Hannah evaluated his actions and responses and concluded he was being forthright. “So, you never had her checked out?”
“I never found it necessary. Not that it would have mattered. Even if she had been the wickedest person on the planet, it wouldn’t have mattered. I loved her.”
Cate acknowledged the sentiment. “Do you at least know who worked with her back when she was fresh out of school and writing recipes?”
“Jack Miller, I suppose.” Asa seemed to drift in and out of thought.
“Did he hire other chefs to assist her in coming up with her recipes?” Hannah pressed him.
Asa gave a confused look. “Not that I know of. I know that after he was able to lock her into that repressive contract, he had a say in every aspect of her business affairs, so it’s possible.” He looked up at the large framed painted portrait of Julia hanging above a small table on which stood a large pink vase with a gold rim cap. “My poor love. So, naïve. You know, people think she’s buried in the mausoleum.”
Hannah and Cate looked at the capped vase and exchanged looks.
“You mean…” Cate questioned.
“I could never do that to her. Those were not her wishes. I could never deny her anything.” Asa produced a meek smile. “Everything’s coming out now, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
As Asa laid his head back and stared at the ceiling, Hannah could see the pain in his face. All her assessments of the man now needed readjusting. He loved Julia. Every instinct in her body told her so. Still, she needed answers, so she pressed on.
“Perhaps I can ask him myself,” Hannah suggested. “Do you have any idea where I might find him?”
“In Hell, I hope.”
Anger and vehemence laced Asa’s comment. He stood and walked over to the sideboard, picked up a decanter and poured the contents into a small glass. “Drink?” Hannah and Cate declined. Asa took his glass and drank it in one fell swoop. He slammed the glass down on the table.
“Honey, I’m afraid Jack won’t be around here today or any other day. I am rid of him.”
“Oh?” Hannah gave a puzzled look.
“He took off to Nashville sometime last night, before Jazlyn’s accident. And he’s never coming back.” Asa picked up the glass and poured again. “You see, I was right about him. He did have a number in mind all along.”
Hannah and Cate listened to the man’s tirade. She hoped, between recent events and the alcohol, he would reveal more than his control issues would ordinarily allow.
“Oh, at first, I let him be. I considered that Julia needed him for some sort of support and besides, he had that damn contract. I knew he wanted her, but she rebuffed him, again and again. But something changed. He started rumors that Jazlyn, and I were carrying on. He even made the whole thing public. I underestimated what a bastard he could be.” Asa downed another glass and stood silent for a moment. He seemed to shudder as if throwing off a bad feeling. “Then he tried his hand with Jazlyn. Some sort of revenge. I’m still not sure if I was his intended target or Julia. Maybe he was trying to keep his finger in the pie. Going around my back, trying to get her to sign his contract. It would have been like it was with Julia. When I finally found out about it all, I went to the rehearsal, and we got into a fight. It ended when he named his figure!”
Hannah considered for a second what her next move should be. She decided to push at him and see his reaction when she told of Miller’s confession. “The police questioned him about his part in paying off the medical examiner. Also about any others who handled your wife’s toxicology results. He will have to answer for his part in that.”
He leveled his eyes on Hannah. Cate and she waited for what seemed like an eternity for him to say something. “I suppose I’ll have to answer for that as well.”
“He said he was protecting her reputation.”
Asa half laughed. “Protecting his investment, maybe. He never wanted her. He wanted what she had.”
“Why d'you do it?” Cate interposed.
“Because of the rumor he started, Julia went into a deep depression. She moved into the studio apartment and treated me like a pariah. I pleaded with her to trust me, swearing that the rumors were not true. She rejected every one. Jack thought by starting them, he would drive a wedge between Julia and me and then he could step in. He half succeeded.”
Asa rubbed his eyes. Walking back over to the sideboard, he considered another drink as he ran his fingers around the rim of the glass. He pushed it away, returned to his chair and plopped down. Hannah could tell all the alcohol was working on him. It would just be a matter of time before he gave into it and fell asleep.
