Mysteries of Holt House - A Mystery

by Marja McGraw

  “Why? You don’t want a gun around the house, do you?”

  “No, but I like J.T. Try not to upset him.”

  “Upset him? Kelly, we’ve got a killer running loose, and not too many suspects. You’ve got to forget about people’s feelings for a while. Consider this. We’ve got Ted Fernley, J.T. and David as suspects. Of course, it couldn’t be Marion or Marjorie Banks. They weren’t here when Richard was murdered, and Marjorie didn’t even live here when Ruth died. And if you get right down to it, you’ve also got me, Mike, Lucy and Sharon to pick from. There’s also the possibility of someone we haven’t even thought of yet. Someone knows this house quite well. Well enough to hide out in the passages and slip notes into your room, and well enough to slip into the rooms and pilfer little things. Don’t forget he’s been taking things, too.”

  “You know I don’t suspect any of you,” I said.

  “It doesn’t matter who you suspect. The fact is, other than Sharon, you don’t really know any of us that well.”

  “Yes, but – ”

  “No buts. You’re the one in danger here. Wise up and do it fast, before anything else happens.”

  He scared me, which I supposed was his intent. All of a sudden I realized that Sharon was the only person I could trust completely. Thankfully, I finished most of my breakfast before I lost my appetite. I’d never considered there could be someone in the house we weren’t aware of. It was stupidity on my part. I knew someone had been keeping the house and grounds up, even before I moved in. And, of course, someone could hide in the passages. Why hadn’t I taken these things seriously? I’d just been sitting around, fat, dumb and happy, so to speak, never thinking things through. The thought of a pillow case being pulled over my head caused a chill to run down my back. Had I actually been that close to a killer?

  I frowned. “Thanks for brightening my day, Josh.”

  “Sorry, kiddo, but facts are facts.”

  “It’s Christmas Day. Do me a favor and drop the whole thing for the rest of today. Please,” I begged.

  Lucy stepped toward the table. “She’s right, Joshua. Give it a rest.”

  He pushed his chair back and stood, looking disgusted. “Sure.” He left the room.

  “I do believe he’s a little ticked off,” Lucy said.

  “I don’t care. He’ll get over it, and I don’t want today to be ruined.” I said a silent prayer that Christmas would be the bad guy’s day off.

  Lucy smiled and changed the subject. “I don’t care either. By the way, what’d you get me for Christmas?”

  “Absolutely nothing. I figure working here is all the gift you need.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t get you anything either.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Josh quickly got over his frustration with Lucy and me, returning to the kitchen to apologize for leaving in such a huff.

  “Sorry, girls,” he said. “You’re right, it’s Christmas Day, not a day to start anything.”

  “Good for you, Josh,” I said.

  “Although I still think I should talk to J.T. as soon as possible,” he added.

  “Have either of you seen Sharon?” I asked.

  Lucy ran hot water over my plate. “She and David drove into town early this morning. I think they went to church for a Christmas morning service”

  “It’s so quiet. Where’s everyone else?” I couldn’t hear anyone talking or making noise.

  “Out and around,” Lucy said. “Ted drove into town, J.T. took a large sack and headed toward the garage, asking not to be disturbed. He said it had something to do with tonight’s celebration. And I don’t know where Mike is. His car’s gone.”

  “A large sack?” Josh had zeroed in on the comment about J.T.

  “Yes, a large sack,” Lucy said, sounding irritated. “He was smiling and humming a tune, and no, I don’t think he went out there to target practice in the hopes he can shoot us all this afternoon. Will you relax?”

  “I’ll relax when we know what’s going on,” Josh snapped.

  “Oh, brother,” Lucy said. She turned her back on him and, changing the subject, turned to me and said, “How are you feeling, dear?”

  I opened my mouth but Josh cut me off.

  “Okay, I’ll let it go for the moment.” He stormed out of the kitchen, heading for the living room.

