A Nice Clean Murder Part 19

aPerhaps he knows the answer.a aHe?a I asked, trying so hard to hide the terror in my voice. All at once, I was standing beside him, following his amazed look. aIs that what I think it is?a Lying on the ground was a corpse, well, a pile of bones, really, covered with the tattered remains of his clothinga"a saber and pistol still clutched in the bony fingers. It was like something out of some pirate movie, with the skull smiling up at us with a hideous grin.

With that, Maggie was at my side. She let out a small gasp and held my arm.

aHe must have run out of paraffin,a I offered and felt the nails in my forearm once again.

I heard Peter chuckle quietly as I wrenched my arm away from Maggieas death grip.

aThat explains why he never came back,a Peter said. aHe never left.a aBut why not?a I asked and looked around.

aWhy would he just lie down and die?a Bridget asked as she crouched down next to the skeleton.

aCareful, Brig,a Peter warned softly and knelt beside her. aPoor b.a.s.t.a.r.d.a Maggie knelt beside the skeletal remains. aPerhaps he didnat just lie down and die.a I joined her and aimed the flashlight beam at the skeleton. aWhat are you thinking, Dr. Winfield?a I asked.

Maggie reached out and Peter quickly stopped her. aPlease donat disturb anything.a Maggie agreed. aI was just going to point out the reason why he never left. Take a look at his skull.a We all leaned forward and blinded the poor sea captain with our flashlights.

aOkay,a Bridget said. aWhat are we lookina for?a We examined the bones, and I hid my impish grin and said, aWell, the thigh boneas connected to theahip bone and hip boneasa"a aIf Iam not mistaken,a Maggie interjected, aI believe thatas a bullet hole in the left frontal bone.a aGee, I love anatomy talk,a I said and glanced at the smirking doctor. aSo we can a.s.sume that someone else was here and killed the poor slob, or he was very careless with his pistol.a aI opt for someone else,a Peter said.

Suddenly, my mind raced. aOkay, howas this for a scenario,a I started. aThis sea captain came down here with an accomplice because quite frankly, he couldnat carry this trunk by himself and they found this hiding place. The other guy got greedy, shot this poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and walled up this place, and the narrow entranceway back there, effectively creating a good hiding place. He waited until the dust cleared but obviously never got a chance to come back for his ill-gotten booty.a There was silence for a moment or two until Peter spoke. aI would tend to agree with most of your scenario. However, as we said, those two rock walls we just broke down came down far too easily. Iam no geologist, but I will wager those walls were recently formed.a I gave him a curious look. aHow recent is recent?a Peter scratched his chin in thought. aIs yesterday too recent?a aAre you saying what I think youare saying?a He looked a bit confused. aI-Iam not sure. What am I saying?a aYouare saying that these walls were constructed recently, which means someone has to have found the treasure before we did,a I said and glanced at my fellow adventurers.

aTim Devereaux,a Maggie said and looked at me.

aWhy not Russell?a Peter interjected. He looked at Bridget. aYouare quiet, Brig. What do you think?a aI have no idea,a she said.

aWhy not both?a I offered. aOkay, letas run this up the flagpole and see who salutes: Maybe Russell found the treasure and walled everything up. He called Bridget who said he sounded excited, and this would be a good reason why. He then gets killed for his efforts. Now who killed him?a aAll points lead to Tim Devereaux.a Peter shrugged.

aWhat about The Omega Group?a Maggie said.

I was stumped.

Peter stood slowly. aI have to call the museum, but I hate to leave this down here unprotected. However, I donat see how that can be avoided.a aWhy donat you go back and get Constable Reardon, make your call, and Iall stay herea"a I said and knew the interruption was coming.

aNot alone, you wonat,a Maggie countered seriously.

I tiredly rubbed my forehead. aDo you think that pistol still works?a I asked.

aI think I should stay,a Bridget offered.

I could actually feel Maggie glaring in the darkness.

aI think Brig is right, Maggie. Iad feel better if one of us stayed with the trunk,a Peter offered.

