Murder in Calico Gold: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Part 9

"It's interesting. The girls and Julia bonded almost immediately. Having Julia in my life has been wonderful, not only for me, but for the girls as well. Trying to raise two little girls by myself was not easy."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't. You told me Julia's going to adopt them, and I think that's great for everybody. It will make their lives a little more stable, and the one thing I've learned about children is that they need stability. I'm so happy for all of you! Thank you for making my daughter happy. I mean it," she said, touching him lightly on the cheek.

"Think you have that turned around, Kelly. Julia makes all of us happy!"

"Well, whatever or whoever is making everybody happy, I'm glad. Oh Mike, there you are. Brad was just asking about you. Did you get a handle on the financial aspects of the ranch?"

"Yes and no. I was able to figure out exactly what holdings Aunt Agnes had as well as get all the information I need about the property such as when property taxes are due and stuff like that. What I wasn't able to figure out is what in the heck I'm going to do with all of it. That's next on the agenda after we find out who murdered Aunt Agnes. Hear anything from the police chief?"

"Not a word. I'm sure he'll call the minute he finds out anything. He knows how anxious you are. To change the subject, you probably came across the name of the gardener for the ranch in the files you were examining. I found his name in the greenhouse and called him. He knew about your aunt and apologized for not being able to come to the funeral, but he said money is really tight for him, and he couldn't afford to miss a day of work. I told him we understood, and we'd like him to continue to do the gardening for the property. Evidently he comes twice a week. He cuts the lawn, takes care of the flowers and the plants in the greenhouses, and does what's needed in the fruit orchard. He told me he has a helper."

"Thanks. I made a long list of things I need to do concerning the property, and that's one item I can cross off. What's for dinner?"

"You were so good at barbecuing the hot dogs at lunch I decided to let you do it again, only it's going to be steaks, not hot dogs." She told him what she had planned for dinner and mentioned she'd harvested some greenhouse items and that the trifle was in the refrigerator.

"Sounds great. I could use a meal like that after the last few days. Where's Julia?"

"She went up to see if the girls were awake. They'll all probably be down in a few minutes. It's such a beautiful evening, any objections to eating on the patio?"

"No, I'd like that. One of my favorite childhood memories about this place is eating dinner on the patio with my aunt and uncle under the spreading branches of that ma.s.sive old oak tree that the patio's built around."

"Consider it done," Kelly said.

CHAPTER 30.

When they finished dinner, Mike pushed himself back from the large rustic patio table situated under the ma.s.sive two hundred year old oak tree and said, "Kelly, once again you outdid yourself. That meal was fabulous."

"Wish I could take credit for it, but your aunt had all the ingredients. I think what made it so special was the just-picked freshness of the salad and the strawberries. No store can match that kind of taste."

"Could I have some more dessert?" Olivia asked. "I love the strawberries."

"Me too," parroted Ella.

"You'll have to ask your dad if it's okay. You both ate a lot tonight."

Just then Mike's cell phone rang, and he looked at the monitor. "Excuse me. It's Chief Robbins. Maybe he's got some information for me. I'll take the call in the office."

Brad nodded yes to Kelly, and she got up to get the girls another helping of trifle. As she walked into the kitchen, she tried to hear what Mike was saying to the chief, but she couldn't make the words out.

"This is Mike, Chief. Were you able to find out anything?"

"Yes. Are you sitting down?"

"I'm taking it you got a match."

"My friend was able to match the handwriting. I hate to tell you this, but your cousin's handwriting matched the handwriting on the letters."

"You're kidding! And after everything my aunt did for him!"

"That's not all. I told you my friend was one of the foremost handwriting a.n.a.lysts in the country. He was able to determine from the writing that your cousin is a deeply disturbed man who is very, very angry. He feels there is a very good chance your cousin murdered your aunt. I didn't tell him the whole story, but based on what he told me I think you should be very careful and keep away from him. We don't know if he's the one who killed your aunt, but if he is, you could be his next target."

