Chapter 18
The people in the kitchen froze as they were starting breakfast, and it was Lela who saw all the papers spread out across the table.
“What’s all this?”
“I found it yesterday when we cleaned out the attic. I didn’t recognize it, and when I opened it, I saw the contents and took it to my room last night.
” She saw Lela and Robert’s expressions and shook her head at them.
“I am not withholding information. I saw something with my name on it, that I did not know was there, and I read it for myself. I am now sharing it with you. I’ve only been up since five, not even two hours, and I’m telling you about it.
” She knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it.
“What is it?” Pedro asked.
Instead of answering right away, she gathered the papers and stacked them up. With them in one pile she put something on top, then pointed to that box. “That’s what I found.”
“What is it?” Robert asked as he started pulling ingredients from the refrigerator.
“You don’t have to cook, Robert,” Myrna said as she studied him. “You made dinner.”
“Humor me,” he said with a grin. “I love to cook, but I never have anyone to cook for. My freezer is full of meals that I have leftovers from. I’ve been known to binge cook, and I do it in batches. I’ve also been known not to cook for a month or longer because I eat what’s in my freezer.”
No one said anything at his explanation, but they all nodded as he continued pulling out items. “Go on, what did you find?”
“This is something that Mary must have put there.” She shook her head as she picked up the top page and began to read:
Myrna,
If you’re reading this, then I’m no longer here.
I know I should have given this to you in person, but at the last minute I chickened out.
I took the coward’s way out by not wanting to answer any questions.
I left this information in your attic because you said you were going to clean it out.
I also left it because I knew you would avenge my death.
This next statement is being said from the bottom of my heart, and I have the proof in the following pages.
Mark Griffin and his girlfriend, Avery Mosher, murdered me. From the second I suspected he was cheating on me, I began a journal. That is included with this letter. There are also samples of things he would feed me, where I would get sick within minutes of ingesting it.
I don’t know if I was being spiteful, or petty when I sold you Sally.
I did it because I overheard Mark and Avery one night when they thought I was too sick to get out of bed.
That was after he cooked for me. Anyway, Avery said that when I was gone, then because Mark would inherit everything, she would then get to have Sally all to herself.
It’s in the journal, but she said she couldn’t afford a horse on a cop’s salary.
Yes, she is a patrol officer for the Lakewood Police Department.
Some of the evidence I have has her fingerprints on it, along with Mark’s.
Myrna, thank you for being my friend all these years, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I suspected, or knew. I know you, and you will do everything in your power to avenge me.
I love you like the sister I never had,
Love,
Mary
Myrna looked up and saw three people staring at her in shock.
“What?”
“What else is in the box?” Robert asked quietly.
“I don’t know, I haven’t looked yet.”
“Do you have any rubber gloves here?” Lela asked.
“On the shelf above the washer.”
Pedro was the one that went to get them, and Myrna remained seated.
She didn’t move, and it was both Robert and Lela that examined the box, opened it, then looked up with matching grins.
They reached in and pulled out Zip-Lock bags, fifteen of them, and each of them had writing on them.
Inside were glass vials of contents. Myrna assumed they contained what was written on the outside.
“Is this good?” Pedro asked.
“It’s gold,” Lela said, and looked at Robert. “Should we call Wilson?”
“Yes, but let’s document everything first,” Robert said as he pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures. At the end, instead of calling Yvonne Wilson, they sent her an e-mail with the photos.
“What next?” Pedro asked.
“Now we put everything back in the box except for the journal mentioned in the letter, and secure it.” He looked at Myrna. “Does anyone know about the space in your floorboards beneath your desk in the office?”
“No, just me, and now you guys that retrieved the files for me.” She looked at him and nodded. “Yes, go ahead and use it. We’re going to be here packing, and Ilsa Miller will be here today. There’s no way people can get to them.”
Robert and Pedro, who had put on his own pair of gloves, boxed the evidence up and took it to the office.
Robert led the way, and they returned in under five minutes.
After removing the gloves, washing their hands, Robert started making breakfast. They didn’t say anything until after they had cleaned up after the meal.
“Okay,” Robert began, with a fresh cup of coffee. “Myrna, how do you feel about reading the journal out loud?” As he spoke Lela had gotten pads of papers for everyone to take notes so they could compare them, or take their investigation in a new direction.
Myrna took a sip of her coffee, cleared her throat, and opened the journal. She read off the date, time, and location Mary had written. By the time she was done with the first entry, she was shaking her head in anger.
“Why didn’t she reach out to me?”
“I didn’t know her,” Lela said as she reached out and gently laid her hand over Myrna’s, “but from what I’ve heard so far, she was a private person, and she probably wanted to protect you.
