The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock

by Edward Coburn

  “I haven’t, but your name has been pressed into my memory book, as it were.” He tapped his temple. “Besides, who could ever forget a name like Rose Blossom? I’m sure that was deliberate on your parents part.”

  “Well, I’m still impressed.” She gazed at her hand again. “So this is the errand you had in Charleston.”

  “It was. So you really do like the ring?” He asked, his male insecurity showing through although he knew she wasn’t lying as he would have been able to tell.

  She held her hand up in front of her face tilting it back and forth while watching the fire and sparkle in the stone. “How could I not. It’s absolutely the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.” She kissed him and squeezed his neck before she held her hand in front of his face. “Just see how it sparkles. I love it, and I love you and have loved you since the first day Aunt Livinia introduced us. Oh, we’ve just got to show her the ring.”

  “Later, because I have a question. You seemed surprised, but somehow I’m getting the sense that the ring and proposal didn’t come as a complete shock.”

  She hung her head in guilt and peeked at the living room. “As you said, we have talked about it.”

  “Yeah, but it’s more than that. I get the sense you somehow knew I was going to propose.”

  “You and your spidey senses as Larry would say. I can’t ever hide the truth from you. I’ll admit I suspected something was up. But it’s Bagel’s fault.”

  “How is it his fault?”

  “You remember when I called you to make sure you were alive?”

  “How could I forget that? You seemed really scared.”

  “Naturally I was. You know how uncannily accurate Bagel’s predictions have generally proven to be even when we didn’t know what he was trying to tell us. So when I spelled DEAD from the letters he picked right after I had spelled your name, what was I supposed to think?”

  “I guess you had the right to jump to that conclusion. But what does all this have to do with your suspicions about my proposal.”

  Marti glanced to the living room again where she saw Bagel cross in front of the doorway. Then they heard the Boggle shaker box hit the floor. “I think Bagel’s at it again,” she said. “But, to answer your question, sometime after I called you I got the chance to look at the letters Bagel chose when the first thing I saw was the word DEAD.” She got up and retrieved the paper she had written Bagel’s letter choices on. She handed it to him.

  “But you don’t have any words written on the paper, only the letters.” He frowned at her.

  “That’s because when I looked at the letters the second time, I immediately saw something that had meaning for us and for tonight. Look at the letters.”

  He did and saw what she had seen almost at once. “Okay I see it—WED. So you had ADAM WED. Now I get it. I’m going to have to tell Bagel to quit giving away my secrets.”

  “I guess you are.” She held up her hand again and was again taken aback by the beautiful ring. She again felt the warm glow spread throughout her body. “Shall we go see what he has in mind right now?”

  “Sure, why not.” Adam was still kneeling, and his knee cracked a little as he stood up. “I don’t know how much longer I could have stayed kneeling anyway.”

  “Yeah,” she smiled, “I heard your ancient bones protesting.”

  “I resent that. My bones aren’t any older than are your bones.”

  “True, but I wasn’t the one kneeling.” She held up her hand again this time marveling at the setting.

  He took her other hand and led her into the living room where they both easily spotted the Boggle cubes spread out on the floor with six pulled out. Bagel was protecting the cubes from the pups, two of whom seemed determined to disturb Bagel’s selections. He playfully swatted them away as they tried to approach.

  Adam grabbed a second pad of paper and two pens from his desk. He handed the pad with Marti’s earlier list to her, but just as he started to write the letters down, he saw the word he presumed to be what Bagel was trying to convey. Bagel’s selected letters were H, R, L, E, T, and P. “I think I already see the word Bagel is trying to express.”

  “No fair. You haven’t even given me a chance. And maybe you’re wrong. Let’s see what we can find. I’ve missed our epic Boggle matches since you’ve been gone.”

  “All right but only because I’ve missed our matches too. Four letters and more?” He asked.

  She nodded.

  He wrote the letters down on his pad and started the stopwatch on his watch as he said, “Go!”

