“Are you going back to Vancouver right away?” Gabrielle asked.
Casey heard the tension. “Soon.” She opened the door and gazed at the O’Reilly women. “It’s a shame Jasmine didn’t grow up in your family. I think she would have fit right in.”
She rushed down the corridor, eager to put some distance between herself and a possible killer. When had Gabrielle hooked up with Birch to destroy Jasmine? If she’d known about them, surely she would have told someone, unless Jasmine had learned the truth just before she was killed. Was this the reason she’d been so irritable those last couple of days? In the lobby, Casey glanced over her shoulder. No sign of Gabrielle. Outside, she ran to her car, tempted to catch a ferry right away. Still, she’d promised to photocopy the letters and return them before she left town. Hannah needed to know about Gabrielle and Birch as well.
How would she take the news? A lot of moms would deny the truth; maybe lash out at the messenger. Hannah was hard to predict, though. She claimed to know Gabrielle’s darker side, but could she see her own daughter as a murder suspect? Would Hannah demand the letters back and tell Casey to get lost?
She looked in her rearview mirror. Gabrielle would probably tell Birch about their encounter. If he and Gabrielle had killed Jasmine, would he take his anger out on Summer? Casey peeled out of the parking lot and headed to her oceanside hotel ten minutes away. She didn’t breathe easy again until she’d entered her ground floor room and locked the door.
She called Lou’s mom and got voice mail. Casey checked her watch. Five o’clock. Barb had told Casey and Summer that supper was between five and six, and that she never picked up the phone during that hour.
“Hi, it’s Casey,” she said after the message beep. “Listen, I’ve stepped into a mess here in Parksville.” She kept her voice calm. “Make sure Summer doesn’t go anywhere on her own until I get back, okay? I’ll call and explain more later.”
She called Lou’s cell. While the phone rang, she sat on the bed and gazed at the pine furniture, the blue and green squares on the bedspread. No answer there either. Casey left a quick message, describing her encounter with Gabrielle and asking him to check on Barb and Summer.
Casey walked to the window. A handful of people strolled along the beach on this cool October day. A seagull strutted along the water’s edge, stopped and cried, then flew away. Corporal Lundy needed to know about Gabrielle and Birch. Maybe he could ask a Vancouver city cop to patrol Barb’s street tonight. Casey removed the bundle of letters from her bag and retrieved Lundy’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“I have news.” She described the connection between Gabrielle and Birch, Gabrielle’s potential inheritance, and her fear for Summer’s safety.
“How did you find all this out, Miss Holland?”
“By accident.”
“What kind of accident?”
He wasn’t going to like this. “Jasmine’s biological mother asked me to visit her here in Parksville, and while we were talking, her daughter showed up. I recognized Gabrielle right away because I’ve seen her with Birch before; kissing him, in fact.” Before he could ask where she’d seen them, Casey added, “A few weeks before Jasmine’s death, her landlords saw someone in the car with Birch when he was stalking her. They never got a close look at the face, but it could have been Gabrielle.”
“Are you still in Parksville?”
“Yes, which is why I’m worried about Summer. Could you ask the Vancouver police to keep an eye on the house?” She gave him Barb’s address. “Do you know if Gabrielle has an alibi?”
“That comes under the none-of-your-business heading, Miss Holland. I’ll do what I can for your ward, though. Meanwhile, I suggest you return home and stay out of our investigation.”
“I’ve been trying, Corporal, but people keep dragging me into it.”
“Try harder.” He hung up before she could give him the name of Gabrielle’s employer.
Casey tossed her phone on the bed. He was the one who should be bloody trying harder. She picked up a phone book from the table’s bottom shelf and flipped through the yellow pages, looking for management consulting firms with four names. One company fit that description. Casey jotted down the company name and phone number on a hotel notepad.
If she called the company and came up with a good reason for asking if Gabrielle was working the morning of September twenty-eighth, a receptionist might be able to help, but it would be tricky. Casey checked her watch. Twenty past five. She wanted to call Hannah and tell her about Gabrielle right now, but Gabrielle might still be there. Casey called the employer. A perky recorded voice announced they were closed for the day and would re- open at 9:00 AM.
Casey picked up a brochure that boasted about Parksville’s beaches, parks, golf courses, and nature walks. Several resorts offered special romantic getaway packages. She thought of Lou and loneliness overwhelmed her. Might as well grab a meal, read some letters, and try to understand a complicated woman she really hadn’t known at all.
• • •
BY THE TIME Casey had poured over five heart-wrenching letters about Jasmine’s childhood and marriage, she’d lost her appetite. Understandably, Jasmine hadn’t gone into graphic detail about the sexual abuse she’d suffered, yet her pain was clear, and because of this Casey felt like a sleazy voyeur.
“
A feeling Casey knew all too well. After Dad’s passing, medication and therapy eventually got her through months of depression. Jasmine’s remedy had been to marry Elliott Birch, which only made things worse. Refusing to be victimized again, she’d left him.
Casey pushed away her half-eaten clubhouse sandwich. She’d been sitting in the hotel’s restaurant for what felt like ages, and it was now dark outside. With any luck, Gabrielle would have left Hannah by now. She’d already called Barb back and had updated her on recent events.
Casey picked up her phone, took a calming breath, and called Hannah. When Hannah answered, Casey said, “Are you alone?”
“Yes, thank heaven.” Hannah’s voice was strong again. “God, I hate her surprise visits. Two in one week. She probably lost another boyfriend.”
“I don’t think so,” Casey replied. “I have something to tell you about your daughter, and it’s not good.”
Hannah hesitated only a moment. “Go on.”
“Gabrielle was the woman I saw with Birch in his trailer. I recognized her right away.” She waited for a response. “Hannah?” Oh no. Was the poor woman having another stroke? “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Her voice was quiet. “Just surprised.”
“I’m sorry, I had no idea who Gabrielle was until you introduced us.”
“I understand, Miss Holland, and I respect your honesty.”
Back to last names. Hannah was ticked and Casey didn’t blame her. “If you confront her about it, I’d appreciate it if you left my name out of this.”
“She’ll want to know how I found out.”
“Please understand that I’m not accusing Gabrielle of anything,” Casey said. “I simply saw her kissing Birch in his trailer the night I went to check on Jeremy.”
“When was that, exactly?”
“Eight days go, on the twelfth.” Casey stared at her iced tea. “Maybe they’ve split up since then.”
“I’ll have someone look into it. If she’s still with Birch, I’ll know soon enough.”
Would Hannah confront Gabrielle before then? “Do you still want me to read the letters?”
“Yes, of course.”
Twenty-five more to go. Part of her wished Hannah had said no.
“I’m glad you told me,” Hannah added. “The more I know, the better I can protect my grandson. Goodbye.”
Casey picked up letter number six.
• • •
WHEN SHE RETURNED to her hotel room an hour later, she didn’t know whether to feel angry, sad, or relieved that she finally knew why Jasmine had hated her.
“
