“I still have a hard time seeing Janelle as a criminal. She seemed like such a kind-hearted person.” Helen began pulling out drawers in the kitchen. She and Joe would work their way through the house. With any luck, they’d find some answers.
An hour later Helen and Joe emerged with at least part of the mystery solved. They now knew that Janelle was indeed Betty’s daughter. “What I don’t understand,” Joe said, “is why all the secrecy?”
“Things were different back then, Joe. It sounds like another one of those sad cases when having a child out of wedlock had to be kept secret at all costs.” Betty Sullivan had given birth to a baby girl when she was only 15 years old. She’d given the child to her older sister to raise. Her sister, Charlotte, lived in Ohio and had raised the baby as her own.
“Okay, I get that, I guess, but not to even record the birth?”
“The aunt did record the birth, just not with the name Betty had given her. It’s a good thing the sisters had kept in touch.” According to the papers they’d found, Janelle had discovered her birth certificate after Charlotte’s death. She must have been shocked to find that her real mother was her aunt Betty.
Joe nodded. “I’ll need to get this evidence turned in. Good to know who she really was, but we still have no idea who killed her.”
“At least now we know more about the players.”
“Right. My money’s on the grandson.”
“Hard to believe that’s the case.” Cody Owens was another piece of the puzzle they’d found and Helen agreed that he might indeed be suspect. Though she couldn’t imagine a grandchild murdering his own grandmother, it was a distinct possibility.
“Happens all too often these days,” Joe said. “Remember the case last week where this kid killed his grandparents because they wouldn’t front him money for drugs?”
Helen winced. “I was in Europe last week so thankfully, no.”
Joe dropped Helen off at the coffee shop where she’d made plans to meet up with Kate. She wanted to share the news of their discovery with both Rosie and Kate and felt much in need of another latte.
Past Times as usual smelled wonderful. Kate had already snagged a corner table where they’d have some privacy. Since the shop was fairly quiet, Rosie brought their drinks and joined then.
“So what did you find out at the house?” Kate stirred the whipped cream into the hot coffee drink.
“Quite a bit.” Helen settled in to relate the story. “Janelle Cooper really is Betty’s daughter. Betty was only sixteen when her Janelle was born. The parents sent Betty off to stay with a sister who took Janelle in as her own. The sister died a few years ago and Janelle discovered that her mother was really an aunt. She also found her birth name and her birth mother. Letters confirmed the transaction. The baby was given the aunt’s last name and the birth record listed her as being Janice Kamden.”
“Wow. So she came out here and took the name Betty had originally given her?”
“Not legally, which is why we couldn’t find any trace of her. At the house, we found checks and several pieces of ID with the name Janice Kamden. I have no idea why she felt she needed to change her name to Janelle other than to please Betty.”
“I wonder why she didn’t have any ID on her when she died.” Rose cradled her cup and took a sip.
“Joe thinks her wallet may have been stolen. He’s going to check for activity in her bank account.”
“On the phone you said there was a grandson?” Kate leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs at the ankle
“Yes. Apparently, Janelle’s daughter had a son and Janelle took him in after the daughter died. Joe’s looking at him as a possible suspect.”
“You think that’s who was in Betty’s house when we arrived?” Kate asked.
“I suspect so. And running certainly makes him look guilty of something.”
“I may have found a clue at your house, Mother,” Kate set her cup on the table beside her and picked up her bag. “I found this book.”
Helen took it and frowned. “An Untimely Death. I don’t recognize it from my stash.”
“I didn’t either and it’s autographed with an odd note thanking you for sharing your home with her.”
“Sharing my home?” Helen frowned as she reread the autograph. Maude Evans. Not someone she recognized.
“I know that author.” Rosie snatched the book out of Helen’s hands. “She lives here in Oregon and comes to the beach sometimes to write. In fact she’s a well-known mystery writer.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I may have met her at a book signing.” Helen acknowledged. “She was staying in my house?”
Kate shrugged, “Apparently. Could Janelle have been renting out your place? That would explain why the sheets and towels were being washed.”
“The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t think she’d do something like that.” Helen ran a hand through her hair. “I trusted her.”
“Sounds like we need to find her grandson. He may have some answers.” Kate set her bag back on the floor. “How old is he?”
“I don’t know. High school maybe. There was a picture on the mantle.”
“Maybe he was running a rental business on the side,” Rosie suggested. “And when Janelle found out he’d rented out your place she confronted him and he killed her.”
Helen shook her head. That’s doubtful; he’s just a kid.” She perused the book jacket. “I wonder how long this has been going on.”
“And who else is involved.” Kate chewed on her lower lip. “I mean if she rented out your place and she worked for other people as well, maybe there are a number of people whose homes were rented while they were gone and without their permission.”
Rosie stood when a customer came in. “I’ll be right back. I have an idea of how we can find out.”
Kate leaned forward, arms resting on her knees. “Do you know any of Janelle’s other customers?”
“She had some files that Joe took with him. We didn’t go through them, but I got the impression they might be people she worked for.”
“You should call Joe and let him know what we’ve found.”
