Playing with Fire (5 page)

“I hope he’s feeling well,” she said. “You know, I was always surprised you stayed in Stoneham.”

“Never wanted to leave, believe it or not. Leslie and I have made a wonderful life for ourselves here, and it’s a terrific place for kids to grow up. None of the city problems.” He grinned at her. “How about you? Anything on the horizon? Maybe coming back here to settle down? Or is there a marriage coming up to keep you in Tampa?”

“Not if I can help it,” she said. “Besides, I love my job, and it keeps me busy enough. Listen, I’d love to exchange pleasantries, but I’m trying to keep my time here as short as possible. Can you tell me what papers I have to sign, or what I have to do?”

He opened a file on his desk. “I’m sure you know the estate is not extensive. However, your father had been a real saver and made wise investments. Your mother had a good income and never touched the principal, so there’s about two hundred thousand in annuities.”

Cassie stared at him, astonished. Had she heard right? “You’re kidding!”

“Nope. Dead serious. You’re the beneficiary, so transferring the assets should be quite simple. There’s just one form to sign. They’ll cash it out if you want. Just tell them where you bank, and they’ll do a direct deposit.” He flipped over a sheet of paper. “There’s also the house, which is now yours. I guess you’ll be wanting to sell it?”

She nodded. “Still just one real estate agency here?”

“Just the one,” he agreed. “Jesse Markham, and now his daughters. Jesse does the commercial, and they do the residential. Want me to have one of them call you?”

“To tell you the truth, if you could have someone come by this afternoon, that would be great. I’ll be home doing some work in the house. What else?”

“There’s a small life insurance policy, about twenty five thousand. It will cover funeral and other immediate expenses. I’ve called the insurance company and asked for the paperwork to be faxed, but this is Friday, so I’m not too optimistic about getting it until next week. Also, I need to file the will for probate, and I can’t do that until Monday. You’ll need to pick up a copy of the papers when I’m done so you can take care of things at the bank. I have copies of the death certificate for you, so there shouldn’t be any holdup.”

“The bank?” She frowned.

“Sure. Well, really, just the checking account. Howard Cook will take care of you when you get there. I already talked to him. Course, he’s gone for the weekend, too.”

She huffed a sigh.
Damn it all, anyway.
“Neil, I don’t mean to sound pushy or ungrateful, but I was hoping to leave here on Monday. Do you think that’s possible?”

He leaned back in his chair, looking at her. “Well, now, Cassie, I know it’s been a long time since you’ve set foot in this town, but things haven’t changed a bit. I don’t think you can get anything done in a hurry here.”

She ground her teeth in frustration. “Let’s just see how fast we can move things along, okay? If I have to, I’ll call my boss and tell him I need a day or two more.”

He checked his watch. “Why don’t you give me a holler this afternoon, and I’ll see how far I can get. Been to the funeral home yet?”

“No.” She shook her head. “That’s my next stop.”

“Well, shouldn’t be too much of a hassle there. Your mother made all the plans and left instructions.”

Cassie stared at him. “She did?”

“Yes, ma’am. Said she didn’t want anything big or fancy. You can tell Don Brandon he’ll get paid as soon as the paperwork’s done on the insurance policy. If he has any questions, have him give me a ring.”

Cassie breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful to have at least those decisions taken out of her hands.

“What do you know about Diane’s death?” The words popped out of her mouth before she even realized she’d said them, startling both her and Neil. Why had she said that? She hadn’t faced the issue in six years, hadn’t thought about it, so why had she brought it up now out of the blue? When had Diane’s death become a subject for her curiosity? Why did she even care? It seemed being back in that house was doing weird things to her mind.

Neil looked at her, sadness in his eyes. “Aw, Cassie, what do you want to bring all that up for?”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t really know.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t get home for her funeral, so I guess I’m just a little curious. All I ever knew was there was some kind of violence….” She stopped. “I don’t know why I even asked. Forget it, okay?”

Neil seemed to weigh his next words. “You know they thought for sure Griffin had killed her, don’t you? But it seems he had an airtight alibi.”

