by B. T. Lord
“Lieutenant Geoff Mantree,” she barked into the phone when the receptionist answered. “This is Sheriff Cammie Farnsworth. I need to speak with him now!”
A few days later found Cammie, Doc, Mantree, Win Sackett and the forensics team standing in the Sackett family plot. They all looked grim as they approached the pile of stones at the edge of the cemetery.
Win in particular showed no emotion, though his mind churned in anger and disappointment. He didn’t like being lied to. He didn’t deserve that. He especially didn’t deserve it from his own son. But after the phone call last night from Mantree, who now stood next to him, and his own heated phone call to his son, he grimly watched as the team slowly and methodically removed the stones his son said he’d put there as part of a project to spruce up the cemetery. Of course he hadn’t finished it because the son of a bitch hadn’t even come to the cemetery. Not once during the whole summer when Win was laid up after his surgery. Even though he’d reassured his father he had.
Win shook his head to himself. He’d hope the boy would learn to appreciate this place and take care of it after he was gone. But that wasn’t going to happen. If he couldn’t make it over one summer, he sure as hell wasn’t going to make it for the rest of his life. Damn it, once he was dead, no one was going to take care of this cemetery. It was condemned to fall to ruin and the stones commemorating generations of Sacketts forgotten, their names lost to the ravages of nature.
On the other side of where Sackett stood, Cammie nervously chewed her fingernail. She’d had to use all her powers of persuasion to get Mantree to agree to do this. Even Doc thought she was crazy. But her gut was screaming that the missing piece to this whole mess with Helen lay partly under those stones, and partly with Lily.
She fervently prayed that she was right as she continued to ignore the stern look from Mantree. She didn’t need to look at his face to know that he thought she was insane. And too emotionally involved in a case that wasn’t hers. So be it. In a few minutes she would be proved right or wrong.
It took longer than a few minutes. And Cammie’s nerves were about to break. Finally, just as she thought she would scream in frustration, one of the forensics men called out.
“We’ve got a body.”
She was about to pump the air and scream ‘yes’ when she realized how awful that would look. Instead, she stopped chewing her fingernail. And let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Wearing booties so they wouldn’t disturb the scene, they gathered around as the men uncovered the face and chest.
“Shit,” Doc muttered under his breath as he took in the skull and the remaining black hair and clothes.
“Do you know who this is?” Mantree asked.
Doc nodded. “Without an autopsy, I can’t be 100% certain. Having said that though, I’d bet my medical license that this is Charles Evans.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Using dental records, the autopsy revealed that Doc was right. The body found under the pile of stones was that of Charles Evans. The coroner estimated that he’d been dead for several months.
No wonder Emmy hadn’t been able to trace his cell phone after March 1st. It was sitting in what was left of his jacket pocket, crushed under the weight of a small mountain of rocks.
Cammie, Doc and Mantree were now gathered in Doc’s living room. They were awaiting the arrival of Lily Evans. It had taken both Cammie and Doc this time to convince Mantree not to be in the room when Lily arrived. They knew she would remain uncooperative if she saw him there, especially after their last meeting which had been, in Mantree’s words, a ball buster. This time, Cammie was determined to finally get to the truth one way or the other, even if she had to sit on Lily to get it. They finally agreed that when she showed up, Mantree would retire to Doc’s study with the door ajar so he could hear the proceedings.
Because of the questioning by the Maine State Police, Lily’s preparations for her trip to the Caymans had been delayed. As it was, they’d been lucky to call her when they did. If they’d waited one more day, she would have been on her way to the Caribbean and out of their hands.
In order to persuade her to make the long trip one more time, Doc told Lily he had a contract written out that promised a deposit of $75 million into her bank account. The only stipulation was that she had to come in person to sign it. With that much money in the balance, Lily readily agreed, though she made sure to express her anger at what she called his ‘cruel and unnecessary head games’.
After discussing their strategy for the umpteenth time, they finally heard the crunching of a car pulling up to the front door.
