Murder in the Museum_Edmund DeCleryk Mysteries

by Karen Shughart

  “That apparently went well?”

  “It did. I enjoyed his company, and we started spending more time together. There was a strong bond between us, and I felt as though Michael could have been the son I never had.”

  “When did you find out you were his father?”

  “He had dinner with me one night, but he didn’t tell me what he believed until the next day.”

  Charles continued, “As you know, I have several photos displayed on my mantel; many had been in my office at the university. He had asked me about them when he interviewed me, and that night said something about them again. He spent more than a few minutes looking at the one with Angelica and me and another that included him and the others that was taken just before we came here on our exploratory trip.”

  “Did you think that was strange?”

  “Not really. Still, I said something to him about it, thinking that maybe he was taken with Angelica. She was quite beautiful. Michael agreed she was, but he seemed preoccupied and his response seemed lacking in sincerity. Then he remarked that he thought he looked a lot like I did when I was his age and pointed to both the photo with Angelica and me and the one with the two of us standing together in the group photo. I could certainly see a resemblance and made a stupid joke about it, telling him that maybe somewhere in the distant past we’d had ancestors in common. I never put two-and-two together.”

  Thinking about Michael’s drivers’ license photo and the one of the group on Charles’ mantel, it hit Ed that Michael’s observation was true. It just hadn’t registered with him.

  “Charles, didn’t you see the resemblance between yourself and Michael?”

  “Quite frankly, I never thought twice about it. After I found out he was my son I realized how much we do look alike.”

  “What happened next?”

  “This is painful, Ed, and I’m not sure I want to talk with you more about this.”

  “At this point, Charles, I really don’t think you have a choice.”

  Chapter 53

  Charles took a deep breath:

  “The next day we were fishing on the pier when Michael looked at me and said point blank that he thought I was his father. I was astounded and questioned him about why he would think that. He told me that until he was eight he grew up without a father. That’s when his mother married David Warren who adopted him, but Michael wanted to know who his biological father was. When he questioned his mother, she was very evasive and wouldn’t tell him. He needed his birth certificate for university, and no father was listed, so he resolved to search for him, despite his mother’s objections.

  “While helping his mother clear out the house before his parents moved to Chicago he found a box of photos, including one with her and a man he didn’t recognize on a sailboat. He asked who the man was, and she said he had been a friend of hers but said that they’d lost touch and she didn’t even remember why she’d kept the photo. He told me she took it from him, tore it up and tossed it. Her response bothered him, and he wondered if she were lying, but he decided to not press the issue and dropped the subject.

  “Michael subsequently enrolled at the University of Toronto, and as you know, during his junior year he interviewed me and was quite taken by the photo on my credenza with me and my colleagues on our fishing trip. He later told me he recognized me. I was the same man in the photo he’d found in his parents’ home, so he began putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”

  “Why didn’t he say anything to you when he was still at the university?”

  “He was scared to approach me because he wasn’t sure how I would have responded. He had no real proof I was his father, just a strong suspicion. He said he’d thought about confronting his mother but was also afraid of her reaction and didn’t want to open old wounds or cause a rift with her.

  “When he was at my home and saw the photo of me with Angelica when I was about his age and then compared that to one with the two of us in the group photo, everything clicked.”

  Charles continued, “If I could turn back the clock there’s so much I would have done differently. If I had known Liz was pregnant I would have been more persistent about her marrying me, or at the very least I would have insisted on helping to support Michael. I would have been a presence in his life. She never gave me a chance. And despite being resigned to never having children, I would have loved Michael. I love him now.

  “Michael admitted that Liz has been a loving parent, the marriage has been a happy one, and David’s been a good father. But he was and still is very angry his mother never told him about me.”

  “Did he think you were in some way responsible for his not knowing?”

  “He assumed I’d walked out on his mother when I found out she was pregnant, which is why she refused to tell him anything about the man in the photo. I didn’t want to cast blame on Liz but couldn’t let him believe that, so I told him the truth, that when I left Ithaca to return to Toronto I had no idea Liz was pregnant and that she never contacted me. I offered to take a paternity test, and if in fact it proved I was his father, I promised him I’d start acting like one.”

  Grief-stricken over the conversation and determined to make things right, with Michael’s concurrence Charles took the test and learned he was his son. He suggested that Michael let his mother know about his finding Charles, but angry and resentful, Michael refused. Charles told Ed that he still wasn’t sure Liz knew what Michael had discovered, but he decided to not get in the middle of it.

  “Michael has been unable to get past his childhood, Ed, and I’m not sure why. He grew up with a loving mother and a father who considered him his own. Even 25 years ago there wasn’t much of a stigma about having a child out of wedlock, especially in Ithaca––it’s a progressive university town. I can’t imagine he was teased in school, lots of children grow up in single parent homes. He must have missed having a dad terribly when he was a small boy, but wounds like that can heal. For some reason, he’s unable to move past this or his anger at Liz.”

  “We’re back to the original reason for my visit, Charles,” stated Ed. “Annie and Carrie have never believed you killed Emily, and you’ve admitted you weren’t at the museum at the time of the murder but found something belonging to Michael after the fact that led you to believe he was there.”

