Not One of Us(59)

Munford cocked his head to the side. “Why do you think he was lying?”

“Because I’ve interviewed a credible witness who’s told me the opposite. It made me curious that your employee lied . . . um, wasn’t honest, that is . . . so I checked into his background and came across the voyeurism complaint.”

“First of all, Cash Johnson is my partner, not an employee. He became an investor years ago. Now, back to the matter at hand. Could be your supposedly credible witness is the liar, or it could be that Johnson doesn’t remember the alleged prior encounter the witness referred to.”

He seemed hung up on disputing my witness’s claim instead of addressing the filed complaint. I guess that was understandable. He wanted to cast doubt on my witness to distract from Johnson’s actions.

“What we’re trying to establish is whether your partner had, or once had, a compulsion to watch women,” Oliver explained, smoothly glossing over the issue of who’d been the one lying to me. “If so, it’s possible that he’d been caught spying on Mrs. Cormier, and this might have led to the murders.”

Munford straightened until his back brushed against the chair. His hands rested on his thighs, his mouth pursed in a stubborn line. “I’ve known Cash for years. He’s no murderer.”

“You understand we have to pursue all possible leads,” Oliver said, shrugging one shoulder.

Munford unthawed slightly. “Of course. So how can I help you today?”

“Fill me in on what happened back in 2013. I’d rather hear it from you than call the victim and her family and dredge up the past. But if I have to, I will.”

“The girl was showering one evening and claimed she caught Cash in the doorway, watching her.”

My fingernails dug into the buttery leather of the recliner arm. His use of the word claimed galled me. “What?” I asked sharply. “Are you saying you don’t believe her?”

“I didn’t say she lied,” he protested, thrusting his hands in the air, palms up.

“Good. Because I see no reason why a fourteen-year-old girl would make up a story like that.”

An uncomfortable silence settled in the spaces between us, charged with the weight of unspoken thoughts.

“Did you take any action against Johnson in light of the complaint?” Oliver asked at last.

“I spoke to him, and he assured me that he’d gone into the facility for routine cleaning and maintenance.”

I couldn’t stay silent. “Routine cleaning?” I scoffed.

Oliver shot me a warning glance, but Munford ignored me and continued his story.

“Cash said she screamed when she saw him, and he immediately apologized and ran outside.”

“Have there been any other incidents over the years?” Oliver asked.

“Not a one. After this happened, I sat Cash down and had a long talk with him. He convinced me it was all a misunderstanding. I warned him that if I ever received another complaint, he was out of a job.”

“So you’re telling us that if we call the family who filed the complaint, they’ll tell us that they willingly dropped charges because they didn’t want to be embroiled in a legal battle without solid proof of the sex crime?”

“That and the fact that I paid them a small amount of money,” he conceded.

There. What I’d suspected all along. “Why would you pay them if you didn’t believe anything happened?”

“For the misunderstanding. I didn’t want them bad-mouthing our company to potential customers.”

“How much?” I asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” he said, as though he were truly sorry he couldn’t cooperate more fully. “All the details are part of the civil nondisclosure agreement.”

Frustration ripped through me along with sharp disappointment. Even if I called the family in question, they could tell me nothing without violating the terms of the settlement.

“I see,” Oliver said. “This angle appears to be a dead end. While we’re here, though, is there anything you can tell us about the Cormiers that could help us in our investigation? Did you know them personally?”

“Oh, sure, I knew them. Louis more so than his wife and son. He occasionally did legal work for the county commission.” Buddy shook his head. “I felt terrible when I heard the news about their remains being uncovered. Damn shame. Especially about the boy dying so young. Had to be the work of professionals to have wiped them all out and then hid the evidence for so long. I hope you find those responsible and make them pay for what they did.”

Oliver nodded as he rose to his feet. I followed suit, trying to shake off my frustration.

“Thank you for your time,” Oliver said. “We know you’re a busy man.”

“Anytime I can help, you just let me know,” Buddy said, guiding us to the door.

I stepped outside, keeping silent until Oliver and I were ensconced in our vehicle. Oliver started the car and glanced at me.

“Don’t take it so hard,” he said, swinging the car around the curved driveway and onto the road. “It was worth pursuing. You never know when you might talk to the right person and shake things up. Whoever the killer is might get word we’re asking questions and get very nervous.”

“And make a stupid mistake? If it’s organized crime we’re dealing with, I don’t think that’s likely.”