Having a Great Crime- Wish You Were Here

by Marja McGraw

  “Have you read all of the newspaper articles about the murder?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Would you give me an abbreviated version of what happened?”

  She turned the flame down on whatever she was cooking and sat down across from me. I liked the homey feeling of sitting in the kitchen. In my own home, sitting at the table kitchen was my favorite place to work and talk.

  “Well, now, let me think. As near as anyone could tell, Bonnie was home alone when someone broke in. A window in the living room was broken. They found her body upstairs where it looked like someone had taken her by surprise. She must have put up a fight because she looked like she’d been beaten before she was stabbed. Of course, as you know, the knife was never found. Neither was her killer. I think I mentioned earlier that the beating killed her, but actually I think it was the stabbing.”

  I tapped my fingers on the table. “What else can you tell me? I know she was a famous actress, but is there anything else?”

  “Most people don’t know this, but she disappeared for about six months. No one knew where she went. My grandmother said those Hollywood types were here looking for her. She was supposed to be making a new movie.”

  She squinted, apparently remembering something.

  “She showed up again about two months before she was murdered. My grandmother was the town telephone operator, and she knew everything that went on in this town. In fact, my grandmother is the reason we moved here when I was a child.”

  “Interesting,” I said. “I wonder if Bonnie’s disappearance and her death are somehow related.”

  Chapter Ten

  Bea glanced out the front window. “It’s starting to rain.”

  “Does it rain much here?”

  She grinned. “Do bug zappers kill bitty bugs? Yes, dear, it rains often in Washington, or at least in this part of the state. People are so used to it that half the time they don’t even bother with umbrellas. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, no reason.” I tried to sound innocent. “Just curious.”

  “Let me put it this way. If you don’t like the rain, this state isn’t for you. I remember one time when it rained daily for months without a break.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s why you’ll find we’re quite good at entertaining ourselves. I read, do puzzles, play games on the computer, and sometimes I work on hobby projects. Of course, I have my favorite soap opera, too. I’m not sure what kind of crowd to expect at my bed and breakfast during the winter months, but I’ll try to keep them busy.”

  “Sure. Figure out things to keep them busy and you’ll probably have plenty of customers. Does it ever snow here?”

  “Very seldom, and then it’s a dusting that generally melts instead of sticking.”

  “I’ll bet there’s someplace nearby where they can go skiing, right?”

  Bea turned her head and smiled at me. I wasn’t sure if I was being naïve or if there were plenty of places to ski. This part of the country was all new to me. Her smile told me there was an area for skiing nearby.

  “By the way,” she said, “were you aware that Bonnie started out as a child actress?”

  “No, that’s news to me.”

  “Yes, and I believe she was in silent movies before the talkies. She was no Shirley Temple, but she was a cutie.”

  Zap. Zap.

  “Your husband is a tenacious man, isn’t he?”

  “He says I have a one-track mind, but so does he.”

  “Well, dinner will be ready soon, and it’s going to be dark soon anyway. We’ll call him in, in a few minutes.”

  Bea moved from the stove to the sink and began putting a salad together. When she was done, she put it in the refrigerator. “Salad is best served cold. I mean, it should be cold enough to be refreshing.”

  I nodded.

  “Back to Bonnie, were there any suspects in her death that you know of?” This was something we hadn’t touched on yet. “I noticed in her photo album that she was with the same man in several of the photos.”

  “He wasn’t here when she died. He’d joined the military. He was in the Army, if memory serves. There were a couple of local suspects simply due to the fact that they were so taken with her. Those didn’t pan out, though. They had alibis.”

  “Can you give me their names? And who was the man in the pictures?”

  “I can’t remember off the top of my head, but you’ll find them in the newspaper articles. As far as the man in the photos, I can’t remember his name either, although he was a local. It’ll come to me.”

  Pete came strolling into the kitchen, swinging the racket. Glancing around at the food, he set it down on a chair. No need to send dead bugs flying around the kitchen.

  Bea smiled at him. “You know, you two are enjoying kitchen privileges that none of the other guests will have.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  She smiled at me, too. “That’s because I know your parents and you’re working on an issue for me. I swear, there’s never been any reason to think this house has a ghost. But if you put together the fact that there was an unsolved murder and that this house is in kind of a lonely location, people’s imaginations run away with them. It’s not really lonely here. There are houses not all that far away. Some people are fascinated by the idea of ghosts. They’ve convinced themselves that Bonnie must walk the halls here. You wouldn’t believe some of the letters and phone calls I’ve received.”

  “Like what?” Pete sat down in the chair across from me.

  “Oh, like a guy who wants to come set up all kinds of equipment to catch an image of Bonnie. He says the house will be on television if I let him do his job. And a woman called to tell me she’d driven by the house and felt an ‘evil presence’ here. Can you believe that?”

  “Poor Bonnie. She probably just wants to be left alone.” I took a moment and thought about what I’d just said. “What am I saying? She’s not here. She’d have no idea that people were so ridiculous. Nothing has happened to make them think this place is haunted, has it?” I was pretty sure I knew the answer before our hostess spoke.