“The one person she would have anything to do with was Vera. They were close, you know.”
“We’ve heard,” Cate acknowledged.
“Is that why you named Jazlyn as Julia’s successor and not Vera?”
Asa closed his eyes and swallowed. “Yes, the one thing I ever did deny her, and I did it after she was gone so she wouldn’t see it. How pathetic is that?” He produced a fake smile. “Not going to get that husband of the year award, I guess.”
The fact he could not hurt Julia, even in death, suggested Asa was not responsible for her death. If he had harmed her, it seemed to Hannah he could not have handled what he had done. As a man who was always in control, such an outcome would have driven him over the edge. Even now, he could not handle what little act of vengeance he had taken.
“Did you know about the pills?”
“I learned of them through my accountant. He saw the expenditures and thought I should know. When I asked her about them, she said she needed them to sleep. She never slept well, but in recent months, it seemed to be worse.” Asa let out a long, sorrowful sigh. “I never thought she would overdose on the damn things.”
“That’s just it, she didn’t.”
Hearing this , Asa sat up. “She had barbiturates in her system. The evidence was in the original report. She was wandering outside in a drug-induced state, fell into the post, into the water, and drowned. Jack came to me about it. He suspected something would show up.”
“Why is that?” Cate probed.
“Because she had been acting so strange the few months before the accident, even before the rumors. Something was bothering her. He figured that the stress of the show was getting to her and that she was taking something for it. Of course, he kept me out of the loop while she was alive, but when she died, he needed help to cover it all up. So, he came to me for enough money to pay off the medical examiner. The stupid man left a paper trail a mile long, so I had to step in and clean it up myself to preserve my precious wife’s name.”
For a few seconds, Hannah struggled to find a way to say what was necessary. There was no predicting Asa’s reaction to what she was about to reveal. In the end, she chose to put it forth as simply and succinctly as possible. “It wasn’t the drugs that killed her and she didn’t drown. She died from a blow to the head. She was dead before she ever hit the water. Were you not so consumed with grief and blinded by Miller’s careless actions, the examiner might have realized that. But in the rush to cover up the fact that she had drugs in her system, explainable drugs, the ME overlooked this fact.”
Asa sat with his mouth agape in disbelief. “Who are you suggesting did this?”
“I have an idea that it’s the same person who tried to hurt Jazlyn. Take a look at this.” Hannah pulled the two photos from earlier out of her purse.
Asa scanned the pictures. His eyes narrowed and his face masked rage. “Xabiere Dauphin, just much younger.” He turned the wedding photo over and read the inscription.
“Do you recognize the handwriting?”
Asa’s eyes focused, despite the alcohol running through his system. “No, but I can assure you, it’s not Julia’s, if that is what you are asking.” He looked down once more at the writing as he gestured to imitate a pen or pencil. “She had the most perfect handwriting I have ever seen. Smooth, flowing. Readable. Not like th
is at all, but you already know that. Is it Xabiere’s?”
“I think so, but his name isn’t Xabiere Dauphin. It’s William Barton, and he’s not French. He’s a fraud, and it appears that he had a relationship with Julia before you.”
“And now it appears he has turned his attention to your niece, Jazlyn,” Cate added.
Asa looked up at his two guests. “Jazlyn and I argued last night, as well. I accused her…” He looked away for a brief few seconds before coming back to the ladies. “I accused her of a great many things, one was having an affair with both Miller and Xabiere.”
“How’d that work out for you?” Cate inquired in a knowing voice.
“She defended herself. She admitted having relationships with both, but they were… just physical, nothing beyond that.”
“The other day, Xabiere was acting territorial with your niece,” Hannah cut in. “I heard him threaten her in a way that she would be his one day or something of that nature. Did she ever say anything about that to you?”
