Becky laughed, holding her hand up to her mouth. “I bet he didn’t’ like that.”
Hank laughed and shook his head. “Probably not, but you know how he is. He just gave her the look, but it was what he said afterward that made me laugh. He told the deputy ‘maybe so, or maybe I just need to give her one of your jobs.’” Hank slapped the counter and chuckled. “The deputies shut up after that.”
Becky laughed along with Hank, but Abby just shook her head. “He wasn’t serious. He was just plain mad at me for interfering.”
“Sure he was, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t impress him,” Becky said. “Besides, he has a sense of humor; it’s just hidden deep under his cowboy exterior.”
“Really deep,” Hank said, nodding.
“Very, very deep,” Becky added.
“Okay, I get it,” Abby said. “But between the hurricane thing and now this, I’m feeling very off balance. Besides, even if he was impressed, I think that’s just going to make him come down harder on me if I screw up.”
Hank raised an eyebrow at Becky. “You told her about the hurricane thing?”
Becky nodded and shrugged. “I am her best friend. I have to tell her these things.” She turned to Abby. “And yes, I completely agree he’ll come down way harder on you now that you’ve singled yourself out, but you and I both know that’s not going to stop you. Right?”
Abby shrugged and took another drink of her sweet, sweet cider but finally nodded. “Not when it comes to my grandmother, it won’t.”
“Well, then, let’s drink a bit more and then figure out who we’re going to talk to next.”
Becky and Abby both looked at each other as they raised their glasses to their lips. When they put them down, they said the same name. “The Mayor.”
Chapter 6
Becky and Abby left McGradys after they finished their first drink, not wanting to get too loopy before they spoke to the Mayor. Hank waved goodbye after giving Cheerio a dog biscuit from a jar he kept for just that occasion, and the two women headed back down Main Street.
“Hey, did you hear Susan is now the manager of the bank?” Becky said, grinning from ear to ear as they passed the ugly, mushroom-shaped building.
“Really?” Abby said, looking into the bank but not able to see the people moving around behind the glass. “That’s good. I’m glad they promoted her. What happened to Frank?”
“That’s the best part,” Becky said. “They sent down two big shots and fired him the day we were in there. I wish I had been there to see his face. They also sent me a letter apologizing and begging me not to sue them.”
“Are you going to?” Abby asked, uncertain what she wanted to hear. During the investigation against Becky, the manager of Red Pine Falls Mutual had cut off her accounts. Frank had been a friend of the man who had died and assumed because Becky was under investigation, that she had done the deed. He had decided to take the law into his own hands and had shut down Becky’s money. Things had not gone well for him after that.
“I’ve not decided. I think I should do something to make sure the bank doesn’t do this to anyone else, right?” Becky sniffed disdainfully. “Besides, I need new carpeting now.”
“Try settling with them first?” Abby offered. “They might be willing to pay you off to keep it out of the courts. What Frank did was really illegal. I bet they offer you a big, fat check. If not, then yes, I would sue them.” Abby ruffled Cheerio’s black and white ears. “Cheerio would, too! Wouldn’t you, boy! You’d sue those bad men until they were crying, wouldn’t you?”
Cheerio huffed at her and then bounced a few times before wiggling.
Becky grinned and ruffled Cheerio’s ears too. The friendly Australian Shepard ran around them both twice, then settled in between them as they walked. “Well, if Cheerio would, then I think I might have to. I’ll send a letter tomorrow.”
“Why not an email?” Abby asked curiously. “It will take forever by letter, and I think you want the money sooner rather than later.”
When Becky didn’t answer right away, Abby looked at her and saw a faint blush rising on her cheeks.
“Oh, my God, you don’t have a computer, do you?” Abby said, shocked at the realization. She didn’t use a computer often herself, but for business, it was almost a necessity nowadays. Even Hazel had an old, but reliable computer tucked away in a nook at her house.
