What with the traveling, the dreary hotel rooms, and the many dead ends, Casey longed to hear a trusted, friendly voice. She hadn’t called Rhonda for five days because Rhonda would want to know how things were going, and Casey didn’t know how to tell her about Gislinde Van Akker.
She approached the guest phone near the reception desk that had closed at eleven. She regretted not bringing her cell phone. Expensive as the calls would have been, it was a lot more convenient than trying to find a public phone. Casey placed the call and waited for what felt like a long time before Rhonda finally answered.
“I thought you would have phoned by now,” she said. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Amsterdam and Paris. How are things?”
“Okay, under the circumstances. Darcy says hi.”
“He’s with you now?”
“Yep, I’m getting a fabulous rub-down. He’s been fantastic through everything that’s happened lately.”
“Lately? What do you mean?”
She sighed. “Someone beat up Lou three nights ago.”
“Oh no! Is he all right?”
“He was in the hospital but he’s recovering at his mom’s now. There’s no broken bones, thank god, just cuts and bruises. He’ll be okay, hon.”
“I tried calling him yesterday.” She swallowed hard. “Who would do that?”
“No clue. The cops didn’t catch the guy. Lou came for dinner that night and he was hoping you’d call because he had news about the Marine Drive house. Anyway, just as he left, Lillian phoned.”
“What did she want?”
“To know how I was coping with the murder. While I was telling her to mind her own business, some guy grabbed Lou and dragged him into the garage.”
“Oh god.” Casey pictured the old garage at the back of Rhonda’s property, used for storing a cord of wood and gardening tools.
“After I hung up, I saw Lou’s truck was still here, so I went outside and found the garage door open.” Rhonda’s voice trembled. “He was half buried in the woodpile.”
Tears filled Casey’s eyes. “Why Lou?”
“That’s the other scary part. Lou said that the guy wanted to know who you were meeting in Europe, and he warned Lou to stay away from Marcus’s place or he’d kill his family and friends.”
The hair on Casey’s arm and neck stood up.
“Shit, Casey, what if the psycho finds out I was at the house too?”
Casey heard Darcy say, “Don’t worry. I’m here.”
She wiped the tear sliding down her cheek. “Did Lou get a look at the guy?”
“No, it was dark and the maniac wore a hooded jacket.”
Like the freak who’d jumped her. Casey studied the lobby’s gold and turquoise carpet.
“You said he had news about the house?”
“Someone stole everything and tore up a bunch of floorboards in the living room.”
“What! Where was the security I hired?”
“Apparently, the company had changed the locks but hadn’t installed the new alarm system before the thief struck. They did have a guard watching the place. Seems he was beaten worse than Lou. Anyway, Lou said the alarm’s being installed today.”
“Did you tell Detective Lalonde what happened?”
“I did when he came by to collect some of Marcus’s things for forensic testing. Jerk asked about Marcus and me, so I asked him how friendly he was with Lillian. Then he got all red-faced and changed the subject.” Rhonda groaned, “Oooh, that’s amazing.”
“Tell Lalonde that you’re worried about Summer’s safety and ask if he can have an officer watch your place.”
“I did. He said he’d see what he could do, like that’ll help.” Rhonda sighed. “I’m really worried about Summer, especially after what happened the day after Lou’s attack.”
Fear squeezed Casey’s ribs. “What else?”
“Lillian called again, but this time Summer answered while I was doing the laundry.” Rhonda’s voice cracked. “Apparently, Lillian said she’d soon tell Summer all about her mother, things she wouldn’t know because she was just a tiny baby.”
“I don’t understand. Mother was out of the picture when you adopted Summer.”
“Casey, she was referring to my sister, not me. Lillian and I stayed in touch, remember? Of course she knew I’d adopted, but I never told her the circumstances surrounding Summer’s birth. Well, it seems Lillian now knows not only the whole story but also that I never told Summer. She’s going to tell her, Casey, I know it.”
Casey leaned against the wall. “Why would Mother do that?”
“To damage my relationship with Summer.”
Was Mother really malicious enough to turn a child’s world upside down? “How did she find out?”
“Lillian told Summer that she’d seen my mom. Last night, I found out it’s true. Mom told her everything about Summer’s birth because she’s mad at me for not bringing Summer around more often. God, Casey, what am I going to do?”
Casey tried to curb the feeling that Mother was dropping a net over all three of them. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Darcy,” Rhonda said, “bring me my bathrobe, will you?”
Casey cringed.
“Listen, you won’t want to hear this, but I have to say it.” Rhonda cleared her throat. “I have a terrible feeling that Lillian killed Marcus. I know she didn’t want their marriage to end in the first place, but to lose him to me, well . . . I just don’t understand why she waited so long to do it.”
Casey did, if Gislinde had told the truth. “We’ll deal with this when I get back. Just make sure Summer doesn’t take any more calls from her. I’ll be home soon.”
