He clicked the flashlight on as they approached the barn again, and Annie followed him closely, straining to see in the dim yellow glow of the flashlight’s beam. She pulled the collar of her shirt up over her nose and mouth to avoid breathing in any dust. The barn had a moldy scent that reminded her of rot, though Rory assured her that the building looked sturdy enough, at least from the outside.
They went in a few feet, kicking up clouds of dust and dry hay with each step. Annie looked above and around her, surprised to find very few chinks of sunlight made it into the old building. She could see the one loose plank where Devon had squeezed through to rescue the kitten, but apart from that, the whole structure seemed pretty sound. “Well, at least the barn’s in good shape,” she mused, running her hand across a beam as she passed it.
Rory shook the flashlight, its light growing dimmer by the second. “Darn, I guess I should have grabbed the spare batteries.”
Annie put her hand on his elbow. “Wait, I forgot I had my phone with me. I can use it like a flashlight.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and flicked her finger across the touchscreen, bringing it to life. A few more flicks turned her phone into a light source even brighter than the flashlight. She passed it to Rory, who nodded appreciatively, and they continued their tour of the dark and musty barn.
Annie watched as Rory located a ladder built onto one of the center beams of the barn. “Must have an upper level,” he said and headed up without hesitation.
“Be careful up there, Rory. We don’t know if the floor up there is stable or not.” Annie followed him up the ladder, her eyes adjusting finally to the low light. “What’s up there? Is is a hay loft?” Annie’s mind whirled with visions of a party barn filled with people celebrating birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. Once Rory installed some lights, she could start planning out her new barn venue properly, but she was already tingling with anticipation.
“Annie, don’t come up here.” Rory’s tone made her hesitate, but only for a second. Annie continued up the ladder, and nearly bumped into Rory.
“What? What’s wrong?” Annie strained to peer around him, trying to see why Rory didn’t want her on the upper level of the barn.
Rory pointed the phone towards his feet quickly, but it was too late. Annie caught a glimpse of something long and white sticking out from under a pile of hay. “Oh, my goodness! Is that--”
Rory nodded. “I think so.”
Annie’s stomach did a funny somersault, and her mouth went dry. “Well, crap.”
Rory pulled her into a hug, and she didn’t resist. “I guess I’d better call the police,” she said finally, “and let them know we’ve found another dead body.” Only the second in one day, she added silently.
10
Suspicious Minds
Much to Annie’s dismay, Delbert Plemmons was the first officer to arrive on the scene, again. He grinned a little too broadly for someone investigating a corpse in a long-neglected barn, and he seemed to look at Annie a little too often for her liking.
“Ms. Richards, Annie,” he corrected himself, “We ought to stop meeting like this.” His lame attempt at humor made Annie think of Barney Fife from the old television program. As she looked Delbert up and down, she realized that he was Fife reincarnated. From his clumsy walk to his flirty demeanor, it occurred to her that sometimes life imitated art more than most people realized.
“Officer Plemmons, thank you for coming out here. As I explained to your nice dispatcher, the body is in my barn. This one has been here for a while, I think.” Annie didn’t waste any time leading Delbert to the barn, explaining how they’d found the body as they walked.
“So Rory Jenkins found this body?” Delbert asked, and Annie nodded. “How long was he alone with the deceased?”
“Well, what difference does that make?” Annie was baffled by his question. “He was never alone with the body if that’s what you’re asking.” Realization hit her, and her temper flared. “Wait a minute! Are you implying that Rory had something to do with the dead body in the barn?”
“Well, now,” Delbert began, hitching up his pants by the belt loops. “He was present when both bodies were discovered, and he does have a violent criminal past.”
“Delbert Plemmons, you watch your mouth!” No one had heard Bessie come out of the house. She’d been as quiet as a mouse, at least until Delbert accused Rory of having something to do with the bodies on the property. “Now, don’t you be going around here slandering Rory’s name like that. Until you have some proof in your hands, you’d better keep such talk from your lips!” Bessie grabbed her daughter by the elbow, trying to slow her down. The old woman was a little out of breath, but she was spry for her age. “Annie, I just came out here to tell you that I’m holding off on supper until the police are finished with their investigation.”
