Murder in Hum Harbour Page 11

  The church was around the corner from the clinic. I found Vi and Reverend Innes hunched over the church’s ancient computer, trying to solve the latest problem with its Sunday bulletin program. My arrival seemed to herald a much-appreciated break. Welcoming me warmly, the reverend announced he was heading out for his afternoon donut. Did Vi or I want anything? We both declined and Reverend Innes scooted out the door, nabbing his coat off the coat rack on his way by. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he’d been waiting for the first opportunity to escape.

  Vi and I exchanged greetings and the appropriate amount of small talk, mostly about Geoff Grant, before I got to the purpose of my visit.

  “You know how I hate gossip, Gailynn, but I think in this instance you were right to come to me. You’d never know what was true and what was simply gossip if you asked someone else.”

  I nodded dutifully.

  “Ross can be a very deceitful man, for all his charm.” Her far away smile lit her eyes. Perhaps she was remembering the days when Ross focused that charm on her. “A man doesn’t get far in business on charm alone, you know.”

  “So Ross is successful in business?”

  “To a point.” She leaned forward. “You’re a sweet innocent, Gailynn. Growing up in Hum Harbour, you’ve lived a sheltered life. You’ve never been exposed to the baser carnalities of the human experience, and I envy you for that.”

  I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d confronted baser carnalities since I had no idea what she was talking about. “What do you mean?”

  Vi’s round face flushed and she leaned closer still. “I don’t want Reverend Innes accusing me of corrupting his flock, but you must watch TV, Gailynn.”

  “Of course.”

  “Then you know what kind of perversions a man is capable of.”

  My imagination flew in a dozen different directions at once. “Can’t you be a little more specific, Vi? I don’t want to entertain the wrong kind of perversion.”

  “Well, you’ve seen Rickie. Need I say more?”

  I blinked. “Are you suggesting Ross is a pedophile?”

  Vi straightened in horror. “Gracious, no! How could you think such a thing? I have a child by that man. You can’t imagine I would knowingly co-habit with a—a pervert for heaven sake?”

  “Not for a moment. That’s why I’m asking, Vi.”

  She studied me, weighing the pros and cons of letting me guess ’til I got Ross’s sin right. Apparently, she concluded, I needed guidance. Left to my own innocence, I’d imagine horrors too terrible for even her to contemplate.

  “Ross is a compulsive gambler. All the Murray men are gamblers. I know they tell everyone Duncan Murray was chartered the land on Murray’s Mountain by King George way back in 1793, but the truth is Duncan won the charter in a game of chance.”

  “What’s that got to do with Ross?”

  “Ross lost it in a game of chance.”

  “I thought he sold it to that German conglomerate.”

  “Well, technically he did. But the only reason he sold the mill and the mountain was because Ross’s gambling had plunged him into excruciating debt.”

  “So Ross is broke.”

  “Worse than that.”

  “What could be worse?”

  “You know that bauble Rickie gave me to cover little Ross Junior’s summer camp?”

  Saying Rickie volunteered the necklace seemed a stretch, but I nodded.

  “It’s a fake.”

  Her eyes shone when I gasped. “I know. It’s terrible isn’t it? They’ve only been together three years and Ross is already lying to her and taking her for a ride. He was faithful to me for over a decade before he started his shenanigans.”

  I settled back in my chair. “How important is it to Ross that his finances stay secret?”

  “Are you asking if Ross would kill to keep them secret?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll tell me he wouldn’t do anything of the kind.”

  “Then I think you’ll have to leave the church disappointed, Gailynn.”

  “You think he would?”

  “All I can tell you is about the day I overheard Ross and Doc Campbell arguing. Ross was still married to Marjorie, and I was merely his secretary, or so everyone thought. I can’t say I’m proud of the way I behaved in those days, but God’s forgiven me. I know it’s all water under the bridge now.”

  “You overheard Ross and Doc.”

