by Carr, Lauren
“What was alive that she thought wasn’t alive? Niles?” Archie looked at Mac. “Could the intruder be Niles?” She turned back to David. “Maybe deep down you knew all along that she killed Niles and felt guilty for sleeping with his killer.”
David dropped his head into his hands. “Niles is dead. He wasn’t Pay Back and he didn’t kill Katrina.”
Archie asked, “Did you know that Sophia threatened Katrina?”
David chuckled, “I answered the call when Sophia came over for a piece of her. Believe me, you would never want to get Sophia mad at you. I came very close to cuffing her.”
Mac asked, “Why did Sophia want a piece of Katrina?”
“Sophia claimed Katrina tried to seduce Travis,” David said. “Katrina told me that it was the other way around and Travis tried to rape her. Sophia caught them. I told Sophia that if I ever caught her over here again that I would arrest her and that wouldn’t look good in the tabloids. My warning must have worked. Katrina never heard from Sophia again.”
“What about Travis?” Mac asked. “Did you question him about Katrina saying that he tried to rape her?”
“According to him, she offered to sleep with him in exchange for his influence to get her zoning request approved. He said, she said. Katrina refused to press charges. I dropped the case.”
Archie said, “Sophia is athletic enough to have committed the murders.”
“Plus she is insanely jealous and violent.” David smiled at the prospect of finding his killer.
“Wait.” She changed her mind. “Sophia was in Europe that first summer. She hadn’t even met Katrina until well after Pay Back showed up.”
“When was that?” Taking a cookie from the plate, Mac asked David, “When did Katrina first talk to you about Pay Back?”
David sighed. “When I ran into her at the Inn last Fourth of July weekend. I was overseas when Niles was murdered.”
“That same summer Travis met Sophia in Europe. They didn’t come back here until the next spring,” Archie said. “Sophia hadn’t even met Katrina until then.”
Mac’s eyes bore into David’s. “Last summer, while Pay Back terrorized Katrina, who would she call for help? The police or you personally?”
“She would call me on my cell. She never called the station.”
Archie declared, “Because she didn’t trust Chief Phillips.”
David agreed. “She said he was an idiot.”
Mac turned the printed e-mail Archie had delivered that morning to the blank side. At one end, he drew a line down the page.
“This is two years ago.” Mac wrote across one end of the line. “Lee Dorcas threatens Katrina at Ingram’s office in Washington. He causes such a scene that they call security. About this same time, Katrina gets engaged to Niles Holt.” He made a note about the engagement on the same line.
“Soon after that, Katrina marries Niles.” Mac drew another line down the page next to the first line. “Allegedly, Dorcas came into her dressing room at the church and threatened to kill her new husband.” He noted the threat along the line. “No reports or witnesses. As a matter of fact, she told no one about this incident until after Niles Holt was killed three months later.” He drew another line further down the sheet.
David said, “I know where you’re going with this, Mac. It makes sense and doesn’t make sense all at the same time.”
Archie agreed. “We all saw Pay Back. I thought we’d already decided Katrina killed Niles and tried to make Lee Dorcas the patsy.”
“Bear with me for a minute.” Mac studied the paper. “Katrina kills Niles and claims Dorcas did it. After his murder, she makes a statement about being threatened for months before Niles’s murder. But during that time period no one saw anything to confirm that.” He looked up at Archie.
She asked him, “Do you mean did anyone see Pay Back that first summer?”
“Or Lee Dorcas? After Niles was killed, Robin wrote in her journal that Katrina said someone had been threatening her, but she didn’t act like a woman being threatened. Robin doubted her story so much that she hiked up to the rock to examine the crime scene herself and found Katrina’s necklace off the cliff.”
“That’s right,” Archie said.
“And forensics points to Katrina being the killer,” David said. “So we can conclude that during that first summer, Pay Back wasn’t real. At that point, Katrina had made up the harassment to throw suspicion away from her.”
