Reversal of Fortune (A Claire Rollins Mystery Book 2)

by J A Whiting

  Vanessa invited them to dinner because she was worried about Maddy. The young woman had fallen into a funk and showed no interest in anything. When Vanessa broached the subject of seeing a counselor, Maddy immediately shot the idea down. Vanessa hoped that Claire and Nicole might convince her sister to change her mind.

  Nicole was trying to engage Maddy in conversation by asking her about the upcoming academic year at MIT. Maddy answered politely, but her replies were short and to the point.

  “I’m really not that excited about going back to school.” Maddy’s personality was light-years away from the person Claire had met at the Opera House. The bright light in the girl’s eyes had disappeared along with her upbeat and friendly manner.

  “Maybe when the time comes, you’ll have more interest.” Nicole smiled. “It’s hard to think about school in the middle of the summer.”

  Maddy lifted her glass of ice water. “It’s hard to think about school when your family is falling apart.” The comment silenced everyone for a few minutes.

  Claire dabbed her lips with her napkin and placed it next to her dinner plate. “How about we let Nicole and your sister clean up and we can go in the living room to talk?”

  Maddy gave a shrug, but she left the kitchen with Claire and headed for the living room.

  “What do you want to talk about?” With downcast eyes, Maddy sank into the sofa across from Claire.

  “I want to talk about loss.”

  “Talking isn’t going to help anything.”

  “Sometimes, it does.” Claire talked about her mother and Teddy and the grief that nearly killed her when she lost them. “I felt lost and alone in the world ... and sometimes, I still do.”

  Maddy bit her lower lip and when she lifted her eyes to Claire, tears tumbled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Claire hated harboring suspicions about Maddy and whether she had been involved in her mother’s death, but she had to take her uncertainty seriously. Moving to sit next to Maddy, Claire hoped to better pick up on the girl’s emotions by being closer to her.

  “The police will figure it out. You and Vanessa don’t have to try.”

  “I don’t know who to trust. When I see my father, I become enraged.” Maddy leaned forward and put her head in her hands. “This all started because of his stupid affair. When I look at him, all I can think about is that he killed my mother.”

  “It might help to talk to someone who can give you ways to cope with all this.”

  Rubbing her forehead, Maddy muttered, “Maybe. I can’t sleep, I toss and turn and when I do doze off, I dream of coming home that night, trying to talk to my father, going upstairs, standing at the window and seeing my mom outside on the ground, and then I see that person by the trees. Over and over, the same dream.”

  “You still think someone was out by the trees? Could it have been shadows moving?”

  Maddy sat up and gazed across the room. “No. It wasn’t shadows. It was a person. It was a man.”

  “Was the man looking up at you in the window?” Claire’s heart raced.

  Maddy thought. “He was looking at Mom.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “He walked into the woods.”

  “Can you describe him?”

  Closing her eyes, Maddy said, “It was dark. The house lights lit up part of the yard. He didn’t seem old. He moved quick. He seemed tall, not heavy. I couldn’t make out his face or his hair color.”

  “It could be a witness. It could have been someone out walking a dog. Maybe he heard the commotion coming from the house and stepped into your yard.”

  “I didn’t see a dog.” Maddy shook her head.

  “You told the police all of this?”

  “I think so.” Maddy frowned. “I don’t really remember what I told them. I don’t know if I remembered all the details when I talked to them. I keep having that dream. I see the man in my dreams.”

  Claire knew that dreams could alter the reality of a situation and that the police might not take Maddy’s claims seriously, but still. “I think you should talk to the police again and tell them what you’ve recalled from that night. It could help them locate the witness.”

  “Will they think I’m making it up?”

  Anxiety flashed through Claire’s body. “Why would they think that?”

  “Because now I’m adding details to my story.”

  “I don’t think that’s anything to worry about.”

  Vanessa came into the room. “Is everything okay?”

  Maddy gave a nod.

