Thanksgiving by the Sea

by Kathi Daley

  “So it doesn’t appear that Bryson actually fingered a killer?”

  “Not that I can tell by these notes. That doesn’t mean he didn’t make someone very nervous if it does turn out that someone related to the developer killed Vonda and not Thornton.”

  “Yeah, I can see how that might happen. And if it was the developer or even the brother, they would have had money to hire a pro. It really does seem as if Bryson might have been shot by a pro.”

  “I agree that it is looking that way. I’ll see what I can find out about the current whereabouts of everyone Bryson named in his notes. Some of these people might not even be alive.”

  “Okay.” I shoved the file to the center of the table. “Any luck with any of the other cases in the files? I know we decided this case had the most merit, but we don’t know that Bryson led me to the files in the drawer, if that is even what happened, so that we would find this case. It could still have been one of the others.”

  “As I said before, the other five files in the drawer related to the fifteen-year-old who has been in foster care since he was four. If you remember, his mother had recently gotten out of jail due to overcrowding and for good behavior, and wanted to regain custody of her son.”

  “I remember. It seems that a compromise was worked out.”

  “It was, and I don’t think she is the shooter we are looking for. The second case involves the woman who had three children, all with different men. All three children had been living with the mother of the baby daddy of the first-born child after the mother of the three children had become homeless. She wanted to retain physical custody of the kids, but the mother wanted them back.”

  “If I remember correctly, a compromise was worked out there as well.”

  “It was.”

  “The third case involved the stepdad who was awarded custody of his stepdaughters after his wife died. The biological grandfather of the twins wanted to raise the girls, and at first, it looked as if he would be awarded custody since the stepdad had a spotty criminal past, but at the last minute, the biological father, who had been out of the picture, showed up and sided with the stepdad.”

  “I remember that, as well. It seemed as if both Bryson and Trinity had sided with the stepdad. That seems like an odd choice, but maybe there was more going on than we thought.”

  “I imagine that might be true. The fourth file we looked at was Vonda’s murder twenty years ago and the conviction of John Thornton for her murder. We actually got held up there and never really discussed the last two.”

  “Maybe we should now.”

  Woody nodded. “Agreed. The fifth file has to do with the case involving Billy, Aspen, Willow, and Henry. I think we know what is going on with that case fairly well.” Woody set the file aside.

  “The sixth file has to do with eldercare. It seems that the three daughters of an elderly man with dementia cannot seem to agree about what should happen at this point. The man in question has assets. Not a lot, but some. It’s mostly property that can be liquidated to care for their father should they decide to do so. The eldest daughter wants to put the man in a state-run facility where he will be given the care he needs without impacting the financial resources of the family. She is arguing that given his mental state, he won’t even realize where he is, and it makes no sense to spend the inheritance she is certain he wanted to leave to his children on end of life care. She has stated on multiple occasions that if the man was able to choose for himself, this is the choice he would have made.”

  Woody continued. “The middle daughter wants to have her father put into a private facility which the family would need to pay for. It is her opinion that the assets he has amassed to this point should be used to pay for his end of life care. She is insisting that this is what he would want if he was able to make a decision.”

  “And the youngest daughter?”

  “The youngest daughter wants to take him into her home, but she doesn’t have a lot of monetary resources of her own and is asking for financial help to see to his needs. As odd as it sounds, based on these notes, it looks like the older sisters are viewing this play by the youngest daughter as a means to get more than her share of the inheritance. She is insisting that all she really wants to do is to ensure that their father is as safe and comfortable as possible during his final time on earth.”

  “Seems like a hot topic.”

  Woody nodded. “Yeah. It’s a real mess. The three daughters aren’t speaking to each other, but it doesn’t appear that Bryson, who had been appointed as arbitrator, had taken a stance at this point, so I don’t see why any of them would shoot him.”

  “Agreed. It really does seem that the file most likely to have led to his death is the one relating to the murder of Vonda Valdez twenty years ago.”

  “I agree, and after hearing about your research, I am even more convinced of that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I scanned the notes when you first dropped the files off, but obviously, I haven’t taken the time to give them the attention they deserve. It’s been a busy few days.”

  “I ran into Trinity’s sister, and she told me that Trinity might be released from the hospital today.”

  “That’s wonderful news. I don’t suppose she mentioned anything else about the memory loss?”

  “Just that Trinity remembers the event in that she knows she was shot by someone she knows, and that she was shocked and dismayed when she noticed the gun. The identity of the shooter is still a blur, but she met with a specialist who told her that she is most likely repressing the memory and it may or may not come back to her at some point. It almost sounded as if it was up to her to decide to remember or not.”

  “It seems she might be in danger unless she can remember. I’m sure the person who tried to kill her isn’t going to be thrilled that she is alive and kicking and perhaps able to identify the person who put her in the hospital.”

