Murder At The Bed & Breakfast (6 page)

"I’m sure he is, Renee, and I find it hard to believe he’d do anything that would hurt you, but since you did spurn him, he certainly qualifies as a possible suspect, in other words, someone who might have a reason for wanting to see you hurt."

She sighed softly into the phone. “Believe me, if there had been any way I could have gotten out of that relationship without hurting Mitch, I would have. I know I hurt him deeply, and I'll always regret that, but once I met Bob there was no one else for me, certainly not Mitch. I know he didn't understand why I couldn't marry him after so many years, but Bob became my life, and I've never regretted marrying him.”

“I understand, and it's obvious he's crazy about you.”

“Liz, there's someone else I hurt when I became involved with Bob - my father. I loved him dearly, but I couldn’t make him see what a wonderful man Bob is. He refused to give me away or even attend my wedding. All my father saw was that Bob was a Mexican, and my father was one of those who strongly believed they should all be sent back to Mexico. He couldn’t believe his daughter would marry one. When I was pregnant with Celia, who my father said he never wanted to see, he found out Laura was going to be our nurse and live with us, which only further infuriated him.”

“I can only imagine how hurt you must have been. Had you been close to him prior to your relationship with Bob?”

“Very. He and my mother divorced when I was quite young, but I have to give both of them credit. They never bad-mouthed the other one to either Laura or me.”

“Did either of them remarry?” Liz asked.

“Yes, my father did. My stepmother worshiped the ground he walked on. She was actually pretty obsessed with him. He literally could do no wrong in her eyes. She and I got along very well until I developed a relationship with Bob, and then she turned into a block of ice. If my father believed in something, Nancy believed in the same thing. In all the time I've known her, I honestly don't think she’s ever had an opinion of her own. Every opinion she had was the opinion my father held, and when my father and I became estranged, Nancy and I became estranged. Simple as that. I was no longer in either of their lives, and she did the same thing to Laura. Seems like such a waste.”

“Renee, I don't mean to be grilling you, but I do have one last question, and again, I have no idea what any of this means, but we have to start somewhere.”

“I understand. What can I answer for you?"

“Roger mentioned that Bob dropped out of the race for county supervisor about two weeks before the election. He gave the reason that he wanted to spend more time with you and Celia. Do you know why he made that decision? Roger told me he’d been very active in county politics. I understand that's how the two of you met. Is there something I should know about that?”

Renee was quiet for some time. “Liz, I've often wondered about why he dropped out of the race. He never asked my opinion or gave me any reason other than what you just said. He left one morning telling me he was cautiously optimistic about winning the race and came home that evening and told me he'd held a press conference and dropped out of the race, giving me the reason you just mentioned. I wish I could tell you more. I just don't know.”

“Thank you, Renee. Again, I want to tell you how sorry Roger and I are about Laura. If there's anything you need, or if I can help in any way, please call me. Oh, by the way, I just had a thought. I've never heard Bob mention his parents. Are they still alive?”

“Yes, they live in the Central Valley. I've only met them once. We had a very small wedding, and they were in the middle of a harvest and couldn't make it. Actually, none of his family was there, and since Bob was persona non grata with my father, Laura and my mother were the only ones on my side of the family.”

“Can you tell me a little about Bob’s parents? Seems like they'd be pretty proud of their son.”

“Like I said, I've only met them once. We drove down to their house in the Central Valley. They have a lot of farm land there. Although Bob told me their land is quite valuable, their home was very small. Bob said they'd lived in it as long as he could remember. He was the youngest of six children and pretty much the only one who had made something of himself. I guess two of his sisters had children out of wedlock, and all three of his brothers were involved in drugs. They worked on the family farm for a while, but two were killed in drug deals that went bad, and the third’s in prison for dealing drugs. His two sisters live at home with his parents, and his mother is helping to raise their children. Although he didn't have many good things to say about his sisters or his brothers, he’s clearly devoted to his parents.”

“In that case it seems very strange to me they wouldn't have come to your wedding. Were they at the swearing-in ceremony when Bob became a county supervisor following the election?”

“No. I remember asking him at the time if they didn't like me. I think I said something like ‘maybe they don't approve of our marriage, because I'm twenty years younger than you are.’ He told me that had nothing to do with it. He said at their age they preferred to stay home and take care of the farm. It seemed a little odd to me, but maybe it’s the truth. I don't know, and I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable asking his sisters. I don't think they're dealing drugs, but I sure wouldn't be surprised if they were using them. It's pretty sad when you think about it.”

“I couldn't agree more. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“The best thing you could do for me is find out who killed Laura. I know that guests are supposed to give a newlywed couple like you and Roger a present, but in this case, if you could find out who killed Laura, you'd be giving me the best present I could ever have.”

After ending her phone call with Renee, Liz spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon with Roger and their four children, Jonah, Brittany, Cole, and Jake. Cole was taking the other three to the San Francisco airport so they could catch their various flights that afternoon and early evening. 

Hugs, kisses, and best wishes abounded. Finally, all four doors were closed on Cole's car, and everyone waved as the car made its way down the lane to the highway that led to San Francisco.

When the car could no longer be seen, Roger put his arms around Liz and said, “Well, I’ve said it before, it's just us now, you and me in our new life.” Winston barked as if to say,
wrong! I'm here and I'm part of this new life you're talking about.
He tried to slip between the two of them, but Roger was holding Liz as close as he could, and Winston couldn’t squeeze in. He looked forlornly up at Roger, not sure what his role was going to be with this new relationship.

