by Sarah Hualde
Devon sniffled and blew her nose on a tissue. Ines’ story stirred every heart in the room except Ines’. “What Bill didn’t know was that after Bill refused to help Jake... Jake began asking me for money. I think the house did it. It always does. People assume I have a lot of money because the estate is so large. What they don’t understand is all my siblings pitch in to keep the estate running and most of my salary goes back into it. I guess that makes me property rich and cash poor. Jake offered some sob story to me thinking my heart was as soft as Bill’s. But, sadly, I’m a bit more pessimistic than Bill.”
✽✽✽
Ivy led Grant into the nearly empty waiting room. One patient sat in a corner chair reading a magazine. She sat Grant down and rang the bell at the reception desk. It was strange for Devon not to greet them at the door. She didn’t usually run the front desk but she often chatted in the front room while between patients.
Instead of Devon’s inquisitive face, Parker’s anxious one poked around the corner. “Whoa, what happened to him?’ The deputy pointed to Grant.
“Long story. Is Devon back there?”
“I’ll get her.”
✽✽✽
“Then Jake died. Bill didn't just fall apart. He fell away from me. You’d think his entire world dissolved around him. I knew it would be a difficult season. I was preparing my heart. I thought he might ask to postpone the wedding. But I never guessed he’d bump it up. That wasn’t his idea. It was Della’s.”
“Why would Della want that,” Devon asked, fully invested in the drama.
Ines lifted her shoulders and sighed as she dropped them. “Who knows? She started asking for money the instant she arrived. Bill gave her a bit to cover Jake’s burial and transport and such... I think he felt responsible for Jake’s death. After all, he was the reason Jake was in town and the reason he was on shift at the mobile.”
“Why was it his job to be at the mobile? I thought it was Maddie’s?” Lydia paced beside her chair.
“It was. But Jake insisted on taking her shift so he could be closer to Bill. Jake said he didn’t want to waste any time driving to and from the motel when he could be minutes away and right by the library. So, after an awkward dinner debating money concerns, Bill drove him back to the mobile unit.”
Ines sat up rapidly. Dizzy, she gestured and tried to speak. Devon leaped to her feet to stabilize Ines. She wavered, then lowered herself back into a recline.
“Take it easy,” Devon said. “Your body is not at full strength, yet. Don’t forget you’re on meds. You shouldn’t exert yourself.”
A knock on the door startled all three women. Devon recovered quickest and cracked the door. Parker whispered to her and left. Devon excused herself and returned a few minutes later with Grant and Ivy trailing behind him.
Dr. Lawrence entered seconds after Ivy. “What else has this family gotten into,” he asked.
C
Chapter 33
Flora stalked the Everett home. The babies were both fast asleep. Scout had a tiny trail of spittle dripping onto her teething bib. It had been forty-seven minutes since she’d heard from either Ivy or Lydia.
The police scanner had grown strangely quiet. Flora’s mind tuned out the white noise long ago. No crackles or calls interrupted the peaceful air of the house. She wished it would. Flora longed to know what was happening out there. She hoped everyone was safe.
Finally, her phone jangled in her pocket. She yanked it free and swiped at the screen. It was a text from Kat.
Power back on. Phone’s charging. I will call soon. Need grown-up talk. What’s happening in HP?
Flora laughed. Kat was going to be livid. She missed all the activity of the last few days. Not to exclude her, but Flora hoped Della’s killer would be caught before Friday. Kat would have missed the entire ordeal but the town would be safer once again. Flora replied with a noncommittal emoji.
✽✽✽
Lydia’s phone jangled. She locked eyes with Ivy, who leaned against the opposite wall. They stood just outside the exam room, as Dr. Lawrence inspected Grant’s nose. No sounds came from the room. Both Ivy and Lydia found themselves relieved when the combo text from Kat came through.
Lydia sighed. She hadn’t realized she’d been grinding her teeth. She shot a quick answer to Kat and then she called Flora.
