“I’m not certain what’s going on.” Grant ran his fingers through his hair in a distracted manner.
“But you’ll find out?” Her question seemed more like a command.
“Yeah, I’ll find out.”
“You see Maryann while you were at the house?”
Grant eyeballed him. “No, she wasn’t around.”
“Mrs. Stoddard say where she was?”
Grant folded his arms over his chest. “No, she didn’t. Why are you so interested?”
Rob didn’t like his brother’s tone of voice. “I happen to like her. You got a problem with that?” He narrowed his eyes.
“Just be careful, okay? City women look down on people like us.”
Mom dumped the filled plate in front of Grant. “I think you’re being unfair. Both of those young women are polite and courteous, easy to work with.”
“Don’t you mean work for.” Grant gave his mother a hard look and she stared back at him. They appeared poised for a confrontation.
“Hey, let’s not get hostile here.” Rob, a peacemaker by nature, did his best to diffuse what could be a volatile discussion. Grant and his mother had similar personalities. Both had tempers. Rob changed the subject, telling a joke one of his crew had shared earlier in the day. The tension in the kitchen relaxed.
Grant had just gotten to his desk when Burt Russell burst in. “Chief, I got the information you wanted, you know on that guy. Franklin Kraulley.”
“Sara Morrow’s pal?”
“That’s the one.” Burt looked pleased with himself.
“So spill.”
Burt sat down on the chair opposite Grant’s desk and leaned forward on his elbows. “I tailed them all day yesterday. You figured right. He ran a stop sign. I pulled them over and got his I.D., ran it through the system. Guy’s from Chicago. He’s got priors. Mostly petty stuff but not what you’d call an upstanding citizen.”
“Anything related to burglary or auto theft?”
“Both.”
Grant raised his dark eyebrows. “Gets more interesting. Any violent crimes?”
“None that I could find. Strictly theft and nothing big. He served some time. Is he the person of interest you’re looking for?”
Grant shifted in his chair. “Honestly, I don’t know. But this is helpful info. Could be that Jennifer Stoddard’s mother and boyfriend Frank are doing a number on her, trying to get her to leave the Pritchard house. I think Sara Morrow believes if she gets rid of her daughter, her claim to her mother’s estate will be strengthened.”
Burt stared at him. “Chief, how do you mean get rid of?”
“I’m not really sure. Could just be mischief to frighten her into leaving town.”
“You don’t think they’d try to kill her, do you?”
Grant shook his head. “When you can, keep an eye on those two. I’m going to see what else I can find out. My impression has been that Ms. Morrow plans to get her hands on her mother’s estate by legal means. But you never know about people. Sometimes they just snap.” He brought his thumb and forefinger together for emphasis. “That’s when we have to come into it and clean things up. The Morrow woman’s got a mean streak. Doesn’t sound like the boyfriend’s any better. When there’s money involved as a motive, it brings out the ugliness in some people.”
Burt nodded, his expression solemn.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jen and Maryann took Aaron, Bobby Higgins and his sister Pam on a picnic the following day. They did some hiking, bird watching and settled by a local pond to eat their lunch of turkey sandwiches, potato salad, lemonade and apples. The respite felt pleasant and idyllic.
“We ride our bikes out here a lot,” Bobby told them.
Jen realized she’d have to purchase a bike for Aaron if they remained in Bloomingvale. It seemed both Bobby and Pam were competent riders. Pam, the older and more mature of the Higgins children, provided good companionship for Maryann and herself. She didn’t seem to mind the company of adults. Maggie Higgins had trained her daughter to be polite and helpful. Pam collected used paper plates, cups and plastic utensils to throw away in a nearby trash can.
“Do you want to be an animal doctor like your father?” Jen asked Pam.
“Bobby and I both want that. Our dad loves animals and so do we. Bobby and I help out at the animal shelter as often as we can. It means a lot to all of us.”
The boys tossed leftover bread to the ducks in the pond. Then they picked up rocks to throw and create ripples in the pond. But their attention span had limitations. Soon they roamed about with restless energy.
Jen decided to drive everyone back to town and browse around the local stores for a while.
“Let’s go to the bookstore first and see if we can find some interesting reading material.”
Pam exclaimed her pleasure but Bobby groaned.
“We have to read all year in school. I’d like to practice shooting hoops or hitting baseballs.”
Jen realized not being an athlete herself created a definite disadvantage in dealing with boys like Bobby Higgins. Her own son would soon want to go out for sports teams like his friend. “We have a soccer ball back at the house. Why don’t we find it and you can practice with that?”
She felt relieved when Bobby expressed an interest in soccer. Jen realized this activity was one her husband would have shared with his son if he had lived. Aaron hadn’t said anything but she knew he felt his father’s loss as acutely as she did.
On the following day, Bobby and Pam had dental appointments. Jen and Maryann decided to take Aaron for a walk on Main Street. Just to make certain it was a fun trip for Aaron, Jen visited Bigelow’s Bakery first. They picked out treats and a fresh baked loaf of bread for lunch.
Mrs. Bigelow made a fuss over Aaron. “Young man, I think you’re going to be one of my best customers.” She winked at him and handed him a chocolate chip cookie. “This one’s on the house.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Jen said.
