Secret Keepers and Skinny Shadows: Lee and Miranda (8 page)

                         
CHAPTER 14

                                    Present Day

L
ee made his way across the expansive Tudor-style living room, stopping in front of the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the driveway. He followed Miranda’s expensive car as it disappeared into the heavy mist rolling in off the mountains. He stared up into the sky; he could feel someone watching him—but who and why?

The silence in the big house was deafening. He didn’t like it. The quiet allowed him too much time to think about the past, present, and future. The past he couldn’t change. The present he could manipulate, but the future, filled him with renewed hope, remembering the vow he made to solve this murder for Joan, he could control and change the direction he was going.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that his and Miranda’s lives were in danger, especially since the death of the local historian and the warning he gave Miranda. He sensed that everything that happened so far was somehow tied into the murder and the letters. What else could it be?

Miranda was always a private person and lived alone for reasons she never shared with him, but he was sure she shared them with Joan.

To live alone for such a long time she must enjoy the solitude. Of course, he didn’t know the real role Adrian played in Miranda’s life either. He was still trying to piece that together. Maybe he was a bodyguard pretending to be a housekeeper. After all, who ever heard of a house-carl? Maybe he was her lover to be available at her beck and call, then he thought how silly that sounded, he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts when the silence was broken.

“Lee, is there anything I can get for you before I leave?”

“Nothing I can think of, but thanks anyway, Adrian.” Lee watched him walk out the same door Miranda used.

Miranda, lives the life of a single lady with a heart that’s locked up and refuses to empty itself of its secrets and loneliness. He thought maybe he was the only one she didn’t open up to. Keeping him at arm’s length with a rough persona made him wonder if she was hiding some deep, dark secret. For someone he has known for so many years there were many things he didn’t know about her.

Lee knew from experience that living alone wasn’t a formula for success. Every time he looked in the mirror he could see the gray hair spreading from his temples, weaving paths to the front of his head, the deep crow’s feet around his eyes and mouth, all signs of aging beyond his years.

After three years his heart had started to wither because it didn’t answer to the beat of another. Looking back on everything that had happened he was beginning to wonder if his heart ever answered to the beat of another person. He now thinks his heart was answering to the beat of his successful career at the publishing house? It was hard for him to admit he didn’t take the time to get to know the real Joan.

Miranda seemed to be warming up a little from the way he remembered her. She was still a dazzling beauty. No wonder Adrian stayed with her. She was his eye candy.

He turned around to move back into the kitchen when his eyes stopped on a large framed picture hanging on the wall above the sofa. It was of Joan and Miranda, taken shortly before Joan passed away. Lee stared at it for a couple of minutes. He was reminded of Joan’s soft, kind and gentle nature. It was in her eyes. He held his head between his hands while thinking what a jerk he had been.

He retrieved his glass of juice from the kitchen, then went back into the living room, found a comfortable spot on the sofa, picked up the notes and started to read.

                   CHAPTER 15

Present Day

L
ee finished the notes when he heard the door opening. Miranda walked in, he watched her stroll to the kitchen and drop her keys and purse on the countertop.

“Have you finished reading?”

Lee stood and stretched, rocked back and forth on his heels. “Reading always makes me sleepy. I’m not a speed reader. I did finish your notes you’re right—I’m hooked. I know a lot of time has passed since this took place but we might get lucky and find someone who remembers this lady as well as the murder.”

By this time Miranda was in the living room standing in front of him. He found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. She was so beautiful.

“I’ve done some of my own digging around on the computer,” Miranda said. “Lilly did spend a lot of time in the mental institution, but I don’t know if it was for protection from George or sickness. Several months after the murder Lilly was in and out of the hospital.”

Lee stared into her brown green eyes, listening to her soft voice. “Come on Miranda let’s take ride and get a drink.”

While Lee drove he peppered Miranda with questions.

“What did you find out about George?”

Miranda shifted in her seat to face him. “Well, he was hard to track down. He was twenty years older than Lilly. Short and stocky, from the description on his draft card. He left the army because he was too old to serve any longer and took a job on the Conn railroad here in Bridgetown working as a laborer.”

“So you think Bert and George worked together at the railroad.”

“Yes, that must be where he met and knew Bert. I couldn’t find any of George’s family. Maybe they will pop up somewhere as we continue to look into this. It’s like they dropped off the edge of the world.” She took a breath. Lee broke in with a question.

