Plymouth Undercover

by Pamela M. Kelley

  Mickey grinned. “I couldn’t resist. They’re still warm. Try one.” He handed a donut to Emma, and he was right. They were still warm.

  “You’re a bad influence,” Emma teased him.

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Emma drove to Owen’s office building in the industrial park. They parked as usual, in the lot as far away as possible but close enough to still see people coming and going out the front door. Owen’s routine so far hadn’t been very interesting. He usually went out at lunch time, but typically just grabbed a sandwich or fast food and brought it back to his office.

  But today, they followed him to the Plymouth and Brockton bus station behind McDonald’s at the exit five rest area. As it was the middle of the day, they doubted he was taking the bus to Boston.

  “Maybe the girlfriend’s flight came in and she took the bus from Logan?” Mickey said.

  So far, they hadn’t had a glimpse of this supposed girlfriend, so Emma hoped he was right but was beginning to wonder if she existed.

  Five minutes after they arrived, the bus arrived, and they watched as passengers disembarked. Owen got out of his car and walked over to the front of the bus. He was definitely waiting for someone.

  And then they saw her. A pretty, blond-haired woman ran over to Owen and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him. He seemed startled and for a moment Emma wondered if he was going to topple over, but he managed to hang on and hugged her back hard. And a moment later there was no doubt that Owen indeed had a girlfriend as the two shared a long, deep kiss.

  They watched as Owen grabbed her suitcase, put the luggage in the back seat of his car and they drove off.

  Emma followed carefully. She was starting to feel like a pro at keeping just the right distance. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived outside Owen and Claire’s house in Priscilla Beach. Owen grabbed the girl’s suitcase and they kissed again before heading into the house. Mickey took several pictures, both at the bus station and outside the house.

  “So now what?” Emma asked.

  “We wait a bit, see if he goes back to work. Then we’ll head into the office. It’s a little trickier with her not having a car. Seems like she’s not from around here then.”

  “Maybe they met online? One of those dating sites?” Emma suggested.

  “Could be. I don’t know much about that,” Mickey admitted.

  “People meet online from all across the country. Or could be she met him when she was in town once before, maybe she was here on business or vacation.”

  “If she stays with him all week and we can get evidence of that, it could really help Claire’s case,” Mickey said.

  “So, maybe tomorrow we come here earlier and see if we can get a shot of her kissing him goodbye as he heads off to work,” Emma said.

  “I like the way you think. That sounds like a good plan.”

  They followed Owen back to the office and decided there wasn’t anything further to be gained that day by following him, so they called it quits early. They stopped back at the office and Mickey was going to head home, but when they saw Emma’s mother’s car in the parking lot, they decided to go inside for a minute and fill her in.

  Once they brought her up to speed, Emma’s mother shocked them with an update of her own.

  “So, I connected with Belinda, and she wants us to start working on Nancy’s case again.”

  Chapter 11

  Since Emma went home early and it was a beautiful day, she decided to walk the beach. She changed into sweats and sneakers, pulled her hair in a ponytail and put her headphones on so she could listen to Pandora radio as she walked. Because it was such a nice day, the beach was busy with people walking and quite a few had beach chairs and towels even though it wasn’t really that warm yet. Not for bathing suits, but for sitting and chatting while wearing sweatshirts, absolutely.

  Emma walked the length of the beach in both directions and about thirty minutes later, she was done and stretching on her deck. It was almost five by then and she could feel a slight shift in the air, a temperature drop as evening approached.

  She was staring out at the ocean, thinking about Nancy’s case and how they’d begin working on it the next day, when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “How do you feel about lobster?” Brady asked. He’d walked over and looked like he’d been exercising too, maybe just returned from the gym as he was in sweats and a baseball cap.

  “I like lobster. But then everyone does, right?”

