A House to Die For (A Darby Farr Mystery) (39 page)

Darby climbed back up the ladder. Linda Gefferelli had not
moved, and she seemed to have stopped making noises. Darby
did not let herself be concerned for the woman's safety. She had to
find a way to pilot the damaged sailboat to Sheepscot Island, and
quickly.

The sky was darkening with an alarming rapidity and the wind
was beginning to howl. Waves smashed against the side of the boat,
submerging the struggling motor with each thrust. It was only a
matter of time and the motor would be totally useless.

Darby put the binoculars up to her eyes and searched for signs
of the island. She recognized the Graves, as foreboding as they
had been only minutes before. She peered desperately through the
glasses, and spotted the pointed tops of some pines.

Sheepscot! Quickly Darby calculated her course. She would need
to steer close to the Graves once more, but if she was successful in avoiding them, she would be able to come close to the tiny island.
There, she could swim from the boat if need be.

The wind was moaning like a living thing now, coming from
the other direction, and Darby struggled to keep her footing. A
large wave crashed overhead, filling the cockpit of the boat with
water. Darby hadn't noticed how much seawater had collected. She
noticed with alarm that the bow of the boat was leaning precipitously to port. She's starting to sink ...

She grabbed a bailing bucket and tried frantically to remove
some of the water, but with the pelting rain it was useless. She
peered toward the Graves, finally seeing Sheepscot Island behind
the hulking rocks. She prayed she would get there before the boat
was swamped and she was tossed overboard.

Concentrating on her course and the rising water, she did not
see Linda Gefferelli as she staggered to her knees, preparing to
push Darby into the foaming sea ...

Intuition made Darby glance in the direction of the woman just
in time to avoid Linda's thrust with her tied hands. She ducked,
but Linda was unstoppable, screaming in a high pitched wail, her
eyes wide with fury.

"You're going to die! Just like your parents... "

Suddenly the boom of the boat came alive. Darby watched as
it was wrenched upward, as if by an invisible hand. With deadly
force the wind jerked it to the side. Smack! The steel made contact
with Linda Gefferelli's skull, continuing on its path and driving
her into the water.

Darby saw the blonde head bob for a moment in the angry
waves. Linda's eyes were closed; her head slumped to the side. Blood trickled down her forehead as the water engulfed her and
she sank under the churning sea.

Darby looked at where the boom had been and saw more water
pouring into the sailboat. She grabbed a boat cushion from the
bottom and prepared for the shock of the frigid seawater. There is
nothing more I can do but swim, she thought, trying to keep herself
from panicking. Maybe I'll get lucky and be washed onto a rock ...

A voice on the waves reminded her of her father. It was a man,
yelling something, but she could not focus her eyes to see him. The
wind was roaring like a caged animal and it filled Darby's ears with
its baleful cries. Once again she imagined the voice. "Hey! Hey!
Anyone aboard?"

With an effort, Darby tried to peer through the driving rain.
Was that a tug chugging through the churning water toward her?
She heard the engine sputtering, and could just make out the
shape of a slicker-clad man at the helm. "Hey," he called. "I'll come
alongside and get you. Don't worry, you're safe"

The words summoned up strength from deep in Darby's core.
A second wind, her father used to call it.

"I'm here!" she called over the moan of the wind. "I'm right
here."

The tug came closer and Darby pulled herself up. The water
inside the boat was up to her hips; the little craft was nearly underwater.

"Darby?" the tug captain called. "It's Darby, right? Here, grab
onto me ... I've got you..."

The strong grasp of Ryan Oakes pulled Darby from the sinking
deck of What's in a Name and onto his boat, a sturdy steel research
tug.

She exhaled. "Your timing is impeccable, Ryan." Together they
watched as the abandoned sailboat sunk into the sea, the stern disappearing first and the rest rapidly following.

"Too bad," Ryan yelled over the wind. "She was a pretty little
thing." He turned to Darby. "Grab a dry blanket below deck. Then
come back up and tell me why in the world you were out here in
this weather"

"I could ask you the same thing," Darby replied. "But first I'll
grab that blanket."

Chugging back toward Hurricane Harbor, Darby gave Ryan the
details of her capture by Linda and her fight for her life. "I'd like to
call Chief Dupont, if your radio is functioning."

"Sure," he said, his voice sober. "Channel 23."

Darby contacted the station and asked the dispatch to have the
chief call her immediately. She came back on deck, noticing with
relief that the storm was starting to lessen in intensity. "You haven't
told me why you were out in the storm?"

"There's an old man, Milton Ames, who lives on Sheepscot Island. I come out to check on him every Friday." He shook his head.
"I nearly skipped it today, the storm was so bad."

Darby managed a smile. "Lucky for me you stuck to your routine. Is visiting people like Milton part of your job with the island
Association?"

"In a way. I've been trying to convince him for a few years to
move to Manatuck, or even Hurricane Harbor, but he loves that
little island." He took a look at the sky and pointed to the west.
"Starting to clear."

