From Port to Rigor Morte

by J. C. Eaton

  “I hope you’re right,” I said. “About them being lost and not taken.”

  “Will you let me know? You can call the school and leave a message.”

  “I will.”

  Sally Lynn reached over and took my wrist. “Try to keep positive. And thanks for returning my bracelet. You have no idea what it means to me.”

  And you may have given me the break I needed to find Eli and Stuart.

  I had to admit, I liked Sally Lynn, even though I had one suspect less. If nothing else, I was relieved I didn’t withhold evidence from Deputy Hickman since the bracelet had nothing to do with Brewer’s murder. Of course, the bungie cord was a different story, but I’d worry about that later. I had a more important mission to accomplish.

  If what Sally Lynn told me was true about the boys needing a combat and battle area, they needed to find a place that wasn’t populated. And what better spot than the one they were already familiar with—the large yard that separated Barbara’s rental house from the garage.

  Since Dresden was farther down the lake than Two Witches, I went east on 14A and crossed over to Route 14. Then I stomped on the gas and crossed my fingers I wouldn’t get picked up for speeding. In less than thirty minutes I was parked across the street from the Dresden Hotel and anxious to see if my theory held up.

  With no one in sight I darted behind the house and headed straight to the perimeter of the garage. Granted, Theo and I had peered through the windows on our last sojourn but we hadn’t bothered to look at the ground. Who does? But something Sally Lynn told me made sense. If those boys were role-playing battles, they wouldn’t do it with cell phones in their pockets. The cost to replace them was prohibitive. If I was right and I found them on the ground, it would mean those boys had been abducted. Or worse. Even the most careless kid doesn’t forget his or her cell phone.

  There’s nothing worse than needing to find a piece of evidence and at the same time not wanting to find it for fear of what that would mean. I stalled for a few seconds and finally searched in earnest. Whenever I’d drop an earring, or worse yet, the back piece that held it to my ear, I used the widening circle approach. This was no different.

  I began at the center point of the yard with my eyes to the ground and gradually broadened my field. Nothing. I even double-skirted the perimeter and came up empty-handed. Suddenly I remembered something. When Eli and Stuart first showed up at Two Witches, I had them bring their BMX bikes into my office. And on the handlebars of each bike were red and black zippered cell phone bags. They didn’t stash their phones on the ground to play. They had them tucked away on their bikes.

  It was another dead end and I was exhausted. The sun had moved farther down on the horizon but it would be hours until it disappeared completely. Still, it wasn’t as if I had any other epiphanies regarding the whereabouts of those boys. I stepped past the garage and started to turn away when a blinding light hit my eyes. A reflection off something from the rear corner of the garage. Most likely a piece of scrap metal someone tossed back there.

  I was halfway to my car when I had an odd feeling. I turned and walked back to the garage to revisit the same spot where Bradley and I had spied on the poker players. A quick turn and I froze. Two BMX bikes were on the ground, inches from the garage. Their cell phone bags were undisturbed but it appeared as if someone had hastily tried to cover them with leaves and branches.

  A second later, something slammed into my back and I turned. It was a golden retriever, who proceeded to bounce around.

  “Rosie, no!” a voice called out. “Get back here.”

  A freckle-faced kid in his late teens raced over. “I’m so sorry. The clasp came loose on her collar and she took off. She’s only four months old and doesn’t know the neighborhood and neither do I. I’m visiting my aunt for a few days and going nuts. I dropped my Android and have to wait to get it fixed. But that’s not the worst. There’s no WiFi at her house, no computer, no nothing. Even the TV is on an antenna. All I can do is walk the dog.”

  He immediately put the collar back on the dog and apologized again. Then he glanced at the bikes. “I wonder if they belong to those two boys I saw getting into the back of a car yesterday afternoon. Geez, you’d think whoever picked them up would have put the bikes in the trunk.”

  Oh my gosh. He doesn’t know about the missing boys.

  I tried not to sound frantic. “Long story, but what did the car look like?”

