“Oh, do you?” said Charlie.
“Yup. That definitely annoyed him. I’m not going to lie and say it wouldn’t have been easier for him if another male detective had solved it. He’s chauvinistic like that. My wife said so,” he added.
“Then it really can’t happen again. I’ll respect your desire to keep relevant information from me,” she said.
Craig’s mouth worked. “I’m not keeping it from the police, though. Those people who are actually investigating the case.”
“Yes, but your brother is related to a suspect,” said Charlie.
I flinched, but Craig didn’t look bothered by the fact that Charlie had just implied he was capable of murder.
“All right, we should get going. Thanks for showing us around,” said Greer.
“Anytime. Just don’t tell my brother if you can avoid it. He doesn’t trust reporters,” said Craig.
“Or women,” Charlie added with a smile.
Craig winced. “He’s a big believer in women. I just think it’s from his playground days, this business of not wanting to get beat by a girl.”
After we left we walked in silence for a time. Right before we got back to the cottages Charlie said, “I still think he might have done it.”
“He seemed awfully convinced that he didn’t,” said Greer.
“I don’t care. He still might have. He was altogether too pleasant,” said Charlie.
“Nice people are murderers deep down?” Jasper asked.
“It’s a theory,” Charlie answered.
“I’ll remember that,” he said.
Charlie turned around as we walked along. “We need to know who this Burke guy was. We need more articles about his disappearance.”
When we reached the cottages, Liam and Hansen were inside, Liam lounging on a chair and Hansen reading. When Charlie walked in he looked up and said, “Found articles about Burke. Want to take a look?”
Charlie grinned. “I thought you’d never ask!”
She went to him and read over his shoulder. While the reporters were conspiring, Liam swung himself around on his chair and said, “This wedding just got a whole lot more exciting. I thought dragging a bunch of city folk out to the boonies was bad enough, but now they’ve found a skeleton. Do you know who did it?”
“Not yet, but we’re working on it,” said Charlie.
Chapter Sixteen
“What does it say about Burke?” I asked.
“It says he worked here as a handyman, on and off for nearly ten years. He really cared about the place but always wanted to travel. He didn’t have much family and he loved the outdoors. Everyone liked him. That’s about it. He played the tuba on weekends,” said Hansen.
“Has anyone heard from Deacon?” Greer asked, looking sadly toward his corner of the cottage.
“No, but he should be back soon. It’s been a while,” said Jasper.
As if he’d been called on the wind, the door opened and there was Deacon. He went right over to Greer and laid his head on her shoulder. She affectionately rubbed his back and he groaned into her shoulder. “It’s been such a long afternoon.”
“Ours has been a lovely afternoon. We put our trust in Charlie and we didn’t die, so I too think it was a long afternoon,” said Greer.
“I’ve never put you in harm’s way. Except for that one time,” Charlie said thoughtfully.
Hansen turned toward the cottage window and tried to stop laughing.
“Why was it such a long afternoon?” I asked.
Deacon shook his head. “The wedding party was freaking out about the skeleton. You’d think this was a special weekend where they didn’t want anything to go wrong or something crazy like that.”
“Hard to imagine given that it’s a wedding,” said Greer.
Deacon wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Don’t worry. At our wedding we’ll have a lot more people.”
“Cool. Who will you be marrying?” she teased.
He kissed her on the forehead and said, “Very funny. We can do whatever you want.”
“I figure we can let our mothers have a fight to the death about it. Maybe at least until one of them gets arrested,” she said.
Just then there was a knock at the door. Jasper went over and pulled it open to reveal one of the bridesmaids standing on the doorstep. I only knew which one she was because Deacon had escorted her down the aisle.
“Hey, Trisha. What’s up?” said Deacon.
“Bad news, I’m afraid. You know that thing they were discussing after we took pictures?” she asked.
Deacon grimaced. “Did they decide to go through with it?”
“Yup. The wedding reception is canceled. Some people are already leaving. I think within half an hour the first guests will be gone. It’s really sad. The detective gave them permission. Only people who were here last summer or knew the dead guy have to stay,” she said.
“Wait, can someone cancel a reception?” said Greer.
“They can and they did,” said Trisha. “They felt like the vibe from the wedding was just off after the murder announcement. The detective said he’d really prefer to have people leave. He wants to conduct his investigation in peace. We asked them if they wanted to do a little something and they’re thinking about it.”
“Are they okay?” I asked.
“They’re disappointed, but they know it isn’t anyone’s fault. They want me to convey how sorry they are about it. Some people came from a long way off, so they’ll be around in the Lodge this evening no matter what. They were more thinking it would be a relaxed gathering than anything else,” said Trisha.
After Trisha left Liam said, “I can’t say I’m surprised. What are we supposed to be talking about tonight at the punch bowl? Hey, are there more skeletons buried around here?”
“Oh, do you think so?” Charlie asked. Hansen frowned as if he didn’t really believe it.
“No, not really, but it is rather something to consider once your whole wedding is ruined,” said Liam.
Charlie bit her lip, thinking, while the rest of us sat in silence for a while.