“Griffin?” Not the man she fell in love with all those years ago. Not possible. “I read that he was a suspect, but I never believed it.”

“Well, there was a lot of speculation going on there.” Neil shifted in his chair as if he found it uncomfortable. “I hate to speak ill of the dead, but your sister pushed the envelope hard, as they say.”

Cassie stared at him. “They never found out who did it, did they?”

“No, never.” He twisted his mouth in a sour expression. “And Griffin Hunter just walks around town, big as you please, still running his business. I guess if we had another landscaper around here, folks wouldn’t be putting up with him.” Neil shook his head. “Anyway, if I were you, I’d just leave things alone. No sense raking up past history.”

She stood up in a hurry then, gathering her purse and keys. She had no intention of discussing Griffin with anyone. She’d worked very hard to keep him tucked away in a secret corner of her mind.

“I have to go, Neil. Please see what you can do about the paperwork on everything, and I’ll call you later.”

“I’ll do my best,” he assured her. “But you know this town. Even tomorrow is too soon for everyone.” He came around the desk and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Sure I can’t talk you into lunch? Or how about dinner? I’d love to have you come out to the house and meet the family.”

“I’m not exactly here socializing.”
No, that sounded too rude
. “I mean, I’m just here to take care of business. To make sure things get done the way my mother wanted them. I appreciate the offer of dinner, and everything else you’re doing for me. I’ll expect to hear from you.”

She fled the office, her brain rattling. How could she get through this? With all the rage and pain bottled up inside her, socializing in Stoneham was impossible. She just wanted to escape without too much damage to her emotional state.

Cassie had kept Diane’s death pigeonholed in the back of her mind for six years. She hated the fact it was swimming to the forefront of her consciousness with such suddenness. She had refused to discuss it with her parents, instead learning what she could from articles on the Internet. But whatever details she managed to find were sketchy. Nobody seemed to know anything.

The stories had offered little more than the bare facts. Three months after Diane’s marriage to Griffin her battered body was found in a ravine at Stoneham Municipal Park. Suspicion had first fallen on the husband, always a prime suspect in cases like this. The problem was he had an airtight alibi and three witnesses to back it up. Besides, she could imagine Griffin doing a lot of things, but committing murder wasn’t one of them.

After that, the case just languished until at last it fell off the radar. Cassie had simply put it out of her mind. At the time, she had been so angry with Diane she could have killed her herself. Being in Stoneham after all this time had brought all of the unpleasantness to mind.

Donald Brandon was oily obsequiousness itself when he greeted her at the mortuary. His impeccable black suit blended into the dark wood paneling on the walls. His hair looked as if he glued it in place, every strand arranged with perfection. Cassie almost expected to hear organ and harp music drift in from the walls.

Donald held onto her hand so long she had to yank it away from him. As distasteful and unappealing as he had been in school, he had gotten worse as he’d aged.

“I understand my mother left instructions for her funeral,” she told him right away, wanting to get this over with. “If you could just tell me what they are, I’ll sign off on everything, and we can get this done.”

“I hoped we might have a moment to chat,” he said, somewhat petulant. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been home, Cassie. We have a lot to catch up on.”

She tugged her hand free and took a step back. “I’m trying to get this done and get out of here by Monday, so if we can just get to it?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that will be possible.” A little frown creased his forehead, and there was no mistaking the definitely disapproving tone of his voice, as if she’d committed some cardinal sin of funeral procedure.

“Neil told me my mother had made all the arrangements ahead of time.” She put every inch of authority into her words. “According to him, all I have to do is go over the details with you. I don’t understand what the holdup could be. What could be taking so long?”

The judgmental frown remained in place. “Today is Friday, Cassie. I have to confirm the arrangements with the cemetery, place the notices in the paper, arrange for a service, and prepare the body for burial.”

“Well, just how long will this take?” She was fast becoming impatient with the whole situation. This was getting worse by the minute.

“Your mother wanted a small service,” he explained in even tones. “We can do it in the chapel here. But I’d say, with everything, Tuesday would be the earliest we can finish up.”

