A Rip Roaring Good Time Read online

  As I walked down the carpeted hallway, I heard Lexie saying, "I'm so sorry to hear about Peter's brain cancer and am horrified by how you were treated by, um, let's see, my mind's gone blank—where did you say your husband worked?"

  I stopped to give Georgia time to respond. I heard her say, "I didn't say, but he worked for a company that manufactures fertilizer. My goodness, your friend must really be having a time with that diarrhea."

  "Yes, it sure seems that way," Lexie replied.

  I didn't think I could stall any longer so I entered the kitchen and said, "Yes, I must certainly was, Georgia. But I think I'm good to go now. And don't worry, honey, I sprayed your powder room with the freshener before I came out."

  "That's a good thing, I imagine," Georgia said as she walked to the door. It was clear she wanted us out of her house before another round of watery bowel movements hit me.

  * * *

  "I'm glad you were on your toes," Lexie told me on the drive back to the inn. "I was in too much shock to come up with a diversion. I was astonished at how stupidly I'd let Georgia so craftily pilfer my great-grandmother's antique bowl right in front of my face. At least I was able to get a little information out of her. Thank goodness, you were at the top of your game. That spur-of-the-moment inspiration you had made you truly a woman after my own heart."

  "I'm sure we can recover that bowl. Good grief! It's a family heirloom! We can't let her get by with pretending it belonged to her." I was determined to come up with a workable strategy to reclaim it, knowing the valuable bowl meant a lot to my friend.

  "Oh, forget about it. I have a number of mementos I've inherited from several generations back. That bowl was just gathering dust in my pantry anyway. I can use the extra space to store more of the staples I can never seem to keep enough of on hand."

  "All right, but I'm not giving up that easily," I replied. "So, tell me what you two talked about."

  "I knew to look for the photo you'd told me about on the china hutch. I asked Georgia what had happened to Lori's twin sister and, even though she seemed reluctant to discuss it, I badgered her until she did. She told me that Tori had suffered a traumatic incident when she was fourteen and never could get past it. Georgia didn't go into detail about her daughter using cyanide to commit suicide, only that Tori was found unconscious in her bedroom and she was transferred to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. I nonchalantly asked, 'Wheatland Memorial?' and she nodded her head."

  "Good information, but I'm guessing it's nearly impossible to dig up a patient's medical records due to the HIPAA Law and patient confidentiality policies," I said. Lexie nodded and continued detailing her conversation with Georgia Piney.

  "She told me Tori's death was devastating to both her and Lori, and she feared for several years she'd lose Lori to the same fate. Lori went from being a good student who got high marks, and an athlete and cheerleader who was very popular and active at school, to being a high school dropout. She became a recluse who spent most of her time brooding in the bedroom she'd shared with her twin. Lori had constructed a shrine to her sister on their shared bookcase and began wearing all black clothes and black makeup when she made rare appearances outside her home. It was very alarming and disturbing, Georgia told me. She made the remark, 'It was almost like losing both the girls at the same time.'"

  "Goodness, that's very sad. I gotta say, I feel for the woman. Did she mention how Lori was coping now, nine or ten years later?"

  "Only to say she was starting to come out of her shell and return to her former personality. Lori still spends entirely too much time brooding in her room though, according to her mother."

  I described what I'd discovered in the bathroom about Lori's Xanax prescription and her mother's depression and anxiety issues. We still didn't know how the pieces all fit together or if there was any connection between the Piney family and Trotter's death. For starters, we had no idea if Trotter had played any role in Tori's suicide. And if so, in what way? It was a question we intended to find an answer for.

  Chapter 17

  There were eight of us at the dining room table for supper that evening at the Alexandria Inn. Along with Lexie, Wendy, me, and our partners, Wyatt and his girlfriend had joined us as well. Veronica had come over a couple of hours earlier to whip us up a gourmet dinner. She seemed in better spirits than at our first meeting, and I had to give her credit for being a phenomenal cook.

