by Jaden Skye
“It wasn’t too much for you?” asked Olivia.
“Of course not,” said Bella. “If he needed a nurse, we called a nurse in. But by now he just needed someone to help him in and out of the wheelchair, dress him, get him his food. Nothing so difficult.”
“It seems you’re almost like a member of the family now,” Wayne commented.
“What do you mean almost?” Bella turned gruff. “I took better care of him than all the others. I was the one he turned to, not them.”
“Including his wife?” asked Olivia.
“Including everyone,” Bella repeated. “It wasn’t his wife’s job to dress him and feed him. He didn’t want that. Megan wasn’t up to that either, and he knew it. Look, Tyron was a willful old guy. I’m not saying he was always easy to be with. He had his ways and wouldn’t let them go.”
“He drove people away from him?” Olivia asked.
“Sure he did. He could be hard to take.” Bella stood up, agitated, and began pacing.
“He didn’t drive you away though.” Wayne stood up too and walked beside her. “Sounds like you were loyal to him, through and through.”
“He made it worth my while, if you know what I mean,” Bella quickly retorted. “I took good care of him and he returned the favor.”
“You mean he took good care of you financially?” Olivia got up and joined in.
Bella stopped pacing quickly. “Yes, he did,” she said. “Is that so bad? I sent most of the money home to the family and also used it to help my old aunt live.”
“No, it’s good that you helped out,” Olivia replied.
“I’m not saying every minute of my life here was wonderful.” Bella took a deep breath. “With Tyron, you had to pay back for everything he gave. There were no free lunches. He worked you hard.” Bella took a deep breath. “He always wanted a return on his money.”
“What do you think happened to him, Bella?” Olivia asked. “Was it some kind of a terrible accident? Could he have wheeled himself over to the edge of the steps and tried to get out?”
Bella guffawed. “Of course not, he couldn’t walk. He knew it. He wasn’t dumb.”
“What happened to him?” Wayne joined in then.
Bella shrugged painfully. “I don’t know,” she said in a suddenly ragged tone. “Talk to Megan and to his two daughters. They’re all spoiled silly. The daughters both hate Megan, too. Anything could have happened.”
“How does Megan feel about her stepdaughters?” Olivia asked.
To her surprise, Bella just laughed. “I wouldn’t call them her stepdaughters, no one does. We call them Tyron’s daughters. His ex-wife, Alice, is their mother. If Alice ever heard anyone calling her girls Megan’s stepdaughters, she’d have a fit. The girls are close to their mother, Alice. They can’t stand Megan, I told you.”
“What has all this got to do with their father’s death?” Olivia felt there could be a connection.
“I don’t know what anything has to do with anything.” Bella suddenly retreated like a turtle pulling back into its shell. “Talk to Megan and the girls. See what you think.”
“But you were the one who was here with Tyron!” Olivia intensified the pressure. “No one else was in the house but you and Megan. And she was upstairs.”
“So what?” Bella barked.
“It doesn’t look good for you,” Olivia added.
“This is a big house,” Bella went on. “People come and go all the time and you never see or hear them. It’s easy to get up on the deck in back. Anyone could have gotten up there and pushed him down the stairs!”
“Are you saying someone else got onto the deck with Tyron?” Wayne was all over it. “There’s no physical evidence of that, no footprints or DNA.”
“It’s easy to wipe out evidence at the beach in the sand.” Bella swiftly retreated again, her voice dimming. “I don’t know who was or wasn’t on the deck. I was in the kitchen, cutting carrots. When the police came they even found my carrot peels in the sink. When I went back out on the patio to tell Tyron dinner was ready, he was already face down on the sand. Face down! Someone pushed him! Why would it be me? There’s no reason for it!”
At that Bella spun around, a look of fear and fury flashing over her tired face. Olivia wondered who Bella really was then. Did she have any other life of her own? Had Tyron completely consumed her? Could she have secretly wanted to break away?
