Island of Deceit (17 page)

“She actually cried these big boo-hoo tears and had him angry with
me
for upsetting
her,
” Cassandra said in outrage. “Can you believe it?

“I don't know what to do. Both my parents worked very hard for their money. My mother died twenty years ago, and I don't want my father's retirement money for myself. I just want him to be comfortable for the rest of his life. I want him to be able to travel, to play golf, to enjoy the comforts he's worked so hard for. And most of all, I don't want him hurt.” She sighed, a tear slipping down her cheeks. “But I'm afraid it's already too late for that. He's going to be heartbroken when this is over. And he doesn't deserve that.”

There was nothing Barbara could say. It was all true. As she made her way back to the island, she felt as if someone was watching her. She often got that feeling lately and didn't understand where it was coming from. She'd turn, thinking someone was glaring at her, and everyone would be engaged in conversation. It had gotten to the point where she was nervous in her own home, even with the security system. She'd never been afraid before, even in New York, where crime was off the charts.

She shook her head. She was becoming paranoid. But she couldn't shake that feeling.

 

Tuesday morning, Elliot stored the backpack in the trunk of his car and then ran to the local gas station to fill up the tank. Minerva should be finished with her breakfast, he thought as he went inside and tossed the keys on the countertop.

“Elliot, I've changed my mind,” Minerva said before he could get out of his coat. She was still at the breakfast table, and for a change Andrew was up in time to join her. She was leaving for work in a few minutes.

“About what?” Elliot asked, dropping into a chair and grabbing a sweet roll. He bit into it and grimaced. The ones Barbara had served were much better. Wonder where she got them from?

Minerva worried her bottom lip. “I've been thinking about that money. I'm getting a weird feeling about giving it to Barbara. I'm on pins and needles at work. Lambert's daughter watches me like a hawk and it's making me nervous. That money is all we have left. I'm feeling that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. You don't know what could happen with that stock she's talking about. I'm not willing to trust it.”

“Minerva, we don't have enough to live off. We've already discussed this, and the paperwork Barbara gave us looks good. The company's legit.”

“I know. But we'll have nothing if something goes wrong. What if Barbara gets in an accident or dies? There will be no proof that we ever gave that money to her. We'll never get it back.”

“Minerva, what the hell's gonna happen here in this town? Barbara barely ever leaves the island.”

“Look at our son and you can ask me that question?”

“I'm figuring Andrew got into something in Norfolk he's not telling us about, just like he messed up with Barbara.”

“Daddy, that's not true…”

“Quiet, boy. I'm talking. Minerva, it's a safe investment and better than anything else I can come up with. If we set up another scam, it'll take time. We'll run the risk of getting caught.”

Minerva crimped her mouth. “I don't care. Let's hold on to what we've got.”

“Minerva…”

“I mean it, Elliot. I've always gone along with your plans, but not this time. If half of it hadn't been taken, I'd go along with it, but we can't afford to lose this on top of what we've already lost.”

“You always were too cautious.”

“I told you to put that money in an offshore bank. Then we would have it.”

“The feds look at that stuff.”

“Tell Barbara you changed your mind.” She shoved her chair back. “I've got to get to work.”

Minerva was a stubborn woman when she made her mind up about something. Frustrated, Elliot watched her disappear into the back room. He got up, gathered his keys from the counter, and stomped to the door. “Tell your mother I'll be waiting in the car.”

“What you gonna do, Dad?” Andrew asked, watching him closely.

“Exactly what your mother said. I'm going to tell Barbara I changed my mind.”

Outside, Mrs. Claxton waved and Elliot smiled and waved back. The old hag was blasting her husband. Elliot scoffed. It would be a cold day in hell before he let a woman tell him what to do. He was going to drive right up to Barbara's house after he dropped Minerva off at work and give her that money.

 

Elliot arrived at Barbara's house shortly after she got home from Harper's place. She and Harper had exercised on his equipment together that morning. And since Lambert's daughter was in residence, she decided not to walk past his place. It would be interesting if she met Trent on the path.

Elliot carried a backpack.

She hated to let scum into her house, but what choice did she have? She managed to summon a smile as she opened the door. “Come on in.”

Frowning, he exploded into the room with a desperate air. “I can't emphasize enough how much this money means to me and Minerva.”

“I understand,” Barbara said empathetically. It meant a lot to the people he stole it from, too.

She tried to tamp down her enthusiasm at getting hold of that money.

He patted the backpack. “That stock looked real good. I looked it up on the Internet and there were some good things about the parent company.” He patted the backpack. “So you take real good care of this for us.”

“Don't worry about that. I'll look after it as if it were my own,” she said. “I'll have it transferred to my friend right away.”

Barbara took the money out of the backpack, stored it in her briefcase, and handed his backpack back to him. Again, Elliot didn't respond to her as if he knew her true identity. She'd probably be as dead as Sarah by now if he knew. All the pictures Dorsey had stopped when she was a senior in high school with long hair and braces. She had no fear that he knew what she looked like.

“I'll call as soon as I have any information,” she told Elliot, and showed him to the door. She thought about Harper. He and his officers were always driving all over the island. “And, Elliot, just in case someone saw your car in my driveway, why don't I just say that you were here to pay for Minerva's hair.”

“That works for me,” he said, and Barbara closed the door after him.

After he left, Barbara counted the money and took stock. It was a rainy morning and no one was walking along the beach. She looked across the road to a partially wooded area. She shivered. She was so isolated. The next house was down the beach. She wished she had a garage instead of a carport. Assuring herself she was alone, she drove to the bank and placed the money in a safety deposit box she'd rented months ago.

