"I"m here to see Chief Robbins," she said to the young woman who looked up from the desk.
"He"s in that room. Just knock and walk in. He told me he was expecting you."
"Good morning, Mrs. Reynolds. What brings you here so bright and early?"
"I had a thought in the middle of the night. I followed up on it and was able to get a sample of Richard Martin"s handwriting."
"Well that"s good news. How were you able to do it?"
She told him about the guest book and going to the church to get it. "I didn"t tell Mike about it, because I didn"t want him to be disappointed if the church hadn"t used a guest book. I drove directly here in hopes you haven"t sent the other handwriting samples to your friend in Sacramento."
"I"m glad you did because if you"d been a few minutes later, the signatures would have been on their way. One of my officers has to testify at a trial in Sacramento later today, and he was just getting ready to drive over there. He"ll be taking the samples, and I"ll add this one to it. Good thinking on your part. You thought like somebody with law enforcement experience. Do you have any training in that area?"
"Not really, however, being married to a sheriff has probably affected my way of thinking. Is this a lengthy procedure? I don"t know anything about handwriting a.n.a.lysis."
"No. We should know something later today or tomorrow. It"s really very simple. He"s been trained for years in handwriting a.n.a.lysis. It"s quite interesting. He uses the physical characteristics and patterns of the written words and letters to see if there"s a match. He tells me that the handwriting often indicates the psychological state of the writer as well as some personality characteristics. He says it"s very clear as to gender. In fact, a number of courts allow this type of evidence during a trial. If we get a match, we"ll at least know who wrote the letters, and then we"ll have to decide what our strategy will be."
"That"s fascinating! I didn"t know that much could be determined from a simple specimen of a person"s handwriting."
"I agree. By the way, when I went back to the ranch late yesterday to get the samples that Mike had, he gave me the one from John Wilson. Sorry, but I couldn"t help but notice the amount he"s willing to pay for the ranch. That"s a huge chunk of change. Has Mike made any decision about what he"s going to do with the ranch?"
"Not that I know of. First he wanted to get through the funeral and now his focus is on clearing his name and finding out who murdered his aunt. Once those are finished, he"s going to have to make some decisions regarding the ranch. We"re staying here for a little while as are my daughter and son-in-law. I don"t know what"s going to happen after that."
"Well, you know I"m here to help in any way I can. You might tell Mike I released Daniel Noonan this morning with a strong admonition for him to keep away from Mike and the ranch. I told him if anything like that happened again, he"d be spending quite a bit of time in jail. He didn"t actually threaten anyone, and he"s never been in trouble with the law before, so I knew I"d have a hard time making a case against him stick. A good attorney could probably get it thrown out of court."
"I"m sorry nothing could be done about him, but I understand. I hope he stays away as well. I"ve got to be going, as I have to pick up some milk and get back to the ranch. Richard Martin is meeting Mike at ten this morning. I"ll be curious to see what he"s going to offer for the property."
"Well, whatever your husband decides to do, looks like he"s a wealthy man now."
"Neither one of us ever expected this, believe me. Who would have thought the sheriff of Beaver County, Oregon, whose wife owns a small coffee shop on the pier in Cedar Bay, would suddenly be in line to receive this kind of money? Not me. Thanks for everything and we"ll be waiting for your call."
CHAPTER 27.
Kelly made it back to the house a few minutes before Mike was to meet with Richard Martin. "Mike, you don"t need to get a handwriting sample from Richard Martin. I was able to get one, and I"ve already taken it to Chief Robbins. It"s on its way to Sacramento as we speak."
"You what? Kelly, you know I don"t want you to get involved in this case. I can handle it."
"It was no big deal. Let me tell you what I did. I came up with the idea in the middle of the night, and it was such a simple thing." She told him about her trip to the church and her visit to the police chief.
"I don"t know whether to thank you or strangle you, but given the circ.u.mstances, guess I"ll just say thank you. Now all we can do is wait for the chief"s phone call."
"The chief said he should find out either this afternoon or tomorrow morning, so at least we don"t have to wait for days. Do you want me to be at your meeting with Richard Martin?"
