by J A Whiting
Did Sofia Rizzo, the woman from Boston who was seeing Warren, think Maura Wells was Warren’s wife? Did she decide to kill Warren and his “wife”?
How does it all connect to Elise? Or does nothing connect to Elise?
Lin glanced around the grounds of the inn hoping that the ghost would make an appearance, but no cold air swished over her and Elise did not show up.
How am I going to figure this out?
After two hours working at the inn and hotel, Lin and Nicky got into the truck and drove out of the main part of town over the cobblestone road heading to the next client. Instead of turning left, Lin steered the truck in the opposite direction deciding to take a quick detour up Academy Hill. She parked at the corner, told the dog she’d be right back, and walked a few yards to stand in front of the inn that had once been the old factory building.
Ten minutes passed and Lin gave up so she turned around to go back to her truck when someone at the corner caught her eye and a cold breeze blew against her.
Wearing the usual long, light blue dress, Elise stood shimmering and translucent next to Lin’s truck, her face sad.
“You aren’t wearing your necklace,” Lin said to the ghost.
Elise’s hand went to her collarbone and a single tear ran down her cheek.
“Are you buried somewhere in the inn?”
The ghost’s expression didn’t change.
“Can you lead me to the place where you are buried?” Lin asked softly.
Elise’s eyes held Lin’s, but still her expression didn’t change.
“If I find out who killed Maura Wells and Warren Topper, will it lead me to who killed you?”
The atoms of Elise’s form glowed red as blood, swirled like a whirlwind, flared and evaporated.
I’ll take that as a “yes”.
17
Rosalind McKenna welcomed Lin and Viv into her beautiful, palatial home near Miacomet beach. She led them outside to sit on teak chairs covered with large comfortable white cushions under a flower and vine covered pergola. On the table, cold beverages had been set up in coolers filled with ice. The yard was like something out of a gardening magazine and Lin wanted to ask who did their landscaping.
Rosalind was tall and thin with auburn hair cut to chin-length. “I know Libby from town events. She asked me to have a chat with you. She mentioned you do some research for the town police.”
Lin nodded even though what Libby told the woman was not quite accurate. It was a loose arrangement where Lin and Viv reported to Libby what they found out about a case and then Libby would pass it on to her detective friend.
Lin said, “Your friend, Maggie Topper, told us she came to visit you on the day her husband passed away.”
“She did, yes. What a stunning turn of events. Warren gone. It’s just unbelievable.” Rosalind shook her head.
“You’ve known the Toppers for some time?”
“We met here on-island. It must be nearly twenty years now.” Rosalind looked down at her hands. “It is shocking how time flies.”
“What were your plans with Maggie that day?” Viv asked.
Rosalind looked up and blinked. “We planned lunch here in the garden, and maybe a drive out to ‘Sconset.”
“Did you go out to ‘Sconset?”
“We didn’t. Maggie was later than we’d planned to meet so we just had lunch and sat on the porch talking.”
Something about what Rosalind had said picked at Lin. “How did Maggie seem that day?”
“Her usual self,” Rosalind said. “I’ll modify that. Maggie has seemed tense since around the beginning of August. She has a demanding job. She loves it, but at times, it causes her to stress. When she came for lunch, she was showing signs of stress.”
“How so?” Viv asked. “How did her feelings manifest?”
“A little jittery, a little short-tempered, irritable. Distracted. Small things that only a friend would notice.”
“And Maggie attributed it to work demands?” Lin asked.
“Maggie never addressed her moods. I noticed her tension and chalked it up to her work.”
“You said she was late arriving for lunch?” Viv asked.
“She was. By about forty-five minutes. She told me she was running late.”
“Did she say why she was running late?” Lin felt uneasy, but couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
“I didn’t ask. I assumed she was getting some work done. Maggie works from her house here in Nantucket in the summers. Sometimes, she flies back home for some meetings. It’s quite common for working people to do that from here. We’re lucky to have such a wonderful airport.”
“Has she traveled back and forth a lot this summer?”
“I’d say the usual amount,” Rosalind said
“Did you notice anything that seemed to be bothering Maggie lately, maybe other than her work?” Viv asked.
Rosalind adjusted in her seat. “No, I don’t think so.”
“And how were things between Maggie and Warren?” Lin asked.
The silence stretched out for several long moments.
“How do you mean?” Rosalind asked.
Lin was pretty sure the woman knew what she meant. “Was the marriage strong?”
“I think so,” Rosalind said in a soft voice.
“Were there any indications that there might be cracks in the relationship?”
“Did you ask Maggie about this?” Rosalind asked.
“We did talk to her about it,” Lin used an easy tone. “We’d like to get your impressions as well. Things don’t always go smoothly in life. There are ups and downs. Where were things with Maggie and Warren?”
“I’ve seen them closer over the years.”
“Do you think they were growing apart?” Lin asked.
“They’ve been married for more than twenty-five years,” Rosalind said and shook her head. “Things can get stale. Marriage has to be worked at.”
“Do you think Maggie and Warren were working at their marriage?” Viv questioned.
“I think so.” Maggie’s voice was weak.
