by Kathi Daley
“If you want to leave the computer I’ll dig around some more tomorrow.”
“Okay; thanks.” I reached my arms over my head in a deep yawn. “I guess I should gather up the kids and get going. If you find anything interesting call or text me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
“I’m sure.” I stood on tiptoe and kissed Tony on the cheek. “And thanks again for everything.” I walked into the living room and began gathering the dog and cat.
“If you want to drop off the maps and other materials you found tomorrow I’d be willing to look at them as well. Maybe we can find some kind of pattern.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon. This week has been crazy busy; I need to figure out what I still need to accomplish before the weekend.” I looked around the room. “You don’t have a tree.”
“A tree?”
“A Christmas tree. You don’t have one.”
Tony looked momentarily confused. “No, I don’t have a tree. I’ve never had a tree, and in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never once pointed that out.”
I cuddled Tang to my chest. “I guess it just hit me how really un-Christmassy this place is. If you want I can come by this weekend to help you find a tree.”
Tony smiled. “I’d like that.”
“You’ll need lights and a few ornaments. I’ll try to pick some up.”
Chapter 4
Thursday, December 14
By the time Tang, Tilly, and I had gotten home last night it was practically time to get up. To say I was dragging a bit as I showered, dressed, and drank my first two cups of coffee was an understatement. As I downed my third cup, I was beginning to feel a bit more human. I’d spent a lot of time thinking about Pike and the files on his computer. I wasn’t sure exactly what the emails and files were leading to, but I felt like we could very well be on to something that could prove Donny hadn’t killed Pike. I knew I should turn Pike’s computer over to Mike, but I wanted to give Tony time to find the secret Pike had been hiding, so I’d simply avoid Mike for a few days. When I finally ran into him, I could fill him in without having to lie or leave out any details.
“Morning, Pete,” I said as I entered Pete’s Pets with a stack of mail. Tilly loved to look around at all the various animals, but she’d been trained to stay right next to me so she didn’t scare the fish, rabbits, and other small animals Pete sold. “Looks like your invitation came through for the mayor’s gala.” I reached into the pack and picked up Tang. I wasn’t sure he could get out of the pack on his own, but the last thing I needed was him trying to attack the parrot that was sitting on a perch behind the counter.
“To be honest, I sort of hoped the mayor would overlook me this year,” Pete grumbled. “I know it’s an honor to be invited, but the gala is always on a Thursday and I have poker with the guys on Thursdays.”
“So don’t go.” I tossed the pile of mail with the invitation on top onto the counter.
“I wish it was that easy. The wife considers it our duty as members of one of the two founding families to attend. I don’t suppose you could pretend the invitation got lost and you never delivered it to me?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. It’s my job to make sure all the mail I’m entrusted with is delivered in an efficient and timely manner.”
“Figured. Guess I should have considered the consequences of marrying Hank Weston’s granddaughter when I proposed to Doris.”
I suppressed a chuckle at Pete’s posturing. He was doing a good job making it seem as if he was the wounded party, but everyone knew it was Doris’s money that had paid for not only the pet store but the big house the couple shared with their three children.
“I know the gala is probably boring to you, but I think it’s nice that the descendants of the Westons and Wades still get together once a year to raise money for the community. Marrying Doris did come with an obligation, but it also came with a privilege. Besides, I happen to know both Austin Wade and Adam Weston will be at the gala, both of whom are part of your poker group, so I’m sure the game will be postponed.”
Pete sighed. “I suppose you have a point.”
“By the way, while we’re on the subject of our founding fathers, I was curious whether you had any documents or photos dating back to the time White Eagle was founded.”
Pete shook his head while he thumbed through the mail I’d just delivered. “My family isn’t from the area and Doris’s parents have all the records and photographs passed down through her family. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious. There was a historian in town who seemed to have a lead to some huge secret that dated back to that time and I was curious.”
“I don’t know about a secret, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The men who put down roots and established the town were rich and powerful. In my experience, rich and powerful men become that way because they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want. I’m sure there are a few skeletons in the closets of both our founding fathers.”
Pete was probably right. It made sense there was more than one secret waiting to be uncovered, but I was starting to seriously believe there was one that had gotten Pike killed. I decided to spend my lunch hour trying to figure out what Pike had been looking for in the library. Tang and Tilly wouldn’t be allowed inside, so I dropped them off in my cabin first. After greeting Wilma and spending a few minutes in idle chitchat, she showed me to a table where I could look at the newspapers. She’d told me Pike had been interested in the back of the newspaper, where birth and death announcements, among other notices, were printed. I wasn’t sure where to begin my search, so I started scanning each paper, hoping something popped out. Eventually, I found a notice that had been circled in pencil: the announcement of the birth of Austin Wade, the oldest of the three children born to Dillinger Wade and his wife Alberta. I couldn’t be certain Pike had been the one to circle it, or even if it was relevant to his murder if he had, but I took down the information just in case.
