The Easter Egg Murder (13 page)

32

Now that she knew, Harrie was surprised she hadn’t seen the resemblance earlier. DJ had to be at least six feet four inches. Seeing the statuesque Caroline standing beside her son, gazing at him with pride, it should have been obvious. Both were slim, blue eyed and attractive. Except for the fact that DJ’s hair was dark and Caroline’s was blonde, they looked remarkably alike.

Harrie broke the lengthy silence. “Let me
ask you something, Caroline. Before you came to work for us, did you know I had been married to Nick Constantine?”

“Heavens no!” Caroline said, bristling at the suggestion.

“Okay, tell me this. Did you know we were editing Senator Lawrence’s book?”

Caroline’s shoulders slumped. “I hoped you were, but I didn’t know until you told me during the interview. When I spoke with Steve at the retirement luncheon, he mentioned you and Ginger were working on a big project. I asked Steve what type of work you did at Southwest Editorial Services, and he said you specialized in editing and transcription services. Then I read the article in Sunday’s paper about the senator’s book.” She looked from Ginger to Harrie, her eyes pleading. “Please believe me. I never intended to deceive you. I had no idea David was investigating your ex-husband until Wednesday. I wanted to tell you about everything, but he asked me to wait.”

Harrie said, “Excuse me. Who’s David?”

Caroline put her hand to her mouth. “Sorry. I’m not supposed to call him that. His full name is David James Scott, but they call him DJ at the Bureau. I’m always forgetting.”

DJ interrupted. “Okay, Mom, I’m sure they’re not interested in my personal history.” He turned to Harrie. “Look, I assure you, my mother didn’t know, and even I didn’t know the connection until last Wednesday. I didn’t get the assignment to investigate Constantine until that morning. Now, could we get back to the problem at hand? There’s a situation here that’s getting worse by the day.”

That got Steve’s attention. “You keep alluding to our being in danger. Can we talk about that, please?”

DJ looked at Harrie. “Could we go sit in your living room? This may take awhile.”

Harrie said, “Of course.”

When everyone else was seated, DJ still paced a small area in front of the fireplace. “First, I need to apologize to you all. This situation got out of hand, and it’s my fault. I should have insisted my mother leave town months ago. If she had, she would be safe now, and you would be, too.”

Ginger said, “You don’t know that. You couldn’t control Philip writing the book, and you certainly couldn’t have stopped Harrie and me from editing it, so you have no need to apologize to us.” She thought a minute. “Of course your mom might have been better off.”

“She’s right, DJ,” Harrie said. “I still don’t see why Ginger, Steve, and I are in danger because of the book. That’s just crazy!”

DJ sat in the
armchair opposite them and leaned in. “Don’t you see? Your connection is Nick Constantine. This is just speculation but I think I know what happened to that brown envelope we were just talking about. Someone went to the office during Jacob’s funeral. Using a key provided by a member of the firm, that someone took the envelope. I think that someone was supposed to turn the envelope over to the person who supplied the key, and then the thief would be paid for his troubles. But said thief saw an opportunity to make a better deal, and took off with the envelope.”

“Are you implying that Nick is the person who spirited away the brown envelope?” Harrie’s face was a mix of disbelief and anger.

“I don’t know if he’s the one who took it, but I’m almost certain he ended up with it.”

“Why do you think that?” Steve asked.

DJ looked at him. “You’ve heard the term, ‘follow the money’?”

Steve stood up, shaking his head. “You’re saying the fortune Nick left is the result of blackmail?”

DJ shrugged. “Think about it. Somebody went to a great deal of trouble to obtain that envelope, only to have it slip from their grasp. We believe it contained the name of the person who murdered Chipper Finn. But in addition, we think it had information about the political corruption activities that gripped New Mexico at the time. If Nick got his hands on the envelope, he could have set his own price, and any number of individuals would be willing to pay big.”

Harrie was skeptical. “But still, I can’t imagine any one person coming up with the kind of money Nick apparently had. I think it makes more sense that he
reconciled with his grandfather and was put back in the will.”

“Think about this,” DJ said. “Suppose Nick made copies of what was inside
. What if he collected money from not just one person, but from multiple interested people?”

