“Well, there you go. Case solved. Rita has to be our murderer--she murdered Mary to get the farm.”
Megan and Aiden chuckled, but Lucy was not in the mood to laugh, and she turned her husband, disgusted that he would make a joke about Mary’s death.
“Paul, that doesn’t even make sense. Why would Rita murder Mary before Aiden could prove that Rita had a claim to Mary’s family inheritance? Now if she had murdered her after Aiden had proved she had a claim, then I could understand your reasoning.”
“Okay, okay, I was just joking. You don’t have to be so serious, Lucy. You’ve got to get over this conflict you have with Rita, it’s not like you to act like this.” Paul hugged his wife to break the tension between them, but he was serious. Lucy glanced up at him and acknowledged that he was right.
“I’m sorry, it’s crazy how she makes me feel. It’s also stupid, and it ends now. Aiden, I wish I could wish you luck on your case but I hope you fail. Mary worked that farm most of her life and she knew exactly what she wanted to do with the property. Those wishes should be honored. And that’s all I have to say on the matter. Now, I want to talk about what clues you all have come up with and why Aiden has a sweet little puppy with him.” Lucy broke the tension by putting Aiden back in the spotlight.
“I’m not sure why she seems so attached to me. I’ve never had a dog before, I don’t even know what to do with it.” Aiden appeared to be afraid of the idea of owning a dog.
“Like I said before, the first thing you need to do is give the poor thing a name. You can’t keep calling her It. And the second thing, Aiden, is you will need to resign yourself that you are now a pet owner. The sheriff called around last night and nobody’s missing a puppy with this description and she has no collar or microchip for identification.”
Aiden looked at Megan with dismay, and the three of them burst into laughter at the expression on his face. As if knowing they were talking about her, the puppy came over and pawed at his leg begging attention. This set all four of them off in laughter, and Aiden admitted to himself that Megan was right. He couldn’t see himself giving her to the pound. But at least with Megan and Barney along, he would have lots of help taking care of her. With a sigh, he bent over and picked the puppy up.
“Well, I guess you’re right. It seems as if my office just got a watchdog. But, she doesn’t have to look so “fru-fru”. This bow is going and I’ll get her a proper leash instead of that glittery one Carol gave her.”
Reaching over the puppy’s head, Aiden started to remove her pink bow. For the first time since they had found the puppy, she showed aggression. The puppy growled at Aiden as he tugged on the ribbon, but she stopped as soon as he pulled his hand away. She looked up at him as if to apology, but when he attempted a second time a sharp bark went along with the growl. Megan and Lucy laughed at Aiden’s confused expression, and Paul gave him a slap on the back as he joked.
“Looks like this little girl likes being all gussied up. Let’s face it, Aiden, you’ve got yourself a girly dog!”
Barney got up to add his two cents in with a happy bark and walked over to his new friend to check on her. Aiden gave Barney a pat on the head, wondering how he would live with a dog. In his mind he had always pictured himself with a German Shepard or a Doberman, manly dogs that could do manly tasks. This little sweetheart would need a lot of work, and judging the attitude she just displayed, a lot of pampering. Aiden shook his head.
Megan took pity on him, and asked a question about the murder. Soon the four of them were deep in discussion about the case. Lucy and Paul were brought up to date on what Megan had found at the barn, and Paul fill Aiden in with background information about Mary and the operations of the farm.
Jake, Aiden’s office assistant, interrupted them when he opened the door to enter. Excusing himself, Aiden pulled Jake into his private office and filled him in on the new case they had just acquired. The young man took detailed notes and prepared a file for the case as they talked.
“Aiden, are you also investigating the murder at the geo-cache? I would like to be in on that too. I spent a lot of summers working at Mary’s farm, helping with the animals. It’s kind of personal, you know?” Aiden acknowledged that he understood and then shrugged when Jake asked about the puppy.
“I guess she’s ours now. Speaking of which, I have a task for you. Would you drive over to the pet store and pick up anything you think she’ll need? I trust your judgment, you can take the money out of the office’s petty cash.”
“Sure, I’d be happy too” Jake grinned and Aiden wondered if he would regret letting the young man do his shopping. He trusted him with the money, but somehow he felt like he had just given permission for the puppy to be royally spoiled. It didn’t matter, he had no time to go for himself, and he would have to accept the younger man’s shopping selections.
Jake spent a few moments playing with the dogs, and then he was out the door with a wave, ready to tackle the jobs on his list. The rest of the group chatted for a few moments, and then they all decided it was time for them to leave as well. Paul headed out to a job site. Aidan headed to town hall in search of the city records. Megan and Lucy headed back to Citrus Beach Concierges to check in on the cleanup and storage of all the items used during the geo-cache. Megan had to persuade Barney to leave, but soon they were in her car and on the way to her home and business.
When Megan pulled into the driveway she found that the event planners had already come and gone, taking the tents they had rented with them. But there was still plenty of things to be done. Pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail, she approached the stack of boxes that were sitting where the tent had been, Lucy following behind her. As they open the first box, Megan’s office manager, Janice came out of the office and offered her help well.
