The incident with Tommy had shaken me more than I was willing to admit. He really was a thug and capable of doing physical harm. I felt a flash of pity for Angela, who’d had to put up with his mistreatment throughout her childhood. Dylan and I had dinner in a quiet restaurant, then came back to the cottage and turned in early. It was comforting to fall asleep in his arms with Smoky Joe snoring gently at my feet.
We woke up early the next morning and spent over an hour at the gym. Back at my cottage, I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Then we stretched out on the living room sofa to read the Sunday papers. A quiet day, the kind I welcomed after the tumult of the day before.
At one point I reached for the Sunday crossword puzzle and caught sight of Dylan going through the sports section. I must have been beaming because he looked at me quizzically.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I just love being with you.”
He reached over to pat my leg. “Same here, babe.” Then he went back to reading the paper.
How would it be, I wondered, to spend all our days and nights together? Raise a family? Would our relationship remain magical and loving, or would we grow apart like my parents had? Like so many marriages?
Why am I thinking about marriage when Dylan and I have only been dating for seven months? I probably had marriage on the brain because of Angela’s wedding. I forced myself to focus on the crossword puzzle and writing in the first clue.
The landline phone rang and I stood to answer it. It was Rosemary Vecchio, panting as if she’d been running.
“Carrie! I’m so glad I caught you at home. I don’t have your cell number and I really didn’t want to bother Angela on her honeymoon.”
I felt my anxiety rising. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I need your help. Your friend Lieutenant Mathers just left. He came to talk to Joe and me about Aiden and the terrible way he died. Not that he thought either of us was responsible for that sinful act, but he asked lots of questions about Donna and Tommy. And even Roxy, my brother’s daughter.” Rosemary exhaled a gush of air in my ear. “I’m afraid they’re all suspects.”
“I’m sorry you’re upset, Rosemary, but what do you want me to do?”
“Prove that none of them killed Aiden. Why would they? Aiden was family.” Rosemary sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
I rephrased her impossible request. “You want me to investigate Aiden’s murder?”
“Please, Carrie. You’ve solved other murder cases. Angela’s told me you have a knack for finding out things that people try to hide.”
“Rosemary, I liked Aiden and want desperately to see his murderer caught, but I can’t interfere in a murder investigation.”
“Why not? You’ve done it before. This is your friend Angela’s family we’re talking about. Can’t you find it in your heart to help us?”
I closed my eyes. “Of course I want to help, but I’m not an investigator like Dylan. Once I start looking into Aiden’s murder, I have no idea what I’ll discover. I’d feel awful if I found out that Tommy or one of your nieces poisoned Aiden.”
“I’m certain that you won’t, Carrie, but I’ll face whatever really happened. All those years I didn’t listen to what Angie was telling me. I need to know the truth.”
Rosemary’s logic was screwy, but I understood what she was after—proof that no one she loved had ended Aiden’s life. “In that case I’m going to start by telling you a few home truths.”
“All right.”
“We’ll start with Tommy. He stormed into the library yesterday and, in an ugly and menacing manner, claimed he was a suspect because I told John Mathers I had heard him make incriminating remarks. And now he has to stick around here instead of going home. Now why would he say that?”
After a pause, she said, “I’m so sorry, Carrie. I was trying to reason with Tommy. Get him to see how his behavior made him look like a suspect. I should never have brought you into the conversation.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. Our custodian escorted him out of the building. If he confronts me again, I will tell John. And I will press charges.”
“I understand. I promise not to tell Tommy that I’ve asked you to investigate.”
“Then there’s Donna and Roxy.” This was more difficult for me. I hated to have to tell Rosemary things about her nieces she probably didn’t know, but if she wanted me to look into Aiden’s murder I couldn’t sugarcoat the facts. “Anyone close to a murder victim is considered a possible suspect. Donna was married to Aiden. What’s more, they were having problems.”
“I had no idea,” Rosemary said. “My sister Marie never said a word.”
