by Dana Moss
“But if Veronica said—”
“It’s really not up to her at this point,” Maria said, leaning back in the booth. “Believe me, she wasn’t too happy when I told her that. She even threatened a lawsuit if we hold up the process any longer. She said she wanted us to wrap things up as quickly as possible.”
“And I can’t imagine the chief wants to use up any more precious resources.”
“True.”
“So who does want to keep the investigation going?”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “I thought you of all people would agree that it was important to find out the truth. Or does the personal aspect continue to cloud your judgment?”
“You’re the one keeping the case open?”
“As the detective, I have some say in the matter.”
Taffy twisted her straw wrapper. “Is this because you don’t like my other friends?”
Maria’s eyes narrowed. “You’re kidding, right? Come on, Taffy. You never want us to close down an unsolved case.”
“Heart attack. Case solved.”
Maria looked exasperated. “You know things don’t add up. I can’t believe I’m having to convince you of this.”
Taffy sighed. “You don’t. I know what you mean.” She leaned back and drummed her fingers on the table. “But this way everyone could go home. No one has to go to jail. Blake can be buried. Mrs. Blake can collect her insurance money and go on her merry-widow way, and—”
Taffy stopped abruptly. She narrowed her gaze.
“Hey, where was she that night?”
Maria swirled the ice cubes in her glass. “Looking at real estate in California. Acting on behalf of investors.”
“At night?”
“She’d been there for a week. But not anywhere near here. She said she didn’t even know Blake was out on his boat.”
“And you believe her?”
“No reason not to.”
Taffy thought for a moment.
“What happens if the new will isn’t valid?”
“They’d go with the last valid will.”
“Which means Veronica would inherit, since she was still technically his wife?”
Maria nodded and sipped her drink.
“And what if they’d divorced? Did she have a prenup?”
“Taffy, I don’t—”
“Maria! We might have another suspect on our hands!”
“‘We’?” There was a warning tone in Maria’s voice. “The last thing the chief wants is a lawsuit on his hands.”
“But you said yourself that things don’t add up.”
“They don’t. Even if Blake did have a heart attack, someone clearly wanted to hurt him too. And I’d like to know who and why. There had to be a reason.”
“Veronica could have had a reason. Jealousy? Revenge?”
“But she wasn’t even here.”
Maria was probably right. In all likelihood, it came down to those who were on the boat that night. And that meant Macy and Cher were still suspects. And Lorne.
“So what are we—sorry, I mean what are you going to do now?”
Maria tapped her notepad. “Eve said she needs to redo the toxicology profile. She was concerned there were glitches with the first one.”
“What glitches?”
“Blake had cocaine residue on his nostrils—we found all the paraphernalia on the boat—but none came up in his bloodstream, and then there were some unidentified toxins she needs to look into—these things happen sometimes, so it’s best to redo the samples. She’s sure the cocaine is there. So I’m going to wait until Eve resubmits the toxicology results before I consider closing the case file. I can’t explain the violence, but if the report reveals cocaine in the blood, that could explain the heart attack.”
“Then you might be able to pin it on Lorne?”
“Can’t say yet. But I’ll look into this debt Einer mentioned, and those videos… Oh, and I’m still recommending the hypnosis session for Macy. If she recovers more of her memory, she might be able to give us more insight into exactly what happened on the boat that night.”
“What if she remembers something that incriminates her?”
Macy gave her a sidelong glance. “We’re after the truth, remember? Whatever that is.”
“Right.” Taffy nodded. “Then we’d better— I mean you’d better get a look at the rest of Lorne’s videos, just to be thorough.”
Maybe, as Einer had hinted, they would get Macy off the hook once and for all.
“Don’t go talking to him again, Taff. Promise me.”
“Why don’t you trust me?” Taffy grumbled as her phone buzzed with a text.
“It’s not about trust, it’s about interference. You’re too focused on proving Macy’s innocence.”
“You can’t blame me for that.”
The text was from Ellie. We’re on our way to Ethan’s. C u there.
Taffy slipped one arm into her coat. “I’ve got to get going.”
Maria pushed her soda aside. “Me too. In fact, maybe I’ll go have a chat with Lorne right now.”
“Can I come with—”
One look from Maria shut her up. “Right. Never mind.”
“Tell Macy her hypnosis session is tomorrow morning. Can you drop her off, or should I send Officer Peck to pick her up?”
“I can drop her off. As long as you and the chief don’t think that’s interfering too much.”
“I’m sorry about all this, Taff. Really. I’ve always appreciated your help, but I can’t risk losing my job.”
Taffy sighed. “I know. I guess I understand.”
They parted ways. Why did Taffy have the feeling of leaving with her tail between her legs? She’d only ever wanted to be helpful to Maria, but if people were complaining about her, if Maria’s job was at risk because of her, she’d have to back off. Yet how could she? Her friends were suspects. She was already involved. And she really wanted to talk to Lorne about those videos too… But she couldn’t. Or shouldn’t. She’d have to trust Maria to uncover the truth about Lorne. It was hard, but she had to let go.
