again.”
“Why did Dad want to end the partnership?”
“Theo became involved in controversial transactions that Marcus wanted no part of.” Lillian turned and looked at the ocean. “Anyhow, the longer he and Darcy search for the money, the more frustrated they become, and that makes life dangerous for all of us.”
“I already experienced Darcy’s nasty side when he tried to beat the crap out of me.”
The strap of Lillian’s handbag slid off her shoulder. “When was this?”
“A few weeks ago, in this house.” By the time Casey finished describing the encounter, Lillian’s eyes were blazing. Casey couldn’t tell if she was angry with Darcy or her. “Why’s Darcy going to such extremes to find money for his boss? Is there a finder’s fee?”
When Mother didn’t respond, Casey said, “I want him out of Rhonda’s house today.”
“He won’t go until he gets what he wants. You and Summer should leave the city until this is resolved.”
“Why? Will he tear up Rhonda’s house when he’s finished with this one? I wonder why he started with the living room?”
“He found a bit of notepaper showing a wall with an insert that he thought was the entertainment center. An arrow pointed to the chair nearest the TV. Darcy searched it and all of the furniture. When he found nothing, he wondered if Marcus had referred to a spot under the floor.”
Casey recalled the loose sheet with the squiggly lines she’d removed from Dad’s notebook the day she left for Europe. The house address had been written on it, too.
“Darcy took that sheet from my dresser drawer! Summer saw him coming out of my apartment while I was away. He trashed the place, presumably to look for the money.”
“Where did you find the paper?”
“In an old address book.”
“Where was the book?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied, “and how did you know about the slip of paper? Are you helping Darcy look for the money?”
“No, but I’m kept informed.”
Casey crossed her arms. “Obviously.”
“Listen to me. Theo suspects you’ve seen your father’s old address book or you wouldn’t have visited the places you did in Europe.”
How could she tell Mother the truth when she didn’t trust her?
“Since the cash hasn’t turned up,” Lillian added, “Darcy’s convinced the real clue is in that book and he wants it badly.”
“I gave the book to Detective Lalonde.” Or she would soon. “Did Darcy kill Dad?”
“Casey, the murdered man wasn’t your father.” Lillian’s mouth trembled just a little, and suddenly she looked tired. “He was Gustaf Osterman. That’s what I wanted to tell you in Paris. I wanted permission to return Gustaf to his family.”
“Osterman?” Casey’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be bloody joking.”
“He and Marcus looked alike. Surgery made it possible for Gus to appear identical. It was like falling in love with Marcus all over again.” Lillian’s smile didn’t match the emptiness in her eyes. “Gustaf loved me, you know, but Theo wanted the new Marcus to continue his relationship with Gislinde. I hear you met her?”
“Uh-huh.” This was sounding a little creepy.
“Gustaf didn’t really love her or he would have moved to Amsterdam ages ago.”
“Surely Gislinde figured out the truth about Dad?”
“Probably, but she’s pathetically weak. From what I heard, she couldn’t face the fact that Marcus was gone, so she bought into the illusion, as Theo knew she would.”
So, Dad hadn’t gone underground. He really had died from botulism. Or had she just been given a load of bull?
“Why would Gustaf pose as Dad all that time?”
“To look for the money and find out whom Marcus’s clients were. Theo had hoped those clients would contact the new Marcus who would then refer them back to Theo. Gustaf would have received a percentage of any new business generated.”
Casey didn’t know what to believe. Mother could spin truths with the same finesse that spiders did with webs. “Did Gustaf find the clients?”
“A few, but most of them would have been in the old address book you found.”
The guy couldn’t have searched the house that thoroughly, Casey thought. She’d easily found the grocery receipt with Simone’s name. Maybe Gustaf had wanted the lifestyle more than the finder’s fee.
“Unfortunately, Marcus was a bit of a technological dinosaur,” Lillian remarked. “He wouldn’t keep an electronic address book and only had a few key names in his phone.”
As Mother stepped closer, Casey inhaled the scent of lavender and moved away. “Even in the best of circumstances and with the best of intentions, Mother, your credibility is lousy.”
“I swear, I’m being completely honest with you.”
Revulsion sliced through Casey, as if there was nothing worse than complete honesty coming from this woman. “If Gustaf had surgery just to acquire Dad’s clients, why was he given an appendectomy scar?” Mother’s perplexed expression was gratifying. For once, Casey knew something she didn’t. “I had someone check at the morgue.”
“For Gislinde’s sake, I suppose. As long as she convinced herself he was the real Marcus then she’d be open to discussing his secrets and plans with the fake one.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Casey, I swear I’m telling the truth.”
“Then why does Theo’s story contradict yours?”
Lillian adjusted her purse strap. “Theo wants you to believe Marcus was the victim so you’ll stay involved enough to lead him to the money. Financial problems have made him desperate and, like Darcy, he’s decided that Marcus hid it someplace only you could find.”
“You sound like a jilted lover out for revenge.”
“Not jilted, by any means. Trouble is, once you’ve had Theo, it’s hard to get rid of him, don’t you think?”
Casey frowned. “That’s a bit presumptuous, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but I’d like to know how close you two have become.”
As if it was any of her business. “Why didn’t you tell Theo that Darcy was living at our house?”
“He doesn’t need to know everything.”
“God, you’re not any more honest with your employers than you are with the rest of the world, are you?”
“No man ever deserved my honesty.”
“Then I suppose Detective Lalonde doesn’t know you work for Theo too?”
Lillian strolled past the fireplace. “Lalonde knows more than he’ll tell you. Pay attention to what he’s doing, Casey. The man’s no fool.”
Who the hell was she to reprimand anyone? “Dad would be alive if he hadn’t been mixed up with you and Ziegler.”
“Have you forgotten the bleak periods your father went through?”
Casey remembered that he’d always seemed so preoccupied, too busy for fun.
“The sad truth is that Marcus was a mediocre architect,” Lillian said. “His business suffered and so did his confidence, but Theo helped change all that.”
Casey’s jaw was so tight she couldn’t speak. Dad should have told her.
“The import/export business made your father happier than he’d been in a long time. Marcus was willing to take more risks, and risk was what he was all about. Marcus loved life when it was critical. We both did, which was another reason for starting his own company.”
“Dad wasn’t like you.” Even as she said it, Casey wasn’t so sure anymore.
“I understand why you think so. Marcus gave you a stable life, gave up the dangerous sports, the parties, all for you.” Lillian moved closer to her. “Your father married me, accepting my past and my values. He grew to
