Before I said anything more, I had to be sure. Having been thrown under the bus in my past life for a crime I didn’t commit and losing everything, I wouldn’t do that to someone else. Especially someone I liked.
“Stay here,” I said, self-loathing seething from me for what I was about to do. “I’ll phone you in a bit.”
Once again, I borrowed Annabelle’s car and made the now familiar drive to the Tupper farm. My stomach flipped as I pulled up behind Charlie’s pickup truck parked in front of the house.
With a long sigh, I exited the vehicle and hurried up the stairs to the front door. Glancing around, I wished I could appreciate the beauty of the farm, but instead, I fought the desire to vomit. As I knocked on the screen door, I almost hoped no one was home. A bird chirped somewhere in the distance, a light breeze running through the cornfield, making the stalks sway. The fall sun provided a bit a warmth, even with the slight chill in the air. Dwarf cows and baby goats spoke to each other in the barn while Daisy barked from inside. A perfect day on the farm, until now. When the door opened, I came face to face with Doreen. She’d taken off the bright scarfs she usually wore on her head, and for the first time, I could see just how sick she was. She seemed to have aged significantly from when she was in the store just a while ago.
“Sam! Come in.” She pushed on the screen. “What a lovely surprise!”
I overcame the urge to run, stepped inside and followed her into the living room where I sank down into the cracked brown couch. Daisy wagged her tail and licked my hands as I stroked her pretty blonde head.
“Can I get you something?’ she asked. “Lemonade? A soda?”
My stomach rolled. Pepto Bismol would be better. “No, thank you,” I said. “I’m fine. Is Charlie home?”
She nodded and took a seat across from me. “Charlie!” she yelled. “We’ve got company!”
Heavy footsteps sounded from down the hall. “Hey, Sam!” he said as he entered, then sat next to Doreen. “To what do we owe this surprise?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Bonnie,” I said, clenching my hands into fists in my lap as I glanced at Catherine’s picture, hating the woman even more than I had the previous day. If I was right, she was partially responsible for Bonnie’s death.
“What’s up?”
Both stared at me expectantly and I tried to recall if I’d ever had a more uncomfortable conversation. The answer was a flat, assured nope. “Well, I’ve been thinking about the reading of the will.”
“Go on,” Charlie urged. “You seem quite troubled.”
That’s putting it mildly. I glanced over at Catherine’s picture once again, hoping I was correct in my analysis. If not, there was going to be a lot of hurt feelings. “Everyone there had no idea if Bonnie had left them something or not. I mean, I’m assuming they guessed she had, but they didn’t know for certain.”
“That’s true,” Charlie said, nodding. “The instructions were clear: everyone needed to be at the memorial and the reading of the will to receive their inheritance.”
“Awful morning,” Doreen muttered, shaking her head. “Just awful.”
“Everyone there had no idea what they would be receiving… except you,” I continued. “Bonnie’s lawyer mentioned that she had planned to tell you about the thirty thousand dollars she’d left. And she did.”
“Yes, you’re correct. A week or so before she died,” Charlie continued. “She wanted us to know she was putting her affairs in order because of her health issues.”
Wait a minute. I didn’t know Bonnie had anything wrong with her. “What health issues?” I asked, now doubting myself and my theory of who had killed her.
“She had recently been diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumor,” Doreen said. “The three of us had always been close while raising Catherine, so she confided in us. We actually joked about being cancer sisters, although it wasn’t very funny. Cancer can be a very lonely diagnosis, and it helps to talk to people who are in the trenches with you.”
I swallowed past the bile rising in my throat. Had Annabelle known about Bonnie’s diagnosis? I glanced at Catherine’s photo again. Had Bonnie shared the news with her daughter? Was I wrong about everything? Had Catherine killed her mother?
“What does any of this have to do with the reading of the will?” Charlie asked.
“Did Bonnie ever share with you that she wasn’t going to leave anything to Catherine?” I asked.
Charlie shook his head. “When we discussed it, she hadn’t made up her mind. I, for one, wish she hadn’t left things on such a sour note, but what’s done is done.”
Feeling a little better, I took a deep breath. “Bonnie brought you all together for the reading for a reason,” I said. “Spite would be my guess. She wanted Doctor Butte there so she could insult him one last time. She wanted Catherine there to receive nothing so she’d know her mother died still holding anger within her heart. And, finally, she wanted you there to receive thirty thousand dollars to rub it in Catherine’s face.”
“That sounds like Bonnie,” Charlie said. “It’s definitely not a godly way of life, but I agree with all that. Bonnie did have a mean streak.”
Doreen nodded. “She was a bit passive aggressive. Always had been.”
“You were the only ones who knew exactly what was going to happen at that meeting,” I continued. “And you both benefitted from Bonnie’s death.”
It’s been in my family for a few generations. Costs a pretty penny to run it, though.
“I don’t think I like what you’re saying, Sam,” Charlie said. “Are you insinuating that we killed Bonnie to benefit ourselves?”
“Yes.” I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. “You told me this farm is very expensive to run and has been in your family for a long time. You’d want to preserve it for your son and future generations, and thirty thousand dollars would definitely help you achieve that goal.”
