Old Friends and New, Another Murder

by Christa Nardi

  I don’t know if she would have kept talking about the neighbors. Hirsch came to the patio door and interrupted.

  “Dr. Bentley, there’s a package you need to sign for. I’ll walk you through the house.”

  “Package? I’m not expecting a package. Stella, did you order something?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not expecting a package either.”

  Hirsch shrugged. “Let’s all go to the front of the house and straighten this out.”

  We followed him through the house and out the front door. The driver handed Max a clipboard with one hand, a package in the other.

  “Where is the package from? We didn’t order anything.”

  The driver looked around and shrugged. “I’m sorry if this is inconvenient. My job is to deliver this package to this address for Connor Landry. Just sign, so I can go…”

  Hirsch lunged for the package and jerked it away from the driver. At the same time, one of the leashed police dogs pulled at his handler’s grasp.

  “Hirsch? Package.”

  Hirsch moved closer and the dog’s reaction heightened. Hirsch put the package on the ground and, once unleashed, the dog immediately went into guard position at the package. Hirsch turned to the driver.

  “Paperwork and license, please.”

  Hirsch reviewed the paperwork, took a picture of the paperwork and the driver’s license, then handed them back to the driver.

  “Wait! I need someone to sign for that package. Attest that I did my job in delivering it.”

  Hirsch took the clipboard back, wrote something on the paperwork, and gave it back to him. The driver couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  The handler called the dog off and Hirsch retrieved the package, nodding. He looked to Max and Stella.

  “Do you often get packages that are addressed to Landry or his wife, or anyone named Cabot or Jarvit, but with this address?”

  Max shook his head.

  Stella whispered, “Once before. Two weeks ago. It didn’t need a signature and was left on the step. I walked over with it and no one was home at the Landry’s. I left it on their step.”

  Hirsch nodded.

  “You did what? You went to his house?” Max was flailing his arms and I grabbed one before it hit me. Stella’s eyes were wide.

  “Calm down, Max.”

  Hirsch shook his head, but Max shut up. “Okay, back to the patio. Let’s get that package secured and finish up here. These people would like their lives back.”

  We were escorted back to the patio and waited. We sat on the patio and looked out over lush greenery, the blue sky above. Nobody wanted to talk and we all pulled out our phones. I had several messages from Brett, Kim, and even Marty.

  “Max? I think you’ll be in the clear after this. If not, Marty Cohn – the attorney who represented Zoe from the Grill – texted me to say he’s happy to meet with you if you need legal counsel.”

  It was like all his energy evaporated. His face fell, his shoulders slouched.

  “Thank you. I can’t take much more. Send me his information, please. I sure hope I don’t need it.”

  A few clicks later I said, “Done.”

  Behind us, Hirsch cleared his throat. “We’re done as well. You can have your house and office back. Detective Fabry and I need to have a conversation with Stella and then we will be out of your hair.”

  “Come on, Max. Let’s go inside and you can show me the house while they talk to Stella and enjoy some fresh air.”

  He hesitated until Stella said, “Go along. I’ll be okay.”

  By the time we finished the upstairs and came back down, the dogs and handlers were nowhere to be seen. Only Hirsch.

  “We’re done here. We tried not to make a mess. Sheridan, I’ll give you a ride back to Cold Creek.”

  I nodded. After hugs to Max and Stella, I left with Hirsch.

  “Fabry went to the Landry home. He and Brett will meet us at the Grill with any updates.”

  “And the package?”

  “On its way to the lab to determine what the contents are.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Z oe immediately hugged me when we entered the Grill. It hadn’t changed much. Smiling as she was, she looked younger than the last time we’d visited.

  “Zoe, it’s great to see you. You look great.”

  She nodded and beamed. “Thank you. I wish you could see Rebekah. She’s doing well in college. But, let’s get you and Chief Hirsch some coffee. Will Brett be joining you?” Her eyebrows arched.

  “Yes, he will.”

