Whisper of Bones (Widow's Island #3)(12)

“Yes, but the property has been sitting vacant for years,” Marybeth said.

“Who purchased the property?” Tessa asked.

“Roger Duvall.” Marybeth turned back to the desk. She pulled the drawer with the broken latch open fully.

Logan didn’t recognize the name.

“Did Roger have issues with Jason?” Tessa asked.

Marybeth thumbed through the files. “Jason was hard to get along with, but the renovation work he did at the inn was excellent. There isn’t another carpenter on the island who could have done what he did to that old farmhouse, and Roger knew it.”

“Did Roger pay?” Logan wondered about money.

“He was fully up to date with payments.” Marybeth nodded.

“How long have you worked for Jason?” Tessa asked.

“Eleven years,” Marybeth said. “I will miss the steady paycheck. It was a nice supplement to my retirement income.”

“But you won’t miss Jason?” Logan asked.

“Sadly, no.” Marybeth shook her head.

Tessa asked, “If Jason was so terrible, why did you stay with him for so long?”

Marybeth made a pshaw sound. “Lots of reasons. I was too old for him to hit on. I liked the job, and the hours were perfect. Also, he wasn’t actually in the office that much. He spent most of his time at the jobsite and left me alone to do the administrative work. Lastly, when I first took the job, I made it clear that I wouldn’t put up with any of his bullshit temper tantrums. He learned to behave himself.”

Yep. Marybeth Springer was a gem.

She looked up from the files. “I heard someone set the house on fire intentionally. Is it true he was killed here?”

It was impossible to keep anything quiet on the island.

“I’m afraid we can’t comment on an active investigation,” Tessa said. “Do you have Jason’s computer and email passwords?”

“I can give you access to the company’s emails, et cetera.” Marybeth reached for a notepad on the desk and began making a list. “But Jason never gave me the passwords for his personal accounts or computers. All the years I worked for that man, and he was still very secretive and suspicious.”

Tessa tilted her head. “Do you know why?”

Marybeth ripped the top sheet off the notepad and handed it to Tessa. “Jason had at least one affair. He was sleeping with Sarah while he was still married to Heather.”

Logan thought of Sarah’s bitterness at her husband’s apparent disinterest. “Do you think he was cheating on Sarah?”

“Who knows?” Marybeth rolled her eyes. “He could have been sleeping with every woman on the island. I couldn’t care less. Although I did feel bad for his first wife, Heather. She deserved better.”

“But not Sarah?” Logan asked.

“Sarah is a gold digger,” Marybeth said in a matter-of-fact voice. “She got exactly what she bargained for.”

Logan remembered Sarah’s seemingly fake grief.

Marybeth tsked. “Jason always acted as if I was spying on him. As if I had the time or interest to pry into his personal life. In my opinion, the most suspicious people are also the guiltiest.”





5


Tessa’s phone beeped as she drove away from Jason’s office. She glanced at the screen and read Kurt’s number, then answered the call. “You’re on speaker, Kurt. Logan is here.”

“I just spoke with Jason’s Seattle attorney,” Kurt said. “The will is as Sarah McCoy stated. She gets the marital assets and splits the rest of Jason’s estate with his two sons. She was telling the truth about the prenup as well. If she had divorced him, all she would have gotten was half of the assets accumulated since they married. Their house is mortgaged to the roof, and they have more credit card debt than cash. His protected assets, however, including investment, retirement, and business accounts, total nearly two million dollars. Jason was worth much more to his wife dead than alive.”

Just as Tessa had suspected.

“Thanks, Kurt. Would you please pull background information on Peter Evans and Roger Duvall?” Tessa asked.

“Will do. I’ll let you know when I have more information.” Kurt ended the call.

Tessa sent Bruce a text and asked him to report to Jason’s office to help Marybeth. The younger deputy was good with computers. While he was there, he could dig into Jason’s laptop.

“Let’s talk to Jason’s first wife,” Tessa said.

North Sound was the main tourist town on Widow’s Island. Tessa stopped at Heather’s address, a small house on the outskirts of town, but Heather wasn’t home. “We’ll try the Taproom. Maybe she’s working.”

Tessa continued into North Sound and made a right at the Black Tail Bakery. Her stomach rumbled. She checked her watch. “It’s lunchtime.”

“I could go for a sandwich.” Logan rubbed his sternum. “And maybe an apple fritter?”

Tessa turned into the bakery parking lot. Logan ran inside and bought two sandwiches and an apple fritter to split. They ate as she drove out to the Harbor View Inn, a luxury resort with views of Harlot Harbor. The Breakneck Taproom was located inside the inn.

Tessa ate the last bite of the fritter as she parked in the hotel lot. She wiped the sugar from her fingers and stuffed the crumpled napkin into the paper bag. “That’s better.” She reached for the manila folder Kurt had given her earlier. Flipping through the pages, she said, “Heather is pretty boring. The worst thing in her record is a speeding ticket.” She scanned the rows of cars and spotted a ten-year-old Honda Civic. The license plate matched Heather’s vehicle registration. “There’s her car.”