“For years, Charles doted on his wayward son. Timothy got the family business. Timothy was set to inherit the family estate when Gwendolyn died. But behind the scenes, I was doing all the work. I secured new lines of business. I kept the operations running at Paddington Enterprises. I accepted my role until one day when Timothy and I were out at a club, and he started using recreational drugs. If he was going to hurt himself, maybe it wasn't so bad if I made it a little easier for that to happen. I decided to push him into trying different kinds until he became addicted. Cocaine was his downfall.”
“And then he started gambling and screwing up several deals at the office because he was high or at various casinos betting too much?”
“Exactly. When Charles had the Board remove Timothy, I thought it would finally be my chance, but no, it never happened. Charles put Timothy out on a one-year leave of absence while he turned the company over to a silly leadership team who knew nothing about the organization. I was ignored just as they'd ignored Ophelia all those years. That pompous fool's a drug addict and almost lost the company!”
“And you wanted revenge?” I could see Richard unraveling in pieces.
“Charles died, Timothy was out. Gwendolyn had been depressed, broken her hip, and checked into the hospital. I should've been given the keys to Paddington Enterprises. Then Gwendolyn confronts me about the affair with Hannah from years ago. She'd found out about it and threatened to tell Ophelia. I thought it was buried.”
“When the first DNA test failed to prove Brad was a Paddington, Gwendolyn realized it was you. That's when she had the second DNA test to be certain before telling anyone.” I asked assembling the whole sordid picture together.
“And my pre-nuptial agreement with Ophelia stated I got nothing if I had an affair.” A wicked grin smiled back to me. Richard Taft was a cunning man. “I couldn't acknowledge Brad as my son.”
“So, you started to switch Gwendolyn's medicine with placebos. Is Dana in on this deceit with you?” I worried he wasn't the only person in the family who'd tried to kill Gwendolyn.
“No, my daughter had no idea I stole them from her. It was a coincidence when she told me she'd located them for the next show at the theater. The sun was shining on me that day. I could slowly kill Gwendolyn and watch her suffer the way she made me suffer all these years. It just took too long.”
“That's when you concocted a plan to overdose her with the cocaine?”
“I told her I couldn't go to the show. I went to LA for a quick deal and returned early Sunday morning on a private plane. I made it look like I'd taken a flight back after I heard the news Gwendolyn had passed away.” Richard had little shame or remorse over his actions. He assumed no one would request an autopsy, and if they did, it'd probably point to Timothy.
“How did you get the cocaine?”
“Hah! That's easy. One of the lines of business I started with Paddington Enterprises is a front for smuggling drugs in and out of the country. I took some from the shipment and gave it to Timothy so he'd have a long supply to keep destroying his life. I kept enough to put in Gwendolyn's medication that morning.”
“When did you make the swap?” I asked.
“I snuck into the house Sunday morning after my plane landed and when everyone was still sleeping. I hid downstairs while everyone had been eating brunch.” Richard stepped closer to me looking around the room for a weapon.
“That's when you saw the bottle sitting on the table in the hallway. You knew Gwendolyn would be taking them sometime at the show, so you dropped the replacement ones laced with cocaine into the bottle,” I added realizing he'd had an advantage sneaking around and knowing all the hiding spots.
“Unfortunately, that interfering grandmother of yours was coming back down the hall, and in the rush, I knocked the pill bottle to the floor.”
“Clever… to think you almost got away with it.” I said suddenly recalling the company he was working with was Castigliano International. That meant my in-laws were involved in smuggling drugs. Did Francesca know anything about this dastardly side of the family business?
“I will get away with it. Just as soon as you tell me where the new will is. As it stands, Ophelia inherits a quarter of her mother's estate with the old will,” he said with the smile of a devil growing wider each moment that passed. “Now hand it over, and I'll be very gentle when I kill you.”
Officer Flatman stepped out of the closet with his gun pointed directly at Richard at exactly that moment. “I don't think so. Put your hands up.”