  It only took them only a minute or so to admit they could find no more four-letter words. Together they had found lept, pelt, pert, and the word they agreed was the correct one, help.

  “It seems that Bagel knows I’m going to ask for his HELP.”

  “That would appear to be the case.

  Chapter 60

  Adam had agreed to meet Robert at Richard’s house in the morning. “Good morning,” Robert said answering Adam’s knock.

  “How’s Richard this morning?”

  “He said he had an excellent night although he didn’t get to sleep too early. We were all up playing cards till midnight when I called a halt to the game so Richard could get to bed. He argued more than anyone about stopping, but I put my foot down. I recognized the fact he needed rest. He finally agreed, but I heard Jenny and Mary Beth talking and giggling till the wee hours.”

  “So they’re getting along?”

  “Like they were sisters. I talked to Jenny last night, and she’s agreed to stay in Morgantown with Mary Beth and me to finish her schooling. Mary Beth convinced Richard to pay for Jenny’s education though I have to admit it didn’t take much convincing once he heard Jenny’s story. Jenny at first refused to accept his generosity, but during the card game Mary Beth talked her into it.”

  “Do you have enough room in your house for the two of them?”

  “I have four bedrooms, so I have one for each of them, but Mary Beth is toying with the idea of sleeping in the room I had used to keep her mother’s and her memories alive. She hasn’t made up her mind yet, but I’ll let her make that choice. It’s father from a bathroom than the other bedrooms, but she already knows that.” Robert seemed to realize they were still standing on the stoop. “Goodness, where are my manners. Come in and have a cup of tea. You like tea rather than coffee, right?”

  “I do, but we can’t stay too long. Bagel’s in the car.”

  “So you brought bagels for us?” Robert joked. Adam had mentioned Bagel’s name and explained he was already named when his mother got the dog from a relative.

  Adam ignored Robert’s jibe and followed him into the kitchen where Ricard, Mary Beth, and Jenny were still finishing their breakfast. Adam smiled at the girls. “I heard you two were up rather late.”

  Jenny and Mary Beth giggled at each other.

  “All right,” Ricard said pretending sternness. “What’s the joke?”

  “It’s nothing, Grandpa. Gosh, I like saying that,” Mary Beth said with an ear-to-ear grin.

  “And I have heard no sweeter sound for many a year,” Richard said. He tried to lean over to kiss her cheek, and when he couldn’t manage it, Mary Beth moved closer so he could. She returned the kiss on his cheek.

  “Would you like a cup of tea, sir?” Jenny asked Adam.

  “What’s with the sir? My name is Adam.”

  Jenny smiled. “Okay. Would you like a cup of tea, Adam?”

  “I would. What kind does Richard have?”

  “I think I saw some mint in the cupboard. That’s your favorite isn’t it?”

  “Good memory. I guess that’s what will make you a good nurse. I’ll bet there’s a lot of terminology to remember to become a nurse.”

  “There sure is. But I find the study of anatomy fascinating, especially the brain. I had once toyed with the idea of trying to become a doctor where I could specialize in neurosurgery, but I really don’t think I’m that smart or have that mu
ch endurance. I hear they work new doctors to death during their residency.”

  “I’ve heard that too,” Mary Beth put in, “not that it has anything to do with American History. I dated a guy not too long ago who is in pre-med, and he divulged some of the horror stories he’d heard about the treatment of residents. Not to throw cold water on your dream of becoming a doctor but he complained a lot of medical students and residents either quit or commit suicide, and most of them suffer from depression. He had a good friend jump off the top of the medical studies building about a year ago. He’s been seriously thinking of changing his major.”

  “To what?” Jenny was cradling her head in her hands while leaning on the table. She was staring at Mary Beth, taking in every word.

  “Underwater basket weaving,” Mary Beth said with a straight face as if she were serious. She couldn’t keep up the pretense for long especially after Jenny playfully slapped at her arm.

