Coulson's Secret

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Garret and Alex sat quietly and listened to Emily’s story. She wasn’t sure they believed her, yet sharing the story might give her a measure of protection, considering her foolish phone call. Plus, she didn’t think she could live with herself if she allowed an innocent man to go to prison.

  “Do you believe her?” Alex asked, after Emily left.

  “I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible.” Garret stood at the window in his study, gazing out at the private garden. The garden looked stark with nothing in bloom, and it was drizzling outside.

  Alex walked up behind Garret and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him from behind with her head resting against his back.

  “What do we do now?” she whispered.

  “I think I’ll talk to Dad. He has to know something about this.”

  “And Carol? Could that all be true?”

  “I’m not saying Emily is lying, but she’s just guessing about Carol. Plus, she really didn’t provide a motive for the murder—only a person who is connected to the two victims.”

  “And a connection to the murder weapon,” Alexandra reminded him.

  “It definitely puts everything into an entirely new light.” Garret turned around and pulled Alex in his arms, giving her a hug. The phone rang. Kissing the top of her head, he released his hold on Alex to answer the phone.

  “Hello, Garret here… Really? That’s terrific. Yes, we’ll be right down.” Garret hung up the phone and looked at Alex. “That was the attorney. The judge is setting bail.”

  Chapter 19

  Nick wondered if Kim knew Adam was out on bail. He heard the news on the radio as he drove from Clement Falls to Coulson. It was dark outside when he pulled into Carol’s driveway. Kim hadn’t turned on the porch light and the house was dark except for one light coming from Carol’s upstairs study. He wondered if Kim was still sorting through the boxes he’d placed there. That afternoon, Kim had called to tell Nick she’d found keys for the boxes. According to Kim, the boxes contained books, but he didn’t know if they were Carol’s diaries since he hadn’t talked to her again.

  Turning off the car, Nick got out and moved quickly to the front door. It had started to rain when he hit town, and he didn’t have an umbrella. Nick never carried an umbrella, even if he knew it was about to rain.

  Standing in the darkness under the protection of the front porch overhang, he rang the doorbell for the third time. If he didn’t know better, he would assume Kim had gone somewhere, but her car was parked in the driveway next to his.

  Finally, he heard someone walking down the stairs and then an indoor light turned on, followed by the porch light. No longer was he standing in the dark. The door opened and Kim stood before him, her eyes red from freshly shed tears.

  “Kim?” Nick moved toward her. Before he could say another word, Kim flew into his arms and began to sob. He just stood there a moment, holding her as she cried pitifully. It was cold on the porch and Kim wasn’t wearing a jacket, so he eased her into the house while she clung to him. He closed the door behind them. Jake greeted them both, meowing loudly, looking up at the pair as if trying to figure out what was wrong.

  “What happened?” Nick asked, still holding her.

  Finally, she stopped crying. Kim made a little hiccup sound, pulled away, and wiped her face with the back of her hand. Without saying a word, she took his right hand and led him upstairs to the study and then nudged him toward the couch. She wanted him to sit down.

  “Here.” She picked up a hardback book. He could tell it was some sort of ledger. “Just read it. Read it.” She handed him the book and then sat down and watched him.

  Curious, he opened the book.

  Handwritten entries covered its ruled pages, each penned in the same cursive style. The varying shades of ink and slight shift in handwriting indicated the entries were made on different days, which was supported by the fact each entry was under its own date. Nick assumed Carol Myers was the author. He sat back and began to read. January 1, 1978 marked the first entry.

  When he finished reading the 1978 journal, Kim handed him the 1979 journal and instructed him to skip to March. He quickly flipped through the pages, looking for March. He could tell most of the early entries were similar to those written after Kim’s birth in the previous journal.

  The first thing he noticed different about the March entries, none were dated—save for the first one on the page, dated March 1, 1979. After that, each line was a separate scribble without a date. By the varying shades of ink, he could tell they were written on different days.

  After he finished reading the ledger, Nick closed the book and looked up to Kim, who sat quietly on the desk chair, watching him.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he finally said.

  “I guess there was more to this story than my mother ever told your father,” Kim said, her voice was barely a whisper. “I doubt your dad ever knew about the house or the payments. If he had, I can’t imagine he would have believed her rape story.”

  “Now we understand the connection between your mother and Harrison.”

  “What now?” Kim wasn’t sure how any of this was going to help find her mother and Harrison’s murderer.

  “I suppose we could go to the police. This information might help them. Maybe open the door to other suspects.”

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea? I keep asking myself about the police chief Mom mentioned in the diary. He was involved and as guilty as Harrison, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “I imagine that will be easy enough to find out. However, I don’t see why that would prevent us from taking this to Chief Peterson.”

  “Do you realize his grandfather used to be the police chief here before Carter?” Kim asked.

  “No, I didn’t know that. You think he was the chief when all this went down?”

  “I don’t know,” Kim answered, “but I’m reluctant to hand this information over to Peterson. If his grandfather was the one mentioned in Mom’s diary, I doubt Peterson knows. Yet, who’s to say he wouldn’t do something to maintain the cover up and protect his grandfather’s reputation.”

