Clearing the Course

by Diane Weiner

  “Great. We’ll catch up then.”

  Chapter 30

  “I’m glad you suggested going out for dinner,” said Emily. I was in no mood to cook.”

  “And you wanted to pump Coralee for info on Dallas Peterkin, right?”

  “Why would he lie about having a wife and child?”

  “He didn’t lie. Last summer, I treated his pregnant wife. She fell and injured her head. It was just a concussion. You met her yourself.”

  “I did. And the baby was fine?”

  “Yeah. Dan checked her out and gave them both a clean bill of health.”

  Given the beautiful weather and the early time, the dining room was emptier than usual. Coralee came over and set a basket of warm blueberry muffins on the table. “How’s Maddy doing?”

  Henry said, “Much better. She’ll be home in a few days. What do you think of that Robby? We suspect there’s a relationship starting between him and Maddy.”

  “He’s quite a bit older than her,” said Emily.

  “That boy’s got a heart of gold. You should see him around the cats! And he’s patient, too. I saw him out on the porch a few times talking to ‘the lumberjack,’ you know, that old retiree who hangs out here playing chess with the guests.”

  “If he has the wear-with-all to spend more than five minutes with that old bag of wind, he’s definitely patient,” said Emily.

  “In the scheme of things, he’s not that much older, what, 5 or 6 years? My Travis, may he rest in peace, was ten years older than me and it worked out just fine. He was the love of my life.”

  “Speak of the devil,” said Henry. “Isn’t that the lumberjack out there in the lobby?”

  “Henry, I have an idea. Do you think he knows anything about your family’s business? He’s probably as old as your grandfather would have been.”

  “Not quite, but they may have crossed paths.”

  Coralee said, “Are you still digging up info on those clues your family left? He’d be a good one to talk to. Let me bring him in.”

  Before they could object, Coralee was out in the lobby.

  “So much for a relaxing dinner,” said Henry.

  “Who knows, maybe he can help piece together your family puzzle. If he drones on too long, we’ll pretend Maddy has an emergency.”

  “And leave our dinner sitting here?”

  “We’ll take it to go.”

  Coralee led a burly, hunchbacked man with a long Santa Claus beard to the table and pulled over a chair for him. “What can I get you for dinner?”

  “Vegetarian chili for me,” said Emily. “With the house salad.”

  Henry ordered pot pie. The lumberjack ordered two.

  Emily explained the clues found in the silver box as well as what they’d found in the family bible and crates from the crawl space.

  “I knew your grandfather, Henry. I was little, but I shadowed my father whenever I was off school. Got to know the guys. Pops worked at your Grandfather’s mill.”

  “The Tedgar mill, right?”

  “Yeah, but it was more Ted than Gar. Old Gary lost his arm at the mill and became a partner mostly in name after that. Ted Fox was one hard worker. Always at the mill except for when he was at the gambling hall. My mother used to get on my father about that all the time. Bingo Hall was a front for high stakes poker games.”

  “And you remember that all these years later?”

  “Only because my parents constantly fought about it. Dad defended it by listing the others who he played Poker with—Ted Fox, Old Gary, and Charlie Rivers.”

  Henry leaned in closer. “What do you know about Charlie Rivers?”

  “You heard the stories, I’m sure. Disappeared without a trace. Some say he ran off with stolen money from his investors. Some called it murder, but they never found the body. Or the money.”

  “Could Henry’s grandfather have been involved somehow with the disappearance?”

  “Couldn’t tell ya’. My father was one of the last to see him though. He saw him at the poker game where he pulled out a royal flush, and the next day he was reported missing.”

  “You remember that from so long ago?”

  “My long term memory’s clear as a bell. Now ask me what I ate for breakfast and it’s another story.”

  “Do you remember anything else?”

  “I heard my father saying he lost a boat load of money that night. They all did, except for Charlie. Dad was going to have to sell a tractor to pay off his debt. He was relieved when Charlie went missing.”

