by Mak K. Han
“Who else is on your list of suspects?”
“Dana Jones,” I said. “And Kevin Drake.” I let the names hang in the air for a minute. “And we're also keeping in mind that it might be someone we haven't even thought of. Jeannie made a lot of enemies.”
George shook his head. “I don't see how. Sure, she was a bit abrasive at times...”
I raised an eyebrow at George.
He shrugged. “Okay, maybe I see your point, but still. Anyway, if you're interested, there's a CBSS meeting tomorrow afternoon. It's the first meeting since the murder, so Dana will probably be answering questions about Jeannie. We should check it out.”
“Good thinking,” I said, opening my car door. “What time's the meeting?”
“Four,” he said. “At the library.”
“Good,” I said. “I'll be working. I'll see you tomorrow at four.”
“See you then,” he said.
I climbed into my car and took off down the road.
Chapter 17
George arrived at the library about fifteen minutes before the meeting. I left Susan at the desk and together we headed out back to the meeting. I'd had the foresight to bring a radio to work that day so I took that out back.
Only a few days ago we'd all congregated back here to discuss the situation with Jeannie, with Jeannie chained to the tree across the road. It seemed so much different. People were laughing and chatting and the overall mood was a lot happier. Still, the murder hung heavy overhead like a rain cloud.
“Hi Dana!” I said cheerfully. “I couldn't bring any food because I had to work today, so I brought this.” I lifted the radio. “I figured some background music would be nice.”
“Great thinking Laura!” She said. I set up the radio and retreated with George to the outskirts of the meeting. Miss Tilwell was doing something similar, floating around the edge of the meeting, trying to overhear whatever she could.
“What's with the radio?” he asked in a whisper.
I couldn't tell him the truth; I didn't trust him enough yet. “Peace offering. I'm trying to get on Dana's good side. She's more likely to be more forthcoming with information if she likes me.”
I'd set the radio at a low volume, but it was enough. I listened to a conversation between Kathy Greensburg and Jaclyn Waters; Kathy was telling Jaclyn about her recent divorce. She was saying she was “much happier since I left Harry.” I heard static with her next statement. "I think this was a good move.”
“All right everyone,” Dana said. “Let's get this show on the road.”
Conversation was light to start. The CBSS members talked about revitalizing the gardens out near the library parking lot and discussed (gossiped) about various houses throughout Strawberry Shores that could be 're-beautified'.
About twenty minutes into the meeting, the inevitable happened. Jaclyn Waters rose her hand and asked what was going to replace the burned-out barn and tree across the street.
“Bonnie Burnham bought the property,” Dana said. “She's planning on building a restaurant or something. She's already showed me her rough ideas for the building. It's up to CBSS standards.”
“Good,” Jaclyn said. “It'll be nice to get past that awful murder.”
“Has any progress been made in finding out who the killer was?” Donna Jules asked.
Dana frowned. “Not as far as I know. We're getting a bit side-tracked—”
Dana was losing control over the conversation. It was time to push the topic toward the murder and keep it there for a while. I raised my hand. “Aren't you a suspect in the case?” I asked.
Dana rubbed her forehead. “Yes, that's true. I'm a suspect.”
“Did you kill her?” I asked.
Dana shook her head. “We're getting way off track,” she said.
Darn. I'd been hoping for a yes or no.
The meeting got back on track. I barely paid attention. I knew I'd have to come at Dana from a different angle, but I had to figure out a way to do it. As the meeting was winding down I had a plan.
When the meeting ended I approached Dana. “Hey, Dana, I'm sorry about being so pushy about the Jeannie thing,” I said. “I didn't mean to put you on the spot. It's just, I'm a suspect too, because I was one of the last people to see Jeannie alive.”
“Oh, it's alright Laura,” she said. “No harm done.”
“It's been bugging me,” I pushed. “Who do you think did it?”
“It could be anyone,” Dana said. The static in my head didn't go off, but that didn't mean anything—technically, it could have been anyone. I had to get more specific.
“Who do you think it was?”
Dana looked around and led me aside. “Truth be told,” she began, “I have my suspicions about Kevin.”
So far so good. I wasn't hearing any static.
“I know he's eager to impress,” Dana continued, “but sometimes I wonder if he's not trying too hard. You should have seen him during the CBSS meetings. When he wasn't in public, he had some pretty vile things to say about Jeannie. I'm wondering if he heard about what Jeannie was doing when he got back from Dallas and poisoned her that night.” Dana had been sort of staring off into space as she spoke, but she focused on me. Her eyes were a sort of stony bluish gray. “Have you heard anything about him?”
I shook my head. “No. But I'll keep an eye on him, just in case.”
Dana nodded and with that, she turned and started talking to Donna.
The conversation had been fruitful. The static hadn't gone off while Dana had been talking, so I could say two things with relative certainty: one, that Dana wasn't the killer, and two, that she suspected Kevin. It was significant that Dana—who probably knew Kevin better than anyone else—suspected him, but it wasn't enough to indict him. I'd have to focus on him.
I spotted him near the stacks, talking to George. George walked away as I approached.
“Hey Kevin,” I said.
