by Julie Hyzy
She shrugged with a look that said, “What am I supposed to say to that?”
For a man eager to make a clean getaway, Dan seemed reluctant to leave our little group.
“What are they doing with all of your father’s stuff?” Joe asked.
Dan didn’t seem to mind the fact that a complete stranger had posed the question. “They want to go through it all next week, piece by piece, at Harland’s house to see if there’s anything we want to keep as a memento.”
“I imagine you’ll find some lovely surprises,” Debbie said.
Dan nodded. “I guess I’ll come back another time.”
I was itching to broach the Santiago-as-the-killer idea to Dan, but reluctant to do so in front of Debbie. Although I got the distinct impression she and Santiago weren’t friends, they were coworkers, and who knew what sort of an allegiance existed between them.
“Joe and I plan to stop by the Rosette police department on our way back to Marshfield,” I said to Dan. “We’ll walk you out.”
He and I fell into step together. Next to me, Joe kept pace.
“You look like you came straight from work,” I said as we made our way toward Indwell’s lobby. “What do you do for a living?”
“Until recently, I was a high school social studies teacher. Not working right now, though,” Dan said. “Burned out a few years back, but I stuck with it until my pension kicked in.”
“Aren’t you a little young for a pension?”
“Ha,” he said. “No, I’m not, but thanks. I took the earliest exit they offered. I just got to a point in my life where I realized my best days were behind me and if I didn’t stop to smell the roses now, I never would.” He shrugged. “Maybe a couple of years off will inspire me to return to the classroom. In the meantime, I can always sub.”
“How long have you been out?” Joe asked.
“This is my first semester as a free man,” he said with a chuckle. “I took that trip to celebrate, but wound up coming back to all this.” He waved vaguely over his shoulder. “I’m starting to feel guilty about that.”
“You do? Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Maybe if I hadn’t gone away, my dad would still be alive.”
“You think you could have prevented his death?”
“Sounds silly, doesn’t it?” he asked. “But I can’t help it. Did they tell you I used to visit him all the time here? Three times a week, at least. Never missed. Until I went on vacation.”
Another aide had replaced Cathy at the front desk so we were spared making small talk with the nosy woman.
“What kind of relationship did your father have with Santiago?” I asked.
“That crazy nurse who called the police and got this whole mess started?”
“Yes, him. Did he and your father get along?”
“Why? You have reason to think he could have killed Dad?”
“I heard that your dad had registered a few complaints. Maybe Santiago was afraid of losing his job.”
Dan tilted his head one way then another as though examining the question from different angles. “I don’t think so. That wouldn’t make any sense. If he did it, then why would he call the police? Why wouldn’t he just report a regular death?”
That was the one argument I had no answer for. “I know I’m grasping at straws but maybe he thought that calling the police would deflect suspicion. That by reporting an alleged murder, he would come across as the innocent informant.”
“I guess.” He seemed unconvinced. “I’ll tell you this much: I wish he would have kept his mouth shut.”
“I do, too,” I said. “That’s only because I know Frances has been unfairly accused. But what if someone did murder your dad? Wouldn’t you want that person brought to justice?”
“At this point, I just want it done. Nobody killed our dad, and this is all a ridiculous waste of time.”
“So you don’t believe Frances is guilty?” Joe asked.
“No,” Dan said with a dismissive swipe. “But it’s not like I can march down to the police department and demand they release her. They’re not going to listen to me.”
“If you thought of anything—any evidence or information that could help clear Frances—you would tell the police though, right?”
“There’s nothing for me to tell,” he said. “Maybe if I’d been here, I’d know more.” He shook his head. “But I wasn’t. I don’t know anything.”
Debbie came hurrying toward us, waving. “Dan!” When she reached us, she said, “I’m glad I caught you before you left. Harland and Joslyn are carting boxes out via one of the side entrances. I didn’t mention that you were here. Harland found this and asked me to give it to you if you happened to show up later today.”
The item in question was a small leather box—the kind expensive pen and pencil sets arrived in. She placed it into Dan’s palm.
“What is it?” Joe asked.
The wells of Dan’s eyes turned bright red. He stared down at the box and gingerly opened its hinged lid. Inside—sure enough—was a fancy silver pen.
“Harland said that this one doesn’t count as one of your picks,” Debbie said. “He said it belonged to you already.”
Still staring down at the pen, Dan nodded. He cleared his throat. “Yeah.” His voice cracked. “I bought this for Dad with my first paycheck. Thought he chucked it years ago. Didn’t realize he kept it.” Snapping it shut, he tucked it into his pants pocket and wiped at his face with the back of his hand.
I locked eyes with Debbie, who looked like a kid that had mistakenly done something terribly wrong. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought it would give you comfort.”
Dan shook his head. “Makes it worse.”
“We’d better get going,” I said.
Composure regained, Dan cleared his throat again and smiled at me. “You take it easy,” he said as he swung his sport coat on. “Good luck to your friend Frances. Maybe she’ll be released soon.”
