glow. “Well, I know exactly the man you need to talk to.”
That perked me up in a hurry. “Who?”
“A sergeant with the sheriff’s office. He’s one of my parishioners. He did the investigation.”
My hopes took a sudden dive. “Sergeant Payne?”
“You know him?”
“We met at the sheriff’s impound yard where they had Tim’s Blazer. I’m afraid the sergeant is one hundred percent certain it was suicide. And he’s not about to change his mind.”
“He’s about as stubborn a man as I’ve encountered lately,” Jill said.
“Sorry to hear that.” Charlie frowned. “I’ll admit, he has definite ideas about most things, but he’s really a good man. His wife runs a beauty shop near here. He’s a devoted husband. They have no children, but he’s great with the young ones. Helps teach Sunday School for sixth graders.”
I nodded. “No doubt he looks like a giant to them.”
“I’ll grant you, he doesn’t have discipline problems. Not on the job, either. He was in the Army—Rangers, I think—before working for a private security firm. He’s been a deputy the past fifteen years. I’ve heard him say he’s never fired his gun except for practice.”
“I’ll agree, he sounds like a fine man,” I said. “But I’m afraid he’s not going to do anything to help me.”
“I regret that. Is there any way I could be of help?”
I smiled. “Actually, you’re the one I planned to look to for some answers. I want you to put on your old reporter’s hat and see what you can come up with.”
He gave me a skeptical glance. “That’s been a long time ago, Greg. But I’ll try.”
“What do you know about a lady named Sherry Hoffman?”
“Well, that’s an easy one,” he said, smiling again. “Sherry is a beautiful young lady, probably around forty. She lives just off Gulf Beach Highway , not too far from here. It’s a nice house on Big Lagoon. She runs a very successful real estate firm closer into town. Want more?”
“Anything you can give me.”
“Her father was Admiral David J. Hoffman, better known among the troops as Davy Jones. He was commander of the Naval Air Station some years back. He did a lot to help the city and was quite well thought of by Pensacolans. Sherry had finished college by the time he transferred to Washington . She had a good job here—I think she worked in a law office—and decided to stay. I believe she’s been in real estate for ten or fifteen years.” He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “I guess that’s about it.”
She sounded quite interesting, but I still didn’t see anything that might offer a tie-in with Tim Gannon. “Do you know if she had any connection with The Sand Castle project?”
“I know she was there Friday night when the accident happened. Sergeant Payne told me she was the one who called
911.”
I caught Jill’s eye and saw the look of surprise. We were definitely on the right track. “Do you know why she was there?”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she sold some condos for it. In fact, I heard...well, I don’t know.”
“You heard what?”
“It was just a rumor.”
“Charlie, investigators thrive on rumor. What did you hear?”
“As a preacher, I don’t like to indulge in rumor and gossip. I have found most rumors tend to exaggerate the situation.”
“You’re not preaching now. You’re reporting.”
“If you put it that way, I guess I might as well give you what you military types call the scuttlebutt. You’ll have to sort out the fact from the fancy.”
“Please.” I leaned back in the chair.
“I heard she had threatened to sue the developer, this Baucus fellow, over some units she claimed to have sold. According to the story, he contended his in-house people had made the sales. I don’t think she ever went through with the lawsuit.”
If that were true, it didn’t sound like Sherry Hoffman would have been involved in anything on behalf of The Sand Castle. But Charlie was admittedly relaying
That perked me up in a hurry. “Who?”
“A sergeant with the sheriff’s office. He’s one of my parishioners. He did the investigation.”
My hopes took a sudden dive. “Sergeant Payne?”
“You know him?”
“We met at the sheriff’s impound yard where they had Tim’s Blazer. I’m afraid the sergeant is one hundred percent certain it was suicide. And he’s not about to change his mind.”
“He’s about as stubborn a man as I’ve encountered lately,” Jill said.
“Sorry to hear that.” Charlie frowned. “I’ll admit, he has definite ideas about most things, but he’s really a good man. His wife runs a beauty shop near here. He’s a devoted husband. They have no children, but he’s great with the young ones. Helps teach Sunday School for sixth graders.”
I nodded. “No doubt he looks like a giant to them.”
“I’ll grant you, he doesn’t have discipline problems. Not on the job, either. He was in the Army—Rangers, I think—before working for a private security firm. He’s been a deputy the past fifteen years. I’ve heard him say he’s never fired his gun except for practice.”
“I’ll agree, he sounds like a fine man,” I said. “But I’m afraid he’s not going to do anything to help me.”
“I regret that. Is there any way I could be of help?”
I smiled. “Actually, you’re the one I planned to look to for some answers. I want you to put on your old reporter’s hat and see what you can come up with.”
He gave me a skeptical glance. “That’s been a long time ago, Greg. But I’ll try.”
“What do you know about a lady named Sherry Hoffman?”
“Well, that’s an easy one,” he said, smiling again. “Sherry is a beautiful young lady, probably around forty. She lives just off Gulf Beach Highway , not too far from here. It’s a nice house on Big Lagoon. She runs a very successful real estate firm closer into town. Want more?”
“Anything you can give me.”
“Her father was Admiral David J. Hoffman, better known among the troops as Davy Jones. He was commander of the Naval Air Station some years back. He did a lot to help the city and was quite well thought of by Pensacolans. Sherry had finished college by the time he transferred to Washington . She had a good job here—I think she worked in a law office—and decided to stay. I believe she’s been in real estate for ten or fifteen years.” He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “I guess that’s about it.”
She sounded quite interesting, but I still didn’t see anything that might offer a tie-in with Tim Gannon. “Do you know if she had any connection with The Sand Castle project?”
“I know she was there Friday night when the accident happened. Sergeant Payne told me she was the one who called
911.”
I caught Jill’s eye and saw the look of surprise. We were definitely on the right track. “Do you know why she was there?”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she sold some condos for it. In fact, I heard...well, I don’t know.”
“You heard what?”
“It was just a rumor.”
“Charlie, investigators thrive on rumor. What did you hear?”
“As a preacher, I don’t like to indulge in rumor and gossip. I have found most rumors tend to exaggerate the situation.”
“You’re not preaching now. You’re reporting.”
“If you put it that way, I guess I might as well give you what you military types call the scuttlebutt. You’ll have to sort out the fact from the fancy.”
“Please.” I leaned back in the chair.
“I heard she had threatened to sue the developer, this Baucus fellow, over some units she claimed to have sold. According to the story, he contended his in-house people had made the sales. I don’t think she ever went through with the lawsuit.”
If that were true, it didn’t sound like Sherry Hoffman would have been involved in anything on behalf of The Sand Castle. But Charlie was admittedly relaying
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