark after Alex’s name.
“Alex had to have been outside your house after.” Betsy put the money clip on the desk. “I hate to say it, but we ought to call him over here and have it out with him. It’ll be better if we go at him together.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, Bets. You should have seen him at the sheriff’s office. He practically foamed at the mouth. I mean, I’ve never seen him like this. And once he finds out Lucy wasn’t ever pregnant, and the evidence against me, he’s liable to blow a fuse. And when that happens, I don’t want to be anywhere near him.” I tapped the marker against the desk. “I would like to know if Alex has been snooping at my house, and why.”
She made a face and folded her arms, just as the doorbell rang. “He’s my own blood and I don’t go accusing folks without cause, but how could his clip get here if he hasn’t been? Maybe he’s lost it, or worse, is on drugs.”
“All right, fine. He was probably outside. I just hate to even think he might be behind setting us up.” I followed Betsy out of the room and into the living area.
“Me too,” she said sadly. “I’ll grab the pizza. You get the plates.”
“Okay.” My cell rang as I was putting the plates on the bar. I hit the speaker icon when I saw it was Javier. “Hey.” I grabbed two wineglasses from the cabinet.
“Hey yourself. I need to come by and have a word with you later.” He sounded rushed.
I had the wine fridge open and decided on a bottle of merlot. “Is this officially or unofficially?”
“Like I was never there and way unofficially.”
“Now I’m nervous.” I searched for my corkscrew. I needed this wine now.
Betsy came trudging back in with a large box of pizza and a small box of breadsticks. She had to have her breadsticks. “Where are the salads?”
“I didn’t order no salads. This here’s a last meal sort of thing. Ain’t no one ordering salads for their last meal.” She plopped down the boxes and lifted the lids.
“Pardon me?” Javy asked.
“Sorry. Betsy’s here and we ordered pizza.”
“Ah.” He answered as if that explained everything perfectly. “I’ll see you tonight. It’ll be late.”
“How late?”
“Late.”
Betsy started fanning herself. “Phew, that hunk of burnin’ Latin love is a sweet-talker. I think I’m going to faint. Jump on that! This could be like your last conjugal before the big house. If he was here for me, I would. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.” She kept fanning herself and took a bite of super supreme pizza. “Now that’s a hot scene.”
I pointed to the phone just as Javy said, “Goodbye, ladies.” I heard the smile on Javy’s face, and it added much-needed levity to the day.
Betsy nearly choked. “I thought he’d hung up. He’s gonna think I want to jump his bones.”
“Don’t you?” I laughed and so did she as we loaded our plates with pizza. “Let’s get back to the case.” I sat down and a took a deep sip of wine.
Sam’s ringtone blared and his smiling face came up on the screen. I was a popular girl today. I hit the answer icon. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Turn on the news!”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it!”
“I’m on it, Sam.” Betsy was already searching for the remote I always seemed to lose. She began digging between the couch cushions.
“Good, you’re not alone. And for the record, everything I ever said about Alex Myers will be validated in the next minute. Call me back.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Betsy and I exchanged a wide-eyed glance as she came up with the little black remote and clicked, turning the flat-screen on.
On the steps of city hall stood Alex, who’d cleaned up since I’d seen him last. He wore a blue blazer and khaki slacks. Next to him stood an older couple, who I assumed were the Carmichaels. The woman with silver hair, wearing dark sunglasses and a pleated cream dress, held tightly to her husband’s arm. Detective Thornton stood opposite them, and Eddie, along with the man I recognized as his attorney friend Mr. O’Malley, stood off to the side. My jaw dropped open as Alex stood in front of the microphones and his voice traveled through the speakers. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Alex smoothed his hair after a gust of wind caught it and he shifted on his feet.
“Really?” The female reporter held her ground. “Because I have a statement from a personal friend of yours who insisted that is exactly what you’ve said and why you left the island to seek outside help.”
“I don’t know who your source is, miss, or what they thought they heard, but I refute it one hundred percent. This has nothing to do with mistrust of the Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department or our sheriff. After speaking with my in-laws”—Alex turned back and motioned to Lucy’s parents—“we made a collaborative decision to reach out to the Atlanta PD and ask for help. Having Detective Thornton lead on my wife’s case is advantageous for everyone involved.”
A balding reporter I recognized as one of Betsy’s high school exes raised his hand. “Is it true your cousin Betsy Myers is a suspect in your wife’s murder case? Your mother went on record last night that the victim and Betsy had an altercation and quoted threats your cousin made toward Lucy only days before her death.”
Betsy sat on the floor in front of the TV. “I can’t believe Larry would even ask such an awful thing.”
I could. This was big news for Peach Cove and probably one of Larry’s only chances to make any serious headlines.
Detective Thornton touched Alex’s arm and Alex took the hint and stepped aside, not that he looked happy about it. “Everyone is being questioned at this point and, as of this moment, no arrests have been made.”
“How can you drag your feet on a murder case?” Larry pressed.
“No one is dragging anything. The cause of death is still undetermined. While we appreciate the public’s concern, we cannot and will not jeopardize our case to satisfy curiosity. As to any more specifics of the case, we cannot comment. Thank you.”
A roar of voices went up with more questions. It was hard to make them out. Until we heard my name. “Isn’t it true, Deputy Myers, that your ex-girlfriend Marygene Brown, owner of the Peach Diner, has been called in for questioning on your wife’s murder as well? So, it isn’t just your cousin in question but also your ex-girlfriend.”
“I’ll take this one, Deputy Myers.” Mr. O’Malley moved in front of the microphone. “No, that is not accurate. My client, Marygene Brown, has not, nor has ever been, a person of interest. As Detective Thornton said, everyone who was present the day of the unfortunate incident is being questioned. Also, as the detective stated, the cause of death has yet to be determined. It is in the best interests of everyone involved that anyone with information regarding the case to please come forward and speak with the Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department. A tip line has been created, and you’ll find it at the bottom of your screen. Even the simplest detail could aid law enforcement in solving what happened to Lucy Carmichael.”
“Myers, Lucy Myers.” Alex sounded a little agitated as he shouted behind Mr. O’Malley.
The old man turned and stepped aside.
“Sheriff Carter.” A chorus of voices rang out. “Can you tell us anything about how the body was discovered?”
I held my breath and perched on the edge of the sofa.
Eddie stepped forward and rested both hands on the podium, and I wondered if he needed it to steady himself. His face appeared paler, and he was sweating. “We are unable to comment on the specifics of the case at this time.”
“Sheriff Carter? Is there a murderer on the loose here in Peach Cove?”
“Now, it’s questions like that, Larry, that spread pandemonium.” Eddie pierced Larry with a pointed glare, and the reporter slinked backward. Eddie faced the cameras and wiped his brow. “I urge the public, if you know anything, we do indeed have the tip line set up and ready to receive any and all information you have. Also, I’m told there is a number below the tip line at the bottom of your screen that we urge you to use to express your concerns. There is absolutely no evidence that anyone else is in danger at this time. Be vigilant, as always, but go about your lives and leave the case to the authorities.”
A female reporter blurted, “Isn’t it true the body was discovered by Deputy Reyes at your daughter’s residence?”
Alex’s head whipped around. He hadn’t known where Lucy’s body had been discovered.
I gasped and Betsy reached out and patted my knee.
“We cannot comment on the open investigation. However, I will say this, check your facts before starting rumors.”
“Are you protecting your daughter, Sheriff?”
“I have nothing else to add.”
“Sheriff, are you fit to serve under these circumstances?”
After another reiteration about the tip line and the safety of the islanders, the station took us back to the studio.
Betsy turned the TV off, and I slid onto the floor next to her.