A Real Pickle (12 page)

“I can live with that,” Moose said.  He turned to Jeffrey and he asked, “What do you say to Victoria’s proposal?  Can you live with my granddaughter’s plan?”

“I don’t particularly care for being dumped in with the rest of them, but I can see your point.  Okay.  You can have first crack at whatever you find, but when you’re done with it, you need to turn it all over to me.  I wasn’t kidding when I told Charlotte that I’d have to do a full inventory of Curtis’s possessions.”

“Agreed,” I said.  “Let’s get started, shall we?”

It took forty minutes for the three of us to search Curtis’s room by candlelight.  We had a decent assortment of things in the box now, but there was nothing earth-shattering in any of our finds.  I’d found some old letters, Jeffrey had found something that looked suspiciously like a diary besides the checkbook and ledger he’d discovered, and Moose had found four notebooks that sported the oddest collection of expressions that I’d ever seen.  

“What exactly are these?” I asked Jeffrey as I held one up to my light.

“Curtis called them his musings,” Jeffrey said.  “After he first got sick, he started recording his thoughts in there.  I might publish them myself some day as a tribute to him.”

“I’ll make sure that you get these back when Moose and I are finished with them,” I said.

“I’d appreciate that.  Now, I just need this,” Jeffrey said as he reached into the box of collected treasures and tried to grab the checkbook.

“Hold on a second.  You agreed to let us have
everything
,” I said, grabbing it before he could.  “No exceptions.”

“Victoria, I need those checks,” Jeffrey protested.

“Go ahead.  Give him the checks,” Moose said.

Was my grandfather actually going to go along with this?  “I don’t think that it’s a good idea.  There might be entries in it that lead us to Curtis’s killer.”

“I agree.  I didn’t say a word about giving him the ledger, but there is no earthly reason
not
to give him the checks.”

I could see the logic of that, so I pulled out the checks and handed the sheaf to Jeffrey.  “There you go.  You don’t mind if I keep the ledger, do you?”

“For now,” he said as he tucked the checks into his pocket.  As he scanned the room, Jeffrey asked, “Is there anything that we’ve missed?”

“I don’t suppose there’s any real way of knowing that,” I said.  I looked around again myself, but I didn’t see anything that looked the least bit pertinent to our investigation.  “Moose, would you like to go over what we’ve found in my room?”

I looked over at my grandfather in the flickering light from my candle, and I realized that he looked tired.  That’s why it didn’t really surprise me when he suggested, “That sounds good to me, but let’s wait until morning, okay?  It’s been a long day, and I’m beat.”

“That sounds like a plan,” I said

As we walked out of Curtis’s room, I was surprised to find that we were greeted by Sarah, Tristan, and Crane, all standing together with their candles flickering from the breeze we’d just created opening the door.

“What exactly have you three been doing in there?” Crane asked.

“Yes, Uncle Curtis didn’t like anyone to go in his room,” Sarah added.

“If you get to look around in there, then we should, too,” Tristan said as he spied the box I had tucked under one arm.  It was a little awkward holding the candle as well, but I managed it without setting the drapes on fire.  “What’s in there?” he demanded.

“Just some paperwork and things that might come in handy while we’re trying to settle the estate,” Jeffrey said.

“Let us see what you’ve got,” Crane insisted as he reached for the box.

I wasn’t about to let him have it though, and neither was Moose.  My grandfather stepped between us.  “This isn’t open for debate, folks.  We’re not in a democracy at the moment.  There’s only one person in charge, and that’s Jeffrey Graham.”

The chauffeur looked uncomfortable having everyone on the landing staring at him.  After a moment, he said, “Believe me when I tell you that I’m not trying to make anyone’s life uncomfortable.  Let me do the job that Curtis asked me to do, and then I’ll be out of your hair forever.”

Tristan shrugged.  “That sounds reasonable enough.  I can live with that.”

Jeffrey looked at Sarah.  “What about you?”

She glanced at her brother, who shrugged slightly.  “Whatever Tristan says is fine with me.”

Jeffrey saved the business manager for last.  “What do you say, Crane?  It’s pretty clear that you think I’m in over my head, and you might be right, but I’m going to see this through, with your help or without it.  That being said, I’d much rather have your support if I can.”

“I’ve been cooperative so far, haven’t I?” Crane asked.

