The Opposite of Dark (26 page)

Hadn't he been listening? “To intervene, manipulate, and destroy.” Casey slowly rose. “I need to call Lou's mom.”

As she climbed the steps, Lalonde said, “Do you always run without thinking?”

Casey stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“The first time we met, you ran out of the morgue. The second time, you ran after Ziegler in the cemetery. Next was Europe, then you were running off to see Simone Archambault, and finally pursuing Churcott on your own.”

“Better than living with helplessness and self-pity for months on end.”

“There is a middle ground, you know.”

“When you've been raised by Lillian and Marcus Holland, there is no middle ground, Detective.”

“Or maybe you've simply inherited your parents' knack for doing what you want without considering the consequences.”

She stepped inside and slammed the door.

In her apartment, Casey googled the name of the dental office where Lou's mom, Barb, worked as a hygienist. A minute later, she learned that Barb had already left for the hospital. Casey was about to follow suit when she noticed Lou's blood on her shirt. She yanked the shirt over her head, grabbed a clean one, and then headed for her car.

At the hospital, Lou's siblings were crowded into a small, private waiting room designated for families. The door was open, a sign marked “Scheckter” and “Occupied” posted beside it. As Casey stood in the doorway, Lou's mother rushed over and embraced her.

“The doctors are working on him,” Barb said. “His right lung collapsed.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“I don't know if they've taken the bullet out yet.” Barb's hand fluttered over her silver heart pendant. “I don't understand how this happened.”

“I was the target, Barb. Lou was protecting me.” Casey tried to tell her why but, judging from the confusion on Barb's face, she wasn't making much sense.

“Go home and rest, Casey. We're here, and Lou's dad is flying in from Winnipeg.”

Leaving wasn't an option. Casey walked past more waiting rooms until she came to an alcove containing half a dozen chairs. She plunked into the first one and looked at the dark carpet until her vision blurred. Lalonde might have had a point about running without thinking. Wasn't she just as likely to run from relationships as she was to run into trouble? She'd run from Lou. She saw that now. And he knew it. But he'd waited . . . If he died . . . There was a special kind of hell for her type of cowardice. It consumed spirit the way quicksand consumed bodies. She could almost feel the suffocation starting.

Casey had no idea how long she'd been staring at the floor when she realized she wasn't alone. She looked up and saw Theo. The guy might not be a killer, but Darcy sure in hell was and he might be on Theo's payroll.

“Please tell me Darcy's been caught,” she said.

Theo sat beside her. “I can't.”

She leaned back in the chair and groaned. No surprise there.

“I followed the cop who went after him until Darcy jumped in his car and took off like a freakin' maniac. I also went to Lillian's place, but he didn't show up.”

She opened her eyes. “Will Darcy go back to Rhonda's house? He's still expecting me to hand over that money, right?”

“Yes, but he knows it's too risky to show up right now. How's Lou?”

“His lung collapsed.” She shifted in her chair. “I hate hospitals.”

“Me, too.” Theo glanced at magazines on the round table in front of them. “My wife was in intensive care for two days before she passed away. Hit by a drunk driver with three prior convictions. Guy went to jail briefly. A month after he got out, he died too.” Theo met Casey's gaze. “Did you know Lou's in love with you?”

She swallowed back the guilt. “I'd begun to get that feeling.”

“How do you feel about him?”

Casey's eyes filled with tears. “More than I can say.” More than she wanted to tell this guy. Hadn't Theo played a role in this nightmare? She wiped her eyes with a tissue. “How on god's earth did Lou wind up in your car?”

“You weren't returning my calls, presumably because of trust issues, so I asked for help from the person you trusted. I thought you'd want a witness and good friend close by when I showed you what I had. Lou wasn't hard to track down.”

“He wouldn't have cooperated if he thought it would put me in danger.”

“Actually, he's the one who told me you were in danger. He was about to rush out the door to follow you to Marcus's place when I showed up, so I offered to help.”

Casey blinked back more tears.

