Till Death Do Us Purl (15 page)

That was Maggie, the master of understatement, Lucy nearly said aloud.

“It’s like a nightmare that just doesn’t stop. I just had to get out of the house for a little while,” Nora confessed. “Rebecca decided to stay with me again. She has some visitors tonight. A few teachers from school and her
principal. They’re actually sitting in the living room, watching TV. Rebecca will barely get out of bed to speak to anybody. But they didn’t mind staying at the house with her. This second wave of news about Jeremy has just crushed her. And the police, with all their questions. They’ve barely left us alone since they found him. Again.”

Lucy could not imagine it. What was it like to think someone you dearly loved was dead . . . then find out he’d been alive all that time? But now, learning he had actually died?

“Did Rebecca know he was alive?” Lucy felt rude asking the question so abruptly, but she couldn’t help it. She knew everyone was wondering the same thing.

Nora looked down at her dish, fiddling with her chopsticks. “That’s what everyone wants to know, isn’t it? You’ll probably read about it tomorrow in the newspaper, anyway. The police didn’t tell Rebecca she couldn’t talk about it. These things have a way of getting out.” She took a breath and looked up at them. “Yes, she did know he was alive. That’s why it’s so much harder for her now.”

Dana was the first to react. “When did she know? Right after the fire?”

“No, not immediately. Those days and nights of tears before the memorial service were quite authentic. She said he got in touch a few days after the service. He sent her a text while she was at work, during her lunch break. She didn’t recognize the number and thought someone was playing a cruel joke. But he tried again and used a certain nickname that no one else in the world could possibly know, so she finally called back. Of course, she was so shocked. She couldn’t believe it.”

Nora’s voice was low and faltering. Lucy
and her friends sat perfectly still, hanging on every word. “He didn’t get very far. He was just outside of town, in a motel on the highway. Imagine that. He could have slipped into his own funeral in a disguise and no one would have realized it,” Nora said, and nearly laughed at the absurdity. Though her glee sounded on the edge of hysteria, Lucy noticed.

“He probably could have,” Maggie agreed. “There were so many people there.”

Lucy was suddenly wondering if he
was
there. How ironic that would have been.

“Why did he stay so close?” Lucy asked, thinking out loud. “He really took a risk being discovered.”

“Rebecca asked him that, too. He said he was waiting to get in touch with her. He didn’t want to make her go too far to meet him,” Nora explained.

“Did he call anyone else?” Lucy asked quickly. She was already wondering who else knew Jeremy was alive.

“He might have. If the police know, they haven’t told us,” she replied.

“I don’t know if they found a cell phone in his room,” Dana said. “But now they have the number on Rebecca’s phone and they’ll track his calls. But when did he get in touch with Rebecca? You said a few day after the memorial and Rebecca was back at work. Was that Monday or Tuesday?” Dana asked, getting more specific.

“It was Tuesday. Of course he asked Rebecca to come see him. Right away. She told her principal she had a migraine headache and needed to leave for the day. Stewart said he thought she’d come back to school too soon
and made her promise to take a few more days off. Little did he know. Lies on top of lies. I always liked Jeremy. It was his family that rubbed me the wrong way. Well, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Rebecca was head over heels in love. Now look where it’s gotten her.”

Nora shook her head in dismay. It was clear that she deeply loved her only child and would do anything for her, suffer any pain or sacrifice, Lucy thought. But what could she do for Rebecca now? Except to help her navigate the aftermath of Jeremy’s deception.

“So Rebecca went to see Jeremy at the motel that afternoon,” Maggie said, getting her back on track.

“Yes, she went straight to the motel. Just out on the highway, not that far from town. She did call me,” Nora added. “But only to say that she didn’t feel well at school and needed to take a little ride somewhere, to be alone. And not to worry. But of course, I did,” Nora stated flatly. “It wasn’t like her to do something like that. But, with all she’d been through, I didn’t argue. I just told her to call me that night and let me know if she was going home, or staying over somewhere. She stayed with me right after the fire. But after the memorial service, she went back to her own apartment. She insisted. I just wanted her to keep in touch.”

Dana nodded sympathetically. “You had no idea where she was really going. How could you?”

