The Ghost Who Wanted Revenge (Haunting Danielle Book 4) (17 page)

“Thanks Adam. I’d appreciate that. If the will is legit, you think she’d be willing to give MacDonald a statement?”

“I’m sure she would. Like I said, Gloria is a straight arrow.”

“Another thing,” Danielle said. She looked at Marie. “Before Adam showed up, I was asking you if you remembered Bobby’s surname.”

“Who’s Bobby?” Adam asked.

“That was Isabella’s father.” Marie said.

“Then wouldn’t it be Strickland?” Adam asked.

“No dear.” Marie patted Adam’s knee and then looked at Danielle. “I remember it was the same last name as one of my favorite actors. I once asked him if they were related. Of course I knew they weren’t.”

“What was the name?” Danielle asked.

“John Wayne. I loved his movies. Don’t you just love John Wayne?” Marie asked.

D
anielle tossed
her keys and purse on the kitchen counter at Marlow House. After parking her car in the driveway a few minutes earlier, she had dodged Stoddard’s ghost, who hurled curses at her the moment she stepped out of her car.

A sound from the kitchen window caught her attention. Looking toward the sound, she saw Walt, who had just closed the blinds.

“Thanks,” Danielle greeted. “I was going to do that.”

“The police need to solve his murder so we can get rid of him. I prefer the windows open so I can smell the sea air.” Walt waved his hand, summonsing a lit cigar.

“So we get to smell cigar instead?”

Walt shrugged and took a puff.

“Is Lily sleeping?” Danielle asked.

“No, she went out with Ian. They took Sadie to the beach for a walk.”

Danielle glanced to the corner of the kitchen, where Lily had parked her walker. “She didn’t take it?”

“I don’t imagine it would work very well on the beach. Plus she seems to be doing much better today.”

“I’m glad she’s getting out more. I saw Will’s car out front, where is he?” Danielle glanced to the doorway leading to the hall.

“Up in his room. He just took a shower. I think he’s getting ready to go out. I heard him tell Lily that he’s leaving in the morning.” Walt leaned against the counter and watched Danielle. “Is there something wrong?”

“Wrong?”

“You seem…edgy. Nervous.”

“Where do I begin?” Danielle sat at the kitchen table. “But if Will comes in here, you stick around. Don’t leave me alone with him.”

“What’s wrong?” Walt took a seat at the table.

“I think Will might be Isabella’s father.”

“Her father?”

“At lunch Marie told me Isabella’s father was named Bobby Wayne. Strickland was just a name her mother took after the two separated.”

“I thought you showed Marie Will’s photograph, told her his name, and she didn’t recognize him.”

“She knew Isabella’s father as Bobby Wayne, not Will Wayne or Billy Bob Wayne. She didn’t recognize the name. It’s been years since she’s seen him. He was just a teenager back then, so the picture didn’t trigger anything. Not to mention the fact that Marie is ninety.”

“So it’s Isabella and her mother’s graves he came to visit,” Walt murmured. “Interesting, considering he abandoned Isabella’s mother before Isabella was born.”

“That may not be the true story.”

“He didn’t abandon them?”

“Not exactly. According to Marie, Isabella’s grandparents broke up the marriage and drove their son-in-law from Frederickport. I guess they really were in love, and Marie doesn’t believe he married her for the Gusarov money. I’m not sure how or why he left, but he kept in contact with one of Marie’s friends up until the friend died, checking on Isabella and her mother.”

“I thought you said Will had a lot of money.”

“I’m sure he does. His car dealership was very successful. I have no idea why he stayed away.”

“I could see how an inexperienced young man might be intimidated by the Gusarov family. From how it sounds, they were once influential in the same way my family was. Yet, once he got older and financially successful, I would expect him to return, if he were truly interested in his daughter and wife’s welfare.”

“Ex-wife. From what I understand they were divorced.”

“But still, Isabella was his daughter. I know if I ever had a daughter, I would never abandon her.”

“That’s not all the news. Darlene is dead.”

“Darlene? You mean…” Walt nodded to the kitchen window, its blind closed. “His wife?”

“Yes.” Danielle stared at the closed window.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details, but apparently she fell from Pilgrim’s Point.”

