A Taste of Sin (13 page)

Chapter 28

Benjamin was already in the Detective’s office when I got there at three o’clock.

He had Emily’s intense blue eyes and blonde hair, but that’s where the similarities ended. He was tall, maybe six-two. Long bangs swooped over his eyes, like Justin Beiber before the haircut. He wore a tight grey t-shirt and skinny jeans. 

Detective James introduced us and we shook hands.

“So, you’re a private eye, huh?” Benjamin’s voice was high-pitched and loud. His teeth were too big for his mouth.

“Yes, well, I’m sort of in training,” I said.

He seemed amused by this disclosure. “Hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?”

I nodded.

Detective James offered me a seat then turned to Benjamin. “Would you like some coffee?”

He held up a hand. “No thanks. I’m already buzzing from my triple espresso on the ride up here.”

“Thanks again for making the trip,” the detective said. “You mentioned you had some information?”

Benjamin cracked his knuckles as he looked around the office. “They should give you a room with a window, at least. It’s kind of stuffy in here, don’t you think?”

Detective James nodded. “Yeah. So, getting back to Emily and Paul, when was the last time you actually spoke to your sister?”

Benjamin leaned back in the chair. “Hawaii. About three years ago. She was pissed that I had the nerve to show up,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But someone had to warn the guy.”

Detective James leaned in. “Warn Paul? About what?”

Benjamin laughed. “How’s my sister doing, Detective? Let me guess … she’s dying from leukemia this time.”

“Leukemia?” I asked. “She has liver disease.”

Benjamin’s eyebrow rose up. “She was dying of brain cancer about four years ago. Did she tell you that? Miraculously cured after her second husband died in a car accident.”

What the hell was he talking about? “So she’s a hypochondriac?”

“A hypochondriac whose last two husbands just happened to die of unnatural causes. When I read that newspaper article this morning, I knew she’d done it again.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Detective James squirmed in his chair. “Benjamin, are you suggesting your sister had Paul killed?”

“Come on, guys. Do your homework. My sister has been playing you this whole time. She threatened to kill me in Hawaii if I told Paul about her last husband. I didn’t give a shit. Let her try. But I came to the conclusion that he probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. Guys are such suckers. Especially when they
think
they’re in love.”

“Why should we believe you?” I said. “Maybe you’re the crazy one. You urinated on the wedding cake!”

Benjamin threw his hands up in defeat. “Guilty as charged. But I figured since she threatened to kill me, I might as well have a little fun and destroy her party.”

Detective James wiped his forehead. “Is there any evidence that proves Emily caused her first husband’s car accident? Do you have names of people who can confirm this?”

“No - but go ahead and look into it. She was living in Rhode Island at the time. I think it was about five years ago. Her husband’s name was Gary Buckley. She raked in half a million bucks from his life insurance. I’m willing to bet Emily stands to get another large check from Paul’s death. Call the insurance company right now if you don’t believe me.”

“She told me the life insurance policy was on her, not Paul,” I said.

Benjamin rolled his eyes. “Of course she
told
you that.”

Detective James got on his phone and barked orders at someone. When he ended the call, he wiped his forehead again, then turned his attention back to Benjamin. “We’ll find out if you’re right in a few minutes.”

Benjamin chuckled. “If I’m right, and I know I am, I’d love to see the look on her face when you throw those handcuffs on her wrists.”

“We can’t arrest her,” the detective said. “But we can arrange to bring her in for questioning. I will
not
put this lady through anymore unnecessary trauma.”

A lump had formed in my chest and it felt like I was about to have a panic attack. How could I have been so blind to what what really happening? What kind of private detective was I? Not very good, apparently. “Emily left this morning,” I said. “Linda said she took a bus to Florida to stay with your parents.”

Benjamin shook his head, and laughed with contempt. “Our parents died over twenty years ago.”

I gulped. “What?”

“We can track Emily’s cell phone,” Detective James said. “We’ll find her.”

“Emily’s cell phone has been disconnected,” I added.

Benjamin leaned back with a smug expression. “I hate to say it, guys, but Emily is long gone. She’s probably been planning this for months … maybe years. Most insurance companies require a minimum of three years on a policy before they pay up. You think the timing is a coincidence?”

“How could she fake her liver disease?” I asked. “The yellowing of her skin and eyes. Emily is truly not in good health.”

“Come on. How hard would it be to fake that?” Benjamin said. “She could have used makeup.”

I glanced at Detective James. I could tell by his tense expression that he was starting to believe the brother’s story.

“Okay, so she lied about her parents,” I said. “That doesn’t make her a murderer. Maybe
you’re
trying to frame her.”

