The Ghost and the Mystery Writer (22 page)

“What is he doing?” Melony asked in a whisper.

Adam shrugged. “It's tax time. Maybe he prefers fire to a shredder.”

They continued on their way, and when they were about six feet from Pete, Melony called out, “Hello, Pete!”

Startled, Pete looked in their direction and squinted, trying to see who it was. At the same time, he shoved whatever he had been ripping pages out of into a sack by his feet.

When they reached him, Melony said with a smile, “I bet you don't know who I am.”

Pete's eyes widened and recognition dawned. “Melony!” He then greeted her with a warm hug and then stepped back to have a better look. “Still a pretty thing. But now a young woman, all grown up.”

Melony laughed. “Not so young anymore.”

“Oh peshaw! From where I'm sitting, you're just a babe.”

Pete gave Adam a quick greeting and then turned his attention back to Melony. His expression grew serious and he reached out, taking her hand in his. “I'm real sorry about your mother.”

“Thanks, Pete. I know you and my parents were good friends.”

Pete nodded. “We had some fine times back then.”

“I remember those cookouts on the beach.” Melony glanced at Pete's fire. “I didn't really expect you to be alone when I noticed your bonfire. Thought you'd be out here with all your friends.”

Pete shook his head. “So many folks have either moved away or died.”

“Pete, do you know if Mother had a problem with anyone since she moved back to Frederickport?”

“I heard Danielle Boatman decided not to make a donation to the museum because of some problem she had with your mother.” Pete looked over to Adam and arched his brow. “And I understand Adam here had a bit of a ruckus with your mom over some treasure she was trying to claim.”

B
efore going
to Marie Nichols the next morning, Danielle stopped at Old Salts Bakery and picked up freshly baked cinnamon rolls. When she arrived at Marie's, the coffee was already brewed, and Marie had set cups and napkins on the kitchen table.

“Do you want to know what one of the best things about being my age is?” Marie asked.

From what Danielle recalled, Marie was approaching her ninety-first birthday. “What's that?”

The two women sat at the kitchen table. Marie pulled a cinnamon roll out of the sack and set it on the napkin in front of Danielle, and then she took a roll for herself. “I don't fret about calories anymore.”

Danielle laughed.

“Of course, that annoying doctor of mine keeps harping about salt.”

“Sugar isn't terrific for us either,” Danielle said as she took a satisfying bite of the sweet roll.

“Nothing delicious ever is.” Marie sipped her coffee.

Danielle nodded and took another bite of her roll.

Setting her cup on the table, Marie looked over at Danielle and asked, “Have you heard anything about Jolene's case? Have they any new leads on her murder?”

Danielle picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. “I think they have a few leads, but they're keeping quiet until they learn more. Did you know Jolene's daughter, Melony, is staying with us?”

Marie nodded. “Yes, Adam told me.”

Danielle set her half-eaten roll on the napkin and looked over at Marie. “Can I ask you something?”

Marie smiled. “You want to know about Adam and Melony?”

“How did you know?” Danielle grinned.

“I heard you all got together last night at Chris's for a bonfire. I remember when I was younger, we used to do that a lot.”

“I just wondered if they…well…did they used to date or something?”

“Just between the two of us?” Marie asked in a whisper.

Danielle nodded. “Promise. I won't even tell Lily.”

Marie took another sip of her coffee and then said with a chuckle, “I imagine you will.” Setting her cup back on the table, she said, “Adam and Melony ran away together when they were kids.”

“Ran away?”

Marie nodded. “They weren't gone long, a couple days.” Marie shook her head. “Adam's folks were sick about it, and of course, Jolene was furious, kept blaming Adam, said she was going to have him arrested. But those two were the same age—both minors—wasn't like some older boy leading her astray. And quite frankly, Melony always had a mind of her own. I doubt Adam, or anyone, could get her to do something she didn't want to do.”

“What happened?”

“They found them after a couple days, and her parents sent Melony off to boarding school.”

“Did Adam and Melony ever see each other again?”

