Island Intrigue (24 page)

“What I really wanted to talk to you about is in the spirit of Brad's defense. Brad admits he sent Rolo the note, and admits he met Rolo at the tree. I'm wondering if anybody else knew Brad was going to meet Rolo.”

Elizabeth stared at her with opaque eyes, her face blank as she tried to figure out Sabrina's reasoning. “He told us that he was going to meet Rolo that day, but not what time, or where. He said he was going to clear all this up, that everything would be better. I thought—I thought…” Elizabeth twisted a large diamond ring on her pinkie.

“You thought he was going to bribe Rolo into shutting up about what happened. You may have even thought he was going to kill Rolo. You didn't think that he was going to agree to tell the truth. You never would have let him do that.”

Elizabeth huffed with indignation. “How dare you say that to me!”

Sabrina smiled sadly. “A woman who would tell her eighteen-year-old son to turn his best friend over to the police for something his friend didn't do is capable of anything, as far as I'm concerned. Brad told you about the Wrightly diary, and what was in it. When Brad confessed to you that he stole the silver you saw a way to get rid of the Wrightly threat. With Rolo gone, no one else but you and Brad knew what was in the diary. And that's the way you wanted it.”

“I don't know who you think you are, but I suggest you get out of this house—immediately!” Elizabeth's eyes were cold and nasty, and she didn't bother to deny the accusations.

“Have a nice night,” Sabrina said. “I wouldn't want to live with your conscience.”

As she went toward the stairs, she passed a cracked door and something golden and shiny caught her eye. Pausing, she pushed open the door. The well-appointed room was clearly Elizabeth's, with expensive silken clothes tossed on the bed and chair. Sabrina looked at the array of wigs, long and short, from platinum blond to honey auburn, arranged in a cherry armoire.

Thoughtfully, she closed the door and continued on her way.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Sabrina stopped to pick up the final touches to her costume and headed home. Only a few lights burned at the New Wrightly House when she passed, and all the bicycles and golf carts had disappeared from the front yard. It was growing chill as the sun sank into the water, sparking a bonfire of glowing crimson and orange and pink.

Due to the funeral and the upcoming festivities, Sabrina had given the kids the day off from play practice. She went into the house and let Calvin out of his cage. He waddled to her, complaining.

“I know, I've been leaving you alone far too much. But I've got a lot on my mind, Calvin.” Sabrina scooped the bird off the floor and carried him with her into the kitchen. “I'm not any closer to figuring out why someone killed Rolo. In fact, now I've got too many reasons. It seems like everyone on the island had some secret that they might have killed Rolo to keep him from repeating. That's the problem, don't you see? No one knew which secret Rolo intended on revealing. Anybody with a secret to hide could have thought that Rolo planned to reveal their particular secret. Rolo really should have been more specific.”

Sabrina fixed herself a cup of hot herbal tea—she'd done extensive research to discover just the right combination of soothing herbs—while a muttering Calvin climbed into the window.

“I wish you could talk, Calvin. You saw the killer. Who was it? How did the person get through Waver Town without anybody seeing him or her? Through the marsh? Brad did that, and someone saw him. You can't sneeze around here without someone saying ‘Here's a tissue.' Is Brad the killer? It would make so much sense. He was the last one to see Rolo alive. He arranged the meeting. Rolo was killed with a gun taken from the Tittletott House. But somehow…I believe him when he said he had decided to tell the truth. I think.”

Sabrina sat at the table and stared out the window as the sun was extinguished in a puff of lavender and pink clouds. The kids should be coming around trick and treating soon, and she had a basket of Reese's Cups and MilkyWays all ready to go. She wasn't one of those people who forced apples and oranges on kids for Halloween. Why, it would be like eating a cucumber instead of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Just not the same.

“What am I missing, Calvin? Let's take this logically, from the top. Elizabeth Tittletott. She's got so much invested in Brad. Would she kill to keep him from being ruined? Even more likely is that she would kill Rolo to keep him from telling the truth about her ancestor. Her position on the island is everything to her. She knew that Brad was going to meet Rolo, but she says she didn't know where or when. She could have lied. Her alibi is shaky—she says she was at the house sleeping. But wouldn't someone have noticed if she was all the way over in Waver Town? And would she have the strength to kill Rolo with the garden shears? And then drag his body through the trees to Dock's boat?

“Brad. He's the most obvious. He's got the motive, the opportunity…but you know, if everybody in that house knew he was going to meet Rolo, wouldn't it have been easy to set him up? Plant the gun in Brad's room, which would point suspicion at Brad. That would explain why the killer left Brad's note, the one asking Rolo to meet Brad at the treasure tree. But then again, why kill Rolo at my house? Why not in the swamp? What about the gun? Maybe the killer jammed the gun because he or she didn't know how to use it. That would rule out Brad, who, according to Lima, was a prize marksman. Then again, maybe it was Brad, and in the heat of the moment he got excited and the gun jammed. That's possible, I guess.

