Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Rio added the list of the women who took the classes to the whiteboard. He turned to the others.
“Okay, we have Lila Crane, Maya Trent, Donna Dallaire, Jolene Hurst, and Judy Gamber. All their details are on file. Get at it and then we can go home.”
He picked up his phone and called Lila Crane and explained what he needed. “Yeah, it’s just a few questions so we can understand a little more about your circumstances.”
“That’s fine. What do you want to know, Rio?” Lila sounded happy to hear from him.
Rio cleared his throat. “First up, do you live alone?”
“Yes, I do.” Lila giggled. “I’m sure I asked you once to come by and check if my doors needed deadbolts, but Deputy Kane gave me a card and recommended a locksmith.
My main worry was the garage door and I’m not sure if Deputy Kane’s contractor did those.
It’s strange because I ended up getting the same guy who Sierra and Jan used. His name is Rodney Wallace.”
Rolling his eyes at her flirting, Rio made a note of the name and kept the interview moving forward. “Have you been involved with someone recently—I mean in the last twelve months—who may find the self-defense classes you attend objectionable?”
“Yes, I did date a rodeo cowboy for a few months but he was too much of ladies’ man for me, so we broke up. He’s long gone now, though. He moved to Colorado. He doesn’t know about me doing self-defense classes. I haven’t spoken to him for six months.”
Making a few notes as he went along, Rio nodded. “Have you had any strangers visit your home recently, apart from the locksmith?”
“Yeah, I did have a guy come by who sells security systems.” Lila drummed her fingers on the side of the phone.
“I didn’t let him in the house because I didn’t like the look of him.
I’ve been planning on speaking to Deputy Raven about getting one of his dogs.
I figure that would be all the protection I’d need. ”
Interested, Rio scribbled more notes. “Do you recall the security guy’s name?”
“Nope, but he gave me his card.” A chair scraped as Lila stood. “Give me a minute and I’ll go look for it.”
Hoping this would be a breakthrough, Rio waited in anticipation for her to return.
“I found it.” Lila sounded excited. “His name is Bill Larkin.” She read out the details.
Rio sighed. Maybe this was the lead they needed. “Thanks for your help. I’ll call if I need more information and I’ll pass on the request for a dog to Deputy Raven.”
“If you’re calling everyone in the group, Maya and Jolene are here. We live on the high side of town and out of the flooding, so decided to go ahead with our book club meeting. Do you want to speak to them as well?”
Rio smiled to himself. His encouragement that the women find groups of mutual interest to join had paid off.
The town was teeming with social groups from sewing, quilting, baking, and right down to shooting.
Having friends to talk to or call in times of need added another level of security.
“Yeah, that would be a great help, thanks.”
He ran through the same questions with both women.
He’d met Jolene Hurst’s mom. She often came by to watch the classes.
He’d seen them at the practice range and considered them to be taking precautions.
Jolene’s mother had called the security contractor Kane had recommended and when Bill Larkin dropped by, she had gotten an estimate from him as well.
Jolene hadn’t had a date since high school.
Maya Trent lived with her grandpa on the Golden Yolk Homestead.
Raven had checked out her property after Maya’s concerns about hearing footsteps on her porch recently.
Since then she’d contacted Rodney Wallace after Sierra had mentioned his name.
He’d come by to repair the garage door when her grandpa had been in the hospital recovering from pneumonia.
He asked her the same questions. “How is your grandpa?”
“Back in the hospital again. Hopefully, he’ll be home soon.” Maya sounded upbeat. “He’s insisting we hire some help. The place is too big for me to run alone. I’m hoping we can get a couple with a family. I’d enjoy the company and we have a big old house just sitting empty.”
Rio made infinity signs in his notebook, wanting to move on with the questioning and go home. “I know it’s a personal question, but have you been seeing anyone in the last six months or so?”
“Why?” Maya cleared her throat. “What has this to do with taking self-defense lessons?”
Had he hit a nerve? “I’m trying to determine if anyone has an ax to grind with the group.
A possessive person might find the time spent with the deputies a problem.
They might believe that if they disrupt the group by whatever means, it will be dismantled.
You don’t need to answer the question if you consider it inappropriate. ”
“The last person that I dated—if you could call it a date—was Bill Larkin. He asked me to meet him in town for a meal. It was during the day and I needed to drop by one of the stores to deliver eggs, so I figured it was okay. He seemed a nice man when he came out and inspected our property and suggested various security alarms. I had planned to get him to install one, but after we had our meal, Susie Hartwig told me he was married.” Maya snorted.
“The last thing I need to get involved with is a man cheating on his wife. I ended up calling the contractor who Deputy Kane recommended and he came by and will be installing a security system for us next. It’s only for the main house but it will do the job. ”
Rio tapped the pen on the table. The name Bill Larkin had come up three times in the last few minutes. He would need to add him to the list of potential suspects. “How long ago was this?”
“Not long, maybe a month or so. I can’t rightly say.
” Maya blew out a long sigh. “At the time I didn’t want him to know I knew he was married.
When he asked me to go out with him a second time, I refused and he became quite annoyed.
He said that women like me were all the same: we only wanted to use a man for a decent meal. ”
Narrowing his gaze, Rio considered how lucky she was to be avoiding someone like that. “I’m glad you found out he was cheating on his wife. Okay thanks, Maya. If you have any problems while your grandfather is in the hospital, don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thank you, Rio, I appreciate it.” Maya disconnected.
Waiting until Rowley and Raven had finished their conversations, Rio spun around in his office chair and looked at them. “I have a new name to add to our list. Did the name Bill Larkin come up in the conversations you just had?”
“Yeah, a guy who installs security systems.” Raven leaned back in his chair and yawned explosively. “Do you have a problem with him?”
Rio nodded. “He went on a date with Maya, but it didn’t go too far when Susie Hartwig at Aunt Betty’s Café informed her he was married.”
“That’s interesting.” Rowley pushed a hand through his tousled brown curls, making them stick up in all directions. “He came up in my conversation with Judy as well. Although why would the women call him, when Kane gave them the name of a contractor he’d checked out?”
Frowning, Rio looked at him. “Maybe this guy just dropped by. People often go door-to-door seeking work.”
“Okay, as he’s not an immediate threat, we can follow up tomorrow.” Raven glanced at his watch. “The rain hasn’t stopped all day. I suggest that we obey Jenna’s orders and head for home before it gets dark. I figure the roads are going to be treacherous again tonight.”
Rio closed his laptop and stood. “Yeah, we all have things to do at home and we might be called out at a moment’s notice if the water rises any higher at the end of town.” He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. “See you in the morning.”