by J A Whiting
Claire shook her head. “Having that squad car parked out front only serves to make me nervous. Its presence is not comforting at all.”
The Corgis led the way to the front door and before Claire could press the bell, the door flew open. Vanessa stood before them, her eyes looking tired and her mouth pulled down. “My father was here.”
The group stepped into the foyer.
“Was he?” A shiver of unease ran down Claire’s back. “Did he speak to you?”
“Maddy got home early from MIT because she had a dentist appointment in town. I’ve been having her stay at my apartment in Cambridge while I’m at work and sometimes she goes over to MIT. We come back here together. I don’t want her alone in this house all day.”
Nicole asked, “Isn’t the housekeeper here during the day?”
“My father let her go shortly after Mom’s accident.” Creases lined Vanessa’s forehead and her skin had lost its healthy glow. The stress was taking its toll on her.
They moved into the kitchen where Maddy was standing at the counter eating a sandwich. She offered to make one for Claire and Nicole, but they declined. The Corgis eagerly accepted pieces of chicken from Maddy and a broad smile spread over the young woman’s lips. “I’m glad you brought the dogs.”
Vanessa sank heavily onto one of the kitchen chairs. “Our father was here when Maddy got home.”
Claire glanced to the girl. “What did he say?”
Leaning against the counter, Maddy folded her arms over her chest. “I was surprised to see him. His car wasn’t here. When I heard him in the office, I thought it was another break-in. He told me he parked on the street behind the trail that goes past our house in the back. When I asked him why, he said it was safer.” A few tears glistened in Maddy’s eyes. “I asked if he was going to stay at home now. He shook his head and said he didn’t want to put us in danger. I asked what he meant. He didn’t answer.”
“Why did he come back here?” Nicole tilted her head.
“He had a briefcase on the desk. I think he filled it with cash.”
Claire’s thoughts were racing. The doctor must have several stashes of cash in the office. He mustn’t want to use credit cards to keep his whereabouts secret. But why? What does he mean not wanting to put his daughters in danger? Is he losing his grip on reality or is something else at play?
“Did he tell you where he’s staying?” Claire asked. She wished she’d asked Bob Cooney if he knew where the doctor had an apartment in Boston.
“I didn’t think to ask.”
“Was he here when you got home?” Nicole directed the question to Vanessa.
“He was just about to leave. He said he was sorry. He said he loved us.” Vanessa cleared her throat. “Dad told us he wanted us to be safe. He was sweating and acting all nervous. Then he took off out the back with his briefcase.”
In a gentle tone of voice, Claire asked, “When he talks about you two being safe … do you think he worries that he’s becoming unhinged and that’s why he doesn’t stay at home? Is he worried he’ll do something to hurt you?”
Vanessa closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her breathing was quick and shallow. “I don’t know anything. For a minute, I almost felt bad for him, but the emotion evaporated as soon as I thought about what he’d done to our family. I don’t think I can ever forgive him.”
The room was deathly quiet for a few minutes until Maddy broke the silence. “I’m sick of talking about him. Let’s go ahead with what we planned.”
Vanessa blew out a long breath and stood. “It’s earlier than the night Mom died, but it’s dark enough so I think it will work. Maddy and Claire will go up to the third floor. Nicole and I will go outside together and one of us will stand where Maddy remembers seeing the figure that night. Give us a few minutes to get into position before you look out the window.”
Maddy moved to the light switch panel on the kitchen wall near the rear door to the yard. “I’ll put the back light on like it was that night. Go out the back door so the police officer doesn’t see you and wonder what we’re doing.”
Claire, Maddy, and the Corgis went to the foyer to climb the staircases to the third floor. When they were about to enter the bedroom where Mrs. Dodd fell from the window, Claire noticed the blood on the woodwork hadn’t yet been removed.
