by Leena Clover
Gino tore open a packet of raw sugar and handed it to her.
“I ran into Teddy Fowler yesterday. He told me the police had spent the day searching the Gardiner property. They found something.”
Anna set her coffee mug down and braced herself for bad news.
“There’s a storage shed attached to Finn O’Malley’s cottage. It contained a box of plastic bags.”
“And the police think one of these bags was used to kill Edward?”
“They are running some forensics on the bags now.”
Anna placed her hands around the coffee mug, trying to warm them.
“This doesn’t look good for Finn O’Malley.”
Chapter 20
Anna felt dismayed as she stared at the slender man before her. She thought he was being unkind.
“You don’t have an ounce of Christmas spirit,” she said bitterly. “Why do you bother to dress for the holidays?”
Craig Rose looked seraphic, wearing a red and green cardigan with Santa Claus and his sleigh embroidered on it.
“We had a deal, Mrs. Butler. You haven’t done your part yet. The police are going to arrest my boy any minute now.”
“I was very clear,” Anna said sharply. “I will not be protecting a guilty person.”
“But he isn’t!” Craig Rose was petulant. “Finn is as innocent as a newborn babe. He’s just being framed.”
“Things don’t look good for him,” Anna warned. “Forensic evidence does not lie.”
“But it can be planted,” Craig Rose insisted. “What kind of detective are you anyway? Not a very good one, I’d say.”
“I’m not a trained detective,” Anna protested. “All I can do is ask questions and process the information I have.”
“If anything happens to Finn, the deal’s off.”
“That’s not fair!” Anna cried. “I have done everything you asked. You need to cough up now. Tell me what you know about John.”
Craig Rose stood up and shook his head.
“Finn O’Malley saved lives. Dozens of them. Do you honestly think he would strangle an old man in his sleep?”
Anna watched the old man walk away yet another time. He got her hot and bothered every time. Anna forced herself to calm down and change her perspective. What would she have done if Craig Rose had not been in the picture?
She walked over to the counter in a daze and began serving the customers, barely noticing a young man who kept going to the back of the line.
“What is he up to?” Meg muttered to herself.
Anna’s head snapped up and she finally looked around.
“Is something wrong, Meg?”
“Phoenix is here and he’s acting weird.” Meg frowned. “I don’t know why he keeps coming here, Anna.”
“Why don’t you ask him to dinner tonight?” Anna said gently. “We can all meet him properly then.”
Sally Davis arrived with a contingent of women, Mary among them. Anna had completely forgotten the cookie exchange ladies were meeting that morning. Sally and her cronies joined a bunch of tables together and settled down.
Anna pulled the plastic wrap off a big tray of cupcakes and took it over to the women. Meg followed with the coffee.
Sally waved a paper in the air.
“Just one week for the cookie exchange, ladies. You need to finalize your entries today.”
“Are we doing it at the gazebo like every year?” Anna asked.
“Weather permitting,” Sally nodded. “If it rains, we thought we would have it here, Anna.”
“That’s fine by me.” Anna was pleased. “The café will be free at 4 PM.”
Sally started reading her list.
“Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, cranberry white chocolate, snicker doodle, ginger snaps, pumpkin spice, thumbprint, shortbread, pecan …”
Anna reminded the ladies to bring an extra dozen cookies each for the children’s home. The gathering broke up shortly. Anna pulled Mary aside and waved goodbye to the others.
“Is Julie here yet?” Mary asked. “I’m driving down to San Jose after we eat.”
The Firecrackers were going to the China Garden restaurant for their weekly lunch.
“She’s meeting us there,” Anna told her. “Just let me put on my coat, Mary.”
They walked down Main Street to the restaurant, admiring all the pretty shop fronts. Julie had already ordered for them.
Anna added some chili sauce to her orange chicken and took a bite. She loved the combination of the hot, sweet and tangy flavors.
Julie asked what was going on with the Gardiners. Anna brought them up to speed with what Gino had told her.
“Any luck digging up Sharon’s past?” she asked Julie.
“I talked to a couple of women I know about Sharon,” she told them. “She’s always been single as far as they remember.”
“We know her marital status, Julie. What about any flings?”
“None of them mentioned anything like that.”
“So she’s either been very discreet or the photo meant nothing.” Anna sighed.
“Why don’t we go talk to Finn?” Julie asked. “I feel I need to burn off all this rice.”
“Count me out,” Mary said, breaking open her fortune cookie. “I’m driving to San Jose now. I’m on babysitting duty tonight.”
Julie drove them to the Gardiner estate. The day had turned gloomier while they were at lunch. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder roared over the horizon. Anna tried to ignore the sinister thoughts clouding her head.
They walked down the path to Finn’s cottage after Julie had parked her car. He stood outside, playing with Chief.
“I’m waiting for the police,” he told them. “They are going to take me away.”
Anna felt sorry for him.
“Don’t give up hope yet, Finn.”
Chief came and nudged her. Anna took the ball from his mouth and flung it wide. The dog bounded after it happily.
