Murder by Proxy [Edna Davies 02] Read online

  “Did you forget your key?” The young woman swallowed whatever she was going to say next and stared at Edna. Curiosity, then a look of puzzlement began to replace the smile that, a moment before, had brightened her face. “Do I know you?”

  Edna thought it was probably the strong resemblance between her and her son that made Anita Collier feel they had met before.

  Nineteen

  Neither woman spoke for several seconds, Edna because she was startled to see the person she had almost given up hope of finding and Anita because she was apparently still trying to figure out if she knew her visitor.

  “I'm Edna Davies.” She finally broke the silence and added, “Grant's mother.”

  At the mention of a recognized name, the puzzlement on Anita's face morphed into pleasure, then just as quickly into caution. “I've told no one where I am. How did you find me? Did he send you?”

  Assuming the “he” in question was Grant, Edna said, “No. Grant doesn't know where you are. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even know I've come here looking for you.” At that moment, her surprise and delight at locating Anita switched to fear. A sudden sense of urgency made her reach out to the young woman in the doorway. “Quickly. We must leave. You're in great danger.”

  Anita backed away from Edna's impulsive gesture and started to close the door. “I know I'm in danger. That's why I'm staying here. Please go away.”

  Edna raised a hand, placing her palm against the door. “No, wait. Listen to me. You must come with me at once before Yonny returns.”

  Anger brought a flush to Anita's cheeks. “I don't know what you're talking about. Yonny's my friend. He's helping me.”

  That admission confused Edna. “Helping you?” She shook her head in bewilderment. “How is he helping you?”

  Anita's eyes narrowed. Instead of answering the question, she threw one back. “Why are you here?”

  “I came to find you or to find out what has happened to you. I must admit, though, I never expected to see you here.” Edna knew she wasn't making much sense. She started again. “Look, I know about your parents' car crash and about the person who's been harassing you. I think Yonny is the one who's behind it.”

  Anita's face splotched with anger. “Now you look. Yonny told me the crash that killed my folks wasn't an accident. Why would he have said that if he did it? Why would he be looking for my stalker? And why would he have brought me up here and kept me safe?” Her voice had risen with each question.

  How does Yonny know the Colliers didn’t die by accident? Edna wondered at the same time she said aloud, “Did he tell you why someone might want to harm you or your parents?”

  “He said I have a great-aunt back in New York who is going to leave me all her money. He says I need to stay here, where it's safe, until he finds whoever is after me.”

  Edna paused, her confusion increasing. Could I be wrong about Yonny? But how does he know the Colliers’ car was tampered with? Not even the mechanic at the impound lot knew until recently. And how does Yonny know about Mrs. Maitland and the inheritance?

  “Tell Grant I'll call him as soon as I can. Now, please, you really must go.” Anita stepped back to shut the door.

  Edna felt anxiety turning to acid in her stomach. She was convinced this woman was in danger. “Please trust me,” she begged, sliding one foot beside the doorjamb and pushing against the door with her hand. “If you'll only come with me to Grant's house, I'll explain on the way, but we must leave immediately.”

  “I told you, I'm safe here. Please move your foot.” Anita lowered her gaze and prodded Edna's shoe with the toe of a sturdy hiking boot.

  In desperation, Edna blurted out, “Do you know your great-aunt is dying?”

  Anita stopped nudging and raised her eyes, studying Edna's face before her frown deepened. “You're wrong. I'm going to meet her as soon as Yonny finds out who murdered my parents. He says it isn't safe for me to leave here until then.”

  “So he told you about your great-aunt and your inheritance,” Edna spoke the thought more to herself than to Anita. If he has an ulterior motive, why would Yonny tell her all this?

  Anita used her boot to push Edna's foot away from the doorjamb and shut the door just as another idea occurred to Edna. “Did he tell you if you don't see your great-aunt before she dies that the money will go to the Quinn Foundation?” She shouted the name at the closed door.

