Chapter Forty-Nine Savannah
| Forty-Nine |
Savannah
Savannah opened the restaurant door and glanced around, relieved to see that the woman wasn’t there yet.
She had intentionally arrived half an hour early so that she’d have time to compose herself.
She was seated at a corner table by the window where she had a view of the sidewalk and the front door.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the server asked.
“Diet Coke—um, actually, a glass of Malbec.”
“Coming right up.”
Moments later the server placed the glass in front of her. “Would you like to order?”
“I’m waiting for someone.”
“I’ll check back.”
Savannah lifted the glass and took a long sip.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
She took another sip of wine, then turned her phone to silent.
The restaurant door opened, and she held her breath.
A brunette wearing a camel-hair coat approached the table.
As she got closer, Savannah realized it was her.
Her eyes met Savannah’s and she quickened her step.
When she reached the table, she extended her hand.
“Hi, Savannah. I’m Isabel. Thanks for meeting me.”
Savannah shook her hand and watched her as she sat down.
Her hair was long, like in the picture, and straight and shiny.
She was very pretty and looked to be around Savannah’s age, maybe a few years older, and was dressed fashionably and expensively.
Savannah noticed the Gucci handbag and the Prada label on her coat when she removed it.
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure about coming,” Savannah said. “How did you know my name? Have you been following me?”
“I’ll explain.”
The server came back and took Isabel’s order—a vodka martini.
After the server withdrew, Isabel leaned back in her chair. “I’ve known Bennett all my life. We grew up together. His sister was my best friend. We have a”—she blew out a breath, then went on—“complicated relationship.”
Savannah was quiet, waiting for her to continue.
“I won’t go into all of it now. Over the years, I’ve been his emotional support.
Been through all the ups and downs of his many relationships, starting with his family.
” The server came back with her drink, and Isabel took a sip of her martini.
“There’ve been a succession of women in his life.
But it wasn’t until recently that I started worrying.
That maybe these women he claimed had ghosted him were actually harmed by him. ”
“I don’t understand.”
Isabel sighed. “Let me back up. He was engaged twice before he and Poppy were married. He claimed both women broke up with him by text.”
“I know all about that. He was very hurt,” Savannah said. In truth she had never discussed it with him. He knew that Marion had mentioned it to Savannah and had started to explain, but she had reminded him of their pledge to look forward, not backward. But that was none of Isabel’s business.
“Yes, I thought it was cruel, but not uncommon these days. But then Poppy died. I stayed with him for a while to help him get himself together. He seemed devastated. He promised me that he was going to focus on his writing, not get involved with anyone. While I was staying with him, a friend of hers, Henri, said some things that I dismissed at the time.”
“I met him. Worked at the Mast Café, right?”
Isabel nodded. “He told me that he didn’t believe her death was an accident. That Bennett had killed her. I didn’t believe it at first. Even when he told me that Poppy was convinced that Bennett was hiding things from her.”
“Hiding what things?”
“He still keeps his office locked, right?”
“Yes.”
“Poppy began to wonder why. One day she got inside. She called Henri and told him she was going to confront Bennett about what she’d found. He pressed her for details, but she said she needed to know if it was true before saying anything. Henri said she was very upset. And then—”
“She drowned,” Savannah finished for her. She thought of Bennett’s high school girlfriend that had been murdered.
Isabel stared into her glass for a moment. “I knew Henri and Bennett never got along, so I just attributed his accusations to that. But then Felicia called me when Bennett brought you home.”
“She called you about me?”
“She cares deeply for Bennett. But she said something that gave me pause.”
“What?”
“She was going off on a tangent about how all these women took advantage of him over the years. And how they treated her like she was their maid, leaving their stuff all over the house for her to clean up. I asked her what she meant. She said Devon, the woman he was engaged to before Poppy, had left her insulin in the medicine cabinet.”
“So?”
“I didn’t even know she was diabetic. But if she had really packed up her things and then texted a goodbye to Bennett, why would she leave her medicine?”
“What are you saying? That he killed her and forgot to get rid of her insulin?”
Isabel shrugs. “That’s not something you’d forget! Maybe it’s nothing by itself. But after what happened to Poppy and thinking about how both of the women before her just up and disappeared, it made me wonder.”
Savannah was skeptical. This was a very thin thread.
Isabel went on. “It got me thinking. So I started digging into Angela and Devon and guess what I found?”
“Tell me.”
“Their families reported them missing shortly after they left Bennett, but Bennett showed the police the texts and the engagement rings they left, so they believed him. Assumed the women had left on their own. But no one has seen either of them since.”
Savannah was flabbergasted. She started to say something about the article she’d come across about his high school girlfriend but stopped herself.
“Why haven’t you gone to the police?”
“And say what? I have no evidence. They’re not going to go after him without more proof. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t warn you.”
Savannah needed time to think. This was all too much. “What do you want from me?”
“Be careful. Do some digging while he’s away. If he forgot to get rid of the medicine, maybe he messed up in other ways too.” She pulled a piece of paper from her purse. “I wrote their full names down. Look for yourself. Both from New York. Angela from Queens and Devon from Brooklyn.”
Savannah took the paper and leaned in toward Isabel, looking into her eyes. “This is someone you’ve known your whole life. Your good friend. You honestly believe he’s a killer?”
Isabel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she stared back at Savannah, tears forming in them. “I do. God help me, I do. Do your own research. You have my number. Call me after you’ve had time to let this sink in.”
Isabel downed the rest of her drink in one swallow and got up and left.
When the server came over, Savannah went to hand her her credit card, but she shook her head. “Your friend already paid.”
Savannah replayed the conversation in her mind. Could any of this be true? Was her husband a killer? And was she next?