Murder on Bradbury Hill

by Jane T O'Brien

  “Jess, they said they would call this morning. It’s almost noon and I haven’t heard from them. It would be nice to know I have relatives but I don’t want to leave the ranch and they are too old to travel. I don’t know why I let you talk me into this trip.”

  “You’ve got to stay, Katie. If you can prove you are a blood relative, you are entitled to one-third of their money and that mansion. I can help you persuade them to share what they have.”

  “How would you do that, Jess?” Katie asked afraid of the answer.

  “Look, they’re old, they only have each other, I think they liked you, and in time, they would like me too. I can turn on the charm when I need to.”

  Like you turned on the charm with me? Katie thought to herself. Clem warned me about Jess, I wish I’d listened to him.

  “Jess, I’m going home, you can join me or stay here,” Katie said. Her seat was confirmed for a late afternoon flight, she looked at Jess and asked if it would be for one or two.

  Jess didn’t have a choice, Katie paid for the trip and he was low on cash. “I’ll go with you, I might as well turn the car in, we won’t need it.”

  “Go ahead, I will rest until it’s time for us to leave for the airport. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  ***

  Instead of returning the rental car, Jess took one last trip to Bradbury Hill. He drove toward the back of the mansion, parked out of sight and walked up the hill. He spotted a window looking into the basement. The two old ladies were there pulling bricks out of the wall and replacing them. He couldn’t see clearly but saw one holding a stack of money. She pulled out a large envelope, opened it and the two hugged. Jess couldn’t believe his eyes when the old lady stuffed the money back and pushed the brick in place.

  He watched impatiently as the old bats slowly climbed the stairs. When he saw the door close, he loosened the hinges on the window with the rental car key. The wood surrounding the window was weathered allowing for easy access. Jesse climbed through and jumped to the floor. He walked directly to the brick pulling it loose. There must be a thousand bucks in here, he said to himself. I should take this money and get out of here but I have to find out if there is more behind some of these other bricks. He stuffed the bills in his pocket and searched for another loose brick. He found one, then another and another. He didn’t bother to count the bills, he knew there were plenty. He thought he heard a door open and ended his hunt for the day vowing to return tomorrow for more. Maybe he didn’t need Katie’s money. He’d found a gold mine without having to marry the girl.

  Jess returned Katie’s rental car and got one for himself. He settled for an economy car, he didn’t want to call attention to the car or himself when he returned to Bradbury Hill.

  He stuffed the money into the glove compartment and locked the door. He’d count it later after Katie was on the airplane headed home. She would know he hadn’t come by the money honestly. She’d probably report him to the cops.

  “Katie, it’s me, called Jess from the hallway, when are you leaving for the airport?”

  “The van will be here in ten minutes are you packed and ready to go?”

  “I think I’ll stay here for a while, I’m not cut out for being a rancher. I’ll take the bus to New York City. Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?”

  “I’m sure,” she replied. “I’ll let Clem know he needs to hire a new ranch hand.”

  “You never know, I might be back sooner than you think. Tell Clem to hold my job open.”

  Katie knew Clem would do no such thing. He didn’t like Jess to begin with. She felt a sense of relief that he wasn’t’ returning to the ranch. She agreed with the Bradbury sisters, Jess King was a rude young man.

  ***

  Anna and Emma opened the large envelope they’d found hidden in the basement. There was a letter from Arthur Bradbury. It appeared to be an answer to one received from Caleb Bradbury.

  Dear Father,

  I was surprised to hear from you after all this time.

  I have a happy and fulfilling life here in Elk River. My wife, Abigail, and I are owners of a small cattle ranch. Our son, Rex, is following in his father’s footsteps.

  Your offer of money is appreciated but we cannot accept it. Our family is rich in ways that matter.

  Your Son, Arthur

  Along with the letter was a report from a private detective informing Caleb of his son’s whereabouts.

  “Papa must have been heartbroken when our brother turned down his money. You know giving money and gifts was our father’s way of showing his love. I don’t think Arthur knew that about him,” Emma said with sadness.

  “You know what that means, sister, Katherine is our niece, after all, I think we should call her right away.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait to hear from Jake, she might be our niece but she might be after our money. That nasty young man said she deserved her share.”

  “She does deserve her share, she’s a Bradbury.”

  “We’ll call her after our nap, climbing those stairs to the basement has worn me out.”

  ***

  Jake was relieved when he discovered the Bradbury Cattle Ranch existed. Maybe the girl who claimed to be a Bradbury was telling the truth. He called the number listed.

  “Bradbury Ranch, Clem here.”

  “Hello, Clem, my name is Jake Morgan, I’m calling from Oakwood Park, New York.”

  “Oh, no, has something happened to Katie? I knew I shouldn’t have let her go off with that bozo. Is she hurt?”

  “No, I’m sure Katherine is well. I’m a friend of Emma and Anna Bradbury, I understand Katherine Bradbury visited with them yesterday.”