“It’s show time,” Cammie replied as Doc went to open the door, and Mantree slipped into Doc’s study. A few moments later, Lily swept into the living room, her rich perfume floating after her. She was beautifully dressed in rust colored slacks and a black leather vest over a white silk shirt. On her feet she wore rhinestone encrusted flats. She tore off her sunglasses when she saw Cammie.
“Okay, I’m convinced you have a thing for short, disagreeable, gay men,” she responded acidly.
Cammie ignored the remark.
“Would you care for some coffee?” Doc asked.
“Just give me the damned paperwork so I can sign it and get the hell out of here. I’m leaving tomorrow night for the Caymans and I don’t have time to waste.”
“Yes, you mentioned that before,” Doc said. “However, before you leave, I thought you’d like to know that a body was discovered last week in the Sackett graveyard on the corner of Helen’s property. I’m sure you’ve seen it when you went to visit.”
“Of course there’s a body there. It’s a graveyard, isn’t it?”
“Quite right. But this particular body had no reason to be in that graveyard. In fact, that particular body had no reason being in the state of Maine. That is, if what you told us about Charles’ disappearance was true.”
Lily’s face paled though she remained defiant. “What nonsense are you going on about now?”
“Police found the body of Charles Evans under a pile of rocks in a corner of the graveyard,” Cammie spoke up.
“We also found Tom in the cabin Helen built in the woods,” Doc added. “You do know he’s waiting for you to return to look after him as he succumbs to cancer.”
Lily said nothing. Instead, she looked towards the front door.
“I don’t recommend you try that,” Cammie warned. “I’m faster than I look.”
Lily slowly sank down to the couch. “Why did you kill Charles?” Cammie continued. “Was it because you found out he’d tried to kill you and you thought you’d strike first? Is that why Helen died? Because she knew too much?”
The woman shook her head from side to side. “I – I didn’t kill Charles. It was an accident.”
“Suppose you tell us what happened.”
By this time Lily’s hands were shaking badly. She licked her red lips several times before she started to speak. “It seems Tom told you what Mother discovered about Charles. How he changed the wax on my skis, hoping I’d kill myself so he could inherit my estate.”
“He did.”
“I’m sure he also told you that he came as soon as he could to protect me from Charles. I wanted to confront the bastard. I wanted him out of my life. But I didn’t have the courage to do it alone. I thought if he’d tried to kill me once, he could certainly do it again. So we arranged to all meet at Mother’s house.”
“What happened?”
“There was a terrible argument. Charles was livid that we would accuse him of such a thing. How dare I even think that he would try to kill me? It was utterly ridiculous. Finally, I couldn’t stand his lying anymore. After screaming at each other for who knows how long, I ran upstairs to my mother’s bedroom to get away from him. He followed me where we grappled. I pushed him and – and-” She passed a trembling hand over her forehead.
“And what?” Doc prompted.
“He fell down the stairs. I
didn’t mean to do that. I was just so upset, so angry at the hurtful things he was saying. He landed at the bottom of the stairs in the most awful position. Tom examined him and told me he’d broken his neck. I couldn’t believe it. I never wanted him to die – not like that. I didn’t know what to think, what to do. I panicked. Tom saw how upset I was and told me he’d take care of it. He and Mamma decided to put him in the cemetery. I thought it was crazy. They should have just buried him somewhere on her property. My God, she had acres of land. No one would ever find him. But she refused. She insisted they bury him in consecrated ground. As if it mattered. After what he’d done, I doubt burying him where they did was going to get him a one way ticket into heaven.”
“Are you trying to tell me,” Doc asked, the sarcasm heavy in his voice, “that Tom, as ill as he was, actually had the strength to move all those rocks in order to bury Charles?”
“I know what you’re implying and you’re wrong. I did not go out to the cemetery with them that night. I always assumed Mother did most of the heavy lifting. After four years living in that wilderness, she’d grown very strong, despite her age.”
“So Helen took care of this mess, just as she’d always taken care of your messes,” he replied acidly.
Her eyes flashed as she regarded him. “I swear to you, it was an accident. I never meant for him to die like that. He wasn’t supposed to die.”
Doc looked over to Cammie. She took a step towards Lily. “An autopsy was performed on Charles last week. He was still alive when he was buried under the rocks.”