Mac drew another line down the page. “Katrina moves back to Washington.” He drew a second line an inch further down the page. “She marries Chad Singleton.” He tapped the two lines with the pencil. “Now, Katrina told David that the same man that killed her husband continued threatening her after she went back to the city. But now we know that said man didn’t exist. Plus, according to Rachel Singleton, Katrina didn’t get any threats that she knew of.”
“Rachel isn’t a credible witness,” David said.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Mac drew another line. “Katrina and her new husband return to Spencer. Shortly afterwards, Chad goes back to the city. Katrina runs into a former beau, who is now a cop. She tells him about the harassment going back to when Lee Dorcas first threatened her at the law firm the year earlier. Claiming that she is too frightened to be alone, she invites him to spend nights in her home to watch over her.”
Laying down the pencil, Mac looked over at David.
“Are you telling me that I’m an idiot?”
“Same thing happened to me,” Mac said. “Once I gave a murder witness my cell phone number to call me if she needed anything. She called me three times claiming the killer had come after her. Each time, she wanted me to spend the night to protect her. I got suspicious the second time. The third time I told her I’d write her up for filing a false report if she called me again.”
“Are you saying that Katrina lied to lure David to her house so that she could seduce him?” Unable to comprehend a woman doing such a thing, Archie shook her head.
“It wouldn’t be the first time a woman played the damsel in distress to get an attractive cop to come to her aid.”
“But we all saw Pay Back,” she objected.
“He drugged us one week after I was there,” David said.
“But did anyone besides Katrina see Pay Back before that night? At the wedding where Lee Dorcas threatened Niles? A threat Katrina failed to mention to anyone until after Niles had been killed. That first summer? In Washington, while Chad was reeling her in for her money?”
Archie and David looked at each other in silence.
“I saw Pay Back,” Archie said. “So did Robin and the Taylors.”
“After David started keeping an eye on her.”
David blurted out, “I thought you were trying to clear my name!”
“You’re not a suspect.”
“That isn’t the way I’m hearing it.”
“First, Katrina tried to frame Lee Dorcas for killing Niles. When he had an alibi, the killer became some mysterious stalker that resembled Dorcas. When she saw you, she used this same fictional terrorist to lure you to her home. Someone decided to make him real. We don’t get a third person confirmation that Pay Back exists until after you came onto the scene.”
“That’s what Katrina meant in your dream when she said ‘It’s alive,’” Archie told David.
“Katrina had created this monster. Suddenly, it came to life and destroyed her—just like in Frankenstein.” Mac studied his timeline. “Since no one saw Pay Back until last summer, then we can conclude that Katrina’s killer didn’t come into the picture until then.”
Archie said, “Sophia was here last summer.”
“Sophia met Katrina the same night I saw her at the Inn,” David recalled. “I remember Travis was excited to see Katrina because they hadn’t seen each other since high school. That may have been when it started.”
“Sophia’s connected to Betsy.” Archie smiled. “What a convenient patsy. Killing a nobody like Betsy would h
ave been like stomping out a bug with her shoe.”
“We’re forgetting about Gnarly,” Mac interjected.
David and Archie became quiet. At the sound of his name, Gnarly sat up from where he had been dozing in the afternoon sun.
“Gnarly attacked Katrina’s murderer,” Mac reminded them. “Our suspect has to have dog bites on him or her.”
Archie frowned. “Sophia doesn’t have a mark on her. That’s for certain. She shows enough flesh for us all to see that.”
“Betsy didn’t have any dog bites on her either,” David said. “That proves her confession is a fake.”
Mac countered, “But someone killed Betsy and wrote a confession in her name to point the finger at her. I think we need to go have a talk with Travis.”
* * * *
“Do you have an invitation?”
The Turners’ butler stopped Mac, Archie, and David at the front door. The combination of his black suit, tie, and humorless manner reminded Mac of Lurch from The Addams Family. With unpleasant glances at the party crashers, guests in professionally designed ensembles barged past them to enter the by-invitation-only poolside event.
