Murder on Aisle Three

by Patti Benning

  “Another of my coworkers, Emily, is still looking for a job. At least, I think she is. I'm not sure if Green River Grocery will be opening again after what happened, so her search might have just gotten more urgent. She's a nice girl, she always shows up on time, and she's outgoing. I think she would do wonderfully at Asheville Meadows. I can ask her to turn in her resume if you'd like. I'm one of her references, and I can tell you now that she would be a great choice.”

  “Sure,” he said. “If she's everything you just described, I'd love to give her a chance. Being understaffed is hard for everyone, so the sooner we fill the position, the better.”

  At that moment, the food came. The server carried out a tray piled high with the two different types of bread they had chosen, three different choices of cheese, and two stacks of roast beef and sliced turkey deli meat. A second platter of vegetables was brought out a moment later, along with a variety of dipping sauces. She couldn't help but smile at the smorgasbord in front of them. She wasn't sure why it was so fun to eat here, since she could very well just build her own sandwich in her kitchen, and for a much lower cost, but she had always enjoyed it when she and Brandon went out to eat. Now, it seemed, she and Nick were beginning their own tradition here.

  She picked up two slices of rye, slathered butter on them, and stacked roast beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut in between the slices. Ignoring the much healthier sandwich that her date was building, she put the buttered sandwich in the Panini press and shut the machine. Only then did she turn to look at Nick. He had a sandwich of wheat bread, turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, and just a dollop of mayonnaise. His might be healthier, but hers looked better.

  The Panini press beeped. She removed her sandwich, now complete with toasted bread and melted cheese, and placed it on her plate. Now that they both had food in front of them, she started back in on the conversation.

  “I'll give her a call on Monday,” she said. “It'll give her some time to recover from Grace’s death. They had been friends for a while. Enough about work, though. It's all we ever talk about.”

  “True,” he said, smiling. “I guess it's the natural topic when we work together. What else should we discuss? I already know that you love to cook, and you used to dream about being a chef — still do, in fact. What other things are you passionate about?”

  “Well, I love my dog.” She laughed. “Okay, that sounds a bit sad, doesn't it? All I ever talk about is my dog, and work. I need more of a life.”

  “What do you like to do, when you're not with your dog or working?”

  She considered his question. “I used to like skiing. When I was younger, my family went on a trip every year. It wasn't just the skiing that I enjoyed, but staying in a cabin in the mountains. I loved all of the beautiful scenery, and the fresh air, and the sense that the rest of the world had vanished for a week.”

  “Skiing, huh? I've never been, other than for a few misguided adventures down some small local hills with a couple of friends years ago. I used to go camping, though, and always enjoyed that. I guess most of what I do these days is work, too. The two of us should get out more.”

  “Definitely,” she said. “I…” Her phone buzzed, interrupting her. With an apologetic grimace at Nick, she pulled it out of her purse and looked at the screen. It was Jed.

  “I'm so sorry,” she said. “I should take this. It's my boss… well, my other boss. If he knows something more about what happened to Grace…”

  “I understand,” he said. “Go ahead.”

  She got up, answering the phone as she rose. “Jed? What's going on?”

  “I'm glad you answered. I stopped by the store to pick up a few things I left there, but when I got there I realized my key was missing. Are you close enough you could stop by and unlock the door for me? I can run home if it's not convenient —”

  “I'll be right there.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  * * *

  She had to give Nick credit. Instead of being upset about her running off in the middle of their date, he offered to go with her.

  “I feel really bad about this,” she said as she turned into Green River Grocery’s parking lot. “But if his key is missing, that could have something to do with Grace’s death. I need to try to help him figure out where it went.”

  “Don't feel bad,” he said. “I know what it's like to have an employee die, remember? I don't blame you for wanting to solve this.”

  She mentally kicked herself. How had it taken her so long to make the connection? She had thought his offer to talk about Grace’s death with her had to do with his experience with losing residents. Of course, he had been talking about the previous cook’s death instead. He was right; their experiences were similar.

  “Thanks,” she said. “There's Jed. Let’s go figure out what's going on.”

  Her boss was leaning against the building, but straightened up when he saw them. “Thanks for coming, Autumn.” He glanced at Nick. “If you were busy, you should have told me. I could have gone home for the spare, I just know how close you live, and I thought it would be faster this way.”

  “It's no problem,” she said. “Here.” She unlocked the door, then stepped aside for him to open it. He looked surprised when she and Nick followed him inside.

  “Jed, this is Nick. Nick, Jed.”

  The two men shook hands. Autumn glanced over toward the aisle where she had found Grace’s body. There were still spilled cans all over the floor, and crime scene tape had been put up to keep people out of the aisle.

  “Jed, are we supposed to be in here?”

