Last Pen Standing

by Vivian Conroy

  “Miss Taylor, I told you my reasons, and not to prevent an army of lawyers descending, because I’m quite sure you will have lawyers over anyway to clear your sister. I told you because I want you to know, upfront, that your sister is guilty. Fingerprints don’t lie. She handled the bracelet belonging to one of your hotel guests, and that bracelet ended up in the pocket of her boyfriend. Now you tell me how to interpret that differently.”

  As Rosalyn struggled to reply, the sheriff nodded with determination, ducked into the police car, and drove off.

  Rosalyn stood frozen, staring after it.

  Delta walked up to her. “Did Isabel have access to the safe?” Ray had told her that only his father and Rosalyn had, so how would Isabel have been able to get the bracelet out of Vera White’s box of valuables?

  Rosalyn turned to her with a jerk. “What? What are you doing here?”

  “My best friend was in a cell overnight,” Delta said. “She’s been released, but people will speculate about her involvement until the real culprit is caught. I’m trying to determine who that might be.”

  “Not Isabel.” Rosalyn shook her head. “She doesn’t have the stamina to argue with anyone, let alone kill them. And she wouldn’t steal either. Contrary to what the sheriff seems to think, she has her own money. If Finn had asked her for some, and I suppose he might have, as I never trusted him, Isabel could have given him money from her own funds. This whole bracelet thing is a misunderstanding. Isabel might have handled the bracelet because the guest asked her to fetch it from the safe before the party began.”

  “So Isabel did have access to the safe?”

  “We all do. Ray, Isabel, me, our father.”

  Delta stood motionless, her mind racing. Ray had lied. He had access to the safe as well. He could have looked in Mrs. White’s box. He could even have removed items from it after the murder and before the police came to take it the next morning.

  “What does it matter who had access to the safe?” Rosalyn challenged Delta with her eyes. “We’re not in the habit of stealing from our guests. This hotel has been in the hands of a Taylor since the mid-nineteenth century, and we’ve never had anyone complain.”

  “Come on,” Delta said. “Things go missing in every hotel. You can’t vouch for the staff or other hotel guests or even thieves coming in to steal.”

  “Not from the safe. You heard the sheriff say he believes the bracelet was taken from the jewelry box Mrs. White had us place in the safe.”

  “Yes, that does reduce the number of viable suspects.”

  Rosalyn narrowed her eyes. “I can’t blame you for feeling a bit of satisfaction now that the sheriff is looking at someone else other than your friend Hazel or her dear little brother. But that satisfaction will soon wash away, believe me. I never liked Finn; I never wanted him for Isabel. And now that I know about his past… I’m going to make sure Isabel breaks it off with him and Finn pays for what he did to us, to our good name.”

  She leaned closer. “And if I discover that Hazel knew about Finn’s financial troubles and she let him come here and go after my sister, I will also make her pay. You can bet on it.”

  She turned away and walked off in an indignant clatter of her high heels.

  Delta swallowed. Hazel had told her that she had taken an extra mortgage on Wanted to help Finn pay off the gambling debts. If Rosalyn found out about that, she’d have her irrefutable proof that Hazel had known about his financial troubles and not spoken up about them. That she had let her brother cozy up to Isabel without warning the Taylors about his past. Rosalyn would be livid and come after Wanted, whatever way she could.

  Delta exhaled slowly to regain her bearings. Isabel’s arrest hadn’t really made anything better. It didn’t mean Finn was off the hook for the murder, and Rosalyn’s anger would only heat things up for Hazel and the shop.

  Great, just great.

  She pressed a hand to her forehead. How had the bracelet ended up in Finn’s pocket? Had he seen it lying somewhere and picked it up to put it in a safe place? Then find out whose it was later?

  But if he had, he would have told the sheriff right away. Hazel had said Finn refused to cooperate in any way, and she didn’t understand why. There had to be something else going on.

  “Hey.” A hand landed on her shoulder. Ray stood beside her. “What did I hear? Did the police take Isabel? What on earth for?”

