“I agree,” Richard said. “Let’s go.”
“Whoa, wait just a minute,” Robert said. “I do hope Adam is on to something, but you’re not well enough to go all the way to Salem on a maybe. I’ll go with him and if we find Mary Beth, Adam and I will bring her home.”
Richard immediately looked crestfallen knowing full well that Robert was right. He was in no condition for a trip of that magnitude. He thought he’d try to put up a healthy front knowing it wouldn’t get past Richard. “I’m fine. Today has been a good day. I want to go to help you and Adam find my granddaughter.”
“I know you do, but your doctor would have my head if I let you come. Salem is a long way from here. The drive might kill you, and even if it didn’t, it surely wouldn’t do you any good. As I said, just let Adam and me go see if we can find Mary Beth. If we do, we’ll bring her back to Charleston to see you.”
As they turned toward the door, Adam noticed the stroller in the corner of the room. He turned to Robert and pointed at the stroller. “Is that your daughter’s stroller?”
“Yes, why?”
“I would like to touch it if you’ll let me. I might be able to get a reading from it.”
Robert peered at Adam with less skepticism than before now that he’d at least partially accepted Adam’s story about Mary Beth, Salem, and the House of the Seven Gables. “It’s okay with me.”
Adam walked over to the stroller and picked up the blanket lying in the stroller. Immediately he was overtaken by a vision. He saw a man wearing a grease-stained sweatshirt and jeans with holes in the knees. The man had a large birthmark bisected by a scar on his left cheek. He recognized the scar as belonging to the Harold Morgan in the picture Carinda had shown him. The vision ended before Adam could pick up any more details.
“Another vision?” Robert asked. He’d seen Adam’s body manifestations though they were less pronounced this time.
Adam nodded. “Yes. It was brief, but I did see a man with a large birthmark on his left cheek with a long scar running through it.” He didn’t mention Morgan’s name because he wanted to know if Robert knew who it was.
“Oh my gosh,” Robert said in surprise. “Say that again please.”
Adam did. “Is that someone you recognize?”
“I absolutely do. That can’t be anybody else but Harold Morgan. That’s a rather unique scar wouldn’t you say? I’ve never seen anyone else with anything even close to a scar like that.”
“I’d have to agree with that,” Adam said. “I’d find it very hard to believe there was another person with a facial abnormality like that. Besides, I was shown a picture of him when I visited with Phillip Mardoff’s secretary.”
“Wasn’t he the guy that came to see us and was subsequently killed in the reenactment down in Bearcave?”
“That’s him.”
Robert nodded. “Morgan was originally a suspect in Molly’s murder and Mary Beth’s abduction, but we couldn’t find enough evidence to pin it on him. He’d also been a suspect in several other murders and was thought to be a trafficker as well as being involved in other nefarious activities such as drug dealing. So maybe he is the one who took Mary Beth. Too bad he’s dead.” Richard said. “He died in a building fire. His body was positively identified.”
Adam nodded. “I know. Carinda, Phillips secretary, said as much. “It’s not like he can be arrested, but maybe we’ve solved the mystery of who killed Molly and took Mary Beth. That is, if you believe me about what I’ve seen.”
“That remains to be seen. I’ll make that determination when we get to Salem.”
Chapter 39
Adam and Robert helped get Richard settled into his car giving his driver specific instructions to take Ricard back to Charleston. They also got the driver’s promise he’d take Richard straight back to Charleston even if Richard ordered him to go somewhere else. Richard reluctantly agreed to do as they wished.
After they watched Richard’s limo turn the corner on the way to Charleston Adam turned to Richard. “Do you really want to drive all the way to Salem? How long will it take?”
“I don’t know how long. But what other option do we have? I know there aren’t any planes to Salem from here. Morgantown doesn’t have a very big airport, so there aren’t a lot of flights. I guess we could take a flight to Pittsburg and catch one to Salem from there. But I actually have no idea if there are any flights directly to Salem from Pittsburg. Besides we’d probably have to wait forever at the airport to catch the appropriate flights. It might be faster driving.”
Adam smiled. He’d been toying with a different idea ever since he’d seen who they believed to be Mary Beth in his vision. “I have a different idea if I may.” Richard nodded wondering what Adam had up his sleeve. “I assume the Morgantown airport is big enough to have a charter service.”
“I guess it does, but I’m not sure. It’s not like I rent private jets.”
“Well I do,” Adam said with a grin. “Why don’t we see if we can rent a jet to fly us to Salem?”
Robert stared at him skeptically. “You have that kind of money?”
“Not to worry. I can afford it.”
Robert thought he should ask Adam where his money came from. Most of the people he’d run across with that kind of money were criminals. But, he had to admit, he didn’t exactly run in the best of circles except for Richard, of course. Richard had plenty of money that he hoped to give to Mary Beth. If Adam was a newspaper reporter, they typically didn’t make a lot of money. Maybe Adam wrote a best seller book or something similar. There was no way to be sure unless he asked but, for now, he didn’t think he’d look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth. He just might get bitten if he did. “Well, if you’re sure. We can go back in the house and call the airport to see if they have charter flights that can take us to Salem.”