“Well, Frankie told me. Again, I have to ask you not to mention this to Marie and Vinnie.”
“Of course not. But why is Lieutenant Mathers interested in Roxy? The poor girl’s high strung at the best of times, and now she’s having a terrible time adjusting to her divorce.”
“It seems she turned to Aiden for support and he was happy to provide it. There was talk that they were having an affair.”
“I don’t believe it!”
“I have no idea if it’s true or not, but she often stopped at his office. And I saw for myself how possessive she was of Aiden.”
“All this is making my head spin.”
“Rosemary, I’m sorry you had to hear things about Tommy, Donna, and Roxy you would rather not have known, but I want you to understand why the police are interested in them. It doesn’t mean any of them killed Aiden.”
“Please find out what you can.”
“I will,” I said.
“They’re holding a memorial service for Aiden on Friday afternoon. I hope you will attend.”
“Of course I will.”
I hung up the phone and returned to the living room. “That was Rosemary, asking me to look into Aiden’s murder.”
“It figures since he’s a family member.”
“She’s upset because John is looking at Tommy, Donna, and Roxy as suspects.”
Dylan laughed. “Of course he is.”
“I explained in detail why John is interested in them. I think it left her kind of dazed.”
“So, you’re on the case, babe.”
“Looks like it.” I kissed his cheek, glad he now trusted me to be cautious when investigating mysteries on behalf of family and friends.
He bumped his shoulder into mine. “That gives you a homicide and a missing person to solve. You have almost as many active cases as I do.”
The rest of the day belonged to Dylan and me. I banned all thoughts of Aiden’s murder and Michelle’s problems from my mind as we drove east along Route 1 to Old Lyme. We wandered through the town and visited the Florence Griswold Museum. We had a light bite in Old Saybrook and, on impulse, stopped to listen to a band concert in a park by the Sound. Dinner was in a rustic restaurant that served lobster, my favorite summer fare.
Dylan and I held hands as we rode back to Clover Ridge. The traffic on 95 was bumper-to-bumper at times, but neither of us cared. It was close to ten when he dropped me off at the cottage.
“I had a wonderful weekend,” he said as he kissed me good night.
“Me too.”
“Talk to you in the morning.”
“So you’re going to look into who murdered the good doctor,” Evelyn said. She’d turned up in my office Monday afternoon, a minute after Trish had left for the day.
“I am.”
“I hope it doesn’t sound callous when I say I hope you’ll still have time to help my niece, Michelle.”
“Of course I will. Uncle Bosco called me earlier to say he’s asking around to find out who can use office help.”
Evelyn beamed at me. “Thank you, Carrie. I never should have thought that you’d let something this important slide.”
The jingle of my cell phone sounded.
“Hello, Carrie. This is Michelle. Michelle Forbes,” she added. She sounded cheerful.
“Hi, Michelle.” I glanced at Evelyn. “Have you gotten in touch with Mr. Talbot?”
“A few times. When I told him what Brad did, he was furious and said he wanted to handle this case himself.”
“You’re in luck. Ken is a very capable lawyer, but be prepared. It may take some time before he can get any money back for you.”
“I know. He explained how the system works. But the important thing is he said I couldn’t be thrown out of my apartment, and he might be able to get me some funds in the meantime.”
“I’m so glad.”
“That’s not all. A Mr. Rockland just called. He’s a friend of your uncle.”
“Sorry, I don’t know him.”
“He has an advertising and marketing firm in Branford and needs someone to do general office work—at least for the present. It might turn into something more.”
“That sounds promising,” I said.
“Doesn’t it? Bobbie’s driving me to my interview tomorrow morning.”
“Branford’s not that far away, but you’ll need transportation.”
“There’s a bus that goes there, but not very often. I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will,” I said. “I’m very happy for you.”
“Thanks, Carrie. You’ve turned my life around.”
We disconnected and I grinned at Evelyn. “Things are improving for Michelle. Looks like she’ll be keeping her apartment and she may very well have a job.”
