by Patricia Fry
“Okay, settle down, Ms. Bell. He’ll get what’s coming to him,” Craig said.
After the police officers had left with Randall in the patrol car, Harriet said to Craig, “They took my jewelry. When will I get it back? I’m leaving town soon and I’ll want it with me.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Craig said. “You’ll receive everything you deserve.”
“Savannah,” Harriet wailed, watching her walk to Craig’s car with Rags. “I must apologize to her. But I’m sure she can see why I would think she robbed me. I’m sure she’ll understand,” Harriet cried.
Craig shook his head. “I’m not sure she will. You know, Harriet, not everyone you meet is greedy and lawless. You should take that lesson forward with you into the future.”
“I feel terrible,” Harriet said. “I really must apologize to Savannah. Do you think she’ll allow me to do that?”
Craig squinted toward his car. “Maybe,” he said. He motioned for Savannah to join them on Harriet’s porch.
When she did, Harriet said, “I’m so sorry. I thought…well, I was wrong. Can you ever forgive me?”
Savannah stared at her, unsmiling, then asked, “How’s Rascal?”
“Fine this morning. Thank you.”
Craig looked from one woman to the other, then he interrupted the silence by saying, “Well, we’d better be on our way. I’m glad we finally got the jewelry back. The Harmonson heirs will be happy to see it.”
“What?” Harriet shouted. “That is not their jewelry. Jerrald Harmonson gave that jewelry to my great aunt, and I’m pretty certain he faked the robbery. She scoffed, “The biggest robbery of the century, my foot. All the jewelry you just pulled out of Randall’s car belonged to my great aunt. I have always thought it did, and last night I found out it’s true.”
When Harriet noticed that Savannah and Craig were waiting for more, she swooned and said, “I really need to sit down. Please, will you come inside?”
“Can I get you a glass of water?” Savannah offered.
Harriet looked at Savannah for a moment, then said, “You’re so kind. Yes. Yes. Please.”
After Savannah had handed her the water, Harriet said, “Last night after I woke up from my…stupor…” she took a deep breath, “…I pulled out my great aunt’s journal. I’ve had it all these years in storage and finally decided to read it. Aunt Anna is the one who hid the jewelry from her husband. My father is the one who told me about the affair.” She laughed. “He thought it would make a good novel and, at the time, I was interested in writing. That’s why my father gave me the journal. But I wasn’t in a place—you know, mentally or emotionally—to do that sort of writing at the time, so I took what he told me that day with a grain of salt. And I put the journal away, never having the desire to read it, until last night. It’s all in there—the affair and everything.”
“But you knew about the affair,” Savannah said.
“Yes. Years later, when my cousin, Sharon, approached me about the robbery and the speculation that our family was involved, I remembered what my father had told me. Since none of the supposedly missing jewelry had shown up among our family, I began to wonder if it was still hidden in the house somewhere.”
“How did your boyfriend know about the jewelry?” Craig asked.
“I can’t keep a secret very well, especially when it comes to flaunting my wealth. I do have money, you know. It’s just that, at times, I get tired of the fast life and I settle down for a while in a small town and live normally.” She winced. “How Randall found me here, I’ll never know, but it appears that he was after the jewelry all along.”
“His name isn’t Randall,” Craig said quietly.
“What?” Harriet screeched.
“It’s Wayne Morrison.”
It was Savannah’s turn to be shocked. “Wayne Morrison?” she repeated. “That was Wayne Morrison from Holly’s neighborhood?” She put her hands up to her mouth. “Oh, my gosh!”
“Savannah,” Craig said, “you thought from the beginning that he had something to do with all the drama around the Verano place.”
Savannah nodded. When she noticed that Harriet was staring into space, the color draining from her face, she said, “Harriet, are you okay?”
“Morrison?” Harriet said, in a near-whisper. “Wayne Morrison?”
Savannah nodded. Both she and Craig waited for Harriet’s response.
“Why that dirty…” she started. She stood up, stomped one foot, and clenched her teeth.
“Who is he?” Craig asked. “Someone you know?”
“Yes,” she said. “He’s one of that jeweler’s grandchildren. He and his parents, Cindy and James Morrison have contacted me a couple of times on Facebook. I spoke once to Cindy on the phone.” She grinned. “Boy will she be mad when she finds out her father or uncle or whoever he was, bilked the insurance company out of thousands and that the whole robbery story was a hoax.” She laughed. “Knowing some of the things Dino Verano was involved in, heck, he might have been in on the hoax with Jerrold Harmonson.”
“How long ago was this?” Craig asked. “I mean, that you heard from the Morrisons.”
“Oh, maybe three months ago.”
“So you believe what you read in the journal?” Savannah asked. “That the robbery story was a hoax?”
Harriet hedged a little. “Well, why would Aunt Anna write it if it wasn’t so? This was her journal. She wrote that she was the recipient of the jewelry in question—all given to her in love…or lust.” She glared at Craig. “Yeah, I wanted that jewelry. It belonged more to me than to anyone else, since my great uncle, Jerrold Harmonson, gave it to my great aunt.”
****
“Wow!” Savannah said as Craig parked in front of their place several minutes later.
