Murder at the Grill (Cold Creek Book 3)

by Christa Nardi

  After a few more questions, the interview ended. Cramer and Colbert left for the next visit on their schedule and we all breathed easier. More than one person complimented me on my response to Colbert’s questions. Others just nodded.

  I didn’t hesitate to call Hirsch as I walked to the Humanities Building. As usual, he wasn’t available so I left a message about Colbert. I also left a message that I wasn’t pressing charges against Kent. Then I called Marty, told him about Colbert, and gave him Colbert’s schedule for the rest of the day. Colbert was staying at the Country Club hotel for one more night. I hoped one of them, or both, could reach him before he checked out. I wondered how this smooth talker knew Jebediah.

  “Sher – earth to Sheridan? What are you trying to figure out now?” Kim asked as I walked in the building. “You look like you need a coffee!”

  I nodded and we stopped at Georg’s, reopened after the mice escape. Coffees in hand, we sat and chatted about the search and the odd coincidence of a candidate who knew Jebediah. Certainly what I’d learned about Jebediah wasn’t leaving a good impression. As Kim pointed out, he was an accountant and had some skill in manipulating and fooling people. Ryder Colbert was a businessman. There was probably a logical explanation.

  It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift to the upcoming party and Kim’s wish for summer session to be over. Obviously, wishes don’t get the work done. My mysterious private caller rang twice, but never said a word. It was annoying and I decided to go back to ignoring “Private.” Talked out, Kim and I went our separate ways.

  Another threatening note awaited me in my mailbox, but no envelope. I walked over to Ali’s door and asked, “Did you see anyone unusual in the area of the mailboxes today?”

  Ali and Terra both shook their heads and Terra asked, “Why? Should we have? It’s been pretty quiet.”

  “Just wondering. No big deal. Joe know anything new about Jebediah’s murder?”

  “That’s old news. Joe’s working on the background checks of all your chancellor candidates. He’s bored to tears,” Terra explained.

  “He mentioned that the other day. Terra, is there anyone on the paper who was working there twenty years ago?”

  “Nope. The paper changed hands about 10 years ago after a scandal and issues with political sandbagging. No one from the old guard stayed on. Joe managed to get his job with the turnover. I can’t remember all the details.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  I shrugged back and walked away. There was no point in sharing the note with them. I wanted to keep knowledge of the warnings limited. I put it in a file folder and called Hirsch to tell him I had another warning note for him to pick up.

  He still wasn’t available, but I left the message. I suspected the notes at my office were Priscilla’s work. As “Private” rang again, I again wondered if perhaps it was Priscilla. She would have easy access to my cell number and my mail box.

  In my office, I read some articles, but couldn’t concentrate. I pulled up Colbert’s portfolio again and looked for any indication of a connection to Northgate, Lowell, Little Valley or Cold Creek. I checked all the places where we knew Jebediah had lived. Other than relative proximity to Richmond, I didn’t find anything. I was still puzzling it out when my phone rang. “Private.” Again. I ignored it.

  “Sheridan, what am I supposed to do?”

  I looked up and there was Max – a very disheveled Max, with his hair a mess and shirt askew.

  “Are you alright?”

  “My lab. They shut it down because the mice escaped. Priscilla filed a complaint. She said I caused her duress and she had to seek medical attention. She didn’t get bit or anything. Afraid of little mice. How could she be that afraid of something that little? Now my lab is closed and I can’t do my experiments.”

  Max’s face was turning redder and redder as he lamented his fate and waved his arms around.

  “Max, take a deep breath and try to get control. How did the mice get out to begin with?”

  He took in a breath or two. “I was running the mice through my experiment and had to use the restroom. I put them back in their cage and I closed the door to the lab. None of my students admit to letting the mice out. It must have been some animal activist or even Priscilla trying to sabotage my work.”

  He sat down while he spoke and sobbed. I waited for him to calm down before I asked any more questions. Max might not be my favorite person, but I could appreciate his frustration. It was possible that he hadn’t closed the doors all the way and blamed himself.

