“We don’t think so, either,” Crandall said.
Chloe’s throat closed up. Allison was right, the cops thought she’d hurt Diana. “You think I did it?”
Crandall gave her a funny look. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
It had to have been Weasel-face. Chloe had trouble breathing. No matter how you looked at it, what happened was still her fault.
“I think I know who tried to kill them,” she continued. “Not his name, but I can give you a description. And I can take you to him, or I will be able to. Tomorrow.”
Crandall’s brow furrowed. “You know where to find Len Phillips?”
“Len? No, why?”
“Jeremy Walker told the doctor something about—”
“Jeremy’s able to talk? He’s okay?” Relief flood Chloe’s chest.
“I’m not a doctor, but that’s my impression. He’s asking for you. The hospital has been trying to reach you.” Crandall eyed her critically. “Now, what’s this about leading us to Len?”
“Not Len. A man I call Weasel-face. He was a friend of my ex-boyfriend. I think he might be responsible for what happened to Diana and Jeremy.”
Crandall shook his head. “No, it was Len Phillips. The boy, Jeremy, told the doctor that Len hurt them, but won’t say more without you there. He’s too upset to talk. That’s why we’ve all been trying to track you down.”
“Len? But why?”
“That’s what we’d like to find out. Apparently, Len tried to grab some photographs from the boy’s mother, and then he hit her.”
Joel spoke up for the first time. “Photos? The ones my cousin sent me?”
“Probably,” Chloe said. “I gave her the envelope last night but she was too upset to look at them.”
“Oh, shit.” Joel looked white as a sheet. “That must be what she was talking about.”
Crandall frowned. “You two want to tell me—”
“I should have seen it,” Joel said, slapping his forehead with his open palm. “Damn, how stupid of me.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began scrolling the screen, then he handed it to Chloe. “Do you recognize Len in any of these pictures?”
They were snapshots of kids partying at the beach. She thought she recognized Len as one of three bare-chested guys hamming it up for the camera.
“This one,” she said. “I’m pretty sure that’s Len.”
“What’s this about?” Crandall demanded. He hadn’t moved from behind his desk, but he was standing and looking agitated.
“The Miranda Saxton murder,” Joel said. “If I’m right, it wasn’t Roy who killed her, but Len. Diana asked me about the medallion. Look, Len’s got it. I should have seen that myself.”
“You want to start at the beginning?” Crandall said impatiently.
“You’re familiar with the murder that took place in Georgia some twenty years ago, and that the main suspect, a boy named Brian Riley, was passing himself off as Roy Walker?”
“Yes. His identity hasn’t been confirmed but I know that’s the working theory.”
“After Miranda Saxton’s remains were discovered and Brian’s medallion was with them, the case heated up again, but nobody knew where to find Brian. I got an anonymous letter a couple of weeks ago pointing me to Roy Walker. That’s why I’ve come here from Georgia.”
“You’re a cop?”
“A reporter.”
“Fantastic.” Crandall rolled his eyes.
“I don’t know about any of this dirty DA stuff that’s just come out,” Joel continued, “but I’m betting Roy didn’t kill Miranda.”
Crandall crossed his arms. “Why should I trust you?”
“I’m from Littleton. The police chief knows me. Give him a call.”
“Explain to me why you think it was Len Phillips who killed the girl.”
“I gave Diana printouts of pictures my cousin emailed me. He was at the party the night Miranda disappeared. Diana called me this morning, asking about the kids at the party and about the medallion. She must have seen what I should have. Except I’ve never laid eyes on Len before.”
“Jeremy spent last night with Len and Allison,” Chloe added. “I bet Diana confronted Len when he brought Jeremy home.”
Crandall frowned. “Ever since hearing the kid’s story about Len hurting them, we’ve tried to reach him. He’s not answering his cell. His wife claims she doesn’t know where he is either.”
“Allison isn’t his wife,” Chloe said. “They just live together.”
