A Death In Tuscany (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 13) (6 page)

Chapter 12

“What do you think about Calvin’s theory?” Carter asked me, as we meandered back to our villa.

I shook my head. “I think it’s bogus. Does Brittany seem like a killer to you?”

“No, of course not, but Calvin has a point. Why would she marry him if it wasn’t for money?”

“Some guys are clever at hiding their demons in the beginning. Even if she had married him for money – so what? Happens all the time.”

“It’s motive, and that’s all I’m saying.”

I checked my watch. Almost ten. “Speaking of Brittany, should we go check on her? Or is it too late?”

“Let’s go see if one of her lights is on.”

As we crossed through the courtyard we could see a light in one of the windows, but the rest were dark. We decided to knock on her door once.

Within seconds, the door opened and Brittany was standing there in her robe. She didn’t look any better than when we left her five hours earlier.

“Sorry about the late hour,” Carter said. “We just got back from dinner. How are you holding up?”

She opened the door wide to let us in. “I just got up. I don’t even know what time it is.”

“It’s after ten.”

“Oh.” She wiped her eyes and gestured to the dining room table. “Have a seat if you like.”

“If you’d rather be alone,” I said. “Just say the word. We only stopped by to see if you needed anything.”

Brittany slumped into a chair. “To be honest, I have no idea what I need right now.”

Carter went to the cabinet and found a glass, then filled it with water. He set it in front of her. “Try and stay hydrated.”

“Thanks.”

“By the way,” I said. “We just met your brother-in-law a few minutes ago.”

Brittany looked up and blinked. “He’s here already?”

“Yeah. We met him after dinner. I should probably warn you that he’s on a crusade.”

“A crusade for what?” she asked and, by the blank expression on her face, she had no idea what I might be referring to.

“He’s going to insist on an autopsy.” I waited to see if that might cause a reaction, but she just stared at me.

Carter sat down next to her and said in his gentle yet firm voice, “Calvin thinks you had something to do with Dick’s death.”

She swallowed hard. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“Here’s what I think. He’s upset over his brother’s death. Maybe he’s just overreacting. How well do you know Calvin?”

“Not very well. I can’t believe he thinks I somehow killed his brother.”

“Calvin is just confused because he doesn’t have all the facts yet,” I said. “Once the coroner confirms the manner of death, hopefully there will be no dispute.”

“I hope so.” Brittany sighed. “As if this wasn’t hard enough, now I have to worry about accusations from his family.”

“Did you know that Calvin was resentful of you? He thinks you married Dick for his money.”

“Is that what he said?”

“I’m sorry to ask this question and, if it’s none of my business, just say so,” Carter pursed his lips. “But who is the heir to Dick’s estate? Does he have any children from previous relationships?”

Britt shook her head. “Not that I know about. I think his only living relative is his brother, Calvin.”

“What is Dick’s estate worth?” I asked.

“I have no idea. He never shared that information with me and I never asked.”

“Look, Britt,” I said. “Dick wasn't really searching for your earring, was he?”

She shook her head. “No. How did you know that?”

“Through the grapevine,” I said, not wanting to tell her that the sisters overheard their conversation. “He thought he found gold, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” she said after a long pause. “That’s why we went back down there. He thought he would find more. I didn’t dare tell him what I thought.” A worried expression appeared on her face. “Speaking of the gold, I can’t find it anywhere. It’s not in the safe or inside any of his pockets. I have no idea where he hid it.”

“I’m sure it will turn up,” I said. “Keep looking.”

Brittany slowly got to her feet and went over to the wall to peer inside the small mirror. “Jeesh, I knew I looked bad, but I had no idea I looked like this.” She covered her face with her hands and I thought she might start sobbing but, instead, she started pacing the room. “You and the sisters next door have been so nice to me. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.” She stopped to look at us, her eyes watery. “But I have to deal with this myself, now.”

I’m not sure why I felt the need to ask the question, but I was curious. “Why did you marry Dick?”

Brittany hesitated. “I was in love with him.”

“Even though he was abusive?”

She raised her hand to her eye and turned away as if embarrassed. “That didn’t happen until after we got married. I knew he had a temper but, until recently, he never hurt me. It’s like, as soon as he got the ring on my finger, he felt he had the right to treat me like dirt.”

