Chapter 11
Angel viewed the Constantine’s neighborhood as they passed through. Coming to a neat Colonial at the end of a cul-de-sac, Monty pulled into the driveway.
His gaze caught the nervous flutter of her hands and he reached over to give them a squeeze. “It’ll be fine, Angel.”
Several minutes later, ensconced in the living room, they sat on chairs facing the sofa Theresa’s parents were on. Ted and Olivia greeted Monty politely but pulled Angel into a deep hug.
“It’s been a difficult month,” Olivia admitted, “but we’ve tried to move through our grief. Hearing about Marcia just brought our agony slamming back.”
Ted eyed Monty carefully before saying, “You said in your phone call that you wanted to talk about Theresa’s accident. I confess to forgetting the company you said you worked for.”
Monty replied, “I work for Saints Protection and Investigations and we are currently working with the FBI on Marcia Creston’s murder. Please understand that I know there is no evidence linking her situation with your daughter’s, but we would be remiss if we didn’t consider all possibilities.”
Ted and Olivia peered at each other before turning back to Monty while clasping hands. “We understand. What do you want to know?”
“To begin with, can you tell us about her relationship with Geoffrey Daly?”
The immediate change in Ted’s expression shocked Angel. She glanced to Olivia, whose eyes filled with tears, but her face was also marred with a frown.
“That low-life son-of-a-bitch? Jesus, what did our Theresa ever see in him?” Ted bit out. Monty allowed him a moment to gain control of his emotions, knowing he would speak more when able.
“She met him two years ago when she took her car in to get it fixed. He asked her out and they were together ever since.”
“I never met him,” Angel confessed. “What happened?”
“Three times in the last year, she called 911 because of domestic violence. We knew of the first two because she called us also, but she would never follow through with a complaint. We only learned about the last one after she died,” Olivia said.
Ted continued, “He was rough around the edges, but we could have gotten over that. It seemed the longer they were together, the more they fought. His garage suffered financial problems and he constantly nagged her for money. I sometimes wonder if that was why she never took the next step to get married. They lived together and even had a joint checking account, but she kept very little money in it.”
“How were her finances?” Monty asked, already knowing what Luke had discovered, but wanting to know what their impressions were.
“She was a teacher so her salary was steady, but not very high. That was actually the reason they moved in together…to save money on rent.” Ted and Olivia shared a look before Ted continued. “Theresa did receive an inheritance from and elderly great-aunt that had no grandchildren. My Aunt Liz left a nice amount to both of our daughters. Marcia Creston helped Theresa invest it.”
Hearing Marcia’s name linked to Theresa’s in a way besides sorority sisters had Monty’s attention.
“She had an investment account and also took out a life insurance policy. We didn’t know about it until she died. The investment account’s beneficiary was both of us, her sister, and her niece. Then the life insurance policy was to her niece. Our other daughter only has one child and Theresa wanted to help her with college expenses.”
“Do you know if Theresa recently changed her beneficiary on the life insurance policy?” Monty inquired. Seeing the surprised expressions on their faces, he added, “I just wondered. Sometimes those little details can be important.”
“No. No, we don’t.”
“Have you seen Geoffrey since the funeral?” Angel asked.
“He came around about a week later wanting to know where his money from Theresa was. We had no idea what he was talking about so we told him to leave or we’d call the police. Believe me,” Ted said, “There was nothing that belonged to him, other than the couple of hundred dollars in the joint checking account, and we let him have all that to get rid of him.”
“Was the accident ever investigated as anything other than an accident?”
“Not that we knew,” Olivia said. Staring intently at Monty, she asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Ma’am, right now, I’m just fishing. I now know there’s a relationship between Marcia and your daughter that went beyond the sorority. And I know that Geoffrey thought he was entitled to some kind of compensation. Neither of those things may add up to anything, but I know more than I did before I came.”
Ted squeezed his wife’s hand as he held it in his lap. “Theresa was driving in the snow after going out to the grocery store. I always wondered why the hell she went out with the weather so bad. Geoffrey was home…he could have gone. But the police told us she slid on a patch of ice and skidded into the other lane, getting hit by a truck. We had no reason to think it was anything else.”
