“Good morning, Charlotte. Don’t let him jump, he knows better.”
Megan joined the other women and gave Charlotte Potter a warm hug, pleased to see her old friend. Charlotte returned the hug, snuck Barney a treat, and asked where Aiden was. She had decided when she had first met the man that he was perfect for Megan, and had been going out of her way ever since to see that the two of them were moving forward with their relationship.
“He’s working on a new case today. Have you heard about it? Oh, what am I saying, of course you have. There’s nothing in this town that gets by you, is there, Charlotte?”
The older woman simply smiled at Megan’s question, and asked if they would mind taking a few documents out to the farm with them that Emma and Taylor would need for the vet when he came by later that afternoon to check on some of the animals. With a yes from Megan, Charlotte called to Barney and walked back to her house to retrieve the materials. Barney pranced at her side, loving the attention from one of his favorite humans.
“Did you enjoy your breakfast with Aiden?”
“Of course. I think he will have his hands full with this new case. Plus, it feels like he’ll be going against the whole town while he investigates. I really hope this doesn’t come around and bite him in the butt.”
“I warned you that Rita was nothing but trouble, she’s like a magnet for it.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Lucy, but she definitely hasn’t made herself very welcomed.”
Charlotte return at that point and heard the women’s exchange. She shook her head at Lucy as she added her own thoughts on the subject.
“As much as I hate to think badly of people, Lucy’s right. It’s almost as if Rita goes out of her way to cause trouble and friction amongst the people around her. Now, I’m not saying I would have any information that would help Aiden, but Megan you tell him to come see me. Maybe I can set him on the right path for his answers.”
“That’s what I thought, Charlotte, and I told him so this morning at breakfast. So expect his call. This whole pile of papers is for Emma and Taylor?”
Charlotte confirmed that the stack of papers in her hands was for the two younger women to go over regarding issues with Mary’s farm. The three women talked for a few more minutes and then Charlotte shooed them on their way, giving Barney an extra treat before she went back to her home. Lucy and Megan laughed and waved her off before they got in the car and headed west towards the farm. No matter how many times Megan drove out west, she enjoyed the scenery and the peacefulness of the country roads. It differed completely from beach side, almost as if Citrus Beach was two different towns. Megan loved both sides of town equally, and was grateful that her home gave her a little of both worlds. She had the quietness of the western location, but the waterways from the river close enough so she could enjoy them.
Megan and Lucy chatted about everyday things, but both were anticipating the search of Mary’s storefront office. They were hopeful they would find the answer to what the key would unlock. As they reached the front drive to the farm Barney got excited, standing on the seat between the two friends looking out the windshield, his tail slapping each of them in the shoulder. Megan she wasn’t sure if it was the smell from the other animals, or the memory of open spaces to run had her puppy so excited. She laughed as she grabbed his tail to keep from being hit another time.
Megan parked in one of the petting zoo’s parking spots, and Emma and Taylor came out of the store as if they had been watching for the car to pull in. The four women greeted each other with hugs and Barney danced around their feet, hoping he would get the command to play. Taylor took pity on the poor dog and picked up a stick and threw it for him. She did this until he’d worn himself out a little bit and then they all went inside.
“I thought since the office was so small that you and Lucy could take it, while Taylor and I examine the store. This is won’t take long, and then we’ll go over this paperwork from Charlotte,” Emma said as she took the pile from her mother.
They all agreed and Megan gave her daughter a thankful smile, she had been excited to investigate the office. The four women separated and went into the two areas of the building while Barney curled up in a corner to take a quick nap, tired out from his play with Taylor.
Inside the office, Megan found that Mary was just as efficient here as she was everywhere else. Things were neatly stacked and labeled and everything seemed to have its own place. Megan walked over to the desk, sat down in the high back chair and opened the drawers. While she did that, Lucy walked over to the storage closet for a closer look inside.
Megan was on the second drawer down on the left side when she came across to a pad of paper that matched the stationary that the key had been wrapped up in. It was sitting on the top of a pile of newspaper clippings. She pulled the pad out and put on the desktop for a second and contemplated their next step. Remembering something Emma had said yesterday, she mumbled to herself.
“Okay, if I’m Mary, trying to hide a key, I grab paper that’s close by. But I’m not going to move too far from whatever I had locked up. Lucy, the box or whatever it is has to be in this area. Help me search-. It’s got to be around the desk, somewhere.” Lucy left the storage closet and started opening drawers on the credenza behind Mary’s desk. In the bottom drawer underneath the same vitamin boxes that Megan had found out in the barn, Lucy found a small box similar to what a man would use to hold cuff-links and watches. She pulled it out of the drawer. As they had anticipated, it was locked.
“This has to be it. Emma, Taylor, come in here and check out what we found.”
Megan dug into her pocket for the pink change purse and key while the younger women crowded into the small office. Barney followed on their heels, anxious to find out what all the excitement was about. Lucy made a big show of crossing her fingers as they watched Megan unwrap the key from its paper holder and bring it to the wood box. With their breath held, they watched Megan insert the key in the box and give it a slight turn. It fit perfectly and in a second, she had the lid to the box open and was using a Kleenex from the desk to pick up contents of the box and lay them on the flat surface in front of her.
