Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 05 - Treasure in Tawas

by Madison Johns

  I glared at him, but El made me walk past. “It’s not worth it, Aggie. That kid is not about to quit anytime soon, and nothing you can say is gonna change that.”

  “Who is that?” Andrew asked.

  I informed Andrew that Chuck was the person responsible for the tabloid in town and for sparking folks to search all over town for the elusive treasure.”

  “He looks young.”

  “He is. He’s sixteen, and runs the whole operation from his parents’ basement. I tried to get him to quit publishing that rag magazine, but, apparently, he decided not to heed my warning.”

  Andrew laughed. “What’d you do, threaten the kid?”

  “Kinda. It seems he’s banned from having a computer until he’s eighteen, but he was in the possession of more than one.”

  “It had something to do with him hacking into government computers,” El added.

  “Maybe I should make a few phone calls and shut him down for good,” Andrew suggested.

  I raised a brow at that. “I’m not sure it would be of much good now. It’s too late, now that the major news crews came to East Tawas. The story has already taken on a life of its own, I’m afraid.”

  “If you change your mind, let me know. I have friends—”

  “Who are well-connected. No need to remind me of that.”

  He frowned and said, “I was going to say, who know how to shut down a computer network without being detected.”

  El’s eyes widened. “Like a magnetic gizmo?”

  “Sort of, but I’m surprised the kid hasn’t been shut down already. Just because he wasn’t permanently incarcerated doesn’t mean the government isn’t watching his activities.”

  He left in his LX, after we agreed to meet in the hospital parking lot. He insisted on dropping by the gift shop, where he bought a pink stuffed dog for the baby and roses for Sophia. When we entered Sophia’s room, she was fast asleep, but Trooper Sales sat in a nearby chair and cradled the baby in his arms. His face lit up when he saw us. “Look who’s here, Andrea Agnes,” Sales said to his daughter. “It’s your great-grandma and your godmother, Eleanor.”

  Tears dotted my eyes. “You gave the baby my name as her middle name? That was so kind of you.”

  “Well, if it weren’t for you, Sophia wouldn’t be here at all, and neither would the baby. I can’t thank you enough for being there when Sophia needed you.”

  “Andrew suggested I stop by and check on Sophia, so I give him full credit.”

  “Give yourself some credit, Aggie,” Andrew said. “You were the one who delivered the baby.”

  “El and I both did, you mean,” I added, wanting to give El the credit she deserved. “I’d never have been able to do it without El.”

  “Do you really mean it, Bill? You really want me to be the godmother?” El asked.

  He nodded, and El whisked the sleeping baby from his arms and patted her on the back. Baby Andrea let out a burp, and we all laughed.

  “See, you have the touch,” Sales said. Baby Andrea had a headful of curly black hair, and her skin was all aglow with pink folds. “She weighs eight pounds and is nineteen inches long,” Sales informed us. “I really didn’t know I could love someone so much before I even met her,” he said with pride.

  We each took our turn holding the baby, and before we left, I gave Sophia a peck on the cheek. I was sorry I had missed Martha, who had left right before we arrived.

  I gave Andrew a smooch in the parking lot, and then we parted ways, promising to see each other soon. It was strange how different things were between us, but we needed to gradually come to terms with what the other person wanted. Only then would we be able to strengthen our relationship. I could see that tonight had been good for all of us. There were now more in the family to love.

  ***

  In the morning, my door popped open, and Martha stood there with a huge grin on her face. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Martha asked.

  “Who? Oh, you mean your granddaughter?”

  Martha handed me a cup of coffee fixed just right. “Yes. It’s so weird to me, though. I guess I just never thought of myself as a grandma, but now, it’s just so wonderful. I went to Walmart last night and bought the baby a ton of clothes.”

  “I hope in different sizes.”

  “You’re so much better at this than I am. It’s been a long time since I had a baby. I completely forgot about that part.”

  I drank my coffee in the bathroom before I hopped in the shower. And as the water pounded down on my weary body, all I could think about was how proud I was of Martha. She had really made a complete turnaround. After I dried off, I pulled on my white cropped pants and red tee, then wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast.

