Map Skills Murder

by Leslie Langtry

  "Hey!" Rex got between us. "What's wrong with you?"

  Ronni glared at me as if her brother weren't there. "You traitor! You're helping that psycho steal our house!" She stormed off before I could process her accusation.

  Rex chased after her, threatening to arrest her, but now I knew what Edna had been doing on her laptop. She'd contacted the Ferguson twins. And she'd told them about my donation.

  I was so screwed.

  "Merry!" Randi entered the room, full of her usual excitement.

  "Randi, I'm so sorry about Edna Lou Murphy!" I said quickly. "It was a total misunderstanding! I would never…"

  Randi waved me off with a smile. "Oh, that? I'm not worried about her. She has no case whatsoever. It's Ronni you should worry about."

  I rubbed my head, feeling a lump form.

  "Really, I donated some money to the historical society, and then she told me what she was using it for," I insisted.

  "It's fine," Randi said. "That woman has been harassing us for over a month now. Somehow she got it in her head that the previous owner had no right to sell it to us. She claims she's a descendant of the family who built this house and…"

  I didn't hear one more word. Pieces of a puzzle I didn't even know I was working on began to fall into place. Somewhere along the line, Edna Lou and Ike's family changed their name from McMurtry to Murphy. Probably because it was easier to pronounce. It happened all the time, except with my father's family who kept Czrygy because there weren't any letters to take out to make an unpronounceable name with no vowels easier.

  Edna Lou was a descendant of Peggy McMurtry. How had I missed this? That explained her obsession with the case…her love of local history and genealogy. I wondered why she hadn't told me. I wouldn't have cared if she had a legitimate connection.

  People like my grandmother often kept personal information like that to themselves. Adelaide Wrath wouldn't give out any personal information to the census workers who came around every ten years because she was convinced the government would abuse it. So she gave them different numbers every ten years. Why they didn't notice that the household went from twelve to one to seventeen over the course of three decades was beyond me.

  Maybe Edna was afraid of what I'd think. Maybe she was embarrassed about her lineage coming from an unwed mother. Whatever the reason, the woman barely knew me. Why would she trust me with such a secret?

  It took me a moment to realize Rex was standing next to me, holding what appeared to be a bouquet of prairie dogs. The look on his face said it all as Randi bubbled away about how lovely it would look as I carried it down the aisle.

  "Oh! Wow!" I joined the conversation.

  "Here!" She took it from Rex and shoved it into my hands.

  The marmots were all wearing little green and white tuxedos (the craftsmanship was amazing). I had to hand it to her—she kept with the theme. The only problem with this idea was that I was holding a forty-pound bouquet of dead rodents.

  "I'll have to see if this will go with my dress…" I managed.

  "Take it with you…you can take it to your final fitting."

  I was pretty sure there wasn't a safe spot in my house for it. Philby could get to almost anything through willpower and sheer tenacity. She'd see this as a giant, collective chew toy. Hey, wait…that wasn't a bad idea…

  "Is the traitor still out there?" Ronni shouted from another room.

  Rex turned to me. "I told her if she came into the same room as you, I'd arrest her for assault."

  Randi's smile faded. "Did something happen?"

  Rex turned to his sister. "Ronni assaulted Merry with a swan."

  I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. The giggles took over in wave after wave as I finally doubled over with hysterical laughter. Tears poured down my cheeks, and after a few minutes I was gulping for air.

  Randi leaned close to her brother. "Is she alright?"

  Rex sighed. "A little brain damaged from the incident, but I think she'll pull through."

  Ronni screamed from her hiding place, "She'd better quit laughing, or I'm bringing out a heron!"

  Randi followed us out, apologizing the whole way. I could barely breathe, I was laughing so hard. When Rex got me into the car, he handed me the marmot bouquet, and I lost it again. He drove back to my house as I calmed down.

  I was still giggling as Rex made us grilled cheese sandwiches. Philby jumped up onto the breakfast bar and gave me a curious look. She was distracted by the prairie dogs and began chewing on one of them.

