by Nick Bishop
“So, what’s this about investigative reporting?”
“You heard about the murder, I’m sure.”
“It was another teacher at Caraway, right?”
“A man I didn’t get to know well…until right before he was murdered.” He glanced at the cats. They still seemed to be enthralled watching the ducks swimming in the pond and people throwing them pieces of bread. “Okay if I join you? Then I won’t have to shout.”
“What did they always say on the game show? Jed Fredericks, come on up!”
Jed laughed. “Close enough.” He strode the few steps to the pavilion and sat down opposite her, his back to the cats. “Oops. Don’t think that will work.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“My back to the cats. I don’t think there’s any way they can push up the top. But just to be on the safe side, do you mind switching places?”
“Sure.” She pushed the remains of her lunch across the table and stood. Then the two of them changed places. “Sorry, I don’t have much to offer you. An apple maybe?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“A soft drink. I always bring extra.”
“As I well remember.”
Her face flushed. “My little idiosyncrasy.”
“For which I’m glad. It saved my butt a time or two.”
“Or maybe just kept you from dehydration.”
“There is that.”
“So, tell me about the investigation.”
He sobered. “The day before he was murdered Joe asked if we could meet after school. He said he needed to talk with someone. So, I met with him, and he told me about having a big argument with his wife. The next day, on the way to school, he was murdered.”
“That must have been terrible since you just talked to him.”
“I felt if I’d done something differently, I might have helped him.”
“He wanted to talk to someone about the argument?” Sara asked.
“And to ask my advice on what he should do. You see his father-in-law owns Briner House.”
“Wow. And Joe was a teacher.”
“That was the crux of the problem. Joe wanted no other job but to teach, and his wife and Briner wanted him to work at Briner House. Even offered him a partnership once he learned the business.”
“And he refused.”
“Apparently, numerous times. And Joe wanted to know what I thought. He loved his wife very much, he told me. But he also loved teaching. He had to choose, it seemed, between the two.”
“What did you tell him, Jed?”
“Not much of worth, it seems.”
“Seems to me you’re blaming yourself for something totally outside your control.”
“Maybe. But if I had given him better advice—”
“How could that have prevented the murder, Jed?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That he had time to make the decision. To stay at Caraway until the end of the school year—another eight months.”
“It sounds as if you did all you could.”
“But maybe—”
“You did what you could. And, I think that was good advice.”
“But what if… What if his wife is responsible for his murder? Maybe what I advised him to do made her furious. Or the situation hopeless.”
“Think about this, Jed. You say you talked with Mr. Johnstone the day before he was killed. After school, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, I’d guess it was around 3:30 or 4?”
“About then?
“And he would have gotten home when?”
“It wouldn’t have taken more than five minutes or so.”
“And he was murdered on the way to school the next morning.”
“That’s right.”
“So, tell me, Jed, does it seem logical that in that short a time—a little over half a day—that his wife could have arranged for him to be murdered?”
“But suppose she did it herself?”
“From what I understand he pulled off the road to meet someone. If that’s the case, why on earth would he have pulled over to meet his wife? How would he have known she wanted to meet him?”
“Cell phone maybe?”
“But this happened at the edge of town, just outside the Dover city limits.”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t think, logistically, that she could have done it.”
“Maybe she told him she wanted to say she was sorry.”
“She could do that on the phone, Jed. You’re not at fault. And I’ll bet—unless she planned this ahead of time—the wife had nothing to do with it. And if she had planned it beforehand, why? And if she’d already planned to have him killed, it certainly had nothing to do with your talking to him.”
Jed felt as if a great weight had been lifted. What Sara said made a lot of sense. So, in all probability he hadn’t given wrong advice.
How fortunate it was, he thought, that he’d run into Sara. Why on earth had he let such a person go? He loved her. He had from the first time they started to date. And someday he hoped to marry her. But they’d drifted apart, and he didn’t know precisely why. There was no argument between them, no major disagreements. But somehow the relationship had tapered off.
Jed smiled. “I think the cats have had time to enjoy watching the ducks, and it is starting to get a little chilly—for them and for me. So, I think I’d better collect them and head on back to Dover. It was wonderful to see you. And thank you so much. You don’t know how relieved you made me feel. It was like a gigantic weight suddenly lifted from my shoulders. Have you ever thought of being a different sort of counselor? A therapist perhaps?”
She laughed. “It’s a thought…but not one I’d seriously consider.”
“I thought not. But just in case you’re considering changing careers…”
“Like you?”
“Yeah, like me.”
“I’m totally happy in what I’m doing. I’m at the point I take cases only if I truly believe my clients are in the right. But I’m certainly glad I could help you stop blaming yourself.”
“Me too.” He hesitated. “I do have to go, but… how about if I call you?”
She smiled. “That would be nice.”
Chapter Eleven
“I have no idea what to expect,” Jed said as he parked in front of the condo building where Joe’s wife lived.