  Our chef's pot roast was so tender, just looking at the savory beef was enough to cause it to fall apart. The new potatoes, pearl onions, and carrots that had stewed along with the beef were just as delicious. And the cole slaw she served as a side dish was to die for. After devouring this meal, I'd definitely be asking her for her recipe. My mouth watered just anticipating the scrumptious dessert that surely awaited us. How such an incredible cook could maintain such a slender build was beyond me. I concluded that she must have way more will power than I even knew existed.

  Naturally, the main topic of conversation was the ongoing investigation into Trotter Hayes's mysterious death. Rip and Stone had convinced the lead detective, Russell, to speak with them about the case. Even though Chief Smith had no reservations about pinning Lexie with the crime, Detective Russell was more skeptical. He'd had some interaction with Lexie in the past and couldn't quite believe someone as thoughtful and compassionate as she was would be capable of cold-blooded murder.

  During the conversation, the detective told the two men that although it was a taboo topic with the chief, he'd been privy to the fact Trotter Hayes had been called on the carpet more than once for sexual assault on a female. Wendy had not been the only individual to press charges against the randy Casanova in the past. Releasing any specifics about the circumstances behind the charges could lead to the detective's termination with the police department. It was understandable that Detective Russell was reluctant to go into any further detail, but what he did reveal was food for thought.

  Could one of those sexual assault charges have stemmed from the traumatic incident Tori Piney had experienced? After all, it'd been apparent the girl's mother had a severe enough grievance against the victim to indicate that he, if anyone, deserved to have his throat slit. According to Lexie, a person as docile as Georgia had always been in past interactions would surely not make such a spiteful statement about a man who had merely broken up with her daughter when she was a teenager. That's an everyday occurrence with high school kids who were reacting to an over-abundance of hormones.

  "I wouldn't have let our daughter, Regina, go out with an adult man when she was fourteen," Rip said.

  "Nor would I have allowed Wendy to go out with a guy that much older than she was," Lexie added before Rip continued with his line of thinking.

  "Trotter was five or six years older than her daughter, or nineteen to her fourteen at the time. If Tori and Trotter had been dating, you'd think Georgia would be as delighted as she could be to see them split up. In fact, I can't imagine her even letting her young daughter go out on a date with a grown man like that in the first place. It was probable that her objection to Hayes had nothing to do with Tori or stemmed from something much more contemptuous."

  "What if Georgia was unaware of Trotter's existence before the potential sexual assault? I didn't tell my folks I was messing around with Rip until after I found out there was an unexpected bun in my oven."

  Glancing at my husband, I noticed Rip was blushing. He said, "My bad! But even though her pappy threatened me with his twelve-gauge, I'd have married her anyway. Oh, good grief, what in the hell was I thinking?"

  After everyone laughed along with Rip, Wyatt spoke for the first time in the discussion. "If Russell's aware of previous sexual assault charges against the victim, there must be a record of those charges. I'm sure there must be more specific details about the charges on a computer file if we could only access it. For instance, if a rape kit was utilized, the results should be included in the report."

  "Could Chief Smith have prevented t
he use of a rape kit if the charges involved his stepson?" Lexie inquired. "In Wendy's case, even though it nearly cost him his job, he was able to sweep the assault charges against Trotter under the rug. And since no actual rape occurred, a rape kit wasn't an issue in that sexual assault."

  "I don't think it would have been within Leonard Smith's power to prevent the use of a potentially incriminating tool such as a rape kit if an actual rape had occurred," Wyatt responded. "It's a long-shot, but I might be able to dig up some old criminal report files on the computer at the station. But I'm not well-versed in the applicable program, or computers in general. Where's a skilled hacker when you need one?"

  I felt a sudden burst of pride as I said, "I've gotten pretty darn skilled at tracking down information on the Internet. I'm pretty much a first-class Googler now."

  Wendy smiled and said, "Yes, you really have advanced a lot more than I could have ever imagined, Rapella. In fact, Mattie and I were just chatting about what a remarkably quick learner you are."

