by Kate Young
Eddie’s cell still went to voice mail, and Alex didn’t pick up either. Betsy came to mind next, but she would be working her shift right now. Calhoun was out of the question. The last thing he needed was having something else to explain.
With my plate pushed aside, I opened the case and dumped the contents onto the table. Three manila envelopes dropped onto the table. I opened the first. It was all the paperwork that had been filed with the courts for Carl’s power-of-attorney petition. Mr. Ledbetter’s blood and urine test results were inside. He had also had an MRI and CT scan. Even after a quick Internet search, I had no idea how to read either of those images. Luckily, there was a physician’s summary on the last page.
While the patient cannot be diagnosed with the condition of dementia, he does exhibit symptoms of amnestic mild cognitive impairment, or amnestic MCI. According to this report, Mr. Ledbetter had trouble remembering things and was losing things often, forgetting to go to important events and appointments, and having trouble coming up with desired words. He appeared to be in the early stages.
If the judge presiding over the case had had a chance to review the material or not before Mr. Ledbetter passed, I didn’t know. Who knew if this would be enough to rule him incompetent, especially if Mr. Ledbetter had retained his own attorney and probably his own specialists to offer a different diagnosis completely refuting this doctor’s.
The next envelope contained land and deed titles. The marina was the one that stood out.
There was a dispute filed on the property claim, citing Mr. Ledbetter’s will. The will wasn’t in the folder, which I found peculiar. A letter that had Carl contesting the amendment to the will that was also referred to as section 6a. Carl had testified during his deposition about the medical records and claimed his father hadn’t been in his right mind when the will had been changed. That document I scanned meticulously. There was no mention of who the property was willed to. I shoved the paperwork aside and tore open the final envelope, stunned to find it contained blank sheets of printer paper. Someone had gotten to these files without Carl’s knowledge or Tally had removed the contents. I hit the callback button on the last number that had called me.
Tally answered and I said without preamble, “Tally, I wanted to know if you understood the documents in the envelope labeled three? The contents were puzzling to me.”
“I thought I made myself clear,” she said in a clipped voice. “I didn’t look inside. Carl just said that if something were to happen to him, to retrieve the briefcase from his office and give it to you.”
“He never said anything as to why he wanted me to have the documents?”
She sighed. “No. All I know is his father kept documents in his beach house. Carl had them all moved out to that abandoned marina. Except for the ones he set aside for you. He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t pry. Listen, I don’t mean to be rude here, but I really can’t help you. Good luck.”
I sat there pondering my next move. “Carl had wanted me to have the documents. Why?” I asked Izzy.
She cocked her head to one side.
“Was it because his father had started this whole thing by choosing me? Carl would have caught wind of that info, surely.”
She whined. Why couldn’t there just have been a copy of the file in the folder that matched the sequence I had? Cracking the code that the burned folder belonged to Ms. Sally was easy. Sally Porter 06/17/1979. But only because I had snooped at the beach house and now that I knew the files had been relocated, I really wanted to take a drive out to the marina.
“What should I do, Izz?”
She rested her head on her paws.
“Right. I should try Eddie again.”
Why wasn’t he picking up? What was I supposed to do? I chewed on my bottom lip and debated my options. Surely Tally had informed Rainey Lane of her husband’s disappearance. And surely Rainey Lane had called the police. That would have them calling Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department. But not before twenty-four hours were up. Alex would undoubtedly be questioned.
When my phone vibrated on the table next to me, I jumped. “Why haven’t you called me back?” I snapped.
“Marygene?” Calhoun asked.
I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t even checked to see who it was before answering. With the assumption that it was Alex, I’d not answered politely.
“Calhoun.” I took a second to readjust my expectations. “Hey, um, I thought you were Alex.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just up to my eyeballs.” I began stuffing the documents back into the folders.
“I had the strangest phone call from Tally Waters.”
My hand froze mid-stuff. “She called me too. Then I received a visit from her.”
“What are you planning on doing, Marygene? I’m thinking that since the authorities are involved, we need to stay on the sidelines.” He didn’t sound like himself. Either he had lost interest, which I doubted, or he had other concerns he wasn’t willing to share.
“You’re right, of course. Back to Tally,” I paused to consider my words carefully. “Did she have some documents delivered to you?”
“Is that what she brought you?” Calhoun answered my question with his own.
“Why are you evading my question?”
“I’m not. Why are you avoiding mine?”
“This is stupid!” I tired quickly. “Yes, I have a briefcase full of documents that just happens to be missing the most important one. Or at least what I perceive will be the most important.”
Silence on the other end.
“Calhoun?”
“Turn them over.”
“I will. I’m calling Eddie the second we hang up.”
“Good.”
We sat in silence for a couple of beats.
“I know you were upset with me the other night, and I understand completely. I wouldn’t even bring it up again except, in the spirit of full disclosure, I felt I owed you this information.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
“I had a conversation with your ex-husband while I was in town.”
My pulse raced.
“He was in the hospital, recovering from an attack.”
That I hadn’t expected.