He was loading paperwork into a briefcase and putting on his jacket. “Hi Laura.”
“So these last few days have been pretty excit—”
“Sorry Laura,” Kevin said, cutting me off. “I just got back and I'm pretty busy. Let's catch up later,” he said. He smiled at me. I opened my mouth to say something in response but he'd already turned on his heel.
“Did you notice him acting funny?” George asked behind me.
I turned to him. “A little. He's not usually so brisk. And he hardly spoke during the meeting.”
“I noticed that too,” George said. “Usually he's like Dana's parrot. Did you get a chance to talk to him?”
I shook my head. “Barely. I didn't ask him about the case.”
George shook his head. “Me neither. But he mentioned he's going to the Pelican tomorrow. I'll ask him then.”
“I'm coming with you,” I said. “What time?”
“We're meeting at four,” he said.
I opened my mouth to say 'okay' and then stopped. I was working until five.
“Hold that thought,” I said. “I have to work.”
“It's okay,” George said. “I'll talk to him. You can show up after if we're still there.”
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds like a plan.” I went to pick up the radio and quietly said: “Just be careful. I know you want to catch Jeannie's killer, but take care to catch the right killer.”
“Oh yes,” George said. “I'll make sure the right person goes to jail. I loved Jeannie.”
Just before I unplugged the radio, I heard static when George said 'I'll make sure the right person goes to jail'.
I'd let George talk to Kevin, but I'd figure out a way to talk to Kevin myself later. George's heart was in the right place, but then again, he didn't have the static.
And I didn't want to make any mistakes.
Chapter 18
I called George after my shift, and he said Kevin had already left the Pelican, so I went straight home to meet with Emily and Alex. That was fine; it was raining in torrents and I hadn
't really wanted to go downtown.
The girls had let themselves into the house and made sandwiches. They'd made one for me, so we all sat at the dining room table to eat and wait for George to arrive.
“Tim isn't a suspect,” I announced. “According to George, he and Mrs. Hayfield went straight home after the town meeting.”
“What about Dana?” Emily asked.
I shook my head. “Innocent as far as I can tell. She suspects Kevin, though. George met him at the Pelican to talk to him.”
Alex pulled a pickle out of her sandwich, leaned her head back, and lowered it into her mouth. “Did you get a chance to talk to Kevin at all?” She asked with a mouthful.
“A little. He was acting strangely. George should be here soon. He was in love with Jeannie though, so I'm going to have to talk to Kevin on my own. I'm afraid he might be basing his decisions on emotion instead of logic.”
“Good idea,” Alex said. “Men are stupid when they're in love.”
“Mm-hmm,” Emily agreed.
There was a knock at the door. “Come in!” I shouted. The door opened and George came in. “How did it go?”
George took a seat at the table. “He's definitely suspicious,” he said.
“You want something to eat?” Emily asked. “Laura's food is really good.”
George shook his head. “No, I'm all set. I ate at the bar. Anyway, any time I asked Kevin about the night of the murder, he dodged the question. At one point he said he was at home. At another point he said his car broke down.”
“Sounds suspicious,” Emily said. She looked at me. “I definitely think you should talk to him.”
I knew what Emily was saying—she was saying I should talk to him with a radio in the background. The girls knew I was keeping George in the dark about my power, at least for the time being. If this lead with Kevin proved fruitful, though, I might consider letting him in on the secret. Four sets of eyes were better than three when it came to situations like this one.
“You have a chance,” George said. “There's another CBSS meeting on the edge of town. A secret one. Kevin told me where it is.”
“Can you take us there?” Alex asked.
George nodded.
“How many people are going to be there?” Emily asked.
George cocked his head. “I don't know. A couple dozen?”
Emily wiped her mouth and stood. “Okay, Laura—you talk to Kevin. I'll be there for moral support. And also to sell cupcakes.”
“Wait, Emily, this really isn't a good time—” I interjected.
“If Emily gets to sell cupcakes, I get to sell clothes,” Alex said flatly. She abandoned her sandwich and stood.
“Alex, Emily, we really don't have time to sell—”
“No fair!” Emily cried. “It was my idea. You're going to take business from me!”
“It's called 'capitalism',” Alex shot back. “It's that thing where people can choose where they buy stuff. And they're going to be much more interested in looking good in my clothes than getting fat on your cupcakes.”
“My cupcakes don't make people fat—”
“Okay!” I said, rubbing my temples. “You can sell stuff. Just try to stay out of the way and keep the bickering to a minimum, please?”
So once Emily had grabbed her cupcakes and Alex had collected the clothes she wanted to sell, we left the house and got in my car.
Time to talk to Kevin Drake.
Chapter 19
“It makes sense,” Emily said as we drove. She talked louder than usual because the windshield wipers were on the highest setting and making a racket. “Kevin wanted to impress Dana, so he killed Jeannie.”
In the back seat, Alex shook her head. “I don't know if he wanted to impress Dana. I think Dana would have reported him if Kevin had told her he'd killed Jeannie. I think he was just fed up with Jeannie's nonsense. She was making Dana upset, so he decided to get rid of her.”
