Bouquet of Lies (31 page)

Forty

LACEY SAT ON Darla’s bed, Darla’s hands in hers, both girls freshly showered with hair still wet. They were dressed in pajamas. With all evidence of the day’s events washed away, they looked into each other’s eyes and Darla started to giggle.

“What are you laughing at?” Lacey asked, a bit of a giggle forming in her own throat in response.

“Everything. You. Me. Cadmium red watercolor blood. Outfoxing Randy. It’s not funny really.” She put on a stoic face for all of a second before she burst out again. “But I can’t help it. Right now the whole thing’s hysterical.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

Lacey burst with laughter, too. “It is funny. It’s so, so funny.” She laughed harder and could barely get the words out. “Did you see the look on Randy’s face when I stood up?”

Darla spewed more giggles. “I saw. ‘Duuuuh! What happened?’” She mimicked what must have gone through Randy’s head.

Lacey joined in. “‘Duuuuh. I thought I put a bullet in her brain.” She tried to sound like Tweety Bird. “I did. I did put a bullet in her brain.’” Lacey laughed some more. Her stomach contracted and started to hurt. She put her hands on it, but she couldn’t stop the giggles.

Darla waved her hands at her sister. “‘No, wait! Wait, everybody. Darla did it.” She deepened her voice. “Darla you twit, tell them you shot your sister. You must have missed. How could you miss after all I’ve done for you?” She put on a serious face, then burst out laughing again.

Lacey laughed, too. Then, as she eyed the clock, she hugged her stomach and tried to catch her breath. “Three twenty in the morning. No wonder everything’s funny.”

Darla cocked her head, swallowing air to stop from laughing. “Three twenty? Isn’t it time for my nightmare?” She laughed again.

“Nightmares are over, baby.”

Darla looked at her sister with a smile. “The biggest one, anyway.” The smile disappeared. “I can’t believe I thought he loved me.”

“Why not? You’re the most lovable girl on the planet.” Lacey stroked Darla’s cheek with her index finger.

Darla pursed her lips, covering a smile. “How long does it take to get an annulment?”

“Not long, I think. Let’s call Henderson and find out.” Lacey stretched for the landline on the table beside the bed.

Darla laughed and pulled her back. “Not now.”

“But we’re spoiled, rich girls. Everyone expects us to behave bad . . . badly.”

“We’re good, spoiled,
polite
, rich girls. And now, after this, we’re smart, too.”

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Darla looked at Lacey, and Lacey saw the love there. It was back. Her sister was back. That scared, lost look was gone.

“I can’t believe I even thought about shooting you for one second. Or myself,” Darla said.

“You had two devils whispering in your ear. Randy and the ever resourceful, Reverend Irene.”

“And one angel. You.”

Lacey smiled, took her sister’s hands again. “I just told you what was really happening. You had the good judgment to believe me.”

“Randy didn’t make sense anymore. You did.”

Yes,
thought Lacey.
What doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger. Darla isn’t the same person. The change is amazing.

“Jake’s going to have to get a new name for you,” Lacey said.

“What do you mean?”

“No more rabbit face.”

Darla scrunched her nose.

“Or, maybe he can still call you that.”

Darla grinned. “I like Rabbit Face.”

“Jake likes Rabbit Face. Jake loves Rabbit Face. Jake loves you.”

Darla’s grin faded to a thoughtful smile. “He really followed us on the motorcycle?”

“Yep. And screwed up his back sleeping outside your motel room. Put that in one of your books and read it. That’s love.”

“That’s stupid.”

“No, it’s not. It’s romantic.”

They were both quiet, smiling at each other.

“Tomorrow I meet Mom?” Darla said.

Lacey motioned at the clock with her head. “Today you meet Mom. And Uncle D is coming over.”

“Uncle D?”

“Dan’s uncle. The detective. That’s what I call him. He’s got more 411 for us.”

“I don’t know if I can handle more 411.”

“You can handle anything, Darla. We both can.”

Darla smiled and yawned. “You think so?”

“Absolutely, undeniably, positively.”

Darla’s smile faded. “Because Randy will lie.”

“But we’ll tell the truth. We’ll make sense.”

“We will, won’t we.” It wasn’t a question. It was a confirmation.

“Okay. Scoot over,” Lacey said.

Darla did and they scrambled under the covers. Lacey turned out the light and they snuggled. She heard Darla yawn again as she said, “Good night.”

“Love you, little sis.”

“Love you, big sis.”

