by Kira Reese
“I know that little piece of land is owned by the Pearson family. I know that a man whose name is Mac Johnson takes care of it for them. That’s all I know.”
Deciding he wasn’t going to look right at us, I spoke up. “When my colleague was out here you told her you had no idea who owned it and did not know the man who took care of the property. How did you so recently learn his name?”
He stood abruptly and danced around a little and then sat back down. “All right. When Miss Carpenter was here I did tell her that. I’ve known all along that the last of the Pearson family lives in the city. Polly and Bill own it now. I know Mac. He’s a farm neighbor of mine.”
Lee pointed across the field. Mac’s house was hidden from us, since the Chambers’ house blocked our vision.
“Why was Mac waiting for you the other evening? Natalie and I saw him sitting on your steps as if expecting you home any time. We saw your pickup truck behind us from a distance. What did Mac want to talk about?”
Lee finally directed his gaze to me. “So that car was yours? I saw you but didn’t know who it was. As for Mac, he was nervous about the goings-on about that grave. He told me he knew the police were looking at him as having something to do with it. I believe him when he tells me he didn’t know anything at all until he came to mow. He saw that someone had dug a large hole. It was a big mystery to him.”
Ben and I sat in silence while assessing the man and his words. Finally, Ben said, “Did you also lie about not seeing any movement down there?”
Lee bowed his head. His fingers twined together again. “I did see the taxi when it came out here. I saw the driver let the Pearsons out and then leave. I figured Polly and Bill came out to check on the care of the acreage. I have to admit it was the first time I saw them out here over the years. The funny thing was neither of them had the cab wait to take them back to town.”
“How long were they there before they started walking back?” I asked.
He looked up quickly and then laughed. “They didn’t walk all the way back to town. They were picked up and given a ride back. I decided someone was parked out of sight, possibly on the other side of the grove waiting for them. The next thing I knew, a man in a car pulled around with Polly and Bill in it and they took off for town.”
“Can you describe the man?” asked Ben.
Lee shook his head. “They were too far away. I just know it was a full-sized red- or maroon-colored car. It looked new from a distance, but I can’t be sure.”
“What did Mac have to say about it?” I asked.
“He was waiting to tell me something about the strange happenings. He said he started walking from his house to take care of the property when he saw a man in an older car parked by the grove the next day. Later we thought it was probably the taxi driver on his day off. We figured he was curious about why his passengers had asked to be let out without waiting for a ride back to town.” Lee wiped his brow with the bandana. “Mac didn’t go any farther when he saw the newer car pull up behind the taxi driver. He spoke with him and Mac said they shook hands. Then the man in the older car turned around and left. The other man drove away soon after that.”
Lee added that it spooked Mac and he went back home. Later Mac caught a ride to town and went to see the Pearsons. He wanted to tell them about it all so he could clear himself of any wrongdoing.
“Mac counts on that monthly payment to take care of the property,” said Lee. “He wanted to make sure he was in the clear with the Pearsons.”
According to Lee, Mac had no worries since the Pearsons told him nothing important was going on. They told him to keep the job for them and the man he saw was looking at the property to possibly buy it. Lee stated he, too, reassured Mac, though he became very suspicious of the whole deal.
“When I read in the news that a taxi driver died soon after all of this, I knew there was foul play going on. It all had something to do with him coming back to the grove and running into the man who gave Polly and Bill the ride back to the city.” He looked at me again. “Mac avoids all of you because he doesn’t want to be seen talking to detectives or anyone on this case. That’s why he isn’t answering the questions that Miss Carpenter tried to ask him.”
“We appreciate your honesty and you’ve given us information that was needed,” said Ben. “I have another question. How did you know the taxi driver who died was the same man who brought the Pearsons out here?”
Lee’s features had calmed down. He shook his head. “I just figured it all connected. I don’t know why I thought that right away.” Ben stood to go.
I handed my card to Lee. “Thank you. Please call either of us if you think of anything else,” I said.
Back in the patrol car, Ben and I agreed the mysterious man in the taxi with Robert at the fast food place could be the man in the nice car. I told him I wondered if Lee was telling the truth, as well as Mac.
“I’m not sure about anything right now. I’ll have to bring Mac in and question him.”
From Lee’s driveway, Ben turned left and then left again. The small house in the middle of nowhere looked forlorn. We pulled into the driveway to see Mac Johnson’s eyes fill with fear. He was outside pulling weeds from a small vegetable garden. Very little was left, as far as I could see. It was late in the season to expect much more from a garden. I noticed root vegetables in a pile between his broken back steps and sparse lawn.
Ben smiled at him and introduced us both. He told Mac we had just talked with Lee and he told us everything. It took more willpower than I ever imagined I had to keep my hand from flying to my nose. The odor from the burly man was almost more than I could take. If Ben expected to put him in the patrol car with us, I knew I would opt to walk the four or five miles back to town.
“I want to ask you some questions about everything you saw the day you turned around from your mowing task,” said Ben. I edged back a little when the man took a couple of steps toward us.
