by Lynn Cahoon
“Facts are facts. And there’s no other lead.” He squeezed my hand. “Look, I know you liked the woman, but neighbors heard them arguing the night before the murder. Sometimes people kill people they love. It happens, Jill.”
Carrie came back with our drinks. “Sounds like you’re talking about the murder. That’s all anyone here is talking about. You know, I wouldn’t have known that they lived in town if it hadn’t been in Darla’s article. They weren’t around much at all. I bet I can list off most of the townsfolk right here without batting an eyelash.”
“Yeah, a lot of people have said that. In fact, one of their neighbors across the street said they didn’t know who lived in the house. She left early to go to her job and he worked from home.” Greg leaned back in his chair, but I could see questions forming in his eyes.
“It’s just odd. I know we have our introverts, but it was like they didn’t want to be part of the community. It’s sad, that’s all I’ve got to say.” Carrie pulled out her order pad. “So what can I get you?”
Greg ordered first and I added, “Me too,” which made both Greg and Carrie smile.
After she left the table, Greg held up his hand. “Before we get back into you trying to convince me that Paula couldn’t have done it, I want to talk to you about your aunt’s situation.”
“Good, because I have some things to tell you too.”
“Then you go first. I know you hate it when I steal your thunder.” He sipped his coffee, and the challenge in his eyes made them sparkle.
“Fine, I will.” I outlined what I’d done, including going to talk to Denyse at the Senior Project and my stop at Doc Ames’s office. “You already know about what Deek’s friend Trina said about the death certificate being misfiled. I didn’t understand the process, and Doc was able to fill me in on what happens when someone dies and a death certificate is filed. I know he thought something was weird because he said he’d look in to it. Did you know there used to be two funeral homes in Bakerstown?”
“I’ve heard rumors. Apparently, the other home’s owner was in to some shady practices and got shut down. You’ve seen the place. It’s that plantation-looking building just off the highway. With those views, I’m surprised they haven’t sold the property and torn the old place down.”
Carrie dropped off our dinners. “You’re not talking about Bakerstown Memorial Home, are you? That place is creepy with a capital C. Even when we were in high school, there were rumors about what the owner did with the bodies he had delivered.”
“Like what?” Now I was curious, even though the aroma from the food was making my stomach growl.
“Nothing good, believe me. Kids always tried to sneak through the fence on Halloween to get pictures of the ghosts, but the cops usually had that place on their rounds, so they’d get rousted out of there.” Carrie shivered and rubbed her arms. “I went in once and that was enough. I couldn’t sleep for a week.”
“Did you see something?” I leaned forward, watching her reaction.
“No, it was more of a feeling. And then we heard a noise coming from the basement, where the bodies were embalmed. We ran.” She shook her head, like she was getting rid of a bad memory. “Anyway, definitely not dinner conversation. Enjoy your meal.”
“I didn’t know Bakerstown had a haunted house.” I took a bite of the mashed potatoes and sighed. “Hold off until we’re done eating and then you can fill me in on what you found out.”
We spent the next little bit talking about nothing and enjoying our meal together. One thing I loved about Greg was, because he loved food almost as much as I did, he didn’t tease me when I made that face because the meal was just that good.
By the time Carrie came back to take our plates, we were stuffed and happy. She refilled Greg’s coffee. “Dessert?”
“Bring a piece of apple pie à la mode with two spoons.” Greg looked over at me. “Unless you want something different?”
“No, that sounds perfect.” Especially since I’d had way too many cookies today. “So tell me what you found out.”
“I was at the Senior Project today too, but I was talking to the administrator, Earl Hess. He assured me that there is no way anyone could hack their system and get confidential information from their database. In fact, he was a little offended that I would ask.” He sipped his coffee.
“Offended? That’s an odd reaction.” Now I was glad I hadn’t filled out their intake paperwork.
“I thought so too. But I kind of switched gears on him and he wasn’t ready for the question. He wanted to talk about Paula and how he knew she was troubled. He made it seem like she and Ben were having relationship issues. And that Ben had told him they were going to break up, but he’d still volunteer for the center.”
I almost spit out the tea I’d just taken a sip of when I heard that. “Are you kidding me? Paula thought they were going to be married. That everything was fine.”
“Yeah, she told me that too.” He squirmed in his chair. “Look, I know you like her, but she might have been lying. What reason would the administrator have for telling me something that wasn’t true?”
“I don’t know. But it’s weird, right?” I decided to get off the discussion of Ben and back on my aunt. I knew Greg was going to have to leave soon and it could be anytime if his phone rang. “I asked Aunt Jackie, but she hasn’t worked with the Senior Project. She did have a social worker from the finance commission working with her when she lost that money to the financial planner guy. And this Denyse told me that they didn’t share their information with any other agency.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard too. But when I asked Earl to pull up your aunt’s record, he found one. He wouldn’t tell me what she’d contacted them for, but he said it was last year.”
I sat back in the chair, stunned.
“I’ll just drop this off with the check, then.” Carrie said as she glanced back and forth from Greg to me. “You all okay on drinks?”
