The Heirloom Murders - Kathleen Ernst [39]
The barn door they’d left half-open banged against the wall with a sudden crash that made her flinch. “What’s going on here?” Dellyn demanded, as she stepped into the barn. “Chloe? And Officer McKenna? Oh, God. What now?”
Chloe stood to greet her. “I stopped by to see you awhile ago. I thought you might be in the garden, and when I went to look …” God, she hated having to add more burdens to Dellyn’s basket! Nothing for it, though. She told Dellyn what had happened.
Dellyn gasped, and pressed one hand over her mouth. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Chloe assured her firmly. “Really. I’m fine.”
“But—”
“Miss Burke, may we go into the house?” Roelke asked. “We might be more comfortable talking there.”
“Um … sure.” Dellyn led them outside. Once the barn door was closed, she slid a wooden latch into place.
“No lock?” Roelke asked.
“Never has been. Back when my folks were farming, we had a watchdog. They never replaced the last dog when he died.”
They trailed silently to the house, where Dellyn ushered them inside. “Come on into the living room.”
The room was crowded with a mix of antiques and pieces that might have been comfortable and fashionable thirty years earlier. Framed photographs of people—tintypes, CDVs, cabinet cards, blurry snapshots, a Polaroid or two—covered most of the walls, but a huge canvas hung over the sofa. Oil paints captured an ocean storm, restless waves beneath a dramatic skyscape, with just a hint of rocky shoreline. Chloe’s eyes widened. “Is that one of yours?”
Dellyn nodded. “I’ve been reluctant to change much in the house, but I did hang a couple of paintings. Please, both of you—have a seat.”
Roelke settled stiffly on the edge of one chair. “Miss Burke, how long were you away from the house this evening?”
She stared at a clock, considering. “A couple of hours. Simon picked me up at six.”
“Can you think of any reason why someone might want to harm you? An ex-spouse, angry boyfriend, anything like that?”
“No!” Dellyn looked bewildered. Chloe slid closer and put a comforting hand on her friend’s arm.
“And can you think of any reason why someone might enter your barn?”
“Of course not!”
“Chloe—Miss Ellefson—tells me that your parents collected a lot of antiques. I’m guessing that some of them might be valuable.”
Dellyn spread her hands. “I don’t really know for sure yet. But you saw what was in the barn. Aside from some old tools, it’s mostly stuff too big to carry. Besides, my parents weren’t senile! I’m sure that if they did have anything of particular value, they would have kept it in the house.”
“I’ve been helping Dellyn create an inventory,” Chloe added. “We’re a long way from a good assessment, though.” She turned to her friend. “Maybe someone is trying to find something they donated to your parents for the historical society. People can go nuts over family heirlooms.” She knew that all too well. She’d taken her current job believing that working with objects would be more peaceful than the constant stress inherent in overseeing interpretive programming at an historic site. That brilliant hypothesis had proved wrong, wrong, wrong.
“Well, I suppose it’s possible,” Dellyn said. “If so, I have no idea who it might have been, or what they were after.” She jumped to her feet and began to pace.
Roelke asked, “Who else might know if your parents had collected something particularly valuable?”
“They were movers and shakers with the local historical society. Probably everyone in the village knew they’d been collecting stuff from Eagle residents for years.”
Roelke pulled his little notebook from his pocket and made a few notes.
“There is …” Dellyn began finally, then halted. “No. It’s just too ridiculous.”
“What is?” Chloe asked.
Dellyn perched back on the sofa. “Well, this is going to sound crazy, but … Officer McKenna, have you heard of the Eagle Diamond?”
Roelke’s eyebrows rose. “The what?”
“This guy was digging a well in 1876, and he found a diamond. It was the biggest diamond ever found in North America,