“Which was?”
“When he came home, Benson physically attacked Kyle and Lucy. He said he thought the source of the rage was that Benson’s parents had been killed by a drunk driver.”
“Dig up the yard.”
“Even if I wanted to, I would need more to get a warrant.”
“What can you do?”
He took out a business card and wrote the name Lucy Enriquez-Hayes, followed by an address and phone number.
Chapter 67
I arrived at the city limits of Glendale, greeted by a sign promoting it as the home of the Arizona Cardinals. It made me think of Leonard Harris, which set my mind off on a wild tangent that eventually led to the image of Jones tossing Noah’s lifeless body over Samerauk Bridge. I pounded the steering wheel, shooting pain through my hand.
I was mad at myself for not thinking to check any Lucys who might have worked with Jones on the police force. The workplace has always been the ultimate dating service, even if most of them ended badly-Lauren Bowden came to mind-but I hoped to find someone who still cared for the real Kyle Jones. She must have seen Jones and Benson together at the house on Ash.
Lucy lived in a modest Spanish Colonial style home in a planned subdivision. When I arrived, she had her head tucked into the hatchback of a station-wagon type SUV, pulling out bags of groceries. She stood barely five-foot tall with dark curly hair. She wore a floral colored dress with sandals. The dress was a maternity dress. I was no pregnancy expert, but she appeared as if she could give birth at any moment. So I had better make it quick.
I parked the Taurus by the curb and like a knight in shining armor, or a kiss-ass reporter trying to get some information, I rushed to help Lucy with the groceries.
“I’m JP Warner,” I introduced myself.
“I know who you are,” she said, handing the bags to me. “Chief Dahl called to warn me you might be stopping by.”
Lucy moved to the back door of the driver’s side. She opened it and removed a child from her car seat. I was then introduced to six-year-old Dani Hayes. She looked like a clone of her mother.
“He told me you want to talk about Kyle Jones.”
“That’s right,” I said, but decided to hold off on the murder portion of the story until Dani’s ears were at a safe distance.
When we entered the house, Dani anxiously begged her mother to let her go swimming. When given approval, the little girl excitedly went to change. Lucy poured two glasses of pink lemonade and we moved to the backyard. I followed her lead and took a seat at an umbrella-covered table that provided shade. Dani soon appeared, wearing floatation devices on every appendage of her body and a nose clip, and dove into the in-ground pool.
“Chief Dahl tells me you have some wild theories about Kyle.”
“My guess is if he really thought they were so wild, he wouldn’t have sent me over here to talk to you.” I felt rushed for time, so I reached into my bag and handed Lucy the newspaper.
“Grady Benson,” she replied without hesitation. She handed me back the paper like she wanted no part of it. “I always told Kyle to stay away from that loser.”
“Sounds like you weren’t a fan of Benson.”
“He was totally living off Kyle. He couldn’t hang onto a job, claiming he had Gulf War sickness. Kyle was a nice guy and Benson took advantage of it. He played on his emotions about their bond of war, and the fact they both tragically lost their parents.”
“Don’t you find it strange that you’ve never heard from Kyle since he left Arizona?”
“Not really … are you in contact with all your ex-girlfriends?”
Good point.
“And I did hear from Kyle about two years ago when he was in town.”
This surprised me. “That’s impossible.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I believe that Grady Benson murdered Kyle Jones, long before two years ago.”
“You believe? Either he’s dead or he isn’t,” Lucy asked and patted her pregnant stomach to make a point. “You can’t be half pregnant … or half dead.”
“That’s why I need you to help me convince Chief Dahl to dig up the yard at the home he shared with Benson. I know Kyle Jones is buried under there. My guess is you never saw Kyle two years ago, or heard his voice when he contacted you. Email?”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but when I was still on the Gilbert PD, I got a call to a domestic dispute at the house on Ash, a few years after Kyle left. I noticed that the new owners had put a pool in the backyard. If there was a dead body buried back there it would have been found.”
I tried to act like I wasn’t even fazed that my theory just got completely blown out of the water.
I asked her about the Labor Day incident in which Benson attacked her and Jones after they’d allegedly driven drunk. She provided a similar account as Chief Dahl, but with the detail of an eyewitness.
“He apologized to me a few days later,” she added.
“What was your reaction?”
“I was furious. It was just another play to keep his free rent.” She became more and more worked-up as she talked about it. “So Grady took me aside one day and gave me a lame excuse for his behavior.”
“What was his explanation?”
“He told me he was watching a news program earlier in the night about some judge who let off drunk drivers. He claimed it brought back the bad memories of his parents’ death, and when combined with our actions that night, made him temporarily lose his mind.”
“Did you believe him?”
“It didn’t make a difference. His behavior was unacceptable, regardless. We were wrong to drink and drive, no doubt, but who appointed him judge and jury? Kyle, of course, felt empathy for him and kept procrastinating about kicking him out, as he’d promised me. Their relationship caused a big split with us, and we broke up a few months later. It wasn’t the only reason, but it did play a role.”
“So you weren’t around when Benson took Leonard Harris under his wing?”
Lucy snickered. “I just know it was some nonsense about being his spiritual adviser. It was typical Grady Benson-using people’s emotions to get himself a free ride.”
At that point, Dani rose from the pool and sprinted toward our table. Lucy wrapped a towel around her and headed for the house. I gathered the half-empty lemonade glasses and pitcher, and followed.
When the little girl entered her room to change, Lucy said, “What you tell me is disconcerting, to say the least. I am no fan of Grady Benson and wouldn’t put anything past him. So I’ll help you find Kyle. But everything you tell me is at best circumstantial. You have to get a lot more proof.”
“But you would agree it was within the realm of possibility that Grady Benson could have killed Kyle Jones?”
Her voice cracked, “I’m sure of it.”
I was surprised by the resolute response. She had no reason to stick her toe back in the troubled waters of the past.
“Based on Benson’s pattern, I’m glad he never got to you,” I said.
Lucy looked down the hallway, staring at Dani’s room, probably thinking of when someone calling themselves Kyle Jones contacted her two years ago. She then surprised me by opening up a kitchen drawer and pulling out a handgun. “I will do anything to protect my family, Mr. Warner.”
Point taken. And loaded.
A loud male voice suddenly filled the room, causing me to turn quickly. “Is everything okay in here?” said a very large man.
But there were no shots fired. It was her husband, Larry, who just returned from a long day at his pool cleaning business. She went to him and wrapped around him in an emotional hug. It made me think of Gwen.