Vintage Teaberry Malice

by R A Wallace

  Everyone stopped speaking at once. Even Daryl nodded with agreement.

  “Excellent idea,” Victor said.

  “Yes, it is!” Laura said emphatically. She was relieved that the problem had been resolved so well. It really was an excellent idea.

  “She’s solved several other mysteries lately,” Gina said. “Maybe she can figure out why Alice is telling us that we need to find her.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dan finished dressing for work and then grabbed his wallet, phone, and some loose change from the dresser in the bedroom. He started walking out the bedroom door, then stopped and pulled his phone back out. He checked the feed store web site on his phone, sighed deeply, and shook his head. He continued walking to the kitchen where he found Megan working on her computer at the kitchen table. She had a coffee cup in one hand and was scrolling through some code with the other.

  “There’s another one,” Dan said.

  Megan looked up and took a deep breath. The last one had been pretty bad. She wondered what this one would be like. She keyed the address to Dan’s web site in and then clicked on the Feedback page. There was a form there that allowed customers to post comments on the experiences with the feed store. Megan had created the page when she’d originally created the web site for Dan. It was a common feature for many online storefronts to allow customers to post comments.

  Megan’s heart sank when she read the derogatory posting. She believed that customers should have the ability to post honest comments about their experiences but there were certain lines that she felt shouldn’t be crossed. That included vulgar language, for one thing. And the comments should be truthful and pertain to the experiences or products purchased at a specific site. In the case of these comments, the posts appeared to be designed to cause the most damage to Dan’s business rather than provide useful feedback. There was no actual reference to any product or service mentioned in the postings.

  Megan logged into her administrative account and removed the posting, just as she had all of the previous postings made by the same person. She’d been playing with some code to block postings from a particular Internet address to see if that would solve the problem but had discovered that the person making the postings didn’t always have the same Internet address.

  She decided to go with her next thought and that was to not make comments live immediately. For the near future, at the very least, she would manually read each posting to ensure that it met the standards before making it live.

  She looked up at Dan when she was done. “I fixed it and it won’t happen again. I’ll just read all of the comments before they go live. We’ll see what happens then.”

  “What if we required them to prove they weren’t a robot first in order to make a posting?” Dan asked, the frustration clear in his voice.

  “I thought about that first as a solution but whoever this person is, it really is a person, not a bot.” Megan rose from her seat and went over to Dan.

  “I just don’t understand why anyone would do this. They don’t even seem to know anything about my store. They’re just posting inflammatory things simply because they can.” Dan shook his head.

  “Well, from now on, they won’t be able to. I’m sorry,” Megan said simply. “I did get some good news from the Internet this morning. We’ll have a full house during the community sale. All of our rooms are booked.”

  Dan wrapped his arms around Megan. “No, I’m sorry. Why am I taking it out on you?”

  Megan chuckled into his chest. “Yeah, don’t take it out on the programmer.” She lifted her head and smiled at him.

  Dan kissed the tip of her nose. “Now that you have my problem solved, are you headed to the retirement community?”

  “I have to admit, I’m really curious about what Gina told me last night when she called.”

  “Tell me all about it when I see you at dinner tonight,” Dan said as he walked over to the fridge. “What are we having?”

  “I have some cabbage in the freezer and that hot Italian sausage from Tom. I thought I’d make a pot of Sausage, Bean, and Cabbage Soup.”

  “Sounds good,” Dan said. He grabbed his lunch cooler and kissed her one more time on his way out. Maybe once he got busy at work, he could forget about the troll his feed store web site had attracted for whatever reason. He was just glad Megan had a way of handling it.

  ***

  Megan stopped at the front office of the retirement community when she arrived. She found both Leslie, the full-time receptionist, and Gina waiting for her.

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Gina said.

  “You really piqued my curiosity,” Megan admitted. “I understand that you’re planning to sell Mrs. Durant’s furniture and other things in the community sale?” Megan included both women with her question.

  “Yes, her will left everything to the retirement community,” Leslie said. “Management actually made the decision. Now that the police have solved the death of Mrs. Durant, we’ve been cleared to sell her effects. I called the main office this morning and mentioned the journal and the note. They aren’t interested in keeping the journal but did say since the journal has no monetary value, it can be given away.”

  “And the note?” Megan asked.

  Leslie shrugged. “Management said the police have solved the case.”

  Megan thought a moment. “Would you mind if I take a look at her villa while I’m here?”

  Gina turned to Leslie. Leslie shrugged and nodded.

  “I’ll take you in my golf cart,” Gina said as she led the way outside.

  Megan slid onto the cart and looked around with interest as Gina drove. They were stopped more than once by others who wanted to talk to Gina. Gina kept her responses short each time and eventually they made it to Alice’s villa.

  Megan followed Gina inside and looked around. It was a small place, but very comfortable for one or two people.

  “Where did you say you found the journal?” Megan asked.

  Gina pointed to an end table. “In the drawer. The key fell out when Laura leafed through the pages.”

  “You couldn’t tell if the key was in any particular spot in the journal?” Megan asked.

