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Brogan wasn’t sure she wanted to share Vera’s connection to Gidget yet. The woman might not even have a link. But she decided on the spot that these were two people who should be able to keep a secret. “If I tell you, I’d like you to keep the information between us.”
Logan lifted his butt to sit on the edge of the receptionist’s desk and studied her. “Sure. Kinsey and I are used to keeping things between us. Does this have anything to do with the Jane Doe case?”
“It does. Lucien and I received information this morning about how Vera felt guilty all these years ago for watching the girl get off a train from Denver but didn’t offer any help to her at the time. Vera felt like Gidget was a runaway. I’m not sure why this woman felt guilty about it, though. But the incident definitely stuck with her for over four decades. The question is why. Why did Vera Lockhart feel guilty about not helping a stranger? I keep thinking Gidget had to know someone here. Or Gidget thought she did. Nosing around might have gotten her killed.”
“Interesting,” Kinsey murmured as she plopped into one of the chairs. “I’m not sure this is helpful or relevant, but when Ms. Lockhart first approached me about doing her will, it was fairly straightforward.”
“When was that?”
Kinsey checked her notes from the folder. “Last December, right before Christmas. Her first visit to me was on the 18th. But here’s the thing. Three weeks later, a week into the New Year, Ms. Lockhart called me, suggesting she wanted to add a codicil.”
“That’s like an amendment or some type of addition to the main will, right?” Brogan speculated.
“Exactly. In this case, she still wanted to split the proceeds of the sale of her property—the house on Beacon Lane—between the Fanning Rescue Center and the animal shelter. That was the bulk of her estate, the largest part. No problem there. But she wanted to leave the seventy-five thousand dollars in the bank to a third individual.”
“She told you that? Who was it?”
“I don’t know. Ms. Lockhart never followed up or came in with the information. Over the next few months, I called her several times, left a message. Then it started to feel like I was nagging her like an ambulance chaser or something. The point is she ignored my calls. I even went to her house one afternoon after I picked up the kids from school, but she didn’t come to the door. Anyway, she died the first week of March without naming the third-party individual. I made Keegan and Cord aware of this, thinking that maybe Ms. Lockhart had mentioned to them that she wanted to give the cash to someone else. They both said they were unaware she planned to leave them anything. Ms. Lockhart had not spoken to them about her will at all. But everyone who knew her knew how she felt about rescuing animals and wildlife. It was something she had done for twenty years. I mean, the woman had four cats and two dogs. Cord ended up with all of them. It took him two months to find them good homes.”
“Did she ever mention a relative?”
“No. I asked her about that the day she signed the will. She specifically told me then she had no family anywhere. She was very adamant about it. That’s why I was so surprised she wanted to add the amendment. I drew up the paperwork on my laptop, got everything ready ahead of time for her to drop in. All I needed from her was a name for the third party and Ms. Lockhart’s signature on the amendment. It never happened.”
“That is weird. How did she die?”
Kinsey opened her file folder and picked through the paperwork until she found a copy of the death certificate. “According to the coroner, she died in her sleep. A neighbor found her still in bed in the back bedroom on the first floor. Because of the steep steps, she hadn’t used the upstairs bedroom for a decade.”
“That’s so sad.”
“I took it from there and made Keegan and Cord aware of the will. I can tell you they were both shocked to learn about her generous donation. The look on their faces said it all.”
“Do you think there’s any way Lucien and I could take a look inside her house? Not by ourselves. Keegan and Cord could be there to show us around.”
“Ask them. I’m out of the loop. Legally, the house belongs to the rescue center and the animal shelter, as does the cash in the bank. It’s up to Cord and Keegan what they do with the money as long as the funds go directly into the proper accounts. The Fannings set one up decades ago. Cord started his 501 charitable foundation—in this case, his animal shelter—almost five years ago. I know because I helped him draw up the paperwork. So, like I said before, the entire thing has gone through probate and was signed off by the court. It’s a done deal. If there is a third party out there, that person is out of luck or would need to contest the will. If they don’t come forward, we may never know who it is.”
“You still want us to keep this quiet?” Logan asked.
“I think so. The fewer who know about Vera, the better our chance is to catch a break in this case. And we could use one. We need all the available good karma out there to find out who this girl was.”
“Don’t worry,” Kinsey said. “I don’t like talking about my clients to anyone. Unless Brent comes knocking with a warrant or, in this case, it pertains to a long-ago murder and my client happens to be deceased.” She winked in Logan’s direction. “We’re aware of how fast gossip gets around town. For us, that’s ancient history. By now, we’ve passed that stage when all eyes are on us. We’re no longer the focal point of rumor and innuendo. Now we’re just old married folk with kids.”
“But speaking of the rumor mill,” Logan began, “your showing interest in the house could spark any number of neighbors to talk about it.”
Brogan let out a sigh. “I need inside that house to go through Vera’s cubby holes if she had any, desk drawers, or a hidey-hole where she kept her private papers.”
Logan shifted on the desk. “What are you looking for exactly?”
“That’s a great question. I’m not sure—anything that might tie Vera to Jane Doe—or any part of her past that could link her to the girl. Here’s what I’m thinking. Maybe Ms. Lockhart had a child she gave up. Maybe that’s why she hung on to the memory of seeing a runaway get off a train. Maybe it triggered something inside her. I don’t know. Who knows what secrets a person carries around with them? Whatever she had going on, I believe her reaction forty years in the making was extraordinary, maybe bordering weird.”
“You’re saying she was discussing this teenage girl recently before she died? That’s what you’re implying,” Kinsey pressed.
“Yep. Something about Gidget Jane Doe stuck with her. I can’t imagine what that would be.”
Logan stared over at his wife before pivoting back to Brogan. “There’s something you should know about your Gidget Jane Doe case. It’s unrelated, but I think it bears mentioning.”
“What’s that?”
“My grandparents used to live here before they died. My sister and I spent every summer here with them, surfing, swimming, fishing, and hunting with my grandfather. It was an idyllic time in my life.”
