Coulson's Reckoning

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Garret just sat there, saying nothing, a perplexed expression on his face.

  “Garret, are you okay? Is this what you found out in Randall’s diary?”

  Garret didn’t answer immediately but finally spoke.

  “No. But it does explain quite a bit—considering what my grandfather wrote. Or should I say, it might explain things better for you.”

  “What are you talking about, Garret?”

  “It seems, Alex, my grandfather was gay. I suppose you might say Mary Ellen was his beard.”

  “Gay? Are you sure?”

  “Pretty much, and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense when I look back on things. From what my grandfather wrote, I believe he knew about Mary Ellen and William’s affair.”

  “So he knew Harrison wasn’t his?”

  “I don’t think so. From what he wrote, I think he believed Dad was his son. You have to remember, Mary Ellen got pregnant fairly soon after they were married. I think she got pregnant that first month—from stories I’ve heard. I know Randall always wanted sons, In fact that was one thing he always praised my father for—having three sons to carry on the family name.”

  “For years, I’ve heard how Mary Ellen was the love of your grandfather’s life.”

  “From what I read, I think they were very close friends. By the way, where did you go earlier?”

  “I… I went to talk to Kate, about the diary.”

  “Does she know?”

  “About Randall not being your biological grandfather? Yes.”

  “Has she told Russell yet?”

  “I don’t know. She was going to try and get hold of him and see if the four of us could get together and discuss this.”

  “There is more, Alex.”

  “More? What do you mean?”

  “I believe my grandfather orchestrated a hit on Marino.”

  “Why would he do that? Are you certain?”

  “His words are damning.” Garret took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. “I believe my mother may have been having an affair with Marino.”

  “Vera? Are you sure?”

  “It certainly sounds that way.”

  “But would that be motive for murder? Didn’t you say Randall knew about the affair between William and Mary Ellen? And he didn’t kill William… did he?”

  “No. According to Dad, William had serious heart problems. And if I read Randall’s diary right, I think he had his own feelings for William.”

  “You don’t mean?”

  Garret raised his brows in response, then said, “I got the impression Randall was in love with William, but from what he wrote in the diary, I don’t believe William returned the affection. Apparently, my grandparents were in love with the same man.”

  “Perhaps we need to read both diaries.”

  “Okay. I’ll get Randall’s. But I warn you, his handwriting is horrid.”

  Sarah came home from school before Alexandra and Garret finished reading both diaries. By silent agreement, they put the books away and did not discuss them in front of their daughter. After Sarah went upstairs to do her homework, Alex called Kate.

  “What did Russy say about the diary?” Alex asked.

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell him. He was in a meeting all day, and when he got home, Hannah was already here helping me make dinner. They’re in the living room together.”

  “Well, there is more to the story, but I don’t want to talk to you about it on the phone. I’m just about finished reading Randall’s diary, and Garret read Mary Ellen’s already. Call me when Hannah goes to bed. Garret will bring the diaries over and talk to Russell about them. But, you guys need to read them both before the four of us sit down together and figure out how we want to handle this.”

  “What do you mean more to the story?”

  “It’s too complicated, Kate. And I really don’t want to discuss this on the phone.”

  “Darn, Alex, I am so curious!”

  “Kate, I rather wish we hadn’t opened up this particular Pandora’s box.”

  Chapter 28

  Adam drove Sophie back up to Clement Falls late Tuesday afternoon. Before heading up the mountain, Sophie called the bed and breakfast and learned Nick was spending the night with Kim at Couslon House. Sophie offered to make dinner for Adam and Franklin. Before leaving Coulson, she and Adam stopped at the store to pick up groceries.

  “Are you sure you want to cook?” Adam asked as they pulled into the grocery story parking lot. “We can always pick up something from the Lucky Lady to take with us. You have to be exhausted after today and considering we didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “No, I enjoy cooking. It’s how I unwind. I’m looking forward to making something special.”

  Forty minutes later, on their drive up the mountain, Sophie thanked Adam for taking her back up to Clement Falls.

  “I didn’t imagine you wanted to spend another night at my house, considering what happened.” Adam told her as they drove up the highway.

  “Adam, do you think I was dreaming?”

  “What do you think?”

  “It didn’t feel like a dream.”

  “I wish it was.”

  “What are you going to do, Adam? If it was Angela, you can’t have her sneaking into your house.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that. In the morning, I plan to call a friend of mine and arrange to get the locks changed. If she got in without any signs of a break in, then she has to have a key. I’m also going to look into a security system.”

  “I’m sorry, Adam. If I hadn’t come, maybe none of this would have happened.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. None of this is your fault. I’m just sorry she scared you.”

  “Are you planning to say anything to your mom or Garret about what we learned today?”

  “I don’t know. What would be the point?”

  Adam’s cell phone rang. Sophie sat quietly as he answered the call and then listened to his side of the conversation.

  “Hello, Molly! How are you doing? They what? When will they know something? Thursday? No, I’m spending the night at Clement Falls. Okay… if you need anything… Right. Take care.”

  “Was that your neighbor’s daughter?” Sophie asked when Adam got off the phone.

