Lem entered moments later and poured himself a cup.
Ezra sat with his own mug clasped in his hands. He leaned back and put his feet on an empty chair. “Knew that would get you away from your computer. When are you going to learn to make coffee?” He explained to Claudia, “Many years ago, Brother Lem graduated high school in early June. In late June he got married. He went from Mom making his coffee and meals to his wife doing it. He’s helpless as a baby in the kitchen.”
“I can make coffee,” Lem retorted. “I just choose not to waste it. Family men know how important it is to stretch dollars. And get your feet off that chair. ”
Ezra obeyed before he reached over and pinched his brother’s cheek. “Now frugality is a synonym for sloth and ineptness.”
The brothers continued to spar, and Claudia enjoyed the easy repartee until a piercing whistle sounded from the next room.
“Amos is done.” Lem left, only to return in a minute.
“Ezra, Felix wants to talk to you. I think he’s under the impression that as justice of the peace you can serve as his public defender. He didn’t ask for counsel of any kind when you brought him in?”
“All he asked was that I take certain of my body parts, insert them in other body parts, and remove myself to the nether reaches of Hades.”
“Sounds like our gentle Felix. OK. Claudia, you don’t mind waiting a little longer? Ah. Here’s Amos to keep you company.”
Ezra left with Lem as Amos felt his way to the table and sat down. This time his nose angled toward the coffee pot.
“Would you mind?”
Claudia hastened to get him a mug. “Black?”
“A little sugar. My sweet tooth seems to be expanding with age. Thank you, Miss Alexander.”
She considered asking him to call her Claudia but doubted he would. Amos was a courtly gentleman.
Instead she asked, “What were you saying about a haircut and your wife?”
He took a sip of coffee and closed his eyes. He pressed his cheek against the warmth of the mug. “Money was tight, of course. We couldn’t afford the barber and my mother’s method was to put a bowl over my head and cut around it. I was pretty shaggy for our first date. I asked Mary’s pa if I could chop firewood for him. He agreed, and I spent the entire day chopping and stacking to earn three dollars. I thought it would also give Mary an opportunity to see a hard worker in action, especially one with a set of fine muscles.
“I found out after nine hours of cramps and splinters that she had stayed with her girlfriend that day. But the time and three bucks didn’t go to waste. Her father developed a right positive frame of mind toward me, and Mary liked my haircut. Said she preferred it to the mountain man look. Or the bowl.”
“Sounds like your Mary had a sense of humor.”
Amos chuckled. “She made me laugh like nobody else. Laughter covers a multitude of sins in a marriage. You know, Ezra is a guy who enjoys good clean fun—”
“Can I ask what you talked to Felix about?” Claudia interrupted the Barley Method of Blatant Matchmaking.
“Mostly his soul. I entreated. It sounded like he scratched himself. Whether he killed Roi or not, that boy needs the Lord. But when I asked what he wanted to share, he told me if he goes to prison he’d share his snowmobile with me. Then he laughed.” Amos sighed. “That laugh had more bravado than sarcasm. He’s afraid.”
Ezra returned, glowering.
“I asked Lem to come here after he gets Felix to his room.”
Lem walked in a minute later.
“That man is scared,” Ezra said bluntly,
Claudia glanced at Amos, who was nodding.
“He won’t say why. All he does is insist he didn’t kill Roi. When I pushed him to tell me what else he knows, he just clammed up and scratched his stomach.” Ezra surreptitiously scratched his head. “Lem, did you check him for lice? I’m feeling ten kinds of itchy right now.”
Lem ignored the last remark. “What makes you think he’s afraid?”
“You know the look a small dog gets when it’s trying to slink past a bigger dog? He doesn’t want to attract attention. Felix is that little dog.”
“He’s scared out of his wits,” Amos contributed. “I could smell it on him.”
Lem exhaled hugely. “Claudia, you have anything to add about how I don’t clean up my prisoners? I made that boy shower three times, and with lice shampoo before I’d let him in a room.”
