Shadows of the Stone Benders (The Anlon Cully Chronicles Book 1)

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Shadows of the Stone Benders (The Anlon Cully Chronicles Book 1) Page 29

by K Patrick Donoghue


  “After Wilson’s death,” Jennifer explained, “Dobson questioned whether his fall was accidental to both Cully and Officer Keller. Cully also said Dobson seemed scared when he shared his suspicion that Wilson was pushed. If he was involved, why would he raise the possibility the death wasn’t accidental? And why would he hint at the use of a Sound Stone in the killing? Remember, he told Cully that Wilson wasn’t pushed off in a traditional sense. Plus, I realized last night that Dobson’s Sound Stone is missing.”

  “Okay, but Dobson could just have easily thrown the stone away after killing Wilson himself, couldn’t he?” Gambelli countered.

  “It’s possible, but I think it’s more likely that the Corchrans killed Wilson and then offed Dobson. Maybe he confronted them about Wilson’s death. Maybe they were scared he would turn them in. Or maybe they were angry Dobson wouldn’t cooperate on any more thefts. Hell, it may have been for all three reasons!”

  “But wouldn’t killing Dobson too cut off their access to more artifacts?” countered the skeptical Captain.

  “Absolutely!” Jennifer agreed. “But remember, Cap, you said it yourself. These were reckless and risky murders. I’m guessing one or the both of them got super pissed at Dobson and acted without thinking. And it explains the break-in of Wilson’s office and the theft of his laptop. They thought they could find what they wanted on their own.

  “And Cap, I’m getting concerned they offed Pacal Flores too. No one has seen or heard from him in days,” Jennifer imparted.

  For a long minute, Gambelli sat with arms folded behind his desk, bobble heads frozen still. At last he nodded and said, “Okay, Detective. Your theory is compelling. It answers many of the open questions. Motive seems legit, evidence still is mostly circumstantial but like I said, compelling. What do you want to do with it?”

  Without hesitation, Jennifer replied, “I want a search warrant for Pacal Flores’ apartment. I want to put out a regional alert on Kyle and Margaret, including their aliases. I want to request NYPD go to the Waldorf Astoria and detain Zoe aka Margaret if they can locate her.”

  “Okay, get Nickerson and the two of you get the paperwork in motion. I’ll walk up the search warrant request as soon as you put it in my hands. And then I need you to take care of an important missing piece to support your theory.”

  “Thank you sir,” answered Jennifer before asking, “and the missing piece; do you mean Dobson’s Sound Stone?”

  “No, though finding that could help. What you described seems like a slam dunk on the Wilson death. At least, strong enough to bring in the Corchrans for questioning, especially given Kyle’s presence at Wilson’s crime scene. We’ll need to alert Meredith PD, by the way. It’s still their case, even if it’s linked to ours. But your theory on Dobson isn’t quite as clear. We need to place one or the both of them at the scene of Dobson’s death. Did you talk to his neighbors like we discussed earlier?”

  Jennifer flinched. After searching Dobson’s home, she had planned to interview the neighbors, particularly the observant Doris Minden. But once they found the gold coins, it totally slipped her mind. She uttered, “Shoot! I forgot to tie that one down.”

  “Get it done, Detective. ASAP. If one or the both of them were seen with Dobson at his house on the day he was killed, or shortly before, then I think you have a stronger case. Especially if you are right about the unidentified fingerprints on the gold coins.”

  True to her word, Pebbles rousted herself and departed on Anlon’s requested errands by the time he returned to Devlin’s house.

  He hoped Pebbles wouldn’t lay it on quite so thick when she visited Pacal’s apartment manager. The first errand he assigned Pebbles was to gain entry to Pacal’s apartment and search for the copy of Devlin’s will stolen from Anlon’s rental and lift Pacal’s laptop if it was present.

  It confused Anlon how Thatcher knew the details of Devlin’s will. At the time of the funerals, Grant said he had only provided copies to Anlon and Anabel. He remembered Grant mentioning he hoped to hand one to Richard Ryan and Pacal after the funerals. But Thatcher had spoken to both Anabel and Richard a couple days before the funeral to suggest they challenge their bequests. So how did Thatcher know that Richard and Anabel were beneficiaries before the funeral?