"No, I think it will be a cla.s.sic "here"s my offer for the property" meeting. I"ll tell him the same thing I told John. I can"t make any decisions until I find out who murdered my aunt. That takes precedence over everything else. Why don"t you spend a little time with Julia and the girls? You don"t get many chances to enjoy them. You might want to take a walk around the property. The girls have been pretty limited to the orchard and the barn. While you"re at it, I"d love to know what Aunt Agnes had, if anything, growing in the greenhouses."
"From the amount of vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator, I"m pretty sure she had a bunch of things growing in them. Okay, I"ll see if Julia and the girls want to do a little exploring. We"ll be back in a little while. I"m pretty sure Richard Martin has only got one thing on his mind and that"s getting his hands on this property. Keep in mind he could care less about Aunt Agnes."
"I"m sure you"re right. I"m not deluding myself into thinking he"s driving here out of fondness for Aunt Agnes. Well, speaking of the devil, he just drove up."
Mike walked over to the front door to greet Richard Martin, and Kelly went upstairs to find the rest of the family and invite them to explore the property with her.
"Richard, thank you for coming out here this morning."
"This is only my second time on the property. Yesterday at the reception following the funeral was my first. I offered to purchase it from photographs one of my staff had taken. I must say the photographs didn"t do it justice. I brought some plans with me I had drawn up to show you what I have in mind. I wanted to show them to your aunt, but she refused to meet with me."
"Why don"t you spread them out on the dining room table, and you can walk me through what you want to do with the property if it"s developed."
Mike spent a few minutes looking at the plans and then said, "I"d like you to tell me what I"m looking at. It"s kind of hard for me to understand."
"First of all, I have the plans for the golf course. I hired one of the foremost golf course designers in the United States, and these are the plans he"s drawn up. I think it will become a destination golf course within a few years. I also brought the plans for the house. You can see I"ve added a number of rooms and expanded the dining room, so we can accommodate up to forty guests. We"ll have two large dining room tables and serve the meals family style.
"Each guest room will have its own bathroom, so those need to be added as well. I"ll bring in a top chef, and I"ll pitch it to the "foodie" crowd. There are currently two existing greenhouses on the property. I"ll expand those so part of the draw will be that all the vegetables and herbs served with the meals are grown on the property as well as fruit from the orchards."
"What are you going to do about the lake?"
"It will be stocked with fish, and that will be another selling point. While the golfers are on the course, the rest of the family can fish in the lake or else swim in the Olympic size pool I"m going to build. There will also be excursions to nearby wineries and gold mines located in the area. I intend to purchase John Martin"s property and build a large spa and resort on it. There will be plenty for people who stay at either place to do, but I"ve saved the best for last."
"What"s that?" Mike asked.
"I"m going to make the barn into an event center. Weddings held in barns are really big right now. We can hold business meetings in there as well as other types of social events. Should be a real money maker."
"One of the things my aunt loved about this property was the number of old oak trees on it. Do you have any plans to preserve them?"
"No. They"re going to have to be cut down. Might keep a couple to make the golf course interesting, but almost all of them are going to have to go. They"ll just be in the way of the development."
"I don"t know what this property is zoned for. Will it be a problem to get it rezoned if you have to?"
"No. I have my sources, and they"re very helpful when it comes to little things like that. I don"t antic.i.p.ate any problems. Here"s the offer I"ve prepared," Richard Martin said, handing an envelope to Mike. "How long do you think it will take you to accept it?"
"You"re a.s.suming that I"m going to agree to sell this property to you."
"Of course I am. You"d be a fool not to accept my offer. Now that the old lady is dead, there shouldn"t be anything holding you back. When you read my offer you"ll see that it"s more than fair, and you"ll also see that it will make you a very rich man."
Sorry, Richard, but two things will hold me back. My integrity and not doing business with someone who is so insensitive he"d call my aunt an old lady after she was murdered. We"re miles apart. I just made a decision, and I"ve decided I"m not going to sell it to you. Still not exactly sure what I"ll do with it, but I can guarantee you one thing, you will never own the Robertson Ranch. That I promise you, Aunt Agnes.
"Well, you"ve given me a lot to think about. I"ll get back to you in a few days. My first priority is to find out who murdered my aunt. Again, thanks for coming," Mike said.
