by Bobbi Holmes
When driving away from the rental house Adam had spoken his first words since leaving Marlow House: remote control. Adam was convinced the croquet set was in some way rigged with a remote control device. Bill thought it was a logical explanation. The one thing he and Adam couldn’t agree on—who was operating the remote control? However, Bill still couldn’t find an explanation for the television plugging itself back into the wall. Perhaps, he thought, Adam had not unplugged it. Maybe it didn’t actually get unplugged as they had initially thought.
Danielle was waiting at the kitchen door when he parked his truck. She sat outside on a bench and watched as he removed his toolbox from the back of the truck. He wasn’t used to an audience when he worked, but he figured that considering what he planned to charge her, she was more than welcome to watch.
• • • •
Danielle had to admit that Bill did a good job. She wondered where he’d gotten a windowpane on such short notice, but didn’t ask. Standing at the kitchen doorway, she watched as he loaded his tools back into the bed of the pickup truck. He had even agreed to dispose of the scrap wood used to board up the window. It was already piled up in the back of his truck. She watched as he wrote out a bill. Danielle smiled as he walked to her and handed her the slip of paper.
“Could you do me a favor?” Danielle asked. “While I’m getting your check written, could you pull out of the driveway, put the padlock back on the gate and lock it for me? I’ll meet you around by the front gate and give you a check.”
“No problem,” Bill agreed. She stood at the back doorway, watching as he pulled out of the driveway, locking the gate behind him.
• • • •
“The front gate’s locked,” Bill called out to Danielle, who was walking down the front walkway toward him. He rattled the gate to illustrate his point. Bill stood on the sidewalk outside the perimeter of her property.
“Yes, I know,” Danielle said with a smile when she reached the gate. Bill glanced over the fence and noticed she wasn’t carrying anything.
“I thought you were bringing me the check?”
“No. I won’t be paying you,” Danielle said with a smile.
“Excuse me?” Bill frowned in confusion.
“I figure you broke the window, it is only right you fix it. This way we are even. I won’t be calling the police on you,” she said calmly.
“You’re crazy, lady. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I have witnesses. Just be happy I’m not calling the police on you. Consider this your lucky day.”
“I don’t believe you. If I really broke into your house and if you had a witness, you would have called the police on me.”
“I don’t want to upset Marie Nichols. She’s been very nice to me.”
“What does she have to do with this?” Bill asked nervously.
“If I have you arrested, I would have to arrest Marie’s grandson, whom she depends on. I know you broke the window yesterday. After you broke it, you and Adam climbed through it, and began searching through my house. At the time you were wearing a red plaid shirt and denims. You had a little problem in the attic, after which you both ran out the front door and down the street. You left the front door wide open, by the way. Now go home, and be grateful I didn’t call the police.”
Speechless, Bill stared at Danielle. Whatever bluster he’d possessed evaporated.
“I don’t understand,” he muttered.
“You don’t have to understand. Simply do not break into my house again.”
Shaking his head in confusion, Bill stumbled back to his truck, glancing over his shoulder at Danielle, who remained standing inside her gate. Smiling, she gave him a cheerful little wave.
• • • •
“She refused to pay you?” Adam asked when Bill showed up at his house late Sunday afternoon.
“She knows,” Bill said as he pushed his way through Adam’s front doorway. Adam followed Bill into the house and shut the door behind them.
“What do you mean she knows?”
“She said she had witnesses. Said she knows I broke the window, that we climbed in and searched the house. She described what I was wearing and even knew about what happened in the attic. Knew how we left the house.”
“Why didn’t she have you arrested?”
“Why didn’t she have us arrested, you mean,” Bill snapped.
“Okay, why didn’t she have us arrested,” Adam asked.
“She said we were even, now that I fixed the window. That she wouldn’t call the police because she likes your grandma and she doesn’t want to hurt her by having you arrested.”
Adam was silent for a moment, considering everything Bill was telling him. Finally he said, “She must have security cameras in the house.”
“You mean like nanny cams?”
“Yeah. She probably has them all over the house. I bet I was also right about the remote control.” Adam began to laugh. He started walking toward the kitchen and asked, “Want a beer?”
“What is so funny?” Bill asked, following Adam into the kitchen. He stood by Adam who grabbed two beers from the refrigerator before handing one to him.
“I bet she was laughing like hell at us, freaking out over that animated croquet set!” Adam laughed again, and popped open the beer can before taking a quick swig. “Well played, Ms. Boatman.”
“Easy for you to say. I spent an hour over there fixing that damn window, and she didn’t even pay for the glass!”
“You did break the window, Bill.” When Bill scowled, Adam added, “Okay, I’ll pay for half the window. Let me know what you were going to charge—not the inflated bill, the real one—and I’ll pay half.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“You got the window fixed,” Lily said groggily when she wandered into the library Sunday evening. Yawning, she tightened the sash around the waist of her robe. She’d removed her clothes earlier before laying down for a nap, and had slipped on her Hello Kitty pajama bottoms, which she now wore under the robe.
