Chapter Twenty-Three
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Melanie Madison was an attractive woman with light brown hair and light blue eyes that were currently watery and red-rimmed. Zach and West had personally delivered the news regarding her soon to be ex-husband.
Her hands fluttered nervously as the three of them sat down in the living room. “Can I get you some coffee? Or something…?”
Zach shook his head. “No, thank you, ma’am. We’re fine. Is there anyone we can call for you? A friend or a family member?”
Tearing up again, she nodded. “My sister Amy. She’ll come here to be with me.”
West carefully held out his hand as if trying not to spook the woman. “Why don’t you give me your phone and I’ll give her a call? That’s Amy Darden, right? I remember her from high school.”
Melanie tried to smile and gratefully handed over her cell. “That’s right. You’re about the same age.”
“I’ll just give her a call.”
West retreated to the other side of the room, leaving Zach to ask the questions. Of the two jobs, Zach thought he had the better one and God bless West for taking the more difficult task on himself.
“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am,” Zach began. There was really no way to make these questions impersonal. He was going to pick at a fresh wound whether he liked it or not. “You and Darrell were separated, is that correct?”
Sniffling, Melanie nodded. “We split up a few months ago. Darrell was drinking and gambling too much. He said it was the stress of running the ranch but it had become progressively worse these last five years. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You said he was spending a lot of time out of the house. Do you know who he was hanging out with? Who were his friends?”
Dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, she shook her head. “I don’t know. Whenever I tried to talk to him about it he’d just get upset and stomp off. Eventually I stopped asking, although I do think he started dating someone recently. He had all the signs.”
“All the signs?” Zach repeated. “What kind of signs?”
“Suddenly he started caring about how he looked. New haircut. New shirts. He’d be clean-shaven when he came over to visit with the kids, which wasn’t like him at all. He even bought new boots. He smiled more too. The only thing I can think that would work that sort of magic was a new woman.”
It didn’t appear to bother Melanie that Darrell had possibly found a new female but clearly from her reaction to his death she’d still cared about him.
“Did you ask him about it? Did he ever mention a name, even in passing?”
“No, I didn’t and he never brought it up either. I was just happy to see him halfway sober. He’d been brooding since the day I’d ended it.”
Zach scratched down a few notes. “I’m almost done here, ma’am. Darrell still worked the ranch, right? So he was here every day?”
“From sunup to sundown. He still had a key to the house so he could come in here and have some lunch. I was hoping he and I could be friends when all the legalities were over.”
The cops were pulling apart Darrell’s cramped apartment in town but if he wanted to hide something, he might do it here where he would think no one would look.
“Ma’am, do you mind if we search the house and property? I’m not sure what we’re looking for but Darrell may have left some clues as to who murdered him.”
Melanie nodded vigorously. “Whatever you need to do. I want to find out who did this, if only for my children’s sake.” Fat tears squeezed through her lashes. “They’re at school right now. I guess I should pull them out so I can tell them.”
“Maybe your sister can help you with that,” Zach gently suggested. This woman had enough on her plate to deal with.
“That’s a good idea,” she rasped. “I’ll ask Amy’s husband to go get them. I still can’t believe this is happening. Do you think Darrell killed all of those people?”
That was a good question but he had a better one. “Do you, ma’am? Was Darrell capable of taking a life?”
“No,” she said firmly. “No, he wasn’t. The Darrell I loved and married never would have done something like this. He couldn’t have unless his own life was threatened or he was protecting me and the children.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Madison.” Zach stood and was joined by West, who handed the phone back to Melanie. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions, but if you don’t mind we’d like to start looking through Darrell’s things. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine.” Her attention swung to West. “Did you get a hold of my sister?”
West nodded. “She and her husband are on their way here. It won’t be long. How about I sit with you until they arrive?”
Zach’s brother-in-law could be a real gentleman when he wanted to be, and the brand new widow seemed to take comfort from his presence. With West occupying Melanie, Zach headed straight for the garage to search through Darrell’s things. He didn’t expect to find anything of substance but he wasn’t going to let this chance pass.
Maybe, just maybe, Darrell left them a clue.
* * *
It hadn’t been easy getting rid of Jason but she’d convinced him that he was needed on the murder case and not tagging along with her and Dizzy. Instead, he’d assigned two of his newer investigators to accompany her until Logan Wright arrived into town, which was supposed to be tonight. Leann liked Logan just fine but she was determined to stay with Zach. The two new men, however, were friendly and didn’t try to push their way into her day to day business. While she and Dizzy looked at houses, one of them sat in the car and the other walked the perimeter looking for bad guys.
Those were his actual words to her. Perimeter. Bad guys.
Dizzy checked the list in her hand. “Is this the first one today?”
“We’re seeing three but this one looked the most promising based on its location. What do you think?
