The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds (22 page)

“Why didn’t you just
take the necklace, if you thought she might not remember seeing you anyway?”

“I couldn’t be sure.
And anyway, I didn’t want people to start looking for the necklace.”

“Didn’t Danielle have a
buyer arriving a couple days after the party? He’d know they were fake.”

“Yes, but Cheryl said
Danielle was going to have to call the buyer and cancel, because as long as the
estate was being contested she had no right to sell the necklace.”

“But, someone smashed
in her head and took the necklace with the fake stones.”

“I know. But it wasn’t
me.”

Danielle stepped out on
her front porch to get her newspaper on Thursday morning and was greeted by Joe
Morelli.

“Joe,” Danielle said in
surprise. She glanced around to see if he was alone. “Where’s your partner?”

“Brian? Probably on his
way to work. I was wondering if we could talk a moment.”

Glancing at Joe’s
uniform Danielle asked, “Is this official business?”

“Unofficial official
business.”

Danielle looked at him
a moment before answering. Finally she said, “Sure, first, let me get…”

“This,” Joe asked,
handing her the newspaper in his hand. She had been so startled to find him
standing on her front porch that she hadn’t noticed he was holding her
newspaper.

“Thanks.” Danielle took
the paper and then led the way into the house. She took Joe to the parlor.
After tossing the newspaper on the desk she sat on a chair and motioned for him
to sit on the couch.

“I wanted to let you
know we arrested Sam Hayman last night. He was staying in a motel outside of
Portland. He had your diamonds and emeralds with him—the ones from the Missing
Thorndike.”

“He killed Cheryl?”
Danielle asked.

“He says he didn’t.”

“Of course he does.”

“He admitted to
stealing the gemstones, but insists Cheryl was alive when he left her in the
hut.” Joe went on to tell her Sam’s account from that evening.

“What now?” Danielle
asked. “Are you charging him with murder or theft? Do you believe him?”

“I have to admit, he
sounded sincere, but the chief is hoping the DA agrees to press charges. He
believes we have our man.”

“What about Adam?”
Danielle asked.

“We’re dropping the
charges against Adam. Even if Sam is telling the truth and someone else killed
Cheryl after he left her in the hut, it couldn’t have been Adam. Sam’s version
vindicates him. Adam was the one who drank the drugged wine. I’m pretty certain
he was out all night, considering how much he consumed and his condition the
next morning.”

“You never mentioned
the wine had been drugged.” Danielle said.

“Adam told you he
suspected the wine had been drugged.”

“Did Adam tell you
that?” When Joe didn’t immediately answer her question Danielle said, “You were
listening, weren’t you? You listened in on our conversation at the police
station.”

“That really doesn’t
matter now.”

“It does to me,”
Danielle said.

“Why were you so
convinced Adam was innocent?”

“I guess you can call
it a hunch,” Danielle lied. “You say you aren’t convinced Sam killed Cheryl.
Who do you think did? Whoever it was obviously knew the necklace was a fake,
since they didn’t have a problem using it to frame Adam.”

Joe studied Danielle, a
somber expression on his face. “Or maybe they were confident they’d get it back
after the police found it. Or maybe they didn’t care, since it was insured.”

Danielle stared at him in
disbelief. She couldn’t believe what he seemed to be implying.

“Wow, Brian isn’t the
only jerk.” Danielle stood up. “I think you should go now.”

“Danielle, I like you.”
Joe stood up. “I don’t think you intended to kill Cheryl. But I think after I
left that night you decided to go looking for her. Maybe she mentioned
something about Adam’s beach house. You started walking down the beach, hoping
to find her. You saw her go into the hut with Sam and when he left you found
her unconscious. Maybe it had nothing to do with Cheryl’s money—she just made
you so angry, you couldn’t help yourself.”

“You believe I killed
my cousin?”

“I don’t think you
meant to. But I saw how angry she made you. Even now you refuse to admit what
you did—what I saw with my own eyes. The way you hit her so hard she fell down,
or how in a fit of rage you dumped all her things into her suitcase, ruining
her clothes.”

“You didn’t see me do
either of those things,” Danielle said.

“I was right there when
she fell. No, I didn’t see you actually push her, but her face was bruised, you
were the only one standing close to her, and Cheryl herself claimed you hit
her. And unless Joanne is lying, you’re the only one who could have thrown all
of Cheryl’s things in that suitcase.”

