For Pete's Sake

by Shannon Esposito

  I nodded. “Peter had them hidden on a thumb drive in one of the puppy’s toys.”

  Her eyes filled with worry. “Who else has seen them?”

  “The police have the thumb drive.”

  She tented her fingers and held them against her mouth. “Oh no, they’re not going to show them to Barron, are they? It would kill him.”

  “I don’t know. But, weren’t you worried about that when Lincoln exposed your relationship to Will and me? Worried that we’d spill the beans to your husband?”

  “Not really. I didn’t figure you’d have any reason to talk to him. And if you did, I don’t think he’d believe you anyway. He’s a hard evidence kind of guy. But if someone showed him photos…” She trailed off with a shake of her head.

  This time it was me who reached over and squeezed her hand. She looked so distressed, I knew then she really cared about how the news would affect her husband, even if she was in love with someone else. “Don’t worry. I can talk to Will—” I froze. Everything suddenly slipped into place, giving me a little jolt.

  Oh no.

  “What is it?” she asked, breathless. She gripped my hand tighter. “Darwin?”

  I looked at her and swallowed. “Daisy, you’re not gonna want to hear what I’m about to say but please just listen with an open mind … agreed?”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes widening in fear. “Just tell me. What is it?”

  “I think it was Lincoln.” I nodded, now more sure of myself. “I think Lincoln killed Peter.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Daisy was shaking her head vehemently, but I saw the doubt creeping into her eyes. “He knew I’d decided to just give Peter the money. There’d be no reason for Lincoln to kill him.”

  I stroked Goldie, who’d sat up and rested her head in my lap again. “What about revenge? What about the fact that Peter could’ve decided a million dollars wasn’t enough and kept asking you for more? Lincoln would’ve realized this was a possibility. What about just flat out anger at someone blackmailing the woman he loved?” I watched the different emotions pass over her face … denial, defensiveness, doubt, and then settle on fear.

  “He had access to the drug that killed Peter at the vet clinic, Daisy. And also, you said you took Peter the money that morning alone. That means you weren’t with Lincoln like you told us you were. So he doesn’t actually have an alibi for the time of Peter’s death. Do you know where he was that morning?”

  Her voice was a whisper. Her face blotchy. “I assumed at my condo where I’d left him when I came back here to get the money from the safe. He said to tell y’all we were together to give me an alibi. So I wouldn’t have to say I was at Peter’s house that morning and why.”

  “But don’t you see? You were really giving him an alibi.”

  Looking horrified, she shook her head slowly. “He wouldn’t hurt Peter. He couldn’t.” But, I saw the possibility dawning on her and the fear growing. “Oh God. Could he have?” Her eyes grew wider. “I’m supposed to meet him for dinner tonight at BellaBrava. If he … How can I … do you think he’d hurt me?”

  Adrenaline was pumping through my body. I really needed to talk to Will. He’d know what to do. “Daisy, where’s your husband? You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  She stood up and started pacing. Felix watched her calmly from his position in front of the fireplace. “He’s in New York, meeting with the best cardiac surgeon in the US. He left this morning.”

  Goldie stood and gave herself a good shake, then stared at me expectantly. She was right. We needed to skedaddle. Get Daisy to a safe place. “Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to call Will and leave a message to fill him in. Since we know what time Lincoln will be at BellaBrava, Will can pick him up there.”

  If he gets my message in time.

  “Meanwhile, you’re coming with me. We’ve got to keep you out of sight and safe until Will has him in custody.”

  She stopped pacing and stood there biting a nail and staring at me. “Oh God, Darwin. How did it come to this?”

  I stood and gave her a gentle hug. She was trembling. “It’ll be all right. I promise.” I mentally kicked myself. What was it with me making promises? I really had to stop doing that. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “All right. I’ll go let Edna know she’s gonna have Felix for a little while. I’ll meet you in the car.”

  I stepped out of her house cautiously looking for any sign of the crazy woman or the wolf.