  A sedan, I think. Maybe a small SUV. I didn’t look that close.”

  Rosie pulled on the leash and bounced even more. “I better get going before she really gets wild. Um, sorry again about her jumping on you.”

  Before I could respond, he took off running with Rosie at his heels. Visibly shaking, I dialed 911 as fast as my fingers would let me. The words flew out of my mouth as I insisted the emergency dispatch operator call Deputy Hickman and send him to the faded clapboard house diagonally across from the Dresden Hotel.

  .

  Chapter 34

  “Those are Eli and Stuart’s bikes,” I said when Deputy Hickman rounded the corner of the garage and looked down. “But they weren’t abducted.” Directly behind him were three forensic lab techs. Whatever I’d managed to spew out over the phone caused enough alarm to have him arrive with a full team.

  He put his hands on his hips and didn’t move an inch. “That will be up to my office to determine. You didn’t touch the evidence, did you?”

  I shook my head. “Of course not. Um, you may want to start with those cell phone bags. I wager the phones are still there. You might be able to find out who they last called and what they were doing here, although I have a pretty good idea, which is why I’m here in the first place.”

  “Are you done rambling, Miss Ellington?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Good. Then you can begin by telling me how and why you’re here. You made no mention of it when we spoke earlier today.”

  I thought my response was poised and precise but in retrospect it was most likely a combination of words including, but not limited to: Lightseekers, Sally Lynn Confree, eavesdropping, Golden Retriever, and role-playing heroes.

  Grizzly Gary motioned for the forensic crew to work the scene before turning his attention to me. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you believe the boys were playing some game back here, saw a car pull up and hid behind the garage, where they overheard some adults talking. Then, for some inexplicable reason, the boys covered up their bikes and snuck into the vehicle belonging to one of the adults.”

  “Not only do I believe it, but some teen who’s here visiting an aunt verified it for me. He saw the whole thing but he took off before I had a chance to learn more. Listen, in the past week Eli and Stuart overheard bits and pieces of conversations related to the murders of Davis Brewer and Frank Liguori, but yesterday they must have heard something definitive. Like the murderer admitting to what he or she did. So they decided to become real action heroes and find out for sure. They were in such a hurry they forgot their phones.”

  “Or maybe they were kidnapped. Plain and simple. Who knows how credible your teen witness is.”

  “If they were kidnapped, wouldn’t there be a ransom demand?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “And besides, what kidnapper leaves the evidence behind? Those bikes aren’t big. In fact, they fit in my car, and most cars nowadays are SUVs with hatchbacks.”

  “Word of advice, Miss Ellington. Stick to your screenwriting. And don’t trespass on private property. Return home and leave the investigation to my office.”

  I didn’t say a word. I cut across the yard and was at the edge of the clapboard house when I turned around and shouted, “The property owner is Barbara Stanowicz. I’d start there if I were you.” Then, I took off before he could respond and didn’t stop running until I reached my car.

  Don and Theo were still inside the Grey Egret when I knocked on the door. It was five forty with no customer cars in their lot. I imagined that was the case at Two Witches as well.
The instant Don opened the door I let loose with everything that had ensued beginning with my trek to Dundee and conversation with Sally Lynn.

  Theo put his arm on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t beat yourself up. The sheriff’s office has trained personnel and resources to deal with it. At least you eliminated one suspect from the Brewer murder—that teacher in Dundee.”

  “Yeah, if it wasn’t for her I never would have thought about those boys role-playing. But who knows where they wound up?”

  Don stepped toward us. “I can guarantee sheriff’s deputies are getting a search warrant right now for Barbara’s house. And I don’t mean the rental. If she knows anything, maybe she’ll talk.”

  “I feel so useless. So absolutely useless. Like I should be doing something but I don’t know what.”

  “There’s nothing you can do. Maybe your witness was mistaken and it was a kidnapping. That forensic team will be able to pull prints from somewhere.”

  “Good grief. I never thought I’d be hoping for a kidnapping. Guess I’d better go home, feed the dog and see if anyone calls me.”

