A Perfect Case of Murder

by B. T. Lord

  “What exactly did she do?”

  Lily waved a long manicured hand in the air. “Why dredge up all of that? Suffice to say that she was very controlling. If I didn’t do exactly what she wanted, she was biting, shredding me with just a few words. It was very difficult sometimes.”

  “Yet you loved her.”

  “Of course I loved her. She was my mother.”

  “Children don’t always love their mothers.”

  Lily narrowed her eyes at Doc. “What is the point of all this?”

  “I’m simply trying to get at the truth.”

  “The truth of what?”

  “The truth of everything. The truth of you, and me and Helen. The truth of why Charles murdered our mother.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Both Cammie and Lily gasped aloud. Before she could say anything, Doc continued.

  “Is that the real reason Charles disappeared? Is that why he sold his plane the day after Helen was killed? Is that why his phone records cease after March 1st?” He leaned forward. “Where is Charles, Lily? Are you covering for him? Do you intend to be reunited with him at some future date? Or did he leave you so he could continue whoring and gambling and throwing away whatever monies you have left?”

  Lily’s face drained of color. She stared at him, slack jawed. Then, just as quickly the fire returned to her eyes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she snarled.

  “Then enlighten me, why don’t you?”

  Lily abruptly pointed to Cammie. “Is that why she’s here? Are you going to trick me into saying something incriminating so she can arrest me?”

  “I simply want to know what really happened. She’s my witness to whatever is said here today.”

  “You just want all the money to yourself. Admit it. If you can have me thrown in jail, you don’t need to share anything.”

  Doc chuckled. “Look around you, Lily. Unlike you, I’m very content here. I don’t need $200 million. And I’m more than willing to give you a large part of that money. But you need to be honest with me.”

  Lily tightly folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “When we met in Boston, you told us you hadn’t seen Helen since her birthday in November. Nor did you know anything about the lawsuit she was pursuing against one of the locals.”

  “So?”

  “Yet, in the next breath you forgot your own lie when you mentioned that odious little farmer from Maine. How did you know he was a farmer? How did you even know he was a man? Neither Cammie or I said anything. Why did you feel the need to lie?” She remained silent. “Was it because you and Charles took a trip to see Helen on March 1stand you were afraid that if you admitted knowing about the lawsuit that I’d somehow know you’d gone up there to see her?”

  “We never went up to see her. I hated that place – so primitive, so uninviting. Even with Charles flying us in, why in heaven’s name would I make such an ungodly trek when I could have easily called her on the phone?”

  “I wondered about that myself. The only explanation I could come up with is that when Cammie asked you if you knew about the lawsuit, you panicked and said the first thing that came into your head.”

  “Really, Samuel.”

  “It may surprise you that your cell phone leaves a record of everywhere you’ve been. Its signal can be traced to whatever phone tower it hits. Both your phone and Charles’ phone shows it pinging at a tower several miles from Helen’s house in Allagash.” Cammie noticed the tension forming around Lily’s mouth. She slowly brought her hand closer to her holster. “I also found out about Charles’ little spy in Vance’s office. Did you know she and Charles were having an affair?”

  By Lily’s reaction, Cammie saw that she didn’t know. “Did you know about Charles’ private life? Did you know how much money he was spending every month on drugs and gambling and women? Did you know he owed money everywhere, not only to our mother, but to a group of very dangerous criminals? Is that why he grew desperate? Is that why you two went up there with the intention of changing Helen’s mind about the will? Are you hiding the fact that when she didn’t comply, Charles or perhaps both of you went back, had an argument with her and Charles shot her? Or perhaps it was you? Maybe it was you who shot our mother when you realized she wasn’t going to be subsidizing your lifestyle anymore, or paying off people to head off a potential scandal over your behavior towards your help.”

  It took a few moments for Lily to answer. Cammie unconsciously held her breath, waiting for the explosion. She was surprised when the woman instead gave Doc a withering look. “It seems the fresh air up here has given you a much too active imagination, Samuel.”

  “Then set me straight. What really happened?”

  Lily calmly ran her hand over the crease in her slacks. She then calmly met Doc’s gaze. “So this is the game we’re playing. I tell you whatever truth you’re looking for and you give me back my inheritance.”

  It sounded disreputable. And low. But that was in fact what Doc was doing.

  Cammie suddenly felt dirty.

  But she couldn’t leave. She was in this up to her eyeballs and she’d never be satisfied until she found out the truth. She therefore remained silent, barely breathing, watching the dynamics between the two half siblings.

  “I simply want the truth, Lily.” In a softer voice, he added, “She was my mother too.”

  Lily abruptly stood up. “Alright then. The truth. Yes, Charles and I flew up to wherever the hell Mother lived to try and make her see reason. I couldn’t understand how she could do that to me and I wanted an explanation.”

  “Did Charles go with you because he was hemorrhaging money and hoping to convince her to give you more so he had more to play with?” Lily stared at him in disbelief. “Yes, Lily, I know all about the private investigator Helen hired.”

