Duck Disaster, page 12
Rayne’s body shook. “I’m not saying anything else until my lawyer gets here. I want to leave now.” She made her way to the door, only to be met by two female police officers.
She screamed, “Lee! Get the camera. This is a false arrest. This isn’t right. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m being framed. ”
Silence ensued after Rayne was escorted out. Anne looked at the camera. “And that’s how you catch a killer!”
After a few moments of speaking with Jodie and Lee, they met up with Richard out in the parking lot.
He ran his hand down his arms. “I can’t believe she did that. Poor Casey.”
“The worst part is that she spent a lot of time planning it. She thought she’d created the perfect murder, but she didn’t consider two important things.”
“What’s that?”
“Other people and details. As they say, the devil’s in the details.”
“What about the baby, or am I right in thinking there was never a child?”
Anne nodded. “No child. It was a ruse to get to you. I imagine Casey had said something in passing about you being a gentleman and old school. All she needed was to get you a drink, have a wild weekend, and take it from there, playing up to your honor.”
“Well, I was a fool because it worked.” He sighed.
“What will you, like, do now?” Kandi asked.
“I’ll have to stay here for a while, then I’ll probably pull up stakes and head home. I think I’ve had enough of the States for a while.”
“I hope you won’t hold this against all of us.”
He shook his head. “No, but I think it will be good to head home to do some healing.”
Anne placed her hand on his arm. “Just so you know, when you get home, there may be some police at your apartment.”
He bristled. “Whatever for?”
“Rayne had some help. She hired an actor who was told he was taking part in a murder mystery weekend. He dressed as a priest—”
“Oh, that young man, the night of the dinner?”
“Yes. He held a zoom call, and the police got more information from him. He’s flying home next Sunday to give a formal statement. But he was given only as needed instructions from either Rayne or Ivy through texts. After Casey was found alive, Rayne had to act fast. If Casey came out of her coma, she would most likely point to Rayne.”
Richard spoke, “But Casey died in the hospital. She didn’t die from the sleeping pills.”
Anne responded, “I went to see Casey. I saw someone getting into the elevator. I wasn’t sure if it was you or the priest. Then I realized that you both looked alike at a glance. That’s probably why Rayne picked him. Anyway, after he went to the hospital, we headed to your apartment. Rayne had instructed him to take his costume and put it under your bed.”
“What? You were snooping in my apartment?”
Anne shrugged her shoulders. “Only to see if I could find the outfit. Most people don’t look under their bed until possibly spring cleaning, and it was in a place where, even if the maid vacuumed, it wouldn’t be found.”
“Righty then. Though we still don’t know what happened to Casey.”
“Yes. I do. Right before I arrived, a woman in a nurse’s uniform came out of Casey’s room. She ignored me when I spoke to her and turned away quickly. At the time, it didn’t register, but I had noticed that she was holding a syringe. She stuck it in her pocket.
“So? Nurses do injections all the time.”
“Yes, but first they wear gloves, and second, they would have disposed of the syringe in the medical waste container either in the room or on a cart. She had no cart with her. And when I went in, Casey was still alive. I can’t be sure, but I believe Rayne injected an air bubble into Casey’s IV. She didn’t know if it would work, but Casey was already in a weakened state. In some ways, it could have saved someone else’s life.”
“Whose?”
“Ivy’s.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Ivy!” Kandi shouted, causing heads to turn.
“Yes, I believe Rayne was getting worried about Ivy putting two and two together. You remember that Ivy was her assistant. So doing a lot of her errands. Rayne had to get her nurse outfit and black wig from somewhere. Remember Dean, um, sorry, the priest was working out of a theater company in Denver. He said he gave the outfit to a young woman. I’ll bet that was Ivy. Of course, he wouldn’t think anything of it, just thinking that she would be using it for the murder mystery weekend. And in fact, Rayne never contacted him directly. She did it through Ivy’s phone or email. That’s why she was upset when he came up to her at the dinner. She didn’t want anything to tie back to her. It’s also why she let Ivy go. She’d be gone before she started asking too many questions about that night.
Richard’s phone beeped. “I’ve been notified that the police are arriving soon. I best be going now.”
Anne reached out her hand. “I wish you all the best. I imagine our paths may cross again, but if not, it was nice meeting you.”
“It was lovely to meet you as well, though I would have preferred better circumstances.”
Carson had joined the group outside. He looked at his watch. “Ready to head home?”
“Yes.”
“You did good in there, N.D. I do believe that justice will be served for Casey.”
Kandi pouted. “I’m still confused.”
“How about this? We’ll order in—say pizza, and we can go through everything.”
“Awesome. I’ll call Hope on the way home. I know she’ll want to hear it too.”
“Great.”
Anne took Carson’s hand as they made their way to their vehicle.
“Who want’s veggie, and who wants pepperoni?” Anne held up two plates with pizza on them.
“I’ll take the veggie one!” Kandi replied.
After everyone had acquired a piece of pizza and their preferred cold beverage, they chatted about the upcoming wedding.
Kandi grinned. “We really want you both to stand by us as we say our vows.”
