Vincent’s smile turned rueful. “I must admit it was not a longing I knew I had.” He gestured around the store. “This was actually a gift from Mother. After you left, I had no pupil to teach, and she grew concerned that I’d gravitate to the mining industry because of my engineering degree from Harvard.” He shook his head. “Since I’m her only child, and she dotes on me, she decided to provide me with a different way to earn a living. Mother is very dear to me, so how could I refuse her generous gift, or worry her by pursuing an occupation that would cause her sleepless nights?To my delight, I’ve discovered I have a knack for the book business, and sales have been robust from the moment I opened my doors.”
“How lovely for you,” Eunice said as she looked around. “You seem to have an extensive inventory, which does suggest your business is booming. And given the size of this building, I have to agree that your mother does dote on you because this must have cost her a pretty penny.”
Vincent considered Eunice for a long moment before he inclined his head. “On a fishing expedition, are you?”
“Perhaps.”
“I would expect nothing less, given what I know to be a keen sense of curiosity lurking in that astute mind of yours. However, if you’re setting your sights on me or my mother, you’re fishing in the wrong pond. Neither of us has anything to do with the Mason family saga.”
Eunice frowned. “Your mother had a direct hand with the death certificates that could have seen my inheritance stripped away from me.”
“She’s Raymond’s secretary. Of course she had something to do with the death certificates, but it was at his direction. Perhaps your time would be better spent fishing in Raymond’s very large and, need I add, murky pond.”
Given the way Eunice’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, it was obvious Vincent’s reply hadn’t satisfied her curiosity, but instead of pressing him on the matter, she sent him a sweet smile that was so unlike her that Arthur found himself hard-pressed not to laugh. “Perhaps that’s exactly what I should do. And since we’ve gotten that out of the way, I find myself in need of a good read. Would you direct me to your Jane Austen section?”
Vincent suddenly looked as if he’d smelled something rank. “This is more of a literary bookstore, and as such, I don’t stock romantic drivel.”
“And yet Jane Austen books sell remarkably well, and one would think, being a businessman, you’d be mindful of your bottom line—unless, of course, you and your mother are independentlywealthy. If that’s the case, it demands all sorts of questions, such as where your wealth came from, or more specifically, if any of that came from my grandfather.”
Any hint of affability disappeared from Vincent’s face. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about my mother and your grandfather, but it’s not a subject I’ve ever discussed with her, which means I can’t speak to the terms of their financial arrangement.”
“She wasn’t mentioned in his will,” Eunice said, the sweet smile remaining firmly on her face, which was in direct contrast to the scowl Vincent was settling on her.
“Something we also never discussed, but I’m going to caution you against speaking about the matter with my mother. She always claimed James was the love of her life, and she suffered greatly after his death—and not simply because she wasn’t remembered in his will.”
Before Eunice could respond, Vincent spun on his heel and stalked away, disappearing through a door at the back of the store and then slamming that door shut.
“Vincent and his mother definitely go on our list,” Eunice said, taking Arthur’s arm. “And I will be asking Mrs. Wagner where she got the funds to purchase this bookshop.” Her lips curved as they strolled through the store. “And before you ask, Vincent should go on the list simply because there’s something shifty about a bookstore owner who doesn’t sell Jane Austen.”
“I’m not going to argue with logic like that,” Arthur said, walking out of the store and heading toward Doris and Alice’s candy shop.
It took them far longer than it normally would to reach the store because they were stopped every few feet by Butte residents who recognized Eunice and wanted to tell her how delighted they were that she wasn’t dead. Each and every resident would then launch into what a wonderful job the Mason family was doing with improving Butte, while also making sure to mention that they hoped she was going to continue with the improvements now that she was back and was the majority owner of Mason Mines.
“Word seems to have gotten out about my return as well as the contents of Grandfather’s will,” Eunice muttered as they made their way into the candy shop.
“The town always knew you were left the majority of Mason Mines,” Arthur said quietly. “But after Hazel and Raymond began pouring money into the town to improve it, people stopped questioning where you were or if you were going to return and embraced your family because they were finally getting the town they always felt James should have provided them with, what with the fortune he acquired with his mines here.”
“Do you think we’re looking in the wrong place and it was a disgruntled miner or town citizen who could have killed Grandfather?”
“Let’s hope not,” Cooper said, moving up beside her after having kept a discreet distance from her ever since they’d reached town. “That would make our investigation almost impossible to complete. Seems to me, from what I’ve overheard people saying about James, your grandfather was not liked by many people in Butte.”
“He was a difficult man,” Eunice agreed before she waved to Doris, who was standing behind a counter and looking less than pleased to see her cousin.
“We’ve come for a tour,” Eunice all but chirped, which was very unlike her and earned her a wrinkle of the nose from Alice, who’d just stepped out from behind a large barrel filled with lollipops.
“You came to snoop,” Alice corrected. “Father told us you might, but we’ve got nothing to say about any murder because, if you’ve forgotten, Doris and I were attending boarding school when Great-Uncle James died.” She shot a look to Cooper. “That’s what’s called an airtight alibi, or so my father said.”
Eunice smiled. “I’ll be sure to take you off the list of suspects straightaway.”
“We were on a suspect list?”
“I’m afraid you were, but now you’re not.”
Less than five minutes later, Arthur found himself back on thesidewalk, escorted in a not-very-subtle manner by both Doris and Alice. “That went well.”
“I should have known Howard would caution them not to say anything,” Eunice grumbled before she took a bite of the chocolate Doris had thrust at her as she’d shoved her through the candy shop door. “Oh, this is heavenly. And while we didn’t learn anything of worth about the murder, we did learn that Doris and Alice aren’t married because they believe the suitor pickings are slim in Butte.”
“We also discovered Hazel is the one who taught them how to make candy,” Ivan added, tucking the large box of chocolates he’d purchased for Judith into the satchel he’d slung over his shoulder. “I never knew Hazel knew her way about the kitchen.”
