Chapter 17
Lincoln Medical Center
The county was fortunate that a small portion of the basement level of the hospital had been designated as a temporary morgue—with a newer permanent location coming.
For this region, autopsies were performed in Nashville.
But since their new medical examiner had formal training in forensics, she could do the preliminaries here before shipping the bodies to Nashville.
Good for the county when there was a murder case and time was an issue.
Truth was, their previous ME had done the same thing without all the fanfare of a private little brick-and-mortar location to call his own.
But then he’d had other failings. The old bastard had held the position far too long and used his vast knowledge of the townsfolk to his and his family’s advantage.
But at least he hadn’t been enamored with Bent.
Vera kicked aside what was nothing more than pure jealousy and prepared for listening to Jenny Collins regale the two of them with her brilliant deductions.
Bent parked at the back of the hospital. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“What?” Vera had zoned out on the drive here.
Maybe she should have taken a rest when Bent suggested it.
She did feel like total roadkill. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about the case.
” Not really, but no need for him to hear what she’d really had on her mind.
She doubted Bent had ever suffered a smidge of jealousy in his life.
Well, except maybe when her friend Eric visited last spring. There might have been a moment then.
“I was saying that Geneva stopped by the office after she got back from Nashville. She’s pushing hard for an official investigation into Jackie’s death.”
Vera wanted to shake the woman. “You have an obligation to look into her allegations. We’ve discussed this already.” The whole subject was becoming redundant and increasingly annoying. “What does she want? For you to set aside the triple homicide case and focus solely on what happened to Jackie?”
Of course she does, Vera Mae. Jackie was her sister. She’d likely poisoned Geneva’s opinion of Luna. Made her believe Luna was some conniving little nefarious vixen who’d stolen her son. It was unbelievable what some mothers would do to keep their sons to themselves.
“I assured her we are working on it.” He flashed Vera an expression that said but. “I didn’t mention that you’re involved. I’m sure that would only have made matters worse.”
“Of course it would.” She reached for his hand, gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, Bent. I realize this isn’t easy for you either.”
“Did you learn anything from Luna that might give us new insights into what, if anything, happened beyond what she’s told us?”
Vera leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes for a moment.
“She stands by her story, and I can’t believe it was any different than what she says.
I mean really, Bent. Why in the world would she do something like that?
Jerome chose her despite his mother’s disapproval.
There isn’t a single reason that comes to mind for her to suddenly decide to get his mother out of the way. ”
Then again, Luna’s hormones might be raging. But the fact was pregnant women were far more often the victims of homicide than the perpetrators.
“The text messages Geneva showed me matched what was on Jackie’s phone, but none gave us anything useful beyond how much the two dislike Luna.
” Bent leaned his head back against his seat as well, allowing a measure of his own exhaustion to show.
Not something he did often and maybe only now to make Vera feel better.
“You never told me what was said in the text messages.” Vera probably didn’t want to know.
“I didn’t see the need to make you any angrier, considering none of it provided enough evidence to initiate an official investigation. Basically she ranted about Luna not doing anything right—to her way of thinking. Accused her of being just like her mother.”
Vera groaned. “That is so not true. Luna is an amazing young woman who didn’t even know her mother.”
“She is amazing,” Bent agreed, “and she definitely is nothing like Sheree.”
Bent remembered Vera’s wicked stepmother as well. Anyone living in Fayetteville at the time would. Not to speak ill of the dead—oh why not—but Sheree was a conniving, controlling, self-centered . . . Vera sighed. As she told Luna, her mother was a woman who’d never had a decent chance.
Vera straightened, stared directly at Bent. “Did Jackie indicate in any way in those text messages that Luna made her feel threatened or had done anything at all to make her nervous or afraid?” The mere notion was ludicrous.
“She did not, but she did say she wished Luna was out of the picture.”
Vera’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
He sat up straighter then, too, nodded solemnly. “She did.”
“Like out of the picture how? Divorced?”
