Ghostly Graveyard (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Book 17) (9 page)

Zak put his arm around me and pulled me next to his body. I always felt safe and warm when I was with Zak. I don’t know if it was the fact that he was so tall or that he was so intelligent, but I knew in my heart that he would always find a way to save me when I got myself into trouble. I suppose in a way having this confidence in my man made me more fearless than I really ought to be.

“Why don’t you tell me what you do know?” Zak suggested.

“I know there was a man in the cemetery with a black-hooded robe the night I found the body. I suspect he’s the killer, but Salinger did make some good points when I talked to him today.”

“You talked to Salinger?”

“Yeah. Sorry; I thought I’d told you. He was in port, so he was able to return my rather frantic call. I hoped he’d help, but he was totally useless.”

“Useless in what way?” Zak asked as he ran a finger up and down my arm.

“He seems to think Lesserman is conducting an adequate investigation, which he isn’t. I just think Salinger didn’t want to have his vacation interrupted.”

“Can you blame him?”

“No. I guess not.” I leaned my head against Zak’s shoulder. I did find that I was beginning to relax.

“Okay, so you have the guy in the cemetery as a suspect. Who else?”

“Jennifer from Rosie’s said she saw a tall, thin man arguing with Duncan. It could be the same guy I saw in the cemetery. The cloaked man was tall, but it was hard to make out any other features. I also suspect Duncan’s death might be related to the letter and whatever it is he was after in the cemetery.”

Zak kissed the top of my head, which was resting under his chin. “Do you think he found it? Whatever it was he was looking for?”

“I have no idea. I guess I should see if Lesserman will tell me what was found on or near the body. I sort of doubt he will. I really wish Salinger was here.”

Zak laughed. “Did you ever think you’d be saying that?”

“No.” I smiled. “I guess not. At least I didn’t ever imagine I’d be saying that until recently. The guy had me fired from my job two years ago.”

“Yeah. But that worked out okay.”

“Yeah, it really did.”

I turned and looked up into Zak’s eyes. They really were the most expressive eyes. They promised things I knew we’d share and hinted at things I could only imagine. I wondered if our children would inherit his kind heart and patient spirit. I hoped so. The world really could benefit from a little more Zak in the mix.

Zak decided to commit a couple of hours to my investigation the next morning, so I took the kids to school while he logged onto his computer and began the process of tracking down the elusive Duncan Wright. Zak was a wiz on the computer, so I knew that if there was something there, he’d find it.

When I returned home from dropping everyone off I joined Zak in his office.

“So what do we know?” I asked.

Zak sat back in his chair. “Quite a bit, actually. Duncan Wright is the only son of Reginald Wright, a native of Pennsylvania. Reginald is the son of a man named Byron Wright, who came to this country from England when he had a falling out with his father, Lucifer. Byron changed him name to Byron Wright from Byron Wainwright when he came to the United States.”

“So Duncan
was
related to Isaac Wainwright,” I concluded.

“It looks like he was. In 1915 when Isaac died he left behind a son who was five years old at the time. His name was Lucifer. It appears Isaac was Duncan’s great-great-grandfather. There’s no way to know for certain how Duncan ended up with the letter you found, but it seems likely it was handed down from one generation to the next.”

“So Duncan must have had reason to believe Isaac never found whatever it was Alvin sent him here to find and decided to come to Ashton Falls to have a look for himself,” I concluded.

“It seems as reasonable a theory as any,” Zak agreed.

“Is this Alvin related to the Wainwrights?” I wondered.

Zak turned back to his computer and typed in a series of commands. “According to the letter you found, the correspondence was the last will and testament of a man named Alvin Everlay. I don’t know this for certain, but I think he might have been the son of the Duke of Everlay. I was able to verify that the duke had a son named Alvin who would have been around fifty in 1915.”

I frowned. “So we suspect Alvin was the son of a duke who came to Devil’s Den at some point prior to 1915. He must have known he was dying because he sent Isaac the letter. Isaac would have been what age in 1915?”

“Thirty.”

“Okay, so he would have been twenty years younger than Alvin. I wonder how they knew each other.”

“I haven’t been able to find a link between Alvin and Isaac so far,” Zak said. “I’ll keep looking. If Alvin is the son of the duke, as I suspect, I guess we can assume both Alvin and Isaac were from England. I suppose they could have been friends or neighbors.”

He swiveled around in his chair so he was looking at me. “While establishing a link between Isaac and Duncan is interesting I’m not sure how it helps us identify his killer.”

