by Bobbi Holmes
“Any news today?” Danielle asked as she took a seat across from his desk.
“Joe’s out of the hospital.” MacDonald set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, looking across the desk at Danielle.
“Yeah, I saw him already. I told him he should go home.”
“I told him the same thing.”
“He said Smith was in a coma. Do they think he’s going to come out of it?”
“It looks serious. The way his head hit the wall did some real damage.”
“I could kill Walt,” Danielle grumbled.
“Wouldn’t that be rather redundant?”
“Yeah…” Danielle smiled. “I suppose it would.”
“You think he could have disarmed Smith without hurting him?”
“I don’t know.” Danielle shrugged. “I just wish he would have done something sooner, before Joe got hurt.”
“I’m just glad he did something eventually. I’d hate to lose one of my best men.”
“And what about me?” Danielle teased.
“You? Well, you’re just kind of a pain in the butt so…” MacDonald grinned.
“Gee, thanks.”
“On a serious note, I think your nurse Samantha may have been involved.”
“Why, what did you find out?”
“We interviewed her yesterday,” the chief explained.
“I know. She called Lily and said under the circumstances she couldn’t be her nurse.”
“The lab found a partial fingerprint on your cellphone. It belonged to Samantha. It is possible she touched the phone at Marlow House, before someone else took it.”
“What does she say about it?” Danielle asked.
“That’s the thing. She’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?” Danielle frowned.
“This morning I sent someone over there to see what she had to say about the print, and her apartment was cleaned out. Called the company she works for, and they said she didn’t show up for one of her patients this morning.”
“Do you have any idea where she went?”
“Not yet. But she seems like the most likely candidate for whoever took your phone. I figured it was either her or your guest.”
“Oh…about my guest…” Danielle glanced at the door.
“What about him?”
“Something strange happened yesterday when I got home. Stoddard saw him and really freaked out.”
“Stoddard?” MacDonald leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Not sure I can ever get used to the idea his spirit is hanging around Marlow House.”
“Well he is, and it is getting pretty annoying! I’d love to be able to convince him I didn’t kill him so he’d just move on.”
“What did you mean he freaked out?”
“He must know Will from somewhere. Stoddard was angry Will was at the house, kept asking me why he was there and said Will just wanted to destroy his family.”
“Did you…umm…well, ask Stoddard what the problem was?”
“I tried. But he just kept accusing me of being in league with Will, like he thought I was asking something I already knew.”
“What did Will say when you told him about what happened yesterday? You did tell him, right?”
“I told him this morning at breakfast. He acted shocked. And afterwards, got really quiet.”
“I could see some people checking out after hearing something like that. I don’t see how that kind of publicity would be good for business.”
“Last night, after Stoddard freaked, I wondered if Will was in some way involved with the killer. And if that were the case, he would naturally expect to return to Marlow House and find the police there and the place taped off. Lily got home before he did, and she and Ian would have found our bodies. But according to Lily, when Will came back to the house, he acted perfectly normal. And when I saw him later, when I got back from the hospital, he was rather mellow, just chilling in the back yard drinking a glass of wine.”
“Isn’t it possible Stoddard thought Will was someone else? Are spirits always rational?”
“You have a point.” Danielle silently considered the possibility for a moment. “After all, he did think I killed him.”
“I don’t want you to worry, Danielle. I can’t tell you everything I know right now—we’re still following up on some leads. But I don’t believe you’re in any danger, and whoever tried to frame you really has no reason to hurt you anymore. So go home, and try to get some rest.”
Danielle stood up. “But there is still Stoddard.”
“Sorry. But I can’t help you there.”
“Maybe I should stop by the Catholic church, and see if they can help me.” Danielle walked to the door.
“Catholic church?” MacDonald frowned.
“Sure, for an exorcism.”
* * *
When Danielle arrived home from the police station there was a black Mercedes parked in front of Marlow House. Will’s car was gone and so was Ian’s. Lily was home alone—except for Walt and perhaps whoever was driving the Mercedes.
Instead of pulling down the driveway, she parked behind the Mercedes and got out of the car. I really should get me one of these, Danielle thought as she walked by the expensive vehicle and admired its shiny and clean exterior. As she made her way up the front walk, she looked around for Stoddard, expecting him to jump out at any minute. When she reached the front door, he still hadn’t made an appearance. The front door was unlocked, which didn’t please her, considering the previous day’s events. Entering the house, she heard voices coming from the parlor.
Walt appeared in the entry. “You’re finally home.”
“Who’s here?” Danielle whispered, pointing to the parlor.
“They’re talking to Lily. The men from…let me see…what do they call themselves? Ahh yes…Earthbound Spirits. A ridiculous name.”
“Earthbound Spirits? What are they doing here?”
“They said they wanted to discuss the lawsuit. At first, I thought she was going to turn them away, but you know Lily. I think her curiosity got the best of her, and she wanted to hear what they had to say.”
Danielle frowned and walked to the parlor. She found Lily sitting on the sofa, talking to two men who sat in chairs facing her. The moment they saw Danielle enter the room they stood and greeted her.