“That’s quite a fall. What was she doing up there?”

Danielle shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know all the details. Adam stopped in the restaurant when I was having lunch with his grandmother. He’d heard it on the police scanner.”

“Police scanner?” Walt frowned.

“It’s a device that picks up the radio frequency used by the police. So you can listen in to what they’re saying.”

“Hmmm…interesting…I think I saw something like that on a television show.”

“Adam says it sounded like someone hit her over the head and then shoved her off the cliff.”

“I imagine the fall alone would kill her.”

“All I know for sure is that’s she’s dead.”

“Are you worried?” Walt asked.

“Worried? How?”

“Stoddard did tell Brian Henderson you planned to kill her next.”

“The police understand Stoddard didn’t know what he was talking about.”

“I hope you’re right.” Walt nodded toward the closed window. “Does he know yet?”

“Stoddard? No. But that doesn’t surprise me. After all, for decades you never knew your wife had died.”

“Yes, but Stoddard’s experience seems to be quite different from mine. Even different from Cheryl’s,” Walt said.

“How so?”

“Neither Cheryl nor I realized we were dead. At least, not right away. I lived here for close to a century, not realizing the truth. And if you hadn’t told Cheryl, she might still be stumbling around in a haze.”

“You have a point. Stoddard knows he’s dead. Knows he was murdered. Unfortunately, he gets confused on the who murdered him part.”

“I thought someone was in here with you,” Will said from the doorway.

Danielle stood up and turned to Will, blushing. “Hi. I guess I was thinking out loud.”

“I do that sometimes too.” Will laughed and walked into the kitchen.

“What have you been up to today?” Danielle went to the sink, getting herself a glass of water.

“I took a drive this morning,” Will said as he walked to the table and sat down. “I’ll be leaving in the morning, and I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

“We had our share of excitement—glad you didn’t walk into it and get caught in the crossfire.”

“Glad you’re okay.” Will smiled.

Danielle walked back to the table and sat down. “You said you took a drive this morning? Where did you go?”

“You don’t think he had something to do with Darlene’s death, do you?” Walt asked. Silently, Danielle glanced at Walt.

“Just drove up the coast a ways.”

“You didn’t happen to go by Pilgrim’s Point, did you?”

Will stood up abruptly and walked to the sink. “You don’t mind if I help myself to a glass of water, do you?”

“No, help yourself.” Danielle watched Will as he silently got himself a glass of water without answering her question.

“So, did you drive by Pilgrim’s Point?” she asked again.

“Pilgrim’s Point?” Will turned to face Danielle and took a sip of his water. “I’m afraid I don’t know where that’s at.”

“Really? It’s a well-known landmark around here.”

Will shrugged. “Doesn’t sound familiar.” He finished his water and set the glass in the sink. “Why do you ask?”

Danielle shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Will remained standing by the sink, staring at her, waiting for an answer.

“I heard there was an accident up there today. Just wondered if you saw any of the commotion. Lots of police cars, ambulances, that sort of thing.”

“Accident? What kind of accident?”

“A woman fell. She was killed.”

“How sad,” Will said. “Was it someone you knew?”

“It was Darlene Gusarov.” Danielle watched for his reaction.

“Isn’t her husband the one who was murdered?”

“Yes. The one they arrested me for.”

“Do they know what happened?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I just heard about the fall. I don’t know any of the details.” She failed to mention Darlene’s fatal head injury.

“Too bad.” Will stood up.

“What are you doing this afternoon?” Danielle asked.

“I’m going to visit my girls one last time. Then grab something to eat and get to bed early. I have a long drive ahead of me.”

“Do you still think he’s Isabella’s father?” Walt asked when Will left the room.

“I don’t know. But there is one way to find out.”

“What’s that?”

“I could go down to the cemetery and see whose grave he visits.”

“You would do that? You hate cemeteries!”

“Considering how it’s been in my own backyard since Stoddard died, I think I can handle a cemetery.”

“Does it really matter if Will is Isabella’s father?” Walt asked.

“I don’t know, maybe. What if he’s in some way involved with Stoddard’s murder? And Darlene’s?”

“What’s his motive?” Walt asked.