“Where do you go on your day off, Bella?” Olivia asked.
“I stay with my aunt, not far from here,” Bella glumly replied.
“Is there anyone else in your life at all?” Olivia continued.
“My job was my life,” said Bella. “I was here six days a week, night and day. Tyron needed me, what could I do? “
“So, there’s no one else in your life?” Wayne joined the line of questioning. “No special person of your own?”
Bella stamped her foot hard. “If I do or do not have somebody else in my life is no business of yours!” she suddenly barked, her face flushing. “And it has nothing to do with Tyron’s death. If you want to know more about what happened to Tyron, talk to his two rotten daughters, Kayle and Lana. They’re both going crazy now. They haven’t stopped calling.”
“We will,” said Olivia.
“I’ll go get their contact information right away,” Bella added as she quickly stomped out of the room.
*
After Bella gave Olivia and Wayne the daughters’ contact information, she made it clear the interview was over.
“I have things to do now,” she said, motioning to the door.
“What kind of things?” Wayne was put off.
“I have to fix up the place, get some food ready, people will be coming soon.”
“Who’s coming?” asked Olivia.
“People, all kinds of people,” Bella replied. “They want to come and pay their respects. Megan has friends and business associates and they’re coming to see her, too.”
Wayne nodded.
“Go talk to Tyron’s daughters,” Bella urged again.
“Are they coming soon, too?” asked Olivia.
“Might be,” Bella replied. “Call them and find out.”
CHAPTER SIX
Once outside the residence, Olivia and Wayne walked down toward the beach and stumbled upon a driftwood bench that had been placed unobtrusively under a tall, angular tree.
“Let’s sit here for a few minutes,” Olivia suggested. The sun was out in full force and the day was warm. But under the shade of the tree it was easy to feel the breezes rolling in from the ocean. They were refreshing.
“I think it would be best for you to call Kayle,” Wayne said after they sat down. “It’ll be less jarring for her to hear from a woman. See where she is and when we can get together. After that you can call her sister, Lana.”
Olivia agreed. No time could be wasted and she immediately dialed the number Bella had given her. To her delight, Kayle picked up the moment the phone rang.
“What is it? What is it?” Kayle asked frantically before even knowing who was on the other end. “Did something else happen?”
“It’s okay, nothing else happened. There’s no emergency.” Olivia tried to calm her. “This is Olivia Wells, the woman Megan hired to help sort things out for your family.”
“The private investigator?” Kayle’s voice rose a pitch.
“Yes,” Olivia replied. “My partner and I are at your father’s home now. We’re gathering information.”
“I’m on my way over there as we speak,” Kayle answered quickly. “I couldn’t go there before. Just couldn’t. I’ve been up all night.”
“I can understand that,” Olivia said softly.
“Thank you,” Kayle spoke a bit more softly.
“And how about your sister, Lana?” Olivia went on.
“What about Lana?” Kayle didn’t like the question. “I know she’s coming, but not sure exactly when. She spent last night with my mom in Fort Lauderdale. They were comfo
rting each other.”
“You weren’t with them? Where did you spend the night?” asked Olivia quickly.
“I was with my fiancé, Drew,” Kayle replied. “We live together about half an hour away from Naples. Drew’s almost as shook up as I.”
“Is Drew coming now too?” Olivia was interested.
“No, not now.” Kayle began to sound breathless. “This first meeting at the house will be just for the family. We have a lot of things to talk over.”
“Like what?” Olivia was interested. She hadn’t known the family planned to meet at the house today.
“Like funeral and burial arrangements,” Kayle said quickly. “Like the will, and our trusts.”
It was amazing to Olivia that Tyron had barely died and they were already gathering to talk about practical matters.
“I hope I can speak to you when you arrive,” Olivia continued.
“Of course you can,” Kayle answered quickly. “Don’t you think I want to help find my dad’s killer?”
