This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental.
The author claims all copyrights to this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed, except by the web sites to which it has been posted, without the consent of the author.
All of us enjoy the stories here, so please, support Nifty. Like any other Business, it takes resources to keep it running.
I appreciate you, and I know Nifty appreciates your support!
Mark Stevens
CHAPTER TEN
Britt pulled into the driveway and shut the car engine off. He looked at Alice and said, "I imagine it feels a bit odd for you. After all, this is the house where you grew up."
Alice's eyes held a trace of sadness as she looked through the car's windshield. Then looking across the car seat at Britt, she said, "It does make me sad. I truly believe my mother was happy living here. Even with everything that had taken place in her life."
Britt had to agree with her. "I think you're right, Alice. Those two times I visited with her, she seemed quite content here."
"I would never admit it to Devon, but as glamorous as the mansion is, I'm not sure it will ever feel like home to me."
"I can understand that," Britt said. "Mom's house will always be home to me."
Brian pulled into the driveway and parked his Porterville Police car behind Britt's vehicle. He got out of the car and joined them. He smiled and said, "Good morning, you two." He glanced at the house and added, "No one appears to be home."
Britt climbed out of his car. "I take it you were able to obtain a search warrant, Brian?"
Brian Poteet pulled a paper from his pocket. "Signed, sealed and delivered," he answered. "I guess signed and delivered," he corrected with a grin.
The three of them walked up the porch steps. Brian rang the bell, and they waited. When they were greeted by silence, Brian told Alice to use her key.
Alice reached into her purse and brought it out. She handed it to Brian and stepped aside.
Brian inserted the key and gave it a twist. The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open.
"Police," Brian called out.
Silence.
"Police," Brian repeated. "I've got a warrant. We're coming in."
"I'd say the house is empty, Brian," Britt spoke up.
"Let me check things out first," the officer told them.
Britt and Alice remained behind on the porch while Brian made a tour of the house. He was back in a short time.
"Mr. Abbott's not here," he said.
"What do you want us to do?" Britt asked.
"Just look around. Alice, why don't you take one of the bedrooms? I'll take the other one."
Britt headed for the kitchen. "I'll check out both the kitchen and the dining room."
As Britt entered the small dining room, he noticed some papers on the table. He walked over and began sorting through them. At the bottom of the stack was a manila file folder. He quickly opened it and studied the contents.
"Brian, you might want to check this out," he called.
Brian joined him immediately. "Find something interesting?"
"I have a feeling I know why Mr. Abbott's no longer employed by Mutual Life. Look at this." He handed some papers to the man.
Brian skimmed over the print and whistled. "I guess we know why his sister was trying to convince Joe Thomas she was his daughter."
"I'm going to give Mutual a call this morning, but I have a feeling they let Abbott go because of this. My guess is that he fed the information to his sister."
Britt found some papers clipped together. "Look at this birth certificate." He handed it to Brian.
"This says that Susan's mother was Joyce Miller," Brian read. "Does the name mean anything to you?"
Britt shook his head. "I don't have a clue who the woman is."
"I'll do some checking," Brian said. "Evidently she must have some connection with Joe Thomas."
"What the hell is going on here?"
Both men turned and discovered Paul Abbott standing in the doorway that separated the living and dining room.
"Good morning, Mr. Abbott," Brian greeted. He pulled a paper from his pocket and said, "I have a search warrant, sir."
"That piece of paper doesn't give you the right to go through my sister's things. She didn't die here."
"I'm sorry, sir, but it does give me the right." He emptied the table top of all the papers and said, "Anything that might help us find your sister's killer can and will be taken for evidence."
Paul Abbott pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and remained silent.
Alice came out of the bedroom and joined them.
Abbott turned to her and asked, "Did you allow these two inside my sister's home?"
"I did."
"You had no right. I'm going to talk to my lawyer," Abbott threatened.
"That might be a good idea, sir," Brian assured the man. Giving him a smile Brian added, "I think we're through here for the time being. However, I want to warn you: See that nothing is removed from this house, Mr. Abbott."
"Of course, Officer," Abbott said, his voice full of sarcasm.
Once outside Britt said, "I suppose you couldn't get the man removed from the house, could you? After all, there's absolutely nothing to keep him from destroying any evidence we might have overlooked."
