by Casey Mayes
“I CAME TO HELP ROB,” I SAID.
“I know; he tried to stop me from coming back here. I was under the impression that I’d hired him to change the locks. Is he shoe shopping, too?” she asked, staring at the box in my hands.
“No, I confess I came back here on my own. I had to use the bathroom, and when I saw the bedroom door open, I couldn’t resist a peek inside. Joanne had fabulous taste, didn’t she?”
She walked up and reached for the box in my hands. “This is the first time I’ve seen her closet myself.”
I handed the shoe box to her, but as she tried to take it, I “accidentally” let it slip before she could control it.
As the box turned over and the lid fell off, a shower of tens and twenties drifted down to the floor.
“What is this?” she asked, the expression of shock on her face no doubt matching mine.
“Don’t ask me. It’s not my money. I’m just as surprised as you we found it.”
We both stared at the cash lying scattered on the bedroom floor, and then Laura asked me in a hushed voice, “Savannah, how much do you think there is here?”
“I have no idea, but that’s not what I’m wondering.”
“Where it came from?” she asked as she started gathering it up.
“That, too, but what I’m really curious about is whether any more of the boxes have money in them.”
“That’s a good point,” she said as a genuine smile crossed her lips. As Laura knelt down, she saw that I still wasn’t moving. “Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me look for more?”
“I’d be glad to help,” I said. Apparently Laura had already forgotten her displeasure at finding me in Joanne’s bedroom. It was amazing how money could do that. We started going through the boxes one by one, but there were no more hidden caches of money.
As we both sat on the floor among the carpet of shoes, Laura said, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed there wasn’t more.”
“It was like a treasure hunt, wasn’t it?” I looked at the cash Laura had counted. “How much was in there?”
“A little over eleven thousand dollars,” she said.
“That’s still not bad then, is it?”
She shook her head. “Not bad at all.” When she turned to look at me, she added, “Savannah, I need a favor.”
I wasn’t exactly in a position to refuse her any reasonable request at the moment. “What can I do for you?”
“Do you think there’s any chance that we can keep the discovery of this money between the two of us? I don’t know how I’m going to handle it yet, and I don’t want the rumors to start up that Joanne had millions stashed around the house.”
“It was just over eleven thousand,” I said.
“Sure, we both know that’s the truth, but the exaggerations of it will play out so much better around Parson’s Valley, don’t you think?”
I had one caveat. “I’m not comfortable lying to my husband, even if it is only a lie of omission.”
Laura nodded. “I understand completely, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” As she stored the bills back into the shoe box and closed the lid, she added, “I plan to tell him about it myself. I know he can be discreet.”
“How could you possibly know that?” I asked.
“He was an important man in Charlotte,” Laura said. “When he came by with that state trooper to question me yesterday, I could tell he was a man who could keep a secret. I’m not wrong, am I?”
“No, you sized him up pretty well. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of things I’d like to know that he won’t tell me, either.”
“Then you can tell him what we found, and that way we can figure out what to do with this cash. I know I’m her only beneficiary, but I want to make sure I handle this the proper way.” She paused, bit her lower lip for a second, and then added, “Tell you what. Why don’t you call him right now? He can come over, and we can figure out what to do about this together.”
“That’s a great idea,” I agreed just as Rob poked his head into the bedroom. It was clear from his expression that he hadn’t known what to expect, but finding us sitting on the carpet among all of those shoes wasn’t one of the scenarios that had played out in his mind.
“Is everything all right here?” he asked.
“We’re fine,” I said.
“Did you finish installing the new locks?” Laura asked.
“I’ve got your new keys right here,” he said. Laura and I stood, and I noticed that she had the box of cash tucked under one arm. I didn’t blame her. If it had been me, I’d have held on to it tightly myself.
“Do I need to sign something, or should I pay you now?” she asked as she took the keys from him.
“No, I’ll just bill you for it.”
If it had been me, I might have paid him out of the bounty we’d just found, but Laura didn’t even try. “That’s fine, then. Thanks for coming and doing that so quickly,” she added.
“I was happy to do it.” He turned to me and asked, “Savannah, are you coming?”
“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’m going to stick around awhile,” I said. “Thanks anyway.”
I could see the burst of curiosity on his face, but he quickly disguised it. “Good enough. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Bye now,” I said.
After he was gone, I got out my phone and hit the speed dial for my husband. It was time to bring Zach up to speed on what Laura and I had discovered. There would be a chance to share the notes I’d found with him later.
For now, we had a cash flow situation that he needed to know about.
Chapter 11
“HEY THERE,” I SAID WHEN MY HUSBAND PICKED UP HIS cell phone.
“What’s going on, Savannah?”
“I need you over at Joanne’s house as soon as you can get here.”
“Nothing’s wrong, is it? Did something happen?” he asked, the concern in his voice coming through loud and clear. I was glad that I’d called earlier and given him a heads-up about my intentions. That way I wouldn’t have to explain in front of Laura why I was there, or what I’d been doing. I looked over and smiled at her as reassuringly as I could, and she smiled back at me, a good sign.
