Chest of Secrets Read online

  Brenda assured her they were beautiful. “I like the idea of having them around, since this will be the last day for some of the guests. The scents are heavenly.”

  She invited the women to join her in the gathering room for a taste of Sweet Treats baked items. “I took out four of them before I took them to the kitchen,” Allie said. She went into the dining room and brought the tray to them while the others filled their coffee and tea cups. They settled in the cushiony furniture and talked about early morning happenings around town.

  “I think the upcoming business convention will bring in a lot of customers to the shops,” Hope said. “I have already told my two extra helpers to count on working most of that weekend.”

  “We’re booked up here,” Allie said “I’m glad William is so interested in finding opportunities to bring in tourists and others.”

  The subject switched to Allie’s recent paintings. Allie had a reserved spot on the convention floor for them.

  “Your dad convinced the radio station and TV channel to broadcast your paintings for sale,” Hope said. David Williams was a popular local news anchor and managed to twist heads in his favor when it came to his daughter and her artistic talent.

  William and Phyllis made their way down the slope to the ocean. “What’s your hurry, Phyllis?” William asked. She didn’t answer and took his hand. “Knowing you, you must have a good reason to come down here this hour of the morning.”

  “We’re following two of our guests,” she said. Phyllis explained the recent encounters between Logan Clark and Annette Pickard.

  Logan was just a few steps behind Annette, and the Pendletons gained steps as well. Annette turned as if ascertaining who was behind her. She stopped and even in the early sunlight, Phyllis saw her face whiten. They slowed their pace as they got closer to the two. A few other people were on the beach area, but they were scattered.

  “I know someone with the same last name as yours,” Logan said. Annette didn’t answer. Phyllis pulled William to a stop. “It’s an innocent question, and surely you can tell me if you are related to Hal Pickard.”

  Annette turned on her heels and started back toward Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. When Logan started to grab her arm, William stepped in.

  “It seems the young lady doesn’t want to answer your questions. She is a guest of the bed and breakfast and is here to relax.” William’s tone held authority Phyllis had not heard before.

  Logan looked at them and when he recognized Phyllis, he attempted an explanation. “I simply wanted to ask if she is related to someone I know who has the same last name. I don’t believe that is harassment.”

  “It isn’t unless the lady doesn’t want to speak with you and you persist.” Phyllis recalled her husband had once been captain of a small cruise ship long ago, which explained his tone.

  William turned, and Phyllis followed him back to the inn. Annette was almost to the front door. Logan remained on the sand and gazed at the rippling waters.

  The four women in the gathering room heard quick footsteps and saw only a flash of Annette Pickard as she hurried upstairs to her room. Phyllis and William joined them and related the event near the ocean.

  “I’ll have a talk with Logan Clark,” Brenda said, “and find out what’s going on.” She went to the front entrance and sat in Allie’s place to wait for Logan. When he came in, she told him she must speak to him.

  “I was simply curious about her last name,” he said. “I knew someone in the past with the same surname and wondered if she was related.”

  Brenda became more alert. “How did you know of someone with the same name?”

  “I remember visiting Sweetfern Harbor years ago when I was young. My parents brought me here for vacations twice. One year there was someone named Hal Pickard who was suspected of killing a wealthy couple who lived in the town. I just remembered his name. I guess when one hears such things in his youth, it’s easy to remember.”

  Brenda scrutinized his face. “Please leave all guests alone. Everyone comes here for peace and quiet or to enjoy attractions around town. I don’t allow any of my guests to be upset by another one.”

  Logan promised to keep his distance. After he left, Brenda calculated the approximate age Logan Clark would have been in 1982. She caught him before he got to the first step. “How old were you when your parents brought you here for vacations?”

  He appeared to think back. “I was in my early teens, I suppose.” His eyes wandered from her face. “That was a long time ago, since I’m in my early fifties now.” He gave a short laugh and proceeded upstairs.

  Brenda calculated that in 1982, Logan Clark would have been past his early teens, probably late teens. She knew if what he told her was true, his parents probably didn’t bring him to Sweetfern Harbor as a child for family vacations. She told Allie she would be back later and could be reached at the precinct. Phyllis had gone upstairs to begin cleaning rooms of guests who had left for the day. William talked with Rich Turner.

  Detective Rivers looked up with pleasure on his face when he saw Brenda come in. She told him to drop everything because she had news for him. When she finished telling him of the morning events, he clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back.

  “Logan Clark is someone I want to talk to first, Brenda. It could be that the key to solving this cold case is right there in Sheffield Bed and Breakfast.” He reached for the phone and Allie answered in a cheerful voice.

  The reservationist went upstairs just in time to see the Clarks emerge from their room. Apparently, they were still feuding. She heard Jane tell her husband she would see him in the evening. She planned to spend the day in shops and was interested in the local museum. Allie gave him the message from the detective and co-owner of the bed and breakfast. His eyes darted everywhere except to her face.

  “He said to come down as soon as possible.”

  Logan Clark felt moisture on his forehead and nodded. He mentally kicked himself for ever getting near Annette Pickard.

