Murder in Calico Gold: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Part 5

"Kelly, we've had this conversation too many times to repeat it. I don't want you involved in trying to solve this case. I'll find out who did it, not you. Would you promise me you won't get involved?"

"Of course," she said, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. "However, I do have some thoughts I'd like to share with you."

"Somehow, I was sure you would. Shoot, and could you get me another gla.s.s of wine?"

"Here you be," she said as she refilled his wine gla.s.s with a fresh crisp Chardonnay. "This is what I'm thinking. Your aunt told us about five people who she thought could have possibly sent those letters to her. I think all five of them would qualify as suspects. We just have to figure out which one did it."

"That sounds a bit simplistic, sweetheart, don't you think?"

"Let me finish. The letters were all handwritten. I think our best chance for solving this is to find out who wrote the letters. If it's any one of the five, that's a very good start."

"I agree, but there's one little problem."

"What?"

"How do you intend to get a handwriting sample from each of them? I mean it's not like you can just walk up to them and ask them for one. Actually, maybe it is a good idea. Jim Warren said Judge Lane had to sign off on the emergency papers to have me authorized to use my aunt's bank account for paying the expenses of running the ranch. We could get a sample of her handwriting from that."

"I haven't had time to tell you that I met her today."

He raised an eyebrow and quietly said, "Kelly, how in the devil did you just happen to meet one of the suspects in this case, and you've only been in town for twenty-four hours. You never fail to amaze me."

She told him about her encounter with Judge Susan Lane at Betty's Salon a few hours earlier and how interested the judge had been in wanting to know what Mike planned on doing with the ranch. She also told him about Betty, and how everyone thought Aunt Agnes was a multimillionaire and now Mike was too.

"You've got to be kidding about this multimillionaire stuff! Jim never specifically mentioned an amount. He told me he would get back to me as to what her investments were worth on the date of her death."

"Did you ask?"

"No. It never occurred to me. Believe me, I'm trying to deal with my aunt being murdered. The size of her financial holdings has not been in the forefront of my mind, and you know money has never been a motivating factor in my life. If it had been, I wouldn't be the sheriff of a small rural county in Oregon. It isn't the best paid profession around."

"You might want to ask the attorney for some specific figures. If it's true that she really was quite wealthy, you're going to have to make even more decisions regarding what you're going to do with everything."

"I'll call him in the morning, but I'm not sure how that would affect anything I'm doing. And if I'm considered a suspect, that would only be more of a reason for me to murder her. I can't believe I even said 'a reason for me to murder her.' I've got to find the murderer and fast, before this gets out of hand."

"Probably already is, Mike. Remember, this is a small town, and small towns love a scandal. You may have unwittingly provided one. Let's have dinner, and we can continue this conversation while we eat."

A half hour later Mike said, "Kelly, these stuffed pasta sh.e.l.ls are delicious. You're a miracle worker. I mean who else could go into a strange kitchen and create a gourmet meal without a recipe or buying anything, just using what's on hand? Kudos, lady!"

"Thanks, now let's get back to what's important and that's getting your name cleared as a suspect. We can get the judge's handwriting from the legal papers. I was thinking maybe after the funeral I'd go to the art gallery that has your cousin's art on display and ask if I could take some pictures of one of his pieces. I could always say I wanted to show it to someone before I bought it. His signature's probably on it. That would take care of two of the five."

"You may be on to something. I could go down to the old shack and see if Gary's there. If he is I'll tell him I want him off the property and ask him to sign something. I haven't really thought it through, but if he's not home, I could probably go in and see if I could find something that has his signature on it."

"Do you think your aunt has a key to the shack?"

"If there's a lock on the door, I think she would, but it was never locked when I used to come here."

"That leaves the elusive developer and the rancher neighbor. Any thoughts on those two?"

"At the moment, no. We'll just take care of one thing at a time. At some point that developer is going to have to get in touch with me if he still wants the property. Maybe I can do something then."

He was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. He looked at his watch. "Little early for Julia and Brad, isn't it?"

"Yes. She said they'd be really late and asked me what bedroom I wanted them in. She also asked if I would leave a key under the door mat and a couple of lights on."