“Exactly. I’m not even sure what I would have done,” Nora said honestly. “Jeremy told her not to tell anyone he was alive. That his life depended on her keeping the secret.”

Nora looked around the table, wide-eyed. For a moment, Lucy imagined the way Rebecca must
have looked at the police station, with that same wide-eyed stare, telling this same story yesterday to a detective. Maybe more than one. Probably having to tell it more than once, too.

“Rebecca hoped that she could persuade him to come forward, and try to figure out his problem, without this elaborate pretense. But she loved him,” Nora added. “So she did what he asked.”

“But why did he stage his own death? Can you tell us that?” Dana asked.

“He never told her why. That’s what she told me and what she’s told the police. She says that he never got to explain. He promised he’d tell her everything after they got away. But said it wasn’t safe now for her to know.”

“Wasn’t safe . . . because someone was after him?” Maggie asked.

“I’d assume that’s what he meant. I think the police assume that, too. He told her that they needed money, just enough to get away. But he had a way to get more and not to worry.”

“Where was Rebecca supposed to get the money? From bank accounts?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, he’d put her name on all his accounts and investments before they were married. She already has access to those funds. His will has to go through probate. I don’t think he wanted her to wait that long,” Nora said.

“But if he knew he was going to run away, why didn’t he take money with him?” Dana asked.

Lucy hadn’t thought of that, but it
was a good question. Jeremy had plenty of money. Dana was always so logical.

“She did ask him that,” Nora replied quickly. “He said he didn’t want a large withdrawal to look suspicious after his fake death. He was worried that it would raise a red flag to anyone investigating the fire at the lab and he knew that his bank records would be reviewed after he died, when his estate was in probate.”

“That make sense. Jeremy was thinking ahead. He obviously knew how the arson and insurance investigators worked,” Dana said, seeming satisfied with the answer.

“So what was his plan? Were they going to leave the country together?” Suzanne asked.

“He told Rebecca that they would,” Nora answered, though she didn’t sound convinced, Lucy noticed. “Jeremy was going to leave first and wanted Rebecca to meet him somewhere . . . Thailand . . . Switzerland . . . Dubai . . . he wasn’t sure where it would be. Or so he said. He must have had a fake passport or knew where to get one. The police haven’t told us if they found anything like that or any airline tickets in his room.”

Nora’s eyes filled with tears and she couldn’t speak.

Lucy could see that it was hard for her to consider Rebecca’s part in this bizarre, possibly criminal escapade. She was worried about the consequences for Rebecca, now that it was all coming to light.

Or maybe the tears had come just thinking about her daughter, living on the run, hiding in some distant land, possibly never to be seen again.

Lucy had no doubt that was the very opposite
of the life Nora had envisioned for the newlyweds. Nora probably took it for granted that even after she married, Rebecca would stay close, living right in town where she would baby-sit her grandchildren and remain a big part of her daughter’s life.

Jeremy had to seem a bit of a monster now, didn’t he? He certainly seemed much more devious than anyone had suspected.

“Rebecca was supposed to gather up whatever money she could,” Nora continued, “and transfer it all electronically into an account he’d opened somewhere . . . in Europe maybe. Or Asia. I’m not sure. He hadn’t given her the account number yet. He was going to send it by text.” She paused and took a deep shaky breath. “I wonder now if he was even planning on taking Rebecca with him. Or just using her. Now she’s left to answer all these questions. Hounded by the police . . .”

Nora’s voice trailed off. Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her face with her hands. Maggie patted her shoulder.

“I think he loved your daughter,” Maggie insisted. “But that is a valid question. It seems to me, if the police find that Jeremy was going to desert Rebecca, too, that would help prove she wasn’t involved in his scheme. Whatever it turns out to be.”

Nora wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yes it would. I agree. The problem is that somebody killed Jeremy before he told Rebecca what he was really up to.”

“So she only saw him again that one time, before he was killed?” Dana asked.

Nora nodded and sniffed. “That’s what she says. And I believe her. She told me that the police kept asking the same question. He must have had other visitors.
Maybe even another woman. I won’t assume anything about him now.”

Neither would anyone in the room, Lucy thought.

