by Mel McCoy
“Instead of getting half through a divorce,” Emma said, “she would get all of his fortune, plus the life insurance money. So even if Marigold got half, which would be more than enough, Charlotte would still come out way ahead.”
Larry shook his head. “I just don’t buy it.”
“Well, it is possible,” Adam said. “Marigold certainly has the motive: money. And Charlotte could have two possible motives: money and getting even with Jacobs. Divorce can be a nasty business.”
“And they both have the opportunity to do it,” Sarah said. “Don’t have rock-solid alibis.”
“Yeah,” Emma said, “and they have the means. A blunt object would be all that’s required to get the job done.”
Sarah’s face scrunched up. “Do you think either of them could drag the body to the pier, though?”
“You’re saying they did it together?”
“Not necessarily. Charlotte could have agreed to allow it to happen, but Marigold could have had help…”
“Okay,” Adam said, holding up his hand. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. I’ll muster up a case from what we know and run it by my colleagues, see what they have to say. Then in a day or two, I’ll take both of them down to the station for questioning. From there, we’ll see if we can get some answers and get to the bottom of this. Sound good?”
Both Sarah and Emma nodded.
“So, Adam,” Larry said, “did you ever get any leads into who broke into my shop?”
“Not yet. We’re still looking into that. But I’ll keep you posted.”
The next day, Sarah reorganized her knitted dog sweaters, adding more to the collection for the shop, as Emma was working on her laptop at the counter. Sarah felt proud of her latest creations. She’d learned a new stitch that she was able to incorporate into the sweater’s design—an intricate type of Celtic cable stitch that ran down the back of the sweater. She was just folding the last sweater, adding it to the shelf, when Adam walked in.
“Another nice day,” Adam said to Sarah.
“Hi, Adam,” Sarah said, looking up to see Adam in his uniform. “They have you off desk duty now?”
“No, I’m on break. I was wondering if you wanted to go get some air?”
Rugby rushed over to greet Adam, who rubbed the yellow lab’s head with both hands, causing the dog to pound his tail firmly on the floor in excitement. Winston trotted over and sat, waiting patiently for his turn. Adam laughed and then looked over at Emma.
“Hey, Emma,” he said.
Emma was still in deep concentration and let out a grunt that kind of resembled a “hey” in response to Adam’s greeting.
Sarah walked up to Adam. “She’s still working on the website for the boutique.”
“I thought she finished it,” Adam said. He was trying to pet Winston, but Rugby kept pawing at his arm for more attention.
“Yeah, but Larry couldn’t get into the admin section to add stock listings, and there was also an issue with the payment processing or something.”
Adam shook his head. “Sounds like fun.”
Sarah laughed. “But if you don’t mind some extra company…” she said, motioning to Rugby and Winston.
“Sure, the more the merrier.”
Sarah went to go grab the dogs’ leashes, and said to Emma, “Do you mind?”
Emma looked at Adam. “Just as long as you don’t have any more tips on the mystery of John Jacobs.”
Adam shook his head. “Not yet.”
Emma shrugged. “Then no, I need to finish this website, anyway. And I need to start putting that last order into inventory.”
“Oh, you finally got that order?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah, came this morning.”
“Good. Well, have fun, Emma.”
“I’ll try,” Emma said, turning her attention back to her computer.
Sarah got the dogs leashed up and she and Adam strolled out the door that lead to the boardwalk.
Once outside, they turned right and walked along the boardwalk, taking in the sights and sounds. The sounds of people chatting were truncated by the occasional crashing of waves off to their left. Sarah picked up on the sweet smell of baked goods. A couple rollerbladed past them, waving as they went. The weekend was quickly approaching, though the abundance of new faces wasn’t apparent to Sarah.
“I hope this season isn’t a bust,” Sarah said to Adam.
“It should be as good as last year, don’t you think?”
“With an unsolved murder case? A killer on the loose?”
“Yeah, well, that could put a damper on things.”
