The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock

by Edward Coburn

  “I’ll do my absolute best.”

  “I’m sure you will,” she stood and held out her hand again. He shook it again.

  Chapter 36

  As Adam approached the gate of Richard Archer’s compound, he flashed back to twenty years earlier and how he was unable to help the distraught father of Molly Drummond who had been married to Robert Drummond, the detective from Morgantown. Much to his dismay, he had failed to uncover any clues to Molly’s murder or the kidnapping of Molly’s daughter, Mary Beth. Now he had to try to help Richard discover the whereabouts of his granddaughter and in some way make up for his previous failure. Even though, at the time, he was still finding his legs with his abilities and had not honed them or even understood them as he did now, he still felt he had failed Richard and Robert.

  He had read the notes Carinda had given him and knew one of Phillip’s first interviews was with Richard Archer. Therefore he thought it should be one of his first stops as well. Maybe Richard had pointed Phillip to something the hadn’t made it into his notes and ultimately got Phillip killed. Not likely, but it was something to look into as a possibility.

  He punched the button on the call box and immediately heard a female voice with a distinctive though unfamiliar accent. “Yes?”

  “Robert Adam Madigan to see Mr. Archer please.”

  “Is Mr. Archer expecting you?” Her voice was flat and unemotional.

  “No, but I’m here to talk to him about his granddaughter.”

  The voice became a bit more animated. “Do you have some information?”

  “I don’t. But I’d like to help him locate his granddaughter.”

  “I’m sure you’d like to get your hands on the reward,” she said almost angrily. “But I’ve been ordered to open the gate for all who claim they want to help so I’ll open the gate.” Her voice carried a distinct antipathy for the word ordered.

  Adam understood her attitude. She’d probably been admitting all sorts of treasure seekers and crackpots ever since Richard had let it be known he was offering a substantial reward to anyone who could find his granddaughter.

  The gate opened, and he drove through it, down a long drive, through rows of trees on either side, and pulled to a stop on the other side of a round-about in front of the mansion’s massive entryway. He walked under an arched brick portal and used the Lionhead knocker on one of the ornately carved doors. The doors both had a carved relief of a variety of endangered African animals.

  The door with the knocker was opened by a petite and perky maid in the typical black and white maid’s uniform. The skirt rode well above her well-shaped knees.

  “Can I help you, sir?” Adam knew this was not the voice he’d heard on the call box. The pleasant and well-modulated voice came from somewhere in the Midwest. Her smile was genuine and lit up her eyes.

  “I would like to see Mr. Archer, please.”

  “Is he expecting you, sir?”

  “No. I’m here to see if I can help Mr. Archer find his granddaughter.”

  “Oh, another one.” her smile faded. “I’ll see if he’s available. Please follow me into the study, sir.”

  He nodded and followed her to the midpoint of a long hallway. She opened both of the double doors and ushered him into a library. He scanned the large room filled floor-to-ceiling with books. The doors on the far wall led to a massive rose garden in the back of the house. Unfortunately, the roses had all faded. That’s a shame, he thought. He had his own rose garden in Canary Corner but, his were past their prime as well.

  He wandered over to one of the bookshelves and examined the titles. He saw a number of first editions. He saw The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, several books by Arthur Conan Doyle including The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet, several early Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Boroughs as well as several John Carter on Mars books, and many other authors he recognized along with several others which he didn’t.

  Someone cleared his throat, and Adam turned to see a bald Richard Archer looking sickly and extremely thin. He was leaning on a walker. “Don’t I know you…I think I do.” Richard took several steps to one of the large leather armchairs that dotted the floor in the room. “Pardon me,” he said as he sat down heavily and pushed the walker aside. “This chemotherapy has really knocked me for a loop. But enough about me, who are you. As I said, I think I know you but can’t actually place you. However, as I understand it, you want to help find my granddaughter.”

  “Indeed I do, and you do know me. You just haven’t seen me for about twenty years.”

  Richard stared at Adam for a long time and then stared out the glass doors to the dead and dying rose garden seemingly deep in thought. Adam was unsure what to say, so he simply waited. Richard turned back to Adam. “I’m trying to picture you twenty years ago, but I’m sorry, it’s just not coming, and the name you gave Bridget is not ringing any bells for me.”

  “That’s all right. Most people don’t know me by Robert Adam Madigan but by the acronym Ram. Currently, I’m a columnist for the Canary Corners Tweet under that acronym. But that’s actually not my name either. My real name is Adam Martin Swope, and I was here twenty years ago to help you look for your granddaughter when I was just eighteen. That was just after your granddaughter was taken. And I wasn’t actually here,” Adam waved his arm to indicate the library, “I met with you and Detective Drummond in Morgantown.”

  Richard tried to snap his fingers but produced no sound at all. He shook his head in resignation. “I do remember you. Aren’t you the one who claimed to have some mystical powers that could help track down whoever took Mary Beth and killed Molly?”

