A Christmas to Die For_Mrs. A 1

by Kristine Frost

  “Sorry, Inspector. My son and the weasel he married want to put me in a care center and get appointed guardians over me and my money. Now that doctor has given them the ammunition. I may be eighty-tthree, but there is nothing wrong with my mind even though my body is a bit creaky.” She wiped away a tear.

  Lepley looked down at her and smiled. She reminded him of his granny. “Well, if you think that they are really serious about doing something like that, I suggest that you talk to an attorney.”

  “I don’t know any that I would trust.”

  Mrs. Arbuthnot, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, pulled a card out of her purse. She quickly wrote a name and a number on the back. Then she handed it to Mrs. Thornton. “That’s the name and number of my attorney. Call that number and tell them that I sent you. You can trust them to take care of you fairly and reasonably and if they don’t, call me. My number is on the front.”

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Thornton said gratefully.

  Lepley said, “Let’s get back to what happened after lunch.”

  “We were walking down the path. I wasn’t looking at the columns and things because I was feeling my age a bit. But don’t you tell my son that.”

  “None of us will tell him anything,” Lepley said.

  “I was walking or rather limping down the path thinking about my aches and pains when I got to a certain point where I could see down into the lower cave and I thought I saw something shiny catch the light. I walked over to the parapet but the light was poor and I couldn’t be sure that my imagination hadn’t been playing tricks on me. I walked back to the path and check again. I looked closely and I saw something that looked lighter than the surrounding gloom.

  “I thought it was a bundle of clothes that someone had tossed over the parapet, but I couldn’t see why anyone would dump their garbage there. I asked the ranger to shine his flashlight on it. Of course, my son had a fit because of my infernal—as he puts it—curiosity.”

  Mrs. Thornton added, “I’ve often thought it a pity that my son took after his father. He was such a promising baby.” She grimaced and lifted her shoulders.

  Both Ruth and Inspector Duncan had to hide their smiles. Lepley managed to look serious.

  “Then I told the ranger that there was something down in the cave and that he had better find out what it was. He tried to tell me that I was seeing things, but I finally got him to look with his binoculars. Then he called the superintendent. Finally, Superintendent Connelly came and he sent one of the rangers down into the bottom of the cave. That’s when they found out that it was a man and he had been murdered.”

  Inspector Lepley looked at Connelly’s report. “I take it that you told the ranger that you thought a child might have fallen over the edge.”

  “It was obvious that the ranger thought I was a crazy old woman so I had to say something to get them to listen to me. Besides, I know from experience that parents don’t watch their children very well. My daughter-in-law is one of them.”

  Inspector Lepley sat motionless for a few moments while Mrs. Thornton watched him with sympathy. “I don’t have any more questions right now. I want you to take a look at the victim as soon as we can get a decent picture. None of our equipment seems to be working right today. Could you give me your address? I will probably need to ask more questions a little later.”

  She gave him her address adding. “Since I now live in El Paso, I’ll be available to answer any questions you might have.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled at her. “But please remember that you are in the awkward position of discovering a murdered man. That means you’ll have trouble with reporters and possibly with the men who did this, so please be very, very careful.”

  “Well, I’ve never talked to a reporter in my life and I’m not about to start now--

  nasty prying people. And I’ll be careful of the others, but I’m not too worried about that. They must know that no one saw them.”

  “Logically yes, but a murderer isn’t always logical. He’s stepped over the moral as well as the legal laws. He’s outside looking in and it prays on him unless it was a hired killer. They’re different.

  “Anyway,” Lepley continued, “I’m going to put out a statement to the newspapers so that everyone will know that you didn’t see anything, although I won’t mention your name. Just remember that there was one girl seriously injured and in the hospital and two others who have been kidnaped over this murder so please take care of yourself.”

  She pushed down on the arms of the chair and stood up. “Good bye, Inspector and good luck.” She said as she opened the door and left. She looked at Mrs. A. “Thank you for the information. I feel better knowing I can get some help.”

