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“Well, Jake, if you’re not going to read the diary, I will.” We had taken the hope chest back to the house, so we could get a better look at its contents. Bonnie’s face had a huge smile when I removed a box of old pictures and a girl’s diary. I’d assumed the diary had been owned by a girl because of its pink cover, but I didn’t mention it to Bonnie for fear she’d call me a chauvinist. I’d also removed a dried-up mouse from the bottom that must have fallen in when the owner was rearranging things. Evidently, she hadn’t seen him sneak in—then again, maybe she had—and shut the lid on him out of fright. Either way, it was a death sentence for the rodent.
“This diary is twenty years old, Bon. I don’t see how reading it will help find Crammer’s killer.”
She grabbed the diary from my hand and put it in her lap where it would be safe for the time being. “I thought you said it was the nosey neighbor because it had to be someone who knew about old tractors and Polaroids.”
Her misunderstanding of my earlier explanation brought a smile to my face. “Polarity, Bon. Polaroids are something else altogether.”
“Whatever, smarty, but aren’t you forgetting Margot? She’s not paying you to solve another murder.”
“I promised Kelly I’d get to the bottom of the murders, Bon. I can’t break that promise.”
She picked up the diary and tried to open it. “You also promised Margot to fix the farm,” she said while trying to force the lock on the diary.
“Do you want Kelly to hang for a murder she didn’t commit?”
Bonnie frowned. “They don’t hang people anymore. Not even in Missouri. Besides, how do you know she didn’t do it? Didn’t ballistics prove it was her gun?”
“Yes. It’s why Bennett arrested her. I know all the evidence points to her. I think I’m the only one who believes she didn’t do it. How about I work on the roof while I try to figure this out? I’m sure Margot will be happy to hear Fred found her husband’s great-grandfather’s flag. Maybe that’ll give me the time I need.”
Bonnie shook her head, not up and down in concurrence, but slowly from side to side the way one does when they don’t agree. “No sense in arguing with a man in love. I’ll tell Margot you’re working on the roof, but you better get to the bottom of it soon, or Jon will be here before you know it.”
I reached for the diary and snapped open the lock before handing it back. “Thanks, Bon. If you don’t mind reading it to see who wrote it and why it’s here, I can get back to my surveillance of Amanda and her ex. The more eyes we have on this, the sooner I can prove Kelly’s innocent and get back to working on the roof.”
She put the diary back in her lap and smiled. “On one condition, Jake.”
“Oh?”
“Buy me lunch first. Someone at church said there’s a great barbecue joint in town.”
***
BONNIE’S CHURCH FRIEND must have been talking about another town. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and Bonnie chose the special of the day, the beef brisket. I think it must have been last week’s special because she started to get sick before we were halfway home. Fred didn’t seem to mind my sandwich, but there was no way I wanted to see dog poop all over the house, so Bonnie’s leftovers went into the trash. Fortunately, Bonnie was better house-trained and knew how to use the toilet.
Even without Bonnie’s diarrhea and my lingering cold, loading the roof was out of the question; I needed to see Kelly. I made up an excuse that the half-inch of snow we had on Sunday hadn’t melted because the sun didn’t shine on the north side of the roof. I told Bonnie I had no intention of trying the roof as a ski jump, and it could wait until tomorrow.
***
SHERIFF BENNETT MADE an exception to his visiting hours and let me see Kelly. I was led to a room and told to wait after being searched for weapons. I’d seen movies where prisoners and their guests were separated by glass and had to talk over an intercom, so it surprised me when they led me into what must be their interrogation room. Kelly was brought in a few minutes later by a female deputy I vaguely recognized. She waited until her handcuffs were removed, and then came over to me and gave me a huge hug.
“Thank you for seeing me, Jake,” she said after she released me. She was still beautiful, despite the lack of makeup and unwashed hair.
I followed her lead and sat opposite her at the small table after the deputy left us. “Bennett tells me your gun tested positive. We both know you didn’t do it, so like it or not, it looks like Amanda’s setting you up. Do you have any idea why she would do that?”
She shook her head slowly back and forth. “She must be protecting her ex. I know she still loves him and was hoping they could get back together, but I didn’t think she’d let me hang to save his sorry ass.”
I held back the urge to repeat what Bonnie had said about hanging. “Is this room wired, Kell?”
She stared at me like I’d been the one who just swore, then wet her lips, and leaned in closer. “You know something that can help me, Jake?”
“Maybe, but it’s between you and me.”
“Shoot. We use a tape recorder when we interrogate suspects, so whatever you say is between us.”
I proceeded to tell her about the spyware I’d found and how I planned to use it on Amanda and her ex. Then I brought her up to date about the connection between Fitzgerald, Benson, and Anderson. I finished with how the kid from the antique store had told me Amanda bought the sword.
“Are you sure, Jake,” she asked once I rested my jaws.
“He sold it to that cougar on TV. Those were his exact words.”
She leaned back and seemed to be digesting everything I’d said. “Are you sure he wasn’t talking about the reporter, Carla Kennedy?”
“Positive. Carla had no reason to buy the sword, and I wouldn’t exactly call her a cougar. Of course, Amanda had no reason to buy it either. If she’d been having an affair with Fitzgerald, wouldn’t he have just given it to her?”
