Murder at Naughton Pharms

CHAPTER 10 – TUESDAY EVENING

  The sun hung low in the sky as Kelly and Bennie neared the farm. Turning onto the gravel road, the Delta 88 kicked up a swirl of dust, forcing them to roll up the windows. At the farm's driveway, they passed an occupied Richland County Sheriff's Department car parked at the head of the lane.

  "Looks like the sheriff is first to arrive," said Bennie.

  Kelly continued on, driving up the hill to park again by the old hedge of lilacs in the abandoned farmstead. He and Bennie traipsed through the brush and trees, armed with a flashlight, a second set of binoculars, and bug spray for the mosquitoes that would certainly get worse as the sun went down.

  "Fine evening for this," said Kelly.

  They had arrived early, wanting to settle in before the action started. They moved closer this time, easing part way down the hill toward the stream, sitting in the grass at the edge of a stand of sumac. The sun had become deep orange as it eased closer to the vast prairie.

  "I kind of feel bad about this," admitted Kelly. "The cops aren't very happy about having to check this out."

  "I suppose it's my fault then," said Bennie. "I put the idea in your head."

  "Okay, good. It's your fault."

  They both laughed.

  "So, what do you think the odds are that Naughton or his buddy is the killer?"

  Bennie shrugged. "Doesn't matter. He deserves to be hassled. Did you know that prescription drugs are the sixth leading killer? Worse than illegal drugs."

  "You just making shit up?"

  "Nope. Read it in one of those journals lying around work. And a big reason is that we sell drugs like we sell French fries. Fancy ads and stuff. And it drives up the costs for everybody. And old Doc Naughton, he got rich. I don't feel any pity him gettin' picked on."

  Kelly found Bennie's strident opinion a bit surprising. "The cops, though. I feel bad they're out here when they might have better things to do."

  "We don't know that yet. Even if it's nothing to do with the murders, there might be something else Naughton's up to."

  "You know something, don't you?"

  "Whatdya mean?"

  "You said yesterday that you wanted to know what Naughton's up to. You have some idea about that?"

  Bennie sat quietly for a moment, staring at the farm. "Not really."

  "You know, it's okay with me if the info helps you make buck."

  Bennie looked questioningly at Kelly, which made Kelly wonder if he was completely off the mark, or had gone too far.

  "I don't want you thinking I'm up to no good," said Bennie. "My reason for avoiding the police is about something else."

  Kelly kept quiet, correctly sensing that Bennie might continue.

  "It's just that I had some trouble a while back. It's not that I did anything wrong, but I still got in trouble for it."

  "I know how that can be," said Kelly. "Happened to me in college once. My buddy smarted off in a bar one night, and a guy came after him. I'm the one who ended up in the fight. Got arrested."

  "Yeah, kinda like that," said Bennie. "But for me it was my wife."

  Just then a trio of cars came into view, crossing the bridge to enter the farmyard. Naughton's SUV led the way, followed by an unmarked Suburban and a Richland County Sheriff vehicle. The patrol car they'd seen at the head of the lane was not among them.

  They watched through their binoculars as a team of Fargo police officers climbed from the Suburban – Haugen, Amundson, Fedde and one officer Kelly had seen before, but didn't know the name. Only one person emerged from the sheriff's car.

  "I'm betting that's the sheriff himself," said Kelly. "That must have been a deputy we saw parked on the road."

  Most of the group went into the farmhouse, while Fedde and the fourth officer nosed around the grounds amid the lengthening shadows.

  "Those two are taking advantage of the light while they still have some," said Kelly, setting the binoculars aside. He sprayed his arms with mosquito repellant, and then passed the can to Bennie. As the light waned and the breeze began to drop, the pests were beginning to emerge.

  "So, you were married?"

  Bennie answered as he sprayed himself. "Yeah. Technically, I still am, unless she got a divorce with me being gone. Problem was, she wrote a lot of bad checks and stuff. So, that's why I'm in trouble. They figure I'm just as responsible." He handed back the can.

  Bennie's legal problems still didn't explain the interest in Naughton, but at least it explained his reluctance regarding the police. "A good lawyer could probably work something out for you, especially if you didn't write the checks."

  "Well, maybe that's what I should have done, but I didn't." Bennie plucked a stem of prairie grass and started chewing on the stalk. "It got a little more complicated because I ran, took off for North Dakota 'cause of all the jobs. I used my brother's ID and Social Security number. If that came out, they'd fire me for sure, and with that on my record, getting another job would be tough, even if I managed to stay out of jail."

  "That is more complicated."

  Haugen and Amundson emerged from the house, followed by the sheriff, Naughton and Ivers. They next checked the garage.

  "You won't rat me out, will you?" asked Bennie.

  "Naw, Bennie. I can keep your secret."

  The officers glanced inside the old decrepit barn. Finally, they finished up by spending a couple minutes in the building built into the hillside. After that, they gathered in the middle of the farmyard, triggering motion sensor floodlights on the house now that the sun had set. The Fargo team exchanged what looked like amicable comments with Dr. Naughton before climbing into their SUV and driving off. The sheriff lingered, visiting with Naughton for a time, Ivers standing near. The conversation ended with a handshake.

  "Whole lot of nothing," said Kelly.

  Naughton and Ivers went to the house as the sheriff climbed in his vehicle and drove back across the bridge.

  "If there's anything to the idea that the murders occurred because the victims knew what Naughton was up to, it must not be obvious," said Kelly.

