He chuckled. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “My nerves are on edge. There’s a lot going on right now.”
“I can well imagine,” he said sympathetically. “What happened to Connor is tragic. What a horrible thing to happen. Still, you’ve got security outside, so…”
“Wait a minute,” she said. “Why did you say you were Joe Treadwell?” All the fear she’d felt earlier came rushing back.
He grinned lopsidedly. “Can’t a man make a little joke?”
Liz was still torn between going into the lodge or going to the gate and the security detail. The gate was a better option, but it was further away, and she was getting a dangerous vibe from this man. Would it be safe to take him that far or would he even go with her?
Thankfully, Julita came out of the lodge at that moment, so Liz didn’t have to make the decision.
But Julita’s reaction wasn’t a pleasant one. She screamed in shock at the sight of the man, then gathered all her emotions into anger. She stormed up to him and poked him hard in the chest. “You! What are you doing here? How do you even have the nerve to come here? Get out of here!”
The man pulled a knife out of his suit jacket. “Don’t cross me, Julita.”
“Roger!” Liz yelled. “Roger!” She took her cell phone out of her pocket to call the security detail, but the man grabbed her hand and it flew out of her grasp. It landed on the pavement with a thud, the battery flying out of it.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.
Julita stood solidly in front of him, but her hands were shaking. “You don’t scare me, Simon. You don’t scare anyone. You should be locked up in jail, rotting for the rest of your life.”
He grinned. “But I’m not, am I? Look, don’t worry, ladies. I’m not going to hurt you. I just came here to give a message to Charlotte. Is she here?”
“No,” Liz said. “She took a cab to town.”
He quickly looked her up and down, as if he was trying to decide whether or not she was lying. It seemed like Liz was a good liar, because he didn’t question her.
“Okay,” he said nastily. “Well, pass this message on from me to her. She will never get all of Connor’s money. I’m going to get it. And as soon as that child is born, unless she hands over all of the money and keeps quiet about it, I will track the child down and kill it myself, because there’s no way a grandchild of mine will be anything but white.”
Julita shook her head, her eyes full of hate, like she wished she could kill him with her bare hands.
Simon looked up and down the path, and then back to the lodge. He chuckled. “Roger! Roger!” he said, mocking Liz. “Looks like there’s no knight in shining armor for you tonight, sweetheart. Anyway, consider this to be your lucky day, because I’m not going to kill either one of you. I’m not going to jail again. Make sure to pass that message on to Charlotte.”
Then he quickly left, easily climbing over the high fence at the side of the property to avoid the security people. Liz was too stunned to do anything for a moment. Julita just stared after him, her hands still shaking. It was as if they were both in a trance. Once he’d scaled the fence and was gone, they snapped back into reality.
“Call the police,” Julita said. “Connor’s father is a very dangerous man. He wouldn’t hesitate to use that knife, and it’s clear that the security company can’t save us from him. I dread to think what he’d have done to Charlotte if he’d had the chance.”
CHAPTER 15
Liz called Bob Salazar with Julita’s phone. She knew calling Seth Williams would be a total waste of time, and Bob quickly agreed to arrange for around-the-clock police presence at the lodge.
When she’d finished her call, Julita held her by both shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Don’t mention this to Charlotte. This is the last thing she needs.”
“I agree,” Liz said. “I won’t mention a word of it to her.”
But when they returned to the Lodge, they saw Charlotte standing inside the entrance way, clutching her belly and gasping for breath. Her face was a picture of fear.
“Oh no,” Julita said. “You saw?”
“What’s… he… doing… here…” Charlotte said, gasping, barely able to get the words out.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Liz said urgently. “Get her some water, Julita. Tell Roger and Patsy what happened.” She put her arm around Charlotte and led her to a chair in the entrance way. “Sit down, and try to breathe.”
Charlotte gasped with sobs. “He’s… going… to… kill… me!”