“The light was off that night so we’ll keep it off now.” Maddy sat down on the bed and the dogs jumped up and leaned against her causing Maddy’s facial expression to soften. She ran her hands over the animals’ soft coats. “I wish I had a dog.”
“I bet you’ll get one day,” Claire said with a warm smile. Turning her gaze to the window, she could see a few stars glimmering in the night sky and thought how peaceful the evening looked. “It’s probably time. Shall I open the window?”
Maddy nodded and Claire pushed the sash up so that the glass and the window screen were out of the way. A gust of warm air blew into the room pushing at the light drapes to lift them up. They settled back into place with a flutter.
“All set.” Claire stepped back.
Maddy moved her feet slowly over the wood floor to the window. Pushing her shoulders back, she leaned forward and looked down to the lawn. Her breath caught in her throat and her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she stared at the place on the dark grass where her mother had fallen. Maddy put her other hand on the window frame and turned her head slightly to the rear property line. “I can see Nicole,” Maddy whispered and stepped away from the window.
Letting out barks, the dogs leapt from the bed and rushed to Claire jumping around her legs. “Hush, you two.” Claire took the young woman’s place at the window and watched the person in the yard start moving towards the house. “I see her, too. She’s coming back in now.”
Putting her arm around Maddy’s shoulder, Claire said, “I can’t imagine how hard it was to relive that night.”
Still barking, Bear and Lady tore from the room and galloped down the stairs. Claire shook her head and called after them. “It’s just Nicole and Vanessa coming in from the yard.”
Suddenly, zips of electricity bit into her arm and images flashed in her mind of a dark figure moving across the lawn. Claire pulled her arm from Maddy’s shoulders just as Nicole screamed their names from the first floor.
When Claire and Maddy reached the foyer, Nicole babbled at them about a rope.
“What are you saying?” Claire asked gently. “I don’t understand.”
Nicole pulled Maddy and Claire to the kitchen to see Vanessa standing next to a coil of rope lying on the floor. Vanessa pointed and Claire, with her heart in her throat, inched over to see the thing.
“My God.” Vanessa could barely squeeze the words out. “Was someone in here?”
The dogs let out woofs and ran about with their noses pressed to the floor while Maddy grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer. “Call the police.”
“I’ll go get the officer from his car.” Claire turned on her heel.
“Don’t go alone.” Nicole hurried after Claire. “We stay in pairs. I’ll come with you.”
Once out on the front porch, Claire waved at the squad car. “Sir! We need some help.” When the man didn’t respond, she and Nicole strode across the lawn with the dogs bounding ahead howling. “He must have fallen asleep,” Claire muttered.
Just as she raised her hand to knock on the driver side window, Claire stopped with her fist in mid-air. Under the streetlight, she could see the officer slumped in his seat at an odd angle. Something had spattered over the windshield.
Blood.
Claire caught the scream as it tried to escape from her throat.
The officer was dead.
23
Claire sat at the small table in the market telling Tony and Augustus what had happened at the Dodd house the prior evening. Bear and Lady had gone out to the walled-in, back garden off the storage room where they lounged in the grass enjoying the cool, early morning air.
“The officer was dead. I c
an’t get the image of him slumped over in the car out of my head.”
“It’ll be okay, Blondie.” Tony reached over and rubbed Claire’s shoulder and she lifted her hand to squeeze his.
“We were at the house for over two hours while the police questioned us and examined the place.” Claire shook her head. “Bear and Lady tried to alert me to the intruder, but I thought they were excited because they heard Nicole and Vanessa returning to the kitchen.”
Tony’s face was drawn and serious. “It’s a good thing you didn’t go downstairs when the guy was in the house. You could have been killed.”
Augustus nodded. “The officer had already been attacked before the man broke in. It was a very good thing that you brought Bear and Lady with you. The barking of the dogs probably scared the perpetrator off. This man was most likely the one who broke in and went through Dr. Dodd’s office on the day of Mrs. Dodd’s funeral. He’s probably watched the house on a number of occasions and had never seen dogs before. When he heard the barking, he must have realized that there were more people in the house than just Vanessa and Maddy.”
