“Ricky’s got a business to run, Ellie. Can’t keep her here or she’ll lose all her clients at home, isn’t that right?”
I was tempted to make a sarcastic remark in response to Dinny’s smarmy repartee, but I forced a smile. “That’s right. As it is, I’ll be way behind when I get home.”
“Where’s that?” Wendy asked, pulling out a cigarette and dangling it in front of Gerry. Instantly he whisked a lighter from his pocket.
“Fall River. Actually, I live in a suburb, Ocean Grove, but my studio and office are in Fall River.”
“Oh, I know Fall River,” she said, exhaling clouds of smoke in Dinny’s direction. “Friend of mine from college lives there. Callie Lydecker, you know her?”
I shook my head. “It’s a big city. My office is in the Flint, in an old mill.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Outlet heaven over there, isn’t it? God, I love that place.”
We were spared further conversation by Brooke Richards’s announcement that dinner was served. I extracted myself and headed for Rolly, at whose side I remained throughout dinner. As we talked, I stole occasional glances at the happy couple, wondering if anyone besides Rolly and me knew the real story behind the Pettys’ marriage.
Halfway through dinner, we were joined by Gerry and Wendy, who proved to be warm, lively company. Just what the doctor ordered, in fact. Wendy’s caustic remarks and running commentary on the company around us kept us in stitches until well after we had devoured Marilyn Richards’s incredible cheesecake and heavenly coffee.
CHAPTER 45
Later, as Rolly walked me home, I remembered my car. “Damn, I’m still parked outside of Willard.”
“Don’t worry, my dear. It’s perfectly safe there until tomorrow. You weren’t planning on going anywhere tonight, were you?”
“No, but I hate to—. Oh, never mind. You’re right, it doesn’t matter. Want to come in for a while?”
“Thanks, but I think I’d better get home. It’s been a very long day.” He smiled, but his eyes reflected sadness. “What a terrible way to end the year. First, dear Carolyn, and now, Jared. My heart goes out to Hope. Such a lovely person. And the students. So difficult to get excited about graduation at a time like this. Only Bright spot I can think of is that poor Tim will get his wife back. Christine lived and died for that man, although I never understood why.”
“You think they were more than friends?”
“I doubt it, though I suspect Christine would have jumped at the chance. But alas, she wasn’t Jared’s type. Poor dear. He used her terribly.”
“His campus spy.”
He nodded.
“Rolly, what did you really think of him?”
“I don’t know, my dear. As I told you, I’ve always considered Jared a complete ass, but now, who knows? He was complicated, wasn’t he? Full of contradictions. Passionate to a fault. The thing is, I wouldn’t have pegged Jared or Carolyn as the suicide type.”
“They weren’t. I’m convinced of it.”
His eyes grew wide. “Is that what the police say? Dinny said nothing about that.”
“Dinny’s good at saying nothing unless it suits him.”
“I thought I detected a little coolness between you tonight. Don’t be too hard on him, my dear. A headmaster’s job is to protect the school first, no matter what. He’s a good person at heart. Sometimes his actions may not make sense to us, but I’m convinced that he acts for the greater good.”
“Mmmm.”
“You look tired. Off to bed with you and let’s have lunch tomorrow, why don’t we?”
I kissed him on the cheek, then climbed the steps. It was time for me to go home.
I found Missy slumped against my door. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Can I talk to you?”
“Sure, come on in.”
“I’ll wait till Ms. Diaz leaves.”
She stayed seated. I went in and thanked Rosa, who gathered a bag of needlework and bustled out, waving goodnight to Missy.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, closing the door behind me.
“Someone followed me tonight. Back from the library. I went up to make some copies of articles I needed. I thought things were okay with Jar—Mr. Phelps—dead and all, but I saw him, Ms. Steele. He was right behind me, getting closer and closer.” She burst into tears, throwing herself against me.
I’m not the maternal type, but I patted her back, trying to be comforting. “Hey, slow down. You’re safe. It’s okay. What time was this?”
