by R A Wallace
“Dion? Do you have a minute?” Megan introduced herself.
He was bigger than she assumed he be from his photo. He looked more like an athlete than a journalist. He seemed like the type of person who always had a ready smile. He flashed it now but his eyes held curiosity as they dropped to her press pass.
“I’m local. I work with the mayor’s office here in Teaberry,” she explained.
It seemed like enough to put him at ease.
“I understand you had some excitement yesterday?” she asked.
“Yeah, that. I was just the backup guy. Rudy had it under control.” Dion nodded to someone who walked by and flashed his smile.
“You didn’t see anyone around when you first got to the pool?” Megan asked.
He made a noise indicating no. “Just Rudy. He was yelling for attention though. I didn’t really look at anything else. Rudy was in the pool by the time I reached it.” The curiosity was back in his eyes.
“Rudy Corbett was there first, then you?” Megan asked. When he nodded, she continued. “Dee Kaptur and Paolo Russo were the next ones to arrive?”
“Yeah. Then there were a lot of people after that. I know they got Lacey Corbett there really fast. She’s a doctor.” Dion shook his head. “That ever happens to me, I hope there’s all kinds of doctors and nurses around.”
“You’re saying Gil was lucky?” Megan asked.
“Oh, yeah. I don’t know about Rudy, but I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
“I guess I wouldn’t have either,” Megan said.
“I’ll stick to media.”
“Do you know Gil well?” she asked.
“We run into each other. I know him by reputation. He’s got a really good one for being on top of his game. These days, if you want to be recognized, you have to stay current.”
“You usually work with someone else, don’t you?” Megan asked. “What’s her name?”
She thought Dion looked uncomfortable at the turn of conversation.
“Jodie Stratton? We don’t really work together. We just end up at the same events all the time because we cover the same types of stories,” he clarified.
“You seem pretty close.” She’d seen them together more than once during the week.
Dion shrugged. “We’re friends. Listen, I have to go.”
As she watched him walk away, Megan wondered why talking about Jodie made him nervous. She continued walking to the media tent to look for Jodie. There weren’t a lot of people around. She looked over at the table where Lauren put her baked goods. The baked goods looked pretty well picked over. She didn’t recognize anyone in the tent. On a hunch, she searched for a photo of Jodie Stratton and checked the tent again. She wasn’t there.
Given the time of morning, she knew the players would be teeing off. That was where she went next. She was familiar with the routine now. She’d seen it several times during the week. After scanning the crowd, she spotted Jodie on the other side interviewing some of the players waiting to tee off. She waited until Jodie walked away from them and approached her.
“Jodie Stratton?” Megan introduced herself.
Jodie politely paused by Megan.
“I understand there was quite a bit of excitement here last night. I’ve been speaking to some of the people involved.” At Jodie’s curious look, Megan explained her role with the mayor’s office.
“You have a beautiful town here,” Jodie said.
“Thanks. There’s been a lot of excitement here lately,” Megan repeated. “And not just with the competition between the players.”
“That’s for sure. I still can’t believe I was talking to Gil one minute and the next he was floating in a pool.” She shook her head. “He could have died.”
“You were talking to him?”
“Just before all of that happened. We ran into each other in front of my bungalow. He went one direction and I decided to go back in and get a jacket before I went to dinner. By the time I came back out, I could see people running toward the pool and there was a lot of shouting.”
“You didn’t see anyone else?” Megan asked.
“No. The police asked that too. I mean, I saw Dion, but he turned and went back the other way.”
“Why do you suppose he did that?”
Jodie looked guilty. “Because I’m an idiot.”
Megan didn’t answer but felt her brows go up.
Jodie sighed. “I’ve been trying to prompt Dion to look at our relationship differently. I’ve just been going about it the wrong way, obviously.”
“What have you tried?”
“I tried flirting with Wes, the golf instructor. That failed miserably on both accounts. Not only was Wes not interested, Dion didn’t do anything about it.”
“And Gil?” Megan guessed.
“I think Dion was coming to see me about dinner and saw me with Gil.” She gave Megan a wry smile. “I blew it.”
“It doesn’t have to stay that way,” Megan said. “You could just tell him the truth.”
“Well, that’s something that should have occurred to me first,” Jodie said with a grimace.
Chapter Twenty
The sound of the bells on the front door of Anderson Florist made her smile. She passed through the door from the back to the front of the shop to meet him.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Caitlyn said. “It’s not every day I get surprised with a barbeque breakfast.”
“Like I said on the phone, it was Jim’s idea.” Doug leaned in for a kiss before following her back to her work area.
“Tell him I said thank you.” She reached for one of the bags and lifted out a pulled pork sandwich.
“That’s funny. That’s what my partner said to tell you.” Doug laid some napkins on her work island and spread out French fries on an open sandwich wrapper.
“Me? Why is he thanking me?” She reached for some fries.
“For including us on that flyer you made. Half the town must have been passing them out. We’ve been unbelievably packed all week.”
“I think something else came out of that also,” she said. “I’ve been asked to be the president of the town business council.”