  Bennie tossed the remnant of grass stalk he'd been chewing. "Well, I still think there's something."

  They started to leave, but Naughton and Ivers emerged from the house, Naughton carrying an electric light styled to look like an old-fashioned kerosene lantern. They entered the long building by the hillside. The light showed in the first few windows for a moment, but then the building fell dark again.

  "Well, let's get going before we need to use the flashlight," said Kelly. "No reason to advertise we're here."

  On the way back to town, they listened to the Twins game and talked about baseball, avoiding further discussion of Bennie's legal woes. Kelly did, however, try to elicit comments about Bennie's favorite team as a way to figure out where he came from. Bennie claimed allegiance to the Twins, but his lack of familiarity with former players suggested the allegiance was fresh. When asked about any other teams he liked or had followed, Bennie would only say "none in particular."

  After dropping Bennie off, Kelly called Jessica. Home from yoga class, she invited him over. Her place wasn't far from Bennie's, and she was waiting out front when he arrived.

  "How about a walk?" she suggested.

  Kelly agreed. They walked hand-in-hand beneath the street lights as he related the details of the trip to Naughton's country place. Kelly didn't mention the disclosures about Bennie's past, considering them not only confidential, but also a human resources conflict for Jessica, given Bennie's disclosure about using his brother's identity.

  "One odd thing. There was a sheriff's car at the entrance when we got there. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I wonder if the deputy was posted just in case Naughton or his pal arrived early to hide evidence or something."

  "You suppose he might have seen something?"

  "No. Naughton arrived same time as the other officers. But it's still interesting. If my theory is right, it suggests that the cops took the idea of Naughto
n as a possible suspect seriously."

  "As well they should."

  "Maybe, but Paula Keen, the reporter from Channel 5, said the cops were getting some heat for pestering Naughton, so I don't think my tips have been all that welcome."

  "If I were a cop, the heat would make me less likely to cut Naughton any slack."

  Kelly smiled, liking Jessica's moxie. "Maybe that's the way Haugen's thinking, too. I hope so."

  Arriving back at the house, Jessica made Kelly a cup of coffee and they settled on the couch to watch the 10pm news. A local house fire led the show, but the second story was the police department's daily briefing about the murders.

  "No new leads to report in the investigation, but police have confirmed that they visited with the founder and former president and CEO of Naughton Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Randall Naughton."

  The image cut from the news anchor to a headshot of Lt. Warren Powers speaking in front of a cluster of microphones. "We did have occasion to visit properties associated with Dr. Naughton. He was very cooperative, one of many people we've talked to as we gather information."

  The picture switched to exteriors of Naughton's place in town. "One of those properties," said the news anchor, "is the former Milwaukee Railroad building that is Randall Naughton's home and laboratory."

  The picture cut again to Powers, who was now smiling. "You have to realize that we get some pretty imaginative tips in a case like this. But visiting with Dr. Naughton was routine."

  "You searched his property?"

  Kelly recognized the off-camera voice as Paula Keen's.

  "He allowed us to look around, but there was no search warrant, and certainly no grounds for us to seek a warrant. Dr. Naughton is not a suspect in this case."

  "So why search? What were you looking for?"

  "Well, that gets back to the imaginative tips we sometimes get. Dr. Naughton was kind enough to let us put a rumor to rest. Nothing more than that. It deserves no elaboration."

  The anchor wrapped up the report with an announcement of the upcoming memorial service.

  Jessica turned off the TV. "Doesn't sound like they're taking him seriously as a suspect."

  "Nope. If anything, he's miffed about the 'imaginative tips' as he calls them."

  "Maybe. But if Naughton can't be ruled out, he could still be a suspect."

  Kelly appreciated her attempt to be supportive. "I guess Naughton and I have that in common. We can't be ruled out, so we remain suspects."

  "Yes, but you're the much cuter suspect."

  "Thank you."

  Jessica leaned in, gave him a kiss. "I haven't seen Mickey Bartz, though. Maybe he's even cuter."

  Kelly smiled. "Cute isn't a word people use when describing Mickey. Besides, he's been ruled out. He has an alibi."

  "Oh! Maybe it's a 'Strangers on a Train' scenario."

  "The Hitchcock film."

  "Yes. Mickey met some crazy guy and they swapped murders."

  Kelly chuckled at Jessica's wide-eyed expression of mock revelation. "That might explain Kupmeier and maybe Heckathorn somehow, but I can't imagine why Mickey would have a grudge against Padden."

  "Smokescreen," said Jessica, nodding. "Padden's murder was a deception designed to obscure the motive. Or maybe Bartz had a bad moment with Padden at the company Christmas party."

  "Fought over the last piece of lefse."

  Jessica's eyebrows rose. "Exactly!"

  "Grounds for murder, alright. I think you should call the police with that right away."

  "I should."

  Kelly poked her in the side. She grabbed his hand, laughing. He pulled her to him, and they snuggled on the couch, sharing a kiss. "I'm glad you're not still disappointed in me."

  "I'm glad, too. And I'm really sorry I thought you might have helped Dilman cheat."

  "I don't blame you. That's the way it looked. And you've only known me for a few days."

  "I still feel bad about it."

  "Hey, I've got just the cure for that."

  "Oh, yeah?"

  "Cliffy coming home any time soon?"

  Jessica smiled and shook her head. "Not 'til the bar closes."

  "Good." Kelly reached to the lamp and turned it off.