Finding Julian by Shane Morgan

words stopped
him before he walked off.
    “Yes?”
    “How was Mr. Cornwell murdered?” I’d
been curious but too spooked to ask.
    “A bullet to the head,” he stated. “The
secretary, Ms. Vaughn, said there are some things missing from his office, and
it was in quite disarray when I saw it so, possibly an armed robbery gone
wrong. That kind of thing is rare around here.”
    He turned to leave. “Well, have a good
day.”
    I hurried up beside him. “Maybe someone
wanted it to look like a robbery?”
    Slowing down, Detective Walters gave me
a sidelong gaze. “Looks like someone is watching too many cop shows. Whether or
not it was, there’s not much evidence to point to any involvement of you or any
other member of this family, or to anyone else for that matter. No finger
prints—absolutely nothing.”
    I nodded then shifted the subject away
from Mr. Cornwell. “What about my father?”
    “Your father?” Detective Walters raised
his brows.
    I folded my arms. “I told you, Mr.
Cornwell said he was murdered. I thought you’d look into it—”
    “Mrs. Vanderson said her husband was
experiencing a lot of chest pain months prior. He died of a heart attack.”
    It was still unsettling for me. “How
about an autopsy?”
    Detective Walters scoffed. “Aren’t you
listening, Nancy Drew? There’s no evidence of foul play with your father so
there’s no need for that. Only Mrs. Vanderson can request one anyway.”
    He walked up the side steps and around
the main house. I stood in thought, considering all he’d said. No evidence
to indicate my father was murdered. Armed robbery that went bad in Mr.
Cornwell’s case .
    Shaking my head, I tittered and walked
back to the guesthouse. Instead of playing detective, I should drop all of this
and spend my time looking for another lawyer. I need to get my hands free of
this place and all involved with it.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Fifteen

     
    For the next two days ,
I helped Aunt Bev with her project. Together we came up with ideas, using
reader feedback on how to boost the entertainment magazine and make it more
appealing.
    Amid working with Aunt Bev at the
Vanderson Publishing office in Newport, I managed to find another lawyer in
Jamestown; Mr. Douglas. He offered me advice on how to contest the will. If I
wanted to remove myself from it and turn my inheritance over to Mackenzie, it
wasn’t going to be easy, especially with all the legal aspects surrounding it.
    Aunt Bev had a meeting with the sales
department on Friday afternoon, so I decided to take a break at Dunkin Donuts
across from the office.
    Sipping on my usual strawberry coolatta,
I went over the forms Mr. Douglas provided me with. I wanted to have a clear
understanding of the process.
    “Mind if I join you?” the raspy voice
was familiar.
    Looking up, I saw it was indeed Gavin,
his sea blue eyes brighter than ever. I really wasn’t in the mood for company,
but I didn’t want to be rude.
    “Sure,” I said.
    Gavin rested his iced coffee on the table
and sat down across from me. “What are you working on?”
    I gathered the papers together and set
them aside. “Nothing important.”
    He drank some of his iced coffee and
peered over the cup at me. Settling it back on the table, he eyed me with
amazement, “You look so much like Mackenzie.”
    “We are sisters.”
    “Yes, but…” he trailed. “Mackenzie is
much different though.”
    Narrowing my eyes, I sat back and asked,
“How so?”
    Gavin folded his hands on top of the
table. “Well for one, you seem to like isolating yourself. Mac loves attention.
That’s all she wants.”
    “And who are you , Gavin?” I
tilted my head to the side and studied him.
    Easing back, he took up his iced coffee
for a sip. “I’m just me….” His eyes drifted away from mine, staring absently
into nothingness. “I guess that’s not enough for her.” He sounded sad.
    “Are you okay?” I asked softly.
    Snapping out of whatever it was that
distracted him