The Question of the Felonious Friend (22 page)

Twenty-Six

Tyler Clayton was no
longer capable of conversing, even less so than he had been when he entered the Questions Answered office. He had not completely reverted to his “nnnnnnnn” vocalizing, but he sat in Mother's cushioned armchair and stared ahead. Mason said he believed the stress was proving too much for his younger brother, but I believed the cause was considerably more complex than that, although certainly Tyler was feeling pressure.

He could tell us nothing, not even when Ms. Washburn offered him a legal pad or the use of her computer keyboard. He held his arms tight, as if hugging himself. Molly Brandt seemed offended by Tyler's disinterest in having
her
hug him instead, and pouted for three minutes and sixteen seconds.

During that time, I asked Mason about the Tenduline, and showed him an image Ms. Washburn had taken of it before we'd surrendered the die to Detective Hessler. He said it was unfamiliar to him and Tyler was not communicating. I was irritated with my own stupidity at not anticipating his reaction. I should have showed him the Tenduline first.

“It's one of the things for S and S, isn't it?” Mason asked.

“Yes, it's cursed,” Molly volunteered. All heads (except Tyler's) turned toward her.

“You play Swords and Sorcerers, Molly?” Ms. Washburn asked.

Molly laughed, although the question did not seem at all amusing to anyone else. “No. But Tyler told me about it, and once he did I looked up all I could find. The Tenduline is an ancient gaming piece that was cursed by an evil sorcerer hundreds of years ago when he lost a wager using it. His name was Androsken the Wicked, and he instilled the Tenduline with a power to predict when there would a violent death. If you see it, something bad is going to happen.”

“Oh my,” Evelyn said under her breath.

“Is that what happened?” Molly asked in a light tone. “Somebody died after they saw the Tenduline? That would explain it.”

“No, it would not,” I responded. “There is no such thing as a cursed gaming die. Richard Handy was shot by another person for reasons considerably more human.”

“But the … Tenduline? That's significant?” Mason asked.

“It was found at the scene of the murder,” I told him. “I believe it was there as an intended message.”

“A warning from the killer?” Mason said.

I shook my head. “A warning from the victim. I believe Richard Handy was trying to send a message to someone else who was there when he was shot, a warning that the person who killed him could easily do so again, and that the circumstances led him to believe there would be more violence. If the killer or killers believe someone is close to exposing them, there could be great danger for the person Richard was trying to warn.”

“Who is that?” Evelyn said, looking worriedly at Molly.

“Tyler,” I told them.

We did not establish any further useful information during the meeting, which was disappointing. Mason, concerned for his brother's safety and his present uncommunicative condition, led Tyler out of the office and into his Sport Utility Vehicle only a few minutes later. Evelyn, overwhelmed with information she had not known before, said something about trying to make an emergency appointment with Dr. Shean and took Molly, who was protesting that she should be able to go with Tyler, out of the building.

“So you think Richard was trying to warn Tyler that someone might try to kill him?” Ms. Washburn asked when the others had gone.

“That is the theory under which I am currently operating, yes. I don't believe that Richard, as he saw that he was in desperate danger and knowing he probably would not survive even a few seconds, immediately thought of the Tenduline and decided to hold it for luck. It is much more likely he saw the danger to the witness who actually knew something about the killing and the reason behind it, and was trying to send a message of warning.”

“But Tyler hasn't said a word about the shooting. The only thing he says is that he's the one who killed Richard, and we're pretty sure that's not true, aren't we?”

I sat down behind my desk and considered Ms. Washburn. She in an invaluable part of the Questions Answered staff because she understands parts of questions that are difficult for me and because she understands how I think. But Mother says that it's easy to see the solutions to someone else's problem but very difficult to see the solutions to your own. So Ms. Washburn is very capable when dealing with the things I need assistance with, and not when she is dealing with her own issues, particularly with her husband and the difficulties in their marriage. I felt that strain was not really impeding her work with me, but that she was sometimes distracted to the point that she would fail to notice some details she would normally spot.