Crandall gave an exasperated sigh. “Whatever. Let’s go talk to the kid. You want to ride with me or meet me at the hospital?”
“Chloe and I will meet you there,” Joel said.
*****
Jeremy was propped up in a big hospital bed. He had a swollen eye, scratches on his cheek, clear plastic tubing running under his nose, and an IV in one arm, but he was eating an orange popsicle and managed a smile when he saw Chloe.
“Hi, kiddo.” Chloe hesitated, then kissed his forehead.
Jeremy’s bottom lip began to tremble. “Where’s my mom? Why isn’t she here?”
“She’s in her own room. She’s going to be fine, but she’s not as strong as you are so it’s going to take her a bit longer to feel good.”
This was a sanitized version of what the doctor had said, but he’d told Chloe the odds were that Diana would eventually be fine.
Chloe brushed Jeremy’s hair from his forehead. “How do you feel?”
“I threw up. And my throat hurts. And also where Len kicked me.”
“He kicked you?” Her voice rose in anger.
Crandall shot Chloe a look that she interpreted to mean calm down. She took a breath and let him take over with the questions.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Crandall said.
“Len brought me home from spending the night,” Jeremy said with a glance at Chloe, “and we fixed a stuck drain in the upstairs tub.”
“About him hurting you and your mom,” Crandall prompted.
“They were in the kitchen. Len was yelling. His face was all red and he was making loud breathing noises. Then he hit my mom. I tried to stop him and he hit me, too.”
Besides Crandall and Chloe and Joel, there was a second cop in the hospital room, and a doctor. A lot of people in a small space. Even Chloe felt intimidated. She wondered if Jeremy would clam up, but he seemed fine talking as long as she stayed by his side.
She felt sick. Len was a friend. How could he hurt Diana? How could anyone hurt an innocent kid?
Joel stood behind her. When Jeremy started talking about Len putting a smelly rag over his mouth, Joel gave Chloe’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She was glad he was there.
“I think that’s enough for now,” the doctor said, stepping forward. “Jeremy needs to rest.”
“Will you come back?” Jeremy asked Chloe.
“Absolutely.” She couldn’t tell her story to the police yet. Not until Diana was well enough to look after Jeremy. But she only had another day before Weasel-face’s deadline. She’d have to talk to them soon, whether she wanted to or not.
*****
Joel dragged her to the hospital cafeteria, saying they had to eat and, anyway, he was starving. When Chloe showed no interest in ordering, he sat her at a table, and went off to stand in line, returning with two sandwiches and two sodas.
“I hope you’re not a vegetarian,” he said.
Chloe shook her head. At the moment she wasn’t interested in food, period.
“This is amazing stuff.” Joel peeled the paper wrapper from a straw. “Len, who was what, like Roy’s best friend? And it turns out he’s the one who killed Miranda Saxton. If that’s really the way it plays out. And what he did to Diana and Jeremy . . . wow. Like something in a movie.”
“Len wasn’t Roy’s best friend. I don’t think Roy even liked him much. It’s Allison and Diana who are friends.” At this point she didn’t really care much who murdered some girl twenty years ago. She
was worried about Jeremy and Diana.
“I wonder if Roy suspected Len.” Joel picked up his sandwich, then put it down again with taking so much as a nibble. “Wait a minute, Diana said the private investigator Roy hired told her about the medallion being found with Miranda Saxton’s remains. That means Roy probably knew too, right?”
Chloe nodded. She liked Joel, she really did, but he seemed in high gear, like something good was going on. All she saw was hurt and unhappiness.
“So he would have known that his friend, or whatever Len was, had killed her and let Roy take the heat for it.”
“I guess.”
Joel seemed to realize she didn’t share his enthusiasm for unraveling the murder. He reached across the table and put his hand over hers. It was warm and comforting, and brought tears to her eyes. “Diana and Jeremy are going to be fine,” he said. “You heard the doctor and you saw Jeremy. The kid’s amazing. Everybody is going to be okay, thanks to you.”
