The Body on the Beach, page 30
In the waiting room, Frank watched the hospital staff routinely go about their business. The nurses and orderlies conversed and enjoyed each other’s company. Frank thought how strange life actually was. Everything goes on.
Without warning, Allan appeared. “She’s gone, Frank. The love of my life is gone.”
Frank stood and wrapped his arms around his long-time friend.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Allan spoke. “You heard Susan’s last words, Frank. We have to talk.”
“Of course. We must.”
Frank had already speculated the attempt to burn the Callahan house was to destroy the deed in John Callahan’s strongbox. Clearly, since it couldn’t be found, somebody felt the need to destroy it by burning the entire house. It appeared to be an act of desperation. Yet Frank was puzzled. Since the document lacked Marie’s signature, it had no real value. The land had remained in Marie’s name. He needed an explanation.
“Let’s chat here, Frank. It was important to Susan that I put things right.”
“Maybe we can discuss this another day, Allan. Shouldn’t you see to Maxwell?”
“I’ve sent word for him. He’s at the lake. He’ll be here soon. But I truly feel it necessary to execute her last wish. The sooner the better. But honestly, Frank, I want to get it off my mind, too.”
Seeing that Allan was insistent, he listened intently. “Okay, Allan, you are right. I heard her say it. She wanted the truth to be known.”
Frank pulled up a chair close to Allan, a subtle gesture of sympathy and support.
“This goes back a long time, Frank, even before you left to join the police. Susan and Marie had always been very close. I don’t have to tell you. They were uncommonly close. I thought that, like most women who are good friends, they simply enjoyed spending time together, sharing secrets and having fun. You know.”
“Yes, I always knew they were best friends,” added Frank.
“Frank, it turns out their relationship meant more than that. They were romantically involved.”
Frank was dumbfounded.
Allan continued. “I suspected something about Marie even when she dated you. Marie spent more time with Susan than normal. They appeared happy and contented just to be together. But there was an unusual closeness there. I would see them holding hands or touching each other in ways that couples do. You know what I mean.”
Frank was aware that some people of the same gender felt a physical attraction for one another. Most people were repulsed by it, and there were laws to prohibit such activity, even in private. He thought he hadn’t known anyone who was inclined that way. Now he couldn’t help but think Marie had rejected him for that very reason.
“But it was ‘off and on’ between them,” said Allan. “Things came to a head with Marie and Susan just after you left. She truly wanted and expected Susan to be with her. She believed they could live together in their own world. Doing things in their own way. Despite that, Susan made the decision to be with me. For whatever reason, Susan did an about-turn and refused Marie’s love. She didn’t did tell me why. I didn’t ask. But Susan and I married, and Marie fell into a deep depression.
“Frank, I know you might be thinking Susan and I were not in love. That we lived a lie. Nothing could be further from the truth. Susan and I had a marvellous relationship. She was honest with me about everything from then on. I made the decision for us to move on and not live in the past. I felt Susan loved me, and that was all I needed or desired.”
That Marie had rejected his love for that of a woman didn’t lessen Frank’s pain. His love for Marie would live in his heart forever. He encouraged Allan, listening in disbelief as he tried to suppress his own pain. It was another layer of personal grief. “
“Go on, Allan.”
“Then along came Dr. Gregory Lambert. I wish to God he hadn’t set foot in Harbour Grace. He is a real bastard, Frank.”
“How so?”
“Marie started seeing him as a patient. You can imagine her pain, her confusion, trying to come to grips with her identity. Lambert was also caring for Mr. Callahan at the same time. Frank, Greg Lambert truly used Marie. I don’t know what is wrong with that man, but he introduced Marie to the same medicine he was giving her father. He attempted to convince her that her attraction for women could be cured. He promised Marie that he could change her attraction of women to men. I honestly don’t think it’s a realistic thing to expect. You are what you are. Marie became even more depressed, thinking there had to be something wrong with her. Then Lambert, in his own weird and selfish way, used that weakness to take advantage of the poor girl. You know what I mean.”
Frank didn’t need an explanation. His suspicions about Lambert were confirmed. He knew that man was concealing something.
Allan brushed his hands through his hair. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. He was a man desperate and lost. Frank was aware of Allan’s state of mind given his dependence on cocaine, but he also recognized that Allan truly wanted to relieve a heavy burden.
“Of course, the predictable happened. Marie got pregnant. Gregory’s young wife became suspicious and left him to return to her home in Europe. Marie wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn’t want her or their baby. Her father sent her off to a convent in Boston to have her child. Frank, you should know that it was only with Marie’s full blessing we adopted her child, Maxwell.”
Now Frank understood the bond between Maxwell and Marie. This was as much a jolt as the news that Susan and Marie were once lovers.
“When the war began, I left. Susan was busy at work, and Maxwell, being a young boy, needed care. Of course, we agreed to give Marie the opportunity to be with Maxwell as much as she wanted. Marie actually moved in with Susan for a time. As you might know, I went missing for several months. Susan thought that I wouldn’t return, that I had been killed. During that time, their love was reignited. I cannot blame either of them. When I recovered in hospital, I finally returned home from London. Susan broke off with Marie again. Well, as you can imagine, we all knew this wasn’t going to end well.
