Open Season for Murder (A Mac Faraday Mystery Book 10) (5 page)

A.J. told her, “Listen, Miss York—”

“No, you listen!” She sneered, “You want to talk about screwing around with people’s secrets!”

“Calm down, Lindsey,” Kassandra pleaded. “People are looking.”

Lindsey stuffed the card down her bosom and grabbed her wine glass. “Why should I calm down? So what if some gutless coward knows my secrets? He thinks he can screw around with me over my secrets—” She wagged her head. “Bring it on!”

Ashton blurted out, “Maybe it was just some misunderstanding.”

“
Miss
Understanding? Misunderstanding? Yeah! I’m sure it was a misunderstanding!”

“Lots of people have secrets,” Corey said.

“Oh, yeah!” Lindsey yelled. “And I know quite a few!”

“Listen, Miss Lindsey,” Jasmine said, “I think you better go sober up before you say or do something that you’re going to regret.”

Lindsey mocked her. “You think I better go sober up before I say or do something that I’m going to regret.” She scoffed. “Who are you anyway?”

“Jasmine Simpson,” she answered with pride. “My mother was Miss America and my father is the CEO of Simpson Enterprises.”

Lindsey laughed. “Do you mean Orson Simpson? Don’t you mean he
used to be
CEO?”

“How old are they?” Mac’s nose wrinkled with disgust. “Ten?”

“The social hierarchy of rich kids is directly connected to the success of their parents,” David said. “The only reason I got through high school alive was because my daddy was chief of police.”

Mac shot a grin in David’s direction. “Lucky you.”

On the television screen, Jasmine’s expression toward Lindsey was deadpanned.

“My daddy bought your daddy out.” Lindsey doubled over with laughter. When she sat up, she made the shape of the letter L and held it up to her forehead. “Loser!”

Jasmine threw the contents of her wine glass into Lindsey’s face.

Before everyone could scatter to safety, Lindsey was up and taking the table--dishes, glasses and all--with her. Wine and water flew, along with trays of food that servers had been delivering at the same time that the table went flying.

A.J. sheltered Ashton.

Leaving his date behind, Samuel Nash ran for the exit. “What a gentleman,” David said upon seeing Nash’s hasty retreat.

Mac chuckled in spite of Archie and Catherine’s continued dismay over the disruption, which they had replayed more than once in the past.

David and Ben seemed to be equally amused. “What is interesting,” the prosecutor said, “is that both Lindsey and Kassandra have been asked to come back, via the phony invitations. And so has Jasmine Simpson, who, while provoked, started it with the toss of her wine glass.”

Mac said, “The evidence may be circumstantial, but it looks like whoever is behind this is looking for a reunion of some sort.” He asked Archie, “What about A.J. Wagner? Is he coming back?”

Archie nodded her head. “Most likely. He’s already in town at his family estate on the lake with his best friend Corey. Rachel Breckenridge’s in town, too. Their names are on the invite list.”

“And Jasmine Simpson is back, too,” Mac mused while stroking Gnarly’s ears. During the playing of the video, the German shepherd had come in to sit up tall between Mac’s legs. “Someone is using the Diablo Ball to engineer a reunion and they’re going to lengths to entice me into looking into Ashton’s disappearance.” He hugged Gnarly, who returned the show of affection with a tongue in Mac’s ear. “And it’s working.”

Pushing Gnarly aside, he sat up. “I want to see where Ashton disappeared.” After standing up, he went to the door. “Come on, David, let’s go.”

“I can’t.”

Mac turned around. “Why not?”

With a glance in Archie’s direction, David said, “I have to go pick Chelsea up at work.”

“Chelsea gets off work in a half hour,” Ben Fleming confirmed with a nod of his head.

David’s girlfriend, Chelsea Adams was Ben Fleming’s paralegal. David drove her because she didn’t have a driver’s license due to her epilepsy. At the mention of Chelsea’s name, Gnarly’s ears stood up. Chelsea’s service dog, a white German shepherd named Molly, was his best pal.

“Well,” Mac said, “we’ll swing by and pick her up and take her to the crime scene along with us.”

“I don’t think so.” Again, David stole a glance in Archie’s direction.

“Why not?” Mac asked.

“Maybe David and Chelsea would like to go get something to eat … without additional company,” Archie told Mac with a cock of her head.

“I’m going by the house on the way back,” David said. “I want to check out how the new siding came out.”

As soon as the winter season had given way to spring, David had hired a building contractor to complete renovations to his childhood home, which had been vacant since he had committed his mother to a nursing home. They hoped that the improvement in the housing market and summer season would bring some nibbles from potential buyers.

“Mac,” Archie said in a gentle, yet firm voice, “David will take you to the crime scene
tomorrow.”

