″Great.″ Milly stretched and tidied the kitchen before grabbing her coat and leaving. Rosa and Aurora sat facing each other across the dining table. Rosa waited for the door to close before tapping her fingers pensively on the table. Aurora frowned. Rosa suddenly looked a little nervous.
″What happened?″ Aurora asked.
″I didn't want to talk in front of Milly, but I found something today. A scrap of paper,″ Rosa said. ″It had fallen underneath the desk in the den.″ She unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Aurora. ″It's Aunt Hilda's, clearly. What do you make of this?″
Aurora read it out loud.
Teresa,
I am still wondering whether to call the police or not. At the end of the day, however, one thing is clear: the truth must come out. I know how fragile a reputation is here in Bent River. But I don't care. This has gone on long enough now. I repeat: the truth must and will come out.
″This is a letter to Teresa!″ Aurora exclaimed. She'd seen enough of Hilda's documents to recognize her handwriting by now. ″Hilda wrote this? But when?″ She turned the scrap of paper this way and that, but found no date, no other words. The paper had been torn in half. Aurora wondered if the the other half may provide some further info…if only she could find it.
25
Joy's Theories
While Aurora was busy organizing the mansion, Joy was on a mission of her own. With only the initials to go by, she spent the week phoning every private detective agency in New York with the initials ″M. M.″ She had a carefully prepared pitch. She wouldn't say she was a journalist. Rather, she'd say that she was involved in an investigation. Hopefully the detectives would assume she was with the police and would give out details about Hilda freely, especially once they knew she was dead.
It didn't work. Nobody she phoned knew of any Hilda Braithwhite. Either the private detectives were lying, or she needed to dig deeper. Sighing, Joy decided to go to the library, her favorite haunt when she needed new leads.
Bent River's library was in the same building as its Municipal Hall, fire department and its public utilities department. All of them were housed together in a four-story Colonial with a wide lawn in front of it. The lawn was a favorite with little children, since a small slide set and some swings had been installed at one end. A statue of George Washington stood in the center and a basketball court on the other side.
The library was just a wide hall filled with books and computers on the third floor. As she climbed the wide wooden stairs, Joy peeked towards the fire department. Leo Finley was just exiting the door. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Joy.
″You've been quiet lately,″ he said.
″You've been missing, too.″ Joy replied. ″Busy week?″
″Oh, very.″ Leo nodded. ″After you told me that story, I decided to look into things. I've been kept very busy.″
″Things like the chief's so-called accident?″ Joy asked.
″Yep,″ Leo said. ″I don't think it was quite as much of an accident as it seemed at first.″
″I have a working theory on that, actually,″ Joy said.
″What's your theory?″ Leo looked interested.
″Ice on the staircase.″ Joy smiled. Leo's eyes widened. ″I'm right, aren't I? Someone broke into the chief's house, put ice on the staircase, and then probably made a ruckus. Everyone in town knows that Betsy takes sleeping pills, so she'd remain fast asleep. The chief would have gone downstairs to investigate. That's when he probably slipped and fell.″
″That's exactly right,″ Leo said. ″Wow. I'm impressed. How did you find out?″
″To be fair, you gave me the idea,″ Joy said. ″I talked to Betsy and she told me you'd been real interested in the freezer.″
Leo nodded. ″I got suspicious about the ‘accident’ only after your story, though. So you deserve some credit. I went to the chief's house and found a baseball bat that had rolled underneath the staircase. I asked Betsy where it was normally kept. Betsy said the bat was usually by the chief's bedside. Which means he came down the stairs with it.″
″Betsy didn't tell me that part!″ Joy exclaimed.
″Well, probably because I asked her to keep it a secret. Can't let all the details leak out, after all.″ Leo smiled. ″Anyway, it got me thinking. Now why would chief wake up in the middle of the night and walk down the stairs with a baseball bat? Answer: someone made a noise and lured him down. Then I examined the staircase and saw a patch that looked darker- like it had been damp for some time. So...″
″So you concluded that someone very sneaky put ice on them, knowing the chief would fall down as he came rushing downstairs.″
Leo nodded and tipped his hat. ″Right you are. Smart lady. You came to the same conclusion without needing the baseball bat.″
″And, no pun intended, but you think it has to do with that cold case, don't you? The one Chief Brooks was looking into? The body that was found years ago...″
″No comment,″ Leo said.
