I took Cheryl with me to the police station in Edinburgh and left her with one of Elliot’s men. I told her to tell the truth, but to be very specific about the drink Jenny was given by Lila Ross. The police would have all the information they needed. I could only hope that they could make the charges stick.
Michaelson was still at the station, adding his bit to the ongoing drug investigation, and I finally had the chance to meet Harry Elliot in person. He was a short, stocky bulldog of a man. Efficient, no-nonsense, and no fan of mine. Still, I was dying to know about Colin, so I asked.
“Colin Templeton was picked up at the airport in Glasgow attempting to leave the country,” Elliot said. “He’s not said a word, just asked for a solicitor.”
“Not Urquhart, I presume?”
“No. Richard Urquhart has been brought in for questioning as well. He and Templeton will both be in need of a good brief. Templeton particularly.”
“Has Urquhart said anything?”
Elliot stood as tall as he could manage. “The investigation is ongoing. I couldn’t possibly comment.”
“He must have known what was going on,” I began.
“It’s too soon to speculate, Ms. Logan.” Elliot excused himself and left me alone with Michaelson. I’d clearly been dismissed.
Michaelson steered me down the corridor toward the front door.
“What’s with the bum’s rush?” I demanded. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“Elliot’s already less than pleased about your involvement in this case. He got chewed out by his boss and he blames me. Last thing I need is to be seen talking to you around here.”
“Fine. Then escort me off the premises and into the nearest coffee shop.”
Michaelson pulled out a cigarette as soon as we cleared the front steps. “No.”
“Then walk with me. Just while you finish your smoke. Come on,” I wheedled. “You don’t have to tell me anything you can’t.”
“I won’t tell you anything I can’t.”
“Fine, just tell me this: Does Elliot still think Amanda was involved in any way?”
Michaelson set off down the sidewalk at a good clip, taking the time to compose his response before answering in a low voice. “She and Greer both deny any knowledge of Colin’s drug operation. Fortunately, with the evidence from the lab on the Templeton property and testimony from some of the restaurants he was using as distributors, we should have a solid case.”
“A case for drug dealing, I’m sure, but what about kidnapping. Has Sheila been able to tell you anything?”
“She insisted on talking to Elliot as soon as she could speak. Said she thought she heard a noise in the night and went to the kitchen to see if the dishwasher was flooding again. Once she was in the kitchen, she realized the noise was coming from the basement and went down to check it out. She found Colin clearing out the rest of his plastic bins. She asked him why he was there in the middle of the night and his response was to pick up one of the wooden crates and smash her in the side of the head with it. When she woke up, she was bound and gagged, just as you found her.”
“Poor thing. Has Colin admitted to sending the ransom demand?”
“So far he refuses to say anything, but we suspect the amount of police around the shelter after Jenny’s death was making him very nervous. Not surprising with all those crates of his drugs sitting in the basement. He began quietly clearing out all the storage bins in the cellar, and that’s when Sheila surprised him and he took her away. Now Colin’s trying to rely on his alibi that he was with Amanda all that night, but Elliot’s piecing things together. Amanda’s admitted to the police that she always sleeps heavily when she’s at Colin’s. Much more than usual. Elliot thinks Colin may have been routinely giving Amanda something to make her sleep, setting her up as a solid alibi on the nights he slipped out to do business.”
“Wouldn’t doubt it,” I said. “He must have been furious when Amanda kept on at the police about Sheila’s disappearance.”
“It would certainly have been inconvenient. Of course, Amanda told him right away about the ransom note, and she says Colin began to press her to back away from the police. He even encouraged her to tell them she’d heard from Sheila and everything was fine. We suspect he was trying to buy himself a few extra days to figure out what to do with Sheila, not to mention the added bonus of making off with twenty thousand pounds of your money.”
“Did Urquhart know that Colin had kidnapped Sheila?”
“He vehemently denies any knowledge of the kidnapping, but we’ve found evidence that he was storing Colin’s drug shipments in his warehouse in Leith. He was well aware of the real nature of Colin’s business. Duncan Ross is now giving out like a slot machine, hoping to distance himself from his wife and his fellow board members. He’s willing to testify that Urquhart was trying to force him to create a second set of books for Templeton Farms to help launder the money from the drug sales. They were arguing about it the night Sheila was taken.”
“Did Ross confess to helping Urquhart drug and blackmail Burley?”
“His lawyer won’t let him say much about that. I’m sure they’ll try to use his testimony to help him avoid jail on the assault charges.”
“And Lila Ross?”
“Jury’s out on that one. Unless someone can testify that they saw her put the drugs in the drink she gave Jenny, we may never be able to prove it. But Elliott will keep trying.”
Four days had passed since the fire in the shed and the weather had finally turned, for the moment at least. An early morning mist had given way to glorious sun, although the air was still cool, but it was a good sign for Fiona and Reverend Craig’s wedding tomorrow. All the village was in a flurry making final preparations.