  “Call me anytime you need to talk. We, not-quite-young-folks, need to stick together.” Ruth said with a smile.

  They followed Mrs. Thornton out the door. As they walked across the parking lot to the helicopter, Lepley began massaging his head.

  “Headache?” Ruth asked.

  “You might say that. I have a murder, a disappearance, and a kidnapping all in the same two days which may be tied together. That may be a first in FBI history. I know it’s a first for me I’m not sure which to concentrate on first.”

  Chapter 14

  El Paso

  When Ruth got back to her penthouse apartment, she paused for a few minutes to look her Christmas tree. It was getting dark and Martin had turned on the lights. Her eyes had tears in them, when Martin said, “While you were gone, I had a nice visit with Ann Miles.”

  Ruth raised her eyebrows. “I suppose you just happened to drop by to visit with a young woman you’d only met once.”

  Martin pretended to look affronted. “Sorry to disappoint you. I knew that we needed to pay for Bob’s services to date, so I got the cashier to cut me a check for the bill and I took it to her. I told her that you were concerned that there might be a cash flow problem until Bob got back.”

  “Good thinking. What did you learn?”

  Ann was looking at job listings when I walked in. After we talked for a few minutes, I did something I hope you’ll approve of—I asked her to stay on until we find out what happened to Bob. I thought--”

  “You thought that having a spy in the office might be a good thing, right?”

  “Yup!” His tone matched the slang. “That babe is as sharp as a tack. Nothin’ gets by her.”

  Ruth laughed. “Okay, James Cagney, I understand.”

  Martin smiled. “She was more than willing to make an extra few dollars a week working for us. I discovered that she hates her other boss, Roger Drake. She overheard Roger and Bob arguing the same day as the murder. She thinks Roger is responsible for Bob’s disappearance. I got the idea that she was trying to get something on him.”

  Ruth frowned. “That might be very dangerous. We’re dealing with a killer.”

  “I told her that. She said she’d be very careful. She thinks Roger is using the agency as a cover for something illegal although she hasn’t found out what. She said that Roger has been increasingly uptight and angry ever since Bob disappeared. He has been questioning her about the cases Bob was working on. He seems to be very interested in the ones concerning you.”

  Ruth said. “If a person was out to run my businesses into the ground and ruin me, it would be very helpful to have someone know exactly what I was doing—someone who would tell my enemy what I’m doing.”

  Martin nodded somberly. “Bob Black, Weldon, Crawford, and the girls—it sounds like a plot out of a mystery novel. Or am I being paranoid.”

  Ruth got to her feet and began pacing around the large room. The footsteps were loud on the wood floors and more muted on the large, blue Persian rug. “Martin, how much can I trust the people working for me?”

  When he didn’t answer immediately, she said, “I pay high salaries, benefits and retirement. Why would someone spy for an enemy?”

  Martin shrugged. “Some people spend more than they earn, and they would no
matter what you paid them—gambling, alcohol, women—who knows what a person’s weakness is.”

  Daryl Price has his people auditing all my businesses, but that will only should actual problems with each business. I need to know who the spy is in each business.” She looked up at him, “Or am I being too paranoid.”

  “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean someone’s not out to get you,” Martin quoted quietly.

  “I need someone I can trust to track all of my people, but if I hire a firm here, I won’t know if I can trust them.”

  “You could ask Max,” Martin said. “He said he would always be available to you and Suzette.”

  “Suzette,” Ruth said. “She was something. I wish this was an insurance problem, I’d love to have her working for me.”

  “The last time we talked, she was working on a case in Williamsburg—arson and

  ghosts--I think she said.”

  Ruth picked up the land line that wasn’t tied in to her business lines. “I’m glad Freddy had this put in. I thought an extra land line was wasteful, but I’m beginning to understand his thinking.” She dialed a number from memory.

  “Max” the deep voice came through the speaker.