  “I hope you plan to eat more than that, Miss Agnes,” Anna said. “With the schedule you and Eleanor keep, you’ll drop off, for sure.”

  I had gotten used to having Anna around, and she was such a great cook. Her cheeks had a hint of a sunburn now, but otherwise, she looked every inch a beauty. How she managed to cook with a bum arm was beyond me, though. She still wore a cast and had a blue sling around her neck to help support it.

  “I appreciate you helping us out and all, but I hope you aren’t taking on too much. You need to rest your arm more.”

  “I’m fine, and if you must know, Eleanor helped me out this morning. She was up before the birds today.”

  I spotted Eleanor on the patio, and I went out there to greet her, carrying a plate that Anna had filled with sausage and scrambled eggs. Mr. Wilson was with her. “Hello, Wilson. When did you get here?”

  “I stopped by to see Eleanor before you two headed out for the day.”

  Eleanor began crying and showed me a nice-sized diamond on her finger. “We’re engaged,” she announced. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

  I was shell-shocked. I hadn’t expected this turn of events. I felt a pain in my heart, secretly wishing that Andrew had popped the question, but I was so happy for Eleanor that I gave her a huge bear hug. I just don’t know what’s the matter with me. One minute I tell myself I never want to marry Andrew, and the next, I do. The problem is that Andrew has to accept me for who I am and that includes my investigative activities with Eleanor.

  “I can’t breathe,” El said, tears glistening on her lashes.

  I let her go and shook Wilson’s hand. “It’s about time someone made an honest woman out of El.”

  “I don’t think I like the sound of that,” El said with a snicker. “I’m so surprised. Millicent will be here later. Were we planning to go anywhere today?”

  I eased myself into a cushioned chair. “I hadn’t thought about it yet, but since we don’t know where Timothy is holed up, I suppose we can relax today.”

  “Timothy? Who is Timothy?” Wilson asked. His grey cheeks had a hint of pink to them, and it made my heart swell even more for El. He was obviously as happy as she was.

  “He’s Mildred’s son, and did you know he held Elsie Bradford hostage?”

  Wilson’s eyes went wild as he said, “You don’t say. I oughta hunt that boy down and show him who’s boss.”

  I snickered to myself. I just couldn’t envision decrepit old Wilson being able to do that. He was frail as could be. As it was, he needed to use a rolling walker.

  “He stole all of Elsie’s jewelry, too,” El added.

  “He’s just moved up to numero uno on the wanted list in my book.” Wilson’s grey eyes locked with mine. “So what are you gals gonna do about it?”

  “I just don’t know where to look for him—that’s the thing,” I said honestly.

  “A man like that can’t be far. Have you checked the motels in town?”

  My shoulders sank. “There are so many, though.”

  “Those don’t sound like fighting words, old girl,” Wilson told me. “As God is my witness, I have never known you two to be so doggone complacent about investigating all leads.”

  “I’m—we’re not.”

  “You’
re right, sweetie,” El said with a smile. “Aggie, we better get moving. Daylight is a wastin’.”

  “I’ll wait here if you don’t mind, though,” Wilson said with a yawn. “I’m ready for a nap.”

  And that’s how it went. Wilson came up with a plan of attack, but yet again, El and I were expected to do our part and, hopefully, save the day.

  El showed Wilson to her room and returned to the dining room table, where I was going through the phone book and making calls.

  “Agnes, that’s no good. We need to stop by and check out the motels ourselves. What we need is a picture of Timothy to show the managers. He’s probably using some kind of phony identification.”

  “It’s not like he’s an international spy, El, but maybe Elsie has a picture we could have.”

  I called the hospital, and as it happened, one of my granddaughter’s friends, Sarah, answered the phone and told me Elsie had just been released. She broke every privacy law there was, but since Elsie wasn’t currently a patient, it was less a violation as far as I was concerned—and it’s not like I’d tell a soul.