Darby saw the break in the cloud cover and sighed. They were
nearly at the town dock, and she had one more question for Ryan
Oakes before telling Chief Dupont about the murder of Emerson
Phipps.

"Ryan," she asked, pulling the warm blanket more tightly around
her wet shoulders, "is the Island Association in the market for a new
headquarters?"

He nodded. "We're renting space, but our lease is nearly up,
and it's certainly not an ideal location." He turned the boat in the
direction of the town dock. "I have to admit, our funding is pretty
sparse. It would have to be a heck of a good deal."

Darby grinned, her spirits buoyed by the sight of the island and
the little group assembled on the town dock: Tina, Mark, Lucy,
Donny Pease, and a very concerned looking Chief Dupont. She
turned back to Ryan Oakes. "Give me a day to figure it out. Trust me,
though-what I've got in mind would be the deal of the century."

DONNY PEASE LIT A match to the kindling in Jane Farr's fireplace
and a bright blaze sprang to life. He added a few slender logs, replaced the fireplace screen, and sat back on his haunches.

The aftermath of the hurricane was more than downed tree
branches and power lines. Donny still couldn't believe the news
that Laura Gefferelli, the island's minister for more than two years,
had stuck those shears in the doctor's chest. Not only that, but
she'd killed Soames Pemberton, poisoned Lucy, and tried to drown
Darby Farr. Most unbelievable of all-she wasn't even a minister!

Earlier in the day, when he'd been adding extra fenders to his
boat, Donny had seen Laura Gefferelli heading out in What's in a
Name. He'd considered asking her why she was going to sea in a
storm. But in the end he'd remained quiet, keeping his thoughts
to himself. She's moving the boat to safer quarters, he'd convinced
himself, although everyone knew Hurricane Harbor's sheltered
cove was one of the most protected inlets around.

He'd felt it was strange, and yet he'd said nothing. Meanwhile,
Darby Farr was onboard What's in a Name, a prisoner trapped in
a sail bag.

He stood and felt the fire's increasing warmth. The Lord works
in mysterious ways, he thought. And half the time you can't even tell
if He's working.

He turned his attention to the little gymnasium assembled in
the living room. Tina wanted several of the machines moved, so
Donny dragged a few pieces of exercise equipment into the dining
room.

Tina appeared from the basement with several folding chairs
and a disgusted look on her face. "These aren't very comfy, but
they'll have to do," she said, wiping them off with a rag. "Whatever
was that woman thinking, getting rid of all her furniture?"

Donny helped Tina to set up the chairs around the fire. When
they were finished, she glanced at the fire and smiled.

"This feels good on a damp night like this, doesn't it?" She
looked down at her red-painted nails. "Kind of romantic."

Donny chewed on his lip. Women were such strange creatures,
likely to say anything that popped into their heads. He saw Tina
look over at him and shyness overtook him.

"Fire's are nice," he managed to blurt out, thinking he sounded
like that idiotic night manager at the hotel. He thought about how
many times he'd missed opportunities to say things, about how
Darby Farr could have died because of his reluctance to open his
mouth. Donny Pease took a deep breath and drew himself up to
his full height of five-feet-eight inches. "'Course, I got a nice Rumford fireplace of my own, back at the house..."

Tina's head shot up and she smiled. Their eyes met and Donny
felt a rush of gratitude toward all of creation, animals, storms, dying
apple trees, and people, especially the person standing barely a foot
away: a tall, curly-haired lady with fire-engine-red fingernails.

After a hot shower and a steaming mug of tea, Darby Farr felt
warm again and reasonably calm. She knew Chief Dupont would
be returning to take her statement, and felt sure she was ready to
give it.

Tina was waiting for her in Jane Farr's living room. A cheerful blaze burned in the fireplace, and Darby thanked Tina for its
warmth.

"Donny took care of it, before he went back to the house. I'll
tell him you appreciated it." She turned to Darby and her face filled
with anguish. "I can't believe that woman almost killed you. That
she came so close to succeeding ... If something had happened to
you, Darby, I-" Tina began to cry, and Darby remembered their
first meeting in the Portland Jetport, and Tina's tears over Jane
Farr's condition.

Darby hugged Tina while the fire crackled and popped before
them. "Tina, I didn't die. I'm right here." She smiled at the still
sniffling woman. "It takes more than a homicidal ex-nurse to derail me in the middle of a deal. I'm more determined than ever to
sell that darn Fairview!"

Tina laughed and wiped her eyes. "You don't let anything get
you down, do you?" She sighed deeply. "We all trusted that woman.
Your aunt loved her. I just can't believe she had all of us fooled."

Darby nodded. "I think she had herself fooled, too. I'm not an
expert on mental illness, but I believe Linda Gefferelli was unstable
for a long, long time. Miles did a little digging and says there were
some questionable behaviors when she worked at the hospital; apparently some of her colleagues were wary. And then there was the
wrongful death of a premature infant. Linda was on the line for
that. When her sister Laura died, I think she saw a way out of a
lawsuit, as well as the chance to start a new life."