  “Max, this is Ruth Arbuthnot. I have a problem that I’m hoping you could help me with.”

  “I hope it isn’t an extraction. I’m stretched thin at the moment.”

  “No.” Quickly she explained the problem that she and Martin had been discussing. “I need someone I can trust to check out all my people. I need to know who I can trust.”

  He didn’t say anything, but the quiet felt ominous. “I have a couple of people I can assign to this but if you want it quickly, it will cost more. I’ll have to hire extra people. It’s a specialized field and it’s going to cost you.”

  “I don’t care what it costs. I want to know who I can trust.” There was more than a note of panic in her voice.

  Max said, “Mrs. Arbuthnot--Ruth, I know that this seems overwhelming. Whoever is doing this wants you to feel targeted, to feel like a victim. But you aren’t a victim, you are a strong woman who can fight back.”

  Martin looked at Ruth and nodded. “He’s right.”

  “If whoever it is wants to keep me off balance, they are doing a good job.”

  “Then it’s time you began to hit back.”

  “What do you mean?” Martin asked when Ruth just looked at him.

  “Have you received a ransom note yet?” Max asked.

  Puzzled, Ruth said, “No, but it’s only happened yesterday.”

  Max said, “In my experience, the ransom note happens almost immediately, if the kidnappers are after the money.”

  Ruth looked terrified, so Martin said, “If they aren’t after money, then what are they after?”

  “The two big ones are money or revenge. Since you haven’t received a ransom note, I suspect revenge. I’m sure you remember Katie from Hawaii. Her father kidnapped her for revenge on his ex-wife and her father.”

  “I remember, but Max, I’m a widow. My husband died in a car accident. Why would anyone want revenge?”

  “They may want revenge for something he did, or something that they think you did or for something that they think you should have done.”

  Ruth drew in a deep breath. “So how do I deal with this?”

  “You told me earlier that you were having an audit done. I take that it’s finished.”

  “Yes.” She told him what Price had found out. “But if someone is trying to get even with me and has put a spy in each of my businesses, how do I know who to trust. I have thirty-seven businesses under the Arbuthnot umbrella. That’s over ten thousand people.’

  “You’ve made a good start by checking out your people. Let’s start with the heads of your businesses and work down. It’s more likely that your highly paid powerful people will have been approached. If all of them are clean we’ll work down to the everyday workers. Things will go faster if we work this way.” He paused for a moment. “Since Price has checked out most of your people, it will go faster for my men. You’ll have already gotten rid of the worst offenders. I’ll put as many people as I can on checking out your employees. It will take a month or two depending on how many are available.”

  “Okay.” Ruth said.

  “Now, back to your granddaughter and her friend. If you do get a ransom note, the kidnappers will tell you not to inform the police or the FBI. Call me if that happens. I’ll help you with that. Don’t try to handle it yourself. I have people trained for this sort of thing.”

  “Okay,” Ruth said again. “I’ll text you the information so you can access Human Resources. They will have all the information you need.”

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I have any information. Have a good day.”

  Ruth hung up the phone. “Well, I hope I did the right thing. I don’t really want to tick anyone off—but I don’t need another Andrew Paradise mess.”

  “Mrs. A, you did the right thing.” Martin walked over to the bookcase and pulled a large envelope from behind the books. “Ann gave me the paperwork on the cases Bob was working on when he disappeared. She said that Drake showed an inordinate amount of interest in them, so she took them home with her and hid them in a neighbor’s storage shed.

  When she got to work the next morning, both her office and Bob’s had been searched. She couldn’t check if Drake’s office had been touched because he was in the office before she was. He told her that she needed to do a better job of keeping things organized or he’d fire her.

  He chuckled. “She was furious because she was sure that he was the one who done the searching. She’s been collecting Bob’s mail each day and hiding it in the ladies’ room behind the toilet. When she gave them to me she said that she was sure they hadn’t been touched because the hair she’d laid across the envelope was still there. She said she’d bring the rest of the documents to us tonight.”

