The Ghost Who Wanted Revenge (Haunting Danielle Book 4) (20 page)

S
omeone needed
to loan Brian Henderson a comb. A toothbrush would also be nice. From the condition of his wrinkled shirt and slacks, it was obvious he had slept in his clothes. He stood alone by the watercooler in the back section of the police station, across the hallway from Chief MacDonald’s office. He had just been released on bail, yet the chief asked him to wait. They needed to talk.

The door leading from the reception area opened, and in walked Danielle Boatman. By the spring in her step, it was apparent she’d had a good night’s sleep—something Brian had missed. She wore a crisply pressed lavender blouse and denim slacks. Danielle was the last person Brian wanted to see.

“Did you have a good night’s rest?” Danielle asked with a cheeky grin. Stepping up to Brian, she looked him up and down. “That bed in lock up really sucks, doesn’t it?”

“I bet this makes you happy,” Brian grumbled.

“Happy? Oh not happy, exactly. Karma comes to mind.”

“I didn’t kill Darlene. But I don’t expect you to believe that.” He glared at Danielle. “I don’t care what you believe.”

“Really? Sheesh, you’re even a jerk when you’re on that side of the law.”

“What are you doing here? Did you just come to gloat?”

“No. Actually I’m here to get your sorry butt out of this mess.”

As if on cue, Chief MacDonald opened the door to his office. “Danielle, good, you’re here. Come on in.”

“I thought you wanted to talk to me.” Brian stammered as he watched Danielle practically skip into the chief’s office.

“I do. Stay there. But first I need to talk to Danielle.”

“
I
think
you’re enjoying this too much,” the chief said when he closed the office door, leaving Brian alone in the hallway. MacDonald sat at his desk while Danielle took a seat across from him.

“Just a little. Although, he looks so miserable it sort of takes the fun out of it for me.”

“This is serious, Danielle. I understand your issues with Brian. But we both know he didn’t murder Darlene.”

“I know.” Danielle leaned toward the desk. “But considering I may have a way to help Brian, don’t be too annoyed with me.”

“Help him, how?”

“When I was talking with Darlene, I had an idea. I didn’t want to say anything to you about it last night, until I could work it out in my head. But I think I’ve come up with a way that will allow you to arrest Chuck and Haston, get the charges against Brian dropped and convince Stoddard I had nothing to do with his murder.”

“What’s your idea?”

D
anielle sat
on the park bench in the side yard of Marlow House, sipping a tall glass of iced tea. Stoddard stood a few feet away, glaring at her in stony silence. Since she had come into the yard he had hurled repeated threats at her, yet she failed to respond. He was beginning to wonder if she could no longer see him.

When he heard the side gate open, he turned to see who was entering the yard. “What are they doing here?” he asked. It was Chuck Christiansen and Bart Haston.

Lifting her glass while remaining seated, she said, “Thank you for coming gentleman.”

“You said you wanted to discuss an out of court settlement for Lily Miller. Although I don’t know why you insisted Haston be here. Where is she?”

“Oh Lily? She went to Astoria today with Ian. I’m the only one here.” Danielle smiled.

“You’re lying to them. Lily is in the house with the cops. I saw them all going in there. What’s going on?” Stoddard demanded.

“I don’t understand?” Haston frowned. “You don’t represent Ms. Miller.”

“No. I represent myself.” Danielle sipped her tea.

“Yourself?” Chuck asked.

“I know about Stoddard’s private art collection. And I want it.”

“Who told you?” Stoddard demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chuck glanced around nervously.

“Oh don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about.”

“Even if an art collection was part of the Gusarov estate, we aren’t at liberty to sell it to you.” Chuck said.

“Oh, I don’t want to buy it!” Danielle laughed. “I want it in exchange for keeping quiet. And since no one knows about the art collection but the three of us, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Darlene knows,” Stoddard said.

Chuck narrowed his eyes and glared at Danielle. “Are you blackmailing us?”

