“No, Steve. You have to stay. It’s your job, and those dogs need you. Mallory and I will be fine, trust me.”
“Please reconsider.”
Abby waved her hand in dismissal. “Nothing’s going to happen, Steve. Donovan wouldn’t be so foolish as to try anything in public. And besides, I’m still not convinced he killed anybody, especially not Dr. Oldmeyer. Go on now, you need to hurry. Call me on my cell phone if you get a break.”
“What about your dogs?”
“We’ll be back early tomorrow evening. They’ll be fine. I’ve trained them well, thanks to you. Go now.”
Mallory almost seemed like her old self the following morning. The minute she finished her first cup of coffee, she called Argone, only to be told the person in charge of records was out sick and wouldn’t return until the following week. She slammed the phone down in disgust.
Over breakfast the girls made a list of questions and talked about how they might discreetly work them into the day’s conversations, should the opportunity present itself. “We want to know if Donovan was the big contributor Constance was concerned about. And we want to know if he saved any of our parents’ stuff. What else? Oh, I almost forgot. We want to find out where Donovan was when Constance died. Did I miss anything?”
Abby shook her head as she stared at her sister, whose eyes were too bright, her jaw too grim. “We’re nothing like the heroines in my books, you know. They never have this much trouble solving their murder cases. We’re like bumbling idiots in comparison. All we have are our suspicions, suppositions, and theories which translated means the same thing. In other words, we’re duds.”
“I have to admit it does seem like the more questions we ask, the further away from the answer we get,” Mallory responded.
During the twenty-five-minute drive to the retirement village, Abby brought up the possibility of having a party to celebrate the completion of Proof Positive.
“Hey! I have an idea,” Mallory said.
Abby had heard those words before and was beginning to fear them. “What?” she asked.
“I’m going to wing this and think as I talk, so don’t take everything I say for a book. I’m still in the formulating stage, okay?”
“Okay,” Abby said, steeling herself.
“Donovan and Carol saw me on TV and heard me talk about Proof Positive. Just so you know, it was my intention to make Donovan suspect that I wasn’t talking about any old double murder case, but about our parents’ deaths. I think it might have gotten through to him, but I can’t be certain. We need to make sure that he’s suspicious of us and what’s in the book.”
Abby didn’t like what she was hearing and feeling. She said so.
“What we need to do today is,” Mallory continued, “talk a little about the book, drop a little innuendo here and there and make sure one of us mentions that the book is done and has been sent to the publisher. Then we invite Donovan and Carol to the party to celebrate its completion. If I’m right, he’ll be very worried that we’re going to announce the answer to ‘whodunit.’”
“But we wouldn’t do that under any circumstance, would we, Mallory?” Abby said more as a firm statement than a question. “Because if we did, we could buy ourselves some serious legal trouble.”
“Of course we won’t. However, we will let him give himself away,” Mallory said airily.
Abby checked in at the guard gate and proceeded to maneuver Mallory’s Corvette into the parking lot.
“Holy cow!” Mallory exclaimed as they pulled into a reserved spot. “What a place! It’s beautiful.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Abby agreed, looking around at the gardens and ponds and waterfalls.
A tram came by, picked them up, and took them to the Village Restaurant. After giving their names to the hostess, they were escorted to a table near the back of the restaurant. Abby sucked in her breath when she saw Donovan stand up to greet them.
He looked handsome in his three-piece navy suit and two-hundred-dollar tie. And so normal. He didn’t look like a murderer. How could he have killed four people and still look like Businessman of the Year? Or could he?
Carol turned around just as Donovan stood up. Despite her Donna Karan outfit and her professional grooming, she looked considerably older than the last time Abby had seen her. She looked careworn. This definitely wasn’t the same Carol Abby had once loved and adored.
Bobby, not quite the gentleman his father was, remained seated and grinned.
