by R A Wallace
“You’re reading it in between customers?” Megan guessed.
“My idea of a perfect day,” Tia agreed with a laugh. “Are you working on another mystery?”
“I did promise to tell Erica and Jerry if I learned anything.”
“I take it this is about Jay’s death at the golf course?” Tia asked.
“I was wondering if anyone associated with the tournament might have said something without realizing that word can get around quickly,” Megan said.
“That it can,” Tia said as she crossed the room to a group of comfortable chairs. She lifted her new mystery from the table next to one.
“Can you think of anything?” Megan asked.
Tia absently adjusted the bookmark she’d inserted to save her page.
“Not really. The Hostetlers were in. Do you know them?” Tia asked.
“I know they’re local to Teaberry and they’re competing this week.”
“Yes. They told me that tournaments can often include a little drama. I remembered them saying it as soon as I heard about Jay Kerns’s death. It seemed like such an understatement.”
The bells on the door rang as another customer stepped inside. Megan thanked Tia and left for the next shop in the building. There were several people browsing in Vintage Teaberry when she entered. She did a little browsing herself before going to the cash register where Leah was waiting.
“Looks like you got some new stock in,” Megan said.
“We’ve sold several things this week too. That means I’ll get to go to more estate sales to add more stock,” Leah said with a smile.
“I particularly like the rocking chair,” Megan said.
“That might be sold. I’m holding it for a couple who are playing at the tournament. She’s planning to pick it up at the end of the tournament,” Leah said.
“Are they playing in the tournament?”
“Yes.” Leah flipped through a small notepad next to the cash register. “The Corbetts. They were a real nice couple. There was another couple in here at the same time that looked like they were going to get in a fist fight at any second.”
“Seriously? Do you know their names?”
Leah started to shake her head then stopped. “I guess the Corbetts did speak to them. It was kind of an awkward conversation because the other couple was spitting mad.”
Megan pulled up the pictures on her phone. “There are quite a few couples competing.”
“The one name might have been Paul. No, it was Paolo. That was it.”
Megan scrolled down to the Russos and held her phone up.
“Paolo and Angela Russo?” Megan asked. She remembered what Lauren had said about Paolo and Pat, the day manager at the restaurant, looking as though they were having an intimate conversation.
Leah nodded. “That’s them, yes.”
“You couldn’t tell what they were upset about?”
“No, but I honestly thought we’d have to call the police. They were that mad.”
Megan left Vintage when a customer approached Leah to check out. She went into Togs next. Giselle was carrying an armful of clothes to a rack. She hung them on the far end of the rack then began putting them in the proper size area one by one.
“Looks like you’ve been busy too,” Megan said.
“They should have a golf tournament more often,” Giselle agreed. “Are you here to do some shopping?”
“No, don’t panic. I won’t put your skills to the test trying to outfit me. I was hoping you might have some clues that could help with Jay Kerns’s murder.”
“Me? I haven’t been out at the golf course.” Giselle separated some of the clothes on the rack and hung some more in the space.
“But the players and others from the tournament have been shopping here, right?”
“Definitely.” Giselle greeted someone else as they came into the store.
“It occurred to me that they might have said something about Jay or his death that could be helpful.”
“I can’t really think of anything,” Giselle said as she hung the last garment.
“Okay, thanks. It was worth a try. I stopped at Vintage first and Leah mentioned that one couple was so spitting mad she thought she’d have to call the police. Something like that sticks out,” Megan said.
“That couple must not have come into my shop,” Giselle said. “Sounds like that was a good thing.”
Megan still had her phone in her hand so she held up the picture of the Russos.
Giselle leaned in to look. “Actually, they were in here. They were really sweet though. They talked about how much the liked the town and what a good time they were having.”
“Really? Can you remember anything else about them?”
“Well, they’d already been to Tea & Thyme. I know that because she debated putting her tea in the same bag with the clothes she bought,” Giselle said.
“You think they started at the end with Tea & Thyme and were working their way down the row of shops?” Megan asked. “That would mean they left here and went into Vintage.”
“I can’t imagine how they went from happy to mad between the two places.” Giselle excused herself when the customer looked like they needed assistance.
Megan left Togs for the last shop in the building. When she stepped into Tea & Thyme, Janice was ringing up a customer. Megan walked around and picked up some of her favorite decaf tea and took it to the cash register to stand in line. From where she stood, she could see partway into the addition that had been built on the side of the building. All of the tables that she could see were full. She stepped up to the counter when the customer in front of her left with their purchase.
“You look pretty busy,” Megan said.
“We’ve been swamped. It’s been great.” Janice rung up the purchase and took Megan’s card.
“Do you think the extra customers are from the golf tournament?” Megan asked.
“I know they are. They’ve been talking about nothing else for days.” Janice handed Megan her card back.
Megan pulled her phone out and pulled up some pictures.
“Did any of them make any comments that might help with the murder investigation?” Megan asked.