Annie knew that her mother hadn’t come outside to tell her about supper. Bessie’s curiosity was bigger than she was, and Annie knew that her mother was probably dying to go into the barn and get a look at the grim discovery.
“Thanks, Mama. Now you go on back into the house. Rory unpacked your favorite sitting room chair, you go put your feet up for a little while. I’ll come in when the police are finished talking to me.”
Bessie eyed Delbert with one slanted, squinty eye. “You’d best wait til after they talk to Rory, too, Annie. I wouldn’t want them grilling him over something he had nothing to do with.”
Annie suppressed a grin as her mother walked back to the house. She had to hand it to her, Bessie was never afraid to speak her mind, especially if she thought someone was being picked on. “Now, Delbert, there’s no light in the barn, and it’s pretty dark up in the loft, that’s where the body is. Be careful, because I don’t want anybody else dying on my property today, thank you very much.”
Annie and Rory waited outside the barn while Delbert went up in the loft to have a look. “Do you think he even knows what he’s doing?” Rory whispered, shaking his head. “I hope they send somebody else to help him out fast because he seems pretty clueless.”
Annie agreed. “I just hope that’s the last nasty surprise this place has for us. I mean, come on! Two bodies in one day--does that sound like the universe is trying to tell me something?” Annie worried briefly that her dream of opening a bed and breakfast here at the plantation was beginning to become unlikely to ever come true.
“No, but I think there has to be a good explanation for why those bodies were here. Suzy was here for a reason, and so was whoever killed her. Maybe the person in the barn was here for a reason, too. You just need to find out what that reason is. My guess is that when you find out the reason, you’ll find out who killed Suzy.”
Just then, Delbert emerged from the barn, sneezing repeatedly and sending up great puffs of dust as he walked. “Well, that’s definitely a dead body you have in there.” He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. “It looks like it’s been there a while, too.”
The body was little more than a skeleton wearing clothes, but Annie hoped that its clothing would help police identify the person. If they were really lucky, there may even be some form of identification like a driver’s license or social security card tucked away in one of its pockets.
Delbert took Annie’s and Rory’s statements and sent them back to the house while he waited for the coroner to come out to the property for the second time that day.
“Well, I guess you can say one thing,” Rory began, “this property may have been empty for the past ten years, but it’s seen more than enough action in the past twenty-four hours to more than make up for it.”
Annie shook her head. “I should have asked for a discount on the price of the house. I mean, cleaning out dusty old rooms is one thing, but clearing dead bodies out is just a little bit more work than I like.” She paused at the back steps leading into the kitchen. “Who do you think that was in the barn? How did they get there?” She didn’t say it out loud, but in her mind, the body in the barn ha
d to have been someone who was murdered. If her son had been able to get in and out of the building through the loose board, surely the person in the barn would have, too, unless they were hurt, or dead.
Rory thought for a moment before he replied. “I would have said maybe it was a homeless person, except the clothes didn’t look like a homeless person’s clothes to me. And did you see the aviator’s watch? If I had to guess, I’d say that was a man’s skeleton in there, and probably a middle-class one, too. I don’t know of many homeless guys that wear chinos.”
Annie turned this over in her mind as she walked into the kitchen. She was immediately distracted by the scent of fried potatoes and cornbread. Her mother bustled around the kitchen, singing to herself and cheerfully in her element, despite the fact that she’d discovered a dead body in this very room barely twelve hours before.
“Oh, you two are just in time! I just pulled the cornbread out and the potatoes are still hot. Now, I don’t have any meat, mind you, but I did slice up a cucumber and tomato for a nice little salad. I wish I’d have had time for beans,” she sighed, “but that dreadful mess with the police this morning took longer than I expected. Still, it’s better than nothing, I suppose.”
