Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13) Read Online Free PDF Page A

picture on the driver's license was that of a young man, just about Polly’s age, with jet black hair that curled around his ears and big, dark eyes. Ethan Carter was a good looking young man. How did he end up in Iowa? She poked her fingers in the plastic so she could look inside the wallet and saw that there was nearly two hundred and fifty dollars. So he wasn't killed for his money. There were credit cards, punch cards, and store reward cards, but no photographs that she could see.
    "Was he married?" Polly asked.
    Aaron shook his head. "No wedding ring, but that doesn't mean anything. Anita is checking the Taos area for family connections and missing person reports. We're just beginning our investigation. But I wanted to speak with you first, Beryl, just in case he was someone that you knew."
    Beryl nodded and then swiped her hand across her forehead. "You had me really worried, you know. It's not fair to do that to an old lady." She crossed her legs. "I could have embarrassed myself."
    Aaron chuckled and put his hand out for the wallet.
    Polly directed Rebecca's eyes to the photograph and raised her eyebrows. Rebecca gave a slight nod and Polly reached across the table to put the package into Aaron's hand.
    "What else do you know about him?" Polly asked. "He's not married. Was there a weapon or anything? Do you know how he was killed? Was that his blood on the gravestone? Has anyone reported an abandoned car with New Mexico plates? Do you have his cell phone? Anything?"
    "No weapon," Aaron said. "We'll know more later." He looked over his shoulder at Polly. "But not later today. I don't know when the autopsy will be finished. There was no cell phone and as for an abandoned car with plates from New Mexico ... you're kidding, right?"
    She shrugged. "I don't know. It's something I'd notice."
    Beryl jumped to her feet. Everybody looked at her.
    "What?" Lydia asked. "Are you okay?"
    "My aunt. She's done a lot of genealogy for our family. I wonder how deep her information is." Beryl sat back down again. "Aw hell. She hates me and I don’t want to talk to her anyway."
    She reached forward and patted Aaron's knee. "I'm sorry if I got your hopes up."
    "My hopes?" He was confused.
    "Genealogy."
    He shook his head, still not understanding.
    Beryl chuckled. "You're telling me that you didn't follow my train of thought?"
    Aaron laughed with her. "I guess not. What are you apologizing for? What am I hoping for?"
    "If I can get hold of some of her genealogy charts, we might find out if this young man is part of another branch of my Carter family."
    "I see," he said. "I suppose that's one way to investigate this."
    She grinned. "Well, it's the way my mind worked it out. But it might take a few days. We aren't on the best speaking terms."
    "Who isn't?" Andy asked. "You and your aunt?"
    "No. Well, yes. Actually, me and all of the cousins on that side. They think I'm daft and I think they're redneck idiots. Not a bright bulb in the bunch."
    "What did you do?" Lydia asked.
    "I told them all to go rot in hell. It's been about twenty years now, but my feelings haven't changed." She huffed out a chuckle. "Theirs might have, though. They are dumber than a pile of pea gravel and by now, they've probably forgotten everything." Beryl sported a wicked grin. "It really wasn't a fair fight. There were only six of them and one of me."
    Lydia looked at Beryl in shock. "Why would you do something like that? They're family."
    "You know my family." Beryl glared at Lydia. "But, it was a long time ago and they made me angry. I don't even remember what it was all about, but there were some nasty comments about my side of the family. Stupid hillbillies think they're better than the rest of the world. They don't even know what it means to be better than the rest of the world."
    She'd wound herself up, rising off the chair. Lydia put her hand out and Beryl realized what she'd done. "Okay, okay. I can't talk about them. But if I have to talk to them, I will.