by Anne Canadeo
Amy greeted them, holding open the door so they could all come in, her cell phone in her other hand. “I was just going to call you. Rob’s attorney called. He said Rob’s off the hook. Dr. Fielding confessed to everything—stealing the invention plans from the Morton’s cottage, shopping it around to biotech firms as Fred Sigmund, and . . .” She paused and took a deep breath. “He confessed to killing Dr. Morton. Can you believe it?”
Lucy was stunned. Stealing the invention was one thing. But she found it hard to believe Lewis Fielding was a murderer. “I hardly know the man. Maybe he has a deeply hidden dark side. But that last part is hard for me to accept. He just doesn’t seem like a killer. Do the police have other evidence, besides his confession?”
Amy nodded. “They say the shoe imprints they found at the scene match a pair of rubber boots they found in his cottage. That seems conclusive to me.”
Lucy didn’t answer. It didn’t seem that conclusive to her, but she didn’t want to argue with Amy. Amy was surely pleased that Rob was finally in the clear and relieved to hear that Dr. Fielding had confessed.
“It is solid, physical evidence,” Dana agreed. “But I’m still surprised. Did Dr. Fielding say why he did it?”
“It seems he’s in a serious relationship with Meredith Quinn. He said he did it for her. She wanted to try an experimental treatment for her illness, but the cost was very high, and her insurance didn’t cover it. She appealed to Morton for a loan, but he wouldn’t help her. Morton told Dr. Fielding about that conversation in his therapy, and Dr. Fielding said he even laughed about it. Dr. Fielding said he was overwhelmed with rage and a desire to get back at Morton for treating Meredith in such a cold, heartless way. As Meredith got sicker, he felt even angrier and planned to sell the invention to fund her treatment. He said he had to kill Morton to cover up the theft.”
Lucy understood Lewis Fielding’s deep motive for revenge. Yet, it was still a stretch to see him as a killer.
“Where were the plans hidden? Did the attorney say?” Dana asked.
“A little stick drive, in the battery compartment of Morton’s beard trimmer,” Amy replied. “Dr. Fielding was lucky Tanya let him visit so soon after her husband’s death. She hadn’t cleared away any of his personal items yet. I guess Dr. Fielding asked to use the bathroom. He knew where the device was hidden and found it easily.”
“Tanya will probably be kicking herself when she finds out the plans were under her nose the whole time,” Suzanne said.
Lucy thought that was true, but before she could comment, Suzanne was thanking Amy again for the loan of the cottage, and saying their farewells.
Amy hugged each one of them. “I feel badly that your weekend has been ruined with this police investigation. But thank you ever so much for your help getting Rob off the hook. I hope you’ll come back sometime, when it’s peaceful around here. As it usually is,” she added.
“We had a great time,” Suzanne replied.
“It was wonderful. Honestly,” Lucy said. “We can’t thank you enough for loaning us the cottage.”
“It was great to meet all of you. I’ll have to come down to Plum Harbor sometime and take another knitting class with Maggie.”
“Please do. On the house, any time,” Maggie added.
“I’m just happy that we’re able to leave knowing Rob is in the clear. I hope you two are going to celebrate tonight,” Suzanne said.
“We will. Then we’ll have a long-overdue talk. I know Rob feels he needs to protect me, but he kept too many secrets. It’s going to take us a while to sort this all out. But I do love him,” she added. “And I know he loves me. We’ll be all right, in time.”
“I know you will,” Suzanne assured her. “Every marriage hits a speed bump or two . . .” She glanced at Lucy. “Remember that, Lucy.”
Lucy had been married once and already knew this to be true. Although she didn’t expect many speed bumps with Matt, that was for sure.
“Where’s Rob? We want to thank him, too,” Maggie added.
“Where do you think? Out surf casting,” Amy laughed. “But this time, I know he’s really fishing,” she added. “Maybe he’ll even bring home a catch or two.”
Lucy and her friends laughed. It was a comfort to see Amy in good spirits again and to leave knowing the cloud that had hung over her and Rob the last few days had passed.