  “And then there is Carter,” Nick reminded her. “If he was the police chief back then and connected to the murders, that would explain how Angela got her hands on the gun.”

  “I still don’t see a clear motive,” Kim noted.

  “True, but considering what we found in your mom’s diaries, it may be in here somewhere. We just need to connect the dots—and connect the players. By the way, Adam is out on bail. I forgot to mention it earlier, sorry.”

  “He is? Well, that’s good. I can’t imagine Garret wouldn’t find a way to get him out. I wonder… Maybe we should go to Alex and Garret with this information?”

  “I don’t know; families can be funny. In spite of everything, Harrison was Garret’s brother. We don’t know how he will react,” Nick reminded her.

  “But he can’t hurt me. If he tries to cover it up, then the only person harmed is Adam, especially if this information casts a brighter light on Harrison and broadens the field for possible suspects. I can’t imagine Alexandra would allow that to happen.”

  “Kim, are you forgetting what this information means to you?”

  “I can’t think about that now. As far as I’m concerned, none of it means anything to me. I’m not happy about what I’ve discovered, but I have no intention to act on it.”

  “You have every right,” he reminded.

  “Do you want to know what I really feel? Guilt,” Kim told him.

  “How so? What in the world do you have to feel guilty about?”

  “Frankly, I’m not sure any of this helps Adam. What it does is somewhat explains why my mother may have been there that day. In all probability, she really was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and the shooter was after Harrison. Yet, I’m probably the reason she went there that day, considering my last phone conversation with her. If I hadn’t pushed Mom, I doubt she would have gone to H
arrison.”

  “None of this is your fault, and you can’t think that way,” Nick insisted. “And the one thing we must keep reminding ourselves—Angela had the murder weapon.”

  “I haven’t forgotten. I don’t see how that changes anything. Who knows, maybe Angela murdered Harrison. Maybe she stole the gun from the Coulson House during a visit and then went to Harrison’s office to get rid of him so her fiancée could get Harrison off his back, and my mother just happened to walk in on them.”

  “I hate to say this, but perhaps…”

  “No,” Kim interrupted. “I don’t believe Adam did this. I can’t. And no, I’m not in love with him anymore. I just find it impossible to believe he could change that much.”

  “Then perhaps we should go to Garret and Alexandra and let the chips fall where they may,” Nick suggested.

  Chapter 20

  “I don’t know why I can’t just stay here,” Adam told his mother as he tossed clothes in a suitcase and went to his bathroom to grab some toiletry items.

  “Because you are being released into our custody,” Alex called after him. She sat on Adam’s bed and looked around. It used to be her bedroom, Ryan and hers. She wondered what Ryan would think about this mess. Is he watching us? she asked herself.

  “If you can, help our boy, Ryan, please,” Alexandra whispered to the quiet room.

  “What, Mom?” Adam asked as he walked back in the bedroom carrying his shaving kit.

  “Oh, nothing.” Alex smiled, a bit embarrassed to be talking to ghosts.

  “Mom, where do you think Angela got that gun?” Adam filled the suitcase sitting on the bed next to Alex.

  “I don’t know. Do you think it’s possible she killed Harrison and Carol?” she asked.

  “Mom, I don’t know why Angela is doing this. I know she’s pissed but to frame me for murder? In spite of that, I can’t find any motive for her to kill Harrison.”

  “She knew about the loan, right?” She watched Adam zip up the suitcase.

  “Yes. She tried to talk me out of it and told me I should go to you and Garret.”

  “Well, in that, I agree with her, but maybe she was afraid you were about to lose everything, and like I told you, I’ve always had a feeling about Angela. Money seems to mean a great deal to her.”

  “Considering what she is doing to me, I sure as hell am not going to defend her,” Adam said angrily, picking up the suitcase. “Mom, have you talked to Kimmy yet? Does she know I was arrested?”

  “Honey, it was on the radio.”

  “Fuck,” Adam cursed.

  Considering the circumstances, Alex didn’t feel compelled to scold him for his language. “I also know she was interviewed by Peterson. But, I haven’t talked to her since your arrest.”

  “Do you think she believes I murdered her mother?” Adam asked quietly.

  “I don’t know, honey. I would hope Kimmy knows you better than that.”

  “You guys ready yet?” Garret asked, poking his head into the bedroom. He had been waiting in the living room for Adam to throw some things together.

  “Garret, I want to thank you for bailing me out. I really appreciate it,” Adam told him.

  “That’s what families are for,” Garret reminded him. “Adam, we’re going to figure this out.”

  Across town, Joe Carter was tucking his cell phone into his back pocket when he walked into his living room. His daughter, Angela, sat on the couch, her feet propped up on a coffee table as she shoved a heaping spoonful of chocolate ice cream into her mouth.

  “Ice cream for dinner?” Joe asked as he took the chair across from the couch and sat down.

  His daughter responded with a shrug and took another bite.

  “That was Peterson. Adam is out on bail,” Joe told her.

  Angela stopped eating and looked at her father. “Do you think he is on his way here?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t have taken that gun to the police. You should have talked to me first,” Joe told her.

