by J A Whiting
“He had the stupid affair with a high-profile married woman.” Tony shook his head. “Not very discreet of either of them. Someone would’ve found them out eventually.”
“Can investigators determine how old the blood is that’s on the woodwork on the third floor?” Claire asked Augustus.
“It’s possible, but it is difficult. I’d guess nothing definitive will come from trying to date the blood.”
Claire’s shoulders sagged with disappointment, but then she said, “Even if it’s not dated, the blood indicates a fight, doesn’t it? If someone was up there and got hurt, they’d clean the blood off the door frame. They wouldn’t leave it there. So it makes me think the blood is pretty new.”
“Good point.” Tony nodded.
“What about the housekeeper?” Augustus asked. “Vanessa mentioned that you could leave the wine glasses in Dr. Dodd’s office. The family employs outside help. It might be useful to interview the housekeeper and whoever else works for the Dodds. A gardener, perhaps?”
Bear let out a low woof.
Tony crossed his big arms over his chest. “What about this business of Maddy suddenly remembering someone moving around in the yard that night?”
Claire looked at Tony. “You think she’s mistaken?”
“Why did she remember it all of a sudden?”
Augustus set his mug onto the table. “It’s not unusual. The trauma and stress of the event … losing a loved one suddenly and unexpectedly … this can cause the brain to slow down. The horror of what has happened can keep people from recalling details.”
“Can it also cause people to recall things that didn’t happen?” Tony narrowed his eyes. “Can it cause people to distort what they’ve seen?”
“What are you getting at?” Claire asked.
“Maybe the girl saw something in the yard. It could have been a raccoon or whatever. The girl sees the movement, doesn’t see anything clearly, and then fills in the blanks later assuming it was a person who was in the yard.”
“Huh, good point,” Claire said. “Maybe you should sell this deli and become an investigator.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “It’s common sense, Blondie.”
“It’s a good point.” Claire grinned at the man. “So I’m going to talk to the neighbor and I’ll ask about the housekeeping staff, and maybe I’ll talk to them, too.”
“Have Vanessa and her sister considered the possibility of an intruder?” Augustus asked.
With wide eyes, Claire turned to the retired judge. “An intruder? I don’t think that’s come up at all. Dr. Dodd was at home. Wouldn’t he know if an intruder broke into the house?”
“Would he?” Augustus asked. “Dr. Dodd said, in one of his claims anyway, that he was on the second floor in bed resting from a headache. He’d taken a sleeping pill. Someone could have broken into the house while he was asleep. Mrs. Dodd may have seen the person and ran to the third floor trying to escape him. She was caught, a fight ensued, and she was pushed from the window.”
Claire stared at the man. “Wouldn’t there be signs of an intruder? Wouldn’t the police suspect such a thing?”
“It’s a consideration, that’s all.”
“Here’s another consideration.” Tony reached down to scratch Lady’s ears. “Don’t jump down my throat when I say this.”
A shiver of unease ran over Claire’s skin.
“You don’t know this family well at all. What about the sisters?”
“What about them?” Claire’s eyebrow raised.
Tony didn’t answer for a few moments. “How do you know one of them didn’t push the woman?”
Her heart pounding double-time, Claire’s head swam at the suggestion. Her immediate response was to defend Vanessa and Maddy, but honestly, she didn’t know them at all. “Vanessa was on a train to New York when it happened. Maddy was on the commuter rail train heading home when it happened.”
“So they say.” Tony made eye contact with Claire.
Claire clutched the sides of her chair.
“How do you know they were on those trains?” Tony pressed.
“Tony has a point,” Augustus said. “It is thought that the incident happened while the sisters were on the trains. What if one, or both, took a cab to the house? Taking a cab may have allowed them to arrive in time to commit the crime, leave, and then return at the times the trains would have deposited them.”
Tony said, “Vanessa might be making a fuss about her father to make him look like the guilty one. Maddy might tell you she saw someone in the yard to move suspicion onto some mystery person.”
Claire rested her head in her palm and groaned. “My God. I didn’t think of any of this.”
Tony stood up to wait on a customer. “That’s why we’re here, Blondie. To keep you on the right track.”
With a frown, Claire looked sheepishly to Augustus. “I didn’t think of any of those things.”
Augustus patted the woman’s hand. “You’re young. You look for the good in people. We have seen a lot in our old lives. You aren’t as jaded as Tony and I have become. Hold on to your trust and optimism, Claire. It is a needed commodity in this world.”
“But I almost overlooked something.”
“You would have considered all of the possibilities eventually.” Augustus winked. “Tony and I just brought it to your attention a bit sooner. The young women are most likely innocent. Just remember that on occasion, things are not as they seem.”
Augustus’s words sent a chill along Claire’s back. “I’ll look into the timelines of the train schedules. Maybe Nicole and I will take a cab from the Opera House to Greendale one of these days to see how long it takes to get from the city to the house.”
“Remember to take the cab on the same day of the week and the same time of evening that matches the circumstances on the night of the event.”