“Is that one of your puzzles?” Janice glanced at the addition then leaned over the counter. “Someone did say something specific about Jay Kerns. I thought it was odd at the time.”
“What was that?”
“Well, it started out nice enough. She was talking about Teaberry and how pretty it was here,” Janice said. “But then she added something odd. I think it was something about how she didn’t necessarily like everyone in the town.”
“That is odd. She named Jay in particular?” Megan asked.
Janice nodded agreement.
“Do you remember what she looked like?” Megan asked.
“I can do better than that. Her first name stuck in my head because I had a girl friend with the same name when I was young. Phoebe. It was on her credit card.”
Megan pulled up Phoebe’s picture and held her phone up.
“That’s her,” Janice said. “She seemed like a really pleasant person. That’s probably why the comment seemed so odd.”
***
Maya didn’t want to answer her phone when she felt it buzz. She was pretty sure she knew who it was. Of course, if she didn’t talk to him now, her father would probably be twice as mad by the time he came to pick her up.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and accepted the call.
“Maya, I want to talk about the letter from the school,” Sebastien said.
“It’s nothing,” Maya said.
“It isn’t nothing. They’re saying you’re behind in your homework.”
“I’ll get caught up,” she said as she moved away from the people around her.
“Maya, you need to take this seriously. You do not want to repeat a grade in school.”
“I said that I would get caught up,” she insisted.
“How ar
e you planning to do that? The letter said that you have to have it done by the end of the week. When is that going to happen, Maya?”
“I’ll find a way.”
“We’re going to talk about this more when I pick you up,” he warned. “I’ll expect to hear a better answer by then.”
Maya stared at the phone in her hand. He’d disconnected the call. It was just as well. She didn’t have the answer he wanted to hear anyway. She had absolutely no clue how she was going to get the work done. Not without help.
Chapter Fifteen
Rhys entered the police station and found Ian at the front desk talking with Martha. Based on the way Martha was laughing, Rhys assumed he was regaling her with stories about his puppy.
“New pillows on the couch every week could start to add up,” Martha said.
“Tell me about it. I just don’t understand why she thinks they taste so good,” Ian said.
“Do you have any good stories to tell about your dog?” Rhys asked. “So far, everything I’ve heard from you is bad.”
“Yeah, sure. Why do you ask?” Ian said.
“I’ve been wondering about getting a dog for Bella,” Rhys said.
“Choose your breed wisely,” Martha said. “That’s a big part of it.”
“Why is that?” Rhys asked.
“Yeah. Why is that?” Ian repeated.
“Your puppy is a Malinois. It’s an intelligent work dog. It needs to stay active or it finds something to chew,” Martha said.
“Now she tells me,” Ian said as he and Rhys began walking toward the main office area.
“I’ll have to ask her what kind to get for Bella,” Rhys said.
“I’m not sure it works that way.” Ian nodded to some officers as he passed them.
“Why not?”
“With kids, they usually go with the first one they see,” Ian said as they reached the office.
“I doubt Bella will be like that. She researches everything.” Rhys stopped to check the murder board.
“I should have asked her for help before I got mine.” Ian stopped next to Rhys and read the board also.
“Looks like they’re making progress,” Rhys said.
“Not enough,” Erica said from behind them.
Rhys and Ian turned around.
“Early days yet,” Jerry said.
***
It took Megan quite a while to track down some of the players at the golf course that she wanted to speak with. She knew that many were out playing. The first couple that she managed to find was Paolo and Angela Russo. They were standing in a crowd of spectators watching some of the other players compete.
“You’re done for the day?” Megan asked as she stopped next to them.
“We were one of the first to go out this morning,” Angela said with a quick glance at Megan.
“Would you mind if I ask a few questions?” Megan said.
“I see you have a press pass,” Paola said. “Megan, is it?”
“It is. I’m Megan Parker. I work with the Teaberry administration and maintain the web pages for the town.”
“It’s a very pretty town,” Angela said. “I wouldn’t mind working around here.”
Megan thought back to her research for the web pages.
“You’re in real estate, aren’t you?” she asked.
Angela looked surprised. “I am.”
“You’ve never been to the area before?” Megan asked.
“No, it’s our first time. We know a lot of the other couples competing though.” Angela turned to watch the players.
“But neither of you have ever been to this course?” Megan asked.
“No, first time,” Paolo said. “We’d definitely come back.”
“Even with the death of Jay?” Megan asked.
“That is troubling,” Paolo said. “But I don’t think the golf course or the town should be blamed for it.”
“Did you know him well?” Megan asked.
“We knew of him,” Angela said. “We’ve probably only run into him a few times over the years.”
“We knew him well enough to speak to,” Paolo agreed.
A noise from the crowd told Megan something had just happened.
“They finished this hole. I’m going to catch up with others,” Angela said. “It was nice meeting you.”
Megan watched as Angela moved quickly to join another couple in front of them. She walked more slowly with Paolo.
“I’ve heard really nice things about the restaurant here,” Megan said.