Asa narrowed his eyes. “No, but it’s not surprising. He was always enamored with her. You know, for a time, he was even fascinated with my Julia.” He tapped at the photo. “Now I know why. Regardless, I had to set him straight at one point.”
This new information caught Hannah’s attention. “How did he react?”
A bemused expression ran across Asa’s face, and he gave a sarcastic laugh. “He threatened me and Julia, so I let him go.”
Hannah became engrossed. She cocked her head, and things began to click in her mind. “I thought you fired Holloway and him for leaking secrets?”
“That was my excuse to Julia.”
The women watched as Asa slipped off into quiet contemplation, never looking at them. “Julia made odd choices. Even after twenty-one years of marriage, there were times when I just couldn’t fathom her motives. Xabiere was an ass to end all asses, but she saw something in the man that no one else could, so she took him in. Like a stray dog or a lost puppy. Same with Holloway and Vera.”
Like a stray dog or lost puppy. Hannah mentally deliberated Asa’s words. She mulled over the idea as he rambled on for a moment more. She came to the conclusion Julia took in strays and orphans because she felt guilty over putting Vera out for adoption. Xabiere and perhaps even Holloway were psychological substitutes. “They were her penance,” she concluded. “Why d'you hire him back, after you had to let him go?”
“In part, because my niece insisted, and because he provided evidence that Holloway was the one who had sold out our secrets. I guess because Julia would have wanted me to. It’s been a year. The restaurant had a sudden opening. He was available, so it just sort of fell into place.” Seeing the look on Hannah and Cate’s faces, Asa got a stunned look of his own. “Cranston left town without notice. Is it possible he…?”
Hannah said nothing, but scrutinized Asa. She wondered if he was ready for her final revelation. “It’s possible, both your wife and this Cranston fellow.”
This new information shook Asa. He looked at the photo of their wedding, studying Julia’s image, that of himself, and that of Xabiere. He gazed at the urn on a pedestal. Hannah and Cate could see he was struggling to find meaning, and she dreaded what would come next. “But for what reason?”
“Like you, and every other man in her life, he was in love with Julia. And he may or may not have found out about Vera.”
Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Asa rose from his chair. “Vera? What does she have to do with this?”
“You replaced Vera with Jazlyn, but your wife had a will created that would, in the event of her demise, give Vera her part of your combined estate. It also names her heir to her show.”
Asa stopped dead in his tracks. He glared at both women. “I have our will. We built it together. Agreed on it. In the event of her death, if I am living, I am the beneficiary. If we are both gone, the majority goes to her charity.”
“And what about Jazlyn?”
Asa produced an uneasy look. “She gets a reasonable trust, the show, and the restaurant. We had no children, and she is the closest thing to one that I have.”
Hannah braced herself. She was about to drop a bomb on Asa, one that could send him in any number of emotional directions. For such a controlling man, he was about to find out, in reality, he was not at all as such.
“Not for Julia.” Hannah dropped the information in a blunt, solid voice.
Both women watched as the man’s face began to turn red. Asa was losing his temper. He was just about to erupt but responded in a calm if not angry tone. “What are you talking about?”
“Julia had a child years ago, before you met.”
Asa’s posture collapsed. His face shown of disbelief, brow furrowed deep, and mouth agape. “You’re lying.”
Hannah provided context. “Vera.”
“No.”
“She had a DNA test done and a new will drawn up to reflect the results.”
“We’ve seen it ourselves,” Cate interceded.
Asa searched for words, but found none. He moved back to his chair and collapsed in it. For a moment, he glanced about the room wearing a wild expression. Hannah considered it as a response of a man overwhelmed. After a few seconds, he managed to find his voice. “DNA. Against whom? Miller or Xabiere?”
“Louie Woolridge.”
The last bit of information was enough to send Asa reeling. “Woolridge?” He shook his head. “None of this is making any sense.”
