Lost Legacy (A Zoe Chambers Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

him? To her mother, she said, “Wasn’t there a connection to James Engle?”
    Kimberly flung the dress she’d been unpacking down on the bed and faced Zoe. “The police said that Uncle Vernon and Uncle Denver fought over a woman and that it was a murder-suicide. But we all knew James Engle was responsible.”
    Tom crossed to Zoe and took her by the shoulders. “Your mother’s tired. Can’t this wait until later?”
    Funny. Kimberly didn’t look tired to Zoe. “It’ll just take a minute. Who thought Engle was responsible? And why?”
    “My mother for one. That was our family farm. It should have gone to her in their wills. But for some reason, the wills had been changed a few months before Vernon and Denver died, leaving everything to James Engle.”
    Whoa. There was a lot more to the story than Zoe had known. “When did all this happen?”
    Kimberly looked to Tom. “How long was it? Forty? Forty-five years ago?”
    He sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “Closer to forty-five.”
    “Why all the interest in family history?” Kimberly asked.
    Zoe thought about the gruesome body hanging from the rafters the night before. “James Engle was found hanged in his barn yesterday.”
    Kimberly’s eyes widened and she looked at her husband. “Oh my God. Tom? I’m so sorry.”
    Sorry? Zoe stared at her mother, then at Tom. “What’s going on?”
    Kimberly touched his shoulder and their eyes met. “There was a time when Tom looked up to James almost like a father.”
    Four

      
    Pete hobbled across his kitchen to answer the pounding at the door. His damned ankle still hurt like hell. He’d promised Franklin he would be at the morgue by nine. The last thing he needed was company to delay him further.
    He swung the door open to find a grandmotherly version of the Pillsbury Dough Boy wearing a pink t-shirt and khaki shorts. Sylvia Bassi, his former police secretary turned township supervisor, didn’t wait for an invitation and bustled inside.
    “I got your message,” she said. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
    He’d expected her to call him back. Not simply drop in. But he sure wasn’t about to tell her that. He closed the door to block out the heat of the morning sun. “Did you hear about James Engle?”
    “Yes, I did. Terrible thing. I can’t imagine how much agony he must have been in to end it that way.” She shivered.
    Pete took one step on his bad leg, gritting his teeth against the pain, and eased into a chair. “What do you know about the Miller brothers?”
    “The Miller brothers? Good heavens, you’re going back a few years.”
    “That’s why I called you.”
    “Pete Adams, are you insinuating I’m old?” Sylvia planted her plump fists against her ample hips.
    “I would never insinuate such a thing. But you’re the biggest local history buff I know.”
    “Bullshit. I am old. That’s why I know my history. I lived it. Let me think. The Miller boys were bachelors. Quite the ladies’ men. Handsome devils, the both of them.”
    Pete wondered about the faraway twinkle in her eyes as she took a seat at his dining room table.
    “It was a tragedy. Rumor has it they got into a fight over a woman.”
    “What woman?”
    Sylvia opened her mouth. Shut it again. Scowled. “There were rumors galore at the time, of course. But I don’t think anyone ever narrowed it down. Anyhow, apparently Vernie shot Denver. Then, when he realized what he’d done, Vernie hanged himself.” Her eyes widened. “It all happened in that barn. The one from yesterday.”
    “That’s why I asked about it. Was there any connection between the Millers and the Engles?”
    Sylvia tapped one finger against the table’s surface. “Well, one of the Engle boys worked as a hand on the farm for several years before this all happened. When the wills were read, there was some sort of dust-up because Vernie and Denver left the farm to him instead of their sister and her family.” Sylvia stopped tapping and