Death of a Bad Apple (22 page)

Was she telling the truth, I wondered, or just trying to distract me?

I spotted Jake still talking on his cell phone and headed over. He looked deep in conversation with someone on the other end, and figuring it was the lawyer he'd sent to help Honey, I was dying to hear what they were talking about. I waited, glancing around the area, and saw J.J., Dillon's friend, exiting the cordoned-off hay maze. He was looking at something on his cell phone. A picture? Of the crime scene? Kids seemed to take pictures of everything these days to post on the Internet. I wouldn't put it past him.

I called to him, but he didn't appear to hear me. I was about to head over to see if he might know something more when Willow appeared and he joined her. As soon as Jake ended his call, I asked, “Was that your lawyer friend?”

Jake shook his head. “That was Murph. He'd just finished talking to Red.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Did he find out anything more?”

“He said he confronted Red about the infertility issue. Red confirmed that he didn't learn about being infertile until he went for the prostate exam last year. But he'd suspected Tiffany wasn't his when she didn't turn up with red hair. He knew Crystal colored her red hair blond, but didn't know it was red underneath. She'd been bleaching it since high school, saying she always hated red hair. When he had his prostate exam and found out the truth, he decided he couldn't live with Crystal anymore. He figured she'd been lying about other things, not just about Tiffany.”

“Wow,” I said, taking it all in.

“The sheriff said Red suspected Crystal might have had an affair,” Jake continued, “but when he confronted her, she swore to him she'd had herself artificially inseminated. When Red asked who the father was, she said she didn't know—the records were sealed. He still doesn't know if she told the truth or not.”

“How would he be able to find out?”

“I suppose he could go to the fertility clinic and get
a court order to see if they have a record of the sperm that impregnated Crystal. Then get a DNA test. But even that would be difficult.”

I wondered if Dillon had found anything more. Surely he'd call when—and if—he did.

Jake went on. “Crystal told Red she'd only lied because she knew how much he wanted children and didn't want to hurt his feelings. Sounds weak to me, but that's apparently what she told him. She knew Red had had the mumps when he was a kid and when she didn't get pregnant after a while, guessed maybe he was infertile. She told him she went to the sperm bank and got artificially inseminated and never told him the truth.”

“But why would she do that?”

Jake shrugged. “Who knows? People get weird ideas all the time. Believe me. That's one of the reasons I decided not to get back into practicing law. Too many strange lawsuits.”

“Does Tiffany know the truth?”

“Red said Crystal begged him not to tell her because it would be devastating for her to learn he wasn't her biological father. But he was so uncomfortable with the lie that he pretty much avoided seeing Tiffany after he left Crystal.”

My cell phone chirped. Dillon was texting.

“S'up?” I answered.

I got in
, Dillon texted.

I took in a breath. “Find out who Tiffany's real father is? Someone we know?” I glanced at Jake, my eyes wide with excitement.

Yep
, Dillon texted back.
Crystal's baby daddy is—was—good old Nathan Chapman.

“I've got to talk to Crystal,” I said. “I want to see her reaction when I tell her I know that Nathan is Tiffany's father.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea, Darcy?” Jake asked. “What if Tiffany is there with her? You don't want her to find out like this, do you?”

That stopped me for a moment, but then I had an idea. “Jake, maybe you could distract Tiffany? That way I can confront Crystal without her overhearing or walking in on us.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Jake said, frowning. “I don't even know her.”

I thought for another moment. “How about this? Tell her you're helping the sheriff and he asked you to check out the hay maze to see if anything was left behind as a clue. You don't know your way around in
there like she does, so you need her help to guide you in and out.”

Jake shrugged. “That could work,” he conceded. “But you be careful. What if Crystal is the killer? If she thinks you're a threat, you could end up like Nathan and Roman.”

“Not out here in front of the other vendors who are still packing up,” I argued. I glanced at the little old lady in the Apple Sauced booth directly across from Crystal. I doubt she'd be able to come to my rescue, but there had to be others within hearing distance if I started screaming. “I'm pretty sure I'm safe. But you should be careful too. It could even be Tiffany who's behind all this.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “That's a stretch, don't you think? She seems so timid.”

“You never know,” I said. “And we've seen her temper erupt.”

The phone rang. I checked the caller ID—Aunt Abby.

“Aunt Abby? Are you all right?”

“Of course, Darcy,” my aunt answered. “Wes is taking good care of me.” I could almost see the adoring smile on her face.

