“Have you asked either one about it?”
“I did. Jake denied it at first, but finally broke down and told me that he was trailing after Rachel. He claims he lied to the cops about it because he didn’t want them to check out his background. He’s been in trouble with the law before, but he was vague about what he’d done. I’ve already asked Jeremy to look into it.”
“Jeremy is a great guy. If there is anything to be found, he’ll find it. And Heather?”
“She is adamant that she was at that dinner, but the rest have made clear that she didn’t show up until after dessert was served. And I saw her right before I reached the Trevi Fountain. I even called out her name, but she took off running when she looked back and saw me.”
“That sounds quite suspicious. It might be important to know what she was doing when you saw her. But I can’t imagine Heather hurting Rachel, no matter how much she disliked her. However, there is only one way to be certain—let’s talk to her,” Alex said as he stood up. Lana pulled him gently back down onto the bed.
“Before we do, I have a few questions about Heather.” Lana was silent a moment, wondering how to broach this next subject. Heather’s reactions to Rachel’s arrival and Randy’s arrest had brought a wild idea into her mind, but she was almost afraid to ask Alex about it. She had to tread lightly; Heather was an old family friend, after all.
“This entire trip Heather has been beating herself up about that ladder and how Rachel should have been on it, not Randy. What can you tell me about the accident?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Do you remember anything strange about it?”
“The whole thing was strange!” Alex exploded. “I’m sorry. I feel so helpless and want to do everything I can to help my brother, but I don’t think his mountain-climbing accident has anything to do with Rachel’s death.”
“I’m not so sure,” Lana said.
“Personally, I think the ladder was faulty,” Alex said. “It’s not unheard of for a piece of equipment to fail, especially one that’s a few years old. In fact, Randy’s fall wasn’t that bad because the ladder collapsed as soon as he put his weight on it. If his leg hadn’t gotten caught up in the rungs, then he would have dusted himself off and kept on working.”
His response encouraged Lana to push forward with her theory. “Why do you think Randy is convinced that Rachel was behind it?”
Alex grimaced and blew out his cheeks. “I love my brother, but Rachel’s stalking was making him extremely paranoid. In that sense, I can understand why he blamed her for his accident at the time. But I don’t think she had anything to do with it. It was just bad luck.”
“Okay, that makes sense. But was there anything odd about Heather’s reaction to his accident?”
“She took it really hard, almost like she’d let Randy down somehow. But then again, maintaining their equipment is her responsibility, and his ladder did fail. You know, now that you mention it, I always wondered if she had forgotten to check the latch and felt guilty about it.”
Lana’s eyes widened as she realized what this could mean for Randy. “But no one accused her of negligence?”
“Not as far as I know. The insurance company tested every piece of gear they had after that and couldn’t find a single thing wrong. Frankly, I think that’s what saved Heather’s job. If they had found more equipment that wasn’t in top condition, the resulting lawsuits might have been the end of both her career and Straight Up Climbs. But because the incident was officially declared an accident, Randy wasn’t able to sue anyone.”
“Was he trying to?”
“Randy wasn’t interested in pursuing a lawsuit, but our parents were pushing hard for him to do so. Straight Up’s insurance paid for a lot of his medical care, but not all of it. Randy had to borrow money from our parents to pay all of his hospital bills and the rehabilitation, and they were hoping for some financial relief, I think,” Alex said in a sheepish voice.
“Wait a second—Rachel was supposed to place the ladder that day, right? I take it Heather would have gotten her gear ready for her?”
“Yeah, I guess. That is Heather’s job.”
“But Rachel suddenly gets sick and has to leave at the last minute. And Randy was the one who volunteered to take her place.”
Alex looked at her, puzzled. “As far as I know, that’s what happened. Where are you going with this?”
“What would have happened if the ladder had collapsed while Randy was out over the crevasse?”
“He would definitely have been more seriously injured and possibly have died,” Alex said resolutely.
Lana groaned. “Of course! Rachel was a lot lighter than Randy. After I told everyone that Rachel was dead, Heather made a really callous comment about how she finally got what she deserved.”
Alex looked at her, puzzled. “What does that have to do with—” His eyes widened as his thoughts aligned with Lana’s. “You don’t really think…”
“That Heather intentionally sabotaged that ladder in the hopes that Rachel would get injured? Yes, that is exactly what I’m thinking may have happened.”
“But why? I mean, she and Randy were always close, but never romantically involved.”
“Heather did know how much Rachel was messing up Randy’s life. All she would have had to do was bend that clasp enough so it wouldn’t hold completely. Randy is heavier than Rachel, so the ladder collapsed immediately. Considering how thin Rachel was, she may have been able to make it halfway across before it failed. And from what you’ve told me, it would have been a far more serious accident.”
Alex shook his head. “Okay, even if that is true—which is a long shot—why would Heather have killed Rachel?”
“To finish off the job.”
Alex shook his head adamantly. “You’re crazy. Heather would never harm another soul. I’ve known her all my life. She doesn’t have it in her, Lana.”
“Did you know she’d been arrested for inciting violence during a protest—twice? I found a photo of her in the local paper biting a police officer.”