“You need to leave now.”
Danielle walked to the door.

“I want to help you,
Danielle. But I can’t do that if you aren’t prepared to take responsibility. I
don’t think it was premeditated, and considering your mental state…”

Danielle paused at the
doorway and faced Joe. “Please. Leave.”

Letting out a weary
sigh, Joe walked to the front door. Before leaving, he turned and faced
Danielle. “I believe Sam’s story. Maybe the chief doesn’t but I do. I wish you
could understand, but I can’t let a man go to jail for a murder he didn’t commit.
If you would only meet me half way, it would go a lot easier on you.”

“Good-bye, Joe,”
Danielle said, holding back her tears.

• • • •

Walt found Danielle
twenty minutes later, curled up in a fetal position on the center of her bed,
crying inconsolably. It took him five minutes to calm her down and it wasn’t
until his right hand brushed her forehead, gently pushing back her hair from
her face did she quiet. Blinking away the tears from her eyes, she looked up at
Walt.

“I could feel your hand
touch me,” she whispered in awe.

“It’s only an
illusion,” he said with a gentle smile. “I’ve been practicing harnessing my
energy.”

“That felt nice, like
you’re really here.”

“I am really here,” he
told her.

“You know what I
mean…like you are…”

“Please don’t say it,”
Walt asked.

Alive.

Wiping away the tears
with the back of her hand, Danielle sat up in the bed.

“Can you tell me what
happened?” Walt remained seated on the mattress next to her.

“Where’s Lily?”
Danielle asked.

“Last I checked, she’s
still sleeping.”

“And Cheryl?” Danielle
asked.

“I haven’t seen her
since last night.”

“Where does she go?”
Danielle asked.

Walt shook his head, “I
don’t know. But tell me what happened.”

Danielle took a deep
breath and then proceeded to tell Walt about her conversation with Joe.

“I’m so sorry,
Danielle,” Walt said after she finished. “Do you think he could actually
convince them to press charges against you?”

“I don’t know. I sort
of doubt it. It’s so circumstantial, and Sam was caught with the stolen gems. I
think Joe was playing good cop bad cop—taking both roles—trying to get me to
confess.”

“He hurt you, didn’t
he?”

“Yes. And the thing is,
he has no idea how he hurt me. I honestly believe in some twisted way he
thought he was being my friend, trying to help me. It…well, it reminded me of
Lucas.”

“Your husband? How is
that?” Walt asked.

“When I told Lucas
about… my gift…he pretended to believe me, because he really couldn’t find it
in himself to believe I might actually be able to see ghosts. So he thought he
was being supportive by pretending. It’s just like Joe. Joe was trying to be
supportive too, but the bottom line is: just like Lucas he didn’t believe in
me…doesn’t trust me.”

“Did you like Joe a
great deal?”

“I don’t know. He
seemed like a nice enough guy.” Grabbing her pillow, Danielle rolled over, her
back to Walt as she curled up into a ball, hugging the foam bundle. “Heck, it’s
not like we even kissed or anything.”

• • • •

Adam hadn’t been back
to his office since the arrest. He spent most of his time at his grandmother’s
house, going through the computer hoping to discover who’d slipped the necklace
in the vase. The task would have been easier had he known what he was actually
doing. When he initially installed the camera in the office, he never imagined
it would one day save him from going to prison.

He couldn’t recall the
last time he’d slept. When he finally left Marie’s house and headed back to his
place he considered calling his attorney, Ted Zimmerman, and let him know what
he’d discovered. He wasn’t sure how to proceed, and it was too important to
screw up and make the wrong move. But first, first he needed to get some
sleep.  He imagined once his head hit the pillow he would finally get the rest
he needed. It didn’t matter that it was almost noon.

To Adam’s surprise Ted
Zimmerman was waiting in his driveway when he pulled up to his house.

“I was going to call
you, but I wanted to deliver the news in person,” Ted said excitedly when Adam
got out of his car.

“What’s going on?”

“They dropped all
charges,” Ted beamed.

“I don’t understand!
What happened?” Adam stood with his attorney in the driveway.

“They’ve arrested
someone named Samuel Hayman. Do you know who that is?”

“Sam? You’re kidding?
Sam owns the jewelry store here in town. Or at least he used to. Sam, are you
sure?”

“They caught him red
handed with the stolen jewels. He was hold up in some little motel near
Portland.”

