The Haunted Bones (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 3) (8 page)

L
in jumped
down from the small front loader and wiped her hands on her shorts. “It’s looking great.” She grinned at Leonard. “If I do say so myself.”

“I agree, Coffin. Good work.” Leonard was marking out where the new plant beds would go. The piles of dirt in the backyard of the farmhouse had been spread out and smoothed to prepare a nice level lawn area. Grass seed would be put down when the beds were edged, planted, and mulched. There was plenty of work to do, but with the mounds of dirt gone and spread, the yard appeared to be taking shape.

“The plants will be delivered tomorrow and Dave and Remy will be here to work with us.” Leonard wiped his forehead with his arm. “Things should move pretty fast now.”

The two joined the dog in the shade of a tree and Leonard placed his shovel on the ground. They both took long pulls from their water bottles. Leonard poured some water over his face and Nicky lazily raised his head to watch. The dog had been snoozing in the grass to avoid the afternoon heat.

Lin told Leonard about the cemetery adventure of the previous evening and her early morning visit to see Quinn at the cemetery. She explained about the person with the duffel bag who went inside one of the tombs, the lock on the mausoleum that had been cleverly cut, and the new lock that was on the door this morning.

Leonard rubbed his chin. “I don’t like the idea of you and Viv sneaking around over there late at night.”

“We weren’t sneaking.” Lin made a face. “Well, maybe we were.”

Leonard gave her the eye. “If someone is up to no good, you could be putting yourselves at risk. It could be dangerous.”

“We had our guard dog with us.” Lin nodded at Nicky.

“He might not be enough.” Leonard glanced at the dog. Nicky almost seemed to have a scowl on his face from hearing the man’s words about him not being enough.

Lin pulled the elastic out of her hair and re-did her ponytail. “I wish we paid attention to that car. It was so dark, we couldn’t make out much. The person was dressed in dark clothes, had on a hoodie. It was impossible to see what he looked like.”

“Did you get the idea he was a young guy?”

Lin thought for a moment. “He didn’t move like an old man. His movements seemed kind of quick. He walked fast. He didn’t seem stiff or anything. It seemed like he was in shape. Maybe young?”

Leonard’s forehead creased in thought. “Did he hold the duffel bag different when he came out? Did it seem lighter going in or when the person was coming out? Could you tell by how he held it if there’d been a weight change in the bag?”

“Huh.” Lin tried to recall the images of last night. She rubbed her temple. “I don’t remember.” She let out a groan. “I wish I had been more alert to the subtleties. Maybe Viv noticed.”

A rustling in the bushes caused Lin and Leonard to turn towards the noise. Nicky gave a low woof. Olive from next door pushed through the foliage and emerged into the yard. “Hello!” she called. A plate of something covered with plastic wrap was in her hands.

The dog wagged its tail. Lin stood up from her sitting position under the tree and greeted the woman. She introduced Leonard.

“Things are taking shape, I see.” Olive looked about the yard and then turned her eyes on Lin. “I heard on the news that a skeleton was found. I immediately thought of you since you were the one who found the bone here in the yard. Dreadful.”

When reporting the finding of the skeleton, the news stories didn’t mention the names of Lin and John so Olive was unaware that Lin had been the one who made the discovery. Lin didn’t feel like sharing that fact with anyone. She didn’t want people to start speculating that she was actually involved in hiding the bones.

Lin nodded. “It’s very strange.”

“What in the world does someone want with those bones?” Olive’s voice was mixed with equal parts curiosity and indignation. “It’s quite unnerving, isn’t it?”

“It’s a mystery, that’s for sure,” Lin agreed.

“Oh, I forgot.” Olive pulled the plastic wrap back from part of the plate. “I made some brownies. Lloyd isn’t one for sweets, but I love to bake and thought you might like some.” She extended the plate to Lin and Leonard.

They each took a treat and thanked the woman.

“So what do you think is going on with those bones?” Olive’s lips turned down as she looked from Lin to Leonard.

“Could just be kids up to nasty mischief. Summer vacation with not a lot to do can lead to trouble.” Leonard devoured the brownie and Olive offered him another one which he gladly took.

“Kids? I didn’t think of that. Well, they will be in loads of trouble if they get caught.” Olive shook her head.

Lin didn’t want to bring up her notion that the bones were being stolen in order to broker them for sale. “When I was here before, you mentioned that there had been a renter that you didn’t like, the guy who rented the farmhouse in April and May a year ago. Do you recall his name?”

Olive stiffened. “That guy.” Her shoulders seemed to shudder. “He gave me a bad feeling.” Olive’s upper lip curled. “Jonas Bradley. I hope I don’t see him again.”

“What did he look like?”

The woman’s upper lip was still in its curled position. “He was average height, kind of stocky. Dark hair, cut very short, which didn’t flatter him, let me tell you. He had a big, wide nose and deep-set eyes. I thought he looked like a serial killer.” Olive blew out a sigh. “When I told Lloyd my impression, he said ‘how would you know if he was a serial killer since you’ve never seen one before.’” She rolled her eyes. “I think people can tell things about others. You get a feeling, an intuition.” She moved the plate she was holding around for emphasis. “So maybe he wasn’t a serial killer, but he wasn’t a good person, not at all. Nuh-uh. I didn’t like him living next door.”

