Antiques & Collectibles 09 - Mint Condition Murder

by Ellery Adams

  Molly paused long enough before answering that Clara filled in. “I’m sure you do,” she said. “You were very generous with Rene and Charlotte, and you obviously care about the land. I find it refreshing.”

  He smiled, and this time, it looked genuine. “Thank you. I do try.”

  Molly said, “We’d love to see your coin collection.”

  He laughed. “Yes, I’m sure you would, since you’ve got it in your head that I bought some of those stolen coins from Charlotte. I’ll tell you, I do have a one-cent piece, 1863. I also have the paperwork to prove where I purchased it. So, are we done here?”

  Molly shook her head. “I have one more question. Where were you on Monday morning?”

  “Now, why should I tell you? You’re not a cop. You’re a reporter.”

  Clara said, “The police will probably want to talk to you. Wyatt told them about Charlotte’s scheme to blackmail him. They’ll be asking next.”

  “Fine, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I was home alone on Monday morning. I can’t prove I didn’t kill her, but I didn’t, and you’ll just have to take my word for it, won’t you?” He pushed up his jacket sleeve to check the time on his Bvlgari watch. Molly knew his watch would retail for around four thousand dollars. He stood up to go. “I suppose if I was the police, I’d be looking closely at Wyatt.”

  Molly said, “What about Theodore and Janell van Wegberg?”

  “I have no opinion about them, because I barely know them.” He paused. “Do you think they’re involved?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Oh, poor you.” He smiled at Molly. “You really don’t know much at all, do you?”

  Chapter 24

  As soon as Quincy was out of earshot, Clara said, “What an annoying, self-centered, arrogant man.”

  “Yeah, and he doesn’t have an alibi.” Molly stretched out her long legs. “But did he have a reason to kill Charlotte?”

  “If he did, it must have something to do with the coins.”

  “I don’t know, Ma. He told us about the one Civil War coin he has in his collection, and made a point of mentioning he has the paperwork. He’s not worried about the police finding anything.”

  “He could have done it, bought the other coins from Charlotte, passed off the money as a gift he gave to her and Rene. Perhaps so Rene didn’t become suspicious.”

  Molly nodded. “I like that. But we’re right back where we started from. No proof, no solid evidence, no way to close either case properly.” She sighed. “Maybe it’s time to walk away and leave it up to Lombardi to sort out. I feel like everyone from Charlotte’s past has a secret, and I’m not close to finding out what they’re all hiding.”

  “I disagree.” Clara stood up. “I think you should keep going. Think over my idea about bringing them all into one place. If anyone is going to crack, I think it’s Janell. And if you can get her to come clean, if she didn’t kill Charlotte, perhaps the person who did will somehow reveal themselves.”

  Molly got up, too. “Are you going back to the Treasure Trove?”

  “Yes, but I’m going to stop off at the mall to buy a scarf I saw the other day. Would you like to come with me? Shopping always helps me relax.”

  “I know, Ma, but shopping isn’t going to help me.” Not that she wouldn’t mind walking around the mall with her. She liked the mall, which was hidden from street view underground. “I’ll walk with you to the corner.”

  They parted ways at Battery Street. Molly crossed over to King Street, and as she walked back to her car, she left a brief voice mail for Lombardi to let him know that she’d found the missing emerald and diamond ring at Coleman Jewelers. She had barely finished the call when her phone rang in her hand. She was surprised to see it was Clara.

  “Hey, Ma. What’s up?”

  “I’m on Cherry Street, and Quincy Clarke is walking out of the Hotel Vermont with a woman. Does Rene have dark brown hair?”

  “Yes. What are they doing?”

  “Getting into a car. A black Mercedes sedan.”

  Molly smiled. “I saw her get into his car the other day.” She thought it must have been Rene he’d been talking to on the phone when they’d approached him in the park. “She told me she hadn’t seen him since she’d moved away, but she called him to let him know Charlotte had died.”

  “What if they’re both lying, and they’ve been in contact for a lot longer? Months, or even years? Maybe they killed Charlotte for some reason. You should let Tony know what’s going on.”

  “He told me he was going to bring Rene in for questioning this morning, but I don’t know if he’s already spoken to her. If he has, then her reason for getting together with Quincy now might be to give him an update. I don’t for one minute think the gossip mill is how he found out about the coins and the gun. It was probably her.”

  They said goodbye, and Molly drove toward home. When she came to a stop sign, she saw Murdock Realty on her right, and it gave her a sudden thought. She turned into the lot and parked. She was well aware that random acts of violence weren’t as common as those that connected a victim to their assailant, but on the off chance that was true in Charlotte’s case, shouldn’t she at least look into it? A Mr. or Ms. X, someone off the radar, could have killed her.

  Molly walked into the realty office. Jazzy had retained Evan Murdock when she was looking to buy a condo, and she’d gone with her to the showings. She had gotten to know Evan, and thought he would see her without an appointment, if he was there. She had just given the receptionist her name when she heard a man’s voice say, “I’m here. Hi, Molly.”

