The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds

by Bobbi Holmes

  “Well, if you must know, I always felt guilty.”

  “Guilty? About what?” The times you hit on my boyfriends? Teased me? Called me a liar?

  “I know you could have sued my father’s estate after the accident. I’ve no doubt you would have won. I really did think you were going to sue, and when you didn’t, I started feeling guilty.”

  “If that’s true, then why in the world would you contest Aunt Brianna’s will? Her estate was not even a fraction of what you inherited.”

  “Exactly,” Cheryl said confidently, shaking her head to punctuate her point.

  “I don’t get it.” Danielle sat on a chair facing Cheryl.

  “Well, if I was willing to give you everything I owned, I figured it was only fair that you share Aunt Brianna’s estate with me. I never could understand why you were being so greedy about it.”

  “Cheryl, I had no idea you had me in your will, and anyway I would only get your estate if you died. And I could very well have died before you and never seen a penny from your estate.”

  “Well, you didn’t. I died and now you are a very rich woman. Don’t you feel just a teeny bit guilty being so stingy?”

  “Oh brother,” Danielle mumbled. She took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, so how did your estate double?”

  “Don’t ask me,” Cheryl shrugged. “Daddy’s business manager handles all that. But we have more important things to worry about right now.”

  “You mean about who killed you?” Danielle asked.

  “That, and you have to prove Adam was not responsible for my death.”

  “Do you realize the police have two suspects?” Danielle asked.

  “Adam and who else?” Cheryl asked.

  “Me.”

  “You?” Cheryl frowned.

  “Yes. Right before you showed up I was beginning to wonder if Officer Henderson was about to arrest me. He seems to think I am a prime suspect—at least, until he received that phone call that the necklace had been found in Adam’s office. He’s the one who told me I was your heir—which put me in the top of the suspect list.”

  “Well, I can’t help that,” Cheryl said impatiently. “I mean, I have the right to leave my money to whomever I want. But I can’t control the police if they want to get all suspicious about it.”

  “I understand that but…” Danielle began.

  Cheryl interrupted by saying, “You aren’t going to let Adam go to prison for something he didn’t do, are you?”

  “No, I didn’t say that. I just wanted to point out that according to some officers on the local police department, if Adam didn’t do it—I did.”

  “Well pooh. What about that handsome cop you were so cozy with at the party? Surely he isn’t going to let them arrest you.”

  “Yes, Danielle, what about him?” Walt asked.

  “Joe? Well, I haven’t seen much of Joe this past week.”

  “Are you saying he has abandoned you in your time of need?” Cheryl asked incredulously.

  “I am not saying that exactly. But he has a job to do, and I guess he needs to remain impartial while he does it. I can understand—I suppose,” Danielle said weakly.

  “Well I can’t!” Cheryl snapped.

  “Neither can I,” Walt agreed.

  I don’t really understand either, Danielle thought.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  It was past 8 a.m. when Joe arrived at the police station on Tuesday morning. When he got there, he found one of the officers leading a disheveled looking Adam Nichols from lockup to the interview room. The chief stood outside his office door drinking a cup of coffee. Spying Joe, he waved him over.

  “I’m surprised Nichols is still here,” Joe said after he walked to the chief. The two men glanced to the now closed door of the interview room.

  “His attorney’s from Portland. He couldn’t get a hold of him last night,” the chief explained. “He finally did this morning. The attorney’s supposed to be here in a little while.”

  “Has the necklace been sent over to the lab yet?” Joe asked.

  “No. Still trying to get someone qualified to check out the stones. I just assumed we’d use Sam,” the chief said.

  “I had no idea he was planning to close his store and move from Frederickport,” Joe said.

  “I talked to a couple of the shop owners in the area. I guess he’d been talking about closing down for some time. You know, he sold that building a while back, his house too.”

  “It still surprises me. He grew up here. That store’s been a regular fixture for years. I talked to him for a while on the fourth, at the open house. He didn’t say anything about leaving.”

  “I’d heard around town the store wasn’t doing that great,” the chief said.

  “That’s too bad. Sorry to see him go. So what are you going to do now?” Joe asked.

  “I talked to someone in Astoria. They’ll be here after lunch. And then I’d like you and Carpenter to take the necklace to the lab.”

  “Excuse me,” the woman who worked at the front desk interrupted.

  “Yes?” the chief asked.

  “Danielle Boatman is here to see you,” she explained.

  The chief glanced at Joe and then asked her, “Who does she want to see, Joe or me?”

  “Well, I suppose either one. I didn’t realize Joe was here. She asked to see him, and when I told her he wasn’t here yet, she wanted to know if she could talk to you.”

  “Bring her in,” the chief said, taking a swig of his coffee.

  • • • •

  It took a great deal of convincing for Danielle to persuade Cheryl to stay at Marlow House, and not follow her to the police station when she went to check on Adam.

  “If you want me to go, you have to let me go alone,” Danielle had insisted. “It’s too distracting to have you in the background talking to me.”

  At the police station Danielle was led to the inner offices. She was surprised to find Joe standing with the chief. She had been told Joe hadn’t yet arrived at the station that morning.