“Do you know where he moved to?” Lin hoped Olive could answer her question.

“I don’t know. Hopefully, far, far away.”

“Do you know what he did for a living?”

“CPA. Certified Public Accountant. Some of his mail got delivered to our house by accident and that was printed after his name. Jonas Bradley, CPA. I wouldn’t go to him to have any of my accounting work done, I’ll tell you that.”

Leonard removed another brownie from the plate. Olive wrapped the remaining treats and handed the plate to Lin. “Here, you two enjoy the rest. Drop the plate off to me someday. I better get back. Lloyd will think I left him for someone else.” She gave a shake of her head. “I don’t know what that man would do without me.” Olive waved and headed back through the bushes to her own house.

Lin looked at Leonard. “A serial killer.”

Leonard guffawed. “I wonder what she tells her husband about us.”

“She doesn’t need to tell him anything about us.” Lin took a sip of water. “I bet old Lloyd has plenty to say about us on his own.”

“What are you thinking about this renter guy? Jonas Bradley. Are you thinking he has something to do with these bones?”

“Not necessarily, but remember I told you that Olive was sure Jonas was skulking around back here one night long after he moved out? It would be interesting to talk to him.” Lin grinned. “Then I could see if I thought he was a serial killer.”

“Well, you better not go talk to him alone.” Leonard was only half-kidding.

“If I can find him, I’d just like to ask if he ever noticed any suspicious activity back here when he rented the place.” Lin held her phone in her hand and moved her fingers over the screen. “I’m looking him up.” She stared at the screen for a few seconds. “Look at this.” A smile spread over her face. “What luck. Jonas Bradley has an office in town.” Lin raised an eyebrow at Leonard. “I did have some questions about filing taxes since we just started a new business. I guess I’ll make an appointment with Mr. Bradley.” Her eyes twinkled.

Leonard picked up the shovel to return to work. “Well, go in the daylight. Don’t meet him in the evening. Or take the dog with you for protection.”

Nicky looked pleased by Leonard’s comment.

“You want to come with me?” Lin asked Leonard. “Find out how to file our taxes considering we just started the business together?” Lin brushed some dirt from the seat of her jean shorts.

Leonard headed for the new flower bed he’d been working on. “I trust you’ll tell me what to do.” He paused, grinned, and added, “As usual.”

W
alking
down the brick sidewalk into town, Lin was so distracted by her thoughts that she turned her ankle on a loose brick and had to perform wild gyrations to keep her balance and prevent a crash to the ground. She muttered a curse under her breath. Wearing a red and white summer dress and a pair of sandals with a small heel, she realized that she had to be more careful strolling over the bricks. She’d been so used to spending her days in sneakers or work boots that she was feeling like a bit of a klutz in her new sandals.

A smile spread over her face thinking about sprawling onto the cobblestone street in front of Jeff when she went to meet him for lunch after her appointment in town.
Just call me grace, she’d tell him.
Lin couldn’t wait to meet her boyfriend. She was looking forward to having some time away from bones and ghosts and trying to figure things out.

The reason for her mid-day meeting in town was two-fold. She wanted some tax advice since she’d recently started the landscaping business with Leonard, but talking to the accountant about the farmhouse and his time renting it was the first priority. Lin carried a leather folder containing a list of questions for the meeting and some blank paper to write notes.

Hurrying along one of the side streets in town, she looked for numbers on the front of the buildings and found the one she wanted. Inside, she climbed the stairs to the second floor office of Jonas Bradley, Accountant and Financial Advisor, and entered the small, but tastefully decorated waiting area. The receptionist’s desk was empty. A wooden nameplate on the desk had “Chloe Waring” engraved in gold letters. There were signs that someone had been working at the desk so Lin looked around the space while waiting for the person to return. Diplomas and certificates attesting to Mr. Bradley’s achievements lined the wall on one side of the room.

A tall, blonde, curvy woman in her twenties scurried in from the hallway and took her place at the desk. “May I help you?” she asked in an official tone, her posture straight and erect. The girl’s long lashes framed her big blue eyes and the black and white dress accentuated the receptionist’s figure.

Lin told Chloe who she was and that she had booked an appointment with Mr. Bradley.

“Mr. Bradley will see you.” The blonde stood and escorted Lin down the hall to Jonas’s office, opened the door with a flourish, and announced the client.

Lin had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling at the young woman’s formal and forced behavior. It was like she was play-acting the role of a secretary-receptionist and her performance was way over the top.

Wearing what looked to be a very expensive business suit, Jonas Bradley stood and shook hands with Lin, his facial expression blank and emotionless. He gestured to the leather and chrome chair in front of his glass desk. Everything in the office was sleek and modern and Lin suspected that a decorator chose the things without input from the accountant who gave the impression that he might fit better with more traditional furnishings.

The man was exactly as Olive Sawyer described him. In his thirties, with deep-set eyes, a wide bridged nose, and dark hair, only it wasn’t cut short any more. Lin wondered if someone had suggested that longer hair would better suit him.