Brian shook his head. "No judge would order him out under the circumstances. It would be pointed out to us that the crime didn't take place in the victim's home." Brian looked at the papers in his hand and added, "Besides I think we have something already to help us out. I'm going back to the office and have a look at these papers." He walked to his car.
Alice asked Britt to drop her off at the newspaper office. "Sam will be wondering what has happened to me," she said.
Brian opened the car door and said, "I'm really surprised that brother of yours hasn't tried to talk you into quitting the Beacon."
"Oh, he's mentioned it several times," Britt assured him.
"He has," Alice admitted. "He also realizes that I enjoy working there."
Before Britt climbed behind the wheel of his car, he said, "Brian, I'm going to drop Alice off at Sam's, and then if it's all right with you, I'm going to stop by the police station and give Mutual Insurance a call."
"Great. I'll see you in a bit."
On the way to the newspaper office, Alice asked, "Britt, I'd like to ask you something."
"I'm listening."
"Do you think my working for Sam embarrasses Devon?"
Her question took Britt by surprise. "Why would you ask something like that, Alice?"
"The McKenzie family has always taken their position in the community very seriously," she reminded.
"Has Devon ever hinted to you in any way that he disapproved of you working at the Beacon?"
"Of course he hasn't. You know how Devon is."
Britt gave her a nod and said, "Exactly. Your brother will always want you to do what makes you happy. I thought you knew that by now, Alice."
"I know the job's not much," Alice continued. "When I was helping support Mother, I was thankful to have it. Now, with her gone, I feel guilty taking money from Sam."
"If it bothers you, I guess you could tell Sam you'd work without pay," he teased.
Alice grinned. "Maybe not that guilty."
"I didn't think so," Britt said laughing.
He dropped her off at the newspaper office and drove to the police station. When he got out of his car, he was surprised to see Justin Reynolds walking toward him.
"Good morning, Britt," the young author greeted.
"Justin." Britt cast the man a quick nod. "This seems to be a favorite part of town for you," he remarked.
"Just out for a short walk," Justin answered. "I'm on my way to the library. Porterville has a damned good one," he praised.
Britt agreed with the man. "Agnes has been the town librarian as long as I can remember."
"She's been very helpful to me."
"I'm glad. Well, I've got to run. I'll catch you later, Justin."
Justin turned to walk away and then stopped. "Oh, Britt, any new developments with the Abbott situation.
"None that I know of," Britt answered.
"I certainly hope you find out who is responsible. Have a good day, Britt."
"You do the same, Justin."
Britt walked up the steps and entered Porterville Police Station. The woman at the front desk greeted him by name.
"Good morning, Britt. Brian's expecting you."
Britt thanked her and made his way to Brian's office. He stopped in the doorway when he saw that the officer was on the telephone. Brian motioned for Britt to have a seat.
Brian ended his call and said, "I have an errand to run, Britt." He stood to is feet. "If you like, you can have a seat at my desk to make any calls you need to." He pointed to a stack of paperwork on his desk. "This is what we picked up from Susan Abbott's home. Feel free to go through any of it you like."
Stopping in the doorway, Brian added, "I should be back in about an hour. Make yourself at home. If you need anything, just ask Sandra. Her desk is right outside my office."
Britt opened the file that contained information concerning Mutual Life Insurance. He found the company's telephone number and made his call. He spent the next half hour talking to the head of the company's Claims Department in Oklahoma City. At first Britt thought he might not get the information he was seeking. After assuring the person on the other end of the line that he was working with the Porterville Police Department, he was patched through to a man who had the answers he was looking for.
With his call completed, Britt returned to the folder in front of him. The information he had received was no surprise to him at all. Paul Abbott had worked a few years for Mutual Life in the city. Joe Thomas, the school custodian, had a two hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy on his wife. The company paid the man when Barbara Thomas died a year ago. Evidentially Paul Abbott had passed that information along to his sister. When Mutual Life discovered that he had shared personal information about one of its policy holders, the company had terminated his employment.
Britt was adding some notes to the file when Brian returned from his errand. He greeted the officer with a smile.
"Mutual Life has confirmed what we already knew about Paul Abbott. They fired his ass when they discovered he gave out information concerning one of their policy holders. Barbara Thomas, in fact."
"You don't say."
Britt stood up and told Brian he could have his chair back. "I have an errand to run myself," he said heading for the door.
Brian sat behind his desk and pulled the Abbott folder to him. "You might want to hang around for this," he told Britt as he reached for the telephone.
