My thoughts are interrupted when I see a volunteer poke her head out of the doors.
“Penny. Are you coming in?” the volunteer calls out to me. “Rebecca’s about to start the slideshow and she asked me to clear the lobby. She doesn’t want interruptions so these doors can’t open or close while—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, standing while stuffing my notebook back into my messenger bag. I hoist my bag up over my shoulder and then hustle around the table, across the lobby, and through the double doors.
Chapter Sixteen
The inside of the theatre is dark and it takes my eyes a few minutes to adjust. Even when they sort of adjust, I still can’t see clearly as I make my way down the narrow aisle.
“Ooops! Excuse me,” I say as I kick someone’s foot. I veer left and over correct, bumping against someone else’s leg. “Pardon me,” I whisper hoarsely.
I can see my shadow on the screen. I’m right in front of the projector. I bend down almost double to try to minimize the shadow, but it doesn’t really work. Instead it just makes my shadow shorter and squatter.
In fact, my shadow kind of looks like an animal, so I decide to make an animal face with my hands. If I’m going to cast a shadow, I might as well make it a cool one. I make a wolf shadow face and open and close the mouth a few times. Then I put my hands together and make a flying bird.
All the while I’m making my way down the aisle. I reach the front row, and follow the sound of clapping over towards Marley. She gives a whistle as my shadow disappears off of the screen. I fly the bird off with me. Marley adds a holler. “Go Penny! Woot woot!”
“I’m glad at least you liked that,” I whisper to Marley as I sit. She laughs.
Max, on my other side, laughs too. He places a hand on my knee.
I’m about to greet him when Rebecca’s voice rings out over the speaker system. “Welcome to Night of Hillcrest History!” she says.
There’s a collective applause. Apparently, people are more eager to applaud Rebecca than a one-woman impromptu shadow show, though I have no idea why.
“Now that everyone is seated,” she says pointedly, “we’ll start the slideshow.” The first picture I want to show you is actually a fitting introduction to our night as a whole. This image is of some of the original settlers of Hillcrest. If you look in the back row, three in from the right, you’ll see Adam Greene. He was Felix Greene’s father. It was Adam who....”
Her voice drones on, and I start to tune it out. I mean, I’m interested in learning about the history of my town, especially because it has to do with Marley’s lineage, but I have other things on my mind.
I’m trying to work out how my new information fits into the case as a whole. To be honest, it’s boggling my mind that Declan signed the will. What does it mean?
I try to work it out from the beginning.
If Declan signed the will, that means he’s more involved than I’ve been thinking. He’s the common factor here. He’s the one that connects everything: the will, the gold, Felix’s death, and Rich’s.
Rebecca continues the slide show. I mostly tune it out, but then a picture grabs my attention. It’s a picture of Hillcrest Mine employees. I recognize a man in one of the pictures. He looks to be about in his twenties. He has curly hair. He’s standing next to several other laborers at the mine, by a big boulder at the entrance to the building.
That face...
Yes! It was the face of the graduate with curly hair in the picture in Victoria’s kitchen. While I stare up at the screen, I suddenly realize: It’s Declan! The guy with the curly hair is Declan.
I close my eyes, struggling to remember the words that Victoria said before she picked up the photograph and kissed it.
Yes! That’s right. She said, ‘don’t worry’. She was afraid that my visit was going to cause trouble for Declan. Why?
I force myself to keep thinking, but as the slide show progresses, I stall out.
I keep closing my eyes, trying to work through the clues. I’m getting nowhere.
The slideshow wraps up, and then spotlights illuminate the stage.
Rebecca leaves her spot by the projector, and walks down the aisle. I have to say, she does this a lot more gracefully than I did. She doesn't kick or bump into anyone.
She climbs the three steps up to the stage. As she walks into the pool of light being cast down from above, she addresses the audience. “I don’t know about you, but I love seeing photographs of our town. We have a very rich history.”