  “Ross’s father, Jack, had just passed away and Doc came by with a copy of the death certificate. Ross needed proof of death in order to transfer some contracts into his name. At the time it seemed urgent.”

  “What did they argue about?”

  “I’m not sure I should be telling you this, Gailynn. If Ross found out he could sue me for slander, or cut off his support payments for Ross Junior.”

  “I thought he wasn’t paying them, anyway.”

  “Of course he is. It’s just things like sailing camp and RJ’s annual Christmas trip to Disney World that he’s cut.”

  I held up my right hand, scout’s honor. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  Vi pursed her lips. “What’s the point of me telling you if you’re going to keep this a secret?”

  “I thought you wanted it kept secret?” I felt dizzy trying to keep up with her.

  “Go through Doc’s old files and look up Jack Murray’s cause of death. If it’s kosher then I haven’t said anything slanderous.”

  “You haven’t said anything, anyway.”

  “Well I’ve implied it. Ross is the father of my son and I won’t be accused of falsely charging him with anything heinous.”

  I tugged my ponytail. “Vi, I’d hoped you could be more helpful.”

  “You thought I would lay Ross’s secrets bare for the world to see?”

  I felt lost. “You do that every time you see him or Rickie, in the grocery store, the bank, the florists.”

  “That’s different, Gailynn.” She shook her head. “If I can make Ross squirm after the way he cast me aside and humiliated me, I will. But divulging his secrets?”

  I couldn’t see the difference. “I guess I have a lot to learn about relationships.”

  “You do. In the mean time, be careful. Ross won’t take kindly to you snooping. He’s a very private man.”

  Great, I thought as I exited the church’s side door. I already knew Ross was a private man, that’s why I went to Vi in the first place. I figured she’d blow the lid off that privacy. I suppose she’d given me a hint, a lead I could follow. It wouldn’t take long to check Jack Murray’s file.

  Andrew, Lori and Geoff were just leaving the clinic as I returned.

  “Where have you been?” Lori asked.

  “Running an errand.” Vi’s warning about slander kept my tongue in check.

  “We’ve saved the world, and we’re all heading in different directions. Andrew’s got to get back to the Station but he’s offered to drop me at the wharf.”

  “Want a ride?” Andrew, not Lori, made the invitation.

  “Thanks,” I said, “but I still have a couple of things to do in the office.” Lori rewarded me with a smile. I guess she’d forgiven me for hugging Geoff.

  Geoff smiled down at me, too. “Whatever needs doing can wait until tomorrow.”

  I felt torn. Despite my aching curiosity, wondering what Vi’d been hinting, I could hardly insist on staying after my boss basically ordered me to call it a day. Besides, with the way his eyes sparkled, I didn’t want to defy him. “I guess you’re right,” I said.

  I did a chin point towards Andrew and the police cruiser. “Lori, better not keep the man waiting.” It was the right suggestion because Lori hopped into the passenger seat without so much as a backwards glance. And I had Geoff Grant to myself.

  “Are you going downhill?” I asked him.

  “Indeed I am.” We fell into step, Geoff shortening his strides so I wouldn’t have to jog to keep up. “Your errand wasn’t clinic business, I take it?”


  “I needed to talk to Vi Murray. This morning Ross said something that bothered me and I wanted to find out what Vi might know about it.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He told me I should be afraid of people who are afraid of the truth, which I took to mean him. I thought Vi might tell me what truth Ross was afraid of.”

  “I don’t like you running off by yourself like that. You’re ruffling feathers, Gailynn. One of these times someone is going to bite back.”

  “Mixed metaphors,” I chided.

  “Not if it’s a peacock.”

  “Do they bite?”

  He took my elbow, steering me away from the middle of the street. “You’re changing the subject.”

  “Is there a subject?”

  “What did Vi tell you?”

  I stuffed my hands deeper into my jacket pockets. “To check Jack Murray’s death certificate. It may or may not indicate something suspicious, but that’s actually what I wanted to stay back and do.”

