“You don’t think she is in love with him anymore?” Dani asked. “So you believe Paul?”
“I tried not to,” Fanny said. “I mean, I know there are plenty in town who like to spread rumors about Coco but I, for one, always liked her. She seemed like a decent sort to me.”
“Me, too,” Sharon said. “She volunteers down at the hospital, reads books to elderly patients. Plus, she helped our factory set up a scholarship fund for the children of our poorer employees. I mean, she’s done good things for this town.”
“Yeah, she has,” Fanny nodded. “But, then again, you know these political types. It isn’t necessarily one hundred percent out of the goodness of her heart.”
“Whatever her motives, she’s tried to make people happier,” Sharon shrugged. “I don’t know if I could say the same about myself, even.”
Dani bit into her burger, not really knowing what to say.
“Even if Coco’s a good person,” Fanny said, “it doesn’t mean she’s a good wife. If Maisie saw her and Arthur kissing, then that settles that.”
“But Maisie didn’t see her an Arthur kissing,” Dani exclaimed, frustrated. “She just heard them talking.”
Both Sharon and Fanny gave her a startled glance. “What do you know about it?”
“I’m the one who encouraged Maisie to go talk to Darwin,” Dani said. “She just heard them… talking about love. Looks like the town has been playing Chinese whispers with that bit of news. Next thing you know, we’ll hear that Coco was planning to run away with Arthur.”
“Was she?” Fanny’s eyes widened.
“No, I was just saying, that’s how gossip works here,” Dani said. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
“Dani, what’s the difference? Talking about love, kissing, whatever…it’s all the same thing,” Sharon shrugged. “Coco was cheating on Brad with Arthur, and now she’s been caught. I expect Darwin will have to bring her in for questioning soon.”
“Maybe you’re right, I don’t know.” Dani finished off the last bite of her burger. She looked up at Fanny. “Do you have any idea what Paul meant about Brad being responsible for the fire that killed Juliet Francis?”
Fanny nodded. “There have been rumors about it, from time to time. Of course, like you said, this town has a way of magnifying rumors.”
“What were the rumors?”
“Well, Brad was sixteen when the fire happened,” Fanny said. “Juliet’s parents weren’t too pleased with how that investigation was handled. They never recovered her body, for one.”
“They didn’t?” Dani raised an eyebrow.
Fanny shook her head. “They didn’t. It made people very suspicious, especially because Brad was found drunk in a ditch not a quarter mile away from the fire.”
“That’s not saying much,” Dani said. “The night of the fire, there was a huge party at Juliet’s house, wasn’t there? Brad might just have snuck into the party and got drunk.”
“Sure,” Fanny nodded. “But a lot of people thought that the sheriff deliberately ignored the evidence that pointed to the fire being man-made. Just because he didn’t want his son to be implicated.”
“And Juliet’s body?” Sharon asked. “Are you saying that the sheriff had something to do with the disappearance of her body?”
“That I’m less sure about,” Fanny said with a frown. “At the time, Sheriff says that in really crazy fires, the body can disintegrate. We didn’t have today’s DNA technology, you know. People believed him. Even Juliet’s parents believed him…eventually. They had to.”
“There’s more to this story. I’ve a feeling we are going to find out a lot more soon,” Dani said. “Darwin will have to look into it very seriously now that Paul’s publicly accused the mayor of murder!”
“You know Brad is Darwin’s uncle, right?” Fanny asked, with a little sigh.
“They are related?” Dani looked surprised. “Darwin never mentioned that.”
“Why would he? He must have assumed you’d known,” Fanny said. “The whole town does.”
“Are you saying he might cover up for Brad?” Sharon asked.
Fanny shrugged. “Darwin’s a good man. I’m sure he’ll do his job.”
“Even if it means arresting his own uncle?”
Fanny didn’t answer that.
