Cold case deceit, p.13
Cold Case Deceit, page 13
Phillipa knew her mother was right. She would’ve gone through with her marriage to Gary. Because that’s exactly what she’d done. The day before they got married, Phillipa had an anxiety attack. No one knew—not even her parents. She wanted her marriage to work, but even then Phillipa had doubts that it would survive.
“You should’ve told me, Mom. I went all those months thinking he really didn’t care...”
Bethany’s eyes teared up. “If we were wrong, then I want to apologize to you. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing for everybody. Hon, I’m so sorry.”
“I know you thought you were looking out for me,” Phillipa said, hugging her mother. “I love you for it, but this is something only I can work out. Me and Kyle.”
“You’re right, sweetie. Your father and I never should’ve interfered.”
“The truth is that I should have listened to you, Mom. You tried to tell me that Gary and I should wait instead of rushing down the aisle. You knew I wasn’t ready.”
“I knew you were heartbroken over Kyle. I felt you needed a little more time to heal.”
“I was too stubborn to admit that you were right,” she admitted.
“And yet if you’d listened to me, we wouldn’t have our beautiful Raya,” Bethany said. “She’s the blessing that came out of your marriage.”
Phillipa smiled. “You’re right about that. I’d do it all over again to have that little girl in my life. Besides, Gary was really a sweetheart.” A tear slid down her face as she gazed at Bethany in earnest. “But, Mom, I never should’ve married him. He deserved someone who loved him. I hurt him...” She wiped her face with her left hand. “I broke his heart.”
“Oh, honey...” Bethany tried to comfort her, but the guilt of what she’d done to Gary was like a heavy weight—one she carried around with her every moment of every day.
* * *
The next day, Kyle didn’t know what to expect when Phillipa summoned him to her office.
“What I want to discuss with you is personal,” she stated. “If you’re not busy for lunch, I’d like to meet with you then.”
“No plans other than eating.”
She smiled. “Around noon?”
“I normally don’t go until one o’clock, but that’s fine.”
“One o’clock works for me,” Phillipa responded.
He didn’t dare hope that she was ready to finally have the all-important conversation with him. Kyle still had deep feelings for Phillipa and had respected the boundaries in place. She was slowly letting her guard down around him, so he didn’t want to do anything to put the progress he’d already made with her at risk.
She was at his desk at one o’clock sharp, and they drove to Dillon Park.
Phillipa led him over to a hot dog stand. “I was surprised to see that Mr. Tony was still in business.”
“He has stands all over the city now,” Kyle said.
“Do they still taste the same?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
After getting their food, they walked over to the gazebo.
“I’m glad it’s empty,” Phillipa said. “I wanted us to have some privacy.”
“This sounds serious,” Kyle responded. “Am I in some sort of trouble?” He was trying to make light of the situation. He needed to tell her about the missing files, but he’d wait and listen to her first.
She smiled. “No, you’re not in trouble.”
Phillipa sat down on the bench. “My mother told me that you were planning to come to California until you found out about Gary.”
So she knew about his plan to win her back. “It’s true,” he responded before biting into his hot dog.
“I didn’t know anything about this until this morning.”
“I’m not sure it would’ve changed anything,” Kyle said with a slight shrug. “If I thought it would, I would’ve taken the first flight out to Los Angeles.”
She looked down at her own hot dog. “I don’t know how I would’ve responded. I just wish my parents had told me.” After a moment of hesitation, Phillipa said, “I wish you’d come to California.”
Did she? “Your parents wanted to tell you, but I asked them not to say anything to you. I’d already made a mess of things. I didn’t want to do it a second time. You were happy.”
“I thought I was,” Phillipa murmured softly.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” she said. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”
“Not to me,” Kyle responded. “It feels like yesterday.”
“Would you have really stayed in Los Angeles?” Phillipa asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled. “It’s nice to know.”
Phillipa finished off her hot dog.
“If I’d come, would you have talked to me?” he asked.
“I think so. Your coming after me would’ve reassured me that you still cared about us. About our relationship.”
