The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds (13 page)

“What about her story
that she refused to pay Bill for the repair?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure
how to take that,” Joe confessed.

Danielle didn’t have to
call the prospective buyer of the Missing Thorndike and tell him to postpone
his visit to Frederickport until after the necklace was recovered.  By Sunday,
state, national and Internet news sources carried the story.  Danielle
suspected Ian’s initial article on Eva Thorndike helped boost interest in the
necklace. Had Ian’s article never run, she doubted many would be interested in
what appeared to be nothing but a family squabble over an inheritance. Danielle
had intended to call the buyer Sunday night and tell him there was no reason
for him to come, yet he called first, asking if the stories were true.

 Wearing the necklace
to the open house proved to be far more successful a marketing tool than
Danielle ever anticipated. Of course, she doubted it would have garnered such
notice had Cheryl not taken off with it. Despite the attention Marlow House Bed
and Breakfast received in the press—and the calls she was getting from
prospective guests wanting to make a reservation—she was not taking advantage
of the successful marketing stunt. A stunt, in Danielle’s opinion, that had
gone horribly wrong.

By the time Wednesday
afternoon rolled by, Cheryl was still missing. The police had received numerous
Cheryl sightings, yet none had panned out. It was as if she’d simply
disappeared into thin air. There was no activity on any of her credit cards or
bank accounts. According to Cheryl’s friends back in California, whom the
police had contacted, none had seen or heard from Cheryl since she had left
California for Oregon.

Danielle kept thinking
of Ian’s theory—Cheryl was hold up in some beach bungalow enjoying the
attention she’d created while wearing the necklace like some princess, preening
in front of the mirror. She could actually imagine Cheryl doing something like
that, and she preferred thinking that was the case, because the alternative was
too dark. She couldn’t believe Cheryl had actually stolen the necklace and made
herself a fugitive; that made no sense at all. If she wasn’t playing some
reckless game, it meant Cheryl was in real trouble.

“I just turned down
another reservation,” Lily said after hanging up the telephone in the parlor.
She glanced over at Danielle who stared off into space, an open book in her
hands.  When Danielle didn’t respond, Lily said, “How’s your book?” Still no
response. Raising her voice Lily asked, “Dani, enjoying your book?”

Danielle jerked her
head slightly, coming out of her fog, and looked over at Lily. A vacant
expression on her face, she blinked her eyes and glanced down at her hands.
Closing the book she tossed it on the floor and said, “Not really.”

“Dani, are you sure you
don’t want to start taking reservations? It might be good for you, help occupy
your time.”

Danielle sighed. “I
just can’t focus on being a hostess. Not with Cheryl missing.”

“It’s been five days,
where do you think she went?”

“I wish she hadn’t left
her cellphone here. We might have been able to use it to track her.”

“Maybe.” Lily shrugged.
“So you still think something bad happened to her?”

“I keep hoping she’s
just kicking back somewhere punking us. But then…I don’t know…I don’t see her
staying away this long for some silly prank. Cheryl gets bored easily.”

“What’s going on with
Adam?” Lily asked.

“When I talked to Joe
this morning, he said Adam is sticking with his story. And they really don’t
have anything to charge him with. From what I hear, the publicity this thing
has been receiving has given his rental business a boost. Seems everyone wants
to rent that bungalow where Cheryl supposedly spent Friday night.”

“Rather ironic, if you
think about it,” Lily murmured.

“How so?”

“Well, one of your
great fears about Ian’s article, before you found the necklace, was that your
guests would be nothing but treasure hunters and come here for a chance to
search the rooms and rip off paneling.”

“I see what you mean.
Some think Cheryl stashed the necklace in the beach bungalow. While I seriously
doubt that’s the case, I have a feeling Adam doesn’t really care if his guests
are treasure hunters or not, as long as they pay the rent on time.”

The desk phone began to
ring. Lily sighed. “Another reservation to turn away?” Picking up the receiver
she said, “Hello, Marlow House Bed and Breakfast.”

“Danielle Boatman?” a
male voice asked.

“Who can I say is
calling?” Lily asked.

