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

by Christa Nardi

  “Yeah, Sally, we need some ice tea back there. My grandfather sent me to tell you.” He shifted his attention back to me. “You must be new around here.”

  Brett made his appearance in time to hear his comment and bristled. “She is new around here. Moved here when we got married. I don’t think we’ve met. Brett McMann.”

  Luke cringed, recovering quickly and with attitude. “Ah! You must be Maddie’s dad then. Best lock her up. She’s hot.” He snickered and I squeezed Brett’s arm. Next thing I knew, another man grabbed Luke’s shoulder.

  “What’s wrong with you, Luke? You don’t want to be talking with the detective here without an attorney present. Did you tell Sally about the tea?”

  Luke nodded and his sneer disappeared. The tension rolled off Brett as I studied the slightly more portly and older version of Luke. He reminded me of the man at the courthouse and then at Pets and Paws. He didn’t take his hand off Luke’s shoulder as he propelled him in the direction of the table.

  I leaned into Brett and whispered, “Breathe. Just breathe.” I was about to suggest pizza instead and Sally was there with “The usual? Seafood pasta salad, shrimp, coleslaw, the works?”

  I nodded and she disappeared. A few minutes later, she handed us a big bag and checked us out.

  ***

  Curiosity was killing me, yet I knew Brett wouldn’t want to talk in front of Maddie. She never said anything about the run-in with Luke and neither did we. She relaxed once we left the Deli and ate. During dinner though, she looked like she was ready to nod off. She helped clean up and then headed for her room to watch a movie. My bet was she’d be asleep before the movie got interesting.

  “Wine?”

  “That sounds good. Need to wind down. It’s been a long day.”

  I pulled the bottle out of the refrigerator and grabbed two glasses. We stayed in the kitchen so our voices would be less likely to carry to Maddie’s room.

  “You going to tell me who he was?”

  “Shane Buchanan. Remember I told you about him. Peabody said Blake Buchanan called a family meeting. I didn’t think they’d have him come all the way down. How could he be involved?”

  I shrugged. “Strength in numbers? There was a big group of them. I recognized Caleb, I think. He’s a lot huskier than most of the others, so he stands out. One man was definitely older, more stately. Blake Buchanan?”

  “He was there, yes. And he was the oldest one, the patriarch and picture of the prototypical southern gentleman.”

  “If Shane was the one that came up to Luke when you showed up, I think I saw him at lunch the other day when we ran into to Angie and Karla, the courthouse this morning and then outside Pets and Paws.”

  “You sure you saw Shane?”

  “Not sure, but someone who looked like him. The other two must be the other two sons?”

  “I’ve never met Delaney or Brandon, so I can’t say for sure. That would be my guess. They all look alike. Other than Luke and Caleb, there were two other younger ones. Likely Michael and Mark, their younger brothers.”

  “Did Shane have any children?”

  “Yes, and not surprisingly, both boys. About the same age as Joshua and Tyler Stories if I remember correctly.”

  “Do you think Blake Buchanan is behind the drugs and murder? A family affair?”

  “Blake and I may not agree on political views, from the confederacy to current politics… If he’s involved in anything illegal, he’s hid it well. He may be pompous and a bit racist, but within the law. Shane, I wouldn’t be so sure of. Luke? He’s pushing the edge or over it.” He shook his head and clenched his fists.

  “Shane seemed to have a sobering effect on him. He lost a bit of his bluster. And he now knows you’re a detective.”

  “Not sure if that’s good or bad. What I caught walking in? His attitude? He might view my being a detective as a challenge.” He exhaled. “Is Maddie too young for self-defense classes? I’d rather that than teaching her to shoot.”

  “Amen. Do you think Luke killed Stories? What about Caleb? Why would either – or both of them – be meeting with Stories at the historical park? Was it connected to his views on the confederacy? Irony to be killed where Lee surrendered?”

  “That seems like a stretch, Sher. I’d go with the obvious. It’s a big park. Lots of people walking in and out. From the map, there are multiple trails and cabins. Easy to find some place for a quiet meet. Or murder.”

  “It’s possible he met with Caleb and Luke to talk to them about the drug thing and threatened to turn them in, and it soured from there. Maybe even an accident.”

