A Roux of Revenge (33 page)

“That’s enough,” Jack grumbled. “You’re scarin’ everybody half to death. You’re scaring me half to death too.”

Lucky was greatly relieved Remy didn’t continue to describe
in gruesome detail what could have happened. A shiver ran up her spine. Jack had had enough of violence in the war to last him several lifetimes. He still had a great deal of trouble at the sight of blood, and she didn’t want anything to bring back dreadful memories for him.

They had all agreed to gather at Jack’s house that evening. Lucky was glad of the suggestion. It was neutral ground
for both Miriam and Eamon. Jack had plenty of room for everyone plus a fireplace to keep them warm. Janie had been given a clean bill of health—no fractures, no dehydration, no concussion—and had been sent home with her mother. The doctor felt that under the circumstances there was no need to admit her. She had been drugged, but the dosage was wearing off as they reached the hospital. Once Janie was
back in Snowflake, she had no objection to returning to her mother and her own house. Remy had spent that day checking on the horses while Lucky headed back to her apartment for a hot shower and a long nap.

On the way to Jack’s house that evening, she had stopped at the Spoonful and picked up a large container of Sage’s pumpkin soup and enough supplies for sandwiches for everyone. Jack had
made three large bowls of popcorn and offered beers to everyone.

Lucky passed on the beer, but she consumed a giant sandwich of turkey meat and dried cranberries. She realized it was the first thing she had eaten all day.

“Won’t they miss you tonight at the Harvest Festival, Eamon?” Jack asked.

“They’ll be fine without me. They’re all good musicians. They can carry the show. Spending
some time with Janie is far more important to me.” He looked across the room at Miriam. “As long as her mother has no objection.”

Miriam smiled. “None at all, Eamon.”

“We have two more performances. One tomorrow afternoon and the last one tomorrow night. And then we’ll be on our way.”

“Well, I hope you return soon,” Jack said. “You’re welcome in Snowflake any time.”

“Thank you.”
Eamon nodded gravely. He turned to look at Janie. “As long as Janie’s willing to talk to me.”

Janie reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry I was so horrid.” She looked over at her mother. “And I’m so sorry I made you worry, Mom.”

Miriam took a deep breath. “If you ever do that again, I’ll . . .”

Jack reached over and placed a hand on Miriam’s shoulder. “Let’s not think about
that. She’s home now, safe and sound.”

Chapter 49

“I
STILL CAN’T
believe it,” Nate said. “Look at this.” He pushed the driver’s license used by Jim Devlin across the desk. He shook his head. “I got taken. I got taken real bad. And here’s
a picture of the real Joe Conrad.”

“There’s a definite resemblance,” Lucky said. “The same shaped face, gray hair, blue eyes. Nose is very similar.”

“I even called Union Fidelity and talked to one of his colleagues. The man knew Joe real well. In fact, Conrad had even trained him. He confirmed the story that Devlin gave us. Said Conrad was a guy who could never let go of a trail. It’d
be just like him to keep chasing an old case in his retirement.” Nate shook his head. “I even tested Devlin with the name of the guy at the insurance company, but he didn’t miss a beat. What a fool I’ve been.” He slammed his hand against the desk, making Lucky jump.

“So is this driver’s license a fake?” Jack asked.

“Yes and no. It’s a real driver’s license, but this is Devlin’s picture
on it. That’s how he managed to fool me,” Nate continued. “See, Jimmy Devlin got to know Conrad pretty well when Conrad was investigating the original robbery. It was really Conrad’s persistence that caused the detectives to keep looking at Devlin for the robbery. That’s when they went back and kept digging. Then, of course, Devlin took off when the police got too close to the truth. About a year
later . . . by the way, I did manage to contact the real Joe Conrad. He’s a widower, and he’s been on a cruise for a month with his kids and grandkids. Anyway . . . a year later after the robbery, Conrad was forced to retire. Had some trouble with his eyes, detached retina, something like that, so he didn’t drive anymore. Devlin carried a grudge against Conrad. He blamed Conrad for his troubles,
and Devlin’s a vengeful son of a gun. He had been keeping an eye on Conrad—from a distance. He thought about the resemblance and thought it might be useful to him. So he kept tabs on Conrad, watched the house now and then, and must have figured out Conrad wasn’t driving anymore.

“I got the story out of him. This is what happened. Devlin rented a post office box in a false name. He hired someone
to follow Conrad around and lift the poor guy’s wallet. Conrad cancelled the credit cards when he realized his wallet was missing but didn’t bother notifying the motor vehicle division, because he couldn’t drive anymore anyway. Conrad never thought his wallet was stolen because Devlin was smart enough not to use any of the credit cards. Conrad just thought the wallet was lost. He figured the
license was about to expire so no harm done.

“With the ID in hand, Devlin filled out a change of address card for Conrad’s home, changing it to the post office box. Then he applied for a lost driver’s license and gets a new picture taken. It’s now Devlin’s picture on Conrad’s license, and the new driver’s license gets mailed to the PO box. Conrad’s none the wiser.

“I’ve talked to Conrad
on the phone. He remembered a time when he stopped getting mail a few years ago, and he went to the post office to complain. When they looked into it, they just figured somebody mixed up an address.”

“Pretty smooth,” Jack remarked.

“I’ll say. And I feel pretty dumb. I’ve been leaning on Ernie White. Had him in here for questioning when I discovered he had been at the accident scene. He
swore up and down he had nothing to do with the accident. I didn’t believe him, but it turns out he was tellin’ the truth.” Nate shook his head. “Then when I saw the security tape from the impound lot, I was convinced Ernie was as guilty as sin. He was right there, in the lot, drinking beer with the guard the night the van was stolen. That clinched it for me.”

