Secrets She Knew: A Secrets and Lies Suspense Novel

by D. L. Wood

  Peter shook his head. “She never told me who it was. And from what you’ve told us about the diary, she didn’t identify him in there either. But I did think about it, Dani. I did.” He sniffed, glancing away from her, staring into the dark. “About a week afterward, when the diary still hadn’t been mentioned and they hadn’t come looking for me, I thought about saying something.”

  “Why didn’t you?’

  “Because they arrested Dr. Beecher. They found her bracelet in his house and I just knew he had done it. And then later, with what his daughter said about them arguing and him following after her when she headed for the river…and then the DNA evidence, his skin under her nails…there was no doubt in my mind that he was guilty and that there wasn’t a point in coming forward. I even thought that maybe Dr. Beecher was the creep she was talking about…”

  “No. She mentioned the creep before she started working for Dr. Beecher. She was excited about that job. She wouldn’t have taken it or written about it like that if Dr. Beecher was the creep.”

  “But the DNA evidence, the footprints—”

  “That evidence only proves they had contact and you know as well as I do that Dr. Beecher explained it. His daughter misinterpreted things. They weren’t arguing. Jennifer was upset about something that day—probably the ongoing disagreement between the two of you—and was crying when Dr. Beecher came home. She wouldn’t talk about what it was and ran out. He followed her down to the river and she slipped. He grabbed her to stop her from falling and she scratched him in the process. She begged him to just leave her alone, and he did. He went back in the house and when he eventually saw that her bike wasn’t there, he thought she’d gone home.”

  Peter remained silent, his face grim.

  “He didn’t do it, Peter.”

  “Well, I didn’t do it.” Then suddenly his eyes flashed to hers, something desperate in them. “Wait, you don’t think I’d…Dani, I would never—”

  She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “Of course not! No, I know you couldn’t.” And she meant it. The boyfriend hadn’t done it, because the boyfriend was her best friend and it just wasn’t possible.

  “I loved her, Dani. I really did. It broke me when she died, and I couldn’t tell a soul.” A shadow of shame lay beneath the rivulets of tears cascading down his cheeks. “I should have been there that afternoon. I was supposed to be there. We were going to meet at the shed after she got off work and try to figure it all out. But Dad insisted that I stay at the house and help him work on the car. It was a two-man job. I couldn’t meet her and I had no way to let her know.” He sniffed again. “All this time I’ve thought, what if I’d been there? What if I could have stopped it? Maybe she’d still be alive.”

  “You don’t know that. And you might have been killed too. It’s not your fault.”

  He rubbed his eyes, then flicked his gaze to her. “Part of me was actually glad you were so distraught after finding her, that it tore you up so much, because that meant I had an excuse to be sad, because I could be sad with you, cry with you, be depressed with you and it would look like I was just hurting for my friend, not like I was devastated because of her, which I could have never explained.” He shook his head. “I was a terrible person.”

  “You weren’t. You were a scared, broken-hearted kid.”

  “That’s what I’ve been telling myself for thirteen years. But then you found her diary…and it just brought it all back. I was so thrilled when you said that she didn’t mention me by name.”

  She nodded, imagining the terror he must have felt at that first dinner at Sasha’s when she told them what she had found in the shed.

  “Dani…I’ve never wavered from my belief that Dr. Beecher was guilty—I had to cling to that to stay sane, to know that I didn’t somehow derail the investigation by not speaking up. Then today…I can’t get past the timing, Dani. You give him a copy of the diary and he gets killed the next day. And suddenly I’m really wondering if someone…if that stalker—”

  “If someone else was responsible.”

  With the tiniest of motions, he bobbed his head. “But I’m still not any help, Dani. Jennifer didn’t tell me who he was.”

  “What about the girl she was trying to protect? The one Jennifer initially saw with the creep? Jennifer wrote that she confronted her about it, but never identified who the girl was.”

  “She wouldn’t tell me who the girl was either. I asked, but she was adamant about keeping it private. Jennifer was a vault. There was no end to the secrets she knew.”

