by Jan Burke
Alas, Roy was finding Victoria to be a difficult wife. Roy was not one who would abandon his children, and imperfect though it might be, Giles didn’t believe for a moment that Roy would give up on the marriage. Now Roy had brought his problems to his brothers, seeking advice. Victoria was the topic at hand. As Giles had expected, it was Nelson who spoke first.
“Maybe Victoria is right. Maybe Huntington Beach is too close,” Nelson said. “I mean, I don’t want you to move away, Roy, but if your wife thinks she’ll be recognized by a reporter…”
“I can’t move much farther away,” Roy said. “Not unless I give up a large part of my business. Most of my client base is here in Las Piernas. And I don’t want to be any farther away from the family.”
“What exactly is it that Victoria is afraid of?” Dex asked.
“The article that you showed me. The one in the Express about missing children. Understandably, seeing that her former coworker — this Irene Kelly — is looking into cases of missing children disturbs her. She knows her ex-husband is still looking for the child who used to be known as Carla Ives. Victoria thinks Irene Kelly has a grudge against her or something, and will be fired up to try to find the woman she knew as Bonnie.”
“The woman she knew as Bonnie Creci,” Giles said. “A woman who was long gone from the paper before she became Bonnie Ives. Her name has changed a second time now. There is no reason to believe Irene Kelly has any reason to know of Victoria Fletcher’s existence, let alone that Bonnie and Victoria are the same person. The child’s name has been changed as well, and she’s not in the public school system. How is it that this reporter will find her?”
“None of these stories have mentioned Blake Ives,” Nelson added. “And now that it has published one set of stories on the topic, it probably won’t do so again, at least not for a year or two.”
“Besides,” Dex said, “Huntington Beach isn’t really in the news coverage area of the Las Piernas News Express.”
“I’ve told her all of this a million times,” Roy said, shaking his head.
“Do you think she’s losing her nerve?” Dex asked, getting right to the heart of the matter.
Roy hesitated, then said, “I worry about that, given her history of running away from problems.”
“What would she do? Try to go back to her first husband?”
“No. She knows I’d find her. She also knows Blake Ives won’t forgive her for taking the child. He undoubtedly still thinks of her as the alcoholic he last knew her to be.”
“She can’t divorce you.” Nelson stated this as fact.
“We are married, so technically, I suppose she could,” said Roy. “Our marriage was in another state, but under her real name. Her ex-husband believes she was with another man when the child went missing, so her ex has never known about me. If she starts proceedings to divorce me, though, she risks calling attention to herself from a system that’s been looking for her in connection with a missing child. And she knows that would lead to other discoveries, would mean our entire family would split up. Our children would be taken from us. She and I might go to prison.”
“You could leave her,” Nelson said.
Roy shook his head. “Even if I disappeared with the children, she would be able to cause a lot of problems. She disappeared with one child. A man disappearing with four children is another matter. She wouldn’t take any of that silently, either. Nothing would keep her in check — she wouldn’t have anything to lose. She would cause as much trouble for me as she could.”
“Ultimately not just for you and your four children, but for many others,” Dex said, in his cool, unruffled way.
“Yes. For many others in the Fletcher family. That’s why I’ve come to you. I want you to be aware of the situation.”
“Does she know of your infidelity?” Dex asked.
Roy and Nelson looked shocked, then Roy blushed.
Giles smiled a little. Dex glanced at him, and Giles saw the faintest hint of shared amusement in Dex’s eyes.
Roy said, “No.”
“No what?” Nelson asked. “No, you aren’t cheating on her? Or no, she doesn’t know?”
Roy took a deep breath and said, “No, she doesn’t know that I have cheated on her.”
“You don’t think she knows,” Dex said.
“Does she?” Roy asked anxiously, as if Dex might know his own wife better than he did.
Well, Giles reflected, that was entirely possible.
“She suspects, at the very least.” Dex smiled, a look of apology on his face. “At the gathering yesterday? After Sheila’s death?”
Roy nodded.
“Victoria approached me and said she was worried about Maggie, because Maggie’s looked a little tired lately. I said I thought Maggie looked quite well, as beautiful as ever. She said she thought most men thought Maggie was beautiful. She then wondered how Maggie coped with all the late-night business meetings we’ve been having, and said perhaps that might account for her lack of sleep.”
Roy looked stricken.
Nelson glanced between them, then asked Dex, “What did you say?”
“I didn’t deny the meetings, of course. I said that Maggie understood that it was easier for the men with small children if we occasionally met after the children had gone to bed. It gave those men more time with their children.” He paused. “She smiled and said Maggie was generous to put her own needs as a wife aside for the needs of the Fletcher brothers. She added that Maggie seemed to get out and about more than the other Fletcher women did, so perhaps she didn’t mind my neglecting her in the evening.”
Giles said, “Oh, my. Usually Victoria is more subtle with her barbs.”
“Yes,” Roy said, his voice a dry whisper.
“Let’s review,” Giles said. “You cannot relocate as a couple, you cannot leave her, she cannot leave you — at least, anyone who left the marriage would lose the children.”
