The Last Thing She Said

by Lauren Carr

  “We were not half-naked!”

  Ray let out a loud laugh. “Hey, you’re two consenting adults! I say go for it!” He continued to chuckle.

  “Ray, why did you call besides to embarrass me? Did you locate Caroline Andrews?”

  “Chester, West Virginia,” Ray said. “One-twenty-five Fox Lane.”

  “Chester, West Virginia?”

  “Two hours from your current location.” Ray chuckled as he added, “If I were you, I’d get a room and head up there in the morning. Have a nice evening.” He ended the call with a wicked laugh.

  Their main course arrived. The scent of the shrimp and other assorted shellfish was heavenly. A variety of vegetables swam among the sea of shellfish and pasta in an ocean of creamy sauce.

  “This is a Spencer Inn specialty,” Mac said as the server placed Chris’s and Helen’s plates on the table. “The head chef created it for Archie. It’s called Monday’s Seafood Delight.”

  Mac and Archie made conversation while waiting for their missing guest. Chris’s phone buzzed just as he rose from his seat to go search for Helen. Expecting a message from Helen, he cringed when he saw that it was from his mother.

  “I want a wedding!”

  Chris tapped out his response. “Don’t tell me. Tell Elliott.” He put the phone back into its case on his belt.

  “Anything wrong?” Mac asked about the flash of exasperation that crossed Chris’s face upon reading the text.

  Before Chris could respond, they saw Helen hurrying across the restaurant. She greeted Chris with a kiss as he slid from the booth to let her back into her seat. “I’m sorry that took so long. Ray called. He got the address for Patricia Baker’s sister.”

  “Patricia Baker?” Mac asked.

  “A suspect slash witness,” Helen explained. “She disappeared one month after George Livingston’s abduction.”

  “The missing person’s case has been closed,” Chris said while ignoring his phone buzzing and vibrating in its case. “Years after she disappeared a serial rapist confessed to murdering her.”

  “But the rapist couldn’t remember where he’d dumped the body.”

  “What makes Baker a suspect?” Mac asked.

  “She was the last one to see the victim alive,” Chris said.

  “We’re hoping that Patricia Baker was close enough to her sister to have shared what happened that weekend,” Helen said. “Her name is Caroline Andrews. She lives in Chester, West Virginia.” She read the address that Ray had texted to her. “One-twenty-five Fox Lane.”

  “Chester, West Virginia,” Mac said with a slim grin. “Is that where you’re going from here?”

  “Tomorrow.” Chris dug his phone out of its case and flipped on the do-not-disturb setting. “We’re hoping to get a room here tonight.”

  “Ridiculous,” Archie said. “You’re welcome to stay at Spencer Manor. Besides, since your mother is a librarian, then I’m betting she ordered you to send pictures of Robin’s private library where she wrote most of her books.”

  “She did insist on taking pictures of the library,” Helen reminded Chris.

  “I happen to have a contact in Chester,” Mac said. “You’ve met my son-in-law Murphy Thornton.”

  The reminder of a difficult case from the previous year made Chris cringe. “Along with your daughter Jessica and Tristan, your son.”

  “Murphy is from Chester,” Mac said. “It’s one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone’s business. I’ll give his father a call and he can set you up to interview this sister.”

  “You don’t have—” Chris started to object.

  “Josh is the county prosecuting attorney,” Mac said. “Born and raised there. He’ll be able to fill you in on this Andrews woman.”

  “Besides you’ll need a place to stay,” Archie said. “It’s half a day’s drive back to Harpers Ferry from there.”

  “We don’t want to intrude,” Chris said. “We could just get a room—”

  Mac and Archie chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “There’re no hotels in Chester,” Mac said. “We are talking about a really small town. You go a mile in any direction, and you end up in a different state.”

  “Josh has plenty of room,” Archie said. “His kids are grown—”

  “They have Izzy,” Mac reminded her.

