by Maymee Bell
I was careful to put the Long Johns in the passenger seat next to me so I could keep a hand on them and they wouldn’t be flung onto the floorboard if I had to make a sudden stop. Thankfully, the Long Johns and I made it to Madison’s office building safe and sound.
“There you are.” Madison flung my car door open and tapped her watch.
“I’m early.” I grabbed the container of Long Johns and opened it.
“Are those what I think they are?” Her eyes widened at the possibility.
“Uh-huh.” I ho-hummed. “Go on. Eat one. I know you want to,” I teased and held up the container.
She took it and I got out of the car. Her eyes darted around the inside of the container, doing what most of us did when we were children. She was looking for the one with the most maple frosting on top.
“I can’t believe you got the recipe.” She took one and licked her lips. “I can’t wait to eat this.”
While she devoured the donut, I filled her in on what had happened with Sally Ann and Dixie Ford.
“You won’t believe it, but y’all were right about Patsy leaving her daughter with the Fords. Not only that, but you know my house break-in and the brick through the bakery window?” I asked her, but I wasn’t sure she heard me because her eyes were closed, and there was a look of satisfaction on her face. She chewed and moaned. Moaned and chewed.
“I wonder where Patsy is?” I didn’t dare ask Dixie that question yesterday. I felt like it was a touchy subject.
“I heard she’d run off with some guy she met down at the bar. But right now, I don’t care. My mind is blown.” She licked her fingers clean. “I’m not missing one single crumb of this.”
“You’re gross. I can always give you more.” I put the lid back on the container and put it in the car before I hit the key fob to lock the doors. “Are you ready for a new car?” I asked. That was Madison’s motivation for trying to score a big real estate deal.
“Yes.” She bounced on her toes. “I’m guessing that’s what this is all about.”
“For your sake, I hope it is true. Plus, I have Lanie Truvinski’s contact information, and she’s got all the info on the clients who could possibly want to own a winery.” I patted her on the back.
“Let’s go find out.” We started to walk up to the building but stopped when we noticed another car pulling into the lot.
“That’s Catherine Fraxman’s car,” I pointed out. “I wonder what she’s doing here?”
“I hope it’s not about a foreclosure on her parents’ house. Those things can take so long to sell.” Madison and I both waved at Cat when she got out. We waited for her to join us.
“What’s up?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Are you two here for the will reading?” She looked between Madison and me.
“Will reading?” My brows shot up.
“Perry called me and told me that I needed to be here because Ray Peel had mentioned me in his will. Perry was his lawyer.” Every word out of her mouth filled me with curiosity.
“He texted me that he needed to see me at eight this morning, but nothing about a will.” Madison pointed to me. “I didn’t want to come by myself, so I asked Sophia to join me.”
“A will reading?” I couldn’t stop saying it. Why on earth would Ray Peel put Madison in his will? Or Cat, for that matter.
“Ladies.” Perry Dugan greeted us at the door. His arm was extended as he held it wide open. “Come on in.”
The three of us walked in. He gave me a weird look.
“I’m just here to support Madison.” I shrugged and walked behind all three of them up the steps to his office.
“I’m going to have to ask you to wait in the lobby while I read the will.” He didn’t let me get any further than next to one of the plastic chairs that faced the receptionist I’d met earlier. “Do you mind taking the ladies back to conference room one?” he asked the receptionist.
She nodded and waved them to follow her. I heard her ask if they’d like a glass of water or a cup of coffee.
“I wanted to thank you for the cake. Reba loved it.” There was a gentle tone in his voice that I’d never heard from him. Actually caring and loving. “I also know that Reba told you about us. As much as I keep telling her age doesn’t matter, she seems to think it does. When she went in to apply for Effie Glass’s job, Effie is like a mind reader. She asked if there was something on Reba’s mind, and Reba felt like she could tell Effie about us. Effie really gave her some good advice.” He reached out and touched my arm. “If you hadn’t talked to Reba, she wouldn’t have gone to see Effie and might’ve even broken up with me.”
“Nah.” I tried to lighten the situation. “The cake would’ve reeled her right back in.” I winked.
“All joking aside, thank you.” He dug a business card out of the front pocket of his trousers. “If you ever need any legal services, the first time is free on me.”
I took the card and smiled. He headed down the hall, and when the door to the conference room clicked, I sat in the chair. After about thirty minutes, the group all emerged laughing and looking shocked.
“You aren’t going to believe it, Sophia,” Cat said, her eyes tearing up. “Ray Peel owned the old Benton estate, and he put it in his will to sell, using Madison as the real estate agent. The money from the sale of the estate is going to be used to pay my parents back for the loan.”
“Perry said that Ray had come in a few days before he was murdered and put that in his will. He said he did it because he didn’t have the cash to make the donation he’d promised Cat. By adding it to his will, he knew it was legal and would allow him to do good by Cat.” Madison was all smiles.
“Why didn’t he tell Cat?” I looked at Perry. “He just let her be upset at the fund-raiser.”
“He was just the type of person who did business that way. He was very private. I didn’t even know that he’d bought the property.” Perry shrugged. “And we were best friends.”