Mac’s expression was similar to that of a child being told that he had to wait to go to the circus. “Okay.”

David mouthed a thank you in Archie’s direction. Passing Mac on the way out the door, he patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Mac. The lake where she drowned will still be there in the morning.” With a jab to Mac’s shoulder, David turned and ran up the stairs. “Wish me luck!”

“I’ll be rooting for you, David!” Archie called out.

“What was that about?” Mac asked Archie.

Her face filled with mock innocence, she shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing.”

“Yeah, right,” Mac replied. “If I believed that, I’d believe Gnarly wasn’t the one who stole the Schweitzer grandchildren’s Easter eggs.”’

“That was Gnarly?” With a gasp, Catherine covered her mouth and gazed at the German shepherd eying each of them in turn.

“We found them under the back deck almost two weeks later,” Mac said.

“How many eggs did he steal?” Rising out of his seat, Ben stared at the dog with wide eyes.

“Over three dozen. Do you know what three dozen hard boiled eggs that have been outside for two weeks smells like?”

“How did he steal that many and hide them under your deck?” Catherine’s tone was filled with doubt.

“Very carefully.” Mac shot a glare at Gnarly. “Egg sucking dog.”

“We don’t
know
that was Gnarly,” Archie said.

Laying his ears back flat onto the top of his head, Gnarly uttered a belch.

Chapter Five

As Spencer’s chief of police, David O’Callaghan was part of Spencer, but he was not one of its wealthy residents—nor was his father before him.

Patrick O’Callaghan had made his home on the outskirts of the resort town. As a young police officer, he had managed to secure a small lakeside lot along a quiet, out-of-the-way cove, where he had built a cozy home for his wife and son. While the property was lakeside, it was several feet above the water. A steep set of steps led down to the dock and boat house.

The property had significantly increased in value over the decades. However, the rundown three bedroom, one bath, ranch-style house left much to be desired to potential home buyers when compared to the more luxurious estate homes around the lake. Almost two years after his mother had stabbed him in the chest with a fork during a demented fit, David had yet to return to live in the house in which he had been raised. It was not filled with exclusively happy memories.

Years after Robin Spencer had given in to her parent’s order to end their relationship, Patrick married Violet, only to have Robin return to discover that the love of her life—and the father of the baby she had been forced to give up for adoption—had started a family.

Being a loyal and honorable man, Patrick had kept his marriage vows and refused to give in to the temptation of pursuing the love of his life, which Robin Spencer had respected. The couple developed a deep, loving friendship which endured even in the face of rumors.

Alzhiemers and alcohol had acted like gasoline when added to Violet O’Callaghan’s jealousy, which simmered long and hard. Her bitterness would erupt into episodes of depression or even suicide attempts.

During her numerous hospitalizations, the busy police chief would send his son to live at Spencer Manor. At one point, David had spent a full year living under the peaceful, calming roof of the world famous author—unaware that she was his secret half-brother’s mother.

It seemed only natural, after his mother had been committed to the nursing home, that David would return to Spencer Manor, where Mac offered to let him stay in the guest cottage for as long as he wanted.

After two years, it was time for David to have a home of his own.

“David?” The sound of Chelsea’s voice jarred David out of his thoughts.

After pulling his police cruiser into the driveway, David’s mind had drifted onto a merry-go-round made up of memories from his childhood. He was staring at the huge oak tree right on the edge of the drop-off down to the lake. A thick, rotten rope hanging from a tall branch was all that was left of the tire swing that David and his friends used to play on. The water was deep enough that they used to swing out and launch themselves off the tire to plunge into the water several feet below.

“David, is everything all right?” Chelsea’s worried tone broke through his thoughts again.

Startled, David turned to her to see her light blue eyes filled with concern.

Chelsea Adams’ fair complexion gave her an appearance of being almost albino. Combined with her platinum blonde hair that fell in silky waves to her shoulders and exceedingly thin figure, she appeared quite frail. It made David want to protect her from the world’s wicked ways.

In the back of the cruiser, Molly, Chelsea’s service dog, whimpered.

“I’m fine,” David told both of them. He reached over to caress Chelsea’s cheek.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“About what?”

Chelsea cocked her head at him. “About the siding. You wanted to stop by to see how the contractor did with the siding. But we’ve been sitting here for like five minutes and you haven’t even turned off the car.”

David realized that while he had put the cruiser in park, he had indeed left the engine running. After turning off the motor, he opened the door and slipped out. Aware of Chelsea’s puzzled gaze on him, he went around the cruiser to open her door. Molly waited for him to open the rear door to escort her charge.

Clutching Chelsea’s hand, David strolled around the house.

“What does the realtor think?” She peered up at the new white siding. Fond memories came to mind of her trying to keep up with David and her older brother while they played on the lake.

