by Diane Weiner
“So Danielle knew this and was blackmailing him, or Brody was stalking her and wound up killing her. Did I miss something? Who actually owns Splash Panels?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. Henry looked at the empty emergency waiting room and knew he wouldn’t be missed if he stepped out for an hour or so. “How about taking a ride for an early lunch? Let’s check the Aster Inn and see if anyone saw Brody the night of Danielle’s murder. I’ll drive.”
They jumped into his Jeep.
“Pat, you owe me a cigar.”
“Emily’s pregnant? No way!”
“Really? Where did you get your medical license? That ship has sailed. Emily and I want to adopt Maddy and she told us this morning she’d like us to proceed.”
“Awesome. Now you get to pay for college, a car when she turns eighteen, and oh—her wedding.”
“Very funny. I am nothing but excited at the prospect. Don’t worry about a wedding. No boy is getting near her unless he rivals Jesus Christ himself. How about you? Do you see a future with Megan? She’s young enough to have kids.”
“I’m taking it one step at a time. So far, so good. I would kinda like a few rug rats running around the house.”
Henry pulled in front of the Aster Inn. “Operation nail Brody Wilkerson is now in motion.” Pat followed him into the lobby. He wasn’t sure what he was planning to do when he approached the desk.
“May I help you?” The clerk behind the counter adjusted his over-sized bow tie and the blazer he was swimming in.
“I hope so.” He read the name tag. “Trevor, my buddy Brody Wilkerson, stayed here a few weeks ago. He called me and asked if I could swing by and pick up a duplicate bill. He needs it for reimbursement ASAP and he lost his copy. I’ll be seeing him tomorrow.”
Trevor, who looked as young as Maddy, said, “How do you spell his name?”
Henry spelled it out, surprised that the information would be handed over so freely. He reminded himself never to stay there if he had anything to hide.
“Here it is. I’ll print it out.”
Henry took the bill, thanked the clerk, and suggested eating in the restaurant next door. He and Pat waited for a table at the rustic, barn-styled restaurant.
“I’ll bet Brody ate here. There’s no other place to eat within miles.”
Pat nodded. “When we sit down, let’s have a look at the bill.”
Henry and Pat were seated at a booth. Henry ordered a grilled chicken salad, and Pat ordered the meatloaf with mashed potatoes.
Henry pulled out the bill. “Well, he was here for two nights, just prior to the murder.” He poured over the bill. “There are several charges. One is for a movie, ordered at 5 p.m., then room service ordered at 11:00.”
“This place has room service?”
“It’s Sugarbury Falls. You know the slogan: we cater to our visitors. What time did you place the murder?”
“Somewhere between six and midnight.”
When the waitress set the food on the table, Henry said, “That was quick. My buddy, Brody was here a few weeks ago and raved about the service here. I wonder if you were his waitress?”
“I work six days a week, so chances are I was here.”
Henry pulled up an internet photo on his phone. “Does he look familiar?”
She took the phone and enlarged the photo. “Yes, I remember him. He ate here a couple of times. Poor guy was very upset. I heard him on the phone with his girlfriend, begging her to let him come over.”
“Did he go?” said Henry.
“No, at least not right away. He sulked over his meal, then I saw him at the bar when my shift ended at 10:00. He was sitting with someone—pretty, but older.”
“Blonde hair?” said Henry, thinking about Danielle’s blond hair spread on the floor underneath her.
“No, dark hair, almost black. I better get moving, the couple over at the next table is giving me a look.”
Henry paid the bill, and once in the car, he discussed the information with Pat.
“How long would he need to drive there and back?”
“It doesn’t matter. We don’t know when the killer stuffed the chimney. It could have been days earlier.”
“It had to have been the same day. It was chilly all week,” said Henry. “I’ll bet Kurt will know if Danielle used the fireplace the night before. He notices everything and is always taking that dog of his on walks. I think he uses dog walking as a cover for being nosy.”