"I hope whoever it is doesn't plan on staying very long. I'm exhausted," he said walking over to the front door.

CHAPTER 18.

"Who is it?" Mike asked, as the doorbell rang a second time.

"It's John Wilson, your neighbor to the south." Kelly looked at Mike and raised an eyebrow. She motioned to him that she was going in the kitchen. As she retreated into it, Mike opened the door.

"Please, come in, John. I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"

"I'm fine, but I wanted to personally stop by and offer my condolences. Your aunt and I may have had our differences, but no one would deny that she was a great lady, truly a formidable opponent." He walked over to a chair in the living room and sat down.

"Mike, I won't mince words. Your aunt may have told you I've been offering to buy her property for years. The drought has gotten so severe I'm having trouble getting enough water for my cattle. I'm sure you remember that your aunt and uncle dammed up the stream years ago, so they wouldn't have to be reliant on the city for their water. At the time I had enough underground water on my property, and while I wasn't very happy about it, it wasn't a big deal. Now it's become a big deal. I don't know how much longer I can continue to run cattle on my ranch if I don't get some water."

"I'm sorry to hear that, John. I know the drought has affected a lot of farmers and ranchers in California. It's even beginning to have an adverse effect on the economy."

"You got that right. Like I said, I'm here to express my condolences, but I'm also here to ask you, no, to plead with you to sell the Robertson Ranch to me, or open the dam so my property can get some water. I can only hang on a few more months, but if I don't find a new source of water, I'm going to have to sell my land to a developer who wants to buy it."

"That's interesting. My aunt mentioned that a developer had been trying to buy her property and put a golf course on it. She said he was even talking about making this house into a boutique hotel. I wonder if it's the same developer."

"Probably is. It's some corporation based in San Francisco. I've met with the developer, and he told me his company wanted to put a large spa and hotel on my ranch. It might fit in with the golf course theme they want to build on your aunt's property."

"John, I'm sorry about your cattle, but I'm in no position to make any decisions for a few days. Right now I'm dealing with my aunt's death, and that's my priority. If you're interested in making an offer on this property, I'd be happy to look at it, but again, I can't make any promises. Tell you what. Our families go back a long way. Why don't you hand write an offer and give it to me. I'll sit on it for a few days and make a decision then. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that's very fair. I'll bring it to you first thing in the morning. Thanks for listening to me, and I hope we can do business one way or another." The big suntanned rancher in the red checked s.h.i.+rt stood up and held out his hand. "Our great-grandparents worked together. I'd like to think we could do the same."

Mike shook his hand and said, "At this point, I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been hit with a lot in the last twenty-four hours, and I need to take some time and think about all of this. I hope you understand."

"I do, and I hope you understand how serious the water issue is to me and my cattle, not to mention my family. I don't want to be the one whose legacy it was to have to sell the family ranch that had been in the family for over a century, because I couldn't find a way to get water for the cattle."

"I understand, and I'll look forward to receiving your offer in the morning. Thank you for coming by." Mike closed the door behind John and walked into the kitchen where Kelly had been listening to the conversation.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think it was positively brilliant of you to get him to write out the offer. One by one, we're getting the handwriting samples we need."

"I have a hard time thinking of John as a suspect, and yet he certainly has a motive, actually a very powerful one. The family ranch will have to be sold if he doesn't get water for his cattle, and he knew my aunt was never going to sell it nor was she going to release the water from the dam. Now that I'm the owner of the property, maybe he thinks he stands a better chance of convincing me. I'll be curious to see what he offers me, because I have no idea what ranch property like this is worth."

"Mike, enough thinking for tonight. You need to get some sleep. Julia, Brad, and your two step granddaughters will be here when you wake up. That means there will be a lot of energy and activity in the house tomorrow, plus we have the funeral and probably half the town coming here afterwards. Time for bed. I know your mind is spinning, but as tired as you are, I'm sure you'll fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow. Go on up. I'm going to write a note to Julia and I'll join you in a few minutes."

She watched him as he trudged up the stairs the weight of the world on his shoulders. A tear slid down her cheek. She let the dogs out for a few minutes and then the four of them went up the stairs to the bedroom. Just as she had predicted, Mike was in bed and already sound asleep.

