His lifeless body was sprawled on the floor. When I crouched down to check for signs of life, it was apparent he was dead.
I screamed.
I recalled backing out into the hallway but remembered little else after that. Campus Security surrounded the area, not allowing anyone to come or go from the floor. Somehow, I managed to grab my cell phone and fumble out a message to Aaron. He came right away and was able to get through security with his police badge. He had also contacted the other detectives, who arrived shortly after he did.
“You again?” Erlandsen shook his head at me as he advanced down the corridor.
Mergens looked perplexed. His eyebrows looked permanently arched.
“Is he really dead?” I asked. I couldn’t believe this had happened. Dr. Williams was a nice man, he didn’t deserve to die.
Aaron had been sitting beside me with his arm over my shoulder. “This has been an awful ordeal for Liv.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I feel like this is somehow all my fault.”
“Now, why would you think that?” Erlandsen asked, leaning over and studying me.
“He called to let me know the testing was complete.”
“You were here to pick up the results?” Erlandsen asked.
“Yes, to fetch the necklace also. Then, all of this happened. The secretary may have the necklace and the results, though.” I stood, but my legs felt weak. “We need to know the results. They could provide a clue for solving the murder.”
“We’ll check with her,” Erlandsen said. He shrugged. “Go on home. We’ll be in touch.”
With Aaron by my side, we walked to the car. Once inside, we buckled up before driving from the parking space.
“I’ve called Marie and August. They’re on their way to meet us at home,” Aaron said.
“Good. I hope Grandma brings some more chicken soup. It’ll make me feel better.”
The drive home only took a few minutes.
That evening we sat quietly watching the television and enjoying the wished for soup Grandma had brought. Grandma and Grandpa kept their eyes mostly on me. When we finished our meal, Grandma carried the empty bowls into the kitchen.
The doorbell rang. Aaron got up and opened the door to let the detectives in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ott,” Mergens said as he shook their hands.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ott,” Erlandsen repeated and did the same. “Liv?” He held out a large envelope. “Got something for you. The secretary at the U still had it. You can open it. Since it wasn’t in the professor’s office, it wasn’t considered part of the crime scene.”
“But, it could provide the motive,” Mergens said flatly.
My fingers were shaky as I reached for the item to open it. Aaron affirmed my actions with a nod. The nut and loose chain spilled easily from the opened envelope, and I had pulled out the test results. I read them out loud, “The acorn’s genetic makeup is from the Appalachian region of the United States. And guess what? It’s dated from the mid-eighteen hundreds.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Kentucky…Tennessee, you know? It fits, doesn’t it?”
“It really does in a roundabout sort of way, if we truly believe Mary Lincoln was the person who had this silvered.”
My fingers felt the remnants of the silver on the table. “This is just too surreal.”
“This case is not unlike the other one, now is it? When you were searching for the Star Spangled Banner manuscript?” Aaron said.
“All convoluted.” I smiled up at him.
“It’s just one thing after another. I might have to retire after this case,” Mergens mused. “Talk about confusion?”
“Tell you what—we’ll talk to the lieutenant. He’s up to speed and understands how mixed up this case is. Either he, or one of us, will keep the Mary Todd Lincoln House up to date. If you do find the speech, it’ll be up to the authorities to decide what to do with it. Go ahead and keep the necklace pieces where you had it.”
“Right back inside our hidden safe box for now, ” Aaron said.
“Good.”
Just then I heard the slamming of two car doors outside the window. We looked out. Ronnie emerged from one car, and another person climbed out of a van. I recognized him as a local television reporter.
“Ahh, jeez. The reporters are here,” Grandpa moaned. Mergens drew the drapes closed.
“I’ll get rid of them,” Mergens said, walking to the door. He stepped outside, and before long the reporters returned to their vehicles and left.
“That was quick service,” I said. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Mergens said. “I used to work the traffic division. I simply told those reporters they could stay if they wanted, but I was going to look their vehicles over, and if I found even the slightest problem, well, let’s just say the ticket would cost them plenty.”
“Let’s go.” Erlandsen went to the door. “If there’s anything … anything at all that you remember about anything that happened, no matter how minimal it seems, be sure to call. You have our numbers.”
I blew out a long breath after they left. “I wish this was finished. I feel terrible about Dr. Williams. He was such a good man and so generous to do this testing for us.” I shook my head. “Why was he murdered? What was the motive?”
“That’s the main point. No one knows,” Aaron replied, pouring sodas. He toasted. “To getting this solved.”
“To discovering the motive.”
“We’ll drink to Liv,” Grandma said.
“No. Let’s drink to Doctor Williams. He deserves it.”
We clinked our glasses and sipped our drinks. I thought about how lucky I was to have such wonderful grandparents and husband. “We have to figure out the symbols,” I said, shaking myself out of my daydream. “We haven’t really found the true meaning of the ‘G’ or the staircase.”
“How do you know it’s not just doodling?” Grandma asked. “I’ve been doing some thinking about what I’ve read, plus all the library research.”
“Yes. We also tried to peek inside the Masonic Lodge on Lowry Avenue the other day. We didn’t get in, but we saw all the symbols on the walls outside.” Aaron shook his head. “But, Mister Lincoln wasn’t even a Mason.”
