Conspiracy of Silence

by Martha Powers

  She got up once during the night when she heard the dog, whining at the back door. Tiptoeing out to the main room in the dark, she found Waldo sprawled by the back door. His big head rested on his paws and his tail swished back and forth on the floor. Moving to the side of the window, she peeked outside. She covered her mouth to hold back a scream when she saw someone on the porch. She understood Waldo’s complacence when she recognized Jake in the chaise lounge.

  Creeping back to the bedroom, she crawled under the covers, shivering at the realization that the old man thought she needed protecting. Hearing Waldo’s nails clicking on the wooden floor as he came back into the room, she sighed. Between Jake and Waldo, she was perfectly safe.

  During the night, thunder rumbled over the lake but the rain held off. Morning brought a pileup of storm clouds overhead and air that was thick with humidity.

  She’d gone to bed at ten thirty and slept on and off until seven o’clock. Eight and a half hours. She felt more tired than she hadthe night before. She sat on the side of the bed and stared down at the floor. Waldo lumbered to his feet and headed toward the back door. Snatching up her mandarin bathrobe, Clare slipped on her sandals and opened the back door half expecting to see Jake asleep on the porch. The chaise lounge was empty.

  “Don’t go far, Waldo,” she said, as she stood on the porch overlooking the lake.

  The water was gunmetal gray and the wind whipped the surface into a heavy chop. It might not be raining now, but she smelled the imminence in the thickness of the air. As if she’d conjured up the storm, a jagged bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, accompanied by a sharp crack of thunder. Raindrops plopped down on the steps to the porch.

  “Come on, Waldo,” she called.

  The dog raised its head as if deciding whether to obey the command. The rain was getting heavier and another crash of thunder brought him hobbling up to the porch. Back inside, Clare rubbed his back with a dishtowel before he could shake himself dry.

  “Such a good dog,” she said.

  Lifting his ear, she surveyed the sutures and was pleased that they looked pink and dry. He began to wriggle the moment she opened the refrigerator and took out the plastic bags and the pill bottle. She wedged the second capsule in the last piece of liverwurst and tossed it to the dog. He caught it in midair and swallowed it before Clare could put the empty bag in the trashcan. “Haven’t you ever learned to savor your treats?” she asked. Waldo’s tail thumped the floor in response and Clare grinned down at him. She poured the dry dog food into a bowl and set it on the floor just as the phone rang.

  “Morning,” Nate said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” “I was up. I had an overnight guest and I was just making his breakfast.” She paused for effect then continued. “Waldo came for a sleepover.”

  “You had me worried for minute, Clare. Although I have to admit, he’s stiff competition. How is he doing?”

  The rainstorm hit and she pressed the phone to her ear in order to hear him clearly.

  “He’s limping a bit but I think he’ll be fine in a couple days. How’s your patient?”

  “I checked on her about an hour ago. She was sleeping. I felt her forehead and I don’t think she’s running a fever. Her stomach hadsettled down by the time she went to bed so I’m thinking we’ll leave Bemidji when she wakes up. If she feels good the rest of the day, I’ll let her participate in the clogging show.”

  “Oh, I’m glad. She’s practiced so hard, I’d hate to see her miss it.”

  “Wait a second. What you said just registered. Why is Waldo there?” Nate asked, abruptly.

  “Jake was here yesterday and we had a long talk. He wasn’t comfortable with me staying here alone.”

  “What’s happened, Clare?” Nate’s voice was sharp. “What were you talking to Jake about?”

  “Nothing has happened. It’s just that some of my memories are beginning to come back. I’m getting flashes of scenes, almost like I’m being transported back in time.” Hearing the silence on the line, she hurried to explain. “I know it sounds as if I’m losing my mind, but I can’t define it any other way. It’s sort of like I’m having a series of short daydreams.”

  “How does Jake enter into this?”