CHAPTER 14

When Roger walked into Bob’s law office that afternoon at five o’clock, Bob said, “You're prompt Roger, but you always were. Come on in. I've got a secretary, but she only works here in the mornings. She's really good, and I wanted to take her with me, so she's at my supervisor's office in the afternoons. Have a seat, and let's get started. Renee's doing better, but I don't want to leave her alone for long, although now that her mother's with her, I think it will help. The downside is that her mother is grieving as much as Renee, although Renee also has a huge sense of guilt. She feels if we hadn't hired Laura to take care of Celia, she'd still be alive.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She might be right.”

“As I mentioned to you on the phone this morning, Bob, I'm very curious why you decided to drop out of the supervisor's race with only a couple of weeks to go given your interest in politics and the fact that you were kind of the fair-haired boy. I know you hate to hear it, but I think it’s safe to say you were also the Republican’s token Mexican. Can you tell me why you dropped out?”

Bob stood up, walked over to the window, and stood looking out of it for several long moments. Finally he started speaking to Roger, and from the tone of his voice Roger could tell this was a very painful subject for him to talk about.

“I received an anonymous phone call in the early afternoon of the day I dropped out of the race. The person told me he was sending a courier over to my office that would be there momentarily with proof that my parents were illegal immigrants, and he would make sure they were exposed and sent back to Mexico. The courier came with a manila envelope while I was on the phone with the caller. My secretary signed for it and brought it to me.

“The man on the phone told me to open the envelope and look at the contents. He had solid documentation that my parents were illegals along with their photographs, photos of their farm, and a lot of other personal information about my family and parents. He told me if I didn't drop out of the race that very day, there would be an expose of the information in the papers the next morning about my parents as well as negative information about my brothers and sisters.”

“Bob, let me interrupt. From what you're saying, I'm assuming that your parents are illegal immigrants. Is that true?”

“Yes. Over the years I tried to get them to become American citizens, particularly when I became involved in politics. I know people, and there are ways those things can be expedited. Unfortunately, I never could convince my parents to do it. They were sure they’d be sent back to Mexico. That was the excuse they used. Between you and me, I think they were afraid that everyone would know about my brothers and sisters. I’m almost certain they wouldn't do it because of that.”

“Do you think your parents would have been sent back to Mexico?”

“If they’d done it the way I wanted them to I could have guaranteed them they wouldn't be sent to Mexico. The anonymous caller told me he had people who would gladly make sure they were sent back to Mexico when they were exposed as being in the country illegally. Roger, I couldn't risk that. My parents supported and encouraged me from the time I was a little boy to make more of my life than they had. I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it hadn't been for them. I could not and would not allow myself to be the cause of their being deported. It’s as simple as that. I called a press conference late that afternoon and dropped out of the race.”

“How did Renee feel about it?”

“As much as it pained me and as close as we are, I didn't tell her. I knew she’d urge me to continue on with the race. She probably would have told me my parents would want me to stay in the race and not want to stand in the way of my becoming an important political figure in the state.”

“That had to be a very tough decision you had to make, Bob. I admire you for doing it. What did you think when the numbers came in on election night, and you learned you won by a landslide?”

“Quite frankly, I couldn't believe it. The numbers were far greater than the campaign consultants I'd hired before I dropped out had predicted. Let me answer the next question I'm sure you're going to ask. You want to know why I decided to accept the position even though I'd dropped out of the race.”

“Yes, that's exactly where I was headed. Why did you do it?”

“I'm kind of an old-fashioned politician. I never got into politics to feed my ego. I really want to help people, and I particularly want to help my fellow Mexicans. I decided if there was that much of an overwhelming mandate for me to become a county supervisor, then I would bow to the will of the people and accept the position. I felt I owed it to the people who had both supported me and voted for me.”

“Have to ask you again, Bob, what did Renee think of your decision?”

“She's such a wonderful understanding woman. I told her just what I told you about the will of the people of Dillon County. I didn't hear anything more from the anonymous caller, and I assumed that with my win and my acceptance of the seat there would be no more threats against my parents. After all, I’d done what the caller had demanded by dropping out of the race.”

"So you think there’s a good chance that Laura’s murder was politically motivated?”

“Of course, wouldn't you?”

“Yes, I probably would. We both know your expertise in law is in estate planning and taxes, and as you know, mine’s in criminal law. I always look to see who has the most to gain when a crime is committed. In your case, regarding the phone call, it would have been your opponent, the Reverend Lou Jacobs, who had the most to gain. Do you think he was behind it?”

“You can't even begin to imagine how many times I've asked myself that very question. Yes, he could have been behind it, but he wasn't the one on the phone. I’m certain of that. But Roger, here's the thing I keep struggling with. What does this have to do with Laura's death? I can't believe the reverend, a man of God, would have anything to do with her death. I heard he was furious that I'd won, and he'd lost again, but I just can't see him hiring someone to kill her, so he could, in some strange way, retaliate against me.”

“Bob, you're a smart man. All you need to do is take a look at history and see how many wars were fought in the name of religion. And I hate to play the race card, but it's well-known that the reverend's church caters to the most conservative of the conservatives. Don't think a lot of those people would be real happy about having a Mexican represent them."

“Yes, I suppose there is some truth to that. The problem is it could be anyone associated with the reverend or his church. If it’s someone he knows, they could have murdered Laura as a vendetta against me, but there's a good chance the reverend knows nothing about it. As a matter of fact, I had a very nice voicemail from him today expressing his condolences. He said something about although we've certainly had our differences, he wouldn't wish these circumstances on anyone. I thought that was a nice gesture.”

“That may be all it is, Bob, a nice gesture attempting to divert your thinking. I know I sound very cold-hearted, but in my practice I’ve come to learn that most unsavory people don’t usually decide to do good things out of the kindness of their hearts. Anyway, I want to switch to another topic. When I was on the phone with you this morning I asked you about relationships you had prior to Renee.”