Richard grabbed hold of a bookcase on the wall to his right and pushed it toward us giving him enough time to rush down the hall. While Officer Flatman and I shoved the books and the shelves out of our way, Richard opened the door and ran into the hall not realizing guests were beginning to leave the performance. As he tried to dash toward the lobby exit, Eustacia stuck out her cane causing him to fall to the ground. The sheriff rushed across the lobby pushing a few guests out of her way and aimed old Betsy at Richard. Officer Flatman and I soon followed and surrounded them so there could be no available escape route.
Eustacia guffawed. “That's the fool responsible for Gwennie's death?”
“Yes, ma'am,” I said leaning against the side wall. In the scuffle, I'd lost my breath and began to feel sick from over-exertion. It was wearing me down to the point I was almost going to pass out again.
Ophelia and her children dashed over to see why Richard was being put in handcuffs. Officer Flatman said, “He confessed to killing Gwendolyn while we were in the office. Not only that, he admitted to having an affair with Hannah Shope twenty-five years ago.”
“And Brad is Richard's secret son,” I added watching Ophelia's eyes glare like a laser.
Lilly looked at her father and shrieked. “He's my half-brother? How could you do that to Mom?”
Dana turned to Jennifer who stood nearby. “I don't understand it. How could he never tell us?”
When I caught my breath, I saw Nana D, Lindsey, and Millard comforting Eustacia. Ophelia rebuked Richard as Sheriff Montague handed him off to Officer Flatman to read him his Miranda rights. Sam looked shocked and devastated. He wasn't sure whom to turn to and kept shaking his head. When I walked toward him to ask if he was okay, he took off and never looked back.
Sheriff Montague approached me. “Excellent job, Little Ayrwick. Flatman informs me you convinced Richard to keep talking so he could tell you exactly how everything happened.”
“For some reason, I wasn't surprised to see him show up in the office when he did. It took putting him in the right environment for me to realize he'd been behind everything the whole time.” I watched Eustacia turn to Lindsey, then I noticed Nana D's response. She still cared for Lindsey even though she'd been backing away to let Eustacia have a chance with him. It was rare to see Nana D look disheartened, but I knew it wasn't the first time.
“Don't feel bad. He wasn't on my radar at first either. Then I got a tip about the Paddington and Castigliano business connections. That's what led me to seeing who signed the deal between the two companies. It was Richard,” the sheriff noted as she idly ran a hand through her bristly hair. “If those drug deals happened in Wharton County, I'm going to make it a big focus in the coming weeks to nail those dirty traffickers. I read up on that Castigliano mob. They are one vicious family, but I'm not afraid of them. I'll take them down one by one if I have to.” April's determined stare shot right through me.
All I knew is I needed to get some sleep. “I'm sure if anyone could take down the Castiglianos, it'd be you, April.”
“Yep. Maybe I'll have to call on you for help. I don't like to admit when I'm wrong, but this is twice in a row you've stuck out your neck to protect our town. I'm not saying I misjudged you, so don't let that pretty boy head of yours swell up any larger than it already has. I'll call you next week to discuss my plans a little further.” As the sheriff left Paddington's Play House, I shook my head in disbelief. I kept telling myself I wanted to prove
to that woman I was better than her. Now she wanted to talk with me about working together. What was wrong with me? It's like I wanted to repeatedly punish myself. Wasn't there a support group for those kinds of people?
“Kellan! What took you so long to figure this one out? I could've told you Richard Taft was a no-good loser,” Nana D chided as she stepped away from her fellow septuagenarians and sidled up next to me to share her diatribe. “You look like death. Here, take this bottle of juice. I just opened it.”
“Thanks, Nana D.” I was tempted to ask her is she put cocaine it, but it was too soon to crack such a joke. “Just juice, right?”
“Would I poison you? Seriously, drink it. You really need to listen more closely. I told you that family was trying to kill poor Gwennie from the first day it came up at Danby Landing. But no… you wouldn't take it seriously until she keeled over in your lap. What kind of sleuth are you?”