Amos grinned, but sobered quickly. “You know what I mean, Lem. Miss Alexander already has great respect for my nasal detection skill. Since I lost my sight it’s getting even better. I’m telling you I smell fear on that boy. I wish he worried about where he’ll spend eternity, but I think it’s more immediate than that.”
“Does he say when he found Roi’s body?”
Lem shrugged. “He isn’t real good about time unless there’s money attached to it. He thinks sometime around midnight. Said the snow let up.”
“Ezra told me there’s no coroner. Could you tell when Roi died?” Claudia asked.
“The doctor said time of death could be complicated by the cold. Our esteemed justice of the peace agrees. In other words, neither is willing to commit.”
Ezra relaxed back in his chair. “Just being cautious, brother. You can call in for an autopsy. In fact, I recommend it.”
“We know he was alive and kicking at about 9 o’clock.”
“Who knows?” Lem leaned forward, face alert.
“Ezra and I. We saw him when we were in the snack line at the dance recital. At intermission. Remember?”
“That’s right,” Ezra agreed. “He made a big point of avoiding you.”
“If we believe Felix, which I’m not saying I do, he was killed sometime between nine and midnight. That narrows it down,” Lem said. He rubbed his jaw, looked at the ceiling, and shook his head. “I have to be honest, folks. Nothing warrants a full-scale investigation because everything points to Felix.”
Lem called one of Amos’s relatives to give him a ride home, in spite of his assertions that he could follow the fence.
“If that famous nose were as talented as you say, you’d smell the snow in the air. I refuse to spend another morning searching culverts for you. We still don’t know who cut your fence line or why, and I’ve got too much on my plate already. Attempted murder, a break-in, and bona fide murder.” He turned to his brother. “Ezra, boy, I may need to deputize you.”
EIGHTEEN
Amos’s daughter Sue came in a gleaming car to fetch her father.
“Not at the recital party, Sue?” Ezra asked, leaning in the window.
“Ezra Prosper, are you getting fingerprints on my new wax job? And no. Jacy’s husband works second shift and somebody has to be with her. We’ll stay by Dad’s for a while and hang some more of his... stuff.”
Ezra guided Amos to the passenger side and Jacy waved at Claudia as she waddled from the front seat to the back to make room for her grandfather.
“Mom isn’t happy unless she’s fussing. My due date is tomorrow and deBoer first babies always come late and take dozens of hours to be born.”
Claudia began to wave at Amos and, catching herself, called farewell. As she and Ezra strolled toward the Weary Traveler, Claudia took a delicate whiff at the air. Ezra looked at her sideways.
“Just checking to see if I can smell snow.”
“Can you?”
“I’m not sure what it smells like.”
Ezra took her hand. “Stick around and it will be as familiar as the sachet in my dogcatcher van.”
Claudia squeezed his fingers. The Barley matchmakers might get their way.
“What do you think about Felix?”
“He’s scared. I don’t need to smell it to know. But the fear could be from the thought of going back to prison. It was no picnic for him last time.”
She shivered. “I’m sorry for Felix. Really. He never seems to get a break. What are the chances that Bernice would be watching from her window i
n the middle of the night, see him put Roi’s body in her driveway, and sit down on him?”
“Remember his snowmobile is noisy enough to wake the dead. But you’ve got him pegged. He never gets a break. Which makes me believe he could kill Roi only by accident. If he set out to murder him on purpose, he’d have muffed it for certain.”
“What does he think you can do to help him?”
“Lem wasn’t kidding when he said Felix believes a justice of the peace can double as a public defender. He told me he’s going to take a vow of silence. I asked him if that meant he’s joining a religious order. The scope and variety of adjectives he applied to me proved that wasn’t the case.”
Claudia laughed. “So he plans to remain silent?”