  “Hmm. Well, at the risk of being boring,” I said, watching Josh’s retreat, “I think I’ll go lie down again. I want to be in good shape for tonight. Maybe while I’m gone you two can work this out.”

  “You don’t seem to be coughing quite as much as you were,” Lucy said.

  “That cough medicine is great stuff, but it makes me sleepy. See you later.”

  I returned to my room to lie down, but I didn’t sleep. I thought over everything that had happened, trying to put it all together. No matter how I analyzed the facts, nothing made sense.

  Feeling frustrated and restless, I finally couldn’t stand it any longer, so I headed for the library in search of a book, hoping that reading would help me get to sleep. I’d done pretty well with my choice of books at the secondhand store, and there were several I hadn’t read.

  Josh and Lucy were sitting at the kitchen table when I passed through. It appeared that they had resolved their differences. I absentmindedly waved a hand at them and continued on to the library where I perused the titles, trying to find something appealing.

  “Oh!” I said to myself, pulling a book off the shelf. It was titled Famous Quotations. I felt as though the floor was falling out from under me. I knew this wasn’t one of the books I’d bought, and it had been placed in an inconspicuous space, apparently with the hope it wouldn’t be seen. But why not hide it somewhere? Maybe it had been placed on the shelf on purpose, as a teaser. I opened the book with trembling hands, not knowing what to expect, but my senses were telling me I’d most certainly find something of interest.

  It was inside the front cover.

  “Amelia,

  On the occasion of our Tenth Anniversary, I give you this gift. With your love of quotations, I know this book will bring you hours of enjoyment. I love you, darling.

  George”

  The only books I’d seen that belonged to the Holts’ were the business journals. None of their literary books had been left at the house. How could this particular book have surfaced like this? Amelia’s book of quotations made me feel vulnerable by its mere presence. I knew instinctively this was no longer just your average, everyday killer we were dealing with. He’d been involved in Amelia’s life in some way, and he seemed to be mistaking me for Amelia.

  I flipped through the book, looking to see if anything would give me a clue. There were several quotations underlined, and I spotted the one I received in one of the notes, about woman being man’s game. Had Amelia underlined it, or had the killer done it? I shoved the book back into its space, afraid to look any further, not wanting to touch it. I turned abruptly and left the room, going to watch out the front window, willing Mike’s return.

  No, I thought. I’m not going to tell him today. It can wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to ruin the day by bringing up the notes, or any of the rest of it.

  Returning to my room I tried to rest, but all I could do was stare at the ceiling. I had an almost uncontrollable urge to cry, due partly to illness, partly to frustration, and partly to fear. After a few minutes of feeling sorry for myself, my gloom turned to anger. I wanted to fight back, but I didn’t know how.

  Someone knocked on my door and I jumped up.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “Lucy.”

  “Come in.”

  “Sharon and David are back,” she said. “They said they saw Mike on the road and he’s on his way home, too. Ted is back and J.T. came in a few minutes ago. I thought we’d have an early dinner, if that’s okay. You wanna get up now?”

  “How long have I been in here?” I asked.

  “About an hour. Did you finally get some sleep?”

/>   “No, but I feel okay.” A deep, dry cough made a liar out of me. “Well, I feel better than I did, anyway. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.” She gently closed the door behind her when she left.

  I got up and ran a brush through my hair, freshened my make-up and got out a dress. I decided to chuck my jeans for the day. After all, it was Christmas. I still had plenty of good dresses and shoes left from when I worked for the law firm.

  Sometimes I missed my job as a legal secretary, and this was one of those days, but then I remembered the stress, the frustration, and the ever constant flow of rush projects, and those thoughts reaffirmed that I made the right decision in leaving the job. What did I have now? Stress and frustration, but they were a different kind and would eventually go away – I hoped.

  I picked out a tight-fitting pastel green dress – I’d gained a few pounds since leaving the job – and beige shoes. The bodice was loose and pleated, hanging over the tight skirt. I looked in the mirror and felt satisfied, so I joined the others.