“Good idea. Why don’t we do that?”
Adam called a couple of charter companies until he found one that could leave within a couple of hours. They only had to fuel up the aircraft and file the flight plan. The flight would take two and a half to three hours depending on the headwinds. Then Adam called to tell Marti he was going out of town for at least a few days. He told her of his vision and why he was going to Salem. She said she hoped he found Mary Beth, he and Robert had a nice flight to Salem, and she would see him when he got back. She said she had no problem taking care of the dogs while he was away. She also said she would expect to receive an update about his search as soon as he had one.
Because they still had a couple of hours to spare, Adam suggested they go to the police station where he could look at a mug shot of Harold Morgan to confirm his identification. Robert agreed. On the way to the police station, they stopped for an early supper at a fast food joint and at the bank so Adam could pick up some cash. He’d not thought about doing that before he left Canary Corners. Of course, at the time, he didn’t know he was going on a journey to find Robert’s long lost daughter.
In the police station, Robert took Adam to his desk where he explained Harold Morgan’s photo would no longer be in a mug book because Morgan was dead. Adam said he already had a copy of Morgan’s photo, but he would still like to see the one Robert had to make sure. Robert pulled a folder from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Adam. “I have kept this folder just in case I ever ran across anything related to this dirtbag. And now I guess I have.” He handed the folder to Adam.
Adam opened the folder and immediately recognized the picture clipped within. “That is absolutely the man I saw in my vision and in the picture Phillips secretary gave me. There’s no mistaking that birthmark and scar.”
Robert wasn’t the least bit surprised. “That’s why I was so startled when you described him. I immediately knew it could be no one else. As I said, his scar is rather distinctive.”
“That’s for sure. Can I take this with us?” Adam held up the folder and peered at Robert expectantly. “I’d like to read the notes in here on the plane.”
“I don’t see why not. Those are my own notes and, besides, I’ll be with you so the folder won’t leave my custody. But before we go, I’ll need to tell my boss not to expect me for a couple of days. It won’t be a problem. I have a bunch of vacation and comp days I can use. I’ve had to give up more than a few weekends in the past.”
“I’m sure you have. But you’d better go tell your boss now because we have to be going pretty soon. They certainly won’t leave without us, but we wouldn’t want them to have to wait too long for us.”
“Agreed,” Richard said getting up and walking into an office not far away.
Their flight went off without a hitch, and Richard talked about Molly and Mary Beth and some of the people who had promised they could help but instead fell flat on their faces. Adam caught Richard up on his life and how he had been a newspaper reporter in New York and Chicago but was now in Canary Corners. He also mentioned his lottery wins and how he’d started his foundation to help people in Canary Corners and the surrounding area. He spent the last half-hour or so reading the papers about Harold Morgan.
When they landed in Salem, they took a cab to a nearby first class hotel. Adam picked up the tab. In the morning they ate breakfast at the hotel and then had the front desk clerk give them a map to the House of the Seven Gables. They ordered a rental car that was delivered in short order. Using the map, with Robert acting as navigator, they had no trouble locating the colonial mansion. They bought tickets at a booth outside and then entered the mansion. They found two women at the front in period costume with name tags that identified one as Seril and the other as Laura.
“Good morning gentlemen. My name is Seril, and I’d be happy to show you around this magnificent example of early American architecture made famous by the novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1851. The mansion was first owned by…”
“I’m sure this is all very interesting, and it’s definitely a prime example of early American craftsmanship.” Adam cut off the spiel that she no doubt had memorized and said hundreds of times. But neither he nor Robert was interested in the mansion. “But we’re not here for the tour. We just need to ask you a question.”
Seril was startled that anyone would have the audacity to cut off her well-rehearsed speech right in the beginning. She was experienced at answering questions throughout the tour, but nobody had every interrupted her that soon. She took their measure. They didn’t appear to be too threating. But she couldn’t really tell. After all, looks can be deceiving. “And what might that be?”
“Does a young blonde-haired lady named Mary work here?” Adam asked.
She expected a question about the mansion, not a query entirely out of left field. It caught her completely off guard. She didn’t know what to say, but she was not about to give up any information about her friend Mary. At least not without some clue as to what they might want with Mary. “And just what might you want with such a lady? Not that I’m saying such a person works here.”
Why was she being so cagey? They only wanted to find out if she worked there. “Because she might be my daughter.” Robert burst out. He had hoped to prod her gently, but his anxiousness got the better of him, and he really wasn’t ready for verbal games.
Seril knew that couldn’t be true. Mary had taken a few days off last summer to attend her dad’s funeral. “I’m afraid that won’t get it. I happen to know Mary’s father is dead and you don’t look dead. Now I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“So Mary does work here?” Adam asked.
“A Mary works here,” Seril said. “But I’m not saying any more until you tell me what you want with her.”
“I told you,” Robert said. “I might be her father. What time does her shift start?”
Seril was getting more concerned. They really didn’t look dangerous but, in this day and age, you could never tell who was a threat and who wasn’t. She gazed at Laura who shrugged, also unsure what they should do. “As I said, you should leave. Do you want me to call security?” Seril said.