Chapter 23
The first thing out of the box was a small stack of pictures held together with a paper clip. At first glance, they seemed like random shots of visitors to the farm at different times of the year. Megan looked closer and noticed that the back barn was in each of the pictures. A few had figures in the shots of two women. Young, attractive women.
Under the pictures was a beautiful ruby and diamond ring, set in an old fashioned setting. Even if the setting was outdated, the cut of the stones was exquisite. This was more than a cocktail ring, it was most likely a family heirloom. There was a tag attached to the ring and Megan lifted the ring with care to turn the tag over. The tag was from a pawn broker, located down in the Palm Beach area. Megan grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket and took a few close-up pictures of the ring and the tag.
The final item they found the box was another piece of the same stationary paper the key had been wrapped up in. On this piece of paper they found a list of dates with a time and a number within the circle for each date. The women were puzzled, having no clue what Mary was trying to convey with this number system. Emma reached over her mother’s shoulder and picked up the box and looked underneath just in case there was anything taped to the bottom. She found nothing, so she put the box back down regarding the other three women around her asking, “Now what?”
“Well, at least we found what Mary was trying to hide. Now we need to try to figure what it all means.”
“You’re right Lucy, and I think starting with the ring is the best place. How do you feel about a road trip this afternoon?” Megan picked up the ring as she asked, peering closer at the tag to see if there was a complete address for the pawn shop. Lucy caught Megan’s meaning at once and agreed. A trip down to Palm Beach to visit a certain pawnbroker would definitely answer a few questions.
“Well, while you two are down south sleuthing around, it looks like Taylor and I have a bunch of paperwork to do for Charlotte. Mom, I think when we’re done, I’ll drive over to your house and pick up Fred. I hate to admit it but I was nervous here last night. Although Fred may not be the most aggressive of watchdogs at least he will bark if he hears something during the night. Besides I miss having him around.”
Megan gave her daughter a hug and assured her that bringing Fred over to the farm was an excellent idea. To be honest, it made her feel better as well. She was trying very hard not to be the hovering mother, letting Emma and Taylor lead their own lives, but with a murderer on the loose, she couldn’t help but to worry. They spent the next few minutes finishing up their search of the office, in case they might have missed anything. They found nothing out of the ordinary and deciding to head back to the farmhouse, they locked up the office behind them and left the petting zoo behind.
Once back at the main house, Lucy and Taylor got into a discussion about some classes being offered at the college. Taylor would continue with her plans to pursue the field of veterinary medicine and Lucy was teaching two classes: one on gemstones and the other on jewelry design. While the two of them compared their class schedules, Emma asked her mother to examine the paperwork Charlotte had sent over from the estate lawyer.
It felt good to be talking about things that were matter of fact, there was no need for anyone to second guess or analyze their conversation. The normal day-to-day discussion helped to settle the nerves of all four women. Time passed quickly and before they knew it they were getting ready for lunch. Emma and Taylor pulled out the fixings for a simple lunch of soup and sandwiches while Lucy and Megan set the table in the farm house’s comfortable kitchen nook. They were sitting down to eat when Megan’s phone rang. Scanning the phone’s screen, she recognized the office number for Aiden and, excusing herself, she answered the phone. But it wasn’t Aiden on the end of the line, it was Jake and he sounded a bit panicked.
“Megan, I’m sorry to bother you but I think Aiden is in over his head.”
“What you mean, Jake, what’s going on?”
“It’s the puppy. Ms. Thomas is here, and the dog does not like this woman. I’ve been able to keep the puppy with me all morning but the minute she hears Ms. Thomas’s voice she growls and gets ready to attack the door. But my problem is I need to run some errands for Aiden and I can’t take the puppy with me. I hate to keep her locked up in Jake’s kitchen, barking, because I know it’s really irritating Ms. Thomas. I think she’s to the point where she would just as soon kick the dog than deal with any more noise. Is there any way you can come and take the dog with you?”
“Of course I can do that, Jake. I find it so surprising the puppy is acting like this, she seems like she’s got the sweetest nature, especially considering the circumstances in which we found her. I’m actually going down south for couple hours this afternoon, so I can take the dog with me, she can keep Barney company. Can you hold out there for another half hour? I’ll be over to pick the dog up then.”
“That would be great, Megan, I’ll take the dog for a long walk right now so she’s worn out when you pick her up and that will also give Aiden some quiet time in the office. You’re right, I’ve never seen her act this way with anybody else. Not that I can blame her, Ms. Thomas isn’t the most pleasant person I’ve ever met.”
Megan laughed at Jake’s comment and promised to be over soon as she finished eating. As she hung up the phone, she explained what was going on to the women sitting around the table looking at her.
“I told you Rita was nothing but trouble.” mumbled Lucy.
Megan ignored the comment and sat down to eat. Because she knew that somebody was waiting for her, she didn’t linger and soon Lucy and Megan were saying goodbye to the two girls. When Barney saw them walking to the door, purses in hand, he knew it was time to leave and ran out the door towards the car.
