Mayhem in May

by Camilla Chafer

"It seemed Lance was escalating his thefts."

  "If this is true, he couldn't have gotten away with it!" said Caroline.

  "I suspect he would have once Artie and I were both out of the way," I said, sounding just as cross as I felt. Perhaps the board deserved this kind of shock if only so they would realize what an awful mistake they made, but my moment of satisfaction was short-lived. "I noted in the paperwork that the sale would have entered escrow a month after Artie's departure. I'm sure that would have given Lance sufficient time to convince you all to abandon the renovation plans and sell the wing. His deception might never have been discovered."

  "And if he couldn't convince us?" asked Enid.

  I remembered the ticket I saw in Lance's apartment. "Maybe he had an escape route, a Plan B?" I said, hoping Detective Logan would pick up the hint. He must have gone to Lance's apartment and noticed the ticket too, and if he didn't, he might be persuaded to inquire if Lance had any forthcoming travel plans.

  Declan scraped back his chair and jumped to his feet. He tossed the file towards me, allowing it to slide across the table, coming to a stop within my reach. "I can't listen to another word of this. You're dragging my nephew's name through the mud!"

  "Sit down!" said Detective Logan. He fixed him with a long look until Declan flopped into his chair, his chin jutting out and his mouth pressed into a tight line. "During background checks, I noted Lance had several misdemeanors on his record. Mostly thefts."

  "What?" Caroline darted a glance to Declan. He hung his head, refusing to look at anyone, and crossed his arms.

  Of course! Declan had to know! I exchanged glances with Artie, seeing the annoyance written on his face.

  "We didn't know anything about this," said George. "You knew?" he asked Declan. Declan looked away. George turned his attention back to the file, flicking through the pages before closing it and resting his laced fingers on top. "Obviously, we're mortified at this new information," he said, looking from me to Artie. "We would never have authorized the hiring of a thief if we’d known. Lance's past deeds were certainly not listed on his résumé and all of his references panned out to confirm his skills and abilities."

  "We'll need to review our hiring process," said Joe Moore, one of the other board members, and formerly a history teacher. "This can't be allowed to occur again and as much as I don't want to erase what's already happened, we do have posts to fill, both Artie's and now Lance's too."

  "All of you are fully aware that Tess should be promoted to manager," said Artie. He rested back in his chair and crossed his arms, daring anyone to defy him.

  Silence descended over the room, then the sounds of shuffling and embarrassed murmurs. As for me? I was rigid with chagrin.

  "I'd like to get a copy of this," said Detective Logan. He tapped the file.

  "Yes, of course," I replied.

  "And I'll want to talk to several of you individually," he said, rising. "Unless anyone else has something to add, I'd appreciate getting on with those interviews now while everyone is in one place."

  "Just one thing," said Caroline. "The museum isn't making money while it's closed. We realize that you have a job to do, but we need to ensure the museum's upkeep costs are met. Do you know when we can reopen?"

  "Tomorrow will be fine. My crime scene people have collected everything they need so I'm happy for you to go ahead and reopen the museum. Furthermore, you can access the rooms later today. I'm sure you'll want to audit the exhibition room too."

  "Small blessings," murmured Caroline. Privately, I agreed. Despite the bold impudence of Lance's transgressions, we had to continue normally. Once the museum reopened, that would be possible. Even if the ticket sales were slow, I knew they would pick up eventually. All I had to do was devise the kind of exhibition that people couldn't stand to miss. The residual gossip about Lance's murder should be heavily reduced by the time summer tourists were due to arrive.

  "When you're ready, I can take your statement about the thefts," said Detective Logan. "We can do it here today or down at the station. Then I can give you a report for your insurers.”

  "Oh, no," said George, surprising me by shaking his head vehemently. "No, that won't be necessary."

  "But, George, Tess's report suggests these books are worth thousands of dollars. We need to claim that money back," said Caroline.

  "Tess already said some of the books are being returned so that minimizes our losses," replied George.