  Entering the room, I noticed Mike looking at me with approval and admiration in his eyes.

  “Well, I’ll be,” J.T. said. “Under those jeans there was a real lady hiding out.”

  I was embarrassed by his remark and immediately decided to change my recent dress habits.

  “Kelly,” he said, noticing the expression on my face, “that was meant as a compliment.”

  “I know. Thank you.”

  “If you’ll all take a seat, I’ll serve dinner,” Lucy said.

  J.T. and Ted looked at each other, and J.T. took Lucy by the elbow and led her to the table.

  “Mrs. Daley,” Ted said, “J.T. and I have a Christmas present for you. Sit down. We’re going to serve you for a change.”

  “But – ”

  “No arguments,” J.T. interrupted. “Okay, you may have cooked the meal, but we’re serving it.”

  “Lucy, sit. And Merry Christmas,” I added, getting into the swing of things. I hadn’t known the men were going to do this, but it touched me that they’d thought of it.

  I was awed by the fact that Ted was taking part in this, and extremely pleased. J.T. was right when he said we were almost like a family.

  Josh made a point of pulling out the chair next to him for Lucy, and David and Sharon sat together at the far end of the table. Mike sat next to me and gave my hand a squeeze under the table.

  We were all turkeyed out after our Thanksgiving meal, so Lucy and I had decided on ham for this occasion. Along with the ham we had green beans in mushroom sauce, scalloped potatoes, stuffed celery, deviled eggs and other side dishes. After J.T. and Ted finished serving, they sat down and joined us. It was a delicious meal. When we finished eating, J.T. and Ted cleared the dishes while the rest of us retired to the living room.

  “I could get used to this very easily,” Lucy said, leaning back and relaxing. “Yes, like J.T. said, I may have cooked the meal, but they’re doing the hard part – the cleanup.”

  “Dinner was delicious,” I said, reaching over to pat Lucy on the back.

  “Thanks. Poor J.T. looks like he’s ready to burst. He outdid himself this time. I’ve never seen him eat that much before.”

  I excused myself after a while so I could take another pill and some cough syrup. The kitchen was clean, and J.T. and Ted were missing. I returned to the living room just in time to see them enter the house, covered with snow.

  “Hi there,” J.T. said, barely able to hide a smile. “Guess what? It’s snowing again.” He looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. He was up to something.

  “So I see,” Mike said.

  “I think we ought to open our gifts now.” J.T. reminded me of a small child, his eyes bright and excited.

  “Okay,” I said, laughing. “Who wants to pass them out, as if I didn’t know?”

  “I will,” J.T. volunteered.

  We’d brought Jem inside and he sat quietly by my knee, looking like he was afraid we’d put him back outside. He was so quiet that he made me wonder if hoped we wouldn’t notice his presence.

  Sharon loved the necklace I gave her, but I couldn’t understand why she laughed until I opened my present from her and discovered, what else, a necklace. I joined in the laughter, and we each put on our necklace. Mine had a small gold key hanging from the chain.

  “It’s a keepsake to remind you of your boarding house,” Sharon explained.

  Lucy had crocheted afghans for Sharon and me. I wondered where she’d found the time. They were multi-colored and beautiful.

  When she opened her music box she was speechless for a moment. “You girls are really something. Thank you!”

  “Hold it,” J.T. said, interrupting the gift exchange. “I can’t wait any longer.” He motioned for Ted to follow him.

  We were all quiet, not knowing what to expect. I glanced at Josh. His jaws were tight and he was sitting forward in his chair. Mike looked like he was ready to jump up and run after the two men. I placed a restraining hand on his arm. J.T. and Ted hurried out the front door, returning with a large box.

  “This is from me to all of you,” J.T. said. “I had to assemble it myself this morning.” He sounded so proud of himself. They set the box on the floor and Ted helped J.T. lift out a large wooden case with a country scene carved on the lid.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  J.T. sat it on its end and opened the lid.