“We are certain that Tyler did not kill Richard,” I said. “The fact that the evidence is not supported with anything we can see on a chart or a video surveillance tape does not diminish the fact that there is indeed evidence.”

She sat down in Mother's chair, facing me. This is something Ms. Washburn does when she wants to discuss the intricacies of a question. As long as Mother is not present, it is a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

“Is it worthwhile to look for evidence that we
can
show conclusively?” she asked. It was not an attempt to disagree; it was an honest question.

“I think not,” I said. “Our burden of proof is not the same as that of a court of law. We have no need to show a judge or jury our evidence; we need only to prove without doubt that the answer to the question is correct, and that will be enough to report to our client.”

Ms. Washburn frowned. I knew she wanted me to help Tyler avoid imprisonment or if possible trial for the murder of Richard Handy, but that was not what Questions Answered had been hired to do, and she was aware of that. Ms. Washburn forms some emotional ties to clients that I almost always do not. I had no obligation to help Tyler Clayton; my job was to conclusively answer the question his brother had asked. Still, the fact that he had not killed Richard Handy indicated answering the question would be of benefit to Tyler.

Wisely, Ms. Washburn avoided making an emotional plea. “Shouldn't we at least call Detective Hessler and inform him that we know who painted the security cameras at the Quik N EZ?” she asked.

“Actually, yes, we should,” I said. “I hesitate to implicate Molly Brandt in criminal activity, but I think her behavior would probably be seen as too sensitive and difficult by a prosecutor, not worth the time since Molly was not involved in the shooting. Besides, I believe the detective might be less reticent with us if we volunteer help for him. Would you call him, please?”

But Ms. Washburn shook her head. “You do it,” she said.

I felt my brow wrinkle. “Why?” I asked.

“Because I'm not always going to be here to do it, and you need to develop the skill.”

That brought up thoughts I would have preferred to avoid, but I was reasonably sure Ms. Washburn was not suggesting she would leave Questions Answered anytime soon. She tended to act annoyed when I expressed any concern about that issue. “Is this the time for me to work on such an issue?” I asked.

“Yes. Call. You're closer to the phone, anyway.” She pointed to the landline we each have on our desks.

There would be no movement of her position, so I made an involuntary sound in the back of my throat and picked up the receiver. I had Detective Hessler's phone number listed under contacts on my MacBook Pro, so I accessed and dialed it. Hessler's voice mail answered after four rings.

“This is Samuel Hoenig, proprietor of Questions Answered,” I said after the inevitable tone. “I have some information to share regarding Richard Handy's murder.” Then I reminded the detective of my phone number at the office and disconnected the call. I looked at Ms. Washburn. “Was that satisfactory?” I asked.

“It was perfect. See how easy it is?”

“No.”

Hessler returned the call only two minutes later. He had no doubt been on another call or had been screening his incoming messages. “What's the information you have to give me?” he asked as soon as he had identified himself.

Ms. Washburn had insisted I answer this call as well, and since the Caller ID had shown Hessler's number, I had not resisted. “I have some new information on the person who painted over the security camera lenses before Richard Handy was shot,” I said. “Can you tell me if you have any data regarding the recent seizures of contraband merchandise in Somerset County?”

“I thought you were calling to tell
me
something,” Hessler answered. “Why do I have to give you information first?”

“Because you had promised you would do so when you had the information, and I calculate you would have received it quite some time ago now, but you didn't call,” I said. “Are you planning to live up to your end of the bargain?”

“You're not going to get anywhere impersonating my ex-wife,” Hessler said.

“I have never met your ex-wife.”

There was a pause of three seconds. “Fine. I have some data on the seizures, and I'll give it to you immediately after you tell me about the security cameras.”

This was not the kind of negotiation I had anticipated, but I looked at Ms. Washburn and she nodded her head to proceed. No doubt she felt we could trust the detective, that he was simply testing us with his insistence that we offer our help first.

