Nora took the details in unconsciously. Consciously, she felt frozen, terrified by the thought that Harvey might have to suffer even one more day inside prison. He’d just recovered from his health scare, and Nora genuinely felt that the stress of being behind bars much longer could kill him. If the news of the poisoning had somehow leaked, then the investigation would go haywire for a little while.
Lillian recovered before Nora did. “Poisoned? Your father? That’s impossible,” she said. “We were all there. We all ate together.”
“Ah, yes. But we didn’t drink together,” Rowan clarified. “It was the wine that was poisoned.”
“Who told you all this?” Nora asked sharply.
“My lawyer just called me,” Rowan said. “The sheriff received the full forensic report earlier than anticipated. He called a press conference and has officially dropped all charges against Harvey. He’s probably going to be released in the next hour.”
Sheriff Ellerton! Nora suddenly had an urge to throw back her head and laugh. He’d well and truly played her. He had no intention of keeping Harvey behind bars all along. He’d probably had the forensics report on him even as he threatened Nora earlier that day. He’d played poker like a champion - gambling that Nora could be held to her word once she’d given it. Well, it had been worth it. The news that Harvey would be released so soon made Nora feel like flying. She could barely resist grabbing Lillian’s hands and doing a little jig across the room. Relief, exhaustion and elation all fought inside her body.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Rowan pointed a finger at her. “Or, at least, you suspected.”
“It was the hope of a desperate woman,” Nora said. “I just didn’t want to believe that my Harvey was responsible.”
“From what the sheriff told the media, only the poison was responsible. Harvey just had bad timing,” Rowan said.
“But I don’t understand.” Lillian shook her head as though to clear it. “Who could it be, if not Harvey?”
“Eddie Shaw, apparently,” Rowan said. “You remember him, right? The sheriff’s put out an APB. Shaw is missing.”
“That’s terrible!” Lillian said. “He must have a huge head-start. He could be in another country by now!”
“The sheriff is an idiot.” Rowan sneered. “If my father died from poison, there’s no way Shaw killed him. No outsider could enter our house without us knowing. The security system’s too strong.”
“Rowan, dear, what’s all this shouting about? I’m getting a headache.” Dana appeared on the stairway, a pink-striped robe pulled tight around her and her hair down to her shoulders. “Oh.” She looked surprised to see Nora. “Imagine seeing you here.”
Rowan repeated everything he’d heard to Dana, who listened with an increasingly horrified expression.
“But...” She shook her head. “That’s impossible. Impossible! Poor Fred! Who would do such a dreadful thing?”
“Eddie Shaw,” Lillian said firmly. “He’s a local drunkard. He had it in for Fred from the start. Oh, poor Fred.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not Shaw!” Rowan exclaimed. “It just can’t be. It seems obvious who it really is, Lillian. It should be obvious to you, too. Who’s the least trustworthy person we know that had full access to our house?”
Lillian took a sharp breath. “You don’t mean...”
“Oh, I do,” Rowan said firmly. “It’s Adriana. She killed my father.”
“Now Rowan,” Dana cautioned. “Don’t go throwing accusations around. She could sue you if she heard. Goodness knows she’s money hungry enough.”
“That’s true.” Rowan rubbed his hands together. “We can’t throw accusations around. We have to gather proof against her. We’ve got to show she did it.”
“How?” Nora asked. “Adriana had no motive to kill Fred.”
Rowan’s head snapped up towards Nora. “What do you mean no motive? Millions of dollars is motive enough.”
“It is. But Adriana would have inherited the money only if she was his wife,” Nora said. “As it stands, he left her penniless.”
“She did it! I’m telling you, she did it! She’s evil through and through!” Rowan slammed a fist on a nearby table, sending a lamp wobbling. Lillian rushed over and stopped it from falling off the edge.
“Rowan, sweetheart, you need to keep your head clear,” Lillian said. “Nora’s right. Adriana has no motive. It’s definitely Eddie Shaw.”
“I’ll tell you this, Lillian. Eddie didn’t break into this house, secretly poison the bottle and then break out,” Rowan said, his voice nearly a growl. “So, if you don’t think it’s Adriana, well, then it’s either you or me. We’re the only two people who have any motive.”
