GUNNED (20 page)

“Oh, Alex, I think you’re really stretching things too far,” my dad said, and he was right. “I told your mother that we probably couldn’t talk you out of sleuthing, so we might as well help you solve it. The sooner the better, but let’s not get carried away.” My dad tugged on Riley’s leash, pulling him away from a thorny bush.

“And don’t forget about that Hunter fellow. These rich kids think they own the world and can get away with anything. He may have just looked at Mr. Spiegel as a nuisance and decided to get rid of him once and for all. Christine would be better off without him, if you ask me, unless she’s a killer. Then they deserve each other. Not liking someone because of their religion. When will people learn,” my mother said with a shake of her head.

We walked a bit further in silence.

“Well, our car is parked over there.” I gave Riley a pat on his head. “We’ll see you later.”

“We’re going to walk a bit more and then go over to the coffee shop on the Post Road,” my dad said.

“I thought you liked the one on Main Street better?” I asked.

My mother pulled her jacket tight as a breeze picked up. “We do, but Riley really likes the other one better. He prefers their banana nut bread. It’s moist with extra nuts, and all the baristas love him.”

Geesh.

Judith Chapman was the office manager for a medical practice in Indian Cove. It was close to ten by time Annie and I arrived, and I hoped it might be a good time for her to take a break.

“Hi, Alex. I wondered when you’d get around to me.” Judith gave me a warm smile that put me at ease immediately.

“Sorry. But I’m just covering all bases.”

“Don’t worry about it. Come on back. We’ve got coffee and tea in our break room and I could use a cup of something warm. This time of year you just don’t know what the weather is going to be like.”

We followed Judith to a small room nicely furnished and set up with a microwave, refrigerator and comfortable seating.

“I’ll have a tea,” I said.

“Café for me. I mean a coffee, please,” Annie said.

Judith got our drinks and we settled at a small kitchen table.

“So. What can I tell you?”

“First, I hope you know I don’t suspect you or Millie or Gran at all,” I said, including Millie’s grandmother, Fern Chapman, in the mix. “I actually want to ask you about the day Millie was born. Do you remember anything weird going on?”

Judith pushed a piece of hair over her ear in much the same way Millie did. They both wore their hair the same, but Judith’s was lighter and her eyes weren’t the big, round doe-shaped ones like Millie’s. “Well, it was busy, I can tell you that. My delivery was fairly routine and quick. Millie was anxious to greet the world and she’s been on high speed ever since.” Judith smiled at the memory.

“What else?” Annie prompted. I had told her all about my talk with Kathy Pastoretti and she, too, thought the man coming in at night might well be a diversion. I wanted to see if Judith could corroborate the story. Kathy could have fed it to me in an attempt to cover up either her own part in the switch or her negligence.

“The babies were all adorable and loud. I was tired a lot, and thankfully the nurses kept Millie at night so I could get some sleep.”

I didn’t want to lead Judith to say something, but I needed to find out if she remembered the disturbance.

“Other than the babies being loud, any other loud noises? Anything at all?”

Judith sipped on her coffee. “On the night after Millie was born, some guy came onto the ward. I could hear him and it scared me because, you know, I was a new mother and I didn’t want anything to happen to Millie. I got up and peeked out the door, but I couldn’t see anything. I just heard voices. I think there were two nurses and they were trying to calm him down. I went back to my bed, but I could hear him carrying on, not making much sense. I really wanted to get to the nursery to check on Millie, but I would have to pass by the nurses and the man I heard.”

“How long did it last?” I asked.

“About five minutes, at least. I was getting anxious and really wanted to check on my baby. I had just grabbed my robe and was going to go out there. I didn’t care if I got in the way or what that crazy man would do. I just needed to get to Millie. And then the noise stopped. It was the weirdest thing. It stopped just as quickly as it started. And I remember hearing him say something like, ‘okay, I’m done. I’m going.’ I think security had arrived by then and took him out. Then a few of the babies woke up, one of the other mothers got sick. I was glad to go home where I had my husband and mother-in-law to help me out and peace and quiet.”

