Deadly Secrets (27 page)

The stairway wound like a snake from basement to attic with steps carpeted so thickly that Kelly’s boots left an imprint of his passage. On the attic landing, he tried the handle of a plain white door. It swung open and Kelly stepped into a dimly lit, low-ceiling room. Patches of sunlight played across bare wood floors and a brass ceiling fan spun cedar-scented air around the room. He crossed the floor on thick braided rugs that muted his footsteps and stopped in front of a large window seat. A soft pillow covered its wide ledge. Standing there looking at the seat, Kelly could imagine Krystal curled up on the cushion with a favorite book.

Turning his mind back to the business at hand, he scanned the room and spotted three garment bags.

“Let’s see what we have here,” he muttered, opening the first bag. That one held a couple of men’s suits.

In the second, he found two formal gowns and a London Fog overcoat. The third bag was more intriguing. It contained an old wedding dress, a bouquet of dried flowers and an antique lace veil. Kelly smiled. Krystal might wear that dress one day.

The far corner of the attic held a stack of trunks and boxes. He moved over and peered down at them. One of them had caught his eye because it was tied with a pink rope. He pulled it out and set to work on the knots. The strands were tangled but he loosened them enough to slip the rope aside and open the top flaps.

Inside, he found what must have been the contents of Krystal’s toy chest. Barbie was there and Ken and Skipper and Barbie’s car. A small cardboard closet was filled with Barbie’s party clothes. Buried deep in the box was a pink kitten with a long fluffy tail. The kitten’s ears were squashed and its fur stuck together. Kelly wondered if late night tears had matted them down like that. He sighed and started to replace kitten and dolls, touched by this glimpse into Krystal’s past, even though it was no help with his problem. His fingers tightened around the kitten and some paper rattled. Puzzled, he turned it over. The tail flopped back to reveal a zippered opening.

This was intriguing. Walking over to the window-seat, he sat down and pulled open the zipper. A long white envelope rested inside. Kelly stuck his fingers inside the kitten and tugged. The envelope was in there good and tight but he finally worked it loose. Holding it up to the light, he saw where the flap had been opened and then resealed with strips of tape. He turned it over and squinted at the spidery writing. The barely legible faded ink read “Andrew Davis—Private”.

Kelly stared at the envelope. Something was out of kilter here. Why would Krystal hide a letter addressed to Andrew inside her old kitten? A small inner voice suggested he put the envelope back in the box. Kelly shook his head. His other voice, the louder one, told him he’d be a fool to overlook anything that might be a clue to Anna’s murder. He folded the envelope and stuck it inside the back pocket of his jeans. Then he packed the toys back in the box, retied the rope and left the attic.

Back in the kitchen, Kelly decided Stella wouldn’t mind if he helped himself to a beer and taking one of the cold bottles out of the fridge, he paused to contemplate what to do next. He’d found nothing except the letter, which he’d already decided to give to Gus—that way he’d feel better about taking it out of Krystal’s private box.

“Might as well check the telephone,” he muttered and started down the hall to Andrew’s office.

He stepped over to the desk and looked down at the flashing light. It hadn’t been lit before, so there must have been a call while he was up in the attic. Picking up a pen and getting a piece of paper ready so he could make a note of the calls for Stella, he turned on the tape.

“Stella!” a female voice said. “My car’s going to be in the shop tomorrow. Can you pick me up for the luncheon?”

Shaking his head, Kelly pushed the pause button. “A name would have been nice,” he muttered. Oh well, Stella probably knew who it was. He jotted down the message and restarted the tape.

“Stella!” The next caller was a man. “It’s Andrew,” the voice said and Kelly snapped to attention. “Krystal’s in trouble. I’ve gone out to Sea Isle to meet her. You’ll have to call the office and tell them I won’t be in for a couple of days. I’ll give you a call once I’ve got things straightened out. And Stella…not a word about Krystal. If anybody asks, I’m on a business trip.”

The tape stopped but Kelly sat for several minutes staring at the machine. An ugly suspicion had been lodged in the back of his mind ever since last night’s conversation with Stella and now, reluctantly, he let it float to the surface. First Anna’s murder, then Penny’s narrow escape and now Andrew’s mysterious phone call.

What if Stella was right? How well do I really know Krystal? They’d gotten close—maybe too close—in the weeks following Anna’s murder but Stella had known her a lifetime.

Reaching into his pocket, Kelly pulled out the letter he’d taken out of her box in the attic.

Leaving Andrew’s office, he started down the hall, something drawing him toward Krystal’s bedroom. He’d always had a sixth sense for impending disaster and right now his neck prickled like a spider had crawled down his spine.

Krystal’s room was bright and youthful. A border flocked with pink rosebuds circled the walls and frothy pink curtains covered the casement windows. A cream-colored French provincial bookcase stood in the corner, its shelves covered with antique dolls. A writing desk with a small white chair stood in front of the window. Kelly walked over to it and pulled out the chair.

After taking a swallow from the beer, he set it down and reached in his pocket for the envelope. Inside he found a handwritten letter and a blue bound legal document. Kelly opened the letter. The spidery writing had faded and there were dark splotches on the paper indicating that the writer had used an old-fashioned fountain pen. Kelly squinted his eyes to focus on the words and began to read.

