With Virginia at his side, Jeff pounded on the guest room door.
“I told you, I’m not leaving this room at all today!” Eden yelled from the other side.
“Eden, it’s Jeff and Virginia. We need to talk to you.”
“Go away!”
“Sure. Okay. Maybe the sheriff can get you to answer why you conspired with George Henry, or rather Spike Dean, to kill your cousin.”
A few seconds later, the lock clicked and the door open. Eden waved them inside. “Come on in. Excuse the mess.”
The room was indeed a mess. Every painting that hung from the indigo walls was now on the floor leaned against them. The furniture was in disarray, and even the bed had been pulled several inches from the wall.
As Eden led them down the two steps to the sunken seating area, Jeff told her, “I don’t think you’ll be getting your security deposit back.”
Eden sat at one end of the couch and Virginia at the other, while Jeff pulled up the chair from the writing table. “First off, I didn’t conspire with anyone.”
Jeff scoffed. “You knew George Henry was actually the supervisor of the coal mine that Blair bought to close down and that he held a major grudge for taking away his livelihood. Then you gave him a fake name, and you talked her into hiring him here under the pretext that he was this amazing gardener at the college where you work. That access allowed him to execute her in a brutal manner. If you didn’t orchestrate her murder, you had to reasonably assume that consequence, and in all likelihood, you desperately hoped for it, believing her death would result in this huge inheritance for yourself. Excuse me, Eden, but conspiracies don’t come more clear-cut than that.”
“You only have a splinter of truth in that clumsy club of accusations. His real name is George Henry Dean. People call him Spike because of his widow’s peak.”
Jeff smirked at Virginia. “Three first names. The parents just set him up to be a serial killer.”
Eden rolled her eyes. “I met him in the course of my research on coal slurry before Blair ever thought of buying that mine. When I heard she’d bought it, I let George know there was no way she did it with the intention of keeping it open. Telling him was a mistake, because it infuriated him and led to the riot that got him arrested. Fortunately, Blair dropped the charges.”
Virginia asked a question to which she already knew the answer. “Were you in a relationship with him?”
“Yes. After the arrest, George discussed forming a co-op with a group of his mining colleagues so they could make an offer to buy the mine back from Blair. I told him they would never be able to offer enough money because she was closing the mine on principle, not for profit.”
“Why did you talk your cousin into hiring him here as the gardener?” asked Virginia. “You had to know he wished her harm.”
Eden’s face froze for a second before dropping. “Yes, but not enough to actually kill her. Blair had just turned down my grant. I was angry at her. George grilled me for dirt on her, but I didn’t have anything – at least nothing so egregious he could use it for leverage to force her to sell the mine to him. He was going to hire a private investigator, but then I heard that her gardener had died. George thought if he could get close to her, he could find the dirt himself, and then we could both get what we wanted. He’d get the mine, and I’d get my grant.”
Jeff thought back to when Juniper told them the mine was immediately signed over to the EARTH Foundation, but that transfer had not yet been announced to the public. He glanced at Virginia and could tell she was thinking the same. “And after Blair was murdered?”
“I really thought she’d had a heart attack. George and I were hoping she left everything to me, but we know how that went. Then we pinned our hopes on finding that stupid Box.”
Jeff waved at the room. “Which, I assume, is the reason for the spruce down.”
“Myles Godfrey and that freak seem to be convinced it’s in here.”
Virginia asked, “Assuming you found the Box, and it had the deed to the mine or any of the buildings, what then? It’s not like you could’ve made a claim to the property. People would know the deed was stolen.”
“We could bargain with Zeke or whatever the hell his name is to split the contents three ways or we’d hold it until the deadline past, and he’d get nothing.”
Jeff suggested, “Or, you could forge your cousin’s signature on the deed to the mine, and George Henry could say she sold it to him before she died.”
Eden scowled at him. “You have a devious mind, Mr. Woodard.”
Virginia patted the cushion between them. “Eden, getting back to George Henry, you do realize he almost killed you.”
“What are you talking about? George has never raised a hand to me.”
Jeff said, “He let you sleep in Blair’s bed, knowing it was rigged to kill.”
“That just proves he didn’t do it. He would’ve never let me sleep there if he knew.”
“What makes you sure?” asked Jeff.
“I see you’re receiving guests now.” said Myles Godfrey, who had entered the guest room unseen.
Eden popped to her feet. “I told you to stay out.”
“The door was open, and as I understand it, you have no claim to this property whatsoever. Don’t let me interrupt you. I’ve just got a Box to find.”
Eden waved him off. “Oh, help yourself. I told you already it’s not in here.”
Jeff looked past Myles and saw Zyus standing in the hallway, leaning against the opposite wall. Myles asked him, “Zyus, are you sure you don’t want to help me look?”
Zyus waved no with his hands. “I’m not going in there.”
Eden joined Myles in searching the room. “I’m not going to let you find it without me!”
Virginia whispered to Jeff, “What should we do?”
Jeff replied, “One of us needs to warn Juniper about George Henry.”