Now I understood why I was constantly subjected to relationships like the ones I had with April and Myriam. I was surrounded by sassy women who liked to torture me. If I loved Nana D, did that mean one day I'd grow to love April and Myriam, too? My stomach began to grind and churn. I feared if I didn't do something soon, we'd have a situation in the lobby of Paddington's Play House. I was about to drop to the ground to take a well-deserved nap when an unexpected commotion brewed nearby.
“Jennifer, I heard what happened. I was stuck backstage. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?” Arthur rattled off before reaching us and hugging her. “Please tell me nothing happened to you or our baby!”
“Baby? Arthur is your baby daddy? You're cheating on me with my aunt? She's like ancient and close to my mom's age. I can't believe it,” Dana shouted and beat Arthur's chest.
“I'm going to be a grandmother,” Fern said covering her mouth in shock as she joined the group.
Arthur grabbed Dana's wrists and stopped her from attacking him. “Enough, Dana. I've told you from the first day you tried to seduce me, I'm not interested. You're a little girl who throws temper tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. You've heaved yourself at every guy within a five-foot radius. You'll never be anything like your aunt and need to stay away from us and our baby.”
“You're a monster. I can't believe I ever liked you,” Dana snarled while looking around, but her mother had already left with Officer Flatman when he'd escorted Richard Taft to the precinct. “I'll get even with you, Aunt Jennifer! This isn't the end of it. I'm a Paddington, too!”
As Dana stomped off, Lilly grabbed her sister's wrist. “Dad was just arrested for killing Grandmother. We have a new half-brother named Brad. Sam's taken off, and we don't know where he is. I think our family has enough to deal with, little sister. Grow up and stop being such a child!”
While Lilly's words were highly appropriate, she hadn't been the best role model in the past. As Lilly and Dana left the lobby, I nodded at Fern hoping she interpreted my mixed show of congratulations and sympathy for her. Fern and Arthur would now be forever tied to the Paddington family.
I said goodbye to Nana D and drove home to finally get some sleep. I checked with my parents who confirmed they were staying over in Philadelphia one more night and would bring Emma back the following evening so she'd get plenty of rest before school on Monday. I verified Francesca's flight had taken off which meant she was mid-air back to Los Angeles. I had no calls from the Castiglianos threatening me. Francesca likely hadn't told them my decision yet. Perhaps I would wake up with a brand-new focus and outlook on my life.
As I pulled into the driveway at the Royal Chic-Shack, Ursula Power stepped out of her car and waved me down. What was my boss doing at my house on a Saturday evening? After stepping to my car window, Ursula said, “Something urgent has come up, and I need your advice. Don't tell anyone, especially Myriam. She can't know how much trouble I'm in. You're my only hope.”
I wasn't sure how to respond, but I needed downtime before I could take anything else on. “Sure, can we meet tomorrow. I'm about to pass out.”
Ursula hesitated before leaving. “Yes, but this is important. My past has come back to haunt me, and I don't know how long before it explodes again.”
“I promise. We can meet for dinner tomorrow if you'd like.”
Ursula nodded and got back into her car. Before shutting the door, she turned toward me and said, “If I may speak freely, Kellan… you need a haircut. That mop on your head is ridiculous. I've been waiting weeks to see if you'd fix it, but I need to step in before it gets any worse. You're looking like a punk eighties rock star and not in a good way.” Ursula pulled out her phone and typed something. “Check your text messages. I've sent you the name and number of my stylist. He'll be able to save you from further embarrassment.”
Chapter 24
I woke up on Sunday morning to a flurry of messages and what felt like an entirely new body. All the over-the-counter drugs I'd taken must have finally kicked my cold symptoms to the curb. I was glad I didn't develop a full-on flu, as I had no time to rest with everything suddenly heating up in Braxton. Even though I'd solved the latest murder, I couldn't help but worry the hits were going to keep on coming. Something in the air told me I was only given a temporary reprieve and that I should prepare for a bigger battle. Eleanor would tell me the stars were warning me to stay in bed all day. I went through my missed messages, then got in touch with everyone to organize my day before seeing Ursula for dinner. Nana D was the first person I followed up with.
