Her thoughts raced to recall what she had written there about Calvin Drake, Zara, Lena herself. This was extremely painful.
And potentially dangerous, keeping in mind that Lena herself could be Sally’s killer.
What had they done taking her into their home?
Delta turned around and made her way back up the stairs as softly as she had come. Her heart was beating fast, and she didn’t know what to do next. Shower and dress and go down to play hostess as if nothing had happened?
But what if Lena hadn’t turned up at their cottage in a panic at all, but with the conscious idea to use her stay here to find out how much they knew? What they were looking into, etc.
Delta took a deep breath. They should have sent her to a hotel anyway. But it had seemed like such a harsh thing to do to an upset woman. And Delta hadn’t considered for a moment that Lena might use her time in their cottage to go through her things.
If she went down and confronted her about it, Lena would probably claim she had just picked up the book to look at her designs and hadn’t known it contained anything other than drawings. Which, by the way, made total sense. Lena couldn’t know she used her sketchbook for case files, could she?
Delta massaged her temples. She had to be careful, or she would become paranoid herself.
Dressed and with more determination in her step than she actually felt inside, Delta went down and found her guest lying on the sofa, apparently still asleep. Good actress. She gently shook her shoulder. “Good morning. Do you want some breakfast?”
Lena gave a very convincing sleepy sound. “Yes, please. Black coffee and some fruit. I don’t do bread ever, and I hate the smell of anything frying. Eggs, pancakes.”
Point taken, Delta thought. Lena had a very charming way of making people do exactly what she wanted. Had Calvin Drake loved her for it and then started to hate her? Bit by bit, and then he had met Zara and made a plan to get her into the house and then…slowly drive his wife insane? With the near accidents, the lights failing…
Nah. It sounded too much like something from a Victorian novel. The wife who goes crazy under the evil machinations of the young and innocent staff member.
Still, Lena had said that Zara had almost driven a car into her.
Lena had said. Yes. They only had her word for it. And for many other things she had claimed. They needed to check up on her statements. Thoroughly.
In the kitchen, she messaged Jonas: “Lena Laroy is here. Turned up last night, allegedly afraid to go home. Can’t tell you more, but things feel off. Come over here like you are turning up out of the blue and talk to her. Maybe you can get more than I can?”
She put the phone away and started to make fresh coffee.
Hazel came down and asked Lena how she had slept. “Not too good at first, then I fell asleep and had bad dreams, now my head is splitting.”
“You take it easy. I will get you coffee.” Hazel came into the kitchen area. She looked at Delta, who whispered, “She only wants coffee and fruit. Nothing frying, so we can’t make anything.”
Hazel nodded and picked up the fruit bowl full of bananas, apples, pears, and grapes. She brought it to Lena and then got her a plate, knife, and napkin.
Delta listened for sounds outside, indicating Jonas’s arrival. As a former cop, he would know how to handle Lena. She hoped.
Hazel came to pour coffee for Lena and whispered to Delta, “I didn’t sleep too well either. Too much on my mind.”
Delta nodded. Outside she heard the hum of an engine. Relief washed through her. Jonas would know what to do with the wily former model.
The engine sound stopped, and after a few minutes, Jonas came around back with Spud darting ahead of him. The dog bounced against Delta as she opened the door for them. “Hello, good morning.”
Jonas said to her in a low voice, “Anything up?”
“She read my case file when she thought I was still in bed. I wonder if she came here to find out how much we know.”
“For real?” Jonas looked her over. “Are you afraid of her?”
“I don’t know. She’s not being fully honest about things.” Why cover for the caterer at the party? If he was a stalker she wanted to ditch, she should have come forward with that information. Something wasn’t adding up.
Jonas nodded. He said in a loud voice, “But I really have to discuss this with you now.” He gestured to Spud to go in, and the dog shot past Delta and went for Hazel, who fell to her knees and hugged him. Jonas barged in, saying, “It will be a big thing at the Lodge, so I really need your help. I think we could… Oh, Mrs. Drake. Or should I say Miss Laroy? I can never quite remember.”
“Lena is fine.” Lena smiled up at Jonas, a half-peeled apple in one hand, the knife in the other. “What are you doing here this early?”
“Discussing some events at the Lodge. And you?” He nodded at her apparel. “It looks like you slept here.”
“You don’t have to be a former policeman to deduce that.” Lena’s tone was light, but her eyes flashed a moment. “I’m surprised you don’t know yet. I thought in this small town the news spread fast. The police were at my home last night. Someone sabotaged our power.”
Delta hitched a brow that Lena suddenly called it sabotage, while earlier she had been keen on saying it was merely a malfunction of the control panel. But then she had felt obliged to lie because of her husband, right? That was what she had explained to them last night upon arrival. What was the truth, what lies?
Jonas came to sit by her side. “Sabotaged?” he repeated as if he couldn’t believe it. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Zara perhaps. Or my husband. You have no idea what kind of man he is, Jonas. Cold and possessive. But”—she lowered her eyes—“I shouldn’t say this to you. You work for him.”
“He hired me for a job. It’s not like he owns me.” Jonas leaned over. “Are you afraid of Calvin Drake?”
