The Case of the Faithful Frenchie

by B R Snow

  She paused when we heard Oliver coming down the stairs. Moments later, we heard the garage door open and the sound of Oliver’s car heading down the driveway. Caspian sat back in her chair and seemed completely relaxed.

  “I call Oliver my useful idiot,” she said.

  “That’s a term for someone serving a cause they don’t actually understand, right?”

  “More or less. But at least Oliver gets to pretend he’s a man when he’s with me. You seem perplexed, Suzy.”

  “At a minimum. So, eventually, you stopped cutting yourself?”

  “I did,” she said. “Several years ago. But for a while, I was a world-class cutter. My shrink says it was because the one thing my family did instill in me was the goal to overachieve. You know, whatever one decides to do, they should do it to the best of their ability. I’m sure that character trait also helps explain my incredible output as a painter.”

  “But what about the fresh cuts and bruises I saw on your back?”

  “Now, I have others who do it for me,” she said.

  “You let Oliver cut you?” I said, wide-eyed.

  “Of course not,” she said, laughing. “I wouldn’t let that idiot get within twenty feet of me with a sharp object. Fortunately, I have a wide variety of other toys to use that don’t leave any permanent reminders.”

  “Toys? That’s an interesting word for them.”

  “Yes, toys,” she said. “I was never really into Barbie.”

  “Too hard to cut through the plastic, right?”

  Caspian roared with laughter, then got up to pour herself a glass of wine. Again, I waved away the offer to join in. She sat back down, took a sip, and gave me a small smile.

  “You don’t ever get the urge, Suzy?”

  “What? To get the crap beat out of me by the person I’m sleeping with?”

  “Yes.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “How very normal of you,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.

  “It seems bizarre,” I said. “At least it does to me. But consenting adults and all that, right? So whatever floats your boat, Caspian.”

  “If you were shocked by what you saw earlier, you should see me in action when I’m in New York or L.A.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass,” I said, managing a quick smile.

  “You should think about giving it a shot, Suzy. I may be odd, but I’ve always been good about sharing my toys.”

  “Again, thanks for the offer, but no. I can barely deal with an ice cream headache. But why Oliver? He’s-”

  “A moron?” she said, glancing at me over the top of her wine glass.

  “I was going to say your sister’s husband, but whatever,” I said, beginning to change my mind about the wine.

  “Lucinda is irrelevant to this discussion,” Caspian snapped. “Their marriage has been a disaster since it started. And I’m sure, deep down inside, she’s happy that I take him off her hands from time to time. But I do have to admit that I do take a bit of pleasure knowing he’s married to my sister.”

  “Lucinda knows?”

  “Yes. The idiot told her.”

  “Why on earth would he do that?”

  “To hurt her, I’m sure.”

  “I hate to sound mean, but you’re attractive, talented, and a famous artist. You can certainly do a lot better than Oliver.”

  “Don’t worry. When I’m in New York or L.A, I do. When I’m here, my options are somewhat limited. I’m sure you can understand that.”

  I thought about it, then nodded at her.

  “Because of your agoraphobia, right?”

  “Yes. And the thought of leaving the house to deal with strangers is still quite debilitating. Frankly, it’s just easier to use Oliver when I need to, well, you know.”

  “Take the edge off?”

  “You do have a way of getting straight to the point, don’t you, Suzy?” she said, chuckling. “I admire that quality.”

  “So, Oliver is just a-”

  “Another toy to play with?” she said, smiling.

  “I was going to use a more profane term, but, yeah, let’s go with that.”

  She laughed again and drained what was left of her wine. She got up for a refill.

  “You sure you won’t join me?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks. Does Oliver enjoy doing whatever it is you do with him?”

  “He didn’t at first. And he was such an amateur,” she said, sitting back down. “But he’s become quite the fan of late. I think I provide a way for him to get his frustrations out.”

  “So, let me see if I’ve got this right, you control everything that happens between you two, but you’re the one who receives all the punishment?”

  “It’s a bit complicated.”

  “Complicated is a word for it,” I said, doing my best not to cringe. “But I guess you have to deal with the demons, right?”

  “We all have demons, Suzy. Some of us just choose to exorcise them in different ways,” she said, shrugging. “Unfortunately, Oliver has become a bit of a problem.”

  I thought for a moment, then nodded.

  “He’s fallen in love with you,” I said.

  “You are a very smart woman, Suzy,” she said, flashing me a thumbs up. “Truly, I’m impressed.”

  “Yeah, thanks. I have my moments. I need to ask you something else, Caspian.”

  “Go right ahead.”

  “What’s the deal with the blinking?”

  “Oh, that,” she said, shaking her head in disgust. “I have no idea why Oliver does it. It’s just a nasty habit I picked up from him. Now, I can’t control it.”

  “You have OCD, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Among many others truly wonderful personality quirks. But the OCD is way down the list of things I need to worry about.”

  I sat quietly in my chair staring up at one of the paintings. Caspian studied me closely, then put her elbows on her knees and leaned forward.

