Mark of the Loon (Gen Delacourt Mystery Book 1)

by Molly Greene

  Taegan pointed up at the ceiling, then hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the garage.

  “Yes, the coop in Edward’s office,” Madison nodded. “Birds are still living there.”

  Taegan nodded. “Homing pigeons,” he said. “The old Father kept birds, too. He and Edward raced them and sent messages back and forth. These must be the wild babies from the others. I’ve seen them flying.”

  “You know what else we’ve never asked about?” Genny slapped her forehead. “The old key attached to the copper plate. I wonder if Tae can tell us what the words mean.”

  “Good thinking.” Madison raced from the kitchen like she’d been shot from a cannon and returned with the key. She held it out.

  Taegan’s eyes lit up. He scooped it from her hand and turned it toward the light. “Beautiful,” he said. “The words Nead Éin mean ‘bird’s nest’ in Irish.”

  “Have you ever seen this before?” Madison asked.

  Taegan shook his head. No, he signed. Then he said aloud, “If it was Mallory’s, she didn’t show it to me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Madison heard the car wind its way along the drive long before Jack perked up his ears. She picked him up before he had a chance to race out and greet the vehicle.

  “Have I been ignoring you?” He licked her hand. “I’m sorry, sweet baby. But I think you don’t feel neglected because of all the company. You love it here too, don’t you?”

  She carried him through the dining room and peeped out the window. Clouds moved across the sky. The early afternoon was cool and breezy despite the sun.

  White-haired Evelyn Udell was at the wheel of a silver Prius, slowing down to park. Madison stepped out onto the porch, still clutching the dog. She smiled and waved.

  The petite woman returned her greeting, then opened the car door and placed her sensible shoes squarely onto the drive. She wore pearls, slacks, and a matching cardigan. Her hair was swept back into a short, wavy ponytail. Twin curls at each temple gave her a jaunty look.

  Not bad for such an old gal.

  “You found us,” Madison called.

  “Yes, dear.” She popped out of the car with more energy than Madison expected. “Didn’t I mention it? I’ve been here before.”

  “Oh,” Madison replied.

  “A fundraising event. Years ago.” Evelyn minced across the cobbles and held out her arms.

  Madison let Jack down and accepted the hug. “Do you mind dogs?” she asked. “Jack is harmless.”

  “Oh, no, my dear,” Evelyn replied. “I’m a Doberman aficionado. A small dog couldn’t bother me at all.”

  Madison smiled. “You’re full of surprises.”

  “You have no idea,” Evelyn replied, a twinkle in her eye. She bent to pat Jack. The dog sidled out of reach and trotted away around the side of the house.

  “How odd,” Madison said. “I wonder if he isn’t feeling well.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. Dogs have moods, just like people.” Evelyn took Madison’s arm for support. “Shall we go in? It was a long trip.”

  “Of course. I’ve forgotten my manners.” Madison covered Evelyn’s hand with her own and led her down the hall.

  They stopped in the living room.

  “I like what you’ve done.” Evelyn clasped her hands at her waist. “You’ve given it a touch of sophistication.” She turned and smiled. “Would it be presumptuous of me to ask for a cup of tea?”

  Genevieve swayed to the head of the staircase and beamed. “You read my mind,” she said, then clutched the banister as she descended the steps. She stopped on the landing.

  “I’m Gen Delacourt,” she said.

  “Hello, Gen, I am Dr. Evelyn Udell.” Evelyn clasped her hand.

  “Have we met? You look familiar.”

  “You must be mistaken. You are so lovely, I would remember if we’d been introduced. Whatever have you done to yourself?”

  “Broke my leg skiing,” Genevieve replied. “But this cast is the end of it. I’ll be getting it off in a week or so.”

  “Ah, skiing. You must be a gambler,” Evelyn said. “A risk taker.”

  Gen snorted. “One must learn to focus when one is seeking adventure, Dr. Udell.”

  “Truer words were never spoken,” she replied. “Please, call me Evelyn.”