“I assume so. I told him he didn’t have to say anything until he talks to a person actually qualified to represent him. Tomorrow Lem will take him down to Weary and a public defender can talk to him. He said maybe someone with half a brain, which according to him is half a brain more than Lem or I possess, would realize one thing. With everyone coming from all over the county for the dance recital, a lot of people could have killed Roi. Even Peter.” He avoided meeting her eyes.
Claudia winced. “I’m not trying to protect Peter, you know. I have no emotional ties to him except negative ones. But really, if every unpleasant, inconsiderate professional man went around killing total strangers we may as well all stay locked in our rooms.”
“It’s never the guy you want it to be,” Ezra replied, and led her up the front steps of the inn.
In the foyer, Bud scrutinized a homemade jam jar while Ann straightened doilies and dishtowels. They both looked up and smiled, but Ann kept busy, moving to realign the jar Bud had just put down.
“Don’t let her diligent innkeeper act fool you,” Bud told them. “Ann is chomping at the bit. If we don’t see the watch soon she’ll start alphabetizing the jellies or color coding travel brochures.”
“Oh heavens, I can’t wait to show you,” Claudia admitted. “It wasn’t until last night that I realized no one outside of my family has seen it except Peter and Amos. We know it’s old and since you know something about antiques—”
She stopped as Bud shook his head.
“Only furniture. Not jewelry and especially not watches. That would be a full-time job. Upstairs, however, an entire library of books on antiques almost guarantees we’ll find something about watches.”
Ezra helped Claudia off with her coat and kept his on. “I hate to miss this, but I better feed the animals. I think Sapphira knows how to open the fridge, and I want to beat her to the leftovers. I also have important aquatic-type duties in the morning. It’s still all right to meet me at Blossom’s tomorrow night? Good.” He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. They both blushed, Ann beamed, and Ezra walked out the door.
The women followed Bud to the top floor landing. It was large, almost room-sized, and lined with shelves. Books, ferns, framed photographs and bric-a-brac rubbed elbows without any sense of clutter. Oversized leather furniture surrounded a massive oak coffee table. During her cleaning stint yesterday morning Claudia had noticed that along with novels and classics and biographies, a good portion of the books concerned antiques.
“You’d be amazed at how many guests enjoy looking through these,” Bud told her.
“And more amazed at how many think they can walk off with them,” his wife added tartly. “He’s learned not to keep the valuable ones up here.”
She settled in a recliner. Bud scanned the shelves and, with economy of movement, rearranged a few miscreants. He turned to Claudia. “May I see that watch now?”
Claudia set it on the coffee table. She explained quickly what she knew of the history, adding the Abner family story of Big Jake’s theft to what she’d heard from her grandfather. She explained that Amos hoped to locate the fob before she left. Bud glanced at the watch but didn’t come over until the books were in order to his satisfaction. He picked it up then, carried it to the window, and spent the next few minutes in silent examination. After placing it back on the table he looked up and down the shelves, pulled off several books, and handed each woman a small stack.
“Start looking through these for any pictures or articles on pocket watches. Just scan for pertinent information, because most of what you’ll find will be specific to famous makers.”
For the next twenty-five minutes all three paged through the books in silence. One by one they were placed on the table and each reader hopefully opened the next one.
Bud had taken the larger stack and finished last. He looked at the women. They shook their heads.
“A few watches looked similar but all had manufacturer names engraved somewhere. And none had a stone fob,” Ann answered.
Claudia was filled with contrition. “Sorry to waste your afternoon off like this.”
“You didn’t think we’d let you enjoy this grand adventure alone, did you?’ Ann switched stacks with Claudia. “To make sure we didn’t miss anything,” she explained.
“Don’t worry about the fob right now. Let’s assume it was purchased separately,” Bud said. “It could even have been homemade. While you double check the books I’m going to grab a few other things.”
He got up and didn’t return for several minutes. Claudia convinced herself the task was useless. What did it matter? All the original players were dead. Her grandfather would understand. Amos didn’t care. Her search became desultory. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bud return with a sheaf of magazines. He settled into a chair and pulled out his pipe. “Do you mind?” he asked Claudia and, at her assent, lit it with expert understatement.
