by Cindy Bell
Chapter 13
When Charlotte and Ally reached the cottage, Charlotte settled on the couch, and was joined almost instantly by Arnold. He snorted and nudged at her arm with his snout.
“It’s all right, Arnold.” She patted the top of his head. “I’m okay, we’re just trying to figure out a mystery. Too bad you weren’t there to sniff out the killer.”
“It might have helped.” Ally pulled her knee up to her chest and rested her chin on it. “I feel like we’re nowhere on this.”
“We’re not nowhere. We know that Austin was connected to Marris somehow. What we have to figure out is how. The assumption that he was a hitman is the best lead we have, I think.”
“Remember the man who drove us? Shep?” Ally sat forward as Peaches jumped up onto the couch beside her. “He used to work for Dolphin Collectible Cars, right? Kevin just mentioned that he used to work there. Oh wow!” Ally’s eyes widened. “Kevin! That’s where I know him from. Kevin was at the farm the day Austin was killed. He was arguing with Harris about Shep before we flew, remember?”
“No, I don’t think I noticed him.” Charlotte stood up. Arnold jumped to the floor with a snort. “Oops, sorry Arnold.” She reached down and stroked his back.
“And there was also that farmhand Ethan, who was really interested in the plane.”
“Okay, well we’ve already spoken with Kevin. Let’s head to Harris’ farm. We should be able to speak to Shep, Ethan, and find out who that other man on the plane was. Pete was his name, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, I think it was.” Ally nodded. “We can take Arnold along for the ride. He’ll enjoy being on the farm, and he might find us a clue.”
“All right, good idea. Want to go for a ride, Arnold?” She looked down at the pig. He pranced around and snorted happily.
When Charlotte and Ally arrived at the farm, Charlotte headed for the main office to speak to Harris, and Ally began to search around for Shep. She didn’t want him to have any warning that she wanted to speak with him. Arnold led the way, snorting and digging his snout into the dirt.
It didn’t take her long to find Shep. He was near the barn, loading bales of hay onto a truck. She watched as his muscles rippled with each hefty load he lifted. Had he really gone from the luxury of Dolphin Collectible Cars to such a hard labor job?
“Shep, it’s Ally, do you remember me?” She smiled at him as he grabbed a bale of hay and tugged it forward on the truck.
“Sure, I remember you.” He tilted his head towards her, then eyed Arnold. “That day is kind of etched in my memory.”
“I know.” She sighed and brushed her hair back from her eyes. “I’m still trying to figure out what happened.”
“I think we all are.” He leaned back against the edge of the truck and pulled out a pack of gum. “Want a piece?”
“No thanks.” She watched as he popped a piece into his mouth. “Shep, what was it like working at Dolphin Collectible Cars?”
“Oh, you know about that?” He chuckled. “You’ve got your information a little skewed though. I didn’t work for the business, I worked for Greg Marris as his personal protection.”
“A bodyguard?” She noted his muscular frame. “That’s quite a lucrative business. You traded it in for farm work?”
“Not exactly. I wasn’t really given a choice.” He wiped off his hands then slid them into the pockets of his jeans. “The thing about having three men that think they are all your boss, is that they each have an opinion, and they all think they are right.”
“That does sound like it could be quite a problem.” She frowned. “Is that why you quit?”
“Quit?” He raised an eyebrow. “According to one of them I was fired, to another I quit, and to the third I might as well be dead. I have no idea what happened. But I know it didn’t come from Marris. Carter kicked me out of the showroom and told me not to come back. But I found some solace here. Maybe it’s dirty work, but at the same time it’s clean. You know?”
“Are you saying that working for Marris wasn’t?” She studied him intently.
“Not exactly. Marris wasn’t a bad guy from what I could tell. But his partners, they were as dirty as they come. Of course, I can’t prove anything, and I wouldn’t try even if I could. Those men are dangerous.”
“What makes you think that?” Ally stepped a little closer to him.
“Look, I’d rather just stay out of this.” He brushed some dirt and dust from his hands. “I left for a reason. If any of them think that I’m running my mouth about anything, I’ll be the next dead body you find.”
“Shep, I’m not trying to cause you any trouble, I promise.” Ally peered into his eyes. “I just need to know what happened. I will keep your name out of everything.”
“Sure.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck to mop up the sweat that gathered there. “I’m not sure how you can promise me something like that. Once something like this gets going, it’s hard to stop it.”
“It’s already going. Austin is already dead. The only way to stop it is to find out the truth, and you are the only one that can help me with that.”
“I don’t believe that’s true.” He frowned. “These kind of men, with all of their wealth and therefore power, nothing ever stops them.”
“I want to.” Ally’s entire body tensed as she spoke those words. “If one of them is responsible for Austin’s death, I want to make sure that he pays for it, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help.” She met his eyes again. “You might be working a cleaner job, but you’re never going to feel free of the past until you’re clean on the inside, too. Tell me what you know, and I will try to ensure that justice is served.”
He grimaced, looked over his shoulder, then towards the entrance of the farm, and finally back to Ally.
