“Sure. I’ll call Suzanne’s boyfriend, Garrett, and her friend, Sheila, to see if they remember anything and call you when Suzanne’s background check comes in. I don’t expect there will be anything in it that will be a problem. Go home and put some normalcy in your life. I’ll talk with you later.” She paused. “I’m sorry I was so testy yesterday.”
“You just want to find Emily’s killer, Carrie. We all do. Apology accepted.”
*****
Carrie called Ed mid-afternoon. “I talked with Garrett and Sheila. Neither of them could remember anything unusual that would help us solve Emily’s murder. I also got the results of Suzanne’s background check. She’s so clean she squeaks and hasn’t even had a parking or speeding ticket.”
“I’m not surprised. But with Suzanne no longer a person of interest, it looks like we’ve come to a dead end in terms of suspects. As you said earlier, Carrie, it may be that Emily was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the victim of a bungled burglary. We have no murder weapon, no suspicious prints or other evidence. We don’t even know if the break-in was premeditated or random, perhaps a druggie looking for money or valuables. We may never find Emily’s killer.”
“I don’t want to close the case, Ed, but you’re probably right. Someone may have committed the perfect crime.”
Chapter 23
Three days later, on a bright sunny day following a brief service at the white-spired Episcopal Church located in the village, Emily Bradford was buried on a hill overlooking Silver Bay, her grave site flanked by two ancient weeping willows, denuded of leaves, stems hanging down like cascades of amber colored tears. A light layer of ice on the water reflected the sun’s rays, creating a rainbow of shimmering colors on the bay’s surface. The grass was covered with unblemished white snow that contrasted sharply with the cloudless, cobalt sky.
Jon Bradford, his parents, siblings and their families had been followed from the church to the cemetery by a long procession that included Suzanne, her boyfriend, Garrett, Ed and Annie, as well as neighbors, colleagues, students and former students, winery employees, and museum board members, all wanting to pay their respects.
Charles Merrill had attended the church service, but not feeling well, had gone home instead of to the cemetery where the large crowd stood in somber reflection as the minister led the group in additional prayers and hymns. One young man, subdued, weeping and dressed head to toe in black, stood apart from the rest of the group, and Ed guessed he had been one of Emily’s students.
After the casket was lowered into the ground, the mourners headed to their cars in silence. Ed and Annie caught up with Suzanne, who introduced the couple to a tall, clean-shaven, brown-haired man with olive skin and arresting eyes the color of cognac.
“This is my friend, Garrett Rosenfeld,” she said.
Ed and Annie shook hands with Garrett and told him they were pleased to meet him despite the sad circumstances, then turning to Suzanne, Ed said, “Tough day, Suzanne. I know how much you loved Emily and hope the interview the other day didn’t cause you too much distress.”
“It’s no problem, Ed. You were only doing your job,” Suzanne replied. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t think of anything that would help you get closer to discovering how and why Emily was killed. I must confess that when you called and asked to interview me again I was terrified, and then became more so when you asked to record it. I guess I’ve watched enough movies and TV programs to know that sometimes innocent people are charged and found guilty of crimes they didn’t commit. I was scared witless that your real agenda for talking with me was that I was a suspect and I’d end up being charged with murder.”
“I regret my interview with you was so stressful, Suzanne,” responded Ed.
“I’ve lost a good friend,” Suzanne responded. “I’m sad, angry and very upset and need to take some time to grieve. Will you need to interview me again?” Ed shook his head.
“Good. I won’t be able to get through the grieving process if I’m constantly reminded of what happened to Emily. Now if you’ll excuse me, Garrett and I want to talk a bit with Jonathan’s family.”
Annie hugged Suzanne, and Ed stood by looking very somber as she walked away from them, holding hands with Garrett, her shoulders sagging.
As Ed and Annie walked towards their car, a tall, distinguished looking man with dark hair, graying at the temples, wearing a black cashmere overcoat and soft black leather gloves strode over to them and introduced himself.
“I’m Gerard Bradford, Jon’s father,” he said, extending his hand first to Annie and then to Ed while looking directly at them with quiet blue-gray eyes. “We are devastated by Emily’s death; she was like a daughter to my wife and me, and we had always hoped she and Jon would reconcile. I understand you have no leads.”
Ed shook his head. “Unfortunately, we don’t. We’ve run into a complete dead end. We are back to thinking it was a burglar who must have been surprised to discover Emily in the building, and after striking her and throwing her body over the bluff, left without taking a thing. It might be someone who was looking for money or something he could pawn, possibly to pay for drugs, so it may have been an act of desperation. If that’s the case, he could strike again, probably not at our museum, but possibly at others. This time of year, unless there’s heightened security, it wouldn’t be that difficult to do since we live in such a remote area of upstate New York. We’ve informed all the police departments along the lake, and they’ve increased their patrols and will let us know if anything suspicious occurs in their communities.”
Bradford reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card and handed it to Ed. “Could you please keep me posted? Our family has lots of resources so if you need anything at all, private investigators, funds for additional security or to pay for accommodations if you need to travel to check out a lead, please let me know. We all want to find Emily’s killer and have him put away for life.”
