Fatal Impulse: A Widow's Web Novel

by Lori L. Robinett

  “Doctor,” Her mind spun, wondering how she could’ve been exposed. “How bad is this glycol stuff? What’s it do?”

  “It makes you seem drunk, and,” he hesitated. “It can cause death.”

  She gulped. “I see.”

  That night she laid awake for hours worrying, turning over what she knew, what she didn’t, and realized that the latter was a much bigger bunch of stuff. She felt as if she were putting together a jigsaw puzzle, missing a corner piece.

  The next morning, Andi called Dana as soon as she got out of the shower. She looked at the clock – only an hour and half to get ready! Dana’s excitement about the trip to Atlantic City was contagious. Andi had gotten so caught up in her own problems, she’d nearly forgotten all about her best friend’s impending nuptials. Dana’s enthusiasm was catching, and by the time Andi hung up the phone, she was looking forward to the trip, too. A change of scenery might be exactly what she needed - and might get her away from whoever wanted to do her harm, whether that be Portia or the investigator. She grabbed the small suitcase from the top of the closet and tossed it on the bed. A flash of white caught her eye.

  Inside was a brochure from the Chapel of the Stars, and a note scribbled in Chad’s distinctive neat writing that said “$55 – no blood test – 3-day needed.”

  The room tilted dangerously, and she felt as though the floor had dropped out from under her.

  Her husband had been planning a wedding.

  She took a deep breath. Even though her feelings about Atlantic City were tainted now, she decided it would be good to go. She had to, for Dana’s sake. She would check out this Chapel and do a little digging while there. Maybe she could find something out, though she had no idea what.

  She left the brochure and note in the suitcase, and covered them with her things. Her favorite clothes went in. She intended to look good while there. Just as she flipped her bag closed and latched it, the phone rang. She picked it up and answered.

  A gravelly voice greeted her. “Hey, lover.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, yourself.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Packing.”

  “Packing? For what?”

  “I’m going to Atlantic City with Dana. Remember? She’s getting married this weekend.”

  “Oh. Well,” He paused a beat, then murmured seductively, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “I think I’m safe in saying I can do that.” She squeezed her eyes closed and reminded herself that he was married.

  “When will you be back?”

  She felt a little thrill at his question, and immediately hated herself for it. “Just a couple of days. We’re coming back Tuesday.” Dana getting married reminded Andi of how much she missed being a couple.

  “I’ll miss you.”

  She couldn’t keep the jealous bite out of her voice, “No, you won’t. Just snuggle up with your wife.”

  “Hey,” he said, sounding genuinely hurt. “That’s not fair.”

  “Who said life is fair?” She hated the bitterness in her voice. All she wanted was for Caren to disappear so that Paul would be free. After meeting Portia face to face, Andi felt like one big raw nerve.

  “She won’t be home anyway. I’ll be here all by myself, thinking about you.”

  “You poor thing. Where will she be?” She fought the urge to add, with her lover?

  “She’s visiting family in Massachusetts.”

  “And not taking her loving husband?” Meow. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t usually this catty.

  “I’ve got other obligations. And this way she can go shopping in New York City with her friends one day. That’s not my thing.”

  “I see. Don’t suppose you’d want to take advantage of your time as a bachelor and join me in A.C.?” She chewed her lower lip, immediately sorry she’d asked. Desperation wasn’t sexy.

  He hesitated. “You know I can’t do that. Besides, you and Dana need the time together.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and examined her neglected fingernails, “She’ll be busy with her husband. I’ll be free to paint the town red. And since this is my first trip as a single woman, I intend to do just that.”

  He sighed. “Just be careful. Please.”

  “Call me Tuesday night?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. She didn’t want to seem needy. She hated that about herself.

  After a beat, he said, “Talk to you soon.”

  Then there was silence.

  She stared at the phone for a moment, aching with the desire to be needed and loved. It had been so long since anyone had said they loved her. Chad never said it unless they were within earshot of someone he wanted to impress. And Paul was such a nice guy, and handsome to boot. Being with him was exciting and fresh, yet as comfortable as her favorite pair of faded jeans. She could picture them walking together hand in hand through life, them against the world.

  She felt restless and anxious to get going on this trip, to get out of town, but most of all, to get out of the house that constantly reminded her of her dead husband. She ran to the post office to get stamps, then stopped at the grocery store to pick up some chocolate syrup for the ice cream Paul had dropped off, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to drive by his house.

  It was silly and childish, she knew, but she felt drawn to him. She slowed when she got close, squinting against the glare of the sun on the car parked in his driveway. The glare lessened as she pulled even with their house, and she nearly drove off the road. Sunlight glinted off the back of a black Mercedes sedan, just like the one Portia drove. A horn beeped impatiently, and she glanced in her rearview mirror. A little white sports car hovered right on her bumper. She slowed and eased right to let the coupe pass her.

  Surely there has to be more than one black Mercedes sedan in Buccaneer Bay, although she couldn’t think of one to save her soul.

