Текст книги "She's Not There"
Автор книги: Marla Madison
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 23 страниц)
32
Present day
It had been weeks since he discovered Lisa Rayburn and her evidence posse trying to root out the reason abused women were disappearing. Meddling cunt. He watched her—and her little band of followers. He didn’t know her well enough to be sure if the world would be better off without her, but his world would and that’s all that mattered.
After he’d found out they’d all taken up residence at Eric Schindler’s estate, he knew he’d have a difficult time singling out Lisa. But she represented the head of the snake—without her, the rest would shrivel and desist.
He’d been watching Schindler’s place for a few days when he noticed someone else staking it out. Sitting in an old Buick, the guy couldn’t have been part of security. Probably nothing to concern himself with, but he remained aware of the watcher’s comings and goings.
Danielle had been separated from her husband for nearly two years before the divorce. Eric was the first man she wanted in a long time. She knew there had to be another woman in his life. He hadn’t actually said he didn’t want to see her again, just said he didn’t want a relationship. In her experience, it all translated to another woman in the background.
Thursday afternoon she sat in her car, discreetly parked in a lot across from Kristy’s Classics. She could tell by the flurry of activity that they were getting ready to go to the auction. Two car carriers were being loaded with classic autos, most of them muscle cars. After all the cars were loaded, Eric drove off in his Delorean.
Danielle felt ridiculously adolescent following him to his house, but she had to know if he was in for the night, not on a date. Shortly after Eric pulled into his driveway, another car drove in behind him. In the beam from her headlights she saw the silhouettes of two women. Two women! Is he having a party? But he’d hardly be throwing a party the night before he leaves for the auction.
Danielle parked her car on a side street. Clutching a tiny flashlight she kept in her purse, she got out and crept along the edge of the heavy woods that extended behind Eric’s property. Darkness fell before five now, the visibility nil in the damp woods. Her imagination flickered back to the shadow she thought she’d seen when she drove by the other night. She shivered, progressing clumsily through the thicket of the woods.
Eric’s property was covered with mature pine and spruce trees, and the house backed up to a wooded area that spanned about a square mile. Prime real estate—he was a wealthy man. Her determination to snag him mounted.
Glad she’d worn dark clothing, but hoping not to ruin her new leather boots or snag her cashmere jacket on the thick, thorny undergrowth, she continued toward the house. Edging quietly onto a patio running along the north wall, she peeked into the side of a bay window and counted three people. Two women. Damn, which one could he be seeing? Both attractive women, one of them even reminded Danielle of herself, except for the dowdy figure. God, the woman must wear a size fourteen. Couldn’t be her, must be the tiny one with the short, curly hair.
Danielle, moving slowly in her narrow heels, stumbled her way back to the car, embarrassed at her behavior. Her mind reeled with possibilities, none of them attractive.
Hard as he tried to forget about the Peacock woman, Eddie had a difficult time letting it go. Even though common sense told him he was safe from detection, his curiosity about her drove him to distraction. But he’d be seeing Doreen tonight. Maybe an evening out would get his mind off things he’d rather forget.
At six, she called with an excuse about spending the evening with her daughter who needed a shoulder to cry on because her boyfriend dumped her. What was with kids today? They weren’t independent like his generation.
Now what to do with his evening? He had the bar staffed for the night in anticipation of his date. It had been a while since he’d seen a porno-flick; that usually cheered him up. He headed to the adult bookstore to get a video, then on a whim he got on the interstate and drove to the last place he’d seen Peacock.
He staked out the house he’d seen her and her friend drive into the week before after all the excitement at the Mexican restaurant. It wasn’t long before he saw her turn into the driveway in her little car.
After an hour Eddie thought he’d give it another thirty minutes then take off. An old woman walking a dog strolled past his car, giving him the stink eye. Nervous because of her obvious curiosity, he hunched down lower in the seat.
Twenty minutes later, no one had left the house. The hag with the ugly dog still hovered, the dog lifting its leg to anything standing still. Bored, Eddie drove away, looking forward to a quiet night in his recliner with a six-pack and porn. He’d have to think of another way to get info on the broad.