“Her attorney, Clarence
Renton.”

Lily placed her hand
over the receiver and looked at Danielle. “It’s your attorney, Mr. Renton.”

Danielle got up from the
sofa, walked to the desk and took the phone’s receiver from Lily. “Hello Mr.
Renton.”

“Hello Ms. Boatman. Can
I assume your cousin is still missing?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. So
far no trace of her.”

“I’m afraid we have a
little problem,” Mr. Renton began.

“I have a big problem
alright. Although I have a feeling you’re talking about something else. What’s
wrong?”

“A Marvin Burrows just
left my office. He is Cheryl’s attorney from California.”

“Does this mean she’s
been in contact with him? Is she okay?”

“No. According to
Burrows he hasn’t heard from her. Apparently he wants to move ahead with her
claim against the estate.”

“I don’t understand.
How can he do that without Cheryl?”

“If he legally can is
still to be determined, but I’m fairly confident of his motive.”

“Which is?” Danielle
asked.

“His client is missing
with a very valuable piece of jewelry, which legally belongs to you. I have a
feeling he’s attempting to protect his client by establishing she has a legal
right to the piece.”

“If she and the
necklace are missing, why does he care?”

“I suspect he assumes
she’s going to resurface, and when she does he wants to avoid her getting
arrested and charged with theft. I think he’s just trying to protect her.”

“Do you think she’s
already contacted him?”

“It’s possible. But he
claimed he hasn’t heard from her since she left California.”

“What do you want me to
do?”

“For the moment,
nothing. Let me look into a few things.”

“I was wondering—last
week when I spoke to you about Cheryl’s claim, you told me you were going to
check into it and get back with me the first of the week. With Cheryl and the
necklace going missing, I haven’t really followed up with you. What did you
find out?”

“I’m still waiting to
hear back on a few of my inquiries. When I find out something you’ll be the
first to know. I just wanted you to be aware that Mr. Burrows is in town, and
what his intentions are.”

“Thank you Mr. Renton.
I really appreciate all your help.”

“That’s why I’m here,
Ms. Boatman.”

“What was that all
about?” Lily asked when Danielle got off of the phone.

“Apparently Cheryl’s
attorney is in town. I assume it’s the same one who says she has a rightful
claim to the estate. He intends to pursue her claim in her absence.”

“Can he do that? And
why would he?”

“I don’t know. Mr.
Renton thinks the attorney is trying to protect Cheryl. I guess he figures
she’s going to show up, and when she does he doesn’t want her charged with
theft. As part owner of the necklace I doubt the DA would press charges,
especially if she returns the necklace to the estate.”

“What if she returns
without the necklace?”

“I didn’t ask Mr.
Renton about that. I would imagine a judge would probably order her to return
it, but who really knows? I have no idea how this stuff works. Life was sure a
heck of a lot easier when I thought my inheritance was just a house and a few
bucks.”

 “Ian and Sadie are
here,” Walt announced when he appeared in the room.

“Here where?” Danielle
asked.

“Are you talking to
me?” Lily asked.

“No. Walt just came in.
He said Ian and Sadie are here.”

“I was looking out the
window. They’re coming up the front walk.”  Walt explained right before the
doorbell rang.

Lily jumped up to
answer the door. A few moments later she led Sadie and Ian into the parlor.

“I just returned from
downtown, and Marlow House is all anyone is talking about,” Ian told them.

“I guess in some
perverse way your publicity stunt worked—too well. Of course, I always knew you
had a knack for marketing,” Lily said.

“Sure, all I have to do
is arrange for people and valuable objects to go missing,” Danielle snorted.

“Unfortunately the
problem with situations like this is how people start spinning the stories.
They can get out of control,” Ian said.

“What do you mean?”
Lily asked.

“When I stopped at the
market, I overheard two women discussing the Missing Thorndike. One woman was
telling the other one that according to Samuel Hayman at the jewelry store, the
entire thing was nothing but a publicity stunt.”

“You’re kidding me! Why
would he say that?” Danielle asked.

