“Sure. Talk to you later.”
Kelly didn’t recognize the number on her phone monitor. “This is Kelly Reynolds.”
“Mrs. Reynolds, this is Clint Logan, Marcy Logan’s son. I’d like to talk to you. Is there any chance I could meet you at your hotel for dinner this evening? I’m at my mother’s home right now, and she told me about your meeting with her.”
“Yes, that would be fine. Shall we meet in the lobby at six?”
“I’ll be there, and you’ll know me by the signature red hair of the Logan family. Julie and I both inherited it from our father. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
Kelly called Mike back. “You won’t believe this. Guess who I’m meeting for dinner tonight?”
“Knowing you, it’s probably someone terribly interesting and terribly important.”
“Well, I don’t know about how important he is, but it should be interesting.”
“Okay,” Mike said. “I’ll bite. Who is it?”
“I’m meeting Clint Logan, Julie’s brother, for dinner here at the hotel restaurant.”
“Wow! How did that happen?”
“He was the one on the phone who called a few minutes ago. He said he was at his mother’s home, and he wanted to talk to me, so yes, it should be interesting.”
“One thing, Kelly. Promise me you won’t ask him up to your room. Remember, he’s a suspect, and he has a possible motive. I’d feel more comfortable if you’d reassure me you’ll stay in a public place all the time with lots of people around.”
“Okay, I can promise that. I’ll call you when I get back from dinner and tell you all about it. I know you’re busy with work-related matters, but I’m sure I’ll probably feel like talking to you after I meet Clint. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll feel much better about you having dinner with him after you call. By the way, I was able to talk to Roxie, and she said not to worry about Kelly’s, she’ll handle it this week. I also called Liz, and she’ll pick you up at the airport, but you need to text her with your arrival time. She also said she could spend a couple of hours with you at Julie’s if you’d like.”
“That’s a load off my mind. All right. I need to make a few calls, get ready for dinner, and then think about going to Maine tomorrow. I love you, and I’ll call you as soon as I get back from dinner.”
CHAPTER 13
“Hello. This is the law office of Sean O’Brien; how may I help you?” the perky voice that answered the phone said.
“I’d like to speak to Mr. O’Brien. My name is Kelly Reynolds, and this is regarding a client of his, Julie Jensen.”
“Are you an attorney, Ms. Reynolds?”
“No, I’m a friend of the family, and I’m afraid I have some bad news regarding Mrs. Jensen.”
“Just one moment.”
Shortly a male voice with a strong Irish accent came on the line and said, “This is Sean O’Brien, Ms. Reynolds, how may I help you?”
“Mr. O’Brien, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your client, Julie Jensen, was murdered in Virginia two days ago. I’m sort of a friend of the family and was at her graduation ceremony in Virginia. She was murdered in her hotel room several hours after the end of the ceremony.”
He was quiet for several moments and then he said, “I only met her once when she filled out the necessary divorce papers. I am so sorry. This is terrible news. Have they arrested the murderer?”
Kelly sighed. “The police chief thinks a transient, who had both Julie’s jewelry and her wallet in his possession, did it. He wasn’t arrested because he was dead when they found him in the hotel parking lot, evidently from an accidental fall. The local police chief is not going to pursue the investigation any further since he believes it’s an open and shut case.”
“Does the police chief know who Julie’s family is? I mean Mrs. Logan is not only one of the wealthiest citizens in Boston, the family is pure blue blood and has been for over two hundred years.”
“To be honest, Mr. O’Brien, I don’t think he cares. Mrs. Logan does not believe the transient is the one responsible for her daughter’s murder, and she’s asked me to help.”
“Are you a private investigator?”
“No. My husband is the sheriff in Beaver County, Oregon. I’ve helped him in the past with several murder cases, and a friend of Julie’s recommended me to Mrs. Logan. I never had the pleasure of meeting Julie, although, as I said earlier, I did see her receive her doctorate diploma on Saturday. Actually the reason I called is to find out who her attorney is in Portland, Oregon. Mrs. Logan didn’t know. I need to notify him, and I’d also like to find out if Julie had a will.”
