by S F Bose
“Pretty stupid to lie like that, especially in a murder investigation,” Sam said and Matt agreed.
“Here’s the real shocker, though. We learned that Damian Fletcher had been having an affair with Mark Sweet’s wife, Amy. She was the ‘Ams’ that Sweet mentioned during the blackmail call. They met in Chicago when they were both there on separate business. One thing led to another and they’ve been having an affair for over a year.”
My jaw dropped open and I stared at Matt. “How did you find out?” I asked.
“After he was arrested at Founder’s Park, Mark Sweet was in the lock-up at the police department all night. He eventually passed out from all the alcohol he drank. One of my officers left a voicemail for Amy Sweet but she didn’t get it until the morning. So she arrived at the police station at 9:00 a.m. Newmont brought Mark Sweet to my office. I told them both the Justin Church case was solved and he was in the clear,” Matt said.
They both looked relieved. Then Mark Sweet asked who the murderer was. I told them that Damian Fletcher had killed Justin Church. When I told them that Damian was dead, Amy went into hysterics. We calmed her down and she eventually admitted to the affair.”
“Did she know Damian had killed Justin?” Sam asked.
Matt shook his head. “No. Newmont took Mark to a separate room, while I interviewed Amy. She had a believable story. She said she and Damian were in love and saw each other whenever they traveled to Chicago on business. They also sometimes met in Mystic Grove. At some point, Damian became worried that Mark Sweet knew about their affair. Amy reassured him that Mark didn’t have a clue, but Damian still had doubts. She also said that she and Damian had seen each other many times since the murder. In fact, they were planning to go to Paris next year. So Damian lied about breaking it off with her. It also explains the passport and brochures that Sherrie Fletcher found in Damian’s desk.”
“Remember, Damian confessed to Sherrie that he’d had an affair with another woman and broke it off,” I said. “He told her he thought the woman’s husband was trying to set him up for Justin’s murder as revenge. He meant Mark Sweet.”
Matt nodded. “He did.”
“Did Damian ever talk to Amy about Justin’s murder?” Sam asked Matt.
“Yeah, when Damian heard that Mark Sweet found Justin’s body, he grilled Amy. He asked her a lot of questions about what Mark had seen, including whether he had spotted the murderer. But Amy never sensed that Damian was involved in the murder. She thought he was just concerned about the death of a friend.”
“Do you think Mark Sweet knew about the affair?” asked Sam.
“No, I’m convinced he didn’t know anything about Amy and Damian,” Matt replied.
“How did he react exactly?” Sam pressed.
“He was definitely shocked. White-faced. Bug-eyed. He couldn’t believe that she was having an affair and he never realized it. Newmont said he kept repeating that.”
“This explains a lot,” I said and they both looked at me. “Okay, bear with me. Damian wanted the incriminating, Civil War letter and ended up shooting Justin Church over it. Damian was also having an affair with Amy Sweet. He found out later that Mark Sweet discovered Justin’s body. He was already worried that Mark knew about the affair. Then he started to worry about whether Mark saw him at the Emporium the day of the murder and could identify him. He asked Amy about that but wasn’t reassured by her answers.”
“Right so far,” Matt said.
“Then when Finn made the blackmail call, Damian told him to pass along the message to his client that he’d broken it off with ‘Ams,’” I said.
Sam narrowed his eyes. “So at that point, Damian thought Mark Sweet was Finn’s client.”
“Exactly. At the cabin, Damian admitted that for a few minutes he thought Sweet had the letter and was behind the blackmail call. However, when he looked at the tracking software, he saw that Sam and I were at the police station and Sweet was at home. At that point, he thought Finn’s call was probably a set-up,” I said.
“Then Damian followed you from the police department to the Emporium, saw you leave with a bag, and assumed correctly you had the Bible and letter.” Sam said.
“Right. It bothered me that Damian had picked Mark Sweet to incriminate, for no apparent reason. Now I see two reasons why he did it. First, Damian wanted a serious suspect the police could focus on. So he planted the murder weapon and silencer in Sweet’s car. He hoped the police would find them and arrest Sweet for the murder. Then Damian would move off their suspect list. If it took too long, Damian planned to phone in a helpful tip about the gun,” I said.
