All Fall Down (30 page)

M
elanie made it home, though she couldn't say how. She was shaking so badly she could hardly stand, let alone maneuver through traffic. The police would move quickly, she knew. They would have a search warrant within the hour and would arrive in force.

Melanie climbed out of her Jeep, slamming the door behind her. Dear God, how could this be happening to her? Why? How could Ashley—

Tears swamped her. She fought them off, afraid that once she started to cry, she wouldn't be able to stop. She entered the house through the garage door, though she didn't call out. She hoped to avoid seeing Casey until she felt less frightened, more in control. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him.

She found Mrs. Saunders in the living room, counting aloud. She and Casey were playing hide-and-seek and the baby-sitter was “It.”

Melanie struggled for an expression of normalcy. “I'm home.”

Her neighbor took one look at her and her face fell. “What's wrong?”

“Is it that obvious?” The woman nodded, and Melanie's shoulders slumped. “Something…terrible's happened. Could you stay a bit longer? I'm going to
call my sister Mia and see if she can take Casey for the day.”

The woman agreed to stay and Melanie went to her bedroom to call her sister in private. The other woman answered right away and Melanie said a silent prayer of thanks.

“Mia, it's me.”

“Melanie! I'm so glad you called. I feel awful about the other day. The things I said…I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over—”

Melanie interrupted, feeling the moments slipping quickly away from her. She didn't have much time. “Something's happened,” she said. “Something bad. I…I need you to…Casey—” She bit the words off, fighting to keep from falling completely apart. “I'm in trouble, Mia. Can you come?”

“I'll be right there,” she promised and hung up.

True to her word, Mia was at Melanie's front door in a matter of minutes.

Melanie fell into her sisters arms. “Thank you,” she said. “If you hadn't come… I don't know what I'm going to do, Mia. Someone tried to kill Stan last night and they think…they think it was me!”

“Oh my God.” Mia held her an arm's length away. “Calm down and tell me exactly what's happened.”

Melanie did, voice cracking as she fought the urge to dissolve into tears. “They think I killed Boyd and tried to kill Stan,” she finished. “They think I'm the Dark Angel.”

“That's preposterous!”

“Tell
them
that.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I expect them to arrive with a search warrant within
the hour. Normally I'd be happy for them to do it…to prove my innocence. But if I'm being framed…who knows what they might—”

Her voice broke and she took a moment to compose herself. “I don't want Casey here when it…when it happens. Can you take him for the day?”

“Of course, Mellie. I'll help you in any way I can.”

“There's another thing I need you to do, Mia. It's important.” She caught her twin's hands. “You've got to help me find Ashley. She's involved in this.”

Her sister's face puckered with confusion. “I don't understand. How's Ashley—”

As quickly as she could, Melanie filled her in. She told Mia about Connor's profile and how their third sister fit it. “And think about it, she pretended to be me, on official business, in Charleston. What would prevent her from doing it again?”

“Yeah but, Mel…I've pretended to be you a million times, but that doesn't mean—”

“That was kid stuff. Charleston wasn't. She had the uniform, the false ID. But that's not all, think about it. As a drug rep, she has access to the kind of information the Dark Angel would have needed. She traveled the Carolinas, which offered the time and opportunity to scout for new victims. Not only am I a cop, but she dated a cop for a while. And in the past weeks it's like she's emotionally unraveling. All of which are characteristics of the profile. She called the night before last, the same night Stan's granola would have been poisoned. She was talking crazy. Apologizing and begging my forgiveness. For something she had done or was about to do.”

Mia brought a hand to her mouth, looking stunned. “My God. Ashley? The Dark Angel. I can't believe it.”

“I don't want to. But I don't know what else to think. It all adds up—the knowledge she's privy to, her resemblance to me and her bizarre behavior of late.”

“I'll find her,” Mia murmured. “Veronica will help me.”

“No.” Melanie gripped her sister's hands tighter. “She can't, Mia. She's with the district attorney's office. Her loyalty will lie with them.”

Mia shook her head. “I know Veronica. She'll help us. She'll help
me.
We're—”

“Aunt Mia!”

