Rear-View Murder: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Read online

  “I’m not.”

  “Every time we go anywhere near Chamberlayne, you’re there. Now, we come to the bus station and you’re here. What do you want from us?”

  “If you white ladies would quit running from me and let me explain...”

  Gemma nodded. “Explain.”

  I live down on Chamberlayne, close to where Sadie stays. I try to keep an eye on her and all the girls,” he said.

  “So why are you here now?”

  Reaching behind him, he picked up a beat up guitar case. Gemma felt Holly tug at her arm as if they should run but she held her ground, held this man’s gaze.

  “I’m a blues singer. I play down here at the station, in the park, on street corners or wherever I can to make money,” he said.

  “You’re not a pimp?” Holly asked. Evidently she’d given up on running.

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, ma’am. I try to look out for the girls.”

  Gemma knew he was telling the truth. She sighed. “My name is Gemma Stone and this is my best friend Holly Blake.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said with a nod. “They call me Sweet Jimmy Blue.”

  “We’re here looking for someone,” Gemma explained. “Since you know Sadie, I’m betting you know this girl?” She showed him the picture of Opal.

  “Opal,” he said, his smile growing wide. “She’s friends with Sadie.”

  “Yes, yes she was,” Gemma said. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Right here.”

  “At the bus station?” Holly asked in surprise.

  Jimmy Blue’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes, ma’am. She was with a man with white hair.”

  “Older or young?”

  “Young,” he answered quickly.”

  “So she got on the bus,” Gemma said.

  “Oh, no, ma’am. There was one big argument. She didn’t want to go. Opal was stubborn and refused to get on that bus,” he told them.

  “She left the bus station with this man?” Gemma asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, ma’am, as sure as I can be.”

  Gemma and Holly exchanged glances.

  “Jimmy, thank you so much. You’ve been a huge help.”

  “Will you ladies quit running from me now?” he asked. “It makes me look bad.”

  Holly laughed. “Absolutely.”

  “I hope you find Opal,” he said, opening his guitar case and pulling out a banged-up old guitar that looked like someone had really loved it and used it...or they’d really hated the thing.

  “Jimmy, Opal’s dead,” Gemma said quietly.

  He looked at her for a minute while tears filled his chocolate brown eyes. Then he shook his head angrily. “I told her that ring was gonna be nothin’ but trouble.”

  As they left the bus station they heard the low, mournful sound of a blues song echoing across the space.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Gemma, honey, I think we should take what we know to the police,” Holly suggested as they pulled back out into heavy city traffic.

  “Chuck Miller, chief aide to a state senator, purchased a very expensive ring for Opal. Then he’s seen arguing with her at the bus station. And then she ends up dead in the trunk of my car. Do you really think the police are going to do anything about it? You heard them. They don’t have time,” Gemma said, feeling utterly defeated. “And, frankly, I don’t think they would care.”

  Holly was quiet, giving Gemma time to reconcile her thoughts.

  “We need to talk to Miller again,” Gemma finally said. “I’m pretty sure he was the last one to see her alive here in Richmond, whether she was involved with the senator or not. If we confront him with what Jimmy just told us...”

  “Okay, back to the capitol building,” Holly said.

  Before they made it to the building, Gemma spotted Chuck Miller hurrying through the parking lot with his jacket over one arm and a briefcase in the other. His white-blond hair stood out in the afternoon sunshine like a beacon.

  “There he is,” Gemma told Holly and pointed.

  Holly had already seen him and circled back through the car filled lot. She stopped right in front of Miller as he was pulling car keys from his pocket. Gemma had her car door open before she came to a complete halt. She did not miss the look of surprise on Miller’s face when he realized who she was.

  Holly followed close behind.

  “Mr. Miller, we need to talk to you,” Gemma said as she approached. Her heart was thudding in her chest. She wasn’t even sure where to start.

  He looked from side to side as if he was trapped and finally nodded. “The special session has ended and I have an errand to run. My grandmother is diabetic and I have to pick up her medications from the pharmacy...”

  “What do you know about Opal Sparrow?” Gemma blurted out bringing him up short.

  “I don’t know anyone by that name?”

  “Yes, you do. You purchased a ring that I found with her body and you were seen arguing with her at the bus station,” Gemma threw out the facts. “I have a picture of her to remind you.”

  Miller’s face was unreadable as he looked at the picture Gemma held up for him to see. A hot wind blew through the parking lot, ruffling his white hair.

  “I can’t protect him any longer,” he said quietly and his head dropped to his chest.

  “Protect who?”

  “Senator Dixon,” he said. “He met her at a party. It was a big party given by some celebrity. I don’t remember who. I think the host had hired some ‘ladies’ just in case the senators and congressmen wanted to indulge a little bit.” Miller shook his head. “They met. They talked and afterwards he just couldn’t seem to let her go. That’s when the affair started.”

  “The ring?” Gemma reminded him.

  “The senator bought it for her. It was sort of an engagement ring. He just sent me to pick it up. I tried to talk him out of it. That silly old fool thought she was going to wait for him to end his marriage and...”