34
When Eric called Danielle before he left, she read into it what she wanted, still believing in the possibility of a relationship with him, yet disturbed he hadn’t told her what he’d done the night before. What she’d seen in his house still bugged her.
Shopping, a favorite pastime on Friday nights, led her to the high-end boutiques, where she found a great dress for her next date with Eric, a date she was sure would occur as soon as he got back from Texas. But as she drove home on I-94 and passed the exit for Waukesha, she couldn’t resist driving past his house again. She noticed lights on; maybe he’d left them on for security. But no one left that many on. She told herself she wouldn’t go sneaking through the woods again; last night had creeped her out.
Disgusted with herself, but out of control, she parked on the side street again. She covered the same route to the window she’d peeked through the night before. When she looked in, her stomach lurched. The same people were gathered in the kitchen. They looked comfortable with one another, obviously making dinner. What the hell?
Across the street from Eric Schindler’s estate, Eddie Wysecki sat in his car, watching for any sign of TJ. Doreen had bailed on him again, still using her daughter as an excuse. Maybe she was getting ready to move on. Might be for the best if she did. In case he had to leave town in a hurry, running would be easier without any ties. He felt pathetic, sitting here for two nights, stalking some chick he’d never met. And on a Friday night to boot.
Since he’d arrived, he hadn’t seen anyone come or go. Stupid to keep sitting there. He wasn’t going to find out anything this way and his butt was starting to cramp. Maybe another fifteen minutes.
In the kitchen, TJ and Jeff laughed as they made chili, arguing about how much, or if any, cumin should be added to the recipe. Lisa sat in front of the widescreen TV, having agreed more than two cooks in the kitchen were too many.
When Phanny came around wanting to go out, Lisa took her to the door off the kitchen.
“If you’re taking her out, I’ll go with you,” Jeff offered.
“Thanks, but I’m just letting her out for a minute. She’s good about staying close by.”
Any plausible explanation for why those people were staying in Eric’s house eluded Danielle. Eric had said nothing about having houseguests. She started to back away when she heard a door open. Had someone spotted her? It would be impossible to get back to the woods without being seen. Squeezing into a corner between the side of the house and a large, stone chimney, she hoped for the best, her heart pounding.
Relief poured through her when she saw a black dog being let out to do his business. Damn, was he going to bark at her? Instead, it saw her and ran over, seemingly looking for affection. Danielle gave the dog’s head a quick pat, then turned toward the woods with the dog at her heels. She whispered at it to go home, but the canine followed her into the blackness.
As she moved into the dark woods, her small light began dimming. Without adequate light, the dog’s presence was reassuring. She hadn’t gotten more than fifty feet in, when the dog started to growl. She stopped in her tracks, wondering if she should turn back when a figure rushed out from behind a wide oak tree. Danielle felt herself pulled against her attacker’s body, her arms pinned to her sides as the dog backed away, whimpering.
Strong, gloved hands circled her throat. She clawed at them, uselessly trying to halt the viselike tightening. Thrashing wildly, she kicked at him in an effort to free herself, praying the dog would come to her rescue. But the dog was hurrying back to the house, tail pointing toward the ground.
When Lisa opened the door to Phanny, the dog rushed in, whining. Lisa tried to calm her as the dog frantically circled the kitchen but Phanny’s strange behavior persisted.
Worried, she said, “I hate to interrupt the fun, but Phanny just came in whining and won’t settle down. I’m afraid something isn’t right outside. Maybe we should go out and have a look around.”
Jeff said, “Call the security guard.”
TJ sprang from the couch. “He’s not going to be here until eleven. I’ll go out. You two stay put.” She put on a jacket and checked her gun. Jeff, not waiting for permission, put on his coat to follow.
“I think I saw a lantern in the garage. Let’s grab it,” Jeff suggested.
“Fine.” She turned to Lisa. “Stay here. I’ll call you if anything is off.”
Lisa’s cell phone rang only minutes later. “Lisa, there’s a woman’s body out here. I called 911. Do you know if Eric has a gun in the house?”
Lisa had avoided telling them about her handgun rather than explain why she owned it. She had to admit owning the guy. “I have one.”
Not asking for an explanation, TJ told her to find some plastic rope and meet them in the woods about a hundred yards behind the house.
“I’ll be right out.”