“I don’t know. Revenge maybe.”

“Why take his revenge out on Stoddard? Sounds like his parents were the ones who interfered with the marriage. As for Darlene, she wasn’t even around back then. Why kill her?”

“I don’t know.” Danielle stood up and started pacing the room. She paused a moment and looked at Walt. “Don’t you think it’s a strange coincidence he showed up now? Right after the murder?”

Walt shrugged. “And maybe he’s not Isabella’s father.”

“Why are you finding excuses for Will? Not long ago you seemed to be suspicious of him. You said you were going to keep an eye on him.”

“I did. But from what I’ve seen, he just seems like a nice guy. I simply like him. I thought you did too.”

Danielle sighed. “I did…I do.” She sat back down. “But still, if he is Isabella’s father, it seems odd he showed up now… and wanted to stay here. You have to admit, wouldn’t most people check out after a murder attempt on the premises?”

“Then follow him to the cemetery. See what graves he visits. If you’re worried he’s in some way involved in the murders, don’t let him see you. You can always question him later, when he returns to Marlow House.”

“So you can protect me? Like you did with Smith?”

“Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“Live that down? Not the best idiom, considering your state,” Danielle smirked.

“I promise; I won’t put the guy in a coma if he gets out of hand. And I promise to intervene before things get too out of hand.”

Danielle grinned, but didn’t say anything as the kitchen door opened in the next moment and Sadie rushed in, followed by Ian and Lily. Lily leaned on Ian, who helped her into the kitchen.

Danielle stood up and faced the open door. Behind Lily and Ian was Stoddard, who jumped up and down, flaying his arms. She tried to ignore him, focusing her attention on Lily. “Will told me you took a walk. How did it go?”

“I think I wore her out.” Ian chuckled, leading Lily to a chair.

“It was nice getting out, but I am such a wimp,” Lily grumbled.

Danielle slammed the door shut on Stoddard and turned to the table, where Ian and Lily now sat with Walt. Sadie curled up under the table on Walt’s feet.

“I don’t imagine you two have heard yet,” Danielle said as she sat down.

“What?” Lily asked.

“Darlene Gusarov is dead.”

“Seriously?” Ian asked.

“If Adam Nichols is to be believed. I was having lunch at the diner with Marie when he stopped by. He heard it on his scanner. She fell at Pilgrim’s Point.”

“What happened?” Ian asked.

“I don’t know the details. But from what Adam could pick up, sounded like someone hit her over the head then shoved her off the cliff. I haven’t turned the radio on yet, so I don’t know if the news has picked it up.”

“Wow…dead…Darlene…” Lily glanced to the kitchen window. She knew why the blinds were closed.

“And there is something else too,” Danielle stood up and shut the door leading to the hallway. When she returned to the table, she told them what Marie had said about Bobby Wayne.

“I’m a little curious too,” Ian said. “Are you serious about following him when he goes down to the cemetery?”

“Yeah. Considering everything that’s happened, I’d like to know if he’s in someway connected with the family.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ian said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go alone.”

“You think Will is dangerous?” Danielle asked, glancing from Ian to Walt.

“He’s been staying here almost a week,” Lily said. “I really like him.”

“I do too,” Ian said. “But it wouldn’t hurt us to proceed with caution.”

“I’m not planning on letting him see me, and if we both go, it’ll be more difficult to stay out of sight. I’ll be okay.” What Danielle didn’t want was Ian by her side should spirits from the cemetery start vying for her attention.

“
I
can explain Chief
.” Brian sat at the table in the interrogation room. He had never been on this side of the interview before.

“Your fingerprints were on the murder weapon,” the chief said as he sat down at the table.

“You think I would just leave it there if I’d used it to kill Darlene? I told you, it was sitting on her purse. I thought Darlene had put it there, to weigh it down so it wouldn’t blow away.”

“You’re telling me, you thought she just set her purse on the side of the road and left it, with a paperweight to keep it safe?”

“No.” Brian combed his fingers through his hair. “That’s not what I meant. Everything happened so fast. When I saw her car, the purse and she wasn’t there—I got worried. I checked to make sure it was her purse. I didn’t even notice the blood. The killer must have left it.”

“Explain again why you were there?”

