Still looking confused, Michelle nodded her agreement.
“I hate not being able to explain more without Jake’s permission,” Ashley murmured.
Brian pleaded, “Ash? I have to tell her. Tell me it’s alright to do it without talking with Jake?”
Ashley closed her eyes. “I agree. I’m willing to suffer Jake’s disapproval.”
Brian heaved a sigh, muttering grimly, “Your dad didn’t commit suicide, Michelle. He was murdered.”
When Michelle’s face went pale, Jeff reached over, gathering her in his arms.
Finally, she spoke softly, “I knew my dad wasn’t capable of killing himself.”
* * *
The following morning, both Brian and Ashley sat in Jake Loughlin’s office, informing him about the discovery of the notebook at Michelle’s.
Brian looked Jake straight in the eye. “I told her about her father, Jake. I just didn’t think it was fair for her not to know.”
Jake grimaced. “I understand. Danielle would be giving me hell if she was in on the details. I’m thinking that you were right to do it. Michelle would have had to be told soon anyway, guys.”
Ashley sighed. “Now what?”
“I need to take a look at that notebook and see what it is. We’ve assumed all along that the money was what they wanted. But what if there’s something else? Something that Michelle’s father had put away that would implicate some of the primary traffickers?”
“That sounds plausible,” Brian murmured.
“I agree,” Ashley added.
Jake stood, and so did Brian and Ashley.
Jake opened his office door signaling for Brian and Ashley to go first, and they all walked together into the breezeway. “So let me see if there’s anything about that notebook that could be important, and we’ll take it from there.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
September leading into October was becoming hectic, with the plans for the Crystal Rock Fall Harvest Festival being put into place.
Jake had come by and mentioned that the notebook had been filled with valuable information, and everyone listed inside was being investigated. That was all he was allowed to say, except because everyone had tasks to perform for the festival, they wouldn’t be putting a plan in place until after Halloween.
But they were definitely going to be coming up with a way to move forward. This tragedy had been allowed to control their families’ lives way too long.
A few days before the festival, Jake and Danielle came by when Jeff and Michelle were there, assisting Ashley and Brian with the finishing touches for the haunted house.
There was a slew of other people working there, and Jake pulled Ashley aside.
“Can you and Brian get away along with Michelle and Jeff so we can all have a talk?”
“Sure, Jake,” she answered. “How about we meet inside my house in the kitchen?”
“Ten minutes?”
“That works for me. The door’s unlocked. I’ll gather everyone together.”
Brian approached her as Jake walked away.
“What’s happening?” he asked
“Jake wants to talk with us along with Jeff and Michelle. I said we’d meet him in the kitchen in ten minutes.”
“I’ll go find Jeff.”
“And I’ll look for Michelle. She was really getting into those ghostly sound effects that she was setting up upstairs,” Ashley said.
Brian grinned. “I saw that. It’s good to see her smiling again. The first time I ran into her after returning to town, I barely recognized her, she was so thin.”
“Between moving in with her grandfather, who was apparently kind of a jerk, and taking care of her mom after she developed breast cancer, she had a really rough time of it after leaving town.”
“Jeff told me,” Brian confessed. “I wish we all would have been able to keep in touch with each other.”
“I know,” Ashley said, reaching over and squeezing his hand. “But we’re all together again now. Hopefully, everything will be resolved with our families too.”
“See you in a minute,” Brian said, brushing his lips over hers.
“Alright,” she answered, spotting Michelle.
Ten minutes later, Jeff walked into the kitchen with Brian, where Ashley, Michelle and Jake were already seated and waiting.
Ashley stood, grabbing water for everyone who wanted it while Brian decided to make coffee.
“I have an announcement to make, everyone.” Jake heaved a sigh. “We think we found where the money went.”
“Really?” Brian asked, laying down the coffee cup he’d been ready to fill. “Where?”
Jake continued, “We believe that Michelle’s grandfather was involved somehow in the investment scheme, and when he came to Crystal Rock, he took control of the funds when he was cleaning up your father’s affairs, Michelle.”
After a moment, Michelle cleared her throat. “That doesn’t surprise me. He was always so cold and distant to me, although he adored my mother. She could never do wrong, even though she had, uh…issues.”
“Like her spending?” Jake asked.
Looking reluctant, Michelle nodded her agreement.
“She and her boyfriend pilfered through her inheritance after my grandfather died and then began stealing from my trust fund which was left to me by my paternal grandmother.”
Jeff was frowning. “If her grandfather stole millions, how did Michelle’s mom manage to go through it?”
“We don’t believe her mother ever got the millions, because her grandfather had the money hidden in a secret account somewhere, and her mother only inherited the legitimate worth of the estate. We’re thinking that your grandfather had a partner, a guy who was originally from this area of the country.”