*****
Chapter 19
The Mayor’s Tale
Dani rung at Darwin’s doorbell, feeling a sense of deja vu. Two years ago, when Caroline had been accused of murdering her best friend, Dani had come to Darwin to clear her mind, and to talk about the whole mess. She felt the same way tonight, full of confusion but close to clarity. If she could just get him to drop his poker face and talk to her about the case, perhaps they could solve it. She knew it was unlikely he’d talk but, perhaps, if she could tell him all the details she knew, he’d hit upon a solution.
She rang the doorbell again when nobody answered, only to have it swing open almost instantly. Darwin stood there looking cross, dressed in boxers and a dark t-shirt.
“It’s nearly midnight,” he said. “Lucky Ellie’s not at home or she’d be wide awake with that ruckus you just made.”
“I just rang the doorbell,” Dani said.
“Four times in two minutes,” Darwin replied. “Impatient much?”
“Sorry.” Dani pushed past him. She didn’t need to use her crutches anymore, but her ankle still gave out the occasional protest. He sighed as she settled herself on a sofa.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We have to talk,” Dani said. “There are things I haven’t told you about the case, and there are things I need to know.”
“You’re not an investigator, you do not need to know a thing,” Darwin said, shutting the door and walking up to her. “Dani, I’ve had a rough day.”
“Just hear me out, will you? I have a theory about Juliet. Remember the missing roll of film from Arthur’s room? I-”
She was interrupted by a series of heavy knocks on the door. Darwin’s head swung around, and his eyes narrowed.
“Open up!” a hoarse voice cried. “Open up, please!”
Darwin pulled the door open and a disheveled Brad stumbled inside. He’d looked cool and polished in the diner, dressed in a suit and an overcoat. His jacket, overcoat and tie had vanished, and his eyes were red-rimmed. There was a distinct smell of whisky around him.
“Uncle Brad?” Darwin took a step back. “What is this? Are you alright?” He held on to the man and helped him cross over into the living room, before gently putting him down on a sofa.
“She’s left me,” Brad mumbled, his eyes welling over. “She’s finally done it.”
“Coco’s left you?”
“She’s ten years younger than me, you know,” the mayor said, “And so much prettier, too. I knew she’d leave eventually. I knew it all along.” He curled up into a little ball and pulled a pillow up to his face.
“I...” Darwin looked like someone had hit him with a baseball bat. His hands were floating in the air and his eyes were wide as saucer plates.
“Darwin… want to get him some water?” Dani suggested.
“Yes. Perfect. Of course.” Darwin turned around and rushed into the kitchen.
Dani sat on the edge of the sofa and put a comforting hand on Brad’s back. He pulled his face out of the pillow, stared at her, and then looked in the direction of the kitchen.
“Darwin has good taste,” he said, before putting the pillow over his head again. “Oh, I have such a headache!”
“Mayor Aguillard… Brad… what happened?”
“Just what I said,” he whimpered. “Coco left me! She finally did it.”
“Here.” Darwin came back in with a glass of water and made Brad sit up. Soon enough, the mayor was calmer, wiping his tears away as he sipped from the glass.
“So talk to me,” Darwin said. “What happened?”
Brad sighed and winced. “My head has a lightning storm inside it,” he said. “I
must have downed a whole bottle.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“A little sick,” Brad said. “We fought after we left the diner, you know. All the way home in the car.”
“I could tell you were angry at her,” Dani said. “You wouldn’t even look at her in the diner.”
“I was furious,” Brad said. “I… I said a lot of things that I shouldn’t have.”
“Did she admit to the affair?” Darwin asked. “Was she seeing Arthur?”
“She kept claiming she was innocent,” Brad said. “I kept pushing her. I told her she could tell me the truth, that there was no point in lying anymore.” He wiped a tear away. “I love Coco, you know. But I was always honest to myself about why she married me. It isn’t like I’m the best looking man in the world.”
“Looks wouldn’t matter to someone who loves you,” Dani said.
Brad sneered. “That’s a lie ugly people tell themselves to make life a little easier. I’ve never lied to myself that way. Coco married me because I was rich, and everybody knows it.”