“Right.”
“She believes this Irene Kelly is a threat. Do you?”
“I won’t say that it’s impossible for Ms. Kelly to track us down. The Express might publish photos of a woman who looked something like Victoria does now, and that might lead someone to identify her, but I think all of these possibilities are highly unlikely. The only place Victoria visits in Las Piernas is Dad’s house. I don’t believe anyone in the family would try to harm us, do you?”
“No,” said Nelson. Giles wasn’t so sure, but he kept this to himself.
“What about the possibility of someone in your neighborhood recognizing her?” Dex asked.
“Some people in Huntington Beach subscribe to the Express, but they’re a minority. Most people subscribe to the Register or the Times. I’ve looked around, checking driveways in the morning when I go for a run — I don’t think anyone on my street gets the Express.”
“Not at home, perhaps, but what if they see it elsewhere?”
“Our neighbors aren’t nosy types. We keep the house painted, the garage clean, and the lawn cared for. The children do nothing to annoy them. It’s suburban Orange County. All of that adds up to invisibility.”
“So far,” Dex said.
“Whom would Victoria go to for help?” Giles asked.
Roy thought for a moment, then answered, “The family — our family. She cut herself off from her own family a long time ago. She has a sister who lives in Pennsylvania, but they hate each other. I keep an eye on our phone records. No long-distance calls are showing up.”
“What about your… your other women?” Nelson asked.
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re sleeping around—”
“I’m not! I mean… Look, it’s one woman, whom I see very rarely and… and with complete discretion.”
“Not complete,” Dex said. “Victoria knows.”
“Victoria suspects,” Roy said.
Dex didn’t reply.
“What does your… your mistress know about you, about your family?” Nelson asked. �
��What if she tries to break up your marriage?”
“Not possible. There won’t be any problems there.”
“Who is she?” Nelson asked.
Clumsy! Giles thought, and frowned. “Really, Nelson. It’s not our business. I’m sure Roy knows what he’s doing. He won’t take unnecessary risks. When and if he feels comfortable talking to us about her, he may. If he never wants to, fine.”
“It’s not—” Roy broke off, frustrated. “It’s not about my trust for you. It’s that I don’t want to cause problems for her. It’s not my secret — not mine alone — to tell.”
“Of course not,” Giles said, and turned to Nelson. “Now. Let’s talk about Caleb. What progress are you making?”
As a strategy to distract Nelson, it worked perfectly. It also had the desired effect of getting him to leave at the earliest possible moment. Nelson could only admit failure where Caleb was concerned. He didn’t want to hear his brothers’ suggestions on the matter.
When he had gone, Giles said, “Roy, if necessary, do you think the children can be convinced that Victoria abandoned them?”
Roy sat in silence, then said quietly, “That will be difficult.”
“Dex, can you help out there?”
“I never assume that any individual will succumb to my charms,” he said dryly.
“It would not be distasteful to you?”
“No,” he said, not looking at Roy.
“So you will try?”
“Certainly, if Roy consents.” Now he looked Roy straight in the eye.
Roy looked away. He brooded, and Giles thought perhaps Roy was going to be the dog in the manger.
Roy said, “Even if she is… happier with Dex, I don’t see how it solves the problem in the long run.”
“No, I’ll work on that. This is just a first step. I think Cleo needs to know about this problem of yours.”
Roy blushed again.
Giles appreciated that Dex did not say aloud what they both knew — that Roy had already “talked” to Cleo and more.
But Giles was surprised when Roy said, “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Giles could have sworn that Roy had been working himself up to making private arrangements with Cleo, who — if things had reached that point — would have refused. Oh dear. If he was sincerely attached to his wife, that would be troublesome.
Now was not the time to worry over such things. They had four children to think about. Four very precious and special children.
Plans must be made carefully. But quickly as well.
When Roy left, Giles turned to Dex and said, “So, did you see him leaving Cleo’s place as you walked in?”
But Dex, much more discreet than Nelson or Roy, wouldn’t answer. He didn’t even smile. That, in and of itself, confirmed the information, thought Giles, who perhaps knew Dex better than Dex knew himself.
He would not press the point now. His cell phone was ringing, and as he looked at the display, he saw that the call was from the school psychologist, Jill Lowry.
He answered, saying, “One moment, Jill,” and muted the phone.
“New test scores in?” Dex asked.
“Yes. Will you please excuse me? I’ll call you in an hour about arrangements regarding Roy’s problems.”
“Of course.”
As the door shut quietly behind Dex, Giles found himself feeling unsettled, although he wasn’t exactly sure why. He nearly called Dex back, then glanced down at the phone in his hand. No, he had to take this call now. He unmuted the phone.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Jill,” he said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Giles had a unique ability to completely and quickly change focus as needed. By the time he finished the call, any worries he had about Dex were forgotten.
CHAPTER 28
Wednesday, April 26
11:24 A.M.
