Old Friends and New, Another Murder

by Christa Nardi

  “And he’s her alibi. How convenient.”

  Brett chuckled. “I definitely think Fabry’s cynicism is wearing off on you.”

  I punched his arm. “That leaves Skinner, Jarvit, and Cabot.”

  With a shake of his head, he responded, “Not sure about Cabot. From all that we can find out, he is an old friend of theirs and has dinner and breakfast once a week. He may even advise them on their finances, though there is no official record of that. No indication of money changing hands and he is the only one not living in a house built and subsidized by Moss Builders.”

  “Ah. What is their involvement in Moss?”

  “Based on the paperwork filed, they are the owners, Jarvit as primary. The property was filtered through Landry to Moss and then the houses and lot were paid for. Nothing illegal there.”

  “And where does Austin Antos fit in, if at all?”

  “I don’t know. We’re working on it. In the meantime…” He put his arms around me, lifted me up and carried me to bed. “You give me quite the scare some times.” He let me know just how much he cared.

  CHAPTER 23

  G etting in and out of cars was much easier by Saturday and there was less pain. Brett reminded me I needed to make an appointment to get my ankle checked and wrote it on the white board in the kitchen. Maddie was excited to see the new pups and Brett was happy to drop us off. We’d all forgotten about the steps to get inside though. Brett carried me and Maddie carried the scooter. The front door opened and Mrs. Chantilly came out to greet us.

  “Sheridan, Brett, this isn’t the threshold. Is this a re-enactment?”

  Maddie laughed and moved the scooter forward.

  “No, Mrs. Chantilly, I sprained my ankle and can’t put weight on that foot.” Brett put me down gently and I leaned onto the scooter as I answered.

  “Okay, well we’re glad you came. Dogs are good therapy for pain, you know. Good for whatever ails you, ask Luke.”

  “Is Luke all right?”

  “Oh, yes, he’s wonderful. It’s the dogs that are responsible. Detective, are you helping out today, too?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m off to run some errands. I’ll be back around noon.” She nodded and he gave Maddie and me each a quick kiss and left. We went inside and Maddie immediately disappeared to the mama and pups room.

  “You know, dear, as you get older you need to be more careful.”

  “For sure. Anything new here? How’s Cocoa?”

  “Cocoa is doing very well. We haven’t found her forever home yet or a foster. Luke has put her photo on social medium, whatever that is. You understand it. Lacie understands it. Luke understands it. Me? Nope and no desire to understand it.” Lacie had lived and worked at the shelter years before but after her involvement in a murder, she had disappeared.

  “Luke in the back? I’ll grab a coffee and help him out.”

  “That would be good. All this drug business has him nervous. He’s come so far. Even Blake agrees and of course his parents. Not like Caleb.”

  “Is Caleb still having problems?”

  “He’s doing good. He’s more like his Uncle Shane and some of his friends, not like Sebby.”

  “Who is Sebby? I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone called that.”

  “It’s not important. You have the hunk of your life. I have to get the cookies out. Now the peanut butter ones and chocolate chips are from Maddie and Nedra – for people, not dogs. Sebby was always the smart one, respectful, too. He’d know which cookies to eat.”

  She disappeared and I shook my head. In the back, I spotted Cocoa and Luke. I scooted over to Cocoa and talked to her, her tail thumping in response.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Wrong place, wrong time. Just a sprain and doing much better. Other than talking to the dogs, I’m not sure what good I can be.”

  “Talking is good. Maddie in with the pups?”

  “Sure is. She wasn’t going to miss them. How about you? You holding on?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Better than I was the other night. Everyone at the high school is talking about the detective and how they talked to a bunch of us. Everyone’s a little on edge.” His color was good and he wasn’t shaking. Like Mrs. Chantilly said, the dogs helped him a lot.

  “Luke, maybe you can help me. Mrs. Chantilly just mentioned someone named Sebby. I’ve heard that name before and can’t place it.”

  “Maybe she meant Uncle Sebby.”