  “What’s an Izzy?” Helen asked.

  “Fourteen-year-old daughter,” Archie said. “Last child living at home.”

  “Last one of six kids,” Mac said.

  “Six kids?” Chris let out a small gasp. “I remember Murphy mentioning that he came from a big family.”

  “His father traveled a lot and his mother got lonely,” Mac said with a wicked grin.

  Archie shot a chastising glance at her husband. “Murphy didn’t mean his mother cheated. He meant she wanted lots of kids to keep her company while Josh was on deployments with the navy.”

  “I’ll give Josh a call,” Mac said. “I’m sure unless something is up, he’ll be glad to have you stay at his place. Otherwise, you’ll have to leave the state.”

  “Before we go to Chester, we’ll need to look up another potential suspect who lives here in Deep Creek Lake,” Helen said. “Lucille Del Vecchio.”

  They were surprised by Archie’s and Mac’s expressions. Their hosts exchanged quick glances.

  “I take it that you know Ms. Del Vecchio,” Chris said.

  “Yes, but I never thought she’d be connected to such a famous cold case,” Archie said. “She certainly never talks about it.”

  “She had a big career as a high-level corporate executive before retiring here,” Mac said. “I guess once you’re in charge, it’s hard to stop. She’s on the board of like every charity in the area.”

  Archie nodded her head in agreement. “When she moved here, she set her sights on becoming president of the Red Hatters. The local chapter’s current president, Shirley, was from around here and had been leading it for years. Lucille decided to run against her. It looked like she was going to lose by a landslide.”

  “She didn’t take it well when she lost?” Helen asked.

  “No, the incumbent dropped dead of a heart attack the day before the election,” Archie said.

  “She was eighty-six years old,” Mac said.

  “What about the guy who was in charge of the bird watcher’s club?” Archie asked.

  “What happened to the director of the bird watching club?” Helen asked.

  “He fell out of a tree.”

  “What’s a ninety-year-old man with an artificial hip doing up in a tree to begin with?” Mac asked.

  “What about what happened to the captain of her bowling club? He got stuck in the bowling pin machinery back behind the alley.” Archie cringed. “It wasn’t pretty.”

  “Forensics proved that happened when he slipped and fell into the machinery while reaching for his glass eye,” Mac said.

  “After each death, Lucille got the job she wanted.”

  “The same thing happened when George Livingston disappeared,” Helen said. “He went missing right before a big speech. She gave the presentation and stepped into his job.”

  “Over what time period did these three sudden deaths happen?” Chris asked Mac, who was enjoying a low laugh.

  “Twenty years.”

  “It’s still suspicious,” Archie said. “Every time Lucille sets her sights on becoming the head of something and someone stands in her way, they suddenly drop dead.”

  “These people who stood in her way were in their eighties or nineties,” Mac said.

  “Where can we catch up with her tomorrow?” Chris asked.

  “Tomorrow is the blood drive here at the Inn,” Archie said. “She’s on the board of volunteers.”

  Mac reached across the t
able to grasp Chris’s wrist. “A piece of advice,” he said in a low voice. “When you go question Lucille, make sure you’re carrying a crucifix in addition to your weapon.” He winked at him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Doris’s head was spinning. She was so excited that she was oblivious to her surroundings during the drive back to Harpers Ferry.

  Chris’s engagement to Helen was the answer to a prayer. Even as a teenager, Helen had been the daughter that Doris had never had. Helen’s adopted parents were dear friends of the Mathesons. Close to fifteen years since they had retired and moved to Florida, the two families kept in touch.

  Doris had been almost as heartbroken as her son when Helen had broken off their relationship after leaving home for college. Decades later, there was a part of her that hoped someday Chris and Helen would reunite and eventually get married.

  That time had come—finally!