  Chapter 5

  Escape

  Hal Pickard was surprised to get the message that he had a visitor. It was rare that anyone took an interest in him in recent years. Before his latest incarceration, he was often approached by journalists and other media outlets. Hal knew how to outsmart all of them when they questioned him about past deeds. The one they were most interested in was the murder of Bridgett and Thomas Mackey. They always apologized before the interviews, stating they realized he was only a suspect. His concern had always centered on his loot. The lock on his dingy apartment was flimsy. When he came back from the tavern after celebrating his good luck, he’d flopped on the flat mattress and slept until the next morning. That was when he discovered the missing valuables intended to set him up for a lifetime. He was forced to revert to petty crimes to earn his way.

  Living inside the prison walls became more tolerable as the years passed. Lifers got to know him, and he was a likeable prisoner. Most admired him for his ability to get released on a regular basis. He taught the younger ones who were in for short periods to always keep crimes below the radar as much as possible.

  Accompanied by a guard, he walked to the visiting room, expecting to see a reporter who got wind of his recent attempted bank robbery. He anticipated the diversion. The guard became alert when Hal stopped and stared at the woman sitting there.

  “Hello, Hal,” Mattie said. He shuffled forward and sat down across from his estranged wife.

  “I almost didn’t recognize you, Mattie. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to tell you there may be a book coming out about you.” She noted his satisfied smile. “It won’t be flattering, Hal.”

  “Who’s writing it, and how do you know about it?”

  “Never mind who is writing it. As to how I know? I keep close tabs on the author, from a distance, of course. The author has first-hand knowledge about you.” She started to stand up.

  “Is that all you came for, Mattie? You could have called
instead of coming all the way out here.”

  “I wanted to see your expression when I told you.” It told her he was proud of the fact that someone was writing a book about him. “Like I told you, there won’t be anything pretty in it.”

  When Hal got back to his cell, he shrugged his shoulders. Mattie once attracted him with her youthful beauty. Her face had lines in it that didn’t flatter her. He wondered about her motive for telling him face to face. Plenty of stuff had been written about him over the years, though not recently. He liked the idea that he still caught the interest of the public. Mattie had done him a favor in boosting his mood to face another day in the dismal surroundings of life behind bars.

  Mattie smiled to herself as she got into her car. When the whim hit her to antagonize Hal Pickard, she decided to surprise him after all these years. Never would she forget his treatment of her. She was aware he had committed petty crimes during the few short years of their marriage. Hal Pickard had never held down a decent job in the years she knew him. Mattie found it hard to recall just what it was that attracted her in the first place, unless it was his pure recklessness. She was no angel herself in those days. Hal had contributed in large part to making her the embittered woman she became.

  She felt satisfied she’d given him something to boast about that would never transpire in his lifetime. Journalists had long ago forgotten the despicable man. It was her way of putting bait out to feed his egotistical mind, and to torment him. She expected him to brag about the book to other inmates. In the end, he would be the laughing stock of the prison.

  Logan Clark walked into the precinct and was directed to the detective’s office. He saw Brenda Rivers sitting there and wondered if she had reported his actions toward the writer. He was well aware that was no crime, but what was she doing here?

  “You may not be aware of it, but Brenda is authorized on the police force here in Sweetfern Harbor. She doesn’t work with us full-time but is on call.” The detective then motioned for Logan to sit down. Mac called Bryce to join them.

  “This is Detective Bryce Jones,” Mac said.

  Logan squirmed in his chair and shifted to find a comfortable position. The Law surrounded him in this town; something he didn’t expect to meet when he booked at Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. He closed his fists, hoping his skin would suck in the moisture, and nodded at the young detective, acknowledging the introduction.

  “You spoke earlier with Brenda about youthful visits to Sweetfern Harbor,” Mac said. “I’d like to know when you were in our town.”

  “My parents brought me here twice that I recall. We all enjoyed the ocean and especially sail boating. It was probably when I was in my early teens.”

  “Would you say you visited sometime in the 1980’s?”

  “It was a long time ago but yes, I believe it was sometime in that decade.” Mac asked him his present age and he admitted he was fifty-four. Logan turned to Brenda and produced a crooked smile. “I didn’t want to tell you my exact age since men don’t usually like to admit they are aging.”

  Brenda secretly admired him for keeping fit. He certainly didn’t look in his fifties. Mac seemed to be far away in his thoughts for a few seconds. “I calculate that in the eighties you were past your early teens. Are you sure your parents brought you here for vacations?”

  Logan thought fast. “You’re right. I came on my own later before going on to college. It was between my high school graduation and first year of college. When I came with my parents, I was much younger. There weren’t as many tourists around here as I recall.”

  Before he could change the subject, Bryce asked the next question. “Did you vacation here, or settle in Sweetfern Harbor?”

  “I vacationed only. I had to get my college education. My parents were determined I have that.”

  Brenda asked him what college he graduated from and his degree. He stumbled a second or two and then regained control. He mentioned a small college in Massachusetts and told her his degree was in marketing. Mac made a note of his answer.

  “Do you recall a case of two murders here in 1982?”