After their conversation ended, Casey walked down the dimly lit corridor while she tried to process the real possibility that Mother could have killed Dad. She reached her room, inserted her key in the lock and opened the door. She’d barely taken a step inside when she realized someone was right behind her. Casey turned and saw Theo. Before she could move he’d blocked the doorway.
“You might as well let me in,” he said, “because I’m not leaving until we talk.”
Oh, hell. Staring at him, she decided to play it cool. Better to stay on friendly terms with him and learn as much as she could.
“You look a little damp,” she said, glancing at his wet hair. “I’d offer you a towel, but this place doesn’t have any.” She stepped back and let him enter. “Mother must have told you where I was.”
“She’s worried about your safety, and she’s furious with me for making her work when she really wanted to see you, but it couldn’t be helped.” Theo draped his wet raincoat over the room’s only chair. He surveyed the pink bedspread, pink curtains, and grungy pink walls. “This is terrible.”
“I know, it’s like living inside a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, but it was the only thing the travel agent could book on short notice.” Laughter erupted from the room above them. “The floors are pretty thin, too.”
“I wish you had let me escort you to Amsterdam or wherever else you went. I know plenty of hotel managers who would have given you a reduced rate.”
“Thanks, but I prefer not to rely on favors.”
Theo nodded. “So, have you learned anything useful?”
“Yeah, Daphne Reid’s alibi doesn’t check out. I went to the gallery he claimed to have been at on April twenty-fifth, and their opening actually took place a week earlier.”
“I’ll look into his activities.” Theo looked closer at her. “Why are your eyes so red?”
Stepping away from him, she repeated Rhonda’s news about Lou, the stolen furniture, and the ruined living room floor. “I think Lou was attacked by the same guy who went after me.”
“You never told me about that.”
“It happened the day after I heard about the murder.” Once she’d filled Theo in, he started to put his arm around her, but she moved away. Overhead, heavy footsteps crossed the room.
“I also learn
ed that an employee who’d worked at the restaurant where Dad picked up the botulism committed suicide a few days after the poisoning. None of the staff had worked there back then and didn’t know his name.”
“I’ll look into that as well.”
“I appreciate it.” So, what was all this help about, and how far would Theo take the good guy routine? “I know someone who thinks Mother might have killed Dad. A woman was seen in his house less than an hour before he died, wearing the kind of flashy clothing Mother always liked.”
“What would Lillian’s motive be?”
“You tell me.” Casey folded her arms. “After all, she’s worked for you a long time and you’re lovers, aren’t you?”
“That must have come from Gislinde.” Theo shrugged. “Lillian and I had a brief affair three and a half years ago. She’s with someone else now, and I swear neither of us killed your father.”
Fine, she’d play along. “Could Gustaf Osterman have killed him? You said he left under bad terms. Since Dad was a partner, I assume Osterman’s bad feelings extended to him as well?”
Theo squinted as if confused. “We haven’t heard from Gustaf in ages, and I’ve had no threats on my life.” He removed his suit jacket. “The Mexicans are still high on my suspect list.”
“If they were following me in Vancouver after the murder, then they couldn’t have found the money, so why kill Dad at all?”
“Perhaps they thought they’d find it in the house.”
“Gislinde says that Mother took the money and framed Dad.”
“She’s wrong. Marcus lied to Gislinde so she wouldn’t worry.”
“Really.” It simply didn’t make sense. Why break with Vancouver friends and family to keep everyone safe, yet stay in touch with her? “Gislinde refuses to believe Dad’s been killed, by the way.”
“Gislinde’s always believed what she needs to, whether it’s true or not.”
Above them, someone jumped on the bed.
“You aren’t planning on getting too comfy, are you?” Casey watched him remove his tie.
“I’m not a fan of ties and jackets, but I had an all-day meeting.”
“You should find out if Gislinde took any flights to Vancouver in late April. She might even have flown to Vancouver with Dad.”
“Gislinde adored Marcus. She wouldn’t have killed him.”
“Would her adoration have turned to hatred if Mother had come between them?”
Theo’s long dark eyes didn’t blink. She saw the uncertainty in his face.
A thunderous crash from the ceiling and an uproar of laughter made Casey flinch. The jumper must have missed the bed. She moved to the window overlooking an alley.
“Theo, do you think the Mexicans are entitled to the money?”
“No, in fact a significant portion of Marcus’s fee was supposed to go back into the partnership.”
Just as she thought, Theo wanted that money. “Gislinde said Dad was planning to end your partnership.”
“Yes.” Theo hesitated. “Marcus wanted to form his own company. I didn’t like it, but as long as he honored contract clauses, it was okay. The problem was that he reneged on a couple of clauses, so we agreed to meet and sort things out. Unfortunately, I was too late.”
“How did you learn about the murder?”
“Marcus was supposed to pick me up at the airport that night. When he didn’t show, I called the house and got no answer, so I took a cab and arrived shortly after eleven.” Theo looked out the window. “The front door was unlocked, which seemed odd, so I walked in and found him on the floor in his den.”
