A Stranger on the Beach(81)

“Of course. Whatever you prefer, ma’am.”

Jess nodded at Mike, who took out a notebook and pen.

“How well did you know your neighbors?” Jess asked, to get the conversation going.

But she needn’t have worried. For someone who resisted being interviewed, once she got started, Francine Eberhardt had plenty to say.

“Her, I saw all the time. Not socially, mind you. She’s got her nose in the air, and I’m not good enough for her kind. But Jason Stark? Never. I saw his picture in the paper this morning in the article about Aidan Callahan’s arrest, and that’s the first time I ever saw his face. He was never here. I can see their driveway quite clearly from my bedroom window, so I know who comes and goes. He might have been here for that big party. I wouldn’t know, because I don’t know his car. She invited me, Caroline did. But it was just for show. I could tell she didn’t really want me there, so I didn’t go. It says something that she invited me, don’t you think? How careful she is not to offend anyone, or raise suspicion?”

“Maybe she’s polite,” Jess said.

“Hmmph. I doubt it. Caroline Stark has something to hide.”

“Okay. I’ll bite. What is she hiding?”

“She was having marriage troubles, which is obvious from the fact that the husband was never here. And, she was having an affair with Aidan Callahan.”

“Yes, ma’am, we know that. She told us herself. She’s not trying to hide that.”

“Well, then, she’s hiding something else. Those two deserve each other. Aidan’s been a devil since he was a boy.”

“You know him?” Jess said.

“Of course. His grandparents lived next door. They owned the land that the Starks’ house sits on now.”

Jess looked at Mike sharply. “Did you know that?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. It didn’t seem significant.”

“I’d say it’s significant. It could be a motive. Maybe he held a grudge against the Starks for tearing down Grandpa’s house. What do you think about that theory, Mrs. Eberhardt?”

“If that’s a motive for murder, every weekender in this town would be dead. I’m not saying Aidan wasn’t obsessed with that monstrosity next door. He’d walk by and stare at it all the time. But more like he wanted it for himself than he wished it had never been built. He broke into it, too.”

“Broke into Caroline’s house? You mean, on the night of the murder?”

“Then. And there was another night a while back that I saw him sneaking around and then the alarm went off.”

“But you definitely saw him break in on the night of the murder?”

“Yes. How many times do I have to say it?”

“I want to be clear. That is extremely important evidence. I want to make sure we understand you correctly.”

“Yes. I saw Aidan Callahan break into Caroline Stark’s house on the night of the murder.”

“What time was it that Callahan broke in, Mrs. Eberhardt?” Mike asked.

“Around six o’clock.”

“Six A.M. or P.M.?” Jess asked.

“P.M.”

“But—are you sure?” Jess said. “We put the murder as taking place in the early hours of the morning, maybe two or three A.M.”

“Put the murder wherever you like. Aidan broke in around six P.M. I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t sure. I had just looked at the clock because I wanted to wait till the last possible minute to let Bandit out before the weather made it impossible. I took him right out in front of my house and saw Aidan’s truck in her driveway. A couple of minutes later, the alarm went off.”

“Okay. Caroline did say that her alarm went off earlier in the evening, and you called her about it. But she said it was only the wind.”

“Well, you can’t believe anything she says,” Francine said, as if that were obvious.

It wasn’t obvious. Jess did believe what Caroline had told her. Francine Eberhardt obviously disliked her wealthy, beautiful neighbor enough to discredit anything she said.

“You saw Aidan’s truck, but you didn’t see Aidan?” Jess asked.

“I’m getting to that. I saw his truck, very clearly. No mistake about it. He drives this beat-up old thing, bright red, with a big dent in the door. And I saw him. But not then. A little later. Normally, you know, alarms go off and they get shut down right away. Well, hers must be defective, because it wouldn’t shut up. I called her to complain, and I said if she didn’t do something about it, we’d have trouble. She must have called the police. Because, not long after my call to her, Tommy Callahan drove up in his police cruiser.”

“Chief Callahan? Really?”

“Yes, really. My gosh, you people ask me questions, then you act like you don’t believe the answers.”

Jess and Mike exchanged glances. They both knew there was no record of Chief Callahan visiting the Stark residence that night, nor of any other Glenhampton officer doing so, for that matter. It was starting to look like Francine might not be reliable.

“I’m sorry. We’re very interested in your answers. What did Chief Callahan do when he got there?” Jess asked.

“He went inside and hauled Aidan out by the scruff of the neck. The two of them went at it. Blows were exchanged. Then they both left.”