“Ouch, ugly term. But yeah, pretty much. I know you conspired with Darlene to kill Stoddard, because you were afraid he’d let the world know the two of you helped him cover up Isabella’s death and Lily’s kidnapping.”

“Darlene wouldn’t kill me. She was carrying my child.”

Danielle prayed her next words wouldn’t send Stoddard over the edge. “I know Darlene told Stoddard she was pregnant so he’d give the cops that sworn affidavit. Of course, that was only a temporary solution. She knew once he realized she wasn’t pregnant he could throw her under the bus—with the two of you.”

“Is this some fantasy you and Morelli cooked up?” Chuck accused.

“Sargent Morelli? No. Joe has no idea I’m talking to you today. No one does. It will be our little secret.”

“I don’t understand…” Stoddard looked from Danielle to Chuck.

“You can’t prove anything,” Chuck said.

“Sure I can. You see, I have a penchant for breaking and entering. You should know that. After all, I was the one who broke into the Gusarov Estate when Lily was held there. Of course, this time it was much easier, as the alarm wasn’t on.”

Chuck and Haston exchanged glances.

“Sometimes Joe tells me more than he should. He told me about the letter he found at the estate. It was considerate of you to turn off the security alarm before giving the key to Chief MacDonald. You just wanted to help out the cops, so they wouldn’t be distracted and could easily find that bogus letter you left on Darlene’s computer.”

“So what, I gave him the key so he wouldn’t have to break down the door. They had a warrant,” Chuck said.

“See, the thing is, whoever you sent to the house earlier didn’t do a terrific job getting rid of Darlene’s incriminating evidence. I mean gosh, that house is enormous. Of course, the cops didn’t do a terrific job either.”

“What are you saying?” Chuck asked.

“Being a woman, I know where women like to hide things. Didn’t take me long to find Darlene’s diary.”

“That’s not true. We took…” Chuck smacked Haston’s arm before he could finish his sentence.

“So Darlene had a second diary? Lots of women do that. They have one diary for the hubby to find, and another where they write their deepest darkest secrets.”

“So what did this diary say?” Chuck asked.

Danielle glanced over to Haston who looked as if he were about to pee his pants. Chuck, on the other hand, looked chillingly calm.

“That’s how I found out about the art collection,” Danielle lied. She looked over to Stoddard who stood mute. “What I found most enlightening was her detailed account involving Stoddard’s murder. Every time she spoke on the phone or met with either of you, she made a note, with date and time, on what was said. I learned Bart Haston staked out the Sea Cliff Drive house, where he discovered Joe was my alibi witness and how after that, Chuck contacted Smith to kill us.”

“That’s enough.” Chuck pulled something from his pocket.

Danielle’s eyes widened in surprise when she realized what he held.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Danielle squeaked. “You keep a gun in your pocket?”

“It comes in handy,” Chuck said, glancing around.

“What are you doing with that?” Bart asked nervously.

“What does it look like? We’re going to escort Ms. Boatman into her house, and she’s going to hand over that diary.”

“And then what?” Danielle asked.

“This has to end! We can’t just keep killing people!” Bart blurted.

“Shut up Bart and get a hold of yourself.”

“This is out of control. I knew I should have refused to help Stoddard hide Isabella’s body.”

“I said shut up!” Chuck said.

“And what if I refuse to give you the diary?” Danielle asked.

Chuck pointed the gun at Danielle’s face. “We don’t need you to give us the diary. I’ll make it look like a suicide. It’s a good drive from here to Astoria, plenty of time to find where you hid Darlene’s diary. And if Lily happens to show up before we’re done, then too bad for Lily.”

“You can’t do this Chuck!” Bart gasped.

