An Anniversary to Die For (20 page)

“That’s okay, Susan!” Erika bent down to greet the retriever. “I’m just glad to see a happy face. Brett’s walking around looking as though he expects the sky to fall.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m almost afraid to ask. But I think he’s afraid Signe’s going to be arrested.”

“How . . . ?”

“I overheard him talking on the phone. I don’t know who he was talking to, but I’m almost sure he was saying something about what idiots the Oxford Landing police were, and that you could depend on them to get things wrong, and that someone was getting an arrest warrant issued. I know he mentioned Signe.”

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“Because I’m not sure he would tell me. No, that’s not true. I’m sure he wouldn’t tell me.”

“But . . .” Susan stopped speaking. Erika looked miserable. Susan didn’t want to say anything that might add to her problems.

“I knew he took his job seriously,” Erika said slowly. “I knew he cared. I knew he had strong ethics. I knew all of that before we got married. It just never occurred to me that he wouldn’t trust me.”

“I’m sure Brett trusts you,” Susan said.

“Then why doesn’t he answer my questions about Signe? He knows I care about what happens to her.”

“What did you ask him?” Susan asked.

“If Signe had been arrested.”

“Already?”

“I don’t know! That’s what I’m telling you! I asked Brett, and he simply refused to talk about it! I was stunned! I never expected him to do that to me. I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t know what to do. I just turned around, walked out of the room, got into my car, and drove straight over here.”

“But Signe—”

“I don’t know about Signe. I called her on my cell phone while I was driving. No answer. I left a message on her answering machine and in her cell phone’s mailbox. She hasn’t gotten back to me. Probably because she’s sitting in a cell down at the police department.”

“Then let’s go there,” Susan said, jumping up.

“Go to the police station? I . . . I don’t know. What if Brett finds out? I don’t want him to think I’m interfering in police business.”

“Then you just drive, and I’ll go in and see if Signe’s there. Brett’s used to me interfering in police business!”

That put a smile on Erika’s face, but it disappeared almost immediately. “It doesn’t solve my problem, though. I thought Brett and I had gotten married because we wanted to share our lives. Here something has happened that involves both his professional life and mine, and he’s keeping me in the dark. Susan, I just never thought he would act like this.”

“Well . . .”

“Of course, I knew that his work involved confidentiality and that sometimes I wouldn’t know what was going on. But I never thought I’d want to know, to be honest!” Erika looked at Susan and then down at Clue. “What do you think? Am I being stupid?”

“Erika, you don’t believe Signe killed anyone, do you?”

“No.”

“And what about Brett?”

“That’s just it! It makes no sense! He agreed with me. We’ve been talking about almost nothing else since the night of your party. That’s one of the things that has me so upset! I can’t believe Brett was lying to me about what he thought.”

“Maybe he wasn’t,” Susan suggested quietly. “Maybe something else is going on here.”

Erika looked slightly less distraught. “What?” “Maybe Brett didn’t arrest Signe. And maybe he isn’t planning to.”

“I . . . I don’t understand.”

“What exactly did Brett say on the phone?”

“Something about a warrant was being issued and Signe being arrested.”

“For murdering her mother?”

Erika looked at Susan as though she thought she was mad. “For what else? A traffic ticket?”

“No, but . . .”

“I’m sorry, Susan. I shouldn’t snap at you. I just feel as though my world is beginning to fall apart. I know Signe did not kill anyone. I know Brett . . . Well, that’s just it, I guess. I thought I knew Brett. I can’t believe this is happening. To me . . . to us . . . to our marriage.”

Susan wasn’t sure what to say. “Nothing is happening to your marriage. You and Brett were meant to be together. This is just one of those difficult times. Every marriage has them.”

“Less than a month into the marriage?” Erika looked as though she didn’t believe Susan.

“Well . . .”

“And, frankly, I didn’t think we’d have most of the problems that other couples have. Neither Brett nor I is young and naive, for heaven’s sake. We’ve known each other for a long time. We’re mature people. And we put a lot of thought into this relationship.”