  He laughed. “My mother won’t touch it. I was thinking of putting an order in with the Lobster Pound. They’ll steam them for us. I figure I’ll place the order—for two lobsters, if you want to join me. Then I’ll jump in the shower and by the time I’m done, they’ll be ready.” The Lobster Pound was a seafood market right around the corner at the very tip of Manomet Point Road. It had the best view around and in Emma’s opinion, kind of wasted on a seafood market, but it was convenient when you wanted lobster.

  “That sounds great. I haven’t had lobster since I’ve been home.”

  “Perfect. We can eat on your deck and catch up. I have beer I can bring over too?”

  “Just bring what you want to drink. I’ve got wine. I have some potato salad too, we can have that with the lobster.”

  “Awesome.”

  Forty-five minutes later, Brady knocked on Emma’s back door. He was carrying a styrofoam container that held the steamed lobsters with one hand, and had a six-pack of beer in the other. Emma had big plates for them and a bowl for their shells. She’d also cut up a lemon and melted some butter for dipping. They brought everything out to the deck and sat at Emma’s picnic table. It was the perfect night for it. The air was still and just warm enough that they could sit outside comfortably in their sweatshirts.

  The lobster was delicious. They both wore the plastic bibs so that they wouldn’t spray water and lobster fat on themselves when they cracked the claws open.

  “So, Emma, tell me what you’ve been up to all these years. I heard you went to Hollywood. Did you meet anyone famous?”

  She laughed. “I did meet some famous people.” She mentioned a few names, and he was suitably impressed.

  “So, you had a good time there. Do you miss it?”

  Did she? She was surprised by how little she missed Hollywood now that she was back home. Hollywood had never felt like home. It was just where she lived for a while.

  “I really don’t. I thought that I would. I’m glad I went there and tried it, though.”

  “I always thought you were so talented. I remember seeing you in some school musicals.”

  She smiled, remembering how much fun she’d had performing in those high school shows.

  “Thanks. That feels like another lifetime,” she admitted.

  “What are you doing for work now?” he asked.

  “My mother and I took over my dad’s private investigator business, along with Mickey who worked for him for years.”

  Brady looked surprised. “No kidding? What’s that like? Is it as exciting as they show on TV?”

  Emma laughed. “I don’t think exciting is quite the word. Not always. I like it though.” She told him about some of the surveillance work that she and Mickey had done so far.

  “That sounds pretty cool, actually.”

  “Well, it’s interesting when something happens. There’s a lot of sitting around waiting. That can be a little boring.”

  “Every job has its downsides,” Brady said as he dunked a chunk of claw meat in the melted butter.

  “What do you do for work? It seems like you travel a lot.”

  “I do. I’m a software consultant and I go where the clients are. Some work can be done remotely, but not always and never when a job first starts. I need to meet people face to face and figure out what they are trying to do and then get it implemented.” He seemed full of energy as he spoke, and Emma sensed that he enjoyed his work.

  “You love what you do,” she said.

&nb
sp; He grinned. “Yeah, I do. Aside from the travel, it’s a pretty cool job.”

  “Tess said you work out at our gym too?”

  “You go to Plymouth Fitness? Yeah, when I’m in town I get there as often as I can. Usually early morning.”

  “I’m not a morning person when it comes to the gym. I do classes after work sometimes and usually get there on the weekends. Unless the weather is like today and then I’ll just get a good walk in.”

  Brady glanced out at the beach, which was still busy with people walking even though the sun was going down. It was still so nice out.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty sweet here. I try to hit the beach on the weekends if I’m in town. I go through spurts where I’m not traveling and then I’ll sneak out in the afternoon sometimes for an hour or so and just soak in the sun.”

  Emma tried to think of a way to ask him about Nancy.

  Finally, she just brought it up. “I was reading the local news earlier and they still haven’t found anything on whoever killed Nancy Eldridge. Crazy to think something like that could happen here in Plymouth. Did you know her?” She said it casually.

