S
hane had been
listening in to Arden and Elaine’s conversation from the library located right next to the sitting room where they were having tea. The police hadn’t had time to get a warrant and frankly, if he hadn’t been West Anderson’s cousin, they would have laughed him out of the police station when he came to them with his farfetched theory. Even West had groaned and shaken his head when Shane had shown him the paperwork from Wyatt.
“You better be right about this, because if you’re not all hell is going to break loose in Tremont,” West had warned.
“I’m positive. Trust me.”
West and the head of detectives had now put their asses on the line and here they were listening in on a tense conversation. Shane hadn’t wanted to send in Arden but she’d argued that she had the best chance of getting her grandmother to confess. In addition, the older woman was hardly a threat to anyone with her advanced age and crippling arthritis. Reluctantly he’d agreed to stay on the other side of the wall but close enough to intervene if needed.
No recording devices could be used without a warrant as this was a two-party state, and Elaine Graham was not going to agree to be taped while Arden tried to wrangle the truth from her. If the older woman did confess West had already warned Shane that the information could be given to the Hemingdale police but it wouldn’t be grounds for an arrest. Not yet.
“I think I’ve heard enough,” Shane whispered to West, who had accompanied him and Brandt Dane, the head of detectives. “I’m going in and see if I can help her.”
West nodded and Shane stood quietly, opening the door between the two rooms and slipping through. He must have made a noise because the two women, whose heads were close together as if exchanging a confidence, jerked up to see who or what it was.
“Shane,” Elaine exclaimed, a smile on her lined face. “Come have a seat. I haven’t seen you in so long. Goodness, you are getting more handsome every day. Would you like some tea, dear? Arden, you should pour your man a cup of tea.”
With trembling hands, Arden reached for the teapot but Shane patted her leg and shook his head. “I’m not that thirsty, thank you. It’s nice to see you too, Elaine. It’s been a long time.”
“Too long. I must have you and Arden over for dinner so we can catch up. Any wedding plans yet?”
“I think it’s a bit early for that but we’ll let you know the minute we have plans,” Shane replied smoothly. Arden was looking a little frazzled and he’d hated sending her in here alone. This was her grandmother and the entire situation had to feel surreal. It was time to step in. “We learned some very interesting things on our trip, Elaine.”
Elaine Graham had never been a warm woman but right now she was an iceberg.
“That’s what Arden was saying but I think she’s become confused, poor child.”
Feeling Arden stiffen beside him, he placed an arm around her waist, letting his hand rest on her hip. “How about we talk about your husband Charles? He was a very successful businessman from what I could tell. He inherited a fortune and then made another one from his inventions and patents.”
The only tell-tale sign Elaine displayed when Shane mentioned Charles was the tightening of her fingers on the delicate handle of the china cup. “My darling Charles was always so clever. Just one of his many wonderful qualities.”
Unlike Arden, Shane had no love for this woman so he didn’t hesitate.
“But you didn’t love Charles. In fact, you hated him. You told the funeral director that you had
won
since Charles died first. You two made each other’s lives a misery, didn’t you?”
“All marriages have their ups and downs.”
“But you and Charles never loved each other. Your marriage was a farce, a nightmare and in the end…when you thought you had won…he struck the final blow. He left every dime of his estate to Susannah, bypassing you completely.”
The cup clattered in the saucer, and two flags of color appeared in Elaine’s pale cheeks.
“He shouldn’t have done that.”
“So you set things right,” Arden whispered, an aching pain in her voice that Shane longed to be able to soothe. “You killed my mother for the money. Right before she would have come into her trust fund.”
Carefully, the older woman set her tea on the table between them, her features more composed than before. “You can’t prove any of this.”
Shan shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But I’m going to try.”
Her fingers traced the edge of a lace doily. “Let’s say that I did shoot Susannah. Not that I did, but let’s say that I did. How do you think I did it, Shane? How did I get away with it all these years?”