  Logan met Mac’s penetrating stare. “I remember reading about something like that, but I was young. It didn’t really interest me. Like I said, I was on my way to college life and that pretty well superseded everything else.”

  When the detective told him he would like to question him again, Logan protested, stating he had business to get back to. He and Jane were due back in New York the next afternoon. Mac told him he would try to get back to him in time. They all stood, and the detective thanked him for his cooperation.

  They watched Logan from the side window of Mac’s office until he sped away.

  “He is someone adept at lying and then just as easily explains his lies,” Brenda said.

  “I’ll look into that college,” Bryce said. He took the note from Mac and left to do it immediately.

  “I’m going to research Logan Clark,” Brenda said. “I think there’s more to him than he is letting on. I wonder if he ever came here as a child at all. And something tells me he knows this town better than he’s letting on.”

  “That doesn’t mean he is a criminal of any kind, Brenda. It could be he is a very private person and doesn’t like anyone delving into his personal life.”

  “Right, Mac.” He didn’t miss the light sarcasm in her tone. She kissed him and left for the bed and breakfast.

  The two employees were well again and Brenda waved to Anna. She backtracked and went into the kitchen. She told the two girls she was happy they didn’t have anything serious. Her chef rolled her eyes behind their backs. Brenda asked for a boxed lunch to take upstairs with her.

  “If you need me, I’ll be in our apartment.”

  Settled at her laptop, she brought up the name Logan Clark. It took almost twenty minutes for her to find anything about his life before becoming a successful textile broker. She dialed Mac.

  “Logan Clark went from rags to riches. He wandered around a lot until he met Jane. She was from a long line of wealth and her father finally resigned himself to her choice. He then pulled him into the family business of textiles and taught him everything he knows today, apparently.”

  “That’s interesting,” Mac said. “Bryce discovered he never graduated from that college. In fact, he was never a student there. Did you find out his past addresses before he met Jane?”

  “I’m still looking. I’ll get back to you if I find anything.”

  Logan hurried to Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. He asked Allie if his wife was in the inn. Allie told him she had seen Jane go upstairs a short time before. He took two steps at a time and reached their room to find Jane taking clothing from shopping bags. She held up a shirt for him to admire.

  “I bought this at a little boutique downtown. What do you think?”

  When he didn’t answer, Jane noted the wild look in his eyes. He went to the closet and began taking his clothes from it and then lifted his suitcase from the storage shelf. “We have to leave right away, Jane. I have an emergency in New York.”

  “I don’t want to leave this soon, Logan. Tomorrow is Sunday. Can’t it wait? I doubt your offices will be open on the weekend anyway.”

  “We have to go right now, Jane.” He continued to throw his clothing into the large suitcase and then snapped it shut. He retrieved his overnight case. “Hurry up. We have to get on the road.”

  Jane looked at her purchases. She was just getting into the life of the quaint village by the ocean. Every shop owner accepted her as if they had known her forever. Jane had a history of traveling in Europe and spent time in high-class hotels both there and in America. Sweetfern Harbor was the first place she had ever visited where she felt completely at home. The experience was new to her and she yearned for more.

  “You go ahead, Logan. I’m staying here until check-out time tomorrow.” Her husband recognized the familiar sound of determination when his wife made up her mind. “When you get the matter taken care of, call me
.” She smiled to herself. “In fact, I like the relaxed atmosphere around here so much that I may ask Brenda if I can stay the rest of the week.”

  Logan threw up his hands. “If that’s the way you want it, Jane.” He closed the last case and started for the door. She expected him to kiss her goodbye when he turned around. Instead, he opened his billfold and placed two credit cards on the table near the door. “Do you need cash?” he asked. She assured him she traveled prepared.

  Logan didn’t close the door completely behind him and Jane saw him hesitate before choosing the back stairway to leave. He would have to walk around the building to the side parking lot where guests parked. Jane shrugged and started making her own plans. Jenny Jones had asked her to have dinner with her before she left town. At the time, Jane told her they were leaving the next day. She had no qualms about returning downtown to accept the invitation. She went down to the front desk and asked Allie if the room she was in had been booked through Wednesday. Allie looked at her computer and told her not until the following weekend.

  “Logan had to leave for an emergency and I decided to stick around a while longer. Your town fascinates me and everyone is so friendly. I can’t leave now.” Allie smiled and checked her in for another few days. She asked Jane her plans and was told she was on her way again to the shops. “I can’t get enough of the specialty ones.”

  At first Brenda thought Mac came home early and knew that was impossible. She had just talked with him. She shrugged off the fact that guests were allowed to use the back stairs as well. Many times over the years, one or more got up in the middle of the night to take advantage of the snack and beverage nook. She returned to her search about Logan Clark.

  This man was elusive, she discovered. Brenda was ready to set it aside when she decided to look further into Bridgett and Thomas Mackey’s lives. They were good neighbors and unassuming, though they enjoyed their wealth. Bridgett showed interest in family history and for a short time Thomas’s great-grandmother’s pistol was behind glass at the local museum. They loaned it out for a month during Sweetfern Harbor History Month. Several gun collectors were interested in it, but she told them they would never sell it, according to one potential buyer.