“Because some people only show you what they want to show you,” I said. “And it sounds like he was very good at that.”

“I should have seen the signs. I’ve been in abusive relationships before.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about this,” Carter said. “We all make mistakes. But now you can start over.”

The comment hung in the air for a few seconds until Brittany said, “I don’t know what Calvin told you about me, but I didn’t marry him for his money. Sure I was impressed by his success. I’d never dated anyone like him. He bought me things, nice things. He took me to fancy dinners. I felt special but soon found out it was all smoke and mirrors. Anyway, it’s my fault that he got aggressive. I know better than to cross him.”

“You think it’s your fault that he hit you?” I was stunned and frankly a little disappointed that Brittany didn’t have enough self-confidence to stand up for herself in this manner.

“I shouldn’t have pushed his buttons. Especially when he'd been drinking.”

She shuffled back to the table and sat down again. “Look, you guys don’t have to hang around and babysit me. I’m going to be fine, really.”

“Okay,” I said, getting to my feet. “But if you need anything, you know where we are.” I wrote down my cell phone number on the back of a card and gave it to her.

Chapter 13

The next morning at breakfast, Jamie came to sit with us at our table.

“Where’s your sister?” I asked her.

“She’s with Brittany. I offered to come get some pastries and coffee to take back to the villa. I think Britt is afraid to leave her place and run into Calvin.”

“Yeah,” I said. “She must have told you what Calvin said to us. What do you think about all that?”

“There’s no way Brittany could have killed her husband,” Jamie said, matter-of-factly. “She’s not the type of person to do something like that.”

I shrugged. “I tend to agree with you - but you never know.”

“What’s the brother like, anyway?” Jamie asked. “Do you think he and Dick had a close relationship?”

I shrugged. “Hard to say. The way he talked about him, there was no love lost. He basically admitted to the fact that his brother was a bully. Which is why I think it’s interesting that he’s even here.”

“So, how could he possibly think that a petite woma
n—
who weighs a hundred pounds at mos
t—
could overpower a big man like Dick?” Jamie asked. “As if she could have held him under water. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

I appreciated the fact that Brittany had some hard core supporters on her side. If I ever got into a bind, I’d want Jamie and Lauren in my corner. They are as loyal as they come. “By the way, I think it’s great that you and your sister are helping Brittany right now. I’m sure she’s grateful. But may I suggest something?”

Jamie hesitated. “Sure, what is it?”

“I speak from personal experience when I say this: try to stay objective. You’ve only known Brittany for a few days.”

“Here’s what I think,” Jamie said with conviction. “I frankly don’t care if she killed him or not. He was abusive and demeaning to women. So as far as I’m concerned, he got what he deserved.”

I was a little taken aback by her words, but Carter was grinning. I could tell he had a lot of respect for Jamie and her beliefs, but I wasn’t so sure I agreed with her severe judgment. Just because someone has a few demons, doesn’t necessarily make them a bad person. Every case was different and, just like life, not so black and white. “Well, there may be nothing to worry about as long as the coroner is satisfied that Dick’s death was an accident.”

Jamie stood up. “The girls are probably wondering what’s taking me so long. I better get back. If Lauren doesn’t get her coffee first thing in the morning, she’s a bear.”

“Okay,” I said. “Send Brittany our best.”

“Will do.”

Carter and I busied ourselves at the buffet table, stacking our paper plates with tarts, muffins and fresh fruit. However we were not nearly quick enough to escape the clutches of the desperate writer.

“
Buongiorno
,” Hope said to us, as cheery as ever. “Mind if I join you for breakfast?”

“Actually, we can’t stay,” I said. “Maybe next time.”

“Oh,” she said, deflated. “Well, I’ve been looking into some details that might be of interest to you. Are you sure you don’t have a few minutes?”

Clever lady, but I wasn’t going to fall for her tactics. “Sorry,” I said. “We’re heading out for the day.”

“Where are you going?”

“Out for a drive, maybe hit a few wineries.”

“Which ones?” she asked.

“Whichever ones are open.”

Before she had a chance to ask me another question, Carter kindly told her we had to leave. She must have known it was time to back off.

“Okay,” Hope said in a regretful tone. “But maybe we can talk when you get back. I think you’ll be very interested in what I have to tell you.”