"No problem. Sometimes it"s a lot easier when a woman isn"t involved in a business transaction. Things go a lot smoother when just men are involved. It"s always been my experience that old women seem to think differently. When you"ve had a chance to really examine the plans, I know you"re going to want this project to go through. Talk to you in a few days," he said as he walked out to his silver Lexus and quickly drove down the lane.
CHAPTER 28.
"Julia, Mike asked me to take a look in the greenhouses. Let"s walk over there. Come on everybody."
The parade of Kelly, Julia, Brad, Ella, Olivia, Sam, Lady, and Rebel looked like a line of people and dogs making a pilgrimage as they made their way to the greenhouses. Kelly opened the door of the first one and said, "Oh my gosh! This looks like something out of a gardening magazine. Can you imagine what I could do with fresh produce like this if I had a similar type of greenhouse near the coffee shop? Look, it"s even rigged with an automatic drip irrigation system! Agnes wasn"t kidding when she said she kept the property up."
Julia looked wistfully at the plants growing in the greenhouse. "I"ve always wanted to have a greenhouse or a large yard where I could grow fruit trees and vegetables, but living in a condo in San Francisco makes it an impossible dream."
"Let"s keep thinking about it, and maybe someday we can make it happen," Brad said. "I"d love it if we could retire to the country and grow all kinds of things. We just can"t afford to do it right now. Believe me, no one would like to get out of the big city more than me."
"Based on what you said about wanting to be a cowboy, that"s not hard for me to believe," Julia responded.
"Aunt Agnes must have a gardener," Kelly said as they walked into the second greenhouse. "I can"t believe she did all the work these greenhouses must require by herself. Someone had to mow the lawn, trim the trees, and tend the plants in the greenhouses." As she stood in front of a wall next to the door she said, "Ah, here"s a business card tacked on the wall with the name of the gardener on it. I wonder if he knows she"s deceased. I probably better give him a call and let him know. I"m sure Mike will want him to continue working here until he decides what to do with the ranch."
"Has Mike made any decisions yet?" Julia asked.
"No, right now his focus is on finding out who killed Aunt Agnes. When his name is cleared, he"s going to have to make a decision. Two people have submitted bids, but I think he"s torn over what to do. He doesn"t want to see it developed, yet we can"t live here and take it over. I honestly don"t know what he"s got in mind, if anything."
"Dad, now that Grandpa has this house and barn, could we get our own horse and keep it here?"
"Olivia, Grandpa isn"t sure what he"s going to do with the ranch, but we"ll be staying here for another week, and I"m sure Grandpa would be happy to have a little help feeding and grooming Missy. Don"t forget that Sam needs some attention too."
"I"m not, Dad. See, I just petted him."
Brad and Julia smiled at each over the girls" heads, happy that the two girls were enjoying themselves so much. "Let"s play a game, girls. Let"s pretend we lived here. What would you want?" Julia asked.
"Me first, "cuz I"m oldest," Olivia said. "I"d want my own horse and dog."
"Well, since Missy"s in the barn, and you"re helping Grandpa feed her, you can pretend she"s your horse. And don"t forget that Sam slept in the room last night with both of you. That"s kind of like having your own dog," Brad said.
"I want the same thing as Olivia," Ella said. "A horse and a dog." Which was absolutely no surprise since Ella always wanted everything her big sister had. In many ways she was a smaller cookie cutter version of her big sister.
"Well," Brad said, "I think my answer to you would be the same as it was for Olivia. Missy and Sam."
"I"d want strawberries, too," Olivia said. "I love strawberries, and we could grow them in that house we were just in, the colored one."
"Sweetheart, it"s called a greenhouse. We could probably put a pot of those on our patio and grow them at home, if you"d like."
"Let"s do it as soon as we get home."
"It may not happen the second we get home," Julia said, "but I think it"s safe for me to promise we can do it very soon."
"I"m sure Grandpa"s meeting is over by now. Let"s go back to the house and have lunch. I saw a barbeque on the patio, and I"ll bet we could talk Grandpa into grilling some hot dogs for us. How about chocolate milk, potato chips, and some strawberries with cream and sugar for dessert? Sound good?"
"Yeah!" Olivia said. "I want lots and lots of strawberries."
"Me, too," Ella mimicked.
