“Not well. He was furious. He adored Julie and was sure the young man had taken advantage of her. He threatened to go to the young man’s parents and make him pay for everything. Julie refused to name the father, and wouldn’t allow any of us to be with her when she had the baby. She signed the consent to adopt papers while she was in the hospital and essentially gave up her daughter.”
“That must have been a very difficult time for all of you.”
“Trust me, you have no idea. I don’t think my husband ever quite recovered from it. He was never the same. He had a major heart attack several years later and died soon after that. Privately, I’ve always thought the shock of his daughter having a child out of wedlock ate at him and eventually caused the heart attack.”
“What was it like with Julie living here while she attended Harvard? I would think it would have put a strain on the family.”
“Julie was the one who suggested she live with us while she attended Harvard. She did have one firm request. None of us were to mention the child she’d given up for adoption. I never did and to my knowledge my husband and Clint didn’t either.”
“All right, that gives me the background on the child Julie gave up for adoption, but I don’t see what that has to do with her murder.”
“Marcy,” Celia interrupted, “I really think you need to rest. This has been too exhausting for you, and I’m starting to get concerned. I recognize the signs. I know the doctor gave you that new experimental drug last week, but even if it works, you shouldn’t be going through this type of emotional turmoil.”
“I promise I’ll rest within the hour. I need to finish this. Kelly, when I spoke with Julie last week she told me she knew I wasn’t going to be happy about it, but she’d met with her daughter. The only thing we knew about the birth was that it was a girl.”
“How did her daughter find Julie?” Kelly asked. “I thought adoption records were sealed and only in rare cases, and only if both the child and the biological parent agreed, could they be opened.”
“Yes,” Marcy said. “What you say is true, however, in Pennsylvania, where Julie had her baby, as well as in a couple of other states, there is a provision that adopted children may have access to the medical history of their biological parents. When Julie gave her up for adoption, she submitted her family medical history with the adoption records, in case her daughter had a medical condition which would require that she know the family medical history.”
“Okay, but I still don’t see how the child, or I guess young woman, found Julie. I can understand her obtaining the family’s medical history, but how was she able to find Julie?”
“I asked Julie the same thing, and she told me her daughter is not only a beautiful redhead, she’s also as smart as Julie. She went to law school in San Francisco and specialized in family law. Possibly because she was given up for adoption, she’s become an expert in that area of law. Her daughter told her that once she realized she could obtain the medical records of the family, with a little bribery, she was also able to find out that Julie was her mother and also her address at the time of her birth.
“Julie had used our home address here in Boston rather than my sister’s Pennsylvania address. She found Julie on the Internet. She was also able to get her phone number, and she called her. I don’t know how she did that, but I suppose with computers you can find anyone.”
“All I can say is wow! How did Julie feel about it?”
“She’d felt guilty for all those years about giving up her daughter, so she was thrilled to finally have the chance to connect with her. Several times in the last few years she mentioned she wished she’d raised her as a single parent, since it’s quite socially acceptable to do so these days.”
“Marcy, what makes you think your granddaughter murdered Julie?”
“It was a passing comment by Julie, but it’s stayed with me, particularly in light of the events that have occurred. She told Julie she’d like to meet her grandmother which of course is me. Through Julie, and using the Internet, I’m sure she found out about our family and the fact that her grandmother is quite wealthy.”
“That’s quite possible, but why would she murder Julie after she was just reunited with her?”
“I don’t know. Possibly anger at having been given up for adoption,” Marcy said. “Julie told me she’d lived in a number of different foster homes, and her childhood had not been a happy one. Evidently she was able to go to college and law school on scholarships. That’s really all I know about her.”
“Why did she say she needed to see her medical records?”
“She told Julie she’d made up a story about having a history of mental illness issues, and the person she talked to believed her. She also said she’d forged some medical records to prove it.”
“So what I hear you saying is what if she resented Julie all the time she was growing up because she gave Megan up for adoption and then later she discovers her biological grandmother is very wealthy. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch for her to think about what would happen if her mother was no longer around, and she could prove she was a legal heir to her grandmother’s fortune. Maybe Megan wasn’t kidding when she claimed she had some mental issues,” Kelly said.
“Marcy, as your caregiver I’m going to overrule you. You need to rest, and you need to do it right now. Let me help you get up.” Celia turned to Kelly. “It will take me a few minutes to get Marcy upstairs, and then I’ll tell Jasper to take you back to your hotel.”
“Give me one more minute, Celia,” Marcy said as she put her hand on Kelly’s arm. “Thank you so much for agreeing to help. I think you need to go to York and talk to Mark. After that it would probably be a good idea to see what you can find in Julie’s home out in Portland. As for Megan, I think you need to find out more about her. Celia will call you later with Mark’s information. You can rent a car and drive there. It’s not far, only about a hundred miles.”
She turned and Celia supported her as they slowly walked to the elevator on the far side of the room. A moment later Kelly heard the whir of the elevator as it rose to the third floor where Marcy’s bedroom was located.
