Case of the Secret Life

by L C Lang

  My mind began racing. How did someone get the man into the shed? The shed door was unlocked but I am sure my father locked the shed after he put the tables and chairs inside. So, someone must have picked the lock because the key to the shed has been inside the house. Then I remembered the squeak when I opened the gate. It was loud enough that I should have heard the squeak, but I did not. By my calculation, they put the man in the shed sometime after I moved in. Maybe that first night. How did I not hear the squeak? I blew out my breath. Then I had another thought.

  How long has the man been in there? Based on what I saw, not very long. One or two days. His body had not deteriorated that much, but why put him in my shed? Someone had to know the house was empty. Of people at least. Still, I am glad I found him now or I would have smelled him even worse in a matter of days whenever I went outside.

  I blew out my breath again and knew I cannot wait any longer. I pulled out my cell phone and made the call to 911. I gave the woman who answered the short version of what I found, gave her my address, and hung up. Then I waited.

  The day is warm, so it felt good to sit outside. Maybe I should think about putting in a full porch on the front of the house. It would be nice sitting out there when the days are warm. Maybe a porch swing or some comfortable chairs. Something to think about.

  Five minutes later, I heard the sound of sirens. Several from the sound of it. I was sure the police department here was not very big. The next time I go out, I am going to have to see where the police department is located. With my type of business, I have a feeling I am going to be known to them soon enough. I just wish it wasn’t beginning this way. But, that decision is out of my hands. At least I am going to be up close and personal with some of them today.

  Two police cars, one ambulance, a white van and a sedan slid to a stop in the front of my house, with the ambulance parking in my business driveway. Then came the onslaught of men out of their cars and vans. Take that back. One female officer got out of one of the squad cars. She is carrying a camera bag. This is going to be interesting.

  However, the man in the suit seemed to be having a problem. He looked me up and down and then a scowl came over his face as he approached me. Great, a detective. A nice looking detective, with intense brown eyes. Still, the last thing I wanted to do is to be interested in a detective. Did that once, never again.

  “Where is the body?” the detective gruffly asked.

  I pointed back to the shed. “He is sitting on one of the chairs stored inside.” All of the other men and the one woman came to a stop near to where I am sitting. They looked at the man in the suit.

  The man narrowed his eyes at me. “He is sitting in a chair?”

  I nodded. His expression told me that that was the most incredulous thing anyone ever told him. Actually, it was a strange sight for me too when I first saw the man sitting in the chair, with one leg crossed over the other one. Just wait until the detective sees how someone posed the dead man. “Yes, sir. He is sitting in a chair at the front of the shed. I left the shed door open, so you can see for yourself.”

  The detective grunted and then headed for the shed. I watched the parade of men and the one woman as they followed the man in the suit. I shook my head. Then I waited and watched to see their reaction. While the man in the suit just stood there shaking his head at the sight inside the shed, the others were stifling laughter. Guess they hadn’t seen anything like that either.

  Since it is going to take them a while to process the crime scene, I might as well get some work done while I wait. I stood up. Then I looked at the conglomeration of vehicles parked around my house. No sirens now, but the lights on the police cars are still going. People in houses close by are now on their porches. More than likely, word will spread around town quickly when they find there has been a murder. I wonder if they will be able to find out what the man’s name is. I hadn’t checked the man’s pockets because I did not want my fingerprints on him.

  I looked back towards the shed. The two paramedics couldn’t do anything for the man, so they are now leaving. The detective is standing in front of the opening to the shed, watching as the female officer took pictures. The other officer stood behind the detective. Waiting close-by were the two men from the white van, which I assumed was the coroner’s office. One of the men is older, so he is probably the county coroner. They are patiently waiting their turn at the dead man.

  Just then, another van stopped along the side of the street. Two men got out, went to the back of the van and pulled out a large case. Then they each put on a white jumpsuit. Once they finished, one of the men picked up the case and then they headed towards where I am sitting. I pointed towards the shed. They both nodded and kept going, stopping near the man in the suit. Crime scene techs. I doubt they will find any evidence. The man did not die in the building and doubted they will find any fingerprints either.

  A few minutes later, the female officer, still holding her camera, walked passed me and went to her car. Then, she drove away. When I looked back, the coroner was now checking the body. It was obvious why he died. But, who killed him and is there any evidence on the man’s body to show who he is?

  Sooner or later, I knew the detective would want to talk to me. I decided I am not going to wait on him, so I unlocked the door and walked into my office, closing the door behind me, but leaving the door unlocked. With the curtains open, he will see where I am and I can watch their progress.

  I sat down in my chair, opened my laptop and turned it on. Once the main screen came on, I began my background searches. Then I started a separate page of what I was finding on each of the three people they wanted me to check. I was almost finished doing my research when I heard the dinging sound of another email coming in. I finished off the research and then sent the reports to each of businesses. Then I opened the new email.