Lacey put a hand on Darla’s hand resting on her arm. It felt good to lie next to her. To be close sisters again. She heard Darla breathing rhythmically.

Softly she said, “Yes, my darling sister, we can handle anything.”

Lacey sighed inwardly and thought of Dan. She’d called him twice and neither time had he answered. She’d left messages and he hadn’t called back.

We can handle murderous sociopaths, but I can’t seem to handle one ethical Ticket Master, Mr. Dan-the-Man.

The doorbell rang at ten in the morning.

“That can’t be Uncle D already,” Darla called, still in her pajamas. She sat cross-legged on the bed, a sketchpad and pencil in her hand. “You said this afternoon.”

Lacey, fully dressed, poked her head in from the hall.

“Get some clothes on and I’ll go answer. I have a feeling it’s for you.”

“What?” Darla put the pad aside and looked at Lacey.

Her sister smiled. “Just get dressed. And then come downstairs.”

Lacey disappeared and Darla hurried into a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She checked herself in the mirror and smiled. That anxious, scared, watch-out feeling that had lived in the pit of her stomach all her life seemed to have disappeared. She wasn’t even fighting it. It had vanished all on its own.

“Darla!” She heard Lacey yell.

“Life is good.” She glanced at all the books in her bookshelf. “So are all of you, but I’m thinking real life is going to be a whole lot better.”

She rushed out.

Halfway down the stairs she spotted Jake in the foyer, a big bouquet of red roses in his hands. She slowed her step. “What’s going on?”

She glanced at Lacey standing to one side of the door and then looked back at Jake.

He came forward and handed the flowers to Darla. “Do you like them?” he said.

Darla put her face close to the blooms. “Aromalicious.”

“That means, yes?” Jake said.

She lifted her head. “That means definitely.” She giggled and crinkled her nose.

“There’s the rabbit face I love.” Jake laughed.

Darla smiled.

“I have something else for you.” He reached into a pocket. “Part of this whole mess is my fault.”

“What? How do you figure?” Darla said.

“I never told you how I feel.” He held out a gold, two-heart ring enhanced with rubies. “I hope I’m not being presumptuous. Lacey says I’m not.” He glanced at Lacey. Then he looked in Darla’s eyes and slipped the ring on her finger. “I’m giving you this as a promise. I’ll be there for you. Forever. No more hiding how I feel, waiting for a better time. I want you in my life. I love you. And, if I’m lucky enough . . .” His words stuck in his throat and his eyes glistened.

Darla felt her heart tug with joy. Jake? Was she hearing what she was hearing? She felt tears in her own eyes. She’d hoped and yet she’d never dared to hope. Not fully. Not really. She’d chalked up her feelings toward Jake as baby feelings. And just when he’d returned, all grown up, Randy had appeared in her life and sidetracked her.

Hijacked
.

Yes. That was a better term. She’d been an idiot, but Jake didn’t care. Here he was saying he loved her.

“You love me?” Darla said.

“He loves you,” Lacey said.

“I love you,” Jake said.

With the bouquet of roses clutched in one hand, she threw her arms around him and kissed him with all her might.

Forty-one

DAN WALKED INTO his bedroom with a roll of thirteen-gallon, drawstring kitchen trash bags. He looked at his watch. This shouldn’t take long.

He ripped off the first bag and whipped it open. Then he entered the walk-in closet. Sally’s clothes took up two-thirds of the space. With a steady hand he removed blouses from the hangers one by one, folded them and placed them in the trash bag. It filled quickly and he opened a second bag. He removed skirts next and folded them neatly. Slacks, dresses, and sweaters followed. When finished, he had sixteen bags of clothes ready to give to the Veteran’s Association. He stood with hands on hips and stared at the pile of ready-to-give-away goods. Sally’s wardrobe would be put to proper use. It would raise money for a great cause and people would wear the clothes again. Sally would be pleased.

This is getting to be a habit. Gathered in the dining room once again.
At least no one’s dead this time,
Lacey thought.

Uncle D sat at the head of the table.

Any minute now, he’ll be taking out his bottle of Tums.

He did and Lacey smiled.

Darla sat next to Jake, fingers entwined in his. She looked happier than Lacey had ever seen her. Henderson sat stiff and proper at the other end of the table.

Lacey wondered how she looked. Lonely? Where was Dan? What had she done so wrong? Why wouldn’t he even talk to her?

A deputy appeared in the doorframe, stared at Uncle D and shook his head.

“Excuse me.” Uncle D pushed his chair back and left the dining room. Everyone eyed each other and shrugged.