“No, really I want him to have it.”
The baker came from the back, his face rosy, hair pure white. His rounded midsection gave testimony to the fact that he enjoyed his own culinary efforts.
“Aggie, I see you’re giving away our profits again.”
“Nonsense. This handsome young man loves our baked goods. He deserves something special.”
“Hello, Mr. Bigelow,” Jen said. “We’re new in town.”
“Mrs. Pritchard’s granddaughter. You remember Mrs. Pritchard, don’t you, Wendell?”
“Of course. An excellent customer. Young ladies, you know anyone who wants to buy a bakery?” He looked from Jen to Maryann. “I’m ready to retire to Florida, but my wife refuses to close the bakery. She’ll only go if someone trustworthy is running the place.”
“I’m afraid we’re not bakers. But I wish I were.”
“I’d share my recipes with the right person.”
“If I meet any bakers, I’ll let you know.”
“You do that.” He shook Jen’s hand with a vigorous motion.
They took their purchases and left the bakery. Next door a vacant store looked forlorn. Maryann studied it. “If I were an entrepreneur, I would buy the bakery, knock down the wall between it and the other store, then turn that area into a coffee shop. People could buy bakery goodies, then sit down and have them with a latte or espresso or cappuccino.”
“I don’t know,” Jen said. “People around here go to the diner for coffee.”
“That’s true. But I’d do a more upscale version.”
“The town is surrounded by farms.”
Maryann bit her lower lip lost in thought. “That’s where advertising and promotion comes in. The internet is one way to go with that. And look, the bookstore is on the other side of the empty store. Just saying the location has potential. I worked in retail establishments summers during high school and college. I have some savvy.”
Jen shrugged. “I know nothing whatever about business. I
won’t argue with you about a hypothetical business.”
“Right. There’s no point. It’s just interesting to consider. I suppose I always do wonder if I could make a go of a business. But investment capital is a big drawback. And most businesses do fail. Still I believe I could make one work.”
They visited the bookstore next. Aaron loved to read just as she did. So it was no problem at all getting him to choose several books. Jen and Maryann each treated themselves to books as well. Maryann’s choice was a nonfiction book on marketing that struck Jen as dull as dust. She herself chose a mystery novel that featured an archaeologist on a dig.
“Wow, you people are good customers,” the pretty young woman behind the cash register said. “Can I help you look for anything else?”
“Not right now,” Jen said. “We just wanted some summer reading.”
“I’m Terrie Prentice. My mom owns this shop. We don’t get much business these days. Mom says we’re barely breaking even what with the library just up the street and people buying bargain e-books on the internet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jen said. “Bookstores are my favorite places, but I do confess to liking libraries too. I’m not much of an internet person though.”
“Mom, can I get this?” Aaron was holding a beautifully illustrated bookmark with all sorts of sailing ships on it.
“Good idea. Terrie, please include it in our order.”
After they left the bookstore, Jen turned to Maryann. “What about the bookstore serving coffee? Do you think that would help their business?”
Maryann blinked thoughtfully. “I doubt it. It’s not helping the brick and mortar bookstores in the malls all that much. People take books and magazines, sit down with the coffee they order and slobber all over the reading materials. It’s been my observation that they don’t buy much of what they read. Sure the bookstores make some money on the coffee and food they sell, but it’s not a good deal for publishers. The small publishers don’t even bother with bookstores anymore.”
“You’re a downer,” Jen said.
“Hey, just telling it like it is. Got to build a better mousetrap to succeed.”
“Wish I knew what I wanted to do when I grow up,” Jen said.
Aaron turned to her. “Mommy, aren’t you grown up already?”
Maryann laughed. “He’s got you there.”
“Sweetie, what I meant is that I’m not sure what direction my life is going to take. When you go to school, I’d like to go back to work. I’m just not certain what I should be doing.”
Aaron’s looked up at her with solemn dark brown eyes much like her own. “You’ll find something good to do. You’re real smart.”
Jen smiled as she placed her arm around her son. “Thank you for your vote of confidence. I know what you’re going to do when you grow up. You’re going into the diplomatic corps because you always know just the right thing to say.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grant and Burt Russell arrived at the Pritchard house at 9 a.m.. He planned to install surveillance cameras. As they passed Jen Stoddard’s white car in the driveway, he became aware the vehicle didn’t look right. As they came closer, he observed that the tires were flat. Had someone let the air out? A kid prank?
“Burt, stop here. Let’s look at this.”
They got down and examined the tires. There were slash marks. Grant shook his head. This kept getting worse. He pulled out his cell phone. Dave Stuart answered on the third ring. Grant explained the situation. “Can you come out here or send somebody?” Dave indicated he could.
Grant turned to Burt. “We better give the lady the bad news.”
Jennifer Stoddard answered the door dressed in denim shorts and a peach silky short-sleeved shirt. Her wavy auburn hair had been pulled back. She wore no make-up, but in his opinion didn’t need any.
“Chief, this is a surprise,” she said.
“We came to install the cameras.”
“Please come in. Is it really necessary?”