Danielle wondered if MacDonald and his men were waiting for Chuck to force her into the house before disarming him, or if they planned to storm the side yard. She would prefer to have them wait, knowing she would be safer having Walt take the gun from Chuck. Chuck was starting to make her nervous, the way his hand shook and finger seemed overly anxious to pull the trigger. He and Haston were arguing, and she suspected Chuck might turn the gun on his accomplice. After all, he had already gotten rid of Darlene. At least now, Chuck was no longer aiming the gun at her head.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone slinking around the perimeter of the house in her direction.
Damn, they plan to disarm Chuck outside—beyond Walt’s reach.
Movement then came from the opposite direction. This time Chuck noticed. He started to raise the gun again in Danielle’s direction when Stoddard let out a ghostly scream before lunging at Chuck, snatching the gun from his grasp and hurling it into the sky.

To the amazement of the five police officers now in the side yard, Chuck’s gun sailed effortlessly overhead before landing on the porch roof.

D
anielle stood
by the gate and watched as they loaded Chuck Christiansen into the back of one patrol car and Bart Haston into another one. She suspected the chief wanted to keep the men separated from each other, giving them less of an opportunity to agree on some alternate story before interrogation. It looked like Bart was prepared to tell them everything they wanted to know.

“It was really Darlene?” Stoddard asked, sounding heartbroken. “There is no baby?”

Danielle reached under her blouse and pulled off the wire. There were some conversations she would prefer the police not record.

“I’m sorry. There never was a child,” Danielle said.

Instead of a response, Stoddard vanished.

Danielle glanced around and then muttered, “I think he’s really gone.” She turned back to the house when she noticed Brian Henderson walking out the kitchen doorway and coming in her direction.

“They got the gun off the roof,” he called out.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Danielle said, walking to Brian. He followed her back to the house.

“I was surprised the chief let me come today. Although he told me I had to stay put.”

Danielle didn’t respond.

“How did you know those things?”

“An educated guess,” she lied.

They stopped when they reached the door to the kitchen.

Brian turned to her. “Thank you, Danielle. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help.”

“I’m sorry about Darlene,” Danielle said after a moment of reflection. When her comment seemed to confuse him, she continued. “We don’t choose who we fall in love with. In spite of the things she did, I imagine losing Darlene is painful for you.”

“I would never have helped her frame you. I need you to know that.”

“Oh, I do.” Danielle smiled. “I know you’re a jerk. But not that big of a jerk.”

T
he ocean breeze
made its way through the open bedroom window. Danielle hadn’t closed the curtains the night before, and they remained open. She wasn’t in a hurry to get out of bed. It was Saturday morning, and there were no guests to feed. Lily was downstairs with her nurse, getting her morning IV medication.

“I see you’re enjoying having your windows open again,” Walt said when he appeared in the bedroom.

Danielle automatically scooted over on the mattress, making room for Walt. “I think he’s really gone.”

Walt stretched out next to Danielle, folding his arms across his chest while leaning against the headboard. “Do you think he went back to his estate, or has he moved on?”

“I don’t know. I suspect he might have moved on.”

“And Darlene?”

“Can’t imagine what would keep her here. Although, I’m not sure either will be thrilled with the next leg in their journey.”

“You’re only guessing, Danielle. You don’t really know how this all works.”

“Maybe.” Danielle shrugged. “But I like to think there is an element of karma in the hereafter.”

“Before Stoddard left, it looked like he learned how to harness his energy. He sent that gun flying.”

“Yeah. I had been worrying about that. I never really figured he could hurt me, but then when he scratched me at the funeral, I started to wonder. Maybe I’ve been wrong all these years.”

“So what’s happening to Christiansen and Haston?”

“Joe called me last night. I guess once Haston started talking they couldn’t get him to shut up. Confessed to everything from being complicit in hiding Isabella’s body to hiring Smith, who, by the way, came out of his coma last night. Christiansen lawyered up, but I’m not sure how much that’s going to help him considering half of the local police department witnessed him holding me at gunpoint.”

The cellphone sitting on the nightstand began to ring. Danielle grabbed it and looked to see who was calling.