  She seated us and served our coffees, not waiting for the waitstaff to take care of us. “We figured with a murder near here, you would be coming to town. No offense to Chief Hirsch, but somehow you always were better at unraveling what was really going on. Even at your own risk.”

  Hirsch started to say something and shook his head as Fabry joined us.

  “Zoe, I’m just glad that everything has turned out well for you and Rebekah, and the rest of your family. And, of course, for the Grill. Cold Creek wouldn’t be the same without this place.”

  With a shake of her head, she whispered. “There’ve been rumors, you know…”

  Hirsch leaned forward. “Zoe, can you share those rumors with us? May be important.”

  “I hate to even say this out loud, you know. That Landry fellow?”

  We all nodded in anticipation and Fabry sat up straight.

  “He said something about getting a new franchise here for a barbecue place and a Starbucks and an Eggspot like they opened in North Shore. Can you believe that? Or all the building going on up there in North Shore?”

  Fabry deflated and I struggled not to laugh. Hirsch tried for more information.

  “Zoe, sooner or later, those things will probably happen. What else do you know about Landry? Does he come here often?”

  She shrugged. “Often enough, and he’s always talking about needing more choices in Cold Creek. And sometimes he’s with that Skinner guy. You remember him? He was involved in that boy’s murder a few years back. He must have gotten some kind of deal to be out so fast.”

  I nodded. “Have you seen Skinner around other than with Landry?”

  “Some other man. Same age, balding, and shorter. Landry? He’s a big guy. The other one not so much. Not as friendly or talkative either, though I saw him talking to Mrs. Landry. I never heard his name.”

  She shook her head and turned as the bell on the door signaled another customer and Brett. She rushed off to get more coffee. Brett joined us and soon had a fresh cup of coffee. Zoe hovered and we quickly placed our orders.

  “Zoe was just telling us about Landry’s plans for Cold Creek, and about seeing Jared Skinner, and some other man. And Mrs. Landry.”

  “Mrs. Landry come here often?” Brett asked after a sip of coffee.

  “The two of them – Mr. and Mrs. Landry – they’d come in for lunch every once in a while. Come to think of it, not lately though. Occasionally, she’d come in alone. From her clothes, they obviously have money.” She took our order and then disappeared.

  I turned to the three men. “Well?”

  “Interesting morning, but other than pretty much eliminating Max as a suspect – absolutely no evidence to support his involvement – not very productive.” Brett shook his head and slouched.

  “Oh, but it was productive in some ways.” Fabry’s comment had Brett sitting up and glancing from Fabry to me with wide eyes.

  “Not about Max, Brett. At least I don’t think so.”

  Fabry chuckled. “Absolutely not about Max. Though we, Hirsch actually, intercepted a package delivered to Max’s house, but addressed to Connor Landry. Text I just got confirmed what the canine assigned to us sensed. Drugs. Designer drugs. That puts Landry involved with the drugs, possibly Cabot and Jarvit, too.”

  “Why the wrong address? Honestly, I don’t see Max as a drug user or dealer. My opinion aside, couldn’t Cabot, Jarvit, and Landry argue the drugs weren’t thei
rs and claim that Max or Stella used his name to cover up their connection?”

  Fabry smiled. “The driver went to the wrong house. Twice, apparently. The address was Cabot’s only Max’s house is easier to see and the same street. And no number on either house. No one was home when I stopped there. Tally was working on the search warrant and on locating Mrs. Landry.”

  “Anything else new?” Hirsch asked.

  “Landry? They’re still working on the rest of the drug screen. Positive for opioids and other drugs. I’m surprised the combination with the Roofies didn’t kill him.”

  Fabry broke into a smile and his eyes twinkled as Zoe returned. Conversation stalled for a bit until

  Fabry glanced at his phone again. “Eat fast. They’re working on the search warrants as we feast.” With that he dug in as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  “How was Max holding up?” Brett asked before he attacked his lunch.