  Don and Theo both gave me hugs and told me they’d check back with me tomorrow. I got in my car and glanced at Two Witches before heading farther up the hill to the house. I could see Cammy’s car in the parking lot along with Glenda’s and Roger’s. I imagined they were tidying up and preparing for the next day. No sense bothering them.

  When I got inside the house I saw the landline blinking and pressed the answering machine. Two messages, and Zenora’s was first. Her voice was wispy and weird. No surprise there. “I sense closure. The bracelet has found its way home. Oh, Norrie, would that I could find a chant to prevent the eclipsing of darkness that is most assuredly headed your way. Do not take any bold moves until I come up with a plan.”

  Wonderful. Now Zenora’s going to come up with a plan.

  Even though I was the one who tracked down Sally Lynn and returned the bracelet, I felt as if Zenora deserved some thanks for the effort. Rather than return her call and risk getting caught up in heaven knows what, I sent her a simple heartfelt thank-you via text message.

  The next message was from Bradley. “Hey there! Your cell voicemail is full. I’ve got good news and bad. Or maybe bad and bad depending on the timing. That miserable case Marvin picked up in Rockland County has had a change of schedule. We’ve got to drive down there tomorrow instead of Thursday, so pizza is out, but the possible good news is that I might be back before the weekend. Call me.”

  Charlie butted his head against his food dish and shoved it my way. Thank you, Marvin, for dragging my boyfriend with you to Rockland County. Don’t we have enough rotten cases in Yates and Ontario counties?

  I managed a warm and cozy good-night call to Bradley before turning in for the night, but I still had a fitful night’s sleep. Bits and pieces of information piled up in every corner of my mind, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t put any of it together. Funny, but it reminded me of doing jigsaw puzzles with Francine when we were kids.

  “Just because the shapes sort of look alike,” Francine would say, “doesn’t mean you can shove them together and force them to work.” Much as I hated to admit it, that’s exactly what I was doing. That is, until the next day when I got the break I needed to have those pieces fit the way they were supposed to.

  Having worked all morning on my screenplay, I ambled down to Two Witches around noon. I wasn’t particularly hungry as much as I was restless. Figuring Grizzly Gary would be the one to track down Barbara, I let it go and didn’t bother to mess around with her social media. Big mistake. It would have saved me some time.

  At a little before two, Theo called to see how I was doing. “Someone from the sheriff’s office was in this morning to ask us if we’d put up a missing poster in our winery,” he said. “The boys are older-looking than they appear in their elementary school fall photos but they’re certainly recognizable.”

  “Yeah, first thing I saw at Two Witches was the poster on the wall when I went inside. This is awful. I hate to say it but I’m deadlocked.”

  “Then don’t say it because there’s one thing we both forgot about—the Coors guy you and Bradley overheard. That bartender knows who he is. All we need to do is chat with him once we get out of work.”

  “Don won’t mind?”

  “Don will be way too tied up with paperwork to mind anything. We’re in the process of getting a label for our new Lemberger wine. I hate the name Lemberger because all people think about is stinky cheese, but it’s a wonderful dry red. Spicy, tart, and well-balanced as far as tannins are concerned. If all goes well, we should have it bottled and ready to go by fall.”

  “I’m glad we’re not introducing anything new right now. Dealing with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is a nightmare.”

  “No kidding. At first Don considered getting an exemption so we wouldn’t need a certificate of label approval, but since all of our wines are distributed to neighboring states, that wasn’t an option.”

  “Yeah, any wine sold across state lines needs a stupid COLA.”

  Suddenly, my mouth went dry. Then, when I tried to continue, the words didn’t come out.

  “Norrie, are you okay? Did we lose the connection? Norrie?”

  “COLA! It wasn’t Coca-Cola Eli overheard. It was COLA—a certificate of label approval. And that name? What was it? Eli said his father and those men were arguing about a man named Marshall. Marshall . . .”

  Then Theo spoke. “Faash. Only it wasn’t Faash. It was foch—the wine! Maréchal Foch! That’s what they were arguing about. Good heavens, Norrie. Are you thinking what I am? That Henry screwed up and some of those bottles were labeled before the official approval?”

  “Hold on a second. I’m in my office. I can pull up the Speltmore wine list on the computer.”

  I never knew I could move my fingers so quickly across a keyboard. “Yep, it’s right here on the list, Maréchal Foch, a French hybrid, fruity to chocolaty flavors, not too overpowering, blah-blah . . . Oh my gosh. That has to be it.”

  “How much do you want to bet Frank and Boyd found out about Henry’s faux pas and were blackmailing him?”

  “That’s one heck of a motive for murder. But Henry? A killer? And how does that explain Brewer’s murder and Henry’s email about switching seasonal worker cooperatives to that new business with the temporary office in Penn Yan? I would have thought that would have been the payoff for blackmail. Besides, to the best of my knowledge, Henry never gave Frank an exclusive release.”

  “Aargh. All the more reason to implicate him. Yikes.”

  “There’s something else Eli mentioned. Remember? A silent partner.”

  “Barbara. It has to be her.”

  “Okay,” I said. “We’ll start with the bartender. I’ll be at your house at seven.”

  “Do we want to rehearse how we’re going to get him to talk?”

  “We don’t have time.”

  “Guess we’ll do what we always do. We’ll wing it.”

  “Works for me.”

  Chapter 35

  I didn’t expect the Dresden Hotel to be as crowded as it was on a Wednesday night until we got to the front entrance and read the sign, Wednesday spaghetti special—$7.99 meatballs and sausage.

  “This beats cold-cut sandwiches,” Theo said. “We can eat at the bar and I’ll get Don’s to go. I’ll text him now.”

  Had I given it some thought, I would have called ahead to ask if the bartender from last Friday would be working again on Wednesday, but thankfully he was. There were only three other people at the bar and plenty of open spots. Theo and I plunked ourselves down off to the right and ordered the special. Behind us we could see the missing children poster on the wall.

  “I’ll have a Coors Light,” I said. “I was here on Friday with a friend of mine and the guy sitting next to us drank a Coors. I hadn’t had one of those in ages.”

  The bartender nodded and glanced at Theo. “You wa
nt the same?”

  “Coors, yeah. Light, no.”

  The bartender laughed and walked to the middle of the bar. When he returned with our drinks I widened my eyes. “Yeah, sounded like that guy was really pumped up about his new business. Hard not to hear him.”

  “Yeah. Kelsey’s voice comes over loud and clear. Your meals will be out in a few minutes.”

  When he walked farther down to the left side of the bar I leaned closer to Theo and whispered, “Kelsey. Ring any bells? Because it should. Kelsey. From the freezer files. Kelsey. The name clicked because the only other Kelsey I know of is Kelsey Grammer, the actor. But this one might be the person whose new seasonal worker business was financed by good old Barbara. Boy, her name keeps cropping up like a bad penny.”

  “Do you remember the guy’s last name?”

  I shook my head. “No, but we’ve got the printouts of the file info. Text Don.”

  A few seconds later Theo held out his phone and showed me Don’s text—Extra meatballs and his last name is Arnet. He then motioned for the bartender and said, “Will you please add extra meatballs on the to-go order?” The bartender nodded and gave the swinging door to the kitchen a shove. The moment he returned with our napkins and silverware I said, “It didn’t sound as if that new business would be a coffee shop or a bakery. We sure could use those in Penn Yan.”

  “Nah, it’s an office for a seasonal farmworker cooperative. Between the wineries and the mom-and-pop farms that get overwhelmed, there’s a decent call for transient workers.”

  “But there’s already a cooperative here in Dresden.”

  “True, but if you’ve been following the news, their manager, Brewer, was found dead about a week ago. Lots of speculation in that hornet’s nest. Anyhow, I’m not sure what the status of that cooperative is right now.”

  “I heard he had a falling out with his former secretary, Barbara Stanowicz. Rumors sure fly around here.” And I just made that one up.