  When we got to Elsie’s house, she greeted us at the door with a shotgun leveled at our heads, until she saw it was us. Then she lowered it. “Careful, girls, I’m kinda trigger happy,” she informed us.

  “I can’t say I blame you, but I’m glad you didn’t take our heads off.” I laughed nervously.

  She made her way inside with us trailing after her. “What’s up, girls?”

  No sense in stalling, so I just went ahead and asked Elsie what we needed to know. “Do you happen to have a picture of Timothy? We were planning to check out the motels in town to see if he recently checked into any of them.”

  “I think I know where he’s holed up. Smith Pine Haven Beach Resort. He’s a friend of the owner’s grandson, or so he blabbered on about. I half expected him to show up to finish the job.”

  “You surely don’t mean he’d kill you, Elsie?”

  “Well, if you girls hadn’t showed up, I’d be a goner for sure.” She took a sip of her lemonade and added, “I told him I needed my oxygen and I was diabetic, but he didn’t care. I think he hoped I would succumb to a diabetic coma so that way he wouldn’t have to kill me directly.”

  “So, you don’t think he had nerve enough to kill you outright?”

  “No, but I guess it wouldn’t have mattered if you two hadn’t showed up. I’m so worried that he’ll come back. I just hope he doesn’t take me unaware while I’m sleeping. I’m a real deep sleeper, and I’d be a goner for sure.”

  “I imagine he figured that someone has discovered you by now and alerted the police. Plus, I spotted a deputy’s car out front. They’re keeping an eye on you.”

  Elsie shuddered. “I just won’t feel safe until he’s behind bars, I tell you.”

  “Thanks for the tip, and we’ll be sure to check it out straightaway. I’ll call you when we find out if he’s there. Okay?”

  Elsie gave me a hug and thanked El, too. It was up to us now to not only find Timothy, but also to make damn sure that he wouldn’t be able to accost Elsie again. I was convinced that Timothy was a danger, not only to Elsie, but to anyone he’d come in contact with.

  El and I left, and as I drove into East Tawas, I said, “Elsie sure seemed rattled.”

  “I can’t say I blame her,” El replied. “I hope I don’t have to gun the man down. If he tries to hurt one of us, that is.”

  “Maybe he’ll listen to reason.”

  “That’s what I love about you, Aggie. You always look on the bright side. I’m almost convinced that he killed his mother, but I’m just not understanding why he’d do such a thing.”

  “I’m with you there. It’s also unclear if he’s involved in the treasure hunting scam or even why he’d take part in such a ruse.”

  El shot me a look. “What do you mean, take part? You make is sound like you believe there are others involved in the diabolical treasure hunting plan.”

  “That’s exactly what I think, but hopefully Timothy will divulge more pertinent information related to the case. I have never fully understood if the treasure has anything to do with Mildred’s murder. Is Timothy cold-blooded enough to be involved with the death of his own mother? Mildred wasn’t the nicest woman, but surely she wasn’t a monster of a mother, either. I’m sure she loved her son. I mean, what mother wouldn’t love her own son?”

  “That’s true, Aggie. I love my son even though he doesn’t have a thing to do with me.”

  I wanted to hug El right now, but just then, we approached our destination.

  Smith’s Pine Haven Beach Resort consisted of one and two-bedroom lakeside cottages with knotty pine that were available for nightly or weekly rates.

  I parked in the gravel drive, and we made our way into the office. The young woman manning the receptionist desk snapped her bubblegum until I gave her a cross look. Finally, she casually took the gum from her mouth and deposited it into a nearby trashcan. “How can I help you?” she asked, smoothing her brunette hair. Her china doll features brightened as she smiled.

  I handed her a picture. “We’re looking for this man. He’s a suspect in a kidnapping in East Tawas.”

  Her eyes widened at that. “Oh, really?” She then gave us a curious look. “Isn’t that a job for the cops? You’re both a little old to still be working, aren’t you?”

  El narrowed her eyes. “We’re private investigators, if you need to know. Are you going to help us or not?” she bit out.

