Chapter Eight – The Arrest and the Accident
"Pregnant," said Stillman thoughtfully. "Well, that gives us at least a motive."
Lilly did not reply. She understood Stillman's train of thought, but she still had her doubts.
"What kind of motive do you mean, boss?" she asked after a short pause.
Stillman looked at her. "I can see that you don't agree with me, Rush," he said. "You and your partner have a different suspicion, isn't that correct?"
"I only know that everyone told us we were barking up the wrong tree as soon as we mentioned James Jarvis," Lilly responded. "And considering everything we've learned about him, I can't say that this new information supports in any way the theory that he murdered her."
"Although he has a motive now?"
"This motive is no motive for him," Lilly contradicted. "James Jarvis was the daredevil; he wouldn't have minded to have a child. And it just doesn't match his profile to chicken out."
"And his family? He could have killed her to avoid a scandal, even though he himself had no problem with it."
"You say it, he had no problem with it. And besides, let's assume he killed her and thus got rid of this problem - why did he leave, then? He had no reason."
"Guilty conscience?" Nick offered.
"Again, that doesn't match his profile. And besides, I don't think that this would have been such a big scandal. Think, Nick. The whole community already knew about his affair with Natalya; a child wouldn't have come much as a surprise. And Jamie knew that everyone knew. Why should he suddenly become scrupulous? A child would have been just the next stage. His family would have managed. And why should he be afraid of a scandal? Don't forget that hardly anyone met the Outer Four. The people of Deansville hardly ever thought of them. You only gossip about those you are interested in, so who would even have heard of this so-called scandal? Don't you see that it just doesn't make any sense?"
"There must be some other explanation," said Chris. He looked at Lilly, and she returned the glance. Chris nodded slightly, and Lilly cleared her throat.
"Here's our theory," she said. "First let's just look at the plain facts. We have a housemaid who was pregnant when she died. We have Sunday McLaren's statement that she saw Natalya and Jamie in the barn in a pretty obvious situation. We know that someone killed Natalya, buried her and then hid the Jarvis's car in order to make it look as if Natalya had stolen it and run off. The same person also stole some money out of Diane Jarvis's emergency box about which, as he or she knew, Natalya was informed, because she did some of the shopping. A few days later, the car was probably taken to Philly, where the street gangs took care of it. Furthermore, we know that Jamie changed after this incident, that he withdrew from the others and especially Gabriel, his little brother - whom, as everyone confirmed, he loved dearly.
"True, the first conclusion we can draw is the theory that Jamie was the killer. But Chris and I took something else into consideration. Let me give you some additional information: Jamie and Gabriel were similar in many ways. People sometimes even mistook them for twins. And I'd like you to listen to Sunday's statement once again."
Lilly produced a small tape recorder and put it on the table. "I taped everyone's statements," she explained. "I didn't tell them, but I never planned to use it in court. It was just so that I could go through the statements again and again. As you'll see now, it was very useful." She pressed PLAY, and Sunday McLaren's voice resounded from the device: "I first recognized Natalya's voice, and then a man said something, and I knew it was Jamie. After all, it's not that I hadn't heard the rumor before. I didn't want to look at them, but in the end I did. I peered around the corner, and there they were. Jamie had turned his back on me and was busy kissing Natalya."
Lilly stopped the tape and looked at Nick and Stillman. "Have you heard that?" she asked. "Sunday didn't actually see Jamie's face; she only saw the back of a man who looked like Jamie, and she heard his voice. Now we know from Alex Jarvis's statement that Jamie and Gabriel sound so similar that Jamie even managed to pretend he was Gabriel, although the person he called knew the real Gabriel. Furthermore, we know that Sunday had a huge crush on Jamie, and that she was secretly fearing she would see Jamie, even before she actually had a look at the two persons. All of these facts together lead to another conclusion: what if it was actually Gabriel Jarvis, and not Jamie, who had the affair with Natalya?"