  We reached Main Street and cut across traffic—two pickups and a minivan—and stopped to check out the latest rototillers in Hum Harbour Hardware’s front window. Since neither of us needed a rototiller, we turned our attention to Mike Johnson and his brand new hybrid 4X4 truck idling beside the curb.

  Vehicles are no more a priority for me than rototillers. While Geoff admired the engine’s muted roar I took stock of the odd assortment of things Mike was piling into its flatbed: a duct-taped blue cooler, a pad-locked toolbox, a folded orange tarp, two shovels and a pickaxe. Curious, I thought as he headed inside the store for more.

  “Do you want to go back to the clinic and check that file?” Geoff asked me.

  Two minutes ago, I might have been inclined to say yes, but Mike’s peculiar collection had my thoughts running in another direction. I mean, what did a cooler, toolbox, tarp, and digging implements have in common? The latest rerun of CSI flashed through my mind.

  “Jack’s file will still be there tomorrow,” I said. “Do you have your car keys on you?”

  He checked his pockets. “Yep. Got someplace in mind?”

  “You did say you want to help me combat evil, right?”

  He looked instantly suspicious. “Gailynn, what are you planning?”

  “I’ll wait here while you get your car,” I said, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice. “I’ll tell you then.”

  “Gailynn.” He sounded stern.

  “Hurry or we’ll miss our chance.”

  I guess his curiosity won because he jogged away and two minutes later was back in his ten year old gray Corolla. And just in time, too, because as Geoff pulled in behind Mike’s truck, Mike hurried out of the hardware store carrying a large camera case, jumped into his truck, and zoomed off.

  I climbed in beside Geoff. “Follow that truck!”

  Well, how could I resist?

  19

  Geoff stared at me slack jawed. “What?”

  “Hurry or we’ll lose him. I’ll explain as you drive.”

  He threw the car into gear and the pursuit was on.

  “Not too close. We don’t want Mike to know we’re following him.”

  “I hope you have a good reason for doing this.”

  I did. “You’ve been talking about the way the men disappear for days at a time.”

  Geoff pulled out onto the highway, careful to let two cars fill the gap between us and Mike. “So we’re following Mike to find out where he goes?”

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “What if he’s just going for groceries?”

  A rusted pickup pulled past us on the curve and I grabbed the dash. “Mike never gets groceries.”

  “Then where do you think he’s headed?”

  “I have no idea.”

  We drove for a bit, surprisingly content with each other’s company. The scenery along that side of the cape always took my breath away and I stared out the window watching a small sailboat skimming the white tipped waves about a mile off shore.

  We passed Cape George Lighthouse. “What else did Ross Murray tell you this morning?” Geoff asked.

  “It wasn’t so much tell, as accuse. He knew I’d invited Rickie over last night.”

  “I remember.” Glancing sideways at me, he grinned. “You needn’t worry. She’s not my type.”

  I didn’t care who Geoff Grant found attractive and I didn’t want him to think I did. Even though I did. I stared out the window, piqued.

  “You invited Rickie over,” he prompted.

  “She wanted to get a vase for the flowers she ordered for Doc’s funeral.”

  “Aren’t your vases a little pricey?”

  “For some people, that’s part of their appeal. Anyway, she was so glad to talk with someone her own age and she let slip a few things Ross didn’t want spread abroad.”

  “Such as?”

  “Apparently Ross is strapped for cash.”

  “Ross Murray? You must have misunderstood.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. Then this morning Ross went up one side of me and down the other, accusing me of befriending Rickie under false pretenses. He said I was nice to her just so I could find out about his finances. Can you believe it?”

  “I’m guessing from your display of righteous indignation he was right?”

  I sighed. “Maybe. But in my own defense, by the time Rickie went home my friendship was sincere.”

  “I’m proud of you,” he said. “I don’t think your old friend Lori would reconsider any action she ever started.”

