Murder at the Book Fair by Steve Demaree Read Free Book Online Page B

dreading the encounter?"
    "He didn't mention anything
to me."
    "Do you benefit from his
will?"
    "Yes. He provided $50,000 for
me to do with however I see fit, and another $100,000 to see that his memory is
preserved. I'm not sure yet how to use that money. And speaking of money,
there's one thing that has always baffled me."
    "What's that?"
    "Each year I go over his
finances, after his CPA gets through with them, just to make sure everything
seems to line up. Well, each year he withdraws $50,000 cash from the bank, and
anytime I asked him what it was for he always told me a charity. Well, Cyril
was always willing to help out a charity, if he thought it was legitimate. And
he has always been willing to help those in need. Widows. People down on their
luck. A friend in need. Well, the other night when I confronted him again about
that, he said, 'Oh, I've decided I'm not giving to that charity anymore.'"
    "I've decided I'm not giving
to that charity anymore."
    "That's right. That's what he
said. But when I asked him to elaborate, he said the case was closed. I guess
we'll never find out where that money was going."
    "When did he withdraw it each
year?"
    "Usually the first part of
October. And earlier this fall he said he was giving the $50,000 this time, but
no more."
    "Do you think anyone was
blackmailing him?"
    "I doubt it. Knowing Cyril Portwood,
if someone tried to blackmail him he would tell them to go ahead and spread the
dirt. It would probably help him sell more books. And although I was never
supposed to share this, Cyril Portwood never took a dime from his sales at the
Kentucky Book Fair."
    "What about Millie Longacre,
or his brother or sister? Do you think he gave them the $50,000?"
    "I think there's a lot better
chance that he gave it to her than to his siblings."
    "I was wondering, because he
said he wasn't giving to that charity anymore, and he planned to cut the three
of them from the will."
    "Not cut them from the will,
just curtail the amount, and for his brother and sister it would have been a
serious curtailment."
    "So, maybe one of them killed
him before he could change the will."
    "That is if any of them knew
they were mentioned in the will and knew the will was about to be changed. And
then the charity could have been an actual charity. Maybe one he found out
wasn't on the up-and-up after all. I just wish I knew. Of course, I doubt if
this had anything to do with his death. Besides, I assume he gave the money
this year, and whoever received it won't be expecting any more before next
October. That's a long time for Cyril Portwood to change his mind, which he was
prone to do from time to time. He would fly off the handle at someone and be
their best friend again before the sun went down. That's one of the reasons I
wanted him to hold off on changing his will."
    "Is it possible he gambled
the $50,000? Maybe he went to Vegas or played in a poker tournament?"
    "I don't think so. And Cyril
never went anywhere in October, unless he went to Gatlinburg for a few days,
and he didn't do that every year. But he withdrew the money every year, at
least for the last several years. I don't know how many but I can have my
assistant look it up if you need to know for sure. Now, is there anything else
you need? My next appointment should be here in a few minutes."
    I told McHugh that was all and
thanked him for his time. I told him I would call if I thought of anything
else. He told me that would be fine. He wanted me to find out who murdered his
friend.
    Now all I had to figure out is if
the money I am to follow were the millions that Portwood had, or the $50,000
that someone pocketed each year. Or did the money have nothing to do with his
death?
     
     
12
     
     
    A few minutes later we learned
that Connie Crowe is the only full-time employee of the Kentucky Book Fair.
There is a board that governs the book fair, and a large group of volunteers
that help make the event as seamless as possible. Mrs. Crowe took a few