Gabriel asked me to hold on for a second, then reconnected twenty seconds later. “Sorry, I was just leaving Kirklands. I met Nicky for a drink after work.”
My watch indicated it was already six o'clock. The day was going by way too quickly. Gabriel explained that Krissy had texted him the night before to ask for a ride to the inauguration ceremony because she had lent her car to Tiffany, who had sent hers to the shop for a seatbelt recall. “Did you notice any broken glass around one of the windows?”
Gabriel said he didn't, but he also had only looked at the front and side windows. “I thought it was strange that she asked me to pick her up at eight forty-five and wasn't around this morning. I waited in my car for a few minutes, but I didn't want to be late to Nana D's ceremony. Krissy never answered the doorbell or my calls, so I left.”
“Okay, thanks. Listen, Marcus Stanton might be making trouble for you, so just be careful. How'd it go with the sheriff and Connor?” Why did Krissy ask Gabriel to pick her up, then go with her father instead? What was she up to?
“Fine. They haven't decided what to do about my involvement in the jewelry thefts from eight years ago, but the sheriff promised she wouldn't be letting it go easily. I'm not allowed to leave town or discuss it with anyone else except for you. What's up with that?”
“Another time, brother. I can't get into it.” And I couldn't because even I didn't know anymore. “I'll call you tomorrow. I've got a lot of crazy stuff going on, and I need to find Krissy.”
“Hold up. Krissy might still be here with Tiffany. They were drinking a few tables away from me. I was gonna confront her on my way out to ask why she blew me off this morning, but then you called. Want me to interrupt her?” Gabriel asked.
“No, I'll head over there. I don't need to pick up Emma for another couple of hours. Thanks.” After I hung up, I drove to the bar. On the way, I called my mother to beg her to watch Emma the following night. She had just gotten home from work and was waiting for my father to get back with a pizza he'd gone to pick up. My mother hated waiting for the delivery folks to show up, as the food was always cold. Of course, she was excited to watch Emma. “I appreciate it, Mom. You're the best.”
“I'll collect Emma at the bus stop at seven o'clock, but I have a late meeting with a prospective student at eight. Emma could hang out in the conference room for a bit. I don't expect it to go too long.”
It would be better if Emma was concealed on campus with my mother while I was somewhere else meeting Cristiano and Francesca for the exchange. After we disconnected, I informed Woodland Warriors that Emma would take the late bus home tomorrow from day camp. By the time I reached Kirklands, I was starving. I walked into the bar and found Tiffany sitting by herself.
“Hey, I haven't seen you in a few days.” I gestured a harried-looking bartender to order a burger with everything on it and a large ginger ale, then turned back to Tiffany. “Can I get you anything?”
She declined. “You just missed your brother. He was here with Nicky and some work colleagues, but they all took off. How's everything?”
“Not so good,” I said, sipping from my glass and dropping a napkin on my lap. “I was told Krissy Stanton was here, and I need to speak with her.”
“Good luck. She snuck out the back when your brother stepped outside. I think she's avoiding him. Besides, she's on her way out of town,” Tiffany said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“I met her for a drink and to return her car. She was going to let me borrow it for a few days, but something urgent popped up and she needed it back right away,” Tiffany said, then hopped off the barstool and collected her purse from the undercounter hook. “Gotta head out. Take care.”
“Before you go, do you know why she's leaving town?” I had my suspicions but wanted confirmation before taking any action. Things were starting to fall into place based on what had happened at the Stanton household today.
“I guess it doesn't matter if she's leaving town. I can tell you what she told me.” Tiffany signaled the bartender for another drink and mentioned that it should go on my tab. “Krissy wanted to say goodbye before she hightailed it out of Braxton. She was worried about something, but I don't know exactly what it's all about. She dumped a lot of drama on me tonight.”
“Did she give you any names or details you can share?”
“Krissy confessed that she'd been trying to snare Quint ever since he returned to Braxton a few months ago. His death had been a lot harder on her than she'd admitted last week.”
