Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
I an and I leisurely enjoyed a second cup of tea the next morning, neither of us working since we planned on going to the auction in about two hours.
“That’s quite a list you have there, Pep,” Ian said, teasingly with a nod to the paper in my hand.
“Some of the items are just wishful thinking. There are only a handful I’m hoping to snag. What about you? I see that one at the top of your list. A pocket spyglass, pirate monocular, circa France 1900-1950s. A bit pricey, somewhere between two to three hundred dollars,” I said, we both having spent time on the Internet last night to get an idea of what the pieces we were interested in might go for.
“My da collects them and I’d love to get it for him for Christmas.”
“Then we definitely have to snag that one,” I said, glancing at the door.
“Why don’t you just call your dad,” Ian said.
“You read my mind way too easily.”
“It’s not that hard when your dad usually stops by for coffee at least three days out of the week.”
“I never realized how much I would miss him not stopping by or talking with him nearly every day, sharing opinions on some of his more interesting cases. And he has never not answered my calls.”
“What does your mom say about it?”
“‘You know your dad, Pepper,’ that’s what she tells me,” I said sounding annoyed, and I was.
“I’d say that your mum is telling you to get out of your own way.”
I was about to let my annoyance show when Ian’s words penetrated my sulking brain, and I had an epiphany. “My dad is telling me something by avoiding me. But what?”
“Examine the evidence starting with the hospital incident,” Ian suggested. “Your dad took Stone in for questioning, didn’t question you, and let Stone go, and has since purposely avoided you. Why would he do that? Concentrate on why he would do that to you, not why he freed Stone.”
My brain didn’t have to think about it. “My dad discovered something he didn’t want me to know and was concerned that I’d figure it out if I spoke with him.”
“The question is what could it be that your dad couldn’t share it with you?” Ian asked, his wrinkled brow telling me his mind was processing different scenarios.
Mine did the same only it worked at warp speed, and I spit out a possibility. “Someone in the mix is an informant or doing undercover work. That would be something my dad could not share with me, and he would be concerned about me figuring it out.”
“I never thought of that.”
“Stone could be an informant of some kind. That’s why my dad had to let him go. The guy in the hospital stairwell could be his handler. The guy Stone reports to.”
Ian nodded and asked a pertinent question. “Why would Stone need the vanishing guy gone and what does Professor Anderson have to do with it?”
“Good question. I’m not sure about the vanishing guy and how he’s involved. But for some reason Stone is worried about him regaining consciousness. As for Professor Anderson, he could have possibly gotten caught up in whatever criminal activity is going on and made a deal with the authorities to help them and avoid jail time.” I shook my head. “What I can’t figure out is why take a risk for a treasure that might not exist.”
“We assume it’s the Willow treasure that they’re after. What if it isn’t?”
I shook my head baffled by his suggestion.
“We also can’t forget the dead guy in the basement of the Mercantile. If Stone is an informant and Professor Anderson is working with the authorities, and the vanishing guy was unconscious then who killed the guy and why? And is this really about treasure or has it to do with information law enforcement authorities are searching for?”
“One thing we know is that it started with the break in at the Willow Mausoleum and there is a good chance the Willow Mansion is involved somehow since someone tried to rob my mom of her keys.”
“Or were they looking for that skeleton key you have?” Ian asked.
“How would they know about that when my mom never mentioned it to anyone?”
“Yet they could have robbed the keys for the Willow Mansion off the other members of the board at any time and they didn’t. Evidently, they believed that your mum had something the others didn’t. And why was she robbed the day she visited the Willow Mansion? How did the person know she was there or was it sheer luck or was someone following her? And afterwards as well? A coincidence or did he continue to follow her?”
Ian had me curious, so I called my mom and put her on speaker so I wouldn’t have to repeat the conversation to Ian. “Any news about Mayor Barrett?”
“Good news. He only needed a stent, and he will be up and about in no time, and he is insisting on remaining in the race. Ellen is not happy about that. Did you want something, Pepper, I’m on my way out.”
“The day you were attacked at the Willow Mansion, Mom, did you take any papers or anything concerning the mansion home with you?”
“No, nothing. Oh, and I have been meaning to tell you to keep the key set you have for the Willow Mansion. They’re not mine anyway. I found my set in the car console.”
“Whose key set is it?” I asked.
“It belonged to Waters. He had accidentally left it at the mansion and was in a tether about it. I offered to bring the keys to him, but I was delayed and when I finally arrived at his home, he was being placed in the ambulance. I was so upset that I threw his set of keys into the car console with my own and clearly forgot about it. I must have grabbed his set when I needed it and didn’t recall having two until I found my set the other day.”
“How do you know I have his set?”
“Each board member has a different color key chain to designate who the set belongs to. I have a purple one and Waters had a green one.”
“Who besides those who hold key sets would know about that?”
“Let me think…” A moment of silence followed. “The only person besides the board members who would know would be Professor Anderson. He found out about it while writing the book. He saw the different colored key chains and asked about them. He thought it was a smart idea. Is that it, Pepper, I really must go.”
“One more thing, Mom, do members keep personal keys on the chain as well?”
“They are not supposed to, but I think some members do.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Toodles,” she said before ending the call.
“Well, I guess we have our answer as to why your mom was targeted,” Ian said. “Waters must have had a key that someone was looking for.”
“A key that unlocked treasure or information.”
The auction was packed. Amy and Beau sat with us and Kate and Kelly sat behind us. Professor Anderson was in attendance but so far hadn’t bid on anything and Professor Swatcher lurked in the back. How Stone got in, I’ll never know but then if he was an informant he could be there to make contact with the culprit. I did catch him saying a few words to Professor Swatcher, but it appeared just in passing. All the likely suspects were gathered in one place, but I had a feeling I was missing something.