  The street was quiet, just some white Ibis poking around the yard and a black Mercedes rolling by. Resting a hand on Goldie, I whispered, “All clear, girl.” Still, I found myself power-walking to the car, trying to outrun the chill creeping up my spine. Letting Goldie jump in back first, I quickly slid in after her and slammed the door.

  Praying for a message from Will, I dug my phone out of my abandoned straw bag.

  Yes! He had tried to call. Finally!

  “Will!” Relief flooded over me at the sound of his voice.

  He was okay. Thank heavens.

  “Where are you, Darwin?” The relief faded as I heard the strain in his voice.

  I glanced over as Daisy opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. She clutched a flowered travel bag and still seemed in shock.

  I gave her a reassuring smile and pointed to the phone, mouthing, “It’s Will.”

  Then, trying to keep the worry from creeping into my own voice, I said to Will, “I’m just about to leave Daisy’s house. I have so much to tell you but first, we really have to get out of here and get her to a safe place.”

  “Daisy’s with you now?”

  I busied myself putting the top up on the car in case the crazy fish-woman was still lurking around. “Yes.”

  “I’m not on speaker, am I?”

  “Nope.”

  “Listen, Darwin. I couldn’t get a hold of Mr. Vanderhall, so I went ahead and interviewed Sassy White at the station. She provided proof that the van actually has been broken down so there’s no motive for blackmail. She also gave us a second alibi for earlier that morning from Sunny’s, the place she’d stopped for breakfast. It checked out so she’s no longer a suspect. But then I got some interesting news. Our team dug up Daisy’s maiden name which is not Vanderhall like she told us. Vanderhall is her married name. Barron Vanderhall is actually her husband, not her father.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You know? Did she tell you?” Will asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then the question is why would she lie to you in the first place? Something seems off. I need to talk to her again, and I don’t like that you’re alone with her.”

  Daisy was shifting uncomfortably in the seat, clutching her bag and watching me intently. “We should go,” she whispered.

  I nodded to her and held up a finger.

  I was starting to feel waves of anxiety from Daisy. They were raising my own. Goldie’s hot breath was on my shoulder. She probably felt it, too. I flipped the air conditioning higher and put the car in drive, my thoughts racing.

  As I pulled around Daisy’s circle drive and headed back toward town, I had an idea. “Will, remember that … safe house you told me about? The hotel room you guys have reserved for … special cases?”

  “Yes,” Will said.

  “Can we stay there while you go pick up Lincoln? We think he might be the one who poisoned Peter. He wasn’t actually with Daisy the morning Peter was killed, so he doesn’t have an alibi. It’s a long story—I’ll tell you later. But right now he’s supposed to meet Daisy for dinner at BellaBrava. You can pick him up there for questioning.”

  I glanced over at Daisy. Her gaze was fixed on the road.

  Will was silent for a moment. Then he said, “That means Daisy doesn’t have an alibi either, so yeah, good idea. I’ll call ahead to the hotel and arrange it. Just go to the front desk, and ask for Detective Blake’s room. They’ll know wha
t to do.”

  I crossed the Snell Isle bridge. The sky was beginning to glow orange beneath the belly of heavy, gray clouds. “Thanks, Will.”

  “And Darwin … Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Just find Lincoln.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Daisy stood at the window, between the half-drawn curtains. We were on the third floor in an unremarkable hotel room. Flowered bedspread, dark dresser with a TV, tropical bird prints hanging on pale peach walls. It smelled musty and faintly of Pine-Sol.

  My head rested against the dark wood headboard. My arm was draped over Goldie, who was pressed up against my side, her eyes half-closed.

  The blue glow of Daisy’s phone reflected off of the glass. She was texting someone. Her husband?

  I wondered but didn’t ask. I was bone tired. Drained. Whatever happened now would just have to play itself out. For Sylvia’s sake, I hoped we were in the final act. Time was up.