“All I know is that Bill Pearson and his wife came out to the grove for the first time since they inherited the acreage. That’s been at least eight years. I don’t know who owns the expensive car I saw. When I heard about the taxi driver I knew it had to be the person who came back out here out of curiosity. The man in the new car acted like he was friendly with him. They shook hands before the taxi driver left. Of course, he wasn’t in his cab, but I knew it was him from the news accounts later.” He shook his head with conviction. “I know the man who died was the same man back out here. I walked home because I knew something funny was going on. I keep to myself.”
“I may have to ask you to come in to make an official statement, Mac. I’m telling Lee the same thing. Maybe the two of you can come in together. You’ll have a ride that way,” said Ben.
I almost shouted my thanks that the detective didn’t bring Mac Johnson back with us. We told him thanks for his input and turned to get into the car.
“I should bring both of them in now, but I’m not sure I could stand the odor that surely would linger in my car from that man,” said Ben. “I wonder if he has running water at his place.”
I wondered the same thing.
Chapter 12
The Professor and the Server
Detective Ben Jones took me back to my office, which was already closed for the day. I got into my car and told him it had been an eventful afternoon. We laughed at the same time. I couldn’t wait to get home and into the shower. A little regret seeped over me when it came to Mac Johnson and his hygiene. I was tempted to take him some soap, but if he didn’t have running water, I doubted it would be useful.
When I made it back to my house I saw that Nick wasn’t home yet. He called to tell me he would bring something to eat for us. Seven o’clock was late for both of us. I went to my computer in the small niche off the dining room and first searched for anything I could find on Polly and Bill Pearson. There was plenty on the Pearson family. Apparently, they were notable people in the nearby county where they had large holdings of lan
d that had since been turned into the present-day crop land. In the Pearson history of farming, they grew lucrative malting barley crops. I read that they worked closely with Cornell University in the genetics department. I looked up the exact purpose of malting barley. I was not a beer drinker but discovered the grain was a source of sugar that was fermented into beer.
“No wonder they were rich people,” I said aloud.
I glanced at the clock on my desk. It was nearly eight o’clock. Nick would be home soon, but I took advantage of the few minutes I had left. After further research I found the name of someone named Alfred Stenter. He worked closely with the Pearsons and was a retired genetics professor at Cornell. I brought up his photo and copied it off.
I heard Nick come through the back door and went to greet him. “I see it is Chinese night,” I said. I sniffed the bag. “Thanks!” He bent to greet me in his usual way.
Nick distributed the chow mein and shrimp with fried rice onto our plates. I went for the crab Rangoon right away—my favorite. We talked about the latest news of the neighborhood. At least that was the first subject Nick brought up. Our elderly neighbor, Scotty Pershing, caught him when Nick came into the driveway. It was rare that Scotty interfered like that.
“What did he want?” I asked.
“He said someone in a newer Buick LaCrosse Sedan cruised down our street a couple of times. He was sure it slowed down when it got to our house.”
My fork hung in midair and fried rice tumbled off the tines. I told Nick about the afternoon Ben and I spent in the country. I jumped from the table and hit speed dial for the detective. I apologized for the evening intrusion and gave him the information Nick had from Scotty.
“I’ll be right over. I need to talk with your neighbor. In case he retires early, perhaps you can call to tell him his evening may be disturbed,” said Ben.
After the call, I did as the detective directed. Scotty’s voice became animated and he agreed to turn his porch light on and wait for Ben to arrive. Nick laughed when I glanced at my food and then out the window.
“Go ahead. We should know who is casing our house,” he said. “You have time to eat a few more bites before Ben gets here.”
I sat back down and finished off an egg roll and a couple spoonfuls of chow mein. Nick followed me to the front door when we saw the headlights of a car as it pulled into Scotty’s driveway.
“Come on with me,” I told Nick. “I’ll need your insight later.”
Nick was happy to get in on it all. Scotty invited us all inside. His small living room consisted of knickknacks his wife had collected over the years before her death a year ago. Scotty kept it neat. Nick and I settled on the brocade couch and my arm rested on a doily on the arm of it. Ben sat in one of the winged chairs angled toward our neighbor. Scotty offered us something to drink. We all politely declined.
“It’s like I told Nick. The man was alone in the car. It was quite a car, all shiny and very new. I didn’t get the plate number but other details weren’t hard to miss,” said Scotty.
Ben asked a few more questions that concerned the man. We discovered he wore a dark suit and was distinguished looking. “He made me think of a businessman who was high up in whatever field he was in.” Scotty looked expectantly at the detective. “Does that help any?”
“Yes, it does, Mr. Pershing,” said Ben. “If he comes by again, let us know.”
“I will,” he said. “I worry sometimes about Candy in the work she does. Do you think this man has anything to do with a case you are working on?” His eyes moved to me.
“It could have some bearing. I take all precautions, but I appreciate your concern. Don’t worry about me.” I flashed my best smile his way. I was touched he worried about me.
When we walked outside Ben talked about the possibility that the car contained the man we were looking for.
