by Alice Sharpe
Now? Now she wondered if she really knew them at all.
Both buildings were strung with Christmas lights in such a way it appeared as though the same person had decorated both. An illuminated Santa Claus and his sleigh straddled the property line.
Emily opened the door with a smile that quickly faded when Alex offered a pleasant, “Hi.”
She looked at Liz, her face flooded with disappointment. “I thought we were going to have an intimate talk, like old times,” she said, turning into the predominantly green room. The carpet, the walls, the furniture, even Emily’s hand-knit sweater were all different shades of the same hue. The decor had always been this way and Liz wasn’t sure why she hadn’t really noticed it before. Perhaps she’d been too numb to notice much of anything.
She recalled Emily’s remark that Ron had suggested new furniture and wondered if he found all this green a little suffocating. In a place as perpetually damp as Ocean Bluff, green upon green was an odd choice.
There was a tray set up on a low table in front of the sofa. Liz noticed an old-fashioned teapot and china covered with roses, a plate of lemon cookies, delicate cups resting on fragile saucers.
“Just you and Liz?” Alex said.
Emily nodded.
He pointed at the tray, at the three cups, and raised his eyebrows.
There was a sudden knock on the door and Ron let himself in. He smiled when he saw Liz and held out a hand to Alex. “Great to see you two again so soon,” he said. His glance went to the tray. “Em, looks like you’d better fetch another cup.”
“I’ll…I’ll get it,” Emily said, and rushed into the kitchen.
“I didn’t tell her Alex was with me,” Liz said. “I should have told her. I’m sorry.”
Ron gestured at the sofa. “No, no. Don’t worry about it. Emily has a few ideas it’s about time she got over. Seeing you guys together will be good for her. When she called me a few minutes ago and asked me to come, I didn’t know what she had in mind. I’ll just go and see if she needs help.” He excused himself and joined his sister as Liz and Alex both sat down.
Alex leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. “Told you.”
She half laughed as his warm breath fanned her cheek and seemed to travel with lightning speed right into the core of her body. She turned her face and for a second, they were nose to nose, mouth to mouth….
“There now,” Ron said, reentering the room. “Emily found another cup.”
Liz and Alex jerked apart.
Emily, cheeks pink, eyes downcast, stopped near Liz. “Ron says I shouldn’t have tried to plan a little impromptu party for the three of us,” she said. “I just thought it would be nice to catch up on the news. Just us. You know.”
“And it will be,” Liz said, “but there’s no reason we can’t include Alex, is there?”
“I don’t know him,” Emily said.
“I know you don’t.”
“Maybe it’s time we get acquainted,” Alex said. “How about a cup of tea? Those cookies look delicious.”
Emily finally sat down and poured tea.
Liz had to admire Alex. He hated tea and looked somewhat ridiculous holding a tiny little cup between two fingers, but he made the right noises to imply he liked it. He complimented Emily on her cookies and on all the knickknacks that cluttered every horizontal surface. Oddly enough, Emily seemed to appreciate praise for her cooking, but looked uneasy as Alex asked her about the doodads.
Ron changed the subject. “There’s something I want to clear up,” he said, setting his cup on the butler’s table. “Emily told me that last night you asked her about attending your uncle’s party. She told you she didn’t, but that’s not the truth. She was there as my guest.”
Alex had already set aside his empty cup. He leaned forward now, pinning Emily with his blue stare. He looked incredible to Liz, who suddenly realized she was having the most sexual responses to him at the most inopportune times! Sitting there, gaze intent, he looked heart-stoppingly strong. She put her cup down when it rattled against her saucer, and tried to concentrate.
She said, “Why did you lie, Em?”
“She lied to protect me,” Ron said. “She’d come to town to see how she liked it this far away from San Francisco. I had an invitation to your uncle’s big party and I convinced her to come with me. The next day, after we learned what happened, Emily begged me not to tell the police she’d been at the party. She was afraid it would get me in trouble. I went along with it. After all, we weren’t killers so what did it matter?”
“I was thinking of Ron and his job,” Emily said.
