A New Place, Another Murder (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery Book 1)

by Christa Nardi

  “Come on, Daddy, this is the way to the new mamas and puppies.” Maddie took his hand and I followed behind.

  “This is where Bella is. See there’s her mama, the chocolate lab. And the other pups are feeding. But where is Bella?” Maddie got down on the floor and started moving the puppies around, searching for Bella. More than one puppy climbed into her lap. Puppies rearranged, the littlest pup emerged and sought out mama.

  “See her, Daddy. She’s the runt and not so big as the others who get all the food. Susie and I feed her some with a bottle ‘cause she can’t get to mama as easy as these guys.”

  Susie joined us. “Maddie’s right. The little one had a bottle a little while ago, but she is always hungry.”

  “How’re the adoptions going with the mamas and pups?”

  “This one here – we call her “Brown Sugar” from her coloring and her puppies? We have commitments from fosters or forever homes for six of the eight puppies. The biggest and the littlest aren’t placed yet. They won’t be able to go anywhere for another week or so, until after we get them weaned and dewormed. We’re working on a foster for Brown Sugar, but puppies go much faster than the mamas.” Susie continued talking to update the status on the other two mamas and pups. They were all a few weeks ahead of Brown Sugar and her family.

  While Susie was talking, Maddie extricated herself from the litter. As soon as Bella moved off her mama, Maddie picked her up. “Daddy, you have to hold her. She is so soft and gentle. I don’t think she’s going to get very big.”

  He took the puppy and with his 6-foot plus frame, the pup looked very small. “Maddie, she’s a lab, and her mama isn’t so little. In all likelihood, with good food and care, this pup may end up as big as her. Puppies are cute, but they grow up to be dogs.”

  Her smile faded, if only for a minute. “I know, like Charlie. And Mrs. Chantilly guessed she’d be bigger than Charlie when she was full grown. But, Daddy, she’s so cute. Can’t we take her, maybe at least foster her?”

  He chuckled. “We’ll think on it. You know who will have the final say, don’t you?”

  She exhaled. “Sheridan already told me. Charlie. When can we bring her over to meet Bella?”

  I looked over to Susie. “Not until the pups are a little older and we can easily move them away from Brown Sugar without her getting agitated. She’s very protective still.”

  Maddie took Bella back from Brett and cuddled her. I wasn’t sure if she even noticed Brown Sugar never took her eyes off the pup.

  “Okay, how about the rest of this tour and then we can enjoy the Historical Park?”

  Maddie gave Bella back to her mama, who immediately took to cleaning the pup and made us all laugh. The tour was short, though it was obvious to me Brett gravitated to the bigger dogs and relaxed more when he interacted with them than with the small puppy. Melina and her daughter, Nedra arrived as we were leaving with introductions all around.

  It was a short drive from Pets and Paws to the park. Brett asked a lot of questions about Mrs. Chantilly and the dogs. I explained she had the history of Pets and Paws posted.

  “An interesting story, really. She inherited the house from her grandmother who loved dogs and always took in strays. The property came to her with about 10 dogs of varying sizes and shapes, along with some damage from having many dogs over the years.”

  “I would imagine there’d be damage and the smell…”

  “Yup. She decided to honor her grandmother and follow her lead. She updated the bottom floor, staining the floors for easier maintenance. Dogs had never been upstairs and she moved in there. She loves the dogs and is well off so it’s not like she needs to make money.”

  “There are worse hobbies or passions. Glad someone takes care of these strays.”

  “Me, too. There is something odd about her, though. I can’t put my finger on it.” I gave it more thought as we made our way to the park.

  The easiest way to get to the park was a road with lots of construction on the side and a soft shoulder, with ditches dug for who knows what. I’d no sooner commented on that and I heard Brett swear under his breath. I looked past him and saw a car coming up along side us. Thankfully, nobody was coming toward us we could see, though the double white line indicated a no passing zone. Next thing I knew, the car angled toward us, not having cleared our car. Only Brett’s good reflexes kept us on the road and out of the ditch. The other car sped off.

