“You mean did she have a key? Not that I know of, but she wouldn’t have needed one to get in. Dr. Nance was always careless about locking up. I was forever finding doors and windows open. Anyone could have come in at almost any time.”
“Did anything besides the gold watch ever go missing?”
“No, but...” Dessie trailed off.
Nikki leaned in anxiously. “What?”
“It’s probably nothing. Just my own absentmindedness. About the time when we first realized the watch had been stolen, I noticed things in other parts of the house had been moved around. Like someone had purposefully gone from room to room rearranging his belongings.”
“Did you tell Dr. Nance?”
“Yes, and for a while, he was a little better at locking up, especially at night, but when nothing else happened, he eventually fell back into his old ways.” Her gaze lifted. “Why are you asking all these questions, Nikki? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I’m just trying to gather information.”
Dessie wasn’t buying it. “What kind of information?”
“Anything that will help to establish the cause, manner and circumstances of Dr. Nance’s death.”
Dessie blinked in confusion. “But Sheriff Brannon came to the house and told me in this very kitchen that Dr. Nance had drowned in Echo Lake. He said they found his fishing boat down by the bridge.”
“That’s true,” Nikki said. “However, I’m not yet convinced the drowning was accidental.”
The spoon slipped from Dessie’s fingers and clattered against the bowl. She wiped frantically at the splatters with her napkin. “What are you saying? You can’t think someone...” She closed her eyes briefly and drew a quick breath. “I can’t bring myself to even think such a thing, let alone say it.”
Nikki gave her a sympathetic nod. “I know. I feel the same way. It’s a terrible thing to contemplate. That someone he knew and trusted...someone we know...could have deliberately harmed him.”
Dessie said a little desperately, “You’re the coroner. A pathologist. Can’t you tell about such things?”
“Not always. Not after that long in the water. The body starts to break down—”
“Don’t!” Dessie looked horrified. “Please. I don’t want to have that image in my head.”
“I’m sorry.” Nikki reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I don’t mean to upset you. Maybe his death was an accident. Maybe he took the boat out in the dark, got confused on the water and rammed into the bridge pilings. But that’s a lot of maybes and there are still too many unanswered questions. Do you have any idea why he changed his mind at the last minute about his trip to Houston?”
“No. I was as surprised as anyone to learn that he’d gone to the lake instead.”
“Did you worry when you didn’t hear from him?”
“He rarely called when he was away,” Dessie said. “I didn’t think anything of it until Sheriff Brannon showed up at the door.”
“You were here the whole time he was gone? You couldn’t have missed a call?”
“Not the whole time. I had errands to run, groceries to buy, normal, everyday duties to attend to.”
“I meant you were in town,” Nikki clarified. “You didn’t take a trip or anything.” Or go on a quickie honeymoon?
Dessie hesitated. “Where do you think I would have gone to?”
“Nowhere. I don’t think anything. I’m just asking questions.”
“Yes, and a lot of them.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do my job, that’s all. I want to do right by Dr. Nance.”
Dessie shook her head forlornly. “You really think someone could have killed him?”
“I think it’s possible.”
She stared at Nikki for the longest time. Something gleamed in the depths of her eyes, but Nikki couldn’t place the emotion. Fear? Guilt? If she had to guess, the dark glint seemed more like anger. “Who do you think did it?”
“I don’t know yet. As I said, I’m still trying to gather information. It sounds crazy to even ask this, but did he have any enemies?”
“Enemies?” She looked appalled. “Everyone loved the man.”
“What about arguments or disagreements, even something that seemed trivial at the time? Anything at all come to mind?”
Dessie’s expression seemed to harden. “You know as well as I do that Dr. Nance got along with everyone. He could charm the birds out of the trees when he set his mind to it.”
“What about at the clinic or hospital?”
“I’m sure there were differences of opinion from time to time. He was never shy about speaking his mind. But people respected him for that.”
“What about Dr. Wingate?” Nikki asked. “Any problems with the partnership?”
Dessie’s gaze turned shrewd. “Why? What did you hear?”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Nikki said. “But I saw Dr. Wingate at Dr. Nance’s cabin last night.”
“Last night? What was she doing there?” Dessie’s tone shifted. “What were you doing there?”
“I went out to the lake to visit a friend and we saw a light in the cabin. We thought someone might have broken in. Apparently, Dr. Wingate let herself in with a key that Dr. Nance gave her a long time ago. She seemed concerned that he’d removed some medical records from the clinic before he died. She said the cabin was the last place she could think to look for them. Did she or anyone else from the clinic come to the house to search his study?”
“Not while I’ve been here.” Dessie didn’t look at all pleased that a casual conversation had turned into an interrogation. Nikki could hardly blame her. “I haven’t heard from Dr. Wingate since we found out about Dr. Nance. Not one word.”
“As I said, she had a key to the cabin. Is there any reason she would have a key to this house? Maybe she came while you were out.”
“I don’t think so, but like I said, if someone wanted in badly enough, they could have found a way.”
Yes, Nikki could attest to that. She cleared her
