Murder at the Lakeside Library Page 14

  Rain turned to her and leaned her weight against the counter. “I miss my grandfather,” she said wistfully. “I’m starting to lose things he used to say to me. You know how one day that suddenly happens? After you lose someone you love?”

  Marge nodded knowingly. “Yes. Yes, I do.” She reached out and tapped Rain affectionately on the arm. “I can still hear your grandfather’s voice sometimes … He was a character that fella.” She looked off to a faraway place that Rain would never be able to join.

  Rain nodded in the direction of her grandfather’s book lying atop the counter. “I’m looking forward to reading his novels and getting to know him on a deeper level this summer. I’ve heard the old saying that writers “write what they know.” She threw her fingers up in air quotes. “Maybe I’ll learn to know him as an adult, something different from my childhood memories.”

  Rain couldn’t discern the peculiar look that washed over Marge’s face and the sudden stiffness in her spine. It seemed the older woman was suddenly holding back or something she’d said had upset her, and she couldn’t understand why or what.

  Marge confirmed it when she said, “I probably should be getting home. I don’t particularly like driving after dark, and it looks as if dusk is upon us.” She pointed to the window. The orange sun was slipping quickly out of sight as if the water was soon going to swallow it. In the same way, Rain felt totally in the dark of generational family secrets that even Marge seemed privy to. And she was desperate to shine a light on them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rain jammed the SUV into park and then reached into the backseat for the bucket filled with cleaning supplies and two sets of rubber gloves. “Thanks for reaching out to the Browns. I mean, it’s a bit of a stretch, telling them you were starting a cleaning business, but it worked. I guess we’d better do a bang-up job to convince them they hired the right pair, huh.” She feigned a laugh.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Julia squished her face as if she’d just smelt something putrid, like rotten garbage. “Maybe we should’ve just asked Jace to bring us over here to check things out.” Julia stopped brushing the emery board across her fingernails, and then tossed the nail file on the dashboard after blowing the dust from her fingers. “I guess I could use the extra money, but cleaning wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for a side job this summer, thank you very much.” Julia bounced her eyebrows and then grinned. “The lengths I go to for my friends.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

  “Hopefully, this will be our one and only hired cleaning job. Besides, after the way your brother was acting at dinner last night, I highly doubt he’d just let us snoop in Thornton’s rental to our hearts content. Do you? What are the chances? Like less than zero?”

  “I know. I know. Highly unlikely,” Julia said blowing out a deflated tone as she shut the door of the SUV and walked to the front of the Browns’ estate carrying a bottle of window cleaner in one hand and a full roll of paper towel in the other.

  “Actually, I’m surprised the police cleared the house as of part of the crime scene already. Aren’t you? They must’ve taken all the evidence they needed from here, you think?” Rain looked up to take in the large two-story colonial. The black shutters looked as if they’d been recently been replaced, flanking numerous windows that filled the front façade. She lost count and gave up after counting ten windows. She inwardly hoped they wouldn’t all need to be washed. Julia would be so upset with her if that were the case.

  Julia readjusted the roll of paper towel in her hand as it looked as if she was soon to drop it. “The owner of the rental, Jeremy Brown, is friends with the chief of police. Jeremy insisted he needed to put the house back up for rent for the summer. This is prime-o season, you know. I guess when you have friends in high places, you can pull all kinds of strings.”

  “I wish your brother would let us pull his strings. Then we wouldn’t have to be hired cleaning help to get inside here,” Rain said teasingly.

  “Right? So much for that!”

  Rain waited and watched while Julia set her supplies down on the stoop and unlocked the front door. She took the extra time while Julia fiddled with the lock to crane her neck toward the neighbor’s house but didn’t catch a visual of Frankie.

  Julia’s head turned over her shoulder and did a double take as she caught Rain looking toward the neighbor’s house and said, “Don’t even think about it. Don’t tell me, you want to offer to clean Frankie’s house, too, in order to get in there.” She huffed. “It’s NOT happening.” Julia gathered the window cleaner and tucked the paper towel under her arm while she held the door wide for Rain to step inside ahead of her.