“Danielle, this is Peter Morris,” Lily introduced, pointing first to the taller of the two men. “…and Cleve Monchique from Earthbound Spirits. Gentleman, this is Danielle Boatman, the owner of Marlow House.”
They definitely didn’t get those off the rack, Danielle thought to herself as she noted the men’s tailored silk business suits.
“A couple of dandies,” Walt quipped as he leaned against the parlor desk.
“Very nice to meet you Ms. Boatman,” Peter Morris said as he took her hand and gave it a brief shake.
“Ms. Boatman,” Cleve greeted, shaking her hand after Peter.
“We heard what happened to you yesterday,” Peter said. “We’re so relieved to hear you survived the ordeal unscathed. If there is anything we can do to help, we want you to know we’re here for you.”
“Thank you, but why exactly are you here today?” Danielle asked with hesitation.
“We wanted to introduce ourselves to Ms. Miller,” Cleve Monchique explained. “You probably haven’t heard, but Isabella Strickland left her estate to Earthbound Spirits, which of course includes a fifty percent share of Dignity Care and Life.”
“We’re aware of the pending lawsuit against DCL by Ms. Miller,” Peter Morris continued.
“Yes,” Danielle interrupted. “There is a lawsuit. I’m not sure this is such a good idea, you speaking with Lily without her attorney present.” Danielle looked at Lily. “Lily?”
“I thought I could at least listen to what they had to say,” Lily said with a shrug.
“Oh please understand,” Peter Morris explained. “We are in no means attempting to circumvent Ms. Miller’s legal
council. But technically speaking, we haven’t assumed ownership of DCL yet, therefore we’re not yet part of any lawsuit.”
“And I’m sure Lily’s attorney would not want her to discuss the case with anyone at this point,” Danielle said politely.
“We just wanted to make Ms. Miller aware of all the worthwhile projects Earthbound Spirits funds,” Cleve explained. “We understand and sympathize with her plight, and certainly support her lawsuit against the personal estate of Stoddard Gusarov for the pain and suffering she has endured. But dear Isabella was in no way part of that injustice, therefore we hope Ms. Miller would at least consider dropping her claim against DCL, which will only hurt innocent people who had nothing to do with Stoddard Gusarov’s actions and could financially cripple the company, thereby hindering funding for numerous worthy projects.”
“I’d like to know what worthwhile projects these palookas fund,” Walt snorted.
“Would you mind if I ask a question?” Danielle asked politely.
“Of course we wouldn’t,” Peter said with a smile.
“What exactly is Earthbound Spirts? I understand you are some sort of a—religious order—but your organization has a very…well, interesting name.”
“It’s a stupid name,” Walt said.
“And you are curious as to what it means?” Peter smiled.
“I suppose I am.”
“Why don’t you sit down Ms. Boatman, and I will be happy to explain it.” Peter motioned to the empty spot on the sofa next to Lily.
How charming, he is inviting me to sit down in my own house. “No, that’s okay. I’ve been sitting all morning. Please go on. I am curious.”
An expression akin to annoyance flashed briefly over Peter’s face, yet was quickly replaced with a smile—one that seemed oddly fake to Danielle. He glanced over to Cleve, and then back to Danielle. Both men remained standing.
“It’s very simple really,” Peter began. “You see, we are all earthbound spirits, on earth for a very short time. While here, we are preparing for our next—the ultimate journey for our souls. If we spend our time selfishly, waste the opportunities given to us by indulging in personal petty pleasures, we return to earth in our next life to learn lessons—often painful lessons—instead of moving on. We will continue to return, destine to repeat the painful cycle.”
“You mean reincarnation?” Danielle asked.
“Something like that,” Peter said. “This is my last life on earth. When I die, I’ll finally be able to move on, to truly embrace the wonders waiting for me.”
“Umm…how do you know that?” Danielle asked.
Lily remained quiet, sitting back in the sofa, curious to see how Danielle would react to what Peter had to say. She had already heard it all before Danielle arrived home.
“I had a vision. Saw my past lives—and I finally understood. My mission in this life is to show others how they can move on to their ultimate destination. By dedicating my life to the Earthbound Spirits’ calling, I am not only helping myself, but also others. I want to help you Danielle Boatman, like I helped Isabella. And I want to help Ms. Miller.”
“You mean you want Lily to drop the suit against DCL, which will inadvertently be a suit against Earthbound Spirits’ assets?”
“Yes, but not for just Earthbound Spirits—for her own spiritual health.”
“Oh bushwa!” Walt spat. “Tell it to Sweeney!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Darlene sat alone on the boardwalk park bench, overlooking the ocean. Glancing down at her watch, she wondered what was taking Brian so long. He had promised to meet her at 4 p.m. sharp, and it was already five minutes after the hour.
“You’re late,” Darlene said when Brian showed up five minutes later.
“I had things to do.” He took a seat next to her.
“I heard what happened at Marlow House yesterday.” Darlene stared out to the ocean, not looking at Brian.
“Oh yeah. What do you know about it?”
Darlene briefly glanced at Brian. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just that. ‘What do you know about it?’ Fairly straight forward question.”
Darlene gazed out to the ocean. “Just what I heard on the news. Do they know who hired that man?”