  Delta looked up at him. His usually jovial face was now worried, and his dark eyes searching her expression with serious insistence. Having sensed before that he wanted to keep Isabel out of trouble, she hoped she might get some cooperation from him now that Isabel was in the sheriff’s spotlight.

  “The police found a gold bracelet on Finn,” she said.

  “That’s probably Isabel’s bracelet. She wore it to the party.”

  Delta recalled having seen a bracelet on Isabel’s arm when they had been taking the family portrait. Delta had even drawn it on Isabel’s character in her portable murder case file. “But that can’t be. If it was Isabel’s bracelet, Finn would have said so. And how would Vera White’s fingerprints have ended up on it?”

  “Vera’s prints? On Isabel’s bracelet?” Ray tilted his head. “That makes no sense at all.”

  “No. But if you’re right and the bracelet does belong to Isabel, the sheriff’s story doesn’t hold water. He claims the bracelet was stolen from the jewelry box in the safe. That Isabel took it to give to Finn so he could sell it and pay off his debts.”

  “Debts? Ridiculous. Finn doesn’t need money. I know for a fact that he has been saving every dime he earns here to support his sister’s shop. He told me Hazel supported him when he was in college, and he wants to pay her back. I can’t see him stealing… I mean, that would risk everything he has here: the job, his relationship with Isabel. And West thinks Isabel would have helped him to steal?” Ray shook his head in bewilderment. “I can’t imagine.” He fell silent and looked pensive, as if he had suddenly thought of something unpleasant and was considering the repercussions.

  Delta put a hand on his arm. “Ray? What’s wrong?”

  Ray focused on her. “What? Oh, nothing. I have to go to the police station to ask West to show me that bracelet. I’m sure we can easily establish if it is Isabel’s. Then he can drop his theft story and let her go.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Delta was eager to find out, firsthand, if the bracelet had been Isabel’s or not, as it could also exonerate Finn, who, in West’s scenario, had been an accomplice in the theft of the bracelet. Hazel would be so upset to discover her brother was under new suspicion. The sooner they could clear it up, the better.

  To convince Ray to take her, she offered quickly, “Jonas gave West the party shots he took that night. In the family portraits he took before the party started, Isabel is wearing the bracelet. West can easily establish that it’s hers by a look at those photos. We should try and convince him to do it right away.”

  “He should have done that before he came out here to arrest Isabel in front of the guests,” Ray groused. “That man is like a bull in a china shop. Come on. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  At the police station, they had some convincing to do to get the deputy to call West away from questioning Isabel. But once he had come out to them and heard their story, he did ask the deputy to dig out the memory card with Jonas’s photos, and soon they were all watching as he clicked through them. “There, that’s it,” Ray said. He pointed at the screen. “That’s Isabel’s bracelet.”

  The sheriff leaned in, then zoomed in on Isabel’s arm to see better. “It could be the same one…” he said begrudgingly.

  “You arrested my sister for her fingerprints being on her own bracelet,” Ray said. “If Rosalyn were here, she’d threaten you with a lawsuit for damages. I won’t…if you just let Isabel go right now.”

  West shook his head. “
I can’t do that just yet. I don’t understand what Vera White’s fingerprints were doing on the bracelet. Your sister’s, all right. Her boyfriend’s, maybe; after all, the thing was in his pocket. He could have kept it for her or whatever. But the victim’s? Combined with the photo of Finn pleading with her…”

  Ray sighed. “I don’t believe this. What new theory are you coming up with now?”

  West gestured with both hands. “Let’s not forget that Rosalyn said right after the murder that Finn had had an affair with Vera White. What if Isabel knew about this and asked Vera to end it? To persuade her to do so, she gave her the gold bracelet. When Finn found out, he asked to have it back, but Vera didn’t want to give it. Then later that night, Vera turns up dead and the bracelet is found in Finn’s pocket.”

  “You’re basing all of that on the fact that Finn spoke with Vera White during the party and the bracelet was found in his pocket afterward?” Ray shook his head. “Thin ice, Sheriff. Very thin ice.”

