“Wow.” Darwin said. He’d always thought Jessica was a bit obnoxious… but this was excessive even for her.
“Yeah.” Caroline nodded. “Martin put on a smile and pretended he wasn’t hurt, but he did insist that she stop drinking. That’s when Jessica became sentimental. She put her arms around me and started regaling the room with tales about all the things we’d done as best friends. Problem was, that back in high school, everything we’d done together also had Leo involved. You know?”
Darwin nodded.
“So for half an hour, she tells the packed room about the time we went skinny dipping with Leo, how we camped under the stars with Leo, how I’d raved about Leo’s kisses and how Leo was so perfect.” Caroline said. “All along, Martin was getting angrier and angrier.”
“Why didn’t you do anything?”
“I- don’t know.” Caroline said. “There’s no excuse, really, except that I was drunk too, and the whole situation was weird, and I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I guess I was just scared to stand up to her, if I’m honest.”
“So then what?”
“Then Martin and I had a series of fights.” Caroline said. “I tried defending her at first, but eventually, I realized I had to cut her out of the wedding if I loved Martin. It was the only decent thing to do. So I wrote her an email and told her she was no longer my maid of honor.”
“That’s when she showed up on your doorstep?”
“That’s right.” Caroline nodded. “That’s when she decided to slap me, I guess.”
*****
Chapter 8
DJ The Snake
“I can’t believe this,” Dani said, as she waited outside with Sharon. “I can’t believe they’ve arrested her.”
“I don’t have time to believe it,” Sharon said. “We’ve been here two hours. I’m going back to the hospital.”
“What?” Dani turned to her. “Sharon, Caroline is in serious trouble here.”
“Someone has to tell Dad she’s alive,” Sharon said. “Dani, I’m keeping her arrest a secret for now. He could use some rest, don’t you think?”
“Sure. Of course,” Dani said. “I won’t tell him either.”
“Great. Text me if anything new happens.”
“I will. And Sharon…” Dani bit her lip. She didn’t know what to say. Seeing the hate in Sharon’s eyes had surprised her at first and it baffled her now. The anger and coldness had simmered down once Dani had found Caroline. In fact, Sharon had been so relieved that she had actually shot Dani a look of gratitude. But now her shield was up again and Dani wished she knew why.
Actually, she thought she knew exactly why. She just wished she could confront Sharon about it.
“Did you want to say something to me?” Sharon asked.
“No. Nothing,” Dani sighed. “Bye.”
She watched Sharon go, and then sank down into one of the hard plastic chairs that were scattered around the waiting room of the police station. She leaned her head back and wondered if it could be true. Could Caroline really have done it?
Mentally, she replayed the scene with Jess over and over. What had she seen in Caroline’s eyes when Jess had slapped her? She’d seen shock mixed with humiliation and hurt. But no anger. She was sure Caroline couldn’t be the killer.
“You ought to know better than that,” Dani said to herself. After all, her own mother was a criminal. Dani, herself, wasn’t the most honest person in the world. Far from it. So maybe she didn’t know Caroline as well as she thought. Maybe she was secretly a cold-blooded killer.
“Talking to yourself? That’s the second symptom of madness, you know,” a voice said.
“What’s the first?” Dani looked at the man who’d entered. He was tall and skinny with a broken front tooth and greasy black hair.
“The first? Believing a cop over your sister,” he said.
“Do I know you?” Dani asked.
“Nope. But I know you. You three look so alike, it’s ridiculous. You’re Caro’s sister, Dani. Right? She was talking about you at her party last week. Showed a bunch of us your pictures. She’s one proud sister.”
“Who are you?” Dani asked.
“DJ. I’m Jessica’s boyfriend. Well, ex. Which means I’m lucky they found blood on Caro’s blouse or else Sheriff Mackenzie would have locked me up faster than a tap dancer on Adderall.” He stretched his hands out behind his head and gave a grunt. “As it stands, I’m lucky Caro is the world’s sloppiest murderer.”