“Did you learn anything from Adam Bramley?” I asked.

“Who was it said ‘Everyone has secrets'?” she answered coyly. “Was it Shakespeare? Or am I thinking of Maroon Five?”

“I think everyone's said that at one time or another,” I said. “Now, what did you find out?”

“Well, I noticed that Adam kept looking at Honey when he was over the other night. Before that Paula woman started flirting with him. I had a feeling there was something behind those looks, so I outright asked him. And guess what? I was right.”

“You mean, Adam has feelings for Honey?” I asked, flabbergasted at the news.

“Apparently Adam and Honey went out after Honey's husband passed away. Adam even went so far as to ask her to marry him, suggesting that they merge their farms. But she refused. When he kept asking, she finally admitted she was in love with someone else, but he was already married. He later learned Honey was actually seeing this married guy in secret.”

“A married man?” I took in a breath. “Do you think it was Red? Were they having an affair before he left Crystal?”

“That's my guess,” Aunt Abby said.

“Did you find out if Adam has any connection to Roman or Nathan that would make him a suspect?”

“No,” Aunt Abby answered. “He said he only met Roman for the first time that night when he stopped by the inn. And he said Roman never tried to buy his property from him.”

“That's because he had Paula to do it,” I offered.

“Poor guy,” Aunt Abby said. “He's still bitter about how Paula led him on. He needs to let go of these women who aren't interested in him.”

“I wonder if he was bitter after finding out Honey
wouldn't marry him because she loved someone else—in fact, one of his good friends—Red.”

“Oh, Darcy, do you really think he'd go to the trouble of trying to frame Honey if he still had feelings for her? Wouldn't he go after Red instead?”

“I don't know,” I said. “Maybe he wanted to hurt both of them. Remember, Honey and Red both were victims of fires. Maybe he set those fires to threaten them or destroy their farms.” I paused for a moment, thinking. “But, then, why would he kill Nathan?”

“Wes looked up Adam's background before we got there to see if he had a police record,” Aunt Abby said.

“And?”

“No record. But Sheriff O'Neil said Adam and Nathan got into a fight one night several months ago over a woman after closing down the local bar. They were both drunk. The sheriff locked them in the drunk tank overnight and let them go the next morning when they were sober. No charges were filed, but they were given warnings.”

“Who was the woman?”

“The sheriff said neither of the guys could remember her name. They were pretty drunk. She was probably just some local gal.”

“So at least it wasn't Honey,” I summarized. “Great job, Aunt Abby. Thanks for the info.”

“I wish I had more,” Aunt Abby said, “but Adam clammed up after telling us that much. He's a sad man. I feel sorry for him. And with his half brother
dead, he seems to be a mess.” She sighed. “Did you learn anything on your end?”

I filled her in on Dillon's news. “I was just about to confront Crystal about Tiffany's paternity and watch her reaction. Maybe she'll reveal something more about Nathan that will help.”

“All right,” Aunt Abby said. “Wes and I are going to the jail to talk to Honey about Adam. Maybe she'll have something to add that Adam didn't choose to share.”

I was going to say “Be careful” again, but knew it was just habit. Aunt Abby was going to visit her friend in jail, accompanied by a detective. What could go wrong?

With Aunt Abby, anything.

After I told Jake what my aunt had said, we headed over to Crystal's tent. She seemed to be nearly finished with her packing. Sealed boxes were piled around her, with only two remaining open. Tiffany stood behind her, looking at her cell phone.

Jake stepped up. “Hi, ladies,” he said cheerily. “Sorry to bother you, but I'm an attorney and I'm trying to find out more about Nathan's murder to help the sheriff.”

Good call
, I thought, mentioning he was a lawyer but not specifying any details. And it sounded so official, I doubted Crystal would argue with his upcoming request.

Crystal studied Jake. Her face was creased with worry lines—or was that stress? Or annoyance?

“I don't see how we can help,” Crystal said. “I've
already told Murph everything I know, which is basically nothing. As soon as my daughter and I finish these last boxes, we're heading back to the winery, so if you'll excuse us . . .”

Jake turned to Crystal's daughter. “Tiffany, I wondered if you'd take me through the maze to where they found Nathan's body. You know the layout of the maze, and I'm sure I'd get lost going by myself. Could I just borrow you for a few minutes to show me the way?”

Tiffany looked at her mother. Crystal made a face, then shrugged. “Ten minutes,” she said. “Then we're leaving, so make it fast.”