Britt took a seat in front of the desk and waited.
Brian made his call, and in a matter of seconds said, "Hello again, Mr. Abbott. I have a favor to ask of you, sir. Would you mind coming down to see me sometime today?"
Brian listened for a moment and then said, "Yes, it concerns your sister's case, and no, you don't need to have your attorney come with you. Unless it would make you feel more comfortable," he added. "It's up to you, sir."
Another pause, longer this time. Then, "All right, I'll see you down here in one hour. Good bye, Mr. Abbott."
At Britt's puzzled look, Brian said, "I'm going to use some scare tactics on the asshole. You're welcome to be here when I talk to him, Britt."
Britt looked at his watch and stood to his feet. "I think I'd like that. I should have just enough time to do my business and be back here for your little talk."
Britt knew his mother would be at the Porterville Senior Center volunteering her quilting skill. She enjoyed working with the other ladies three or four days a week. She was there now. He drove to the center and hurried inside the building.
Catherine was one of five ladies sitting around a good-sized quilting frame. When she saw her son walking through the door, her face broke out into a big smile. Then just as quickly, it was replaced with a worried look.
"Is something wrong?" she asked Britt when he was close enough to hear her.
"Everything's fine, Mom," he hastened to assure her.
"Then why the visit? If everything is okay."
When Britt reached her side, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Smiling he asked, "Can't I drop in on my mother?"
"You can. However, it's not like you to do so."
"I'm such an awful son, aren't I?" Britt gave Catherine's quilting buddies a grin.
"Don't start your nonsense, Britt Williams," his mother warned. "I can assure you, it won't go well if you do."
"You know I love you, Mom." He kissed Catherine's other cheek.
"I have work to do. So state your business so I can get on with it."
"All right, Mom, I'll `state my business', as you so adamantly put it. Did you ever know a Joyce Miller?"
"Oh my lord, I haven't heard that name in years," Catherine declared.
"You know who she is?"
His mother nodded. "She was younger than me in school." Catherine's eyes took on a faraway look. "If I remember correctly, she and Joe Thomas dated in high school." Catherine dug further back into her memory. "I think Joyce moved away a year or so before she graduated."
"Do you remember how old the girl was?" Britt asked.
Catherine shook her head. "No, I really don't. I was married to your father by then."
"Could she have been around sixteen or seventeen?"
"I really can't say, Britt. That was a long time ago."
Britt gave his mother a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, Mom. You've been a great help."
A surprised look appeared on her face. "I have?"
"You have, Mom," he called over his shoulder. "I'll see you ladies another time."
Britt hurried out to his car and returned to the police station. He wanted time alone with Brian before Paul Abbott arrived. He was anxious to share the information he had learned from his mother.
Britt hurried inside the building. Stopping in the doorway of Brian's office, he called out Brian's name.
"Come on in," Brian invited from behind his desk. He looked at his wrist watch and said, "You're just in time. Mr. Abbott should be here shortly."
Britt hurried inside and fell into a chair. "I have some new information for you, Brian. Do me a favor and pull Susan's birth certificate out of the file."
Brian searched through the folder on his desk. When he found the document, he held it in his hand. "Now what?"
"Who was Susan Abbott's mother?"
Studying the paper in his hand, the officer read, "According to this her name was Joyce Miller. Providing the information is correct," he added.
"I have a feeling it's a true statement," Britt assured him.
"Okay, tell me what you know, Britt."
"Anytime I want an accurate source I always turn to my mother. She has yet to let me down. According to Mom, Joyce Miller went to high school in Porterville. She and Joe Thomas dated."
"You've got to be kidding." Brian leaned back in his chair. "From the look on your face, something tells me there's more to the story."
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Britt said. "According to Mom, Joyce moved away either her junior or senior year. She couldn't remember which."
Brian looked at the birth certificate once more. "Do you think Susan was telling the truth? I mean about Joe Thomas being her father."
Britt shrugged his shoulders and said, "At this point it would be hard to say. However, there's one way to find out for certain."
"By running a test on Susan's DNA and comparing it with that of Mr. Thomas," Brian declared.
"Isn't Susan's birth place listed as Oklahoma City?"
Brian searched the document in his hand once more, and with a nod of his head said, "That's correct. We should be able to contact the Department of Vital Records in the city...they could at least verify the name of Susan's mother."