  Adam smiled at Richard’s reference to his abilities as “mystical powers. “That’s me but my abilities are not mystical, and they have proven themselves many times during the last twenty or so years. And, I really would like to help if you’ll let me. I know I wasn’t able to do so before, but I understand my abilities more now and have been able to help other families find missing loved ones.” He deliberately didn’t mention anything about the many times all that was found of the loved ones was their bones. He only wanted to focus on his successes, not failures. Though no one else considered finding victim graves a failure, he did. He realized finding only bones proved to be healthy for all the people who didn’t turn out to be new victims because the perpetrators of the heinous acts were usually caught and placed where they could no longer harm anyone. Failures or not, such instances preyed upon his psyche and was the main reason he’d been hiding in Canary Corners helping the local sheriff only when he felt he could do so while maintaining his anonymity.

  “Do you really think you can find Mary Beth?”

  “Of course I can’t give you any guarantees any more than I could twenty years ago, but I’d sure like to try.”

  Richard leaned forward in his chair and briefly smiled. “I do remember reading reports about you in the past. I even toyed with the idea of contacting you again, but I haven’t had much luck with people of your ilk. And, considering how much money I’ve paid to charlatans in the past who claimed they could help but gave me nothing except dashed hopes, I’m sure you can understand if I’m a slight bit skeptical.” He fell back in his chair and his smile faded.

  Adam knew the world was full of unscrupulous individuals who preyed upon the desperation of others. He had to do what he could to assure Richard he was not one of those. “You probably don’t remember, but I didn’t ask anything from you before when I tried to help, and I don’t expect any kind of compensation now whether I can help or not. I’m only here because I want to help you and I’m also trying to find out who killed a friend of mine who was also looking for your granddaughter. I think he came here to talk to you. Do you remember Phillip Mardoff?”

  “Of course I remember Phillip. He seemed to be a good guy who really thought he could help with his skills as a cop rather than waving a magic wand or some such as you claim. I was sorry to read of his death. Are you working on his murder
as a reporter?”

  Adam shook his head. “No. As I said, Phillip was a friend. I met him when I was a reporter in New York and helped him solve a few cases. I didn’t know he’d quit the force and moved to Charleston. I only wish I had. Maybe I could have prevented what happened to him.”

  Richard seemed skeptical. “How could you have stopped Phillip from being killed? Do you have a crystal ball or some such?”

  Adam smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. “No, sir. I don’t have a crystal ball but, as I said and you may recall, I do have some rather unique abilities that have proven to be valuable in the past.”

  “And yet my granddaughter is still missing, and the killer of my daughter probably still walks the streets.”

  Adam could tell this conversation was going nowhere fast. A different tact might help. “I would like to ask you a few questions about Phillip if that would be okay.”

  “It’s fine, but I’m not sure what I can tell you. He wasn’t here very long, and I don’t think I was able to give him much information.”

  “May I first ask what he asked you?”

  “Pretty much the standard stuff. We began by talking about the reward I’m offering for my granddaughter’s return.”

  “Did he have anything to offer you at that point?”

  “Nothing I’m afraid. He had simply heard that I was offering a reward and I think I was his first stop.”

  “What did he ask you about?”

  “He asked if anything had been discovered about who killed Molly and took Mary Beth.”

  “Well?”

  “We don’t know much more than Robert, you remember Robert don’t you?”

  Adam nodded. “He’s your son-in-law, the detective in Morgantown, isn’t he?”

  Richard nodded. “Anyway, Robert and I don’t know much more than we were able to tell you twenty years ago. I do, however, know one of the suspects died in a fire about ten years ago and I mentioned it to Phillip. Some guy named Harold something or other was originally a suspect, but nothing was ever proven. Phillip knew the name because it had been given to him by some guy name Var something.”

  “Maybe Varkot?” Adam asked.

  “That’s it.” Richard nodded. “There’s more. Robert said about ten years ago Harold whoever was being pursued on an unrelated case when he hid out in a building that caught fire and burned to the ground. It was later proven to be arson.”

  “And this Harold character was inside the building?”

  Richard took out a handkerchief, blew his nose and then coughed. He breathed deeply and let it out slowly. “They found a body inside the burned-out building they claimed was Harold though the body was so badly burned visual ID was impossible.”

  “Then how did they identify him?”

  “His wallet was found with his driver’s license in it, and they had a DNA test done.”

  “If his body was so severely burned how could his ID have survived?

  “Robert said a metal beam from the roof fell over the lower part of his body protecting the wallet. And they were able to extract fluid from his spine for the DNA test.”

  Adam thought the metal beam covering the wallet to be rather convenient. He’d have to find out if there was more to this Harold character. Maybe whoever killed Harold had something to do with Phillip’s death. As a reporter, he knew he had to look into all possibilities no matter how remote. “I see. Is there anything else you can remember that you and Phillip talked about?”

  Robert regarded his dying rose garden again for a few moments, deep in thought. “No…not that I can think of.

  Suddenly Adam remembered the granddaughter’s toy bear. “I seem to recall your granddaughter had a favorite toy when I met with Detective Drummond before. A bear as I recall.”

  Richard nodded. “A bear called Beer.”

  “That’s right,” Adam said. “Would you happen to have that bear?”

  Richard shook his head. “I don’t. Robert asked to have it, and though I would have liked to keep it, I thought he deserved it at least as much as I did so I let him keep it.”