Charlie stared at me for a long time, then burst out laughing. “Is this some type of joke?” He glanced from me to Doreen, whose features had settled into seriousness, not a hint of a smile to be found. Charlie shook his head. “Are you both trying to pull my leg? That was a good one. I thought for a second you were serious.”
I met Doreen’s gaze and noted the truth there. She found nothing funny about the situation. In fact, tears welled in her eyes. At that moment, I knew I’d been right. She’d killed Bonnie.
Perhaps I should be relieved that I had solved the crime, but instead, sorrow settled around me like a heavy, wet blanket. “Doreen?” I said softly, fighting back my own sobs. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
As she stared at her hands, tears fell onto them.
“What are you talking about?” Charlie snapped, now angry. “Doreen didn’t have anything to do with Bonnie being murdered!”
She placed her hand on his. “Sam’s right, Charlie,” she said quietly. “I did kill Bonnie.”
I sighed in relief, but my heart also twisted with pain. No longer was I on the suspect list, and neither was anyone else. Yet, Bonnie, who was terminal, was about to spend the rest of her years in a courtroom, and possibly prison, if she lived that long.
“How did you figure it out?” she asked. “I thought we were home scot-free.”
The fact she was willing to let someone else take the fall for her deed irritated me to no end. I could’ve gone to prison, as well as her stepdaughter, Catherine. Even if there was no love lost between the two, I found it upsetting that she been willing to have Catherine convicted. And then there was Annabelle… she wouldn’t last a day in prison.
I took a deep breath and put my thoughts in order. “First, Bonnie’s lawyer shared with me that you were getting some money from her. I asked if she had told you about it, and he said that she had discussed it, but he didn’t know if she’d shared the news with you. I guessed that Bonnie had told you about it, and it turns out I was right.”
Poor Charlie’s face paled as he grabbed his wife’s hand.
“Second, you’ve got cancer,” I continued. “I can’t imagine the medical bills. Between those and the farm, you desperately need Bonnie’s money.” Not mentioning that I’d spied on them at the church seemed like a good idea. Catherine had stolen from them, which only added to their financial burden.
“We don’t need the money bad enough for Doreen to commit murder!” Charlie yelled.
“She already admitted to it,” I replied softly. “I’m sorry, Charlie.”
He turned to her and grabbed Bonnie’s shoulders. “Is this true? You did this?”
“I did,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. “We are heavily in debt, and Bonnie’s money will help immensely. All I want is for you to be able to keep the farm after I’m gone, to give it to our kids and grandkids, Charlie. I want to keep it in our family.”
Shaking his head, he shut his eyes and dropped his hands to his lap. “What have you done?” he whispered.
“Why didn’t you just wait for Bonnie to pass?” I asked. “Why kill her when she had the incurable brain tumor?”
“Because we’ve got a note coming due on the farm and we don’t have the money to pay it,” Doreen replied. “All my doctor bills have sucked away what little savings we have, thanks to Catherine. And for what? I’m dying anyway. We should have saved the money on my so-called treatment and kept up with the bills. If we default on the note, we lose the farm. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen.”
“Doreen, you’re out of your mind!” Charlie said. “We had to get you treatment! There was a chance that you’d be okay!”
“I’d rather be dead than see my family in the financial trouble we’re in,” Doreen shot back.
Charlie set his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking as if he was crying.
“How did you do it?” I asked. “How did you end up on the Riverwalk with Bonnie that morning?”
Doreen sighed and rubbed her temples with her forefingers. “At first, I was going to do it in her apartment, but just as I got there, she was leaving. I followed her and hoped for an opportunity. She met with Annabelle. They had coffee and then headed for the Riverwalk. I almost turned back then because I didn’t think I’d be able to carry out my plan, but something told me to keep going. When Annabelle suddenly left, I saw my chance.
“I followed her until we reached the secluded area of the Riverwalk. I acted like it was a surprise to see her and gave her a hug. That’s when… when I stabbed her.” She stared at the wall as she told her tale, as if she could see the scene play out there. “I pushed her in the water and when she was dead… I walked away.”
“What have you done?” Charlie whispered. “Why, Doreen? We would’ve been okay. You didn’t need to do this.”
As my eyes welled, I pulled out the phone from my pocket. I stood and stepped outside, shutting the screen door behind me, wishing I felt better about catching the killer. I could only hope the police and courts had mercy on her.
With shaky hands, I dialed Jordan as I sat down on the stairs.
“Where are you?” he asked, picking up after the first ring.
“I’m at the Tupper farm,” I said, shutting my eyes against the sun, wishing the breeze could carry away the heaviness in my heart. “Doreen did it. She killed Bonnie.”
Silence stretched between us as I concentrated on the sun warming my face.
“How did you get her to confess?” he asked.
“I just asked her, Jordan. I guess I asked the right questions at the right time.”
“You better get out of there,” he replied. “She may try to kill you so she doesn’t pay for what she’s done.”
I glanced over my shoulder and found Doreen and Charlie in an embrace, both sobbing uncontrollably. “I don’t think I have to worry about that. I’ll wait here for you.”
“On my way.” In the background, I heard his car door shut and the ignition fire up.
“Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t come in here with sirens and guns blazing,” I said. “It’s not necessary. Please be gentle with her.”