Chapter 25

“Wow, I didn’t see that coming,” Liz said to Rory over the phone later that day. “I sure thought Simon’s accident and his brother’s murder had something to do with the surfing crowd. I wonder what that threatening letter he got was about then.”

“Could be anything. Maybe someone didn’t like his business practices.” Rory sat at her desk and stared out the window at Seagull Lane while she thought about what they’d learned. “Now I’m wondering if my dad’s accident isn’t related to the murders either.”

“How’s he doing?”

“The same. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”

“I’ll let you get back to work. Do you want to go see the photo essays tomorrow afternoon? The school’s displaying all of them in the community center. We can check out the photos Chellaigne took of the caroling group.”

“Sure. Come by about one. I’ll take a break from work then.”

Rory hung up and went back to her programming tasks. An hour later, she received a call from her neighbor.

“There’s someone you need to talk to,” Mrs. Maldonado’s voice said over the phone line.

Rory sat up straighter in her desk chair. “Who is it?”

“His name’s Glen, used to live on the block in the seventies and eighties. He just got back from a Caribbean cruise with his family. I think he might have some useful information.”

Rory reached for a sheet of paper and pen. “Give me his number and I’ll give him a call.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t clear. He’s at my house now. Come down and talk to him.”

“I’ll be right there.” Rory grabbed her keys and walked the short distance to the woman’s house at the end of the block.

Excited barks greeted her when she rang the bell. From the other side of the door, Rory heard a faint “Hush, Mitzi”. Moments later, the door opened and Mrs. Maldonado ushered her inside.

In the living room, Rory found an older man sitting in an armchair, holding a cane. When he saw her he put one hand on his cane and one on the arm of the chair as if to stand. She quickly said, “Please, don’t get up. I’m Rory. I live down the block.”

He settled back in the chair and nodded. “Glen.”

After checking to see if anyone needed anything, Mrs. Maldonado sat down on a nearby couch.

Rory sat down in a chair next to the man. “I understand you lived on the block years ago, about the time my dad lived here. You might remember him. Swan Anderson.”

“Ah, Swan. Nice boy. You’re his daughter?”

Rory nodded. “Mrs. Maldonado tells me you knew the Zeppelins and that you might be able to help me with some questions.”

Glen inclined his head. “Early sixties through the eighties. That’s when I lived in this area. Neil and I were good friends. We both liked to build things in our spare time. Learned a lot from each other. Helped each other out when we could. I helped him with that workshop of his.”

Rory’s ears perked up. “When was this?”

“Late seventies, maybe early eighties. He had a temporary structure, but he wanted to build something more permanent. I gave him some advice. I’d built my own workshop not long before. Knew all of the dos and don’ts. It’s gone now, of course. So is the house I lived in. Replaced by some monstrosity.” He shook his head. “I liked this town much better before all this construction. It’s a shame to tear down perfectly good houses. Don’t know why people need so much space.”

“I thought the area where Mr. Zeppelin had his workshop was empty.”

“No, he had one of those pre-built aluminum sheds you can get. Guess it no longer fit his needs. He was really into woodworking. Always cutting wood for Loretta’s little projects. Boy, can that woman paint. She gave us some beautiful Christmas decorations over the years. The wife still has all of them.”

“Did you help him with the actual building?” Rory asked.

“Some of it. He’d already removed the old shed and poured the concrete for the floor before I got there.”

Disappointment washed over Rory. “So you didn’t notice anything unusual in the dirt?”

“Like a skeleton? If I had, believe me, I would have reported it to the police. Heard about Ricky after I got back from my cruise. He was a fun kid. Not really into working, though, if you know what I mean. Simon, he was the reliable one. I always thought he was a little jealous of Ricky, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Neil had Simon working in the store from the time he was twelve or thirteen. Expected him to take over the family business one day, being the oldest son and all. Didn’t matter what Simon wanted. But Ricky, he could do whatever he felt like. Got away with all kinds of things. Neil was even paying for Ricky’s trip around the world. Simon wanted to go with, but Neil put his foot down. Told him he was needed at the store. Simon quieted down after Ricky left. Matured. He’s really made a success of the business.”