✽✽✽
The door to the examination room opened and Devon rushed down the hall. Ivy could see inside the room from her place against the wall. Grant sat on the exam table beside his Aunt. Ines had her arm around his shoulder. She cried so softly the noise didn’t leave the room. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she maintained a confident smile at her nephew. Grant held her other hand. It was impossible to tell who was comforting who. Grant looked up in time to catch Ivy’s glancing inspection before Devon hurried back into the room and shut the door.
It wasn’t long before the doctor and the nurse invited the hallway guards to enter. “They say you can come in if you’d like. Ines’ has more to tell you.” Devon returned to her work and Dr. Lawrence exited toward the break room.
Lydia entered first. Ivy slunk in behind her, trying to bleed into the wallpaper. “So?” Lydia inquired as she looked Grant up and down.
Ines spoke. “Broken, but not too bad. He just shouldn’t talk for a bit.” Ines slid from the table, protective paper sticking to her pants. “In fact, you should be reclining. Just keep your head upright.” She instructed and settled Grant in her place and took the plastic waiting chair beside the table. “They’ve given him something for the pain and an ice pack for the swelling.”
“Did Parker take a report?”
Ines shook her head. “He said he’d wait until we’re both cleared to leave. I can’t believe Bill did this! It’s overwhelming.” Lydia noticed Ines was trembling but not from tears. Her fists were clenched and her jaw tight. Ines was livid. “What am I going to tell my sister-in-law? She’ll never forgive me for allowing Grant to be attacked.”
“You didn’t do it,” Grant said, his voice was muffled by the ice pack. He winced as he spoke. His adrenaline was fading and the pain was stealing center stage.
“No, my fiancé did.”
In unison, Lydia and Ivy reported. “That man is not your fiancé.”
Chapter 34
Flora rushed into the doctor’s office. The report over the once silent police scanner terrified her. She called Kevin. He arrived with the rest of the Brandes clan in tow and pizza on the way. He took up guarding Lydia’s.
“Where are they?” Flora bombarded the nurse's station, bypassing reception and jogging past a bewildered Parker.
“Who?”
“Lydia. Ivy. I heard the report. One of them was attacked.”
Devon stood and waved flat hands at Flora. “Calm down. They’re fine. They weren’t attacked. They’re just visiting. I’ll go let them know you’re here.”
Flora paced the tiny cubicle area. When Lydia stepped out of exam room 4, she flung herself around her and pulled her tight. “I thought you’d been attacked. Rachel needs to work on her dispatcher skills. She made it sound like you and Ivy were smack dab in the middle of an assault situation. You can’t imagine the mental pictures I’ve been praying over.”
Lydia hugged Flora. “We were in an assault situation. Or at least, Ivy was. She wasn’t the victim, per se. But she was there and witnessed the entire mess.”
‘Who’s been hurt?”
“Grant. Broken nose. But he’s alright. They’ve got him resting with an ice pack. He and Ines will be able to leave in about an hour. Parker will drive them to the station and take their statements and everyone can go home.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Who has the babies?”
“Kevin, who else?”
✽✽✽
Ines sat stunned awaiting an explanation. Lydia decided Gus needed to take part in the discussion and called him. He was on his way. Ivy went to retrieve chairs from the waiting room. She picked up one teal padded
chair and froze. Staring at her, a magazine on his lap was the mystery man from the motel. The one who stalked the memorial. No doubt, the same man that fled the scene at Bill’s place.
Ivy tried to scream but her energy was depleted. She’d spent her fight or flight reflex on negotiating Grant’s safe delivery to the doctor’s office. There was no spare energy to pull from. She froze, chair in hand, staring into the stranger’s eyes.
✽✽✽
Flora inspected Grant, mother hen that she was. “That was some hit. I would’ve passed out. How’d you manage to get away and drive here?” Flora helped herself to the only other seat in the room after approving of the doctor’s approach to comforting Grant.
“Ivy,” Grant’s voice twanged through the gauze stuffed in his nose.
“That girl is a wonder. She’s so much tougher than she looks,” Flora placed a palm to her chest.