  “I understand Adam has been arrested for the murder of my cousin,” Danielle began.

  “Morning, Danielle,” Joe greeted with a smile. “I guess you were right all along.”

  “I don’t think Adam killed my cousin,” Danielle said.

  “Excuse me?” Joe frowned.

  “She left with him, the necklace was found in his office,” the chief explained.

  “I don’t understand,” Joe said. “You were the one convinced Adam had something to do with your cousin’s disappearance.”

  “Is he still here, or has he been let out on bail?” Danielle asked.

  “He’s in the interview room, waiting on his attorney,” Joe said.

  “Can I see him?” Danielle asked.

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible…” Joe began.

  The chief interrupted Joe. “No, that’s okay. Let her see him for a minute if she wants. His attorney isn’t going to be here for a while.”

  • • • •

  When Danielle entered the interview room she found Adam sitting alone at the table. It looked as if he hadn’t slept for hours. He wore the same dress shirt and slacks he’d had on when they had arrested him the previous day, yet now the shirt was wrinkled, the collar unbuttoned. He’d obviously been arrested without a comb and he needed to shave.

  “You’re the last person I expected to see,” Adam said, shifting uncomfortably in the hard chair.

  “How are you doing?” Danielle asked as she took a seat across the table from him.

  “My attorney is working on bail. I’m hoping I can get out of here today. Worried about my grandmother.”

  “Does she know?”

  “I haven’t talked to her yet. But this is a small town; I can’t imagine some busy body hasn’t been over there already filling her in on the juicy details.”

  “If you want, I’ll check on her,” Danielle offered.

  “Why? I know you don’t like me.”<
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  “I care about your grandmother. Plus, I don’t think you killed my cousin.”

  “I sure wish the local police shared that belief.”

  “How do you think the necklace ended up in your office?”

  “My guess is the killer put it there to frame me.”

  “But why use a necklace worth a million dollars to do that?”

  “I sort of thought maybe you’d have the answer to that.” Adam leaned forward, his elbows propped on the table. He studied Danielle’s face.

  “Me? Why would I know?”

  “Well, I can only think of one reason the killer would use that necklace to frame me—if she knew she would be getting it back.”

  “Are you suggesting I killed my cousin?”

  “Funny how a person has a lot of time to think when you get locked up.”

  “Umm…you haven’t even been here 24 hours.”

  “Well, it’s also funny how fewer than 24 hours in here can seem like a hell of a lot longer.”

  “I don’t believe you killed Cheryl, but I didn’t kill her either.”

  Adam leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been asking myself, how is it I passed out after drinking just one glass of wine? I’ve never been a lightweight. I know Joe confiscated the wine and wine glasses from the beach house. Pretty sure he had them tested; of course, no one has shared the results with me. That’s one thing my attorney’s working on. I want to know what was in that wine.”

  “Joe had the wine analyzed? I didn’t know that.”

  “Guess he isn’t quite the pal you thought he was, is he?”

  “Are you saying the wine may have been drugged?”

  “Here’s what I think happened. You and your cousin cooked up this little publicity stunt. Have the necklace disappear and then reappear. She’s convinced she owns a share of the Thorndike and Marlow House so she’s willing to go along with your little game. But you have other ideas, don’t you? I heard you inherited her estate. This is a small town, things like that get around quick. You figured out how to get rid of your cousin, frame me and get the necklace back—and your cousin’s money.”

  “Are you serious? Just how did I drug the wine?”

  “Maybe Cheryl was in on that, I don’t know. I haven’t worked it all out yet. But I’m pretty sure you killed your cousin.”

  Danielle stood up shaking her head, “I came here to help you, damnit!”

  “Well, that is mighty big of you, considering you created this mess. But I don’t need your help, lady. I suggest you get yourself a good lawyer, I think you’re going to need one.”

  Speechless, Danielle turned and left the room.

  • • • •

  “Well, that was interesting,” the chief said. He stood with Joe in an office next to the interview room, looking at Adam through the two way mirror. Danielle had just stormed out of the room. “Adam makes a convincing argument.”

  “I have to admit, he does. He sure seemed sincere in there.”

  “I’ve known Adam most of his life. He’s never been in any real trouble.”

  “You sound like Brian,” Joe said.

  “Brian’s been here a lot longer than you,” the chief reminded.

  “I just find it hard to believe Danielle had anything to do with her cousin’s murder.”

  “How well do you really know the girl?”

  “I guess not that well,” Joe shrugged.

  “There was a hell of a lot of money at stake, especially considering her new inheritance with Cheryl out of the way. If you think about it, Danielle Boatman seems to be falling into all sorts of money these days.”

  “If she is guilty, then why come to see Adam? Why tell him she thinks he’s innocent?” Joe asked.

  “Maybe she just wanted to see what he was thinking. Had he been more receptive to her offer of help—then it would be easier for her to gaslight him. Make sure he gets convicted of her cousin’s murder. That way she gets off free and clear, with someone else going to prison for Cheryl’s murder. Now she knows he’s on to her. I’m curious to see what she’ll do.”

  “You sound as if you believe Danielle killed Cheryl, not Adam.” Joe said.