  “Maddie, you okay back there?” He’d looked over to me and I’d nodded before he spoke.

  “Yes. But what happened? Didn’t they see us?”

  Brett took a deep breath. “I’m not sure Maddie.” He looked at me before he opened his door. “Sit tight. I’m going to see if there’s any damage.”

  I watched him in the side view mirror as he pulled out his phone. The car hadn’t hit us so the only damage would be if we had a flat tire or were hung up on something.

  “No damage and we should be able to get back on the road without any problem.” He managed to get us back on the road with ease. When we reached the Park, he pulled a notebook out from under his seat. “While it’s still fresh in your mind, I want you to write down anything and everything you remember about the car that tried to…uh, pass us.” As I opened my mouth, he shook his head. “Don’t say it out loud. Just write it down. Please.”

  A few minutes later we entered the park. We visited the McLean House and we were able to walk around the village on the West side. We weren’t able to see the East side where two roads intersected. That section and the cabin at that site were closed off. I looked at Brett and he nodded. That was where Stories had been murdered. Hot and tired, we picked up information on the trails and upcoming events before heading home.

  CHAPTER 12

  The ride home was quiet and uneventful other than Maddie falling asleep in the back seat. Brett and I decided it was a good night for burgers and hot dogs. We made a quick stop at the grocery store and picked up what we needed.

  At home, Maddie took Charlie outside for some Frisbee, talking to her the whole time about how much she’d like Bella. Brett got the grill going and we waited for the meat to cook. In the meantime, Brett studied the observations we’d each written down.

  He shook his head. “The problem and plus of eye witness testimony is no two people remember what happened exactly the same. The only thing we agree on is the car was a goldish brown – what you and I labeled as titanium. You and I agree it was like an Accord, same size as your car or mine. No surprise, Maddie saw it as bigger than either of our cars. I didn’t notice the driver and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t get the license plate. Maddie noticed someone in the passenger seat. She wrote she saw ‘a head above the head rest and big shoulders. A fat man.’ Did you notice that?”

  “Sorry, when I thought he was trying to pass us, I kept looking for a car to be coming in the other direction around the curve.”

  “But you said ‘he.’ Did you see something that made you think a man?”

  I shook my head. “No. I assume someone pulling out like that to pass would be male, not female.”

  He nodded. “I don’t think the intent was to pass us. They came up fast behind us as soon as we hit the construction area. They wanted us in the ditch.” His jaw was tight and he clenched the pencil he held so tight, it snapped.

  “So what now?”

  “I notified both Chief Peabody and my boss about the incident, but we don’t have any way to identify them. Though I’m thankful I avoided a direct hit – which would have landed us in the ditch – there’s nothing to trace. No paint chips or damage to their car to help locate it. And that color mid-size car is pretty common.”

  “True enough.” I jumped up to grab my phone as the standard ring tone sounded.

  “Hi, Melina.”

  “Hi, Sheridan. After you left, Nedra made some comments about Luke and Caleb. She heard from friends of hers about Luke and some other boy having a run in and it had to do with Maddie. She couldn’t remember the ot
her boy’s name, but her friends? They all figured Luke would get even somehow with both of them. I asked her what else she knew about Luke and Caleb. She shrugged and said ‘trouble with a capital T’ and then hesitated to add rumors they were dealing drugs.”

  “Did she say anything else about Maddie or the drugs?”

  “Not really. She said her friends were glad somebody stood up to those two. Nedra was glad to hear Maddie would be in the same school this fall. Hopefully, they can get to know each other in the next few weeks before school starts.”

  “That’d be great. Thanks for calling, Melina. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I relayed the gossip to Brett, which led to discussion of Monday. “She wants to go the detention hearing in the morning. Should she go back to camp? Ever? Can you get your money back?”

  He raked his hands through his curls. “Not back to camp until this is figured out. If you can go with her to the hearing, that’s okay. I don’t really care whether we get the money back from the camps or not. If this is resolved quickly, she’d have maybe three or four weeks left, right?”