  “Hey … now, that’s not a bad idea!” Rain grinned and elbowed her friend.

  “The things you get me into, lady.” Julia shook her head dismissively.

  “Me? I seem to remember it was you that got us into trouble as kids.” Rain shot a finger in Julia’s direction. “Remember the time we went out in the kayak after dark? After your father gave us strict orders not to. Man was he ticked at us. I don’t think he warmed up to me for like a week after that incident!” Rains eyes grew wide. “I didn’t think he’d ever talk to me again!”

  Julia laughed, slapping her knee with the roll of paper towel. “I forgot all about that! Too funny.”

  “Oh, not me. It’s seared in my memory!” Rain laughed as she pointed to her forehead.

  Their collective focus shifted when the two turned and took in the space they had just stepped into.

  “Wow, I wasn’t expecting this,” Julia said, moving deeper into the house. “It’s different than viewing the house lakeside, that’s for sure.

  “This is beautiful,” Rain agreed.

  The oversized living room was decorated in monochromatic hues in varying shades of white and off-white furniture and walls. The muted color scheme allowed the panoramic view of the outdoors to catch immediate attention. The large window bathed the room in sunlight.

  Rain instantly noticed the striking blue-green color of Pine Lake out of the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the rear yard. “What a view!” she said, as a magnetic pull caused her no other choice than to walk over to the window to take a closer look. Sparkles danced atop the water and shimmered in the light like dancing jewels.

  Julia whistled simultaneously. “It’s gorgeous,” she sighed. “Breathtakingly beautiful, what a view.” She let out a sigh. “Man, I’d kill for it.”

  Rain snapped her head toward Julia. “Bad timing on that comment there, friend.” She teased.

  Julia covered her mouth as if she could take the comment back, but it was too late.

  Rain pulled back the gauzy looking floor-to-ceiling curtain further and noticed Frankie out tinkering by his boat. The man was turned away from the house, bent over the back of his motor. “Hey, I found him,” she whispered even though the two friends were indoors alone. “He’s out on the Lund.”

  Julia must’ve known exactly who the “he” was that she was referring to, because she plucked the back of Rain’s shirt to back them away from the window after joining her there. “We’d better back off before he catches us watching him.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m gonna go talk to him.” Rain walked over to the screen door leading to the lake and was halfway out of it when she heard Julia’s squeal behind her. “Wait! Now? We have a huge house to clean! Don’t offer any more services, you hear me! This is the last house I’ll clean for you! I’ll stay back in case I need to dial 911!”

  Rain walked with purpose to the neighboring property and Frankie was so preoccupied with his engine work on the Lund that he didn’t even regard her until she stood a foot away from him, standing on his dock.

  “Hello, excuse me,” Rain cleared her throat.

  Frankie rose to his full height to greet her. The man was taller than Rain remembered, and when standing within arm’s distance, he trumped her in height. His arms bulged from his T-shirt, f
illed with a lengthy tattoo that she couldn’t place. And the weathering of his face made his true age show. “Something I can help you with?” He wiped greasy hands on an aged hand towel as he waited.

  Rain swallowed. She suddenly wondered if she should’ve made Julia join her for back up as she struggled for the right words. “I just wanted to offer my condolences …” she stuttered “… for your neighbor … Thornton.”

  His eyes narrowed. “And you are?”

  “Oh.” Rain wiped sweaty hands on her legs to dry them before offering a hand to shake. “I’m Rain.”

  “Rain?”

  “Yeah, like the storm,” she looked to the sky and then back again, as she held her hand out waiting for him to take it.

  Instead, Frankie continued to wipe his hands with the towel. “I don’t think you want to do that. I’m a bit of a mess. The name’s Frank but Lakers call me Frankie,” he said, looking at his grease-covered hands, and Rain quickly dropped hers to her side.