Becky threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “I have no idea what to get! I’ve looked before, but I am clueless, Abby! It terrifies me! The last time I touched a computer was in high school, and that was only for a week!”
“Don’t worry, Becky. I’ll help you get one. Or maybe the double D’s can help. They seemed to have pretty decent computers in Calamities. In the meantime, after we talk to the Mayor, you can come back to the house, and we can send an email to the bank tonight.”
Becky gave Abby a hug as they walked. “You’re the best, Abby. Thank you.”
“You’d do the same for me, Becky,” Abby said with a smile, then looked toward the doors of the Mayor’s office. At least the building wasn’t enormous and imposing but carried a welcoming air about it with bright green hedges and white painted windows. Mayor Gil Tomlin had been one of the first people Abby had met, and he’d carried himself with an easy, laid-back style she had liked.
She trotted up the white, wooden steps and opened the door for Becky and Cheerio. Abby had hoped they’d be able to find the Mayor in short order, but they didn’t even need to look as the worthy was standing in the large, tiled hallway talking to a small man in a tweed jacket and bowtie.
Abby thought he looked too much like an accountant to be an accountant, but as she approached the Mayor’s back, it was clear they were talking about money. They were also talking about her grandmother. The little man looked displeased with what he was hearing, and it didn’t sound like Mayor Tomlin was happy, either.
“I’m not interested in investigating Hazel Morgan yet again, Mr. Patterson.” The Mayor said, testily. “It isn’t going to happen. You people bring this up every four or five years, and I keep telling you no. What makes you think things are going to change now?”
“I would think investigating a murder would make a difference,” Mr. Patterson said in a nasally, whiny manner. “Undoubtedly, it’s related to their mysterious fortune. We simply want to get to the bottom of where her money is coming from and tax it appropriately.”
The Mayor scoffed and shook his head. “Mr. Patterson, you and I both know Senator Clark has been after that island for a vacation home for years. The last time your office investigated Hazel Morgan, she showed them accounts that had plenty of money in it to explain how she was able to pay for groceries. There is no mortgage on the house or the land, and she does not need you sticking your nose into her business. Especially after finding out her brother is dead.”
Mister Patterson drew himself up to his unimpressive five-foot-two and seemed to shake like a bull terrier. “Mayor Tomlin, this has nothing to do with the Senator. It’s clear to our offices that any money she has, her brother was probably in a position to inherit, so she got rid of him. It’s a classic case. She wouldn’t do that for just grocery money.” The small man stopped and looked over the Mayor’s shoulder at Abby before frowning. “Excuse me, but it is impolite to listen in on a private conversation, young lady.”
The Mayor turned, taken by surprise at Abby and Becky’s presence. A moment later, and he realized who it was. “Oh, cheese biscuits. How long have you been standing there?” The Mayor turned back to the small accountant and glared, causing the man to become confused. “Go back to Salem, Mr. Patterson.” He said through gritted teeth.
“But?” the small man started to say, but the Mayor had had enough.
“I said!” The Mayor yelled, raising his voice and pointing dramatically at the door. “Go back to Salem! Tell your weasel of a boss to keep his nose out of our business, too.”
Abby watched as the little man stepped back and then spu
ttered before rushing toward the doors. He tried to slam them open, but they were too heavy, and he just managed to open them more rapidly, which suited Abby just fine. She’d taken an instant dislike to Mr. Patterson, and the sooner he was out of sight, the better. However, she was glad to have heard that conversation.
“Was that about the treasure?” Abby asked in a low tone. She wasn’t angry at the Mayor since he had defended her grandmother, but she was just mad. Mr. Patterson was a vulture, and it seemed he’d wasted no time in circling.
The Mayor took a deep breath and nodded. “In a way, though I sure wish you hadn’t heard that conversation. Neither you nor Hazel needs to be worried about some government official snooping around.” He paused and scratched the full head of silver hair he had. “Uh, how much of the conversation did you overhear?”