“Despite putting some space between Marie and ourselves, we gave her every opportunity to be with Maxwell, of course. They had a great relationship, almost up to the time of her death. Throughout all these years, Gregory Lambert continued to supply Marie with opium and cocaine, using scripts he had written for her father. Now this was at her insistence. He couldn’t refuse her cravings for the drugs he’d started her on. We know she threatened to go public with how he had compromised his profession by taking advantage of her. The drugs and booze got the best of her, I’m afraid. Marie’s life began to take an irreversible downward turn. No one was able to help her.”
Still puzzled about the deed he had discovered at Callahan’s, Frank had to ask, “Allan, after the fire, I went into the Callahan house. I found an unsigned conveyance to the Callahan property. If signed, it would effectively sell the property to Art Munden. You and Dr. Lambert had witnessed it. Arthur Munden had signed it. But Marie hadn’t. What went on between Marie, Arthur Munden, and yourselves?”
“Edmund Munden and Marie had been socializing together for years. At one point, we thought he might have been pursuing her hand in marriage. Knowing her true preference, we realized that was unlikely to happen. Susan found out that Edmund and Marie fully recognized they were naturally attracted to people of the same sex. She also learned they found counsel and maybe comfort in each other, and that’s why they spent so much time in each other’s company.”
Frank could hear the hospital staff outside the door carrying on with their work. They remained uninterrupted as Allan continued.
“Through committee work and other town affairs like the regatta, Susan came to know Art Munden. She learned about the land freeze and that it needed to be rezoned. The steamship company was failing. Folks were being laid off.
“Art Munden came up with a plan. He sought to buy the land from Marie, get it rezoned from agricultural to industrial use, and sell it to Newfoundland Steamships for a profit. To assist that process, Art Munden encouraged me to run against Leroy Parsons. At that time, we thought that for sure we could convince Marie to sell. Marie was becoming more and more desperate, Frank. She was pitiful. Her living conditions were horrific. She could certainly use the money. Once the land was conveyed to Munden, it was my role to lead the way and get it rezoned.”
Frank knew where this was going. “And she wouldn’t sign.”
“As much as we encouraged her and advised her to sell the land to the Mundens, in the end, she wouldn’t.” Allan frowned as if he were still actually pleading with Marie.
“At first, she agreed. I personally had the deed drawn up with a local firm. The Mundens and Dr. Lambert even came to our house one evening. Personally, Lambert repulsed me, but he was a friend of Munden’s, who felt that Lambert would make the best witness. When Marie arrived that night, we thought it a done deal. Then came the bombshell. We didn’t know if it was because the Mundens had insisted on Lambert being there, but Marie suddenly claimed she needed more time to think. In true form, she bluntly stated to everyone present that she had trouble selling the property to a man who had been so hurtful to her father. Taking the deed in her hand, she promised to reconsider it for another time.” Allan shook his head in disbelief.
“Later, she told Susan she found it sickening to deal with a man who forced her father out of business. She called Arthur Munden a religious bigot. Edmund continued his involvement with Marie, attempting to persuade her, but she ended that relationship as well. Eventually, she drove everyone away from her.”
“And her death, Allan? What actually happened?”
“Well, that’s where things went very badly. It was painfully evident, even after all these years, Marie remained desperately in love with Susan. By now she had lost control. She wanted Susan to leave me to be with her. On several occasions, Susan had to go to her apartment incognito, wearing my clothes to disguise herself as a man. She usually did this during the early-morning hours. She’d talk to Marie and settle her down. Then, Marie would drink, take the medications, and again end up in despair. On a couple of occasions, she talked about taking her own life. On one particular night, she had actually typed a suicide note.”
“So, you believe she killed herself?”
“No, Frank, she didn’t.”
“My God. What happened?”
“Election talk was ramping up. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Squires was threatening to shake up the House of Assembly. Marie still had that deed in her possession. If it got out that I was trying to convey that land for the Mundens, the most envied family in Harbour Grace, I would lose the election hands down. That’s about when things became even worse.” Allan shifted in his chair, and Frank sensed his distress and tension.
“How so?”
“In the early hours of Sunday, over a week ago, there was a loud knock on our door. It was Marie. I hadn’t seen her so disturbed. She ranted on about how she felt so rejected, that I was just as corrupt as Art Munden and the rest. Her anger was directed at me. Susan sat with her and tried to placate her as best she could, but didn’t get anywhere.”
“Did she stay at your house that night?”
“No. Susan decided it best to take Marie back to her apartment. At least I would be out of the picture. She also thought that when Marie finally slept, she might be able to look for the deed. All she wanted was to ensure she wouldn’t be able to use it against us.
“That’s when Susan made a grave decision. Frank, you must know I had been using cocaine to relieve this horrible pain. Since the war, without that drug I wouldn’t be able to function.”
It seemed to Frank that Allan was waiting for him to respond, perhaps judge him, but he decided to hold back. Now was not the time.
“Go on, Allan. Please continue.”
