She paused her story and glanced around the room, gesturing with her hands. The trance she had been in was broken, and she locked eyes with Duncan. The old Sunny was back. She folded her hands in her lap, sat up straight, and beamed at him.
"What do you think of my life story, Duncan?"
"I'm not sure what to make of it," he said in all honesty.
"Ha! I believe you, Duncan. Shall we pause for tea? I'm growing weary."
"That would be fine, Sunny."
She rose and walked to the arcade where she could ring for staff. Joseph appeared and she asked for tea to be served in the hall. She returned to her chair, where he observed that she did, in fact, look tired. Rehashing the tragedy of her life took its toll. She closed her eyes while they waited for Joseph's return and Duncan kept silent. He still needed to hear how she lured Ella under the crane. Sunny's servant soon appeared with a small tea service, which he placed on a nearby table. Then, he eased the table between their chairs before disappearing back into the arcade. Duncan poured hot tea from a silver pot into china cups. Sunny drank hers straight. After finishing half a cup and nibbling on a biscuit, she seemed energized.
"Eugenio was a wonderful man. He had private nurses attend me round the clock until I was well. He had the records of my hospital stay destroyed and proposed marriage. I was smart enough to accept, and the only thing marring our happiness was my inability to bear a child because of what had happened. He started calling me Sunny and it stuck. Soon, Betty and Susan no longer existed. He was no Robert," Sunny explained, shaking her head, "but Eugenio was always good to me and we had a fine life together."
"What of your other marriages?"
Sunny dipped her chin and fluttered her eyelashes.
"Let's not pry, Duncan. I'm divulging enough as it is."
She gave him a satisfied smile and finished her tea.
"I'm certain you've probably guessed that I somehow recognized Ella at Armondo's interview. I chanced to see her heading into the kitchen. Then, I overheard her speaking to Frogo and recognized her voice at once. Funny, the things that remain clear in one's memory. Oh, she had changed in the physical sense, but so had I. Neither of us were blonde any longer and she'd aged terribly, while I remained well preserved."
Sunny paused to smirk with pride at Duncan. He noticed her mouth smiled, but her eyes remained cold. He fought to contain the shiver that trailed up his spine.
"Over the years, I'd thought about what I'd do to her if I ever got the chance. She'd stolen everything that was dear to me and I wanted her to pay in some way." Sunny again leaned close to Duncan and whispered, "Don't be angry with Frogo. He's like a nephew to me and was only following my instructions. He had no idea what I was about. I told him to hire her for the chef position because I owed her family a favor. I swore him to secrecy at the time."
"I guessed as much," Duncan shared, nodding.
"After she came to the academy, I kept my distance. Then, one evening, I couldn't stand it any longer. I approached her in the kitchen after the other help had left for the day. I could tell she had been drinking. She still didn't recognize me."
Sunny lifted both eyebrows at Duncan, then turned her gaze to the floor.
She continued, "Ella had lost some of her mental prowess through excessive drink and age." Sunny gave Duncan a side glance and shrugged, raising her hands, palms up, before continuing, "I engaged her in conversation and more alcohol. By the time she was good and drunk, we got around to the subject of children. She confessed to terminating several pregnancies. I couldn't get over how crass she was. I came home that night and decided what I must do. It took two weeks to plan her punishment, acquire the crane company, decide on an alibi, and wait for Ella to chose the new stove."
Duncan realized the conversation regarding children occurred the same night Juliette spoke with Ella. The cook had told the artist she'd wished she had a daughter just like her. That's also what Sunny had said to Angela. They each had children on the brain for some reason. Those statements were what linked the women together in Duncan's mind and revealed the murderer. In addition, that scholarship linked Ella's former roommate to the Tormes family. Studying the old photos of Susan Gruber, he saw a resemblance to Sunny.
"Did the people at Alcala know what you were planning?" he asked.
