Beverly Connor - Dust to Dust

“The Gainesville police will be receiving all the new evidence soon and they will decide how to proceed and what to divulge. So I can’t go into any specifics. However, I can tell you I have no doubts whatsoever, and neither does our medical examiner, that Stacy was murdered. And we both have had a lot of experience in what we do.”

Kathy Nicholson’s eyes teared up. Diane reached for a tissue and handed it to her.

“Are you afraid Marsha Carruthers or her husband might have done something to Stacy?” asked Diane.

Kathy was quiet for several moments. “I would never say that. Never,” she said at last.

“But you might worry about it?” said Diane.

Kathy said nothing.

“Is there anything you know that bothers you? Anything you’ve seen?” asked Diane.

“It’s just the anger. We drove up here together. It was just terrible. Wendy drove and Marsha sat in the front seat. I sat in the back. We discussed strategy. It was all so-so frenetic. Marsha was so angry. I think it was equating the manner of Ellie Rose’s death to Stacy’s that got to her. Wendy called the police and they told her what Stacy was supposed to have died from. For some reason, Marsha was angry with you in particular. I think it was the things you said to her. I suppose she saw you as trying to rob her of her grief. It’s all she thinks she has.”

“I’m sorry I upset her,” said Diane.

“Wendy looked you up on the Web and discovered you are the director of the museum,” said Kathy. “We all thought you had deceived us about who you are.”

“She didn’t find the other positions I hold?” said Diane.

“No. I think the first item she found was the museum and she stopped there. It had your picture. That was the only listing we knew for sure was you. You aren’t the only Diane Fallon in the world.”

“That’s true,” said Diane, smiling.

“We didn’t quite understand why you would have anything to do with a crime investigation. Frankly, I thought you and the gentleman with you were frauds. I thought you had lied to me.”

“Didn’t you look up the name of my osteology lab-the one on the card?” said Diane.

“We didn’t think of it. When we found you, we thought that was it; we had found you out. None of us know very much about computers, really. I know everyone does these days, but we don’t. Wendy used Marsha’s husband’s computer. She knew how to use Google. I always thought it was simply a very large number,” she said.

Diane smiled. “I take it you don’t follow the stock market either,” said Diane.

“No,” she said, and almost smiled. “I was amazed at all the information on your Web site. All the things about the museum. Wendy found the museum board of directors and discovered that both her husband and father-in-law, Everett, were on a couple of charity boards with two of the members. Wendy will make good on her threat to have them make calls about you. Her father-in-law is a type A personality, if you know what I mean. He’ll pressure the board members to do something about you if Wendy asks him.”

“Wendy will be sorely disappointed,” said Diane. “It isn’t a governing board. It’s an advisory board.”

“Oh, she will be disappointed,” said Kathy.

“Tell me, why is Wendy so involved in Marsha’s life?” asked Diane.

“Same reason I am. We are neighbors and friends. We go to the same church. We got caught up in trying to help Marsha with her grieving process and were kind of pulled into it. Over the years it became our life. It’s not this bad all the time. We go though long periods of normal. Then something happens and Marsha will start drinking. It’s gotten a lot worse since Stacy Dance spoke to her. And when you and that man-Kingsley-came into our lives and that newspaper article came out.”

“I’m sorry our visit had that effect,” said Diane. “Has Marsha been to grief counseling?”

“Yes. It hasn’t worked-or it will work for a while until something happens,” said Kathy.

“What triggers her relapses?” asked Diane.

“Lots of things. My husband’s cancer and death were one thing. Wendy’s husband is head of the oncology department at the hospital, so all of them were there for us during the process. When Samantha reached the same age Ellie Rose was when she died, it set Marsha off. As I said, Stacy’s visit upset her. Sometimes a report in the news about some teenage girl who died would be enough to upset her again.”

“You said they think you are here to talk me into recanting my findings. Why do they think that?” asked Diane.

“When we went outside to get in the car, I commented that maybe if we had been friendlier we might have gotten somewhere. Marsha turned on me and started to yell. She’s been doing that more frequently. It made me mad and I almost told her that maybe I would be the one to recant my story. I came that close.” Kathy stopped and took a deep breath.

“I wouldn’t,” she continued. “I saw what I saw. But I was so angry that she’d turn on me after everything. I made up my mind I wasn’t going to ride back with them. I have a friend here in Rosewood, and I can spend the night with her and we can go shopping together tomorrow.” Kathy wrapped her jacket closer to her as if she were cold.

“Wendy said she thought I was right,” Kathy continued, “and if I came in to speak with you alone, I might get somewhere, or at least find out what you were really up to. I agreed. I just wanted to get away from them. Wendy is real good with Marsha. I’m not. Marsha agreed that it might be a good idea too, and she apologized to me for the things she said. But, you know, I’m tired. I’m tired of living in her world.”

“What will you tell them?” said Diane.

“I’ll tell them about your qualifications-about the human rights work,” she said. “And that you said again that you aren’t trying to get Ryan Dance out of prison. That’s what Marsha is really concerned about.”

“I’ll repeat, just for clarity, the finding that Stacy Dance was murdered is not in any way related to Ryan Dance. Suspicious circumstances aren’t proof of anything. Even if you were to recant your story about seeing Ryan Dance that day, it would have no effect on his status. There was too much physical evidence implicating him.”

“But sometimes evidence is thrown out. People get released, even though everyone knows they are guilty,” said Kathy.

“Very rarely,” said Diane. “I haven’t read the transcripts of the trial and I’m not a lawyer, but from what I understand, the police had probable cause to search Ryan’s car, even without your testimony, so the incriminating evidence that convicted him would have been found anyway. The only way I can see him getting out of prison is if he really is innocent and the police happen to find indisputable evidence that identifies the real guilty party. I don’t see that happening. If Marsha needs comforting on that point, have her talk to the district attorney or a defense lawyer. I’ll bet you have one in the neighborhood.”

Kathy gave Diane a faint smile and nodded. “That’s what I’ll tell them.”

She gathered herself together and stood. Diane stood with her.

“But you do seem to know about Ryan Dance’s case,” she said.

“A little. But not for any other purpose than to understand where Stacy Dance was coming from,” said Diane. “Much like Marsha’s obsession, Stacy had her own obsession involving Ellie Rose’s death and her brother’s conviction. Something Stacy did may have gotten her killed, but it may be coincidental to her investigation. We just don’t know.”

Kathy Nicholson nodded and Diane walked her through Andie’s office to the door and let her out. The woman had been forthcoming, but Diane was suspicious of her as much as she was of Diane. What if the three of them had killed Stacy? she thought. What if she and Wendy had been so sucked into Marsha’s world that they had formed a kind of vigilante cabal? The thought made Diane shiver. Other than the profound sadness, the three of them looked so normal.