“Were they unfaithful?”
“Oh. I don’t know about that. I don’t think Warren….”
“Would cheat?” Lin asked.
“I don’t think he would.”
“Why do you say that?” Viv used an encouraging tone.
Rosalind took in a long breath. “Maggie wouldn’t put up with infidelity. Warren had a very nice life. Maggie is very, very wealthy. I don’t think Warren would jeopardize his position.”
“So Warren wouldn’t cheat because he didn’t want to lose the money he married into?”
“I know it sounds crass. Warren did very well in his career, very well.”
“But?” Lin asked.
“But the level of wealth is different. Maggie is in a different echelon. If Maggie left Warren, his life would never be the same.”
“Did Maggie let Warren know that?”
Rosalind rubbed her arm. “I believe she probably did. I enjoy Maggie’s company. She’s intelligent, well-read, knows everything. And she does not lack confidence, she’s hard as nails. It’s part of the reason she does so well in business.”
“Did Warren have any enemies? Did he have trouble with a client or a colleague?”
“I don’t know anything about that.” Rosalind gripped the arms of her chair. “He must have had an enemy, right? Someone killed him.”
Sitting on Viv’s deck under the dark night sky, the cousins ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches with cups of tea while Nicky and Queenie watched fireflies and listened to an owl hoot from the trees a few streets away.
“What did you think of our visit to Rosalind?” Lin blew on her hot tea.
“She was careful. Was it because of her friendship with Maggie or was it because she’s afraid of Maggie?”
“Some of both,” Lin said. “Maggie seems to be a force to be reckoned with. I would not want her in my social circle.”
“I don’t thi
nk you’ll ever need to worry about that.” Viv smiled and then took some baby carrots from the plate of cut-up vegetables.
“I don’t suppose I do.” Lin looked out over the dark yard and at the little white lights Viv had strung along the fence at the back of the property. “What’s going on with this case? Maura Wells and Warren Topper knew each other. They argued. Someone killed them … so they had a common enemy. Why did they? How did they know each other?”
“Investments?” Viv asked. “Did Warren mess up Maura’s investments? Did she lose everything she had?”
“Who would kill them? Why?” Lin set her sandwich down. “We’ve talked about this earlier. Sofia Rizzo, the woman Warren was seeing in Boston, could have killed Warren and Maura. She could have mistaken Maura for Warren’s wife.”
Viv said, “You told Libby this. She must have shared it with the police. Did they go to talk to this Boston woman? Where was she on the days Maura and Warren were poisoned? Should we go talk to her?”
“If she is the killer, is it smart for us to approach her?” Lin asked. “It might not be a good idea. And how does this killer connect to Elise?”
“Are you sure there is a connection?” Viv asked.
“There is. Definitely. I know it.”
Viv added a little sugar to her tea. “How can there be a connection from two hundred years ago to today? I’m baffled.”
“Maybe we should focus on researching the past,” Lin suggested. “I’m not doing enough to help Elise.”
“Okay. So what we know so far is that Elise was Maura Wells’s ancestor. Someone killed both of them. Elise’s body was never found. Maura was poisoned.”
Lin said, “We also know that three men owned the silk factory. Elise worked in the factory. A man named Vernon Willard was the accountant and financial officer of the factory. He made a fortune through investments in businesses. Maggie Topper is related to Vernon Willard.”
Viv sat up. “There really are a number of connections between the past and present, but which one will help us find what we’re looking for?”
Nicky stood up and let out a growl as Queenie arched her back and hissed.
The doorbell rang and Viv and Lin both jumped.
“Who could that be this late?” Worry washed over Viv’s face.
“Should we just sit quietly and hope whoever it is will go away?” Lin was only half-joking.
“Come on.” Viv headed into the kitchen to go to the front door. The cat and dog shot past her for the living room.
Viv opened the door with Lin standing right behind her and the two animals pushing around her legs to see who was calling on them.
Maggie Topper stood on the front steps, her eyes blazing and her face looking tense and angry. Her Mercedes was parked at the curb. “Who do you think you are? Rosalind McKenna called and told me what you were asking her about. Really? You have a nerve.”
“Would you like to come in?” Viv asked. “Would you like some tea? We can talk.”
“No, I would not.” Maggie’s voice was loud and forceful and she made Viv nervous. “What are you trying to do? Make a mockery of my marriage to Warren? The man is dead. My husband was murdered. Poisoned. And you go around asking if we were unhappy with each other?” Maggie poked the air with her finger. “If you want to do something, then find the murderer. Give my husband some peace. Let me have closure.” Tears of frustration welled in the woman’s eyes and she batted them away. About to say more, Maggie stopped. She turned and headed down the steps to go to her car. “Just leave me alone. And my friends, too.”
Viv quietly shut the door. “Wow,” she said softly. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Lin was shaken by the woman’s brief visit. Her heart raced and a mix of different emotions washed over her. Guilt. Surprise. Some fear at Maggie’s tirade. “She knows we’re trying to find the killer. The search requires that we talk to people.”
“She feels her privacy has been compromised,” Viv said, “and so she lashes out.”