Olivia shivered. Kayle seemed so emphatic about his having been murdered. How could she be so sure? “His killer?” Olivia echoed.
“Well, my father didn’t end up down on the sand on his own, did he?” Kayle shot back.
“It doesn’t appear so,” said Olivia.
“It sure doesn’t. Just hold on a few more minutes,” Kayle breathed. “Where are you, exactly? I’ll be right there.”
Olivia told Kayle where she and Wayne were sitting and hung up the phone. “Kayle’s beside herself,” Olivia said to Wayne. “She said she wants to help us find the killer. She’s convinced her father was murdered.”
“Good,” Wayne replied. “If they didn’t find any prints or DNA, whoever did this knew what they were doing. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
*
In what seemed like a few minutes, a tall, slim, young woman with long blonde hair, a short skirt, and an open blouse came running down the pathway toward the driftwood bench.
“This has to be Kayle,” Olivia murmured, standing up to greet her.
Kayle rushed right over to Olivia and grabbed her hands. “You’re Olivia?” Kayle’s eyes opened wide. “I thought you’d be much older. How long have you been a detective?”
“Long enough,” Wayne answered, standing up and walking over to them.
“This is my partner, Wayne,” Olivia introduced him.
Kayle’s eyes quickly darted back and forth between them. “I read all about the two of you and your company when I found out that Megan hired you,” she said. “I actually think it’s fascinating.”
“Would you like to sit down on the bench so we can talk?” asked Wayne.
“Why are we sitting on the bench?” Kayle looked nervous. “Why are we outside? Are we hiding from something or someone inside?”
“Who would we be hiding from?” asked Wayne.
Kayle smiled oddly. “Of course, you wouldn’t be hiding from Megan because she hired you. But Bella might have kicked both of you out. She does that from time to time. Bella thinks she owns the place by now.”
“Bella did suggest we leave for the moment,” Olivia went on.
“I bet she gave you my number and my sister’s too,” Kayle commented.
“Yes, she did,” said Olivia.
“It figures,” said Kayle. “Neither Bella nor Megan can stand either of us. They’ll do all they can to trip us up. At least they have that much in common.”
“That’s got to have been rough for you,” Wayne commented.
Kayle took a moment to really look at him then. “Everything here has been rough for me for a very long time,” she said. “How would you feel if your parent married someone the same age as you?”
“Not very good.” Olivia empathized with her.
“It’s creepy to the core,” Kayle went on. “And Megan took every chance she could to rub it in. She’d show us the jewelry, clothes, and perfume my father bought her all the time. It hurt like hell to see it.”
“Did he give you girls gifts as well?” asked Olivia.
“Rarely,” said Kayle. “Once he married Megan, we were past tense. In his mind he associated us with our mother. Megan saw to that.”
“I’m sorry about that,” said Olivia.
“And you can imagine how he felt about my mom!” Kayle went on. “Once it was over it was over. He couldn’t stand her anymore.”
“Did you see your father often after the divorce?” asked Wayne.
“I did, my sister didn’t,” Kayle replied. “We never could see him alone either. Megan always had to be there, hovering around. She acted as if she were watching her precious treasure to make sure no one stole it away. She always had to keep a weird rift going between my dad and us.”
“You must have been pretty angry with him,” Olivia remarked.
“I was for a long time,” Kayle agreed. “But once I met Drew I felt better about everything. Finally I had someone of my own. My father wasn’t so important to me anymore. Finally, I could go to see him and not go home feeling torn up inside.”
“Was your father happy about your engagement, at least?” Olivia continued. “Was he going to make you a beautiful wedding?”
“Sure, he said he’d make a wedding,” Kayle replied glumly. “And then, as soon as he said it, he started making lists of all the people he was going to invite. The wedding was for him, not for me. He wanted to look good in front of the world. That really upset Drew, too. He kept saying we should run away and elope. We should have a tiny wedding without my father at it.”