******
I’d just finished my route and was heading back to the Book Boutique to give Bree a report on what Tony and I had learned when I ran into the handsome new veterinarian coming out of the shop. Tilly seemed to remember him; she trotted right over to say hi. After greeting Tilly, Dr. Baker removed Tang from the pack and cuddled him to his chest.
“Seems like our patient healed up just fine,” he said as Tang pawed his face.
“You’d never know he had an injury,” I answered. “He may be small, but he’s a tough little thing. Thanks again for fixing him up.”
“No problem. It is, after all, my job.”
“That’s true, but you were very nice, considering we interrupted your dinner. I heard you’re planning a pet adoption clinic at the shelter this weekend. If you need help I’ll be happy to volunteer for a few hours. I’ve helped out at the clinics your uncle held in the past.”
“That would be great. I scheduled the clinic before I found out the orientation for search-and-rescue volunteers was this weekend. I really want to attend so I can get started, but we have a full house, so I didn’t want to cancel the clinic.”
“I’d be happy to fill in for you. I’m sure the S-and-R team will benefit from your participation, so it seems important for you to get started.”
“I’ll be away the entire morning.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything. Do you have flyers?”
“I have a stack in my car I haven’t gotten around to passing out.”
“I’ll take a handful and distribute them while I’m doing my rounds tomorrow. I think you’ll be surprised by how much support you’ll get. There may not be enough families in the market to adopt a dog right now to place all the animals, but I bet you’ll be able to place a few and recruit some volunteers while you’re at it.”
“With everything I’ve taken on, volunteers would be great.”
I smiled. “Leave it to me. I’ll call you tomorrow to finalize the det
ails.”
“Better yet, how about dinner? My treat, as a thank-you for helping me out of a bind.”
“Okay,” I said. “Text me the time and place and I’ll meet you.”
Brady and I chatted about restaurant options as I followed him back to his car. He handed me the stack of flyers and I promised to make sure they found their way onto all the bulletin boards in town provided for announcements and local events. Having a haven for the strays in town was a cause that was near and dear to my heart, and if I had to put in a few extra hours making sure everyone knew about the clinic, putting in a few extra hours was fine with me.
After we said our good-byes to Brady, Tang, Tilly, and I headed back to the bookstore. The shop was closed, but Bree was still there cleaning up, so when she saw us at the front door she unlocked it and invited us in.
“I thought you were going to be here by six,” she said after I’d taken off my coat and released Tang from my backpack.
“I was here at six, but I ran into Brady Baker as he was leaving and we stopped to chat for a few minutes.”
Bree smiled. “You like him.”
I shrugged. “Of course I like him. He’s a very nice man.”
“Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous.”
I actually blushed. “I guess he is rather good-looking.” I paused as I spotted the gleam in Bree’s eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I’m looking for anything more than friendship, so don’t start planning our wedding. Dr. Baker is just a nice man with whom I have common interests. I plan to help with his adoption clinic.”
Bree tried to look innocent and nonchalant as she shelved books that had been left in the reading area, but I knew she was plotting ways to get Brady and me into a relationship. Matchmaking seemed to be in Bree’s blood. No matter how many times I’d told her to stay out of my love life, it seemed every time I turned around there she was, meddling where she ought not be.
“He mentioned the clinic,” Bree commented. “I’m glad you’re volunteering again. It’s a good cause and I know you enjoy it.”
“I do, and I’m glad I ran into him, but the real reason I’m here is to catch you up on what I’ve discovered about Pike.”
Bree stopped what she was doing and turned to look at me. “You found something?”
“Maybe.” I leaned a hip against the counter. “I found out a man named Andrew Barton was in town to meet with Pike about some sort of secret he had but wouldn’t share via email. Pike died before they could meet, so Barton left. Still, if Pike knew something with wide-range implications, it occurred to me there may be someone who had an interest in making sure he never had the opportunity to tell anyone what he knew.”
Bree grinned. “If Pike was killed because of something he knew, Donny must be innocent.”
“That’s my current theory. Of course, we need to prove it.”
“How?”
“It seems to me the first step is to figure out what it was Pike was thinking of sharing with Barton.”
Bree looked confused. “How will we do that?”
“Tony has Pike’s computer and is working on it. In fact, I’m going to his place as soon as I change. When I left Tony’s last night he’d managed to gain access to his files, but he hadn’t had a chance to really look around. I’m hoping by now he has news for me. I also said I’d drop off the boxes we found with the maps and deeds. Tony’s the smartest person I’ve ever met. If there’s something to find he’ll find it.”
Bree reached out to hug me. “Thank you. When you first said you were going to help me find Pike’s real killer so Donny would be released, I wasn’t sure your heart was in it, but I can see now you took things seriously and have been working on it.”
“Of course. You’re my best friend.”
“How can I help?” Bree asked.
“I guess you could come with me over to Tony’s.”
Bree scrunched up her nose. I knew she still saw him as the nerd we both at one point believed him to be. “I had a late night last night and would love to have some company on the drive up and back,” I added.
“Oh, okay. I need to go home, though, and put on clothes I don’t mind getting dusty. Do you want to pick me up in a half hour?”
