“What did she say?” Kelly asked.
“She said she didn’t think he was going to take it well. In fact, a few days ago she mentioned she was going to tell him when he came to dinner the next night. Also, there was one other person she was concerned about, the guy who lives in the little shack down by the stream that runs through the ranch.”
“I’ve heard he’s got a temper. Agnes said she asked him to move out of the shack, and he got very angry. Do you know anything about that?”
“No more than what you just said. I met him once, and I sure didn’t think she needed someone like that living on her property. If he’s left the ranch, I haven’t heard about it.
“I know I’ve done a lot of talking, and I really thank you for listening to me, but here’s one more thing that might be of interest to you. As I mentioned, I like to walk a lot. Usually I walk early in the morning, around 5:00 a.m. That way I can finish my walk, take a shower, and be at school by 7:30 a.m. I try to vary my route so I won’t get bored, and I often walk out to the Robertson Ranch, and I even walk around on the property itself. It was fine with Agnes if I did that. As a matter of fact, she was the one who suggested it.
“The day before yesterday, I was walking out by the ranch when a silver Lexus drove down the lane from Agnes’ ranch and turned onto the highway. It was barely light, but I clearly saw that the passenger in the car was Judge Lane. The developer she’s been seeing for quite a few months drives a silver Lexus. I remember thinking at the time that it was strange they’d be visiting the ranch that early in the morning. I made a mental note to ask Agnes about it the next time I saw her.” She put her head in her hands and cried softly. “I never saw her again. I keep thinking about why the two of them would be driving around out by Agnes’ ranch at that time of day and wonder if it had something to do with her murder.”
“I agree. It seems really odd. I’ll tell my husband about it. He’s working with Chief Robbins trying to help solve the murder. Maybe it does have something to do with Agnes’ death. I know this has been hard for you, Lucy, and I really want to thank you. I’m sure I’ll see you at the funeral tomorrow, and I hope you’ll come to the house afterwards.”
“When she was alive, I did whatever I could for Agnes, and tomorrow if she’s looking down from heaven to see who’s attending her funeral, I want to make sure she sees me.”
“I’m sure she will,” Kelly said.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention something else that’s been bothering me. Everyone knew that Agnes went out to the barn first thing in the morning to groom and feed Missy. If someone was intent on killing her that would be the easiest place to do it.”
“If everyone knew, you’re probably right.”
Lucy opened the door and turned back to Kelly. “Please do me a favor, and let your husband know his aunt saved my life. I don’t think I’d be here today if it weren’t for her.”
“I certainly will. Again, thanks for telling me all of this. Hopefully, we can make some use out of it. See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 17
Early that evening, after the last person had expressed their condolences and left, Mike closed the door and took a deep breath. “Kelly, I don’t know when I’ve been so tired, and we still have tomorrow to get through. I hope I can make it. I feel like I’m putting my feelings on hold, and I know that’s not healthy. What I’d really like to do is just get in bed and go to sleep. Real macho man, I am, huh?”
“Mike, this has to be one of the worst days of your life. If you want to go to bed and sleep, I’ll understand, but if not, why don’t you sit down, and I’ll get you a glass of wine. You can talk to me while I make dinner. I saw some jumbo pasta shells in the pantry that I can stuff. I’ll mix some of the different cheeses your aunt had in the refrigerator with some Italian sausage and some Italian herbs. A little marinara sauce, and I’ll be good to go. Your aunt has all the necessary ingredients, so it will be easy. Actually, I’ll be creating a new recipe. If it turns out the way I hope it will, the dish will probably show up on the menu at Kelly’s Koffee Shop.”
“That sounds wonderful. Kind of a cross between lasagna and manicotti. I’m all in.”
“Here’s your wine. I have a feeling something else is bothering you besides the death of your aunt. What’s the matter?”
He twirled the glass of wine in his hand for a long time and then slowly began to speak, “Kelly, you’ve been involved in solving other murder cases with me, and you know I’ve always told you to start with who has the most to gain when a person is murdered. Well, guess what? I have the most to gain by Aunt Agnes’ death, so that makes me a suspect. If it was my case, I’d probably put me at the top of the list. I’m really frustrated because I don’t know how I’m going to prove my innocence.”
“Mike I was with you until you found your aunt in the barn. You can’t be serious. Who would possibly think you did it?”
“Well for one, the police chief. Oh, he was nice enough about it, but I’m sure he has his doubts. If I were him, I would too.”
“Do you know the approximate time she was murdered?”
“No. That will be in the coroner’s report, and we’ll probably get it tomorrow or the next day. Why?”
“You were asleep in bed with me until you went downstairs to make coffee. You wouldn’t have had time to go out to the barn and murder your aunt. It couldn’t have happened during the night, because she was dressed in different clothes than what she was wearing the night before. It had to have happened early this morning.”
“That’s true, but people lie all the time to protect their spouses. I’m sure that’s what everyone would think if you provide an alibi for me.”
“I know you didn’t do it. I’ll just have to find out who did, so your name will be cleared.”
