by Bobbi Holmes
“My Grandmother wanted me to come. She was worried about you.” Adam sat across the table from Danielle.
“How did she know I was here?”
“Small town.” Adam shrugged.
“Gee, the last time we were here, the situation was sort of reversed, huh?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Adam grinned. “This place sucks.”
“I must say you’re much more cheerful than the last time I saw you.”
“Finally caught up on my sleep. Not so grumpy.”
“Are you here to gloat?” Danielle asked.
“I know you didn’t kill Cheryl.”
“I have to warn you,” Danielle interrupted.
“What?”
“They’re probably listening to us.” Danielle nodded toward the mirror.
“Oh that, yeah I know.”
“You know?”
“Why sure. Everyone in Frederickport knows about the two way mirror.” Adam laughed. “Heck, don’t you ever watch TV?”
“So why are you really here?”
“I want to help. I confess I would have come even if Grandma hadn’t called me. And I would have come sooner, but I didn’t know you had been arrested. I’ve been sleeping. Felt great by the way. Slept like a baby.” Adam glanced to the mirror and gave it a little wave.
“Are you just here to tell me you think I’m innocent?”
“If you killed your cousin, that means you’re the one who left the necklace in my office. Whoever killed Cheryl tried to frame me.”
“I didn’t leave that necklace in your office.”
“Oh, I know that. You see I have this nifty little hidden camera in my office. You know all about hidden cameras, don’t you?” Adam gave Danielle a wink and pulled his keys from his pocket. On his key chain was a USB memory disk. He unhooked the disk and set it on the table between them.
• • • •
“What’s he doing?” the chief asked as he stood with Brian and Joe in the office next to the interview room, watching Danielle and Adam.
“I don’t know. Looks like one of those portable memory disks,” Brian said.
• • • •
“What’s that?” Danielle asked, looking down at the memory disk.
“It’s a little footage captured from my security camera. Shows the killer with the Missing Thorndike. At least the Missing Thorndike with the fake stones and poor Cheryl’s blood all over it. Pretty good camera, I must say. I’ll have to leave it a five star review over on Amazon. Great shot of the killer’s face and no mistaking the necklace. Clear as day, Clarence Renton hiding the Missing Thorndike in my office.”
Before Danielle could respond Joe and Brian rushed into the room. Brian snatched up the memory disk.
Adam leaned over the table and whispered to Danielle, “Don’t worry. If they screw it up and erase the disk, I saved it to the Cloud.”
Chapter Forty-One
Inside the kitchen of Marlow House, Ian and Lily prepared Sunday breakfast. Sitting alone on the back patio with Sadie sleeping by her feet, Danielle felt pampered by her two friends. Since she’d returned from the police department late Friday, Lily had been her protective champion, clucking around like a fierce mother hen.
Danielle had slept most of Saturday. When she finally woke up on Sunday she remembered what Adam had said about sleeping all day after the charges against him had been dropped. She had to admit, Adam Nichols was starting to grow on her. For a sleazy guy, he could be sweet.
Enjoying her second cup of morning coffee, Danielle closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. She could hear the birds chirping in the trees overhead and in the distance the waves washing up on the beach. When she heard the unmistakable sound of the back door to the kitchen opening, she assumed Lily was about to call her in for breakfast.
“I’m sorry Dani, he insisted on seeing you.” Lily sounded annoyed.
Danielle opened her eyes and looked to the kitchen door. Joe stood with Lily on the back porch. “What, am I under arrest now?”
“I just wanted you to know Clarence Renton confessed.” Joe stepped off the porch onto the lawn. Danielle noticed Ian standing in the doorway, listening,
Danielle sat up straight in the chair and set her coffee on the table. “Really? What did he confess to? I know Sam confessed, but just to the theft.”
“He confessed to everything. You were right about O’Malley Trust, it was a scam. He set it up after your aunt got sick. Apparently your aunt always intended to leave you her entire estate. She never mentioned Cheryl, even before she got sick. So I don’t think she ever intended to leave her anything in the will. Until Cheryl showed up, Clarence had no idea there was another niece. He killed your cousin; we found the flashlight he used, it was in his trunk. It still had Cheryl’s blood on it, and was covered with Clarence’s finger prints.”
“I guess for an attorney he wasn’t terrific about covering his tracks,” Danielle said dryly.
“I don’t think he ever thought he’d be a suspect. And when we started questioning him and showed him Adam’s video, he remembered he never got rid of the flashlight. He just broke. Told us everything.”
“How did he know Cheryl was in that shed?” Danielle asked.
“Apparently he was with Sam when Adam mentioned where they were going after the party. When she took off with the necklace Clarence thought that was his opportunity to get rid of Cheryl. People would think she was killed for the necklace. He didn’t know exactly where the beach house was, and by the time he found it, Cheryl was with Sam, walking back to Marlow House.”
“He found her in the shed after Clarence left her?”
“Yes. There were also some teenagers at the beach. Clarence stayed in the shadows watching. After Sam and the teenagers took off, Clarence went into the hut and found Cheryl unconscious. He killed her and took the necklace.”
“Someone said a woman called in the tip about the necklace in Adam’s office.” Danielle said.
“Sounded like a woman,” Joe said. “But it was Clarence, disguising his voice.”
“Well, thank you for telling me,” Danielle said politely.
Joe glanced back at Ian and Lily, who continued to stand behind him. “Do you think I could talk to Danielle alone, just for a minute?”