  “The gun. It wasn’t one of theirs, not registered anyway. I have no doubt they had easy access to pistols and rifles. No, this was a throw-away gun. One nobody would miss or care if it went missing. That would mean not an accident. Premeditated. Planned.”

  Brett’s phone rang. “Uh huh.” “Good news.” “Definitely.” “Thanks for calling.”

  He hung up and let out a deep breath. “Peabody. Caleb admitted to planting the money in Alex and Maddie’s backpacks. Said it was Luke’s idea to steal the pizza money and then blame Alex and Maddie. The only opportunity they had to stash the money in their backpacks was before they snatched the money. So they guessed how much – obviously they guessed too high. Then added more to make it interesting.”

  “But why?”

  “Luke was mad Maddie rejected him. And Alex because he was getting in the way of his attempts to win Maddie over. Luke admitted to calling in the tip about Alex and the pizza money. Alex and Maddie are officially cleared now.”

  We clinked our glasses.

  “What about the Highlander and crashing into Maddie and me?”

  “The story being put out by their attorney is they stopped at the rental place and rented the car. They took it for a drive and weren’t impressed, so they returned it. That’s how their prints got on it. Peabody’s trying to check the story with the rental agency, see if there’s a record of them renting the car. Only it will take time.”

  “Why can’t they show them pictures of all of the Buchanans and ask if they recognize any of them?”

  He put his hands up. “If they had some indication of who it might be, they’d do a line up. The problem, in case you didn’t notice, is the strong family resemblance among the brothers, and even the cousins. Only Caleb stands out.”

  CHAPTER 21

  It started out as a lazy Sunday morning. Even Brett and I slept in later than usual. Maddie lumbered into the kitchen, her phone in hand.

  “Let me check and call you back.” She disconnected and reached for the orange juice.

  “Do you want pancakes?” I asked.

  She nodded and I passed the plate and syrup. Brett cleared his throat and we waited. I took a wild guess at what she needed to “check” and asked, “Any plans for today?”

  Brett tried not to laugh and coughed instead. “No, I don’t have any. We do still need to decide on a car and get insurance taken care of, probably do some grocery shopping, start back to school shopping…”

  “Wait! Can we go to Pets and Paws? Nedra’s going with her mom. We could take Charlie again so she can bond with Bella.” Charlie jumped up from her bed and put her head in Maddie’s lap, tail wagging.

  “Well, we do have to…”

  “But don’t you see? I’ll stay at Pets and Paws with Charlie while you run your errands.”

  Brett sagged into his chair as she pleaded. “Okay. Your room better be clean though and you’ll help with the laundry later, right?”

  She nodded and shoveled in another mouthful of pancakes before bolting with her phone.

  “Sher, I think I’m in trouble here.” He shook his head, smiling as he gazed down the hall.

  I chuckled. “You did good. Added a few chores in there. Hopefully, it’s not too busy at Pets and Paws and nobody tries to adopt Charlie.”

  Not too much later, we pulled into Pets and Paws. Charlie led the way up the steps and into the do
or. Mrs. Chantilly clapped her hands when she saw us.

  “How wonderful to see you all. That includes you, Charlie.” She leaned over and petted Charlie. “It’s not your day to volunteer, Sheridan. What brings you here on a Sunday?” Her eyes twinkled as she directed her question to Maddie.

  “Charlie needs to bond with Bella, and I’ll help make sure Bella gets enough to eat. And … and I can help with the other mama and pups, too. Nedra’s gonna help.”

  After some affection from Mrs. Chantilly, Charlie let Maddie lead her to the side room and Bella. Mrs. Chantilly watched them go. “Oh, to be so young again. We have another new mama in there. Not quite sure what she is and her pups, well now that’s a motley crew. Can you believe it?”

  I was with her until the end. Confused, I asked, “Believe what?”

  “Well, the strings Blake Buchanan pulled. First, he gets those boys released because their parents are responsible. Responsible my foot. Rich, is more like it. You know the vet cleared Bella, right? As long as you monitor her weight and she continues to grow, she’s good to go.” She nodded vigorously. A couple with a little girl walked in.

