Christmas Witness

by Aimée Thurlo

  “We finally have the paperwork we needed from state government and your attorney,” Virgil said. “You can access your father’s safe-deposit box any time you’re ready. I’ve notified Mora.”

  Jake hung up and filled Annie in.

  “We’ve been thinking of Virgil as a blackmailer, or worse, and here he is all of a sudden trying to help us,” Annie said, cringing slightly.

  “He was obliged to provide the paperwork. I’d scarcely categorize it as help.”

  Jake called Captain Mora and told him they’d be opening the box right away, something he knew the captain had been awaiting. He then filled him in on what they’d learned from Thomas, asking him not to press charges unless the evidence eventually led back to Thomas as the murderer.

  As he hung up, Jake looked at Annie. “He’ll meet us at the bank in twenty minutes. He’s as eager as we are to see what’s there.”

  They drove together to the bank and, by the time they arrived, Virgil Lowman and Captain Mora were waiting.

  Lowman took them into an empty office. “According to law, I have to be present when you open the box. Tax purposes require that a representative of the state, or some other accredited individual, verify the contents. Captain Mora, of course, is here because of his ongoing investigation.”

  Jake opened the box as Annie stood beside him. “Interesting,” he muttered.

  Annie glanced down and saw three cash withdrawal slips that had been stapled to blackmail notes. “Those notes have photocopied sections that look to be from your mother’s diary,” she said softly.

  “Handle them by the edges only,” Mora cautioned. “We may be able to get usable prints.”

  “The withdrawals match the blackmail demands,” Jake commented.

  “What are those other papers?” Annie asked. “Anything important there?”

  Jake studied them. “They’re bearer bonds, and worth a small fortune, too. Since bearer bonds aren’t made out to any particular individual, whoever has physical possession of them can cash the bond in. They’re not very safe to leave lying around.”

  “That’s probably why he kept them here. The bank did make those purchases for him,” Lowman said.

  “But why did he put them here, along with these notes?” Jake asked, not really expecting an answer. “Was it just for convenience, or because they’re somehow related?”

  “I can’t see any connection,” Lowman said flatly.

  Jake watched Lowman’s expression carefully. “Are these all the bearer bonds the bank purchased on behalf of my father?”

  Lowman shook his head. “There were more, I think, but I’d have to total up the amounts and check that against our records to be certain. That’ll take some time. But I should tell you, it’s also very possible your father sold or traded some of the bonds. That’s what most people eventually do with them.”

  “I was hoping for more than this,” Mora said, disappointed. “We already knew about the blackmail.” He looked at Virgil. “Did he ever mention that to you?”

  “Blackmail? No, not one word,” Lowman said.

  “Keep it to yourself for now, Virgil. What I’d like to do is take the contents of the box to my office,” Mora said. “Do you have any objection, Jake?”

  “Not as long as I get it all back eventually.”

  Mora looked at Virgil. “Would you give us a moment alone, please?”

  Lowman nodded and walked out.

  Annie watched him through the window as he walked away. Assured she could speak freely, she looked at Mora. “Captain, do you agree that Lowman’s our best suspect?”

  “Yes, but we have to move carefully. We don’t have any solid proof against him and, if we tip our hand too soon, he could bolt or destroy evidence. Then we’ll have nothing. Let him feel we trust him. That’ll give me time to get some more information.

  “I’d like to find out if he’s the one who hired Thomas Ray. To do that, I have to access phone records to see if anyone called Ray’s house from the Silver Slipper. If Lowman hired him to break in, the trail will start there. I also want to check if Lowman was in the casino or bank the day your father was killed. Casinos have video cameras everywhere, so it won’t be hard to look into this. I’ll also want to question the bank employees away from work.”

  Mora placed one of the bonds in an evidence pouch, then the rest in a separate pouch along with the blackmail notes and the deposit slips. “I’ll keep these in our safe at the station.”

  “What about the bond in the other pouch?” Annie asked.

  “I’d like to take this one to a bank in Santa Fe. I have a friend who’ll be able to tell us more about bearer bonds like these.”

  “I’d like to go, too, if you don’t mind,” Jake said.

  “No problem.”

  As they went out to the parking lot, Annie walked slowly, feeling even more tired than usual. Jake felt his gut wrench as he noticed her struggle. Annie was a strong woman, but she’d been pushing herself too hard.

  “Why don’t you let me drop you off at home?” he suggested.

  “At home.” The words had a nice ring to them, but she wasn’t going to be pushed aside now. She’d made a vow to catch Paul’s killer and she’d see it through.

  “I’m okay. I want to come along,” she said firmly.

  He knew better than to argue.

  The Santa Fe bank was closed by the time they arrived, but Mora had made arrangements, and a tall Anglo man in his early sixties met them at the door.

  Mora introduced them. “This is Stephen Marcus. There’s nothing about investment banking that he doesn’t know.”

  “He’s right,” Marcus said with an easy smile, “even if he is using flattery to divert from the fact that he’s kept me here after closing.”

