Uncle Raymond’s face turned redder than ever. “Why would you have done that?”
Aunt Hazel cleared her throat before Arthur could respond. “Forgive me, but who is Eunice?”
“Oh, forgiveme,” Arthur began, “I’m sure that does need some explaining. Eunice is Eugenia, but she doesn’t go by Eugenia anymore, so everyone will need to address her as Eunice from this point forward. Except Georgette, of course, who prefers Sunshine.”
Before Aunt Hazel could say anything more than “How very curious,” Uncle Raymond began making his way across the music room, every thump of the cane lending credence to the idea the man was furious.
“It doesn’t matter what the girl is calling herself these days, Hazel. We have more important matters to discuss.” Uncle Raymond stopped two feet from Arthur and shook his cane at him. “You’re not a member of the family, sir, and you had no business taking it upon yourself to fetch my great-niece home.”
“Arthur was honoring the word he gave to Grandfather before he died to look after my best interests,” Eunice said before Arthur could answer. “Clearly, the only way for him to do that was to track me down. What I’m most curious about, though, is why you were planning a memorial service for Mother and me weeks ago when that investigator you hired brought you proof of our deaths just lastweek.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “Could it be that you’ve taken to consulting with fortune tellers and they let you know that you’d be receiving word of my death within the month, which then prompted you to begin making arrangements to have Mother and I buried once and for all, although without our bodies, which I assume everyone believes are in India?”
“They were supposed to be burned,” Mrs. Wagner said. “That’s standard practice, or at least that’s what I’ve been told, to dispose of the dead in India.”
“And wouldn’t leave a shred of evidence behind,” Ann muttered from where she’d stepped directly behind Eunice.
“Indeed,” Eunice said before she turned back to Uncle Raymond. “Explain the death certificates.”
“There’s not much left to explain. The investigator gave me his report and then Mrs. Wagner took that report to Mr., ahh...”
“Jonathon Matthews,” Mrs. Wagner supplied.
“Right, Jonathon Matthews. Mr. Matthews decided everything was in order and signed the certificates. As has been mentioned, he was unable to officially file them because he was called out of town on a family emergency.”
Arthur cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I fear with all the disclosures being tossed about regarding investigators and Butte officials that I’ve neglected to mention something that’s relatively important.”
Given the gleam in Arthur’s eye, Eunice was fairly certain he hadn’t neglected to mention whatever it was out of negligence, but out of timing.
She refused a smile. “And what would that be?”
“Jonathon Matthews didn’t leave on a family emergency. I senthim a telegram from New York.” Arthur turned to Uncle Raymond. “I had a feeling you might begin taking steps to have Eunice declared dead before I had a chance to find her and bring her home. Since Jonathon Matthews is the Butte official responsible for death certificates, I decided he needed to be unavailable in Butte for the foreseeable future.” Arthur smiled. “He’s currently enjoying some fishing and is not due to return for another few weeks.”
“You bribed him to go away?” Uncle Raymond asked.
“Without a second’s hesitation, and I made the bribe large enough to where he couldn’t refuse my fishing suggestion.”
Eunice felt the distinct inclination to throw her arms around Arthur and kiss him soundly, and not on the cheek this time, but refused the inclination because that would definitely distract from the drama that was currently unfolding in the music room.
“It’s probably fortunate those certificates weren’t filed,” Cooper said, moving across the room to join Eunice before he flashed his badge in Uncle Raymond’s direction. “I’m Agent Cooper Clifton of the Pinkerton Agency, and while it’s one thing to fabricate an investigator and an investigation report, it’s quite another to file fraudulent death certificates, especially when there’s reason to believe the persons in question are probably not dead.”
“You’re a Pinkerton man?” Howard asked, stepping forward and looking closely at the badge Cooper held out to him. He turned to his father before Cooper could do more than nod. “This is where you and everyone else in this room stops answering questions.”
“But we were just uncovering all sorts of family nastiness,” Eunice said. “If you ask me, refusing to answer additional questions is a clear mark of guilt if there ever was one.”
The silence that settled around the room spoke volumes.
“I suppose I’m simply going to have to puzzle this out on my own,” Eunice said, taking a few moments to pace around the room as she tried to sort through the jumble of tidbits her family had disclosed, which weren’t many. She stopped pacing and frowned.
“What I think happened so far is this—when Arthur broughtin geologists to survey the old Green farm, it was discovered that there’s a huge windfall coming to Mason Mines. Because of that windfall, you”—she gestured around the room—“my beloved family, turned greedy.”
She began pacing again. “Clearly, plans were set into motion not long after that copper was discovered because I have to imagine word about the copper got out. A find like that would surely draw investors, so I needed to die, as did Mother.”
“Alice and I didn’t know anything about any copper find,” Doris said, speaking up.
Alice nodded. “We don’t even understand copper.” She glanced to Cooper. “But to be honest here, Agent Pinkerton man, we didn’t question the deaths, even if, now that I consider the matter, the timing does seem somewhat suspicious.”
“Too right it does,” Eunice agreed, arching a brow Uncle Raymond’s way.
Uncle Raymond gave a tug of his tie. “Since those death certificates weren’t filed, it seems to me that there’s been no harm done.”
