Grave Doubts (A Paranormal Mystery Novel) Read online

  Alan held up a hand. “Hold on. What typographical errors?”

  “The police showed me the suicide note that night. I noticed the mistakes immediately. Diane had me trained. Someone had left the apostrophe out of the word don’t, and there was a misspelled word. She didn’t write that note.”

  Alan’s eyebrows curled into a question this time. “An apostrophe? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  Lee sat forward to defend her comment. “I know they sound like small mistakes, Alan, but believe me, they wouldn’t be to Diane. This was a woman who called the phone company once to report an error on their Government Listings page. She was habitually correct when it came to grammar. If that was her last note—she would have read and reread it a hundred times to make sure it was perfect.”

  “Hard to prove,” he countered, shaking his head.

  “I’m not trying to prove anything, Alan. I only know what I know about Diane. I’m not exaggerating. I worked with her for four years. I was her boss. I knew this woman.”

  He eyed her carefully. “I don’t doubt that.” He rubbed his hand back across head. “Second?”

  Lee took a breath. “She wouldn’t have used the kind of syringe they found next to her body.”

  This time his eyebrows raised his hairline an inch. “How in the world do you know that?”

  “Diane had a diabetic cat and had small syringes at her disposal. The one found on the floor was much bigger than the ones she used for the cat.”

  Robin called in from the kitchen. “Anyone for ice cream?”

  Alan continued to watch Lee. After a moment he shifted his attention to Robin. “No, Hon, I don’t think so.”

  “Diane was never comfortable giving the cat injections,” Lee continued, ignoring Robin. “She didn’t even like having the syringes in the house, but she was forced to. I know for a fact the syringe found next to her body wasn’t the kind she used for the cat.”

  Alan looked at his hands, contemplating her comments. “If she was going to kill herself and didn’t think she had the necessary syringe, all she’d have to do is go out and buy another syringe. They’re fairly easy to obtain.”

  “Why would she buy one if she already had a box-full?”

  “I don’t know. But we know for sure she had insulin in the house,” Alan shrugged.

  Alan relayed this last piece of information as if delivering the final statement at a college lecture. No question. Pure fact. Lee felt a defeat she didn’t want to admit, making her gaze into the fire. To fill the space, Alan pulled out his pipe and slipped it into his mouth. He tapped his pockets, searching for the tobacco. Robin interrupted the silence by entering the room with a tray filled with plates of apple pie topped with whipped cream. She looked at the two mute figures.

  “Don’t tell me…we’re talking about Diane.” She extended a plate to Lee.

  “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not.” She approached her husband, and he lifted a plate off the tray. “I think we all need to talk about it. I mean, let’s face it, it’s a stretch to think she killed herself.”

  Lee looked up with a jerk. “What?”

  Robin put the tray down, took her own dessert, and sat on the sofa.

  “Why?” Alan inquired, putting the pipe down and lifting his fork.

  “Because suicide just wasn’t Diane,” Robin said. “You didn’t know her very well, Alan. It’d be like you offering to wear a tuxedo. Know what I mean?” She raised an eyebrow to emphasize her point. “The whole hospital is buzzing about it.”

  “They are?” Lee jumped.

  “Yes, I’ve been getting text messages all day. C’mon, Lee. Diane had a reputation. And it wasn’t for her easygoing personality, if you know what I mean.” Robin settled back into the sofa, letting it engulf her small frame. “She was a perfectionist and a bit of a snob. And she wasn’t exactly popular for it. Suicide would’ve been a weakness she would never have shown to anyone. It’s certainly not how she would have wanted people to remember her.” Robin paused to take a bite of pie.

  “I agree,” Lee said almost dumbly.

  Alan turned to Lee as he used his fork to cut off a piece of his own dessert. “You said there were three things that made you think she didn’t kill herself.”

  “The third was her cat, Sasha. Since her divorce, Sasha was the center of Diane’s world. She doted on the thing. She always left the cat at the vet’s when she went out of town and only reluctantly let me take care of it the few times when the vet didn’t have room. The cat had to have shots twice a day and be fed at regular intervals. Otherwise, like any diabetic, it could go into a coma.”