“Very well, detective. The person who painted the camera lenses was not Tyler Clayton. In fact, it was Molly Brandt, who is Tyler's girlfriend but who had already left the convenience store before the shooting occurred.”

I could hear the sound of fingers on a keyboard; no doubt Hessler was taking notes as he asked for a spelling on Molly's name. This surprised me, as I would have thought Hessler had already spoken to Dr. Shean. Perhaps she would not give him the names of people in Tyler's group, either.

“How do you know that?” he asked me.

“Molly told me she did it,” I said. “She has an autism spectrum disorder and believed she was simply engaging in a prank.”

“What made her think to spray paint security cameras?” Hessler asked.

“Tyler asked her to do so.”

Ms. Washburn grimaced. Since she has an agenda and I do not in solving questions, she no doubt felt that this disclosure had weakened Tyler's case. And perhaps it had. But it was true and it was relevant to Hessler's case. Withholding it would not have been the right thing to do.

“So Tyler Clayton was in on the shooting at the convenience store?”

“He was present; you've known that since the beginning. Tyler did indeed ask Molly to spray paint the cameras. We don't yet know if he was aware there would be a shooting after that or if someone had told him something else.”

“It's an awful lot of coincidences,” Hessler said. “You're asking me to believe this kid showed up at the convenience store with a grudge against Richard Handy, asked his girlfriend—who we didn't even know about—to paint over the security cameras, and was found with the gun in his hand over Handy's body, but he didn't shoot Richard Handy.”

Ms. Washburn, who could hear the detective on the speakerphone, frowned.

“I am not asking you to believe anything, detective,” I said. “I am stating the facts as we know them and pointing out the ones for which we do not yet have evidence. Molly says she painted the cameras and there is no reason to disbelieve her so far. She says Tyler asked her to do so. Again, there is no evidence that is not true. But we have proof on the audio tracks of the security cameras that indicates Tyler was not positioned properly to be the shooter. And although Tyler is not communicating verbally, it is clear that he has been covering the tracks of someone else who probably was much closer to the killing than he.”

“Who?” Kessler asked.

“That is the question,” I said, quoting Shakespeare's
Hamlet
, although neither Hessler or Ms. Washburn appeared to notice. “Any number of people could have been involved, but there is not a clear track yet. Can you send Ms. Washburn a digital copy of the audio we heard from the security camera recordings?”

The detective hesitated. “Why?”

“Because it might help to answer the question.” I had assumed that was clear.

“I believe Samuel would like to review the sound and find out if there are any further conclusions he can reach now that we know more,” Ms. Washburn explained for me. Apparently I had not been as direct as I had intended. I nodded thanks to her.

“All right,” Hessler grumbled. “I'll e-mail it over, but I'm not crazy about giving that kind of evidence to a civilian.”

“There is no reason to be concerned,” I assured the detective. “You will still have the original source material and can make as many copies as you like. Now, please tell us what the search of seizure information might have yielded.”

Ms. Washburn walked to my desk and positioned herself closer to my desk telephone so she could better hear the reply. I noticed she had started wearing the wedding ring on her left hand again. That might have some significance. Should I mention what I had observed at Simon's apartment? Morality was such a confusing concept.

“Oh, fine.” Hessler sounded as if he were being harassed, rather than carrying out an agreement we had already forged. “There wasn't a huge haul of anything like what you're looking for anywhere, but we did pull in three separate shipments in two days. Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and one other thing—handguns.”

“Handguns are not sold at convenience stores,” I said to myself.

“No, they're not. And that's what makes this especially interesting. Now, what do you know about this operation?”

“There is not much I can verify yet,” I told the detective. “There were watermarks in the basement of Billy Martinez that would indicate the presence of what I would imagine were cartons of cigarettes. I did not see anything that would indicate weapons had been stored there, although that does not rule out the possibility.”