  I was beaming like a lighthouse beacon at the two young ladies impressive opinion of me. Wendy went on to expand on her remarks. "However, I'm thinking we should turn this over to Mattie to see if she can get into the police station's criminal records database. She's more highly skilled at this sort of thing than anyone else I know. She can hack with the best of them, and we need your skills elsewhere, Rapella."

  I wasn't sure what "hacking" entailed, so I was happy to turn the responsibility over to Mattie Hill. Not to mention, Lexie said they needed my skills elsewhere and I wanted to be where I could do the most good.

  Wyatt then remarked that he would be alone at the station again the next day from one o'clock in the afternoon until Detective Travis reported to replace him at one forty-five. If Mattie could meet him there, he'd turn the computer over to her. He knew he was taking a risk as far as his career as a police officer was concerned, but he thought the benefits of any potential damning information Mattie might uncover was worth the gamble. He also knew there wouldn't be much time for Mattie to hack into the files before Detective Travis clocked in, and he'd have to have her out of there before he arrived. I realized he was tentative about letting Mattie have access to the department's computer system, as was evident by his next remark. "I'm probably foolish to even consider this idea to begin with."

  After we'd determined our next plan of attack, the conversation switched over to the progress of the repairs on our travel trailer. Boney's Garage had called and told Rip the repairs on the Chartreuse Caboose would be completed, and the unit would be ready to be picked up, by nine the following morning.

  Even though we'd be free to be on our way to Chicago, where we were planning to attend a nephew's wedding in a couple of weeks, we had no immediate desire to leave Rockdale. Until Trotter's real killer was arrested, it'd take one of those F-5 tornadoes so prevalent in the Midwest, to remove Rip and me from the Alexandria Inn. And our tabby, Dolly, had the run of the entire antebellum mansion instead of the cramped space in the travel trailer she was accustomed to. There were undoubtedly a lot of things she hadn't had time to sufficiently check out, so I'm sure she was happy to linger at the inn as long as we deemed necessary. The fear of curiosity rendering her dead didn't seem to keep her awake at night, and sleeping eighteen hours a day left little time for Dolly to tackle more arduous endeavors.

  We all retreated to the parlor for an after-supper cup of coffee after enjoying the best Crepes Suzette I've ever tasted. And, I swear, that wasn't just the brandy in it talking!

  * * *

  The next day proved to be very illuminating. While Mattie was at the police station hacking into their confidential files, I was employing my new computer skills to research a few intricate details relating to the murder case.

  According to Mattie, it didn't take long at all to access the records she was looking for once she'd hacked her way into the database, which was a compilation of all police reports dating back to 1936, the year the town of Rockdale, Missouri, became the recipient of its own police department.

  Peter Piney had filed a police report on September 25, 2004. He reported a sexual assault against his fourteen-year-old daughter, Tori Piney, and alleged the rape was perpetrated by nineteen-year-old Trotter Hayes. Mr. Piney had insisted a rape kit be utilized so the results of the test would be on file. The files indicated the test was performed on the same date at Wheatland Memorial Hospital, but no record of the results could be found in the file.

  "And that was the extent of the information available," Mattie told me over the phone. "There was no evidence of charges against the rapist being filed by the Piney family, and Trotter Hayes didn't spend one second in jail for the sexual assault."

  "That absolutely sucks, Mattie! How could the scumbag get away with a crime of that nature just by being the police chief's stepson? I can't believe there's no record on file of the results."

  "Yeah, me either!"

  "Somehow, the chief got them expunged, I'll bet." I was livid at the injustice and was determined to see Chief Leonard Smith be held responsible for the corrupt abuse of his position of authority.

  "But guess what?" Mattie asked rhetorically. "There's a record the chief wasn't able to make disappear into thin air. Working in the women's clinic at Wheatland, I have access to their database too. I found a document on file with the results of that rape kit they performed. It states that Tori Piney tested positive for rape and a subsequent DNA test proved the sperm belonged to that of Trotter P. Hayes. We've got a chokehold on that creep now, and his stepfather, Chief Smith!"

