The Happiest Day Page 5

  He stood. “I need to show you Helen and Frederick.”

  A half-hour later, Rachel sat with a cup of coffee warming her hands, staring at Norris and waiting for him to speak. The gruesome scene in the bedroom was fresh in her mind. Helen’s face was mottled and purple, her tongue swollen out of her mouth. Angry finger marks marred her neck. Frederick lay next to her, pale and still, blood saturating the bedclothes around him. Two long gashes on his wrists indicated the source of the blood. Norris seemed to be in shock, dispassionately staring at his dead wife and friend. After taking in the scene and seeing that they were both obviously dead, Rachel gently led him downstairs, called the police, and fixed a pot of coffee.

  “The police should be here in a moment,” she said gently. “They’ll have a lot of questions. Can you tell me what happened, Norris?”

  He sat across from her, in a matching chair, staring into his coffee cup. “After you and Peter left the reception, I was out on the terrace with Stern. I convinced him not to ruin Maryanne’s wedding day with any kind of announcement. I could tell that he didn’t want to do it anyway because then we would have no more leverage over you or me. He agreed, but said that he wanted compensation.”

  “Money?”

  “I assumed so. I told him that we couldn’t talk there and asked him to follow me out to the house after the reception was over.”

  “Oh, Norris…”

  “It was the only way. I saw Bert and Maryanne to their room at the Sinton for the night then told the boys that they were going to stay at Bert’s house. They asked why and I told them that I was going to spend the night at the club and was too tired to drive all the way back to the estate. I dropped them at Bert’s house. I had already given the entire staff the night off, so I knew the house would be empty except for you.”

  Rachel felt a blush working its way up her neck but didn’t say anything. She would be mortified for Norris to know what had transpired between her and Peter. Obviously, Norris didn’t know that she hadn’t been in her room until five in the morning.

  “It was going on two o’clock when we arrived here. Helen got out of Stern’s car and that’s when I knew that she was involved in this blackmail. I invited them into my study and gave them a drink. Stern started telling me that in order to keep quiet, he wanted a stake in the newspaper. If he had just asked for money, I probably would have given it to him. But the newspaper? That’s mine. I’ll never give up what I’ve worked so hard for. Helen sat there so smug, so knowing, I knew she had a hand in planning this. We argued back and forth and then…then they fell asleep.

  Rachel shook her head. “They…fell asleep? I don’t understand.”

  “I had drugged their drinks.” He looked up from his cup to gauge her reaction. “I put crushed sleeping pills in their drinks.”

  Rachel felt as if she was in a dream and nothing was real any longer. “Norris, what happened then?”

  “It took a long time but I dragged them upstairs and got them into my bed. I unclothed them and put them in each other’s arms. Then I just sat there and stared. I don’t even know how long I sat there. All I could think of was how they were going to ruin everything, take away everything I had worked for…I couldn’t let it happen.

  Rachel’s hands were now cold and shaking. “Did you kill them, Norris?”

  He looked up at her. “I put my hands over Stern’s and held them to Helen’s neck and squeezed and squeezed until she stopped breathing.”

  Rachel covered her mouth in horror. Norris was relaying the story so calmly, that she felt goose bumps break out over her skin. “And what did you do to Frederick?

  “I took a letter opener and slit his wrists. I left it in his hand. It will look like a murder-suicide, Rachel. A lover’s quarrel gone wrong. “ He squeezed her hands. “It’s all over. They’re gone and the secret goes with them. No one can hurt us ever again.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “I did it for you, too, my dear. I couldn’t let you marry that man and I didn’t know how else to stop him.”

  Her mouth worked convulsively, no sound coming out at first. “Wh-What will you tell the police?”

  “That I fell asleep at the club in the men’s lounge and just got home an hour ago to find the scene. I checked on you…you left the reception early because of a headache. You took a sleeping pill when you came home and never heard a thing all night. After I checked on you, I went to my bedroom to change and that’s when I found Stern and Helen. I woke you up and we called the police.”