″Come on, you can tell me.″ Joy poked him on the shoulder. ″You know you want to.″
Leo grinned. ″I know that, while working on an active case, policemen are discouraged from sharing details. I think I've shared enough anyway. It's your turn.″
″My turn?″
″You're researching something, obviously,″ Leo said. ″What is it?″
Joy sighed. She'd asked Aurora for a week, and the week was almost over. Might as well tell Leo now. ″Aurora found some photos in Hilda's house. I'm trying to see if I can reach the private investigator who took them. All I know is that he's from New York City and has the initials ‘M. M’.″
″Wait…you found photos? What kind of photos? Why didn't you give them to the police?″ Leo looked irritated.
″Well, there's nothing illegal in them, for one. Secondly, they burnt down along with my precious kitchen,″ Joy said. ″Speaking of which, any news on the fire in my house? I'm guessing that's why you're here. I'm still waiting on the insurance to kick in and they said it'll take more time if it's arson.″
″Well, get ready for a long wait,″ Leo said. ″I'm not saying anything more than that. So don't even ask. As for these photos, Joy, you can be real dumb for a smart lady. You deliberately hid a strong motive from me. Why? Because I'm new? Because you don't trust the police?″
″I didn't hide anything,″ Joy said defensively. ″I was just trying to get to the bottom of it all myself. Besides, like I said, the pictures weren't anything illegal. Just Jonah hugging Teresa.″
″I should arrest you right here.″ Leo scowled. ″Deliberate obstruction of an investigation.″
″Try it.″ Joy lifted her chin up defiantly. ″I was going to tell you anyway. I did now, didn't I?″
″When I dragged it out of you, sure.″ Leo shook his head. ″Here I was hoping we could be friends.″
Joy felt a little bit guilty which, in turn, made her feel a little bit mad.
″Well, now you know how it feels when people withhold information. So how about you tell me all about that cold case?″
″I'll tell you nothing,″ Leo said. ″Except that I know exactly who this private detective Hilda had hired is.″
Joy's mouth dropped open. ″You do? How?″
″Chief Brooks had a copy of her phone records that I went through recently,″ Leo said. ″One of them was to a number in New York City.″
″We have to call them!″ Joy exclaimed, grabbing Leo's shoulder. ″Please, Leo. Please.″
″You mean I have to call them,″ Leo corrected, gently shaking her off. ″After what you've pulled, you get no info from me. Go on to the library, Joy. Read a classic or something. Just stay out of this investigation. I promise you, I'll solve it on my own.″
″Look, I get that you're angry, but think about it. Chief Brooks trusted me and I think you'd be wise to trust me, too. I have so much local knowledge I can share with you. Like you didn't know about Betsy's sleeping pills, did you? It's common knowledge to me bec
ause I live here and I know these people.″
″I didn't know about that, it's true.″ Leo nodded.
″I promise I will tell you everything. No more secrets. No more ego,″ Joy said.
Leo hesitated, then nodded. ″Do you promise to keep it a secret, too? From everyone? Including Aurora?″
Joy hesitated.
″See?″ Leo said. ″I knew you couldn't do it.″
″I promise.″ Joy sighed. ″I'll start with this. I came to the library to see if Teresa had been here recently.″
″Teresa?″ Leo asked. ″Why?″
″I know she's an amateur historian. An avid one. She's president of the Bent River Historical Association.″
″I didn't know there was one.″ Leo looked impressed.
″Well, it used to have as many as a dozen folks but, by the end, it was just Teresa. Most of the other people either left town, died of old age or got bored,″ Joy explained. ″Anyway, since the cold case is so old, and it's connected to all this…I figured maybe Teresa had seen the connection. Maybe she had a flash of insight, the killer found out somehow and...″ Joy dragged a finger across her throat.