“No, no, he isn’t,” Liz said soothingly. “We’ve got police coming, and they’re going to surround us and keep us safe. Don’t worry, Charlotte. We’re protected.”
Charlotte’s breathing was fast and shallow and shaky. Intense anguish was the only way to describe what Liz saw in her eyes.
“Come on, Charlotte, try to breathe. You have to breathe for the baby’s sake,” Liz said. She modeled slow, deep breathing, and Charlotte tried to follow suit, though her breaths were punctuated with gasps and little sobs.
Roger, Julita, and Patsy came out of the lodge, Julita holding a glass of water for Charlotte.
“Oh no!” Roger exclaimed.
Liz turned and gestured for them to calm down, nodding towards Charlotte. “Please, we all need to stay calm,” she said. “We’ve had a scare, but law enforcement will be here shortly.”
She looked at Roger. “I just spoke to Bob Salazar, and he’s alerting the sheriff’s department. There’s no use doing anything with Seth and the Red Cedar Police Department.”
Roger shook his head. “Liz, I am so sorry I didn’t hear you, because I had a client call me. Julita just told me what happened, and that you were calling for me. I should have come outside with Charlotte when she said she wanted to get some air.”
“I should have, too,” Patsy said.
“It’s okay,” Liz said calmly. “None of us had any idea that something like this would happen, but it’s all right now.”
Charlotte had managed to get some of her control back, and was quietly crying. Julita walked over to her and gave her a hug.
“What do you want to do, Charlotte?” Liz asked. “Do you think you can go and get some rest? I know it’s quite early, but…”
“No,” Charlotte said. “I’ve been having really bad anxiety and insomnia. I can never get to sleep until midnight at the earliest.”
“Okay. Well, in that case let’s eat our tiramisu, and then I’ll call Bertha to see if she can get one of the massage therapists to come in and give you a massage. She has several that are usually available for evening appointments.”
Charlotte frowned, looking afraid. “But… but couldn’t Simon get into the spa? It’s near all those trees, and…”
“He won’t,” Liz said. “I’ll come with you.”
“So will I,” Roger said. “I’ll stand guard at the door with Winston, and trust me, nothing gets past him. I just wish he’d been with Liz when she walked outside.”
“And if they have a spare sheriff’s deputy they don’t need around the perimeter of the property, I’m sure they’d let us have him at the spa while you’re there,” Liz said soothingly.
“Well, in that case, yes, I’m sure a massage would help me to relax,” Charlotte said.
“I’m going to try and get a guard for the lodge and one for the spa,” Liz said. She kept having flashbacks of Simon Moynahan’s evil eyes, and it brought an image of a snake to her mind. It seemed he could slither in and out wherever he wanted to. She knew that without law enforcement to keep guard, Charlotte wouldn’t be the only one suffering from insomnia. Liz would be awake the whole night, worrying about herself and her guests.
Liz phoned Bertha and explained what had happened. She said once the sheriff’s people were there, she’d let Bertha know so she could tell the massage therapist it was safe and she could come in. When she’d finished her call, they sat back a
t the table and ate their tiramisu, pretty much in silence.
Just before they were finished, Liz heard sirens getting closer and closer, and she excused herself to go meet them.
“I’ll come with you,” Roger said.
“No,” Charlotte said. She looked around the room as if Simon Moynahan might be hiding behind a curtain with a shotgun. “Please stay. We need a man around.”
“All right,” Roger said.
Liz nodded. “If that makes you feel better, Charlotte, then that’s what we’ll do.” She walked out of the lodge and her heart sank. It was Seth Williams.
He grinned at her as he got out of his patrol car.
“I don’t know what you think is so funny,” Liz said testily. “We’ve just had a convicted murderer draw a knife and threaten to murder a baby. And now I’ve got a pregnant woman here in grave danger, having panic attacks. What’s funny about that?”
Thankfully, Seth had the decency to apologize. “Sorry,” he said. “Can’t help havin’ a goofy expression. My ma always used to knock me ‘round the head for it. Even when I got spanked, I always grinned.”