  “Evelyn, I understand you’re here to cart off some of Edward’s things.” Genevieve led the way through the dining room into the kitchen, holding the door for Madison and their guest. “I would have brought large men to help.”

  “I would have sent a moving truck and an army if Madison had agreed to let me take it all.” Evelyn stopped just beyond the doorway. “My goodness, you’ve been busy little bees in here, too.” Her eyes swept the room. “What have you done with Mallory’s prize Irish sideboard?”

  “It’s in the dining room,” Madison said.

  Evelyn peered around the door. “Ah, so it is. That must have been quite a project, getting that monster to budge.” She pulled out a chair and lowered herself onto the seat. “Rumor has it she had it shipped from the village where she was born. It was the talk of the party that night.”

  Madison put on the kettle. “What town?”

  “Ah, the writer is doing more research, I see. I’d love to be able to tell you, but I don’t know.”

  “What’s this about writing?” Genny placed cups and saucers on the table beside a plate of cookies.

  “A joke,” Madison said, and glanced at Evelyn. “When I first went to see Evelyn, she assumed I was a novelist doing research about the Blackburnes. She says their lives would make a good story.”

  “Historical or who dunnit?” Genny smiled.

  Evelyn leaned in. “I’ve always suspected there was much more under the surface to be ferreted out. Please. Satisfy an old woman’s curiosity. What have you found?”

  Madison sat down, eager to talk.

  Genny squeezed Madison’s shoulder, then limped away to stand behind Evelyn. She shook her head.

  Madison caught Gen’s warning and altered her reply. “Oh, nothing of real significance. Our imaginations are having a gay old time, blowing little things out of proportion.”

  “What of the stonework here?” Evelyn hooked a thumb at the plastic-sheeted wall where the sideboard had stood. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “There was speculation, long ago, that Mallory used that piece to conceal a secret.”

  A ruckus in the mudroom made their heads spin toward the sound. Finn stood in the doorway. The cat’s eyes were slits, nearly closed. He batted the air and growled harshly, as if about to launch himself into a fight.

  Evelyn froze.

  Madison rushed around the table, thinking Finn was about to tangle with Jack. “No, Finn, bad kitty,” she cried. She shooed him into the mudroom and shut the door. Jack stuck his head in the pet door at the sound of her voice.

  He’d been outside for the performance. Finn’s display wasn’t about him. Madison shook her finger at the cat. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Finnegan settled his fur with a twitch.

  Jack let out a single bark.

  “You two are acting weird.” Madison fisted her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, then leaned over to fasten the pet door. She opened the back door and shooed them both outside.

  “Don’t come back until you remember your manners.”

  Evelyn wore a bright smile when Madison returned. “I’ve never been a cat person. Perhaps the beast is intuitive enough to know.” She reached for an oatmeal cookie. “Cats are odd creatures. March to their own drummer, refuse to obey orders. I don’t tolerate that behavior well.”

  “Maybe the two of them are having a little episode of dementia,” Madison replied.

  “I’ve used the same defense myself,” Evelyn replied.

  The girls laughed. “Would you like more tea, or are you ready to look through the things we’ve packed?” Madison asked. “I think you’ll want to open the boxes to be sure the stuff is of interest to the Univ
ersity.”

  Evelyn brushed crumbs off her fingers and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. She drained her cup and stood. “Show me the way.”

  “We have to get by the cat,” Genevieve said.

  Madison snickered. “You two go out the front door. I’ll let the wicked stepchildren inside. They can stay in the mudroom until Evelyn is ready to go home.”

  * * *

  They rummaged through cartons and Evelyn talked about the artifacts, describing the nesting habits and migration patterns of many of Edward’s specimens.

  “Evelyn, since you’re in such a good mood, I’m going to press my luck and see if I can interest you in a bunch of vintage magazines.” Madison gestured at the wall. “I haven’t had time to go through them, but some might be valuable. They’re almost antiques. It’s a shame to throw them out. It seems like they could be a treasure for someone.”

  Dr. Udell surveyed the collection of boxes. She stepped closer and read the print on the front. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll come back for them within the week.”