“Kelly, we’ve had this conversation too many times to repeat it. I don’t want you involved in trying to solve this case. I’ll find out who did it, not you. Would you promise me you won’t get involved?”
“Of course,” she said, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. “However, I do have some thoughts I’d like to share with you.”
“Somehow, I was sure you would. Shoot, and could you get me another glass of wine?”
“Here you be,” she said as she refilled his wine glass with a fresh crisp Chardonnay. “This is what I’m thinking. Your aunt told us about five people who she thought could have possibly sent those letters to her. I think all five of them would qualify as suspects. We just have to figure out which one did it.”
“That sounds a bit simplistic, sweetheart, don’t you think?”
“Let me finish. The letters were all handwritten. I think our best chance for solving this is to find out who wrote the letters. If it’s any one of the five, that’s a very good start.”
“I agree, but there’s one little problem.”
“What?”
“How do you intend to get a handwriting sample from each of them? I mean it’s not like you can just walk up to them and ask them for one. Actually, maybe it is a good idea. Jim Warren said Judge Lane had to sign off on the emergency papers to have me authorized to use my aunt’s bank account for paying the expenses of running the ranch. We could get a sample of her handwriting from that.”
“I haven’t had time to tell you that I met her today.”
He raised an eyebrow and quietly said, “Kelly, how in the devil did you just happen to meet one of the suspects in this case, and you’ve only been in town for twenty-four hours. You never fail to amaze me.”
She told him about her encounter with Judge Susan Lane at Betty’s Salon a few hours earlier and how interested the judge had been in wanting to know what Mike planned on doing with the ranch. She also told him about Betty, and how everyone thought Aunt Agnes was a multimillionaire and now Mike was too.
“You’ve got to be kidding about this multimillionaire stuff! Jim never specifically mentioned an amount. He told me he would get back to me as to what her investments
were worth on the date of her death.”
“Did you ask?”
“No. It never occurred to me. Believe me, I’m trying to deal with my aunt being murdered. The size of her financial holdings has not been in the forefront of my mind, and you know money has never been a motivating factor in my life. If it had been, I wouldn’t be the sheriff of a small rural county in Oregon. It isn’t the best paid profession around.”
“You might want to ask the attorney for some specific figures. If it’s true that she really was quite wealthy, you’re going to have to make even more decisions regarding what you’re going to do with everything.”
“I’ll call him in the morning, but I’m not sure how that would affect anything I’m doing. And if I’m considered a suspect, that would only be more of a reason for me to murder her. I can’t believe I even said ‘a reason for me to murder her.’ I’ve got to find the murderer and fast, before this gets out of hand.”
“Probably already is, Mike. Remember, this is a small town, and small towns love a scandal. You may have unwittingly provided one. Let’s have dinner, and we can continue this conversation while we eat.”
A half hour later Mike said, “Kelly, these stuffed pasta shells are delicious. You’re a miracle worker. I mean who else could go into a strange kitchen and create a gourmet meal without a recipe or buying anything, just using what’s on hand? Kudos, lady!”
“Thanks, now let’s get back to what’s important and that’s getting your name cleared as a suspect. We can get the judge’s handwriting from the legal papers. I was thinking maybe after the funeral I’d go to the art gallery that has your cousin’s art on display and ask if I could take some pictures of one of his pieces. I could always say I wanted to show it to someone before I bought it. His signature’s probably on it. That would take care of two of the five.”
“You may be on to something. I could go down to the old shack and see if Gary’s there. If he is I’ll tell him I want him off the property and ask him to sign something. I haven’t really thought it through, but if he’s not home, I could probably go in and see if I could find something that has his signature on it.”
“Do you think your aunt has a key to the shack?”
“If there’s a lock on the door, I think she would, but it was never locked when I used to come here.”
“That leaves the elusive developer and the rancher neighbor. Any thoughts on those two?”
“At the moment, no. We’ll just take care of one thing at a time. At some point that developer is going to have to get in touch with me if he still wants the property. Maybe I can do something then.”
He was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. He looked at his watch. “Little early for Julia and Brad, isn’t it?”
“Yes. She said they’d be really late and asked me what bedroom I wanted them in. She also asked if I would leave a key under the door mat and a couple of lights on.”
“I hope whoever it is doesn’t plan on staying very long. I’m exhausted,” he said walking over to the front door.
CHAPTER 18
“Who is it?” Mike asked, as the doorbell rang a second time.
“It’s John Wilson, your neighbor to the south.” Kelly looked at Mike and raised an eyebrow. She motioned to him that she was going in the kitchen. As she retreated into it, Mike opened the door.
“Please, come in, John. I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you?”
“I’m fine, but I wanted to personally stop by and offer my condolences. Your aunt and I may have had our differences, but no one would deny that she was a great lady, truly a formidable opponent.” He walked over to a chair in the living room and sat down.
