He went stiff, then shook himself. “It didn’t go well. They refused to acknowledge her. They’d told everyone that Carla was dead, and maybe they were afraid of being revealed as the bigots they really were.” His tone was dark and bitter. “They literally pushed her out of the house and threatened her safety if she ever came back. She was shaking when she came here, and Carl and I had to calm her down. Once she was gone, we were so angry. Carl couldn’t go home.”
A long breath. “And that was where the trouble began. We started talking about the past, what might have been. If we’d gotten married. If, if, if.” He twisted his legs and moved to the side, as if trying to protect himself from my gaze—or perhaps from my judgment.
I checked my watch and realized I had only ten minutes before Kurt was going to come in. And only an hour and a half before William and Alice were going to show up at our house, expecting Cristal to be there. “Grant, I think you want to see this happen, too. You know it’s what Carl would have wanted. It’s the last gift you can give to him, now that he’s gone. You can see his children all together and know that they are honoring him the way he should be honored.”
“I didn’t kill him,” said Grant. His eyes were wet with tears, and I thought I could see new lines of anguish on his forehead and cheeks.
I put a hand on his. “I believe you, Grant. You wouldn’t have done that. You loved Carl. And we can make things come out right; we just need to be able to talk to Cristal.”
Grant sighed. “You’re right. This is about Carl. And what he would have wanted.” He stood up from the couch and walked away.
I was left there for a long minute, wondering what would happen next.
When Grant came back, he had a piece of paper with an address and a phone number on it. “She’s a student at the University of Utah,” he said.
Just like Samuel.
“Thank you,” I said. Had Kurt had some inkling of how close by she was when he’d told William and Alice to show up in two hours? Or were we just lucky that people tended to stay in Utah because of the influence of the Mormon church and the desire to stay within the safety bubble of other church members?
I called Cristal as Grant watched me. It felt very odd to introduce myself to her as the wife of the bishop in Carl Ashby’s ward, but I kept to the cold facts.
“He’s dead,” she said, her tone flat. Not “she,” I thought. Even though Carl had been her biological mother.
“I know that. But he has two other children who would like very much to meet you. Their names are William and Alice.”
“Carl told me about them a little, the one time we met,” said Cristal. She sounded shy, her voice as high-pitched as Emma’s.
“Well, they disappeared today and we’re very concerned about their health and safety. William is diabetic and he shouldn’t be away from home for so long. But they’re very upset and they won’t come home unless they can talk to you.” I paused, but she said nothing, so I went on. “William is just barely fifteen and Alice is seventeen. Their father’s death has really run them through the wringer. All the secrets he had keep coming out. I think they need to talk to someone who can tell them the truth about him.”
“I’m not sure I can tell them much of any value,” said Cristal.
“Please, I don’t know what they will do if you don’t agree to come see them. I promise, I won’t leave you alone with them. Grant will be at our home, as well.” I glanced at him to make sure he agreed to that.
He hesitated, then nodded.
“I’ve got a test tomorrow morning,” said Cristal. “I was hoping to study. And then to get some actual sleep.”
She was older than many college students. I wondered if she was working and paying her way through school. Or maybe she started after going on a Mormon mission. I didn’t know anything about her.
“I know college is important, but so is family,” I said. Family was a guilt trigger for any Mormon, and I was using it shamelessly.
“All right, I’ll come,” she said finally. “What time do I need to be there?”
“Thank you.” I could feel tears dripping from my chin to my shirt. “Come as soon as possible. I told them you would be there in an hour and a half.” I gave her the address to our house. “Do you have a car?” I asked. I would have to look up the schedule for Trax, but I could go pick her up at the station if I had to. Or drive to her dorm and get her from there.
“I can borrow one,” she said.
Grant promised he would come over to our house soon, too, and I left his front porch just in time to stop Kurt from coming in. We got back home and waited tensely for everyone to arrive.
Chapter 36
Just after ten p.m., Grant Rhodes was standing in our kitchen uncomfortably while I madly baked cookies, not because I thought anyone wanted to eat them, but because it helped me feel calmer. Emma Ashby was watching me, giving me “helpful” hints about baking soda versus baking powder.
I still hadn’t received any word back from Detective Gore, though I’d tried twice to call her and been sent straight to voice mail. Apparently, she had more important things to do than to tie up a murder case where she’d known the identity of the killer for weeks. I hoped that my word and Kurt’s about what Emma would say tonight would be enough for the prosecution.
The doorbell rang and Kurt went to the door.
From the kitchen, I heard that same high-pitched, floating voice from the phone. Cristal, I assumed. She sounded nervous and I sent a prayer up to heaven for her. Coming here was a great sacrifice for her.
Kurt brought her into the kitchen. I admit, I was stunned again by how much she reminded me of Carl. The same dark hair, though longer and curlier; the same eyes; the same nose and strong chin. Even some of her body language echoed his, which was surprising, since she hadn’t met him until too late in life for him to influence her mannerisms. Could they be hereditary?
I wanted to fold her into a hug, but I resisted and kept working on the cookies. Everything was too strained at the moment.