Annie grinned. “Mother, you are something else, do you know that? I thought you were holding off on supper until the police were finished?”
Bessie blushed, caught in her fib. “Oh, well, I just thought that Devon ought to eat something. He’s a growing boy, after all.” She swiftly changed the subject. “Well, now, hasn’t it been an interesting day around here? Just think of all the exciting stories we’ll have to share with our future guests here at the farm house!”
Annie washed her hands in the kitchen sink. “Oh, no, you don’t, mother! We’d scare every one of them away if they think this is some kind of slaughterhouse.”
Rory disagreed. “I don’t know, it might attract more visitors. You know how people love a good scandal, and murder is pretty scandalous.” He took his place at the kitchen sink and washed his hands with the dish soap. After he rinsed them, he reached for a tea towel to dry them and looked solemnly at Bessie.
“Mrs. Purdy, I think y’all ought to lock this back door tonight. After what happened last night, I wouldn’t feel safe with y’all in here and the house unlocked like that.” He dried his hands as he spoke, twisting the towel up as he spoke. “Annie thinks she’s tough, but whoever killed Suzy probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid at hurting every one of you. Murder might bring in more guests later on, but it’s not something we should take lightly right now.”
Bessie nodded solemnly. “Yes, Rory, I’d already thought of that.” She wiped her hands on the floral apron she was wearing and reached into a box sitting on the counter beside Rory. “I’m not taking any chances,” she said, pulling out a heavy cast-iron skillet. “This is going upstairs with me,” she continued, giving him a wink. “Just let anyone try to mess with my family and they’ll see how I deal with them.”
The look in Bessie’s eyes gave Rory little doubt that she meant anything but business. “Now, let’s get you some food. I cooked plenty and I do expect you to eat a little with us. It’s the least I can do after you let us in your camper house this morning.”
Rory smiled. “I’d be honored, Mrs. Purdy. It smells delicious, and I, for one, am glad you didn’t put off cooking til those nice policemen are all gone.” He said this last part with a heavy hint of sarcasm, and Bessie chuckled.
“Oh, lordy, I know that Delbert Plemmons isn’t the brightest bulb on the tree, but bless him, I do think he means well. I just don’t care for the way he keeps insinuating that you had something to do with that girl’s murder. After all, it’s not like you had some grudge against her or anything.”
Annie and Rory looked at each other conspiratorially. Bessie was oblivious, digging plates out of boxes and dishing out food as she talked. “Why, if anything, I’m surprised the police aren’t questioning Annie and myself more about the murder. We had a reason to hate Suzy Anderson, and I’ve watched enough crime shows to know that means we had the motive to kill her.”
Not for the first time since she’d walked into the kitchen Annie’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Mother! How can you even say that? No, we did not have the motive to kill that woman, unless you have something you’d like to tell me?” She eyed her mother warily. “Did you have something to do with her death?”
Bessie stopped spooning okra onto her plate. “Of course not, Annie. But I’m trying to be practical. There was a dead body in this very room not twelve hours ago, and there were three grown people who had the opportunity to kill her. Now, two of us had a motive, but poor Rory here has a history. His time in jail is going to color the police department’s view of things, I’m sure. If you ask me, we are all going to have to look real hard at who else could have done this.”
Bessie waited for her daughter to respond, but both Annie and Rory looked puzzled. The old woman sighed, resting the serving spoon on the edge of the bowl. “We’re going to have to help those police officers find the real killer before one of us takes the rap for it!”
11
Death and Dinner
Dinner was awkward. They ate on the veranda where it was cool and relatively uncluttered, but they didn’t seem to enjoy the gorgeous view of the fields and farmland surrounding them. No one wanted to discuss the fact that Bessie was obviously right, but in the end, Devon had the best solution.
“Mom, hear me out. You dragged me out to the middle of nowhere to live and now suddenly there are like, dead bodies popping up everywhere. And this house has, like, secret tunnels and stuff.”