“Was Sam still here
when Cheryl took off?” Lily asked.

“Yes. Actually, he came
into the parlor when Cheryl put the necklace on,” Danielle said.

“Unfortunately, that
tends to lend credibility to Sam’s story, since he was here when Cheryl took
off.”

“Oh, let them talk. At
this point I don’t care. The entire thing is making me ill,” Danielle groaned.
“It doesn’t matter what they think.”

“Unfortunately it does
matter,” Ian corrected. “A few other patrons from the store joined the
conversation and they started discussing how it was wrong for you to misuse the
services of the local police department like this.”

“What do you mean,
misuse the police department?”

“They’re convinced
Hayman’s story is true, which means to them you’re fraudulently spending
taxpayer’s money. Someone even suggested that if that’s proven, you should be
fined to compensate for whatever the police department spent on its
investigation.”

“Why in the world would
Samuel Hayman spread such a vicious story?” Lily asked.

“I get the impression
Hayman likes attention. Remember how he couldn’t wait to call the local paper
and the police after we took him the necklace?” Ian reminded.

“Marlow House is
definitely getting way more attention than I ever hoped for—I just never
imagined the attention might destroy my reputation.”

“No one is going to run
you out of town. But, there will always be people like those women gossiping at
the market. I just thought you should know the rumors Hayman has been
spreading. Joe knows this wasn’t some publicity scam,” Ian said.

“What do I do about
it?” Danielle asked.

“Maybe talk with your
attorney. He might have a little chat with Hayman and remind him people can be
sued over spreading false rumors—especially rumors that can damage your
business.”

“At the moment I have
no business.”

“I’m sorry Danielle,”
Walt said. “This is all my fault. I should have never suggested you wear the
necklace to the open house. And I should never have taken my eyes off you and
the necklace while it was in this house.”

“No one has called for
reservations?” Ian asked.

“Are you kidding?” Lily
said. “The phone has been ringing non stop all week with people wanting to stay
here.”

“That’s what I thought
you told me the other day,” Ian said with a frown. “So why do you say you don’t
have a business?”

“Because Danielle
refuses to take any reservations until Cheryl and the necklace resurface.”

“What happens if they
never do?” Ian asked.

“Please don’t say
that,” Danielle groaned.

While driving down Main
Street, Brian Henderson spied Bill Smith’s truck parked in front of Lucy’s
Diner. On impulse, he made a quick U-turn and parked behind the vehicle. He
didn’t get out of his car immediately. Instead, he sat there for a few minutes
with his engine idling.

Everything about this
case irritated him. Initially he thought it was either a publicity stunt
created by the cousins, or a family dispute. In either case, he didn’t
appreciate wasting department resources on the antics of two obviously spoiled
women. 

Cheryl had been missing
almost a week now; she’d virtually vanished into thin air. Her car remained
parked in front of Marlow House, there had been no activity on any of her
credit cards and no one had seen her—at least, there had been no credible
sighting. Cheryl’s attorney had shown up in town and was kicking up quite a
ruckus down at the station—one minute demanding the arrest of Adam Nichols and
in the next insisting Danielle Boatman was responsible for his client’s
disappearance.

Adam was the last one
seen with Cheryl, yet they hadn’t been able to come up with any discrepancies
in his story. Even the wine supported Adam’s version. That piece of information
had not been released to the public. Not even Danielle Boatman knew.

Brian had to admit that
had he been the one to show up on Adam’s doorstep on Saturday morning looking
for Cheryl, he wouldn’t have considered having the wine analyzed. Perhaps he’d
simply been a cop for too long and having the wine tested would have seemed
more in line with TV-cop than reality. Yet, Joe was much younger than him—and
more naive, considering he seemed unable to consider the possibility that this
was some publicity stunt orchestrated by the cousins to garner more attention
for Marlow House.

After Adam claimed to
have passed out after drinking just one glass of wine, Joe had taken the wine
in to be analyzed.  According to the test results the wine was laced with the
date rape drug, Rohypnol. Judging by the amount of wine remaining in the bottle
and second glass, only one glass of wine had been consumed.  Those results
forced Brian to take a fresh look at the case.

