Worse Than Being Alone (35 page)

“
What do you think?” Dave
asked.

“
She was rude,” Frank Tolle said.
“She wouldn’t say anything except that it was an accident. Then she
got in her car and sped away. I didn’t have any reason to stop her.
You look around the scene here with the way everyone’s stomped
around and there’s no way you can tell what happened.”

“
I was thinking the same thing,”
John said.

“
I think you should talk to the
paramedics and the fireman,” Tolle said. “The crime scene boys are
on their way. I’ll have them go over the area, but I don’t think
it’s going to help. You need to talk to Sam Kelly and Jake Perry.
They had plenty of negative things to say about Marian
Diamond.”

“
They’re at Engine House number
5,” John said. “Why don’t you follow me over there,
Dave?”

They thanked Frank Tolle and climbed into their
prospective vehicles, with John Wood in the lead car, for the 10
minute drive to Engine House 5. Sam Kelly was finishing his
reheated chicken noodle soup when they walked into the kitchen of
the firehouse.

“
Hey, Sam, how’s it going?” John
Wood asked.

“
Good, John,” Sam said

“
This is Dave Meyer of major
case,” John said.

“
Hi,” Sam said as he stood and
shook hands. “How about some chicken noodle soup? I made it
myself.”

“
Actually, that sounds great,”
Dave said. “I was just starting to think about lunch when I got the
call.”

“
So, what can I do for you?” Sam
Kelly said, as he ladled soup into two bowls. Jake Perry walked in
the room.

“
We were wondering what you
thought about Marian?” Dave asked.

“
Wait, you’re Major Case,” Jake
said, as Sam put the bowls on the table. “I knew there was
something off about that woman.”

“
Yeah, who tells you what funeral
home to go to before the guy is even dead?” Sam asked.

“
I thought maybe the guy jumped to
get away from her,” Jake said.

“
Or was pushed,” Dave offered as
he dug into the soup.

“
Whoa,” John said. “Just because
she acts creepy doesn’t mean she tried to kill him.”

“
It’s enough to keep us looking
into this,” Dave said. “We’ll need your statements for the record.
I think we should go to the hospital next and get a statement from
Marian.”

“
OK,” John said. “This time I’ll
follow you.”

An hour later, when Dave and John entered the
emergency waiting room, they noticed the two clusters of families
on opposite ends of the room. On one side, Marian sat with her
children, while on the other, Roni huddled with her much larger
entourage.

Dave nodded to acknowledge his sister Kitty, who was
holding hands with Lionel. His detective mind flew into all kinds
of different directions as he thought about the implications of
that development.

Before Dave could decide which group to approach
first, a tall, gray-haired woman, accompanied by a short, stocky
man, who looked like he’d rather be just about anywhere else
entered the room and approached Roni and Harley.

“
I’m so sorry, Roni,” Theresa
Langone said as she hugged Roni. “There was just too much damage
and too much bleeding.”

“
I’m Doctor Carney,” he said. “I
did everything I could but Theresa is right. I’m sorry for your
loss.”

“
Billy’s dead?” Marian said as she
stepped forward. “My Billy is gone.”

Dave noticed an undercurrent among the group
standing with Roni, which included Harley, Kitty, Lionel and
various other unidentified family members. They seemed speechless
as they collectively stared at Marian. Dave wondered how long that
would last. He didn’t need to wait too long.

“
I want Billy taken to the Burger
Funeral Home,” Marian said as she fought back tears. “I’m going to
have him cremated.”

“
Oh, not no, but hell no,” Roni
said.

“
I’m his wife,” Marian said. “It’s
my decision.”

“
Actually, it’s the coroner’s
decision,” Dave said as he stepped forward.

“
Who the hell are you?” Marian
asked.

“
I’m David Meyer of the Major Case
Squad. I’m confident that after I talk to the coroner, he’s going
to want an autopsy.”

“
We’ll see about that,” Marian
said as she began to leave the room. “You’ll be hearing from my
attorney.”

