“I’m sure he did.”
“I admired him, too. Such an intensely complicated man, your father. Handsome, too, and surprisingly charming when he wanted to be. It pains me the way we are now. Each of us a mere shell of our former self.” She sighed. “I always wondered about his breakdown.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened. “What was there to wonder about?”
Vivian turned to stare out at the garden. A butterfly flitted over a yellow hibiscus, and she seemed momentarily transfixed. Then she rallied with a shrug. “I always prided myself on my perception. That was one of the things that set me apart as a reporter. I could read people so well. James’s illness happened suddenly, and it manifested so violently. I never saw it coming.”
“I don’t know about sudden,” Ethan said. “My mother told me that he had been seeing a therapist. He never told anyone else because of his job. He also consulted a neurologist, but no one could find the cause of his headaches and blackouts.”
“You never told me that,” Addie said.
Ethan glanced at her. “I only found out recently. But it doesn’t change anything.”
Addie lifted a brow. “I disagree, but we can discuss it later.”
Vivian DuPriest watched them curiously, her gaze going from one to the other. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just sitting here wondering what brought the two of you together. And why you’ve really come to see me.”
“We’d like to talk to you about your niece,” Addie said. “Naomi Quinlan.”
Vivian leaned forward and topped off her teacup. “I’ve already spoken to the police. I don’t know what more I can tell you.”
“Detective Yates came to see you?”
“I don’t know any Detective Yates,” she said with a dismissive wave. “The deputy chief came to see me.”
Addie stared at her for a moment. “David Cutler came to interview you?”
“Interview sounds too official. He came to pay me a courtesy call. Now you seem surprised, Detective Kinsella, but I don’t know why you would be. Charleston is like a small town. Everyone knows everyone. The deputy chief and I go back a long way. Why wouldn’t he come to see me in person rather than send one of his detectives?”
Something in the woman’s tone, a flicker in her eyes brought Addie to the edge of her seat. Like Gwen Holloway earlier, what Vivian DuPriest said was not precisely what she meant.
Ethan must have caught the inflection, too. “You say you go back a long way. Did you become acquainted during the Twilight Killer case?”
“We go back even further than that, if you can imagine such a thing. I knew David Cutler when he was still a rookie. He was a good-looking young man and so very ambitious.” She eyed them sagely over the rim of her cup. “He went out of his way to assure me that Naomi’s death was a tragic accident, so I can’t imagine why you would need to talk to me again. Unless, of course, the driver of the car that struck her has been found.”
Addie shook her head. “No, not yet, I’m afraid.”
Vivian’s gaze flicked from one to the other. “Then why don’t you tell me what this is really about?”
“We just want to ask you a few questions,” Addie said. “We’re trying to tie up some loose ends. Naomi’s neighbor told us that you and your niece recently had a falling-out.”
“By neighbor, I assume you mean Ida McFall. That woman is a terrible busybody, always has been. What else has she told you about me?”
“She said the two of you also go way back.”
“Ah, did she? I suppose she mentioned the letters.”
“She did, and we would love to hear more about them, but right now we’re interested in your relationship with your niece. Ida implied you were upset with Naomi because of a book she was writing.”
“I was upset with Naomi because she stole from me. The girl was a thief, plain and simple. I caught her red-handed, so I kicked her out.”
“What did she steal?” Addie asked.
“Notes, interviews, research materials. She even pilfered the first draft of my manuscript. She planned to tweak it a bit and pass it off as her own. And after everything I did for her. I brought her into my home when she had nowhere else to go, gave her work, a purpose in life, and that’s how she planned to repay me. By stealing my legacy.”
“You obviously have strong feelings about Naomi,” Addie said.
“Why wouldn’t I? I inherited money, but I earned my writing credentials by working hard and paying my dues. And yes, I do realize that my passion makes me somewhat suspect, but I didn’t run down poor Naomi. As I said, I rarely leave my house these days, and the deputy chief assured me that her death was an accident. But your visit suggests otherwise.”
“It’s an ongoing investigation,” Addie said.
“I see.”
“Could you tell us what was included in your research materials?” Ethan asked. “Crime-scene photos, autopsy reports...?” He left the question hanging.
“All of the above. Back in those days, I was well connected. I would sometimes receive a copy of the autopsy report and toxicology screen before they were even sent to the detective on the case. I know what you’re thinking,” she said as she settled more deeply into the sofa. “But I never betrayed my sources, nor did I use information until I was authorized to do so. Despite my extensive contacts, I never compromised a single investigation.”
“Were you assigned to my mother’s case?” Addie asked.
“I was assigned to all the major cases. The Twilight Killer investigation took a toll, but your mother’s murder was especially troubling. We all thought the killings were over, and then another victim turned up. And to later find out that someone I admired and respected had been accused of such a gruesome crime. I can’t imagine what your family went through,” she said to Addie. “I knew your grandmother in passing. We belonged to the same garden club for a time. A lovely woman. I was sorry to come across her obituary in the paper.”
