Chapter 18

Lucien opened the front door of the house and was met with the sound of heels on the floor before he got a picture of his wife entering the hallway. She could tell by the look on his face it had been a long day.

"Are Matthew and Danny going to be late?" She asked.

"The paperwork is going to keep them for a bit. I told them to call before they left the precinct and I told Charlie and Bill to come by if they wanted. It's over," he gave her smile before he shrugged off his jacket and hat. Jean came up to him and pulled him into a hug. Lucien was glad that she was there and that they did not have to hide their feelings anymore as he slowly shifted the hug into a kiss.

"I am glad that I have someone to come home to that is so smart and sexy," he said when they parted.

"Oh?" Jean gave him a look.

"A lot of lives have been messed up because of this case. We've had a bumps and bruises but… thankfully nothing like that. Besides, you would have put me in my place before things had gone that far," Lucien winked.

"Is that fair to Lisa Wagner?" Jean wondered.

"No, but it says something when even her own sister had given up on her. Nothing good, mind you," he said as they moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. Jean had already put out the scotch decanter and a few glasses on the coffee table before he had gotten home.

"So, what happened?" She asked as she poured them some drinks.

"Robert Wagner shot and killed his fellow poisoner, Carl Vaughn, before taking pot shots at us. He also gave us two flat tires," Lucien started.

"He was shooting at you?" Jean immediately grew concerned.

"No one got hurt – except our tires that is. The auto shop managed to get me two new ones and put them on. I think he thought that we hadn't figured out what was going on," he said.

"But of course he was wrong," she smirked.

"Of course. Shirley Vaughn told us that her husband knew how to use the poison which ended up in the Beaucaire wells. Seems Carl and Robert were of similar minds," Lucien explained.

"So, you have your poisoners," Jean said.

"Indeed. When Lisa was confronted with the evidence and the fact that her husband would not be coming home any time soon, you would think she would have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, she asked for a lawyer," he told her.

"She knew who hit poor Arnold with the wrench," Jean figured.

"Exactly so. Seems her daughter, Rebecca, didn't have the same wish – to remain silent that is," Lucien said before taking a sip of his drink, letting it burn all the way down.

"Did she do it?" Jean was a little horrified to think so.

"No. Rebecca admitted that Bobby has a crush on Mary. She told Charlie that Bobby was angry that Mary would stay with Arnold and would not date him," Lucien let her know.

"So, Arnold was not dying quickly enough," his wife gave him a look.

"Exactly. When Bill got Bobby into an interrogation room and demanded to know why he killed poor Arnold, it all spilled out. Bobby had gone to the house to confront Mary, even though it was the middle of the night. See he didn't want his father to know he was heading over there. When Bobby found Mary's room empty, he assumed…" Lucien paused.

"That she was in Arnold's room and got angry," Jean shook her head.

"Arnold, being not well, comes out of his bedroom into the hallway to get a drink for his coughing fit and Bobby hits him with the wrench that he'd taken from his father's collection," the doctor explained.

"Then why was a wrench missing from Arnold's toolbox?" His wife raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it seems that Bobby was worried that his father would notice the missing wrench, so he stole Arnold's to replace it. Bobby searched the entire house and found that Mary was not there. That made him angry so he went looking for anything that might give him a clue to where she was. Of course, he didn't find anything but got a tad sidetracked by finding the box where Arnold kept his paperwork," Lucien paused to take another drink.

"That's how he knew that Reginald would be getting the property along with the other farmhands," Jean said.

"Exactly. So, Bobby took the paperwork home to his father. Robert apparently didn't ask any questions when his son handed the will to him. He was more consumed with figuring out a way to get the property from its rightful owners," her husband shook his head.

"So did Robert shoot Reginald?" Jean asked.

"Nope. Bobby admitted to that. He saw Reginald speaking to Mary out on lawn while they waited for the police to show up and they made the silly mistake to hold hands," Lucien shook his head again. It was all so absurd.

"Bobby saw that and he lost it," Jean nodded.

"Yes. He waited for the police to clear out and tried to get Reginald. Reginald is very lucky that Bobby was not a better shot," he said.

"Agreed. So where does that leave Lisa and Rebecca?" Jean inquired.

"Nowhere I suppose. Once they pay the lawyers, I don't see how they could keep the farm. Although Matthew is trying to sort out if Lisa or Rebecca should be charged for their actions," Lucien admitted.

"What do you mean?" Jean gave him a look.

"Well, there is no way that Lisa didn't know that her husband was poisoning the wells. Rebecca had to have some inclination that something was going on in the household given the fact that they suddenly had a copy of the will. They knew and did not call the police. Maybe Carl Vaughn wouldn't be dead right now," Lucien said.

"They just stood by and it let happen because they were afraid of Robert," Jean said.

"Could be. Lisa has been making excuses for Robert's behavior for years. She may have thought she had no choice. Rebecca may have felt the same way. Though she did not seem to have a problem with throwing her brother under the bus as it were," he told her.

"A mess to be sure," Jean heaved a sigh.

"Yes," he nodded and then his stomach grumbled.

"Time to warm the leftovers. Come on," she smirked at him before standing from the couch. Lucien stood up and asked,

"Leftovers?"

"Well, no one came home and I had made dinner – assuming people were coming. So, I ate and then put the food in the fridge," she admitted.

"I am sorry. We should have called," he said. That's when they heard the front door open.

"I'm home!" It was Rose. They came out to the hallway and the three headed for the kitchen.

To Be Continued…