Chapter 9

The next week two things happened on the same day. Stacie made a new friend, and we had an unexpected visit. First, the friend.

Stacie returned from a shopping expedition. I was working upstairs in the office as was often the case when Stacie was out. I heard her cheerful voice on the intercom. "Darling, come down here, please. There's someone I want you to meet. Actually two someones."

I came down the stairs. There was a baby stroller in the entry hall. Stacie called me from the living room. When I entered the room, Stacie came up to me and gave me her customary kiss. "Darling, I'd like you to meet my new friends Rachel and Esther." Seated on a chesterfield were a small woman and a toddler. The woman was dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans. Her little girl wore a crisp yellow dress. The woman rose and came to shake my hand. Stacie carried out the introductions. "Jack, this is Rachel Stewart. Rachel, this is my husband Jack." I shook Rachel's hand. She was about the same height as Stacie but a completely different build -- slighter with smallish breasts. She was very pretty, and her most striking feature was a penetrating pair of amber eyes. At a motion from Rachel, the little girl rose and offered me her hand as well. Stacie continued. "Jack, this is Esther Stewart. Esther, say hello to Jack." The child spoke so softly that I could barely hear. Presumably, she said "hello."

Stacie said, "Rachel lives just a couple of blocks away."

Rachel smiled at me. "I think you know my husband," she said.

"Perhaps I do. I know many people in the neighbourhood. What's his name?"

"Morry. Morry Stewart."

"Of course I do! I represented Morry in a case. It must have been six or seven years ago. Someone was trying to rip off one of his pieces for a TV commercial. I haven't seen him in a long time. I didn't even know that he was married, much less that he had a daughter. My gosh. Please say hello for me." I turned to Stacie. "Morry Stewart is a composer and pianist. Classical music. He's very good and, I believe, very famous."

Stacie grinned. "Rachel's a composer, too," she said. She was telling me all about her second symphony and how it's going to be premiered by the New York Philharmonic in a few weeks."

I looked at our diminutive visitor with newfound respect. "I'm sorry," I said, "I had no idea."

Rachel gave a musical laugh. "Why would you? I know that my music doesn't make headlines like the rock stars. But it's a living."

Stacie came over and took my arm. "Can we have Morry and Rachel over for supper sometime soon?"

I patted her hand. "Of course we can, darling. You and Rachel set up the date and then clear it with Charlotte."

We had a lovely visit. Rachel was charming, intelligent and witty. Esther was a perfectly behaved little girl. Almost too perfect. And she looked so much like a miniature version of her mother that it was spooky. She didn't look at all like Morry Stewart, thank God. The last time I saw Morry his red hair was thinning, and he was getting a bit jowly.

After Rachel and Esther left, Stacie went into the kitchen to help Charlotte with supper, and I went back to my office to work on my current case. But in about half an hour, the intercom buzzed. Stacie's voice said, "Jack, can you come down please? There are some detectives here."

The detectives were in the living room with Stacie and Charlotte. They introduced themselves as Sergeant Lake and Constable Squires. We all sat down. Lake said, "Mr. Charles, I wanted to wait until you were present before asking my questions." He turned to Stacie. "Mrs. Charles, what year did you and your mother come to Regent Park?"

Stacie looked at him quizzically. "I believe that it was 1994," she said.

Lake continued, "To your knowledge, did your mother know Ted Daley before you moved to Regent Park?"

Again Stacie looked puzzled. "Not as far as I know. Of course I was ten or eleven years old at the time. And my father had just died. I wasn't aware of too much other than that fact, as I recall."

"Fair enough," Lake said. He wrote in his notebook. He turned to Charlotte. And you, Mrs. Jefferson. Do you have any idea when Edward Daley and Elizabeth MacPherson first met?"

Charlotte furrowed her brow. "No," she said. "Of course I didn't meet either of them until they came to the Park. As I recall, Daley had been living there for some time before the MacPhersons came. All I can remember is that they seemed to get together fairly soon after Liz and Stacie moved in. But it was always a strange relationship. Ted would move out, and Liz would take up with somebody else for a while. But he always came back. Just like a bad penny."

I spoke up. "Detective, what's all this about?"

"Mr. Charles, we have reason to believe that John MacPherson's death was not a suicide. And we have evidence implicating Ted Daley. We're trying to ascertain whether or not it was a conspiracy between Elizabeth MacPherson and Daley or whether he acted alone."

Stacie looked as though she were about to faint. "Oh God no! Mum wouldn't have done anything like that. She loved Daddy. I know she did."

Lake paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, "But we have evidence indicating that your mother and Ted Daley were romantically involved before your father's death."

I said, "Are you trying to say that Ted Daley and Liz MacPherson killed her husband? What on earth for?"

"Half a million dollars in insurance money is a pretty good motive."

I was puzzled. "But why would they make his death look like a suicide? They must have known that the insurance wouldn't pay if he took his own life. Certainly not on such a new policy. I understand he'd taken it out only a few months before his death."

Lake gave a solemn little grin. "I think that you may be giving them too much credit, Mr. Charles. Especially Daley. He's a slimy piece of work but not the sharpest pencil in the box." He turned back to Stacie. "So, Mrs. Charles, am I to understand that you have no memory of seeing Mr. Daley before you moved to Regent Park?"

Stacie shook her head. "No," she said, "I don't recall seeing him before that. But as I said, my memory of those days is not all that clear. Except for my father's death. And his funeral." Suddenly, she looked astonished. "Yes," she said, "at my dad's funeral. There was this guy who was talking to Mum. I remember him because he patted me on the head, and I didn't like it. He had big bushy sideburns then. But it could have been Ted Daley."

Sergeant Lake put a picture on the coffee table. It appeared to be an old mug shot. "Is this what he looked like?"

Stacie picked it up and looked at it carefully. "Yes," she said hesitantly. "I think so." She closed her eyes and then looked at the picture again. "Yes. That was him."

Lake and Squires rose from their chairs. "Mr. and Mrs. Charles, Mrs. Jefferson, thank you so much for your time. It's much appreciated. I'm sure that it's not necessary, but I have to ask you not to discuss this visit with anyone."

I showed the detectives out. When I returned to the living room, Stacie wasn't there. I went into the kitchen and asked Charlotte where Stacie was. "She's gone upstairs, poor lamb," she said.

I went upstairs. There was Stacie in the library. She was checking her calendar. I said, "Darling, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find a good date to have the Stewarts to dinner," she said.

I went to her side. I put my arm around her and held her to me. She looked up at me with a defiant look and tears in her eyes. "I will not, I will not, let this thing rule my life. My life is going to be my own. I'll make it be what I want it to be. Ted and Mum can rot in hell for whatever they've done. I refuse to worry, and I refuse to be involved."

Stacie collapsed against me in tears. I held her tightly. "I know, my love. My dear little girl. This is your home. You're here and you're with people who love you. I love you more than life. Charlotte loves you as though you were her own daughter. You're right. This thing shouldn't run your life. You have a wonderful life to live. Go ahead and make the arrangements for your dinner party. Maybe we can make a real party of it. Let's invite Mack and Jane McHenry. And maybe Mike and Ayesha. And whoever else you'd like. Let's have a great time and try to forget all this stuff. After all, maybe it will come to nothing."