“Well, it’s kind of a moot point now, isn’t it?” Echo shrugged.
“No, it’s not a moot point at all. I still have to determine who killed…a very well-known person in the community, and…” Chas began.
“It’s okay, darlin, we know that it was Diane Fellman who was killed,” Missy assured her husband, who raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Small town,” Echo supplied, as an explanation.
“Regardless of the identity of the deceased,” the detective admonished. “There’s still an investigation going on here.”
“Okay,” Echo nodded agreeably. “We’ll just be on our way then,” she said sweetly, tucking the mahogany box under her arm.
“Not with that, you won’t,” Chas challenged mildly.
“Sugar, this is the box that Carmen gave Echo the key to. That means that it belongs to her, so we’re just going to take it and go,” Missy piped up, giving her husband her most endearing smile.
“No, this box was found in a potential crime scene, and it’s going to stay right here. You need to put it down without touching any more surfaces than you already have,” he instructed Echo.
“Can’t we just see what’s in it, after all the trouble that we went through to find it?” Missy wheedled.
“Not a chance,” Chas shook his head. “There could be evidence in that box that’s vital to this case.”
Missy sighed, recognizing the stern but loving look on her husband’s face. He was not going to budge.
“Fine,” she said, looking at Echo. “But will you at least let us know what’s in it after you go through it?”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Surely, just this once, you could…” Echo began.
“It’s no use, honey. When he has that look on his face, his mind is made up,” Missy interrupted, knowing what her husband’s response would be.
“I’m sorry,” the detective said firmly, as Echo begrudgingly put down the box.
“We were so close,” she muttered.
“And your discovery may well have put you and my wife in danger.”
CHAPTER 9
Echo hung up the phone, a stunned look on her face. She’d just received a call from the secretary of a Randall Stutzman, Esquire. The secretary of the attorney who represented the estate of Carmen Feeney had asked her to come in to speak with Mr. Stutzman, because she had been named in the widow’s will. She picked up her purse, checked her phone app to see when the next bus would be coming by her neighborhood, and hurried out the door.
When she reached the bus stop, a few blocks from her house, there was a young man waiting there, who looked vaguely familiar. He glanced at her briefly, and smiled, when she approached.
“Hello,” she said automatically, her mind a million miles away after the phone call that she’d just received.
She’d hardly known Carmen Feeney, other than to chat with her over a cup of tea a couple of times a week, when neither of them had any customers. She couldn’t imagine why the woman had mentioned her in her will.
“Beautiful morning,” the young man replied, and, upon hearing his voice, Echo remembered why he seemed familiar.
“Hey, didn’t I see you on the news a few days ago?” she asked, trying to recall if he was the man she’d seen in her illness-induced stupor.
“Probably,” he nodded. “That happens more than I care to admit. I’m Dylan McClary, an activist for Safe-A.”
“Yes, it was you that I saw. I’ve heard of your organization. What brings you to Calgon?”
Dylan told her the same thing that he had told Missy, and the two of them continued chatting for the entire bus ride into town.
“Well, this is my stop, it’s been great talking with you,” Echo shook the young man’s hand.
“Mine too,” he replied, glancing out the window at the street sign. “Please consider what we’ve talked about, the issue comes up for a vote in two days,” he reminded her, moving toward the exit.
“I’ll definitely think about addressing the city council,” she nodded, following him down the steps. “Big businesses coming in and destroying the natural beauty and integrity of an area makes my blood boil. It’s not progress, in my opinion, it’s just destructive.”
“Exactly. Nice talking to you, Miss…?”
“Willis, Echo Willis,” she replied, shaking his hand again before he turned to go.
Heading into Stutzman, Smith, and Holmes, Attorneys at law, Echo pondered what Dylan had to say, and wondered what she might be able to do to help. Her thoughts once inside, however, returned to Carmen, and what might be awaiting her in the woman’s will. There was an old book that she’d admired, thumbing through it reverently – maybe the sweet old woman had willed it to her. She checked in with the secretary, and took a seat in the burgundy carpeted waiting room.
A large mahogany door, that looked as though it led somewhere quite opulent and mysterious, opened and a dignified gentleman who didn’t look much younger than Carmen had been, addressed Echo.
“Ms. Willis? I’m Randall Stutzman. Won’t you please follow me?” he requested, opening the door for her in a manner that seemed courtly.
She followed the lawyer back to an office that was richly appointed in more mahogany, but with hunter green carpet, rather than the burgundy of the waiting room and hall. The firm was one of Calgon’s oldest, and many historical meetings had taken place within its walls. Stutzman indicated that she should sit in one of the leather chairs across his massive desk from him, and, feeling more than a bit out of place, she wondered why she was the only one present. Surely Carmen had had relatives or other friends who were mentioned in the will. Perhaps her attorney preferred to meet with each of the bequeathed individually.
The thin, bespectacled man behind the desk opened a file folder, and began the meeting without preamble.
“As my secretary informed you, Ms. Willis, you are named in the will of the late Carmen Feeney. Mrs. Feeney left some very specific instructions as to the disposition of her estate, which was last modified three weeks ago.”