  “So it’s possible my grandfather lost money as well.”

  “Where there’s a winner there are losers.”

  Coralee came back to the table. “That guest you were playing chess with yesterday is out on the porch asking for you.”

  The lumberjack stood up. “Can’t pass up a chess match now, can I?”

  When he’d slowly made his way out of the dining room, Emily said, “Coralee, there’s something I want to ask you about. Some things about Dallas Peterkin aren’t adding up. I went by his cabin to return something he left and there was no sign of a wife or baby.”

  “Really? I haven’t seen his wife all summer, but he said she liked to keep the baby sheltered from germs so she didn’t want to be out in public.”

  “Why wouldn’t he at least be showing off pictures?”

  “Don’t know. Maybe he and his wife are on the outs. The stress of a baby has broken up more than one couple I’ve known. He could just be embarrassed to admit they aren’t with him.”

  “Yeah, that crossed my mind, too.” Her phone vibrated. “It’s the police station.” She went out on the porch to take the call.

  Coralee said to Henry, “I knew all along Robby was innocent, but do the police have any other suspects?”

  “Not at the moment. We’re still trying to tie together Damari, Dan, and Chauncey. What did they have in common that made them a target?”

  He left out the part about Dan’s warning, and the probable motive for his brakes being tampered with. Emily returned.

  “That was Megan. The gold chain did have blood on it. She’s sending it to Burlington for DNA testing. I’ll bet it belonged to Charlie Rivers.”

  Coralee said, “You think Henry’s grandfather left clues because he killed Charlie Rivers? Why would he do that?”

  Henry said, “There was a boatload of money that went missing along with Charlie Rivers. I’m wondering if grandfather hid it somewhere. He couldn’t very well deposit it into his bank account.”

  “And if the whole Charlie Rivers thing had time to be forgotten…”

  “His descendants could enjoy it,” said Coralee. “Did you check the family mill out on Mill Road? It’s all abandoned and overgrown now, but what a great hiding place. Plus, all the wood chippers and all…”

  “Coralee!”

  “Sorry, I’ve been reading too many spy novels lately.”

  “She may have a point,” said Henry. “There is a skeleton key in the box. Something’s hidden somewhere. And don’t forget the card. Rivers and my grandfather both played poker, and the lumberjack just told us everyone lost money the night before Rivers was discovered missing.”

  Coralee said, “Looks like this town’s got two mysteries to solve. Emily, you may have your next true crime book in your pocket!”

  Chapter 31

  “I knew you were going to suggest this,” said Henry. “As soon as the lumberjack started in on the gambling and the old mill, I figured you’d want to drive out there.”

  “You’re off today, and Maddy comes home tomorrow. Let’s take advantage of the opportunity.”

  Emily replenished Chester’s cat food, having learned to manipulate the bag using one arm. Amazing how adaptable one could be when necessary. Too bad she wasn’t typing her book a little faster with her one good hand. She threw on a pair of denim shorts and a baggy t-shirt, which easily fit over her cast.

  “So the mill first, or the cemetery?”

  “The mil
l.”

  Henry opened the passenger door for Emily. “Maddy’s going to be mad we didn’t wait for her.”

  “I know, but her stomach is still tender from the surgery. She shouldn’t be traipsing around the mill. What if she was to fall on the stitches?”

  “You have a point.” He started the car. “What are you expecting to find at the mill?”

  “Hate to say it, but maybe a body, or I guess I should say skeleton.”

  “After my grandfather sold the mill, the new owner didn’t report anything, so if there’s a body there, it must be well hidden.” He zipped down the road wondering if he should consider another Audi if the Tesla thing didn’t work out. The mill was further than he’d anticipated. He pulled onto what had once been a dirt path, but now was a jungle of weeds. Only the taller weeds flanking it hinted that it was ever a road.

  “Henry, there’s a sign. I can barely read it.”

  “Jinson’s Mill. Boy it looks like a ghost town out here.” He trudged through the weeds until the once path disappeared. “Looks like we’re on foot from here on.”