“But the police think Rebecca was the last to see him alive and I’m afraid for her . . . I’m afraid she’s in trouble . . . I’m afraid they’re starting to think . . .”

Nora began crying in earnest now. Suzanne handed her a box of tissues.

“Who would want to kill Jeremy?” Phoebe asked bluntly. She had been quiet tonight, so far, Lucy realized. But now went straight for the bottom line.

“Did he have any enemies?” Dana asked, following up. “Anyone he was afraid of?”

“The police asked the same thing. Rebecca didn’t know of any. There were always tensions at the lab. He was under a lot of pressure. Everyone was counting on his work to save the company.”

“What about his work? Did he talk to Rebecca about it much?” Dana caught a bean pod with her chopsticks and took a bite. No one was very interested in dinner tonight, Lucy noticed. Especially now that it was getting cold. There were few things less appetizing than cold Chinese food, that was for sure.

“Oh, Rebecca didn’t understand anything about chemistry. It all sailed right over her head. She did laugh about all the little notes and stickies he left around the house. He’d get ideas in the middle of the night. Or while taking a shower.”

“I do the same thing. When I’m working on a new pattern,” Maggie said. “Rebecca ought to save those notes if she finds any. They might come in handy.”

“He did tell Rebecca about arguments
at work,” Nora added. “But it was a very stressful time for everyone there.”

“Arguments with whom?” Maggie asked.

“With his father, mainly. But everyone argued with Philip Lassiter. The man has a very short fuse. Just like the way he acted at the wedding. Anyone can see how volatile he is.” Nora’s expression was tight and angry. Did she blame Philip Lassiter for all of this, Lucy wondered.

Philip Lassiter had a temper, no question. But enough of a temper to have killed his own son? That seemed too extreme and awful to contemplate. But if he had discovered that Jeremy faked his death, and deserted the company at its darkest hour . . . well, he may not have been able to control himself.

“Jeremy’s father is in the hospital,” Nora added. “I guess you didn’t hear that. The family kept it very quiet. He went in right after the memorial service. I heard he has some sort of chronic stomach problem and had an attack. He’s in bad shape, they say. This news has caused a setback for him.”

That seemed to answer Lucy’s unspoken question. Philip Lassiter had a solid alibi, flat on his back in a hospital room.

“There are a lot of questions still to answer, Nora,” Lucy offered. “Rebecca can’t be the only person that the police are looking at. She was probably not the only one he called or the only one who visited him.”

She couldn’t be sure of that, of course. But she certainly hoped so.

“Don’t worry, Nora. The police have to see that Rebecca is innocent. They’ll find the person who did this.” Suzanne’s voice was full of sympathy.

“I would have said that myself
at one time,” Nora replied quickly. “But I’m not sure of that at all.”

“It’s very complicated. It’s going to take time for an investigation to sort this all out.” Dana’s tone was calm and knowing. But she didn’t make any bold predictions, Lucy noticed. “In the meanwhile, Rebecca ought to have some legal advice. Especially if she’s asked to talk to the police again. Have you been in touch with an attorney?” Dana asked.

Nora shook her head. “It never occurred to us. She had nothing to do with his death. She was crushed by the news. She’s just lost her husband . . . a second time.”

“I understand. But it’s the smart thing to do. Just to make sure her rights are protected.” Dana took a card from her wallet and passed it across the table. “My husband would be happy to recommend someone. Give him a call.”

“Thank you. We’ll do that.” Nora took the card and put it into her wallet, then sighed and sat with her hands clasped over her purse.

As if she were waiting for a bus, Lucy thought. A bus that was going to take her to a place she didn’t want to visit.

“The police haven’t released the body yet. When they do, there’ll be another service,” Nora added. “Just the immediate family, Rebecca and the Lassiters. I’m not even sure if my brother will come back down from Vermont.” She sighed and stood up, then put on her coat. “We’ll get through it, I guess.”

“Yes, you will.” Maggie patted Nora’s hand again and glanced around the silent table.

“Believe me, I know how it is to be unfairly accused of such an unthinkable act. You remember that nightmare I went through after Amanda
Goran died,” she reminded Nora. “I don’t know how I survived it.”