Part 31 (2/2)
”I guess,” I said, nervously swiping my hands across my jeans. I'd arrived a few minutes earlier and unlocked the apartment. Care had left a key for me under the doormat.
Sue looked around. ”Thank Caroline for me. This saved me having to find a place. Mmm, I smell coffee.”
”Like a cup?”
”Sure would.” She dropped her bags and followed me into the kitchen.
I took an empty mug from the cabinet. ”Care brewed the coffee. She left a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies for us too. Help yourself.”
”So where's she at?”
”Over at her mom's. Guess she owed her a visit.”
”Well, we shouldn't be too long.”
Caroline had offered to vacate her place so Sue and I could have complete privacy with no interruptions. Care knew I'd feel more comfortable here. Once Sue left, Caroline would be back to sop up all the details. That is, if I decided to tell her any. Best friends or not, I might not be ready.
Today, Sue wore an auburn wig with gold highlights, and I wondered if Caroline's sun-kissed hair had influenced her choice. The two shades were almost identical. Sue's complexion appeared a milky white and her eyes a bright green, but I wasn't sure if this was her natural color or just excellent makeup and a new pair of contact lenses. And it was impossible to tell.
I hadn't yet found the nerve to ask which ident.i.ty was the real Sue. And I wasn't sure she'd tell me even if I did. So far, she hadn't gotten all that chummy. I knew virtually nothing about her personal life.
”Would you like to do this in any particular order?” she asked as we settled onto the couch with our coffee.
”Do this?” I said, finding it difficult to swallow.
She smiled then, sympathetically, I thought. ”It's okay, Gwyn. There's room for speculation in some of this. It's not all cut and dried. What I meant was, who would you like to start with first?”
”Oh ... well then, Craig. Have you found out anything about him?”
”Yes, I have, and unfortunately it's both good and bad news. He's been spotted recently. Here-in Glenwood. That information came from a couple of different sources.”
”He's here?”
”Yes. So you need to be on the lookout. Also be very careful. Don't try to do anything on your own if you spot him. Call the cops. Agreed?”
”Of course.”
”What I can't figure out is why he's back. Why would he chance coming back here? I don't think he's that stupid, certainly not if he's eluded the police this long.” She stared at me, as if I might know the answer.
I shrugged. ”So, what's the good news?”
”That if he sticks around, we'll nail him.”
I wanted to tell Sue about my run-in with Craig, but I couldn't. Sue would be after him, possibly ask me to help set a trap, and if Craig sensed the noose tightening even a little, he'd fly. I'd never find out who killed my sister. Craig was onto something, the initials T.D., the whereabouts of the box. My instincts told me to hold off.
Sue pulled a videotape from the shopping bag.
”And now, your husband.”
She leaned over to pop the video in.
”Sue-wait.”
”What?”
”Well, I want to see ... and to hear it all, but before I do, I need to know, right now. Is he s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g Sylvia?”
”Unfortunately, that's the part that's not absolutely clear. I can't prove anything yet.” She leaned toward me. ”I thought it might be better to ease you in, let you see what I saw, so you can judge for yourself. I will say that in most of the cases of marital infidelity I've looked into, I'd be able to give you a definite yes or no by now. But something has happened. He's cut off relations with her, if he was having them to begin with. The lunches and a lot of the meetings have stopped. And it looks like it started right after Sylvia's trip to the hospital, after the snowmobile accident. Right after you hired me.”
”G.o.d.”
”Is it possible he knows you've hired a private detective?”
”No, how would he?”
”Maybe something you said? As clueless as some men are, others are incredibly good at reading women. Have you talked about Sylvia recently? Any fights in that vein?”
”Yes. I've mentioned her several times. And yes, we had a big fight in the car on the way home from Linda's party. After Sylvia's accident.”
Sue brought her fingers to her chin and looked thoughtful. ”You may have scared him off. Could be he's decided to cool things with her for a while, thinking you might check up on him. Maybe they had a fight. Maybe he's even called it off for good. Whatever's the case, if he's still involved with her, eventually he'll slip up. I a.s.sume you want me to continue surveillance.”
”Yes.”
”Are you ready for the tape now?”
I nodded.
The V.C.R. buzzed as she slipped the tape in. ”This first shot is inside your husband's office-after hours I might add. Everyone else has gone home.”
”What time is it?”
”About seven.”
I watched as Trevor walked across the small reception area toward the front door. Sylvia called to him from outside. ”Trevor, open the door.”
He hesitated, then stepped forward. ”I'm working, Sylvia. Seriously, I don't have time for you right now.”
She jiggled the k.n.o.b. ”Open it. It's not open yet.” Trevor released the lock and she marched in. ”Since when do you lock the door on me? I told you I was coming.”
”And I told you not to. Sylvia, I need to get back to work. We can talk later. Okay?”
”No, and stop making excuses. It's insulting.”
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