Ed thanked him, pulled out one of his own business cards and gave it to Gerard with a promise to stay in touch.
Chapter 24
A few days before Thanksgiving, Ben Fisher called Carrie and told her that his return to Lighthouse Cove would be delayed, most likely until after the holiday. His father-in-law was hanging on, and he and his wife didn’t want to fly back to Lighthouse Cove only to have to return to Arizona for the funeral. Carrie filled him in on the investigation, and he concurred with her that Emily’s death may have been the result of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time and that, if by the time he returned, there were no suspects or no arrests, he might close the case, not having the resources to continue it.
By Thanksgiving the snow had melted, and the sun shone brightly with fluffy white clouds casting shadows on the serene steel blue lake. The DeCleryks, their two sons and daughters-in-law and five grandchildren celebrated the holiday with hikes on the beach where gentle waves lapped the shore, board games, and for the little ones, a game of hide and seek through the rambling house.
As usual, Annie had invited friends and acquaintances without families in the area to join them for the meal, including Charles Merrill, who said he’d made other plans.
Carrie’s husband, Matt, was on call that weekend which made it impossible for them to visit their families, who lived on Long Island and in Brooklyn. They, too, declined Annie’s invitation telling her they wanted to spend a quiet day at home together. Annie had also checked with Luke, who said he was going to Connecticut to spend the holiday with his parents and siblings, and with Suzanne who told her that she and her friend, Garrett, would be joining her parents, siblings and their families in Rochester at Callaloo, which was closed to the public for the holiday.
Chapter 25
More promising leads didn’t pan out. A few days after Thanksgiving, Chief Ben Fisher, now back from Arizona after attending his father-in-law’s funeral, got a call from the police chief in Cooperstown, where a burglar had been intercepted trying to get into the Baseball Hall of
Fame. Initial questioning revealed he had planned to steal rare baseball cards to pawn for drug money. Several hours later, Ben learned he had an airtight alibi the night of the murder at the Lighthouse Cove museum: he’d been incarcerated by the police in nearby Utica on a DUI charge.
The safe in the office of a marina located along the lakeshore between Lighthouse Cove and Windy Point had been broken into one night, the robbers taking money plus items from the maritime shop in the same facility. A couple days later, two men were apprehended after they were stopped on a routine traffic violation and some of the missing items were found on the back seat of the car. Further investigation revealed that they had committed a string of other robberies during the past several months, one of which had been at a marina on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania during the morning of Emily’s murder.
In nearby Bristol Harbor, police responded to an alarm at the Historical Society located there. By the time they arrived, the burglar was gone, and they found nothing missing and everything in order. The chief, puzzled, told Ben that he’d keep him posted, but called back laughing a couple days later. The president of the Society, on her way to a conference in Albany, had at the last minute decided to grab some brochures that lay on a table just inside the door. Using her key to get in, she forgot to disable the alarm, grabbed the brochures and made a quick exit, passing the police in her car on their way to the historic building.
Chapter 26
November turned into December, but no additional suspects surfaced that would help Ed and the police force solve Emily’s murder. The Christmas season was ushered in the first Saturday of that month, and Ed and Annie collected their grandchildren, who lived in Rochester, to stand in the bracing cold with other villagers to watch the annual holiday parade. After the parade, the crowd gathered at the welcome center, which was decorated to look like a gingerbread house, to help trim the huge Fraser fir with ornaments crafted by elementary students.
A community chili party at the firehouse followed the ceremony, the cost of admission being new, unwrapped toys to be given to needy families. After the meal, the children visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hopped on fire trucks, played games, and shopped for presents at the fire company auxiliary’s North Pole Elves’ store.
Several evenings later, Ed and Annie, their friends the Beauvoirs, and Carrie and her husband, Matt, joined a group of carolers who, not deterred by several inches of snow that had fallen during the day, navigated the streets in boots and snowshoes, cheerfully singing traditional holiday melodies in front of homes and businesses and escaping afterward from the bitter cold into The Brewery where the owner provided free hot cider and cookies to the merrymakers.
Two days after Christmas, the entire DeCleryk clan left for a highly anticipated ten-day trip to Disney World and the Caribbean cruise. They would miss the annual Lighthouse Cove New Year’s Eve celebration with their friends, a time when families gathered at the community center to eat pizza and watch old movies, and adults without children frequented the local pubs to listen to bluegrass, folk music and oldies performed by live bands. At midnight, villagers congregated on the snow-covered beach, ringed with bonfires, to view a stunning display of fireworks, followed by a pancake breakfast prepared by the Neighborhood Association.
Chapter 27
The DeCleryks returned to Lighthouse Cove the first week in January. They’d enjoyed their trip but looked forward to participating in the multitude of outdoor activities villagers enjoyed on Silver Bay, which froze 14 inches deep during winter months.
Each Wednesday afternoon Ed joined a group of other retirees who, keeping warm in makeshift huts with smoky fires, cut holes in the ice and caught steelhead, trout, walleye, and perch. On Thursday evenings, he and Annie rode their snowmobile across the bay’s hard, slick exterior to meet friends for dinner at a bayside pub. One Sunday a month Annie volunteered at the local hospital, and Ed competed in a regional ice boat regatta, where sails unfurled, his sleek boat raced against the wind across its glossy surface.