“Oh, it’s very necessary.” Grant exchanged a look with Burt.
“I’ll just start finding the right locations for these.” Burt looked uncomfortable.
“You do that,” Grant said. “Front and rear. Sides as well.”
Burt left the house as fast as possible.
“He’s certainly in a hurry. The thing is, I feel foolish taking up so much of your time and trouble.” Her tone of voice seemed earnest and direct.
He noticed the dark brown of her irises. She had large, expressive eyes, a small, pert nose and full, generous lips. Why would he observe those things? He felt annoyed with himself.
“My job is to serve and protect.” The words came out sounding gruff.
She blinked at him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. But I didn’t expect you’d do the work yourself.”
“I’m pretty handy.” The truth was, he wanted to see her again, but he wasn’t going to admit that. He cleared his throat. “There’s something you should know. Whoever’s been harassing you is at it again. All four of your tires have been slashed.”
She walked into the parlor and sat down heavily on one of the chairs. “Oh, no. I can’t believe this. I just don’t understand why anyone would hate me so much.”
He expected her to cry at any moment, but she didn’t. She straightened her spine and got to her feet again. “I’ll do whatever it takes to find out who’s behind this.”
He hadn’t expected her to show so much courage. He admitted to a grudging respect.
“We’re going to find out who’s been doing this,” he promised. “And we’re going to put an end to it.”
Without meaning to do it, he touched her hand with his own much larger one. For his gesture of compassion, he received an unexpected jolt. It startled him. There seemed to be real chemistry between them. She looked up at him with a look that almost appeared to be adoration. It jarred him. He must be imagining things. He needed to get more sleep, maybe drink another cup of coffee. All of a sudden he felt about her the way he’d felt back in high school when they’d sat beside each other in English class and worked on that project together—before everything changed.
“Dave Stuart will be by later. He’ll talk to you about the tires. Meantime, you’ll want to let your insurance company know what happened.”
“My rates will increase. I think I’m better off just paying out of pocket. Besides there’s a large deductible.”
He gave a curt nod. “Up to you.”
“I better look at the car.” She followed him outside. “I still don’t understand any of this.”
They were soon joined by Jennifer Stoddard’s friend, the one his brother seemed so taken with, as well as her son. The little boy looked up at him with some trepidation.
“Are you a real policeman?”
“Yes, son, I am.”
“I overheard my mom and Maryann talking. Were you mean to my mom?”
“Aaron!” He watched Jennifer Stoddard’s face and neck color and felt amused.
“I’ll do my best to be polite to your mother from now on. How’s that?”
“Okay, I guess.” Grant noticed the boy had small freckles that spread like ants over his nose. He was fairer than his mother but looked a lot like her.
“Maryann, could you fix Aaron’s breakfast?”
“Sure thing.” Maryann held out her hand and Aaron took it.
When Maryann and Aaron were back inside the house, Jennifer Stoddard turned to him. “I apologize. I believe he heard me complain about you writing me that ticket.”
“Yeah, nothing like kids to tell it like it is.”
“I’m not angry at you anymore.” Her cheeks flushed.
“Good to know.”
“I realize you were just doing your job.”
And then some, if he were honest. But he said nothing. The tension between them intensified.
“I guess I better leave you to your work. Thank you for helping us.”
With t
hat, she hurried into the house. His eyes thoughtfully trailed after her.
Chapter Thirty
Maryann had been working at her laptop for several hours when she became aware of loud sounds coming from somewhere downstairs. Alarmed, she called to Jen but got no answer. Then she remembered Jen mentioned something about going marketing and taking Aaron with her. Maryann had been too absorbed in her job searches at the time to pay much attention.
She heard the noises again. Who or what was making them? She’d been barefoot but now put on her bedroom slippers and hurried down the hall and the stairs. She could now discern that the sounds were coming from the basement. With some caution and trepidation, Maryann took the creaking stairs down.
“Who’s there?”
“Just me.” Rob’s voice floated up to her.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me.”
“Sorry about that. I had some more work to do down here.”
She nearly tripped on the last step. Strong arms reached up to catch her.
“Careful there. Those slippers are mighty flimsy. No traction on them either.”
“Thank you. You can let go of me now.” But he didn’t. Rob continued to hold her close.
“Why don’t I walk you back upstairs?”
“Really, I’m fine.” She pulled away from him, not feeling fine at all. Being close to Rob disturbed her.
“I could use a cold drink about now. What about you?”
“We have fruit juice, iced tea.”
“Just water. Join me?”
They went to the kitchen where the late morning sun beautified the room. A nice breeze blew through the sky blue curtains. Rob helped her set up several glasses of water with ice. Then they sat down together at the hardwood table and chairs.
“I suppose I needed a break as well.” She took a few sips. The water cooled her inner thermostat.
Rob held the glass against his forehead. “Feels good. Gotta keep hydrated in this hot weather. So what have you been doing?”
“Same old. I’ve been checking postings for job opportunities that are appropriate for me.”
“And I suppose these job opportunities are all in New York City?” His tone had a casual ring but his eyes searched hers like torches.
The Inheritance Page 10