  “Nicole’s making popcorn,” Vanessa said. “Would you two like to watch a movie?”

  “That sounds good.” Maddy stood and headed out of the room. “I’ll go see if Nicole needs any help.” Pausing at the threshold, Maddy turned back and looked at Claire. “Thanks.”

  With a concerned expression, Vanessa took a seat next to Claire. “Did your talk go okay?”

  “It did. Maddy told me she’d consider talking to a counselor.” Claire shifted a little to better face Vanessa. “She keeps dreaming about the person she saw near the tree line the night your mother died.”

  Vanessa let out a sigh. “Is she imagining that? How could she see in the dark?”

  “Maybe we could test it out some night,” Claire thought. “One of us could stand near the trees and then you could go up to the window and see what you can make out. We’d have to have similar conditions to that night. Cloud cover, moon phase, a clear night.”

  “Good idea.” When Vanessa reached up to push a strand of hair from her face, the sleeve of her shirt slipped down her arm and the bruise on the wrist showed.

  Claire swallowed hard. “Your wrist.”

  Vanessa tugged her sleeve into place. “I bumped it. It’s nothing.”

  Making eye contact, Claire said with an even tone, “I saw Matthew take hold of your wrist the other night.” She braced for a reaction.

  “I broke off with him.” Vanessa blew out a long breath. “He isn’t a good match for me.”

  “How did he take that?” Claire expected that the man wouldn’t have taken it well.

  “I made sure to do it in a public place. He has a temper. He likes things a certain way. I didn’t want to be alone with him when I gave him that news.”

  “Is he violent?”

  “No.” Vanessa shook her head, then modified her answer. “Matthew is used to being the boss and having everyone around him do his bidding. He doesn’t seem to care about other people’s feelings, only his own. He was rough with me twice, grabbed me by the arm, grabbed my wrist. I decided he wasn’t for me.”

  “Was he angry when you said you wouldn’t be seeing more of him?”

  “He didn’t say a word.” Vanessa picked at one of her nails. “He got up calmly and left the bar. That was it.”

  “When did you tell him you didn’t want to see him anymore?”

  “I brought it up a couple of days before the funeral service. I told him I didn’t think we were the right match.”

  “But you were with him the night we saw you at the bar.”

  “I alluded to not seeing him anymore prior to the funeral. The other night he called and said he wanted to talk. I met with him the night you saw us. That night was when I told him in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t be seeing him again.”

  “Has he contacted you since?”

  “Not a word,” Vanessa said. “It’s actually a relief not to have to deal with him anymore. Matthew is … odd, and I have more than enough odd behavior with my father at the moment.”

  Claire was about to say something when the doorbell chimed and she and Vanessa exchanged surprised looks.

  “Who could this be?” Vanessa asked, getting up from the sofa.

  With Claire trailing after her, Vanessa headed for the foyer to the front door just as Nicole and Maddy entered the hall. Unlocking the heavy wooden door, Vanessa opened it to see a police officer and a man in a suit standing on the porch.

>   “Detective Miles.” Vanessa stepped back to allow the men to enter.

  “Sorry to bother,” the suited man said. He took a look at Claire and Nicole, and then asked Vanessa, “Can we talk somewhere?”

  “You can speak in front of our friends.” Vanessa’s voice shook with worry. “They’re friends of Detective Fuller.”

  The man’s face relaxed. “Are you Ian’s triathlon training partner?”

  Claire smiled and nodded and introduced herself. Nicole did the same.

  “It’s just a mini-triathlon,” Claire corrected.

  “Ian says he couldn’t do it without you.”

  A pink blush covered Claire’s cheeks. “That’s nice of him, but I think he’s exaggerating.”

  “Ian says you’re quite an athlete.” Detective Miles turned back to Vanessa. “When some things came to our attention, we decided to come by.”

  “What things?” Vanessa asked, her eyes wide.

  Maddy moved closer to Nicole.