The real estate agent pushed open the white-washed wooden gate and ushered them into the home’s large front lawn. The house had been empty for quite awhile so the yard needed some tender loving care. Leann could picture a colorful flowerbed to her right and a swing on the front porch once the outside had been given a fresh coat of paint.
“It’s nice,” Dizzy conceded but Leann could tell the jury was still out on this one. “Lots of trees and the neighbors look like they keep up their property well.”
“The home is ready for immediate occupancy and the seller is very motivated,” the agent said to Dizzy brightly as she unlocked the front door. “I’ll give you a tour.”
“Actually,” Leann began, shooting a glance to Dizzy who was studying a broken flower box on the windowsill. “Would you mind if we nosed around by ourselves first? We won’t take long. Then you can come in and show us what you think are the highlights.”
The older woman shrugged. “I guess that would be fine. I have a few calls to make anyway.”
“Thank you,” Leann replied, linking her arm with Dizzy’s and dragging her inside. Dust tickled her nostrils and she wrinkled it to keep from sneezing. “Okay, do your thing.”
Wandering the perimeter of the living room, Dizzy gave Leann a disgusted look as she ran her fingertips along the walls and furniture. “It’s not an actual skill like juggling. I can’t order it up like a pizza. It’s a feeling that just overtakes me. I can’t explain it, it just is.”
Leann wasn’t even sure she believed in it but if she was going to buy a house she wanted to cover all her bases.
They headed into the kitchen and Dizzy stood in the center of the room, her head back and her eyes closed. Finally she opened them and shrugged. “I got nothing.”
“So it’s not haunted or anything?”
Wrinkling her nose, Dizzy sneezed. “It’s dusty, but as for residual spirits who have yet to pass into the light? Nah, I’m not feeling it. We could check upstairs. Did you hear anything about this place that would lead you to believe it was haunted?”
They ascended the stairs and ended up in the oversized master bedroom. “Old Man Graham passed away here at home. Heart attack in the garage. I don’t want to buy a house that is haunted by him. He wasn’t very nice to people and I doubt he’s improved with death.”
Old Man Graham had been known as a curmudgeon of a man when Leann was a child and Graham wasn’t that old. Somehow though, he’d always been called Old Man Graham.
“His daughter is selling it? Doesn’t she live in Denver?”
Leann nodded, noting the renovated master bath with a jetted tub and large separate shower. There were even double sinks. This property was the holy grail of real estate if Dizzy gave it the all clear.
“She does and she’s priced it well, but for some reason no one has purchased the house. It’s been on the market for three months. That makes me worry that there’s something wrong with it that a property inspector won’t find.”
Rolling her eyes, Dizzy sputtered with laughter. “Like the ghost of Christmas past? People call me eccentric and they think you’re normal. Go figure.”
“You are eccentric. Wonderfully sweet but eccentric.”
“It’s part of my charm. Now let’s check the other rooms.”
There were three other bedrooms and two more bathrooms. Leann was silent while her friend felt for vibrations or whatever the hell it was that she felt. A whisper in her ear from a spirit? A tap on the shoulder?
Dizzy leaned against the bathroom vanity. “I’m not picking up anything at all. If you’re still worried, we can place some crystals in each room. Maybe burn some sage to clear the energy.”
Leann had to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She was having a potential property checked for ghosts because no one had purchased it. Her family would have a field day with this. “How about we get a Ouija board and just ask them to leave?”
Dizzy’s expression turned serious in an instant. “Don’t even go there. Those things are not to be messed with, Leann. You could summon something truly evil if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Now she really felt stupid. She’d been kidding but Dizzy was serious. Cue Twilight Zone theme.
“Um…it was a joke.”
“You shouldn’t make light of those things. Anyway, I don’t believe you have a ghost here. I don’t think that’s the reason the house hasn’t sold.”
Spreading her arms wide, Leann looked around the room. “There has to be some reason then. This place is perfect.”
Just like that, Dizzy had turned from concerned to amused. “Perfect? Honey, I think I see why this place is still on the market. What frightens me – more than restless spirits by the way – is that you can’t see it.”
“I’m listening.”
Dizzy wrinkled her nose and sniffed. “Do you smell that? It’s a mildew smell. Which tells me there’s been a water leak at some point.” She pointed the ceiling in the hallway. “I’d bet my bottom dollar that the roof is the culprit. Look where the owner tried to paint over that spot on the ceiling. I bet it was a leak that turned the ceiling brown.”
Leann did smell it now, and she could see the subtle change in the paint color. Damn, Dizzy was good.
“You can sniff out ghosts and mildew?”