A lot richer than most people know, I think to myself. One softball sized gold nugget richer! I crane my head around and spot Declan. He’s sitting next to Victoria, in the second row back and across the aisle.
Rebecca continues. “One of the reasons, I believe, that our town has such a vibrant and rich history is that it attracts a certain type of person. We, the people of Hillcrest, are adventurers. We are pioneers. We are explorers. Tonight, you saw images of the original settlers of Hillcrest. You saw the way that our town has evolved and changed over the past nearly two hundred years. That evolution is thanks to the people that have lived, worked, and raised families in this town.”
A loud, boisterous applause fills the room. “Hip, hip, hooray!” I hear a voice that I recognize as Annie.
I join in. Because heck, I think what’s she’s saying is true. Plus, I’m getting caught up in everyone else’s excitement.
As the hooting and hollering dies down, I realize that Marley wasn’t clapping. Instead, she’s fiddling with the nails of one hand with the other hand.
She’s nervous.
And no wonder! Her moment in the spotlight is coming. And what she’s going to say is not going to earn her a happy applause from the audience.
I pick up on Marley’s nervousness, and bite my lip as Rebecca continues.
“The evolution of this town—the way we’ve grown and changed over the years—is thanks to those individuals who lived here and contributed to our community. Tonight, we will celebrate and honor one individual in particular. This man was born and raised in Hillcrest. At the young age of twenty, he started mining the mountains that surround us, and at the age of thirty he founded the Hillcrest Mine.”
I hear Marley start tapping her foot against the ground. She’s getting really nervous now.
I squirm in my seat. Does my information about Declan shed any light on what happened at the mine? Maybe Marley doesn’t have the whole story. Maybe she shouldn’t stand up in front of everyone and drag her grandfather’s name through the mud.
I chew my lip as Rebecca continues. I’m thinking hard. The photograph of Declan at the mine surprised me. I didn’t realize he worked there. That must have been before he inherited all that money, and never had to work again.
If he was up at the mine, is it possible that he overheard Felix and Rich discussing the gold nugget?
Rebecca talks about Felix for the next ten minutes. Then, finally, she wraps up her speech with a grand announcement. “Which is why tonight, the Historical Society has decided to award The Hero of Hillcrest Award to... Felix Greene!”
A loud applause springs up.
“To accept that award on behalf of Felix, I invite up to the stage Owen Greene and his daughter, Felix’s granddaughter, Marley Greene!”
More applause fills the small theatre.
Several people even start standing up. Once a few people stand, everyone has to stand.
One by one we all get to our feet while Marley and Owen take the stage.
Marley accepts the mic from Rebecca. “Thank you Rebecca. Thank you everyone...” Her voice is wobbly.
The applause is still roaring. We’re all still standing. I can tell Marley is fighting against the glare of the bright lights. She lifts her hand to her eyes as she peers out at the audience. Her cheeks are flushed. She looks like she wants to cry, and I can tell she’d rather be anywhere than there.
I wish there was something I could do!
“Thanks, really,” she says
. “But there’s something I have to tell you. Sometimes the version of history we hear isn’t... it isn’t the truth.”
Her cheeks are getting even redder. Her voice is shaking. My poor friend! I have to do something. I have to help.
I’m already standing, but now I step forward, breaking rank with the others in the front row. I lunge towards the steps that lead up to the stage. “Wait!” I say. “Marley, wait!”
“Penny... what’re you doing?” Marley says under her breath, away from the mic as I run up to her side.
I’m breathless as I reach for the microphone. “I’m protecting your grandfather’s reputation,” I whisper.
“I want to put the truth out there,” Marley says.
“I do too,” I say. I grab the mic, and she surrenders it.
I pick up where Marley left off. “One of the stories that we all know about our shared Hillcrest history is the story we heard tonight: the story of Felix saving Rich from the tunnel collapse at the Hillcrest Mine. But that story isn’t true. It’s fiction. It’s a lie.”
A gasp goes up in the crowd.
I look right at Declan and Victoria as I continue.
