Part 3 (1/2)
She stood up and lightly touched him on the cheek. ”Thanks for coming. I already feel better knowing you're here. See you in the morning.”
Mike would never forget what she looked like as she walked away from the table and the feel of her warm soft hand on his cheek. It was the last time he would see her alive.
CHAPTER 12.
Mike got out of bed early the next morning and said, ”Kelly, stay where you are. I'll make some coffee and bring it up after I let the dogs out. Rebel's been whining for the last half hour. Think he misses his own home. Don't know about you, but I could get used to sleeping in a four poster bed. Felt like I was floating on a white puffy cloud. Did you sleep okay?”
”Absolutely great. What do you have in mind for today?”
”Coffee and breakfast, in that order. Think I'll go into town and visit the police chief. I want to introduce myself to him, and I'd like to know if he can pick up any fingerprints from those letters.”
”Those letters worry me, Mike. Sounds like there are a number of people who could have sent them. I thought I might go into town and see what I can find out. There's always some place that's the local gossip center. Usually it's a restaurant, but from the looks of the one we saw yesterday, it was a little too upscale to cater to the locals.”
”Okay. Plan on going into town with me, but right now this man needs coffee. I'll be back in a few minutes with a cup for you.”
”That was fast,” Kelly said as Mike pushed the bedroom door open with his hip, a cup of steaming coffee in each hand. ”Thanks. How's Aunt Agnes this morning?”
”Don't know. She wasn't in the kitchen. She mentioned last night that she goes out to the barn and exercises Missy every morning. When I finish this coffee, I'll go see if I can give her a hand.”
”Rather imagine she has her own way of doing things from what I've seen of her. You might just get in the way,” Kelly said laughing.
”You're probably right. She's an opinionated strong-willed woman, and like Ralph at the gas station said, kind of a living legend in this town. No one wants to cross her, and everyone's afraid of her.”
”That may be so, but from what she told us last night, it sounds like there are a few people who aren't afraid to cross her.”
After he finished his coffee, Mike showered and got dressed, ”Back in a few. I'm going out to the barn. Lady, Rebel, come.”
Kelly finished dressing and walked downstairs to get another cup of coffee. She expected Mike to be seated at the table, reading the paper, as he usually did each morning. There was no sign of him, and she heard Rebel whimpering. The sound came from the direction of the barn. She walked outside and headed towards it. As she approached the barn, she thought she heard someone crying. She hurried to the door and quickly took in the scene in front of her. Mike was holding Aunt Agnes' hand, crying, while Lady, Rebel, and Sam stood next to him, softly whining. She ran over to Mike.
”What's happened? Did she fall? Is she alive? Should I call an ambulance?”
”No, she's dead,” Mike said between sobs. ”She's been murdered. Someone struck her on the back of the head. I'll never forgive myself for letting her come out here by herself after those threats.”
”Mike, you can't blame yourself. She's been coming out here every morning, probably for as long as she's lived on the ranch. You had no way of knowing that someone really meant to do her harm. You stay here, and I'll go in the house and call the police.”
She ran to the house and in a shaking voice made the call. A few minutes later she heard the sound of police sirens, and two police cars raced up the lane and pulled to a stop in front of the house. She opened the door and waved them in.
”You must be the wife of Agnes' nephew. She was always talking about him, and she couldn't wait to meet you. I'm Police Chief Robbins. Where is she?”
”In the barn. Mike's with her,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes. ”He thinks someone hit her on the back of the head and killed her. This is not going to be easy for him. Even though he didn't see her very often, they spoke on the phone almost weekly.”
”Murder's never easy for any relative, and unfortunately Agnes had her share of enemies. I'm sure there are a number of people who'd like to see her dead. I called the county coroner. He should be here in a few minutes.”
Kelly and Mike spent the rest of morning talking to the police, the coroner, and the people who began to come to the ranch as soon as they heard the news. The police chief and his deputy searched the area for clues, particularly in and around the barn. They had no luck finding the weapon that had been used to murder Aunt Agnes.
Mike walked over to Kelly and said, ”Could you talk to the people who are starting to show up at the front door? Just tell them we have no idea what happened other than the fact that she was murdered. I really need to talk to Chief Robbins without anyone around.”
”Of course. Take your time. I'm just not sure there's enough room in the refrigerator for all this food everyone's bringing.”
”There used to be another one in the garage. I haven't been out there since we got here. Check it out. I'll be back in a few minutes.” He and Chief Robbins went into the study which Aunt Agnes had used as an office, and Mike closed the door behind them.
