“Chet eventually found out.”
“A fluke,” she said. “A few months ago, he had some sort of virus, the guy was never sick, used to talk about germs being terrified of invading the sacred temple that was his body.”
She shook her head. “Anyway, he did catch something, got up in the middle of the night to take a pill, heard the side door close and went to check and saw her. She didn’t knock on Trevor’s door, but she went to the side of Trevor’s house and smoked a cigarette and came back. Maybe she sensed she was being watched, or maybe she just wanted to smoke. And yes, I know it’s a terrible habit and no, I have no idea how she started and yes, I’ve tried to talk to her. You choose your battles.”
Her shoulders slumped.
I said, “Does Trevor smoke?”
“Are you asking if he’s a bad influence? No, Doctor. He used to but he hasn’t for years.”
“So Chet spotted her.”
“And got all worked up and I convinced him it was no big deal, kids do that. I thought I’d calmed him down but turns out when he was home he kept an eye out and he saw her go out again. Did he do the logical thing and tell me? No, he kept it to himself and did nothing. Which shows me he really didn’t care — he never has cared about Chelsea. He just wanted to make trouble so he called you.”
“A manipulation.”
“More like sabotage. I’d thought we’d kept our breakup civil but it got me thinking. Maybe he was setting me up as a bad mom so he could get more money, I really don’t know.”
She’d just offered me plenty of motive for murder, seemed unaware.
I said, “Did Chet ever see Chelsea actually go into Trevor’s house?”
“Thank God, no. It was the smoking he concentrated on. Even he likes a cigar now and then.”
“When did Chelsea start calling Trevor ‘Daddy’?”
“What you just saw was the first time. I was as surprised as you.”
“Trevor didn’t seem surprised.”
“Trevor’s different, Doctor. His reactions are different,” she said. The blanket explanation for Chelsea extended to her father.
I said, “How did he come to live next door?”
“Oh, God,” she said. “I feel like my whole life’s being exposed — what the heck, that was my fault. Everything seems to be.” She used the crumpled towel to dab the corners of her eyes.
“After we moved here, I was at a low ebb. Boring neighborhood, boring job, the marriage thing, I was pretty down. I don’t know what possessed me, but a year or so later, out of the clear blue, I phoned Trevor. Still had his number. Still thought about him. He was happy to hear from me. Told me he’d missed me. That got to me, Doctor. I kind of lost it and blurted out the Chelsea situation. One of those things you do but you really don’t understand.”
“Sure,” I said. “How’d Trevor react?”
“Different from what I expected. He said, ‘Really? That’s great.’ I said, ‘Trev, did you hear me?’ He said, ‘I’m a dad and I never had to change diapers. Sounds like a good deal.’ I was stunned, he thanked me for letting him know, neither of us had more to say so I hung up. I immediately decided I’d just made a huge mistake that could come back to bite me. But it didn’t. I never heard from him. A couple years later, the house next door went up for sale.”
Another poke with the towel. “It was on the market for a long time, ugly pile of bricks, those crazy cactuses. Then one day there was a Sold sign, I see the real estate agent and she tells me who my new neighbor is. I thought I’d have a stroke.”
She used the towel to wipe a clean corner of butcher block. “I kept waiting to see him. Dreading but also...” Shrug. “One day a truck was parked out front but no sign of him. Weeks went on. I used to take a two-mile run an hour after dinner, like clockwork till I hurt my meniscus. One night the kids were doing whatever and Chet was on the road, as usual. I was running back, had slowed for my wind-down, and saw him standing in front of his door. I nearly tripped and fell. My first reaction was anger. What the hell had he done, it felt so intrusive. And why hadn’t he bothered to come over and talk about it? I asked him what the hell he was thinking. He said my call had changed his life. He was tired of San Francisco and hearing from me had helped him put things in perspective.”
“About Chelsea.”
“That’s what I took it to mean and I made it clear he needed to keep his mouth shut. He swore he would. I could tell he was sincere. There’s no duplicity in Trevor, what you see is what you get.”
I said, “How’d he locate the house?”
“He looked up my address on the Internet and used real estate sites to find available properties nearby. When he found one right next door, he took it as a sign. A massive dose of karma, he called it. Seeing him unsettled me but what could I do? I reiterated that he was forbidden from saying anything to Chelsea or anyone else, he’d screw up her life and mine and I’d never forgive him. Again, he swore he wouldn’t.”
I said, “How long has he been ill?”
Her eyes slid to the right, caromed back to me, drifted again. “What do you mean?”
“He moves like a sick man.”
“Does he, Doctor?”
She took a sip of coffee, muttered, “Cold,” and pushed the mug away. “All right, no sense hiding reality. He’s got a situation. No one in his family lives past sixty, it’s a heart thing, they get congestive failure, fade away. Trevor’s fifty-nine and he’s doing okay, considering, but he’s weakening. So he tries to take life easy. Money’s not an issue for him, he’s got plenty. Could’ve lived in a huge estate with an ocean view but he chose here and has enriched Chelsea’s life. How could I not honor that?”
“And now he can beef up his karma,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“With Chet gone, he’s free to be Chelsea’s father.”
She stared at me. “Are you saying what I think you are?”
I kept silent.
She said, “You are so wrong, Dr. Delaware. Trevor would never do anything like that and I really don’t want to continue this discussion. In fact, I’d like for you to leave right now.”
“No problem,” I said. “But Trevor’s made himself a suspect and that won’t go away.”
“Ridiculous. What exactly has he done?”
“Lieutenant Sturgis has been trying to talk to him since Hargis Braun’s body was dumped in your house and he’s been stonewalling.”
“Braun has nothing to do with Trevor. If it has to do with anyone, that would be Chet, it was his space that got invaded.”
“Who do you suspect?”
“I don’t suspect anyone! All I’m saying is it could have to do with business. Chet’s outside life. Which I’m not privy to and neither is Trevor. All the years I spent with Chet and I’m a total ignoramus about what he did when he left home.”
I said, “With a homicide, a neighborhood canvass is part of the routine. Everyone else on the block cooperated. Trevor didn’t.”
“I told you he’s different. And he’s sick, needs to conserve his energy.”
I didn’t respond.
She said, “You’d have to know Trevor to understand him.”
“That’s the point, Felice. To know him, we’d have to spend time with him. He’s prevented that and the longer he holds out the worse it looks. Especially now, with Chet murdered. Neighbors have seen Chet and Trevor in a confrontation.”
She seemed genuinely surprised. “About what?”
“We don’t know yet but Chelsea’s paternity supplies a motive. Maybe Chet knew more than you thought.”
“I don’t believe that — even so, it’s not relevant, Trevor would never hurt anyone.”
I said, “Maybe the confrontation was based on chocolate.”