“The only reason I didn’t fly out there is because I thought you had truly moved on with Gary. I loved you, but it was more important to me that you were happy—even if it meant I would be miserable for the rest of my life.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“There’s nothing we can do about it now, but I appreciate you telling me this,” Phillipa said quietly.
He wanted to put his arms around her, to pull her close and kiss her. Instead, Kyle pushed the thought away and they walked back to the car.
“Do you have any updates on Helena’s case?” Kyle asked. He thought it best to return to business. He sensed from Phillipa’s mood that changing the subject was the best course of action in the moment.
“I’ve learned that Myra Rowland’s family lives in Columbia, South Carolina. They left Miami a year after her death. I’m thinking of driving there to speak with the victim’s mother. Maybe she can help sort out the Clara/Helena mystery.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t think you should go alone. You don’t know anything about these people or how they’re going to respond to your questions. I promise to sit back and let you take the lead. I won’t say anything, but I’ll have your back.”
“Since you put it that way... sure. Come with me as long as you can spare the time with your other casework?” she stated.
“Not a problem,” Kyle responded. “You’re the boss.”
Phillipa looked at him and asked, “Does that bother you?”
It didn’t bother Kyle at all. After all, he was the one who’d recommended her for the position. Although Phillipa didn’t have any knowledge of this.
“No, not at all.” He paused a moment before saying, “Oh, I went back through my office, and I discovered that there are three files missing.”
Phillipa stopped short. “Really?”
“Yeah. One of the files missing is Helena’s case.”
“Who are the other two?” Phillipa asked.
“Roger Dunn and Christina Danforth. I suspect the intruder is only interested in one of those files.”
Phillipa nodded in agreement. “But which one?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
* * *
Phillipa replayed her earlier conversation with Kyle over in her mind. She wasn’t sure what would’ve transpired if he had come to see her in California. She felt deep down that if Kyle had shown up, she never would’ve married Gary.
The night before her wedding, she’d had a dream that he appeared at the chapel to whisk her away with him. During the ceremony, Phillipa anticipated his showing up and interrupting the service.
But he never came.
She was forced to go through with her vows. Forced to marry a man she didn’t love. All because she believed that the only way for Kyle to prove his undying love for her was to chase after her.
Phillipa wanted to kick herself for being so juvenile during that period of her life. She had reacted to Kyle not coming to California by hurting Gary, an innocent in all this.
But she hoped that Gary knew that there was a part of her that cared for him. Phillipa had just never loved him. She accepted her role in the breakup of their marriage and felt badly. She didn’t realize just how guilty she’d been feeling about what she’d done until now.
* * *
“You remember the times we used to come to Columbia?” Kyle asked the next morning when they were on their way to meet with Myra Rowland’s family.
Smiling, Phillipa nodded. “I loved shopping at the Soda City Market. I used to have so much fun there. I’d always be exhausted by the time we left, but it was great seeing so many vendors. I went home broke after each trip, but it was so worth it.”
He nodded in agreement. “They still hold it every Saturday from nine to one.”
“Rain or shine,” she interjected with a chuckle.
“Back then, you wanted to drive down every Saturday after that. Man, you’d get so angry when I didn’t want to go.”
“I did, but then your shift changed, and you had to work... I didn’t want to come alone, so I talked my mom into it a couple of times.” Phillipa glanced over at him. “Have you been back?”
“The twins and I have been there a few times,” Kyle responded. “But every time I came, it just reminded me of you.”
Phillipa stared out of the passenger side window. “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I mean it.”
She turned to look at him. “You say that, but you never once tried to reach out to me after I left.”
“I figured you didn’t want to hear from me,” he responded. “Especially after you got married. You know that messed me up.”
“No, I didn’t know,” she said. “I didn’t think you cared one way or the other.”
“What did you expect me to do? Kidnap you before your wedding?”
“Well, it would’ve been something.”
“I can see it now,” Kyle said. “I show up and you shoot me in the kneecap.”
Phillipa burst into laughter. “You remember that?”
“Yeah. You told me if I came to the house, you’d shoot me in the knees.”
