by Bobbi Holmes
“You can’t do this Chuck!” Bart gasped.
Danielle wondered if MacDonald and his men were waiting for Chuck to force her into the house before disarming him, or if they planned to storm the side yard. She would prefer to have them wait, knowing she would be safer having Walt take the gun from Chuck. Chuck was starting to make her nervous, the way his hand shook and finger seemed overly anxious to pull the trigger. He and Haston were arguing, and she suspected Chuck might turn the gun on his accomplice. After all, he had already gotten rid of Darlene. At least now, Chuck was no longer aiming the gun at her head.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone slinking around the perimeter of the house in her direction. Damn, they plan to disarm Chuck outside—beyond Walt’s reach. Movement then came from the opposite direction. This time Chuck noticed. He started to raise the gun again in Danielle’s direction when Stoddard let out a ghostly scream before lunging at Chuck, snatching the gun from his grasp and hurling it into the sky.
To the amazement of the five police officers now in the side yard, Chuck’s gun sailed effortlessly overhead before landing on the porch roof.
* * *
Danielle stood by the gate and watched as they loaded Chuck Christiansen into the back of one patrol car and Bart Haston into another one. She suspected the chief wanted to keep the men separated from each other, giving them less of an opportunity to agree on some alternate story before interrogation. It looked like Bart was prepared to tell them everything they wanted to know.
“It was really Darlene?” Stoddard asked, sounding heartbroken. “There is no baby?”
Danielle reached under her blouse and pulled off the wire. There were some conversations she would prefer the police not record.
“I’m sorry. There never was a child,” Danielle said.
Instead of a response, Stoddard vanished.
Danielle glanced around and then muttered, “I think he’s really gone.” She turned back to the house when she noticed Brian Henderson walking out the kitchen doorway and coming in her direction.
“They got the gun off the roof,” he called out.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Danielle said, walking to Brian. He followed her back to the house.
“I was surprised the chief let me come today. Although he told me I had to stay put.”
Danielle didn’t respond.
“How did you know those things?”
“An educated guess,” she lied.
They stopped when they reached the door to the kitchen.
Brian turned to her. “Thank you, Danielle. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help.”
“I’m sorry about Darlene,” Danielle said after a moment of reflection. When her comment seemed to confuse him, she continued. “We don’t choose who we fall in love with. In spite of the things she did, I imagine losing Darlene is painful for you.”
“I would never have helped her frame you. I need you to know that.”
“Oh, I do.” Danielle smiled. “I know you’re a jerk. But not that big of a jerk.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The ocean breeze made its way through the open bedroom window. Danielle hadn’t closed the curtains the night before, and they remained open. She wasn’t in a hurry to get out of bed. It was Saturday morning, and there were no guests to feed. Lily was downstairs with her nurse, getting her morning IV medication.
“I see you’re enjoying having your windows open again,” Walt said when he appeared in the bedroom.
Danielle automatically scooted over on the mattress, making room for Walt. “I think he’s really gone.”
Walt stretched out next to Danielle, folding his arms across his chest while leaning against the headboard. “Do you think he went back to his estate, or has he moved on?”
“I don’t know. I suspect he might have moved on.”
“And Darlene?”
“Can’t imagine what would keep her here. Although, I’m not sure either will be thrilled with the next leg in their journey.”
“You’re only guessing, Danielle. You don’t really know how this all works.”
“Maybe.” Danielle shrugged. “But I like to think there is an element of karma in the hereafter.”
“Before Stoddard left, it looked like he learned how to harness his energy. He sent that gun flying.”
“Yeah. I had been worrying about that. I never really figured he could hurt me, but then when he scratched me at the funeral, I started to wonder. Maybe I’ve been wrong all these years.”
“So what’s happening to Christiansen and Haston?”
“Joe called me last night. I guess once Haston started talking they couldn’t get him to shut up. Confessed to everything from being complicit in hiding Isabella’s body to hiring Smith, who, by the way, came out of his coma last night. Christiansen lawyered up, but I’m not sure how much that’s going to help him considering half of the local police department witnessed him holding me at gunpoint.”
The cellphone sitting on the nightstand began to ring. Danielle grabbed it and looked to see who was calling.
“It’s MacDonald.”
“You two are getting awful chummy.”
“Oh, hush,” she said with a grin before answering the phone. When the call ended a few minutes later, Danielle jumped out of bed.
Walt watched as she hastily pulled clothes from her dresser. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“MacDonald is going to pick me up in fifteen minutes.”
“Where are you going with him?” Walt scowled.
“He knows what KS Trust is and wants to show me.” Danielle tossed the clothes she intended to wear on the bed.
“He wants to show you? What does that mean?”
“I have absolutely no idea, but I love a good mystery, and you need to get out of my room so I can get dressed!”
* * *
“Have you had breakfast yet?” MacDonald asked when Danielle got into his car.
“No. I confess, I was still in bed when you called.” Danielle buckled her seat belt.