  “That was the plan, although we call our girl Katie. Is there a problem?”

  “No, as the Bradbury sister’s friend, I thought it best to verify the young woman is who she said she is.”

  “Mr. Morgan, her grandfather raised Katie after her parents died in an accident. Rex Bradbury died a few months ago and told Katie her great-great-grandfather is none other than Caleb Bradbury. Rex’s father, Arthur and Caleb were estranged. Arthur left his family home as a teenager and ventured out west where he married and purchased an old ranch turning it into the success it is today. Katie is the only remaining Bradbury and she desperately wanted to meet her grandfather’s aunts. I understand they were closer to Rex’s age than to Arthur’s.”

  “That is correct, the twins are elderly but in good health. They took a shine to Katie but were not impressed with her companion.”

  “No one is impressed with Jess. He turned on the charm with Katie and made her think he was interested in helping her find her heritage. I suspect he’s only interested in the Bradbury fortune. With Rex gone, I feel I should be protecting Katie from Jess’s type. I’m afraid I failed this time.”

  “I feel better talking to you Clem, I hope I get to meet Katie soon, she sounds like a good person.”

  Jake called the sisters after his conversation with Clem. They’d just woken from their afternoon nap and planned to call Katherine inviting her for dinner.

  ***

  “Anna, Katherine has checked out of the hotel and is flying back to Wyoming as we speak. We missed her. I wish I’d listened to you and called her this morning. My caution caused us to miss our chance at getting to know our dear niece.”

  “Maybe she’ll fly back here when she finds out we believe her, although I always did believe her, Emma.”

  “I know, it’s my fault. I’ll get the ranch phone number from Jake. Maybe we can plan a trip to the ranch ourselves. We haven’t been out of Oakwood Park in ages. Won’t that be fun?”

  ***

  It was late afternoon when Jake called a heating company to check the mansion’s heater. He set up a time for them to come Thursday afternoon. He’d meant to call them earlier but because of his distraction with the other situation, it slipped his mind.

  ***

  Jess waited until he was certain Katie was safely on the airplane bef
ore he counted the money he’d swiped from the sisters. He was overjoyed, he was fifteen-thousand-dollars richer than he’d been that morning. He couldn’t wait to get back to the mansion to add to his stack.

  I’ll be there tomorrow after the sun comes up so I can see all the hiding places. For now, I’ll celebrate my newfound wealth with a little liquid refreshment.

  Chapter Nine

  Thursday morning

  Joe’s Landscaping truck pulled into the winding driveway up the hill to the Bradbury mansion. This is Joe Woodward’s favorite time of the year. The air is warming, and the grass is its greenest, the shrubs he’d planted last spring in need of a trim. He enjoyed working for the Bradbury sisters. They reminded him of his grandmother who died many years ago. They weren’t demanding as were some of his customers. They appreciated his hard work and passed out compliments and a few extra bucks at the end of the day.

  The sisters were always awake and having a second cup of coffee when Joe arrived at seven o’clock each morning. He liked getting an early start, especially on the hot summer days. Because the Bradbury house sat by itself on the hill, he didn’t have to worry about waking the neighbors with his lawn mower.

  Miss Emma always greeted him at the door with Miss Anna following behind. It worried him that the ladies hadn’t come to the door since his arrival twenty minutes before.

  He knocked on the front door and when there was no answer, he peeked in the window to the parlor. The women appeared to be sleeping on the chairs facing the television set. A cartoon was playing on the screen. He knew the sisters could be eccentric, but watching children’s cartoons was completely out of character.

  “Something is terribly wrong,” Joe said aloud. He called their names and pounded on the window; they showed no signs of movement. He immediately dialed 911.

  “Hurry, I think the Bradbury sisters are ill, I’ve been shouting at them to wake up and they haven’t budged.”

  ***

  Joe paced the front porch until he heard sirens. An emergency vehicle arrived and a fireman with a hatchet tried to open the locked door. He spotted the victims in the parlor and knew from experience, they were dead or near death. He broke the window with his hatchet, climbed through unlocking the door from inside and letting the paramedics enter the home.

  “My guess is carbon monoxide poisoning, said one of the emergency medics. Let’s get the gas shut off from the main valve.”

  Emma was alive although her pulse was very weak, they rolled her to an ambulance on a stretcher while the paramedic worked to save her life.

  Anna, the less healthy sister showed no signs of life. She would be transported to the morgue.

  Joe sat on the front porch swing, he couldn’t keep the tears from flowing.

  ***

  Detectives North and West were called to inspect the premises for possible foul play. The patrolman who shut off the gas line thought the area looked suspicious with bricks out of place near the furnace. Upon further examination, he noticed the basement window had been pried open giving easy access to the room from outside.

  “Good work, Officer Kelly,” said Detective North. “Did you remove your gloves while you were in this room?”

