by Ingrid Thoft
He nodded. “She certainly didn’t get along with Lucas.”
“Right. That’s what I’ve heard,” Fina lied. “Did Nadine and Lucas have a falling-out? Or just a general dislike for each other?”
“They were never really friends. They were two strong personalities who wanted to be in charge.” He thought for a moment. “It did seem to get worse a couple of months ago.”
“Any idea why?”
Kyle shook his head. “Nope.” He glanced at the clock in the corner of his computer screen. “I should get back to work.”
“Of course. Thanks for talking with me.”
Fina ducked under the opening in the counter and started for the door.
“If you see Chloe, would you tell her I said hello?” Kyle asked.
“Of course. Give me a call if you think of anything else.”
“Sure.”
Fina needed Lucas to shed some light on his relationship with Nadine, but she knew it would take an act of God to make him tell her anything.
Hopefully, God wasn’t too busy doing other things—like curing cancer or helping wide receivers score touchdowns—to come through for her.
• • •
Nadine’s house looked no different than it had on Fina’s previous visit, but knowing that the owner was never coming back gave it an eerie vibe. Fina parked out front and headed toward Ronnie McCaffrey’s house next door. It was similar to Nadine’s except it was white and a small addition had been attached to the side. There was a Saint Patrick’s Day flag hanging beside the front door, and a smaller American flag was planted in a flower bed by the steps. The midsize pickup in the driveway had a sticker featuring the familiar logo of the International Association of Fire Fighters affixed to the back window.
Fina rang the bell and waited. She rang again, but started back in the direction of her car when there was no answer.
“Did you need something?” Ronnie came down the driveway, wiping his hands on a dirty cloth. He’d swapped his Patriots sweatshirt for a Red Sox one. He stopped and studied her. “Your name is on the tip of my tongue, but you’re going to have to remind me.”
“Fina Ludlow.” She walked over and shook his hand.
“Right. The PI.”
“Right.” She handed him her card. “Do you have a few minutes?”
He studied the card, then slipped it into his pants pocket. “If you don’t mind coming out to the garage. I’m finishing something up.”
“Happy to.”
He led her around the back of the house to the separate garage. Unlike Nadine’s, it had room for two cars. One bay was empty, and the other was occupied by a workbench. There were garden tools and hoses off to the side, and beside the bench, a child’s bicycle was tipped on its end.
“I’m fixing my grandson’s bike. He’ll want to ride it the first decent day we get.” Ronnie reached over and turned on a space heater. The bars started to glow after a few seconds.
“I’m always afraid those things are going to spontaneously combust,” Fina said.
Ronnie looked at her. “Few things spontaneously combust, sweetheart. People leave them on unattended or too close to drapes or bedding. You’ll notice I didn’t leave it on when I came out to talk to you.”
“Right. You would know. You said the other night you’re retired.”
He nodded. “Retired battalion chief, but I was with the department for forty-two years.”
“That’s impressive.”
Fina looked at the tools on the bench. She wondered what it would have been like to be raised by someone who knew how to build and fix things. Her meager competency in that area was acquired from Frank, who believed that everyone—men and women—should know how to change a tire, swap in a new AC filter, and tell the difference between a Phillips head and a regular screwdriver. Carl believed you could hire someone to do those things, but there was something to be said for a minimum level of know-how and self-reliance. Fina was going to make sure that she passed her knowledge on to Haley and her nephews.
He shrugged. “Never wanted to be anything but a firefighter.” This didn’t surprise Fina; it was never just a job to cops and firefighters.
Ronnie fiddled with the bike chain. “So you still working your case even though Nadine’s gone?”
“I’m trying to tie up some loose ends in my investigation.”
“What exactly are you investigating? You didn’t say the other night.”
“My client wants background on the Covenant Rising Church. I had hoped to get that from Nadine, but obviously, that didn’t happen.”
Ronnie made a noise that was somewhere between a grunt and a harrumph. “Well, I don’t know anything about the church.”
“My client wants to ensure that Nadine’s death doesn’t have an impact on the church, so I’m just doing some follow-up.” Fina knew she was talking in circles, but she didn’t want to reveal any more than she had to. She was trying to avoid having Ronnie or anyone else she spoke with tailor their answers to satisfy what they believed was her agenda.
Ronnie reached onto the tool bench and grabbed a wrench. He set to work tightening a bolt. “All I know about the church is that she was very devoted, and it caused nothing but trouble between Nadine and Evan.”
“Right. I’ve spoken with him. He seems like a nice guy.”
“He’s a great guy, got a sweet daughter, too.”
“Did you have much interaction with Nadine?”
“A fair amount.”
She waited for more, but Ronnie was silent. Fina looked out the window and saw a large backyard with a lawn, a play structure, and a sandbox. “How many grandchildren do you have?” Even her own mother, the Wicked Witch of the East, liked to talk about her grandchildren.
“Five. Ages twelve through two. How about you?” He looked at her. “Any kids?”