  As the echo of her words faded into the ensuing silence, she stood looking at the house for several more seconds, feeling desperate and helpless. She had done her best. Maybe Ernie could come up and convince Anita to leave this place. She was about to turn away when she heard the latch click and the door creaked slowly open.

  “The Quinn Foundation?” Anita repeated the name, standing once more in the doorway.

  Her glance moved to a point beyond Edna's left shoulder and her eyes grew wide. At the same moment, Edna felt something cold and wet nuzzle into her hand. She looked down to see Greta staring up at her. Giving a startled cry, she spun around to find Yonny Pride striding up behind her.

  “How about we go into the house and stop entertaining the neighbors?” Yonny said, pushing Edna roughly through the door ahead of him.

  Stepping back to let them pass, Anita stared at Yonny. “You work for the Quinn Foundation,” she said in a tone that sounded both puzzled and accusatory.

  He moved into the dark, wood-paneled living room, still urging Edna forward. Greta, who had trotted into the house ahead of the small group, turned and began to bark at her master.

  “Quiet, Greta,” Yonny commanded. “Sit.”

  The German shepherd backed away, continuing to bark. Edna thought the dog might be agitated by the hostility in the air.

  “Anita, put Greta in the backyard,” Yonny said, laying a restraining hand on Edna's shoulder.

  After a momentary pause during which her eyes never left his face, Anita finally lowered her gaze and strode through an open doorway into a small kitchen at the back of the house, calling for the dog to follow. She picked something out of a tin canister on the shelf and bent to give it to Greta before opening the back door. The dog bounded outside with her prize.

  When Anita returned to the living room, her questioning eyes again sought Yonny's face. Edna shrugged out of Yonny's grasp and moved away from him, rubbing the spot where his steel grip had bruised her shoulder. Anita and Yonny, both tall and slender, seemed to tower over her in the small room. The only light came from the east-facing window that held Anita's stained glass creation and from the north-facing window next to the front door. Seeing that Anita had left the door slightly ajar, Edna was wondering if she could slip by Yonny and scoot out to the road when Anita's voice broke the silence.

  “Is it true? Will the Quinn Foundation inherit my great-aunt's money if I don't?”

  Edna looked from one face to the other. Anita was clearly now more puzzled than angry. Yonny's face was set in a scowl. He ignored Anita's question and turned to Edna. “Why did you have to meddle? Everything was going just fine until you came along.”

  “Why did you have to kill Anita's parents?” Edna stared back, hoping he couldn't see the fear that was causing her heart to thud against her chest.

  Yonny's head jerked back as if he'd been slapped in the face. “Kill the Colliers? What are you talking about?”

  “You told her their crash wasn't an accident. How did you know if you weren't the one who caused it?”

  Yonny looked at Edna as if she had lost her mind. “That was something I made up. Are you telling me it really wasn't an accident?”

  “Oh, come now. Do you expect the police will believe your confession to Anita was only a story you concocted?” She felt annoyed at the naïve act this arrogant young man was pulling.

  He shook his head in disbelief. “I used the crash to convince her that her life was in danger so she'd come with me. I didn't want to have to use force.”

  “What?” Anita hit Yonny's shoulder with the palm of her hand, makin
g him turn toward her. “What are you saying, that my parents weren't killed? You lied to get me up here?”

  Edna put a hand on Anita's arm. “They were killed. It wasn't an accident.” But neither of the others was listening to her.

  Yonny rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, apparently not wanting to look Anita in the eye. When he did, his face was set in resolve. “Yes. Okay? Yes, I lied to get you up here and kept lying to keep you here. At least it was easier on both of us than tying you up and having to watch you every minute of the day. I don't think I could have done that.”

  Anita turned to Edna with an exasperated sigh. “Let's go. I'll get my things, and you can fill me in on our way back to Denver.”

  Yonny grabbed Anita's wrist before she could move. “You're not going anywhere. You're both staying right here until I get a phone call from Dr. Quinn.”

