Dewey Decimated, page 14
There was a long pause. Finally Sean said, “He’s careless, Kev. His measurements are off in too many places, enough to give Buzz and me serious headaches. But don’t worry. We keep coming up with alternate plans.”
Shocked, I covered my mouth to keep from making a sound.
Sean got to his feet with effort. “I think we can move on.”
“You’re sure, Dad?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Are you sure you want to take over my company?”
“I want to be my own boss, grow the business the way I see fit, not follow someone else’s orders.”
They continued on their way as I retraced my steps and set off in the opposite direction, pondering all that I’d just learned. Father and son had ended their estrangement and Kevin was going to take over Sean’s contracting business. The business I’d been told he was selling to his foreman, Buzz Coleman. And Sean had found problems with Rafe’s designs. Which kind of surprised me, since he was the person who had recommended Rafe for the library expansion job in the first place.
I treated myself to lunch at one of the casual seafood restaurants on the Sound, then drove home. I’d visited the preserve and liked what I’d seen, but to be even-handed, I read over the material on the two alternate proposals for the property. When I was done, I came to the same conclusion I’d reached earlier that day: I was strongly in favor of keeping the property a preserve.
I jotted down a list of repairs that needed serious attention. The amenities needed a facelift, the parking lot required repaving, new maps and photos of wildlife. I felt a wave of excitement as I envisioned adding a small building housing a café and a gift shop to encourage visitors—from school groups to birdwatchers. And we had to publicize the updates and renovations so that more residents became aware of the preserve and all it had to offer.
It would be interesting to see how everything played out Thursday evening when the town council met to discuss and vote on the future of the property. Al and I wanted to keep the preserve, Babette was the for park, and Reggie for building condos.
The outcome depended on Sean.
* * *
I’d been home for less than an hour when someone knocked on the front door of my cottage. Surprised because I wasn’t expecting any visitors, I went to see who it was. There stood Julie Theron, that infuriating grin on her face.
“You’re home! Lucky me.”
Unlucky me. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I want to talk to you. Don’t you check your cell phone?”
I shrugged. I’d noticed she’d called earlier and hadn’t bothered to answer.
“Anyway, when I called you at the library, they told me you weren’t working today, so I thought I’d try you at home. May I come inside?”
“Do I have a choice?”
I opened the door wide and she stepped inside. Smoky Joe chose that moment to see who our visitor was. Julie bent down to pet him.
“Sweet kitty,” she said, standing up. “And this is one sweet cottage!” she gushed as she bounced from room to room.
“Do you mind!” I snapped, as she was about to set foot in my bedroom. “That’s private. Off limits. Have a seat in the living room. I’ll be right with you.”
Instead she followed me into the kitchen, chattering on about the cottage as I fed Smoky Joe some treats. I pointed to a kitchen chair. She sat. So did I.
“Why are you here?” I asked again.
“I’d like us to find out who murdered your fiancé’s uncle.”
Us? “That’s a matter best left to the police,” I said, hating how prim I sounded.
Julie laughed. “Are you sure about that? So far they’ve done squat. If you’ll remember, I was the one who ID’d Alec Dunmore.”
I nodded. “You did, and you can trust Lieutenant Mathers to take it from there.”
“Come on, Carrie. We’re talking about your fiancé’s uncle. Hey, I know they weren’t close at the time of Mr. Dunmore’s demise, but I’m sure you want to find his murderer.”
How does she know all that? “I’m not investigating the murder.”
Julia frowned. “Well, you should be. What was he doing here in Clover Ridge? Was he involved in a business deal gone south?”
I stood. “I have no idea.”
“Could be he wanted to buy the building where his body was discovered. The building the library ended up acquiring.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “You’re an investigative reporter. What do you want with me?”
“You, Carrie Singleton, have the knack. You solve murders.” Julie pointed to herself. “And no one tops me in sniffing out information. We’d make a formidable team.”
When I didn’t answer, she added, “I know John Mathers is your good buddy, but I bet he doesn’t play fair when it comes to quid pro quo.”
“What do you expect? He’s the police. He can’t go sharing information on a homicide case.”
But something must have given away my true feelings on the subject, because Julie suddenly grinned. “Admit it! It pisses you off.”
I shrugged.
“And one more thing, Miss Nancy Drew. You know more about this homicide than you’re letting on.”
* * *
Julie took off shortly after that, saying she’d be in touch after her sources dug up more information. She left me wondering what it would be like to work on a case with her. I felt guilty for even considering it. Where was my sense of loyalty to John? Julie Theron might be an investigative reporter but she was also a TV personality. I could never trust her not to go running her mouth on the air about an ongoing investigation.
I spent the rest of the afternoon answering personal emails and reading. Dylan called to say he’d be getting to the cottage close to six so I started dinner at five thirty—baked salmon, a salad, couscous, and some fresh veggies. Over dinner I told him about my trip to the preserve and Julie Theron’s visit.
Dylan laughed. “You’ve had quite a day. Much more exciting than mine, which amounted to checking out a few leads on a case and trailing someone, all of which turned out to be duds.”