* * *

It was a beautiful morning to take a drive and I was thankful to get away from the resort for a while.

“So, where are we going?” I asked Carter, who was concentrating on the road. He took the turns like a race-car driver, working the shifter expertly. I was ashamed to admit I’ve never learned how to drive a manual transmission. Maybe he’d teach me someday.

“Montepulciano,” Carter said. “Another quaint hill town village. They have some tasting rooms I think you’ll enjoy.”

I leaned back, rolled down the window a crack and breathed in the fresh air. I didn’t even mind that Carter was trying to emulate a race-car driver. Finally, we were enjoying our vacation and I wanted to drink in the scenery. It was just like the postcards, but even better.

Yet, as much as I tried to fight it, my mind kept wandering back to Hope Dillard. What kind of information did she have?

Chapter 14

After a full day in Montepulciano which included a wine tasting, full lunch and plenty of walking and shopping, we arrived back at the resort around three-thirty feeling exhausted, yet satisfied.

“I wonder if Brittany has heard anything from the coroner’s office,” I said. “Should we go over and ask?”

Carter led me into the bedroom. “I’m sure we’ll find out from one of the sisters at dinner.”

“You’re right,” I said. “What do you have in mind? A little fun in the sack?”

“Actually.” Carter fell back onto the bed, pulling me with him. “To be honest, I just need a nap.”

I laughed, but I had to admit, I could use one too. “Okay. One hour of sleep and then I’ll go for a run before we get ready for dinner.”

“A run? We just walked the whole perimeter of Montepulciano. Three or four miles at least. I think you can afford to forgo the run.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I said, laying my head on his chest.

I was about to close my eyes when someone knocked on the door.

Carter grunted. “Don’t answer it. They’ll go away.”

“What if it’s Brittany?”

“She has your number, she could call and leave a message.”

As much as I wanted to ignore the knocking, I was too curious to fall asleep at this point. I got up and went to the door.

“Jamie,” I said, noting the anxious expression on her face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I just wanted to tell you the good news. We just got back from the coroner’s office.”

“…and…?”

“Her husband’s death has been ruled an accident. There will be no further police investigation into the matter.”

“Really? How did he come to that conclusion?”

“Well, according to what Brittany told us, there were no defensive wounds found on his body. There was a minor contusion on the right side of his head, but that could be explained. He could have lost his balance and hit his head on a rock, which could have caused him to pass out. There was a large amount of water in his lungs. Taking into consideration he had an alcohol blood level of point zero six, it likely contributed to his imbalance. Like you’d said yourself, the rocks down there are a bit treacherous.”

“Well,” I said. “I guess Brittany must feel relieved in a way. What about the brother? Does he know, yet?”

Jamie shrugged. “Who knows? We haven’t seen him. We expected he’d be at the morgue after the autopsy, but he wasn’t around.”

“That’s weird. When I spoke to him last night, he seemed very motivated to get answers about his brother’s death. Where is Brittany now?”

“She’s at her villa with Lauren. We’re taking her into town for an early dinner.”

“So, what are her plans?” I asked. “Is she going to stay the rest of the week? I can’t imagine she’ll want to stick around. I wouldn’t want to.”

“She’s already booked her flight home. Lauren and I are driving her to the airport first thing tomorrow morning. She’s been busy making arrangements with the local crematorium. Much cheaper than shipping his body back to the states.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I said.

“By the way, Brittany would like to say good-bye to you and Carter before she leaves.”

“I’d like that,” I said.

When I returned to the bedroom, Carter’s eyes were closed and I wondered if he’d heard any of the conversation with Jamie. As soon as I lay down next to him, he said, “So Brittany is leaving tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I guess you heard that his death has been ruled accidental. I wonder if Calvin will accept that or not.”

“Unless he has some kind of proof that Brittany caused him to drown, what can he do?”

“Well, it’s no longer our concern,” Carter said. “We can finally get on with our vacation.”

As tempting as it was to take a nap with Carter, I couldn’t shake the antsy feeling inside. I changed into my jogging clothes and sneakers. A vigorous run would help clear my mind and settle my nerves. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

“Getting sick of me already?” he teased.

“Of course not.” I leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “I’ll be back before dark.”