  “Yes. You aren’t going to believe this, but Myrtle’s death wasn’t an accident.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The autopsy report is in. She had bruising along her arms, not consistent with a fall. And they found skin under her fingernails.”

  “You mean someone forced her up those stairs?”

  “That’s what they think. Molly asked me not to say anything, but she wanted me to know since I live next door. I guess it’ll take a couple weeks before the DNA tests come back.”

  “Adam, didn’t they say there was no sign of a break in?”

  “That’s what I understand. Why?”

  “I was thinking about Angela—last night. Don’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence, two houses in the same neighborhood being broken into just a few days apart, and in both cases there was no sign of a break in?”

  “Are you saying you think Angela killed Myrtle?”

  “I’m just saying some people don’t believe in coincidences. Did Angela have a problem with Myrtle?”

  “No. In fact, Myrtle could never quite believe Angela intentionally killed Emily Mitchell. I sort of avoided discussing it with her because I didn’t feel she needed to know all the ugly details. It was really none of her business.”

  “Knowing Angela, what would motivate her to hurt someone? What was her reason for killing Emily Mitchell? I read about the case back then, but I don’t really remember too much about it.”

  “Harrison Coulson, Kim’s biological father and the one that was the senator—let’s just say he had some mental issues. He shot Kim’s mother and called Joe Carter, Angela’s father, expecting Joe to clean up the mess.”

  “Were they good fri
ends, Joe and the senator?”

  “Not really. Joe Carter used to be the police chief before Sam Peterson. Back in the day, he’d clean up young Harrison’s messes. Joe was already retired when Harrison killed Carol, and Joe wasn’t about to cover up the murder. There was a scuffle, and according to Joe he accidentally shot Harrison.”

  “Did he call the police?”

  “No, and that’s when things got really crazy. Joe panicked, covered everything up. The authorities thought a lone shooter had killed them both. Angela found the gun in her father’s room and turned it in to the police, telling them she found it in my room. At the time, she didn’t realize it was the gun used to kill both Carol and Harrison.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would she do that?”

  “She was pissed at me. Remember, I told you Kim and I dated in high school. Kim left Coulson not long after graduation. I didn’t see her again until she returned to bury her mother. By then, I was engaged to Angela and having serious doubts about the marriage. When I saw Kim, I knew I couldn’t marry Angela.”

  “You were still in love with Kim?”

  “No. Maybe Kim is right; I was never really in love with her. She helped me through a rough spot when Dad died. Of course, Angela didn’t understand that… and… well… I did something I’m not particularly proud of.”

  “You cheated on Angela with Kim?”

  “Wow, you’re a quick study.”

  “I was trying to figure out what got Angela so pissed.”

  “It only happened once; it was a mistake—something we immediately realized. Although, I think Kim figured it out first. I didn’t break up with Angela because of what happened between Kim and me, but because I knew the marriage was wrong.”

  “So she framed you?”

  “She really didn’t think the gun was the murder weapon. After all, her father had it. But she implicated me in the murder and told them she found the gun in my room. She figured I’d get hauled in for questioning, and when they realized it wasn’t the murder weapon, let me go. I think she was more surprised than anyone to discover it was actually the murder weapon. But by then, she wasn’t about to tell them the truth and get her father in trouble.”

  “Wow. That’s cold. So, why didn’t Joe Carter come forward? If he didn’t mean to kill the senator, why didn’t he say something?”

  “You’ll have to ask him that question. I imagine part of it was his way of protecting Angela.”

  “So why did she kill the real estate agent?”

  “Apparently, Emily had some information that could implicate Joe in the murder, so Angela killed her to protect Joe.”

  “Back to my original question… what would motivate Angela to kill Myrtle?”

  “From past experience, I think if Angela feels someone is threatening her father—or herself—she would be capable of killing again. But I don’t see how Myrtle would be a threat.”

  They were quiet a moment, each considering the situation.

  “What if Myrtle saw something? Something that could get Angela in trouble and sent back to jail?” Sophie suggested.

  “Like what?”

  “Didn’t you tell me Angela can get sent back if she goes near your house? We know she was there last night. Maybe Sam Peterson wouldn’t believe me or you, but he might listen to your neighbor.”

  “You’re thinking Myrtle saw Angela snooping around my house. Assuming Monday night wasn’t her first time over there since her release?” Adam asked.

  “Well, the chief told us Myrtle was still wearing a very expensive diamond necklace. Why would someone kill her and leave the necklace unless their motive had nothing to do with monetary gain. And did Angela realize Myrtle no longer went up those stairs?”

  “I don’t know why she would have. Myrtle had her knee replacement after Angela went to prison.”

  “How long did you say the DNA tests take?” Sophie asked.

  “A couple weeks, I think.”

  “Since Angela has a record, I would imagine her DNA’s on file. If she’s the one responsible for killing your neighbor, then Angela may be going back to jail in the near future. I wonder if Angela knows they’re treating this as a homicide now.”

  “She could find out. Which is troubling. If she was responsible, she might be tempted to take off instead of risking re-arrest,” Adam said.