If my assumptions were correct, Krissy must have figured out Quint had stolen all the jewelry and had taken it harshly. Could she have killed him in a struggle at the cable car trying to convince him to turn himself in? “Did she say anything about why she had to leave so quickly?”
“Just that no one understood her. I guess she was angry with Imogene too. Apparently, Quint was still in love with Imogene and wouldn't commit to Krissy. My guess is Krissy's tired of all the chaos in her life and needed a break.” Tiffany explained that Krissy had a crush on Quint back in college, but he had been dating Imogene, so she'd backed away sophomore year. When Imogene had split up with Quint and chosen Paul, Krissy thought she had a chance. Then, Quint left town without telling anyone why. Krissy had always blamed Imogene for driving Quint away from Braxton. She didn't know that he'd been stealing all the jewelry and needed to escape based on his uncle's shenanigans and blackmail.
“It must have been hard on her. Do you think she's already skipped town, or can I catch her?”
Tiffany threw her hands in the air, extricating herself from the conversation. “Who knows? My Uber is outside. You might be able to catch her tomorrow. She mentioned something about a quick trip to the bank in the afternoon before she could head out of town.”
As Tiffany left, my burger arrived. While I ate dinner, I ran through a number of theories. Bertha had said a girl showed up at the house and was in Quint's room. It was either Krissy or Imogene, but I couldn't be sure which one. Imogene could've wanted to say a permanent goodbye before she fully committed to Paul. Maybe Krissy found the jewels Quint had stolen and took them with her to the bank for safe keeping. What I wasn't certain about was whether she planned to turn them over to the police or to get rid of them, so Quint's memory wasn't further sullied with proof of his crimes. I just couldn't figure out how the latest situation with Marcus that morning fit in. Was he lying to me, or had something changed Krissy's plans to attend the inauguration with Gabriel? Either way, who'd broken into the Stanton house and taken the cash and jewelry from the safe?
I was flipping through my phone to call Krissy when Siobhan Walsh and Nicky Endicott gallivanted into the bar and grabbed a corner table. He pulled out her chair and kissed her on the lips before taking his own seat. Gabriel had said Nicky was always out with a new girl but seeing him with Siobhan was startling. What kind of scheme were those two cooking up together?
Chapter 17
I paid for my meal and sauntered over to Nicky and Siobhan's table, curious to find out for myself whether it had anything to do with Quint's death or the missing jewelry. I still didn't have confirmation about Siobhan's supposed visit to the doctor at the same time Quint was being murdered.
“What a surprise to see you two together. I stopped in for a drink and was just about to leave when you both sat down.” I tucked the credit card receipt in my pocket and waited for their reply.
“Hey, Dr. Ayrwick,” Siobhan began with a minute fluster and flash of panic. “We're on a date. I met Nicky when he came to stain some beadboard in my living room last week, and we hit it off.”
“That dark stain you picked was perfect for the room.” Nicky had a sneer forming on his face. “She's a delightful woman. I'm excited to spend more time with her,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“As long as you don't cut yourself and bleed on my floor again,” Siobhan quipped.
If what he'd just revealed was true, Nicky's
fingers might not have been stained black from spray-painting a calla lily, and he hadn't gotten his injury from attacking Imogene and stealing the tiara at Lara's place. He might not be the secret accomplice. “I won't keep you guys, just wanted to ask a couple of questions.” I turned to Siobhan and said, “My mother mentioned the twins have been sick a lot. She was worried when you had to go to the hospital last week. Everything okay?”
Siobhan nodded. “Yes, my son was fine, but my daughter had croup. It's common, but I couldn't get in to see the pediatrician. I was so glad the clinic remained open at that hour.”
“Really? Which one did you go to? I'd love to have a back-up in case Emma is ever sick, and I don't want to go to the emergency room.” It sounded like a logical statement, and in truth, I should have a better back-up than Nana D's old-fashioned remedies.
“Downtown, near the Pick-Me-Up Diner,” Siobhan said, pulling her hand away from Nicky's.
“Kids. Always a worry, huh?” He seemed disinterested as he gazed around the room for a server.