  Evan was in his sixties, and a snazzy dresser. He wore a blue pin-striped suit with a white shirt with cufflinks, and a red silk tie. Molly noticed a folder tucked under his arm. “Are you on your way out?”

  “I am, but I’ve got about ten minutes. What can I do for you?”

  “Can we talk in private?”

  “Sure. We’ll talk in the conference room.”

  He sat at the head of the table, and Molly took a chair. “How is Jazzy? I hope she’s enjoying her condo. I think she made a great choice.”

  “I do, too. She’s very happy living there.”

  “Good.” He smiled. “So, are you in the market?”

  “No. Um, this is a little irregular, but I was hoping you might be able to help me with something. It’s for an article I’m writing. If I gave you an address, could you tell me the names of the people who bought and sold the house in the past?”

  He smiled. “Can you tell me why you want to know?”

  Oh, boy, she thought. There was no way around it. If she didn’t tell him, he might not help her. She kept it as brief as possible. Evan listened, nodded once or twice, and when she was done, said, “Well, now you’ve got me curious about who lived there. Leave it with me, okay? I’ve got to meet a client, but as soon as I get back to the office, I’ll look into it.”

  “Thank you so much.” Molly wrote the address of the Pruett house on the back of one of her business cards. “This is the address. You can text, email, or phone when you’ve got something.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  When Molly got home, she checked in on Starling and Tyler, who were playing with his toys in the great room, and went into her office and shut the door. She had been putting off calling her boss in North Carolina for days, and it was time to check in.

  Carl Swanson answered on the first ring. “Appleby! It’s about time,” he bellowed. “How’s that article coming along on Charlotte Blair?”

  “I never got the chance to interview her. She was murdered.”

  Molly filled him in, while he coughed in her ear, and she wished he would stop smoking. He had tried numerous times, but always failed. At least he listened, and didn’t interrupt. When she was done, he said, “Well, well, well. We’ve got ourselves another murder investigation. I love it!” Molly rolled her eyes. Leave it to Swanson to get excited over someone’s death. He knew her crime stories brought in new
readers, which increased the magazine’s circulation rate, and that’s all he cared about. “Find out what you can about those coins. They’d make a good story. Where did they come from? Why were they hidden in a bathroom?”

  As if she hadn’t thought about any of this. “I’m on it, boss.”

  “Good. I know you won’t let me down. You’ve got until next week to send me something.”

  A dial tone sounded in her ear. Swanson wasn’t one for small talk. She had her orders, and he expected her to follow through on them.

  Molly leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She thought about Charlotte renting the house from Quincy, but lying to Wyatt about having bought it. Was she really trying to get revenge? Was it greed? Or was she truly in love with the guy, and used it as an excuse to see him in person?

  She couldn’t forget about the coins. How did they end up in her desk, with the gun? Was she really involved in Larry’s murder, or was it a smokescreen to make people think she was? Had someone meant to frame her? Molly frowned. That theory had its own share of problems. If someone was going to frame her, why would they hide the coins in a place few people would be able to find? And, of course, they would have to know about the hiding place to begin with. Molly opened her eyes. Who would know about the hidden compartment in the desk? The only people she could think of were Rene, Janell, and Theodore. They knew Charlotte well enough that she might have shown off her desk to them, including the hiding place.

  Molly sighed. She was running in circles again, getting nowhere fast. She decided to join Starling and Tyler, and started to get up, but an email arrived in her in-box, and she sat back down in her chair.

  It was from Evan. That was fast! She opened it, hoping for good news. She read his message. Not once, or twice, but four times.

  Molly was stunned. It was glaring in its simplicity. So glaring, she couldn’t stop staring at the message. She was right, there was a missing X factor, but it wasn’t a person, it was an elusive clue that could help the police solve both cases.

  She picked up her cell phone to call Lombardi, but didn’t dial right away. The information sitting in her in-box was undeniable, but a name on a deed still wasn’t enough proof. Her prime suspect had been flying under the radar for such a long time, it wasn’t going to be easy to get it out of them.

  Molly smiled. Her mother’s idea could be the solution. Murder on the Orient Express Vermont-style? Gather everyone in one place, make her case, put the pressure on, and get a confession? It might be the only thing that would work. What did they have to lose?

  She called Lombardi, and told him what she had in mind.

  Chapter 25

  Molly knew it was the height of irony that for her plan to work she would have to ask her father for his help. But what choice did they have? Lombardi had told her that Larry Pruett’s son, Keith, had been unable to confirm that the ring Theodore had dropped off at Coleman Jeweler’s was his mother’s, and without his assurance, she knew Janell only needed to stick to her story about inheriting it from her mother. They were running out of options. Once Lombardi gave her the green light to proceed, she volunteered to call Nathan, and after a fifteen-minute conversation with him and Pamela, she got back to Lombardi.

  “Pamela had questions,” she said. “I told her it was better they didn’t know too much about our plan, at which point she said to count them out. I assured her it really was the only way we could think of to clear Wyatt’s name, and that did the trick. They’re going to invite everyone to their house for dinner tomorrow night. Pamela said she’ll send out email invitations straightaway. The reason for the dinner will be to celebrate me and my dad getting back together.”

