CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

C HAPTER T WENTY -S IX

Shannon was gathering her sunglasses and keys, readying to leave the house, when her phone buzzed. It was Chloe. She picked up the call and said hello.

“I saw that you called. I was hoping to stop by,” Chloe said. “I’m leaving Holly and Becky’s now. I need to talk to you.”

“I was calling to see if you wanted to take a drive to Carmichael to talk to Caroline.”

“Does she know you’re coming?” Chloe asked.

“No. I don’t even know if she’ll be home.”

“It’s worth a shot. I’ll be there in twenty seconds.”

A few minutes later, Shannon was in the driver’s seat, her eyes on the road, while Chloe told her about the conversation she’d had with Dianne the day before.

“She knows we’re searching for answers concerning Rosella’s murder?”

“Correct,” Chloe said.

“And she bluntly told you Jason doesn’t have an alibi for Monday night?”

“Correct.” Chloe turned her body toward Shannon. “What if Rosella was killed between ten and twelve that night or early Tuesday morning? We can’t eliminate him, but neither can we say he’s our guy.”

“That’s true. I’m just surprised Dianne told you all of that.”

“I was surprised, too. She said she believes Jason is innocent, but she’s just as interested in knowing the truth as we are.”

There was a long pause before Chloe broke the silence. “I followed Wesley yesterday.”

“I thought that was happening on Monday?”

“After I left Dianne’s house, I saw his car in the driveway. When he left, I followed him.”

“And?” Shannon asked.

“And I was right about him having an affair.”

A heavy weight settled in her stomach. Shannon didn’t know what to say.

“It’s Becky,” Chloe said.

“What?”

“Wesley is having an affair with Becky Bateman.”

“I thought you were just at their house.”

“I was. It’s a long story, but so much has happened since I saw you yesterday. After discovering Wesley was having an affair, I got home right before Detective Seicinski and Toye showed up at my door. They showed me the stick doll and I fainted.”

“You didn’t!”

“I did.” Chloe’s chin fell to her chest. “I think Ridley made the doll and maybe even left it inside Rosella’s house.”

A rush of helplessness washed through Shannon. “My God. I should pull over so we can talk about this.”

“No. Please. Just keep driving.”

Shannon couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ridley had made the stick doll? She needed a minute to think and sort it all out. Her mind was like a mini-tornado whirling about.

“There’s more,” Chloe said. “Holly’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon. She was arrested.”

Shannon kept her eyes pinned to the road. “She’s in jail? This is absurd. Rosella was right about everyone having secrets, wasn’t she?”

“Maybe so.”

Shannon decided to wait on telling Chloe about what Peggy had said about Ridley and Daniel. How much more could one person take? And besides, they would be at Caroline Baxter’s house soon.

Caroline’s new residence was a one-story ranch-style home on a quiet cul-de-sac, with a substantial, grassy front yard. A burgundy Honda Accord sat in the driveway.

“That’s her car,” Chloe said.

As they walked up the stone pathway leading to the door, Shannon said, “I think you should do the talking since you know her.”

“I’ll give it my best shot, but on the off chance she was in cahoots with Rosella, she might not want to talk to me.”

“Maybe you’re right. Stand a bit to the side. If she opens the door, I’ll try to put her at ease before you say hello.” Shannon rang the doorbell. Uncertain whether Caroline would talk to a stranger, she was surprised when the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with wary eyes. “Can I help you?” the woman asked, her voice unsure.

Shannon began with a warm smile. “My name is Shannon Gibbons. I—”

Caroline’s gaze fell on Chloe. Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Caroline. Sorry for the unexpected visit, but we didn’t have your phone number, and we only have a few questions.”

“Questions?” Caroline asked. “About what?”

“About Rosella Marlow,” Shannon said. “And the house you sold on Forty-Fifth Street in Sacramento.”

A flicker of fear passed through the woman’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Please,” Chloe pleaded before she shut the door.

“Rosella Marlow is dead,” Shannon said. “She can’t hurt you any longer.” It was a long shot, since Shannon had no idea whether Caroline’s relationship with Rosella was good or bad, but she was going with her gut and the fear she’d glimpsed in Caroline’s eyes. Shannon did not want to leave empty handed.

“I did hear about her death,” Caroline admitted. “It was a shock.”

“She was murdered,” Chloe said. “If you have any information at all, please help us.”

Shannon noticed Caroline’s hesitation, her gaze darting nervously between Shannon and Chloe. It was clear she was torn between shutting the door and engaging in conversation. She knew something. “We’re not here to cause you trouble,” Shannon said.

Caroline’s shoulders sagged with resignation. “Fine,” she muttered, her voice tinged with defeat as she stepped back to allow them inside. “But we need to make it quick.”

As they settled in the living room, no tea or coffee was offered. Caroline wasn’t kidding about getting them in and out. Caroline sat on the couch. “What do you need to know?”

Shannon sat on the cushioned chair across from Caroline and gave Chloe a look that said, “Sit down.” If they wanted the woman to talk, they needed to try to set the stage and make her comfortable. Chloe took the hint and sat in another chair closer to Caroline.

“I heard through the grapevine,” Shannon began, “that Rosella paid you to move.”

“It’s true,” Caroline said. “I won’t tell you how or when or how much she paid me, but it was substantial enough that I was able to retire from my job at the bank.”