  "Stop that." I took the taxidermied thing away from her and put it on the fridge. It was a temporary hiding place because if Philby wanted something bad enough, she was going to get it no matter what.

  "Are you okay?" Rex suppressed a grin as he handed me a glass of iced tea.

  I gulped it down. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

  "Oh yes you do." He leaned over and inspected a bruise that I felt forming where my forehead met my hairline. "I'm sorry about Ronni."

  I took a deep breath and pushed his hand away. "It's okay. Seriously. It's okay."

  After gulping down another glass of tea and devouring three grilled cheese sandwiches, my head stopped swimming and my thoughts began to coagulate.

  "Sorry I'm so weird," I apologized.

  Rex looked surprised. "You're not weird."

  "I'm totally weird. I just spent half an hour in hysterics for no reason."

  "I'd hardly say you had no reason. Between the swan and marmots, I think you handled yourself quite well."

  I looked at him. "Why are you so great to me when I'm obviously insane?"

  Rex pulled me toward him and kissed my bruised head. "Merry, my family is off-the-charts insane. You're the most normal person I know."

  I hadn't thought about that. I was normal compared to his family and his ex-girlfriend, the psycho known as Juliette Dowd. And yet, I was still not as normal as Kelly or my parents. Rex was a keeper.

  And then, I remembered all the things I'd been planning on telling him about the case.

  "Edna is a descendant of Peggy McMurtry, and I found Ike's girlfriend, Penny, the one Nels talked about, only her name is Penelope May and she lives in Bladdersly!"

  Rex took my stream of consciousness outburst in stride, considering the words carefully. I left out the part where I'd broken into Ike's house and Penny had torn the hair off my head.

  "Do you think that Edna's ancestry is important?" he asked.

  "I think it explains why your sisters' place is so important to her. But I don't think it has any other connection."

  "She might be related to you, you know," he said.

  I reached for my laptop, but froze. There was more to talk about first.

  "I think Penelope is your main suspect." I pulled up Facebook.

  "Why?"

  "I told you that Nels said Ike had a girlfriend and claimed he was rich. Then Ike shows up dead and Penelope is handing out twine to the girls during the scavenger hunt."

  He rubbed his chin. "She might just have been cleaning out his things. That's normal after a death in the family."

  "Yes, but Edna didn't even know Penelope existed. She knew her cousin better than anyone!"

  "Apparently not."

  I thought about this. "He didn't tell Edna on purpose. I think he found the treasure and was going to run off with this woman. He wasn't going to tell his only family member. And if I'm right about her being a McMurtry, then he was too. They worked together at the Historical Society. They had the same motivation."

  I showed him Ike Murphy's page, connected to Penelope through his friends list, and went to her page.

  "It has to be her," I said finally.

  Rex put the dishes in the sink and washed them. He was thinking about what I'd said. I hoped he was agreeing with me instead of trying to read through the lines to find out what I was leaving out.

  He laid the dish towel on the counter. "Okay. I'll go see her. Tonight."

  "Can I go wi
th?"

  "No. You've had a concussion. Stay here, and I'll fill you in when I get back." He kissed me on the lips this time and then left.

  I flopped onto the couch, convinced I'd done the right thing. Rex would find out who Penelope really was and maybe even find the gold. I wouldn't have to admit anything. Which was good because I was marrying this man and it wasn't good to go into a relationship with secrets.

  Riley appeared inside my head, and I hit him with an imaginary swan. He politely went away. That was one problem I wasn't going to deal with anytime soon.

  And soon, we would have the results from the photo with the image of Mad Mimi's murder. Rex would have the woman who killed Ike in custody. That should hopefully lead to the treasure.

  Everything was wrapped up. Or would be. I pulled the map out and looked at it again, comparing it to the one I'd found at Ike's first house. The paper was old, but was it one hundred years old? And why were there two?