“Susan took a couple of vials of my cocaine to help Marie sleep. Without Marie’s knowledge, she broke open two vials and shook the powder into her tea when she wasn’t looking. It was a tragic decision. Susan had no idea how powerful cocaine is, or how much she could safely use. She stashed the empty vials in a teapot somewhere in a cabinet.”
Frank then realized the source of the little blue vials he discovered. He also thought that Susan had shown a blatant disregard for Marie’s life by taking such a risk.
“They talked and talked. Susan brushed her hair, something Marie always liked her to do, until Marie fell asleep. But she slept only for a while. Long enough for Susan to do a quick search of the flat without finding the damn document. When Marie awoke, she grew even more hyper. The cocaine had the reverse effect. She insisted they go walking on Martin’s Beach like they did when they were kids. Susan said Marie was delirious. She didn’t want to go, but Marie threatened to go with or without her.
“Eventually, Susan gave in. Marie was very unsteady, but she insisted they walk the full length of the beach. Her feet started to burn, so she removed her boots. Suddenly, she collapsed on the beach. At first, Susan thought she had stumbled. Sadly, when Susan checked for a pulse, she found she was dead.”
Frank was astounded. “Susan didn’t seek assistance?”
“She panicked, Frank. Her first thought was to run. Then she realized how badly all of this was going to look to everyone in town. She, a businesswoman and the wife of a budding politician, associating with a woman at that hour. With a woman who had taken cocaine. How could all that be explained?
“It was still dark. She went back to the flat, got the suicide note Marie had written earlier, and put it in her coin purse. In her rush, she forgot the empty vials in the teacup. Frank, Susan wouldn’t intentionally hurt Marie. She rushed back to the beach, placed Marie’s shoes as if she had just walked out of them, and placed the coin purse in her hand. When she got home that morning, she realized she had forgotten the vials.”
To Frank, Allan’s statement about Susan’s not wanting to hurt Marie rang very hollow.
“Father Shea came to us with the news of her death around noon that day. Of course, we knew. That’s when we found out you had been assigned to the case.” Allan broke down and sobbed. “I am so sorry, Frank. I know that she didn’t mean for Marie to die. Susan was so strong, but this caused her to fall apart.”
Frank was truly astonished. What a sad ending to the life of a beautiful human being. Saddened and angered, he wanted to rage. But he still held some compassion for Allan, since the man had clearly gone through so much. He had suffered through a war and received a life-altering injury, and upon his return, he discovered his wife had had an affair. It was truly amazing to Frank that Allan was able to function at all.
“So, later, Susan again went to the Callahan house to search for the deed?”
Allan regained his composure. “A couple of days after Marie died, Arthur Munden figured we could still move ahead with the plan to free up the land. Since it appeared Marie had died without a will, it might be an easier task to convince government to expropriate the land. As the town would suffer an economic downturn because of Newfoundland Steamship’s closing, he reasoned that an expropriation might be more palatable for government. It then could be conveyed directly to the owners of Newfoundland Steamships. Arthur knew that the company had a deal pending with a large shipping company to build two large ships there. It would mean a lot of work. That’s why Susan thought it was urgent to destroy that unsigned document. Word of it could not get out.”
Frank was suspicious of Arthur Munden. He wondered what was in this for him. Not jobs for the community, but profit for his company. And that Susan could forge ahead as if nothing had happened to Marie perplexed Frank. She had just been laid to rest. He thought Susan’s grief would have trumped any other concerns at that time.
“Susan still figured the deed was hidden somewhere at John Callahan’s house?”
“Exactly. Where else could it have been?”
“You didn’t go with her this morning?”
“No. I didn’t want any part of breaking into a property, vacant or not. I wouldn’t physically be able to handle it, anyway. For God’s sake, walking is an issue for me now. I have no idea how the fire started or how she managed to have gotten so badly burned.” Allan wept openly. “Oh my God, Frank. If I had known, I would have stopped her.”
“Allan, you should know that it was a gas fire. It was deliberately set. An unidentified man was with Susan. It’s also obvious they couldn’t find the deed, so someone had planned another way to destroy it, by burning the house down, and brought along the gas. It seems it exploded, causing a flash fire, which resulted in the fuel burning itself out very quickly, but not before inflicting its devastating effects on Susan and whoever this other person was.”
Allan looked shocked and confused. He stammered, “You mean they didn’t catch him?”
“He died, Allan. We aren’t able to identify his body.”
“I can’t believe Susan would go that far. She would search the house, but I can’t imagine her starting a fire, Frank. Not Susan. And with another man?”
“Is there someone she may have asked to help her?”
“I can’t see it, Frank.” Allan was distraught.
“Maybe, since you didn’t go with her . . .”
“No. She would have told me.”
“I have to tell you, Allan, that I discovered a will belonging to John Callahan. In the event of his death, and the death of Marie, her children would receive all of the Callahan estate. Maxwell is the rightful owner of all that property now.”
Frank could see astonishment written all over Allan’s face.
Suddenly, there were several loud knocks on the waiting room door. “Father. Father. What’s going on? I need to see you.” The door swung open. There was horror on Maxwell’s face. Frank knew that Maxwell had already heard the news. He ran to embrace his father.