“It’ll take us about twenty minutes to get where we’re going. How about we stop at a drive through and pick up a couple breakfast burritos? We can eat them on the way.”
“You buying?”
“Sure.” MacDonald put the car in gear.
“It’s Saturday, why aren’t you home with your boys?”
“They spent last night at my sister’s. After he called this morning, I called my sister and asked her to keep them a little longer.” MacDonald drove the car down the street, away from Marlow House.
“Who is he exactly?”
“The attorney for the Gusarov estate. Did you know, last night Gloria Commings faxed the estate’s attorney an affidavit, swearing Isabella’s will—the one Stoddard put into probate—wasn’t a forgery, that Isabella had indeed changed her will, removing Earthbound Spirits.”
“I bet they’re pissed.” Danielle chuckled.
“It looks like there will be an investigation of Earthbound Spirits.”
“So this means KS Trust, whatever it is, will get the entire shebang?”
“Looks that way.”
“So are you going to tell me, or just make me wait? What is KS Trust?”
“Vanya Gusarov, Stoddard’s father, set up the trust before he died. According to the attorney, it was never Vanya’s intent for the trust to inherit Dignity Care and Life. He assumed his company would be passed down to his grandchildren, Isabella and Stoddard’s children.”
“But Isabella died and Stoddard had no children,” Danielle said with a sigh.
“Exactly.”
“So what is KS Trust?”
“Wait until we get where we’re going. I don’t know the entire story yet.”
Danielle frowned at MacDonald, yet didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked, “I wonder what’s going to happen to the company now. You don’t think Christiansen will be able to keep his job, do you? I know he hasn’t been convicted of anyt
hing yet, but still.”
“According to the attorney, no. From what I understand, DCL board of directors has already called for an emergency meeting. It’s a pretty safe bet Christiansen and Haston will be removed from their positions.”
MacDonald turned into a fast food restaurant drive thru and ordered two breakfast burritos and two cups of coffee. They were back on the road again within fifteen minutes.
“You never said where we’re going.” Danielle opened MacDonald’s burrito and handed it to him with a napkin.
“Just outside of town. Some property held by KS Trust.”
Twenty minutes later, they turned down a street several blocks from the ocean and came to a small beach cottage, surrounded by wrought iron fencing. MacDonald pulled alongside the curb and parked the car.
“Here we are.” He turned the ignition off and opened the door.
“Where are we exactly?” Danielle got out of the car.
“Let’s go see.”
Together they walked toward the locked gate leading to the cottage. MacDonald rang the bell.
“Yes?” came a voice from the speaker a few moments later.
“Chief MacDonald from Frederickport. You are expecting me.”
“Just a moment please,” came the response.
A few minutes later the door to the house opened. To Danielle’s surprise, Will Wayne walked outside.
“Will?” Danielle said in surprise when he came to the gate and unlocked it.
“Morning Danielle, Chief MacDonald.” Will opened the gate.
“I don’t understand?” Danielle looked from the chief to Will.
“I didn’t know until this morning,” MacDonald said.
“Know what?” Danielle frowned.
“Come in the house, I’ll explain there,” Will said.
Danielle and the chief followed him into the house. There was no one sitting in the small tidy living room. Will led them to the doorway to the kitchen, yet stopped before walking in the room. Instead, he pointed inside. A woman, her long red hair liberally streaked with gray, sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast while a nurse sat across from her, drinking a cup of coffee. The nurse looked up to the new arrivals and nodded, but didn’t invite them in.
Will nodded to the nurse and then turned from the doorway, shutting the door before leading Danielle and MacDonald back to the living room.
“If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s Karen, Isabella’s mother, my ex-wife.”
“I don’t understand.” Danielle looked back to the close door.
Will motioned to the living room sofa and chair, inviting Danielle and MacDonald to sit down. After they did, he resumed talking.
“I found out about Karen just a few weeks ago. In the beginning, I kept track of Karen and Isabella through my former employer, and after he died, I used the Internet to keep track of Isabella. She had a Facebook page, and that helped.
“I finally mustered my courage to return to Frederickport and meet my daughter, and then I learned I was too late. She was dead. I couldn’t get much information online regarding the circumstances of her death, so I hired a private investigator to look into Isabella and her life. I also wanted to know if Stoddard had anything to do with Isabella’s death, so I had him investigated. The private investigator discovered the Gusarov secret.”
“Karen,” Danielle murmured.
“Yes. Karen has been alive all these years, and kept here. I didn’t even attempt to contact Stoddard and ask him if I could see her. After all, he and his family did everything in their power to keep us apart, and from what I learned from the private detective, I’m fairly certain Isabella had no idea her mother was still alive.”
“She was so close,” MacDonald said.
“I know.” Will shook his head. “I introduced myself to her nurses and explained who I was. After Stoddard died, they were more willing to let me see her. They knew Stoddard’s wife knew nothing about her sister-in-law and figured there was no one in the family to visit her any more. Although, Stoddard only came a couple times a year.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Danielle asked.