  She had a terrifying thought. “What if the police think I have something to do with it?”

  “There’s no reason to. You and Stern were to be married. You had no idea that they were having an illicit affair. Only you and I know the truth.”

  “I’ll have to lie to the police.”

  “Rachel, we’re in this together,” he said intensely. “I did this to protect you, to save you from that man. He was an evil man. The things he could have done to you…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “Listen to me. You were asleep all night. I woke you up and showed you the scene. You’re distraught and confused. The man you loved is dead.”

  They heard the wail of the siren pulling up the drive. Rachel started and looked away from Norris. She was shaking again and thought about Peter’s stash of whiskey. If only she had more time to think about this. If only she could talk to Peter or even to Laurie, she could decide if this was the best thing to do. It was just her and Norris, though, with two dead bodies laying upstairs and the police in the driveway.

  “Rachel,” Norris said, desperation heavy in his voice. “Rachel, what are you going to tell the police?”

  She swallowed hard. “Peter dropped me off around midnight last night. I took a sleeping pill and knew nothing else until you woke me this morning.”

  Norris carried her hands up to his lips. “Perfect. I love you, my sweet.”

  The police arrived and Norris showed them upstairs to his bedroom. Rachel stayed where she sat with her now cold coffee cup. Belatedly, she thought of Peter, Maryanne, and Geoff and how they needed to be told that their mother had died. Peter. When the story came out, he would know she was lying to the police about being home. No one knew better than him that she hadn’t arrived home until five this morning. She would need to talk to him before he talked to the police or Norris. Maybe she should just the police the truth now. She wouldn’t want to be caught in a lie later. She realized immediately how ridiculous of a thought that was. She was going to be telling much bigger lies before this day was out.

  “Miss Warner?”

  Rachel jumped a little and looked up to see a police officer standing there with a serious look on his face. “Yes, sir?”

  He came into Norris’ study, closing the door behind him. “I’d like to take your statement now. Do you feel up to it?”

  “Where’s Norris?”

  “He’s upstairs giving his statement to another officer.” He sat down opposite her, pulling out a small notebook. “When was the last time you saw the deceased?”

  “The deceased?” she asked dazedly. “Do you mean Frederick?”

  “And Mrs. Thornton,” he prompted.

  “Uh…should we wait for Norris?”

  “No, it’s customary for everyone to give separate statements.” His eyes narrowed. “Is there a problem?”

  “No,” she said, flushing. “I’m sorry, I’m still in shock. Norris woke me up just a little while ago...I saw them dead. It was horrible.”

  His face was sympathetic. “I know that it must have been. If I remember correctly, your parents were murdered about a decade ago. This must be bringing back some difficult memories.”

  Her eyes filled with sudden tears. “Yes. I…uh…what was your question?”

  “When was the last time you saw Frederick Stern and Helen Thornton?”

  “At the wedding last night. Helen was sitting with friends inside and…”

  “And?” the officer prompted.

  “I went outside and Fre
derick followed me. We talked and that was the last time I saw him.”

  “Can you tell me what you talked about?”

  Should she tell the truth? she wondered wildly. What was Norris saying upstairs? “Not really. I don’t remember that it was anything specific.” She bit the corner of her lip. “He…he became amorous and I was uncomfortable with it, being in public like we were.” She knew when Peter gave his statement, he would tell what had happened on the terrace of the club. “Helen’s son, Peter, came across us and asked Frederick to stop.”

  “Peter MacGregor?” the officer asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Did Stern stop?”

  “He did but he wasn’t happy,” she answered, deciding not to elaborate. “Norris came out then, also, and asked Peter to take me home.”

  “Did he?”

  This was the moment when she could tell the truth. Norris was upstairs right now, telling his version of the story and she couldn’t allow him to be caught in a lie. She owed him too much. “Yes. I had a horrible headache, so I took a sleeping pill. I knew nothing else until Norris woke me up an hour ago. He said he had spent the night at the club and had just gotten home and found the…deceased.”