“Not really,” Grant whispered before Ines shushed him.
“Give yourself another forty-five minutes. Then you can talk.”
“Sorry,” Flora said.
Her curiosity tickled her racing thoughts. It made her mind itch and information was the only thing that could calm it. Her common-sense fled her normally stable and calm demeanor. She satisfied her restlessness by shaking her right knee and counting the seconds until Ivy returned with more seating.
✽✽✽
Gus walked through the front door in time to see Ivy struggle to yell for help. She’d rallied her strength and raised the chair above her head. Gus caught her before she chucked the chair at the man in the corner.
“What were you trying to do? Get yourself arrested?”
Ivy caught her thoughts before they became confessions. “That’s the mystery man.” She pointed to the man in the corner. He stood still, a half-cocked smile smearing his face.
“Who?”
“The mystery man. The one who’s been stalking Ines and Bill. The one who broke into the apartment. The same guy who probably killed Della.”
Gus rubbed his forehead forcing the confusion away. “That man? That man right there?” He leaned in, parallel to Ivy’s sightline.
“Yes... he’s the only one here.”
“That man is on our side,” Gus said.
Chapter 35
Gus entered the exam room all business. Ivy followed and squeezed in between Lydia and Flora. The small room felt like an overstuffed elevator with a crowd surrounding the Justices. “You sure you want to talk to me? Have you called a lawyer?” Gus hurried through any formalities he thought Ethan would demand, even though he wasn’t arresting anyone.
“We don’t have anything to hide,” Grant and Ines said.
“Okay then, but before we dive in, I want to introduce you to Marshal Forest Teller.” The man in dark clothing stepped into the doorway and leaned against the frame.
“Nice to finally get an introduction,” said the mystery man.
“You’re a marshal?” Lydia surveyed the last few encounters with the marshal. Last night at the memorial, was he trying to manage was to get an introduction. Why would a marshal need to talk with her? Her mind raced to Ethan. But if something had happened on the trip she would have heard from Kat and the hospital. A marshal wouldn’t be handling accidental deaths.
“That’s right, Mrs. Everett.”
“But, we thought...”
Gus jumped ahead. “Yes, I understand the confusion. But Marshal Teller and I have been in contact for the last three days. I had no idea he was the stranger everyone was in a tizzy over. Though I couldn't have said much if I'd known. I wouldn't have wasted time searching for a nefarious shadow.”
The marshal offered his crooked smile to the room.
“So, why are you here?”
“I was trailing Mrs. Strap.’
“Mrs. Strap?”
“Yes, I’ll get to that in a minute. Gus said you have some ideas about Della's murder. I’d love to hear them.”
Lydia and Ivy locked eyes. Ivy conceded to Lydia and shrank into the background. She didn’t feel like stumbling over her thoughts and she was certain Lydia’s thoughts were aligned with her own discoveries.
Lydia nodded toward Ines and Flora caught the clue. She went to Ines’ side. Just in case she was needed.
“We believe Bill Barnaby is actually Jake Cloverdale.”
“What?” Grant spoke through his ice pack. His hazel eyes locked onto his aunt. Ines stiffened and sniffled. “How,” he asked.
“Lots of clues. Small things and big things. The sudden shift in personality. Bill would never fall for someone like Della or hit on Ivy. He was too much of a gentleman.”
“Was?” Ines’ sad whisper fell like an avalanche in the room. Her crowd stood silent allowing the heartbroken woman to digest the news. “So, Bill...My Bill...”
“Is gone. I’m so sorry.”
“Jake Cloverdale murdered him.”
Grant sat up quickly. “That explains why he didn’t freak out at my bloody nose.” He cast his gaze toward Lydia. “Did he kill Della, too?”
Marshal Teller interrupted. “That makes the most sense. Della was informing on him.”
“What?”
Gus took over with silent approval from the Marshal. “Jake Cloverdale is really the biological twin to Bill Barnaby. But, Jake isn’t Jake. He’s on the run. From witness protection.”
“Which explains you,” Flora said to Marshal Teller.