I’ve got to run this by Mike. I really need some advice. I certainly wasn’t planning on extending my stay here and going to York, but I have to admit, this is a fascinating case. I wonder if Roxie would be willing to run the coffee shop for me for the rest of the week. That would give me enough time to drive to York, interview Mark, spend the night, and come back here to Boston to catch a flight back to the West Coast.
Since I have to fly into Portland anyway, I might as well check out Julie’s house. If I find something there about her daughter, I might have to make a trip to San Francisco where Julie told Marcy that Megan lives. Although I wasn’t planning on it, I guess I’m already involved. Think there’s an old saying that goes, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” It’s kind of like the modern day version of “I’m all in.”
A few moments later Kelly heard the whir of the elevator as it returned from Marcy’s floor. The door opened and Celia walked out. “I’m sorry I felt I had to end the conversation, but I could tell Marcy was at the end of her strength. She needs to rest for several hours.”
“She’s a lovely lady, and very lucky to have someone like you to care for her,” Kelly said.
“Thank you, but it’s me who’s the lucky one. She’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. I don’t think there’s a non-profit organization in Boston that hasn’t benefited from her generosity. I’ve worked for Marcy for most of my adult years. I started out as her secretary, and then when she was diagnosed with cancer several years ago I became her caregiver. Thank you for meeting with her. No one should have to go through what she’s going through right now.”
“I agree, and I guess I’ll be helping her as well. You said something earlier about an experimental drug. What was that all about?”
“Marcy has a very fine doctor, and he thinks a drug that was just discovered may help her.
It’s terribly expensive. As a matter of fact, very few people have been able to afford it, so not much is known about it. He feels there’s a good chance it will shrink the tumor, and she will be able to live several more years pain free. In other words, the cancer will go into remission for what could be a long time.”
“That would be wonderful,” Kelly said. “When will you know if it’s working?”
“She’s scheduled to have blood work done next week, and that should give us some idea if it’s been effective. The one thing he did tell her was that she was not to get overly tired. That’s the reason I was so adamant earlier. I’ll call you later with the information about Mark.” She picked up the house phone and pressed a button. “Jasper, Mrs. Reynolds is ready to return to her hotel.”
She hung up the phone and said, “He’ll meet you in front of the house in a few minutes. Again, thanks for coming. As tired as Marcy is, I think this has given her hope that someone will try and find her daughter’s murderer, and she can get some type of closure to this tragedy. I’ll talk to you later.” She walked back to the elevator and once again Kelly heard the whir of the machinery as it took her up to Marcy’s room.
A maid who had been standing by the front door opened it for Kelly and said, “Good day, ma’am.”
Kelly settled into the back seat of the limousine and after Jasper got in behind the wheel she said, “Jasper, could you take me to the county courthouse? It has to do with my meeting with Mrs. Logan. I don’t think it will take me very long.”
“Not a problem. It’s very close by. There’s no parking at the courthouse, so I’ll just keep circling until you come out, if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
A short time later he pulled into the loading zone in front of the courthouse. “We’re here, let me come around and let you out.”
“Thanks, but as busy as these streets are, I think you’re better off staying where you are. I’m perfectly capable of letting myself out. See you in a few minutes.”
As soon as she walked through the courthouse door she saw a guard and walked up to him. “Could you direct me to the family law clerk’s office?” she asked.
“Certainly, in fact, I can do better than that.” He took a map out of his pocket and circled where the office was, circled where she was standing, drew a line between the two circles, and handed her the map.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. We’re here to help,” he said giving her a mock salute.
A few minutes later she walked up to a clerk seated behind a long counter. “I’d like to know who the attorney of record is for the wife in a certain divorce case. Can you help me?” Kelly asked.
“Certainly. What’s the name of the case?”
“The two people getting divorced are Julie and Mark Jensen. That’s really all I know.”
“As long as you have the last name, it shouldn’t be a problem.” She spent a few minutes looking at her computer monitor and then said, “The attorney is Sean O’Brien. He does a lot of divorce cases here.”
“Thank you. Does it give his telephone number on whatever you’re looking at?”
“Sure does. I’ll write it down for you. You might be able to reach him at his office. The family law judge came down sick this morning and had to cancel the cases that were on her docket this afternoon. Seems like I saw Sean’s name on the list of cases that were cancelled. Here’s his number and good luck!” She handed Kelly a piece of paper with the attorney’s name and telephone number on it.
“Thank you so much. You’ve really been helpful, and I appreciate it.”
“My pleasure,” the clerk said turning back to her computer monitor.
A few minutes later Kelly spotted the black limousine slowly coming down the street. She waved to get Jasper’s attention and walked to the curb. When he pulled up she had to walk between two cars stopped in the traffic lane to get into the limousine. He hadn’t been joking. Parking was a really problem.
“Shall I take you to the hotel, Mrs. Reynolds?”
“Yes, please.”
CHAPTER 12
“Thanks, Jasper, I appreciate the ride and the detour to the courthouse,” Kelly said as he held the door of the limousine open for her.