“True, they get sick often. Does the clinic always stay open late? I guess it was busy, huh?”
Siobhan looked at Nicky and offered an apology for the interruption to their date, then grabbed her purse. “I think I still have the invoice. It wasn't that crowded,” she said, then retrieved an envelope and pulled out the bill. “Says that I paid at twelve-thirty in the morning, and the hours of operation are… hold on, let me check… they closed for new patients by midnight. I was the last person to leave there.”
Based on her timing, she was at the clinic and couldn't have been at the cable car confronting Quint. I supposed someone else could have taken the twins to the hospital and was covering for her, but I couldn't see Siobhan murdering a man for potentially leading her on. When I asked her about it, she acknowledged she'd been angry, but a few days later, she and Nicky had gone on their first date. “Aye, I got over Quint pretty quickly. I am not the kind of woman to go around killing men for being cads!”
After Nicky confirmed he had been near the cable car station and had dropped his running gloves the morning I'd found Quint's body, I realized he probably hadn't been the one to kill the man. I needed to be certain, so I asked about the unpaid bill with Marcus. “Do you think Quint's decision to go public had anything to do with Stanton losing the race? Was Marcus angry enough to seek revenge on Quint?”
He looked surprised at my inquiry but recuperated quickly. “Paul Dodd and I were talking about that earlier. Stanton was neck and neck with your grandmother for a while, but when Quint began telling people, Marcus did experience a shift in his numbers.” While Nicky ordered drinks for him and Siobhan, I planned my next questions.
“Marcus was yelling about it this afternoon. Told me he paid the bill to you right away, that the confusion was on Quint's part because he didn't know you'd already taken care of it.”
Nicky nodded. “Quint never was good with the accounting side of the business. He thought because he'd gotten Krissy to convince her father to use him as the contractor that he'd get the full amount from Stanton. It was through my company, and it took a few days to sort that all out.”
“I guess once that was fixed, everything turned out okay, huh?” I wasn't sure what else to ask but felt like something obvious was at my fingertips.
“Yeah, Marcus tried to get a discount, as usual. Claimed that his daughter was helping Quint with all the work. Krissy was just interested in learning about the business, even followed me on a couple of jobs to understand how to do basic electrical work. She found the whole thing enthralling for some reason. We good, man?” Nicky clearly wanted me to leave, so he could proceed with his date.
I wished them goodnight and headed back to my SUV. Everything was pointing to Krissy now. If she'd been knowledgeable about electrical work, was she savvy enough to cause a power issue in the cable car that knocked out Quint? When he didn't die from the initial injury, did she then decided to strangle him? It was looking more like I'd found the culprit, prompting me to chat with April as soon as possible to discuss our next steps.
After leaving Kirklands, I picked up Emma and her friend at the gymnastics facility, then dropped her friend off at home. Emma and I took the puppy for a walk and played with him for a few minutes. I was grateful one of Nana D's farmhands would stop by twice each day to walk Baxter while Emma and I were at work or camp. Once we were finished tiring out the adorable little beast, Emma complained that she was so exhausted, she could sleep for an eternity. My daughter climbed into bed and passed on our normal story time. It was okay to skip it occasionally, and I had an urgent call to make. April needed to know what had happened with Marcus and Cristiano earlier that day. And I deserved to talk to someone who was on my side for a change.
* * *
“Are you okay, Daddy? You look funny,” Emma said while we waited for the bus to pick her up Wednesday morning. I'd considered driving her to camp but didn't want her to think there was anything out of the ordinary about today.
“Of course, sweetheart. It's just a really big day at work for me. You know how much I love you, right?” I cradled her warm cheek and kissed her forehead, silently willing the universe to protect her. “I'll do anything necessary to keep this amazing smile on your face.”
“I know. You're the best. Sometimes I think about Mommy and get sad that she went to Heaven. I'll see her again one day.” Emma gripped the back of my neck and held on tightly. “Way in the future because I'm gonna live forever.”