“Not yet,” Fina said, guessing that a lack of interest in procreation was not a policy that Ronnie would embrace.
“You’re still young,” he assured her.
Oh, goody.
“Are your grandkids local?” she asked.
“All of them are within six blocks, and I’ve also got a whole crew of honorary grandkids in the neighborhood. We do a block party in August, and a Fourth of July parade, caroling at Christmas.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“People seem to enjoy it,” Ronnie said, righting the bike. “That’s how it was when I was growing up; people were good neighbors, and they looked out for one another.”
“It sounds like a different era.”
“Some things really were better in the good old days,” Ronnie said.
“I don’t want to take any more of your time,” Fina said. “Thanks for the info.”
Out front a few kids had set up hockey goals and were engrossed in a street hockey game. The ball went astray, and one of the boys came over to her.
“Is Chief home?” he asked. His face was bright red, his bangs damp and sticking to his skin.
“In the garage,” Fina said, nodding in the direction of the backyard.
She watched them resume their game as she pulled on her seat belt.
The Ludlow children had grown up in a variety of large houses where the neighbors hid from one another, courtesy of gated driveways and enormous shrubs. At least she had her brothers, but it might have been nice to have some choice in playmates and activities.
Ronnie McCaffrey’s street was a whole different world.
• • •
Fina found a sandwich shop a few streets from Ronnie’s house and grabbed some lunch. She took a call from an associate at the firm who needed clarity on an investigation she did and then killed some time surfing the Web before making the trek to Dedham. She didn’t want to go home and stew about the break-in, the vandalism to her car, or her family situation,
so she decided to pay Lucas another visit instead.
The Chellew house was a ranch, with a small addition off the back that led to a deck. Beds of hostas flanked the front door, but there was nothing else to indicate any real pride or effort had been put into the property. The driveway was empty, but the light coming through the bay window suggested to Fina that a stop was worth her while.
She parked in front and scanned the area before leaving her car. This was what people who lived in safe neighborhoods and countries took for granted: not having to constantly be aware of their surroundings and evaluate potential threats and risks. Watching your back was an exhausting business.
The front door was opened by a girl who looked to be about fourteen. She had long, straight brown hair and hot-pink braces.
“Hi, I’m Fina. Is your dad home?”
“No, but he should be home soon.”
“What about your mom? I’m here on church business.”
“She isn’t here, either.” The girl glanced behind her toward another room. A boy band was playing at top volume, mewling pledges of forever love.
“Shit!” There was a yelp from inside the house. “Oh my God, Courtney! Get in here!”
The girl at the door took off, with Fina close behind. Courtney stopped short at the kitchen door when she saw the flames coming off the stove top. The girl who’d screamed was standing back from the fire, a look of horror on her face.
“Do you have a lid?” Fina barked, stepping between the girls and the pot of fire.
Courtney pushed the younger girl aside and threw open a cabinet door. She dropped to her knees and shoved some pans aside before passing a lid to Fina.
Fina tried to place it on the pan, but the size wasn’t quite right. Flames licked the edges of the lid and continued to climb toward the oven hood.
“A fire extinguisher?” she hollered. “And call 911!”
“Get the phone, Darcy!” Courtney yelled as she ran out of the room and returned with the red cylinder.
Fina grabbed it from the girl and pulled the pin. She aimed the nozzle at the base of the pan and depressed the lever, releasing a stream of white foam. In less than thirty seconds, the flames had disappeared. The only sound in the kitchen was heavy breathing and the drip of the melting foam.
“Should I still call 911?” Darcy asked after a moment, phone in hand.
“No,” Fina said, approaching the stove top. “It’s out.”
“Oh my God!” Courtney yelled at her sister. “What did you do?”
Darcy burst into tears and made protestations in between sobs and gulps.
“It’s okay. Everybody’s okay,” Fina said, steering the two girls to the kitchen table. “Just take a deep breath, you guys.”
Courtney’s cheeks were flushed, and she looked like she was struggling to contain her own tears. “We’re going to be in so much trouble. Dad’s going to kill us.”
“Your dad is going to be glad you’re both okay,” Fina said. “This kind of stuff”—she gestured toward the stove—“can be fixed. What were you making?”
They exchanged a glance. “Fondue,” Courtney said.
Fina nodded slowly. “Huh. I didn’t realize people still ate fondue.”
“We’re studying Switzerland in history class, and our mom pulled out Grandma’s fondue set.”
“Mom and Dad said to wait before we used it,” Darcy spat at her sister. She’d regained enough equilibrium to start assigning blame.
“Shut up!”
“We should call one of your parents and have them come home,” Fina said.
Courtney glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Mom should be here by now.”
“Well, I think it’s still too hot to clean things up.”
“Who are you?” Darcy asked, just realizing that Fina was an unfamiliar face.
“I’m Fina Ludlow, and I came to talk to your parents about some church stuff.”
The girl nodded and wiped at her face with her sleeve.
Fina perked up. “What kind of fondue?”
“Meat and then chocolate.”
