Dead of Night (Sloane Monroe)
Page 6
“No.”
“If there was, there’s no reason to hide it now.”
“I said, no.”
“Okay.”
“I’m tired. You done?”
Done. Done only happened for me when a job was finished.
“I have several other questions, actually.”
He turned his back to me. “I have nothing else to say.”
“If I could just—”
“Go home and don’t come back. Like I said, I’m done talking.”
CHAPTER 18
I leaned back on the sofa, draping my arms around a tearful Shelby. She hadn’t taken the news of Wren’s death well, and I soon learned why. Wren hadn’t just been a teacher. She was someone Shelby talked to, leaned on for guidance before I entered the picture, back when Shelby was an out-of-control teen and had no mother figure in her life.
Shelby broke from my embrace, taking my advice to soak in the hot tub and relax. No sooner had she left the room, Cade entered it, walking over and sitting beside me.
“Thanks for bein’ so good to Shelby,” he said. “Before you got here, I tried talkin’ to her, but I didn’t really know what to say.”
I squeezed his hand. “I can’t believe Wren’s dead.”
“You were right. She was innocent. Hooker called. Durin’ his autopsy of June, he noticed she had a bruise on her left cheek, presumably made with one of the killer’s fingers. It suggests the killer held her head with his left hand and stabbed her with the right. The blade was also driven into her body at an angle, right to left.”
“Wren was left-handed.”
“Exactly.”
“It may rule her out, but since ninety percent of the population is right-handed, we’re not any closer to finding who committed the murders, are we?”
“Maybe not, but Wren’s name has been cleared. It’s a start.”
“Hooker say anything else?”
“He also confirmed the blood on that book you found at June’s was Wren’s. Wren had a large knot on her head. Hooker thinks June’s attacker used the book to hit Wren from behind, knocking her unconscious, and then set the scene to make it look like she was the killer.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t find any prints on the book?”
He shook his head. “Everything the killer touched in both houses was wiped clean.”
“What about your day? Did you learn anything from Sebastian?”
I gave him what scant details I had. I also filled him in on my subsequent visits with Simon and Gabe. My theory about Simon having feelings for Wren shocked him the most.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Was he in love with her?”
“I’m still not sure. I don’t think she shared the same feelings though. She was devastated when Will died. If she loved another man, I just don’t see her killing herself.”
CHAPTER 19
Morning came and I headed out again, this time to visit with the only other remaining member of the Bancroft family I hadn’t seen yet, Patty, who looked like she hadn’t slept since her mother died. She probably hadn’t. She had two strands of chunky, pink highlights in her otherwise blond hair, and it was easy to see the family resemblance to Simon.
The interior of Patty’s home was cluttered with so many trinkets, I felt like I’d just stepped into an antique store.
“Excuse the mess,” Patty said, scooting various piles of clutter to the side as she walked. “I’ve been trying to get a business going on eBay so I can quit my job.”
“You have a lot of interesting things,” I said.
She swished a hand through the air. “This is nothing. Follow me.”
I walked with her to a bedroom that was chock full of one of my worst nightmares, floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with dolls. All porcelain. All eyeballing me with a devilish grin like they were waiting until I was distracted so they could spring to life, pull a miniature knife out of their pockets, and stab me with it repeatedly.
I had to admit, I’d seen too many horror movies.
“These are … ahh … wow… a lot of dolls,” I said.
“I’ve been collecting for years, ever since my mom bought me my first one when I was ten.”
I had to look at something else, anything else, so I turned my attention to the corner of the room, to a desk filled with framed family photos. I was browsing the various photographs until Patty walked over and stood in front of the desk, blocking my view.
“I’m sorry to take up your time,” I said. “I know you’ve had a hard week.”
She nodded. “If it wasn’t for my husband, I doubt I would have gotten through it.”
“I’ll be as brief as I can. I’m sure you need some time to yourself.”
“Don’t worry about it. The last thing I need right now is for it to be quiet. I’d do just about anything to keep any kind of noise going.”
“I spoke to Gabriel Mendez last night,” I said. “He had a black eye. He said Simon did it.”
Her face was vacant, lacking any expression. She already knew.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I was surprised to find out Simon assaulted him and not Will.”
“Will isn’t … I mean to say, he wasn’t the violent type. He’d never hurt anyone, even if the person hurt him.”
“And Simon?”
“You met him. Complete opposite.”
“Simon told me he wasn’t close to Will.”