“That can’t be right,”
Adam murmured.

“Why, was he a friend
of yours?”

“I’ve known Sam
forever. He’s older than me, but we both grew up in Frederickport. I can’t
believe it. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I thought you’d be
dancing with joy over the news.”

“Well…naturally I’m
thrilled they dropped the charges. But what happens if something comes up and
they decide Sam isn’t the one? Will they come back after me?”

“It looks like Sam’s
testimony put you in the clear. He admitted to drugging the wine. Claimed you
were out cold when he got to the house and Cheryl took off with him.”

“Are you saying Sam
confessed to murdering Cheryl?”

“No. But he did confess
to drugging Cheryl, then replacing the gemstones with fakes and leaving her in
the hut, still wearing the necklace with the fake stones. You drank the drugged
wine and Cheryl didn’t, according to Hayman. So even if he is telling the
truth, and Cheryl really was alive when he left her, you couldn’t have been the
one to kill her. You were out cold.”

“I thought you told me
they found the same drug from the wine in Cheryl’s body.”

“Hayman confessed to
putting some of it in a beer Cheryl drank, after she left the bungalow.”

“So this means I really
am in the clear?”

“It sure does. How
about we celebrate? Let me take you out to lunch.”

“Thanks Ted, I
appreciate the offer. But the only thing I want to do right now is take a
shower and go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“I can understand
that.”

“There is something
else I need to discuss with you, about the case. But that can wait. I don’t
think I’ve gotten two hours sleep since I was arrested and all I want to do is
crash. But can you do me one favor?”

“Sure, what do you
need?”

“Call my grandmother
and let her know the charges have been dropped. Tell her I’ll give her a call
when I wake up.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Brad Miller stood in
front of the Frederick Police Station debating if he should go in or not. His
friends were going to kill him, but he knew he didn’t have another choice. Once
he walked in the door and told his story he knew the cops would round up the
other guys. His friends would be pissed, but none of them would lie to the
cops.

Ten minutes later Brad
found himself alone in the interview room waiting to talk to an officer. He was
relieved when Joe Morelli walked in. Joe had dated his older sister last
summer, and for a cop, he was cool.

“Morning Brad,” Joe
said as he walked to the table, offering the teenager his hand. Nervously Brad
accepted the brief handshake but remained seated. After Joe released Brad’s
hand he sat down at the table across from him. “So what’s this about? They told
me you had some information about the Hartford murder.”

“I know I should have
come in before, but we figured we really didn’t know anything and well…we just
didn’t want to get involved.”

“We?” Joe asked.

“Well, me and some of
the guys.”

“Where are these guys?
Why aren’t they here with you?”

“They don’t want to
come in. We all kind of agreed not to say anything.”

“Do they know you’re
here?” Joe asked.

“No. But Mom was
reading the newspaper this morning about Sam Hayman getting arrested. And well,
I knew I had to come in, because Sam didn’t murder that woman.”

“Why don’t you start at
the beginning and tell me what you know.”

“Me and some of the
guys were supposed to be at the firework show, but we got sort of bored so we
took off. Started walking down the beach. After a while we got tired so…we
ahh…well…” Brian moved restlessly in his seat.

“What is it?” Joe
asked.

“Well, sometimes we
sort of borrow the surfboards they keep in the beach huts, where you found that
woman. We always put them back, I promise.”

“You were going to surf
at night?”

“No. But Kevin remembered
seeing some chairs in there and we were going to borrow a couple. It’s not like
we were breaking in or anything, that hut isn’t locked.”

“So what happened?”

“When we got there we
saw Sam taking that woman into the hut. By the way she was walking we figured
she was drunk. At the time we didn’t know who it was, it was pretty dark. But
then he left, and ran up the path.”

“What do you mean he
left?” Joe asked.

“Right after he helped
her in the hut he took off. We were sort of debating if we should go check it
out, to see if she was passed out or something. But he came back carrying this
little bag, you know, like a briefcase.”

“Did he go back in the
shed?”

“Yeah, he was in there
for quite a while. And then he left again. I decided to follow him to see where
he kept going. But this time he got into his car and drove off. I recognized
him. It was Sam who owned the jewelry store.”

“What about the woman?”

“She was still in the
hut, so we decided to check to see if she was okay.”

“Was she dead?” Joe
asked.

“No. We checked her
pulse. I could smell beer on her, figured she was drunk and had passed out.”