Those four days had been an adventure for Grant and me as well. Brenna packed up and left for Wales as soon as she returned Grant to the Larches. I know he regretted causing her pain, but his step was freer and his smile was brighter the moment she left. Louisa insisted that I come to stay at the big house as soon as Brenna was gone. She claimed it made it easier for her to look after us all, and besides, she argued, Liam needed to be with both Nora and me.
I could’ve argued, but I didn’t. Louisa’s food was the best medicine there was and it placed Grant and me in close proximity day and night. I thought we were being subtle, but happiness is hard to hide. By day two Louisa showed up at Grant’s bedroom door with a breakfast tray set for two and a grin that would have done the Cheshire cat proud.
But today we were returning to our usual domestic arrangements. Sheila was being released from the hospital and Grant had invited her to come and recuperate at the Larches along with Nora. Amanda was coming to stay with me at the Haven for the wedding weekend. She was licking her wounds after the sudden implosion of her relationship with Colin and struggling to deal with the scale of his betrayal. Trish had tasked the two of us with making cutlery bundles, and we sat at the kitchen table at the Haven wrapping a knife, a fork, and a spoon in a pink napkin and tying it with white curling ribbon. Amanda was doing a better job than I was. Mine somehow looked stiff and sloppy. Hers were elegant and neat.
“Thanks for having me to stay,” Amanda said, using the back side of her scissors to make an elaborate tendril of ribbon. “I just feel like such a fool for not seeing what Colin was up to.”
I gave what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “Love makes fools of us all, they say.”
“He kept me from talking to Greer about our relationship by saying she was insanely jealous. If the two of us had talked sooner, I’m sure we’d have figured out something was wrong much more quickly.”
“Colin was clever at playing the people in his life off against one another,” I pointed out.
“All that time I thought he was interested in me. Coming to the shelter to see me. Supporting me when I refused to call the cops, and encouraging me to tell them we’d heard from Sheila. He was playing me, using me as an alibi, and pumping me for information.”
I didn’t say so aloud, but Amanda was right. As soon as I told Amanda that the cops had been brought in and were looking for the kid who picked up the money, he was found dead. The weight of that mistake still hung over me like a shroud. Amanda’s information had kept Colin one step ahead of us all the time.
“Have you heard from Greer?” I asked.
“She sent me a note and said she wanted to talk but wasn’t ready just yet. So much to process and so much going on, but it seems that she’s planning to continue running the farm on her own. I hope she can make a go of it.”
“And how are things at the Rest?”
“Well, one bit of good to come from all of this, the folks at Manorcare aren’t anxious to take over our property now that it has been a crime scene, so they’ve backed out of the deal with Urquhart. Cheryl and Karen have been assigned a legal aid attorney to help them answer questions about the incidents surrounding Jenny’s death.”
“I heard Duncan Ross was out on bail, and Lila Ross has been taken in for questioning. I’m sure he and Lila will hire the best lawyers money can buy. Some slick git who’ll get them both off.”
“And in the end no one will be held accountable for Jenny’s death,” Amanda lamented.
“Not unless Lila confesses,” I replied sadly. “Without a witness or a confession, it’ll be damn near impossible to prove she tampered with the drink or that she intended to kill Jenny.” I might have saved Sheila, but I’d failed at holding the Rosses accountable for their foul behavior.
“The police have convinced Cheryl and Karen and some of the other girls to file charges against Duncan Ross for assault,” Amanda said. “In the meantime, he’s resigned from the board and I’ve asked Reverend Craig to take his place.”
“What about Urquhart?
“He’s also resigned from the board, and his business is being run by one of his associates for the time being. At least it means I don’t have to move everyone out of the Rest at the moment, but it may only be a short reprieve.”
Amanda’s pile of perfectly tied cutlery continued to grow. “If we could just find a way to get the housing issue settled permanently,” she said wistfully.
I smiled. “I might be able to work something out on that front.”
“I can’t ask any more favors of you. You’ve already done way too much for us,” Amanda insisted.
“We’ll see,” I answered. I wasn’t ready to say anything yet, but I’d instructed my solicitor to make a bid to purchase the building that housed the Shepherd’s Rest outright. Somehow I had a feeling that Richard Urquhart would be happy to get out from under the Templeton Trust and all connected with it, even if it meant taking a loss on the sale.
Amanda sighed again. “I’ll be so glad to have Sheila back with us. She’s definitely feeling stronger. Already lecturing me about not blaming myself for what happened with Colin. Telling me it was an abusive relationship.”
“It was. You know more than most that not all abuse is physical. He took advantage of you and now he’s left you questioning yourself. It’s not your fault any more than it’s the fault of your residents when they get abused by the men in their lives. Make use of this experience as a way to connect with the women you serve and then move on. You are a wonderful woman. Find someone who will appreciate you for you.”