2-in-1

by Kira Chase

  Mary slammed down the knife. “How dare you! Of course we want the killer caught. We’ve been sick with grief over this whole tragedy.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “This hasn’t been easy for any of us. We’re trying to keep things running smoothly out of consideration for Mr. McHenry.”

  Bryn’s eyes glistened with tears. “This place will never be the same without Cassandra. I’ll miss her radiant smile and the way she would come in here every morning to have her coffee and chat.”

  Johanna, pleased that her tactic had seemed to work at least with Bryn, continued. “Then tell me what you know. That’s why I’m here. I want to solve her murder. I’m not the enemy,” she added softly. She was surprised when Mary answered her.

  Mary’s lips trembled. “We haven’t seen Chelsea in years.”

  “Do you know if Cassandra was in contact with her?”

  Mary nodded. “The poor woman never felt right about her parents cutting Chelsea out of the will even though she understood their reasons for doing so. She wanted to do right by her sister and was determined to make sure she got her fair share. But she didn’t intend to give her any money unless she’d cleaned herself up.”

  “Had Chelsea straightened up?”

  “No. But Cassandra never gave up hope that she would.”

  “So they were close then, when they were growing up together?”

  “Yes. Cassandra took it very hard when Chelsea left. She’d sit here in the kitchen every night and pour out her heart. She believed Chelsea wasn’t a lost cause.” She shrugged. “Maybe she felt the loss more because they were twins. I saw on TV once a program about twins knowing when another was injured or in distress.”

  “I remember the program,” Bryn said. “It was a weekly news show. Who was the host, Mary?”

  Johanna gently brought them back to the topic at hand before they took a long walk down memory lane. “Did Cassandra share her worries with her parents?”

  “We urged her to tell them the things she told us, but she said she couldn’t.”

  “Chelsea never came back after her parents kicked her out?”

  Mary shook her head. “No.” She took a shuddering breath. “Cassandra had been receiving letters from her, though.”

  “Did she show them to her parents?”

  “Oh, no. Mr. Reynolds would have torn the letters up. Chelsea sent them to me and I passed them on to Cassandra.”

  “And you kept that information from her parents?”

  Mary looked shame-faced at Johanna. “If it had been anyone else I would have given the letters to them, but Cassandra was suffering and I couldn’t stand to see her in such pain. She begged me not to say anything and I gave her my word.”

  “How long did they stay in touch?”

  “For about a year. One day Chelsea included a phone number in the letter and asked Cassandra to call her. Cassandra was on the phone when her father walked in. When he found out she was talking to Chelsea, he literally turned purple with rage. In all the years I’ve worked for him, I’ve never seen him before or after, become so livid.”

  “What happened?” Johanna asked.

  “He grabbed the phone out of Cassandra’s hand and screamed at Chelsea that she was no daughter of his.”

  Johanna’s eyes narrowed. “What did she do to cause such a reaction?”

  Bryn cast her eyes down. “There was talk…bad.” She shot a wary look at Mary.

  Mary wiped her hands on her apron, then pulled out a chair across from Johanna and eased her heavy body into it. “I never paid much attention to the gossip,” she said, “but this was different.”

  “In what way?”

  “Sit down here with us, Bryn. I’ll help you finish the vegetables before I go off to bed,” Mary ordered.

  Bryn moved to the table, pulled out a chair and sat. She looked cautiously at Johanna. “We never saw anything abnormal going on. It was just nasty talk.”

  “I don’t follow,” Johanna said.

  Mary sighed deeply. “Chelsea was thrown out not just because of drugs and stealing money. She was thrown out because she accused her father of taking liberties with her.”

  “You mean sexual liberties?”

  The older woman nodded. “Of course, none of us believed it. Hyde Reynolds was a doting husband and father. We figured Chelsea was saying those horrible things because he had clamped down on her wild ways. She’d become promiscuous when she started drinking and taking drugs and it wasn’t unusual for her to sneak boys into the mansion in the middle of the night.”