  Unless Devlin shared the contents of his will directly with the self-professed rival, which seemed unlikely, the only way Thatcher could have known about the beneficiaries was if he’d seen the copy stolen from the rental car. No one else but Anlon had a copy at that point.

  But Anlon was certain the fleet-footed thief was not the wobbly Thatcher Reynolds. So who was his accomplice? Anlon’s money was on Pacal. Yes, the trusty assistant wasn’t so trusty in Anlon’s mind.

  Casting his thoughts back to their meeting with Pacal, several bits of their discussion didn’t square with pieces Anlon learned afterwards. For example, he thought, why didn’t Pacal mention Dobson’s thefts during their discussion? It was a very odd omission. There was no downside for him sharing the information with Jennifer.

  And then there was the Waterland Map. From Anlon’s conversation with Anabel, it was clear Pacal knew of the map. He saw Dobson putting it back. It’s what led he and Devlin to lay the trap for Dobson! Why didn’t he reveal this important detail?

  Pacal had also been evasive about discussing the Master Stone and the Port Stone, and man did he get excited when he unexpectedly saw the Master Stone on the table.

  But the two biggest thorns that stuck out to Anlon were not omissions on Pacal’s part. They were two revealing things he said. The first was when Pacal told Jennifer she was close to the path in her theory of Dobson’s murder but not on it. How would he know? And why was he so curious to learn from Jennifer the manner in which Dobson was killed?

  The second, and most damning to Anlon, was a slip of the tongue Pacal made after he used the Sound Stone on Anlon. Pacal had said, much like Anlon, that Devlin and Dobson never saw the Sound Stone attack coming. He tried quickly afterwards to correct his unintentional gaffe by suggesting the Sound Stone was responsible for Devlin’s death…neglecting to add Dobson.

  Arranging these unexplained puzzle pieces, Anlon was now pretty sure that Pacal was involved in Dobson’s death, possibly in concert with Thatcher Reynolds. He remembered Thatcher suggesting that he and Pacal together could take up the baton from Devlin. And the motive? Was there something on the Master Stone and the Waterland Map that one or the both of them coveted?

  Anlon guessed they both hoped to find the stone and map before anyone else. That’s why Pacal assiduously avoided discussing the Master Stone and why he never mentioned the Waterland Map.

  This speculation was also supported by the scary warnings both Thatcher and Pacal made. Both were adamant that Anlon not continue Devlin’s research, and their choice of words when speaking of danger was eerily similar. Add to this the fact both Thatcher and Pacal had been MIA since the funeral and Anlon felt sure the two were working in concert.

  Finding evidence to support his theory was the main purpose of the first errand he requested of Pebbles.

  The second errand was unrelated. He asked her to track down a current world map that was as close as possible in dimensions to the Waterland Map. When he asked her to pursue the errand, he suggested Pebbles take the map from the safe and measure the distance between the longitude and latitude markers. If she was able to find a map with comparable scale between gridlines, it would be close enough for them to use for now.

  Anlon was walking up the back porch steps when the cell phone in his jeans back pocket began to buzz. Tugging the phone out, he glanced at the lock screen. Anlon didn’t recognize the number but the screen’s caller ID indicated it was a Stockbridge-based caller.

  “Anlon Cully,” he said when he accepted the call.

  “Doctor Anlon,” said the deep voice on the other end of the line.

  Halting abruptly on the porch in recognition of the voice, Anlon replied, “Pacal. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.
Where have you been?”

  Ignoring Anlon’s question, Pacal said, “I have someone here who would like to say hello.”

  A quizzical expression crossed Anlon’s face. What is that supposed to mean, he wondered?

  Then a slight voice, a voice tinged with fear, quivered, “Anlon, it’s Anabel. He’s taken me!”

  Lifting the phone from his ear, Anlon stared at it unbelievingly. He said, “Anabel? Are you alright? Who’s taken you?”

  Pacal returned to the line and coldly answered, “Doctor Anlon, I don’t want to hurt Miss Anabel, but if you don’t bring the map and the Master Stone to me right now, I will.”

  In the background, Anlon heard Anabel shout out, “Don’t give him the map!”

  Heartbeat racing, Anlon blurted, “Pacal? What are you talking about? This is nuts.”