Liz wasn’t in the mood to hear his life story. “Have you caught him?”
“Who?”
“The guy who was here and got away!” Liz yelled. “Simon Moynahan.”
“Can’t say I know what he looks like, so how could I catch him?”
Liz threw her arms up in the air and walked away. Silently, she cursed Bob. Why had he sent Seth of all people? Hadn’t she told Bob what a bumbling idiot he was? But then again, he probably had to follow some sort of protocol and going above the police department to the sheriff’s department when the incident was clearly in the police department’s jurisdiction could cause problems for Bob in his role as a County Supervisor.
“We got someone on it, purty’ lady, don’t ya’ worry,” Seth said.
“You’re not convincing me.” She gestured towards the group of officers congregating in the parking lot, getting out of the five police cars that had arrived.
“I hope those officers are on the ball,” she said. More so than you are, she thought. “We have a very serious threat here. The man had a knife and threatened to kill someone, and having you show up with a grin on your face doesn’t exactly tell me that you understand the severity of the situation.”
“I tol’ you I was sorry already,” he said. He gestured to the gun on his waist. “Look, purty lady, this is what ya’ need to have confidence in. Every officer here is armed.”
“And ready to shoot to kill?” Liz asked. That was the only way she’d feel safe.
“Yes.”
“Fine,” she said. “We need officers all around the perimeter of the property, then one inside both the lodge and the spa. We also need several scattered around the cottages.”
Seth raised his eyebrow as she began to give him orders, but he was just smart enough to keep his mouth shut. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And my staff and guests need to be watched day and night,” she said.
“Course. I’ll go tell my boys and get ‘em all in position.”
His voice lacked so much credibility that it sounded like he was talking about a dance routine, rather than a serious protection operation, but there was nothing more Liz could do. She watched as he walked over to his officers and told them what he needed them to do.
When he returned, he said, “Okay, tell me where you want ‘em.”
“Stay here for a moment.”
Liz went back inside the lodge. She asked everyone to come out and decide where the officers should be. Roger stayed inside, loading dishes in the dishwasher, and insisted he’d be fine alone. Then they walked through the grounds, depositing officers. One at the lodge, one inside the spa, and one by Julita’s cottage.
They were about to put one in front of Charlotte’s cottage and Patsy’s cottage, but then the women said they’d feel safer if they were all together in the same cottage, so they opted to stay in Julita’s cottage. The rest of the officers were told to patrol the grounds.
“That good ‘nuff for ya’?” Seth asked.
“You’re so unprofessional,” Liz said, before she even realized what she’d said. Then she sighed. “Yes. How many will be at the entrance?”
“I got two of ‘em there,” he said. “What ‘bout that security car out front?”
“I’ll cancel that now,” Julita said. She raised her eyebrows at Liz as she brought her cell phone to her ear. “A lot of good they were.”
“I put two on the entrance to the lodge,” Seth said.
“Good,” Liz said. She knew Bob must have pulled some strings for her because that was a lot of police resources being used in such a small town. “Thank you,” she managed to mutter.
He was surprised to hear that coming from her. “Yer’ welcome,” he said.
With officers stationed outside the spa and one in the spa, Charlotte was confident enough to go in, but she had a request. She looked at the young officer and said, “Would you check everything and everywhere? I mean, in the cupboards, behind the curtains, and under the furniture. Everywhere.”
The officer, to his credit, was very professional. He put his hand on his gun, ready to draw it instantly if necessary, and began to search. Liz called out to the massage therapist and Charlotte that it was safe for Charlotte to enter the spa.
Moments later, the officer joined them and said, “All clear.”
“Are you sure?” Charlotte said, her hand on her bump in a protective manner.
“Yes, ma’am. I’d stake my life on it.”
Charlotte nodded. “Thank you.”