“The preserve is a beautiful place. I’d hate to see it turned into another condo community. Or even a park, since that would mean cutting down most of the trees and clearing the land.”
“I’ve been wanting to go there for some time. Maybe we’ll go this weekend.”
I smiled. “That would be lovely. As for Ms. Julie Theron, I’ve no intention of calling her any time soon.”
“Our best hope is for Uncle Alec to regain his lost memory.”
* * *
The next morning I arrived at the library a few minutes before nine o’clock. I was eager to talk to Alec to find out if he’d managed to recall any details surrounding his death. The sound of men shouting caught my attention. It was coming from the parking lot next door where Sean’s crew was working.
“Be right back,” I told Smoky Joe. I squeezed past vehicles and pieces of equipment parked helter-skelter in both lots and paused behind a large truck to find out what was going on. Sean and Buzz stood facing Rafe, their faces red with anger as they yelled, often at the same time, so that it took me a minute make out what they were saying.
“It’s your fault we ran into these problems,” Sean was shouting, “and we’re the ones stuck with fixing ’em.”
I couldn’t hear what Rafe said in return because Buzz began to yell and blocked out his words. I stayed a few minutes more, but learned nothing because they continued to shout at the same time. When there was a lull, Rafe tried to explain once again. Sean turned his back and took Buzz aside. They huddled together, speaking in low voices, then Sean stalked off, a frown on his face.
I didn’t wait to see what happened next, but returned to my car to get Smoky Joe. The dispute must have ended, because all was silent as I entered the library.
I released Smoky Joe from his carrier and dropped it off in my office. Then I went in search of Sally to tell her about the altercation I’d just witnessed. She wasn’t in her office, so I walked down to the circulation desk and told Angela and Fran instead.
“I heard them too as I walked into the library,” Fran said. “Sean and Buzz are blaming Rafe for problems causing delays and added expense.”
“No reason to carry on like that,” Angela said. “There are always unexpected snags, especially when the renovations are in an old run-down building like the one next door.”
I remembered what Sean had told Kevin in the preserve. “Still, they’re working from the architect’s plans that Rafe drew up after bringing in an engineer to inspect the building.”
“Some inspection that was!” Angela said. “Not noticing a body wrapped in a blanket in the basement.”
We exchanged worried glances.
“Time to get to work,” Fran said.
Sure enough, a few patrons had entered the library through the front door facing the Green.
“See you at noon,” Angela said as I left them to look for Alec.
I found him waiting for me in my office.
“Carrie, I hope you don’t mind that I came here. The other rooms will soon be occupied and I hate staying in that attic. The dust makes me sneeze.”
I made a scoffing sound. “Ghosts don’t sneeze from dust.”
Alec turned up his hands and shrugged. “Sorry. It was worth a try.”
I nodded, wondering if fibbing had been Alec’s usual way of dealing with whatever he’d found unpleasant in his life. At least he no longer seemed frantic. Why the change? I cringed, hoping it was because he’d remembered something important and not because he was adjusting to becoming a permanent fixture in the Clover Ridge Library.
“You’re in luck,” I said. “My assistant Trish won’t be in for a while so we’ve got plenty of time to discuss a few things. I’d like to start by asking you some questions.”
Alec plopped down on my assistants’ desk. “Okay, I guess.”
I sat down and spun my chair around to face him. “How was it, seeing Dylan again after all those years?”
“Nice to see he’s all grown up and made something of himself.” He grinned suddenly. “And that he has a wonderful fiancée. You.”
“So you do remember him.”
Alec nodded slowly. “I didn’t at first. But as Dylan spoke, memories flooded my mind. Like bits and pieces of a movie. I knew he was my nephew.”
“Do you remember your sister, Dylan’s mother?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look very happy about it,” I said. “Did you and your sister get into an argument?”
“After you and Dylan left, it all came back. What I had done.”
I felt a sense of foreboding. “What did you do, Alec?”
Chapter Nineteen
“Essie and I got word from a lawyer that Uncle Humphrey, our grandfather’s brother, left us the parcel of land he’d always planned to develop. There was a small cabin on the property but not much else. Anyway, she said to go ahead and sell it, and sent me a letter giving me power of attorney to handle the sale. I was thrilled beyond belief. My bank account was at an all-time low, and I owed a few bucks to some not-so-savory characters.”
I stared at the ghost of Alec Dunmore, seeing the man Dylan had finally figured out when he’d reached college age: a wheeler-dealer with one foot in the criminal world. For whom scamming and lying were all part of a day’s work.
“And your sister let you handle the sale?” I asked, not bothering to hide my disbelief.
“Well, yeah. She was my sister. Why shouldn’t she?”
“Maybe because she knew the kind of deals you used to pull.”
Alec squirmed. “Oh, you know about that?”
I pursed my lips instead of answering.
“All right. I swore I’d do everything by the book. Essie and her hubby were up to their ears in several business ventures and had no time to handle this too. She told me to sell the property for a good price and send her half.”
He stopped.