“Yes, he has.” Rory stood up. “Thanks for talking to me and for the insight into the family.”

“You’re welcome. It’s not every day that a pretty girl wants to hear what I have to say, especially one that actually listens.”

Mrs. Maldonado walked Rory to the door. “Do you think that’ll help?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“Maybe. He’s certainly given me a lot to think about.”

While she walked back to her place, Rory went over in her mind everything Glen had told her.

  

Friday afternoon, Rory and Liz walked into the empty lobby of the Vista Beach community center and spotted a sign on an easel that read “Vista Beach Middle School Photo Essays Today” followed by an arrow that pointed down the hall. They followed the arrow and the sound of chattering voices into the large room serving as the temporary home for the middle school projects.

People milled around the eight-foot tables scattered around the room. On top of each table stood large pieces of cardboard bent at a ninety-degree angle. Pictures attached to the cardboard formed a photo essay on a topic selected by the student who stood nearby, waiting to answer any questions.

As soon as they stepped inside, Rory spotted Veronica taking a picture of one of the students with her project. She motioned for Liz to follow her and headed toward the reporter who, as soon as she saw them, leaned toward them and said, “You made it just in time.”

No sooner had the words come out of the woman’s mouth than a tall man in a long-sleeved shirt and neatly pressed trousers clapped his hands. “Can I have your attention, please.”

When the chatter died down and everyone was looking in his direction, he continued. “Thank you all for coming today. I’m proud of every single one of my students. They did a fabulous job of putting together photo essays of happenings around town during this holiday season. Some of you may even recognize yourself in the photos. Please, everyone, feel free to check them all out and ask any questions of the students. But, first, let’s give them all a big round of applause.”

Spirited applause and even a few whistles broke out. When the noise died down, Rory and Liz made their way around the room, stopping at each table to view the photos. Subjects included putting up decorations on houses, the annual tour of festively decorated homes put on by the local women’s group, the All School Holiday Concert Rory and Liz had both attended and even the paddle out ceremony for Ricky Zeppelin.

Rory paused in front of the essay on the carolers put together by Victoria’s daughter. She pointed to a photo of her and Liz. “That one turned out pretty good.”

“One of the better ones I’ve ever seen of us.” Liz turned to Chellaigne. “Is there any way we can get copies of this picture?”

The girl nodded. “Sure. Just give me your email address and I’ll send it to you.”

After she’d written down the information, Rory said, “You must have taken a lot more pictures than the ones displayed here.”

“Absolutely. Hundreds, really. Not all of them were good, of course, but it was still tough narrowing it down. My mom helped me decide which ones to put in.”

Rory’s gaze swept the room. “I suppose that’s true of everyone here.”

“I think so. Parents like to get involved.” Chellaigne rolled her eyes, indicating sometimes she thought the involvement was too much.

“You made some great choices,” Rory said before they headed to the next table. They were halfway around the room when they came across a photo essay on the sandman contest.

Liz pointed to a picture of Rory and her father putting together the sample sandman. “Did you know someone was taking pictures of you?”

“No, but everyone’s got cell phones these days. I’m not sure I would remember someone taking pictures with one. We were so focused on what we were doing, we wouldn’t have noticed anything anyway.”

After they finished looking at the rest of the photos, they returned to study the ones of Rory and her father more closely. Something nagged at her. She wanted to ask a question of the photographer, but the teen was nowhere to be seen. Rory’s gaze zeroed in on the name written at the top of the board. An idea stirred in her mind. She studied the photos for a few more minutes before motioning to Liz to follow her. They stepped through the back door and stood on the lawn far enough away from everyone they wouldn’t be overheard.

“What’s going on?” Liz said.

“I need to make a phone call to be sure, but I think I know who killed Ricky and probably Mindy too.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you everything after the call.” Rory stepped to one side and dialed a number. After a brief conversation, she had another piece of the puzzle. She returned to Liz’s side and told her who she thought had killed Ricky.

“But we have no real proof,” Liz said.

“I have an idea how we can get some.”