Marie shook her head. “Not as far as I know. And then when Melony eventually married, Jolene couldn't wait to tell Adam—rub it in. Silly woman, it had been years since those two ran off; they were just kids. But one thing about Jolene, she knew how to hold a grudge.”

“What happened?”

“This was just after Doug had died, and Jolene was preparing to move. From what I understand, Adam was at some cocktail lounge with some friends in Portland and had a bit too much to drink. Happened to run into Jolene and her party as they were leaving the restaurant. Jolene sees Adam, marches up to him, tells him Melony is on her honeymoon and then starts telling Adam what a loser he is and starts going on about the wonderful man her daughter just married.”

“From what I understand, Melony is getting a divorce.”

Marie picked up her roll. “Yes, Adam mentioned that.”

“So what did Adam say to Jolene?”

“Like I said, he'd had too much to drink. Foolish boy, he threatened to kill her.”

“Oh my…” Danielle tore off a piece of her roll and popped it into her mouth.

“When Jolene moved back to town a few months ago, Adam seemed to be over all that—didn't give Jolene a second notice. Of course, then Jolene pulled that stunt at my Beach Drive house.” Marie took a bite of her cinnamon roll.

“No wonder you were upset when they brought Adam in for questioning.”

“The idea of Adam killing Jolene after all this time, well, it's ludicrous. The boy has moved on. He wasn't harboring some grudge against Melony's mother. Holding grudges was Jolene's forte.”

“Well, we had a nice time last night. It was fun. But I imagine Melony is busy today dealing with her mother's estate.”

“So she's really not having a funeral?” Marie took another bite of her roll and then set it down, reaching for her coffee cup.

Danielle shook her head. “No. I guess not.”

“Well, not sure Jolene had many friends left in town anyway. Seems like she'd ruffled the feathers of all the historical society's board members, from what I hear.”

“There is Pete Rogers. I guess he's one of her old friends.”

Marie nodded. “Yes, Pete. What made you think of him?”

“Melony mentioned he was a good friend of her parents. She said they used to have bonfires over at his place. In fact, she and Adam walked down there last night and said hello to him.”

Marie sipped her coffee and then set the cup back down. “Yes, I remember, Pete was always cozy with the Carmichaels and that whole group.”

“Did there used to be a Mrs. Rogers?” Danielle asked. “I've never heard him mention a wife before.”

“Yes. He's a widower. Never remarried. In fact, his house belonged to her parents. Well, the house that used to be there. Burned down a few years after his wife died and he built what's there now.”

“Does he have kids? I've never seen anyone visit him.”

Marie shook her head. “No. In fact, his wife—or more accurately his bride—died before their first wedding anniversary. Rather a tragic love story. Charlotte Michaels, she was a pretty thing. Sweet, but a mite timid, from what I recall.”

“How sad. What happened?”

“She got ill just months after they were married. Lingered miserably. It was so sad. When she died, there was a ruckus about her estate. Her parents had left both her and her sister, Angeline, well off. Charlotte had inherited their property in Oregon, while Angeline inherited their property in Washington.”

“What kind of a ruckus?”

Marie picked up a napkin, dabbed her mouth, and then set the napkin back on the table. “Doug Carmichael was Charlotte's attorney before she ever married Pete. After she died, Angeline informed Pete that Charlotte had left everything to her, including the house on Beach Drive. Of course Pete was furious.”

“I can understand, since they hadn't really been married that long. But what happened, did he buy the Beach Drive house from his sister-in-law?”

Marie shook her head. “The will had been prepared by Doug Carmichael—and according to its date, it had been revised several months after Charlotte got ill. Apparently, up until Charlotte's marriage, Angeline was her heir. Right after she married Pete, she changed the will to leave everything to her new husband, including all the Oregon properties. But then, she changed her will again, leaving her sister everything.”

“She wrote her husband out of her will?”

“Yes. But not until after she got sick.”

“So how is it that Pete has the property now?”

