“I’ve visited the relatives of the first two husbands. No one has anything good to say about her. They use words like greedy, manipulative.”
“That’s not good,” David said. “Has Lionel been helpful?”
“He’s been great. I’m going to give him a call to see what he thinks.”
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Every time I talk to someone from Marian’s past, more red flags pop up. It’s hard to sort out sour grapes from legitimate negative comments. I mean, maybe they just didn’t want to accept her.”
“Like you?” he asked.
“Just like me, but one big problem for me is that even her own brother doesn’t seem to trust her. One thing is for sure. Nothing I’ve heard will cause me to stop digging. I’m going to interview all of the survivors, including the other surviving husband.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ethan and I ended up staying up talking half the night after we made it back to my condo. As I was drinking coffee the next morning, I was feeling much better and less guilty about our relationship. Ethan was essentially letting me off the hook; now all I had to do was let go of my guilt.
Until I bolted, I always prided myself on being a good mother. My escape didn’t fit with my perception of good mothering, but I suppose all mothers have a secret list of perceived failures. We all start out swearing we won’t make the same mistakes our parents made, only to go on to make a totally different set of them.
One of the biggest things I realized while I was in Alaska was that I should have taken Ethan and left James when I first realized he had a drinking problem he had no intention of addressing. Roni always says better late than never. Forgive me if I think that seems like a convenient copout. Maybe a better question would be, how many red flags did I miss when I was going out with James? Did I see them and dismiss them or just miss them entirely, or was James so clever he successfully hid them?
I rinsed my mug and put it in the dishwasher as Harley meowed her way into the kitchen and rubbed up against my leg. I scratched her head and wrote a note for Ethan, who was still asleep in the guest room. He didn’t have a class until later so he was lucky enough to be able to sleep in before heading back to school. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed to the office.
Cindy was on the phone when I opened the door and stepped into the office. “Lionel,” Cindy said. “She just walked in. I’ll put you on hold for a second and she can take your call in her office.”
“Good morning, Cindy,” I said. “I’ll run back and grab the phone.”
I threw my purse on my desk and picked up the phone. “Hey, Lionel,” I said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing great, Kitty,” he said. “How about you?”
“Can’t complain,” I said. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to see how Roni was doing with her investigation and how you’re doing with Ho?”
“Roni and I have been playing phone tag,” I said. “We’re supposed to have lunch here at the office today to catch up. She said something about talking to you again and actually, I was hoping maybe you could help me with something. Why don’t you come by the office for lunch and we can sit down and talk about everything?”
“Sure, what time?”
“Does noon work?” I asked.
“See you then.”
I spent most of the morning returning phone calls and completing computer generated reports. By noon, I had cleared the desk and ordered takeout from a local deli. An Italian salad with artichoke hearts, pimentos, red onions, iceberg lettuce and an oil and vinegar dressing accompanied by a variety of meat and cheese subs arrived promptly at noon. Roni and Lionel came in the office as Cindy and I were setting out the food.
“That looks great,” Lionel said as he took a paper plate and started to help himself.
“Don’t be shy,” I said as everyone laughed.
Hunger must have stifled the conversation because everyone seemed content to eat. Lionel was on his second sub before anyone spoke.
“This is really good,” Roni said. “I’m glad you could come Lionel. I was going to call you but this is better. I’ve visited relatives of the first two husbands. They don’t have anything good to say about Marian. Even her own brother thinks she got pregnant on purpose just to get married and get out of the house.”
“So, they all thought she was manipulative?” Lionel asked.
“Don’t forget greedy,” Roni said. “They think she’s all about the money.”
“Did they seem suspicious about how their relatives died?” Lionel asked.
“Not until I brought it up,” Roni said. “I’ll tell you though, it wasn’t like anyone said Marian just isn’t capable of that or seemed surprised. I just don’t think they ever connected the dots that way before.”
“Still, it’s a big leap from greedy to murderer,” Lionel said.
“Yeah, I know,” Roni said. “I’m kind of having the same problem. Tell me about Black Widows, Lionel. What does their profile look like?”
“Well, no one gets suspicious until the body count rises,” Lionel said. “Typically, they claim six to eight victims. Black Widows are intelligent, manipulative, highly organized, and patient. They plan their activities with great care and in a way that is unsuspected at the time. They seem to go out of their way to make sure it’s at a time when the victim feels secure and unthreatened.”
“Which is why the survivors don’t connect any dots,” I said.
“True,” Lionel said. “The motive is always profit. Poison is usually the weapon of choice. They usually poison their victims over a long period of time. They play the role of concerned spouse the whole time they’re continuing their attack.”
“That sounds really creepy,” Cindy said.
“It is creepy,” Lionel said. “Look, statistically the odds are against Marian being a Black Widow, but nothing you’ve found out so far rules her out, either. Just looking at the data, none of her husbands died within the first year of the marriage. So, she is patient. It probably takes her that long to figure out the finances and get wills changed. Do you know if she got any life insurance payoffs?”
