Nightingale Way: An Eternity Springs Novel (18 page)

“Let me guess. Murphy was a proud Irish drunk and wouldn’t take charity.”

“Exactly. So, he believed he sold Lucien his mountain, but the earl had the paperwork written in such a way that it was a lease, not a deed.”

“This whole thing blows my mind. I can’t quite take it in and … Wait a minute.” Cam’s head came up. “What about Eagle’s Way?”

“Technically, it’s built in Waterford Valley, which always has been Davenport property.”

Cam nodded, and then his eyes widened in alarm. “Holy hell. Does this mean I’ll be responsible for taxes on a whole mountain?”

“Yes, but it’s nothing for you to worry about. Lucien set up a trust and it’s still funding expenses. It won’t be a problem for you.”

“But …” Cam rose to his feet. Shock gave way to pride. “No. No, sorry. You can’t do this. That’s charity and I’m no charity case.”

“No, you’re a head case. It’s a legacy. Daniel Murphy
saved Lucien Davenport’s life. Put a value on that and see who got the better deal.”

“I’m a head case?” Affronted, Cam braced his hands on his hips. “You’re the head case, cuz. Who here recently almost committed suicide by motorcycle?”

“I didn’t—”

“Hey, you two,” Sarah Reese interrupted. “What’s with the serious looks?”

Jack glanced around to see Sarah approaching with Cat at her side. Cam sucked in a deep breath. His stare held Jack’s, who said, “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t be stupid if you won’t be stupid.”

Cat began whistling the tune to “Impossible Dream,” which made Sarah laugh as she slipped her arm through her fiancé’s. Cam looked down into her eyes and the tension seemed to drain from his body. “You won’t believe what Jack just gave me.”

Cat gestured toward the pages Cam held in his free hand. “Those look old.”

“They are old.” Seeing the interest in her eyes, Jack said, “Cam, I have an idea. Since the
Eternity Times
is doing a special Cam Murphy Day edition, I think you should give Cat an exclusive interview. Let her break the story that the big mystery has been solved.”

“What big mystery?” the women demanded simultaneously.

Cam nodded. “That’s an excellent idea, Jack. I know that all of Sarah’s friends will be interested in this. Why don’t we all meet somewhere in an hour, and I’ll spill the beans to everyone at once.”

“At the
Times
office,” Cat said. “Let’s say around seven?”

“What’s this about?” Sarah asked.

“Patience, my love,” Cam told her. “Give Sage and Nic and Ali a call. Celeste, too.”

“Give me a hint.” Sarah batted her eyes at Cam.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

“That’s okay. Go ahead and spoil it.”

“No.”

Sarah pouted and muttered, “Spoilsport.”

“Now, if you want to revisit that decision about waiting until our wedding night …”

Jack interrupted. “I think Cat and I will mosey on over to the newspaper office while the two of you negotiate. See you at seven.”

Once they were away from Sarah and Cam, Cat asked, “So what
is
this all about?”

From out of nowhere, a proposition similar to Cam’s hovered on Jack’s tongue. He bit it back. Barely. When his ex-wife reached out and slipped her arm through his, touching him voluntarily—an extraordinarily rare event—and turning warm green eyes his way, he had to bite back the suggestion again.

Literally.

Excitement hummed in the air of the
Eternity Times
office at seven p.m., especially among the women in the group. Jack had confirmed to Cat that the letters he’d given Cam contained the answer to the mystery about how Daniel Murphy’s “Lost Angel” had died and how her remains had come to be interred behind a false wall on Cavanaugh property. However, he refused to share it with Cat prior to the seven o’clock gathering, the dirty dog.

The Timberlakes and Raffertys arrived together, followed shortly by the Callahans and Cam Murphy and Sarah Reese. As they waited for Celeste to arrive, they discussed the day’s events and took turns teasing Cam about having been the star of the day.

At five minutes after the hour, Celeste blew in issuing apologies for being late. “Had a minor emergency with a guest at Angel’s Rest. She lost a necklace, and I helped her find it. That’s why I’m running late. So, what did I miss?”

“Not a thing,” Jack told her. “We waited for you.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Cat asked, “May I offer you something to drink, Celeste?”

