False Front (27 page)

FIFTY-THREE

A
rriving at the FBI field office, Lucinda escorted Olivia Cartwright inside. She allowed her to spend a moment with her sister Selma. She watched as they embraced and shed tears over their reunion. Lucinda was shocked by how much they looked alike. The hairstyles were similar but one was highlighted, the other unaltered; it was the only way she thought that she could tell them apart. She knew, though, if they dressed alike and both colored and brushed their hair the same, she wouldn’t be able to tell which one was which.

The sisters didn’t want to separate. Lucinda gently parted them and put each woman in a different room. She sat down with Olivia Cartwright, waiting patiently while the woman composed herself. ‘Ms Cartwright, could you please tell me how you know Tess Middleton?’

Olivia patted a tissue to her eyes and said, ‘She was Tess Scott when I knew her back at high school.’

‘Did you know her well?’

‘Not really. She was the most popular girl. Sometimes she noticed me. I was just a hanger-on who waited on the sideline wanting to be acknowledged.’

‘Did you also know Charles Rowland?’

‘Chuck? Yeah. What a loser. But he would do anything Tess asked. I got the impression that she allowed him close to her because she liked having a lap dog.’

‘Candace Eagleton?’

Olivia furrowed her brow and shook her head.

‘Sorry,’ Lucinda said. ‘She would have been Candace Monroe.’

A smile flashed across Olivia’s face, lightening her grim expression. ‘I liked Candace. She was very nice to me. She was one of Tess’s close friends but she wasn’t at all like Tess. She seemed to really like people in general and me in particular. She called me ‘Upgirl.’ Definitely a better nickname than the one I got most often.’

‘And that was?’

Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Upchuck, of course.’

‘Oh, I should have known.’ Lucinda winced as she thought about how dreadful that had to be for any kid.

‘How did you feel about Tess?’

‘At first, I was in awe of her. I know that she acted like a queen bee most of the time and was incredibly condescending to me. But I so desperately wanted to be part of the in crowd that I overlooked that and became one of her worshipers.’

‘Did that change?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Oh, yes, most definitely.’

‘When did that change?’

‘When she started threatening me. That’s when I realized that she might be dangerous. That’s when I began to fear her.’

‘Is that fear what made you move so many times?’

‘Yes. I moved to Dallas. And she found me. I couldn’t believe it. So that’s why I changed my name legally and moved to Reno without leaving a forwarding address. But I have to admit, I’m not sure if I can directly blame her for my subsequent moves. I grew fearful that she’d find me in each place. It all made sense to me at the time but when you talk to my sister, I’m sure she’ll tell you I just grew paranoid over meaningless incidents. Selma’s put up with a lot from me over the years.’

‘If you are so afraid of Tess, why did you move back to Trenton?’

‘For one, I knew she no longer lived there. And I thought enough time had passed that I really had no grounds to continue to worry and fret over that woman. I thought my new name would protect me. And I had that soul-deep urge to return to my roots as I got a little older.’

‘Let’s go back to the threats. Why did Tess threaten you?’

‘Because I knew her secret. Because she wanted to make sure I did not reveal it.’

‘What secret, Ms Cartwright?’

Olivia opened her mouth, shut it and looked down at the table while she fiddled aimlessly with her fingers.

Lucinda bent her head down towards the table and looked up at the silent woman. ‘Ms Cartwright.’

Olivia turned her face away but not quite quick enough – Lucinda saw the tears welling in her eyes.

Placing her hand on Olivia’s hands, Lucinda said, ‘Tell me. You’ve been keeping this secret a long time. It will do you good to let it go.’

Olivia shook her head and raised it to look at Lucinda. ‘I’m sure, for a moment, I will feel better; but, in the long run, it will entangle my life in the sordid actions of Tess Middleton. I could go to jail.’

Lucinda sat up straight and studied the woman in front of her. ‘Tell me, Ms Cartwright: whatever happened, did you take an active role in it?’

Olivia furrowed her brow and moved her mouth from one side to another. ‘I did show up. But I had no idea of what would happen when I did.’

‘Then you shouldn’t have to worry about being charged.’

‘I think you’re wrong. All I did was observe but I should have reported what happened to the police and I didn’t. I think they call that accessory after the fact. A person can be charged with that, can’t they?’