“That collapse was staged. It was a cover-up—to distract Hillcrest from what really happened that night. You see...”
The mic is one of those portable ones, so I walk a little bit to the right as I talk. “Just about thirty years ago, Felix Greene discovered a gold nugget. A large gold nugget. It was the size of a softball. He discussed this finding with his head foreman, Rich Dempsey.”
I turn on my heel dramatically and begin pacing in the other direction. I can feel all eyes on me as I speak again. “A worker at the mine overheard that discussion. He realized that the gold could change his life forever. This worker also realized that as things stood, he wouldn’t see any of the riches from the gold. So he took matters into his own hands.” Now I’m in front of Victoria and Declan.
I point at Declan, two rows back. “Declan here knew that if he wanted all of the riches from the gold, he had to get Felix out of the picture. He also had to manipulate Rich Dempsey. So—what did you do, Declan? Did you hit Felix over the head? Did you poison him so that he appeared to be drunk? Did you—”
Declan springs to his feet. “I don’t have to listen to you make false accusations!” He turns his head and looks towards the exit. He’s socked in on all sides by other members of the audience.
“Sit down,” I say to Declan. Then to those around him I say, “Don’t let him out.”
I keep talking. “Declan forged Felix’s will, arranging it so that Rich Dempsey would inherit the mine. Then he killed Felix. He placed a call to Victoria and Rich, asking them to come up to the mine.”
This is where my theory gets a bit shaky, but I try to sound confident as I continue. I have to sound sure of myself. I want Declan to think I know more than I do.
I continue. “Declan was aware that Felix occasionally drank. He staged Felix’s dead body to make it look like the death involved alcohol. He planted the will so that Victoria and Rich would find it. Then he hung around long enough to convince Victoria and Rich not to report the ‘accidental death’ to the police. My guess is that Victoria suspected something was fishy. So did Rich. But Victoria wasn’t going to accuse her beloved son of murder.”
Victoria stands now. “You have no proof of this!” she says.
She’s right, but I’m not going to let that stop me.
I move on, ignoring Victoria’s outburst. “Declan manipulated everything from behind the scenes. He suggested that Rich and Victoria call Owen and make up a lie about what happened. He suggested they stage the mining accident and the rescue of Rich. And lastly—he suggested that his name should be left out of it.”
“That’s because he didn’t want to draw suspicion onto himself!” Victoria says. “Yes, my son found Felix dead and reeking of alcohol. But he didn’t—he didn’t kill Felix Greene! I know it looks bad. It did to me that night, too. I thought at first—but no! I wouldn’t let myself think that about my own son.”
“Well, your trust was unfounded,” I say. “Because he did kill Felix. Not only that, but then he killed your second husband, Rich!”
Another collective gasp rises in the room.
“No!” someone shouts.
“But that was a heart attack!” says someone else.
“Penny, you sure about that?” Jim, the head of the post office asks. He has every right to ask. I’ve falsely accused him of stealing my mail before.
“I’m sure,” I say, nodding my head. “Listen to this. Rich had an arrhythmia. If he didn’t take his heart medication, his heartbeat would get all irregular. It happened many times over the years, until his medication was dialed in. What do you think would happen if he missed a dose of that very important medication?”
“He’d have a heart failure!” says Marley.
“Correct,” I say. “When the medics found Rich, he was in cardiac arrest. His heart was not working. I believe that was due to heart failure. When I was at Victoria’s house, I found Rich’s bottle of medication. But instead of his heart pills, that bottle was filled with another kind of pill. A pill for arthritis, which Rich didn’t have.”
“Someone replaced the pills?” Rebecca asks. Even she is getting caught up in this story.
“Yes!” I say. “Declan knew how to get into Rich and Victoria’s house. He knew how important Rich’s heart medication was. Victoria talked about it all the time. Declan has arthritis. He replaced the pills... and that killed Rich Dempsey.”
I almost expect Declan to run, but instead, he wilts in place. “Mamma... Mamma I’m sorry,” he says.