  Clare laughed. “The poor man was unlucky enough to stop by yesterday when I was in the midst of a meltdown. You know how weepy I’ve been lately. Jake must have been horrified having an emotional woman on his hands. I think he figured Waldo would make a good substitute until you got back and could listen to my whining.”

  “Damn it, Clare, I wish I were there. Are you upset about anything in particular?”

  Clare hesitated, unsure how to explain. “I found out something yesterday that might be key to the investigation,” Clare said. “It’s a long story and one that I’d prefer to tell you when you’re here.”

  “Ican leave anytime now.”

  “It’ll wait, Nate. We’ll have all evening to talk. I better go. It’s raining like crazy here so it’s hard to hear.”

  Thunder crashed overhead.

  “Wow, I can hear the storm now. Sounds nasty,” Nate said. “Stay inside with Waldo until I get back.”

  Before Clare could respond the phone went dead.

  *

  “Damn,” Nate said, hearing the disconnect sound in his ear. He debated calling Clare back on his cell phone but didn’t really have anything more to say. He slammed the receiver down in annoyance.

  “Trouble?” Susie DeFisher asked as she poured more coffee in his cup.

  “The storm knocked the phone out.”

  “Don’t glare at me, Nate. It’s not my fault.”

  Nate gave his sister-in-law a grim smile. “Sorry. I’m out of sorts because I can’t be in two places at once.”

  “I was just upstairs, and Erika is definitely alive and well. She was in with my girls and the three of them were on the computer. Erika was IMing someone named Cindy.”

  “Sounds cured to me.” He sighed in relief. “Thank Greg for taking us in last night. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

  “I’m just sorry Erika was sick. The kids love it when she comes to visit. Besides, then we get a chance to see you too.”

  After Rebecca died Nate had made a special effort to make sure Erika saw her cousins frequently. Initially, Nate’s relationship with Greg, his brother-in-law, had been strained, but eventually they’d established a real friendship. Over the years, Nate had gotten a steady stream of advice from Susie when he needed help with Erika. Nowadays she treated him like a brother and he confided in her more and more. He had talked a little bit about Clare while they watched the kids in the pool.

  Nate finished his coffee and set the mug on the kitchen table. “Ibetter get Erika moving.”

  “Relax. I shooed her into the shower and fixed her up with oneof Megan’s outfits to go home in. She threw up on hers.”

  “I remember. Sorry about your rug.”

  Susie waved her hand in dismissal. “I’m far more interested in hearing more about the new woman in your life. Erika said Clare saved her life. From what little I heard of the phone call, it sounds like you’re worried about her.”

  “I am. That’s why I need to get home. She didn’t sound all right on the phone. She was upset about something but said it could wait until I got home.”

  Although he was tempted to tell Susie the whole story about Clare, Erika and the other children swarmed into the kitchen at that moment, precluding any serious discussion.

  “You look much better this morning,” Nate said as he gave Erika a hug. “You even smell better.”

  “Oh gross! Don’t remind me,” she said as she flopped into a chair next to her cousins. “I’m starving.”

  Nate helped Susie get breakfast on the table, watching Erika for any lingering signs of illness. He was pleased when she ate jellied toast and scrambled eggs without any hesitation. His cell phone rang and after checking the display, he stepped out on the patio to take the call.

  “Hi, Jon, wha
t’s up?”

  “Glad I caught you.” The police chief’s voice was all business. “You remember the woman who died at the Farm Show? Robinson?”

  “Yes.” Nate’s pulse quickened at the name.

  “Well I just got a call from Carl Phelps, the chief over in Deer Lake. There was a fire in her condo this morning.”

  “Why’d he call to tell you that?”

  “Because it was arson.”

  S

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Arson? Are you kidding me?” The news hit Nate like he’d been broadsided. “I wish. The place was totally gutted. Luckily it was an end unit so it didn’t spread to the rest of the building and no one was hurt. A neighbor called in the fire at three o’clock this morning.”

  “No chance it could have been an accident?”