  Gina shook her head. “We tried to look but that was when the note fell out. We were pretty sidetracked at that point.”

  “May I see it?” Megan asked.

  Gina passed the journal over to Megan then handed her the key and the note. Megan looked closely at the key but didn’t recognize it as any that she had ever seen.

  She read the note out loud. “In case of death, find Alice.”

  “Does that make sense to you?” Gina asked.

  Megan looked around the villa slowly. “Not yet. There aren’t any pictures or anything else in sight. Did you already box those up?”

  Gina’s eyes widened, and she looked around the room in surprise. The walls were empty. There were no pictures on any of the surfaces. “You’re right. I hadn’t even thought about it. Alice didn’t have any pictures.”

  “Not any?” Megan said, almost to herself. “Wouldn’t she at least have a picture of her husband?”

  Gina shrugged. “You would think. But there wasn’t anything here. Not even in any of her drawers. Do you think that means something?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Did you know her husband?”

  Gina shook her head. “She married him after she left here, and he passed away before she moved back.”

  Megan looked down at the journal. “I’ll let you know what I learn from the journal. Maybe it will answer some of the questions we have.”

  Gina took Megan back to her truck. Megan drove away wondering why a woman living alone wouldn’t want visible memories of her life around her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tom Jenkins finished dressing for dinner and sat down on the bed. Looking around the room always brought him memories of his wife. Abby had been a lovely woman, both inside and out. She’d given him two beautiful children, Aus
tin and Marcy. Those children had given him grandchildren including Ethan, who loved living at the farm. Now divorced, Marcy had moved back in with Tom when Ethan was younger.

  Tom got up and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Marcy was rushing around, working on dinner. Tom paused for a moment at the doorway, thinking of his wife. Marcy looked very much like Abby did with her short dark hair and brown eyes. She looked up when Tom entered.

  “Are you going out again?” Marcy asked. She took out a bowl and set it next to her cutting board. She added the vegetables she’d already cut for the salad and began working on some more.

  Tom nodded as he reached for a slice of green pepper from the pile Marcy was cleaning. “Dinner with friends.”

  Marcy smiled to herself. “It sounds pretty serious with Caro.”

  Tom glanced at her quickly. “Is that a problem?”

  Marcy stopped working and turned to face her father. “Letting life pass you by is a problem. Spending time with a warm, caring person is the opposite of that.”

  Tom nodded once and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Good. I agree. Speaking of which, what about you?”

  Marcy turned back to her vegetables. “What about me?”

  “Is life passing you by?” Tom asked.

  Marcy chuckled. “Are you worried I’m going to be an old maid and cramp your style because I still live with my dad?”

  “Actually, I was worried that I might be cramping yours.” Tom took a few steps away and leaned against a counter.

  Marcy looked up with a question in her eyes. “How is that?”

  “Would you be dating more if you weren’t stuck with an old guy living with you?” Tom asked.

  Marcy felt herself redden and knew that her father would notice. She turned and walked over to the refrigerator, hoping to avoid answering the question. It didn’t work.

  Tom watched Marcy with narrowed eyes. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

  Marcy turned and threw her father an exasperated look. “I may have met someone, that’s all. Maybe it’s something, maybe it’s not.”

  “When do I get to meet him?” Tom asked.

  “When I decide if it’s something,” Marcy replied. “Enjoy your dinner.”

  “Are you throwing me out of the house?” Tom asked with a chuckle.

  “I’m just suggesting that you don’t want to be late.” Marcy returned to her cutting board to finish making the salad. “Caro might think you aren’t interested anymore.”

  ***

  Jim glanced over at the new bartender to see if she needed any help. The dinner crowd was beginning to pick up and he wondered how well Cathy would handle it. So far, she seemed to be doing just fine. In fact, everyone was doing just fine. After many long discussions, Jim and Doug had decided to hire some new employees to take over some of the workload and give both Jim and Doug some much needed time off.

  It hadn’t been an issue until Jennifer had come into his life. Jim hadn’t really cared if he put in long hours before he’d met her. Although Jim was only a few years older than Jennifer, he had grown up in a nearby town and hadn’t gone to school with her. They’d only met this past year and Jim had fallen quickly and hard. He wasn’t getting any younger and he wanted to see the relationship succeed. He knew that in order for that to happen, he’d need to rearrange some of his time.

  The decision to hire more people at the restaurant hadn’t been a difficult one from a money standpoint. The restaurant was now doing very well. What Jim was having trouble with was handing over the reins long enough to enjoy the free time. He’d been focusing so much of his life on the restaurant, he wasn’t sure how to walk away from it for a few hours.

  He went over to the restaurant side to check it out. The waitstaff were moving around quickly and all of the diners looked happy. The tables were filling up nicely and it was still a little early. Jim walked back over to the bar side. Many of the booths on that side were already full. The stools at the bar were packed at one end. It looked like a group of guys had stopped after work.

