Prologue

An agonized whimper tore from Celle Marrow’s throat as she looked in anguish at the darkening gaze her sister, Marcy, threw in her direction when she neared her mother’s casket.  No words were exchanged, but if looks could kill, her sister just eradicated her. Celle touched her mother’s chalky face as she gazed down at her still body with moist eyes. She stepped back to take her seat in the front row, straightened her shoulders with a touch of militancy while her hands smoothed the delicate black folds of her dress. Her silky blonde hair hung over her shoulders loosely. She looked up at her sister and noticed Marcy was wearing her mother’s favorite black dress. It fit her tightly around the bosom and was cut low enough to show off her firm breast, as well as her tiny waist. She was taller than Celle and beautiful. If the two were standing near one another, one wouldn’t know they were sisters because while Celle had blonde hair, Marcy had auburn hair that shined like a new penny. It was common knowledge that Celle wasn’t as beautiful as her sister, but her father often told her, you’re beautiful in your own right Celle. She knew exactly what her father was referring to, but even so, she was never jealous of Marcy’s looks or her popularity. Her interest was deeper than Marcy’s and although she enjoyed dressing and looking fashionable, her biggest desire was traveling the world learning about different cultures and volunteering her services to those in dire need of her medical expertise.

     Over a year ago she had taken a five year sabbatical from Santa Barbara General Hospital in order to satisfy her desire, and that’s where she was, in Africa, when her father called to break the ghastly news about her mother.

     Celle was in such cavernous thoughts that she hadn’t noticed when her father sat down beside her; only when he tapped her on the shoulder was she able to come out of her trance and turn to him. “Oh Father…hi.”
“I have a new investigator working on the details of the poisoning honey. He may find something we can use.” Celle looked unconvinced, and her father, Jonas, could hardly blame her. “If we can’t find any more information then we’ll find someone else.”

     “You’re reaching for straws Father. We both know who poisoned mother, but you won’t…”

     “Celle I don’t want to hear another word about your sister. Do you hear me? I don’t know why you think she’s involved, but you’re wrong Celle; dead wrong.”

     Celle hesitated and then shrugged. “Okay Father, I’ll try not to mention it again, but why would mother change her will so suddenly? I mean father…look at the whole situation - she had you as her beneficiary and then out of the blue she put Marcy’s name in your place and then removes me completely out of her will. Something is badly wrong Father, and I think you know it too.”  
     Jonas started to protest but restrained himself. He quickly stood up, leaned down and whispered in Celle’s ear before walking over to his wife’s casket. “You don’t give up for a minute do you Celle? You knew weeks before she died that she was going to divorce me. Now isn’t that bit of information good enough for you? No, I don’t think so because you just want to blame your sister.”

     Celle clutched on to her father’s jacket and whispered, “Then why would she have taken my name off her will Father? Do you have a good answer to that question? I don’t think so.”

     Jonas removed Celle’s hand from his jacket, and then looked back at her in bewilderment as he turned and moved over to the casket. She had never seen her father look so insecure and
befuddled.

 Chapter One

 Jonas’ face clouded with dread. “No!”

     “If you weren’t with Marcy the night Bernice gasped for her last breath, then where was she? If I recall correctly, she told Detective Roberts she was having dinner with you that night,” uttered Detective Star.

     Jonas nervously picked up his glass, threw back his head and let the liquid slide down his throat and then winced at the sharp sting. “Detective Roberts must have gotten the information incorrectly because Marcy told me she was with her mother all day except when she stepped out to go to the market, and then on her way home she was stuck in traffic because of a bad accident on the freeway. She said she was held up for three hours or more.”

     The detective slowly nodded, “So what you’re trying to tell me Jonas is that during those three hours someone came in and gave your wife poison?”

Jonas lifted a brow. “No, Detective, I’m only telling you what Marcy conveyed to me. That’s all. The other revelation is your own postulation.”

     Detective Star lifted his glass and said, “Okay Jonas, have it your way. I guess that’s all I need from you at this time. Thanks for coming. Meanwhile don’t leave town.”

     Jonas got up and hurried out the door. The detective hesitated a moment before quickly scribbling down the information Jonas offered, then closed his note pad, stood up, and once on his feet he saw Jonas approaching out of the corner of his eye. “Yes Jonas?”

     Jonas stood before the detective vulnerable as a child with grave wariness painted across his face. “Detective I forgot to mention that my daughter didn’t go into her mother’s room for another couple hours. You see, she was having a guest over that night, and prepared dinner before going up to see Bernice, and when she did, she saw a wine glass shoved under the bed. She reached in and pulled it out, placed it on the night table, and proceeded to wake her mother. But Bernice didn’t move, so she called the doctor and after he arrived that’s when she found out that Bernice had been poisoned and was dead.”

     Detective Star looked Jonas straight in the eye and asked, “Was it always customary for Marcy to awaken her mother when checking in on her? If so, why would she?”

     Jonas looked down while trying to ponder over the Detective’s question, then looked up and said, “I don’t know Detective. I don’t know. Perhaps she was preparing to leave for the night. I don’t know.” He felt a tingle of heat racing through his body and hurriedly lifted his gaze back to the detective’s face. What had just happened was frightening so Jonas excused himself and left the restaurant.

Detective Star lingered a while longer in his unwavering position while watching Jonas walk to his car with heavy shoulders. He knew Jonas was hiding something, but what he didn’t know, however he did know he’d get to the bottom of it sooner or later. Up until this morning he hadn’t suspected Jonas of any wrong doing, but just this morning he overheard another detective telling the captain that Jonas’ wife was divorcing him, and that Jonas acted mighty strange during their meeting. He’d have to find out what attorney that Bernice went to for her divorce; perhaps it was in those papers that he had taken out of her desk for information he might need at a later time and this was one of those times he figured he might need them. He straightened his back, picked up his briefcase then waved to the waitress as he stepped out into the cool evening air, and shortly after nearing his car, he noticed a note taped to the driver’s window. He jerked it off, jumped into his car and opened the note.

     I can’t divulge my name, but thought

     you should know that I saw who went

      into Bernice’s house the night she was     

     murdered. The person entered, used a

       key shortly after Marcy exited. I stayed

     around to see if the person would exit,

     but never saw him leave. Several hours

later, Marcy came back.

One who knows