Like David, Chelsea was from Spencer, but not of it. Her late mother had been the high school secretary.

“The property value is so high due to the location,” David said. “Anyone who could afford to move onto the lake in Spencer would want a bigger house with more perks. A real downer is that this house only has one bathroom. Most have at least two full baths.”

“Then she doesn’t think she can sell it?”

“Mac has offered to buy it for a vacation rental,” David said. “He thinks the location and small size would be perfect for a family wanting to come to Spencer but who couldn’t afford one of the larger rental places.”

“That does make sense.”

“Plus, he’s willing to pay my original asking price,” David said. “That’s an offer too good to refuse.”

“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”

“Maybe.”

“What’s stopping you?” she asked. “If Mac’s buying it for your original asking price, then you can get a nice place up the mountain; or do you want to live here on the lake? When are you going to start looking at houses? Or do you want to stay in Mac’s guest house to save more money for a bigger place?” She fired off her questions like an automatic weapon.

With a toss of his head, he said, “Let’s go down to the lake.” Tugging on her hand, he led her over to the walkway and the stairs leading down to the boat dock. He kept ahead of her to watch her while easing down the steep steps. Behind her, Molly looked apprehensively down at the dock and the water.

“What’s down here?” she asked.

With a wicked grin, David replied, “You know what’s down here.” He gestured at the boat house next to the dock.

Her pale face turned pink. “You brought me here to seduce me in the boat house? David, we aren’t teenagers anymore. If you want me, you could have taken me home for that.” She giggled.

David pulled her in close, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her face up to his. She caressed his firm shoulders.

Gently, he kissed her lips. “I’ve always liked this place.” He brushed his lips against her cheek.

“Liar.”

Gazing into her eyes, he said, “Yes, I do have some bad memories of it, but my memories of our time here are good ones—like that afternoon in the boat house, when we first told each other that we loved each other.”

She smiled broadly. “And then your father walked in and caught us half naked.”

As their laughter subsided, David recalled, “That was when Dad told me about Mac—that I had a brother I never knew about.”

“I’m glad you two are friends.”

“That isn’t why I brought you down here,” David said.

She shook her head. “Then why?”

“Do you remember back in December, when those men abducted me?”

He felt her tremble in his arms. “How could I forget?”

“The one person I kept focused on getting back to was you. I knew before they took me that I loved you, but that night, while I was lying there tied up, I vowed to get out of there alive and … when I did … I was going to make things right between us.”

“Make things right between us?” she asked. “David, I forgave you for cheating on me. That was eons ago. It’s in the past.”

“It’s one thing to tell you that I love you and to spend every night in your bed,” David said. “But you deserve more than that. You deserve a lot more than that.”

He knelt down in front of her.

“Chelsea Adams, I have been in love with you since we were kids who thought we knew all the answers to how the world worked. That’s why I brought you here, to the beginning, to where I first told you that I loved you.”

Her eyes grew wide with wonderment.

David reached into his pants pocket and took a jewel box out. He opened it to display a diamond ring. “Will you marry me, Chelsea Adams?”

Even Molly’s dark eyes on her white face were wide at the sight of the ring. She edged forward to sniff at the box. Then, she glanced up at her master as if to declare that it was real.

While David gazed up at her, Chelsea’s eyes filled with tears. Her lips quivered. Her mouth seemed to work, but nothing came out of it. Kneeling before her, in a position of complete submission, David felt his heartbeat quickened while the silence grew between them.

“Chelsea, you need to say something,” he finally said.

Tears spilled from her eyes.

“Are those tears of happiness or sorrow because you’re about to break my heart?”

Sniffing, she thrust her left hand out to him with her fingers spread out.

“What do you want me to do?” David asked.

She shook her hand and pointed with her finger at the ring.

David fought the grin working its way to his lips. “Do you want me to put it on your finger?”

Her head bobbed up and down. When he took her hand, he felt it trembling with excitement. Tears spilled from her eyes to soak her cheeks.

Amusement turned to worry when he remembered her epilepsy.
Suppose this is the start of a seizure.

Slipping the ring onto her finger, he stole a glance at Molly who appeared curious, but not concerned. She would be barking and pawing at Chelsea to tell her to take her medication if she was. Admiring the perfect fit of the engagement ring on her finger, David stood up. After throwing herself into his arms, she kissed him. Her whole body shook with excitement.

“I guess this is a yes?” he asked into her hair.

Hugging him tightly while holding up her hand to admire the diamond, her reply into his ear consisted of a string of sob-filled words. He didn’t understand anything she said.

“Are you accepting my proposal?” David asked with a laugh while stroking her hair. “Just nod your head yes or shake it no.”

Letting loose with a fresh batch of tears, she nodded her head.