“Did she mention her father?”
“No. Why would she?”
“You did ask her to let you know if she remembered anyone he was especially friendly with at the time he left Clover Ridge.”
“I did, and she probably couldn’t think of anyone who might have stayed in contact with your brother.” I pursed my lips. “Besides, now that she’s getting help, she’ll manage without him.”
Evelyn’s gaze was piercing. “Carrie, think how much you appreciate having your father back in your life.”
I shrugged. “Jim came to me, remember?”
“Asking you to act as go-between for him and his partner-in-crime. But all that’s water under the bridge,” she quickly added.
I burst out laughing. “Evelyn, you want me to find your brother Harold because you miss him.”
She hung her head. “I admit there’s some truth to that.”
“And if by some unforeseen method or magic, I managed to whisk him back to Clover Ridge, you would no doubt ask me to find a way of getting him to come to the library so you could see him for yourself.”
Her silence told me I was right.
“Okay, I’ll call Michelle and ask her again to try to recall the names of anyone her father was close to before he disappeared.”
“Will you call her now?”
“In a while.”
My cell phone sounded again.
“It’s me again. Michelle.”
“Hi, Michelle.”
Evelyn, who had been on the verge of disappearing, returned to hear the latest news bulletin.
“I’m such a ditz. I was so excited to share my good news, I forgot to tell you I got to thinking about my father. There was someone he was friendly with—a neighbor who lived a few houses down from us. Salvatore DiSanto. He and his wife were older than my parents. They had three kids a few years older than Harvey and me. Dad and Sal used to watch wrestling together—of all things.”
I felt my pulse quicken. “Do the DiSantos still live there?”
“No idea. I never looked them up when I moved back to Clover Ridge, though I suppose I should have.”
“Not to worry. Tell me the street they lived on, and the number, if you remember it. I’ll check it out.”
“Thanks, Carrie. But I doubt if Sal would know anything about my father. Not after all this time.”
Evelyn was beaming at me as I said goodbye to her niece. “I have a good feeling about this, Carrie. I eagerly await your report.” And with that, she took off to parts unknown.
I looked up Salvatore DiSanto’s address online. Sure enough, there was an address in Clover Ridge: 37 Marcellus Lane. I jotted it down along with the phone number. I planned to stop by the house when I left the library, figuring I had a better chance of finding him at home later on in the day.
The landline rang.
“Hello, Carrie. This is Al Tripp, your mayor calling. How are you today?”
I swallowed my annoyance. I knew this call was coming, but I still had no definitive answer. “Good afternoon, Al. I’m fine. And how are you?”
“Wonderful. Just wonderful. My wife has me on a diet and the food’s not half bad. I’ve lost fifteen pounds already.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said, meaning it. I remembered how concerned I’d been last month when Al had huffed and puffed as I followed him up the library stairs.
“And I’m waking up an hour earlier every day to get in an exercise session with a personal trainer.”
“Good for you. Soon you’ll be in shape to run a marathon.”
Al chuckled. He had a good sense of humor. “Anyway, enough about me. I suppose your uncle told you about the upcoming vacancy on the town council.”
“Uncle Bosco mentioned it, but—”
“Before you give me a but, I wish you’d hear me out.”
“But—”
“Carrie, if you let me lay it all out for you, explain why I think you’re the perfect person to replace Jeannette Rivers on the board and why you’ll thank me in the end, I promise not to pursue this further. Will you hear me out?”
“Okay.”
“In that case, if you’re free Wednesday evening I’d like to take you to dinner to discuss it—at the Inn on the Green, if you like their food.”
“Do I!” I said, forgetting to follow my rule to pause five seconds when asked to do something I had doubts about. “That is, if you realize you’ll be wooing a reluctant candidate.”
Al sounded jubilant when he said, “I’m well aware of your feelings. Shall we meet at the Inn at seven?”
“Sure,” I said, wondering what I was getting myself into.