  “Possibly. We’ll go to the hearing and then to Pets and Paws. She’ll like that and I can run errands or such while she’s playing with the dogs. Any new information on Stories’ murder? What did Stories do anyway?”

  “Stories got a business degree and he was owner and CEO of a consulting firm. He or his firm, now his wife, Lila, mostly got involved when companies were down-sizing or in financial straits. Not quite like the guy in Pretty Woman, but close. Stories would help them figure out who to lay off and how to best deal with severance. Stories didn’t actually buy businesses out. He found someone else who was willing to invest in whatever the company did or wanted to buy them out to get rid of competition. He was a broker of sorts.”

  “So, wait. Any of those companies or their employees might have a motive for murdering him?”

  “Not quite. It’s highly unlikely individual employees would be aware of Stories’ role. There’s no indication he ever interacted with the employees, only management. There’s also no indication he or his company ever received any threats or complaints.”

  “What else, then?”

  “He advocated for women’s rights, for one thing. When he worked with a company, he insisted on equitable conditions and equal pay, as well as equal likelihood of being laid off. He talked at the police academy once, gave an invited presentation on the rights of women historically and in the present. He made several points related to unequal pay and inequities in assignments that had nothing to do with ability, but were all about gender. It was tense and awkward when he asked one person in the audience to tell him the name of the male officer next to him and then the female officer. He pointed out the difference in whether last or first name was used. He was eloquent and didn’t pull any punches.”

  “Do you really think those views could get someone killed?”

  “No. He made people think and reflect. He was not an agitator like Whistklan.” Brett shrugged. “Peabody said they are investigating all avenues from drugs to money to a crossed lover.”

  “He was cheating on his wife?”

  “Not that anyone can find, but that would certainly be a motive if he was, no matter how discreet he might have been.”

  “Anything else?

  “Some talk he might get into politics, try to change policy and law. Not sure that could get him killed either. For one thing, he’d have to get elected first. From what I got out of Peabody, Stories wasn’t always in good graces with the Buchanans, other than his wife, Lila. Stories was sometimes very vocal in public meetings. Clearly, his allegiance was not with the confederacy and he took issue with the power the NRA seems to have right now. So politically, he wasn’t on same page as the Buchanans. He also would make comments about how Lila was disrespected and ignored by her family because she was a girl even though she’s smarter than her brothers.”

  “That still doesn’t seem like a motive for murder. More like a reason not to invite somebody for dinner.”

  “Apparently, his not getting invited to a dinner provided another opportunity for him to complain about his in-laws. And although they all were part of the same country club crowd, Stories didn’t hesitate to insult Shane Buchanan or Luke in public. The more I hear about Luke, the more I think I need to have a heart to heart with that young man. And unlike the Buchanans, the Stories boys attend Clover Leaf High, not Clover Hill Academy.”

  “Huh. You’re probably right about Luke, but let’s get this resolved first. If Luke is involved, you don’t want to put a target on Maddie’s back. What about Lila?”

  “Lila? She got her degree in business as well and works – worked – with Stories. She will take over as the CEO now he’s gone. Because of the family feelings of where women belong, she’s been the silent partner all along. Blake Buchanan will not be happy when the partnership is no longer silent. They had three sons. The oldest is in the Navy. The other two are in high school and work part-time in the business. They all seem to keep a low profile despite being in a high profile family.”

  CHAPTER 13

  After a tense breakfast, we set off for the courthouse and Brett set off for Hixburg. At the courthouse, security was pretty quick and we followed the signs. Karla was seated alone on a bench and we joined her.

  “Good morning. How are you this morning, Karla?”

  “Where’s Alex and your mom?”

  “They’re in there for the hearing. Nobody else can go in. I’m scared.”

  We sat down on either side of Karla. “We’ll wait with you if that’s okay.”