He sputtered another laugh. “Frame her? How does that benefit me? Besides, I didn’t even know what had happened until I read the article in this morning’s paper. That’s probably why she got the hell out of town. She figured I’d catch wind of this and bring her house of cards down.”

“Then why did she hire
me
?” I asked. “Why draw attention to herself if she was planning to have Paul killed. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Actually, it makes perfect sense,” Detective James said, tapping his fingers on the table. “Emily told you Paul was poisoning her for one very good reason. Just so you’d set up those hidden cameras in the kitchen. That surveillance was a key part of her plan to secure an alibi. Whether or not Hector knew about the surveillance, we’ll never know.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. It was starting to make sense, but it still seemed to be such a ludicrous plot. “But she was attacked. Hector stabbed
her
in the leg.”

The detective shrugged. “Could have been a clever move to help prove she was a victim.”

Benjamin offered a lame pout. “Don’t take it personally. My sister is very good at this. If you think you were gullible, just think of Paul. That guy was totally clueless. He actually believed his wife was dying. Did she ever mention her doctor’s name, or where his office was located? Did she show you any lab reports for her blood work?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I have her doctor’s name but I never got around to actually talking to him. I figured he'd be bound by some kind of doctor patient confidentiality.”

The phone rang and Detective James snatched it up. “What have you got? Yep … okay. Find out which bank and let me know.” He set the phone back down and looked at me. “Emily is getting two million.”

Benjamin leaned back, smiling. “So, you guys believe me now?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose to ease the throbbing in my head. “If Hector was hired to kill Paul, why didn’t you find any money on him? He was broke, right?”

Detective James said, “Maybe she planned to pay Hector once she got her life insurance settlement. Or she never planned to give him money at all. She knew the surveillance would incriminate him either way and
your
testimony would help secure her innocence.”

I felt like a fool. I remembered the day I went over to the house when she wouldn’t answer her phone. Hector had just come out of the house and she’d seemed frazzled when I walked in. Maybe they’d just had sex. “What if Emily was having an affair with Hector, and made promises they’d be together once Paul was out of the picture?”

The detective nodded. “Wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.”

Anger bubbled up inside me. “Except, she probably never imagined her gentle husband would come to her rescue and kill Hector. Maybe
that
part of the plan backfired.”

Benjamin clapped his hands. “Look at you guys go.”

I ignored him, keeping my attention on the detective. “What about Hector’s bus ticket? Maybe Emily purchased it with Paul’s credit card.”

He nodded. “Big question is, where is
she
going now?”

“Linda dropped her off at the bus station,” I said. “They require a photo I.D. these days, so she could be in the system.”

“True. But she could have bought a ticket for anywhere and got off at any stop along the way. In any case, the insurance company will need a new address to send a check. We’ll be able to track her down once Emily calls them with her new location.”

Benjamin pushed up from his chair and stretched his arms over his head like he was already bored. “Well, I can see you two got this. I should head back to the city before rush hour.”

Detective James got to his feet. “Hey, if the DA is able to form a case against your sister for conspiracy to commit murder, will you testify for them as a character witness?”

“Sure, man. You have my number.”

After Benjamin left the office, the detective gathered the papers on his desk and stuffed them into a leather satchel.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“I need to make some more calls to corroborate Benjamin’s theory. It’s going to be a long day.”

I grabbed my purse and rose from my seat. “Do you believe him?”

“It’s compelling. The insurance money is a game changer.”

“If Benjamin is telling the truth, Paul was framed by his own wife and her lover. Why didn’t we ever consider that?”

“Because Emily was dying and everyone felt sorry for her. It was a genius plot, but her brother saw right through it. If he hadn’t seen that article and put two and two together …”

I felt like pulling my hair out. “Look, I just want to say thank you for including me in this conversation. I know you were not obligated to.”

He gave a curt nod. “No problem. Just keep this under wraps for a few days until we get some answers.”

“What about Linda? She’s worried sick about Emily. Do I keep this from her?”

“Maybe it would be a good idea to keep her abreast. That way, if Emily decides to call her, she’ll be prepared to say the right things.”

“What are the chances you’ll find Emily?” I asked.

“Oh, we’ll find her. If she tries to cash the life insurance, it’ll be easy.”

“And if she doesn’t? What if she disappears and becomes someone else and forgoes the money?”

“Then we keep looking.”

* * *

When I got back home, I stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes. The throbbing in my head was excruciating. 

How was I going to tell Linda?

I rewound the past few weeks in my mind, trying to make sense of it all. Every word out of Emily’s mouth had been a lie. Her plan had worked quite well, thanks to me.

I was beginning to think my chosen career path was the wrong one and, when I told Max and Carter the truth about Emily, they’d probably agree with me. How could I be such an idiot?

