Murder on the Candlelight Tour (28 page)

It was Christmas night, the early morning hours of December 26th. We'd left our cars parked on other streets, sneaking one by one through a neighboring garden to my back door. We'd been hiding in my library for what seemed like an eternity, and were getting restless.

Then I heard it. The tinkle of breaking glass. It seemed to come from the dining room where French doors led out onto a side porch. If those clowns had broken one of my irreplaceable stained glass windows, I'd really be mad. "Did you hear that?" I whispered.

"Yes. Ssshhh. This is it. Not a sound. And stay down," Nick commanded.

The sweeping beam of a flashlight moved toward the library. I sucked in my breath and held the blue amulet tight. Floor boards creaked, giving away the location of our intruder. He seemed to be alone. My guess was that the other one was keeping watch out on the side porch.

He must have felt confident that the house was empty, because he didn't make an effort to be quiet. Joel and Earl had fallen for my story.

The flashlight's beam swept past my chair. I gathered myself into a tight ball. Next, he crept to the fireplace. He was tugging at the firewood box door when the lights burst on. Nick yelled, "Hold it right where you are! Hands up."

"What?" cried our intruder.

"What?" I echoed, jumping up. That wasn't Joel Fox or Earl Flynn. That voice belonged to a woman.

"Who?" I cried.

She was dressed all in black, her platinum blonde hair peeking out of a black stocking cap. I recognized my fleeing shooter from the cemetery. "Lisa Hamilton!" I squealed.

Jon popped up, and Binkie stepped out.

"Get down!" Nick cried, as Lisa raised a gun and aimed it at my head. But Nick was faster. He launched himself at her like a missile. The gun flew out of her hand, going off with a loud bang. I grabbed my ears and screamed in pain as the noisy roar hammered through my head.

Nick's mouth opened in a silent scream, but all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. His right hand, still holding his gun, flew to his left shoulder. His legs folded under him.

Lisa sprang toward her gun, but I stuck out my booted foot and tripped her. She fell to her knees. Staggering to her feet, her eyes darted around the room, frantic for a way out. She was now unarmed and there were four of us. She jumped over a footstool and raced for the door. Binkie stepped in front of her, blocking her way, his fists raised in his best pugilistic stance. But dear Binkie is too much of a gentleman to ever strike a woman. Lisa didn’t know that. She raised her arms to cover her face. And while she was distracted, Jon lunged at her back, forcing her face downward onto the floor. With his weight he pinned her securely to the floor. Even Spunky got into the act, springing out of the tree and locking his claws into her stocking cap.

I kicked her gun into the corner, then fell on my knees beside Nick. Blood flowed down his arm and jacket front. I couldn't tell if the bleeding came from his shoulder or his chest. I ripped the radio off his lapel, and shouted into it, "Officer down! Officer down!"

36

"By air and fire

By water and earth

By the power of Oya

By the power of my ancestors

By the power of women

And the men who honor them

By the power of sun

By the power of moon

By the power of plants and animals

By the power of storm and wind

By the power of all that is sacred

By the power of spirits that none can see

By the power of three times three

I bind you now, away from me!

Mare, mare, mare!"

Kiki knotted two ribbons together nine times. She set the poppet on a bright sheet of aluminum foil, sprinkled it with herbs, and chanted, "From this moment on, let all evil that you do befall only you."

Balling up the aluminum foil, she placed it in a white paper bag, dropped the bag into a metal trash can, lit a match and dropped it in. Flames shot up, making us gasp. The flames died down, and we laughed, our tension relieved.

Kiki hugged me. "Your home is free of Lisa Hamilton and the evil she perpetuated in it. That means you are free."

"Thanks for that. I'll sleep better now." I didn't tell Kiki that tomorrow Father Andrew was coming to lead an Episcopal ceremony. "Let's go get something to eat."