“I found out that one of them hired a hitman. I couldn’t believe it. I have no idea who the target was, but I told Marris about it, and not even an hour later I was out the door.”
“Which one hired the hitman?” Her heart began to race. It was clear that he had no idea that Austin was the hitman, unless he was a good actor.
“I don’t know. All I know is that it couldn’t have been Marris. He’s a good guy. He was always trying to talk sense into the other two.” He shook his head.
“Talk sense into them about what?” Ally could tell that he was reluctant to say more.
“All I can say is that their business dealings were not always on the up and up. They managed to bail the business out recently with a less than legal business deal and from what I understood they made a lot of money personally in the process. At least Lang and Carter did. Lang and Carter had a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality. Marris didn’t. He objected to their plans. He believed in fair competition, and the worth of a hard day’s work. He was always encouraging them to make charitable donations.” He frowned. “Honestly, he was the first boss that I’ve ever had that I genuinely liked.”
“And how did the other partners react when Marris didn’t like the things that they were getting involved in?”
“They smiled to his face, but behind his back they were vicious.” He pursed his lips. “Some friends, huh?”
“It sounds like Marris would be a lot better off without them.” She nodded. “That must have been a tough position for you to be in.”
“Like I said, I’m glad I’m out of there.” He tipped his head to the side. “I need to get back to work, before I lose another job.”
“Thanks for the information.” She nodded to him as he picked up another bale of hay. Her mind swirled with the new information. Was it possible that Carter or Lang had hired Austin to go after Marris? Arnold snorted at the ground as they walked back towards the main parking area of the farm. When they neared the plane, he dipped his snout even further into the dirt.
“What are you doing?” She laughed and tugged him back to keep him from getting filthy. But Arnold insisted on continuing to dig. When she crouched down to see what he’d gotten his nose
into, she caught sight of something shiny and flat. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that it was a knife. It was only a few inches long, and on its hilt was an engraving of barbed wire. Though it appeared decorative, she could tell from the edge of the blade that it was sharp.
“Hmm, what have you found?” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and picked the knife up by the hilt. As she studied it, she wondered if the killer might have left it behind.
With a few taps of her knuckles on the window in the door, Charlotte gained Harris’ attention. He stared at her for a moment, then stood up from his rolling office chair and walked over. She smiled as Harris opened the door to his office for her.
“Ready to take that leap?” He smiled at her in return.
“Oh, not just yet.” She patted his shoulder as he led her to a chair in front of his desk. “Actually, I have a few questions for you. Somehow, my sweet Ally has gotten herself all tangled up in this mess. I’m really concerned for her. So, I’m trying to figure out what exactly happened that day, the day that Austin died.”
“You were there.” His expression grew grave. “You know what happened.”
“Not really I don’t. I don’t know how the cords in Austin’s pack were cut. Obviously, someone had to have put their hands on them. Austin said he checked it before he boarded the plane. So that limits the number of people that could have tampered with it. I was wondering if you could give me information about Pete, the man who decided not to fly with us that day.”
“Pete?” He rubbed his chin. “Oh, he was just a tourist from somewhere. The West Coast possibly. Uh, I do have his information here somewhere.”
As he began to sort through paperwork, the door to the office swung open.
“Hey boss.” Ethan stepped inside, then grimaced. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you had company. I can come back later.”
“No, it’s no bother. Whatever you need, go right ahead.” Charlotte watched him as he approached Harris’ desk.
“I just wanted to let you know that there’s a problem with one of the fences on the east side of the property. It’s going to need some repairs. I need your authorization to get the supplies.” His gaze lingered on Charlotte. “It’s good to see you again, ma’am.”
“Oh, you remember me?” She smiled.
“Sure, I do. It’s hard to forget anything about that day.”
“You’re right, I can remember how much you admired the plane. You got yourself in a bit of trouble for it, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “You remember that, too?”
She turned to face him with a warm smile.
“I also remember that you wanted to go on the plane and check it out.”
“Yes, I did. I love planes. Always have.”
“Did you notice anyone messing with Austin’s pack when you got onto the plane?”
“No.” He narrowed his eyes. “Should I have?”
“It’s pretty clear that someone tampered with it. I imagine that there were only a few of us that went on the plane that day. You were one.” Charlotte forced her smile to be a little brighter. “Anything you saw could be a clue.”
“All I saw was a plane. Like I said I love planes. I didn’t notice anything wrong with Austin’s pack, well to be honest, I didn’t notice it at all. If it was there, I didn’t pay attention to it.” He shrugged.
“Did you know Austin at all? Had you met him before?” She looked into his eyes.
“No, I’d never seen him. I didn’t even know his name until after.” He grimaced. “Listen, I have a lot of work to do.”
“Go on, Ethan, it’s all right. I’ll catch up the paperwork later.” Harris waved to him.
“Okay.” He nodded to Charlotte, then stepped out of the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, Harris turned to Charlotte.
“Are you done interrogating my employees now?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m sorry if I came off too strong, that was not my intention. It’s just that I’m trying to find out a little more about everyone that was on that plane that day.”