  “You’d think she would have at least told someone. Maybe her best friend? Kendall?” Dani suggested.

  “The police questioned Kendall back when it happened, didn’t they? If she had known something, she would have told them.” Even as he said it, Dani remembered the short page of notes in the police file from their interview of Kendall. There had been no mention of a stalker.

  “I haven’t seen her tonight,” Dani said. “I looked for her earlier, but—”

  “I saw her come in about fifteen minutes ago. I heard her say her flight was late.”

  If Kendall was there, maybe all wasn’t lost. Maybe Dani could still get some answers. Her nerves tingling at the prospect, she stood, squeezing his shoulder. “I’m so sorry that you’ve had to carry this by yourself all these years, Peter. I wish you would have told me.”

  “It’s my own fault. But just keep me out of it if you can. Amy doesn’t know and I should probably tell her myself. If I need to come clean about it with the police, I will, but—”

  “Let’s just see how this goes, okay?”

  He nodded, and offered a faint smile. Leaving him there, she walked back to the entrance, sparing one last look at him as she grabbed the door handle. He was still sitting, his hands folded in his lap, staring into the night sky and likely wondering, she thought, about the million other ways this might have turned out if he had only said something before now.

  19

  When Dani spotted Kendall St. James at a table across the room, she was raising a glass in a toast Dani couldn’t hear with several others gathered around her. Zeroing in on the petite woman, Dani made a bee-line through the throngs, ignoring several greetings as she shot through the space. Kendall was taking a drink in honor of the toast when Dani arrived at her arm.

  “Dani Lake!” Kendall screamed, leaning in for an exaggerated hug, and Dani felt what she presumed to be splashes of martini dripping down her bare arm.

  “Hi, Kendall. It’s good to see you.”

  “And you! And everybody,” Kendall raved, waving a hand around the room. Back in the day, Kendall had been the most exuberant cheerleader on the Warriors’ squad, and it seemed she hadn’t lost a bit of that enthusiasm. “I hate I was late. Our plane was delayed out of Dallas—”

  “Kendall, could I speak to you for a minute? Privately?” Dani asked, tugging gently on Kendall’s arm.

  “Well, sure. I’ll be right back, y’all,” Kendall said, setting her glass down and grinning widely, her snow-white teeth reflecting the pink hues of the DJ’s lights.

  They stepped several yards away to an unoccupied spot against the wall. “Kendall, I want to ask you some questions about Jennifer.”

  Kendall’s grin evaporated. “Jennifer? Cartwright? Why? I know I missed her tribute, but I’m sure—”

  “No, it’s not that. Her diary’s been...found recently and it mentions something about a person who might have had a grudge against her around the time she died.”

  “What?” Kendall asked, genuine surprise flashing in her features.

  “She wrote that she knew a secret about someone—a male—and that when she confronted him about it, he didn’t take it well. He may have even started stalking her. Does that ring a bell at all?”

  Kendall shook her head. “I never knew anything about a stalker.” Her lips pursed. “No, Jen would have told me if she had a stalker. What exactly was she supposed to have confronted this person about?”

  �
��Apparently Jennifer witnessed something, something between another girl and this male that was inappropriate or wrong somehow. She says she eventually confronted the girl first, but the girl denied everything. Then Jennifer started noticing that the male was acting differently around her, like he knew she knew something. One day she happened to see him carrying on the same way with another girl—she never said exactly what was going on, but it was clear it wasn’t right. So she confronted him, threatening to tell—” Dani cut herself off, noticing that Kendall’s face had lost all color.

  “She confronted him?” Kendall’s tone was flat, and her gaze seemed to drift off, unfocused.

  “Kendall?”

  Kendall’s gaze returned to Dani. “Jen never told me any of that. She never said—” Kendall sucked in a quivering breath. “Where’s her diary? Where is it?”

  “The police have it.” Dani didn’t feel the need to share that there was another copy at the prison and one on her kitchen table.