She drove fast on the way to Ethan’s, allowing the feel of speed to calm her and help her forget about all the loose threads. Maria would figure them out. She didn’t need Taffy’s help. She’d made that clear enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The gathering was underway by the time Taffy arrived at Ethan’s, and everyone was happy to see her because the beer was already running out. Mitch and Ethan set up the small keg on the patio just outside the kitchen’s French doors. Inside at the kitchen table, Pete, Ellie’s boyfriend, was already clearing a table for a game of beer pong.
Ellie had invited Lina and Nolan from work, and they arrived together along with one of Pete’s paramedic buddies.
Taffy felt too preoccupied to be interested in partying, but Ellie handed her the one remaining beer bottle and encouraged her to “relax.” Taffy took the beer bottle but didn’t intend to drink it.
“You look great, Ellie.” Her makeup had been deftly applied. Her hair was straight, smooth, and shiny. Her outfit looked classy and stylish.
Ellie beamed. “Your friends know how to give a girl a reboot.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying their company.”
Ellie leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “They told me about Luke.”
Taffy frowned. “Please, don’t believe what they say.”
“They care about you, Taffy. They think Luke is still in love with you and you’re also in love with him but don’t want to admit it. And I can totally understand why you might not want to hurt Ethan but—”
“Did I just hear my name?” He smiled as he approached them and slid his arm around Taffy’s waist. She gave Ellie a wide-eyed “don’t you dare say another word” look.
“Ellie was just saying that she likes your house.”
“Though it could use a little reboot,” she said, smoothing her hair.
“You look different, Ellie,” Eth
an said. “Glowing.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Had a little New York rub off on me. Taffy’s friends are a riot.”
“I hear they can create quite a commotion.”
“You’ve just got to give them a chance. They’re lovely.”
Taffy heard a squeal and glanced across the room. Mitch seemed to be making Cher laugh.
Ellie had followed Taffy’s gaze. Longingly, she said, “I wish we could convince them to stay.”
Ethan smiled, “Well, we succeeded with Taffy, so you never know.” He kissed her just above the ear. “I’m going to change the music.”
When he’d walked off, Taffy said to Ellie. “I don’t want Ethan to find out about Luke.”
“But he will when you—”
“I’m not leaving Ethan for Luke! Macy and Cher have let their imaginations run wild. And what do you think would happen to our friendship, Ellie? If I moved back to New York?”
Ellie’s eyes widened. Clearly she hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe we could open another factory there?”
Taffy scoffed. “This one barely makes ends meet. Expansion is not in the cards.”
“I just hate to see a love story fizzle.”
“Then what about me and Ethan? What about that love story?”
Ellie blinked. “They just convinced me that you…”
“They can be very persuasive, I know.”
“They’re just trying to get you to move back, aren’t they?” Ellie’s eyes narrowed with the realization.
Taffy nodded and took one sip of the beer in her hand.
The doorbell rang. Taffy saw that Ethan had gotten pulled into a conversation with Mitch, Macy, and Cher, and with the music turned up, he hadn’t heard the doorbell, so Taffy went to answer it.
Opening it, she saw Greg, the young man from the resort desk. “Cher invited me.”
Behind him was someone she hadn’t expected to see.
“What is he doing here?”
“I hope it’s okay,” Greg said. “He asked to come along.”
“I heard there was beer.”
Taffy fixed her gaze on Lorne. He looked awkward standing by the door. Greg glanced past Taffy, no doubt on the lookout for Cher, and so she stepped aside to let him pass. As Lorne started to follow him, Taffy said, “Why didn’t Anya come, too?”
“She booked another massage.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Lorne.”
“It’s not like I’m under house arrest or anything.”
“Well, it’s probably just a matter of time.”
Lorne glanced around. “Can we put all that behind us for one night?” He’d spotted the beer pong table and the keg just beyond the French doors. He moved that way, and Taffy followed him.
Under her breath, so only he could hear, she said, “I saw Einer tonight. He told me about the other videos.”
“He told you about all that? Jesus Murphy. I’m gonna kill that guy.” He seemed to hear himself. “I didn’t mean that last bit. I’m not the killing type.”
Taffy glanced around. Macy watched the two of them for a moment, a trace of worry in her gaze, and then she refocused on the game of beer pong.
Lorne took the final few strides to the keg and poured himself a pint into a plastic cup.
Taffy stood between Lorne and the rest of the party. Quietly, she said, “Did Maria talk to you about the videos?”
He drank back his first cup of beer.
“Are you holding them back because they could help clear Macy of suspicion?”
He raised an eyebrow and one side of his mouth quirked up into something like a smile as he refilled his cup. “He didn’t really tell you about them then?”
“Lorne, stop playing games with me. You were in debt, and you were named in the will, so you were just as motivated as Macy to kill Blake—”
“Now wait a minute. You’ve got it all wrong.” He ran his hand through is already messy hair. “Look, if I tell you, can you keep it a secret?
“Why would I? Especially if it concerns the investigation.”
