Chapter Four #3
“Beat up his neighbor and stole his car. When he came back, some of the kids thought he was cool.” Zach grimaced. “I thought he was cool, too. Until we graduated and he robbed a liquor store. Got sent to state.”
“Solano.”
“I know. Aunt Dianne wrote him letters. Kept telling me that if I didn’t clean up my act, I’d end up in state with him.”
“Did she write you letters, too?”
He nodded. “Every week. I still have them all. Now it’s all that I have of her.” Angrily, he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his orange jumpsuit. “You think Reece killed her? Why would he do that? She didn’t keep hardly any money at the inn.”
And according to Mary, Dianne’s killer hadn’t stolen any money. Only her brooch. “We don’t know. What do you know about her will?” Because, although he wanted to believe Zach, he needed to be certain Zach hadn’t orchestrated Dianne’s murder from inside.
Zach quietly exhaled. “She’s leaving everything to Mary. And to charity.”
“How do you feel about that?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I mean, Mary deserves it. The charities deserve it. I don’t. I never did. I didn’t deserve anything she ever gave me. I was a shitty nephew.”
He really had been. “What’s changed your attitude?”
“I got tired of being a fuckup. I got tired of seeing her cry when she’d come visit me here.
I got tired of being ashamed of myself. So I got clean.
We had plans, she and I. I’ve been sober for seven months.
She was going to help me find a job and pay my rent until I got on my feet.
I was going to pay it back. We signed a contract and everything.
” He shuddered. “Dammit. I wanted her to see me stay sober when I got out. I wanted her to be proud of me. Now she never will.”
“I think she did believe in you. She changed her will.”
Zach recoiled. “No. I don’t want it.”
Ronan had a hard time believing that. “The inn still goes to Mary.”
Zach slumped in relief. “Good. I don’t want it. I’d just…it’s too much temptation.”
Ronan was reluctantly impressed. “She left you some money in a trust. Her attorney is the executor. It’s to pay for your living expenses. No cash, though. It’s all handled by the attorney, and any funds have to be approved by him.”
Zach’s eyes filled with tears and wonder. “She did that? Really? She shouldn’t have.”
“Will you take her money?”
Zach looked away. “I don’t know. I need to find a job and I need to eat while I’m looking.
I don’t know many people who’ll hire me, so it’ll probably take a while.
I don’t want to need the help, but I’ll take it until I’m stable.
I’ll keep track of every penny and give that much to the animal shelter when I get a job. ”
Ronan hoped Zach would make good on that promise. “Did Reece Miller have any friends in school? Anyone he kept in touch with?”
“He was tight with Denny Williams and his cousin Chuck. And he went out with Samantha Jacobson. I don’t know if they kept in touch.”
Ronan was surprised. Samantha was his accountant. “Really? Samantha went out with Reece? Are you sure?”
“It was her bad-boy phase, I think. She dropped him when he got arrested. I’d check with Chuck Williams. Denny’s still serving time in Oregon, last I heard.”
That was accurate. The Williams cousins had never been upstanding citizens. “If you remember anyone else, let me know. And, Zach, I really am sorry for your loss.”
Zach nodded once. “Thank you. Do…do you know when her funeral will be?”
“I don’t, but I can ask Mary to keep you informed.”
“I don’t think they’ll let me out for it, but I’m going to ask.”
Ronan stood. “Take care, Zach. Stay clean. For Dianne.”
“And for myself,” Zach said. “I’m going to try really hard.”
Ronan left the interview room and went straight to the warden’s office.
“How did it go?” the warden asked.
“I was surprised to see him clean and sober.”
“I hope he manages to stay that way once he’s out. What’s this about his aunt?”
Ronan explained, then asked, “Has Zach had any visitors lately? Made any phone calls or sent emails?”
“His only visitor has been his aunt. She was here every Sunday morning. Give me a moment to check his calls and emails.” The warden typed on his computer, then grabbed a page off the printer.
“Here is the list of his online activity and phone calls. Nothing suspicious here. He calls and emails his NA sponsor mostly. He’s also taking some online college classes, but his communications with his instructor are monitored. It’s all on here.”
Ronan studied the printed page. It was all very straightforward and nonthreatening. “Can you ask around? See if he’s been talking to any of the inmates?”
“You think he had something to do with his aunt’s murder?”
“Not really, but I need to be sure.”
“I’ll find out what I can. Good luck, Detective. I met his aunt and she seemed like a good person.”
“She was.” Ronan took his leave, retrieved his belongings, and left the jail, feeling lighter as soon as he was back in the brisk, fresh air. When he was in his SUV, he checked his cell phone and found a message from Cliff, Howard’s clerk.
“Hey, Ronan,” Cliff said when Ronan had dialed him back. “I have some info for you on Reece Miller.”
Ronan took out his notepad. “I’m ready.”
“He has a sealed juvenile record. I don’t know what for, but I’m filing a warrant to get into it.”
“He beat up a neighbor and stole his car. The victim’s nephew just told me.”
“The one in jail? Is he trustworthy?”
“No, not really, so I’m grateful for anything you can find out.”
“That’s what I thought. Also, a check on Miller’s credit card activity showed two purchases at the pharmacy on Main Street. One last week and the other on Monday night.”
Ronan perked up at that. “That’s really good information. I’ll go by the pharmacy as soon as I get back to town. SFPD told me that the Millers’ baby is sick and requires medication or she’ll die. Maybe that’s why they risked using the credit card. Anything else?”
“Miller’s a deadbeat. Couldn’t hold a job. Owes a lot of money on his credit cards. Most of them have been canceled by the credit card company. He only has the one that works now.”
“The one he used at the pharmacy.”
“Yep. He lost his last two jobs because he stole from them. His wife paid all the bills with her jobs. She was a receptionist and cleaned stores and offices, including the gallery he burgled.”
“SFPD said that’s how Reece was able to steal the paintings and jewelry. He used her key.”
“That makes sense. That’s all I have for now. I’ll keep at it.”
“Thanks, Cliff. I’m heading back now.”
Ronan ended the call and turned his SUV north. He knew the pharmacy owner. Hopefully she’d cooperate without a warrant. He wanted to know what Reece Miller had bought. It had to have been important because he’d risked exposure. Miller had to have known they’d be tracking his credit cards.
He wondered if the bounty hunters knew this, too.
He wondered if that was what Giselle Randolph had wanted to tell him.