Casey didn’t have the courage to confirm it.
“I’m sorry I killed Gustaf Osterman,” Rhonda mumbled. “For his family’s sake, I truly am sorry.”
Casey knelt down, lifted the tile, and looked up. “You knew Mother was innocent, yet you called the police and tried to keep her from leaving.”
Rhonda’s expression grew harsh. “If there was anything I could do to make Lillian’s life more difficult, I would. It’s only fair since she tried to ruin mine. Besides, I’m sure she has crimes to hide, given the losers she associates with.”
Mother had said Rhonda would hurt herself more than anyone else could. She must have figured out the truth. Casey turned the key.
“Holy crap,” Rhonda said, watching the panel open.
Casey removed the first briefcase and slid it to her. “We need to make a plan. Once Darcy takes the money, he won’t let you and Summer walk away.”
“I can’t involve you more than I already have.” Rhonda opened the case.
Casey was frightened for Summer, not only for the danger she was in, but also for subsequent events that would destroy her happiness once Rhonda was arrested, with one awful truth after another exposed. The truth that would eat at her. Whether Rhonda realized it or not, she was going to cause Summer more pain than any enemy ever could.
“You’ll look after Summer, won’t you?” Rhonda’s voice shook. “Buy her a puppy. God knows she’s earned it.”
“Rhonda, you’ve got to let me help you! Darcy’s killed more than once.”
Her fearful eyes met Casey’s. “What can you do?”
It took five minutes to come up with a plan that could work if no glitches cropped up, but the potential for glitches was great. Still, what the hell choice did she have? After ensuring that each briefcase contained the money, Casey and Rhonda carried them outside. Casey scanned the yard. No officers were around and the police cruisers were gone.
After they placed the cases in Rhonda’s station wagon, Casey said, “Remember to back the car into the parking space.”
“What about the tape?”
“It’s in my safe-deposit box, but the bank’s now closed. Use one of your old Mozart tapes from home.”
“And if he wants to play it?”
“Hopefully, he won’t get a chance to see it, let alone listen. But you have to stay calm for Summer’s sake, okay?”
Rhonda trembled. “Whatever it takes.”
Watching her drive away, Casey stood there, thinking and worrying. They needed help. She headed back inside and called Detective Lalonde.
Before she could explain what was going on, he said, “Are you still at the house, Casey?”
“Yeah.” Lalonde had never used her first name before. “Where are you?”
“Outside Mrs. Stubbs’s home.”
“Did you find Theo and Darcy?”
“No. Do you know where Mrs. Stubbs is?”
“That’s why I called. She’s on her way to rescue her daughter.” Casey’s legs started shaking again, so she sat on the floor. “Darcy kidnapped Summer and Rhonda was determined to get her back on her own. I talked her out of it by coming up with an alternate plan.” Casey told him their plan.
“I can think of a dozen reasons why something could go wrong,” Lalonde said. “You should have called me sooner.”
“I just learned about this, Detective. What was I supposed to do?”
“Can you call her back and tell her we’ll deal with him?”
“She doesn’t have a cell phone, and she’ll panic if you guys show up in my place. But if you’re there without either of them seeing you, then we have a chance.”
As Lalonde swore and started lecturing her, Casey cut in. “There’s something else you should know.” She swept a tear away. “Rhonda just confessed to killing Gustaf Osterman.”
“I see.”
He didn’t sound surprised. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
“We confirmed it this afternoon. One of the people I interviewed this morning was a neighbor who’d been out of town when the murder happened that Sunday night. We’d talked to her when she returned, and she told me her children had been house-sitting. The daughter had been out that evening and the son had returned to the University of Victoria Saturday morning, or so she thought.”
Casey feared what was coming, but she had to know, “Meaning?”
“Yesterday, the mother phoned her son and at some point in their conversation, she mentioned my chat with her. That’s when her son confessed that he’d held a huge party in his parents’ home Saturday night and spent most of Sunday recovering. He wound up catching the last ferry to Swartz Bay that night.”
Casey fought back the tears. “Did he see Rhonda?”
“No, but he saw her station wagon pull into your father’s driveway. The boy was on his way back from walking the family dog just after seven-thirty. The kid knows cars and he was able to describe Mrs. Stubbs’s vehicle in detail.”
Casey closed her eyes. God, it really was over. “Rhonda originally hid the clothes in a trunk under some boxes in her basement. Her voice caught. “You might find more sequins there.”
“Thank you.” Lalonde cleared his throat. “I have more bad news, I’m afraid.”
She wasn’t sure she could take much more. “What is it?”
“It seems that your mother lost control of her car on the Sea-to-Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler. According to witnesses, she was speeding when she missed a curve and hit an oncoming truck. The impact sent her over an embankment. By the time anyone could reach her she was gone.”
“What?”
“She died. I’m sorry.”
The floor blurred around Casey.
“Are you there?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Anguish burned her throat. “Darcy and Theo are responsible, I know it.”
“They’re responsible for many things.”
“Both my parents are dead because of their relationship with those two,” she said, struggling to stay in control.
“Charges will be laid, I promise you.”
But it wasn’t nearly enough. Casey hung up and started to cry.
Thirty-two
CASEY PARKED ON McLean, just west of the community center’s tennis courts. She stepped out of the car and scanned the area for Lalonde. No sign of him, but then, he and his team wouldn’t be obvious.
She removed the tire iron from her trunk and hid it under the jacket she was carrying. Casey walked down a lane toward Britannia’s parking lot. She felt shaky especially with the news about Mother and Rhonda’s confession, but getting Summer back was too important to let emotion overwhelm her again.
To Casey’s right, a concrete wall prevented her from seeing the tennis courts on top of a small hill. Buildings on her left partially blocked her view of Venables Street.
Darcy would either have to drive along this lane to enter the parking lot or turn off Venables onto Cotton Drive, a short road leading directly into the center’s lot. Either entrance would be easy to watch from several vantage points, which was why she and Rhonda had agreed to arrive early.
The tennis courts were vacant. The rain had stopped, but the gray damp air chilled her. Casey stayed close to the wall and peered around the corner. The parking lot served Britannia Secondary on the south side, the ice arena
