Taylorwood (Alexandria Whitney Mystery)

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Doing her usual routine Alex got ready for bed and thought about reading her book, but she kept daydreaming about her new place and what she would be doing. She wanted to have people over and throw parties for any reason like St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day, and Groundhog Day, any reason to have people come over so she and Cyn could meet people and find out what they all did with their free time. Maybe Cyn would work out with her, if riding didn’t interest her in the least. She may even consider going on a cruise, but not to meet women. She just wanted to get out and see new and exciting places. She didn’t remember what time she fell asleep, just waking up to the alarm.

  Tuesday morning brought more rain. Alex thought Cyn’s lawn should be well watered by now, if not washed away altogether. Frederick should have at least one day’s worth of trash from Richard’s office, so hopefully he found something. She only hoped it would be enough to prove to Mrs. Greenway that she should send her son away from Taylorwood forever.

  Her mornings were becoming routine, arriving early to school to meet Cyn for toast and coffee. She ate lunch in the cafeteria as usual, where she saw Frederick. He winked at her, and nodded. Alex knew he had something for her, and she planned to see him after last period. She was settling into a new way of thinking too, wanting to fill every free minute with something amazing to do or see. She was looking forward to Wednesday night with Cyn. She had a picnic planned, weather permitting, and wanted to introduce Cyn to her first love, Beau. She knew a nice deli in town, and was going to pick up all the food on her way to his pasture. She would meet Cyn there, and that way they could each head for home after they were done.

  After last period Alex walked over to Cyn’s classroom to meet Frederick to look at the evidence he had collected. Cyn was sitting at her desk and Frederick was at one of the student’s desks. In front of him was a plastic bag full of incriminating treasures Alex hoped.

  “Any chance there’s a signed confession in there about stalking me and maybe to Hoffa’s murder? Then we can put this creep away for life.” Alex was smiling, but very serious about where she wanted Mr. Greenway to end up.

  “We hit pay dirt in a big way. I found all kinds of incriminating evidence. But first I need to make a confession.” Frederick paused as he wasn’t sure how Alex would take this next bit of news.

  “I went through his desk. Now before you take my head off, I had my reasons.”

  Alex was stunned as she didn’t know whether to kiss him or hit him.

  “Oh Frederick! Thank you. But this can get you in all kinds of trouble.” Alex was very curious to see what was in the bag, but concerned that Frederick could lose his job if anyone found out he took private property, even if it was evidence.

  “I knew he was guilty and I also figured if this stuff went missing who was he going to tell, his mother? She would have his hide for sure. So I figure two things may happen. He takes off altogether, which would be great, or he leaves you alone because he won’t know who has this stuff.”

  The first thing Frederick pulled out was a small stack of digital pictures – of her! Alex was shocked and felt very uneasy at the thought of being watched and photographed. There were some with Cyn taken at their lunches together, some of her in the mornings before class, and a couple taken after school near the parking lot. Then she saw the most recent picture, in which she was wearing jeans, with her hair up in a ponytail.

  “This picture was just taken Sunday, when we were here talking to you.” The number of pictures suggested he had been photographing her for some time.

  “What else? Any credit card receipts?” Frederick produced a business card from a local florist and one from a gift shop. Then he showed her the receipt for both the flowers and medal. “I can’t believe this. All of this was in his desk drawer?” Then Alex noticed the file folder still in the bag. She pulled it out and read the label “Alexandria Whitney.” She wanted to take all of this to Mrs. Greenway right now, but that would mean getting Frederick in all kinds of trouble.

  “I can’t believe he was dumb enough to have all this in his desk, with my name on it. This guy is an idiot. I’m sorry I ever called him Barney. Barney wasn’t this stupid, or wacko. Okay, I guess you’re off trash patrol Frederick. I can’t thank you enough.” Alex gave Frederick a big hug and kissed him on the cheek, but she had to stand on her tip toes to do it.