  "But the others..."

  "We can't risk the museum being embarrassed like that! Word will get out that we had a thief right under our noses and not one of us did a thing to prevent it. The town will laugh at us, and the museum community? We'll never be able to borrow another artifact or participate in another collaboration again. No one will trust us with their property if we can't even protect our own," explained George. When he put it so baldly, I had to consider whether he was right. Were the stolen items collectively less valuable than the loss of our standing in the museum world?

  "There's nothing to suggest Lance stole anything that didn't already belong to the museum," I chipped in, wondering why the heck I was defending him. He caused all the problems. Then I realized I wasn't. I just wanted what was best for the museum, although George had a point. Would any of our collaborators trust us again?

  "Regardless, this will bring scandalous publicity on top of a what is currently perceived as a terrible tragedy," said George.

  "I agree. We should think of Lance's family too," said Enid, shooting a look at Lance's uncle. "We should spare them any more grief if we can."

  "I'm sure we can keep any reports between us for now. There's no need for word to spread," said Artie.

  I nodded. "Plus, the chances of us recovering any of the other stolen items are very low. But we do need to have them officially appraised, even in absentia. We should file a claim with our insurers for them. If we put the money to good use, some benefit could come out of this."

  "That's a great idea," said Artie as supportive murmurs sounded across the room.

  "The police department has no interest in spreading damaging news," said Detective Logan.

  "You can't promise that you'll contain it though?" demanded George. The two men stared at each other, then Detective Logan shook his head. "We'll discuss this amongst the board but I feel the answer is clear. We'll have to write these thefts off and eat the loss. Any investigation would be difficult for us all and there's no one to prosecute now that Lance is dead. No good can come of pursuing it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We'll let you know what we decide."

  Across the table, Lance's uncle slid a little further into his chair. As Artie and I rose, after clearly being dismissed from the board's upcoming private meeting, I wondered if George were right. I was sure Lance must have had a partner helping him. His uncle helped cover up his previous petty crimes as well as landing the job here. With Declan and George so visibly friendly, did Declan have the president's ear? Did Declan secure Lance's promotion? Could Declan be Lance’s mystery partner? If he were, and things went sour between them, could he also be the man who murdered Lance?

  Chapter Sixteen

  The board were ensconced in their ongoing meeting and Detective Logan had commandeered a spare room to continue interviewing the board members. Artie stormed off to his office, leaving Karen and me to resume the audit. By the time the board members began to filter out, some silent and unnerved, others overly chatty, we had discovered three more missing items, including one small trinket box that belonged to the last mistress of the house. I crossed my fingers and hoped that was the same box currently on its way back to the museum.

  "This is terrible," said Karen as she stared at the audit files in our hands. We sat on a faded velvet couch, off limits to visitors. It wasn't an expensive piece but the fabric was original and we didn't want to risk the daily wear and tear so it featured a small card reading, "Please do not sit" on it. Today, we ignored it. "Do you really think Lance stole all those thin
gs?"

  I pulled a face. "It looks that way. Even if he had an accomplice, he was the only one who had access."

  "How could he sleep at night?"

  I remembered his smug, unlined face. "Ironically, I'd say he slept pretty well."

  "I accidentally forgot to pay for a bag of apples at the grocery store six years ago and it still bothers me. I went back and paid the next day but the debt looms over me, a giant specter of evil from my past."

  "That's your giant specter of evil?"

  "A whole bag, Tess. A whole bag!"

  I laughed. "You will never be a criminal mastermind with that kind of attitude towards theft."

  "I guess I better keep my day job," she grinned.

  "Tess?" George called as he stepped in, scanning the room until he saw us on the couch. I braced, waiting for his recrimination for sitting on the museum's display furniture but he smiled and said, "There you are!"

  "Were you looking for me?"

  "Yes. The meeting is over, thank heavens, but I think the detective is still with Caroline. Can we speak a moment before I go?"

  "Yes, of course. Do you want to go into my office?"