“
I need a formal statement from
you about how this happened,” Dave said.

“
As I said, you’ll be hearing from
my attorney.”

Chapter Seventy

Marian and her entourage skittered out of the
waiting room like rats fleeing a doomed ship. I guess Marian hoped
her dramatic display would obfuscate her responsibility to answer a
whole host of uncomfortable questions. I had to hand it to Marian;
she could sprinkle fairy dust with the best of them. To me, the
most horrifying aspect was the very real probability that she would
get away with it. The atmosphere in the waiting room remained
electric as we moved closer to Roni to offer comfort.

My brother Dave and another man stood apart from the
rest of us. I didn’t like the looks on either of their faces. Those
looks spoke of failure and the inevitability of an undesirable
outcome. Lionel’s admonitions about pursuing an investigation
swirled around my head like a swarm of bees, and I could tell
Roni’s thoughts were also headed in that direction.

“
Do not go there,” I ordered Roni
as I hugged her. “You did what you had to do. You had no
choice.”

“
I could have left it alone,” Roni
said. “I wouldn’t have gotten Billy killed if I had done
that.”

“
That’s the wrong way to look at
this,” Dave said as he stepped forward. “Roni, this is Sgt. John
Wood with the Alton P.D. We’re going to look into this. There’s
going to be a thorough investigation. I’ve got a call in for the
coroner right now.”

“
Don’t you see?” Roni said. “She’s
too smart. She’s been way ahead of us the whole time.”

“
If we’re right about her,” Dave
said and then hesitated. “Look Roni, I can’t imagine how much this
hurts right now, but if we’re right, and I think we are, then we
would have ended up here even if you hadn’t investigated
this.”

“
What can I do to help?” Roni
asked.

“
You need to go see Billy’s
lawyer,” Dave said. “See if Billy had anything in his will about
his funeral and burial.”

“
You’re right,” Harley said.
“Otherwise, she’ll have Billy cremated ASAP.”

“
That’s been her pattern from the
beginning,” Lionel said. “None of her other husbands had an
autopsy.”

“
I’m sure the coroner will want a
post,” Dave said.

“
What about getting Mary Clare
involved?” I asked.

“
Those all are good ideas,” Roni
said. “You know, the last thing Billy said to me was that he didn’t
want to be cremated.”

As Roni started sobbing, Dave gave me a nod
indicating he wanted to talk out in the hall. I followed him out as
inconspicuously as possible. John Wood provided extra cover as we
made our way out to the corridor.

“
What’s up?” I asked.

“
Look, I don’t want to rain on
this parade,” Dave said.

“
But you’re that little pop-up
thunderstorm right?” I asked.

“
John and I went to the scene,”
Dave said. “You have to understand. This started out as a rescue.
The scene was trampled on and totally contaminated. We have a CSI
unit over there but the chances of getting anything are practically
zero. The paramedics said Marian acted weird at the scene, but
that’s not enough. Marian is too smart to give us anything in her
statement. Our only shot is the autopsy.”

“
How can I help Roni?” I
asked.

“
Get her to Billy’s lawyer,” Dave
said. “Pray Billy had the good sense to include his wishes for
burial.”

“
Marian is going to get everything
Billy had, isn’t she?” I asked.

“
Under Illinois law that’s
probably true,” John said. “It all depends on what’s in the will.
Another good reason to get to this guy.”

“
This was never about Billy’s
money,” I said. “Roni just didn’t want Billy to get
hurt.”

“
At some point she’ll accept she
did the best she could in an impossible situation,” Dave said as
his cell phone chirped.

“
Dave Meyer,” he said as he
answered the call. “OK, thanks for letting me know.”

“
We’re on,” he said. “This is
officially a coroner’s case.”

Chapter Seventy-One

After the horrible news had been digested in the
waiting room, Roni and Harley took me up on my offer of a jamming
session at my condo. Multiple phone calls were made to coordinate
events and notify relatives. Lionel and I ordered pizza, and
managed to get Roni to eat a few bites. It was after 3 a.m. before
we finally tumbled into bed.