Susan took a moment to consider how to respond. Marriage, she would have liked to say, changed a relationship—any relationship. But Erika was a smart, sophisticated woman as well as her friend. She didn’t want to risk insulting her or sounding patronizing. Fortunately, Erika’s cell phone rang and made a response unnecessary.

Erika answered, and Susan moved away to give her some privacy. But she was barely out of the room before Erika snapped the phone shut and looked up. She was smiling. “That was Brett. He said everything is going well and that there’s no reason to worry. And, for a change, he’ll be home in time for dinner tonight.”

Susan was perplexed. “What about Signe?”

“I asked if he knew how she was—just casually—and he says she’s fine. I guess I’ve been stupid. Brett is a wonderful man and an excellent policeman. And we all know Signe didn’t kill anyone. So whatever is going on now will be worked out in the long run. I’ve been an idiot. I’m forgetting what Brett’s really like. Susan, it’s wonderful to talk to you. You really help me to see things clearly. I think I’d better get home. Brett may need to talk to me, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint him. I’ll stop at the liquor store and see if they have some of that Irish ale he likes so much.” And, as fast as her Italian sandals could carry her, Erika left Susan’s house and hurried, presumably, home to her husband.

Susan grinned briefly, but it didn’t take long for a frown to return to her face. Erika may have been satisfied with Brett’s reassurances, but Susan wasn’t. Something was going on. And she wasn’t going to be content until she found out what. She looked down at Clue, lying on the floor, staring at the door with a rejected expression on her face.

“I think it would be a good idea to go down to the police station and check out what’s happening in person, Clue. And we’d better go for a walk before I leave. This may turn out to be a long visit.”

TWENTY-TWO

THERE WAS NO WAY BRETT WAS GOING TO TELL HER SOMETHING he refused to tell his wife—at least not outright. Susan spent the drive to the police station trying to come up with a reason for him to talk to her about Signe. But she arrived at her destination without an answer to her quandary.

There was nothing at the Hancock Municipal Center to indicate any unusual activity. The library was holding its regular story time for preschoolers under a large chestnut tree on the patio surrounding the flagpole. A group of pre-teens from the youth center were playing soccer on a field nearby. A meeting seemed to be going on in the mayor’s office. At the police department, it seemed to be work as usual. There weren’t even any reporters around making pests of themselves by demanding interviews and answers to their questions. Susan easily found a place to park and walked up the brick path and through the double doors into the police station. The young man sitting behind the counter looked up from his magazine as she entered.

“May I help you?” he asked politely.

“I . . . Aren’t you Sean Hoag?” Susan asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Henshaw.” He answered without smiling.

“Sean, I haven’t seen you since . . . since . . .”

“Since the party you gave to celebrate Chad’s high school graduation. It was a pool party. I threw up in the pool.”

“That’s right. So you’re a police officer now?” she asked a bit too brightly.

“Yes, and a dedicated member of AA, in case you’re wondering about my drinking.”

“I’m sure Brett . . . I’m sure Chief Fortesque only hires the best men,” Susan stated flatly.

“Ah . . . well . . .”

Susan smiled as a pink blush spread over Sean’s face. “Does Chad know you’re still in town? You know he’s home this summer.”

The blush deepened. “Yes, ma’am. We . . . uh, ran into each other the other night.”

“Really? Where?”

“Uh . . .”

“I’ll take over here. Take a fifteen-minute break, Officer Hoag.” Brett Fortesque stood in the open doorway leading to the offices behind the public foyer. “Hi, Susan. Am I being self-centered to assume that you’re here to see me?”

Susan, distracted by Sean’s obvious reluctance to talk about his meeting with Chad, didn’t answer immediately.

“He’s going to be a good cop,” Brett said.

“You never would have thought that when he was in high school. When he was growing up, he was one of those kids you don’t notice much. He was in Scouts and on one or two teams with Chad, I’m sure, but I don’t remember anything much about him until he hit his teens. Then things changed.”

“That’s right. I remember those days. He was a terror. We probably hauled him down here to the station more than anyone else his age. I think we saw him virtually every weekend. And there were some serious charges. But I suppose hanging around the police station turned out to be a pretty good thing for Sean.”

“You mentored him?”

