Murder at the Mansion

by Janet Finsilver

  “Ms. Jackson, this is a murder investigation—”

  “If you don’t tell them, I will. And Daniel needs to know, too. He’s very observant. There’s a chance he’ll see or hear something useful.”

  Stanton sighed. “I can’t stop you.”

  “They can keep a secret. I’m leaving now to meet with them at my B and B.”

  The deputy stood. “I’ll give this to the detectives and be along shortly.”

  I gave him the key to the cabinet and left via the parlor, picking up my things. As I exited the mansion, I called Daniel.

  “Hey, Kelly, what’s up?” he answered.

  “Daniel, can you meet me at Redwood Cove B and B as soon as possible?”

  “Sure. What I’m doing can wait. Is everything okay?”

  “Let’s just say no one else has been hurt, and we need to keep it that way. That’s why we need to meet.”

  “Got it. See you in a few.”

  I began to jog to the inn. A short time later, the Victorian came into view. Breathing heavily, I slowed down to catch my breath. No reason to alarm anyone more than necessary. The news itself would be enough.

  The kitchen was empty. I took a quick trip to my room and looked at myself in the mirror, wanting to look as calm and together as possible. I brushed my tousled hair and took several deep breaths. A bottle of Pellegrino from the refrigerator provided a couple of cold, tingling sips of water. As soon as I felt ready, I headed for the conference room to see the Silver Sentinels. Daniel came down the hallway and joined me as I entered the conference room.

  Neat piles of newspaper clippings and photos covered the table. The puzzle was beginning to be put together. Each of the Sentinels had stacks in front of them and they were putting items into labeled piles as they chatted.

  Mary glanced up and then grabbed a newspaper article. “Kelly, wait until you see what we found.” She held it up. “It’s about—” She stopped as she took a closer look at my face. “Has something happened?”

  I must not have done as good a job as I thought of getting myself together. “We need to talk.”

  The buzz of the busy bees stopped. The sudden silence left a void for imaginations to slip in and suspect the worst.

  I explained to them what I’d found. “I believe the attack on Gertie could be much more serious than we thought. It’s possible Gertie’s life is in danger.”

  There were worried mumbles all around as the group stared at Gertie with concerned looks.

  Gertie said, “Makes me all the more pleased I got a couple of good hits in with my cane.”

  The Professor picked up his pen and began to twirl it. “We guessed there’d been a homicide, as I shared with you yesterday. But murder with a hatpin?” He shook his head.

  “It’s possible. We need to see if there is any connection between Gertie and the mansion,” I said.

  While I’d been talking, Deputy Sheriff Stanton had arrived. He stepped forward. “Gertie, is it okay for me to see the contents of your purse?”

  “Of course, Billy.”

  Gertie’s small tan purse with a shoelace-width shoulder strap held few things. A zippered pouch contained several dollar bills and some change. A comb, mirror, tissues, a pen, lip balm, and her phone completed the list.

  “May I look at your phone?” Daniel asked.

  “Certainly.”

  He opened it and scrolled through, then held up a snapshot. “There. I wondered if you’d gotten photos of him.” He looked around the group. “Robert James and the person he met with are in the background of some of the pictures Gertie took at the party for Allie. She’s been helping tutor my daughter and joined us yesterday.”

  “A link to the mansion,” the Professor said.

  “Let me see.” Deputy Sheriff Stanton took the phone and studied the images. “Forward the ones with him in it, and I’ll put out an APB.”

  “Our first order of business is to find him,” the Professor said.

  Deputy Stanton looked at him. “How do you intend to do that?”

  “Rest assured, we’ll figure something out.” The Professor smiled. “Do we know for sure his name is Robert James?”

  “We don’t know anything for sure.” Stanton went over and sat next to Gertie. “I’m concerned about your safety. I’m asking you to please not go anywhere by yourself until this is settled.”

  Gertie nodded. “I understand, Billy. You have a lot on your mind, and I don’t want to add to your worries. I’ll do as you say.”