  There was no traffic coming so she spun the steering wheel to the left and did a U-turn. She made it back to the city limits in record time and didn’t slow down until she reached the Seaside B&B. She hit the brakes and pulled up to the gate. Not a Mercedes in sight.

  37

  Perhaps Portia decided to leave town on the same day that someone with a similar car visited Paul and Caren. She could ask Paul, but didn’t want to admit that she’d driven past his house. That seemed a little too desperate and needy, and she didn’t want him to think of her that way. She had enough real problems to worry about without creating more.

  A horn beeped outside. She pulled the curtain back and looked down to see Dana’s Impala in the driveway. Andi grabbed the suitcase and bounced down the stairs, anxious to get this trip started. Between the photos and someone poisoning her, she couldn’t wait to get out of Buccaneer Bay. She pulled the door shut behind her, then used her key to lock the deadbolt. By the time she reached the car, Dana had popped the trunk open. Andi dropped her suitcase in next to Dana’s, slammed the trunk closed and slipped into the passenger seat.

  Dana pointed to the cup holder. “Got you a French vanilla cappuccino.”

  Andi grinned at her friend, and felt the tension begin to melt away. “Thanks! Are you ready for this?”

  She giggled as she backed the car out of the driveway, and said, “Absolutely. I’ve known Derek was ‘the one’ from the very beginning.”

  The hot liquid burned Andi’s throat as she swallowed, “Good. And you don’t think you’ll regret not getting married in a church?” She glanced at the cup in her hands, then at her friend. Dana, she trusted. But who else could she trust?

  Dana’s long red locks swung as shook her head, “Not a bit. Honestly, it’s just a ceremony. Why go through
all the stress and expense of a big fancy wedding? Besides, this is Derek’s second wedding.”

  Andi remembered how she’d let Chad dictate their wedding. “But it’s your first.”

  Dana shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. “That’s OK. Whatever he wants is fine.” She pulled out of Buccaneer Bay, heading north. Oh! Derek isn’t going to get there until tomorrow, so you and I will have today and tonight to ourselves. Thought we could hit the spa and salon, get manis and pedis.”

  Andi smiled and thought about all the preparations for her own wedding, “Sure, that’ll be fun!”

  “What was your wedding like?” Dana glanced at Andi, “If you don’t mind talking about it.”

  “I don’t mind,” Andi said, and leaned her head back against the headrest, exhaustion taking its toll. “It was a big wedding, lots of family and friends. It was nice, but felt like such a production.”

  “And your dress? Your mom took you shopping for your dress?”

  “Yeah. We spent a day in Kansas City, and went to the JC Penney’s outlet store. I found a dress that I really liked, and it was less than a hundred bucks, so Mama bought it for me.”

  Dana whistled. “Wow, that’s a bargain!”

  Andi laughed, “Mama didn’t have much money. After Daddy died, she struggled just to keep her head above water, but she insisted on buying my dress.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  They continued on to the airport, chatting more about wedding memories and what Dana wanted her wedding to be like. Andi’s mind wandered and she thought about the credit card receipts from that casino dated in April, the note she’d found, the wedding chapel brochure, and the new Will. What would’ve happened if Chad hadn’t met an untimely end? She had the uncomfortable feeling that she’d barely missed being left behind like so much discarded trash.

  Suddenly, she remembered the things she’d found in the gun cabinet. Perhaps Dana would be able to explain it. Andi quickly told her friend about Chad’s hidden stash. Dana listened without comment, until Andi got to the part about the stock certificates.

  Dana put a hand on Andi’s arm and said, “Wait a minute, Woodson Enterprises stock certificates?”

  Andi nodded. “Is that important?”

  Her friend snorted, “Well, yeah. Don’t you ever listen to the news?”

  Andi shrugged.

  “You’ve heard that August Woodson is on death’s door?”

  Andi thought of the deadline the blackmailer had given her, and wondered how long she had. “Yeah, but what’s so important about his death?”

  “Woodson Enterprises is huge, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors wants to take the company public. If they do that – it’s called an Initial Public Offering or IPO – anyone who owns stock initially will be rich.” Dana looked at her friend and punctuated her words with raised eyebrows. “I mean filthy rich.”

  That reminded Andi of the photocopies she’d found in Chad’s desk. One of those papers had the words Public Offering circled on it. “So are these stock certificates worth a lot of money?”

  “They will be when the company goes public. And the way they are now, if you were dishonest, you could make them TOD to you. They’d be worth millions.”

  Andi considered that, then her thoughts turned to the blackmailer, the stock certificates, the poisoning. Obviously, someone wanted her out of the way so they could cash in on the Woodson fortune.

  But that wasn’t going to happen. The meek, submissive person who had been married to Chad was gone. She needed to be tough, and figure out how to survive.

  As they crossed over to the mainland. Andi pointed, “There’s our turn.”

  Dana signaled and turned into the airport. They skirted around the airport, then found a parking spot. The two women got out and stretched a moment before getting their bags out of the trunk. They headed for their terminal and moved fairly quickly through the line to check their bags. Andi found herself caught up in Dana’s excitement. She and Derek had been a perfect couple from day one, and Andi was sincerely happy for her. She told everyone in line that she was on her way to get married, and introduced Andi as her maid of honor, which resulted in congratulations all around. The line moved along quickly, and they were soon waiting at their gate, one of the advantages of a small airport.

