by Tonya Kappes
“No, they needed a lawyer to be sure they could get out of his contract at the country club so he could take a job in North Carolina, which is where they’ve been the past two nights.” Tim leaned up and rested his elbows on his desk. “I’m that lawyer.”
“Oh.” Dang. I mentally crossed him off my list.
“And Dennis Kuntz doesn’t gain anything from the contract. Chuck’s son will take over his part of his father’s businesses, including all contracts.” Before I could say maybe it was the son who had some sort of financial gain, Tim stopped me. “His son has a solid alibi. Angela has already gotten this information from me.”
“It still doesn’t mean Dennis Kuntz didn’t kill him.” I shrugged.
“True. But you really need to leave it up to Angela and the sheriff’s department.” It was written all over Tim’s face that he didn’t like me snooping at all.
I changed the subject when I knew he wasn’t going to budge on Mac and Tasha’s relationship. “I guess it’s good news about no prints on the gun.”
He perked up. “How do you know that?”
“Umm…” I took another drink of the coffee. “I just heard it downstairs.”
I wasn’t going to reveal my source because I didn’t want Trudy or the officers who were talking to get in trouble.
“Just now?” He looked over at the clock on his wall.
“Right before I came up here.”
I noticed him look at the coffee cup I was drinking from.
“That cup is from the sheriff’s department.” He snapped his fingers. “Listen, I’ve got to make some calls. Be sure to stop by and see Mac.”
“Oh, I plan on it.”
I stood up, happy that he didn’t press me any further. I lugged the mailbag over my shoulder and threw the coffee away in the trash receptacle in the hallway before I delivered the rest of the mail to the businesses on the floor.
The next stop was the sheriff’s department. When I walked in, no one was there. I really wanted to see if I could get as lucky as Trudy had and overhear something, but that wasn’t going to be possible. They had a few pieces of mail in their outgoing basket, so I grabbed them, tossed them into my bag, and headed out. I was happy to see the sun popping up over the mountains, making the outside not so scary anymore.
TWELVE
The only stores with lights on were the Wallflower Diner and Tabor Architects. Both employed people I wanted to see. Since Tabor Architects was the first one I came to, I headed inside.
“Good morning,” Julia greeted me. “You’re early today. Did you stop by the diner and see Grady?”
“No. My next stop.” I reached around the mailbag and grabbed their mail, which was just a monthly architectural magazine Mac subscribed to. “How’s Mac?” I asked when I noticed a light coming from underneath his office door.
“He’s not doing so good. I think he stayed here last night.” She didn’t sound sure. “He’s on the phone with some clients who haven’t paid. He said he’s going to need the money for his defense.”
“Did they charge him with the murder?” I asked, wondering if it was a new development.
“Not that I know of, but he told me to finish the billing for this past week and just go home for the day.” She picked up the stack of papers. “I’ve already done these and only have a few more left.”
“Then you and Grady can go have some fun.” I loved when the two of them could spend some time together.
“We planned on doing a little hayride and romantic supper before the cold weather really hits.”
It was so nice to see how much she loved Grady. It was exactly what a mother wishes for her son, and Julia was a blessing to our family.
“That sounds like a lot of fun. But don’t forget tomorrow night’s Sunday supper,” I reminded her.
Every Sunday, I have my parents, Grady, and Julia over for supper. It was a long-standing tradition I’d been continuing since I took over my parents’ farm. Richard had loved the parents. Some Sundays he missed because he’d have to leave town for work so he’d make it to his early-morning Monday meetings. But he wanted every single detail when he’d call on Sunday night before he went to bed.
“I’ll be right back.” Julia popped up from her chair and went to the bathroom.
I couldn’t help but notice the keys sitting on her desk. I knew they weren’t hers because I didn’t see the monogrammed keychain I’d given her, but this set might be the one she said Mac had given her for housesitting.
For a split second, I debated whether it was ethical if I took them and sorta let myself into Mac’s house while he was here. Apparently, I wasn’t too ethical, because I wanted to find those letters from Tasha. I’d like to say I wanted to find them so I could find her like Vince wanted me to, but if I was being honest with myself, it was strictly because I wanted to know what was in them and if they were having a relationship.
I grabbed the keys and slipped them into my bag.
“I wanted to make sure Mac was occupied before I gave this to you.” Julia handed me an envelope. “Not that I want Grady to get mad at me for snooping, but I did a little digging around this morning and found Mac’s business plan for the condos. It appears as if he’s going to sell them as soon as he builds them. This could be a reason someone is trying to set him up.”
Judging from the sound of Julia’s voice, she was on board with my sleuthing around, unlike my son.
She looked over her shoulder. When she saw it was clear, she looked back at me. “I think he’s in financial trouble. He’s trying to pay off something, but it’s cryptic in the system.” She frowned. “I’m sorry I’m not more helpful today.”
“Maybe this was why Chuck Shilling didn’t want to go through with the deal. He knew Mac was just going to turn it and make a profit, which wouldn’t be good for our community.” I tried to shrug off the gut punch, but I felt sick to my stomach. This was a whole different situation than just a murder.