“He loved his brother. He just didn’t like the constant badgering from Will to clean up his life. Simon’s not the type of person who likes to be lectured.”
“Why did he confront Gabriel? Because he knew Will wouldn’t?”
Her eyes darted around.
“What about his relationship with Wren?” I asked.
“What about it?”
“Is it possible there were feelings between them? I’m not talking about transparent ones, those shared by a man and his brother’s wife. I’m talking about real affection, the kind that goes beyond family ties.”
Patty bit her upper lip, pulled out the desk chair, sat down. “Wren and Simon were always close, ever since middle school. They grew up together. Played together. I suppose Simon always loved Wren, but Wren always loved Will, and her happiness was more important to Simon than his own personal feelings.”
“I saw him last night. He was standoffish, but he seemed like he was doing okay.”
“Doing okay?” She shook her head. “No. When he left you standing in his garage after your first visit, he rode to my house. When he got here, he was a mess. Tears, the whole works. You wanna know how many times before last night I’ve seen him cry?”
I shrugged.
“Never.”
Now that Patty was sitting, I had a clear view of the pictures on the desk. Many were of Patty at different ages, some with her brothers, a couple with her mom. I walked over, picked one up. “Who’s this?”
“My dad.”
“You look like him. So does Simon.”
She beamed. “You really think so?”
“Definitely.”
The more I stared at the picture, the more everything came together in a way it hadn’t before this moment.
The shattered frame at June’s house.
The death of both June and Will.
A new theory formed.
It all made sense now.
CHAPTER 20
Sebastian Ayres didn’t seem surprised to see Cade and me standing on his front porch, but Carol was another story. She took one look at the two of us and practically tripped over herself as she started to back away. Seemed my theory was correct.
I wanted to say: Where you off to? The kitchen, for a sharp, pointy thing? You going to stab us ALL now? But I didn’t. She darted for the back door. Cade took off after her.
When we’d pulled up to the house a minute before, Cade had called the local police, warning them that he had reason to believe someone in the Ayres household was a killer. We assumed the police would arrive so
on, but not before we had the chance to interrogate the couple ourselves first.
“You’ve known June a lot longer than a few months, haven’t you?” I asked. “And what you said before about not leaving your wife for her, that was a lie, wasn’t it? You would have, wouldn’t you?”
He held my gaze but didn’t speak, so I continued doing the talking for him.
“I think you’ve wanted to leave your wife for years, but June wouldn’t leave her husband, would she? Then he died, and finally, you saw your opportunity, and you took it.”
Again, no response.
“Look, Mr. Ayres, the police are on their way over right now. It’s over.”
“So why are you two here then? Why not let the cops deal with it?”
“Three Bancrofts have died this week. I’d say that’s more than enough reason for me to want to hear the real truth, straight from your mouth.”
I also wanted to ensure we were successful getting a confession.
His eyes closed. When they reopened, he said, “You’re right. I’ve known June almost forty years. We dated in college.”
“Why did you break up?”
“We argued one night. I wanted to enlist in the service. She didn’t want me to, said she wouldn’t wait for me if I did. She thought if I chose the service instead of her, it meant I didn’t love her, which wasn’t true. I loved her. I wanted to marry her. I also wanted to serve my country. It was the right thing to do. She just didn’t understand.”
“What happened?”
“We said our goodbyes, and I thought she’d cool off by morning. Then she asked me again not to do it. I told her I’d made up my mind, explained again how much I felt it was my duty to serve. I asked if she’d reconsider waiting. She replied by slapping me across the face, and that was the end of it. The end of us.”
“When did you find out about Will?” I asked.
His eyes widened, shocked that I’d discovered the dark family secret. I actually hadn’t. I’d only suspected. His panicked reaction solidified the truth for me.
“How did you find out? June never told anyone besides me.”
“I saw a photo on Patty’s desk,” I said. “Her father had light hair, just like her, and just like Simon. Not Will though. As a child his hair was so dark it was almost black. He didn’t look like the man who raised him. He didn’t look like either one of his two other siblings either. I couldn’t see it before now, because when I met him, his head was shaved. Once I saw the childhood photo though, there was no mistaking. I knew who he reminded me of. You.”
His head bobbed up and down. “Five years after we parted ways, June called me. She said she no longer felt right about keeping the truth from me. She told me I was Will’s father, said she knew it the night we broke things off. She planned on telling me, but her anger at the time prevented it.”
“What did you say?”