Lily looked over to Danielle who gave a little nod. With a grunt, Lily grabbed Ian by the hand and went back into the house, slamming the door behind her.
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am,” Joe said taking another step closer.
“I suppose you were just doing your job,” Danielle said with no emotion.
“I never wanted to hurt you, Danielle.”
“I believe you.” Danielle smiled sadly. “I really do.”
“Do you think…well maybe we could start over?”
Danielle looked at Joe a moment, studying his hopeful expression.
“No…I don’t think so,” Danielle said at last.
“You said you believed me.” Joe frowned.
“There is no point,” Danielle said sadly. “You had absolutely no faith in me—not a shred.”
“That’s not true,” Joe insisted. “I care about you.”
“You believed Sam when he said he didn’t murder Cheryl, and he had the stolen diamond and emeralds.”
“And I was right, Sam didn’t kill her,” Joe said weakly.
“And neither did I. Yet you were convinced I murdered my cousin.”
“I was just trying to do my job. I am sorry. You need to understand.”
Danielle pointed to the house and said, “Lily in there, she’s my best friend. I know that no matter what, she’ll always be there for me. And if I was to tell her some insane story—oh, I don’t know—maybe like Walt Marlow’s ghost haunts this house—she wouldn’t think I was crazy, or she wouldn’t pretend to believe. She just would, because she has faith in me. Even Ian didn’t doubt me, and I’ve known him for about as long as I’ve known you. I’m sorry, but I don’t have room in my life
any more for people who don’t have faith in me. Caring is simply not enough.”
• • • •
“Are you okay?” Lily asked from the doorway after Joe left.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Danielle smiled at Lily.
“Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Okay, I’ll be right in.”
Lily gave a little nod and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.
“I guess I was wrong about Aunt Brianna,” Cheryl said as she appeared on the patio.
“How long have you been listening?” Danielle asked.
“I heard what Joe said.” Cheryl paced back and forth in front of Danielle. “I guess she really didn’t love me.”
“She didn’t know you.”
“I suppose.” Cheryl stopped pacing and faced Danielle. “I’m sorry I made such a mess of everything.”
“I’m sorry how things turned out. You being—well…”
“Dead, you mean?” Cheryl asked.
“Yeah…” Danielle smiled sadly.
“I guess it was going to happen eventually. Would have been nice to have more time, but I have to admit I’m curious about what’s around the corner.”
“Are you leaving?” Danielle asked.
“Yeah, I think so. I’m done here. Time to move on, I suppose.”
“I have a funeral to plan. Thought you might stick around for that, give you a chance to see all your friends before you move on.”
“Nah,” Cheryl said with a sigh. “At one time I would have probably have been all over that—a party where I’m the focus of everyone’s attention. All those tears, just for me.” Cheryl flashed Danielle a smile and said, “But no. I think I really am ready to move on.”
“I’m sorry we weren’t closer,” Danielle said.
“Me too. I’m sorry I was such a brat. I shouldn’t have hit on Lucas. And look, I did it again!”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve obviously messed up another one of your relationships!” Cheryl sounded sincerely remorseful.
“Are you talking about Joe?”
“Yeah, I mean he was a good looking guy and I think he really liked you.”
“Maybe you were right all along,” Danielle said.
“Right about what?”
“You said if a guy could be swayed so easily, he probably wasn’t worth it.”
“I never hit on him. I promise, not once,” Cheryl insisted.
“Oh I know, I don’t mean that. But it was easier for him to imagine I might do something so horrible as to kill you, than to try and find someway to prove I was innocent.”
“In fairness to Joe, you guys really did not know each other that long. Maybe you should give him another chance.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Danielle shook her head. “I suppose I have this fanciful notion than when I someday meet the right guy he will inherently have faith in me—or at least give me a chance before he’s ready to have me committed or imprisoned.”
“You’ll find someone, Dani,” Cheryl promised. “Someone who is worthy, someone who won’t let you down.”
• • • •
From inside the kitchen Walt watched Danielle and Cheryl through the window. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he had a good idea they were saying goodbye. Unlike him, Cheryl was ready to move on and there was really no reason for her to stay.
In the background he could hear Ian and Lily talking as Lily set the table for breakfast. They discussed Joe Morelli, who’d left just minutes earlier. From what they were saying, Joe wouldn’t be seeing Danielle again, at least not socially. Walt felt partly relieved to know Danielle was no longer interested in the handsome police officer—which made him feel guilty.
Walt noticed Cheryl was no longer wearing the pink dress she had worn to the open house. Instead she had on a long, pale blue dress. Its full skirt fluttered around her ankles. He watched as Cheryl raised her right hand in a wave—and then her image gradually faded into the landscape until she was no longer visible. Cheryl had moved on.
Look for Haunting Danielle, Book 3
Coming January 1, 2015
Click here for information on preordering the eBook.
Other Books by Anna J. McIntyre
The Coulson Series
Coulson’s Wife – FREE download!
Coulson’s Crucible
Coulson’s Lessons
Coulson’s Secret
Coulson’s Reckoning
Unlocked Hearts
Sundered Hearts – FREE download!
After Sundown
While Snowbound
Sugar Rush
Haunting Danielle
Haunting Danielle, Book 1
Haunting Danielle, Book 2
Haunting Danielle, Book 3
(Coming January 1, 2015)