“Yes, ma’am. He’s always been a flight risk and a thorn in my side for the last three years. I’ve had to constantly relocate him. You see, he can’t stay away from Della Strap. One way or another, he finds a way to tell her where he is and she shows up a week or two before the really bad guys appear. Where Della goes, trouble follows. Mr. Cloverdale just couldn’t let her go.”
Grant moaned as he waved his index finger at the marshal. “You said you introduced yourself to Gus three days ago. But I know I’ve spotted you hanging out around my aunt a week or two before that.”
Gus flushed with agitation. He inspected the marshal’s face as Forest Teller answered. “You’re right. I got a tip that Jake Cloverdale, as you know him, was hanging out in Honey Pot. I decided to come down and investigate. I wasn’t following your aunt. I was watching Bill.”
Flora took her hand away from Ines, who was taking the news much better than anticipated. She glared at Gus. “You know who the bad guy is, so go and get him. Why are you standing here doing nothing?” Her frustration flickered between both public servants.
Gus offered the only explanation “We can’t just go snag him and accuse Bill of being Jake. That would be a violation of Bill’s rights, should he really be Bill.”
“But you know he isn’t,” Lydia added.
“Yes. But we have to prove it. “
“What about fingerprints?”
“Both burned. Remember? Jake planned it out as best as he could. Della and Jake even had Bill cremated before we could suspect him further.”
“Where’s the urn,” Ines asked.
“I’m sorry. But we haven’t located it yet.”
Lydia nibbled her lip and wished she had a hot cup of coffee. She needed a steamy long think. “What if I can get Jake to admit he’s not Bill?”
“That would be helpful,” Marshal Teller said. “Then I could request a DNA swab.”
Ivy interrupted, “I thought twins are basically clones of one another. Won’t their DNA be the same?”
Dr. Lawrence popped his head into the patient room. “Let’s ask him,” Ines said.
After posing the question to Dr. Lawrence, he paused to consider. “I can’t recall the name of the test. But I’ll look it up for you. It’s relatively new. They use it to determine which twin has committed a crime when both twins are suspects.”
Marshal Teller clapped his hands. “I’ve heard of that, too. Though I’m not sure Jake has or if he’ll care. If he admits he’s not Bill, then there’s always dental records.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Lyd
ia said. “Ines, do you think you can face Jake, one more time?”
Chapter 36
Ines stood, showered, dressed, and primped in the library of her grand home. The memorials’ mess was scrubbed away and the house sparkled with the gleam of freshness. She breathed steady and strong.
Lydia was proud of her for tackling one last tribute to her beloved Bill Barnaby. The librarian was a great actress. She mimicked cold, collected calm as Grant walked Bill/Jake into the library.
Lydia and Ivy watched the play unfold from the game room. A recording apparatus and Ines’ amazing security system lent them eyes that could see through walls and ears to hear. The growing tempest, outside, flickered the images and warbled the dialogue. Gus and Marshal Teller excused themselves, to sneak upstairs and check their equipment. Jake walked smugly to the center of the cozy library and helped himself to a jar of butterscotch candies. Ivy shivered. Jake unwrapped the candy with pained haphazard motions. He shoved it into his greedy mouth.
Grant turned to leave them but Jake stopped him.
“Nope. You stay here. Sit over there where I can see you. I don’t need you calling the cops or your nosy friend and messing things up for me.” Grant obeyed, anger flashing across his bruised face.
Ines stifled a tremor by contracting her fingers into fists. Lydia prayed silently over the entire scenario. There was no way of knowing if Jake was armed. Regardless, he’d already proven capable of violence toward Grant. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt he would attack both the Justices if he felt cornered.
“Do you mind telling me why you think I’m Jake? Jake’s dead. Remember, Honey? He burned to a crisp surrounded by other people’s blood. I saw him, myself. I even tried to save him.” Jake lifted up his lightly bandaged hands.
“I know that’s what you said. But my Bill would never strike Grant. He was very fond of Grant.”
“Maybe I’ve gotten to know him better, these last few days.”
