by J A Whiting
When Jeffrey asked the next question, his voice was hoarse. “Do you think some nut ran into Grace? Was her killer some random person she had the bad luck to cross paths with?”
Claire’s tone was kind. “Nicole and I don’t have the necessary information to make that determination. The police are still working on it.”
“I wish they’d hurry up.” Jeffrey shook his head. “I want them to find the monster who stole my daughter’s life from her. I want to look into his eyes.”
Kyla made a brief whimpering sound, and Jeffrey quickly got up from his chair and went to her side. She gripped his hand like a drowning woman and looked up at Claire. “Please do everything you can to bring this person to justice. I can’t bear the thought that the killer will go free. We want our daughter to be able to rest in peace.”
Claire made a silent vow to do all she could to make the parents’ wish come true.
10
Claire and Nicole finally completed the baking for a business contract to supply baked items for a morning meeting in downtown Boston. Everything had been cleaned and put away and they were sitting at two café tables pushed together in the chocolate shop with Ian and Nicole’s boyfriend, Dr. Ryan Foley, a neurologist at one of the city’s hospitals. Nicole and Ryan met when Ian was in the hospital after suffering an injury when he was hit in the head by a criminal and needed the doctor’s attention.
The North End buzzed with activity with the tourists and locals walking along the sidewalks outside the shop under the glow of the streetlamps. Ian and Ryan brought take-out dinner for the four of them since they knew their girlfriends would be straight out busy trying to complete the large order for the next day. The subs, a large pizza, a container of spaghetti, and two kinds of salads were spread over the tabletops.
“I’m exhausted.” Nicole poured some wine into her glass.
“This food will revive us.” Claire took a slice of pizza and placed it on her plate. “It all smells delicious.”
“We thought Italian food would hit the spot.” Ryan served some spaghetti to Nicole.
“Everything’s a whirlwind lately,” Claire said. “We talked with a friend of mine who is an intellectual property attorney. We gave her the cookbook contract to look over. She’ll get back to us in a couple of days.”
“It’s really exciting to think I’ll know two authors.” Ian grinned.
“Maybe they’ll autograph books for us when they get published,” Ryan told Ian with a smile.
“It’s going to be a lot of work.” Nicole rubbed at the base of her neck. “I hope we aren’t biting off more than we can chew.”
“The acquisitions editor thought we might get approached by producers for a television show and that someone else might want to speak with us about a line of cookware.” Claire dabbed at her lips with her napkin. “My attorney friend believes we’ll get offers to move in those directions. It’s all really exciting, but Nicole and I don’t want to lose control of our business. We have to give whatever comes our way some serious thought.”
“That’s smart,” Ian said with a nod. “You want to be sure you move in the directions that are right for you.”
“I’m glad Claire is my partner,” Nicole told the others. “I’d be completely overwhelmed by all of this and I’d end up making the wrong decision.”
Before biting into a piece of a vegetarian sub, Claire shook her head. “You wouldn’t do the wrong thing. You’re smart and savvy and you’d get good advice from an attorney.”
“How are things going with the investigation?” Ryan asked. He knew that Claire and Nicole did some researching and interviewing for Ian when he needed it.
“We spoke with Grace’s parents.” Nicole leaned back in her seat feeling again the weight of the emotional meeting. “They confirmed that Grace and her boyfriend, Harry, had broken up, but were hoping to remain friendly. The mother told us that Grace and Jenny hadn’t been getting along and Grace was planning to move out of the apartment.”
“I talked to Jenny about that,” Ian said. “She was dismissive about it. She said she and Grace had little tiffs every once in a while and then everything would return to normal. Jenny said Grace wasn’t really going to move out.” The detective raised an eyebrow. “Jenny might have been in for a surprise. Grace had put a deposit on an apartment.”
Claire asked, “Did she? Where was the place?”
“In the North End, a few blocks from the place she lived with Jenny. She was planning to move there in three months.”
“I wonder if Jenny knew that, but wanted to make it seem like everything was fine between them,” Nicole suggested.
“That could be,” Ian agreed.
“Why would she want to make you think everything was fine?” Ryan lifted a forkful of spaghetti to his mouth. “People change their living arrangements all the time. What’s the big deal?”
Ian answered the question. “Jenny wants us to think everything was just great between her and Grace because she doesn’t want us to believe that she could have killed her friend.”
“Oh. I see.” Ryan nodded. “What about Grace’s boyfriend? Is he a suspect?”
Claire explained that Grace’s parents described Harry Parker as being bossy and domineering. “They didn’t think it was a good match. They seemed relieved that Harry wasn’t dating Grace any longer.”
“They also told us that Grace liked two men in her program,” Nicole said. “Grace wasn’t dating either of them, but her mother thought it might be a possibility as her daughter got to know them better.”
“Grace had a friend at the yoga studio she went to.” Claire passed one of the salads to Ian. “Her mother reported that Grace and the woman had a lot in common and had been socializing.”
“What’s the friend’s name?” Ian asked.
“Alison Billings,” Claire said.
“I spoke with her. They’d been friends for less than a year. She didn’t have much to tell me. I think you two should talk to her though. Ms. Billings might be more forthcoming with you,” Ian told them.