Once that was done, Barbara released a long breath. The money was in her hands. Finally. She had at least enough to pay back the five people she knew, not the amount Elliot took, but enough for them to be comfortable. Much more than was stolen from her grandmother.

Dorsey's estate came to Barbara. She wouldn't keep her grandmother's share. Dorsey would forgive her. Barbara wasn't one to sneeze at money, but she'd earned enough that she really didn't need it as desperately as the seniors she'd encountered.

She felt like seeing Harper, but she didn't want to depend on him. She was with him every night as it was. She knew he sensed her unrest, that she was uneasy about something. She was surprised he hadn't pushed her for answers.

At home, it all felt anticlimactic. She'd accomplished her goal. She could leave, but where would she go? She didn't have a job to go to.

Barbara called Lambert's daughter's California number and left a message. Cassandra had said she retrieved her messages daily. She couldn't take the chance of leaving a message on a cell with Minerva in the house. She was sure the woman snooped. She could easily pick up a cell phone and toggle through the last numbers called.

The holidays. She and Harper hadn't talked about what they were doing for the holidays. Thanksgiving was next week. He would probably visit his family in North Carolina.

Had her grandmother lived, they'd probably be traveling by now. Spending Christmas in Germany or England.

Barbara sighed. She never expected to meet a man like Harper. Her marriage had been so brief that she thought she'd never go for it again. But yet…Harper was everything she'd ever wanted in a man. He was considerate. He cared. That was what touched her heart most. That he was good to her. She didn't have to be skinny or put up pretenses except for the strictures she imposed on herself. He was satisfied with her and didn't expect her to change for him.

And she'd given him nothing but lies. He'd never forgive her when he found out what she'd done. Barbara didn't know what to do or where she belonged.

She gazed out toward the ocean. It was drizzling and the waves were peaceful. There was something special about watching the ocean from Harper's place. Sunday night he'd started a fire outside and they'd snuggled beneath the blankets.

I don't want to lose this,
she thought.

Barbara sighed. At least Liane was arriving Saturday. It would be good to have her friend close by. Except Liane had made reservations to stay in the B&B and wouldn't let Barbara talk her out of it.

 

Tuesday morning, Harper drove to Trent's place. He opened the door before Harper knocked.

He looked surprised to see him. “Morning, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”

Harper nodded. “I just keep wondering why a young man would settle on an island with no entertainment. Especially one from D.C. where the partying is hard.”

Trent seemed to relax a fraction. “Is there a law against a person getting a little R and R?”

Harper studied him. “I saw you running near the Stones' the other morning.”

Trent shrugged. “I like to keep in shape. I met up with Barbara near the marsh the other day, too. I don't always run in the same place. It breaks the monotony. Are there specific places where I should and shouldn't run?”

“I'm curious about the shooting. Andrew Stone was shot a while back. They must talk about it in the beauty parlor.”

Trent nodded. “Practically everybody who comes in.”

“And I noticed you have a record.” The record was sealed, and without a court order Harper couldn't get to it.

“Not lately. I was still in high school. I haven't gotten in trouble since then.”

“You led me to believe you'd just gotten out of the military when, in fact, you got out seven years ago.”

“Sheriff, I didn't shoot that man. Now, unless you have anything concrete…”

“I'll be around,” Harper said, with the warning that he'd be watching him closely.

Trent tried to use all the D.C. cool he possessed as the sheriff watched him leave. Maybe it was time he left the area. Move to the mainland, as the locals call it, and keep a watch from there. But being here was a lot more convenient. And he couldn't leave without his mother's money.

Except for that high-school incident, Trent didn't have a record. He made sure of that.

 

Harper sat at his desk, tapping his pen against the blotter. Earlier, on his way back from Trent's, he considered dropping by Barbara's place to steal a kiss or something. He drove past. But the Stones' car was leaving as he slowed down to make the turn. It wasn't Minerva, but Elliot. What was he doing at Barbara's place? He let Elliot pull out in front of him but didn't turn into Barbara's drive. He followed Elliot until he turned off at his home, then drove back to the precinct.

Barbara had a lot of secrets, which made him uncomfortable. The Stones couldn't be into anything good. And they weren't the kind of people he wanted her mixed up with.

His intercom rang. “Harper, a Ms. Houston is here to see you.”

“Houston?”

“She's Mr. Lambert Hughes's daughter.”

“Send her in.”

Harper stood as the woman entered the office. She was a pretty woman in her late fifties.

“Have a seat, Ms. Houston.”

“Cassandra, please. I have a feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time together.”

“Oh?”

“It's come to my attention that my father's caretaker, Minerva Stone, is a swindler.”

Harper frowned. “You have proof of this?”

“No, but my source was good.”

Harper frowned. “Who is your source, Cassandra?”

“I can't tell you that. But the person warned me to get rid of Minerva before she fleeces my father out of his life's savings, the way she has several other seniors.”

“And have you fired her?”

Cassandra sighed, shaking with frustration and anger. “He won't let me.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

Harper grabbed a box of tissues and set it on the edge of his desk. “Just take your time.”

“I am so angry. He is in love with her,” she said in outrage.

Harper wondered if it was a case of a daughter hating the fact that her father could fall for a woman who wasn't her mother.

“It's like she's his girlfriend instead of his companion. My God, I just don't understand it. It's like she has a spell on him. Is there anything I can do?”

“There isn't a law against falling in love. Do you have evidence that she's stolen money from him?”

“No, I finally talked him into giving me power of attorney, so he no longer has control over his money. This way she can't steal from him, but I'm worried about him emotionally. And I thought you needed to know about these people.”

“I'm glad you came to me.”

“And I also discovered she's married to Elliot, and she and my father are acting like married people. It's shameful. My God, if he could have sex at ninety, they would.”