“Thank you. I’d love a cup of black coffee if you have any brewed.”

“We have a fresh pot.”

Cat poured the coffee, then took a seat at the computer in order to directly enter her notes for the article she would write. The men made themselves comfortable leaning against the wall or the counter; Sage, Ali, and Celeste took the other two empty chairs in the room. Sarah and Nic each sat on the corner of empty desks. Once everyone was settled, Sarah said, “Okay, gentlemen, spill. What big mystery have you solved?”

Jack answered, “We know who murdered the Cellar Bride.”

“I knew it!” Sarah slapped her hand against the desk. “Who?”

“Hold your horses, sweet cheeks,” Cam said. “There is a story behind this, so we’re going to tell it from the beginning. Jack, you’re up.”

Jack repeated the information he’d told Cam earlier regarding how the letter he’d given Cam that day had come into his possession. After that, Cam took up the storytelling by saying, “I’m going to read the letter to you. Okay?”

“Okay!” the women said, impatiently.

Cam opened the letter with a flourish.
The man’s as much ham as shark
, Cat thought.

“To Daniel Murphy’s heir. It is to my great regret that Daniel has already passed from the earthly plane as I compose this note. I would have preferred to sit down with Daniel and our friend Harry Cavanaugh to solve the problem in which I now find myself embroiled. As it is, I have made a decision based upon friendship and a similar debt owed to two different men. I beg you to understand, sir or madam, that this choice was not easily made. Enclosed, please find the letter I have recently received.”

Cam shuffled the papers. On the second page, Cat
caught a glimpse of a feminine hand. Cam said, “This letter is signed Elizabeth Blaine Cavanaugh.”

“Where does Elizabeth Cavanaugh fit in the family tree?” Nic asked, glancing toward Ali.

Ali thought a moment. “As I recall, Elizabeth was married to Harry Cavanaugh Senior. The one who helped found Eternity Springs. She’d be Cam’s grandfather’s grandmother and my grandfather’s grandmother, too.”

“Wait a minute,” Cat said to Ali. “You are related to Jack and Cam, too?”

“My mother’s maiden name was Cavanaugh.”

“We can get the lineage down later,” Sarah said, impatience in her tone. “Read the letter, Cam.”

“Now, sweetheart, why don’t—”

“If you tell me to be patient one more time, you’ll live to regret it, Cam Murphy.”

Again, he gave the pages a theatrical flourish, then continued, “Dear Lord Monfort.”

“Who’s that?” Nic asked.

“Lucien Davenport, Earl of Monfort,” Cam replied.

“How do you know that detail?” Gabe added.

“Jack told me.”

“Read the letter!” Cat and Sarah demanded simultaneously.

Cam continued, “I lie on my deathbed burdened by a secret I have kept for many years. As I await the arrival of my priest to hear my final confession to the Almighty, I recognize that I owe the truth to those good souls still among us who would wish to know the grievous sin I must confess. To my shame, the most important of these are already lost to this world. I have chosen not to share my admission with those he left behind because the term ‘good soul’ in no way refers to him.”

Glancing up, Cam clarified. “The ‘him’ to whom she
refers, I believe, is Brendan Murphy, Daniel’s son and my great-grandfather.”

“I’m definitely gonna need family trees before I write this article,” Cat murmured.

Cam continued, “Many years ago, after I married Harry Cavanaugh and our son, Harry Junior, was born, my family—my parents, my sisters, my younger brother—traveled to Colorado from St. Louis to see me. During that visit, my brother developed an unhealthy fascination for Miss Winifred Smith.”

“Whoa,” Sage said. “A brother. Did we ever know about a brother?”

“I don’t recall one,” Nic replied.

The women all looked at Ali, who shrugged. “I haven’t investigated the Blaine genealogy. So, was the brother the killer?”

Cam picked up where he’d left off reading. “On the day that Miss Smith was to wed Daniel Murphy, my brother lost his mind. He abducted poor Miss Smith and kept her hidden in our root cellar. On the seventh day of her captivity, she managed to free herself of her bonds and she ambushed Alan when he arrived with her daily meal, hitting him over the head with a jar of pickled beets.”

