“We have to go and see him first thing in the morning,” she said, with conviction. This may be the last piece of information they needed.
Jared began to shake. “Now what do I do?”
“I don’t know,” was all Elizabeth could say. She was failing miserably at being able to comfort him.
They sat on the side of the road for a long time, Jared overwhelmed with this coming on top of everything else he’d found out that day. Elizabeth felt helpless, realizing she couldn’t really help him. These were things he’d have to come to terms with on his own. Finally, he roused himself enough to drive back to the B&B. Neither of them said anything on the way.
Jared barely spoke to her while Elizabeth helped him into bed. When he was settled she sat on the edge. She wished she knew something about psychology so she would know the best words to say to him that would make him feel better.
“It’s been quite a week,” she said.
“Yes.” Jared’s voice was subdued.
“Not really what we expected when we started out.”
Jared shook his head.
“I think Susie was right when she said to give Paul and Willy some time. After all, you three have a life together that can’t be erased just by a few words.”
“I know,” Jared said softly. “It’s just that...” He let the sentence hang.
Elizabeth waited. Finally, she asked. “It’s just that, what?”
Jared shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just can’t talk about it yet.”
Elizabeth bent over and kissed him. He barely returned it. She went and pulled the curtains, said good night, and closed the door.
As she walked Chevy she began to fear that emotionally Jared was pulling away from her. This was the second evening in a row that he hadn’t invited her to stay with him, not even to discuss what they’d learned during the day. And wasn’t it just two nights ago that he’d said talking with her always made him feel better? But she knew that sometimes the bearer of bad news is subconsciously held responsible for it. And while she wasn’t bearing the bad news, she certainly was providing the means of uncovering it.
This new information definitely threw a kink into the mystery, she thought. She wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow Jared decided to pack up and head home. The strain must be huge. Maybe it would be better for him to just leave it alone for a while, at least until he could wrap his mind around everything he’d learned.
On her way back to the B&B she realized neither she nor Chevy had eaten for a long time. They both deserved a hamburger and shake, well Chevy could have water. Then she’d pack her clothes and get ready in case they decided to check out the next morning.
Chapter 42
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to expect with Jared today. To forestall what she anticipated to be a sombre encounter she filled out the questionnaire that Brandon had given them the first day. Then she grabbed her camera and took Chevy for a quick walk around the yard. She snapped some pictures of the trees since she hadn’t gotten to it before.
After she put Chevy in her Tracker she went to get Jared up. Brandon needed to know if they were checking out. She knocked quietly on his door.
“Come in,” he called.
She peeked around the door then entered the still dark room. She went over and opened the drapes, letting the morning sunshine in. When she turned to the bed she saw that he had his head facing the wall. She felt so sorry for him. This excursion had not turned out well.
He turned his head and smiled slightly at her. His face was drawn and pale. “I’ve been thinking most of the night,” he said. “I tried remembering more about the person at the well with Mom, but I couldn’t. Then I realized that I can’t even be sure that the person was there on the same day she died. It could be another memory that I’m mixing up with it.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I never thought of that.”
“I’ve decided that I’ll probably never find out the truth or maybe the truth is that she did kill herself.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “We have to consider that possibility.”
“So, I just want to see Wayne Dearden today and then I’ll call it quits.” He fingered the necklace around his neck. “Because, I do have a life that I want to get back to and a girlfriend who I want to spend time with doing things that don’t include going around quizzing people.”
Elizabeth grinned and her heart soared. Yes! He hadn’t been rejecting her. He’d just been preoccupied for a while.
“Then let’s get going,” she said, bringing the commode chair over for his shower.
“I’ll only shower if you get in with me.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I certainly won’t object to two showers in one morning under the circumstances.”
After their shower Elizabeth packed Jared’s clothes and left the suitcase and his laptop by the door. They went and had a leisurely breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and hash browns. While they ate they talked about what they would do when they got back to Edmonton. It was almost like now that things had been settled they could relax and get back to their relationship.
“When do you expect to head to the mountains?” Jared asked.
“Well, I’ve been able to do some work on my article so it shouldn’t take me more than two days to get it magazine ready. Then I have to decide on the pictures to send with it which will take about a day. So, I’m thinking I’ll leave Tuesday or Wednesday.”
“Not the week you had hoped for,” Jared said.
Elizabeth shrugged. “That’s okay. There’s always next year. Maybe we can arrange to go together.”
“That would be fine with me.” Jared changed topics. “While you are working on your article do you take time off to eat? Or do you work all day like you travel and don’t stop for a decent meal?”
“Sometimes I stop to eat if the food is tempting.”
“What about the food at Swiss Chalet.”
“That’s pretty tempting. What else goes with it?”
“Why, a date with me, of course.”
Elizabeth laughed. It felt so good to have their easygoing rapport again. She hadn’t realized how much of it had disappeared. Yes, they’d talked this past week but only about Jared’s quest and what he was finding out. Little about themselves.
