detailsâweight, size, all of that. Give me your e-mail address before I leave. I do want to reiterate that I am treating this like a murder, since it is a death during a robbery. But according to the coroner, Thom had a fatal heart attack during the attack. He didnât suffer.â
I was grateful that Chief Paisley took such care to make me feel better. I wasnât sure if he could really know that, but I didnât push. I had to believe that G.T. didnât suffer.
âThere is some evidence that someone was in the shop with Thom that night. Pat confirms that he took out all the garbage before he left work that evening. We found two coffee cups in the trash the next morning. That alone means nothing.â
âAnd DNA?â I asked. Too many crime show reruns had made me an expert.
âDNA testing takes a long time and weâd need DNA to compare it to. And the person in the shop may not be the perpetrator. Pat says he doesnât think any clocks are missing, but he canât be one hundred percent sure. I havenât sharedthe evidence about the pendulum with him yet. Iâd appreciate your checking to see if one is missing.â
âI will, as best I can.â
âThank you. If the pendulum came from the shop . . .â
âThen the killer was with G.T. in the shop before the murder,â I said, finishing his sentence. He nodded his head, and I felt a shudder.
âDo you have any suspects?â I asked.
âYes and no. There are a number of people who could have been in the shop. But someone who is also a murderer? I need to figure out the motive before I can find a suspect. And right now, that is challenging.â
The shop phone rang.
âGo ahead and take it,â the chief said. âIâll just look around up here a bit. Do you mind?â
âNo, of course not,â I said. I picked up the wall phone that hung to the right of the staircase.
âHello?â I answered.
âRuth, itâs Caroline Alder.â
âHello, Caroline. Are you feeling better?â I asked. Her voice sounded raspy, but I couldnât hear her breathing.
âYes, thank you. Listen, I forgot to mention this. Your grandfather had an appointment with Stephanie Lincoln over at the Berkshire Real Estate Group. Sheâs been working on getting the shop appraised.â
âWere you planning on selling?â I asked.
âOrchardâs been changing. Iâm sure you see that. Someone offered Thom a sum for the shop. Thom mentioned it to Ben, who said the shop was worth twice the amount.â
âBen? Barber Ben?â I asked.
âYes, that Ben. Iâm glad youâve met him. He and Thomhad become good friends. Of course, itâs hard not to like Ben. Anyway, Thom decided heâd see how much it was worth. And then he became a bit obsessed. He started to look into what Orchard property values were and to compare them to other towns.â
âWhy?â I asked.
âWhy.â Caroline sighed. âThatâs a big question. Thomâs been restless this past year. Percolating ideas, most of which I didnât know about. Stephanie Lincoln may know more. She specializes in historical properties.â
âHistorical properties? Like the Cog & Sprocket?â
âYes. And on the pros and cons of getting a home declared a historical landmark.â She paused, waiting for my reply. âAnyway, you may want to keep the appointment. Your choice of course. Itâs at four oâclock, I think. The appointment card is in the corner of the desk calendar.â
âGreat, Iâll check it.â
âRuth, why donât you plan on coming by for dinner this evening?â
âOh, Iâm sorry, I already promised Iâd go to the Reeds for dinner.â
She paused for a moment. Did she think Iâd cancel the Reeds for her? Not a chance. âWell, how about lunch tomorrow then?â she