David pointed at the gold badge pinned to his chest. “How’s this for an invitation?”
“Wait here.” Lurch went through the foyer and out onto the back deck.
Archie craned her neck to see that many of the guests had changed into swimsuits for sunning or swimming in the pool, next to which their host’s assistant had been found dead the day before. “Where’s Betsy’s place?”
“It’s behind the garage.” Before David could inform her that the guest house had the decor of a tool shed, Archie jogged across the driveway.
“David!” they heard Travis call out from across the foyer. His royal blue ascot matched the hue of his tailored summer suit. “You’re just in time for a private party celebrating my latest book deal. Five million dollars’ advance for five books.” His broad smile dared them to ruin his moment of grandeur. “I hope this isn’t official business.”
“It is,” David said.
Travis’s smile wavered. “Well, seeing as how you aren’t properly dressed, it would be best to meet in my study. Let me go explain to some of my guests.”
Mac saw Councilman Bill Clark loitering across the foyer. His expression darkened when Travis whispered to him the cause of the interruption.
“O’Callaghan, what do you think you’re doing?” the politician demanded to know. “Do you know who this is?” Behind him, Mac saw a smug grin cross their host’s face.
“I am well aware of who Travis Turner is,” David replied in an even tone. “But this takes precedence. We have a murder to investigate.”
Bill Clark scoffed. “She committed suicide.”
“If you can tell me how someone not only rolls over from her back to her stomach, but also moves from one location to another hours after killing herself, then I will gladly leave and go back to writing tickets for all the cars that are illegally parked along the road out there.” David gestured at the cars belonging to Travis’s party guests. Many were parked along Spencer Drive in plain view of No Parking signs on both sides of the road.
Bill Clark opened his mouth but nothing came out. He glanced over his shoulder at Travis.
“Lividity.” David explained, “When someone dies and lies in one position for a period of time—hours—their blood settles at the lowest point. In Ms. Weaver’s case, the blood settled in her back. That means she had been on her back for twelve to twenty-four hours before someone dumped her face down by Travis’s swimming pool.” He looked beyond the councilman to his former childhood friend. “Considering that she was his assistant and her body was found next to his pool, then Travis is the natural first person to question about these inconsistencies.”
Travis’s broad grin returned. “I’ll be glad to answer all of your questions. Anything I can do to help.”
When he followed the famous author into his study, Mac sensed before he saw a pair of eyes gazing down at him from over the fireplace. They belonged to a raven-haired beauty. The emerald green drape encasing her bosom matched her eyes, which seemed to invite them to take her into their arms.
“Gorgeous, isn’t she?” Travis gazed up at the portrait. “It’s a Deloise original, a little Christmas present for my bride. Cost me more than the advance for my second book, but worth every penny. How many men can say they commissioned Antonio Deloise to paint their wives for them? Did you know that he was dying of cancer?”
“No, we didn’t.” Mac could see David trying to find his voice.
“That’s not for public knowledge.” Travis smirked. “A year from now, this painting will be worth ten times what I paid for it.”
David turned his back on the portrait. “Travis, we’re having a couple of problems in closing Betsy’s case.”
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.” Travis strode over to the fireplace. “I underestimated you, bud.” With his back to them, he stared up at the image above him. “I found Betsy’s body in my bed when I came home Sunday afternoon.”
“Sunday afternoon?” Mac turned around from where he had been studying the book titles that lined the shelves in Travis’s bookcase.
Unlike Robin Spencer, Travis’s study contained one bookcase that held bestsellers no older than five years. A massive solid oak desk filled one corner of the author’s office. A closed laptop rested in the center of the desk.
“To change my clothes before going to pick up Sophia at the airport.” Travis turned to them. “That’s why I moved the body. I didn’t want Sophia to find out.”
“Find out what?” David asked. “What was your secretary doing in your bed?”
