Born To Be Wild

NINE

Jack didn’t drive back to the Maynard house on Westview but directly to Marci’s parents’ house. Milo and Olivia Hildebrand had come to get her not ten minutes after Jack had arrived at the crime scene that morning. Jason Maynard’s parents lived across the country in Hartford, Connecticut, and Jack had hated to make that call. They’d be arriving tomorrow.

Milo Hildebrand, the owner of a local insurance company, savvy and well-off, seemingly sane and balanced, answered the door. “Hi, Jack, come on in. I think Marci’s sleeping; our doctor gave her a sedative. Let me check.”

“No problem, Milo. I need to speak to you and Mrs. Hildebrand in any case. Now is fine.”

Olivia Hildebrand, looking thin and pale, sat on a high-backed chair in the antique-filled living room, her knees pressed together, her hands locked around them, wearing some sort of designer knit thing. She looked up when he came into the living room, then immediately back down again. He didn’t know her well, only by sight, really. He knew Milo because he bought insurance from him.

“Mrs. Hildebrand,” he said and walked to her, stretching out his hand to her. She was forced to let go of her knees. She shook his hand, her own hand limp, and said in a thread of a voice, “Please sit down, Chief. Would you like some coffee?”

Jack would very much have liked some coffee, but looking at those dull eyes and paper-white skin, he shook his head. “No, thank you, Mrs. Hildebrand, I’m fine. I’m very sorry to bother you but I need your help.”

“Hello, Chief Wolf.”

Jack looked up to see Patricia Bigelow walk into the living room.

“Patricia,” he said, nodding. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s our lawyer, Jack,” Milo said. “I called her right after we brought Marci here. She will see to it that we’re all legally protected.”

“Your choice,” Jack said, nodding to her, but he wasn’t happy about this. He could only hope she wouldn’t interfere with his questioning to impress her clients. Pat Bigelow had been in Goddard Bay a bit longer than he. She was a good criminal attorney, and according to John, a thorn in his side more than once. She was known to take no prisoners. She charged the moon, but her clients seemed to think she was worth it. She was able to hide all her toughness and her hard edges well. She was nice looking really, actually appeared more suited to hosting garden parties than defending crooks. She had soft blond hair, cut short, lovely sharp features, and long legs that she showed off, particularly in front of male-heavy juries.

“Don’t worry, Chief, I have no intention of trying to hinder any legitimate fact-finding. I just don’t want to see any sort of intimidation. Are we clear?”

Milo waved him to a chair, and said to his wife, his voice soft and easy, “He’s here to speak to us, and to Marci, Livie. It’s his job. He’s got to find out who killed Jason.”

“Well, he can’t see Marci! She’s ill, in shock, really-”

There was a flash of impatience in Milo ’s dark eyes, just as quickly gone, and he kept his voice soft. “Jack knows she’s asleep. He also knows she’s torn up about this mess. The chief isn’t going to do anything to hurt her.”

Olivia Hildebrand didn’t move, nodded slightly, and turned her eyes to Jack’s face. “It’s not just a mess, Chief. Jason is dead. That’s much more than a mess.”

Jack nodded. “Yes, it is. Can you please tell me when you last saw Jason Maynard?”

Milo said, “As you know, Jack, Jason worked for me, so the last time I saw him was yesterday afternoon when he left the office for the day.”

“And you, Mrs. Hildebrand?”

“At dinner last Tuesday night. They always come to dinner on Tuesday nights. I served spinach lasagna, Jason’s favorite dish.”

Milo Hildebrand took his wife’s hand, gently squeezed it. “Yes, yes, Livie, Jack doesn’t need the dinner menu. It was a pleasant evening, Jack, no surprises, no inkling of anything wrong with either Jason or Marci.”

Jack continued smoothly, “Mrs. Hildebrand, how did Jason seem to you Tuesday night?”

