Louise’s face flushed as she groped for the chair and nearly fell backwards onto the seat. “Why are you asking about John? What has he to do with this?”
“That’s what I’d like to know. Do you know he was originally assigned to lead the investigation into Gregory Haverstrum’s death and then removed the very next day?” Louise nodded, catching Edna off guard. “You do?” Then recovering herself quickly, she said, “Do you know why?”
The woman nodded again, not taking her eyes from Edna’s. “When Duke heard that Bobbi was a major player in the investigation, he went straight to the police chief and insisted John be taken off the case.” Louise was wringing her hands now, shaking her head. “There was a conflict of interest. You see, John is Bobbi’s father.”
Chapter 22
The news hit Edna like a strong ocean wave. She sank back heavily onto the sofa. Many questions buzzed in her head, but what finally came out of her mouth was, “Does Bobbi know?”
Louise nodded. “Oh yes. She was five when Duke adopted her. I’ve never hidden anything from her. I didn’t initiate talks about her biological father, but whenever she had questions about him, I tried to answer as honestly as I could. Then, John looked us up when he moved to town four years ago. I got the feeling he was very proud of himself for appearing on our doorstep, unexpected and unannounced. He had the biggest grin on his face, as if to say, ‘I’m a whole lot smarter than you.’ But, so far, I’ve had the last laugh.” She scrunched up her nose in a smug expression. “My husband is an old boyhood friend of the police chief.”
“Do you mind talking about John?” Edna didn’t know why but she felt she had stumbled onto an important piece of the puzzle she was trying to assemble. “I’ve bumped into him several times this past week, since I’ve been trying to help young Lettie. I’m uncertain what he’s after. I’d like to know more about him, what sort of person he is.”
“Maybe you’d like some coffee while we talk,” Louise Callahan said. “I know I can use a cup.” As she took Edna’s arm and walked her to the back of the house, she added, “I feel more relaxed in my kitchen, don’t you?”
While Louise began brewing a fresh pot, Edna stood before double-wide glass doors, looking out onto a flagstone patio and beyond to a large, irregularly shaped swimming pool surrounded by a cement apron. Raised beds dotted the remainder of a generous expanse of yard that was enclosed by a wooden privacy fence, along which stood trellises for climbing vines. The snow had melted from most of the gravel between the wooden planters, and Edna could tell that weeds had no chance to take hold anywhere in this immaculate courtyard.
“The outside of your home is as lovely as the inside,” Edna said, turning to face Louise.
“Thank you. Duke and I worked with an architect the first year we were married. He’d owned these three acres for several years but had never built on them. You may have noticed,” she said with raised eyebrows and an amused expression, “we have an abundance of planters and pots in our enclosed half acre. Duke loves flowers of all kinds but he excels as a vegetable gardener. It’s his passion. Not so much in the winter months but during the rest of the year, he’s outside more than in, once he gets home from work.”
“Do you and Bobbi share his passion?” Edna asked.
“I, not so much. I do some of the weeding, but Bobbi has followed Duke around, helping him tend the beds, ever since he and I were married sixteen years ago.” She checked the percolator and turned back to Edna. “When the sun’s out, the deck can be pleasant. Would you like to step outside for a few minutes while the coffee brews?”
Edna was almost dizzy with new implications as the woman slid open one side of the glass wide enough for them to move onto the deck. Duke and Bobbi were both expert gardeners, and each was associated with Gregory Haverstrum. Did they know Clem Peppafitch, as well? Duke certainly was old enough to have taken a class from the professor. Another thought jumped into her head as she stepped out onto redwood planks, John Forrester must know Duke Callahan is an avid gardener. Would the detective think to accuse his ex-wife’s husband of murder? Why was Forrester so determined to investigate a two-year-old death?
Shaking her head clear of these distracting ideas, Edna concentrated on the scene from the deck. She saw that the house’s extension, a single story behind the two-story main building, held another set of sliding doors. These ones, however, were covered by drawn curtains.