“Thank you,” Addie said. “Were you given a copy of my mother’s autopsy report?”
“No, and that was unusual. My contacts knew they could trust me, but from the start, that investigation took a strange turn. There was a complete information blackout. It was as if my sources were afraid to talk me.”
“Why would they be afraid?”
“Perhaps their jobs had been threatened. I don’t know. I was never given or shown a copy of your mother’s autopsy report, but I was fed certain tidbits under the table.” She spoke carefully, as if she were gauging Addie’s reaction.
“Someone told you that she was pregnant, didn’t they?”
Her brow furrowed. “It was only a rumor. I didn’t print it because I couldn’t corroborate the information. No one would comment on the record. I could barely get anyone to talk off the record. I always wondered why the investigation operated in such secrecy. And why so many of the case files were sealed so quickly.”
“You must have a theory,” Ethan said.
Vivian glanced at him. “I never thought James committed that murder. No matter his frame of mind, violence wasn’t in him.” She turned back to Addie. “I’ve always believed the key to solving your mother’s murder was hidden in her unborn baby’s DNA. Find the father, find the killer.”
Addie’s heart thudded. She had the sudden urge to rush out of the room and leave the rest of Vivian DuPriest’s story untold. “I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t know if I believe it.”
Vivian’s gaze darkened. “Why do you think I was attacked and beaten so viciously? I was on the trail of the truth. I would have uncovered everything eventually. But my recovery took a toll, physically and mentally. For nearly a year, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t feed or bathe myself. It was a humbling and humiliating experience.”
“You don’t know who attacked you?” Addie asked.
“I was completely blindsided.
Knocked unconscious and left for dead. It’s a miracle I’m alive. Like your mother’s murder, the investigation surrounding my attack was shrouded in secrecy. I always felt someone with clout was pulling strings. Maybe in the police department, maybe in the FBI. I had enemies in both camps. After James was sent away, no one wanted the truth to come out.”
“A third person’s DNA was found at the scene of Sandra Kinsella’s murder,” Ethan said. “That person was never identified. Two weeks before your niece’s death, she emailed me to say that she’d sent a sample of that DNA to a public database and had gotten a hit. She insisted that I come to Charleston so that we could speak in person. But before I could arrange my schedule, she was killed in the hit-and-run.”
“You don’t say,” Vivian said.
Ethan watched her for a moment. “So you already knew about the DNA results. Naomi stole that sample from you, didn’t she?”
“I won’t comment about the sample or how and when it was acquired. Naomi was a genealogist. Naturally such a mystery would appeal to her. She came to me with the results. I’m sure I must have been a last resort after everything she’d done, but she was stymied. She’d made contact, she said. She and the donor had emailed back and forth, and she’d found out his name and address, but she couldn’t connect him to the murder or even to the Twilight Killer case in general. I did some digging and called in a few favors, but the man was a ghost.”
“Could you share his name with us?” Addie asked. “Maybe the two of us can find out something.”
Vivian hesitated. “You should know that Naomi was struck down by that car only a few days after she came to see me.”
“You don’t think the hit-and-run was an accident, do you?” Ethan asked.
“I was assured that it was.”
He glanced at Addie even as he addressed his question to Vivian. “Did you tell David Cutler about Naomi’s research?”
Vivian leaned forward and removed the lid from a porcelain box on the coffee table. She took out a slip of paper and handed it to Addie. “I told the deputy chief what he wanted to hear. What I needed him to hear. Naomi led a quiet, mundane life. There was no reason in the world that anyone would want to harm her. Or me, for that matter.”
Chapter Fourteen
“That was an interesting visit,” Addie said as they headed back to her car. She handed Ethan the folded paper. “We now have a name and address, which is a lot more than we had an hour ago. Although according to Vivian, he’s a ghost, so we’ll have to do some digging.”
“I’ll run the name through our databases and see what I can come up with,” Ethan said as he glanced down at the name and address. “Daniel Roby. Doesn’t ring a bell for me.”
“For me, either. Let’s go check out that address. Maybe after we talk to him, we’ll have some answers.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we need to play this smart,” Ethan said. “If we barge in and start asking a lot of questions, we could spook him. I’m guessing the reason he’s a ghost is because he has something to hide. Whether it has anything to do with the DNA results remains to be seen, but anyone that low profile usually has a sketchy background. Daniel Roby may not even be his real name.”
“What do you suggest we do then?”
“We watch him. We stake out his place. See where he goes, where he works, if he has any visitors. We find out all we can about him before we tip our hand.”
Addie glanced up with a frown. “Stake out his place for how long?”
“For as long as it takes. A few days. A week, maybe.”
She grimaced. “A week? Ugh. No. I don’t have that kind of time to devote to a stakeout, and besides, I hate surveillance. I vote the direct approach.”