“He was coming out of his office building after working late and was jumped. He has three broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and a lot of bruises and scrapes. Not enough damage was inflicted, if you ask me.”
I kept silent.
“The reason I’m telling you this is because the person responsible threatened to end the man’s life if he even thought about coming near you again. That tidbit of information he withheld from the police. Apparently, the attacker was convincing.”
My fingers went to my parted lips.
“Peter also claims to have gotten in a couple of good jabs to the attacker’s midsection.”
My eyes welled up with tears. Oh Alex . . .
“Thank . . .” I cleared my throat. “Thank you for telling me.” I swallowed hard.
“I owed you that much. Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” I guessed that was the last I’d hear from Calhoun.
Chapter 37
After yet another call to Eddie went to voice mail, I desperately needed something to focus on after the bomb that Calhoun had dropped. I spread the documents back on the table. I kept going over them, looking for anything I might have missed. I found it highly suspect that Carl would include blank sheets on purpose.
“Unless,” I said to Izzy, “he was instilling suspicion.” That would be a smart move. It might throw the investigation off. “What if Carl staged his own disappearance? Spread his blood at the scene before he vanished? And, instead of having Tally turn over all of this to the sheriff’s department, he had her bring a copy to me and possibly one to Calhoun, giving him the time he needed to set things in motion?”
Izzy had tuned me out in lieu of a nap.
“I’m calling Felton,
” I said to myself, since Izzy had abandoned me.
He answered on the second ring. “What do you need?” Wow, Felton sounded stressed.
“Sorry to bother you. I tried Eddie and Alex first.” I tried to sound apologetic. It came out more annoyed.
“Alex is being questioned by the police. Eddie is standing in as his rep.”
“Questioned about what?” Please don’t say for beating up Peter.
“Listen, I’m not supposed to be talking to you, but I know you won’t stop until you’re in the loop as to what’s going on.” He was right about that.
However, I had a pretty good idea what Alex was being questioned about and, now that I considered it, it couldn’t be about my ex. What I wanted to be privy to was how the police were even involved. Carl hadn’t been missing for twenty-four hours and, even if he had been, Tally would be the only one who could have reported it. She was adamant about not getting involved. Unless, Rainey Lane had called.
“I’m just really worried because neither of them have returned my calls. What kind of trouble is Alex in?” I asked.
“There seems to have been some sort of struggle at Carl Ledbetter’s place in Savannah. Someone called in an anonymous tip and identified Alex as the one they saw leaving the apartment. I’m going to be honest with you, Marygene. Police brutality isn’t a charge Alex wants slapped on him.”
“Is Carl . . . did they find . . . ?” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“There isn’t a body at the scene, if that’s what you are asking.”
“Alex isn’t being charged, then?” He and I both knew that if there was no body, there was no crime.
“No, just questioned.”
“Okay. Thanks, Felton. How’s Heather doing?”
“She’s recovering. She’s strong,” Felton said.
“She is. Have you arrested anyone yet?”
“Not yet,” his tone hardened. “We’re trying to keep this situation hush-hush. We don’t want to cause an all-out panic on the island. Handling this quietly is best for everyone involved.”
I agreed with that. Though, I didn’t want anyone else to fall victim. Vigilance would be the key. I debated whether I should tell Felton about Tally.
“You still there?” Felton asked.
“Yeah. I was just wondering. Should the department at least issue a statement instructing all citizens to exercise caution? Keep their doors locked?”
“That won’t be necessary. We think Heather was targeted for a reason.”
“Like all the recent crimes are linked? It’s mighty convenient that all the incidents revolved around the Ledbetters. All of them, except for Heather’s.” Felton had been doing most of the legwork. Digging into the family’s background and business affairs. He also was the one who had a confrontation with Carl.
“Oh God! Someone was sending you a message.”
The silence on the other end was deafening.
“You were getting too close.”
“Careful, or I’ll think you’ve been doing some legwork of your own.” His tone was cool.
“Right.” I half-laughed then changed the subject to more important matters. “Listen, Tally Waters dropped by here today. She said Carl wanted her to bring over some documents.”
“What were they?” he asked tersely.
“Some legal documents. Power-of-attorney papers. That sort of thing.”
“I’m going to need those,” Felton said. “Was there anything else?”
“Not really. I can drop them by the precinct later.”
“No. You stay put. I’ll swing by later. Or if you must go into the diner, just leave a key under the mat for me.” He sounded out of breath. Almost like he was running.
“Yeah, okay. Hey, Felton, it really gives me peace of mind to know you’re looking out for Alex. Stay safe.”
“You too.” The call ended.
Chapter 38
The sun was going down, and Felton had yet to come by. Alex had called and said he and Eddie would be tied up for a few more hours. I wanted to mention what Calhoun had told me, started to, but, in the end, I decided to have that conversation in person.
Yvonne had come by for Izzy an hour ago, and I was already missing her company. I was glad to hear that the deal was going through with Yvonne’s new business venture, and we would be able to catch up in the coming weeks. She was excited about her future and had already lined up a few clients. Not wanting to rain on her parade, I kept this whole mess to myself. She deserved to enjoy her moment.
