“Where we found the woman’s body leaning against the pillar of the vault—and Richard’s body inside,” he said.
She nodded again. “This area is so rich in Revolutionary War history. And I’ve always had a keen interest in all the characters involved with the Revolution. While Andre was instrumental in causing Benedict Arnold to turn traitor, he’s still a beloved character—even now and even as the enemy.
“The man spoke at least five languages, and George Washington was said to have admired him. The truth has been obscured by legend. He supposedly joined the British army because of a broken heart. He didn’t have the name or the money to buy any kind of real rank, so he worked his way up. He was captured once and exchanged—and then caught with papers on him that proved him to be a spy.
“They say that he haunts much of the Hudson Valley, and that his specter is seen in Philadelphia, where he was the rage of Tory society during the British occupation. He was hanged in 1780, and he was only thirty-one at the time. From that day onward, stories about him ran rampant because he was such a romantic figure. But if it’s true that he had a young woman in this area willing to risk all for him, I’d say she must have been born sometime between 1750 and 1760. Even if she lived a long life, she probably died when burials were still occurring at the Old Dutch Church—or one of the other churches or family graveyards. Like St. Andrew’s.”
“Why would Richard have been looking for her grave?” Aidan mused aloud.
She didn’t have an answer for that.
His phone rang as they both sat in thoughtful silence.
He answered it. “Mahoney.”
Mo watched his face. She couldn’t hear the person on the other end.
“Thanks,” was all he said.
He smiled at her and rose. “Thanks for humoring my obsession. I appreciate all your help.”
“I wish I could do more.” She rose, as well. “Did...did they find something?” she asked.
“Yes,” he murmured. “But we’re keeping certain information out of the press for now.”
“I know. I’ve often helped the police. I’ve never shared anything that’s come up when Rollo and I’ve been working with them.”
“Well, that was the M.E. The toxicology reports came back. Both of the victims had traces of chloroform in their systems. They were knocked out before they were taken.”
“Hopefully they were unconscious when they were killed.”
“We did learn that they were strangled before they were beheaded.”
“I guess that’s a small mercy.”
“Yes.”
They walked to the front door, Rollo trotting beside them.
When Aidan opened the door, he told her, “I’ll keep you abreast of the situation. We owe you that, and I know I can trust you to maintain strict confidentiality. In the meantime...be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” she said. “I always know when anyone’s near this house.”
He grinned at that, resting his hand on Rollo’s head. “Don’t let him accept any candy from strangers,” he teased, then shook his head. “Seriously, people have been known to throw out poisoned meat or treats to take down a dog. Just watch out for him, too.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
Then he was gone; she stood at the door while he got into his car, watching until it disappeared down the drive.
Rollo let out a pathetic cry of loss.
“Hey! I’m your owner, the love of your life!” she admonished the dog. “Come on, we’ll get another dog treat.” She locked the door and walked back through the house to the kitchen and dug a treat out of the bowl. When she gave it to him, she thought about Aidan’s words.
Don’t let him accept candy from strangers.
“Aidan said we should look out for strangers,” she told Rollo.
She winced as she heard herself. They were now on a first-name basis. That didn’t make her any more comfortable. It was as if the man’s essence lingered, along with the scent of his aftershave or cologne.
“Back to work!” she said.
But she didn’t go back to work. She went into her office and began to skim through the various history books she had on the area, especially those that dealt with Major Andre—and all the legends that had arisen around him.
*
“Old-fashioned method of knocking someone out. Pretty simple, I guess,” Dr. Mortenson told Aidan and Sloan Trent. “You soak a rag, you put it over your victim’s face and he or she is out in a matter of seconds. The victim can struggle, of course, but any struggle is brief. Must’ve been very brief in the case of our two victims. They didn’t get their nails on their attacker. I found no skin, no fibers, nothing to indicate that either of them even touched him.”
“It might well indicate that Richard—and the young woman—were tricked into being someplace that would give their attacker a chance to knock them out,” Aidan said.