  My phone sat on the nightstand to my right, beside a room service menu and a notepad and pen with the hotel logo. I had already texted Will that we were here and had also texted Mallory that I was safe so they wouldn’t worry.

  “What if Lincoln doesn’t show up at BellaBrava?” Daisy said, turning. “Maybe he’s already skipped town, and we’ll never know why he did it. Would the police still pursue him in another country?”

  Her questions confused my already tired brain. Why would he skip town? He had no idea we were on to him. I pulled my knees into my chest and stared at her.

  She wouldn’t … would she? I wanted to ask her if she’d warned Lincoln, but just then a light knock sounded on the door.

  Her body stiffened.

  “Oh no,” she whispered. Rushing across the threadbare carpet, she was at the door before I could warn her not to open it.

  Too late.

  She flung the door open. A defeated moan escaped her throat. “Why did you come here?”

  I scrambled up as Lincoln strolled into the room and shut the door behind him. He glanced at me and Goldie on the bed. We stared back at him. He was wearing jeans, a green “adopt-don’t-shop” t-shirt and a very worried expression. Daisy must have warned him. It was the only explanation.

  She moved to stand in front of Lincoln. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her face reddening. Tears were welling up in her eyes. “Why on earth did you come here?”

  He lifted his hands up to her cheeks and, gently cupping her face, he kissed her. Her body softened as the kiss melted away her anger.

  When he broke the kiss, he said, “Because I’m not leaving without you. We do this together.”

  “Oh, Lincoln, you fool.” She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek into his chest. “You could’ve gotten away clean. Started a new life.”

  “I don’t want a life without you.”

  I lowered my feet to the floor and wrapped my arms protectively around Goldie. “I don’t mean to interrupt the lovefest here, but Daisy … did you warn Lincoln that Will was looking for him? Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of us being here hiding from him?”

  They shared a look and then Lincoln bowed his head. Daisy brushed a dark wave off his forehead and lifted his chin. “All right. Together.”

  Lincoln slid a desk chair up to the bed and sat down, facing me. Daisy slipped onto his lap, her arm draped over his shoulder.

  I watched them expectantly.

  Lincoln rubbed a hand roughly over his face and let his dark eyes meet mine. I was surprised by the sincerity I saw there. “Darwin, I didn’t kill Peter, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. All I want is for me and Daisy to be able to leave this room, and for you to give us time to get to the airport before you alert your detective boyfriend. I already have a flight booked for us both. Two hours. That’s all I’m asking.”

  I dug my fingers into Goldie’s fur for comfort. “If you didn’t kill Peter, why are you running?”

  He glanced at Daisy. He didn’t mean to, it was a reflex, but it told me all I needed to know.

  I shifted my focus. “So, you killed him, Daisy. Why? Over the photos of you and Lincoln together?”

  She sighed. Her voice was barely a whisper when she answered me. “Yes.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. Like you said, it would’ve been easier to just kill your husband. A heart attack wouldn’t have even been questioned at his age with his heart condition.”

  She shrugged and at least had the decency to look remorseful. “Actually, while he does have a heart condition, it’s not quite as serious as I made it out to be. The old geezer’s probably gonna outlive me. He’s in New York on business.” Then she pressed her lips together and dropped her head.

  I waited but she wasn’t going to say anything more.

  “I see.” I was trying to keep my expression as calm and neutral as possible. Inside I was screaming I see … but I still don’t understand.

  Lincoln watched me for a few seconds and then said, “I’ll explain everything on one condition. You have to agree not to alert your boyfriend until after we’ve caught our flight. Give us the two-hour head start I’ve asked for.”

  Daisy looked up at me. Her blue eyes were swimming with regret. “She’ll never agree to that. She’s straight as an arrow.”

  “I am not!” I gave her my most indignant look. This had to be believable. Negotiate, Darwin. That’s what anyone considering his offer would do. “He just hasn’t made the right offer yet.” I mentally patted myself on the back.