“Certainly. A friend of mine from law school referred her to my office. His name is Ryan Murphy. Here’s his telephone number.”
“Thank you. No wonder you were friends, being true Irishmen,” Kelly said laughing.
“Well, when you’re Irish and you want to be a lawyer, it’s not too much of a stretch to think of Notre Dame. That’s where we met and we received our law degrees. I came back to Boston to practice law, and he returned to his home in Portland, but we’ve stayed in touch over the years. When you talk to him, please give him my best. I’ll wrap up this case. Actually, since there won’t be a divorce because one spouse is now deceased, the only thing left to do is get it dismissed.”
“Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, and I’ll be sure to say hello to Ryan for you.”
Kelly looked at the clock on the nightstand and mentally subtracted three hours. It was early afternoon in Portland and hopefully Ryan Murphy would be in his office. She placed the call and a cheerful sounding receptionist said he’d take the call. A few moments later she heard a voice say, “This is Ryan Murphy, Mrs. Reynolds. How can I help you?”
“Mr. Murphy, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you about your client, Julie Jensen. I’m a friend of the Logans, Julie Jensen’s family, and I regret to have to tell you that Julie was murdered Saturday evening. I’m in Boston at the moment. A local attorney here by the name of Sean O’Brien gave me your number. By the way, he asked me to say hello to you for him.”
He was quiet for a few moments and then he said, “Mrs. Reynolds, I don’t know what to say. This is terrible news and comes as a complete shock to me. Julie didn’t keep an appointment she’d made for this morning, which was quite unlike her. Now I understand why. Please tell me everything you can.”
Kelly recounted the events of the last couple of days and concluded by telling him she planned to return to her home in Oregon sometime in the next few days. “I’d like to ask you a couple of things if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly, if it’s not privileged attorney-client information, I’ll answer whatever I can.”
“Did you know that Julie’s mother gave her a gift of ten million dollars last week?”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “No, Julie never mentioned that when she made the appointment. Usually my secretary schedules all of my appointments, but she had a parent-teacher conference and had to leave early that day. I was the one who spoke to Julie and scheduled the appointment.”
“I know this is a fine line with the attorney-client privilege, but since she’s dead and if she has a will, you’ll have to file it, and it will then be a public court record. Would I be correct?”
“Yes, she has a will and when we first met she requested that I keep it in a safe place. She said she’d make a new one later on. That’s why she made the appointment to see me this morning.”
“Do you remember what was in her will? Here’s why I’m asking. Her mother is afraid Julie hadn’t changed her will and her husband, whom she was divorcing, is still in her will as the prime beneficiary.”
“As I recall, that was the case, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. Her will is in a safe deposit box at my bank. When she came to see me about the divorce, I counseled her to draw up a new will. She was uncertain who she should leave her es
tate to and said she really didn’t have all that much, but ten million dollars makes a huge difference, a whole new ball game, if you will.”
“I’m going to muddy the waters even more. Did you know Julie had a daughter she put up for adoption at birth with whom she was recently reunited?”
Again there was silence on the other end of the phone. “No, I knew nothing about a daughter. I wonder if she was going to leave her estate to her daughter. Maybe that was the reason for the appointment.”
“I have no idea.”
“Do you know how to contact her daughter, Mrs. Reynolds, or anything about her?”
“No. I thought when I returned to Oregon I’d spend a little time in Portland and see if there was some way I could gain access to Julie’s house. She must have some information regarding her daughter there. The daughter’s name is Megan Simmons, she has red hair like Julie did, and she’s an attorney specializing in adoption law.”