“I’d be honored.” Carson took Stewart’s hand in his own while Anne and Kandi embraced.
“What about music?”
“We hired a DJ for the night. He’ll play at the wedding, some softer music for the dinner, and then more fun music for afterward for dancing.”
“Oh, boy. I bet the Coles will like that.” Anne winked.
“I’m planning to put down a temporary floor for the dancing. Then we can take it up after it’s over. Are you all okay with that?” Stewart’s question was directed to Hope.
“Sure. I don’t see it being a problem. The main thing is to put some lighting or reflective tape or something in case there’s a lip where someone could stumble or fall.”
“Good point. I’ll make sure I do that.”
Everyone took their plates to the dishwasher. Carson nodded to Anne. “Okay, you have the floor. What’s your version of events?”
“Well, first, we were approached about hosting the wedding. Then once they arrive, I—and some of you as well—are informed that the couple is already married.” Heads nodded.
“I was also made privy to the fact that Rayne was pregnant. I think now that this so-called “leak” of information was on purpose. But before I go into that, let’s look at the motive.
“Rayne knew Casey was being praised as a new lead. When Rayne had been away, polls had suggested viewers liked the combination with Casey and Brandon over her spot with him. So, job replacement is one motive. Second, even though their looks are similar, Casey is—was—seven to ten years younger than Rayne.”
She paused at the thought. The poor woman had her whole life in front of her. If nothing else, she deserved justice.
Anne continued, “From talking with Lee, I learned Rayne had her eye on Richard when she found out he owned an estate in the UK. She probably saw herself as some princess or something. What she didn’t know at the time is that Richard is house poor.”
“House poor?” Kandi chimed in.
“Yes, it’s like when you have a big, beautiful home but can’t afford it. It’s not uncommon into today’s world. Back in the old days, people received room and board along with a small stipend that allowed these enormous homes to stay in the black financially. They also had homes on the estate that were rented out and received some proceeds of any agricultural or ranching duties.”
“Oh, like Downton Abbey!” Kandi squealed. “I love that show.”
“Yes, sort of like that. Anyway, back to the story. Richard fell head-over-heels for Casey, but she didn’t feel the same and was focused on her career. She didn’t want to get into any major relationship. Or she could have stopped it moving forward if Richard had told Casey about his financial troubles and she had no desire to foot the bill. Estate or not. I’m not sure how Rayne worked her way in, but somehow, she caught Richard on the rebound. Then it was simple to state that she’d gotten pregnant over that short weekend. There are still gentlemen in this world, and he said he would marry her.”
“Lots of moving parts, but it sounds plausible,” Carson said.
Anne replied, “Yes. Also, I think she had already been planting things in his mind about life insurance, so her tenacity paid off when they took out major life insurance policies. This way, she could go after both of them. Get rid of Casey and frame Richard for her murder by suggesting he tried to kill Rayne for the money.”
Hope took a sip of iced tea before interjecting, “I agree she meant to get rid of Casey, but doesn’t it make more sense to have lots of people around during that time? For instance, why send Ivy away? It could have gone badly, and the finger pointed at her.”
“That’s why the set-up was so important. What’s the saying? Um, sometimes it’s not what’s there, it’s what’s missing? I now believe Rayne made up the entire story of seeing a dead body in the back yard. We have to ask why. I thought it was someone helping her to pull in ratings. You know marriage, haunted house, and so on.”
“But all the time she was simply planting a seed,” Hope said.
“Exactly. The seed she planted was that someone wanted her dead. Even if we didn’t recognize it or believe she saw anything, it goes into our subconscious. We question who had played the trick on her or who hated her. It’s manipulation at its finest.”
Carson spoke. “Criminals are good at revealing the truth, even when lying. For instance, I had someone who noted he loved his brother, but the entire time, his head was moving from side to side, signaling no, I don’t.”
“Yes, even at the studio, you remember when Rayne said it looked like Casey, not that it was Casey. She knew it wasn’t Casey.”
“Go on. So, how did she do it?” Kandi said.
“Okay, so we go back to the night in question. I think she must have conned Casey into spending the night, knowing that she had an early set at the station. Remember when the van had been here but left. Casey could have easily done a spot from here, but the van left. So, Casey had to drive back into Denver because she didn’t have anyone to film her. I’m sure at this point she was livid with Rayne.”
“She confronted her?” Hope asked.
“I believe so. But it must have been after we’d left.”
“But wouldn’t Richard have heard?”
Anne shook her head. “No because he went out with Lee. Supposedly Rayne texted Lee about taking Richard out for a bit.”
“Wait, so that means that the only two people in the house at the time were Rayne and Casey.”
Anne pointed. “Exactly! Now I don’t know what happened at that point, and I doubt we’ll ever know, but Rayne invited Casey in for a drink. I think she shared how she was happy that Casey would be taking over for her.”
“In other words, to massage her ego, thus causing her to let down her guard,” Carson said.
“Exactly.”
“But what about the dress?”
“I wondered about that too. But again, it all goes back to perception. Rayne said she ‘saw’ a dead body in her wedding dress. The only thing I can figure is that she asked Casey to try it on so she could see if the piece that had been cut from the dress was noticeable.”