They finished lunch and hopped back into the Jeep. Pat checked his watch. “We have time to swing by Kurt’s if you want.”
Without hesitation, Henry agreed. “Can’t hurt to try.” He thought about what the waitress told him. A dark haired, older woman? The contenders for the cat commercial were in town then. Sheila was blond…Winnie? Was it possible? He pulled into Kurt’s driveway behind a Ford Escape. “Looks like he’s home. Let’s go.”
Kurt answered the door wearing a flannel shirt and Levis. “Is everything alright? Are Emily and Maddy okay?” He ushered them into the house.
“Yes, it’s nothing like that. Pat and I were wondering if you happened to notice whether or not Danielle used the fireplace the night before she was murdered?”
“She used it every night since she moved in,” said Kurt. “I’d already had to bring her more firewood and after dinner, Prancer and I always saw smoke coming out of the chimney. Why do you ask?”
“Trying to determine when the chimney was blocked. Must have been the same day as the murder. You didn’t see anyone, did you?”
“I was in town most of the day. Had a doctor’s appointment and errands to do, sorry.”
“You helped quite a bit. We now know whoever blocked the chimney did it sometime during the day of the murder, not before.”
“Did you ask the new girls over there if they saw anything?” He pointed to a neighboring cabin, on the other side of the rental.
“No, I hadn’t realized anyone had moved in.”
“Megan said she talked to the neighbors and they didn’t see anything. I’m guessing she meant those neighbors,” said Pat. “Hey, we’d better get back to the hospital. Thanks, Kurt.”
Chapter 20
Henry pulled into an empty driveway, just beating the school bus. He waited at the front door for Maddy.
“Did you have a better day today? You look happier.”
“I told my guidance counselor about the cat café and she thought it was a great idea. She even called the animal shelter while I was there and told them about it.”
“I’ll bet they loved it.”
“They did and they were hoping we can get it up and running within the next couple of weeks. They try to clear out the shelter as much as possible before winter sets in so they have room for strays that are left to fend for themselves in the cold. They sponsor a free adoption week in the middle of October and suggested the opening of the café could coincide with it.”
“We’d better get busy! Did you check on the necessary permits?”
“If the café itself is separate from the food prep area, we’re good to go. I’m going to call a few pet stores and see if they’d be willing to donate litter boxes, scratching posts, cat toys…”
“Lots of garage sales and craft fairs this time of year. You might check them out. And I’ll build another cat tree for you. Now that your bookshelf is done, I need another project.” He heard the key in the front door.
Emily hung her sweater on the coat rack. “I can always find projects for you if you’re desperate.”
Maddy said, “He’s volunteering to build a few cat trees for Coralee’s Cozy Cat Café. My guidance counselor loved the idea and we want to get it up and running by the end of the month.”
“That’s great, Maddy. Is the room ready to go?”
“No, it still needs painting and furniture. I’d like to find an artist to paint a mural.”
“I’ll ask at the college. I’m proud of you. This project will really make a differen
ce.”
“I’m going to get my homework done now so I can work on the cat café after dinner.” She scooped up Chester and went into her room.
Emily plopped down on the sofa next to Henry. “This could be a real turning point for her. By the way, I called a lawyer and he’s sending me the paperwork we need to start the adoption rolling.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we had the adoption finalized before the holidays?”
“It’ll be a whole new experience with Maddy. She can help us pick out the Christmas tree and help me bake cookies.”
“Real cookies, right? None of those cardboard vegan ones.”
“Real cookies—sugar and all.”
“I went over to the Aster Inn today. The guy at the desk verified Brody was a guest at the time of the murder. Then I spoke to one of the waitresses. The night Danielle was murdered, she overheard Brody talking to his girlfriend and begging her to let him come over.”
“So he did go over there.”
“No, she says when her shift ended around ten, he was moping at the bar and talking to an older woman with dark hair.”