″Let's go talk to the librarian,″ Leo nodded. ″We can see what books Teresa last took out.″
26
Hidden Places
Aurora was still staring at the paper Rosa had handed her, as if reading it over and over would give her a clue. So far, she was clueless.
″I know it's probably nothing. But I thought I'd show you anyway.″ Rosa looked really nervous. ″You see, I was wondering if there was a connection between this paper, Hilda's death and Teresa's car crash.″
″Of course, there is!″ Aurora exclaimed. ″We have to give it to the police right now.″
″The police?″ Rosa shied away. ″I couldn't. They'll ignore it anyway. Why, there's nothing to even prove when Hilda wrote it. Or what she was talking about. Although…I have my suspicions.″
″And what are they?″ Aurora asked.
″Teresa took care of the estate. Maybe she made a mistake of some sort in her calculations and cost Hilda money.″ Rosa sounded like she was trying her hardest to tread carefully.
″Tell the truth. You suspect Teresa stole from Hilda,″ Aurora said.
″I don't know anything.″ Rosa shrugged. ″It wouldn't look good if I accused Teresa after her death, either, would it? Especially since...″ Rosa sighed. ″Well, to tell you the truth, I never liked Teresa. She's Jonah's ex. Now you see why I don't want to go the police? I know what they'll think.″
But Aurora's brain was working double time. If Rosa was right, perhaps Teresa had been the one to murder Aunt Hilda. Perhaps the guilt of it all had made her drink more and caused her to crash the Ford. It all linked up, in a way. After all, Aurora had been very sure that the intruder in the house that day had been Teresa. She'd seen the statue of the dog in Teresa's car, too. Yet Teresa seemingly never had any motive to kill Hilda. Only now, if it were true, Teresa's motive was clear. She had stolen Hilda's money, Hilda had found out and threatened to reveal her. Yes. It did all make sense.
Didn't it?
The doorbell rang, interrupting Aurora's thoughts. Rosa and Aurora looked at each other, startled. Who could that be?
″Milly must have forgotten something,″ Rosa said, rising.
But Aurora wasn't so sure. There was a certain insistence in the way the doorbell was ringing, instead of Milly's usual patience. As they approached the door, they could see a shadow through the glass panes - a man's shadow.
Rosa opened the door to find Russell, looking half-mad and half-triumphant.
″Let me in!″ he exclaimed. ″I've got it. I've got the solution to it all!″
″I told you before, Russell. You're not welcome here!″ Rosa tried to shut the door. But Russell gave it a push that sent her sprawling. Rosa gave an exclamation of pain as she stumbled and fell back. Russell closed the door behind him, and locked it.
″You've been drinking again,″ Rosa accused him.
Russell didn't bother to deny it.
″Russell, why don't we all calm down a little.″ Aurora tried to defuse the situation. She felt a ball of fear gathering in her stomach. Her eyes darted from a defiant looking Rosa to Russell, who was towering above her.
Russell's voice was quiet but determined. ″After we talked that day, Aurora, I went back home and had a long think. My father was somewhat of a hobbyist. He loved things with hidden secret compartments.″
″The statue of the puppy,″ Aurora gasped. ″Emmanuel. There's a secret compartment in it, isn't there?″
Russell looked puzzled. ″Maybe. But no. The one I'm thinking of is in Hilda's room. It's a little jewelry box that my father gave her.″
″Oh, I remember that,″ Aurora said. ″It's a fine piece. But it's empty.″
″I can attest to that,″ Rosa said. ″I took out all the jewelry myself. It's definitely empty.″
″That's what you think.″ Russell grinned. ″Come on upstairs, if you dare.″
″No.″ Rosa lifted her chin. ″Enough's enough, Russell. You have to let go of this fantasy about some will. There is no other will. That jewelry box is tiny. It couldn't fit anything more than a scrap of paper, even if there were a hidden compartment. Nothing so bulky as a will would fit.″
″I agree,″ Aurora said. ″The whole box can fit in my two hands.″
″Well, if you're so confident, why don't we just take a look?″ Russell asked.