  “Max, what do you need to do to get your lab open again?”

  He explained all the regulations, that with Priscilla’s complaint it would have to be in a new building. He had to file all sorts of paperwork related to the lost mice who were in his care. Management of Georg’s also complained. He vented some more about the problems, then stood, slumped over and staggered out.

  With Max’s crisis addressed, I tried to see if I could find any records of Jebediah in Lowell where he lived before Cold Creek and then more recently. Although the high school yearbooks were online, I could only guess what years to access to search for him or Dawn. I scanned picture after picture until they started to swim together. This was not productive. I hoped Marty was having better luck with the income tax records.

  Marty knocked on my door a few minutes later. Looking tired and tense, he came in, closed the door, and sat down. From his hang dog facial expression, I almost wanted to ask, “Who died?” Instead, I waited for him to talk.

  “I got your message and I left a message for Colbert at the hotel. In the meantime, I’ve uncovered some information and need another set of eyes.” I nodded, more than a little hesitant to be that second set of eyes. He told the story, piece by piece.

  “Jebediah Gruen was born in Lowell, attended high school in Lowell, and attended business school in Richmond. He got an associate’s degree in accounting. For some reason, when he was employed in Northgate six months later, he adopted Verde as his last name. He filed income taxes that year as Gruen aka Verde.”

  I must have looked puzzled. He shook his head and said, “We can’t find any reason for the name change. He was issued a new driver’s license at that time with that name. Wait, it gets more complicated…”

  I pulled out the side board and grabbed a piece of paper. On the paper I drew one box and marked it Lowell-Gruen. Next to that box I drew another box and labeled it Northgate-Verde. The name matched with Kent, but I’d assumed Verde was his mother’s name. I looked to Marty and waited.

  “He lived in Northgate for about three years. Then he moved back to Lowell when his mother was dying. He renewed his Gruen driver’s license. He was in Lowell for a year. The next move has him here in Cold Creek. He lived here for four years, but somehow managed to renew both driver licenses, one for Gruen and one for Verde. No fingerprints back then, so no way to realize that Gruen and Verde were the same person.”

  “Why would anyone do that? Keep two names?”

  “In businesses, that could be easily explained. But then there would be some record of a DBA – ‘doing business as’ – with the second name. There wouldn’t be two driver licenses and so far there’s no record of a DBA filed.”

  I nodded and Marty continued, “The next income tax return after he left Cold Creek, he is back in Northgate and using Verde again. Three years later, he filed with an additional ‘also known as’ or ‘aka’ of Vertelet and a Little Valley address.”

  I added a box and the new name. “That all jibes with what Kent told Hirsch.”

  Marty nodded and indicated he’d talked with Hirsch. “The name changes. All very legal as long as he filed the ‘aka’ for whichever name he was using at the time. Odd because he obtained a driver’s license in the other name. He also renewed some of the others as they came due, especially if he could do it by mail. The last few years he has lived in Southridge and several other places, as Green, and then in Lowell as Gruen.”

  Southridge was
a new one and another box was added. I shook my head and asked, “So did he have a family in Southridge like he did in these other places?”

  “No, the last ‘family’ we’ve found was in Little Valley. Interestingly, he filed his tax returns as single head of household, except for one of the years he was in Northgate. He filed as married the last year. Just looking at his returns, it’s amazing that the IRS never picked up on the inconsistencies.”

  “Did you also find marriage certificates?”

  He took a deep breath before he answered. “The earliest one was in Northgate to Kent’s mother using the name Verde. There is no divorce decree in the name of Jebediah Verde. There’s a marriage license with Zoe as Gruen, but it is not binding. That’s probably why he didn’t balk at the divorce agreement. There’s also one for Vertelet, also not binding. I still have someone checking in Southbridge and other places.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I also got a look at Zoe’s tax returns. She filed separately even when she was married to Jebediah.” He shook his head.

