by Sarah Biglow
“We are definitely going to talk about this later.” Chris’s voice had taken on a hard edge of annoyance.
“Just get here, please.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kalina and AJ waited on the front porch for everyone to arrive. AJ had turned pale after reading the note from Mr. Larrabee. She could understand his anxiety. It broke her heart a little to think that Mr. Larrabee had taken his own life. She only hoped it would somehow bring Nadine some comfort knowing that she hadn’t blacked out and killed her father. Tires squealed in the distance and the squad car rolled up moments later. Chris climbed out, his face clouded with emotion. Nadine and Adam climbed out of the back. Neither said a word. Nadine was visibly shaking at the sight of her family home. Adam tried to place a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. Kalina wondered what else had been revealed during that interview after she’d left.
“Why is there a CPR dummy in the driveway?” Adam asked.
“We were testing a theory,” Kalina answered.
“What theory?” Nadine’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“We were trying to figure out how your father landed the way he did. Whether he was pushed or fell.”
“And?”
“He jumped. It looks like he climbed onto the windowsill and just let gravity take him.”
Nadine’s eyes welled with tears and she didn’t try to stop them. They stained her cheeks in seconds. “Why would he do that?”
“It’s better if you see what else we found.”
“And what exactly did you find?” Chris kept his shoulders back and gaze straight ahead. All business.
“It’s better if you see it for yourselves.”
Chris briefly returned to the car to grab an evidence bag and some gloves before they all headed up to the study in a silent, single-file line. Kalina had made sure AJ hadn’t moved the note from where it had landed on the floor. She would let Chris handle that. Immediately, Chris spotted the note and snapped on his gloves. After taking a cursory look he faced Kalina.
“Neither of you touched this?”
“No. I mean it fell when I was moving some other papers but I used my phone. We didn’t touch anything.”
“What is that?” Nadine asked.
Chris slid the note into the evidence bag and handed it over. “A suicide note.”
Nadine’s hands trembled as she took the bag and sunk into the leather chair in the middle of the room.
Nadine,
I have spent so much time being angry about your mother’s passing when I realize now it was my fault. I let my desire of material things get in the way of loving my only daughter and for that I am sorry.
The horrors I put you through are not something I can ever atone for. I do not seek your forgiveness. I only hope you are able to move forward with your life and be happy. Don’t let the troubles of the past haunt you anymore.
Please don’t see this as your fault. I have been struggling with this decision for some time. It is the only out I can see. I am truly sorry for everything.
Dad
The note fell to the floor as Nadine crumbled. A loud wail escaped her and filled the room. Adam picked up the fallen evidence and handed it back to Chris. Kalina went to wrap Nadine in a comforting hug, all the while wondering why Adam didn’t seem surprised by the discovery.
“I missed something,” Kalina said.
Chris tucked the evidence bag under his arm and blew out a breath. His shoulders relaxed a little. He was relenting. “Adam was here the night Mr. Larrabee killed himself.” He looked to Adam. “You might as well explain.”
Adam cleared his throat. “I was worried about Nadine. I came back to get her but, when I got here, she was out cold, or at least I thought she was. I came up here to confront Edwin about drugging his daughter again and I found him standing on the chair with a rope around his neck. I managed to get him down and… I tied him to the chair. I know it was stupid. I should have called the police but, to be honest, I was just in shock and a bit of a panic. I tied him up and I left. I knew it would look bad but at least he would be alive.”
“So he was definitely alive when you left?” AJ interjected.
“Yes. He was. I didn’t realize Nadine had woken up and untied him.”
“I… I let him go so he could jump,” she sobbed into Kalina’s shoulder.
“It isn’t your fault. None of it. He was sick for a while and he thought this was the only way he could make things right,” Kalina whispered.
“He didn’t have to kill himself.”
“Grief makes people do unthinkable things,” Chris said.
“That’s a long time to hold on to grief,” Kalina said.
“So, this is over then? The investigation is done? We aren’t suspects anymore?” Nadine had stopped crying.
Chris’s phone beeped, putting a halt to the conversation. He scrolled through whatever message he’d received. “The lab just came back with results on the rope we found as well as the tea. There were traces of both of your DNA on the rope along with Mr. Larrabee’s. There were traces of NyQuil in the tea. So it sounds like you were drugged and the rest of the evidence lines up with the version of events you’ve shared. So, yes, it’s over.”
“There’s one more thing”—Kalina pointed to the desk—“it looks like he changed his will.”
Chris—still wearing gloves—picked up the paper from the top of the pile. “You’re right. It looks like he deeded the house back to Nadine.”
“After everything he went through to get the damn place and now he just gives it back?” Bitterness colored every word.
Adam bent down in front of her and took both of her hands in his. She didn’t pull away this time. Apparently, knowing neither of them had been directly responsible was enough to thaw her emotions towards him. “You don’t have to worry about it now. I think, as long as Detective Harper says it’s okay, we should go back to the motel to get our stuff and leave town for a little while. We should put some distance between us and this place.”