  “Well, the paper saying the case is still under investigation is not the same as announcing it was a homicide, and they are looking for the killer. Hopefully they’ll wait until that DNA test comes in, and they can run it through a database, before mentioning it was a possible homicide.”

  “By the way, her funeral is scheduled for Thursday.”

  They were quiet for the next fifteen minutes or so when Sophie asked a question.

  “Adam, does Nick know about you and Kim?”

  “You mean that we went together in high school, sure.”

  “No, I mean about the other. When you were engaged to Angela.”

  “I’m afraid so. They hadn’t gotten together yet, but he was crazy about her. For the first year they were dating, he pretty much ignored me, which was difficult considering my mother is married to her uncle.”

  “He seemed fine with you over the weekend.”

  “Now he is. He knows Kim adores him. They’re really great together, and he’s a good guy. I’m happy for Kim. How about you, Sophie?”

  “Me?”

  “You never talk about a boyfriend, past or present.”

  “I thought it was pretty obvious I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  Adam shrugged at her comment and then asked, “Any broken engagements in your past?”

  “No ex-fiancés or spouses.”

  “You didn’t leave some guy heartbroken in San Diego?”

  “Hardly. All I did in San Diego was go to school and work. Never really dated anyone there. I had a group of friends I hung out with, most from the culinary school. But no romances.”

  “Broken hearts in Portland?” Adam asked.

  Sophie laughed. “Sorry, Adam, I’m really very boring. It’s not that I haven’t dated; I just never got serious with anyone. Normally, when they realize I don’t intend to hop into bed with them after a couple of dates, they move on to someone else.”

  “So how many dates does it take?” Adam teased.

  Sophie turned to face Adam. He was looking down the highway, his hands on the steering wheel, and a cocky grin on his face.

  “Do you really want to know the answer?” Sophie wondered if she should just throw it out there; get it out of the way. From her experience, people tended to find something unnatural about a twenty-eight year old virgin. But, once a young woman reached her early twenties, it became increasingly easier with each passing year to preserve one’s state of virginity. That wasn’t her goal; it just sort of happened.

  Sophie imagined some might assume her state of purity was due to the fact she’d attended a private, all-girls Catholic high school. Of course, Sophie found that explanation laughable, considering the number of her classmates who were having sex with their boyfriends before walking down the aisle. The real reason, Sophie simply wanted to be in love when she first had sex, and that hadn’t happened yet.

  “Yeah, sure.” Adam glanced over at Sophie and noticed her peculiar expression.

  “When it happens, I‘ll let you know.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The truth is, I’ve never had sex before. Sure, I’ve kissed a few guys, but… Well, I’ve never been in love, and frankly the idea of casual sex is very unappealing to me.”

  Speechless, Adam stared ahead, his hands clutching the steering wheel, as he searched for something witty and brilliant to say. Unfortunately, he thought of nothing, so he said nothing.

  Chapter 29

  Russell and Kate arrived at Garret and Alex’s on Wednesday morning after Sarah and Hannah went off to school. They said very little when they first arrived, silently following Alex into the living room where Garret was sitt
ing. Russell carried the diaries. He set them on the coffee table between the couch and two recliners.

  Garret glanced up at his brother and noticed the shadows under his eyes. By the way Russell was dressed it was obvious to Garret that he did not intend to go straight to the office after their discussion. Both Russell and Kate wore denims and sweat shirts, as if they’d hastily dressed for the morning meeting.

  “You look like hell, Russy,” Garret commented as his brother sat down with Kate.

  “I didn’t get much sleep last night. After I finished the diaries, I couldn’t stop thinking.”

  “Before we get into this,” Alex interrupted, “Adam called earlier. He wanted to let me know Myrtle’s funeral is tomorrow morning. He talked to Molly, and she told him they think it was foul play. The autopsy showed some bruising on the arms consistent with someone grabbing Myrtle, perhaps forcing her up that staircase.”

  “Why would anyone want to kill her?” Kate asked.

  “Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a robbery. Nothing was missing, and according to Adam, she was wearing an expensive diamond necklace at the time of her death, which wasn’t taken.”

  “That’s chilling. Do they have any leads?” Kate asked.

  “They found some skin under her fingernails, which they believe is her killer’s. It’s being tested now.”

  “You’d think they’d keep that information quiet until the results are in,” Russell said.

  “Molly told Adam. I don’t know if Sam told her, but she did tell Adam not to say anything,” Alex said.

  “Yet, look, we know about it,” Garret sardonically quipped.

  “I’m sorry about Myrtle, but I find it hard to focus on anything but these diaries right now,” Russell said.

  “I understand, Russell. But there is one more thing,” Alex said. “Sophie spent Monday night at Adam’s house, in the guest room. She woke up in the middle of the night and insists Angela was standing in the bedroom, watching her. Sophie screamed and woke Adam, and Angela apparently ran off.”

  “So does this mean Angela is back in jail?” Kate asked.

  “Unfortunately, no. Sam is convinced it was nothing more than a nightmare because there was no sign of a break in and no sign of Angela. But Adam and Sophie now wonder if Angela was responsible for Myrtle’s death, considering the timing.”