Tightrope (Burning Cove #3)(44)

“Amalie—”

“Also, Miller Road is not marked. You might miss it. I, on the other hand, know exactly where that old auto court is located.”

“You do know how to make your point.”





Chapter 27


Brandon was waiting for them outside the cabin, a cigarette hanging from the edge of his mouth. He frowned when he saw Amalie.

“Miss Vaughn? What are you doing here?”

“One of my guests was murdered recently and someone broke into my inn,” she said. “Under the circumstances, I’ve got a right to know what is going on.”

“No,” Brandon said, “you don’t.”

“It’s all right,” Matthias said. “She’s with me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go inside,” she promised.

It would have taken a great deal to make her enter the cabin, she thought. She had insisted on accompanying Matthias, but now that she was here she was having second thoughts. The miasma of death wafting through the doorway rattled her nerves. From where she stood she could see the body on the floor. No, she was close enough.

Brandon shrugged and looked at Matthias. “This makes two murders linked to Luther Pell’s business concerns. Got any theories yet?”

“I’m working on one.” Matthias angled his chin toward the battered Ford. “Hubbard’s car, I assume?”

“As far as we can tell,” Brandon said. “Before you ask, yes, we checked. Nothing in the trunk.”

“He took the train to Burning Cove,” Matthias said. “Where did he get the car?”

“Got no idea. No report of a stolen vehicle in town, though. I can tell you that much.”

“Whoever set him up must have provided the getaway car,” Matthias said. “I need to take a look around inside the cabin.”

Brandon shoved his fedora back on his head. “Help yourself.”

Matthias moved into the cabin and stopped just inside the doorway. “I don’t suppose you found a suitcase?”

“No,” Brandon said. “The only thing interesting in there is the body.”

Matthias moved into the room. He did not stay inside very long. When he reappeared, there was a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

“It’s not just the suitcase that has gone missing,” he said. “There’s no sign of the trunk.”

“What trunk?” Amalie asked.

“According to the manager of the Palace, Charlie Hubbard arrived from the train station with the crate that contained the robot and a theatrical trunk.” Matthias glanced back through the partially open door. “I’m sure I know why the suitcase is gone, but why is the trunk important?”

“Damned if I know,” Brandon said. “Have you seen enough?”

“Yes.” Matthias took Amalie’s arm and steered her toward the Packard. “Thanks for letting me know about Hubbard.”

“Sure.” Brandon grunted. “Any friend of Luther Pell’s and all that.”

Amalie did not speak until she and Matthias were in the convertible and headed back toward the inn.

“You think the Ares machine was inside the suitcase?” she asked.

“Yes. It makes sense. That suitcase we saw onstage during the robot demonstration was about the right size to hold a machine shaped like a typewriter.”

“Why are you interested in that missing theater trunk?”

“When Chester Ward took the back plate off the robot, the inside was crammed with wires and gears and motors. There is no way a man could have hidden inside. In addition, I agree with Chester’s opinion of the engineering that went into Futuro. The robot is not a particularly advanced machine, technically speaking. It’s conceivable that it could have been rigged to fire one shot if someone had placed the gun in its hand and positioned the target properly onstage. But it’s highly unlikely that the thing could have adjusted its aim after Pickwell fell to the floor.”

Understanding shafted through Amalie.

“You think there was a Futuro costume in that missing trunk, don’t you?”

“That’s the only explanation that makes sense and fits all the known facts,” Matthias said. “The killer, dressed as Futuro, went onstage, acted the part of the robot, murdered Pickwell, and grabbed the suitcase.”

“Pickwell must have known that the Futuro we saw onstage was really someone dressed in a costume.”

“Of course he knew,” Matthias said. “He had to be in on the plan, at least up until the point where he got shot. I’m sure that came as a surprise. He probably believed that Charlie Hubbard was inside the costume. Hubbard had to be involved, too.”

“Maybe it was Charlie Hubbard who murdered Dr. Pickwell.”

“That was one of my theories, but now that Hubbard has been shot dead in the same professional manner, I have to consider other possibilities.”

“Professional manner?”

“Two shots. Both were kill shots and both hit the target. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks, not when you’re under pressure. Whoever gunned down Pickwell and Hubbard had some experience in the business of murder.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Amalie said. “I don’t think I hit the intruder even once the other night.” She paused, thinking about what Matthias had told her. “So there was someone else besides Hubbard backstage that night.”