“I should probably go check on them. Damon said something about wanting to play touch football if the formal reception was cancelled,” sighed Deacon.
“I’m in for that,” said Jasper.
“Me too,” said Liam, sitting up and surprising everyone. He was thin as a rail and more the delicate flower type. When he caught everyone’s look of surprise he said, “I exercise. Besides, as long as there’s no contact I’ll be fine.”
“I’d like to keep investigating, but if the game needs more people I’ll play too,” said Hansen.
“Greer, anyone else? Want to come?” Deacon asked. They were always careful to invite us girls. I knew if we wanted to play they’d make sure we had a good time. But Charlie shook her head and said, “No thanks.”
“I think I’ll pass,” said Greer.
“Me too,” I said.
“Should we go grab something to eat first?” said Jasper. Of course he was hungry.
“I’m famished,” Liam agreed.
In the end we all left the cottage together. The cottage where the skeleton had been found was now sectioned off with yellow tape. Not only that, but a police officer stood guard. I wondered if they had found out anything else during the day.
The Lodge was filled with wedding guests, some of them clearly on their way out, wheeling suitcases and saying their goodbyes. Some of them even looked relieved. Several cars had pulled up in front of the Lodge already.
Poor Delia and Damon, I thought. Their wedding hadn’t gone to plan, and that was putting it mildly.
We went into the dining room and found people eating reception food. The servers had put it out on trays, and we all took helpings of what we wanted cafeteria style. This was especially satisfying for the guys because of how much they ate, but I also enjoyed the informality.
Detective Smith was in one corner. He didn’t have any food, but a c
offee mug sat steaming in front of him. He was speaking with several of his crew in hushed tones.
“You’d think they’d have a room to themselves or something,” said Charlie. “What if I went over there and saw something I shouldn’t?”
“Is that your way of saying you’re going over there to see something you shouldn’t?” Greer asked.
Charlie didn’t bother to reply.
We filled our plates with salad and fish. The guys took those things plus chicken, several slices of bread apiece, and sides of steamed broccoli and peas.
Then we found a table in the middle of it all and dug in.
We weren’t far along with our meals when Delia came over. She’d been going from table to table speaking with everyone. If I’d had to describe how she looked, I would have said relieved.
“Hi there,” she said, and kissed Deacon on the cheek. He stood up and gave her a hug.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“I think what you’re supposed to say is congratulations,” she laughed. “It’s my wedding day.”
She had changed into a crisp white shirt that billowed at the cuffs, with the tails tucked into a long, cream-colored skirt. She looked pretty, if a little business casual.
“This isn’t the outfit I was planning on wearing, but it’s much more comfortable,” she said to all of us.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“Sorry about the reception. It’s just that given everyone’s mood it didn’t make sense to do the whole formal thing,” she explained.
“Of course not. Whatever you needed to do. I’m just glad you’re still doing well,” said Deacon.
Delia sat down in the extra chair at our table and Deacon made introductions. When he got to Jasper, Delia looked curiously at the heir to the Wolf Corporation, and Jasper just smiled at her. I had to remind myself that she’d gotten married—to someone else—that very day.
Later I could review whether I was the jealous type or not. Or I could not bother.
“It’s just so crazy,” she said. “We can’t believe a skeleton was found on the property. We come here every year. Everyone who works here has always been so nice and kind. Mr. Cushman is always so welcoming.”
“What about the Smiths?” Charlie asked.
Delia nodded. “Them too. Craig Smith was here even before he married. We were all so pleased for him when he found a woman who made him happy. She loves it here too, and they’ve been here ever since. I’d say the only person who isn’t happy around here is that grump of a neighbor.”
“Norris?” Hansen supplied.
“Is that his name? I’ve never met the man. I tried to introduce myself once when we ran into each other on the lake, but he was having none of it. I might have scared away his fish. I don’t mean ran into each other literally, of course. We were always at least ten feet apart. I did try to be friendly, though,” she said.
“That didn’t work out so well?” said Charlie.
Delia shook her head. “We weren’t sure about having the wedding here. Well, for a lot of reasons, actually. My family isn’t that into the outdoors and neither is Damon’s, but we decided we really wanted to. This is where we took our first trip together, and it has really meant so much to us all these years. Now that we’ve found a skeleton in one of the cottages, my family thinks they’re confirmed in their skepticism. It’s remarkably hard to convince them that not every camping venue has a murdered person in a chimney. Somehow they aren’t believing me about that.” Delia smiled, looking sad for the first time.
“We’re still glad you had it here,” said Deacon.
Delia laughed. “Just because you’re excited for football. Damon told me. Are the rest of you playing?” She was now looking curiously at Jasper.
“We all plan on playing,” said Liam, indicating the guys at the table.
“What will you ladies do?” she asked us.
“We might just relax. We have the cottage until tomorrow, so I’m not sure we’re leaving,” said Charlie.
Greer and I exchanged glances. We hadn’t had a chance to discuss this, but we knew Charlie would want to be wherever she thought she’d get the most traction on her story. I wondered what she thought was going to happen here. She was clearly zeroing in on a suspect, but who was it? She hadn’t really said.