“Tomorrow. I just want to sleep. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.”
Adam pulled Nadine to her feet and with an affirmative nod from Chris they headed downstairs, no doubt in for a long walk back to the motel. Kalina looked at AJ and nodded her head towards the hallway but her nephew seemed oblivious to the hint.
“AJ, can you wait for me outside, please? Get the dummy back in the car, too.”
He mouthed ‘Good luck’ on his way out, leaving Kalina and Chris alone. He set the evidence bag down on top of the will and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Go ahead and yell at me. I deserve it.”
“You are too nosy for your own good sometimes. We would have solved the case eventually but what you did helped.”
Kalina stared, open-mouthed. “That’s it? No rant about getting involved in police business or threatening the chain of evidence?”
“You didn’t threaten the chain of evidence. You’re smart enough not to touch things you aren’t supposed to. Technically, this wasn’t a crime scene anymore so you being here wasn’t disturbing anything and thanks to you I got information out of Nadine sooner than I would have if you hadn’t been around. I have a feeling Adam would have ended up stonewalling me in an effort to protect her. Hell, he might have even taken the fall for her if it came to that.”
Kalina thought about mentioning Jimmy’s role in her snooping but decided it wouldn’t be very nice to throw the poor kid under the bus with Chris. She liked to think maybe she was giving Jimmy some on-the-job training in critical thinking along the way.
“You know what we need to get our minds off of this?” she said.
He shook his head. “No. What?”
“A game of Cards against Humanity. I’ve got a deck at home,” she said with a smirk. After all, she’d told AJ she would find a way to make things up to Chris.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next morning, Kalina rolled over in bed to fin
d the space where Chris had been empty, the body heat dwindling. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes with one hand, searching for her phone with the other. After groping along the edge of her nightstand, she finally found her phone and checked the time: 7:02. She kicked the sheets aside and staggered out of the room. She found Chris standing by the coffee maker with two cups in hand.
“Hey, I didn’t want to wake you,” he said and handed her a mug.
“That’s okay. I was planning on going for a run this morning anyway.”
He spooned several generous helpings of sugar into his own mug and stirred before taking a sip. “Do you think you’re going to stay in touch with Nadine?”
Kalina slid into a chair by the kitchen table and tugged at her hair. “Yeah. This whole time I felt like such a terrible friend. If I hadn’t gone off to the city and been so lost in my own world and drama things might have been different.”
“What do you mean? You couldn’t have stopped any of this.”
“Maybe not. But she wouldn’t have felt so alone after her mother died. Maybe I would have noticed a change when her father was drugging her and could have gotten her help.”
“Don’t think about it like that. You were there for her now. As I said yesterday, you probably helped her keep it together through everything.”
“I still can’t believe you aren’t mad at me for getting involved.”
“Annoyed maybe but not mad.”
“I swear I don’t mean to get dragged into things. But I get curious and then I have to know what happened.”
“I know. And it’s why I love you. You are so concerned with the people of this town.”
Kalina took another swig of coffee and laughed. “I was telling Nadine the other day that I was really glad to move back home because I didn’t realize how much I missed the people. This is where I belong.”
“Are you sure you want to go for a run? I could just drop you off at the shop on my way to the station.”
“That’s all right. I think I need the time to myself.”
Chris downed the rest of his coffee in two big gulps and set the mug in the sink. He kissed her forehead before he disappeared to get dressed. She waited until he left before she went back to her room to pull on her workout clothes. Barring any unforeseen disasters, she fully intended to come home and shower before heading into work.
With ear buds in her ears, she took off at a steady jog. The weather was far more cooperative than it had been a few days ago and she settled into a comfortable rhythm. She took a different route, going up past the high school and fire department. She waved to a few of the firefighters heading on to their shifts as she went by. Veering off to the right at the next intersection, she found herself once again running along Ocean Front Drive. She hadn’t intended go there but her subconscious must have been driving her. She stopped when she spotted a car in the driveway at 1609. She tugged the headphones out of her ears and approached it. The sound of running water caught her attention.
“Hello?” she called.
Water snaked down around the car’s tires and she stepped out of its path. Kalina rounded the front of the car to find Adam holding a hose, washing away the last remnants of what had happened.
“Oh, hi,” she said.
He shut off the water and tossed the hose aside. “Hi. If you’re looking for Nadine, she’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.”
She hadn’t been looking for her friend but maybe they did need to talk. She wanted Nadine to know that she wanted them to remain close. Wiping her feet on the front mat, she headed straight back to the kitchen. Nadine sat at the table, staring at nothing in particular.
“Hey, I hope it’s okay that I stopped by,” Kalina said, snapping Nadine out of her fog.
“Yeah, of course.”
Kalina took the seat across from her friend. “I’m a little surprised you’re back here. I thought you and Adam were heading out of town today.”
“We will but we needed to get this place cleaned up. I wanted to take a few pictures of my mom, too.”
“What are you going to do with it now that it’s yours again?”