Robert shook his head and pulled out his wallet. He showed her his badge and ID. “I’m a police detective from West Virginia, and I only want to talk to Mary.”
She glared at Adam. “Are you a cop too?”
“I’m not. I’m just a friend who is trying to help Robert find his daughter who was stolen about twenty years ago.”
Seril seemed startled. “What do you mean stolen? Mary never said anything…”
“She was too young to know,” Robert cut in. “Now please, can you just tell me when Mary will be here?”
Seril shook her head. “I’m going to call security unless you leave.”
“Yes,” Laura said her first words. “Please leave.”
“Please call them,” Robert said. “They can check to verify I am who I say I am.”
Seril nodded and picked up the phone on her counter. She pressed one button. “Mike, this is Seril. Can you please get over here right away?” She hung up the phone. “Mike, the security guard will be right here. Then we’ll see.”
A minute later a big, burly man with two days growth of beard came through the door with his gun drawn. “All right. What’s going on? Are these guys threatening you Seril, Laura?”
“No,” Seril said, and Laura shook her head. “They want information about Mary and that one,” she inclined her head toward Robert, “claims to be a cop from West Virginia.”
“I don’t claim anything,” Robert said. “I am a detective from Morgantown, West Virginia and I think Mary may be my daughter. We only want to talk to her.”
Mike gazed questioningly at Seril. “I thought Mary’s father died last summer?”
“He did. She took a week off to attend the funeral.”
“That would have been her adoptive parent. I’m her real father.” Robert didn’t think this was the time to mention he was not her biological father any more than the father that had raised her and, apparently, was now dead.
This was making more sense to Seril now. “Mary did tell me she was adopted,” Seril said. “Maybe…”
“Yes. You’re beginning to get it.” Robert cut in. He turned to Mike. “I’ll give you the number for the Morgantown PD, and you can call them to verify I am who I claim to be. Robert gave Mike the number that he wrote in a small notebook he pulled from his shirt pocket.
“All right,” Mike said. “But this won’t prove you’re Mary’s real father. Do you have any proof of that?”
“And how could I possibly have any proof. Mary was stolen from her mother and me when she was just four months old.”
“Then how can you possibly know that she’s your daughter?” Mike asked reasonably.
Robert thought of how Adam had led them here by seeing Mary, or Robert hoped Mary Beth, in a vision. He couldn’t expect either of these three to believe something like that—especially since he still wasn’t completely sold on the idea himself yet. Although he did have to admit there must be a Mary working at the House of the Seven Gables just as Adam had said. He had to know one other thing. “Does Mary have blonde hair?”
Seril nodded. “But that still doesn’t prove anything.”
“The only way that either of us, Mary or myself, are going to know for sure is to have a DNA test done.” Such a test wouldn’t determine anything about his parentage since Mary Beth and he weren’t biological related, but Richard knew he still had Mary Beth’s hairbrush that Molly had used so many years ago and they should be able to get DNA from whatever hair was still in the brush. They could test a sample from Mary against whatever they could get from the hairbrush. If that didn’t work, there were probably other things that DNA could be extracted from in his shrine room to Molly and Mary Beth—the blanket or stroller perhaps. He knew he would find something. He simply had to.
Mike called the Morgantown PD number and confirmed Robert was who he said he was. Robert’s supervisor even confirmed Robert had come to Salem in search of his long lost daughter. When Mike made the pro
nouncement of proof, Seril was finally convinced Robert was who he claimed to be. But was he Mary’s father? She would need more proof than just his word for that one. She idly wondered what Mary would think. Seril had no idea how she herself would react if given the same news. But then Seril wasn’t adopted, and her father was still alive so she had no frame of reference.
She turned to Robert. “Okay, I guess it’s all right if you hang around until Mary gets here, but I want Mike to be here when she does.”
“That’s a good idea,” Laura put in.
Seril turned back to Mike. “Mike, Mary’s due at noon to give me a lunch break and then we’re both here until two when I get off. Laura leaves then, and Francis comes in. Mary is always a few minutes early so why don’t you come back at quarter till twelve.”
“I can do that,” Mike acknowledged with a nod as he went out the door.
“Okay if we wander around until then,” Adam asked glancing around the room.
Chapter 40
“The first tour was supposed to start at nine, but since it’s after that I don’t see why I can’t take you around if you’re sure you’re interested,” Seril said. “After all, that’s not really what you came for.”
“We’re here. We might as well take the tour,” Robert agreed with Adam.
Adam handed her their tickets with a smile.
“Okay, follow me,” Seril said. She turned to Laura. “Hold down the fort.”
“Of course,” Laura said, “I always do.
Seril then led the way further into the mansion.
After Adam and Richard had seen the mansion and listened to Seril’s well-rehearsed dialogue, they left and toured several of the other building on the site but made sure they were back at eleven forty-five when Mary was expected. Mike also showed up at the same time. Five minutes later a five-foot-eight blonde showed up. Richard was startled at how much Mary resembled her mother Molly as Adam had said. She greeted Seril like Adam had seen in his vision.
The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock Page 28