  "Holy smokes! Good job, Mattie! Your news is music to my ears. Lexie's finally going to be exonerated," I replied enthusiastically.

  I was ecstatic when I hung up the phone and rushed to tell Lexie the great news. She wasn't as thrilled as I was for some reason. "Why aren't you jumping for joy like I am, sweetie?"

  "Mattie's discovery is absolutely great news and nails Trotter for the rape of Tori Piney. It's a little late to prosecute him for the crime though. And although it might be beneficial to our case, it doesn't prove that Georgia Piney killed him. It's what Judy Jueti would classify as circumstantial evidence, if she even considered it evidence in the murder case at all," Lexie explained.

  "But wait!" I replied. "There's more!"

  "Like what?"

  "I spent the morning on the Internet. For one thing, I learned that the ice that covers Antarctica holds ninety percent of the world's fresh water. And, speaking of water, did you know that by the time you are my age, you'll have drunk an average of nearly twelve thousand gallons of water? In my case, I've probably drunk at least half that in beer and tequila as well."

  "That's fascinating, Rapella, but you have wandered far past the subject at hand. I'm guessing that your iPad is no longer going to be used as nothing more than a coaster to prevent water marks on your furniture." She laughed as she teased me.

  "Oh, sorry," I said as I smiled and nodded my head at her spot-on remark. "The most important thing I discovered is that one of the main ingredients in fertilizer is cyanide. And Peter Piney worked for years at a fertilizer manufacturing plant so he had access to the chemical. I'm thinking it's likely to be related to how Tori got hold of the cyanide she used to kill herself."

  "Hmm, I'm sure you're right!"

  "And also, Lexie, the fumes at a fertilizer plant can often cause brain cancer, which is what Georgia's husband died from. I'd think he had to have brought a container of the cyanide home with him for Tori to have had access to the deadly poison. But why? I don't know. I can't imagine any reason he'd want to bring something that toxic into his home to begin with."

  "Me either, but I think you might have hit it right on the head," Lexie exclaimed, now as excited as I was. "Do you remember Georgia telling us that Tori couldn't deal with the traumatic incident she suffered, which we now know was being raped by Trotter? I don't know if the girl left a suicide note, but regardless, the Pineys had obviously felt the sexual assault Trotter per
petrated against their daughter was what caused her to commit suicide a year later. That's why they hired the law firm Candy Crushnut's father works for to file a wrongful death suit against Trotter and his family. What are the chances that Georgia used some of that same cyanide that was left over from Tori's suicide to exact revenge on the man she holds responsible for her daughter's death? She probably felt cheated by the justice system and couldn't bear the thought that Trotter was out attending birthday parties and enjoying life while her daughter is six feet under."

  I nodded and added, "Good point! And in the same breath, what are the chances that Lori used some of that leftover cyanide to get retribution for her sister's death? Maybe that's what she needed to ever be able to find any degree of closure. As I mentioned before, identical twins have probably the closest bond amongst all mankind. With the exact same DNA makeup, they're kind of like two halves of a whole. In fact, I read they're classified as 'monozygotic' and are formed from a single fertilized egg. So, in essence, identical twins really are two halves of a whole. The odds of being an identical twin are approximately three in one thousand. And you know how adversely Lori was affected by her sister's death."

  "Rapella, you're not getting addicted to Google, are you? Are we going to have to arrange for an intervention?" We both giggled before Lexie turned serious again. "Really, though, I think you're onto something. Georgia may have some inclination or even first-hand knowledge that her surviving daughter had something to do with Trotter's death, and if so, she'd naturally be protecting her. That would explain her behavior when we brought up the subject. It could be either one of the Piney women, or maybe even the two acting as a team, avenging their daughter and sister's death together."

  "The only thing that doesn't fit into the puzzle is that you were outside with Georgia when the poison was deposited in the victim's drink. And didn't you say Lori was out arranging the items on the buffet table in the parlor?"