Act Normal, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 9

think she would be much of a witness for the prosecution. If that's all the DA had there wasn't much danger that Charlotte would be indicted. I called Mo on my cell phone and gave him an update. He thanked me and said he'd tell Kulchz, although I suspected Kulchz didn't need updating.

  When I got back to the office there was a message from Alice Stover. When I called her back she told me they'd spent the morning with a Detective Winston from the Waco Police Department. She said Winston had done a background check on Ralph Herman and discovered that he'd done this before in San Antonio. He was arrested for it but since it was his first offense he got deferred adjudication and didn’t have to go to jail. Apparently Detective Winston was enthusiastic about the case and had a meeting scheduled with the DA later that afternoon to discuss going to the grand jury with it.

  "That's great news," I said. "Maybe they'll find out where your money went. I just hope it won't take too long."

  "Tell me about it," Alice replied. "I don't know what we're going to do on Monday when our cash runs out."

  "Well, Ben's working on something isn't he?"

  "Yes. He's over with Vince Gully right now trying to sell off one of our plants. If he's successful, we'll unload a lot of debt and pick up a hundred grand in cash. That should buy us another couple weeks, if we're lucky."

  "Good. I hope that works out. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

  After I hung up the telephone I started cleaning off my desk to go home. I liked a clean and orderly office. It made me feel more in control if I went through every file on my desk each day to be sure I didn't overlook something. As I was finishing up, Maria advised me Gary Shepard was on the line. That surprised me because it was rare that a prosecutor would call a defense attorney before there was even an indictment.

  "Stan, just wanted to let you know we found a body of a child near Lake Tawakoni. It was in pretty poor condition having been exposed to the elements and badly mutilated by the wildlife, but it matches the description of one of the Wenzel children."

  Shepard's news stunned me. I knew it couldn't be one of the Wenzel children. But if the body was a close match and couldn't otherwise be identified, it would add a whole new dimension to the prosecution's case. It could even be enough to support an indictment. Still reeling from the news, I stuttered "Ah . . . Really? . . . Who found it?"

  "Some hunters stumbled across the body this morning. We got a call from the Hunt County Sheriff's office."

  "Have you checked for missing persons in the area?"

  "Yes. That's standard procedure. There's been no missing children reported."

  "Hmm. . . . Well, I'd like to see the body and I'll need a copy of the autopsy report when it becomes available," I said.

  "I'll have someone call you when it's finished."

  "Thanks," I said and hung up the telephone.

  I couldn't believe that Gary Shepard was actually acting professionally for a change. I wondered why he'd suddenly become Mr. Nice Guy. Was he feeling guilty about getting Bart fired, or was he just trying to gloat that he finally had a body?

  8

  Bitter Neighbors

  Paula Waters

  An ad in the Dallas Morning News real estate section touted the Collin Commons Townhomes as being the ideal solution for those who wanted to own their own homes but couldn't afford the high cost of single family dwellings or didn't want to worry about yard work and onerous home maintenance. These zero-lot-line townhomes were priced well below single family dwellings of similar quality yet they included access to a clubhouse, swimming pool, and playgrounds. The ad went on to say that the Collin Commons Homeowner's Association took care of all management responsibilities for the common areas and handled maintenance of all townhouse units.

  As I was studying the ad, Maria walked in and advised me that Mr. Walter Stanley had arrived. I told her to let Bart know and then show him in. Stanley looked pale and seemed nervous as he took a seat in a side chair in front of my desk. Bart slipped into the other chair moments later. We all exchanged greetings.

  "Did you get any sleep last night?" I asked.

  Stanley shrugged. "Not a lot. It was pretty unsettling being dragged down to the police station. It really hit me when I got home. Five people were dead and I was the prime suspect."

  "Yes, it is a very serious situation," I said. "That's why we have to get right on this and figure out who else had a motive to set that fire. But, before we do that, finish your story about Pretty Boy and the other altercations that you had with Chester Brown."

