For Letter or Worse

by Vivian Conroy

  “I knew I could count on you.” Gran smiled through her tears. “I do feel guilty about taking you away from your life here and… You are your own person now.”

  “But I’d love to do it. You can always tell me anything. I’m there for you.” Delta kissed her. “And thanks for the lovely flowers.”

  “You really have to thank Ray for those. He insisted on getting them for me. He paid for them as well.” Gran winked at her. “Are you sure it’s Hazel he’s interested in and not you?”

  “Quite sure.” Delta thought a moment. How complicated would everything get if, besides Jonas, she also had to think about Ray. “I’ll thank him, though. They are gorgeous.”

  Together, they finished putting the flowers in the vase and giving the bouquet a good place in the living room. After a quick cup of coffee and some chocolate chip cookies, Delta drove Gran back to the Lodge Hotel. She wanted to thank Ray personally for the flowers and his care of her grandmother.

  Ray was at the boathouse, she heard, and she ran down the path to meet up with him before he could take a boat out and escape her. He was just putting in some fishing gear, and Delta waved at him. “Hold on a sec!”

  “Good morning. I was about to cast off. Want to join me?”

  “No, thanks, I’m already skipping school, so to speak. Hazel is at the shop, and I’m having a leisurely morning off.”

  Ray gave her a quick look, and she nodded. “I met Gran. Thanks for the flowers.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I can’t stand to see old ladies crying.”

  “She was crying?” Delta’s gut clenched.

  “Yes, uh, I guess she felt a bit lonely, away from home and all.” He shrugged. “I came across her in the garden, and…I had to do something to cheer her up.”

  “You’re a good guy, you know that?”

  Ray huffed. “Can you tell Rosalyn? She’s mad with me, again. I don’t think we need an expensive remake of the hotel.”

  “Calvin Drake’s design?”

  “Exactly. She seems to be a bit under his influence. I don’t want the same fate to befall the Lodge as did the community center. Controversy, haters versus fans. You know what I mean?”

  “Yup. Say, is Rosalyn in?”

  Ray looked surprised. “You’re actually going to put in a good word for me?”

  “Maybe.” Delta winked at him. “Have a nice boating trip.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  She tracked back to the Lodge, crossed the lobby, and knocked at the door to Rosalyn’s office.

  “Come in.”

  She opened the door and peeked in. The Lodge’s manager was behind her desk, dressed in one of her crisp pantsuits, leafing through paperwork with one hand while scrolling on her phone with the other.

  “I see you’re busy,” Delta said quickly. “I wanted to ask you one thing. You were with Drake, right, on the afternoon of his wife’s birthday party?”

  “Yes.”

  “What time did he leave here?”

  “Around five thirty?”

  Delta frowned. “It’s not far to the villa. That means he could have been back there before the murder happened.”

  “I don’t think so. He told me he wanted to pick up a present for her. He must have done that before he went to the villa.”

  “Oh, I see. What kind of present?”

  “I think it was a diamond necklace or bracelet or some such thing.” Rosalyn made a careless gesture. “He had ordered it from a jewelry store but didn’t have it delivered at the villa so she wouldn’t know about it in advance. I think he had to pick it up at the post office.” She pursed her lips. “So thoughtful of him to ensure it stayed a surprise.”

  “I don’t think he gave it to her.” Delta frowned. “I mean, a present like that would have made an impression. Why would Lena doubt that he still loves her if he got her a present like that?”

  “Does she doubt he loves her?” Rosalyn’s lips curled in a vague smile, as if it amused her.

  “Yes, because of the dog walker,” Delta couldn’t resist saying.

  Rosalyn seemed to shrink. “That young girl? Is he having an affair with her?”

  “That’s what Lena thinks,” Delta said truthfully.

  Rosalyn snorted, but she did look undone. Good, Delta thought. Her admiration for Calvin Drake could better die a quick death. The designer seemed to be surrounded by too many issues. After Rosalyn’s previous relationship had ended in heartbreak, Delta wanted something better for her than a flighty married man who was probably only flirting with women to indulge in a sense of superiority.

  “Anything else you want?” Rosalyn asked. “Because I’m busy.”

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Delta rushed to say and left the room. She messaged the Paper Posse. “On the afternoon of Lena Laroy’s birthday party, Calvin Drake went to the post office to pick up a parcel for his wife. Probably a piece of jewelry. Does anyone know what time he left the post office with it to go to the villa?”

  Delta was familiar with the rush at the post office just before it closed at six, so she could imagine that Calvin Drake had been there for a bit before he could drive to the villa. Which meant he had indeed reached it after his sister was already dead.

  The replies came dinging in. Rattlesnake Rita said he had been there around three thirty. Wild Bunch Bessie confirmed she had seen him in the street before a quarter to four when she had let a customer out of the boutique who had to make it to a hairdresser’s appointment at ten to four.

  Delta frowned. She wanted to message that it couldn’t have been then, because Drake had told Rosalyn he was going to pick up the present when he left the Lodge at five thirty. But Mrs. Cassidy had already sent a message saying, “I’ll check with the post office clerks. I know them well.”

