Too Close to Home: A Scarecrow and Mrs. King Continuing Story - Book 2

Chapter 25

Friday, Day 11

The Agency – Billy's Office

"Ah, Billy," Francine shuddered as she relived the scene from Valarie Collins's death. "It was gruesome."

"I can imagine. Finding a woman's body in a bathtub two days after being drowned in it doesn't sound pretty." Billy took off his glasses and laid them on the desk. "Was there anything else that stood out?"

"Besides the smell that I still can't get out of my nostrils? Yeah." Francine slowly nodded her head. "There didn't seem to be any defensive wounds on the body, but she had a couple of broken fingernails, and her eyes were bloodshot."

"You're thinking suffocation?"

Again, Francine nodded. "Yes. And interestingly enough, one of the pillows on the bed showed evidence of being water-logged."

Lee sat in the chair across from Billy's desk. Bouncing his left ankle, which was resting on his right knee, he rubbed his index finger beneath his lip. "Yeah, and it didn't smell great, either. You know," He pointed at Billy. "What I can't figure out is why kill her?" He looked over at Francine. "I can understand the hit on Tania..."

"Sure, if Foster feels like she's a liability." Francine frowned. "But why his lawyer?"

Lee turned at the knock on the door to find Amanda waiting there. Deep in thought, he got out of his seat to let her in. "I don't know..." He opened the door with a quick smile and turned back to Billy as he offered Amanda his chair. "...maybe she knew something he wanted kept quiet."

"Valarie Collins?" Amanda quirked an eyebrow as she handed him an envelope.

"Yeah."

A shudder went over her body; Lee'd told her all about what he'd seen when he'd returned home the night before. "Any official word on cause of death yet?"

Lee shook his head, and opened the envelope. He fingered through the contents and pulled out some photos. "No. Not yet, but Francine and I did have some time to look around her bedroom and her home office." He laid the photos on Billy's desk.

Billy placed his glasses back on his face and picked one up to examined it. "What am I looking at?"

Leaning over Billy's desk, Lee pointed to the picture that had been underneath. "This is an entry from a journal we found in her bedside table." He glanced up at Billy. "Read it."

Billy dropped the other photo onto his desk and picked up the one Lee was pointing at. "'Called in a second hit. God, how did I get here?'" Billy peered at Lee over the rim of his glasses. "Interesting."

"Look at the date."

Glancing back down, Billy quickly located it. "The day she died."

"And the day Marco found out about the hit on Tania."

"Interesting she called it her second hit." Billy handed the photo back to Lee. "I assume you think the first one was Peralta?"

"It would make sense, Sir. The question is can we prove it?"

"Tom Watson is the key here, Billy." Francine insisted. "He's the only player who can make all the dominoes fall."

"Agreed." Billy leaned back in his chair.

Amanda raised an eyebrow and stood to grab a picture of the deceased Valarie off the desk. She held it up for everyone to see. "Maybe this is the card we need to play to get Tania to talk."

"I think we're all thinking along the same lines." Billy stood from his desk. "Alright, people. Beaman is at Lee and Amanda's getting some things set up for this evening." He motioned his hand back and forth between Francine and Lee. "Why don't the two of you take another crack at Tania."