“What was her hair
like?”

“Her hair?” Brad
frowned.

“Did you notice any
blood? Whoever killed her hit her over the head. There was a lot of blood.”

“No. There wasn’t any
blood. Nothing like that.”

“Are you sure? It would
have been dark in that shed,” Joe said.

“We had flashlights.”

“So what did you do?”

“We figured we’d just
leave her there. Let her sleep it off. Figured she’d be safe in the shed, was
no reason to get involved. I mean, we really weren’t supposed to be in there,
so didn’t see a reason to get in trouble.”

“You just left her
there?” Joe asked.

“Yeah,” Brad shrugged.

“Did you pile the rafts
on her body?” Joe asked.

“What do you mean?”
Brad frowned.

“When they found her,
she was supposedly buried under a pile of rafts.”

“No, that would be
lame. Why would we do that? We just left her, promise.”

“Then what did you do?”

“We took off. Went back
to the firework show. But she was alive when we left her, honest.”

“I’m going to need the
names of your friends, the ones who were with you that night.”

• • • •

“I’d like you to
interview the other boys first,” the chief said after Joe updated him on the
case. The two sat in the chief’s office.

“I know Brad Miller, and
I believe him,” Joe said.

“Yes, I know. But
before we do anything we need to talk to the other witnesses. However, it does
look like you were right; Sam probably didn’t kill Cheryl Hartford.”

“That only leaves one
other suspect—Danielle Boatman,” Joe said.

“I have to admit I’m
surprised you’ve taken that turn. Got the impression you were rather fond of
the girl.”

“I was—I am. This isn’t
easy for me, but I have a job to do and frankly, I can’t see where it could be
anyone else. She’s the only one with a motive. Even if someone happened to find
Cheryl in that hut, there would be no reason to kill her. Why would they? They
could simply take the necklace and leave her there, considering the amount of
drugs in her system.”

“Before we bring any
charges against Boatman we will need more—much more. Arresting a different
person every other day for Hartford’s murder doesn’t make us look very
competent. Before we file charges we need something more substantial.”

• • • •

Carrying two cups of
coffee, Danielle Boatman showed Clarence Renton to the back patio. She set the
mugs on the patio table. “I really appreciate you coming over this afternoon,”
she said. “I would have been happy to stop by your office.”

“No problem, l had a
few errands to run today anyway.” He took a seat at the patio table.

“I thought it would be
much nicer to talk out here,” Danielle said as she sat down on the chair across
from him.

“Is your friend Lily
still staying with you?”

“Yes, but only for a
few more weeks. But she’s not here right now. She went with Ian to Astoria.
He’s working on a story about Emma Jackson’s life.”

“Yes, they mentioned
that at your party. I understand you aren’t taking guests yet?”

“No. Things are just
too confusing right now for me to open for business.”

“So what is it you
wanted to talk to me about?” Renton asked.

“I was hoping you might
be able to recommend a criminal lawyer. I know you don’t do criminal law.”

“Criminal lawyer? What
for?” Clarence frowned.

“I think I might need
one. Joe Morelli seems to think I murdered my cousin.”

“I don’t understand; I
thought Sam Hayman was arrested for her murder. They found the missing jewels
on him. At least, that’s what it said in today’s paper.”

“I know. And they
arrested Adam first, but let him go. Now they have Sam. But yesterday Joe was
here and he told me he didn’t believe Sam killed Cheryl. He thinks I did.”

“A little strange for
him to say that to you if they intend to charge Sam with the murder.”

“I agree. I barely got
any sleep last night. When I woke up this morning I decided the smart thing to
do was to go ahead and hire a lawyer now, just in case. I know you aren’t a
criminal lawyer, but I was hoping you could recommend someone.”

Inside the kitchen Walt
Marlow watched Danielle through the window.

“What are you looking
at?” Cheryl asked as she appeared in the room.

Walt glanced over at
Cheryl. “Where have you been? I thought you’d moved on.”

“I keep trying, but
it’s like someone is tugging on me to return, like I’m still needed here.”
Cheryl walked to the window and looked outside. She could see Danielle sitting
at the small patio table with a man. The man’s back was to her, she couldn’t
see his face. “Who’s Dani with?”

“It’s her attorney. She
wants to find a criminal attorney and hopes he can recommend one.”

“What does Dani need
with a criminal attorney?” Cheryl asked, still watching her cousin.