Greg assured her we were fine and then picked up his spoon. “Take a bite of this. It’s really good.”
I followed his motions and ate a few bites before setting my spoon on the table. “There are two possible reasons for my aunt’s information to be in their database. One, she went down and met with them and either forgot, or she lied to me. I don’t like either implication.”
“And two?”
I took a sip of my tea, making sure I had my thoughts in order. “Or two, someone put my aunt’s information into their system. And I know it wasn’t me.”
Chapter 13
By the time I got back home, my thoughts were jumbled. Paula and Ben were a perfect couple by one account. By another, Ben was leaving her and she was barely holding on to her job. As surprising as those inconsistencies were, clearing them up wasn’t the first thing on my to-do list.
I checked my email, more out of habit than anything else. If someone had really needed something, they would have called. Scrolling through the mostly junk mail, I saw one from the Senior Project. The address wasn’t the one Denyse had given me, but I opened it anyway.
“Good afternoon, I’m Tessa from the Senior Project and I am one of the team helping you and your loved one find help in their senior years. I noticed you didn’t fill out your intake form, so I’ve attached an electronic copy for your convenience. No need to come back into the office to drop this off, just send it back to me when you finish. Looking forward to working with you.”
Boy, they were persistent on their intake forms. I deleted the email and closed my laptop. I didn’t feel like dealing with business, either work-related or personal right now.
I needed to find out how my aunt’s information had gotten into their system and how much the Senior Project knew about her. It was almost seven. No one would be at the office. I’d forgotten to call Amy, and even if I called her now, she wouldn’t have access to the parking permit information.
It was time to do what I did best: curl up on the couch and read.
I made a quick call to my aunt to see if she was okay. Her curt response told me I’d interrupted one of her shows. We closed the shop early on Mondays, so neither of us worked. Tuesday was her second day off and I worked a little longer, and Toby would relieve me and close the shop at five. I said my good nights and grabbed the book on my coffee table. At least I knew she was in for the evening and I’d done what I could for the day.
Tomorrow I’d do more research.
* * * *
The sun was bright and I could smell the ocean on the gentle breeze as I walked into town to open the shop. I’d already taken Emma for a short run that morning to help burn off some of the energy my dog had no matter what time of day.
Tuesday was a busy commuter day for the shop, so I didn’t have time to open my laptop until after nine. But instead of getting lost in the research, I picked up my cell and called Amy as soon as I had a break between customers.
“South Cove City Hall, how may I direct your call?” Amy’s voice rang professional in my ear. Apparently, she hadn’t seen the number come up because I usually got a more personalized greeting.
“Hey, Amy, it’s me. Do you have a second?”
“Good morning. Do you have a planning research question? I’ll be glad to help you.” Amy answered.
“So the mayor is standing at your desk and you don’t have time to talk,” I translated her code.
“That’s exactly right. Give me the information and I’ll do some research for you.”
“I’m looking for information on parking permits for either Paula Woods or Ben Penn. Can you get me their application? Who owns their rental house?” Now, I knew I was grasping at straws, but after Greg had told me last night that he was probably going to have to charge Paula, I wanted to make sure there wasn’t something, somewhere, that might at least give him another lead.
“I’ll see what I can do. I should have this before lunchtime. Do you want me to mail you this information or will you contact me?” I could hear the mayor talking in the background about wrapping up the call.
“Lunch would be great. Lille’s at noon?” That way, if she knew any gossip, she could give me all of it without worrying about the mayor eavesdropping.
“Perfect. I’ll be expecting to hear from you. Thanks for calling South Cove City Hall and have a sun-filled day.”
I almost gagged at the sugary-sweet sign-off, but Amy had already complained that the mayor was writing new scripts for everyone who answered the phones. I’d heard Esmeralda was planning a coup.
I grabbed my notebook where I’d listed off my to-dos for the day and scratched off “call Amy.” Then I picked up the phone and glanced in the back room to make sure my aunt wasn’t sitting at my desk as the call connected.
“South Cove Bed and Breakfast, this is Mary.”
I walked away from the coffee bar and back into the book stacks, where I could still see the front door and the coffee bar. I kept my voice low, just in case. “Hey, Mary, this is Jill.”
“Jill! Bill and I were just talking about you this morning. When are you going to stop by for a chat? I feel like I don’t see you enough. And now that Jackie has become a recluse, I don’t even get the secondhand gossip.”
“Well, that’s why I was calling. Can you convince her to go to the city next Saturday? I need to get her out of that apartment.” I was hoping Mary wouldn’t ask why. My plan fell under the theory of plausible deniability. “Maybe a trip to the city?”
“That sounds lovely, but I’m not sure she’ll say yes. The last time she blew me off. Told me she had better things to do than go to a gallery opening. I’m pretty sure your aunt is sick. She loves attending openings.”
“She told me this weekend that she really needs a girls’ day out. I said I’d cover her shift Saturday, so you don’t have to hurry back.” I paused, knowing the next words would seal the deal. A white lie couldn’t send you to hell, could it? “I think she feels bad about not going last time. You know how she gets when her arthritis is acting up.”