Lily caught her breath as her hand flew to her mouth. “No, that can’t be true,” she whispered in horror.
“Did you kill Helen to cover up the death of Charles?” Cammie asked.
“What are you saying? She was my mother! I would never hurt her.”
“Tom tried to tell us Charles killed Helen. Just as you did. But he was already dead when Helen was killed.” Cammie sat down next to Lily. “You lied to us, Lily. You’ve lied to us from the very beginning. You’re either protecting Tom or protecting yourself. Which one of you killed Helen?”
Lily stared at her in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. At that moment, Mantree came out of Doc’s study. Lily recoiled when she saw him.
“Lily Evans, you are under arrest for the murder of Helen Carsgrove,” he intoned.
“How could you do this to me?” she screamed at Doc. “I didn’t do it. I swear to you, I didn’t do it!”
Mantree ignored her as he pulled her to her feet and handcuffed her, all the while reading her rights above her tearfully loud protests. He then led her out to the back of Doc’s house where he’d hidden his cruiser. Doc and Cammie followed. He put her into the back of the vehicle, slammed the door and turned to the two.
“I don’t know how this case would have turned out without your perseverance, Sheriff Farnsworth,” he replied. “I want to thank you for all you did and apologize for giving you such a hard time-” His cell phone rang, interrupting him. He held up his finger as he answered it.
“Lieutenant Mantree here.” He listened, his face growing darker with each passing moment. “Are you sure about that?” he asked tersely. He then hung up the phone, shoved it angrily into his pocket and opened the back door. He pulled Lily out and removed the handcuffs. “You’re free to go,” he said through clenched teeth.
“You’ll hear from my lawyers,” she threatened. She then turned to Doc. “As will you and your ugly sidekick!” She spun on her heel and stomped towards the front of Doc’s house.
“Did she just call me ugly?” Cammie asked Doc.
“I’m afraid she did,” he answered. They both turned to Mantree, who was leaning against the cruiser looking defeated and frustrated. “Dare we ask what happened?” Doc asked.
“One of my officers went to Hightower’s cabin to question him further. They found him dead. A self- inflicted gunshot through the mouth. He left a note detailing what happened, taking full responsibility for the deaths of both Charles Evans and Helen Carsgrove and exonerating Lily Evans. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’ll fax you a copy when I get back to HQ.” Mantree opened the door to the cruiser. Just before he climbed in, he turned to Cammie. “If you ever get tired of being a sheriff in a tiny, backwater town, look me up. We need people like you on the force.”
A few moments later, he was gone.
“That was anti-climactic,” Doc said when they were alone. “So Sherlock, what do you make of all that?”
“Tom was so in love with Lily and so eager to protect her, it’s easy to see him burying Charles, not caring if he was alive or not. As for Helen, up until the changes to her last will and testament, she was willing to do anything and everything to save her daughter’s reputation. Did that include burying a man she knew was still alive? If so, I can only surmise that the guilt was too much to bear. She may have told Tom she couldn’t live with it anymore and was going to call the authorities. Tom couldn’t have that. Although he was already dying, he couldn’t allow this huge scandal to besmirch his beloved’s life or reputation. He and Helen probably argued and he shot her. He then overdid it to either make it look as though a person who hated Helen was responsible for her death, or maybe he himself was so enraged that she would jeopardize Lily’s happiness that he shot her seven additional times and ransacked the house for good measure.”
“What made you suspect that a body might be buried under those stones?” Doc asked as they walked back towards the front of his cabin.
“Helen herself and where her body was found. I couldn’t understand why she kept going to the Sackett’s graveyard. It just wasn’t making any sense. It wasn’t until I saw a pile of stones in my own yard that I made the connection. She wasn’t just standing there for the view. She was standing there because she knew someone who was buried there. Someone she herself had put there.”
They reached the front porch where Cammie leaned up against one of the posts. “I also suspect that’s the answer to our $500,000 mystery.” When Doc gave her a puzzled look, she explained. “The last sundry item was paid out in mid-March. I bet that was Helen’s way of thanking Tom for what he did for Lily by donating that money to save his charity from going under. That’s also why she raised the amount of her bequest to Tom.”