Maggie grudgingly agreed and left with Peter.

aPlease donat touch anything,a Peter begged me as he walked away. I noticed he didnat include Bridget in his plea, which annoyed me, but I said nothing.

With Maggie and Peter promising to come back as soon as possible, Bridget and I sat on the pile of rocks with one flashlight, one shovel, one pickax, and one skeleton. I glanced at Bridget who gave the darkened cave a nervous glance. I gently b.u.mped shoulders with her. aCome here often?a I asked.

Bridget laughed. aYou do know how to treat a woman to a good time, Miss Ryan,a she said.

aOnly the best. Thereas a cemetery Iad like to show you tomorrow.a As we were laughing, I heard a voice, aGlad youare enjoyina yourselves.a I immediately stopped laughing and gave adem bonesa a skeptical glance before I aimed the beam of the flashlight toward the tunnel entrance.

There stood Tim Devereaux, grinning slightly and holding a gun. aThis is unexpected. And where is Sullivan and everyone else?a he asked.

aBridget and I got adventurous on our own,a I said, keeping my eye on the gun.

Tim stepped into the beam of the flashlight. aThatas unfortunate.a aYou canat be thinking of killing us,a I said, although I thought otherwise.

aAnd why is that, luv?a he asked.

aI found the doc.u.ments and Constable Reardon has them, so Omega is out of the picture and youall never get your money.a aKate, darlina, Omega has been out of the picture for a little while now. Seems theyare pulling outa"a aWhy is that?a I stood. Bridget stood, as well, and took a step away from me.

Tim took a step back and raised the gun but said nothing.

aCould the reason be murder?a I asked. aI believe The Omega Group wanted the property to excavate this historical find, but murder is too high a price. But not for you, right, Tim?a aYouare treadin on dangerous ground,a Tim warned.

I was going to heed the warning. However, I was on a roll now. Pieces were falling into place. aThe doc.u.ments I found had you signing over your portion of the mill for a million bucks,a I said, then it dawned on me. aWhich is why you killed Brian, am I right? Somehow he gained possession of those doc.u.ments, and when he didnat tell you they were hidden in the grandfather clock, you threw him over that stone wall.a I noticed Bridget inching away from me and wondered what she was doing. I had a nervous feeling she was going to try to be heroic.

aHidden in the clock?a Tim asked and laughed. aBrian was a clever man, but troublesome, this is true. So was Devine. He played the double-cross to perfection. I believe Devine gave Brian the doc.u.ments, trying to see how far he could go with him. At the same time, Devine, the lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d, was telling me about Omega and how I could make a lot of money if we found the treasure first,a he said and laughed. aAnd he did. I canat believe Devine found it. He was actually giddy when he told me, the fool. He was even going to tell Sullivan. And ya know I just couldnat let that happen.a He stopped and took a deep tired breath.

I just stood there and hoped head keep talking until Peter came back with the constable. aSo you killed Russell, as well,a I said.

aYes, I did,a he said. aOnce he helped me block off the two entrances, I waited until we got out of the cave and hit him with the shovel.a aI hoped the tide would take Russell as I hoped it would have taken Brian.a He stopped and I noticed he looked a bit perplexed. It was then it became clear to me.

aWhatas wrong? Canat understand how they found Brianas body so quickly? You thought the sea would take him. After all, you replaced the rocks on that wall, didnat you?a I knew I was right about that. aMade it look as if nothing was out of place. It was a nice clean murder until Constable Reardon found Brianas pipe by that wall. You must have overlooked it. Pretty careless.a Bridget chuckled quietly and shook her head. aI told ya, theyad find the body. I told ya not to kill him that way. You have such a nasty temper. You almost bungled the whole thing.a I shot an incredulous look from Tim to Bridget, then back to Tim, who shrugged in a helpless gesture. aIt was dark, Brig. I didnat see him drop the b.l.o.o.d.y pipe.a I must have looked like a prize jacka.s.s, gaping at both of them.

Chapter 27.