“I wanted to see him, be a part of his life. She said no. Will thought his father was her husband, and she wanted to keep it that way.”
“And you didn’t push it?”
“I should have. I kept wondering how much damage it would do to Will if the truth came out and he discovered everything he believed in was a lie. I thought I was protecting him by agreeing to stay quiet, but I robbed myself, and I robbed him. He deserved to know me. He deserved to know the truth about who he was.”
“What happened after the phone call from June?”
“We lost touch again for many years. I talked to her now and again. Not often. Once a year or so. “
“How did the two of you reconnect?” I asked.
“When I heard her husband passed, I called her. She wanted to see me, so I flew out. One visit turned into several, and before long, we were planning a future together, a future I’d never thought we would ever have. She said once enough time had passed for her children to grieve for their father, she’d tell them about me.”
“Tell them everything?”
“Eventually.”
“And then June was murdered, and so was Will. Your wife’s not the sweet, nice woman she pretends to be, is she?”
Cade rounded the corner, his hand firmly gripped on Carol’s arm.
She squinted at Sebastian and said, “Stop talking, Bash! Not another word!”
“No, Carol,” he said. “I won’t lie for you anymore.”
In truth, he looked relieved. She’d be in prison for the rest of her life, and he’d be rid of her.
I turned to Carol. “I know you killed June, then tried covering it up by making Wren look like the guilty one. Must have been painful standing there in June’s living room, seeing the photo of her and Will, knowing soon he’d know who his real father was.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carol spat. “Not true. None of it. All lies.”
“You weren’t satisfied killing only one Bancroft,” I said. “You had to kill both. What’s troubling me is—how did you find out about them in the first place? When did you discover your husband was leaving you, and that he had a son?”
She turned her nose up, refused to speak.
“When I was away on my business trip, she found a letter I’d stashed away,” Sebastian said. “The one I planned on giving her later, the day June moved to California and we started our lives together. She didn’t tell me until after you came here poking around, and—”
“Shut your mouth, Bash!” Carol shouted.
I looked at Sebastian. “Finish what you wanted to say.”
“She threw the letter in my face, said I’d never see June or my son again. She’d taken care of them. If I tried to tell anyone, she’d take care of me too.”
Clearly Carol was the dominant one in the relationship. I imagine when she confessed what she’d done, he’d been gripped with terror, and she hadn’t let him out of her sight a moment since.
“June and Will were both stabbed once, both wounds precise, deadly,” I said. “How did Carol know how to cause a single, fatal blow?”
“Medical school,” Sebastian said.
A police car pulled into the drive. Two cops got out, and Cade explained all that had transpired. Carol and Sebastian were cuffed, placed in the back of the squad car. Cade made a call, updating everyone at the station in Jackson Hole. He said he’d flown out after receiving a tip he received from local police. I called Patty. She wept, but even through her sorrow, there was a sense of relief.
Calls completed and squad car gone, I took my cell phone out of my pocket. “I guess I better get us booked for a flight back home.”
He placed a hand over my cell phone screen and smiled. “I haven’t been on a beach in ages. What’s the rush?”
I smiled.
There wasn’t one.
THE END
About Cheryl Bradshaw
Cheryl Bradshaw is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She currently has two series: Sloane Monroe mystery/thriller series and the Addison Lockhart paranormal suspense series. Stranger in Town (Sloane Monroe series #4) was a 2013 Shamus Award finalist for Best PI Novel of the Year, and I Have a Secret (Sloane Monroe series #3) was a 2013 eFestival of Words winner for best thriller novel. To learn more:
Website Facebook Twitter Blog
Cheryl Bradshaw’s Author Newsletter
Enjoy the Story?
If you enjoyed Dead of Night, you can show your appreciation by leaving a review. And, if you do write a review, please be sure email Cheryl HERE so she can express her gratitude.
Books by Cheryl Bradshaw
Sloane Monroe Series
Black Diamond Death
Murder in Mind
I Have a Secret
Stranger in Town
Bed of Bones
Flirting With Danger (Novella)
Hush Now Baby
Dead of Night (Novella)
Addison Lockhart Series
Grayson Manor Haunting
Rosecliff Manor Haunting
Till Death do us Part Short Story Series
/>
Whispers of Murder
Echoes of Murder
Boxed Sets
Sloane Monroe Series (Books 1-3)
Sloane Monroe Series (Books 4-5)
Stand-Alone Novels
Eye for Revenge
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
About Cheryl Bradshaw
Books by Cheryl Bradshaw