“Rowan!” Dana exclaimed. “You can’t be serious!”
“Oh, but I am, Mother,” Rowan said. “As for what you said, Nora, no motive? Think again. The sheriff said that the poison could have been injected into the bottle as long as a year ago. What if Adriana, being as shrewd as she is, poisoned the bottle early on, and then just waited?”
“Why would she?” Nora asked.
“Well…she was probably hoping that my father would drink the wine after they got married. So you see, the motive was there but she just had bad luck on the timing. Now she’s left with nothing.” Rowan looked suddenly triumphant. “That makes sense to me. Doesn’t it make sense to you, Lillian?”
“It makes perfect sense,” Lillian agreed.
“It makes absolutely no sense,” Nora disagreed. “If that was the case, Adriana would have known the wine was poisoned, and she would have stopped your father from drinking it, one way or another. She could even have rushed over and ‘accidentally’ broken it. If money was the motive, there’s no way Adriana would have let your father just die.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Lillian asked. “That Rowan killed his own father? For money? Ridiculous!”
“Maybe it wasn’t Rowan,” Nora said. “Very convenient how you’re suddenly desperate to pin the blame on Adriana or Eddie or Rowan even. Anyone but you, really.”
Lillian drew herself up. “How dare you! I’ve been loyal to this family for decades. Decades!”
“Nobody’s saying you did it, Lillian. Nora’s talking crazy. She’s just being malicious because Harvey went to jail over this.” With a cold look, Dana stepped forward. She put a firm hand on Nora’s shoulder. “Now, let’s get Nora out of here, shall we? I think we need to talk things over…alone. The entire business could be impacted if people start pointing fingers at you or Rowan. We have to think up a strategy to deal with the media. And we need to find a good lawyer.”
“I have a lawyer already, Mom,” Rowan said. “I hired one as soon as Dad died. At the time, I thought he’d help build up a case against Harvey in case the sheriff was incompetent or corrupt.”
“Good job,” Dana said. “We should keep steady pressure on the sheriff so he’s eager to find the killer quickly.”
Lillian was sniffing into a handkerchief. Her shoulders were shaking. “You’re not going to blame me, too, are you? You’re not going to believe this horrible woman?”
“Of course not, Lillian. You’re like family.” Rowan had a tender look on his face as he put his arm around Lillian. “You’ve been like an aunt to me, always. I wouldn’t even know how to run the company if it weren’t for you! There’s no way you killed Dad. Of course, it isn’t you. It’s Adriana. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank you.” Lillian burrowed into Rowan’s chest and began crying in earnest. “It’s just been so hard. I’ve tried to keep strong but I miss Fred. He would have sorted this all out so fast!”
Rowan was teary now, as well. “I know. I miss him, too.”
Dana didn’t say anything. She was watching Lillian and Rowan with a very deliberately-neutral look on her face. Her eyes were cold and calculating.
“Rowan, dear, take Lillian to the other room. She needs to calm down a bit.” Dana gave them a gentle push away from her. “I’ll be
there as soon as I’ve kicked Nora out. Ok? Then the three of us will talk.”
“Sure, Mom.” Rowan nodded. He gave Nora a venomous look. “You’re not welcome here. Don’t let me see you again.”
Dana waited until the two of them were out of the room, then turned to Nora. She had an icy smile on her face. “You’re smart,” she said. “Far smarter than I suspected.”
“I’m really not,” Nora said.
“We’re a family with a lot of resources, you know,” Dana said. “We could make life very hard for you and your husband if we wanted.”
“You can threaten me all you want, Dana,” Nora said, “but, if you make the mistake of threatening Harvey, well, let’s just say it’ll be a very stupid mistake to make. I’ll come right back at you.”
Cowed by Nora’s fierce reply, Dana instantly pivoted. “True, true.” She sighed. “There’s no point in starting wars, is there? Nobody likes to be threatened. All any of us really want in this world is peace, after all.”
“I don’t like roundabout talk,” Nora said. “Speak plainly. What do you want?”
