glared at Chesterfield. “You killed her, you bastard. You already got away with two murders, but you’re not going to get away with murdering my mother.”
Easley stepped between Iris and Chesterfield. “There is no evidence indicating that your mother was murdered, Dr. Hitchens.”
Iris turned on the detective. “This man poisoned two people. He’s a killer. He’s after Mother’s money, and murdering her is the quickest way to get it. I demand that you arrest him.”
“I’m not arresting anyone until I have proof that a crime was committed, and I can’t do that without evidence. Now, I’m going to ask you to calm down or I’ll have to ask you to leave. Do you understand me?”
Andrew put a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “He’s right, Iris. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
Iris turned on her brother. “Grow some balls, Andrew. Lord Robert is a gold-digging leech, and I’m not going to let him get away with this.”
“Iris,” Chesterfield said, his tone conciliatory, “I begged Lily to stay inside because of the storm, but she insisted on going for a walk. You’ve seen how strong the wind is. It’s very possible she lost her balance and fell.
“And there’s another possibility. Your mother has been very depressed lately, and she’s been taking antidepressants. I don’t want to think that she took her life, but…”
Iris’s eyes went wide and she leaped at Chesterfield. He didn’t try to defend himself, and her nails left blood trails on his cheeks before Easley could restrain her.
“You’ve just committed an assault,” Easley said. “If Mr. Chesterfield presses charges, I can arrest you.”
“No, no,” Chesterfield said, his tone magnanimous. “Iris is overwrought. I forgive her. It is her mother, after all. I would like her to leave, though. This is my house, and I’m upset enough without having to worry about being attacked.”
“You bastard,” Iris said. “You won’t get away with this.”
“We should leave, Iris,” Andrew said.
Iris glared at Andrew. Then she shook off Easley’s hands and stomped outside. Andrew followed her.
When the door opened, Easley could see that the storm had abated. “It looks like we might be able to start a recovery operation, so I’m going back to supervise. I suggest you stay here, Mr. Chesterfield. I’ll want to talk to you as soon as we bring your wife up.”
“I’ll be here,” Chesterfield assured him.
When the detective was out of earshot, Regina turned to her client. “That was nicely done,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You played Lily’s daughter like a fiddle so you could get rid of her.”
Chesterfield arched an eyebrow and flashed an innocent smile. “Did I? Really, I meant no harm, but I thought Iris and Andrew should know that suicide was a possibility. Lily has been terribly sad lately.”
“I’m going to wait until the body is brought up. You can identify it. Other than that, I don’t want you talking to Easley or anyone else. Got it?”
“You’re the boss.”
“I also want you to understand that your retainer for my representation in the Randall and Gentry cases does not cover my involvement in this case. If you want me to be your attorney, we’ll have to make a new financial arrangement.”
Chesterfield smiled once again. “That won’t be a problem, Regina. If the corpse at the bottom of the cliff is Lily, I am going to be a very rich man. Soon after you won my case, Lily made a new will, leaving everything to me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The rays of a warm spring sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows in Robert Chesterfield’s bedroom and woke him from his carefree slumber. Chesterfield smiled as he stretched his arms. One reason for his smile was the fact that his hands no longer had to touch Lily Dowd’s disgusting flesh. The absence of that dim-witted cow from his life elated Chesterfield. Touching her, mooning over her, and having sex with her had been made bearable only when he was thinking about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Chesterfield got out of bed and walked to a window that looked out on the Pacific. The sea was calm today, and puffy white clouds drifted across a bright blue sky. If only his boyhood mates from the slums of Manchester could see him now. The only flies in the ointment were the Bobbsey Twins, who were contesting the will he had talked Lily into writing. He loved watching them fume and rage whenever they were in his presence. Chesterfield had hired the best