Chapter Twenty-Five
Frank found Mr. North sitting on the porch of his bungalow. He wasn't in his wheelchair. He was slumped in a rattan chair, his head resting on his shoulder. The slight rise and fall of his chest indicated he was dozing.
Frank almost hated to wake him. Frank imagined Mr. North took many catnaps throughout the day. Such was the life of the elderly. However, Mr. North looked uncomfortable and Frank had questions. Time was of the essence. Wasn't that always true in a murder case?
Frank cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem. Excuse me, Mr. North?"
One wrinkled eyelid rose halfway and Mr. North peered at Frank for a moment, getting his bearings.
Frank waited patiently as Mr. North lifted his head and came fully awake.
Mr. North reached for a glass of water on the table beside him and sipped. He replaced the glass on the table and tilted his head so that he had Frank squarely in his piercing gaze. He shifted in the rattan chair, grunted, and said, "The other half of the dynamic duo."
Frank's brow creased in confusion. "Pardon?"
"First your missus and now you." Mr. North eyed his visitor for a second and said, "You look like a man on a mission. What brings you to my doorstep?"
Frank had been leaning against the porch railing. Now, he pushed off and stepped closer to Mr. North. Frank motioned to a rattan chair as he approached. Mind if I sit? Mr. North nodded his assent and Frank sat.
"I'm here because of Jeremy Hill."
Curiosity flickered across Mr. North's withered face. "Jeremy Hill? What's he done?"
Frank leaned back in the rattan chair. "I followed him this morning." Best not to go into the reasons why, Frank thought, and jumped to the conclusion. "He entered another guest's bungalow without permission."
Mr. North eyed Frank with great speculation and an ounce of annoyance. "Really? Why were you following him? You follow every guest?"
Frank folded his hands in his lap. "No, I don't make a habit of following guests around. However, I had obtained information on Jeremy Hill this morning, information that indicated he was .. used to be .. a thief."
Mr. North rolled his eyes. This was old news. News that held no significance for him. He had told Miss Drew as much this morning.
"There's a little more to it," Frank said. He'd seen Mr. North roll his eyes and knew exactly what the old man was thinking. "Jeremy Hill attacked me when he came out of the bungalow."
Mr. North gave half a shrug. Young men and their fights over women held no interest for him.
"He attacked me with a knife. The same type of knife used in Mr. Graves' murder and Bruce Tipton's murder."
Mr. North reached for his water and took a sip. He held onto the glass and rested it on his lap. "Jeremy Hill is not a murderer. I wouldn't hire a murderer." He sounded bored.
Frank leaned forward in his chair. "So, you did a thorough background check on Jeremy Hill before hiring him?"
Mr. North's face hardened. He ran a gnarled hand over his chin and thin lips. "Yes, I did a thorough investigation. And, for the record, you're starting to annoy me. I much prefer your other half, Miss Drew. Rather pretty that one. Although," he allowed himself a moment's reflection on Nancy Drew, "I think given enough time, she could be annoying, too." His eyes sought Frank's and he added, "Very persistent, your Miss Drew. I suspect she doesn't give up easily."
A smile softened Frank's features. "You are correct, sir. Persistence is her middle name."
Mr. North seemed none too impressed. "Figures."
"Back to Jeremy Hill," Frank said. "I assume you knew he had stolen from the Army and that he'd been incarcerated in Leavenworth."
"Yep." Mr. North nodded and sipped his water.
"Then why hire him?" A bit of annoyance had crept into Frank's voice.
North shrugged, unconcerned. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Stealing's not the worst of mankind's vices." His gaze settled on Frank and Frank sensed a distinct challenge in that cold, hard glare.
Yeah, whatever, Frank thought. "Tell me, when did Jeremy start working for you?"
North cocked his head and considered. "Oh, about four years ago. Right after he got out of prison."
Frank's frown formed deep furrows on his forehead. "How in the world did you come to hire him right out of prison? Had he applied for a job at your company?" Frank felt like he had to fight for every answer.
North was none too pleased either. His grip on his glass of water tightened considerably. "You know, young man, I don't like being questioned about my business practices or who I hire." The unspoken suggestion was – he would rather not continue this particular conversation.
Frank, however, had no intentions of letting it drop. "Understood, Mr. North and I apologize for my .. my forwardness. It's just that there have been two murders here and as you probably know, Nancy and I are helping the police in their investigation and interviews."
"Uh huh." North's expression indicated he thought this to be complete and total folly on the part of the police.