  True enough. Even when things backfired, Lori stubbornly stuck to her guns. There was that time back in high school when she bought one of Mimi’s cookbooks after Andrew ranted about Mimi’s desserts. She baked Mimi’s famous walnut brownies, hoping to win Andrew’s heart. Unfortunately for Lori, Andrew hates walnuts so he gave the brownies to Geoff. And when Geoff invited Lori to Spring Prom, Lori blamed Mimi for the mix up. She said Mimi knew the brownies were for Andrew, she should have warned Lori that Andrew hated walnuts. She caused such a fuss Mimi refunded Lori the cost of the cookbook plus five dollars for damages.

  Maybe Lori’s current dislike of Geoff stemmed back to that incident. She was worried he’d somehow come between her and Andrew again. Or maybe that he was coming between her and me?

  Both possibilities unsettled me. I studied Geoff’s profile and my stomach somersaulted.

  “It was Ross’s over-reaction that got me wondering if he was hiding something. I went to see Vi because I figured she would know.”

  Geoff slowed as another car passed us. “Sounds reasonable.”

  “But all she told me was to check his father’s death certificate. Apparently Ross and Doc had a row about it.”

  “Nothing else?”

  “That Ross sold Murray Enterprises to cover gambling debts.”

  “Interesting.”

  “And he buys Rickie fake jewelry.”

  Mike took the gravel turn-off at Georgeville, heading up the mountain. Geoff shifted gears. As his little car chugged up the grade, Mike disappeared around a turn. “I think this can officially be called a wild goose chase,” he said, although he didn’t sound particularly distressed. “We need a plan here, Gailynn.”

  “What do you suggest we do?”

  “Have you got a camera? We could take pictures if Mike does anything suspicious.”

  Since I had none I said, “What else?”

  “Perhaps we should have thought this through before we started.”

  “There wasn’t time. It was move now or be too late.”

  Geoff drove silently. We followed the road up and down and around each twisting corner. Every now and then, we caught a glimpse of Mike’s truck. Greening forest pressed in on both sides and we crossed a rapid flowing brook before we were looping back onto pavement.

  “This is getting boring,” I said.

  “I don’t know.” He smiled at me. When I didn’t smile back he continued in a cautionary tone. “It’s be
tter than dangerous. I’ve seen what cornered men are capable of and believe me, Gailynn, we don’t want to push Mike until he feels forced to protect his secret.”

  “He’s stopping!”

  Geoff slammed on the brakes.

  “Not here, around the next corner. If we pull over here, he’ll see us. You can act like we have a flat.”

  I slid low in my seat as we zipped by him. Less than five minutes later Mike whizzed by us. Geoff tossed the car jack in the trunk and we resumed the chase.

  “What did you see in Africa that makes you so concerned about cornered men?”

  “War.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Isn’t that enough?”

  “I thought there might be more.”

  The road plummeted sharply and he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “I’m not sure I’m ready to tell you.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “It takes time to establish that kind of trust, Gailynn. I’m not there yet.” He braked. “But I’m working at it.”

  After a few more miles Mike pulled into Arisaig Provincial Park. The ‘Closed for the Season’ sign still barred the roadway so he parked beside the gate.

  We stopped within sight of the Park entrance and watched Mike climb out of his truck. Camera case over his shoulder, shovel in hand, he disappeared up the path. Once Mike was out of sight, we coasted downhill and parked along the highway’s shoulder.

  “Let’s go,” I said, hopping out of the car. I was across the road and heading into the provincial park before Geoff caught up with me.

  He grabbed my hand.

  It was exciting, skulking through the pine woods, silent as the wind, which was actually noisy enough to cover our footsteps.

  Mike carried something in his hand and he’d stop every now and then to consult it. Eventually he found what he was looking for.

  Geoff dragged me deeper into the trees and we watched Mike plunge his shovel into the earth.

  He dug a shallow hole and lifted out a metal box with reverent care. We couldn’t see through his back and waited an eternity before he finally replaced the box in the ground.

  By that point, I had to go to the bathroom so badly I thought I would explode. There were outhouses near the park entrance and I made a beeline for them as soon as I heard Mike start his truck engine.