Merry Wrath Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9)

by Leslie Langtry

"Then she suggested I bring the girls in to research the history of their homes. It's a great idea. I'm sure I can find a badge or something to fit that."

  He nodded. "That does sound like a fun idea. And educational."

  "The only problem would be if the cabin is still roped off as a crime scene," I ventured.

  Rex thought about this. "I think we wrapped the investigation. The forensics team from Des Moines was able to come down today and collect evidence. But…"

  "What?"

  "It's not clean. By that, I mean that it's a mess from the investigation."

  I shrugged. "I'll clean it up in the morning."

  "It's a big job."

  "I can handle it." Time to bring the subject around to murder. "Ike Murphy was murdered, right?"

  He sighed. "Yes. Definitely murdered. And we have the weapon. An axe."

  "Any idea why?"

  "Merry…"

  "I thought we were going to work together on solving Mehitable Peters' murder. What if they're linked?"

  He rubbed his eyes. "I'm not sure how they can be linked, since they died more than one hundred years apart. Suspects from Mimi's murder would be dead by now. Even Edna Lou and her cousin are too young to have lived during that era."

  "Come on! Two axe murders." Okay, so I was reaching with that one. "It makes sense that they are linked."

  Rex didn't answer.

  I tried something else. "I knew a lot of Murphys growing up. But Ike is much older than me. I had no idea he existed."

  Rex looked at me for one long moment. "Okay, you're probably going to find out anyway. Ike Murphy lived in Who's There all of his life. For the last ten years, he's been a crossing guard and vice president of the Historical Society. He didn't have many friends, besides his cousin Edna Lou. And she's our prime suspect."

  "Are you sure?" I was skeptical. "She can't even hold an axe, let alone swing or fling it. And what's her motive?"

  "She knew the layout of that room better than anyone," Rex said. "She could've easily ambushed him. And there's the matter of the presidency of the Historical Society. Apparently he was gunning for her job."

  I narrowed my eyes. "You're saying that she killed her cousin because he wanted her job? A job that's a volunteer position?"

  "Anything is possible. Look, in my professional career, all but two years have been spent in other police departments. I've seen family members murder each other for much less. Once, a man killed his brother because he cut his grilled cheese sandwich diagonally instead of in rectangles."

  I was unconvinced.

  "It's no secret that Edna Lou loved her position, even if it was voluntary. I talked to people in the mayor's office today, and they said she was obsessed with it. This is her whole life. And when someone threatens that, you're capable of anything."

  I thought back to the dozens of framed pictures of people she wasn't even related to that filled the walls in her house. Rex definitely had a point. I didn't even have framed pictures of my parents…and I loved them.

  "Okay," I reasoned. "I'll watch her tomorrow and see how she reacts to things. Maybe I can find something new out."

  He sighed. "I'll call the station right now and have someone go down there to remove the crime tape and drop off the keys. I don't like the idea of you cleaning up the crime scene, but if you're determined…"

  "I am." Okay, so I wasn't, really. I had no idea how to clean up a crime scene, but it would give me an exclusive look at the cabin.

  "And don't worry about me." I smiled. "I know just the person to help me. Someone who knows how to clean just about anything."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Kelly wiped her forehead with her arm. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

  A bucket of dirty water sat at her feet, and she was holding a sponge. An hour into it and we were already tired. And it was hot. July had finally woke up and gone, "Whoa! People are comfortable? What?"

  "You're the only person I know who knows how to do this," I said as I wiped off a display of brochures. "And it's your troop too. You were the only choice."

  This wasn't totally accurate. I could've asked Dr. Body. She was a coroner and worked around this kind of thing all the time. But I wasn't ready for that step in our relationship. Oddly, cleaning up this crime scene seemed too intimate.

  "I'm not at work." Kelly said.

  "Well…" I looked dubiously at a pamphlet on agricultural technology in the 1960s, decided it was too far gone, and tossed it into the garbage bag I held. "Think of it as a service for your Girl Scout troop."