  Her expression changed. She sat up straighter on his lap, a bit of hope pushing aside the regret. “And what would the right offer be?”

  “Well.” I crossed my arms, trying to look more confident than I felt. I uncrossed them and crossed my legs. With a huff, Goldie rested her head in my lap. As I stroked her ears, my gaze slid from Lincoln’s stoic face to Daisy’s waiting one. Then it swept down to her hand.

  Yes. That’s it.

  I motioned to her hand with my chin. “I want the ring.”

  She glanced down and then back up at me with a questioning smirk. She held up her hand. “This ring? You want it? Why? You don’t strike me as poor. I’m finding it hard to believe money would be enough motivation for you to let us get away.”

  She knew me better than I thought. “It’s not about the money, and it’s not for my sake. It’s for Peter’s and all the animals that’ll be saved when his dream shelter gets built. It’s about making things right. Fulfilling your end of the bargain you made with him. Don’t you want to make things right?”

  She nodded, accepting that as a believable motivation. “Done.” She slipped the ring off of her finger and held it out to me on her palm. “Don’t settle for anything less than a million. That should get you enough to buy the land. The rest will be up to you. Like I told you, I don’t mind my money going to a good cause.”

  I took the ring from her with shaking fingers and closed my sweaty palm around it. Its weight made the situation I was in suddenly all too real.

  Don’t think, Darwin. Just keep going.

  “Okay. Now I believe you owe me the truth.”

  They glanced at each other and Daisy slipped her now bare hand into Lincoln’s. “All right. The truth.” Daisy’s gaze drifted toward the window. Lincoln gave her hand a squeeze of encouragement.

  She moved her attention back to me, and I actually felt sorry for her in that moment. There was so much grief etched in the lines around her eyes and mouth. So much wild sorrow shining in her watery blue eyes. I knew whatever she was about to tell me was not going to be the confession of a cold-blooded killer, but a story about how her life decisions went terribly, horribly wrong.

  “The truth is, when Peter tried to blackmail me with the photos, he didn’t realize one thing. Even though I was married to a wealthy man—and it’s true that a million dollars is nothing to Barron—I didn’t have access to any of the money. I couldn’t pay Peter if I wanted to. Barron had made me sign a pre-nup s
tating that I wouldn’t have any control over his money, that everything I spent would have to be approved by him. But that’s not the reason I had to kill Peter. Also in the pre-nup, it stated that I would inherit none of Barron’s money unless we’d been married for at least ten years before he passed. That’s why I had to kill Peter. We’re eleven months shy of that.” She threw a hand up in frustration. “I begged Peter to wait a year, but he refused. He’d just shouted some statistic at me about how many animals would be dead in a year. Ones he could’ve saved.”

  My mouth was so dry, but I had to keep her talking. “So, that’s why you couldn’t just kill your husband instead of Peter. Because you would lose all that inheritance?”

  Poor Peter. Yes, blackmailing Daisy was wrong but … the timing made it even sadder. In eleven months he wouldn’t have been able to blackmail her at all, and he would still be alive. Heck, she would’ve probably given him the money after that.

  “Yes and I wasn’t about to let that happen. I couldn’t. I wasted my twenties with that man. Almost a decade gone. My youth. I deserved to at least have the money he dangled in front of me to bind me to him.” Her body was shaking now.

  A wave of her rage washed over me. It startled me as it disturbed the numbness I’d been feeling.

  With a deep breath, I pushed it aside and tried to keep her calm. “I understand, Daisy, and it wasn’t right of Peter to blackmail you. Go on. What exactly happened the morning he died?”

  Her expression changed to one of horror. Her face paled. “I honestly didn’t know.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head slowly. Lincoln tightened his arm around her waist. “It was really terrible.”

  When she spoke again, her voice was strained. “I didn’t know how the drug would affect him. Lincoln and I hadn’t really talked about it passed the point of it just being a quick death that would look like a heart attack.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “I would have warned you. But, we weren’t ready to use it yet.”