Page 49 of Exposure of Murder

Victor’s gaze sharpened. “I heard rumors they found a skeleton in the pond. That must have been a shock.”

“To say the least,” Jane replied. “The sheriff is investigating.”

“I’m sure he is,” Victor murmured, taking another sip of his drink. “Any idea who it was?”

Jane felt a slight chill running down her spine. Ethan was trying to keep specifics of Thornton’s death under wraps and hadn’t said much when she was in the station house. There was something else going on, and her Spidey senses were up.

“A David Thornton,” she replied. “He bid against me for the farm and lost. That’s all I know.”

Victor nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think the previous owner had anything to do with his death?”

“Gosh, I don’t think so. Mr. Jenkins is a hundred, I think. The farm was abandoned when I bought it.”

“You never know what secrets a place holds,” Victor replied, his dark eyes searching her face. “This must pique your interest, especially since you’re a mystery writer.”

Jane couldn’t deny the mystery surrounding Thornton’s death had aroused her curiosity. “Well, I’m not writing mysteries anymore. I’m more interested in the future now.”

Victor seemed to consider her words. “I agree. The future is more important than the past. But just be careful. Sometimes digging into the past can bring up things that are better left buried.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The server returned with their appetizers. Jane was grateful for the distraction and dipped her spoon into the bisque, savoring its briny flavor.

The conversation had taken a strange turn. It was almost like Victor was warning her about something. She wondered what other secrets were hidden on the farm.

Twenty-Seven

“Ethan, I have some information for you,” called out Rosie, her brow furrowed. “Your office?”

He nodded. Warm sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting strips of light and shadow in the bullpen. The familiar faint scent of burnt coffee teased his senses as he walked past the row of desks to his office.

Thankfully, today was quiet. They had a couple of loud drunks in the holding cells the other night that caused quite the commotion.

The door to his office creaked slightly. Ethan groaned when he saw the stack of papers and envelopes on his desk.

The t’s had been crossed. Tanner and Jim Jenkins were off the suspect list. Their guns weren’t a match. He couldn’t find any record of Jane, Maggie, Annabelle or Vanessa buying guns, plus in his mind he’d already scratched them off the list.

As for new people in town, even with a town population of less than ten thousand people, plus visitors who came to ski, pick apples or fish, there was no way to know who was new or just visiting. He was at a loss. Bucky Marsh was the only new personhe knew. The ex-con could easily have duped Jane and come here for nefarious reasons.

Ethan remembered he asked Jane out for coffee and hadn’t called her yet. Perhaps it was time. Then he could discreetly ask her what she knew about the man.

He also wanted to get to know her better. Everything he heard and saw about Jane was glowing. She challenged him, wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself, and was certainly making her way in his town. Ethan didn’t think she’d be moving away anytime soon.

Rosie walked in and plunked herself in a chair.

“Whatcha got?” he asked. “Anything to point us in the right direction?”

“Pshaw. If only,” replied Rosie. “I looked into Thornton’s financials. For a while, he was making good money selling properties.” She shifted in her chair and leaned forward. “About six months ago, something strange happened. His income took a nosedive. Then a large sum—about half a mil—was transferred to an offshore account in the Caymans.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Offshore, huh?”

“Not only that, but he also sold property below market value without reporting the proceeds. Then bingo, he ends up dead.”

“So, Thornton was in deep trouble.” Ethan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “I bet he got involved with the wrong people, stole from them, and they finally caught up with him.”

Rosie nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. It’s too much of a coincidence to think that the offshore account didn’t have something to do with his murder.”

“We need to find out who he was dealing with.” Ethan sighed. “If there is missing money and they killed Thornton over it, they won’t stop.”

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