“Now this is what I call Christmas, New Year’s, and the Fourth of July all rolled into one!” Donovan said, opening his arms to both girls. “When Carol told me the two of you were coming, I could hardly believe my good fortune. This is some day, ladies.” He hugged them each in turn, then pulled out chairs, and waited until they were comfortably seated before taking his own seat across the table from them, directly in their line of vision.
“My God, Mallory, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” Donovan said, his eyes shining with love and regret. “You’ve grown up and turned into a beautiful young woman. Tell me about yourself. What are you doing besides playing Abby on TV?”
“I’m working as Abby’s assistant, helping with her research, answering fan mail, that sort of thing. A simple but rewarding life. After living in such a regimented environment for many years, one tends to be more grateful for the simple things in life, if you know what I mean,” Mallory responded sweetly.
Donovan looked like he was about to ask for an explanation when Carol interjected, “I’m sure you’re more than a capable assistant and a wonderful companion for Abby. I’ve always had the impression being a writer was a very lonely, solitary kind of life. Abby’s lucky to have you.” Carol picked up her napkin and spread it across her lap. “Speaking of your writing, Abby, I hope you don’t mind that I put copies of your books in all the model homes.”
Abby looked at Mallory, then back at Carol. “No, of course I don’t mind. That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you. Any kind of promotion helps.”
“I did it because I’m so proud of you. I want all of Donovan’s clients to know what a talented daughter he has.”
They spoke in generalities, staying on safe and familiar ground until the waitress came for their order. Outside the window an elderly lady was walking her dog. It all looked so normal, so peaceful.
“What a cute little sheltie,” Carol said, observing the woman and her dog. “That reminds me, how is everything at your house, Abby, with the dogs, I mean? I never would have thought you’d turn out to be an animal lover. We didn’t have any pets while you were growing up. How did that happen anyway?”
“After Connor’s funeral, Bunny gave me a dog to keep me company. His name is Beemer. He’s a retired K-9. The vet who delivered him has a clinic nearby and was overloaded with dogs he’d rescued. I volunteered to help him out by taking care of some of them. It’s been quite an experience and it helped me through the roughest time of my life. One I would gladly experience again.” The list she and Mallory had made came to the forefront of her mind. “You donate money to a lot of worthy causes, Donovan,” she said, briefly glancing at Mallory. “Now that you’re no longer contributing to Argone’s coffers, I wish you’d consider contributing to a worthy animal cause.”
“How did you know? … What makes you think I’ve stopped? …” He turned to his wife, his expression suddenly cold and hard. “Carol?”
Carol’s face paled. “You’ve been giving them money for years, Donovan,” she said. “I thought it was time to let someone else benefit from your generosity. I was going to talk to you about it this weekend as a matter of fact.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” he said in a tone that left no doubt that he was angry. He turned to Abby and Mallory. “Carol takes care of the details,” he said by way of explanation.
“Do you have a particular animal charity in mind, Abby?” Carol asked, her lips pursed tightly, obviously trying to redeem herself in her husband’s eyes.
/> “Actually our local humane society is in serious need of funds. They need to expand the facility so they can house more animals for a longer period of time. They need money for educational materials as well. Their goal is to make people understand the need to have their pets spayed and neutered. If there wasn’t such a pet overpopulation problem, you wouldn’t see so many abused and abandoned animals. It’s terrible. It really is. People treat their animals like so much garbage and throw them away.”
“Sometimes people treat kids like that, too,” Mallory slipped in, a wounded smile on her face.
As prepared as Abby was for anything Mallory might say, she wasn’t prepared for the long silence that followed.
“I didn’t know such a problem existed, Abby,” Donovan said, breaking the silence. “I’ll be glad to help.” To prove his point, he pulled out his checkbook and quickly wrote out a check. “Here’s twenty-five hundred to start with. Tell me if they need more, okay?”
Abby was momentarily at a loss for words. Her hand trembled as she accepted the check. Steve would be so excited.
“How’s Proof Positive coming?” Bobby asked, innocent of all the subterfuge.