  “Wait. Sebby Buchanan?” When we’d looked at the Buchanan family history, there had been lots of sons – eight sons who had eight sons at one point. Each generation continued to have sons, with only two girls. Most recently, Lila Buchanan had married Lawrence Stories, the person killed by Shane Buchanan. I didn’t know of another male member of the Buchanan family who wasn’t a Buchanan.

  “No. He’s not a Buchanan, not related. Not really. He and Uncle Shane go way back – high school, I think. I may not have it right, but I got the impression he lived with Shane in high school. I think they went to the same college, too. For sure, he comes to some of the family reunions with the Buchanans from other areas.”

  “Huh. That’s interesting. Thanks. Someone must have mentioned him in that context. What’s he like?”

  Luke shrugged. “Okay. Friendly, enough, but kind of a stuffed shirt.” He snorted. “Caleb and I couldn’t figure out how someone like that was friends with Uncle Shane. Anyway, let’s get you settled and talking to the dogs.”

  I couldn’t do much in the way of cleaning or walking the dogs, but Luke found a chair somewhere and I got the dogs after their baths instead of having them hooked to the wall. Nedra and Melina arrived. Nedra said hello and quickly disappeared to join Maddie. Melina and Luke worked out a system and I played with the dogs.

  “Sheridan, I want to give you a heads-up here. Any minute Maddie will come flying in here.” Melina laughed. “We’re all going to Thistledown Farms tomorrow to the corn maze. Supposed to be the best around, though we’ve never been before. Nedra suggested it, so that means she’ll be inviting Maddie. I just got a text from Angie – they’re all on board. So…”

  Melina didn’t get to finish as Maddie rushed in and almost collided with her and the dog she was working with.

  “Can I go? It’s supposed to be the best corn maze and we’ll have so much fun. And I won’t be any trouble to Miss Melina. I promise.”

  “I think it could be arranged. In truth, I’ve never been to a corn maze.” Glancing at the blue boot on my foot, I groaned. “You’ll have to tell me all about it when you get home.”

  Luke joined us and we all laughed at the two girls bouncing up and down in excitement. The girls went back to the puppies. Cocoa tried to follow and Luke brought her back to me.

  “I wish we could take her. She’s beautiful and so sweet.”

  “You can say that again.” Brett startled me as he put his hands on my shoulders. “Agreed on both counts. She is a beautiful sweet girl.”

  Luke nodded. “She is. And she needs a forever home. Dr. Barksdale is looking, too. I wanted to tell you something.”

  As Brett’s face hardened, Luke put up his hand like a stop sign. “Nothing bad. The corn maze? It’s a lot of fun, but part of the fun is getting lost in it. Ms. Melina, you and your husband will need to keep close tabs on them.”

  There was a crash and Luke threw the leash he held and sprinted in that direction. Brett turned to go and Luke yelled, “All is okay.”

  “What was he talking about?”

  Melina and I filled him in. “Was there a hidden message there? I mean the maze people know how to find people if they get lost, right?”

  Brett nodded. “And there are lots of people, adults and kids, going through the maze all the time. On a Sunday, with nice weather? The place will be packed.”

  “Any suggestions on how to best keep track, then?” Melina asked.

  “An app on everyone’s phone will be able to tell you where they are if you get separated. The kids may decide
to go off on their own, but tell them to stick together.”

  “He’s right, Melina. We both have that app though I never think to use it. Maddie has it as well.” I pulled out my phone and showed her. She quickly downloaded it with a “thanks.”

  “We ready?”

  I nodded and Luke grabbed the scooter for me. With a few parting words to Cocoa, I joined Brett at the front of the house talking to Mrs. Chantilly. Just to see what happened, I asked, “Did you tell Brett about Uncle Sebby?”

  “Such a nice young man. Now, he’s an investment banker, prominent businessman. I’m so proud of him. Like Lacie. I remember when he was in high school. Oh, there were such problems back then. Blake and I would discuss the problems his kids had and their friends, of course. Blake and I… well, never mind.”

  “Luke mentioned Uncle Sebby comes to family reunions.”

