2 Lowcountry Bombshell

by Susan M. Boyer

  “That’s what Daddy said. I remembered her, but I didn’t recall she’d moved back and forth so much,” I said.

  “She had another child with that man she was running around with, didn’t she?” asked Merry. “I went to school with Jessica, Warren and Elenore’s oldest child. Seems like there was a scandal.”

  “No,” Mamma said. “What it was, they found out she had a child before she married Warren. Left him with family in Summerville. Hid him all those years. Then, when she and Warren divorced, she went back and got the little boy.”

  “Crazy woman screwed up four children’s lives,” Daddy muttered. “Blake, pass the biscuits. Where’d that gravy get to?”

  Something tickled the back of my brain. The only birth records I’d found while doing Elenore’s profile were hers and the ones for her three children with Warren.

  Merry passed the gravy around. “So Liz, are you okay with me taking the kids camping as soon as the weather breaks?” Merry worked with at-risk teenagers. She’d asked to take them camping on the property I’d inherited from Gram.

  “Of course. There’s three hundred acres of woods and a beach. Use it anytime you like. Maybe I’ll come roast marshmallows with you.”

  Blake snorted. “Merry, have you ever camped in your life?”

  Merry raised her nose. “I certainly have.”

  “When?” Blake challenged.

  “You can’t count when we went to summer camp,” I said. “We had cabins.”

  Merry said, “How hard can it be?”

  We all looked at her.

  Mamma said, “Blake will help you. That’s what brothers do.” She smiled at Blake.

  Nate said, “I can help out. I know how to put up a tent.”

  “Thank you Nate,” Merry said. “You are a gentleman.”

  “Maybe Liz and I will join you,” he said.

  My family burst out laughing.

  Nate said, “I’m trying to help her overcome some of her phobias.”

  Mamma shook her head, “Bless your heart.” She patted him on the hand. “Honey, you have a neurotic tiger by the tail.”

  “I don’t think I have a grip at all.”

  I regarded him from under my eyebrows. “When you’re all finished making fun of how I avoid germs, snakes, spiders, and mosquitoes—all things that can kill you, mind you—shall I bring in dessert?”

  “What’s for dessert, Carolyn?” Daddy asked.

  “Chocolate cake. But you’re not getting any.” Mamma stood and cleared her place. She glided into the kitchen.

  “Oh for heaven’s sake, Carolyn. You know I’ll get on the damn plane.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  True to his word, Mack Ryan had a stack of photos delivered to my house bright and early Monday morning, along with a full list of all current and former SSI employees.

  I sat at my desk and flipped through them while finishing my coffee. They were labeled with names, all former Charleston police officers flagged. None of the men were smiling. These headshots looked like military service photos. But nothing about Ryder Keenan, Tim Poteat, or the other two former police officers screamed, “I’m a psycho.”

  “I’m going to take these over to Calista’s,” I said. “Why don’t you check in with Blake?”

  “That innocent tone doesn’t fool me any more than it would him. You want me to crash the party with Ryder Keenan,” Nate said.

  “Of course I do. Two sets of eyes, and all that.”

  “I’m not eager to antagonize your brother.”

  “Trust me. He’ll be so happy not to see me, who he fully expects to show up contrary to his instructions, that he’ll do a little dance when he sees you.”

  Nate looked skeptical.

  “Okay, maybe not dance. But he’ll get Nell to bring you coffee.”

  “Fine,” Nate said. “But if he asks me to leave, I’m leaving.”

  I had a ton of work to do that morning. I wanted to comb through all the profiles I’d compiled on the case, profile the new names I’d just gotten, reread my notes, and work on a few puzzle pieces that nagged me—like Elenore’s mystery child and the way several players had a Summerville connection and. But Dr. Gadsden was due at Calista’s at ten, and I needed her to look at the stack of photos Mack had sent before Gadsden arrived. Also, his relationship with Calista smacked of unhealthy. I wanted to lay eyes on him.

  A man roughly the size of a small mountain stood guard by the front door. In aviator sunglasses and ball cap, he might have been any one of the three Marines we’d interviewed. He nodded good morning.

  Elenore was marginally more civil than usual when she let me in. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Elenore. How are you feeling?”

  “Much better, thank you. Ms. Talbot, I appreciate your coming to our rescue Saturday night. I’m afraid to speculate what might have happened otherwise. Surely someone knocked us out for a reason, and you intervened before anything worse happened.”

  I smiled at her. “You’re welcome. Have you remembered anything that happened after you and Calista had tea?” Did she know she was my number one suspect in the Rohypnol incident?

  “I’m afraid not. This way, please.” She led me into the great room.

  Calista was curled into the corner of the white sectional, a pillow hugged to her chest. “Liz. Would you like some coffee?”

  “I’ve had plenty, thanks. I have the photos Mack Ryan sent. I’m hoping you recognize one of these men from somewhere in your past.” I handed her the folder and took a seat.

