Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series (10 page)

Chapter 22

Frank Haynes pulled into his
customary observation spot along the road below Rosemont. He’d just returned
from New York City, and he needed to see Rosemont, now that he was secure in
the knowledge that he could establish his claim to the house he’d coveted for a
lifetime.

He looked up at the rear facade, the setting sun
reflecting pinks and purples in its rows of windows. Perhaps he and his border
collie, Sally, would be living there by Christmas. And their newlywed mayor
wouldn’t be hosting any grand celebrations at Rosemont this holiday season.

Haynes tried to force a smile onto his lips.
Somehow, the thoughts that had always cheered him before, failed him this time.
He imagined Sally roaming around in the large house all day, on her own. And
himself eating his take-out dinner—alone—in the dining room. He’d
get another dog, he decided. He was always finding another at Forever Friends
that he wanted to bring home. He’d get a companion for Sally. That should do
it, he told himself.

Haynes stretched his arms out in front of him. It
was time to stop in at Haynes Enterprises, then call it a night.

***

Frank Haynes turned into Haynes
Enterprises as the dim light of early evening cast long shadows across the
deserted parking lot. As he approached the entrance, he could see that the door
to Haynes Enterprises was unlocked. He sprinted up the steps and cautiously
opened the door, expecting to find that the office had been broken into.

Loretta’s computer was on, and the day’s bank
deposit lay strewn about her desk. Haynes slammed the door shut behind him and
crossed to her desk in three strides. “What the hell?” he growled. He knew he
shouldn’t have trusted her while he was away. She was just like all of the
other low-life bookkeepers he’d employed over the years. Glad to cash a
paycheck but not willing to go the extra mile. When would he ever learn? The
only person he could count on was himself.

Haynes yanked her chair back and sat down,
gathering the stacks of bills that made up the daily deposit from his fast-food
restaurants. He was searching for a large rubber band in a drawer of the
credenza behind him when the door opened, and Loretta Nash rushed in.

“Mr. Haynes,” she began as he wheeled on her.

The words “get out; you’re fired” froze on his
lips. He’d never seen her look worse. It wasn’t so much a matter of her hair or
makeup—though both were disheveled—but more of the pain and fear in
her eyes. He swallowed the angry words he was about to utter.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was just coming back
to do that.”

Haynes nodded and got up from her chair. She
pushed past him and sat.

He moved to stand in front of her desk and
regarded her silently.

“I was going to make this deposit first thing in
the morning,” she said, not looking at him.

“You know they’re to be made at the end of every
day. Why were you waiting until tomorrow?”

Loretta ignored his question and continued, head
down, gathering up the deposit.

“The door was unlocked, Loretta, at eight o’clock
at night. You left all of this cash lying on top of your desk, out in the open
for anyone to take. I’m amazed that it was still here when I walked in,” he snapped.
“I should fire you right now.”

Loretta began to cry, softly at first and then
crescendoing into great, heaving sobs.

Haynes stood rooted to the spot. He wanted to
stride into his office and slam the door, waiting for her to clear out her
things and leave before he emerged. Somehow, his feet wouldn’t move. He reached
out a hand and placed it lightly on her shoulder.

Loretta looked up at him. “I’m soooory,” she
choked. “I came back because I was afraid I forgot to lock up.” She drew a deep
breath and tried to calm herself before continuing. Haynes nodded
encouragingly.

“I know the deposits get made every day—I’ve
been doing them for months. I also know we’ve got enough in the bank to cover
all our checks without this deposit,” she assured him.

“Why did you leave in such a hurry?” he asked,
knowing the answer as he asked the question.

“Nicole,” she whispered.

“What’s happened now? I thought she was better.”

“She was, and then she got sick again. It’s been
on and off all week. I had to take her to the doctor. She was dehydrated, so
they gave her fluids. They think that should do it,” Loretta said, dissolving
again into fresh waves of tears. “It’s all my fault, Frank. I wasn’t giving her
enough medication. She was doing so well, and the plan all along was to wean
her from it, so I was waiting to refill her prescription. The medicine is so
expensive,” she said, turning her face to his.

How in the world can she look so appealing with
red-rimmed eyes and a runny nose?
“I’m sure it’s not your fault,” he said
feebly. “What did the doctors say?”