  “Okay, all things considered. He calmed down at the college, until Joe showed up. He was worried that you would read his notes and steal his research… his world was being violated and he had no control. Not good feelings.”

  Brett hesitated, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Probably how many people feel, those who are innocent at least. How was Stella?”

  “Surprisingly calm. And she’s the one who found the first package and delivered it to Landry’s house. She said he and his wife split? Have you talked to her, or Jarvit and Cabot?”

  Both men shrugged. “Not other than as witnesses to help establish a time frame for Landry’s whereabouts. We didn’t pay much attention to Jarvit. Or Cabot, for that matter.”

  “We may need to revisit our notes, Brett. If Cabot was the one who verified or refuted and not Jarvit, we may need to talk to Jarvit again and vice versa.”

  “And with a little more direct questions about designer drugs. There was a drug operation here previously that involved Skinner. He may be a place to start, especially if Cabot and Jarvit don’t know we’ve made a connection.”

  “Back then, didn’t you find connections across the state?” I’d been so concerned with exonerating the groundskeeper, I hadn’t paid much attention beyond finding the murderer.

  “Yup. We were able to trace the connections across the state. As is often the case, the center was closer to a major city. In this case running from Roanoke to Richmond and extending north. Like the situation in Clover Hill with the Buchanans, that was more the opioids though.

  “Couldn’t the same people or the same connections be used for both?” It seemed like a logical conclusion to me.

  “Not likely the same people behind both at a local level. Tend to be more specialized. Could a larger operation have different routes for different drugs? Certainly. But the ‘marketing’ or pull for the drugs is different. Opioids make the pain go away, while designer drugs are all about taking risks, getting the ride of your life. Or, in the case of Roofies, ensuring the person has no control. Different motivation, different market, different seller and dealer, at least at the local level. The fact that sometimes cocaine is mixed in, like in ecstasy, suggests ready access though – up the chain, all drugs are likely.”

  Fabry nodded in agreement. “We definitely need to lean on Skinner and follow his contacts to the next contact, and so on. Follow all the threads as far as we can. There’s been talk that some of the drug business was extending into vaping, a legal means for medical marijuana in some states and a better means for ingesting the drug than smoking. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to stop those in production from coming up with vape products for other illegal drugs. There have been some indications that this is already happening. Very scary.”

  “On the other hand, with accidental deaths associated with vaping, the regulations on vaping have become more restrictive – at least for minors.” Hirsch shook his head.

  “Wow. That is scary. And I bet easier to do in plain sight. Certainly, vaping the marijuana doesn’t give off the same sweet smell of smoking it. But there are limits on which drugs can be converted for vaping, right?

  “As far as we know, Sheridan, but the unknown?” Fabry shrugged and I realized he tended to be more cynical and negative than Brett.

  A beep on all their phones ended our discussion and my education on vaping. Brett handed me my keys.

  “Warrant is done and they’ve located Mrs. Landry. We’re meeting Tally at Landry’s house and then we’ll go from there. Let me know when you decide to head back to Clover Hill.”

  We all stood and with a quick kiss from Brett as he handed me my keys, the three men left. As they walked out the door, Zoe looked at me, the bill in her hand. I got the check.

  CHAPTER 15

  I left the Grill and strolled down the main street of Cold Creek. Quaint shops and memories of my years here. Some good and some bad. There was still only one dentist, Wayne, and I knew from Kim he was still single and as boring as ever. A wave of nostalgia swept over me as I walked down the street without recognizing some of the stores or people.

  Turning to find my car, I realized I hadn’t talked to Mitch much since our wedding. He’d taken over the counseling center on campus. Kim was teaching until 3 o’clock and I had time to visit if he was around. A quick text and I walked back to the college and the counseling center. No point in fighting for a parking space on campus.