Dani felt her hackles rise. “DJ, let me set you straight. Caro didn’t kill Jess. So don’t be so cocky about your freedom. You might see the inside of a jail cell yet.”
“What, you think I murdered Jess?” He gaped at her, open mouthed. “Don’t be stupid. I just mean that Sheriff Mackenzie needs a fall guy, and if it hadn’t been for Caro, I’d be it.”
“Your concern for Caro is really touching,” Dani sneered. “No tears for Jess, though? Not much of a boyfriend, were you?”
“Like I said, I was an ex,” DJ replied. “We haven’t dated in a year. We hooked up once in awhile but Jess and I were almost strangers.”
“When did you last see her?” Dani asked.
“Me? Last thursday, I think. At Caro and Martin’s party. Boy, what a night. Jess got so tanked I ended up carrying her to the car. Not that she had anybody to blame but herself. Martin tried to stop her drinking and she just turned around and made fun of him.”
“She didn’t like Martin much, did she?” Dani asked.
“Jess? Hated him, she did. Thought he was too smug for words.”
“Do you agree with her?”
“Ah, well,” DJ shrugged. “I’m a musician, so Martin is a little too straight-edge for me, you know? Too square. Seems like a decent guy in a boring way. But there’s no depth to him. No creative energy.”
“So Jess hated Martin. Did he hate her, too, do you think?”
“Oh, yes,” DJ nodded his head fervently. “Boy, did he ever! You could see it in his eyes that he was just tolerating Jess for Caro’s sake.”
Dani felt the first pinprick of doubt enter her mind, but she told herself she was being silly. Martin loved Caroline. And, besides, he was a doctor. He was committed to saving lives, not taking them. Surely he would never have harmed Jess.
Would he?
“Jess was still living with her parents, right?” Dani asked.
“Her mother. Her father died three years ago,” DJ said. “Jess didn’t have much love for him anyway, so I don’t think she felt very bad about it.”
“I wonder.” Dani bit her lip.
“Are you planning on being a sleuth?” DJ laughed. “Forget it. The best you can do is get your sister a lawyer as fast as possible. Ben Drake is the best one we have in town. You should get him.”
“Sharon has already made arrangements,” Dani said. “I think she knows a good lawyer.”
“Oh, I bet she does,” DJ nodded. “That sister of yours is really something. She’s single, right?”
“You’re terrible,” Dani said. “Your girlfriend was just killed yesterday and you’re already hitting on my sister?”
“Ex-girlfriend. Jess was my ex-girlfriend. Big, important distinction, remember?”
“Why did you break up with her?” Dani asked.
DJ shrugged. “She was too clingy and I needed my space. I don’t think she minded too much. She wanted a richer, hotter guy. That’s a direct quote from her, in case you think I’m maligning her character or something. I wasn’t marriage material and she was looking to get serious.”
“Do you think Jess was jealous of Caro getting married?” Dani asked. “Do you think that’s why she kept trying to wedge herself between her and Martin?”
DJ shook his head with a laugh. “Not a chance,” he said. “Look, Jess wasn’t the perfect girlfriend. She was selfish and high maintenance. Plus, she had no problem checking out other guys right in front of me. But as far as Caro is concerned, Jess was really loyal to her. S
he really cared about her happiness, you know.”
“Did she ever talk to you about Caro?”
“Plenty of times, though I didn’t pay much attention,” DJ said. “Hard to care about every random girl’s love life, you know?”
“Did she ever talk about anyone else who might have hated her?” Dani asked.
DJ laughed. “Only about half the town. Jess wasn’t exactly Ms. Popularity, you know?”
“DJ. I’m serious.”
“So am I,” he replied. “Look, when we broke up, we were still friends. We had an understanding between us. She and I were looking for very different things. The main thing Jessica wanted out of life was money. I guess it’s because she grew up poor. She envied you and your sisters, you know. Caro was always nice to her. She always shared everything with Jess, even as a kid. Clothes, toys, lunch, whatever. But Jess resented it. She hated accepting what she saw as ‘charity’ and she wanted to return the favors Caro had done for her. She wanted to be rich, to build her mom a mansion, to wear fancy clothes and have a fancy ride. She was obsessed with it. That girl was willing to do whatever it took.”