It was New Year's Day and I joined my friends around my dining room table for feasting and celebration. Everyone I cared about was here. Melanie and Binkie. Jon with Christine Brooks. Kiki and Ray. Nick, whose shoulder wound was healing nicely. Ray was at my side, refilling my wine glass, offering me morsels from the table. The chef at Port City Grill had prepared a variety of buffet foods for us including the traditional black-eyed peas. We sipped red wine and wished each other a happy New Year.

"I always knew there was something phony about that Lisa Hamilton," Melanie declared. "She never would commit to buying a house. I can't tell you how many lunches I sprang for, and all she did was whine about her dreadful childhood."

"It was dreadful," Nick said. "She was so full of pent-up rage, she was ranting like a lunatic when we took her in. Fortunately for us, she never did lawyer-up. We got a full confession."

"But who would have guessed she was Russell Penry's daughter?" I said.

"It's a tragic story. You can't help feeling sorry for her. She was as much a victim as her victims," Nick said.

Kiki caught my eye. Her knowing glance was meant to remind me that she'd seen the satyr in the cards, half-man half-goat, and she'd warned me that the goat might also be a scapegoat.

Jon, his arm wrapped possessively around Christine's waist, said, "I don't know the full story, Nick. Tell us what she said."

Nick took a moment to sip from his wine goblet, as if collecting his thoughts. "After hiding the money bags in the secret room, and after the quarrel with Jimmy Weaver and the fight that killed him, Penry fled to Atlanta. If Weaver's body was found in the garden, he didn't want to be within the law's reach. In 1965, Penry fathered a daughter by his live-in girlfriend. When the baby was seven months old, Penry, crazy on LSD, murdered the baby's mother.

"He went to prison. Lisa was adopted by a couple named Hamilton. When she was four, the Hamiltons were killed in a car accident. Lisa's life then became a nightmare. She was shuffled from foster home to foster home, often with people unfit to care for an emotionally scarred child. But she was smart and got a scholarship to the University of Georgia where she studied Criminal Justice.

"Meanwhile, Penry kept tabs on her. Last year, he sent for her and she visited him in prison. She hated him for destroying her life and felt he owed her.

"He must have agreed with her and felt remorse, because he told her where she could find a half million dollars. He also told her that she had a grandmother who didn't know of her existence. That seemed to send Lisa over the edge. To think that rather than growing up with abusive strangers she might have lived with a loving grandmother! She fixated on Dorothy Penry, whom she'd never met, hating her, blaming her for failing to discover Lisa's existence and needs."

"So she was the one who killed Mrs. Penry with flowers," I speculated.

"We think so. We also think she killed her father. Penry died mysteriously after one of her visits. The prison officials record all gifts, and she'd brought home-made cookies. But they didn't know her real name; they knew her as Penry's daughter, Lisa Penry. The address she gave was bogus. They couldn't find her."

"She killed her own father?" Christine asked. You could see she was wondering what kind of group Jon had introduced her to: witches, robbers, murderers.

Kiki nodded sagely. "Patricide is nothing new in the family of man."

Christine's eyes widened and she leaned a little closer to Jon. Binkie grinned.

Nick continued, "Lisa tried again and again to get the money out of your house. While you were restoring it, there were always too many workers around. She saw an easy way to get inside as part of the tour group. She may have hidden in an upstairs bedroom until the tour was over, saw Binkie go into the bathroom, then sneaked down to the unoccupied library. But Sheldon discovered her. We don't know precisely what transpired between them, but she killed him. Then, fearing discovery, she fled before she could get her hands on the money.

"The next time she tried, Rachel discovered her. You must have just driven up."

I dropped my head and closed my eyes, transported to that terrible Saturday afternoon when the Angel of Death battered my head. A shiver ran up my spine. I'd decided to take Nick's advice and talk to a therapist. Ray slipped a strong arm around my shoulders, and I found it comforting. "It's all right, Ashley. She can't hurt you now."

"Thanks, Ray." I smiled up at him.