  West scoffed, “If Finn is so innocent, why doesn’t he want to tell us what the bracelet was doing in his pocket? He isn’t cooperating in any way, and I find that very suspicious.”

  Suddenly he fell silent and stared into the distance, his eyes getting a strange glow. “That’s it,” he muttered. “That’s it. Protecting someone. That makes perfect sense!”

  Ray groaned, but Delta kept her eyes on West’s expression as he seemed to have hit the theory jackpot.

  West banged his fist in the palm of his other hand. “That’s it. He’s protecting her. Isabel gave her bracelet to Vera. Vera had it in her hand when she died. And then Finn came upon the body, and he took the bracelet away to protect his girlfriend. He slid it into his pocket and he told you to have a look in the bar, meaning to slip away himself and dispose of the bracelet. But he didn’t manage it.”

  Delta had to admit that this sounded almost plausible. Finn had looked furtive when he had met them and said they had to look in the bar. He had been eager to get away.

  West continued. “It also fits with what the doctor told me about the dead body. There was a shallow cut on her hand, like something had caught there. The bracelet! I bet if we have it analyzed, there will be minuscule traces of the victim’s skin or blood on the bracelet.”

  He rubbed his hands. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”

  “Didn’t the doctor say the cut was made before the victim died?” Delta asked.

  West glared at her, as if he wanted to know how on earth Delta knew about the doctor’s findings.

  Before he could grill her about it, Delta said quickly, “Even if you can prove that the bracelet was in the dead woman’s hand and Finn took it from there, that doesn’t mean he killed her. He saw the dead body, recognized the bracelet in her hand, and picked it up to prevent his girlfriend from getting entangled in the murder. He hasn’t been cooperating for her sake.”

  A bit of relief washed through Delta that Finn might have acted the way he had only because he loved Isabel.

  West said, “I’ll determine that. I need to talk to Isabel now and see what she knows about the bracelet.” He turned away from them.

  Ray called after him, “Is there a lawyer present?”

  “Yes, your sister made sure one was waiting for us when we arrived.”

  Ray said to Delta, “I’m staying here to see what’s next. I can’t imagine Isabel actually being involved in the murder, and I don’t want that oaf of a sheriff locking her up.”

  Delta looked him over. “You never came here when Hazel was being detained. Or to plead for Finn.”

  Ray averted his eyes. “They’re not family.”

  “Oh yes, like Isabel told me earlier: Taylors stick together.” Delta nodded slowly. “It sounds nicer than it is.”

  “How come?” Ray asked, visibly piqued.

  “Finn may have refused to cooperate with the police to protect Isabel because he loves her. But you Taylors only love yourselves. And your good name, the hotel’s reputation.”

  Ray scoffed. “The hotel means nothing to me.”

  “Then why did you come back home and make Rosalyn feel like you’re ready to take over?”

  “If that’s her conclusion…”

  “You enjoy making her worry.”

  “Rosalyn is always so self-assured. Knows everything. I don’t mind her doubting herself for a change. Wondering if Daddy dear won’t give the hotel to me.” Ray flexed his fingers. “You know how Rosalyn and I used to get along fine. She came to my games, she supported me. Then all of a sudden, it was over. She even acted like playing football was something inferior. She was actually glad my career ended and…” He bit down hard, his jaw tensing.

  “Do you know what made her change?” Delta asked.

  Ray shook his head. He drew a deep breath, as if he had to force himself to relax again. “I have no idea. I never asked either. She would just say it’s my imagination and nothing had changed between us. But I know.”

  “Something did happen. Isabel mentioned to me that…Rosalyn hates you for something that happened in the past. Something she blames you for.”

  Ray stared at her. The color drained from his face. “Isabel said that?”

  “Yes. She doesn’t know what it is. Just that Rosalyn said to her that…she wouldn’t mind seeing you in jail for the murder. That you’d deserve it.”

  Ray flinched. He stepped back and stuck his hands into his pockets. “I can’t imagine she’d say that. Or maybe merely in a moment’s anger. She doesn’t mean it, you know.” His words didn’t carry conviction, and he shuffled his feet.