  Robin looked up from her dessert. “What happened to the cat?”

  “Amy took it to the emergency clinic. It’s still there. I’m not sure who will take her. I don’t think Carey’s husband would allow Carey to have a cat.” Lee put her pie down untouched and turned to Alan. “You see Alan, that’s what I mean. The cat was due for her shot at six that morning. Amy and I didn’t find Diane until almost six that night. Sasha had missed two shots and was in a bad way. Diane would never have risked Sasha’s life. I’m telling you, Alan, Diane didn’t kill herself!”

  Lee stopped, knowing she was beginning to sound hysterical. She sat back and took a deep breath. Robin watched her husband, her fork poised midair. Alan looked from one woman to the other, taking his time framing a response.

  “The officers searched the entire house and didn’t find anything, except the suicide note. They even interviewed the neighbors. There’s nothing for them to act on. Nothing to prove.”

  “I can show you exactly where the cat’s syringes were kept,” Lee snapped. “The middle kitchen drawer. I showed it to Sergeant Davis that night, but he ignored me. Alan, they think this is an open and shut case of suicide. They won’t investigate any further!”

  “Slow down, Lee,” he said, raising his hand in a gesture of peace this time. “What you’re both describing are only opinions and hunches. You can’t prove anything. At this point, there’s nothing for them to investigate.”

  “What about the typos?” Lee asked, her eyes searching Alan’s face for any sign of agreement.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “She was distraught. She typed the note in a hurry. When you’re about to commit suicide, you’re not thinking too clearly.”

  Lee stood up and paced the floor in front of the big picture windows. She stopped in front of a corner curio shelf filled with carved Jade figurines. The room grew silent as they each waited. Finally, Lee turned, her feet spread apart in a firm stance.

  “I don’t believe it. I’ll never believe it. You didn’t know her, Alan. Diane once made the entire staff stay after work to help her completely reformat a sixteen-page booklet that was due by eight the next morning because she thought the margins were too narrow. The margins! No one in the office even noticed it except her. But, Diane fretted about it all afternoon until she couldn’t stand it anymore. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Committing suicide isn’t a rational act,” Alan countered. “She wouldn’t necessarily behave normally.”

  “But why would she kill herself? She had everything to live for. She had a great job. She volunteered at her church and owned a beautiful condo right on the river. And she had a new man in her life. Why in the world would she kill herself?”

  Alan and Robin shared a guarded look. Then he stood and placed his empty plate on the mantel where he was pleased to find his tobacco pouch.

  “Well,” he began, pressing tobacco into the bowl of his pipe. “I checked the police report. They interviewed her boyfriend and asked him the same thing. He said he’d recently broken up with her and that she’d taken it pretty hard.”

  Alan looked at Lee, but she turned away. The room grew quiet again.

  Finally, Robin broke the silence, “Personally, I think the bigger question is why anyone would murder her. That’s the part I can’t figure out.”

  “I don’t know,” Lee mut
tered and slumped back into the chair.

  Robin finished her dessert and eased herself up to retrieve everyone’s plates. Lee’s pie remained untouched. As Robin exited to the kitchen, she paused to offer one last opinion over her shoulder.

  “I don’t trust Maddox. The guy is slick. If anyone killed her, I’d vote for him.”

  She disappeared and they could hear the rattle of dishes in the sink.

  After a moment of silence, Alan asked, “Why would Robin think Maddox did it?”

  “He was ten years younger than Diane,” Lee replied in a despondent whisper.

  “That’s not exactly a motive for murder.”

  “It just didn’t feel right.”

  “To you or to Diane?”

  “To all of us,” Robin announced as she re-entered the room.

  Although Robin was small, she carried herself as if she were much taller. Lee often thought that came from being married to someone who overshadowed her the way a mountain overshadows the valley below.

  “He’s one smooth operator,” she continued. “Technically, he’s still married, but his wife lives in the Medford area. No one knows if they’re estranged, but he’s been pretty open about dating other women.”

