I took a drink, swallowed, and said, “I guess so. What did you want to know?”
“Mabel,” Nathan said. “You are torturing us. What did Emma say? How did you manage to get her to talk when no one else could?” His eyes suddenly lit up. “You said you fell into her house? I bet you broke into her house, didn’t you?”
I took another sip. “I wouldn’t call it breaking in, Nathan. I happened to lean against the door and it gave way. That’s all.”
“Personally, at this point, I don’t care how you got in. What did she have to say?” Reg said.
I took a moment to look each one in the eye. “She’s afraid of something. I don’t know what but that’s the impression I got. Also, I’m quite sure she knows this Harry Cooper.”
They both sat up a little straighter.
“Are you sure, Mabel?” Reg asked.
“Of course, I’m sure. She wouldn’t look me in the eye when I mentioned his name.”
Reg sighed. “You know that doesn’t prove anything. What else did she say?”
“She told me to leave her alone and never come back.”
Nathan looked at me and grinned. “Boy, you sure do know how to turn people off, Mabel. I wish I could be like that.”
“Okay, well, if that’s all you have, it really isn’t too much. At least, we do know Emma is alive. What about you, Nathan? Mabel wanted you to check out the mayor. Anything fishy about him? Other than the fact that Mabel doesn’t trust him?”
I thought Nathan must have had something interesting the way his knee was bouncing up and down. Reg didn’t seem to notice but three of the cats sat on their haunches under the table watching. I’m not sure what they thought was about to happen but it intrigued them for some reason. It was probably the most action they had seen in the house for some time.
His grin spread farther across his face. “I bet I found out something you didn’t know, Sheriff. Did you know that Mayor Pollock and Emma Flanders came from the same city?”
We both stared at him.
“Not only that,” he continued. “They came to Parson’s Cove about the same time. Emma arrived here in the fall and Fred and Veronica Pollock came the next spring.”
“Weren’t Emma and Jakie married in the spring?” I asked. “I know they sure didn’t take much time to think about what they were doing. It really upset Flori and Jake.”
Nathan nodded. “Yep. They got married in March and the Pollocks came in May.”
“I don’t remember Emma ever saying anything about Fred though. Do you think they even knew each other? I mean, you can come from the same area and not even know your neighbor sometimes.”
“I would imagine they did, Mabel. Emma worked for Fred Pollock.” Nathan could hardly contain his enthusiasm. “Do you think there’s a link here?” This he said with raised eyebrows.
Reg finally spoke up. “They worked at the same place? I thought Fred owned a restaurant or something like that. I can’t remember now but I did check into his background. Whatever it was, it was legitimate.”
Both knees were now bobbing at, at least, ninety miles an hour. The cats’ tails were swinging at about the same speed. I knew that at any moment they were going to pounce.
“Well, I can tell you this, the front of the establishment was legitimate.” When he said ‘establishment,’ he added quotation marks with his fingers. “However, something was going on in the back that wasn’t quite so legitimate.”
As soon as the word ‘legitimate’ was out of his mouth, he let out a yelp and jumped up. His chair made a horrible scraping noise and three cats dashed from under the table and headed for parts unknown.
“Mabel,” he gasped. “Those cats of yours attacked me.”
It was difficult to keep a straight face but I believe I managed quite well. Reg, on the other hand, laughed so hard, he had to get up and get a glass of water.
Nathan collected himself together and although he seemed to miss the humor in it all, he put on a very brave front. Since he couldn’t find a scratch or bite mark on either leg, he couldn’t really find much fault.
“Nathan,” I said. “You are such a help to us. You can’t imagine how much. Reg and I would still be trying to figure out how to boot up our computers if it were not for you. Now, you have to forgive my cats. They don’t see any action all winter so watching your knees bob up and down is quite a thrill for them.”
That seemed to bring out the humorous side in Nathan and he shared the laugh with us. He also stopped bobbing his knees so I was thankful for that. Cats can come in handy at times.
“All right,” Reg said. “What did you find out about the back room in Fred Pollock’s restaurant?”
“Well,” Nathan said, with much pride in his voice. “It seems that the police raided his so-called ‘restaurant only’ several times but weren’t able to find anything. They did believe that there was gambling going on in that back room and probably drug dealing but for some reason, every time they arrived, it was as if someone had warned Fred ahead of time. Finally, after a couple of years, it looks like they gave up.”
“See, Reg,” I said. “You can do a background check but if there’s no criminal record, you could be hiring a murderer and never know it.”
Reg nodded. “I know but I guess that can apply to anyone, right? There aren’t any guarantees, Mabel, no matter how thorough you are in checking someone out. What about Emma? Did you check her out, Nathan?”
“Well, there wasn’t too much to find on Emma. According to her employment record, she worked at Pollock’s restaurant for about three years. During that time, she got a few parking and speeding tickets but that’s about all.”
“So was she married at that time?” Reg asked.
Nathan nodded. “I checked out her marital status and she got divorced while she was working there.”
“So what was her ex-husband’s name?”
He checked the computer. “His name was Kyle Briggs, Reg. I checked him out and he seems like a legitimate person - no aliases, not even a parking ticket. In fact, he came from a wealthy family. His parents were both lawyers and Kyle was a college graduate. He had some degree in commerce. His parents were both killed in a car accident three years after Emma married Kyle.”
“So, why did Emma divorce him?”
“The court documents just stated irreconcilable differences. I would imagine she would receive a good settlement since her husband was a multi-millionaire but I couldn’t get in to check those files.”
“So, you think she walked away a rich woman?”
Nathan shrugged. “That’s the strange part. It doesn’t appear she did but if what I read was correct, she should have. I wonder where the money went because she and Junior were living like paupers until they started building their new house.”
I glanced at Reg. “Do you think she doesn’t want to share? I mean, what would be the point in having all this money if you refuse to use it? Look at the shack they're living in now and Flori says their new one is quite modest. Why would she work at the restaurant if she didn’t have to? I wonder what happened to that money anyway.”
Reg looked very thoughtful. Finally, he said, “This gives us a few things to think about, Mabel. For instance, the dead man wasn’t who he claimed to be and it appears Emma Flanders might not be who she claims to be either.”
That was true. Was John Smith another person who was not whom he claimed to be?
Chapter Nineteen
Nathan only drank about a quarter of his coffee so I had to throw the rest out. I guess it will take time to wean him from his milk. Reg wanted to head over to the station. He was going to see if he couldn’t get some information out of Junior. Perhaps once Reg told him that we knew Emma and the Pollocks came from the same place and obviously knew each other, he would start talking.
For example, did he know why Emma was so frightened? What connection was there between Emma and Harry Cooper? I was certain she knew him and she was hiding something.
Nathan d
ecided to go home to see what else he could dig up on his computer. I told him he was welcome to stay but when he saw the three cats sitting in a row watching him, I guess he freaked out and decided he wasn’t really safe in my house.
I was in the middle of mixing a bowl of muffin batter when the phone rang. It was the same number that had appeared before but the caller hadn't left a message. I decided if it were the scammers, I would pretend to go along. In the end, I would tell them that I didn't own a computer and see how fast they hung up. Or, I could give them a fake credit card number. On second thought, it might belong to someone and I wouldn't want an innocent stranger getting bilked.
The caller wasn’t really a stranger but he was someone I had never met.
“Miss Wickles,” he said. “This is John Smith. I’m sorry I haven’t been over to check out your store yet but thought I would phone and introduce myself. I moved into town not long ago and I am now managing the Parson’s Cove Lumberyard.”
He spoke in a quiet friendly voice. I'm sure many criminals sound friendly too so I would respond in like but also with caution.
“Yes, Mr. Smith, I have heard about you. I guess I can apologize too because I haven’t been out to the lumberyard to welcome you to Parson’s Cove.”
He chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t expect a woman to come traipsing over there, especially in this weather. I wanted to call, introduce myself, and ask a favor. I enjoy reading and I’ve heard you have quite a few good second hand books in your shop. Since it seems my work hours coincide with yours, I was wondering if we could arrange to meet so I could pick some up. I notice you are closed during noon hour but what if I brought lunch over for you? Perhaps, a ham and cheese sandwich from Main Street Café? Would you stay open then so I could buy some books?”
This took me by surprise but I must admit I was looking for an excuse to meet this ‘John Smith.’
“That sounds fine with me but there’s no need to bring anything over for lunch, Mr. Smith. I would be happy to stay open during noon so you could buy books. I’ve made similar arrangements with others. I don’t blame you for wanting to stock up on some reading material. It’s a good time of the year to read when it’s so cold and miserable outside.”
“That’s wonderful. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Please call me John. I hope you don’t mind if I call you Mabel.”
What a sweet man. “Of course not,” I said. “What sort of books do you enjoy reading? Perhaps, I can get some ready for you so you don’t have to hunt through all of them.”
“That would be great. I like history but I’m afraid I am hooked on mysteries. I understand you are too, although I hear you live them, whereas I only read about them.”
“Now where did you hear that, John? I’m sure it isn’t the talk of the town, is it?”
He laughed. It was a soft pleasant sound but I wasn’t going to let my guard down no matter how much I liked his voice or his laugh.
“You’re probably more famous than you think. Not everyone has a nose for sniffing out killers, you know.”
“Can you tell me who told you all these wonderful things about me? I'd love to know.”
Another chuckle. “I guess that will be my secret. Anyway, thanks for agreeing to stay open for me. I know that on Monday you’re closed so how about Tuesday at noon?”
“That sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.”
I didn’t add that I would not be alone. He seemed like such a nice fellow, almost too nice. I wondered if we would ever find out who this John Smith really was.
As soon as I hung up, I gave Nathan a call. I would have called Reg but he would never agree to come over to babysit me for no reason. Reg doesn’t go in much for natural instincts or innermost feelings. Or, for names that might not be real names. To him, it is always innocent until proven guilty.
The problem is sometimes the innocent might look guilty when they really are not - like Jakie. Was he guilty of murder? Or, plain stupidity? All the evidence pointed to him but could we be seeing only what was obvious and not what was behind the obvious?
Nathan was not only excited about coming over at noon on Tuesday; he had more news to tell me. He had not been wasting his time at home.
“It’s this Harry Cooper, Mabel. He was sent to prison for beating up someone. In fact, he almost killed some tourist from Canada. I checked the tourist out because it seems it might have been a drug deal gone wrong but his only punishment was that he couldn’t return to the States for like five years or something. Other than that, he didn’t have a record at all. I understand Canada has very lax laws when it comes to crime. You can almost get away with murder up there. The interesting thing, however, is where the fight took place. It was behind Pollock's restaurant. The tourist wouldn’t talk and was uncooperative but to me it is obvious Pollock would have known about it and could have even been involved. Wouldn’t you think so?"
My mind was running ahead.
“Yes, I would think so. What else could it be? So Nathan,” I said. “You have to find out where this John Smith comes from. I noticed that he has no accent at all. What if he’s the Canadian tourist? What if Cooper found out about him living here and came back for revenge but ended up getting the raw end of the deal this time?”
“Oh golly, I think you’re right, Mabel. I’ll drive past his pickup truck and check out his license. If I find anything out, I’ll give you a call.”
The muffins were in the oven about five minutes when Flori called.
“Jake went over and shoveled out the walk for Emma,” she said. “He saw the curtains moving so she knew it was him but she never came to the door. He was a bit discouraged when he got home. Junior is starting to get quite aggressive and told his father this morning not to come and visit anymore. That he was wasting his time.”
I waited for the tears to flow but all I heard was the usual sigh.
“What can we do, Mabel? We can’t think of anything more. How are you doing with your investigation? Have you found out anything new?”
I love it when Flori calls it my investigation. She fought saying those words for many years.
“We did find something out, Flori. Did you know that Emma and Fred and Veronica Pollock lived in the same city before coming to Parson’s Cove?”
There was a brief silence. “No, I don’t recall ever hearing that. I am sure Emma never mentioned it to us. Maybe they didn’t know each other and it’s just a coincidence that they ended up in the same place. That could happen, I suppose.”
“I don’t think so. Emma worked for Fred Pollock.”
I heard her gasp.
“Are you serious? I’m sure she never told us that. I imagine Junior must have known though. Do you think I should go over and ask him? Did you know he told Reg that he didn’t want to see me either? I must say I was heartbroken but I think it is just too hard on him. I can understand that. Maybe if I just talk through the door, he'll listen.”
“Probably not, Flori. You'll end up feeling hurt. I’m wondering if Jakie did know all this about Emma. There are too many secrets going on here. I would like to find out more about your daughter-in-law. Nathan says she married into a very successful family the first time. Her in-laws were lawyers and her husband had some degree in commerce. Do you think Jakie knew about that?”
“I have no idea. Sometimes, I’m sure I don’t know my kids at all. What difference does it make?”
“Flori, her husband’s parents were both killed in a car accident. Apparently, they were wealthy and so was Emma’s husband, Kyle. What I am wondering is where is the money she would have received in the divorce settlement? She certainly isn’t sharing it with your family, is she?”
“Oh Mabel, how can you think like that? I am sure if she received a big settlement, she would share it with Junior. Emma has always been a generous person. As far as we know, she never had any money at all. We knew she was married before but Junior said she didn’t like talking about it. Well, he doesn’t like talking about his first
marriage either. I don’t blame them. If Jake and I separated, I would not want anyone to know anything. My biggest worry would be the children and that is what worries me now, Mabel. I sure hope that when this is all over, Junior and Emma can get those kids back. They need to be with their dad and with Emma because she is just like a mother to them.”
“I know. Let’s hope it all works out. I think in the end it will, Flori. Try not to worry too much, all right?”
It was easy for me to say because I was starting to worry for the both of us.
Chapter Twenty
I spent the rest of the day baking a few more dozen muffins, freezing them, and cleaning up my house. Usually, I do most of this on Monday but I seem to think better while I’m working.
It was a much milder day. In fact, it almost looked like the piles of snow would start to melt soon. I woke up all the cats about mid-afternoon and shooed them outside.
“I just finished cleaning out your litter boxes so you can go outside and do your business there. Out you go!” I shut the door firmly behind them. A few minutes later, I looked out. Like children who don’t want to leave their video games to go outside, cats baulk too but after they are outside for a few minutes, they don’t want to come back inside. Two of them sat under one of the trees watching an old crow on the top branch. Their tails were swishing back and forth and I’m sure they thought they were going to catch that old bird. The crow was laughing at them. The mother cat, Phyl, was sitting in the sun on the back step. Her eyes were half-closed and I know she wasn’t concerned about any of her offspring. I hadn’t seen the old Tomcat since Sunday afternoon, so maybe he decided he’d had enough family life and moved on. I would be down to four cats if that were the case.
Flori called in the evening, as was her ritual. I don’t think I could fall asleep if we didn’t have our usual talk. Sometimes I can hear Jake mumbling about me in the background but we don’t pay attention.
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