“Except for Roy.”
“Yeah.” That seemed to slow Joel down a bit. “That’s a damn shame.” He patted her hand and returned to his sandwich, finally managing to take a bite. “You aren’t eating,” he noted, when he’d swallowed.
“I’ve been so stupid, Joel. Not just stupid, bad. I’ve done something really, really bad. I’m going to turn myself in.”
“Whoa, what are you talking about? You saved two people’s lives today.”
Chloe fixing her gaze on the speckled gray Formica table top. “I was there when Roy was shot. My boyfriend was the one who shot him. And I didn’t do anything to stop him. I didn’t even call the cops.” She looked up. Her mouth was dry and her throat so tight she was having trouble forming words. “I drove him away from the store where it happened. He was hurt and I helped him escape.”
Chloe sensed Joel pull away from her. He set his sandwich back on his plate. “And then you came around to flaunt what you did in Diana’s face?”
Chloe could hear the revulsion in his voice. “It looks that way, doesn’t it? But that’s not how it happened. I was supposed to break into their house, get some money so we could run away. But when I was standing outside, Jeremy ran into me on his bike and Diana fell all over herself helping me. She was so sweet.” Tears poured down Chloe’s cheeks. “She’s been nothing but good to me.”
“Wait. Go back. Why did your boyfriend kill Roy?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I only know what he said. He needed money to pay off some guys.” Chloe wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “Trace set the robbery up with the clerk at the store. They were going to split the money. I don’t think anyone was supposed to get hurt.”
“But the clerk was shot too, wasn’t he?”
She raised her eyes to look at Joel. “Trace wasn’t very smart. Or very nice.”
Chloe realized that on some level she’d probably always known that, but it suddenly seemed so clear she was surprised it had taken her this long to admit it.
Joel looked appalled. “What were you doing with a jerk like that?”
She made a stab at humor. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Joel simply stared at her. She could imagine what he must be thinking. She’d done terrible things and she deserved his contempt. But it still hurt.
“No, seriously,” Joel said. “What could you have seen in a guy like that?”
“I thought he loved me.” Chloe’s tears turned to sobs. She couldn’t help it. “I never had anyone love me before.”
“You think someone who loved you would involve you in murder?”
“I said I was stupid. What’s worse, I’m pregnant. With his baby.”
Joel’s eyes widened and he looked at her like she might be contagious.
“You see why I need to go to police and turn myself in.” She reached for a napkin and blew her nose.
Joel pushed his plate away and tapped the edge of the table with his fingers. The muscles in his face were taut, his mouth grim. He didn’t speak for so long, she expected him to get up and leave.
“You didn’t know your boyfriend was going to shoot anyone, is that right?” he said at last.
“No. I didn’t even know he had a gun. I was angry, really angry with him for all of it.” Chloe knew it was more complicated than that, but she was certain of one thing—she’d never have gone along with a plan to rob a store or carry a gun.
“I tried to get him to turn himself in. But I never went to the cops myself. I’m an accessory or whatever. Trace told me that. He said I was as guilty as him, and we’d both be sent away. Maybe to death row. But I have to tell them now. There’s this guy . . .”
She told Joel about Weasel-face and how he said he’d hurt Jeremy if she didn’t steal from Diana. “At first I thought he was the one who set the fire.”
“That’s the guy you were going to lead the cops to?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow is the deadline.” She put her hands over her face. Inside she was weeping rivers, drowning in sorrow, but her eyes had cried themselves out.
“I’ve made such a mess of my life,” she said.
“It could be better,” Joel agreed solemnly.
“I want to see Jeremy again, and then I need to talk to the police.”
Joel looked at her hard. “Not without an attorney.”
“Why? It won’t change anything that happened.”
“Chloe, you were an involuntary accessory. I don’t know the law, but an attorney can explain things the right way.”
“I know what I did.”
“You’ve made stupid mistakes in the past. Don’t compound them by making another one. Trust me on this.”