“She came down with early onset Alzheimer's after Isabella was born.”
“She must have been so young,” Danielle said.
“She was in her twenties when she first showed signs. Which is rare, but it does happen.”
“I don’t understand why they hid her away,” Danielle said.
“This type of Alzheimer's is highly hereditary. There was a good chance Isabella, Stoddard or Stoddard’s children might some day come down with it. That wasn’t something the old man wanted the world to know.”
“So they hid her from everyone,” Danielle said.
“When you say it’s highly hereditary—did anyone else in the family have it?” MacDonald asked.
“I suspect her mother did. When I was with Karen, I think I only saw my mother-in-law maybe three times. Karen told me her mother was a recluse. Back then, I thought her mom was a closet alcoholic, because the few times I saw her she seemed, well, out of it.”
“According to the attorney, Vanya Gusarov set up KS Trust to take care of Karen’s financial needs after his death. When she’s gone, whatever is left goes to charity,” MacDonald told them.
“Does she remember you?” Danielle asked Will.
With a sad smile, Will said, “Me? No. But Bobby, yes. She says he’s coming back for her and the baby.”
“What are your plans?” MacDonald asked Will.
“Initially, I planned to return to Phoenix. But I realize I can’t. Not now. I need to make sure Karen is taken care of. Maybe Stoddard only stopped by twice a year, but at least it was someone from the family looking in on her. Fortunately, from what I’ve seen so far, the staff they hired to take care of her seems genuinely fond of her. I haven’t noticed any signs of abuse or neglect.”
“So you’re sticking around?” Danielle asked.
“Yeah, I think so. Might be a nice change, living by the beach again, and I can keep an eye on things. I’m having my attorneys look into the possibility of getting me appointed as Karen’s guardian or whatever they call it. Considering I have my own money, and I’m not after hers, and I’m the closest thing she has as relative—she was the mother of my child—I’m hoping the courts will consider my petition. I have no desire to interfere with DCL or the charities that will ultimately inherit her estate; I just want to make sure Karen spends her remaining years as comfortable as possible.”
Chapter Forty
“What are you doing here?” Joe asked Danielle when he found her coming out of Chief MacDonald’s office.
“Checking on my iPhone. It was taken into evidence after Smith attacked us.”
“What have you been using for a phone?”
“I bought another one the next day.”
“Those aren’t cheap.”
“No problem. I’m rich, remember.” Danielle grinned. “Anyway, I was meaning to upgrade my phone. Figured I’d donate my old one. But it looks like I won’t be getting it back anytime soon.”
“Sorry about that. Hey, are you in a hurry? How about I buy you a cup of coffee.” Joe nodded to the break room.
Danielle smiled. “Sure. I could always use a little extra caffeine.”
“I don’t suppose you heard about Samantha yet?” Joe asked as he led Danielle into the break room and showed her to a table.
“Lily’s nurse? Did you guys find her?” Danielle sat down and watched as Joe poured them each a cup of coffee.
“Yeah. She admitted to taking the phone, but swears she had no idea what it was going to be used for, or who had her take it.”
“Are you saying some stranger just called her up and asked her to take the phone and she did it?”
“Not exactly.” Joe sat down at the table with Danielle. “Apparently, Samantha lost her last job after some pharmaceuticals went missing. There wasn’t a police report; it was all handled in house. After she was assigned to Lily’s ca
se, she received a call from a blackmailer. He threatened to go to her current employer and let them know why she really lost her last job.”
“He told her to steal my phone in exchange for keeping quiet?”
“At first, he just wanted her to spy on you and Lily, let him know who was staying at Marlow House. But then he told her to take your phone and had her drop it off about a block away, in some bushes. He also instructed her to keep Will away from the house the afternoon Smith showed up.”
“I assume the blackmailer was Christiansen or Hanson, if it was a he.”
“Probably. Samantha claims she freaked after we brought her in to be interviewed. She was afraid they might kill her next so she just took off.”
“I thought she didn’t know who the blackmailer was.”
“I don’t think she did. But she had a good idea it was someone connected to her old employer—the one who fired her.”
“Who was that?”
“She was a nurse for one of the assisted care facilities owned by Dignity Care and Life.”
“Ahh…that explains it. Yet, it’s quite a coincidence, her getting assigned to Lily’s case.”
“It wasn’t a coincidence, according to Haston.”
Danielle arched her brows. “He still talking?”
“I think he’s embraced the motto, confession is good for the soul. But yeah. He admitted to pulling strings to get her assigned to Lily’s case.”
“I’m still trying to figure out how Darlene pulled it all off. Shooting her husband; stashing the extra Flex; meeting up with Brian.”
“According to Haston, Darlene switched cars with him and Chuck, right after she shot Stoddard. They were in the T-Bird. After they switched cars, Darlene went to find Brian. She knew he ate breakfast at the diner every morning. They took the Flex to Darlene’s rental, planting the gun in your car on their way. They had another car waiting in the garage.”