  “A call telling you that Mrs. Maitland is dead.” Edna voiced the thought his words had put into her head.

  “That's right. I'm to keep Anita here until then, until Dr. Quinn tells me it's okay to let her go. Now, if you ladies will just have a seat, I'm sure we'll only have to be here a day or two more at the most.” He gestured to two low-backed stuffed chairs on either side of the large window, but neither woman moved.

  “Look, Yonny.” Edna was trying to think fast. What could she say that might make him see reason? “So far, you haven't held anyone against her will, but if you continue with this absurd notion of yours, you'll be kidnapping us. That's a very serious crime.”

  Yonny looked frustrated but determined. “I don't want to hurt either of you, but I will do whatever I have to. You cannot leave this house until I hear from Dr. Quinn.”

  “Why don't you call him?” Edna suggested. “If he's your employer, I'm certain he wouldn't approve of what you're doing.”

  Yonny gave a short laugh. “Are you kidding? My instructions from him were to see that none of the Colliers got to New York before Mrs. Maitland dies. I don't think he figured I could do that without using some strong-arm tactics, do you?”

  Anita had been quiet during this conversation, but now she cut in. “So you haven't even been looking for the person who was stalking me? Everything's been one big fat lie, and I could have gone to Lia's funeral?” Her voice broke on those last words as if she were about to cry, but she sucked her breath in sharply, refusing to give way to her emotions.

  The corner of Yonny's lip went up in a sneer. “It's pretty easy to guess who's after you. That jerk you married is none too subtle when it comes to money or women.”

  “If that's true, if you think Rice is responsible for the Colliers' deaths, then let's go to the police.” Edna's attempt to make Yonny see reason got no further.

  “Nobody's going anywhere,” came a voice from the front door as Rice Ryan pushed through the entry.

  Since most of the light was behind Rice, it took Edna several seconds to realize he held a gun in his hand. Involuntarily, she clutched her tote bag tightly against her chest and moved closer to Anita. The small room had just become very crowded.

  Twenty

  “Good idea you have, keeping everyone here.” Rice waggled the gun at Yonny. “Now move over there.” With his free hand he pushed the other man forward, causing Yonny to stumble into Anita. As he wrapped his arms around Rice's wife to steady them both, Edna could see anger spark in Rice's eyes.

  “So here's where you've been setting up house,” he snarled at Anita.

  “How did you find me?” she asked, ignoring his remark.

  He tipped his head toward Edna. “I've been following her.”

  Edna gasped. “You're the one in the black car, the one I kept seeing everywhere I went.” She frowned. “At the funeral you were driving a silver car.”

  He snorted. “That was Marcie's Lexus. I drove, but it was her car.” He looked over at his wife, still in the protective circle of Yonny's arm. Sneering, he turned back to Edna and said, “I figured Grant knew where my wife was hiding, and sooner or later one of you would lead me to her. Since he's been spending most of his time at the office, I decided to follow you. Paid off, too, didn't it?” His smirk turned to a frown as glared at Anita. “Might have known you'd taken up with someone.”

  “You're a fine one to talk.” Anita's voice was low and quiet but filled with loathing.

  “I realized my mistake. I told you I would have done anything to get you back, but you wouldn't listen.” Fury flared in his words, but his tone also held a hint of pleading.

  “I got tired of listening to your lies, Rice.” Anita sounded weary.

  Edna knew from their looks and tones that Anita and her husband had had this argument before, probably many times. She thought she might take Rice unaware, reason with him while he was distracted by his wife. She took a step toward the door, eyeing the gun. “I know you for a sensible man,” she said, inching forward slowly. “I know you don't want to kidnap us.”

  She was almost beside him, ready to break into a quick stride to reach the open front door, when he grabbed her shoulder and flung her roughly toward the chair beside the east window. “Sit over there and shut up,” he growled, his eyes still on his wife. “You're not going anywhere. Nobody's leaving here.”