Patsy yawned. “I’d love to come in with you Charlotte, but that dinner, the traveling, and everything else has knocked me out. I’m going to the cottage. Trust me, I wouldn’t be any help to you here. With the way I feel, I’ll be asleep within two seconds.”
“I understand,” Charlotte said. “Go to bed and get some rest.”
“I’ll stay here with you, Charlotte,” Liz said. “Do you need anything else, Patsy?”
“You’ll need to move your things from your cottage to mine,” Julita said. “If it’s all right with Charlotte, I’ll come help you.”
Charlotte smiled bravely at all of them. “Yes, that’s fine. Liz is with me.”
Liz and Charlotte followed the massage therapist down the hall and into the massage room. “I’ll be back in a minute,” the therapist said. “I just need to get a couple of things.”
Charlotte heaved herself and her big bump onto the massage table. She sat on the edge, swinging first on leg, and then the other, trying to relieve a little of their swelling. She did it in a way that looked like it was almost a ritual to her. Her eyes began to well up.
Liz wanted to try and take her mind off things, to make sure she didn’t have another panic attack while they waited for the massage therapist to return, but it was hard to know what to say.
“I like your shoes,” she said eventually. She knew it was dumb, and in all honesty, she didn’t particularly like them. They were very expensive looking slip-on sneakers with hot pink false lacing, and Liz didn’t really do sneakers or hot pink, but it was something to say.
“Thanks,” Charlotte said hollowly. “Connor bought them for me. After…” She trailed off.
“After…”
“Nothing.”
Liz was quiet, not knowing what to say. Charlotte had drifted off into another world for a while, but eventually she said, “After I found out.”
“Found out you were pregnant?”
“Huh. I wish. No. I found out he’d been seeing another woman.” She began to cry. “But I feel guilty, because I was so angry with him about it that when he called me the day he died I didn’t even say I love you. He died, and I never said I love you.” She burst into sobs, then visibly forced herself to stop.
“The doctor told me not to do that. He said it’s bad for the baby. I’ve had a pretty rough pregnancy, what with crying all the time.”
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“That sounds really hard,” Liz said sympathetically.
“Looking back on it, it was a piece of cake compared to what’s happening now,” she said. “Honestly? I was thinking of splitting up with Connor and going to live with my parents. Now I just wish I’d cherished every moment with him, instead of wasting so much time hating.”
Liz nodded. “I think that’s a very normal reaction. But there was no way you could have known what was going to happen. Nobody knew.”
“No, but I could have been more sympathetic. There were death threats all the time, and I was used to those. But, well, instead of pulling us apart, they should have brought us closer to each other. Instead, we both got more and more stressed, and it drove us apart.”
“Charlotte, I can understand how that would be a normal reaction.”
“At first, I really wanted us to be a team, but he wouldn’t let me be a part of it. He wanted to deal with everything on his own. He always said he didn’t want to worry me, but it just worried me more, because I felt so alone.
“Anyway, I kept an eye on the smear blog, and once it said he was having an affair with a waitress. He always guarded his phone so no one could see it or get into it. It had a fingerprint lock. I’m not real proud of this, but one night I waited until he was asleep and so drunk he wouldn’t feel anything. I used his fingerprint to unlock it. It was then that I found the messages.”
Liz sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” Charlotte looked defeated. “Danica Wilcock was her name. I tracked her down, and she worked at a bar. But here’s the thing…” She looked up at Liz and bit her lip. “I… well, you’re investigating his murder, right?”
“Yes, I’m trying to.”
“I didn’t really want to tell anyone this, Liz, because I’m ashamed of what I did. I also didn’t want to damage Connor’s reputation. But I went through Connor’s things as soon as he left to come here, and I found a bunch of letters from her. I think they were hand-delivered, because they didn’t have any stamps on them. And they said things like ‘I love you, Connor. You know you adore me, too. Leave that awful ball and chain and come and live a real life with me’ and they’d go on for pages and pages.
Murdered by Success Page 11