  My mouth dropped open when I read the email. It is from a new company and is from the CEO of the company. He wants to know how long background checks take, how deep the searches are and what the cost will be. I already have a letter I send to prospective companies. It would be great if they accept the terms. The company is a major pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis and I am sure they will bring in a lot of business. So, I accessed the letter, filled in the data and sent it to the CEO of the pharmaceutical company.

  Then I logged off my computer, stood up and went to the back window. I watched as the coroner’s office took the body out of the shed and then laid it on a gurney with an open black plastic bag laying on top. They zipped the bag around the body and then began pushing the gurney out of the yard. A few minutes later, the coroner’s van left.

  Next, the search in the shed began, with the detective, the two crime scene techs and the remaining cop pulling almost everything out of the shed, sitting everything sitting on the lawn. They appeared to be searching every nook and cranny because they spent a lot of time inside the shed and searching the furniture. Thankfully, they left the tools on the walls. And, more than likely, they will not put everything back inside the shed, which means I will have to do it.

  Another hour later, after I had gotten myself a drink, I looked out the back window and was surprised to find they had put everything back inside the building, closed the door and put a yellow do-not-cross banner across the door of the shed.

  Then the other officer and the two crime scene techs walked passed my office, got in their vehicles and left. The detective noticed me inside. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and then he approached my desk.

  I am now sitting in my chair behind my desk, waiting and watching him. I took a long drink and waited. I hate interrogations and this is not going to be a pleasant one. From the look on the detective’s face, his attitude has not changed since he first got here.

  The first thing I noticed is how grumpy looking the detective is. At the moment, he is looking down at the notebook in his hand. He is a nice looking man. Early thirties, light brown hair, warm brown eyes wh
en they weren’t scowling at me, about five foot ten inches, and has a good build under the black suit he is wearing. And there is a wedding ring on his left hand. Definitely out of bounds for me. Won’t go through that again. Finally, he looked up at me, a scowl on his face. Great. Here we go again.

  “Did you kill that man?”

  Great first question. I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I have never seen him before. Do you know who he is?”

  The man shook his head and glared at me. “I ask the questions.”

  I shrugged. This was going to get interesting. “Okay. Why don’t you sit down and then you can ask whatever questions you want to ask.”

  The man sat down in one of the club chairs. “I thought this house was empty.”

  It was my turn to shake my head. “It has never been completely empty. My grandmother died three months ago. My parents closed up her house and moved her in with them six months ago when her health began getting worse. My grandmother willed me the house and I moved in two days ago.”

  “Why did you take so long to move in?”

  “Is that important to who killed the man?”

  “Everything is important.”

  “Fine. My job ended a month ago and as of two days ago, I had to move. So, I moved here.”

  “Where did you live before?”

  “Indianapolis.”

  He looked around the room. “This looks like an office. What kind of work are you planning on doing here?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. “I know for a fact, that is not a relevant question. So, let me help you out here. I do not know the man. Never seen him before. No, I did not hear any noises for the past two nights I have been here. I have no clue how someone got into the shed because I have the key and I know for sure that when my father put the tables and chairs inside the shed, he locked the door. Someone must have picked the lock. Oh, and I touched the doorknob, so I hope you weren’t hoping to find fingerprints because I am sure all they will find is mine. Did I miss anything?” okay, I am being cocky, but the detective disserved it.

  The man folded his arms and looked at me. “Pretty cocky, aren’t you?”

  I shrugged. “Have to be sometimes. Did I miss any questions?”

  The man shook his head, stood up and put his notebook back in his suit coat pocket. “Don’t go in the shed until we clear it. May take a couple of days. And don’t make any long trips in the next few days. I might need to talk to you again.” Then he walked to the door, opened it and walked out, closing the door behind him. I watched out my front window as he got into his car and left.

  I kept watching until the car was out of sight. Then I blew out my breath, stood up, went to the office door and locked it. The man never gave me his name or his business card, so that was rude. He has an attitude. Not that I haven’t seen that before.

  Still, I wondered where I can find out who the dead man is. Then it hit me. Of course, the diner. Word will spread like wildfire when the news of the dead man gets out. That is inevitable. Tomorrow for lunch, I will go to the diner and see what I can find out. Maybe, I can find out who the man is.

  I went to the back window and looked at the shed. There is a mystery here. I am fully capable of solving a case. Now that I have settled into the house, I am ready to get back into solving mysteries. Might be fun to keep in practice and see what I can find on the man. As long as the police do not find out what I am doing.

  CHAPTER 5

  The next day, dressed in sweat bottoms and an oversized white t-shirt, I checked my email and found I now have a new customer account. The pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis. Seems they had a problem in one of their departments and don’t know who caused the problem. So, they want me to do a background check on everyone who works in the company, except for the CEO, who was the one contacting me. Fifteen hundred people. My shoulders slumped. That will take days to do. But, the man told me he would pay half the bill now and the other half when I finish. I just have to tell him where to send it. I blew out my breath. At a hundred dollars per person, I am going to be getting in a lot of money. So, I hurried off another email to him, thanked him for their business, sent him the information where to send the payment, told him to forward the list of employees and identifying information to me and then told him to give me a couple of days to get the report to him.