“The staircase was drawn with fifteen steps. That might mean something.”
“The square and compass are geometric and make up the pentacle, whatever that means.
“Let’s look up the ‘G.’” I reached for my iPad. “It can’t just stand for God, can it? It seems as if it should have another meaning.”
No one spoke as I typed G Mason symbol into the Google search engine. Immediately several link sites popped onto the screen. After skimming through the first two links, I found my answer.
“It means origin. It’s what I’d said the last time.” I smiled at them. “It says ‘The letter G in Freemasonry stands for both the Great Architect of the Universe and Geometry… or, to be more technically correct, it stands for Geometry under the Great Architect of the Universe.’”
“I suppose that could be a clue to where he hid the Lost Speech,” Aaron replied. “That could be what Mary had in mind.”
“Somehow, it doesn’t seem right,” Grandpa said. “It’s too easy.”
“With her, it’s hard to say.” Grandma glanced out of the corner of the drapes. “Ronnie’s back.”
“I’ll handle it.” Aaron went outside. In a few minutes, he reentered the house. “He wanted to know if the murder was part of the ongoing investigation concerning Blanche. I told him to speak to the detective.”
“We really don’t know if they’re connected or not. Presumably, they are.”
Soon after, my grandparents left and Aaron went to shower, I had time alone to think about Mary Todd Lincoln.
Mary Lincoln embroidered. She came from well-to-do-parents. She owned slaves earlier in her life. A free slave, Elizabeth Keckley worked as a seamstress for her in the White House. Images of a desperate Mrs. Lincoln
with Tad clutching her skirt came to mind. Tad in his little uniform, clutching the stuffed bear. The favored doll I had as a child was still tucked away inside of my grandma’s trunk for safekeeping. For all intents and purposes, Mrs. Lincoln would have kept the bear for Tad. He would inherit it upon her death, most likely. Knowing that it was treasured, she embroidered the tree with the tiny nut inside the rear flap for a reason. For Tad’s eyes only to find.
The diary. Concentric puzzles. Robert, the eldest of the two remaining children, would be less likely interested in them. Tad was devoted to his mother, but he passed away before she did, leaving her alone. Did she hibernate in her sister’s house during her final years because of not being able to face the world? Or were people questioning her about the Lost Speech and she became frightened?
Chapter Twenty-One
“No new developments,” Aaron told me the next morning in the kitchen.
“Figures,” I mumbled. “What about the jar thief?”
“Hard to trace, but several jars are missing. Maybe there’s a new cat burglar in town.”
“Not related, just coincidental. Right?”
“Right.”
While I put on my jacket, I wondered what the day would bring. Would it be a repeat of the day before? I needed solace with more time to think about what all had happened within the last few weeks. “You ready to go?”
“Yep.” Aaron rinsed his dirty juice glass in the sink. “I’m anxious to hear how Max made out last night.”
“I worry about him.” I yawned. “We’ll be open all day, won’t we?” I opened the garage door, and he followed, locking it behind us.
“Plan to. Harris will be back to see if the bait worked.”
“Good,” I said. “You do have the pond hockey tourney over the weekend, don’t you?”
“Sure do. You’re coming, aren’t you?” He glanced at me and said, “It’ll be good for you to come watch the games after the store closes.”
“I’ll be there.”
Backing out, I noticed that the snowman family from across the street was half-melted. It brightened my spirits knowing spring was around the corner. I’d be able to see the neighborhood children who had fashioned the snow family out playing with their skateboards and other warm-weather activities.
As we drove down our street, my thoughts turned again to the Lost Speech. I asked Aaron, “If not for the Mary Lincoln House and the police investigations, what would we do with it?”
“What any good American would do, give it to the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian Institute.” He stopped at a red light and smiled at me. “Bet you were thinking the same thing.”
“Sure was. Or else to the Presidential Library in Springfield.” I waited a moment then added, “It’s exactly what should happen—if we find it. We’ll see that it’s donated to the library.”
“But it’s not ours to decide, is it?” Aaron asked. I had to admit he had a point.
We crossed the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, which brought us to our alleyway. As Aaron parked, I realized how good it was to see Max’s truck parked in its usual spot. Life was going to be fine. “Coffee?” Aaron asked, getting out of the car. He slammed the door shut. “Want to come with?”
“Yeah, it sounds like a good idea.” With his hand in mine, we hiked down the alley and then walked around to the front of the building. “I was surprised to see Suni at the café the other day. She almost never leaves their house.”
“I’ve heard they have the fastest connection to the Internet in town.” Aaron opened the front door of the café for us to step inside. “Hey, Luke!”
“The usual?” Luke asked. He returned our smiles, but his seemed a cold one. “You want a muffin, too?” His hand hovered over the screen of his register.
“Not today. Thanks.” I rubbed my hands together to warm up. “What’s this scuttlebutt going around about you two yesterday?” Luke asked as he dropped our payment into the till. One of his employees got busy fixing our beverages.
“Did someone take your penny jar?” another of Luke’s employees asked in heavily accented English. “Ours is gone.”
