What an idiot I’d been, falling for Gwen Swithers’ sweet-lonesome-girl act! She was nothing but a scheming conniver. She must have intuited that Aiden was having marital problems and made a play for him. Of course Roxy was a detriment to her plan! And she’d had the nerve to ask me to tell John Mathers that she was a good person who would never kill anyone!
I glanced at my watch, surprised to discover that my meeting with Gwen had taken less than half an hour. Since it wasn’t even four thirty, I decided that now would be a good time to stock up for my father and Meredith’s visit.
The Gourmet Market was relatively empty. I figured we’d eat at home one evening, and since I had no idea what Meredith liked, I wanted to provide a variety of choices. I quickly selected an array of salads, sliced turkey, roast beef, and several cheeses as well as a platter of lobster mac and cheese, grilled veggies, and the Gourmet Market’s special shrimp dish. I added a few appetizers and two desserts.
I stopped at the library to pick up Smoky Joe, then headed for home. I called Mrs. C, who cleaned Dylan’s house and the cottage, to make sure she’d remembered to put fresh linens on the bed in the guest room. She told me rather huffily that of course she hadn’t forgotten. In fact, she’d taken care of it first thing this morning. And she’d even moved my laptop to my bedroom.
As Dylan and I drove home later that night after a yummy pizza dinner, I was still smarting from the way Nurse Gwen had played me until I’d finally caught on to her act.
“I can’t believe how wrong I was about her!” I groused. “I’m usually so good at reading people.”
Dylan patted my leg. “Babe, don’t be hard on yourself. Your Miss Swithers sounds like a con artist. Meaning she’s had years of practice. While you’re used to taking people at face value.”
“To think I fell for her ‘poor me’ act. So upset about Aiden’s dying. She was probably crying over her lost chance of becoming a rich doctor’s wife.”
“Maybe she really did love him,” Dylan said.
“Fat chance. She sensed that his marriage was on the rocks and decided to go after him.”
Dylan shrugged. “It’s possible. Aiden was vulnerable.”
“And she sent Roxy that letter in an attempt to get rid of the competition. Hmmm.” I thought a minute. “I wonder if she tried pulling something like this where she came from. Only she failed and that’s the reason she moved on.”
“A very good hypothesis,” Dylan said, “and I could easily have Rosalind check out her background except …”
“Except John’s coming over later so I can tell him exactly what Gwen told me. Then he can follow up on Nurse Gwen.”
Dylan laughed. “You’re finally learning when to leave police work to the police.”
“Which I wouldn’t mind if the police ever filled me in on their end.”
I reached for Dylan’s hand and we drove the rest of the way in companionable silence. Soon we were turning onto the Avery road. Dylan pulled into the semicircular entranceway in front of his stately home.
“Would you like to come in? I want to drop off some stuff and collect a few things to bring over to your place.”
“No. I’ll wait out here.”
“Okay. Be back in a few.”
I stared at the manor: a beautiful house filled with fine, old-fashioned furniture that his parents had probably selected with a decorator when Dylan was very young. Angela had once asked me if I’d like to live here and I’d told her I wouldn’t. I much preferred the informal, cozy atmosphere of my cottage. It suddenly occurred to me I had no idea how attached Dylan was to the home he’d lived in most of his life.
And now isn’t the time to think about it, I told myself.
Dylan returned a few minutes later carrying an overnight bag and a case of wine. “We’re running low on our wine supply at the cottage. Good thing I have a few bottles of the stuff your dad likes.”
“What does Meredith like to drink?”
“I’m not sure. I think white wine—like you.”
At the cottage, I fed Smoky Joe some treats, then joined Dylan in the living room to watch TV. It was a quarter to nine and John had said he’d be over around nine.
At a quarter past he called to say he was running late. “Would you rather stop by the precinct tomorrow?” he asked.
“Tonight’s better. My dad’s flying in for the weekend. He’s bringing his girlfriend. I suppose I should say woman friend.”
John chuckled. “So Jim Singleton’s got himself a woman. Must be serious if he’s introducing her to the family.”
“Dylan says Meredith’s nice. He knows her from work.”
“Be sure to give your dad my best. Not many men can turn their lives around like he did.”
“I will.”
“I’ll get to your place as soon as I can.”
John was out of breath when he finally arrived at a quarter to ten and headed straight for the bathroom.
“Want some coffee?” I called after him.
“Love some.”
“Would you like coffee?” I asked Dylan.
“No, thanks.”
I brewed a small pot of coffee and waited for John in the kitchen. He dropped into a chair and rubbed his eyes.
“Want anything to eat?”
John nodded. “That would be nice. I never stopped for dinner.”
I brought out some deli meat and cheese and toasted a roll, the kind I knew he liked.
Dylan strolled into the kitchen while John was munching away. “I didn’t hear any conversation so I figured you guys were eating.”
“John is. Would you like something?”
“Ice cream.”
I put out two small bowls and two spoons for Dylan and me while he got the containers of chocolate and pistachio ice cream from the freezer. I let him scoop his own portion since, according to Dylan, I never got the amount right, then took my own.
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Dylan said, departing with his bowl of ice cream.
When John had finished eating, he studied me, considerably more alert than when he’d arrived. “Shall we get started?”