  I realized now why he looked so tired. What he’d found out gave Zoe an even stronger motive on top of what we already knew. I wondered if Kent realized Zoe’s marriage was a sham and what that would mean to Rebekah. Maybe that was what he didn’t want to come out. Then again, if she always filed separately, it was possible Zoe knew all along the marriage wasn’t legal.

  “I sense there’s more?”

  “I was able to speak with his brother, Carlton. He hadn’t seen or heard from Jebediah in almost 10 years. Then he’d come back to Lowell, out of work, and looking for a job or handout. He came and went several times over the past few years.”

  Marty took a breath and continued. “Carlton is disabled, a year younger, and a bit hostile about his brother. I asked Carlton what he could tell me about Jebediah as a young adult. Carlton described him as a conman, a manipulator, and smart. Based on what Pfeiffe told you, I asked him about Dawn. I almost couldn’t get him to stop spewing insults about that woman, even after all these years.”

  He exhaled and the corners of his mouth turned up. “If Dawn ends up dead, Zoe would be the first suspect for sure, but only because Carlton is disabled. As Pfeiffe suggested, Dawn and Jebediah had history. They were engaged when he was living in Lowell. Somehow that fell apart when he took the job in Northgate and married Kent’s mother. Carlton didn’t know what happened or how, but she followed him here to Cold Creek. He insisted it was at Jebediah’s invitation no less.”

  “Marty, this just keeps getting worse.”

  He nodded and continued, “Interestingly, Carlton was the one who arranged the funeral. It was last Thursday, by the way. It was scheduled as a private affair. Dawn showed up for the service. Carlton wasn’t sure how she got the information. She didn’t say anything to him or stay.”

  A lot to take in, and none of it looking good for Zoe. I wondered how much Dawn knew or didn’t know. If we were right about Cathryn, Jebediah still had his hooks into her after he was married to Zoe. That was consistent with what Chloe had shared as well. Odd that Dawn went to the funeral though. She must have driven down and back in time to work her shift at the Grill.

  “Is there a silver lining or anything positive that came out of all this information?”

  “Maybe. A warrant was issued for Jebediah as Vertelet in Little Valley. The charge was embezzlement, but he was never located or arrested. By the time he showed up again, the charges had been dropped. He left when threatened with reopening the charges.”

  “What now?”

  “I’m not sure. Obviously, aside from Kent and Dawn, there are a lot of people who have motive other than Zoe. The issue is opportunity and means to be able to at least raise reasonable doubt. I have no clue how Colbert knew him, though I assume it was as Gruen if he recognized the name and in Lowell. I have a lot of questions for the senior Jason Baxter, starting with how Jebediah ended up in Cold Creek.”

  I didn’t have anything to offer and Marty was talked out. He opened the door and said he’d keep me posted. I said I’d do the same.

  CHAPTER 17

  I walked to my car alone, Kim long gone, likely with Marty. I was being vigilant and scanning the area as I walked quickly. At my car I jumped when someone grabbed my arm.

  “We need to talk. Get in.” The man was about my age, maybe a little older and looked familiar. He was tall and slim, not athletic, and smelled of onions. He pointed to my car but I was not getting in.

  “I don’t know you. If you want to talk, there’s a nice bench right over there.” I pointed to the bench looking out on the quad and planted my feet.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.”

  “Then the bench there will do just fine don’t you think?”

  He looked around, looked at me, and pulled on my arm as he stepped toward the bench. I cautiously followed him. Anything to avoid being trapped in my own car.

  He sat down, still gripping my arm. No doubt my arm would be bruised. I sat down and waited.

  “I need to … You need to … This is a mess.” He shook his head and grimaced.

  “Could we start at the beginning, please? Who are you?” I looked around. I hoped that someone would walk by.

  “Sorry. I’m Zoe’s brother, Trevor. I really don’t mean you any harm.” He shook his head again. I realized he did look like the Facebook photo and the onion aftershave made sense. I waited for him to continue, feeling a little less scared. He was a nice looking man but sagged against the bench. Certainly not the upbeat fun uncle Rebekah had described.