  What was Eustace's involvement in this whole thing? All we knew was that he seemed okay with Mehitable's inheritance, until he couldn't find it, after which he went back to his farm and lived a normal life.

  And then there was Peggy McMurtry. The mysterious cousin who'd lied to the Peters when she'd shown up on their doorstep. But maybe that wasn't a sign that she could've murdered Mehitable. What would her motivation have been? To get the house? To get the inheritance? Why would she think that Mad Mimi wouldn't give it to her only brother? We still didn't know why his grandparents cut Eustace out of the will, but maybe Peggy knew and the reason was a deal breaker.

  We didn't have enough information. Eustace and Peggy were my favorite suspects, but Eustace was slipping to second place. He didn't really seem to need the money. But a single mother kicked out of her own family? She would.

  And what about Mehitable setting up cameras with trip wires? Well, she was mentally unstable. But was she also worried that someone might try something? She didn't seem suspicious of anyone.

  At this point in the mystery of a century-old cold case, there wasn't anyone left to interview. We had the diary, but that was it.

  The diary…maybe there was something I missed. I ran to my bedroom and plucked it from the nightstand. I'd read the thing over and over. But something told me to read it again. Page by page, I scoured the book, and a couple of hours later I had nothing.

  No mention of Mehitable's worries, fortune, or anything new about Peggy. I set the book on the coffee table, but it fell off. This wasn't news—it was one of those do-it-yourself numbers from IKEA that I'd butchered in an attempt to put it together. You couldn't balance a cup of coffee on it, but I hadn't gotten around to replacing it yet.

  I reached for the book and noticed something I hadn't seen before. The diary had fallen open to the inside cover. And unless my eyes deceived me, there was a small cut where the leather met the cardboard backing.

  I held it up to the light. It was a slit. Purposefully made. And a tiny corner of paper stuck out of it. How had I missed this? I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a pair of tweezers. At the breakfast bar I carefully grasped the corner of paper and slowly wiggled it out of the cover.

  After unfolding it, I examined the folded square comprised of several sheets of very thin parchment paper. It was Mehitable's handwriting.

  May 3, 1910

  All is not as it seems. My grandparents have passed. My cousin remains but has asked about my inheritance many times. She has also moved into my home. I did invite her at first, but she spends all night long roaming the halls, tapping on the walls, and searching in closets. She says we have rats, but I've never seen one. I have seen a six-foot-tall purple cat who likes to stay in our other guest room, but she doesn't seem to mind him.

  Eustace has offered to send her packing, but it would be terribly lonely here without her. I have moved Tinkles into the house, which vexes my cousin but makes the giant purple cat happy. I am not sure what to do.

  August 5, 1910

  Everyone believes me to be mad. I do not think that I am, but then, I did spend the last three weeks dressed as a clown. I am becoming quite suspicious of my cousin . She had words with Eustace yesterday when he suggested that she go back East.

  Tinkles has been naughty. He has started to chew on furniture, clothing, rugs, anything he can find. Peggy wishes to punish him, but I have stopped her, threatening to evict her if she did any such thing. I suspect the purple cat is behind this.

  October 6, 1910

  Peggy is away on holiday, and I am happy. When she returns, I will work with her to make a timeline for her departure. Eustace has been such a blessing. He is even storing my fortune for me on his farm. Tinkles is behaving himself as well. Unfortunately the purple cat has brought home a drunken unicorn who is sleeping off his bender in the attic.

  January 7, 1911

  Christmas was lovely. Peggy seems to be penitent and in my good graces as of late. I am once again happy for her companionship. We spend our days making paper dolls, rearranging the books in the library according to color, and sewing costumes. She has embraced my interests, and tomorrow we will have lard sandwiches. The unicorn and cat have disappeared. Maybe they went home for the holidays.

  March 8, 1911

  I am so very low. Eustace has been watching over my fortune at the farm—an agreement we had in secret. But Peggy has discovered the truth. I fear Tinkles has informed her. I must be prepared for whatever comes.

