“I won’t waste too much of your time, then,” said Chase. “What do you know about the hit and run that killed Poppy Careen?”
“Nothing. I only met Vince eight years ago.”
“He never talked to you about that night? Or his dad?”
Mandi shook her head.“But I did see him burn those notebooks the other night, and I had a feeling it was important, so I fished out one notebook and discovered that it covered the month when Poppy Careen was killed. You see, I’d read in the paper about Jona Morro, and about the Careen case, and then when Vince suddenly decided to burn his dad’s old papers, it just made me wonder, you know. So I decided to save that notebook from the pile, and when I saw the entry Jefferson made the day after that terrible accident, I knew that must have been the reason Vince wanted to get rid of it.”
“And so you decided that Kristina should have it.”
Mandi nodded.“I always wanted kids of my own, but we lost…” Her voice faltered, but she soon recovered. “We lost Jason when he was three months old. Crib death. I was heartbroken at the time, and it put a terrible strain on our marriage but we survived. So I can understand what the Careens must have been through.”
“Vince obviously doesn’t,” said Chase, “and nor did his dad.”
“Vince and Jefferson’s first priority has always been the garage. The Careen tragedy got a lot of press coverage at the time, and it’s never really gone away. That kind of thing puts a stain on an entire community, not just the family. And I guess Jefferson didn’t want it to affect us. I think people would have blamed him for the death of that little girl. They would have blamed him for covering up a crime and protecting a murderer. And Vince desperately tried to make that threat go away, same way his dad did.”
“Thanks, Mandi,” said Odelia, placing a hand on the woman’s arm. “It’s a very brave thing you did. And I’m sure Kristina is very grateful that you decided to come forward.”
“I’m not brave,” said Mandi, lowering her head. “If I were brave, I’d have stood up to Vince. I wouldn’t have snuck around behind his back to deliver you his dad’s notebook.”
“Still, it’s only thanks to you that we know now who Poppy’s killer was.”
“And who was it?” asked Mandi.
Chase hesitated for a moment, then said,“The license plate in your father-in-law’s notebook was registered to Dunc Hanover.”
Mandi frowned.“The papier-m?ch? artist?”
Chase nodded.“Have you ever seen him in the garage?”
“No, I haven’t. I didn’t know he was a client.”
“It’s possible it was just a one-off. Maybe Dunc or one of his friends knew that Jefferson wasn’t averse to doing the odd job off the books, and paid him extra to keep his mouth shut.”
“Which would explain why he never said anything,” Odelia added.
“I don’t know about that,” said Mandi, shaking her head. “Jefferson was a good person. Okay, so he accepted money under the table, but I don’t think he would have knowingly helped cover up a crime. Especially if it involved the death of a little girl.”
“Vince said he only found out last month, just before his dad died. Looks like Jefferson wanted to make some kind of confession.”
“I don’t think so,” said Chase. “He gave strict instructions to have the notebooks destroyed. He was trying to protect the reputation of Gusta Garage right up until the end.”
Mandi gave us a sad look.“Will you apologize to Kristina for me?” Then she frowned. “What am I saying? I’m being just as cowardly as my father-in-law was, and my husband. You know what? Don’t tell her anything. I’ll go over there myself and apologize in person.”
“But won’t you get in trouble with Vince?” asked Odelia.
“I don’t care,” said Mandi, straightening. “Sometimes you just have to do the right thing, and this is one of those times. And if Vince doesn’t like it, that’s too bad.” She got up with a smile and extended a hand. “If there’s anything else, you know where to find me.”
And then she walked out, not skulking around like a scared little mouse, but like a woman who knows exactly what to do and is determined to do it.
“She’s a brave person,” said Dooley. “To go against her husband’s wishes like that.”
“I think she can feel Kristina’s pain,” I said. “She’s been through a similar experience and she knows how devastating it can be to lose a child. Even though Kristina’s suffering is probably still a notch above Mandi’s.”
“I’m not sure, Max,” said Dooley. “I think it’s hard to compare suffering.”
I smiled.“You’re a wise cat, Dooley,” I said.
“You think so?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Kristina’s suffering isn’t over yet, is it? With her husband in prison, looks like it’s only just begun.”
Chapter 32
After spending a couple of hours in a cell at the police station, Dominic looked a lot less rugged and self-confident than usual. His face had developed a sallow complexion, and he had a sort of haunted look in his eye. The kind of look a man who’s used to being out in the woods all day gets when being cooped up in a small, dingy cell.
Chase had taken a seat across from the man in the interrogation room, and Odelia and Dooley and I were watching on through the one-way mirror.
“Poor man,” said Dooley, immediately taking pity on the guy. “He looks like a butterfly that’s been caught.”
“A big butterfly,” I said.
“Or a little bird.”
“Or a big bird.”
The man might have been badly affected by his recent incarceration but he still looked like a lumberjack. Which is probably because he was, in effect, a lumberjack.
“So what can you tell me about last night, Dominic?” said Chase, opening proceedings.
“I was home, then I went out to check on our cabin, then I returned home,” said the other man in his customary gruff tones.
“You didn’t pop over to Sergio Sorbet’s place to have a chat with the man?”
“No, I did not. I don’t even know where Sorbet lives.”
“Lived,” Chase corrected him. “He’s dead now. But of course you already knew that.”
“Because you told me,” said Dominic, giving Chase a look of defiance.
“Four people have been killed in three days now, Dominic, and all four of them have been accused by you of having been involved in the accident that killed your daughter.”
“So?”
“Do you really expect me to believe this is a coincidence?”
Dominic leaned forward.“Look, I had nothing to do with the death of these men. But if you ask me if they got exactly what they deserved, then yes, they did. And I’m not going to shed any tears over them either. They committed a crime, and they’ve paid for it with their lives, which is exactly as it should be.”
“So you’re confessing that you have something to do with what happened to them.”
“All I’m confessing to is that I’m glad they’re dead. And I hope they suffered just as much as my family has suffered. Though I don’t think that’s possible.”
“I’m going to give you a chance to prove to me you’re not lying,” said Chase as he placed a piece of paper on the table in front of Dominic. “These are the times of death of the four victims. I want you to think carefully and write down for me where you were at these times. And don’t tell me you don’t remember. You’re smarter than that.”
Dominic glanced down at the piece of paper.“I already told you.” He tapped a stubby forefinger on the document. “Woods, woods, home, woods.”
“So basically what you’re saying is that your wife and son are your only alibi.”
“And the trees,” said the man wryly. “Don’t forget about the trees.”
“Very funny,” said Chase grimly as he took the piece of paper and folded it.
Chase came out to take a break, and leaned against the table.“So what do you think?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” said Odelia. “Though it doesn’t look good for him, does it?”