  I frowned. “That’s true. And now that she is being discharged, she might be in a whole lot of danger. Maybe we should try to talk to her again. Carmen didn’t seem to want to put her through any more stress, but I don’t think she has considered the fact that the person who shot her might try again to accomplish what he didn’t the first time.”

  Woody decided that he should speak to Trinity alone. He felt that an official discussion between a police officer and a victim of a violent attack might go further toward getting what they felt they needed than a casual discussion. I didn’t disagree. Finding out who shot Trinity was Woody’s job, and I’d only become involved in the first place because he hoped I could connect with Trinity’s spiritual self in an effort to find the shooter. Now that connecting with Trinity’s spiritual self was no longer part of the equation, I supposed my role was over.

  Of course, that didn’t mean I could set the whole thing aside and walk away. I simply wasn’t built that way. I didn’t want to get in Woody’s way, so I decided to work on the other case I’d fallen into and pay yet another visit to the courthouse where Bryson was shot and killed. I’m not sure what I was expecting to find. The killer was obviously long gone, but I guess with Mom in town, Trevor working, Woody otherwise occupied, and Mac and Ty out of town, I was feeling at loose ends. The courts were not in session this week, so the area was mostly deserted. I sat down on a bench in front of the courthouse and tried to clear my mind. Maybe if nothing else, I could get another vision. The one I’d had before of the tall man with the silver hair and the rugged features played through my mind. I wasn’t sure what good it would do me even if I could get a clear image of the man since I didn’t know his name or have a frame of reference.

  And then it came to me.

  I’d seen the man before. I closed my eyes and tried to bring the image into focus. I still couldn’t be sure if the man in my vision was the same man whose photo I’d seen in one of the files that morning. I was expecting to conjure up a vision of this man with Bryson, but instead, I had a vision of this man with Trinity.

  My eyes
flew open. I needed to talk to Trinity, and I needed to talk to her now. By the time I arrived at the hospital, Woody had been and gone, but Trinity was still in her room. I asked if I could come in, and she agreed.

  I explained that I needed to ask her a few questions, and she agreed to help to the extent that she could.

  “According to the files we found pertaining to your active cases, in the case of Alton Brown vs Ben Billingham over the custody of Aurora and Connie Billingham, it looked as if you supported the decision of the girls’ mother to allow their stepfather to raise them.”

  “Yes. That’s right.”

  “Can I ask why? It seems that the grandfather, a decorated veteran, would make a better parent than a man with a spotty criminal record.”

  “Initially, I thought that as well, but then I did some research. It seems that the reason Maria decided to name her husband as guardian of her daughters in the event that something happened to her rather than her father is because her father is actually a stern and rigid man. After speaking to Maria’s friends, it became obvious that she blamed him for her decision, not only to cut the man who had fathered her daughters out of her life, but to cut him out of his daughter’s lives as well.”

  “I understand that Maria was living with her father when her daughters were born.”

  Trinity nodded. “Yes, that is correct. According to Maria’s friends, she felt owned and controlled by her father during that time. He seemed to want to control everything about the situation, and would not tolerate any behavior on her part which did not coincide with his wishes. He even insisted on naming the girls himself, calling the names Maria preferred stupid and lacking strength.”

  “And then?”

  “And then she met Alton, and he convinced her to live her own life and make her own decisions. Alton is a bit of a wild card, but he seems like a really good guy. Admittedly, he is immature, but he really seems to love the girls, and they adore him. After looking into the specifics, I felt that the wishes of the mother should be upheld. Bryson agreed.” Trinity frowned. “You don’t think Ben…”

  I gave her a gentle look. “I’m not sure. But I think you might remember.”

  She narrowed her gaze, and then her eyes shot open. She put her hand to her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, god. It was him. The last time I saw him, he told me that if I didn’t support him during the hearing, he would have to take matters into his own hands. I tried to reason with him, but he was acting like a madman, so I left. When I arrived home on Thursday, he was there waiting for me. I was shocked to find him there. I asked him what he was doing there, and then I saw the gun. Before I could say a thing, I heard a noise, and then everything went black.”

  “Do you think he might have also shot and killed Bryson?”

  She slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I guess he could have. He certainly had the skillset to take the shot, and it does sound as if he can be rigid and unyielding when it comes to getting his own way. I guess I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he did shoot Bryson.”

  “Whoever shot Bryson seemed to have been planning it for at least a week,” I informed the woman.

  Trinity frowned. “No. That can’t be right. A random shooting based on the heat of the moment is one thing, but to plan to execute a murder so far in advance takes a real sicko.”

  “Are you sure the man doesn’t have mental health issues?”

  “He shot me just because I disagreed with him, so he most definitely has mental health issues. Still, I’ll be very surprised if it turns out he was the one who shot Bryson.”

  Chapter 18

  By the time I got home, Donovan was just pulling into the drive. “Oh my gosh, I am so happy to see you.” I threw my arms around Donovan’s neck and gave him a hard hug. There had admittedly been times in the past when I’d been less than thrilled to see him, like that time he showed up during my junior year of high school and whisked me away before I could even tell Mac and Trevor that I was leaving, but he had also been there for Mom and me during the most difficult time of our lives.

