Celeste said, “You must have an early customer at the clinic.”
“No, the clinic bell is a buzzer that sounds in my kitchen. That’s the doorbell.” Nic walked to the front of the house and identified the figure standing on her front porch: Zach Turner. Opening the door, she said, “Good morning, Zach. Come on in.”
“Morning, Nic. Thanks.” In her entry hall, he removed his gray felt hat and said, “I need to speak with Celeste.”
“She’s in the kitchen. Come on back. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Thanks. That would be great.”
Celeste offered a sheepish smile to the sheriff as he entered the kitchen. “Oh, dear. Am I in trouble?”
“You gotta be careful with candles, Celeste, but I’ll save the lecture for another time. The county coroner is on his way to Eternity to remove the remains, and I have a few questions to clear up before he gets here.”
“I’m happy to help any way I can.”
Celeste wiped her wet hands on a dish towel and sat at Nic’s table. Zach sat across from her and accepted a mug of coffee from Nic with thanks. He removed a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and made notes as he asked her a few general questions about Cavanaugh House and her use of the root cellar. After pausing to sip his coffee, he said, “It’s clear that the remains have been entombed in the cellar for a long time, so we’re not dealing with a recent crime. The dress is Victorian, complete with a bustle. Also, we found this.”
He held up a plastic bag. Inside it lay a silver locket attached to a silver chain. “Look at the engraving,” Celeste said. “It reminds me of an angel’s wings.”
“You’re right,” Nic said. Then she asked Zach, “Can you tell how she died?”
Zach nodded. “Probably. There appear to be two bullets. What we didn’t find was a clue to her identity. I’ll probably have better luck speaking to members of the historical society, but I wanted to ask you, Celeste, if you’ve found anything in the contents of Cavanaugh House that might be of help.”
Celeste shook her head. “No, but I haven’t begun to go through the contents of the attic or basement. That’s a job I intended to tackle over the winter. The place is packed full of interesting boxes and crates, and luckily, the fire didn’t reach that part of Cavanaugh House.”
“There’s certainly no rush. The state lab will work up a forensic report for us, but due to the circumstances, it’s certain to be a low priority. I suspect the only way we’ll ever be able to put a name to her is to find something in old records.”
“What about the silver?” Nic asked.
“My understanding is that you bought the house and all its contents, so the silver is yours. Although before you get too excited, at today’s silver prices, that stash isn’t worth as much as you might think.”
“Yes, I know,” Celeste replied. “However, it’s reasonable to believe that it’s ore from the Silver Miracle mine, so it does have historical value. I’ll come up with an appropriate use for it, I suspect.”
Zach finished his coffee, and after a few minutes of small talk he took his leave. Nic attempted to take over the pan-washing chore, but Celeste brushed her away as she said, “That young man impresses me. He’s rather new to the area, too, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He got the job when Sheriff Adkins retired a little over a year ago.”
“I don’t see him around town very much.”
“He’s responsible for a pretty large territory. Eternity Springs doesn’t give him much business.” Nic grabbed a clean dish towel. “Although he has begun spending more time in Eternity the last month or so. I think he’s interested in Sarah.”
“Oh?”
“Yep. They’ve had dinner together a handful of times. She refuses to see them as dates, though. She says they’re simply casual meals between friends.”
“I see.” Celeste handed Nic a clean frying pan to dry. “Maybe if she continues to spend time with him, she’ll come to recognize what a catch he is.”
“She already knows he’s a catch, but that doesn’t matter. Gabe Callahan isn’t the only person toting around baggage in this town. Unfortunately, Sarah has carried hers so long that it’s grown to her skin.”
As Nic put the frying pan away, Celeste washed the last dirty dish. After handing it to Nic to dry, she suddenly snapped her damp fingers. “Oh dear. I just remembered that I