Murder on Bradbury Hill
A Rebecca Snow Cozy Mystery
Jane T O’Brien
This book is fiction. All characters, events, and organizations portrayed in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons –living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2019 by Jane T O’Brien
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Jane O’Brien
Bristol Falls
Glenwood Hills
Cumberland Heights
Murder in Forest Glen
The Mystery at Shelby Lake
The Mystery of Waverly Island
Murder in Pinewood Bluff
Camden Corners Collection
Camden Corners Book One
Camden Corners Book Two
Camden Corners Book Three
Samantha Degan Series
Murder in Stonehill Manor
Murder in Lancashire
Murder in Ashville
Murder at Seabrook Shores
Molly Ryan Series
Murder in Hillsboro
Murder in Kincaid Towers
Murder in Evergreen
Murder at Coventry Hill Inn
(Introducing Cassandra Cross)
Cassandra Cross Series
Murder on The Isabella
Murder at Channel Two
Murder in Newcastle
Murder at Cranberry Creek
Rebecca Snow Series
Murder in Oakwood Park
Murder on Bradbury Hill
Finian Frog Children’s Series
Fabulous Finian Frog
Finian Frog Falls in Love
Finian Frog and Farley’s Wishes
Finian Frog and Froglet Freddy
Hennessey Hound Tales Children’s Series
Happy Hennessey Hound
Hennessey Hound and the Bully
The Characters
Rebecca Snow…Local morning show hostess, a volunteer member of the Oakwood Park Community Playhouse and amateur sleuth. Rebecca is happily married to Andy Snow and is a life-long resident of Oakwood Park. Rebecca and Andy have two grown children.
Alexander Snow…The eldest of Rebecca and Andy’s children. Alex is an attorney who, until recently, lived and worked in New York City.
Mackenzie Snow…Rebecca and Andy’s daughter and a registered nurse. Kenzie ended her extended vacation in Europe after learning her mother was named as a prime suspect in a murder case. A one-sided childhood crush on her brother’s best friend, Jake Morgan, became a mutual attraction upon her return to Oakwood Park.
Jake Morgan…A long-time friend of Alex Snow and love interest of Kenzie Snow. Jake is a partner in a local accounting firm.
Detective Daniel North…A recent addition to the Oakwood Park Police Department, Dan’s first case involved the murder of a semi-famous movie star. With the help of Rebecca Snow, the case was solved and Dan and Rebecca became friends despite his original suspicions that Rebecca was a killer.
Prologue
High on a hill west of Oakwood Park, stands a grand Victorian house built in the early twentieth century by Caleb Aloysius Bradbury.
Caleb, the only son of Martha and Herman Bradbury, was born in a small fishing village in the state of Maine. Herman worked as a crew member on a large fishing vessel. His income was limited during the harsh winter months forcing the family to seek employment in the grand homes of Portland. Caleb’s earliest memories were those of cleaning the flues in the vast parlors of the mansions. He often thought his parent’s entire cottage would fit into one room of the mansions he’d cleaned.
As Caleb grew older, he worked the fishing boats in the summer and cleaned houses in the colder months. Caleb was sure of only one thing, he would not live the life of his parents and as soon as he was able would leave the sea air and the smell of fish behind. Caleb contributed to his parents’ household expenses, however, he held back a dollar or two each payday and hid the money in a loose brick of the fireplace in their home.
True to Caleb’s dream, on his eighteenth birthday, he took the saved money out of its hiding place, packed an old leather bag with a few of his belongings, and left the family cottage vowing never to return.
Caleb hopped a freight train traveling west. He was somewhere in the state of New York when a crew member discovered the stowaway and physically removed Caleb from the train a mile from the train station in a town named Oakwood.
Caleb brushed the dirt and dust off his clothes, stood up and saw a house on top of a hill. He knew the fates had brought him to this place and vowed to own the town one day.
Caleb made friends in his adopted town with his quick wit and charm. He was young, handsome and eligible. He caught the eye of the bank president, Reginald Sullivan’s daughter. Caleb thought she was a silly twit, but her daddy’s money made her bearable.
When Caleb reached his twenty-fifth birthday, he’d accumulated a substantial amount of savings through his clever deal making. Caleb bought several farms surrounding the town. He managed to convince the farmers they would be happier sitting in their rocking chairs than plowing fields and planting vegetables only to have the heavy spring rains wash them away.
He’d imagined a picturesque town with winding streets and white picket fences around beautiful houses with wide front porches.
Caleb’s dream always had him sitting on his porch of the mansion on the hill gazing down at his town.