“Why do you think someone hired him?” Brian asked. “Maybe he just wanted to kill Boatman and Joe.”
“Because according to the news, he is a hitman.”
“Then, that must be what happened.” Brian sat back in the bench. “Why did you want to see me?”
“What are you doing about Danielle Boatman? You promised you’d help me.”
“Do about her? That was when you were convinced she killed Stoddard.”
“When? I still think she killed my husband. I heard him,” she said stubbornly.
“I don’t know why Stoddard said what he did, Darlene. But it’s fairly obvious to everyone, Danielle Boatman didn’t kill your husband.”
“Just because of what happened yesterday?”
“Darlene, someone hired that man to kill Joe—to make it look like Danielle did it because he was retracting his alibi.”
“So she says,” Darlene snapped.
“So Joe says.”
“Then they are in this together!”
“Are you listening to yourself? What do you think happened; Danielle hired the hitman?”
“It’s possible.”
“Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” Brian scoffed. “Right, the hitman was in on it too? Agreed to be part of a bungled contract hit?”
“Obviously, he didn’t plan that part. They tricked him. That way it looks like poor Danielle Boatman is being framed.”
“Darlene, I’ve known Joe for a long time. He is one of the most honest men I know. If he thought Danielle was guilty, he wouldn’t hesitate arresting her.” He has done it before.
“I just know what I heard.”
They sat in silence for a few moments. Finally Brian asked, “Darlene, do you know anyone who would have wanted Stoddard dead?”
“You mean aside from Danielle Boatman?”
“Obviously.”
“No one. Everyone loved my husband.”
“Stop it, Darlene. It’s me you’re talking to. And I knew Stoddard. You do know, you’re now on the top of the suspect list.”
“I didn’t kill my husband.”
“I never said you did.” Brian studied Darlene’s profile. Tears filled her eyes as she continued to stare out to the sea.
“I didn’t know all my husband’s acquaintances. As far as I knew, he had no enemies.”
“I heard Earthbound Spirits is inheriting Isabella’s estate.”
Darlene glanced briefly at Brian. “Yes.”
“So the will Stoddard claimed to have found was fake?”
“Todd wasn’t a perfect man.”
“Maybe someone from Earthbound Spirits killed Stoddard.”
Darlene frowned at Brian. “They didn’t have a motive.”
“Didn’t they? After all, Stoddard tried to circumvent their inheritance with a fake will.”
“They had nothing to do with Stoddard’s death! It’s not fair to start pointing the finger at them, when Stoddard was the one who did something wrong by putting that fake will in probate. But all that has been straightened out. You’re not helping if you start accusing innocent people.”
“I didn’t know you had a relationship with the people at Earthbound Spirits.”
“I don’t,” Darlene snapped. “I’ve never even met any of those people over there.”
“You never met any of them when Isabella was involved with the group?”
“No. Stoddard wanted nothing to do with Earthbound Spirits.”
“And you still say they didn’t have a motive to kill him?”
Darlene turned abruptly to face Brian. “Why are you doing this, Brian? I just want to see the person responsible for killing my husband behind bars. I don’t want to chase after innocent people just becaus
e Todd disliked them.”
“Someone killed Stoddard, and it wasn’t Danielle Boatman. You need to come to terms with that.”
Darlene took a deep breath and looked down the beach. “Does MacDonald think I killed Stoddard?”
“I imagine he’s going to be looking at everyone who was close to Stoddard.”
* * *
Ian and Sadie arrived at Marlow House just as the men from Earthbound Spirits drove off in the Mercedes. Desperate for a little fresh air to clear her mind, Danielle offered to take Sadie for a walk along the beach while Lily filled Ian in on the visit from Earthbound Spirits.
Leaving by the front door, Danielle glanced around for Stoddard. She hadn’t seen him for a while and wondered if he had finally moved on. Not wanting him to follow her to the beach, should he suddenly appear, Danielle jogged with Sadie by her side across the street and down to the portion of the beach that allowed dogs.
Wagging her tail, Sadie walked with Danielle along the boardwalk.
“If the cops show up,” Danielle said as she showed Sadie the leash she carried. “I’ll have to put this on you. I really don’t want to get arrested again.” Danielle laughed when Sadie responded with a bark. She had no idea if the dog understood what she was saying, but she found it hilarious that Sadie often responded as if she did.
They had walked for about five minutes when Danielle spotted a woman sitting alone on a park bench—it was Darlene Gusarov. Danielle was about to turn around and go in the opposite direction, to avoid running into Stoddard’s widow, when Sadie took off, chasing a pigeon.
“Sadie! Come back here!” Danielle called out. When the dog didn’t listen, Danielle took off in a sprint, catching Sadie just a few feet from the bench where Darlene sat.
Darlene looked over to Danielle and Sadie. “Dogs are supposed to be on a leash.”
“Yes, I know,” Danielle said, trying to catch her breath. Leaning down, she snapped the leash on Sadie’s collar.
Darlene continued to stare at Danielle. Finally, she said, “I guess you didn’t kill my husband.”
“You believe it now?” Danielle stood a few feet from Darlene, the golden retriever sitting by her side.