I was still gaping like a jacka.s.s. Bridget chuckled quietly. aPoor Kate. Ya didnat figure on this, did ya?a aNo, I did not,a I answered her. I was stunned. aWhy?a Bridget smiled slightly. aMoney, what other reason? Do ya have any idea how much this is worth? Peter was right, the idealistic fool. Itas worth millions, tens of millions. When Brian changed his will, and I saw that he was giving the whole thing to Mac, I knew we needed to move quickly. Russell was sent to stop Peter. However, that didnat work.a My mind was racing. aRussell tried to kill Peter,a I said. aHe tried to scare us into leaving by tossing me around after I had dinner with you in Donegal.a aYes. Russell was to kill Peter and I would take care of Brianas will. Tim would take care of Jamesas unwillingness to play nice. Unfortunately, we are at this point,a Bridget said.

I looked at Bridget. aSo when Mac and I picked you up the other day, there was no phone call from Russell, was there?a I asked, knowing the answer.

aNo. Tim was with Russell at the time and I

neededa"a

aAnd you needed to make sure you were with us for what... an alibi?a I asked, trying to fit this piece together.

aPartly. I also needed to make sure you picked up Tim, so both of us would have an alibi,a she said with a smug grin. aYa see? But I have to tell ya, youare very good. Ya had me worried when ya found out about my being married to Russell. How did ya, by the way?a aI remember seeing your name on your diploma that hung on the wall. It said Bridget Donnelly-Devine. The university corroborated that fact,a I said. aYou conniving b.i.t.c.h.a Bridget let out a rude laugh. aI told ya: All men kill the thing they lovea"Oscar Wilde.a Then I set my attention to Tim. aSo you killed James, as well?a I asked, but knew the answer to that, too.

Tim nodded. aAt first, he was all for it, then he talked to Brian and wanted him to keep the mill in the family. Bridget and I knew that Brian would never do that. James got cold feet and refused to sign,a he said and grinned. aIn the end, he did. It was nice and clean, theyall never find him. Youare a pain in my a.r.s.e, Kate, and as I said, I thought for sure the tide would have taken Devine, and theyad never find him.a He took a deep breath before continuing. aWho knew he had the strength to struggle up the cliff,a he said and looked at Bridget. aHe was a strong lad.a I looked back and forth at them. aYou two are some piece of work,a I said and didnat hide the disgust in my voice.

Tim glared at me and took a step closer. The beam of my flashlight shining in his face gave him a menacing look.

aWell, enough prattle. Weave been trying to think of a way to get this trunk out of here. You can help us.a He handed Bridget the gun. She smiled happily, as she waved it in my direction.

aTake an end, Kate. Letas go.a She motioned with the gun and stepped back.

aHurry up. The tide is coming in,a Tim said with a groan as he grabbed the metal handle and lifted.

I lifted my end, as well; this thing was heavy. aWhat does the tide have to do with this?a I asked.

aNot that it matters, but we have a boat waiting. When the tide comes in, weall be signaling it. Weall be far off the Irish coast before they find you. Poor Kate is going to have a bit of a problem with the tide,a Tim said with a grunt.

aKeep still, Tim. Letas just get this out of here. Be careful with it,a Bridget ordered as we struggled past her.

aSo youare the brawn, huh, Tim?a I asked and glanced back at him. aAnd Bridgetas the brains.a aSomething like that,a Bridget called out. aIave had this planned for years. Once Professor Carroll died and was out the way, I knew the time was at hand. Enough talk. Keep movina.a It took a while to get the trunk through the low cave tunnel. We moved in complete silence. I was desperately thinking of a way out of this mess. By the time we reached the narrow pa.s.sageway, I was exhausted. By the look of him, so was Tim.