  A heavy sigh filtered through the phone. Pacal said, “I tried my best to warn you Dr. Anlon, but you did not listen. It is too late now. Bring the map, the Master Stone and the Port Stone to the abandoned Stillwater Quarry just outside of town. Come alone, do not call the police. When I have the Stones and the map, I will release Miss Anabel.”

  Running his hand manically through his hair, Anlon paced the porch in an effort to calm himself. He said, “Be reasonable Pacal. This isn’t necessary.”

  In a chilling voice, Pacal replied as he disconnected the call, “You have 20 minutes to get here, Dr. Anlon. At 21 minutes, I will kill Miss Anabel.”

  Finally! A break in their favor, thought Margaret Corchran. Crouched behind the stone wall near the barn, she and Kyle watched through separate binoculars as Anlon took a phone call on the back porch and then ran back in the house. Ten minutes later, Anlon rushed down the back steps, jumped in a SUV and sped off.

  They had been watching from the cover of the woods for the past hour. When they first arrived, only the Land Rover was in the driveway. They debated whether to rush in and take whomever was home hostage. But then Pebbles skipped down the back porch and drove off in the Rover.

  Figuring the coast was clear, Margaret tightened the straps of her backpack and started to creep across the meadow while Kyle positioned himself closer to the barn. And then to their surprise, another car started the long, winding path up the driveway.

  After audible expletives, both Margaret and Kyle returned to the safety of the woods and recalibrated their plan. They had just resigned themselves to taking Anlon hostage when he abruptly left. Kyle, peering through the binoculars, noted that, in his haste, Anlon had left the back door open.

  “Okay, show time!” Margaret whispered as they both stowed their binoculars. “No more pulling back. Let’s go!”

  Hopping the wall, they both sprinted to the house, bounded up the back steps and rushed into the house. Kyle, out of breath from the burst of physical exertion, puffed, “I’ll take upstairs… you check down here.”

  Quickly applying gloves and shoe covers, the two ransacked Devlin’s home. They removed and tossed drawers in every room. They cast down pictures and trinkets from every shelf. In every closet, they tore open boxes and cartons.

  Early on they found the safe in the study, but neither had the combination and they realized it was not a simple safe to open or remove. So they concentrated their efforts elsewhere in the house to eliminate all other possibilities.

  Kyle shouted out from the upper floor, “Nothing yet. You?”

  Margaret kicked over a dining room chair and called back, “Not a damn thing!”

  “Then they are either in the safe or in the barn,” Kyle yelled back.

  Margaret angrily paced the study as she considered their options. If they broke into the barn, she was certain the alarm would trigger and they’d have little time to search before the police arrived. So the better option appeared to be to lie in wait for Anlon to arrive back home. Given they were already in the house, they would have the element of surprise in their favor and could easily subdue him or the young woman staying with him. Uttering another expletive, Margaret collapsed on the study’s leather sofa and shouted up to Kyle, “Go check the basement.”

  Heavy thuds sounded as Kyle descended the back staircase to the kitchen and hunted for the basement door. Finding it, he plodded down the second set of stairs.

  A few minutes later, he popped back up and joined Margaret in the study, “No dice. What now?”

  With an evil glare, Margaret hissed, “We wait.”

  XXIII

  CRESCENDO

  Pebbles was pleased the drive to Pacal’s apartment complex in Great Barrington was quick. But when she arrived outside the building, she was crushed to find the place crawling with police.

  Hunkered behind the wheel of the Land Rover across the main avenue from the converted low-rise office building, she scanned the gaggle of officers hoping to spot Jennifer, but Pebbles didn’t see her. The man who seemed in charge, a young African-American in a tan suit, white shirt and cornflower blue tie, pointed at uniformed officers and barked orders.

  “So much for errand number one!” a dejected Pebbles mumbled. She had really been looking forward to impersonating a detective. In fact, on the drive to Pacal’s, she had practiced Jennifer’s tough bitch face and honed her pitch to the landlord.

  But Pebbles wasn’t the kind of person to give up that easily, so she hopped out of the Rover and jogged across the street. She approached the man directing the officers and said, “Excuse me, are you with the Massachusetts State Police by any chance?”

  The man shot a sideways glance at Pebbles and replied, “Yes, I am. Kind of busy right now.”