“Pickled beets?” Colt Rafferty muttered.

Cam’s mouth twisted with a wry grin and he continued to read. “My brother went crazed. As Miss Smith fled for the stairs, he pulled his pistol and shot her dead.”

Nic commented, “The theater group will need to rewrite their play for next summer’s production.”

“Pauline Roosevelt will be thrilled,” Ali added. “As the unofficial town historian, she’s never approved of the fictional account.”

“There’s more,” Cam said. “Do you want to hear it?”

“I do,” Celeste said, both her voice and her expression unusually subdued. “I hope Elizabeth Blaine offers an
explanation of why she allowed dear Daniel to suffer the slings and arrows of suspicion for a crime committed by another.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed. “Dear Daniel?”

Celeste lifted her shoulders in a shrug, but she kept her gaze focused on Cam, who continued to read. “My brother was beside himself. He wasn’t an evil man, truly he wasn’t, but his unrequited love for Miss Smith was a poison within him. Once he realized what he had done, he came to me and confessed and begged me for my help in keeping his secret.

“I didn’t want to see my brother hanged. I feared the damage to our family reputation, damage to my children. Eternity Springs was at times a cruel place, and in those days, Daniel Murphy was beloved. It is to my great regret that I acceded to my brother’s request. Even worse, I pulled my husband into our conspiracy of secrecy and in doing so, caused him to betray his friend. With my Harry’s help, we saw Miss Smith laid to rest in the place where she died, along with a symbol of the betrayal we committed.”

Cam glanced up. “Wasn’t there a stack of silver bars found with the Cellar Bride? And that’s where Celeste gets the silver for her Angel’s Rest medals?”

“Yes, she was entombed with thirty bars of silver,” Ali said. “So, the mystery is solved. I figured the killer had to be connected to the Cavanaugh family in some way since she was found in the Cavanaugh House root cellar.”

“What else does Elizabeth have to say, Cameron?” Celeste asked.

“Not much. I read the important stuff. She apologizes and asks for Lucien’s forgiveness, then tells him to use the information as he sees fit. That’s not all the news in this letter, though. Jack, you want to tell them the
rest of it? I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it.”

Jack nodded and Cam handed him the letter penned in Jack’s ancestor’s hand. He read, “We will never know if learning the truth about his Angel’s disappearance would have changed the path of Daniel’s life. He remained a troubled soul until his death, and unfortunately, his son, Brendan, followed in his father’s footsteps. My inquiries into the state of affairs in Eternity Springs has revealed that serious discord exists between the current Cavanaugh and Murphy heirs. It is for that reason that I have chosen to keep secret for now the news of the fate of Winifred Smith, Daniel’s Lost Angel. I fear that were the truth to be revealed, history might repeat itself in that passions may overcome good sense and destroy lives. Thus, I have charged my own heir with the task of monitoring the situation in Eternity Springs and revealing the truth in its entirety at the appropriate time, to the appropriate person.”

Cam interjected, “Note the ‘truth in its entirety’ part. It’s important.”

Jack nodded, met Cat’s gaze, then finished reading the letter aloud. “I was with Daniel Murphy when he first set eyes upon the land that came to be known as Murphy Mountain. I watched his dream being born. He loved his mountain, he loved the town that he helped build. He loved the people who settled there.

“With the delivery of this letter into the hands of a righteous heir of Daniel Murphy, our family returns what we have held in safekeeping and preserved for your family in the name of friendship. The Mountain is yours once again.”

It took the gathering a few minutes and further explanation by both Jack and Cam to grasp the news, and then the office erupted into excited questions and conversation. Observing the exchange, Cat noticed that Celeste
grew quietly teary-eyed. Concerned, she approached her and asked, “Celeste, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no. Nothing is wrong, dear. Everything is finally right.” A beautiful smile blossomed across her aged face as she added, “I’m so happy for Daniel.”

Daniel, not Cam. Cat thought about the remark a little while later as people took their leave. Once only she and Jack remained in the office, she voiced her concern. “Celeste seemed a bit confused tonight, did you notice?”