“The police weren’t called until midnight, which gave you an hour to remove any evidence linking him to TZ Inc.” Casey didn’t wait for a response. “Think you swept up any murder clues?”
“I was careful.”
“Are you sure? The address book Lalonde found had your name and two addresses inside, one for San Francisco, the other for Geneva.” Casey watched his impassive expression. “I’m guessing you found Dad’s current planner or whatever type of itinerary he kept, so why not take his address book too?”
“It wasn’t in his den. I started searching the living room when I heard a dog barking out front and some guy yelling at it to shut up. I dialed the police and took off.”
“Did you break in the next day to keep looking for the address book, or were you after the money?”
“Both, but first I had to find his house keys, which I never did. Do you have them?”
“I have one.”
The room felt stuffy. Casey released a brass latch and pushed open the window. The odor of rotting food mingled with the damp air. She looked up and down the alley. No sign of lurkers. She turned to Theo. “Have you heard of a woman named Simone Archambault?”
Theo’s eyes widened. “Do you know her?”
“We talked on the phone.” No need to mention her trip to Victoria.
“How did you find her? Is she in Paris?”
“I came across her phone number in Dad’s house, and I have no idea where she is right now.” Dad had wanted her to find the receipt, not Theo, or he wouldn’t have stashed it in their secret spot. “Simone insists Dad’s been dead three years, despite the body in the morgue.”
“She and Marcus were close, I gather. Maybe she knows about the Mexicans and is afraid they’ll come after her.”
Or she was afraid of Theo. Casey remembered Simone asking if she’d been followed.
“I need to ask her about these clients,” Theo said, leaning against the wall. “May I have her number?”
“I don’t remember it and the slip of paper with her number is at home.” A lie, actually. “Why would Dad have told her more than he told you?”
“Possibly because hardly anyone knew Simone existed. I also know that she’s elderly and slightly eccentric, so who would think she’d be privy to confidential business matters?”
Casey looked up at the sky, wishing the moon was visible. Above her, music began to play, and it sounded like people were dancing.
“Every day seems to get darker,” she said. “Strange, isn’t it, since we’re heading into summer.”
“Only if you assume that the opposite of dark is light.”
“Oh?” She turned to him. “And what do you think it is?”
Theo studied her. “Truth.”
Casey chuckled. “Yeah, well, I’ve learned a few truths on this trip and things just keep getting darker.”
“May I take you out of this dark, pink misery and buy you a drink?”
“Thanks, but no, I’m exhausted.”
Theo strolled to the chair and picked up his jacket. “Are you angry with me for not being more forthcoming?”
“More distrustful than angry.”
He put on his coat. “What can I do to change that?”
“Answer a few more questions.”
“I’ll try, but I won’t compromise my clients’ privacy.”
“What does Gustaf Osterman look like?”
He swept his hand over his hair. “Middle-aged, light brown hair, average build; but why do you want to know?”
“I’m not sure. I just have a feeling about him, that’s all. Think he stayed in touch with other employees or associates of yours?”
“I doubt it.” Theo put on his jacket. “Gustaf wasn’t easy to get along with. Whenever you bring up his name I think of all the arguments between us.”
Casey perched on the edge of the windowsill. “Is your import business legitimate?”
Overhead, more feet stomped to the beat of loud music.
“Some of the things we buy and sell are controversial, but not illegal.”
“Give me an example of controversial.”
“Technology.”
Casey thought she heard something outside. She jumped up and scanned the alley. No sign of anyone, but she closed the window anyway.
“You’re a bit edgy, aren’t you?” Theo remarked.
Casey told him about the Americ
an’s attempt to mug her and the invasion of her hotel room.
“I did warn you,” he said.
A body crashed to the floor above her and Casey winced. Another chorus of laughter erupted. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and instant silence. A man began yelling.
“Looks like I’ll have a peaceful night after all,” she said.
Theo picked up his coat. “May I buy you breakfast tomorrow?”
“Sure, but I’ll be checking out and heading back to England before noon.” Now that he knew where she was staying it was unlikely she’d get rid of him anyway.
“Would you like to see more of the English countryside?”
“No, thanks.” The last thing she needed was to be alone with this guy on a remote road.
“What more do I have to do to earn your trust, Casey?”
She thought about this. “There’s one thing that would make a difference, depending on how much influence you have with my mother.”
“Well, she does listen to me.”
“Mother’s threatened to tell Rhonda’s adopted daughter the truth about her birth, to hurt Rhonda, and I’m asking you to tell her to stop.”
“Why would Lillian want to hurt Rhonda?”
“There’s a lot of history between them, and Rhonda’s engagement to Dad didn’t help things. But an eleven-year-old child doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle.”
“Agreed, but I’d have more leverage if I knew the details.”
Casey sighed. She didn’t want Theo to know Rhonda’s private business, but if it meant keeping Mother from hurting her and Summer, then it was worth the risk.
“Summer’s biological mother was a heroin addict. She also happened to be Rhonda’s younger sister.”
The Opposite of Dark Page 12