“You have?” He dropped his sandwich and pulled her in for a hug. “That is awesome.”
“You think so?” She leaned back in his arms and looked up at him.
“Definitely. We’ll have to celebrate for real tonight. I’ll bring a nice bottle of wine home with me.” He studied her face. “You don’t think so?”
“Yeah. Celebrating sounds good.”
“You aren’t sure about being the president of the business council?” he guessed.
“I’m just not sure I have what it takes.”
“Obviously, no one else agrees with that. I know I don’t.” He turned her loose. “I think you have a lot to offer and I think they realized that.”
She reached for more fries but didn’t answer him.
“What does it take to become the president of the business council?” he asked.
“You have to be nominated and the group votes,” she said.
“My point exactly. They deliberated about it and came to the conclusion that you would fit the needs of the council,” he argued.
“Maybe.”
“No maybes about it. I know Jim would agree.” He motioned vaguely around them. “Ask any one of your business neighbors. One or more of them probably nominated you.”
“Maybe,” she said again, but this time she smiled.
“I think it’s awesome,” Doug said again. “You have a lot to offer them and they know it.”
***
Megan decided to see if Lacey was correct about Gil being released from the hospital. After speaking with several people, she finally learned which bungalow Gil was staying in. Her knock on the door was answered by a woman. Megan introduced herself.
“You’re Dee Kaptur, aren’t you?” Megan asked.
“I’m just here checking on him,” Dee said w
ith a backward glance.
Gil was sitting up in a chair.
“She’s been amazing,” he said.
“Mind if I ask you both some questions about what happened?” Megan mentioned her connection with the mayor’s office.
Dee stepped back from the door to let Megan enter.
“I know you’ve already spoken to the police. Can you tell me what happened?” Megan asked Gil.
“Not really. I was taking a walk before dinner. I went over to check out the pool, thinking I might take a swim later. Something hit me on the back of my head. There was a lot of pain. That’s all I remember until I came to and saw Dee and the others standing around me.”
“You’re sure someone hit you?” Megan asked.
“I didn’t do this on my own.” He raised his hand to motion to the back of his head but didn’t touch the bandage that was there.
“There wasn’t anyone around the pool?” Megan figured there weren’t any witnesses or someone would have said something about it already.
“No. The tournament had ended for the day and it was dinner time. A lot of people were at the tent they set up with drinks at the end of each day over by the eighteenth green.”
Megan turned to Dee. “You were on your way to dinner?”
“Yes. I was walking with Paolo Russo.”
Megan remembered that Paolo and Dee used to be married.
“Your husband was somewhere else?” Megan asked.
“I don’t know where Iva was. I hadn’t seen him for a little while before that. At the time, I thought he was already at dinner. In all of the confusion, I forgot to ask him about it.”
“And Paolo’s wife? Angela?”
“Lucky for Gil, Paolo was running late for dinner. Paolo sent Angela on ahead of him with some others. I ran into him on my way to look for Iva.”
“I was lucky all the way around,” Gil said. “If Rudy, Dion, Dee, and Paolo hadn’t been in the right place at the right time, I wouldn’t be here.”
***
Megan knew from Dee Kaptur that her husband was waiting for her at the restaurant. She found Iva sitting alone at a table outside in the rear.
“Mind if I have a seat?” Megan asked.
“My wife will be here shortly,” Iva said as he glanced at her press pass.
“I just spoke with her,” Megan said before introducing herself. “Dee was with Gil when I left her, checking on his wound. She said she’d be here as soon as she was done.”
Iva nodded his understanding but didn’t say anything.
“Gil said he was lucky to be alive,” Megan said.
“I still can’t believe it happened.” Iva shook his head and pulled out his phone. He texted something quickly before setting it down. “I should just walk over there and get her.”
“You’re worried about her being alone?”
“I just texted her.” He picked his phone up when it buzzed. Whatever her response was, it made him smile. “She told me to stop worrying.”
“She mentioned that she wasn’t sure where you were at dinnertime yesterday,” Megan said. “She ran into Paolo on her way here to look for you.”
Megan saw him frown before he turned to look out at the golf course. The patio behind the restaurant had a beautiful view. They could see one of the small crowds in the distance, no doubt surrounding some of the players.
“I also understand that Dee and Paolo used to be married,” Megan added. “That can sometimes make things awkward. Especially when you’re always running into each other at events like this.”
Iva turned to study her. “That’s very perceptive of you.”
He absently wiped the condensation from the water glass in front of him. “I said some stupid things to her. I wanted to do something to apologize.”
“Did she accept?” Megan asked.
“She hasn’t gotten them yet,” Iva said. “I saw a florist shop in town when we were shopping the other day. I ran in and ordered some flowers.”
“That’s where you were yesterday?” Megan asked.
He nodded and picked up his phone again. “I think I’m going to get meet her. I’d feel better if I knew where she was.” He glanced back at the golf course. “We’re having a late breakfast together before it’s our turn.”