“That fits Winnie’s description, but she never mentioned seeing him in town before the day we ran into him at Coralee’s. Why would she hide that?”
“You don’t know it was her. And if he was calling Danielle that night trying to reconcile, why would he have blocked the chimney earlier that day? Charges for room service and a movie, plus being seen by the waitress, make it unlikely he went to the cabin the night of the murder.”
Emily got up and fished her phone out of her purse. She tried calling Winnie, but got voicemail. “I left a message. Let’s see if she gets back to me.”
Emily changed her clothes and made a cup of coffee in her Keurig. She rummaged through the fridge trying to decide what to make for dinner while Henry researched cat tree designs on his laptop. “Henry, did you hear a knock?”
Henry closed his computer. “I’ll get it. It’s probably Kurt.”
Two woman and a border collie were on the other side of the door. “Hi, I’m Abby and this is Rebecca.” The dog whined. “Oh, and this is Milo. We met your wife earlier. We’re your new neighbors.”
“Henry Fox,” he shook their hands. “Come on in. Emily’s in the kitchen. Emily, we have visitors.”
Emily dried her hands on her way to the living room. “Abby and Rebecca, I’m glad you stopped by.”
Abby said, “Remember this morning when you asked if we’d seen anyone lurking around the cabin next door to us?”
“Do you remember something?”
Abby took a photo out of a manila envelope. “I was developing a roll of pictures I’d taken of the landscape and the lake. One of the pictures had the neighbor’s cabin in the background. I noticed something. There’s a ladder perched against the side of the cabin, and if you look closely, someone’s hand is grabbing the rung. It’s blurry, but I enlarged it and you can see it’s definitely a gloved hand and the coat sleeve looks like some sort of plaid wool. I wish I’d gotten the face, but I was shooting the mountaintop on the horizon.”
Emily held the photo up to her eye. “You’re right! And this isn’t the type of coat Kurt would ever wear. Henry, do you think it’s Brody?”
Henry took the photo from Emily. “If you look carefully, you can see the shadow on the ground. What time was this taken?”
“Late afternoon. It’s date stamped.”
Emily said, “That’s the day Danielle died! I’ll bet this is the killer. Can we tell anything about the person from his shadow?”
Henry said, “I certainly can’t.”
Emily said, “Nancy’s husband! He’s an engineer. He designs bridges. I’ll bet he can help us. Let me call her.”
“Go for it.”
Nancy answered on the first ring. “Nancy, is Byron home? We need his expertise as an engineer.”
“Yeah, he just got home. What do you need?”
“One of our new neighbors happened to take a photo the day Danielle died. She captured the shadow of a person holding the ladder and we think it’s probably the killer. We need someone to look at the shadow and determine whatever he can about the person’s physique.”
“Byron works with measurements all day long. I’m sure he can help. Come on over.”
“Thanks, Nancy. You’re the best.” She relayed the conversation to Henry and the girls.
“I hope it helps,” said Abby.
“I’m sure it will,” said Emily. “Thank you so much for coming over with it. I’d love it if you and Rebecca could come over for dinner one night.”
“Sounds great, but I have to warn you, Rebecca’s a staunch vegetarian.”
Emily thought it couldn’t get more perfect. Maddy would love her. “So is my daughter. And she’s gotten me on the bandwagon as well.”
“I’ve got some excellent recipes to share,” said Rebecca. “We look forward to it.”
After the girls left, Emily ran into Maddy’s room. “Hey, our new neighbor is a vegetarian. And they have the most adorable Border Collie. I think you’ll like them.”
“Okay.”
Emily imagined the unspoken and so what and thought she’d once again come on too enthusiastically, but was getting tired of monitoring her conversations with Maddy. “Henry and I are running over to Nancy’s. Do you want to come and visit with Brooke?”
“No, I’ve got a ton of homework, and I want to do some more work on the café, like I said.”