Her eyes widened. “There’s chocolate? Why didn’t you say so?” Fina asked. “Don’t you know that when there’s a fire, you automatically get to break out the chocolate?”
The girls grinned. Darcy fetched a huge Hershey’s bar from a cabinet and placed it in front of Fina, who unwrapped it and broke off generous portions for all three of them.
They were sitting at the table, munching on the squares, when they heard a door open and someone come into the house.
“Girls!” a woman’s voice called out. “Where are you?” She came into the room and lifted her nose in the air. “It smells like a fire!”
“That’s because there was a fire,” Darcy said, rolling her eyes. Oh, this one was sassy.
The woman surveyed the kitchen with an open mouth.
“I’m Fina Ludlow.” She stood and extended her hand. “I stopped by to ask you and Lucas some questions, but when I got here, there was a situation.”
“Fina put out the fire, Mom,” Courtney offered.
“Oh my God, thank you.” She hugged Fina and then leaned over both girls to do the same. “I’m Heather Chellew.” She looked at the chunks of chocolate on the table.
“I insisted on breaking open the chocolate.” Fina sat back down. “It was a traumatic experience, and we needed a pick-me-up.”
“Of course. Did the fire department come?”
“I was going to call them, but she put it out,” Darcy said.
“I think you’ll need to file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance,” Fina said. “There’s some damage.” She pointed at the blackened cabinet above the hood.
Heather sighed and shook her head. She had short brown hair and an average build that dropped from her shoulders straight down to her hips. Her boxy shape didn’t bode well for her daughters’ future physiques.
“We’re really sorry, Mom,” Courtney said, hanging her head.
“Uh-huh. Your father is not going to be pleased.”
“Do we have to tell him?” Darcy wondered.
“Dummy!” her sister exclaimed. “You don’t think he’ll notice?”
“Courtney! Don’t talk to your sister that way. I want you to go to your rooms and finish your homework.”
Darcy started to speak.
“If you’ve already finished your homework, then read a book or clean up your room. No screen time. We’ll discuss your punishment when your father gets home.”
“We were just trying to help,” Courtney insisted.
Heather raised an eyebrow, which seemed to signal to both girls that she meant business. “We will discuss it later.”
They grabbed their chocolate and left the room.
Heather contemplated the chocolate, but decided against it. She went over to the sink and eyed the damage before filling a glass with water. “Can I get you some?” she asked Fina.
“No, I’m good,” Fina said, aware that there might be a ticking clock on Heather’s goodwill.
“What did you want to ask Lucas about?” Heather refilled her glass and came back to the table.
“Covenant Rising.”
“Are you a member? I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“No, although I recently was a guest of Chloe Renard’s and heard Pastor Greg preach.”
“He is so wonderful.” Heather swooned. “Did you just love it?”
Fina smiled. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’m working with the police on the Nadine Quaynor case, and I wanted to speak with Lucas about the leadership committee.”
Heather fidgeted in her seat. “What does the leadership committee have to do with it?”
“Nadine and Lucas were both on the committee, and I wanted to ask him some questions.”
Realization dawned on Heather’s face. “You don’t think her death has something to do with the church, do you?”
“No, but I need to get as much information as possible.” Fina hoped that Heather was too distracted by the kitchen fire to contemplate Fina’s motives too closely.
“I just can’t believe that Nadine is gone,” she said. “Our hearts are broken.”
Fina noticed that her words echoed those of her husband. “Chloe is very distressed. Did you know Nadine well?”
“Lucas knew her better than I did.”
“I’ve heard that she had very strong opinions.”
Heather nodded.
“I’ve served on committees before,” Fina offered, “and it’s hard when one member likes to be in charge.” The only committee on which Fina had ever served was in her freshman dorm. She was appointed to the house residence committee in an effort to get her involved in community living, which backfired spectacularly. She didn’t have the will to feign interest in the cereal selection in the dining hall or the fire alarm testing schedule and was swiftly counseled out of the group. Everyone was relieved by the change in membership.
“I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead,” Heather said, leaning closer to Fina, “but Nadine was difficult.”
“In what way?”
“Had to be her way or the highway. She never wanted to hear anyone else’s ideas and she couldn’t let things go.”
Fina nibbled on a square of chocolate. “What kinds of things?”
“I don’t know the specifics, but Lucas would always complain that she was like a dog with a bone.”
Fina thought that was a good quality in a financial expert, but only, she supposed, if you really wanted people to know where the money was going.
“That must have been annoying,” she said.
“Very. I told him he should speak with Pastor Greg about removing her from the committee.”
“Did he? Speak with Pastor Greg?”
“I think so. Of course, Lucas only did it for the good of the church. Nadine was creating problems where there weren’t any.”
“What exactly was she doing that was so disruptive?” Fina asked.
Heather reached over and broke off a square of chocolate, her resolve finally crumbling. “I don’t know all the details, but she was involving herself in Pastor Greg and Gabby’s business.” She bit into the candy and chewed. “And there was also something about the church finances, but I don’t know anything about money stuff.”