Murder on Bradbury Hill

by Jane T O'Brien

  “Don’t give up, there’s someone out there for a good-looking guy like you. Here comes Rebecca now.”

  “Hi, Dan, I hope you haven’t been waiting long. The producer had questions about tomorrow’s show and I couldn’t break away.”

  “No problem, Barb has kept me company. We’ve had a break in the case. Jake Morgan is no longer under suspicion for robbery.”

  “Well!” said Barb, “I should think not. Jake Morgan is as honest as the day is long. He didn’t harm the Bradbury sisters either. I’d say you are a better actor than you are a detective.”

  “The man is only doing his job,” said Rebecca. “We’ll find the real killer and Jake will be cleared of all this nonsense. Isn’t that right, Detective?”

  “I hope so, I will never live it down if I lock up the town hero. I don’t believe there is one person in Oakwood Park who thinks Jake Morgan is capable of committing a crime.”

  “Let’s go find evidence to prove his innocence,” said Rebecca.

  ***

  Ludlow, Pierce and Morgan Accounting Firm

  “Janet, is Jake with clients this morning? I should have called, but I wanted to surprise him.”

  “Are you here with good news about the Bradbury mystery?”

  “No, but things are looking better for Jake. My mom is headed to the Bradbury house with Detective North to do some snooping.”

  “Oh, good, Rebecca is our resident sleuth. The killer doesn’t stand a chance.”

  Jake poked his head out the door. “I thought that gorgeous voice sounded familiar, and I was right. It’s your day off but it’s too early for lunch, what brings you here?”

  “A house, oh Jake it’s perfect. It has three bedrooms and two baths upstairs, a large family room and kitchen and a study for you. Harvey Rutledge called me earlier. He knew you and I are looking for a home and suggested this one. It’s on Applewood Circle. Harvey and his wife, Vivian, live there; he said the neighbors are friendly but not intrusive.”

  “Kenzie, do you think it’s wise to look for a house now? We don’t know what will happen.

  We have to be realistic, I could spend time in prison.”

  “I refuse to believe you will be punished for a crime you didn’t commit. You must see the house, I know you will love it as much as I do.”

  “Kenzie, if this thing goes to trial, I’ll be in debt for years, whatever the outcome.”

  “There won’t be a trial, you will be cleared of these ridiculous charges soon and we can go back to planning our wedding and living our lives. Humor me, Jake, come see the house with me.”

  ***

  Bradbury Hill

  Rebecca and Dan entered the Bradbury house. Under different circumstances, Rebecca would be thrilled to see the inside of the old place. Her mother, Susan Wilson, had attended a charity held at the mansion when Rebecca was a little girl. Susan still talked about being afraid to move for fear she’d knock over one of the many antique pieces on display.

  “I brought gloves for you, Rebecca, put them on before you touch anything.” Dan looked up and watched as she pulled on her own surgical gloves. “I see you came prepared,” he chuckled.

  “I did, we’re looking for evidence, we can’t contaminate it with our fingerprints.”

  The search started in the parlor where the women were found dead or unresponsive. Dan’s men had done a thorough search in the room and Dan thought Rebecca was wasting time but let her do her thing. She examined each piece of furniture until she came to an antique secretary desk. As was all the furniture in the room, the desk had many ornate carved surfaces. Rebecca cringed at the thought of keeping the pieces dusted. She ran her hand carefully over the desk until she reached the upper part of the left side. She gave a slight push and a small door opened. She reached in and pulled out an age-yellowed envelope, holding it where Dan could see.

  “How did you know there was a secret panel?” Dan asked.

  “Detective North, haven’t you ever read an old mystery novel? There is always a secret panel somewhere in a piece of furniture.”

  “Open it, let’s see what secrets the sisters felt required hiding,” said Dan.

  “They weren’t necessarily hiding the envelope, they might have thought the contents were important enough to store in a safe place fearing it could be lost.”

  Rebecca opened the envelope noting one of the fastening buttons was missing making the other useless.

  “Dan, it’s a letter from Arthur Bradbury to his father Caleb along with a report from a private investigator. The letter talks about a ranch in Elk River and Arthur’s son Rex. That was Katie’s grandfather’s name. It’s proof that Katie is Caleb Bradbury’s great-great-granddaughter and the only heir to the Bradbury estate.”

  “Why did they ask Jake Morgan to investigate the girl if they had proof she was their great-niece?”

  “Maybe they didn’t have proof then. Could it be one or both remembered Caleb hiding the envelope in the basement? They’d have been young women then. You said Jess King saw them downstairs when he snooped through the window. Is this what they found? I’d like to go downstairs,” Rebecca said pulling a large flashlight out of her overstuffed bag.

  “You have everything in that bag of yours. I can picture you pulling out a magnifying glass like a professional sleuth.”

  Rebecca giggled as she reached into the bag and showed him her hand-held magnifying glass. “You never know when this will come in handy.”