Melanie was in a foul mood. "A couple of unsavory characters showed up on my doorstep this morning, demanding to see Joel. I sent them packing. I told them I threw the bum out and as far as I was concerned he was dead." A vengeful smirk played on her lips. "They said I was right. 'Fox is a dead man,' were their exact words."

"But where is he?" I asked.

"Joel Fox and Earl Flynn bought one-way tickets to Los Angeles," Nick explained. "And the records show they boarded the plane. We've got a warrant out for Earl Flynn; he's wanted for questioning in the payroll robbery case. I think he's guilty, but we'll never prove it. There's no evidence against him. The FBI's examining DNA samples from Jimmy Weaver's corpse. If they find DNA other than Weaver's, they'll try to make a comparison with Flynn's DNA. If we ever catch up with him. And if a judge will let us. Same goes for Lisa Hamilton. She carries the same DNA as Russell Penry."

"She sure fooled a lot of people," I said. Including you Detective Yost, I thought.

Nick shrugged. "She was a good actress. Her credentials were impeccable. There was no reason to suspect her of anything."

"She didn't fool me," Melanie quipped. "Now what happens to the money? The half million?" Leave it to Melanie to get to the heart of things.

The Wizard of Wall Street speculated, "My guess is the lawyers will battle that out but in the end it'll be returned to the insurers who covered the payroll."

Binkie sighed. "So Suzanna O'Day's bag of gold was just a rumor."

Jon grinned. "Maybe not, Binkie. We haven't searched everywhere." He turned to Nick. "Speaking of rumors, I hear you've been offered a job with Atlanta P.D.”

"Nick!" I cried.

"We've got to talk, Ashley." He led me into the parlor. "I was waiting for the right moment to tell you. It's true. Atlanta P.D. wants me to head up their cold case task force. They were impressed with the way I solved the Atlantic Coast Line payroll robbery." He raised his palms before I could protest. "I told them I had a lot of help from civilians. Their reply was, 'That's how good police work is conducted.'"

I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. "You're going to take it, aren't you?"

He smiled at me, displaying those heart-stopping dimples and a bitter-sweet smile. "Yes. I only made up my mind last night. That's why I didn't tell you about it sooner, Ashley. I had to mull it over. I'm sorry you had it sprung on you that way."

His arm was in a sling. He'd risked his life to save mine. He was my hero. Not willing to fire his weapon in the close quarters of my library, he'd offered himself as a target. I'd always love him for the way he'd been willing to take a bullet for me.

Yet the thought of him leaving me was painful. I felt abandoned. My feelings must have shone on my face, because he said, "Look, Ashley, you know how I feel about you. Atlanta is not so far. We can see each other often. I'll come back, and when I do, we won't be bogged down in one of my cases. I'll be able to leave my work behind."

I doubted that. I felt sick, but managed a smile. "You deserve the promotion, Nick. Before you leave, I have a present for you." The painting I'd bought for him was under the tree. "Something to remind you of the North Carolina coast."

"Ashley? You okay?" Ray asked.

"I'm fine, Ray. I'm just wishing Nick well on his new job. He's moving to Atlanta."

Ray stuck out his hand. "Good luck, Nick. Thanks for the way you saved Ashley's life." He took my arm and steered me toward the table. "They're serving dessert. Tiramisu. Kiki said it was your favorite."

From across the table, Melanie shot daggers at me. The Botox treatments had smoothed out the planes on her face. How could anyone so beautiful be so insecure? My adorable sister would always be an enigma to me.

Ray spoke softly, for my ears alone. "Kiki and I think it would be great if you'd come back to New York with us. I've got a townhouse on East Sixty-Second Street. You'll be my guest. Your own suite of rooms, of course."

"Ray, that sounds heavenly. But maybe another time. My business is going to pick up now that the holidays are over. I've already got jobs lined up."

Wilmington's next major event was the Azalea Festival in April, and there was much to do to prepare for it.

"Well, what about a weekend then? I've got a box at the opera. You love the opera."