by Curry, Edna
As I turned to go inside, I noticed something white on the windshield of my red Chevy. I glanced around, but saw no one nearby. I never get flyers out here by the lake. No solicitors bother with remote areas, they only hit towns or heavily populated streets. Curious, I went over and pulled the paper out from under the wiper. More raindrops hit me in the face, so I hurried inside.
I pulled off my jacket and opened the white envelope. Inside was a blank sheet of paper with the words, ‘Back off or you’re dead,’ handwritten in block printing. A cold chill ran over me from head to toe. Yikes. Someone really didn’t like me investigating Agnes’ death. I turned and flipped the dead bolt on my front door, then went to my kitchen and found a plastic bag to encase the envelope, hoping I hadn’t ruined any fingerprints if the perp had left any on it.
I laid it on the table and plopped into a chair, debating my next move. I knew if I told Ben about this, he was going to say, ‘I told you so.’ On the other hand, he’d be even madder at me if I didn’t tell him. After all, this was something tangible from someone obviously connected to his murder case. And maybe we could get some fingerprints from it that would help lead us to the killer. There hadn’t been any the first time, but there was always that possibility.
So I swallowed my pride and called the sheriff, just saying I had gotten another message I thought he should see. He said he was just on his way for coffee at the Flame, so would stop by in a couple minutes. My house was only a couple of miles out of his way.
Feeling cold all over, as much from the message as the rain outside, I pulled on a fuzzy red sweater. Then I started some coffee brewing in my kitchen and dug out some glazed donuts I’d bought that morning. I set out cups on my kitchen table.
Scamp barked at the sound of Ben’s car a couple of minutes later and then my doorbell sounded over and over, impatiently. I hurriedly unlocked the door and opened it.
It was raining hard now and Ben ducked quickly inside, shaking raindrops from his dark hair and off his uniform’s sleeves. “What’s with the locked door, Lacey? You never lock your door during business hours, do you?”
I laughed and closed and locked the door behind him, then led the way up to the main level of my house. “Well, I guess I’m a bit rattled right now.”
“Oh yeah? What’s this message you said you wanted me to see? Another one supposedly from Agnes?” He followed me to the kitchen.
“No, not this time.” I pointed to the plastic covered note on the table and poured our coffee. My hands shook so badly, I spilled some. I grabbed a paper towel and cleaned up the mess, then dropped into my chair to watch him read it.
He scowled and then raised his gaze to me. “Where and when did you find this?”
“Just before I called you. I took Scamp for his run along the lake and saw it under my windshield when I returned.”
“Did you see anyone around? Any tracks?”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. It wasn’t raining when we started out, and was just sprinkling when we came back to the house. I doubt I’d see any tracks in the crushed rock anyway. Nothing you can identify.”
“You didn’t notice this envelope on your windshield when you first came out of the house?”
“No, but it could have been there. I don’t remember if I looked at my car or not. But it would have to have been put there after I returned from Agnes’ house.”
“So, within the past three hours or so.”
“Yes.” I nodded and sipped my coffee, needing the hot brew to warm my still cold insides.
He sipped his and grabbed a glazed donut and bit into it, eyeing me. Finally he said, “Lacey, doesn’t this prove what I’ve been saying? You need to stay out of this.”
I scowled back at him. “And how would I tell this perp that I’ve backed off? He’s not going to stop even if I do. Besides, we’re obviously getting close, or he wouldn’t be worried enough to take a chance coming right up to my house where he could have been seen.”
“Yeah, I thought of that after the first note you got, too,” Ben said. “The email one was pretty safe to send from anywhere, but to leave you these other two, the person had to come right up to your door. And you’re not exactly in the middle of town where someone could walk on past if anyone saw them who might report them.”
“Exactly. So whoever it is, is pretty sure of himself, don’t you think?”
Ben nodded, thinking. “Or, maybe it’s someone who could have had some other excuse for coming so close to your door if you’d seen him and opened it?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like the mail man, or a delivery person?”