Melanie dropped her twin's hands and Mia swung to face Casey. “Hey, tiger!” She opened her arms. “Come give your aunt Mia a big hug.”

He raced across the room and threw himself into his aunt's arms. “Did you come to play with us?”

“Even better, buddy. We're going to my house and we're going to spend the whole day together. Just you and me.”

His face fell. “Not Mommy?”

It was all Melanie could do not to cry. “I'm sorry, baby. Mommy has to work.”

His chin began to quiver, but before he could cry, Mia jumped in. “It's an awfully hot day so I was thinking…would you mind it a whole bunch if we went swimming?”

The tears that had threatened only a second ago vanished and Casey gave a whoop of delight, then looked
at Melanie. When she smiled and nodded her approval, he wriggled out of Mia's arms and tore off in search of his swim goggles and flippers. Melanie watched him go, then turned to Mrs. Saunders who was hovering near the door, uncertain of what she should do. Melanie thanked her and walked her out. After waving goodbye to the woman, Melanie returned to her sister. “I'll pack Casey a bag.”

“Pack enough for overnight, just in case.” She motioned toward the kitchen. “Mind if I grab a Diet Coke for the road?”

Melanie told her to help herself, then went after Casey. Together they packed the bag—making sure he had all his favorite toys. That done, they walked to the front door where Mia was waiting.

Melanie bent and hugged him tight. “I love you,” she whispered, voice thick. “Have fun and be a good boy. Listen to Aunt Mia.”

“'Course.” He hugged her back. “Love you, too—” he stepped away and held his chubby arms out wide “—so much.”

No doubt seeing that Melanie was about to burst into tears, Mia handed the small duffel bag to Casey. “Better run this out to the car, tiger. Your bathing suit's in there and we wouldn't want to forget that, would we?”

He agreed that they wouldn't and skipped to the car. Melanie watched him go, then turned to Mia, giving in, dissolving into tears, sobbing as she hadn't since her mother's funeral. “This can't be happening.”

Mia hugged her, her grip fierce, protective. “We'll get to the bottom of this, sis. We will, I promise.”

“Don't let Casey hear anything—”

“I won't.”

“The TV. Something might—”

“I know. I'll leave it off.”

Melanie rested her forehead against her sister's, her tears abating, comforted beyond words by her twin's very presence. “We have to find Ashley. She's involved, Mia. I know she is.”

“I'll work on it. I'll find her, Mel. I promise.”

Melanie glanced over at Mia's Lexus. Casey had climbed in and was fastening his seat belt. She started to tremble. “I still can't believe this is happening, Mia. How could Ashley…do this to me?” Her voice broke. “Why would she do it?”

“They're here,” Mia whispered. “The police.”

Melanie straightened, quickly wiping her eyes. Two cruisers and a nondescript Ford had pulled up in front of her house. Harrison and Stemmons got out of the Ford.

“Go,” she said to Mia. “Take Casey now.”

Her sister searched her expression a moment, then nodded. “I believe in you, Melanie. It's going to be all right.”

She started for the car, nodding to the investigators as she passed them. Melanie waved to Casey, not stopping until Mia had backed out of the driveway and disappeared. Then, and only then, she turned to Pete and Roger.

“You knew we were coming,” Pete said, laying the search warrant in her hand.

“Yes.” She glanced in the direction Mia had
driven, then swept her gaze over the six men assembled at her door. “I didn't want my son here for this.”

“I understand.”

Melanie opened the door wider. “You're not going to find anything, guys,” she said, mustering false bravado, laughable in light of her red nose and tear-streaked cheeks. “What do you say we get this over with so we can all get back to our lives?”

A
s Melanie had feared they would, the police found plenty, all items she had never seen before: a roll of duct tape consistent with the type used to gag Boyd was found under the driver's seat of her Jeep; books on allergies, poisons and autopsy techniques were on her bookshelves; and several pairs of surgical gloves were stuffed under paperwork in her desk drawer.