Hannah noticed the color draining from Asa’s face and his breathing increasing. When he reached up and grabbed his arm, clutching it with the other hand, he let out a moan and slid to the floor. Hannah rushed over to roll him over, and looked at Cate. “On it,” her friend replied without even hearing the request.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hannah, Hymn, and Louie watched the monitors with intense focus behind Jonas, who was on point. Cate sat beside him, observing. Buster and the young tech sat at the desk next to the monitors. Two small speakers sat atop, plugged into a laptop as did a small microphone. Casey flipped a switch. “Can you hear us?”
“Clear,” Jazlyn’s voice crackled.
“Perfect,” sounded Vera.
The young woman turned to Jonas and gave the thumbs up signal.
Hymn looked to Jonas “Did you shut off the lights in the back?”
He indicated yes.
Louie shot the two a tense look. “How are we going to see them if it’s dark?”
“Infrared.” Jonas pushed a button, and the camera aimed at the gazebo changed to night vision. Vera and Jazlyn’s reddish-yellow form was visible via heat signature. “Mr. Karas spared no expense.”
Louie let out a breath. “I can’t wait here. I’m going down to the garage. Come on, boy.”
Critic rose from his place next to the door and he padded out along with his master.
Hymn appeared worried. “Is he going to make it?”
“He’ll make it,” Cate assured. “Can’t say the same for Xabiere,” she mumbled under her breath.
Hannah requested, “Buster, would you keep him company, just in case?”
Buster rose with hesitation. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” He added, “He is, after all, only like a hundred pounds larger.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Let Walker handle him if it comes to that,” Jonas tossed in. “He’s more than capable.”
Buster departed just as Jonas pointed to the screen. “Xabiere’s here.”
On the screen, a small, dark Aston Martin rolled to a stop just before the mansion. A dark figure in a long black coat exited. In the security room, Hannah whispered, “Xabiere,” as if he could hear.
Jonas called down to Walker, who was in the garage, “Condition One.” Walker readied his weapon.
Casey checked the microphone headset and receiver she placed on Hymn. “It’s two way,” she reminded him. “We’ll hear everything and can talk back and forth.”
&nbs
p; Hymn motioned to Jonas. “Going down?”
Jonas turned to Cate. “I want to be in on this. Think you can handle it?”
Grinning, she gave a quick mock salute. “Affirmative.”
“Good girl.” He rose and offered Hannah his position. She waved him off.
“No way, I’m coming.”
The guard started to argue, but Hymn cut him off. “Pointless. Let’s just get downstairs.”
Jonas shrugged before all three headed downstairs to join Louie and Walker.
Back on the grounds, Xabiere paused to look around before he headed around to the side of the house. Like a pro, Cate switched camera after camera, following along until he made his way toward the gazebo.
Though the images were bright on the screen for Cate, the gazebo’s location allowed Vera to mask herself in near darkness. She took an interior seat the furthest away from the starlight reflecting off the lake. Jazlyn stood to the far side where she could bathe in the slight glow. Otherwise, being a moonless night, the whole area was pitch black.
As he approached, Xabiere’s voice echoed through hidden microphones. Casey had placed them around the gazebo and on Jazlyn and Vera earlier.
“Jazlyn?” Xabiere called.
From the security room, Cate and Casey watched the images playing before them. Jazlyn turned, peering into the darkness. She said nothing, but reached forth with an outstretched arm. Xabiere moved to her, and she embraced him. Swallowing hard, her face show pure pain from the fresh bound wounds just beneath her clothing. Still, she maintained the charade. Holding him, she turned him away so that he could not make out Vera sitting opposite them.
Xabiere gave a broad, almost eerie smile. “I knew you would come to me.”
Listening through an earpiece, again supplied by Casey, Hannah thought he sounded like a man in love, but she knew better. Obsession does not equate to love, she reminded herself.
Stepping back from her embrace, Jazlyn kept her hands on Xabiere’s upper arms and kept him at a distance. Her focus remained on his face.
The Death of a Celebrity Chef Page 21