Rosa got up and dusted herself off. ″You're getting out of my house now. Aurora and I will look and we'll be sure to call you if we find anything.″
″I'm not going anywhere.″ Russell had a strange grin on his face. His hand went to his pocket and fiddled with something inside it. Aurora felt her alarm jump by several degrees. Rosa's lips pressed together.
″Are you threatening us?″
″I'm just saying…I'm not going anywhere. Nobody is, till I've seen the box. So, come on, the faster we get upstairs the better.″
″I'm calling the police.″ Rosa took her cell phone out of her pocket. Russell grabbed at it. There was a quick tussle as Russel tried to grab it from her. Desperate, Aurora looked around for a lamp, a chair…anything to hit Russel with.
Her back was turned when she heard a sudden scream. Russell was standing over an unconscious Rosa, her cell phone in his hand. Aurora's breath stopped in her throat.
″Look, it's okay,″ Russell said, raising one hand in a gesture to stop Aurora from moving. There was a gun in it. Aurora was frozen. Her own cell phone was lying on the kitchen table. She had to get to it somehow.
″We need to call an ambulance,″ Aurora said, leaning down next to Rosa and checking her pulse. ″I think she's fainted. Did you hit her?″
She couldn't spot any blood.
Russell shook his head. ″She's just being dramatic. She always is. Forget it. For now, I need you to come upstairs with me. I need a witness. I want us to record what we find.″
″You don't need that gun, Russell,″ Aurora said. ″You could go to jail for this. Just calm down and think a little.″
″I'm not going to use it.″ Russell sounded frustrated and impatient. ″This is just…to prevent us from wasting more time, so to say. I knew Rosa would protest and I knew what I needed to do if she did. Come on, Aurora. We're friends, right? See? I'm even keeping the gun away.″ Russell slid it back into his pocket. ″Let's go up. I won't hurt you, I promise.″
To say that Aurora didn't believe him would be an understatement. Still, what choice did she have? Aurora wasn't very tall or very strong. She could rush at Russell and try to overpower him, but he was at least half a foot taller and fifty pounds heavier. Without a weapon, she didn't have a chance. Plus, the gun was in his pocket, within easy reach.
Finally, Aurora nodded. ″Let's go.″
27
The Private Detectives
Leo had temporarily commandeered Chief Brooks' office. Joy sat across a wide desk from
him, while Leo leaned back on the chief’s leather chair with a phone pressed to his ear, tapping a pen on a pad of paper.
″I see,″ he said. ″Yes. Please email it all over as soon as you can. You've been a great help, Mr. Peters. Thank you.″
He'd make a good poker player, Joy thought as he hung up the phone. He was deep in thought, but none of his emotions showed on his face.
″Well?″ she asked impatiently.
″Can I see that list of books Teresa borrowed?″ He held out his hand and Joy handed it to him.
″I actually remember seeing a pile of these in the backseat of her car,″ Joy said. ″All about World War 2 symbology. Interesting, right?″
″Very.″ His voice was dry. ″Especially after what I've just heard.″
″What's that?″
″You thought Jonah was having an affair with Teresa and that Hilda was tailing him to find proof of it. Couldn't be farther from the truth.″
Joy sat up, intrigued. ″If it wasn't an affair she suspected, why have the private eyes follow Jonah?″
Leo took a deep breath. ″Apparently, Hilda suspected that he was stealing…a statue? A statue of a dog. They said they'll email all her correspondence to me.″
Joy bit her lip. She snapped her fingers. ″Chief Brooks told me that toward the last month of her life, Hilda used to call him every few weeks and complain that Emmanuel was missing.″
″Emmanuel?″
″We have him at home. A statue of a dog that Hilda loved.″ Joy pressed her fingers to her temples. ″What am I missing? Why would Jonah want that dog? It's not precious in any way, Hilda had it valued and all the gems are fake. So why would he go to such troubles to take it?″
″Well.″ Leo grinned. ″I think it's time for me to haul him in and find out. Don't you?″
Joy nodded and her face suddenly clouded. ″Aurora's injury. He probably caused it, didn't he? Our kitchen fire, too.″
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