“What was her job, again?” Dani asked.
“She was working as a secretary in Dobson’s accounting firm. She was also studying to take her CFA exams and become an accountant. Climbing her way up the ladder. Plus, she always had her eye out for eligible bachelors.”
“Did she…was she seeing anyone?”
“I don’t think she was,” DJ said. “Then again…” His voice trailed off. He looked around, and then moved closer to Dani. In a whisper, he said, “I don’t want to be quoted on this but I think maybe she was seeing someone lately. A new boyfriend.”
“Why do you think so?” Dani asked.
DJ shrugged. “Just a feeling I had for the last year or so. I think she’d actually got a new boyfriend. Or she was twisting someone’s arm. I could tell she didn’t want me hanging around as much. Plus she had a few new trinkets. A new iphone, a new gold bracelet. I asked her where she got them and she just laughed and said she had her ways. She said she had a nice insurance policy in her diary, too.”
“Her diary?”
“She must have been lying because the police never found anything in her diaries,” DJ said, winking, he added, “I’m friends with one of the deputies, so I know.”
“And the new iphone and gold bracelet?” Dani raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any idea who gave them to her?”
“None,” he said. “But I’m sure that she couldn’t afford those on her salary as a secretary.”
“So, there’s a chance Jess had a secret boyfriend,” Dani was delighted. “If we can figure out who it was, we can get the police to consider him as a-”
DJ laughed. “Get real,” he said. “What are you, Agatha Christie 2.0? Shirley Holmes? Let the police do their job and mind your own business.”
“This is my business. My sister is behind bars, and the police seem to have a mountain of evidence against her,” Dani said. “I’m going to find out what happened. What really happened.”
“Well, I didn’t say anything,” DJ said. “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want the police sniffing around my affairs, so leave me out of it, understood?”
“You have to talk to the sheriff!” Dani exclaimed. “You have to tell her what you suspected!”
“Tell me what?” Sheriff Mackenzie stood in the doorway, her eyes bright. “Anything special?”
“Nothing,” DJ looked suddenly afraid. “Nothing at all. We were just batting around theories and Dani got excited over nothing.”
“Didn’t sound that way,” Sheriff Mackenzie said. “Sounded to me like she thought she had something concrete.”
“Jess had a secret boyfriend,” Dani blurted out. “A rich one. Someone who gave her a cellphone and a new gold bracelet.”
Sheriff Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. DJ, do you know who it was?”
“No,” DJ said.
“Did she ever mention his name?”
“No,” DJ said again. He shot Dani a look of disgust mixed with anger. “Sheriff, I already told you all I know and that’s nothing. I was just gossiping with Dani and she took something I said as a joke way too seriously.”
“DJ, this is a murder case,” Sheriff Mackenzie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t appreciate idle gossip and I don’t appreciate liars. If you saw something, say something.”
“I didn’t see, hear, taste or feel a single thing,” DJ said. “All I know is, I can’t afford to be mixed up with this business, so if you have no more questions for me, please let me go!”
“Alright,” Sheriff Mackenzie swung aside to let him pass, “go. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Remember that.”
He shot out of there like a greased bullet, never turning around. Dani watched him go with anger rising.
“You can’t just let him leave like that, Sheriff!” She exclaimed. “He knew something. Jess had a boyfriend and he’s obviously the one who-”
“Dani, Jess had no boyfriend.” Sheriff Mackenzie said. Her tone was brusque, final.
“But her gold bracelet. Her iphone-”
“Maybe she used a credit card,” Sheriff Mackenzie shrugged. “I’m very sure she had no secret boyfriend, though.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, for one thing, if she had a secret boyfriend, she would probably have told her best friend since grade school, wouldn’t she? But your sister hadn’t heard of any such man. For another, I checked her phone records. She hasn’t called anyone in two days. And the only person Jess texted last night was your sister.”