“Enough!” Becky said heatedly. Stepping in close, she stuck her chin out. “Just what is going on, Mr. Mayor? Just what do we pay you for!? You should have run that man out on a rail instead of just letting him walk out of here.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Abby couldn’t help but grin at her friend’s hot temper while the Mayor backed away from her, holding his hands up and trying to get in a word edgewise. Becky had red hair and exemplified the stereotype enough that it had caused issues for her in the past. Abby hadn’t known her friend long but had already had to step in between her and other victims.
“Becky!” Abby said, inserting herself between her friend and the poor Mayor. Cheerio yipped and bounced nearby, not sensing a real threat, but instead excited at the commotion. “Come on, Becky, let the man talk. I want to hear it from him, not have him run away from us.”
Becky stopped and blinked at Abby for a moment before looking back at the Mayor. She glowered at him darkly, but at least Abby had given the Mayor time to speak.
“She’s right, Becky. Come on now, I wouldn’t let anything happen to Hazel, and you know it.” He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a deep breath. “Why don’t you both come back to my office and we can talk about it. There’s been enough screaming in the hallway today, already. Deal?”
Becky and Abby looked at each other, and almost in unison answered the man.
“Deal.”
Chapter 7
They followed the Mayor into a side door and passed the receptionist before walking into a spacious, comfortable office. It was clean and tidy, with the desk showing scuff marks where people might’ve placed their feet as they sat in the office and spoke to the man. The chairs that were sitting in front were mismatched but clean and serviceable. It was welcoming and warm, much like the man himself.
“Would you like anything to drink? It’s not the best in the world, but it’s good coffee.”
“Water? For both of us,” Abby said. “I don’t think Becky needs to get worked up anymore then she already is.”
The Mayor half-laughed as he nodded. “I can agree to that. Just a second.”
Abby expected the Mayor to ask the secretary to get it for them, but he surprised her when he left the office and didn’t come back for a few minutes. When he did return, he was carrying three glasses he placed onto some cork backed coasters. When Abby picked up her water, she couldn’t help but notice the whimsical design on hers which seemed to depict a cup of tea and a chocolate cake with a knife in it.
“Thank you, Mayor Tomlin.” Abby began, looking uncertainly at Becky. She wasn’t sure how to start talking about this so she decided to begin with what the government official had been trying to do. “We were on our way to speak to you, but first, can you tell me what was going on with that man out there? Who is this Senator Clark and why did an accountant want to investigate my grandmother?”
The Mayor took a deep breath and shrugged. “Well, since you mentioned it, it does have to do with the legend of the Morgan Family Treasure. Whatever the reality is, people believe when Kat Morgan settled here, she was a very rough lady with a whole lot of money. She didn’t flaunt it, but she had it when she needed, and that’s all it took to start the rumors.”
“Those rumors being?” Abby asked slowly.
“That she somehow stole the money. There are a couple of versions floating around. The most popular has it she was part of a gang that robbed a train or something, and then she killed her partners and took all of it. There are a few others, but the most ridiculous one is where she robbed a circus and took everything they’d saved up for decades. It gets that crazy.”
“So what’s a government official doing getting involved in crazy rumors?” Abby asked, incredulous at what the Mayor was telling her.
“Well, there are a couple of reasons. The one I find the most stake in is because Kat built the house on a very desirable piece of real estate.” The Mayor took a sip of his water. “Just like with a lot of things, if you have something others want, sometimes they’ll use the ridiculous to get whatever it is. I’m sure some of those idiots over in Salem do want to tax a big pile of gold, but too many of their politicians have been out and had dinner at Callahan’s, which has a fine view of that island.”
“Aren’t you a politician, too?” Abby asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
The Mayor held his hand to his heart and acted wounded for a moment before chuckling. “You have to remind me? Yes, I am a politician, but I have no desire to keep going up the ladder or selling my soul to do it. Besides, I’ve been the Mayor here for a long time, and I take it seriously.”
