by Ann Mullen
“I swear I’m telling the truth,” Carl cried. “You have to believe me! I had nothing to do with the murder of Ophelia Pitman.”
“What about Trevor Lane’s car crash?” Detective Trainum asked.
“Sherry said it was a lucky break,” Carl replied. “She said she never could find anyone to do the job. She called me a coward for not killing him myself but that didn’t stop her from wanting to be with me. She’s obsessed! I think she might have done something to his car to cause the crash. I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“I’m going to need an address so I can alert the police in Florida and have her brought back here,” Detective Trainum said.
“The address is 714 High Road, Saint Augustine, Florida,” Carl replied. “The house is located in a gated community called Breezy Shores.”
“You’ll have to come with us,” Detective Trainum said. “We’ll have to verify your story.”
“Am I under arrest?”
The detective looked at Carl as if he’d lost his mind. “Yes, you are. Did you think I was going to let you go just because you came up with this sad-sack story? I suggest you call a lawyer, because you’ll going to need one.”
“I’ll act on his behalf until he gets someone else, if that’s okay with Mr. Benson,” Randy said.
Abby gave him a sly look. She was probably thinking the same thing that I was. He was doing it to impress Claire.
“Thank you,” Claire said. She looked at Carl and asked, “Is that okay with you or would you rather I call my brother, Jack?”
“Randy’s a good lawyer,” Carl said to Claire and then looked at Randy. “I’d appreciate it if you’d represent me, Randy.”
“Okay,” Randy said. He looked at the detective. “I guess we’d better get a move on it if I’m going to get my client out on bail.”
Claire hugged Carl and told him not to worry; everything would work out. The detective and his men, along with Randy, led Carl out the door and to the police car.
Abby closed the front door and pressed buttons on the alarm keypad.
“The house is secure,” she said. “Are we ready for bed, or would you like to talk a little bit, Claire?”
Claire looked at me and then back to Abby. “Maybe a hot cup of tea would help me sleep better, if you gals are up to it.” She looked around at the rest of us.
“Why not?” Isabel replied. “My system is so out of whack from staying up so late, what would it hurt to stay up a little longer?”
“I’ll go fix the tea while you ladies go sit in the parlor,” Abby said.
Isabel looked surprised at Abby’s offer, but agreed to it. “Be my guest,” she said as she led me and Claire to the parlor. “Just be sure to bring the honey. I don’t take sugar in mine, but you always seem to forget.”
“I know exactly what you like and dislike,” Abby replied as she walked down the hallway heading to the kitchen.
While Abby was busy preparing tea, Isabel sat down next to me and said, “I know this hasn’t been the most pleasant circumstance, but I just wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed meeting you and the time we’ve spent together, Jesse. It was you who got me off my butt and made me stand up to Abby. I never did it before because I was afraid she was too fragile. She talks a good game, but she’s really an insecure person. It was time for me to put her in her place, and because of you, I did. When I lost my husband, I was devastated. Abby convinced me to sell our estate and come live with her. I always thought it was because she felt sorry for me, but now I know it was because she was lonely. She needed me, so I let her have her way. Pete is hardly ever home anymore and that makes her sad, but she doesn’t want to do the things he wants to do. Eventually, she started taking her frustrations out on me. It was time to put a stop to it, and because of you, I got the courage I needed. I’ve learned that Abby really isn’t so fragile after all… she’s just lonely and never wanted to admit it to me. Now that I know the truth, we’re going to do things together and plan a life that only includes Pete when he’s around.”
Abby walked into the parlor and set the tray down on the coffee table. “I see you’ve been talking behind my back, again,” she said.
“That’s the fun part,” I said as I picked up my teacup and held it out to Abby. “We surely can’t say bad things about you to your face, can we?”
Abby laughed. “You are such a bad girl, Jesse.”
“No, you’re the bad girl!”
“No, you’re the bad girl!” She mocked me.
“In the short span of one day, I’ve come to realize that I’ve made two new friends who I’d like to have in my life. I hope this won’t be the last that I see of you. I hope you’ll come for a visit and I can show you what’s it’s like to live in a little piece of heaven. The mountains are a great place to start a family. When my little warrior comes into this world, I want you two to come meet him.”
“How do you know it’s going to be a boy?” Isabel asked.
“Because her Indian husband said so,” Claire said with a smile. “You’ll love Billy! He’s one of the best.”
“May I have him?” Isabel asked. “I need a good man.”
“No, you can’t,” I said. “But I’m sure we can fix you up with someone, if you’re serious. Billy has a nice, good-looking, single brother. However, he is a little young for you, but who cares?”
Claire and I chuckled.
Isabel said, “I’ll take him!”
“Oh, Isabel you’re out of your mind!” Abby snipped.
“I was only kidding, Abby,” she shot back. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch!”
Abby rolled her eyes and then gave Isabel a hug. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you.”
Ten minutes later, we headed upstairs to bed. I was so exhausted; I didn’t bother to pull back the covers. I flopped down on the bed and instantly fell asleep. All night long I had pleasant, loving dreams of Billy. When I awoke at the crack of dawn, I was lonely for my man. I couldn’t wait to get back home. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed with Billy and fall asleep in his arms. I wanted to feel the warmth of his skin. I missed him!
