“It’s going to be like finding a needle in a haystack,” I said. I then turned to Andrew, “I guess Herman Butler won’t be having the cremation after all.”
“That wasn’t up for dispute by my client if you remember.”
“Do tell me what your clients interests were?” Agnes asked.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss it. Attorney-client privilege still stands.”
“Really?” Trooper Sales said. “That’s most interesting as your client may be a person of interest, wouldn’t you agree Mr. Hart?”
Andrew went to rubbing his neck and let out a sigh.
“I hope you don’t plan on leaving town, Mr. Hart,” Sales continued. “You know well as me that your story is suspect.”
“Suspect how?”
“Since nobody in town has even seen your client, how do we even know you really even have one?” He held up his hand up silencing Andrew. “For all we know you’re up to no good.”
“And you’re basing that on the fact I won’t reveal my clients name?”
“Until we find out who is responsible for this string of murders, nobody is off the suspect list,” Sales informed him.
“Have you also checked out the Butler Foundation?” I asked. “Like who the members are?”
“I have,” Trooper Sales said.
“And?”
“The members of the foundation are anonymous.”
“So it could be a cover or—”
“It’s often a common practice with charitable organizations.”
“Perhaps, but I do wonder why then would they prevent Herman Butler from being cremated?”
Sales smiled. “I guess that’s a job for a senior snoop.” The smile left his face as he faced Andrew again. “I sure hope you can share your clients name and soon. I hate thinking about you in this light, Andrew, but I have a job to do.”
“I’m sure in a few days all of this will be cleared up.”
“I certainly hope so for your sake, Mr. Hart.” Sales clicked his heels and went back into the library, and a deputy led us outside.
Andrew then drove us home in silence. I had no idea what he was thinking. I only knew that he certainly had better come up with some answers and fast.
When he dropped Eleanor off, Martha and I stayed in the back seat. I avoided looking up into the mirror at all costs. My mind was racing about who could possibly want both Herman and Betty Lou dead. What about the handyman and the maid from Robinson’s Manor? Had Betty Lou found out something that might have led to her death? And what about G.A.S.P.; where were they tonight? There had to be a connection… but what was it?
Andrew pulled into my campsite and let Martha and I out. We walked inside and as I turned to look back at Andrew, he just sat there in the LX waiting until we made it safely inside. He then left with a scattering of stones in his wake.
“This was quite a night,” I said as I pulled out a box of cashew caramel clusters from the freezer, crunching into one of the frozen goodies. “If I had any alcohol I’d take a shot.”
Martha went through her suitcases and took out a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and I retrieved shot glasses, setting them on the table. “This certainly didn’t go like I thought. Can’t you folks up north just have a party without someone turning up dead?”
“Sure we can, but the police still always show up for some reason.”
We clinked glasses and took the shot. I coughed a little. “I haven’t had any Jack since Lord knows when.”
“Me either, but after tonight it’s called for.”
“I wonder why Andrew just didn’t reveal his client name? Even with Attorney-Client Privilege it seems that his client has to be on public record somewhere.”
“Were papers filed at the courthouse pertaining to Andrew’s client?”
“Not that I know of, unless Andrew is not sharing that information with me.”
“You’re not thinking that man of yours is guilty of anything are you.”
“He’s guilty alright, he has helped people in the past.”
“How did that turn out?”
“He was right to protect his friend, and I know that Andrew would never do anything wrong.”
“That you know of.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s good because at your age it’s hard to find a good man.”
“I know that’s the truth. Andrew can be a stubborn man at times.” I agreed.
I gave Sophia a quick call and informed her about what had happened at Robinson’s Manor, leaving a message on her answering machine when she didn’t pick up. The whiskey had done its magic and I slowly made my way to my bed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I awoke the next morning and made my way toward the call of the morning coffee aroma. I poured a cup, stumbling my way to the refrigerator and poured in my vanilla creamer, filling it to the rim.
My phone rang and I answered it. “What?”
Sophia’s voice crackled somewhat as she spoke. “Gramms, please come over right away.”
“Okay,” I said as Sophia hung up.
Martha stood like a deer in headlights. “What’s up?”
“Sophia needs us to come over right away.”
“Did she say why?”
“No, but we better pick Eleanor up or I’ll never hear the end of it. I called El, but she didn’t pick up, and when I went over to her house, she wasn’t there. Using my key, I opened the door and items were tipped over not much different than at my place the other day. My trembling hand went into my mouth and I bit down worried what had happened to my dear friend.
“Oh my,” Martha said. “There is a note here and y-you might want to read it.”
I snatched it up, my eyes scanning the words scrawled across the paper. ‘Bring me the money or the old lady gets it!’
Is this real or a deliberate smokescreen? I don’t have any money.
I dropped the paper and watched as it spiraled to the ground. “We better get to Sophia’s place and find out what’s going on. S-She d-did sound quite frantic.” I dialed 911 en-route to Sophia’s place and reported Eleanor’s disappearance. We sped over to Sophia’s place and it was crawling with cops. I ran inside and Sophia hugged me tight. “Oh, Gramms, there was a break in and I was held at gunpoint! It brought so many bad memories back to me,” she cried.
