Lies Among the Iiving

Toni is packing up for the night when the phone rings. “ Sergeant Rodriguez. She answers, plopping down in a huff. I thought I was going to get out of here on time, she thinks as the caller continues to explain. “And you can’t find any apparent cause of death? I’ll be right over.”

A short while later she arrives at the hospital to find a grieving husband alone in the waiting room.

“I can’t believe my wife is dead. I can’t believe she’s gone,” he wails as she crosses the room.

Toni taps the man on the shoulder then asks, “Mr. Whitmore?”

“Yes, that’s me,” he says, wiping his face with his sleeve. 

“My name is Sergeant Rodrigues. I’m here about your wife’s death.” 

“I can’t believe my Emily is dead,” he sobs.

Sitting beside him, Toni takes the notebook from her pocket, then says, "Take me through what happened this evening.”

“Emily and I threw a party for a few of our closest friends. Our league throws these dinner parties twice a month, and it was our turn to host.”

“How many were in attendance?”

“I’d say there were around fifty in all.”

“Were there any problems?”

Shaking his head, he says, “No, none at all. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then one of our guests found Emily unresponsive on the kitchen floor. Our doctor friend started giving her CPR until help arrived, but she was already gone.”

“Who catered your party?”

“Rosendale. We’ve used them before and never had a bit of trouble; besides, no one else got sick.”

“Are you sure everyone is alright?”

He glances at his silent phone, then says, “As far as I know, they are.”

“Emily didn’t eat anything different.”

“She hardly ate anything at all.”

“I’m going to need a list of your guests.”

“I’m sure Emily has it somewhere, probably in the study. I’ll have the maid look for it in the morning, if that''s alright with you."

“That’ll be fine. Was there anyone at the party that you didn’t recognize?”

“No, and before you ask, Emily didn’t have any enemies, and the only ones at the party were our closest friends, who all loved her too...” A startled look crosses his paling face when he realizes what comes next. “I mean to say that none of them would ever think about hurting my dear, sweet Emily.” 

Toni pats the man’s hand. “I understand, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

She closes her book, hands him her card, and then says, “I’ll be in touch.”

***

The early morning sun slowly rises in the horizon as Jamal heads towards his desk. He’s hoping to follow up on a lead that came to him in the middle of the night. He continues to the back and finds the sergeant is already there. “Morning, Serge, " he says.

She glances up with a sour look on her face and grumbles, “Says you." She reaches for her coffee cup to find it empty. Plopping it back down, she scoots away from her desk. 

“I’ll get it.”

“I’d appreciate that.” She yawns.

He’s reaching for the cup when he realizes she has on the same clothes that she did yesterday. “Have you been here all night?”

“I caught a case on my way out.” She hands him a report and then continues. Emily Whitmore, 33, was found dead on her kitchen floor. The primary COD was a heart attack, but the ME ruled that and every other possible cause of death imaginable out.” 

Jamal skims through her notes, looks up, and asks, “Why didn’t you call me in?”

“I figured one of us should get some rest. Anyhow, this is what I have so far. Two of our victims, Stephan and Marsha, are brother and sister. So, my first theory was that the perp was targeting the family, and then I got a call about Emily Whitmore, our latest victim.” Pointing to the paper in his hand, the sergeant continues. “She isn’t related, but she runs in the same circle as the other four deceased.“

“So now you’re thinking that someone is specifically targeting that group?”

“It looks that way. I’m just not sure why or how.”

“Wait, I thought Lisa died of strangulation and Steven had a heart attack.”

She hands him Steven’s autopsy report and says, “Lisa did die of strangulation, but the ME ruled out a heart attack as his cause of death. Said he can’t find any medical reason as to why he died. His conclusion was the same with the Whittagers and our latest victim, Emily Whitmore. He said he ran a tox screen and didn’t find anything. Oh, and Tess Callwell, the woman we were looking for yesterday, is presumed to be dead.”

“Do you think Steven killed her too?”

 “Not unless he was responsible for the wreck.”

Jamal tilts his head to the side. His eyebrows raise when he asks, “What wreck, sergeant?” 

“She was among the passengers in the plane crash a few months back. They didn’t find her remains, but the manifest shows she boarded that plane.” She glances at her watch then says, “I’m going to see if Mr. Whitmore has the guest list ready for us yet.”

 ***

The two pull up to a brick home similar  to the Whittegers, and the Cadwell’s. The two story brick home displays an exquisite, timeless design. An edifice popular among the wealthy Atlantans since the turn of the century with its large, symmetrical windows, elegant white trim. The majestic front entrance is framed by classic rock columns. Further back sits a large decorative porch specifically designed for entertaining guests. The front door is solid wood, with a decorative glass panel  on either side adding to the warm, welcoming feel.

They start to step onto the porch when the door swings open. Both reach for their guns, lowering their hands when they see who it is.

 “My guard said you were heading my way.” Mr. Whitmore steps outside as he continues to explain. “I hired a bodyguard to stand watch, just in case I was the intended target last night and not my darling wife.”

“What makes you think someone might be after you?” Toni asks, taking the notebook from her jacket pocket. 

“Emily is loved and adored by everyone.” He places his hand on his chest before he continues, “But I’ve made a few enemies through the years.” He shrugs, lowers his head, and then adds, “It’s the cost of doing business, I suppose.”

“Can you give me a list of names?”

“I’ll try, but it may take me a while going back thirty years. See, I took over the family business when Emily’s father passed. I was his apprentice before he died. Said he wanted to ensure the company is left in capable hands.”

“Why don’t you give us a list of your most recent rivals first and then finish the rest?” Jamal suggests.

“I’ll have a list for you by the end of business today.”

”Have you had any disputes with your domestic help?”

“No, none. Well, none that I know of, that is. Emily takes care of that side of things. But I’m sure she would've told me if any problems had occurred.” 

“How was your and Emily’s relationship?”

“Our marriage was wonderful. Emily and I disagree occasionally, of course. It wasn't anything that couldn’t be worked out by the end of the day.”

“Do you have the guest list I asked for?”

“I’ll get it for you, but I’m telling you right now you’re wasting your time. Everyone there last night adored Emily. She was such a saint, loved by all. She was head of several charity boards. Always raising money for the less fortunate, fundraisers, and that.” Tears stream down his cheeks when he adds, “I don’t know how I’m going to go on now that she’s gone.” A look of horror suddenly plagues his face. “Someone from one of them.” He shakes his head and adds, “No, never mind. That was a crazy idea.” 

“”What were you thinking, Mr. Whitmore?”

“You don’t think someone from the charity is responsible for this, do you?”

“We will be sure to look into it.”

He wipes the moisture away and says, “Let me get that guest list for you.”

The door closes; Jamal looks over at Toni and asks, “Do you believe that crap about a perfect marriage?”

“Not for a minute.”

“His whole spiel seemed rehearsed to me.” Jamal glances at the gardener and says, “I think I will go talk to the hired hands and see what they have to say.”