"You're probably right, Chief. Like you, I'm well-trained, and I'll be extra careful until this case is resolved. What's the next step?"

"My deputy and I will go out to his cabin in the morning and ask him some questions. I'm hoping he might be angry enough to admit he wrote the letters, and then I'll have a reason to arrest him. As far as the murder, I'd like him to break down and tell us he did it. Based on the lack of any type of incriminating evidence, that's about our only chance of finding out if he was the one who killed her. Mike, you seem like a man of your word, and I'd like your word that you won't pay him a visit on your own. We'll be out there first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll call you and let you know what we find out."

"I'd like to go out there tonight and confront him, but you've been very fair to me, so yes, I give you my word, I won't go out there tonight. Please thank your friend for me. I'll be curious to hear what Daniel has to say to you."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good evening."

Mike walked out to the patio where Brad, Kelly, and Julia were finis.h.i.+ng up the last of the trifle. The girls had gone inside to watch cartoons until it was bed time.

"What did the chief have to say?" Brad asked.

"He found out from his friend that there was a match, and it was my cousin, Daniel Noonan. His friend could also tell from my cousin's handwriting that he's deeply disturbed and very, very angry, which is not a good combination."

"Oh, Mike, I'm so sorry," Kelly said. "It's hard to believe that Daniel sent those letters to your aunt after she'd been supporting him for so many years. He'd be nothing without her. How tragic! What happens now?"

"The chief and his deputy are going out there first thing in the morning. He made me give him my word I wouldn't go out there tonight which I did. Between you and me, what I'd really like to do is go out there with my gun right now and force him to talk. Maybe that's what it will take to get him to admit he killed Aunt Agnes."

"No. Let the chief handle it," Kelly said. "He seems very capable, and that's his job, however I do think we need to be extra careful tonight. Sam's sleeping with the girls, but we'll have Rebel and Lady."

"They're great for protecting, particularly Rebel, but I think it might be wise for both of us to keep our guns on the nightstands tonight," Mike said Julia's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Do you really think something could happen?"

"I hope not, but when you're dealing with someone who's troubled and angry, that's a very dangerous combination. We already know what he thinks about me inheriting my aunt's estate."

"Mike, I still have the gun Kelly gave me yesterday. I'll have it next to me. The girls are sleeping in the room next to ours. We have a connecting door, and I'll be sure and lock both of the doors that lead to the hall. If you need me for anything, just yell," Brad said standing up from the table. "Julia, let's carry the dishes in and get the girls to bed. Mike, I hope for your sake you resolve this tragic situation tomorrow morning."

"So do I Brad, so do I."

Kelly and Mike finished cleaning up the last of the dinner dishes, let the dogs out, and went upstairs.

"Mike, are you being overly cautious about your cousin? He doesn't seem like a particularly violent man to me, just misguided."

"No, I don't think I'm being the least bit overly cautious, particularly if he was the one who killed Aunt Agnes, and at the moment there's nothing to tell me otherwise. If you hear anything tonight, wake me. Don't try to get up on your own and see what it is. Deal?"

"Deal. Try and get some sleep. If you're going to confront him tomorrow, you need to be rested."

"All right. See you in the morning," he said, kissing her on the cheek and making sure his gun was on the nightstand. The dogs slept at the foot of the bed. He turned off the lamp on the nightstand and laid there for what seemed like hours, tuned into every little sound the old house made during the night. And then he heard it.

CHAPTER 31.

Mike recognized the distinct sound of a gla.s.s cutter. When he attended the sheriff's academy there had been a cla.s.s on different sounds that were made when people were breaking and entering a building, and the sound he now heard matched the sound he'd heard so many years ago. Once you heard it, you never forgot it. Someone was definitely breaking into the house. Rebel heard the sound too. He instantly got up from where he'd been sleeping at the foot of the bed and stood beside Mike, ears alert, a low growl coming from deep in his throat.