  As Alex looked at the nice neat pile of photos, she couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. Cyn noticed the look, and had seen it before.

  “What’s wrong? You should be happy he’s going to stop and you don’t have to confront him.” Cyn was confused.

  “Remember what you said in the truck about this guy liking to control women by his actions. What if he likes the adrenaline rush of getting caught and then gets off even more trying not to get caught a second time? Is this some kind of game for him, to see just how far he can go? So far he’s won every time. Nothing has happened to him. You know, I mean no arrests. So he continues to do it because he can, and always manages to talk his way out of it. Plus he’s controlling his victims because they’re changing the way they normally do things to avoid him. Now so far he doesn’t know that I know, so we have an advantage. If my friend Jessie can get the information from Hollywood, we can build a case. If he did the same thing in California, where he got caught, got out of it and then got caught again, it would show a pattern this is a game to him, and he needs to go far, far away.” Alex wanted to nail this creep and stop him from harassing any more females, ever.

  “You’re probably right. When do you hear from California?” Cyn had forgotten this angle.

  “I hope I have a message on the machine when I get home. Which reminds me, I should be on my way. It’s earlier on the west coast so they may still be at work. See you tomorrow, girlfriend. Oh, bring a change of clothes for tomorrow night, something you won’t mind getting a little muddy.” Alex gave Cyn a hug as she left the classroom. It was becoming an everyday thing and Cyn cherished every one.

  When Alex walked through the door the machine showed one message. She really hoped it was California, and not Dez. Dez had been extra considerate lately and it was actually driving Alex crazy, because it just proved that she could have been all along. She hit the play button and crossed her fingers.

  “Hi Alex. This is Michaela Davis. I was told you wanted some information on one of our former employees. If you would call me on my cell, I would be happy to tell you what I know. My number is…”

  Alex was writing and shaking at the same time. This could be just what she needed, and the fact that this woman gave her cell number instead of a work number meant she might have a lot to tell, off the record so to speak.

  Alex ran to the bathroom and then grabbed some water. She wanted to be able to talk and not get dry mouth at the wrong time. She sat on the floor and dialed the number and hoped someone would answer. Thank goodness they did before it went to voice mail.

  “Hi, this is Michaela.” A very professional sounding voice responded.

  “Hi, Michaela. This is Alex Whitney returning your call regarding your former employee, Richard Greenway.” Alex wasn’t sure how to describe Richard. She couldn’t say “former pond scum stalking employee,” now could she.

  “Alex, it’s so nice to finally get to put a voice to the name. Dawson and Jessie have told me so much about you. I’ve known him for years and go out to the ranch every spring. I’m really sorry to hear that you’ve acquired our problem exemployee. How can I help you get rid of the pest?” Michaela would do what she could to help.

  Alex first asked Michaela how many women he had been accused of bothering. There were two that they knew of, possibly more, but no other women would come forward and make a statement. They were afraid of the repercussions from fellow male workers. Alex asked if he’d been caught, then had promised to stop. She suspected he was caught a second time, and that’s when he was let go. Michaela confirmed that was how it had gone down, that he’d been so sorry and promised he wou
ldn’t do it again.

  They didn’t know how many other women there were in the interim, but ultimately he messed with the wrong girl. She knew of the first woman, and set a trap for him. She had him on video watching her at work and bothering her when she was alone. If she hadn’t had a cameraman for a boyfriend it would have been her word against his. His MO was the same flowers, gifts and bizarre poems. Alex asked if there was any other kind of information she could have to take to Richard’s mother to support her case. Michaela informed her that his employee records couldn’t be released, but if she needed statements, the two women who had come forward would be happy to oblige. She was sure she could even get phone numbers if Mrs. Greenway wanted to hear from them firsthand. The two women would love to tell Richard’s mother exactly what they thought of him. Alex was sure they would, as she was going to tell her what she thought, and it was in language an English teacher would never want to admit to using.