  "No, let's just..." George looked around, flapping his hand at the room.

  "Excuse me," said Karen, rising tactfully. "I'll make sure everyone has everything they need as they leave." She handed me the paperwork before she hurried out. I shuffled it into a neater pile and slipped it inside the folder. I could organize it later.

  "Do you mind?" he asked, pointing to the couch.

  "Pleased to. It's a rare opportunity," I said.

  He sat gingerly, his fingertips pressing into the velvet. "Surprisingly robust. They really did know how to make things last, didn't they? Not the chipboard mass-produced furniture we have today."

  I nodded, although my house had several mass-produced items that had endured pretty well so far. Plus, affording bespoke pieces like this was far beyond my means. "How can I help you?" I asked.

  "I've been thinking over everything that happened during these last few days. It's really a terrible business. I want you to know how sorry I am."

  "Thank you," I said. "We're all very sorry about what happened to Lance."

  "No, I mean, how he treated you. Artie told me more about his suspicions about Lance and we all overheard how he spoke to you that night. It was awful. I want you to know that I was firmly behind your promotion. I think it's important to know that you have an ally here."

  "I appreciate that, George, thank you." He was right. I was glad to know I had an ally, but even better that George was in my corner all along. I didn't like to think the board unanimously agreed on Lance's promotion.

  "I think I can speak for us all when I say how shocked and appalled I am that Lance stole from the museum. Well, not just the museum. But from future generations! As custodians of this building, we should have protected it better. I want you to know you have my full support going forwards and we'll make sure this never happens again."

  "Did you reconsider filing a police report about the stolen items?"

  "It was discussed in quite animated terms but we agreed not to proceed. I know that's disappointing but with Lance, well, no longer with us, there isn't anyone to prosecute. We appreciate the trouble and time you’ve taken to track down the stolen items but I think we'll have to write off the rest and relegate it to a learning experience."

  "The insurance money could be a huge help," I started.

  "Yes, we spoke about that too; but the amount we'd gain in monetary value, we would almost certainly lose in our reputation. No one wants that. It reflects badly on the museum and everyone in it," he added, giving me an unblinking look. "As one of the public faces of the museum, we want to protect your reputation too."

  "That's thoughtful of you, but I do hope you'll reconsider. The museum doesn't deserve to lose out, nor do the visitors."

  "I'm sure none of our visitors can name a single book in our library." George laughed and patted my leg warmly. "Anyway, we're discussing the idea of encasing the bookcases in glass so no more go missing. I best leave now. I'm taking my wife to dinner and she hates it when I'm late. We'll discuss the vacant position another time," he added with a wink.

  "Before you go," I said, stopping him with a hand on his forearm as he rose.

  "Yes?"

  "I think you should know Karen and I discovered some more missing items."

  "More? That doesn't sound good. More books?"

  "No, some other artifacts. I really think we should get a proper valuation and file a report with the police."

  "How can we value something we don't have?" George shook his head and blew out a long breath. "Make a report and let me know the situation. I don't want to trouble the board any further, especially with the stink Declan Sommersby is making. More missing items doesn't change anything, and only explains the situation with the current audit. You and Karen are doing good work."

  "Thank you, sir."

  George stood and thrust his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels as he looked down at me. "There is some good news," he told me.

  "Oh?"

  "Detective Logan said we're all clear to open tomorrow. Of course, it won't actually be tomorrow because the cleaners have to do their job but you can go inside if you like. Or wait. It's up to you. The board and I suggest we officially open next week."

  "That is good news. I'll have Karen update the website and our social media."

  "I'll drop in again soon. Don't work too late, Tess." George waved as he left the room, leaving me alone on the couch. I shuffled the stack of the papers again, wondering why I felt so deflated. It just seemed wrong that Lance had stolen so many items -- and we hadn't even finished the audit! -- and there was nothing we could do about it. George was right; there wouldn't be any prosecution. Maybe he was also right that we should sweep the thefts under the antique rug and not announce them to the world.