“I suppose so,” Jeffrey said as he nodded.

“Then there’s no reason to believe that I’ll act otherwise in the future.  As you say, Curtis had his reasons for doing what he did, and I plan to respect them, no matter what my personal opinion might be about the decisions that he made.”  Wow, that was a pretty clear shot at Jeffrey, but he didn’t react to it.

“Excellent,” the chauffeur said.  “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m heading off to bed.  Tomorrow is going to be another brutal day, I’m afraid.”

As we split up, Sarah asked petulantly, “What’s Victoria doing with the box?  I thought that
you
were in charge of it, Jeffrey.”

“I am,” he replied, “but it’s late, and I’m tired.  We’ll go over it in the morning, but for tonight, it will remain in Victoria’s possession, per Curtis’s instructions.”  Technically it was even true, since Moose and I were going to try to use the contents of the box to help solve his murder.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that particular letter myself,” Crane said softly.

“I would never dream of showing it to you,” I said with a smile.  “Nor would I ask to see yours, if you got one.  They are personal in nature; that’s my interpretation of mine, at any rate.  Good night all.”

“Good night,” they said in an uneven chorus in return.

“Guard your discoveries well,” Jeffrey said as I started to close the door to my room.

“Do you think someone might try to steal them?” I asked, suddenly feeling a whole new level of paranoia.  

“No, not out from under your nose,” Jeffrey said.  “On second thought, maybe I should keep them for you myself.”

I wasn’t happy with the prospect of someone trying to get into my room to see what we’d found, but neither did I care for the idea that Jeffrey would be watching over them.  “I’ll be careful.”

“That’s all that I can ask,” he said.

Once I had the large solid oak door closed and locked, I took the chair from a nearby desk and jammed it under the doorknob.  Nobody was getting into my room tonight.  As an extra precaution, I removed the contents of the box and stuffed everything into one of the pillowcases on the bed.  As a substitute, I stuck a few paperback novels in their place that I’d brought along just in case I’d have time to read.  There wasn’t much worry about that happening.  The books gave the box a nice heft, and I put it prominently on the desk near my bed.

I had one more thing I wanted to do before I turned in for the night.  I pulled out my cellphone and dialed Greg using my speed dial.  I might not be able to kiss my husband goodnight, but at least I’d get the opportunity to chat with him for a few minutes before I went to sleep.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” I asked Greg as he answered the phone on the seventh ring.

“No, I was just watching a little television,” he said, and then I heard him stifle a yawn.  I had a hunch that he’d nodded off, but I wasn’t about to say anything about it.  “You’ve had yourself a big day, haven’t you, Victoria?  How are the accommodations there?”

“Do you remember that creepy old hotel we stayed in when we went to the beach the year we got married?” I asked him.

“Are you talking about the one with the unpainted cinderblock walls and that nasty tub that we were both afraid to try?” he asked.

“That’s the one.”

There was a moment’s pause, and then Greg asked me, “Really?  Is it that bad?”

“On the contrary.  Imagine the opposite of that, and
that’s
what this place is like,” I said as I laughed.  As I looked around the room, I began to describe it to him.  “Here goes.  Picture dark hardwood floors that look to be a hundred years old and polished to a sheen, wainscoting surrounding the entire room, which happens to be bigger than our living room and dining room combined by the way, crown moldings, art on the walls suitable for any high-end gallery, a bed fit for royalty, and a beautiful bathroom with everything I could ever want.”

“Wow, it sounds like you’re really roughing it,” he said.  “Take some pictures with your phone so I can see them when you get home.”

“I will,” I said.  “How was the diner today without me?”

“Well, it was touch and go for a while there, but we managed to pull through.”

“How did Stephanie do?”

Greg sighed.  “Well, she’s not you, but she managed okay.”

Was it evil of me to be happy with that report?  I decided to give myself a break.  After all, who wanted to be replaced so easily at what they did?  “Don’t worry.  I’m sure that she’ll be fine,” I said.

“Probably, but you’re a tough act to follow.  How’s the investigation going?”

“It’s confusing, but I’m not all that surprised by it at this point.  You know as well as I do that it takes some time to gather all of the facts.”

“Has Sheriff Croft been by yet?”

“No,” I said.  “Why do you ask?”

