Murder With Jammin’T

by R A Wallace

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ian stepped outside of Togs and waited in front of the shop as his partner walked toward him.

  “Any luck?” Rhys asked.

  Ian pointed back toward the shop.

  “We busted someone who wasn’t stealing.”

  Rhys looked past Ian into the shop window and saw Giselle talking to a young girl he recognized.

  “Better luck next time.” Rhys nodded as someone else approached.

  Ian turned to find Megan.

  “What brings you two here?” Megan asked as she peered inside Togs.

  Ian explained the problem with the recent thefts.

  “We think it’s high school kids,” Ian added.

  Megan remembered something her guests had been discussing.

  “I guess there are all kinds of reasons for why people across age groups take things that don’t belong to them,” Megan said.

  “All of them bad,” Rhys agreed.

  Megan tucked her hands into her coat pockets.

  “Yeah, but sometimes it’s not something they can control. My guests this weekend were telling me about problems some people have. There are extenuating circumstances that might make you reconsider how to handle it.” Megan shrugged. “Just a thought.”

  Rhys looked over at Ian with his eyebrows raised.

  Ian shook his head. “This has to be kids. It’s only happening at certain times of the day and it’s always when the kids are out of school.”

  “Well, I’ll leave this puzzle to you,” Megan said with a smile.

  “Speaking of puzzles,” Rhys said.

  “Yeah. It’s looking like Erica and Jerry still have one.” Ian gave Megan a sympathetic smile. “It doesn’t look like Aaron Sorenson was anywhere in this area during the window of time for the murder.”

  “Seriously?” Megan narrowed her eyes at Ian. “Who are they looking at now?”

  Ian looked at Rhys to see if he had any more information, then both men shook their heads.

  “No idea. In fact, I’m not sure they know where to look yet.” Rhys tapped Ian on the shoulder. “We have to go.”

  “We do?” Ian nodded to Megan.

  “Yeah. Call out.” Rhys focused on Megan before walking away. “Be safe.”

  ***

  Although they were now familiar with the layout of the retirement community, they still stopped in the main office to touch base when they reached the campus. They found the resident who worked there part-time in addition to the full-time employee.

  The young woman with short blonde hair and stylish glasses greeted them with enthusiasm. Ian nodded a noncommittal greeting then turned his focus to the other woman.

  “Ma’am. I understand you called in some more thefts?”

  Gina grimaced. “I’m sorry that we seem to be monopolizing your time lately. I just don’t know what else to do when the residents come to me and complain that they’re missing things. I know that none of the items are really worth a lot of money on their own, but in some cases they’re priceless to the people who are missing them.”

  “You did the right thing calling us,” Ian assured her.

  “We want to get to the bottom of this too,” Rhys agreed.

  Gina held out a map. “I circled the villas. There are four more residents who’ve lost things recently.”

  Ian nodded when the younger woman sang out a goodbye. He shook his head when he heard her comments to the older woman as they left the office.

  “He’s so handsome,” Leslie said.

  “Which one?” He heard Gina respond.

  “Both of them.”

  They parked the police car at the first villa and rang the bell. The woman that answered ushered them in quickly and offered them a drink. Both declined politely.

  “I’m so sorry to trouble you with this. I know you have more important things to do than worry about my little problems.” Laura Davidson glanced at their badges. “Are you boys from Teaberry?”

  “No, ma’am,” Rhys answered for both of them.

  Laura smiled. “I didn’t think so. I don’t recognize your names. I would have if you had family that went to school in Teaberry.”

  “You were a school teacher?” Ian asked politely.

  “Yes, and that’s why I called you. When I retired, I was presented with a golden apple. That’s what I’m missing,” Laura explained.

  Rhys took out his notepad. “How large would you say this apple is?”

  Laura waved to the dining room table next to where the men were standing.

  “There’s a photo there on the table from when I retired. I thought it would be helpful.”

  Ian lifted the photo. “It is, thank you.” He showed it to Rhys. Because of its large size, the woman was holding the apple with both hands in the photo.

  “I’m going to assume you don’t carry this around with you?” Rhys asked.

  Laura chuckled. “No, I do not. As you can see, it’s rather large and definitely has some heft to it.” She pointed to the standalone bookcase that took up the wall next to her television. “I always kept it over there.”

  “Do you know when it went missing?” Ian asked.

  Laura gave an apologetic smile. “No, I’m sorry. It was just always there. Until it wasn’t. I first noticed it a couple of days ago.”

  Rhys and Ian shared a look.

  “I know, I should have said something sooner,” Laura acknowledged. “At first I tried to tell myself that I just misplaced it. Then I convinced myself that it wasn’t important enough to trouble anyone with.”

  “But then you did report it,” Ian said.

  “Yes. I was speaking with some others at lunch yesterday. It seems many of us are missing things. We all decided we’d better start reporting them.”

  Rhys rang the bell at the next address. The gentleman who greeted them at the door managed to exude presence even though both Rhys and Ian towered over him.

  Victor Muncie waved them inside and pointed at another resident.

  “This is Silas Granger. I’m Victor, thanks for coming.”