“What was the second reason Damian set up Sweet?” Sam asked.
“Amy,” I replied with a smile. “He wanted to free her from Sweet the same way Finn wanted to free Sherrie from Damian.”
Sam stared at me and then leaned forward. “I don’t get it. Damian was adamant he wouldn’t get divorced again and he paid to get proof of Sherrie’s infidelity to hold it over her head. However, at the same time, he was sleeping with Amy Sweet and wanted to save her from her husband? If he wouldn’t divorce Sherrie, how could he have a future with Amy? It makes no sense.”
I nodded in agreement. “It doesn’t make sense. However, it’s important to remember that Damian was irrational. On the one hand, he did everything he could to keep Sherrie in the marriage. On the other hand, he was supposedly in love with Amy Sweet and making plans with her. I think the fact that Sherrie really cared about and protected Finn infuriated Damian. He just couldn’t bring himself to give her up to another man. His ego wouldn’t allow it.”
Sam and Matt both nodded.
“What happens now?” I asked Matt.
Matt folded his arms. “We have enough to close the case. Damian confessed to you and Finn that he murdered Justin and tried to burn down the Emporium. I sent the gun and silencer he planted in Sweet’s car to Madison for testing. When those results come back, it will be one more nail in the coffin.”
“There won’t be a trial, will there?” asked Sam.
“No. But I’d like to record all the evidence as a part of the case file. I spoke to Martin and Cecille yesterday. They both admitted they saw signs of violence in Damian when he was younger, but thought he’d outgrown it. They sent him to therapy and did everything they could. Their younger son, Tim, thought Damian was fine. After we notified them of Damian’s death and the circumstances, they contacted Sherrie. She told them about his temper, paranoia, and mental abuse. They had no idea, so they’re in shock and are struggling to cope.”
“What about Corrine, Damian’s first wife?” I asked.
Matt grunted. “I spoke to her and there was only so much she’d tell me. Her divorce was more the result of multiple infidelities by Damian. She didn’t admit to any abuse. Corrine hired a PI who got her the photos and evidence she needed. Wisconsin is a no fault divorce state. But Corrine was furious and she wanted a really big settlement for herself and the kids. I imagine she threatened to go public with the details and photos. Martin Fletcher stepped in and helped her with both the divorce and the settlement. He wanted to protect the Fletcher name.”
“What a mess,” said Sam.
“It is,” Matt agreed.
“At least Peter and Martha won’t have to deal with a trial,” I said.
“No, they won’t have to worry about that. But the news that Damian killed Justin and was later killed himself leaked pretty fast,” Matt replied.
“The gossip mill,” Sam and I said at the same time.
Matt groaned. “The gossip mill always works overtime in Mystic Grove. However, I gave an interview to the Mystic Grove Messenger that may help. I told them that we had conclusive evidence that Damian killed Justin. I said it appeared to be the result of an argument that got out of control. I said Damian was later involved in an altercation with two civilians in a cabin in the woods. There was a shootout and Damian was killed. Mystic Grove police were present at the time of the shooting.”
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“You think that will help?” I asked.
“It could. It’s better than not saying anything. It implied that the police shot him. When the reporter pressed me on the reason for the argument and details on Damian’s death, I said that I didn’t want to say more out of respect for the two families. The reporter agreed. He’s from Mystic Grove too. I’ve suggested to Peter and Martha that if anyone asks, they should say they have no idea what Justin and Damian might have fought over.”
I frowned. “I hope reporters don’t bother either family.”
“The Fletchers also released a statement to the Messenger. They said they were sorry for the pain and suffering Damian had caused. They said they loved him and asked the media to allow them to grieve in private. I’m paraphrasing. The Fletchers also spoke to Peter and Martha,” Matt said.
“I feel sorry for both families,” I said.
“Do you think Mark and Amy Sweet will say anything?” Sam asked.
“I doubt it,” Matt replied. “They don’t really know anything. They don’t know about the Civil War letter. They don’t know about the interactions between Justin and Damian. They certainly don’t know what went down at the cabin.”