“Thanks. I hope your day improves,” I said.
“Say hi to your girlfriend for us,” Debbie said.
He shook his head. “What?”
“You’re all dressed up,” she said. “I assume you have a hot date tonight.”
I warped back to Harland’s comment when I’d first met him, when he’d assumed I was Dan’s girlfriend.
My brain immediately jumped into high gear. If Dan had a girlfriend, could she have overdosed Gus with insulin? I had no idea what sort of motive the woman could have or even if she’d visited Gus while Dan was away. I was mulling ways to pose that question delicately when Debbie came in with an assist.
“We’ve been hearing about this girlfriend of his for months,” she said with a wink. “But he refuses to bring her around. I’m starting to wonder if the woman really exists.”
“She exists, all right,” he said. “And no, no hot date. She’s been giving me the cold shoulder lately.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I said.
“You’d think with all I’ve had to deal with this week, she’d be a little nicer. A little more sympathetic. She doesn’t understand why I can’t give her all the attention she wants.”
“Why don’t you bring her with you next time?” Debbie asked. “We can all tell her what a great guy you are.”
“Yeah, right.” He cough-laughed again. “You have to understand,” he said, even though we didn’t, “there was no way I could let my dad know about her. The old man never liked any of the women I brought around for him to meet. Including my ex-wife. He never liked anyone Harland dated, either.”
“Not even Joslyn?” I asked.
“He hated her,” Dan said. “I’m surprised Joslyn didn’t start dancing a jig when we got the word that he was gone.”
The more I learned about Gus, the wider the
suspect pool grew.
Chapter 26
When Joe and I left Indwell, I called Rosette’s police department to let Frances and Lily know we were on our way. A man answered the phone.
“They’re not here,” he said.
“Where did they go?”
“Now how would I know that?”
I tried to press him to find out if Frances had been incarcerated, or if Lily had been able to arrange for her release, but he refused to share information. When I hung up, I frowned. “So much for small-town friendliness.”
“Where do you think they are?” Joe asked.
“I’ll try Frances first,” I said as I dialed. “I’m sure it’ll go to voice mail, but—”
She answered on the first ring. “Took you long enough.”
“You’re out?” I said, barely able to mask the exuberant catch in my voice. “What happened? Where are you?”
“I’ll tell you more when we get back,” she said. “The Mister came through with the cash for my bail, thank goodness. Kept me from having to spend the night in a stinking jail cell.”
“I’m on my way back to Marshfield,” I said. “I don’t have any solid clues but I do have a few ideas I’d like to discuss with you. We need to put our heads together.”
“Hang on.” She pulled away from the phone. When she returned, she said, “Lily wants you to know that she has that extra copy of the autopsy report. Right now I’m going to close my eyes a bit while Lily drives back. See you at Marshfield.”
“She’s out?” Joe asked when I hung up.
“Yes, and she sounds exhausted. Not that I can blame her.”
He drove in silence for a little while. “I overheard her say that they’re bringing the autopsy report with them.”
“Do you mind coming up to my office when we get back?” I asked. “I know it’s another stop.”
“I’m looking forward to getting a look at that report. Wouldn’t miss it.”
He merged onto the interstate.
“I really appreciate your help.” I stared out the window. Now that the rain had finally let up, I focused on the puffy-white clouds drifting in sharp contrast against the piercing blue sky.
“There has to be more to the story. Right now nothing makes sense.”
“Something does,” I said. “We just can’t see it yet.”
“That’s true.”
“I need to clear the clutter and let my brain work on the puzzle in the background while I do something else. This situation with Frances has taken all my attention.” Even my roommates’ financial troubles with Amethyst Cellars had taken a backseat.
“What better way to relax than a car ride?” he asked. “What else can we talk about?”
I hesitated then asked, “Why do you use a cane?”
His brows jumped. He didn’t look at me, but his expression darkened. “You’re very direct.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, just say so. No worries.”
He frowned at the street ahead, merged into the middle lane, then said, “I was in a car accident, a bad one. Got T-boned by a drunk driver in the middle of an intersection. It took me more than a year to get back on my feet, and it’s taking even longer than that to lose the cane.”
“You didn’t seem to need it today.”
“I have good days and bad ones. Today’s one of the better ones.”
“I’m sorry to hear about the accident. Was anyone else hurt in the crash?”
“Yes.” He turned to me. “Let’s change the subject, okay?”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Not your fault. But let’s keep the rest for another day.”
We traveled another mile or so before I spoke again. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
He gave a wry smile. “Now that you mention it, there is. As long as you don’t mind my being direct this time.”
“Not at all.”
“There’s a lot of talk around Emberstowne about you.”
“So you’ve mentioned.”
“I want to ask you about a couple of things.” He slid a glance at me, as though judging my reaction.
“Go on.”
“The big news, of course, is that you and Bennett Marshfield recently discovered that you’re related to each other.”