  “But you have absolutely no idea what past incident she is referring to?” Delta probed.

  Ray shook his head. “Not at all.” He studied the floorboards.

  Delta wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. Something so serious that another hated you for it couldn’t just have slipped your memory, right? How could you not know whether you had done anything so terrible?

  Ray turned away from her and sat on a chair that was beside a table holding a few newspapers and old magazines. He pulled out his phone and started to swipe through screens.

  Delta hesitated a moment and then went outside. She pulled out her own phone, which she had put on silent mode before going to the hotel, and checked the messages from the Paper Posse.

  Rattlesnake Rita reported that she had checked an assortment of deerlike creatures on the internet and was quite sure now that the animal depicted on the dark-blue station wagon that had picked up Ralph White in Tundish had been a moose. “Not a reindeer or a red deer or anything. A moose. Keep an eye out for such a car and we can figure out more.”

  Delta typed, “How do you know what Ralph White looks like anyway?”

  Calamity Jane responded while Rita was still typing. “The White couples have been all over town. Everyone knows them. They’ve been to the diner and the shops. The ladies argued over a handbag they both wanted to have. Leah said they almost hit each other over the head with it.”

  Rita chimed in, “You all type faster than me. Now I don’t have to explain anything anymore. But I’m sure it was him. I saw them pretty well at the museum.”

  “Museum?” Delta asked. “You work there, too?”

  “Manning the gift shop.”

  Calamity Jane explained, “Rita also makes the little mining carts we sell. They look just like the ones they used to have in the mines. They are filled with little stones that shine like gold.”

  “Just gold paint on pebbles,” Rita cut in. “But I love making them. Ralph White bought one for his grandson. He even showed me a picture of the little guy on a pic in his wallet. I had every opportunity to see his face and the way he moved. He’s also the better dresser. More stylish. Herb is more of the garish one.”

  Delta had to smile. But that smile vanished as she typed, “Am at the police statio
n. Isabel Taylor was arrested because her fingerprints are on a bracelet found in Finn’s pocket when he was arrested Friday night. The sheriff initially believed the bracelet was Vera White’s but when he looked at pictures of the party, he had to admit Isabel had been wearing it when the party began. Now he thinks maybe Vera White had it in her hand when she died.”

  “But how did Vera White get ahold of it when Isabel was wearing it?” Rattlesnake Rita asked.

  Delta typed hurriedly, “I don’t know yet. Either way, the sheriff is convinced both Isabel and Finn know more about it than they’re willing to admit.”

  She clicked away from the message screen and called Hazel, who was restocking at Wanted. As soon as her friend answered the phone, she said, “I can’t say much, but please be aware that the sheriff has found out about Finn’s financial problems. He told Rosalyn, who’s livid and determined to find out if this was known to you before Finn came to the hotel.”

  Hazel groaned.

  “Just be careful in case you’re contacted with questions about it.”

  “Wait! Where are you now?”

  “Outside the police station.”

  “Can you meet me at the hotel? I’ll go there to tell Rosalyn myself. Offense is the best defense, right? You don’t have to be in on the conversation, but I’d like the moral support afterward.”

  “Sure. We could grab lunch there.”

  “I doubt I’ll have an appetite after my talk with Rosalyn. But hey, why not? See you later then.”

  Delta lowered the phone, happy that at least Hazel had her fighting spirit back. It was indeed best to tell Rosalyn how things had come about and ask her for her understanding. Having a brother and sister, Rosalyn had to know the feeling of wanting to help out.

  Chapter Twelve

  While Hazel was in the office with Rosalyn, Delta walked through the lobby, looking at all the old photographs on the walls. As Mrs. Cassidy had pointed out to her earlier, they gave a brilliant impression of the time periods in which they had been taken. The twenties with the tassel dresses and feathered headbands during the party nights. The thirties with families coming into town for the first time. The fifties when outdoor wear became more practical and tennis tournaments were organized. The seventies with giant hairdos and miniskirts.