by K P Stafford
CHAPTER 15
Jake came into the office the next morning and told me that Mr. Spidey had slipped into a coma during the night. The sheriff was in John's office. He already had a finger firmly pointed at Charlie and this would only rouse his suspicions even more. Of course, Alice was also on top of his list, but he hadn't ruled out Alan or Charlie. It was reported by several people that they'd seen Charlie talking to Will at the railing. As far as we knew, he was the last person to see Will alive. It wasn't looking good for him. The sheriff decided he had a secret crush on Alice and wanted Will out of the picture. I tried to explain to him that Charlie did have a secret crush, but it wasn't over Alice. It was over Peyton.
I lowered my voice and explained this to Jake while keeping my eye on the office door the whole time. I didn't need the sheriff walking out and hear me sharing case information with an outsider. Jake told me to meet him at the park for lunch. I agreed and he headed off to the insurance office. I was looking forward to lunch. I knew Jake had things to share with me because the only time we ate at the park was when we wanted to talk privately and not have half the town eavesdropping on us in a public diner or cafe. I sure hoped it was some good news, but the way things were going, I had my doubts that any good news or a good break in the case was going to happen.
I opened my file of notes to start running through things again, just as the door flew open and Ms. Jensen came inside. She was Grams partner at Crystal Scents and did a lot of the candle making, but her specialty was the crystals. From what I'd heard, her whole house was covered in crystals, or at least several rooms. She'd been gluing crystals to the walls her whole life and had a few rooms completely finished. Grams said it looked like stained glass murals on the walls. She was very picky who she let into her home. I'd never had the privilege, but Grams was one of the few who she'd shared her secret project with.
As the door closed behind her, she plopped her large handbag on the chair by the window and bent to open it so Tinker could come out and wander around. Tinker is her cat and he's the cutest and strangest thing I've ever seen. He's full grown, but the size of a kitten. He's solid black except for all four legs that are half white. It looks like he's walking around in socked-feet.
Tinker hopped up on my desk to get a head rub as I greeted Ms. Jensen. "What can I do for you today, Ms. Jensen?" I asked while Tinker was busy making sure I kept petting him. He didn't take to many people, but he and I had become fast friends the first time we met. He decided to crawl up my arm and perch himself on my shoulder.
Ms. Jensen sat in the chair, "I need to speak with John about this case." The words came out in a whisper like she was afraid someone would overhear her.
"He's in with the sheriff right now. Do you want to speak with the sheriff too?"
The older lady looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with her fingers. She finally looked up, "You know I don't like those county cops."
"I know, Ms. Jensen, but they are in charge of this case."
"Very well, I know I need to tell them what I saw that night. It's been eating away at me and I have to get it off my chest. I don't want to be responsible for justice not being served to the guilty party."
I perked up. Did she see who pushed Will over the railing? I picked up the phone and let John know she was waiting. He said he'd be out to get her in a few minutes.
After everyone left the office, John came out and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sat down in the chair across from my desk. His face had grown ragged the last few days. I hated to admit it but the last two murder cases had sure taken their toll on the man. There was no one to fill his shoes around here, but he needed to consider retirement. He should be fishing or something else other than trying to find deranged killers. He looked up at me, a faint smile graced his lips, "Well Ms. Jansen did see someone fighting with Will at the railing."
"Could she ID the person?"
"No, her eyesight after dark isn't what it used to be, but she did say it was someone in a dark jacket. Will grabbed the guys chest and held on to it. By that time, she was afraid she'd be seen so she headed back to the party."
"Is she sure it was a guy?"
"As sure as she could be."
"Did she know what time it was?"
John shook his head, "She was having such a good time gossiping with people from the community that she didn't pay attention. The party broke up about an hour afterward, or so she guessed."
"You'd think she would have paid more attention to someone fighting than to ignore it."
"Well, most people don't think about crime the way we do. She probably just thought it was a small scuffle and would blow over. This town is a bit lax in ways, not suspecting things can get out of hand because they never do."
"You're right and it's been enough time since the Swanson's were killed that people have eased back into their routines."
"Yep. At least we know the suspect wears a dark jacket, although I'm sure half the town wears a dark jacket."