“Three weeks ago?” Echo interrupted, not wanting to be rude, but finding it to be an odd coincidence that Carmen had modified her will, only to die three weeks later.
Stutzman peered at her over the top of his gold-rimmed glasses. “Indeed. All liquid assets were given to a charitable organization,” he continued.
“That sounds like Carmen,” Echo nodded with a sad smile, interrupting again. “Which charity?”
“It was Mrs. Feeney’s wish to be an anonymous donor, therefore, I am not at liberty to reveal that information,” the lawyer said mildly, but with a look of reproach at yet another interruption.
“Oh, of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, I’m just a little rattled by this whole thing,” she confessed.
“It’s quite alright,” he assured her with a tight smile. “As to the portion of the will that pertains to you, Mrs. Feeney bequeathed all real estate holdings, to include her home, her business, and a parcel of coastal land that is currently under contract for sale, pending your approval, since Mrs. Feeney passed prior to signing the contract.
“Oh my,” Echo was overwhelmed.
Tears filled her eyes at the thought that Carmen had bestowed upon her the bookstore that was the most precious possession that she had, and her beloved little pink cottage.
“The buyer for the coastal property is quite anxious to move forward, and would like you to speak with the city council about the matter at your earliest opportunity. I have, of course, kept your identity confidential, and it will remain so until you reach a decision,” Stutzman informed her.
“The city council? Why would I speak with them about selling a piece of real estate?” Echo was confused.
“Because the parcel in question, is the land that GenetiCorp wishes to acquire in order to develop their new manufacturing facility,” the attorney replied quietly, pursing his lips as he gazed at her levelly.
“Oh dear,�
�� Echo bit her lip.
“Indeed,” the attorney nodded.
**
“Oh my goodness,” Missy exclaimed, as Echo poured out her dilemma. “What on earth are you going to do?”
Her friend sighed, thankful that Carmen Feeney had thought highly enough of her to mention her in the will, but wishing that she didn’t have to deal with the sale of the waterfront parcel that was causing so much controversy in the town.
“I have absolutely no idea. Carmen never mentioned the property, so I have no idea what her wishes would be.”
“Well, I think the fact that the offer was made months ago and Carmen still hadn’t signed the paperwork may be significant.”
“I just don’t know,” Echo rested her head in her hands.
“Have you visited the property?”
Echo shook her head.
“I had planned to, but I was so overwhelmed after meeting with the attorney, I came right over here.”
“Let’s go see it,” Missy suggested. “Maybe you’ll get a sense of what you’d like to do once you’ve looked it over.”
“Can’t hurt,” Echo agreed. “Mr. Stutzman said that it’s entirely undeveloped, but has great potential. He gave me directions to it.”
“Great potential for what?”
“I have no idea, but it’s waterfront property, so I would assume that there would be all sorts of possibilities.”
“Well, let’s go start imagining,” Missy prodded. “It might be fun.”
“Yes, seeing the property might be fun. Dealing with the city council, and whatever big company wants to buy it…not so much.”
Missy’s demeanor changed instantly.
“Wait…is this property the one that GenetiCorp wants to buy so badly?”
Echo nodded miserably.
“That’s the one. I have to decide whether I think it’s more important to bring jobs to Calgon county, or preserve a piece of coastal land.”
“Oh my,” Missy’s eyes widened.
“Exactly.”
**
“Is this is?” Missy asked, pulling her car over onto a gravel road that led to what looked like a colossally large empty lot that led to the bay.
“According to GPS,” Echo replied, staring at her phone.
There was a chain across the road, fastened between metal posts on either side, with a padlock on it, and a sign that said “Keep Out Private Property.”
“Well, it’s your private property,” Missy shrugged, turning off the car and opening her door. “So let’s take a look.”
Echo got out too, standing beside the car and seeing an unspoiled vista of wild grasses, sand, and beyond that, in the distance, the sparkling blue waters of the bay, where boats large and small, scudded along. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she saw a person bending down, where the grasses ended in a stretch of sand.
“Hey, someone is here,” she said, calling Missy’s attention to the figure in the distance.
“Then they’re trespassing,” her friend raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go see who it is,” and she started marching off in the direction of the stranger, until Echo grabbed her by the elbow.
“Wait a minute,” she exclaimed, eyes wide. “Whoever that is, isn’t supposed to be here. If they didn’t obey the Keep Out sign, who knows what other laws they might be willing to break. It could be dangerous.”
“Oh goodness, girl, don’t worry so much. They probably saw vacant land and thought that it might be a great place to hunt for seashells or something. Maybe they even wanted to fish off of the docks over there,” she pointed, grabbing Echo’s hand and dragging her along.
“I wonder if I own those docks,” Echo murmured absently, letting Missy pull her toward whomever was digging in the sand by the grasses.
When they got a bit closer, Missy recognized the woman who was on her knees in the sand, but Echo did not.
“Chelsea?” Missy said. “That’s your name, right? We met at my cupcake shop a while ago.”
“Oh, right,” the young woman nodded, startled to see other people.
“What’s that you’re doing?” Echo asked, seeing her slip something into her pocket.
