Mystery Adventures
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The first week of the murder case was spent interviewing people and getting background information. I had my suspicions but didn’t want to jump right into the investigation without trying to verify everything that was going on.
It would be too easy for me to miss something important or overlook some clue because I wasn’t being thorough. And if this was a setup by someone who knew what they were doing, then it wouldn’t matter how much work we put into it.
I tried to get as many details about the victim’s life as possible during my interviews with her family members. Her mother and father seemed more than willing to talk about their daughter, so I thought all signs pointed to someone close to them being involved in her death.
The only thing that surprised me was when I asked Mr. Wardell if he’d ever seen his daughter angry and got an answer I hadn’t expected. “Yes,” he said. “She used to yell at me sometimes.” He laughed, shaking his head. “But she always apologized later and made up for whatever she did wrong.”
Mr. Wardell told me he never saw anything violent between his daughter and her husband, so I assumed the man must have been an innocent bystander. But where were the two kids? Had they known their mommy was dead? Or had they managed to run away before the police arrived?
I talked to the school principal about the children’s attendance records. They weren’t there most of the time, but when they were, there was no record of any fights or altercations between Maddie and her parents. Maybe the little ones were in hiding somewhere, or maybe they were safe with friends or relatives. Either way, I couldn’t afford to leave them out of consideration.
A few days after starting the investigation, I called Mr. Bowerman and asked him to come by. He needed to know why I wanted to speak to him. Because I don’t trust you, Mr. Wardell told me. Although he didn’t say it quite like that. After explaining myself, I waited for a response.
“You think I killed my wife?” he finally said. His voice sounded strange. Like he’d lost control over his emotions, even though he wore an expression of calm amusement.
It took me a second to find a proper reply. “That is what I’m investigating now, Mr. Bowerman,” I answered. “And that is why I need to speak with you.”
He stepped back and looked around the living room like he was considering his options. Then he turned and headed towards the front door.
“Wait, please,” I said. “We haven’t finished talking.”
His eyes went wide. “What are you saying?”
“I’ve received reports that Mrs. Wardell and her husband weren’t happy together. That they fought often – and not just about finances, according to one person’s testimony. If I could talk to you about that…”
“Please,” he said, shaking his head. “Stop. Don’t go near me.”
When he reached the front door, he opened it and stepped outside. “Don’t call me,” he said. “For any reason. No one needs to hear this. Not again. You’re done.”
With those words, he closed the front door and left.
I sat alone in the living room for a while, thinking through his reaction to what I’d said. Was he telling me to stop because he had nothing to hide or because he didn’t want to be accused of murder? It was hard for me to tell.
My gut instinct, however, told me that Mr. Bowerman probably knew something about the murder. I wanted to ask him directly, but it was risky, given everything he’d already said. Instead, I decided to keep following up with everyone who knew Mr. Wardell and his family.
A couple of days later, Mr. Wardell’s son-in-law came by to see me. Aaron was young and eager to do well in life, so I felt bad asking him to help with anything. Especially since he was under suspicion himself. But he agreed anyway, so I asked him to take me out to meet Mr. Wardell’s former girlfriend.
She lived in another town, but I hoped Mr. Wardell might have taken her there to visit, or she had gone there to visit him. With luck, she’d also been witness to something that I hadn’t heard yet.
Ms. Stewart accepted my request to meet her at a restaurant in St. Louis, and we arranged to go out for lunch. We met in the lobby, dressed casually and holding our coats.
Maddie’s ex-girlfriend was in her late thirties and pretty, with straight blond hair tied back in a ponytail. The sign on the wall behind her read: NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THIS BUILDING.
She nodded at me. “You’re Detective Jefferson, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure you already know about Maddie, but yes, we dated for four years.” She smiled sadly. “But she moved away. To marry someone else.”
“Do you know anyone who could offer me an alibi for the time of death?” I asked.
“Not that I can think of unless you mean the guy she married. Or maybe some guy from college. She did go to school here, but she worked in the city, so not many people would know her that well.”
“So, then, you’re the only one,” I said.
“No, I didn’t know her as well as you do, but she was very nice,” Ms. Stewart replied. “Very sweet and smart. And pretty. She’d make a great mom.”
“Did you ever talk about having kids?”
“Sure, but not much, really. They were never on her mind. She always talked about being a successful businesswoman. She loved her job. Worked hard at it.”
The waitress brought us menus, and when she was gone, Ms. Stewart turned to me. “Why do you ask, Detective?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but I contacted you because I thought Maddie was murdered. A woman named Kathleen Wardell found her body. Apparently, Maddie and Kathy had become friends after their husbands had started working together.