He shrugged. “Or Patti. Or a person you questioned and asked to tell you if they thought of something else that would help.”
“That could cover a lot of people,” I said wryly. “Did you get any fingerprints from those clippings he sent the first time?”
“No. Nothing,” Ben said.
“I was afraid of that. My list of suspects keeps getting longer instead of shorter.”
“That’s the problem, Lacey. And why you are scaring me to death. I promised your uncle I’d look out for you.”
“I know, Ben,” I said, casting him a long-suffering look. This often-repeated lecture was getting old and irritating. But I couldn’t object, because I knew he was sincere about feeling responsible for protecting me. It would actually be easier to ignore him if he were being an asshole. But I had to protect my fledgling business as well. I didn’t want to give up and take a safer job as Ben often urged me to do. I loved my work. Well, most of the time anyway.
He apparently read my decision in my expression because he sighed. “I know. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. But please, be careful.”
“I will, Ben.” I debated telling him what I’d learned about the stock market game, then decided he could figure it out for himself, and asked, “Anything new on Corey’s condition?”
“I called the hospital on the way over here. He’s still unconscious and Patti and Arnold are with him.”
“Did you learn anything about the gun or Agnes’ cell phone?”
“Not yet. We’re working on it. I’ll see you at Agnes’ house in the morning, then.”
“Agnes’ house? But after the fire, won’t they have to meet somewhere else?”
“Yeah. Probably. I’m sure Patti will let us know.” He finished off his donut and coffee, then stuffed the plastic bag with the note inside his shirt and left.
More nervous than ever now, I carefully locked up after him and went back to my office.
But hours more of going through Agnes’ emails yielded nothing that would be a motive for murder. Except her money, of course. But as far as that went, Agnes was worth a whole lot more alive and playing the stock market than she was dead.
***
Nothing more happened before the meeting with Mr. Anderson the next morning and I began to relax a little. I decided to say nothing about what I’d learned and wait and see what Patti’s reaction would be when Mr. Anderson told her.
Patti had called to say that although the office was very wet and dirty, the firemen had sucked the smoke smell out pretty well, so they’d decided we could use the main living room of the house for the meeting.
I drove to Agnes’ house and found all the others had already arrived.
Inside, I was surprised to see Pastor Jim, Jack Kent and Millie Manders there as well as the sheriff, Rolly, Patti, Arnold and Lulu. There were also a couple of other ladies I didn’t know.
The living room was now arranged into a big circle with the sofa and soft chairs pushed back to one wall. Folding chairs and kitchen chairs had been brought in for added seating. Mr. Anderson was sitting at one end with papers spread out on a small table in front of him.
Playing hostess, Patti stood beside another small table serving us a choice of coffee or water as we came in. She also had set out several kinds of treats from the local bakery. Caffeine addict that I am, I took coffee and scooped up my favorite, a glazed donut. “Anything
new on Corey’s condition?” I asked her.
“No, Corey is still unconscious. He took a hard blow to the head, but the doctor is quite sure he’ll be okay.”
“That’s good.” I took one of the few chairs left. Luckily it was off to one side of the living room so I’d be able to see everyone and their reaction to whatever Mr. Anderson had to say.
He and Rolly had apparently already conferred on the dates of the wills. Rolly sat off to one side, looking furious and uncomfortable. Patti took a seat beside him and gave him a reassuring smile. I wondered again if they were still dating and just how close they had become.
Mr. Anderson announced, “The will Agnes made with me is the last known will and thus would be sent to the court for probate, barring any later will being found. Agnes also appointed me executor of her estate.”
Rolly glared at that, and the others just looked curious or uncomfortable.
Mr. Anderson sipped his water, clearly enjoying this. He went on, “I’m not going to read this long will in its entirety. I’ll just explain the terms and give the pertinent details to the person or persons involved. I asked some of you here because you yourself are mentioned in the will. Others are here to represent a church, club or charity. Or in Mr. Billings case, because you had an earlier will that you thought was her last one. If you’ll all have patience, I’ll get to each of you in turn.