Lilly paused to give Nick and Stillman some time to digest the information. Stillman was the first to speak.
"But that's absurd," he said. "You said it often enough: everyone knew about Jamie and Natalya."
"Everyone thought they knew," Lilly corrected. "The only one who ever saw the couple was Sunday, and she didn't see his face. It is very well possible that she was mixing up the brothers, especially in her situation."
"But why didn't Jamie deny the rumor?" Nick asked. "He must have known how his neighbors were gossiping about him."
"Yes, exactly," Lilly said. "That's what Jamie was aiming at. You must consider Jamie's character. He always protected his little brother. Diane told us that Jamie always took the blame, even if Gabriel had done something wrong. This was nothing else. Gabriel was the 'good son'; he was practically engaged to Jordan Donahue. The hopes of two families would have been shattered if the affair had been discovered. But Jamie could afford it. He didn't have a girlfriend, and he was more the kind of guy who would start an affair with a Russian housemaid. And, as you see, the brothers' strategy worked. Everyone thought it was Jamie, and Jamie didn't do anything to stop the rumor. He even supported it secretly. This way, no one paid attention to Gabriel.
"Now I suppose that Gabriel never meant to marry Natalya. He just wanted to have some fun and then return to Jordan, whom he actually loved. But his plans were spoiled when Natalya told him she was pregnant. Gabriel's future was suddenly endangered. So he killed her, and no one suspected anything.
"No one, apart from Jamie. Diane told us that Gabriel always first went to Jamie when he had a problem. I suppose he told his brother that Natalya was pregnant, and when she suddenly disappeared, Jamie knew that his little brother had something to do with it. And therefore he withdrew from him. He tried to go on living as if nothing had happened, but it didn't work out. Jamie couldn't bear to see his brother every day, and knowing that he had done something to Natalya. And therefore he decided to leave, to cut all connections, and to begin a new life somwhere else."
"And Gabriel married his Jordan and everything ended well," said Chris. "And if Skyline, Ltd. hadn't decided to build on the meadow, his crime would never have been discovered."
"But how do you know that it wasn't Jamie who killed Natalya for his brother?" Nick asked. "If he did everything else for him, why not this?"
"Because Jamie would certainly have found another solution," said Lilly. "Graham said Jamie would never plan and encompass the death of another person, and I tend to believe him. Jamie was a little wild, and as we have seen, a little unconventional, but at the same time he was good-natured and intelligent. He would certainly have found a better solution than brutal murder."
"And besides, it's very well possible that he has an alibi," said Chris casually.
"What?" Nick and Stillman said simultaneously.
""Yes," Lilly said with a smile. "Chris told me yesterday on the phone. Now I finally know why he asked Diane about her sleeping habits."
"Diane told us that she went to bed at ten that evening," Chris began, "and that this was half an hour earlier than her usual bed-time, which was ten-thirty. She also said that she heard Jamie and Dylan come back when she was already falling asleep. That means the boys must have returned at about ten-fifteen, since Diane doesn't need much time to fall asleep. And then, when she was aleady half asleep, she heard a car leave, and she immediately thought it was Jamie. On the next day she learned that Natalya had run away with their car, and then she thought of course that she had heard the other car, not the one Jamie returned with.
"But does that make any sense? Natalya knew about Diane's sleeping habits; surely she wouldn't have snuck out of the house when she wasn't sure if Diane was already asleep. She would have waited until it was safe that no one woke up – two or three in the morning, probably, but not a quarter past ten. And the same goes for Gabriel, of course. No matter how I looked at it, it was illogical. The car that Diane heard can't have been the Jarvis's car.