“Make it forty-five minutes. I need to go home and change, load the boxes with the maps and deeds into the Jeep, and then pick up some Chinese takeout. I’ll swing by to get you after that.”
Bree agreed, although she still looked less than thrilled. “I’ll be ready.”
******
In retrospect, I think things would have been fine if Tony’s friend Shaggy, who liked to tease Bree about everything, hadn’t visited on the same night Bree and I did. Shaggy, whose real name was Stuart, was tall and lanky, with longish blond hair. He owned a small computer store in town that mainly did repairs and sold video systems and video games. New computers could be ordered through his shop, but most folks either ordered their own hardware online or waited until they planned to travel to one of the larger cities with a wider selection.
“You didn’t tell me Mr. Annoying was going to be here,” Bree complained when we pulled up and saw Shaggy’s van.”
“I didn’t know or I would have warned you. I know you don’t like him, but he’s pretty harmless. If he teases you just ignore him.”
“Easy for you to say; he never hassles you.”
“He doesn’t hassle me because I ignore him. You’re too easily baited, which makes hassling you all kinds of fun.” I reached over and grabbed Tang. I didn’t want to take the chance that he would jump out of the Jeep and become lost in the dark. Tilly hopped down on her own after Bree and I got out. Bree picked up the Chinese takeout and I got Tang and Tilly’s dinner before we went to the front door.
“Well, if it isn’t Tess and her carry-on,” Shaggy said when he answered the door.
I could almost hear Bree growl, but she didn’t say anything as she pushed past Tony’s somewhat colorful friend and headed toward the kitchen.
“You might want to lay off the short jokes,” I whispered to Shaggy as Bree went down the hallway.
Shaggy grinned. “Why? It’s fun to tease her. She gets so ruffled.”
“Bree might look like a tiny porcelain doll, but she has a temper. If you’re as smart as you think you are you might not want to get her too riled up.”
Shaggy saluted. “Yes, Mom.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t engage with the man-child who seemed to think he was charming when he clearly wasn’t. “I’m going to let Tony know we’re here. I’ll only be a minute. Play nice while I’m gone.” I settled Tang and Tilly into the large dog bed, then headed down the stairs to the cellar. If I’d known Shaggy was going to be here I would never have invited Bree to join me. Normally, she was a mature, sophisticated woman, but Shaggy had a way of bringing out the child in her, and not in a good way.
“Oh good, you’re here,” Tony said as I entered the room.
“Did you find something?” I asked.
“I think I did.” Tony typed a rapid string of commands. “I’ve been looking at all his files, and I think Pike’s secret might date back to the establishment of White Eagle. Maybe even earlier.”
“That fits the other clues I’ve come across, although you’d think a secret that old wouldn’t still hold a lot of power. Most of the people who were around back then have passed on, although I suppose it might be something so shocking the descendants of whoever it was about might still have a stake in making sure it never got out.” I leaned a hip against Tony’s chair, placing a hand on his shoulder as I leaned in to get a closer look at the screen. “Any idea where we should look next?”
“If I had to guess it has to do with this.”
An old map popped up on the screen. “What are we looking at?” I asked.
“It’s a site map that provides claim lines and boundaries. If you look at this map,” Tony pulled up another map just like the one we’d just been looking at, “and compare it to this,” he went back to the ori
ginal map, “you can see what I mean.”
I shook my head. “No, I can’t. They look the same to me.”
“Hang on.” Tony typed in additional commands, then got up from his chair. He took my hand and walked me across the room to where a screen twenty times the size of the one on the computer hung on the wall. “Take another look now that the maps are side by side.”
It took me a minute, but eventually I saw what Tony meant. “The lines are different.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, so what are you thinking that means?”
He walked closer to the screen and pointed to a claim, Bloomfield, next to one entitled Weston. Both maps were dated 1942, but there was no way to know without further research which had come first. “If you look here you’ll see Weston now occupies at least half of Bloomfield.”
“So maybe the claim with a larger portion associated with the Weston mine came later and Bloomfield sold part of his claim to Weston. Or maybe the other map, with a larger percentage belonging to Weston, came first and Weston sold part of his claim to Bloomfield.”
“Yeah, maybe. I think it warrants further research, especially because this is the mine that made Hank Weston his millions.”
“Are you suggesting Hank Weston poached part of the claim belonging to Bloomfield?”
“Maybe. We don’t have all the facts yet, but it might behoove us to get them.”
“Agreed. I brought the boxes with the maps and land deeds. Maybe you can find something there.”
“I’ll look at everything tomorrow. Maybe between what I’ve found on the computer and what Pike saved in the boxes something will emerge.”
I was about to ask Tony about our plans to find him the perfect Christmas tree when I heard a loud crash from upstairs. I glanced at Tony and we both went running.
I could hear Tilly barking as additional crashes that scared the life out of me continued. I didn’t know what had happened, but I was afraid it was really bad until Tony, who arrived in the kitchen ahead of me, started laughing. I skidded to a stop behind him and looked over his shoulder.