  ***

  They carefully walked down the rickety stairs.

  “I shudder to think of those two old women climbing up and down these stairs. Jake mentioned he thought they were dangerous when he came down here to look at the furnace.”

  With an overhead light on, it was still dark although the sun shining through the windows helped. Rebecca and Dan both shined flashlights around and saw the brick wall near the furnace. Loose bricks were noticeable. A step stool rested against the wall.

  “Rebecca, you are deep in thought, what’s going on in that intriguing mind of yours?”

  “I’m thinking…from what I’ve heard, Caleb Bradbury was larger than life in personality and in stature. His daughters were taller than the average woman but not nearly as tall as a man would be. If Caleb hid the envelope at his eye level, the sisters would need a stool to reach the higher bricks.”

  Rebecca pulled the step stool to the wall, climbed to check the bricks then moved further until she came to a loose brick. She pulled it out, shining the light inside the opening and lifted a paper button that matched the one on the envelope they’d left upstairs. She held it in her hand and in the excitement began to sway until Dan lifted his arms to steady her.

  “Get off of that thing, you will break your neck.”

  Rebecca stepped off the stool, turned it toward the furnace, and climbed up again.

  “What are you doing, Rebecca? I insist you get down, I’m responsible for you while we are in this house and I don’t want you killing yourself.”

  Rebecca reached in her bag and brought out the magnifying glass. “Here,” she said, handing Dan her flashlight, “shine the light on the furnace vent.”

  He did as she asked while she studied the metal on the furnace and vent. She again reached into the bag she’d carried over her shoulder and picked out a plastic bag and a pair of tweezers. She pulled a minuscule piece of fabric from around a bolt in the furnace and placed it in the plastic bag.

  “Let’s go back upstairs, I have one more thing to check.”

  Dan was impressed, he was certain he was in the presence of a female Sherlock Holmes. He followed Rebecca upstairs to the parlor where she walked directly to a coat rack in the corner. The only article of clothing was a heavy red sweater, she pulled it off the rack showing Dan a small tear in the sleeve.

  “I believe these fibers will match the tear in the sweater.”

  “I believe you are right. If I hadn’t seen you teeter on that stool, I wouldn’t have thought it possible that the siste
rs weren’t murdered but accidentally dislodged the vent when they fell against it causing the carbon monoxide leak.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “I was right about you, Rebecca, you should join the police force. I said before, I’d like to have you as my partner.”

  “I think a young woman by the name of Erica West wouldn’t like you changing partners, Dan. Have you two have patched up your differences?”

  “You are a good detective, I admit, West is growing on me. I asked her on a date last night, unfortunately, it didn’t end as I’d planned. We talked about the case and the mood changed.”

  “You will try again, won’t you?”

  “Yes, now that you have all but solved our case, we won’t be distracted,” Dan smiled to himself. As much as he enjoyed Rebecca’s company, he missed Erica working alongside him. She’d offered to complete the paperwork on Jess King and stayed behind.

  Dan stopped the car in the television station parking lot near Rebecca’s car.

  “Dan, we’re having a few folks over for lunch today, why don’t you pick up Erica and join us. You can give Jake the good news.”

  “I’ll get this evidence to the lab and talk to the district attorney about dropping the charges. Although I can’t prove what happened, we don’t have a case against Jake, I’m sure the DA will agree. If we can get this settled today, Erica and I will stop by your place to give Jake the good news.”

  ***

  One-Twenty-One Applewood Circle

  Kenzie was right about the house on Applewood Circle. Jake agreed it was a perfect fit for them and their future family. “Can we adopt a dog, look at the size of the backyard, I can picture a puppy running around chasing butterflies.”

  “And digging up my flowerbeds,” Kenzie laughed. “Of course, we can get a dog, I know how much you miss Grover now that your folks have moved to Florida.”

  “I didn’t think it was fair to have a dog in the apartment when I’m gone most of the day and with you at night. I’m sold, let’s put an offer on the house, if they send me to jail, we’ll deal with it then.”

  Kenzie and Jake waved to the neighbor on the right who drove into her garage, she smiled and waved back.

  “This feels right, Jake, I can’t wait to start our life together in our new home. We have time to stop at the real estate office before going to Mom and Dad’s.”

  The Smith Farm

  Margaret Smith, Lindsey Sutton’s mother nervously awaited Alex Snow.

  “Lindsey, what do you know about this man? James Sutton fooled you and he broke your heart.”

  “Mom, I’m not eighteen anymore. I met Alex for the first time yesterday, believe me, I’m not planning our wedding.”

  Two-year-old Jamie Sutton giggled as though he wanted to join the conversation.

  “I’ll never be sorry I married Ace, I can’t imagine my life without Jamie in it.”

  “Be careful, I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt again.”

  Alex appeared at the door and Linsey opened it inviting him in to meet her mother and her son.

  Jamie squealed in delight when Alex gave the toddler a fist bump and greeted Mrs. Smith with a broad smile.

