Deceitful Legacy

by Justine Wittich

  Felicity gasped as several five hundred dollar bills and a small piece of paper covered with crabbed writing fell out. “Oh, dear.” she said in a quavering voice. “After Dan collected his bags in the garage, he was going to try to get into the house for this, wasn’t he?”

  “Think about that for a minute, Cousin,” said Freddie. “He had to know you’d brought me here from the hospital. Your friend Kate probably kept him up to date on everything here. The only question was whether I’d be asleep in the next room.”

  Maguire reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a plastic evidence bag and deftly slid the flat paper bag and its contents into it. His jacket seemingly was a series of pockets, and from another he pulled out a small folder of forms.

  Scribbling across the top one, he handed it to Felicity to sign. “Just so you know I’m not going to abscond with the funds here.” He took it back after she signed on the dotted line, then handed it to Freddie to witness. “I suspect that list will contain enough information on his victims in this area that we can get a better picture of just how busy he’s been scamming the locals. We can get in touch with the ones who haven’t already called in.”

  A recovered Felicity giggled. “You might be surprised, Detective. I suspect there will be several who will deny being taken for a ride by that slick impersonator.” She sobered. “As it is, I wouldn’t be surprised that there are those who thought I was in on it. Will this all be in the paper?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Suddenly another thought struck her. “Last night when everything that could happen did, people appeared from nowhere. Kate was here. She lives four blocks away. How did she know to show up?” She seized the detective’s arm and pulled him toward the door to the hall. “She drove him here. That’s where he’s been staying, and he had her completely convinced he was a misunderstood soul. We have to go immediately and find out what he’s told her.”

  Without any hesitation, Maguire followed her down the stairs, with Freddie trailing behind as if he didn’t want to miss a thing. As they sped through the dining room, Felicity spied Lazarus, sitting next to the depleted platter of bacon and eggs with half a strip of meat hanging from his mouth.

  “Wicked cat! I can’t turn my back on you for a minute!” she exclaimed as she slid the platter neatly away from him. Lazarus gave her a poisonous look and flowed off the other end of the table. “No more!” She carried the food through the swinging door to the kitchen and set it in the empty dishwasher. “That’s the only door besides the refrigerator that he hasn’t figured out how to open,” she commented as they made their way to the mud room and out the back door.

  “I’m parked in front, Mrs. Canaday,” Maguire protested.

  “No time for that,” she replied. “I’ll drive us. Besides, you don’t know where Kate lives, and I don’t give directions very well.” She looked back over her shoulder as she hurried along the walk. “Are you coming with us, Freddie?”

  He trotted behind Maguire with a wide grin on his face. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything, Felicity. I’m beginning to think getting hit over the head and having amnesia was the best thing I’ve done in twenty years.”

  “You must lead a very dull life,” she replied as she pressed the fob to raise the garage door. The building looked as if nothing had happened in it the night before. Once The Imposter and his bag of tricks were removed, her old Buick’s space was just as before. “Wait till I back out to get in,” she instructed her companions, and she proceeded to start the car and maneuver it out of the garage with the skill of a NASCAR driver. She backed into the alley and lowered her window. “Get in.”

  * * *

  Kate’s little house was pristine and drab. No spring bulbs bursting forth color for Kate. Spreading miniature juniper covered the space on either side of the front steps, and lone, harshly trimmed shrubs stood vigil at each corner of the house. “Poor Kate. Dan Truxler is probably the only excitement she’s had in her life since before her husband died. Although now that I think of it, he was rather uninteresting, too,” Felicity commented as she stepped from the car. She took no notice of her companions, both of whom looked shaken. “What’s wrong with you two?” she asked.

  Freddie swallowed and then chuckled before answering, “I think the detective is trying to decide whether or not to issue you a moving violation ticket, Felicity.”

  She headed up the sidewalk thoughtfully, then admitted, “Well, I was in a little bit of a hurry. We have to get this whole affair settled as soon as possible. To think of your reputation being trashed in this town! People should be made aware that, as Oliver’s cousin, you had no part in cheating people left and right. And Kate should share with us anything Dan Truxler has told her.”