One day, Kathy saw her. At first, I assumed it was Ms. Wardell who killed Maddie, but I ran into trouble finding evidence. So, I needed to check your alibi, and the only thing I could come up with was that you were in the hospital.”
“Were you?”
“I had to get stitches. From falling off my bike. Anyway, I wasn’t able to find any witnesses who could confirm your whereabouts.”
“In the hospital? Why?”
“That’s what I’d like to know, Ma’am. What happened?”
Ms. Stewart looked uncomfortable. “It was a minor injury, really. Nothing serious. Just a few scratches. I got tripped up. Fell down. Drank too much coffee.”
“Okay… but why were you in the hospital?”
Ms. Stewart swallowed nervously, and she glanced around the restaurant. She pushed her hair behind her ear. “There’s no need to upset yourself. That was over two years ago. I’m fine now.”
“Can we go somewhere private? Please?”
As soon as we reached her car, I pulled her close and asked her. “Are you going to help me or am I wasting my time?”
She hesitated, and I could tell she was afraid. Maybe even guilty. Finally, she whispered, “If you promise not to mention this to anyone, I’ll help you. I swear.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. I just want to be helpful. Can we drop the subject?”
“Is there a reason you’re trying to protect someone?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“Fine. For now, let’s focus on the murder, shall we?”
I tried not to look suspicious, but I couldn’t stop myself. When Ms. Stewart didn’t answer, I pressed her.
“Ms. Stewart, what happened at the hospital?”
“It was nothing!” she snapped. “Please don’t ask me again.”
I sighed. “All right, but we have to talk about it sometime, and I’m sure it will come up sooner or later. So, please, don’t be afraid to tell me. The truth is better than the lies.”
“I’m not telling you anything until you agree to keep this between us. Understand?”
“Agreed. Now, I’ve been asking around town about Maddie, and I came across something interesting. You see, she was seeing a man. We all heard they’d gotten engaged, but when she died, he disappeared.”
Ms. Stewart seemed shocked by this news. “Who? Who’d Maddie been seeing? And how do you know?”
“His name is Daniel Thorpe. He works in your building, right?”
“Thorpe? No, he doesn’t work here. And I wouldn’t know him if I saw him.”
“Maybe you should start looking. Okay, so I found out he’s the manager of a computer repair shop in town.”
“What kind of place is it, where you can get information about someone like that?”
“Computer repair. Their specialty is home security systems. I guess it’s not a big deal, but I wanted to tell you about it. If I learn more, I’ll call you.”
Ms. Stewart seemed eager to change the subject. “And what else did you find out about Maddie and Mr. Thorpe?”
“Well, I also spoke with a woman who was close to Maddie in college. Her name is Nancy Powers. According to her, Maddie and Ms. Wardell were inseparable. They worked together. In fact, she said they were best friends.”
“How do you know this?”
“From their Facebook pages. Both women posted a lot of pictures together. They seemed very close.”
“But maybe they were just good friends,” Ms. Stewart suggested. “I mean, it’s not like either one of them was a wild child.”
“You might be surprised, Ms. Stewart.”
“We’ll see what happens.”
I dropped Ms. Stewart back at the office, and I promised I would send her an email with some additional details about Maddie Wardell and her relationship with Daniel Thorpe.
***
When I arrived home, I felt frustrated. I had learned a great deal about Maddie Wardell, but I still hadn’t determined exactly what happened the night she died, and I had yet to discover who killed her.
The only thing I knew for certain was that the killer was a local businessman. His business was tied into computers somehow, and he managed a small shop in town. But beyond those facts, I felt lost.
For almost three years, I had been searching for answers, but most days, I was just spinning my wheels. Sometimes, I thought I should give up. This case wasn’t my first, and I knew that sometimes, you need to walk away before you destroy your own life. There were other cases I could tackle, and I always had the option of turning the detective gig over to someone else.
Most of my thoughts revolved around the idea of giving up. What happened to the detective I used to be? What happened to the guy who swore he’d never quit until he found the person who murdered his wife? Most of the time, I felt like I was losing it. I knew I was taking my anger out on everyone around me.
First, it was Melanie, and then it was Carl. At least in the last few months, I was able to avoid dealing with them. If I didn’t have to see them, they couldn’t hurt me.
Of course, I talked to both of them every day, but I had no interaction. I didn’t watch TV with Melanie, and I avoided watching football with Carl. I even pretended I was busy when they called. And I did my damnedest to make sure that they were too busy to call me.
That plan worked well for a while until I discovered the truth about Rachel.
Now, I was beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t turn myself in. After all, I had done enough damage. It was time to let go of the past.