“How could you?” Victoria says. “How could you... I convinced myself you didn’t kill Felix. I didn’t like keeping the secret of how he died—the lies that you fed me!—a secret all those years. But I thought that was what I had to do in order to keep speculation off of you. I thought that if people questioned Felix’s death, they might also question your right to that gold.”
Declan reaches for his mother, but she pulls away. She glares at her son as she continues. “I thought that gold was your only chance at a good life. Rich thought so too. You didn’t have a chance with a manual labor job. You hated working at the mine. Rich didn’t want that for you, and neither did I. You weren’t cut out for manual labor. You were so delicate.”
“I was not!” Declan says, a flash of anger in his eyes. “You always told me that. You said I’d never succeed... that I wasn’t as strong as the others. Well, I proved you wrong, didn’t I? I didn’t need to work my tail off like the others. I just had to use my brain.”
He taps his head. “I masterminded that whole plan. I did it all perfectly. I hit him on the head with a rock so that it would look like he fell and hit his head. I poured a bottle of whiskey down the front of his shirt. I typed up a fake will and signed it myself...Those were all my ideas.”
He jams a finger into his mother’s face. “How’s that for weak? How’s that for inferior? How’s that for never succeeding? I think I made it just fine Mamma—on my own!”
Chris is making his way slowly down the aisle. I’m moving towards my messenger bag.
Chris, still behind Declan and out of sight, starts squeezing in front of the people sitting in the third row.
Declan is too wrapped up in his speech to notice.
“I’m a millionaire!” he says. “I don’t have to bust my butt in the mine like your loser second husband! I get to do whatever I want, all day long. Because I’m smarter than those men! They might be strong, but I’m smart!”
I’m trying not to move too fast. I’ve slipped my gun in the back waistband of my pants. I have my cuffs ready in my hands. As I near Declan, Chris meets my eye. He gives me a quick, sharp nod.
Then he wraps his arms around Declan, pinning Declan’s arms to his sides.
“Declan Nelson,” Chris says, “You are under arrest for the murder of Felix Greene, as well as the murder of Rich Dempsey.
”
I step awkwardly up to the front row and then try to squeeze in closer to Declan and Chris so that I can help. Victoria moves out of the way, and I push her chair aside. Others stand up and start moving away from us.
“Excuse us,” I say. “Yes... if you could just give us some room. Thanks... thanks Shirley. Yes, Bill, just move to the left a little that’s great.” Finally, just tripping a little over a chair leg, I make it to Declan’s side. Declan is struggling against Chris’s hold—he looks like a trapped animal. Chris is doing his best to keep him still.
“Penny—Penny can you cuff him?” Chris says.
“I’m on it,” I say, and then without making one mistake, I place the cuffs on Declan’s wrists. I snap them closed.
Then I look into Declan’s eyes. “You might think you’re smart, Declan,” I say. I narrow my eyes and shove my glasses up on my nose. “But you’re not smarter than me.”
Declan rears his head back. Before I can duck, he spits right in my face! The glob of saliva lands square on my glasses.
And just like that, I have another reason why wearing fake glasses totally rocks.
They can act as safety goggles!
Yep. I’m counting this one as a win.
Chapter Seventeen
My apartment is sparkling clean. I have lit a row of candles on the counter tops. I’m outfitted in a dress and my rope of pearls. Turkey is dressed up too—in a little black bow-tie.
You might be wondering if we’re all spruced up for a dinner date with Max. Nope!
Tonight is all about witchy business.
My Terra Coven and I have a spell to cast! And luckily, Azure has agreed to help us with it.
In addition to the sparkling surfaces, abundance of candles, and fancy outfits for Turkey and me, I’ve also prepared for the evening of magic by putting together some refreshments. I think my sisters are going to be surprised by the iced tea that I brewed up.
I haven’t told them yet that I learned Victoria’s secret iced tea recipe. They probably think that the tea recipe disappeared from town along with Victoria.
A Hillcrest Witch Mystery Collection Page 85