“So you really think Caroline did it?” Dani asked.
“I don’t want to think it,” Sheriff Mackenzie said. “You know I’m a friend of your father’s, right? I’m on your family’s side in all of this.”
Dani nodded. She wanted to believe it but found it hard to, considering Caroline was locked up.
“Unfortunately, as sheriff, the truth comes before friendships,” Sheriff Mackenzie said. “If your sister is innocent, I promise you, Dani, I’ll get the real culprit. I won’t rest until I do. But if your sister is the culprit, I won’t save her. Nobody will.”
“Caro didn’t kill Jess,” Dani said.
“You say that with such confidence,” Sheriff Mackenzie said. “But do you have anything other than your gut instinct as proof?”
To that, there was nothing Dani could say. Except that, to her, her gut instinct was proof enough.
*****
Chapter 9
Tete a Tete
10.30pm was way past Ellie’s bedtime. Still, Darwin had allowed her to stay up a little extra because he knew his schedule would be erratic in the coming few weeks and he wanted to spend as much quality time with her as possible. He’d finished reading a chapter of A Wrinkle in Time to her, and she’d fallen asleep about halfway through it. Despite himself, the book had been interesting enough that he kept going until he’d finished it, even after he knew she was out. Then, turning out the lights and making sure she was tucked in, he moved downstairs and swung his feet up into the couch.
Home sweet home. Darwin sighed. It wasn’t much, just a small two-room cottage with a small kitchen and a rather creaky attic. But it was his, all his. Back in high school, he’d never have imagined himself as a domestic kind of man. But having Ellie had changed all that. Now, the best time of his life was when he was cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons with her, or discussing math problems at the dining table. He smiled ruefully. It had taken his wife walking out on him for him to realize how much he loved his daughter. He wished she could have had a perfect family - a mother, a sibling and a dog along with him. But since he couldn’t give her that, he’d give her everything he could. Love, affection and respect.
He started when the doorbell rang. For a minute, his hand went instinctively to his hip, before he realized that he’d taken his holster off a long time ago, and that the gun was now safely locked up in the
basement.
“A minute,” he called out. He looked through the eyehole, and uttered an exclamation. Dani Hedley stood nervously in front of the doorbell. His heart gave a pleasant bump. She was wearing a green cardigan over a polka dotted top, dark pants and yellow stilletos. She looked picture perfect.
“Ellie has school tomorrow,” he opened the door, and raised an eyebrow. “She can’t come out and play.”
“Ellie?” Dani looked confused for a second, then flushed. “I’m not here to see Ellie. I’m here to see you.”
His grin widened. “Maybe I have school tomorrow, too.”
“Don’t play hard to get, Darwin.”
“What, don’t you like it?” he asked. Relenting, he moved aside. “Fine, come on in. Have a seat. May I offer you some lemonade? Ellie made it and it’s pretty good. We have some leftover casserole, too.”
“I’m good, thank you.” Dani cracked her knuckles. “I was just…Dad’s in the hospital and Caroline’s, well, you know. So I was alone at home and I needed some company.”
“I guess I can offer you that.” Darwin’s voice was polite, but his mind was whirring. Why was Dani here? He suspected that it had very little to do with his own charms and a lot to do with Caroline. He led her to the kitchen, anyway, and watched as she took it in.
“That’s a rather… manly kitchen,” she smiled. The refrigerator was covered with posters of WWF wrestling stars, while the dining table had a large RC truck on it. The rest of the kitchen was bare, but functional, with dishes still in the sink and a covered casserole dish on the counter.
“It’s all Ellie’s stuff,” Darwin said. “That little girl has the most diverse interests I’ve ever encountered. She likes wrestling, cars, ballet dancing, chemistry and reading all kinds of books.”
“Sounds like you’re raising her right,” Dani said.
“You have to eat or drink something,” he said, pouring himself a glass of lemonade. “I’d feel like a bad host otherwise.”
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