Shane leaned forward, his elbows propped on the table and his fingers steepled under his chin. “You bought an untraceable weapon. Probably from one of your staff or maybe even at the youth center where you donated money and time. I’m guessing you parked on the other block and walked between the houses. At that time of night, you wouldn’t have been seen and since you’d spent time in the neighborhood you knew who had dogs that might bark or who would leave their porch lights on.”
“This is fascinating, isn’t it, Arden?” Elaine’s gaze touched on her granddaughter briefly but rather coldly before returning to Shane. “Do continue. I love a good fairy tale. I hope this has a happy ending.”
“You snuck in the house. I imagine the doors were unlocked as it was a good neighborhood in a small town. You crept up the stairs to the bedroom and waited until Susannah exited the bathroom. She wasn’t afraid, of course—you were her mother, so she didn’t run or scream. Maybe she even smiled and greeted you, although she would have probably asked why you were there.”
Arden turned to Shane, playing along as they’d discussed with West and the detective. “If Grandmother did it, then how did Delilah see David running from the house?”
Shane nodded. “That’s a great question and one that’s been bugging me. But then I remembered Delilah’s statement to us. She said that she was watching ‘Dallas’ the night of the murder.” He straightened in his chair. “I didn’t catch it at the time but when I looked at the date of the shooting on the calendar I realized your mother was shot on a Monday night. She couldn’t have been watching ‘Dallas’. The police didn’t take her statement until a few days later and by then Elaine had paid a visit. She convinced Delilah that she’d seen David that night.”
Playing with the double strand of pearls around her neck, Elaine smiled. “I had no idea I was so powerful. I can make people see things that weren’t there. If only I’d known earlier it might have come in handy.”
“You were the single richest woman in the county, so you were quite powerful. Delilah, like so many in Hemingdale, courted your favor. When you were sure that David did it, she was sure as well. Over the years, it became stronger.”
“So she shot my mother and escaped in between the houses,” Arden replied, tapping her fingers on the table. “But how did David get the gun? Are you sure he didn’t kill my mother?”
Shane placed his own hand over hers. “I’m sure. Elaine gave David that gun right after the murder when she gave him money to disappear. She told him that he’d be the biggest suspect, especially with his history of booze, drugs, and women. She gave him the gun and a chunk of money to disappear, which he did quite well until recently. In fact, until this morning David was convinced Ben had killed his wife.”
Arden frowned and shook her head. “Father thinks David did it.”
Shane pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on the table. “Isn’t that interesting? I’m betting that Elaine made sure they suspected each other all these years so that no one suspected her. She’s been playing them since the beginning using her money as bait. She even gave your father the seed money to start his business here in Tremont. Smart, huh?”
Elaine waved her hand as if everything he’d said was nothing at all. “All this is very interesting but you have no proof. None at all.”
Shane pushed the folder paper across the table. “I have proof of the money you gave David just days after the murder. He disappeared not long after that. I also have proof of the cash you’ve funneled to him over the years along with money you gave Ben.”
Her shoulders lifted carelessly. “It means nothing. I’m generous, that’s not a crime.”
“I also have the trust documents that gave the money to Susannah when your darling Charles died. They were drawn up when she was quite young, so instead of the trust passing to Arden or Ben when Susannah died, it went back to your hands if anything happened to her before she reached twenty-six. In fact, she was killed just a month shy of her birthday so the trust reverted back to you. That’s quite a coincidence that the police never picked up on. Unless Susannah stayed alive, Ben was never going to get his hands on that money. Charles and his attorney should have done a better job there, but then he probably never thought you were capable of killing your own child in cold blood.”
Unfolding the paper, Elaine scanned its contents before tossing it back on the table. “This is all just an amusing story. You can’t prove anything.”
Shane rubbed his chin in thought. “David woke up this morning and is being questioned. I’m guessing he’s going to tell the police where he got that gun.”
“He can’t prove it.” Her chin lifted as she played with the large diamond ring on her hand. “You can’t prove any of this and frankly, I’m tired of this game. None of this matters now. It was a long time ago.”
“It matters to me.” Arden’s words came out more like a croak. “It matters very much to me. Did you kill my mother? Did you?”