Jonas Bradley was of average height, Lin estimated about five foot ten inches tall, and had broad shoulders which gave the sense that he worked out. There was something that Jonas gave off that made him seem uncomfortable in another person’s company. Lin could see why Olive had felt uneasy with the man.

“So you’re here for some tax advice.” Jonas asked some questions and made notes on a pad of paper. His questions were business-like and to the point. There was no chit chat or idle pleasantries to put his client at ease. The man was straightforward and had a brusque manner that suggested that he subscribed to the adage that time was money.

When questions were clarified and advice given, Lin attempted to make conversation. If she couldn’t engage Jonas, then her most pressing purpose for coming to the office would be a failure.

Lin smiled. “I understand you rented a farmhouse out in Cisco for a while about a year ago.”

The observation was so unexpected that Jonas’s bushy, dark eyebrows shot up.

“The farmhouse has new owners. My partner and I have contracted to do the landscaping.” Lin bumbled on not wanting Jonas to end the meeting. “I met the next door neighbor. She mentioned your name when I said I was in need of an accountant.”

“You’re the one who found the bone?” Jonas’s eyes narrowed.

Lin swallowed. Her name hadn’t been reported in any news stories, only that a landscaper made the discovery, so Jonas assumed that it must be her.

“Actually, my dog found it in the dirt.”

“An unfortunate occurrence.” Jonas looked like he might stand up so Lin quickly spoke.

“People are speculating about how the bone got there. A police search was conducted, but no other bones were found. I wonder how it happened to be on the property.” Lin looked the man in the eyes.

“That
is
the question, isn’t it?” Jonas’s voice was steady and disinterested.

“It’s very odd.” Lin asked bluntly, “How do you think it got there?”

“That’s for the authorities to determine.” Jonas closed the folder in front of him. “Gossip and speculation are useless.”

Lin groaned inwardly. “I suppose that’s true.” She nodded. “What was the backyard of the farmhouse like when you rented the home?”

Jonas stared at her. “Like?”

“You know, was there landscaping? Flowers?” Lin knew her questions were veering into nonsense, but she was desperate to keep the conversation going.

“I don’t recall. I guess grass. I didn’t spend any time in the yard.”

“No? You didn’t have to mow or do the outside upkeep as a renter?” Lin acted like she was fascinated with the man’s experience living in a rental property. She knew he must think she was a nut.

Jonas frowned. “If
that
was expected, I would have found a different place to live.”

“Who took care of the lawn then? Who did the mowing for you?” Lin questioned.

“A service came once a week.”

Something flickered in Lin’s mind. People from a lawn service had access to the farmhouse’s backyard. A worker could have hidden the bone there. “Do you recall what company it was?”

“I do not. The owner of the house made those arrangements. I had no interaction with the service.”

Lin made a mental note to ask Olive if she knew the name of the landscaping company that took care of the yard when the farmhouse was being rented.

“May I ask why you moved out?” Lin smiled sweetly.

For a few seconds, the man looked like he wouldn’t answer, but then he said, “It didn’t suit my needs.”

Lin wondered what that meant and what needs of Jonas’s the house didn’t meet. She decided that if she inquired about it then their meeting would probably come to an end so she kept the question to herself.

“You have a lot of questions about the farmhouse.” Jonas’s tone was almost accusatory.

A flash of annoyance shot through Lin’s chest. She straightened in her seat, her expression serious. “I found a
human bone
in that yard. I held
someone’s bone
in my hand. I think it only natural to have some curiosity and some questions about how it got there. Whose bone is it? Was foul play involved? Where are the rest of the person’s bones?” Lin swallowed. “I think anyone who found a piece of a human being would wonder such things. Any compassionate person, anyway.”

“Yes, well….” Jonas pushed some things around his desk top.

“While you were renting the farmhouse, did you ever see anything suspicious in the backyard? Someone trespassing? Anything that seemed odd?”

Jonas leveled his eyes at Lin and he blinked several times, his lids slow and heavy. “Why don’t you ask the neighbor? Why don’t you ask Lloyd Sawyer what he was doing in the yard one night?”

“Lloyd was in the yard?” Lin asked, and then remembered that Olive had told her that Lloyd went over to the farmhouse one night when he thought someone was prowling around back there. “Did Lloyd suspect someone was trespassing?”

“You’ll have to ask him.” Jonas checked his watch. He stood up. “I’m expecting another client now.”

Lin got up from her chair. As she was walking to the door, she stopped and turned back. She wanted to see Jonas’s reaction to her final question. “Olive mentioned that she thought she saw you one night behind the farmhouse. One night after you’d moved out.”

“It may be that Olive has some trouble with her vision.” Jonas’s face hardened. “It had to be someone else, because it wasn’t me. Perhaps her husband paid another visit to the rear yard after I moved out.”

“Maybe so.” Lin gave a quick nod and a forced smile. “Thank you for your time.”

Lin showed herself out and hurried down the staircase to the first floor. Outside on the sidewalk, in the fresh air with people bustling around, she breathed a sigh of relief to be away from that man.