“They put her back on the full dose and she was
doing better, but then the babysitter called this afternoon to say that she was
much worse.”

“So why are you here?” he asked.

“I came back to lock up. Then I found you in
here—at my desk—doing my job and clearly mad as hell. And rightly
so,” she added.

“How is she now?”

“She’s better.”

“No more dialysis?”

Loretta shook her head. “Thankfully, no.” She leaned
back in her chair and sighed. “I overreacted to the whole thing, Frank. When
the sitter called, I just lost it. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to
drop. I tore out of here like a bat out of hell, leaving the day’s deposit on
my desk. When I thought I might not have locked the door, I really freaked out.
Then I found you here, and I knew you would fire me. You trusted me, and I let
you down.” She chocked on the words.

Haynes held up his hands. “You don’t need to worry
about that, Loretta. I’m not going to fire you. I understand how hard this is
on you.”

Loretta brushed a long blond lock from her face
and attempted to smile at him.

“If the money had been stolen, we’d have
survived.” He was amazed to hear himself say it. “And if you need money for
medicine, you can come to me. I’m not going to let Nicole go without anything she
needs.”

“Thank you, Frank.” She then uttered words he’d
never heard directed at himself. “You’re very kind.”

Haynes cleared his throat and spun on his heel.
“We’re both tired. I’ll drop that deposit in the night box at the bank. Let’s
get out of here.”

Loretta handed him the bank bag and preceded him
out the door.

“I’ll lock up, and see you in the morning.”

She headed to her car. “It’s good to have you
back,” she called over her shoulder.

Chapter 23

Maggie had just started up the long
staircase that swept along the front wall when she heard the knock on the door.
John had left for a late-night emergency at the animal hospital, and she wanted
nothing more than to get to bed early. She could use a few extra hours of sleep
before facing the busy week ahead.

“Now who could that be at this hour?” she asked
Eve, who had already raced to the top of the stairs. “Come on, girl, let’s go
see,” she called as she peered out the window on the second-floor landing. She
was surprised that she didn’t see a car on the driveway. It would be unusual
for anyone to make the long trek uphill on foot.

Maggie retraced her steps and found Roman waiting
patiently by the front door. Although she knew that John’s faithful golden
retriever would greet any intruder with a wagging tail and profuse doggy
kisses, she felt comforted that he was there. “Who is it?” she called through
the massive mahogany door.

“It’s David. David Wheeler.”

“David,” Maggie said, opening the door. “I thought
that you were moving this weekend.”

“We did, ma’am,” he said.

“Is there something wrong at John’s house?” she
asked, expecting that the water heater didn’t work or they couldn’t find the
remote control for the garage door. “John just left on an emergency call, but
we can reach him on his cell.”

“It’s nothing like that. The house is great. I
rode my bike over here to tell you that I overheard you talking to my mom the
other day.”

Maggie motioned for him to come inside, but he
shook his head. He paused and drew a deep breath. “I want to search for more
papers my dad may have hidden. I may not like what we learn about him if we
find them, but I have to know.”

Maggie nodded. “I understand. I’d want to know,
too.”

“I started ripping out baseboards right away, but
my mom got real upset. So I decided to wait to let her cool down.” He looked
over his shoulder at the sloping front lawn. “Except now I’m out of time. It’s
now or never.”

Maggie waited silently for him to continue. “So
I’m going to do it now. After we left there with the last load, my mom said
she’ll never set foot in that place again.”

“That’s understandable,” Maggie said.

“Mom made me leave Dodger at our old house last
night, so we could get settled without him getting into stuff. I plan to find
anything that’s hidden there before I bring Dodger home with me tonight.”

“Would you like me to send someone to help you?
I’m sure Alex …” She stopped short as he vehemently shook his head. “Sam, then?
Or Dr. Allen?”

David continued to shake his head. “Just you. You
already know about the other numbers, so you’re the one to come with me.”

“Let me get my keys,” she said over her shoulder.
“We can put your bike in the back of my SUV.” She snatched her purse from the
kitchen counter, and they set off.

***

Maggie turned into the driveway of
the Wheeler home at nine fifteen on the sleepy, late summer Sunday night. She
pulled as far into the shadows as possible, wondering why in the world she was
trying to be so secretive. She turned to David and smiled encouragingly. “I’ll
be right in. I just want to text John to tell him where I am, in case he gets
home before I do.”