  Rain waved a hand toward the house and noticed Julia standing at the screen door summoning her with her own hand for Rain to return. “That’s Julia,” she said when she noticed Frankie’s eyes follow to the back side of Thornton’s rental. “We’re just here to clean, so Jeremy can get the house back on the market to rent, and I didn’t want you to be concerned that someone was in your neighbor’s house, unannounced.” She cleared her throat again. This time, she noticed the burn in the back of her throat seemed to be healing.

  A look of understanding swept across Frankie’s face. “Ahh, I see, you’re here to clean.”

  Rain nodded.

  “Any suggestions of how to get blood out of carpet?”

  “Excuse me?” Rain could hardly believe what she’d just heard. Frankie must’ve seen her shock and continued.

  “My buddy bludgeoned a few carp and made a bloody mess.” He pointed to a dark stain on the floor of the boat next to what looked like a stained wooden club inside a bucket of rags.

  “Oh? Carp are starting to invade the lake again? I do remember that was a problem back when I was a kid. Ah, no. I’ve heard maybe club soda helps with wine stains but I’m sorry. I …” Rain gulped and took a step backward.

  “People don’t know when to quit or how to clean up their own messes, you know what I mean? That’s what I get for allowing that guy on my boat.”

  “Yeah, I hear ya, and speaking of that, my friend won’t want me down here gibber-gabbing. We have a large estate to tidy.” Rain rolled her eyes. “Well, again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Rain turned on her heel and was about to walk away when she heard Frankie utter under his breath, “not really …”

  Rain turned back to face him. “Did you say something?”

  “Hey, I’m sorry, that was wrong of me.” He tossed the soiled towel that he’d used to wipe his hands into the nearby bucket covering the blunt object. “He was a bit of a snob. A bit standoffish is all. I tried to be friendly with the guy, but I guess he just wasn’t having it. Ah well, not my place to talk ill of the dead. That’s not right of me.”

  “No, it’s okay, I’ve heard Thornton wasn’t too popular with the Lakers.” Rains eyes darted across the dock as she searched for the right words, then she went for it. “Didn’t like the guy, huh? Any reason why?”

  “I wouldn’t take it that far, it’s not that I didn’t like the guy. He was private is all. Hard to really get to know him, even after I’d offered him a few beers on several occasions. He did have one friend, though, that he seemed to get along with. I didn’t recognize his friend as one of the Lakers, though. Some German guy. I can’t remember his name; I only remember his family came over on the boat. I only talked to him once.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled sheepishly. “Anyway, I appreciate your condolences, but really, it’s not warranted.”

  “No, I get it.” Rain rushed, hoping she could get him to open up more. “I didn’t actually know Thornton either, but I heard he was frustrating a lot of Lakers. I guess I thought he got to you, too?”

  “Nah, the guy was harmless, just standoffish in my opinion is all.” Frankie waved a hand of dismissal. “The only time the guy rubbed me wrong when he got a little up in my business. Thought he could tell me and everyone else around here what was acceptable on their property. Hey, it’s my property. I can do whatever I please with it.” He flung his hand in the direction of his yard toward the thick pine trees.

  Rain nodded vigorously and then rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you’re not the only one,” she scoffed. “I hear he was after the campground, too. Wanted to tear it down and build a condo? The nerve of the guy!” She hoped by taking his side, she could get him to unload more.

  Frankie frowned. “Yeah, that would’ve never worked, Lakers wouldn’t have let that pass. Ahh,” He waved a hand of disgust. “Don’t even get me started.”

  “His friend? Who is he again?”

  “Some guy who speaks multiple languages, as if that was supposed to impress me. All hoity toity and dressed to the nines all the time like he was ready to attend a wedding or something. And he’d said these foreign words and I had no clue what he was saying or if he was talking about me. Give me a break. If you’re gonna live up here in the Northwoods, you gotta dress casual like the rest of us, and speak our language. This is our vacation spot, not a competition. Those types just get under my skin is all. Think they’re better than everyone else, well I tell you, they’re not. I work hard for what I’ve got!”

  A wave runner pulled up to the dock and a guy summoned with a whistle, “Hey Frankie! Tie me on!”