  Slowly, she flipped through the pictures. “They don’t look happy, do they?”

  “I think it’s a military thing. They encourage you to look threatening for photos.”

  Calista studied the last photo. “There are thirty-five of them. Somehow I imagined an army.” She handed me the folder. “I don’t remember any of them from before the security system was installed here.”

  I sighed. “Would you mind taking another look?”

  “Not at all.” She looked through them again, slower this time. She shrugged and handed me the folder. “If I’ve ever seen any of them before, I don’t recognize them.”

  “It was worth a try.” I studied her for a moment. “You’re meeting with Dr. Gadsden at ten?”

  Calista glanced at her watch. “Yes. He should be here any minute.”

  “I tried to talk to him, but his receptionist wouldn’t make an appointment.”

  “I can talk to him and ask him to speak to you,” she said.

  “I’d like to try something else.”

  “Okay.”

  “I want to hear how he treats you, without him knowing.”

  “You want to listen on a session?”

  “Exactly. I know it’s an invasion of your privacy, but that’s the fastest way for me to understand his intentions.”

  Calista stared out the window and bit her lower lip. “I guess it would be okay. How do you want to do it?”

  “Where do you typically meet?”

  “Sometimes outside. But on hot days like today, right here.”

  “Okay. When the doorbell rings, I’ll call your phone. Answer it, press the home button to change the screen, and lay it on the coffee table before you answer the door. I’ll wait in the guestroom, and listen through the open call.”

  She looked queasy.

  I reached out and touched her arm. “Anytime you feel uncomfortable, pick up the phone—pretend you have a text or something—touch the green bar at the top to bring the call back up on the screen, and hang up.”

  “All right.”

  The doorbell rang.

  Calista said, “Liz, there are one or two things I haven’t told you.”

  Dread washed over me. �
��Really? I mean…”

  “Maybe this is for the best. Some things are hard for me to talk about.”

  What more could there possibly be? “Calista—”

  “Mrs. Harper will be showing him in any second.”

  Dashing towards the guest room, I tapped her name to place the call. I closed the door and stretched out on the lounge by the sliding doors. Then I popped in my earbuds so I could hear better.

  “Dr. Gadsden has arrived.” I imagined Elenore’s surprise when she didn’t see me in the room. At that moment, I was thankful she was less than chatty.

  Calista said, “Good morning, Doctor Gadsden.”

  “Calista, dear one. Warren told me about your scare Saturday night. Naturally, we’re both quite concerned.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t taking sleeping pills,” Calista said. “The combination might have killed me.”

  The doctor was quiet for a moment. “Indeed.”

  “And poor Jimmy…. I used to think he meant to kill me, but after he stuck up for me with Grace, I don’t think he was part of that at all.”

  “Do the police have any leads?”

  “None that I’m aware of. They’re saying Jimmy killed himself, but I don’t believe it.”

  “I see you have protection posted outside. Is he one of SSI’s men?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s smart. This is a small town. Law enforcement here is not what it is in larger cities.”

  “And yet, the crime rate is much lower,” Calista said. “Odd, isn’t it?”

  I smiled. I liked my client more all the time. If we both lived through the week, we might be best of friends.

  “Yes, well. Err on the side of caution.” The doctor cleared his throat. “Now, dear one, tell me, how are you handling Jim’s death?”

  “I feel bad for him and his family. I’m angry someone killed him because of me. I’m sad he’s dead. But I’m not falling apart, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Good, good. It’s tragic, of course. But you’re not responsible for what happened to Jim. You understand that, right?”

  “No, actually. I think it was directly because he was trying to look out for me. That’s what got him killed.” Calista sounded agitated.

  “You don’t still suspect your mother and Ms. McKee of trying to kill you on Saturday, do you?”

  Silence.

  Dr. Gadsden said, “Leaving everything else aside, do you suppose they’re capable of the kind of planning such a thing would require? All these dog barking and pill incidents…those things would seem beyond the skill level of the women you’ve described to me. Frankly, I was amazed they drove across the country. Of course, I’ve never met them.”

  “Never underestimate Grace McKee. I do think mother has been her pawn. I don’t think mother means me harm. But you’ll never convince me Grace isn’t still trying to cash in on the coincidence of my birth and looks.”

  I wondered briefly if Calista’s looks were simply a coincidence. As far as I knew, no one had ever established to a certainty who Marilyn’s father was. Wouldn’t it be something if Calista was distantly related?

  “Calista, you must let go of this obsession,” said Dr. Gadsden. “It isn’t healthy. And what’s more, it’s dangerous. It prevents you from being alert to very real dangers.”

  “Oh, I have people looking into other possibilities.”

  “Really?” The doctor sounded affronted. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I hire people to take care of things. You take care of my emotional issues. Elenore takes care of the house. I have an attorney for legal matters. And I have people looking into who might want to hurt me.”