  His shoulders relaxed, and he took a deep breath. Gertie was a spitfire and didn’t take direction easily.

  “Thank you, Gertie.” He addressed the group. “I need to go. Let me know if you find out anything.”

  “You can count on it,” the Professor replied.

  Deputy Sheriff Stanton left. The Professor went to the side of the room that held meeting supplies. He pulled a piece of chart paper from a pad and picked up a felt pen.

  “Let’s list what we know about Robert James.”

  Daniel took the paper from him and attached it to the wall. “He asked me questions about the area.”

  The Professor wrote down he was interested in Redwood Cove. “What else?”

  The group brainstormed, but the results were meager. All they added were details such as what he looked like, that he was about five seven, he wore stylish clothes, he paid in cash, and he’d stayed at a very upscale establishment—Redwood Heights.

  I studied the list. “He seems to have money, and he likes nice things and places. My guess is if he’s still in the area, he’d stay at a high-end place.”

  Gertie picked up her cell phone and punched some buttons. “I know managers or reservation clerks at four inns matching the criteria.”

  Mary did likewise. “My contacts number six. Some of them are in my knitting group. Let’s each make a list. It’ll go faster that way.”

  Rudy went over and tore off two sheets of chart paper. He handed one to Ivan and put the other one on the wall at one end of the table. Ivan followed suit at the other side of the room. Rudy took out two markers and tossed one to Ivan.

  Gertie moved to Ivan’s end of the table. “Black Swan Inn. Beth.”

  Ivan printed in all capital letters using large, bold strokes.

  Mary joined Rudy and said, “White Water Inn. Meredith.”

  Delicate, cursive handwriting appeared on Rudy’s list, the letters embellished with curls and swirls.

  Daniel started one of his own. “I’ve done handyman work at a number of sites and know some people as well.”

  The Professor wrote on a notepad, frowning, erasing, writing again.

  Heading for the door, I said, “I see you’re well under way. I’ll leave you to it.”

  The Professor stopped writing and sat back. “Kelly, wait a moment. I’d like to get your opinion as well as the others on what I wrote.” The Professor looked at the Sentinels. “Everyone, could I have your attention for a moment.”

  The room became quiet.

  “I’ve prepared an e-mail to send to those people who know us and are familiar with our group.” He read from his paper. “The Silver Sentinels are requesting your help in solving a crime. We are looking for a man who recently registered under the name Robert James at Redwood Heights. However, he might be using a different name. We’ve included his picture in this e-mail. If he was at your establishment last night or is currently there, please notify us immediately. Do not let him know he’s being sought. When the case is concluded, we’ll send you information about what happened. We, the Silver Sentinels, thank you for any assistance you can give us.”

  “Excellent,” Gertie said.

  The other Sentinels nodded enthusiastically.

  “I agree, Professor. It’s well written and to the point,” I said.

  “Fine, then. Gertie and Mary, I’ll send this to you so you can contact the people you know,” the Professor said. “As soon as your lists are complete, Ivan, Rudy, and I will start writing d
own likely places where we don’t have personal contacts.”

  I headed for the door. “I’ll check in on you guys in a bit.”

  They returned to their tasks.

  I went to the office and retrieved the box of legal papers. It was time to find out what was in them. Placing them on the coffee table in my quarters, I opened the box, took out a handful of documents, and began my own sorting task.

  The print on the brittle, yellowed papers was still legible. I didn’t understand a lot of the legal jargon, but I could get the gist of what they were about. A woman was suing the owners of Redwood Heights, claiming the property was hers as a Brandon family member. The Brandons never had children, so she wasn’t a descendant. Was it a cousin who felt she had more of a right to the property than the distant half-cousins who’d inherited? I didn’t know enough of their family history to have answers. The papers didn’t seem important, since she must have lost the case. The place hadn’t changed hands until it was sold to Resorts International.

  My phone rang, and I saw it was Stanton. “Hello, Deputy Stanton.”

  “Hi. We don’t have the results yet on the hatpin, but the detectives would like to talk with you again.”