“Yes, wow!” he repeated. “Talk about a convoluted case.”
“How will they ever sort out the good guys from the bad guys?”
He stared at her before turning off the car engine. “I’m not sure there are any good guys. Or maybe there aren’t any bad guys.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, as she walked with Craig toward the house, carrying Rags in her arms.
“It could be that they’re all innocent, just swayed by gossip and rumors from the past.”
“Yeah, but they were all trying to take something that possibly wasn’t theirs.”
“Uh-huh. And there’s the issue of arson and murder.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. But how will they figure out who gets the jewelry?”
Craig looked at her and winked. “If it were up to me, I’d either toss a coin or…maybe dispense it piñata style.”
“Piñata style?”
“Yeah, haven’t you ever been to a Mexican fiesta where they swing a piñata full of candy overhead and everyone takes turns hitting it with a bat? When the thing breaks open, it’s a free-for-all with everyone diving in grabbing handfuls of candy.” He smiled widely. “Yeah, that would be my solution and the department could sell tickets to spectators. That would make a great spectator sport, don’t you think so?”
Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
Chapter 10
Savannah and Craig had been back in Hammond for two-and-a-half weeks when the Iveys and Gladys arrived at Colbi’s and Damon’s home for the first Sunday family-and-friends luncheon of October. “Come in,” Damon invited.
“Baby Mary,” Lily chirped when she saw Rosemary in her daddy’s arms.
Everyone laughed when Rosemary began bouncing with excitement. When the eleven-month-old reached for Lily, Damon lowered her to the floor.
“Hey Iris, get out your camera,” Craig called, when he saw the toddlers hugging each other. “It’s a grandma moment.”
“Ahhh,” Iris cooed. “It sure is. Look how cute they are.”
“Is she walking?” Margaret asked.
“Almost,” Colbi said.
Damon added, “But sh
e can still crawl faster than the cats can run, so she has no desire to walk yet.”
“Yeah,” came a voice from the kitchen, “I told Sis, she should have cats without tails—you know, those Manx cats.” When the others waited to hear more, he explained, “So the cats can escape her grasp.”
“Harrison, hi,” Savannah said. She looked around and spotted Leah. She rushed to greet her. “Good to see you!” she gushed. “How are you two and little Charlie?”
“Little?” Harrison said. “He’s nearly two.” He looked around. “Oh, here he comes.”
“My goodness,” Savannah said, “look at you go, young man.” She held her arms out to the little boy. He looked at her and ran to his mama.
“It takes him a little while, but he’ll warm up to you,” Leah said. “He’ll warm up to Lily and Teddy first. He loves kids.”
“He looks wonderful,” Savannah said. “Healthy and happy.”
“And so are we,” Harrison said, embracing his wife.
“So are you cooking today?” Michael asked, shaking hands with Harrison.
Harrison looked at Teddy in Michael’s arms before he answered. “Look at this handsome guy. How old is he now?”
“Four-and-a-half months,” Michael said.
Leah reached for Teddy and he went right to her. “He’s adorable,” she said. She bounced him in her arms. “And heavy.” She hugged him. “I just love him. Makes me think of Charlie when he was a baby.”
“To answer your question, Michael,” Harrison said, “yes, I’m the chef of the hour today. Damon fixes my plumbing and rewires my electrical and I cook for them—well, not all the time, but on special occasions.”
“So good to see you kids,” Margaret said.
Harrison hugged her, “Thanks, Maggie.” He shook hands with Max.
“So what are we having?” Michael asked.
Margaret shook her head. “Can’t you be surprised?” She turned to Savannah. “Does he ask you that every morning?” She mimicked, “What’s for dinner, honey?”
Savannah laughed. “No.”
When Harrison saw that Michael was looking to him for an answer, he said, “Oh, well, it’s chicken enchiladas.”
Margaret, Colbi, Brianna, and Bud all said, in unison with Michael, “My favorite.”
When Michael looked puzzled, everyone laughed.
Savannah punched her husband playfully. “That’s what you always say, hon. My favorite.”
“Well, you can be glad I’m so easy to please,” Michael said.
As Harrison, Leah, and Colbi moved back into the kitchen, Damon helped Rosemary walk into the living room, where Iris quickly picked her up. Lily followed Rosemary to where Iris sat and Iris embraced Lily too. “Two sweet girls,” she said.
Margaret and Gladys approached Brianna and asked if she’d had any interesting medical cases lately. Meanwhile, Brianna’s fiancé, Bud, pulled Max aside to discuss one of Max’s shelter cats. Damon nudged Michael. “Have you seen what I’ve done out in the yard?”
“I want to see,” Savannah said, joining the two men.
Craig wandered out with the trio.
“I love this succulent garden,” Savannah said. “I think I could do something like that, even with my black thumb.”
“Oh, honey,” Michael said, “you’re creative. I’m sure you could be creative in the yard if you wanted to.”
“Yeah, you have to want to,” Damon said.
“It’s beautiful,” Savannah reiterated. When she noticed Craig sit down near a birdbath, she joined him. “So any news about the case?” She giggled and asked, “When will they start selling tickets to the piñata party?”