Louise must have noticed Edna studying them because she said, “Our mother-in-law apartment behind the kitchen, at least it was until we moved my mother to an assisted living complex three years ago. We have a graduate student living with us now. She helps with the housework in exchange for free room and board. The only thing we ask is that she not entertain here.” Louise hunched and rubbed her upper arms. “Brrr. It’s not quite as warm as it looked. Shall we have that coffee now?”
Seated at the center island on swivel bar stools with enough padding on the seat and chair back to be comfortable, Edna returned to Louise’s previous revelation. “You said your former husband looked you up when he moved to town. I take it he isn’t from around here, then?”
Louise shook her head, but seemed reluctant to speak. Edna realized it was a painful subject for the woman, so she tried to think of a simple, unthreatening question. Finally, she said, “How did you meet John?”
Louise gripped the coffee mug between her hands, as if to warm them. After a brief pause, she looked across at Edna and gave a weary sigh.
“I was an emergency room nurse at a small hospital in western Massachusetts. John came in one evening with the victim of a gunshot.”
When she seemed to run out of steam, Edna prompted with a wry grin, “And you fell in love with the man in uniform?”
Louise looked startled. “No,” burst from her lips. “Not at all. I did not want to marry a cop. I did not want to live wondering if my husband would come home in the evening. Besides which, he had two other strikes against him, in my book. He’s fifteen years older than I and had already been married twice.”
Edna was confused. “Then, why …”
“He wore me down,” Louise cut in. She glared at Edna for several seconds, but Edna realized the woman was not seeing her. Rather, Louise seemed to be sorting through images inside her head. Finally, her focus came back to Edna’s face, but she didn’t speak.
Edna decided to push a little harder. She needed answers. Reaching across the island’s granite surface, she rested a hand lightly on Louise’s forearm. “I promise you, I’m not a ghoulish gossip monger. Ever since I met Rosie Beck and her daughter, I’ve seen John hovering around. He came to my house and threatened me. Part of what I’m asking you is should I be afraid? Is he violent?”
Louise’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, goodness,” she exhaled. “I’m not sure. Until he showed up four years ago, I hadn’t seen him for more than a decade. I wanted nothing to do with him. Didn’t want to know where he was or what he was doing.”
“What was he like when you did know him?” Edna asked. “He couldn’t have been too mean if you married him despite his age and occupation.” She smiled when she spoke, hoping to lighten the dark mood that had descended on the kitchen.
Louise smiled back weakly as if in appreciation of Edna’s attempt, and the dam seemed to break. “He’s a handsome man and can be very charming when he wants to be. After our first meeting, he came into the E.R. regularly, sometimes escorting a prisoner, but mostly by himself. When I’d go on a coffee break, I’d often find him waiting for me in the cafeteria. He kept asking me out and I kept refusing.” She breathed deeply, shook her head as if at her own folly, and took a sip of coffee. “ I finally decided to go out with him just to make him stop pestering me. Figured he’d get tired of me and go away.” She looked at Edna sheepishly. “My little plan sure backfired. We were married eight months after our first date. I was twenty-three, twenty-eight when we had Bobbi.”
“Five years married,” Edna said. “What happened?”
; Louise grimaced. “Shortly after the wedding ceremony, John turned into someone I didn’t know. Besides becoming unreasonably jealous and possessive, he no longer hid a heavy drinking habit from me. He was a mean, abusive drunk.” Louise must have seen the look of dismay on Edna’s face because she hurriedly said, “Oh, he didn’t hit me. Sometimes, I wish he had. I would have left him immediately. As it was, I think the verbal and emotional humiliation left deeper scars than any beating he could have given me. There were no obvious marks to show anyone who might listen and believe my side of things. I took it for six years, always thinking … hoping things would get better. When Bobbi was barely a year old, John started in on her. I couldn’t stand by and let that happen. I didn’t want her to grow up with the kind of mental insecurity that her father would have dumped on her.”
Edna was curious. “He let you go? Just like that?”