"Please, Mr. North, if you could just answer my questions."
North let out a long, tortured sigh. "I don't see how it has any bearing on the murders, but I'll satisfy your curiosity, Mr. Hardy. I approached Mr. Hill shortly after he was released from prison. Yes, I knew all about his past .. the thefts and minor fights he'd gotten into. I was looking for a man with such a background." He smiled at Frank. "I see I've surprised you. But here's the trick. I needed a man who knew about stealing, a man who'd actually stolen himself and had sold the items. Items that weren't easy to sell. Guns and ammo require a special clientele. Jeremy Hill, I reckoned, had connections with that type of clientele. In that regard, he was very useful to me. He was exactly what I was looking for."
North sipped his water and continued, "I have several companies up and down the eastern seaboard. For the most part, I trust the people I've put in charge of those companies. But I never trust anyone completely." He peered at Frank from the corner of his eye. "I have been burned in the past. It's made me a micro-manager. I go over each and every company's books once, sometimes, twice a week."
Frank recalled Greta Swan lugging a briefcase to the dining room on more than one occasion. Mr. North did indeed check papers frequently before having dinner. If there was anything amiss at one of Mr. North's companies, Frank had no doubts Mr. North knew about it.
"And that," Mr. North said, "is how I spotted the discrepancy. This was four or five years ago. I'd hired a new man to take charge of one of my companies. The first year everything was fine, although I thought he wasn't quite as productive as he could be. Actually, that's what made me watch him harder, take a closer look. And then I saw it. Some things had gone missing or, as he put it when I called him, 'he couldn't account for them. Didn't know where they were.'"
North shifted in his chair and Frank felt ire and indignation roil through the old man.
"In my business, Mr. Hardy, everybody is accountable for everything at all times."
Frank nodded silently. He did not doubt Mr. North's words.
"So," North said, relaxing a little, "I hired Jeremy Hill. Put him to work at that company with the sole purpose of buddying up to the man in charge. He was to find out if the man was stealing and if so, who he was selling to. Jeremy Hill performed his job beautifully. He was a former thief and had legitimate connections to the black market. The man cozied right up to Hill and I soon had all the evidence I needed to charge the man with thief and embezzlement. Which I did. He's sitting in prison as we speak.
"So, there you have it. The whole story. Probably not as sinister as you imagined."
No, not nearly as sinister, Frank thought with a touch of a smile. "One last question, Mr. North. To your knowledge has Jeremy Hill ever been married?"
North snorted and gave a light chuckle. "Not that I've heard. Don't think marriage would work for him. He likes to play the field too much. Didn't he make a pass at your lady?"
"Yes, he did. Now, I have more information for you. After Jeremy attacked me with the knife, I decked him. He lost the knife in the scuffle and took off, headed for town. I called Detective Gosling and reported the attack. Gosling called me a short time ago. He said Jeremy had walked into oncoming traffic and was taken to the hospital. Gosling couldn't give me any details on Jeremy's injuries. He was on his way to the hospital to question Jeremy. I suspect Gosling will be contacting you soon."
Frank studied North's face. If North was upset by the news regarding Jeremy, he did not show it. Then Frank noticed Mr. North staring into the distance. Frank followed Mr. North's gaze and saw the rapidly approaching figure of Miss Greta Swan.
She hustled up the porch steps. Strands of brown hair had escaped her bun and fluttered around her face. "Mr. North, Miss Drew has just told me about Jeremy. He's in the hospital."
She was breathless and to Frank's mind, a bit overly dramatic.
North jerked his balding head toward Frank seated in the chair opposite him. "Mr. Hardy's just told me the same thing."
A phone chirped. It was Greta Swan's. She dug it out of her large handbag and peered at the caller ID.
"It's the police department." Her eyes were wide and searching. They seemed to ask Mr. North what she should do.
"Well, answer it," he grumbled and thought, silly woman.
Frank seized the moment. He stood and said, "I'll leave you now. Thanks, Mr. North for answering my questions. If Nancy or I can be of any help, please, let us know."
Mr. North grunted and Frank hurried down the porch steps.
As Frank ambled along the wooden path back to his bungalow, he pondered what he'd learned. Jeremy Hill was a confirmed thief. He'd gotten into fights. He'd never been married as far as Mr. North knew.
But one question still loomed; had he ever murdered someone?
Frank felt he knew the answer to that question.
A/N: As always, a warm-hearted 'thank you' to those who have left a review.