“You’re right. I know you are, but the crime didn’t happen in Salem, so it’s out of our jurisdiction. Yes, we’re licensed PIs in this state, but no one’s hired us to look into the case. Whoever the killer is has a lot to lose. We’d be putting a bullseye on our backs. What do you want to bet the murder is tied up in the missing money?”
“Totally agree. Maybe we could follow the money without raising too much of a ruckus.”
“If you ask me, Brighthouse’s suicide tied the missing money up in a neat little bow,” Jude said, taking a seat next to Fitzgibbon. “Everyone assumed he took a dive because he’d been the one who stole the money and was about to be caught.”
“Yeah,” Ronan agreed, “but the money was never found. If Kotter had taken it, wouldn’t Mary Lou have known how to find it?”
“Not if he was taking the money to run away from her or to keep her from getting it in a divorce,” Fitz said.
“According to Mary Lou, they were poor as church mice after Kotter died. There was no life insurance payout because of the suicide. The only reason she has a pot to piss in now is because her second husband is loaded.” A nice reversal of fortune, Ronan thought.
“It’s obvious Baxter doesn’t have it either, or he would have used it to reopen the park without having to work his contacts for donations. Which also begs the question what happened to the park after Brighthouse died? How were taxes paid on the property after it was closed down for good?”
“A lot of those places don’t pay taxes,” Fitz said. “Jace explained that since the park is a cash cow that brings in a ton of money to the local economy, there are often tax benefits offered to keep the organization happy. Disney doesn’t pay taxes either.”
House of Mouse was raking in a lot more money in one day than Fun-A-Rama made all summer long. Not to mention all the jobs it added to the economy, but Ronan could see why a tax break would be offered in this case. They were cashing in on the notoriety of Salem and the postcard-perfect towns nearby, like Gloucester and Rockport. “What do you say to doing a little research tonight after dinner? We’ll check out all the news articles about Brighthouse’s death and whatever else we can find out about him through his social media, if he had any, and that of the park itself and its employees. Following the money might be a bit harder with no warrant, but let’s try to find out who did the audit that discovered the missing funds. People might be willing to speak to us off the record.”
“I’m in,” Jude said.
“Me too,” Fitz agreed. “Let’s do what we can to keep Everly out of this.”
Ronan nodded along. No one knew better than him that Everly was the person the spirits seemed to open up to, kind of like the neighborhood mom who gives advice and warm hugs to her kids’ friends. He, Jude, and Fitz could do their damnedest to keep her out of this case, but if the spirits wanted her involved, it was out of Ronan’s hands.
14
Tennyson
“Daddy,” Everly called. “I need help!” She stood in front of the lane with a blue bowling ball in her hands.
Ten snorted. “What the hell ever made her think I was the athletic parent?”
Cope shook his head. “Bowling isn’t so much about being athletic but having good aim.”
“Yeah, I’m lacking that too.” Ten got up and hurried over to Everly.
“I’m losing, Daddy. Woofie is kicking my butt. I need you to help me so I can be a winner.”
“You’re always a winner, honey.” Ten offered his daughter a hug.
Everly frowned. “Help now. Hugs later.”
Ten burst out laughing. “Here’s some advice. When you throw the ball, all you’re doing is concentrating on how hard you can bowl it. Do you see the arrows on the floor?” Ten pointed.
“Yeah.” Everly kept her eyes on the alley.
“Aim for the one in the middle. Try focusing on the headpin instead. Hitting that will cause a chain reaction. You can do it. I know you can.Youknow you can.”
“I’ll try one more time.” Everly headed back to the lane with fresh determination in her eyes.
Ten crossed his fingers as Everly swung her arm and let the ball go. It didn’t bounce this time and sailed down the center of the lane. Everly jumped up and down, urging the ball forward. It crashed into the first pin and sent all the others tumbling down.
“I did it!” Everly shouted. “I got a strike. Take that, Woofie!”
All the kids mobbed Everly, sharing in her triumph. Even Wolfie, who took her competitive streak in stride. Nothing much bothered the little boy. He was usually mellow, unless you were mean to his friends, and then the wolf came out.
Ten sat back down with Cope and reached for his now-flat soda. “This tastes awful.”
“If you were their age, you’d love it.” Cope laughed at the confused look on Ten’s face. “These kids are gods today. Having fun with their friends, learning a new game, eating all the junk food they want, without a care in the world. What would you give to go back and have a day like this?”