I finally picked up the phone to call Linda. When she answered, I could tell by her voice she was a nervous wreck.

I told her to sit down … then I told her everything.

Two weeks later

“I’m sorry, Carter, I really thought Linda would show up. She seemed excited to meet you, I swear.”

Carter was wearing a button down shirt with a tie, and had his hair slicked back with gel. “No worries. Maybe she’s not ready to meet anyone. ”

We were at my favorite restaurant, Angelina’s, seated at the best table in the house. Max was by my side, his hand in my lap. His other hand gestured to someone outside. “Is that Linda? Over there by the telephone pole?”

I peered out the window. Linda looked stunning, clad in a beige suit, her auburn hair cascading down her shoulders. I watched as she paced back and forth on the sidewalk.

“Maybe I should go talk to her. She’s probably nervous.” I excused myself from the table and went outside.

Linda spotted me and smiled wearily. “Sorry. I know this is rude of me, but I don’t think I can do this.”

“Do what? You’re just meeting someone … you’re not getting engaged.”

Linda shook her head. “I’m sure Carter is a nice guy and all but, as I told you before, I’m damaged goods.”

“You have to understand, Carter didn’t want to come here tonight, either. It’s not my place to tell you all his secrets, but he’s been hurt. His daughter overdosed years ago and died. A person can never recover from something like that. But he's willing to meet you. You are a warm, giving person. You drink too much, but so what. We all have our things.”

Linda fidgeted with her bracelet. “Why are you so intent on fixing us up?”

“Because you’re both wonderful people and you are both your own worst enemies.”

“Did you tell him I have a drinking problem?”

“He’s not one to judge.”

Linda nodded. “Okay, fine. I’ll be in shortly. I promise. I just need a minute to breathe.”

I squeezed her arm, then turned to go back inside the restaurant.

Max looked up. “Is she coming?”

“Yeah, she’s just nervous.”

Carter didn’t seem fazed. “Is she still having a tough time dealing with Emily’s disappearance?”

“They were close friends,” I said. “It’s a huge blow.”

“They still haven’t found her, huh?” Carter asked, taking a sip of water.

“No. She hasn’t claimed the life insurance money yet. The FBI are involved now, and they have tapped Linda's phone in case Emily tries to contact her. They have seized all of her bank accounts and credit cards, but it looks like she drained whatever savings she and Paul had on the morning of his death. Which, in my mind, only proves that his murder was premeditated.”

“What about the doctor?” Carter asked. “Were the authorities able to find out if Emily really has liver disease?”

“She was never a patient of Dr. Knowles,” I said.

“So, it looks like her brother is telling the truth?” Max asked.

“Yep. But it still seems odd to me that Paul never offered to go see the doctor with Emily. Unless Emily kept making excuses for him not to go with her. And you'd think Paul would have noticed that there were no medical bills coming in.”

Carter said, “Some people see what they want to see. It sounds like he trusted Emily and therefore had no reason to doubt her. When my mother got sick, she never let anyone in the family go to her doctor's appointments with her. Some people are that way.”

As Linda walked into the restaurant and approached the table there was trepidation in her eyes. Carter looked over and immediately stood up. I introduced them and he pulled out a chair for her. She seemed impressed.

“Sorry I'm so late,” she said. “I hope you'll forgive me.”

Carter gave her a reassuring smile as he held out his hand. “Nothing to forgive. I'm Carter. It's nice to meet you.”

Linda shook his hand and her features relaxed. “I'm Linda. And the pleasure is all mine.”

Max winked at me, as if he knew this night was going to turn out okay after all.

The waitress came by and asked Linda what she'd like to drink.

Linda eyed my glass of wine longingly. “I'll have … a cranberry juice, please. But, could you put it in a wine glass?”

The waitress chuckled. “Sure, no problem, ma'am.”

Linda leaned back in her chair, as if she was finally beginning to relax, and after the waitress served up the cranberry juice, she sipped the beverage like sampling a fine wine.

“Well,” I said, clearing my throat. “Now that we all have drinks, I’d like to propose a toast.” I held up my glass of wine. “I just got a call from my new friend, Dylan McCormick. He told me that Gavin Cole was arrested this morning on three counts of fraud, illegal gambling and sexual assault on a minor. I’m on the list of witnesses, should it go to trial, but Dylan thinks he’ll cop a plea. Either way, he’s gonna spend some time in jail and, hopefully—fingers crossed—he’ll get a dose of his own medicine.”

Everyone clinked glasses.

“Yes,” Max said. “It would be fitting if he became some guy’s bitch in the slammer.”

I lifted my glass again. “Here, here. I’ll drink to that.”