  Mitch Pilsner had talked of retiring for years and opening a bed and breakfast. He certainly was of age for retirement, only he hadn’t taken that step yet. As a clinical psychologist who did some pro bono work in the community, he’d been a natural for the counseling center. These days, I knew from Kim, he worked only half-time and that was mostly at the counseling center.

  I walked in and found the waiting room much warmer and welcoming than I remembered. I let the student worker know who I was and sat down. There were two students waiting as well, their heads down and focused on their tablets.

  Mitch came out, smiling and warm. With a hug, he escorted me into the back. “I half expected you to show up, what with a murder and all.” He chuckled and rolled his eyes as he added, “Not to mention Max’s involvement. Coffee?”

  “Your own Keurig? Sure. I got a call from Kim and then one from him. Spent most of the morning with Max and then Max and Stella.”

  “That serious, huh?” He shook his head. “Max and ‘murder’ don’t even belong in the same sentence. ‘Max’ and ‘hysteria,’ more likely.”

  “You know the process. My impression is that he’s no longer a person of interest. Then again, if he spouts off about the victim… He can be his own worst enemy. Enough about Max. How are you and Dora doing? How much longer you going to keep this up?” I waved my arms around his office.

  “I think this is the last year. We’re both doing well.” With a shrug he added, “Some days we both feel our age and we have some travel we want to do while we still can. I’ve let them know they need to find someone else for next year. You interested?” His eyes twinkled.

  “Interested, maybe, but with Maddie’s schedule and Brett’s schedule? Not practical.”

  “You’re not someone to sit home. What are you doing?”

  I laughed. “Staying home and doing nothing but watching for dust to collect lasted only as long as I was still unpacking. Definitely didn’t suit me. This is my second year as a visiting faculty member at Millicent College and, when I’m not working, I volunteer at our local dog shelter. So I’m keeping busy.”

  “After all this time, you must have had a reason for stopping by, besides to catch up. What’s up?”

  “Just this week, there was some talk about designer drugs in Clover Hill. May or may not be related to the murder here. Any scuttlebutt or rumors related to that here?”

  His smile disappeared as I spoke, replaced with a grimace. He nodded. “Not sure why Roofies are lumped in with ecstasy and the hodge-podge homemade combinations. Not sure why, no matter how many ways we tell kids to beware, they don’t listen.”

  He shook his head
and continued. “After a party at an undisclosed location, we had a very busy Monday morning. Three juniors came in at different times. All three same story. They went to this party with their friends. They remember having a good time but had no recollection of leaving the party. When they woke up, they were in the arboretum, a good distance from their dorm or rental, and had no idea how they got there.”

  “Anything else?”

  “A quick trip to the emergency room was the next stop for each of them. I don’t know what the outcome was. They didn’t come back here.

  “Awful. Horrific. Did they give any names of others at the party? Police investigating?”

  “Didn’t amount to anything. They checked with the guys at the rental house. Hirsch said the boys confirmed a party. None of the girls indicated they spent time with them and since there were no charges pending, Hirsch didn’t ask about the girls in particular. Just asked questions generally. Of course, they denied anyone getting drunk or doing drugs. The guys are underage anyway, so they were adamant there was no alcohol. None provided by them anyway.”

  “Right. And no way to prove them wrong.” I took a deep breath. “Mitch, please tell me it wasn’t Max’s house they were renting.”

  He laughed. “That would be something, huh? No. Remember Dr. Montrose, that uptight woman? She moved before you left and has been renting it to students.”

  “No connection to the drugs or the murder.”

  “None. And even the girls’ description of the party was pretty calm. No Animal House movie scene. Hirsch said the house was cleaner than he’d expected but not suspiciously sterilized. He said the guys were intimidated by the police showing up, though not sweating or avoiding questions. One of them wanted to know why all the questions, asked if someone got sick or something and started apologizing for the dip and using sour cream that was beyond the expiration date.”

  We both laughed. “Most of the students here have the money for drugs and there were some involved in drugs back when Justin Blake was killed. Any indications of that continuing or recurring?”