Danielle tossed the book she was reading onto the floor and looked up at Lily. “Wow, you had some nap. You feeling okay? I can never sleep during the day.”
Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Lily stumbled over to a chair and plopped down, sitting across from Danielle.
“For the first couple months when I go back to work, while I’m getting back in the groove, I come home every day after school and crash for about thirty minutes. A power nap. Perks me right up.” Lily combed her fingers through her tangled red hair.
“You were out for more than thirty minutes. How is your head? You said something about a migraine.”
“I took some aspirin before I laid down. It’s fine now. But I think that visit to Marie’s gave me the headache.”
“What do you mean?” Danielle frowned.
“I need to talk to you, Dani. Something is bugging me. I think that’s what gave me the migraine.”
“What’s wrong?” Danielle studied Lily’s troubled expression.
“I think Ian was the one who broke into Marlow House yesterday.”
“No, Lily. Ian didn’t break in here. Trust me.”
“Would you please hear me out?” Lily said impatiently.
“Okay Lily, I’ll hear you out, but I’m certain Ian wasn’t the one who broke in here.”
“I wish I could agree with you,” Lily said sadly. “I really liked him. I forgave Ian for not telling me what he really did for a living. And gee, he helped clean up the water leak in the kitchen and he bought me steak and lobster. He’s really good to Sadie. I couldn’t like a guy who didn’t love animals.”
“Then why do you think he was the one who broke in?” Danielle asked gently.
“I didn’t want to say anything to you at first, but even before we went to Marie’s, I didn’t think kids broke in here. Whoever was here was looking for something. When I walked through the house when we came back from Astoria I noticed cupboards left ajar, drawers that had been clo
sed that morning were partially open, and someone moved my suitcase in my closet, as if they were looking for something. If it was kids poking around, I can’t believe they wouldn’t have grabbed the iPad or your computer.”
“Okay, I agree with you, it wasn’t kids. But why do you think it was Ian?”
“When we went out to dinner I told him what I thought—that someone had broken in trying to find something. He started quizzing me, asking me what I thought they were looking for. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and it was like he already had the answer and wanted to see if I knew.”
“What do you think he was looking for?” Danielle asked.
“That stolen necklace, of course. He was the one who told me about Eva Thorndike, although he never mentioned the missing necklace. Of course, we now know he knew about it.”
“You think he was here looking for the Missing Thorndike?” Danielle asked.
“It makes sense to me. It wouldn’t surprise me if the necklace is what got Walt Marlow murdered and the killer took off with it years ago. But Ian didn’t know that. He was genuinely surprised that you uncovered information proving it wasn’t suicide. I think Ian wanted to find the necklace. That’s why he interviewed Joanne Johnson, to see if she knew anything about it. After all, it was possible she came across it years ago and gave it to whoever was managing the estate and it never was made public. Had she found it and kept it, I doubt she would still be cleaning houses. And that’s why he interviewed Marie, to see what she knew about the theft.”
“All good theories, Lily, but you’re wrong. Ian didn’t break into Marlow House. He might very well be looking for the necklace, considering he was anxious to see the house and jumped at the chance to help with the inventory. But he wasn’t the one who broke in here yesterday.”
“How can you be so sure of that, Dani?” Lily wanted desperately to believe her friend.
“Because Adam Nichols and Bill Jones broke in yesterday, and I suspect they were looking for the necklace.”
“Marie’s grandson? No, it can’t be. I admit I thought he was a little sleazy when I first met him, but he’s been really helpful. He arranged that meeting with Emma Jackson.”
“Yes, and conveniently got us out of Frederickport for the morning so he could break in.”
“And Bill Jones? Isn’t he the one who works for Adam, who you called to fix the window?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think they’re the ones who broke in?
“I can’t really say—but I’m certain.”
“Why can’t you say?”
“It’s hard to explain, let’s just say I had a gut feeling—a hunch—and I confirmed it this afternoon.”
“Confirmed it how?”
“After Bill fixed the window I told him I wasn’t paying him.”
“You didn’t!” Lily gasped.
“I did.” Danielle grinned. “I told him I knew he and Adam broke in through the window. I told him that for Marie’s sake I wouldn’t go to the police, and that now that he had fixed the window we were even.”
“What happened?”
“He quietly left. Not exactly the response of an innocent man who was stiffed after being hired to make a repair.”
“Marie did say they were both there when she and Ian discussed the missing necklace. But are you really sure?”
“Yes Lily, I am. Ian didn’t break into the house. And you forget, Ian knew the gardener was coming over on Saturday morning to work in the yard. You told me yourself you mentioned it to him. You can’t believe he would break the library window knowing the gardener was about to show up at any minute.”
“Oh…I forgot about that. He did know.” Lily let out a sigh of relief.
“And Adam and Bill didn’t. They figured the house was going to be empty.”
“What are you going to do if you see Adam or Bill again?”