“Drew hated your father?” Wayne jumped in.
“No, he didn’t hate him,” said Kayle. “Hate is much too strong a word for it. Drew’s an independent guy who doesn’t need fanfare. And he doesn’t like to be told what to do.”
“You and Drew are happy together?” Olivia wanted to hear about it one more time.
“Sure we’re happy.” Kayle’s face grew red as she spoke. “Drew’s a good guy even though he’s not ambitious. He’s nothing like my dad. That can be grating at times, too. We could definitely use some more money right now.”
Olivia looked at Wayne, who was listening closely to every word.
“Well, you must have quite an inheritance coming now,” Wayne murmured.
Kayle stopped talking then and stared at Wayne openly. “You better believe it!” she insisted. “And I can use every penny I can get.”
Wayne shuddered. Kayle had no idea she had just handed them a clear-cut motive for the murder, Olivia thought.
“How about your sister, Lana? Does she need money badly now, as well?” asked Olivia.
Kayle backed up and looked away. “Lana always needs something badly,” she said. “But she’s not planning an engagement right now, if that’s what you’re asking. In fact, she just broke up with her boyfriend of two years about a month ago.”
“Sorry about that,” said Olivia.
“No, it’s good that she’s finally out of the lousy relationship. Charles was a rotten guy, through and through. He was only with her to get what he could. He was nasty to my sister, too. When my father finally didn’t cough up what Charles expected, he backed out. His relationship with my sister wasn’t going to give him the easy ride he’d hoped for.”
“Sounds like Charles did your sister a big favor to get the hell away,” Wayne commented.
“Yeah, he did, but she still can’t see it for herself,” Kayle said. “Lana feels like both he and my father betrayed her. She feels my father is the reason Charles left.”
“When will Lana be here?” asked Olivia.
“She’s on the way,” said Kayle. “She left Ft. Lauderdale this morning. My mother’s planning on coming up soon, too.”
“A regular family reunion,” Wayne murmured, as a car drew up to the front house and parked.
In a few minutes a lovely young woman with flaming red hair got out of the car. She was dressed in a navy denim dress with a large, glittery bag slung over her
shoulder.
“That’s Lana?” asked Olivia.
“That’s her,” said Kayle. “It’s strange to see her. We actually haven’t seen each other for about two months.” Kayle began waving at Lana then. “We’re here, Lana. Down under the tree.”
Lana threw a long glance toward them and headed down the path. “What are you doing here?” she sputtered as she arrived close up at the bench. “Why aren’t you inside with Megan and Bella?”
“Why should I be?” Kayle shrugged.
“Well, I’d imagine Megan would be devastated and need some company,” Lana breathed.
Kayle looked startled. “Why would you think that? When has Megan wanted us around before?”
Lana paused and looked at her sister. Lana’s eyes were blurry and red. It looked as if she’d been crying.
“This isn’t before,” Lana answered slowly. “Dad is gone now. Everything’s different.”
“Megan isn’t different, though,” Kayle quipped.
“Had do you know that?” asked Lana.
“I don’t for sure, but don’t expect anything like that.” Kayle seemed irritated by her sister. “Don’t expect us all to become one happy, cozy family now.”
Lana breathed out feverishly and sat down on the bench. “Who said we were going to become a happy, cozy family?” she echoed. “Even now you have a way of making everything worse.”
Kayle bristled. “I’m just trying to keep things real,” she said. “This isn’t time for hopeless fantasies.”
“Are you suggesting I live with hopeless fantasies?” Lana jumped up, offended.
“Sometimes,” Kayle breathed softly.
“You’re referring to my relationship with Charles?” Lana confronted her sister. “Well, he’s gone now and I hope you’re glad about that. Charles is gone and you are engaged!”
Kayle’s face reddened. “Are you accusing me of something? Is it my fault that you stayed with Charles for so long? Is there something wrong with my getting engaged?”