A harder sell was the old man, Nathaniel Carrington who owned the house on the hill and had no intention of leaving it. No matter what Caleb offered for the place, Nathaniel turned him down. One night, after a heavy rain, Nathaniel was coming home from the weekly church social. The wheel of his carriage wobbled causing a bolt to dislodge. Nathaniel flew from the carriage, his head hit a jagged boulder on the side of the road.
Nathaniel’s death was ruled accidental. The townspeople who knew of Caleb’s desire for Nathaniel’s land were skeptical.
Nathaniel was alone in the world and his property, house and all was put on the auction block. Caleb was the only bidder. He tore down the existing dwelling and built his dream home, a magnificent Victorian overlooking the town of Oakwood.
In time, Caleb married Millicent Sullivan, the banker’s daughter. He had a seat on the city council and proposed changing the name of Oakwood to Oakwood Park to attract more families to the town. The council agreed and Oakwood Park was the official name of their city.
Caleb began construction on small houses on the land he’d purchased from the farmers. As his business grew, so did the size of the houses and Caleb’s fortune.
Millicent gave birth to a baby boy. As Arthur Caleb Bradbury grew, it was clear he would not follow in his father’s footsteps. At eighteen, he left home. Caleb demanded Millicent give him another son. Millicent died giving birth to twin girls. Reginald Sullivan suffered a stroke upon hearing of his daughter’s death. Caleb inherited Mr. Sullivan’s entire estate along with Millicent’s trust fund.
Although disappointed he didn’t have a son, Caleb adored his twin girls and doted on them. It was the first time in his life he felt genuine love for another human being. He’d planned to marry again, this time to a strong woman who would give him a son. His plan changed when he realized his daughters were more important to him than finding a wife to bear his son. In his mind, his firstborn, Arthur, never existed. Caleb Aloysius Bradbury died of influenz
a at ninety-eight, with his weeping daughters at his bedside.
Chapter One
Spring present year
Every Wednesday for the last two years, Jake
Morgan, an accountant and partner with the Ludlow, Pierce and Morgan firm, visits Emma and Anna Bradbury. At ninety-six years of age, the twins don’t leave their home on Bradbury Hill more than they have to.
The sisters have led a modest life since the death of their father, Caleb Bradbury. Their main expense has been the upkeep of the old Victorian mansion Caleb built years before they were born. One by one the elderly household staff has passed on leaving the sisters alone in the home. Two housekeepers share duties three times a week, a cook comes daily to prepare meals, and a gardener cares for the landscaping during the warm weather season.
***
“Good afternoon, Emma, you are looking chipper today,” said Jake when Emma opened the front door.
“I’m feeling well, Jake, poor Anna has come down with the sniffles.”
It seemed to Jake that Anna was always coming down with some ailment or another. However, he offered his sympathy to the woman.
“Emma, I wish you and Anna would consider hiring someone to take Charles’ place. I hate to think of you two ladies being alone in this big house.”
“Oh, dear, we miss Charles. He’d been with us since before Papa passed on. Sister and I hope he will recover from his stroke and come back to care for us.”
“Emma, the doctor told you Charles will live his remaining years at the retirement home in Kensington.”
“I’ll call the employment agency tomorrow, Jake.”
Jake knew Emma had no intention of hiring a butler. He couldn’t blame her, it was difficult to have someone new join their household after Charles left. He’d warned her continuously not to open the door without verifying the visitor’s identity.
“What are we paying this week, Jake?” Emma asked, eager to change the subject.
“Your water bill is due next Tuesday. I can take that to them. The supermarket has sent a statement. Are you ladies eating enough, the amount is lower than usual?”
“Maria has been off visiting her new grandchild. The dear woman always makes more food than Sister and I can eat. She saves the leftovers in the freezer and I take a package out each morning to heat for our evening meal. We haven’t needed too many groceries this week other than fresh fruits and vegetables. Doc Hammond says Anna needs to eat healthy food every day.”
“You need to eat healthy foods, too, Emma. We don’t want you getting sick.”
Emma walked to the fireplace, removed a loose brick and counted out several bills handing them to Jake.
Jake took what he needed to make the payments. “Emma, I wish you would consider moving your stashes to a bank. It’s not a good idea to keep money hidden all over your house. What if there was a fire?”
“That’s why I hide the money behind bricks in the fireplaces. Bricks don’t burn during a fire.”
Jake knew there were nine fireplaces in the mansion. He also knew there were several hiding places in each one and each filled with money. Knowing Emma would not change her ways he didn’t mention that the loose bricks would probably fall out and the money would go up in smoke.
Jake could only imagine how much money was stashed in Emma’s hiding places. He wondered if she’d be able to find them again. Not that it mattered, Caleb Bradbury’s daughters are very wealthy women. Their income derives from the leases they hold on the buildings in the business section of Oakwood Park. Many years ago, Caleb bought the buildings and charged the shop owners rent. Through the years, the rent increased minimally enticing entrepreneurs to bring their businesses to the city. The new shops and offices persuaded more folks to relocate and prompted home builders to buy the land Caleb originally bought from the local farmers. Thanks to Caleb’s vision, Oakwood Park thrived and the Bradbury sisters became wealthier.