As I walked inside, I expected to find Julie waiting in the kitchen. Instead, there was no sign of anyone. She must have left the house when I was at the station. I grabbed the mail from the table, and as I reached the door, I heard voices coming from the living room.
It sounded like someone was having a conversation in the next room. I listened closely, and I realized it was two women talking. One of them was Melissa. The other was Rachel.
I picked up my phone, and dialed Melanie’s number. “Hello?”
“Melanie, it’s Detective Pierce. Did you leave the house?”
“No, why? Where are you calling from?”
“Uh…”
“Where the hell did you think you were calling from?”
“Ahh…uh, my apartment.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m at home. Can we talk later?”
“Yes, of course. Just come by. I want to show you something.”
Melanie hung up before I could say anything more.
I looked down at the package I had received earlier. My stomach churned. I knew I would see Rachel, and I really didn’t feel like being alone with her.
“Are you okay?” I asked Julie.
She turned away from the sink. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You don’t look so hot.” I noticed a red mark on her cheek. “What happened here?”
“I got slapped by a client today. He showed up at the office looking for work, and he ended up hitting me.”
“Did you report him to the police?”
“Not yet, but I will. I haven’t been sleeping much lately, and I’ve been drinking too much.”
“Have you heard from Melanie?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Why would she call me? She hates me.”
“Maybe because it’s Christmas, and she misses home.”
Julie shrugged. “Christmas is nothing special anymore.”
I wanted to tell her she was wrong. Sure, spending time with family can be a little awkward, but it shouldn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. Maybe I was just feeling lonely, or maybe I was missing Charlie. I missed him, and I needed to get my priorities straight because I was starting to lose sight of where I belonged.
Rachel and Melissa entered the living room. They were laughing together. As soon as they saw me, they stopped and gave me a glare.
“Well, if it isn’t the detective,” Rachel said.
“You know, Rachel, I tried to warn you.” I walked toward the couch, put my briefcase on the coffee table, and sat down. “How are you doing, Rachel?”
“Fine, just fine. I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Why do you care, anyway?”
“Because I sent her flowers.” Melanie handed me the bouquet of white roses and holly leaves.
“And how many times did you try to warn me?” Rachel asked.
“Just once.”
“That’s funny because I remember hearing you say you weren’t going to let me forget that I lost this case.”
I looked at the flowers in my hands. “There might be some merit to what you’re saying, Rachel.”
Melissa spoke first. “I agree. You should have let it drop. For your own good.”
“Thanks, Melissa. Now, would either of you mind telling me what you were talking about?”
“We were discussing the case I lost to you last year.” Rachel nodded. “I told you I couldn’t win against you. That I would never beat you.”
“But then you won,” I said.
“Yes, I did. But I made one mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?”
“I trusted you,” Rachel replied. “You lied to me about the insurance company paying my client’s claim. Even though I didn’t think they would pay, I went ahead and accepted their offer. Then, after I took the money, you tried to blackmail me into giving you half.”
I tried not to react, but I couldn’t help it. “Melanie, why did you give her those flowers?”
“I thought she deserved to know what you did to her.”
“Whoa!” Rachel jumped off the couch and held her hand out. “Don’t touch me! Don’t ever come near me again.”
“Calm down, Rachel,” Melanie said. “He didn’t mean any harm, and he’s only trying to make amends.”
Rachel glared at me. “Keep your distance, Detective. If you don’t, I’ll call the cops.”
“Okay, Rachel, you need to cool down.” I stood up and put my briefcase back on the coffee table. “Now, I’m leaving.”
“Wait! Wait!” Rachel shouted. “I’m sorry. Please don’t leave.”
“Sorry, I can’t stay. I promised I’d go over and hang out with Dave tonight.”
“Dave?” Rachel’s face lit up. “Is he single?”
“No, he’s married.”
“Oh, well, that’s too bad.”
“Listen, Rachel, we need to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“About the fact that I’m working on a case right now that involves you.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Rachel, I’d love to sit down with you and tell you all about it. But maybe we can meet tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? We’re supposed to be heading to the airport right now.”
“Rachel, there’s no way I could wait until tomorrow. It wouldn’t be fair. So, if you want to hear about the case, maybe you can come to the office tomorrow morning.”
Rachel stared at me for a moment before she smiled. “I guess I should probably apologize then.”
“For what?”
She shrugged. “You know, for losing that case to you.”
“It’s okay, Rachel. Really. I don’t hold grudges. And I promise to explain everything to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, please accept my sincere apologies.”
“Of course,” Rachel said. She reached for the bouquet of flowers. “I won’t forget this.”
The End