I scanned the gym for Mom. She got along with everybody and could probably defuse the situation between the two women. When I looked at her booth, I didn’t see her at first. Then her laugh broke the silence. Oddly, she hadn’t noticed the hush that had fallen over the crowd.
She must have felt my stare because her eyes met mine, and without a sign from me, she crossed the gym floor to join us.
“Cen, what’s wrong?” she asked, a concerned look on her face.
I took her aside and explained the situation just as Desiree let out a huge cry. Hearing the news from Tyler made it official and very real.
“You killed him!” Desiree lunged at Valerie. “You stole him from me, just as we were about to get engaged.”
“You can’t get engaged to a man who’s already married.” Aunt Pearl placed a bony arm in front of Desiree and blocked her path.
Desiree recoiled, confused at Aunt Pearl’s surprising strength. No doubt Aunt Pearl had added some magical muscle power.
“I sure can. Anyone can get engaged to anyone else. It’s simply a promise for the future. There’s no law against it.” Desiree turned to Tyler. “Right, Sheriff?”
“Let’s keep the focus on Richard. I’ll need to talk to both of you, starting with you, Valerie.” Tyler nodded toward her. “If you’re okay to drive, can you meet me at the police station in ten minutes?”
Valerie wiped tears from her cheeks and rose from her chair. “Sure. I’ll leave now.” She turned and walked slowly across the gym floor, her once defiant steps now tired and defeated.
Once she was out of earshot, Desiree turned to Tyler. “You know she did it, right? Their marriage was over years ago. Her theatrics are just a cover. She hired a hitman to knock off Richard because they had recently increased their life insurance. She took out a huge life insurance policy on him. I thought Richard was exaggerating when he told me that someone was following him.”
“When did he tell you this?” Tyler asked.
“A couple of weeks ago. When he asked her for a divorce.”
“I thought Valerie was the one who wanted the divorce,” I pointed out.
“Uh, no. I gave Richard an ultimatum that it was either her or me. He finally told Val that it was over. She knew that if they got divorced, they would have to split everything 50/50. This way she gets a 700 grand insurance payout and she keeps the ranch. I know she paid someone to do it.”
Tyler raised his brows. “You have proof?”
“Heard it from Les Crabtree,” Desiree said. “He sold her the policy a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’ll verify that with Les.” Tyler checked his watch. “Can you come by the station at five-thirty? You can tell me about it then.”
Desiree smiled. “Can’t wait.”
Chapter 17
“I’m going to need your help, Cen.” Tyler sighed.
We sat in his tiny office at the rear of the police precinct where we had gone immediately after notifying Valerie and Desiree about Richard’s murder. The precinct itself was located on the main floor of City Hall. A long narrow hall separated the outer office from Tyler’s office, an interview room, and a small holding cell.
“Thought you would never ask.” Valerie would arrive at any moment. When she did, all of Tyler’s focus would be on questioning her.
Tyler smiled. “I’m going to deputize you temporarily, but you have to give up any rights to publish anything you see or hear.”
I raised my hands in mock protest. “Silence the press?”
“Like I said, it’s only temporary. I’ll conduct the interviews for both Valerie and Desiree here. I don’t know either of them personally, but I do know Antonio quite well. I don’t want any accusations of bias. That’s why I asked the Shady Creek police to do a preliminary interview with him instead. They’re already processed Antonio for forensics, so it’s logical that they conduct his initial interview. I want his version of events before he talks to anyone else. It also gives me time to interview Valerie and Desiree. Since I’m the sole member of the Westwick Corners police force, I can’t do it all. I don’t want to hand off the entire investigation to Shady Creek either.”
I nodded. Tyler and Antonio occasionally went fishing together and saw each other often. “What do you need from me?”
“My immediate focus is on the crime scene. I’ll get the forensics back from the lab soon, but before that happens, I want to do a walkthrough of the winery and get a sense of what’s there.
“But before that I have to interview both of Richard’s two love interests. I don’t know either of them very well. What can you tell me about them?”
“Valerie was born and raised here,” I said. “She was a champion equestrian by her teens and competed in show jumping, financed by her wealthy parents. She quit that ten years ago and now she breeds racehorses, among other things. She’s had a lot of failed business opportunities. Her wellness spa and resort went bankrupt, and a corporate ranch retreat never really got off the ground. Lots of friends but lots of enemies too. She takes advantage of people’s generosity sometimes. She never loses her temper, but she does get back at people who’ve wronged her. Like Desiree, and maybe Richard too.”
“Give me an example,” Tyler said.
“Before it went bankrupt, Valerie’s wellness spa had a deal with a local clothing store. Valerie sold their clothing at her spa on commission. They had a falling out when the store owner complained around town that Valerie wasn’t paying her bills. Valerie retaliated by accusing the store owner of unreported sales and tax evasion. The store owner was cleared of any wrongdoing, but only after spending a small fortune on legal fees to clear her name.”
“Happily married?” Tyler asked.
“You’d have to ask Valerie, but I’m guessing not. Would you be happy if your spouse was openly having