  “Did he know she was pregnant?” Holly asked, speaking for the first time.

  “Yes. He knew. He told her if she went back home to have the baby while he ended his marriage with his wife, they would live happily ever after.

  “Did he end his marriage?” Holly shot another question at him.

  “No. When she stopped answering his calls he was heartbroken but he finally admitted that I was right about her...the kind of person she was.” Miller’s face twisted in a sneer.

  “And what kind of person was that?” Gemma asked, trembling with anger.

  “You know, pretty young girls fleecing old men for their money and presents and...”

  “Opal’s dead,” Holly cut in.

  “What!” Miller seemed genuinely surprised. “How could that be?”

  “And as far as we can figure, you were the last one to see her here in Richmond at the bus station. In fact, you were seen arguing with her there.”

  Miller’s shoulders sagged. “After he found out about the baby, Senator Dixon asked me to drive Opal home. She didn’t want to go and I didn’t want to drive to Louisa with her. I gave her money and tried to put her on a bus. She argued, she fought with me but, I swear to you, I left her standing in front of that bus station very much alive and very pissed off.”

  When did Senator Dixon see her last?

  “The night before I was to drive her home. She spent the night with him in the apartment he keeps here in Richmond,” he told them. “I was so relieved when she stopped answering her phone. Thought it was the best thing that could have happened. She could ruin the senator’s future. Now that I know she’s dead...”

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  “I probably should. He’s going to take it pretty hard.”

  That told Gemma they hadn’t talked since she’d seen the senator that morning. “Okay, we’ll leave that to you, then,” Gemma said, pretending not to see the surprised look on Holly’s face.

  The two women
returned to the SUV and Holly carefully and slowly backed out of the lot.

  “Senator Dixon doesn’t seem like a silly old fool to me” Gemma muttered while Holly circled the block.

  “Me either,” Holly added. “And one of them is lying about that ring.”

  “And a whole lot of other stuff, too,” Gemma said. “Let’s see if we can talk to the senator again.”

  “What if we run into Miller?”

  Gemma shook her head. “He was leaving. I don’t think he’s going to tell Senator Dixon anything. At least not right away.”

  They went through the metal detector again and then back upstairs to the senator’s office. This time a petite, blonde woman sat in the cubicle where Miller had been manning the desk earlier. Her name tag labeled her as Isabella and she looked a whole lot like Opal.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  “Yes, we’re hoping to get in to see Senator Dixon,” Gemma said wondering if the senator was just a fan of petite, blue-eyed blondes.

  She looked down at the schedule on her desk, frowned and looked back up. “The special session has ended so the senator will be going home tomorrow, I think. He’s planning a town hall meeting when he gets home but I heard him talking to Charles about getting together at his apartment later this evening to craft that speech.”

  “Can you tell me where the senator’s apartment is located?” Gemma asked.

  “No, ma’am, I really can’t give out that informa-.” She stopped. “Are you cops?”

  “No, we’re not,” Holly assured her.

  “Then I’m sorry, I...”

  “Okay, thank you,” Gemma said cutting her off. She had the distinct feeling that she was running out of time.

  Senator Dixon was at his apartment, wherever that was and Chuck Miller had just left the parking lot. He said he had to go to the pharmacy to pick up medicine for his grandmother. Gemma thought that was a ruse. If the two of them got together and managed to concoct a story...

  “How do you find out where a senator lives while he’s in Richmond?” Gemma asked when they climbed back into Holly’s SUV.

  Holly shrugged. “I believe a certain newspaper reporter might be able to ferret out that information for you.”

  Gemma grinned and pulled out her cell. “You’re right.”

  “Hey,” Nick answered on the first ring almost as if he had been waiting for her call.

  “Hey, Nick,” Gemma said. “How’s it going?”

  “Oh, it’s going. However, it must be going well for you guys. I thought you’d be home by now.”

  “No, we’re still in Richmond,” Gemma said. “Um, Nick, could I get you to do me a favor?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  Gemma closed her eyes. She hated that sound in his voice, ready and willing to do anything she asked.

  “Can you tell me where Senator Everett Dixon lives when he’s here in Richmond?”

  Nick was quiet. “Why would you want to know that?”

  “Holly wanted to talk to him about some legislation coming up,” Gemma lied and ignored the fact that Holly’s mouth had dropped open. “You know how political she is.”

  Nick was quiet for a moment. “Okay, well, let me do a little digging. I’ll call you back as quickly as I can.”

  “Thank you,” Gemma said and ended the call.

  “I am not political,” Holly protested, driving aimlessly through the crowded streets of Richmond.

  “Your boyfriend is a lawyer with one of the biggest law firms in the state. You’d better get political,” Gemma told her.

  “You mean he might...”

  “Might run for public office someday. Maybe he’ll be a senator or even governor,” Gemma cut in.

  “Or president,” Holly murmured.

  “See? You’re getting more political by the minute.”

  They were stopped at one of the longest red lights Gemma had ever endured when her cell chimed. “It’s Nick,” she said, swiping her finger across the screen.

  “I found his address,” he said. “I’ll text it to you.”