Bridget handed him the pickax. Tim groaned and took the ax and started at the narrow entrance. I looked at Bridget, who avoided me.

aSo youare in this for the money, huh?a I asked. aAll that bulls.h.i.t about it being a historical find for Ireland. You were just waiting for the right time to take it. You played Peter and us very well.a I glanced at Tim who was chopping away at the crumbling rock. Bridget ignored me but kept the gun aimed right at me.

aYou played Russell well, tooa"even married him. I wonder who else was in on Russellas double-cross,a I said thoughtfully. I noticed Tim stop in mid-swinga aKeep going, Timmy, sheas baiting ya. Keep focused,a Bridget said firmly and glanced at her watch. aItas almost time now. Heall be here soon.a Tim grunted and swung the ax one more time. He had enough room to get the trunk out, and my time was running short.

aAll right then,a Bridget said. aLetas get this to the sh.o.r.e. Camon, Kate.a I grabbed my end of the trunk. aShe sure is bossy, Tim. Hope youaa Tim dropped his end of the trunk and grabbed me by the shirt. aShut up or Iall kill ya right now!a He was deceptively strong as he tightened his grip and squeezed. aDo ya hear me?a he said in a low voice and roughly let me go.

I stumbled back and felt the pain rip through my neck. Bridget sighed deeply. aThere ya go again, Timmy. Youave a nasty temper. Letas keep moving.a We sloshed through the ankle-deep water and finally reached the entrance of the cave. The smell of cool sea air blasted me as we set the trunk down on a nearby boulder. I coughed deeply as I sagged against the rock.

Suddenly, Bridget was right in my face with the gun pointed to my forehead. aYouave been bothersome, Kate, too bothersome, but nothing will stop me now.a I felt Tim behind me. I then heard his voice in my ear. aPoor Kate, when the tide comes in, youall be going out with it. No one will find ya.a I turned my face toward him. aYour breath stinks, Tim.a I suppose I deserved the rude shove, which landed me painfully against the rocks. aThat hurt,a I groaned and tried to get up.

aYouave got a sarcastic bite to ya,a Bridget said and looked out to sea. I followed her look and blinked the blood out of my eyes. In the distance, I saw a small fishing boat. aItas time. Hurry up, Tim.a Tim shoved me again against the rocks and quickly grabbed the big flashlight and signaled the small boat. I watched as a light flashed back from the vessel.

aAll right then. Heall be here soon. Letas get this over with,a Bridget said, and I heard the nervous tone in her voice.

aYou donat honestly think this will work, do you?a I asked. I blinked and the pain knifed through my head. I felt nauseated and dizzy.

aShut up,a Bridget said and glanced out at the boat. aGo, Tim.a aWhatas the matter, Bridget? Donat you have the stomach for murder? Or only when someone else does it?a Tim grabbed me and pulled me by the arm. aYouad better be careful, Tim. So far, youare behind the eight ball. Youave killed three times and Ms. Donnelly here has clean hands, plus sheas a lawyer,a I said quickly, hoping that would jar Tim. It did. I felt his grip loosen, so I went on. aSee, youare the one whoall go to prison, not Bridget. Sheas holding all the cards. I wonder whoas out in that boat.a Tim shot a curious look at Bridget, and I continued, aYou think sheas going to let you have any part of this? Not after sheas spent nearly four years trying to find it,a I said. aShe married Russell Devine for chrissakesaa With that, Bridget raised the b.u.t.t of the gun and slammed it against my cheek. The pain rippled through me and my knees buckled. I was in a daze as I folded like a deck of cards onto the rocky sh.o.r.e.

All at once, the wind started and waves crashed against the rocks. I looked up to see Peter and Constable Reardon making their way down the rugged path. Through my foggy brain, I thought I heard Tim arguing with Bridget. She had the gun aimed at his midsection.

aDonat f.u.c.k with me, Timmy,a Bridget yelled over the wind and waves. I glanced at the trunk, which lay precariously on the rocks. One good wave and it would be taken out to sea.

aStay where you are!a Constable Reardon called out.

Tim whirled around and Bridget raised the gun behind him. It was then I saw Maggie running toward us.