  “But why would he kill Diane? He’d already dumped her,” Alan asked.

  The two women could only look at each other, stumped for an answer.

  “You guys do criminal checks before you hire,” he said to Robin as she sat down again. “Has he ever been arrested?”

  “No. He was clean.”

  Alan returned to the fireplace. “I’m sorry, Lee. I don’t see how I can help you. There’s just not enough to go on.”

  Robin sat back and crossed her legs. “Let’s face it Lee, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, anyway. There were no windows or locks broken and nothing was stolen, right?”

  “Wouldn’t that prove it had to be someone she knew?” Lee looked at Alan for support.

  “It could also strengthen the argument for suicide,” he disappointed her.

  “But you should’ve seen Soldier.”

  Alan looked up, his pipe in his right hand. “Who’s Soldier?”

  “Amy’s dog,” Robin supplied the answer. “Was she with you?”

  “Yes.” Lee leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Look Alan, you guys have police dogs in the department, and you know how good a dog’s nose is. I read once that some dogs have the ability to pinpoint a man 500 yards away in a mild breeze.”

  “That’s true. “ Alan agreed, puffing heartily on his pipe.

  “Well, Diane didn’t show up for work that day and didn’t answer her phone when I called. Amy had to take Soldier to the vet’s that afternoon anyway, so afterwards we stopped by Diane’s condo. Her newspaper was by her front door and there was a note from a neighbor. I got worried, so when no one answered the door, I used my key. Soldier ran into the living room first and was standing next to Diane’s body sniffing the syringe when we finally got the lights turned on. Then, she started sniffing her way around the room, like she was looking for something. She went into the kitchen and even up the stairs.” Lee finished her statement as another thought slipped into her mind.

  Alan sat down again and crossed his legs. “If only dogs could talk,” he said, re-lighting his pipe.

  Robin had been watching Lee. “What are you thinking?”

  “I just remembered that I didn’t see Diane’s vase on the coffee table when we found her. I was there the night before and distinctly remember the large vase with the sunflowers sitting right in the middle of the table. She brought it back with her from Italy last summer. But it wasn’t there when we found the body, I’m sure of it.”

  “Maybe she broke it, or just moved it,” Robin speculated. Robin shifted her attention to her husband who had been listening and puffing on his pipe. “What did Bud say about breaking up with Diane?”

  “I’m not sure.” He took the pipe out of his mouth and knocked the tobacco into the fireplace. “I didn’t read much of the report, but I think Sergeant Davis said that Bud Maddox hadn’t spoken to her for a couple of days.”

  “Where was he when she died?” his wife inquired.

  “I don’t think he has an alibi, but right now there’s no reason to believe he needs one.” The big cop looked at Lee, giving her a half smile. “You may just have to accept this one, Lee. I know it’s tough.”

  “Yeah,” Lee shrugged, anxious now to leave. She pushed herself out of the chair and reached for her purse. “I’d better be going. Thanks for the dinner. Sorry about the dessert.”

  “No problem,” Robin consoled her, rising. “I wrapped it up for you to take home.”

  Lee turned to Alan. “And the casserole was really great.”

  He smiled and stood up, putting his big slab of a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll see you get the recipe. Give this some time, Lee.”

  “Thanks.”

  Alan retrieved her coat, while Robin retrieved a paper plate wrapped in aluminum foil from the refrigerator. The three of them moved toward the front door where Robin handed Lee the pie before flicking on the porch light.

  “I’ll talk to you guys soon,” Lee said, giving Robin a hug.

  Alan opened the door, and Robin followed Lee to the car, arms wrapped around her to ward off the cold.

  “Lee,” Robin started, “I’m worried about you. Maybe you need some time off.”

  “Carey agrees with me, you know,” she countered.

  “Diane’s sister?”

  “She stopped by tonight after the funeral.”

  “Why didn’t you mention that to Alan?”

  “I’m not sure she wants anyone to know. I’m pretty sure she and her husband are arguing over it. I noticed a bruise on her neck, and I think she hides others with heavy make-up.”