“She’s afraid they
might charge her for your murder.”

“What? That is
ridiculous. Dani didn’t kill me…
A
lthough, she did knock
me on my butt,” Cheryl said with a sigh.

“About that,” Walt said
as he cleared his throat.

“About what?”

“Danielle didn’t hit
you.”

“What are you talking
about?” Cheryl frowned. She reached up and touched her once injured cheek. “I
have a bruise to prove it…or at least I did…I mean my other self did…But I
forgive her.”

“It wasn’t Danielle, it
was me.”

Cheryl stared at Walt.
“You?”

“I didn’t mean to hit
you.” Walt shrugged. “But you were grabbing at the necklace and I just meant to
push you away. I’m sorry.”

“Hmmm,” Cheryl frowned.
Glancing back out the window she said, “You really need to show me how you do
that.”

They were silent a few
moments when Walt finally said, “I wish I could hear what they’re saying.”

“Why are they outside,
anyway? She knows you can’t hear her when she’s on the patio.”

“I think that is exactly
why she’s outside,” Walt grumbled. “Said something about me being too
distracting when she’s trying to have a serious conversation with someone.”

“Well, I can go
outside,” Cheryl said.

“No, it would be better
if you just stay here with me.”

“Oh poop, when have I
ever made the
better
choice?”

“That’s probably the
reason you got yourself killed.”

“Perhaps. But the nice
thing about being dead—they can’t kill you again!” Cheryl laughed and then
moved through the kitchen wall to the back patio. Glancing back to the window
she noticed Walt’s look of disapproval. In response she stuck out her tongue
then turned to her cousin and the attorney.

Danielle was listening
to Mr. Renton list the various criminal attorneys he knew, along with their
pros and cons, when she noticed Cheryl standing behind him. Frowning she wanted
to tell Cheryl to go back into the house so she could concentrate on the
conversation.

“Hello, Dani, I’m
back!” Cheryl said cheerfully. “I’m here to help you. I won’t let them charge
you with my murder, I promise.”

“Excuse me Mr. Renton,
could you repeat that. I am afraid…well I didn’t quite get it,” Danielle said,
glancing over his shoulder she narrowed her eyes at Cheryl.

“Oops, sorry Dani. I’ll
be quiet, promise,” Cheryl said sheepishly as she walked around to Dani’s side
of the table so she could listen to what Mr. Renton was saying. When Cheryl
turned to face the attorney she froze. Unable to move, Cheryl’s eyes widened as
she took in the face of Clarence Renton. It all came back to her—she
remembered.

“Zimmerman is a good
man, but he is representing Adam so I think…” Clarence continued to talk,
unaware of Cheryl’s presence.

“It’s him! He’s the one
who killed me!” Cheryl shrieked.

Cheryl’s accusation so
startled Danielle, that before she had time to consider her words, she blurted
out, “You murdered my cousin?” 

Clarence Renton
immediately stopped talking. He looked at Danielle, who continued to stare at
him, her eyes wide with a hint of fear. “What did you just say?” He asked in a
soft voice.

“Oh my god, it is him!”
Cheryl said excitedly, jumping up and down. “I remember now. Sam took me into
that shed and I was so sleepy. I just remember closing my eyes and lying on the
floor. But then I was standing up, looking down at my body—oh my god—there was
so much blood! And someone was standing next to me, it wasn’t Sam, it was
Clarence Renton. He was holding a flashlight, it was covered with blood. I
could hear him cursing, saying he didn’t have a choice. He took the necklace
off my neck, covered my body with some rafts and then left me there, all alone
in that dark shed.”

“You killed my cousin,
why?” Danielle asked, still stunned.

“Umm…I don’t think you
should be asking him that,” Cheryl said nervously. “You need to run Dani.
Please, Dani!” Cheryl continued to hop around nervously.

Clutching the handle of
his coffee mug, Renton glared at Danielle. Without answering her question he
jumped up and flew across the table. Swinging the heavy ceramic mug in her
direction, coffee flying, he hit Danielle squarely on the temple, sending her
backwards in the chair, landing on the patio.

“No, Dani, No!” Cheryl
cried, jumping up and down. Waving her arms she tried to push Clarence away
from her cousin, but her attempts were futile. Inside the house, Walt stood helpless
at the window, the palms of his hands against the glass. He watched in horror
as Clarence Renton leaned down to Danielle’s unconscious body.