“I suppose.” Helen opened the book and read the autograph again. “Maybe I should talk to this writer first. Find out for sure that she actually did stay at my house and when. She’d be able to tell me who actually rented her the place.”
“Good idea.” Kate drained her cup and set it on the table.
Rosie finished up with her customer and came back, settling into the chair she’d vacated. “So, I think you should talk to Maude.”
“We were thinking the same thing,” Helen said. “You wouldn’t by any chance have contact information.”
Rosie smiled. “I have a card. She came in about a week ago and left me a card and told me about a new book. I carry them for her. In fact, I’m hosting an autograph party for her this weekend.”
She hurried back to the counter. Helen and Kate met her there to pay for their drinks. Maude Evans lived in Portland. On the card were a phone number, a web site and an e-mail address. “I’ll send her an e-mail as soon as I get home. Or maybe I’ll call.” She dropped the card into her bag. “Thanks Rosie. This is a big help.”
“When did you start using Janelle to keep an eye on your house, Mom?” Kate opened the passenger side door after handing the keys off to Helen.
“About four years ago. I only used her when I’d be out of town for a week or two at a time and when Ryan couldn’t be there.” Normally, for short trips into Portland and such. Helen asked her neighbors, the Johnson’s, specifically, their son, Ryan, to bring in the mail and look after the place. But Ryan wasn’t always available and this last time he and his parents were vacationing in California. Thinking about Ryan reminded her of Janelle’s grandson. Perhaps Ryan would know Cody. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Once home, Helen called Maude Evans. The answering machine asked her to leave a message, which she did. She then sent Maude an e-mail thanking her for
the book and asking when she’d stayed. She asked that Maude call her and within fifteen minutes the phone rang.
It was Maude. “Hi there. I just got your e-mail message. How can I help you Mrs. McGrady? Um…Helen.”
Helen didn’t bother to correct her. It was going to take her awhile to get used to being called Mrs. Bradley. “I understand you rented my home and was wondering when.”
“Um, just last week. I was there for two weeks and managed to finish my book. Your house is one of my favorites. It’s so nice of you to offer it up.”
“So you’ve stayed here more than once?” Helen’s stomach wrapped itself in knots as she wondered how many more people had been in her home without her knowledge.
“Oh, yes. I was there about six months ago too.”
“Maude, I hate to tell you this, but I don’t rent out my home.”
“Well of course you do…I…What are you saying?” She sounded nearly as alarmed as Helen felt.
“Whoever rented the house to you did it without my knowledge. I’m calling you to find out who that might be.”
“Oh, my. I don’t know what to say. I have the name in my address book.” She hesitated. “Are you serious? You didn’t know?”
“I had no idea. Who rented the house to you?”
“Um…here it is. Janice Kamden.”
Helen blew out a long breath. “And you dealt directly with her?”
“Yes, at least I’m assuming so. I never actually met her. We corresponded with e-mails.”
“And did you deal with her on other rentals?”
“Yes. She owns a property rental company. I found it on the internet. I should have known something was wrong. Your home was so open and, well normally the owners of these rental places have private areas. I am so sorry.”
“It certainly wasn’t your fault, Maude. And I appreciate your help.”
“So how did you find out this woman was renting your place? Was it that I left you a book?”
“Partly. But I came home yesterday and found the house had been tossed and Janice had been murdered.”
“Murdered.” She gasped. “Oh, my word. I left the place perfectly clean and neat. I swear. I had nothing to do with…Oh, my. Am I going to be a suspect?”
“The police will probably need a statement, but as long as you have an alibi you should be fine. It sounds as though you were as much a victim as I was.”
“Indeed. I feel terrible taking over your home like that. You must feel violated. How do people get away with things like this?”
Helen settled onto the sofa. “I wish I knew. Janice had a grandson. Did you meet him?”
“No, I’m sorry. All I did was mail the check in. That’s another thing that should have clued me in. I’ve been coming to the beach for years and most of the property management places have you sign a contract. Janice didn’t.”
“Who did you make the check out to?”
“To Janice.”
And Janice had the checking account. Helen told Maude that Joe would be contacting her, thanked the author and promised to be in touch.
After hanging up, Helen turned back to Kate. “That was interesting. It looks as though Janelle or Janice had a side business going. Though I can’t imagine how it got her killed.”
“I’m still wondering how the grandson fits into all of this.”
“Yes. Well, it’s time to talk with Ryan. I’ll call and ask him to come over.”
Ryan answered the phone and promised to be right over.
While she and Kate were waiting, Helen called Joe to bring him up to date.
“Thanks for the info, Helen. I’ll get in touch with the writer.”
“Have you had time to look through the files you pulled from Janelle’s desk?”
“Some. It looks like she kept good records, but there’s nothing about renting out places. Just clients she worked for. I’m going to be talking with some of them this afternoon.”
“Good idea.”
“There’s one more thing,” Joe said. “Reports on Janice Kamden came up clean. No priors, not even a parking ticket.”
“Did you find anything out about the grandson?”
“Nothing so far. You wouldn’t want to check with the schools would you?”