Abby had been dreading this topic. “It’s all finished,” she said with false cheer. “It went much faster than the other two because of Mallory doing all the research.”
“Is it really based on a real murder, or are you just saying that to get publicity?” Bobby asked.
“Of course it’s based on a real case. Loosely based,” she qualified. “Mallory ran across the case files when she was working as an insurance investigator through the work program at Argone. She brought it to my attention and asked me if I thought it would make a good plot for a book, and I said it would.” She turned and smiled at Mallory for effect. “I’ll tell you, though, it sure makes you wonder about the intelligence of our police. The case could have been solved if they’d done a proper investigation,” she said, improvising as she went. “Actually, it can still be solved. We have more than enough evidence to get them to reopen the case.”
Bobby leaned close to Abby. “Aren’t you worried that the real murderer will try to stop you?”
“The book is already with the publisher, Bobby. It’s too late to stop us or the book now.”
“I meant to try to kill you.”
“Nah!” Abby said with false confidence. “How would he … or she … find me? I used my pseudonym.”
“Wait a minute,” Donovan said in a voice that gave him total complete silence. “Bobby’s right, Abby. You could be putting yourself in danger. If you have proof, you need to go to the authorities with it so they can nab the guy.” He looked from Abby to Mallory. “Are you sure you aren’t just making this up? This sounds like a publicity stunt to sell books and maybe get a movie deal.” Donovan’s eyes glittered like polished sapphires.
Carol finally spoke. “This is serious, Abby. What kind of proof do you have? Can you tell us?”
Abby shook her head. “It’s a long and complicated story, Carol. Just read the book when it comes out. Oh, and that reminds me of something I wanted to tell you. I’m going to have a publishing party in February, and I want all of you to come. I’m going to have it catered and everything. Flowers, balloons, band, fortune-teller, the whole nine yards.”
“Will the book be out that soon?” Carol asked. “I thought you said you just turned it in.”
“I did. It will be out in March, but I thought I’d have the party in February. I don’t know the date yet, but I’ll be sending out invitations. I expect you both to be there in tux and gown. It’s black tie. You should see Mallory’s gown. What there is of it.” She grinned. She put her hand on Bobby’s arm. “You too, sport.”
“I have to wear a tux?”
“Yep. That’s what black tie means. Time to grow up, kiddo. You can bring a date if you want.”
Lunch arrived. Abby welcomed the break. Mallory discreetly tapped Abby’s knee, a warning to get ready for more.
“Abby and I were talking the other day, and we wondered if you saved any of our parents’ personal effects. I know they didn’t have a lot, but we’d be grateful to have anything, their wedding rings, an old watch, letters, photographs. Anything at all.”
“Good Lord, I forgot,” Donovan said. “Of course I saved some of their things for you. I saved all of your mother’s jewelry, pictures of them when they first met … oh, and, your mother’s diaries. In fact, there are two boxes of stuff in the attic over the garage,” Donovan said without hesitation. “You forgot about them, too, didn’t you, Abby?”
“I don’t recall you ever mentioning the boxes. All I remember is Carol saying she saved the newspaper article about my parents’ death.”
“Yes, that’s in there, too,” Donovan said, his voice taking on a hard edge. “I’ll have Bobby get them down tomorrow. You can either come and get them, or he can bring them over. Whatever is easier for you.”
“That would be great, wouldn’t it, Mallory?”
“Mama kept diaries?” Mallory asked.
Donovan nodded.
“How far back do they go?”
“I have no idea. I never read them. But there are a number of them. Eight or ten, anyway. I don’t remember.”
“Oh, by the way,” Abby said, remembering something that hadn’t been on the list. “We found Mama’s urn. Actually,” she said laughing, “it was never lost. Mallory had it all along. I just didn’t know it.” Abby looked at Carol, whose face drained of color, then to Donovan, who was sipping the scalding coffee in his cup.