"But which other car was there? Dylan's, of course, the one the boys had just arrived with. And suddely Diane's statement made sense. She heard a car arrive, heard the boys outside, and then, some time later, she heard the same car leave once again. Why did she immediately think it was Jamie and not Dylan, who was the owner of the car? There's just one answer: she heard Jamie arrive, but she never heard him enter the house. And although she was too tired to really realize this, the thought that went through her head was, 'Where does Jamie go now?' But then she fell asleep, and on the next day she heard Natalya's story, and she thought she had been mistaken last night. Jamie was here and Natalya was gone, so she must have been mixing up things in her drowsiness.
"But when we have a closer look, we soon notice that Diane's version has logical gaps, and that her first impression was correct: Jamie did leave once again. And what we've got to find out now is: where did he go?"
Chris stopped and looked at his colleagues. "This is an account of the events as Lilly and I think it really happened," he said.
"Well," said Stillman after a short pause, "this sounds indeed logical. I must admit, I'm impressed. After all, there was no physical evidence left anywhere. You had to rely completely on the statements of the suspects."
"Well, sir, this is what working on the cold cases means," Lilly said as modestly as she could, although she could not quite hide her pride. "And, of course, this is the result of ideal teamwork." She smiled at Chris. "I can't say it often enough: Chris Lassing is the best partner I ever had."
Chris blushed and murmured something, and Stillman's smile faded.
"Well, Detective, I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Then why don't you and your fantastic partner go and arrest the perp? What are you waiting for?"
"The warrant of arrest," said Lilly.
XXX
"What do you mean?" Jordan looked from Lilly to Chris. She seemed calm, but her gaze was unsteady, flickering between the two detectives.
"I'm sorry, Jordan," said Lilly. "We have enough circumstancial evidence to arrest your husband. "
"There must be a mistake," Jordan protested. "That can't be. Gabe would never… never would Gabe…"
"Please, Mrs. Jarvis, let us pass," Chris cut in. "Don't obstruct the police, or this is going to be much nastier than it already is."
Jordan clearly did not know what to do. Eventually, she gave in and stepped aside. The two uniformed police officers who had come with Lilly and Chris passed her antered the house. Chris followed while Lilly remained with Jordan.
"Look, Jordan, we've got to do this," she said. "Your husband will be taken to the police station, and we will interrogate him. You must understand that there are some leads that speak against Gabriel. But I assure you that we'll handle everything with great care. If he's innocent, then we'll know, and he'll return to you as soon as possible. But if he's not…" Lilly trailed off and fell silent. She could hear Chris reading Gabriel his rights, and a moment later, the two officers emerged with Gabriel between them. He was cuffed, but he was walking with his head held high.
"Gabe!" Jordan cried. The look in her eyes was sheer panic, which startled Lilly. Jordan had always seemed to be in control of her feelings. But now, with her husband being arrested before her eyes, her composure was starting to collapse.
Gabriel stopped in front of his wife and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Jordan," he said. "But don't you worry. Everything's gonna be alright. I didn't do anything, and the police is going to find that out. This is just a misunderstanding." He turned and glanced at Lilly. "It is a misunderstanding, Detective Rush," he said. "You're arresting the wrong person." He turned back to Jordan. "I love you," he said, bent to her and kissed her.
Jordan stared after him as the two officers led Gabriel to the squad car parked on the road. Gabriel said something to the officers, and one of them nodded. The door was opened, and Gabriel got in the car. Just before the door was closed, he remembered something, stuck his head out and called to Jordan, "Could you please call Leland and tell him what happened?"
Jordan nodded.
Gabriel leaned back in the seat, and one of the officers closed the door. Then he got in and they drove away.
Jordan sunk back against the doorpost. "This is not happening," she murmured. "This can't be happening."
Lilly swallowed. She did not know what to say. "Would you like to sit down?" she asked, a little awkwardly.
Jordan nodded and turned away from the door. She went into the living room, and Lilly followed.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked. "Would you like a coffee o a glass of water?"
"No," Jordan replied. Her voice was shaking, but her gaze was already becoming steady. "No, Detective. I don't want a glass of water. What I want is you to tell me how on earth you got this stupid idea of my husband being a murderer."