Emma chatted away about her rose garden. She and Anna walked through the gardens every sunny day before their afternoon sip of brandy.
***
Jake returned to the office after his visit. His former boss and current partner greeted him in the reception area.
“Hi Jake, I wanted to tell you Mary and I are seeing a play starring your future mother-in-law tonight at the Community Playhouse. I’m looking forward to it, Rebecca is a busy woman these days with the show and her morning television program.”
“You and Mary should check out the opportunities at the playhouse. Rebecca and her group are always looking for people interested in performing or working behind the scenes.”
“No, that’s not my thing. Mary would love it, I’ll mention it to her. She’s always had a flair for the dramatic,” Ben laughed.
“Benjamin Ludlow, are you callin’ me a ham?” Mary said in an exaggerated southern accent.
“If the shoe fits, my dear,” Ben replied as he hugged her waist.
Jake hoped he and Mackenzie Snow would have a relationship like that. It was obvious Ben and Mary were in love after over thirty years together. He and Kenzie had good examples set by their parents who had happy marriages too. Still, it is a big step. Jake feared something would go wrong. He loved Kenzie, he loved his work, and he loved his life. What could change all that?
***
Benjamin Ludlow, the founder of the accounting firm once told Jake he wasn’t obligated to spend time with the Bradbury sisters. “Jake, you’re a partner now, we can send a junior man to handle Miss Emma and her weekly expenses.”
“Ben, I like the Bradbury sisters. They are recluses now, but they have had interesting lives. Their father showered them with everything money can buy. They traveled to almost every country in the world, met people from kings to movie stars. Emma tells me she was engaged to a prince, it didn’t lead to marriage because she’d be forced to leave her sister and her home on Bradbury Hill.
“Anna doesn’t say much until she has a sip of her afternoon brandy. Then she becomes a chatterbox.”
“It sounds like those visits make you happy, I’m sure the sisters enjoy the company. You’re good for business, Jake. You care deeply about people. The best decision George and I made was offering you a partnership. I wouldn’t want to compete with you.”
Chapter Two
Bradbury Cattle Ranch, Elk River, Wyoming
“Katie, darlin’, where are you off to?” Rex Bradbury called from his bedroom.
“Gramps, I was going to check on the horses, do you need something?”
“The horses can wait, I little time left and I must tell you the truth about your great-grandpappy.”
“Gramps, are you feeling worse? Shall I call Doc Hanson?”
“No, no more doctors. In the bottom drawer of the desk in my office is a strongbox. I want you to bring it to me.”
“Gramps, save your strength. Whatever’s in that old strongbox has you upset.” Katie could see her grandfather’s agitation and did as he’d asked.
***
“Open it child and look at the birth certificate of my pa, Arthur Bradbury.”
“Your father was born in the state of New York, isn’t that strange, how did a city boy come to own a cattle ranch?”
“That’s a long story, look at his father’s name.”
“Caleb Bradbury, did you know him when you were a boy, Gramps?”
“Nope never met the man. My pa never mentioned his name. After Pa died, I found his birth certificate with his daddy’s name. My friend, Dixie, worked at the courthouse back then. She helped me find information on Caleb Bradbury. It turns out the old man was a billionaire. He had two daughters who inherited all his money. I never cared about the money; all I knew is this ranch and livin’ off the land. With your mama and papa gone, and me goin’ to my maker soon, those old women are your only blood relations.”
Rex raised his granddaughter after her parent’s died when a fire destroyed their home. They said it was a miracle that the infant, Katie, survived unharmed.
<
br /> Rex’s housekeeper, Alma, is like a mother to Katie. The ranch hands all watch over her. They taught her to ride and tend to the horses. Katie’s grandfather and everyone on the ranch was all the family Katie ever needed.
Katherine Alice Bradbury was twenty-one-years-old when her beloved Gramps passed away peacefully in his sleep.
***
Two months after Rex’s death, Katie knew it was time to go through her grandfather’s office. It was her office now as she was the only remaining Bradbury on the ranch.
Along with photographs of her grandmother and parents, Katie found the strongbox with her great-grandfather’s birth certificate. Gramps said the ladies who are his aunts are close to his age; they are the last of the Bradburys as am I. She didn’t want to think about it now and put the strongbox back in the drawer.
“Katie,” said Clem, the ranch foreman, when she entered the stable office. “Say hello to our new ranch hand, Jess King.”
Murder on Bradbury Hill Page 1