While the investigators and two members of the forensic team were in her house, the other two combed her vehicle for hair and fiber evidence. According to her lawyer—a top defense attorney her chief had recommended—they found what appeared to be a pubic hair in the same location as the duct tape. It had been sent to the CMPD crime lab for analysis.

Everything they had so far was circumstantial, the attorney told her, not enough to charge her with a crime. However, he added, she needed to prepare herself—if the analysis of the hair came back with a DNA match to Boyd's, he hadn't a doubt they would charge her.

Melanie was stunned. Panicked. On the verge of hysteria. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Everywhere she turned over the next two days, she was met with suspicion and accusation. People
avoided her. They refused her calls. Her chief put her on immediate leave and before the day was over, Stan had secured a temporary custody decree, one that disallowed her to see or speak to Casey. She couldn't even tell him goodbye.

That was the worst. It broke her heart. She couldn't stop worrying about him, what he thought, if he was frightened. It was almost too much to bear.

It would have been if not for Mia. Mia stood beside her, her staunch supporter. Mia paid the attorney's exorbitant retainer and she searched for Ashley, though without luck.

Ashley was missing. Mia had discovered that their third sister hadn't been home in what appeared to be some time—her mailbox was overflowing and a half-dozen newspapers dotted her front porch. When Mia had let herself in to the apartment, she'd found Ashley's answering machine full, her refrigerator nearly empty and the entire home sour-smelling from disuse. Alarmed, Mia had called Ashley's employer, only to learn that she had been fired a week before Boyd's murder.

Learning that, Melanie was even more convinced that Ashley was the one who had set her up. She had to find her—if she didn't, she would be charged with her brother-in-law's murder. She had learned her lesson with the search—she hadn't a doubt that the lab analysis would incriminate her.

The clock was ticking.

Connor.

Other than Mia, he was the only one who might care enough to try to help her. Connor had the skill
and the resources—if anyone could find Ashley, Connor could.

Without pausing to consider the lateness of the hour, Melanie retrieved the tape that contained Ashley's crazy message from the drawer she had stowed it in for safe keeping, then snatched up her purse and car keys and raced out to her Jeep. She needed Connor to believe her. To believe in her.

And, she admitted as she climbed into the car, she needed his arms around her, his reassurance that everything would be all right. Whispering a prayer, she started the engine.

Her prayer went unanswered. He stood before her, his expression and stance unyielding, closed to her. She drank him in anyway, the way a starving person might food or drink. He looked tired. Troubled. The lines around his eyes and mouth appeared more deeply cut than before.

“You shouldn't be here,” he said. “Not without your lawyer.”

As he began to close the door, she put her hand out, stopping him. “Please, Connor, I didn't do this. You have to believe me.”

“It doesn't matter what I believe. We're on opposite sides of this thing.”

“It does matter!” she cried. “To me, it matters a lot.” She took a step closer to him. “You have to help me, Connor. I have nowhere else to turn.”

He looked at her outstretched hand, his expression anguished. “I'm sorry, Melanie. Please try to understand, I can't. The police are mounting a case against you, there's nothing I can—”

“I brought the tape from my answering machine…the one with Ashley's call on it. I saved it. Just listen, please.”

“Melanie—”

Her eyes flooded with tears. She began to tremble. “We can't find her. Mia and I… You could help.”

Connor said nothing, simply gazed unblinkingly at her. Thinking, she knew. Considering what she had said, judging. One second became many. Still Melanie waited, heart pounding so heavily in her chest she could hardly breathe.

Finally, he shook his head. “I'm sorry, I can't.”

A cry of despair ripped past her lips. She caught his free hand with her own, not above begging. “They've taken Casey away from me! Why would I do this, Connor, and chance losing him? I know about the law, I knew after Pete and Roger questioned me that they would get a search warrant, why would I just leave evidence lying around that way? Just listen to the message, that's all I ask. Please, Connor…you know me, I'm not a killer. You know I'm not.”

The words landed painfully between them. He hesitated a moment, then with a heavy sigh, stepped away from the door, allowing her to enter. She handed him the tape, then followed him to the kitchen. He removed the tape from his machine and dropped hers in. He pressed play.

Silence greeted them.

The tape had been erased.