Lilly hesitated. "The investigation is officially not over," she reminded Jordan. "I'm not allowed to tell you everything."
"Then tell me something you're allowed to share." Jordan looked at Lilly. "What made you arrest Gabe?"
"Who's Leland?" Lilly asked back. "Your husband asked you to call a Leland."
Jordan winced. "Oh, yes, maybe I should do that first." She reached for the telephone. "He's a friend of Graham's," she explained while she was dialing. "He's a lawyer."
"I thought so." Lilly turned around and went once more to the two paintings hanging on the wall. She heard Jordan talk on the phone, but she did not pay attention to her words. She was again fascinated by the pictures.
J – D – G – J. Jordan Donahue and Gabriel Jarvis. And on the other one: G – J – J – D. Gabriel Jarvis and Jordan Donahue. One picture dark and somber, the other light and serene. One stormy, the other calm. A person in one, broom in the other.
Jordan had hung up the phone and now stepped beside Lilly. "You really like them, Detective, do you?" she asked.
Lilly nodded. "They're fascinating," she said. "I'm not saying this because I want to flatter you."
"I'm sure you don't," said Jordan wryly.
"I don't know anything about art," Lilly said. "When did you paint them, did you say?"
"At twenty," Jordan said. "First The Tempest-Tossed, and then…"
"Lilly?"
Lilly turned around. Chris was standing in the doorway. "I was looking for you," he said.
"Well, I'm here," said Lilly curtly. She was a little bit annoyed that Chris had interrupted her beginning conversation with Jordan.
"Graham Webster called," Chris said. "He would like to talk to us."
"I thought he retreated from the case."
"Maybe he just wants to get some things straight." Chris held the door open for his partner. "Come on, Lilly. It won't take long." He looked at Jordan. "Mrs. Jarvis, we'll come back when we've talked to the sheriff," he said. "Maybe you could pack some things for your husband? Clothes, a toothbrush, and so on? He's going to spend the night, well…"
"In jail," said Jordan bitterly. "You don't have to be so shy, Detective Lassing."
"In custody," Chris corrected. "I understand you have already informed his lawyer?"
"Yes."
"Very well then, we'll come back as soon as we can." Chris turned to go, and Lilly followed.
XXXIt turned out that Graham Webster had heard of Gabriel's arrest and wanted to know the exact circumstances. Lilly told him as much as she could without breaking the rules, and Graham nodded musingly.
"I understand," he said. "But you don't think you can base a trial on this, do you? This will never be enough to indict him. You'll have to release him from custody in forty-eight hours at the latest."
"Unless he confesses," Lilly reminded him.
Graham shook his head. "Gabe won't confess," he said. "And if you want to hear my humble opinion… I don't think he did it. I know, your theory sounds good, and I'm sure that it's true to a certain extent, but I can't believe that Gabe is so cold-blooded."
"But you don't have a better explanation, do you, Sheriff?" Lilly asked.
Graham shook his head. "No," he said. "And now I'll probably leave the office to Matt and Lucy and go home. I've got the feeling that my friends and family need me."
"Shall we give you a ride?" Lilly offered, but Graham shook his head.
"I've got my own car," he said.
So Graham took his car, and Lilly and Chris followed him back to the community. As soon as Graham had parked his car, the others came out of their houses and gathered around him. Lilly and Chris joined them, and Dylan, Sunday and the others now fired questions at them. Lilly apologized again and again for not being allowed to tell them anything, but she agreed to come over to the McLaren's house to give at least a summary of their conclusions. When they were heading for the house, Jordan stepped beside Lilly.
"I packed a few things for Gabe," she said. "Shall I give it to you?"
"Put them on the back seat," said Chris and pointed at the car. "The door's open."
Jordan nodded and went back to the car. One minute later, she joined the others in Sunday's kitchen.
