by Lois Schmitt
“How will this affect our jobs?” asked the production manager, who was sitting across from me.
“If it happens, there will be lay-offs. We could lose as much as fifty percent of our staff. But right now the merger is still in discussion stage. A final decision will be made by the end of December. That’s all for now.” As Olivia rose from her chair and proceeded to the door, she leaned over me and whispered, “Kristy, see me in my office in fifteen minutes.”
*****
As I entered her inner sanctum, Olivia rose from her chair. At almost six feet, dressed in a tailored navy blue suit, and wearing her gray hair in a short no-nonsense style, she was a formidable figure. An African American who grew up in the south Bronx, Olivia had street smarts as well as the reputation of being an excellent editor.
“Anything new on the murder investigation?”
I shook my head. “Too many suspects, and I haven’t been able to break alibis. But I’m still hopeful.”
I expected Olivia to push more, but instead she said, “How’s the land acquisition story?”
“With the death of Katie Chandler, it’s up in the air as to who will acquire the property. It’s a long shot for the aquarium, but we won’t know the outcome until after we go to print.”
“That’s okay. Cliffhangers can be good for circulation.”
Olivia walked around her desk. “The fight over the twenty acres has grabbed media attention. “As my granddaughter would say, ‘it’s trending.’ People will buy this issue of Animal Advocate to find out who wins—the aquarium or the developer. If the controversy isn’t resolved by then, readers will purchase future issues until an outcome is reached. We need articles like this so we don’t go the way of the dinosaur and dodo.”
“Of course, I—”
“Dig deep. Find out about special interests. Uncover hidden motives.”
*****
Bradford Monroe handed me a cup of coffee, while once again commenting on the cost of his espresso machine.
As we sat down, he leaned forward, spreading his hands across his desk, “Now, how can I help you?”
“I’m updating my land acquisition story. Can you tell me where you are in terms of reaching your goal of ten million dollars?”
“We’re on our way to victory.”
“I need you to be a bit more specific. How are your sponsorships coming along?”
“We will have the Mulgrave check for the turtle exhibit early next week.”
“That’s great, but it’s just one sponsorship for one hundred thousand dollars. You’re still a long way from your goal?”
He smiled. “I’m actively pursuing many leads. Commander West and I have a meeting later this afternoon with another potential sponsor.”
“Let’s talk about the auction. What types of items will you have for sale?”
“We have merchandise to fit every taste and pocketbook. Last count, there were more than one hundred items, ranging from a collection of art deco jewelry to a painting by a famous Long Island artist. All donated by our generous supporters.” He grinned. “We’re lucky to be only a few miles from the Hamptons, home to many multi-millionaires who support preservation of our marine environment.”
Brad grabbed a paperclip and bent it back and forth until it snapped. “And since the aquarium inherited the contents of the Chandler house too, we will be auctioning most of the items that Katie’s great, great grandfather brought back from around the world in the 1800s. If you remember, there are fabulous items like the Samurai sword. The auction will be a huge success.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’re coming?” He looked surprised.
I nodded. “I hope to include it in my article.”
“Great,” he said. “Be sure to attend the preview? It’s an hour before the auction begins. Bring a photographer too. The more publicity we receive on this event, the better for future fund raising.”
With all this talk of Katie’s home and its contents, an idea popped into my head. After leaving Brad’s office, I phoned Sam Wong.
“Sam,” I said. “Do you have the key to Katie’s house?”
“Sure. Katie and I both had keys to each others’ homes.”
“Could you let me in? I’d like to look around.”
“Well, uh, I don’t know, Mrs. Farrell. The house belongs to the aquarium now. I don’t have a legal right to be there.”
“It might hold the answer to why Katie was murdered.”
“How?”
“The day of the cocktail party, Katie told me she heard a rumor as to why Jack was murdered. What if that is related to her death? I’m wondering if Katie left a clue in her home? A piece of evidence?
“I guess it’s okay,” Sam said. “I still have some clothes in Katie’s closet. If we get caught, I can always say I was there to pick up my belongings.” He hesitated. “But what would you use as an excuse?”
“I’ll say I lost a bracelet at the cocktail party.” I was getting good at fabricating stories. “When can we go?”
“I’m free in about an hour. Meet you there.”
*****
Sam turned his key and pushed open the door to Katie’s house. It appeared exactly the same as when we left the day of the cocktail party.
“Where do you want to start, Mom?” Abby asked. My daughter, who had the day off, had been riding Topper at the Patterson Horse Farm this morning. I had called and asked her to join us, figuring another pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.
“Since the cocktail party took over the entire first floor, I don’t think anything would be down here. Let’s start upstairs.”
“What are we looking for?” Abby asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. But pull out anything that has to do with the land acquisition, the aquarium, or Jack Patterson.”
We were about to head upstairs when Sam’s phoned trilled. “I have to take this call,” he said. “I’ll be in the living room. I’ll join you when I finish.”