“If she’s guilty, I doubt she would have agreed to see us,” Ellie said.
“Or she may think she can hoodwink us.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
The condo faced the quiet street. As Jed and Ellie approached the entrance, the door opened and a woman with a tear-streaked face met them. “Mrs. Steiner,” she said. “Mr. Fredericks. Please come in.” She let them pass in front of her and then closed the door. “Please,” she said, “come into the living room. Sit wherever you like.”
A slender woman, she had dark brown, almost black hair and high cheekbones. She wore a dark blue top and black jeans.
Jed followed Ellie into a tastefully-furnished apartment. An oriental rug spread over most of the hardwood floors, accenting the soft blue colors in the sofa and chairs.
“First of all,” Ellie said. “I’m very, very sorry. It was a terrible shock, magnified, I’m sure many times over for you.”
Laura tried to stifle a sob. “I still can’t believe it.” She swallowed hard. “Sorry, I can’t seem to control my emotions.”
“Of course, you can’t,” Jed told her. “And you have my deepest condolences.”
“Thank you.”
“We wanted to offer our support,” Ellie said. “I know these sound like empty words. But if we can help in any way…please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you. You’re most kind.” She pulled a tissue from a box on the end table and blotted her eyes. “The only thing I want is to find who would do such a horrible thing. And to…to s
hoot him with an arrow. It seems to me it must have been someone who really hated him.”
“What makes you say that?” Jed asked.
“The way he was killed. As if it were somehow mocking him.” She laid the tissue on the end table and looked from Ellie to Jed. “You do know that Joe was very much into archery. It was…well, more than a hobby. I’m not saying he was obsessed with it. He wasn’t. But it was like he somehow had to prove himself.”
“Because of his background?” Ellie asked.
Laura nodded. “But I loved him.” Again, she swallowed hard. “I didn’t care about his achievements.” She shook her head. “No, that doesn’t sound right. I cared. But if he hadn’t been into archery, if he hadn’t worked so hard to put himself through school… I’m not saying this well. What I mean is that I loved him, not his accomplishments. I’ve always been proud of him for all he has achieved. But, it wouldn’t matter to me if he hadn’t been an Olympic medalist.”
“You loved the man,” Ellie said, “not his accomplishments. No matter whether he was a success or not, that wasn’t of utmost importance. What was important was the man himself.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Besides wanting to offer our support,” Jed said, “if you’re up to it, we’d like to know if you have any idea who could have done this.”
“No, no I don’t. It’s just so… I feel like I’m living a nightmare, and I want to wake up. I want all this never to have happened. I just want Joe.” She blotted her eyes. “I’m sorry…”
Jed thought of how much Sara meant to him and how they’d drifted so far apart. Why? He loved her, maybe not as Laura seemed to love Joe. But the spark was there, and he knew he should have given it a chance to turn into a flame. And if anything happened to her… If, God forbid, she were killed, he didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it.
“The horrible thing is: we had this big argument. Just two days before… two days before he died.”
“I’m so sorry,” Ellie said.
“It was stupid. Totally, totally stupid. And… Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Jed said.
“But it’s not okay, Mr. Fredericks.”
“Jed. Please call me Jed.”
She nodded.
“And I’m Ellie.”
“Thank you.” She sighed. “I visited my dad and mom the day we had the argument. I let my dad get me all stirred up about Joe’s working with him.” She paused for a moment, as if to gather her thoughts. “I know Joe had no interest in cheesemaking…despite the money.”
“The potential for making more money, you mean?” Jed asked.
Laura nodded. “But Dad keeps pushing. Oh, I know he pretended to like Joe. Maybe even did like him somewhat. But he could never accept that I’d married ‘beneath my station,’ as he put it. I’m sorry for saying this. But my father is a snob.” Suddenly, she was angry. “What right did he have to try to tell Joe what to do, to try to tell me how we should live!”
“It was a lot of pressure, wasn’t it?” Jed said.
“Sorry?”
“Your dad,” Jed continued. “He must have put a lot of pressure on you and Joe.”
“He never could accept Joe’s background. To me it didn’t matter whether he came from a poor background or a wealthy one. What is background anyhow? Breeding, for God’s sake! It doesn’t mean a damned thing, except that those from the ‘so-called’ proper background, have money. That’s all background and breeding mean! People with money. Particularly old money. As if that makes a person more important, more worthy. Ridiculous.”
“But you’ve never felt that way,” Jed said.
“Maybe when I was a girl, more under the influence of my parents. No, I’ll be honest. It was only my father, I think, who felt that way. My mother has always been very accepting of others, much more open-minded. But as a girl, I let my father influence me. Somewhere along the line I changed my mind. Dad was wrong; you don’t measure a person’s worth by material things.”
“I hate to bring this up,” Jed said. “But Joe told me that your father often gave you money—a hundred or two hundred dollars at a time.”