After locating the rope and picking up two lanterns she found in the garage, Lisa hurried out to the woods with Phanny leashed at her side. Aided by the light of the lantern Jeff held, she quickly found TJ and Jeff standing over the body of a woman.
The woman lay on her side, wearing dark slacks and a black leather jacket, her face turned away from where Lisa stood. Feeling like it would be disrespectful, Lisa didn’t try to get a better look at the woman’s face; she couldn’t possible know her. Instead, she asked, “Did either of you recognize her?”
“No, but she’s a damn good-looking woman,” TJ said, wryly. “Give me the rope. I’m going to tie off the area before the scene gets messed up. Don’t get any closer.” Jeff and Lisa stepped back, watching as TJ circled the trees with the plastic rope.
After she finished, TJ said, “Lisa, we’ll stay here. Why don’t you go back? Someone will have to call Eric.”
Lisa asked, “Someone must have dumped her body here, don’t you think? She wouldn’t have been out for a walk in the woods this late dressed like that.”
“She’s still warm. Had to have been killed right here, that’s why I’m trying to preserve the site for the police.”
Lisa wanted to get as far as possible from the death scene. She’d broken out into a cold sweat under her clothes; she’d never seen a body that had been murdered. Clutching her gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other, she made her way back to the house with Phanny, nervously looking from side to side.
She hadn’t been back long when Jeff appeared at the door. The sound of sirens filled the night as Lisa let him in.
Breathless, he said, “TJ wants to know how you want to spin this for the cops.”
“Spin it? Are you serious?”
“TJ’s right. We have to have an explanation ready for what we’re all doing here.”
“That’s easy,“ she said, calmer. “We’re house guests, keeping an eye on the place while Eric’s gone.”
“That sounds kind of lame, doesn’t it?” asked Jeff.
Lisa rubbed her stress-knotted neck. “Isn’t that actually what we are? Why we’re houseguests is what we leave out. If anyone can think of something better, let me know. We should call Maggie and David. This is out of their jurisdiction, but maybe they can give us some advice on how to handle things.”
“Good idea. I’ll tell TJ.” Jeff turned to go back out until the police arrived.
Lisa watched him leave, dreading the call to Eric. The auction in Texas started tonight. He’d probably have his cell phone turned off until he got back to his hotel room. She’d leave him a message to call her when he got in.
Still parked in front of the house, and nearly dozing off, Eddie jolted up when he heard sirens, quickly aware of their wailing drawing near. Fuck! Had the old lady from last night reported him as a prowler? He had to get the hell out of there and never come back. He’d make sure to get all his ducks in a row and blow town if he had to.
35
Detectives Maggie Petersen and David Lassiter showed up soon after Lisa called, while what looked like the entire law enforcement population of southeastern Wisconsin gathered outside the house. Maggie and David exchanged glances after they’d been given the details of the night’s events.
Lisa said, “We feel terrible about this woman, but we don’t really know if her death is related to what we’re doing.”
When they looked skeptical, she added, “We called you because we aren’t sure what to say to the police. We’re just going to tell them we’re houseguests.” She looked from one to the other for some sign of understanding.
David took a deep breath, a frown forcing his dark brows together. “Assuming that would pacify them for now, how are you going to explain the security guard?”
“We called the service and told them not to send him yet. When he comes later, it’ll look like a response to the murder.”
Maggie, her face unreadable, said, “That may be overkill. Waukesha is sure to station a car here.” She looked at David, who stood stiffly at her side, his hands in his pockets. “What do you think?”
Looking over the room and its furnishings, he said, “Judging by the looks of this place, Eric’s a wealthy man, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he’d act to protect his friends by hiring a guard, even with a police presence. But I’m not comfortable holding anything back that could help with the investigation of this woman’s murder.”
Maggie said, “You can tell the Waukesha police whatever you want, but if it turns out this murder is related to your investigation or ambiguous in any way, we won’t have a choice—we’ll have to contribute what we know. As officers of the law we can’t withhold anything that might be evidential.”
The detectives accepted their silence as agreement and went outside to make their presence known.
The relationships among the departments bordering Milwaukee were amicable. As a result, when Oconomowoc detectives Maggie Petersen and David Lassiter explained to the other officers that they’d come over when Lisa, a friend of Maggie’s, had called, no one objected to their presence.