“We passed you on Marine Drive and turned around, but couldn't catch up,” Theo said. “When we reached Napier, I spotted Darcy's car speeding toward the house.”

Casey saw the large clock on a wall outside the alcove. It felt much later than nine-thirty. “You, Mother, and Darcy.” She shook her head. “Death and destruction follow you three wherever you go, don't they?”

“They don't follow us. Darcy creates them and I've been trying to stop him.”

A nurse hurried by. Other visitors ambled past, glancing furtively at her.

“Maybe Darcy creates chaos with your blessing. Maybe you had him kill Dad, fully expecting to locate the money, only it wasn't where you thought it'd be.”

“Darcy acted on his own and here's the proof I told you about.” Theo removed a letter, cassette tape, and folded sheet of paper with black smudges from his pockets. He handed the sheet to her. “It was in a locker at the bus terminal. Simone Archambault probably wanted you to drive her there to collect the stuff.”

Casey remembered Simone lifting a folded smudged sheet and cassette from her trunk before she handed over the notebook. “How'd you know about her locker?”

“I followed you to the theater, but it didn't take long to realize Darcy was also tailing you.”

“Great. Which one of you followed me to my car?”

“I did, to make sure he didn't hurt you. I should have realized the bastard had a reason for hanging back. I'm guessing that he spotted Simone and went after her. Once you were in your car, I headed back to the theater to confront Darcy and that's when I found Simone lying between the building and some bushes.” Theo paused as more people walked by. “She told me her name and I called 911. Poor thing was badly beaten.”

“I didn't see Simone, and if she was there, why didn't she approach me?”

“Probably because she recognized Darcy when she saw him follow you to the theater. She would have wanted to stay hidden until he left.”

“They knew each other?”

“She knew who he was. When I told her my name, she gave me a key to a locker at the bus terminal, and told me to give everything in the locker to you.”

“How'd she end up on the porch?”

“That's where I messed up. I'd assumed Darcy took off after the beating, but he must have spotted me coming and hid. I'm guessing he'd planned to get more information out of Simone. Obviously, he didn't know about the key. When I heard the ambulance a couple of blocks away, I took off.”

Casey scowled. “If you'd bloody stayed with Simone, she might still be alive.”

“Or he would have killed us both. When the ambulance was a block away, I left. I honestly didn't think he'd grab her. I underestimated his need to take his rage out on her and you.”

Casey unfolded the sheet of paper and found herself looking at a sketch of Simone and Dad seated at a table. On the left side, a tall man with curly hair and shaded glasses stood in a doorway. Darcy.

“Is that Alvin's All-Canadian Café?”

“Yes. I talked to staff back then and found out that Simone's nephew was eating with them that night. He's an artist. I never did get a chance to talk to the man. All I could find out was that he left for a backpacking trip around Australia the day after that meal.”

Casey wasn't sure she bought Theo's story. “I drove back to the theater for a last look, then went to the bus terminal. I didn't see you, Darcy, or Simone anywhere.”

“The bushes kept a lot hidden, and anyway, how closely did you look?”

He was right. She hadn't gotten out of her car, but had only driven past.

“You were probably on your way home by the time I found the terminal,” Theo added, handing her the letter. “Simone had two keys on the chain she wore. I don't know what the other one was for.”

As he showed her the keys, Casey thought she recognized the smaller one. Simone had used one just like it to open the trunk in her home. She held the torn envelope in front of Theo. “Did you read the letter?”

“Yes, and you should too.”

She opened the letter and began reading the tiny but legible handwriting.

I should have told you when you came. Darcy phoned after you left. Found out where I lived. I had to hide. Marcus was murdered. He knew there was trouble when Darcy showed up at the café. Marcus asked my nephew to draw Darcy to have a record.

Marcus gave me notebook at the hospital. He wanted to listen to Mozart. He couldn't tolerate light or loud noise. His throat was swollen—could hardly talk or move. I gave him my nephew's old tape player and put it under his blanket so he could reach the buttons. Next day, I heard music playing, then voices. Marcus and Darcy talking. Marcus wanted me to have the tape. I tried to leave the hospital, but Darcy was there, so I hid. Later I learned Marcus was dead.