“What did you really expect? You’d called off our wedding.”
“I believed you.”
“I meant it,” Phillipa responded.
They looked at one another and laughed.
“I wouldn’t have shot you,” she said a few minutes later.
“You say that now. I know that temper of yours, Phillipa.”
“That was a long time ago. I’ve evolved since then.”
This was the first time Phillipa had been able to laugh about the past. Maybe she was evolving.
“Here we are,” Kyle said an hour later. “Agnes Rowland’s home. I hope she has answers for us.”
“So do I,” Phillipa responded.
They walked up the concrete steps to the porch and rang the bell. A full-figured woman with ginger-colored locs, who looked to be in her thirties, opened the door.
“Hello, I’m Sergeant Phillipa Stevenson and this is Detective Kyle Rossi. We’re here to see Agnes Rowland.”
“What do you want with my mother?” the woman asked, her hands on her generous hips.
“I’m working on a case, and Myra Rowland’s name has come up.”
“Myra was my sister. My mom is in a nursing facility. She has advanced dementia—she won’t be able to help you.”
“What is your name?”
“Regina. I’m Regina Rowland.” She invited them in and led them to the living room, then gestured for them to sit. “My sister’s been gone a long time, so I don’t know why her name would come up now.” Regina sat down across from them on a floral love seat. “What is this about?”
“Did you ever hear the name Helena Douglas?” Phillipa asked.
“No, I never heard that name mentioned before.”
“But you did know Clara Davis?”
Regina nodded. “Oh, yeah. I knew her. Clara, Myra and this other girl, Kelsey, were very close. We used to call them the Three Musketeers. Things changed when Clara started seeing that drug dealer Savage. Then I noticed he and Myra started spending time together. He was giving her money and clothes... I kept telling my sister that he was nothin’ but trouble.” Regina shook her head. “I knew things were gonna go wrong when she started messing around with Savage behind Clara’s back.”
“Did Clara ever find out?”
“I don’t know for sure. I was away at school. I went to college in Jacksonville.” She shrugged. “It’s possible she did because I heard that they got into a fight. When I asked Myra if it was over Savage, she denied it. She told me that Savage had broken up with Clara. She told me Clara was cool with her seeing him because she was involved with someone else by then.”
“How did you find out that Myra was seeing Savage?” Phillipa asked.
“I was home on break. I grabbed her cell phone by mistake, and I saw text messages between the two of them. I confronted her. I told her she was being foul. She told me that Savage was in love with her—not Clara.”
“What can you tell me about the night your sister disappeared?” Phillipa asked.
“She left the house to meet up with Clara,” Regina said. “That’s all I know. You should probably talk to my brother, Miller. He was the last person to see Myra.”
“How can I reach him?”
“He’s in pharmaceutical sales and travels a lot. He’s out of town now. I’ll give you one of his business cards.” She stepped out of the living room and disappeared down the hall.
When Regina returned, she said, “I don’t know what any of this has to do with your case, but I believe all the way to my gut that Savage killed my sister and Clara. He played them both, and when he got tired, he murdered them. He probably killed this Helena person, too. What goes around comes around though... Somebody shot and killed him.”
“Thank you for your time,” Phillipa said, taking the card. “I appreciate your talking to us. One more thing, what was Savage’s given name?”
“Leroy Brown.”
Phillipa looked over at Kyle, then asked, “Is he related to Kelsey?”
“I think they were cousins. She really didn’t have anything to do with him though. Kelsey was the smart one of the three. She didn’t run around at parties and clubs like Myra and Clara. Don’t get me wrong—they were tight, but Kelsey was different. She acted older.”
“Thank you again.”
Phillipa swallowed her irritation. They hadn’t gotten a lot of new information. They were already aware of the girls’ friendship and that Savage was a suspect before he was also murdered.
They would have to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together with what they knew, which wasn’t much.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do you think that Clara was running from Savage?” Phillipa asked when they were on their way back to Charlotte.
“That would be my guess. He had Myra killed. Clara knew it and left Miami, changed her identity and started a new life.”