As the body was carried away, the officer in charge, a short, burly detective from Waukesha PD, handed them a photo of the dead woman’s face. Neither of them recognized the woman.
TJ, who’d been allowed to remain behind the rope when one of the county sheriffs remembered her as a former Milwaukee cop, walked over to them, her rigid posture the only sign of her stress. The three of them stepped aside.
“Have they questioned you yet?” Maggie asked.
“No formal statement, but yeah, they asked me a few things. Told them I never saw the woman before and that we’re friends of Eric’s, staying here for a while.”
“We’ll give you twenty-four hours. If this isn’t wrapped up by then, we’ll have to share what we know about your interviews.”
TJ looked away. “Gotta do what you gotta do.”
When the Waukesha police came into the house to take the group’s statements, they talked to TJ first in Eric’s office.
When they called Lisa in and they passed her a photo of the dead woman, her face burned with recognition. It’s Danielle, the woman I met in Jeff’s showroom.
Seeing Lisa’s reaction, the detective asked, “Is she someone you knew?”
“I met her briefly. About a couple of weeks ago.”
“Where?”
“In the showroom at Kristy’s. Eric took me there. I saw her looking at an expensive car; I don’t remember what kind.” Lisa took a deep breath, wondering if her suspicions had been right; was this the woman Eric had been seeing? Unwilling to voice her female suspicion, she didn’t feel the need to share her thoughts. “Her name was Danielle. I can’t remember her last name, although Eric did introduce us. Sorry, I’m really upset, but I think it’ll come to me.”
The statements were brief since no one really knew the woman. They’d been in the house at the time of the murder and heard nothing. It was clear the detectives thought the housing arrangement odd, but the group’s explanation placated them for the moment.
36
Except for a lone squad car parked in the drive, by 1:00 a.m. the police, sheriffs, and crime scene techs had all gone, the only reminder of the night’s violence the bright yellow crime scene tape encircling the trees. The media presence had rushed back to their caves to report the sensational murder.
Jeff stood at the stove stirring the nearly forgotten chili when TJ walked into the kitchen. She bent over the pot, sniffing the spicy mixture, amazed to discover she was hungry.
Jeff turned to her. “We need to talk about the possibility this woman’s murder is related to us.”
“Possibility?” she scoffed. “You kiddin’ me?”
Frowning, he put down the spoon. “It’s possible there’s another explanation,” he insisted.
“Yeah, you go on thinkin’ that, and I’ll go on thinkin’ about what I’m gonna do with my millions when I win the lottery.”
Jeff served himself chili, then sat at the island staring into his dish, poking through the food with a spoon. TJ filled a bowl and sat next to him, berating herself for her thoughtlessness. The woman’s murder had to be plaguing him with images of what might have happened to his wife. “Sorry. Just seems obvious to me, that’s all.”
An hour later, a teapot Lisa put on had just started whistling when her cell phone rang.
Eric sounded out of breath. “Is something wrong? I just got back to my room and noticed your message.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this . . . ” she started.
“Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine.” She blurted, “We had to get in touch with yo before the police did—a woman was murdered in the woods behind the house.”
“Did anyone get a look at her?”
“TJ and Jeff did when they found her. The police showed the rest of us her photo.”
“Can you describe her?”
There wasn’t an easy way to break the news. “I’m sorry, Eric. The woman was Danielle Ventura.”
Lisa heard him catch his breath. She carried the phone to the laundry room, shutting the door behind her.
Minutes later, she came back out to find everyone looking at her.
“So, what did he say about her?” TJ probed, following her into the kitchen.
“He can’t come back until Sunday morning. That’s the soonest he can get away and leave his manager in charge. He’ll hop a red-eye after the auction tomorrow night—tonight, actually—and get here early Sunday.”
TJ persisted. “Who is she?”
Lisa hadn’t shared her suspicions about Eric’s love life with any of the others. “She’s a divorcee he’s been dating. He told me she’d become very possessive. Whenever he told her he’d call her, she couldn’t wait and would call and pressure him. Before he left he explained to her he wasn’t looking for a relationship, but didn’t think he got through to her. He’d planned on talking to her about it again when he got back.”