“How many times have they investigated my grandmother for this supposed fortune?”
“There were seven, but only three became general knowledge. I’ve managed to head off the others. Senator Clark has been behind most of them. He wants a fancy party house to impress all of his friends, and building something out on that island would be a coup for him.”
Abby caressed Cheerios soft head while she listened to the Mayor, thankful for the presence of her pet. Cheerio was great at sensing anxiety and rested his head on her leg, looking up at her with his big brown eyes.
“What I don’t understand, is how do they expect to take her property away?” Becky said, still slightly angry from her earlier outburst.
“Well, if they managed to show the money was stolen they can take it away from her. She would have no other option but to sell if she didn’t have the money to pay the tax assessment. Honestly, the county assessor has raised the value of that property way over what it should be, but that tactic hasn’t worked. Hazel just keeps paying the taxes without even blinking. There are some other things they are doing, but none of them has worked. I try my best to keep them off of her, but there’s only so much I can do.”
Abby nodded and mulled over with the Mayor had said. It seemed there was far more to her new grandmother then she was aware, but the capable woman had managed to fend off even the state government for years. It was both sobering and impressive. Finally, she turned back to the silver haired man and gave him a level gaze. “I guess I should thank you. It sounds like you’ve kept them off of her back as much is possible.”
“Just doing my job, Abby,” The man said, nodding his head respectfully.
Abby and Becky exchanged a glance before Abby spoke again. “That’s an elegant explanation, but you said there were a couple of reasons. I only heard the one about the Senator wanting a party house. What’s the other one?”
The Mayor quirked his eyebrow at her but nodded slowly. “Very perceptive, Abby. Yes, there is another reason, but I’m not sure how much I should say. It has to do with Rob Morgan, and right now that whole thing has blown up way more than you could guess.”
Abby furrowed her eyebrows at the Mayor in frustration. He had all but said there was something else, and to hold out on her now would be terrible. “Come on, Mayor. You can’t just say that and expect me to walk calmly out of your office. You might as well tell me now, or I swear I will sit here all day staring at you.”
The Mayor chuckled but nodded, finally leaning forward and putting his elbows on his desk. His v
oice dropped as if someone might overhear what he was about to say. “You’re completely correct, Mrs. Morgan. I don’t think I could rightly hold this from you, and while it might not be easy to find out any more, there are plenty of folks who could tell you the same thing.”
“We’d find them, too,” Becky interjected.
The Mayor gave Becky a considering glance before turning back to Abby. “I’m sure you would. One of them would be Hazel, herself. Why not just ask her? I spoke to the Sheriff earlier this morning, asking how the investigation was going. He said you were there when he was talking to her, so I don’t feel like I’m betraying his trust, but it sounded like there was more to it than just being uncomfortable talking about the subject.”
“You’re right, but I get the feeling she doesn’t want to talk about this,” Abby responded carefully. “I’d rather not have her angry at me, so I am trying to get answers another way.”
The Mayor took a deep breath but nodded. “I can respect that. As you can probably guess I was around during that time and I do remember Rob. Hazel’s younger brother. As much as people liked and respected Hazel, it was the opposite for Rob. He was a little like Buck Danson and couldn’t help but get into trouble. He was just lucky Hazel was there to bail him out. If she hadn’t been there for him, life would’ve probably turned out far worse for him. Not that it came out great if he was stuffed into a water intake rather than disappeared like we all thought he had.”
“Is that what happened?” Abby asked, “Everyone thought he had just run off to Portland to get a job? Didn’t anyone miss him?”
The Mayor shrugged. “One would like to think that was the case for anyone, but sometimes people just rub you the wrong way, and that was Rob. Part of the problem was who he supposedly ran off with. It has raised a lot of questions, especially in the mind of the Senator. That would be his sister, Lara Clark.”
Cold Murder and Dark Secrets, A Red Pine Falls Cozy Mystery (Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries Book 2) Page 3