“Sell it. There is too much sorrow and sadness in this place for me to stay here. I don’t need the reminder of all the horrible things I suffered because of these four walls. It tore our family apart and if I’m going to move forward and heal from this, I need to not be here. I need to make a clean break.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sure you’ll find a buyer quick.”
“Honestly, I don’t even care about the money. I’ll list it for whatever it’s worth and take whatever I can get. I already called a broker, Thomas Chase. He’s coming over this afternoon to do an appraisal.”
“That is pretty quick.”
“Like I said, I need a clean break.” She twisted a few strands of hair together and looked down at her lap. “I have to write an obituary for my father. But I don’t think I can do it yet. Adam said he talked to the coroner out in Salem and they are ready to release my father’s body.”
“You have time. And you don’t have to do it alone. Adam and I are here for you.”
“I just don’t want people to ask questions. Knowing he took his life out of guilt is hard enough for me to deal with. I don’t think I could handle everyone else knowing because then they would wonder what he felt guilty about. They’d assume it was my mother.”
“You don’t have to write that he took his life. You can say that he passed away suddenly while you were home visiting him. Keep it really vague. No one has to know the truth. It’s your life and your family. You’re in control of what happens now.”
“What about a funeral? I can’t pay for that. I don’t even know if he wanted one. And I don’t know what to do with his body. My mother was cremated but I have no idea if that’s what he wanted, too. And do I put him with her or with his own family?”
“Have you looked at his will?”
“Adam did. I couldn’t bring myself to look this morning.”
“Then let him help you figure all of that out. That’s what boyfriends are for, especially ones who are lawyers. He’ll know what to do or he’ll know the person to talk to. Lean on the people who care about you, Nadine.”
“Thanks. It’s just so overwhelming and I just want it to be over.” Tears shone in her eyes but they didn’t fall.
Kalina reached across the table to give her friend’s hand a firm, reassuring squeeze. She looked around the kitchen at the familiar, pale yellow wallpaper and cream colored drapes. A tiny part of her would be sad to see it come into new ownership but she understood Nadine’s desire to move on. It had been a harrowing few days for both of them but somehow they’d made it through. Maybe it was because they’d had each other for support.
“The reason I stopped by was because I wanted you to know that I don’t want us to lose touch again, even if you’re moving somewhere else with Adam.”
“I’m glad you said that. I think it will be easier now. Besides, I know where to find you, Ms. Business Owner.”
Kalina smiled. “It is pretty amazing that I actually got to become what I’d dreamed of and run the very store I’d always wanted.”
“Not everyone is so lucky,” Nadine said with a note of sadness in her voice.
“Things are going to work out for you. You’ve got a great guy in your life and you can put all of this behind you. We’re still young. You have plenty of time to find what makes you happy. And if a nerdy mood strikes, you get the friends and family discount.”
Nadine laughed a deep belly laugh. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and it had to be the happiest she’d been in a long time. It warmed Kalina’s heart to see that, even with just kind words, she was helping her friend piece her life back together. Sure, tragedy had struck this family but the town was still at peace and unscathed.
Read an Excerpt from DEBTS AND DEBTORS (Geeks and Things #3)
Raindrops pelted the kitchen window in Kalina Greystone’s small apartment.
Heat from the kitchen fogged the interior of the glass, obscuring the view outside. Kalina wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm. The weather—in addition to being wet—had turned cold in early November and she’d turned up the heat to compensate. She was up to her elbows in dessert. This was the first Thanksgiving she’d been home with her family in a few years—and the first since her father’s passing—and she didn’t want to disappoint. Checking the recipe for the spice applesauce cake frosting one more time, she moved the saucepan of brown sugar, cream and butter to the burner set on high. It reached a boil in only a few minutes and she feverishly stirred it to make sure it didn’t burn. Master cook she was not. Her phone buzzed with an incoming call, slowly vibrating toward the edge of the table.
“Not now!” she moaned, hastily pulling the concoction from the stove and scooping up her phone.
Luckily, it was just an alarm to remind her she needed to leave for Jillian’s house in a half hour. Chris was supposed to be coming over so they could drive together. The thought of having her very serious romantic partner joining her for a family holiday made butterflies swarm in her stomach. Things between them had been better than ever the last few months. In fact, they were in the process of moving in together. The process had been put on hold due to the holidays but before long she wouldn’t have to live alone. Her front room was already strewn with partially packed boxes. Her landlord was being generous and letting her leave most of the furniture in the place. Easier to rent a fully furnished place in a town like this. She couldn’t believe how lucky she’d been, moving home, taking over the family business and falling back in love with her high school sweetheart. Some days she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Setting her phone aside, she added the remaining ingredients to the frosting mixture, gave it a good stir and carefully poured it over the cake. It still needed to cool a little bit but that’s what her sister’s fridge was for. Making sure the stovetop was off, she headed to her room to clean up. Ten minutes later she reappeared in a nice, pale blue blouse and black slacks. She slipped into rain boots and tossed a pair of flats into her purse.