  “Sure.” I filled him in on what I’d found and what the Sentinels were doing.

  “They’re an amazing group. I wouldn’t be surprised if they locate the guy before we do.”

  We hung up, I got my stuff, and I popped into the conference room.

  More charts hung from the walls. Under Gertie’s four inns, a horizontal line had been drawn and “other contacts” written. Eagle’s Nest Inn—“Maria, cook” was the first entry. Columns down the right side were labeled contacted and response. Checks indicated all had been contacted. The other column noted two people had said no, and one was checking. No luck finding Robert James yet. Mary’s chart was similar.

  Gertie explained, “We decided to list any place where we knew people other than those involved in registration. They could connect us to who we need to talk to on a personal level.”

  “Daniel left to see the people he knows,” the Professor said. “We’ve made a list of possible places where we don’t know anyone.”

  I laughed. “That list is pretty short.”

  “Well,” Mary said, “we’ve lived here a long time.”

  “I’m going to make copies of the man’s picture and contact the establishments on that list in person,” the Professor said.

  Gertie piped up. “We’ve got lunchtime plans. Daniel’s going back to where he saw Robert James yesterday.”

  Ivan got up and engulfed Gertie’s shoulder with his large hand. “Yah. And we go to other eat places in town together.”

  Mary patted Rudy’s hand. “And we’re a team as well.”

  I wished them luck and left.

  Helen stood at the kitchen counter putting ingredients into a mixing bowl. There would soon be some wonderful smells on the way.

  She put her measuring cup down. “The tow truck driver just left with your Jeep, and the contractor working here says he has the equipment needed to clean up the glass.”

  “Good. I wondered how I was going to take care of that.” I put on my jacket. “I have to go back to the Heights. See you later.”

  I grabbed the keys to the inn’s truck from the hook next to the back door. The red pickup with REDWOOD COVE BED-AND-BREAKFAST on the side would be the vehicle I’d be using for a while.

  The detectives had set up shop at the far end of the dining room next to Deputy Stanton’s area. They were a contrasting pair. Detective Nelson wore an indigo shirt that brought out the color of his piercing blue eyes. His well-cut suit and soft leather shoes combined to make a statement. His partner, Detective Rodriguez, on the other hand, was a different story. It didn’t look like his wrinkled shirt and crumpled jacket had met an iron in a while.

  “I’m glad you were available.” Detective Nelson came up to me. “I want to talk to my partner for a few minutes, then we have some questions for you.”

  “Okay.” I settled into a chair, tired, worried for Gertie, wishing this was over.

  He joined Detective Rodriguez on the other side of the room.

  “Do you think she did it?” Detective Nelson’s voice sounded in my ear as if he were standing next to me.

  Startled, I looked over and saw him on the other side of the room. What was going on?

  Detective Rodriguez scratched his head. “Well, she’s the only one who saw the body with the pearl present, and she found the said weapon. She could have killed the victim, removed the hatpin, and hid it. There’s only her word it was there when she left.”

  Was I going nuts? Was I imagining I could hear them? And . . . they were talking about me! I rolled my eyes and my glance stopped at the ceiling. A domed roof. My mind raced, trying to remember something from long-ago physics classes. Tantalizing memory bits came back to me. The sound was being carried over the concave surface. Unintential eavesdropping. Worked for me.

  “Then why bring the hatpin to our attention?” Detective Nelson asked.

  “It would appear to prove her story and, by finding it for us, she might think that clears her of suspicion.”

  “Maybe she is our murderer,” the blue-eyed detective said.

  What! Me?

  Chapter 12

  “Ms. Jackson only returned to town day before yesterday. It does seem unlikely she’s the one,” Detective Rodriguez said.

  Detective Nelson picked up his notepad. “Maybe she knew the victim before coming here.”

  “Possibly. Let’s see what we can find out.”

  As they started walking toward me, their voices faded.

  Detective Rodriguez stopped in front of me. “Ms. Jackson, we have a few questions for you.”