With all my might, I leapt at Bridget and grabbed for the gun. As we tangled, both of us stumbled and fell headlong into the icy water. We struggled under the cold waves as I maintained my grip on the gun in her hand. Then the waves took us under. I heard Bridgetas m.u.f.fled cry as the gun went off and I lost my grip completely. I felt my lungs starting to tighten as I frantically reached out for her. I knew she was shota"she had to be.

I quickly swam for the surface. As I broke through the crashing wave, I heard Maggie and Peter calling me. I was nearly paralyzed from the icy water as I tried to swim to sh.o.r.e. All at once, I was being pulled in, and I heard Maggieas voice beside me as I was hauled up onto the rocky sh.o.r.e.

I was amazed at how much seawater I coughed up. Maggie was holding me close to her. aKate, are you all right?a I nodded as I continued to cough. She wrapped her arms around me and I watched as Constable Reardon handcuffed Tim Devereaux and dragged him up the path.

Peter rushed up as Maggie helped me to my feet. aWhat in the h.e.l.l happened? What happened to Bridget?a Peter asked.

aShe was in on it, Peter,a I said and shivered violently.

He looked completely undone. aThat canat be!a he exclaimed and looked out at the sea. Maggie quickly stood between us.

aWe need to get you off these rocks,a Maggie said to me.

aWe need to get that trunk off these rocks,a I argued as my teeth chattered away.

aKate Ryan, will you for once shut up and do as youare told?a Maggie yelled.

I gaped at her. Sheas yelling at me? Peter put his arm around me. aMaggieas right, Kate. We need to get ya out of here. When we couldnat find Tim, Reardon came back with me. Weall get Mac and Charlie down here to help with the trunk. You can tell us all about it.a Constable Reardon stood over me as I lay in bed, with the blankets pulled up to my neck. I couldnat stop shivering.

aIad tell you to lie still, but I think thatas impossible,a Maggie said as she tended to my cheek. aYouave got a good bruise going,a she said and nodded professionally as I watched her.

aEverything in working order?a I asked tiredly.

aEverything but a functioning brain,a she said dryly. aAre you all right?a aYeah, Iam fine.a I fought the feeling of contentment hearing the soft concern in her voice.

aKate, can ya tell me what happened?a Constable Reardon asked.

With that, Peter dashed into the room. aAre ya all right then?a aYes, Iam fine. Whereas the trunk?a I asked and tried to sit up.

Maggie held me down and glared at me. aIall tie you to this bed if I have to,a she threatened.

aHey, nice bedside manner,a I grumbled and looked at both men.

aBridget was in on it from the get go, along with Tim and Russell,a I said.

aWhy?a Peter asked in a quiet voice and sat on the bed.

aMoney,a I replied.

aWell,a Constable Reardon said. aTim Devereaux has at least three counts of murder to his discredit.a aAnd an attempted murder, mainly mine,a I added and glanced at Peteras sad face. aIam sorry, Peter. She fooled everyone and I mean everyone. She said she had this planned for years.a I stopped and closed my eyes. My head was pounding. aI donat suppose you found her?a Constable Reardon let out a deep tired breath. aThereas no way of knowing unless she washes up on sh.o.r.e.a He gave Peter a sick look. aSorry.a aI understand,a he said.

It was then I thought of it. aHey, Bridget had signaled a boat.a All three of them looked at me. aWhat boat?a the constable asked.

aThatas how they were going to get the trunk off the sh.o.r.e. When the tide came in, whoever was out there was going to pick them up. Tim signaled him. I watched him.a aWe saw nothing,a Peter stated.

aThere was no boat out there,a Constable Reardon said.

I looked at Maggie who nodded. aI didnat see one, but then I was a bit preoccupied watching you wrestle that woman right into the ocean. What happened?a I took a deep breath. aI heard the gun go off and heard her m.u.f.fled scream, then I lost her.a aG.o.d rest her poor soul,a Peter said and stood very stiffly. aWell, the museum people will be here shortly. Iad best go get ready for them.a He smiled and patted my leg. aRest for a bit, Kate. Then come down. I wouldnat want ya to miss any of this.a He and Constable Reardon left. Maggie sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on my cheek.