  “So, why are you asking questions?” Kendall asked, a tremor in her voice.

  “I’m the one who found it. And though the police have been…reviewing it, I’m also a police detective in Boston and I happened to be here, and well, this case has always been close to my heart.”

  “Because you’re the one who found Jen.” Kendall’s tone was softer, laced with quiet respect.

  Dani nodded. “And because I’ve never believed that Dr. Beecher was actually guilty. Kendall, with this diary, there’s finally evidence to suggest that someone else may have killed Jennifer. So, if you know something, if you can shed any light on this man she confronted or the girl—”

  “It was me.” The admission was a whisper, barely audible over the din.

  “You?”

  Kendall nodded.

  “But then…why wouldn’t you have told the police about him when they questioned you?”

  “Told them what? I had no idea that he had any connection to Jen! All she said when she came to me was that she had a gut feeling something was going on between me and him that shouldn’t be. I denied it and we never said another word about it. She never told me that she’d actually seen anything.” Her hands flew to her mouth, cupping it, her face twisted in horror. “But she must’ve, right? If she was willing to confront him? Oh, how could I have been so stupid?” The words were coming in torrents now. “I thought she forgot about it. And I was so freaked out that she had noticed, I immediately ended things with him.” She dropped her head into her hands, covering her face as she shook it back and forth. “I thought that was the end of it! I tried to forget about it. I tried really hard.” She ripped her hands from her face, her mascara now streaked over her cheekbones. “But now you’re telling me he got involved with another girl? What if there were others? I was so young, I didn’t think about the next person—”

  “What happened, Kendall?” Dani’s heart raced. She was so close. “Who was it?”

  Kendall ignored the questions, steamrolling Dani, continuing to spew her tortured diatribe. “If Jen had told me any of that, if she had told me what she saw and what she did…I would have known to say something to the police.” She lashed out, desperately clutching Dani’s arm, her eyes wild. “What if it wasn’t Dr. Beecher at all? What if he killed her because she was going to tell, and got away with it—”

  “Kendall,” Dani said firmly, grasping the woman’s upper arms to hold her still. “Slow down. Breathe.”

  Kendall grew quiet, her trembling body in Dani’s grip, her shoulders rising and falling in time with her spastic, exaggerated breaths.

  “Okay,” Dani said. “Now tell me—who is he?”

  Kendall whimpered, then uttered a name.

  20

  Dani’s mind churned as her car sped through the streets of Skye toward home. She had barely managed a rushed, “I’ve gotta go,” to Sasha before dashing out of the reunion, ignoring her friend’s shouts of, “Where are you going?” sounding behind her.

  The streets were desolate at this hour, her car zooming along unhindered. She forced herself to breathe with intentional rhythm—four in, four hold, four out—trying to rein in the adrenaline that was making it difficult to process, to plan.

  What now? It’s Saturday night! What can I get—

  Spotting the red light at the last instant, she jammed her foot on the brake, the car violently jerking to a stop just past the lane line. She pounded her fists on the wheel, willing the light to turn.

  She could call the Chief and explain what she had just learned from Kendall. That had to be enough to justify another look at the situation. Right? But would he listen? He would have to, with this kind of allegation. Even if it turned out to be of no help in Jennifer’s case. But it was just Kendall’s word and after so long—

  The light turned green and she gunned it.

  Chris.

  If she could get him to back her up, maybe together they could convince the Chief.

  Violating her own rules about calling while driving, she blindly dug her cell from her purse and dialed Chris, now exceedingly grateful that he had insisted she take his number. It went to voicemail.

  “Chris, hi…listen, I’m sorry to call you like this, so late, but I need your help. You said that if you could help, you would, and I think I’ve just stumbled onto something really big. But I need your support to take it to the Chief. I’m headed home, but will you call me as soon as you get this? Or just come over, okay? Thanks, bye.”

  She hung up and pressed harder on the gas.

  Dani barreled into the kitchen from the garage, heading straight for her bedroom.