“I was wondering about what happened to Max,” Luke harrumphed, interrupting his employee, and giving her a hard look before turning back to us.
“News travels fast. Hopefully nothing else will happen to me or my friends.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Ever again.”
“How did you hear?” Aaron raised his coffee to his lips. “Just talk,” Luke said. “Of course, seeing the cops was the tip off.”
Later, as we entered the back door of our own store, I glanced up the alleyway and saw Holly at the back of Inga’s antique store. “Hey, Holly,” I called. “How ya doing?”
Holly hurried down the alley to greet me, a big smile on her face. “Great. Taking the last of my required courses this semester, and, hopefully, I’ll be finished soon. What a relief.” Aaron continued indoors while she continued chatting away.
“Inga’s doing well. She’s back at work. She tried dropping by, but your store has been closed. Couldn’t help but notice. It’s too bad about Dr. Williams. He was such a nice guy and a good teacher, even if he did give me a D in his class.” She turned a little pink while balling her fist. “He shouldn’t have done that … I didn’t deserve it. I’d studied so hard.” Holly burst into tears, so I motioned for her to come over for a hug. “I wish I hadn’t said all those mean things to him.”
“What did you say?” I tried to look her square in the eye, but she looked away. “Fess up.”
“Well, all right.” She glanced around before whispering, “Unfortunately, I told him that if the D messed up my GPA, he’d be dead. Dead as in doornail. Of course, it was said in the heat of the moment. But now the investigators will probably question me again.”
“Shush, now. If you’re innocent, you have nothing to worry about.” I held her hands and stared into her eyes. “The authorities have their hands full with gathering evidence. Don’t worry, it’ll all be clear in a few days’ time.”
“I hope.” She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “It’s time for me to get to work.”
“I’ll check in later.” I gave her a hug. “Keep your chin up.”
“Okay.”
As she rushed toward the antique store, I wondered how a pretty young girl could get so broken up over a low grade. When I entered our store, my ears perked up to loud voices in the workroom.
“Guess what?” I announced, interrupting Max and Aaron’s conversation before even setting down my coffee and pulling off my jacket. “Holly had Dr. Williams for a teacher. You won’t believe this, but when he gave her a D in his class, she yelled at him and threatened to kill him if it affected her GPA.” Aaron’s eyes opened wider and so did Max’s.
“Holy cow. Unbelievable,” Aaron said, drawing out his cell phone. “I’m calling the detectives.”
“Oh, Aaron, do you have to?”
“Sorry, hon, but rules are rules.”
“Now what?” Max asked, watching Aaron press in a few buttons on his phone.
“Probably more questioning.” I collapsed into a chair. “Think about it, though. It makes sense. The Lost Speech could easily be worth a small fortune on the open market, plus it would cover Holly’s college tuition, and then some, for a number of years.”
“But, Holly has never said anything about being so strapped for cash, has she?” Max asked.
“Not that I’ve heard or am aware of. However, I’ve been thinking about that missing speech. There’s got to be any number of folks itching to get their hands on it… for a number of reasons.”
“My thoughts, completely.” Aaron looked at us as he disconnected and stuffed the phone inside of his pocket. “You’re not going to believe this, but the young woman you found in the dumpster has vanished.”
“Oh dear God. You’re kidding.” I sat straighter. “How did that happen?”
“She recovered from her ordeal and then was whisked away by federal
immigration agents. Our detectives can’t get within ten miles of her. They’re probably holding her as a material witness. Happens all the time,” Aaron explained. He gave me an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. The tech guy will be here shortly. We’re right here with you, too.”
“Exactly. I’m sticking like glue to you, Liv,” Max stated, cocking his head. “Ouch. Not that I’d be of much good with a sore neck and all.”
“Didn’t they give you any pain killers?”
“Yes, but it sure seems like the last pill is wearing off. When I take one it puts me out almost immediately.” Max got up and said, “Nightie-night. I’ll be back when I wake.”
After he left, I went to the window.
“Harris just stepped out of his car,” I told Aaron.
Harris bounded through the front door of the store. “Good morning. Have you checked your e-mail accounts yet?” he asked after greeting Aaron and me.
“No. We’ve been waiting for you. There’s been too much happening lately. Gosh, when will you guys nail this down? Can’t you just take the computer in to examine it and figure out who is doing all this?” I glared at him. “There’s been two murders, and something has to be done!”
“First, we’re not sure if the guy who’s messing around with the computer is the killer, but we do believe it’s connected. In that case, we have to keep it looking as natural and normal as possible. If anyone should happen to come into the store, I’m just another IT guy. Got that?”
“Sure.” I watched him sit in front of the computer. “We think we know what he’s after.”
“I’ve read the notes,” Harris answered. “It’s something about President Lincoln and an important speech.” He logged into the account and his eyes lit up. “Yep. Our boy was on the move last night, but he’s smart.” Harris shook his head. “He detected my
little paw prints, and he’s switched his attack vector. I’ll start a port scan, should find him soon.”
I glanced at Aaron, who only shrugged “beats me!” at Harris’ cyber-talk. We watch Harris type in a series of cryptic commands.
Word to Death Page 18