Sequestered with the Murderers

gather no one has come forward claiming to be meeting her?”
“That’s right. No one has ever come forward. Before her death, Duffy had been heard several times making sexual advances to her and trying to have sex with her. She was heard several times turning him down and spewing names at him such as ‘You disgusting piece of shit.’ Please excuse the bad language.”
“No problem. Were there no other places for him to find a woman? He should have stayed far away from that family after being acquitted.”
“I agree with you. From what I understand, they were a very close-knit family. They believe Duffy murdered Diantha and has gotten away with it. He’s never been arrested for her murder. And they believe he was involved in the murder of Ms. Lacecap for the $10,000 that is missing. Many people in Envyton County and outside of the county, too, believe Duffy was involved in both murders. No one has been arrested for Diantha’s murder. In my opinion, it is a cold case because the police don’t seem to be working on it. Duffy tried to find a job in Envyton County for about a year after he was acquitted of Ms. Lacecap’s murder. No one would hire him. He moved to Attribute after I hired him. I had sympathy for him and hired him in 2000. As part of my Christian men’s ministry, I run a program called Boaz Fields, where skills are taught to help certain men who were incarcerated re-enter their communities successfully. Though Duffy was never found guilty of either murder, he still needed my help.”
I got up off the bed and began pacing the room. I was becoming intrigued.
“Vett, Duffy has been a model citizen, an excellent bus driver, and an all-around good person. The feedback cards from passengers give him high marks on all categories. Two years ago, he married his wife, Nancy. She seems to be a nice person and a couple of times has been on tours with him. I can’t say anything bad about him, but if there is something bad to know, I want to know it before the police do. If there is something bad about this, I want to put out a statement before the media gets a hold of it. I want to hire you to investigate Duffy’s murder. Will you do it?”
I wanted to say “no” since Gam and I were going away this coming weekend to my favorite bed, breakfast and dinner lodging. But I was intrigued by the idea of looking into a murder that may be associated with a madam and a brothel.
“Jackson, in this modern time, how . . .?”
“Vett, I know what you are going to ask. I don’t know how Ms. Lacecap got away with operating a brothel for so long. If memory serves me right, she operated it for forty years or more. People overlooked or tolerated her business because she was a nice lady. I believed she did serve some time in prison during the 1960s.”
“This gets more interesting by the moment. Uh, last night, no one heard a gunshot. Why do you think that is?” I walked back to the bed and sat down. I had asked this question unexpectedly and suddenly. I was trying to catch Jackson off guard to see if he was telling me everything he knew and was being truthful with me.
“I don’t have an answer to that yet. The murderer could have used a silencer. I’ll let you know once I find out. Will you look into this?”
He passed my little test. He made no sounds to indicate he was fidgety, and he didn’t hesitate to answer my question. He didn’t do any of the things I’ve learned to listen for that indicate deception. In fact, he was cool and calm as he had been at the beginning of our conversation.
“One last question. How many times was Duffy shot?”
“Vett, it was hard to tell. At least three, I’d say. Blood was everywhere on his left side. It was awful. It will all be in the medical examiner’s autopsy report.”
“Jackson, yes, I’ll take the case, but I will not be able to work on it next weekend. My husband and I will be out of town Friday night through Monday of next weekend.”
“That’s okay. Lemmonee has complete faith in you, and so do I. We are having another board meeting about this matter this coming Monday at 9:00 am in the office. I would love to have you join us. I know it will probably be about a two and a half to three-hour drive for you. If you are available, you could come up tomorrow night and spend the night. I’ll pay whatever you charge, and all expenses are on me.”
“Jackson, let me think on it. I will call you tomorrow morning to let you know whether or not I’ll be there for the meeting. If I can’t make it, can you conference me into the meeting?”
I wasn’t keen on the idea of driving to Attribute alone. Gam couldn’t take off to go with me. I immediately thought of my best friend, Dimma. If I decide to go, perhaps she will be available to ride with me.
“Yes, I could do that. I just think it would be a good idea for you to meet the board members in person so that you get a good feel for who we are.”
“I understand and appreciate that. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks, Vett. I am so glad you said yes to take the case. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Talk to you tomorrow, Jackson. Bye.”
I hung up the phone, and immediately questions begin wandering through my mind. One stood out like a beacon: Was Duffy involved in the Lacecap Hydrangea Murders?

CHAPTER 3
I completely understood Jackson’s concern. He wanted to know if he had hired a murderer in Duffy. Though that’s not how he worded it, it was what he meant. My years of investigating