  Ruth frowned. “I’m not sure that’s safe. If someone suspects that she had those documents she could be in danger.”

  Martin nodded. I had Bryan send one of our security men to accompany her here.”

  “Good.”

  He looked at his watch. “She should be here any minute. I’ll go get the brownies and milk I set out. Ann doesn’t drink.”

  There was a knock at the door. Martin beat Ruth to the door by three steps. He checked the peephole even though the elevator was keyed, then he pulled open the door. Grinning, he said, “Ann, I see that you made it. He looked at the man behind her. Thanks, Gunnar. Hang around so you can escort her home. Okay?”

  “Sure thing, Mr. Martin.”

  Ann walked in carrying a large paper shopping bag. “Something weird happened this evening,” she said as she set the bag on the couch.

  Ruth looked at her. “You said something happened on your way here?”

  Ann smiled. “Mr. Gunnar was great. He acted like we were on a date. We stopped at a Freezee and he bought me a shake, then we drove around for a while. He said we were being followed but he finally lost them without letting them know he was trying to lose them. He parked in the parking lot of the building next door and we came in the back door. He brought me up the service elevator so no one would know I was here.”

  Ruth laughed. “I’m impressed.”

  Ann nodded then said, “This whole day has been weird and rather horrible.”

  “Sit down and tell us about it,” Ruth said. She looked at Martin who brought in a tray with a carafe of milk and a plate of brownies. “You, too, Martin. We’re all in this together.”

  He poured the milk and passed around small plates to put the brownies on, then he sat down next to Ann.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m not used to being waited on, but it’s awfully nice.”

  “Go ahead, child. Tell us about your day.” Ruth said.

  “I’m sure that Martin told you that Bob’s and my offices were searched during the night.”

  Ruth nodded.

&nb
sp; “Roger was in his office so I couldn’t check then to see if it had been searched. He won’t let me work in his office at all. He came into my office and reamed me because the outer office was a mess. He didn’t say anything about Bob’s office because of the police tape, but when he left to run errands, I checked. The police tape had been broken and re-taped. I peeled back the tape and looked in. It was a disaster. I don’t think the police left that kind of mess when they searched it.”

  “Roger doesn’t know it but I have a key to his office. I looked in his office and it hadn’t been searched unless he came in early and cleaned it up.”

  “So you think he searched both offices?” Ruth asked.

  “I do. He’s asked me all sorts of questions about Bob’s cases. I told him I didn’t know what Bob was working on which isn’t true, but Roger doesn’t tell me about his cases so I think he believed me when I told him that Bob didn’t confide in me.”

  “Does Bob trust Roger?” Ruth asked.

  “I think he used to, but Bob told me that he was going to dissolve the partnership. He didn’t say why, he just felt I needed to know if his attorney called or brought by the paperwork.”

  “Has he told Roger?”

  “I don’t know. Roger hasn’t acted differently, he just seems more tense.” Ann said. “When he came back from his errands, I was still trying to get the files sorted and put away. Whoever did the search had thrown files around the room. I still haven’t gotten them put away.”

  She set the big paper bag on the coffee table and pulled out a bunch of folders. “There are the cases the Bob was working on. I don’t know if I should let you see the ones that don’t relate to you.”

  “It would probably be best if you didn’t. I don’t want you to be disloyal to Bob.”

  Ann smiled gratefully as she handed over three thick file folders. “These are yours. I need them back when you are through with them or when we find Bob.”

  She turned and with shaking hands she pulled out a package that had been hidden in the bottom of the sack. “This came today. It was mailed to my neighbor, Mrs. Van der Hoosen. She’s an older woman who lives across the hall from me. This package was in another box. When she opened it, she found this box which is addressed to me. It was mailed the evening that Bob disappeared.” She pulled a letter out of her pocket. “This letter was with the box. It asks me to keep the box safe until Bob gets back. If he doesn’t come back, I’m to deliver it to Judge Blankenship at the justice department.”