Mike gestured towards Kelly who was sleeping peacefully next to him. Rebel walked around the bed and stood next to Kelly as if he could read Mike's mind, guarding her if need be. Mike had had gone to bed dressed in sweat pants and a T-s.h.i.+rt. He swung his long legs off the bed, being careful not to wake up Kelly. He picked up his pistol from where he'd left it on the nightstand. His soft-soled slippers made no sound as he walked over to the door and quietly opened it. He looked back and held his hand up to Rebel, indicating for him to stay where he was, and closed the door.

He walked quietly down the hall to the stairs. The house was dark. After he'd taken several steps, he saw the beam of a flashlight bouncing across the family room on the far side of the stairs. Whoever was breaking in was checking to see if anyone was in the family room before they entered. As the intruder s.h.i.+ned his flashlight on the hole the gla.s.s cutter had made, Mike saw a gloved hand reach through the opening and turn the inside door lock. The flashlight was focused on where the inside lock was located, giving Mike a few seconds to get to the bottom of the stairs without being seen. The intruder opened the door and stepped inside. In the moonlight that flowed into the room Mike saw a tall man wearing gloves with a dark ski mask covering his face. He was dressed in black jeans and a dark long sleeved t-s.h.i.+rt. He cautiously entered the room and looked around.

Mike stepped behind the open door to the office which allowed him to see the intruder without being seen then he caught his breath. His build and the slight limp he'd gotten from his childhood accident gave the intruder's ident.i.ty away. It was Daniel Noonan.

Mike flipped the lights on and at the same time shouted, "Put your hands up, or I'll shoot!"

Daniel fired off a wild shot in Mike's direction and ducked down behind a large chair. He yelled at Mike, "You're going to die just like Aunt Agnes did. If I can't have this ranch, you're not going to live to inherit it. I killed her, and now I'm going to kill you. You deserve to die for what your family did to my mother and me. This ranch is rightfully mine. I never got anything from my family, not even a birthday card from my grandparents."

From Mike's position behind the door he saw Kelly and Rebel standing at the top of the stairs with Lady in the background. He waved his arm at Rebel and shouted "Attack." With lightning speed Rebel jumped over the stairway railing and landed squarely on top of Daniel, knocking him down on the floor as he struggled to keep control of his gun. Mike ran over to him, kicked the gun from his hand, and pulled the ski mask off his face. "Don't move, Daniel, or the dog will go for your throat."

Rebel stood on Daniel's chest, all ninety pounds of flesh and bone that seemed as strong as steel holding Daniel flat on his back as he whimpered, "Get the dog off! I can't breathe. Get him off me." As soon as Rebel had leaped over the railing, Lady raced down the stairs, and all Daniel could see were the faces of two very large angry dogs that could rip him apart in seconds if the right command was given.

Kelly had followed Lady down the stairs, and she stood next to Mike, gun in her hand, pointed at Daniel. "Kelly, call 911 and tell the dispatcher I need to be patched through to the chief. Tell her Mike Reynolds needs to talk to him, and that Daniel Noonan has admitted killing my aunt."

In seconds they heard Chief Robbins' voice coming from the speakerphone. "Mike, what's happened?"

"Daniel Noonan broke into the house. He used a gla.s.s cutter to cut a hole in one of the window panes of the patio gla.s.s door. I heard the sound and surprised him. He said he was going to kill me just like he killed my aunt."

"Did anyone else hear him say that?" the chief asked.

"Yes, Kelly did."

Brad's voice cut in. Kelly and Mike had been so focused on Daniel they hadn't noticed Brad coming down the stairs, two at a time, to reach them. "Chief, I heard him, too. This is Brad. We met at the house yesterday. I'm Mike's son-in-law. I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I heard Daniel admit he killed Mike's aunt, and he also said he was going to kill Mike."

"Mike, I'm a.s.suming you have a gun on him. Correct?"

"Actually, there are three guns on him. Mine, Kelly's, and Brad's. He'll be waiting for you when you get here. By the way, he has two dogs inches from his face that would like nothing better than for me to give them the attack command."

"I'm on my way. I'm calling my deputy, and he'll be there, too. I shouldn't be more than ten minutes. Don't do anything until I get there."