After lunch, Kelly said, "Julia, Brad, why don"t you two go into town and explore Calico Gold this afternoon? The girls have had a full morning, and after the big lunch they ate, they could probably use a little nap. I"ve got some things I need to do here at the house while you"re gone. Mike, how about you?"
"I really need to go through some of those files I saw in Aunt Agnes" desk. I"d like to be a little more knowledgeable about the ranch now that it"s going to be mine. Jim Weaver, the lawyer, called earlier and gave me an accounting of Aunt Agnes" a.s.sets. I had no idea she was worth so much. I need to spend some time looking at the accounts and get a better feel for what"s going to be mine very soon. Right now I"m simply taking the word of her lawyer, and I don"t know anything about the underlying facts and details. Don"t get me wrong. I think he"s a very good lawyer, but I"m frustrated because he"s telling me what I now own, and I don"t exactly know what he"s talking about."
"Mom, if you"re sure it"s okay for us to leave, I"d love to explore the town. I think it"s utterly charming. Okay with you, Brad?"
"Absolutely. I"ve always wanted to live in a town like this. Maybe if I see it up close, I"ll get rid of that boyhood fantasy of mine about wanting to be a cowboy."
Kelly and the girls headed for the stairs. Sam stood up and followed them. "Olivia, Ella, it looks like the two of you have a friend following you, and I think he wants to take a nap with you."
Sam walked into their bedroom and laid down in the center of the room, directly between the two twin beds. Both of the girls patted him on the head and got into bed for a well-deserved rest.
CHAPTER 29.
After lunch Mike walked into the room his aunt had used as her office and closed the door so he could concentrate in quiet, as he reviewed the financial books and records Aunt Agnes maintained concerning the ranch. Kelly supervised getting the girls started with their nap and then went downstairs to figure out what to fix for dinner.
I think everyone could use a little comfort food tonight. Aunt Agnes kept the refrigerator and pantry so well stocked I can probably find everything I need. I took some steaks out of the freezer this morning, and nothing goes better with steaks than a baked potato with all the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs like sour cream, bacon bits, and scallions. I saw some sourdough rolls in the freezer I can defrost, warm, and serve with b.u.t.ter. I"ll go out to the greenhouse and get some lettuce to put on salad plates and then cover them with a big tomato salad. Simple yet great! For dessert, I"ll make an English trifle. I saw a gla.s.s trifle dish in the cupboard. Who can resist the layered combination of strawberries, blueberries, vanilla pudding, and sponge cake, all topped with whipped cream? I"m getting hungry just thinking about it. Anyway, I can make it while the girls are napping. It"s easy to fix, and the girls will love more strawberries. Perfect.
She spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen. Late in the day Julia and Brad returned. "Mom, have you spent much time in town?" Julia asked.
"No. I"ve been meaning to, but I always seem to get sidetracked with one thing or another. Did you like it?"
"We absolutely loved it! It"s so charming. There are a couple of newer places that don"t look like they fit in, but the older buildings on Main Street and some of the shops are simply wonderful. They even have an old ice cream shop, you know, one of those places with the cast iron curlicue chairs painted white with pink and white striped cushions. I had an ice cream cone, but I"d love to go back and have one of their banana splits. I"ve never seen anything that looked as good as the one I saw being served, plus I don"t think many places even serve them anymore."
"Where"s Mike?" Brad asked.
"He"s been holed up in the office all afternoon. I"ve been busy in the kitchen, but I don"t think he"s surfaced."
"Where are the girls?" he asked.
"I put them down for their naps right after you left. They"re probably ready to get up by now, but I figured if I wasn"t hearing anything from them, that was probably a good thing. You know, kind of like the old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie. There"s been a lot of excitement around here, and even though they probably don"t understand everything that"s going on, they"re bound to sense things. I"m sure they were tired."
"I"ll go up and check on them. Brad, why don"t you see if you can help mom with dinner?" Julia said.
After Julia was out of earshot, Kelly turned to Brad. "Thank you for bringing such happiness to Julia"s life. I"ve never seen her like this. She"s absolutely glowing, and she"s a natural at being a mother. I don"t want to disparage their birth mother, but the girls genuinely seem to think of her as their mother."