  “Good afternoon. I’m Mrs. Chantilly. Did you have a type of dog or size in mind today?”

  The woman said, “Something small, I think.” At the same time, the man said, “A big one, for protection.” The little girl muttered “Doggie” and pointed as Charlie bounded over to me.

  I picked her up and held her, hopefully sending a message. Mrs. Chantilly took the middle road. “Is that about the size you’re thinking of? Not too big, not too small. Like the three bears.”

  I almost laughed out loud. Instead, I approached the little girl. “This is my dog, Charlie. Would you like to pet her? She’s very friendly.”

  The little girl giggled and petted her while Mrs. Chantilly flitted around. “How about if you take them to the back. Some are bigger, but not all of them. Chloe is a sweetie.”

  “Great idea, Sheridan. Come along, let’s go meet Chloe.” She sashayed off with the family following her. Brett and I stepped into the other room and watched Maddie with the mama and her pups. I counted and there was one missing, hopefully adopted out. I put Charlie down and she walked over to the group.

  I heard a growl behind me. She looked to be a Shepard mix and her pups. I reassured the mama and placed Charlie’s leash on Maddie’s wrist. “You need to keep a hold of her. The mama over there is protective and worried about her pups.” Nodding toward Charlie curled up on the other side of her, I added, “And Charlie’s spooked by her growl.”

  Maddie nodded and then jumped up, startling all of us, puppies, and the mamas. “Nedra! Come see.”

  I moved out of the way and Melina took a stance between the two dogs and their pups. “Sometimes, Mrs. Chantilly… it would be safer if they were in crates and not loose like this.”

  Brett nodded agreement. He spotted an empty large crate against the wall and placed it between the two dogs and their pups. Not quite the same, but now there was a barrier and the Shepard stopped growling.

  We were about to leave Maddie and Nedra in Melina’s capable hands when Mrs. Chantilly planted herself between us and the door.

  “It’s too much. Blake Buchanan arranged for Caleb to be admitted to drug rehab. The drugs made him do it, he said.”

  Before I could stop myself, I asked, “Do what? What did he do?”

  “Dealing drugs. He’s arguing Caleb dealt drugs to support his own habit. Led into temptation by his cousin. I’m tempted myself sometimes. And to beat all? Luke is the innocent here. They found roofies in Luke’s possession along with other drugs, but he’s the golden boy. What I wouldn’t do for the chance to tell off Shane Buchanan. You had a run in with him, didn’t you, Detective.”

  Brett’s mouth dropped and I decided to take advantage of her jumping topics. Waving toward the side room, I asked, “When did the Shepard mix in there deliver? She’s a bit protective.”

  “Not sure. Yup, you’re right, some Shepard for sure. She was brought in with the pups. Probably right after, but no telling. Might be a good idea…”

  She tilted her head and pointed toward the cage between the dogs. “That was the good idea, but I don’t recall … anyway, I suspect she’ll be okay in a couple days. Those boys, now, I’m not so sure about them.”

  “Maddie’s going to stay here for a while with Nedra and Melina. We need to look at cars and then we’ll be back. Hopefully, she and Charlie won’t be a bother.”

  “No bother, dear. Caleb was driving the car that hit you, you know. Those boys, they do like those all-wheel drive cars.” She didn’t skip a beat as the family came toward us. “So what did you think of Chloe?”

  “She licked me.”

  The father smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re not sure. We’ll give it some thought.” He hurried his wife and daughter out the door.

  Mrs. Chantilly smiled, “Biscuits. I need more biscuits.” She didn’t say anything else. She turned and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

  I yelled, “Later” and we left.

  In the car, I asked Brett, “What do you think of Mrs. Chantilly?”

  He laughed. “She is something, isn’t she? A bit eccentric. I’ve interacted more with her since you started volunteering here. One of the other Detectives, James Zabry, he worked most of the cases closer to here. He’d muse about her sometimes. She seems to have details of what’s going on with the locals that’s kind of hard to imagine.”

  “You mean like what she said about Blake and Caleb? How would she know all the details if it’s not public knowledge yet? Her daughter Lacie?”