“It’s been the talk of the town since we got the test results. I’d hoped to keep it quiet.”
“That’s sort of what I was getting at.” He turned to look at me again, briefly. “You don’t seem at all affected by your newfound wealth. You seem down-to-earth and not the least bit impressed with yourself.”
I laughed out loud. A genuine, from-the-belly laugh. The first time I’d done so in days. “I don’t know how to take that,” I said, still smiling. “Is it a compliment or am I somehow falling down in my chi-chi-pooh-pooh role?”
He laughed now, too. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. It seems to me that discovering you’re the heir to such a vast fortune would make you look at life differently.”
“I don’t want to look at life differently.”
“And I wish I’d never gotten T-boned,” he said. “But that doesn’t make the reality go away. Surely life has changed for you. I imagine family, friends, and even strangers have approached you for a handout since the news hit.”
“I have very little family,” I said carefully. “So far, they’re unaware. I hope to keep it that way.”
When he shot me a quizzical look, I shrugged. “Long story. I will admit that I get a lot of donation requests. They pour into Marshfield Manor by the thousands. They used to come to Bennett’s attention. Now a lot of them come to me. I’ve had to hire a young woman to sort through and help weed out the money grabbers from the honest requests. But otherwise, no, not much has changed.” I turned to him. “But like I said, I don’t want it to.”
“Most people probably wouldn’t share that attitude. They’d be out taking trips, buying cars, living the high life.”
I tapped my fingernails along the armrest. “That’s one of the reasons why I held off taking the DNA test for so long. I knew the truth in my heart and that was enough. I didn’t need the world to know. All I care about is that Bennett and I are family. I didn’t want anyone to think I loved him for his money.”
“You held off testing?”
“For a few years,” I said, staring out the windshield. “But it was so important to Bennett that I finally relented. And here we are.”
“Wow,” he said. He completed a lane change then shot me another glance. “Most people in your shoes would be giddy with glee. Don’t get me wrong; I find your attitude fascinating and refreshing. But I have to ask: What’s holding you back?”
I thought about Liza again, and how that chapter of my life was not yet completely written. “You know what?” I said. “Let’s save that part of the story for another day, too.”
* * *
Bennett, Frances, and Lily were gathered in my office when Joe and I arrived. Except for the purple pouches that puffed beneath her eyes, Frances’s face was devoid of color. I made quick introductions. It seemed I was doing that a lot lately.
“Pleased to meet you, Frances,” Joe said.
“So you’re that new coroner Grace has been talking about.” After shaking hands with him she rubbed her palm against the side of her pant leg. “Can’t say I’m happy to meet you.”
“I get that a lot,” Joe said. “Completely understandable.”
“Good job spotting the judge’s name on that warrant, Grace,” Lily said. “Seems father and daughter are both a little trigger-happy: The officer to make her first homicide arrest and Judge Madigan to bolster his daughter’s career.”
“So it’s bogus?”
“We didn’t get that lucky.” Lily shook her head. “The warrant may have been issued in h
aste, but it’s still valid.”
Frances turned to me. “When we showed up in court, Lily put the screws to that guy like you wouldn’t believe. He still set my bail way too high.” She took a moment to beam at Bennett. “But like I told you, the Mister put up the cash to get me released. Thank goodness.”
“The police weren’t happy about it,” Lily said, “but with help from a Rosette colleague, we were able to offer a strong argument for release. Thank goodness for small-town politics.”
“How long until Frances needs to be back in court?” I asked.
Lily named a date two weeks in the future as she pulled a file from her briefcase. “Here you go.” She handed Joe a copy of the autopsy report. “It isn’t complete, of course, because it doesn’t include final toxicology findings. My legal team will go over this tomorrow, but if you come up with any ‘Aha!’ moments, I’d be happy to hear them.”
“Thanks.” Joe began paging through. “Did they give you an estimate as to when the tox results will be in?”
“They’ve put a rush on the lab, but I’m guessing we may not have a final answer before we go back to court for Frances’s next hearing.”
Joe continued to flip through the papers.
“Thank you, Dr. Bradley,” she said. “Again, please contact me if you find anything of interest.”
He glanced up at the obvious dismissal. “Yes, sure,” he said. “I guess I’ll take off now.”
I walked him out of the offices into the corridor. “Sorry,” I said. “She’s a little brusque.”
“Part of the job description. Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help,” I said. “This has been a long day for you. I’ve eaten up all your time off. I’ll bet you can’t wait to get home.”
“Honestly, it’s been enlightening,” he said. “It may sound weird, but I enjoyed myself.” He held the report aloft. “And as an added bonus, I have this absorbing reading ahead of me tonight.”
Chapter 27
“Hello?” I called as I stepped through our back door that evening. The kitchen lights were off and although sunlight slicing through the back window provided enough illumination for me to see, the room felt more than empty, as though all the life had been sucked out of it. There were cleaning supplies strewn all over the table and cardboard boxes piled on each of the chairs.