Annie looked at Bessie accusingly. “Go on.”
“So, what if that murdered lady and the dead guy in the barn were looking for something that was hidden here on the property?” He took a sip of his soda and pushed his plate away from him. “You said this house was really old. Maybe whoever owned it before hid something valuable here, like a treasure.” Devon’s face lit up as he spoke. Clearly, he’d given his theory a lot of thought. “You know those boring antique shows Grandma Bessie watches? Maybe that woman thought there were some serious antiques in the house and she wanted to get to them first.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Devon. I’m pretty sure the former owners would have cleared anything of value out when they moved. The house has only been empty for ten years, so lots of people probably lived here since it was built. I’m guessing the former owners would have taken anything valuable with them when they left.” Annie was happy that Devon was finally excited about the new house, but she just wished his excitement hadn’t stemmed from two unsolved deaths on the property.
“Okay, so what if they were looking for treasure? A real treasure, like a pirate’s treasure.” His sixteen-year-old face suddenly looked like that of a ten-year-old’s again. “Remember when I was little and I was obsessed with pirate stories?”
Annie nodded. She’d spent many hours searching all of New York City for pirate-themed gifts and decorations for his room, only to have him grow out of the phase a few short months later.
“Well, I read lots of stories about Blackbeard. He lived in North Carolina, that’s not too far from here. But he travelled all up and down South Carolina, too. And he wasn’t the only pirate who did, so one of them could have buried their treasure right here on our land.”
“Well, now,” exclaimed Bessie, setting her own plate down. She’d been holding the plate and eating in the wooden rocker on the veranda since the dining room table wasn’t yet put together. “That would be exciting, wouldn’t it?”
Annie stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, son, but I highly doubt that there’s any pirate treasure around here. We’re hours away from the ocean, and I doubt that any treasure hidden around here would have stayed hidden for that long.”
Rory nodded. “As much as I’d love to believe your theory, Devon, I have to agree with your mom. I’ve read a lot about pirates, too. I actually think B
lackbeard’s treasure was a little different than most people think.”
Devon responded. “Let me guess, you read the theory that he was smuggling slaves up into North Carolina, and that was his real treasure, not a cargo full of gold and jewels.”
Rory was surprised by Devon’s knowledge about Blackbeard. “Actually, yeah, I did. And I think it makes good sense since most pirates spent all their loot on booze and, um, loose women.” He looked sheepishly at Annie, afraid he’d said something inappropriate, but she just sat there, listening to the conversation. “Don’t forget, pirates were mostly just stealing to get by, day-to-day. Some may have gotten lucky and got their hands on loot, but I’m guessing they spent most of that whenever they came onto dry land.”
Devon thought about this for a moment. “Maybe,” he relented, “but I’m still convinced that that lady was looking for something in this house. Whatever it was, it was valuable enough for someone else to murder her for it.”
Annie laughed. “Listen to you two! Suzy Anderson was not looking for pirate treasure when she was murdered, that’s just ridiculous. I don’t know why she was here, but the real reason she was killed has to be something a little less far-fetched than ‘she was looking for Blackbeard’s loot.’”
“Well, why else would she be so determined to get her hands on this property?” Bessie leaned forward and gave her daughter a questioning look. “Makes perfect sense to me,” she added before rising from her chair. “I’m going to wash up these few dishes and get me some shut eye,” the old woman continued. “Now that I’ve at least got a real mattress to lie on, I’m going to feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
There was a silence after her statement that made Annie uncomfortable, but Bessie just laughed. “Oops! I guess that really wasn’t the best choice of words, was it?” She disappeared into the house, leaving Annie alone with Rory and Devon. The guys kept debating the likelihood of pirate treasure being found on the property, and Rory offered to bring a metal detector to aid in their search.
Bodies & Buried Secrets: A Rosewood Place Mystery (Rosewood Place Mysteries Book 1) Page 7