  Forty-five minutes later I was leaving out the back door. They questioned me a lot about whether or not I’d known Sylvia before coming to town. They’d also quizzed me at length about the interactions I’d had with her. I knew they wouldn’t find anything to connect me to her murder because I didn’t do it. Still, it was unnerving to be considered a possible murder suspect.

  As I passed the garage, Stevie and his four-legged dynamic duo were getting into their RV.

  He looked at me and waved. “Kelly, I have a question for you.”

  I headed in his direction. “What’s up?”

  Jack and Jill bounded over to me, tails wagging, lips pulled back in doggie grins. Kneeling down, I responded to their enthusiastic greeting with ear rubs and hugs.

  “I want to check the carriage house for bugs, but I know you’re working in there. Will I disturb you?”

  “No. Not at all. I’m going to take a couple of boxes back to my place. It’s easier to inventory them there.”

  As we were talking, Deputy Sheriff Stanton joined us. “How’s your mom doing today?” he asked Stevie.

  Stevie laughed. “Other than muttering about wishing she’d gotten another whack in with her cane, she’s fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Stanton stiffened as he glanced into the motor home. “Stevie, what’s that on your couch?”

  “I was going to bring it over later after I gave the dogs some water.” He reached in and retrieved the object that had attracted the officer’s attention.

  Stevie held a diamond bracelet up in the sunlight. The diamonds’ fire and brilliant multicolored sparkle almost blinded me. I’d never seen one with such large stones. I guessed the red and green flashes on the clasp were rubies and emeralds, befitting of such a piece.

  He held it out to Stanton and grinned. “Jill found it. I think whoever lost it is going to be very happy.”

  The deputy pulled out a latex glove and a plastic bag from his pocket. He put the glove on and carefully took the bracelet and dropped it into the baggie. Stevie frowned, and his grin disappeared.

  Deputy Sheriff Stanton sealed the bag. “Do you have any idea where she got it?”

  “I can take you to the general area. The dogs were sea
rching under bushes next to the carriage house. I couldn’t see them the entire time they were working.”

  “Show me where you’re talking about.”

  “Sure.” Stevie’s frown hadn’t gone away. “Is there something wrong, Bill?”

  “There have been some jewelry thefts here recently. This looks like one of the items.”

  “Oh, wow. I didn’t know, or I would’ve brought it over sooner.” Stevie grabbed a couple of leashes, clipped them on the dogs’ collars, and closed the motor home.

  We walked in silence to where the bracelet had been found.

  “I’m going to go inside and choose a couple more boxes to take back with me,” I said.

  Stanton looked at me. “I’d like you to stop by and see me before you leave.” He turned to Stevie. “After I look this area over, I’ll come by your motor home. I have some questions for you.”

  “No problem. The dogs and I were ready to take a break.” Stevie, Jack, and Jill headed back the way we had come.

  I entered the cool, dim interior of the carriage house. A few sunbeams struggled through the dusty windows. Shafts of light pierced the narrow gaps between the rafters. Switching on the light by the door, I walked over to one of the stacks of boxes.

  It didn’t take long to decide what I wanted. The first two I opened had more papers the Sentinels could sort. I decided to only take the third one back with me for now. It was filled with tiny cloth-wrapped objects. I uncovered the first item and held up a glass figurine much like the ones I’d been inventorying. The slightly blurred details on the face and the simplicity of the form made me think this one wasn’t as high quality. A quick search of the next few items showed similar traits. This would be a good one to do in the garage.

  As I stepped out of the building, a raucous cawing pulled my attention to the top of a tall tree. A large raven perched on one of the branches seemed to be telling me off. I thought of the fetish sitting in my room. Grandpa had given it to me to help in my new journey. I could sure use a lot of that now.

  I walked back to Redwood Heights to check in with Stanton, touch base with Hensley, and get the truck. The interview room being empty, I went to the office. The manager was leaning back in her desk chair, eyes closed. At my knock on the door frame, Hensley opened her eyes, sat up, and straightened her jacket. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her shoulders sagged.