  “At this point, Ed, I still plan to stick with my story. I’ve signed a confession, and I won’t let my defense lawyer call you to testify against me. No one needs to know. Please let me do this,” he pleaded.

  Exasperated, Ed explained, “I can’t. Ethically and legally I’m obligated to report our conversation.

  “Your guilt at not being present in Michael’s life is clouding your judgment, Charles. Shielding him is only going to make things worse. It’s been proven that there’s a strong likelihood that if someone gets away with murder once, they may likely kill again. Who will be next? So, I’m asking you once more, why do you believe Michael killed Emily?”

  Charles hung his head. “He never confessed, but I found his scarf on the floor in the museum the morning of the murder.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “This past October I gave Michael a cashmere scarf for his birthday that I’d purchased during a trip I took to England last August. The colors are distinctive. They’re the colors of the Merrill family crest: tan, red, blue and silver. I had his initials monogrammed on it, plus there’s a small label in one corner identifying the shop where I purchased it.”

  “When I came into the museum before the meeting and saw the disarray, one of the first things I noticed was his scarf on the floor near the door. At first, I thought maybe he’d recently taken a tour of the museum and lost it then, but I remembered him telling me he’d taken a tour shortly after he moved here, which was during the summer and before I knew he was my son. I don’t believe he’d have any reason to return unless he had something to do with the break-in and the possible disappearance of Emily. I didn’t know at the time that she’d been murdered, but
I took the scarf and stuffed it into my briefcase, just in case he was involved in the burglary.

  “I called him as soon as I found it, before Chief Fisher arrived. He had already started work so didn’t pick up. I left a message for him to call me as soon as possible, but he didn’t call me back until he got home from school. I told him I had found his scarf and confronted him about his whereabouts early that morning. He sounded relieved that I’d found the scarf but refused to admit he’d been at the museum. He said he knew he’d misplaced it but had no idea why I found it there. I knew he was lying.”

  “Why do you think he would have gone to the museum that morning, Charles?”

  “While misguided, he may have thought it would bring the two of us closer if he found the treasure. I can certainly understand that; he knows about my ancestry. Perhaps he decided to go into the museum and do a little exploring to see if he could find the location where he believed the treasure was buried, maybe even begin to dig for the box, but got interrupted when Emily came in early and there was a scuffle resulting in her death.”

  “You found his scarf, but how did he get into the museum? You, Annie and Suzanne were the only ones with keys. Did you give him one?”

  “No. I did not. I have no idea how he got in unless he knows how to pick a lock, and I’d be very surprised if he did. Despite the trouble he’s in, he’s a nice young man, Ed, and none of this would have happened if he’d known from birth that I was his father. Please let me take the fall for him.”

  “You were not derelict in your duty as a father, Charles, and it’s not your fault that his mother refused to tell him anything about you. If Michael killed Emily, he’s the one who needs to face the consequences of his actions and be punished for it.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “First, I’m going to call Carrie and tell her about our conversation. I expect she will get in touch with the DA to inform him about your false confession and suspicion that Michael was involved in Emily’s murder. Then I plan to drive to Michael’s house to interview him. If he confesses or we find enough evidence to indicate his involvement, we’ll arrest and charge him for Emily’s murder. I’m also going to talk with Luke Callen because, despite your protestations, I believe he may have been an accomplice, although I have no idea why. While charges will be dropped against you for the murder, there may be more jail time in your future for purposely withholding evidence.”

  After talking with the guard about his conversation with Charles and requesting he not be given access to a telephone so that he couldn’t call Michael to give him a heads up, Ed left the prison convinced of Michael and Luke Callen’s involvement in Emily’s death. As a retired Navy SEAL, Luke would have had access to the same collection of jewelry that his friend, Jeff, did, and Ed was positive that the anchor with the initials LC belonged to him, rather than inscribed on a Lighthouse Cove pendant sold at the museum gift shop. Plus, Annie had found that broken chain she couldn’t identify. By now it was late afternoon, and since Michael was a teacher, Ed hoped he’d be home. When he arrived, Michael was just putting the key in his lock. Ed intercepted him.

  Chapter 54

  “Michael, my name is Ed DeCleryk.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “May I come in? I’d like to talk with you.”

  “What about?”

  “C’mon, Michael, you know why I’m here. I just came from a visit with Charles Merrill, who told me he’s your biological father. He admitted under great pressure that he didn’t kill Emily Bradford and believes you may have been involved in her death. Now, may I come inside, or do we have to discuss this at the police station?”

  Without a word, Michael opened the door and motioned for Ed to precede him. Ed entered and looked around. The small gray vinyl-sided townhouse was simply furnished with pieces from big box stores and flea markets. Books crammed freestanding shelves in the living room, and Michael had converted the dining room into an office. Michael sat on the sofa and Ed in a large chair facing it in the small living room.