  “You’re both missing things?” Rhys guessed.

  Victor nodded his agreement. “We thought it would save you time if Silas came here to report it,” he explained.

  Rhys pulled out his notepad and wrote down the description of the pen set Victor was missing.

  “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it was given to me when I retired,” Victor said.

  “He was the superintendent,” Silas added.

  “Where did you keep the pen set?” Ian asked.

  Silas pointed to a side table. “It was actually in a stand that included a small clock.” Victor held up his hands to demonstrate the size.

  Rhys looked over at the other man expectantly.

  “I’m missing the remote for my television.” Silas held up his hands. “Before you ask, I’ve looked everywhere for that thing and it even has a locator on it.”

  Rhys nodded his head. One of the other residents had explained the short-range wireless feature that helped them to track their commonly misplaced items.

  “I know I can just buy a universal replacement for it,” Silas added with a sigh. “But I was used to that one. I already knew the tricks to get it to do what I want.”

  Rhys and Ian moved on to the last name on the list given to them by Gina at the main office. It didn’t take them long to speak with the man before they were on their way again. The man described the loss of a paper bill he had kept since he was a young teen for sentimental reasons. On the trip back into town, they discussed the losses of the four people they had spoken with.

  “What do a remote control, a pen set, a golden apple, and a sixty-year-old twenty dollar bill have in common?” Ian said out loud.

  “None of them are worth much in terms of value,” Rhys pointed out. “Don’t forget the playing cards, a stack of envelopes, an ebook reader, a wedding ring, car keys, reading glasses, a spatula, and bingo chips.”

  “All of
them were inside someone’s home,” Ian added.

  “Yeah. The thief would need to have easy access to them.”

  “Which limits us to a common person who had access to each villa. We’re talking other residents, employees of the retirement community who may go from villa to villa for whatever reason, and outside service workers like cable, phone, or whatever.” Ian looked down at his notes.

  Rhys slowed for a stop sign. “We asked about any service work they may have had.”

  “Each time we’ve been out there,” Ian agreed. “No one mentioned anything.”

  “Which narrows it to employees and residents.”

  “Except that most claimed none of the staff had been to their villas,” Ian said as he rubbed at his chin.

  “Yeah. That leaves us with another resident.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  After completing some work on web sites the following day, Megan went into town to the Jammin’T. She kept thinking about what Rhys and Ian had told her the previous day. If Aaron Sorenson wasn’t the killer, who was? She decided to return to the diner. It seemed to be the focal point. Technically Bert and Betty had been targeted first. Their house had burned, they’d been run off the road, and the victim had been found at the diner that most still believed was owned by Bert and Betty. Maybe the key to solving the puzzle was with the diner.

  Tyler greeted her with a nod from across the diner when she entered. She looked around the diner for people who might have information. One table, in particular, caught her eye. Although she knew that Emmet was a frequent customer at the Jammin’T, it was even better that he was joined today by his daughter.

  “Hello, you two. Mind if I sit with you for a moment to ask some questions?” Megan asked.

  “You aren’t working on another puzzle, are you?” Emmet asked as he waved to an empty seat at their table.

  Megan thanked Tyler for the pot of hot water and tea bag he placed in front of her before heading off with a pot of coffee to continue filling cups around the diner.

  “No, I’m still on the murder victim that was found here at the diner.” Megan slipped the teabag into the pot of hot water.

  “I thought they had the guy?” Emmet said. He glanced quickly at his daughter, his eyes full of concern.

  “I heard that the police are looking elsewhere for that,” Jennifer said. “Apparently, the one they had was somewhere else at the time.”

  “They don’t have any other leads?” Emmet asked with another glance toward Jennifer.

  Megan could tell that Emmet was worried about the safety of his daughter. It was an emotion she was beginning to understand better each day.

  “Dad, they’ll catch whoever it is,” Jennifer said with a direct look at her father.

  “Maybe I should walk you back to your office when we’re done here,” Emmet suggested.

  Jennifer gave Megan a rueful smile. “If I say no, he’ll do it anyway.”

  “There are worse problems to have,” Megan pointed out.

  “True, true.” Jennifer picked her coffee cup up and cradled it with both hands, her elbows resting on the table.

  “Were either of you here during any of the recent problems they’ve been having at the diner?” Megan asked.

  Jennifer shook her head.

  Emmet nodded. “I was here when they found the victim.”

  “Is there anything you can tell me about that?” Megan asked.

  Emmet shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I didn’t see anything that day and I can’t say that I noticed anything out of the ordinary at any other time I’ve been here.”

  “You stop by pretty often.” Megan didn’t frequent the diner regularly, but she had often seen Emmet there when she did.

  “I stop by for coffee and to talk with old friends. A lot of people do.” He looked at Jennifer. “Or, I meet up with her. But everything seems pretty normal here. The diner runs well with Tyler and Holly. I can’t say that I ever remember anything unexpected.”

  “Except the murder the other day,” Jennifer pointed out.

  Emmet shrugged again. “The victim was behind the diner. Who’s to say the murder has anything to do with the Jammin’T?”