After a while, they turned right and strode down a walkway that acted as an access point, leading to the main road. Across the street, they reached the Banana Hammock Bar and Grill. There, Sarah spotted two women walking out into the parking lot.
“Is that Marigold?” Sarah asked, squinting.
“Looks like it,” Adam said. “And look who she’s with.”
“Charlotte.”
Adam started to walk across the street toward the women. Sarah followed him, hoping they could get some answers.
They crossed the street, Rugby and Winston next to Sarah.
“Hey, Charlotte!” Sarah called out, waving.
The beautiful, middle-aged woman waved back. “Hi, Sarah.”
Marigold said hello to Adam, but didn’t even look at Sarah. It was obvious she was still miffed about their altercation in that same parking lot the other day.
“Nice day to take the pups for a walk,” Charlotte said.
Sarah felt Rugby tug on the leash as he tried to say his hellos to the women. “I’ll say.”
“I’ve been looking into your husband’s case,” Adam said, getting right to the point.
“Thank you for your help, officer,” Charlotte said. “Have you found anything out about what happened with his murder?”
Sarah did a double-take. Last they talked to Charlotte, she was under the impression it was an accident, and neither Emma nor Sarah had corrected her in their attempt to get more information without inadvertently accusing the widow. Perhaps Marigold had mentioned that there was foul play involved, though the debutante had been put off by the very mention that anything other than accidental drowning was suspected.
The only explanation Sarah could think of was that Charlotte had slipped-up.
Sarah saw Marigold looking away, her gaze vacant. Sarah wondered what was on the woman’s mind.
“Didn’t you think he drowned?” Sarah asked Charlotte. “Accidental drowning…”
Charlotte sputtered, “I…uh…”
Marigold said, “She’s been through enough. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take her back home so she can get her rest.”
“Very quick,” Adam said, “if you don’t mind, Mrs. Jacobs…”
Marigold protested, but Charlotte waved her off like a pestering fly. “Go ahead, officer,” Charlotte said.
“Could you tell me about Mr. Jacobs’ life insurance policy? It appears to have been raised significantly a week before his death.”
Before Charlotte could speak, Marigold said, “That’s absurd! How dare you even bring that up at a time like this…Come on, Charlotte, let’s go.”
Marigold opened the passenger door to her yellow Beetle and hurried Charlotte in. She scowled at Sarah on her way around to the driver’s side, started the engine, and sped off.
Sarah and Adam looked at each other.
Sarah said, “How much do you want to bet she’ll be calling her lawyer when she gets home?”
Adam nodded. “Who knows…She might even be calling them as we speak.”
Chapter 18
Back at the boutique, Adam said his goodbyes and Sarah filled Emma in on what had transpired outside the Bar and Grill.
Emma chuckled. “They are so busted.”
“Seems like it,” Sarah said. “Adam said he will take them both to the station to question each of them individually. See if their stories m
atch.”
“You’d think their stories would line up perfectly. They probably have this all planned out. Can’t believe Charlotte’s slip-up, though. Guess she’s not the mastermind like Marigold is…”
“Guess not.”
“Hopefully they can get a confession from one of them before then. My money’s on Charlotte caving in first.”
Sarah nodded.
“Did you say Adam is stopping by later?” Emma asked.
“Yeah. They’re going to Jacobs Manor right now to find them, and he’ll probably stop over after their questioning.”
“Excellent,” Emma said, reaching down to get the dogs each a biscuit. “Hopefully he’ll bring some exciting news with him. Now that would be something to toast to! Wouldn’t it be ironic toasting their capture with Dunham wine?”
Sarah laughed. “Only you would think of that!”
That evening, Sarah lay in her grandpa’s recliner, flipping through another one of Grandma’s old scrapbooks. Winston had managed to wedge himself next to her, silently sleeping, unlike Rugby, who was next to the chair on the floor, snoring away. She’d taken the dogs for another walk and they were conked out. Misty, however, was restless, playing on the floor.