  Before she could ring the bell, the door swung open, and Kate confronted them. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in two weeks, and her blatantly dyed brown hair hung in clumps around her ears. “I suppose you’ve come to gather my dear Dan’s things. It’s not bad enough that he’s broken his leg and was hauled off by those ruffian police. He’s left with no dignity whatsoever.”

  Felicity hadn’t expected this. Kate had been so crushed and unhappy the night before, and now suddenly she was defiant and protective. “Detective Maguire would like to see anything he’s left with you, Kate. You can understand that, can’t you? And I want you to meet Freddie Canaday.” She gestured Oliver’s cousin forward. “He’s the real injured party in all this. Why, Dan could have killed him.”

  “Dan told me how his father abandoned his mother and went back to his wife. That unfeeling monster left her with only a check every month. No visits to his son, or little gifts on his birthdays.” Kate sniffed and pressed the tissue in her hand to her eyes, then stepped back. “Oh, you might as well come in. If I don’t, you’ll talk about me something awful.”

  Freddie stepped forward and clasped her hand. “I’m sorry you’ve been taken in by my half-brother’s lies. My father paid his tuition at UCLA, until Dan left in mid-semester of his sophomore year. I was his victim, too, you know. I kept wanting to think he’d turned over a new leaf.”

  Kate collapsed against him, sobbing her heart out, and he held her for a moment, then said, “Take us in where we can sit down, and perhaps Felicity would be so kind as to make you a cup of tea.”

  Gesturing Maguire past her, Felicity moved briskly toward the kitchen at the back of the house. “That’s an excellent idea. Once you’ve gathered yourself together, we can set about collecting whatever that scoundrel has left in your house.”

  Ten minutes later she returned to the living room carrying a steaming mug. “I didn’t bother to bring something for anyone else.” She handed the mug to Kate, who sat hunched over at the end of the couch. “Can I get tea for anyone?” she said challengingly, as if daring one of the men to ask for it. Fussing in someone else’s kitchen was not the way she’d planned to spend her morning.

  When she received denials, she settled herself in an upholstered chair across from the sofa. “I feel sure that tea will restore you enough to be sensible, Kate. All of Freddie’s cards, licenses and papers are missing, and Dan didn’t have them on his person, so I feel sure they are here. Although Freddie did try to cancel his two credit cards, however belatedly.

  “And to Dan’s credit, he hadn’t used them, Kate. I checked, and I do appreciate not having to deal with any messiness,” Freddie said in a kindly voice. “Dan isn’t all bad, he just can’t seem to exist without tricking someone. I’ve always known that, but I dropped my guard, and this is my reward.”

  Kate drank deeply, closed her eyes for several minutes, and then stood, saying, resolutely, “He could have killed you, Dr. Canaday. I realize that now that I know everything. It’s my fault for believing the lies of a confidence man.” She crossed the room to the stairway and beckoned them to follow her. “I’ll show you his room.”

  She stopped and turned to face them. “He had his own room. I don’t want any of you to think there was any hanky panky going
on here. I’m a respectable woman.”

  Felicity thought it fortunate that Kate then turned and walked away from them, because both Maguire and Freddie were sporting wide, wicked grins. She shook her finger at them. “Don’t disgrace me now. She is what she is,” she whispered.

  Both men immediately straightened their expressions, but she saw the twinkle in Freddie’s eyes before he whispered to her, “The least you can say about my half-brother is that he’s a gentleman where it matters.”

  Felicity paused with one foot on the bottom step and looked him in the eye. “You’re just like Oliver. You have a twisted sense of humor.”

  She turned and hurried to catch up with Kate, who had thrown open the door to the spacious back bedroom. There was little sign of occupancy other than a Dopp kit on the dresser and a vest arranged around the back of a bentwood chair.