Ron cast her a swift glance.
The excuse seemed flimsy to Liz. Why lie about something so inconsequential to the police during a murder investigation? So what if you brought a guest to a party? The gala was so big, did Ron and Emily really think anyone would notice or care? It didn’t ring true to her and she could tell from the look on Alex’s face he felt the same way. Giving them both the benefit of a doubt, she mumbled, “I’m just glad to know the truth.”
“Good,” Ron said.
“As long as we’re talking like this, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, Emily,” Liz continued. “You know that Alex and I are trying to find out who the real killer is, so we have to understand as much as we can about everything.”
“As much to rule things out as to count them as important,” Alex added.
Liz nodded. “That’s right. Earlier today, I was looking through some files. There’s something on your lease application I don’t understand.”
Emily’s hand flew to her neck where she clasped her pendant, the same prancing horse she’d worn the night before.
Liz went on. “I noticed you’ve had trouble with the law. The information I have is incomplete. I can instigate another background check to find out the particulars if I need to. It’s all a matter of public record. I don’t want to do that, though. I was hoping you might just tell me what happened. I’m sorry to pry.”
Looking right at Emily, Alex said, “I’ll leave the room if you’d be more comfortable discussing this with Liz and your brother in private.”
Emily’s eyes flooded with tears. She shook her head. Liz didn’t know if it meant that Alex should stay or that she wouldn’t talk.
Ron jumped in again. “That’s my doing,” he said with a sigh. “I, of course, knew about Emily’s…troubles. I didn’t want them following her to this new town where she was determined to make a new start. You were homesick and Jane Ridgeway was only too happy to accept my help, so I managed a little cover-up. Yes, my sister was in trouble, but she did complete the required sessions with a therapist and she did make retribution. I don’t see why her…problem…should follow her around forever. It’s not fair.”
“What problem?” Liz asked.
Emily looked up, wiped tears from her eyes, and stilled Ron’s answer by raising her hand. “No, Ron.”
“Em, we have to tell the truth.”
“I’ll…I’ll tell them,” she stuttered.
“But—”
As more tears tumbled heedlessly down her round cheeks, Emily blurted out, “I am…I was…a kleptomaniac. I stole things. I got caught.”
Liz’s gaze went immediately to Emily’s hand which slowly dropped to her lap, revealing the jeweled horse hanging from her neck.
“You finally recognize it, don’t you?” Emily said.
“It was Uncle Devon’s, wasn’t it?”
Emily nodded. “I took it from his curio cabinet,” she said, lips trembling, “the night of the party.”
“Oh, Em—”
“It’s yours now,” Emily said, her hands suddenly in frantic motion, clawing at the clasp as though the chain burned her skin, so anxious to rid herself of the offending piece of jewelry that she all but tore it from her neck.
Liz swallowed hard. “Emily—”
“Take it,” Emily insisted, pressing it on Liz. “That’s the real reason I lied about being a
t the party. He had so much stuff, how could he possibly miss one little ornament? How did I know he was going to get himself killed? Take it.”
Liz felt as though the ground was shifting under her feet. Lovely as it was, she wanted nothing to do with the pendant. Her gaze met Alex’s. He nodded and she reluctantly folded her fingers around the tiny horse.
Meanwhile, Ron had stood and was staring at his sister as though he’d never seen her before. “Emily,” he finally cried. “I thought you were cured!”
She laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. “You wanted me to be cured,” she said. “It was easier for you to think I was cured.”
Ron couldn’t seem to get past his feeling of personal betrayal. “You stole from Devon Hiller,” he said, his voice incredulous. “That’s the real reason you wanted me to keep quiet about your presence at his party, isn’t it? Not because you were afraid of how I would look, but because you were afraid of a background search without a kindly, gullible brother to distort the facts. You were afraid you’d be revealed to the cops for what you were…what you are! I’m shattered, Emily. You lied to me.”
Emily, by this time, had become a heap of shuddering tears, gasping for breath.
“I trusted you!” Ron added, his hands rolled into fists. “I can’t believe this.”