“But I thought the dress, like, vanished?”
“Yes, but what if Rayne had hidden it before she went outside? She told Casey she’d found it or something.”
“Where were they at this point?” Hope asked.
“Hard to say. But I’m thinking that Rayne had brought glasses to Casey’s room. To apologize. Act like she’d make it up to her. Then, after Casey was relaxed, she mentioned the dress. I think she may have put one of the sleeping pills in her glass or at least a half because she wanted her to be calm. After she took her over to the dressing room so they could look in the big mirror there, Casey may have realized she was unwell. Rayne pointed to the water glass that had the fatal dose of sleeping pills in it. Or to make it up to Casey, she’d promised to go in her place. Casey may have tried to move but ended up on the floor. Now that’s where we don’t know if Rayne’s motive was to cause her to miss out on a segment or she really meant to kill her.”
“Then she just left her? What a horrible woman!” Kandi exclaimed.
“Yes, she is. I think if you looked up psychopath in the dictionary, you would see her picture. She only cares for herself.”
Hope nodded. “But that was a very short window after Casey came back.”
“That’s where Rayne made her mistake. She had to show that Casey had been alive during the night, thus giving her an alibi. She then took her place. But she didn’t count on our neighbor who has trouble sleeping or making nightly trips to the bathroom. Mrs. Cole said that she saw the woman come out of the house. But she must not have wanted to unlock the car with her clicker in case it woke anyone. Mrs. Cole told me that she’d had trouble sleeping and had glanced out the front windows. At that point she didn’t know who the woman was but as she was watching her, Rayne tried opening the wrong car door. She grew more frustrated when it wouldn’t open.”
“Ah, wrong car!”
“Yep. I’ve seen people do that all the time. It looks like yours, but it’s not. Here, it was a different model. Rayne just knew it was a gray car. Finally, she had no choice but to click the unlock tab on her key fob, hoping any people hearing it would think it was Casey leaving. But now she was running late, and at some point on the drive, she realized she’d grabbed the wrong shoes. She knew it might be a problem but doubted anyone would notice. Which they wouldn’t have if we wouldn’t have put them side-by-side. The difference in height is evident, but she was so flustered or didn’t think about it, that she made her biggest error.”
“Using her right hand.”
“That’s right, Hope. Plus, I asked Mrs. Cole what hand the woman had held the key fob in, and it was also the right hand.”
“But that makes sense, as the key is on the right,” Kandi said.
“In most cases, yes. But Casey’s car has an automatic start. Casey kept her key fob on her purse strap on the left-hand side. I remembered seeing it when she arrived.”
“She wouldn’t have been only carrying the key.”
“Exactly.”
“Anyone for dessert?” Kandi popped up from her spot and made her way over to the counter. Groans and “I’m too full” were replaced with “Maybe just one” as Kandi opened the container to show a variety of chocolate and peanut butter brownies.
Anne continued, “From his statement, the invite to go out with Lee was just a ruse to have a bit of a bachelor’s party for Richard. He arrived back and, as far as we know, he went up to bed.”
“Yes, his being gone allowed Rayne to get the pills she needed,” Hope said.
“But I thought the bottle was almost empty. Or didn’t he say it was, like, missing?”
“She could have taken some over a while or there was another bottle. I guess we won’t know unless she reveals it, which I doubt.”
Hope dusted chocolate crumbs off her hands onto her plate. “So, she left Casey there with Richard while she went into the studio?”
“You know, I didn’t even think about it, but she could say she took Casey’s place on purpose, thus pointing the finger back to Richard.”
“Yes, but Casey didn’t die from the pills. It was a shock to Rayne that she’d survived it. She had to do something because Casey would share what had happened, and the evidence would point back to her.”
“So, what did she do?”
“She had Dean visit Casey on his way to the airport for his flight to Mexico. Once he left, she went in and finished the job. Most likely putting an air bubble in her IV or a vein. I told the police that they might find a nurse’s outfit and wig at the theater where Dean works. It should have some of her DNA on it, and they’ll be looking at the cameras around the hospital. She may have put on a disguise, but I doubt she changed cars.”
“Poor Casey. She seemed really nice.”
“Yes. I don’t understand how people can hold such hate in their heart.”
Carson squeezed Anne’s hand. “That’s a good thing. As much as you know I hate you getting involved, your work brought the killer to justice.”
“Let’s hope a jury thinks so.”
Chapter Sixteen
Saturday dawned clear and bright as Anne listened to the sounds of a lawnmower next door. Spencer was cutting the grass this morning before the evening’s festivities. The last few weeks had felt like a whirlwind with preparing the floral arrangements and ensuring the food was ready for the meal to follow the ceremony. Yesterday had been crazy with the time at the studio.
After partaking in some toast and a cup of coffee, Anne made her way over to Kandi’s house, where they would have their hair and makeup done. As she walked out her front door with cup in hand, a silver Range Rover pulled up in front of the house next to the Coles’. A tall man exited the vehicle before going to the back and pulling out a For Sale sign, which he finagled into the ground before driving off.