“Everything here is fine. As a matter of fact, we need to discuss something with you.”
I could hear a bit of hesitation in his voice. “We? Savannah, talk to me. Is Rob all right?”
“As a matter of fact, he just finished installing the new locks and left.” It was clear that I was going to have to explain more than I would have liked to over the phone, because I couldn’t continue to be vague about the reason we needed Zach there with us. I should have known better than to try to stonewall him. “I was here helping Rob, and on a trip to the bathroom I noticed a shoe box turned upside down in Joanne’s closet. Laura came in around then, and when we looked inside it, we found a box of cash.”
“You and Laura were searching the place together,” he said slowly.
Not precisely right, but close enough. “That’s right. Can you break free and come over here right now? We’re not sure what we should do with it.”
“I’m on my way. How much exactly are we talking about here?”
“A little over eleven grand,” I said.
“I’ll see you in six minutes.”
I hung up and told her, “We’re all set. Zach’s on his way.”
Laura nodded, and then looked around at the litter of shoes and boxes on the floor. “Should we clean this up before he gets here?”
I nodded as I took in the sight. “We could probably organize it a little better, but he’s going to want to look into every single one of these boxes for himself.”
“Okay. The least we can do is put the lids under the boxes so he can look inside easier, and we can match the shoes with the boxes.”
I wasn’t sure we had to be that organized, but at least it would help pass the time.
&
nbsp; As we worked, Laura paused and looked intently at me as she said, “You were really serious when you told me before that you were looking into Joanne’s murder, weren’t you?”
I was startled by the question. “It’s likely it’s the only way I’m going to clear my name.”
“Are you that concerned with the police, even with your husband working with them?”
I shook my head. “It’s not law enforcement I’m worried about as much as it is the folks in Parson’s Valley. The longer this is all hanging over my head, the harder it will be to get anyone’s trust back when it’s finally over.”
She seemed to think about that before she commented again. “So, you decided to snoop around Joanne’s place.”
“Hey, I really was ready to help Rob if he needed it,” I explained. “If you’re going to get mad at anyone, it has to be me. Rob had no idea what I was up to.”
She looked at me curiously, and then she asked, “Savannah, were you under the impression that I was angry with you?”
I shrugged. “You weren’t all that happy when you found me in Joanne’s closet.”
She nodded. “True, but that’s mostly because I wasn’t expecting to find you. How can I be that upset when you helped me find this money? If you want to know the truth, I probably wouldn’t have checked a single shoe box. I would have donated them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or even had a yard sale, and I might never have known about that cash. I should be thanking you for helping.”
“You’re most welcome,” I said with a smile.
“So let me get this straight. You’ve been questioning folks all over town since Joanne died. Isn’t everyone going to know what you’re up to?”
“I certainly hope so,” I confessed.
She nodded. “Then they’ll understand that you’re trying to clear your name. That’s pretty clever.” After a moment’s pause, she asked, “I’m a suspect, too, aren’t I?”
There was nothing I could do but nod. “Anyone who had contact with Joanne in Asheville is,” I said. “Naturally, we’re both on that list. I don’t want a black cloud hanging over me, and I’m guessing you don’t want to be a murder suspect, either. It’s pretty unpleasant.”
“Believe me, I know what you mean,” she said. “This whole thing is driving me crazy. I thought we were best friends, but Sandra’s not even talking to me anymore, did you know that?”
“Why on earth not?” I asked.
“She thinks it’s my fault that she’s a suspect, too, since I’m the one who suggested we go shopping in Asheville yesterday.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said as I heard someone knocking on the front door. “She’s probably just scared and upset. She’ll get over it.”
“I hope so.”
There was another knock on the door, and I got up to answer it. As I did, I glanced at my watch. Zach had made good time.
“Would you talk to her for me?” Laura asked as she joined me and we walked out of the bedroom with the shoe box full of cash.
“I can try,” I said.
I was pleased to see my husband, but he seemed more interested with Laura than he was with me. “Is that it?” he asked as he pointed to the shoe box held reverently in her hands. I noticed he’d taken the time to put on a pair of latex gloves as he’d walked to the door.
“It is.” After seeing his gloved hands, Laura said, “There’s no reason to worry about the fingerprints, is there? Savannah and I both touched it, and I’m sure Joanne did as well.”
“You can’t be too careful,” he said. “May I?”
“Absolutely,” she said as she handed the shoe box to him.
Zach lifted the lid off and looked at the money inside. “That’s a lot of cash,” he said. “Any idea where she got it?”
“I wish I knew. She could have been selling things on eBay for all I know,” Laura said. “Do you think it’s significant?”
“It’s hard to say. It might be,” Zach said.
“Or it might not be at all,” I said. I explained to Laura, “My husband has a tendency to overanalyze things at times.”