  “Aha! My favorite vest,” Freddie exclaimed. “If I can reclaim enough of my wardrobe, we can cancel our trip to Target, Felicity.”

  Kate then threw open the closet door and pointed to the chest of drawers next to the door. “He seemed to bring his belongings little by little. I didn’t think there was anything odd about that until last night. Then I realized ...” She covered her face with her hands until she could gain control of herself, then continued, “He was planning this all the time, wasn’t he? This was his hiding place in case he was found out.”

  Maguire, who had settled himself at the little desk in the corner and begun opening and closing drawers, said, “I’m afraid so, Mrs. Berrigan.” He poked his fingers to the back of the drawer he’d opened and brought out a plastic baggie. “Interesting way to keep all your ID and credit cards together, Dr. Canaday.”

  Freddie chuckled. “I guess that means my nice alligator billfold is with Dan. Well, he’s welcome to it. I’ll get a new one.” He held out his hand for the cards.

  “Afraid I’ll have to take these in and register them as recovered, but I’m pretty sure you can have them after that.” Maguire dropped the plastic bag into another baggie and labeled it. “This whole thing has been irregular from start to finish, but we try to keep the victims happy.” He tucked the evidence into an inner pocket. “What about your clothes?”

  “You mean I don’t have to go down to the station and sign for them, too?” Freddie demanded.

  “I think Detective Maguire will bend the rules for the clothing, Freddie. The cards are proof of stolen identity, isn’t that right, Detective?” Felicity gave him a sunny smile. She threw Freddie a questioning look. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t cancel them after all?”

  Kate suddenly joined the discussion. “I’ll get some trash bags, and you can fill them with the clothing. I want everything connected with that imposter out of my house. I may have been a trusting old fool, but when the facts are in front of me, I know what’s right.”

  Her sudden decisiveness reassured Felicity. She had been deathly afraid that she was going to have to take on bringing Kate back to her old self-righteous self, and that was a project she simply hadn’t time for right now. Without giving the detective a chance to interfere, she began gathering things from the closet. “There isn’t that much, and we’ll have it out of here before you know it.”

  Freddie persisted about his driver’s license. “Felicity is going to buy me a new truck this afternoon, officer, and I’ll need my license and insurance card.”

  Maguire sighed. “We can go straight to the station from here and I’ll process this stuff just to make sure we have enough real evidence to keep Truxler there. Then you can take what you need. You’re going to press charges, aren’t you?”

  Felicity answered for him. “We’re going to discuss the charges and what to do with that rascal after we buy the truck, aren’t we, Freddie.” She left no room for him to disagree, and pressed forward. “And after we get Jenny and the baby settled. I took care of her paperwork when I was there yesterday, and Marcus is bringing them ...” She looked at her watch. “Oh, dear. In an hour!” She dropped her armload of shirts and slacks into the green plastic bag Kate had given her, held the open side against the end of the dresser, and wiped the surface clean. Clutching the top closed, she handed it to Freddie.

  “You’ll have to go to the station with Maguire by yourself. I feel sure he’ll bring you home when you’ve finished.” She fixed what she thought of as her ‘pleading little old lady’ expression on her face and said to Maguire, “You will, won’t you?”

  “Well, you’ll have to take us back to my car first,” he reminded her. “Then we can leave you to your homecoming. Is this the young woman you took in from your class for unwed mothers?”

  “We don’t like that term, Detective. These ladies have to be treated with dignity, to remind them they have value.” Felicity frequently had to lecture people on the necessity to treat her “independent” mothers, as she liked to call them, with respect.

  She rattled her car keys. “We have to leave right now, so I can finish putting the sheet on the bassinet. Things have been so hectic that I just finished washing all the baby things and putting them in their places yesterday. I swear, I never thought I’d have a baby bed in my house, and you can’t imagine how excited I am. ”

  With that she headed for the stairs, fully expecting the men to follow her.

  “What am I supposed to do with the rest of that man’s things,” Kate demanded as they filed out of the room. “You don’t think he expects to come back here when he gets out of jail, do you?”

