“Long distance, please,” he said.
When the long-distance operator came on the line he gave her the name and address of Maple Tree Farm. She, in turn, told him the initial charges. He fed the coins into the slots.
It took a few minutes to put through the call but eventually a man came on the line. He sounded like a secretary or clerk.
“Maple Tree Farm. How may I assist you?”
“This is Jonathan Feathergill calling for Dr. Hulton.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Feathergill. I’ll connect you immediately.”
A moment later a polished, professional male voice came on the line.
“Mr. Feathergill, I must say, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”
“A year and a half ago you informed me that my brother died while trying to escape Maple Tree Farm.”
“That is correct.” Hulton’s voice tightened. “We assumed he perished at sea. What is this about? Has there been some news?”
“Edward Feathergill not only survived that storm, he made it out to California and adopted a new identity. He called himself Morris Deverell and, as far as I can tell, he murdered at least three people before he was finally caught while attempting to kill a fourth victim. He tried to escape. This time he didn’t make it. You may have seen the stories in the press. The papers labeled him the Dagger Killer.”
There was a short, fraught silence on the other end of the line. Then Hulton heaved a weary sigh.
“I did see something about the Dagger Killer murders in the press,” he said. “It caught my attention, as I’m sure you can imagine. But there were no photos in the local newspaper. It considers itself a family paper. It does not print sordid pictures of deranged murderers. But I did check the name of the killer. When I realized the name was unfamiliar, I set my concerns aside.”
“Why did the story catch your attention?” Nick asked.
“Why, because of the daggers, of course. I remember very clearly that when you brought Edward to Maple Tree Farm you explained that your brother had used an antique dagger from your father’s collection to murder your mother. One doesn’t forget that sort of detail.”
Nick hung up the phone and called Raina Kirk in Burning Cove. He told her what he wanted. “You can reach me at the Pacific Horizon Hotel in Adelina Beach. That’s where Vivian and Lyra and I are staying while Vivian looks for a new place to rent.”
“It’s going to take some time to track down the people who might have the answers you’re looking for,” Raina warned.
“Do whatever you have to do. Please call me as soon as you’ve got something.”
“Of course,” Raina said. “How’s the shoulder?”
Nick glanced at his right shoulder. His shirtsleeve covered the bandage. “Better, thanks. Stitches will come out next week.”
“Lucky it was just a twenty-two. Not much stopping power.”
“I’m hearing that a lot.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Raina said. “You can tell Vivian I happened to walk past the Ashwood Gallery this morning on my way into the office. One of her photos was in the window.”
“She’ll be thrilled.”
“She certainly knows some interesting men,” Raina said.
“Don’t remind me.”
Chapter 43
The following afternoon Nick was drinking coffee with Vivian and Lyra in the hotel gardens when he heard his name.
“Long distance for Mr. Sundridge.” A page dressed in a snappy little cap and the livery of the Pacific Horizon Hotel strode briskly across the terrace, an ornate telephone in his gloved hands. “Long distance for Mr. Sundridge.”
Nick put down his cup and signaled the page. The young man hurried forward, set the telephone on the table, and plugged the cord into a nearby wall jack. He paused to give Rex a couple of pats and then sped off.
Nick picked up the receiver. “This is Sundridge. What have you got for me, Raina?”
Vivian and Lyra put down their cups and listened intently.
“I’ve got some answers,” Raina said, cool satisfaction edging her polished voice. “Luther is here with me. We just finished going through my notes. Jonathan and Edward were the two sons of Harold Feathergill, a wealthy New Yorker from an old, established family. Harold evidently took his own life when the boys were in their teens.”
“Evidently? The authorities aren’t sure of the cause of death?”
“Officially his death was an accident. He fell from a high window at his summer home. But my contact at a New York newspaper told me that rumors of suicide circulated widely at the time. You know how it is when it comes to suicide. Families go out of their way to cover it up.”
“Right.”
“My contact said there were a few other rumors about Harold Feathergill as well,” Raina continued. “Looks like he may have murdered a housemaid. Her death was listed as accidental, too, but the maid’s family refused to believe it. They claimed he killed the girl with, get this, an antique dagger. He owned a large collection of blades. After his death the collection went to his eldest son, Edward.”
“Who became Morris Deverell,” Nick said. “Like father, like son.”
“It was shortly after the housemaid’s death that Harold Feathergill apparently jumped out a window. However, Mrs. Feathergill was found dead a few months later. This time there was no doubt that it was murder. She was killed by a dagger from her husband’s collection.”
“Edward murdered his own mother.”
“According to the authorities, a madman broke into the house and attacked Mrs. Feathergill, who was home alone at the time. But my contact says people who were acquainted with the family were sure Edward was the madman who murdered her.”
“Were there any rumors about the brother’s mental health?”
“According to my source, Jonathan Feathergill was supposed to be the stable son,” Raina said. “It was said he appeared to have escaped the family curse.”
Nick closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Raina was just using a casual turn of phrase. He didn’t have a curse, he had very strong intuition. The Sundridge intuition had its downside but a few nightmares and visions did not constitute a curse. He had that on good authority, first Caleb Jones’s old journal and recently from Vivian. Vivian saw beneath the surface. She would know a curse if she encountered one.
“Nick?” Raina said into his ear. “Are you still there?”
He opened his eyes and found Vivian watching him intently.