  “I don’t understand why he had to come back. He only caused hurt and heartache back then to just about everyone. Now, he was out of work and threatened to shatter the house of cards and hurt more people.” Trevor’s voice shook as he spoke. I wondered if he was going to confess.

  When he didn’t speak for a few minutes, I asked, “House of cards? What does that mean?”

  “Zoe and Jebediah, Dawn and I. Our marriages. Zoe didn’t realize it, but Jebediah was already married and had another life. I don’t think Dawn knew though. I realized later she came to the wedding to show him what he left behind. She married me to try to make him jealous. I married her to keep my father happy. He wouldn’t – couldn’t – deal with my sexual orientation. Still can’t. The marriage and having children was to keep that quiet and give him an heir.”

  He continued. “At some point, she told Jebediah about me. In return, he told her about his other life. She shared that information with my parents and for appearances sake, he was paid to leave and signed the divorce decree. It was meaningless, of course, but made Zoe part owner of the Grill. Otherwise, he was part owner and that was not acceptable.”

  He stopped again, and I prompted, “And then what?”

  “I’m not sure when we each figured it out. We’ve never actually discussed it. Not Dawn and me or Zoe and me. I doubt Zoe and Dawn ever discussed it. If either Zoe or I acknowledged it, Dawn would have to go and too many innocent people would get hurt.”

  He waited and finally choked out that Jebediah was Cathryn’s father. “The seafood allergy. Dawn came up with other explanations and allergies, but I knew and I’m pretty sure that Zoe knew. No seafood’s allowed in our house. No seafood at family dinners except when Cathryn is visiting family in North Carolina. My parents made comments over the years, so I know they know. I’m just glad she wasn’t here when this went down.”

  “I don’t understand why Dawn stayed after he left.” I also wondered why she stayed married to Trevor.

  “Dawn’s headstrong and obstinate. Stronger than me, not willing to admit defeat. I don’t really know or understand myself. Ours has always been a marriage in name only. I managed to father children to keep the family name and they are my life. Even Cathryn.”

  I couldn’t fathom how he stayed in that relationship, but it was not my call. And this wasn’t a therapy session. I also still didn’t know why he’d wanted to talk to me
.

  I waited and finally asked, “So what do you want from me?”

  He looked startled by the question and blinked, as if he’d forgotten that he initiated this conversation. Seconds later he seemed to focus and sat up straighter. “You need to stop asking questions. The answers won’t help Zoe. They definitely won’t help Rebekah or Cathryn or anyone else.”

  “Okay, so what do you suggest?” I guess I could have told him I had a pretty good idea about these and other secrets. Instead, I decided to see what else he might reveal.

  “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I can’t believe Zoe killed him.” He shook his head, stood up, and walked away.

  I stared at him as he walked away and I’m sure my jaw dropped. I decided I’d better get in my car in case he changed his mind and came back.

  On the drive home, I called Marty using Bluetooth. I shared what Trevor had said but neither of us could figure out how it helped Zoe. Unfortunately, he never mentioned the threats or the vandalism. All Marty added was that the older Baxters were scheduled for a meeting in his office the next day. I couldn’t wait.

  At home, I took Charlie for a quick walk. Brett texted he would be in late so I fixed myself something to eat. I pulled out my original Baxter family drawing and added in some of Jebediah’s aliases, Kent’s family, and Cathryn’s paternity.

  Looking at which of the family members I had spoken with, it was definitely time to meet with the senior Jason and Louisa, and young Jason and Harrison. So far Zoe’s nephews were on the fringe but maybe they knew something that would help her. With the appointment with the older Baxters more critical, Marty had let meeting with the nephews wait.

  I pulled out the number for the Grill and called. A woman answered “The Grill, can I help you?”

  “Can I speak with Harrison Baxter please?”

  “Who am I speaking with?” She spoke so quietly I strained to hear her. I pushed the volume up on my phone to maximum.