Alex gritted his teeth. “Oh, I knew she’d been arrested, but I didn’t know what for.”
“Rachel was stalking Randy, and even after he threatened to go to the police, she kept at it. Randy would have told Heather about it—they were good friends and worked together. What if Heather saw her chance to get rid of Rachel by sabotaging her gear? But it didn’t work; instead, her actions put Randy in the hospital and cost him his job.”
Lana sprung up and began pacing as her theory began to take flight. “Then Rachel showed up here in Rome and threatened Randy again. What if she drowned Rachel in order to protect Randy? Think about it, Alex. In a sick way, that would be the ultimate display of friendship.”
“For a psychopath maybe,” Alex said with a frown. “No, I can’t see that happening.”
“There’s only one way to find out. We ask her.”
“Do you really think she is going to tell you the truth?”
“Heather wears her heart on her sleeve. If we confront her directly about it, I bet it will be impossible for her to lie. You two have known each other for years.”
Alex opened his mouth to protest, but then shrugged, evidently having changed his mind. “Okay, you win. We’ll talk to her about it. Say, did Dotty send you the name of Randy’s lawyer?”
“Yes, she did. I have his email address and telephone number, too.”
Alex stood up and kissed her forehead. “You’re a lifesaver. Let me call the lawyer and see where he’s at. I doubt he’s been able to do much so far, but I need to know. Then we can talk to Heather and Jake. Though I doubt they are going to tell us anything new.”
“I don’t know,” Lana responded, making her tone as light as possible. “Even if Heather didn’t hurt Rachel, she may have seen something suspicious. It’s worth a shot.”
27 The Best Intentions
“Hey, Alex. It’s great to see you,” Heather said, as she leaned forward on
her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“You, too,” he replied warmly. “Sorry I haven’t had time to catch up with you yet. Randy being arrested is not exactly how I envisioned that this week would go.”
Heather blinked back tears. “I know. I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s not fair—Randy doesn’t deserve to be locked up.”
She broke down into sobs, and Alex took her in his arms and rocked her gently.
Lana could imagine having to interrogate his brother’s longtime friend was incredibly painful for him. But in order to help Randy, they needed to know why Heather was lying. Lana was not convinced that she was involved with Rachel’s death, but at this point, grasping at straws was better than sitting around doing nothing.
When Heather’s sniffles subsided, she patted Alex’s shoulder and stepped out of his embrace. “How are you doing? Have you talked to Randy since he was taken into custody?”
Alex shook his head. “I’m afraid the police aren’t letting any of us talk to him directly. His lawyer is going to try to get some of their evidence dismissed, but the police are dragging their feet with everything. He thinks it’s because they don’t have another suspect. And from what they’ve told him, it doesn’t sound like the police are actively searching for one, either.”
He paused and looked to Lana, a pleading expression on his face.
He can’t do it, she realized before nodding subtly. They had agreed before walking up to Heather’s room that he should ask her the questions. Alex had known her far longer, and they had a better bond than she and Lana did. But now that he was faced with having to actually interrogate his brother’s longtime friend, he couldn’t go through with it.
“Heather, honey, we know how much you care about Randy,” Lana said. “Since the police aren’t really doing much to help him, we are trying to find out more about what happened to Rachel that night. I saw her trailing after Randy when he left the hotel, so I ran after them to try to warn him. But I kept losing sight of them. However, I did see you when I was a block or so away from the Trevi. Did you see anyone try to talk to either Randy or Rachel, or get their attention somehow?”
“I wasn’t following him!” Heather cried.
“You had your Straight Up Climbs jacket on, and you turned around when I called out your name,” Lana stated, her tone gentle, yet firm.
“It wasn’t me!”
“Heather, stop lying,” Alex pleaded. “We need to know what happened that night. What did you see? Did anyone approach Rachel to try to get her attention? Help us set Randy free.”
Heather shook her head violently, but one look at Alex’s face made her stop and tear up again. “I’m so sorry, Alex. You’re right. After Rachel died, I didn’t want the police to know I was following them because I was worried they might think I was somehow involved. But I wasn’t—I didn’t hurt her! I kept losing sight of them, too.”
She sucked up her breath before blurting out, “I was following Randy. The hotel bar didn’t have the mineral water that I like, so I sat down next to the entrance to people watch while I waited for everyone else to come back down so we could go to dinner. All of a sudden, Katherine stormed inside, madder than I’ve ever seen her. Then Jake rushed right past me and ran outside. So I went to take a look, and I saw Randy, Rachel, and Jake all walking away. I was worried Rachel was going to try to provoke Randy again and was concerned he might overreact. So I went after them. I wanted to be there, in case he needed help.”
“What did you think you could do to help him?” Lana asked.
Heather glared at her. “I was trying to protect Randy from Rachel. If she had confronted him again, I’m not sure what he would have done to her.”
“Are you in love with Randy? Is that what this is all about?” Lana asked. “You do seem against him and Gloria getting married.”
“No! I wanted to keep him safe. Randy is the brother I never had; I would do anything for him. But I don’t want to marry him. I don’t really want to marry anyone.”
