Pepper, the Highlander & the Dead Guy

He turned to me, and I spoke before he could reprimand me. “The thief is looking for whatever fits the key.”

“Key?” my dad asked.

“The key found in Struthers room,” I said and cast a quick glance to Ian. “I was going to tell you, but then supper with Amy and Beau came up and I didn’t want to talk about it then, though Amy does know. She’s the one who found out.”

“Found out what?” my dad demanded, looking confused. “Explain, Pepper.”

I didn’t keep him waiting. “Amy talked to Edwina, William Struthers’s secretary of fifty years. He was Robert Struthers’s uncle. It seems that William was a longtime friend of Max Macgregor and that all business dealings between the two had been done in complete confidence. Even Edwina hadn’t been privy to the documents. William died after suffering years with dementia and Edwina had been asked to go through old files of his and see if any needed attention. That’s where she came across an envelope and an old key. A letter was included that instructed it was to be given to his nephew—Struthers, our dead guy—and he was to be told to handle the contents of the envelope, regarding Max Macgregor, accordingly. That’s the key you have, Dad, and whatever that key fits was probably what the person was looking for here.”

“I should hire Amy,” my dad said, and I had to agree with him.

“You probably should. She’s good at talking with people.”

My dad looked to Ian. “So, Ian, do you have any idea about what that old key might fit?”

Ian shook his head. “I haven’t seen the key so ah cannae say.”

“I’ll bring it by tomorrow around ten and we’ll see if we can find anything,” my dad said. “Are you sure nothing has been stolen?”

“My safe was not only untouched but hadn’t even been located. And all other valuables are still packed away.”

“That would mean it wasn’t a burglary. And thinking on what Amy discovered, that piece of letter I found here could have come from the papers inside the envelope Struthers had been given,” I suggested. “The paper appeared older, and it had the name of the town where Struthers law office was located. Maybe something in that letter directed him here and in his search a piece of the letter inadvertently got torn off.”

“She does make a good point, Dad,” Josh said.

“Of course, she does, she always does. It’s why she beat me at that mystery game so many times. She sees things others don’t and pieces them together quickly.

I smiled at the glowing compliment.

My dad shook his finger at me. “Don’t go smiling. You have no business being involved in this murder case.”

“Your dad is right,” Ian said.

I was surprised to hear him agree with my dad. Whose side was he on anyway?

“That point was made clearer to me earlier this evening,” Ian said, “when you reminded me that Struthers knew your name when he supposedly took the wrong turn to your house. It wasn’t a wrong turn. He’d been there for a reason, which means you could very well be in danger.”

“That’s it you’re finished,” my dad ordered. “You stay away from this case.”

“I’ll make sure extra patrols go by her road,” Josh said.

“I’ll send you both,” —my dad looked from Josh to Ian— “the link to the cameras so you can keep an eye on her house and property.”

“Oh no you won’t. You do that and those cameras will come down ASAP. I won’t be spied on,” I protested and waited for his usual response.

“You want my hair to get whiter than it already is?” my dad asked, tapping his head.

And there it was. “Your hair has been white for a long time, Dad, you need to get something new to blame on me.”

He shook his finger again at me. “An ulcer. What about an ulcer?”

“How about hemorrhoids,” I joked, “since I’m such a pain in your as—” I bit my tongue, knowing if I said it Josh would tell our mom and I didn’t need a lecture from her. Besides, my dad didn’t find it funny from the look he gave me, so I tried appealing not only to his sensible side, but I stroked his Dad ego as well. “I’m good at solving mysteries because of you, Dad. I watched and learned and when we put our heads together no one can beat us. Working together is the best way to keep me safe.”

I was glad when my dad held up his hand, stopping Josh from saying something that could possibly be detrimental to me.

“A crime scene is no place for family squabbles, and you do make a good point, Pepper. Having you involved with this investigation might be the best way of protecting you.” He looked to Josh. “Now it’s about time we did our job.”