“I have no idea. It will be interesting. I have no doubt I will see them again. This is a small town and I don’t intend to end my friendship with Marie. But I would like to do something to get the Missing Thorndike out of our hair.”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked.
“The ideal situation would be to find it and return it to its rightful owner.”
“You wouldn’t try to keep it?”
“It’s not mine. It was stolen. There has to be heirs out there somewhere. But in the meantime, I don’t need some treasure hunting thief breaking into the house.”
“Maybe Ian didn’t break into the house, but I’m pretty sure I know what story he’s working on,” Lily said.
“The Missing Thorndike?” Danielle asked.
“It must be. Makes sense, considering the questions he’s been asking and what he obviously knows.”
“I have to say, that actually makes me feel worse than imagining Ian was the one who broke in here yesterday,” Danielle said glumly.
“Why is that? I don’t understand,” Lily said.
“Right now there are only a handful of people who believe there’s a connection between Walt Marlow and that missing necklace—people who believe the necklace is hidden somewhere in this house. But once Ian’s story comes out, the world will know. Who knows what kind of people will show up on my doorstep? Turning this place into a bed and breakfast makes it even worse.”
“You know, it could be good for business,” Lily suggested.
“I don’t need guests who lock themselves in their rooms so they can pull up the floor boards or open up the walls.”
“You have a point.” Lily pondered the situation before announcing, “I guess we only have one choice.”
“What’s that?”
“We need to find the necklace.”
“Find it?”
“Well sure, isn’t that the obvious solution? If it is in this house, we should be able to find it. Unlike Adam and Bill, we don’t have to break in. We can take our time and methodically go through this house, room by room.”
“I suppose we don’t have any choice.” Danielle glanced around the room, wondering where Walt was keeping himself this evening, and if he was listening.
“Where and when do you want to start?” Lily asked.
“Let me think about it.” Danielle was hoping Walt would come to his senses and simply tell her where he had hidden the stolen necklace. “By the way, where was Ian today? I haven’t seen him since he picked you up last night.”
“He had to drive back to Portland, and when he got back he had some work to do on the computer. I guess for his story. I have to admit, I was rather glad he made himself scarce today, considering all the conflicting emotions I’ve had regarding him and that damn necklace.”
“Well, it’s been a long day. I’m going to go take a shower.” Danielle stood up. “If you’re hungry, there’s a little lunch meat left in the ice chest.”
“Thanks Dani, I’ll figure out something.”
Lily followed Danielle out of the library. She turned in the direction of the kitchen when Danielle headed to the staircase. In the kitchen Lily made herself a ham sandwich and then wandered outside to eat it.
The sun was setting. If Lily wasn’t wearing her robe and pajama bottoms she would be tempted to take a stroll down to the beach. Instead she walked over to the bench and sat down to enjoy her sandwich. She was halfway through it when Ian and Sadie showed up.
“Hello stranger, we have to stop meeting this way,” Ian teased as he walked toward her, Sadie trotting by his side.
“Evening Ian. Did you have a productive day today?”
“It wasn’t bad, but I got back from Portland later than I intended.” He took a seat next to her on the bench. Sadie greeted Lily, begging for a bite of sandwich before lying on the ground by Ian’s feet.
“Ian, the story you’re working on—it’s about the Missing Thorndike, isn’t it?”
Ian didn’t answer immediately, finally he asked, “How did you know?”
“Things you said to me; things you didn’t say to me. Questions y
ou asked others. Plus, we spoke to Marie Nichols this morning, and she told us about your alter ego’s interview.”
“I can’t really discuss the details of the story, sorry.” He sounded sincere.
“I think your story is the reason Marlow House was broken into yesterday.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know. I think you suspected last night when we discussed my theory that someone was looking for something. You knew then what they were probably looking for.”
“You can’t be certain.”
“It was Marie Hemming’s grandson and the guy that works with him. The two that were at the diner and asked me questions about when the bed and breakfast was going to open—when we first met.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Danielle told me. But the point is, your article is exposing us to danger.”
“Danger? How can you say that? After all, only a couple people know what I’m really working on.”
“And two of those people broke into Marlow House. They were in Marie’s kitchen eavesdropping when you started asking her questions. What’s going to happen when your story comes out, and treasure hunters start showing up on Dani’s doorstep?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
On Monday morning Danielle entered the Frederickport Police Department. A glass wall and counter separated the front lobby from the officers and staff. Danielle walked up to the front counter and waited for someone to open the window.
“Can I help you?” a woman asked as she slid the glass pane to one side.
“I have an appointment with…” Danielle glanced down at the business card in her hand and read the name, “Joe Morelli.”
“Your name please?” the woman asked.
“Danielle Boatman.”
“I’ll be right back,” the woman said before sliding the window shut. Danielle stood at the counter, glancing around. According to the clock on the wall it was 9:02 a.m., and her meeting with Morelli was for 9:00 a.m.
A few minutes later a door leading to the inner offices opened and an officer extended his hand in greeting. “Ms. Boatman?” he asked, shaking her hand briefly. “I’m Sargent Morelli.”