Claire nodded. “We will.” A terrible feeling slid through her body at the thought that Vanessa or Maddy could have pushed their mother from the window and that she and Nicole were being played by one of them. She wanted to talk to Nicole about the possibility. Another thought popped into her head. “What about the woman Dr. Dodd was having an affair with? Maybe she came to confront Mrs. Dodd to get her to agree to a divorce. Then she and Dr. Dodd would be free to get married. The woman and Mrs. Dodd might have fought.”
“Another possibility.” Augustus took a swallow of his coffee. “The police are probably looking into all of this.”
Claire tilted her head in question. “You think Nicole and I should stay out of it?”
“I did not that say.” Augustus shook his head. “You and Nicole are trying to help a friend of Nicole’s. In my experience, ordinary citizens often uncover something that had been overlooked or went unseen and a case is solved. From the last incident you were involved in, it is clear that some people will do anything for money or power or to satisfy their selfish desires.” Augustus looked straight into Claire’s eyes. “In cases such as these, vigilance is called for. Don’t let down your guard.”
Claire nodded and tried to lighten the mood. “In other words, look both ways before I cross the street.”
“Look before you leap,” Augustus added.
“Oh, I need to get to the chocolate shop.” Claire leapt to her feet, cleared away her used tea mug, and gave each Corgi a pat. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told Augustus with a smile. “Thanks for the advice.”
Claire called goodbye to Tony who was behind the deli case. “See you later today.”
When she stepped outside into the hot summer air and hurried down the brick walkway to the North End, a shiver like a cold finger of warning traced down Claire’s back from the conversation she’d just had with Tony and Augustus. The only problem was she couldn’t tell what part of the discussion warranted the danger sign.
9
Claire and Nicole sat on sofas in Lorraine Hale’s sunroom at the back of her house across the street from the Dodd residence. The three walls of glas
s doors were open to allow the breeze to pass through and the room was perfectly situated to make the most of the view of the professionally landscaped backyard. Cookies, fruit, iced tea, and sparkling water sat on the coffee table.
Lorraine, a slender woman with short blond hair and bright blue eyes, sat across from the young women with her hands in her lap.
“Thank you for meeting with us.” Claire had worked for years as a corporate attorney and met her late husband while employed at his company. After Teddy passed away, she needed a change and gave up her career, moved to Boston, and being a talented amateur baker decided to apply for the position at Nicole’s chocolate shop. Even though Claire had limited knowledge of criminal investigation, Vanessa told Lorraine that she’d retained Claire to do some preliminary inquiries about the accident in order to represent the family’s best interests.
“We’re gathering some information about what happened to Grace Dodd so that the family has a clear understanding of the accident,” Claire told Lorraine.
“I see,” Lorraine gave a nod. “I hope I can help. I can’t believe Grace is gone. Every time I’m in the front yard or on the porch and I look over at her house, I have to shake myself. It all seems like a bad dream.”
“Have you talked with Dr. Dodd since the accident?”
“I brought over a few meals to Ronald the other evening. If he didn’t want them, I thought Maddy might eat them.” Lorraine reached for her glass of seltzer. “Ronald wasn’t very talkative. I suppose that’s understandable.”
“Can you tell us about your friendship with the Dodds?” Nicole asked.
“We were friends for, oh … twenty years. Maybe a little longer.” Lorraine paused and took a deep breath. “You don’t realize how much a person means to you until they’re gone.” She took another swallow from her glass. “Grace and I hit it off right away when my husband and I moved to the neighborhood. Vanessa and my son were about the same age. It was nice to be able to help each other out watching the kids if one of us had an errand or a doctor’s appointment.” A wistful look passed over the woman’s face. “Time flies.”
“Did you get together as couples?” Claire asked.
“We did. We’d go to a show or to the symphony together. We’d take turns having dinner together once a month. Our husbands golfed occasionally, we’d all play tennis.”
“Did you or your husband notice a change in Grace or Ronald recently?”
Lorraine seemed to bite the inside of her lower lip. “We didn’t socialize as much as we used to.”
“Did you still see the Dodds?” Nicole questioned.
“I saw Grace quite a lot. Ronald was often busy. We hadn’t been together as couples for some time.”
Claire looked pointedly at Lorraine. “Vanessa told us about the marital problems.”
“Did she?” Lorraine’s eyebrows went up and she nodded. “Well. Ronald was unfaithful. Grace took it hard.”
“Can you tell us more?” Nicole encouraged the woman. “They were still together. They wanted to work it out?”
“Grace wanted to file for divorce right away, but after giving it some thought, she decided to wait. She and Ronald had been married for over forty years. Grace didn’t want to throw it all away without thinking things through first.”
“She was willing to forgive the transgression?” Claire asked.
“No,” Lorraine almost shouted. “She certainly was not. She felt the betrayal to be something she would never be able to forgive. Grace felt Ronald had changed too much, she didn’t think she would ever be able to trust him again. She said he wasn’t the man she’d married and lived with for so many years. Grace said sometimes she didn’t know him at all.”
“Then why did she want to wait to file for divorce?” Nicole tilted her head in question.
“Grace wanted to be sure the financials were in order so she went to an attorney to get things worked out before she left Ronald.”