  “I thought she’d have to pay someone to haul them away,” Genny said.

  “I volunteer at one of Oakland’s inner-city schools,” Evelyn replied. “Some of the children who attend will never travel beyond their sad little neighborhoods. Not physically, anyway. Resources like this will take their minds wherever they want to go.”

  “What a great idea,” Madison replied. “Like I said, you’re full of surprises.”

  “Maddy, maybe she’d want the kid’s clothes we found in the attic.”

  “I’ll take everything. What my people don’t use can be donated to the Salvation Army.” Evelyn folded her arms across her chest and walked through the garage, peering here and there. She picked up a broken bird feeder from a table in the back, then replaced it.

  “Now didn’t you say you had some photographs you wanted to share?”

  They returned to the house. Gen prepared more tea. “Evelyn, why don’t you go sit by the fire? We’ll join you in a minute.”

  Madison went to the mudroom to fetch a shoebox of pictures. Finnegan and Jack fixed her with a withering glare when she entered. She stuck out her tongue at them, then once again opened the back door and shooed the malcontents into the fresh air.

  “Go outside and get the stink blown off you.” Finn walked onto the porch and sank down on the stones, as if to watch the house.

  “Crazy cat,” Madison smoothed the fur between his ears. Jack whined. She chucked him under the chin. “Why so grim?”

  She carried the container back to the living room. “I wouldn’t show these to just anyone, Dr. Udell. I’m going to ask you to keep this between us because it’s … well, disturbing.” She handed over the snapshots of the uniformed women. “This is why I’m curious what you might know about the Blackburne’s activities during the war.”

  Evelyn’s breath caught. She dropped the pictures in her lap and raised a hand to smooth her hair. “So very young,” she murmured. “An ocean away, a lifetime ago.”

  “Excuse me?” Madison said.

  Evelyn raised her eyes to Madison. “I was just saying she was so young here. Barely out of her teens, it would appear.” She waved her hand dismissively. “But there’s no cause for alarm. You’ve been misled. I believe it was a costume. She may have been playing dress-up. Wearing the garments of the devil. It was all the rage for a while in Europe. A bad joke, Madison.”

  “Do you think so?” Genny asked. “And who could the other woman be? She looks even younger than Mallory, but she’s wearing a German uniform, too.”

  Evelyn offered a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry.” She handed the pictures back. “I have no idea.” She reached for her teacup. “I’m afraid I’ve not been any help to you, as I hoped I might be.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Madison replied. “You’ve offered an interesting explanation for something that made me feel terrible.” She patted Evelyn’s arm. “And, by gosh, you’ve agreed to take a wall of old magazines off my hands. I’d say you’ve been a big help today.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Two days later, a U-Haul truck that had seen better days lumbered past the house and stopped beside the garage with a shriek of its aging transmission. A gangly man with an unfortunate comb-over slid from the driver’s seat, then lunged around to the passenger door to help Evelyn Udell down from the cab.

  Amused, Madison watched the odd couple from her bedroom window. Evelyn dipped her head toward the carriage house. Her companion walked to the latch and pulled. The bypass door glided open on its track. He thwacked his hands together as if a major portion of the day’s duties were done.

  “They’re here,” Genevieve called up the stairs. “Her moving guy looks like he’s got Marfan’s Syndrome. Check them out. Frick and Frack.”

  “Laurel and Hardy,” Madison replied. “Oh, no, wait. That’s us.” She heard Genny laughing below and added, “Be down in a second.”

  “I’ll go out and supervise,” Gen said. “Damn, I wish I could remember where I’ve seen that woman.”

  Madison heard the back door slam. She dropped the curtain and scooped up a sweatshirt from the foot of the bed, then hurried down through the kitchen. The phone rang. She hesitated, wanting to be in on the action, but something made her stop and pick up.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, girlfriend,” Cole said.

  “Hey,” Madison could hear the smile in her voice. “What a nice surprise.” She glanced at the clock on the stove. “Don’t you have a class?”