  “Yeah, I did know Nancy. Damn shame what happened. Can’t imagine who would do that. She was a good girl. Everyone loved her.”

  “You knew her? That’s what I read too. No one has any idea and everyone liked her. So they don’t have any solid leads. Maybe it was a random thing?”

  Brady frowned. “Maybe, though, that kind of thing doesn’t happen in Plymouth. I mean never has as far as I know. It’s not like it’s Boston, you know?”

  Emma nodded in agreement.

  They were both quiet for a moment and then Brady cracked open a claw and had a few bites. He looked deep in thought before saying, “We worked out together sometimes. I actually called her the day after she disappeared to see if she wanted to go to the gym with me, but she never answered. Of course, I didn’t know then that she was gone.”

  “Did you know her well? Any idea if she was dating anyone?”

  “I knew her pretty well. We actually went on a date about six months ago, I met her on one of those dating sites. She’s a great girl, but there was just no chemistry there. She felt the same way. I actually would have gone out a second time, but she shut that down. But she said we could be friends and that she needed a workout buddy to keep her accountable. It stung for about two seconds, but she was right.”

  “So she probably didn’t talk to you about her dating life then?” Emma wondered if that would be weird to have that conversation with someone that you’d dated.

  “Oh no, she did. After our one date, we shifted gears pretty quickly and developed a good friendship. She dated two other guys in the last two months, but they didn’t last long either. She worked long hours and said it was always hard on relationships.”

  “You had that in common, with your travel,” Emma said.

  He grinned. “We did. That’s why we went on the first date. It seemed like we had a lot in common. Chemistry is a funny thing, though. It’s either there or it’s not. You can’t really force it. I liked her enough to go on a second date, but I was more relieved than anything when she said she wasn’t feeling it. Dating can be hard.”

  “That is so true,” Emma agreed.

  “So, what’s your story, Emma. Are you dating anyone?”

  “No. I haven’t been back long and really haven’t gone out much since I’ve been home. I went to Su Casa with my brother and his girlfriend a few weeks ago, that’s about it.”

  Brady smiled. “Well, I’m sure it won’t take you long, once you do get out there. I actually love Su Casa. We should go there sometime.”

  “Sure. I owe you, since you treated me to lobster tonight.”

  “No, you don’t. It was nothing. I was ordering one anyway. I’m glad we caught up though. We have to do this again soon.”

  Brady helped her clean up and put all the lobster remnants in the trash. He insisted on taking the garbage bag with him.

  “I’m going to the dump tomorrow. This will stink your place up otherwise.”

  “Thanks. This was fun. Thanks again for the lobster.”

  He smiled. A slow, lazy grin that made her notice how green his eyes were. She shivered as a sudden gust of cool air took her by surprise and the wind made the kitchen door slam shut.

  Chapter 12

  Belinda Russell came by the office the next morning around ten to fill them in on where the police stood with the investigation of Nancy’s murder. Because they were having company, Cindy picked up a box of donuts. Belinda declined the sugary treat and just had a black coffee. Meanwhile, Mickey’s eyes lit up when Cindy opened the cardboard box and the sweet scent of the donuts filled the room. He and Emma both helped themselves, jelly-filled for Mickey and glazed with pink sprinkles for Emma. Once they were all settled around the coffee table, Cindy began the meeting.

  “Thank you for taking the time to stop in. Anything you can share about what the police have done and discovered would be helpful,” she said.

  Emma set her donut down, picked up a pen and opened her notebook.

  “So, they say they’ve talked to everyone they can possibly think of. And there’s only one person that is even remotely close to being a suspect,” Belinda said.

  Mickey leaned forward. “Who’s that?”

  They’d all been following the case closely, but there had been little revealed in the papers so far.

  “Well, I think it’s ridiculous, and it’s part of the reason I want you all to get going on this again. They seem to have honed in on one person and aren’t really looking at anyone else now. I’m just worried that they are going down the wrong path and will miss catching the real killer.”