  “Did Cassandra know about Chelsea’s allegations?”

  “Yes. It tore her apart because she loved her sister, but was also devoted to her father. After Chelsea left, the incident was never brought up again.”

  “What about Mrs. Reynolds?” Johanna asked. “What was her reaction?”

  Mary was thoughtful for a few seconds. “She seemed to change after that.” A sorrowful looked passed over her face. “I can’t imagine what she must have been going through…the emotional turmoil. She began staying more to herself and her personality changed radically. But, of course, we never believed that he’d ever touched his daughter inappropriately. I don’t think she believed it either, but it had put a crimp in her social life. Word spreads fast and I think Chelsea and her crowd helped spread the rumor.”

  “Margaret was always so cheerful and outgoing, but then she suddenly stopped doing all the things she used to love. Her health began failing.” Bryn sighed. “It broke our hearts to see her suffering. Her closest friends abandoned her when they should have been rallying around her with support.”

  “My guess was that many in their social circle had daughters and I suppose in the backs of their minds was the question what if he had? Some people are strange sometimes. Once someone is accused of something even if he is later found innocent, the doubt will always remain.”

  “What about Hyde’s health?”

  “Oh he was as healthy as a horse. He brushed off the rumors and went about his business. If his dwindling social invitations bothered him, he never showed it. In fact, he seemed relieved once Chelsea was out of the house.”

  “Did things change between them after Chelsea left?”

  Mary rubbed her chin. “We’d heard from the upstairs maid that they’d taken separate bedrooms, but then that’s not so unusual with his long business hours.”

  “Were charges ever brought against him?”

  “No. Child Protective Services questioned us, but nothing ever came of Chelsea’s charges.”

  “So you two haven’t seen Chelsea at all since she left all those years ago?”

  Mary’s eyes shifted nervously. “No. Mr. McHenry warned us that we were to call him immediately if she ever showed up here.”

  Johanna leaned back in her chair. “How does the staff get along with him?”

  “He’s the opposite of Hyde. He’s never treated us like family.” Mary shrugged. “I suppose we should be grateful we still have our jobs. I only hope that he doesn’t discharge us. One of the maids overheard him arguing with Cassandra several months ago that some of us were too old to continue on here. Cassandra told him we’d stay until our last breath.”

  “Were you surprised when she married Graham?”

  “Oh yes!” Mary exclaimed. “We thought she was joking. They hadn’t even dated that we knew of. One day she just announced out of the blue that she would be marrying him and we were to answer to him as well as her.”

  Johanna watched as Bryn’s expression became anxious. “Is something wrong?”

  “You promise we won’t get in trouble for this talk?”

  “I promise. My only motive is to find out who killed Cassandra McHenry and why.” She felt her cell phone vibrate against her leg and glanced down at it. Frankie had left her a text message. “Please excuse me a minute.”

  I hope you are on your way home.

  Just a couple more minutes, she texted back then snapped her phone shut.

  “We’
re afraid that we’ll be let go,” Bryn said as she stood up and walked over to the stove. “Most of us have nowhere to go.” Her hand trembled on the wooden spoon as she stirred the vegetables in the large soup pot. “He’ll now inherit the estate and all that goes with it.”

  “I’m sure that Cassandra left provisions for all of you in her will.”

  “Not if he has anything to say about it,” she retorted bitterly.

  “What do you mean, Bryn?” Johanna asked. “Has he said something to you?”

  She walked back to the table and sat. Mary patted Bryn’s hand. “She overheard a conversation last night. He’d come into the kitchen for a snack and was on the phone with someone. He said he couldn’t wait to unload this place.”

  “Even if he were to do that, I’m sure that Cassandra made arrangements in her will for all of you to be taken care of. She may have even put a clause in there that states the estate can’t be sold.”

  Bryn’s eyes brightened. “Is that possible? Can she do that? I thought the surviving spouse automatically inherits everything.”