  Tinkles is a naughty llama. I caught him writing to President Taft again. Tinkles seems to think we need to get involved in Nicaragua. But then, he is from South America, so I won't question his politics

  June 19, 1911

  Food keeps disappearing from the larder! It has happened three times now. Peggy has gone out East, so we know that it is not her. Tinkles has a new idea (although I suspect it is really from the purple cat). We will set up traps to catch him! Watered the roses with tomato juice—as per their request.

  June 21, 1911

  Again with the thievery! Tinkles and I have set cameras in the dining room and kitchen! Now when the thief sets off a tripwire, the cameras will take pictures! We will send the film away, and voilà! In three months we will receive prints and know the identity of the bandit! The flowers have decided they would rather have oatmeal than tomato juice. I wish they would make up their minds! You really can't trust roses.

  June 25, 1911

  Peggy will be back soon. I do not know when because Tinkles ate the calendar I wrote it on. The camera has not gone off, and so I have an idea for new traps. The flowers have lied to me. Oatmeal is not helping them. I will try burying limes in the garden. That should do the trick.

  June 27, 1911

  Eustace stopped by to visit. He seemed alarmed by my security measures. I am sure he agrees that this is the right course of action! Tinkles has eaten the flowers and the limes. He says it is to punish them. I suspect he put the flowers up to all of these requests, knowing he was going to eat them. President Taft has named the purple cat to be his ambassador to Nicaragua. Tinkles is pleased.

  June 29, 1911

  Someone is in the house.

  Huh. I kind of related to these passages. Not that I was hallucinating like Mad Mimi did, but every now and then, I did feel like Philby was plotting against me. But maybe that was just par for the course when you owned a cat.

  It was obvious that Mehitable's last words predicted her murder that same day. And I was pretty sure I knew who killed her.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  "What do you mean, the cousin did it?" Rex joined me in the morning for breakfast.

  I poured us each a glass of milk. "It's obvious from her secret diary pages."

  "What secret diary pages?"

  "Hold up, not until you tell me about Penelope. What happened?"

  Rex handed me another chocolate chip donut. "We couldn't find her. We went to her house, her workplace, asked the neighbors and her coworkers. No one has seen her in a few days."

  "Does she have
family in Bladdersly?" And then I snickered, as I sometimes did, when I thought of the name Bladdersly.

  Rex cocked his head to one side. "We can't find anyone. Her neighbors and coworkers barely know her, but they all agree that she's unfriendly."

  Philby came over and tried to drink my milk out of the cup. I shoved her aside. She did not look happy. "Has she lived there long?"

  "No. Just moved there in the last year. Her boss gave us her application—none of the references are real. He told us to tell her not to come back."

  "What do you think?" I asked. After all, he was the professional here.

  "I think she's a prime suspect. If she did kill Ike and find the fortune, she's long gone by now. I've put out an APB on her as a person of interest."

  As I slid Rex the secret pages, I thought about the few gold bars I'd seen Penny pick up in Ike's house. Was that it, besides the gold bar we found where Ike's body had been in the cabin? That could not be the entire treasure. And I think Penelope knew it. I had a feeling she was still around.

  "So the gold was at Eustace's farm?" Rex frowned at the pages. "Maybe it's still there?"

  "Or here. Our lots are part of Eustace's farm. The map was on my lot. The treasure may still be here."

  "I don't know. These houses were built in the '50s. If there was a treasure here, it would've been dug up by the builders."

  He had a point. Did some lucky construction worker hit it rich and keep it secret? We might never know.

  Rex's cell rang. It did that. All the time.

  "Come with me," he said as he grabbed his keys. "Edna Lou has been attacked."

  His first mistake was letting me drive, because his car, it turned out, was low on gas. It would take five minutes to get to town. I made it in three. I wasn't sure Rex appreciated my driving skills. Especially when I took that shortcut through a funeral home parking lot and pharmacy drive-thru.