Delta watched in fascination how Lena’s eyes changed expression and she inched closer to Jonas, speaking in a low voice. “Yes. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. He’s not himself anymore. He changed after Sally came to live with us.”
“Sally? You just mentioned Zara.”
“Yes, Zara may be having an affair with him, but Sally made him promise her things, like taking her into the company and… It was absurd. Sally knew nothing about design. She was an art expert, and not even a good one, or she wouldn’t have gotten fired at that museum. But Calvin treated her like she was pure gold. He must have felt pressure to do what she wanted. He could be so curt with me. I was surprised he even wanted to celebrate my birthday. Of course, he wasn’t there himself. Business was more important than me.” She raised a hand. Her fingers were trembling. She put the hand slowly on Jonas’s arm. “You have no idea what kind of man he really is.”
“Then don’t go back to him.” Jonas covered her hand with his own. “If you go back, you may be in danger.”
Lena held his gaze. “But I must go back. If I stay away any longer, he’ll know something is up. He’ll only become more difficult to live with.”
“Leave him for good. Divorce him if you are that unhappy.”
“I can’t. I don’t have a career anymore. How would I live?” Lena swallowed hard. “I had an offer to do more perfume, a whole new line, a spring collection, but Calvin said I could do a line of furnishings with Drake Design. That was until Sally came.”
“But Sally is dead now.” Jonas still spoke in that kind, considerate tone. “You don’t have to be afraid she will take your place.”
Lena stared up at him. “What are you saying? That I’m happy she died?” She pulled her hand away as if she had burned herself and jumped to her feet. “How can you think that? I’m scared out of my mind after the murder. I can’t sleep, can’t eat—last night with the power outage I almost ran out in a panic. Maybe straight into the k
iller’s arms?” Her eyes went wide. “You have to help me, Jonas.”
“I’m trying to. I told you not to go back to Drake if you think he can’t be trusted.”
Lena stamped her foot. “You don’t know how it is. Like I have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice.” Jonas grabbed her shoulders. “I’m offering to protect you now. But I can’t help you when you’re not cooperating.”
Lena sank on the couch again. “I don’t know,” she said and started to sob.
Jonas looked down at her. Then he came for Delta and ushered her into the kitchen. “I can’t tell if she’s really afraid of him or putting on a little show for us.”
Delta nodded. “That is hard to determine. What will you do?”
“I’m going to Drake to see how he’s doing alone with Zara. I want to ask him about the relationship between them. Are you coming with me?”
“And leave Hazel alone with Lena? Is that safe?”
Jonas pursed his lips. “I’ll stay here to have breakfast with you, and then you have to leave for the store. Lena will have to leave as well. We’ll drive into town, and then you can jump in with me and we’ll go to Drake’s villa. Deal?”
Delta nodded. “Deal. There’s more than one thing I want to ask him.”
* * *
After they had finished breakfast and had said goodbye to Lena, who drove her own car into town to do some shopping, Delta got in with Jonas, and they set out for the Drake villa.
As they drove along the lake, Delta said, “It’s such a beautiful view of the water and the snowcapped mountains. Too bad the villa seems to be the site of heartache over and over. Did you read about this fifties case? Athena Barrows? I went to see Coldard about it.”
“Busy with a new book again, is he?” Jonas grinned. “He has been saying that for years now, but nothing comes out of his hands anymore. He lives in his own world of stories, of the past.”
“He seemed pretty sharp to me. He told me that Athena Barrows was rumored to have had an affair with a relation of the Taylors. Anthony Taylor, who died in Italy?”
“Rumors are not facts, let alone hard truth.” Jonas glanced at her. “Don’t complicate the present case by bringing in that old thing. Unresolved, and it will stay that way. The only one who thinks they might be related is Marc LeDuc, who dug up that story because he thinks it’s rather romantic and can get him clicks.”
“So, you don’t think it’s remarkable that a woman got stabbed near the villa in the fifties and now it happened again?”
“Remarkable maybe, but that doesn’t mean the two cases are related. There’s the villa. What shall we say?”
“The gate is closed, so we need to announce ourselves,” Delta observed. “Too bad really. That power outage last night have meant we could approach the house without anyone caring that we did.”
“Yes, so the question is…who wanted to prowl around unseen? And why?”
“I have no idea.” Delta rubbed her face. “Too many questions, too little answers. All I do know is that Randall Drake was in town at the community center. He had a discussion with the mayor, and later he helped the Paper Posse rehearse for our outlaw song.”
“But couldn’t he have sabotaged the control panel before he left?”
Delta stared at him. “Of course! You told me you had heard in passing he’s a software engineer. If he is, he might have tampered with it in a way that caused a power failure long after he left, so he wouldn’t be on the scene to be implicated. Clever. But we’d have to know for sure he is a software engineer. After all, Jane said he’s not really doing anything because he’s heir to his father’s fortune.”
“Maybe he got a degree as a software engineer but never has to work?” Jonas suggested. “That way it fits.”