  “You’re such a goof,” Jenny said. “Was any of that true or were you simply blowing smoke?”

  “No. It’s all true except the part about his changing his major to underwater basket weaving. He says medical school is really tough, but he’s planning on sticking it out. His father’s a doctor and his grandfather was one too.”

  “Okay, enough about that,” Adam said trying to lighten the mood that had become rather somber. “Where’s my tea? My dog is waiting in the car.”

  “Oh,” Jenny said. “I forgot you were bringing Bagel with you this morning.”

  “Bagel?” Mary Beth asked.

  Adam explained who Bagel was, where he came from, and the fact that he already had that name when Adam got him after his mother died. By that time Jenny had set his cup of tea in front of him. “You like sugar in your tea don’t you?”

  “And milk if Richard has any,” Adam said.

  “Regular or condensed milk?” Ricard asked. “I’ve got both.”

  “Condensed,” Adam said. “It lends the tea a bit sweeter flavor.”

  “Condensed it is,” Jenny said setting the already opened can of milk on the table.

  After Adam had finished his tea, he and Robert decided they’d better leave. “Jenny will be all right here won’t she Richard?” Robert said.

  “Certainly. She and Mary Beth seem to be having a gay old time.”

  Jenny and Mary Beth grinned at each other like they had a secret only they shared. “She’ll be fine,” Mary Beth said. “Maybe we can go shopping if Grandpa is willing to slip me some money.”

  Robert frowned at Richard as he pulled out his wallet and slapped three fifty dollar bills on the table. “You’re going to spoil the both of them,” Robert said as if he actually objected.

  “That’s a grandfather’s privilege, and I’ve not had the chance before so I’m going to take full advantage of the opportunity while I’m still around.”

  Mary Beth’s and Jenny’s smiles were now gone. But that didn’t stop Mary Beth from picking up the money until she realized what he had said and how quickly she’d snatched up the money. She turned to Jenny with a grimace that had replaced her smile. “Maybe we shouldn’t go. Maybe we should stay with Grandpa. I…”

  “Now none of that, sweetheart. I want you two to go and have fun. Although I’ve never understood a woman’s penchant for having fun shopping. It’s definitely not my idea of fun.”

  “But Grandpa, what if…” Mary Beth started.

  Richard waved his hand dismissively. “I want the two of you to go. I have the doctor on speed dial if I need him and I’m feeling good today even after the trouncing the two of you gave Robert and me last night in cards.”

  Mary Beth ignored that comment and held out her hand. “All right, if you insist. However, we’ll need some transportation.” She winked at Robert who smiled at her.

  “I think I’ll have my chauffer Rubin drive you since you don’t know your way around Charleston yet. Is that okay.”

  “Sure. That way Jenny and I can talk on the way to the mall.”

  “I’d think you two would be all talked out by now,” Richard said with a wink at Robert.

  “Fat chance of that. We still have a lot to talk about.”

  “I’m sure of that,” Robert said, “But Adam and I need to get on the road. I’ll see you three this weekend if not sooner.”

  Adam and Robert decided they would take both of their cars so Robert wouldn’t have to drive Adam back to Charleston when Adam and Bagel were through for the day. Robert called Ken at his hotel in Morgantown and reported they were about an hour out and for him to meet them at Donati’s. They drove directly to Donati’s estate and drove straight through the open front gate and parked in front of the house. Ken was already waiting for them. He was leaning on his rental car which, as cliques go, was a black SUV. Together they went right to the cellar. Adam left Bagel in his car as he wasn’t needed at that point in the investigation.

  “When did you discover Donati’s first burial ground?” asked Robert.

  Adam gazed at the ceiling deep in thought because he didn’t want to stare at the fingers housed in the glass display case. Although they might have helped him formulate his thoughts better, they also made his stomach queasy. “It was in ninety-five I think.”