“Just now. I just got back.”
I stood, trying to remember who was still at the Richardses’ when we had departed. After dinner, Rolly and I had been cornered by Jonathan Kroll, who took it upon himself to deliver a lecture on Eastern religions. During Jonathan’s rambling, Dinny and Ellen Petty had slipped out, as had Gerry and Wendy, the Parnells and the Naylors. I tried to picture who else had slipped out early.
“He’s not gonna stop until he kills me, is he, Ms. Steele?”
“We don’t know that, Missy.” She was probably right, but what else could I say? “Just to be safe, we’ll make sure you’re never in that position again, okay? Until graduation, you will go nowhere, day or night, without me or one of your buddies with you. Understood?” She nodded, wiping her eyes. “Want something to drink?”
“No, I’ve got studying to do. Would you mind walking me upstairs?”
“Of course.” As we left the apartment and headed upstairs, I had the feeling we were being watched. The sensation crept up my spine like a hairy spider. Irrational, of course—there was no one at the windows, in the apartment, or on the stairs. Could extreme fatigue and homesickness be causing hallucinations? As I closed Missy’s door, I heard a door open and close below me, but when I reached the second floor, every door was shut tight.
CHAPTER 46
After breakfast I called a dorm meeting. Now that my private eye status was out in the open, I was accorded slightly more respect. In fact, they actually appeared to be listening to my “safety first plan.” No one was to go anywhere alone, day or night. Of course, this was only a precaution, but always “better to be safe than sorry.” Kathy and Diana rolled their eyes, but in deference to Missy, they kept mouths shut.
“And, remember,” I added as they headed off to classes, “no one is to be alone, at any time.” That includes Livie, I thought, watching as she attached her invisible self to a group of juniors and followed them out. Girls could be such bitches.
I was about to head up to campus to collect my car when someone knocked. Assuming it was a student, I had my housemotherly face plastered on when I opened the apartment door to find Hope Seymour standing there.
Drawn and impossibly pale, she looked as though a slight breeze would knock her flat. “Oh, I’m sorry. You look like you’re on your way out. Have I caught you at a bad time?”
“Hope, hi. No, of course, come in. Sit down, please. Can I get you some tea or coffee?”
“Tea would be great if it’s handy. Any kind, with a little sugar, please.”
I set the pot to boil and plopped two tea bags into mugs, leaving them on the counter and returning to the living room, where she sat huddled on the couch. I sat beside her. “I’m so sorry, Hope.”
“Thank you.” Tears rimmed her eyes as she looked around the room. “It’s been a while since I was here. Before all the trouble last year. We were such good friends then, Jared, Carolyn and I.”
“How are you holding up?”
“Okay. The kids are upset, especially Albie. He worshiped Jar. My ex-husband lives in California and only sees the kids for a week in the summer. He’s never been involved, since they were babies. It hasn’t shaken Karen too much, but Albie is devastated and will really miss having a dad. Jared wasn’t the most level-headed guy, but he was really good with Albie.”
I nodded. “When’s the service?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, two o’clock, the Presbyterian Church downtown.”
“I understand that
the school intends to have a memorial service also.”
“Yes, Dinny called today.” Her eyes flitted from me to her surroundings as she folded and unfolded her hands. “Listen, Ricky, I didn’t know where else to go. I needed to talk to someone and I didn’t want to talk to school people. As a private investigator, are you bound to keep things confidential?”
I nodded, hating myself for not telling her the truth.
“I just have to tell someone.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know how to begin, except to say that I may know a reason why Jared would want to kill himself.”
At that moment the tea kettle began whistling furiously. “Excuse me.” I rushed from the room and returned with the two steaming mugs. I handed her one and sat facing her.
Her hands cradled the mug, drawing comfort from its warmth. After several minutes, she looked up, eyes rimmed with tears. “I had asked him to move out. I couldn’t take it anymore, even for Albie’s sake. I hoped we could still be friends, but there was nothing left for us. His letters, his obsession with the school. All of it had driven such a huge wedge between us.