  Get out of this dress. Get the diary, get the file—

  She had just made it to the hallway when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, strong arms clenching around her middle. She screamed and a hand shot upward, clapping over her mouth, muffling the sound. Cold panic coursed through her like lightning, but only for a few seconds. Then her training kicked in and panic turned to controlled ferocity. Because both arms were pinned beneath the attacker’s hold, she twisted her shoulders back and forth violently, in the process catching a flash of the ski mask covering his head and what might have been a black jacket. His grip loosened just enough so that she could move her right arm, which instinctively flew to her hip, something she immediately realized was pointless. Her pistol was lying beneath her pillow. There had been no way to wear it with that dress.

  She reached up and yanked hard on the arm covering her mouth, but the hand didn’t budge. Electricity crackled across her skin as he gripped her tighter, and she began kicking as he dragged her backward into the living room. She tried to get a foothold, tried to get some leverage so she could land a good kick, but he moved her too fast and too hard and smashed her against a wall, forcing her face into it as he twisted her one free arm behind her back and pulled up, wrenching it hard.

  “Ahhh!” she cried angrily, the severe pain in her shoulder momentarily disabling her. He slammed himself against her, trapping her whole body against the wall.

  “You. Are. Done. You hear me?” he growled, his breath hot on her neck. His words were low and guttural, but unnaturally so, as if intentionally modified. She said nothing and continued struggling.

  He stepped back, pulling her with him, then slammed her against the wall again. “Are you finished?”

  Dani’s pulse thundered in her head. His grip was like a vise. She nodded, relenting.

  “Good. This is over. It stops now. No more digging. Unless you want to end up like Beecher. Got it?” The hand on her face tightened, squeezing her cheeks against her skull. “Do you understand? Nod once if you understand.”

  She nodded.

  “I’m leaving. Do not turn around. I mean it. I’m armed. I don’t want to shoot you, but I will.”

  And then, he let go. Quick, shuffling steps sounded behind her. She gave it three seconds before turning.

  He was gone.

  She ran to her bedroom, snatched her pistol from beneath her pillow
and raced after him, flying through the kitchen door into the garage, then out onto the driveway. She skidded to a stop, swiveling left and right, scanning for any sign of movement, the darkness broken only by the streetlamp at the bottom of the driveway.

  Nothing.

  For several minutes Dani strained, listening for footsteps, a rustling in the grass, anything that might reveal him. But all was quiet—just crickets and a soft breeze that kicked her hair up around her face.

  My phone.

  But it was inside.

  I should call…who? 9-1-1? The Chief? Yeah, the Chief…

  She started jogging back toward the garage, and had just reached the door when headlights flashed behind her and she turned. A truck was coming up her driveway. It stopped just feet from her. Chris jumped out.

  “I got your message and I—” He stopped talking mid-stride, concern flooding his features as he closed the distance between them, his gaze drifting to her weapon, then back up. “Someone was here again, weren’t they?” He grabbed her arm. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “He was inside when I got home,” she said evenly. Now that the immediate danger had passed, her breathing was returning to normal, her pulse steadying. “He attacked me, then ran out. He’s gone.”

  Chris’s expression hardened, as he cast around, searching. “You’re sure? He’s not still here?” he asked, before leveling his gaze at her again.

  She nodded. “He’s gone. Come on inside. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

  21

  “I don’t like it,” Chris said, dropping onto the couch as Dani moved to sit across from him in her father’s chair. “You need to call this in.” The entire way inside the house he had hounded her to report the attack.

  “No,” she insisted for the third time, a little frustrated that he wouldn’t drop it, and anxious to get to the reason she had called him in the first place. “He’s not coming back tonight. I was going to call it in, but now that you’re here there’s no point in dragging anyone else out. I’ll file a report in the morning, I promise, but look—don’t you see?” Dani could hear the excitement in her voice as she rushed on. “This means something, the fact that this happened. I was right. There’s more to this case. They’ll have to open it back up. That’s why I called you—”