“Oh, I hadn’t considered that. You’re right. She’s probably embarrassed. I’ll call her this morning. We have a light weekend and Bill can handle the guests. Besides, I really need a day out too. And don’t tell her, but I miss spending time with your aunt.”
I promised to keep it our secret, then hung up, hoping Mary’s call would do the trick. I’d wait to make a call until after Aunt Jackie told me she was going. Operation Harrold Wins Jackie Back was looking good.
Then I opened the laptop and started researching Ben Penn. This time I found not only his Facebook page but also a Twitter page and a website. According to his website, he was a freelance computer expert, selling consulting time to set up your computer, stereo systems, and more. His most popular service seemed to be installing computer-run security systems in your house. Looking at his website, there was no way he shouldn’t have been making money. So why was Paula paying all the bills? Greg and I had monthly budget meetings when we talked about the household expenses. We had our own accounts because we were still single, but running the house was a mostly fifty-fifty deal. Because I owned the house free and clear, he set aside money he would have been paying for half that payment and put it in a joint travel fund.
But I knew Greg and I weren’t like normal couples. Or maybe we were the normal ones, and people like Ben just liked to prey on the weak. Either way, it was interesting that Paula took on all the costs. I wondered if Greg had even looked at Ben’s income and business accounts. It all followed the money, and from what I’d heard, Paula wasn’t getting money from her live-in boyfriend, he was getting money from her. And she was still happy. That didn’t sound like motive to me.
Toby came into the shop thirty minutes early for his shift. We’d tried having him work weekends, but now that he was getting more hours from his primary job being a detective with Greg, he worked early in the week as a barista, which left his weekends clear. From what I saw, the guy worked all the time. He was saving for his own place, and as much as I liked the extra income from renting him the shed behind my house, I would like to have that area back. Greg was making noises about turning it into a workout gym. I thought maybe it could have some ceiling-to-wall bookshelves so I could unpack the boxes I had upstairs in what we called the junk room. My home-office shelves were bulging, and I didn’t want to just cull the collection before I knew what I had.
“Hey, Boss. I let your dog out before I left. She started barking when I went out to start my truck, so we played a few rounds of catch before I let her back inside.” He went to the coffee bar and poured himself a cup. “I’m beat this morning. Greg had me on watch last night out at the crime scene.”
“Why is he having you watch an empty house?” I knew Paula had been staying with Sadie. Which was another reason she couldn’t be the killer. There was no way I’d feel okay with her staying there if she was. Sometimes my gut was more accurate about people than I could explain. Of course, Sadie was the one taking chances, not me. Maybe Paula should be staying at the local motel. I realized Toby had answered my question and I’d been lost in thought and had missed it. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I knew you weren’t listening. You get this look in your eyes when you’re thinking about something else.” He sipped his coffee. “What I said was, Greg wants to make sure there isn’t any vandalism out at the house. You know, it’s close to where the great gnome caper occurred.”
“I thought he solved that case?” A group of local teenagers had thought it funny to steal gnomes from one of our local’s yards. Then, one day, they all appeared in front of storefronts in South Cove. A lot of them were set up to appear to be drinking coffee out in front of my shop. “And I thought the ring leader was off to college this fall on the East Coast.”
“Kids are always around.” Toby shrugged; he appear
ed to not be saying something. “Look, Jill, you know how Greg gets when I tell you things about the case. He’ll have my hide if he finds out.”
“So there’s more going on than just watching for kids. What did you find in the house?” If I didn’t ask, he wouldn’t tell me. He might not anyway, but it was worth the exercise. “Was Ben involved in something illegal?”
“Jill, stop browbeating Toby. You know he can’t tell you anything but that the investigation is ongoing.” Greg put his arm around me and kissed me. “I missed seeing you this morning. I was out early.”
“I haven’t seen much of you at all.” I leaned into him as he put an arm around me. “And I wasn’t browbeating Toby. We were just talking about why he was so tired this morning. So why are you watching an empty house?”
Greg squeezed me and laughed. “Sometimes you’re like a dog with a bone. Because you were the one so adamant about Paula’s innocence, I’ll give you a little info. I’ve been looking into Ben’s businesses. He had a lot of deposits in his account that seemed high for computer work or stereo installation. There wasn’t anything on his personal laptop except for one or two jobs a month that couldn’t account for those deposits. There’s nothing on the laptop, so there needs to be somewhere else he was keeping his records. Neighbors reported someone going into the house the last two nights. Sadie gave Paula an alibi for both nights.”
“So Ben had a partner in whatever he was doing?”
Greg nodded. “Paula confirms that he worked with someone he called Cash. I’m trying to find this guy so we can interview him, but so far, no luck.”
“When I looked at his website, it appeared to be a small business. Maybe he had someone else who worked for him doing the actual installations.” I tried to remember the language on the site. “He used ‘we’ a lot in the descriptors, but that might just be to make it look like a bigger company that a one-man shop. Sometimes people shy away from startups. How much were these deposits?”