He wondered who had
been drugged—Cheryl or Adam? Had Adam drugged Cheryl, taken the necklace and
then disposed of the body, perhaps tossing her in the ocean? Or had Cheryl
drugged Adam, using him to throw off the police while she took off with an
accomplice and disappeared?

Brian chewed on both
versions and kept coming back to Adam drugging Cheryl. That would explain why
the tainted wine hadn’t already been disposed of. Adam would want evidence of
it to support his story, whereas he would assume Cheryl would get rid of the
tainted wine before taking off.

Of course, if Adam’s
story had been false, his lie could be exposed with a blood test to show
Rohypnol wasn’t in his system—if one had been taken. The chief reluctantly
agreed to have the wine tested, even though Brian thought it was a waste of
time. However, they didn’t feel it necessary to have Adam’s blood tested. It
was argued that if Adam had drugged the wine and then left it there to
implicate Cheryl, he would have probably ingested some of the drug after
disposing of Cheryl’s body.

The only problem with
Adam’s version was what Cheryl’s attorney had to say. According to him, Cheryl
was a wealthy woman—worth far more than the Missing Thorndike. Therefore, why
would she do something as stupid as publicly stealing a necklace?

And yet…if the attorney
truly believed that, why was he so insistent on pursuing Cheryl’s claim against
Boatman’s estate? According to Mr. Renton, the only reason the attorney was going
in that direction was to protect his client when she resurfaced.

Brian shook his head in
confusion and turned off the ignition. He was weary from flipping back and
forth—Cheryl did it—no Adam did it—it was a publicity stunt—no, Cheryl…

Since Danielle had
shared her belief that Adam and Bill had been interested in the necklace before
it resurfaced—so interested that they risked going to jail and ruining their
reputations by breaking into Marlow House—Brian decided it was time to have a
little chat with Bill. If he and Adam were in cahoots before, perhaps Bill had
helped Adam dispose of Cheryl’s body. He toyed with the idea of having Bill
brought into the station and questioned, but decided Bill might be more candid
if he didn’t realize he was being interrogated.

Brian turned off his
ignition, got out of the car and headed to the diner.

“Morning Bill,” Brian
greeted as he sat down at the lunch counter next to Bill.

Bill glanced up, “Hey
Brian, how’s it going? Any luck finding that woman who ran off with the Missing
Thorndike?”

Ahh, good. He brought
up the subject
, Brian thought before saying, “The
woman and the necklace seem to have vanished into thin air.”

The waitress behind the
counter brought Brian a cup of coffee and took his order. Bill was just finishing
up his breakfast of bacon and eggs.

“That necklace seems to
have a habit of not sticking around,” Bill chuckled. “I think this has taught
Adam he needs to be more careful about the women he picks up.”

“You’ve seen him since
this all went down? How’s he doing?”

“I see him about every
day because of work.” Bill shrugged. “Saw him Saturday afternoon a few hours
after Joe rousted him up at the rental. At the time, I think he thought the
whole think was kinda funny. A lark. Figured she went back to Marlow House. But
when I saw him a few days later, he wasn’t laughing any more.”

“What do you mean?”
Brian sipped his coffee and studied Bill’s facial expressions.

“He’s kinda freaked, to
say the least. Figures she used him to rip off the necklace. He’s not very happy
about that.” Bill chuckled and pushed his now empty plate to the far side of
the counter.

“Danielle Boatman is
convinced Adam had something to do with her cousin’s disappearance.”

“Well, that’s to be
expected, I suppose.” Bill motioned for the waitress to refill his cup.

“It seems Danielle
Boatman is convinced of a lot of things. From what I’ve seen, she has a bit of
an imagination.”

“What do you mean?”
Bill picked up his now full cup of coffee and took a sip.

“For some reason, she’s
convinced Adam and you broke into Marlow House after she moved in. Before she
found the necklace.”

Bill stopped drinking
his coffee and looked at Brian. “She said that?”

“Yeah. Of course she
didn’t have any proof, just a hunch.”

