“I don’t imagine the spring breakers are going to be thrilled with this turn in the weather,” Ian noted as he lit the fire.
“They knew what to expect when they came here at this time of year,” Lily said. “This is more normal for Frederickport. Anyway, we had rain earlier this week.”
“Yes, we had a little rain, but it was a good twenty degrees warmer. Yesterday, the beach was fairly crowded down by the pier.” Ian brushed his hands off on the sides of his jeans and watched as the flames in the fireplace flickered, growing in intensity.
“This will probably push most of the visitors inside, which will be good for the local restaurants and bars,” Danielle said.
Lily turned to Walt and Danielle, who sat together on the sofa, Walt’s broken leg propped up on the table, and Sadie napping on the floor below it. “So the peeper was Macbeth?”
“That’s what it looks like,” Walt said.
“What are you going to do?” Ian asked as he took a chair next to Lily and sat down.
“I called the chief this morning. Told him what happened. He’s going to stop over in a little while so we can figure out what to do now,” Danielle explained.
“If Chris’s guy could have authenticated the portraits by now, would that have prevented all this?” Lily asked.
“I’d love to blame Chris,” Walt said with a chuckle. “But I have a feeling Macbeth might have shown up as soon as he heard those paintings had been authenticated and realized the ones in the crate were the ones he painted.”
“Then he would have known someone had switched the paintings back,” Ian said.
Walt nodded. “That’s what I figure. Naturally, he would suspect Clint, thinking maybe he had double-crossed him. But I can’t imagine he thought Clint planned the accident.”
“So what now?” Lily asked.
Danielle glanced at her watch. “I guess wait to see what the chief thinks.”
“How about a fire?” Lily blurted.
Ian looked at the now blazing fire in the nearby fireplace. “What do you mean?”
“Not that fire,” Lily said with a laugh. “What if we stage a fire and burn the crate. Get rid of the paintings. Then they won’t have any reason to bother Walt.”
“While I don’t imagine the chief would be on board with staging a fire in the storage facility they use—unless you mean a fire here after the crate is delivered—I’m not sure exactly how is that going to help?” Danielle asked.
“Then Macbeth will leave you alone,” Lily explained.
“Think about what you just said, Lily,” Ian told her. “I’m sure you can figure out the flaw in that plan.”
Lily frowned at Ian. “What do you mean…oh…the originals…”
Ian nodded. “Unless Chris wants his expert to say the originals are fakes, which I don’t think would be a great solution, it won’t solve anything.”
Lily slumped back in her chair. “True. Lame suggestion.”
“The only thing I can think of, we let Macbeth steal the portraits,” Ian suggested.
“What good will that do? It’s no different than burning them,” Lily asked. “Once he steals them and tries to pawn them off as originals, he’ll find out they’re fakes. It’ll just piss him off, and he might come after Walt, which I thought was what we’re trying to avoid.”
“I didn’t say we let him actually get away with it,” Ian said.
“You mean let him steal the paintings and make sure he gets caught making his getaway?” Danielle asked.
“Sure. Once he’s in jail, he won’t be breaking in here anymore,” Ian said.
“Have you seen his cousins?” Danielle asked.
Ian frowned at Danielle. “You think they might be a problem?”
“I’m just saying Macbeth isn’t in this alone,” Danielle reminded him.
Police Chief MacDonald arrived at Marlow House twenty minutes later. After hearing Walt’s account of Macbeth’s visit, Lily asked, “Can’t you just arrest the guy? After all, he did break in here.”
“Sure, I could. But I imagine he’ll deny breaking in, and it’ll be Walt’s word against Macbeth’s,” the chief told her. “And what was the motive for the break in? Even if we could prove he was here, he would probably be out in a few hours. After all, he didn’t take anything, and he could say he just came to visit his friend.”
“You have a point,” Danielle said with a sigh. “Plus, if it went to court, Walt can’t very well sit on the witness stand and recount what Macbeth said to him. It will only make him look bad.”
“And without that, there is no motive for Macbeth breaking in, aside from him wanting to see his friend,” the chief said.
“Yeah, but breaking in to see him in the middle of the night?” Lily asked.
The chief shrugged. “He can say Walt let him in. As for the time of the visit, I’m not sure that’s going to sway any jury. After all, Macbeth can play the eccentric artist role. Even using an alias is something he can easily explain away.”
“What about Ian’s suggestion? Let Macbeth steal the portraits, and then you’ll have something to arrest him for,” Lily asked.
The chief sat down in one of the chairs in the living room. “I don’t like the idea of using the portraits as bait to get him to break in again just so we have cause to arrest him and send him to jail. After all, it’s not like Walt can take care of things like he used to.”
“Why does he have to break in?” Walt asked. “He expects me to just give him the portraits, and the more I think about it, that might be the solution.”
Danielle looked at Walt. “But what happens when he figures out they’re the fakes? He might be back. I thought that’s what we’re trying to prevent.”
“I’m sure we can get Marie and Eva to help us out,” Walt said.