“I want you to back off,” Dana said. “I know you. I’ve heard of your reputation. Fred’s death is none of your business. Got it?”
“Suppose I said I didn’t?” Nora smiled as sweetly as she could.
“Then I’d be forced to tell Rowan’s lawyer to press charges.” Dana smiled. “After all, even if Harvey didn’t kill Fred, there’s no denying that he punched Fred. We’ve got three witnesses. That’s assault, you know, which is punishable by law.”
Nora laughed. “You’re threatening to put Harvey in prison for assault? Is that it?”
“It’s a credible threat, I’d say. I’d take it seriously if I were you. Mind you, I really don’t want to do it. I just want peace and quiet. Let the sheriff investigate the way he wants to. You stay out of it.”
Remembering her promise to the sheriff, Nora decided she’d pretend to back off for now. “Look, Dana, I don’t like being threatened. But, you’re not wrong. I’ve got a lot going on with my own family. I don’t see a reason to be involved in your drama.”
“That’s the spirit.” Dana smiled.
“But, of course,” Nora’s tongue seemed to have a mind of it’s own, “if you threaten Harvey again, ever, remember that Rowan might find out about your indiscretions, too. That little affair with the pool boy, for example. He might take it the wrong way if he found out his precious mother was a cheating hussy. Might even cut you out of his life.”
Dana’s eyes widened, her entire body froze. Her hands turned into claws and then froze in mid-air, halfway to Nora’s throat. It was only with the greatest effort that she returned them to the side of her body. “Alright, it’s settled,” she said. “We don’t need to speak to each other ever again. Rowan’s probably right. Adriana is the one who killed Fred. We’ll get the sheriff to arrest her eventually and that will be that. Now get out.”
Dana yanked open the door and her mouth dropped open in shock. On the other side stood Adriana, her eyes wide. Adriana looked from Dana to Nora, her mouth moving with no sound. Then, unable to speak, her eyes filling with tears, she turned around and fled down the driveway.
*****
Chapter 16
The Innocent
“Adriana! Wait!” Nora chased after her to no avail. The girl was younger and faster and what she’d heard at the door had clearly spooked her. Puffing and out of breath, Nora bent over and panted. When she straightened up, Adriana was driving away. Well, Nora could guess where she was headed - the diner was in that direction. Come to think of it, Nora realized she hadn’t had lunch yet.
Ten minutes later she was pulling into the diner’s parking lot, hoping to see Adriana. She walked in and, sure enough, Adriana was sitting in a booth in the back, her shoulders hunched and her eyes blank. Nora walked up to her.
“Adriana,” she said gently. “Can we talk?”
“You!” Adriana nearly snarled. “Why did you follow me?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were ok,” Nora said. “I know you overheard Dana talking about the sheriff arresting you.”
“Please!” Adriana snorted. “Goodness is never rewarded, is it? I tried to help you, Nora! I thought…but…you! You were conspiring with Dana to put me behind bars!”
“Adriana.” Nora sat down opposite her. “Look, I think you misunderstood. Dana’s views are her own. I have nothing to do with them.”
“Then Fred’s ex-wife wants to put me in jail?” Adriana looked scared. “She’s rich now, isn’t she? She can probably do it if she wants.”
“Milburn isn’t that corrupt, Adriana. You have nothing to worry about.” Nora patted her hand. “Look, what you overheard must have shocked and scared you, but try and relax.”
“I was at the police station,” Adriana said. “I heard about the poisoning and I wanted to talk to Rowan. I thought he’d be devastated. I didn’t realize he and his mother suspect me.” She trailed off and shook her head. “How could they? Obviously, I’m a total idiot. But I don’t know what to do. Please help me, Nora. Please!”
“Adriana, nothing’s going to happen to you. Sheriff Ellerton is a very capable man, and he’ll catch the real killer soon enough.”
“It’s even scarier now.” Adriana looked miserable. “It was a tragedy when I thought Harvey had killed Fred. But this? This is terrible.”