She’d stood up and leaned across the table, shaking a finger in the old woman’s face. Elaine shrunk back; for the first time her composure slipped, and her lips trembled with…fear? Certainly not of what she’d done or of Arden, but perhaps of possibly going to jail.
“Whatever I’ve done, I’ve done for the good of the family.”
“I’ll take that as a confession,” Arden answered shakily. “You know what’s even worse about all this? I loved you. I trusted you. But now when I look at you all I see is a monster. A monster that shot my mother and lied to all of us for over thirty years. How do you sleep at night, Grandmother? Does your daughter ever haunt your dreams?”
Elaine’s hands were wrung together, the fingers almost white. “I do love you, Arden. When I’m gone all this will be yours.”
“Blood money,” Arden spat, a few tears making their way down her cheeks. “I don’t want what you stole from my mother. Tell me, was it worth it?”
Something passed over the old woman’s face. Shane wasn’t sure what it was but it looked positively malevolent. There was no remorse, only arrogance. Elaine Graham was sure she’d gotten away with it, even now when they were confronting her with facts.
“Your mother was a stupid child who didn’t have a clue how the world worked. She was ready to leave Ben and throw her life away on that drunken loser David Hollis. With his gambling problem he would have run through my money like water and she wouldn’t have stopped him. All I did was make sure that didn’t happen.”
Arden’s nails dug into the back of Shane’s hand but he didn’t pull away or wince. The mere fact she was holding herself this together was a miracle and a testament to her strength.
“Just one problem,” Shane responded, struggling to keep his own emotions in check. The instinct to protect and comfort his woman almost derailing this entire conversation. “The money didn’t belong to you. It belonged to Susannah. Or it would have in a matter of weeks.”
He pulled Arden’s trembling body closer, protectively wrapping both arms around her torso. Her eyes had turned from their normal soft blue to a stormy gray, betraying the tumultuous feelings that he was sure were careening inside. None of this was fair. She’d done nothing to deserve life slapping her across the face like this and he’d been helpless to stop it or protect her.
“I’ve grown bored with this topic.” Elaine lifted the china cup and took a sip. “You won’t be able to prove any of this. What you have is circumstantial and my lawyer will have any so-called evidence you think you may how thrown out before it ever gets to trial. You of all people should know, Shane Anderson. There are two judicial systems in this country. One for the rich and one for everyone else. I’ll never see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a jail cell.”
West and Brandt took that moment to saunter in and Elaine’s eyebrows flew up in surprise, betraying for only a moment a glimpse of vulnerability. She was afraid of jail, whether she admitted it or not. It was probably the first time since her “darling Charles” passed away that anyone had called her on her bullshit.
Shane stood, helping Arden to her feet. She squeezed his hand and lifted her chin as if ready for battle before turning back to her grandmother.
“You may never see a trial or a jail cell, but I promise you this. I will make sure everyone in Tremont and Hemingdale know everything that we now know. They can draw their own conclusions but at the very least they’ll be suspicious. Your once spotless reputation as a kindly matriarch will be ruined and people will recognize you for what you are. A sociopathic killer who shot her own daughter for money. I will not rest until you are ostracized from society and the only friends you have are the staff you have to pay to work here. Take a good look, Grandmother, because you’ll never see me again.”
With that, Arden whirled around and marched out of the parlor, her head held high. Shane’s chest swelled with pride as she made her exit. She had a spine made of solid steel and had stood up to what would have crushed a lesser woman.
West smiled at Elaine but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be talking to the other members of the town advisory board about holding a special meeting regarding your membership. There’s a morals clause in the bylaws and we have the ability to hold special investigations into the background and activities of our board. I’m guessing you wouldn’t want us to do that.”
Brandt crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “I’m also handing this information over to the Hemingdale police, but I think I might do some investigating here as well. It appears that Elaine has been involved in some of Ben’s less than legal business dealings by providing the money. I bet the SEC might be interested in some of her trading activity as well. Having the Feds poking into her life should keep her and her attorneys busy for the next ten years or so.”