“I just had a thought. One of our new neighbors is a photographer. Maybe she’d be willing to help with the advertising. She could take photos as the cafe is being put together, and I could write up a series to go in the local paper following its progress.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Emily hid a smile as she left the room. She grabbed her coat, and she and Henry hopped into the Jeep.
“I hope Byron can help us. I’d love to hand over a description as well as the photo to the police.”
“Our new neighbors seem pleasant. They didn’t have to go the extra mile and blow up the picture.”
“I know.” Her phone vibrated. “It’s Winnie.”
“Get it. Frankly, I’m surprised she called you back.”
“Winnie, thanks for returning my call. No, the police haven’t arrested anyone yet. We found out that Brody was in town at the time of the murder.”
“Really?”
“Be honest, Winnie. You already knew that. A waitress at the Aster Inn saw you talking to Brody.”
“She saw me? I don’t think so. Why would I be talking to Brody after what he did to my mother?”
“If you want to help nail the killer, you have to tell the truth.”
Winnie was silent. Emily thought she’d lost the connection. “Emily, I’ll tell you the truth. I ran into him at the mini-mart and followed him to his hotel. That evening, I drove back there to confront him about his part in my mother’s death. He’d been drinking and had no problem telling me the truth. He knew Splash Panels had a structural problem, but Wallace Hartman was pressuring him to go ahead with it. The money was tempting as well. He said he was sorry, but it was a little too late for that.”
“Did he offer to come clean?”
“Not at all.”
“Why didn’t you tell the police you’d seen him? He swore he hadn’t come to Sugarbury Falls until after Danielle’s death.”
“I didn’t want to give him an alibi. I didn’t know the details of Danielle’s death, and I figured if I said I was with him the night she was murdered, he’d get off the hook. I’d still like to see him rot in jail, but I’ll call the detectives in the morning and tell them what I just told you.”
“Okay, Winnie. And I firmly believe in karma. In the end, Brody will get his due.”
“Emily, one more thing. Brody said something about ‘the three of them equally taking the blame’. I figure he and Hartman are two, but I don’t know who he meant by the third. Only thought is maybe he was ta
lking about the owner of Splash Panels.”
“Do you have any names in mind?”
“At the trial, the owner of Splash Panels went by ‘said owner.’ They were careful not to name him, even though the case at that trial was against Splash Panels and not Nature’s Vista.”
“Thanks, Winnie. You need to tell the detectives everything you told me.” She put the phone back in her purse. “I don’t think Brody did it. Winnie thinks there was a third party involved with Hartman and Brody, maybe an investor, or the mysterious owner of Splash Panels.”
“The police can get that information, I think.” Henry pulled up to a brick farmhouse with white trim. The mailbox at the end of the driveway read The Pattersons.
“Come on in,” said Nancy. “Byron’s in the kitchen.” She shouted, “Byron, they’re here.”
Byron Patterson, in an oversized cardigan, looked like a college professor. Emily loved his English accent. Nancy met him when she spent a semester abroad in Wales during her junior year at Bryn Mawr and after graduation, he moved to the states to be with her.
“Nancy says you need my expertise.”
Emily took the photo out of her purse. “Can you calculate the man’s size by the angle of the shadow?”
Byron took the picture and adjusted his glasses. “I believe so. Give me a few minutes.” Byron took out some measuring tools that Emily couldn’t identify and plugged numbers into his laptop. She held her breath, hoping he had enough to work with.
Byron looked up from the table. “I’d say the man was around five ten give or take. Under six feet for sure. He appears to have a bit of a stomach, too.”
“Henry said, “You can tell all that from a shadow?”
“All in a day’s work. Looks like this was taken late in the day.”
“It was,” said Henry. “You should sign on as a police consultant.”
Byron chuckled. “Maybe when I retire I’ll consider it.”
Nancy said, “I just made a pot of coffee, and there’s apple pie in the fridge. Come, sit down.”
Brooke came into the kitchen. “I heard you say apple pie. Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Fox. Is Maddy here, too?”