Lochlan Museum: The Case of the Collectible Killer

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “Why are you saying this?” Claire snapped.

  “Because it’s the truth. Rick knows him. We know his brother and sister-in-law. We know, and… so should you.”

  Marlena gave her a long look, then opened the door. She started to walk out, then hesitated.

  “If you want to talk later… call me,” she said softly, and left.

  Claire pressed her hands to her forehead and tried to breath. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed. She stood there for several seconds, then walked slowly out the door.

  Alec smiled when he saw her, then concern filled his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Claire shook her head a little.

  “Let’s just go. But—I’d rather talk before lunch, than after.”

  “Okay, good. So would I,” he agreed.

  “I’d rather talk at home, than somewhere else.”

  “Alright,” he said, worry shadowing his eyes. “What happened? You look like you feel sick.”

  “Maybe I’ll feel better after we talk,” she replied shakily. She laced her fingers tightly, to stop her hands from trembling.

  Alec led her back to the truck, and they headed home. He glanced at her with concern, as she stared, unseeing, out the passenger window.

  “What you saw last night was a blind date. I didn’t plan it, and I didn’t know anything about it, until yesterday afternoon.”

  Alec glanced at her again. She rubbed her forehead, but didn’t respond.

  “I tried to cancel, but couldn’t reach the girl to do it. Her voicemail isn’t set up, and she didn’t answer. Because I couldn’t get hold of her, I felt obligated to show up, even though I didn’t ask her out, and didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be back at the garage, finishing up the car. More than anything, I wanted to be with you.”

  Alec pulled into his driveway and parked.

  “Why did you want to be with me?” she asked, as they got out, and slowly walked toward her house.

  “Because I like you. I’ve been trying all week to show you that, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, confuse you, and let you down. I’m so sorry. I wanted to explain last night, but I didn’t have my cellphone, and I had to track down the waiter three different times, to get the check. Then their card reader wouldn’t work… I paid as soon as I could, then drove straight home. Your car was there, and the light was on in the secret sitting room. I knocked several times, but you didn’t answer.”

  “I didn’t know,” she replied quietly, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

  “I was afraid you were mad. Which you had every right to be,” he added. “I went back to the garage for my phone, and then tried calling. You didn’t answer that either, so… I went home, and spent the rest of the night feeling sick that I hurt you, and praying you’d forgive me. I enjoy being with you more than anyone, Claire. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

  Claire’s throat felt tight. They reached the steps, and they both sat. She swallowed hard.

  “When did you come to that conclusion?”

  “I’ve liked you since the day we met. I tried to ask you out several times, but each time, you responded as though I was asking you out as a friend. I got the impression you knew how I felt, and that you were trying to let me down easy. I did want to be friends, and I liked you too much, to give up. I hoped I could change your mind. After we hung out all day Friday, I started to think I might have a chance. I would’ve tried asking you to go out that night, if you didn’t already have other plans.”

  A chill swept over her.

  “Are you serious?” Claire asked evenly, her eyes locked on his.

  “Yes. I’m very serious. I would have, but I still wasn’t sure how you felt, until I saw how I hurt you. I’m so sorry for that, Claire. I like you, so much. And I’m your friend, and I feel sick that I hurt you.”

  “I feel sick too,” Claire said honestly. Her fingers were locked so tightly, her knuckles ached. She took a deep breath, and prepared for the worst. “You would’ve asked me to go out with you Friday night, if I wasn’t having dinner with Mrs. Frederick?”

  “Yes. I was glad you had that chance to learn more about your family, but sorry our day ended so soon. I had your car to keep me busy, but… I would’ve much rather been with you.”

  “That’s right, you took my car to your garage,” she said, grasping at that ray of hope. “You spent Friday night working on it.”

  He glanced away briefly, and her hope dimmed.

  “I did come home and sleep, at some point,” he replied.

  Claire’s heart sank.

  “You worked on my car, and you slept. You didn’t go out with another girl Friday night.”