  “It was,” Ken agreed. “I wasn’t on the case, but I reviewed the reports last night in my hotel room. The FBI has a web site where agents can get access to different reports. According to what I read, you uncovered the graveyard of Donati’s victims in ninety-five, and we’ve been searching for something to break the case ever since.”

  “Why did you ask?” Adam asked.

  “I simply wanted to know which fingers are likely to match Donati’s victims in the Flannigan cemetery. Because Donati was kind enough to label them for us, we should be able to take only the later victims who are more likely to be in the cemetery. Does that make sense?”

  “Sure does. But I noticed the display case is locked. At least it has a lock on it, so I assume he keeps it locked.”

  “Not to worry,” Robert said holding up a set of keys. “Donati had these on him when he was searched at the station. I thought they might come in handy today. I doubt if he left the key to his treasure trove sitting around where anybody could get at it. So it’s probably one of the keys on this ring.” Robert leaned down and tried to slide the glass front of the display case aside. “As I figured, it’s locked.” He stared at the lock for a few seconds before he chose a key and tried it. It didn’t fit the lock. He tried several more before he found the one that worked. He slid the glass front aside. He reached into a pocket and pulled out three evidence bags. He labeled them and then used tongs, he’d extracted from another pocket, to pick up three fingers that he placed in the bags. He cleaned the tongs after each finger to avoid contamination. “We can start with three of the latest victims.” He picked up only one finger of a labeled pair reasoning that only one of any particular pair would be necessary because the pair of victims would probably have been interred together.

  With that Robert closed and locked the display case. “I thought we should keep the air out to better preserve the evidence.”

  “Good idea,” Ken said, “though it’s probably too late for that. That display case isn’t exactly hermetically sealed.” With that, he turned and walked up the stairs with the other two following.

  They drove to the cemetery in Ken’s SVU. Adam took Bagel out of the backseat where he and Adam had been together on the ride. Bagel had sniffed the air the entire time, and Adam thought he probably smelled the fingers even though they were sealed in evidence bags in Robert’s pocket.

  Again they met Cooper at the door. “We’re going to wander around the cemetery to see what we can find,” Ken said.

  “Don’t tell me. You’re looking for the dead bodies you think I buried for, who’d you say?”

  “As if you didn’t know,” Robert snapped. “We said, Donati.” He tried to keep his voice calm.

  “As I told you yesterday, I’ve heard of Donati
but I’ve never met him, and I certainly haven’t had any dealings with him. The only bodies buried in my cemetery are ones where the families paid for the privilege of having their loved ones somewhere easily accessible. And while we’re on the topic of access, do you have a search warrant to search the cemetery for whatever you’re looking for?”

  “You know what we’re looking for and no, we don’t have a search warrant. According to the judge, your cemetery is public property.”

  “No, it’s not. I own all the land except what has been sold to the people who have their loved ones here.”

  “As long as the cemetery has plots for sale to the general public, it is not private land,” Robert said relishing his ability to correct Cooper’s misunderstanding of the law as it pertains to cemeteries. “The only time a cemetery is deemed private is when a select group of people use an area of land exclusively for the burial of members of their group and plots of land within that area are not made available to the public at large. Therefore, your cemetery is public, not private, and we have the right to enter as long as we don’t disturb anything. And we have no intention of doing that. You can accompany us to be sure we don’t if you wish.” Robert wished he would come along as he would love to see the director’s composure slip and probably disappear entirely as they found where he’d buried Donati’s victims. He felt sure they would as he had come to trust what Adam saw in his visions. How else could he explain their finding of Mary Beth right where Adam had said she’d be.

  “No, I think not,” Cooper said. “I have papers that need my attention. If you need anything from me all you need do is enter the home, and a buzzer in my office will announce your presence. I will come out and attend to your needs. But I do have to ask what that dog is doing here.” He pointed at Bagel.

  “My dog is here to help us locate Donati’s victims,” Adam said. Adam had put Bagel on his leash, and Bagel was straining to lead Adam into the cemetery almost as if he already knew where Donati’s victims were buried.