“He was at the diner just before we closed.  I have a feeling that you’re going to be seeing him tomorrow.  He made it a point to ask me if I’d heard from you, by the way.”

“Was he looking for help?” I asked with a laugh.

“He wasn’t in a great mood, so I’m guessing that it’s not going too well for him on his end.”

“He’s in good company,” I said.

“Would it help any if you ran down your suspects?” Greg asked.

“Probably, but I doubt that I could get them all to stand still in the parking lot that long.”

He laughed.  “Victoria, has anyone told you that you have a warped sense of humor?”

“Do you mean besides you?” I asked.  It was so good speaking with my husband.  I tried never to take it for granted that we worked together, but it really hit home when we were separated.

“I do,” he said.

“Then yes, a time or two.  Are you sure you wouldn’t mind being my sounding board?”

“Hey, that’s why I’m here,” Greg said.

“Okay, here goes.  We have a niece and nephew, a brother and sister named Sarah Harper and Tristan Wellborne.  Sarah’s spoiled rotten, and Tristan is a wannabe artist who thinks he’s Picasso’s natural successor.  After that, there’s Curtis’s sister, an imposing old gal named Charlotte who won’t tolerate being second-guessed about anything.  Besides family, there’s a man who’s referred to only as Crane who was Curtis’s business manager.”  I took a deep breath, and then I added, “And finally, we’ve got Jeffrey himself.”

“The chauffeur made your list of suspects?” Greg asked.  “How did that happen?  I thought that he was one of the good guys.”

“He still might be,” I said, “but he gambles, and what’s worse, he loses more than he wins.”

“Does he stand to inherit from Curtis’s estate?”

“He doesn’t need to.  Evidently the stipend for being the executor of the estate pays a great deal of money.  I’m having a hard time believing it, but Moose thinks that it’s a viable option.”

“When it comes to motive, especially when greed is involved, I’d trust your grandfather’s gut if I were you.”

“That’s why Jeffrey’s still on our list.  Oh, by the way, we called in Renee to help Jeffrey go over the books.  I thought Crane was going to have a fit when he found out.”

“If anyone can get to the bottom of those finances, it’s Renee.  That was a smart move to call her.”

“Moose and I suggested it, but Jeffrey is the one in charge.  He’s not very popular around here at the moment.  Nobody can figure out why Curtis gave the executer’s post to Jeffrey instead of his longtime business manager and friend.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Greg said.  “Is
everyone
on your list of suspects staying there at the house with you?”

“There’s plenty of room,” I said.  “This place is huge.”

“Victoria, I hope you’re being careful.  You’re vulnerable there; you know that, don’t you?  As a matter of fact, both of you are.”

“We’re watching each other’s backs,” I said.  “There’s nobody but you that I’d rather have keeping an eye out for me than my grandfather.”

“Keep him safe,” Greg said.

“That might be a little tough, but I’ll do what I can,” I said.  “Oh yeah, the power’s out here, too; did I mention that?”

“You did not,” Greg answered, sounding a little alarmed.  “What happened?  Was it cut on purpose, do you think?”

“Nothing as ominous as all that.  We had a powerful storm move through, and evidently it’s not that odd to lose the electricity here.  Did you get anything in town?”

“We heard a few rumbles in the distance and it rained a little, but all in all, it wasn’t much to talk about.”

“We must have gotten the brunt of it here,” I said.

Greg paused, and then my husband said, “Double-lock your door if you can.”

“It’s locked, and I have a chair jammed under the knob for good measure,” I said as I looked over at my makeshift dead bolt.

“Good,” he said.  “What’s on tap for tomorrow?”

“Moose and I are going to look through the things we found when we searched Curtis’s room tonight by candlelight.  Jeffrey was with us, and the three of us caught Charlotte in there snooping around.”

“What excuse did you give her for your digging?” he asked.

I never got a chance to tell him, though.  My cellphone beeped twice, and I saw that the battery was nearly dead.  “Greg, my phone’s dying.  I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Good—” was all that I heard when it finally died completely.

I’d brought my charger with me, but a fat lot of good it was going to do.  Without power, I was without a cellphone until I could charge it back up.  It hadn’t been all that long ago that I hadn’t even had a cellphone, and I’d resisted the impulse to buy one, but now I felt vulnerable without one.