"Don't worry. I think with three guns and two dogs, Daniel Noonan isn't going to try to escape."

"Mom, Brad, what's going on?" Julia asked in a sleepy voice from the top of the stairs.

"We just solved a little problem, honey," Brad said. "Get back in bed and keep the girls upstairs. I'll be up in a little while. Everything's under control."

In minutes they heard the sound of sirens as they drew closer to the house. Car doors swung open, and Chief Robbins yelled, "Mike where are you?"

"We're in the family room."

The chief and his deputy raced into the room, guns drawn. "Chief, get these dogs away from me," Daniel screamed. "I'm having trouble breathing."

"Mike, call the dogs off, and the three of you can put your guns down. Jake and I will take it from here."

"Rebel, Lady, stand down," Mike said in a commanding tone of voice. Rebel jumped off of Daniel's chest and stood by Mike while Lady went to Kelly.

"Daniel, roll over and put your hands behind your back. Jake's going to cuff you. You're not going anywhere except for a ride in a squad car to jail where I'm going to book you for murder and attempted murder."

"Well, Chief, I guess it's over. Daniel admitted he murdered Aunt Agnes, and he tried to kill me," Mike said. "You can see the bullet hole in the wall next to the study door. Think you'll find a match with that bullet and his gun. That's all the evidence you'll need for the attempted murder charge. It pretty much clears the others who were possible suspects for the murder of Aunt Agnes. I'm a.s.suming your friend with the Department of Justice didn't find any other matches."

"No. Not a one. I'd like the three of you to come to the station tomorrow morning and give a statement about what you saw and heard here tonight. It's late or early, however you want to look at it, and I want to get him to the station. Why don't you come in about nine, and we'll do the necessary paperwork then?"

Mike and the chief pulled Daniel to a standing position while Chief Robbins' deputy, Jake, kept his gun on him. "Walk out to the car," the chief said, "and don't think about doing anything funny, or I'll tell Mike to give the dogs the attack command. Understand?"

Daniel muttered something unintelligible and shuffled out the door towards the waiting patrol car, followed by the chief and Jake. Mike watched them put Daniel in the police car then he closed the front door and sagged against it. "Well, I guess this nightmare is over. Now we know who killed my aunt. I still can't believe her own flesh and blood did it." He looked at Kelly. "I thought I closed our bedroom door when I heard the sound of the gla.s.s cutter and got out of bed. Did I leave it open?"

"No, you closed it. As soon as you left Rebel put his mouth next to my ear and growled. I saw that you were gone and jumped out of bed. Rebel was already at the bedroom door. I figured he knew what he was doing, so I opened the door, and you know the rest. Evidently he decided you might need some help."

"As a matter of fact I did. If he hadn't come, I don't know what might have happened. Daniel shot at me once and missed, but who knows, he might have hit me with his next shot if it hadn't been for Rebel. Come here, boy," he said, scratching his ears. "Thanks."

Lady stood next to Kelly and looked up at her as if to say, "Hey, what about me? I got there as fast as I could, and I was standing right next to Rebel. At least I deserve an ear scratch, too." Kelly reached down and scratched Lady's ear as if she had understood everything Lady had told her.

"Time for all of us to go back to bed. Maybe we can get a couple of hours of sleep before morning." He looked at Rebel, Lady, Brad, and Kelly, and said, "If it wasn't for all of you, I'm not sure I'd be standing here right now. Thank you."

They walked up the stairs, Mike mentally adding a new item to his "to-do" list - get a new patio gla.s.s door.

CHAPTER 32.

"For breakfast, I've fixed a plate of bagels, strawberry jam, whipped cream cheese, and some lox that Aunt Agnes had. You can also have some fresh orange juice," Kelly said.

"Grandma, what's lox?" Olivia asked.

"Fair question. It's a fish that's been prepared a special way. Lots of people like it served in thin slices on their bagels. You might try it and see what you think."

"No," Olivia said, "I don't like fish."