  Unfortunately, she took her time answering me. “Not really. Of course there are noises as the house settles. Old houses can be kind of creaky. A light came on in the attic once, but I’d been up there and I think I just forgot to turn it off. Kimberly once thought she saw a figure in the hallway, but she’s prone to exaggerate anyway. I think it was no more than a shadow.”

  “Is that it?” Pete asked.

  “Pretty much.” Bea shook her head. “Besides, if there is a spirit, she just needs to be put to rest.” She laughed nervously. “I’ve been living here by myself for months, and I’ve never seen or heard anything that can’t be explained.”

  I sighed. “When Stanley and Felicity arrive, don’t tell him any of this. He’s, uh, very impressionable. I mean, of course he’ll know people think the house is haunted, but don’t tell him about anything you’ve heard or seen.”

  Pete laughed. “You can say that again. He thought there was a ghost in our house when Sandi first bought it. In fact, the dog seemed to think something was going on, too. It turned out to be a cat that sounded like a baby crying and a squirrel who’d taken up residence in and around the attic. You have to understand, Bubba, our dog, is huge. He’s half wolf and half Golden Retriever, and yet he’d go flying through that house like the dogcatcher from hell was after him.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but nothing else seems to scare him.” Pete grinned. “Fun times. It’s easy to get Stan’s goat.”

  “When did you say your friends are arriving?” Bea took a pot off the stove.

  “Tomorrow night.” I tapped my watch and then wondered what I was thinking. Silly me. The time of day had nothing to do with it.

  “I’ll make it a point to keep mum about ghosts.”

  What had started out as a light rain began coming down in buckets. It beat on the windows and the roofs
of the front and back porches.

  I glanced at Pete. “How do you feel about lots of rain?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve never given it much thought. Oh! I’d better make sure the car windows are closed.”

  “Think about it, long and hard.” I spoke to his back as he ran outside.

  I could live with rain, but I didn’t know if he could. He enjoyed being outside more often than not.

  Suddenly remembering a name, I turned to Bea. “Do you know Bradley Singleton? Someone told me I should talk to him about what happened around here in the thirties.”

  “Brad? Sure. He knows everything about Battle Ground history. Now that I think about it, he would be a good one to talk to. Who told you about him?”

  “A woman at an antique store in town.”

  “Ah. Probably Binky Fryer. She knows everyone around here, but so do I.” She smiled. “I’ll be a good source for you, too.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  Dinner was ready and Bea lifted the salad out of the refrigerator.

  I took it out of her hands and carried it to the table before she could stop me. “I know we’re guests, but there’s no reason I can’t help while it’s just us. When your other guests arrive I’ll let you do your job.”

  She smiled. “I can understand why your mother speaks so highly of you.”

  “Do you have any kids?”

  “No, unfortunately I don’t, but Sasha and Kimberly come pretty close. Their mother travels a lot for her job and they treat me like a second mother. I like it.” Her smile grew as she thought about the girls.

  “Don’t either of them have a job?” None of my business, but I was curious.

  “Sasha got a late start with college, and she’s out of school for the summer. She’s almost got her degree. Kimberly was working as a waitress in Vancouver. She’ll be happier working here. She loves people and she’ll be good to the guests. Besides, I’m paying her better than they were.”

  “You’re a good aunt.”

  I had a flash of my Aunt Martha, a pushy, intrusive, ill-tempered woman, and knew Bea was a better person. Someday my luck would run out and my aunt would come for a visit, all the way from Chicago. I almost shivered at the thought, but caught myself. You can pick your friends, but not your relatives. Maybe age had softened my aunt, but I doubted it.

  I’d jumped the gun by setting the salad on the formal dining table. It hadn’t been set with plates and silverware yet. Bea had them sitting on the sink, so I carried them to the dining room and set the table.

  She brought out three different flavors of salad dressing.

  While I called Pete who was standing on the porch watching the rain, she put dinner on serving dishes and carried them to the table. We were having old-fashioned pot roast with all the trimmings, and I’d watched her cook it in a very old cast iron Dutch oven.

  Of course, we insisted she sit down and eat with us.

  We were all hungry, so dinner started out quietly.

  Bea picked up a napkin and blotted her lips. “I’ve been thinking about something. Have you talked to Jack Fisher yet?”

  “No. We’ll probably do that tomorrow, if we can get in to see him. I’m sure he’s a busy man since he’s a lawyer.” I set my fork on the plate. “Why?”

  “I really have been thinking this over. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he looks just like the man in the pictures with Bonnie. I think there’s something to the resemblance.”

  “Interestingly, I’ve kind of come to the same conclusion.” I picked up my fork and continued eating.

  Chapter Eleven

  After dinner the three of us sat on the porch for a while and listened to the rain. It was relaxing, and it seemed like I couldn’t stop yawning. Apparently it was catching, because before long both Pete and Bea were yawning, too.

  We decided to make it an early night. What the heck? We were on our honeymoon, after all.

