CHAPTER 25
“That was a delicious meal, Jillian.” The chief
laid his fork down across his plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin, a true
gentleman.
The rest of the guests joined in with high praises
of their own.
I smiled.
“I thought it would be fun to do the Indian fare–it’s
one of my favorites.”
I loved it when people enjoyed my hospitality.
Teddy sauntered off to his dog bed, ready for his
day to end.
“I can’t believe it’s already been a week since
we’ve seen each other.” Margaret sipped her lemon water. “I’ve barely seen
Frank because he’s been so busy with the Westover case.”
“It was pretty involved, but we finally have enough
concrete evidence to bring Thomas to trial for sentencing. The sad thing is,
Thomas might be happier in prison rather than spending the rest of his life
with his cantankerous wife.”
Several chuckles reverberated around the room, but
people tried to keep as straight-faced as possible.
“Perhaps that’s why he confessed.” Margaret chimed
in.
Now no one could hold back. We all had a good
laugh.
“Why don’t we have some dessert and you can tell us
all about it, Chief. There’s chocolate cinnamon torte or pecan pie with whipped
cream.”
“May we have both?” Ann grinned. “Small slices?”
We laughed and I took everyone’s orders for
dessert. Margaret insisted on helping me clear the table.
After everyone had their dessert choice, I poured
coffee and passed around the cream and sugar.
Ann couldn’t wait to hear what really happened with
Thomas Westover. Nicole and Dominique seemed subdued, but I could tell in their
eyes they wanted to know what happened as much as Ann and I did.
“I think you’d better start with Spencer Hausman
since that’s where I left them, Chief.”
The chief had just taken a bite of his torte, but after
a sip of coffee, began where I had left off.
“According to Thomas, Spencer would have been a
dead man no matter which way he turned. We know the mob was after him for the
unpaid gambling debt because of the thug in the Camry showing up.
“Meanwhile, the terrorists, rattled by Regina’s
death, figured they had better get rid of any evidence linked to them before
they hit the road. They assumed Spencer Hausman knew of their activities
because his name was on the plagiarized articles. They weren’t taking any
chances. They wanted him eliminated just in case.
“On the night Spencer was murdered, he had
gone to the Westovers’ office to siphon off more funds from The Venus Flytrap.
He must have been desperate by then, knowing that the mob was after him. When
he accidentally came across a link to the bioterrorists in the file, he thought
he could blackmail Thomas into giving him even more money to keep him quiet.
“Thomas agreed to meet him and then called Jillian
to set her up. He figured he would take care of her nosing around and Spencer
at the same time. Thomas met Spencer and shot him.
“Thomas had Lewis Ibarra set up Teddy to be
kidnapped to keep Jillian from prying, but it only made her more determined to
find out who did it.”
“It was Lewis Ibarra, the hotel manager?” Dominique
sounded incredulous.
“Oh, yes. And unfortunately, Dr. Nagera paid with
his life to help us get that information. I’m sorry, Dominique, I know he was a
friend of your family. But if it hadn’t been for Dr. Nagera’s help, we would
have had a hard time trying to figure out who was working with Thomas from
inside the hotel. Dr. Nagera was a brave man.
“We checked with Walter who remembered Ibarra was
working when he wasn’t scheduled, which was very unusual. Ibarra probably made
the call to Jillian, or made the key for the kidnapper to use.
“Jillian guessed the perpetrator kidnapped Teddy
because she was getting close, so she scrutinized what she knew even further to
catch them. That’s when we put our heads together and figured out, by process
of elimination, that no one else involved had the motive, means, or opportunity
to carry out such heinous murders.
“When we talked to the FBI agent and listened to
the information he had on Regina, the Anatolias, Dr. Grant and the Westovers,
we surmised it had to be one of the Westovers. We didn’t know which one until
we brought Evelyn in for questioning to see what her reaction would be.
“She cooperated fully and gave us enough
information to show us it had to be her husband. When we confronted him, he
denied murdering Regina vehemently. He said we had no proof. However, there was
proof.
“Evelyn provided it indirectly for us.”
The chief stopped to drink some coffee I had just
warmed up.
“When we questioned Evelyn, she told us what really
happened. She woke up to use the bathroom the night of the murder, right after
Thomas had slipped out of bed. She knew then what she had suspected all along–Thomas
must be having an affair. She also figured it had to be Regina.
“She pretended to be asleep when he came back and
she could tell he was not himself. She waited until morning. After the news of
Regina’s murder hit, Evelyn knew Thomas had done it. She decided to remain
silent, knowing a wife couldn’t be forced to testify against her husband.
“After she suspected Thomas, she went to her
office, closed the door and perused the books more carefully–looking for
evidence of Thomas’ adultery. She found what she wasn’t looking for–The
Venus Flytrap account.
“She called
the police anonymously and tipped them off about Thomas’ business. It was a
little cold of her, but she wasn’t going down with her husband.”
I took up the story after I refilled everyone’s
coffee. “Thomas thought he would be safe going to Regina’s room that night. Evelyn
wore earplugs, and usually took a sedative, but since she’d had a few drinks,
Thomas thought he’d be safe in slipping out to go to Regina.
“Everything was ready. He couldn’t wait until
morning to tell Regina that he’d made all the plans to leave Evelyn. He let
himself in with a key that Lewis had made for him. When Thomas told Regina of
his plans, she laughed. That’s when he killed her.
“I told the chief that I suspected the book we
found in Regina’s brief case inscribed ‘all my love’ was one of the two
I saw Hugh Porter sign for Thomas when I stood in line in back of him at Hugh’s
signing.”
“They were Thomas’ prints all right.” The chief
sounded satisfied. “His DNA will also likely be confirmed when we get the tests
back from the lab. It will prove he was the last person to see her alive.”
I added, “Thomas had plenty of time after he played
a round of golf that afternoon to stop by Regina’s room for a rendezvous. I
heard them. I just didn’t know it was Thomas.”
***
It was getting late, and the chief stood, saying he
had a big day tomorrow.
Margaret stood with her husband.
“He’s taking me away for the weekend to get a
little rest and relaxation.”
I insisted on doing the dishes myself and began
walking my guests to the front door.
“You know, I actually feel sorry for Evelyn
Westover,” Nicole remarked, as I helped her on with her jacket. “She lost her
son, and now, she’s losing her husband.”
The chief nodded. “I tend to agree with you,
especially in light of the fact that Thomas confessed to having their son’s
girlfriend meet with a deadly accident.
“He also confessed to murdering Katherine Anatolia
when she wanted out. He really came unglued in the end. I think everything he’d
done finally caught up with him.”
“Confession is good for the soul, they say.” Nicole
sounded sad.
After saying goodnight to everyone I thought about
the terrorists who still lurk, plotting to do harm. I knew we had to be
vigilant and remain on the alert, or one day–they would succeed!
Not the End
If you like to read about lovely places and fabulous cuisine, enjoy the Jillian Bradley mystery series. Book 1 MURDER IN HALF MOON BAY for your e-reader is free!
All books are G-rated and contain no profanity.
See you in my books!
~Nancy Jill
Mystery
novelist Nancy Jill Thames has published Christian fiction since 2010.
The author of seven books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award
winning blogger and listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s
List. In addition, she won first place in her church's 4th of July celebration for her chocolate cream pie.
When she isn’t plotting her next
book, she spends time with her six
grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and
plays classical piano for her personal enjoyment. She is an active
member
of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),
CenTex Chapter-ACFW, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion
of her book sales. She resides with her husband in Leander, Texas.