“What about the winery?” I asked.
“My dad and Tammy are going to use my dad’s savings to come up with the money. I told them I’d help them only if they took out that clause Reba told you about.” He shook his head. “But Reba insists she doesn’t want to continue to work there, and she’d love to take over Effie Glass’s job.”
“Effie Glass is retiring?” Madison’s lips turned down. “She’s so sweet. When they had me in lockup a few days ago, she brought me a tea and one of your cookies.”
“Maybe I can get her to volunteer in the new library space. She’s always knitting, and the knitting club is planning on meeting there once the renovation is finished,” Cat suggested. A great idea.
“I do know that she’s coming to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, because she asked Reba to work the phones at the sheriff’s department while she goes,” Perry said, and we all laughed.
“I’ll ask her then.” Cat nodded and then turned to Madison. “Can we go right down to your office and get the real estate paperwork started?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll let Bill Bellman at the bank know this can be used as collateral for your parents’ loan until the sale. All the proceeds will pay off the loan once the sale closes.” Perry rocked back on his heels. “Congratulations. It appears that Ray Peel has made good on something around here, to leave a better legacy.”
Madison and Cat thanked Perry profusely before we left his office and walked downstairs to Madison’s office.
“This is where I’m leaving you.” I stood by the entrance.
“We are going to the estate to take some photos in about an hour. Please come,” Cat begged. “I really want you to be there. You’ve been such a big supporter of the library since you’ve been home, and I was terribly awful to you after the Garden Club meeting. Maybe we can all go to a late breakfast or brunch afterward.”
“You can take a day off. After all, you deserve to celebrate with us now that you’ve found the real recipe to the Fords’ Maple Long Johns.” I could tell th
ere was no sense in arguing.
“Okay. I’ll meet you two at the estate in about an hour.” I looked at my watch. “One hour.” I held up my finger so they knew not to be a second late.
* * *
Perry was trotting down the steps as I left the building.
“Perry, I do have a question. When Carter and I did some digging into Ray’s life, there was never a deed for the estate.” I wondered how we missed it.
“He had bought the house under one of his many limited liability companies. In fact, your boyfriend subpoenaed the will. I’m taking it to him now.” He shook the file in his hand. “Now that I feel like I’ve done right by my best friend, I want him to rest in peace. I know Carter will find out who did this to him.”
“Yeah. He will,” I agreed.
We headed in opposite directions to our cars. When I got in, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a quick text to Charlotte, asking if she was okay if I didn’t come in until the afternoon. She could take off once I got there. She was delighted to be in charge of the kitchen, so it wasn’t a problem.
There was no reason to head back into town, so I steered the car toward the old Bernstein estate. I’d always heard about it, but I hadn’t seen it up close. It was one of those places that, when I was a child, seemed to be mysterious, like the scary house on the street, where you wondered what was going on inside. You could only imagine the gossip about that place.
No one ever talked about it, but we all knew that Mr. Bernstein had lived alone on the one hundred and ten acres of land. I could walk around and look at it while I waited for Madison and Cat. Besides, if I got hungry, I had my Long Johns with me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I still couldn’t believe that Ray had left his entire estate and money to the library. Even though Bitsy said that Ray Peel’s mama was a huge reader and he’d spent more time at the library as a child than I had, I didn’t remember him that way.
The estate had one main house along with a very secluded cabin near one of the lakes. It would be a perfect getaway.
Suddenly a brilliant idea popped into my head. I dragged my phone out of my pocket and quickly dialed Clarice Covington.
“Hi, Clarice. It’s Sophia Cummings.” I put the car in park and looked out the front windshield. It appeared that I had beaten Cat and Madison there. I looked at the clock on the dash and realized I was about a half hour early. They were probably finishing setting up the ribbon-cutting ceremony that was finally going to take place the following morning. What a relief Cat had to feel, being able use the property as collateral for the loan her parents took out. They would no longer have to worry about going into bankruptcy. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
Since the will had just been read this morning, I knew the news wasn’t out yet.
“Does your property back up to the old Benton Estate?”
“It does. Why?”
“Ray Peel actually owned the Benson property. He left it to Cat in his will. She’s hired Madison as the real estate agent.” I got out of the car and walked up to the property. “He didn’t live here, but I thought it would be a great place for you to expand the bed and breakfast.”
“This sure is a turn of events,” Clarice said.
“Apparently, he’d planned to give the library the money; it was just his assets that were about to be tied up.” I jiggled the door handle, and it opened. “I’m not sure how much work the inside is going to need, but if you are interested, I know that Madison will be here soon, and you might want to drive over and take a look.”
“I’ll think about it.” She didn’t sound as excited as I thought she would.
“It’s the perfect opportunity.”
“Any news on his murder?” she asked. “Bitsy told me about your Operation Merlot.”
“No. It appears that all my suspects had alibis. Now that Madison has been cleared, I guess I’m just leaving it up to Carter.” I let out a sigh. Operation Merlot was no more.
“It’s best you leave it up to the sheriff. Thank you for calling. I’ll think about the property and get back to you,” she said.