  Marcus led them to his office, then seated himself behind his desk. He studied the bearer bond Mora handed him for a long time, brought two more out of a small document safe behind him, and set them down side-by-side. “Examine the differences in the paper quality and the fine detail work, and you’ll see that what you brought today is only a very good counterfeit copy.”

  After thanking Marcus, they went back outside, stunned by the news.

  “I’ll have Marcus come in to verify the others, but I’m sure the paper was identical on the other bonds, as well,” Mora said, glancing at Jake. “And that raises all kinds of questions.”

  “I know what you’re thinking. We now have to find out if my dad knew they were only copies, and if this is part of the evidence he was collecting against the person blackmailing him.”

  “And if all Paul had were copies of these bearer bonds, who has the originals? Lowman? Or is there another player we don’t know about yet?” Mora added.

  Once they reached pueblo land, Jake drove Annie back to the ranch. He was worried about her. She hadn’t said much and she appeared restless.

  “What’s on your mind? I can tell something’s not right,” he said at last.

  “I’ve been expecting an important call. Staying away from the phone, even under these circumstances, was harder than I thought.”

  “Is the call about the baby?”

  She shook her head. “It’s about my carvings. When I took them in, Sam Luna, the owner of the gallery, said there might be enough interest in the pieces to hold an auction. But I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “Did he give you any idea how much he expected them to go for?”

  “No. Sam’s a good businessman and I trust him, but the truth is, those carvings represent the best work I’ve ever done. I want to get a very good price for them. It’s more than just pride, too. There are a lot of things I’d like to get for the baby.”

  “If you need anything at all—”

  She held up a hand. “You don’t understand. I’ve bought everything the baby will need, but there are little things that I want to get for her.”

  As they entered the house, Jake watched Annie walk slowly to her room. He loved her and nothing would ever chan
ge that. He fought the desire to go to her room, to undress her and put her to bed, to hold her and whisper dark, erotic things to her. The man in him told him she wouldn’t resist, that she wanted the same thing. But he wouldn’t push her.

  “Hey, Jake.” Nick’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “We’ve got to talk, Nick,” Jake said, leading the way to the study. “I need to fill you in on a few developments.”

  Jake told him everything they’d learned. “What do you think? Is Lowman the killer?” Jake pressed. “I could use your insight.”

  “At the end, Mom was bedridden from the cancer,” Nick said, “but her mind was clear. She must have known that her diary had the potential to cause a lot of trouble, and that if Uncle Thomas got hold of it he’d probably use it to hurt Dad or us. She would have done her level best to see that the diary was destroyed, but she couldn’t have accomplished that on her own. She may have turned the task over to someone else she thought she could trust—like Lowman. I’m sure she must have known he had a thing for her.”

  “That was Annie’s theory, too. Poor Dad must have gone crazy looking for that diary until finally the blackmailer came forward. That is, of course, if we’re right.”

  “You know, even if we could prove Lowman is the blackmailer, that still wouldn’t mean he killed Dad,” Nick said. “What we still lack is a clear motive and hard facts. The phony bearer bonds are important, but Mora will need more solid evidence before he can get a search warrant to go through Lowman’s office and home.”

  “I’m tempted to break into Lowman’s house myself,” Jake said. “Even if all I found was Mom’s diary, I’d take that as a win.”

  “We have to get it back, but not if it compromises the case against a man who could turn out to be Dad’s killer,” Nick said.

  The phone rang. Jake went to the desk and picked it up. It was the gallery calling for Annie. He hesitated, not wanting to disturb her if she was resting but, as he looked up, he saw her standing at the door.

  “It’s the call you were waiting for,” he said.

  “I’ll take it in the kitchen,” she said, then hurried out.

  Jake stayed in the study long after all the lights in the house were out, but Annie never returned. Once again, the woman who’d come to mean the world to him had shut him out of her life.

  Jake walked upstairs to his room, a cold emptiness gnawing at him. Annie had built a barrier between them, and as much as he wanted to make things happen, to force things to go his way, he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes his father had made. A woman’s heart was too strong to be won. Only love would compel her to surrender it and place it in the hands of another.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Annie was restless the next morning as she and Jake set up the small pinon one of the hands had given them to replace the Christmas tree they’d lost in the fire. Once the tree stood securely in the sala, she went to her room and returned holding the glass ornament she’d been restoring during breaks from her carvings. The decoration had escaped the worst of the heat because it had been on a low outside branch and had fallen away from the flames. “It came along pretty smoothly after I got started, and I was able to restore the original artwork.”

  Jake took it from her hands and, for a moment, didn’t speak.

  “I actually retraced your mother’s own design. There were parts that I couldn’t restore, but I filled in the gaps.”

  Jake met her gaze. “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

  Annie saw all she needed to in his eyes. “You already have.”

  Jake took her hand in his and pulled her to him, but suddenly the phone rang. Annie jumped then, walking quickly, went to answer it. It was a wrong number. Disappointment filled her, but she tried to hide it as she hung up the phone.

  “What’s the latest on the carvings?” Jake asked, accurately guessing what was going on. “Didn’t you get the news you were hoping for last night? I waited for you to come back and tell me what was going on, but I guess you went to bed instead.”

