“Impressive,” she said. “So, where’s the guy?”
“He got away. Jerk saw me coming and dropped the bag.” He handed it to Aggie who disconnected her call and squealed with joy.
“Thank you so much,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” Theo stepped closer to Casey. “Do you have a few moments now?”
“Thanks for doing that, and sure, we can talk.” If she kept him here until the police showed up, they could question him about Simone.
“My wallet’s gone.” Aggie looked at Casey and Theo as if expecting them to produce it.
“Okay, the police will be here any moment.” She and Theo stepped away from the women.
“Are Rhonda and her daughter okay?” Theo asked. “Seeing Simone like that . . .”
“Summer’s out of town and Rhonda’s surviving, secrets and all.”
“Secrets?”
“It seems my memories of growing up don’t have much to do with reality. The adults in my life, including Rhonda, kept a lot of important things from me, which is rather insulting, to put it mildly.”
“What did Rhonda keep from you?”
“That she and Mother have maintained something of a relationship all these years.” Casey glanced up and down Broadway. No sign of the police yet. “Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised; Rhonda was her childhood friend, after all. She saw Mother as strong, charismatic, and fearless—everything Rhonda wanted to be. She really tried to emulate Mother. Even dressed like her; wouldn’t leave the house without makeup and a pair of earrings.”
“Lillian’s still strong and charismatic,” Theo remarked.
Casey nodded. “Just after my parents were married, Rhonda got engaged and then pregnant right after Mother did. She bought a house two doors down from ours.”
“Sounds cozy.”
“Rhonda once told me that it was fun at first, until she kept having miscarriages and Mother started having affairs. Rhonda babysat me, and I know she provided alibis for some of Mother’s trysts.”
“Why?”
Casey glanced at the victim who was now on the phone. “I asked her that once. She’d said Mother had such a powerful hold on her there’d been no choice.”
Somehow, this explanation didn’t quite fit anymore. Secrets seemed as prevalent with Rhonda as they were with Mother. The circumstances surrounding Summer’s birth had been hushed up. And she knew Rhonda had eavesdropped on tenants before. Secrets had helped Rhonda stay in control, just like Mother.
“Their friendship ended when Mother slept with Rhonda’s husband,” Casey said. “After that, Rhonda focused more on me and Dad, and then Summer. Anyway, I just found out that Rhonda and Mother can’t seem to leave each other alone.”
Casey told him about the letters and Mother’s desire to renew their friendship.
“Sounds like they’re competing,” Theo said. “Lillian thrives on competition.”
“Mother thrives on sex, power, and ambition. Rhonda just wants to be needed and loved.” She watched Theo survey the intersection. Better keep the man talking before he took off. “Think Darcy killed Gustaf too?”
“I don’t know, but Lillian might.”
“Why?”
Theo studied pedestrians. “I told you she had someone new in her life. Unfortunately, it’s Darcy.”
“Oh, just great.” Unless Theo was lying. Maybe Darcy was still on the payroll and simply taking orders. “Did he kill Simone for the money?”
“Probably.”
“So tell me, are these Mexican clients real or not?”
When Theo didn’t respond, Casey pinched the skin on his wrist until he shook her off.
“Have you been eating chocolate?” He rubbed his wrist.
“Answer me.”
“They’re real, but not dangerous, and there was no money owed to them.”
“So, Dad kept the money from you, and when he died you had Gustaf Osterman take his place to find the cash and clients.”
Theo’s long dark eyes examined her. “That must have been some talk with your mother.”
“It was. Tough to figure out whose side she’s on.”
“Lillian’s been trapped in the middle a long time, and believe me, she’s feeling it.”
“She made her choices.”
“As did Marcus.” Theo looked around and kept his voice low. “He’d been stealing clients and moonlighting months before I found out. Before we could settle things, Marcus got sick.”
“The day of the funeral, his home and car were ransacked. Was that to find the notebook and money?” She watched Theo scan the street. “If you want my cooperation, then tell the truth.”
“All right, yes, I sent Darcy over. He couldn’t find anything so I sent Gustaf to check out the Marine Drive place. He spent weeks going through files, personal papers, bank statements, cabinets, drawers—anything that might give him a clue. Eventually, he concluded that the information might have been at Marcus’s architectural firm. He broke in there once or twice, but again no luck.”
“Who stole everything out of the Marine Drive house?”
“Probably Darcy, the greedy bastard.”
“Why did Gustaf stay at the house for more than three years? The search couldn’t have taken that long.”
“Partly to wait for Marcus’s clients to come to him, which some did. But mainly because he was in trouble with two ex-wives and some associates. A new face and life in Vancouver solved his problems. Gustaf only planned to move to Amsterdam because of Gislinde’s pregnancy.”
“You did a good job of creating a double.” Casey saw Aggie hand the phone back to her friend, then rummage through her handbag. “I heard he even sounded like Dad.”
“Gustaf had a gift for impersonation, and he’d known Marcus for years. Their body type was similar and any differences were sculpted into shape.”
“You mean Gustaf gained an appendectomy scar for Gislinde’s benefit?”
“Yes. Dental records and fingerprints were left alone,” Theo said. “I figured if someone went that far to check him out, the game was over anyway.”
Casey recalled Lalonde’s comments about a female suspect wearing a sequined gown.
“Could one of the ex-wives have discovered Gustaf’s new life and gone after him?”
Theo shook his head. “I verified that they and Gislinde Van Akker have alibis.”
“Why does Gislinde have a bodyguard?”
“Darcy interrogated her about a month before Marcus’s death, and again before Gustaf died. The second time involved threats.”
“Does she know the real identity of her fiance?”
“We’ve never discussed it, but I imagine so. Gustaf was supposed to break up with her once he became Marcus but, obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“From what I’ve learned, Mother wouldn’t have approved of their relationship, since she was quite taken with Gustaf.”
He attempted a smile. “Lillian thinks every man she meets falls in love with her and that she’s entitled to own them.”
“Suppose Mother and Darcy believed Gustaf had finally found the money and they showed up to collect it? When Gustaf didn’t cooperate, Darcy killed him,” Casey said, “but they still couldn’t find the money, so he moved into Rhonda’s house to see what I knew. After Darcy failed to get close to me, Mother materialized to take a shot at it.”
“Possibly. Did you find Marcus’s old address book?”
“Yes, and I gave it to Detective Lalonde.”
“What for? There may be a clue to the money in it.”
“There isn’t. And I’m tired of all the lies and secrets, Theo. Dad wasn’t murdered. He ate tainted mayonnaise in a restaurant.”