  She whirled around to face Cammie. “What are you? Psychic?”

  “No,” Doc answered. “She’s just a good investigator.”

  Lily slowly sank back down on the couch. “Yes. She told me all about it. That was one of the reasons I went up there. I wanted to see the report for myself.”

  “And Charles?”

  “He was going to try and strike a deal with her. In exchange for money, we would get a quiet divorce without any hint of scandal.”

  “What sort of scandal? Besides the women and gambling and involving himself with such dangerous criminals.”

  Lily gave him a sarcastic smile. “His practice was going to shit, if you really must know. His inability to keep it in his pants was finally affecting his work, as was the copious amounts of drugs he was taking. He didn’t have time nor care enough to give the very best to his clients. They were deserting him right and left. By him going off into the sunset, none of that would come out. He'd tell everyone he was taking an early retirement, live off his money and that would be the end of it all.”

  “Is that what he told you?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you knew nothing about the criminals who were after him?”

  “Lord no! I knew Charles was desperate, but I never believed he’d stoop so low as to involve himself with that sort of element.” She paused for a moment before adding under her breath, “Now I understand why he was so insistent on disappearing. I thought it was to avoid a scandal over the imminent failure of his business.”

  “So you had nothing to do with his decision to fake his death?”

  She shook her head. “That was his idea entirely. In time I would be able to get my divorce and no one would be the wiser.”

  “What happened when you two met with Helen?”

  “She said she would think about it. That is how we left it.”

  Doc stared intently at Lily. “Did Charles kill Helen?” She hesitated, then gave a shuddering sigh as she nodded. “What happened?”

  “When the days and weeks went by without a word from Mother, he grew increasingly anxious. Now with wh
at you’ve told me about those men he owed money to, it makes more sense. But at the time, I thought it had more to do with the collapse of his law practice. He became so agitated, so – I suppose the best way to describe it is to say, he was out of his mind with worry. He told me he was considering flying up to see Mother to try and convince her one last time.”

  “When was that?”

  “Oh I don’t know. Probably a few weeks after our initial meeting with her.”

  “And you didn’t go with him?” Doc asked, not sure he believed what he was hearing.

  “Look, by that time we were basically living separate lives. I had no idea he’d gone back up until I heard that Mother had been killed.”

  For the first time Cammie spoke. “Why didn’t you say anything to the authorities? They might have been able to capture him if they’d known of your suspicions.”

  “Because I had no proof it was Charles. I suspected it, but I didn’t know for sure.”

  “You said he was out of his mind with worry. You never thought that might prompt him to strike out when she refused him a second time?”

  Lily looked from one to the other, but remained silent.

  Cammie looked to Doc and saw by the expression on his face that he was thinking the same thing she was.

  Lily hadn’t said anything because it was easier for the world to believe Henry Harding murdered Helen Carsgrove. The alternative would have been to expose, to Lily’s precious social set, the fact that she was married to a drug addicted, prostitute seeking murderer. And once that came out, all the dirty secrets she and Helen had tried to buy away would surely come out. It was just too good a story for it not to.

  Cammie hadn’t really felt one way or the other about Lily. But sitting there, watching her, a loathing came over her that made her want to reach out and throttle her with her bare hands. This woman was willing to let another man’s life be utterly destroyed so she could continue living with her pristine reputation intact.

  Regardless of what happened here today, Cammie was sorely tempted to make a few phone calls to her friends in the press. Only her affection for Doc kept her from seriously doing it.

  “Did you know Charles sold his plane the day after Helen’s death?” Doc asked.

  “No,” Lily yawned. “I told you, we were living separate lives. He could have sold his Ferrari and Porsche and I wouldn’t have found out about it unless someone told me.”

  “Are you aware of the fact that despite Charles’ disappearing act, those criminals more than likely would have gone after you to get the money he owed them?” Cammie asked, watching carefully for her reaction.

  She stood up again and calmly met the sheriff’s gaze. “Mother never would have allowed that to happen. Now, if you don’t mind, your twenty questions have exhausted me. I’m going to go lie down. We can continue our conversation in the morning. I’m leaving for the Caymans in two weeks to spend the summer with friends and would like to have all this settled before I go.”

  Retrieving her suitcase where she’d left it in the foyer, she waited for Doc at the foot of the stairs. Cammie stood up and approached her.

  “Do you know where Charles is now?”

  Lily raised her chin defiantly. But she wasn’t quick enough to stop the flash of fear that appeared in her eyes before she blinked them away. Meanwhile, frustrated by his failure to pin her down, Doc waited a few moments simply to annoy her. Then he reluctantly stood up and ascended the stairs, Lily close on his heels. When he returned, Cammie was waiting by the front door.

  “We’ll talk outside,” she said. Doc nodded and followed her out to the large rock that sat on the shore of Waban Pond.

  “You better not have given her my room,” she said, not entirely joking as they sat side by side on the boulder.

  “Don’t worry. I would never allow her energy to soil your sanctuary.”

  “I’m surprised you went into medicine rather than the law. You have the makings of a fine prosecuting attorney.”