“It’s been a pleasure talking to you, Mrs. Reynolds. I hope to see you again.” The large black Mercedes limousine quietly slipped back into the flow of traffic, and Kelly walked through the hotel door the valet was holding open for her. A few minutes later she unlocked the door of her room, realizing how tired the conversation with Mrs. Logan had made her.
If I’m tired, I can just imagine how exhausted she must be. She’s old enough to be my mother, she has cancer, and her only daughter was just murdered. Good grief!
She sat down in a chair and took the pad of paper and pen out of her tote. For several moments she sat quietly, making notes of the conversation she’d just had with Marcy Logan. Satisfied she’d captured the essence of the three people Mrs. Logan suspected, she took her phone out of her tote and pressed in Mike’s number. She looked at her watch and realized with the time difference, it was noon in Oregon.
Good, she thought. Maybe he can take a break and talk to me for a few minutes.
A moment later she heard the deep voice she’d come to love over the past few years. For a quick moment she reminisced about how she never expected to find romance at this stage of her life. I’m one of the lucky ones to have a second chance. She looked up at the ceiling and mentally gave thanks to whatever power was looking out for her.
“Hey, sweetheart, how’s Boston treating you?” Mike asked.
“Well, it’s a beautiful city, just as you said, and I even took the bus tour. I’m so glad you recommended it, although you weren’t the only one. The porter who brought my luggage up to my room also recommended it. Since you answered your phone, I’m assuming you made it back to your office, and you’re in the middle of handling all the things that happened during your absence. Would I be right?”
“You certainly would, and you caught me just as I’m beginning to eat a magnificent looking egg salad sandwich I got from the deli up the street.”
“I’ll let that slide for now. I would have preferred it if you’d gotten something from Kelly’s Koffee Shop, but that would be a bit out of the way for you,” she said laughing. “Anyway, I’m sure the county is glad to have you back on the job.”
“That they are. Now, tell me about Mrs. Logan.”
“Mike, she’s just about the loveliest person I’ve ever met. My heart goes out to her for what she must be going through, but even with everything she’s dealing with, she was very calm and composed. As a matter of fact, she thinks there are three possible suspects I should look into.”
“What the devil do you mean, that you should look into?” Mike asked. Although she couldn’t see him she knew he was raising an eyebrow as he spoke.
“Yes, well, I guess I kind of agreed to help her, but I wanted to check with you before I leave for Maine.”
“Whoa, Kelly, back up. Start at the beginning. I have no idea why you’re even thinking about going to Maine. As I recall, you were going to Boston to talk to Mrs. Logan and then come home. Did I miss something?”
“Not exactly. Here’s what she told me.” She spent the next twenty minutes telling him about her conversation with Marcy Logan and the three people she thought might have motives for murdering her daughter.
“Kelly, I don’t know how this happened,” he said in a frustrated tone of voice. “We were supposed to go to Virginia to attend a friend’s graduation, and now you’re off to Maine to investigate a murder. I guess there’s a nexus somewhere, but at the moment I would prefer to have my wife home safe and sound. Rebel, Lady, and Skyy fully agree with me.”
“I really miss them, but does that mean you don’t want me to go to Maine?” she asked.
“No, I don’t want you to go to Maine. Do I think you should? Yes. Mrs. Logan so
unds like a good person, and I guess you should do what you can for her. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in her position. I feel for her. I don’t know if you’ll be able to find out who murdered her daughter, but I think you should try.”
“Thanks, Mike. That’s pretty much how I feel about it.”
“I would suggest, and you realize I’m using the word suggest because I know how much you hate for me to tell you exactly what you should do, but I would suggest you rent a car and take off for Maine in the morning. After you hear from Celia you might want to call the bed and breakfast and reserve a cottage and make a reservation for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I have to tell you I’m not real thrilled about driving around on the streets of Boston,” Kelly said.
“You can rent a car at the airport and from what I remember, it’s pretty close to where you’re staying, and then you just head north. It shouldn’t be too difficult of a drive. I’m visualizing a map in my head, and I think you’re only about an hour or so from where you want to go in Maine.”
“Okay, I can do that. I guess the silver lining in all this is I’ve always wanted to have a lobster dinner in Maine, and now I can.”
“Don’t forget about the lobster rolls,” Mike said. “Remember what that waiter at Bubba’s told us. As I recall he said that following the she crab soup and crab cakes at Bubba’s the next best thing in the world was a lobster roll.”
“I’m sold. The trip will be worth it for the lobster dinner and the lobster roll. I think I should be able to fly back to Portland the day after tomorrow. I’m wondering how I can get back home from Portland. Any chance you can pick me up?”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I’m up to my ears in work. Doc stopped in to say hi this morning and see how the weekend went. He mentioned something about Liz taking this week off. I’ll give her a call and see if she can pick you up.”
“That would be great. Since she’s a psychologist, I’d like to run what Mrs. Logan told me about Clint and Megan by her. While I’m in Portland I also want to stop by Julie’s home and see if I can find anything that might shed some light on who the killer might be if it isn’t that transient guy. Mike, can I call you back? It looks like I have another call.”
Murder on the East Coast: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Page 5