***
Megan had to wait until the afternoon to speak with Rudy Corbett. He and his wife, Lacey, had played what would be their final game in the tournament. She tracked him down at the restaurant. He was sitting in the front of the restaurant, out in the waiting area. She expected to find him in low spirits after learning that they would not be advancing. Instead, he looked elated.
“Megan? Are you the same Megan that spoke with my wife earlier?” Rudy asked.
“I did speak with Lacey, yes.” Megan took the seat next to him.
“I’d hug you but I don’t want to make you get up again to do it,” Rudy said with a grin.
“You look pretty happy for a guy who just lost,” Megan said.
“Are you kidding me? I’m going to be a dad. I guess I should have known something was up. I just didn’t make the connection.” He laughed. “I’m an idiot.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She hasn’t been feeling well. I thought she was faking it at first. None of her symptoms seemed to match up with anything.” He waved around the restaurant. “The first night we were here, she left in the middle of dinner to get her jacket. I actually followed her out of the restaurant to make sure that’s where she was going.”
Megan didn’t try to hide her surprise.
“I know, stupid, right? I ended up walking into an argument.”
“An argument?” Megan asked.
“Yeah. Shaun and Gil were going at it about something.”
“Shaun Brothers? Could you tell what it was about?” Megan asked.
“No. I was just glad I didn’t find Shaun talking to Lacey. They used to date before we got married. Shaun is a pharmaceutical rep. He and Lacey met where she worked at the time. I saw Shaun leave the restaurant right after Lacey did. That’s why I followed her out.” He looked sheepish.
“I wouldn’t mention that to her now. Being pregnant messes with your hormones,” Megan said.
“Good advice. I believe I’ll take it.”
“Isn’t Shaun married to someone?” Megan saw a waiter coming toward them carrying bags of food.
“Celine, yeah. From where I was sitting, it looked like she was pretty upset about something when Shaun left their table.” He stood when the waiter stopped in front of them. “I need to get this back to Lacey.”
***
Jerry disconnected the call and spun around in his chair. “Caitlyn confirmed it. A man named Iva Kaptur did stop in around the time that Gil Ressler was attacked to order flowers for his wife.”
“This just keeps getting more and more like a soap opera,” Erica said. “At least it explains where he was. When we questioned everyone at the time of the incident, no one could account for him and he wasn’t there so he didn’t get questioned.”
“We still don’t know why Gill Ressler was attacked,” Jerry pointed out.
Erica finished writing the note about Iva Kaptur on the timeline they’d created. It listed where everyone they’d questioned was around the time of the attack.
“Thanks to Megan, we also know that Jodie Stratton was trying to make Dion Pritchard jealous by flirting with other men and that Gil was one of them,” Erica said as she studied the timeline.
“Dion was one of the people that helped to save Gil,” Jerry said as he stood up from his chair. He walked over to look at the timeline. “That means he was close enough to have done it.”
“Could be. He could have hit Gil and walked away,” Erica agreed.
“When he heard the shouting, he had to turn around. Would have looked bad if he didn’t.” Jerry rubbed his chin as he considered it. “Sounds possible.”
“It does. We need to go back and look at where Dion was on Friday night wh
en Jay Kerns was killed.”
Chapter Twenty-One
She realized as she walked toward her car later in the afternoon that she was moving a lot slower than she had in the morning. She’d walked around the golf course grounds quite a lot trying to find people to speak with about Gil’s attack. She was definitely feeling it now.
“Need help?”
Megan turned toward the voice. She recognized Avery Chapman, one of the other members of the media. She’d run into him several times during the course of the week.
“Just taking it a little slow.” Megan smiled her thanks. “How was your day?”
“Only one day left,” Avery said. “I’m going to miss this place. When I leave here, I have to go back to work for real. No more on-site restaurant, no more housecleaning. Worst of all, no more tent with drinks on the eighteenth green. It’s sad.”
Megan laughed. “I see your point.”
“Have a good one.” Avery waved and kept walking.
Megan stayed where she was and watched him walk away. A few minutes later, a group of young men walked toward her. She knew they had all just come from the high school and had been waiting for them. Two of them split off from the rest of the group and headed straight for her.
“Got a minute?” she asked Cole as he got close enough to her.
Another kid around the same age stopped with Cole. Cole motioned toward him.
“This is Tucker. Tucker, this is Megan Parker. I work for her husband. Sometimes she helps the police.”
Megan watched as the two of them shared some sort of look. She wondered what it meant.
“I haven’t seen you all week. Have you been avoiding me?” She was only half joking.
“No. Just busy,” Cole said.
“I was wondering if you’ve heard anything that might help with either of the puzzles,” Megan said. She watched Cole and Tucker share a look again. “I understand that you saw Wes in an argument with Jay just before he was killed.”
“He didn’t do it,” Cole said quickly. Tucker nodded his agreement.
Megan raised her hand. “Let me finish. You only saw the first part of their conversation. Another witness said that you walked away and didn’t see the men work it out. Is that why you were so worried that Wes would be arrested?”