“She got one from both of the first two,” Roni said.
“Well, I think you need to finish your interviews,” Lionel said. “Do you know if she’s asked your dad about life insurance?”
“No, I don’t know,” Roni said. “If or when I talk to him, I’ll be sure and ask. Look, my dad has already been in the hospital once. He took some of Marian’s homeopathic medicines. That fits the poison scenario. So, when do I go to my dad?”
“That’s tricky,” I said. “Marian’s very good at manipulating him.”
“He might just tell me to back off,” Roni said. “He did that before they got married when we asked some questions about Marian’s past. Of course, that was before we realized she had been married five times.”
“Why don’t you finish interviewing the rest of the relatives?” Lionel asked. “The one who didn’t die should give you the best insight into how she operates. Then we can talk about the whole picture. In the end, unless you start getting the idea she isn’t what we think she is, you’re probably going to have to lay it out for him.”
“I guess it’s a good thing she’s patient,” Roni said. “Otherwise, I’d be worried about taking any more time.”
“So, Kitty, what did you want me to help you with?” Lionel asked.
“Well, I need to do some surveillance at a bar,” I said. “This lady is dating the bartender and hangs out there all the time. I’ve been told she drinks quite a bit and likes to dance. She claims she can’t even do light duty because she’s having so much low back pain. If she can dance she can answer the phone at work. I need a video and a pretend date.”
“I’ll do it on one condition,” Lionel said.
“OK, what’s the condition?” I asked.
“Well, I know you also wanted to talk to me about Ho,” he said. “So, you have
to agree to have dinner with me first.”
“Oh, I can do that,” I said.
“Great, I’ll pick you up at seven,” Lionel said. “You have a condo upstairs, right?”
“Yeah, number 210,” I said.
“Great, I’ll see you at seven,” Lionel said as he started for the door. “Let me know when you finish the interviews, Roni. Bye, everyone.”
“Thanks a lot Lionel,” Roni said as he left the outer office.
“Wow,” Cindy said. “I think he likes you, Kitty.”
“No,” I said. “This is just so we can talk about Ho. He’s not interested in me like that.”
“Why not?” Roni asked. “This will be a good change for you. I mean it’s about time you went out with someone who isn’t just some anonymous pervert you met on the Net.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Roni’s comment about all the anonymous perverts I had met on the Net reverberated in my head as I got ready for my faux date with Lionel. As much as I consciously rejected the idea this was a date, I took my time with my hair and make-up, telling myself it was just in case. I dressed in my semi-slut clothes, avoiding the total slut look I sometimes employed for surveillance.
Lionel arrived promptly at seven; forty minutes later we were sitting on the roof of Quintessential, a popular St. Charles restaurant known for comfortable outdoor seating. Our table had been placed closer to the edge of the roof, affording a quiet, intimate feel along with a killer view of the Missouri river. I love this section of old town St. Charles, part of the Lewis and Clark Trail and the home of the first settlement west of the Mississippi.
Dressed in slacks and a polo shirt, Lionel looked comfortable as the candlelight flickered in his dazzling green eyes. We were sipping a sweet pinot gris, finding conversation a little difficult. From my perspective, I think it was because I wasn’t sure what the ground rules were for the relationship.
“Have you been here before?” he asked.
“No, but I’ve heard good things about it,” I said. “I was born in St. Charles; my grandparents were married at a Church about a mile from here.”
“Lots of history here,” he said, smiling as he poured more wine. “How are you and Cindy doing with Ho?”
“Cindy went into the restaurant. Ho took her order and money, but both times we’ve watched the place, she didn’t stay that long. It’s like she’s checking on the place but not really working a shift. You know, like she owns or manages the place. Cindy is going to go back in and try to get more info and fingerprints, if possible.”
“That sounds good,” he said as the waiter took our dinner orders and left.
“Do you have photos?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll e-mail the photos and call when we get the fingerprints. I’ve been taking my time because I’m trying to help Cindy. She’s so anxious to fit in.”
“She has some issues, right?” he asked.
“Yeah, she has OCD. This is a big deal to her.”
“It’s nice of you to try to help her,” he said.
“I haven’t always been so nice. I made fun of her in high school just like everybody else. Now I realize we all have issues.”
“Thank God high school is behind us,” he said. “As you can probably guess, I was a huge nerd in high school.”
“I’m shocked, shocked I tell you. So, what’s your story Lionel? Why did you join the FBI and why did you quit? You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”
“You get right to it, don’t you?” he asked as the waiter dropped off our salads.
“Too much cyber dating. I’ve been e-mailing men and then tried meeting them. So far, they all seem to be hiding something they just can’t admit until they are sitting in front of me.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“The first guy was an alcoholic. Been there, done that. The second guy lived in the boonies and was a widower with five kids under 10. He didn’t tell me any of that.”
“So, you don’t like kids?” he asked.