Grant hugged her instead, and she stayed by his side. She called him by his first name, “Grant,” not “Dad.” Hearing that made me a little sad. Grant had lost so much in all of this.
“Kurt Wallheim,” said Kurt, holding out a firm hand to shake. Then he nodded to me. “My wife, Linda, is the one you spoke to on the phone.”
I came forward, wiping my hands on my apron, and shook her hand. It was a limp, sweaty handshake, betraying her anxiety.
It wasn’t until Emma cleared her throat that I remembered she was there, and that I hadn’t introduced her.
“This is Emma. Emma Ashby,” I said. I stumbled over the right pronouns and then gave up. “Your—his—Carl’s wife.”
“Glad to meet you,” said Emma coldly. She didn’t offer a hand.
Cristal ducked her head toward Grant, and I thought how very young she seemed. Maybe everyone seemed young to me now, but she seemed completely vulnerable.
When Grant nudged her, she held out her hand with a polite smile and said, “Good to meet you, Emma. Carl talked so much about you.”
“Oh? What did he say?” said Emma. She was chewing her lip, her nervous tell.
“How pretty you were—are,” said Cristal, stuttering a bit. “I’m so glad he was happy with you, after everything he went through. I think—he deserved happiness.”
I took a breath as Emma relaxed enough to let go of her lip.
Cristal held Emma’s gaze, and I decided the young woman had strength despite her shy words. It made me think well of her adoptive parents.
Emma stepped back, but the two of them were still locked eye-to-eye. “What did he say to you about the money?” she asked bluntly.
“Money?” said Cristal, looking around the room with a confused expression, hoping for assistance from someone. Grant patted her shoulder and whispered something in h
er ear, and she relaxed. “Oh, Carl’s money,” she said, shaking her head. “We didn’t ever talk about that. We only met a couple of times and that was a long time ago.”
“But you kept trying to contact him,” said Emma. “Because you believed that you deserved all of his money since you were his biological daughter.”
“What? I never asked for that. Why would I?” Cristal looked wounded.
“And then you wanted to make sure that he put you into the will, so that if he died, you would inherit everything, didn’t you?” Emma’s tone was vicious, but there was an underlying fear in it, like a cornered dog whining.
“My parents paid for college. I’m not in debt. And I have a job of my own. I don’t need any of Carl’s money,” said Cristal. She sounded less innocent now, and justifiably more defensive.
“Of course you don’t,” said Grant, patting her shoulder. “Emma, Cristal came here of her own free will to help you with your children. If you keep at her like this, I’ll take her right out the door.”
“What does she expect to get out of this if not money?” Emma demanded. With some enormous effort, she was holding herself rigid, and I frankly worried she was going to give herself an aneurysm.
“Let’s have some cookies,” I said, trying to cut the tension.
But just then the doorbell rang.
Emma started, and she was trembling and twitching again.
“I’ll get it,” said Kurt.
“They’re my children,” Emma said, and followed him. I let out a long breath as she left.
Cristal shuddered. I ate a cookie while I had the chance.
After a few muted words in the foyer, Kurt led William and Alice into the kitchen. Emma was busy chastising them. Grant and Cristal had taken seats at the counter. I handed them each a small plate of cookies, which were completely ignored.
“Do you have any idea how frightened I’ve been?” Emma asked shrilly. When no one answered, she went on. “I was imagining that car of Grant’s, but with both of you inside of it, burning alive. Is that what you wanted? For me to suffer? Well, I’ve suffered.”
William, obviously avoiding Grant, sat at the kitchen table. Alice, on the other hand, stepped right up to Cristal.
“I’m Alice,” she said, holding out a hand.
“Oh. Oh,” said Cristal. She ignored Alice’s hand and hopped off her chair, hugging Alice tentatively instead. “I was worried about you.” She glanced at William. “About both of you.”
I brought William a plate of cookies, and Emma warned him, “Check your blood sugar first.”
He deliberately ignored her and ate three cookies in a row.
“Have you bolused today at all?” demanded Emma.
William seemed to look reflexively at his pump, but stopped himself. “I’m fine,” he said. “You don’t always have to fuss over me. I’m not going to die when you’re not there to watch over me.”
I wondered at what age most children took control of their own diabetes care. He was fifteen now, but it seemed like Emma thought he was very irresponsible.
“Well, I’m not so sure of that,” said Emma. “Let’s get you home to bed.”
“We’re not going home yet,” said Alice, facing her mother squarely with hands on hips. “We just got here. I want to talk to Cristal. That was the point of all of this. Wasn’t it, William?”
William didn’t say anything. But his eyes were taking everything about Cristal in. I could tell he was noticing how much she was like Carl, and it hurt him. He seemed to hunch down into himself.
Emma dismissed Cristal with a wave. “You’ve met her. What else do you want to do? You can go to the movies together some other time. We’ve all had a long day. I think it’s time to end it.”
“Emma, let’s give them some time. Why don’t you come with me and we can discuss Carl’s funeral,” Kurt suggested, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She shook him off impatiently.
“Maybe you should check your numbers and do your insulin—and stuff,” said Cristal to William. She glanced up at Emma, as if for approval. She didn’t get it. Emma only glared at her.