“Can you tell us about the bags?” Anna asked Finn. “How many people know where you keep them?”
“Everyone knows.” Finn shrugged. “They are poop bags. For Chief, you know. I order them in bulk.”
“Don’t you lock that shed?” Julie asked.
Finn looked surprised.
“I don’t even lock my front door, lady. There’s no need to. This is private property.”
“What about the bags?” Anna reminded him gently.
“You see how friendly Chief is. People take him on walks all the time. They like talking to him, I guess.”
“They take a poop bag with them every time?” Julie narrowed her eyes.
Finn showed them the leash he was holding. A plastic bag hung from it.
“That’s the rule. You never know when the dog will dump.”
“I’m sorry. Who took him for walks?” Anna asked.
“All of them.” Finn scratched a spot near his eye. “Aunt Sharon, Alison, Pearson, the cook, the maid ... even Edward.”
“Do they ask you before they take the dog out?” Julie pressed.
“Of course not!” Finn gave them a queer look.
“Think back to a couple of days before the old man died,” Anna said. “Can you recollect who took Chief out then?”
“I couldn’t tell you that.” Finn looked worried. “I don’t remember.”
“This might be important, Finn.” Anna patted his arm. “Why don’t you give it some thought?”
Finn turned around and started walking away. He whistled slowly to summon the dog. Chief ran after him.
“Nice!” Julie grimaced. “That’s what you get for helping out.”
Anna felt sorry for the young man.
“I think we might have pushed too far. Finn was hurt badly in the war. We don’t know the extent of his injuries.”
They started walking back to the car.
“What about going to the main house?” Julie asked. “Sharon might be in.”
“I don’t want to show my han
d yet,” Anna said. “Let’s just go home.”
Alison came out of the main house just then. She greeted them with a wave and started walking toward them.
“Are you here to meet my aunt?”
Anna didn’t know what to say.
“Done with your Christmas shopping?” Julie asked brightly.
Alison gave them a knowing look.
“Why are you trying to distract me?”
Her eyes narrowed in comprehension.
“Did you just meet that scoundrel Finn? Haven’t the police taken him away yet?”
“You don’t like Finn, huh.” Anna watched Alison closely.
“Don’t be fooled by his medals,” Alison fumed. “He’s diabolical. Has an eye on my fortune. He’s been plotting to take control of my money ever since he got here.”
“What makes you say that?” Anna asked.
“He had it all planned. He got on Grandpa’s good side first. Then he started coming to work. He acted like Grandpa was going to hand him the reins of the company.”
“I thought you were Edward’s successor, Alison.” Julie stroked the girl’s ego. “Isn’t that what you were saying at the holiday party?”
“I’ve been working at the company for five years. I worked in every department, trying to understand the finer aspects of running the business. Grandpa was grooming me to take over one day. He had promised!”
“What about Ruth?” Anna asked. “Didn’t she get an equal share?”
“Ruth was always a homebody. She was happy playing house with her husband.”
“But she’s gone now,” Anna reminded her. “You are the only heir, I guess.”
“That’s what I thought,” Alison said bitterly. “Then Grandpa started dropping all those hints. He was going to make a big announcement.”
“You thought it had something to do with Finn?”
“I did at first,” Alison nodded. “But I must have been wrong.”
“You are not making any sense,” Julie grumbled.
“Don’t you see? Finn must have found out what Grandpa’s announcement was. That’s why he killed him.”
Chapter 21
Anna waited impatiently for Gino to arrive. Mary and Julie had come in after lunch. The café had closed an hour ago. Cassie was next door at Bayside Books. She kept peeping in between ringing purchases.
“What’s taking him so long?” Julie tapped her fingers on the table. “Didn’t you say they started at 10 AM?”
“They were supposed to.” Anna expelled a breath. “Gino’s phone is switched off so there’s no way to know what’s going on there.”
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” Mary suggested. “I could use some fresh air.”
“Better than just sitting around, I guess,” Julie grumbled.
They stood up and got their coats, ready to step out. The door opened, bringing in a blast of cold air along with Gino.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Anna.”
“It’s okay, Gino. Just tell me who gets it all.”
An unexpected development had taken place two days ago. Edward Gardiner’s manager Basil had continued searching for the missing will. He had found it stuck in a file containing some old contracts. The lawyers had confirmed that it was genuine.
There was a lot of speculation regarding where the will was found. Had Edward been in the process of making a new one? Had he taken the will out of the safe, meaning to destroy it? How had it ended up in the old file?
The general consensus had been that Edward Gardiner misplaced the will by accident. The lawyers wouldn’t reveal why they had been meeting the old man before his demise.
Sharon scheduled a reading at the mansion. Gino had been invited since he was a beneficiary.
“Don’t you want to know what the old man left me?” Gino teased.
“Some souvenir, no doubt,” Anna dismissed. “I just hope it’s not a ghastly hunting trophy.”
“It’s not.” Gino grew sober. “It’s a chess set. The same one we used to play with.”
“Is it expensive?” Julie asked.
“It’s made of the finest wood and every piece is carved by hand. My guess is it costs about ten thousand dollars.”