Craig grinned, then said, “Well, the crooked detective, it seems, will be tried for kidnapping, holding hostages, and the other charges involving you and Holly…so you might have to go back to Colorado for the trial. I’m pretty sure they’ll try to nail him for the explosion too.”
“No kidding?” Michael said as he joined them along with Damon.
“Yeah, they found traces of the explosives in his car.”
After thinking about it, Michael asked, “Could that have been residue from the fire? I mean, he did drive up into the cul-de-sac that night after the explosion.”
Craig thought for a moment, then said, “That may be his defense, I don’t know. I believe they’ll also try him for the murder of the policeman, but with such flimsy evidence at the scene, they may just settle on convicting him of the murder at the mine. It seems there’s some pretty good evidence in that case. River’s testimony may be the clincher. And we seem to have plenty of motive.” He shook his head. “That place up there is a hotbed of drama.”
“It is?” Savannah asked hesitantly. “I hate to think of River growing up in that sort of environment.”
He smiled. “I think his mother and dad have realized that hazard too. They’re leaving Milner’s place and leasing a place of their own. Melvin will do short hauls for a trucking company in a larger town and they’ll live on the outskirts, where River can continue to have animals.”
“Oh good. I love that kid.” She looked him in the eye. “So the big question, Craig, is who gets the jewelry?”
Before he could respond, Harrison and Max appeared carrying large baking dishes of enchiladas. “Hope you brought your appetite,” Max said, placing one on a table.
Harrison put the other one on the second table. “Come and get it,” he called.
Once everyone was seated and had served themselves some enchiladas and salad, Savannah looked across the table and asked again, “Craig, who gets the jewelry?”
“That’s a tough one, Savannah. The time limitation has run out on that case. There’s the controversy, as you know, about whether there actually was a theft or did the jeweler fake it. We’re pretty sure he got a payment from the insurance company, but it was probably not much by today’s standards. So I believe they’re going to consider that a moot point. There seems to be no paperwork about a payout and if there is, the heirs have it and I’m sure they’re not going to admit it—not if they want to get some of the jewelry.”
“Crazy,” Savannah said.
“They may allow Harriet’s aunt’s journal as evidence in the trial.”
“Not the same trial, right?” Michael asked.
“I doubt it,” Craig said.
“Maybe they’ll rely on the age-old rule that possession is nine-tenths of the law,” Margaret said.
Craig shook his head. “I doubt it because the jewelry is all at the station in Colorado now—including those pieces Rags found and what Harriet had. Sharon Slattery-Summers-Sloan was also found to have a few pieces in a safe deposit box in Utah. They’re trying to chase down the possibility that the Morrisons have some, as well.”
“No kidding?” Savannah said.
“So who’s in line to possibly get some of the jewelry?” Margaret asked.
“Yeah,” Brianna said, “do they get to keep the pieces they already had?”
“How much jewelry are we talking about, anyway?” Gladys asked.
“Oh, a couple of million dollars, give or take,” Craig estimated.
Max let out a low whistle.
“But it hasn’t all been appraised. It’s in process. What I’m telling you isn’t for publication yet.”
Savannah looked at Colbi and Damon, who sat at the second table. “Did you two hear that?”
“What?”
“Don’t report anything until Craig has all the correct details.”
“Oh, okay,” Damon said, unsure of what Savannah was talking about.
“So how many people are in the running for the loot?” Max asked.
“Let’s see,” Craig said. “Harriet Bell, Sharon Slattery, Dino Verano, possibly Wayne Morrison’s mother, and at least two descendants of the jeweler and maybe others who might come out of the woodwork.”
“Oh, so maybe six,” Savannah said.
Craig nodded.
>
Gladys put her fork down. “I still can’t believe Vannie was almost charged with robbery. How did that happen?”
“Well, it’s police psychology 101. The criminal mind simply works differently than the non-criminal mind. Harriet is accustomed to lying and conniving and maybe even taking things that don’t belong to her.” He leaned forward and spoke more quietly. “In fact, we learned that she has a few priors for shoplifting. She does love nice things and, it seems, will get it one way or another.” When he saw that Savannah still appeared to be confused, he said, “So, she believes that’s how everyone thinks. And when she woke up and saw that the jewelry was gone, she immediately blamed you, even though the only true piece of evidence was that you had been there that night. She assumed that your thought process was the same as hers. She doesn’t have a clue about how the rest of us think and act and react.” He put his hand on Savannah’s arm. “And you’re more naïve than most, especially your cat.”
“What?” Savannah asked.
“Yeah, he’s a seasoned crime-stopper criminologist. He knows who he can trust and who he can’t.”
“There must be a lesson in this someplace,” Iris said glibly.
Margaret nodded. “Yes, don’t hang out with criminals.”
“Amen,” Gladys added.
Patricia Fry and Her Books
Stay in touch with Patricia Fry, author of the Klepto Cat Mysteries
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Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series
Catnapped (Book 1)
When Savannah Jordan agrees to help her aunt while she recovers from a broken foot, she doesn’t expect to walk into a mystery, become part of a not-quite-legal surveillance team, be kidnapped by a deranged stranger and meet a steaming hot veterinarian.