I wish there was something I could do for him. He's such a good man. He doesn't deserve this. I've got to find the murderer. That will be one less thing he'll have to worry about. Sleep well, Sheriff Mike. I love you.

CHAPTER 19.

The next morning as the sun began to peek through their bedroom window, Kelly rolled over and looked at Mike. His eyes were wide open. "Honey, did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, but I woke up about 3:00 a.m., and I couldn't get back to sleep. I kept thinking about what I could do to clear my name and find out who killed Aunt Agnes. I remembered that Gary, the guy who lives in the shack, drives a motorcycle. I actually saw him riding it when I was at Ralph's gas station the other day. I haven't heard his motorcycle since we arrived here at the ranch. I wonder if he's moved out. I'm going down to the shack this morning after I have some coffee and see what I can find out."

"You're right. It has been very quiet the last two nights, and your aunt said she often heard screaming and people's voices late at night. She was sure the sounds were coming from his shack. Maybe he has moved out. Why don't you take Brad with you? Wouldn't hurt to have someone with you in case he's there and resistant to your request that he move out of the shack."

"You're probably right. Let's get dressed and go downstairs. I can't wait to see my new family."

When Mike married Kelly he'd been warmly embraced by her two adult children, Cash and Julia. When Julia married Brad, Mike's new family increased to include a step son-in-law and two step granddaughters. He had never had children of his own and thoroughly enjoyed his new role.

As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs they were immediately surrounded by Julia, Brad, Ella, and Olivia, the latter two being Brad's daughters from his marriage to his first wife who had died from a cocaine overdose. Everyone was talking at once. The dogs were right in the middle, wanting to be acknowledged and petted.

"Wait a minute," Mike said, trying to bring some type of order to the chaos. "First of all, what time did you get in last night? I never even heard you."

"We got to the house about midnight," Julia said. "We were pretty tired, so we went to bed immediately, but the girls were so excited they woke us up early. They want to know when they can go to the barn and if there are any horses in the barn."

"Ella, Olivia, let me pour myself a cup of coffee, and then I'll take you out to the barn. You've met Rebel and Lady before, but this is Sam. He was my aunt's dog. And yes, there is one horse, but she's pretty old. When I used to come here, my aunt had lots of horses, but now there's just one whose name is Missy. She also used to have goats and chickens and pigs and about any other animal you can name."

"Mike," Julia said, "we all want you to know how sorry we are about your aunt. It really is a tragedy, and we're here to help however we can. She must have been quite a lady if this property is any indication. I could only see a little of it last night, but I've been looking out the windows this morning, and it looks like there's an orchard a little ways from the house. And this house! I don't think I've ever seen one that can begin to compare to it. It's much more beautiful than homes in this architectural style that I've seen in San Francisco."

"Thanks. Kelly and I are really glad you were able to come. It's comforting to have family around at a time like this." He turned to Ella and Olivia. "Ready to go to the barn?"

"Yes!" Olivia shouted excitedly. "Can the dogs come with us?"

"Of course. Let's go." The six of them walked out the back door and headed for the barn.

"Mom, how's Mike doing? I hate it when I see circles that dark around someone's eyes. He looks like he's in pain."

"He is." She told Brad and Julia about the suspects, and that there was a good chance Mike might also be considered a suspect.

"Mom, you told me on the phone that Mike was his aunt's sole beneficiary. Have you and Mike decided what you're going to do with this ranch and everything else she owned?"

"No. We're trying to deal with one thing at a time, and right now the priority is the funeral this afternoon. It's at two o'clock. Some women from the church are coming to help here at the house and set up for the reception while we're at the funeral. I guess it's a custom for everyone who attends the funeral to come to the deceased person's home afterwards. You won't believe the food that's already been brought to the house. I've completely filled the refrigerator in the kitchen as well as the one in the garage."

"When I was getting breakfast for the girls I noticed that the refrigerator seemed really full. Why don't we set up the dining room table this morning? The church women can deal with the food. They've probably had a lot more experience setting it up for a funeral reception than we have."

"Good idea. Brad, would you mind going to the shack with Mike? We don't think Gary's there, but if he is, Mike might be able to use a little help."