“I’m really looking forward to showing you girls around the village,” Carol said, changing the subject. “You’ve never seen anything like this in your life. Donovan did himself … all of us … proud.”
“What we’ve seen so far is very impressive.” Abby’s thoughts turned wild as she tried to think of a way to maneuver the conversation the way she wanted it to go. “I bet you haven’t had a moment to yourself in months, have you, Donovan?”
Donovan guffawed. “I’ve had three work crews going twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last five weeks. I’m surprised I haven’t worn ruts in the road going back and forth between here and home. I haven’t been anywhere, not even into a convenience store in weeks. After today, I don’t care if I never see this place again.”
“That’s not true, Donovan, and you know it,” Carol said, shaking her finger at him.
So much for where Donovan was when Dr. Oldmeyer died, Abby thought, sliding a sideways glance at Mallory.
“Are either of you romantically involved?” Donovan asked, as the waitress refilled his coffee cup.
Abby stiffened. She wondered if she could answer the question without giving anything away. “I’ve been dating a guy pretty regularly for a few months,” she said hoping to leave it at that.
“Oh?” Carol’s interest was obviously piqued. “Tell us about him. Does he live near you? What does he do for a living?”
Something in Abby snapped. “Oh, no, Carol. What is it they say? Once burned, twice shy? I learned my lesson telling you about Connor. So if you don’t mind, I think I’ll keep my new romance to myself.”
Carol’s face registered shock. “Abby, how can you say such a thing to me?”
“Because it’s true. You even admitted it to me. Don’t you remember?”
Donovan scowled, his brows meeting in the middle of his forehead. “I’m sorry, Abby. I wish we could unring the bell. However, in our own defense, we were just looking out for you in our own misguided way.” He whipped out his wallet and tossed bills on the table. “I assume everybody’s finished.” He didn’t wait for an answer but walked around the table and out of the restaurant, wearing his anger like a badge.
Abby and Mallory didn’t speak until they were inside the car with the doors closed.
“He was definitely pissed,” Abby said. “Donovan is usually so in control, but he wasn’t just now. I’d say he pretty much lost it there for a few minutes.”
“I’d say so,” Mallory agreed. “How do you think we did? We covered everything on our list.”
“Yes, but we didn’t solve anything. We found out that Donovan was the big contributor but Carol was the one who made the decision not to contribute. That caught him off guard. He told us where he was when Constance was killed, and I guarantee you he can prove it. He answered our question about our parents’ stuff, and I think it’s pretty clear he hasn’t been hiding it. And you saw that he didn’t even flinch when I mentioned finding Mama’s urn. So what all of this says is … nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which is neither more nor less than what we had when we started. I’m starting to get a headache.”
“Did you know Mama kept a diary?”
“No,” Abby said as she followed Donovan out of the parking lot.
“I wonder if she wrote in her diary about her affair or about me and my real father.” Mallory smiled when Abby glanced her way. “I’ll bet he goes through the boxes and takes out anything he thinks might incriminate him before he gives them to us.”
“Mallory,” Abby said wearily, “you have to stop trying to make a quarter out of fifteen cents.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’re going to have to try to get Bobby alone,” Mallory said, completely ignoring Abby’s comment. “Remember that scenario we ran by him in the hospital? He’s probably thinking about the closet shelf, the castle, and maybe the urn. He might have seen it and not realized what it was. He knows now. He’s going to think we betrayed him.”
“You’re right but what are we going to say? We think your dad is a murderer? I-don’t-think-so. We’re here.”
The whole scene was picture-perfect, right down to the manicured shrubbery and intricate-colored flagstone walkways. The lawns were golf-course green with young oaks that would one day turn into mighty trees to shade the winding streets. The four-unit buildings were two stories high and painted a pristine white. Green-and-white-striped awnings shaded the front windows. Two matching rockers in Charleston green sat on each small front porch along with a clay pot of bright yellow chrysan-themums.
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