“A good many of the suspects in one place,” Ian whispered, thinking like me, then shook his head. “Something is troubling you. I can see it.”
“I’m not sure. The pieces are there but they don’t quite fit. Something is missing but I can’t figure out what it is.”
The auction began and each of us won a few of our bids and lost a few. I got the items I wanted, though there were a few more that I intended to bid on, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if I lost. Ian was still waiting for the spyglass to be offered. Kate was racking up items for her shop and Kelly had gotten a few things. Amy and Beau won a few of their bids. Some people left, not bothering to stick around after they lost their bid on desired items.
Professor Anderson and Swatcher hadn’t bid on anything yet and I didn’t see Stone again. But I did see someone I wanted to speak to… my dad.
Ian nodded when I told him I’d be back in a few, concentrating solely on the spyglass, the next item up for bid.
My dad spotted me heading his way and made his way slowly outside. He intended for us to talk privately.
I kept my eyes peeled for lurking skateboards as I made my way to him.
“Bidding on some items, are you?” my dad asked when I reached him.
“I snagged a few,” I said, then got right to the point. “What’s going on, Dad? You never questioned me about the incident at the hospital and you have avoided me ever since.”
“Don’t forget the incident here yesterday.”
I wondered which incident he was referring to. My collision with the dessert table or meeting the man from the hospital.
“I have shared a lot about police work with you, Pepper, when possible. Sometimes it’s just not possible to tell you everything. Sometimes you need to trust me.” He smiled. “You always figure it out on your own in the end anyway, and most often before I do.”
Something made me ask, “Are you counting on that this time?”
“Let’s just say I have confidence in you, but,” —and it was a firm but— “You need to be extra careful, Pepper.”
Again, my dad was telling me something without telling me and confirming my suspicions. He always cautioned his men to be extra careful when a case went beyond the scope of the local law enforcement. He wasn’t at liberty to tell me, but he needed me to know there was a degree of danger to the situation.
“I’m always careful, Dad,” I said, and his raised brow told me he didn’t agree with me. “But I will be sure to be extra cautious. It helps that I believe I know the different players in this game, though there is something that’s missing and it nags at me.”
“My money is on you, Pepper.”
I wondered if he meant that figuratively or literally, recalling what he had said to Josh about it being a sucker’s bet. I asked a more pressing question which I knew he’d answered if he could. “Have you discovered the identity of the fellow left to die at the Mercantile? Or for that matter, what about the vanishing guy that Stone wants gone?”
“The dead guy is a multiple-time crook, real name Augustus Jones, who served several jail terms and once rode with a motorcycle club and was booted out. He was a lone wolf who hired out to anyone who’d pay him. I have no idea who hired him, but I can say with certainty that he was the man who stole your mom’s purse since he didn’t treat the dog bite as he should have, and Mo’s saliva was found in it. I’m also sure he’s the one who hit your mom on the head.”
“Have you found any connection between him and anyone here?”
“Not yet, but we’re still digging.”
“Not for the treasure that belongs to me.”
I rolled my eyes, and my dad smiled as we turned to find Stone standing nearby.
I was about to call him out for his subterfuge but thought better of it. With the feeling that I was missing something still nagging at me, I didn’t want to play my hand until I was certain I had all the cards lined up perfectly for the win.
“Give it up, Stone, you’re no more related to the Willow family than I am.”
“Prove it,” he challenged with a smirk.
I delivered my own smirk that was far more smirkier than his. “Oh, I’m going to prove a lot more than that, Stone.” I walked away, calling back, “I’ll see you soon, Dad.” I wanted him to know that he better not keep avoiding me.
I glanced back quickly before entering the house and Stone did not look happy talking with my dad, though my dad appeared pleased.
I peeked out the side window flanking the front door once I entered the house and saw the guy from the hospital and garden suddenly appear. He waved Stone away though Stone looked reluctant to do so, but he left, leaving me to believe the guy was in charge of whatever was going on.
“Everything okay, Pep,” Ian whispered when I returned to my seat beside him.
“All is good. I’ll tell you about it later. Did you win the bid on the spyglass?” His happy grin said it all.
We were able to take the smaller items we purchased with us, but pick-up arrangements had to be made for the larger items. We had two days’ time to pick them up or we’d be charged a daily storage fee, something the historical society definitely could not afford. After we made the necessary arrangements for the historical society items to be picked up, Ian and Beau returned to work. Amy returned home, eager to find places for the items she and Beau had bought, and I was equally as excited to get home with my finds and display them.
I unwrapped the few items, pleased with the vintage magnifying glass and letter opener set I had won. The bid went a bit higher than I was hoping but Ian and I split the cost both of us eager to get the magnifying glass, a fitting piece for our hobby of solving mysteries while useful when magnification was necessary.
I took the letter opener and magnifying glass to the library. I wanted to see how well the magnifying glass worked on small lettering. My eye caught on a favorite painting of my Aunt Effie’s that had hung in her library as long as I could remember. It was a favorite of hers, a lake scene, a forest surrounding it. It looked much like the lake area on the lodge property. I recall the day she pointed it out to me, and I heard her voice in my head.
That painting reveals so much more than what you see. Look past what you see to unlock the truth, Pepper.
Look past what you see to unlock the truth was what my aunt had written in her journal to me.
I went to the painting and used the magnifying glass, hovering it over the artist’s name. I took a step back when I saw it clearly… Lander.
It was the same artist who had painted the Willow family portrait.