  I was pretty sure she growled, but she said no more. We worked hard. The cabin had a very weak air-conditioning system, so by the time we walked outside, we were soaked with sweat. Twelve little girls and Edna Lou stared at us. They were early. And there we were, covered in sweat and grime.

  The screams could be heard two counties away. I was still not sure it they were screams of joy or fear.

  Kelly quickly disposed of the cleaning supplies as the girls peppered her with questions.

  "Is that the crime scene?" Caterina's eyes grew wide.

  Ava asked, "Who was murdered?"

  "Did you do it?" Betty folded her arms across her chest.

  "Is that why you cleaned it up?" one of the Kaitlyns asked, looking a little too eager for an answer.

  "Was he a bad guy?" Hannah the First asked.

  Emily rolled her eyes. "Of course he was, or Mrs. Wrath wouldn't have killed him!"

  I left Kelly to respond to these questions and pulled Edna Lou aside. "Are you sure you want to do this today?"

  She looked astonished. "Of course I want to do this today! I've never seen this much interest in local history! Besides…" She sniffed delicately. "Ike would want it that way."

  The girls sat in the grass, and I addressed them.

  "We are guests here, and we will be respectful. This is Ms. Murphy and she knows all about Who's There's history. You will not ask weird questions. You will ask questions relevant to today's activities."

  "What's relevant mean?" one of the Kaitlyns asked.

  Betty rolled her eyes. "It's a movie where Leo DiCaprio gets mauled by a bear and almost murdered."

  "Ohhhh…" The gasp went up.

  "It means," Kelly said, "related. Ask about things related to what we will be doing here today."

  That was when Edna Lou, or Ms. Murphy to the girls, took over. She talked about the Historical Society and the cabin.

  "This cabin was the first home to Theobald and Euphemia Peters, the founders of this town. They lived in it for six months before moving into the big Victorian house on Main Street. There's a taxidermist there now."

  I felt a twinge of guilt for writing that check.

  "Why did he build a cabin?" Lauren asked, violating the unspoken code of raising her hand first. "Why not just build the house first?"

  Edna beamed. "That's an excellent question."

  "Very revenant." Betty nodded.

  I toyed with correcting her, but decided against it.

  "When they moved here, they were the only family in this location. Theobald had promised men in Des Moines that he'd build a lumber mill here for them to work in. So the lumber mill was the first building, after the cabin and before the house."

  "They also built a bar," Betty interrupted. "And a lot of people lost their hands in the lumber mill."

  "Betty!" Kelly hissed.

  "She's right," I said. "You can't fault her for doing their homework."

  "Why did they lose their hands?" Ava asked.

  Edna Lou looked conflicted.

  "Working in a lumber mill is very dangerous. Lots of big saws," I said. "People weren't always careful."

  It was true. Theobald Peters hadn't just built a lumber mill. He'd also built a tavern as an incentive for the workers to move here. Unfortunately, it had been open before the first shift of the day, and some of the inebriated workers had had accidents.

  Euphemia had become adept at patching up injured wor
kers and had changed the tavern's operating hours to start after the workday ended. Some believe she invented the first happy hour. Would Edna Lou add that tidbit to her goal of opening a historical museum here?

  Edna Lou picked up as if this most recent conversation hadn't happened. "The cabin is the original, but the furniture was lost over the years. So we turned it into an office and sort of museum. Want to see inside?"

  The girls were on their feet, but lined up politely, and they followed the elderly woman into the building. With the lights on and the blinds up, sun streamed into the little room. Edna Lou indicated where a bed would go and the location of the original fireplace. The girls listened with rapt attention.

  "I didn't even know this stuff," Kelly whispered to me.

  "You mean you weren't paying attention in Mrs. Walford's class in fourth grade?" I gasped with sarcasm.

  She ignored me. "I can't believe two people lived in this one room. How did they manage?"

  I shrugged. "Iowans lived in sod huts too. Can you imagine having earthworms crawling on your walls?"

  She shot me a look. "I don't think I could've been a pioneer woman."

  "You're joking. You of all people could handle it."