“I’ll be happy to. In fact Ryan Johnson is on his way over. I’m hoping he can fill in some of the blanks.”
“Good luck. Seems like the more information we get, the more muddled this case gets.”
Helen couldn’t have agreed more.
Chapter Seven
“Welcome home.” Ryan gave Helen an enthusiastic greeting followed by a hug. “Nice to see you again, Kate. Are the girls coming down this weekend?”
By girls, Ryan was referring of course to Helen’s granddaughters, Lisa and Jenny. Ryan and the girls had been friends for as long as Helen had lived at the beach.
“They are.” Kate smiled. “The whole family will be here.”
“Cool.” Ryan followed the women into the house. “You wanted to talk to me about something.”
“I do.” Helen gestured for him to have a seat. “Can I get you anything?”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m good.”
“A couple of things,” Helen said as she lowered herself into her rocker recliner. “Do you know a Cody Owens?”
“Yeah. Cody is in my computer lab. He’s kind of quiet. Moved here about a year ago.” He frowned. “Is Cody in some kind of trouble?”
“I’m not sure as yet. We’ve discovered that he’s been living with his grandmother, Janelle Cooper. Only Janelle was killed here Wednesday night. Helen told him the rest of the story about her coming home to find the murdered woman.
“Oh, man. I had no idea. I mean, I saw her come in that afternoon and figured she was just doing her regular cleaning.”
“Did you see anyone else?”
“No. We’ve only been home for a few days. And I knew you didn’t need me to get your mail or anything. So I didn’t come over.”
Even though the Johnsons were neighbors, the houses were separated by a treed lot, so it made sense that Ryan hadn’t noticed anything suspicious.
“I’m glad you didn’t. And I didn’t expect you to. I was just hoping you might be able to give us a little more information.”
‘Sorry.” Ryan clasped his hands together and leaned forward, forearms on his thighs. “I didn’t even know Cody was related to Janelle.”
“To make things ever more confusing, her real name is Janice Kamden.”
“I’ve never heard that name. And she’s dead? You don’t think Cody killed her, do you?”
“We don’t know what to think,” Kate offered.
“All we know,” Helen added, “is that someone, and we suspect it was Cody, ran from the house where Janelle lived when we showed up with Joe.”
“Wow.”
“Can you tell us anything more about him?”
“He wasn’t at school today. I didn’t think anything about it. He’s straight up. I mean good grades and he’s way above the teacher when it comes to computers. He’s even invented a couple of computer games.”
“Hmm. You’d expect him to have his own computer then. We didn’t find one at the house.”
“He has a laptop. Carries it in his backpack all the time.”
“What about friends? Anyone close?”
“Not that I know of. He’s pretty much a loner.”
“I see.” Helen sighed. “Not much to go on.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be more help. If he’s at school tomorrow I can reach out to him.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ryan.” Helen said. “Right now he’s a person of interest.”
Ryan frowned. “You don’t think he went ballistic to do? Like those guys who end up killing a bunch of people because they were bullied or something?”
“Was Cody bullied?”
“Not that I know of.” Ryan nodded and got to his feet. “I should go. Wish I could be of more help.”
&n
bsp; “You’ve given us a lot actually.” Helen stood as well. “Tell your parents I said hello.”
“Sure. I’ll probably see you this weekend.” He stepped outside.
Helen smiled. “I’m sure you will. And Ryan, if you hear of anything about Cody, please let us know.”
Ryan promised that he would and took off running toward his house.
“What’s next?” Kate asked when Helen closed the door and returned to the living room.
“Tea.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kate joined her mother in the kitchen and within a few minutes took their hot drinks to the dining room table where they could watch the waves pound against the rocks.
“I need perspective.” Helen pulled the writing pad she’d set on the table earlier toward her. “Sometimes it helps if I can write everything pertaining to a case down and think it all through. First thing is the messy house, which I still think was staged.” Helen wrote the brief notation down.
“And then Janelle’s death.” She paused. “Hit in the head and ID taken.”
“Maybe she didn’t have it on her.” Kate suggested.
“That’s a possibility, but wouldn’t we have found it at her house then?”
“You’d think so unless the grandson took it with him. Maybe he needed the credit cards or some cash.”
While they enjoyed their orange spice tea, Helen continued making notes.
“I still don’t understand why she changed her name to Janelle.” Kate said.
Helen shrugged. “Joe said she didn’t have any priors. Maybe she did it to please Betty.”
“There has to be more to it than that.”
“You’re right. I think we need to look more closely at her grandson. We know her daughter died, so that must have been when Cody came to live with her.”
“Why did Janelle take him in?” Kate folded her arms on the table. “What about her daughter’s husband, Cody’s father?”
“Good question. Now that we know Janelle’s real name we should be able to locate more information on her family.”
After a few minutes of silence Helen stood. “Would you mind making us some dinner while I look Janice Kamden up on the internet. I had good luck finding Betty’s family so maybe I’ll be able to find something on Janelle. Or Janice.”
Death on Arrival: A Helen Bradley Mystery (Helen Bradley Mysteries Book 1) Page 5