"Of course not. I just told their boss I needed the load to hang overnight as a joke. I'd already secured keys to all the equipment when we bought Alcala. My current husband owns the largest heavy equipment company in Spain, so I knew the labor laws for operating that kind of machine. I told Mr. Torillo to make sure the crew had met its maximum work hours by four in the afternoon and that the load was in the air by then. It was so simple. The crew was given extra cash for their trouble and told to keep quiet. They weren't exactly upstanding citizens to start with."
"Sunny, weren't you worried about the crew talking to the police or trying to blackmail you?"
"All I cared about was justice for Ella. Face it Duncan, even you couldn't prove a thing. No one can."
He took a sip of his tea, which was tepid by now.
"How did you get Ella to stand under the load?"
Sunny tilted her head in his direction. A sly smile slowly took over her face, mingling with pride.
"She still didn't know who I was. So, I stopped by the academy that evening. I knew her habit was to stay and drink after her staff had left for the day. It was around nine, and I took a glass of sherry with her. I said I had a surprise for her, a bonus of sorts, but that it wouldn't be ready until midnight. I wonder if you've noticed, Duncan, that the pavers in the courtyard form subtle patterns, similar to the cobblestones in the streets of Manchiego?"
"No, I hadn't noticed."
"I checked on the position of the oven and told her to meet me by the star in the courtyard. It's a well-known spot, and I saw to it that the crane foreman knew to center the stove above it. I told myself that if she didn't show up, I'd forget about the entire thing. But, if she came, she'd meet her maker."
She paused and took a deep breath. Sunny sighed aloud as she exhaled. Eager to hear the rest, he leaned in towards Sunny, hoping to encourage her to finish the story. It worked. The Vizcondesa fluttered her long, fake, lashes at Duncan and straightened her back before crossing one leg over the other.
"Ella was late and I was about to give up and come home when she arrived. I flicked on the cab light so she could see me. I think in that moment she finally recognized who I was. I turned on the crane's headlights to confuse her, and pulled down, hard, on the upper release lever. It was over in less than a second. I turned off the lights, locked the cab, and climbed down from the crane. I drove home and took the jet straight to Chile."
"You never worried about anyone looking at the plane's flight plans?"
"No, Duncan. People don't doubt the word of a Vizcondesa. You were the first to poke around there."
He had examined the flight plans and noted that a manual plan was filed around noon on the day Ella died, bringing the plane back to Spain late that afternoon and then returning within hours to Chile.
"Were you ever on the original flight?"
"Why, yes, I was. But I told the pilot at a layover in Morroco that we'd need to return to Spain for another passenger. He filed a revised flight plan there, and we returned home in time for me to meet with Ella. Afterwards, I flew right back to Chile. No one was the wiser, Duncan."
"I was wiser, Sunny."
"Hmm, it would appear so. But what good has it done you?" she asked, looking around the room.
"Tell me the rest. I want to know about Ella's last moments," Duncan said.
Sunny grinned, shifted her eyes back towards Duncan before lifting a biscuit to her lips. He could see her sharp teeth as she bit into the sweet. He felt a grain of fear in his stomach. This woman could unsettle Caesar.
She continued gnawing at the treat. She ate the entire biscuit. It was the first piece of food Duncan ever saw her finish. She poured herself another cup
of tea. The silver pot had kept the beverage warm, as Duncan observed steam rising from the brew. He would be patient while Sunny toyed with him.
At last, she said, "Anticlimactic. I flipped the cab lights on and she saw me, I mean really saw me. I'd dressed my hair so that it appeared similar to how I wore it in college."
Duncan imagined what today's Sunny would look like in a 1960's hairdo. It must have been one strange scene.
She added, "Once I saw that spark of recognition in her, and panic I might add, I turned on the crane's headlights."
Sunny cackled. He'd never heard her laugh like that before.
She saw his expression and explained, "She was the proverbial deer in the headlights," before continuing her laughter.
"Very funny," Duncan remarked in a critical tone.
Sunny snapped back to reality.
"In any case, she didn't dart away as she should have. I think the headlights shocked her, blinded her perhaps, and as I said, she'd grown a bit dull over the years. But, I called out to her, Ella, Ella, it's your old friend come to collect. She still looked bewildered. Just before I dropped the lever I added, Remember Betts?"
