Where Truth Lies (23 page)

D
eputy Montgomery arrived an hour later, the bearer of good news. The pickup sighting on Route 29 had turned out to be a false alert, but soon after that, Cal and Lou Badger had been apprehended at a roadside motel on Route 202. They might have escaped in time if Cal hadn’t gotten stuck trying to climb out of the bathroom window.

The anecdote provided some much-needed comic relief. Then Rob sat down and told them what he had learned from George Renchaw.

“As soon as Father Donnelly realized that Felicia was missing, he went to see Josh and George and begged them to turn themselves in. George was the weak link. He would have gone to the police if it hadn’t been for Josh, who was tougher, and in a way, smarter. It didn’t take him long at all to find out about the priest’s dirty little secret and how that secret could benefit them. He was right. Father Donnelly was never a threat. Nor was Bernie, who didn’t know the identity of the two men. From that moment on, they never gave Felicia a second thought.”

“Until Steven came along,” Denise commented.

Rob nodded. “Steven was much smarter than anyone gave him credit for. After hearing about Felicia’s disappearance from Denise, he started a little investigation of his own. There’s not much doubt now that his interest was motivated by greed and not mere curiosity. His lucky break came when he met Bernie. While I wouldn’t swear it on the bible, I’m inclined to believe that his friendship with Bernie was genuine and that he found out about Father Donnelly by accident, as Bernie opened up to him. How could he have known that Bernie held the key to a twenty-year-old murder?

“My theory,” Rob continued, “is that when Steven found out where Bernie and the priest were on the night of the abduction, he quickly put two and two together, went to see Father Donnelly, and threatened to expose him if he didn’t give him the names of the two men.”

“Didn’t Father Donnelly realize that Steven was planning to blackmail the killers?” Grace asked.

“I’m sure he did, but what could he do? In order to save his reputation, his job and probably his freedom, he had no choice but to keep quiet.”

“How much money did Steven extort?”

“He demanded one million dollars. That was not an outrageous sum for George, who is independently wealthy, but Josh has no money to speak of. Because George’s money is tied up in stocks and real estate, he agreed to give Steven two hundred and fifty thousand dollars right away and the rest in installments. At the same time, he expected Josh to pay his share of the balance.

“That’s where Steven’s luck took a turn for the worse. In order to raise the cash, Josh would have had to sell his hunting cabin in the Poconos and he wasn’t about to do that. He told George that Steven would never be happy until he had drained every cent out of them and that the only way to stop him was to kill him.

“Together they masterminded the entire scenario, including framing your father,” Rob added, looking at Matt. “Fred’s rationale was right on the mark. As his deputy, and later as the new chief, Josh spent a lot of time in your father’s house. He knew his habits, his shooting schedule and where he kept his guns and ammo. He knew everything.”

“But he didn’t know about Steven and me,” Denise said. “Who told him?”

“We both found out from one of our officers. He saw you coming out of Steven’s cottage one evening as he was going off duty. Out of respect for Fred, Josh and I told him to keep quiet and I’m sure he did. But by telling us, he gave Josh the ammunition he needed to finalize his plan. All he needed was a way to spread the word about Denise and Steven so Fred would find out, in front of witnesses, and react accordingly.”

Matt let out a brittle laugh. “And the best he could do was enlist the help of two idiots like Cal and Lou Badger?”

“There aren’t many people in this town who would agree to frame your father, Matt. The Badger brothers, on the other hand, had no love lost for him and jumped at the chance to screw him. Surprisingly, though, everything went off just as Josh had intended. The only snag in his otherwise ‘perfect’ crime was you, Grace.”

“Me?”

“George and Josh never felt threatened by Steven and Bernie’s friendship, not until it was too late. So, when you showed up, found that tackle box and invited Bernie to the cottage, they started to worry that the two of you might also become friends.”

“How did they know he was coming over? Did they tap his phone?”

“They didn’t go that far. Bernie is the one who let the cat out of the bag so to speak. He was so excited about that tackle box that he told another worker at the cemetery and, well, you know how quickly news gets around in this town. When the chief heard that Bernie was going to stop at the cottage, he decided not to let it happen.”

“Enter a green pickup truck,” Denise said.

“We just found out that the truck in question belongs to Horace Badger’s brother, who’s presently serving time for auto theft.”

“Upstanding family,” Matt said dryly. “What are those two clowns saying?”

“Not much, but the lab report just came back. The fingerprints found at the church match Cal’s, so he had no choice but confess.”

“He admitted to killing Father Donnelly?”

“Yes. After the attempt on Bernie’s life failed the other night, Josh instructed Cal to back off for the time being, but to keep an eye on him. When Cal saw Bernie go into the church last night, he followed him inside and hid in the confessional booth. From there he heard about Bernie’s plan to go to the police with what he knew. He called the chief, who instructed him to kill Bernie. Fortunately for him, Bernie saw Cal, got scared and ran.”

Grace felt a sudden chill. “He was still there when I went to see Father Donnelly, wasn’t he? Listening to every word he and I were saying.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“But if the plan was to kill Bernie, why did he kill Father Donnelly?”

