He reached the shop and walked in through the front double-doors. Men’s voices were heard, but Denton couldn’t tell which direction they were coming from because of the echo. Several wooden canoes and rafts were displayed, and some were still being built. The tools of the tradesman were hanging on the walls.
Denton continued walking through the building until the voices grew louder. Then he recognized Terrance. The man’s height and red hair were easy to detect. Terrance was talking to another man who appeared to be one of the workers at this shop by the way he was dressed. The conversation between the two men didn’t look pleasant at all. Terrance’s face was red, and as he spoke, he moved his arms wildly around.
Slowing his steps, he listened intently, but the echoing made it almost impossible to hear anything. He detected the phrasesyou owe me, andno more deals, from the boat worker. Terrance said something to the effect ofthis time it’ll work,andyou’ll be sorry.Whatever kind of deal the two arguing men were trying to make, Denton felt it wasn’t good. He had a feeling Terrance was trying to convince the man to give him money, and the man refused.
His movement must have captured the boat worker’s attention because the man snapped his gaze toward Denton. That, of course, made Terrance turn and look. Anger was the man’s first expression, and when he noticed Denton, his whole countenance changed, as if Terrance was two different people. Denton highly suspected the man led a double life. That could be the only explanation as to why Terrance felt the need to kill his father.
“Denton Reed!” Terrance smiled and walked toward him. “What a surprise it is to see you here.”
Denton shook hands with his friend and tried not to let his feelings show because Terrance would be suspicious. “I heard from your father’s servants that you had traveled here, and they didn’t know when you would return.”
Terrance’s eyes widened. “Do you have news of Miss Mills?”
“That’s why I’m here.” Denton tried smiling, but it wasn't easy. “Do you think we can talk privately?”
“Yes.” Terrance turned back to the other man. “We’ll finish our business later.”
The middle-aged man huffed, turned, and walked away. Denton could read people well enough to know that this man didn’t want to finish their business later.
Terrance followed Denton outside, but they stayed near the front of the building.
“Have you arrested Miss Mills yet?” Terrance asked with entirely too much excitement.
“No, I haven’t.”
Terrance scowled. “Then tell me you found the person who murdered my father.”
“I think I have found that person, but it’s not Miss Mills.”
Growling, Terrance bunched his hands into fists and paced the ground. “Of course, it’s her. She is the only one who had any reason to kill him.”
“Perhaps, but because she isn’t strong enough to lift the marble bust of George Washington and whack it over your father’s head, that right there tells me she’s not the killer.”
Terrance stopped and glared at Denton. “What are you talking about?”
“Our killer must be strong enough to pick up the bust, lift it high enough over their head, and have the strength to bring it down hard and hit it over someone’s head.” Denton sighed. “Miss Mills isn’t that strong. Your sister, Louise, is stronger than Courtney, and even your sister couldn’t lift the bust that high.”
Denton studied the man’s eyes. A hint of panic laced his brown eyes, and Denton prayed it wouldn’t be difficult to arrest this man.
“Fine, then Miss Mills didn’t do it. So, who did?”
Slowly, Denton expelled a breath as he began pacing. “After ruling out Miss Mills and your sister, I did some checking around, and I discovered that the person who killed Albert Greenwood was after his money.”
Terrance snorted a laugh, sounding very much like Louise when she did that. “His money? Are you joking?”
Denton stopped and met his friend’s gaze. “Not at all. In fact, after I had come to this conclusion, I realized I had three more suspects. In order to weed out the killer, I dug deeper and even visited with your father’s lawyer.” He paused, waiting for his friend’s reaction. Just as Denton expected, panic was the emotion on the man’s expression now.
“Do I want to know what you concluded?” Terrance asked in a tight voice, slipping his hands into his coat pockets.
Denton folded his arms. “Why did you do it, Terrance? Was getting your inheritance important enough to kill your father?”
Terrance laughed forcefully. “Me? You think I killed him?”
“No.” Denton paused briefly. “I don’tthinkyou killed him. Iknowyou did.”
“You’re wrong. I didn’t do it. My sister should be the one arrested. She was the one who hired a man to kill our father.”
Denton nodded. “I’d suspected that was the case. However, I also know that the man she hired didnotgo through with his assignment. I’m guessing it’s because you had interrupted him.”
