Dangerous Secrets (20 page)

Chapter 21

I awoke to the sounds of car doors and trunks
slamming. I opened one eye and looked at Richard′s travel clock: 7:36.
His bed was empty and the shower was running. I heard another slam, realizing
the departing guests were probably already loading their cars. That way they
could eat as soon as the kitchen opened and hit the road for home only a day
late.

It took a minute or two for me to realize my
headache was nearly gone. I thought back to Richard′s posthypnotic
suggestion and felt myself instantly relax. Why hadn′t we thought to try
this during the past six months?

The water stopped running and a few minutes
later Richard emerged, dressed in Dockers and an Izod shirt, his graying hair
tousled.
‶
Good
morning, roomie.”

‶
Roomie?″

‶
Yeah. I never had one before.
Unless you count my lady friends.″

I sank back on my pillow, too lazy to get up.
‶
I
had twenty-three roomies in my barracks at Fort Gordon. It wasn′t much
fun as I recall.″

Richard turned to the mirror and combed his
hair.
‶
I
offered to send you to college, but you had to prove you were a grown-up and
enlist.″ At least there was no animosity in his rebuke.

‶
Why am I back here with you,
anyway? I′ve got a room of my own, you know.″

‶
Hey, it was all I could do to
drag you in from the car last night. Once you′re out of it, kid,
you′re dead to the world. And I swear, when you sleep, you′re as
still as a corpse. It made me want to put a mirror under your nose to see if
you were still breathing.″

‶
I′ll try to be more
animated in future.″

‶
Are you getting up?″

‶
Yeah. I′ve got to call
the insurance company about my car.″ I didn′t move. I thought of my
charred, demolished Chevy.
‶
Damn. It was a wreck, but it was
my
wreck. And paid for.″

‶
We′ll start looking again
once we get home. At least you weren′t too badly hurt, and Maggie′s
going to be all right, too.″

I thought about that five-inch tear in her leg.

‶
Can we go home tomorrow?″
Richard asked, grabbing a pair of socks from the dresser drawer.

‶
God, I hope so.″

‶
Good. I’m running out of clean
clothes.″

I didn’t bother to tell him that I already had.

I showered and dressed and was ready to head
for breakfast by 8:10. We passed through the bar on the way to the dining room.
All evidence of the party the night before was gone. The rug had even been
vacuumed, a testament to Susan’s good housekeeping.

As I expected, Jean and Michele Dubois and Doug
and Alyssa were already breakfasting. I poured myself a cup of coffee, glanced
out the window, and saw Sgt. Beach crouched by the backyard barbeque,
accompanied by the same photographer who’d taken shots of the crime scene three
days before.

‶
Rich?″ I nodded toward
the window.

Richard noted the sergeant’s presence.
‶
He
didn’t waste time getting here.″

‶
We took our coffee out to the
patio.″

‶
You′re up early,″ I
said.

Beach looked up at me.
‶
Unfortunately, I
couldn′t get a warrant just on your say so, but Mrs. Dawson signed a
consent to search form, letting me look at the fireplaces and barbecue.″

I gestured toward the ash pit.
‶
Did
you find anything?″

‶
Ashes from the tablet in the
barbecue here. Nothing in the fireplaces inside. It doesn′t point the
finger at anyone, but it confirms your story about incriminating
evidence.″

I sipped my coffee. My story. That irked
me—Maggie′s the writer, not me.

‶
We want to head home tomorrow.
Is that okay?″

He shrugged.
‶
Are you willing to come back to
testify—that is, if we solve this?″

‶
Sure. I want to know how it all
turns out. I have a vested interest, if you know what I mean.″

‶
If you come up with anything
else, give me a call.″

‶
You got it.″

I followed Richard back to the dining room. We
paused by the coffeemaker for a warm up, then sat at one of the empty tables.
Moments later, Nadine came out from the kitchen.

‶
Zack′s making huevos
rancheros and blueberry pancakes. Can I interest either of you in them?″
Her voice was a monotone. Definitely no joie de vivre.