"Happy to do it, Kelly," the tall muscular young man said. "It will give me a chance to see more of the ranch. You know when I was growing up I used to dream of being a rancher and having a place where I could ride horses and run cattle. This place is a little beyond my dreams, but I'd love to have a chance to look at the property."

"Brad, you've never mentioned this to me. Why did you become a psychologist if you wanted to be a cowboy and have your own ranch?" Julia asked. She was a younger version of her mother with her porcelain white skin, deep green eyes, and jet black hair.

"My parents were city people and anything to do with the outdoors was beyond their comprehension. I was told I would be a psychologist from the time I was a little kid. Eventually I just gave up on the idea of becoming a cowboy."

"Well, Brad, for the next few days you can play cowboy all you want, although I don't know if Missy has been ridden in a while. We might even have to rent a horse from a neighbor so you can fulfill your boyhood dream," Kelly said laughing.

"Won't be necessary. I'll be fine just walking the land and looking at the magnificent oak trees that are on the property."

"I haven't seen it yet, but evidently Gary is living in a shack on a stream that Aunt Agnes and her husband dammed up and made into a lake so they could have their own source of water. That should be pretty."

"Looking forward to it. Kelly, I brought a dark business suit to wear to the funeral, but it occurred to me that Mike probably didn't bring one if he was just coming here to visit his aunt. Do you want me to go into town and see if I can find something for him?"

"Thanks for the offer, but this is a pretty casual little town. Actually, you could probably wear jeans and a s.h.i.+rt and fit right in. Mike and I discussed it last night, and he's going to wear some slacks he brought, a sport coat, and an open collar s.h.i.+rt. He didn't bring a tie, but I don't think one's expected here. I'm wearing a pantsuit I brought. I wasn't exactly sure what the dress code would be here in Calico Gold, but I'm finding it's very casual."

Just then the back door opened with a bang. "Dad, you won't believe it. It's a for real barn with hay and everything. Grandpa Mike let us help him feed Missy, and I even gave her a carrot," Olivia shouted in excitement.

"I petted her nose," Ella said, not to be outdone.

"Dad, can we take Sam home with us?" Olivia asked. "He's going to need a new home, and you promised that someday we could have a dog."

"Sweetheart, I was talking about a little dog. Don't forget we live in a condominium and don't even have a yard. Where would you keep him? Plus, he's a pretty big dog and being kept indoors all the time wouldn't be fair to him."

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes. Julia walked over and hugged her. "Sweetheart, let's enjoy Sam while we're here. If I know my mom and Mike, I'm sure Sam will be well taken care of. Why don't you come with me, and we'll go look at the orchard and see what kind of fruit trees are growing there."

Placated, Olivia put her hand in Julia's. "Come on, Ella, let's go." The three of them headed out the door on their way to the orchard.

Kelly watched them go and turned to Brad. "Looks like Julia's adapting well to being a stepmother."

"Beyond well. As a matter of fact, we were going to call you and tell you that Julia's going to adopt the girls. I didn't have anything to do with it. The girls came to me one night and asked if Julia could become their real mother. I can't believe at their ages, four and six, they'd even think of something like that. I told them it was Julia's decision. They asked Julia and between her tears, she agreed. We've already started the paperwork."

Kelly walked over to Brad and hugged him. "Oh, Brad, that's wonderful news. You've done a beautiful job raising them, and I'm so glad it's worked out so well."

"I'll be back in a minute, and then I'd like to go to the shack, Brad," Mike said.

When he returned Kelly said, "Mike, I hope you have your gun. I'd like you to take it with you."

"Great minds think alike."

"Mike," Brad said, "I have a permit to carry a gun, and I usually have one with me because in my profession you never know what's going to happen. I didn't want to go through the ha.s.sle of trying to bring it when we left home, but if you have another one, I wouldn't mind carrying it."

"You can take mine, Brad," Kelly said. "Aunt Agnes had one that I can keep with me." She opened her purse and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Mike makes me carry one," Kelly said. "There have been a few times when I've been glad I had it."

"I think it might be better for Julia if we never had this conversation. The less I know, the less I can tell her. Okay, Mike, let's go."