“The day of the funeral, his home and car were ransacked. Was that to find the notebook and money?” She watched Theo scan the street. “If you want my cooperation, then tell the truth.”
“All right, yes, I sent Darcy over. He couldn’t find anything so I sent Gustaf to check out the Marine Drive place. He spent weeks going through files, personal papers, bank statements, cabinets, drawers—anything that might give him a clue. Eventually, he concluded that the information might have been at Marcus’s architectural firm. He broke in there once or twice, but again no luck.”
“Who stole everything out of the Marine Drive house?”
“Probably Darcy, the greedy bastard.”
“Why did Gustaf stay at the house for more than three years? The search couldn’t have taken that long.”
“Partly to wait for Marcus’s clients to come to him, which some did. But mainly because he was in trouble with two ex-wives and some associates. A new face and life in Vancouver solved his problems. Gustaf only planned to move to Amsterdam because of Gislinde’s pregnancy.”
“You did a good job of creating a double.” Casey saw Aggie hand the phone back to her friend, then rummage through her handbag. “I heard he even sounded like Dad.”
“Gustaf had a gift for impersonation, and he’d known Marcus for years. Their body type was similar and any differences were sculpted into shape.”
“You mean Gustaf gained an appendectomy scar for Gislinde’s benefit?”
“Yes. Dental records and fingerprints were left alone,” Theo said. “I figured if someone went that far to check him out, the game was over anyway.”
Casey recalled Lalonde’s comments about a female suspect wearing a sequined gown.
“Could one of the ex-wives have discovered Gustaf’s new life and gone after him?”
Theo shook his head. “I verified that they and Gislinde Van Akker have alibis.”
“Why does Gislinde have a bodyguard?”
“Darcy interrogated her about a month before Marcus’s death, and again before Gustaf died. The second time involved threats.”
“Does she know the real identity of her fiancé?”
“We’ve never discussed it, but I imagine so. Gustaf was supposed to break up with her once he became Marcus but, obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“From what I’ve learned, Mother wouldn’t have approved of their relationship, since she was quite taken with Gustaf.”
He attempted a smile. “Lillian thinks every man she meets falls in love with her and that she’s entitled to own them.”
“Suppose Mother and Darcy believed Gustaf had finally found the money and they showed up to collect it? When Gustaf didn’t cooperate, Darcy killed him,” Casey said, “but they still couldn’t find the money, so he moved into Rhonda’s house to see what I knew. After Darcy failed to get close to me, Mother materialized to take a shot at it.”
“Possibly. Did you find Marcus’s old address book?”
“Yes, and I gave it to Detective Lalonde.”
“What for? There may be a clue to the money in it.”
“There isn’t. And I’m tired of all the lies and secrets, Theo. Dad wasn’t murdered. He ate tainted mayonnaise in a restaurant.”
“Casey,” Theo said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “Marcus’s poisoning was no accident. He was deliberately given contaminated food.”
“Bull. Mother said you lied about the timing of Dad’s death to get me involved so I’d lead you to the money. This is just another pathetic attempt.”
“No.” He relaxed his grip. “Haven’t you wondered why Marcus was the only one who got sick?”
“He wasn’t the only one, there was—”
“Simone Archambault, yes. She was with Marcus and saw him in the hospital. That’s why I needed to talk to her. I think she disappeared because she knew something about Marcus’s murder. It would explain why Darcy killed her.”
“Darcy?” Casey’s heartbeat quickened. “Are you saying he killed dad?
“He always denied his involvement. Claimed he’d gone to Paris only to talk to Marcus, but I spoke to the waiter who served Marcus and Simone.” Theo paused. “The waiter told me he was paid to give Marcus a special salad dressing, as a joke.”
“Who paid him?”
“He wanted more money before he’d give me a name. I agreed, but then the waiter’s body showed up in the Seine. He’s the suicide victim you mentioned in Paris.”
“Oh, god.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the idiot had tried to extort more money from Darcy in exchange for silence.”
A police cruiser headed toward them, at last. Theo had his back to the vehicle.
“Did you confront Darcy about Dad?”
“There was no point without proof, which I now have. It’s why I had to see you.”
“What’s the evidence?”
The cruiser pulled to a stop. The ladies rose from the bench and waved Casey over.
“Listen, I won’t be long,” she said to Theo. “Could you wait?”
“Actually, I think I know where Darcy might be,” he checked his watch. “I’ll call you soon.”
As Casey watched him head down the street, she wondered if Theo had told the truth about Darcy. Either way, both of those guys were bad news.
Twenty-three
FEELING A LITTLE revived after a nap, Casey sat on the yoga mat, legs stretched out, feet flexed, and arms high over her head. She took a deep breath and then bent forward until her hands gripped her calf muscles. The seated forward bend was supposed to help a distracted mind relax. Right now, she’d use any help she could get.
Stan hadn’t been happy to hear about the purse thief’s escape. The yelling hadn’t bothered her—she’d expected that—but his decision to put one of the part-timers on the case sure had. His excuse was that the suspect might recognize her, even though she’d assured Stan that the kid hadn’t looked at her as he ran.
She’d studied the suspect’s file again to see if she’d missed something, but there was nothing new. Maybe she’d stake out Vancouver Technical Secondary tomorrow and the bus stop nearest the school.
Casey still marveled at the suspect’s speed; “a regular track star,” Wesley had said. Casey sat upright. Wait a sec, the kid did have a smooth, efficient running style. She recalled how he’d pumped his arms when he ran, how he’d kept his head up and shoulders relaxed. The guy must have had some track and field training. She knew a little about running, thanks to Greg’s fifteen-hundred-meter races in high school. This was late May, still track and field season, wasn’t it? Greg’s track meets had usually been in spring. Tomorrow, she’d check out Van Tech’s sports field.
The phone rang. Casey rolled out of her shoulder stand and hurried to answer it.
“This is your mother. Darcy wants to talk to you.”
“He can talk to Detective Lalonde.” Casey’s jaw clenched. “A woman named Simone Archambault was murdered last night and Theo thinks Darcy has something to do with it. Maybe you can persuade Darcy to turn himself in. After all, he is your boyfriend, isn’t he?”
A long pause. “Theo told me what happened last night. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
She wasn’t denying her relationship with Darcy—god. “Gee, thanks. So what does Darcy have to say about it?”
“He says Theo killed her and he wants to tell you what he knows to clear his name. Darcy says he has proof Theo did it and he wants you to give it to the police.”
The tension in Mother’s voice made Casey nervous. “I can understand why he doesn’t want to see them, so why don’t you take the evidence to Lalonde?”