As I descended the stairs the smell of food overtook me. I headed straight for the kitchen. Claire, with her wet hair and dressed in fresh clothes was standing next to Abby helping her prepare breakfast. They looked up at me as I entered.
“Why don’t you run take a shower,” Abby asked. “You’ll feel much better. Claire brought in your duffel bag and put it in your bathroom.” She looked at Claire and said, “Whatever happened to carrying real luggage? That’s all I ever see people with these days… those awful, bulky duffel bags thrown over their shoulders.”
“They’re easier to manage,” I said as I turned to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as I finish taking a shower.” I passed Isabel in the hallway. “Did you have your shower this morning?” I asked her.
“I most certainly did,” she replied. “You’d better hurry up or you’ll miss a wonderful breakfast. Abby really isn’t such a bad cook like I said; she just doesn’t like to cook. Now that you and Claire are here, I guess she’s got her spunk back. I’m glad to see it. She’s a strange woman.”
“I’ll be right back,” I said. “Give me ten minutes.”
“Sure, sure,” Isabel said as she walked off laughing. “That’ll be the day. I don’t know any woman who can shower that quickly.”
“You do now,” I yelled to her as I ran back up the stairs. Ten minutes later, I was showered, dressed in fresh clothes and was headed back down stairs, duffel bag in hand. I dropped it by the doorway and then went into the parlor to get my purse. I came back out and laid it on top of my duffel bag and then headed to the kitchen.
“Where’s your stuff!” I asked Claire. “I didn’t see your purse or your basket of goodies in the credenza.”
“I put my stuff in the car.”
“I hate to see the two of you leave,” Abby said as she motioned for me to have a seat at the table. “I’ve gotten used to havi
ng you around. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”
“That’s what happens when people become friends,” I said. “I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of you and Isabel, or Randy.” I looked at Claire and batted my eyelashes.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Randy and I are…”
“Hot for each other,” I finished her sentence.
“When your divorce from Carl becomes final, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you and Randy got married?” Isabel added.
“Yeah, and then I could con money out of your rich motherin-law,” I said, looking at Claire and then Abby.
“You’d never do that, Jesse,” Claire said. “You might be a little strange sometimes, but you’re not a user.”
“I could change!”
The girls laughed. We chatted as we devoured every last bit of food, and then we laughed about how we had made pigs of ourselves.
“Has anyone heard from Randy?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Abby said. “I’m sure he’ll call as soon as he knows what’s going to happen with Carl. I guess they have to go get that woman and bring her back here before they release him. She’ll need to corroborate his story and I have a feeling that’s not going to happen. She’ll blame him for everything. I’d bet money on it. She’s not going to go down for a murder if she can put the blame on Carl. It’s his word against hers—he said, she said—that type of deal. Let’s just hope forensics can put the blame where it belongs.”
“I sure hope so,” Claire said. “My marriage to Carl is over, but he’s still my children’s father. I don’t want to see him go to jail.”
“I do, if he killed that girl,” I said.
“You just don’t like Carl,” Claire said. “Do you really think he could kill a person?”
“I think anything’s possible,” I said. “I never thought I’d be able…”
“Be able to what?” Abby asked.
I had everyone’s attention, especially Claire’s. She knew what I was about to blurt out. “It’s not important,” Claire said.
“It must be, if you don’t want Jesse to tell us,” Isabel said.
No one spoke. Claire excused herself from the table on the pretense that she had to go to the bathroom. It was then that I discovered what the full impact of my actions had made on her. Claire was ashamed of what I had done, even though I saved our lives.
Within five minutes, I had laid the whole sordid details of my encounter with the Westovers out on the table. It wasn’t a pretty tale.
“I think it took a lot of guts to do what you did,” Isabel said.
“And a lot of courage,” Abby added. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, I can tell you that. If I should ever get into that kind of situation, I hope I have the guts to handle it just like you did.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I have to live with this every day. Sometimes when it starts to bother me, I just think about my sister, her kids, and Billy’s mother. I did what I had to do.”
The doorbell chimed. A few minutes later, Claire walked back into the kitchen with Randy behind her. Her eyes were filled with tears.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I jumped up and ran to my sister.
“Sherry Lane was found dead in the house in Florida, and Carl’s been charged with the deaths of her and Ophelia Pitman.” Claire cried as she collapsed in Randy’s arms.
CHAPTER 19
Randy helped Claire over to the kitchen table. She looked pale and had a hard time standing on her own. Clearly, she was in a state of panic and distress. Her soon-to-be ex-husband had just been charged with a murder that most likely had been committed by a crazy woman who was now lying dead on a cold slab at the morgue, and she died because of his reckless disregard. He had locked Sherry Lane in his pantry and for whatever reason, it was there that she had died. Now he was going down for two murders: one he had nothing to do with, and the other a direct accidental result of the first one. How ironic!
