“And we have chicken salad, chips, and your choice of water or coffee.”
I chuckled. “Both. Look at all the chicken salad on this sandwich.” I took a bite and smiled. “Almonds in the chicken salad. Good.”
We enjoyed our lunch without talking about the murder, though going back to Cold Creek on Sunday was a point of discussion. We still wanted to see the foliage and follow up with Kim. Brett packed everything back up and took it to the car or trash receptacles before carrying me back to the car. On the way home, Kim called.
“Hi, Sheridan. Marty is going to kill me. I’ve been sleuthing.”
I chuckled. “What do you mean?”
“I looked up information on Moss Builders. There was an open house this afternoon in North Shore. I thought that was odd, but who am I to say. I went.”
“And?” I put the phone on speaker so Brett could hear what she had to say.
“I think it was the same general area where Max lives. And it is beautiful up there. The house was huge and staged with very expensive furniture. Only a man and a woman were there. They were very cordial, though I got the impression they weren’t really expecting anyone. Caught them in a kiss.” She laughed.
“What did you tell them?”
“That was easy. I told them I owned a home in Cold Creek and my partner and I were thinking that maybe we needed a bigger house. Playing to their ego, I told them I’d heard good things about the houses they’re building. Nice day for a ride and all.” She paused and then continued.
“The woman gave me a tour while the man made a phone call. Odd, neither of them introduced themselves. I heard her call him Chase. Anyway, the house was gorgeous. In response to my questions, she said there were six houses already built – this was the sixth. The plan was to build two more. If I preferred a different floor plan, those hadn’t been built yet. I mentioned the murder and wasn’t the body found nearby. She paled and I was afraid she was going to pass out.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing of note. She excused herself and left me upstairs. I waited a few minutes and heard her telling Chase what I’d said. His voice was muffled and I couldn’t hear what he said. I tried to be nonchalant and poured on the flattery about the house. Then I asked if they had a detail sheet to share with my partner. They gave me one, but get this – it was not for that address.”
“Kim, did either of them give you a business card? Is there a name on the detail sheet?” Brett took over asking the questions.
“Only Moss Builders. Not an individual name.”
“What did Chase look like?”
“He was okay looking, balding, average height. He was dressed casually, polo shirt and khaki pants. Leather jacket on the chair.”
“How old do you think he was?”
“In his thirties, I think.
“Anything else you noticed about him? Anything that stood out?”
“For a realtor, he wasn’t friendly or welcoming. The house looked beautiful, but the two of them weren’t exactly in selling mode.”
There was a crash, a screech, and Kim let loose a string of profanity.
“Are you all right? What happened?”
“Someone threw a brick through my window. There’s glass everywhere. I’m going to call the police. I’ll talk to you later.”
CHAPTER 21
T he call ended and I shook my head. “What do you make of that or of Chase? Do you think it’s the same Chase?”
Brett’s face was grim. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll shoot her a picture of Chase to be sure. But then who was the woman?”
“Is it possible it was Celeste?”
“Celeste didn’t have much positive to say about him. Of the two of her husband’s friends, she liked him the least.”
“I don’t want to sound as cynical as Fabry, but couldn’t she have lied?”
He chuckled. “Good point. One we’ll have to follow up on. I’ll talk to Fabry about it later.” He pulled into the driveway and helped me out of the car and on the scooter. At the house, we were welcomed by the dogs and Brett let them out.
“Fabry is spending the day at the high school and Clover Hill Academy. He’s going to have a talk with Caleb. See what he knows or doesn’t know. He’ll check in with the Stories boy who hasn’t graduated as well. Then he’s going to talk to a couple of random people at Clover Hill Academy and see if anything shakes out.” Clover Hill Academy was the choice of many families who thought themselves above sending their kids to public school. Caleb and Luke had both been involved in the murder of Lawrence Stories and drugs in the past.
“Is there anyway there’s a Buchanan in the mix? Mrs. Chantilly made a comment about the drugs and asked me that. She said Blake was upset about the murder and possible drug connection. Anyone talked to Shane recently?”
“I don’t know about Shane. I was going to suggest you not go to Pets & Paws tomorrow, but maybe Mrs. Chantilly will be there and you can casually make a comment and see her reaction. Somehow that seems to work with you.”
I nodded. Conversations with Mrs. Chantilly didn’t always make sense. Sometimes she rambled and scrambled content. In the process, she might let something important slip out. It had happened in the past. I was never quite sure if that was intentional or not.
“We can do that, though I’m not too sure how much I can do. For now, I’m going to take a quick nap before Maddie gets home. And I want to check in on Kim before dinner.”
“In the meantime, I’m going into the office to work on reports and such. We need more information on all the players. Landry to start with, then Cabot, Jarvit, and our good friend Jared Skinner. And maybe some information on who, if anyone, is in contact with Shane Buchanan.”
After the nap, I felt better and popped into the office to find Brett on the phone. He finished the call and I pulled me, scooter and all, over to the desk.