Unease slipped over Lin’s skin and anxiety pulled at her stomach. “I don’t like it,” she told her cousin. “Lock the door.”
18
It was early evening when Jeff met Lin at the bookstore café. As he walked to the table, he smiled at Nicky and Queenie sleeping in their upholstered chair by the bookshelves.
“Those two look comfortable.” Jeff took a seat next to Lin, leaned over, and kissed her.
“They’ve had a hard day,” Lin joked. “Queenie spent the day here with Viv, and Nick was busy snoozing in the grass in my clients’ yards while I worked.”
“Tough lives.” Jeff went to the counter to order and returned with a bowl of soup and a coffee. “How is the case coming along?”
“It’s stuck.” Lin frowned and pushed her books, notes, and laptop to the side. “I don’t know what to do next. I’ve been reading old news articles and history books. I don’t know how to find Elise’s killer. There’s no one alive to interview about it.”
“What about Maura Wells and Warren Topper? Is there anything else you can do on that?”
Lin told Jeff about the late-night visitor to Viv’s house. “She was steaming angry. It bothered me for the rest of the night. When I went home, I made sure every door and window was locked. I tried to do some crossword puzzles, but I couldn’t concentrate. Maggie Topper’s face kept popping into my head. I know I was overreacting, but her visit really threw me. We’re trying to help. We’re not gossips or busy-bodies.”
Jeff kidded, “Well, not in this case anyway.”
Lin smiled and bopped him lightly with her elbow. “I’ve been thinking about the note found with Maura Wells on the day she was poisoned. One down, two to go. There was no note found with Warren. Why not?”
“There could have been a note, but maybe the killer was in a hurry or people were around, so he couldn’t leave it without risking being seen doing it,” Jeff said.
“That’s a good possibility.” Lin fiddled with her pen. “Why hasn’t there been an attempt on a third person? The note implies there will be three murders. It’s been days since Warren died. Why are things so quiet?”
Jeff rested his soup spoon on a saucer. “It might be because there’s too much attention on the crimes right now. When things die down, maybe the third attempt will take place.”
Lin nodded. “I was thinking the third victim could be out of reach right now. The person might be off-island or in a situation like being with lots of visiting family or friends that makes it hard for the killer to access him or her. He’s biding his time until he can find the victim alone.” Making eye contact with Jeff, she said, “Viv and I have been thinking of going to Boston for the day to look up Sofia Rizzo.”
“The woman who was having the affair with Topper? The woman you and Viv suspect may have killed Topper and Maura Wells? Are you planning to talk to her or just gather some information on her?”
“We thought it might be helpful to speak with her, but….”
“Lin,” Jeff’s tone was one of concern. “If she’s a killer and you approach her about what’s happened here, I don’t think she’d hesitate to hurt you.”
“I agree. We thought we might just go to Boston and scout around, or Viv wondered about making an appointment with the woman to ask questions about real estate investing. Sofia Rizzo is a real estate attorney.”
“Just don’t confront her,” Jeff cautioned.
Lin pulled over her laptop and kit some keys. “Here are some pictures of her.”
There were several photos on the screen of a tall, slim, attractive woman in her late thirties or early forties with long black hair and dark eyes.
“Why would someone put up with a guy who isn’t around often and doesn’t make a commitment?” Jeff asked.
“That could be all she wanted at first. If she’s the killer, what she wanted must have changed over time.”
“Or maybe she found out he was married and didn’t care to be lied to by cheating Warren,” Jeff sa
id.
A little wisp of an idea flickered through Lin’s mind, but it was brief and floated away before she could grasp at it.
“Can I see the history book with Elise’s picture in it?” Jeff requested.
Lin took the book from her pile and opened it to the page Jeff wanted.
“How old was she when she died?”
“Twenty-six,” Lin said.
“And she had a four-year-old daughter?”
“Yes, her name was Elizabeth. She went to live with her aunt on the mainland.”
Jeff stared at the picture of Elise in the line of women who worked at the factory. He leaned in closer to get a better look. “Elise is wearing her necklace in the photograph.”
“It must have had sentimental value because she wears it frequently,” Lin said.
Lifting his eyes to his girlfriend, Jeff said, “You got the impression from Elise that she was killed in the factory, right?”
“Yes. From her reaction when I asked her about it, I would say it was definitely the place where she was murdered.”
“Could anyone go into the silk factory or do you think the doors were locked?”
“My guess would be that it would be too distracting for the workers to have people coming and going. Maybe people could enter into the office section of the place, but I’d think the factory part would be off-limits to visitors. Why do you ask?”
“If only workers could be in the factory, then wouldn’t it have been a worker who killed Elise?”
Lin’s eyes widened. “For some reason, I doubt one of the women killed her and only women worked in factory production, but what about one of the men who handled the business side of things?” She reached for her notebook for the lists of workers from the time. “There were the three owners and the financial officer/accountant. There was a factory manager named Leland Cane and an assistant to him named Daniel Butler. There were men who tended the mulberry bushes and silk worms, but that was located in the Polpis area. What do you think was the motivation?”
Jeff said, “One of the men could have been attracted to Elise, but she didn’t reciprocate his feelings.”