Lacey sighed. Henderson laced his fingers and placed his hands on the table. Darla admired the promise ring on her finger and then gave Jake a look of love. He gave her one back.

“Where’s Henry?” Lacey asked.

“My dad?” Jake mooned at Darla.

“No. Your Irish Wolfhound.”

“I don’t have— oh.” He looked at Lacey. “He found this nice little classic just begging for restoration. He’s negotiating a deal. We’re going to make a project of it.”

“Cool,” Lacey said. “That takes time. Years, in fact.”

“Sometimes.”

“Very cool. You’re not leaving at the end of the summer, then?”

“He’s not going anywhere.” Darla squeezed his hand and pulled him toward her.

Jake kissed her cheek. “I’ll find a job around here. Maybe, eventually, start my own restoration business.”

Henderson snapped open his briefcase and cleared his throat. He removed some pamphlets and forms, then slid them toward Lacey. “Read that over carefully. Both very good colleges. Fill out the application of your choice by Thursday.”

Amused, she looked at the sell-jobs for the business departments of each school, and a wry smile came to her lips. She would have loved it if her father had taken charge of her like Henderson just did.

Or would she?

She frowned. Yes. Definitely, yes. But she would have given him a hard time. She would have resisted his every effort. And how would he have known that parenting was what she really wanted? Why had she acted that way?

She looked at the lawyer, so stern and stiff. “Henderson. Do you have kids?”

He looked startled. “I do.”

“Daughters? Sons?”

“Two boys and a girl.”

“Are you proud of them?”

“Very proud.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well. Jarrod started kindergarten and wants to be a lawyer like his dad. Kenton is three and recently stopped wetting the bed. And four-month-old Emma sleeps through the night.”

Lacey laughed. “Little Hendersons. Well, tell them you’re proud of them every chance you get.”

Henderson nodded and his face turned a little red.

Uncle D’s voice carried in from the foyer. “Bring her down here. We need her. We can’t find the way in from the house. It’ll save time if she shows us how she got in from the outside.” He entered the dining room, closing his cell phone.

“What was that about?” Lacey asked. It sounded like Crystal was on the way.

“Something I’ll get to.” Uncle D took his seat.

A deputy poked his head in. “We found it. Ten seconds after we said we couldn’t.”

The rotund detective smiled. “Isn’t that always the way? Okay.” He seemed very pleased, but took a Tums anyway. “Go on in, but just glance around. Then take a break until I finish in here. I want to be there.”

The deputy saluted with one finger and disappeared.

“Now we’re cooking with gas.” Uncle D patted his tummy.

Dan walked in and Lacey felt her heart jump. When he took the chair next to her, it jumped again. He glanced at her and she saw a glimmer of a smile. At least she thought she did. Or was it wishful thinking?

She turned away from him, even though what she really wanted to do was grab him and hustle him out the door and get things straight. Why hadn’t he called? Why the silent treatment? Had she torpedoed their relationship by getting him to sleep with her?

She realized she was avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t like her to be so obsessive about a man. She had it bad. She had it real bad. Here she was about to learn more about her father’s murder and she was worrying about her relationship with Dan. Where were her priorities?

“Here’s where we are,” Uncle D said. “Randall Barber. Reverend Irene, aka Bonnie Malone, aka Elizabeth Duffey, aka Christine Haner, aka . . . well, there are several more. We’ve determined that her real name is Ana Monroe Barber.”

“Barber?” Darla gasped. “They’re related?”

“Mother and stepson.”

The news didn’t shock Lacey at all. She didn’t think anything would shock her anymore. She felt Dan take her hand. She glanced down.

She was shocked.

Darla looked at Jake, then Uncle D. “Reverend Irene is his mother?”

“Stepmother. There’s still a lot to unravel, but we know that much. She married his father when Randy was fifteen. The father died less than a year later. We’ll be looking into that.” Uncle D raised his brows. “Randy has an older brother serving in Afghanistan. We want to talk to him, of course.”

Did Dan just expect her to forgive him? She’d risked her neck. She’d needed him afterward and he hadn’t been there. Why did he think he could just nonchalantly take her hand when he hadn’t returned her phone calls? She pulled her hand away.

“They aren’t talking. They’ve both lawyered up.”

“I’ve already taken steps to ensure Randall can’t get his hands on Darla’s money for their defense,” Henderson said.