Claire and Nicole agreed to meet with Alison.
“We ran into Bob Cooney recently.” Claire took a drink from her glass of seltzer.
Ian’s eyes widened. “Oh, really? Where did you see him?”
Nicole named the pub restaurant they’d been in when the man made an appearance next to their booth.
“Who’s Bob Cooney?” Ryan asked.
Ian gave him a brief history of Cooney’s experience and reputation.
“Sounds like someone to steer clear of,” Ryan said.
“Did Mr. Cooney have anything to say?” Ian questioned.
Claire couldn’t help a sigh from slipping past her lips. “He always has something to say. He asked what we knew about Grace’s murder. We didn’t tell him anything. He implied the attack wasn’t random, but he could just be blowing smoke trying to look important. He also told me that when fortune knocks, I should open the door.”
Ryan’s eyebrows raised. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The man talks in riddles,” Nicole told her boyfriend with a shake of her head.
“He’s given me some important tidbits of information in the past,” Claire explained. “But most of the time, he engages in a question and answer game where he asks the questions and I try to figure out the answers. He tries to lead me to the information without actually telling me with his own words. It can be cryptic and confusing, but he has his finger on the pulse of things and knows a whole lot more than he ever reveals.”
Ryan looked across the table at Ian. “What does law enforcement think? Was it random or did Grace know her attacker?”
Ian fiddled with his beer glass. “I’d be very surprised if the attack was random. I think Grace knew her killer, if only in passing.”
“Do you think the same person who was buzzing her apartment was the one who shot into her bedroom wall?” Ryan asked.
“I’d say yes to that.”
“Are
there suspects?”
“There are suspicions and speculation.” Ian’s face suddenly showed some fatigue. “I wouldn’t call anyone a suspect. Yet.”
“I bet it was the boyfriend.” Ryan gave a nod. “I bet he was angry about the breakup. I bet he tried to get Grace back and she refused. It made him go ballistic and he ended up killing her.”
“There were no signs of forced entry into Grace’s apartment, right?” Nicole asked.
“That’s right. It can be assumed Grace opened the apartment door to whoever knocked.”
“How do we know Grace didn’t leave the apartment after the bullet was shot into her place?” Claire asked.
“We don’t know if she left or stayed,” Ian admitted.
“She might have gotten so frightened that she took off,” Nicole suggested. “She could have run into her killer on the street.”
“Or he got into the building and Grace allowed him into the apartment,” Ian said. “Right now, either theory works.”
“Does Harry Parker own a gun?” Nicole looked apprehensive.
“Not legally,” Ian said. “He’s never taken a gun safety class and he’s never applied for a gun permit.”
A shiver ran down Claire’s back. “What about Jenny Harrington? Does she have a gun?”
“Again, not legally.”
“What about the missing bedding?” Claire asked. “If Grace left the apartment of her own accord, what happened to the bedding?”
“That’s a good question,” Ian answered. “We could explain the missing quilt by saying the attacker gained access to Grace’s apartment, and somehow knocked her unconscious. He wrapped her in the quilt and carried her out of the building. Then he drove somewhere and shot her.”
“So the killer must have been in the apartment,” Nicole decided.
Ian shook his head. “Or we could say Grace left her apartment, ran into the killer, maybe they drove somewhere in the city. He shot her in his car. He needed to get rid of the body. He knew where she lived so he went there. He took her bedding to wrap her in. While he was in the apartment, he pushed the dresser along the wall to hide the entry of the bullet into Grace’s bedroom. Maybe he went to the apartment to steal some of her things to keep as a trophy, things no one might notice. Then he went back to his car, wrapped her in the quilt and blanket, and decided to dump her in the Granary as he drove past.”
Ian’s three companions were silent.
Ryan made a face. “That’s sick.”
“It’s happened before,” Ian said.
“How in the world are you going to figure this out?” Ryan asked the detective.
Claire was wondering the very same thing.
11
Twenty-six-year old Alison Billings was slender, stood about five feet eight inches tall, and had long, straight blond hair that fell to her mid-back. She had a friendly smile and an approachable manner. She met Claire at a coffee shop on Boylston Street in the Back Bay neighborhood.
“I met Grace last summer in a yoga class. We hit it off immediately.” Alison took a moment to collect herself. “It can be really hard to wrap my head around this. I can’t believe she’s gone. She was so full of life, so positive. I bet you’re hearing that from everyone who knew Grace.”
Claire gave a wistful smile and a nod.
Alison leaned forward a little. “How could someone do this? Who would do it? Why? I don’t understand the world.” The woman shook her head. “I keep wondering why Grace didn’t call me … or someone … or the police. Did everything happen so fast? Wasn’t she able to get to her phone? It goes through my head, over and over. I can barely sleep at night.” Lifting her eyes to Claire, she asked, “Was Grace’s phone on her when she was found in the cemetery?”
Claire shook her head. “No, but I believe her phone has been recovered.”
“Did the police trace its location on that night?” Alison asked.