“I did some research when I got home,” I said. “I think someone by the name of Alfred Stenter has something to do with it all.” I gave him details of what I had found. “This is really Natalie’s case, and I don’t want to take everything away from her. I’ll give her Alfred’s name and she can go further into it as far as he is concerned.”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “So are you telling me you are turning it over to her completely?”
“I’m on it with her. She doesn’t have her license yet but will soon. Believe me when I say she is very good at her job.”
After Ben left, Nick and I went back into the house. He warmed up our dinner and we finished the evening. Dreams that night spun with strange notions about a graveyard that had many broken headstones. Only one grave was empty then filled in again, only to repeat again and again. The next morning I drank more than my usual two cups of strong coffee and headed for my office.
Natalie was bent over her computer when I greeted her. Evelyn was busy preparing her cup of hot tea. I handed my assistant the name of Alfred Stenter and explained my research. She eagerly snatched the note from my hand.
“I just found out much the same thing on him. I think he could be the man in the taxi at Jack in the Box,” she said. I agreed it was a strong possibility.
“If you want to work on that part of it all, I’ll see if I can find out what that grave is all about,” I said.
She nodded with enthusiasm. I sat still in front of my computer at my desk. Closing my eyes, I willed ideas to hit me. I heard Evelyn answering the phone and then she put the call through to me. It was Lee Chambers.
“Miss McCauley, I hate to bother you, but you told me to call you if I thought of anything else.” I encouraged him to continue. “A man who introduced himself as Dr. Alfred Stenter came out here early this morning. I was getting ready to go to one of the fields and start disking. He was in the same car that I noticed the day the taxi driver came back out here. That’s some car, Miss McCauley. I got the license plate when he left.”
“I want that number and then I want to know why he came out to see you.” My fingers shook as I took the plate number down. “What kind of doctor is he?”
“He’s not a doctor like we think of. He is a professor at Cornell University. I think he said something about knowing this farmland out here well. Then he asked if I knew Polly and Bill. I told him yes I knew of them and could recognize them when I saw them.” I heard Lee take a deep breath. “Then he said something strange. He said the Pearsons were in a lot of trouble. Then he told me I may see him out here again since he was interested in buying the grove acreage.”
“This is good information, Mr. Chambers. I’ll let Detective Jones know.”
“You can call me Lee. I can’t remember when anyone called me mister unless it was some bill collector.” He chuckled and I laughed for his sake before hanging up and dialing Ben.
We both decided Dr. Stenter was intent on pushing blame away from himself as if planting the seeds before the rains that were sure to pummel down on him. Those were my thoughts. Why else would this man make a point to explain his actions to a nearby farmer?
Something told me another visit to Jack in the Box was in order. I called to find out if the pimply kid worked there today and was told he did. His name was Tommy Burford. He was a high school dropout. I took the picture of Alfred Stenter with me.
Tommy’s hands shook uncontrollably when we sat in the corner of the restaurant. His boss allowed him to take time for me. Sweat dotted his face when I pushed the photo of Alfred across the table. “Is this the man who was in the car at the drive-thru with the taxi driver?” I asked.
He drew back and spread his hands out in front of him. “He threatened me to keep quiet.”
“Do you mean he came back here after Robert Douglas died?”
Tommy nodded his head. I tried to calm him down but his whole body twitched in frenzy. “He is an important man,” said the employee. “I believed him when he spoke to me. Who would believe someone like me against a powerful man like him?”
“I would,” I said.
After more questions, Tommy
admitted that Dr. Stenter stopped him twice when he walked home from work. He gave Tommy two hundred dollars in cash to keep quiet. Now Tommy kept looking around the restaurant in case the professor walked in.
“Besides the taxi driver and Dr. Stenter, did you see anything or anyone else in the cab?”
“No, but I saw something in the doctor’s big car later.” His eyes again darted around in fear. “I couldn’t help but stare at the back seat. I wondered, at first, why someone like that even came through the drive-thru in the first place. I mean, someone like him hardly ever comes to Jack in the Box.”
I moved forward quickly. “Wait right here. I’m going to talk with your manager for a moment.” The boss said Tommy could go with me. Outside, the employee continued to shake and I told him to get in my car.
“Don’t worry. We are going to get to the bottom of this. You’ll be safe.”
We headed for the precinct. In the meantime, Tommy told me what he had seen.
I led him to Ben’s office and the three of us sat behind closed doors. The detective listened as Tommy retold the story.
“It was after that that Dr. Stenter threatened me,” said Tommy. He turned to me. “He knows where I live and he knows I have very little money to live on. He has power over me, Miss McCauley.”
“You have done the right thing, Tommy, by telling everything you know.”
“You have told us everything, haven’t you?” asked Ben.
Tommy nodded.
I called Natalie on my way back to the office and told her about the conversation with Tommy.
“I don’t understand why Dr. Stenter came back through the drive-thru,” she said.
“We believe he wanted to make sure whether or not Tommy recognized him the day he was in the cab. I think that when Tommy stared at the stuff in the back seat of the sedan he knew he had to keep the kid quiet. It’s too bad for Dr. Stenter that he drove through there to begin with. Tommy was totally innocent. At the time, he didn’t think that anything was wrong at all.”