“Savannah, you don’t need to apologize for me.” He put the lid back on the box, and then handed it to Laura. “You need to call the attorney handling Joanne’s estate and give this directly to him.”
“You mean I can’t keep it?” she asked, clearly startled by his advice.
“If what I’ve just heard is correct, it’s yours anyway. You are the sole beneficiary, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I was surprised when I found out, but it’s true.”
“Then you should be fine. All I’m saying is that you don’t want there to be any gray areas.”
“I don’t really even have an attorney,” she admitted a little reluctantly. “I found the will among some of her papers, and I took it to the courthouse this morning so there wouldn’t be any delay. I’m the executor and sole beneficiary, so they told me I could handle everything myself.”
“In that case, you should turn this cash over to yourself as soon as possible,” Zach said with a slight grin. “I honestly don’t see a problem doing that, but we need to tell Captain North about it right away.”
“I understand, but could she confiscate it?”
Zach frowned. “No, I don’t see how she could. Still, it might help her to know that Joanne had some cash squirreled away. It might mean something.”
“Then it’s significant?” Laura asked.
I piped in. “Laura, Zach believes that all information is useful. I’m not sure I don’t agree with him, but the money’s yours.”
She nodded. “We had a joint checking account, so I’ll probably just stick it in there so I can pay her bills.”
“That would be the prudent thing to do,” Zach said.
“Good, it’s settled, then.”
Laura turned to me and said, “Savannah, I might not have even found this if it weren’t for you. May I give you a reward?”
I thought about the cash, but there was something else in that room that I wanted more. “I couldn’t take any money,” I said.
She was about to accept that when I added, “But I wouldn’t mind that book on art Joanne had. I love the Impressionist period.”
“It’s all beyond me,” she said. “If that’s what you’d like, by all means, go on and take it. It’s yours, with my thanks.”
“Would you like me to stay and help you clean up?” I offered.
“Thanks, but I can handle it from here. Besides, you lost your ride earlier, remember?”
“True.” As I looked around the room, I said, “If you change your mind and would like some help, all you have to do is call.”
“Thank you for that,” she said. “I appreciate it more than I can say.”
After Laura saw us out, she locked the door behind us. No one who wasn’t invited was going to get in now that the locks had been changed.
“That was nice of you,” Zach said as we walked out to his car.
“I couldn’t believe how it turned out. One minute I was snooping through Joanne’s things and being caught red-handed by Laura, and the next I was helping her look for more cash. I don’t even think she remembers catching me.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” After we were in his car, he tapped the book in my hands before he drove away. “She would have given you cash, but you took this book instead. I didn’t even know you were that interested in Impressionism.”
“I am, but that’s beside the point. There’s something in here that you need to see.”
Zach smiled at me. “Savannah, I was a fan of Monet and his friends long before you were. I doubt there’s anything in there that I haven’t seen before.”
I opened the book and removed the three letters I’d found earlier. “Want to bet on that?”
ZACH PULLED OVER THE SECOND I EXPLAINED TO HIM what I’d found.
He studied each letter carefully in turn, and then said, “I can’t say whether these are three drafts of one letter
or three versions. Either way, she was a bit of a busybody, wasn’t she?”
“It might be what got her killed,” I said.
“People don’t appreciate it when other folks go digging around in their closets.” He grinned at me as he said it. “And yes, I mean that figuratively and literally, too.”
“I make no apologies for what I do,” I said.
“Yes, I know that. It’s part of your charm.”
He kept reading the letters, and then made a U-turn as he pulled out. We were now heading away from home, instead of toward it.
“Where are we going?”
“I was going to tell North about the money tomorrow morning, but she needs to see these as soon as possible. Good work, Savannah.”
“I do what I can,” I said as we drove to Town Hall downtown where the police captain had set up a temporary office while she was in Parson’s Valley.
AFTER CAPTAIN NORTH FINGERPRINTED THE LETTERS and took a set of my own to eliminate them, she came back into the office where we’d been waiting. There was a dour look on her face. “I knew it was a long shot. There were just your prints and the victim’s,” she said.
“That’s kind of what we expected,” Zach said.
As the captain examined the notes, she asked, “How did you happen to find these?”
“I just opened the book, and there they were.”
She looked at me a moment before speaking again. “Savannah, you know full well that I’m asking you why you were in Joanne Clayton’s bedroom this evening in the first place.”
“That’s easy,” I said with a smile. “I was helping Rob Hastings install new locks at Joanne’s house.”
She took a deep breath and then let it out before she spoke again. “I was under the impression that you were a puzzlemaker, not a locksmith. And you work at the hardware store on the side?”
“Tell her why you were really there,” Zach said.
I didn’t have much choice at that point. I had to admit that my cover story didn’t really bear up well under close scrutiny. “I wanted to snoop around Joanne’s place to see if I could figure out who killed her.”
“That’s what I suspected,” she said. The captain turned to Zach and asked, “And you approve of this behavior?”