Now, alone with my thoughts, something didn’t feel quite right. It hadn’t felt right for—well, for I don’t know how long. So, I did what I always did when I needed a pick-me-up. I baked. I was pulling a batch of my lucky overnight chocolate almond cookies from the oven. The chocolaty aroma filled my senses. Whenever I needed a little extra good juju, I made a batch of these. Call me superstitious. Some people had lucky charms, socks, a rabbit’s foot, or crosses. I had my overnight chocolate almond cookies.
As I scooped the fragrant puffy beauties up one by one with a spatula and placed them on a cooling rack, I wondered why Felton wouldn’t want me to drop the documents by. He had a motive to harm Carl. Well, at least he had reason to hold a grudge against him. I wasn’t sure how deep the hate between the two men ran. It was obvious there was something between them that didn’t sit well with those who’d taken notice. Although, Felton certainly wasn’t the one behind Heather’s assault. The pieces weren’t adding up.
“Wow, those smell great!”
The cookie I had on the spatula went flying as I shrieked.
Betsy guffawed. “Sorry. I thought you’d hear me drive up.”
“Betsy Myers,” I huffed and panted, “you’re lucky I didn’t have Mama’s revolver in my hand.”
The back door closed behind her.
Tears were running down her cheeks as she continued to laugh. “Jena Lynn asked me to swing by and check on you.” Betsy finally managed to pull herself together.
“Why? Nothing happened to me.”
Betsy shrugged. “Guess she figured you might be broken up or somethin’.” She leaned on the counter and took a hot cookie off the rack. “She ain’t as tough as us. Oh yummy. I sure could use one of your good luck cookies.” She bit into it and her mouth dropped open. “Hot, hot, hot!” Her bottom lip was covered in gooey chocolate. She rushed to the sink, turned the faucet on high, and stuck her face in the cool water.
“Serves you right for scaring me the way you did.” I put the last cookie on the rack and untied my favorite rose apron, then hung it on the hook inside the pantry door.
Betsy patted her face dry while I closed the door. “Where’s Izzy?”
“Yvonne came by and picked her up.”
“Oh. She bought the Palmer house then?”
“She did.”
“Maybe she can help you out here. This place needs a complete remodel.” Betsy pointed to the old home interior paintings on the walls and the condition of the dining room table. The counters were the worst of it, in my opinion. She hadn’t even referenced those.
“I’ll talk with her about it. It’s high time I made this place my own. Since I’m going to be living here indefinitely now.” I took a sip of coffee from my now-full mug.
Betsy pointed to the table. “What’s all that junk?” I sighed. “You’re not going to believe this, Bets, but Tally Waters dropped it by. It seems Carl Ledbetter is missing. Or suspected to be missing. I don’t know.”
“No way!” Betsy made her way over to the table, and I filled her in on all that had transpired.
“I’m not all that concerned about Alex,” I told her. “He can explain why he was there. The investigation being ongoing and all. Eddie can confirm his statement.”
“That makes sense.” Betsy thumbed through the paperwork. “It would be low for someone to go after Felton’s girlfriend. But that’s the MO we’re dealing with.” She flipped through the stack of blank pages.
“It is, and
whoever it is didn’t want whatever was in that third envelope brought to light.” What could be so damning that Mr. Ledbetter kept it hidden all these years?
“Did you consider that maybe there is something hidden between these blank sheets?” Betsy continued to flip through them.
“No.” I moved next to her as she flipped through them several more times. When nothing was found, I patted her on the shoulder. “It was a good thought.”
“Yeah, it was. Stupid Carl should have thought of it.” Betsy dropped the paper on the table.
We both sat. “What if Carl didn’t know the file was blank?”
“Say what?”
“Indulge me for a minute.”
She nodded.
“What if he just pulled the files from the cabinet that he believed contained the documents in their entirety? Maybe his dad replaced the file with blank sheets and perhaps the actual documents are still exactly where he left them.”
“You mean at his house? You looked there.”
“I mean hidden. Under another file name. Now all those files are at the marina.”
Betsy leaned back. “They have to be there. Old man Ledbetter was an old coot but a smart old coot.”
I stood. “Listen, Bets—”
“Don’t you dare to try and cut me out, Marygene!” Betsy was on her feet. “There’s no way I’m going to stay behind while you go off to the marina on your own. Not only is that out of my character, but it’s also downright stupid on your part. We have a killer on the loose.” Betsy was indignant.
“I’m not helpless and I’m certainly not stupid!” I pulled Mama’s old revolver out of my bag and she stepped back. “See.” I grinned and put it back into my purse.
She pulled an old Smith & Wesson out of hers. “Two guns are better than one.”
* * *
Bayside Marina had never reopened after the storm. It felt like a ghost marina now.
We parked back a good distance from the usual lot. There was a small broken-down shack that was barely standing. An old worn-out sign read LIVE BAIT AND COLD BEER.