“I’m thankful for those two wonderful dogs,” Claire said. “They’ve saved me from trouble more than once.” She hesitated, but then said, “I’m worried that the person who killed the officer and broke into the house is Dr. Dodd.”
Tony’s eyes bugged. “The doctor?”
Claire directed her next comment to Augustus. “I met with the private investigator yesterday. Dr. Dodd did hire him.”
Tony sat up straight. “What private investigator? What did I miss?”
Taking out her phone, Claire showed Tony the picture of Dr. Dodd and the investigator sitting together in the Boston Common. “I saw these two after I did a training run. It was shortly after Grace Dodd died. Ian recognized the guy and Augustus knew where he was every afternoon so I went to talk to him. His name is Bob Cooney.”
Tony’s cheeks flushed. “You went to see this guy? I’m glad I didn’t know you went to see him. I’d have been a wreck. You need to be more careful. Who knows what a guy like that is like, what he’s up to?”
“Augustus knew. Nicole came with me. He was kind of a creep, but we got some information from him.” Claire told her companions what she’d learned. “The most important details were that the doctor keeps an apartment in the city and used it with the women he picked up. Cooney told us that Dodd was … promiscuous.”
“What a loser,” Tony spat the words out, disgusted by the doctor’s behavior.
“Cooney also told us that the doctor was paranoid. He told the investigator that someone was after him.”
“Delusional, perhaps?” Augustus guessed. “The doctor’s world is collapsing. His wife discovered his affair, she died under strange circumstances, his lover died in her townhouse under strange circumstances. Whether or not the doctor is responsible for the deaths or not, the man has lost command of his life and may be spinning out of control.”
“If he didn’t kill those women, then what happened to them?” Tony asked.
“I suppose Grace could have jumped.” Claire absent-mindedly swirled the liquid around in her mug. “She was under stress. She and her husband fought frequently. Their fights were physical. It might have been too much for her.”
“And the lover?” Tony asked. “What happened to her?”
Claire shrugged. “Maybe she tripped and fell down the stairs?”
“Dr. Dodd is thought to have entered the woman’s townhouse the day she died,” Augustus told Tony.
“Okay, then,” Tony said. “My vote is that the doctor killed both of them.”
Resting her chin in her hand, Claire sighed. “If that’s the case, then Dr. Dodd must have been the one who trashed his own office in some kind of a fit.” As anxiety gripped Claire’s stomach, she lifted her head and made eye contact with the men sitting with her. “And he must have returned to the house last night, killed the officer, and had plans to murder his daughters.”
“For God’s sake.” Tony shook his head. “The police need to take Dodd in for a psychological examination. He’s gone off his rocker. Get him off the streets … and he shouldn’t still be practicing medicine, either. The man needs help. Why won’t someone help him?”
Tony’s words kept pinging in Claire’s head, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Are Vanessa and Maddy still at home?” Lines of concern furrowed Tony’s forehead. “They shouldn’t stay there alone.”
“They left their house for a while,” Claire said. “The police didn’t think they should go to Vanessa’s apartment so they’re staying with me.”
“Good,” Tony said, but then his eyebrows shot up. “With you? Is that a good idea? Won’t they put you at risk by staying with you? Can’t they stay in a hotel for a few days?”
“I have an extra bedroom, Nicole doesn’t, so I offered.” Claire gave a tired smile. “At a time like this, it’s better to be around other people. Anyway, my place has better security than any hotel.” After Claire’s townhouse had been broken into last month, she asked the building owners to invest in a security system and they agreed.
Tony didn’t look satisfied, but he didn’t say any more about it.
Feelings of hopelessness surrounded Claire, and she wanted to shift the conversation away from the case so she turned to Tony. “So how was your walk with Tessa the other day?”
A smile formed over Augustus’s face as he waited for Tony’s reply.