Dear Andrew,

I realize this letter is going to upset you. However, we must all accept our suffering. As you are aware, I’m beginning to suffer some of the deterioration often associated with old age. Therefore, while I still have all of my faculties, I have attended to various legal matters. Undoubtedly, you’ll resent my decision.

I am leaving all of my stock in Davis Oil to Krystal. You, of course, will be named her guardian. I have considered this decision carefully. Clayton killed himself because you committed adultery with his wife and I cannot go to my Maker with the knowledge you escaped punishment.”

Your Mother,

Vivian Davis

Kelly put the letter aside and picked up the legal document. He read it through quickly and when he came to the signatures, he closed his eyes and dropped it on the counter. In one stroke, Anna Davis had signed away her life, her fortune and her child. The old woman had been thorough and merciless. She’d left nothing to chance. Every detail of Anna and Andrew’s affair had been spelled out and acknowledged by both of them.

Tears glinted in Kelly’s eyes. He knew the truth now and he had to face it. Krystal hadn’t been trying to find her mother because she wanted to know why she’d been abandoned. She already knew the answer to that question. She’d been trying to find Anna so she could kill her. Kelly knew that in his gut, just as he knew that she’d succeeded and now she had Andrew.

Chapter Nineteen

For a long time, Kelly sat in Krystal’s room. In his mind, he recreated all their conversations and the pattern of her lies became clear. All the seemingly innocent remarks she’d made about her Uncle Andrew, the story of her neglected childhood, even their lovemaking, had been designed to enlist Kelly’s support and sympathy.

Finally getting a grip, Kelly took the letter and headed downstairs to Andrew’s study. “I’ve got to get hold of Gus,” he muttered, walking over to the desk and reaching for the phone. He’d call Detective Petrie and see if Gus was still in town

“Detective Petrie is out on a call,” the dispatcher told him. “Can I take a message?”

“I’m trying to get in touch with Detective Graham,” Kelly said. “Do you know if he’s still there?”

“Hold, please. I’ll check.”

While he waited on the phone, Kelly struggled to get his thoughts in order. If Gus was gone, what should he do? Kelly’s instincts told him Krystal was involved in whatever had happened to Andrew but Detective Petrie wasn’t likely to be impressed with his gut feelings. Cops went on facts and Kelly wasn’t a cop anymore.

“Hello!” The dispatcher’s voice came back on the line just as the door opened and Stella walked into the room. Kelly lifted his hand and motioned her over to the desk. “Did you find him?” he said into the phone.

“Detective Graham left for the airport a couple hours ago,” the dispatcher replied. “Would you like me to locate Detective Petrie?”

“No, thanks. I’ll try him later.” Kelly hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Stella voiced her anxiety

Kelly picked up the letter from where he’d dropped it on the desk and handed it over to Stella. “I found this in Krystal’s toy box,” he said. “It looks like you were right all along.”

Stella read the letter while Kelly sat with his head in his hands trying to figure out what to do next. When she’d finished, she put the letter back on the desk and placed her hand on Kelly’s arm.

“I’m sorry.”

Kelly lifted his head and looked into Stella’s eyes. “Did you know about this?” he asked in a harsh, grating voice he barely recognized as his own.

“No! I didn’t know about the letter but I did suspect she’d found out something about Anna and Andrew the last time she was down here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you wouldn’t have believed me. Andrew has never listened to anything I said about Krystal, so why should you?”

“Andrew’s message said something about meeting Krystal at someplace called Sea Isle. Do you know where that is?”

“Andrew’s at Sea Isle?”

“That’s what he said. Here, I’ll rewind the tape and you can listen. Maybe you can figure out where he’s planning on meeting Krystal.”

“You don’t need to.” She shook her head. “If he’s going out to Sea Isle, he must be meeting her at our beach house. It’s called The Last Resort.” The name came out as a kind of giggle and she clapped her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry.” She gasped. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“It’s my fault,” Kelly went to Stella and put his arm around her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. You’re shaking all over. Do you want to sit down?”

“No. I’ll be all right.” Stella leaned against his chest. “Just give me a minute.”

Kelly tightened his arms and held her until the shaking subsided. When her breathing had slowed to normal, he released her.

“What should we do now?” she asked.

“I think our only choice is to go out to Sea Isle and try to find Andrew,” Kelly said. “I could be way off base here but every instinct I have tells me that Krystal is up to something. I’ll feel like a damn fool if Andrew’s off on some romantic rendezvous and I stick my big foot into the middle of your personal life but I can’t shake the feeling that something stinks to high heaven.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m so used to Andrew’s antics it wouldn’t faze me even if I caught one of his bimbos sneaking down the back stairs.”

Stella’s spirits had risen at the thought of Andrew pulling one of his tricks and she actually grinned at Kelly. “Do you want me to call the beach house?” she asked.

“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. When Andrew called, he said he was on his way to Sea Isle to meet Krystal. If he’s out there to meet someone he’s not likely to admit it to you. Maybe the whole thing about Krystal is a blind. I’d just feel better if we checked it out. That’s all. Is there any way to get up to the house without Andrew—or Krystal for that matter, if this is an innocent misunderstanding—knowing we’re there?”