“The only thing I can come up with is that Duncan was after whatever it was Alvin left for Isaac and someone found out about it and decided they wanted it for themselves. If whatever Alvin left behind is the motive for Duncan’s murder I’m not sure how we’re ever going to figure out who else might have known what Duncan was up to.”

“The guy was a tool, but I’m sure he had friends. If not in Ashton Fall then wherever it is he came from just before moving here.”

“I thought you mentioned Pennsylvania.”

“Duncan’s father was from Pennsylvania. I haven’t found a record of him living there, or anywhere else for that matter, as an adult. I’ll keep looking.”

I stood up. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I think I’m going to head over to the Zoo for a couple of hours.”

“By the way,” Zak stopped me, “Phyllis and the girls are having a Halloween dinner party tonight. Phyllis said it’s casual and she’d like us and the kids to come.”

“Sounds like fun. What time?”

“Six.”

“I’ll be ready.”

I decided to stop by Rosie’s on my way to the Zoo. Maybe she or one of the waitstaff could give me more information about the man Jennifer had seen Duncan arguing with. At this point my stranger in the graveyard and the man in the diner were the only leads I had. The one thing that had stuck with me was the fact that Jennifer had indicated that the man Duncan was speaking to wanted something and he wanted it quickly. Urgency was the only explanation I’d come up with as to why Duncan might have trashed the haunted house on Friday.

“Yeah, I know who you’re referring to,” one of Rosie’s newer waitresses told me. “I’m pretty sure I heard Duncan Wright refer to him as Gus. I didn’t catch a last name. Based on what I managed to hear while I was clearing the adjoining table, it seemed Duncan owed Gus some money. Quite a lot by the sound of things.”

“Any idea where I can find Gus?” I asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but I remember one of the men mentioning the Bayside Marina.”

I knew the Bayside Marina was on the south shore of the lake. It was about a thirty-minute drive from Ashton Falls, but I didn’t have to be anywhere until it was time to pick Scooter up, and that was still four hours away.

“Okay, thanks. If you think of anything else give me a call.”

I left the café and returned to my car.

“Want to take a ride?” I asked Charlie, who had been waiting for me while I was inside Rosie’s.

It had been quite a while since I’d driven around the lake. It was a beautiful drive, with the narrow road hugging the lake, with its beaches and rocky shore. It was a warm and clear autumn day. There was a nip in the air, just enough to remind you that winter was on the way.

The Bayside Marina was one of the larger ones on the lake. Not only did they rent and store boats but they had a boat ramp, a marine store, and a full-service repair center. It turned out Gus worked there as a mechanic. I knew I’d found the right guy when a tall, pale man approached me.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

“My name is Zoe. I live in Ashton Falls and I’m looking into the death of Duncan Wright.”

The man pursed his lips. “You a cop?”

“Not exactly, but I often help Sheriff Salinger with the research for some of the cases the department works on. I understand you had lunch with Duncan recently.”

“Yeah. So?”

“I understand that the two of you argued.”

The man frowned. “You think I killed him?”

“Not necessarily. Duncan argued with a lot of people. I am, however, interested in the reason for your argument. I have a witness who seems to think Duncan owed you something.”

“He did. Money. A lot of it. The lowlife had been stringing me along for months. I realized I was going to have to threaten to get rough if I ever wanted to see my dough again.”

“Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Get rough?”

“No. Thought about it, but the guy said he had a plan to get my money, so I decided to give him some more time. Guess he was getting some sort of inheritance. Suppose I never will see that money now.”

“Probably not. Do you know of anyone else Duncan owed money to?”

Gus paused. It appeared as if he was seriously considering my question. “Duncan liked to gamble. I imagine he probably did owe other people money. I know for sure that he owed a big chunk of change to a guy named Ford. Don’t know his last name.”

“Do you think this Ford could have killed him over the debt?”

He shrugged.

“Do you know anyone else who might have wanted to kill him?”

“Lots of folks. The guy had an annoying way about him. But if what you’re really asking is if I know who killed him, the answer is no. You might ask his girl.”

“Duncan had a girlfriend?”

“Sweet but misled little thing named Analee.”

“Do you know where I can find Analee?”

“Diner down the street. She doesn’t always wear a name tag, but you can’t miss her. She has the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.”

“Blue eyes. Got it. Thank you for your time.”