  He helped Emily out and they walked toward the mill. Debris cluttered the place and he kicked what he could aside to clear the course. Emily grabbed his arm, nearly losing her balance on several occasions. She heard, or hopefully just imagined, rustling in the grass. It’s just the wind, not a snake. Even in broad daylight, her fight or flight hormones kicked into high gear.

  It was slow going, but finally they made it to the wooden building and abandoned machinery. “Most of this is rusted through,” said Emily. “Jinson should have sold this stuff instead of leaving it to rot.”

  Henry ran his hand over rusty metal. “I think they fed the logs in here and the saw cut them into boards…and no. It’s too small to fit a body through.”

  “What’s this?”

  “An industrial sander.”

  They walked along the length of the machinery and out the back. Henry swatted at the black flies buzzing in his ear. “I don’t know where to start. The mill is surrounded by these woods. He could have easily hidden a body out there, too.”

  “Let’s think about the clues. Maybe we’re missing something.” She ran through what she could remember of Gray’s Elegy, pictured the playing card, river, chimes…

  “Let’s keep walking,” said Henry. He cleared the path around the back of the mill with his feet, stopping periodically to move aside larger branches.

  “Wait! Do you hear that?” Emily grabbed his arm.

  “What?”

  “Listen.” The wind had picked up as the afternoon clouds rolled in. “Chimes. I hear wind chimes.”

  Emily led the way. “See? Over there by that barn or whatever it is.”

  “Some sort of storage shed. Next to a bubbling brook, like in the poem!” She looked up. “They’re tied to that tree.”

  They hustled over to the tree. Emily scraped her hand on the bark and without missing a beat, wiped the dirt and blood on her shorts. When she reached the back of the tree, she noticed something carved deeply into the bark.

  “Henry! Come quick! Look!”

  “What is it?” He worked his way around the tree. “You’re kidding.”

  “It’s an ace of spades. Someone even took the trouble of painting it. Isn’t an ace part of a royal flush?”

  “It has to be a clue.”

  “Start digging.”

  “Emily, there’s no way we can do this ourselves.”

  “There’s all sorts of tools laying around.”

  “It has to be done carefully. If there are bones under there, we don’t want to break or miss them.” He took out his phone. “I’m calling Megan to tell her what we found. I’ll bet the police have the resources to dig this up.”

  While he called, Emily wondered how long it would take before the area could be dug up. What if the body was here under the tree? Or maybe the money was hidden here.

  “Megan’s sending a crew out this afternoon. We might as well go home.”

  “Are you kidding? And miss the big reveal?”

  “It may be hours if not longer.”

  Emily sighed, “Guess you’re right.” She offered a compromise. “Let’s stop at the cemetery.”

  Knowing he wouldn’t win, and curious himself, Henry led them back to the silver Audi, which was now sprinkled like an ice cream cone with leaves and dirt courtesy of the pre-storm winds. Now that he had his bearings, he took a shorter route home. On the way, they passed a cornfield with a bunch of cars parked at its edge.

  “I think that’s the new corn maze that opened this summer. We should do it with Maddy when she gets better. We could bring Robby, too.”

  “Looks like fun. What happens if we get lost?”

  “I think they use GPS embedded along the way. You and Maddy are good with puzzles.”

  “Says the true crime writer turned amateur sleuth!”

  He pulled in front of the old church. “You can’t possibly hop the fence with that arm. I should have considered that before agreeing to stop here.”

  Disappointed that she couldn’t see a way around it, she said, “Then you go and take a look around.”

  Henry worked his way over the iron gate, jumping to the other side. He headed to his grandfather’s grave and cleared away the debris around the base of the tombstone. He couldn’t have hidden the money here if he was already dead. Didn’t make sense. He looked around at the neighboring stones. He wiped off the dirt on the closest headstone. They had already cleared the neighboring tombstones on one side. What about the other side? He picked up a flat rock to scrape away the dirt covering the inscription.