“Then why stay in hiding after Savage died?”
“Okay,” Kyle said. “He had an alibi, so this means that he most likely had someone else kill Myra. Whoever that person is, he was still a threat to Clara.”
“I can buy that,” she responded. “But do you think she faked her death all on her own? Because I don’t. I think she had help with that and with establishing her new identity.”
“My guess would be her father,” Kyle responded. “He and his brother owned a funeral home, so they would certainly have the means to fake a death...”
Phillipa glanced over at him. “I think you’re onto something.”
“Savage died within months of Myra’s death, so while he may be responsible for that one, we know for sure that he didn’t kill Helena,” Kyle said. “I never thought this case would become so complicated. I don’t know how Jon’s going to react when he finds out his life with Helena was based on a lie.”
Phillipa looked at him. “Don’t say anything just yet. I want to have this whole thing sorted out first.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Kyle responded. “Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
She settled back in her seat. “Kelsey and Savage are cousins...”
“It’s a dead end.”
“We have plenty of those,” Phillipa said. “One more won’t matter. I’m just wondering why she didn’t mention it when I talked to her, but then Kelsey never brought up Savage during that conversation.”
“She probably didn’t think it was important.”
“Hmmm,” she murmured. “Even though he was a suspect?” Phillipa paused a moment, then said, “Let’s talk about something else. I need a mental break from the case.”
“Fine by me. What do you want to talk about?”
She glanced over at Kyle. “Why didn’t you ever marry?” She’d been wondering since reconnecting with him. “You must have met someone who made you consider settling down at some point.”
“Not really,” he responded.
“Nobody?”
“I came close once, but I didn’t want to settle. It would’ve have been unfair to her.”
Phillipa understood because that’s what she’d done to Gary. “You did the right thing.”
“I learned from the first mistake I made,” he said. “With us.”
“Do you really feel that way?” she wanted to know.
Kyle nodded. “Not about postponing the wedding, but letting you leave town and then not coming after you...that was my mistake.”
Phillipa felt it was easy for Kyle to talk this way because there was no way they could act on their feelings now. Too much time had passed. And she was his supervisor.
“You’re quiet... What’s on your mind?” he inquired.
“You should’ve told me, Mom. I went all those months thinking he really didn’t care...”
Bethany’s eyes teared up. “If we were wrong, then I want to apologize to you. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing for everybody. Hon, I’m so sorry.”
“I know you thought you were looking out for me,” Phillipa said, hugging her mother. “I love you for it, but this is something only I can work out. Me and Kyle.”
“You’re right, sweetie. Your father and I never should’ve interfered.”
“The truth is that I should have listened to you, Mom. You tried to tell me that Gary and I should wait instead of rushing down the aisle. You knew I wasn’t ready.”
“I knew you were heartbroken over Kyle. I felt you needed a little more time to heal.”
“I was too stubborn to admit that you were right,” she admitted.
“And yet if you’d listened to me, we wouldn’t have our beautiful Raya,” Bethany said. “She’s the blessing that came out of your marriage.”
Phillipa smiled. “You’re right about that. I’d do it all over again to have that little girl in my life. Besides, Gary was really a sweetheart.” A tear slid down her face as she gazed at Bethany in earnest. “But, Mom, I never should’ve married him. He deserved someone who loved him. I hurt him...” She wiped her face with her left hand. “I broke his heart.”
“Oh, honey...” Bethany tried to comfort her, but the guilt of what she’d done to Gary was like a heavy weight—one she carried around with her every moment of every day.
* * *
The next day, Kyle didn’t know what to expect when Phillipa summoned him to her office.
“What I want to discuss with you is personal,” she stated. “If you’re not busy for lunch, I’d like to meet with you then.”
“No plans other than eating.”
She smiled. “Around noon?”
“I normally don’t go until one o’clock, but that’s fine.”
“One o’clock works for me,” Phillipa responded.
He didn’t dare hope that she was ready to finally have the all-important conversation with him. Kyle still had deep feelings for Phillipa and had respected the boundaries in place. She was slowly letting her guard down around him, so he didn’t want to do anything to put the progress he’d already made with her at risk.