Claudia finished Ann’s pile and wandered around the room looking at the books. She memorized the title 200 Uses and More for Trench Helmets so she could share with Ezra and then glanced at Ann. The older woman was dozing over her pile of books. A nap would be delightful. Bud’s sigh of satisfaction woke Ann immediately. “You found something.”
“I found something.” He tapped the magazine on his lap. “Ladies, have I got a story for you.”
His wife held up a hand. “Wait. Let’s go down to the kitchen. I’ve got to get some things organized for breakfast tomorrow. Do you mind reading to me while I work?”
He didn’t answer, just groaned at mention of the kitchen, and motioned Claudia to grab the watch. Downstairs, Ann busied herself at the stove and Bud sat in a rocking chair. Claudia stood near the table fighting the urge to pace and wondering why she was so nervous.
Bud held up Metal Collector magazine. “This issue is from a few years back. The article caught my eye, so I had to read it. ‘Tsar Alexander Has the Last Laugh.’ Listen.” He began to read. “What do an obsolete air conditioning system, an assassinated tsar, and bounty hunters have in common? Treasure.
“When the ancient air conditioner of a cathedral in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius needed to be replaced in 1985, workers got a bonus. Upon opening a wall, they discovered a trove of precious metals, gems and religious relics, estimated in excess of $100 million. Hidden when the Soviets invaded Lithuania at the beginning of World War Two, it remained one of the nation’s best-kept secrets both before and after the 1985 discovery. Not until the recent fall of the Soviet Union was the cache made public.
“If Soviet authorities knew about the valuables, they kept silent. Treasure hunters say rumors abounded in their community years before the find, spurred by stories that an unusual watch set with priceless gems had been hidden in the church.
“I’ll show you the photos in a moment,” Bud interjected. “The unique timepiece is fashioned with rhodium, rarer and more expensive than gold or platinum. Rhodium usually plates jewelry made with baser metals because of its poor malleability. But somehow a 19th century silversmith created a pocket watch of pure rhodium. The absence of a maker’s mark means its creator’s identity is a mystery.
“The pure rhodium would set the value of this piece somewhere around thirty thousand dollars, and
that amount doubles because no one has been able to duplicate the process used by the unknown silversmith. Factor in the twelve gems set in its face and the watch becomes almost priceless. The stones, each over two carats, are alexandrite, one of the costliest stones on earth. Alexandrite was first discovered in an emerald mine in the Ural Mountains in 1834 and named after Tsar Alexander II. The polished gems show green in the sun and reddish-purple by artificial light. As the principal colors of Imperial Russia, alexandrite became the national jewel of the tsars.
“Stories were whispered among the priests, passed from age to age, and picked up by bounty hunters always on the alert for new finds. The watch, according to the legends, was gifted to the church in honor of the very tsar for whom the stones were named. The donation occurred soon after Alexander II’s assassination in 1881 by an extremist revolutionary group. The donor requested prayers be made for the soul of both the dead tsar and himself. Speculation that the watch could have been commissioned by the tsar are substantiated by the unique configuration of the Roman numeral four.
“They have a picture of that too,” Bud told them.
“The number four was special to Alexander II: he’d survived an unsuccessful attempt on his life and referred to it as ‘the event of 4 April, 1866’. In commemoration of his escape, he designated places of worship to be built in several Russian cities.
“Tales and rumors don’t end with this almost priceless treasure. The benefactor, stories say, told of a second, identical timepiece, possibly fashioned for the tsar’s wife or eldest son. However, its dozen alexandrite stones were never cut and mounted. Extensive searches in the cathedral revealed no second watch and no stones, but the stories haven’t died out, and a new generation of treasure hunters may renew their search for a tsar’s ransom in precious metal and gems.”
Bud showed them the photos of the front, back, and inside of the watch. Even in the grainy pictures it was breathtaking. Claudia put her watch on the table. They looked from it to the magazine.
Winter Watch Page 17