“Apparently there was a later will; it left everything to her husband. According to Doug, while Charlotte had changed her will, leaving everything to her sister again when she first got ill, she later came to him and said Angeline had pressured her to write Pete out of the will, something he wasn't aware of when he had made the changes. Charlotte had a change of heart and instructed Doug to revise her will—again. She was pretty sick by this time, but the courts later ruled she was still fully capable to make this decision. In the final will, she left everything to Pete. According to Doug, Charlotte wanted to do this because Pete had so steadfastly stood by her side and taken care of her during her illness.”

“That's horrible for Angeline to try to manipulate her dying sister like that.”

Marie shrugged and picked up her half-eaten roll. “I suppose that depends which side you listen to.”

“What do you mean?” Danielle sipped her coffee.

“In court, Angeline claimed Pete neglected his wife during her illness—that he was cold and mistreated her. Practically accused him of abusing his sick wife. Of course, she had nothing to substantiate her claim, and then there was the will Charlotte's own attorney had presented.”

“So he inherited everything?”

Marie nodded. “You may not realize it by just looking at Pete, but he's a very rich man. Over the years he's sold most of the properties he inherited from his wife and reinvested the money. Apparently, he's very good with managing money—and tight as a tick.”

Danielle chuckled and shook her head.

“What's funny?” Marie asked.

“I was thinking about how upset Pete was when the historical society was talking about keeping the
Eva Aphrodite
on the beach as some sort of tourist attraction and how Pete freaked, worried about his property values. The way he went on, I assumed his entire financial world was wrapped up in that house. While I can understand not wanting that monstrosity blocking his view, it is kind of funny, when you think about it.”

“Like I said, he's tight as a tick.”

“
T
hanks for coming with me
, Adam,” Melony said as she and Adam walked through her mother's house.

“Where is all the furniture?” Adam asked.

“When Mother moved to New York after Dad died, she took all her furniture with her. And then when she moved back, she sold it all. She couldn't afford to ship it back.”

“Why didn't she sell the house or rent it out?” He glanced around the sparsely furnished living room.

“I suspect she didn't want to sell the house because it had belonged to her parents. And then, well, she didn't need the money at the time. As for renting it, I don't think she wanted strangers in it. Mother liked to hold onto what she believed belonged to her, even if she didn't need it and someone else did.”

“Sounds like your mom,” Adam muttered under his breath.

They moved from the living room to the kitchen. Melony opened the refrigerator and looked in. “I need to hire someone to come over and clean this out.”

“Hey, Mel, can I ask you something?”

Melony shut the refrigerator. “Sure, what?”

“Why didn't you come back for your father's funeral?”

Melony shrugged. “I didn't see the point.”

“The way your mother talked, she moved back to New York to be with you and your new husband.”

Melony let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah. I suspect the only reason she decided to move to New York was to give people that impression. She was pretty angry with me for not coming to Dad's funeral and for eloping.”

“You two never mended fences?”

Melony turned to Adam and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Can I tell you something in confidence?”

“Certainly, Mel.”

“Remember when we were in high school, and Dad always wanted me to be a lawyer like him?”

“Sure. Which was one reason I always figured your folks were so furious with me. I'd led their straight A student astray, off the path they'd planned for her.”

“If you will remember, it was my idea to run away,” Melony reminded him.

“I know. And I never understood why. Back then, it just sounded like a good idea to me. Running off with a hot chick who I was crazy about.”

Melony chuckled. “Yeah, well, you were always pretty easy to manipulate.”

Adam scowled. “Not sure I like the way that sounds.”

“Oh, come on, admit it, Adam. Teenage girls are always more savvy than boys the same age, while the boys are just—well, horny.”

Adam shrugged. “Maybe.”

Melony laughed. “No maybe about it.”

“So what did you want to tell me—that I can't tell anyone else?”

“The real reason I ran away back then.”

Adam frowned. “The real reason?”

“Yes. The reason I never told you.”

“Which was?”

“My father fell off his pedestal. If you'll remember, back then I started working weekends in my father's office.”

“I remember.”

“I learned far more than I wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was crooked, Adam. My father, the man who I loved and looked up to, was nothing but a crook.”