  “Thank you, Michaela. I will give this information to Mrs. Greenway and if she wants phone numbers, I’ll get back with you. I have a feeling just telling her we’ve talked should be enough though .” Richard Greenway was going to rue the day he messed with Alex Whitney. She was hyped knowing this was about to be over.

  As she pondered how she was going to lay out the evidence to Mrs. Greenway, she suddenly realized that she was being watched. Six pairs of eyes where looking at her sitting there on the floor. She knew the troops might be hungry, but if she ignored them maybe they would all go back to sleep. It didn’t work. George got down, walked over to her face and bumped her in the chin with his head. That was his “feed me” bump. She got up and headed for the kitchen, arriving last as six felines passed her like formula one racecars. She fed them all their rabbit and headed for her room.

  It had been over a week since she had been able to relax and read her book. Tonight she was going to do just that. She heard Dez pulling into the garage, but knew she had at least a couple of hours of paperwork ahead of her, so Alex decided to leave her to it. Why change her routine now? It was better this way.

  Before opening the book, Alex thought about how her life would change after moving out of this house. Then she realized the only difference would be the location of where she slept. She and Dez hadn’t gone to bed at the same time for a long while now in fact, she couldn’t even remember the last time. She didn’t even get her to come to bed with her on their anniversaries. It was more like they were just roommates than lovers. They say it takes six months for every year you are with someone to get over them. Alex had four years to get over that first year with Dez. She knew she would miss her, but then they would still be friends or at least she hoped so. But that would all be up to Dez as she was the one who was being left. Alex knew it would take some time but the time table was up in the air for the moment. Dez could be all right to see as a friend in a few weeks or it could be a few months before she could just talk about other things than the breakup.

  Time would tell as with any situation. Things were moving along as Cyn had left her a message on her cell that she had found a little house for her to look at. Alex felt that things were changing for the better and she could hardly wait to see what the future would bring.

  Chapter 18

  As Alex drove to work she was running through her to-do-list in her mind. Cyn had found a small house for rent near her. She had checked it from the outside and gave it a thumbs up. Alex would need to schedule a viewing of the interior as soon as possible. It would be closer to school as well as Cyn. She smiled to herself on the speed in which Cyn was helping to get her moved out. Alex had already given Dez Cyn’s phone numbers. She was going to be spending more time with her, and didn’t want any guilt trips from Dez about not being able to reach her.

  So far it looked like it was going to be a “rain-free” day although the ground was totally saturated. Alex had remembered to bring a waterproof tarp and blanket for this evening’s picnic. She could just throw the tarp in the back of her truck to dry out. She had called ahead to the deli on Monday, and placed her order for tonight’s dinner. All she needed to do was swing by on the way to see Beau and pick it up. As far as the topic of conversation for the evening, she was pretty sure Cyn would have plenty of questions about the breakup.

  Except for the Richard drama, Alex’s life was changing for the better. She felt alive, and having a good friend like Cyn to enjoy it with was fantastic. Not having a lover was not such a big deal right now. When she thought about it, she hadn’t really had a lover for the last four years. But now she had someone who was willing to get out and try to do amazing things with her.

  She was also thinking that making new friends sounded like a plan she should pursue. She still had Dez to go with to the Tea Room, and a couple of her fellow teachers with whom she was friendly, but knew she really did need to expand her “social horizons.” But she would have to be careful and set her boundaries as far as work and her personal life were concerned. Being involved with someone you worked with on a daily basis could get a little touchy, and having a love sick co-worker would be very uncomfortable. Actually that was a very good reason to keep it strictly a friendship with Cyn.

  Alex saw Frederick as she walked to the teachers’ lounge, and waved. He waved back and motioned to her that he wanted to talk. Alex headed in his direction to see what was up. He was wondering if she had talked to Mrs. Greenway. She told him she had additional information from Hollywood and was going to present it all to her on Thursday at her appointment after last period, if she received a confirmation. She suggested he may want to be in Mrs. Cline’s office to hear the fireworks.