  “It’s been a while.” He hugged me back. “You look good. Rested.”

  I laughed. “Hardly. Just wait until we catch you up. Come in. Mom is upstairs. I’ll let her know you are here. She is going to be as happy to see you as I am.”

  Tucker trotted over, wagging his tail. He was a protective dog, but he’d always liked Donovan. I figured the dog was about as good a judge of character as anyone.

  “I like what you’ve done with the place,” Donovan said after we entered through the front door. “It is much the same as the last time I was here, but I can see that you’ve added your own touch.”

  “Now that this is my home, I wanted to make it mine even though it was already pretty awesome. If you want to have a seat in the kitchen, you can look out at the sea while I run upstairs and let Mom know that you’re here.”

  The next hour was filled with catching up and laughter. Donovan really was one of the people in my life I considered to be of the highest importance. He might not be as close to me as Mac and Trevor, but he’d always been there for me when I’d needed him the most. During those first months after my best friend had been murdered and my life had been upended, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to enjoy my life again, but Donovan had been there for me, a strong and positive force, and somehow he’d convinced me that everything would be okay.

  “Any news on the texts Amanda received a while back?” Mom asked. I was actually surprised that she waited as long to ask as she had.

  “No. But things within the Bonatello family have been quiet the past couple of weeks. The power struggle that had been going on appears to have come to a standstill. I think that those in power and those seeking power are just waiting each other out. My hunch is that if someone from the family had decided to threaten you with the texts, they have been too busy with the internal struggle to follow up with what they started. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue to be cautious, and we will, of course, continue to monitor the situation.”

  “What about the break-in at Amanda’s old apartment in New York?” Mom asked.

  “We haven’t found any link to Amanda or the Bonatello family. I really think the fact that there was a break-in at your old apartment might be a coincidence. There are multiple break-ins in the city every day.”

  “I hope it is that simple,” Mom said, although she still looked worried.

  “So tell me what you have been up to here,” Donovan said.

  I took the next thirty minutes to fill him in on the cases I’d been working on since returning from the cruise. He made a comment about me finding trouble no matter where it might be hiding, and I jokingly agreed. It did seem like no matter how hard I tried to stay out of things, I always ended up smack dab in the middle of whatever was going on.

  I was about to segue into a discussion of my adventure on the cruise ship when my phone buzzed. It was Woody.

  “I need to get this,” I said to Mom and Donovan before answering.

  “I picked up Ben Billingham. It took some doing, but I managed to get him to confess to shooting Trinity,” Woody informed me. “He swears he only meant to scare her and the gun went off accidentally. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I guess that is for the criminal justice system to figure out.”

  “And Bryson?”

  “He swears he had nothing to do with the shooting at the courthouse. I’m not sure why, but I find I’m inclined to believe him. I did take a photo of Ben to the woman who told you about the PI who’d come to scout out the place, and she confirmed that while the men had similar features, he was not the man she spoke to.”

  “So there were two shooters.”

  “That appears to be the case.”

  “So who do you have left on the suspect list?” I asked.

  “Really at this point, assuming that the information in one of the six files you found in Bryson’s closet does lead to his killer, I really th
ink we need to focus on the Vonda Valdez murder.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I agree that it does seem the most likely. I’ll look through my file again and make some notes. Maybe you can do the same, and then we can compare notes later this afternoon. The gang is all getting together for dinner if you want to join us. And Donovan is here. I want you to meet him. I think the two of you will get along fantastically.”

  “I’d like to meet him as well, and I’m not busy tonight. I was going to head back over to Bryson’s home and take another look around. I don’t suppose you’d want to meet me there. Just in case he is still lingering and has additional information to share.”

  “Yeah, I can do that. I can be there in thirty minutes.”

  “That works for me.”

  I explained to Mom and Donovan about my last-minute errand. I promised to catch them up when I got back. On a whim, I decided to take my ghost seeing cat, Shadow, with me. I also called to Alyson and filled her in. She was happy to come along and happy we were alone so she could ride shotgun this time.

  Woody’s car was already in the drive when Alyson, Shadow, and I arrived. I picked Shadow up and headed inside. Once inside, I set him on the floor. I looked toward both Shadow and Alyson. “Okay, gang. We are looking for a ghost or maybe something left or possessed by a ghost. The ultimate goal is to figure out who killed the attorney. Take a look around and if you sense anything, let me know. No hunch or flash of insight should go unchecked.”

  “I’m on it,” Alyson said.

  Shadow just looked at me with a look of derision, but I was certain he was onboard as well.

  “Do you really think there is anything else to find?” I asked Woody.

  “I don’t know, but if Bryson Teller was shot due to something he’d figured out relating to a murder that occurred twenty years ago, then we are going to need a bit of magic to figure this out. Not that good old logic might be enough given enough time, but I’d really like to get this wrapped up sooner than later.”