“Was Sweet still angry about the set-up in the park?” asked Sam.
Matt laughed. “Not at all. He was so drunk, he didn’t remember going to the park, swinging the bat, the arrest, or anything. He did have a vague memory of Finn’s telephone call and had written down the time and location of the meet-up. However, the last time I saw him, he was more obsessed with Amy’s affair. He was very worried that news would get out he was in jail. He’s afraid of the impact on his business. When I told him I was dropping all charges against him, he seemed relieved. ”
“What about Finn?” Sam asked.
“I wrote up the incident report and left Finn and Liz’s name out of it, in case anyone does some digging in the future,” Matt replied.
“So if we don’t say anything…” I said.
“No one will know. I shared that with your family when you were in the hospital,” Matt said.
“Can Peter and Martha keep the Bible and letter?” I asked.
“No reason on earth they can’t,” Matt said. I smiled, thinking about how happy that would make Martha, in particular.
After a few minutes of general chatting, Sam asked, “Did they come up with anything more on Jimmy Dietz’s murder?”
“No,” Matt said. “I haven’t heard anything new. Madison is running that investigation. Last I heard, they thought Mr. B was involved, but didn’t have any hard evidence.”
“How about Eddie Klein?” I asked.
Matt shook his head again. “He disappeared into thin air.”
“I hope the bad guys didn’t get him,” I said and Sam agreed.
We chatted a while longer and then Matt left for Mystic Grove. We had solved the case and answered many questions. But I still felt dissatisfied.
Chapter 61
Sam and I left the B&B shortly after Matt and drove into town to see Peter and Martha. When Sam turned onto Farm Road, he gunned the engine of the Jeep. After a few minutes, he said, “I never got to meet you ex-boss. What’s his name again?”
Something in his tone made me glance at Sam. “Raven. He went back East yesterday.”
“Raven. Unusual name. Sorry I missed him,” Sam replied and smiled.
“He’ll be back in the spring. You can meet him then.”
“Why is he coming back?” Sam asked, darting a look at me.
“I don’t know. He seems to like it here.”
Sam pulled his Irish cap forward on his head and grunted. I watched the farmland, farmhouses, and country roads fly by. When Sam pulled into a space in the Emporium parking lot and turned off the engine, I took a deep breath.
“You okay?” Sam asked.
I looked at him and shook my head. “I’m nervous.”
“Me too.”
I flipped down the sun visor and checked the mirror to make sure my bangs covered the bruises on my forehead. Then we got out of the Jeep and followed the path to the front of the Emporium. When we walked in the front door, Peter and Martha were at the far end of the sales area. They were embracing and Martha was crying.
A part of me wanted to turn and run, but Peter looked up and waved at us. He said something to Martha and she looked over and gave us a small wave too. Sam and I walked back to them. I hugged Martha and patted her back.
“Martha, I’m so sorry,” I said, tears in my eyes.
“It’s okay, Liz. Now we know what happened to Justin and why. We can’t thank you enough for everything you and Sam did for us. How are you? Did Damian hurt you?” Martha asked looking at my hand.
“I just banged up my hand a little when I hit him. It’ll heal,” I replied. “Listen, I wanted you to know that Justin hoped to sell the letter directly to the Fletchers and not make it public. He thought it would be terrible for both the Fletcher family and Mystic Grove if the letter got out. He had good intentions. But Damian ignored him and that angered Justin. So he raised the amount he was asking for the letter and it just spiraled out of control.”
Martha watched my face and nodded. Her eyes glistened with tears. Peter tugged on his beard and looked down.
“I just know he wanted to help you with the Emporium,” I added.
“Thanks, Liz. That does help,” said Peter.
“Martin and Cecille called us and we had a long conversation,” Martha said. “They thought Damian’s anger issues had been resolved when he was younger.”
Peter nodded. “Martin also had no idea the letter or Bible existed. He said he would have offered to buy them immediately, if he’d known.”
“We decided to give the letter to the Fletchers, but we’re going to keep the Bible,” Martha added.
“That’s very generous of you,” I said.