“They did, but they don’t share information like that with me.” Ian had shared the information. Grace’s phone was in the apartment. Shortly after 10:30pm, it had gone quiet. The killer must have turned it off and then smashed it. This wasn’t public knowledge and Claire wasn’t allowed to divulge those details. “When did you see Grace last?”
“I saw her the night she … the night she was attacked. We had an early evening yoga class. After class, we talked for a little while and then we both headed out.”
“Did she say if she was going right home?” Claire asked.
“Grace told me she was going to pick up a sandwich on the way home. We both like that new deli in Downtown Crossing.”
“After getting the sandwich, was she planning to go home?”
“I think so. She didn’t say anything about going out that night.” Alison sighed. “Grace had done really well on an exam. She was so happy about it. She loved what she was studying. She couldn’t contain her excitement about the program.”
“Had you met Grace’s boyfriend, Harry Parker?”
Alison’s face hardened. “I met him. I didn’t like him much. Harry was a know-it-all. You know the type? He was always right. No matter what the subject was, he knew all about it. I thought he was a bore. He had a great need to impress people, but the way he went about trying to impress just ended up having the opposite effect. He turned me off. I didn’t like being around him.”
“How did he treat Grace?” Claire asked.
Alison made a face. “I think he took her for granted. He was sort of … I guess I’d call it dismissive. He downplayed Grace’s accomplishments. Everything was about Harry, and when people didn’t fawn over him, he’d get annoyed.”
“Did Grace ever talk to you about how she felt about Harry?”
Alison moved a little in her chair. “Listen, I don’t want anything I say to get back to Harry.”
Claire felt a surge of alarm flash through her body. “Why not?”
“I don’t want him to feel bad about Grace.”
“Harry won’t hear anything about this conversation,” Claire assured the young woman. “You can speak freely.”
Alison took in a long breath. “Grace was tired of Harry. She wanted to be treated differently. She wanted Harry to think of her as a partner, an equal. Grace realized that Harry wasn’t going to change. She felt bad about it, but she decided it would be best if she ended the relationship.”
“Did you encourage her to do so?” Claire asked.
Alison’s eyes went wide. “I encouraged Grace to do what she thought was best. It’s very hard to judge a relationship from the outside. Only the people involved can decide if they’re compatible or not.”
Claire nodded. “How did Harry take the news?”
Alison sat straight. “Not well. He was very upset, very angry. The first time she broached the subject with him, he was furious. He didn’t see it coming. He became so loud, Grace had to leave the restaurant. The breakup went on and on. Harry kept trying to convince Grace she was making a mistake. Finally, he gave up. He finally accepted that was how it was going to be. They wanted to be friends, but….” Alison rolled her eyes. “You know how that goes.”
“The night Grace was killed, someone was repeatedly buzzing her door trying to be let into the building,” Claire said. “Did she happen to text you about that?”
“No. She didn’t text me that night. I didn’t hear from her.” Alison sipped from her coffee cup, and when she put it down, she looked at Claire with a quizzical expression. “Where was Grace’s roommate when all of this was going on?”
“Jenny had gone away for a few days with her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? You mean Martin Gray?”
“That’s his name.”
Alison wrinkled her nose. “That guy has no interest in Jenny. He’s a player.”
“What do you mean?” Claire asked.
The young woman looked closely at Claire. “Let’s say he has a roving eye.”
“You know this?”
“My boyfriend and I met Grace and Har
ry and Jenny and Martin at a bar one night. Martin had the hots for Grace. He wasn’t very subtle about it especially after Harry left. Harry had an early meeting the next morning so he left before everyone else. Martin was giving Grace a lot of attention. It made me uncomfortable and I could see Grace felt the same way. When Jenny went to the restroom and Grace went up to the bar to get another drink, Martin went with her. Grace told me he got too close, he touched her inappropriately. She gave him heck about it. Then Jenny saw Grace speaking angrily to Martin and she went over to see what was going on. Grace went back to the table and got her things and left.”
“Did Jenny know what had happened?”
“I don’t know. Grace never told her what Martin did. Jenny was subtle about it, but she made some comments about Grace flirting with Martin. Grace was angry about that. Grace was sure Jenny could see what Martin was, but she kept wanting to go out with him.” Alison’s brow furrowed. “So they went away together? Where did they go?”
“They went to New Hampshire.”
“Why?”
“For a short vacation, I guess,” Claire said.
Alison shrugged. “I can’t see those two together. Jenny needs to open her eyes and take a close look at what kind of guy Martin is. I wouldn’t trust him for a second.”
“What does Martin do for work?” Claire asked.
“He’s a dentist. He thinks he’s a big shot. He drives a Porsche. Seems to like flaunting it. Grace told me things didn’t seem the same with her and Jenny after that incident. Grace was planning to move out.”
“What did Jenny think about that?”
“She was angry,” Alison said. “She blamed Grace for the trouble with Martin. Jenny accused Grace of not valuing their friendship anymore. Grace was hurt by the accusations.”
“It’s understandable.”
Alison frowned. “Grace mentioned that Jenny might have gone away with Martin. Things had been tense between Grace and Jenny and Grace was hoping they’d decided to go on the trip so she could have the apartment to herself.”