  Shannon’s death and the investigation into George Livingston’s murder was far from Doris’s mind. Instead, she was focused on guest lists and setting up the back yard for a wedding reception. How big of a cake should I tell Catherine to bake? It will have to be chocolate. There’s plenty of room in the front pasture for guests to park. What if my hydrangeas don’t bloom in time for the reception?

  Doris whipped out her phone and pressed the button to call Chris.

  “I think he’s a little busy,” Elliott said while maneuvering his SUV on the bridge crossing the Potomac River into Virginia. “They’re at the Spencer Inn having dinner with Mac Faraday and his wife. You don’t want him to be rude, do you?”

  “But—” Doris objected as Chris answered her call. “Christopher! It’s about time! Congratulations on finally getting the lead out and asking Helen. Did you have a nice dinner with Mr. Faraday?”

  “Very nice. We’re driving down the mountain now to Spencer Manor. They’ve invited us to spend the night.”

  “Well, how about that? My baby is moving up into high society.”

  “Archie Monday has promised us a tour of the library,” Helen interjected.

  “Take lots of pictures!” Doris said.

  “She has a whole box of letters that Shannon had written to Robin Spencer,” Chris said. “We’re talking over forty years. We’re going to have to read through them to see if she mentions anything that can help us with the case.”

  “That’s nice, dear,” Doris said. “Now tell me what you’ve planned for the wedding.”

  “My only requirement is that it’s ASAP,” Chris said with a smile in his voice.

  “But my hydrangeas won’t bloom for another month and Helen needs to get a gown!”

  “What do your hydrangeas have to do with our wedding?” Chris asked.

  “We need them to showcase my garden for your outdoor reception.”

  “I can tell you right now, Doris, that I’m not wearing a white gown,” Helen said. “Been there. Done that.”

  “You need to have a wedding,” Doris said. “Your mother and I have been waiting decades for this.”

  “It’s their wedding,” Elliott said from the driver’s seat.

  “There will be a wedding, Doris.” Helen’s tone was reassuring. “The girls want to be bridesmaids, and Sierra has to be my maid of honor. I’m just not going out and getting a big white full-length gown, and the men aren’t wearing tuxedos.”

  “That’s why I’m marrying her,” Chris said.

  “Are you at least going to invite Frank and Denise up from Florida?” Doris asked.

  “Of course,” Helen said. “I can’t get married without inviting my parents.”

  “Have you told them?”

  “I’ll call them when I get back. Remember, don’t tell Sierra.”

  “That’s going to be hard for Doris,” Elliott said. “She’s bursting at the seams.”

  “Tell her to control herself at least until we get back,” Chris said, “so that we can tell the girls.”

  “We want them to take part in planning the wedding,” Helen said.

  “By the way, Mom, Matthew is coming out tomorrow to work on setting up the network in the barn for the automatic doors. Are you going to be around in the afternoon? It looks like we’re going to have to be gone tomorrow night, too.”

  “Are you sure you’re not having an early honeymoon?” Elliott asked.

  “Patricia Baker’s sister is in Chester, West Virginia,” Chris said, “which happens to be where Murphy Thornton is from. Remember the navy officer we worked with last year?”

  “I thought he was FBI,” Helen said.

  “I could have sworn he was CIA,” Elliott said.

  “Whatever,” Chris said. “Point is, his father is the prosecuting attorney in Chester and he’s going to set up an interview with Caroline Andrews. So I won’t be there to work with Matthew, Mom. He’ll probably get there about one in the afternoon. Can you show him the barn?”

  “Do you really need me to show it to him? That barn’s pretty big. It’s kind of hard to miss.”

  “My mother, the smart ass,” Chris muttered before disconnecting the call.

  Helen grasped Chris’s hand. She favored him with a soft smile. “She’s going to tell them.”

  “Oh, she’s totally going to tell them.”

  Elliott turned his SUV into the lane leading up to the Matheson farm and pressed the security code into the panel to open the gate. The sun had set on the farm. The farmhouse on top of the hill glowed in the darkness.