After a few more good-byes, they walked back to Suzanne’s SUV and took their usual places. “It’s great to see Amy smiling again,” Lucy said as they drove toward the gatehouse. “And it’s good to know all of Rob’s police business is resolved. It sounds as if the police are going to overlook his plans with Tanya to steal the invention and sell it. They have bigger fish to fry, I guess. No pun intended,” Lucy added.
“Lucky for him,” Maggie agreed. “I guess they’re just satisfied to have found Morton’s killer.”
“Everyone’s happy about that. Except Meredith, I’d say. That is, if she even knows that Lewis has confessed.” Phoebe sat in the middle of the back seat, as usual, and took out her knitting. Lucy squeezed closer to the door to give her some elbow room. She also didn’t want to get jabbed with the end of a knitting needle.
“We’re still going to visit her, aren’t we?” Maggie asked.
“I think we should. She needs some support and friendly faces now more than ever,” Dana said.
“Yes. Let’s. Dr. Fielding’s confession will be a blow. Especially in her condition. It’s a sad situation.” Suzanne sighed and shook her head.
Dana pulled up the location of the local hospital on her phone’s GPS and guided Suzanne. They didn’t pass any flower shops on the way, but found a large bouquet in the hotel gift shop.
Fortunately, Meredith had been moved to a room where she was allowed to have visitors. Lucy and her pals were unusually quiet as the elevator carried them up to Meredith’s floor.
“This is isn’t going to be easy. But we’re doing a good deed,” Suzanne reminded them.
“It’s hard to say what we’ll find. She might feel so upset about Lewis, she won’t want to see us,” Dana replied.
“That’s true. We’ll respect her wishes, whatever they may be.” Maggie moved the bouquet to her other arm, then switched it back again. Lucy could tell she was nervous. Lucy felt a little nervous, too, and took a few deep breaths.
They found the room quickly. Suzanne led the way and softly knocked on the door, which was open. “Meredith?” she called.
“I’m awake. You can come in,” a weak voice replied.
Suzanne walked in first and everyone followed. A petite woman, Meredith looked even smaller in the hospital bed, propped up by a pile of pillows. Her skin was sallow with dark circles shadowing her eyes. An IV tube was attached to one arm. The line led to a bag of fluids hanging from a pole. She was also connected to a monitor with several wires, to monitor her vital signs, Lucy guessed. She looked weak, barely able to sit up and smile as they walked in.
“We don’t want to disturb you. We just wanted to see how you were doing before we headed home,” Suzanne explained.
“We brought you some flowers.” Lucy handed over the bouquet.
“How lovely. Tiger lilies and yellow roses, my favorite. How did you know?” She leaned closer and smelled the flowers, but seemed too weak to hold the bouquet.
Lucy held them out to her, so she could see the arrangement, then took them back. “I’ll try to find a vase and set these up for you.”
“Don’t worry. Cory will do that. Just leave them on the table. He’ll be back any minute. He just went to get some coffee. It’s so nice of you to think of me. I wish this was over with. I hate being stuck in bed,” she added.
She was a very active person, and Lucy didn’t doubt it was frustrating to her to be immobilized this way.
“Lewis told us that you were coming along. He seemed very hopeful you’d be home soon,” Dana said.
“Lewis, always so optimistic. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Meredit
h replied. “I’m worried about him. The police are questioning him about Julian’s murder, of all things. He has no connection to that. I don’t know what they can be thinking. He said he would let me know when he was done, but he hasn’t called yet. I must have left about ten messages.” She checked her cell phone on the nightstand. “Have you heard anything over at Osprey Shores?”
Lucy and her friends glanced at each other. What should they say? Was it their place to tell Meredith that Lewis had confessed to killing Dr. Morton?
Before anyone replied, Cory came into the room.
“I have some lovely visitors, Cory, and some beautiful flowers,” Meredith said. “Maybe you can ask the nurse for a vase when you get a chance.”
Cory didn’t seem to hear her and barely seemed to notice Lucy and her friends. He walked straight to Meredith’s bedside and took her hand.
“I have some bad news, Mom. I’m really sorry to have tell you this.” His voice was hoarse and strained, as if he might burst into tears at any minute. “Lewis has been arrested for killing Dad. I heard that he confessed.”