“While I was up in Lynchburg checking things out, James took on the Buchanan clan and the high schools. We already knew Luke’s story and needed to check on Caleb. Del Buchanan and his wife were a bit put off when James showed up at the house. Did you know Caleb’s only attending half-days and is still at the Academy? I thought both of them were at Clover Hill High.”
“Huh. I thought so, too. Why only half-days?”
“According to Del and his wife, he’s on furlough at home Monday through Friday to attend school and returns to rehab for the weekend. A transition period was the recommendation from rehab so as not to over-stress him and allow him to gradually return. You’re the psychologist here. Does that even make sense?”
“It does, sort of. Usually, they would have him home for the weekend first and then add days.”
“They apparently did the weekends only and then switched to week days only when school started. Now, he is five days home and two at rehab, but only for half days in school.”
“Okay. For any student who is hospitalized, regardless of the reason, and therefore absent from school, friends, and so on, it is better for a gradual transition. With chronic illness, there is an issue of fatigue as well. I’m not sure how that works with drug rehab. It’s conceivable that after not being engaged in school for several months, he could fatigue easily and not be used to constantly having to pay attention. In all likelihood, he’s also behind academically and that would cause additional stress. And stress could be a trigger for drug use.”
“That’s kind of what they explained, in between accusing Fabry of looking for a scapegoat. Then Blake showed up. Fabry says he kept explaining they were talking to lots of students at both high schools. They called Caleb’s attorney and his probation officer. Both listened in, along with Blake, Del and his wife, as Fabry asked his questions.”
“What did Caleb say? Anything?”
“Nothing very productive. Fabry described Caleb as pale. He must have lost weight as his clothes were baggy and looked too big on him. He was serious and spoke slowly. Fabry didn’t see anything to suggest Caleb is taking any drugs – m
edicinal or otherwise.”
“That’s good.”
“Caleb stated the hours he attends school and which classes he is in, all of which is tracked anyway. He was hesitant to say anything else until his probation officer and lawyer prompted him to tell Fabry if he knew anyone who might be involved. Told him it would look good for him if he cooperated. Odd thing? Blake didn’t say a word at that.”
“Will it help?”
“Not exactly. Not cooperating, however, would be a red flag and could hurt him. So they overstated the positive. Caleb wasn’t comfortable though providing names with the audience he had. Smart boy. He asked everyone but Fabry to leave and asked the probation officer to end his call.”
“I bet that went over well.” My tone conveyed the sarcasm.
“As expected. Del and his wife caved first – if that was Caleb’s wish, they’d leave. Probation officer complied with a reminder they would be talking on Monday. That left Blake. Fabry threatened to have him arrested for obstruction if he didn’t leave. Not sure that would really hold up.” Brett shook his head before he continued.
“Caleb’s attorney – who is also Blake’s attorney – told him to leave. Caleb provided two names he suspected were using or dealing. Just like with Luke, Caleb has been approached.”
“And now, if Fabry talks to them, they will know, or at least think, Caleb had something to do with it.”
Brett chuckled. “You don’t know Fabry in the field. He showed up at Clover Hill Academy, flashed his badge and asked the principal to identify the students who would know the most about any rumblings in the school. So the first boy he spoke to was the Senior Class President, then the Junior Class President, both of whom were of age and didn’t need a parent present.” He paused for a sip of coffee.
“Then, he asked the principal for a list of other students and ‘randomly’ selected three names. The principal sat in on the three others, all underage, and Fabry kept his questions pretty vague. ‘We’re investigating designer drugs in high schools in the county. Have you heard any talk about ecstasy or Roofies or homemade combos in capsules with cartoon characters?’ and the like.”
He finished his eggs and shook his head. “The principal, of course, assumed the same questions were asked of the other two students. On the plus side, he assured Fabry there would be a special assembly on the problem and risks, and asked for suggested speakers. Fabry obliged.”
“That’s good.” We both turned when we heard the door open. Maddie joined us.
“Dad, were you the one at the high school today, talking to students?”
“Not me, Maddie. Fabry. How’d you know about that?”
“Dad, really, with social media, there are no secrets. What’s for dinner?”
“Pizza. We just need to settle on what we want on it.” Pizza ordered, delivered and eaten, I called Kim.
“How are you doing? What did Hirsch say?”
“He shook his head and asked me who I made mad. Not much he can do. I wasn’t looking out the window so I didn’t see anyone or a car. Brett apparently talked to him and he showed me some pictures to see if I recognized the real estate guy. His picture was there. As I was leaving, a younger man arrived. Hirsch had his picture, too.”
“What about your window?”
She snickered. “I cleaned up all the glass and then Marty had to vacuum the whole living room again, including all the furniture. He’s at the hardware store getting wood to cover it and arrange for someone to replace the window. Good thing it’s not too cold or raining. Here, he is now. Later.”
CHAPTER 22
M addie holed up in her room with the dogs and Brett agreed to watch a Hallmark mystery movie. It was a good one, but I realized our conversation on what Fabry found out had been interrupted. As soon as the movie ended I blurted out, “Okay, what about at the high school?”