Julia excused herself again.
That was when I headed out the door. It was still early enough that the front porch ladies might not be out, and that was probably best if I was going to sneak into Mac’s house.
There was one problem. Rushing over to Mac’s house while he was at the office would put me off schedule for my delivery route, and when I was off schedule, it made for cranky customers. Literally, I had customers who sat next to their window or even greeted me on the street. I was willing to have cranky customers so I headed right on over there.
I knew my little duck friend would hear me when I crossed the bridge to head on over to Little Creek Road, so I grabbed the extra slice of bread I’d taken from home and tossed it into the creek after I heard him give a few quacks.
“I can’t hang out this morning,” I told the duck. “I’ve got a murder to solve. And don’t swim down to the other bridge, because I won’t be there for a while.”
I laughed and wondered if Iris was right about me needing some sort of companionship. The extent of my day consisted of talking to a duck.
The entire street was still asleep. The small frosted globes on the front porches next to the doors were glowing in a line when I looked down the row of houses. I was glad to see Mac didn’t have his front porch light on, because the darkness would make it much easier to slip in without being seen.
It was the creaky gate that generally got the neighborhood dogs barking or the ears of the front porch ladies to perk up. I slowly opened the gate and tried to push up or down on it to lessen the noise. I made sure I didn’t make any sudden moves in case someone was watching out their windows and saw my shadow. I wore big thick-soled shoes for walking, so I knew those would be nice and quiet as I tiptoed up to the front porch. It was then that I darted up the stairs, confident I hadn’t been seen.
The key was ready in my hand, and I jammed it into the lock. Inside, it was completely dark, so I dragged my phone out of my pocket and hit the flashlight feature. I set my mailbag on the floor next to the front door s
o I didn’t have to lug the thing.
The wooden blinds on all the windows were shut, so I wasn’t worried about someone seeing my flashlight.
“What are we looking for?”
The shaky voice startled me.
“Oh my gosh! Harriette!” I saw her standing in the open front door when I turned the phone flashlight on her. “You scared me.”
“You scared me sneaking through Mac’s gate like that.” She put a hand on her waist. Her housecoat swung from side to side. “So, what are we looking for?”
“Letters.” I walked over and hurried her past the threshold so I could shut the door. I did take a quick look outside to see if any of her other friends would be joining us. “Letters from Tasha.”
“That woman he’s been dating?” she asked. I nodded. “Why?”
“She might have some information that’ll help Mac. She was with him the night of Chuck’s murder, and she’s his alibi. Only he can’t get in touch with her. Tim Crouse said her phone has been disconnected. I also heard Chuck, Mac, and Tasha were all at Madame’s after they had the fight you saw.”
“Then I reckon we better get to looking.” She pointed to Mac’s home office that just so happened to be located on Harriette’s neighboring side. “He works in here a lot, and I’ve seen him open his mail in here a time or two.”
I shot her a questioning look.
“What?” She shrugged and pushed past me. “I like to know my neighbors are safe, and if I’m outside on my porch or sitting at my kitchen table, I can’t help it if I can see over here. Do you want me to wear blinders?”
“Did I say anything?” I asked and followed her into the office. “If you can help me find Tasha, then it’s all good.”
Harriette was already opening and shutting the drawers of the desk. There were a lot of rolled-up building plans in the corner of the room next to what he called his planning desk, which had a cantilevered top with an overhead lamp clamped to the edge of it.
“This looks like her.” Harriette picked up a photo showing Mac laughing next to a younger woman. “They look a lot younger, but I’m sure that’s her.”
I took the photo and was surprised at how young Tasha looked.
“I thought you said she was young.” I couldn’t help but see the big smile on Mac’s face.
“She is young.” She snapped the photo out of my hands. “Hell, you’re young compared to me.”
“So she’s my age?” I asked, putting pieces together. Harriette hummed out a yes. “I bet she and Mac went to college together. Richard said Mac was never at a loss for women.” I stood there and contemplated whether I’d ever heard Richard mention a Tasha, but I didn’t recall.
“Here we go.” Harriette had opened a closet door and taken out a shoe box. “Lots of letters in here.”
She brought the box over to the desk.
“Gosh, it seems so personal to look through these.” I picked up the letters and cards. There were happy birthday cards. Always signed with big X’s and O’s. There were even some with lipstick kisses on them. I shuffled through them.
“Is there a return address?” I asked when I noticed none of them had envelopes.
“Just the cards and letters.” Harriette was busy reading the letters. “I had no idea Mac was going to visit this woman so much.”
“You should know,” I said under my breath and put the cards I’d read back into the box. “I have another letter from her for today’s delivery.”
“What is the return address?” Harriette asked.
“There isn’t one. Only a postmark from Tennessee. It’s a broad city stamp that would cover miles of homes.” I shrugged.
“This woman must’ve been married before. That’s the woman I saw him fighting with.” Harriette had found a photo at the bottom of the shoe box. The photo was of Tasha, Mac, and a little girl.