She was at his desk at one o’clock sharp, and they drove to Dillon Park.
Phillipa led him over to a hot dog stand. “I was surprised to see that Mr. Tony was still in business.”
“He has stands all over the city now,” Kyle said.
“Do they still taste the same?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
After getting their food, they walked over to the gazebo.
“I’m glad it’s empty,” Phillipa said. “I wanted us to have some privacy.”
“This sounds serious,” Kyle responded. “Am I in some sort of trouble?” He was trying to make light of the situation. He needed to tell her about the missing files, but he’d wait and listen to her first.
She smiled. “No, you’re not in trouble.”
Phillipa sat down on the bench. “My mother told me that you were planning to come to California until you found out about Gary.”
So she knew about his plan to win her back. “It’s true,” he responded before biting into his hot dog.
“I didn’t know anything about this until this morning.”
“I’m not sure it would’ve changed anything,” Kyle said with a slight shrug. “If I thought it would, I would’ve taken the first flight out to Los Angeles.”
She looked down at her own hot dog. “I don’t know how I would’ve responded. I just wish my parents had told me.” After a moment of hesitation, Phillipa said, “I wish you’d come to California.”
Did she? “Your parents wanted to tell you, but I asked them not to say anything to you. I’d already made a mess of things. I didn’t want to do it a second time. You were happy.”
“I thought I was,” Phillipa murmured softly.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” she said. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”
“Not to me,” Kyle responded. “It feels like yesterday.”
“Would you have really stayed in Los Angeles?” Phillipa asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled. “It’s nice to know.”
Phillipa finished off her hot dog.
“If I’d come, would you have talked to me?” he asked.
“I think so. Your coming after me would’ve reassured me that you still cared about us. About our relationship.”
“The only reason I didn’t fly out there is because I thought you had truly moved on with Gary. I loved you, but it was more important to me that you were happy—even if it meant I would be miserable for the rest of my life.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“There’s nothing we can do about it now, but I appreciate you telling me this,” Phillipa said quietly.
He wanted to put his arms around her, to pull her close and kiss her. Instead, Kyle pushed the thought away and they walked back to the car.
“Do you have any updates on Helena’s case?” Kyle asked. He thought it best to return to business. He sensed from Phillipa’s mood that changing the subject was the best course of action in the moment.
“I’ve learned that Myra Rowland’s family lives in Columbia, South Carolina. They left Miami a year after her death. I’m thinking of driving there to speak with the victim’s mother. Maybe she can help sort out the Clara/Helena mystery.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“I can handle it.”
“I don’t think you should go alone. You don’t know anything about these people or how they’re going to respond to your questions. I promise to sit back and let you take the lead. I won’t say anything, but I’ll have your back.”
“Since you put it that way... sure. Come with me as long as you can spare the time with your other casework?” she stated.
“Not a problem,” Kyle responded. “You’re the boss.”
Phillipa looked at him and asked, “Does that bother you?”
It didn’t bother Kyle at all. After all, he was the one who’d recommended her for the position. Although Phillipa didn’t have any knowledge of this.
“No, not at all.” He paused a moment before saying, “Oh, I went back through my office, and I discovered that there are three files missing.”
Phillipa stopped short. “Really?”
“Yeah. One of the files missing is Helena’s case.”
“Who are the other two?” Phillipa asked.
“Roger Dunn and Christina Danforth. I suspect the intruder is only interested in one of those files.”
Phillipa nodded in agreement. “But which one?”
“That’s what we have to find out.”
* * *
Phillipa replayed her earlier conversation with Kyle over in her mind. She wasn’t sure what would’ve transpired if he had come to see her in California. She felt deep down that if Kyle had shown up, she never would’ve married Gary.
The night before her wedding, she’d had a dream that he appeared at the chapel to whisk her away with him. During the ceremony, Phillipa anticipated his showing up and interrupting the service.
But he never came.
She was forced to go through with her vows. Forced to marry a man she didn’t love. All because she believed that the only way for Kyle to prove his undying love for her was to chase after her.