LAS PIERNAS COUNTY
CORONER’S OFFICE
FRANK HARRIMAN had spent the morning going over autopsy results with a forensic pathologist, talking about a suicide case that the coroner had now declared a possible homicide. Frank’s partner, Pete, had just started a vacation — by now he was probably on a Hawaiian beach with his wife, Rachel — so Frank would be handling this one on his own.
He had a hunch that Pete would be back before they had anyone in custody. They were getting a late start, the scene had been released, so if it was a murder, they were going to have to be lucky to prove it, and in all likelihood the suspected killer was in the wind by now.
He was caught up in these thoughts, signing out at the receptionist’s desk, when he saw a blond man in a suit approaching the glass doors at the front of the building, a man who looked familiar to him. Everything about him said he was law enforcement, but he wasn’t in uniform, and Frank didn’t think he was armed. Young to be in detectives, but maybe undercover?
The automatic glass door slid back and the man walked in, then checked at the threshold when he saw Frank, but after this slight hesitation, he continued forward. Frank tried to place him. A member of the department, not a detective, but not in uniform now. He was carrying a large envelope.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Fletcher, isn’t it?” Frank asked, the name coming to him. Fletcher had been first on the scene at a couple of the calls Frank had caught on the west side of town.
The other man gave him a nervous smile and didn’t quite look into his eyes. “Yes, Detective Harriman. Dennis Fletcher.”
Frank wondered at the unease. He couldn’t think of anything he had ever said to the patrolman to make him react this way. Frank remembered him being bright and quick to catch on, and thought he’d be promoted before long. “I thought you were with the Westside Division—”
“I am, sir. My day off.”
Harriman raised a brow.
“I — I’m here about my cousin, sir. I — I think your wife found her?”
Did that explain the nervousness? “Sheila Dolson was your cousin? I’m sorry for your loss, Fletcher.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Frank thought over all Irene had told him about the woman. “Which side of her family are you related to?”
“Oh, we aren’t — We weren’t blood relatives. She was adopted by one of my grandfather’s foster children. My grandfather is Graydon Fletcher.
“Oh…”
“To be honest, sir, she’s sort of been estranged from the family. But of course we want to see that, you know, the burial and all are taken care of.”
“Your grandfather is certainly a generous man. I guess you’ve got a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins.”
Dennis Fletcher smiled, more relaxed now. “Yes, sir. ‘Cousins by the dozens,’ as we say.”
“One of the cousins had dinner with us last night,” Frank said. “Came by with Ben Sheridan.”
“Anna?” Dennis guessed.
Frank hid his surprise with a show of embarrassment. “No, I take it they’ve recently split up.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“Yes,” said Frank. “A real shame.” Christ, he thought, what will I say next, These things happen? But the receptionist was asking Fletcher to sign in, so he seemed not to notice Frank’s discomfort. “Well,” Frank said quickly, “I’ve got to get going. Take care, Dennis.”
He hurried to the doorway.
He pretended not to hear Officer Dennis Fletcher call out, just as the automatic door closed between them, “If it wasn’t Anna—”
HE drove away from the parking lot, found a side street, and pulled over. He took out his cell phone.
After two rings, she answered. “Kelly.” Clearly distracted. Her keyboard clicked rapid-fire in the background.
“Don’t you look at the caller ID display before you answer?”
The clicking stopped before he finished the question.
“Frank!”
He smiled, hearing the sudden pleasure in her voice.
“H
ave lunch plans?”
“Not exactly, but…”
He knew that tone of voice, too. “You’re on a deadline and can’t get away. You’ve ordered takeout.”
“Sorry. I would have preferred eating with you.”
“Another time. Look, I want to ask you something, but between us, not for the paper, all right?”
“Sure.”
“And watch what you say within earshot of anyone in the newsroom.”
“Okay, but it’s pretty empty right now. People are either out on a story or getting lunch. What’s up?”
“You know Anna better than I do. She ever mention to you that she’s related to the Fletchers?”
“What?!”
“Surprised me, too. Some sort of a cousin. But in a family that size…”
“I know. I’m starting to feel like I’m running into something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They’ve taken over the city. I saw some of them this morning, too. But Anna…”
“Not just Anna,” Frank said. “Sheila Dolson was part of the family, too.”
“I just learned that Sheila was a Fletcher this morning — how did you find out?”
He told her about running into Dennis Fletcher. “Makes me wonder what was going on with the dog group and all of that,” Frank said. “I haven’t even called Vince and Reed about this yet, just thought I’d find out if Anna had ever mentioned the family connection to you.”
“No, she didn’t. Not even yesterday, when she might have tried to use it to get Altair.” She paused, then said, “I see what you mean. This explains why she trusted Sheila so much, I suppose. I wonder if she mentioned it to Ben?”
“Ben, who works with their long-lost cousin, Caleb?”
There was a long silence.
Frank said, “The dog group Ben is in — I guess I should say was in — was started by his closest friend, David Niles.”
He heard her intake of breath. Irene had been on the expedition with David when he lost his life.
“David taught forensic anthropology,” Frank said.