“Not really,” Peter said. “Both our families are grieving. There’s no point in ever releasing that letter to the public. No point at all.”
“The entire thing was such a waste,” Martha added and Peter put his arm around her. After a pause, he said, “We’ve had some news.”
“What news?” Sam asked.
“One minute,” Peter replied and went to the front door. He locked the door, turned the window sign to “Closed,” and returned in his slow, deliberate way.
“Come with us,” he said. He and Martha led us out of the sales area and up the hall. We followed them into the Book Room. An unfamiliar man stood by one of the large, round tables. The two, teal blue Mason jars of tokens and buttons that Peter had found in the basement, stood open on the table. One was completely empty. Stacks of tokens and coins rested on the table in front of the stranger. He also had a laptop computer, paper notebook, and pen. A separate pile of old buttons sat on the table by the jars.
Peter introduced us to Neil Sykes, a coin dealer from Chicago. He was a tall man in his fifties with thinning brown hair, dark brown eyes, and wire rim glasses. He wore a rumpled gray suit, white shirt, and loosened red tie. He also wore white cotton gloves.
“Neil is a coin and token expert I’ve known for decades, so I asked him to look at the jars of tokens we found in the basement. He was kind enough to drive up here yesterday,” said Peter.
“I’m glad I did. This is a remarkable find,” Sykes said, bouncing on the balls of his feet
“It is?” I asked.
“Indeed. I’ve only gone through the first jar and it’s simply amazing. It’s like a history of early American coins and tokens through 1862. The condition of most of the coins is amazing,” Sykes said.
I could feel his excitement. “So are these valuable coins?” I asked. Sykes chuckled and went to a couple of the stacks of coins.
He held one in the palm of his gloved hand. “This is a 1652 Willow Tree Shilling. It’s a comparable grade, in my opinion, to one that sold at auction for three hundred eighty thousand dollars.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, looking at the
irregularly shaped coin with stamping I couldn’t read
Sykes nodded, looking pleased. “And so far, there are two Willow Tree Shillings in this collection.” He returned the shilling to a stack of coins and selected another coin.
“This is a 1652 Oak Tree Shilling.” He held it in his hand. “Comparable coins have gone for fifty thousand dollars but this one could go higher.” I looked at this coin more closely. On the Oak Tree coin I could read “1652” and “XII” in the middle and “New England AnDom” around the edge. I thought it was a rather ugly coin.
“Let me show you one more. It’s one of my favorite coins,” Sykes said. I glanced at Sam. He looked shocked. Peter and Martha looked somber.
“Here it is,” Sykes said, holding out another coin. “It’s a 1785 Bar Copper, more commonly called a Bar Cent. It’s a Colonial copper.”
“I like this one,” I said and Sam leaned in for a closer look. It was a big, round coin that had “USA” on the front. Sykes flipped it over. There were thirteen horizontal bars.
“They were minted in Birmingham, England. The “USA” is almost identical to the “USA” seen on the pewter buttons on the uniforms of the Continental soldiers. The thirteen parallel lines represent the original colonies, of course. Such a simple and beautiful design. See the red copper?” Sykes asked in a reverent voice.
“I do. What would that one go for?” I asked.
Sykes shrugged. “In this condition, I’d say twenty-five thousand dollars, easily.”
“So this is the Fletcher Treasure,” I said. Silas Fletcher had stolen these coins and tokens when he was in the Civil War and brought them back to Mystic Grove.
“It is,” Peter confirmed.
“Treasure is a good word for it. It’s a very valuable collection of coins,” Sykes agreed. “I’ve also found some wonderful Civil War patriotic tokens from 1861 and 1862.”
“What determines the value?” Sam asked Sykes.
“Excellent question. First, each coin should be officially certified. I can confirm that the coins and tokens I’ve looked at are legitimate. However, serious collectors want to see a certification by an independent grading service like PCGS or NCG. That way the coin grade adheres to a standard. Certification includes authenticating the coin, grading it, attributing the coin if there are multiple varieties, and sealing it in an airtight holder. So the appraised value is the result of grading, condition, scarcity, and demand. Are you still with me?” We all nodded.