As Detective Smith stood up over in his corner, a thought flashed through my mind. It would be a real shame if his brother had committed the murder. The detective was clearly an upstanding investigator, so he would of course turn him in if he had to. But I had also liked his brother that afternoon at the dock.
This had been a very long day already. If the look on Charlie’s face was anything to go by, it wasn’t about to get any shorter.
Delia sighed as she saw more people rise to go. “I’d better continue my rounds. It’s so nice to see everyone. Deacon, I think they’re gathering in the open space out back for the game. There are floodlights out there, so you should be able to play pretty late into the evening.”
“Perfect,” Deacon grinned.
Delia said goodbye to the rest of us and we all finished our meal.
As we were leaving the Lodge, Detective Smith stopped us, walking away from one of the other investigators to catch up to us.
“Ms. Silver, did you have a nice afternoon?” he asked.
“Perfectly pleasant,” she said. Hansen had moved to stand closer to her.
“I hear you had a very eventful afternoon,” he added, quirking an eyebrow at her.
“We were just trying to find something to do. It’s a beautiful property and one we hadn’t spent time at before,” she said.
Detective Smith nodded his head slowly, his expression neutral, but somehow I could feel the skepticism seeping from him.
“Try to have a less eventful evening, if you don’t mind,” he said.
“We don’t plan on doing anything too exciting,” said Charlie. “Is there any news on the investigation?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t comment on ongoing investigations. Luckily, we think we’ll be making progress shortly. That’s all you need to know,” he said.
Charlie smiled gratefully and Detective Smith went to rejoin his group.
Once that was over with, the guys went back to their cottage to change into football-appropriate clothing, which was not dress slacks. Liam had to scrounge up an outfit from someone else. We went back to our cottage after promising to join them at some point and cheer them on. They’d probably be playing for a good couple of hours.
None of them trusted us when we said we were just going to hang out and relax.
“Do you think Detective Smith knows who murdered Burke, presuming it was actually Burke?” Greer asked.
“He might think he knows. I doubt he’s right, though. I wish we could find Burke’s ghost. Where do you think he’s gone?” Charlie asked me.
“No idea. If we’re staying here tonight we could try to find him. Did you have another idea?” I asked.
Greer was busy hanging her dress up, but she spun around at my words. She knew my question was the moment of truth.
Charlie’s face lit up in a smile. “We’re going to Norris’s property. Delia said he had a boat. We need to get a look at it,” she said, rubbing her hands together.
So much for heeding the detective’s warning to stay out of the investigation.
Chapter Seventeen
“Why?” Greer said.
“He’s the most likely suspect,” said Charlie, as if that was obvious. “He didn’t like people trespassing and Burke was a roamer who went where he pleased. He loved the land and he’d been here for years. I suspect he went onto Norris’s property pretty often. I bet the old man didn’t like that.”
“You think he drowned him because he went for a walk?” Greer asked.
“Maybe Burke went on Norris’s property and saw something he shouldn’t have. Maybe he was wandering around late at night and Norris mistook him for someone who was in fact a threat. I
don’t know. All I can say is that no one thinks Craig Smith did it. There are only a few people here every year who might be guilty, unless you want to consider Delia and Damon?” Charlie looked at both of us wryly while she waited for an answer.
“Fine. We can go to the Norris property. If he shoots me, though, I’m blaming you,” said Greer.
“Will Paws come with us?” Charlie asked me.
“I’ll go see,” I said.
Paws had been sleeping underneath the cottage for most of the day. He watched real mice and tried to kill them, but it never worked. Sometimes the little critters felt a slight chill as the cat swiped at them. Nothing more.
First, I made sure there was no one around to see me behaving so strangely. Then I crouched down and called out, “Paws?” I glanced around again to make sure of my privacy, then looked for the sparkling fur again. It belied a real gem of a personality.
“Who is it?” Paws called out.
“Who do you think?” I rolled my eyes.
He came out from under the porch. “Can’t ever be too careful.”
“You’d think you’d recognize my voice by now. Also, how many witches who can see you do you think are out here?” I demanded.
“I hate it when you bring logic into what were formerly perfectly acceptable discussions,” he grumbled.
“Want to come to Norris’s property with us?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? I would love to! I can’t think of a single way I’d rather spend my time!” he said.
“Is that a yes?” I said.
“I guess,” he grumbled.
He followed me into the cottage, where Charlie and Greer had just finished getting ready. Charlie was putting on a long-sleeved black shirt and a black hat.
“If I had known we’d be doing this I would have packed more dark clothing,” Greer was complaining.
“Don’t worry. I packed enough for all of us. Just in case,” said Charlie.
“Of course you did,” I laughed.
“By far the smartest of you,” Paws confirmed.
Once we were ready, I glanced out the window. It was getting darker outside, but it wasn’t totally nighttime yet. We’d have to be very careful about not being spotted. We would also have to hurry if we wanted to catch any of the football game.
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