  Freddie chuckled. “I wouldn’t put it past him, but for now you can just bundle the rest into a box or garbage bag, and someone will be along to pick it up. We’ll know more when the charges against him are filed in court.”

  Felicity had her own ideas about all that, but now wasn’t the time to bring them up. The next day was going to be a time of celebration, if she had anything to do with it. She hustled the two men into the back of the car and once again ignored their unnecessary panic at her driving. She was on a mission, and had a full day planned.

  Rather than head into the alley, she pulled up behind the detective’s car on the street. “Hurry along, gentlemen. Freddie, you do things quickly and get back here. As soon as I get Jenny and the baby settled, you and I are going to the dealership to pick out a truck. I’ve already made all the arrangements.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Marcus arrived half an hour later to join her in her car for the trip to the hospital, and even though the baby wasn’t his, he was as nervous as a new father. Before they left, he did a thorough, fussy check to be sure he’d installed the car seat properly.

  “I don’t know what people did before these, Mrs. Canaday. Aren’t they wonderful?” He checked the straps for a second time.

  “I don’t think there was as much traffic years ago, Marcus, and people didn’t drive as fast,” Felicity replied, recalling her speedy trips to and from Kate’s house that morning. Now, as she drove sensibly, she allowed herself a tiny smile at a mental picture of Detective Maguire’s face when she’d squealed her tires going around a corner. “People always seem to be in such a hurry.”

  Upon arrival, their trip through the lobby was accomplished in twice the time it usually took, as Elgin Baker, the administrator of the hospital happened to be passing through and insisted on engaging Felicity in a discussion of a subject that was better saved for the Board of Directors meeting. When she broke loose, Marcus said, “Gee, Mrs. Canaday. You know just about everyone in town.”

  “Yes, and sometimes it’s a burden,” she said as she pushed the elevator button. “People forget I have a life, too.”

  Jenny was dressed and waiting for them, sitting in a wheelchair with the baby in her lap. Felicity was almost overcome with love. The early birth redness was fading rapidly, and little Marcus was, to her, yet another beautiful baby – bald head and all.

  The baby chose that moment to open his toothless mouth and cry, a small sound that made Felicity want to take him from Jenny and promise him all would b
e well. She also suspected the baby was hungry, as she’d heard most of them were ninety percent of the time. She motioned to the candy striper stationed behind the wheelchair. “Well, get along with it. We have to get that child home so his mother can feed him.”

  Her tone was such that no one said a word, but did as she said, and together they progressed down the elevator and across the lobby. Several people who knew Felicity appeared about to stop her for conversation, but stopped in their tracks as she led the little procession to the automatic doors without returning more than a friendly nod.

  “Skip out and bring the car around, Marcus. We’ll be on our way in no time.”

  With a nod and a foolish grin, the youth pastor ran ahead of them to do as he was told.

  “I can’t believe how you order him around, Mrs. Canaday,” said Jenny. “I never even have to ask him to do things for me. He just knows what to do.” She planted a kiss on baby Marcus’s head after she spoke. “It means so much to have someone actually take care of me.”

  “All this is new to him, and he needs to be taught with a strong hand. Most men do, but the trick is not to let them know it.” Felicity knew Jenny’s past experiences with men had been a disaster, and she had no intention of allowing the girl to fall into that trap again. Marcus was a fine young man with good intentions, but even the best of them fell short at times. Even Oliver, as wonderful as he was, had needed occasional guidance. She sighed.

  Marcus drove in an appropriately cautious manner, as behooved the occupants of the back seat, and Felicity mentally commended him. She thought he just might do.

  Getting into the house and settling Jenny in her room went smoothly, and she was congratulating herself on their success until a second look at Jenny brought her up short. As tactfully as possible, she encouraged Marcus to say his goodbyes, then said, “Jenny, you’re tired, and the baby needs to be fed. You ate your lunch at the hospital, didn’t you? Otherwise I can go downstairs and fix you a bowl of soup if you want.”