“Wow!” the women exclaimed.
“Doesn’t matter,” Gino shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s priceless. I’m never going to sell it.”
“He left you the right thing,” Anna murmured.
“Edward prided himself on being fair to people. He kept his promise to Pearson.”
Gino explained how Edward had set up a pension fund for the old retainer. He had also bought a small house in town for him. Sadly, Pearson would never know how much his employer had valued him.
“What about Sharon?” Julie rushed ahead. “Did she get half of everything?”
“She gets half the family jewels.” Gino scratched his chin thoughtfully. “She has a very generous income for life. Think six figures a month. And she has a stake in the mansion as long as she is alive.”
“But she doesn’t have actual control of the business or the money?” Anna asked. “I wouldn’t call that fair, Gino.”
“Sharon has never worked a day in her life. She’s happy being a lady of leisure. I guess her brother must have known that.”
“Did she look happy?” Mary asked.
“I can’t comment on that.” Gino frowned. “But she didn’t look surprised.”
“What about Finn O’Malley?” Anna asked with bated breath.
“He gets an income for life too, like Sharon. Of course, his amount is nowhere close to hers. But he can live comfortably without having to get a job.”
“So he didn’t get Ruth’s share.” Julie summed up.
Gino shook his head.
“The will mentioned that Edward loved both his granddaughters equally. But Ruth had died without any offspring. He didn’t think an outsider like O’Malley, however noble, should get half of the Gardiner fortune.”
“That means Alison inherits everything!” Anna almost cut Gino off.
“Are you surprised?” he asked her.
“Not really, since this is the old will.”
“What are you getting at, Anna?”
“We come back to the big announcement,” Anna sighed. “What if Edward was planning to make a new will? All the secret meetings with the lawyers point to that. Alison would not have been the heir in that case.”
“Are we certain Edward Gardiner didn’t make a new will?”Julie questioned.
“The lawyers aren’t aware of one,” Gino told her.
“What if he was in a hurry?” Anna’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Couldn’t he have written it out himself?”
“People do that all the time.” Julie backed Anna. “I had an eccentric aunt who liked to dangle her meager fortune before her nieces and nephews like a carrot. She changed her will every month! Wrote it out herself and asked her maid and her neighbor to sign as witness.”
“Edward had an army of people at his disposal,” Gino argued.
“He was excited about something, though,” Anna persisted. “Do you really think he couldn’t have made a new will, Gino?”
“This is all speculation.” Gino rubbed his forehead. “If Edward made a will, it must be somewhere in that house.”
“Didn’t the police search the Gardiner mansion?” Anna sat up. “What did they find?”
Gino offered to make some inquiries. He stepped away for a moment and placed a call. Anna watched him bob his head a few times and hang up shortly.
“You’re in luck, Anna. That was the police chief. He’s willing to let you go through what they found.”
“That’s a first,” Julie smirked.
“The police haven’t had much luck with the investigation. They thought O’Malley was involved because of the bags. But further scrutiny revealed many people had access to them. Now they are hesitating to pin the blame on Finn.”
“Lack of evidence …” Julie nodded.
“
What happens now?” Anna asked Gino.
“If you’re free, you and I will go to the police station and look over some of the stuff they have.”
Anna told him she was ready to leave immediately. Mary and Julie wished them luck. Gino called ahead to let the chief know they were on their way.
Leo was waiting for them inside the station. He led them to a small conference room. Anna noted the peeling gray paint on the walls and the lack of windows. She shuddered at the memory of being stuck in there.
A long table took up most of the space. Metal chairs were placed around it. Stacks of boxes were dumped on the table.
“This came from the Gardiner estate,” Leo told them. “The chief said you can go through all of these papers. Just don’t take anything outside this building.”
“Thanks Leo,” Anna said warmly. “Any thoughts on how to tackle these?”
“Why don’t we each take a box? I have been assigned to help you and Uncle Gino.”
Anna nodded gratefully. They discussed what they were looking for. Gino suggested taking a closer look at anything with Edward’s signature.
“Let’s set them aside,” Anna agreed.
Two hours later, they sat back, exhausted. Their sorting had produced dozens of papers with the old man’s signature on them but no will.
“If there’s a second will, it’s not here.” Anna sighed. “I’m sorry this was such a waste of time, Gino.”
“Have you ever considered Alison as a suspect?” Gino asked her. “What if she heard about the new will? Do you think she would harm her grandpa for money?”
“I think Alison was always the undisputed heir. Edward’s wife is dead. So is his son. He might have split the money 50-50 between Ruth and Alison. But Ruth isn’t alive either.”
“Are we giving too much importance to the will?” Gino wondered. “Maybe money is not the motive here.”
“According to town gossip, Finn blames Edward Gardiner for Ruth’s death.”
Gino looked sad.
“He’s not the only one. Edward blamed himself. He thought Ruth and her child could have been saved at a city hospital. But Ruth insisted on giving birth at home.”
“How depressing!” Anna thought of the two innocent lives that had been lost.