  “You seem troubled, Suzy. Do you have some more questions for me?”

  “Not about your love life I don’t,” I said, holding up both palms. “I was just sitting here thinking about something Detective Abrams told me on the phone when I was driving over here.”

  “Oh, yes, the nice man from the state police,” Caspian said. “He seems to be very good at his job.”

  “He is.”

  “What did he have to say?”

  “He said all the money and jewelry that was stolen from First National was returned this morning. Somebody stashed it in a panel van and left it in the bank’s parking lot.”

  “Really?” Caspian said, frowning. “That seems odd.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I said, casually. “Who on earth would do something like that?”

  “Well, my first guess would be that it was someone who didn’t need the money.”

  “Good guess,” I said. “Anything else?”

  Caspian gave me a coy smile.

  “I’d also guess that whoever robbed the bank found what they were looking for and decided to return everything else.”

  “Would you have any idea what they might have been looking for?”

  “I might,” she said, staring up at the painting I’d been studying earlier. “I always liked that painting. I gave it to my father on his ninetieth birthday. It’s called Just Leave Everything to Me.”

  Given the fact that the family will was probably the reason for the bank robbery, I found the title of the painting clever. I studied the coy smile on her face as she looked at the painting, and I wondered if Caspian might have been trying to send her father a not so subtle message.

  “You were always your father’s favorite, right?”

  “I was,” she said, slowly nodding without taking her eyes off the painting. “Right up to the end, I was always his little girl.”

  “But you said he never noticed you or paid any attention.”

  “He didn’t,” she said, her eyes starting to tear up. “And once you unde
rstand that, you can imagine how bad it was for the others.”

  “What do you think the bank robbers were looking for, Caspian?

  “Well, since they returned all the money and the jewelry, my guess is that they were looking for some sort of document.”

  “Like a will?”

  “Yes, like a will,” she said, smiling.

  “And you think they found it?”

  “They may have found a will,” she said, unable to remove the smile from her face. “But it wasn’t the right one.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I have it,” she whispered.

  “You have a copy of your father’s will?”

  “It’s not a copy,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s the original. And the ink is barely dry on it.”

  “Really? Does the rest of your family know about it?”

  “No, they certainly don’t,” she said, laughing louder now.

  “Then why on earth are you telling me?”

  “As I told you at my place, I like you, and I think your motives are pure. And you’re doing everything you can in your own rather unique way to solve the mystery of who killed Wilbur. Maybe by learning more about my father’s will, you’ll be able to figure it out. I certainly can’t. But mainly, I’m telling you because it’s all going to come out very soon, and I think I can trust you to keep it a secret for a couple of days.”

  “I certainly won’t be telling anybody in your family if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said, choosing my words carefully. I knew I’d probably be sharing the information with Detective Abrams before the sun went down. “Are your siblings going to be surprised?”

  “Suzy, I think the word you’re looking for is shocked.”

  Chapter 16

  I left soon after Caspian told me that not only did she have her father’s will, it had been recently redone, and her siblings would be shocked by what it contained. The fact that she had the will was enough to get my full attention. When I heard the rest of the story, my level of interest kicked into hyper drive. I called Detective Abrams and asked him if he could join me for dinner at C’s. He told me he could be there in half an hour, so I headed straight to the restaurant.

  I walked into the kitchen to say hi to Chef Claire who was already sweating profusely and shouting instructions at several employees from behind a long row of dinner orders. Knowing she had no time to chat, I gave her a quick wave, entered the dining room, and saw my mother sitting at her table. I waved to her as I approached, then gave her a long hug and a kiss on the cheek. When I finally let go, she looked up at me, surprised.

  “Hello, darling,” she said. “What on earth has gotten into you?”

  “I just wanted to give you a hug, Mom,” I said, smiling and waving to the other people at her table. “And to tell you how much I love you and how lucky I am to have you.”

  “Bad day, darling?” she said, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

  “Yeah, I’ve had a couple, Mom.”

  “Well, if this is the reaction I can expect, maybe you should have a few more, darling,” she said, laughing.

  “I need to go,” I said, brushing her cheek with the back of my hand. “Enjoy your dinner. Nice to see all of you.”

  I gave the table a casual wave then headed off. Detective Abrams was already at our table perusing the menu and sipping red wine. He started to stand when he saw me coming, but I gestured for him to sit down.

  “Nice to see you,” he said, setting his menu aside. “Glass of red?”

  “Please, I said, glancing around the crowded restaurant. “It’s busy.”

  “It’s always busy,” Detective Abrams said. “We were lucky to get a table.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” I said. “I know the owner.”

  “You’ll never guess what I learned today,” he said, leaning forward.

  “That old man Winters updated his will just before he died?” I said, giving the menu a quick look.

  He stared at me then shook his head and sat back in his chair.

  “Boy, you sure know how to ruin a guy’s fun.”

  “You sound like a couple of my ex-boyfriends.”

  Detective Abrams laughed, then took a sip of wine.

  “You’re really something else. How did you find out?”