Louise shook her head and sipped from her mug before replying. “I left in the middle of the night when he was on duty. Even that was risky because he used to drive by the house periodically. He never would’ve let me go, if he’d suspected. One of the women in the department figured out what was going on. She’d apparently been a friend of John’s first wife. Actually, she was the one who convinced me that I needed to take Bobbi and get away. I packed a few days’ worth of clothes for each of us and hid a borrowed suitcase in Bobbi’s closet. That was about the only place I knew John would never look. I was ready for nearly two weeks and the waiting was killing me. I was so nervous, I was certain John would sense something was up. Then, my friend phoned at one in the morning on a Saturday night. Said John had just been dispatched to a bar brawl and would be tied up long enough for me to be certain he wouldn’t catch me leaving our neighborhood.” Louise’s face twisted as if she were in pain. “I don’t often speak of that time. It brings back too many awful feelings.”
“So you moved to Rhode Island,” Edna changed the conversation to what she hoped would lead to happier thoughts for the woman. “Why South County?”
Louise’s features relaxed slightly. “I grew up here.” She perked up as more of her story unfolded. “My father died when I was seven. I was an only child and Mother never remarried, so she was delighted to have me move back home. It worked out well for us both. I got a job at the South County as a floor nurse on the night shift and was able to spend days with Bobbi. I’d feed her and get her into her pajamas before I left for work, so it wasn’t all that hard on Mother to read a bedtime story and tuck a tired little toddler in for the night.”
“Had you known Duke Callahan when you lived here before?”
Louise shook her head. “No. I met him when he was a patient at the hospital. He had been in a terrible, seven-car pileup one cold, icy night. Duke was the worst hurt of anyone and stayed in the hospital for two weeks. He had terrible dreams and would wake up at night, unable to get back to sleep. On many occasion, I would sit and talk or read to him until he relaxed enough to drift off. By the time he was well enough to be released, we had fallen in love.” Louise paused and looked into the distance, but Edna suspected the woman wasn’t seeing anything in particular. Her face had taken on a serene and happy expression. After several seconds, she seemed to snap out of whatever memory had captured her and continued with her narration. “Duke’s ten years my senior but he doesn’t act it. At age sixty, he’s as physically fit and vital as a forty-year-old.”
Louise stood and brought the coffee pot to the island. She refilled both mugs before resuming her seat.
“What about John?” Edna said. “He didn’t come after you?”
Louise shook her head. “Not really surprising that he didn’t. My co-conspirator in the department helped me there, too. I heard that the chief somehow got word of my having to run off in the middle of the night and why. My friend didn’t tell me directly, but I’m convinced she was responsible. Happily, John never suspected her or I’m sure he would have made her life unbearable. As it was, the chief threatened to dismiss John as an abuser if he got near me. A year later, when I filed for divorce, John didn’t protest.”
Edna nodded in understanding. “For a cop accused of domestic violence, it would mean the end of his career,” she said, adding, “He would never be able to carry a gun again.”
Louise agreed and said with noticeable relief. “The chief was a good man. Made it easy for me to be free of John. And when Duke petitioned to adopt Bobbi shortly after we were married, again there wasn’t a peep of protest from John.”
“And you say he never struck you?” Edna was still trying to figure out if the man were capable of physical harm.
Louise shook her head. “I used to hear grumblings from people in the department that he might be unduly rough when arresting someone, but he never laid a hand on me or Bobbi. Like I said, if he had, I would have left him instantly.”
“Sounds like you were lucky he didn’t come after you,” Edna said. “I imagine that most jealous, possessive men wouldn’t give up so easily.”
“Absolutely,” Louise said with a roll of her eyes.
Edna knew she was outstaying her welcome, but there was another question she wanted to ask. “Why did he show up so many years later?”
Louise winced. “I have no idea. He said he wanted to get to know his daughter. Wanted to be part of her life.” The woman shook her head in disgust. “After nearly sixteen years? I found that hard to believe, but as long as he behaves himself, I can’t complain. Bobbi is old enough and smart enough to know her own mind, and Duke will see that no harm comes to her. He has been fiercely protective of Bobbi since the day he met her. Even if we hadn’t married, I think he’d still watch over her.” Louise’s expression softened when she spoke of her current husband.