"What about siblings?" Britt asked. "Aren't they usually listed on birth certificates?"
Brian studied the document once more. "It says none in the sibling box here. However, that doesn't mean anything at all. Paul Abbott could be younger than his sister."
The telephone on Brian's desk rang, and he answered it. "Send him in," he said. Looking at Britt he added, "Our visitor has arrived."
Paul Abbott suddenly appeared in the doorway of Brian's office. The officer asked the man to come in and have a seat.
"You're sure I won't need a lawyer?" the man asked falling into the chair beside Britt.
"Not because of anything I'm going to say," Brian assured him. Then, "At least not yet."
Abbott turned to Britt and said, "You seem to put a lot of time in at this place. Is this where you go to research information for your books?"
Britt was surprised. "You know that I'm a writer, Mr. Abbott?"
"Hell, you can't go anywhere in this town without hearing about the golden boy turned writer."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Britt said giving the man a smile.
"Yeah, well I didn't mean it as one."
Brian cleared his throat. "I want to thank you for coming down, Mr. Abbott. This won't take long."
Paul Abbott shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's not as if I have plans or anything."
"Perhaps not now," Brian agreed. "What about earlier?"
Abbott appeared to be digesting Brian's words. Locking eyes with the officer, he asked, "Earlier?"
"I'm thinking you and your sister came up with a plan you thought would allow the two of you to come into some money. Would I be wrong in assuming that?"
The man leaned back in his chair. "Damned wrong, Officer."
"Here's what I think happened. While working for Mutual Life Insurance you discovered a claim had been paid to a one Joe Thomas. You passed the information along to your sister, and hence, the plan to try and convince Mr. Thomas he was your sister's father."
Abbot became very angry and jumped to his feet. "This is ridiculous!"
Brian's voice became softer, and he asked the man to return to his seat. "You're right, Mr. Abbott. My concern at the moment is to find your sister's killer. Evidently the plan you and your sister had concocted went down without actually having taken place. Therefore, it's up to your previous employer to handle your situation however it chooses."
Paul Abbott returned to his seat once more, and Brian continued speaking.
"Was your mother's maiden name Joyce Miller?"
"It was."
"Were you aware that she lived in Porterville at one time and attended high school here?"
"I was. Just where is this going?" Abbott demanded.
"I'm hoping you can tell me," Brian answered the man.
"Were you also aware your mother had dated Joe Thomas while attending high school here?"
Paul Abbott's cheek suddenly tightened up. "How the hell would I know that? I wasn't around when she was in school."
"Of course not," Brian agreed. "Where is your mother now? It occurs to me she could provide answers to some of our questions."
"She's buried in a cemetery in Missouri." The man's voice broke as he spoke the words.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Abbott. Can you tell me what happened?"
"It's simple. She got sick and died."
Brian exchanged a look with Britt. Then glancing at Susan Abbott's brother once more, he said, "I think you've answered enough questions, Mr. Abbott. I am truly sorry for your loss, sir."
Paul Abbott stood to his feet. "Am I free to go?"
"Of course, sir."
After the brother of Susan Abbott had disappeared from sight, Brian turned to Britt and asked, "What do you think?"
Britt shook his head. "I'm pretty certain the man had nothing to do with his sister's death, Brian. Other than that one fact, I'm not sure about anything."
Brian looked at his watch. "The afternoon's almost gone. I think I'm going to call Oklahoma City and see if I can find out if the information on this birth certificate is correct. Then I'm going to call it a day."
Britt stood to his feet. "If you're through with me, I'm going to head out as well. I dropped Alice off at the newspaper office this morning, so she's going to need a ride home."
Brian gave him a wave. "Go," he said. "You've done enough for today. I appreciate you, Britt."
"I'll catch you tomorrow," Britt said heading for the door. "Unless I see you when you pick Alice up later this evening." He gave Brian a big grin.
"Get out of here. You're too damned smart for your own good."
"I've been told that before. See ya!"
As Britt walked to his car, he had lots of thoughts running through his brain. He had been truthful with Brian when he had said he didn't think Paul had anything to do with his sister's murder. However, something wasn't right. This all seemed like a big puzzle to him, and several of the pieces were missing.
Climbing behind the wheel of his car, Britt was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he failed to the see the sharp pair of eyes that were focused on him. He drove to the newspaper office unaware that danger was nearby.