  “Who do they think it might be?” Cindy asked.

  “Peter Johnson. Sheila Johnson’s husband, or rather ex-husband. Sheila is the office manager at the law firm where Nancy works and she handled the divorce for Sheila.”

  “Why do they think it’s him? Did he and Nancy not get along?” Emma asked.

  “It doesn’t make any sense to me. He hardly knew Nancy, just through Sheila when they were going through the divorce. It wasn’t amicable, and Sheila only talks to him now about the kids. They have shared custody. So, Nancy only saw him a few times, and not for long.”

  “Did he say something to the police that was incriminating?” Cindy asked.

  “They talked to him, but didn’t get anything. They weren’t really even counting him as a suspect until they got the results back from cell phone tracking. There were no messages that were significant, but whoever took Nancy, took her cell phone too and didn’t get rid of it right away. It looks like whoever killed her then drove to the Kingston commuter train lot and took the train to Boston. The signal stopped there. They think the killer realized they needed to get rid of Nancy’s phone and disposed of it when they reached South Station.”

  “So, how does that make the police think it might be Peter? I thought I read that everyone they’ve talked to so far had an alibi,” Cindy asked.

  Belinda nodded. “They did. But Peter’s alibi was that he was working, and his job is as a train conductor. He says his shift was split, which they say is common with conductors. He started at noon, had a four-hour break in the late afternoon, and then was back on at eight and finished up around midnight. It’s the same route that the phone showed, with all the stops. They said his break would have given him time to kill Nancy, dispose of her body and go back to work.”

  “It really is amazing that they can track cell phones that way,” Cindy said. “But you’re not convinced?”

  Belinda shook her head. “Not yet. I suppose it’s possible, but I think it’s a bit of a reach. It could have been anyone that took the train to Boston and disposed of her phone when they got there. They don’t really have anything else on him.”

  “No DNA in his car?” Mickey asked.

  “No, nothing,” Belinda confirmed.

  “Still, he’s a conductor on the com
muter route. The timing of it is interesting,” Emma said.

  “It might be him. I’m not ruling him out. I just don’t want the search to stop with him,” Belinda said. “It doesn’t make sense to me that Peter would hurt Nancy. Unless there are things we don’t know. I don’t really know her friend Sheila very well. She and Nancy only grew close this past year.”

  “Okay, if you learn anything else that you think we should know, please keep us posted,” Cindy said.

  “We’ll get started right away on this. I’ll see if we can talk to that Peter guy as soon as possible. And we’ll do our own investigation and talk to everyone else the police have already talked to,” Mickey assured her.

  Belinda looked relieved. “Thank you. That’s all I want, just a thorough investigation of every possible suspect. Not a rush to convict someone before we are sure.”

  “We will give you updates as soon as we have any news at all,” Cindy promised.

  Belinda stood and took the last sip of her coffee. “I appreciate your time. I look forward to hearing your updates.”

  Cindy walked her to the door and promised to be in touch as soon as possible. Once Belinda was gone, Cindy added a splash of coffee to her mug as well as Emma and Mickey’s and they settled back down to make a plan. Cindy suddenly felt hungry and reached for a donut. She needed energy after all, and who was she kidding—the glazed with sprinkles was her favorite, too.

  “So, what do you both make of that?” Cindy asked. “Interesting about the cell phone tracking, isn’t it?”

  Mickey nodded. “They can do more and more with technology. Pretty soon they won’t need us at all!”

  Emma laughed. “It is cool what they can do now, but they will always need people involved. I think a lot of what we do is intuitive, especially when you talk to someone and get a feeling about how truthful they are.”

  “Who will you talk to first?” Cindy asked.

  Mickey chuckled. “Whoever answers the phone and agrees to meet with us. But Peter will be the first person I call.”

  “What if he doesn’t want to talk to you? No one has to talk to us, right?” Cindy said.