“Do they spend time together, Bobbi and John?”
“Not much. I think John is intimidated by Duke. Like all bullies, John’s a coward, so he doesn’t come near the house. He shows up on campus and takes Bobbi to lunch sometimes. I guess, even though he’s retired from the local force, he has a few friends. However it happens, he seems to get her class schedule, so he can show up whenever he wants without appearing to be stalking her.”
“How does Bobbi feel about that,” Edna wondered aloud.
Louise lifted a shoulder. “Says she doesn’t mind, but I think she’s not making a fuss because she knows it will upset Duke and me. She’s a sensitive and warm-hearted young woman, so I think as long as John behaves, she’ll put up with him.”
“Does your husband mind John coming back into your lives?”
“John isn’t back in my life,” Louise protested. “I want nothing to do with the man, but to answer your question, Duke wasn’t a bit happy. As long as John keeps his distance, there’s not much we can do, though. It’s just something we live with, watching over our shoulder.”
When Edna left the Callahan home shortly thereafter, she had a lot to think about, but all that went out of her head as she checked her cell phone. She’d left it in the car so as not to be disturbed while she was talking to Bobbi. Now, she noticed several calls from Matthew, but only one short message. “Call as soon as you can.”
She did.
The first words out of his mouth were, “Don’t worry. Dad’s okay.” Taken by surprise, Edna was speechless, so Matthew repeated. “He’s okay. We got him back onboard in less than fifteen minutes.”
“What are you talking about? What happened?” By now, Edna’s heart was racing. She had a sudden urge to laugh, but swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Please, Matthew. Tell me what happened.” Then, she changed her mind. “Is your father there? Put him on the phone.”
“No. Yes.” Matthew stuttered and then seemed to take a deep breath himself. “He’s here, in the hospital. Patrick’s doctor checked him over and Dad will be fine. I think mainly he’s just shaken up a bit.”
“If he’s fine, why is he in the hospital?” Edna wasn’t feeling reassured. “What happened?” Her patience was beginning to wear thin with this son of Albe
rt’s. He was her son only when he wasn’t exasperating her.
“He bumped his head when he fell overboard. We don’t know how exactly. One minute we were fishing and the next thing we knew, Dad was shouting at us from the water. He was floundering because of his bad leg. I jumped in, and Ken threw me a ring. Course, we all had on life jackets, so nobody was really in big trouble.” Matthew went on to explain how he swam Albert to the side of the boat with a lifeguard hold. Roger and his brother had to lean down to grab Albert’s arms and pull him up the side of the boat. Apparently, it was too hard for him to climb up the ladder, again because of his injured leg, and he was a little groggy because of the knock on his head.
Matthew ended by saying, “I asked Dad if he wanted to leave earlier than planned. He said no, he doesn’t want to spoil the trip, but he asked me to call and let you know he’s okay.”
So I’ll be sure to coddle him when he gets here, Edna thought with a grin, but didn’t say aloud. Instead, she asked, “What do the doctors say? Could your father have fainted or had a touch of heat stroke?”
“They’re not sure. Maybe all the above. Hard to say, but they’ve checked him out and say he should be fine to fly tomorrow.”
“Should be,” Edna echoed weakly.
Chapter 23
When she reached home, having dwelt for the entire trip on her husband’s accident and how he might have simply fallen off a boat, Edna phoned her daughter-in-law.
“Have you talked to Matt?” Irene asked as soon as preliminary greetings were over.
“Yes, and I’m worried about Albert, but there’s nothing to be done until they get home. I’ll see if he’ll go get checked over by his own physician, but I don’t hold out much hope. You know how stubborn he can be.” She spoke more lightly than she felt and changed the subject. “How’s Lettie?”
“Oh, my goodness, I think I’m beginning to regret getting involved with the Becks.”