“It’s MacDonald.”

“You two are getting awful chummy.”

“Oh, hush,” she said with a grin before answering the phone. When the call ended a few minutes later, Danielle jumped out of bed.

Walt watched as she hastily pulled clothes from her dresser. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“MacDonald is going to pick me up in fifteen minutes.”

“Where are you going with him?” Walt scowled.

“He knows what KS Trust is and wants to show me.” Danielle tossed the clothes she intended to wear on the bed.

“He wants to show you? What does that mean?”

“I have absolutely no idea, but I love a good mystery, and you need to get out of my room so I can get dressed!”

“
H
ave you had breakfast yet
?” MacDonald asked when Danielle got into his car.

“No. I confess, I was still in bed when you called.” Danielle buckled her seat belt.

“It’ll take us about twenty minutes to get where we’re going. How about we stop at a drive through and pick up a couple breakfast burritos? We can eat them on the way.”

“You buying?”

“Sure.” MacDonald put the car in gear.

“It’s Saturday, why aren’t you home with your boys?”

“They spent last night at my sister’s. After he called this morning, I called my sister and asked her to keep them a little longer.” MacDonald drove the car down the street, away from Marlow House.

“Who is he exactly?”

“The attorney for the Gusarov estate. Did you know, last night Gloria Commings faxed the estate’s attorney an affidavit, swearing Isabella’s will—the one Stoddard put into probate—wasn’t a forgery, that Isabella had indeed changed her will, removing Earthbound Spirits.”

“I bet they’re pissed.” Danielle chuckled.

“It looks like there will be an investigation of Earthbound Spirits.”

“So this means KS Trust, whatever it is, will get the entire shebang?”

“Looks that way.”

“So are you going to tell me, or just make me wait? What is KS Trust?”

“Vanya Gusarov, Stoddard’s father, set up the trust before he died. According to the attorney, it was never Vanya’s intent for the trust to inherit Dignity Care and Life. He assumed his company would be passed down to his grandchildren, Isabella and Stoddard’s children.”

“But Isabella died and Stoddard had no children,” Danielle said with a sigh.

“Exactly.”

“So what is KS Trust?”

“Wait until we get where we’re going. I don’t know the entire story yet.”

Danielle frowned at MacDonald, yet didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked, “I wonder what’s going to happen to the company now. You don’t think Christiansen will be able to keep his job, do you? I know he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, but still.”

“According to the attorney, no. From what I understand, DCL board of directors has already called for an emergency meeting. It’s a pretty safe bet Christiansen and Haston will be removed from their positions.”

MacDonald turned into a fast food restaurant drive thru and ordered two breakfast burritos and two cups of coffee. They were back on the road again within fifteen minutes.

“You never said where we’re going.” Danielle opened MacDonald’s burrito and handed it to him with a napkin.

“Just outside of town. Some property held by KS Trust.”

Twenty minutes later, they turned down a street several blocks from the ocean and came to a small beach cottage, surrounded by wrought iron fencing. MacDonald pulled alongside the curb and parked the car.

“Here we are.” He turned the ignition off and opened the door.

“Where are we exactly?” Danielle got out of the car.

“Let’s go see.”

Together they walked toward the locked gate leading to the cottage. MacDonald rang the bell.

“Yes?” came a voice from the speaker a few moments later.

“Chief MacDonald from Frederickport. You are expecting me.”

“Just a moment please,” came the response.

A few minutes later the door to the house opened. To Danielle’s surprise, Will Wayne walked outside.

“Will?” Danielle said in surprise when he came to the gate and unlocked it.

“Morning Danielle, Chief MacDonald.” Will opened the gate.

“I don’t understand?” Danielle looked from the chief to Will.

“I didn’t know until this morning,” MacDonald said.

“Know what?” Danielle frowned.

“Come in the house, I’ll explain there,” Will said.