  The next few minutes seemed to last forever. Delta was certain that the clerks would tell Mrs. Cassidy that Drake had been in between five forty and six o’clock, which would give him an alibi for the murder.

  But what if they didn’t?

  Her mind was racing. Sally had wanted into her brother’s design company. But even if her brother loved her and wanted to help her after her job loss and with the upcoming divorce, which put her in financial trouble, he couldn’t employ someone in a leading position who knew next to nothing about his business. Still, he had wanted to do just that. Even upsetting his second-in-command, Una Edel.

  Why?

  Could it possibly be because Sally had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse? The jade statue she had stolen from the museum?

  Calvin Drake loved fine art. Maybe he had longed to own something special?

  Delta shook her head. She was merely speculating.

  Her phone dinged. Mrs. Cassidy wrote, “The clerk remembered quite well. The parcel came from a NYC jewelry store and was insured because of the value of the necklace included in it. It was picked up at three forty.”

  Delta asked, “Are you sure it was three forty and not five forty? This could be significant.”

  Mrs. Cassidy confirmed, “Quite sure.”

  Delta clutched the phone. So, Drake had lied to Rosalyn. He had lied to the police. He had come to the villa earlier and…he had killed his sister? But why?

  Had Sally not wanted to go through with the delivery of the statue to Drake? Had she hidden it because she contemplated giving it back to the museum? That afternoon she had looked troubled, not at all in a festive mood. Had she told Drake away from the party that she wanted to admit to her guilt and return it? Had he blamed her for that?

  Delta thanked the Paper Posse for their help and stood deep in thought. Drake was a clever man. He hadn’t fallen under suspicion from the police yet, mainly because he had been quite active in subverting suspicion. The threats against his wife, Sally’s husband being in town, the mystery surrounding Zara—it had all worked to his advantage. No
body had seen him as a serious candidate for the murderer. But why not?

  It had happened on his terrain, which he knew well. And hadn’t Marc LeDuc talked to a security expert who said he had advised Drake to put a camera near the murder scene and Drake hadn’t wanted that? So, he had known he wouldn’t be filmed there. It all fit.

  Delta took a deep breath. It was never pleasant to suspect another human being of murder, but it was extra terrible when the killer was a close relative of the victim. Drake had claimed to love and protect his little sister. Had that been an act?

  Or had he believed he was protecting her by taking the stolen goods off her hands?

  Maybe Sally had stolen the statue on impulse, angry about her colleague’s wrong accusations and her dismissal. And had she then despaired and called to tell her brother? Maybe Drake had told her not to confess but leave LA, hoping the theft from the depot wouldn’t come to light for months, maybe years. It could have started as a genuine attempt to help Sally, not get her into trouble, let alone kill her.

  Delta rubbed her forehead. If Jonas and she took this to West, he would never do anything with it. He liked to protect the people with clout in town, and Drake hadn’t drawn any attention so far. Could they somehow incriminate him? Lead West to him?

  Or even better, get a confession?

  Delta tapped her fist in her other hand. It could be done, maybe.

  If played right.

  But they’d need help from a third party. Who might not be too eager to participate?

  For various reasons.

  Still, she wanted to try.

  * * *

  “Hello.” Delta stepped from the brush onto the path right in front of Zara, who was walking the poodles. One of them jumped up against Delta, knocking her back.

  “You startled us,” Zara spat. She looked picture-perfect in a yellow coat on brown pants and boots.

  “Sorry,” Delta said, “but we wanted to talk to you.”

  “We?” Zara looked past her at Jonas, who was standing quietly with Spud by his side.

  “Oh.” Her expression changed, and she smiled coyly. “Hello there.”

  Jonas nodded. “Hello. How are you? I had expected you might want to leave, after the power outage and the trouble at the villa.”

  “Trouble?”

  “Didn’t you hear what happened? How we were almost shot by a madman in the garden?” Delta widened her eyes. “He was after the statue.”

  “What statue?” Zara looked from Delta to Jonas and back.

  “Close to where Sally’s body lay, a statue was found. I think the dogs wanted to dig for it. You said so when you came rushing in after having discovered the body. That they had led you to the back of the garden and wanted to dig.”

  “Oh. So, there was something there. I wondered if Sally was up to something. She seemed so secretive.”

  “In what way?”

  “Hanging around Drake all of the time. Lena didn’t like it. And Una even less.” Zara shrugged. “But she was his sister, and he adored her.”

  “And how did you feel?” Jonas studied her. “After all, you are his daughter.”

  Zara turned pale. “How do you know that?”

  “Drake told me.”

  “That’s it? Drake told me?” She mimicked his casual tone. “He promised me he wouldn’t tell a soul, and he tells you? What on earth for?”

  “I work for him to secure—”

  “You’re no detective. Else you’d have prevented the murder.”

  “I couldn’t have prevented the murder. Because the killer had cleverly diverted me.”

  “I thought policemen weren’t tricked by criminals.”