  I couldn't help thinking that someone else was less forgiving about Lance's thefts. Surely someone else had to know about them? Lance was a downright jerk, but I couldn't think why anyone would kill him other than if they had some connection to his nefarious activities. Despite his nasty nature, Lance wasn't a stupid man. He wouldn't know which items were the most valuable to steal but he might know somebody who did, like his uncle. Plus, he would have put some distance between the stolen goods and clean money. Since I didn't find any cash in his office or apartment, was someone laundering money for him? Someone who got greedy and wanted a bigger cut or more frequent paydays? Or was someone helping Lance smuggle the items out of the museum, a measure against him getting caught? All those theories seemed plausible and there was only one man I could think of who might have the answers.

  Gathering my paperwork, I dashed to the lobby. "Is Detective Logan still here?" I asked Karen.

  She lifted her hand and pointed a finger behind me. I turned in time to see the detective stepping into the lobby. I mouthed my thanks and spun around, aiming for him.

  "I was looking for you," he said when I approached.

  "Me too. You, that is. I was looking for you."

  "Okay. Let's take it through--" He glanced around.

  "Through here," I said, guiding him through the doorway by which I just arrived. We moved across the room, beyond earshot while two more board members crossed the lobby, the sounds of their shoes on the floor reaching us. "We can talk here."

  "First, the crime scene is cleared so you can go ahead and reopen it."

  "Yes, George told me that."

  "And you have the number for a specialist cleaner if you need one."

  "I passed it onto Artie and he's arranging to schedule their services. I'm glad we can open the museum. It will be good for us all to get back to normal." I waited, sure that wasn't what Detective Logan wanted to talk to me about.

  "I wanted to follow up on a couple of things you said."

  "Of course. What can I help you with?"

  "You said only museum-o
wned artifacts were missing. Does that still seem to be the case?"

  "Yes. We've checked and accounted for everything on loan to us, except for the exhibits in the room where Lance--" I gulped "--where Lance was killed. They're all there. I still have a small number of rooms to check but I'm almost finished with the audit."

  "You mentioned Lance might have an escape route planned? Why was that?"

  I shrugged in what I hoped was a nonchalant way. "It was just a guess in case he was discovered. Did he have any travel plans?"

  "I'll look into it. I'd like you to talk me though how you made headway into finding out where those books were being sold. Your file skipped a few steps."

  "Sure," I said. I took a deep breath and launched into it, starting with my visit to Sara Cutler at the library and ending with the agreement from the auction house to return the unsold items.

  Throughout it all, Detective Logan said little more than “uh-huh” and “go on.”

  "And that's everything," I said, finishing with a flourish of my hands.

  "And you never once got the impression it was anyone other than Lance?" he asked.

  "No, and speaking to the auction house clinched it. They never mentioned they were dealing with anyone other than Lance. Oh!" My face fell.

  "What?"

  "I just realized that I disproved my theory that Lance could be working with someone else. I thought he might have had a partner selling the stolen items so he could plead ignorant if they were discovered but obviously, that isn't the case."

  "Why would you think he would do that?"

  "I thought Lance would be smart enough to distance himself from his crimes."

  "And what made you think it was Lance?"

  I frowned. "I thought I already established it was him."

  "Let me rephrase that. What made you think the Lance you know and the Lance the auction house knew were the same person?"

  It took me a moment to catch onto Detective Logan's suggestion and when I did, my eyes widened in surprise. "Do you think someone was pretending to be Lance? No. No, Detective! I definitely saw him take that book and Tony Mausman described Lance. He met him in person." I frowned again. A moment ago, I was convinced of an accomplice, then I decided there wasn't one; and now, was Detective Logan suggesting someone could have impersonated him? Was it possible there was more than one crime in operation? What if Lance was behind the real estate scam but someone else was implicating him for everything else? Even as I thought it, I remembered the moment I saw Lance take the book. "Oh, this is so perplexing" I groaned.