Annie was finally able to gather her docents together to clean up the museum and put the artifacts back where they belonged, and the board reconvened for its first meeting of the year. Charles Merrill presided, noticeably frailer than he had been before the holidays, and with a slight tremor in both hands. Many of the board members believed Emily’s death had hit him the hardest. The first order of business was to dedicate the summer concert series to Emily’s memory.
Martha and Patrick Kelly, a retired couple, offered to co-run the gift shop in her place. The board also approved the calendar of summer events which included concerts in the park on Sunday afternoons, a craft show, July 4 fireworks display; several sailing regattas held in conjunction with the yacht club, breakfasts on the bluff, two ice cream socials and the annual triathlon competition.
Annie, now free to speak about Emily’s intention to establish an endowment fund for the museum, reported that she had received a letter from Emily’s law firm indicating that the paperwork had been completed before her death. She also reported that Gerard Bradford and his family had sent a large contribution with the stipulation that some of the money be used to install a security system with a numerical keypad system. The board voted to give Annie, Charles, Suzanne and additionally, the police chief, access to the code numbers.
Since many headed South in February to escape the worst of the winter, the board wasn’t scheduled to meet again until March. Just before the meeting adjourned, Charles announced that when his term as president was over at the end of June he planned to resign from the board, so he could return to Canada where some relatives still lived, and he could receive free health care. He told them a mild heart condition had worsened, and that he’d also developed Parkinson’s disease, thus the tremor in his hands. No one knew what to say, and the meeting ended on a very somber note.
That month Annie completed the gift inventory assessment for the museum, sent contracts to local artists and artisans and ordered gift items from several catalogues.
Chapter 28
The same morning that Annie and her crew were cleaning up the museum, Ben Fisher called Ed and told him he wanted to discuss the investigation with him and Carrie, and they arranged to meet in his office at eleven o’clock.
When Ed entered, Ben was sitting, feet up on his desk, chomping on an unlit cigar and looking pensive. Ed noticed a copy of The Great Lakes Historical Times in front of him.
Ed folded himself into a chair across from Ben. “Something you read in that got you thinking?” he asked, pointing at the magazine.
“Nah. I’ve been thinking about the case. The magazine has an article in it that Luke wanted me to read about shipwrecks on the lake. As you know, Annie’s taken him under her wing and given him lots of reading material about the history of our region. As a result, he’s become very interested in the lore of the sea. He wants to take some of his vacation time to go on a dive this summer with the Great Lakes Expedition. Seems they’ve found what they believe to be the remnants of a ship that went down just off our shores about 150 years ago.”
“That might be a good fit for him, Ben. Other than trying to solve Emily’s murder, our quiet village can’t be providing him with many challenges.”
At that moment, Carrie entered the office. “You wanted to see me, Chief?”
Ben motioned for her to sit. “I’ve been reviewing our investigation into Emily’s murder. You and I talked around Thanksgiving, Carrie, about the possibility of shutting the investigation down if no more leads surfaced, and I think it may be time to do that.”
He looked at Ed. “You’ve been very thorough, Ed, and I appreciate it, but it looks like the case has gone cold, and I can’t keep paying you. I just don’t have the money in our budget.”
“I have to pull you away from the case as well, Carrie. I’m appointing you to serve on a joint taskforce of the Coast Guard and Homeland Security to look at implementing better security measures along the lakeshore”
He continued,
“That’s going to take some time along with your other responsibilities, and we need to have that done by May. As much as I’d like to, I just can’t spare any more time trying to solve Emily’s murder.”
“With all due respect, sir, I disagree,” argued Carrie. “I know it seems as though we’ve reached a dead end, but maybe we’ve missed something. Can’t we just keep this open for a little while longer?”
“I wish we could, Carrie, but we can’t. It’s looking more and more plausible that Emily was killed in a botched burglary attempt. I’m not sure we’ll ever find her killer. As sorry as I am to say this, we need to close this case.” He waved his hand in dismissal. “I’ll get back to you later this afternoon about that task force.”
Ed and Carrie left the Chief’s office and walked down the hall together.
Carrie said, “I’m very disappointed that he won’t let us continue the investigation, Ed. I know in my gut that if we had more time we could solve Emily’s murder.”
Ed turned to Carrie and admitted he was as disappointed as she and still hoped at some point evidence would appear leading them to Emily’s killer.
PART TWO
Chapter 29
No longer consulting for the Lighthouse Cove police department, Ed began accepting other jobs, including one in Albany where he assisted the police with a gun buy-back project and facilitated a training session there for rookie police officers. He and Annie took long walks, met friends for dinner, enjoyed outings with their children and grandchildren, and drove into the city to attend concerts and plays. They invited Luke to dinner twice, but each time he asked for a rain check saying he already had a commitment. Annie wondered if he were blowing them off and decided she would try once more, but if he declined again, she was going to let it drop.
Murder in the Museum_Edmund DeCleryk Mysteries Page 8