“Was she close to filing for divorce?” Claire thought if Ronald knew his wife was going to divorce him soon, it could have provoked an argument between them.
“It would have been filed over the next couple of weeks.”
“Grace confided in you,” Nicole said. “Did she explain how she thought Ronald had changed?”
“Grace said he’d become distant. He didn’t take any interest in their family life. Ronald always had excuses to be somewhere else. I’m sure he loves the girls, but his priorities seem to have shifted.” Lorraine’s face darkened. “We all know what took up his time.”
“Do you know who Ronald was having the affair with?” Nicole asked.
“I know who she is. A married woman, too.” Lorraine huffed. “They deserve each other.”
“Did the woman ever come to the Dodd’s house?”
Lorraine reacted as if she’d been struck. “My God, I certainly hope not.”
“How do you feel about Dr. Dodd?” Claire asked. “Would you and your husband keep up the friendship?”
“My friendship was with Grace. I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but I don’t care what happens to Ronald. He’s not the man I thought he was. I guess he hid his real self for years. Maybe I never knew him at all.” A cloud seemed to descend over Lorraine.
“Can you tell us if the Dodd’s employed any household help?” Claire asked even though she had been told the Dodds had a domestic employee.
“They have a housekeeper. She comes three to five days a week to clean, make a light meal if they need something.”
“Has the person worked for them for a long time?”
“A few years, at least.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Um,” Lorraine thought about it, but couldn’t come up with the information. “She’s short, stocky, about mid-fifties. Vanessa could tell you the woman’s name.”
“What about a gardener or a landscaper?” Nicole questioned.
“We use the same company. The man spends two days a week here and two days at the Dodd’s. He mows, takes care of the flowers and the grass, mulches the beds, things like that. His name is Warren. Warren King.”
“Has he worked for you for a long time?”
“A couple of years.”
“I hate to ask the question,” Claire began, “but how would you describe Grace’s mental state?”
Lorraine’s eyes widened. “There was nothing wrong with Grace. She still worked, she was successful. If I had to describe her recent state with one word, then I’d choose angry. Grace tried to raise her daughters to be good people, she loved those girls. She worked hard to do well in her career. She worked at her marriage. Ronald’s transgression was a slap in Grace’s face. She came to think of Ronald as weak, selfish. Grace began to despise him. She was a strong woman. If you’re asking if she was down, then yes, she was. If you’re asking if she was disappointed and heartbroken, yes, she was. If you’re asking me if Grace had given up hope and was suicidal, I’d tell you absolutely not. She wanted to rid her life of Ronald’s foolishness. She wanted to move on. Grace would never have done anything that would take her from her daughters. Never. Those girls were the light of her life.”
“Can you think of anyone who might have wished Grace ill?”
Lorraine’s mouth dropped open. “Are you thinking this isn’t some freak accident? Do you think someone pushed Grace?”
Claire leaned forward. “Mrs. Hale, did you happen to see anyone around the Dodd’s house that day or night? Think back. Was there anything unusual that day? Someone in the neighborhood who looked out of place? Anything at all that seemed like nothing, but under the circumstances could be a clue to what happened to your friend?”
Flustered by the questions, Lorraine’s face reddened and her eyes darted around the room. “I don’t know. I was at home most of the day, but my husband and I went out to dinner. When we got home, I read in the den. That’s where I was when I heard Maddy screaming. I didn’t notice anything that seemed unusual.” The woman’s hand brushed over her e
yes. “Do you think foul play was involved? I thought maybe Grace opened the window, lost her balance and fell.” Lorraine’s breathing rate increased. “You think she was pushed? My God, was it Ronald? Did they fight? Did he push her?”
Claire could see that Lorraine’s fluster was quickly turning into panic. “We don’t know anything at all. It could certainly have been an accident, but because of the unusual circumstances, the family wants to be sure every base is covered.”
“When you say family, do you mean Vanessa and Maddy only?”
“Yes,” Claire nodded. “We’re representing Vanessa and Maddy’s interests.”
Lorraine seemed to relax slightly. “Good. That’s good. Grace was a real advocate for the girls. I’m glad to see that they are stepping up and taking care of things.”
Nicole asked, “How do you mean that Grace was an advocate for Vanessa and Maddy?”
“The girls were Grace’s main focus in life. Grace and Ronald have a very large estate. Grace was working to make sure the estate would go to the girls, not some woman Ronald might end up marrying.” Lorraine rubbed at her temple. “The girls had a monthly allowance. Grace wanted to be sure that they had what they needed. She always said how difficult it was for young people to get started in life so she and Ronald had set up an allowance to help them out. Grace was adamant that this would continue if she filed for divorce. She told me that Ronald wanted to end the financial help to the girls.”
Claire’s heart rate sped up. “Was the allowance continuing?”
“I’m not sure.”
Nicole asked, “Why did Ronald want it to end?”
“Ronald wanted it to end because he wanted to protect his own interests. Grace was sure he was funneling money to an off-shore account. She didn’t want his antics to impact the girls.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Do you know how much money was involved in helping the daughters?”