  “Adam brought all this on himself,” Angela insisted, then asked again, “Do you think he will come here?”

  “I doubt it. According to Peterson, the condition of the bail requires him to stay with Garret. I don’t imagine Garret would allow Adam to come here.” He was quiet for a moment and watched his daughter as she finished the ice cream.

  “Are you mad at me, Daddy?” Angela asked as she set the empty bowl on the coffee table.

  “I’d like to know what the hell you were thinking. And why you went to the police without first talking to me.”

  “I told you. Adam deserved it. Did you know he cheated on me with that slut Kim Myers?”

  “Kim isn’t a slut,” Joe said quietly.

  “Daddy, you told me she got pregnant in high school. And she wasn’t even back here a week before she slept with my boyfriend!”

  “I understand why you’re angry. But if he’s found guilty, Adam could go to prison for a very long time.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes.

  “Angela, how did you find the gun?”

  “It was under the bed, Daddy. Are you mad at me?”

  “Why were you looking under the bed?”

  “I wasn’t looking for anything. I just noticed the dust ruffle was all stuck up, funny like. I tried to straighten it. Then I saw the box. I was curious, that’s all.”

  “How did you know?” Joe tried to keep his voice steady. “How did you know it was the murder weapon?”

  “I didn’t,” Kim said quietly. “I was just so mad at Adam and was trying to think of a way to teach him a lesson. I didn’t expect them to actually link the revolver to the murders. At the most, I figured he might get in trouble for having the gun.”

  “Don’t you want to know how that gun got under the bed?”

  “Not really, Daddy. That really doesn’t matter to me.”

  “You know, they’re going to be asking you more questions. They’ll put you on the stand. Are you going to be able to tell them how you found the gun?”

  “I don’t plan to change my story.”

  “Even if it means sending Adam to prison?”

  “I hope he is found guilty. He needs to be punished for what he did,” Angela announced without regret. She stood up, grabbed the empty bowl off the coffee table, and walked to her father.

  “I love you, Daddy,” she said before kissing his cheek. “And don’t worry; everything is going to be all right. I promise you.” She turned and walked from the room.

  Joe Carter sat alone in his living room, wondering about the callousness of his daughter and her willingness to send the man she once professed to love to prison.

  Chapter 21

  Garret wasn’t sure what he expected to find. He had one more box of papers to go through that belonged to his murdered brother. It was past midnight. He glanced at the calendar; it was officially the first day of December.

  December was a special month for Garret. The woman he loved was born in December. Her birthday was less than a week away, and he wanted to give her what she most wanted for her birthday: her son’s freedom. December was also the month he had come back into Alexandra’s life sixteen years earlier.

  Garret looked up from his papers to see Sarah entering the room.

  “Dad?”

  “Honey, you should be in bed. It’s a school night.”

  “Dad, are they going to send Adam to prison?” Sarah wore a floor-length flannel nightgown, and by the way her hair was mussed, it was obvious she had been in bed.

  “Not if we can help it. Come here, baby.” Garret pushed his chair away from his desk and made room for his little girl. She sat on his lap and leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He often wondered how such a jaded old bachelor ever managed to snag the love of his life and become the father to this sweet miracle.

  “Some girls were talking about it in school and they said Adam did it because he had the murder weapon.” Sarah remaine
d on her father’s lap but pulled back a bit so she could look at his face as they talked.

  “That’s not really true. Angela turned the gun in to the police, and we have no idea where she actually got it.”

  “I never liked her.” She rested her head back against his chest.

  “I don’t think your mother ever cared for her much, either. I guess you two are smarter than the men in this family.”

  “Did you like her?”

  “Truthfully, I didn’t particularly like or dislike her. Her father has been a friend of our family for years.”

  “She was always kissing up to Grandpa Coulson,” Sarah said and then added, “And over Thanksgiving, I caught her snooping around upstairs. I saw her walking out of Uncle Harrison and Aunt Shelly’s wing.”

  “Really? Where was Shelly?”

  “I don’t know. Grandpa sent me upstairs to get something from his room. Dad, who do you think murdered Uncle Harrison?”

  “I don’t know honey.” Garret sighed, asking himself that same question.

  “I know this is awful to admit, but I never really liked Uncle Harrison. He was kind of creepy.”

  “Creepy how?”

  “Well, when he didn’t think people were watching him, he would just stare at Mom and Aunt Kate. Hannah and I both noticed it. And I didn’t like the way he hugged me.”

  Garret tensed at the mention of his brother hugging his daughter inappropriately. “Exactly, how did he hug you?” He tried not to sound too concerned.

  “Like a long time. It wasn’t a quick hug, more like he didn’t want to let go. Hannah and I tried to avoid him, but sometimes it was impossible.”

  “Why in the world didn’t you say something to your mother or me?” Garret asked, unable to conceal his anger.

  “He was my uncle.” Sarah shrugged.

  Garret turned his daughter to face him. “Sarah, in the future, if anyone makes you uncomfortable like that, you come to me or your mother. I don’t care if it’s family.”