Phillipa wanted to kick herself for being so juvenile during that period of her life. She had reacted to Kyle not coming to California by hurting Gary, an innocent in all this.
But she hoped that Gary knew that there was a part of her that cared for him. Phillipa had just never loved him. She accepted her role in the breakup of their marriage and felt badly. She didn’t realize just how guilty she’d been feeling about what she’d done until now.
* * *
“You remember the times we used to come to Columbia?” Kyle asked the next morning when they were on their way to meet with Myra Rowland’s family.
Smiling, Phillipa nodded. “I loved shopping at the Soda City Market. I used to have so much fun there. I’d always be exhausted by the time we left, but it was great seeing so many vendors. I went home broke after each trip, but it was so worth it.”
He nodded in agreement. “They still hold it every Saturday from nine to one.”
“Rain or shine,” she interjected with a chuckle.
“Back then, you wanted to drive down every Saturday after that. Man, you’d get so angry when I didn’t want to go.”
“I did, but then your shift changed, and you had to work... I didn’t want to come alone, so I talked my mom into it a couple of times.” Phillipa glanced over at him. “Have you been back?”
“The twins and I have been there a few times,” Kyle responded. “But every time I came, it just reminded me of you.”
Phillipa stared out of the passenger side window. “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I mean it.”
She turned to look at him. “You say that, but you never once tried to reach out to me after I left.”
“I figured you didn’t want to hear from me,” he responded. “Especially after you got married. You know that messed me up.”
“No, I didn’t know,” she said. “I didn’t think you cared one way or the other.”
“What did you expect me to do? Kidnap you before your wedding?”
“Well, it would’ve been something.”
“I can see it now,” Kyle said. “I show up and you shoot me in the kneecap.”
Phillipa burst into laughter. “You remember that?”
“Yeah. You told me if I came to the house, you’d shoot me in the knees.”
“What did you really expect? You’d called off our wedding.”
“I believed you.”
“I meant it,” Phillipa responded.
They looked at one another and laughed.
“I wouldn’t have shot you,” she said a few minutes later.
“You say that now. I know that temper of yours, Phillipa.”
“That was a long time ago. I’ve evolved since then.”
This was the first time Phillipa had been able to laugh about the past. Maybe she was evolving.
“Here we are,” Kyle said an hour later. “Agnes Rowland’s home. I hope she has answers for us.”
“So do I,” Phillipa responded.
They walked up the concrete steps to the porch and rang the bell. A full-figured woman with ginger-colored locs, who looked to be in her thirties, opened the door.
“Hello, I’m Sergeant Phillipa Stevenson and this is Detective Kyle Rossi. We’re here to see Agnes Rowland.”
“What do you want with my mother?” the woman asked, her hands on her generous hips.
“I’m working on a case, and Myra Rowland’s name has come up.”
“Myra was my sister. My mom is in a nursing facility. She has advanced dementia—she won’t be able to help you.”
“What is your name?”
“Regina. I’m Regina Rowland.” She invited them in and led them to the living room, then gestured for them to sit. “My sister’s been gone a long time, so I don’t know why her name would come up now.” Regina sat down across from them on a floral love seat. “What is this about?”
“Did you ever hear the name Helena Douglas?” Phillipa asked.
“No, I never heard that name mentioned before.”
“But you did know Clara Davis?”
Regina nodded. “Oh, yeah. I knew her. Clara, Myra and this other girl, Kelsey, were very close. We used to call them the Three Musketeers. Things changed when Clara started seeing that drug dealer Savage. Then I noticed he and Myra started spending time together. He was giving her money and clothes... I kept telling my sister that he was nothin’ but trouble.” Regina shook her head. “I knew things were gonna go wrong when she started messing around with Savage behind Clara’s back.”
“Did Clara ever find out?”
“I don’t know for sure. I was away at school. I went to college in Jacksonville.” She shrugged. “It’s possible she did because I heard that they got into a fight. When I asked Myra if it was over Savage, she denied it. She told me that Savage had broken up with Clara. She told me Clara was cool with her seeing him because she was involved with someone else by then.”