“In truth, I’m not sure if Jared ever really cared about me. He just needed a place to stay and a way to justify his being on campus. I have a good job, but I couldn’t go on supporting all of us while what little he had went into financing his letter-writing campaign. At first I was sympathetic, thinking he needed to work out his anger before he could move on. But Ricky, he didn’t move on. Things just got worse and worse. And then, when he found this in my desk last winter, he went crazy.”
She handed me a folded paper. With sickening clarity, I knew what I would find before I unfolded it. Dinny and Hope, their photocopied images pillow to pillow, in a big brass bed with lavender coverlet. “When did you get this?”
“Last fall, October, I think.”
“Is it true?”
She nodded. “Two years ago, before Karen’s first year at Whitley, Dinny and I had a brief affair. I say brief, because I don’t believe we were actually together more than five times. I met him when she first visited the school and something clicked. We agreed to meet for dinner so he could answer my questions about Whitley and that was the beginning. We were very discreet. We did go away for one weekend, to an inn in Vermont, but I can’t imagine how anyone knew.”
“Did you ever meet him on campus?”
“Never.”
“Did anyone else know about the affair?”
“Only Carolyn. She guessed when she saw us together at Open House. Carolyn was very perceptive. I’m sure she wouldn’t have told anyone, though. Anyway, we ended it soon after that.”
“How did it end? If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Dinny felt guilty. He loves Ellen and couldn’t stand deceiving her. It’s the same sad story, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“So, Jared found this. Why on earth did you keep it?”
“I don’t know. It was stupid, of course. I see that now. When Jared found it, he flew into a rage and threatened to kill Dinny. I knew he was bluffing, but he hated Dinny so. This…well…I think it really put him over the edge. He stepped up the letter-writing and began sending his hateful messages to parents, alumni, anyone he could think of. Someone, I think it was Christine, was sneaking into the alumni office and pinching addresses for him.
“He did so many horrid things during that time, defacing a portrait of Dinny’s, slashing Brooke’s tires. It was as if he had gone crazy. I know what you’re thinking—why didn’t I leave him then? But for some reason, I thought I should hang on, stick with him and try to see him through it. At times, Jared could be the most utterly charming, loving man. And I was in love. I guess I only saw what I wanted to see.”
Don’t we all, I thought, morosely, deciding that she didn’t need to hear about Jared and Ellen’s affair. By my calculations, the timing of their dalliance smacked of payback. Jared’s way of seeking revenge. “Did Dinny ever see this?” I asked, holding up the grotesque missive.
“No, I didn’t want to worry him. Poor man has enough to think about.”
Why was everyone always coddling Mr.—what had Wendy called him? —Stick-Up-His-Ass? “What is it you want me to do, Hope?”
“I don’t know, exactly. I just felt I had to tell someone. I feel so responsible, you know? If I hadn’t asked him to leave, he might still be alive.” Tears welled up and she took a big gulp of tea.
“Don’t blame yourself, Hope. Jared didn’t commit suicide any more than Carolyn Santos did. I’m convinced of that.”
“But, Dinny said—”
“I don’t care what Dinny said. It’s all PR to protect the school’s image. My guess is when the coroner’s report comes back, we’ll find out that Jared was murdered. Detective Frost already told me he had a bump on his head and was dragged to the car.”
“Oh, my God, who do you think it was?”
“I haven’t a clue, but whoever it is seems to be stalking Missy Franklin.”
“Oh, how horrible.”
“We’re watching her.”
We talked for a while longer as she finished her tea. Finally, she thanked me and rose, asking if I would come to Jared’s service. Funerals are not exactly my thing. In fact, I had not been in a church since my mother’s funeral. I told her I would try.