  She stumbled to the window but didn't sit. Steadying herself, she was about to speak when Anita's voice rang out in the small room.

  “Did you kill my parents?”

  “That was an accident,” Rice retorted.

  Edna scoffed. “That was no accident. The battery was rigged to drip acid on the brake linings.”

  Rice glowered at her, and in the light from the window behind her, she saw hatred mottle his face before he turned back to Anita. “Yes, I drilled a hole in the battery, but it wasn't meant to kill them. I wanted the car to crash and at the worst have one or both of them end up in the hospital. I didn't mean for them to die.” He looked as if he genuinely wanted Anita to believe him.

  “Why?” Anita's eyes swam with unshed tears, and the single word she uttered hung in the silent room. Everyone stood still, waiting to hear what Rice had to say.

  Finally, he rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand while his right, slackening its grip slightly on the gun, dropped to his side. “I didn't mean for them to die,” he repeated before looking at Anita again. “I thought if one of them got hurt, you'd need me, take me back. I would have handled everything. Doctors, hospital bills, everything. You would have wanted me to comfort you. We'd have been back together, and I could show you what a good husband I can be.”

  Anita swiped at her tears with fingertips as she shouted at Rice. “You bastard! You killed my parents. I'll never come back to you.”

  Edna saw the anger almost visibly rise up Rice's neck to his face. Her stomach lurched when she saw him raise the gun and point it at his wife. Apparently, Yonny felt the same as she, that they must somehow divert Rice's attention. The young man stepped forward, gently pushing Anita so she was partially hidden behind him.

  “Were you the one who cut her climbing rope?” His tone was quiet, but there was a hard edge to his question.

  Rice's eyes fixed on Yonny's face for several seconds as if he were trying to make sense of the words. Then he gave a short laugh. “That was nothing. I cut it through enough so it would break under her weight. She wouldn't have gone five feet up before it broke.” His gaze shifted to Anita. “I did it for us, Baby. I thought if you stopped spending so much time climbing those stupid rocks that there would be time for us to do stuff together. Now do you see how much I wanted you back?”

  Anita pushed Yonny out of her way. Bending slightly at her waist with hands on her hips, she leaned toward her husband. “You wanted me back enough to kill me? What sort of man are you? Do you seriously think after all this that I would ever want you back?”

  Watching Rice's knuckles turn white and his finger twitch on the trigger of the gun, Edna spoke quietly to Anita. “You might want to reconsider.“

  “I'd rather die than live with you
and your women and your lies and … and your psychotic behavior,” she shouted at him. She seemed to run out of steam then and turned her face into Yonny's chest.

  When Yonny put his arm around Anita's shoulders in a reflexive motion, Edna thought Rice was going to shoot them right there on the spot. She gasped an involuntary “No.”

  He glanced over at her, paused, then nodded. “You're right. Not now. I have to think of how I want this to play out.” He looked the three over with a smile of satisfaction slowly spreading across his face. “Definite murder-suicide here,” he said. His gaze fell on Edna, making her shudder. “And oh, how unfortunate that Grant Davies' mother should walk in on it.” He feigned a look of sorrow before his eyes hardened and he gave a bark of laughter. “That'll take care of the kidnapping charge.” He winked at her. At that moment Edna thought it possible that she could shoot another human being, if only the gun were in her hands.

  Rice returned his attention to Anita, who had raised her head from Yonny's shoulder and was staring at her husband with a look of pure disgust. “You couldn't. Obviously, you can rig accidents, but I don't believe you could pull a trigger while someone is looking you in the eye.” She shrugged Yonny's arm off from around her shoulders and stood before Rice in a posture of defiance.

  “Considering what I have to gain, I think I'm capable of just about anything,” he jeered back at her.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Anita's bravado wilted a little. “What do you have to gain except your freedom? You had that anyway, despite your marriage vows.”