“I think taking a look around her house is a good idea. I have a key to her home. Julie was a very organized person. She told me when she hired me that she’d interviewed several attorneys, and I was the one she’d ultimately chosen, because she trusted me. She told me she wanted to give me a second set of keys to her car, her house, her safe deposit box, everything, because she didn’t have any family in Oregon. As far as her daughter being an adoption lawyer, let me see if I can find out anything. I have several friends who specialize in adoption law. Maybe they can tell me something. When are you returning to Oregon?”
“Hopefully, I’m planning on flying into Portland on Wednesday afternoon, but I won’t know for sure until tomorrow night or Wednesday morning.”
“That’s fine. If I’m not here, ask for Sabrina. She’s my secretary, and I’ll make sure she knows that you can have the key to Julie’s house. Is there anything else? Sabrina just handed me a note that my next appointment is out in the reception room and is getting antsy.”
“No. I’ll let you know what I find out, because whatever I find out will probably have some legal ramifications, particularly since ten million dollars is involved.”
“Thank you for calling and yes, please let me know everything you find out. I have a feeling this could get very messy.”
“So do I, and again, thanks for taking my call.”
CHAPTER 14
Promptly at six that evening, Kelly got off the elevator and walked into the lobby. Standing next to the concierge’s desk was a man she was sure was Clint Logan. He wore a grey sports coat, a white open necked shirt, and dark blue pants. There are some people in the world who look as if they were born to money, and Clint definitely had that look about him. The two things that kept him from being patrician perfect was the red shock of hair he wore tied in a ponytail and his red goatee. She walked over to him.
“Judging from the color of your goatee and your hair, you must be Clint Logan,” she said smiling as she extended her hand.
“That I am, and you must be Mrs. Reynolds,” he said shaking her hand. “I made a reservation for us here at the hotel restaurant. I didn’t think it would be crowded on a Monday night, which is usually an off night for restaurants, but I understand there’s a convention in town tomorrow, so I decided to be safe.”
They walked down the hall to the restaurant and as they entered it, the hostess said, “Good evening, Mr. Logan. I have your favorite table ready. It’s good to see you. We’ve missed you.” She turned to Kelly and smiled. “That’s a beautiful pendant you’re wearing.”
“Thank you. My husband gave me this emerald drop, because he thought the emerald matched my eyes. I love the way he had it set in a gold bar so it would be heavy enough it wouldn’t swing back and forth.”
They followed the hostess to their table, and Clint held out Kelly’s chair for her. The hostess handed each of them a menu as well as a napkin. “Thanks for saving this table for me, Lisa. I appreciate it,” he said to the hostess.
“Well, since you obviously eat here often, what do you recommend besides the Boston cream pie and the Parker House rolls? I overindulged in both of those last night,” Kelly said.
“I can’t pass up the clam chowder and the scallops. They’re two of my favorites. The New England area is known for its seafood, so who am I to argue with that? Plus, today’s my birthday, so I’m allowed to indulge,” Clint said putting aside his menu.
“Well, happy birthday, and I’ll follow your lead. They both sound delicious. Before we go any farther, I want to express my condolences to you on the loss of your sister. It’s never easy having a family member die, and particularly under these circumstances.”
As she spoke to him, she closely watched to see what his response might be, knowing he was one of the three people who might have had a motive to kill Julie. He ran his hand over his face and said, “No, it’s not easy, and it’s particularly difficult when you’re old and you have cancer. I’m very concerned about my mother. The last thing she needed in her battle with cancer was to have something like this happen.”
“Yes, I agree. As you know, I was with her this afternoon, and it’s no secret it’s taking its toll on her.”
They paused while the waiter took their orders. Kelly was surprised when Clint ordered a Perrier with a twist of lime. He seemed more like a fine French wine person. She ordered a chardonnay, and they both ordered the clam chowder and scallops.
“Mother said you were looking into Julie’s murder. She’s convinced that someone other than the transient the police found in Virginia is responsible for Julie’s death. What do you think?”