I pulled her away, “What were they looking for?”
“Money, the man kept insisting that you had his money and he wanted it back.”
“H-He d-didn’t say anything about Eleanor did he?”
Sophia shook her head. “No, but he said before he left that she was next on his list.”
“What did this man look like?”
“Well,” tears dropped to her hands and I handed her a tissue. “He was tall and thin and wore d-dark clothing and a ski mask.”
I turned to Trooper Sales. “Sounds like the perp from the bank.”
“He tied me up.” She continued, “And if Bill hadn’t shown up this morning I’d still be trussed up like a turkey.”
“Why didn’t you check out and see if my granddaughter was okay after what happened at Robinson’s Manor last night, Sales?”
“Yeah, why not, trooper?” Martha added. “Aren’t you two hot and heavy or something?”
Bill coughed at that. “I was at the scene of the murder all night and only now made it here.”
“Are you dodging my question, trooper?”
“I-I’m not sure what you mean?”
“Seriously you two just get on with it already. All of East Tawas knows besides me, that the two of you are involved,” I said.
“I-I’m not sure what you mean, Gramms. I told you we were just friends.” Her eyes pleaded with me and I wondered in that moment if it hadn’t gotten past the point of friendship, and that my loud mouth might have messed things up for her.
“Sophia is way too young for me, Agnes, and we are such good friends that I’d never betray you that way without telling you first.”
Martha wrung her hand. “The note didn’t say who it was just that they wanted their money. We just assumed it might be a man with what Sophia just said.” Martha then slipped inside Sophia’s bedroom. I saw from the doorway Sophia was crying in her arms, telling her things that were best left to the two of them. It’s about time they caught up about things.
“So what now?” I asked Peterson.
“We better get over to Eleanor’s house and take stock of the place.”
I nodded and raced back home. I glanced about the place, but I couldn’t see anywhere money could be stashed. I grabbed my Pink Lady revolver, loaded it and stuffed it in my pants pocket. I had no idea who was responsible for terrorizing Sophia and kidnapping Eleanor, but I was about to get to the bottom of it.
When I stumbled down the steps, Leotyne was standing there. “What do you want, I’m in a hurry?”
“The Devil has your friend,” she said knowingly.
“Yes, I’m off to the Butler Mansion to get some answers.”
She nodded, pressing a necklace into my trembling hands. “Just remember, if facing down pure evil, to look it in the eye and tell it to go while holding onto that stone.”
I looked down at the blood-stone attached to the necklace she gave me, and then glanced up, but Leotyne was gone. I wondered how she moved so quickly, what with those long skirts and all. She must be hot as a furnace. Okay this woman freaked me out, but who knew, she might be a medium with insight into the supernatural world. At this point it made more sense to at least wear the necklace.
I raced to the Butler Mansion. It had to be a key to what was going on, that’s where the crime spree first started and I hoped that’s where I’d find Eleanor. Okay, so it was a hunch, but it couldn’t hurt to check it out. I, Agnes Barton, will not let anything happen to my sidekick or my granddaughter dang it all. It’s not like I could ever replace either of them.
As I made my way toward my car, Andrew whipped in. He ran to me and took ahold of my arms. “Where are you going?”
“To find Eleanor,” removing his hands from me. “Somebody took her and if I don’t give them the money they are going to kill her.”
“Let the police handle it.”
“Like hell I will!” I moved past him.
“I’m not letting you go alone, Aggie. I love you too much to see something happen to you.”
“Fine time to bring that up.” I smiled. “We have to hurry.” I raced to my car but he stopped me and ushered me to his vehicle instead. He then barreled toward the Butler Mansion. When we got out the door was wide open and we made our way slowly, exchanging a look like we were of like-mind.
“We should call 911,” Andrew said.
“No, I think we should go in and check things out first.”
He shook his head as we walked inside. I trembled as the figures carved into the woodwork of the staircase came into view. “That about scared the crap out of me,” I muttered.
He nodded, equally white-faced. We walked into the kitchen, but not a thing was out of place.
Andrew took a knife from the counter. “In case we need a weapon,” he whispered.
“You don’t have a gun or something?”
“No.”
“Well I do.” There was something about Andrew standing in the kitchen holding a knife that unnerved me. “You should put that down.”
“Why?”
“Because it never works out in the movies.”
“This isn’t a movie, Aggie.”
“I know, that’s what worries me the most.” I led the way up the stairs and we searched the second floor, but it was as empty as the main floor.
“We should go up to the third floor,” Andrew whispered.
“You mean the one everyone falls to their death from?” I asked.
“Yes, but I have a feeling there is something we need to see up there and it would be a great place to hide somebody, possibly Eleanor.”
As we continued on there was a tiny ladder with four steps that led to a door. “This mush be it.”