  “Not Lacie. She wouldn’t have some of the information Mrs. Chantilly seems to have access to. I forget what it was about. Zabry proffered she either bugged the police station or had ESP. Some case he was on. She seemed to have facts well before anyone else.”

  “Makes you wonder who she’s talking to and where her loyalties are. She sure isn’t a fan of Luke or Caleb. Or Shane for that matter.”

  He nodded. “Ask Melina. Maybe she’s got a handle on her. She’s been here a long time. Even Angie might know her story. She’s harmless I’m sure.”

  CHAPTER 22

  With Luke and Caleb supposedly not available for camp, Brett agreed, reluctantly, for Maddie to go back to camp. While I waited for the actual contract and paperwork, I searched the Millicent website for important dates. With no clue what I would be teaching, it was difficult to prepare. I did need to figure out where Brett stuck my Cold Creek boxes. Searching in the garage, I found them, only couldn’t get to them easily. Brett would have to rearrange again and grant me access.

  In the meantime, the priorities were on contacting Brett’s insurance agent and arranging insurance for the Hyundai. The hassle would be the name thing. Brett and I had discussed it before we got married, and at least for now, I hadn’t changed my name. My psychologist license and the list of other forms and agencies was too overwhelming. We agreed not to make a big deal of it and I answered to Mrs. McMann as easily as Dr. Hendley. Paperwork was where it got sticky.

  Insurance arranged, I called Melina to see if she was available to go to lunch. She agreed. We met up at the Seafood Grill and Deli, one of the few times I ate in the restaurant instead of take out.

  “So how’s it going? Maddie back in camp today?”

  “Yes. And she hasn’t called so I guess everything is going well. And Nedra?”

  “She’s hanging out at home. Supposed to be cleaning her room. I’m sure you know how that goes.”

  I chuckled. “I’m learning. It certainly has been an interesting couple of weeks. And to think I was complaining of boredom. Is this typical Appomattox county?”

  She shook her head. “Not hardly. Last time there was a scandal was several years ago. Lots of rumors with Blake Buchanan in the middle of it all. No murder though.”

  “Melina, how long have you known Mrs. Chantilly?”

  She laughed. “Almost since sh
e first showed up here. Several of us helped her clean out the ground floor. It was something else. She’s what my mama would call an ‘odd duck.’ She runs the shelter, she manages to do ordering, track adoptions, keep up with the vet and care of the dogs, all of them. I’ve never seen her turn away a dog, unless it was contagious. Even then she took the dog to the vet herself.”

  “That’s ‘odd’ because?”

  “I’ve seen the confused expression on your face, Sheridan. She’ll be talking about one thing and all of a sudden she comes out with something not at all connected. Sometimes I’m not sure she even sees the relevance. It’s like it comes out of her mouth, she hears it, and realizes she let something slip. Immediately goes back to the original topic.”

  “I did notice the breaks in topics. She sure seems to get information quick. Any idea how she finds out all the stuff, like about Caleb and Luke? Maybe from Lacie?”

  “Lacie doesn’t have much to do with her. She adopted Lacie. That’s a long story for another day. Mrs. Chantilly didn’t have any children of her own. Least not that I heard about.”

  We moved onto discussion of back to school schedules. She’d be going back to her fulltime job teaching pre-K in only a few weeks. I understood all the hard work teachers go to before the school year starts.

  “I’ll be starting at Millicent the same week…” Yelling interrupted my train of thought and we both turned to the back corner of the deli.

  “Stop pushing so hard. What does it matter, anyway? You got Caleb into rehab. What’s the big deal?”

  I wasn’t sure, but I thought it was Shane Buchanan shouting. He stood up as if to leave, and the older man grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t you walk away from me. We aren’t done yet. Not by a long shot.”

  Shane was pulled back down. “He’s not my kid, remember. Can’t Del keep track of his own son?”

  I saw one of the other men take a swing at Shane, knocking him to the floor.

  “My son was doing fine until he and Luke visited you around Derby time. Both of them started acting weird and it wasn’t like they got the horse bug. That’s why Brandon and I made the decision to put them in the camps this summer. To keep them busy and engaged in something besides trouble. What happened up there, Shane?”