  “Your fiancé was in bed with Mr. Thornton’s wife. Did that shock you?’

  “Of course it did,” she asked, her voice trembling. “I…I told Frederick that I wanted to wait until our marriage to be intimate. I guess he was seeking companionship elsewhere.”

  “Did Mr. MacGregor stay with you when he brought you home?”

  “No, he didn’t even come in,” she said honestly.

  “About what time was that?”

  “Uh…around midnight, I think,” she said vaguely.

  He closed the book and stared at her for long, thoughtful moments. “Well, your story corroborates with Mr. Thornton’s statement.”

  Rachel heaved a silent sigh of relief. “What do you think could have happened?”

  “On the surface, it looks like a murder-suicide but we’ll have our detectives come in and investigate the scene. We’ll need statements from everyone who was at the wedding, but we’ll start with the family and the staff here at the house.”

  “There was no staff,” Rachel informed him. “Norris gave all of them a holiday. They all left yesterday afternoon and don’t have to return until tomorrow morning.”

  The officer’s eyebrows came together a little. “Is that a normal occurrence?”

  “No. I think he wanted to reward them for all of the extra work they’ve been putting in for the wedding.”

  “No staff at all?”

  “No. When I got home, the house was empty.” She cringed inwardly at the lie.

  “All right.” He opened up his notebook and made another note. “We need to contact the family first. Could you assist me with that?”

  She nodded and led him to the phone. They called Peter at his apartment first.

  “Hello?” he answered crisply and she wondered if he ever slept.

  “Peter, it’s Rachel.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

  “There’s been an accident. You’ve got to come home right away.”

  “What is it?”

  “The police are here and asked that we tell you when you get here.”

  “God damn it, Rachel!” he bellowed. “What’s happened?”

  She knew the officer could hear Peter’s reaction and she looked at him helplessly. The officer nodded, giving her the go-ahead. “It’s your mother, Peter, and Frederick. We found them in bed…they’re dead.”

  His silence spoke volumes. She clutched the receiver and waited. Finally he said in a muted voice, “Are you all right?”

  “I’m all right,” she answered. “Could you go to the hotel and tell Bert and Maryanne, then go to their house and get the boys? The police need to speak with everyone as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call and her heart ached for him. Despite his difficulties with his mother, he was still her son. He had loved Helen in his own way.

  Twenty minutes later, Norris entered the room, accompanied by the second police officer. He no longer looked dazed but more like himself, in control and confident. His eyes immediately sought Rachel. “Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said for what seemed the millionth time. She was not fine. She felt like her insides were being shredded by knives. One lie was piling on top of more and she feared that she wouldn’t be able to remember them all. “I just called Peter. He’s going to get everyone and they will all be here soon.”

  “Would it be all right if Rachel and I go to the chapel while we wait for the family?” Norris asked the police officer.

  “Of course, Mr. Thornton,” the man said respectfully. “We’ll send your family to you when they get here.”

  Norris led her down the long side hallway and into the darkened chapel. He closed the door behind them for privacy and immediately turned and grasped her by the shoulders. “Did you stick to our story?” he rasped.

  “Yes,” she assured him. “Everything you told me to say, I did.”

  With relief, he pulled her into his arms, sinking his hands into her unbound hair. “Thank God. I was so nervous when they separated us.”

  “Me, too. They said they think it’s a murder-suicide but are still going to bring in detectives to investigate.”

  “They have to do it. We must act like we want it, too. We can’t let them suspect anything.” He led her to the front pew and they sat down together. “We need to pray that God protects us during the investigation.” He crossed himself and knelt, bowing his head to his clasped hands.