Lilly and Chris answered as many questions as possible, which turned out to be quite tricky, for almost each question contained something they were not allowed to answer. Therefore they had to think thoroughly about each single answer, and when Chris finally nudged Lilly, she jumped.
"What's wrong?"
"It's past five, Lilly," Chris said. "We should go."
"Yes," said Lilly absent-mindedly.
"We'll keep you up to date about the developments," Chris said to Graham.
"Forty-eight hours," said Graham.
"We'll see." Chris bent to Lilly and touched her arm. "Come one," he said. "Let's go home."
Lilly nodded, and they left the house. When they had almost reached their car, Dylan came running out of the house.
"Your keys, Detectives!"
"Oh, thank you." Chris caught the keys that Dylan tossed towards him and opened the door. "I'm driving," he said.
When they were on their way to the highway, Lilly spoke for the first time.
"Believe it or not, Chris, I still have the feeling that we missed something," she said. "Although everything seems to be clear, all questions answered, all logical gaps closed… Something's wrong."
"Oh no, Lilly," Chris contradicted. "We solved this case, that's as good as certain. If Gabriel confesses…"
"Graham says he won't confess, and I tend to believe him." Lilly stared through the windshield. "Maybe he can't confess, because he didn't do anything…"
"Don't start all over again, Lilly," said Chris. "Just wait until we get back, maybe he has already confessed."
"Yeah, maybe." Lilly was not convinced, but she leaned back in the saet and remained silent for a while.
They reached the long, curved highway ramp, and Chris took his foot off the accelerator and onto the brake pedal. At first, Lilly did not notice anything, but then Chris muttered something under his breath and moved hastily in the driver's seat.
"What's wrong?" Lilly asked, alerted. "Hey, why don't you slow the car down?"
"Because the brakes don't work," Chris said through clenched teeth.
Lilly thought she had misheard him. "What?"
"Those fucking brakes don't work!" Chris shouted. "He stamped his foot onto the pedal, and now Lilly heard the click as it went down on the floor without any resistance. The car went on at an average speed of about forty miles per hour, and the highway was coming closer and closer.
As if someone had pressed a button, Lilly felt a wave of panic. She tried to swallow it down and think quickly instead. Surely she had learned, at some point during her training, how to deal with a car with defective brakes…
"What shall we do?" she asked, hating the shrill tone of panic in her voice.
"Adjust your seat belt and try to get a grip on something steady," Chris said, his eyes fixed on the road. His left hand was clasping the steering wheel with all his might; hit knuckles were white. With the right hand he reached for the handbrake, pulling it and releasing it once more. The car slowed down, but only a little.
"We've got to get off the road," Lilly said. "If we get on the highway, we're lost."
Chris did not answer. He concentrated on the road. Lilly noticed that he had activated the hazard warning lights.
She looked out of the window and, despite her fear, felt a little relieved: twenty yards ahead, a large field was at the side of the road, separated only by a fence. She began to guess what Chris planned.
They reached the field, and Chris turned the steering wheel. The car swerved; Chris lost control, and the front of the car bumped against the fence. Lilly tried to sink back into her seat and clasped the sides of the back. Metal shrieked. Chris pulled the handbrake again and somehow managed to regain control over the car. He tried the same maneuver for the second time. This time it worked. The car hit the fence with all its might, and the fence could not withstand. The car broke through and rolled into the field. The deep furrows were like a natural brake, and Chris pulled the handbrake again. The car was finally slowing down. Chris steered the car into a wide curve, and they finally came to a halt in the middle of a huge cloud of dust. The engine stalled.
For a moment, Lilly remained in her seat as if in trance. The whole thing had lasted only two minutes, but it had felt like an eternity. Finally she could muster the strength to loosen her seat belt and open the door. Her knees were shaking. Chris got out of the car as well, and for a moment they just looked at each other. Then Lilly went to her partner and, without speaking, took him in her arms. Chris hugged her back, and for a little while they just stood there. Then Chris spoke.
"Lilly, I think we have a problem here."