  Frederick inquired how she planned on using the information he had supplied her without revealing her source. Alex planned to tell Mrs. Greenway that when she had first started at the school she had inquired as to why the teacher she replaced had left. She had heard a lot of gossip and hearsay, but remembered that her son Richard had been involved and had left the school. When she started receiving gifts and heard he had come back, she began to put the pieces together. It was pretty obvious to her that it was him. If Mrs. Greenway needed proof she would tell her she had found out where the medal and flowers had been purchased and was able to confirm Richard had bought them. She was also going to tell her she had contacted the studio where Richard had worked, and that they were sending her the names of the women he had bothered there, along with their phone numbers. Mrs. Greenway would be able to contact all parties directly for confirmation of his activities.

  Frederick appreciated her efforts to keep him out of it. He gave her a wink and said he would be in Mrs. Cline’s office as backup if she needed him. He requested she come by the cafeteria later as he wanted to get her permission to bring a friend in as an insurance policy. Alex agreed to see him at lunch to get the details. Today was Wednesday and that meant corned beef hash and eggs, her favorite.

  As she walked into the teachers’ lounge, later than usual, Cyn had a worried look on her face. Alex gave her a wink and started eating her breakfast. The other teachers were busy talking so Alex motioned to Cyn that she was taking her coffee and heading out. Cyn nodded and followed her.

  “Where have you been? I was worried you had run into Richard!” Cyn felt like a mother hen.

  “It’s okay. I was talking to Frederick. We’re meeting him for lunch in the Cafeteria.” Alex hoped Cyn wasn’t going to become a worry wart about everything.

  “I’m sorry; I know you’re a big girl. I just wish dickhead was behind bars somewhere, and then I could rest easy.” That would be something Cyn would definitely celebrate.

  “You and me both. Did you bring a change of clothes and some old shoes for this evening? The mud might be rather deep in some places.” Alex knew how the pasture could get where there wasn’t any grass. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad.

  “Yes, I brought my rain boots and a slicker, just in case.” Cyn was looking forward to their second picnic together.

  “Okay, keep your fingers c
rossed that we don’t get a sudden downpour. I’ll need to go over to the office and put in a request to meet with Mrs. Greenway tomorrow after last period. I will see you later, Alligator.” Alex gave Cyn a pat on the shoulder and headed off towards the main building.

  “In a while, Crocodile.” Cyn smiled to herself and felt like skipping to class.

  The morning passed quickly and as the girls fled her classroom for lunch, Alex started to count on her fingers – one, two, three, four, five – Hi Cyn, your late.” Alex was laughing and trying to talk.

  “Five seconds after my last girl left – you’re slipping.”

  “Hey Lady, I don’t want to look too anxious,” Cyn replied as she stuck her tongue out at Alex.

  “Oh I see, worried about what the others will say. Ha ha, it’s too late. And their tongues will really be wagging when they find out Dez and I split up. Oh boy, I would love to have the teachers’ lounge wired for sound.” Maybe she would believe gossip if it came from Frederick.

  “Let’s get going. We don’t want to keep double-oseven waiting.” That was a good name for Frederick. Cyn thought it fit him that he could have been a secret agent in another life.

  Ruby dished up Alex’s plate before she even had a chance to tell her what she wanted. “Thank you Ruby. This is a dish I will be sticking with for a long time.” Alex took a deep sniff of her lunch and instantly became ravenous. She looked over at Cyn who was getting pizza, one of her favorites. They took their lunch out of the cafeteria and around to the back to meet Frederick in his usual lunch spot. As they walked in, Alex noticed he was having hash too.

  “Good afternoon, kind sir. Do you mind if we sit with you?” Alex really did like and trust Frederick. She hoped he felt the same about her.