  Stanley shook his head. "They were nothing really," he sighed. "One Saturday my wife was on edge because Pretty Boy had been barking all morning. When she saw Mr. Brown drive into his driveway she told me to go talk to him. I didn't want to confront him because I'm a chicken at heart, but she said if I didn't go, she would. . . . I didn't want that, of course. God knows that would have been ugly. So, I went over and told him the dog was really upsetting my wife and I'd appreciate it if he'd make him shut up."

  "What did he say?" I asked.

  "He said he'd been telling the dog to shut up all morning, but he wouldn't listen to him. So, I suggested he get rid of him. He didn't like that idea much. He said his kids loved the dog and he wouldn't deprive them of him."

  "So, how did you leave it?"

  Stanley shrugged. "I was going to blow it off, but then, I saw Brenda coming, so . . . well . . . I told him that I'd have to get a gun and shoot the damn dog."

  "Wonderful. Did that impress Brenda?"

  "No. She said threats weren't good enough. She wanted me to actually do something."

  "Like what?"

  "I don't know. She said shooting Pretty Boy would be too dangerous. People might hear the gunshot and look out their windows. She said a better solution would be to poison him."

  "Really? Jesus, she said that?"

  Stanley nodded. The thought occurred to me that he was better off without Brenda, but then again, I'd never met her so she might have had other redeeming qualities. I decided to change the subject.

  "You weren't the only one who was upset about the chain-link fence, were you?"

  "No, there were others, but none were so upset. I mean, I can't imagine someone setting Chester's house on fire over this."

  "Well, tell me who they are anyway. We should check them out."

  Stanley gave us a rundown of the two neighbors on either side of Chester Brown and the chairman of the architectural control committee, Curtis Richmond, whose responsibility was to enforce the covenants, bylaws, and the will of the Board of Directors. Richmond seemed like a good suspect since Brown had defied him and his committee by installing the chain-link fence despite the committee's rejection of his request for a variance to allow the project. I asked him what he knew about Richmond.

  "He's retired now. I think he worked for a defense contractor while he was active. He moved over to that job when he retired from the army. He was a colonel, I believe; served in World War II and Korea."

  "How about his family? Is he married?"

  "His wife died about a year ago. He took it pretty hard. They'd been married forty-nine years and their kids had planned a big fiftieth wedding anniversary shindig, but Mae died a week before it was scheduled."

  "Wow! That must have devastated him."

  He nodded. "Yeah. That's when he took over the chairman's post. He needed something to keep him busy."

  "So, what was his reaction to the chain-link fence going up?"

  "He was pretty pissed off about it. He called the special meeting and asked the board to authorize him to hire an attorney and file suit."

  "Did he confront Mr. Brown about the fence going up without the architectural control committee's approval?"

  "I didn't see it, but I understand he and Mr. Brown had a screaming match when the construction crew started working."

  "How did you hear about that confrontation?"

  "Barbara Heinz, one of his neighbors, was there and told me about it. She said they near
ly came to blows over it."

  Bart shook his head. "I can't believe anybody would get that upset over a fence."

  Stanley sat up in his chair and looked at Bart incredulously. "Do you have any chain-link fences in your neighborhood?" he asked.

  Bart shrugged. "Well, ah . . . I guess not."

  "Exactly. They look despicable. A few of those in your neighborhood and your property values plummet."

  "I guess," Bart said tentatively.

  "But, you wouldn't physically attack someone over a fence?” I asked. "Or, set their house on fire?"

  Stanley sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. "No, of course not; but I wouldn't have had any qualms about suing the bastard. I was looking forward to that, actually. The only problem was the damn attorneys wanted such a big retainer it would have required a special assessment to fund the lawsuit. Nobody in the Commons will vote for a special assessment unless it's a dire emergency. Now, . . . well, now . . . shoot, I don't know what's going to happen. We not only have a chain-link fence, but a burnt-out house as well. It's a good thing I don't need to sell my unit anytime soon."

  After talking to Stanley I wasn't so sure he was innocent. He obviously had a motive and showed no grief over the death of the Brown family. This bothered me somewhat. But as his attorney it didn't matter whether he was innocent or guilty; he was entitled to the best defense Bart and I could provide him. Unlike Stan, who often said he'd only defend someone he was sure was innocent, I had no such policy nor did I think an attorney should pick and choose his clients. The