Harrie picked up the thread DJ was spinning. “So, you think several people paid Nick a lot of money, and each of them received a copy of the envelope’s contents. Then, what? They compared notes, and found out they’d all paid for the same thing?”

“Why not?” DJ asked.

Caroline had been quiet until now. “I phoned Elizabeth Snow from the office that day as soon as I discovered the envelope missing. She told me, and I’ll quote, ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything
’. Doesn’t that sound like maybe she already knew who took it?”

Everyone paused to think over that possibility. Harrie was the first to speak. She turned to Caroline. “You obviously knew Jacob Snow very well. Do you think he could have been involved in the sort of criminal activity we’re talking about here?”

“No. In fact, I think Jacob stopped whatever was going on during the time Daniel ran the firm. Daniel was always the ‘wheeler dealer’ type. Their brother-in-law, Peter, wasn’t as smart as Daniel, and he was lazy. From what I understand, Peter would do just about anything Daniel told him to do, and that included handing out bribes and calling in favors. Daniel also had a son named Eric, who was a handful, according to Jacob. He told me that Eric was in one scrape after another when he was a teenager, and that Daniel was always sending Peter in to take care of things and clean up after Eric.

“One night, about two years before Jacob had his stroke, we were working late on a particularly complicated brief. We had food delivered in so we could keep working, but Jacob seemed very tired, so we ate dinner and talked instead. He told me the reason Eric had not gone into law and joined the firm was because of a girl he was involved with in the late forties. Eric fell in love with her, but Daniel didn’t approve. Peter was sent in to arrange a European tour for Eric about that time. He had graduated from high school that summer, and it was his parents’ gift to him. When he got back in the fall, he was supposed to enroll at the University, and then go on to law school. But when he returned from Europe, he tried to find the girl.”

Harrie asked, “Do you know who she was?”

Caroline nodded. “It was Kathleen Finn.
But he didn’t find her then because she was gone for about six months, When she showed up again in February of 1950, Jacob heard she had learned that Eric’s father and uncle were involved with the illegal gambling going on in Los Huevos and the bribery of many of the state’s highest officials.”

“How would she know all that?” Ginger asked.

“Some people thought she had used Eric to gain information about his family.”

Harrie asked, “So obviously Eric Snow knew about his father’s illegal activities?”

“Jacob was sure he did. Around the same time Chipper turned up dead, Eric and his father had a huge fight. Within days, Eric was sent back to Europe. Jacob was told much later that Eric was furious when he found out Chipper was threatening to expose the family secrets. It seems she was blackmailing them.”

Harrie felt chilled. “Are you saying Eric Snow killed Chipper Finn?”

Caroline shook her head. “I can’t say that for sure. Jacob wouldn’t go so far as to commit himself, but that was the feeling I got.”

Steve spoke up. “What happened to Eric? I don’t think I ever heard anything about him.”

“He returned to New Mexico about five years later and, according to Jacob, convinced his father to buy him a piece of land in Alaska. He went up there and became a bush pilot, taking hunters and other people up into the high country. He’s supposed to have died many years ago in a plane crash. But I found something after Jacob had his stroke that made me wonder about that story.”

“What did you find?” Harrie asked.

“I discovered a checking account I’d never seen before. It was an old account, opened in 1955. I noticed that four times a year, a check was sent to a post office box in Tucson, Arizona. Apart from that, there were no other withdrawals.”

Harrie said, “Who were the checks made out to?”

“They were made out to a place called Serenity Hills. I did some snooping. It’s a private sanitarium for the mentally ill.”

33

Saturday Afternoon, April 15, 2000

Jonathan Templeton opened the Albuquerque Evening Star and examined the headline:
Senator’s Condition Stable but Grave.

He read the first few paragraphs and confirmed what he already knew. Philip Lawrence was down, but not out of the game. Jonathan did not consider this good news. He hoped his uncle would not be too upset.

He quickly checked the other sections of the paper, looking for a reference of some kind about the fate of another individual. Hell, it might not even be considered ‘newsworthy’. There were so damn many traffic deaths in this state that they didn’t even publicize all of them. He was about to give up his search when a small article caught his eye:
Unidentified Man Crashes on Interstate 25
.