‶
I′ll just go through the
buffet,″ I said.

‶
I′ll have the eggs and
whole wheat toast, please,″ Richard said. She nodded and headed back for
the kitchen.

‶
What′re we going to do
about getting home?″ I asked.

‶
How about we drive the rental
car to Burlington and take a flight to Buffalo?″

‶
What about all that camera
equipment upstairs?″

‶
It′ll have to go as
excess baggage. I wish we could fly straight home from here, but there′s
no way Maggie could do it in a Cessna with her leg the way it is. And, to tell
you the truth, I′m in no hurry to get back in one of those
rattletraps.″

I tried—and failed—to suppress a smile.

‶
I′ll call the airlines
and make reservations after breakfast,″ Richard volunteered.

‶
Okay.″ I looked toward
the kitchen and food.
‶
Well, my stomach calls.”

As I crossed the threshold, the tension in the
kitchen hit me like a slap in the face. There was no conversation today.
Adam′s dishonesty and the fact that he′d attacked me had not been
enough for Zack and Susan to fire him. He was busy scrubbing pots at the large
sink. I tore my gaze from him. Anger had deadened my appetite, but I grabbed a
couple of sausage links and a spoonful of eggs before heading back into the
dining room.

I dropped the plate with a clunk, making
Richard jump.

‶
Is something wrong?″

‶
No.″ I sat down and
started shoveling scrambled eggs into my mouth.

Nadine reappeared, her smile tight as she
placed Richard′s breakfast in front of him.
‶
Enjoy.″

He looked at her retreating figure, then back
to me.
‶
Did
the whole world suddenly get pissed off when I wasn′t looking?″

I swallowed, spoke quietly.
‶
Adam′s
still here. Maybe if he′d pushed a
paying
guest down stairs he would′ve lost his job. Damn that Susan.″

‶
How do you know it wasn′t
Zack who gave him another chance?″

‶
Because he′s been
screwing Susan for months!″

I stopped chewing. I hadn′t known that
juicy little fact before that moment, but it made sense.

‶
My, you′re just full of
surprises,″ Richard said.

I looked away, my anger smoldering.

‶
Jeff, calm down. There′s
nothing you can do about it.″

‶
That still doesn′t make
it right.″

Richard refrained from commenting, picked up
his fork, and started eating his breakfast. He was halfway through his eggs,
and I was polishing off the last sausage on my plate when the Andolinas came in
and sat at a table next to the window overlooking the garden. Kay smiled shyly
and waved at me. I gave her a self-conscious smile and halfhearted wave in
return.

‶
Do you think she really
believes I′m her son?″ I muttered under my breath.

Richard took a quick look over his shoulder.
‶
I
doubt it. But apparently you do look a bit like him. He had dark hair and dark
eyes. It′s only been six months. Hopefully she′ll come to terms
with it and won′t try suicide again.″

‶
Suicide?″

He nodded.
‶
Two months ago. Pills. Fred
decided she needed to get away. They came to Vermont on their honeymoon
thirty-four years ago. He thought it might be good for her to return.″

Again I felt a pang of guilt for my hasty
judgment of the woman.
‶
Boy, people really do confide in you.″

‶
I told you, they′ll tell
doctors things they wouldn′t tell their best friends.″

‶
I take it you got no such
revelations out of Laura?″

He shook his head, taking a sip of coffee.
‶
She’s
a real ice queen.″

Beach came in through the garden door and
headed for the Andolina′s table. He spoke with them for a few moments,
and I guessed he was giving them permission to leave, too.

Dipping my hand in my pants pocket, I came up
with Maggie’s cell phone.
‶
Guess I′d better go make my call.″

I went outside on the patio to call my
insurance company and report the accident, telling them where to send the
adjuster to look at the remains. I′d have to fill in the paperwork back
home, and I made a mental note to remind Beach to give me a copy of the police
report.