“You don't know that,” Emily said, scowling over the seat.
“We don't have any evidence of anything,” I said. I turned the radio on so the girls would pay more attention to it than to each other. “So tell me exactly what happened at the bar,” I said to George, who was sitting directly behind me.
“Well, I showed up at four. We got to playing pool, and I was asking him how he'd been. I told him he seemed stressed. He told me not to worry about it. We were shooting pool and making small talk, and I made an off-hand comment about the murder. That was the first time he dodged the topic. He said he was at home. I changed the subject and he mentioned that his car had broken down a couple of nights before. I asked when, and he said Thursday night. That was the night Jeannie was murdered. So where was he? At home, or out with a broken-down car?” George shook his head. “Something didn't add up.”
George was right. Something didn't add up. Everything he'd just said had caused the static to go off.
Everything.
I thought back to what I'd said to him: 'tell me exactly what happened at the bar'. Could there be a miscommunication there? We both knew I was referring to the Pelican, and that I was asking about what had happened around four when he was there.
The static, therefore, seemed to mean that either George was lying about what happened, or he was lying about being there at all.
“You really loved Jeannie, didn't you?” I asked him.
George nodded. “I did.”
The static went off. I realized that the previous day as we were collecting the radio at the CBSS meeting—when the static had gone off—it hadn't just been triggered by George saying 'I'll make sure the right person goes to jail'; it had also been triggered by him saying 'I loved her'.
I looked at him in the rear view. “So tell me more about this secret CBSS meeting,” I said.
“It's a ways ahead. I'll tell you when we're near. Keeping going straight.”
He was taking us along Route 28, and Route 28 lead out of Strawberry Shores.
I took a deep breath. “There is no secret CBSS meeting, is there George?” I asked.
“Sure there is.”
Static.
“You didn't love Jeannie, did you?”
“Yes I did.”
Static.
“You killed Jeannie, didn't you?”
George hesitated.
“You were telling the truth the other day. Your parents did go home after the town meeting. But you went home separately. You stopped by the construction site and gave Jeannie the poisoned water.”
George rubbed his head. “No, that's not true...”
“Yes it is,” I said. “You killed Jeannie because she was interfering with your dad's project. You're going to inherit the business when he retires, right? So you want him to make as much money as possible so you'll inherit as much as possible. Jeannie was clogging up the works so you killed her.”
I felt something at my side. Looking down, I saw it was a knife. George had leaned forward and put it against me. Alex and Emily stared at me, wide-eyed.
“I liked her,” George said. “I tried to get on her good side that night at the Pelican. But she wouldn't have it. Then she started interfering with dad's project. I just kept saying I loved her so nobody would suspect me. How did you figure it out?”
“Just a hunch,” I said quickly. “Dana was wrong when I talked to her at the CBSS meeting. Kevin didn't come back on Thursday; he came back on Friday. He said it the first morning your dad tried to tear down the tree. He and Dana were handing out petitions and he said he'd help her once he got back on Friday. Kevin Drake was out of town the night Jeannie was killed. There's no way you were telling the truth about what happened at the bar. He would have told you he was in Dallas and seeing as he could prove it; he wouldn't be a suspect. But you knew that though, didn't you?”
“I knew it was you who solved the Daniel Berkshire case,” he said. “I knew you were a threat. Then you started poking around. Well, I'm going to finish what Daniel started. Keep driving. You three are ab
out to skip town. They're never going to find you, but everyone will assume that because you left, you were guilty.”
“Laura?” Emily asked quietly from the passenger seat.
“Yeah?”
“We're getting kidnapped again, aren't we?”
I sighed. “Yeah, we're getting kidnapped again.”
Chapter 20
We were in trouble and I had to do something.
I was wearing my seat belt. If I tried to release it, George might panic and give me a jab. Then I'd be wounded and Alex and Emily would be left to deal with George themselves. I couldn't stand the idea of lying in the grass in some wooded area, bleeding out and watching them dig graves for the three of us.
I had to do something. But what?
I could push his hand away and attack, but that might not work. If he didn't drop the knife, he might freak out. Alex and Emily were both wearing their seat belts too, and without the ability to communicate a plan with them beforehand, taking George by surprise might result in chaos—and one of us might get stabbed in the process. Plus, it might cause a crash.
I stopped myself.
A crash.
I was wearing my seat belt. So were Alex and Emily. George had taken his off so he could lean forward. We were on Route 28 and it was raining.
My heart skipped a beat. This was a gamble, but it was better than letting George take us out to the countryside and kill us.
We made our way along Route 28 and went under the underpass where I'd almost crashed the first time, when the car hydroplaned. I spotted a sharp curve ahead and sped up.
“Take it easy,” George growled. “You don't want to attract police attention.”
“Police attention?” I asked. There was a deep puddle on the curve. “You should be more worried about the weather.”
“What about it?” George asked.
“Dangerous driving conditions.” As we hit the curve, I jerked the wheel hard to the right.
Had the car not hydroplaned, we would have pulled a ninety-degree turn into the broad face of a cliff. But the tires couldn't find any traction and the car started spinning around in circles.