Delta nodded pensively. “His father got the lot from Calvin Drake’s father, cutting Calvin out completely. You would have expected bad blood between him and Randall, as his privileged brother’s son, but he seems to have no problem with him being around. But can Randall be the person manipulating things? Drake said to you he didn’t know who to trust, right? Can he have meant Randall then?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t see how Randall would profit off threatening Lena.” Jonas pressed the button of the speaker phone and told Drake it was him. The entry gate opened at once, and Jonas steered the Jeep through. At the house, he parked it in front of the garage, and they walked back to the front door.
Drake was waiting for them there. He stood in the open door like he wanted to block their way in. “Good morning. Is something up?” He rubbed his chin, his fingers rasping across stubble. “Did something happen to Lena?”
Jonas feigned ignorance. “Why would anything happen to Lena?”
“She got upset last night and left. She let me know she was staying in a hotel, but I had expected her to come home. She’s not the type to run off in a fit of hysteria. Not over something small like a power failure.”
“It was a malfunction then, nothing more?” Jonas asked.
“As far as the police could tell.” Drake shrugged.
“You didn’t think it had been done on purpose?”
“Nothing was cut or destroyed.”
“Someone could have tampered with the control panel. Inside the house.” Jonas held Drake’s gaze.
Drake leaned back on his heels. “How do you mean?”
“Did you know,” Delta asked, “that Zara tried to run into your wife? When she was taking your car out?”
Drake laughed. “Zara took the turn a little too wide, and she could have hit Lena, but she had no idea Lena was walking there, and to be fair, Lena shouldn’t have been in the bend of a road on which cars are driving. I mean, on foot you’re easy to overlook. She was putting herself in danger.”
“So, the incident did happen.” Delta looked him over.
“What of it?” Drake’s eyes narrowed. “Has Lena turned it into a drama? Look, I know she’s under a lot of pressure with these threats and all, but she’s taking it too far. No one is trying to harm her, as in really do her any physical harm.”
“And the perfume bottle?”
“Must the action of a psycho who enjoys terrorizing people. Those types never take real action. They are too cowardly for that.”
“Still, I have a favor to ask,” Jonas said, stepping forward. “The security footage you gave to the police, can I see it as well? I want to know if the gift was placed on the table in full view. If the perp is on the footage. The police won’t tell me and…”
Drake sighed. “You can have a look if you want to. But it will take time and…”
“Great.” Jonas stepped even closer. “I will look at it right now. Delta can keep you company.”
Drake seemed overtaken, but he let them into the house. He told Delta to wait in the living room while he took Jonas up to where the security footage was kept.
Delta ambled through the living room with Spud by her side. She stopped at the statue of the bronze woman picking flowers and looked it over. It was so lifelike.
“So.” Drake entered behind her back. “Seems like we’re condemned to spend some time together. Can I offer you anything?”
“No, thank you, I just had breakfast. Did Lena tell you at which hotel she would be staying?”
“No. Which means I can’t call her there. I tried her cell, but she’s turned it off.” Drake paced the room. “I don’t like it when she cuts me off like that.”
She studied his prowling movements. Was he genuinely worried? Or frustrated Lena had eluded him? Randall had called him a tyrant last night, before rehearsal had started. “You asked Jonas if anything was the matter. It seemed like you were thinking your wife might be…in trouble?”
Drake sighed. He stood rubbing his hands and then said, “I might as well tell you. Lena has this tendency to exaggerate
things. Take the incident with Zara. Yes, Zara might have hit her in that bend. But Lena should not have been walking there. We all have moments like that when we do something stupid, but we get away with it. No need to dramatize it. But Lena acted like Zara tried to run her to the ground or something. It’s the same with the threats. Yes, there have been things delivered where Lena claims she never ordered them. Some groceries she attached some huge significance to. And that perfume bottle had the word death written on it. That is unpleasant, especially at a party with friends. But…she’s sort of…” He looked for words. “She does appear afraid, but she also seems to be enjoying herself. The threats make her feel important. It’s sad to say, but I have a feeling she needs that kind of attention.”
“You mean, she might be making it up?” Delta reflected on Lena’s behavior to Jonas earlier. Was it a clever act? Was she not really afraid at all? “But you said it’s really happening. There were groceries delivered and a perfume bottle with a threatening message left on the gift table at her party.”
“Yes, but… Can’t she be doing it herself? Sending herself threats? To keep the idea going that she needs help?” He pointed up at the ceiling. “I think Nord is thinking the same thing. He wants to look at the footage to see if Lena placed the gift on the table herself. He doesn’t trust her.”
What? Delta’s mind spun. Had Drake consciously hired Jonas, supposedly to keep his wife safe, but in reality to prove that she was creating the illusion of being threatened? That she was playing all of them?
Drake would, of course, want outside evidence of that. Had he used Jonas to get it?
She bit her lip. “It’s a big thing to suspect your wife of.”
Drake laughed softly. “A few months ago, the thought wouldn’t have crossed my mind. I loved her, and I ignored the little signs that she was unstable and eager for attention whatever way she could get it. Una did tell me once or twice that Lena was acting nasty to her and making hurtful accusations, but I thought it was a case of women bickering. Two strong personalities clashing. Only after Sally came here…”
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