“Well, I guess he’s ready to go. Mom, let me know what you find out on your trip south. I’m curious what the pawnbroker will say about that ring. I’ll probably pick Fred up before you get back, so don’t be surprised to come home to an empty house. Although it sounds like you might have an extra dog on your hands anyways.”
Megan promised to call her daughter later and fill her in on all the details as Lucy opened the car’s back door and Barney jumped in. Before long they were on their way to Aiden’s office. Megan pulled into the small driveway off the side of the building. She hadn’t even opened her car door before Jake came out the front door. The puppy on a leash held in one hand and a stack of papers in his other hand. He walked over to Megan’s car and opened the back door for the puppy to join Barney and closed the door. He spoke to Megan through the open window before he left.
“Thanks for doing this, Megan. She’s a sweet dog. Oh, we’ve settled on the name Gypsy. It seems to fit her. And personally, I think she’s got a sense about her of whom to like and who not to like. Who knows, maybe she can help us solve this mystery.”
“Oh my gosh I love that name. Gypsy, it’s perfect. How did you guys come up with that?”
“It just slipped out this morning. Ms. Thomas was complaining about the puppy, and she said it felt like she was getting the evil eye from her. Aiden made the comment that she was a puppy not a Gypsy. When he said Gypsy the dog walked over to him as if answering the name. It seemed to fit, and she’s been answering to it all morning.”
“Well welcome aboard, Gypsy. Now, you settle down with Barney back there.” said Megan as she turned around and gave the puppy a scratch behind the ears.
Lucy added her welcome to Gypsy, and waved to Jake as he walked over to his own car, with his list of errands he needed to tend to for Aiden. Megan waited for him to pull away before she put her car in gear and set out toward the Florida turnpike which would take them south to the Palm Beach area. They had a little over an hour of driving time ahead of them, and Lucy reached over to adjust the radio to a station they would both enjoy. Moments later the sounds of soft rock and roll filled the car.
The traffic was light and swift, compared to what it would be like on the way back. Then the rush hour would combine with the tourists returning, hot, tired, and sunburnt from their day at the local beaches, causing traffic nightmares. They stopped once at a turnpike rest stop to let the puppies out for a quick walk. Megan poured them a drink of water from the cooler she kept in the car. Most full-time residents knew enough to keep a small cooler stocked with water and even protein bars in their car in case they got caught in a traffic tie up on the highway. This time of year it wasn’t as critical, but come those scorching hot, humid months of summer, you needed to be prepared. Megan had gone one step further and had a cooler that ran off her car battery, keeping its contents cold for the entire trip, regardless of how long she might get stuck in traffic. Barney had a snack bag of biscuits and his own bowl for water, which he shared with Gypsy.
Megan and Lucy sat at a picnic table, provided for travelers by the Florida Parks Department, and enjoyed their own bottles of water while they waited for the puppies to finish. There was enough breeze to keep them cool, and the shade from the scrub pines had Megan pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head as she watched the cars speed past them. When the two puppies were ready, she dumped the rest of their water out and put the bowl back in its place. Lucy opened the door for the dogs to get back in the car, and she climbed in the front seat. Moments later they were back on the road, heading south.
Once they reached the exit for downtown Palm Beach, Megan checked her directions and turned east towards the older section of the city. Ten minutes later she was pulling into the gated parking lot of the pawnshop. She took a ticket from the automated gate, then pulled into a spot not far from the main entry.
“You go on in and see what you can find out, Megan. I’ll stay here with the dogs. It seems safe enough if I lock the car doors.”
“You sure? We can bring the puppies with us.
This is Palm Beach, everyone seems to have a dog with them either on a fancy leash or in a little bag over their shoulders. We’d fit right in with the rich and famous.”
Megan laughed as she questioned Lucy’s decision to stay in the car. She wasn’t joking about the people walking up and down the sidewalk with their dogs. It might not be Worth Ave, but the pawnshop was located in a nicer section of town. Small business catering to the wealthy lined the sidewalks, mostly expensive boutiques mixed in with high end consignment shops. As she looked around, she noticed a security guard at the entrance to the pawnshop. It did not appear to be the type of shop that would take old TVs and musical instruments. No, this shop was used to dealing with high-end items; items just like the ring Megan was here to inquire about.
“We’re fine, go on. Let’s find out the story behind that ring.”
Chapter 24
Megan walked to the front door, but before she could grab hold of the handle to pull it open, the security guard did it for her, motioning for her to come into the store. She entered the pawnshop and found it to be just as upscale as she had anticipated. An older woman dressed in a sophisticated but simple style greeted her cordially. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, her makeup discrete and her jewelry was a beautiful set of pearl earrings and necklace, obviously not imitation pearls.
Megan glanced around, and then looked back at the woman, deciding in an instant that the fabricated tale she had thought of on the way down would not do. This woman deserved the truth, and somehow she felt the truth would get her farther than a fabricated line. After glancing around to be sure there was no one else in the store Megan decided to tell her tale right then and there. Reading the discrete nametag pinned to the woman’s dress, she introduced herself and asked her if she had a few moments to talk.
Murder at the Geo-Cache...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 3) Page 14