“I wonder if she got married after college and over the past few years had gotten divorced. He has been so worried about me and Grady that he didn’t want to tell us.” My stomach dropped, and I felt terrible. I’d been so wrapped up in my life and had not even thought about Mac and his needs. “He’s always put everything on the line for me and Grady. This is why I have to find Tasha. According to Mac, he claims she won’t be coming around anymore, but she’s just our ticket to figuring this out and getting on the road to the real killer.”
I held the photo in my grip and stared at it a little longer. Mac had always been good with Grady when he was little. I could only imagine how he’d been with Tasha’s daughter. Tasha had shoulder-length brown hair and big brown eyes. Her daughter looked just like her.
“Are you going to ask him about it?” Harriette asked.
“No. I only want to find her first so he’s got a solid alibi and witness. After she comes forward, I’ll let him go and live his life.” It was a vision I had to come to terms with. “Richard never left Mac in charge of his family.”
“We all love you and Grady.” Harriette put the cards and letter back in the box. “We need to put these back where we found them.”
“Don’t tell anyone we were in here, or Angela will arrest us for not only breaking and entering but also tampering with evidence,” I told her.
“You talking about all those old coots?” She referred to the front porch ladies. “They can’t hardly hear anything I tell them.”
Harriette and I snuck back out of Mac’s house. When she took a right into her gate, I quickly moved down Little Creek Road, delivering the mail as quickly as my legs would carry me.
“Hey, Buster.” I flipped him a treat before he could start barking and wake up the neighbors. “How are you?” I asked him after he gobbled up the treat and came back to the fence for another one.
“You’re early.” Mr. Macum opened the door, scaring me half to death. “Thanks for the stamps yesterday.”
“You’re welcome.” I handed him the junk mail. “I’m early because I’m trying to help out my friend Mac.”
Then it dawned on me. I looked at Mr. Macum and twirled around to look at the bridge right across the street from his house.
“Mr. Macum, did you hear or see anything on Thursday night?” I asked.
“Nope. I keep to myself.” He gave a hard nod.
“Yes. I understand that, but I don’t know if you know, but yesterday…”
“You found that man’s body.” He must’ve seen the commotion. “I just like to keep to myself.”
“Yes, but my friend Mac Tabor, your neighbor…”
“The man who is buying the country club to build all those condos? We’ve got enough traffic in this town as it is. We don’t need any stinking condos and more people.” He looked at the sign in his yard.
“Well, that’s not what I was going to say, but you do have a point. Really, I just wanted to know if you saw anything funny or suspicious or heard a gunshot?” I asked. When I noticed he wasn’t budging, I said, “My friend Mac’s life depends on it. I don’t think he did it, but he’s going to be charged with murder.”
“It’s none of my business. I voted for Angela Hafley as sheriff, and I think she’ll do a fine job of figuring out who killed that man.” He patted his leg, and Buster came running up and into the house. “Have a good day. Don’t catch a cold.”
THIRTEEN
Between Mr. Macum not wanting to be of any help and my not finding Tasha’s mailing address, it appeared my efforts on Little Creek Road had been futile.
I went back to Main Street, where I finished up the shops’ deliveries. Iris did have a lot of outgoing mail, but she wasn’t in, so I couldn’t tell her about what Harriette and I had found out about all of Tasha’s love letters.
I’d also decided not to return to Tabor Architects with the key. I figured I’d be able to disguise it in the mail on Monday, hoping they’d think they’d just overlooked it if they’d been looking for it.
“Good morning!” I sorted the diner’s mail on the way through the door. I gave the bills to my dad and the junk to my
mama. I sat down on the stool and put my mailbag on the floor. “How’s it going?”
“We’re all fine. Just fine.” Mama looked over her shoulder. She cut a slice of her homemade Southern pecan butter bread, put it on a plate, and slapped some butter on top to melt. “How’s Mac?” She set the plate in front of me. “You need to eat.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I didn’t even bother using a fork; I just pinched off pieces and washed them down with a hot cup of coffee Mama also sat in front of me.
“I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him this morning.” I took another sip.
“He went in early. I seen him with a coffee from the Roasted Bean, and shortly after, Julia ran out, saying something about fielding phone calls this morning.” Mama leaned on the counter and folded her arms, eyeballing me to make sure I was going to eat all of the big slice of bread she had given me.
“I’ve been doing some digging around.” I knew my mama wasn’t going to like what I was doing.
“What? We try to keep things swept under the rug.” She lifted a brow.
“I told Mac I’d keep my eyes and ears open to see if there are any rumblings about who else could possibly want to kill Chuck Shilling.” I pinched off another piece of bread and stuck it in my mouth, letting the buttery goodness take over my senses. It was a much-needed stress relief.
“I like Mac. He’s done good by you and my grandbaby.” She leaned in a little more, topping off my coffee. It was her way of making me hang around a little longer. “Audrey came in, and she said she was actively looking for another job. I asked her why, figuring the country club would go off the market since Chuck was, well, you know, and thinking that his demise killed the deal.” Mama shook her head. “Nope. She said the club was going to have to close because it was bankrupt and everyone is jumping ship. Including Kenneth Simpson. He hasn’t showed up to any of his clients’ golf lessons. They are demanding their money back.”