  Jim was about to pop behind the bar to help with drink orders when he saw the guys at the bar swivel their heads around and stare at something behind Jim. He turned around to see what had gotten their attention and felt his mouth drop open when he saw the dark-haired beauty in a flame red dress.

  “Hey, Jim. Got plans tonight?” Jennifer asked.

  Jim didn’t realize his mouth was still open. Jennifer raised her eyebrows in the silence that followed. He hadn’t answered her question.

  One of the guys at the end of the bar jumped up and walked over. “I’m free,” he said.

  Jim turned and just managed to stop himself from snarling at the other man.

  “She’s with me,” Jim said as he took Jennifer’s elbow and guided her out of the restaurant.

  “Does this mean you’re okay with us taking a night off?” Jennifer asked with a grin.

  Jim managed a chuckle. “That’s a sneaky way to get me out of the restaurant.”

  “You told me that I should figure out a way to help you loosen the reins, so you could start enjoying yourself,” Jennifer reminded him. “I was helping you out, as promised.”

  “Remind me to ask for your help more often,” Jim said as they got into Jennifer’s car.

  ***

  Barbara Reynolds watched Jim help Jennifer into a car on her way into the restaurant. Jennifer looked ready for a night out on the town.

  “That looks like a good sign,” Matthias said as he held the door for his wife.

  “It does indeed. Jennifer is a smart girl. I figured she’d come up with a way to get Jim to relax.” Barbara asked for a table for four.

  “Have you heard any more from Gina?” Matthias asked after they’d been seated.

  Barbara nodded as she looked around the room. “They’ve turned the journal over to Megan.”

  “Good idea. It sounds like the kind of puzzle she’s good at solving.” Matthias lifted his hand to get Tom’s attention across the restaurant. They placed their drink order after Tom and Caro were seated.

  “We were just talking about the mystery at the retirement community,” Barbara said.

  “Have you learned anything more?” Caro asked.

  “Not yet, but I understand that Megan is going to look into it.” Barbara thanked the waiter for her drink.

  “Sounds like it’s in good hands then,” Tom said. “Do you remember Alice?”

  Barbara shook her head. “She was about ten years older, so we didn’t spend time together. But I do remember what she looked like. Very attractive.”

  “That’s what I’m remembering too,” Tom said.

  “Hard to believe she was killed by someone in her own family,” Caro murmured.

  “Yes,” Barbara nodded. “Very troubling.”

  “I’m sure Megan will unravel the mystery,” Matthias said. “It’s just sad that it has to be after Alice’s death.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The day began cool and sunny. Megan sat at the kitchen table, sipping her morning coffee as she read from Alice’s journal. She looked up when Dan returned to the kitchen from taking care of the animals. He poured himself a second cup of coffee and sat down with Megan to eat the breakfast she’d prepared for him.

  “What have you learned so far?” Dan asked.

  “I think she must have gotten the journal when she turned sixteen. It starts with her describing her birthday party. It says that a group of girls went roller skating in a nearby town. That was where she first met Joseph.” Megan curled her bare feet under her on the kitchen chair.

  “Joseph. Is that her husband?” Dan reached over and took another muffin from the plate in the middle of the table. He took the muffin from its paper wrapper and broke it in half. Then he set both halves on Megan’s plate before getting another muffin for himself.

  Megan reached for a muffin piece absently and ate it as she continued reading. “Yes, she called him Joey at
this point. He sounds really sweet.”

  “He was at the roller rink?” Dan pushed his plate away and picked up his coffee cup.

  Megan hummed agreement. “Listen to this. He skated every song with me. The other girls were so jealous. I just knew at that moment that we were meant to be together forever.”

  “That sounds like sixteen alright.” Dan smiled. “You were pretty cute at sixteen.”

  Megan lowered the journal. “I was?”

  Dan huffed a laugh and shook his head at her. “I’m pretty sure you’re the reason I almost flunked algebra. You had this pink sweater.”

  Megan’s eyes grew wide. “You remember my sweater?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “You’re making this up,” Megan said.

  “It had a zipper down the front. I always wondered…” Dan shook his head again. “I couldn’t keep my mind focused on what the algebra teacher was talking about.”

  Megan raised the journal back up to cover the smile on her face. She didn’t even remember having a pink sweater. “She talks about some of the people in Teaberry back then. It sounds like she had a nice life but maybe that was because she was such a nice person.”

  “How so?” Dan looked over at Megan’s empty coffee cup. He got the pot and refilled the cup, then added the creamer and stirred it for her before sitting back down.

  “She was involved in a lot of things. You know, she read to people in the hospital, that sort of thing.” Megan reached for her coffee cup and took a sip.

  “She was a volunteer?”

  Megan chuckled and lowered the journal to look at Dan. “She said she was called a candy striper.”

  “I haven’t heard that term used in a long time. It does sound like she was nice. Why did she move away?” Dan asked.

  “It says they got married over in his hometown and then moved to Oregon right after. Her husband got a job there.” Megan set the journal down. “I’m planning on running into town today after I finish reading this to see Caitlyn and then Lauren. I’ll probably stop in and see that hall tree that Daryl called me about too.”