Randy’s cell phone rang. He excused himself and walked into the hallway. When he returned, his face was ashen. “The body they found in Carl’s pantry wasn’t Sherry Lane; it was the neighbor from next door. She’s just been identified as Kayla Wilkes.”
“We have to get out of here,” I said to Claire. Red flags went up everywhere and I was beginning to get a sick, eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach. “I have a real bad feeling about what’s going to happen next. Sherry Lane’s a nut case. She obviously killed an innocent person who was probably trying to help her out. If she did that, she wouldn’t hesitate to come after you, Claire, once she finds out that you’re here. She’s dangerous and I don’t want us to be around when she comes calling.” I looked at Randy. “We’re going to leave now, and as soon as we do, I want you to lock this place up as tight as a nun’s…”
“Jesse!” Claire shouted.
“You get my drift,” I said, looking from Claire back to Randy. “Sherry Lane’s on the streets and there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s coming back here to Carl’s house. It’s the nature of the beast. He turned on her and now she wants revenge. I’ll bet that she killed that Wilkes woman and she probably didn’t even give it a second thought. She was so mad that she lashed out at the first person in sight. I say she’s psychotic. Why else would she kill someone who was trying to help her, unless she’d gone off the deep end? She wants revenge. She wants to get back here and finish what she started. She wants payback and I don’t want to be around when she comes to collect.”
“I’m with you, Jesse,” Abby agreed. “Now that Carl has turned on her, she’ll be out for revenge. If she did kill those two people, why not add a few more to the list? She’ll get the needle either way you look at it. She might even come over here.”
“Call the police and don’t dare let her in!” I said. “Randy, you have to stay here until they catch her. Abby and Isabel won’t be safe until that maniac is captured.”
“Don’t worry, Jesse,” he said. “I’m not about to leave Mother and Isabel alone. Pete’s not due home until the weekend and I don’t want them here by themselves. Sherry might not come to this house, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“You’re such a good son,” Abby said as she got up to give her son a hug. “Isn’t he the best?”
“Yes, he is,” Claire said. “You’re very lucky to have someone who cares so much about you. I hope when my kids grow up they will love me the same.”
“Oh, they will…”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said to Abby. “We have to get out of here. As soon as we help clean up the table, we’re leaving.”
“Forget about the table,” Isabel said. “We’ll take care of it. You just get your stuff and get on the road. Keep your cell phone on in case we get paranoid and want to call you. You know we’ll worry about you two until you get home safely.”
“I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know you guys,” I said to all of them. “I hope we’ll keep in touch.”
“Oh, you can count on it!” Isabel said. “You just say the word and Abby and I will get in her Caddy and come for a visit.”
“Do you promise?”
“Sure.”
Claire got up from the table and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face while I loaded my stuff in the SUV. I ran back inside and said, “Are you ready, Claire?”
“I’m coming,” she said as she walked out of the parlor. Randy had his arm on her shoulder as they emerged. She gave him a quick hug and then hugged Abby and Isabel.
I hugged everyone and when I turned to leave, Abby shoved something into my hand. “I want you to have this. It’s been my good luck charm. My daddy gave it to me many years ago. In times of trouble, I’d keep it close to my heart for comfort. It’s served me well and now it’s yours.”
“Thanks, Abby,” I said as I looked at the object in my hand. It was a St. Christopher’s medal with a chain running through a tiny ring at the top. I took the necklace and draped it around my neck. “I’ll treasure i
t always.”
“Be careful,” Isabel said as Claire and I walked outside.
We turned and waved.
“I’m driving,” I said to Claire as we walked up to the car.
“That’s fine with me,” she replied. She got in on the passenger’s side. “I’m a nervous wreck.”
“So am I. That’s why I insist upon driving. With my anxiety, I couldn’t handle your driving… no offense.”
“None taken.”
We jumped into the car, locked the doors, and then I backed out of the driveway. The roads in the private sub-division were clear even though there were probably six inches of snow on the ground. I guess if you could afford a house where Abby lived, you’d obviously have a private crew to take care of the roads. I marveled at the size of some of the homes. All of them were big, but some were just plain enormous. I also wondered how Claire had fit in with this upper crust of people, but under the circumstances, I wasn’t about to ask. We had enough on our plate just trying to make it home. Claire gripped the door handle as I pushed the gas pedal down to the floor. I wasn’t wasting any time getting as far away as I could from that crazy woman, Sherry Lane.
“Shouldn’t we call the house and let them know we’re on our way?” Claire asked.
“I think so, just in case that crazy woman comes after us,” I agreed. “That’s a good idea. I meant to call Billy as soon as I woke up, but the smell of food distracted me. Go ahead and call him, but don’t tell him anything about Sherry. I want him to know we’ve left Abby’s house, but I don’t want him to worry. We can explain everything when we get home.”
Claire pulled out her cell phone and dialed my house. She made it short and sweet, leaving out the part about our fears of running into a killer. Once she had finished getting an update from the homestead, she closed the phone and laid it on the console.
“Mom said everything is fine. The kids behaved well, and Sarah stayed overnight. I think Sarah just loves to be around babies. I bet she’ll make a great grandmother to your baby. I know she likes Mom. They’ve become good friends.”