“Including me?” He stepped out from behind his desk. “Am I on your suspect list?”
“No.” She smiled. “No, you’re not.”
“Good.” His shoulders relaxed with relief as he smiled in return. He looked over the paperwork. “All I can tell you is that his full name is Pete Coulter. He was staying at the same bed and breakfast as Austin. He listed that as his address on this form and the taxi driver who brought Austin in, mentioned that if he’d known they were both at the same place he would have brought them in together.”
“Who arrived first?”
“Pete did. He was here real early. I guess because he was so nervous that day.” He shrugged. “I wish I had more to say, but I knew him only about as well as I knew Austin.”
“You’ve done a lot to help. Thanks Harris.” She offered him her hand. “Be careful, all right? I’m still expecting to take that leap.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep the plane warm for you.” He winked at her before he released her hand.
As she headed out the door she knew that her next stop would be the bed and breakfast. It might just be a coincidence that both Pete and Austin were staying there, as there weren’t that many places to stay around town, but it was worth looking into.
As she walked back towards the car, she noticed Ally and Arnold headed in her direction. Ally had something in her hand.
“Mee-Maw, Arnold found something.” She displayed the knife. “I have no idea if it’s connected to the crime, but something tells me it might be.”
“You think it was used to cut the cords?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “That’s possible. Where did you find it?”
“In the dirt unfortunately, and Arnold gave it a good working over with his snout. I doubt that much evidence could be pulled off it.”
“Still, you should turn it in to Detective Harrow. We’re already on thin ice with him.” Charlotte glanced at the car. “Would you mind dropping me off somewhere before you head out there?”
“Where do you need to go?” Ally walked towards the car with Arnold in tow.
Charlotte filled her in on the information that Harris shared. “I’d like to see if there’s anything more I can learn about Pete.”
“Do you think he might have had something to do with it?”
“I think at the very least he might have had a conversation with Austin. They were staying in the same place. I find it hard to believe that they didn’t at least bump into each other.”
“Good point.” Ally nodded. “All right, I’ll drop you off, then drop Arnold off. Will you be able to get a ride? It will take me a while to get back from Mainbry.”
“Sure, I’ll ask Jeff.”
“Why don’t you drive to the bed and breakfast and I’ll see if I can find any information on my phone about Pete, okay?”
“Sure.” She took the keys from Ally, then sent a text to Jeff before she started the car.
As they drove off towards the bed and breakfast, Ally searched for information about Pete Coulter, but turned up nothing.
Chapter 14
Charlotte stepped into the B & B a few minutes later. She could see that it was fairly busy as it was a Sunday, the day most people checked out. As she waited in the lobby for the owner to be free, she searched the ceilings and corners for any signs of cameras. Unfortunately, there weren’t any visible.
“Charlotte, how can I help you?” Shawna smiled as Charlotte approached the counter.
“Hi Shawna. It’s good to see you. I have a strange question.” She rested her hands on the counter and looked into the woman’s eyes. “Can you tell me about a man named Pete Coulter that was staying here a few days ago?”
“Well, let’s see.” She tapped on the keyboard and studied the monitor. “I remember Pete. He was a nice guy, kept to himself.”
“He stayed here at the same time as Austin, didn’t he?” She raised an eyebrow.
&nb
sp; “Yes, exactly the same time.”
“Did you ever see them together? Maybe for breakfast? Or talking?”
“No, never.” She frowned. “As I recall neither of them took advantage of the breakfast I offered. I remember because they were the only two staying at the time, and the breakfast went to waste. I was a little annoyed.”
“I can understand that.” She smiled. “I would be annoyed, too. So, as far as you know they never interacted?”
“No, not at all.”
“What about any calls made from Pete’s room? Do you have any record of that?”
“Let’s see.” She gazed at the monitor again. “Two calls to the same number. That’s a little unusual as most people just use their cell phones.”
“Could you give me that number?” Her heart skipped a beat.
“I’m really not supposed to.” She glanced over at her, then bit into her bottom lip.
“I can assure you I won’t tell anyone where I got the number from. If this wasn’t important, I wouldn’t be asking.” She looked into the young woman’s eyes. “Shawna, it may be a matter of life and death.”
“All right.” She nodded, then scribbled the phone number on a piece of paper. She set the paper face down on the counter, then turned and walked away. Charlotte didn’t hesitate to pick up the piece of paper. She tucked it into her pocket and hurried out of the bed and breakfast. Once she was outside, and a good distance from any listening ears, she pulled out her cell phone. A second later she dialed the number. As she listened to each ring, her chest grew tight with anticipation. Whoever answered the phone might have a clue to the murder. However, she couldn’t know that for sure. She might just be randomly calling Pete’s wife, or his girlfriend.
“You’ve reached Kevin Lang, please leave a message.”
Her stomach dropped as she heard the familiar voice. She quickly hung up the phone before the voicemail could begin recording. As she stared at the phone she tried to fit the pieces together. Why would Pete Coulter be calling Kevin Lang? They already suspected that Austin was a hitman, hired to kill Marris. But what did that have to do with Pete Coulter and Kevin Lang?