Danielle and the chief followed him into the house. There was no one sitting in the small tidy living room. Will led them to the doorway to the kitchen, yet stopped before walking in the room. Instead, he pointed inside. A woman, her long red hair liberally streaked with gray, sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast while a nurse sat across from her, drinking a cup of coffee. The nurse looked up to the new arrivals and nodded, but didn’t invite them in.

Will nodded to the nurse and then turned from the doorway, shutting the door before leading Danielle and MacDonald back to the living room.

“If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s Karen, Isabella’s mother, my ex-wife.”

“I don’t understand.” Danielle looked back to the close door.

Will motioned to the living room sofa and chair, inviting Danielle and MacDonald to sit down. After they did, he resumed talking.

“I found out about Karen just a few weeks ago. In the beginning, I kept track of Karen and Isabella through my former employer, and after he died, I used the Internet to keep track of Isabella. She had a Facebook page, and that helped.

“I finally mustered my courage to return to Frederickport and meet my daughter, and then I learned I was too late. She was dead. I couldn’t get much information online regarding the circumstances of her death, so I hired a private investigator to look into Isabella and her life. I also wanted to know if Stoddard had anything to do with Isabella’s death, so I had him investigated. The private investigator discovered the Gusarov secret.”

“Karen,” Danielle murmured.

“Yes. Karen has been alive all these years, and kept here. I didn’t even attempt to contact Stoddard and ask him if I could see her. After all, he and his family did everything in their power to keep us apart, and from what I learned from the private detective, I’m fairly certain Isabella had no idea her mother was still alive.”

“She was so close,” MacDonald said.

“I know.” Will shook his head. “I introduced myself to her nurses and explained who I was. After Stoddard died, they were more willing to let me see her. They knew Stoddard’s wife knew nothing about her sister-in-law and figured there was no one in the family to visit her any more. Although, Stoddard only came a couple times a year.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Danielle asked.

“She came down with early onset Alzheimer's after Isabella was born.”

“She must have been so young,” Danielle said.

“She was in her twenties when she first showed signs. Which is rare, but it does happen.”

“I don’t understand why they hid her away,” Danielle said.

“This type of Alzheimer's is highly hereditary. There was a good chance Isabella, Stoddard or Stoddard’s children might some day come down with it. That wasn’t something the old man wanted the world to know.”

“So they hid her from everyone,” Danielle said.

“When you say it’s highly hereditary—did anyone else in the family have it?” MacDonald asked.

“I suspect her mother did. When I was with Karen, I think I only saw my mother-in-law maybe three times. Karen told me her mother was a recluse. Back then, I thought her mom was a closet alcoholic, because the few times I saw her she seemed, well, out of it.”

“According to the attorney, Vanya Gusarov set up KS Trust to take care of Karen’s financial needs after his death. When she’s gone, whatever is left goes to charity,” MacDonald told them.

“Does she remember you?” Danielle asked Will.

With a sad smile, Will said, “Me? No. But Bobby, yes. She says he’s coming back for her and the baby.”

“What are your plans?” MacDonald asked Will.

“Initially, I planned to return to Phoenix. But I realize I can’t. Not now. I need to make sure Karen is taken care of. Maybe Stoddard only stopped by twice a year, but at least it was someone from the family looking in on her. Fortunately, from what I’ve seen so far, the staff they hired to take care of her seems genuinely fond of her. I haven’t noticed any signs of abuse or neglect.”

“So you’re sticking around?” Danielle asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Might be a nice change, living by the beach again, and I can keep an eye on things. I’m having my attorneys look into the possibility of getting me appointed as Karen’s guardian or whatever they call it. Considering I have my own money, and I’m not after hers, and I’m the closest thing she has as relative—she was the mother of my child—I’m hoping the courts will consider my petition. I have no desire to interfere with DCL or the charities that will ultimately inherit her estate; I just want to make sure Karen spends her remaining years as comfortable as possible.”