“Darlene asked me to meet her.”

“You said she called you. What did she say exactly? Why did she want you to meet her there?”

“I don’t know.” Brian shook his head.

“You said you talked to her on the phone. She must have said something.”

Brian looked up into the chief’s eyes. “It wasn’t exactly a phone call.”

“What was it, a carrier pigeon?”

“It was a text message.”

MacDonald extended his hand, waiting for Brian to hand him his phone. With a reluctant sigh, Brian handed over the phone. Quietly MacDonald read the text messages. When he finished he looked up and stared at Brian, as if seeing a stranger.

“I can explain Chief. It isn’t as bad as it seems.”

“Go ahead.” MacDonald set the cellphone on the table.

“Darlene and I had an affair. It was brief. Ended over a year ago.”

“She said you almost broke her arm?”

“She was exaggerating. I grabbed her wrist. It was at Pearl Cove. I was there having a drink, she came in to have dinner. I went over to her table, and we got into an argument. I swear, I never got violent with Darlene.”

“What were you arguing about?”

“She wanted me to make sure Boatman went to jail for killing Stoddard. But after Smith attacked Joe and Boatman, I knew Danielle hadn’t killed him. And I started wondering…if maybe it was Darlene all along. I wanted to know if she’d sent a hitman after one of my best friends. And by what Joe found in Darlene’s rental, it looks like I was right.”

“Were you still in love with her?”

“No.” Brian shifted nervously in his seat.

“Are you sure?”

“Okay, I had some unresolved feelings for her. But we weren’t seeing each other, and I didn’t kill her. I just wanted to know what she had to say.”

“Why did she accuse you of getting violent?”

“I don’t know. But ask Carla, she saw the entire thing. She’ll tell you it was no big deal.”

“Carla?”

“Carla, the waitress from Pier Café. She’s working part time at Pearl Cove as a hostess. She was there last night. I noticed she kept looking over at us.”

“Did you see anyone else there?”

“I wasn’t really looking. I was pretty focused on Darlene—wondering if she was behind Smith.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I was going to. Honest. But first, I wanted to be sure. You have to understand, I really didn’t want to go public about my affair with Darlene. But I would have. She kept begging me not to say anything to anyone about it.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ve read Stoddard’s will. Darlene could have lost everything if you came forward about the affair. Stoddard had a provision in the will stipulating she’d be disinherited if she was ever unfaithful during their marriage. Had you made the affair public knowledge, it would have complicated things for her, since the will just went into probate.”

“She never told me.”

“I’m going to put you on paid leave.”

“Why?” Brian sat up straighter in the chair.

“This is an ongoing investigation, and right now you are the lead suspect.”

“I didn’t kill her,” Brian said dully.

C
arla sat
across the table from Chief MacDonald in the interrogation room.

“I can’t believe she’s dead; I saw her just last night,” she said.

“How well did you know Darlene Gusarov?” the chief asked.

“I really didn’t know her. Oh, I knew who she was. She came into the café sometimes.”

“Tell me about last night. How did Mrs. Gusarov seem?”

“She seemed fine when she came in. She was meeting Mr. Christiansen and some other man for dinner. I took her to her table. I remember she ordered a couple martinis before Mr. Christiansen arrived.”

“So nothing unusual happened?”

“Unusual? Well…” Carla lowered her voice and glanced over at the two-way mirror. “Officer Henderson was there.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to whisper. Officer Henderson isn’t here; he’s gone home.”

“Well,” Carla said in a clearer voice. “He was in the bar, having a drink when she came in. He went over to her table, I assumed to say hello. But then they got in this argument.”

“Argument? Do you know what about?”

“No. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could tell Mrs. Gusarov was embarrassed, she wanted him to leave.”

“How could you tell that?”

“By the way she kept looking around. Like she was worried people were staring.”

“Were people staring?”

“Well…no…there really weren’t many people in the restaurant yet.”

“What happened?”

“At one point he grabbed her. That’s when it really got heated.”

“Did you ever consider going to her table?”

“Go to her table, why would I do that?” Carla frowned.

“Well, if one of your customers is being bothered by another customer, don’t you think it’s your job to do something?”