Tiffany nodded, then tucked her cell phone into her jeans pocket and silently followed Jake toward the hay maze.

As soon as they were out of sight, I turned my attention to Crystal. I didn't know whether to lead up to my question or just blurt it out. I finally decided not to beat around the bush. “Crystal, I understand Tiffany isn't Red's biological child.”

She reared back, looking at me as if I'd slapped her face. “What?” She glanced around to see if anyone had heard me. The only person nearby was the elderly woman across the way. “Of course she's Red's daughter! How dare you say something like that! That's how ugly rumors get started.” She took a menacing step toward me.

I took a step back. “Listen, Crystal, I know you're very protective of your daughter. That's why I had Jake take her into the maze—so she wouldn't hear
this. But I'm guessing she already knows her real father. And I'm going to do what I can to help clear Honey, and I think you're connected in some way.”

“That bastard,” Crystal mumbled, and then her eyes narrowed. “Did Red tell you this? He promised that if I didn't take every last penny from him—including the farm—he'd never breathe a word to anyone. It's bad enough Tiffany knows now, without the whole town finding out.”

“No, Red didn't tell me.”

Crystal stared at me curiously. “Then how did you find out? No one else knows. No one.”

“I can't reveal my source,” I said, pulling out the classic reporter line, “but I also know who Tiffany's real father is.”

Crystal went pale. “You couldn't possibly . . .”

“It was Nathan Chapman.”

Crystal's eyes teared up. She turned away, but I saw her wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

I suddenly felt sorry for her—and a little guilty. This was the first time she'd shown any vulnerability.

“When did you find out Nathan was her real father?” I asked gently. I glanced around, worried Tiffany and Jake might be back before my conversation with Crystal was over, but there was no sign of them.

“Last year, by accident,” Crystal said, sniffling. “I was at the local bar with a friend, and Nathan came in. He was drunk. He's always drunk. He started hitting on my friend, and I told him to cut it out. He got mad and began bragging about all the women he'd
had—and even some he'd had and didn't even know it.”

I frowned, puzzled.

Crystal shook her head. “Like I said, he was drunk, not making any sense. I asked him what he meant. He told me he used to be a regular at the Cryo-Baby clinic, donating his sperm twenty years, so he could ‘spread his seed like Johnny Appleseed.' He actually said that.”

“And you were a client at the clinic about that time.”

She nodded. “How did you know?”

I ignored her question. “What did you do?”

“I freaked out, of course. I had this sudden horrible idea that his sperm might have been used to conceive Tiffany. After I thought about it, I was convinced. She had his hair color, his smile, his eyes. I went to the clinic and demanded to know the truth. It took some convincing—and the threat of a lawsuit—to get them to confirm it. Nathan was the father.”

“Did Nathan tell Tiffany?”

Crystal nodded, tearing up again. “He started hanging around lately, paying special attention to her. I thought at first he was flirting with her, but then I suspected he wanted to be some kind of father figure
all of a sudden. I went to see him, ordered him to stop trying to get involved in Tiffany's life. “

“And did he agree to stop?”

“Only after I threatened to tell everyone in town he was a fake, a liar, and a cheat—and that he used a sperm bank.”

“So you knew the truth about him—that he wasn't related to Johnny Appleseed at all and his name really wasn't Nathan Chapman.”

She nodded. A fresh stream of tears flowed down her cheeks. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and blotted her face. “I finally had a private investigator check him out. I needed the leverage. After I told him I knew about his past and his real identity, he promised he'd back off.”

“Do you think he ever told Tiffany the truth?”

Crystal's eyes flashed. “I don't know. She's been acting strange lately. Always angry at me. But I think the truth would destroy her. I want her to keep believing Red is her father.”

I thought for a moment. Although Crystal might have had a reason to kill Nathan to protect her daughter, she didn't seem to have a reason to kill Roman. And if Tiffany knew Nathan was her father, and killed him to keep the secret, again, why kill Roman?

“What are you going to do now?” I asked Crystal as she gave a last sniff and stuffed the tissue back into her pocket.

“What do you mean?” Crystal said. “Nothing. Nathan is dead. Hopefully Tiffany doesn't know he
was her biological father.” She shrugged. “Life goes on.”

“But what about the killer who may still be roaming Apple Valley?” I asked.

“Like I said before, I think they have the right person in jail. Look at all the evidence. But that's not for me to decide. That's Murph's job. Meanwhile, I'll keep my doors locked, just in case.”