  “I presume he still has it.”

  “As far as I know he does. I can’t see him getting rid of one of his few reminders of Molly and Mary Beth.” Richard got up, grabbed the walker, and walked directly to a spot in front of one of the bookshelves. “I do, however, have these.” He pulled three thin books from the shelf. He held them out to Adam.

  “What are they?” Adam asked before taking them.

  “Three Dr. Seuss™ books. I bought them to read to Mary Beth when Molly brought her to Charleston. She lived in Morgantown with Robert.”

  “Yes, sir. I remember visiting his house in Morgantown.” Adam took the books. Immediately his face turned red, his shoulders twitched, and his mind expanded with a vision. In the vision, he saw a pretty woman holding a baby that couldn’t have been more than a few months old. Adam could easily see the love in her eyes. They were sitting in an armchair with a flower and hummingbird pattern. The baby was fiercely hugging the bear Adam remembered.

  Adam came out of his vision when Richard shook him. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. I just had a vision of whom I can only presume to be your daughter and your granddaughter. The little girl was hugging the bear I remember from before. I was probably seeing them through your eyes. ”

  “Sure you were,” Richard said obviously not accepting Adam’s vision just because Adam had said he’d seen it.

  Chapter 37

  Adam scanned the room again without seeing an armchair like the one he’d seen in his vision. “At one point did you have a chair in here with a flower pattern and hummingbirds feeding on the flowers?”

  Richard was startled. “Have you ever been here before?” He asked the question because he really didn’t remember, but he didn’t think Adam had been to his house and he doubted if he’d have taken Adam into that room regardless. However, that room was the only room that housed a chair like the one Adam had described. It was a nursery he’d equipped especially for Mary Beth. It had been closed since Mary Beth had been stolen. He had never even gone into that room himself since he’d been given the heart-wrenching news of Molly’s death and Mary Beth’s kidnapping by his son-in-law Robert. The only person that had been allowed in the room was the one maid who’d been given the task to keep the place clean. After she left for greener pastures, he hired another maid who’d been given the same duty. This maid had been in his employ for about fifteen years.

  “No, sir. I haven’t. I haven’t been in the house at all. I was only in your son-in-law's house in Morgantown. When my family and I were there, we didn’t come to Charlestown.”

  A strange look came over Richard, and he took out the handkerchief that he’d used before and dabbed at his eyes. He took a deep breath that he let out slowly. “This room has never held the chair you described. It was and still is in a special nursery room created for my granddaughter. I must have described that chair to you before even though I don’t remember doing it. I must have.”

  “No Sir. You didn’t. I saw it in my vision.”

  Richard shook his head wonderingly. “Is it actually possible? How can you see things like that?”

  “I don’t have an explanation of how or why it happens any more than I did twenty years ago. I only know that I sometimes see visions when I touch someone or some object. I can’t consciously cause visions to come, and I can’t stop them even if they’re painful, which they occasionally are. I’m talking psychically painful, not physically painful.”

  Richard nodded as if he actually understood. “So you claim you saw Molly and Mary Beth sitting in the chair you described. What do you think caused you to see what you claim?”

  Adam scrutinized the books in his hand. “I can only surmise these books have a link to your daughter and granddaughter.” He held them up for emphasis. “You said you bought them to read to your granddaughter. Did you have an opportunity to do that before she was�
�was…kidnapped?” Adam hesitated but could come up with no words to lessen the impact of what had happened.

  “Only once. Can…can you tell me what Mary Beth was wearing in your vision?” Richard really didn’t want any further reminders of his loss but knew that day had been a good one. He remembered Mary Beth being truly beautiful as she fell asleep in Molly’s arms while he read one of the Dr. Seuss books. Yes, that had been a good day.

  Adam searched his memory. Not for the first time he wished he could call up a vision again. Richard had asked a logical question. It would serve to help prove to Richard that Adam had seen what Adam knew he had. Adam could only hope he could dredge up…Suddenly he had it. “It was a white shirt with an illustration of Mickey Mouse® on it.”

  “Oh my God…You really did see it.” Richard said incredulously not truly believing what he was hearing. “I had just bought that shirt earlier that day. Mary Beth had other shirts given to Molly by her friends at the baby shower for Mary Beth, but Mary Beth had outgrown them. When I saw the Mickey Mouse shirt, I just couldn’t resist buying it.” Richard shook his head. He was mystified by what Adam did and wasn’t sure he actually believed it. But he refused to let all hope die and didn’t know how long he could deny the mounting evidence. “Can you really find my Mary Beth?”

  “As I said, I can try. I truly want to help. But not only to find Mary Beth. I want to find Phillip’s killer. I feel I owe it to Phillip’s memory. He was one of the good guys.”

  “Yes of course. You’ll have to forgive me for being a bit single-minded, but I’ve been living with the horror of Mary Beth’s kidnapping for a long time.” He sighed deeply. “I had almost given up hope. But now I have a new incentive to find her. I’m dying.”

  Adam thought he should say something to that pronouncement because he already knew Richard was dying, but couldn’t think of anything except empty platitudes, so he merely waited for Richard to go on. In a few seconds, he did.