Me: I'm a whole new man this morning. Life is good.
Nana D: I knew you just needed one of my special cures to fix you.
Me: What are you talking about?
Nana D: You didn't think that was just juice yesterday? I added a few things.
Me: You drugged me? I knew you were up to something. Wait, why didn't it taste bad?
Nana D: Surely you don't expect me to give away all my secrets?
Me: You should be locked away somewhere. There's something wrong with you.
Nana D: Eh, I'm not gonna argue with you based on what I did last night.
I replied and called a few times, but Nana D didn't explain her last line. I assumed I'd see her soon at the Paddington thank you brunch being held in my honor. I showered, dressed, and headed to the Paddingtons fearing whatever first disaster awaited me. Bertha greeted and led me to the Great Hall. “Is my nana here, too?” I asked.
Bertha shook her head. “No, Kellan. Eustacia and Seraphina had a little disagreement last night. She won't be attending brunch today.”
I suspected it had to do with Eustacia turning to Lindsey at the theater. “Are you able to share what caused this little disagreement?”
“Well, I'm not exactly certain how it began this time. They were fine yesterday when Seraphina came by for dinner. Until Councilman Stanton showed up. Things got a little ugly,” Bertha said as she buried her hands in her face. “It took me three hours to get those stains off the wallpaper in the dining room last night.”
“Um… are you saying they had a food fight?” I pictured Nana D throwing a handful of asparagus or broccoli at the councilman. She didn't know when to stop and would get herself locked up again if she didn't learn to control her distaste for that man.
“If only it were that simple. It all started out calm, but then Lindsey said he agreed with one of Councilman Stanton's new political plans. He was making a donation to the campaign, it seems. Seraphina wasn't too happy about that.”
“I don't blame her. I thought the Septuagenarian Club was supporting my nana!” What could've gone wrong to cause such a change?
“That's when Seraphina grabbed the whole pot of meatballs and sauce I'd put on the table. It was buffet style last night since we weren't originally expecting company, but then they all showed up. Seraphina is stronger than she looks!” Bertha wiped her hands with the bottom of her apron.
“What exactly happened?” I asked, alarmed over how the night had ended up.
“I'm not sure how to tell you this, Kellan.
Seraphina started racing around the room throwing meatballs at everyone like it was a war zone. One by one, she picked them out of the sauce pan and tossed them like little water balloons. When she was all out of meatballs, she dumped the whole pot of sauce over someone's head.”
“Over Lindsey's head? Or the councilman's? Either way, that's horrible!”
“No, Kellan. Over Eustacia's head. Seraphina told her it was payback for inviting the devil into their little party and being a ruthless jezebel trying to steal Lindsey again. I don't know what she was talking about, but your nana was a possessed woman.” Bertha and I reached the Great Hall. She stopped before I stepped toward the fountain and pool. I couldn't help but think about the water wheel plant and its need to keep eating meat.
“I guess Eustacia wasn't too happy with my nana, huh?” I said feeling the need to stifle my laughter. The devil was likely Marcus Stanton, which made sense, but to call Eustacia a jezebel in front of everyone was not productive nor a very kind thing to do.
“Nope. Apparently, Eustacia set the whole thing up as a trick to convince the councilman that he had the Paddington support, then they would rip it away from him at the next big debate. Eustacia just forgot to tell Seraphina in advance,” Bertha said before she walked toward the kitchen. “Silly women!”
And now Nana D had started her rivalry back up again with Eustacia. This was going to be quite a mess for me to solve. “Why do you do this to me?” I said out loud looking up through the glass dome at the sky. I didn't expect anyone to respond, but when a voice did, I startled.
“You're the only one who can control her, Kellan.” Millard had been standing in the Great Hall not too far away and had heard the whole conversation. “There's not much time left. We need to get Seraphina and Eustacia talking again if there's any hope for your grandmother to win the mayoral race.”
Broken Heart Attack Page 26