‘Yes, but how old were you when this event happened?’ Lucinda asked.

‘I was sixteen. Old enough to know better.’

‘I don’t know about that, Ms Cartwright. I promise you that I will run interference for you. I can make a strong case to the district attorney that you were living in a state of fear and have continued to do so for decades. And if worse comes to worst, I would testify at your trial – but I don’t think it will come to that.’

‘Lieutenant, I apologize in advance because I don’t mean to offend you. But I have to say this.’

Lucinda nodded. ‘Understood.’

‘You see stories all the time about how cops can lie to you, can promise you things and then are never held accountable. How can I trust what you are saying?’

Lucinda reached out for her water bottle and took a sip. She was pleased to see Olivia lift her water bottle to her lips, mirroring her actions. That told her the rapport was built – Olivia was on the edge of talking. All she needed was a little reassurance. ‘I won’t lie to you, Ms Cartwright – that does happen. In fact, it is something I have done from time to time. But I’m not doing it now. All I can do to convince you is offer to put it in writing, sign it, date it and give it to you. And if that’s what you need to feel safe, I will do it.’

Olivia studied the surface of the table for a long minute. When she lifted her head and looked at Lucinda, she said, ‘That won’t be necessary, Lieutenant.’

‘You’ll tell me Tess’s secret?’

‘It’s my secret, too,’ she said.

Lucinda nodded. ‘I understand.’

Olivia inhaled deeply. ‘Tess was dating the high school quarterback – actually, they were going steady. They’d had a big fight because he told Tess he needed to study but someone reported back to her that he’d been out that night and there was another girl in his car.

‘Tess confronted her boyfriend and he admitted that he’d gone out with Lindsey Barnaby and said that he screwed her in his back seat. When Tess ordered him to come with her to confront Lindsey, the quarterback refused. That’s when she called me and Candace.’ Olivia paused and took a gulp out of her water bottle.

‘What did you do then?’

‘Candace and I met Tess at her house. Tess said that Lindsey needed to be told in no uncertain terms to leave her boyfriend alone. She wanted us to be with her so that Lindsey would realize she was serious. Then, Tess instructed Candace on what to say and had her call Lindsey.’

‘What did Candace tell her?’ Lucinda asked.

‘She said, “Lindsey, I really, really need to talk to you. It’s really important. And I need you to keep it secret. I know I can trust you. Please, please, meet me on the Field Hockey playing field at the school.” Lindsey agreed and we three piled into Tess’s car and went to the field to wait for her to arrive.

‘Lindsey was surprised when three of us piled out of the car. She said, “Candace, what’s going on? I thought you wanted to talk to me alone.” And Tess said, “No, bitch, I’m the one who wants to talk to you.” Lindsey asked why and Tess shoved her, knocking her to the ground. Tess stood over Lindsey and yelled at her, telling her to leave her boyfriend alone. That’s when Lindsey made her mistake,’ Olivia said, and now her tears flowed freely. For a moment, her whole body racked with sobs.

Lucinda waited for the emotions to run their course and then quietly asked, ‘What did Lindsey do?’

‘She jumped to her feet, walked up into Tess’s face and shouted, “If you can’t keep your boyfriend, it’s not my fault. Maybe, like he said, you’re always on the rag and smell like it, too.” Tess backed away from Lindsey. I thought she was intimidated by Lindsey’s response. I thought she was just trying to get away from her. I didn’t realize what was going to happen. But, suddenly, the trunk of Tess’s car was open and when she spun around, she had a baseball bat in her hand. She raised it up and swung it at Lindsey’s head.’ Olivia’s body lurched and a hand flew up to cover her mouth.

Lucinda was certain she was about to vomit. She grabbed the trash can in the corner and brought it to Olivia’s side of the table. ‘Here, if you have to, you can let it go in here.’

Olivia made tight shakes of her head, swallowed hard and said, ‘I’ll be OK. Just give me a minute.’ She swallowed a few more times, wiped her lips with a tissue and took several quick sips of her water.

She inhaled deeply and continued. ‘I can still hear the sound of the bat hitting Lindsey’s head. It was a sickening thud that made my stomach flip and form a hard knot. I hear that sound in my dreams still. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.’

‘What happened then, Olivia?’