“So what did we get
away with?” Bill set his coffee cup back on the counter.

“She thinks you were
looking for the Missing Thorndike.”

“And exactly how did we
know the necklace was there? Are we clairvoyant?”

“Probably from Adam’s
grandmother.” Brian shrugged.

“I see at least two
problems with her hunch. First, that house had been vacant since before I was
born, and if I was going to break in to look for the necklace, why would I wait
until someone moved in?”

“And the second
problem?”

“Danielle Boatman found
the necklace in the house, we didn’t. That woman is nuts. Did you know she
doesn’t like people to say anything that might upset Walt Marlow?”

“Walt Marlow? You mean
the guy who took the necklace?”

“Yeah.”

“But he’s been dead for
almost a hundred years.”

“Exactly, see my
point?” Bill smirked.

“I heard you were the
one who fixed the window in the library, after the break in.”

“Yeah, I’d met her when
we took some photos over from Adam’s grandma.  Realized she was a fruit loop
when I met her. When she gave us a tour of the house her neighbor’s dog was in
her bedroom up on the bed. She insisted we leave the TV on in the room, to keep
the dog company.”

“Was she pet sitting?”

“Nah, the guy who owned
the dog was downstairs.”

“Maybe she’s an animal
lover.”

“Yeah, right,” Bill
snorted. “Anyway, I gave her some business cards. Told her if she needed any
repair work done to give me a call. Figured she was in the middle of fixing up
that old house, might as well try to pick up some work.”

“One reason Danielle is
convinced you broke that window was because you fixed it for free.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“According to her,
after you fixed the window she said she wasn’t paying you because you broke it
in the first place.

“Hell,” Bill scoffed.
“I’d be calling you up if she had refused to pay me.”

“Do you happen to have
any proof she paid you?” Brian asked.

Bill looked over to
Brian and frowned. “What the hell is going on Brian? Don’t tell me you’re
buying her bullshit?”

“Well, it can’t be that
hard to show where she paid you.” Brian flashed Bill what he hoped would be
interpreted as a non-threatening smile.

“The truth is, Brian,”
Bill said after a few moments of silence. “When she called me up to fix the
window—on a Sunday—I wasn’t too thrilled about going over there on my day off.
I told her if she could pay me in cash, I’d be happy to fix it on Sunday.
Otherwise, she’d have to wait until Monday. So you gunna turn me into the IRS?”

Before Brian could
respond the waitress returned with his breakfast. After she left he said,
“Nahh, I’m not calling the IRS on you. I believe you. Have to admit, I’ve seen
that Boatman woman doing some strange things myself.” Brian thought about the
suitcase and wondered why she had lied about throwing all her cousin’s things
into it. The stunt had probably ruined Cheryl’s clothes. Of course, if Cheryl
never returned, it really wouldn’t matter.
Was it possible Danielle knew all
along her cousin was not returning
, he wondered.

“So why didn’t you go
to the open house?” Brian asked.

“I thought you said you
believed me?”

“I do. I was just curious.
I was under the impression everyone who’d done any work on the house was
included in the guest list.”

“I don’t know about
that. We didn’t get all that cozy. I fixed her window, she paid me cash and
that was pretty much the last time I saw her. If you want to know why I wasn’t
on her guest list, you’ll have to ask her.”

“You said she was
crazy. What other crazy things did you see her do?” Brian asked.

“Just her general hippy
dippy attitude, I guess. Explaining things to her neighbor’s dog like it was a
person who understood what she was talking about. Telling us not to discuss
Walt Marlow and how he died, because it would disrupt the house’s feng shui.
Crap like that.”

“I see…” Brian popped a
piece of toast in his mouth. He considered Bill’s version of the events.

“Doesn’t seem to me she
was that convinced Adam and I broke into her house.”

“What do you mean?”
Brian asked.

“Adam obviously went to
the open house. He must have been invited.”

“I think his
grandmother was invited, and she took him.”

“I don’t know about
that.” Bill stood up. “But I got to go. Hope you find that woman and return her
to Boatman. Sounds like those two deserve each other.”