“How awful that despite her generosity, he was the one who ended up murdering her,” Doc sighed sadly.
“I also believe that the reason she hid the construction payments was because she wasn’t building it as part of a camp for inner city kids, even if that’s what she told Tom. I’m convinced she was building it for him all along. Bitsy told us how highly she thought of him. She knew he was dying. She also knew how much he wanted to be left alone. Heck, if it weren’t for that bill you received, we still wouldn’t know the cabin was there. This was her final gift to him -- a quiet, private space she created where he could die the way he wanted. It was also a way for her to make up for all the heartache Lily put him through. As you said, it’s cruelly ironic that she did all this for him, only to die at his hands.”
To Cammie’s shock, Doc reached over and gave her a hug. He’d never been the touchy feely sort and she didn’t quite know what to do.
“You’ve been patient and wonderful through all of this,” he said when he let her go. “I don’t think I could have gotten through it all without you. No matter what occurred, you wouldn’t let this go. You had to find out what happened. I shall be forever grateful to you for that. If you ever decide to leave Twin Ponds, I will personally wrap myself around your ankles and not allow you to go.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Cammie whispered when he released her.
“I’d like to think you’re right. She went along with Tom’s plan in order to protect the family name. To continue to appear perfect in the eyes of the world. However, she realized she couldn’t do that anymore. I’ll remember her for dying trying to right a wrong, no matter what kind of scandal it would have created. Sh
e lost her life trying to be a decent human being.”
“I’m also sorry for Tom’s family. I’m sure this is going to get out one way or the other.”
Doc gave a sad nod of his head. “This is going to make the pain of his loss even harder to bear. First he betrays them by not telling them of his illness. Then they discover he murdered two people before committing suicide.”
“I think the most heartbreaking part is wondering if, when he pulled the trigger, he knew Lily wasn’t coming back.”
Doc glanced at her. “I shouldn’t feel sorry for him. He murdered my mother and Charles in cold blood. Nevertheless…” he murmured under his breath.
They reached Cammie’s Explorer. Before she climbed in, she asked, “I suppose it’s safe to assume you’re not giving her $75 million.”
He snorted. “She will get her $10 million because that is what Helen wanted. But not one penny more. I’m going to follow through on my original plan of making Helen’s property a place for underprivileged children to enjoy. You’ll also be happy to know that I spoke to her attorney in Maine. I’ve arranged to have all of Henry Harding’s debts paid, as well as give him a sizeable settlement for his pain and suffering. I’m also giving Will Sackett back ownership of the land where his family cemetery is located. It’s the least I can do.”
Cammie smiled. “So you’re kinda cleaning up Helen’s mess, aren’t you?”
He smiled back. “Like mother, like son.”
EPILOGUE
The next morning when Cammie arrived at HQ, she found a fax waiting for her from Mantree. After getting her coffee, she sat down at her desk and carefully read it, the writing scratchy and sometimes difficult to decipher, as though Tom willed himself to make this confession with his last, dying breath.
I take full responsibility for both the deaths of Charles Evans and Helen Carsgrove. Charles was a brute and a hedonist who didn’t deserve to continue to live and torture his wife Lily. She told me of the many instances he physically abused her during their marriage. As a gentleman, I could not allow that to continue. When he fell down the stairs at the home of Helen Carsgrove, I knew he was still alive. Not wanting to upset Lily any further, I lied and told her he was dead. Helen made the decision to bury him in the Sackett graveyard. She knew the family. She knew Mr. Sackett was laid up in the hospital. She also knew his son would never visit the graveyard, in spite of his promises to his father to do so. The stones were already there. It seemed the perfect place to deposit the body. With what little help I could offer, we buried Charles under that pile of rocks. We then concocted the story that Charles faked his death in a boating accident in California in order to escape a gang of criminals who wanted him dead. In order to lend credence to this story, I hired someone to impersonate Charles in California and Maine. Do not try to find this person; you never will. As a criminal himself, he was desperate to flee the United States. We made sure he had the funds to do so.