“You better help her, honey,” Alex whispered to Liz as he put himself in front of Ron. Addressing him, he said, “Now it’s your turn to calm down, Ron. What your sister has is a disease, so lay off. Until you can find her the appropriate help, call her doctor and see about getting her a tranquilizer.”
Liz dropped the pendant in her pocket and helped Emily to her feet. As they climbed the stairs, Liz glanced back. Alex had found an address book and was thumbing through it. Ron stood in the same spot, his hands now uncurled and hanging limply by his side, his gaze traveling the room, absorbing the dozens of knickknacks scattered throughout his sister’s house.
He had to be wondering the same thing Liz was—how many of them came home secreted away in a purse or a pocket or under the flap of a coat?
“I SHOULD HAVE stayed with her,” Liz said.
It was raining and the steady thump of the windshield wipers was like a metronome, beating out the rhythm of their conversation. “Ron said he’d stay until she fell asleep. The doctor was there and I gave Ron my cell phone number in case he needs help,” Alex said.
“That was so kind of you,” Liz said, her hand landing on his arm. She was quiet for a second before adding, “I don’t know how I could have been so blind to her troubles. I didn’t even recognize that necklace. How could I not recognize that necklace?”
Alex had no trouble answering that question. The curio cabinet Emily had swiped it from was tall and poorly lit and crammed full of all sorts of things. He could remember the first time he’d seen that case; he’d thought at the time that it was a perfect representation of Devon Hiller’s life—a closed-up space crowded with stuff, all of it valuable but none of it valued.
He didn’t tell Liz this.
She said, “Why did she purposely wear it in front of me? She obviously thought I’d recognize it a lot sooner than I did, so why did she bait me like that? Does she hate me that much?”
He gripped the wheel tighter, miserable that he couldn’t find the right words to ease her pain. He said, “I think she wanted you to know because she trusted you to help her,” he said. “And now you have.”
“You have,” Liz said softly, laying her hand on his thigh. He covered her hand with his own and she grasped his fingers, holding onto him again for support. He would always be there for her in this way—it was his destiny to protect her. But he wanted so much more from her and she seemed unable or unwilling to give it.
“You were the one who called the doctor, you were the one who got Ron to calm down,” she added. “It’s what you’re good at, Alex.”
He didn’t know quite what to say so he said nothing.
With a sigh, she added, “At least we can rule Emily out of some insane plot to kill my uncle and hurt me.”
Alex wasn’t so sure. Could Emily really be a calculating hard-hearted killer? Was the theft a diversion from a greater crime? Had she stolen the pendant during the party or after she killed Devon Hiller? Who was to say she didn’t know the old man from years before? Who knew if she truly was sick? She hadn’t come forward with the truth of her illness until pressed by Liz; they had no way of knowing if she was truly ill, only her word. And Ron’s.
He didn’t mention all this to Liz, either.
“Stop by the hospital,” she said as they drove past the emergency entrance. “I want to make sure Harry is okay.”
“It’s been such a long day for you—”
“I want to make sure Harry is okay,” she repeated, “and maybe help his daughter. She must be about my age.”
“She looks ten years older.”
“She’s had a hard life,” Liz whispered.
Alex swung into the hospital parking lot. He helped Liz out of the car and they made as quick a dash as possible, given her pregnancy, to get under the awning and out of the cold rain. They rode the elevator up to the third floor and ducked inside the ICU waiting room.
Patty Idle sat in the same chair she’d been sitting in that morning when Alex first met her. She was a faded, emaciated looking blonde, dressed in jeans and a turtleneck, the same clothes she’d worn that morning, only now she’d added an additional layer, a bulky orange sweater.
Sheriff Kapp sat across from her.
Patty popped to her feet the minute she saw Alex and almost jumped into his arms. “Daddy still can’t talk to me!”
He patted her back. She’d confessed earlier that day that she’d been away from Ocean Bluff for most of her adult life and had few remaining friends in town. Alex had experience with people in crisis and he knew that a sympathetic ear and nonjudgmental attitude was like a warm blanket to someone like Patty. However, he couldn’t help but notice the way the sheriff stared at Patty’s clinging figure. It didn’t take much of an imagination to figure out that he was seeing something that wasn’t there.