“How did you find out that Myra was seeing Savage?” Phillipa asked.
“I was home on break. I grabbed her cell phone by mistake, and I saw text messages between the two of them. I confronted her. I told her she was being foul. She told me that Savage was in love with her—not Clara.”
“What can you tell me about the night your sister disappeared?” Phillipa asked.
“She left the house to meet up with Clara,” Regina said. “That’s all I know. You should probably talk to my brother, Miller. He was the last person to see Myra.”
“How can I reach him?”
“He’s in pharmaceutical sales and travels a lot. He’s out of town now. I’ll give you one of his business cards.” She stepped out of the living room and disappeared down the hall.
When Regina returned, she said, “I don’t know what any of this has to do with your case, but I believe all the way to my gut that Savage killed my sister and Clara. He played them both, and when he got tired, he murdered them. He probably killed this Helena person, too. What goes around comes around though... Somebody shot and killed him.”
“Thank you for your time,” Phillipa said, taking the card. “I appreciate your talking to us. One more thing, what was Savage’s given name?”
“Leroy Brown.”
Phillipa looked over at Kyle, then asked, “Is he related to Kelsey?”
“I think they were cousins. She really didn’t have anything to do with him though. Kelsey was the smart one of the three. She didn’t run around at parties and clubs like Myra and Clara. Don’t get me wrong—they were tight, but Kelsey was different. She acted older.”
“Thank you again.”
Phillipa swallowed her irritation. They hadn’t gotten a lot of new information. They were already aware of the girls’ friendship and that Savage was a suspect before he was also murdered.
They would have to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together with what they knew, which wasn’t much.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do you think that Clara was running from Savage?” Phillipa asked when they were on their way back to Charlotte.
“That would be my guess. He had Myra killed. Clara knew it and left Miami, changed her identity and started a new life.”
“Then why stay in hiding after Savage died?”
“Okay,” Kyle said. “He had an alibi, so this means that he most likely had someone else kill Myra. Whoever that person is, he was still a threat to Clara.”
“I can buy that,” she responded. “But do you think she faked her death all on her own? Because I don’t. I think she had help with that and with establishing her new identity.”
“My guess would be her father,” Kyle responded. “He and his brother owned a funeral home, so they would certainly have the means to fake a death...”
Phillipa glanced over at him. “I think you’re onto something.”
“Savage died within months of Myra’s death, so while he may be responsible for that one, we know for sure that he didn’t kill Helena,” Kyle said. “I never thought this case would become so complicated. I don’t know how Jon’s going to react when he finds out his life with Helena was based on a lie.”
Phillipa looked at him. “Don’t say anything just yet. I want to have this whole thing sorted out first.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Kyle responded. “Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
She settled back in her seat. “Kelsey and Savage are cousins...”
“It’s a dead end.”
“We have plenty of those,” Phillipa said. “One more won’t matter. I’m just wondering why she didn’t mention it when I talked to her, but then Kelsey never brought up Savage during that conversation.”
“She probably didn’t think it was important.”
“Hmmm,” she murmured. “Even though he was a suspect?” Phillipa paused a moment, then said, “Let’s talk about something else. I need a mental break from the case.”
“Fine by me. What do you want to talk about?”
She glanced over at Kyle. “Why didn’t you ever marry?” She’d been wondering since reconnecting with him. “You must have met someone who made you consider settling down at some point.”
“Not really,” he responded.
“Nobody?”
“I came close once, but I didn’t want to settle. It would’ve have been unfair to her.”
Phillipa understood because that’s what she’d done to Gary. “You did the right thing.”
“I learned from the first mistake I made,” he said. “With us.”
“Do you really feel that way?” she wanted to know.
Kyle nodded. “Not about postponing the wedding, but letting you leave town and then not coming after you...that was my mistake.”
Phillipa felt it was easy for Kyle to talk this way because there was no way they could act on their feelings now. Too much time had passed. And she was his supervisor.
“You’re quiet... What’s on your mind?” he inquired.