  The look of surprise on his face wrenched her stomach.

  “How—how do you—okay, yes, but I can explain that,” he swiftly replied. He looked like a deer in the headlights, scrambling to get out of the way.

  “She wasn’t the same girl you went out with on Saturday, was she,” Claire said evenly. “How about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the week before? Or the week before that? How about your date tonight? Do you ever date the same girl twice?”

  “I cancelled tonight, and no, but—”

  Claire leaped off the porch steps and whirled to face him.

  “What is wrong with you, Alec?” she choked, dashing away the angry, disappointed tears that blinded her. “I hoped it wasn’t true, but you—I can’t believe I trusted you! How can you possibly think I’d even want to be friends, when you treat women this way?”

  “Claire, stop!” he said sharply, rising from the porch steps. “I don’t. That’s not what this is. You’ve got it all wrong.”

  “Oh, really? You mean there’s more?” she snapped sarcastically. “That’s what you said earlier. I didn’t think I could feel any worse than I did then. Boy, was I wrong!”

  “I was in a dating service, alright? Forgive me for not wanting to say that out loud,” he replied, tension sharpening his voice. “It was my sister-in-law’s bright idea. I made the mistake of admitting I was lonely, and she thought she was doing me a favor. She’s the one who lined up all those dates. I didn’t make any of them, and never would have. It’s been one of the most uncomfortable, disappointing experiences I’ve ever had.”

  Claire rolled her eyes. His words did little to soothe her blistered heart.

  “Oh, really? You expect me to believe anything you have to say? Explain Friday night, why don’t you! You already had a date. Yet you’re telling me you would’ve asked me out, if Mrs. Frederick didn’t invite me to dinner. Well thank goodness she did! Although I’d like to know how you intended to pull that off! Do you usually stack your dates this way? Or maybe you run back and forth from table to table. Better yet, conserve space and all sit at the same one! Is that why you said you’d take me with you, if you could do Saturday over? Well I can tell you this, I would NOT be okay with that!”

  “Claire, stop it!” Alec ordered, his voice rising to join hers. “I thought the date on Friday had been cancelled, until I got a text reminder. You were already at Mrs. Frederick’s. I went, which I shouldn’t have. My responsibility wasn’t to that girl, it was to you, because I care about you, and I know this looks terrible, and I admit I’m in the wrong in a lot of ways. But it’s nothing like what you’re accusing me of!”

  “I’m supposed to believe this?” she retorted incredulously.

  “Yes! We’ve spent a lot of time together. I think you know me well enough to know I’m not like that. I mess up out of stupidity, not because I’m out to use others. All these miserable dates I went on? I never so much as held hands with any of these girls! The only reason I stuck with the dating service, is because I was lonely. You’ve seen what the so-called singles class is like! I hoped, eventually, I’d meet someone I enjoyed being around. Then you moved here, and finally, I did. Claire, please. You said yourself you feel like we click. I’m guilty, but not like this.”

  “What am I supposed to think, A
lec? You haven’t been forthcoming about any of this! I’d say it’s none of my business, but you admit you were leading me on. Then I discover all this, and you’re telling me I should just take your word for it, that it’s all innocent. That’s not what I’ve heard, Alec, and that’s not what it sounds like. So who am I supposed to believe?”

  “What do you mean, who?” he snapped, his eyes locking on hers.

  Claire looked back at him as she wondered if answering that question would be throwing her older sister under the bus.

  She decided Marlena could handle it, and pitied the bus that headed her way.

  “Marlena told me. She said you’d trick me into believing you liked me, then use me like you do every other girl you go out with once, then throw away.”

  “She told you that,” he said. Anger burned in his eyes.

  “She saw you out with your date on Friday night, too. She seems to know what she’s talking about. Everything you’ve admitted supports that.”

  Alec spun on his heel, jumped in his truck, slammed the door, and peeled out of the driveway.

  Claire considered calling Marlena to inform her a bus was headed her way.

  She turned and went inside the house, and called Daphne, instead.