  “Well, of course he does. In high school, Sebby needed a place to live and moved in with them. Blake had four sons then – Brandon, Delaney, Shane, and Sebby. Now, you take care of that ankle. We need you here. Cookies in the oven, I have to run.” She quickly escaped.

  Brett blinked and shook his head. “Explain.”

  “Later.”

  Maddie joined us with a big hug for her dad. “You’re the best dad. And, you’re the best, too, Sheridan. Thanks for letting me go to the corn maze tomorrow.”

  I chuckled and waited to see what was coming next. It wasn’t a long wait.

  “You know, we will be leaving early in the morning. Miss Melina, she suggested I spend the night there, if it’s okay with you two.” She bounced on her feet and I burst out laughing.

  Brett shook his head. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  “You know, it’s not right that you spend time over there and Nedra never comes to our house.”

  She nodded. “How about next weekend, we plan something with Nedra and she can stay at our house.”

  “Okay. See what ideas you can come up with.”

  Brett joined us in time to hear the discussion. He nodded. “That’s a great idea. And Melina is on board with Maddie staying there tonight. We will join them at Al’s at 6 p.m. tomorrow night for dinner.”

  I nodded. Maddie squealed and ran to tell Nedra. On the way home, Brett filled me in on his morning.

  “I talked to Hirsch this morning. Kim identified the realtor as Chase Jarvit from a picture array.”

  “She told me she identified the man, but not who he was. She said one of the other men in the array arrived at the house as she was leaving.”

  “Jared Skinner. Fabry is checking all his haunts. He’s determined to track him down. When he does, he’ll find out who Jarvit’s lady friend was.” He smiled and took my hand. “Assuming nothing happens, we get to enjoy an adult dinner and evening.”

  CHAPTER 24

  E arly Sunday morning, both our phones rang at the same time. When I finally realized Brett answering a phone only stopped half the ringing, I answered, “Hello?”

  “Sorry to wake you up, Sher. How’s the ankle doing?” It was Kim, who should have known I wasn’t always most coherent before coffee.

  “Better, but not great. Doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.”

  “Glad to hear it. Umm… Marty suggested maybe you and Brett could visit today. He was kind of cryptic, but mentioned Max having a meltdown. I’m not good at calming him down at all. Marty is already stressed about the window and now Max. Any chance?”

  “Brett’s on the phone right now. I don’t know of any reason why not. The plan was to go for a ride and enjoy the fall foliage – I’m not up for anything more strenuous than that. I’ll give you a call after I wake up and check with him.”

  “Sounds good. We figured we could take you guys to the new brewpub in North Shore. Maybe stop to see Max and Stella at the same time.”

  We disconnected and I watched Brett’s face. His expressions flashed from surprised to sad to angry and everything in between. With his free hand, he pulled his fingers through his curls – a habit of his when he was stressed or puzzled.

  I couldn’t tell for sure who he was talking to or about what. His side of the conversation was limited to “I got it.” “I see.” “What?” “Gotcha” and other equally uninformative comments. Charlie and Bella followed me into the kitchen, where to started making coffee and breakfast.

  He was shaking his head when he joined me. “What a complicated mess. Let me do that. You sit down.”

  I didn’t need any encouragement. The scooter meant I’d been trying to break the eggs twisted to my side. A definite invitation for an accident. He took over the eggs and got the toast going as well.

  “Fabry?”

  He nodded and before he could say anything more, I added, “I’m dying to hear what you two have found out, but Kim and Marty want us to go down there, have lunch with them, and try to calm down Max again. What do you think?”

  He nodded before he answered. “That could work. They may have some answers to fill in some holes… And we could enjoy the foliage at the same time.”

  I called and arranged it with Kim. By then, Brett had breakfast on the table and we both had fresh cups of coffee. “Okay, so spill. What did you find out? What are those ‘holes’ you mentioned?”

  He chuckled. “You do love a mystery, don’t you?” He paused for effect before he continued.

  “Let’s get ready. Fabry filled me in on a few updates. Hold on to your curiosity until we’re on the road.”

  I wasn’t thrilled. With help needed in the shower and getting dressed, it took much longer than usual. Once we were both ready, it was a quick stop for coffees for the road and we were on our way. I immediately started with questions.