“Let’s compromise,” Ethan said. “We watch his place for the rest of the day and then we play it by ear.”
“Agreed.” She used her remote to unlock her vehicle and then slid behind the wheel while Ethan went around to climb in on the other side. “Let me see that address again.” He handed her the paper and she nodded. “Yeah, I know where that street is. It’s in Westside before you get to the Citadel.” She glanced up at the buzzing vibration of a cell phone.
“Not mine,” Ethan said.
“I didn’t have time to get a burner, so I left mine in the glove box.” She leaned over and extracted the phone, then frowned as she checked her missed calls. “Helen called three times while we were gone.” Alarmed, she pressed the play button on her messages and lifted the phone to her ear. “Oh, no.”
“What is it?”
She glanced at him as she listened. “David was rushed to the hospital this morning. They think he had a heart attack.”
“What’s his condition?”
Addie shook her head. “I don’t know. Helen says they’re running tests.” She listened to another message before putting the phone away. “She sounds frantic. I’m sorry, but I have to get to the hospital.”
“Yeah, of course. You need me to drive you?”
“No, I’m fine. Sorry about bailing on our surveillance.”
“Don’t worry about it. I turned in my rental, but I can get another. It’s better if we don’t use your vehicle for surveillance, anyway.”
She nodded. “You’ll call me if you find out anything?”
“I’ll keep you posted. And you call me if there’s any news, okay?”
“I will.”
He opened the door to get out and then glanced back. “It’ll be okay, Addie. He’s a strong guy. Stubborn, too.”
“I know. It’s just...when I saw him yesterday, I remember thinking how old he looked, and that surprised me. I’d never thought so before. He always seemed so timeless. I never expected this.”
“You’ll feel better after you see him,” Ethan said. “Just be careful, okay? Keep your guard up even while you’re at the hospital.”
“You, too. Ethan?”
“Yes?”
She bit her lip. “Nothing. I’ll see you soon.”
She watched him in the rearview mirror as she pulled away from the curb. He kept his gaze on her, too. It was as if neither of them wanted to be the first to break eye contact. As if this might be the last time they were together.
Which was crazy. These were dangerous times, but she and Ethan knew how to take care of themselves. Everything would be fine.
She repeated that sentiment as she drove to the hospital and then as she rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. She exited the lift and glanced around for a moment to get her bearings. A man came down the hallway toward her. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt with a baseball cap pulled low over his features. He was average height, average build...
Addie was so preoccupied with worry that she barely paid him any mind. Only after he had passed her in they hallway did she turn for a second glance. He had stepped onto the elevator, and his head was bowed as he pushed the button. She could only see the lower part of his face, but Addie could have sworn she saw a grin flash.
Her mind went back to the alley and to the moment when she and her stalker had come face-to-face. Then as now she’d only glimpsed his lower face, but she couldn’t forget that sneer.
Her heart thudded and she stood staring at the closed elevator doors for the longest time until she heard someone call her name. She turned to find Helen hurrying toward her.
“Thank goodness you’re here, Addie. I was so worried when I couldn’t reach you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have my phone with me. I only got your messages a few minutes ago.”
“That’s not like you,” Helen said. “I’m the one who misplaces phones.”
“I didn’t misplace it. I just didn’t have it with me. Not that it matters. How’s David?”
“They’ve taken him downstairs for more tests.” She looped her arm through Addie’s and guided her to a quiet bench. “H
is room is just down that way. We’ll see them when they bring him back up.”
“Have they told you anything?”
“The preliminary tests look good. They don’t think it’s his heart, after all. It’s more than likely stress related. He may have had a panic attack.”
“That doesn’t sound like David. He’s usually a rock.”
Helen frowned. “He’s so strong that I sometimes think we forget he’s human. So does he. He just keeps pushing himself. He refuses to acknowledge that we’re not as young as we used to be. When this is all over, we’re making some changes. I know people always say that in a crisis, but I mean it. I won’t lose him,” she said fiercely.
“You’re not going to lose him,” Addie said. “If it’s stress related, then maybe this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. You’ve wanted him to cut back his hours for ages. Maybe this will finally be the catalyst.”
“I’ll need you on my side,” Helen said.
“I’m always on your side.”
She let out a long breath. “Do you have any idea how glad I am to see you?”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier. And I’m sorry if I caused you stress.”
“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.” Helen studied her for a moment. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I can always tell when something is bothering you.”
“It’s not important.”
“If it’s bothering you, then it’s important,” Helen said. “What’s going on?”
Addie hesitated. “I really didn’t want to get into this right now. You’ve enough on your mind. But I know you’ll keep badgering me until I tell you, so...” She trailed off. “Someone tried to break into my house last night.”
Helen stared at her in shock. “What? Did you call the police?”
“I am the police, remember?”
Helen’s tone turned reproachful. “You know what I mean. Did you file an official report?”
Criminal Behavior--A Thrilling FBI Romance Page 18