Simone

Casey looked at the cassette in Theo's hand.
Mozart: The Last Four String Quartets
. “What did Dad and Darcy talk about?”

“What Darcy did to him, and why.” Theo paused. “I'm not sure if Marcus was supposed to die, at least not until Darcy found the money. He probably miscalculated the dosage.”

Casey turned the tape over in her hands.

“You need to hear it, so I brought this.” Theo removed a small cassette player from a pocket inside his coat.

Casey wasn't sure she was ready. How long would it take before she stopped slamming into one crisis after another? She felt like a pinball trapped inside a machine built from her own memories, obstacles, and disasters. The more battles she survived, the more chance she had of winning. But if she rolled between those flippers . . .

Theo popped the cassette in and Casey heard Mozart. Seconds later, the sound of Dad's voice made her tear up. Long pauses separated slurred, barely audible words. When Darcy spoke, her back stiffened.

“Look, Marcus, just tell me where the money is, then you can have the antitoxin.”

“There's . . . no . . .”

“Toxin? Sure there is. Didn't I tell you about my brother, the microbiologist? He's spent his stupid life studying botulism. Finally got some use out of him.”

“If I . . . die . . . you . . . won't . . .”

“Oh, I'll find the money all right, don't worry. It'd just go faster if you helped. Hell, you could save your useless life if you told me where you stashed it.”

A long silence. Casey looked at Theo, who was scowling.

“Think about my offer,” Darcy added. “I'll be back for an answer in two hours.”

Mozart returned.

“Simone must have visited Marcus after that,” Theo said. “Just before Darcy came back.”

Casey gripped the arms of the chair. She was so angry she could barely get the words out.

“Darcy worked for you. Was this your idea?”

“I admit I wanted the money and assigned Darcy to help find it, for a commission. But I swear I didn't want Marcus hurt. Darcy was simply supposed to follow Marcus and figure out where he might have hidden the cash.”

Why should she believe him?.

“With this evidence, we've got Darcy,” Theo continued. “I've been in touch with his brother, who said that some botulism bacterium was stolen from his lab about the time Darcy came to visit him.”

“Was there an antitoxin?”

“No.”

Casey rubbed her forehead. “How much does my mother know about this?”

“I don't think Lillian ever knew whether the poisoning was accidental or deliberate,” Theo replied. “But she wouldn't have confronted Darcy. She knows he has a temper, and if he had any reason to think she might betray him, she knew he'd hurt her.”

“I'd burn the money before I let Darcy get a single dime.” Casey popped the cassette out of the player. “I should phone Lalonde, see if he's found the bastard.”

“If Darcy doesn't want to be found, he won't be.”

“Mother will lead them to him and she's not so hard to pin down. All I have to do is tell her I found the cash and she'll come running.”

“Have you?”

“No.” Interesting how quickly he asked the question. “What's your next move?”

“Find Darcy. Once I tell him about the evidence, he'll come after me for the tape, which is why I should store it in a safe place.”

“I'll find the safe place.” She dropped the cassette in her purse. “But go ahead and tell Darcy you have it.”

“To prove I really am on your side, here.” Theo handed her the letter, sketch, and keys. “Be careful, Casey. With or without this evidence, Darcy's not finished with you until he has the money.”

“I'm not finished with him either.” She opened the door. “What'll you do with Darcy when he comes after you?”

“Turn him over to the police.” Theo stood. “I'll let you know when that happens.”

Casey watched him leave. She sat there a few minutes, thinking about everything Theo had said and wondering if he really would go after Darcy. Finally, she stood and headed back to the waiting room where she found Barb slumped in a chair and looking haggard.

“I'm still waiting to see him,” Barb said. “Maybe you should go home.”

“I can't.” Casey reached for her hand. “Not yet.”