  She realized then that she’d hurt Jake by not confiding in him, but how could she have done that? Her pride, her self-confidence, were all being tested to the max now. “Mr. Luna is auctioning the pieces today. Seven of his best customers were interested in the carvings and he thought this was the best way to make sure everyone got a fair shot at them.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed. “So why do you look as if you’re facing a firing squad?”

  “What if they take a second look at the carvings, change their minds, and decide not to bid? Or what if we only get one offer—at a rock-bottom price?”

  He smiled, placing one of the salvaged ornaments from the old tree so the charred side wasn’t visible. He’d never seen Annie so unsure of herself. “It won’t happen. I’ve seen your work, remember? Stop worrying.”

  “But it could happen. And if my carvings sell for peanuts, word will get around to all the galleries in the southwest.”

  “You’re creating problems based on nothing but wild speculations. Relax.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she muttered. “Your livelihood isn’t on the line.” The phone rang and Annie picked it up immediately, setting down the half-empty box of ornaments. The first bid had come in by phone, establishing a floor for the auction, but it was much lower than either Luna or she had hoped.

  Her heart plummeted but she fought to keep her voice steady as she thanked Luna for calling.

  “I gather the news isn’t what you expected?” Jake asked, noting the crestfallen look on her face.

  “At least we have a bid,” Annie said, managing a smile. “Things could have been worse.”

  Hearing the doorbell, Jake went to answer it. Annie continued to decorate the tree, but her mind was on the auction.

  Taking a break, Annie went into the kitchen to make herself a piece of toast. She was buttering the bread when Jake led Captain Mora into the room.

  “I thought you’d like to hear this, Annie,” Jake said, motioning for Mora to have a seat. “We’re alone, so you don’t have to worry about confidentiality, Captain. Martin isn’t here, and my brother is out with some of the hands rounding up the horses before the predicted storm gets here.”

  Mora sat with them at the kitchen table. “I’m doing a complete background check on Virgil Lowman and, so far, I’ve discovered he has some pretty big problems that could give him a motive. It seems he owes three different casinos a great deal of money. They’ve refused to take his bets at their tables, and have had their collectors pay him a visit.”

  “This would certainly explain why he needed cash right now,” Jake said.

  “If he’s been looking for sources of money, I think he’s probably already cleaned out your mother’s bank account,” Annie said quietly. “That would have been too much of a temptation for him. He probably figured nobody would ever find out the money was there, and he’d never get caught.”

  Mora stood. “That’s all I’ve got for you right now, so I better get back to work.”

  Jake walked him out but before he returned to the kitchen the phone rang. Annie scooped up the receiver in record time.

  “We’ve had a surprise,” Luna said. “Another party, acting through a broker, just made a phenomenal offer.”

  He gave her the figure and her heart did a somersault. It was beyond anything she’d expected.

  “The other bidders haven’t countered, so it looks like this will be the final sale price.”

  She placed the receiver down, excited and happy. The moment Jake returned, she gave him the news. “It’s really flattering to have someone pay that much for my work, but I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t something more going on here.”

  Jake laughed. “First you were worried about not getting enough money. Now you’re worried because it’s too much?”

  “I’m happy but—” Annie suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. It felt as if her stomach had harden
ed into a rock. Then, slowly, the pressure and tightening eased, spreading downward before finally going away. She seated herself slowly in one of the kitchen chairs.

  “What? Are you all right?” he asked quickly.

  “Yes,” she managed to answer in a shaky voice. “But I think I better call Elsie. I should have seen her yesterday, but I didn’t get around to it.”

  “I’ll call her right now,” Jake said, picking up the. phone.

  AN HOUR LATER Annie sat with Elsie in her bedroom. Her blood pressure had been taken, the baby’s heartbeat was strong, and everything was proceeding well. “You’re having more of these Braxton-Hicks contractions because you’re so close to term. Some can be very uncomfortable, but they’re helping your body prepare for labor. Just remember, you’re due anytime now, and if you get more than four per hour, it’s time to call the troops. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, too, so keep the number where I can be reached handy.”

  “I will.”

  “Is the baby quiet right now?”

  Annie nodded.

  “Then take advantage of it and get some sleep. You need to start being good to yourself.”

  Annie fell asleep shortly after Elsie left. She’d meant to make it only a short nap, but it was ten-thirty at night when she finally woke up. As an idea for a new carving formed in her mind, she decided to go to her studio to sketch it out.

  As Annie walked down the hall, she noticed the light was on in her studio. Peering inside, she saw Jake sitting on the easy chair by the window, going through some papers. A warm fire was burning in the horno-style fireplace in the corner.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked, moving to her carving desk.

  “Yes, but I was worried about you,” he said, standing and going to join her. “I had a feeling you’d come here the moment you woke up, so I decided to stick around.”

  “I woke up with an idea for my next carving,” she said, and began sketching it out on paper. The figure of a mother breast-feeding her child materialized slowly on the paper as she gave it life.

  “That’s going to be beautiful,” he said as she placed the pencil down on the pad.