Jonathan thought about removing Section B before
taking the paper to his uncle, but sure as hell, today would be the day the old man wanted to read the entire thing from front to back. Better not risk it, he thought.

Jonathan smiled to himself. The more he thought about it,
the more he became convinced he had nothing to worry about. Even if his Uncle Daniel saw the article, why should it mean anything to him? He put the paper back together carefully, making sure all the pages looked undisturbed.

When he reached Daniel Snow’s study, he tapped softly on the door. No sound came from within. He gently opened the door and tiptoed inside. As usual, his uncle was leaning back in his leather executive chair. The old man’s eyes were closed, and he snored softly through his open mouth. Jonathan quietly approached the desk and put the newspaper in the center on top of the blotter, opened and ready to read. Then he backed out of the room just as quietly and eased the door shut as he left.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room to make sure he was alone. His wrinkled face took on more creases as he smiled.
Fooled him again, the gullible, smug little bastard! Takes me for a doddering old fart he can outthink and outmaneuver. One of these days, his cockiness will be his undoing.

Daniel opened the paper and read the story accompanying the headlines. Not good news. He hated the thought of his old friend lying in a hospital, unconscious and in pain. He wondered if his own end of life would be less traumatic. If he could hang on a little longer, he thought he might regain some control over his destiny. The key was to lay low. But this thing with Philip was just the sort of problem he’d been trying to avoid.

In Section B, another small item caught his attention. He had a good idea what it meant. He read the rest of the paper, formulating a plan as he went. He made some of his best plans while reading the daily papers.

He unlocked the top drawer of his desk and brought out a worn address book. He
needed a job done. After completing the call, he replaced the address book and locked the drawer. When he heard someone coming, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and assumed the position of the aged old man everyone expected.

When those around you assumed you were senile, you could get away with a lot.

34

Harrie shook out two capsules
of Ibuprofen and noted the container was almost empty. She blamed the week of headaches on the turmoil they’d been through. She decided a quick shower would do wonders for her aching head and befuddled mind.

As the hot spray pounded her back, she thought about the m
orning’s revelations. She felt odd about DJ and Caroline. Though she accepted DJ’s explanation about why he had not mentioned that Caroline was his mother, part of her still wondered if there was more to it. She understood DJ wanted to protect his mother, and she understood Caroline’s fear that Ginger and Harrie would misunderstand her interest in working for them. But she couldn’t help wondering about the connections between these events and Caroline’s past.

She thought about
how much DJ annoyed her. But she couldn’t deny her attraction to him.
How weird is that
?

Harrie dressed in record time and was out the door
, pulling into the O’Leary’s driveway with time to spare.

The pungent s
cent of steaks cooking over hickory infused charcoal filled the air. Harrie realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and she was hungry. She grabbed a knife and joined Ginger at the counter. They worked side-by-side, chopping vegetables for salad.

“How’s your mom?” Harrie asked.

“Much better. She’s really a strong lady, you know. Once she got over the initial shock, she buzzed around, taking care of things. She’s been in almost constant contact with Ramona Sanchez. The security people at Canyon Estates patrol Philip’s street more frequently, and the Albuquerque Police will also drive by.”

“Do they know if anything is missing?”

“I don’t know. I wonder if the police know about the special room. I haven’t even mentioned it to Mom and Dad because I don’t know if they are the other two people Philip told about his secret. What do you think I should do?”

Harrie shrugged. “Well, it seems to me if your parents were the other two people who knew about the room, Philip would simply have told you. Or, maybe he was just being cautious. I think you and I should go over there and see if anything’s out of place. After all, we’ve been there twice this week. Your folks haven’t been there recently, have they?”

“Not as far as I know. In fact, I’d bet they haven’t been there in at least six months. But do you think I should tell them? Do you think we should tell DJ?”

Harrie stopped chopping and looked over at Ginger. “I don’t think we should tell anybody, especially DJ, until we’ve checked it out ourselves. Which brings up another question? Who sent the envelope that Caroline brought over today?”

“It’s from Philip. But it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Why, what’s in it?”

“It was a photograph of my parents, Philip, my brothers, and me, taken years ago. I couldn’t have been more than fourteen. It was at the Doc Long picnic grounds in the Sandias. We used to go up there on summer afternoons. Whenever Philip was in town, he enjoyed going with us.”