  Tired or not, I raced up the stairs with Pete following. I could hear Bea out on the porch, laughing as our feet pounded up the stair steps.

  It had been a long day, but we made up for lost time. We could think about Bonnie and bank robberies tomorrow.

  ~ * ~

  The next morning I awoke to the sound of a drill. Pete was already up and in the shower. Curious, I got dressed and went downstairs to see what was going on.

  Bea was installing a flag holder on the porch post, or trying to, and the American flag was lying across the table. Pete joined us and, of course, took the drill from Bea’s hand to finish the job.

  We smiled at each other behind his back.

  “Breakfast is buffet style this morning. Come on inside whenever you’re ready.”

  I excused myself so I could take my shower and ready myself for the day.

  While I was in the shower, Sasha and Kimberly arrived along with Sam. They’d left the metal detectors on the back porch rather than haul them around, so Sam retrieved them and set them out front just after I came downstairs, and we all sat down to breakfast.

  I glanced around the table. “You know, this really is a lot more fun than feeling like we’re just guests. I know you’ll have visitors who’ll want to be treated royally, but for me, this is comfortable.”

  Pete nodded. “Ditto.”

  Bea seemed happy. “I wish all of my guests would be like you two. I’m comfortable, too. I wish you lived around here. You feel like family, and yet I barely know you.”

  Kimberly looked up from her plate. “Like Pete said, ditto.”

  “Sasha and I are having a good time.” Sam picked up his glass and saluted us. “I can’t wait to get started today.”

  I saluted him back. “I’m going to make some phone calls this morning, but I’ll join you when I can. I’ve got to do some research if I’m ever going to figure out what happened to Bonnie. Maybe I’ll run across some information about those bank robberies, too. Kimberly, why don’t you go with Pete until I’m free?”

  She glanced at Pete. “Can I? Do you want my help?” She sounded like a child asking for permission to do something. I half expected to see her bounce up and down in her chair.

  Pete grinned at her. “Of course, you can. I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  Bea spoke up. “Since you’re helping with something I asked for, I’ll pay you for your time. But remember, we need to do a final run-through in the house to make sure everything is in order. The guests start arriving over the weekend. Oh, and a couple of Pete and Sandi’s friends are coming in tonight, too. So before you start searching again, please make sure their room is ready.”

  Pete and Sam walked out to the porch after breakfast to strategize the search for a weapon.

  The girls headed for the guest room to make sure it was in order.

  I sat down on the couch to start making calls. Before I could punch in the first number my cell phone rang. My ring tone made people smile, and it made me want to march across the room. I’d installed When the Saints Go Marching In as my ringer. I should probably change it because I don’t want to draw attention to myself, but for the time being, it made me smile.

  It made Pete groan when people turned to see what was going on.

  It was Felicity calling. She gave me their arrival time and flight number.

  “So,” she said, “I understand you’re working on the Bonnie Singleton murder. Pete said you haven’t found anything yet.”

  “Well, we’ve only been here for a few days. Don’t expect miracles. Do you know who she was?”

  “Do I! I’ve seen every movie she ever made, and you know I don’t generally like old movies.”

  “Did you know she was a child actress?”

  Fel chuckled. “I’ve seen all of her silent movies, too. You know, the acting was so corny in the old days, but there was something about Bonnie that made her stand out. She was ahead of her time, in my opinion.”

  “Huh. I’m surprised.”

  “And I’m surprised she was murdered. I can’t wait to
work on this with you. What are you doing right now?”

  “I’m – “

  “Never mind. We’ll be there tonight and we can talk then. Stan is waving at me and pointing at his watch. I’d better go. We’re going to meet my friend at the office to show her what to do while we’re gone.”

  “See you tonight.”

  I pushed the Off button and picked up my list of phone numbers. My first call went to the County Sheriff’s Office, Records Division. I spoke to a friendly woman who was more than happy to help me. I explained that I was looking for records from 1936 pertaining to the Bonnie Singleton murder. She said she’d forward my request but it could take up to sixty days to email me the reports. I explained that I’d only be in town for a week, and she said she’d see what she could do. She seemed quite interested, and I was pretty sure she’d do her best.

  My second call went to the attorney, Jack Fisher. He answered himself, commenting that his secretary had stepped out. I explained that I wanted to see him regarding the old murder. He was quiet for longer than I expected, but said to come into his office at one o’clock. I took notice that he didn’t ask what possible connection he might have to the crime.

  Interesting.

  I glanced up to see Pete standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised, with questions in his expression.

  “I just spoke to Jack Fisher. He’s agreed to meet with us early this afternoon. He didn’t have any questions, which surprised me. I think we’re right. There’s some kind of a connection between him and Bonnie.”

  “You’re making some big assumptions,” Pete said, “but you could be right. My first question would have been why you wanted to see me about an old murder.”

  “Can you be free by one o’clock to go with me?”

  “I’ll try, but if we’re busy, you can meet him by yourself. You’ll know what to ask him. Maybe you should take that photo album with you.”

  “I thought about that, and I think I will.” I picked up the album and set my purse on top of it so I wouldn’t forget it.