“Fabry gave the principal the same spiel and immediately asked to speak with Tyler Stories. Tyler wasn’t exactly helpful. He clammed up, denied any knowledge and told him to check the academy where all the rich kids go or ask the jocks. The principal didn’t have much to say either, only that Tyler hasn’t been the same since his father’s murder.”
“That’s too bad. I hope someone has prompted Lila to get him some counseling.”
“Fabry mentioned he was going to call her and suggested the principal to do likewise.”
“So, the high school was a bust?”
“Not completely. He talked to the captain of the football team and a few others the principal identified as students who might know something. Oddly enough, the principal only identified boys. That didn’t sit well with Fabry so he asked to talk to the head cheerleader and one of the girls on the student council.”
He paused for a sip of coffee. “The cheerleader evaded his questions completely and was quite defensive. The student council president hemmed and hawed and finally admitted that there were rumors. Designer drugs are available at the high school – only she wasn’t in the know on who had them and didn’t want to know.”
“That’s not very helpful.”
“No, but it tells us it’s not limited to Cold Creek or Lynchburg. The principal was not happy with what he heard and Fabry gave the high school principal the same contact information for a speaker. Fabry asked him to identify some other kids most likely to be in trouble and made like he was selecting random names…”
I shook my head. “The principal mentioned Luke, right?”
Smiling, Brett nodded his head. “He did, but indicated he had expected Luke to be trouble, but so far no indication other than when he fell asleep in class after working all night at Pets & Paws.”
That made me feel good and said a lot about Luke and the principal. “So what did Fabry find out from the supposed ‘bad boys’ the principal identified?”
“Not much. But he made sure they knew the police were on it and if they heard of anything or knew anything, they should contact him. And Fabry did one other thing – to protect Luke, he included him in one of the groups. Later, he stopped at Pets & Paws to check on him.”
Brett chuckled and then continued. “He said Luke was okay and then asked about the vet. Is she married? He wants to know.”
I laughed. When we first met, we’d joked about all the people in our lives who, once “coupled,” decided everyone should be so happy. It was true. Whether it was Kim and Marty or Angie and Eric or most recently Fabry and Vanna, we seemed to project our romantic warm feelings onto them. Whether they liked it or not was another story.
“Where does that leave us?”
Brett’s eyebrows raised. “Us? Haven’t you and Kim learned anything yet?” His eyes twinkled and he squeezed my shoulder.
“Just consider me a sounding board. Let’s start with Landry, the victim. Married to Celeste, friends with Cabot and Jarvit. Talks a lot about developing Cold Creek to bring it into the next century. What else?”
“You pretty well nailed it, Sher. He made his money in development. He took a concept and then sold it and franchised it to others. He’s the one who brought all the new restaurants and a few boutiques to North Shore. And at least a few boutique stores in Cold Creek.”
“I noticed the new stores. But how does that make money?”
“He puts together the start-up and then finds someone who wants to be their own boss, a small business owner. He shows them how this idea worked somewhere else, how much money other owners are bringing in, and they buy into it. Like any other franchise – from McDonald’s to Starbucks – or in his case Eggspot and a few others. He’s expanded and moved around in the last few years. Currently, he seems to be working the more rural areas.”
“I bet it’s easier to sell the idea in some place that doesn’t already have five coffee shops. Okay, so he makes money by convincing others that if they work his idea, they can make money. Could one of those ‘franchises’ be drugs? What was in the box shipped to his house?”
He laughed. “An odd combination of over-the-counter
pain relievers, tampons, opioids, roofies, and ecstasy. When the box was opened, it initially looked like a false positive – like the dog had been mistaken. Each box was opened and the contents checked. Someone had done a very good job of opening and resealing the packages.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Some of the pain reliever bottles really held ibuprofen. Some didn’t. When the package was opened, the pill bottle was no longer sealed and the contraband was inside. It wouldn’t have shown in an x-ray. If the dog hadn’t reacted to the box, just opening it? It would have looked like someone was stocking up.”
“Knowing the contents for real, was it for his own use or to deal?”
“If that was the second box in two weeks, I’d guess to deal. One box over several months? I might go with individual use. Use might even explain the traces of various drugs in his tox screen.”
“And you said he had a suspected history of drug involvement. What happened there?”
“It’s puzzling. He was arrested and it looks like there must have been a procedural issue. There was no resolution. Bottom line, he was released and eventually the charges were dismissed.”
“Hmm. That’s odd. What about Celeste Landry?”
“They were married right after Landry graduated. She comes from a well-positioned family, not unlike the Buchanans. She’s never held a job, though she has drawn pay from Landry’s business dealings from time to time. No children.”
“Have you met her?”
“Tally was the one who located her and did the notification. We all were there when the search warrant was served. Other than prescription medications, including Percocet, there were no illegal drugs found. She had the script for the Percocet from surgery on her elbow.”
“Were they officially separated?”
“Not from what she told Tally or Fabry. No legal documents had been executed. She had been staying at a hotel in Richmond and had returned to the house on Wednesday to try to work things out.”
Old Friends and New, Another Murder Page 9