David nodded and approached the house. Dodger let
loose with a set of plaintive barks that were one part fear and two parts
loneliness. Maggie watched as David fumbled with the key before it found
purchase and the door swung open.

She plunged her hand into the cavern that was her
purse and began churning the contents like a cement mixer, feeling for her cell
phone. She sighed impatiently and turned on the overhead lamp in her car, holding
her purse directly under the weak circle of light. After a careful but
fruitless examination, she abandoned her search and got out of the car. She
must have left her phone at home. A chill ran down her spine. She knew she was
being silly. Nothing was going to happen to them, and John would almost
certainly be gone for hours. She and the dogs would be sound asleep by the time
he got home.

Despite her resolve to be rational, Maggie hurried
up the walkway and across the threshold. The kitchen and hallway were
illuminated by overhead lights, but the remaining rooms were in deep shadow now
that all lamps had been removed. Dodger greeted Maggie with a friendly wag of
his tail, but he didn’t leave David’s side.

“You’ve made a good start,” Maggie said, looking
at the six-foot piece of molding that David had already dislodged.

“I’ve done this with Mr. Torres,” David said.
“It’s easy. He gave me some of his old tools. Said every handyman starts with
used tools. That way the tools know what they’re doing even if the handyman
doesn’t.”

Maggie smiled. “That sounds like something Sam
would say. My aunts used to say that about pie tins, too. If the cook didn’t
know how to bake a pie, the tin did. Sort of a comforting superstition, don’t
you think?”

David didn’t answer, concentrating on his work.

“Do you have another pry bar? Can you show me how
to use it?” Maggie asked.

***

The sedan with the darkly tinted
windows sat at the curb two doors down from the Wheeler house, on the other
side of the street.

“They’ve been at it for almost two hours, sir.”

“What the hell are they doing in there? You think
our newly married mayor is gettin’ it on with the young stud?”

The man shook his head. “I can’t see what they’re
doing. Maybe cleaning? Wheeler moved out today.”

“Cleaning before their house is foreclosed? Not
likely, you moron.”

The man remained silent.

“Get outta that car and take a look. Don’t get
seen, okay? Call me right back.” The man reached for the handle of his car
door. “And if our mayor is doing that kid, get pictures.” Delgado cackled as
the phone went dead.

***

Spying on Mayor Martin and David
Wheeler proved difficult. All of the blinds and curtains were drawn tightly
shut. He found a window in the laundry room that wasn’t obstructed, and when he
leaned to the far left, he could view down the hallway and into the living
room. The room was vacant and he could make out David Wheeler, removing
baseboards. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be able to see anything else, he
returned to his car.

“Sorry to disappoint you, sir, but it appears that
all they’re doing in there is removing baseboards.” He waited for the
anticipated explosion from the other end of the line.

“Sir?” he said and was interrupted by Delgado’s
throaty chuckle.

“There’s something hidden in that house.” Delgado
paused, formulating his plan. “Got something to write with? I’m gonna buy
myself a house tomorrow. I’m gonna tell you what you need to write down for me
from the foreclosure notice that’s posted by the front door.”

The man clicked his pen, then cursed. “Hang on.
I’m out of ink. Let me get a new pen out of my glove box.” He leaned over to
retrieve the pen and missed Maggie, David, and Dodger leaving the house.

***

Maggie opened her trunk and David
removed his bicycle. “Can’t I drive the two of you home?” she asked softly.

“No. That’ll make Mom mad. Dodger will like
running with my bike. We do it all the time. And it’s not far.”

Maggie nodded and put her hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve been very brave and very helpful, David. More than you know.”

David shrugged and bent down to stroke Dodger.

“I’m sorry about how hard this has been on both
you and your mother,” Maggie said. “I know what it feels like to have a family
member do things they shouldn’t.”

David turned away and mounted his bike.

“Call me or John if you need anything, David. Day
or night.”

He waved and set off pedaling in the opposite
direction of the sedan. Maggie got into her car, double-checked for the
hundredth time that the sheaf of papers they’d uncovered behind the baseboard
in the back of David’s closet was safely stashed in her purse, and started her
ignition. She wanted nothing more than to climb the stairs to bed.