  “I’m happy to meet both of you,” Alex said, “I noticed your vegetable garden on the way in, Mrs. Smith. It’s impressive, you must have a green thumb.”

  “I should, young man, I’ve been tending to a vegetable garden since I was eight-years-old. I’ve won first place at the county fair for my home-grown tomatoes. Please call me Margaret. Lindsey’s father is at a grange meeting today, otherwise, he’d be here to meet you.”

  Margaret Smith’s change of heart surprised her daughter. It seemed Alex had won her over already.

  “We’d better be on our way, Lindsey.”

  “Lindsey, you can’t arrive empty handed, take this plate of cookies. I baked them this morning and they’re Jamie’s favorites.”

  Lindsey had a bottle of wine in her bag and hoped the cookies wouldn’t be overkill but couldn’t hurt her mother’s feelings.

  ***

  “You won my mother over quickly; before you arrived, she was reminding me of my poor relationship record. You made Jamie squeal with delight and that’s all Mom needed to approve the stranger her gullible daughter brought home.”

  “You can trust me, Lindsey, I know we just met but I would like to get to know you better. I don’t mean with my family hovering over us, maybe we could go for drinks or dinner sometime.”

  “I’d like that too; tell me, Alex, how did you escape marriage?”

  “I never met anyone who wanted to marry me.”

  “I don’t believe that; you are quite a catch,” said Lindsey and immediately regretted her words. “I’m sorry, Alex, as you can tell, I haven’t been with many men, I’m afraid I haven’t learned to think before I speak. Shall we change the subject?”

  ***

  The Snow backyard

  Rebecca and Andy stood arm in arm watching the young people laughing and chatting like old friends. Jamie was the center of attention and it was obvious he enjoyed every minute of it. He finally crawled on a lawn chair and fell sound to sleep.

  “It’s a nice family you folks have,” said Clem. “Katie is having a good time talking to people her age. She loves the ranch, but she needs to get away from it more than an occasional trip into town.”

  “Kenzie says Katie has eyes for a banker, is there any hope they’ll get together?”

  “Not without some prompting. Katie has the mistaken idea Ned isn’t interested in her and Ned thinks Katie deserves better than a banker. When I get back home, I will to ask Ned to come to the ranch. I’ll make up some excuse and then insist he stays for dinner.”

  The arrival of Detectives North and West interrupted the conversation. Kenzie’s heart sank, she thought they’d come to take Jake away again.

  “We are sorry to disturb your party, Jake, you will be happy to hear you have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Bradbury sisters’ death and the robbery in their home. The Oakwood Park Police Department is sorry for the anguish we put you through in our investigation. You can thank your future mother-in-law for your freedom. Rebecca Swan, the super sleuth, solved the puzzle. We’ll let you get back to your party and she can fill you in on the details.”

  “Detectives,” said Kenzie, “please don’t leave. Although it was a terrible experience, Jake and I know you were only doing your job. You’ve met everyone here except Jamie Sutton, the little guy sleeping on the lounge chair.”

  The party continued with Dan and Erica joining in the celebration of Jake’s freedom.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “North, Eli Grant here. What’s this I read in the morning paper? Jake Morgan is cleared of all charges in the Bradbury deaths? As the attorney of record why wasn’t I told about this? I had to read it in the newspaper.”

  “You were next on my list to call with the information,” Dan lied.

  “I see death was accidental in both cases. Those two dames were lunatics; I understand their father was certifiable too. I need verification from you that the case is settled, allowing Jake Morgan and other named beneficiaries to receive their entitlement as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll get the paperwork to you this morning, Mr. Grant.” Dan’s skin crawled, he knew Grant only cared about collecting his exorbitant fee. He’d likely been ripping off the sisters for years and now the well has run dry for him.

  Ludlow, Pierce and Morgan offices

  “Jake,” said Ben Ludlow, “I’ve heard rumors you are the main beneficiary to the Bradbury sisters’ fortune.”

  “I’ve heard something like that too, the reading of the will was on hold when I was the prime suspect in their deaths. It was nice of the sisters to remember me in their will but I’m sure the rumors are exaggerated.”

  Two hours later

  A messenger delivered a large envelope to Jake at his office. Janet brought it to him. The return address listed the law offices of Eli Gran
t.

  “Thanks, Janet, it looks like a copy of the Bradbury will.”

  “I hear you’ll be receiving a bundle,” Janet laughed. “What did they leave you? A priceless Ming vase?”

  Jake scanned through the legal jargon until he got to the bequests. “How nice,” he said, the sisters left substantial amounts to those who worked for them for years. They are now out of a job so I’m sure the money will come in handy. He got to the last bequeath and his mouth dropped open. “This is a mistake!”

  “What is it, Jake?” asked a startled Janet.

  “I’m calling Eli Grant immediately, this says the Bradbury house, its contents and the Bradbury holdings have been left to me. It’s impossible.”