  “No chance in hell,” Jon said. “Whoever did it broke in during the night and spread gasoline around the apartment. It was a very thorough job. Every room had been targeted.”

  “Do they have any idea who did it?”

  “Not a clue. The brother and sister-in-law are totally devastated. The funeral was yesterday.” After a pause, Jon continued. “This makes it a whole new ball game. I went over everything we talked about when you brought Clare in and I think we’ve got something bad going on here. It sounds as if this Robinson woman had some kind of information someone didn’t want her to share with your friend. I can’t think of any other reason that someone would torch her condo.”

  “I can’t either, Jon. Can you look again at the circumstances of her death?” Nate began to pace.

  “That’s where I’m heading, old buddy. The coroner and I went over all the reports when she died and didn’t pick up any signs of foul play. I went back over all the paperwork when you and Clare came in and I still didn’t find any evidence.”

  “Say that again, Jon, I lost you for a minute.”

  “Where are you? We’re having a storm here. Trees down all over and half the phones are out.”

  “I’m in Bemidji. It’s not raining here.”

  “It will be soon. It’s heading your way. What was I saying?”

  “You said you looked over the reports after we came in to see you.” Nate moved farther into the backyard where the cell signal was stronger.

  “Oh, yeah. I didn’t see anything. We had a witness who saw her carrying some boxes into the storeroom. The coroner said the injuries were consistent with a fall.”

  “Who was the witness?”

  “Bianca called in after she heard it on the news.”

  “Even so, I don’t like it.”

  “Me neither,” Jon said. “Does Clare have any clue about what the woman wanted to talk to her about?”

  “She says not. She thinks Margee was a friend of her adoptive mother. Lily Newton’s sister.”

  “When are you coming back?”

  Nate looked at his watch. “I can leave in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Something definitely is not right here. It all seems to center around the Newton murder. I remember your dad talking about the case. He always seemed troubled about it, even though, as far as I could see, it was a slam dunk.”

  “I agree. My guess is that something else was going on that’s connected to the murder. The general feeling was that Jimmy followed Lily because he suspected she was meeting someone. Nobody ever looked into whom it was she was meeting. Maybe whoever it was doesn’t want that fact uncovered. All this started when Clare started digging into the background of the case.” The muscles in Nate’s back tightened as he thought about Clare. “If only she’d been able to talk to that Robinson woman.”

  “I’ll go back through the files and see if I can find any mention of who she was meeting.” Jon paused. “You’re driving right past Deer River on your way home. How would you like to stop and talk to the brother and sister-in-law?”

  Grateful for any chance to be proactive, Nate jumped at the chance. Jon gave him the names and address and said he’d call them to alert them to Nate’s arrival. He hung up and tried calling Clare at the cottage. He swore when he got a busy signal. He tried her cell phone, but was bumped over to voice mail. He snapped his cell phone closed without leaving a message.

  After hugging Susie and the kids, he and Erika got on their way back to Grand Rapids. They were almost to Deer River when he decided he’d better explain a few things to Erika.

  “I need to tell you something about Clare,” he said.

  “You don’t have to, Dad,” Erika said, a slight tremor in her voice. “I already know who she is.”

  Nate’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he turned his head to stare at Erika. She was slumped in her seat, head down, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

  “And how do you know that?”

  “It was that first day when she was at the house. I heard you talking.”

  “So when you said you told your friends that Clare was investigating the murder, you actually told them who she was?”

  “No, I only told Cindy that part. I said it was a secret and she couldn’t tell anyone, but I think she did,” she paused for a beat, then continued. “Are you mad at me, Dad?”

  Considering the repercussions of her actions, he should be. However, he felt guilty that he’d been so absorbed with Clare, he’d neglected his own daughter.

  “Why didn’t you say something to me about it?”

  “I didn’t know Clare was nice,” she said.