  “So did Fabry find out anything about Jarvit? Or any more about Cabot or Landry?”

  “We got the warrant to search Jarvit’s home and office, and the plan was to talk to him. When Fabry showed up at the office, warrant in hand, handler and dog by his side, the office manager was blasé about the whole thing. She told Fabry that Mr. Jarvit had told her to expect someone to come by, probably with a search warrant, and she should comply. He was out of town at a realtor’s meeting, or so she said.”

  “That’s unusual, don’t you think?”

  “Definitely. And we know where he was yesterday. Fabry talked to her for a while, and the dog and handler went through the offices. They didn’t find anything. The receptionist was a talker though. Jarvit is into just about everything. Somehow, with Landry dead, the receptionist, Sally, seemed to think that Jarvit would expand his business. His business, like Landry’s, is all about real estate acquisition and then getting the right businesses in place with supports to get those businesses off the ground.”

  “Did he ask her about Moss Builders?”

  “He did. According to Sally, Landry was the silent partner on that endeavor. On the other hand, Jarvit was the silent partner on the Eggspot and boutiques. Fabry had already pulled the paperwork on Moss Builders and some of the others. Landry is incorporated as CCL Incorporated and that is what shows on the paperwork for Moss along with Jarvit. Moss Builders is then listed on all the CCL stuff. That would be expected.”

  “Wouldn’t CCL Inc. then become Celeste’s? And everything goes to her, not Jarvit?”

  “That would be the assumption and with no will to be found, that would make Jarvit and Celeste partners now. How much that’s worth depends on the success of both Moss and CCL.”

  “North Shore is pretty small. How much could they grow it?”

  “Not just North Shore. Fabry spotted various plans – North Shore, Alta Vista, Cold Creek… many of the smaller towns from Roanoke to Richmond. He couldn’t see the labels on all of them, but Sally took a call and mentioned Sleepy Hollow. That puts him up in our area as well.”

  “Isn’t his office where you thought you saw Skinner?”

  “It is and so far we haven’t been able to locate him. Sally told Fabry she hasn’t seen him since early last week. Fabry is working t
hat end and he’s not letting go. Oh, and Jarvit wasn’t home and no probable cause to forcefully enter his home. Sally said she’d call Fabry when Jarvit came in or if she saw or heard from Skinner.” Brett shook his head.

  Brett’s phone pinged and the dashboard screen showed a text from Fabry. “Sally came through. On my way back to Jarvit’ office to talk with the elusive Mr. Skinner. Later.”

  Brett responded with a thumbs up emoji. I laughed.

  “Fabry smitten or only Sally?” Fabry was a nice looking man, even with a crooked nose. Although usually in gruff and grouchy mood, he could turn on the charm when he wanted.

  “Only Sally. Fabry joked that his flirting netted more information than the drug dog and his handler.”

  CHAPTER 25

  B y the time our drive took us through wooded hills, the foliage grabbed our attention. One of the best parts of fall, the escape from the summer heat notwithstanding, the reds, oranges, and yellows created a continuous wave of color. We pulled in at Kim’s house and Kim and Marty were waiting for us.

  The large plank of wood on the front window made it hard to ignore what happened.

  “It’s so good to see you again. I know, I know, it’s only been a few days, but it’s like old times.”

  Marty shook his head. He looked nervous and I had to wonder what was going on with Max. Outside, he waved his arms at the wood covering the window and shook his head. Inside, he explained.

  “Someone is throwing bricks at Kim and Max is hysterical. Now Max hysterical is nothing new, of course. Only I can’t get him to keep his mouth shut. Any chance you solved the murder or officially cleared him so he will calm down? Or have any idea who did this?”

  Brett opened and closed his mouth. “No, it’s not solved. It looks like Landry’s death is connected to something much bigger. That’s the angle we’re pursuing right now. That’s all Max can know. He could shut down the investigation or make it difficult for us later on if he starts spouting half facts or his own thoughts on Landry. All we can tell him is that he should calm down and let the investigation continue. The more he talks, the worse he makes it.”