Читать книгу Death's Door - Meryl Sawyer - Страница 12

What attracts malaria mosquitoes the fastest?

“WHERE IS EVERYONE?” Madison asked Rob Matthews, Erin’s former boyfriend. “There were dozens of people at the funeral home.”

It had been three days since she’d discovered Erin’s body. The police wouldn’t release the body until the coroner certified the autopsy results. Until then, there was always the possibility additional tests might be needed. During that time, Madison had scrambled to plan the funeral and notify as many of Erin’s friends and relatives as possible.

It had proved to be a difficult task. Erin had been an only child of parents with almost no living relatives. The second cousins Madison did manage to locate in Missouri barely knew Erin’s name. None of them had met her and they weren’t interested in attending her funeral.

Erin’s employer was fond of Erin and said he would be at the service. Madison contacted a few friends that she and Erin had known in high school. They hadn’t stayed in touch with many of them, but several assured Madison they would come. Considering the few people who planned to attend, Madison was astonished when she turned from her place in the first row where she was sitting beside Rob and saw there was standing room only in the tiny chapel operated by the funeral home.

Who were they? she’d wondered. Apparently, they’d read the notice in the newspaper. Just seeing all the solemn faces cheered Madison. She’d imagined Erin being buried with almost no one to grieve for her. As soon as the brief service was over, Madison had phoned the caterer to order more food and made sure everyone had maps to the Fisher Island home where she was holding the reception.

“Do you think people were intimidated by Fisher Island?” Madison asked Rob. “Is that why they didn’t come?”

“I doubt it. Most people never have the chance to visit a private island like Fisher. They wouldn’t miss an opportunity.”

Madison looked around. Less than a dozen people were clustered in small groups near the lavish buffet. No one was at the bar, where a waiter stood ready to serve drinks.

“So where are they?” she asked. Most of the guests who were present had eaten and would be leaving soon.

“Well…I suspect some of them might not want anyone to know their names.” Rob’s dark brown eyes telegraphed concern and anxiety. He was obviously grieving but trying to be stoic. He was tall and a little thinner than when she’d last joined him for dinner. He had a warm smile and a great sense of humor, but he was a little offbeat. She could never tell what he was really thinking. In that way, he was a lot like Erin, she decided.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“The police had a car with a video camera outside the funeral home.”

“They did?” Madison had been so shell-shocked from her best friend’s death and lack of sleep that she’d barely managed to keep from sobbing as she’d walked into the chapel. She hadn’t noticed much.

“I think it’s standard after a homicide,” Rob replied. “Some killers get a morbid thrill from attending their victim’s funerals.”

“I know.” She’d seen enough crime shows to realize this. “But people at the funeral were so normal-looking. A lot of them were women. Some seemed to be grandmother and grandfather types. They didn’t look like killers.”

“What do killers look like?” he asked, his voice pitched so low he was almost whispering.

“I don’t know. I’ve asked myself over and over who could have killed Erin. She never hurt anyone. Who would want her dead?”

“No one. No one we know, anyway.”

“Don’t bet on it,” she replied. “I know the statistics. Homicides are rarely random acts.” She didn’t mention the details Paul had given her. From what he’d said, the killer knew a lot about Erin’s personal habits. The murderer could have been a stalker who spied on her, or someone she knew.

Rob slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring hug. She leaned just slightly against his tall, spare frame. Here was someone who loved Erin as much as Madison had. The only other person at the funeral who had honestly cared about Erin. Whatever had caused Erin and Rob to break up could easily have been Erin’s fault. As close as Erin and Madison had always been, it remained a mystery to her why Erin never quite connected with other people.

A lone wolf. That’s what her father had once called Erin. The thought of her father brought her back to Paul Tanner and his horrible accusations. She’d tried not to think about what he’d told her.

Madison wanted to reach her mother, but she was still between ports somewhere in the South Pacific with the young hunk who’d replaced her beloved father. Her mother had been so devastated by the loss of her husband that she’d remarried more quickly than she should have, in Madison’s opinion. Madison didn’t care for the man, but she had to deal with him if she wanted a relationship with her mother.

Though in her heart, Madison knew Zack Connelly was her father, she just wanted to hear her mother’s explanation for visiting a fertility clinic. She’d thought it over and decided her mother must have received some type of fertility drug. That’s why what appeared to be her signature had been on one of the clinic’s forms. Forget it, she told herself. Focus on Erin, on the present.

“Who do you think all those people at the chapel were?” Madison repeated the question she’d just asked as she pulled away from Rob. “Why would they care if the police saw them?”

He ran his slender fingers through his dark brown hair, his gaze troubled. “I’m fairly sure they knew Erin from the Everglades Animal Defense League.”

“Oh, really?” She hadn’t thought of those folks. Erin had been active with the group since her first year in college. Madison had been at MIT at the time, but Erin had told her about being a founding member of the group when Madison came home at Easter. The organization had campaigned hard to stop cosmetic testing on animals. What had begun with pickets and print advertising had escalated into break-ins and arson.

“That’s what caused our split, you know.”