“Did you see anyone in the halls or by the nursery?”

“No, Alex, I didn’t. I couldn’t see the nursery from my room, and I didn’t see anyone else.”

A thought began to form in my brain. “So, from where the man was, could he see into the nursery?
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see them from where I was,” Judith said.

“But you knew what the layout was. Think back. You must have had some idea of where they were all standing from their voices. Would the man be able to see into the nursery?” I asked again.

Judith took another sip of her coffee, and I could see her trying to gather her thoughts.

“If he had his back to the elevator and was looking toward the nurses’ station, then yes, he would be able to see into the nursery. Not the entire room, but some of it, yes. And you know what, his voice was louder. I know he was yelling, but still, his words were easier to understand than those of the nurses. They sounded more muffled, which means that he must have been standing just like I thought, with his back to the elevator so his voice projected down the hall better. The nurses must have been facing him with their backs to the station and the small part of the nursery that could be seen from that point. Does any of this help?”

“I think it might, but I’m not sure exactly how yet. Did you ever have any reason to doubt you brought home the right baby?” I asked.

“Hold on.” Judith went back to her desk and returned with her wallet. She took out a picture and handed it to me. Annie leaned over for a better look.

“
Mon Dieu
!” Annie said. “Is this your late husband?”

Judith nodded.

Annie took the picture from me. “He looks exactly like Millie, or perhaps I should say that Millie looks like her father.”

“But Millie said that when Mr. Spiegel went to your house he really upset Gran.”

“That’s right, Alex, but not because we had any doubt about Millie’s parentage, but because Gran just never got over her son’s death. She loved Jack like crazy. He was a good man. A wonderful man and he died much too soon.” Judith’s eyes clouded over. “I keep that picture tucked away in my purse and I look at it often, but I don’t talk with Gran about it much. It’s just her way. And she did not want to hear anyone even hint that Millie is not her granddaughter. Millie’s all she’s got left of her son and she loves Millie more than anything. And before you go thinking that Gran got a gun and followed that poor man, I can promise you she didn’t. I know how your mind works.” She smiled at me and reached across and touched my hand.

“We don’t have any guns and with Gran’s arthritis and age, there’s no way. Plus she’s short. Millie said the gunshot was smack dab in the middle of his forehead. If Gran shot him it would have gone up his nose. Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of the man’s death. He seemed like a nice man with a heavy heart, and I can certainly sympathize with him wanting to know the truth about his child.”

“So you never had any doubts at all?” I asked.

“When he showed up and said Millie might be his daughter, well, of course, for an instant I thought, oh my God, could that really have happened. And then I looked at my picture of Jack the moment Mr. Spiegel left, and of course he was mistaken. And besides, it’s not all biology or DNA, or whatever. A child is yours for so many other reasons. How you raise them, the values you instill in your children. Whether or not Millie and I have the same blood, and we do, she would always be my daughter. She’s me, and Gran and Jack. Nothing’s ever going to change that no matter what a blood test says. I would have no reason to kill anyone over Millie. She’s my daughter. Our bond is unbreakable. And if I found out I was mistaken, and that I brought the wrong baby home, it wouldn’t matter one little bit to me. And I wouldn’t need to kill anyone over it because I know that Millie would feel the same. I wouldn’t lose her no matter what. I hope I’ve helped.” Judith looked at the clock on the wall. “Sorry, I have to get back to work.”

We left Judith and went out to the car.

“So what do you think?” Annie asked.

“Oh, we can scratch them from our list. I never doubted that. But what Judith said about the bond that she and Millie share is true for all the parties involved. No matter what a blood test said, these daughters belong with their families.”

“Then why was Mr. Spiegel killed?” Annie asked.

I shrugged. “Money? Power? And we have a few suspects that would fit that profile. But I’m beginning to think that man was a plant. I think Judith was right. He came onto the maternity ward for the sole purpose of creating a diversion. He stood in a position so that he could keep an eye on the nursery, and he made sure he kept the nurses’ attention on him. I’m sure of it. And when he got what he was there for, he calmed down and went away. The problem is I have no way to prove it and I have no idea who asked him to do it. And would the same person who had that guy come into the hospital be the same person who killed Mr. Spiegel?”