“Didn’t Lilly say in one of her letters that she divorced George married Hap Mills and later divorced Hap before she remarried George?”

“Yes, she did say that, but I could only find a marriage to George. Why do you ask?”

“Would this have been something she made up or the truth? It’s a good place to start to see if Lilly is lying,” Lee said.

“I don’t know about that, it could be poor record keeping back then, but we might come up with something,” she said. “Why are you pulling over to the side of the road?”

He brought the car to a stop pointing in the direction of the mountains. “What a great view,” he said. “People pay a lot of money for a view like that.” he glanced in her direction.

“I did pay a lot of money for it, when I bought that old house.” she shrugged and grinned.

His attention was taken by the blue lights flashing in his rear-view mirror, he swore under his breath watching the policeman get out of the car and walk to his side of the car. Lee lowered the window.

“Did I do something wrong officer?”

“Are you Lee Perkins?”

“Uh, yes, I am. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I was on my way to Miranda’s to talk with you.” The officer leaned over and looked into the car.

“Hi there Miranda.”

“Winslow, what do you think you’re doing? Why did you pull behind us? We weren’t doing anything wrong. And how did you know I would be in this vehicle?”

“Wow, Miranda, so many questions,” the officer said. “Don’t get your panties all twisted. We knew Mr. Perkins was staying with you. Come on Miranda, it’s a small town, word gets around.”

“What do you want, Winslow?” She said.

Winslow directed his attention back to Lee.

“I have a message for you from the police chief. It seems they were able to squeeze in some time for an appointment between you and Captain Woods for tomorrow at 1 P.M. That’s the only opening they have available. I told the chief I would drive down and give you the message; when I spotted your car pulled over to the side of the road.”

Winslow grinned at Miranda. “I’m still waiting for our date you promised me Miranda.”

“That’ll be the day Winslow, I never promised you anything, now leave us alone.”

Lee smiled at Winslow as he glanced in Miranda’s direction. He could see the cold stare she was giving him.

Winslow backed up and tipped his hat. “Be seeing you around.”

Lee grinned at him, and watched in his mirror as he got back into his car.

“I think that is a good example for us to witness, how brazen the police are in this town,” Lee said. “You’re going with me tomorrow Miranda, whether they like it or not.”

Winslow pulled out and drove south.

“Our own personal invitation. They send a cop down to tell us. How connected are you in this town?”

“Oh Winslow. He stops me every chance he gets trying to get me to go out with him, I think he’s disgusting. I don’t like him, don’t trust him, and I would certainly never go out with him.”

“I can’t say I blame him for trying,”

She nodded turning her head away.

“Let’s get back to what we were talking about,” she said. “Lilly did mention a lot of different men in the letters. She must have known these guys from the hotel where she said she cleaned and tended bar. Do you know where you are going?”

“No, but I was sure you would tell me how to get to a coffee house,” Lee said.

“The Dr. Denny she talked about,” Miranda said, “has since passed away and the hospital wouldn’t release any information about her or Bert.” He noticed how animated Miranda was as she talked like a marionette puppet without the strings.

“Turn right here.”

Lee followed her order. “What would you think of placing an ad in the local newspaper asking for information about the murder of Bert and any information about Lilly that someone would like to share?”

“Great idea,” Miranda said. “I’ll place the ad right now from my iPhone. It should make tomorrow’s newspaper.”

“At this meeting with the police tomorrow we can question the police chief about the young historian who was killed in the accident last night.”

“They could have called instead of sending Winslow” Miranda said, typing the ad text into her phone. “I’ll cancel my exercise class for the rest of the week. I need some time off anyway.”

Miranda pointed to the parking lot of the coffee shop he found a vacant spot to pull the car into.

                             
CHAPTER 16

                                     Present Day

T
he fogged over storefront windows with streaks of dirty white residue caught Lee’s eye. “Hum, looks like a greasy spoon,” he said.

“You can’t always go by looks.”

“You would go in there and have coffee?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks, don’t be so fussy Lee.”

The wooden sign with faded white letters on a red background was swinging back and forth, a single rusty nail kept it from falling on the head of the next person who walked under it. The rusted knob wiggled in Lee’s hand as he turned it pushing the door open. To his great surprise it was like walking into a different world. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee was incredible. The place was packed with people chatting while soft rock music played in the background. Clean, neat tables were spread around the expansive room.

He found a table in the back and ordered coffee.

“You drink way to much coffee,” Miranda said. “It’s not good for you. No wonder you can’t sleep at night.”