The big man’s cheeks turned red and he muttered, “It was too hot.”
Claire couldn’t believe Tony had just made the perfect opening for her so she smiled and asked innocently, “Was that because of the weather or because you were with Tessa?”
Tony groaned and pushed away from the table. “Some of us have work to do.”
Augustus and Claire chortled with delight.
“You two can leave anytime you want, you know.” Tony growled from behind the counter which only served to make Claire and Augustus laugh harder.
When a few customers entered the store, Claire collected herself and stood. “I better get going. I want to stop at the townhouse before I go to work. If I don’t hurry, Nicole will fire me.”
As she was about to leave, Augustus said, “Claire, you know I have many friends in this town. If you need anything, just call me.”
Claire took in a breath and nodded.
Augustus held her eyes pointedly. “Be safe.”
Vanessa was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when Claire got home.
“Did you find everything you need?” Claire asked.
Vanessa gave her friend a hug. “Yes. Thanks again for giving us safe harbor. I really didn’t want to go to a hotel. It makes me feel better knowing you have a security alarm here.” She returned to the stove where she was cooking eggs for her and Maddy’s breakfast. “I can’t believe my parents never installed one at the house.”
Maddy was sitting outside at the patio table and waved at Claire through the glass doors.
Claire returned the wave while she packed her lunch into a small cooler bag. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. The dogs are at Tony’s market. I’ll pick them up on the way home from work. Are you going into the office today?”
“I feel like it’s best to keep to a regular schedule. Maddy’s going to MIT to meet with a professor. I’ll pick up some things at the market later so I can cook dinner for all of us tonight.”
Claire smiled. “We can take turns. I’ll cook tomorrow night.”
Vanessa checked the wall clock. “I’m late. I’d better hurry.” Using a spatula, she divided the eggs between two plates and called to Maddy that the food was ready. As she lifted a forkful of the eggs into her mouth, Vanessa unzipped a jewelry case that she’d placed on the kitchen island and removed a pair of hoop earrings.
Something in the case caught Claire’s eye. “That’s a beautiful watch.”
Vanessa stared sadly at the rose-gold watch with a soft, brown leath
er band. “It was my father’s. He gave it to me when I graduated college. It belonged to his father.”
“Can I look at it?” Claire was drawn to the piece and took it from Vanessa when she passed it to her. “It’s lovely.”
Suddenly, the watch seemed to be heating up in Claire’s hand and her vision turned red for a moment. Zips of electricity bit at her fingers so fiercely that she let the watch slip from her hand.
Vanessa ate another bite of egg while she put on her earrings. “After everything that’s happened with my father, I can’t wear that watch anymore. I can barely stand to look at it.”
With her heart pounding, Claire’s head spun and her hand trembled from touching the timepiece. She let her arm fall to her side so Vanessa wouldn’t notice it shaking. Stepping back from the island, she said, “I need to get to the chocolate shop. I’ll see you later.”
Claire hurried out of the townhouse as quickly as she could. She had to get away from that watch.
24
The chocolate shop buzzed with customers for most of the day keeping Claire, Nicole, and Robby busy filling take-out orders and waiting on people at the tables. It was nearly 3pm when there was finally a lull in the activity and they hurried about refilling the pastry cases, running the dishwasher, and popping some sweets into the ovens to bake.
The lovely smell of baking chocolate cookies filled the air. Claire sliced a marble cheesecake into pieces while Robby ran the big mixer and Nicole carried in a tray with three lattes on it so they could have a few minutes for a break.
“I really need to hire some more help.” Nicole lifted her cup to her lips.
“You won’t need to do that when I’m working full-time all year round.” Robby’s face was glum.
“Have you talked to the financial aid office?” Claire asked. “Were they able to help you find funding?”
“I think it’s a lost cause.” Robby took his cup back to the work table.
“Don’t you give up hope,” Nicole told him as she eyed Claire.