“Go on.”
“Well, I found a buyer pretty quickly willing to pay top dollar for the property—two hundred ten thousand dollars, believe it or not—and I put it in the bank.”
“And sent your sister a check for half the amount?” I asked, curious to hear his response.
“You know I didn’t,” Alec said.
I nodded, glad he hadn’t lied, though he probably could tell from my expression that I knew the truth. “Why didn’t you?”
“That’s where it gets hazy.”
I laughed. “How convenient.”
“No, really. I’m telling you what I remember.”
Evelyn suddenly appeared and remained near the closed door. She had her finger to her lips, meaning I wasn’t to let Alec know of her presence.
“Okay, please tell me everything you remember.”
Alec glanced down at his hands as if they were a source of inspiration. “I hadn’t had that kind of money for as long as I could remember. Somehow I kinda forgot that it wasn’t all mine and that I owed a good part of my half to people who were getting antsy about me paying it back. I thought—what if I invested the money in something solid? Something that brought me closer to my only living relatives—Essie and Dylan.”
“So you came to Clover Ridge.”
Alec nodded. “I flew here and didn’t tell them I was coming. I wanted to check out the land, so to speak. See what was available before I let them know I was in their hometown.”
I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I said, “Go on.”
He shrugged. “I don’t remember much more. I caught a taxi at the airport and came to Clover Ridge.”
“Do you remember entering the building next to the library where your body was found?” I asked.
“I remember meeting with a real estate agent. She drove me to see a few places in the area.” Alec thought a minute. “That night a man called me at my motel. Asked if I wanted access to the best deal in town. I said sure.”
“What was his name?”
“Couldn’t tell you.”
“James Whitehead?” I asked.
“Yeah! That was it.” Alec’s eyes lit up. “Was that who I saw leaving the meeting the other day?”
“Don’t you remember I told you James Whitehead is dead?” I said impatiently.
“Oh. Right,” Alec said, but he sounded uncertain.
“The other day I told you James Whitehead thought he had a buyer for the building six years ago. That was you. You even thought you recognized him when I showed you his photo in a newspaper item.”
“Yeah.”
He started blinking, a nervous tic, and it was obvious that he didn’t remember. I was sorry I’d snapped at him. The poor guy was having trouble keeping everything straight in his mind. It was frustrating that he couldn’t even remember things he’d already told me.
In a gentle voice, I said, “It doesn’t matter. Just tell me what you remember after James Whitehead called you.”
“I suppose it was the following day he showed me the building next to the library. It was obvious it had been neglected and would need lots of moolah to get it into shape. But it was structurally sound. And I liked that it was situated on the Green. I remembered that whenever Essie mentioned living in Clover Ridge it was the Green she seemed most proud of. Anyway this fellow—Whitehead, I suppose—said another buyer was interested in the property, but if I gave him five thousand dollars I’d have first dibs on the sale. So I gave it to him.”
“You handed the money over just like that?”
“Yeah. He must have given me a receipt. I know I would have insisted on it.”
“No receipt was ever found. By the way, what did you do with the rest of the money?” I asked.
“I—I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember?” He sounded close to tears.
“Let’s not worry about that now,” I said. “We’ll figure that out later.”
“All right.”
It was my turn now to draw a deep breath. The last thing I needed was a ghost having a meltdown in my office. “What happened after you gave James Whitehead five thousand dollars?”
Alec squinted as though trying to see into the past. “That night or the next I met him and two other men for drinks in a bar. They showed me preliminary plans to turn the building into office suites. The two men said they were interested in putting some money into the project for a percentage of the returns, claiming they knew of at least four companies willing to pay big bucks to have office space on the Green. In just a couple of years the rent would return what we paid for the building and renovations and then I’d be making money hand over fist.”
“Interesting, since office buildings aren’t allowed on the Green,” Evelyn said drily.
Alec turned around. “Really? I should have checked out what they told me. But for the first time in years I was being offered an investment I really liked. It was like a dream come true.”
The scammer getting scammed, I thought.
He looked embarrassed when he said, “I shouldn’t have, I know, but I mentioned I’d come into some money and wanted in on the plan. Whitehead was asking half a mil for the property, half of it in cash. He said he was willing to take fifty thousand up front and the rest later.
“The two men offered to put in twenty-five thousand dollars each for a share of the profits. I said sure, especially when they said they knew a contractor who would give them the best deal on the renovations.”
My mouth fell open. “And you went along with it?
“It all made sense that evening as we drank and talked. Carrie, I felt like we’d known each other forever. I liked the idea of settling down in Clover Ridge. Being part of the community. Having minor business partners with me on top.
“Of course I’d have to take out a loan for the rest, but I figured my brother-in-law would do that for me at the best possible rate. I figured Essie would see what a great deal this was and want to put money into the project. And so, when the two men both gave Whitehead several thousand dollars, promising to hand over the rest by the end of the week, I thought, why not?” Alec grimaced. “I ended up handing over forty-five thousand dollars. With the five thou I’d given him earlier, that added up to fifty thousand total.”
