Before she knew it, she had wandered close to the old park that enclosed the crime scene. The area was worn down and unsightly. The swingset was rusted and barely used, the seesaw was broken, and the park benches gave splinters to whoever decided to sit on them. Weeds overtook the grass since nobody had tended to them in who knows how long. Graffiti and muck were plastered along the walls of the old buildings surrounding the park.
All in all, this wasn’t what Thea had in mind for a relaxing, serene area. The worst part was the consistent flash of blue and red lights from the police cars parked near the gazebo where Rebecca was found. The officers were combing the area, keeping people out with the yellow tape that encompassed the gazebo. That didn’t stop a small crowd from forming anyways, taking pictures with their phones and talking about the crime openly.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Thea decided to stand amongst the crowd and take a peek at the scene. She was only able to see a bunch of police officers. Some of them were chatting with one another. Others were scouring the scene, looking for clues.
“All right, everybody, that’s enough,” a voice called out to the mass of people, shooing them away. “Stop obstructing the crime scene, you may distract the officers.”
While some people complied with his orders, grumbling as they went, there were a few that remained. Thea was one of them, once she realized the person that voice belonged to.
“It’s you again,” Blaine said, stopping in front of her. The only thing separating them was two long strips of police tape. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just trying to help my friend out. This case has been bugging him since one of the suspects is someone he cares about,” Thea explained, taking a good stare at the gazebo. “Have you guys found anything conclusive yet? Anything that’ll point you towards the killer?”
Blaine chuckled briefly, almost amused by her question. “You know that I can’t openly discuss the case with a private citizen, right?”
“I was just curious,” Thea replied with a shrug. “I’m a concerned citizen, too.”
Sticking his hands into his jacket pockets, Blaine shot a look over his shoulder towards the gazebo. He pressed his lips into a thin line, wondering if he should talk about what the police station had already concluded about the case. Eventually, he decided against it.
“We’ll figure it out soon enough,” he said, returning his gaze to meet hers. “You shouldn’t mess around with this case too much. Whether it’s for your friend or not.”
“I understand,” Thea mumbled, nodding. “I just wanted to see if there was any forward progress with the case, that’s all. Things have been a little hectic in this town since the murder.”
“I can imagine,” Blaine responded, almost sympathetically. “But I can promise you that we’ll find out who the killer is before you know it. In the meantime, make sure you’re not getting yourself into trouble, all right?”
She held her hand up, silently giving him her word. The gesture made him smile lightly, and although she wanted to continue talking to him and try to pry more information, she didn’t feel like it. Besides, she wanted to get back to the shop. The sight at the park was too depressing and she didn’t want to be in that area anymore.
As she followed the small groups of people exiting the park, she managed to pick up a few stray bits of trash along the way. It was her manner of giving back to the environment. This park needed a desperate makeover, beginning with the pollution that could be found in all directions.
She grimaced, dumping the trash into the appropriate bin. Just as she glanced away, she did a double take and reexamined the contents within the garbage can. Swatting away at the flies, Thea narrowed her eyes as she saw a small bouquet of wilting flowers. They were almost obscured by the other trash that had landed on top of it.
“Gross,” she whispered to herself, already seeing a collection of bugs overwhelming the plant’s stem and leaves.
Taking a glance towards the crime scene, she wondered if she should have called over Blaine to come take a look at this. After all, the flowers could have served as some sort of evidence in the case. Something as small as this had to be helpful.
However, she remembered his advice to stay out of the case. As a result, she backed away and decided to bring it up later. After all, she probably wouldn’t have been able to talk with him again. A quick look in his direction and Thea could see how he was already engaged in a discussion with the other officers on the scene.
She had to get going, anyway. Taking out her phone to check the time, she had already spent almost twenty minutes out and about. Remembering Jesse and his request for food, Thea pushed the case details from her mind and hurried to the nearest convenience store she could find.
After leaving the park, her new worry was deciding whether to get Jesse a salad or a hot dog for lunch. She decided to go with the healthier option. He could whine to her about it later.
Chapter 7
Walking into A Stitch in Time with lunch for herself and Jesse, Thea didn’t expect it to be as busy as it was. A small group of people crowded the counter, where Jesse was showing off a range of different art materials for them to gauge.
As she came closer, she realized that Zach was at the forefront of this group with his close friends surrounding them. That came as a pleasant surprise to Thea. After what happened with Eric, she wouldn’t have blamed him if he never wanted to return to her shop again.
“Hey, Zach, how are you?” Thea asked, setting the food to the side. “I didn’t think I’d see you around here anymore.”
“Me neither,” Zach responded softly. With a pat on the shoulder from one of his friends, he continued. “We wanted to make some kind of mural for Rebecca. It’s our way of celebrating her life, you know? We still haven’t decided what we want to do yet.”
“I’ve been helping them out this entire time,” Jesse said. “It’ll take some time to pick out the perfect idea, I’m sure. Things like this are sensitive.”
“A Stitch in Time was the first place that popped into my head to get ideas,” Zach admitted.