  “Humph,” he muttered.

  “I hate to say this, Doc, but some of her story rings true, while some of it doesn’t.”

  “Let me guess. It all rings true until the part where she didn’t know when or if Charles was going to return to Allagash. Or where he is right now.”

  “Maybe you’re the one who’s psychic.” She looked out over the pond, its surface smooth and glassy now that the ice was gone. “It’s going to take a miracle to get the complete truth out of her, even if you dangle $100 million in front of her nose.”

  “I believe you’re right. But at least a few of our questions were answered.”

  She stood up. “I’m heading home. Try not to piss her off too much since I won’t be here to protect you.” She arched an eyebrow. “Unless you want me to go upstairs and frisk her.”

  Doc guffawed. “As much as I would love to see that, I think there’s been enough drama for the day.”

  They walked up the slight incline. As Doc entered the house, Cammie went to her Explorer. She opened the door, but just before she got in, she turned and looked up at the windows of the guest rooms. She saw the curtains move in one of them and she knew it was Lily. She’d been watching them – she could feel the woman’s eyes on her the entire time she and Doc were talking.

  She knew Lily wasn’t telling the whole truth. It was possible she’d never tell the whole truth.

  Cammie got into the Explorer, turned it on and slowly drove down the long driveway.

  Maybe Lily really didn’t know where Charles was. Maybe, in an effort to avoid getting roped in further in the murder of her mother, she deliberately made sure not to know.

  And maybe I’m Lady Gaga, she thought as she gunned it down the road.

  As it turned out, Doc ultimately decided that he needed to think about it some more before he made a final decision regarding Lily’s inheritance. As expected, this did not go down well with his half-sister. After a huge blow out that could be heard across Waban Pond, Lily got into her Mercedes and sped out of Twin Ponds.

  Although Cammie knew Doc had every right to do what he thought best with his money, she wasn’t sure she liked the fact that he enjoyed stringing Lily along. If it were her, she would have made a decision so she’d never need to deal with the narcissistic woman ever again. She was just too exhausting and too self-absorbed.

  Cammie dutifully called Mantree and told him of their meeting. It didn’t go well and she had to endure an earful, even though she tried to explain they wouldn’t have gotten half of what they’d gotten if he’d been present.

  “You have any more meetings with anyone, including the family dog, you call me pronto,” he demanded before slamming down the phone.

  Cammie pushed it all into the back of her mind and got on with her life. They were planning on meeting with the architect the following week and she still hadn’t finished picking out the shower and fixtures for the bathroom, or the new appliances for the expanded kitchen.

  One evening, she and Jace were sitting in the living room, going over the catalogs that were lying atop the blueprints when her cell rang. Looking at the display, she inwardly cringed. What drama was Doc about to drag her into now?

  “Hey, Doc,” she answered.

  “Something just occurred that I thought you might find interesting.”

  “Lily join the Peace Corps?”

  He barked a laugh. “That wouldn’t be interesting. That would be a miracle. Part of my duties as executor to Helen’s will is taking care of any creditors that may make a claim against the estate.”

  “I’d be surprised if there were any creditors,” Cammie replied. “Helen seemed on top of everything.”

  “My thoughts exactly. However, there is one bill that she seems to have either forgotten about or thought to pay at a future date that never came. I’m actually out your way right now. I’ll stop by and show it to you.”

  Before Cammie could respond, he hung up on her. “What is it about the rich that they just assume you’ll go
along with everything they want?” she asked rhetorically.

  “Doc invite himself over, eh?” Jace smiled.

  “Yes. Didn’t even ask if we were in the middle of anything.”

  “Do you want me to call him back and tell him we can’t squeeze him into our social calendar tonight?” They looked at each other and laughed. A few moments later, they heard a vehicle pull up outside. Cammie got up and opened the door before Doc had a chance to knock. He breezed past her into the living room.

  “Good evening, Jason,” he said.

  “Hey Doc.”

  He glanced down at the catalogs and blueprints spread all over the coffee table. “You’re finally going ahead with your plans?”

  “Yes,” Jace answered.

  Cammie was about to sit back down on the couch next to Jace when Doc abruptly took her spot and began to study the drawings. She rolled her eyes as Jace glanced at her in amusement. “I have to say, I like what I see. However, if I can make some suggestions…”

  “You came by to show me something?” she quickly asked.

  “Ah yes. I thought you would find this interesting.” He took out an envelope and gave it to her. Glancing at the business name on the corner of the envelope, she frowned.

  “Doherty Construction?” she asked.

  “Look at the bill.”

  Opening the envelope, she withdrew the piece of paper and scanned it. Her brow furrowed deeper as she looked at Doc. “This says it’s for final construction work on her cabin.”

  “Actually, it’s not for Helen’s cabin. It’s for another cabin that she had built on her property.”

  “Another cabin?”

  “As soon as I received that bill today, I called Vance, but he had no idea why she felt the need to do this.”

  “And an expensive cabin to boot,” Cammie added as she looked at the final figure which made her salary look like pocket change.