  “You need to stop smiling,” Elliott said while driving up the lane. “The girls are going to know something is up.”

  “Don’t I always smile?”

  “Smile? Yes. Glow? No.” Elliott brought the SUV to a stop next to the house.

  Doris squeezed his hand. “Don’t I always glow when I’m with you?”

  The four girls had already opened the door. Sadie and Mocha spilled out into the yard to greet their master. Determined to keep up with the big dogs, Chompers sailed off the top step of the porch. Emma cradled Thor in her arms.

  “Well, it’s about time!” Sierra sang out. “I was about to call Dad to tell him that I was spending the night.”

  “Did your mother call you?” Doris asked while greeting the two big dogs.

  “I texted to let her know when I got here,” Sierra said. “I haven’t heard back. Is she okay?”

  “Change of plans.” Elliott pried Chompers loose from where he attached himself to his pantleg and ushered everyone into the house. “Their trip to Deep Creek Lake got extended. They’re leaving there tomorrow to go question another witness in the northern panhandle.”

  As they moved into the kitchen, Nikki turned around and planted her hands on her hips. “Do you mean they’re going to be gone another two days?”

  “Are you sure they’re really interviewing suspects and witnesses in a case?” Katelyn asked.

  “Maybe it’s all a lie, and they’re really eloping,” Sierra said with a giggle.

  Doris’s eyes grew big. She sucked in her lips to hold back her secret.

  “Doris,” Elliott said in a low voice. “Don’t.”

  Emma pointed at her. “Why is Nonni making such a funny face?”

  Katelyn’s eyes narrowed to blue slits. “Nonni? Do you know something?”

  “They couldn’t!” Sierra gasped. “They wouldn’t!” Tears filled her eyes.

  “They’re not eloping!” Elliott shouted.

  “They got engaged! Your father finally gave Helen the ring!”

  Doris and the four girls jumped up and down with joy. Sadie and Mocha, who were usually quite docile, jumped up onto their hind legs to share in the excitement. Poor Chompers was unable to capture any ankles because they were bouncing much too fast.

  Thor was thoroughly unimpressed with the news.

  “You’re not supposed to know,�
� Elliott said repeatedly. “Forget we said anything. Wipe everything from your minds. You didn’t hear a thing.”

  They didn’t care. Sierra broke out her phone to call her mother, but before she could another came in—this one from her father demanding to know where she was.

  “I told you I was babysitting Chris’s daughters.” Sierra stepped into the living room away from the excited chatter. “Turns out Mom’s trip with Chris got extended.”

  “I thought they were just supposed to be gone for the day,” Thomas said.

  “Things came up.” Sierra blurted out. “Chris asked Mom to marry him. They’re engaged! Isn’t that great?”

  There was silence from the other end of the line.

  “Isn’t it romantic? I mean, Chris was Mom’s first love, and after all these years—”

  “Where is she?” Thomas demanded to know.

  “I don’t know,” Sierra said.

  “You don’t know where your mother is!”

  “She’s with Chris. They’re working on a case.”

  “Yeah, I know how that is,” Thomas said with sarcasm.

  “Chris isn’t like you, Dad.” The joy Sierra had felt moments before slipped away. “He’s nothing like you.”

  “Well, if that’s the type of man she wants then she can have him!”

  The jealous fury in Thomas’s tone scared his daughter so much that Elliott felt the need to take the phone from her. Doris wrapped her arms around Sierra to take her into a warm hug.

  “Excuse me, Thomas? This is Elliott. I’m a friend of—”

  “Another friend of Saint Chris! You can go to hell! All of you can burn in hell!”

  The call was disconnected.

  Doris kissed Sierra on the cheek. “He’s upset. He had these high hopes about getting back together with your mother, but it’s too late. You can stay here with us tonight while he cools off. You’re part of our family now.” She took the phone from Elliott. “In the meantime, why don’t you girls call the happy couple and congratulate them?”