Better Late Than Dead: Episode 7

This is episode seven of the novel Better Late Than Dead. It is the 7th book in the Rich Larsen Adventure Series. An episode will be posted every Monday and Friday. However, it can be purchased on Amazon in the Kindle or paperback versions.  

Rich has returned to the home he ran away from six years earlier. He’s back living with his parents, hoping to make amends for the pain he caused them. Two years have passed since returning home. That’s where this story begins. 

Episode 7

Morris walked into the newspaper's entrance. The two deputies took a couple of steps toward their police car. Rich did not move. The deputies stopped, and one of them motioned for Rich to come along.

“What’s going on?” Rich asked.

One deputy walked back and faced Rich. “Your mother and father are dead.”

“What!” Rich said.

“They are both dead.”

“A car accident?” Rich asked.

“That’s all I can tell you right now,” the deputy said. “Please come with us.”

They drove to the sheriff’s headquarters. Rich sat in the back of the cruiser. He stared. His thoughts were numb. What I heard cannot be true, he thought.

The sheriff’s headquarters sat behind the county courthouse. It did not match the majestic-looking courthouse. It had been constructed of brick very quickly shortly after the turn of the century. On one side stood a two-story county jail, and on the other side was the motor pool and parking lot. They were constructed of cinder block.

They parked on the street in front. The deputies walked Rich through the front lobby and down a hallway to an interview room. Two detectives in white shirts and ties came in. They sat across the table from Rich. One man was older and pudgy. He didn’t bother to remove his fedora. The other was young, fit, with black, wiry hair and a dark beard.

“I’m Detective Bevins,” the older man said. “I’m Detective Grillo.”

“This is a murder, isn’t it?” Rich said.

“What makes you think that?” Bevins asked.

Rich stared at the wall between the two men. He did not comprehend what Bevins said. To him, it was just a human sound with no meaning.

“Mr. Larsen,” Bevins persisted. “What makes you think it is a murder?”

“I’m sorry,” Rich said. “What was that?”

“What makes you think it is a murder?” Grillo said.

“I’m sorry, Detectives, but I need some time.”

“Time for what?” Bevins said.

“My God, man! I just found out my parents were murdered!”

“We never said that,” Bevins said.

“Two detectives told me fifteen minutes ago that my parents were dead. I asked if it was a car accident. They said nothing. They brought me here. I’m stuck in a room, and two detectives come in. I’ve covered murders, and I’ve covered accidents. Accidents, the deputies would have told me. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”

“We’ll give you some time,” Bevins said.

The detectives stood and left the room. Rich buried his face in his hands and cried bitterly.

Half an hour went by. Bevins and Grillo returned. Rich’s swollen eyes and red face looked up at them after they sat.

“How did it happen?” Rich asked.

“We were hoping you could tell us that,” Bevins said.

Rich’s chest tightened. He breathed rapidly. “There’s only one thing I know,” Rich said. “I didn’t know they were dead until about an hour ago.”

“Suppose you tell us where you were last night?” Bevins asked.

“Do you have some sort of alibi?” Grillo asked.

“I checked into the Hill Crest Motel at about 8:00,” Rich said. “I got into work about half an hour late. All of this can be verified.”

“Were you at your parents’ home last night?” Bevins asked.

“We had supper together,” Rich said.

“And when did you leave?” Bevins asked.

“I left around 7:30.”

“You went straight to the motel?” Bevins asked.

“I drove by the Gables,” Rich said. “They had the No Vacancy sign on.”

“Do you own a gun?” Grillo asked.

“No,” Rich said. “As I said, I’ve been around this type of stuff before. Before I give you any more cooperation, I have to have a lawyer present.”

“That doesn’t look good,” Bevins said.

“Detective Bevins, Detective Grillo, with all due respect, if it were you in my seat, you would have called a lawyer long ago.”

“There’s a phone in the hallway,” Grillo said.