  “You mean SSI?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  I wondered why Calista chose not to mention me. Was she having doubts about the good doctor?

  “I wonder if I should have a talk with them on your behalf.”

  “Whatever for?” Calista asked.

  “To save you that difficulty, of course.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Calista’s voice sounded stiff.

  “Don’t be silly, dear girl. Why deal with these muscle-bound mercenaries yourself? Much more suitable if I do it.”

  “Dr. Gadsden, really—”

  “In fact, now that I’ve given it some thought, I think it would be best if you came and stayed with me. My wife is in New York at the moment, but the staff is in residence, so everything would be quite proper, I assure you—”

  “That’s kind, but no,” Calista said firmly. “I’m staying right here.”

  “Well…” The doctor sounded petulant. “I can certainly recommend any other professional services you might need. Call me any time you need me—day or night. After all you’ve been through, it’s important that you know you have one person you can always rely on. And I wouldn’t want you to trust the wrong people.”

  This guy was giving me the willies. Even I knew he was overly solicitous to the point of pathology. Or perhaps criminal intent.

  “Thank you, Doctor Gadsden,” said Calista. “I do rely on you.”

  “Very good. Now, tell me, are the nightmares any better?”

  I heard rustling, as if Calista were shifting on the sofa, adjusting pillows and throws. “Not really. I had a really bad one last night.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Silence. Then, “He was here, in this house. Not the one in West Ashley.”

  “I see. What happened in the dream?”

  “He tied me up on the bed, exactly the same way he did two years ago in West Ashley. The same way he does in every dream. The only difference is it happened here.”

  “And then…”

  “He stole everything—electronics, jewelry, everything he could carry off.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Calista’s voice was tight. “No, Doctor. He didn’t…molest me. Not in the dream, not two years ago. I would have told you that by now. I’m not hiding anything. But what he did was bad enough. I thought he was going to kill me. He terrorized me for hours. He taunted me without saying a word while he ransacked my house, and he left me tied to the bed. Only in the dream last night, instead of the police, it was Niles who found me.”

  I was frozen with shock. This was what she hadn’t told me. She’d been attacked. Tied up and left for—how long?

  “The yoga instructor?” asked Dr. Gadsden.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you see him as your savior?”

  “I see him as a friend. I don’t have many friends.”

  “But he’s an employee.”

  “That’s true. But he’s also a friend. Like you are.”

  The doctor cleared his throat. “I just want you to be careful who you rely on. You’re very vulnerable right now.”

  “And I’m very careful, Doctor.”

  “Very well. When you woke up from the dream, were you able to go back to sleep?”

  “No. But it was five o’clock. I got up and watched the sunrise.”

  “You’re simply not getting enough rest. If you won’t consider pills, how about an injection? I can control the dose very carefully. There’s no way you could overdose.”

  “Absolutely not.” Calista’s voice rose.

  “All right, dear. Calm down.”

  “Doctor, I’m very sorry, but I have to speak with the authorities this morning. I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut this meeting short.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Can’t you give your statement this afternoon?”

  “No.”

  Silence. The doctor made a few blustery noises. “Then I think we should meet again tomorrow. What time is good for you?”

  “Let’s ju
st meet again on Wednesday for our regular eleven o’clock.”

  “I don’t recommend that.”

  “I’m sorry, Doctor Gadsden. I’m sure you understand. This week is going to be very busy for me. I have to arrange for Jimmy to be sent home to his mother.”

  “Why does that fall to you, for heaven’s sake?”

  “Because I volunteered to do it.”

  “But why—”

  “Doctor Gadsden, please excuse me. I must get ready for my day.”

  He sighed so loud the phone picked it up. “Very well. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

  I heard footsteps.

  After a moment, Calista said, “He’s gone, Liz.”

  I ended the call and rejoined her in the great room.

  She’d built a wall of pillows and throws around her, and she hugged the biggest pillow tightly. Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Now you know everything.”

  I sat beside her and pulled her in for a hug. She hooked an arm under mine and put her head on my shoulder. She cried and I let her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” she said through delicate sobs. “It can’t be related. It was a random burglary. I happened to be home. They never caught him. It was…horrible.”

  “Shh.” I continued holding her until she pulled away.

  She wiped her eyes. “I’m such a mess.”

  I couldn’t help but smile, but I felt it collapse almost as quickly as it formed. “Sweetie, you’re gorgeous even with red eyes.”

  “You’re not mad at me?”

  “Of course not. But do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Are you up to it?”

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  “When did this happen? I didn’t find any record of it.”

  “It happened the same night Joey was killed. That’s part of what makes it so awful. The police found me tied to the bed the next morning when they came to tell me Joey was dead. By then, I was worried sick because he hadn’t come home, and terrified no one would find me. They knocked on the door and I screamed and screamed. The burglar left the door unlocked. They came inside and…it was the most awful day of my life.”