Annie shrugged. “I do not know.”

“Exactly. If it was the same person, then we are looking for a parent as the killer.”

“
Bien sûr
, unless the child found out and is protecting the parent or protecting their own interest in becoming or not becoming the child of Mr. and Mrs. Spiegel.
Mon Dieu
, it does not get any easier, does it?”

“No it doesn’t. And it could still be Nurse Kathy. She may have created the diversion herself, for what reason, I haven’t figured out yet. Or, she realized she screwed up big time, and her negligence was about to catch up with her.”

I started the car and waited for a large delivery truck to pass before pulling out onto the street.

“Let’s go talk with the brother. He may have some insight into what exactly was going on in Sheldon Spiegel’s mind.”

“Or perhaps we will add him to our list of suspects,” Annie said.

I sighed. “Right.
Mon Dieu
!”

Danbury was a town northwest of Indian Cove, close to the New York border. It didn’t take us very long to get there, and Annie’s trusty GPS got us to Jerry Spiegel’s house without any problems.

I had no idea if the man would be home, but Jackie made it sound like his health wasn’t the best, so perhaps he either didn’t work or was on a medical leave.

I knocked on the door and got no answer. Now what? We were close to Port Chester, but I didn’t have any more questions for Jerome Perry. Other than telling us about the cryptic message Sheldon had said, I didn’t think Jerome had anything more to offer. Plus, he was a tattletale and would run to John if I questioned him again.

I looked at Annie. “We’ll come back later. I’m going to take you to one of the loveliest areas in all of Connecticut.”

I turned the car around and headed to Washington, a village in Litchfield County, and only about twenty-three miles away. If we had time, we could drive through Litchfield and maybe Kent before returning to Danbury.

Washington, Connecticut, was exactly the type of town everyone who didn’t live in New England thought the entire region looked like—pristine white church steeples poking up through a canopy of autumn foliage. It was picture-postcard perfect.  It also had one of the nicest hotels in the state, situated on bucolic grounds, and one of these years I hoped John and I could stay for a weekend; maybe for our anniversary. All of Litchfield County was lovely now, but it was spectacular in fall. I hoped Annie and Gerard could come back in October and see it in all its glory.

I parked my car on a lovely street of stately homes and well-manicured lawns. It was warmer here than it had been on the coast this morning, and Annie and I made our way to an area with smart shops and cozy cafes. We browsed for a while and then decided to get something to eat. Once we settled in at a little pub decked out in traditional colonial design, which Annie loved, she turned to me.

“It’s almost time for us to leave. What if we don’t find the killer by then?”

We placed our order for the soup of the day and sandwiches of pork cutlet, apple, and gorgonzola cheese all grilled on homemade bread.

“I feel like we’re getting close, but something is just out of reach,” I said.

“Someone has said something, which I think is important, but I don’t know how to put it all together. Is that how you feel?”

I looked at her. We really were in sync. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

Our lunch came and we ate in silence, both of us deep in thought. I knew Annie wanted to be here for the take down, but that might not happen. The case could go unsolved. Thousands did. But she was right. Something was right in front of us, but what was it and from whom did we hear it? Or was it something we saw? I couldn’t remember. Maybe if I just let it go, it would pop into my head.

After we paid our check, we walked around the town a bit more and then I drove Annie through the country roads meandering through all the little villages in the area. When I was a kid my parents sent Sam and me to overnight camp in one of these little towns for two weeks. We stayed in a big house, with large dormitories where all the kids slept. There was a lake nearby and each day we had swimming lessons. We made crafts and rehearsed for a play we would put on when the parents finally came to pick us up. For lunch each day they served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on squishy bread. My aversion to packaged bread was firmly established even then, and I refused to eat lunch each day. I had to satisfy my hunger with just a piece of fruit that came with the sandwich. I didn’t like summer camp much and I never asked to go back. That experience was the only negative aspect I had for this part of Connecticut—that and the fact it wasn’t on the coast.