  “The break-in of the other day,” the detective said. “Some things about it seem off.”

  Her heart pounding, Claire stared at the man wishing he’d get to the point.

  “How do you mean?” Vanessa asked.

  “There was quite a lot of cash in the drawer of your father’s desk. Fifty thousand dollars in cash.”

  Vanessa’s mouth dropped open.

  “Even if your sister disturbed the robber, he had plenty of time to remove the cash and take it with him.”

  “What are you getting at?” Vanessa’s face had paled.

  “We’re thinking it might not have been a break-in with intent to commit a robbery.”

  In a hushed tone, Vanessa asked, “Why would someone break in then?”

  “That can’t be determined as yet.”

  “Why did you come to see us so late?” Maddy asked. “Why not tell us tomorrow?”

  “We think it best to have a car stationed out front at night.”

  Vanessa sucked in an audible breath and her hand flew to her chest.

  “Just for a few nights.” The detective tried to gloss over his news. “To be sure everything is okay.”

  “What … what do you mean?” Vanessa could barely squeeze the words from her throat. “Do you think we’re in danger?”

  “It’s just a precaution.” The detective forced a smile. “We prefer to err on the side of safety and caution. No need for alarm. It’s really only standard operating procedure.”

  Claire didn’t believe that for a second.

  “The officer,” the detective gestured to the police officer next to him, “will park out front. He’ll arrive before dark and will leave shortly after dawn. Only for a few nights, that’s all. We wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t be concerned when you saw the squad car out front.” The two law enforcement officers moved to the door. “Sorry to interrupt your evening.”

  “Should we be on guard for something?” Vanessa stepped forward to open the door for the men. “Should we watch for anything in particular?”

  “No need to do anything but your normal routine. As always, call ‘911’ if anything seems amiss.” The detective and the officer left the house.

  Vanessa locked the door after them. “That isn’t comforting at all. Why would we need an officer parked outside each night?”

  “Like he said,” Claire attempted to be reassuring, “the break-in seemed unusual so they’re being cautious.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Nicole’s voice shook when she spoke negating the intent of her words.

  “Why don’t we get the popcorn and settle down to watch a movie like we planned?” Claire suggested and then tried to lighten the mood by saying, “nothing can happen with a police officer right outside the door.”

  As they started down the hall to the kitchen to get the snacks, a shudder of cold fright ran down Claire’s back. Or can it?

  20

  Claire and Ian ran along Beacon Street in the late afternoon sunshine. Suddenly Ian bolted, raced to the bottom of the hill, and turned left onto Charles Street.

  When Claire caught up to him, he chuckled. “I win.”

  “That wasn’t fair.” Claire sucked in breaths of air.

  Ian used the back of his hand to wipe sweat from his forehead. “It isn’t fair when I take off on you, but it is fair when you do it to me.”

  “That’s right.” Claire grinned. “You have more muscle mass, so it isn’t fair. I need a head start.”

  “All’s fair in love and war.”

  When Claire’s cheeks tinged pink from Ian saying the word love, she was glad her face was already flushed from the heat and exercise.

  As had become habit, Ian bought water bottles and they climbed the hill on Boston Common where they found a vacant bench in the shade under a huge, leafy oak tree.

  “I hope the day of the triathlon is cool and overcast.” Ian took a long pull on the bottle.

  “You know it will be ninety degrees, sunny, and humid.” Claire removed the elastic from her ponytail and let her long locks tumble over her shoulders before pushing the damp hair back and using the hair tie to push the unruly curls into a loose bun.

  “It’s only a week away. I think we’re ready.” Ian stretched his legs out in front of him and, with his eyes closed, rested his head on the bench back. “Then we should start training for next year’s Boston Marathon.”

  “A full marathon?” One of Claire’s eyebrows went up. “I don’t think I could do that.”

  “Sure, you could. If we put in the right training time, we could definitely do it.”