  Good point, Megan thought. Except that the victim was tied to the current owners, both in the past and in the present.

  “I’ll let you go now. If you think of anything…” she said as she stood.

  “I’ll let you know.” Emmet’s smile reached his eyes. She was reminded that both Emmet and Jennifer were technically somewhere in Dan’s family tree. Dan was never really clear on where. He said that the second cousin three times removed part always confused him.

  Megan carried her tea cup over to the counter and sat down next to Casey.

  “Mind if I ask some questions?”

  Casey lowered his newspaper.

  “What are you working on now?”

  Megan explained the situation with the murder victim.

  Casey was surprised to hear that the police didn’t have the killer yet.

  “I’m not sure I can tell you anything I haven’t already though,” he added.

  “I was actually wondering if you’d heard anything more about the cow.” It was an odd loose end. She wondered how it fit into the larger puzzle, if it did at all.

  Casey’s eyes looked over Megan’s shoulder.

  “There’s the man who might know.” He pointed with his chin. Megan turned and saw Cy Douglass approaching.

  Cy took a seat on the other side of Casey. He waited until Tyler swooped in with a pot of coffee to speak.

  “The missing cow has been found,” Cy said.

  Tyler’s hand was poised over the coffee cup. He pulled it away just in time before the coffee cup was overfilled.

  “Is it okay?” Tyler asked.

  Cy nodded. “Must have just wandered off somehow.”

  “What do you mean?” Tyler glanced over at Holly. He knew she was going to be happy.

  Cy scratched his chin. “It was over in one of the neighbor’s fields.”

  “Ear tag matches?” Casey asked the obvious.

  “It does,” Cy agreed.

  “How could it have just wandered off?” Tyler wondered out loud.

  “Beats me. There aren’t any holes in the fence. I checked,” Cy said.

  Tyler looked over at Holly again. She had automatically assumed that Cy would want the same order Casey had placed. Both plates were waiting in the window. He quickly went over and retrieved them.

  “I’ll let you two enjoy your lunch,” Megan said as Tyler placed their food in front of them. She moved down to the other end of the counter where Tyler was making fresh coffee.

  “Have you spoken with Becca lately?” Megan asked as she placed some money on the counter for her tea.

  “Yes. She told me about the note someone made using an old manual typewriter and the picture she found.” Tyler finished with the coffee and turned around to talk to Megan. When he saw Ava standing behind her, he went over to the window by Holly and grabbed the takeout order with Rhys’s name on it.

  “Hey, Megan,” Ava said as she placed her money on the counter. She took the bag Tyler handed her. “What’s this about an old manual typewriter?”

  Tyler chuckled as he turned to make change in the register. “Hard to believe they’re still around, right?”

  “Oh, I still see them in a couple of the places I clean.” Ava took the change from Tyler. She held up the bag. “Thanks for this. He said he really likes some of the new specials you guys have been coming up with.”

  “How is Becca doing?” Megan picked up their previous conversation.

  Tyler’s gaze scanned the diner. “Good. I mean, I’m glad that she wasn’t scared away with the stupid note. It’s just…”

  “Just that you’re still worried,” Megan finished.

  “Wouldn’t you be? I was hoping the police had everything figured out. Now I’m hearing that they had to let Aaron go for the murder and they’re starting the investig
ation all over again.” Tyler nodded to someone across the room to let them know he’d be there momentarily.

  “What if they start looking at me for the murder again?” he asked Megan before turning around to grab another coffee pot. “It doesn’t help that my phone isn’t working most of the time. I tried texting her just to check on her and I can’t. It’s like the thing has a mind of its own. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

  Megan watched a frustrated Tyler walk away with the coffee pot muttering to himself about his phone. She zipped up her jacket thinking that she had a lot of puzzle pieces but none of them appeared to fit together at all. She was beginning to wonder just how many different puzzles there were.

  Chapter Twenty

  Joyce heard the horn outside of her villa and reached for her walker. After pulling herself up from the couch, she made her way slowly to the front door. She was surprised to find the driver of the minibus waiting for her on the other side of her door.

  “I thought you might need some help getting to the van,” the fifty-something man wearing a baseball cap said with a pleasant smile.

  “David! How nice. I’m getting around a little better, but I’m still slow as molasses. I feel guilty for holding everyone else up.” Joyce leaned on his arm when they reached the van while he folded her walker.

  “Don’t you worry about all that. The town will still be there if we’re a few minutes later.” David helped her into the minibus and stowed her walker.

  Joyce could hear murmurs of agreement coming from the van. She smiled her appreciation at the others in the van as she climbed in.

  “Thank you for leaving the seat closet to the door for me. It makes it so much easier,” she called to the others.

  “David does all the work,” Willie said. “The rest of us just sit in the back and look out the windows.”

  Joyce laughed with the others in the van. It held around twenty passengers. Ann was sitting in the seat next to her.

  “You’ll be back to running circles around the rest of us in no time,” Ann said.

  Joyce nodded her agreement. She was normally very active. “I’m doing a lot better already, it’s true.”