Dizzy breezed past Leann and moved toward the stairs. “There are many facets to my personality which you should be aware of after all these years—a few of them are even practical. Let me add that in addition to the mildew the closets in the bedroom are small, the appliances in the kitchen need updating, and the deck in the backyard is rotting. The whole layout of the house is awkward and strange with too many walls and hallways. I’m not even sure what wall you’d put a television on in the living room. Why don’t you tell me why you think this house is perfect because I have a feeling I’ve missed that part.”
Okay, maybe the house wasn’t perfect. It had been a contender on the list.
“The master bedroom and bathroom are pretty terrific.”
“They are,” Dizzy agreed. “Is that enough to overlook the other items you’d have to deal with? What else do you like about this place?”
Leann sighed in defeat. “It’s the location. Close to you, close to town, on the road to the ranch. The location is what got me. I guess I just convinced myself that the inside of the house was great too.”
“I have to admit you have a good point there. The location of this home is crazy excellent. If you’re willing to put some elbow grease into the place it might be a good buy. How much renovation are you willing to do?”
Wincing at the thought of months of construction dust and dirt, Leann couldn’t deny the obvious. “I bought my condo in Florida while it was being constructed so I have zero experience doing anything like that, so I’d say the answer is not much.”
“Doesn’t your family own a construction company?”
“They own just about everything in this town. Haven’t you noticed?”
It was a fact that Leann had never been allowed to forget.
“Once or twice,” laughed Dizzy. “But seriously, I’m sure your family can handle whatever would need to be done to this house rather easily. Heck, you could mow it down and start fresh. Make it exactly what you want.”
“Then I’d be living in your spare room for months.”
“And you’re such a nightmare to live with,” Dizzy teased, her smile widening. “You can stay with me as long as you need to but first I think you need to admit something to me and yourself.”
Dizzy had a way of cutting through the bullshit in life and Leann had a feeling her friend was about to do it again.
“What would you like me to admit?”
“That you’re still conflicted about moving home. That your choice of homes is part of it. If you pick a house that needs a major renovation it gives you the opportunity to stay unsettled. You get to kind of feel like this move isn’t permanent. You’re hedging your bets. And come on…you brought me here to check for spirits? For real? Since when do you believe in ghosts? Did you see one on the beach or something?”
With a groan, Leann slumped against the bannister. “Who is the psychologist here? You’re the flighty artist and I’m the doctor.”
“Physician, heal thyself.”
They clomped down the stairs and back into the living room. Leann could see the real estate agent through the window, pacing back and forth on the front porch and speaking animatedly into her phone.
“I’m scared,” Leann finally said. “I’m scared I’m making a mistake. The closer I get to doing this, the more freaked out I get. I want to come home, I truly do, but I know that some things never change.”
“What do you tell your patients when they say things like that?”
Dammit, Dizzy was turning into a one-woman Yoda.
“That the only thing they can change is themselves.”
“Have you changed since you left?”
Interesting question. Leann felt that she had. She’d grown up and matured. Seen some of life’s hard times and experienced many good ones. She hoped she was wiser to go along with the older.
“Being back here has thrown me for a loop. Suddenly I’m eighteen again. The reunion didn’t help that, by the way.”
Dizzy shuddered and grimaced. “I wouldn’t be eighteen again for all the money in the world. I doubt you would go back either but you’re welcome to if you think it’s any better. Don’t worry so much about what other people think. There will always be someone who refers to you as an Anderson. Forget about them. They don’t know who you are inside. Do you think I don’t know what people say about me? Eccentric is one of the nicer words they use.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
Dizzy’s lips twisted. “I’m human, Leann, so of course it bothers me. I wish people took me more seriously at times. So often they blow off my opinions just because I’m different than they are. I get mad about it, too. Especially when it’s someone that I think should know better…like your brothers or cousins. But then I remember what I learned in art school and it all makes sense.”
“Are you going to share what they taught you?”
Laughing, Dizzy took a seat on the worn couch. “I was just thinking of the best way to explain it. Let me try this…human beings are programmed to classify things. It’s in our DNA and it helps us make sense of the world. It’s why so many people separate their candy by color before eating it. So anyway, people like to put other humans into neat little labeled boxes. It soothes their uncertainty. The friendly residents of Tremont have placed me in the category of ‘sweet but eccentric’. You are ‘an Anderson’. It’s just their way of controlling their environment. Once you understand that, an artist can manipulate their work to capture the human eye. I’m sure you learned something similar when you studied psychology.”
Leann had although it had been described a little differently, but the meaning was the same. This was human nature and not something that was going to change just because it ticked her off.
“So I’m stuck? I’ll be classified however they want me to be?”
Dizzy giggled and pointed to the pacing woman on the front porch. “Look at the bright side. You get to classify them too. It’s a two-way street. For example, how would you classify your gorgeous bodyguard Zach?”
Zach? He was…wonderful. He was a major plus about moving back. And she’d get to see him again tonight. Logan was going to have to find someone else to protect.