Sarah stopped at the old black and white photo of Mr. Walter Greensmith and George Jacobs. She studied both men. Walter had a smirk on his face and George Jacobs looked proud. Though, both men had their chests puffed out and were wearing suits. Walter had his jacket opened and something was peeking out from it. Sarah leaned in to get a better look, squinting her eyes.
“Hey,” Emma said, walking in with the latest mystery book she was reading. She plopped down on the couch. “Still looking at those old, dusty scrapbooks?” She lay down and opened her book, removing the book marker.
“Wow, you read fast,” Sarah said, noticing that her cousin was already halfway through the book.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door and the once-sleeping dogs were now lunging across the living room.
Sarah closed the scrapbook and laid it down on the coffee table. “That must be Adam.”
“Oh, you think he’s done questioning Marigold and Charlotte already?” Emma said, closing her book.
“I don’t know, but he said he’d stop by once he was done.” Sarah opened the door and Adam stepped in. Rugby jumped up at him.
“Rugby, no jumping. You know the rules,” Sarah said, grabbing his collar.
Adam smiled. “That’s okay. The big lug is just happy to see me.” Adam bent down and ruffled Rugby’s ears as Winston trotted over to say “hi” too. “Hey there, buddy.” Adam looked up at Sarah. “Still no leads on who this little guy’s owner is?”
“No. Still nothing. Bizarre, right?”
Adam nodded.
“So?” Emma said, looking at Adam expectantly.
“So,” Adam said back to her. “Marigold and Charlotte have a solid alibi.”
“What?” Emma practically shouted. “Everyone seems to have a solid alibi around here, don’t they?”
Adam shrugged. “What can I say? They were very cooperative. They were straightforward and answered all our questions.”
Sarah felt confused. “We’re back to square one, I guess.”
“So, what was their alibi?” Emma asked, using her fingers to imitate quotations while saying “alibi.”
“Apparently, Marigold’s maid was there.”
Emma gasped. “She has a maid?”
“Yeah, a live-in maid. So she was there all night. Said she could speak for the women drinking wine and eating chocolate and hor d’oeuvres until almost 3:00 a.m.”
“Wow.” Emma shook her head. “Isn’t that the life?”
Sarah was deep in thought. She couldn’t understand who did it. All signs pointed to Marigold and Charlotte. It had to be them. They had motive, opportunity—even a life insurance policy. “What if the maid is covering for them?”
“Doubt it,” Adam said. “She didn’t seem all that happy to be cleaning up after them at three in the morning. She said she’s usually done by 9:00 p.m. and retires to bed every evening, but she knew when Charlotte came over it was going to be a long night.”
Sarah just couldn’t wrap her head around it not being Marigold or Charlotte.
Just then Larry came into the room. “Hey, has anyone seen that necklace?”
“It’s on the bookshelf, where you left it,” Emma said, pointing to it. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing that thing.”
“Ah! Thank you, Emma.” Larry walked over to the necklace.
“Wait, Grandpa,” Sarah said. “You’ve been wearing that necklace?”
Larry held up the necklace, wearing a proud look. “Yeah. You should see the looks I’ve gotten this past week wearing this bad boy. Even Bob seemed intrigued.”
Emma cut in, “Grandpa, maybe you shouldn’t be wearing it. What if it’s worth money or something? We should get it appraised. Right, Sarah?”
Sarah didn’t respond. She was distracted by the picture she was looking at of Walter and George. Their suits and the way their chests were puffed out and…
Sarah walked over to the scrapbook and flipped through it quickly, pulling out the picture of Walter and George. “Grandpa, can I see that necklace?”
“Sure.” Larry took it off and handed it to Sarah. “Should I not wear it?”
“Where’s your magnifying glass?”
Larry walked over to his junk drawer. “It should be in here somewhere,” he said, rummaging. “Ah, here it is.” Larry pulled out his magnifying glass and handed it to Sarah.
Emma and Adam looked at each other, confused.