  She nodded and Maddie added, “Yeah and then it won’t be so scary.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Maddie asked after their dogs and launched into her sales pitch for Bella. I watched as different people in suits or uniforms, mostly male, walked past with side glances at us, or went into various doors on the hallway. Another small group sat further down the hallway.

  The doors opened and a tall, stocky young man emerged in a sports shirt and pressed jeans, with a man in a suit who was almost as tall. The young man was nodding at whatever the suit was telling him. I heard Maddie gasp and turned to her. She shook her head and then turned sideways to face Karla so she wasn’t facing the duo. The young man and the suit walked away.

  “That was Caleb. Caleb Buchanan,” Maddie whispered.

  Karla nodded. “He’s big and mean.”

  “Has he ever been mean to you, Karla?”

  She shook her head and then stopped. “He makes comments about me and my walker, but not to me, exactly. I only know because a friend told me. Her brother is the same age as Caleb. They go to the same church. Her brother is nice and helps me sometimes.”

  “That’s good. It’s important for all of us to know there are people to help us.”

  “Yeah, like Alex helped me with Luke.”

  A few minutes later, Angie, Alex, and a man walked out the door. The man was of medium height and his suit didn’t hide his athletic build. I recognized Pinsky from his website. Taller than Angie and Alex, he continued to speak with the two of them as the door closed behind them. Alex pointed toward us, and they all came in our direction.

  Karla stood up and Alex gave her a hug. “It’s okay.”

  Angie introduced us to Eric Pinsky as friends of the family.

  “Nice to meet you Mr. Pinsky. Marty Cohn mentioned your name, in a positive manner of course.”

  “Marty’s a good friend and colleague. He has mentioned you and some of your involvement down in Cold Creek before.” He winked with a smile and shook my hand.

  Maddie, who’d been fidgeting, stopped. “So what happened? Is Alex free?”

  Pinsky cleared his throat and looked to Angie. She nodded.

  “At this point there is not sufficient evidence to prove Alex had anything to do with the theft of the pizza money or the murder of Mr. Stories. Mrs. Daniels’s testimony was a big help. He is free to go while the investigation
continues.”

  Karla and Maddie squealed. I caught the undertones and implications. Both cases were still open, so this wasn’t a “get out of jail free card” for Alex or Maddie. Pinsky hadn’t mentioned Caleb’s role at all. At Angie’s suggestion, we decided to meet for lunch. They had one stop to make to complete paperwork, and we left.

  As we walked out of the building, I saw movement at the corner. The sun cast an eerie shadow of a person on the side of the building, an obviously distorted image, getting wider as the shadow extended onto the grass. We continued walking and I kept my eye on the shadow. When the shadow moved forward as if to follow us, I turned and looked. It was a middle aged man with fair hair. Realizing I had spotted him, he turned and walked in the other direction. Creepy.

  Lunch was good, more relaxed than before. I was curious about Caleb and asked, “Maddie pointed out Caleb as he left the court. What was he doing there?”

  Pinksy coughed. “He was the one who found the… Stories. He was testifying to how he came to find the body.”

  “He was confused and kept looking to his attorney and toward the back of the room. Mr. Pinsky, did you notice it? Does he have a disability?”

  Pinsky shrugged. “I don’t know much about him, never met him. I was surprised his parents weren’t there, only the attorney. The two of them were talking to another man outside of the courthouse earlier. Could have been his father.”

  “Maddie, Alex, is Caleb usually like Mrs. Champlin described?”

  Alex answered. “Sometimes he doesn’t respond at all and looks like he’s about to fall asleep. I’m not sure if I’d call him confused.”

  “And he’s clumsy and smells funny.”

  Pinsky smiled at Maddie’s comment and we talked about afternoon plans. After lunch, I took Maddie to Pets and Paws. Melina agreed to keep an eye on her, so I ran errands. She suggested Maddie go to their house for dinner so the girls could become better acquainted. I agreed. As I left Pets and Paws, I had the feeling I was being watched. Across the street I spotted a man who looked like the one at the courthouse. He turned away so I didn’t see his face. I wondered why he was following us.