  “You mean he’s abusing her?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but she’s nervous about this, and they’re having financial trouble.”

  “Well, that could be what’s causing the marital problems.”

  “It also gives him a reason to want Diane dead. They’re the beneficiaries of Diane’s life insurance policy.”

  Robin was clearly shocked. “That’s a terrible thing to say, Lee. Don’t start jumping to conclusions. You don’t know that this is murder.”

  “I feel awful saying it, but Carey said herself they’re in financial trouble, and he obviously doesn’t want her talking about a possible murder.”

  Robin inhaled. “Wow. So, you think he may have killed Diane for the money?”

  “I don’t know,” Lee said shaking her head. “The policy was only for $25,000.”

  “Should I say anything to Alan?”

  “No. I don’t want to get Carey in trouble. I don’t think her husband knows she said anything to me. Let’s just wait a while. You can answer a question, though. I thought you couldn’t collect on an insurance policy if the person committed suicide.”

  “Most policies have a waiting period before they’ll pay anything. I’m pretty sure that after the waiting period, they’ll even pay on a suicide. But I can check it out to make sure. Do you really think he would kill Diane?” Robin’s expression betrayed her doubts.

  “I don’t know. I’ve only met him one other time. He’s pretty distant, and Carey is certainly afraid of something.”

  Robin cocked her head, looking at Lee. “You’re not going to be able to live with this, are you?”

  Lee bit her lip as she considered how she would respond. With a sigh, she made a decision.

  “When my mother left my father,” she began, “she convicted me to a life with a man who showed his affection by buying me a United States Treasury Bond each year for my birthday. I only got to see my real father and my brother for a week every summer. When I was a teenager, my father died, and I began to drift away from Patrick, too. So, I focused all of my energies on my gymnastics. I was good, and I had a real shot at the Nationals. But in my first year of college, an accide
nt destroyed any chance I had at that. Then, I met Brad.”

  She swallowed as tears filled her eyes.

  “Our marriage was a sham. I’ve never said that before, but it’s true. The only good thing that came out of it was Amy. When he disappeared over a decade ago, I didn’t care. I never lifted a finger to find out what really happened. I think I’d already shut myself into a protective box and threw away the key.”

  A tear plopped onto her wrist and she raised a hand to wipe her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Lee,” Robin said, placing a comforting hand on her arm.

  But Lee wasn’t done yet.

  “My friendship with Diane was different than what I have with you, or even Marion, my friend from the University. You guys are colleagues, professionals, peers. Diane was…I don’t know…more like a pal. When I met her, she was as scarred and broken as I was. She told me she’d been abused by a neighbor boy when she was in middle school. Something she’d never told anyone. Her father also died when she was very young, and her mother never remarried. Everyone knows she had her idiosyncrasies. But it was more than that. She had full-blown OCD. She knew she was different. She knew people didn’t like her. How could she not? Throughout her entire life people had made fun of her, criticized her, or even hated her for it. But, you know, she couldn’t help herself.”

  Lee leaned back against the car.

  “Then, she went through a bitter divorce and her husband walked away with almost everything. By the time she came to work for me, she was barely holding on. And somehow, over the course of four years, we kind of rescued each other. What most people didn’t know was that Diane had a wicked sense of humor. She could make me laugh until my sides hurt. When we hung out together, it was like going to therapy. I forgot about myself and was able to just…be. It was liberating; I began to feel like that box I’d shut myself in had begun to open. And then suddenly…she was gone.”

  Lee shifted her weight and crossed her arms as she leveled a serious look at Robin.

  “Diane didn’t kill herself, Robin. I’m as certain of that as I am of my own name. And I owe it to her to find the truth. Listen,” Lee continued, “I’m not mad at Alan. I might not even be mad at Sergeant Davis. It just feels like Diane is talking to me, pleading with me to clear her name,” she stopped and sighed. “My God, Robin! Would a woman who keeps her shoes in individual plastic containers be likely to kill herself?”