  “I’m surprised you offered yourself up like that,” he said.

  “I thought it would help entice them to come. Plus, who doesn’t want a free meal cooked by a professional chef? Anyway, Nathan said he’ll get back to me as soon as they have a final head count. Cross your fingers they all say yes.”

  The invitation Pamela sent out arrived in Molly’s in-box an hour later.

  With apologies for the late notice, you are cordially invited to a celebratory dinner on Friday evening, at six o’clock, at our home. Chef Nathan McDaniel will be preparing two of his famous signature Bronze Chicken dishes, as well as a surprise dessert! We hope you can join us to celebrate his reunion with his daughter, Molly Appleby. Please RSVP no later than noon on Friday.

  • • •

  As soon as Matt got home from work that night, she told him about their plan. Molly wasn’t sure how he would take it, if he would think she was out of her mind, but he was supportive.

  “You know, I think it might work,” he said. “But what if you do get a confession? You can’t make an arrest.”

  “Not a problem. Lombardi is going to be there, in another room, out of sight, listening to everything on a hidden microphone he’s going to set up in the living room. He said Shelly wants to be there, too.”

  “Really? I thought she didn’t care, that she was all set to close Pruett’s case.”

  “She hasn’t done it yet.” Molly smiled. Shelly certainly could have, but since she hadn’t, Molly took it as a sign she was giving her a chance to check off every box first. “Besides, she’s a cop. Her curiosity won’t let her sit it out.”

  Molly thought her plan had a good chance of working, but she tossed and turned in bed that night, worried she was missing something. She felt a heavy responsibility whenever she got involved in one of Lombardi’s investigations. She couldn’t afford to get this wrong.

  In the morning, after only four hours of sleep, she felt tired, but determined. Matt went to the hospital, she fed Tyler breakfast, and Starling took charge, which gave her time to shower and change. By the time she came back downstairs, she was getting anxious to hear back from Nathan about the responses to the invitation. He called at ten thirty.

  “You’ll be glad to hear, they’re all coming,” he said. Molly breathed a sigh of relief. Getting this group together was half the battle. “Alison was the only one I had to convince. She wasn’t going to come, so I called her. She said she wasn’t sure she could handle being in the same room with Wyatt. I told her there would be other people around, and she didn’t even have to talk to him. I also reminded her they will have to talk things over eventually, if for no other reason than to sort things out for their children. Decisions will have to be made. They can’t walk away from each other without another word ever being spoken.”

  Molly was impressed. “Sounds like you deftly handled that situation,” she said. “I’m not sure I could have convinced her.”

  “I’m surprised it worked. I’m not very good at relationships, as you know, or giving advice, but my pep talk did seem to calm her down, and she said she’d come, and that was the goal, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Will you call Detective Lombardi to let him know?”

  “I think you should call him,” she said. “He needs to coordinate his eavesdropping setup with you.”

  “Right, okay.” He paused. “Look, I can appreciate that you don’t want to share too much information with us, but can you at least tell me if what you’ve found out is going to upset Pamela? I swear, I won’t say anything to her, but I would like to know if Wyatt is going to be arrested. I need to be prepared for any bad news.”

  “I can’t. If I tell you, you might inadvertently give it away, and then the whole plan will fall apart.”

  He sighed. “Can you at least tell me if we’re in any danger?”

  “It’s a dinner party, Nathan. No one is coming to your house for a shootout.”

  “How do you know? They might have figured out this is a sting operation.”

  “If they knew, I don’t think they’d show up. Besides, Lombardi will be there monitoring everything. It will be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen.” There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Molly hoped he wasn’t about to change his mind and rescind all of the invitations. �
�You know I’ve worked with Lombardi before. I trust him, and I hope you know you can trust me.” She didn’t want to tell him that there was a chance the entire evening would fizzle out and be a complete waste of time. “We’ve got this, okay?”

  “Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”

  He didn’t sound convinced, but she’d gotten what she wanted, and that’s all that mattered. It might not be a train car on the Orient Express, but dinner at his house was close enough.

  Chapter 26

  Molly felt a sense of déjà vu as Matt rang the spaceship’s doorbell. Only this time, it was Nathan who answered the door and invited them inside, not Pamela. He was smiling, but she could see the worry lines in his forehead.

  “Dinner will be served buffet-style in the dining room,” he said. “The living room bar is fully stocked. Everyone is here. They all have a drink, and just made the rounds of the dinner table to fill their plates. I have to help Pamela in the kitchen. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  He opened the pop-out door and disappeared. Molly took hold of Matt’s hand. “He looks worried,” she said quietly. “I hope his guests haven’t noticed.”

  “Let’s not worry about things we can’t fix. Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He kissed her cheek. “Good luck.”

  They went into the dining room first. In the adjoining living room people were chatting, eating, and drinking, but she could feel their eyes on her. She checked the little cards Nathan had set up on two easels in front of two silver chafing dishes. He had written out the menu in swirling calligraphy: