Murder at the Ostrich Farm

by London Lovett

  Jasper seemed to be considering my suggestion but then he reached for the box of licorice drops. He opened the package. "That sounds possible, but how do you prove it?" he asked.

  "Not sure yet. If you're finally finished with your treat session, let's get back to the car. We need to take another trip out to the ostrich farm."

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  I hadn't spoken to Ruby much since Nate's murder, and she wasn't expecting us. I wasn't sure how we'd get past the gate. Jasper parked a block away from the farm near a small green space that was set with a bench and swing set for children. I noticed several women sitting on the bench eating lunch but didn't realize it was Mary and Wanda, from the farm, until Jasper and I walked past.

  I had the newspaper tucked under one arm but waved with the other, hoping they'd invite us over and offer to walk us past the gate at the farm.

  "Miss Starfire," Mary said. She and Wanda exchanged a funny, almost frightened look.

  Jasper seemed to catch it too. He decided to walk ahead and let me talk to the women alone. I headed over to the bench. "Good afternoon, here I am again," I said with a light laugh. They both forced a smile.

  "I don't want to disturb your lunch. I just wanted to see how you were doing? I know this has been a terrible week. How is everyone feeling?" I asked.

  Mary rolled the crusts of her bread up in her napkin. "Not too well. Miss Dawson and her father are both wrecks, and the rest of us—" She looked at Wanda and sighed. "We're all terrified that we might be next. That's why we decided to eat lunch out here instead of on the farm. They don't even know who killed Nate."

  "Do the police have any leads?" I asked.

  There was another exchange of conspiratorial glances between them.

  "Did you girls see something?" I asked. I was trying not to sound pushy, but my detective instincts were sizzling with curiosity.

  "No, not really," Mary said.

  Her disappointing response shrank me back down to size as my posture deflated.

  "We probably shouldn't say this because we already mentioned it to the police, but it didn't seem to matter and since you are investigating the case for Miss Dawson . . ." Wanda said.

  Mary's face snapped her direction. "Oh, for goodness sakes, Wanda." Mary rolled her eyes and looked up at me.

  "Yesterday, before Nate was killed, Wanda and I were sitting at the lunch tables behind the shop. We overheard Arthur lecturing Nate, telling him to stay out of his office. I think Nate was just looking for Arthur and decided to sit inside out of the heat to wait for Arthur to return. Arthur was mad about it and told him if he caught him in there again, he'd fire him."

  "Do you think Arthur might have killed Nate?" I asked.

  They both paled at the suggestion. "No, we don't know what happened to Nate," Wanda said quickly. "We just thought it was important. But the police didn't seem to think so." Wanda looked pleadingly at me. "Please don't tell Miss Dawson or anyone. I wouldn't want Arthur to be mad at us."

  "No, of course, I won't say a word."

  Mary stood up from the bench. "Well, we'd better head back."

  "Do you girls mind if Jasper and I tag along. I never got a chance to call Miss Dawson to let her know we were coming. I'm sure we won't be able to get past the gate."

  "Sure, I don't see why not," Mary said.

  Jasper started up a chat with the two girls, and the four of us easily walked through the front gate. It helped that there was no one positioned at the gate to stop people from entering. The farm had been shut down for several days now. It seemed there was no longer an issue with disappointed visitors hoping to get inside.

  The two women, feeling a little uneasy about everything, talked my overly chivalrous brother into walking them to the shop door. According to the snippets of conversation I picked up during our short walk to the farm, it seemed the girls would be spending the rest of the day filling out inventory sheets. There wasn't much else to do with no customers in the shop.

  I headed confidently into the office expecting to be greeted graciously by Ruby Dawson but was sorely disappointed when she came out with a frown and a scowl.

  "Miss Starfire, I wasn't expecting you today," she said sharply. "What with all that has happened, I'm afraid I don't have time to be leading you around the farm looking for nonexistent clues." The last words had an extra sting on them. "As you can see, I'm all alone in the office today. We gave the staff the day off. I'm simply too busy." She waved me toward the door. "On top of it all, Father and Arthur have left me in charge for a few hours while they purchase special locks for all the gates."

  "Locks for the gates? Are you worried that the murderer has been sneaking in through the back gate?"

  She stopped her push toward getting me to the door. "Arthur thought it was possible. They both decided this morning that we need more security and seeing how you just walked right through the front gate, I can see they are right. Was no one there?"

  I shook my head. "Not that we saw."

  "We?" she asked curtly.

  "Yes, my brother is here as well. He's waiting outside. I wanted to talk to you about something."

  Ruby pushed a hair off her forehead. "As I said, I don't have time. I'm beginning to think this was all a mistake." Since she waved her arm in my general direction, I deduced that she was referring to hiring the Starfire Agency as the mistake. "We aren't any closer to freeing Paul, and now we've had another murder."

  "I understand your frustration. I promise I just need a few minutes of your time."

  She sighed resignedly. "Fine, what is it?"

  I pulled the paper out from under my arm. "I wondered if you saw the paper today."

  "Oh, please, I can't look at another dreadful headline." Her eyes flitted over the paper. "This one has a picture." She was so out of sorts that I wasn't sure I would be able to convince her of anything.

  "I just wanted to point something out in the picture." I opened the paper and suddenly felt very unsure of my entire theory. Maybe Arthur wasn't looking at Ruby at all. Maybe it was just the camera angle but then Jasper had seen it too. I took a steadying breath and held the paper up for her to see. "I noticed that everyone, including you, is standing here under the tree, looking visibly shaken by what's happened." I sensed that I was distressing her more, so I hurried things along. I worried she might just walk me right out the door and off the farm.

  "Miss Starfire, I don't know how this helps me, or Paul, for that matter. You are supposed to be finding the real killer, not getting more of my employees murdered."

  I lowered the paper and took a stunned breath. "Miss Dawson, I assure you I had nothing to do with Nate's death. Actually . . . let me scratch that. Maybe I did."

  The pink in her face seemed to fade away. "What are you saying?"

  "Of course, I didn't kill Nate, but I might have caused his death. Not directly, mind you, but now that I give it more thought, yes, I suppose I could take some of the blame." That reality took a good deal of wind out of my sails. I was feeling miserably deflated.

  Jasper walked into the office right then with his usual mastery of perfect timing. "Are you two gals going to stay in here or are we going to search for evidence?" He caught the sullen moment we were having. He walked up next to me, stuck his hands in his pockets and grew quiet.

  "I think you should explain yourself, Miss Starfire."

  Jasper was taken aback by her sharp tone. Up until now, she had always been congenial and soft spoken. My own self-reflection had caused a painful knot to form in my throat. It was hard to speak at first, but I swallowed hard and forged ahead.

  "As I told you yesterday, Nate had pulled me aside to tell me he'd seen something that wasn't right. If only I'd gotten to him earlier, I might have stopped this terrible tragedy. I might have thwarted the killer's plans. I got busy and distracted and the poor man is dead."

  Jasper put a supportive hand against my back. "Sis, you can't blame yourself for it. You didn't know."

  "Yes, your brother
is right." My temporary moment of sadness and guilt seemed to have softened Ruby's attitude.

  "I just wish I knew what Nate had seen," I said, then my head cleared as if I had just taken a big whiff of fresh air. "In Arthur's office," I added. I looked at Jasper. "The argument between Arthur and Nate," I blurted but without further details. I had promised Wanda and Mary that I wouldn't mention their names.

  Jasper nodded and wisely didn't say anything else. He understood the connection I was trying to make. Now I had to convince Ruby to do something she was surely loathe to do, and all at a time when her attitude toward her private investigative team was less than warm and appreciative.

  I decided not to force the picture on her. She might not have seen it in the same way Jasper and I saw it. "Miss Dawson, I know this will sound terribly intrusive, but I think if we took a quick look around Arthur's office, while he is off the grounds—"

  "I couldn't possibly allow that," she said, sounding indignant and one step closer to escorting me off the premises.

  "I promise we could make a quick search of it. Please, Miss Dawson, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it would help free Paul from prison." The end of my statement seemed to shift her toward a yes.

  "I don't know, Miss Starfire. It seems like a step too far. What do you expect to find? I can't believe that Arthur would have anything to do with either murder. Yes, he's a little rough around the edges but—"

  "I'll bet he's always friendly to you," I said.

  Ruby's dark brows bunched together. "What do you mean? Of course, he treats me with a great deal of respect and—"

  "And admiration?" I asked. She looked more perplexed. "Miss Dawson, is there any chance that Arthur Jones is in love with you?"

  She laughed but cut it short. "Arthur? Why, that's ridiculous. I suppose he does tend to smile my direction a lot, and he's always very attentive when I need something . . ." Her voice trailed off. "It can't be true."

  “A quick search of the office," I implored.

  She hesitated just long enough to let me think I'd lost her. "Wait a moment." She disappeared down the hallway. Keys jangled along with the clacking of her heels on her return. "I confess, I'm feeling almost sick at the thought of this, but if it leads to Paul's freedom, then I can't possibly stand in the way."

  She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm so torn. I want you to be wrong about this. At the same time, I want my beloved Paul home."

  "I know you do, Miss Dawson. I promise that's what we're working towards."

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  I couldn't have been more nervous about how all this would end, and Jasper, who was always dialed into my emotions, whispered a few words of encouragement. "Go get 'em, sis."

  I brushed the back of my hand against his to let him know I appreciated having him as my personal cheerleader. A few of the farmhands were milling about the barn and around Arthur's office. It seemed they were taking advantage of both Mr. Dawson and their immediate supervisor being off site. One of the men spotted Ruby and elbowed the others to get moving. Just like that, they all scattered to their various locations.

  "They tend to lollygag if Arthur isn't watching them," Ruby said. "Can't blame them today though. The first murder was unsettling, to say the least, but none of the employees knew Mrs. Freemont personally. Nate's death has been felt far more keenly." She stopped short of the office and turned to us. "Frankly, they are all frightened. I am as well."

  "Let's hope this is all going to be over soon. Just out of curiosity, what direction are the police going with Nate's case? Have they rethought Paul's arrest?"

  She took what I imagined was her hundredth exhausted breath of the day. "They are treating it as a separate case because Nate was hit in the head. Not to mention he was just a poor, hardworking kid with no close family. To tell the truth, I think the police have little interest in solving his murder. He wasn't a rich, well-known member of society like Mrs. Freemont-Keeler. Anyhow, several of the officers are supposed to return sometime today to talk to a few more of the workers. They told me this morning, if they couldn't find any more evidence they might close the case as an accident."

  "An accident?" I said on a gasp. "It was clearly not an accident."

  Ruby shook her head. "They're saying he might have fallen and hit his head. But I'm with you. I think they are just trying to clear this one off the books. Like I said, Nate wasn't anyone rich or important so his death isn't a high priority."

  "Blimey, those coppers," Jasper muttered under his breath.

  The other workers had cleared the area, making it easier for us to enter the office unnoticed. The keys swung in Ruby's right hand as we walked up the steps to the office.

  "He doesn't usually lock the door during the work day, but I brought a key just in case. Please don't disturb anything. Arthur doesn't like anyone in his office when he's not around."

  She tried to turn the knob. "It's locked," she said with some surprise. It took her a second to find the right key, then she pushed it into the lock. "Let's hurry so no one sees us. Father and Arthur could be back anytime."

  I wasted no time. I'd already sat at the desk, with Arthur's express permission. It seemed he wanted me to sit there just to prove he had nothing to hide and to show that he could see the yard perfectly from his workspace. Arthur seemed rather particular about his stuff, everything in its place and the entire space was neat and organized. Fortunately, I knew exactly where I wanted to look. I walked over to the large trunk, a leather edged steamer style trunk that took up a great deal of space. There was no lock on it, but Arthur had a lamp and clock sitting on the trunk to make it seem as if he was using it for a table more than for storage.

  I picked up the lamp and placed it on the floor. Then I reached for the clock. It was a walnut mantel clock with a brass face.

  "Please, let's be sure to put all this back in exactly the right place," Ruby said.

  "Absolutely," I assured her. The hinges on the lid squeaked as I lifted it. A flash of pink was the first thing that caught my eye. And Ruby's.

  "My pink kidskin glove," she said with stunned disbelief. She reached into the trunk and pulled it out.

  I reached in and pulled out the scarf she had lost during one of our visits.

  "My scarf," she said. The disbelief was fading, and the shocking truth was coming into clear focus.

  I reached inside the trunk and pulled out a picture of Ruby in an Easter bonnet, smiling merrily as she sat astride an ostrich. "Is this the photo that was taken from the empty frame in Paul's room?" I asked.

  Ruby had been overwhelmed into silence. She took hold of the picture and stared at it with glassy eyes. "How could I have not seen it? All this time. Do you think Arthur framed Paul out of jealousy?" she asked.

  "Uh oh," Jasper said. "I think we're about to find out." He ducked away from the window. "Arthur Jones is walking this way."

  We had no time to react, and there was no place to hide. Ruby clutched her things against her chest. Jasper, always the gentleman, stepped in front of us to shield us from Arthur.

  Heavy feet pounded the steps. The door pushed open. Arthur stared at his three intruders with disbelief and then rage. His nostrils widened like an angry stallion's. Before we could react or say anything, Arthur's arm shot out. He grabbed Jasper, spun him around and crooked his arm around my brother's neck. Jasper was much shorter and slighter than Arthur. As wiry as he was, he was no match for Arthur's strength.

  My mind darted in every direction, trying to figure a way out of our terrible predicament. Arthur's angry gaze fell on the glove, scarf and picture in Ruby's arms. I was so upset about Arthur's vice like grip on Jasper, I couldn't think straight. Suddenly, nothing mattered but my brother's safety.

  Jasper looked far calmer than I felt. He tried to pry Arthur's arm away from his neck, but he couldn't budge it.

  "Arthur!" Ruby said sharply. "Release that boy at once."

  For a fleeting second, it seemed Arthur was going to listen to Ruby. Then his str
anglehold tightened. Jasper's face grew red with suffocation. I searched around for something, anything that I could use to hurt Arthur. There was nothing except a lamp and a clock. I risked hurting Jasper with either object. Then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a police car pulling into the yard. It rolled slowly over the gravelly path toward the barn.

  "It's too late, Mr. Jones," I said, forcing as much coolness into my tone as I could with my heart beating a million times a minute. "The police are here. They know. We all know."

  His face contorted in every direction as he tried to puzzle out exactly what I knew. I didn't know anything for certain, but his attack on Jasper boosted my confidence that every theory in my head was correct.

  "You were stealing Miss Dawson's things to be close to her, close to the woman that you could never have." I was taking a risk. My words would either make him angry enough to squeeze harder, or they would catch him so completely off guard, Jasper would have an opportunity to break free.

  Arthur's deep set eyes flicked toward Ruby and then back to me. "I found those things. I didn't know who they belonged to, so I put them in the trunk."

  I freed the picture from Ruby's grasp and held it up. "You just found this in a picture frame in Paul's bunk?" I stepped closer and held the photograph for him to see. "You love Ruby Dawson but she loves Paul Wilkins. You had to get him out of the picture, out of Ruby's life. Killing him might have been too obvious, so you killed Mildred Freemont-Keeler. Then you framed Paul by tossing his glove near the crime scene." My gamble was paying off. Arthur was far more focused on my words than the squirming boy in his grasp. Some of the red was draining from Jasper's face, and he looked more relaxed.