Madison shook her head; Erin had never wanted to discuss her problems with Rob. Typical Erin. Her friend talked least about what mattered the most.

Not that Rob had been any more forthcoming. Madison had gone to dinner a few times with him, when he’d been kind enough to call and see how she was dealing with her divorce. He’d never brought up his split with Erin. It was as if a steel curtain came down. No one knew the details except Erin and Rob.

“As a vet, I’m sympathetic to the cause,” he told her. “But I couldn’t condone criminal activity.”

She could see his point, yet she shared Erin’s concern with the way many animals were treated in labs. “It’s wrong to test cosmetics and hair products on animals.”

“Like Aspen.”

“Dr. Wallace told you?” After finding Erin’s body, Madison had taken the golden retriever to Rob’s veterinary clinic, but she’d been late for the appointment and his associate had treated Aspen. When Madison had told the police Aspen had an eye infection, it had just been a guess fueled by her desire to get away from the crime scene. Rob’s associate had stunned her when he’d informed her Aspen’s runny eyes had probably been deliberately inflicted.

“Wally thinks hair spray or maybe spray deodorant was tested on your dog. Not a surprise. Wally interned in a test lab. He knows the signs.” Rob hesitated a moment, moved a little closer, then slid his arm around Madison’s shoulders again. “Erin called me about midnight the night she died. I hadn’t heard from her in months. She told me she’d found a dog that someone had abused. Something had been sprayed in his eyes. I told her to come in at noon because I had to leave for a meeting. But that’s not why I wanted her there during lunch.”

Something in his expression alarmed Madison. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say.

“I doubted she’d ‘found’ a dog in the middle of the night. The EADL had been at it again. They’d broken into a test facility somewhere and stolen the animals used for experiments. I agreed to treat the dog but I didn’t want it in my records.”

Madison knew Rob could lose his license if the authorities charged him with aiding the illegal activities of the Everglades Animal Defense League. She vaguely remembered something she’d seen on TV the morning she’d found Erin’s body. There had been a suspicious fire at a local laboratory that conducted tests for cosmetics companies. It appeared to have been set to conceal the theft of the lab’s test animals and documents. At the time, it had crossed her mind Erin might have been involved. So much had happened that she’d forgotten about it.

“The television reports never mentioned dogs,” she told him. “They said lab animals had been taken, which made it sound like mice or rats.”

“Animal rights are a hot issue. People cut labs slack when testing is for cancer or some other medical purpose, but testing cosmetics on dogs could trigger a lot of negative publicity the company doesn’t want.”

“I see,” Madison replied. “Why did Erin have papers saying she bought Aspen for twenty-five dollars from some woman?”

Rob hesitated a moment, then said, “The way I understand it, when the league ‘liberates’ animals, they shuttle them as fast as they can and as far from the lab as possible. Erin was probably going to drive north, then hand off the dog to someone else who would in turn drive and meet another person. If questioned about the animal, they would have papers.”

“I see. Erin never mentioned anything about doing these things.”

“That’s because she knew you disapproved.”

“True. After the fire at the Attleborough Laboratory back when we were in college, I told her how reckless I thought the group was being. Someone could get killed or injured in a fire. I reminded her a man in Oregon who’d set fire to a lab that tested on animals received a five-year prison term. I told her to stop.”

“Erin was too stubborn to stop. She just didn’t tell you about it anymore.”

Madison nodded, sighed. Erin had never said she would drop out of the group. Every time Madison heard about an incident at a lab, she would wonder if Erin was involved.

Rob gave her a slight hug. She was a little uncomfortable having his arm around her so much. She knew he was only trying to comfort her, but it somehow made her feel disloyal to Erin. Her friend had been devoted to this man and he’d left her. Not that Madison blamed him exactly, but the situation made her feel guilty.

Their split had happened just days after Aiden had left Madison. She’d been in such turmoil that she’d been of little help to Erin. When Madison had finally pulled herself together, Erin seemed to have recovered, as well. She never said exactly why Rob left except they didn’t agree on life.

“Madison,” called a male voice, and she turned to see Erin’s boss walking her way. Beside the heavyset, balding Mr. Pinder were two women in black suits. She assumed they all worked in the Tropical Shades office where Erin had been a sales rep.

“We’ve got to run,” said one of the women. “You know how it is on the 95.”

She nodded; indeed she did. Take the wrong off-ramp on the trip north and you could be history. A fact that had put a dent in Miami’s tourism when several tourists had been killed after taking the wrong exit and finding themselves in no-man’s-land.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Mr. Pinder told Madison. “Erin was a wonderful person.”

“A treasure,” agreed the other woman with him.

“Thank you for coming,” Madison made herself say. She doubted if any of the three had more than a passing acquaintance with Erin. She wasn’t one to be close to employees in an office she used as a base and visited only when necessary.

Within the next half hour, the others gradually left. Twilight gathered over Biscayne Bay and no one remained except the catering crew, who was busy loading up, and Rob Matthews.

“I’ve told them to pack up some of the food for you,” she said to Rob as they stood by the artful cheese display on the buffet table. “I’m sure the gang in your office can eat it tomorrow.”