“Gary. There's no love lost between Gary and Brad, so I can't imagine Gary killing Rolo to keep him from revealing Brad's secret. In a way, I think he was happy when his brother's pedestal crumbled. By the same token, I don't think he takes his family serious enough to kill Rolo to keep him from revealing the truth about the Tittletott ancestors. But is he so far under his mother's thumb that he could have killed Rolo at her direction? And then there's Sid. But Rolo didn't know anything about Sid being Brad's child. Nobody but Virginia knew about that, and I can't see where she would have had reason or opportunity to tell him. Rolo had been gone three years before Sid was conceived. And Gary was working the desk when Rolo was murdered, both Virginia and Mary Tubbs said they called him.

“Finally, there's Virginia. She has lied to me, at least twice that I know of. And I don't understand her, or her penchant for falling in love with someone every other week. Does that make her a killer? Why would she kill Rolo? Could she have killed Rolo to keep him from ruining the family's name? It's a little far-fetched, but possible, I suppose. She said she was at the school helping set up for the rally, and presumably the police checked out her alibi. But I seem to remember someone saying that Virginia disappeared while she was supposed to be working on a float. How long was she gone? People thought they saw her in Waver Town.”

“And what about Thierry? Could he have something to do with Rolo's death? Maybe he faked that incident at the funeral to further frame Brad. But why would Thierry kill Rolo? Out of jealousy? Did he kill him for Brad?”

Sabrina drummed her fingers on the table, running the options over and over through her head. Something was bothering her, something May had said…but what was it?

“I wish Lora Wrightly was alive so I could ask her what she knew about all this.”

Loud knocking on the door interrupted her thoughts and woke Calvin.

“CHEEP, CHEEP!” he complained.

Sabrina got up and glanced around the kitchen for a weapon. She took up a knife and padded to the front door.

The loud knocking again.

Sabrina wished devoutly that she had had Bicycle Bob put the lock on the door.

“Who—” She cleared her throat. “Who is it?”

“Trick or treat!” Several young voices called.

“It's just the trick-or-treaters, Calvin. And you were afraid!”

***

After an hour, the trick-or-treaters, dressed as witches, Cinderella and Spiderman, trickled to a stop. Sabrina went upstairs, took a bath and began putting on her own costume. She'd agreed to meet Lima at the Walk-the-Plank Pub at eight, and she had one small errand to do before that.

Sabrina finished her makeup, and after smoothing her hair into a rumpled coif she surveyed herself in the mirror. The rose, she had forgotten the rose. Calvin sat next to a vase holding three perfect red roses.

He cheeped in admiration as she pinned the rose to her dress. There. That was perfect.

In the mirror was an old fashioned-looking woman in a button-up dress with full skirts, blond hair, a red rose pinned to her bodice and a lantern in her hand. It was Sarah Wrightly, as she walked the shores looking for her lost husband.

Sabrina knew that it could not be an original costume on this island, but it was original for her. And when she had seen the dress among the Halloween costumes at Sweet Island Music, she knew it would be perfect.

“Calvin,” she said, pirouetting in front of the mirror. “Let's go catch a killer. I've got an idea.”

***

“Sabrina! Look at you!” Nettie said in delight as she opened the door.

“Cheep!”

“And Calvin. So good to see you both.” Nettie looked tiny and fragile, but she was smiling. Sabrina could see Rolo's wife and daughter sitting in the living room with Dock. “I can't thank you enough for arranging for Sherry and little Nettie to come. We just got back from taking Nettie trick-or-treating. It's made this whole thing so much easier knowing that Rolo has left something behind in this world. He's not happy. He's trying to tell me who killed him…but I can't quite get it. I see a lady on a bike…” Nettie squeezed her eyes shut and Sabrina patted her arm.

“I've got something for you.” She passed the long awkward bundle she was carrying over into Nettie's arms.

Nettie unwrapped the towel from around Rolo's sword. “Oh Sabrina! You found it!”

“I thought that since Rolo didn't have a son, maybe you could give it to Terry when he turns eighteen. There's something else in there as well.” Sabrina explained about the diary and the letter to the lawyer, and Rolo's promise to Brad to keep the truth about Lord Tittletott and Walk-the-Plank Wrightly a secret until Elizabeth passes away. “It's up to you, of course, and Brad said he would start passing over some of the Tittletott land to the Wrightlys.”

“My stars and moons,” Nettie murmured.

“I was hoping that there might be some way to find the treasure that Roland Wrightly buried so many years ago, but if eleven generations of Wrightlys haven't found it by now, I think it may be a lost cause.”

