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“Yes.” Duncan nodded, her face somber. “She and Laney never had any luck with their love lives. Laney has suffered through three marriages with men who never really loved her the way she deserved. Nora was never married, but she’d had a couple of long-term relationships. Nothing too serious. Until last Christmas. She met someone, and oh my goodness, she was so happy.” She grimaced at the memories. “As happy as she was, she worried about getting her hopes up. She insisted this was why she didn’t want me to meet him until she was sure it would work out. I understood. She had been down that road already. She wanted to be sure this one would take before she showed him off.”
“How long did the relationship last?”
“Things were pretty good, I think, until just around Valentine’s Day. ‘Pretty good’ might be an understatement. I think Nora was very happy. It’s just hard to say anything good about that time considering what happened.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” Finley needed the lady to give her all she had. If whatever had happened to Nora was somehow relevant to the Winthrop case, then maybe Marsh had been telling some element of the truth.
“He just disappeared one day. Worse, the bastard had drained her bank account. He’d stolen the jewelry my mother and I had passed down to her. Nora was devastated.”
This was sounding far too familiar. “Did you know his name or what he looked like?”
Duncan shook her head. “Ned. That’s all she told me. Ned this and Ned that. I never met him. Honestly, it all happened so fast there really wasn’t time to bring him around to see her old mom, and once he was gone, she refused to speak of him. But her depression worsened as the weeks went by. I tried to get her to go away with me and Laney. We could have taken a cruise. Just anything to get away. Nora refused. I urged her to seek counseling. She did do that, but she’d waited toolong, I guess. She’d gotten a prescription for her anxiety during the whole mess; she ended up taking too much and never waking up again.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, and Finley felt horrible for having caused the fresh pain.
“I am so sorry for your loss, Ms.Duncan. Did you or Nora go to the police about the missing money?”
Duncan shook her head adamantly. “Nora didn’t want anyone to know. The only ones who know what happened are Laney and me. And Ellen, of course. Ellen was fit to be tied, I tell you. She promised to find the man and see that he paid for what he’d done to my daughter.”
What an intriguing promise—one that prompted an even more interesting thought. “Did you know Ellen’s husband?”
“I met him at their wedding.” Duncan shook her head. “Such a tragedy. Ellen was so in love with him, and he seemed like such a nice young man.”
Since Duncan hadn’t seen the man who devastated her daughter, the fact that she hadn’t recognized Grady was irrelevant. The idea that he was this Ned was a reach but one Finley couldn’t ignore.
“It’s not too late to go to the police about your daughter,” Finley offered.
Duncan smiled sadly. “Nora is gone. I can’t go through that again. If Ellen can’t find him, I just hope karma will take care of whoever was responsible for Nora’s unhappiness.”
In Finley’s experience karma wasn’t entirely reliable.
Finley opted to take a final stab at confirming Marsh’s story. “Nora and Ellen got along well? Never any trouble between the two of them?”
The older woman looked put out by the question. “Certainly not. Nora and Laney treated Ellen like the little sister they never had. Nora adored her, as does Laney. Why would you ask such a thing?”
“I’m sorry,” Finley assured her. “I meant no harm, but as I explained, it’s important that we cover all the bases.”
This visit would no doubt be related to Ellen as soon as Finley left. An attempt at smoothing the woman’s ruffled feathers would be in Finley’s best interest. With that in mind, she reiterated, “My job is to do all in my power to protect Ellen.”
The woman visibly calmed. “I suppose I can see how you might need to ask these sorts of questions. But you can take it from me, Ms.Finnegan—Ellen Winthrop is one of the finest people you will ever meet despite the horrors of her childhood. An angel, that’s what I would call her.”
“Her mother died when she was very young,” Finley said with a nod. Other than that she’d been poor and had a crappy father, this was about the extent of what Finley knew about Winthrop’s childhood. “How sad for a little girl.”
“The worst of it,” Duncan said with a slow shake of her head, “was that she had no one left except her father. The man was a devil, let me tell you. I don’t know how she survived his abuse.”
Pettit had mentioned the abusive father. Finley thought of the strong woman Winthrop had become. “I’m sure those awful days were part of what made her the strong woman she is today.” Cliché at best. Anyone who would abuse a child should die screaming in Finley’s opinion. “Did her father live to see her great success?”
“No, he died when she was very young.” Duncan’s expression hardened. “God forgive me for saying so, but he should have been taken long before that. In the end, though, he got what he deserved, and it was a lucky break for poor Ellen.”
“Heart attack?” Finley asked, prodding for more.
The older woman shook her head. “Some sort of accident. I don’t recall the details. Laney took Ellen in after his death. Raised her as if she’d been her own child.”
Winthrop hadn’t mentioned that aspect of her relationship with Pettit. The history between the two was long and deep. Though Finley had no proof, the connection between Winthrop, Pettit, and Duncanfelt suddenly important. Maybe more important than even this grieving mother knew.
“Thank you, Ms.Duncan. I appreciate your time.” Finley took a card from her bag and passed it to the lady. “Please call me if you think of anything else or if you ever need any legal help. We’re good people at the Finnegan Firm.”
“The only thing I ask is that you take good care of our dear Ellen.”