“Tuesday!” She wanted to smack him and wipe that holier-than-thou look off his face. “Donald, we’re not burying the president.”

His lips thinned in disapproval. “Cassie, I must say, I’m a little disappointed in you. This is your mother we’re talking about. I know the two of you had issues these past few years, but we in Stoneham still believe in showing the proper respect for the dead.”

She gave up. The deck was stacked against her, Stoneham style, and fighting it would be a losing battle. “All right. Just do whatever you have to and call me when everything’s finalized. I’m staying at the house.” She paused. “By the way, what can you tell me about Diane’s death?”

“Diane’s death?” He kept his face blank.

“Yes. I wasn’t here at the time, and it just seems strange no one was ever arrested for it.”

“I’m sure I wouldn’t know anything about it except it was a dreadful tragedy. Have you checked with Chief Dangler?”

“No, but thanks for the suggestion.” The sarcasm in her words seemed to be lost on him.

Dangler would be just someone else to stonewall her, she was sure. Why wouldn’t anyone talk about her sister’s death?

Back in her car, she wanted to bang her head on the steering wheel. Her quick trip in and out of town was looking longer and longer. She wanted—no, needed—to shake the dust of Stoneham once and for all, but the town kept reaching out its tentacles to trap her in its own special hell.

Pulling out her cell phone, she called Mike and gave him an update.

“Don’t worry, Cassie.”
At last, kindness
. “Take however long you need. I’m sure this is a tough time for you, and I don’t want to add to your stress. Take all of next week. And don’t worry about your paycheck.”

This was more sympathy than she ever would have expected from this man. If she could just tell him that the toughest time was having to be here at all.

She passed the police station on the way to the grocery store, and her car seemed to turn in on its own and park without her doing a thing. In the next minute, she shook hands with Barry Dangler, the chief of police, telling him she was fine, and yes, it was too bad about her mother. She thanked him for his condolences.

“I wonder if I could see the file on Diane’s death,” she said, social niceties out of the way.

“Now, Cassie,” he admonished. “Why bring all that up now? It’s been six years since it happened.”

“I guess because I ignored it at the time and now I’m feeling some latent guilt.” She uncrossed her legs and re-crossed them. “And maybe a little bit of the reporter in me.”

“That’s right.” He nodded. “I heard you were working for a newspaper in Florida. But, honey, there’s just nothing to tell. Honest. I wish there was. I felt it in my bones that Griffin Hunter did it, but he was covered up with witnesses.”

“And he was the only suspect?” She could never believe Griffin killed her

He looked uncomfortable with his next words. “No disrespect, Cassie, but your sister walked a lot on the wild side. Speculation was that marriage didn’t change her social habits, and Griffin had had enough. If he didn’t do it, it could have been some guy she met that night, someone she provoked into a rage. She was pretty good at pushing people’s buttons, you know.”

Yes,
especially mine
. “So are you saying I can’t see the police report? Why?”

Dangler was silent for a long moment. “The law says you can go to court to get this if you want, so I guess I’ll just save us all that trouble. I think this is a big mistake, and it won’t make you happy, but I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, Chief. When can you have it ready for me?”

“I’ll have to get it from the dead files. All the old cases are in the archives. Give me until the first of the week.”

Cassie tamped down her frustration. Everything was “the first of the week.” She was ready to just blow the whole thing off, but her reporter’s nose was twitching. Both people she had brought this up with wanted her to forget it, which just made her more determined to pursue it. She was stuck in town anyway, so she might as well get what information she could.

Just maybe she could at last shut the door on Griffin Hunter.

“Call me Monday afternoon if you haven’t heard from me by then,” Dangler told her. They shook hands, and he ushered her out.

Everything today served to remind her more and more why she hated this place so much.

Next, she stopped at the grocery store. Cleaning supplies. More food than she first planned on since it appeared she was going to be stuck here for a few days. She rushed along the aisles, pushing herself to be home by early afternoon. She needed to call Neil and check on his progress and also see what he had been able to do about arranging a real estate agent to come out to see the house. She’d been in Stoneham less than a day, and already she could feel it suffocating her.