The upstairs consisted of Katie’s bedroom, her office, a guest room, and the captain’s study. Abby and I entered Katie’s bedroom first.
“Katie was a compulsive list maker,” Abby said. “She also loved to write reminder memos. Look for any scribblings or notes on small pieces of paper.”
We searched the dresser drawers and the nightstand and found nothing. I got down on my hands and knees and checked underneath the bed and behind the desk in case a note had fallen.
“I’ll bet she cleaned up before the cocktail party,” Abby said.
“I wonder if she kept a diary?”
“She did,” Abby said, excitedly. “According to Katie, all Chandler women kept diaries going back to Elizabeth Chandler, mother of the sea captain. Katie wasn’t about to break the tradition although she didn’t write everyday. Sometimes, a week or more would go by before she penned an entry.”
“We need to find that book.”
“I know what it looks like. It has a sea lion on a navy blue cover.”
“A sea lion?”
Abby grinned. “I found a bunch of diaries in a small gift shop in Montauk. They all featured a different of marine mammal on the cover. I bought one for Katie’s birthday this summer, and she’s been using it ever since. At least that’s what she told me.”
We searched Katie’s office as well as the guest room but had no luck. No diary. No other clues.
“I doubt we’ll find anything in that captain’s study,” Abby commented as we emerged into the hall. “The room wasn’t used. Katie kept it as a museum to display items her great, great, grandfather brought back from foreign ports.”
“You’re probably right, but we better look anyway.”
We crossed the hall and had stepped into the captain’s study when I heard the front door slam.
“What’s going on here,
Sam? Why are you here?” yelled a familiar voice.
The voice belonged to Detective Steve Wolfe.
I put my finger to my lips, motioning Abby to be quiet. We pressed our bodies against the wall in the study, making sure we were out of sight.
“Some of my clothes are here, sir,” Sam answered the detective. “I came to take them back to my place.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why? I have a key.”
Silence. I couldn’t see Wolfe, but I envisioned his face beet-red with purple veins protruding from his neck and spittle oozing from his mouth.
“This house is now part of the Chandler estate. You’re trespassing. Since you have a key, I’ll let you off with a warning this time. But if I see you here again, I’ll arrest you.”
“Yes sir. Are you checking the house again for clues?”
“No. We’re finished with that. I was passing by and saw a car in the driveway, so I decided to investigate. Empty homes are prime targets for robberies. Let’s go.”
I heard the door slam.
“We better leave before Wolfe returns,” Abby said, after a few seconds had passed.
“He won’t be back for a while. We have time.”
“But Mom—”
“I’ll be quick.”
At first glance, everything in the captain’s study appeared as it did on the day of the cocktail party. Then I examined the desk.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Abby asked, apparently seeing the frown on my face.
“I’m not sure. But something is different.”
Chapter Thirty
“This isn’t good.” I muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked as we slid into the last pew of the Episcopal Church for Katie Chandler’s Friday evening memorial service.
“Katie’s cousin. Calvin Chandler. He’s sitting up front.”
“He’s a hypocrite.” Abby shook her head. “Katie wouldn’t have wanted him here.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “He doesn’t know I have any connection to Katie. He thinks I’m a potential buyer for the condos. I may need more information from him, and I don’t want to blow my cover.”
“Don’t worry. I doubt he’ll turn around, and we’ll just be careful when we leave to stay out of his sight.”
I was skeptical that I could pull this off. There were fewer than fifty mourners in attendance, making it easy to spot someone.
As I wondered if more people would be coming, Bradford Monroe entered and made his way to the first row where he tried to greet Calvin Chandler. Calvin turned away and began conversing with an elderly lady sitting behind him. Bradford stood silently for a moment, then headed up the aisle and squeezed into a seat next to Commander West.
“Bradford still believes he can convince Calvin to donate six million to the aquarium,” I whispered to my daughter.
“Judging by the way Calvin blew him off, I’d say that’s not going to happen,” Abby said.
I noticed Abby’s eyes filling up with tears. She was saying good-bye to her best friend. I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. She let out a small sob.
As we grew closer to the start of the service, more people arrived. I spotted Oscar Mejas sitting next to Madge, the marine mammal attendant. A few rows behind them, Jillian Patterson fidgeted in her seat and thumbed through a hymnal although she didn’t appear to be paying any attention to the pages.
But Sam Wong was not here.
Where’s Sam?” I whispered to Abby.
“He just arrived.” Abby motioned to the entrance of the sanctuary where Sam stood between the two open doors. He appeared to scan the room.
“Who is he searching for?”
Abby shrugged.
Finally, Sam nodded as if acknowledging someone’s presence. As the organist began playing “On Eagle’s Wings” he headed down the aisle. When he passed by, I turned my head, blocking Abby from view, too. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t want him to see us. He slid into an empty pew about six rows from the front.