“Dead. She wished Luna was dead. Geneva scolded her but not strongly.”
Vera unfastened her seat belt, so angry now that her fingers fumbled. “We can’t tell Luna about this. How awful would that make her feel.”
“We won’t have to.” Bent sat up. “Geneva will find the perfect opportunity and will revel in revealing Jackie’s true feelings for her daughter-in-law.”
He was right. Damn it. “We might not be able to stop that, but we have to find a way to prove she’s wrong about what happened.”
“Depending on how the autopsy turns out, that might not be easy, Vee. You know what Collins said.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Vera hadn’t forgotten the preliminary findings. The memory of that damned hardware store receipt haunted her as well. He was right. It wouldn’t be easy, but Vera knew there had to be another answer to how that trauma came about. There simply had to be.
“Collins is waiting.” Bent climbed out and came around to her door before she could do the same.
“This will of Thomas Wilton’s,” she said as they walked toward the rear entrance, “gives Erwin the biggest motive. Not to mention that what I learned from Nola Childers’s mother shows a possible tendency to take advantage of situations. Maybe even to manipulate those situations.”
Bent entered the code Collins had no doubt given him and opened the rear entrance to the basement level. Vera refused to allow the woman to distract her. They had a triple homicide case to worry about . . . not to mention this ridiculous business with Geneva Fanning.
“Erwin’s history is undeniably suspicious, considering what’s happened,” Bent agreed.
Vera had brought him up to speed on her and Erwin’s conversation after the woman left the mansion in a huff because Bent refused to allow her to stay there.
“I’ve already requested a copy of Nola Childers’s autopsy, but I think we need Wilton’s first wife’s as well. We may be missing something big here.”
“Like maybe Erwin has been eliminating all the obstacles in her path to Wilton.”
“Something like that,” Vera agreed. Except why eliminate the golden goose at the same time?
If having Thomas Wilton all to herself was the goal, why kill him too?
Unless he figured out her endgame and she had no choice.
There was more, Vera understood. “We also need to see any will Wilton had before this one—assuming it changed after his first wife died, which is very likely. Or any changes he almost certainly made after he married Alicia. I’d be interested in seeing what those changes were. ”
Bent pulled out his cell. “I’ll have Myra give the attorney a call and look into the possibility.”
“Thanks.”
Myra Jordan was Bent’s assistant. She took care of his office and him like a military general organizing her battalions. Another someone whose good side Vera intended to stay on.
As they reached the door with its taped-on handmade sign proclaiming the space beyond as the morgue, Vera considered the lineup of suspects in the Wilton case.
There was Alicia at the top because of the knife, but Erwin was right up there with her, possibly an accomplice.
Seth Parson could have been an accomplice as well.
For that matter there was Helen Carter, Renata Hernandez, and Jose Martinez.
Ten million dollars was a hell of a lot of motive.
Helen Carter intrigued Vera the most. She clearly knew Wilton better than anyone else.
Knew everything about him and his home. She was a widow.
No children. Maybe she wanted a better retirement plan.
Definitely a close third behind Erwin and Alicia.
A zing of new anticipation fired through Vera.
The suspects and motives were coming into better focus now.
It wouldn’t be long until she and Bent had nailed this one down.
Then it was only a matter of finding the necessary evidence to prove the case in a court of law.
When Bent ended the call to his assistant, he opened the door and waited for Vera to enter before him.
Jenny Collins waited in the center of the room.
She was dressed in full ME garb, sans the protective face mask, as if she were about to perform an autopsy right here in this makeshift morgue.
“Thanks for coming. I’ve left a formal report on my desk for you, but I’m sure you want to see my findings for yourselves while you’re here. ”
Meaning, Vera mused, the woman wanted to put on a little show. Fine. A closer look at the vics was always a good idea, especially considering the bodies had been removed from the scene by the time Vera was there.
“I appreciate this, Dr. Collins.” Bent removed his hat and settled it on the table next to the file with his name on it.