“Killing herself. Don’t you get it? Betsy flipped out.” He plopped down in a leather chair. “She hit on me the first time I walked into Vic Morgenstern’s office. She was very attentive and I admit I liked her, but not the same way she liked me. She was the one who insisted that I send A Death in Manhattan to Robin Spencer. When I got the book deal, she begged me to take her along with me. I did, but I made it clear that we would only be employer and employee. We worked good together, but things changed after I brought Sophia back from Europe.”
Unable to keep the sarcasm out of his tone, Mac asked, “Why would she change after you married another woman?”
“Were you intimate with your secretary?” David wanted to know.
“No!” Travis practically shouted before bursting into laughter. “My wife is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Why would I lower myself to someone like Betsy Weaver? Why would I have to?”
David glanced at Mac before replying, “Are you trying to tell us that Betsy killed herself in your bed as an act of symbolism?”
“Of course,” Travis said. “After I married Sophia, she became depressed and started acting weird. When she found out that I was having an affair with Katrina—”
“What?” David exclaimed.
With a quiet laugh, Travis looked up at the painting over the fireplace. “Come on, Dave. Did you really think you were the only one?”
“Katrina said you forced yourself on her.”
“I guess we should have gotten our stories straight, but when Sophia walked in on us, she didn’t give us a chance.” Travis’s smile faded. “Betsy couldn’t understand how I could have an extramarital affair with Katrina, who I hadn’t seen in years, and not her. She took her anger out on Katrina. I saw her following Katrina around.” He hung his head. “I should have said something. If I had, Katrina would still be alive.”
After giving Travis a moment to suck in a deep breath and regain what little composure he appeared to have lost, Mac demanded that he tell them what had happened that weekend.
“Betsy had been shadowing me for a long time. Frankly, I’ve gotten used to it. On Saturday, I went to the lounge at the Inn. A woman sent a drink over to me. Of course, I had to thank her. She told me that she was my biggest fan.” He chuckled. “One thing led to anoth
er and we made a date to get together at her place. On the way to my car, I ran into Betsy and she was hysterical. She accused me of cheating on her. I saw then that I had no choice but to put an end to this. So I told her how it was. The next afternoon, I came home and found her in my bed. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. I couldn’t let Sophia find Betsy in our bed. I tried to carry her to her cottage, but she weighed a ton. I only got her as far as the pool and dropped her.” He shook his head with a laugh. “I know all about lividity, but rolling that lard ass over onto her back was like trying to move a whale.”
David raised an eyebrow in Mac’s direction before asking, “Do you have the name and address of the new friend you hooked up with on Saturday?”
“Yes, but I can’t give it to you,” Travis said. “She’s married, too. You’ve both seen how jealous Sophia gets. If she found out, there’s no telling what she would do.” With a grin, he added, “I don’t know what it is about me that I pick these jealous types.”
David replied, “We understand, but I still need to check out your alibi. I will be discreet.”
While Travis scribbled out a name and address on a sheet of the typing paper from the inbox, Mac asked, “Did you ever read any of Betsy’s writings?”
“I read a couple of her manuscripts,” Travis said. “They were pretty much rewrites of my books.”
Mac told him, “Your agent told us that she called him Saturday night and insisted on seeing him first thing Monday morning. Do you know what that was about?”
“No.” Travis handed the information about his alibi to David. “I planned to ask her, but never got the chance on account of her offing herself.”
* * * *
When Archie found Betsy Weaver’s cottage, she sighed with relief to find that her laptop didn’t have a password login. Her relief faded when she found that it also didn’t have any pictures, files, or documents.
Someone had taken the laptop back to its factory settings and deleted all of Betsy’s files in the process.
They had neglected to take her notebooks.
Scanning random sections, Archie knelt on the floor to dig through the piles of yellow tablets. As she had suspected, the books contained storylines, outlines, and character notes for murder mysteries. She was shuffling through a two-foot-tall pile of notebooks on the floor in Betsy’s bedroom when she heard, “What are you doing?” hissed into her ear.
