Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
E than didn’t have any new information about Thornton’s death. He had called Sean hoping that his brother would have something for him. But they were spinning their wheels. He did learn a sketchy real estate group had moved into a couple of other towns up north and Champlain Security Solutions was on it. However, there was no concrete evidence yet that this group was involved in anything illegal.
It was late in the day, and the station was quiet. A couple of deputies were at their desks, and he noticed Nora packing up to leave.
“Nora, wait up. I’ll walk you out,” he called out. Nora turned to look at him and tilted her head. He rarely left at the same time she did.
They walked out to a darkening sky, heavy with the woodsy scent of snow in the air.
“I hope the snow holds off,” said Nora. “I’m not ready for it.”
Ethan looked up at the sky. “We’ve been lucky so far.”
She stopped by her car. “What is it?”
He cocked his head. “How do you know I want something?”
“Pffft. You hardly ever walk me out, and when you do, you want or need something.”
Ethan chuckled. “You know me well. Uh, you’ve known Maggie Thornton a long time and her father before her. Have you heard any rumors about something of value being hidden at Jane’s farm?”
“No. I do know David was skulking around when Mr. Jenkins lived there. But that’s all I’ve heard.” She tied her scarf more securely around her neck. “Why?”
“Humph.” He blew out a breath, watching it evaporate in the air. “I’m frustrated that we haven’t found his killer or the reason why.”
Nora shrugged. “It meant nothing at the time, just rumors, and quite frankly, I don’t believe it means anything now. David had lots of enemies. He messed with a lot of people’s lives. Maybe you should check on them.”
Ethan rubbed his hands through his hair. He kept his ears and eyes open, and even though he’d lived in Beaver Creek all his life and knew a lot of people, he didn’t hear everything.
“Like who?”
“Why don’t you talk to Judge Kenner? She knows a lot about the town and who sued who.”
“Good idea.”
Joyce Kenner retired from the court a while ago. He hadn’t seen her around town recently, but if anyone knew the intricacies of Beaver Creek and its legal history, she would. “What is she? Seventy, seventy-five now?”
“Hmm. Somewhere around that age. I don’t know for sure, haven’t seen her around lately.” Nora looked at her watch. “Ethan, I have to go. Ginger is waiting for me.”
Ethan smiled. “How is Ginger? Did she recover from her accident?”
Nora nodded. “Yeah. She’s doing much better, limping a little, but the vet says she’ll make a full recovery.”
Ginger was Nora’s miniature poodle who was always escaping from the house. The last time she got out, a car hit her.
“Good to hear. Give her a pat for me.”
“I will. You take care, Ethan.”
Ethan watched Nora get in her car and drive off, her taillights disappearing down the road.
He made his way to his truck but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Sure, Thornton had enemies—no surprise there—and yes, he was obsessed with the Jenkins place, but hidden valuables? It was starting to feel like one of Jane’s mystery novels.
Turning the truck on, he debated about having a bite to eat at the Harvest Moon but decided against it.
Tanner mentioned Leah was bringing over lasagna tonight, and he could already taste the saucy beef and noodles in his mouth.
Tomorrow, first thing, he’d call Judge Kenner and see if she knew anything that could help him. He also wanted to touch base with Jane. She was willing to go out with him, and he didn’t want to blow the opportunity.
Maybe he’d ask Leah for some suggestions as to where to take her. It’d been a while, hell, a whole year, since he had to plan a date.
The next morning, Ethan was in the office early. He woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground. Winter was finally making a scene.
He waited until 10 a.m. to call Judge Kenner. He hadn’t spoken to her in, what? Ten years? Possibly more. He hit call and waited. After several rings, she answered.
“Hello?”
Her voice sounded older, more fragile. “Judge Kenner, it’s Ethan McQueeney. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”
“Ethan! My, my. It’s been a while. How are you? How are your parents?”
Getting the pleasantries out of the way, he finally got his opening. “I need to pick your brain,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
“Okay, shoot.”
“David Thornton. What do you know about him?”
There was a pause at the other end. Ethan wondered if she heard him.
“David Thornton. Now he was a piece of work,” she finally said. “I’m not surprised he’s dead.”
“Why do you say that?”
“David was involved in questionable dealings and had his fingers in many pies. That man was always looking for an angle to make a quick buck. There were whispers that he was mixed up in something.” She took a moment to think. “Remember, this happened a while back, when I was still on the bench and overheard things.”
Ethan thought back to when she retired. It couldn’t have been more than a couple of years, so whatever she heard would be relevant.
“Like what?” he asked.
She sighed. “I remember something about missing money from a real estate deal. The case never made it to court, the motion withdrawn, and nothing was ever proven.”
“Do you remember the case?”
“Yes,” she said. “Then there was the rumor that David owed a mobster a significant amount of money and needed it fast.”
Ethan’s mind raced. Isn’t this what Sean mentioned and told him to look out for? The key was to find the man in charge, which was proving to be difficult.
He thanked the judge, who had no more information for him, and tried to connect the dots.
If he were guessing, Jane’s farm had something to do with a real estate deal gone bad. Why her property, unless it was part of the buying and selling at a discount? No one would think twice about personal property being discounted. The fact that Thornton was obsessed with her property because of the supposed agreement their great-grandparents might have made didn’t make sense. Maybe he hid the stolen money on the property, assuming he’d outbid Jane, and then tried to get it back, and whoever he was working with or stealing from killed him.
Ethan stared at the phone. Thornton carried the mystery to his watery grave, but someone knew or suspected what David had done. Jane was potentially in danger from secrets of the past.