  Nate couldn’t help smiling at the childish outburst. He would have liked to pursue it, but they were almost at Deer River, and he needed to explain why they were stopping to talk to Miss Robinson’s brother and his wife. He didn’t want to frighten her so he glossed over the possibility that Margee’s death might not have been an accident. It was awkward having Erika along, but he felt anurgency to talk to the Robinsons. The rain started just as they arrived. He asked Erika if she would prefer to wait in the car. “No. I want to stay with you,” she said.

  Her voice was subdued and she clung to his hand as they waited at the front door. A sprightly whitehaired woman let them in. “I’m Posey Robinson. Chief Fogt said you’d be coming. Come in before you get wet.”

  Nate introduced Erika and followed her out to the family room where her husband was seated. His outstretched leg was encased in a cast that rested on an upholstered bench.

  “Tripped on the damn cat,” he said, by way of explanation.

  While his wife fussed over Erika, getting her a soft drink and finding her a comfortable chair, Bill Robinson told Nate about the fire. In his turn, Nate described Clare’s meeting with Margee and the reason behind his visit.

  “Clare gathered that Margee was in touch with her mother, Rose Prentice. I wondered if she ever mentioned her.”

  “Can’t say I recall the name,” Bill said, “and I knew all her friends. Dated most of them.”

  “Prentice might have been her married name,” Nate said.

  “You must mean Rose Gundersen,” Posey said. “Margee mentioned that she’d changed her name after the murder. Rose never married. Neither did Margee. I think that’s why they remained such good friends all those years when Margee was in China. They went to school together, you know. It’s funny you should mention her. Margee mentioned her a week or so ago. Seemed stunned that she’d run into Rose’s daughter.”

  The old man picked up a ruler from the table beside his chair. Sticking it inside the cast, he rubbed it back and forth.

  “Damn cast itches like a bad case of the chiggers.” He withdrew the ruler and leaned back in his chair. Suddenly his face lit up.

  “Rose Gundersen. She was the sister of the woman who was killed in Grand Rapids. I told Margee time and again that she ought to stay away from her. She was too wild. Easy, if you know what I mean,” he said, with an apologetic nod of his head toward Erika.

  “You’re too hard on her,” Posey said. “I think she fell into a bad crowd when she was in high school.”

  “Rumors swirl
ed around that girl.” Robinson waved the ruler to emphasize his words. “Her family said she was going away to a fancy school but everyone said she’d gotten . . .”

  “In the family way,” Posey interjected, with another nod toward Erika. “Whether it was true or not there was no evidence ofany — um, progeny. Besides, look how well she turned out. According to Margee she’d found religion and had totally turned her life around.”

  “Wait.” It was Nate’s turn to interrupt. “I’m a little confused here as to which sister you’re talking about. Lily was the wild one who was sent away?”

  “No. Not Lily.” Posey shook her head, her mouth in a frown. “Rose was the wild one. She was the one there were all the rumors about.”

  “Girl had heels rounder than ball bearings.”

  “Bill!” Posey cried. “Remember the child.”

  Erika looked totally confused, her head swinging back and forth between the Robinsons as if she were watching a tennis match. Nate wondered what kind of questions she’d have on the ride home.

  “Let me see if I have this straight,” he said. “Rose was Margee’s friend and she was the wild sister?”

  “That’s right,” Posey said, beaming at him as if he were an extraordinarily bright child. “That’s why it came as such a shock to all of us when it was Lily who was murdered. After all, the boys at the dance got into a fight over Rose.”

  Nate felt like he’d been sucker punched. “The fight was about Rose? Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I was waiting up for Margee when she got home that night.” Bill scratched his bare toes with the ruler. “I was madder than — um, all get out because she took my car after I told her not to. Her car was in the body shop because she’d had an accident. I didn’t want her tearing up my car. Speaking of wild. That girl was long on attitude in those days.”

  Nate tried to get back on track. “All the newspaper reports said that Jimmy had gotten into the fight because he was jealous that some guy was hitting on Lily.”