  Chapter 17

  Alec’s blood boiled as he followed the road toward the more affluent part of town. The vivid blue of the sky, the twittering of birdsong, and the beautiful landscaping in which the homes of the well-to-do residents of Juniper Creek were set, did nothing to lighten his mood.

  Finally, he met the girl of his dreams, and then… he had no idea who he was most angry with. His sister-in-law, for setting him up with that horrible dating service? Or Marlena, for twisting the truth. He’d prefer to focus on those two, because they were certainly to blame. But, so was he.

  Alec felt sick, all over again.

  The only way he’d ever have a chance to redeem himself was if his sister-in-law, and Claire’s sister, backed up the truth. His sister-in-law would, he had no concern on that point. But if Marlena wouldn’t, there would always be doubt in Claire’s mind.

  Marlena better, he thought grimly.

  If she did, then Alec would be left with the task of convincing Claire he wasn’t out to use anyone, and never had been. It made him sick that the answers he gave to her questions made it seem as though he was.

  His sister-in-law could absolve him of that guilt, to some extent. Nothing would absolve him of answering Claire’s questions in the stupidest way possible, but he had no idea they were loaded. Once she reminded him of his so-called date on Friday, he could’ve honestly said he forgot all about it. He could tell her that now, but he doubted telling her it wasn’t memorable enough to make it into long-term memory, would gain him any marks in the trust column.

  Alec came to a stop sign, and paused. He removed his phone from his pocket, and tapped the screen several times before holding the phone to his ear. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

  “I’m upset, so be forewarned,” he said, as soon as his brother Eric answered. “Get Sandy, and get over to my house. Now. Yes, there’s a problem! It’s that stupid dating service! I told Sandy to quit setting me up, and now it’s about to ruin my chances with the only girl I’ve ever cared about. So get over there. If I’m not at the house, wait. I’ll be there soon.”

  Alec put his phone back in his pocket, and drove the rest of the way to Rick and Marlena’s house.

  He parked in the driveway, and took the steps two at a time to the front door. He ignored the bell, and pounded. He waited two seconds, and pounded again.

  The door opened. Rick, Marlena’s husband, stood on the other side, a concerned look in his eyes.

  “Alec. What’s going on?”

  “I need to speak with Marlena. Immediately,” Alec replied, indignation burning in his eyes.

  “About… what?” Rick asked, his concern deepening.

  “I like your sister-in-law. A lot. I guess Marlena doesn’t like that. She pulled Claire aside this morning and twisted the truth so badly, I’m not sure she’ll ever have anything to do with me again.”

  “What?” Rick replied, as surprised as he was concerned.

  “I need to speak with her. Now,” Alec restated.

  “Alright… come in,” Rick said, and held the door open as he called over his shoulder, “Marlena, Alec Collins is here.”

  He led the way down two steps, to the den. Marlena sat on the couch, her expression impassive.

  “Well, Alec. What brings you here?” she said evenly.

  “As if you don’t know,” Alec replied shortly. “You also know Sandy, my sister-in-law. You evidently know she set me up with that dating service, which also means you know she’s responsible for arranging the dates I’ve been on. But that’s not what you told Claire.”

  Marlena studied him for a moment.

  “Yes, I know Sandy. What I don’t know, is what you think you’re doing. Rick and I saw you out on Friday. I’m sure you went out Saturday. You made plans with Claire, for today. You have plans with someone else, for tonight. What are you trying to do, break the record for the most dates in one weekend?”

  “Sandy set all of that up, and you know it,” he snapped. “Everything but my plans with Claire. I like your sister. I don’t want to date anyone else.”

  “Then why are you?” Marlena shot back.