“Agnes first of all left instructions that all of her own outstanding debts as well as her mother’s ongoing nursing home bills are to be paid from her main brokerage account and the various checking and savings accounts that she held in several banks.”
Arnold laughed cynically. “Well, that’ll take care of any money she left, right there, won’t it? All nursing homes cost a fortune.” Lulu eyed him with dismay, obviously not pleased with that idea.
Patti glared at him. “If Aunt Agnes didn’t leave enough, I’ll pay the rest. I care about Grandma even if you don’t.”
Arnold shrugged. “Lots of old people end up on Medicaid, don’t they? It wouldn’t be the end of the world if Ma did. It’s all paid for by our taxes, anyway.”
“Like you pay so much in taxes,” Patti snapped back.
“Hey, my antique store is very successful, I’ll have you know,” Arnold declared. Lulu nodded.
Mr. Anderson rapped his spoon on his glass. “Let’s get back to the will,” he said. “You can settle your family squabbles later.”
Arnold and Patti both turned red and said nothing more. I glanced at Sheriff Ben, who sat at the back of the room, merely watching and saying nothing. But I knew Ben’s sharp eyes would miss very little that went on today. Would he change his mind about a suspect according to who inherited Agnes’ money?
Mr. Anderson went on, “Agnes also left various amounts to her church and a long list of local charities. She asked that Pastor Jim help me find the proper people in each group who should receive these checks. Some of you are here, today, I understand. I’ll leave it to Pastor Jim to sort out which of you represents which organization, because I’m not familiar with the local groups. The actual checks, of course, will be mailed later, after the court has approved this and all the appropriate bookwork is finished. Some of the money is to be paid now and the balance after her mother’s death and all of Agnes and her mother’s final expenses have been taken care of.” He handed Pastor Jim the list and Jim’s eyes widened as he looked at it. He swallowed and said, “Very generous.”
“Next were bequests to her employees, Millie Manders and Jack Kent to thank you for your faithful service. Millie, she also sent you a message that she knew you were playing the stock market game with her and she commends you for your ambition.”
Millie flushed and nodded. The others just looked at her curiously, obviously wondering why a maid was interested in the stock market.
That explains why she took a picture of the wall chart in Agnes’ office, I thought. And why she had a laptop. Obviously, she was internet savvy enough to buy and sell stocks online.
Mr. Anderson continued, “Agnes held stocks in a brokerage firm in several accounts. I’ve already mentioned what she wanted done with the main one that was only in her name. Another one was in her name with Patti as the joint owner and thus now the sole owner. Here’s the latest statement, Patti.” He held out a sheet of paper to Patti and, nonplussed, Patti reached out and took it.
Mr. Anderson paused and cleaned his glasses while she looked at it.
Patti gazed up at him with a furious look on her face. “What kind of joke is this? This is the list of stocks in our stock market game. It’s not real, it’s just a game Agnes and I have played for years.”
Mr. Anderson smiled. “Look at the letterhead of that statement, Patti. I assure you, it’s real money. Or rather, it can be, if you order those stocks sold.”
Patti’s expression changed to consternation, then to wonder. Then she paled. “Oh, my God. All this time I was playing with real money? What if I’d picked the wrong stocks and lost it?”
Arnold laughed at her. “Corey said she had money.”
“But…but…Oh, my Lord.” Patti looked around at the others, who didn’t seem to understand what she was upset about and just looked curious. Rolly leaned close to read the statement over her shoulder, his expression furious as he read it.
Mr. Anderson just smiled at their reaction. Millie had an, “I knew it all the time,” expression on her face. But then I glanced at Sheriff Ben and a chill ran over me. I shivered. His face also had a satisfied, “I knew it,” look on it. Yikes. Did this confirm his suspicions of Patti? Did Ben consider this money a motive for Agnes’ murder?