Shannon didn’t look at Chloe. They needed to keep things moving. “Did she say why she wanted you to move?”

“Yes. She wanted to make everyone suffer as she had suffered.”

“She said that?” Chloe asked.

Caroline nodded.

“But how would getting you to move out of the neighborhood help her achieve her goal?” Shannon asked.

“She had someone in mind to buy the house,” Caroline said. “ A mere pawn , were her exact words. Someone to help her turn over every rock possible and leave nothing but destruction in her wake.”

As the words sank in, a knot tightened in Shannon’s stomach. She’d known in her gut that Rosella had wanted to use her, but having it confirmed was unsettling.

Chloe rubbed her face with her hands. “Seriously? That sounds like Dr. Evil talking.”

“That’s not all,” Caroline said.

“What else did she say?” Shannon asked, tamping down the ugly truth.

“Rosella told me the work she was doing was important. I told her invading others’ privacy and snooping on neighbors could have serious consequences, but she didn’t care. In fact, she laughed when I said it. Rosella genuinely believed she was acting in the best interest of the neighborhood. When I scoffed, she leaned forward, her eyes piercing, and told me she was on the brink of figuring out who kidnapped a small child.”

“What the hell?” Chloe said.

Shannon remained calm. “What small child?”

“I didn’t ask. I knew then she had truly lost her mind. I threw up my arms and walked out of her house in a huff. After Lance and Daniel died in that tragic accident, I felt horrible for her. I tried to be there for her, but she was beyond help. Despite therapy and visits from everyone in the neighborhood, she lost all sense of reality. And I, for one, couldn’t handle it any longer. I was happy to take the money and run.”

Once they were back in the car, a heavy veil of silence settled around them. Shannon stopped at the light and looked Chloe’s way. “Are you okay?”

Chloe’s gaze remained on the road ahead of them. “No. I’m feeling a bit of Caroline Baxter’s frustration at the moment. In fact, I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

Shannon was worried. Chloe didn’t move a muscle as she stared straight ahead.

“First Wesley,” Chloe said after a while. “Our marriage was bound to fall apart sooner or later, but it’s still hard. And Holly. She’s locked in a cell. And you know what I’m thinking right now?”

Shannon said nothing.

“Maybe she did do it! Who the fuck knows anymore. I don’t think we can cross anyone off the list. For all I know, you killed Rosella.”

Shannon didn’t take offense. Chloe was clearly exasperated. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chloe pull out her phone and tap away at the screen.

“Everyone has a secret,” Chloe said, as if she were letting the notion sink in. “And Rosella was willing to pay Caroline to get out of Dodge so you could move into the neighborhood. To spy on us?”

The light turned green and Shannon put her foot on the gas pedal.

“What kind of weird bullshit is that?” Chloe asked. “And in the scheme of things, is that even a big deal? Becky is fucking my husband behind Holly’s back. And what about that stupid stick doll and the ominous note?” She shook her head as she talked and tapped at the screen of her iPhone at the same time. “And now we get to throw kidnapping, of all things, into the mix.

“Oh, would you look at this. Not you,” Chloe said. “You’re driving. I googled ‘kidnappings in California,’ and it says here that 2,100 children are reported missing in the United States every day! Eight hundred of those cases are false alarms. After subtracting family member abductions, we’re left with thirty-three children abducted by strangers.” More tapping on her cell before she said, “Oh, wonderful. There’s a map. A fucking map showing crimes in Sacramento. The city gets a D+ for kidnappings, which means the rate is higher than the average US county. This is ridiculous. They try to make people feel better by saying most of the kidnappings, not including family abductions, are either suspicious or unknown circumstances. It states that there are one or two stranger abductions in Sacramento County alone in any given year!”

“Sounds as if you’re taking what Caroline Baxter said about the kidnapping thing seriously?”

“I’m thinking outside of the fucking box. We drove all this way to talk to Caroline Baxter, and she not only confirmed the rumors that Rosella paid her to leave the area but also tossed a kidnapping plot into the mix. That’s why I’m going to spend the next five minutes analyzing the information in front of me and see if I can connect it to our investigation.”

“How are you going to do that?” Shannon asked.

“I’m going to assume that what Rosella told Caroline was true, which would mean someone on our block kidnapped a small child. I’ll start with me. I didn’t kidnap any of my kids. I’ve got the stretch marks to prove it.”

Shannon decided to go along with Chloe’s thought process. Chloe obviously needed to focus on something other than Wesley and stick dolls. “What about Dianne and Jason?” she asked.

“When Dianne was pregnant with Finn, I went to Lamaze classes with her. We can cross her off the kidnapping list, too.”

“How about Kaylynn?”

“Archer was a toddler when they moved into—”

“What is it?” Shannon asked when Chloe stopped talking midsentence.

“Charley and Ethan,” Chloe said, breathless. “Holly never talks about their births, but according to Becky, they used a surrogate.”

“The same one both times?”

“I have no idea. But why didn’t one of them carry the babies?”

“There are many reasons a woman can’t carry a baby to term.”

“Okay. You’re right. I get it. But the point is they didn’t carry the babies. I never met the surrogate or surrogates, either.” Chloe blew out a huff of air and straightened her spine. “Calm down,” she said out loud. “Just thinking outside of the box.”

“You’re doing a good job,” Shannon told her. “You’re asking the right questions. We’re almost home. When we get back, I’ll do some searching and see what I can find.”