Lorne thought for a moment, and then he seemed to make a decision. “All right. Fine. Those debts you heard about—I’d been paying them off. I wasn’t waiting for Blake to die so I could inherit something from him. I was paying the debts myself. But sort of with his help.” He rubbed at his unshaven jaw and looked very reluctant to divulge more, but Taffy pressed him.
“What kind of help?”
Lorne sighed. “Turned out we could make a buck with his vices. You know, the ones I told you about.”
“His sex addiction?”
He tilted his head, a small gesture of agreement. “So… I set up a camera, a very tiny one, in the stateroom. Filmed all the wild boat rocking. That kind of thing. Can make some decent money off of online foreign markets. Eastern Europe, Russia… hot markets for this kind of thing.”
Taffy blinked. “You filmed Macy and Blake having… But isn’t that illegal?”
Lorne rolled his eyes at her. “Law doesn’t come into it unless you get caught, and not much does when you go through the Dark Net.”
“Did Macy know about it?”
“I think she’d started suspecting. Or someone tipped her off. She confronted Blake about something the day he died. I’m pretty sure that’s why they fought.”
“And that’s why you’re so sure Macy tried to hurt him that night? You thought she was reacting to finding out?”
He nodded.
“And that night he died… You went back to the boat to film them?”
He nodded.
“And when Macy and Cher went swimming—”
“Yup, I filmed that too. Also good markets for that kind of voyeuristic content.”
Taffy felt sick. Lorne was the lowest sort of parasitic scum.
“And so long as no one knew—except for Blake—that you were collecting free content that you turned at a profit… That’s how he was helping you?”
“No skin off his nose is how he put it. And just so you know, this was going on long before Macy. She was just the latest…” Lorne bowed his head. “I feel bad about it now. But we’d agreed on the ride up from Monterey that it would be the last night. Blake didn’t want to do it anymore. He wanted to marry Macy. He wanted to put that life behind him.”
“But you still had debts to pay.”
“I told him I’d figure out another way.”
“You’re named in the new will that was found. With your debts, you have as much motivation as Macy to kill Blake for money.”
Oddly, Lorne started laughing. “Oh, Lassie, I’ve been named in Blake’s will for years. If I was going to clear my debts that way, I could have done it years ago. Do you really think I’d be such a bad friend?”
“You had motive, means, and opportunity. It’s just your word against Macy’s.”
He scowled. “Don’t you think it’s a tad convenient that she’s lost her memory of most of that night?”
“Convenient for her or for you?”
He tipped the remains of his beer down his throat. When he’d finished swallowing, he smiled.
“Look, I’d have no reason to… ahem, unman my friend.” He shivered. “What a thing to have happen, and it was so…” He stopped himself and shook his head. “Such a shame. But if Macy had been mad when she found out about the videos then I could see how she might—”
“If she found out. She hasn’t said a word to me about it. I don’t think she knows.” But it was possible she’d blocked that from memory too. Maria was probably right to go ahead with the hypnosis session, but maybe it would come out that Macy actually had done something terrible. Because if she had known about the videos… Taffy realized now that Einer hadn’t meant the videos would erase the possibility of Macy’s motivation, rather they’d establish the clarity of it. Taffy felt sick.
“Why didn’t you give those videos to the police? If you really want to frame Macy, seems like they could help. Or is it because you didn’t want your little side bu
siness to get found out?”
“Look, Lassie, I don’t really have anything against Macy personally. I like her. She’s a sweet girl. Sexy as hell. And in another life, well…” He glanced in her direction and then shook his head. “I could see why Blake wanted to settle down with her. But I didn’t whack Blake, and Macy’s the only other one who could have. I wish it weren’t the case, but you just have to face facts.”
Taffy thought about some of the other facts in the case. “The drugs. With all your port contacts, you’re the one who gets Blake his drugs, right?”
Lorne shrugged. “I’m not going to admit that in public.”
“The police found cocaine at the scene. You provided Blake with cocaine, didn’t you?”
Lorne shook his empty cup. “I need a refill.”
But Taffy wasn’t going to let him get away just yet.
“Did you know about Blake’s heart condition?”
Lorne’s eyes flashed guiltily, and then he looked away. “So what if I did?”
“You knew, and yet that night you gave him cocaine? What kind of friend are you?”
“He had the coke already. I wasn’t monitoring him. And I’m the kind who can keep the secrets his friend wants him to keep.”
Taffy glared at him.
“Look, Blake wanted to live like he always lived, even if it wasn’t going to be as long as he thought.”
“But you’re his friend. You should have been trying to help him.”
“I was helping him, just in a different way. When he found out about his heart, he made me promise never to tell Macy. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“The medical examiner said he didn’t die from his injuries, but that his heart gave out first. And his heart failure could have been triggered by the cocaine.”
Lorne looked stunned. “What?” He stumbled back and sat in a chair.
“When did Blake find out about his weak heart?”
Lorne looked up at her. He looked confused. “Not long before we planned this sailing trip. Around the time he decided he’d propose to Macy. Why?”
“But how did he find out? A general checkup with his doctor?”
Lorne scratched his head. “Some kind of checkup. I think he said it had something to do with insurance. Something he couldn’t get because of his diagnosis.”
