Chapter 14 #2
"But she wouldn't quite meet my eyes when she said it.
And my wife doesn't lie well." His voice dropped lower.
"So yes, Raymond knew something about Petunia.
Something she doesn't want anyone to know.
But I swear to you, I don't know what it is. I know they went out as teenagers, but that’s no big secret.
He managed to work his way through all the Carter girls back then.
Believe me, I didn't kill my brother to keep him quiet. "
The sincerity in his voice was compelling. June had sat across from enough people in her life to recognize when someone was telling the truth, and she believed he wasn't lying. At least, not about murdering his brother.
"Is that a crime, June?" His voice was almost pleading. "To be relieved? When I heard Raymond was dead, my first thought wasn't grief or shock. It was relief. Pure, terrible relief that I'd never have to deal with him again. What does that say about me?"
"It makes you human," June said softly. "I think that death brings out all kinds of emotions, and relief can easily be one of them. That doesn't mean you killed him."
His eyes grew bright, but they remained silent for a moment.
"He was my brother," he said, his voice breaking slightly.
"When we were boys, before he became so competitive, we were friends.
We played together, told each other secrets.
And then somewhere along the way, by the time we were teenagers, he started hating me, and I never understood why. I never understood what I did wrong."
"Perhaps you did nothing wrong. Perhaps Raymond's demons were his own."
"Perhaps." He wiped his eyes quickly, almost angrily. "But it doesn't change the fact that he's dead, and I'm alive, and everyone thinks I killed him for money I don't even need.”
His grief is real, June realized. Beyond the anger, beyond the relief, there was genuine grief for the brother he'd lost long before Raymond actually died.
Pippi got up and walked around the desk, sitting at Horace’s feet, looking up.
The judge smiled and leaned over, rubbing Pippi’s ears.
For a few minutes, Horace seemed more relaxed, his smile slowly returning.
It felt almost peaceful, this quiet moment in the courthouse chambers that had probably seen countless arguments and difficult decisions.
"Tell me about the festival," June said finally. "Walk me through what happened from your perspective."
He sighed but seemed willing to talk. "Raymond arrived late in the morning, already drinking.
I tried to intercept him, to get him to come home with Petunia and me, but he shook me off.
Said he'd come to enjoy the festival and wasn't going to let me ruin it.
" He shook his head. "As if I were the one ruining things. "
"What happened then?"
"I tried to keep track of him. Followed him around at a distance, trying to minimize the damage.
But he was determined to cause scenes. He confronted Lucy at the lemonade stand.
I don't know what he said to her, but she threw her drink in his face.
He said something to Helena that made her drop a pie.
He was cruel to Jerry, for the millionth time, which made Ivy furious.
" Horace's expression grew darker. "He even bothered Bob’s daughter at the coffee booth until a deputy intervened. "
"Did you see him interact with anyone else? Anyone who seemed particularly upset?"
He seemed to ponder the questions. "Bob looked ready to take a swing at him. I remember Bill pulling his father away from a confrontation. And there was..." He paused. "There was that quiet woman from the library. The assistant. What's her name?"
"Diane Russo."
"Yes. I saw Raymond corner her near the library building.
She looked absolutely terrified, and he was standing too close, speaking too intently.
I started to walk over because, even drunk and awful, Raymond was still my brother.
I didn't want to see him harassing some poor young woman.
But then Sara Lee approached, and Raymond laughed as he walked away. "
June noted that so far, everything he said had been confirmed by others.
"Petunia convinced me to stop following him. Said I was just making myself miserable and wouldn’t be able to stop Raymond from being Raymond.
We went home around six before the evening concert.
Both exhausted. I assumed Raymond would drink himself unconscious somewhere and someone would call me to collect him, or he’d get locked up by the sheriff until he dried out.
" His voice hitched. "I didn't realize I'd never see him alive again. "
"Where did Petunia go after you got home?"
His eyes sharpened. "Are you asking if my wife has an alibi?"
Her expression softened. "Horace, I'm simply asking what happened that evening."
He nodded, sighing once again. "Forgive me, Ms. June. I’m not at my best today.
” Another sigh escaped, then he continued.
“She was home with me. We went home before the concert in the park, had a light meal, got ready for bed, and turned in early.
" His voice took on an edge. "Neither of us poisoned my brother. "
"I didn't say anyone was poisoned, Horace."
"Gordon told me the autopsy results. Inconclusive pending state lab analysis, but signs of poisoning. So yes, between you and me, someone poisoned Raymond. And yes, I had motive and opportunity. I suppose once the type of poison is determined, then we’ll see if I had the means.
" Horace stood abruptly, walking to his window overlooking Main Street.
"But I didn't do it, Ms. June. And I don't know who did. "
June studied his rigid back, the tension in his shoulders. "But you have suspicions."
"Everyone has suspicions." He didn't turn around. "Raymond made enemies everywhere he went. Any one of a dozen people might have wanted him dead."
"Including Petunia?"
Now he did turn, his face flushed with anger. "My wife is not a murderer."
"I didn't say she was. But Raymond threatened to expose something about her. You said so yourself."
"Whatever teenage secret Petunia has, it's not worth killing for. And she certainly doesn’t need his share of the inheritance." Fierce protectiveness flickered across his face as he said it.
June stood, and Pippi walked back over, ready to leave. June moved closer to place her hand on the judge’s arm. "Thank you for speaking with me. I know this isn't easy."
"Wait." He crossed back to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a manila folder. "I shouldn't show you this. But you're going to find out anyway, and I'd rather you hear it from me."
He handed her several documents. June scanned them quickly, seeing copies of the Melton Trust requirements, the dissolution schedule, and, most interestingly, a letter from George Smythe to both brothers, dated two weeks ago.
The letter confirmed the date of the Trust’s dissolution, and the amount to be released to each brother.
"If he could have just been patient, he would have inherited a great sum of money," June murmured.
He took the documents back. "Yes. The irony is, if he'd just waited and stayed away from Meadowlark Creek, he'd be alive and have his money soon."
June considered this. "Perhaps he couldn't wait. Perhaps he needed money more urgently."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure yet. But people don't usually come back to places where everyone dislikes them unless they have a compelling reason." June headed for the door, then paused. "One more question, Horace. Did Raymond ever work in Richmond at a loan company, perhaps?"
His expression shifted, first in surprise, then something like recognition. "How did you know about that? Yes, he worked for Richmond Private Lending for several years. Why?"
"Just trying to dust off my old memories." June smiled. "Thank you for your time. And for your honesty."
"June," he called as she reached the door. "Do you believe me? That I didn't kill him?"
She turned back, studying his face, seeing the grief and anger and confusion all tangled together.
"I believe you loved your brother, even when you could have hated him.
And I believe that kind of love doesn't usually kill. But I also believe that love can make people do desperate things to protect the people they care about.”