  “I’m not. Sandy would know that, too, if she checked her messages. I assumed she cancelled the date on Friday, like I told her to, until I got a text reminder from the dating service. I messaged Sandy a second time, and said to quit setting me up and to cancel the rest of the dates she’d made. I knew nothing about the ones on Saturday or Sunday, until I got another reminder Saturday afternoon. I cancelled Sunday right away, but the one on Saturday never answered the phone, and voicemail wasn’t set up, so I couldn’t. I tried from the time I was informed I had plans, until I had to leave. I wish now that I didn’t go, but I felt obligated. I am not guilty of what you made Claire think. I wasn’t using anyone, or throwing them away. I was suffering through miserable dates with strangers I never would’ve asked out on my own. I expect you to go straight to Claire’s house, and tell her the truth.”

  Marlena shook her head firmly.

  “If you liked Claire, you should’ve cancelled the other dates, even if it was at the last minute.”

  Alec decided that unlike Claire, Marlena was dense.

  “Did you not just hear me?”

  “I heard you. You could’ve tried cancelling Friday, yourself, even if it was at the last minute. You could’ve cancelled Saturday by showing up and telling the girl in person, then leaving.”

  “You’re right,” Alec admitted, and wondered why he didn’t think of that. “I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place. I made the decision I thought was right at the time, and I was wrong. I made two terrible choices, but I’m not guilty of what you said, and Claire needs to know that. If she can’t forgive me for doing something stupid when my intentions were good, then so be it. But Claire needs to know I’m not the monster you made me out to be. Because I’m not.”

  Rick cleared his throat, and Marlena glanced in his direction.

  “If you said anything that might give Claire the wrong impression, you have to make sure she knows what the truth is.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” Marlena asked, glancing away in annoyance.

  “Get in your car, now, and meet me at Claire’s house,” Alec replied firmly. He looked from her, to Rick.

  “Okay. We’ll meet you over there,” Rick agreed.

  “Thank you,” Alec said gratefully.

  He led the way, Rick’s SUV following right behind. Alec couldn’t help being thankful that Rick was Marlena’s husband, and not some other guy who didn’t depend on Alec’s garage to restore and repair the cars he sold at his lot. Rick and Alec were friends, he could probably count on him anyway. But it didn’t hurt that Rick needed him.

  Alec pulled into
his driveway and parked. Eric’s SUV was already in front of the house, and he and Sandy sat waiting on Alec’s porch. They stood when they saw him, and walked to meet him.

  “Alec, what’s the matter?” Sandy asked, her eyes shadowed with concern.

  “I don’t have time to explain. Just answer my questions, when I ask them.”

  Alec headed for Claire’s front porch, and they followed. As they climbed the steps, Rick’s vehicle pulled up in front of the house. He and Marlena joined the rest.

  Alec rang the doorbell, then knocked, then rang the doorbell again. He hated when people did that, but his sense of urgency overrode his sense of politeness.

  The door opened, and Claire’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

  On the other side stood Marlena, three people she never saw in her life, and Alec. He looked mad, Marlena looked grim, the other woman looked distressed and apologetic, and the two men looked concerned.

  Claire probably looked bewildered. She was too surprised to know for sure.

  “Uh… Daphne,” she said quietly into the phone she held to her ear. “I can’t talk now. I’ve got company.”

  She lowered the phone, then looked from Alec to Marlena.

  “Claire, I need to speak with you,” Marlena said loftily. “Everyone else, please wait here.”

  “You better tell her the truth, this time,” Alec glared. Marlena stiffened, but otherwise didn’t respond, as she guided Claire back inside, and closed the door.

  She led Claire to the kitchen, then to the sewing room. She gave the rows of boxes a disdainful look as she came to a stop, and faced Claire.

  “Alec seems to think clarification is in order. In case you were unaware, his sister-in-law is responsible for arranging the dates he’s been on. He didn’t make them, but he did go. He did that, after meeting you, and after asking you to lunch today. So… you’re going to have to decide for yourself, whether or not this technicality is enough to absolve him.”

  Claire’s forehead creased faintly as she watched Marlena.

  “Okay… Is that it?”

  “Yes,” Marlena replied.

  Claire led the way back through the house, and out to the porch, halting the quiet discussion that was taking place. All eyes were now on her.