  “Perfect. And thank you, Nick,” Gemma said, sincerely grateful for his help.

  “No problem. It wasn’t hard to find if you know where to look,” he said.

  “Well, I do appreciate your help.”

  “So, that means you’ll be home maybe tonight?” he questioned. “Buddy has another car for you to look at.”

  No. No. No. Gemma had had enough of Buddy’s cars. Instead she said, “I’m not sure if it will be tonight or tomorrow.” She shot a quick glance at Holly. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m back home, though.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  They found Senator Everett Dixon’s apartment easily enough in one of the older residential areas of Richmond. It was a huge, non-descript stone building, several stories tall with floor to ceiling windows.

  “Is this it?” Gemma asked when they stepped through the short wrought iron gate and into a neatly manicured little patch of yard.

  “This is the address,” Holly said, pointing to the numbers on the side of the building.

  Gemma took a deep breath, stepped inside the building and found herself in a lobby of sorts. There were mail boxes off to the right and she found his apartment number stenciled over the little mail slot.

  “It’s on the third floor,” Gemma said, heading across the lobby to the elevator.

  Like the rest of the building, the elevator was old. Gemma thought it probably looked the same as it had twenty or thirty years ago. It creaked and groaned but took them safely to the third floor.

  The senator’s apartment was directly across from the elevator. Gemma glanced at Holly. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure how to approach him. Should she just accuse him of killing Opal? Surprise him? Shock him into confessing? But what if she was wrong? He might be able to have her arrested or something. She couldn’t just go around accusing state senators of murder.

  Holly was the one to knock on the somewhat worn wooden door.

  There were footsteps and then the door opened and Senator Dixon peered out at them, looking totally confused.

  “Hello, sir, I’m Gemma Stone. We met earlier today,” Gemma said.

  “Yes. In my office,” he said. “You questioned me about a woman named Opal.”

  “Sir, we really need to talk to you about that again,” Gemma told him.

  The senator sighed heavily and Gemma was afraid he was going to slam the door shut in their faces. Finally, he opened the door wide, inviting them in. “I don’t have much time. My aide will be here shortly to help with a speech I’m giving tomorrow night.”

  “Thank you,” Holly said and the two women stepped inside.

  The one room apartment was neat and clean but still showing its age just like the rest of the building. Gemma looked around at the sparse furnishings, a desk with a tall stack of folders in the center. A piece of luggage lay across the bed half filled with clothing. On the small dining room table, half a waffle floated in syrup.

  “Not what you expected?” he asked.

  “I guess I thought it would be more...more glamorous or something,” Holly confessed.

  Gemma nodded in agreement.

  “Honest politicians don’t make as much money as people think,” he said with a little smile. “Now, what can I do for you ladies?”

  “Sir, we’re just trying to find out the truth about what happened to Opal,” Gemma blurted out.

  “Opal,” he whispered. “Dear, sweet Opal.”

  “She wasn’t having an affair with your aide was she?” Gemma asked softly.

  The senator shook his gray head and sank down onto the closest chair as if his legs would no longer hold him. He buried his face in his hands.

  “We met at a party. She was so pretty, young and full of life. How could I not fall in love with her? Oh, at first it was just sex but...”

  Gemma and Holly remained silent.

  “Yes, I was your typical dirty old man, but it turned
into more than that for both of us. Or at least I thought it did. We couldn’t stay away from each other. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her,” he finished.

  “But you’re married,” Gemma said.

  He nodded again. “Yes, I am. When we found out she was pregnant, I bought Opal the ring you showed me earlier today.”

  “Miller picked it up for you,” Gemma added.

  He nodded. “I pledged the rest of my life to her. It would have been my first child and both of us were so excited.”

  “Go on,” Holly coaxed.

  “The plan was that she would go back to Louisa to have the baby. In the meantime, I would get a divorce, maybe just go back to practicing law and get out of politics altogether.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “We had it all planned.”

  “What happened?” Gemma asked.

  “She stopped answering her phone. Never returned any of my calls from the day she left. I should have listened to Chuck. He told me I was just a silly old fool, thinking she...”

  He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  “Senator, it’s me,” Miller said from the other side of the door.

  The senator frowned and checked his watch. “He’s early.”

  Gemma stood perfectly still while the senator, looking much older now, crossed the space and opened the door. Lifting her chin slightly, she met Chuck Miller’s cold hard gaze.

  “What are they doing here?” he asked.

  “It’s about Opal,” Senator Dixon told him. “I told them about the affair, the ring, the baby and everything, Chuck. I’m just tired of living with this secret. I just want to go home and try to forget...”

  “Did you tell them about the murder?” Chuck said, his voice as cold as his eyes had been earlier.

  Senator Dixon gasped. “Murder?”

  “Yes. She wouldn’t leave town. Came back here demanding that you leave your wife immediately.”

  “No,” the senator said, taking a step backwards. “No, that didn’t happen.”

  “Perhaps it was an accident. You argued. You pushed her. She hit her head,” Chuck continued.

  The senator looked from Gemma and Holly to Chuck and back to them again, pleading with his eyes. “No. You took her to the bus station and...”