‘Candace ran forward and placed herself between Tess and Lindsey even though Tess had raised the bat up again and seemed ready to swing it one more time. Candace yelled at Tess and Tess dropped the bat on the ground. Candace knelt down by Lindsey and grabbed her wrist, dropped it and put a few fingers on Lindsey’s throat. She turned towards us and shook her head. That’s when I doubled over and threw up.

‘I was down on all fours heaving when Candace said, “We have to call the police.” Tess grabbed the bat again. I stumbled to my feet and threw my body at her. Tess stepped back out of my way and I fell to the ground at her feet. Tess said, “You two just better keep your mouths shut. My dad has lots and lots of money and lots of influence. He can get me the best lawyer in the country. And I’ll tell him that the two of you tricked me. That you brought me out here under false pretenses. That you killed Lindsey. I will be believed, my dad will see to that, and you will go to jail.” Candace said, “You can’t be serious.”

‘That’s when Tess laughed and laughed. When she stopped, she said, “Don’t worry. You won’t go to jail. I’ll eliminate you just like her unless you swear to never say a word.” Candace and I looked at each other, then over at Tess. She made us come over to Lindsey’s body and place our left hands on it, raise our right hands in the air and swear that we would never say a word.’

‘Then what did you do? Did you help her dispose of the body?’

Olivia’s hand flew to her mouth and she shook her head back and forth. ‘Oh, no. Omigod, no! Charles Rowland did that.’

‘How do you know?’ Lucinda asked.

‘When we started to walk away – neither one of us was more than a mile from home – she grabbed me by the hair – I wore it quite long then – and she jerked me back. She said, “Tell Chuck to get his ass over here now. Don’t tell him why. Just tell him I said so.” I called him when I got home.’

‘Do you know if he went?’

‘I didn’t know for a couple of weeks. Candace and I kept reassuring each other that Lindsey was alive – just badly hurt – and recuperating at a hospital. But we had our doubts and we needed to know for sure. So when Chuck got stink-face drunk at a party, Candace and I cornered him outside where he’d gone to take a leak.’ Olivia laughed weakly. ‘Best way to disarm a guy: catch him drunk with his fly down. Anyway, he admitted that he went with Tess that night and helped bury Lindsey’s body.’

Lucinda knew the next question she would ask could possibly confirm Olivia’s credibility or destroy it. ‘Did he tell you where?’

‘Sort of. He said that they drove most of the night – down to Virginia and into the mountains. He said he remembered seeing a sign for the Thomas Jefferson National Forest but wasn’t sure if he was actually in the national park or not. But that’s where they left Lindsey and then they drove back home. He said that Tess was grounded for staying out all night but his parents had more of a boys-will-be-boys attitude.’

‘Thank you, Olivia. Here is a statement form,’ she said, passing a piece of paper across the table. ‘Would you please write down everything you told me and sign it on the line at the bottom?’

Olivia nodded.

‘You can use the back if you need more space. I’ll return as soon as I can.’ Lucinda’s heart pounded a tattoo in her chest. She raced down the hall in search of Jake.

She spotted him pouring a cup of burnt-smelling coffee in the break room. ‘Tess Middleton is at the bottom of this,’ she said, and related all she’d learned from Olivia.

‘I need to confront Trappatino with this information,’ Jake said, ‘but I’m not sure if he’s had enough time to marinate on my last words to him.’

‘So why don’t we go talk to Selma and see if she can confirm anything I learned from Olivia, first?’

When they did, they learned that Selma really had no details. She just knew that Olivia believed she was being threatened because she knew someone’s secret. She knew that was why Olivia changed her name and kept moving across the country and back. ‘I kind of hoped that now that she’d moved back to Trenton and was living in our family home, all this would be over. For a long time, I thought it was all senseless paranoia – a symptom of my sister’s mental illness. I’m ashamed that I was so dismissive of her fear.’

Back in the hallway, Jake said, ‘Are you ready to throw Tess Middleton into Trappatino’s face?’

‘Let me make a call and have someone pick her up and bring her in.’

‘Can’t that wait?’

‘She’s a powerful and wealthy woman, Jake. I’d hate to learn she heard we had Trappatino in custody and decided to make herself scarce.’

FIFTY-FOUR

J
ake and Lucinda entered the room where Trappatino sat with a sneer embedded in his face. ‘Hey, Trap,’ Jake said. ‘I’d like to toss a few names in your direction.’