“I think you’ve done yourself a great disservice thinking that way,” Dani said. “And her, too.”
“Well she’s left, hasn’t she?” Brad sniffed. “I tried so hard to make her love me but I’ve never been able to reach all the way into her heart. There’s a portion that was always shut off from me.”
“Maybe your suspicions had something to do with that,” Dani said.
“I love her,” Brad flopped onto the sofa again, and slurred. “She left me. Ruined my life.”
Darwin rubbed the back of his neck, looking down doubtfully at his uncle.
Brad spoke a few more words before trailing off into gentle snores.
“Let’s put a blanket on him,” Dani said. “I think he’s done for the night.”
“Poor guy,” Darwin sighed. “This is going to be big news in town. Everyone will know by tomorrow.”
“And Coco?” Dani asked. “Are you going to investigate her for Arthur’s murder?”
“Maybe,” Darwin said. “There’s a lot to this case that you don’t know, Dani.”
“Like the fact that Juliet’s photos have been going missing all over town?” Dani asked.
Darwin looked at her with surprise. “What do you mean gone missing?”
“I tried tracking down her photographs,” Dani said. “I looked in the theater, and someone had deliberately removed all traces of her. Someone stole her photos from Linda’s home, too. Also, I suspect, she’s the woman who is off the frame in the photos from Arthur’s film roll.”
“That’s a stretch,” Darwin said, though he looked as if he were beginning to believe her.
“Whoever broke into my house that night was desperate for us not to know what Juliet looks like.”
“But we do know what she looks like,” Darwin said. “I have a photo of her on my phone.”
“What photo?” Dani asked. “Where did you get it?”
“Our case file has one, grainy photo of her,” he said. “It’s the only one, but it’s her.”
“Can I see the photo?” Dani asked, curious.
“Sure.” He took out his phone and showed her. The photo showed a young girl with curly hair bouncing around a face dominated by a large nose. Dani gave a little gasp as she looked at it.
“What?” Darwin asked.
“Don’t you see it?” Dani put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t you see who that is?”
“That’s Juliet Francis,” Darwin said. “Victim of a fire thirty years ago, possibly Arthur/Marshall Mushen’s girlfriend, possibly even…” He looked sideways at Brad. “Possibly even the first love of my uncle.”
“She’s all of those things,” Dani said. “But she’s more.”
“What?”
Dani was excited. “Can I use your computer?”
“Sure.” Darwin walked her to it and switched it on.
Instantly, Dani uploaded the photo into an online program and began fiddling around with it.
“What are you doing?” Darwin asked.
“Making a few changes,” Dani said. “Say, do you have that half-torn photo of young Arthur with his arm around a woman saved on this computer?”
“Yes.” Darwin brought the photo up.
Dani manipulated the photo and showed Darwin the result. He frowned. “Ok, I see your point. That could be Juliet Francis he had his arm around. But it doesn’t really help us. Why is that important?”
“Oh, it’s important,” Dani said. “Very important. But first, let me show you something. The power of images.” She did a quick google search and showed him a black and white photo of a smiling young woman with dark hair. “Recognize her?”
“No,” Darwin said.
Dani brought up a photo of a woman with tight blonde curls and a mole on her face. “Recognize this woman?”
“Of course,” Darwin said. “That’s Marilyn Monroe!”
“Exactly,” Dani said. “The first image I showed you was Norma Jean. A completely different person.”
“Wait, Norma Jean, that was Marilyn’s real name, wasn’t it?” Darwin looked confused. “So both those photos were of the same woman?”
Dani’s smile just grew broader. “Now you’re getting it.”
“I’m not getting it at all, actually,” Darwin said. “What’s your point?”
Dani bought up the photo of Juliet Francis on her screen. “So, what catches your eye about this woman?”
“Curls, big nose,” Darwin shrugged.
“Right.” Dani pressed a button, and the picture morphed. “This is the same woman, with plastic surgery presumably done on her nose and a few treatments done on her hair.”