“As Milo said-” She stopped and began shaking her head. He persevered. “Think back, Mrs. Hildebrand. Was he different in any way to you? Perhaps distracted? How did he and Marci deal with each other?”

Milo opened his mouth to speak, but Jack shook his head at him, never looking away from Mrs. Hildebrand. Next time, he would get her alone. He hadn’t realized Milo was this dominant, but he wasn’t surprised. Olivia Hildebrand had spent her whole married life inside this home, completely dependent on Milo. He looked around. She’d made it a beautiful home. He’d seen stunning antiques in another home in Goddard Bay, but he couldn’t remember where at the moment.

Olivia said, tears thick in her voice, “Jason and Marci loved each other, Chief, very much. They’ve been married for nearly three years now, spoke about starting a family soon. Marci loves children, she’s always wanted twins, you know. She was a twin, but her brother died when-”

Milo heaved out a sigh. “Livie, Jack doesn’t need to know about Marci’s dead twin. Try to focus on Jason.”

She flinched as if she’d been struck, then put her head down again. She whispered, “Yes, Milo, I know. It’s just that all this-” She looked up, waved her hand helplessly, then let it fall back onto her lap. She looked over at Pat, who’d remained standing, her arms folded, looking calm but concerned.

“There’s no need to apologize, Mrs. Hildebrand,” Patricia said easily. “We all understand what you’re going through.”

Jack said, “I didn’t know Marci had a twin brother. I’m sorry to hear he died. But now I need you to come back to last Tuesday night.” He looked over at Milo, then back at his wife. “It’s not that I disbelieve Milo, it’s simply that I’ve learned over the years that mothers can sometimes pick up on unspoken feelings in their families. So think back. Did Jason seem concerned about anything? Upset? Did he speak of anyone he was having a problem with? Did you feel anything at all that didn’t seem quite right?”

“No, really, everything was fine. Even when he was quiet, he seemed content, not at all distracted or worried about anything. He laughed a lot, told several jokes-Jason could spin a joke out of every encounter he had-he was amazing, really. We had a nice visit.” She shot her husband a look and lifted her chin. “Jason loved the German chocolate cake I made. It was another favorite of his.”

Jack turned to Milo. “Jason worked for you, Milo. Did you notice anything in his behavior recently at the office?”

“Jason is-was-a good insurance agent. People liked him, trusted him. He made a good living. He seemed to get along with everyone. There are sometimes little tiffs between agents because of the competition, you understand, but nothing that could ever possibly lead to something like this.” Milo had known what he was going to say, Jack thought, he’d obviously thought about it, rehearsed his answer. Was he hiding anything? Protecting someone? Maybe his daughter, afraid that somehow, she was involved. Jack understood that. His father, he knew, would probably have the same instincts toward him. But would he protect him if he feared Jack had murdered somebody?

“Jason came to work for you after his marriage to your daughter?”

“Yes. I offered him a job. He’d been working for the First Independent Bank and wasn’t happy. We discussed it and he seemed pleased. He never complained. No reason to, since he made a very nice living. He was suited to it, a natural salesman. Livie’s right about the jokes. I never could figure out where he got them all.”

“Were there any problems between Marci and Jason?”

Milo said, “Certainly not! They were practically newlyweds.”

Jack smiled at Milo, said he was parched, and asked him for some coffee. It was obvious to Jack that Milo didn’t want to leave him alone with Mrs. Hildebrand, but he really had no choice. He raised an eyebrow to Pat Bigelow. She smiled at him, nodded, and he finally left the living room. She transferred her smile to Jack, to let him know he couldn’t browbeat Mrs. Hildebrand. Jack motioned for Mrs. Hildebrand to keep seated. When Milo ’s footsteps receded down the hallway, he said, “I know this is very difficult, Mrs. Hildebrand, but I surely need your help.” He studied her face a moment, then said straight out, “Now, why don’t you tell me the truth. How were Marci and Jason really getting along?”