She leaned towards Duncan and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "That's what she used to call me. I do believe I caught a glimpse of terror on her face, right before the stove hit, of course."
Sunny raised her head, pinned her shoulders back and sat straight in her chair, as if waiting to be awarded a medal. Duncan reached across the distance between them and took her hand again, giving it a small squeeze.
"So, you killed her."
Silence hung thick in the air, as Duncan waited to hear her response. He wanted a total confession.
Without glancing his way, Sunny said with no emotion, "Yes, I killed her. She lived far longer than she deserved."
She then rose from her seat and stepped past Duncan, halting next to his chair. He wondered where she was going.
"Nevertheless, I like you, Duncan. We can still be friends, can't we?" she asked, dipping her chin and displaying an innocent smile that said, I’m harmless.
Duncan stared at her, not knowing how to respond.
When he didn't answer, she continued, "I know it's going to be hard for a man like you, living with the truth of what happened without being able to do anything about it."
"I can do something about it, Betts," a voice, cracking with emotion, declared from the arcade on the right side of the hall.
Sunny snapped her head in the direction of the arches, her eyes wide with fright. Duncan observed her as her posture and countenance transformed. Her shoulders rolled to the fore and she hunched forward, slouching several centimeters. Regal Sunny no longer stood before him. It was as if her backbone collapsed. She grasped for Duncan's seat, fumbling for something to hold on to as her knees gave way. She managed to grab the back of his chair, avoiding a fall. He watched as she peered towards the dark arcade.
"Who's there?" she finally managed to croak out, straightening herself back to her full height.
She clung to Duncan's seat, trembling enough to vibrate the chair. Her voice echoed back to Duncan from across the hall. It was as if the Scotsman no longer existed. All of Sunny's considerable mental powers concentrated on the shadows behind the arches to her right. She looked her age now, the same age as Ella, Isabella Ramon, and Mary, her informer.
"It's just me, Betts," the voice answered.
"Do come out," Sunny pleaded.
Nigel Carlyle emerged from the shadows and advanced towards his ex-wife. Even from several meters, Duncan could see he had tears streaming down his face. Sunny's lower lip trembled as the Englishman approached.
"I didn't want you to find out, Nigel," she whispered. "I knew it would hurt you," Sunny confessed.
Nigel reached Sunny and removed her hand from the chair, peeling her fingers away one by one and drawing her into an embrace.
"It's going to be all right. I'll take care of everything," the Englishman whispered in her ear.
Sunny shook with emotion and Duncan heard sobs coming from the Vizcondesa.
The Scotsman felt like an intruder in an otherwise private conversation and glanced away. He'd telephoned Nigel last evening, when he realized the lass in the microfiche pictures was Sunny. To be sure, he used the photos to take measurements of her facial structure, comparing those to the dimensions he took from a more current shot. Distances between eyes, nose bridge to chin, and across the temple all agreed. Checking the internet, he'd found that Sunny was a common nickname for Susan in the twentieth century. All of this, combined with the similar statements each woman made regarding children, cemented the Vizcondesa's guilt in Duncan's mind.
Nigel admitted to worrying his ex-wife might somehow be involved in the cook's death when Duncan spoke with him the night before. He'd been the one to convince the foundation's board that an internal investigation was needed. He had inadvertently discovered that Sunny was not in Chile when expected, and that she'd lied about her whereabouts. Other than that, he had no knowledge of her involvement with Ella Peña.
He hoped his investigation would clear the Vizcondesa, whom he must still love. If, however, she were guilty, Nigel wanted some control in the situation. He explained to Duncan that the police in Spain work under an examining magistrate. This judge carries out investigations into crimes and appoints the prosecution. If Duncan could get a confession from Sunny, Examining Magistrate Juan Salazar guaranteed there'd be no prosecution, no public trial, and that the Vizcondesa's case would be handled with discretion. Who was he to object?
"Come, Sunny. There's a car waiting for you," Nigel said after what seemed like twenty minutes.
Duncan twisted in his chair and leaned to see into the foyer. The door to the castle was open. Sunlight streamed in the otherwise dark entry, outlining two dark forms standing there. He assumed they were the police escort.