“Blonde, blue eyes, straight nose, tiny chin...” Darwin gasped. “Radiance Mahone! I can’t believe it! I thought she was dead!”
“They never found her body,” Dani said. “That’s what really bought it home for me. Juliet Francis is none other than Radiance Mahone.”
“I don’t understand at all,” Darwin sat down. “So you’re telling me that Juliet Francis never died in that fire.”
Dani shook her head. “I think she used it as her chance to escape her conservative parents and take off to the big apple with Marshall.”
“And once there, they both changed their names,” Darwin nodded. “Juliet Francis to Radiance Mahone, and Marshall Mushens to Arthur Chamberlain.”
“Exactly. She also changed her looks and began to work in plays. Arthur loved her and stayed in a relationship with her, but Juliet believed that life was too short to spend with one man. She eventually dumped him. But not before she had his child.”
“Radiance Mahone had a child?”
“I think she did,” Dani nodded. “I think that this child lived with her grandparents all her life and avoided all mention of her real mother’s name. Tell me, Darwin, when did Juliet Francis’ parents move out of town?”
“A few years after her supposed death,” Darwin said. “They moved somewhere in Connecticut, I think.”
“Close to NYC,” Dani said. “I think that when Juliet got famous enough, she eventually contacted her parents again and had them move closer to NYC. Not because she was fond of her parents, but because she wanted them to raise her child.”
“Wow,” Darwin said.
“That child eventually moved back to Innocence,” Dani said. She clicked on Juliet’s photo and it morphed again. “I photoshopped Juliet’s face with Marshall Mushens to recreate what their child would look like. Recognize her?”
Darwin gave a low whistle. “Allie Franks…or, should I say, Allie Francis? She’s been hiding in plain sight all along!”
Dani leaned back in her chair.
“But that doesn’t explain one thing,” Darwin said with a frown. “Allie wasn’t the one who stole that film roll, was she?”
Dani shook her head. “I heard her talking to someone on the phone. I reckon she’s got a partner. Either Michael or Oliver from the play. My bet is on Michae
l. He’s got the same body type as the man who stole the photo roll and his face was bruised that next day. He hid it with make up, though.”
“Alright,” Darwin said, laughing and clapping his hands. “I’ve got a few calls to make. I’ve got to check official records to see if Juliet Francis’ name pops up and I’m going to try my hardest to land DNA samples of them both.”
“I think the easiest thing to do would be to track down her parents.” Dani said. “If you can find them, they’ll be able to give you proof.”
Darwin sighed. “I’m not sure they will, especially if they find out that I’m going to use it to arrest their grandchild.” He mimed rolling up his sleeves. “Oh, well, time to get to work!”
*****
Chapter 20
Arrested
Allie’s arrest had the entire town buzzing. The curly-haired director hadn’t mixed much with people outside of the theater, but she’d been a local celebrity of sorts nevertheless. Allie didn’t deny her links with Juliet Francis aka Radiance Mahone and, within days, cars flew into town as photographers and journalists swarmed to the story. This wasn’t local news anymore. It was national.
Dani lay low, hiding out in her house even as she was repeatedly called upon to make a statement by the press. There was a constant crowd on the family’s front lawn, which rather unnerved her. Being at the center of attention was not something she was fond of.
At seven in the morning her father raised up the blinds and then pulled them down, as flashes erupted from the cameras parked in the front lawn. He stomped angrily to the breakfast table. The entire family had gathered and was living in the mansion temporarily, just to make sure that Dani was alright.
“My garden’s going to become the Sahara at this rate,” her father said. “My grass is already yellowed and dying.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” Dani promised. “They’ll go away soon. This can’t last.”
“Allie hasn’t said a word yet,” Harry Hedley said. “I heard that from Mrs. Ransome, who heard it from Tina, the stenographer. Her lawyer isn’t letting her talk.”
“But they’ve got a tight case against her, right?” Sharon asked.
Exposed Negative: A Small Town Cozy Mystery (Shot & Framed Book 2) Page 11