He smirked. “I was thinking about Lillian’s remark in one of the letters when she said the aluminum siding wouldn’t burn. It’s hard to believe that anyone would think like that. Pretty funny isn’t it? She must have believed the house wouldn’t burn because of the siding. What a nut case.”

“Nevertheless,” she said, “I’m willing to wait and see what we come up with before I pass judgment on her.” She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips as she gave him the evil eye.

“Don’t look now,” Lee said, his voice dropping lower so only she could hear him, “but I think that man sitting by himself two tables back is trying to hear what we’re saying.”

“What makes you think that?”

“The way he is sitting in the chair with his head cocked in our direction while pretending to study his coffee cup.”

“Oh, come on Lee, he could have a lot on his mind or he could be thinking about something important.”

“Okay, let’s get back to the letters,” Lee said. “In her letters, Lillian was sure Cain and Clay Bliss were the people who murdered Bert. Did you look up anything on them? Did you check the mental hospital? Was the book ever published? Isn’t it interesting that she said not many people knew about her or of her?”

“She was probably a shadow person, you know, she listened to peoples conversations and then went home wrote down what they said to create her book, she mixed fact with fiction,” Miranda said.

“I think there could have been a love triangle. According to Lilly there was—or was she making that up? She mentions in the second letter this Mr. Merritt. How does he figure in this whole mess? She never explained that.”

Lee paused, as he now understood why Miranda was so interested in this murder.

Miranda stared at Lee. “I think there was a love triangle, but not the kind you’re thinking of.”

“You’re right. It was a love triangle of different kind,” Lee said. “According to Lillian, there was the gay thing with the detectives. I can’t remember the detective’s name that made a pass at Bert, and Bert nearly killed the guy. It all got pretty messy after that.”

The man two tables over picked up his coffee cup and moved to the table beside Lee and Miranda. Lee tapped Miranda’s wrist. She shifted in her chair to look, then nodded at Lee.

“I think money, revenge, and love are always motiving factors in any murder,” Miranda said.

“And I think all three played into this murder.”

The man at the table next to them stood up and approached their table. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said, “I hear you are looking into the Grayson murder. I think there are some things you should know.”

Lee looked at Miranda and back to the man. “How do you know that?”

“Talk around town,” he said. “I’m Derrick. You don’t need to know my last name.”

“I’m Lee and this is Miranda,” Lee said. “You don’t need to know our last names either.” Lee hesitated, sizing the man up, whether he was a threat.

Miranda was the one who said, “Have a seat.”

The man nodded taking a seat at the table.

“So, what do you know?” Lee asked.

Derrick looked over both shoulders. “You can never be too careful,” he said. “I must be quick, and leave before they catch me talking to you. But they probably already know I’m here.

You see, Clay and Cain Bliss were my cousins. Cain is dead now, but Clay is alive. He still runs part of this town and he is remains tied to the mafia. Something else, he’s as nasty and mean as he ever was. At the time of the Grayson murder they had their tentacles wrapped around the policemen, detectives and every official in this city.”

Lee interrupted. “I don’t understand how Cain and Clay could gain that much influence and power. Was it their connection to the mob?”

“You would understand if you knew the power of the mob and the corrupt police at that time,” Derrick said.

“I think I’m beginning to get it. We were visited by a policeman today,” Lee said.

“You might not be aware that Cain was killed in a work accident in Maryland in the fall of the year of the murder, and Mr. Merritt was someone involved with the Mafia as a money runner. His death was called an accident by the Bridgetown police, if they’re to be believed. If you follow the trail of Mr. Merritt, you will find the information you’re looking for.”

Derrick looked around nervously. “Now I have to leave,” he got up and hurried out the door.

As they watched him exit the building, Lee said, “Do you believe that? People are popping up everywhere we go with information about this murder.”

“Wow. What did we get into?” Miranda said.

“We should head back to the mansion,” Lee said, we have a lot of research ahead of us. It’s pretty interesting that Clay Bliss is still alive.”

They paid the bill and got back into the car.

Lee looked at the sky as he was driving. “Look at those clouds rolling in from the mountains. They look like snow clouds. I hope it doesn’t snow. I hate the snow. And it is a lot colder up here than I thought it would be. I didn’t bring a heavy jacket.”

“You can borrow one of Adrian’s jackets,” Miranda said. “He’ll be gone for three weeks on vacation. We do get some of our heaviest snows in March, so we could be in for one.”