“But he’s a police officer! I figured it wasn’t any of my business.”

“Okay, after he grabbed her, then what?”

“She pulled away from him, rubbed her wrist like it really hurt. Gave him a dirty look. A few minutes later Mr. Christiansen and the other man arrived and by the time they got to the table, Officer Henderson had left.”

“You said it wasn’t very busy last night. Do you remember who was there during Darlene and Officer Henderson’s argument?”

“No…not really…” Carla considered the question a moment. “But everyone paid by credit card. Does that help?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. About an hour after Mrs. Gusarov’s party left I remember ringing up a customer’s ticket and thinking it was the first cash sale of the evening.”

“I’d like to get a list of the customers who were there last night, during the time Mrs. Gusarov was at the restaurant.”

“
T
hank you for coming in
,” MacDonald greeted Chuck Christiansen, shaking his hand.

“I can’t believe she’s gone. I just had dinner with her last night.” Chuck sighed wearily. He followed MacDonald down the hall to the interrogation room.

“I hope you don’t mind if we talk in here,” MacDonald said, opening the door for Chuck. “It’s more private.”

“This is fine,” Chuck said, walking into the room. He took a seat at the table. MacDonald sat across from him, a notepad in hand.

“You mentioned you had dinner with her last night?” MacDonald asked.

“Yes. Bart Haston and I.”

“Bart Haston?”

“He manages the Western Division,” Chuck explained.

“So was this a business dinner?”

“Yes. We’ve been trying to get Darlene up to speed on what’s going on with the company. She was never involved when Stoddard was alive.” Chuck took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe she’s gone. What happened exactly? They told me she fell from Pilgrim’s Point. How did that even happen?”

“We’re not sure exactly. The coroner hasn’t finished his report yet, and we’re still processing the crime scene.”

“Crime scene? I thought it was an accident?”

“It’s an open investigation. We’ll be able to tell you more later. But for now, could you please tell me how Mrs. Gusarov was last night. Did she seem concerned about anything?”

“She was rather upset about her run in with Brian Henderson.”

“Run in? What do you mean?”

“Before we arrived at the restaurant Henderson approached her table. According to Darlene he had too much to drink, got a little forward.”

“Forward?”

“Apparently, he felt Darlene was ready to start dating. And he wanted to be her first date.”

“Are you suggesting he made a pass at Mrs. Gusarov?”

“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just telling you what Darlene told us when we arrived at the table. She was upset, claimed Henderson got forward with her—even grabbed her. I offered to come down here, talk to you about it. After all, he is one of your officers.”

“What did she say?”

“She didn’t want to get Henderson in trouble. Insisted he simply had too much to drink. But she seemed genuinely afraid of him.”

“What was her and Stoddard’s relationship like?” the chief asked.

“Stoddard? I’m not sure what that has to do with what happened last night.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Well,” Chuck shifted in his seat. “They’re both dead now. I feel strange talking about them.”

“Yes, they are both dead. Under more than questionable circumstances.”

“They had their problems. All married people do.”

“Do you think Darlene was happy in her marriage?”

“I don’t know…” Chuck stammered.

“You suggesting they weren’t happy?”

“I know Darlene was furious over the Lily Miller situation. She blamed Stoddard for the legal problems, insisted she didn’t know it wasn’t Isabella. But honestly, I can’t believe she didn’t know. Stoddard confided in Darlene.”

“Do you think she was angry enough to kill him?”

“I hate to say this, especially with Darlene dead now, but when I heard he’d been murdered my first thought was that Darlene had done it. Then I heard Stoddard supposedly told Henderson it was Danielle Boatman…but now…” Chuck shook his head.

“Now what?”

“Now I have to wonder. Were Henderson and Darlene in this together? I read about Sargent Morelli seeing Danielle Boatman at the time of the murder. She couldn’t have killed Stoddard. Henderson must have lied about what Stoddard said. Which means they had to be in this together; after all, Darlene was there too when he supposedly accused Boatman.”

“You’re saying Officer Henderson and Darlene conspired to kill Stoddard?”

“How can I not wonder that? Maybe she planned to pay him off. Maybe it was something more personal between them. All I know is they had a fight last night, and today Darlene is dead.”