*****
“This is a good spot to watch everything,” I said to my daughter as we sat in my car after the memorial service. “Let’s wait a minute before leaving. I want to see if anything interesting happens.”
“Interesting?”
I shrugged. “You never know.”
Commander West left first with Brad Monroe. Seconds later, Oscar Mejas, Madge, and Sam Wong exited the church and headed toward their cars. Finally, Calvin emerged. They all drove off, except Sam. He leaned against the side of his silver convertible, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and began smoking. He glanced at his watch.
“Why is he still here?”
“Maybe he didn’t want to smoke in his car,” Abby said.
I frowned. “I think he’s waiting for someone.”
“Could be. But who?”
That question was answered when Jillian Patterson emerged from the church, made her way through the parking lot to the silver convertible, and shook hands with Sam Wong.
Chapter Thirty-one
I glanced at my watch. Sam Wong was late for our meeting. I had contacted him last night and told him we needed to talk.
Five minutes later, Sam walked through the door of Pirate Pete’s Coffee Shop and made his way to my table.
“I can’t stay long,” he said as he slid into a chair across from me. “I don’t know why we couldn’t do this by phone.”
“I have questions I want to ask face-to-face.” I needed to see his reaction. As a former teacher I was good at telling if someone was lying. “I didn’t know you had a relationship with Jillian Patterson.”
“I’d hardly call it a relationship. I’m working on a business deal for her with Lucien Moray.”
“The sale of the horse farm? Is that why the two of you met after Katie’s memorial service.”
“That’s right.” Sam rose from his chair and frowned. “But this is business. I really can’t discuss it.”
I ignored the fact that the waitress was hovering over us while she poured coffee. “What if it is related to Katie’s murder?”
All color drained from his face. “What do you mean?” He sat back down.
“How desperate is Jillian for money? Come on, Sam. A real estate developer like Moray doesn’t make an offer blindly. He sizes up his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. I’m assuming he had you research the Patterson Horse Farm before making the offer. What did you find out about Jillian’s financial situation?”
“It’s bad. None of her vendors will grant her credit anymore. The grain company will deliver on a cash only basis. She can’t survive without grain. I figure she’ll be bankrupt in less than a year.”
“Did Jack know about this?”
“Jillian told him. She showed him the books too. But Jack was a dreamer. He thought the two of them together could overcome the financial adversity.”
“That gives her motive to kill both Jack and Katie.”
“Ridiculous.” He shook his head. “You and I both know whoever killed Katie needed access to the aquarium. Jillian doesn’t have a key.”
“But Jack did. Think how easy it would be for Jillian to have a copy made.” I didn’t bother to remind him that Katie’s key was missing, which meant anyone, including Sam himself, might have found it.
“But why would Jillian push Katie in with the sea snakes? It’s an unusual way to kill someone, and Jillian has no experience with marine life.”
“I’m assuming it was done to cast suspicion on an aquarium staff member,” I said.
Sam appeared to ponder my point. “That makes sense. Focus the investigation in another direction.” He nodded.
“The problem is Jillian would need to be familiar with the facility,” I said. “She would have needed to know how to access the sea sna
ke tank. Do you have any idea if she ever visited the aquarium with her brother?”
“She was there for Friends and Family Day.”
“What’s that?”
“When Commander West first came to the aquarium, he held a small get-together for staff, their families, and close friends. It included a tour of the inner workings of the facilities. I was there with Katie. Jillian attended with Jack.”
My mind was racing. Would a one day event provide Jillian with enough familiarity to pull off such a complicated murder? “Let’s get back to the purchase of the Patterson horse farm. Sam, are you the go-between for Lucien and Jillian?”
Sam nodded. “Yes. I did all the preliminary work. Lucien never gets involved until the very end.”
“I know that originally there was an impasse since Jack refused to sign off on the deal. After Jack’s death, who reached out first? Did you contact Jillian? Or did she call you?”
“Jillian contacted me the day I returned to Clam Cove, about an hour before you discovered Katie’s body. She said she had been trying to reach me. She had inherited her brother’s half of the property and was clear to sell.”
“What did you say?”
“We’d keep the offer in mind, but the purchase was contingent on Moray’s acquiring the bay front property first. Without the condos, there wouldn’t be a large enough population to support the shopping center.”
I sucked in my breath. “After Katie was killed, did you contact Jillian?”
Sam paused, then frowned. “No. She contacted me two days after Katie’s murder.”
“What did she say?”
“She wanted to know when Lucien would be ready to buy her horse farm.”
*****
“Let me get this straight. You want another tour of the aquarium?” Oscar asked. I was sitting across from his desk.
“Yes. I’d like to see how the facility operates. How you feed the fish, clean the tanks, and so forth. My article is called ‘Dangers of the Deep’ and I want to include a section on the risks for aquarium staff in the daily care of marine life.”
He glanced at his watch. “Okay. I have some time now, so let me show you around.”