  Jonas snorted. “More often than you’d think. Especially if that was the plan from the start.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “I was hired to keep an eye on Lena Laroy. But she was never the intended target.”

  “Don’t let her hear you say that. She believes she is under threat. And how about that perfume bottle?”

  “Yes,” Delta said, “that perfume bottle. Placed on the gift table by the later murder victim. How convenient Sally could no longer tell us who had asked her to put it there.”

  Zara blinked. “I didn’t ask her to put it there, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Jonas shook his head. “I’m merely saying the killer led me astray. I was watching the wrong woman, never suspecting Sally was in danger.”

  “And why would you have? Sally did no one any harm.”

  “Still, she died.” Jonas stepped forward. “What do you know about the art in the house, Zara?”

  “Art? Not a lot. It’s valuable, and I shouldn’t touch it.” Zara shrugged. “I’m not the cleaning lady, so why would I want to touch it at all?”

  “You’re his daughter. Maybe you came to work for him to see what your inheritance might entail?”

  “You have a nerve.” Zara pulled the poodles to her and started to turn away. “I’m going back to the villa.”

  “Why did you come to work for Drake, Zara?” Jonas’s voice was urgent. “He told me that it was so you could get to know him without the whole world knowing who you were. Is that true?”

  “Yes.” She swung back to him, her eyes flashing in defiance. “Is that so terrible? My mother told me so many stories about my wicked father, who had betrayed her with the babysitter, that I finally wanted to see for myself what he was like. It was never about money. I have enough of my own. My mother remarried, and my stepfather lets me have anything I want. I don’t need Drake’s money.”

  “Still you love to wreak a little havoc in his life.” Jonas watched her through narrowed eyes. “You cut the power so Lena would panic.”

  “You can’t prove that.” Zara shrugged.

  “Or maybe…” Jonas leaned back on his heels. “You made a plan with Drake when you came to the villa to terrorize Lena?”

  “No. What for?” Zara blinked nervously. “I don’t understand what you’re driving at.”

  “You came out here to get to know your father.” Jonas waited a moment. “How much about your father do you want to get to know?”

  Zara shifted her weight. “What he’s really like.”

  “And what did you discover so far?”

  “He’s pretty vain. Preoccupied with his work and his art.”

  “A man who gets what he wants?”

  “Probably.” A smile played around Zara’s lips. “I inherited that trait.”

  Jonas wasn’t smiling. “Would you say that to get what he wants, he’d kill? Literally?”

  “Kill?” Zara’s expression froze. “You mean, Sally? I told you she was harmless. No one would want to kill her.”

  “Still, she’s dead. And your father may have something to do with that.”

  “I can’t believe that.”

  Jonas held her gaze. “Are you willing to find out?”

  “Find out what?”

  “Whether he’s a killer?”

  “You must be crazy. How? And why would you think he has anything to do with Sally’s death? He wasn’t even at the party.”

  “No. But we found out he came back to the villa earlier than he said. He lied about that. I wonder why. He also knew that there were no cameras filming the stretch of garden with forest where Sally died. She also buried her statue there. Now who could have told her it was unguarded? It seems your father knew about the statue.”

  “If he knew, he would have told the police. The statue, if it’s what you say it is, could provide motive for murder.”

  “Yes, his motive for murder.” Jonas leaned over to her. “Zara, I hate to do this to you, but you need to know if your father is a killer. And we need to get a confession from him, a guilty response or something, to have a case.”

  “So, you actually
have nothing against him?” Zara sounded satisfied. “Then I’m leaving.”

  “Wait.” Jonas caught her arm. “Don’t you want to know the truth? What if he did kill Sally? His own sister. Would you want to live under the same roof with him if he did that? Would you ever feel safe again?”

  Zara hesitated. “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because we need your help. You have to confront Drake and tell him you know about the statue and the murder. That you saw something, and you want money to keep your mouth shut about it. If he’s guilty, he will make a move on you.”

  “You mean, try to kill me as well? Why should he? That would be crazy.” Zara shivered. “I’m going home.”

  “Home to a father who might be a murderer. Help us prove it, Zara. Either way. If he’s innocent, you’ll know. We’ll know.”

  “But you don’t think that. You think he’s guilty.”

  “He lied about coming back to the villa before the murder happened. Why was he absent anyway? On his wife’s birthday party. It doesn’t make sense unless you accept that he planned the murder. In advance.”

  “He’s obsessive about art.” Zara bit her lip. “My mother once told me that he wanted a painting a friend had, and he tried anything he could to get it. Offers of money, other compensation. When the friend refused, because the painting had special meaning to him, my father seemed to have accepted it. A few weeks later, during a party at the friend’s house, someone threw acid at the painting, and it was ruined. My mother said she was certain my father had done it. It was never proven of course, but… She told me she was sometimes afraid of him. That even though she hated him for having betrayed her and divorced her, she was also glad to be out of the marriage with him and his obsessive side.”

  “There you have it.” Jonas nodded. “I need not tell you anymore. Now will you help us?”

  Zara inhaled slowly. “How do you want to do it? Will it be safe for me?”