“The tent has been put away. In these boxes are all the promotional and display items we used at each site. I thought we could send the promotional materials back to each charity and the display items we could store here for the next time we plan an event.”
“That sounds perfect Janice. You’re always so organized, and you’ve been a great help throughout this whole event. You have no idea what a relief it was to realize that you were handling the office while I was busy getting all of this together. It was a lot more work than I ever imagined,” said Megan
“You know as well as I do, it gets easier every time. So, next year it’ll that much easier, and that much more organized. On a different subject, I’m almost afraid to ask, but are you involved in the murder that happened out at Mary’s farm? Why do I ask? It seems that if there’s trouble, you and Aiden are right in the middle of it. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Lucy and Megan exchanged looks, and Megan nodded her head, acknowledging that Janice was correct, she is once again in the middle of a murder investigation. Janice just shook her head.
“Well I’ve learned from experience that advising you to step aside will not work. So just stay safe and be smart about anything you do. Is there anything I can do to help? Tell me all the little details, the news only tells us so much.”
While the three women sorted the boxes and piles into what was staying and what was going, Barney sniffed each box wagging his tail when an unexpected sent caught his attention. As they worked, they talked about the murder. Soon they exhausted every detail on the subject. Until Megan and Aiden could investigate deeper and discover a few more leads, all they could do is speculate and toss ideas out.
They finished the last of the boxes and Janice stood up, stretching her back as she did.
"I'll have someone from Paul's crew put these boxes in one of the barns. Later I’ll get someone else to take the rest of the boxes to their assorted destinations."
Megan nodded her head in agreement pleased she had a place for storage, and that she would not have to be the one lifting those heavy boxes. Their companies, Citrus Beach Builders and Citrus Beach Concierge, worked together and often their customer demands overlapped. It was times l
ike this that she was glad she had access to somebody stronger than her. Janice would assign someone from her own staff to take the items back to the charities for future use. She and Lucy stood up, stretching, ready for the next task.
"Lucy, why don't you and I take the box for the animal funding to Mary's and find out how the girls are doing? To be honest I want to nose around that barn a bit more, too."
"I'm all for that, as long as the sheriff has given us clearance and we're not stepping on any toes. I hate to be on the wrong side of the law," she laughed.
Megan toss Lucy her keys and asked her to go get the car while she went over a few business details with Janice. Now that the event was over it was time to get back to work. She knew there was a list of items that needed to be taken care of with the onset of fall. By the time Lucy pulled up, they’d covered most of the list and loaded the boxes into Megan's trunk. With a wave, Lucy and Megan pulled out the drive, Barney seated in the back seat, and Janice headed back into the office.
Chapter 16
This time when Megan arrived at Mary’s, she used the front entrance to the property. Pulling into the parking lot, she was pleased to find the gate leading into the main house was closed and locked. She honked the horn as Lucy opened her car door and Barney jumped out. He rushed over to the walkway that would lead to the house once the gate was unlocked.
“At least the girls are taking some basic safety precautions.” Lucy pointed at the padlock to Megan who was feeling concern for her daughter.
“Stop worrying over the little things, Megan. Both girls are cautious by nature. They won’t knowingly put themselves in danger.”
Before Megan could answer her friend, Barney barked with excitement as Emma and Taylor came around the house and walked up the path. He paced the ground until Taylor unlocked the gate and then rushed to Emma’s side, flipping on his back for a belly rub. Laughing, Emma bent over to oblige and then turned to her mother.
“Morning Mom, Aunt Lucy. What are you two doing out here on your own? I thought for sure Uncle Paul and Aiden would be glued to your sides with a murderer on the loose. I just can’t believe Mary’s gone and in such a violent way for such a gentle soul.” She stood up, much to Barney’s disappointment and continued. “The sheriff was here earlier, and he filled me in on everything that has been going on. I figured you would both be out here sometime today, ready to nose around the crime scene, I’ll bet. Mom, I know it is useless to tell you to stay out of the investigation, but please promise me you’ll be careful. You’ve put yourself into many dangerous positions during this last year, I’d like to think you’ve learned to be a little more cautious.”
Megan hugged her daughter, knowing even if her words were light, she was concerned. Emma was right, the last few months had seen Megan in more danger than a small town girl should ever see anywhere but in the movies. She hastened to reassure her daughter she would be careful Emma felt some relief with her answer.
“Emma, I promise you the last thing I want to do is put myself in another dangerous situation. I’m just going to poke around and report anything I find to Aiden or Sheriff Green. I think you feel the same way, we can’t sit by and not do anything when one of our dear friends was murdered.”
Emma returned her mother’s hug and turned to her friend Taylor who had joined them. It was easy to observe the excitement in Taylor eyes as she greeted the older women.
“So you’ve heard Charlotte has us out here to watch over the farm and take care the animals who are part of the petting zoo. I’m so sorry it had to be under these circumstances, but I’m also happy. This gives me a chance to work with animals, I think it will help me make that final decision whether I continue onto veterinarian school or not. Emma and I have been coming out here for weeks to volunteer, so we pretty much know the routine. And of course Charlotte has hired on a crew to take over the heavy work.”