CHAPTER 47
As it turned out, I was forced to go to Jared Phelps’s service as chaperone for the six lacrosse players who wanted to attend. Jonathan Kroll delivered the eulogy, “a personal journey,” he called it, as he shared memories of his “time” with Jared. Karen Seymour, Hope’s daughter, played a beautiful violin solo and Christine Parnell read one of Jared’s favorite poems, “Crossing the Bar.” Then it was over and we were outside, standing in the sunlight.
Dinny found me on the steps. “Ricky, are you all right? You look as white as a sheet.” Ellen appeared beside him and her eyes mirrored his concern.
“Fine, thanks.” I stepped back, shielding my eyes. “Just fine.”
“Do you have a ride back?” She was serene and confident in her black silk suit. I felt like a pig, sweating profusely in one of Carolyn Santos’s dresses. It had looked cool in Carolyn’s closet, but in the afternoon sun, I felt as if I were wrapped in wool thermal underwear.
“Thanks, but I’ve got students with me. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better round them up.” As I headed down the steps, I could sense him watching. The feeling was not comforting.
Gerry Weinstein stood with Tim Parnell at the foot of the stairs. They waved, but I moved on. I was not in the mood for conversation. As soon as the girls got busy with their afternoon activities, I collapsed on the bed and slept till dinnertime. It really is time for me to go home, I thought, trundling up to Friends Hall, Livie chattering away at my side. At least I could keep her company a few more days.
CHAPTER 48
Thursday was mercifully quiet and uneventful. The calm before the storm. I enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch with Rolly—now a daily ritual for us—and heard all about his childhood and early life. The police were still a presence on campus, interviewing whomever they could corral about what they might have seen Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Frost stopped in to see me and to talk to Missy, but he was disinclined to share information. I chose not to tell him what I knew about Hope and Dinny or Gerry’s little fling with Carolyn.
Dinny called, hinting that he might stop by that evening, but I asked him not to come. He informed me that Carolyn’s replacement would be arriving Sunday morning so I would be “off the hook” and that workmen would be by in the morning to pack up Carolyn’s things. I thanked him and hung up, thinking about home and Beaky waiting for me. There’d be hell to pay after so many days away. Long sleeves and gloves would be my attire for the next few weeks if I wanted to hold and pet her. I wondered if Vinnie would have thought to change her litter box. Probably not.
Fred Draper and two of his men arrived shortly after I returned from br
eakfast. I collected my things in one pile, showing them what not to take, and then left for a walk. I decided to walk in the park across the street, which stretched for miles along the river. I followed a path at the water’s edge for several miles. It was peaceful and quiet, a few joggers and moms with babies in strollers. When I turned to head back, my head had cleared and I felt better.
As I reached Round House, the men were bringing the last cartons out. Fred followed me inside and asked me to check to be certain they had not removed any of my things. I took a quick survey of the rooms. “Looks good.”
“Looks like shit,” he muttered. “But it can’t be helped. They should’ve let us in here earlier in the semester to clean things up, but there you have it. Have to do the work over the summer. Floors, ceiling. Looks like we’ve got termites or something. All those holes in the ceiling.” Seeing my quizzical look, he laughed. “I know, the ceiling tiles are full of holes, but see how some are bigger and jagged? Probably some kind of bugs. We’ll have at ‘em in July.”
He left me standing in the middle of the room, staring up at the ceiling. I was still gazing skyward when Missy called from the doorway, “Going up to lunch?” Livie was with her, I noticed. They didn’t look exactly chummy, but it was a start.
“Sure, love to join you ladies, if you can wait while I shower. Take me five minutes.” They nodded and headed for the porch steps to wait.
As the three of us climbed the hill, Missy said, “I needed to come back to get a book, but none of the others would come. Livie offered, thank God. Some people can be so selfish.”
Her friends’ patience with Missy’s paranoia was clearly wearing thin. A couple of days of skulking around and they were ready to go back to business as usual. Unfortunately, their leader did not seem to be snapping out of it.
Prepped to Kill (Ricky Steele Mysteries Book 1) Page 20