“Mike, I won’t mince words. Your aunt may have told you I’ve been offering to buy her property for years. The drought has gotten so severe I’m having trouble getting enough water for my cattle. I’m sure you remember that your aunt and uncle dammed up the stream years ago, so they wouldn’t have to be reliant on the city for their water. At the time I had enough underground water on my property, and while I wasn’t very happy about it, it wasn’t a big deal. Now it’s become a big deal. I don’t know how much longer I can continue to run cattle on my ranch if I don’t get some water.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, John. I know the drought has affected a lot of farmers and ranchers in California. It’s even beginning to have an adverse effect on the economy.”
“You got that right. Like I said, I’m here to express my condolences, but I’m also here to ask you, no, to plead with you to sell the Robertson Ranch to me, or open the dam so my property can get some water. I can only hang on a few more months, but if I don’t find a new source of water, I’m going to have to sell my land to a developer who wants to buy it.”
“That’s interesting. My aunt mentioned that a developer had been trying to buy her property and put a golf course on it. She said he was even talking about making this house into a boutique hotel. I wonder if it’s the same developer.”
“Probably is. It’s some corporation based in San Francisco. I’ve met with the developer, and he told me his company wanted to put a large spa and hotel on my ranch. It might fit in with the golf course theme they want to build on your aunt’s property.”
“John, I’m sorry about your cattle, but I’m in no position to make any decisions for a few days. Right now I’m dealing with my aunt’s death, and that’s my priority. If you’re interested in making an offer on this property, I’d be happy to look at it, but again, I can’t make any promises. Tell you what. Our families go back a long way. Why don’t you hand write an offer and give it to me. I’ll sit on it for a few days and make a decision then. Would that work for you?”
“Yes, that’s very fair. I’ll bring it to you first thing in the morning. Thanks for listening to me, and I hope we can do business one way or another.” The big suntanned rancher in the red checked shirt stood up and held out his hand. “Our great-grandparents worked together. I’d like to think we could do the same.”
Mike shook his hand and said, “At this point, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve been hit with a lot in the last twenty-four hours, and I need to take some time and think about all of this. I hope you understand.”
“I do, and I hope you understand how serious the water issue is to me and my cattle, not to mention my family. I don’t want to be the one whose legacy it was to have to sell the family ranch that had been in the family for over a century, because I couldn’t find a way to get water for the cattle.”
“I understand, and I’ll look forward to receiving your offer in the morning. Thank you for coming by.” Mike closed the door behind John and walked into the kitchen where Kelly had been listening to the conversation.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked.
“I think it was positively brilliant of you to get him to write out the offer. One by one, we’re getting the handwriting samples we need.”
“I have a hard time thinking of John as a suspect, and yet he certainly has a motive, actually a very powerful one. The family ranch will have to be sold if he doesn’t get water for his cattle, and he knew my aunt was never going to sell it nor was she going to release the water from the dam. Now that I’m the owner of the property, maybe he thinks he stands a better chance of convincing me. I’ll be curious to see what he offers me, because I have no idea what ranch property like this is worth.”
“Mike, enough thinking for tonight. You need to get some sleep. Julia, Brad, and your two step granddaughters will be here when you wake up. That means there will be a lot of energy and activity in the house tomorrow, plus we have the funeral and probably half the town coming here afterwards. Time for bed. I know your mind is spinning, but as tired as you are, I’m sure you’ll fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow. Go on up. I’m going to write a note to Julia and I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
She watched him as he trudged up the stairs – the weight of the world on his shoulders. A tear slid down her cheek. She
let the dogs out for a few minutes and then the four of them went up the stairs to the bedroom. Just as she had predicted, Mike was in bed and already sound asleep.
I wish there was something I could do for him. He’s such a good man. He doesn’t deserve this. I’ve got to find the murderer. That will be one less thing he’ll have to worry about. Sleep well, Sheriff Mike. I love you.
CHAPTER 19
The next morning as the sun began to peek through their bedroom window, Kelly rolled over and looked at Mike. His eyes were wide open. “Honey, did you get any sleep last night?”
“Yeah, but I woke up about 3:00 a.m., and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I kept thinking about what I could do to clear my name and find out who killed Aunt Agnes. I remembered that Gary, the guy who lives in the shack, drives a motorcycle. I actually saw him riding it when I was at Ralph’s gas station the other day. I haven’t heard his motorcycle since we arrived here at the ranch. I wonder if he’s moved out. I’m going down to the shack this morning after I have some coffee and see what I can find out.”
“You’re right. It has been very quiet the last two nights, and your aunt said she often heard screaming and people’s voices late at night. She was sure the sounds were coming from his shack. Maybe he has moved out. Why don’t you take Brad with you? Wouldn’t hurt to have someone with you in case he’s there and resistant to your request that he move out of the shack.”
“You’re probably right. Let’s get dressed and go downstairs. I can’t wait to see my new family.”
When Mike married Kelly he’d been warmly embraced by her two adult children, Cash and Julia. When Julia married Brad, Mike’s new family increased to include a step son-in-law and two step granddaughters. He had never had children of his own and thoroughly enjoyed his new role.
Murder in Calico Gold: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Page 7