“That's true. You're gonna be as old as Nana D one day, and promise me, you'll never forget that I tried to do the best things possible for you, okay?” I let Emma pull away from me as the bus arrived, then grabbed her for one final hug to give me the strength to do what needed to be done. If everything went according to plan that night, Francesca might be back in our lives. “Remember, Grandma will pick you up on the late bus today. She's gonna take you to her office at Admissions Hall.”
Emma waved as she boarded the bus, then turned around giggling. “See ya tonight! Tell Baxter I love him.”
Sixty seconds later, the yellow school bus was just a trailing vision in the distance. My eyes were brimming with the desire to cry, but I forced the tears back into their hidden state. Desperation clung to my soul for one of my grandmother's trademark hugs.
After finishing some work for an upcoming class, I arrived at the downtown administrative offices to update Nana D with Cristiano's plan.
“It'll work out, Kellan. God is looking out for this family, and you've been through the wringer more than enough for the Castigliano family. If there were ever someone who could negotiate terms to fix past mistakes, I believe it's you.” Nana D had more strength in her arms than she had in her words that morning, and her message had been super loud, utterly clear, and difficult to top. “Don't do anything foolish. Trust your instincts.”
“Scout's Honor,” I said, as an aide knocked on the door to Nana D's new mayoral office to let us know that April had arrived.
As she entered the room, April jerked her head. “What are you doing here?”
When I'd called April the night before to strategize about the meeting with the Castiglianos and Las Vargas, I neglected to reveal my plan to attend her conference with Nana D. We'd focused on how to communicate today to ensure my safety and offer the best chances of Francesca's imminent return. I'd saved all the news I'd been collecting about Quint's death, including Krissy's potential guilt, for today's encounter. “I sent Emma to camp this morning and needed someone to tell me tonight would turn out fine,” I replied, feeling guilty about the small lie. I had no strength to fight with April about anything else.
“I understand.” April rubbed my shoulder. “Your family has your back, and that's a good thing.”
Nana D narrowed her eyes at the discussion with April but wisely kept her thoughts to herself. “I'd like Kellan to stay while we discuss the jewelry thefts and Quint Crawford's murder. He's been instrumental in past investigations
and knows the players. Any concerns, Sheriff Montague?”
April pursed her lips ready to disagree, then pulled up a chair and sat near the desk. “Not at all, Mayor Danby. I'm confident Kellan will keep anything we discuss in this room to himself. His intuitions have been helpful to date.”
April wasn't backing down because she was afraid of Nana D. As two primary leaders protecting Wharton County, the women had a certain respect for each other. April was biding time to present objections at the right time. This conversation would do little harm regarding the open cases we were investigating.
Nana D asked April to summarize what she'd done to date. Once finished, we decided the scratches that the coroner had identified on Quint's body had come from Imogene's attack when he'd burglarized her mother's place. Based on the timing the coroner had specified, it was a perfect match. I'd been hoping they'd come from an accomplice, someone who might've then turned around and killed Quint two days later. I wasn't that lucky. Nana D then asked me to provide any working theories or new information I'd obtained since my last conversation with the sheriff. I said, “Based on everything we've heard to date, we know Quint stole the jewelry eight years ago. Gabriel might've helped him leave Braxton and hock some of the items at the San Francisco pawn shop, but he doesn't appear to have profited from it. Quint took all the money when they parted ways.”
April nodded and folded her hands in her lap. “I believe Quint returned to town to take care of his sick mother and saw an opportunity to steal more jewelry. Based on his anger over mothers interfering in their daughters' lives, he recreated the crimes with the same families. I suspect there was an accomplice this time too, as security was more heightened and complicated to avoid.”
“Krissy Stanton is probably that accomplice, and she seems resolute to leave town. Marcus might be involved too.” I told Nana D and April about the blackmail attempt over Gabriel's visit to the Stanton house. “He gave me roughly twenty hours, and the deadline is coming up shortly. I expect him to contact the Wharton County Sheriff's Office by early afternoon.”
Mistaken Identity Crisis: Death On The Cable Car (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 4) Page 22