  “The police said I could stop in to pick up personal items, but we can't open to the public yet.”

  “Okay.” She still felt uneasy about being so close to the scene of a murder, but pushed the feelings aside for the moment. “You said your key was missing?”

  He frowned and took out his keychain. “Yes. It's the only one. At first, I thought I was going crazy. I must have gone through my keys ten times. I don't see how it could have fallen off, but it must have.”

  “When's the last time you used it?” she asked.

  “Thursday night. The night that Grace —” He broke off, a pained expression on his face.

  “You didn't use it to lock up after the police left?”

  “I ended up going down to the station to answer more questions. They locked it from the inside before they left.”

  Autumn frowned. She glanced over at Nick, who looked interested.

  “Do you think this is something to do with your coworker’s death?” he asked her.

  “I don't know. It seems like such a huge coincidence.”

  “I don't see how it has anything to do with Grace, unless…” Jed trailed off, his eyes widening slightly. “Mr. Goodall. The buyer. We went out for drinks to discuss the terms of the sale. I went to the bathroom, and left my keys in my coat pocket. He could have taken it then.”

  “Why would he want the key, though? You had just shown him around the place. There's nothing valuable in here, or at least nothing that would be valuable to someone with the money he has. Someone about to buy a building probably doesn't need to resort to petty theft.”

  “Was he offering a much lower price than you were asking?” Nick asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Yes, actually, he was,” Jed said, looking surprised. “I told him that I wouldn't go that low. I would rather hold out for a price closer to what I was asking. It's a good building, in a good location. It's worth more than his offer — or it was, before all of this.”

  “Maybe he wanted to try to rush the sale,” Nick suggested. “I remember back when my grandmother was selling her house, she had a buyer who was very interested in it, but couldn't afford what she was asking. After she turned him down, someone began to vandalize her property. It terrified her, and she was about to take the guy’s offer just so she could get out of there more quickly. Thankfully the police caught the vandal just before she accepted the offer — it was the man who h
ad been interested in the house, trying to pressure her into a sale.”

  “You think that’s what Mr. Goodall wanted with my key? He was going to sneak in here, and what, graffiti the walls?”

  “I don't know. He might have wanted to do something that would make the store unprofitable to keep open while you held out for the right offer.”

  “If he stole your key, then he must be the one who killed Grace,” Autumn said, feeling her stomach twist. “She must have gotten here right after he did. If she caught him in the middle of doing something shady and illegal like that, then that would explain why he killed her.”

  “It sounds like our theory from yesterday was right,” Jed said. “I can't say I'm glad about it, though. This makes it even more my fault. I told Grace to meet me here, then forgot about it, and I'm the one who left my keys alone with that man. I won't ever forgive myself for this.”

  “It's not your fault,” Autumn said. “You couldn’t have known any of this was going to happen.”

  “Should we call the police?” Nick asked. “This is serious. I mean, this is murder.”

  “I'll tell them about the missing key,” Jed said. “But if they don't find any evidence that Mr. Goodall came back here on Thursday night, I don't know if they'll be able to do anything. They can't arrest someone on a theory. They need physical evidence, or a confession, or even an eyewitness. And he was all over this store during the tour. His fingerprints will be everywhere, and won’t help them at all.”

  “Do you have another meeting with him scheduled?” Autumn asked.

  Jed nodded. “I'm seeing him Wednesday.”

  “If you could get him to confess to what he did, and we caught it on tape, maybe that would be enough for the police to arrest him.”

  “Is that even legal?”

  Nick nodded. “In the state of Michigan, yes. Only one person present has to be aware that audio is being recorded.”

  “Still, I can't… I'm not the sort of man who… I get all flustered,” he finished, looking away from them with his cheeks reddening. “There's no way I could make somebody confess to a crime.”

  “I'll come along,” Autumn said. “Just tell me where, and when, and I'll be there. We’ll catch this guy, Jed. We owe it to Grace. I want to see her killer behind bars.”

  Her boss seemed to reach a new level of resolve. He straightened up and nodded. “All right. Wednesday. If he's guilty, we’ll find out together.”

  She and Nick left after that. She watched his face as best she could while she drove. She didn't know what he was thinking, and she couldn't tell what his feelings were. Was he freaked out by what had just happened? Was he upset that she had wrecked their date?

  "Your boss seems like a nice guy," he said at last.

  "He is," she said. "He must really be upset about Grace's death. He's usually one of the most nonconfrontational people that I know."

  "Something like this can shake people to the core," he said. "I don't blame him for wanting to do what he can to find out who killed her."

  "So, does that mean you understand why I have to help him?"