“How about I take the rest of you to the other side of the store? I have a few more suggestions and ideas to show you guys!” Jesse offered, beckoning most of Zach’s friend group to follow him.
Zach stayed behind, wanting to talk a bit more with Thea. One look at the guy and Thea could feel her heart swell up in sympathy for him. His eyes were bloodshot and it seemed as if he hadn’t slept well.
“Have you talked with the police about everything that happened?” Thea asked quietly, leaning in closer so he didn’t have to speak so loudly.
Compared to the last time she saw him, he looked like a shell of his former self.
“They haven’t told me much. They said they still have to find more clues,” he sniffled, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand. “I’ve been talking with them basically nonstop since Rebecca was....”
Thea nodded as he trailed off, showing that she understood. It was probably hard for him to talk about the case. Rebecca was his girlfriend, after all. A lot could change from one day to the next, that was certain.
“I’m sorry about that, Zach. That must be so horrible. I’ve been asking around to see if I can find out any clues to who the killer could be, but I haven’t had any luck yet.”
“How do you know him? Eric Beal?” Zach asked earnestly. “I know he shares the same last name as you do. Is he your cousin or something?”
“He’s a distant relative of mine, but I don’t really know much about him. I never talked to him before all of this happened,” Thea replied.
Letting out a soft breath, Zach lowered his gaze. “He freaks me out.”
“Yeah, he scares me sometimes, too. I didn’t like the way he treated you and Rebecca. I don’t think I ever apologized for his behavior,” she said, to which Zach shook his head.
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry for. You shouldn’t be the one apologizing for his actions, anyway,” he p
ointed out. “I just... I hope they find Rebecca’s killer soon. I can’t take much more of this anymore. I’d talk to her family about this, but I never had the best relationship with them in the first place.”
Thea raised a brow. “How come?”
“I don’t want to be rude or anything, but Rebecca’s family would always scare me a little bit. I mean, I was willing to overlook that because I loved her, but with everything that happened, I don’t know how to talk to or face them.”
He wrung his hands together, swallowing thickly before continuing.
“And you know how people can be with murder cases like these. They always suspect the boyfriend first.”
“You shouldn’t worry about all that, Zach,” Thea said, trying to put him at ease. “The police will find Rebecca’s killer soon. For now, the only thing we can do is remember her fondly.”
Although reluctant, he nodded. Even though it wasn’t much, Thea knew that their short conversation settled his nerves somewhat. By the time Jesse returned with Zach’s friend group, he looked much better than before. The color was slowly returning to his face.
“Are you still worried about being named the suspect, Zach?” one of his friends asked, wrapping an arm around him. “C’mon, man. Why would they suspect you? I bet they’re gonna go after Ashley. She’s mean.”
“We shouldn’t talk about that right now,” Zach replied, shrugging off his friend. “We should focus on Rebecca, not the person who killed her.”
Thea and Jesse helped in ringing up the items they bought, putting their materials into multiple bags. As they handed them the supplies, Zach and his friends slowly exited the shop. One of his female friends took a quick glance at Thea before leaning on the counter.
“You know, they’re all focused on Ashley right now because they think she’s the one who killed Rebecca. Personally, I don’t think so. Did you know that Rebecca got an art teacher fired once?”
Thea’s eyes widened. She was referring to Miranda, wasn’t she? “No, I didn’t know that.”
The girl shrugged, gathering up the last bag of items. “Maybe that lady finally got her revenge. Who knows?”
As Thea watched her hurry off after her friends, she was somewhat glad that Jesse was out of the earshot when she said that. The accusations piling up against Miranda didn’t sit well with him. With what Zach’s friend just mentioned, Thea knew that she wasn’t off the hook just yet.
However, everyone kept mentioning Rebecca’s older sister, Ashley. Based on what she was hearing, the girl wasn’t as popular or well-received as her younger sister. Thea could only wonder why. Was she truly jealous of her sister?
She wanted to talk to Ashley and find out for herself. It was possible that all of these rumors were exaggerated and she was only being used as a scapegoat. And Thea really didn’t want to form a hasty opinion on her before getting the chance to meet her. That wouldn’t be fair, regardless of the statements made against her.
Chapter 8
Asking around for where she could find Ashley took a bit of effort on Thea’s part. Although a lot of people were quick to implicate her in the case, not many of them could cough up her location. Eventually, she got hold of one of Zach’s friends who had visited the shop. From them, she found out that Ashley worked at a local fast food restaurant.
Lucky for her, she found out just in time to catch her at the end of her shift. Ashley was exiting the establishment from the back door where Thea was waiting for her in the parking lot.
“Ashley!” she called out to her, and when the girl seemed to ignore her, she did it again. “Ashley, hey, can we talk for a second?”
“Huh?” Ashley asked, looking up from her phone. She had a mean look on her face. “What do you want? Do I know you?”
“I’m Thea Beal, I run an arts and crafts shop in town. You may have heard of it. A Stitch in Time?” she offered, wondering if it would ring a bell.