“I want to know what he said to you,” said William. His voice cracked.
“Your father loved you so much,” Cristal replied wistfully. “He talked about you every minute I was with him. He thought you were going to save the world.”
“From what?” William’s tone was flat, feigning disinterest, but his eyes were alert.
Cristal smiled, and I could have kissed her for the way she seemed to make William feel important. He needed that so much. “From everything. He told me that you were the smartest person he ever met,” she said to William. “Scary smart. He said you figured out you were smarter than he was when you were about nine years old.”
William grinned at that, if only briefly
“And you . . .” Cristal turned to Alice.
“What about me?” said Alice.
“He thought you were beautiful and smart. He was afraid it would be so easy for you to get boyfriends to do things for you that you might never realize how capable you were yourself. He said that you had always shown William that he’d better listen to you. A natural leader of men, he called you.”
If Cristal was faking all of this, she had to be the best actress in the world.
“He really said that?” asked Alice, her hand to her throat.
I glanced at Emma, who looked upset. Couldn’t she see how therapeutic this was for her children? Or was she too far gone?
Cristal nodded. “I admit, I felt a little jealous when he talked about you two. I wondered what my life would have been like if—” She stopped. “I mean, I have the best parents in the world. I’m in no danger of forgetting that. But Carl was so passionate. It was like he loved you twice as much as any parent.”
As much as a father and a mother combined, I thought.
“Sometimes that was hard,” said Alice, her hand still at her throat. “It felt—heavy. Like this weight was on me, wherever I went. Like he was watching me.”
“Yeah. I feel like that, too. My parents have high expectations,” said Cristal, shrugging. “I think good parents are always like that.”
My phone buzzed and I glanced down to see a message from Detective Gore:
Keep everyone calm and whatever you do, don’t let Emma get Cristal alone. She may be in danger. I will be there as soon as I can. Ten minutes if I use the siren.
Did I want her to use the siren or not? I wanted her here right now, but I was afraid of what Emma would do once she realized that this gathering wasn’t just for William and Alice. I still needed her to confess. How was I going to manage that?
Grant began to tell a story about Carl/Carla saying goodbye to baby Cristal for the last time, and the three young people leaned in to listen to it. Soon there were wet eyes. Cristal ducked her head and stepped away from Grant. Kurt motioned for me to come stand by him. I thought to myself that we were going to make it through this. I just needed to get Emma in the right mood to talk about the night of Carl’s murder.
She had conveniently forgotten so many things. Maybe she had forgotten the moment of Carl’s death, too. But if I could just get her to admit she had been at the church, that she had been furious with Carl, then—then what? Well, it would be a start, anyway. Would Detective Gore be able to arrest her at last? Would President Frost step out of the way?
I was thinking too much instead of watching Emma. And that was when she acted. In one swift movement, she grabbed the butcher knife from the block on the side of the counter and held it to Cristal’s throat. “She’s coming with me. No one else would deal with her, so now I have to. It’s for the sake of my children. They need me to protect them from her.”
Cristal’s face went white with terror and her hands fluttered at her side. “Kurt!” I let out.
It was so easy to think of Emma Ashby as petite and thin, helpless as she liked to pretend to be, but now her muscles were taut in her arms, and her face was a rictus of anger.
“Emma, let Cristal go,” said Kurt calmly.
“I won’t,” she said. “I’m the only one who knows what has to be done.” And at that, she sliced the knife shallowly across Cristal’s throat. My heart stopped for a moment, but Cristal only whimpered as blood welled up along the poor girl’s throat and made a dark, red smiling line under her chin.
Emma seemed thrilled at her sense of power, and I had an image of what she might have looked like when she was strangling Carl: intent, satisfied, and with a measure of righteousness.
“Emma, stop!” Kurt shouted.
It was enough to get Emma to move, but she didn’t let go of Cristal. Instead, she grabbed the young woman’s arm, knife pointed at her chest, and pulled her along the tiled floor of the kitchen, toward the front door. I stood there, frozen.
“Emma, you don’t want to do this,” Kurt said in something between a horrified shout and a hoarse plea.
“I’m going to save my family!” screeched Emma. Her whole body was trembling, but she didn’t loosen her grip on Cristal.
As Emma fumbled with the door, Cristal’s eyes met mine, and God forgive me, I motioned for her to stay quiet and go along with this. I was thinking that Emma would let go, that Cristal would have a chance to break free, that Detective Gore would be here any moment. That someone was going to step in and stop the worst from happening.
But Emma didn’t let go of Cristal. She used her elbow to knock the door open, then lurched her way onto the porch. I could see the veins on her neck popping out as she hustled Cristal at knifepoint toward her car.
“Linda!” Kurt called as I ran after them both.
The porch lights were on so that I could watch Emma fling open the back door of her SUV. Cristal’s eyes rolled back in her head as Emma shoved her in and slammed the door. I ran to the car and thumped on the locked door, but Emma had already reached the driver’s side and jammed the key in the ignition. The engine revved to life.
His Right Hand Page 25