“It could have been my mother’s boyfriend,” Michelle murmured. “He met her here in Crystal Rock, because he came looking for my mom in Boston. And he did know my grandfather when he came by. But you know, by that point in time, I was working and never knew more than his first name. Everyone just called him Wes. He must have been wealthy, otherwise my grandfather would never have approved of him.”
“We suspect that your grandfather’s death wasn’t from natural causes, so we’re going to be exhuming his body.”
Michelle blinked, and then looked puzzled. “If Wes killed my grandfather to take control of the funds, how come he hung around with my mom as long as he did? He had no problem deserting her when she was diagnosed with cancer, so he obviously never cared for her.”
Jake answered, “Maybe he was counting on your mother inheriting the millions or was staying close, hoping to be able to discover where the money was?”
“And that’s why they resorted to stealing from my trust fund? Supposedly, Wes has been arrested.”
“His name is Wesley Armstrong. He’s already been released on bail, because we’re hoping he will lead us to the masterminds of the trafficking ring that we believe someone is trying to reestablish in the area.”
“I remember several years ago, when you exposed the ring,” Brian said. “They’ve only been laying low?”
“That’s what we believe,” Jake answered. “I never felt like we captured everyone involved.”
Jeff became thoughtful. “I remember the Armstrongs. I didn’t know them well. They used to own a marina near Rice Lake.”
Looking at Michelle, Jake continued softly, “Maybe your mother didn’t even know what was happening with your trust fund? It sounds like she was very dependent on you and your father, and afterwards your grandfather when your father died.”
Michelle sighed. “It’s a possibility. Maybe it would be better to remember her that way? She was selfish, but she was my mother, and I loved her. And she even told me she loved me before she passed away.”
Ashley walked up to Michelle and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“What we were wondering, Michelle. Was there any form of communication your father might have left for you, like an em
ail or a note? The notebook you found is incomplete, but we’re certain your father was collecting names. He may have intentionally divided information and hidden other notebooks.” Jake took a deep breath and looked around the room. “We think that he was listing names of everyone living in the area investing in human trafficking. That doesn’t mean that everyone in the notebook knew what they were funding. Apparently, Tom Ashford had been fooled for a long time.”
Everyone remained silent.
“Did my dad know?” Ashley finally asked.
“No, not until we told him,” Jake answered. “But as far as we know, Michelle’s dad called your father, because he was planning on telling him and revealing the identity of the person he was working for, who was someone he once trusted.”
“My grandfather?” Michelle asked.
“We think so,” Jake said. “But they killed your dad, attempting to make it look like suicide, and were planning on killing both Ashley’s dad and Brian’s mom, we figured, when they got the opportunity, because they assumed that your father told both of them what was happening, since they were apparently watching him, and saw him sitting in Ashley’s dad’s real estate office.”
Michelle was frowning. “I haven’t found any correspondence that my father might have left for me where I’m living in my grandmother’s lake house, which was where he had his office. The problem is my grandfather took charge of our actual home in town, and I was never even allowed to take along my computer or phone when we moved. We just left and someone else packed up my things.”
“Well, here’s what we’ve done. We’ve made a copy of the original notebook and put the original back in the nook at Michelle’s house. There will be a lot of townspeople here for the haunted house. We know there will be a bunch of adults as well as kids. I’d say it would be a good night to spread gossip.”
Brian asked, “Such as?”
Jake responded, “Maybe pretend to whisper to someone loudly—did you hear that Michelle found a notebook with a list of names along with some letters from her dad when they were remodeling?”
“How about – there’s a notebook that they found in the house that has a lot of numbers in it and Michelle thinks it might be for a secret bank account?” Jeff asked.
“That’ll work. And of course the two of you will be staying here with friends for a few days,” Jake muttered, looking at Michelle first and then at Jeff.
“They will,” Ashley answered. “I finally have a couple of the bedrooms fixed up upstairs for when family and friends come to visit.”
“We’ll set up a camera. But I figure it would be better to make it easy for whoever shows up by leaving the notebook in plain view.”
When Brian looked doubtful, Ashley noticed. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m wondering if it might be too obvious that it’s a trap?”
Jake pursed his lips. “Maybe you’re right. These guys aren’t stupid, otherwise this situation would have been resolved years ago. I’ll think on it another day, and we can work it out.” He looked at Jeff and Michelle again. “Either way, you’re staying here for at least a few days.”
“Alright,” Jeff answered, glancing at Michelle, who was nodding her agreement.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Two evenings later, it was the opening night of the haunted house, and it would be available every evening for the townspeople to visit and bring their kids through the entire week.
The month had been grueling, but everything was ready to go, and next year, they’d decided, they would begin the festivities before Halloween instead of after.
A parade would be happening tomorrow morning and then the scavenger hunt would begin early afternoon and continue until seven p.m. that night, when everyone would meet at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn to award the winners.
Besides the haunted house, there were some fun activities going on in the barn such as bobbing for apples and face painting. A few people had also shown up to sell fall crafts, and there was a large well-stocked refreshment stand available for guests when they walked into the barn.