  “I was hoping I could talk to this Timothy before things got out of hand,” I said. “If I feel it can’t be handled by us, I’ll call the sheriff straightaway.”

  “I’ll take you over there, but I really think the sheriff should be involved.” She came around the counter, and we followed her out the door to the last cabin, which was located closest to Tawas Bay. She rapped on the door, and as we waited, the young lady fidgeted nervously. Five minutes later—and a few more raps—it was obvious that Timothy wasn’t going to answer the door, or was somehow unable to.

  “Can’t you open the door, please? I’m wondering if the man might be in trouble medically. I heard he’s a diabetic,” I lied. Whatever it took to get inside was worth it to me at this point.

  She sighed. “Oh, why not.” She rattled the keys as she opened the door and there—in the middle of the room—was the body of Mildred’s son, Timothy.

  The girl screamed and ran back toward the office. I pulled out my cell and dialed 911, while El and I walked into the room. Timothy’s head had a huge puddle of blood underneath it, and although I searched for a weapon, there wasn’t one in the vicinity. “This certainly is a strange turn of events,” I said.

  “So much for questioning him,” El added. “This looks just like the scene at the Butler Mansion when Mildred was found dead.”

  “How right you are. I now wonder if the same person who killed Mildred also killed Timothy.”

  “Oh, so you don’t believe that Timothy killed Mildred now?”

  “I don’t know if I ever believed that for sure. It was more of a scenario, really, but we might have been wrong about that one. It’s clear to me now that someone else is involved, but who?”

  El and I froze at the sound of sirens. Trooper Sales was first through the door, his eyes wide and accusing when he spotted us. “What happened here?”

  “We came to question Timothy and turn him in to the police afterward, but he was already dead when we got here,” I informed Sales.

  Sheriff Peterson came through the door next. “Well, this sure puts an end to the kidnapping investigation.”

  Sales looked confused until Peterson informed him about the kidnapping of Elsie Bradford and how we found her. “Why did you two show up here, anyway?”

  “Elsie told us to look here.” When the sheriff’s eyes darkened, I quickly added, “She must have forgotten to mention to the sheriff where Timothy might have been holed up.”

  “She happened to be unconscious, and by
the time I was informed she was awake, the hospital had already released her,” Peterson clarified. “Heads are gonna roll over that one, I tell you.”

  “You should have called me,” Sales told Peterson.

  “You were a little busy last night, weren’t you? I understand congratulations are in order, Sales.”

  “Thanks, but this isn’t the time. Since I was already at the hospital, I’d have been the perfect person to question Elsie when she woke up.”

  “That’s not really the point, now,” I said. “All of Elsie’s jewelry was stolen. It might be a good idea to see if it’s here.”

  Sales checked Timothy’s pulse, even though I was quite positive he was quite dead way before we had arrived. Peterson donned gloves and rummaged through drawers and luggage until he finally said, “If he had any jewelry, it’s long gone now.”

  “I wonder if whoever killed Mildred also killed Timothy?”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Peterson said. “That way you two would be in the clear.”

  “Oh, and weren’t you two supposed to make a determination about that? And Mildred’s time of death was… ”

  “A few hours before we found El and you at the Butler Mansion,” Peterson said. “But that doesn’t mean that—”

  “They’re innocent,” Sales interrupted. “No way would their clothing be free of bloodstains if they had killed Mildred.”

  I would have smiled, but the sheriff nodded in agreement. “It was only a matter of time before we officially cleared the two of you, but it’s not like I didn’t want to earlier. I just needed to be sure, and Sales and I still hadn’t discussed the case. You two are damn lucky we believe your half-baked story. I know full well neither of you would resort to murdering anyone, even if they were your sworn enemy.”

  That brought a smile to my lips. “Thanks, Sheriff. I think.”

  “So, who would kill Timothy?” El asked. “I’d question Mel Pifton, if I were you. Timothy and Mel seemed at odds at the funeral home, but it was unclear if it was a put-on or not.”