  "Of course I understand it." He smiled at her. "That doesn't mean I'm not worried at all. You may not know this, but I'm very big about safety at Asheville Meadows. I always tell my employees not to put themselves into any situation they don't feel completely comfortable in. You didn't get the same speech, because you’re not working directly with residents; you’re in the kitchen. But, maybe I should have. I know that technically the danger is probably pretty low, but no offense at all, the two of you aren't exactly a formidable looking team."

  "We will be careful," she promised. "I knew Grace well. Probably better than Jed did. Finding her dead like that… I don't know if I'll ever really get over it. If I don't do something to help, it's going to drive me crazy."

  "I understand," he said. "And I can say one thing. This is probably the most interesting date I've been on a long time."

  CHAPTER NINE

  * * *

  Autumn was anxious for her Wednesday meeting with Mr. Goodall, but she had half a week to get through first. The thought that Grace’s killer was out there, living his life freely, gnawed at her even though there was nothing she could do about it.

  With the grocery store closed indefinitely, she began working longer hours at Asheville Meadows. It was nice to be there all day on Monday, cooking all three meals for the residents and spending some extra time with her aunt and uncle. She remembered her promise to Nick, and called Emily about the job opening. The young woman promised to come in Tuesday with her resume.

  “I'll see if Nick can do the interview when you come in,” Autumn told her over the phone. “I know he's eager to fill the position, and I think you'd be perfect.”

  Tuesday came, and Autumn woke up with her stomach roiling. In just over twenty-four hours she would be coming face to face with a killer, and would be trying to get a confession out of him. The closer the meeting got, the more dangerous the plan seemed. If he picked up on what she and Jed were doing, he might try to silence them, too.

  She forced herself to take deep breaths as she walked toward the bathroom. She turned the shower on hot and got in. The feeling of the warm water rushing over her skin helped relax her slightly. It would be two against one, and they were meeting him in a public place. He probably wouldn't try anything, at least not at the restaurant.

  She got to the nursing home bright and early to make breakfast. The breakfasts were simple, and took only a fraction of the time that the dinners took. Cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and eggs were staples, and each morning alternated between turkey bacon and low sodium chicken sausage. After breakfast, she would have a couple of hours of free time before she had to get started on lunch, though part of that would be spent cleaning the kitchen and helping with the dishes.

  “I'm glad to see you're back, Shila. Are you feeling okay?” she asked as she placed a couple of bowls of oatmeal on the counter. “Nick mentioned that you know – knew – her.”

  “I'm better,” the young woman said. “It's still hard. It's weird to think that she's gone.”

  “I know. How long have you known her?”

  “A couple of years. We went to high school together, and we were in the same grade.”

  “I only knew her a year, it must be even more difficult for you.”

  She waited while Shila took the bowls out, then came back for more.

  “I just wish I had gone with her,” she said. “She told me how weird her boss was acting, but I was too busy to go pick up the paycheck with her.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Hold on, these are the last bowls. I'll be right back.”

  Autumn waited impatiently while Shila served the last two residents their breakfast. Moments later, she slipped into the kitchen.

  “You don't know why she was at the grocery store that night?” she asked.

  “I know that Jed told her to meet him there to pick up her paycheck after work, but he forgot about it with everything that was going on with the sale. He didn't have anything to do with her death.”

  “Really?” Shila blinked at her, surprised. “How do you know?”

  Autumn was stunned. She had never once considered Jed as a suspect. She didn't need a reason; she just knew him. He'd never hurt anyone. She was sure of it.

  “Well, it's Jed. He's a good guy. He…” She trailed off. The truth was, she couldn't explain how she knew he was innocent, not to someone who didn't know him.

  “Well, Grace told me that he was super stressed about money. Her paycheck was late, and she had the feeling he didn't want to pay her.”

  “That still doesn't explain why he would have killed her.”

  Shila shrugged. “All I know, is the last time I heard from her, she said she was worried about picking up the check alone, and hoped that he'd actually pay her this time without making more excuses. When I heard she was dead the next morning, I was beside myself. I should have gone with her. I will always f
eel terrible. It's my fault she died.”

  Seeing the emotion in the young woman’s eyes, Autumn patted her on the shoulder. She wasn't sure what to say. She still didn't think Jed had done it, but she was beginning to understand how he could look like a suspect to someone who didn't know him. If she tried to look at it from Shila’s eyes, she could imagine Grace going to the store to pick up a check that Jed didn't have, and the two of them getting into a heated argument. Maybe he didn't mean to kill her — maybe it was an accident and things just got out of hand. Maybe…

  Stop it, she told herself. Jed didn't do it. That's not who he is.

  “I've got an idea of who did it,” she said at last. “And it's not him. But either way, you shouldn't blame yourself. I keep telling Jed that, and I'll tell it to you too. The only one who deserves our blame is the one who hurt her. There's no way we could have known something like this would happen. Trust me, there are things I could have done differently in retrospect too.”