“And the other?”
“Watch what happens here.”
“Have fun then.” Virginia left the room.
Within a few minutes, Myles had discovered his first clue. He stood in the bathroom, swinging the door back and forth. “This door clicks.”
“I know,” said Eden. “There’s something wrong with it. The door to this room does it too.”
“Does anything else in this room click?”
“Not that I’ve noticed.”
“It’s a combination lock!” Myles declared. He stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door. He inched it open again, counting each click he heard until the door could open no further. “Twenty-five clicks.”
Eden darted to the bedroom door and did the same. “Twenty-five clicks here too!”
“Great!” said Myles. “Now we just need to figure out a two-number combination – no higher than 25 each – that would mean something to Blair. Any ideas? Her birthday?”
“May 31st,” replied Eden. “That won’t work. Her brother’s birthday was August 2nd.”
“Let’s try that,” said Myles. “Move your door eight clicks, and I’ll move mine two.”
Jeff watched as they clicked their doors, but nothing happened.
Eden said, “You try eight, and I’ll do two.”
The result was the same. After several more attempts at guessing the combination, Myles muttered, “Think like Blair.” He mocked her voice as he continued, “I’m Blair Geister. I get everything I want. I’m god’s gift to construction and the environment and…”
“Earth Day!” Zyus yelled from the hall.
Myles widened his eyes. “Earth Day.”
“Maybe.” Eden looked to Zyus. “When is that?”
“April 22nd.”
“I’ll do four.” Eden closed her door and opened it four clicks.
Myles closed his door and counted as he clicked, “…Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two.”
The two steps leading from the bed area to the sunken seating area slid to the right, revealing a lockless safe like the one found behind the Hugo Hickory painting in the wine cellar.
Jeff bolted out of his chair and opened it before the others could see. Just like the other safe, something was inside, but it disappeared.
Myles and Eden crowded behind him to look in the safe.
“There’s nothing in it,” said Jeff. “It’s just an empty box.”
“What is it?” asked Zyus from the hall.
Myles replied, “It looks like a safe, but it’s empty!”
While Eden and Myles cursed Blair, Jeff headed for the door.
Zyus asked Jeff, “Is it like the one you found in the wine cellar? Is it a decoy?”
Jeff cringed, hoping Eden and Myles didn’t hear the question, but he didn’t look over his shoulder to see. “It’s just an empty box, Zyus. I’m sorry.” Jeff hurried away to tell Emory the good news.
Dr. Barry Sharp had just finished explaining the reason behind the rumor when Juniper entered the library carrying a box. “Emory, I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind taking pictures for us?”
“Not at all. What’s going on?”
Juniper placed the box on a chair and pulled two items from it. “Ms. Geister would always hold a little ceremony with grant recipients at the close of escrow to present them with a framed statement of the grant and an Earth sculpture made from blue quartz. I apologize for the lack of a public ceremony in this case, but coming on the heels of Ms. Geister’s death, I didn’t think it appropriate. Maybe in a couple of months we can have a more formal engagement.”
Dr. Sharp glanced at Emory before responding to Juniper. “I understand, but I think we should wait because it’s what Blair Geister wanted. Emory has informed me she was going to place a hold on the grant until she could investigate an unfounded rumor of inappropriateness with an unnamed intern. The allegation is utterly false, but you will need time to investigate it.”
Juniper placed the frame and crystal sculpture on the chair beside the box. “I appreciate your straightforwardness. I knew about the potential delay, but I wasn’t aware of the reason.” She paused for a moment. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Emory, can you investigate the allegation on behalf of the foundation?”
“Of course.”
“Very well. Dr. Sharp, until evidence proves otherwise, you’re innocent and we’ll not change course on the basis of a rumor. We’ll proceed as planned with the first installment. If the allegation is confirmed, we’ll cease funding and recoup the money spent. Do you agree?” Juniper extended her hand to him.
“Absolutely.” Dr. Sharp shook her hand. “Thank you!”
Juniper grinned at them both. “All right then. Let’s do this.”
Emory heard a faint clunk behind him. He turned around and looked to the direction of the sound, at the wall clock. Is that what I think it is?
Juniper regained his attention. “Emory.”
He faced them again and saw she was holding the frame and sculpture in a presentation pose. Emory pulled out his phone and snapped several pictures.
Once the ceremony ended, Juniper and Dr. Sharp left Emory alone in the library. He returned to the clock, changed the time to 8:02 and pushed the eight and two. The face slid open, revealing the safe. Emory turned the handle with his left hand and positioned his right hand to grab its contents. As soon as he opened the safe door, the Box disappeared out the bottom.
It was a longshot. At least now, if I’m right, it’s in the final location – either the theatre or the guest room. But which?
Jeff barged through the library door. “Emory! Myles Godfrey just found a safe in the guest room, and I saw something in it for a split-second.”
Emory clenched a fist in excitement. “That’s excellent! I found the one in here behind the wall clock, and just now it had something in it that disappeared too. That means there’s one location left.
They both said, “The theatre!”