“No, I love kids. I have a son. That wasn’t the problem. The real issue was living in the boonies. I can’t do that again.”
“How old is your son?” he asked.
“He’s 21. He’s a senior in college. Look, I’m sorry to be so blunt, but what are we doing here, Lionel? Are we colleagues having a discussion over dinner or what?”
“My intention was that this would be a date,” he said as the waiter removed our salad plates and delivered the pecan encrusted tilapia specials.
“Is that a problem?” he asked after the waiter left.
“Actually, no it’s not. I just wasn’t sure. OK, now that that’s out of the way, tell me your story.”
“I like you, Kitty,” he said, laughing. “Well, after college, I was recruited by the FBI. I loved it. I was with the behavioral analysis unit and traveled everywhere. I married my college girlfriend and eventually, we had twin girls. The traveling was hell on the marriage and chasing those people changes you in ways I’m not sure I really understood back then. My wife and I eventually separated. Didn’t faze me, really. I was on a mission, you know. Saving the world. Then my wife died in a car accident, and I had two little girls I barely knew to take care of.”
“Sometimes life just slaps you upside the head. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks,” he said. “It felt like a slap upside the head, one I really had coming. Anyway, I took a leave of absence to take care of the girls and get my head together. My mom provided the next slap by telling me if I was going to continue being an FBI agent I should just let her and my dad, or my in laws, raise the girls. I realized she was right.”
“I think I’d like your mom.”
“You’re a lot alike,” he said. “Anyway, my parents moved back here after my dad retired so I quit the FBI and followed them. David Weller is a friend from high school who needed a security chief. That’s my story.”
“Wow, I like your story better than mine. I can’t actually trace my life altering decision to any one event. I’d liken the situation to a pressure cooker; the pressure builds up until one day it explodes. That day, I decided I’d just had enough. I left my husband and 17 year old son and moved to Alaska.”
“Sounds like you moved as far away as possible without actually leaving the country,” he said, chuckling.
“There’s a lot of truth to that idea. I’m one of 10 kids. I didn’t want to get a lot of visitors trying to talk me out of what I was doing. I had never been alone before and then suddenly, I had a lot of alone time to figure some things out.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“I realized I should have taken my son and left years before I finally did. I also realized one of the biggest reasons I hadn’t was that I was afraid of being alone. I was never alone growing up, and I was afraid I couldn’t handle it. I was wrong.”
“Any regrets?” he asked.
“I felt guilty about leaving my son, but last night he told me that once I left, he had to stop blaming me for his dad’s drinking. I’m more and more optimistic we can repair our relationship. In some ways, I think my leaving was good for both of us.”
“You think it forced him to grow up?” he asked.
“I think it forced both of us to grow up. In some ways, it was an act of courage for me to leave. Time to be a real adult. Rely on yourself. Be a complete person. I just should have taken him with me.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself,” he said. “He was 17; almost a man. I remember being really snotty to my parents when I was 17. It sounds like he needed some alone time with your husband to figure out that only his dad is responsible for his drinking. You did him a favor.”
“I like the way you think, Lionel. You know, feeling afraid of being alone is a powerful thing. I mean, I get the whole Billy and Marian thing. I really hope we’re wrong about Marian. You know, I didn’t want to bring this up in front of Roni, but I’ve been wondering if Marian’s children are involved in this.”
“What makes you think that?” he asked.
“Well, besides acting like a pig and grabbing my ass at Billy’s reception, Marian’s son, Murray, also issued a veiled threat. Something along the lines of don’t interfere or he might see to it that Billy might not want to see Roni anymore.”
“That would make them team killers,” he said. “They’re even more rare than a female serial killer.”
“I really hope this whole thing turns out to be a bust just like you suggested at the office.”
“Statistically, that should be the outcome,” he said as the waiter cleared the table and left the check.
“Do you want to split the check?”
“Have the dating rules changed that much?” he asked.
“You’re asking the wrong person. I just didn’t want to take anything for granted.”
“Well, we’ll just go by the old rules OK?” he asked. “Where’s the bar we need to check out?”
“Right down the street.”
“I have to warn you,” he said. “I can’t dance.”
Maggie’s on Main Street was only four doors down from the restaurant; we could hear the music as soon as we hit the sidewalk outside. Reportedly, our target was a frequent customer, so we agreed to case the bar to see if my quarry was there. Maggie’s was packed and we literally had to wade through the throng to get to the bar. I spotted Tina Brown on the other side of the bar talking to one of the bartenders.
“That’s her on the other side of the bar,” I said.
“The brunette talking to the bald, buff looking bartender?” he asked.
“That would be the one,” I said. “I think he might be her boyfriend. He looks like bouncer material, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, let’s try not to make him mad,” he said.
“What can I get you?” the perky female bartender on our side of the bar asked.
“I’ll have a Long Island iced tea,” I said.
“Make it two,” Lionel said.
She brought our drinks and I paid before Lionel could get his wallet out.
Worse Than Being Alone Page 14