  “Canceled. They decided everyone was working too hard and told us all to go the heck away and find something fun to do today.”

  Madison laughed. “What part of that is true?”

  “Well, a big part,” Cole admitted. “I gave my students an assignment to go engage in an activity they love and write me five hundred words on how it made them feel. Then I dismissed the class.”

  “Sounds like a free pass to drink and make love all day. So now I suppose you’re in the running to be teacher of the year.”

  “I specifically said today’s occupation must be devoid of sex and mind-altering substances of any kind. So anyway, spontaneous as it is, I have to complete the assignment, too.”

  “Oh, you lucky boy. I can’t wait to hear your devious plan.”

  “I was hoping you’d let me come out and dig into the vegetable garden.”

  Madison’s eyes twinkled and she grinned into the phone. “You bet,” she said, not trying to mask her enthusiasm. “Too bad you ix-nayed the sex part, though. How quick can you get here?”

  “Half hour.”

  “See you then,” Madison replied. “Oh, hey, Dr. Udell brought a U-Haul. She’s out in the garage with a guy who looks like a praying mantis. They’re taking the Nat Geos. Don’t volunteer to help.”

  “Thanks for the heads up.” Cole chuckled. “I’ll keep a low profile.”

  Madison clicked off the phone and dropped it back onto its cradle, then trotted out to the carriage house. Frick was just reaching into the van to load the first box. He dropped it into the cargo area and sent it sliding toward the cab with a shove. Once again, he wiped his hands, this time on his faded green jumpsuit. As Madison walked up, he tugged at the floppy end of the belt cinched tight around his waist.

  “Hi,” Madison said.

  The man jumped, then spun around and glared. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” He yanked a wool cap from his back pocket and pulled it down over his pink scalp.

  “Sorry,” Madison murmured. “I’m Madison.”

  He nodded slightly. “Frank.” He turned away and Madison stifled a snicker, then followed him into the garage. She stopped inside the door.

  Evelyn was standing on a sturdy fiberglass ladder, reaching for a box. Gen sat on the floor with her cast splayed out at a ninety degree angle. Already surrounded by open cartons, she was using a box cutter to open the closest one.

  “Nice of you to show,�
� she said.

  “What are you doing?” Madison asked.

  “Making sure they’re full of magazines,” she replied. “You wouldn’t want Evelyn to end up with a stash of old rags or used toothbrushes or something.”

  “Genevieve insisted, dear.” Evelyn descended the ladder. “I told her there was no need.” She leaned over to drop another box beside Gen. “If I end up with trash, I’ll just have it taken to the University’s dumpsters. No harm done. Will you try to reason with her?”

  “Gen was bitten by the detective bug at an early age,” Madison said. “I think it’s part of the reason she went to law school. She enjoys the drama of figuring out who the perp is.”

  Evelyn straightened. “But lawyers don’t get to do that, do they, Genevieve?” She turned back to the ladder. “An attorney’s job is to provide adequate representation, whether their client is guilty or innocent.”

  Genny sighed. “I’m tempted to reconsider my career because of that.”

  “You stay down here, Evelyn,” Madison said. “I’ll take your place.”

  Madison climbed the ladder and worked quickly. Frank methodically re-taped the boxes and hefted them onto the truck. Dr. Udell flipped through a few back issues, but lost interest and wandered about the garage. She poked around, examining bolts and tools and the rest of the castoffs the Blackburnes had amassed.

  As the stack disappeared, the back wall of the carriage house was exposed. The ground floor of the garage was set into the hillside and had been built of cinderblock to avoid dry rot. The block’s surface was finished with a masonry sand coat, and the pebbly surface had been painted.

  When Evelyn returned to the staging area, she stood out of the way of the bustle, staring at the wall. She crossed her arms. She tapped a foot, keeping time with an unknown tune.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Madison said. “I bet you’re sorry you agreed to this.”

  “Oh, no,” Evelyn murmured. “On the contrary.” She turned and patted Genny on the head. “I’ve struck the jackpot, thanks to you two.”