After breakfast they checked out and Brandon helped with Jared’s bags. Jared was in his van. Elizabeth went up to the window.
“Do you remember anything more, other than being at Wayne’s?”
Jared shook his head. “Maybe I will once I get there and we start talking.”
“Do you know how the time frame of your memory of visiting Wayne’s place fits with what else was happening?”
Jared thought a moment. “Not really. I don’t remember Christine being there but she could have been at work or maybe it was after she left him. I remember going through the kitchen and it was messy, though.”
Wayne came out to meet them when they drove in the yard. Elizabeth climbed out of her vehicle and joined him at the van. Jared rested his arms on his window frame.
“What do you want?” Wayne asked, his tone belligerent.
“We’d like to talk some more,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve learned some things that you might be interested in hearing.”
“Such as?” Wayne crossed his arms and glared at her.
“Such as Meredith killed Ben, not Christine.”
“I already know that.” Wayne said. “Meredith phoned me.”
“And we also know that Anna came here with Jared to talk to you.”
Wayne looked at Jared and shook his head. “You were never here.”
“Yes, I was and I remember you and Mom arguing.”
“Are you Jared’s father?” Elizabeth asked, getting right to the point.
“What?” Wayne was flabbergasted. “How could you say such a thing?”
Jared spoke up. “I remember you grabbed my mom and pushed her away.”
“All right,” Wayne snarled. He put his hands on Jared’
s van. “You guys were here. Anna tried to blackmail Graham into paying her support money. She claimed that you and her baby were his.”
Now this is starting to make sense, thought Elizabeth. “What did he say?” she asked.
“He denied it, of course, because it wasn’t true. Then she said that if he didn’t pay her money then she would tell everyone that he was Jared’s father.”
“Jared saw someone at the well with his mother the day she drowned.” Elizabeth chanced a guess. “Was that you? Did you push her?”
Wayne stared from one to the other for long time. “That little slut was trying to wreck my son’s life,” he said, vehemently. “She’d already gotten Paul to marry her by saying he was your father. When that didn’t work out well, she tried to wreck Nick’s marriage by saying you were his kid and so was the baby she was carrying. Then she came over here and accused Graham of being the father of both kids. She tried to blackmail us into giving her money.”
He got a smug look on his face. “I couldn’t have her ruin Graham’s life. He’d just come back to farm with me. My life may have been hell back then but at least I did one thing right by getting rid of her.”
* * * *
Once she’d answered all the police questions and given her phone number and address Elizabeth sat for a few minutes in her vehicle. She was amazed at how resilient Jared had been over the past few days. Many times she’d expected him to crumble under the weight of some new piece of information but he’d kept going. She was just so glad that he’d found his mother’s killer, even though it meant that he’d learned there were now two men who could be his father. She wondered if he would try to find out which one he was. However, that was a subject she would leave alone until he broached it.
Elizabeth turned her mind to Christine and Wayne. It was funny how both parents had thought they were protecting their son. One through not saying she thought he had really killed her boyfriend and the other by murdering a young woman he felt would ruin his son’s life.
She let Chevy out for a quick run then went to find Jared waiting in his van. She climbed in beside him.
“I’m so glad that it’s over,” Jared said, his hands on the steering wheel. “All the fantasies I’ve ever had about how lovely my mother was are gone, though. She was not the parent I had so desperately wanted.”
“I don’t think anyone’s parent is perfect. But, whatever she was we, do know that she loved you.”
Jared nodded. “I can go home knowing that I’ve done something for her, something that no one else did.”
“I’m sure she would be very proud of you.”
Jared turned to her. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me,”
Elizabeth waved her hand. “I didn’t do much.”
“Yes, you did. Sometimes, it was only because of you that I was able to keep going. I always knew that when I faltered you would step in to ask the right question. You made this happen for me.”
“I’m sorry that it wasn’t all good news.” Elizabeth changed the subject. “So what are you going to do now?”
“Well, I think I should go and see Paul. He probably needs some support right now, too. Plus I want to get the headstone on her grave changed immediately.”
“What are you going to have put in its place?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to come up with something but none of the normal things seem right. She certainly wasn’t a loving wife. Or a good friend, for that matter,” he said bitterly.
“How about ‘loving mother.’?”
Jared’s face brightened. “I like that.” Then he sobered. “I have one last request of you.”
“What is that?” Elizabeth asked. This sounded serious. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear it.
“Would you come with me to Paul’s? I don’t want to face him alone yet, especially after this news. He and Wayne have been friends for a long time.”
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll follow you.”
Elizabeth pulled in behind Jared. At the door he knocked then waited while someone came to open it. This wasn’t his home anymore and he was waiting to be welcomed like any visitor. Susie opened the door and a smile lit up her face.
“Oh, Jared. I’m so glad you came back.” She bent down and hugged him. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again.”