Kelly wasn’t sure how to answer. She had no idea if Marcy had told Clint about the ten million dollars and her concern that Mark might be a beneficiary under the terms of Julie’s will.
“Kelly, it’s written all over your face. I sure hope you don’t play poker, because a poker face you don’t have. You’re wondering how much I know. Let me tell you a few things, then I’d like to help you find the murderer.
“I was at Mother’s this afternoon after you were there, and I know she told you about my past including my failed marriages and the blow-up my father and I had over his insurance business shortly before his death. She also mentioned she’d told you how she is supporting me. All of that is true. What I don’t think she told you, because she’s a very proud woman and women of her generation don’t usually let their dirty laundry hang out for all to see, is that I’m a recovering alcoholic. I’ve been sober for several months, and my life has changed dramatically.”
“No, your mother didn’t mention that to me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. My alcoholism was always something she liked to sweep under the rug. Eventually it got to the point where it was affecting every aspect of my life. A month ago, unbeknownst to her, I went to the family insurance company and asked for a job. Mother still owns it even though she has people running it for her. I was hired as a salesman, exactly what my father wanted me to do all those years ago. I’m actually pretty good at it. This afternoon I told mother what I’d done and the fact that I’m seeing a therapist who specializes in the treatment of alcoholism.”
“How did she feel about it?”
“She was very supportive, and I think very relieved, that I was finally starting to get my life in order. I even told her I was seeing a woman who wasn’t all that attractive,” he said laughing. “Beautiful women have not been very good for me, and I say that after three divorces. I recently read something that said the most beautiful mushrooms are also the deadliest. I wouldn’t say my wives were deadly, but let’s just say they weren’t healthy for me.”
“That’s a good saying. I’ll have to remember it.”
There’s something else, Kelly, and in your eyes this might put me in a position to be a suspect. The counselor I’m seeing believes very much in the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the steps is making amends. I finally was honest with myself and admitted that probably the major reason Julie and I weren’t close was because I was s
o jealous of her.” He paused for a moment and took a sip of his Perrier.
He continued, “You see, I flew down to Virginia early Saturday morning because I wanted to see Julie graduate, and I did.”
Kelly took a deep breath and audibly exhaled. “You were at the graduation?”
“Yes, I saw Julie graduate as well as her friend, Stephanie, who I believe is also a friend of yours. I was standing near the back of the crowd. It was a very emotional time for me. After the graduation was over I drove around for a long time thinking about how much my alcoholism had cost me in every aspect of my life. I drove to Virginia Beach, parked my car, and sat looking out at the water for a long time.
“Late that afternoon I drove back to the hotel where I was staying. It’s across the street from the university. I decided it was time to apologize to Julie for my past behavior and see if we could start anew. Mother had mentioned she’d be staying at the hotel located on the university grounds. I’m not very proud of this, but patrician looks and a little money can help get a guest’s room number from the person at the registration desk.
“I walked over to the building where Julie’s room was located, opened the outside door, and stepped into a very long hallway that ran the entire length of the building. Just as I stepped into the hallway, I saw a flash of a person with red hair hurrying away from Julie’s room. I was startled because not many people have red hair like mine, and I’m always surprised when I see someone that shares that characteristic.”
“You saw someone in the general area of Julie’s room with red hair? That is unusual.”
“Yes,” Clint said struggling to keep his voice even. “I walked to Julie’s room, saw the open door, and looked inside. I saw Julie lying in a pool of blood. I assumed she’d been murdered and with my background, I was afraid I’d be a suspect, so I left. I’m not very proud of what I did, but I didn’t feel I had a choice. If I’d called the police, I knew they’d detain me. I rushed back to my hotel, drove to the airport, and took the first flight I could get back to Boston.” Seemingly emotionally drained, Clint sat back in his chair and took another sip of his Perrier water. Kelly noticed his hand was shaking as he raised the glass to his lips.
Murder on the East Coast: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Page 6