Sarah sat down with the picture on her lap. She narrowed her eyes as she hovered the magnifying glass over the picture, adjusting the distance until she could see the object peeking from Walter’s jacket clearly. There, she could see the object in the picture bore the same marking as the pendant she held in her hand. She looked at the necklace, delicately feeling the grooves of the engraved tree on the pendant. “Oh, my.”
Finally, Emma spoke up. “What is it?”
“You all need to see this.”
They all huddled around Sarah and the picture.
“See this?” Sarah started. “This pendant around Walter’s neck has the same intricate markings as the pendant. See? It’s a tree.”
Adam said, “Okay, well, then I guess we found the owner.”
Larry looked at Adam. “That’s Walter. He’s been dead for over a decade.”
“Well, isn’t your handyman, Bob, his son?”
“Ah, yes! It should go to next of kin. Won’t he be happy we found it!” Larry said with a smile.
“Hold on,” Sarah said. “Emma, where’s that picture of Marigold and John Jacobs.”
“It’s in my room. Give me a sec, I’ll go grab it.” Emma ran out of the room.
When she was gone, Adam looked at Sarah. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Hold that thought.”
Emma came rushing back with the photo and handed it to Sarah. Sarah took the picture. “Just as I thought.”
“What?” Adam and Emma said in unison. Larry looked over Sarah’s shoulder to try to see what she was seeing.
Sarah handed Emma the magnifying glass and the picture of Marigold and John Jacobs. “See what’s peeking out from John Jacobs’ jacket?” The pendant was only partially visible, showing some of the roots at the bottom and a couple of leaves at the top.
Emma gasped. “It can’t be.” Her eyes were wide in disbelief. “How in the world did I miss that?”
“You mean, how did we miss it?”
“What?” Adam repeated.
Emma gave him the picture and the magnifying glass. Adam took a look. Larry now leaned over Adam’s shoulder, straining to see.
Adam looked up from the picture. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t you see?” Sarah began. “In the picture of Walter and George, Walter Greensmith is wearing the necklace. And in this picture, taken decades
later, John Jacobs is wearing the necklace. How come Jacobs is wearing Bob’s father’s necklace?”
“That’s intriguing, but it doesn’t really mean anything.”
Sarah shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t. But add in the fact that Winston gave me this necklace when I found him. And Orloff, who was walking past the Jacob’s house during the night of the murder, said he saw a small dog almost identical to Winston, coming from behind the Jacobs place.”
“I don’t know, Sarah. Just sounds like we found the rightful owner of the necklace, is all.”
“Or we just found a motive,” Emma said.
Adam shook his head. “I think you’ve been reading too many of your mystery stories.”
“If that’s your take away,” Sarah said, “then I assume you don’t know the history of these two families.”
Adam looked at Sarah and then at Emma. “Okay. Fine, I’ll bite.”
Sarah turned to Larry. “Grandpa…you told me Walter Greensmith and George Jacobs were partners in a firm…”
Larry nodded. “Yeah. So?”
“You said they owned a lot of land back then. What happened?”
“All I know is there was a falling out between Walter and George, and John Jacobs got everything.”
“How come you didn’t bring this up earlier?”
“It happened a long time ago. Ancient history.”
“So, what’s the significance of the necklace?”
Emma said, “This necklace is an antique. Probably worth a lot of money or something.”
Larry leaned in. “Can I see the necklace?” He stepped forward as Adam reached out to hand it to him.
Just then, a chipmunk rustled at the window sill. Rugby lunged across the living room to the window. In his haste, Rugby knocked into Larry, barking at the little critter, who scurried away quickly.
Sarah watched as the necklace flung into the air and slammed against the coffee table. The pendant split in half, and Larry cried, “Rugby, look what you made me do!”
Sarah and Emma’s mouths dropped as they eyed the glinting piece of metal that now lay on the carpet.
Adam stepped closer to see the small, shiny item that had fallen from the pendant.