  “Hey, look, I gotta go, my mechanic is here to take a look at my engine. Nice meeting you, Storm.” Frankie said as he rushed over to dock the wave runner.

  “It’s Rain!” she uttered after him, but gave up, as he’d already turned away from her.

  Rain quickly took the cue for an exit and jogged up the backyard and then re-entered the house.

  “Well?” Julia said, with her hands on her hips. “What did you dig up on our guy Thornton? Please tell me you didn’t offer cleaning services to the entire neighborhood!”

  Rain grinned. “No worries there, I assure you, I didn’t offer to clean. Although he asked how to remove blood from his carpet,” she added with a smirk.

  “Come again?” Julia cuffed a hand by her ear and waited with eager expectation.

  “You heard correctly. He says the blood was from carp, but the other thing that kinda bothers me is what was sticking out of a nearby bucket. A mini baseball bat looking thingy. You don’t think …” Rain slowly rocked her head from side to side and chewed her cheek.

  “That it’s the murder weapon!” Julia gasped and then covered her mouth with her hands.

  “Could it be?” Rain grimaced.

  “Come on, let’s be honest here, no one would be stupid enough to leave a murder weapon out in the open for anyone to see.” Julia waved her hands dramatically in the air.

  “Yeah, of course not. We should take Frankie at his word. Right?”

  “Right,” Julia said, although not convincingly. “Innocent until proven guilty, and all that …” she added with a tad more conviction.

  Rain wasn’t sure she agreed with that last comment. Instead more thoughts tumbled from her mouth. “No doubt Frankie has the physical build to pull off a murder. The dude’s built like a brick house.” Rain said and then bit her lip to stop herself yet again. “And what if he’s so narcissistic he thinks he can easily pass off the murder weapon as a carp tool?” She was letting her imagination run away with her and thinking the worst of everyone around her. It was as if everyone she encountered was guilty, guilty, GUILTY. And this train of thought had to stop at the station. She breathed in deeply and said, “You know what, let’s just get on with what we came here for.”

  “Alrighty then. We’ll just have to keep diggin’ and see what Thornton’s beef was with the guy. If we find enough motive for Frankie maybe then we’ll be on to something. Until then, you h
ave no other choice than to take him at his word. Julia spun on her heel and then huffed. “Jumping Jehoshaphat this house is huge. We have a lot of cleaning to do.” Julia squished her face after her eyes rose to the elaborately high ceilings and then cornered Rain with a scowl.

  Rain blew a breath from the side of her mouth. “Yikes. We may have bitten off a little more than we could chew, huh?” she agreed with a nod and sheepish grimace.

  “Yep. I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Julia said placing her hands on her hips and surveying the space.

  “Sorry but not sorry about that,” Rain said with a wink. “You wanted to read a new mystery novel? Well, it seems to me, we’ve stepped right into one.” Rain mirrored her friend by slipping her hands on her own hips. “We’re bound to discover something in here. Where do you want to start?”

  “Jeremy said he wanted me to empty the refrigerator. One of his main concerns was that the leftover food would spoil. I can’t half blame him there.”

  “Oh.” Rain deflated and her hands fell to her sides. “That job alone could take all day.” She then surveyed the living room with fresh eyes. “To be honest, it’s not too bad. It’s actually quite tidy in here; I’m thankful at least Thornton was a neat freak.”

  Julia scanned the room and walked over to the side table next to the white couch where a golf magazine lay open. “Yeah, almost too neat? You know what’s missing here?”

  “What?” Rain moved over to join her.

  “I don’t see any personal photos. I mean, I understand this is a rental.” Julia threw her hand on a hip and leaned in. “But don’t you think it’s a little strange there are no personal snapshots? Of anyone? No one he loves. Who is this guy?” She spun around the room for another look. “It’s not like he was here for a long weekend. He lived here for months!” Her eyes traveled the walls seemingly looking for photos there, too, and she flicked a finger in the direction of a large sailboat painting. “Wouldn’t he display something personal?”