A Lesson in Murder

by Nick Bishop

  “A Lesson in Murder”

  Cozy Mystery

  A Jed Fredericks Mystery

  Volume One

  Nick Bishop

  © 2019

  Nick Bishop

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2019.07.08)

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Christine S., Kari Wellborn, Dick B., Julie Pope, M. McMath, Renee Arthur, Robert, JayBee and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Join the Cozy Club Today

  The Cozy Club is an email newsletter you’ll discover new cozy mystery authors, get free cozy mystery books, and receive updates from your favorite Cozy Mystery Authors. Membership is free. There is no obligation to buy anything and you can unsubscribe anytime. Also receive a Free Exclusive Book from Kendall Scott “Marriage Can be Murder”. Click here to join.

  Free Book “Marriage Can Be Murder”

  Click Here to Join Today!

  Table of Contents

  Join the Cozy Club Today

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Jed Fredericks didn’t regret leaving his job as an investigative reporter to become a junior high teacher, but the noise and yelling from the classroom next to his was driving him crazy. Screaming, books dropping, footsteps running back and forth! It was only the third week of school, and the bell had just rung to start the school day. He sighed as he picked up the math book and faced the kids in his self-contained, seventh-grade classroom.

  “Teri,” Jed said.

  “Yes, Mr. Fredericks,” the girl replied looking at him inquisitively. Already that morning he had watched her eating glue from her ever-present white bottle. He’d talked to her mother, a teacher in the high school housed in a different part of the building. But nothing had changed. Jed wondered how many bottles Teri consumed per month.

  “Good morning.” He didn’t want to embarrass her, but he also didn’t want her to continue with the glue. It couldn’t possibly be good for her.

  Her face flushed bright red as she screwed the cap back on the bottle and slid it into her desk. “Good morning,” she answered.

  “Okay class,” Jed said. “Please open your math books to page eleven.”

  Thirty-two students dutifully followed his direction.

  Suddenly, there was a loud bang from next door. Had someone thrown one of the desks! Jed was ready to rush into the neighboring room to see if anyone was hurt, but then the kids there burst into laughter.

  “You are so funny, Mr. Staunton” one of them yelled. And then there was silence. Jed shrugged mentally. The silence continued for a moment before a low roar started and built to a crescendo.

  Jed and the man next door were first-year teachers, though Jed was thirty-one, and the other man—Don Staunton—was in his mid-fifties. Staunton had taken early retirement after being CEO of a small software development company in Dover. Jed hoped Staunton had managed his business better than his classroom. Then he felt sorry both for the thought and for his fellow teacher. The man had gotten off to a bad start, and things quickly got out of hand. There was no sense of discipline in his classroom, and the students had absolutely no respect for him.

  Something had to be done, but that something wasn’t up to Jed. He told himself just to concentrate on the math lesson and push everything else out of his mind. Yeah, right! He wondered how the kids in his class could learn anything. But they were good kids and tried their best.

  Somehow the morning passed. Other than the havoc next door, it had been a good morning. Dotty, who usually stuck out her foot to try to trip anyone who passed near her desk—Jed included—seemed to be on her best behavior. The only child of a local physician, she seemed bent, Jed thought, on drumming up business for her dad. Broken arms, legs, and ankles from causing those around her to fall. Everyone, of course, knew it was best never to wander close to her. In fact, she was better known by her nickname, Karate Foot.

  After the bell rang for lunch, Jed followed the class downstairs to the cafeteria that served the combined junior and senior high school. Though he loved teaching, it was stressful, largely due to the constant ruckus next door. It would be good to relax for the next forty minutes. He always looked forward to talking with Ellie Steiner, one of the other teachers whom he’d already thought of as a good friend. Although they were divided in age by three decades, they’d immediately hit it off. A lot of it had to do with their sense of humor. Ellie was a short woman with gray hair and an ever-present twinkle in her eye, while Jed had light brown hair, and at six foot two was about ten inches taller than she was—a sort of Mutt and Jeff match.

  Teachers sat at two tables at the side of the room. Jed noticed Ellie and another teacher, Joe Johnstone, occupied one of the tables. Jed hadn’t gotten to know the other man very well yet. He was about five years older than Jed and had a dark brown Poncho Villa type moustache. He taught sophomore and junior English. Always somewhat aloof, he had the reputation of being a good teacher, though often grouchy and a stickler for the rules. Jed had heard that his students either liked him a lot or hated him. Jed nodded at Joe and sat down across from Ellie.

  ‘So how goes the battle?” she asked. She taught biology and general science.

  “Fine, I guess,” Jed answered.

  “You guess! Now what kind of attitude is that?”

  Jed laughed. “I’d have answered that I’m fine, but I was remembering something the newspaper editor said happened to him when he was starting out at a paper in Chicago.”