  Researching that many names will be daunting, but for the money and the fact that probably most of those fifteen hundred people are upstanding people with no criminal records, this job may not be as bad as it seems.

  Then I got ready to go out to lunch. It is time to celebrate and to find some information. I changed out of my sweat bottoms and t-shirt and into jeans and a dark gray long sleeved shirt. A steno pad is in my purse to take notes, so I am ready to go. I grabbed my cell phone and put it into my purse. I walked out the front door and locked my door.

  As I approached my Cherokee, I looked at the garage. When I get home, I am going to have to go inside the garage. With winter coming soon, I would sure like to pull my truck into the garage. With that decision made, I got inside my Cherokee.

  It took me five minutes to get to the diner and ten more minutes to find a parking space. For a smaller town there sure is a lot of traffic. The diner was well placed and very popular. Still, it was worth the wait. I just hope I can find some answers. Mainly, what the dead man’s name is.

  As I walked into the diner, I saw an older couple getting out of a booth. Since no one else is waiting, I headed for the booth and sat down. Two waitresses are rushing around taking orders and bringing orders to tables.

  After a couple of minutes, a young waitress came to my table. Her nametag said her name is Cindy. I remembered her from when I was in here the other day. Cindy laid a menu on the table.

  “Sorry, for the delay in cleaning off the table,” Cindy said as she put the silverware and paper napkins in the glasses, picked up the two plates with one hand and the two glasses with her other hand. “I will be back in a few minutes to take your order. Do you know what you would like to drink?”

  I nodded. “Yes. A Pepsi please. Is Roxie here today?”

  Cindy nodded. “Yes, she is. Do you need to talk to her?”

  “Only if she is not busy. My name is Sasha.”

  “Okay. I will tell her. I’ll be back with your drink.”

  Cindy headed off towards the kitchen. Just outside the kitchen door was a big gray tub, where she sat the dishes inside. Then she went to get my drink.

  As I began looking at the menu, I noticed a rather distraught looking woman coming in the door. She headed to a booth on the other side of the room, where three women were sitting. One woman scooted over and the distraught woman sat down next to her. The three women began talking to the distraught woman, patting her hand. Wonder what that is about?

  One of the women I recognized. She is my neighbor across the street. I saw her yesterday, sitting on her porch watching while the police were at my house. Maybe the gossip mill will circulate information. I can only hope.

  Cindy came back, wiped off the table with a wet rag and then sat my drink on the table. Then she pulled out her order pad. I ordered the Cheeseburger Special. She nodded and walked away.

  My attention went back to the four women on the other side of the room. The distraught woman was getting louder. Then my neighbor across the street pointed at me. The distraught woman’s mouth dropped open as she looked at me. This is not good.

  I have no idea what the women were talking about, but I didn’t like the look on the distraught woman’s face. The distraught woman stood up and headed towards me. The other three women slid out of the booth and followed her.

  I looked at each of the women. I have had defensive training, so I am sure I can handle them. The look on the distraught woman’s face was bothersome. She was in her mid-forties, short and delicate looking. Mousy brown hair and, if I am seeing right, her eyes are red, like she has been crying. Who is this woman and why is she walking towards me? G
uess I am about to find out, because she is now standing next to me, glaring with her hands on her hips.

  “So, you are the hussy my husband was running around with,” the woman screeched.

  Everyone in the diner had stopped eating and are now watching the drama unfold. Even Cindy had stopped with her mouth open, two plates in her hands. The last place I wanted to be right now was here. Finally, I looked at the woman.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said, trying to downplay whatever was her problem.

  “You know perfectly well what I am talking about.”

  I shook my head. “No, ma’am, I do not. I just moved here three days ago and do not know who your husband is.” Much less you, I thought, but decided not to ask.

  “So, that is what happened. You moved here to town so you could be closer to him. You got into a fight with him and then you killed him. You must be stupid to put him in your shed.”

  I blew out my breath. This situation just went downhill. Time for it to end. I swung my legs around and stood up. I am now standing close to the woman. Since I am a head taller than she is, I had to look down at her and raised my voice to match hers. “I don’t know who you are, but you are wrong. If I am going to go out with a married man, it won’t be with someone your age.”

  The woman sucked in her breath and her friend’s mouths dropped open. Guess that shut her up. Just then, Roxie came rushing out from the back and wedged her way in-between us, with the distraught woman taking a step backwards. I sat down again.

  “Hannah, lower your voice,” Roxie demanded. “You know better than this. Benton flirted with twenty year olds. Not this woman. Besides, he was dead before she moved here. So, why don’t you go back to your table? I will bring out your usual meal. Alright?”