  Mary Fox. 1910-1968. His grandmother. He’d gone to her funeral as a child. Was this the same church? He remembered his mother holding his hand, and his father crying. It was the first and last time he’d seen his father cry.

  He cleared away the branches and beside the headstone, uncovered a smaller one between the two graves. It was a flat piece of granite inscribed Patience Fox. 1965-1965. It made no sense. He never heard of Patience Fox, and apparently she died as an infant, or even during childbirth. His grandparents were the same age. That meant his grandmother would have given birth when she was 55 years old. Emily’s age. No way. He inspected the stone more closely. The T in Patience was ornate, maybe it was supposed to resemble a cross.

  “Henry, come on. Did you find something?”

  He brushed off his legs and went back to the gate. “I may have found a dead relative.” He climbed the fence and hopped down. “Patience Fox. Died as an infant.”

  “Patience? Sounds like a Quaker name.”

  “My family was Presbyterian. So is this whole church/graveyard set up.”

  “When we get home, I’ll check the family bible and see if it lists her.”

  Chapter 32

  When they got home, Emily flicked on the lights and made a beeline for the bible.

  “I don’t see a Patience Fox listed anywhere. It looks like your grandmother kept meticulous notes. If she had a baby, there’d be a birth certificate or something.”

  Henry’s phone rang. His heart skipped a beat. The police digging crew had to have found something by now. What if they didn’t and this was all a disappointing waste of time? He hit the accept button.

  “Yes, Megan. No way!” Emily pulled at his sleeve and motioned for him to hit speaker, but he ignored her. “Can you identify it? Is it Charlie Rivers? Yeah. Thanks.”

  “They found a body, right?”

  “A skeleton, right under the chimes.”

  “Is it him?”

  “They have to test it. Megan’s hoping there are dental records. Says that’d be the quickest way to identify it.”

  “Let’s assume your grandfather killed Rivers and buried him under the chimes. Did they find the money, too?”

  “She didn’t mention it.”

  “So he killed Rivers, took back the deed and the money Rivers won at the poker game. Where’s the money? Burying it would have ma
de sense.”

  “It would. Maybe he did bury it, just not with the body.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Patience Fox. What if he meant Patience, Fox.? Maybe the money is buried in the cemetery! The headstone was a flat piece of granite on the ground, not sticking up like the others.”

  Emily retrieved the silver box and the clues. “The chimes were where he buried the body. Rivers was the name of the victim. The playing card is an ace of spades, assumedly part of the winning royal flush poker hand. Gray’s Elegy, is of course, the graveyard. What about the key? That’s the only clue we haven’t used.”

  Henry picked up the key and examined it from different angels. Then he brought it under the lamp and put on his reading glasses. “Emily, the t in Patience is different. It’s ornate, not like the other letters. I thought it was supposed to be a cross, but maybe…”

  “Maybe it’s supposed to be the key! I’ll bet if we go back there, we’ll find a way to use the key to get the money. Come on.”

  “Emily, it’ll be getting dark soon.”

  She was afraid he’d say they should wait until the morning, but instead, he said, “I’ll grab a shovel and some flashlights.”

  Henry pushed the speed limit going back to the cemetery. He knew he needed Emily’s help, but worried about her climbing the fence with her broken arm.

  As if reading his mind, Emily said, “If you go over first, you can help me down. I’ll be careful. I can still grip kind of with my left hand.”

  When they arrived, Henry had her try to grip the bar on the fence. “It’s tough, but I can do it.”

  He tossed the shovel and flashlights over, then hopped down himself. “Come on, very slowly. Put your weight on your right side.”

  She struggled, and lost her grip when she swung her legs over the top.

  “I’ve got you.” Henry caught her and set her safely down. “Let’s go.” He led her to the flat stone, brushing off the bit of dirt that had blown over it in the last few hours. He dug his fingers around the edges. “Hand me the shovel.”

  He stood up and managed to pry the shovel under the edge of the stone.