“They weren’t the only women on that broadcast, Jake. I like to think teenage boys still think of me as a cougar.”
I felt my own eyes enlarge. “You were on the broadcast?”
She chuckled. “Yes. Robin and I were there as well. Didn’t you notice me?”
“I must have been too focused on Crammer. I thought he’d shot at me and Fred the night before, but you already know that.” I paused for a second to think of anything I’d missed. My time must be running out. “Oh, I forgot to tell you what Fred found in the barn today.”
Bennett stuck his head into the room before I could say more. He avoided looking at Kelly and addressed me. “Five more minutes, Jake.”
He gave Kelly a pained look as he closed the door.
Kelly stared at the door for a few moments before asking me to tell her about Fred’s barn find.
“It’s a hope chest. I doubt if it belonged to Amanda. She had one in the attic and took it with her after she sold the house. Bonnie’s going through it as we speak.”
Her face lit up. It was only a spark, but it was enough to wash away her depression for a few seconds. “I’d all but forgotten about that. I put a bunch of stuff in Amanda’s barn a couple years ago after my mother died and I’d cleaned out her house. I haven’t seen it since.”
I nearly fell over as I pushed back on my chair “It’s your chest, Kell?”
“Uh-huh. Why, did you read my diary?”
“No, I didn’t read it.” I didn’t mention Bonnie was probably reading it at that very moment. “But we found a flag that I’m pretty sure came from Captain Scott’s grave. We also found a dead mouse who couldn’t be more than a few weeks old.”
She let out a small sigh. “Then Amanda’s been in there. I haven’t seen that chest since I stored it.”
Her remark caught me off guard and I jerked my head back. “Amanda? Why not her father or the nosy neighbor?”
She reached out and took both my hands in hers. “Was it locked when you found it?”
“Yes, but I didn’t let that stop me from opening it. Don’t worry—I didn’t break it.”
“Then it had to have been her. She’s the only one who knows the key was taped under the chest. It was locked, Jake.”
I started to tell her that I never saw a key when I moved the chest into the house, but Bennett returned all too soon and terminated my visit before I could ask her any more questions. He didn’t even give me a chance to hug her before making me leave.
“I wonder if I could ask a favor, Sheriff,” I said after we left the interrogation room and he was unlocking the door to the lobby.
Bennett shifted his weight from his left foot to his right and crossed his arms. “The last time you asked that we had three murders. Come to think of it, we haven’t had a murder since...since until now.”
I tried to smile, but it came off more as a smirk. “It’s not for me, Sheriff. It’s for Kelly.”
He uncrossed his arms and rubbed imaginary stubble on his chin. “What do you need, Jake?”
“Can you give me a copy of the ballistics report?”
“Why do you want that? I hope you’re not meddling in my case again.”
I cleared my throat and spoke with the most convincing voice I could muster. “Just trying to help, Sheriff. We both know Kelly didn’t murder Grace Wilson, and I need to see all the evidence against her if I’m going to help her. If you want to call that meddling, so be it, but you should look at it as a free consultation. After all, I do have more experience solving murders than all of your deputies put together.”
Bennett looked at me like I’d just used a four-letter word, then his expression softened. “I’ll email you a copy, and don’t think for one minute this gives you a license to stick your nose where it’s not wanted. I’m only doing it for Kelly.”
I wanted to thank him by shaking his hand, but I’d been scratching a rash lately. If I’d picked up poison ivy from my adventures on the farm, the last thing I needed was to give it to the sheriff.
***
FRED WAS STILL UP AND happy to see me when I got back to the farm. I wanted to tell Bonnie about my meeting with Kelly, but she and Tigger were upstairs in her bedroom. I didn’t want to disturb her for fear she was sleeping. It was too early for me to hit the sack and I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I did. I was halfway through making a pot of coffee when I remembered I hadn’t eaten.
“Want to visit your favorite restaurant, Freddie?” The old farm didn’t have Internet, and I wanted to see if Bennett had sent the email. I could have used my smartphone, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be, and reading a detailed report on the small screen was out of the question.
Fred barked and wagged his tail. When realization set in, his whole body started wagging. Maybe I imagined that part. Like most parents who tend to think their children are exceptional, I tend to think Fred understands me.
***
THE RESTAURANT WAS quiet and nearly empty, so I found a seat against the wall, making sure no one could see what I was doing. I had promised Fred I’d get him a couple of plain hamburgers before going inside. Most dogs would have been fine with the cool evening temperature in the low sixties, but most dogs didn’t have down under their fur, so I left the windows half-open.
There was no email from Bennett yet, so I started scrolling through some of the news stories displayed on my home page. It made me feel sorry for people who believed some of them. Most of the fake news was political, but I had to laugh when one of the stories showed pictures of a six-hundred-pound man who had lost four hundred pounds. I might have bought it, but by the looks of the before and after pictures, he’d also lost twenty years and had a hair transplant. Others, like the two-headed cow epidemic, were simply disgusting. I was about ready to sign out when I saw an article on the record sale of a Confederate battle flag. General J.E.B Stuart’s personal battle flag had sold for $956,000, back in 2007.
I clicked on the article and it brought up a picture of the flag. I couldn’t believe it—Stuart’s flag was in worse shape than the one we’d found in Kelly’s hope chest. If hers was worth half as much, it could be a huge motive for murder.