“I don’t either, sir. But, as I said earlier, we wanted to check everything.”
As Monty and Angel said their goodbyes, Olivia pulled Angel to the side. Glancing over at Monty, she said, “Theresa always loved her sorority sisters. If you find out anything, please let us know. This…well, this whole conversation has opened up more questions.”
“I will,” Angel promised, offering her a heartfelt hug.
Once backside in the SUV, Monty placed a call. “Tell Bart and Cam to find out what they can about the car Theresa was driving. However they have to do it, we need to know about that car.”
*
The trip back to Charlestown was quiet as classical music played on the radio. Angel glanced sideways, noting Monty’s concentration. Not wanting to disturb him, she leaned her head back, letting the elegant instrumental music settle over her.
As they pulled up outside of the bakery he looked over, an embarrassed blush crossing his face. “Sorry, Angel. I wasn’t good company on the drive home.”
“That’s okay,” she admitted truthfully. “You needed to think through the cases and I spent the time thinking of what I need to do this week.” Smiling at him, she added, “It’s all good.”
She leaned over the console to offer a quick kiss, but Monty had other ideas. He lifted his hand to cup her jaw and pull her in toward him, taking her lips in a kiss she felt down to her core. Squeezing her legs together tightly, she tried to squelch the tingling. Oh, down girly parts!
Monty noticed the slight movement of Angel’s legs and would have grinned if his cock was not painfully swelling in his pants.
Pulling away, the two panted for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I’ve never met anyone like you, Cupcake,” he admitted. “Someone who enjoys life, cares for friends, and has a career where making little girls’ birthday dreams come true is as important as nailing a large catering job.”
Rubbing her nose against his, she whispered in his ear, “Well, if you want to see how much I enjoy life, why don’t you come around tonight?”
Taking her lips in another kiss, searing both of them, he muttered, “I’ll be here.” Backing away reluctantly, he added, “I’ll call you later.”
Smiling, she nodded before hopping out of his SUV and bounded into her bakery after watching Monty drive away.
*
The moonless night gave perfect cover for Bart and Cam as they moved through Thomas Auto Salvage on the outskirts of Richland. Jude’s search gave them the location of Theresa Constantine’s wrecked car. Following the trail from the towing business, they traced it to the salvage company. Earlier Bart had visited, pretending to be from the insurance company, and was shown which automobile she had been driving on that fateful night. Staring at the crumpled vehicle in the light of day was a stark reminder of the life lost. At night, the entire salvage company resembled an automobile graveyard, the reminders that each vehicle had at one time contained people going about their business until the sounds of a crash interrupted their lives.
Moving stealthily, they arrived at her car. Using nighttime vision goggles, they were able to keep the external light to a minimum. Crawling underneath the car, Cam checked the brake lines. Bart crouched next to Cam providing light, as well as keeping an eye out for visitors. A few minutes later, Cam wiggled his large frame from underneath. Nodding to Bart, they left as quietly and unnoticed as they came.
Once inside their SUV, Cam spoke. “Yeah, the brake lines were cut. Looks like they were cut partially and it did not take much for them to tear completely.”
“So Theresa went out on a snowy, icy night with her brakes not working?” Bart growled. “Fuck, when she hit the ice, she would have just slid with no way to stop herself.”
Cam quickly called Monty, explaining what he saw. “Better get Mitch on it so the FBI will have the evidence.”
*
Angel watched Monty leave her bed as he received a phone call. Earlier she treated him to a back massage, which in turn led to shower sex, which ended up with them both in bed, hot and sweaty all over again.
She tried to listen to his end of the conversation but he kept his words minimal. As he disconnected he turned, seeing her watching him.
“They found something, didn’t they?” she whispered.
“Yeah. Right now, the FBI is taking over Theresa’s investigation, so I can’t give you any details, but Mitch says that I can go with him to interview Geoffrey.”