“How? The only thing Eva knows how to toss around is glitter,” Danielle asked. “I know Marie mentioned something about knocking out Adam’s electricity at his office, but I’m not sure how that’s going to help.”
The chief turned to Danielle and asked, “Why would Marie knock out her grandson’s electricity?”
Danielle shrugged. “Who knows why ghosts do some things?”
“Walt, what can Eva and Marie do?” Lily asked.
“We’ll make sure Eva and Marie are here when Macbeth picks up the portraits, and then they can follow him. After Macbeth learns the paintings are fake, Eva and Marie can see what he plans to do next. If he is going to retaliate in some way, they can let us know, and we can be prepared. Who knows, maybe Macbeth will write off his losses and move on to his next scam.”
“I would rather see the man arrested,” the chief grumbled. “After all, he did break into your house, not to mention attempted grand larceny.”
“I agree, Chief,” Danielle told him. “But like you said, if you arrested him now, he would probably be out in a few hours. Maybe Walt has a good idea. It would be safer if Walt just turned the paintings over to Macbeth, providing Eva or Marie can keep an eye on him and let us know what he plans after he realizes they aren’t the originals.”
Nineteen
Laverne had been working at Fuller Hardware for over a decade. She had been there before her engagement, during her marriage, and remained after her divorce. She had been one of the first employees hired by the store’s founder and owner, Ray Fuller. Ray was a good ten years older than Laverne and a decent boss. He trusted Laverne to do her job, and he maintained a respectful distance between himself and his employees. As Laverne’s coworker, Jillian, liked to say, “Ray is all business.” To which Laverne would agree while speculating if Ray was even aware of their marital status.
“I knew the warm weather wasn’t going to last,” Jillian grumbled as she unboxed the batteries and hung them on the rack by the register.
“It’s Frederickport, what did you expect?” Laverne asked. The two women were alone in the front of the store while their boss was back in the storage room. One customer browsed through the selection of pa
ints three aisles over.
“So tell me, did you really do it?” Jillian asked.
Laverne glanced up from the receipts she was sorting and looked at Jillian. “Did I do what?”
“Did you kick your brother out? You said you were going to do it if he didn’t move out by the end of the week.”
Laverne gave Jillian a half smile and shrugged. “Yes. But I have to admit, I’m feeling a little guilty about it now.”
“Come on, Laverne, don’t you dare let him suck you into guilt! I watched as you tried to hold your marriage together with that…well, you know what I think of your ex. And I watched as you got your life back only to have your brother move in and take advantage of you. I’m glad you’re sticking up for yourself. You have to stop letting these guys—be it a husband or brother—take advantage of you. Your problem, you’re way too nice.”
Looking downward, her eyes seemingly focused on the receipts, Laverne shook her head. “No. I’m not that nice. Trust me.”
“Yes, you are.” Jillian reached over and patted Laverne’s hand. “So where is Chet staying?”
Laverne shrugged. “That’s the problem. I think he’s staying with some guys he knew back in high school. Not a good bunch. Certainly not anyone he should be hanging out with. Not now.”
“If it’s a problem, it’s Chet’s problem. Not yours.”
Laverne let out a sigh and looked up at Jillian. “But he’s my baby brother. I shouldn’t have kicked him out.”
Jillian groaned. But before she could say anything, Ray called out for Laverne. The two women looked in his direction. Walking from the storage room, he carried a sealed cardboard box in his arms.
“Laverne, I need you to drive to Astoria,” Ray said when he reached the women. He set the box before Laverne on the counter.
“Astoria?” Laverne asked.
Ray nodded. “I need you to deliver this for me.”
Laverne’s job description included deliveries, yet normally not to Astoria. They were typically local deliveries to Frederickport addresses. Yet she didn’t mind driving to Astoria; it would get her out of the store for the rest of her shift and away from Jillian. While she knew Jillian only had her best interest at heart, she didn’t want to justify her feelings regarding her brother. They were complicated. It was something Jillian would never understand. Laverne regretted venting to Jillian earlier about Chet, yet at the time she had needed someone to talk to.
Twenty minutes later, Laverne sat in the driver’s seat of the Fuller Hardware van, en route to Astoria. The rain stopped just as she headed out of town.
Driving down the road, Laverne found herself relieved that she hadn’t told Jillian where those high school friends of Chet’s—the ones he was staying with—lived. She wondered if this unexpected delivery was a sign—an opportunity to see her brother. She wasn’t sure she was going to ask him to come back to Frederickport, but she did want to see if he was okay. Plus, it was better this way. If Chet thought she had made the trip just to see him, he would assume he could continue taking advantage of her. When asked why she was in town, she could convincingly tell her brother the main reason she was in Astoria was to make a delivery for work. The fact she was driving the company van would substantiate her story.
Once in Astoria, Laverne drove first to the address her boss had given her. She knew Ray was waiting for her phone call to confirm the package had been safely delivered. After making the call, she headed over to the Bandoni house. After all these years, she had no difficulty finding it.