“Sheriff Ellerton thinks a man named Eddie Shaw is responsible. The sheriff thinks Eddie broke into Fred’s house, poisoned the bottle of wine and eventually, when Fred opened it, it killed him,” Nora said. “But Rowan thinks that nobody could have broken into their home, so he thinks you must have done it.”
Adriana nodded. “I can see why he thinks that. He’d want to think that, of course. Because if it wasn’t me, it has to be either him or Lillian. And Rowan really loves Lillian. She’s been like an aunt since his mother left.”
“What do you think?” Nora asked.
“I honestly don’t know. I just know that I’m scared.”
“Was Fred ever scared?” Nora asked. “Did he ever say anything to you?”
“Fred? Scared?” Adriana smiled. “He didn’t know the meaning of that word. He was often irritated or angry. But scared? No.”
“Did he ever talk to you about Rowan?” Nora asked.
“Rarely,” Adriana said. “Of course, I heard them having the most awful fights every once in a while.”
“What about?”
“The business, mostly,” Adriana said. “From what I could gather, Rowan wanted to focus on making their existing assets stronger while Fred wanted to grow and grow at a breakneck pace. Growing meant that Fred often took loans, and Rowan hated that.”
“Loans?” Nora raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. Just last week, Rowan started a crazy fight with Fred. He was confronting Fred about some new, huge loan he’d taken out and Fred was refusing to tell him where the money went. Of course, now I know it probably all went into buying Nathaniel Realty. Fred did it all secretly because he wanted to make his grand announcement.”
“What was Rowan saying to Fred? Do you remember?” Nora asked.
“He was yelling that it couldn’t go on,” Adriana said. “He said that the company would go under if Fred kept taking foolish risks. I remember now. Rowan said, ‘We’ve all put in too much sweat and blood in here for you to just gamble it all away, Dad! Think of your employees!’ Of course, Fred was unmoved. He was sure his gambles would always lead to bigger and better things.”
“Interesting,” Nora said.
“Is it really?” Adriana sighed. “It feels awful. Like I’m telling secrets about Rowan or something. He’s a good guy. I’m sure he’s innocent.”
“And Lillian?” Nora asked. “Do you think she’s innocent? After all, the last time we met you said she’s a shark.”
“That was just…that was different.” Adriana shook her head. “Obviously she wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“Why not
? Sharks kill. It’s in their nature.”
“Well…just…no.” Adriana shook her head.
“What did Lillian think about Fred’s loans?” Nora asked. “Did she object to them, too?”
“Lillian felt frustrated, I think,” Adriana considered. “She wanted more influence within the firm. She wanted to be more than just a figurehead. Fred would make all the major decisions himself without even bothering to consult her and, honestly, I think she got insulted.”
“Speaking of insulted, you treated Lillian pretty shoddily when we were at dinner,” Nora said. “You bossed her around quite a bit.”
Adriana flushed. “I know I shouldn’t have. It was just hard, you know? Lillian acted like I was less than the dirt on her shoes. She was always so cold around me. I just wanted to pay her back a little. Besides, I was so nervous that Fred might propose that I’d already drunk a lot that day. Drunk me is much meaner than sober me. Much more flirty, too. I’m sorry if I gave you any bad vibes in that way with Harvey that night.”
Nora laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You just seemed young, drunk and in need of some attention.”
Adriana flushed even more. “I guess I deserve that,” she said stiffly.
“But you seem different now that I’ve gotten to know you,” Nora said. “Much nicer.”
“Thanks.” Adriana smiled. “I like to think I am nicer. Derek’s a big part of that, you know. He’s really helped me be a better person.”
“Ah, Derek. The boy you’re ‘just friends’ with,” Nora teased.
“Right,” Adriana said, smiling even wider. “Just friends.” She stared off into the distance then looked back at Nora. “I’ll be honest with you, Nora. I think I’m more than just friends with him.”
“Really?” Nora asked sarcastically. “No one could ever have guessed that!”
“It’s just…I can’t drag him into this mess. I just can’t,” Adriana said. Her eyes looked haunted. “I don’t want his life ruined because he dated me, you know? Especially now, with all the talk going on. I never thought I’d fall for him the way I did. In fact, I wish I hadn’t.”
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