  The chief shrugged. “Just playing devil’s advocate.”

  An officer’s peeked his head in the room and said, “Adam Nichol’s attorney is here. Should I take him on in?”

  “Go ahead,” the chief turned from the window looking into the interview room. “I guess our little show is over. Too bad they don’t let us listen into client attorney discussions, would sure make our jobs a hell of a lot easier.”

  • • • •

  “Sorry I’m late,” Ted Zimmerman said when he walked into the interview room.

  “I just hope you can get me out of this damn place.”

  “I’m afraid I have bad news, Adam.”

  “What?” Adam sat up straighter.

  “I checked on those tests you asked me about. The wine was drugged with Rohypnol. It’s a date rape drug.”

  Adam slammed his fist on the table top and grinned. “I knew it!”

  “Don’t get too happy, it seems Cheryl had Rohypnol in her system when she died. They never checked your blood, did they?”

  “No. What does this mean?”

  “It means the police are building a nice little case against you. They’re convinced you drugged Cheryl, hid her body in one of your beach huts, and stashed the necklace in your office.”

  “Why in the hell would I put her body in an unlocked beach hut I own?”

  “I didn’t say they thought you were a smart killer, just a killer. They’re taking the necklace to a lab. I guess it had some blood on it. If it turns out to be Cheryl’s then that would prove she had it on when she was killed.”

  “If I can prove someone else put that necklace in my office, will it help my case?”

  “Definitely, but how do you intend to do that?”

  “I have a hidden security camera in my office. Do you know if the police have found it?”

  “Not that I know of. Are you saying you had your office bugged?”

  “Not bugged exactly. I wasn’t recording the sound. It’s like a nanny cam but no sound. It sends the video to a computer I keep in the spare bedroom at my grandmother’s. I need to get over there and check out that computer. The camera should have recorded whoever put the Missing Thorndike in that vase.”

  “Why didn’t you say something before?”

  “Because I didn’t particularly want a bunch of cops going through my personal computer. But frankly at this point, I don’t really care if they know about the porn sites I occasionally visit. I don’t want my next date to be with a dude named Bubba.”

  “How would someone have gotten into your office?”

  “Back door’s usually open during the day. Someone could easily slip in that way without the girls in the front office seeing. We’ll just have to see what the video tells us.”

  “Do you have any idea who’ll it will be?”

  “Oh, without a doubt. I know exactly who put that necklace in my office. Danielle Boatman.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “I have to admit I’ve been dying to have a look at the Missing Thorndike,” Aaron Michaels, the jeweler from Astoria said after they led him into the interview room. Officers Morelli and Henderson stood in the room with the chief. On the desk was the necklace, still in its plastic bag.

  The moment Aaron glanced down at the blood stained stones his face went ashen. “I guess that was a poor choice of words, considering the circumstances.”

  “This definitely is not the Lucky Thorndike,” the chief noted, handing the jeweler a pair of latex gloves.

  The men were silent as they watched Aaron remove the necklace from the bag and inspect the stones. Immediately the jeweler started shaking his head, as if he didn’t understand what he was seeing.

  “This isn’t the Missing Thorndike,” Aaron said, returning the necklace to the bag. “Those stones are fake.”


  “Fake?” the chief asked.

  “As far as fakes go, they’re pretty nice. Quality costume jewelry. But this necklace doesn’t have a single diamond or emerald in it. The gold is real. The piece is obviously an antique—even the fake gemstones are old. This necklace is worth something, for its antique value alone. But over a million? No.”

  “I don’t understand,” Joe muttered. “This is the necklace Danielle and I took out of the safety deposit box. It’s the one she wore to the party. This is the Missing Thorndike.”

  “How can you be so sure it’s the one Danielle wore to the party?” Brian asked.

  “Because of this,” Joe pointed to the wire he’d used to re-attached the latch to the necklace.

  “Maybe it is the same one,” Aaron suggested. “Maybe the Missing Thorndike had fake stones all along.”

  “When they found the necklace Sam Hayman appraised it,” the chief said. “Claimed the stones were real.”

  “Well if Sam said they were real, then someone must have switched out the stones since then. Sam would easily recognize these as fake,” Aaron said.

  “Could Sam have been wrong…could you be wrong?” Brian asked.

  “You’re welcome to get a second opinion. Frankly, the guy at your local pawn shop will be able to tell you these stones are fake,” Aaron said. “As for Sam being wrong. Only if he intentionally lied. But why would he?”

  “I don’t think Sam lied,” Joe said. “I know the insurance company sent out their own appraiser before insuring the necklace.”

  “I certainly don’t think the insurance company’s appraiser would confuse fake stones for diamonds and emeralds,” Aaron said.

  • • • •

  Brian and Joe pulled up in front of Marlow House late Tuesday afternoon. They were just getting out of their car when they noticed Marvin Burrows, Cheryl Hartford’s attorney, coming through the front gate. Carrying a briefcase, the attorney seemed preoccupied as he made his way down the walk toward the street. He got into his vehicle, which was parked in front of their car.

  Brian stood by the police car and watched Burrows drive away. “That’s Hartford’s attorney, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Wonder if it is official.” Joe slammed the car door shut.