  “I’m going to be very blunt, Michael. I’m relatively sure you killed Emily Bradford, probably with an accomplice. I’m fully able to understand that her death may have been accidental, but I don’t understand why you didn’t call the police or 911 when she fell. You wouldn’t be nearly in the amount of trouble you are now. I’m also baffled about why you’d let your dad take the fall for you. Unless you were acting, from what he told me it sounds like you and Charles have forged a pretty solid bond.”

  The wiry young man, as Ed had observed, did indeed look like his father when he was in his 20s. Of medium height, he had light hair, pale blue eyes, a square, dimpled jaw and a trim, athletic figure. In a flash, Ed recognized Michael as the solitary figure dressed in black at Emily’s funeral.

  “You were at Emily’s funeral, weren’t you? You were the one standing in the background, dressed in black.”

  Michael started to cry. “It was all a horrible mistake. I never meant for this to happen.”

  “But you did let it happen, and even worse, you let your father, an ill, elderly man, make a false confession to save your own hide. That’s reprehensible.”

  “I had no choice,” Michael insisted, tears streaming down his cheeks. “My dad found my scarf at the scene and confronted me. He assumed I’d killed Emily but, because I denied it, wasn’t completely certain. After your wife gave him the map she’d found in the basement, he called me. He said he was sure I was Emily’s killer because I was one of only a few who had a copy of the map and had reason to be in the basement the morning she died. He said he was going to confess to protect me. I protested, but he threatened that if I came forth and admitted the truth, he’d accuse me of lying and everyone would believe him. I didn’t kill Ms. Bradford and wouldn’t confess to something I didn’t do, but I couldn’t tell him what really happened that morning.”

  “I’m confused. If you didn’t kill Emily, why couldn’t you tell him what happened?”

  Michael was quiet for a few seconds. “I was there, but I did not kill Emily Bradford. I’m tired of living with all these lies and my guilt at not coming forward after she was murdered. If I tell you who did kill her, I’m putting others at risk. If you want a confession I’ll give you one, but others will be harmed. Go ahead. Arrest me,” he said, his demeanor changing from being contrite to belligerent.

  “Wait a minute. You just said you didn’t kill her, but you’re willing to take the fall for someone else? After your dad took the fall for you? What the hell is going on here? Has someone threatened you? Are you being blackmailed? I think I know who you’re protecting, but why?”

  Michael looked away from Ed and refused to answer.

  “Michael, this must end. Who was with you the night Emily was killed?”

  The young man sat quietly with his hands in his lap, looking stoically at Ed.

  “Okay, then I’ll tell you,” said Ed, giving him a steely look. “I have good reason to believe that the person with you on the morning of Emily’s death was Luke Callen. There’s strong evidence implicating him in her murder. So, what I’m going to do right now is call the police station and have Luke arrested and escort you there where we will put both of you in a room together and question you. We will not leave until we have the truth, and believe me, by the end of today, regardless of your stubbornness, we will get it,” replied Ed, who by now had lost all patience.

  Michael’s sighed, his breath raspy. “I’m not holding out on you because of myself. It’s because of Charles, my dad. If I confess, he’ll be in danger.”

  “What?”

  He sat quietly and refused further comment.

  “Michael, did Luke threaten to hurt Charles if you came forth and told the police what happened? We can protect him, especially with Luke in custody, but you must tell me what happened that morning. Why would the two of you be in the museum, and why is Emily dead?”

  Chapter 55

  Michael took a deep breath and began tal
king. He explained that he’d obtained a copy of Battleforth’s manuscript and the map just before he interviewed Charles for the newspaper article. He’d filed them as keepsakes, but after Charles confirmed he was his father, decided to do some research about the HMS Orion and shipwrecks off the coast of Lighthouse Cove. If the team had missed something and the treasure really might be buried in the museum, he reasoned that if he could find evidence of it, it would be a way to forge a closer bond with Charles.

  He discovered a special interest group about shipwrecks on Lake Ontario on Facebook and started a conversation with someone whose chat name was Sea Lion. Sea Lion had joined the group after reading a brochure about the history of Lighthouse Cove that included information about shipwrecks on the lake.

  They became online friends and after discovering they both lived in the same county in upstate New York, decided to meet for coffee. They hit it off, and Michael showed Sea Lion the map and gave him his copy of Battleforth’s manuscript. Sea Lion was, of course, Luke Callen.

  After reading the manuscript, Luke called Michael and they agreed to meet again. They both believed the treasure could be buried in the museum, and Luke offered forth the argument that since Thomas Battleforth had used a rock, it probably wasn’t buried too deeply. A formal excavation might not be necessary.

  Michael said that when he was at the university he had done some research for the story he was writing about Charles and learned it was possible to do a small archaeological excavation using a trowel and spade. He suggested to Luke that they talk with Charles to try and convince him to help, or to the museum director, Annie DeCleryk. Luke was adamant that he didn’t want to get anyone else involved, and Michael capitulated.

  Shortly after he moved to the area, Michael had taken a tour of the museum, but when he asked about the basement the docent said it was off limits and only used for storage. He and Luke hatched a plan to go into the museum one night, but they weren’t sure how to get in. Luke knew that if the two were discovered he could lose his job, but he seemed to like the idea of taking a risk and convinced Michael that they could go forth with the plan without getting caught.