Charlie and I decided we might as well have a chat with Analee as long as we were in the area so we headed down the main street toward the intersection, as Gus had instructed. It occurred to me that if Duncan had a girlfriend on the south shore of the lake that was most likely where he lived. I had to wonder why he’d been camping out at the mine. Even if he was trying to find a treasure he could easily have made the trip back and forth each day. It was an easy drive during the summer and fall, when there wasn’t any snow to contend with.

When I got to the diner I asked Analee that very question.

“Duncan was hiding out,” Analee shared. “He’d somehow managed to talk himself into inclusion in a high-stakes poker game, and when he lost he didn’t have the money to cover his marker. He made a lot of really mean men a lot of promises that he was never going to be able to keep.”

“Gus said Duncan told him that he had a plan to get the money he owed. Do you happen to know what it consisted of?”

Analee looked around the diner. It was slow, but I could tell she was uncomfortable discussing Duncan if others were within hearing range.

“He had an inheritance coming to him,” she whispered. “A big one. He just needed to find something to get the money.”

I frowned. “Did he tell you what he needed to find?”

“No, but he assured me that once he found whatever it was, he and I were going to move away and start over somewhere tropical. Just the two of us. Duncan said he loved me, but he hated the snow.”

Gus was right; Analee was adorable. I couldn’t imagine what she would want with a guy like Duncan.

“During his time in Ashton Falls he became very involved with our events committee. Did he tell you why?” I asked.

Analee hesitated.

“He’s dead,” I reminded her. “He can’t get into trouble for doing whatever it was he did.”

“Duncan needed some information. When he first arrived he tried to get it, but he was told it was restricted, so he got the idea to make nice with the ladies from the county and the library.”

So Willa had been right about that.

“He also wanted access to the house you all were using for some event. He said the thing he needed to find was most likely there, so he needed a reason to be given a key to the place.”

And it appeared I’d been right about the clues in the letter leading to the cemetery.

“Do you think Duncan found what he was looking for?” I asked.

“Not unless he found it after the last time I spoke to him, which was on the Wednesday before someone killed him. I heard the man who killed my Duncan was lurking around in the cemetery. I surely hope you find him. It was supposed to be just the two of us. He promised we’d have a future together and now he’s gone.”

The poor girl looked like she was actually grieving. I couldn’t imagine why someone like Analee would have had anything to do with someone like Duncan, but I suppose love can be blind. Duncan was a first-class tool, but he must have done something kind at some point to win Analee’s heart.

“Do you know someone named Ford who Duncan owed money to?”

“Yeah. Ford Olson. He lives over on the east shore. He’s a real scary guy. Do you think he killed my Duncan? I bet he did. He’s just the sort to kill a man.”

“I don’t know whether Ford killed Duncan, but I’d like to talk to him. Do you have an address for him?”

“No, but I can draw you a map to his place.”

After I left the diner I called Zak to fill him in on what I’d learned. He would be busy at the Academy for the rest of the afternoon, but he promised to give the information some thought. Charlie and I filled the car up with gas and then headed toward the east shore. Ford was a scary-looking man, but he swore he hadn’t killed Duncan and he had an alibi of sorts. He also told me Duncan had said he’d found a gold mine and would be paying everyone back sooner rather than later. This seemed to back up what both Gus and Analee had already told me.

After we finished with Ford Charlie and I headed north toward home. By the time we arrived back in Ashton Falls I needed to rush to pick up Scooter.

“Zoe, can I get another costume?” Scooter asked the minute he got into the car.

“I thought you liked the one we got for you.”

“I did. But Tucker and Percy are both going to be ninjas. I want to be a ninja too.”

I was about to tell Scooter he’d made his choice and he really needed to stick with it, but then I got a look at his face. This was really important to him.

“Okay. We can run by the costume store to see what they have, but we’ll need to hurry. We’re going over to Phyllis’s for dinner.”

“Okay. I’ll hurry.”

The store was predictably packed. It was, after all, only three days before Halloween. Apparently, a lot of people had left shopping for a costume until the last minute. At least I’d been in the store enough times lately to have a feel for which costumes were located in which section. The action-type costumes were on the back wall, so we headed there directly.

Scooter picked out the costume he wanted and we headed to the end of the long line. By the look of things I wasn’t going to have a lot of time to get ready for the dinner unless they happened to open another check stand. I was about to ask them to do just that when I remembered there was a cash register in the back, at the layaway counter. I took Scooter’s hand and headed back to the rear of the store again. Of course, trying to maneuver there was a bit like swimming upstream, but I put my head down and plowed through.