“Did you see anything strange when you were following them through the city?” Alex asked, refocusing Heather’s attention on the night Rachel died.
“As soon as I rounded the first street corner, I saw Lana following Randy, too. That was pretty strange to see all of us trailing after him like that. From what I could see, he was oblivious to our presence; he was talking on the phone and didn’t look behind him once. He’s taller than me and walks a whole lot faster. Every time I got close enough to yell out, he crossed over a busy street or turned a corner and didn’t seem to hear me.”
“Did anyone else try to talk to him—maybe one of those kids selling tickets, a café owner calling him over to look at the menu, or a lost tourist?” Alex asked. From his tone, Lana could tell he was feeling increasingly despondent.
“No, I didn’t see anyone approach him or Rachel. All I wanted to do was protect him from her, but it backfired again. I lost sight of them before Randy reached the train station and didn’t find either one of them inside.”
Lana shot Alex a knowing look and saw that he was staring at Heather as if he had never seen her before.
“What do you mean—it backfired again?” asked Alex.
Heather began to tremble.
“Randy’s ladder,” Lana whispered. “You bent the latch and caused his fall, didn’t you?”
Heather’s eyes welled up with tears. “I feel so ashamed. He wasn’t supposed to get hurt—Rachel was. It is my fault he lost his job,” she admitted. “I just wanted Rachel to leave him alone. That woman was like poison.”
Alex stared at her in horror. “I can’t believe it. You bent the safety catch?”
“Rachel was supposed to be on that ladder—not Randy! I would never have hurt him intentionally,” she sobbed.
“You destroyed his life!”
“I didn’t mean to! I just wanted Rachel to leave him be. I was so mad when he told me about her stalking him. I wanted to scare her so she would quit—I wasn’t trying to kill her.”
“How could you do that, and not tell anyone?”
Heather stared up at Alex as if he was crazy. “I caused the worst accident in my best friend’s life. His blaming Rachel was a blessing at the time, but the guilt has been eating at me ever since. And when Rachel showed up here and threatened to ruin his wedding, I thought if I could keep her away from him, it would somehow make up for the pain I’d caused him.”
Lana finally understood why Heather was so concerned with Randy. Her obsession was not driven by a romantic interest, but by guilt.
When Lana and Alex remained silent, Heather added, “You know I would do anything to help Randy, but I didn’t kill Rachel! I wish I could tell you who did, but I cannot.”
Lane felt a rush of sympathy for the young woman. She had unintentionally destroyed her friend’s career and health, in her bizarre attempt to help him. Lana could only imagine the depth of the pain Heather had been feeling this past year, especially since Randy was no longer a part of her daily life.
Alex, on the other hand, was clearly disgusted with Heather and her actions. “Whether you meant to or not, you destroyed his life. I want you to leave Randy alone. Don’t ruin his marriage with Gloria—she is the one who has truly helped him, not you. If you really care about Randy, you’ll never contact him again.”
Heather fell onto her bed and broke down in tears. Alex’s face remained impassive as he crossed to the door and exited without looking back.
Lana was less inclined to cast Heather aside, yet she didn’t want to upset her boyfriend further by taking the younger woman’s side right now. “Alex doesn’t mean it; he’s just extremely upset and worried for his brother.”
“It doesn’t matter—once Alex tells Randy about what I did, he won’t want me to be in his life anymore,” Heather whimpered.
Lana shrugged. “I’m not so sure. Randy’s got a heart of gold—he might be able to look past this, one day. But I think Alex is right; it might be best if you left the
Wright brothers alone for the time being. Assuming we can get Randy out of jail.”
Heather’s sniffles increased in volume. However, Lana was not really interested in consoling her. Like Alex, she was having difficulty stomaching the fact that Heather had gone so far as to sabotage a coworker’s gear, even if it was out of a misguided attempt to help a friend.
28 One Nasty Character
“I cannot believe this. Heather and Randy have been friends for as long as I can remember. How could she do that to him?” Alex raged, his pent-up frustration and feelings of helplessness bubbling to the surface.
“But she didn’t do it to Randy, she did it for Randy,” Lana soothed. When Alex shot her a confused and hurt look, she added, “As twisted as it is, she sabotaged the ladder because she wanted Rachel out of Randy’s life. If she had known Randy would end up climbing it, she never would have done it.”
Alex froze momentarily before nodding slightly. “Okay, I see your point. But endangering another to help a friend is not a normal reaction! She could have killed Rachel. And how the heck did she keep it a secret for so long?”
“Heather may be a blabbermouth, but even she must have known that if Randy found out, that would be the end of their friendship. You’re right; Randy wouldn’t have approved of Heather harming Rachel, no matter what the reason.”
“What if Heather saw her chance to push Rachel into the Trevi and took it?” Alex sprung up and began pacing in front of their bed. “She did tamper with the ladder, so she’s cold-hearted enough to actually go through with it. Those surveillance camera images are usually grainy, and you said it was raining really hard, so visibility would have been worse than normal. I bet the police couldn’t see Randy’s face and just identified him based on that jacket. And Heather was wearing hers, as well.”
Death by Fountain Page 14