  I wondered if they'd had cats. Images of Philby looking angry in the one window in the cabin—or looking angry to have to sit on a dirt floor—flooded my mind. At least back then she wouldn't have to suffer the fact that she looked like Hitler. He hadn't been around yet.

  "The reason you're here today…" Edna Lou was speaking, and I elbowed Kelly. "Is to learn a little more about the town history by finding out the history of your houses. Does everyone know their address?"

  I almost snorted. Of course they did. That had been one of our first meetings as a troop—learning personal safety measures by memorizing your address and phone number. The next meeting had been about defending yourself with sticks. I'd wanted to follow up with using cacti as a weapon, but Kelly had shot it down.

  "Let's divide into three groups of four," Edna said, motioning to Kelly and me as she handed out copies of a blank map of the town. "You'll need to find your street and mark where your address is."

  Edna took the four Kaitlyns. Kelly took the two Hannahs, Inez, and Caterina. Which left me with Ava, Emily, Lauren, and Betty.

  The map was easy to follow. Every street was marked, so each girl easily figured out where their house was and drew a house on the map. Most of them were little boxes with a triangle for a roof. Betty's had a motorcycle, a bleeding stick figure, and five werewolves who looked like they were somewhat responsible for the stick figure's predicament.

  Once all the addresses were accounted for, Edna Lou pulled a large map from one of the filing cabinets and taped it to a dry erase board. She handed each girl a little square magnet and asked her to place it on the map where her house was. Kelly and I were invited to do the same. When we were finished, fourteen little squares dotted the map.

  "Well done!" Edna clapped her hands together. "And we are all over the map, which makes it interesting, doesn't it?"

  The girls nodded sincerely. They were into this project. Which made me proud of them. I made a mental note to let the elementary school at the end of my block know about this. I thought other kids would like it too.

  That, and there really weren't too many places to go for field trips in Who's There. We had a hospital and a small zoo. Occasionally kids could tour city hall or the police department, and one time there was a rather unfortunate trip to the sewage treatment plant that people still discussed in horrified, hushed tones, but that was rare. Now, they had the Historical Society too.

  "Let's start here," Edna was saying as she pointed to the northwest corner of town.

  There were two houses there, belonging to each of the two Hannahs.

  "This corner development is the newest part of Who's There," she said. "Before that, the land had belonged to the government, with hopes of resettling the Ho-Chunk Indians here."

  I did not know that.

  "In the 1970s this land was developed into the houses you see today."

  "Was there an Indian cemetery?" Lauren asked.

  The other girls looked at the two Hannahs with envy in their eyes.

  "No," Edna said, as if she heard this question every day. "The Ho-Chunk tribe wasn't interested in moving. It was just government land."

  "Maybe it's Iowa's Roswell!" Inez said eagerly. "If it was owned by the government, maybe they buried aliens there!"

  Edna Lou looked to me for help, but I just shrugged because I thought it was a fair question.

  Kelly interjected, "If there'd been aliens buried there, the contractors would've found them when they dug the basements of those houses."

  Hannah Number One piped up. "We don't have a basement."

  Hannah the Second nodded eagerly. "We don't either!"

  The girls squealed with delight, once again envious of the placement of the Hannahs' homes.

  "Um…okay…" Edna said finally. "Next…" She pointed to the northeast corner of town, adjacent to the last area.

  "This land had been originally owned by the railroad, which you know, runs past it. In 1939, the railroad decided to sell. They sold to farmers who'd lost their farms in the Great Depression and had to move into town."

  "The Great Depression?" more than one girl asked.

  "It was a time"—I gave an overly simplified explanation—"when a lot of people lost money and were poor."

  "They lost their money? Like Mehit…Meh…Mimi?" Ava asked.

  One of the Kaitlyns spoke up. "Did they hide it and make a treasure map?"

  "Why couldn't they find their money?" added another Kaitlyn.

  Edna smiled. She was getting the hang of my troop's quirkiness. "There's no treasure map or buried treasure. That's just an old legend."

