Page 25 of Dirty Valentine
“I’ve met him a time or two,” I said.“I’ve heard he has a son that’s a chip off the old block.Emmy Lu said he’s the same age as her oldest son and has gotten busted for DUI a couple of times.”
“Emmy Lu is better than the news,” Jack said, grinning.“Yeah, the kid got pulled over both times in Richmond, so out of our jurisdiction thank God.I heard Blackwood donated money to the mayor’s opponent for not dismissing the chief and got a new guy elected who promptly fired the chief of police and had the arresting officer demoted.”
“Sounds like a peach of a guy,” I said.“Can’t wait to interview him about murder.”
“I sense sarcasm,” Jack said, kissing the top of my head.“The Blackwoods have owned that property on River Road since the early 1700s.The original manor house is still there—it’s on the historic registry now—but they built that big Colonial behind it back in the eighties.My mother always said there was something not right about that place.”
“Your mother’s not wrong,” I said, scrolling through property records that showed an impressive accumulation of land over the centuries.“I always got the creeps driving past there as a kid.Remember how Richard’s mother used to stare at us from that upstairs window?”
“God, yes,” Jack said, settling into the chair beside me with his tea.“Mrs.Blackwood was terrifying.And the way she died was even worse—drowned in the pond behind their house.”
I scrolled through the Blackwood history and said, “It looks like tragic deaths aren’t an uncommon event in their family.”
“Richard’s grandmother fell down the stairs and broke her neck,” Jack confirmed grimly.“And before that, his great-grandmother got kicked in the head by a horse.The Blackwood women have a real problem with living past fifty.”
“And then there’s Richard’s first wife, Caroline,” I said, “I don’t really remember her, but I know she was an acquaintance of my mother.And everyone remembers how she died.”
“That was the summer before my senior year,” Jack said.
“Fourth of July Celebration at the Towne Square,” I said, remembering.“Crazy how big the county has gotten in fifteen years.It was much smaller then, and everyone was there.I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sound her body made as it hit the pavement after that car launched her into the air.”
“It was definitely weird circumstances,” Jack said.“It was crowded, but the main road was still open to let cars through.Witnesses all said she just walked into traffic.There was nothing the driver could do to avoid her.”
A chill ran down my spine.“That’s an awful lot of accidents for one family.”
“Or an awful lot of convenient deaths,” Jack said grimly.“Richard collected a hefty life insurance payout after Caroline died.Enough to renovate that Colonial house and buy another hundred acres of riverfront property.”
I moved on to the Morton family records, and found what looked like a more straightforward family history.
“Well, here’s Judge Harold Morton,” I said, pulling up the current family information.“At least he’s not accumulating mysterious deaths.”
“Harold’s always been straight with me,” Jack said, reading over my shoulder.“Fair judge, doesn’t play politics.Though that doesn’t mean his ancestor wasn’t dirty as hell back in the 1720s.”
“True,” I said, scrolling through the property records.“The Mortons still own about two hundred acres of the original land grants.Could be they inherited stolen property and just never knew it.”
“Or they knew and kept their mouths shut for three centuries,” Jack said.
Next up was the Hughes family, and I immediately recognized several names from high school.
“Oh my God,” I said, pointing at the screen.“Rachel Hughes—remember her from high school?She was the one who got caught skinny-dipping in the river with half the basketball team.”
Jack nearly choked on his tea.“That was Rachel Hughes?I thought that was just an urban legend.”
“Nope, totally true.She was in my class.I saw the pictures.And then Rachel’s parents came in and withdrew her from school, and I never saw her again.I wonder what she’s doing now?”
“Last I heard, she was on her third divorce and working as a bartender at that dive bar outside town,” Jack said.“But her family’s got some interesting connections.Her father’s a lawyer, handles a lot of real estate transactions for the older families.”
“Real estate transactions,” I repeated.“Like property transfers and land deals?”
“Exactly the kind of work that would give him access to historical records and current land values,” Jack said.“If the Hughes family has been the legal muscle behind covering up the original land thefts…”
“Then they’d know exactly who to threaten and how much money is at stake,” I finished.
I moved on to the Mills family records.“Dr.Victoria Mills,” I said, pulling up her information.“She’s got a family practice out near the river.The Mills have been the primary physicians for this area for generations.”
“Good reputation,” Jack said.“My mother always spoke highly of Dr.Mills’s grandfather.Said he delivered half the babies in King George County back in the day.”
“Five generations of doctors,” I said, scrolling through the family history.“That’s impressive.And look—they still own significant portions of the original Mills land grant.Another family that might be unknowingly living on stolen property.”