  “It should be attached to a wall,” he said. “It’s a game board. See the target inside? I’ve got the dart guns upstairs. Or you can throw the darts if you prefer.”

  I laughed and coughed. Dart guns. I felt a surge of relief flow through me, and glanced at Mike and Josh to see their reaction. They looked relieved, and Josh actually began to laugh. I was glad I’d talked him into waiting for his discussion with J.T.

  “That’s got to be the best gift ever,” I said, meaning every word.

  “I’ll put it up tomorrow,” Mike offered.

  “I’ll help,” Josh volunteered.

  “I didn’t think you guys would be this excited,” J.T. said, “but I’m sure glad you all like it. I went into town to buy it, and there you were, Kelly, parked right outside the store. I tried to act like I didn’t see you.”

  I laughed before we opened the remaining gifts.

  Ted and J.T. seemed to be pleased with the books I’d bought them, and Josh grinned from ear to ear as he studied his seascape.

  Mike opened the two presents I’d bought for him. “These are great! You gave me things I really wanted. No one has ever thought to give me anything related to my coin collection before. Thanks.” He was grinning from ear to ear, and I was exhilarated.

  I opened Mike’s gift last. It was a beautiful ski sweater, blue with a stripe of Indian design around the neck and down the sleeves.

  “There’s a second part to that present,” he said, “but you can’t have it until you’re feeling better.”

  “A second part?”

  “A ski trip. I’ve made plans for us to go to Aspen.”

  “Oh, Mike, that’s wonderful,” I said. “I don’t know what to say.”

  I heard Sharon make a strangled noise behind me and turned to see what was wrong. Her cheeks were rosy and she was crying. David was hugging her, and I could see a small jewelry box in her hand.

  David took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. I began to cry right along with her.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mike asked.

  “”My best friend just got engaged.” I was surprised he even had to ask, but then he was a man. “What a Christmas gift!”

  “Are you hinting?” he asked.

  “Of course not. Men!”

  “Women!” he said, grinning.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  It turned out to be one of the best Christmases I could remember, even with the black cloud which seemed to be hanging over all of our heads.

  I went to the kitchen to refill the small punch
bowl, and said a silent prayer while I was there, giving thanks for the day and adding a couple of requests regarding Mike. I couldn’t help myself after seeing Sharon’s ring.

  We finally broke things up around ten o’clock. My medication seemed to be working, since I didn’t feel as tired as I’d thought I would. Sharon and David remained in the living room talking, while everyone else went their own way. Josh and Lucy retired to the kitchen to relax with a cup of coffee, and Mike said he’d meet me in my room in ten minutes.

  I took my gifts to my room with me, setting them on my bed. Ted had given each of us a box of candy, and I set the box on my dresser before I turned toward my bed. I slowly turned back to the dresser, realizing something was wrong. Although I shouldn’t have been, I was startled to see another note.

  Not tonight, of all nights, I thought. You have to ruin Christmas, too?

  I picked it up and read:

  “Amelia,

  Did you enjoy your Christmas? I hope so, because it could be your last. ‘I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying I cannot forgive.’

  Henry Ward Beecher

  Life Thoughts

  I cannot forgive you, Amelia. Sleep well.”

  Mike knocked on the door and walked in when I didn’t answer.

  “Now what?” he asked, when he saw the look on my face.

  “Read this!” I shoved the note into his hand and coughed.

  “That’s it. Come on, we’re going to see Josh.” He took hold of my hand and pulled me along, none too gently, not giving me any choice in the matter. “No more fooling around.”

  Josh and Lucy were still in the kitchen. He showed Josh the note and Lucy read it along with him.

  “Who came out to the kitchen tonight while we were in the living room? Anyone remember?” Mike asked.

  “Well, of course Ted and J.T. were out here doing the dishes,” Lucy said.

  “I remember Ted coming later for a glass of water,” I added.

  “I came in here myself,” Josh said. “I snacked on some of the leftovers.”