By not telling you, she kept you safe, and again, but what you’ve read, she knew you enough that you would help her.
Right now, she’s calling out from the grave. ”
“I’m not being crass,” Pedro said gently. “But, maybe she thought if you knew back then, you would do something to accelerate Mark’s attack on Mary, then attacking you, and possibly hurting Sally.”
Myrna jumped to her feet, paced, and grabbed a couple of tissues to wipe her tears, and blow her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” the other three said. They all took a break, using the bathroom, refilling coffee cups, and making a new pot.
They were only back at the table for less than a minute when the doorbell rang, and the two agents immediately pulled their guns, and went to investigate, leaving Pedro to protect Myrna.
Robert and Lela returned with a woman walking between them, and she immediately went over to Myrna with her hand outstretched. “Hi, I’m Ilsa Miller.”
Hands were shaken, fresh coffee passed out, and people settled back at the table. She pulled out a folder, and folded her hands over it. Myrna instantly liked her because she didn’t beat around the bush in her talk.
“I went over this file you gave Cole with a fine-tooth comb. I can tell you that on the surface, neither Jason nor I could find any reason as to why someone would want to steal Sally.”
Myrna looked around the table, and when she received nods from the others, she opened the journal, pulled out the letter that Robert had put inside a plastic bag, and pushed it across the table toward Ilsa.
“What’s this?”
“Read it.”
They all waited as she looked at them, read it, and whipped her head up toward them.
“Are you shitting me?”
“No,” Myrna said as she told her how she had come into possession of it, and what they had read from the journal so far.
“Before we go any further,” Pedro said as he looked directly at Ilsa. “Will you represent Myrna?”
“Yes, though I don’t see why she would get arrested and need representation.”
“What about not reporting the theft of Sally to the authorities.”
“She did.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. You reported it to Jim, and then to Agent Wilson, this man, and the other one when you told your story to everyone at the meeting room at Erin’s Way.
They are federal agents with the FBI, you reported it to the authorities.
There’s no reason why you had to go locally.
” She turned to look at Roger. “Does your boss have her statement?”
“Yes, it’s back at the office, but yes, she has Myrna’s statement.”
“Good, then you’re in the clear. Now, how about we go through this journal, take notes, and do what we have to?
I know you’re here to pack up and get back to New Double.
I’m here to help with that, as well as do everything for you legally.
So far, I haven’t seen anything that you have done wrong.
” She looked at the agents. “I presume that the evidence mentioned in the letter is safe?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I don’t want to know where it is, because it’s none of my business. If you don’t mind, I’m going to call Duane Manchester.” As she talked, she pulled her phone, dialed, and made sure it was on speaker. Myrna liked that she didn’t mince her words as soon as it was answered.
“Duane, it’s Ilsa. I’m here, and we have a new direction for you to investigate.”
“What’s your data?”
She took the letter and read it, and they all heard his whistle.
“Are you saying that Mary’s husband’s side piece wanted the horse, that’s why he allegedly killed his wife?”
“That’s what we’re going with. I’m assuming Agent Wilson has people working on this at her office in Denver.
I’m with Myrna, Pedro, Agent Benjamin, and Agent Smith with the FBI.
They’ve taken photos and sent them to Agent Wilson.
I trust you to be discreet in your background check into Officer Avery Mosher.
I’m also not telling you what to do, or how to do your job, but as backup for us, what do you think about reading Jake Cogburn into this? ”
“I was going to give him a call when we hung up. If Myrna’s there, we have your back.”
“Thank you,” Myrna said, and the call was ended.
After that, they settled in and Myrna read the entire journal, while others took notes.
By the time the last page was read, Myrna had gone through almost an entire box of tissues.
As she closed the journal, Robert picked it up, slid it into a plastic bag, sealed it, and wrote on the outside, before he left the room.
“Do I want to know?” Ilsa asked.
“Nope,” Myrna said as she removed the gloves she had donned to keep her prints off the pages of the journal and looked at the clock, and started getting lunch together.
Again, there were sandwiches, but this time it was laid out in a buffet style so they could take what they wanted.
As they ate, they made small talk, when they finished cleaning everything, the men went out to the barn to start loading Sally’s tack, while the ladies went into the spare room and started packing.
Pedro had just taken some tack to the trailer and stepped out of it when a vehicle pulled in, he spotted it, then went to the back of the barn, to rush in to talk with Robert.
It turned out to be nothing but someone looking for someone else.
At least that’s what the driver said, and after going inside to talk with Myrna, Pedro gave these people directions to their destination.