“I can understand that. I’d think
the same thing if I were in your shoes,” Lucky offered.

Nate sighed. “Turns out that guard had worked for Ernie before, and he was just trying to get him to fill Daniel’s spot at the pony corral.”

“Did Remy finally tell you about the woman from the band who was attacking Ernie?”

“Yeah, he did. The travelers didn’t know why Daniel hadn’t come back to them. At first they thought he had
been arrested, and then they started to suspect Ernie might have had something to do with it. They didn’t know what to think. Believe me, Ernie and his sidekick are no choirboys. Probably guilty of a lot of things, but this murder isn’t one of them. It’s a good lesson for me, though, not to let personal feelings get in the way. I never liked the guy, and I woulda been happy to nail him for this.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Nate. You did everything you reasonably could. If the Conrad family was away, or out of the country, what else could you have done?”

“I think Devlin got a kick out of using the old investigator’s name. He probably had other ones he’d used over the years, but this was a perfect cover for being in Snowflake and looking for the missing cash.”

“So he killed
the man you found in the van?” Jack asked.

“He claims he didn’t. Claims it was an accident. Devlin says he was trying to force the guy to tell him where the loot was, and the guy we found on the road jumped him. They struggled, and the gun went off by accident. Our guy was wounded, but he managed to get in the van to escape. Devlin might be tellin’ the truth. I think that’s why I found the
newer indentations on that old van. He was trying to force the guy off the road before he could escape and get help. Why would he want to kill him if he still didn’t know where the money was hidden? And he thought the money might have been hidden in the van. That’s why Devlin stole it from the impound. When there was nothing there, he got desperate and went after Janie. Anyway, that’s outta my hands.
Up to a judge and a jury to decide now. How they’re gonna do that without a body, I don’t know. But we’ve got him for the robbery and the kidnapping charge.”

Lucky hesitated. She shot a quick look at Jack. “His name is Taran MacDougal, and he’s Eamon’s twin brother. But Eamon had nothing to do with that robbery years ago.”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “Funny how he knew where to find that
money.”

“He didn’t really. His brother once told him if anything ever happened to him, Eamon should go to the Stones. It took us a good while to find that box. I believe him.”

“The theft of a human body is a criminal offense, but I have no way to prove it. I plan to go out there today and have a talk with our wandering friends.” Nate sighed. “I already know it’s a waste of time. They’re
not gonna tell me anything.”

“Probably not,” Lucky offered, stealing a glance at Jack.

“Anyway, the important thing is that the money or what’s left of it will go back to the insurance company, the statute hasn’t run out on the robbery—a couple of weeks to go. Unfortunately for Mr. Devlin. A judge’ll have to decide about the death of that man in the van. And most important, Janie’s home
with her mother, safe and sound, thanks to you.” Nate nodded in Lucky’s direction.

“And don’t forget Eamon. If he hadn’t jumped on that combine . . .” Lucky shuddered to think about it.

“And Eamon,” Nate agreed. “Devlin’s locked up in Bournmouth for now. The travelers will be on their way soon, and you and Jack are doing just fine.”

“It’s kinda funny, Nate.” Jack looked thoughtful.
“The case is solved and Conrad, the real Conrad, didn’t have to do a thing. It was Devlin himself who blew it wide open. If anyone else had found that money, anytime in the last seven years, they’d never even have known where it came from.”

“That’s a fact,” Nate said. “There’s one thing I’m curious about. If Devlin had a gun and you and Eamon MacDougal were tied up, how did you ever overpower
him?”

Lucky held her breath, hoping Jack wouldn’t slip and mention Daniel. Even if he did, there really was no harm done, but she respected Eamon’s wishes to keep Daniel away from the police.

Jack, a guileless look on his face, said, “It was Lucky. She knocked him out—sent him sprawling. She’s got a great right hook.”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “Well, I’m impressed. I never woulda thought
a little slip of a thing like you could do that.” He glanced at Lucky. “But I saw the blood all over his shirt,” Nate continued. “Now, I just need you two to sign your statements, and you can be on your way. I’m sure you’ll have to talk to the prosecuting lawyers some time down the pike, but for now you’re done.”

Chapter 50

L
UCKY AND
J
ACK
walked slowly down Broadway. The air was crisp, the sky a deep cerulean blue. Dried red and golden leaves crackled under their footsteps as they headed back to the Spoonful.

“I was wondering if you were gonna mention the land in Nova Scotia to Nate,” Jack whispered.

Lucky turned to him and grinned. “What land?” she asked, as she slipped her arm through Jack’s.

“That’s my girl.” He smiled back.

As they passed the Off Broadway ladies’ clothing shop, Lucky glanced in the window. Marjorie was pinning a rust-colored dress, a new arrival, on a mannequin.
She looked up and waved when she saw them.

“Jack.” She turned to him. “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a few minutes. I’d like to stop and chat with Cecily.”

“Good idea,” Jack agreed. “Might be a little bit of a bruised heart there.”

Lucky entered the shop and saw Cecily at the glass counter at the rear folding sweaters. “Hi, Cecily.”

“Hello there,” Cecily said. She made a wan
attempt at a smile.

Lucky approached and leaned over the glass.

“I’m so sorry, Cecily.”

Cecily bit her lip and nodded. She had obviously been crying. “I heard all about it. The news is all over town.”