Mr. Anderson went on, “The next account was in her name and Corey’s. She said it’s much smaller, because he wouldn’t play the game, so she used the Dow Jones basket, which didn’t do as well as her and Patti’s choices over the years. But anyway, I’ll save his statement for when he’s better.”
“And lastly, Agnes left this house to her brother, Arnold.”
Arnold gaped in shock and Lulu gasped, her jaw dropping. “Me?” Arnold said, blushing. “I don’t want to live here.”
“You’re free to sell it or do whatever you like with it as soon as we clear the paperwork,” Mr. Anderson said with a shrug of his chubby shoulders.
“Oh,” Arnold said. He shrank down into his seat and glanced around the room. “I sure didn’t think she’d leave me anything. I mean, I wasn’t very nice to her since Pa passed on,” he mumbled. “I don’t deserve anything.”
Mr. Anderson sipped more water and continued, “I’ll give the family copies of the will. And I’m leaving copies of my card here. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.”
Mr. Anderson looked at the sheriff. “Agnes handed our firm another problem she had concerns about, Sheriff. If I could discuss it with you either now or later at your office?”
“Why don’t we meet at my office in an hour?” Ben said.
“Very good, Mr. Anderson said. “That’s all I have for today, then.”
As everyone shuffled out, I caught sight of Ben’s face. His expression said he didn’t know whether to allow everyone to leave or to arrest someone and close his case. Arnold and Lulu shuffled out, whispering to each other.
What information Agnes had left with Mr. Anderson that he wanted to share with Ben? I wished I could hear it too.
Patti signaled me to wait after the others had left. I was surprised to see Rolly hurry out without talking to Patti again. Or would they discuss this turn of events later?
When Patti had closed the door after the last of them, she went to the kitchen for more coffee. I followed her. “Want another cup?” she asked, filling one for herself.
“Sure,” I said, and sat at the kitchen table with her. The coffee was hot and fragrant, the specialty hazel nut flavored stuff Agnes had liked.
Patti sat opposite me and sipped at the coffee. “Can you believe that will?” she asked. “It still scares me to death that I was playing with real
money all these years. I mean, Agnes started doing this when Corey and I were in high school. So many times, I chose a stock on instinct, just to get it done and email her back. Lots of times, it was in the middle of the night after I’d spent hours studying for some test or other. Yikes, what if I’d lost a bundle?”
I laughed. “Well, she probably made sure your choices were okay before she actually put in the buy or sell order, don’t you think?”
“I suppose. Agnes had to have started those funds with her own money, didn’t she?”
“I have no idea. I’m sure you know more about that than I do.”
She shuddered, then laughed. “I can’t wait to see Corey’s face when he finds out he’ll actually get money from that game. He never would play it after he got out of high school. He said it was a kid’s game.”
“On the other hand, he was pretty sure Agnes had more money than she admitted to,” I said. “So where did he think it came from, then?”
“I don’t know,” Patti said, lifting a shoulder. “But he always said he thought Roscoe must have left her a lot. He thinks all lawyers earn a lot of money.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure a lot of them do. Others probably aren’t as successful. Like any other profession, there are winners and losers.”
Patti nodded. “That’s what I said.”
“Speaking of lawyers,” I said cautiously, watching Patti for her reaction, “What did Rolly say about the will that he had? Do you know what was different?”
“Not really, except that I think the Billings firm was the executor of her estate in that one.”
“Rolly seemed really put out that there was a valid later will.”
“Yeah, he was. Course, he’s been upset about a lot lately. He wanted me to fire you the first time we went out. I told him you were a big help and that I needed to find Agnes. That was before we found her, of course.”
Yikes. My stomach churned. I knew I didn’t like Rolly much, but hadn’t known the feeling was mutual. “Did he say why?”
Patti’s lips twisted. “Not really. Just that there was no reason to hire you when Agnes would probably return on her own. And if she didn’t, it was the sheriff’s job to find her.”