Alex’s gaze met Liz’s. She smiled warmly, and the chill the officer had introduced to the scene disappeared.
Liz held out a hand. “My name is Liz, I’m Alex’s wife. Let’s you and I take a walk,” she said. “We’ll find some coffee.”
Patty seemed delighted to escape the small room. She grabbed her handbag and the two women were suddenly gone.
Kapp got to his feet. “Have to admit that I can’t quite figure out what you’re doing here,” he said. “Patty told me she’d never met you before this morning, but you two seem mighty friendly.”
The sheriff still wore his padded jacket and Alex could see a veneer of sweat glistening on his forehead, beneath the brim of his hat, despite the cool temperature. “What exactly are you hinting around at?”
“Let’s play us a game of ‘What if.’ What if Patty decided her daddy was worth more to her dead than alive. She’s his only kid, he dies, she stands to get his house and property. A woman like Patty could do a lot with that kind of money. What if she and you knew each other before today and she convinced you to help her get her daddy out of the way, maybe split the money with you.”
Alex kept his rising temper in check. He said, “And why would I murder for money when my wife stands to inherit a small fortune anytime now?”
“What if you and Patty are more than friends and Elizabeth found out about it. She kicks you out, Patty’s money starts to look better.”
“Did Liz look angry or upset to you? Come on, Sheriff, you don’t honestly believe I’ve had the time or inclination during the few days I’ve been out of jail to hook up with a woman who until Saturday was down in Los Angeles, and agree to help her kill her father? All this while I’m trying to keep myself out of your wily clutches? Just how stupid do you think I am?”
“I don’t think you’re stupid at all,” Sheriff Kapp said. “I think you’re an arro
gant killer.”
“You’re wrong. Did Harry’s toxicology report come back?”
The sheriff chewed on the inside of his cheek as though trying to decide if he wanted to share information. It was obvious he didn’t, but just as obvious that he had a point to make. He finally said, “Old Harry ingested more than enough of that stuff to kill him. My deputies went back to the house and studied things. They got a funny feeling that maybe Harry wasn’t alone when he took the stuff, which leads to the next speculation. If Harry wasn’t alone, did someone help him take it? Where were you on Friday evening?”
“Harry was at our house at five-thirty. He left. Liz and I ate dinner and went to check on Harry about seven-fifteen. During that time, I never left Liz’s sight nor she mine.”
“And I’m sure she’ll happily swear to all that,” Kapp said, sarcasm dripping from his words. “Well, it won’t be a problem much longer. Doctor says Harry ought to be able to talk for himself pretty soon. Think I’ll post a deputy outside his door, just to be safe.”
Alex refused to rise to the bait. Instead, he said, “Say, Sheriff, how about you answer a question for me? How about telling me what you had on Devon Hiller?”
The sheriff’s eyes narrowed.
“I’ve heard it’s the blackmailer who usually ends up dead, not the one being blackmailed, so I figure something went wrong. Did Hiller get tired of being fleeced, did he fight back? Did you kill him and try to blame it on someone else?”
The sheriff shook his head. “You’re either grasping at straws or trying to deflect your guilt, Chase. Say goodnight to Elizabeth for me. Tell Patty I’ll see her once her daddy is conscious again.”
Alex watched Sheriff Kapp leave.
Kapp was never going to admit to blackmailing Devon Hiller; he’d be an idiot if he did. But Kapp had apparently tried this same thing on Battalion Chief Montgomery.
It was time to come clean with Montgomery. Alex would have to convince the chief he was innocent. He did some quick math in his head. Dave was working a regular shift, twenty-four hours on, forty-eight hours off. That meant he would be back at the station tomorrow. There would be a change of shift meeting at 7:00 a.m. After that, barring a fire, there would be training exercises or tours of old buildings they might someday have to save, or even physical training. If he was lucky, Chief Montgomery would be at the station. If he was lucky…