Meredith sat up, her mouth hung open in shock, her eyes wide. “Lewis confessed? He didn’t kill Julian. Why did he say that? He didn’t kill Julian. . . . I know he didn’t.”
Cory squeezed her hand and put his arm around her shoulder. “It’s true. I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you. His attorney just called me.”
“Oh, my God . . . this can’t be.” Meredith sunk back against the pillows, her hands over her face as she began to cry. Lucy and her friends stood silently, not knowing what to do or say.
“Lewis . . . Lewis. Why did you do such a foolish, reckless thing?” Meredith murmured. “Why did you do it?”
Lucy wasn’t sure if Meredith was asking why Lewis confessed, or why he killed Dr. Morton.
Meredith suddenly looked up at everyone, a bit calmer, though her eyes were still wet with tears. “He did it for me. Foolish, wonderful man. But it won’t help. He can’t save me.” She sat back and sighed.
“What do you mean, Mom? He confessed to a crime he didn’t commit?” Cory stood back from the bed, but still held his mother’s hand.
Meredith squeezed her son’s hand. “Yes, dear. That’s what I mean.”
“But why?” Lucy didn’t mean to break into their conversation, but the words just popped out.
“To protect me. I killed Julian. I did it all on my own. Lewis didn’t have anything do with it. Julian was a despicable human being and didn’t deserve to live. He not only refused to help me pay for the treatments I needed, but he told me that he’d cut Cory out of his will. His only child. He said it was for Cory’s own good. He said real money would ruin him entirely, which isn’t at all true. He was just being vindictive, trying to get back at me for divorcing him. I’d had enough,” she added bitterly. “That was the last straw. I’m so sorry, but it’s true.” She looked up at Cory, her eyes begging him to understand.
“You did it, Mom? Really? But how? Dad was so much bigger than you. I don’t believe it,” Cory insisted.
“He was bigger, but I surprised him. I’d been waiting for a foggy morning, and Friday was perfect. I struck him on the head with a stone and stunned him. A few kickboxing moves and he was over the fence and on the ground. He was barely conscious. It wasn’t hard after that,” she added quietly.
Lucy could suddenly see it: A small but strong Meredith crouched in the shrubs in the fog, waiting for her ex-husband to pass. She may have even been the ghostly image that Phoebe had captured on her camera.
Dana stood at the foot of Meredith’s bed. “So when you opened the door for the yoga class and told us you’d been meditating, you had really been out on the cliff walk.”
“Yes, that’s how I managed my alibi. I arrived at the fitness center early and went into the studio and locked the door. I set up some incense just in case anyone walked by. Then I left and reentered through the glass slider on the terrace. It was surprisingly easy.”
“But the police have physical evidence that ties Lewis to the scene. Footprints found at the scene match a pair of his rubber boots,” Suzanne said. “That’s what Amy told me.”
“That was my one mistake. I stayed over at Lewis’s cottage Thursday night. Luckily, he was called out on an emergency and stayed at the hospital all night. I had time alone to plan and get an early start Friday morning. But I borrowed a pair of his boots so I wouldn’t get poison ivy. The shrubs around the cliff walk are full of it.”
“We noticed,” Lucy said. “Did you tell Lewis what you did? Is that why he was trying to protect you?”
Meredith shook her head. “I never told him. I didn’t want to get him involved. But I had a feeling he’d figured it out. We were very close. Most of the time, we knew each other’s thoughts without needing to speak.” She sighed and picked up her cell phone. “I’ve got to call the police right away and tell them the truth. I can’t stand the idea of Lewis alone in a jail cell, because of me.”
Cory placed his hand on her shoulder. “All right, Mom. If that’s what you want to do.”
She looked up at him. “Do you hate me for what I’ve done?”
He stared down at his mother a long moment, tears filling his eyes. “I could never hate you. You’re all I’ve ever had.”
She squeezed his hand again, a peaceful look washing over her face. “That means the world to me. Now I have the courage to do this.”
Meredith picked up her phone and searched for the number of the police station. But just before she was connected, she began to cough uncontrollably. She covered her mouth with a wad of tissues as Cory rubbed her back. Lucy spotted a few drops of bright red blood on the tissues as Cory tossed them in a bedside wastepaper basket.