  Ellie buttered a roll, the kind, Jed thought, that always tasted like baked cardboard. “What did he say?”

  “He said the editor of the paper asked how he was doing. ‘Fine,’ he answered. The editor stood there and stared at him. Then he shook his head and said, ‘What the hell makes you think so?’”

  Ellie chuckled.

  Lunch consisted of overcooked chicken—boiled, of course—creamed corn, canned peas, and a roll. Dessert was a daub of gelatin—which Jed thought was supposed to be cherry-flavored, though who knew? Jed wasn’t one to complain, but eating lunch at the school cafeteria certainly was not the same as eating
at The Russian Tea Room in New York.

  He glanced at Joe. “Bon appétit!”

  Joe started at him for a moment, nodded, and the then went back to his lunch.

  “I don’t know how you can teach your classes,” Ellie remarked.

  “What do you mean?” Jed asked.

  “With all that hullabaloo next door.”

  “You know about that, do you?” Jed asked, as he ate a forkful of corn.

  “You bet I do. And so does every other teacher in the school, even those of us on different floors. It’s bad enough even far away. Distracting, I mean. I envy you for being able to get through a normal day.”

  Again, Jed laughed. “I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘normal’ day. The noise sometimes is so loud the kids can’t hear what I say, and I can’t hear their answers.”

  Ellie shook her head. “Something has to be done about it.”

  Jed pushed back his food tray. “Well, back to— I was going to say the salt mine, but I don’t think salt mines are so chaotic.”

  Ellie turned to Joe. “Will you excuse us?”

  Joe looked up. “Of course,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Yeah, Jed thought, he was grouchy. He picked up his tray to return it to the counter.

  “Jed! Uh, Mr. Fredericks.”

  “Yes?” Jed turned back toward the table.

  “This isn’t the easiest thing in the world for me to say, but I need someone to talk to.”

  Jed noticed Joe’s face had turned red. “And you… Well, you seem like the sort of person who might be willing to listen, and…help me figure out what to do.”

  “Sure, Joe, I’d be glad to.”

  “Do you suppose we could go out for coffee after school?”

  “Sure,” Jed said. “Where would you like to go?”

  “You live in Dover, don’t you?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah, on Seneca Drive in the Indian Meadows section.”

  “How about that new coffeeshop on East Third? You know where it is?” He seemed unsure of himself. “I mean, If that’s okay.”

  “Sure, no problem,” Jed answered. “Right after school? Or would you rather go later?”

  “Right after school, if you don’t mind. Say about four.”

  “Sounds good,” Jed answered. “I just need to stop and see if my two cats are okay, and then I’ll head out.”

  Chapter Two

  As Jed pulled out of the parking lot and headed home, he wondered what had prompted Joe to want to talk to him. They’d barely spoken before today. But it sounded as if the man was desperate. Jed tried to remember what he knew about Joe. Not much. He was married to the daughter of one of the most successful cheesemakers in Sweet River, known as the Little Switzerland of Ohio. But that was about it.

  It was a sunny day, the sky the color of a robin’s egg, and the leaves on the trees waved in the slight breeze as Jed rolled down the window to enjoy the weather while it lasted. Soon there’d be a nip of fall in the air.

  What else did Jed know about Joe? He remembered Ellie telling him that Joe was an excellent archer and that he’d won a silver medal in the last Olympics. Jed knew very little about archery, other than it took up six weeks of a physical ed credit during his freshman year at Otterbein University.

  Jed chuckled to himself. At heart he was still part investigative reporter, wanting to dig deep into anything that interested him. He was curious about things he supposed didn’t interest anyone else at all, even including a grouchy, elusive teacher.

  Though the winner of a couple of prestigious journalistic awards, Jed was glad he’d changed careers. Friends kidded him about having to spend so much time grading papers and preparing lesson plans, but being a reporter also meant spending many long hours doing research for proof of government corruption or organized crime.

  All in all, Jed thought, he had a pretty good life. He had his two cats Sugar and Spice, that he loved. The two were best friends, but totally opposites personality-wise, Sugar somewhat reserved and Spice exuberant. Jed liked nothing better than spending quality time with them, snuggled on the sofa, reading a good novel or watching movies on TV. The cats were great company, but he’d love to have another human being in his life, as well.

  He sighed as he pulled onto Seneca Drive and on down to his house. He parked and hurried to the door. The cats always knew when he was about to come inside. Obviously, they recognized the sound of his car.