  “Do you know Detective Lieutenant Jennifer Stevens?” Pebbles retorted as the man turned away from her.

  He stopped and peered back around, saying, “I’m sorry, Miss…I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Eleanor, Eleanor McCarver. Are you here to search Pacal’s apartment?”

  Dan Nickerson recalled her name immediately from the forensics report and also remembered Pebbles had been with Jennifer when they searched Matthew Dobson’s house. He smiled and said, “Ah, the safe cracker!”

  Pebbles blushed and laughed, “Guilty as charged! Look, I know you’re busy. I’ll get out of your way super-fast. Mind if join you for the search?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “My friend, Anlon Cully, you know of him, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “His copy of the will was stolen a few days ago. He has a hunch that Pacal stole it. Pacal’s laptop was also missing from Devlin Wilson’s office. Anlon sent me over here to see if I could find them, but now that you’re here, I thought maybe I could tag along.”

  “Um, no,” Nickerson sternly answered. “I’ve got to run.”

  The young detective trainee hurried off to join the other officers while Pebbles stood unsatisfactorily glued to the sidewalk. Honesty, it appeared, was not the best policy in this case. She was tempted to chase after Nickerson to try another tack but decided not to get herself in trouble....yet.

  Besides, she noted, the public library was only two blocks back. She could go deal with errand number two and look for a world map in the library. Then she could loop back and pop in on Nickerson a little later. That didn’t seem quite as meddlesome in her mind. As she walked down the street, the cell phone in her back pocket buzzed.

  Standing in the doorway of Mrs. Doris Minden’s home, Jennifer held up the evidence bag with the snapshot of Kyle and Margaret Corchran huddled around Matthew Dobson.

  “Oh yes,” Mrs. Minden replied, “they visited Matthew often. Even came to a few neighborhood barbeques when they were younger. Kyle and Maggie, right?”

  “Can you recall the last time you saw them visit Mr. Dobson?” Jennifer inquired, jotting down notes on her pad.

  Mrs. Minden scratched at her head while shooing her inquisitive Labrador, Rufus, back into the house. She said, “Hmm, I seem to recall Kyle visiting recently. Yes, I’m sure of it. I was out walking Rufus after dinner one night and Kyle got out of his car in Matthew’s drive
way. I didn’t say hello to him, I was too far away.”

  Jennifer’s heartbeat picked up. As she replied, an incoming text message pinged on her cell phone. “It’s very important, Mrs. Minden. Can you remember the date he visited?”

  “You don’t think Kyle and Maggie had anything to do with it, do you dear? They were always very polite when I met them,” the middle-aged housewife probed.

  “I’m not pointing any fingers Mrs. Minden, I’m just trying to clarify who visited Mr. Dobson before his death. It’s routine, I assure you. Please don’t read anything more into it.”

  And then Jennifer’s phone rang with an incoming call. She reached inside her jacket pocket for the phone just as Rufus bounded out of the house and enthusiastically greeted Jennifer by burying his nose between her legs.

  “Whoa! Easy there Rufus,” Jennifer called out as she pushed the dog’s snout away. The phone continued to ring.

  Mrs. Minden rushed forward and swatted at Rufus, “Bad dog!”

  The relentless Rufus circled Jennifer, jumping up and barking playfully while Mrs. Minden followed behind, trying to grasp the dog’s collar. Rufus darted off across the next door neighbor’s lawn, barking lustily as he galloped away. All the while, Jennifer’s phone rang.

  “Mrs. Minden!” she called as the befuddled owner chased Rufus.

  Jennifer shrugged. She didn’t have time for this nonsense. She shouted to Mrs. Minden as she jogged to her police cruiser, “You have my card Mrs. Minden. Call me if you remember when Kyle visited Mr. Dobson.”

  From the neighbor’s yard, the frustrated Mrs. Minden called back, “I will think on it dear.”

  Enough of the two of them, Jennifer thought! She got most of what she came for anyway…positive ID of Kyle and Margaret Corchran and confirmation that at least Kyle visited Dobson’s home recently.

  Back in the cruiser, Jennifer’s phone began to ring again. Frustrated by the incessant ringing, she yanked out the phone and gruffly answered the call, “Stevens!”

 

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