  Johanna nodded. “I’ve seen wills encompass just about anything you can imagine. Her parents were very fond of all of you from what I’ve been told, and don’t forget that her father built this place and may have only left it to Cassandra for as long as she lives and then deeded it to someone else. I wouldn’t worry.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Mary answered uneasily.

  “When was the last time you saw Cassandra?”

  Mary’s eyebrows knitted together. “Bryn, when was it that she left for Europe?”

  “About two months ago.”

  Johanna’s jaw dropped. “Europe?”

  “Yes. She was due back next week. She must have come back early. I just can’t figure out what she was doing in that motel. It doesn’t make any sense,” Mary stated.

  “Where was her car?”

  “In the garage in the back, where it always is,” Mary answered.

  “Remember what I told you I saw the night she was murdered?” Bryn’s eyes flitted nervously.

  “I’d forgotten about that,” Mary said.

  “What did you see, Bryn?” Johanna asked calmly.

  Bryn shifted in her seat. “It had just gotten dark and I was reading in my room when I saw the garage door open. I knew Mr. McHenry had already left for New York so I was curious. I pushed my curtain aside, but all I could see was Cassandra’s car being driven out.”

  “Did you see who was driving?” Johanna’s heartbeat quickened. She realized this would have been the exact time she and Frankie were waiting at the side of the road.

  “No. A couple of hours later I was awakened when I heard a car come up the drive. I got out of bed, but by the time I looked out the window, no one was there.”

  “Did anyone come in the mansion?”

  She shook her head. “Mr. McHenry had instructed us when Cassandra left for Europe that he would take care of any nighttime visitors so we wouldn’t have to be disturbed at night. Sometimes he had late-night meetings. If he wasn’t home we were not permitted to let anyone in.”

  “Didn’t you find that odd?”

  “No. Mr. Reynolds used to do the same thing.”

  “So someone was driving Cassandra’s car while she was in Europe.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you tell the sheriff?”

  “No,” she replied nervously. “I told Mr. McHenry and he said I must have been mistaken. He told me it was inconsequential and I shouldn’t bother the sheriff with it, so I put it out of my mind. But someone was driving the car and had access to the code to get on the grounds.”

  Johanna debated pursuing the conversation, but realized she’d spent longer than she’d planned. She’d come back with Frankie when she questioned them. After all, even though Graham wasn’t happy about them questioning the staff, he hadn’t refused. She doubted he would now that they’d laid it on the line. Even so, he was unstable and she didn’t want to find out what he’d do if he knew she was snooping through his house for evidence of Chelsea.

  She put her cell phone in her pocket and rose. “Thank you both for your cooperation.”

  “Please don’t tell Mr. McHenry what we said,” Mary pleaded.

  “I won’t,” Johanna promised. “He doesn’t even know I’m here.” She walked toward the door she’d entered, then turned on her heel. “Maybe it would be best if I left from the back.”

  Relieved, the women led her to the back entrance.

  Chapter 9

  Frankie fought to keep her cool as she stared at Graham. “I think you know where Chelsea is.”

  “I’ve told you I don’t!” He sniffed indignantly.

  “I’ll talk to Mary and Bryn. Maybe they can fill in the blanks.” She kept her voice even, but her insides were trembling with anger.

  “If you speak with them, they will no longer be in my employ.”

  “Excuse me? You would just turn them out after this has been their home for most of their lives? How can you be so cold?” She walked to the door, then turned and faced him. Her eyes flashed angrily. “I can no longer work for you.” She threw her hands up. “This isn’t worth it. Your refund and detailed report will be in the mail tomorrow.” The look in his eyes as they shifted sent a chill up her spine.

  “Please sit back down.” His tone of voice abruptly changed. “I apologize. I’m sure you can understand the stress I’ve been under.” He swept a hand through his hair. “I haven’t been able to sleep or eat. I can’t believe Cassandra’s really gone.”