One of the cheeses was a little strong; the smell wafted up toward her. Madison suddenly remembered malaria-bearing mosquitoes are drawn the fastest by the scent of strong cheese. Humans exuded sweat—particularly from their feet—that was much like cheese and attracted mosquitoes, especially in the tropics. She never ate cheese with a strong smell.

“Thanks. It’s a shame to waste so much,” Rob replied. “What about your office?”

“There’s plenty for both of us and I’m sure the kids in the cube farm will scarf up every morsel.” She didn’t add that she dreaded going to work tomorrow. She was so angry she was afraid of what she might say. Aiden had known Erin for years. True, the two hadn’t cared for each other, but Aiden should have at least put in an appearance at the funeral.

“Maybe we should walk the dog,” suggested Rob.

“Good idea. I’ll get Aspen.” She rushed off toward the bedroom she was using. She’d put the retriever in the room to keep him from slipping out the front door with one of the guests.

“Here, boy,” she called as she entered the bedroom. Aspen jumped to his feet and headed in her direction. She noticed he was moving more quickly than he had when she’d first gotten him. Rob’s partner hadn’t given her much hope that the quality of Aspen’s vision would improve, so she assumed he was becoming accustomed to his surroundings. “How about a walk?”

The dog enthusiastically wagged his tail. He was an intelligent dog. In the short time she’d had him, Aspen had learned what “cookie” and “walk” meant. She grabbed his leash off the dresser, clasped it to his collar and walked him out to the foyer where Rob was waiting.

With a smile, he held the door open for them. Outside, it was still warm and the last remaining light from the setting sun glistened on Biscayne Bay. The beauty of nature was eternal, timeless, she thought, unlike the fleetingness of life, where people could be snatched from you in an instant.

“You know, I’m already attached to this dog,” she told Rob. “I think Aspen must have been someone’s pet. He’s well behaved and knows several commands.”

“No telling where he came from. Some labs are very careful while others take any dogs they can get.”

They paused and waited while Aspen did his business on the greenbelt. An elderly woman dressed to the nines was walking a small white poodle with a Burberry collar nearby.

“What did you tell the police about Aspen?” Rob asked in a low voice.

“Nothing. I took the bill of sale off the counter and stuffed it in my purse before the police arrived. I planned to explain when I went down to the station for the interview, but when Dr. Wallace told me someone had deliberately sprayed stuff in Aspen’s eyes, I didn’t mention him.” She reached down and patted Aspen’s sleek head. “I was afraid they would give him back to those terrible people.”

“You’re absolutely right. They would have.”

“Did you tell them Erin called you about Aspen shortly before she was killed?”

Rob shook his head. “No. I can’t imagine the break-in had anything to do with her death. Those people are fanatics about animals. They don’t go around killing each other.”

“But won’t the police find your number in Erin’s phone records and know she called you shortly before she was murdered?”

“No. She told me she used a pay phone. Animal rights activists are really careful not to leave a trail to others. They won’t find anything on her computer or her phones that will link her to the group.”

Madison turned, hearing someone calling her name. A paunchy man with gray hair and eyebrows like steel wool was heading their way. She didn’t recognize him, and she was fairly certain he hadn’t been at the chapel. She’d given instructions to the guards to admit anyone to the island for the reception.

“Ridley Johnson,” he told them in a breathless voice. “I’m Erin Wycoff’s attorney. Sorry I couldn’t get to the funeral. I had a deposition.”

Madison stared at the man, not quite believing what she was hearing. Why would Erin need an attorney? She’d never mentioned one. But then, there had been a lot of things her friend had neglected to tell her.

“I have to fly to New York tomorrow morning.” He shrugged. “That’s the price of being a one-man operation. You’re on the go all the time.”

Madison tried for a sympathetic smile, but her mind was still on Erin. What else hadn’t Erin told her? Maybe if she’d been more open with her, Madison might be able to help the police find her killer.

The lawyer looked at Rob, but spoke to Madison. “Could we talk in private? It’s about Miss Wycoff’s estate.”

Madison almost laughed at the word estate. Other than a few pieces of gold jewelry, Erin didn’t have much. “This is my friend Robert Matthews. He was also a close friend of Erin’s. You can talk in front of him.”

The lawyer arched one eyebrow skeptically, then said, “Miss Wycoff had me draw up a will for her about six months ago. She left you everything.”

For a gut-cramping second the world froze. “She did? I’m surprised Erin bothered with a will. She didn’t have much.”

He gazed at her for a long moment in a way that struck her as odd. “Like I explained to the police, the exact worth of her estate won’t be clear until the sale of the property is finalized and some back taxes paid. But it’s in the neighborhood of eleven million dollars.”

Eleven million? The magnitude of this news poleaxed her brain. She managed to whisper, “Are you sure?”

“What property?” asked Rob.

“It’s six acres outside Tallahassee. She inherited it from her parents. It was in the sticks when they bought it. The town’s spread out and a new shopping center is going in. She agreed to sell the land to the developer. It’s in escrow right now.”

“Oh my God,” Madison whispered. The police were already suspicious of Madison. Now they would have a motive for murder.