The next morning, Roni and I were drinking large
coffees from a Starbucks drive-through on our way to see Billy’s
attorney, Richard Cook. Too shell shocked and tired to talk, we
sipped our drinks. My thoughts revolved around concern for Roni.
Losing a parent is a sobering event, an unwelcome realization that
you’re really on your own. All the suspicion and guilt surrounding
this death would make it worse. Once the fierce activities of the
next few days were over the hard work of grieving would begin in
earnest.

Dave and Lionel were meeting Mary Clare at the
coroner’s office in Alton. Fred Pataki, the county coroner, had
welcomed Mary Clare’s attendance and insight. They had developed a
good working relationship during a case the previous winter. While
Roni and I met with Mr. Cook, they would proceed with Billy’s
autopsy.

Richard Cook’s office was located in a mixed
residential/commercial neighborhood on a tree-lined street close to
one of the local hospitals. The office was a renovated house with a
huge wraparound porch. The front door opened into a paneled
entryway that led into a walnut paneled study with bookcases lining
three of the four walls. The other had floor-to-ceiling windows,
allowing a view of the front. A pudgy, bald man stood and greeted
us from behind a huge cherry desk.

“
Are you Roni?” he asked as he
came around the desk and took Roni’s hand.

“
Yes, I’m Roni and this is my
friend, Kitty,” Roni said.

“
Nice to meet you,” Richard Cook
said. “Horrible circumstances, but Billy talked about you so much I
feel like I know you.”

“
Have a seat,” he said. “Would you
like some coffee or a soda?”

“
No, thanks,” Roni said. “Look,
Mr. Cook, as I told you last night on the phone I need some
information from you.”

“
I also got a call from Marian
this morning,” Richard Cook said. “She wants to know what’s in
Billy’s will. She’s coming to see me this afternoon.”

“
There’s a shocker,” I said
sarcastically.

“
Do I detect a tone in your
voice?” he asked.

“
A tone and then some,” Roni said.
“I’ve been looking into Marian’s past. She’s been married six times
and five of her husbands are dead.”

“
Did Billy know that?” he
asked.

“
Not until yesterday,” Roni
said.

“
The same day he has a fatal
accident,” I added.

“
I don’t want Billy cremated,”
Roni said. “Did he leave any provisions in his will about
that?”

“
Yes, he did,” Cook said. “I
reviewed his will first thing this morning. Billy wanted to be
buried next to your mother.”

“
Thank God,” Roni said. “Does that
mean we can stop Marian from cremating him?”

“
I guess she could fight it,” he
said. “I mean, you can fight anything, but I think she would lose.
This is all very interesting to me.”

“
What do you mean?” Roni
asked.

“
This confirms something I
suspected,” he said. “It seems clear now. From the very beginning,
I always had the feeling Billy never really trusted
Marian.”

“
Why would you say that?” I
asked.

“
Billy came to see me before he
married Marian,” he said. “He wanted to be sure most of his money
went to you, Roni. He was willing to take care of Marian to a
certain extent, but he didn’t want to leave everything to her. He
told me he didn’t think a couple of years of marriage should change
what he wanted for his only child.”

“
What did you do?” Roni asked as
she fought back tears.

“
I separated his assets into two
trusts,” he said. “One with his name and your name on it and
another with his name and Marian’s. The bulk of the money was
always in the trust with your name on it. Billy moved money back
and forth to cover things such as building the new
house.”

“
I don’t know what to say,” Roni
said. “There were only two things I really wanted from Billy. A
picture of the original house in Hillsboro my grandparents built
and my parent’s wedding quilt.”

“
You might as well know, Billy
called me a couple of weeks ago,” Cook said. “He asked about a
divorce lawyer. He said it was for a friend, but I wasn’t convinced
that was true, you know.”