“It’s true. And it’s something I very much regret. Taking the money, I mean. It was like I was betraying Joe. Saying he wasn’t able to support me. When he was! I know I never should have taken the money. I knew it each time he gave it to me. But I didn’t want to make him angry. So I placed my feelings for him above my feelings for Joe…which makes me feel truly guilty. Joe knew about it; he knew I took the money from Dad. But he never mentioned it.” She shook her head. “It was stupid of me to try to hide it. It must have made him feel awful.”
“I don’t mean to be indelicate Laura, but feeling the way you did, why did you not try to explain your feelings to your dad.”
“I suppose—It was to keep the peace. Not to stir things up with Dad.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Ellie told her.
“Dad has a terrible temper, though he manages to keep it in control most of the time. But if I’d refused the money, I know he would have gone into a terrible rant. With Joe as the subject.”
“I see,” Ellie said.
“I have to think Dad had what he considered my best interests in mind. And to him that meant giving me money—to buy things he thought I wanted. Designer purses, shoes, dresses. I never should have agreed to taking the money, and I never should have bought all those useless things. Of course, Joe was bound to notice. He was a smart man. At first, I’m sure, he wondered where all these things came from—the clothes and so on. Things we never could have afforded on his salary. And that was part of the argument.” She turned to Jed. “I know he talked to you about it. He told me he did.” She looked from Ellie to Jed. “Yes, we had the argument. But then the night after Joe met you at the coffeeshop, Jed, we had a long conversation. A good conversation where we were completely honest with each other, where I decided once and for all that it was fine for Joe to be a teacher. That’s what he wanted. That’s all he ever wanted as a career. And I was very wrong to let my dad influence me as he did.”
“So,” Ellie said. “What that means is that you two made up.”
Laura nodded.
“That’s wonderful,” Jed said. “I shouldn’t say this, but I was worried what might happen after Joe came home. That maybe you two would get into another argument.”
“To tell the truth, so was I,” Laura answered. “But I made up my mind to try to make things right.”
“And you were able to,” Ellie said.
“Yes. So at least Joe didn’t die— Didn’t die when we were upset with each other.”
“I don’t suppose you have any idea at all who…”
“I’ve wracked my brain. I can’t figure out who it would be nor why. Of course, I’ve thought of many different people who may have had a grudge against Joe, but no one stands out.”
“Would it help to mention who these people are? The ones you thought of?” Jed asked.
“Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“If you’re up to it,” Jed said, “it might make you think of something you hadn’t considered earlier.”
“I’m willing to try. Of course, I’m willing to try. I want to know who did this. I loved Joe with all my heart, but you know he wasn’t the easiest man in the world to get along with. He had very strong opinions, which I know angered some people, made them dislike him. And…I admit that at times he could come across as very abrasive. But that wasn’t the real Joe. It was a way to try to make people leave him alone, to do what he felt was right.”
“Like helping Mattie Yoder,” Jed said.
“Exactly. I know some people in the community felt what he did was wrong. But why should the girl be held down when she has such potential.” She shrugged. “I admit that at first it bothered me that he was spending so much extra time tutoring her. But I came to realize it was very important to him…and to Mattie, as well.”
“You knew her?”
“Yes. After a time Joe asked me to meet them at the restaurant where he gave her lessons. I was very impressed by her. She’s extremely bright, and a lovely person. In my opinion, he did the right thing. But you know some of the Amish in the community were very angry with Joe. I even considered that one of them might have killed him.”
“But you rejected the idea.”
“The Amish are a pretty peaceful people, in general. Of course, there are troubles sometimes…like the ones who forcibly held down a man several years ago and cut off his hair. That sort of thing. But you never hear—or at least I have never heard—of Amish people committing murder.”
“You’re right,” Jed said. “I haven’t either. And I’ve lived in this area my whole life.”
“Nor I,” Ellie said, “though we did suspect the person responsible for what happened might be Mattie’s father Jacob.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Laura asked.
“I’m disinclined to think so,” Jed said. “Ellie too, I’m sure.”
Ellie nodded.
“But there’s always the possibility. He does hunt with a bow and arrow. So he has both the means and possibly the motive for doing it,” Jed said.
“Can you think of anyone else?” Ellie asked.
“Maybe the man Joe always seemed to beat out in archery competition. I thought he might hold a grudge.”
“But now you don’t think so.”
“I was reaching. I think the man’s a decent sort, and he was always friendly and never seemed to be upset at the competitions. And the one time he did beat out Joe in a regional competition, he didn’t gloat or make a big deal of it. So no.”
“But it is possible.”
“Remotely so, I suppose,” Laura answered. “Though he lives a long way from here, and I can’t see him as the murderer.”
“Where does he live?” Jed asked.
“Lansing, I think.”
“Michigan?” Ellie asked.
Laura nodded.
“Anyone else?” Jed asked.
“At first I thought of the kid at school who threatened him. But after a time, I know the boy apologized. Which was good of him, even though he received a grade that he didn’t like.”