  His sudden mood changes made her uneasy. She cautiously eyed him as she retook her seat. “No more games. I can’t help you if you don’t level with me.” She looked into his eyes trying to read something in them. “I want to get that animal off the streets as much as you do.” She continued staring at him. “Cassandra wasn’t ill, was she? Tell me where she was for the past two months.” She kept her voice level.

  He shook his head as he drew a shaky breath. “I haven’t told anyone this…even the sheriff. Chelsea was blackmailing me.”

  “You? Why?”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what the staff does or doesn’t know. Since they live here in such close proximity I’m sure they’ve overheard private conversations conducted either in person or on the phone. They may only relate their opinion, which may not be what actually happened. Cassandra used to confide in them until I intervened. But I think even after I’d insisted it wasn’t proper she continued to do so. They were family to her and she refused to look at them as her servants. She’d admonish anyone who would. She loved them and they loved her. They would do anything for her.”

  Frankie listened patiently. “What does any of this have to do with Chelsea blackmailing you?”

  “Please bear with me. I’m getting to that. I don’t know if the staff was aware of it and if they were, of course, they would never say a word to me. I didn’t want them to tell you anything before I had a chance to explain.”

  “Aware of what?”

  He cleared his throat again. “Chelsea and I had an affair a couple of years ago.”

  Frankie’s eyes widened, but she kept quiet as she watched the color slowly creep from his neck to his face.

  “I was on a business trip in California,” he continued. “Cassandra had pleaded with me to try to find Chelsea while I was there.”

  “I take it you didn’t have any trouble finding her.”

  He loudly exhaled. “No. I knew where she’d be.” He fell silent.

  “How did you know, Graham?” Frankie prodded.

  “Cassandra’s mother had left a provision in her will for Chelsea to continue receiving monthly checks if she preceded Chelsea in death. No matter what Chelsea had done Margaret still loved her unconditionally. That part of the will was not made known to anyone, but me.”

  “Wait a minute. You said ‘to continue receiving monthly checks’. You mean she’d been in touch with Chelsea for all those years?”
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br />   He nodded. “Not even Cassandra knew. I handled the paperwork and mailed Chelsea a check each and every month. Once or twice she flew to California with me to visit Chelsea, but Chelsea refused to see her. But Margaret still insisted she receive a substantial check each and every month.” He frowned. “It wasn’t enough to afford her the lifestyle she’d grown up in, but it was more than adequate to let her live comfortably. I think most of it went up her nose. She lived in a filthy shack and her clothes were misshapen and out of style.” He sighed. “I was glad that she’d refused to see her mother because I don’t think Margaret could have handled seeing her in that condition.”

  “I take it that none of this was known to Hyde Reynolds either?”

  “No. Hyde was kept totally in the dark. He would have been livid if he’d known.”

  “Why did he despise his own daughter so much? I understand that she’d had a wild streak, but why hold a grudge for all these years?”

  His jaw tightened. “Chelsea is a nasty piece of work. She doesn’t care who she stomps on to get what she wants. If she is refused, she becomes unbearable and flies into vengeful rages. It was during one of those rages that she accused Hyde of sexually molesting her. Of course no one believed it. I wasn’t privy to all the details.” He shrugged. “The help probably knows more about what went on during that time than I do.”

  “I’ll get back to that later, but right now let’s get back to your affair with Chelsea. How did that start?”

  His jaw twitched. “It was not planned. I called her and she agreed to meet me at my hotel. I told her that Cassandra was hoping maybe she’d come home for a visit. Chelsea had cleaned herself up by that time and seemed receptive to Cassandra’s offer. We chatted for a while and I brought her up to date about the happenings in Cassandra’s life. I saw the envy in her eyes. Cassandra had everything while she’d been given only a tiny pittance in comparison. I felt sorry for her.” He twisted his hands nervously together before he placed them in his lap. “Cassandra and I hadn’t been intimate for months…I’m not proud of what happened.”

  “So Chelsea wanted more than just a fling with her brother-in-law?”