  Rachel didn’t move. She stared at Norris, her head shaking slowly in disbelief. He had just murdered his wife and friend in cold blood, but believed he had the right to ask for God’s protection from discovery. She had admired, idolized, and loved this man for her entire life. She had thought that he was the epitome of urbane sophistication and success. She would go to her grave to protect the man who had saved her and Laurie on that horrible night. In this moment, however, she questioned his sanity. Did he really believe that he was justified in what he had done and that God condoned his actions? Did he really believe that he was without sin after the events of the past night?

  She sat with him for the next half hour while he stayed on his knees, head bent, and lips moving silently. A cold feeling had settled like a stone in her heart.

  The chapel door opened and Rachel turned, looking over her shoulder. Maryanne came in first, Bert supporting her with his arm around her shoulders, tears streaming down her face. Rachel’s heart broke when she realized that Maryanne’s wedding anniversary would forever be a reminder of what had happened to her mother. Geoff and Laurie came in behind her, then Peter and Blanche. Blanche looked to be in a state of shock and Rachel recalled that she had been embroiled in an affair with Frederick. Rachel hugged her brother briefly, assuring him she was all right, then grasped Peter’s elbow tightly. “I need to talk to you,” she whispered.

  He nodded, his face somber, and drew her aside from the group. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m O.K, really,” she answered. “Peter, I lied in my statement to the police.”

  Confusion was apparent as her words sank in. “What are you talking about?”

  She looked over her shoulder nervously and stepped closer, whispering near his ear. “Norris thought I was home all night. He thought you dropped me off after the incident on the terrace and that I was asleep when…all of this happened. I was embarrassed that I had been with you at your apartment and…that I had been drinking…and everything else. So I let him believe that I was here.”

  “You told the police that you were here?”

  “Yes. When they were interviewing me I was afraid of changing the story because I didn’t want Norris to look like he was lying or that he had anything to hide.”

  “Rachel, you’ve got t
o tell them the truth.”

  “No!” she hissed. “It’s too late. Please Peter, does it really matter whether I was here at midnight or not until five hours later?”

  “It could!” He grasped her painfully by one arm and pulled her further into the shadows of the chapel. “You need to tell them the truth.”

  “Peter, they’re saying it was a murder-suicide. There is no suspicion on anyone. If we go changing our story now, it could change things.” She raised her face to look pleadingly into his eyes. “You fought with Frederick just hours before his death.”

  “I have nothing to hide!” he bit out. “I was with you.”

  “I was asleep for hours. Plenty of time for you to drive out here and murder them.”

  The look on his face was incredulous. “Are you serious? Do you really think that I could have done this?”

  “I know that you didn’t, Peter, but if I change my story, it could open up a whole can of worms. Please, please let this be. It won’t change anything that happened.”

  He didn’t like it, she knew. She thought she even saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes but her only concern right now was guarding Norris from suspicion. He had done this to protect her from Frederick and she couldn’t let him down. “Fine,” he said stiffly. “I won’t offer it, but if they ask, I’ll say I dropped you off last night.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He nodded briefly and stepped around her to join his family. He didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day.

  Chapter 5

  A month later, Rachel sat on the patio, staring at the lush garden but seeing nothing. How could her world have crumbled so quickly? She remembered the last time she sat on this patio, eating lunch and laughing gaily with Maryanne, Bert, and Peter. It was as if that person, that world, no longer existed. She didn’t know if she could ever laugh again.

  Despite their attempts to lead the police to believe in the theory of a murder-suicide, the detectives’ report ruled the deaths a homicide. They believed that the murders happened between four and seven a.m., around the time that Norris had reported finding them. There were no signs of forced entry and no signs of any disturbance to objects or belongings. There was no sign of struggle on Helen’s body, indicating that she had not fought Frederick’s attempts to strangle her. The angle and depth of the cuts on Frederick’s wrists were not indicative of self-inflicted wounds. Most damning, there were identical scrapes and bruises on the backs of both Frederick and Helen’s thighs and buttocks, indicating they had been dragged to the bed. Bruises on their wrists confirmed that someone had pulled them a long distance in a rough manner.