It was noon and Paul and Willy were seated around the table having lunch.
“Please join us,” Susie said, getting some plates from the cupboard.
Paul and Willy moved their chairs to fit one in for Elizabeth. Jared wheeled into his usual spot.
There was a long silence, until Jared finally spoke. “I guess you heard about Wayne.”
Elizabeth watched Paul. This must have been almost as hard on him as on Jared.
Paul leaned back and ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head. “Maybe now it will be all over,” he said.
“As bad as everything else is that I learned, I’m glad that I did discover the truth about what happened to Mom,” Jared said. “I’m glad she didn’t commit suicide.”
Paul looked at him. “I was awake all night. Now that the fact that I’m not your father is out in the open, I would like us to... I really think that... Oh, damn. I don’t know how to say it.”
Susie stepped in. “What he trying to say is that he, we, want you to remain part of our family.”
Paul nodded.
“Yes,” Willy said. “I’d be lost without a little brother.”
Jared beamed. “I would like that, too.”
Elizabeth knew it was time for her to leave. The past was being mended and they didn’t need an outsider here right now. She said her goodbyes to the others then leaned over and gave Jared a kiss. “Call me when you get back.”
“Oh, you can bet I will. We have a date at Swiss Chalet.”
Elizabeth drove to the city. It had been a long day, a long week. But she’d gotten her research done, helped Jared find out what really happened to his mother, and strengthened the relationship between them. Not bad for one week.
The End
The Traveling Detective Series
Book Three
Whistler’s Murder
Prologue
The woman stood near the climbing wall, waiting, listening. The dim light from the building a short distance away shone faintly making the dark outside her vision even darker. She was quickly regretting that she had been talked into meeting at this time of night. She should have insisted on a better lit place or even scheduled it for during the day. She realized now that they didn’t have to do all their catching up in one day, they had years ahead of them for getting to know each other.
She heard a noise and turned quickly, her heart skipping a beat. She peered into the darkness and waited but no one stepped up to her. No one called “Hi” giving her a feeling of relief. She looked at her watch to see what time it was. They were supposed to meet at eleven-fifteen and she knew she had gotten here early but it felt like she had been waiting half an hour. According to her watch she’d only been here fifteen minutes. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and checked the time on it. Yes, fifteen minutes.
She stepped to the side of the wall and leaned her back against it. This put her into the darkness as well as giving her only three directions to watch. She had no reason to be afraid of the person she was meeting but she did fear the bears and other nocturnal animals that could be roaming around. She had been warned to keep to the known areas during the day and to make noise if she did go into the bush. No one had said what to do at night.
Another noise and she tried to pinpoint where it came from and what may have made it. Was it someone walking, an animal prowling? Should she call out letting whoever or whatever it was know she was there? It felt better to remain quiet although her stomach was churning and her hands sweating. She was sure that if it was her sister she would have come up to her by now.
Which made her wonder, where was her sister? After all, she was the on
e who had wanted to meet here and at this time, claiming she wanted so badly to have a long talk. And she herself, at the time, wanting to talk also.
Maybe her sister was running late or something had happened but if that were true, why hadn’t she called to tell her?
A rattling sound like pebbles being rolled across concrete to her right. What could have caused that? It hadn’t sounded natural but then she wasn’t from here and didn’t know what natural was.
Her fear was getting the best of her and she wanted to head back to her room. She wanted to get into the light, where she could see what was around her. She knew she wasn’t supposed to run if she encountered a bear during the day but she wasn’t sure what was out there and her instinct was to run to the steps, down them, then across the bridge, along the sidewalk and to her car.
Would her mad dash startle the animal enough that it wouldn’t follow her? She would have to take the chance because staying here just wasn’t an option anymore. She pushed herself away from the wall and hurried over to the concrete steps. She heard the scrape of shoes as the person jumped out of the darkness and her peripheral vision saw them but she had neither time to think about why they had hidden beside the steps and why they had leaped out just as she was going by. Her mind registered the pain in her head and the sense of falling and then went blank.
Chapter 1
"Wow, so this is Whistler," Sally Matthews said, looking around at the green tree-covered mountains outlined against the bright blue sky.
"Yeah, it looks different in the summer than what we see in the photographs of it in winter," Elizabeth Oliver said, as she drove along the Sea to Sky Highway through the town. "It would be nice to come for the skiing sometime."
"I don’t think we could afford to come here in the winter," Sally said, ruefully. "It’s expensive enough now during the off season."
Elizabeth and Sally were best friends, had been since grade school. They were both in their thirties, medium height with Sally slightly taller, and slim. Elizabeth’s hair was light brown, straight, and hung to her shoulders. She usually wore it in a ponytail. Sally’s was blonde and curly. The summer before, Sally had enrolled in a two week long science fiction/ fantasy retreat in Whistler and had invited Elizabeth to come along for a holiday.
The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set Page 53