“Oh…I’m…uh…it’s ecological research. This is the plot of land that GenetiCorp wants to build on, and I was…um…cataloguing the species of wildlife that will be displaced if they do that,” she said hurriedly, then her eyes narrowed. “Wait…what are you doing out here?” she asked, as though she had a right to be there.
“I own this land,” Echo raised her brows at the young woman’s tone.
Chelsea blinked at her for a moment, as though she hadn’t understood the very simple words, then seemed to realize something.
“Oh! I…okay…of course. Well, I’ve gotta get going. Gotta get samples back to the lab,” she said, rising to her feet and striding back toward the road. “Have a nice day,” she called out over her shoulder.
“Well, that was certainly a strange encounter,” Missy mused, watching the unkempt young woman go.
“Here’s something even more strange,” Echo murmured, heading over to a clump of grass near where Chelsea had been kneeling.
She reached into the grass and pulled out a small vial with a label on it that read “BioZyme.”
“What’s BioZyme?” Missy wondered.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out, and before we do that, we’re going to see if there are any other of these little bottles,” Echo replied.
“I wonder if what was in that little vial had anything to do with the salmonella outbreak.”
“We’ll keep searching, and Chas can take everything we find to the lab to see what was in the bottles,” Echo said, taking pictures of the bottle with her phone. “Do you remember Chelsea’s last name?”
“Chas can’t do anything about this, there are federal investigators who are handling the salmonella case, and you may not want to be touching that with your hands,” Missy cautioned her friend. “I don’t remember Chelsea’s last name, but when she came to the shop, it was with a young man named Dylan.”
“Dylan McClary?” Echo asked, surprised.
“Yes, that was him. How do you know him?”
“I met him on the bus when I went to the attorney’s office this morning,” she remembered.
“On the bus? Where was his stop?” Missy asked, frowning.
“He got off at the same stop that I did, why?”
“Where did he get on?”
“At the stop just outside my neighborhood, the same one that I use.”
“Don’t you find that a little odd?” Missy stared at her friend.
“Odd? I don’t know. Coincidental maybe.”
“Maybe, but I think we need to find what we can and get out of here. We also need to call Chas, so he can give whatever we find from BioZyme to the federal authorities. Then we have some research to do. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“That makes two of us,” Echo nodded.
The two of them searched for about an hour, after Echo ran down to the water to scrub her hands with salt water and sand, and found only a small spray bottle with a tiny bit of fluid in it, hidden under a clump of sea grass. They handled the bottle and the vial gingerly, touching them with tissues pulled hastily from Missy’s purse, and made their way back the car, only to find that all four tires had been slashed.
“Great, we’re stranded,” Echo sighed.
“Not for long.” Missy whipped out her phone and called Chas, so that he could get a tow truck out to them, and so that he could come and collect the potential evidence that they had found.
CHAPTER 10
While Missy and Echo were stranded on the lovely piece of waterfront property that Echo had just inherited from Carmen Feeney, Echo’s phone rang.
“Hello, dear goddess,” Kel said affectionately upon hearing her “hello?”
“Hiya handsome, what can I do for you? I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Echo replied, with one hand pressed to her ea
r, distracted by the car being dragged up onto the bed of the tow truck.
“I have to attend a function tonight that I cannot miss, so I was hoping that you might be able to entertain Carlotta this evening? She won’t be in town much longer and doesn’t wish to be alone,” he said, in a manner that told Echo that Carlotta was in the room with him.
“Oh for goodness sake, the woman can’t stand her own company for just one evening?”
“Yes, dinner at the Club would be perfect,” Kel said, oozing charm and completely ignoring his beloved’s cranky comment.
“Kel, I hate going to the Club, you know that. I am perhaps the least pretentious person on the planet, and…” Echo began, fuming.
“Of course, I’ll be happy to make you a reservation for 7:30,” the artist said, sounding delighted. “Alright, my love, I’ll arrange a driver for you. Thank you so much, sweetheart,” he finished, hanging up before Echo could utter another word.
“Hey honey, we can go now. Chas is going to give us a ride back to the Inn, and your little parcel of land is going to be swarming with federal officers in just a few minutes,” Missy paused for a moment and looked at her friend closely.
“Are you okay, darlin?”
Echo shook her head and burst into tears.
“No, I’m not okay. I don’t want the responsibility of deciding what to do with this property, I don’t want to deal with businesses and environmentalists, and I don’t want to go out to dinner at the Club with Carlotta,” she wailed.
Missy put her arm around her distraught friend and led her to the car.
“It’ll be alright, sugar. I’ll be with you every step of the way,” she promised. “And if you have to have dinner with Carlotta tonight, I’ll just go with you, and we’ll charm her socks off.”
**
Truth be told, Missy was actually looking forward to having dinner at the Club. It was one of the few government approved places in town that had been allowed to remain open after the salmonella incident, and quite frankly, after the day she’d had, she didn’t feel like fixing dinner. Chas would be staying late at the office working on solving the murder of Diane Fellman anyway, so, if Echo didn’t have this social obligation, she probably would’ve just been making herself a sandwich.
Streusel Creme Killer: Book 5 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Page 5