  “No, Detective, if there are any prints, they won’t be mine. I didn’t move the bricks, this one was on the floor and I looked inside the opening with my flashlight. There is something deep inside and hard to make out but I’d say it is a dollar bill. It could be Monopoly money but it sure looks real from here.”

  “Use these tongs, Dan,” Erica said as she pulled a long set of tongs from her over-sized shoulder bag.

  It always surprised Dan that his new partner seemed to be ready for any development with the contents of that big bag she carried around. After sliding surgical gloves over his hands, he reached in with the tongs pulling out a yellowed one-hundred-dollar bill. Erica opened an evidence bag placing the bill inside and setting the bag aside.

  “I want this place dusted for prints. The furnace, the window and every brick that seems to be even slightly askew. Have someone bring a couple of portable searchlights down here, it’s too dark to see clearly.”

  While waiting for the lights, the detectives sought out the gardener, Joe, who was still visibly upset.

  “Hello, Detectives, the other officer said you wanted to talk to me. I wish I’d checked on the sisters when I got here this morning, I might have been able to get them help sooner. I can’t believe Miss Anna is dead, poor Miss Emma, she will be lost without her twin.” Joe unsuccessfully tried to stifle a sob.

  Erica put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Dan sat down next to him. “Mr. Woodward, are you willing to answer some questions?”

  “Call me Joe; I’ll tell you what I know, although I don’t think I’ll be any help. I wish I’d broken a window to get inside to help them.”

  “Joe, did you see or hear any sign of a vehicle when you arrived this morning?”

  “No, I didn’t see or hear anyone. It’s quiet on the hill, I’d know if someone was here. I should get started with my mowing, I’m running behind schedule.”

  “I’m sorry, Joe, the landscaping will have to wait for another day. This property is a crime scene.”

  “A crime scene? I would never hurt those fine ladies.”

  “No one is accusing you of anything,” said Erica. “You’ve had a shock, Joe, why not take the rest of the morning off.”

  “I think I will, I’ll go home to Sadie, my wife, she’ll be sad when I tell her about the Bradbury sisters.”

  ***

  During the live broadcast of The Morning Show

  Our next guest is a local actor and former drama teacher at Oakwood Park High School. For those of you who are patrons of the Community Playhouse, Harvey is a familiar face. He captures the spirit of any character he performs on stage. Please welcome Mr. Harvey Rutledge.

  During the applause from the audience, Barb Tinsdale hurries to Rebecca’s side handing her a note.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve just been informed of the death of Anna Bradbury. Her sister, Emma, is in the intensive care unit of Oakwood Park Hospital. Apparently, there was a gas leak in their home and they were overcome with carbon monoxide fumes.”

  The audience responded in shock as Harvey spoke of the twins he remembered.

  “Rebecca, when I was a boy, the Bradbury twins were young glamorous women whose papa owned most of Oakwood Park. They were beauties who traveled the world and were entertained by royalty. Miss Emma was engaged to marry a prince; however, she refused to leave her home and her sister. Miss Anna had many chances of her own to marry, she too, did not want to break the family ties. Now, they are finally parted. They had great lives but I find their situation sad.”

  Rebecca was thankful Henry took over the show while she pulled herself together. She knew the sisters were in their nineties but was still shaking from the news.

  ***

  Mackenzie Snow was on duty at Oakwood Park Hospital when another nurse called to her from a patient’s room.

  “Kenzie, Mrs. Dwyer is watching your mother’s show, she announced the death of the Bradbury sisters.”

  Kenzie rushed to Mrs. Dwyer’s room to watch the report.

  “Isn’t it terrible, Kenzie,” said Mrs. Dwyer, “I thought those two would live forever. They are legends in this city.”

  “I’ve got to call Jake, he’ll be so upset, he truly loved those ladies. Excuse me, Mrs. Dwyer.”

  “You go on, Kenzie, tell your mother I watch her show every day. I think she is terrific.”

  Kenzie called Jake from the nurse’s station.

  “Hi, beautiful, what’s up?”

  “Jake, something terrible has happened to the Bradbury sisters. Anna is dead and Emma is in ICU downstairs. They think it’s carbon monoxide poisoning.”

  Jake’s heart sank, “It’s my fault, Kenzie.”

  Chapter Ten

  Oakwood Park Hotel

  The sun streaming through a gap in the draper
ies of the hotel room woke Jess King after a night of celebrating his new-found wealth.

  He’d intended an earlier start to his search for money in the Bradbury basement. It didn’t matter, he would be quiet and the old bats wouldn’t know he was there. This time he had a heavy-duty flashlight, and a screwdriver set he’d purchased yesterday afternoon. He’d bring his carry-on bag to hold all that lovely money. He left the room key on the dresser as he had no wish to return to the hotel. He’d be on the road before the sun set. Along the way, he would purchase a car for himself and abandon the economy car rented in Katie’s name.

  Passing through the lobby, the staff stood mesmerized watching the television. Jess glanced their way and recognized the faces of the Bradbury sisters. He heard the newscaster say one was dead and the other in the hospital.