“When the time is right, someone will find it,” Nettie said positively. “And with all this—” she waved at the diary and the letter “—I don't think we really need it, do you?”

“I think you're right. I do have a question for you, Nettie, about something else. Right after Rolo was killed, we were talking about the letter that Brad put under the door of the cookie shop for Rolo, though of course we didn't know then who had done it. You said, ‘they always knew I could get in touch with Rolo.' Who did? Did someone give you a letter to send to Rolo?”

Nettie looked troubled. “Virginia has been sending him letters for years. She was actually the first person I thought of when I saw the letter under the door addressed to Rolo. I told Jimmy about it, just in case, though it turns out Brad did it after all. I remember the first time Virginia came to me, and said, ‘Mrs. Nettie, I'd like to send a letter to Rolo. Would you be able to pass this along for me?' I said yes, of course. Those two always were special to one another. I was worried about Virginia. She had just come back from college, and she looked so pale and…” Nettie shook her head. “She looked like she had a lot on her mind.”

Sabrina nodded her head grimly. “This was about three years after Rolo left? Shortly before Virginia married Gary?”

Nettie wrinkled her forehead. “Why yes. You're right. Over the years she has sent several more letters. Every couple of years or so. I thought it was sweet that she never forgot Rolo.”

Sabrina thanked Nettie and hurried down the dark street. So Virginia had kept in contact with Rolo. And when May had talked about seeing Walk-the-Plank Wrightly and Sarah Wrightly walking in the swamp, she had probably seen Rolo and Virginia.

As she came around the corner and Old Harbor came into view, she caught her breath in delight. Glowing colorful buoys bobbed in the water, shedding ghostly light over the waves. People in costumes filled the streets, streaming in and out of houses lit only with candles. The town looked as if it had been transformed into a fantasy land of dark shadows and flickering light, inhabited by monsters and princesses and past presidents.

Sabrina whistled idly, and Calvin cheerfully took up the tune. So Rolo could very well have known about Sid's parentage…

Almost there. Just one more person to talk to.

Candles in paper bags lined the street facing New Harbor and barricades were set up at the entrance to Hurricane Harbor Circle, blocking all motorized traffic from the road. Here on the Towner side of the bridge the costumes were more elaborate. A knight in armor rode by atop an island pony, followed by a queen in flowing regalia.

Sabrina mounted the steps to the Tittletott House and let herself into the lobby. A table was laid out beside the reception desk, covered with food and lit by candles. No one was in the room.

Missy hurried in, wearing an alien costume with long arms, a glowing finger and bobbling head. She wore a T-shirt over the costume that read: “Do not meddle in the affairs of aliens, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

“E.T.!” Sabrina said in delight.

“Sarah Wrightly,” Missy said with appreciation.

“Is anybody around? I'd like to speak to Virginia.”

Missy shook her alien head. “The family's not taking callers. Brad came back to the house about an hour ago, and there was a big blow up. After that they went to their rooms and haven't come out.”

“Hmmm.” Sabrina thought fast. “Missy, I know you are a discreet person, and would not normally tell tales outside of school. But this is very important. You mentioned that Gary and Virginia had a fight the morning of Rolo's murder. I know you wouldn't eavesdrop, but did you hear any of the conversation? It's very important.”

Missy took off her mask and looked at Sabrina. “I've thought about it a lot, actually, debating whether I should tell anyone. It'll be a relief to share it with someone. They fight all the time, you know. I don't pay much attention to it. Most of the time they just snip at each other in a very civil manner. It's uncomfortable to listen to them. Virginia will say how sweet it is that Gary likes to cook, and why, wouldn't it be nice if he took up cross-stitching. And Gary sneers about how Virginia is easy. They're nice people apart, but together they're horrible.

“Virginia threw a vase that morning, which caught my attention. It was before breakfast, and Gary was helping me set up the tables. Virginia came in, and Gary said, ‘Out and about again? You better be careful or people are going to start to talk about you.'

“Well, I left the room and started prepping the creamers in the back. But then I heard this crash and as I went to the door, I heard Virginia say: ‘Gary, sweetie, I can see whoever I want. He was my high school sweetheart, after all. You think you and your mother are the only ones who can keep a secret? Don't you raise your hand to me! You think you're macho? You're not even man enough to give me a baby. Did you really not know? Haven't you guessed who Sid's daddy is? About the only good thing your no-good brother ever accomplished in this world.' Or something to that effect. I was flabbergasted, you understand, because I never suspected that Gary wasn't Sid's father. About that time I went through the swinging door, and the looks on their face! Gary looked…horrified, and Virginia looked so smug I wanted to slap the look right off her face. It was ugly. I turned around and went right back out. I thought about telling the police all this, but I couldn't see where it would help anything, and I didn't want to hurt Sid.”