“I’ll call the nurse. Hang on. You need some medication,” Cory said.
Meredith nodded, unable to speak.
“My mother is very tired. She needs to rest,” Cory told them.
“Of course. We’ll go.” Suzanne turned and glanced at Lucy and their friends a moment, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. She looked back at Meredith. “We’re all . . . very sorry. About everything.”
Meredith nodded and raised her hand, saying good-bye as they walked out. Cory had run out into the hall, and was returning to the room with a nurse.
A short time later, they were in Suzanne’s SUV, stunned to silence by the scene that had unfolded in Meredith’s hospital room.
“What will happen now?” Phoebe said quietly. “Meredith will confess to the police, but she’s much too sick to go to jail.”
“What if they don’t believe her?” Maggie replied. “It’s occurred to me she might be confessing to get Dr. Fielding off the hook. Knowing how sick she is, and that she might not have much time left.”
Dana had been staring out her window and turned to look at her friends in the backseat. “It’s a bittersweet puzzle, isn’t it? It’s like an O’Henry short story, two lovers making sacrifices for each other. The boots place Lewis at the scene, but maybe she did borrow them.”
“I tend to believe her story over Dr. Fielding’s,” Lucy said. “He was at the hospital all night with a patient, and if that alibi and the timing of his return holds up, it would have been impossible for him to have killed Morton in the time frame of the murder.” She paused. “One more thing comes to mind. A bit of physical evidence that may place Meredith at the crime scene. On Thursday night, when we chose yarn to make our shawl projects, she was the only one who picked lime green. And a bit of lime-green yarn showed up in one of Phoebe’s photos. A bird is carrying a strand of that same-colored yarn. Maybe it caught on Meredith’s clothes and rubbed off on a bush or fell to the ground while she was dealing with Morton.”
“Brilliant, Lucy,” Maggie noted. “That could very well be. You’ll have to tell the police. Call Detective Dunbar or send an email. They might not get it at first, but once Meredith confesses, I bet they’ll be happy to have that bit of evidence backing up her story.”
; “And the police can confirm it by checking the dye lot and fiber and matching it to the ball of yarn she took. There’s so much they can do in a forensic laboratory,” Dana added.
“Very true. I guess I should send an email. I’ll do it later, while we’re driving.” Lucy turned to Phoebe. “So there was an important photo on your camera after all, Phoebe. But the police missed it. Too concerned about the shadowy figure in the fog.”
“Now they’ll want the camera again,” Phoebe said with a long sigh.
“We can attach a file with the email I’m going to send. Maybe that will satisfy them,” Lucy suggested. “I wonder if that shadowy form in the fog behind the shrubs was Meredith?”
“Or a creepy mermaid who came ashore, cheering Meredith on?” Phoebe replied.
“The creepy mermaid didn’t get her fins on Morton. He landed on the rocks, not in the sea,” Dana pointed out.
“The mermaids wouldn’t want Morton even if they could get their fins on him.” Suzanne shook her head, her eyes on the road. “It’s almost unfathomable to imagine how much grief, distress, and hatred he inspired. I think the mermaids would have tossed him back onto dry land.”
Lucy had to agree. Though she would never condone Meredith’s actions, she did have sympathy for all the players in this drama—Meredith and Lewis, Rob, Tanya, and Cory. And she couldn’t forget Betty and her brother, Ted. Each of them deeply wronged by Julian Morton and all with a viable motive for murder. While there was no excuse for taking a life in such a premeditated way, the way Dr. Morton had treated everyone in his life certainly tested that rule.
Chapter 12
It was after ten o’clock when Suzanne dropped Lucy off at home. She rolled her bike up to the porch, opened the door, and dropped her bags on the floor. The dogs, Tink and Wally, ran to greet her, panting and wagging their tails.
Tink carried her furry chew toy, which Lucy called Roadkill, because that’s what it looked like. The golden retriever offered it happily, though Lucy gently declined. The dogs had both been snoozing in the TV room at the back of the house, lying at Matt’s feet. Lucy heard the Red Sox game, and Matt looked a little snoozy, too. His thick brown hair going in all directions and his blue eyes, half closed.