“Okay.”
“Did you call Gwendolyn Swithers or did she call you?”
Starting off with a tough one. “Er—I called her.”
“Why?”
“The truth?”
“Of course the truth. That’s why I’m here.”
This wasn’t going quite as I’d imagined. “After finding what looked to be Aiden’s discovery of fraudulent claims, I wondered who was responsible for them.”
“Did it ever occur to you that Aiden might have been involved in the scheme?”
My eyes widened. “No. Of course not. Donna said he seemed preoccupied the nights he spent in his home office.”
John shrugged. “Maybe he felt he was getting in too deep and wanted out.”
I made a scoffing sound. “And mentioned it to his partner, which got him killed?”
“Maybe. We don’t know who’s involved,” John said with exaggerated patience. “Just like we don’t know if there was fraud or if it’s still going on. All. Police. Work.”
Duly chastened, I nodded.
John grinned, looking pleased with himself. “Getting back to Ms. Swithers, did you contact her hoping she could tell you who was involved in the medical fraud?”
“Yes. She might have discovered it on her own. Or, since she was so close to Aiden, he might have confided his suspicions to her—” I frowned. “If he wasn’t involved, as I’m pretty sure he wasn’t.”
“Go on.”
“Gwen sounded frantic when she called me back—my earlier call had gone to voice mail—and wanted us to meet. The few times I’d seen her she came across as gentle. Kind of a lost soul. At Aiden’s memorial, she’d mentioned she had no one to talk to, so I gave her my cell number. She called and we met for breakfast one morning.”
John nodded.
“Today she was upset because she was afraid you thought she’d killed Roxy because of the note she’d sent her.”
I drew a deep breath. “Well, that note didn’t sit well with me, either. It revealed a side of Gwen I didn’t much like. The more we talked the more I realized she wasn’t the innocent girl who just happened to fall in love with her kind and sympathetic boss. I think she’d set her sights on marrying a doctor for the prestige and the money.”
John exhaled loudly. “Then why would she murder him?”
“I have no idea. Maybe Aiden dumped her and that made her angry. Today’s agenda was to get me to believe she’d only written the note because Roxy’s visits to the office cut into the time she had with Aiden. I was supposed to convince you that she wasn’t capable of killing Roxy.”
John leaned back in his chair and stretched out his long legs. “Carrie, I appreciate your telling me all this. Finding out how a suspect’s mind works is helpful, and, from what you say, Gwen Swithers is a schemer. But I need evidence to crack these two homicides.”
The rain that greeted us on Saturday morning reflected my glum mood. John had poured a cold shower of reality over what I’d so proudly offered up regarding Gwen’s true character. Going after Aiden for money and position was cold, but with him out of the picture, what possible reason could she have for killing Roxy?
Roxy was a loose cannon. And she was crazy in love with Aiden. Maybe she’d managed to learn some of Gwen’s secrets and threatened to share them. Then Gwen might have risked losing Aiden and her job as well.
Gwen had access to drugs. But all this was supposition. It didn’t prove that Gwen murdered Roxy. Just as the health care fraud and abuse in Aiden’s medical practice might have nothing to do with either murder. I was beginning to appreciate the painstaking, tedious hours the police had to put in before they gathered enough evidence to charge a murderer.
Dylan was wise enough to see I didn’t feel much like talking, so after suggesting that we go to the gym after breakfast, he buried his nose in the newspaper.
By the time we left for Parson’s Gym, I was feeling more like myself. “The sun’s come out,” I observed, peering up at the sky.
“Anything special you’d like to do with your dad and Meredith this weekend?”
I shrugged. “I don’t have anything particular in mind. I’m just so happy to see Jim. And I want to get to know Meredith. I have a feeling she means a lot to my father.”
“She’s a nice lady. I’m sure you’ll like her,” Dylan said.
Of course. Since you and Jim both do. “I figured we’d have dinner in one evening and take them to a nice restaurant on the water the other.”
Dylan grinned. “My thoughts exactly. You’ll be happy to know I managed to get us reservations at the Sea Maiden tonight.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t want to eat there? I thought you loved their food.”
“I do. It’s just that we usually discuss where we’ll be going before making plans.”
Dylan glanced at me. “Sorry, babe. Jim mentioned he’d love to eat in a seafood restaurant when they were here so I called the Sea Maiden soon as I got off the phone. I think that was Thursday.”
“You spoke to my father and didn’t tell me?”
“Yes. We talk occasionally. We’re work colleagues, remember? There are matters we need to discuss.”
“I know that but …” I released a giant sigh. “You, Jim, and Meredith have this connection. You’ve all worked together at one time or another. To tell the truth, I feel kind of left out.”
Dylan burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny!” I demanded.
“You. Why do you think they’re coming? To see me?”
“Well …”
“Your father wants you to meet the woman he loves. As for me and Jim, we only connected because of you. My take is you should be happy that your significant other and your father get along and have become good friends.”
Dylan turned into the strip mall where the gym was located and parked. “You, Miss Carolinda Singleton, are the linchpin. The person who links us together.”
“Oh.” I felt my ears grow warm with embarrassment. “And how many times have I told you—that’s not my name any longer.”