Nigel walked with his arm around Sunny towards the foyer and Duncan followed a safe distance behind. Once the couple entered the courtyard, he could hear Sunny greeting Juan Salazar, warmth in her voice. She was pleased to see her old friend. Soon Duncan was also outside, and he viewed several automobiles parked on the square. Two limousines and various smaller vehicles he assumed were unmarked police cars stood at the ready. The Rolls he arrived in had already been returned to Nigel's garage.
Sunny's chauffeur held the door open to a limo and stood at attention, as normal. As the Vizcondesa and Nigel approached her ride, the academy's compact car came speeding through the pointed arches that separated the courtyard from the road.
Oh, no, Lord, Duncan began a silent prayer as the small automobile screeched to a halt near the other vehicles. Frogo, Angus, and his former assistant leapt from the auto, Angela leading the charge towards Sunny. The academy's director and his brother jogged behind.
"Sunny, Sunny, is there anything I can do for you?" Angela stroked the Vizcondesa's forearm, gaining her attention.
Sunny had not even noticed the car pull into the courtyard. She seemed lost in her own world that didn't involve murder, police, or the past. The chairwoman smiled at Angela.
"Dear Girl, you came to say good-bye after all. That naughty Scotsman said you'd abandoned me."
By now, Frogo was also huddled around Sunny, while Angus hung back with his brother. Nigel still supported his ex-wife by the arm.
"Just one of his many tricks, I assume," Sunny added, turning to glance at Duncan.
She allowed her eyes to rake him up and down one more time before shifting her attention back to Angela.
She grasped her hands in her own with what felt like a death grip and pulled her close, whispering, "Do let me know which you choose and don't be too hard on the smaller one. He was only doing what he was hired for."
Sunny pulled back from the girl and smiled before allowing Nigel to help her into the limousine. The former race car driver joined his ex-wife and the chauffeur shut the door, trotted to the other side of the vehicle and started the engine. The limo pul
led through the archway at a snail's pace, then sped down the road, away from Castle Tormes. The examining magistrate and other officials dribbled away in their own vehicles, leaving only Frogo, Duncan, and his entourage in the courtyard.
Tears streamed down Angela's face. Frogo seemed in shock, staring after the limousine, still visible on the winding lane. The Dewars hung back, afraid to approach Angela.
Duncan said to his brother, in a low tone, "What are you doing here? I told you to get to the airport."
Angela must have overheard because she whirled around, facing them.
"Oh, we were going to leave, against my better judgement, when I got an email from Gerald with the photos of Sunny and Ella. He'd aged their faces. I recognized Sunny and called Frogo right away," Angela said through gritted teeth, still crying.
Angus nodded to let Duncan know that was exactly what happened.
"Yes, I told Angela to pick me up and I'd drive out to the castle. I tried to call Nigel, but there was no answer on his mobile. I didn't know what was happening, but I wanted to make sure Sunny was all right. What's this all about, Duncan?" Frogo asked.
- 19 -
End of a Spanish Holiday
Relieved that Frogo was only guilty of lying to him about Mondo's interview and not an accomplice to murder, Duncan spelled out the details of the case to him, back at the casa.
The director of the academy shook his head in disbelief and remarked, "I thought she was in Chile when the accident, uh, I mean, event occurred. She must have suffered great torment all those years."
Duncan explained how the examining magistrate had Sunny committed to a private hospital for psychological evaluation and treatment. She'd suffered a severe trauma and never dealt with it. Nigel had made the arrangements for her care possible.
He now understood what drove Sunny to collect people, as Frogo had warned him weeks before. She tried to fill the void created when she couldn't have children of her own. Duncan had to watch as Angus comforted Angela. They'd certainly grown closer the past few days. The lass was angry that he hadn't informed her of Sunny's guilt or what he was about. He tried to explain that he'd only just discovered the truth himself, but she wanted no part of it.
Mystery: The Cook's Comeuppance: A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense (Duncan Dewar Mysteries Book 3) Page 21