“He had nothing to do with the truck,” Jake stated firmly.
“Hey, I believe you.”
After a moment Jake inclined his head. “I thought the fact that Matt once stole your car might still…rankle.” Especially since the policeman had left a gun in the car that was later used in a murder.
“You can stand down, Papa Bear,” Lee said with an infectious grin. “I don’t hold grudges. I’m looking for answers, not pointing fingers.”
Jake decided it was hard not to like the affable policeman.
“The chief may have already asked you this, but did you know about the root cellar when you bought the estate?”
“No. There was a decaying gazebo close to that spot. I took some pictures of the grounds when I first purchased the land.”
Lee’s expression lit up. “May I see them?”
As they passed the bar, Ben waved at them from behind the large mahogany counter where he was inventorying stock. Jake inclined his head and led Lee up to his makeshift office. The upstairs was sparingly furnished in used pieces, many of which had come from the original estate. The attic was still filled with items the family hadn’t wanted. Jake hadn’t had time to go through it all.
Lee Garvey peered around curiously, but Jake offered neither an apology nor an explanation. The furniture might not be much, and he’d made no attempt at any homey features, but the place was clean and his files were neatly organized. Without hesitation, Jake pulled out the pictures he had taken shortly after buying the Perry estate.
“If you look closely, in this shot you can see the remains of the foundation for what I believe was the old servants’ quarters. Right about here is where the parking lot caved in.”
The picture clearly showed the gazebo inside the area that must have been an outbuilding. The gazebo was nearly rubble from the same lack of care the rest of the grounds had received.
“As you can see, the outbuildings had all been torn down before I bought the estate.”
“At least this explains why the root cellar was so far from the main house. It went with the servants’ quarters and not the main house.”
Jake said nothing.
“May I borrow these for a few days?” the officer asked.
“I have the negatives.”
“Even better, thanks. I’ll return them.”
As the two headed for the stairs, Matt came running up to the second floor. “Hey, Jake!”
The teenager stopped dead when he saw the police officer. All trace of youthful exuberance faded from his expression. His features became wary and instantly defensive.
“Officer Garvey needed some pictures of the original grounds,” Jake explained softly.
“Oh.”
Surprisingly, the policeman showed his sensitivity by waving the negatives and smiling at Matt as he moved past him down the stairs. “Hi, Matt. Thanks again, Mr. Collins.”
Matt followed the man’s progress with an adult watchfulness that saddened Jake.
“What was your good news?” he asked the boy.
Matt watched the officer move out of sight before he turned back to Jake. Some of his earlier excitement returned. “I made a starting position with the soccer team.”
Jake relaxed.
“The coach said I’m really fast on my feet.”
Not surprising considering the life of crime he’d been heading toward, Jake mused silently.
“I have to keep my grades up to stay on the team, but the coach organized a mentoring program. If I have trouble in a particular area, he pairs me off with another student…”
Jake listened intently. Thankfully, a boy still lurked inside the street-smart young man. Matt was a bright kid. He needed a break and someone who cared. Jake planned to see to it he got both.
“Do you have time to eat lunch with me?” Matt asked. “It’s okay if you don’t.”
“I’d like that,” Jake said sincerely.
Matt beamed. “Since we only had a half day of school, I’m going to meet a couple of older guys at the school to get in some extra practice. Is that okay?” he added as an afterthought.
“‘Older guys’?” Jake asked mildly.
“Two of ‘em are seniors.”
“Ah. Their advice should be invaluable.”
“Yeah. The coach was gonna try and sneak away from the teacher meetings to come and give us a few pointers.”
“Then we’d better see if we can get the cook to feed us quickly.”
But when they reached the dining room, they found Officer Garvey still inside, talking with a large table of customers. Matt stiffened. Jake laid a supportive hand on the boy’s shoulder.
General Marcus Perry, out of uniform but looking every inch his rank, sat at one of the large tables with his entire family. As far as Jake knew, it was the first time any of the Perrys had set foot inside their old family home since it had been converted.
Except Eugene. The general’s son had started hanging out in the bar with Thad Osher and a few of the other regulars in the evening.
The mayor was speaking animatedly while her aunt stared in pale-eyed confusion at the once-familiar room.
“Why’s he still here?” Matt muttered.
Jake knew the boy was referring to Lee Garvey. “He needs to ask questions so they can identify the bodies.”
“They’re just skeletons.”
Jake nodded. “I know.” As they watched, the policeman took his leave. “I have to greet that table. Why don’t you order us both a couple of burgers? Tina can serve us at table six.”
“Okay. Can I order a milkshake?”
Jake’s lips twitched. “Order two.”
Matt grinned and raced off toward the kitchen. Jake donned his formal host persona and approached the table. While he’d never met the general in his military capacity, Marcus Perry had sat in on the hearing where Jake had been called in to testify against his son, Eugene. A prank had gone awry and the men involved had found themselves facing a disciplinary hearing. While there had been nothing personal in the testimony—Jake hadn’t known Eugene—the man hadn’t forgotten and Jake doubted the general had, either.
“Good afternoon. I trust everyone is enjoying their meal.”
Cindy Lou Baranski smiled affably, but then, she was coming up