Debbie, the girl who had designed the haunted house and blocked off the pattern for everyone to paint on the façade of the haunted house, had painted Ashley’s face and Brian’s after getting her booth ready. Debbie was a talented artist and also did tattoos. In fact, she’d designed and etched Ashley’s.
Brian hadn’t been keen on dressing up, but he looked awfully sexy as a warlock, and his eyes had nearly popped out of his head when Ashley had walked into the kitchen dressed as a voluptuous witch, wearing a short black dress and comfortable heels.
“God you look hot,” he growled. “I don’t know if I can wait until the end of the evening to lay my hands on you.”
“You’re looking pretty damned good yourself,” Ashley murmured, resting her hands on his chest. Stretching upward, she kissed him hard, and he wrapped her into his arms while the kiss went on and on.
And on.
Until they broke apart, laughing.
“After that, we might have to have our makeup fixed,” Ashley murmured.
Brian groaned.
A few minutes later, they were standing with Michelle and Jeff, discussing their strategy. After hashing it out with Jake, they’d decided that instead of talking to strangers about the notebook, they would try another approach; discussing the notebook with each other quietly near selected groups of adults and acting like they were puzzled about what to do with it.
They’d thought it best to have Michelle leave it laying on her desk at home.
A few hours later, Ashley was applauding their efforts, because the haunted house appeared to be a big hit. People were lingering here with their kids and spending money on the concessions. There was a minimal fee for the haunted house, and several of the kids went through it numerous times.
Many of their effects were created by inexpensive items they’d picked up at some local outlet stores, so next year they would definitely purchase a little bit better quality equipment for the sound and visual effects.
Ashley made the rounds every few minutes. She was actually carrying a small tool kit under her costume, containing a screwdriver and wrenches, assorted batteries and even a flashlight, since most of the effects were achieved in the dark.
They’d been able to spread the word pretty well about the notebook, she figured as she walked up the staircase to see what Michelle wanted her to check out near the trap door. It was one of the most popular features, and the room along with the door itself had been well padded. Instead of a trampoline, which could have led to accidents, they’d gone with some old mattresses below covered with batting in a bed of straw.
Someone was stationed below to make sure the door didn’t close too quickly after anyone who went through dropped from the floor above.
Michelle looked so excited where she stood watching as the kids made their way through the rooms and along the staircase. She was dressed as a princess tonight and looked like the old Michelle with her hair piled high on her head and wearing a long embellished blue gown.
Ashley grinned. “What’s up?”
“The trap door isn’t working as it should.”
Ashley frowned. “That’s strange. Let me check the batteries for the sensors.”
Michelle approached and watched as Ashley inspected the device that she’d set up with wiring near the edge of the platform.
“That’s odd,” Ashley said. “I’ve gone through it at least ten times tonight.”
“I noticed that,” Michelle answered, laughing. “That’s more than any of the kids.”
Ashley grinned. “I wish we would have had one of these when I was young.”
Michelle continued laughing.
“That’s weird, Ashley finally murmured. “Someone unplugged it. Has anyone been messing around up here?”
“I’m trying to think,” Michelle said, looking thoughtful. “One of our staff, maybe. Whoever it was I saw was dressed up like a mummy.”
“I think ther
e are a couple of them out there,” Ashley said, glancing through the opening that had been cut out like a window.
Michelle grimaced.
Ashley grinned. “At least I get to go through it again.”
Michelle began laughing as Ashley stepped onto the door, tripping the mechanism and falling through.
As she fell onto the mattress, someone trapped her within his arms, laying a foul-smelling cloth over her mouth and nose.
And Ashley’s mind went blank.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The haunted house would be closing in ten more minutes. and as he was assisting some of the kids who were having trouble climbing down the staircase, Brian realized he hadn’t seen Ashley for a while.
“Brian?” Jeff called out. “Can you send Ashley upstairs for a quick check on the sound effects in the ghostly pop up room? It would probably be better to get it sorted now instead of waiting until tomorrow.”
“I don’t see her anywhere,” Brian answered. “When’s the last time you saw her?”
Jeff frowned. “It’s been a while. I’ll check with Michelle.”
A few minutes later both Jeff and Michelle were walking down the staircase as many of the visitors were departing and saying goodnight.
Michelle was obviously concerned. “I wonder where she could be?”
“Maybe she had to use the restroom or wanted to get something to drink. I’ll check the house if you two want to stay and help get the place shut down for the night. Give me a call on the phone if you run into her.”
“Will do,” Jeff answered, scoping out faces in the crowd. “She’s probably here somewhere just having a conversation with someone.”
“More than likely,” Brian murmured, not exactly reassured. Ashley had been the driving force during the entire evening, and it wasn’t like her not to be easily available.
As Brian walked out from the barn and headed back toward the house, he was joined by Spook, who seemed to be highly distraught.
That Incredible Kiss Page 13