“You can just give Madison a call if you decide you want to look at the property. Like I said, I’m not sure how much work it needs or how much Cat’s going to ask for it. I immediately thought of you when I realized it was next to your property.” I stepped into the house and was taken aback when I noticed the table lamp in the middle of the entryway was on. “I’ll let you go.”
I clicked off the phone and stuck it in my back pocket.
“What on earth? Was he living here?” I couldn’t help but notice that the place was spic and span. Much cleaner than Perry had even alluded to. If I recalled correctly, Perry had said that the house hadn’t been lived in since Ray had bought it.
Maybe I should’ve waited to call Clarice. Who knew how much Cat was going to ask? I’d probably overstepped my bounds.
No harm, no foul, I thought to myself when I let myself in the house. There was nothing that needed to be done to the place. The three-inch crown molding was a dark oak that appeared to be in great condition. The entrances to each room had decorative openings, not like the square doors you’d see in houses today. Even the hardwood floors were polished and shiny.
I made my way through each room and finally ended up in the kitchen. My heart stopped when my eyes took in the twelve-burner gas stove and double ovens. I didn’t know who had ever cooked in this kitchen, but I could literally imagine the warm smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar that floated out of the oven.
When I’d first come into the house, I’d noticed there was a set of stairs that led to the second level. There was another set of stairs in the kitchen, and I wondered where they led.
My imagination got the best of me as I took each stair, but I stopped midway up and looked out the small round window. In the distance, the lake and small cabin looked serene. Why on earth hadn’t Ray Peel lived here?
As I climbed the rest of the way, I took my phone out. I wasn’t sure who I was going to call first, Madison or Carter. I couldn’t wait to tell Madison that she was going to get that new car after all. This property was going to bring her plenty more than just money for a new car. Carter wasn’t going to be coming out here, and Madison was, so I decided to let it be a surprise when she arrived, and dialed Carter’s number.
“Dang.” There was no cell service on my phone. I held the phone over my head and walked down the hallway, looking up a few times to see if I’d gotten reception.
There were at least six bedrooms: three on each side of the big staircase I’d seen when I first walked in, and a couple of bathrooms that were the size of bedrooms on each end of the hallway. What I took to be a door to a closet was actually a door to another set of stairs.
A third floor. This was a bonus. I was filled with excitement as I climbed the steps to a small loft that appeared to be an office. “I don’t think they had Mac computers back in the day,” I said to myself when I noticed the fairly new computer on the desk in front of the window.
There was a chaise lounge in the corner, with a rumpled-up cover draped on the end.
“There you are,” I said to the gun that was sitting on the table next to a lounger; it had Ray’s name personally etched on its wood handle. Apparently, Carter was wrong. Ray hadn’t kept it strapped on his ankle at all times. I snickered and couldn’t wait to tell Carter where the gun was.
I wasn’t about to touch it either. Not that there was any sort of crime here, but if we’d all found out this was Ray’s place, maybe the killer had known too. There could be evidence here. Clearly, in the past few days I’d proven myself not to be any sort of a credible sleuth. Still, that didn’t stop me from looking around.
As I went to look out the window, I bumped the edge of the desk in front of it, and the computer screen came to life. There was a set user by the name of Ray Peel. I hit the “Enter” button, and a password screen flashed.
“Password,” I whispered and decide
d to have my hand at it. “Why on earth did you have an office here, Ray?” I asked in the silence of the office.
I typed in the typical things like Ray_Peel, Raypeel, RayPeel. The screen jiggled, letting me know that I wasn’t at all correct.
“Fine.” I looked at my phone again and thought I should definitely call Carter. Maybe there was something here that he could pull for the investigation. After all, my list was null and void. As much as I wanted to hang up that sleuth hat, the fact was I’d not helped Madison.
I walked around the room with the phone in the air and couldn’t get a single bar. If Clarice did purchase this land, she’d have no problem selling cell phone companies a spot on her land for a tower. Another source of income for her, and a reason she should purchase it.
Instead of trying to get a bar for service, I set my phone down on the desk. I had a few more minutes until Madison and Cat were coming by, and it wasn’t going to hurt to look through the desk. The whole idea that Ray Peel had been living and working here was fascinating to me.
There was only one file in the drawer. I pulled it out and placed it on the desk, opening it. A piece of paper floated out and landed on the floor next to the chair. I bent down to get it. The sun darted through the window like a spotlight and made something shimmer on the floor.
Like a cat, I crawled out of the chair on my hands and knees and over the floor to find out what was sparkling.
“Strange.” I sat back on the heels of my feet and held the earring up in the air. “Where have I seen this before?” I rotated it to see every angle. Images of Lanie Truvinski popped into my head, but it wasn’t her lobe where I’d seen this earring. Then I thought about Tammy Dugan. It hadn’t been her. My thoughts drifted to Reba; I would’ve remembered her wearing it, because of her super-short hair. I didn’t think she even had pierced ears. Think. I shook the earring.
Café Italia popped into my head.
“The password.” I pushed up off my toes, and with the earring in hand, I sat back down in the chair and carefully typed in CaféItalia. “Voilà!” I put the earring on the file.