“They’re all true. As busy as they are, they’re even making the effort to serve a special dinner for our anniversary. Don’t put that in writing though,” Paolo grinned. “It’s still a secret.”
Megan stopped walking as Paolo moved to catch up with his wife. She looked around the crowd for any familiar faces. Finding none nearby, she walked to the restaurant. She found a different person at the front desk.
“How many?” Emily asked.
“I’m not here to eat, actually. Are you Emily?” Megan asked.
“Yes, can I help you?”
Megan introduced herself. “Pat mentioned that you usually work evenings and weekends.”
“I do. It’s all hands on deck this week though. Pat is handling the outdoor seating area at the moment.”
“She also mentioned that you were here the night Jay was killed,” Megan said.
“I think Pat mentioned you. She said you would probably make your way to me at some point,” Emily said. “Yes, I was here that night.”
“Does anything stand out? Anything in particular about Jay?” Megan asked. She wasn’t sure how much of Emily’s time she would be able to take up, so she got to the point quickly.
“The bar was pretty packed. That’s where Jay was. He started drinking around four or so I’d guess. Didn’t quit until around nine or so.”
“Did you see anyone talking to him?” Megan asked. “Was there anyone else at the bar that might know something?”
“A lot of people I’m sure. I was pretty busy, so I didn’t see much.” Emily glanced toward the bar area. “I remember Wes was there quite a bit. Management wanted us all to be pretty visible.” Emily smiled.
“What?” Megan asked.
“I saw Jodie Stratton there. I remember because she pretended to hit on Wes.”
“Pretended?”
“I was pretty sure it had something to do with her partner, Dion. Sometimes you have to slow down so the guy can catch up to you,” Emily said.
“You think Jodie was trying to get Dion’s attention?” Megan asked.
“That’s what it looked like to me. It didn’t work. Wes left around the time Jay did except he went out the side door that the employees use.” Emily’s looked over Megan’s shoulder. “Can I help you?”
Megan turned to see a man standing behind her.
The man looked a little confused at first. “Maybe I’ll sit outside.”
“Just go through there. Pat can seat you,” Emily said.
“Sounds perfect,” he answered with a wide smile before walking way.
“Have you seen much of him?” Megan asked. She knew from working on her web pages that his name was Van Haskins. He was one of the announcers. They must be on break to eat. The restaurant was probably going to be swamped soon.
“No, he hasn’t been in at night much that I can remember. Like I said. It gets pretty busy.”
“Did you hear Wes say anything to Jay?” Megan asked.
“Not that night. I did hear them going at it pretty good before that. I mentioned it to the police also.”
“About what?” Megan asked.
“Maya. She the youngest player in the tournament. Jay was saying some pretty negative things when I first got close to them. A couple of the caddies were there too but took off when they saw me. By the time Wes was done, Jay was apologizing to Wes. He also said that he would apologize to Maya. Based on what I heard, he needed to.”
“You’re saying th
ey ended the conversation on good terms?” Megan asked.
“Yes. Jay agreed that he shouldn’t be so negative with someone so young. Both men had calmed down by then. They walked away talking about golf.”
***
Although the Jammin’T was busy, it was nothing like the restaurant at the golf course. Megan crossed over to the counter and took a seat next to Cy and Casey.
“How is that addition coming along?” Cy asked.
“I know they make progress every day and they’re on schedule, but it seems like it’s taking forever.” Megan leaned back when Tyler appeared next to her with a pot of hot water and a tea bag.
“Are you going to order lunch,” Tyler asked.
Megan glanced at the board on the wall. “I’ll take the special.”
“Press pass?” Casey asked.
“I’ve been out at the golf course.” Megan dropped the tea bag into the water.
“Have you heard anything about Jay Kerns?” Cy asked.
“A little. Did you know him?” she asked Cy and Casey. Both men shook their heads.
“Knew of him and enough to say hello in passing,” Cy added.
Tyler stopped to drop off some silverware for Megan.
“A lot of the people involved with the golf tournament have been coming into town. Have you heard any of them talking about Jay Kerns?” Megan asked the three of them.
“I haven’t,” Tyler said. “Not anything specifically about the man that died. Several of the people in here these past few days have been from the tournament. You can sure tell it’s a tournament of couples. There was one couple that bickered the entire time they were here.”
Megan wondered if that might be the Russos. Leah had mentioned them fighting also. She pulled her phone out and scrolled down to their pictures on the town web site.
“These two?” She held up the phone.
Tyler shook his head. “No, the two I saw were a decade or so younger. They had press passes also.”
Megan switched to a different web page and held it up again.
“Yeah, that looks right.” Tyler held up his pot of coffee. When Cy and Casey declined, he took off toward other customers.
“Did that help?” Cy asked.
“I have no idea,” Megan said honestly. She didn’t know Dion and Jodie, two of the sports writers. It sounded like she needed to add them to her list of people to speak with. It was getting to be a very long list.