“Wasn’t there anything else?”

“Just a note from Philip. But it didn’t seem to have anything at all to do with the photo. And yet, he had it clipped to the picture. I’ll show it to you when I finish here. Doesn’t say anything, really. I can’t imagine why he mailed it, much less why he marked it Personal and Confidential.”

They finished preparations just as the steaks came off the grill, sizzling and exuding their tantalizing aroma. The warm afternoon made the outside table the perfect place to enjoy their meal. When they finished, Mrs. O’Leary helped clear away the dishes, but Ginger took over when everything was back in the kitchen.

“Mom, you go on ahead. I know you and Dad wanted to visit the hospital this evening. Harrie and I will take care of this.”

Casey O’Leary kissed her daughter on the cheek and hugged Harrie. “You girls are the sweetest things. You’ve
both always been such a help to me.” She left them to clean up and went in search of her husband and Steve.

Harrie whispered to Ginger. “Quick, show me the note.”

Ginger retrieved the brown envelope from her purse and handed it to Harrie. “If Mom comes back, put it away. I don’t want to show it to her yet. She’ll just get all weepy.”

Harrie took out the photograph and the note. The picture was as Ginger had described it. No hidden meanings that she could see. She turned her attention to the note.

“My dearest goddaughter. I was rummaging in my old desk today, and I ran across this photo of the trip we took to California that summer in 1980. Do you recall the fun we had in the desert? Don’t ever forget those DEATH VALLEY DAYS! Love, Philip”

Harrie turned the note over to see if there was anything on the other side. It was blank. She looked at the back of the photograph. It had ‘June 76’ and
everybody’s name printed on it.

“The dates don’t agree,” Harrie said.

“What dates?”

“Look at the note. It mentions 1980,
but the date on the photo is 1976.”

Ginger looked where Harrie was pointing. “You’re right. I didn’t look at the back of the photo. I wonder what that’s about.”

“Did you and your folks ever take a trip to Death Valley with Philip?”

“I don’t remember taking any trips with Philip. Maybe my parents did before I was born.”

Harrie’s face lit up. “Ginger, 1980 is the year we graduated from high school. You went with me to Texas in June to visit my grandparents, remember? Then we were busy getting ready for college after that. I know you didn’t take any other trips that summer.”

“What are you girls looking at,” Casey O’Leary asked as she came into the kitchen.

Harrie slipped the photo and note into her purse. “Oh, it’s just a picture one of my relatives sent me recently. It’s a group of cousins I don’t even know. I’ll send it on to my mother.” She smiled brightly, and Ginger hastened to her mother’s side.

“Now remember, you can’t stay too long. They’ll probably kick you out after twenty minutes. That’s what they did to me and Steve this afternoon.”

Mrs. O’Leary, now successfully distracted from further interest in the photo, kissed her daughter on the cheek and joined her husband.

“That was close. I suppose the sensible thing would be to just ask my folks about the dumb picture instead of hiding it from them.”

“Let’s wait a few days until we have a chance to check things out in the hidden room. Then if we don’t solve the puzzle, we’ll ask them. Wait a minute,” Harrie looked at her watch. “It’s still early. Why don’t we go over there now?”

Steve walked in with the last of the utensils from the grill. “Where are we going?”

Ginger signaled Harrie with a look. “Nowhere, Dear. We were just talking.”

“Don’t give me that innocent act,” he said. “You two are up to something. I can always tell.”

Harrie jumped in. “It’s me, Steve. I was just contemplating a trip to the office. I thought I’d try to get some work done tonight.”

“Bad idea, Harrie,” Steve said. “It’s not wise for you two to be at the office alone at night
—not until we get to the bottom of all this.”

“
I don’t care what DJ says. I still have a hard time believing we are in danger,” Harrie said.

“Maybe this will change your mind,” said Steve.
“DJ called me on my cell phone a few minutes ago when I was cleaning the grill. I had given him

Swannie’s name
because he wanted to talk with someone from the APD. Swannie told him something, and DJ passed it along to me.”

Harrie narrowed her eyes. “Do we have to guess, or will you tell us?”

He became very serious. “They got the results back from the ballistics test on the bullet they took from Philip. It matches the one the surgeons removed from Nick’s brain.”