Joel sounded like a little boy begging for a special treat. “Where am I supposed to find this attorney?” she asked.
“Let me make a few calls. I have a story to write for the newspaper, too. Just promise me you won’t do anything right away. I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours, okay?”
“Okay.” That would give her time to spend with Jeremy, and maybe to explain everything to Diana before she turned herself in to the authorities.
When Joel had finished eating and gone off to take care of what he needed to do, Chloe made her way slowly to Diana’s hospital room. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so sick and ashamed, and yet she needed to tell Diana the truth.
Chapter 42
It was the painkillers, Diana thought. That’s why she was having such trouble sorting things out. Her mind, her heart, her moods—everything was a jumble. She’d thought now that she was out of the hospital and home again, the fog might lift.
So far, it hadn’t.
Jeremy was safe. She was safe. That was what was important above all else.
And Chloe had saved them. That was important, too.
Diana looked at the clock on the bedside table. Late afternoon already. She’d been home from the hospital for several hours now. She must have fallen asleep because it seemed like she’d only just come upstairs to lie down and rest for a moment. That had to be the work of the painkillers. She never napped.
She closed her eyes again and ran her tongue over the jagged edge of her broken tooth. At least that didn’t hurt. Every other part of her body did.
Her mind drifted back to Chloe’s startling confession at the hospital yesterday afternoon. If Diana hadn’t been floating on pain medication, hadn’t come through so much, hadn’t been so grateful to be alive and to know that Jeremy was safe, she might have reacted differently. But while she’d taken in Chloe’s words and the grim details of Roy’s last moments, what had spoken loudest to Diana was the anguish in Chloe’s voice. And she remembered thinking that Chloe was a victim, too.
Allison said she should turn Chloe out. Said that Chloe had “used and abused her.” Allison had become almost hysterical when Diana tried to explain she didn’t see it that way. But Allison wasn’t thinking straight about a lot of things right now, particularly things that involved Len and Diana. She refused to believe that he intended t
o hurt her and Jeremy. Or that he’d blackmailed Roy, even though the police had matched the dates and amounts of Roy’s withdrawals with deposits made by Len into his own account, one Allison knew nothing about.
Diana wondered if their friendship was strong enough to survive.
Diana opened her eyes when she heard a knock on the door.
“Mom? Are you awake?” Emily poked her head in and then came to stand beside Diana. “How are you feeling?”
“I hurt all over but otherwise, I’m doing okay.” She twisted her head toward the door. “Where’s Dog?”
“Jeremy’s showing him something.”
Another surprise that had emerged from the ether of her stay in the hospital. Emily had come to her room last evening with a handsome, all-American boy who appeared a bit preppy for what Diana assumed would be her daughter’s taste.
“Dog’s a nickname,” he explained when Emily introduced him. “It’s my sister’s fault.”
“She wanted a dog and got a baby brother instead?”
“That, and it’s my initials.” He looked a bit abashed. “Short for Douglas Oswald Gainsworth.”
“The third,” Emily added. “As in the Gainsworth hotel chain.”
Diana had already made the connection herself.
“Pleased to meet you,” Dog said. “I’m sorry about the circumstances, though.”
“I’m happy to meet you, too,” Diana managed. “I’m sorry I won’t be much of a hostess, but make yourself at home. Emily can show you around.” Who slept where no longer seemed important. Her brush with death had given her a whole new perspective on life.
“Thanks, but I’m staying with my aunt in Berkeley.”
“Berserkly?” That had been the medication talking, and Diana was instantly mortified. She and Roy might have laughed about some of the politics that came out of Berkeley, but she also had friends in Berkeley. She shopped there, for heaven’s sake. She hadn’t meant to sound critical.
But Dog laughed. “A rebel aunt,” he explained. And Diana had liked him immediately.
Now, with just Emily by her side, Diana patted Emily’s hand. “He seems like a nice boy.”
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