“I think the term is modeling. He saw the ways cops help people and decided he wanted a life like that for himself. Of course, he had to spend a year or two cleaning up his act before we’d even talk to him about a possible job. But he did that, made it through the police academy with excellent grades, and I was pleased we could find a place for him on the force.”

“Where do you think he saw Chad?” Susan asked, a frown on her face. “I got the impression he didn’t want to tell me anything about it.”

“Who knows? Could have been the drive-through window at the local McDonald’s. That’s not what you came here to talk about, is it?” Brett leaned across the desk and pressed a button on the console. “I need an officer to man the entry desk for a few moments,” he said into the microphone there. “Come on into my office. We can be comfortable and talk.” He led the way, apparently confident that his order would be followed and that the next person to enter the double doors would be appropriately greeted.

“Well, okay. You’d let me know if Chad was in any trouble, though, wouldn’t you?”

“Susan, Chad is a great kid. Hell, he’s become a great young man. You don’t have to worry about him.”

Susan laughed, relieved. “I’ll try not to. But, you know, Brett, I’m here because of Signe.”

“Your own kids are fine, so now you’re worrying about other people’s? Sit down, Susan.” He pointed to a chair. “Let’s talk.”

Susan was thrilled. “This is about Ashley’s murder, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t say that. But I’d be interested in hearing what you think. You were, after all, the first person on the scene as well as being a neighbor of the victim and most of the major suspects.”

“Well . . .” Susan leaned back and made herself comfortable in the hard chair. “I’ve been thinking about all this.” She did some quick thinking. She had an opportunity to offer alternatives to Signe as the major suspect. If only she could think of someone. “Have you checked out the staff at the inn?”

Brett leaned his elbows on his desk and rested his chin in his hands. “In what sense?”

“Do any of them have any connection to Ashley? Maybe a relative who might benefit from her death?” Suddenly realizing that she had skirted too close to Signe as a possibility, Susan changed her approach. “Maybe she’d had an affair with one of the men on the staff?”

“Ashley had affairs?”

“Well, I couldn’t be sure of that, of course. But it’s possible. She and Doug never seemed particularly close.”

“But there were rumors?”

“Not really.” She looked up at him sharply. “Why? What did you hear?”

“Susan, cops hear a lot of things. Most of them don’t relate to any particular crime. And all of them shouldn’t be talked about.”

“But . . .”

“But we’ve always had evidence that Ashley was involved with men other than her husband. Yes. In fact, we investigated several possible affairs when we were looking for a motive for someone to be poisoning Doug.”

“Really? Anyone I know?”

“Actually, Ashley was involved with a man connected to Hancock at one time, but their relationship was over before she and Doug moved to town.”

“So maybe that’s how she knew about Hancock.”

It was Brett’s turn to look interested in their conversation. “Why were you wondering about that?”

“Well, it seems like an odd place for someone to retire to. Our taxes are high, and the Markses don’t have children who would benefit from our schools. Hancock is a great community, don’t get me wrong. But we, Kathleen and I, wondered how the Markses happened to end up here. Signe has a connection with Hancock because she works for Erika, but we didn’t know if Ashley and Doug had friends in the area.”

Brett shook his head. “Not that we could find. And you can be sure we looked.”

“But Ashley’s affair . . .”

“Over years ago. We could find no connection to the case. And I’m
not
going to tell you the man’s name. Period.”

Susan frowned. So much for sharing information. “Could you tell me if that man was a guest at our party?”

“He wasn’t. And that’s the last question I answer about him.”

“What about Doug?”

“What about him?”

“Was he involved with other women?”

“No one we could find. And there weren’t any hints of any sort of . . . ah, more unusual relationships in his life.”

“Oh.” Susan hadn’t even considered that possibility. Then she had another thought. “Did you know that Doug had a shooting gallery built in the basement of their house?”

“Of course. We got a warrant and searched the place before we arrested Ashley.”

“Is it legal?”

“Completely. As long as the neighbors don’t complain about noise, there’s no ordinance against a private shooting range in Hancock. And that place was soundproof. And, before you ask, Doug has a permit for each and every one of his guns. There’s nothing illegal there. Besides, no one has been shot. Unless you know something I don’t?”