When she arrived in front of the house, she didn’t see her brother’s car parked outside. She drove down the street, made a U-turn, and then parked on the other side of the road. With the motor still running, she sat in the van and looked at the house, wondering if her brother had parked in the garage. However, there didn’t seem to be anyone home.
She remembered the house as a cheerful well-maintained beach cottage. But that had been years ago. The coastal climate had long since stripped most of the paint from the clapboard siding. Mac’s grandmother had prided herself on growing prizewinning rosebushes, but those bushes were now gone. The only landscaping included a lawn that needed mowing and trees in need of grooming.
Macbeth Bandoni turned the corner to his cousin’s house. He immediately noted the van parked across the street. He was able to read the sign painted on the side of the van just as he pulled into the driveway. It said Fuller Hardware. Parking his car, he glanced in his rearview mirror to look at the van again. It was then he remembered. Chet had said something about his sister working at Fuller Hardware. A woman sat in the driver’s seat of the van, looking in his direction.
Curious, Macbeth got out of his car and turned to face the woman. Their gazes locked.
“I’ll be…” Macbeth muttered under his breath. “It’s Laverne.” He suspected she’d seen him when the van sped away the next moment, disappearing down the street.
“What is she up to?” Macbeth grumbled as he got back into his vehicle. Slamming the car door shut, he quickly put on his seatbelt and then turned on his ignition. The next moment his car backed out of the driveway and then sped down the street, in search of the Fuller Hardware van.
Laverne pulled into a restaurant parking lot, feeling flustered. She parked the van and sat there a moment, considering her brief encounter at the Bandoni house. “Was that really Mac?” she asked herself. Had Chet not mentioned Mac was back in town, she would never have recognized him. Age had not been kind to Mac, yet she was fairly certain that had been him standing in his cousins’ driveway. Turning off the engine, she removed the key from the ignition. Still rattled over seeing Mac, she got out of the van and made her way to the restaurant without calling her brother.
Five minutes later, Laverne sat alone in a booth. Instead of looking at the menu, she pulled her cellphone out of her purse, intending to ask Chet to meet her at the restaurant.
“Hello, Laverne,” a male’s voice said.
Laverne, who had been looking down at her cellphone, glanced up into the face of Mac Bandoni. He stood beside her table. Absently licking her lips, she set the phone down without making her call. “Hello, Mac. It has been a long time.”
“I heard you got a divorce,” he said as he sat down in the seat across from her.
“I’m waiting for someone,” she blurted. “You can’t sit here!”
Macbeth laughed. “Is that any way to treat an old friend? I saw you parked across the street from my cousins’ house. Are you looking for your brother?”
Laverne swallowed and nodded. “Where is he? I wanted to meet him for lunch.”
“If that’s who you’re waiting for, it’ll be a long wait. I know he went somewhere with my cousins and won’t be back until this evening.”
Before she could respond, the waitress appeared at the table and asked if they were ready to order.
Laverne slipped her phone back in her purse and stood up. “I don’t think I’ll be having anything to eat now.”
Mac reached out and grabbed hold of Laverne’s wrist, forcing her to sit back down. “No, stay, Laverne. We need to catch up.” He looked at the server and said, “You can bring us a couple of coffees, and then we’ll be ready to order.”
“I don’t want to have lunch with you,” Laverne hissed after the server left the table.
“Come on, Laverne, we have a history. Me and you. I know your deepest secrets,” he whispered.
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
Macbeth leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “I have to say, I’m curious why you’re so jumpy with me. After all, I just did what you wanted.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I never wanted you to do it.”
“Really? I don’t believe that. People are usually pretty honest when they have too much to drink. I remember you said you had never had alcohol before. You didn’t even want to taste it. But once you did, you couldn’t stop. Do you remember what we were drinking?”
“Kind of hard now. That ship has sailed. And you’d end up in the cell next to me—that’s if they had coed prisons.” Macbeth grinned.
“Are you just here to torment me?” she asked.
The next moment the server arrived with the coffee. Macbeth told her to bring them both a hamburger and fries, and when the server left the table, he leaned forward, setting his elbows on the tabletop.
“No. I don’t want to torment you, Laverne. There was a time I was quite crazy for you. I thought you felt the same way.”
She closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. “Then what is it?”
“It’s about your brother.”
She frowned. “Chet? What about him?”
“He’s staying with my cousins.”
“I know.” She reached for a packet of sugar and then ripped it open and dumped it in the coffee the server had placed before her.
“I think you should know he has…well…an unhealthy obsession for Danielle Boatman. Do you know who that is?”
“Danielle Boatman? Umm, she owns Marlow House, it’s a bed and breakfast in Frederickport. I don’t even think Chet knows her.”
“He knows her. In fact, he’s got quite a thing for her. Convinced he could get her to marry him.” Macbeth picked up his coffee and took a sip.
“Marry? Chet?” Laverne frowned.
Macbeth shrugged. “According to your brother, he met Boatman in some bar, and when they were talking, he told her she would look better with short hair. The next day, she cut her hair.”
“So?”
“I guess for Chet that was a sign she was nuts for him. Wanted to please him.”
The Ghost of Second Chances Page 12