An iron band gripped her chest, squeezing tightly as hot tears hit the back of her eyes, threatening to fall. “I thought it was horrible for Theresa to have an accident, but to have it be on purpose…I…I just…and then to think of Marcia mur…murdered—”
Monty jerked her close, one arm around her waist and the other cupping the back of her head. He settled against the headboard, her body pressed into his side. Watching as she struggled to control her emotions, he recognized the new information would interrupt the grieving process. He let his hand glide over her skin, up her arm, around her shoulder, and down her back before repeating the soothing movement.
His touch was feathery light, yet warm. Barely there, yet comforting. After a few minutes, she lifted her teary face. “I’m so sorry. It seems like ever since we met, all I do is cry on you.”
He kissed her forehead, murmuring, “You’ve got nothing to apologize for. You’ve had to deal with the death of two close friends within a month. That’s a lot to take in.”
Pushing away, she shoved her tousled hair back from her face. “Monty, but how can they be connected? I know that’s what you’re thinking. I just don’t get how. Their jobs were different. They lived in different cities. Outside of the sorority, they didn’t share the same friends.”
He shook his head, a grim expression on his face. “I don’t know, Angel. That’s what I’m hoping to find out. Were they connected and, if so, how and why.”
He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her lips softly. “I’ve got to get ready to leave. I need to meet with the Saints and then get with Mitch. What have you got going on today?”
“I’ll be downstairs in the bakery,” she said. “I’ve got two catering jobs to deliver, a party this afternoon in the shop, and I’ll be accepting some food deliveries later as well.”
“Sounds busy.”
She gifted him one of her glorious smiles. “Yeah, but I like it. Throwing myself into work will help keep my mind off what you’re finding out.” She looked down between them, biting her lip in thought. Suddenly glancing back up, she said, “Look, I know there’s a lot you can’t tell me. But will you promise to tell me whatever you can?”
“Absolutely, Cupcake. Whatever I find out that I can share, I will.” Especially if there is some kind of connection between the deaths and the sorority!
*
The Saints sat in the main room with Mitch on video-conference, listening to Bart and Cam describe the condition of Theresa’s car.
“The brake lines on both sides had holes in them but, as I checked closely, they were partially cut clean. This could allow her to drive for a little way before all the fluid leaked out, causing her to lose braking power on the slick roads,” Cam explained.
“Would it have caused it to happen immediately?” Chad asked.
“No, not right away. The area sliced was large enough to cause leakage, but they weren’t slit completely in two. She could have gotten down the street or to the store before losing her brakes.”
Mitch nodded. “I’ve had her car brought in so that I can have it inspected by agents who can document what they find, which I expect to be the same as what you found.”
“What did you say to your superiors to get them to impound the car?” Jack wanted to know.
Chuckling, Mitch replied, “I just told them that we now had suspicions about the vehicle based on the boyfriend’s expectancy of a life insurance policy payout. And, by the way, good work you all. The police were inundated with accidents with that snow storm and weren’t looking for any other reasons for someone sliding on the ice.”
Monty spoke up, saying, “Mitch and I will be going today to talk to the boyfriend, Geoffrey Daly. We hope to shake him up a little and see what he gives us.”
“I don’t get the connection between the two deaths,” Blaise admitted. “I know it’s suspicious for two women in the same social circle to die within a month of each other, one obviously murdered and the other possibly murdered…but we’ve got nothing concrete about the two of them.”
“Angel said the same thing this morning,” Monty reported. “But if Theresa was murdered by having her brakes tampered with, then there’s got to be a connection.”
Luke, his nervous fingers pounding at the keyboard again, said, “I’m working on it. Marcia’s company was small, but had a significant clientele.” He looked at Monty, “Can you get the list of the closest group of friends from that sorority? I’ll look at all the ties between them that I can find.”
Monty nodded and then looked around the table. “I’m sure it hasn’t only occurred to me, but if there is some kind of connection between the two murders…we need to find it quickly before something happens to someone else.”
The sober expressions around the table indicated each man knew…time was of the essence.