“Good,” Lacey said. She crossed her arms. She uncrossed them. She fidgeted in the chair. She wasn’t really mad at Dan. She just thought she should be. Oh, wow. She was game playing and not in some lightheartedly way. She was being manipulative. She had tried to play games with her father and look where it had gotten her. If she didn’t watch it, she would screw this thing up.

Uncle D looked at Darla. “We are certain it was Ana, your Reverend Irene, you saw at the scene of both murders. I’ll tell you why you didn’t recognize her. Ana is a petite woman, but she wore a fat suit under her kaftans and put platforms on her feet when you saw her as the Reverend Irene. It’s a scam she’s pulled before.” 

“I’m so stupid,” Darla said. “I let her into our house.”

“You aren’t stupid,” Lacey said.

“She’s conned much bigger fish than you. Believe me,” Uncle D told her. He turned to face everyone in the room. “Here’s what we’ve pieced together, mostly from what we found on Ana’s computer. And from our investigation into Randy.”

He popped a Tums in his mouth at the name Randy.

“They were after money. I think that much is obvious. They’d done their homework when it came to researching the family. Except, they did screw up here and there.”

“They didn’t know Mother was alive,” Lacey said.

“No. We don’t think so. There’s no record they searched for her death certificate.”

“Randy was there when Maggot strong-armed Edward.” Lacey looked at Darla. “Remember? The two of you had just come back from the cemetery.”

Darla shook her head. “I didn’t really pay attention.”

“Okay, well. I’m sure that’s what made Randy go after Maggot. He figured he’d better find out what Maggot knew. Killed him for the file.” She looked at Uncle D. “Right?”

“Ana killed Stark.” His face said there was no room for discussion. “She also killed your father and Edward.”

“What about Honey?”

“A man killed her. We think it was Randy. However, he claimed an alibi before he asked for a lawyer. Said he was with Darla.” His expression asked Darla if that was true.

Darla shrugged. “I keep a diary. When was she killed?”

“I know when,” Lacey said. “I remember that night. You were hysterical because Randy had cancelled your date. He has no alibi.”

“Good,” Uncle D said. “Very good.” He looked pleased. “The evidence is strong. In Ana’s closet we found the outfit you described as the one your mother was wearing the night of the costume party.”

“But . . .” Darla suddenly looked pained.

“What?” Lacey asked.

“I know I passed out when I found Daddy, so she had time to run away.”

Lacey nodded.

“What about when I saw her with Grandfather?”

“Very astute, Darla.” Uncle D bounced the fingertips of both hands against each other. He smiled, like he knew the answer.

“What?” Lacey asked.

“I didn’t pass out,” Darla said. “I screamed and then I stood outside the door. People came right away. How’d she get away then?”

Everyone was silent. The answer had something to do with what the cops were doing in the library right now.

“I trusted her,” Darla said. “And him.”

“They targeted you,” Jake told her.

Uncle D nodded. “You and your sister are very lucky. I can tell you of others who weren’t.”

Darla clutched Jake’s hand. She leaned her head against his shoulder and looked at Lacey.

“Did you hear that? We’re lucky,” Lacey said.

“Smart,” Darla answered.

“Spoiled.”

“Polite.”

“Strong.”

“Strong.” Darla smiled.

Uncle D took another Tums and raised his brows. “Cryptic.”

The two sisters giggled.

“And on the same page.” Dan looked at Jake. Jake winked at him.

Lacey glanced back and forth between the two. Had they been talking?

Uncle D took a big breath. “So. Here’s why I came to the house to tell you all this. Remember, Lacey, when your mother told us there was a secret way into this house?”

“I remember.”

“Well, we’re bringing her here to show us.”

Lacey saw Darla bite her lip.

“But you believe her,” Lacey said.

“Absolutely. There are no blueprints for this house. But, we did some research. The architect is well known for designing mansions with secret rooms and passages. We figured there was a secret room attached to the library. Why else would Ana and Randy choose that room for the murders?”

“You found it? That’s what all that talk was with the deputy?” Lacey said.

“Exactly. And we think it connects with that passage your mother used to slip into the house.”

“But how would Ana and Randy know it was there?”

“I said they researched the family. They researched the house, too. On Ana’s computer we found searches on the architect’s name and she located a book about the architect at a library in Westlake Village. So we did some old fashioned leg work this morning and guess whose prints are all over that book?”

“Ana’s.”

“Randy’s.” Uncle D beamed. “Another strand in that rope. Also, the book says the architect liked secret rooms attached to home libraries. There were examples.”

“But it looks like you had trouble finding how to get in,” Jake said. “How did they know?”