“Maybe I should go in first,” Andrew suggested.
“Go ahead if you think it’s easier for a man to get up there. That door is kind of small.”
“I have slipped into smaller spaces than that,” he winked.
I groaned at his suggestion or was it just my dirty mind. When he walked up there I heard a thump. I raced up the steps and as I entered the room, I saw Andrew had slumped to the floor. I knelt and turned his head toward me, my hands wet with his blood.
I bit my fist. “Oh my.”
“Oh my indeed,” a voice from the corner said as a lamp lit up. Sure enough, El was gagged and tied to a chair.
I faced Teresa, the maid who stared me down, but I didn’t let her intimidate me. Is this the face of evil that Leotyne had spoken about?
“So what gives?” I stared at her.
“What gives is that when my brother gets back, you and your friends are gonna fall out that window over there just like Mr. Butler and the handyman.”
I noticed the deep groves in the floor that led to El’s chair and knew how they had done it. They put that victim in the chair and simply opened the window and pushed them out. It was rigged that way. I was betting there was a mechanism on the bottom of the chair that would dump the person out quite easily. I glanced to where the maid stood and there was a chain dangling that led to the chair with a series of gears.
“Quite the setup.”
“I’m glad you’re impressed, Agnes. I have waited a long time for this.”
“For what?”
She sneered. “For the last Butler descendant to die, but he had to go off and marry the bimbo, so she had to go too.”
“However did your orchestrate that one?”
“My brother was her date at the party, simple really. Robinson’s Manor has secret passages and he got away easy enough in time to terrorize your granddaughter.”
“And the money he demanded?”
“Clever smokescreen don’t you think? He trashed your place up pretty good to further the assumption that you had something a goon or bad guy would want.”
“I did buy it at a police auction, one just never knows…”
“You’re tying to be clever aren’t you?”
“Not trying, I am.” I said confidently. “Did he also rob the bank?”
“He got desperate for cash. He’s really an ass, but he is useful in some regards.”
“And the maid that worked for Robinson’s Manor.”
She yawned. “I love this part best.”
“What are you talking about now or should I guess? She was instructed to tell the ghost story to make everyone in town think some sort of haunting was happening. You figured that it would make it believable if a ghost really did kill Mr. Butler and the handyman, not that you’d ever convince law enforcement of that.”
“You’re a real know-it-all, just like Jessica Fletcher.”
“I’m what you’d call a bad guy’s worst nightmare.” I coughed. “Your brother messed up when he killed Betty Lou, that crime just isn’t going away you know.”
She cackled, “You’re a bit overconfident in your abilities, dear.”
“So you wanted to stall the funeral just so you could finish off Betty Lou?”
“Pretty smart, but those ghost hunters made it hard to catch her unawares. The fundraiser was too good to be true. What better place for her to die then during a murder mystery at the scene of where horrific murders occurred twenty-eight years ago.”
“I’m guessing your brother was in the house the day Mr. Butler took a flight out the window. He opened and closed the window to scare me.”
She giggled. “It worked too.”
“What about the Butler Found
ation?”
“I’m the Butler Foundation, it sounds pretty official doesn’t it.”
“Yes it does, kudos for that one, but if you’re the Butler Foundation, why is murdering the Butler descendants to your best interest?”
“Because if they had gotten a lawyer they would find a loophole to take control over the foundation and the vast fortune.”
“You are aware of the fact that Herman has a daughter, right?”
“That hasn’t been proven yet, and before it is, she’ll have an unfortunate accident.”
“So you know who she is?”
“Not yet, but the lawyer there knows,” pointing at Andrew who still laid on the floor. “He’ll tell me when I threaten to kill you.”
I shook my head, “Before you actually kill me, right?”
“Of course; you must die too, along with the lawyer.”
“You seem to have everything figured out. I do wonder though…”
The door burst open and a tall thin man stepped inside. His face twisted into a sneer. “It’s about time, sister dear, that we finished this.”
“I’m betting she’s planning to finish you,” I said to the man.
“Brutus is the name, Brutus Buckerukus.”
I fanned my face as if having a hot flash. “That sure is a mouthful. I hope you know that your sister here plans to kill you too.”
Brutus faced his sister, the red scar on his cheek bulged as did his eyes. “What is she talking about?”
“Don’t listen to her, she’s just tying to get us to turn against each other,” she insisted.
“You’re the perfect scapegoat and everyone has seen you so why not blame you for all the murders. It make perfect sense to me,” I said.
His face displayed a variety of emotions. “She’s right isn’t she?”
“No, she’s not!”
I crept over to El while they argued and loosened her from the bindings. It was then that I heard a loud voice shout. “Grab Eleanor, she’s pulling the rope!”
I grabbed El and pulled her free, but the duo walked toward us, Brutus carrying a knife. I crept in the corner, both El and I pressed to the rafters. “Oh shit we’re gonna die!” El shouted.
Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 02 - Grannies, Guns and Ghosts Page 17