  “Caspian told me.”

  “She was at her parents’ house?”

  “Yup,” I said. “She certainly was.”

  “I thought she never left her cabin in the woods.”

  “She was there. With Lucinda’s husband, Oliver.”

  “Really? Do tell.”

  I did.

  Ten minutes later, he had the same look on his face I was pretty sure I’d had earlier in the day.

  “She lets people beat on her?” he said, grimacing.

  “She doesn’t just allow it. She demands it.”

  “And she used to be a cutter,” he said. “I’ve come across some of those working on other cases. Usually, they’re young girls who are trying to deal with neglect and abuse.”

  “Caspian was definitely driven by neglect. These days the abuse is all self-inflicted.”

  “Sad,” he whispered.

  “It’s strange to say this, but it seems to be working for her,” I said, tasting the wine. “It’s nice. Pinot, right?”

  “Yeah. Central Valley. Why would you say it’s working for her?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “But Caspian has spent a lot of time analyzing her behavior, and it’s like she figured out that she’s never going to be able to change certain things about herself. So she’s doing things that enable her to cope with her demons. And she’s got a lot of them. Trust me. That is one carpet you do not want to look under.”

  “Getting smacked around is a coping mechanism?”

  “Yeah, I think so. Weird, huh?”

  “It’s way beyond weird, Suzy. Do you think she could have been involved in Buggy’s murder? Or maybe with what happened to her parents?”

  “No, I don’t. And I’ve been trying to make some sense of Caspian. I think that since she understands physical pain all too well, I don’t think she’s capable of inflicting it on others.”

  “Maybe,” he said, swirling his wine in his glass. “But what about inflicting emotional pain?”

  “Oh, she has no problems with that. She can’t wait until her siblings find out what’s in the new will. How did you hear about it?”

  “I talked to the lawyer who handled the estate planning.”

  “He didn’t happen to tell you what’s in the new will, did he?” I said.

  “No, client confidentiality and all that. But he did tell me that Caspian was with her father during the meetings when the new will was being drafted.”

  “Were the meetings at the house or in the lawyer’s office?” I said, smiling at our waiter as he approached the table.

  “They were in his office. Just the three of them,” Detective Abrams said. “Hey, how are you doing, Bobby?”

  “I’m good, sir. Hi, Suzy.”

  “Hey, Bobby. Busy night, huh?”

  “Aren’t they all?” he said, laughing. “What can I get you tonight?”

  “New York, medium rare, and the Caprese salad, please,” I said.

  “Make that two,” Detective Abrams said.

  The waiter nodded, topped off our wine, then headed off.

  “So, if only the old man and Caspian were there, can we logically assume that they are the only two people who even know there’s a new will?”

  “That’s the assumption I’m making,” he said. “And the lawyer confirmed that the old man wanted it kept quiet.”

  “And if someone found a will when they robbed First National, they’d be pretty sure they had the current version.”

  “I know I would,” he said, smiling. “I’d love to be in the room when the new will is being read.”

  “We might be able to arrange that,” I said. “For you, anyway.”

 
“How do you suggest we do that?”

  “I’ll talk to Caspian.”

  “Why would she listen to you?”

  “She seems to trust me. I could suggest it might not be a bad idea to have someone from the police there. Who knows how Brock and Bentley might react. Especially if it’s particularly bad news for them. Caspian might like the idea of having a cop in the room.”

  “She just might,” he said, nodding. “Think you can make that happen?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” I said, shrugging. “Boy, I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting.”

  Detective Abrams put his glass down, wiped his mouth, then looked across the table at me.

  “And that brings me to the thing I want to talk to you about,” he said.

  “This oughta be good,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s good. And it’s right up your alley.”

  “Then, by all means, Detective Abrams, let me have it.”

  “Chief.”

  “Of course. Chief Abrams.”

  “I’ve been watching you closely the past several months, Suzy.”

  “You have? Why?” I said, suddenly on guard.

  “Relax. It’s not like I’ve been stalking you,” he said, laughing.

  “Well, don’t forget who I’ve been dealing with the last few days. I’m bound to be a little edgy.”

  “I’ve been watching how you approach situations like the one we’re dealing with at the moment. And while you can be incredibly annoying at times, no offense, you have amazing instincts and an intuitiveness I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. And I know a lot of cops.”

  “Oh, you say the sweetest things, Chief,” I said, flashing him a playful smile.

  “I’m not joking, Suzy,” he said, staring at me. “And I know that Jackson has, at times, taken incredible heat for some of your actions that others find, let’s say, outside the boundaries of what a private citizen should be doing.”

  “And before you start your new job as Clay Bay’s chief of police you want to warn me not to do it in the future. Yeah, I get that, but in my defense, I’d like to mention that-”

  “No. That’s not what I’m saying at all,” he said, taking a sip of wine before continuing. “Since it’s apparent you have an amazing skill set in this area, combined with the fact that you’re simply unable to keep your nose where it belongs, I’m proposing that you come work for me. I’m going to be chronically understaffed, and I could use your help.”