“And what’s even better is we get to stay out here, living here and getting out of that dinky little apartment," Emma butted in.
Megan and Lucy listen to the girls as they describe how their day was going, hearing the excitement in their voices. Megan was still a little uneasy about her daughter and Taylor being at a murder scene, but common sense told her they would be safe. There was now a police presence on site, and the girls had no reason to go out to the far back barns. She realized Charlotte knew what she was doing, installing these two young women out here at the farm. It would be good for the girls to have room to move about. She made a mental note to herself to bring Fred, Emma’s Bassett hound, out to stay with the girls. He would love being on the farm and he would be a bit of added protection. Not that he could move fast, but his keen ears would hear anybody trying to get into the house, and he would be quick to alert them of potential danger.
Emma and Taylor pulled Lucy and Megan along behind them, showing the women the new things they had discovered at the farm since their last visit. Megan let them carry on, but she was eager to get up to the barn and examine the murder scene one more time. When her daughter pause long enough take a breath, Megan grabbed the opportunity.
“It sounds like you two had everything under control, and I’m sure Charlotte will check in on you as well. But for now Lucy and I are going to wander out back. You stay here and we’ll be back up shortly. Keep an eye on Barney for me.” She grabbed Lucy’s arm and pulled her toward the barn before either girl could protest or tag along.
Once they were out of earshot of the two girls, Lucy burst into laughter.
“Were we ever that young? This’ll be a good experience for them. And once the excitement wears off, and the responsibility settles in, the reality of hard work will set in.”
Megan agreed with Lucy, but her mind was already on other things. She felt that there had to be something that was missed yesterday, something which could be important. Not that Aiden or the sheriff were incompetent, but she tended to view things a bit differently than they did. And she wasn’t above snooping in places she didn’t have permission to be in. She wanted Lucy to see the footprints, hoping with her vast knowledge of shoes she could tell Megan right off the bat what kind of shoes the murderer had been wearing.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the barn. Lucy hesitated at the police tape placed across the entrance, but Megan simply ducked underneath it to stand in the entry. Megan figured since she had been in on the discovery of the victim’s body that the police tape didn’t apply to her. With a backwards glance at Lucy, Megan motioned for her to join her, holding the tape so it didn’t get tangled in Lucy’s hair. The two women stood at the entry for a moment, letting their eyes adjust to the dim light before stepping into a large open area. Lucy stayed close to Megan’s side, not sure what her friend was looking for, and not wanting to be in the way. Once inside, they seemed to be drawn to the spot where Mary’s body had lain. Megan took a deep breath and walked to the dreaded spot. Lucy followed her, walking on her tiptoes. Megan looked back to witness her friend as following her and burst out laughing at Lucy’s tip-toeing across the barn floor like a ballerina. It was just the distraction the two of them needed.
“Oh, Lucy, you should see how silly you look!”
“Well I don’t want to mess any footprints up. It’s hard to see in here, the light is terrible.”
“Since I can’t locate a switch for the chandelier to brighten things up for you, we are just going to have to do the best we can,” Megan said sarcastically “Over here, I want you to see these footprints. I can tell they’re a woman’s footprint, but I can’t tell what kind of shoes she was wearing. What do you think?”
“It’s awfully hard to see a clear image anymore, it’s like everybody who was in here walked over each other’s prints. Is there another area where the prints were clearer, a spot where people didn’t walk as much? I’d rather get away from this area, I don’t like seeing the chalky outline of where Mary’s body was. It’s pretty gruesome.” Lucy shuddered as she turned her glance away from the floor.
Megan had to agree with her friend, but she still wanted to nose around the area. Pointing towards the shelving unit where the boxes had been stored, she indicated that Lucy should head in that direction. She hoped Lucy would get a clearer look at the footprints that were so puzzling and maybe her eyes would pick up something out over in the area. While Lucy walked over to the shelves, being careful not to damage any evidence, Megan circled the spot where her friend’s body had fallen. She completed the circle twice, each time expanding a bit farther away from the markings on the ground. With a sigh of disappointment, she realized there was nothing new to be found in this area, and turned to head over to her friends side.
“It’s hard to imagine anybody would stuff these boxes of vitamins full of cash. It’s a pretty big risk,” Lucy commented.
“The only way it would be at risk is if somebody found the money. So whoever stashed it here must have been confident that Mary didn’t use this barn very much. Which also means they had to have a good idea what Mary’s habits were as well knowing their way around her property. Did you find something, Lucy?”
“I might have, take a closer look at this.” As she spoke Lucy knelt down on the ground.
Megan squatted next to her friend to check out what had caught her attention. Lucy’s finger pointed to a small pile of sand that was within a footprint.
“Okay, I see sand. Lucy, it’s not so uncommon, this is Florida after all. You know, the state that was built on one big sandbox.”
“Ahhh, but you’re wrong my friend. There are many kinds of sand in Florida, and I just happen to know what we’re seeing is not the kind of sand you would normally find here out west of town.”
Murder at the Geo-Cache...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 3) Page 9