  “Let’s see how this triathlon goes next week.” Claire watched the people walking and jogging through the park. “Then we can make an informed decision about our running abilities.”

  After ten minutes of convincing, Ian finally got Claire to agree to train for the full marathon if they both achieved a certain time goal at the upcoming athletic event.

  “I was at Vanessa’s house last night. Your detective friend came by.”

  Ian opened one eye. “Did he? Why?”

  Claire explained that a police car would be stationed in front of the Dodd’s house at night for the next several evenings.

  Sitting up, Ian ran his hand through his hair. “Interesting.”

  “Why are they doing this?”

  “Several possibilities. They might not be able to find Dr. Dodd and may want to intercept him should he return home.”

  “What’s another reason?”

  “They might think that someone might be planning a break-in.”

  A shudder ran over Claire’s shoulders.

  “Are Vanessa and Maddy in danger?”

  Ian smiled. “Not with a squad car parked out front.”

  Claire elbowed the man. “I told Vanessa and Maddy that very thing, but I didn’t mean it.”

  Ian rubbed his side where his running partner had bopped him. “I don’t know what’s up. If law enforcement positioned a car at the house, they have some concerns.”

  Letting out a sigh, Claire asked, “Do you think Dr. Dodd killed his wife?”

  “I don’t have access to the investigation, so I can’t say.”

  “Maddy is sure she saw someone near the trees at their property line the night her mom was killed. She dreams about it every night. If someone was there, he or she might have witnessed Mrs. Dodd’s fall. I told Maddy she ought to speak to the police about the details she’s recently recalled.” Claire took a swig of her water. “Do you think dreams interfere with accurate recall of an incident?”

  “Most of the time, yeah,” Ian said. “Dreaming about an event, thinking about it endlessly can alter the mind’s image of the situation. But, sometimes, and this happens rarely, letting the mind work on it can bring details to the forefront that someone glossed over initially.”

  “Would hypnosis help?”

  “It might, but it wouldn’t hold up in court.”

  Claire watched a woman sit do
wn on a bench several yards away. The woman’s little dog took a few running jumps and at last, made it onto the seat to settle next to his owner. “I saw Dr. Dodd here on the Common a couple of days after Mrs. Dodd died. We’d finished up a training run. You’d just left.”

  Ian looked at Claire in surprise. “He was here?”

  “He works at the hospital.” She gestured over the hill. “He was sitting on that bench over there.”

  “Was he alone?”

  “No, there was another man with him. Whatever they were discussing, they seemed very serious about it.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I took a picture of them.”

  Ian’s eyebrows raised.

  “I showed it to Vanessa. She didn’t know who the guy was.”

  “Do you still have it?” Ian straightened up.

  “Yeah.” Claire reached for the phone in her arm band holder and flipped through the photos until she found the one she wanted. “Here they are.”

  Ian held the phone, brought his face close to the screen, and his eyes widened. “I know this guy.”

  Claire’s jaw dropped.

  “He’s a private investigator. He doesn’t do much anymore, occasionally he takes on a client.”

  “Why would he be talking to Dr. Dodd shortly after Grace Dodd died?”

  “Good question.”

  Claire offered a possibility. “Maybe the men are friends.”

  Ian made eye contact with Claire.

  “It’s possible, isn’t it?” Claire gave a shrug. “What’s the guy’s name?

  “Bob Cooney.” Ian tilted his head. “Don’t get any ideas about talking to him.”

  “Why not?” Claire asked.

  “Because this case is a mess. You and Nicole need to stay out of it.” Ian’s jaw muscle tightened. “If something happened to you….” He cleared his throat. “Then who would I train with?”

  “I bet you could find someone.”

  Ian held Claire’s eyes. “I like training with you.”

  A warm flush ran through Claire’s body and she tried to deflect the feeling by asking, “Is that because you like beating me when we race each other down Beacon Street?”

  A smile spread over Ian’s lightly tanned face. “Yes.”