  “Oh, I almost forgot!” Dana reached into her purse and pulled out a little pink gift bag. “This is for you!”

  Andi pulled out the tissue paper and found a little velvet covered box. She looked at her friend with raised eyebrows. Dana laughed and urged Andi to open it. To Andi’s surprise, it was the ring that she’d had made from her wedding set that day they were shopping. The day she’d spotted Caren and her lover. With all the drama of the hospital visit and losing her job – not to mention Paul and Caren – she’d nearly forgotten about the ring.

  “Thank you!” Andi leaned over and hugged her best friend. “You are so sweet!”

  Dana shrugged, “You’ve had a lot on your mind lately, so I had Derek pick it up for you when he went to get mine.”

  She slipped the ring on her right middle finger and admired it. Such a thoughtful gift. Soon, their flight was called to board and they made their way to the attendant checking tickets. They walked across the hot tarmac and up the steps to the plane. Dana had never flown before, so Andi let her have the window seat. She remembered all too well how excited she’d been to fly the first time, and how badly she’d wanted the window seat. But Chad preferred the window seat, so she sat on the aisle. A sigh escaped at the memory. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, thankful that part of her life was over.

  It was a short flight, but sodas and peanuts were served. Andi stretched up to see out the window. Dana hadn’t said two words since the plane rose into the air, intent on the view. A layover in Philadelphia, and they were on their way to A.C. Dana watched the landscape below, and pointed out casino resorts rising from the edge of the Atlantic. Even in the daylight, it was impressive. Dana grinned from ear to ear, but Andi felt hollow. Did Chad fly in by himself, or did he have his lover in the seat beside him?

  They landed and collected their luggage from the baggage carousel. Dana’s head swiveled and she said, “There’s probably a kiosk around so we can call for a shuttle from our hotel.”

  Andi put her hand on her friend’s arm and pointed to a tall man dressed in black holding a sign that said “Dana, Bride-to-Be.”

  Dana looked at Andi, green eyes wide, and exclaimed, “No way!”

  Andi grinned, glad she’d taken the time to make the call before her friend arrived that morning. It had taken nearly everything in her meager bank account, but the look on Dana’s face was worth it. “Yup. Happy wedding weekend!”

  They followed the driver out to a black Hummer waiting at the curb. Dana’s eyes bulged and she kept murmuring, “Oh, my gosh - I don’t believe this.”

  Andi smiled, thrilled at her friend’s reaction. The driver loaded their bags into the back and then held the back door open for them. Andi hopped in and scooted across, and Dana followed. Neither of them had ever been to Atlantic City before, so Andi asked the driver to take them for a tour of the city before taking them to the Tropicana.

  The city seemed to stretch out along the beach. They passed so many high rises, monstrosities that reached towards the sky, as well as the Absecon Lighthouse and the Trump Taj Mahal, where Andi knew Dana and Derek had reservations at Il Mulino New York after their wedding ceremony. It seemed surreal, the buildings rising up out of the sand. Kind of a shame, really.

  The driver gave the women a list of recommended things to see, and promised that he’d be back the following day to take Dana and Derek to dinner at the Taj Mahal after they were married. Andi tipped and thanked him, and Dana squeezed he
r arm on the way into the hotel, thanking Andi over and over for arranging the limo service.

  “I never expected that!” A bellhop appeared to take their bags and Dana whispered, “I feel like a queen!”

  “You are queen for the weekend, and my job as maid of honor is to make it as special as possible for you.”

  They checked in and went up to the room. It was absolutely sumptuous, decorated in blue and white. Derek was due to arrive the following day, and the two lovebirds had reserved a Premium Suite in the South Tower for their wedding night. Andi’d have the room to herself the remainder of the trip, and she could hardly wait to crawl between the sheets and sleep with no fear of being interrupted by a ringing phone.

  They each claimed a bed, and Andi flopped down among a pile of pillows while Dana took a shower to freshen up after their long day of travel. She was nervous. She’d gone through the cash from the attorney in Bangor too quickly, and felt the strain of being unemployed. The handful of bills in her purse would have to last the weekend, and she’d have to eat macaroni for the rest of the month.

  The limo was an extravagance she shouldn’t have indulged in, but seeing Dana’s expression of pure joy made it worth every penny. As soon as she got back to Buccaneer Bay, she needed to make finding a job a priority. She quashed her worries when her friend came out, determined to enjoy the weekend.

  38

  Dana tried to talk Andi into going to the casino and gambling after they hit the salon, but Andi wasn’t in the mood. Andi finally convinced her friend to go by herself, then got on the elevator. As she watched the numbers tick higher, she sank lower. Chad made her life miserable, and now he was doing it from beyond the grave. The elevator door slid open two floors below hers and when a middle aged couple got on, she got off. She waited until the door slid shut, then pushed the down button and got on the next elevator.