CHAPTER 13.
”Please have a seat, Chief Robbins. There are some things I think you need to know that my aunt told me last night. They may have a bearing on her murder.”
”First of all,” the chief said, ”let me tell you how sorry I am about the loss of your aunt. Agnes was one of my heroes. She never turned away from something difficult, and I can't imagine what this town would be like if she hadn't been so active in trying to keep out the big city money. A few of them were able to get in, but without her leaders.h.i.+p, the town we know today as Calico Gold wouldn't be here. The personality of the town would be gone, and it would be just another tourist trap in California's gold country. She was a remarkable woman, and I'm going to miss her. She spoke of you often and said that although you didn't see each other too much, she regarded you as her son. Rest a.s.sured I'll do everything in my power to find the person who murdered your aunt. Agnes told me you're a county sheriff up in Oregon, so any a.s.sistance you can give me in finding the killer would be a big help.”
”Thanks, Chief, I appreciate it. I've decided to stay here for a few days and see what I can do about finding the killer. You can deputize me or just use me however you want, but for now, there's something I want to show you.”
He walked over to the desk and took out the letters he had put there after he and Kelly had finished cleaning up the night before. ”At dinner last night my aunt told me she had received these letters during the past week. There's no doubt in my mind they represent a threat to her. I was going to go to the police station today and see if you have a fingerprint machine or something that might be able to pick up any prints on them other than my aunt's.”
Chief Robbins spent several minutes looking at the letters. ”I agree, Mike. These are definitely threatening. Yes, we do have a machine, and I'll see what I can pick up. Tell me about the conversation you had with your aunt.”
Mike related what his aunt had told him last night about the people who possibly could have sent the letters to her. ”Chief, it seems like quite a coincidence that my aunt would receive three threatening letters, and then she's murdered. I don't believe in coincidences. I think there's a very good chance that the person who sent her those letters is the person who murdered her. Would you agree?”
”In theory, yes. If we could find out who wrote the letters, I believe that would be enough evidence to warrant an arrest, but it doesn't mean that's the person who killed her. In other words, we'd need more evidence than a match between fingerprints. What are you thinking?”
”Once we establish a match, we'd have to find out where that person was at the time of the murder. Of course, there's always the chance that it was a hired killer, particularly if it was the developer. I can't see him getting his hands dirty by becoming directly involved in a homicide. My aunt was rather vague on the developer's ident.i.ty, but Ralph at the gas station might know something.”
”I don't think you have to even bother with Ralph. The developer's from San Francisco, and his name is Richard Martin. He specializes in building resorts and golf courses. I always like to know who's planning on doing what in this town in order to keep one step ahead of trouble. Anyway, city hall employees tell me when they get wind that someone is interested in building in Calico Gold.
”This guy has been trying to get a foothold in this area for five years and has been getting much more aggressive of late. You have to admit that the Robertson Ranch would make a spectacular golf course with its hills, the stream, the lake, and the hundreds of old oak trees. He was also nosing around trying to find out if the Robertson House was on some Historical Home Registry. He mentioned that if and when your aunt sold it to him, he was going to modernize the house and make it into a boutique hotel.”
”No wonder my aunt was fighting so hard. To see this house made into a hotel would have killed her.”
”Well, it might very well have been the reason she was murdered. On a related subject, Mike, I have to ask you something. You told me you were shocked when your aunt told you last night she was going to leave the ranch and the house to you in her Will. Was last night the first time she had ever discussed it with you?”
”Yes. I had no idea she intended to do that. And I know what you're thinking. It would be the same thing I would think if I were in your shoes. Who has the most to gain when someone is murdered? In this case, it would probably be me, but I did not murder my aunt. Number one, I had no idea she was going to will everything to me. Number two, she asked me to come here, and even Ralph mentioned she'd told him that she'd asked me to come, and number three, those letters were postmarked as having been mailed from Calico Gold. I didn't get here until late yesterday, and I have a number of people who will vouch that I was in Cedar Bay until yesterday morning.”
”Mike, I believe you, but let me ask you this. Do you have an alibi for the time of the murder?”
”I was with Kelly and the dogs here in the house. Kelly can vouch I was with her until I went to the barn and found my aunt.”
”You're a lawman. You know it's not uncommon for a married person to lie in order to protect their spouse. If your cousin is angry that you're going to inherit the ranch, he may try and get back at you by saying that she's covering for you. Better be prepared for that.”