“Crap. Good thing he’s in Texas. It would look bad for him—another woman in his life murdered.”
Lisa added, “He only dated her the last couple weeks. Not a lot of time to have a motive to murder someone.” Eric would be devastated. He’d feel to blame somehow no matter who was responsible for the woman’s death.
TJ’s cell phone buzzed. She walked out of the room, speaking in low tones. Lisa wondered if Eric had called TJ to ask for more details.
When TJ came back in the room, she busied herself picking up the used bowls, rinsing them out and putting them in the dishwasher. She kept her eyes down, arranging dishes on the top shelf. Finally, she turned to face Lisa and Jeff. “Eric called back. He asked me if anyone noticed the dead woman resembled one of us. Told him no. No one noticed.”
Lisa felt a tightening in her stomach. Her voice at least a pitch too high, she asked, “Who does he think she looks like?”
“You.”
Lisa stepped back, her heart pounding, a lizard of fear crawling through her. It hadn’t occurred to her—she and Danielle were about the same height. And Danielle’s hair. She’d had it pinned up when Lisa met her, but she imagined worn loose, it would look like hers. She moved to the couch and sat down hard with a loud swoosh of its overstuffed cushions.
She looked up at TJ. “That would explain it, wouldn’t it? Whoever is killing these abused women knows about us. He thinks getting rid of one of us will stop us from pursuing our inquiries. It’s time to tell the police what we’re doing.”
Lisa heard a soft knock on her door. She opened it to TJ, who walked in wearing a red plaid nightshirt with worn brown slippers.
“Got a question for you. Did you know Eric was seeing this chick?”
Lisa hadn’t really known. “He didn’t say anything about her when we were doing interviews.”
“I kinda thought maybe you and Eric . . . ”
Lisa stopped her. “Not in this lifetime.”
“How come you never told me you have a gun?”
Lisa didn’t want to talk about it. She’d been hoping she could tell them all at the same time, carefully doling out a sanitized version of the truth.
“I’ll tell you some of it now, but it’s a long story. The rest can wait.”
She followed Lisa into the living room and sat next to her on the sofa.
“I bought the gun after my divorce and learned how to use it.”
“You were afraid of him?”
Maybe there was no simple version. “Not really.”
TJ persisted. “But you wanted to shoot him.”
“He threatened to sue for custody of Paige.” The hatred she’d been burdened with for so long ago still boiled within her. “I never knew I could despise anyone so much, even wish him dead.” Her eyes hardened in remembrance.
TJ shrugged. “Anyone can kill under the right circumstances, especially to protect their kid. I’d keep bugging you to tell me more about it now except we only have a few hours before we hafta go out again.”
“We do have to keep going, don’t we? This has to end—soon.”
Back in the guestroom, TJ discovered she was out of toothpaste. She went to Eric’s room, intending to look for an extra tube in his bathroom cabinet. When she walked into the spacious bathroom situated between the two master bedrooms, she heard a sound in the adjoining room where Jeff slept. She moved closer to the door. Was he crying? Seeing Danielle in the woods must have hit him hard—reminded him Jamie could be dead, too. TJ wanted to turn around, pretend she hadn’t heard anything. Instead, she eased into the room. Damn, I’m getting soft.
“Hey, everything okay in here?” Knowing it wasn’t, what could she say?
“Yeah,” he replied, his voice thick.
She sighed. He’d settled on the end of the bed fully clothed. He sat bent forward, his face in his hands, his glasses on the nightstand next to the bed.
Tough love, first. “You wanna talk, or should I leave you to wallow?”
Sitting up straight, he rubbed his face. “I’ve tried not to think about what must have happened to Jamie, but when I saw that woman I couldn’t help but think she’s probably in a woods somewhere—just like her. I keep seeing pictures of it in my mind when I close my eyes.”
TJ suspected he was right about his wife. “I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
She turned to leave the room. Maybe he needed to be alone to grieve. She got as far as the bathroom, then turned around and walked back to the bed. Sitting next to him, she put her arm across his back. Jeff moved into her arms. She held him until it became natural for them to lie back on the bed. Later, when he fell asleep in her arms, she eased off the bed, covered him, and slipped out of the room.