“Because Father Donnelly finally decided to do something noble. He realized what Cal was about to do and tried to stop him. He told him that if he didn’t leave Bernie alone, he would break his own silence and go to the D.A. Cal killed him on the spot. He didn’t even check with Josh. There was no time. He stabbed the priest and placed him at the altar, in the position you and Matt found him.”

“Any reason he did that?” Grace asked. “It’s a little gruesome.”

“He thought it was funny. He got a big kick out of telling me.” He spread his hands out. “That’s all I know at the moment. In a day or two, when Josh tells us his version, I’ll know more. In the meantime, I’ve taken steps to have Dusty released to his mother.” He smiled at Matt. “You’re going to have homemade peach jam until the day you die.”

“I’ll be generous and remember my friends.”

“That’s what I was waiting to hear.” He looked at Grace and for a moment, she thought he was going to say something more, but he didn’t. After checking his watch, he stood up. “I’d better go. I’m meeting the D.A. at six.”

Matt rose as well and shook the deputy’s hand. “Thanks for everything, Rob.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just sorry that your family had to go through this ordeal. Let’s have lunch or something before you leave town, okay?”

“That’s a plan.”

At the door, Rob turned around. “Oh, and Denise.”

“Yes?”

He winked at Grace. “I almost forgot. Fred wants to see you.”

“That’s good news, don’t you think?” Denise asked after Rob left. She started to pace like a caged animal.

“It’s terrific news,” Grace replied. “Why don’t you get going?”

“Because I’m not ready.” She touched her hair. “I’m a mess.”

“You’re not. You’re beautiful.”

“What should I wear? Grace, would you help me pick out something?”

Under Matt’s amused gaze, Grace took Denise’s arm and sat her down. “Listen to me. Stop worrying about the way you look. Your husband wants to see you. Concentrate on that and go. Do you want me to drive you?”

“No.” She stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Okay, here goes nothing.”

Grace kissed her cheek. “Good luck, honey.”

She walked her to the door and came back to sit beside Matt. “I’ve never seen her so excited.”

“She wears her heart on her sleeve, that’s for sure.”

Grace tilted her head. “You had something to do with all this, didn’t you? With your father’s decision, I mean.”

“I didn’t twist his arm.”

“No. Force wouldn’t work on a Baxter man.”

Matt laughed. “Are you becoming an expert on the Baxter men now?”

“Does that frighten you?”

“No. What frightens me is that I might not have the opportunity to become an expert on Grace McKenzie.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’ll soon be turning the gallery over to Sarah, moving back to Boston and before long, New Hope will be nothing but a distant memory.”

“Actually.” She started playing with the cuff of his sweater, feeling suddenly giddy and full of bravado. “There’s been a slight change of plan.”

“What sort of change?”

“I won’t be turning the gallery over to Sarah after all.”

“You’ve decided to keep it?”

“Yes, but I won’t be running it.”

“Who will?”

“Bernie. I haven’t asked him yet, but I plan to, as soon as I talk to him.”

Matt’s reaction was exactly as she had predicted. He looked startled. “Bernie?”

“He’s perfect, when you think of it. He knows more about art and about the Hatfield Gallery than anyone in town. He is responsible, loyal and totally trustworthy.”

“But he’s not a businessman.”

“He’s a quick learner, and I’ll come down as often as he needs me to. The rest of the time, I’ll be just a phone call away.”

“What about his social issues?”

“Now that he’s no longer carrying the burden he’s carried for the past twenty years, and realizes that no one blames him for what happened, he should be improving quickly. He’s already made tremendous progress.”

Matt took her hand and brought it to his lips. “That’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, Grace. I’m not sure Sarah will be thrilled with your decision, though.”

“Oh, I don’t know. She’s no longer the ogre she used to be. And believe it or not, she is beginning to rely on my decisions.”

“Will you be delivering the news in person?”

Grace nodded. “I’m taking the noon flight to Boston and will return tonight. I’ll try to soften the blow as much as I can, but how do you tell a mother that her son was a blackmailer? That he could have freed an innocent man from a mental institution and didn’t?”

“You’ll find a way.”

“What about you? What are your plans?” She tried to sound matter-of-fact, but wasn’t sure she pulled it off. The thought that she might never see him again was clouding any hope she’d had for a relationship.

“I’ve taken a temporary leave of absence,” he said.

“That’s understandable. You’ll want to spend time with your family.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice the disappointment in her voice.

He leaned toward her. His warm breath brushed her face. “What about you, Grace? Would you like to spend some time with me?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “You and all the Baxters?”

“No, just you and me.”

The knot in her throat got a little bigger. “What did you have in mind?”

“A long weekend, somewhere warm and exotic.”

Don’t blow it by telling him that you’re allergic to the sun. He’ll find out soon enough.
“By warm and exotic, you mean sandy beaches, palm trees and piña coladas?”

His lips touched hers. “And teeny little bikinis. You do have a bikini, don’t you, Grace?”

“Not with me, but—”

He sank his fingers into her hair. “Forget the bikini.”

This time she didn’t hear any bells. “I would have to call my father, let him know that there’s been another delay.”

His cell phone magically appeared in his hand.

Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “When do we leave?”