  "Yuh hunh!" Betty shouted and pointed at me. "We found the treasure map at Mrs. Wrath's!"

  Did Betty just rat me out on the map?

  Edna's eyes turned to me. I thought I detected a bit of excitement and hope in them. You could tell a lot about a person from their eyes. And it wasn't really their eyeballs I was talking about. It was the little wrinkling of skin around them. That was where the story came from.

  "Did I hear right? You found a map to Mehitable Peters' treasure?"

  I laughed and waved her off. "No, the girls are just confused."

  I tried to use my mind to tell the girls to be quiet and hoped they were listening.

  "We found a map, but I'm sure it wasn't the map." Technically this was true. There wasn't anything on the map that said it belonged to Mad Mimi or had anything to do with hidden treasure. Although, I was pretty sure it was hers.

  Edna came out of her stupor. "I'd love to see it. To rule it out, of course."

  "Does that mean," Emily asked, "that Mrs. Wrath lives on important land?"

  Twelve faces swung back to the old woman.

  Edna Lou looked at the map. I lived in the southwest corner of town. "That part of town was developed in the 1950s. It had originally been part of Eustace Peters' farm. When the family died off, the land was sold."

  She said the words as if in a trance. I understood that. This woman had devoted her life to the town's history. Mehitable's Map would be like finding the fountain of youth, or Jimmy Hoffa. But I didn't want to show her the map. Not yet anyway.

  "I'll bring it by," I said vaguely.

  The woman brightened and seemed to remember where she was and what she was doing.

  "Which leaves the southeast corner," she said. This was where all of the Kaitlyns lived. "This was the very first developed area, after the downtown area, that is. When the downtown area grew too large, they started building in this direction."

  "Why not work their way out like a spiral?" Inez, future urban planner, asked.

  "That would make sense, wouldn't it?" Edna nodded. "But the land on three sides belonged to the government, the railroad, and Eustace Peters. Land in the southeast was open. That's when we
had a wave of Irish immigrants move here."

  Edna Lou launched into a history of Irish immigration, and Kelly pulled me over to the side.

  "Are you going to show her the map?"

  "Not until I have to," I whispered. "I think we'd better make a copy of the map before we share it with anyone else."

  Kelly looked toward the girls. "Good idea."

  That was when I noticed that the room had gone quiet. I turned to look and saw that the girls and Edna were all staring at something in the corner on the floor. The corner where Ike's body was found. Had we missed something?

  I pushed past everyone and looked in the direction they'd been staring. Something shiny was sticking out from under one of the cabinets. Getting down on my hands and knees, I reached under and pulled out a gold bar.

  Now, how did that get there?

  CHAPTER NINE

  "Mehitable's treasure!" Lauren gasped.

  The other girls nodded. Edna Lou's eyes grew round, and the hair on my arms started to rise as I wrapped a piece of cloth around it in a vain hope of protecting fingerprints. The bar was heavy and warm in my hands.

  Most people had never seen a gold bar up close. I wasn't one of them. A drug kingpin, Carlos the Armadillo, whose cabal I'd infiltrated, kept hundreds of the things around his lair. He had a problem with banks, thinking the CIA was after his money.

  In the end, once he was arrested, his fears became reality when the CIA confiscated the gold. He was not happy.

  The girls and Edna Lou surrounded me, which was difficult in the tiny building. Kelly had her cell out and was calling Rex. It disappointed me a little because it seemed like an excellent clue. But a large gold bar is not easy to hide on your person—especially in July.

  "Wow!" the four Kaitlyns exclaimed

  Ava reached out to touch it, but I pulled it back. "Fingerprints," I said.

  The girl nodded and withdrew her hand.

  "Let's go outside," Kelly suggested. "It's too hot in here. Who wants to play a game?"

  The girls screamed and ran outside. They were playing red rover before we even suggested it.

  In the sunlight, the gold was dazzling. Kelly, Edna Lou, and I formed a circle around it, staring. I had to admit, it was beautiful. Hypnotic even. I lifted it to look at the inscription on the top.