Ashley continued to stare at her blankly, so Thea brushed that off and kept talking to avoid an awkward silence.
“I just wanted to give you my condolences for what happened to your sister, Rebecca. I hope you and your family are doing well during this time.”
“Uh-huh,” Ashley replied, typing on her phone. She didn’t even look up. “Thanks.”
Confused by her demeanor, Thea figured that she was just busy and tired. She was willing to overlook that for now. Figuring out how to ask about Rebecca’s murder case was going to be tough, she could tell. Ashley was exhibiting a cold indifference that she didn’t know how to navigate.
“So how have you been? How has your family been? Are there any funeral arrangements being planned?” Thea asked.
“You ask a lot of questions,” Ashley mumbled, scrolling through her text messages on her phone. “Who are you again? Mia?”
“Thea,” she corrected. “I bumped into your sister and her boyfriend, Zach, when they visited my shop. She was a very nice girl. I was surprised to hear what happened to her.”
“Yeah, a lot of us were,” Ashley said with a shrug.
“I... You don’t have anything else to say about the murder of your sister?” Thea questioned in disbelief. She had never seen someone act this way after the death of their own sibling.
“Well, what else is there to say? It happened. It bummed out the whole town. People will move on eventually,” she replied curtly.
“B-but she’s your sister!” Thea stammered. “You should be one of the main people mourning or in distraught over her death, but you’re here acting as if it’s just another day!”
“That’s because it is just another day for me. What is this?” Ashley snapped, looking Thea up and down. “Are you trying to interrogate me over this? What’s with all these weird questions?”
“I just wanted to talk to you about your sister, that’s all.” She said, taken aback by how defensive Ashley got in a matter of seconds. “I also wanted to ask if you knew anything about the potential suspects of the case.”
“Man, can you get to the point already? I’m trying to get home, you know. I still have stuff to do today,” Ashley retorted, waiting with her hands on her hips.
Thea opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again when she realized that she didn’t know how to word things correctly. Knowing that she was looking like a fool in front of an already unamused Ashley, she decided to spit it out.
“Do you know anything about Miranda Hoff and her connection to your sister? I think someone mentioned that she was once a student of hers. Do you know what happened between them? Do you think Miranda would have any valid reason to retaliate against Rebecca?”
“Look, Leah–”
“Name is Thea.”
“Look, Thea. Do you have any sort of police badge on you? Any sort of verification? You’re a total stranger to me and you expect me to open up about private information regarding my dead sister?”
Thea held back her scowl. What a coincidence that she suddenly started to care about her sister’s case at such a convenient time. Did Ashley have any intentions at all in trying to find the killer?
“I-I don’t have anything on me right now. I’m not a police officer or a detective or anything like that. I was just curious about the case, that’s all.”
Ashley let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Then why did you think I would even tell you anything in the first place? You’re not entitled to any of this information.”
Before she managed to walk away, Thea called out to her one more time. At this point, Ashley stared at her with an irritated expression. Thea was surprised that the woman didn’t explode yelling at her just yet.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to tell me anything about Miranda Hoff and your sister? It seems like an important part of this case,” Thea asked again, almost pleading this time around. “I already talked to Miranda and she didn’t seem to like your sister that much. Her tone would change every time she was brought up. What happened between the two of them?”
Ashley sighed deepl
y, rolling her eyes. “See ya later, Thea.”
With that, the woman turned and made her way to her beat-up old car parked nearby. Thea watched her silently, at least thankful that she got her name right this time.
After that little conversation with Ashley, she could finally understand why people talked about her so distastefully. Was her mood always this sour? It seemed likely.
Thinking back to what Miranda mentioned, Thea was beginning to feel that there was a bit of truth to her statement. There was a high likelihood that Ashley was jealous of Rebecca, which would explain her apathy towards her sister’s death. But would that be enough to kill her?
Chapter 9
The little bookstore where Pippa worked was called A Novel Idea, and there was a fat lazy ginger cat curled in a basket in the window as Thea approached.
“Captain,” Thea greeted him warmly as she entered, bending over his basket and cooing at him.
Captain graciously allowed himself to be petted. He purred with particular zeal when Thea scratched the underside of his chin.
“I’m glad you didn’t bring Sybil,” Pippa said, walking over brightly with an armful of books. “Remember last time? I thought it was going to come to blows.”
“Sybil is usually very civilized,” Thea returned with a sigh. “I don’t know what it is about Captain that gets her dander up.” Then, with a smile, Thea straightened and looked at Pippa. “Speaking of animals....”
Pippa grinned her mischievous, canine little smile. “Oh yes?”
“I was wondering if you might do me a favor.”
“Spill,” Pippa said, setting down the stack of books she held on a nearby cart. “Mind if I shelve the new arrivals while we chat?”
“Not at all.”
So Thea followed Pippa around the store for a few minutes, filling her in on what she’d learned about the case since their visit to campus together to interview Miranda Hoff.
Familiar Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Series Book 1) Page 3