Richard was saying good-bye to the Canucks as I
came back to the dining room. They gave me a wave as they headed up the stairs
one last time.

‶
Lucky bums,″ Richard
muttered.

‶
Tomorrow, bro.″

‶
It can′t come soon enough
for me.″ He got up from the table.
‶
It’s my turn to make calls.

I sat down to nurse another cup of coffee and
wait for Richard, wondering how we′d kill time before visiting hours at
the hospital. As it turned out, I didn′t have to. I was on my third cup
when Richard finally reappeared. He sat across from me, his expression grim.

‶
I couldn′t get us home
from Burlington without a four-hour layover in Albany, so we′re driving
to Albany. I had a little trouble with the car rental agency. They didn′t
want me to take the wagon to New York, but it′s all straightened
out.″

‶
How much is this going to cost
you?″

‶
Don′t ask.″

We split up, with Richard heading for
Susan′s office to tell her of our checkout plans, and me to my room to
finish straightening up and pack. I had a feeling there might not be a whole
lot of time to do so later.

It amazes me how I don′t analyze funny
feelings that deal with seemingly insignificant things. If I did, I′d
save myself a lot of trouble in the long run.

I came downstairs to collect Richard, rounded
the stairwell and saw Patrolman Morris, the first cop to arrive at the murder
scene, standing guard outside the door to Susan′s and Zack′s
apartment. His expression said no nonsense tolerated. I nodded a terse hello,
turned the corner and knocked on Richard′s door. He was ready, shrugging
into his jacket.

‶
It looks like Beach is pushing
Zack and Susan.″

‶
Both?″ he asked.

‶
One or the other or
both.″

He pulled the door shut and followed me
outside.

The day was hazy and cool—almost clammy. Rain
was in the offing and I was glad I′d thought to grab a jacket.

I followed Richard down the steps to the car
and noticed the vacancy sign was out. Susan had wasted no time trolling for new
customers. Across the lot, Ted spoke to the lady cop while a crying Laura sat
in the back seat of a patrol car.

‶
Do you think she′s been
arrested?″ Richard asked.

I shook my head.
‶
No handcuffs. My guess is
she′ll be taken to the station for a little chat like Maggie and me the
other night. Let′s get out of here. Just thinking about that gives me the
creeps.″

We made it through the village in record time,
thanks to the nearly deserted streets. The mass exodus after the Labor Day
holiday was only a pause in the tourist trade. In another couple of weeks when
the leaves turned color the entire state would be jammed with sightseers and
tour busses.

We arrived at Copley Hospital at precisely
eleven o′clock and headed for the elevators. My footsteps slowed as we
approached Maggie′s room and a dark, queasy feeling came over me.
‶
Uh-oh....”

‶
What′s wrong?″
Richard asked.

‶
I′m not sure.″ I
moved ahead, knocked at the doorjamb and looked in.
‶
Hello?″

Maggie was waiting for us all right, only she
was dressed and sitting in the room′s only chair, with a pair of crutches
propped against the wall beside her and her bag packed. I didn′t need to
see that her face was shadowed with misgiving; I could feel it radiating from
her.

‶
What′s going on?″
Richard asked.

‶
My insurance company says
I′m well enough to leave.″

If there′s one topic in medicine that
sets off Richard′s seldom-seen anger, it′s insurance companies dictating
patient care.

‶
What did your doctor
say?″

‶
He said there was no real
reason for me to stay. But no stairs.″

‶
Which means you can′t go
back to the inn,″ I put in.
‶
It’s just as well. I
don′t want you going back there—it′s not safe.
I
don′t feel safe there.″

‶
I′ll talk to the head
nurse,″ Richard said.
‶
I don′t think you′re ready to leave. And
I′ll pay for you to stay, if that′s what it takes.″

‶
No, please,″ Maggie
begged.
‶
I
want to get out of here. Can′t we just go home?″

‶
We′ve got plane reservations
for tomorrow,″ Richard said.
‶
Would you mind staying at one
of the motels in town?″