  Once the door opened, Spice leaped up onto his shoulder while Sugar stood for a moment in the entrance to the kitchen and then very slowly sauntered toward them. Jed laughed. “Good to see you too, Sugar.” He rubbed his chin along Spice’s back and then gently placed her on the sofa. Finally, Sugar covered the few feet between herself and Jed and raised her head to be petted. Sugar was a Siamese and Spice a flame point Siamese. He loved them both dearly and couldn’t fathom life without them. He was gone so much of each day that he spent an inordinate time when he was home giving them attention, treats, and the best cat food money could buy.

  After Jed spent a few minutes giving them love and affection, Sugar raised her voice and meowed. “Mrow?”

  “Yes, Sugar,” Jed said. “I know it’s time to eat. Now if you’ll both follow me to the kitchen.”

  This time Sugar didn’t hesitate but raced ahead of him. “I see,” Jed said, “when it’s chow time, you aren’t so standoffish, are you?” He laughed as he took a can of food from the top of the refrigerator and pulled off the top. He’d read that each cat in a household should have his or her own dish, so he went along with the pretense. Yet Sugar and Spice always ate out of one bowl until it was empty before moving onto the next. As they ate, he dipped a plastic cup into the sack of dry food and filled another two dishes. He knew he spoiled the cats, but they were worth it.

  “Sorry, guys,” he said. “But I have to leave again. I shouldn’t be long, I promise.” He patted each one gently on the top of the head. “See you soon,” he said, as he slipped outside.

  ***

  The tables in the coffee shop were mostly empty, as were the stools around the counter. Jed immediately spied Joe sitting in a back corner and headed toward him.

  Joe stood to greet him. “Thanks for coming, Jed. This isn’t usually the sort of thing I do—asking to talk with someone else about my problems. I’m a little embarrassed.”

  Both sat down, Jed facing front with his back toward the wall, and Joe opposite. “No need to be, Joe,” Jed answered.

  Joe swallowed hard. “Where do I begin?” He closed his eyes for a moment. “My wife and I had a big argument. A mean a really big one.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Joe looked up at him. “Thanks. I’m sorry too. The thing is, I love Laura very much. And I can’t imagine life without her.”

  “What’s the problem then? I don’t understand.”

  “When we got married six years ago, she wanted me to take a job with her father. But the only thing I ever wanted to do was teach.” He shook his head. “Not that I have anything against her father… In fact, I think we get along pretty well. I often go to his place to practice my archery.”

  “I hear you’re pretty good.”

  “The Olympic medal? Yeah. That was luck. Anyone of us could have won.”

  “You really think so?”

  Joe gave Jed a half grin. “Maybe.”

  “So you still keep up with it?”

  “I do. Still chasing that gold.”

  “The next Olympics.”

  “One can hope.” The grin quickly disappeared from Joe’s face. “The thing is,” Joe said, “Laura has always been used to a…a different life than I have. As the old saying goes, we grew up on opposite sides of the tracks. Her family…is well off. My family is dirt poor. And you know teachers’ salaries aren’t the best.”

  “I’m well aware.”

  “I don’t know if you know this or not.” He glanced into Jed’s eyes. “But Laura’s family was one of the first in the area to go into Swiss cheesem
aking. They’ve been in business close to ninety years. Started by her Swiss immigrant great-great-grandfather. In fact, the company has become sort of an institution. They do a great business, with various types of cheeses, though mostly Swiss.”

  “And Laura wants you to quit teaching and be a part of this.”

  “I didn’t know she felt so strongly about it. I mean when we were engaged, she tried to talk me into working with her dad. She said I’d start out as a helper, a worker, and he’d teach me the business. Then as soon as he thought I was ready, he’d make me a partner. When he retired, I’d be in charge, and Laura and I would eventually own the business.”

  “Sounds like a generous offer.”

  “It certainly was…but I’m just not interested.” He shrugged. “Laura and I met when we were both freshmen at the Tuscarawas Campus of Kent State, both education majors. I didn’t know at the time that Laura had no intention of teaching. She just had to pick a major.”

  “So what happened that caused the problem?” Jed asked.

  “I really don’t know what set her off. Before school, I dropped her off to spend the day with her family. Her dad took off part of the day to spend time with her.” Joe pursed his lips. “On the way home, she talked about how nice it would be if I worked with her dad. ‘Laura, we’ve been over all that,’ I told her. ‘Can’t you just accept that I want to teach?’ ‘No!” she said. ‘Why should I accept it! You could be earning three to four times what you do now.’”

  Joe seemed totally overwrought.

  “I don’t want to lose her,” Joe said. “But, I’ve never seen her like that before. To me, she seemed totally unreasonable.” He leaned back. “Something else bothers me,” He waited a moment. “Laura accepts gifts from her father. Extra money. A hundred dollars here, two or three hundred there. Oh, I’m not supposed to know about it, but I do. And that hurts, Jed. It’s a matter of pride. A man should be able to provide for his family.”