I agreed. "I don't remember Charlie having on a jacket that night, do you?"
"No, but we still have to keep him in mind too, especially considering Spidey's condition and you knowing that he was going to talk to him about Will's death."
I shifted in my seat, "He didn't actually say that's what he was talking to Charlie about. I got the impression it was more of a secret he'd been keeping for a while when he found out that Charlie would be questioned."
"Either way, one of us has to talk to him." He said as he pointed his finger from himself to me."
I looked at my watch, "Well, Jake was going to speak to him. He thought he'd be more open to a friend. I'm supposed to meet him for lunch," I said as I stood up and grabbed my bag, "I guess I'll run to the diner for some sandwiches and then go meet him."
John stood up and headed to his office, "Let me know what you find out."
"Will do," I called over my shoulder as I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
CHAPTER 16
I met Jake at the park with a roast beef sandwich for him and a tuna salad for myself. We sat at a table with a view of the ocean. It was also the view to the railing where Will had been murdered. I found myself staring at it more than once. I couldn't believe he was dead, nor could I believe that someone wanted to kill him. This was not the big city where he had a bunch of enemies or chased down thugs so I couldn't imagine anyone having a grudge against him. Charlie was now a likely suspect. As much as I liked him, we didn't really know him. I looked over at Jake, "Did you speak to Charlie?"
"I did. And I don't think he hurt his father."
"What about Will?"
Jake's brow furrowed in thought. "He didn't say too much about that, but I don't think he killed Will either. I got the impression that he knew about Will's secret investigations."
"Will had a file on him too. That could be a motive to want to shut him up."
"In some cases, yeah. But all Will had on him was some basic stuff. It was hardly worth killing over."
I took a sip of water. Just because Jake was convinced didn't mean I was. "Well, I'm not convinced. He wasn't wearing a shirt at the factory. He could have removed it because he got blood on it."
Jake let out a sigh, "I saw the blood spatter in Spidey's truck. If he'd done it, he would have had blood on his pants too. There's no way he could cause that much damage and only get blood on his shirt."
"Well, stranger things have happened. Maybe he only got a little on his jeans and wiped it off."
"Lexi, you're grasping at straws here."
"Straws are all we have. The only other viable suspect is Alan. I haven't marked him off the list either."
"Didn't you say his mother told you they were friends again?"
"Yes, but what if that was a ploy to take suspicion off of him? She could have lied about that. Besides, his behavior was erratic the other day when I was out at their estate."
"He could have just been protective of his sister?"
"My poi
nt exactly! How protective of his sisters is he? Would he kill for them?"
"Some brothers have that reputation, but I don't know they'd actually go through with it, especially not over something as minor as the fight he and Alice had."
"That's all true, but no one expected Orvel Haynes to be the whacko he turned out to be either."
Jake smiled, "Okay, you have a point there."
"Of course, I do. I think I have valid points against Charlie and Alan too." I had an idea and started packing up my lunch.
Jake looked at me, "What are you up to?"
"Nothing," I replied, "I just need to get back to the office and go through all my leads and stuff."
Jake stood up and walked around the table. "Why don't I believe you?"
"Because you're a skeptic. It's an investigation. You know better than anyone that we need to stay on top of things."
He reached out and pulled me into his arms, "I know that, but I also know you get crazy ideas and try to figure out things without any help."
I gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "I have help. I have you." I flashed him the sweetest smile I had.
He rolled his eyes, "Your sly smile doesn't work anymore. I see right through it."
"What? Can't I just smile at you with no ulterior motive?"
"You could, but you don't. That's one of the things that gives you away."
I'd have to remember that from now on. I was new to this being sneaky business, but I thought I was a quick study.
He leaned down and kissed me on the nose, "Promise me you're not going off to do something that will get you in trouble."
I wasn't good at hiding things from Jake. I swear the man read me like an instruction manual. I smiled up at him and promised. I knew I was telling a little fib, but I didn't need him trying to talk me out of it. And it's not like it was anything dangerous. I simply decided to go to the old factory and look around for Charlie's shirt, the one he claimed he'd spilled oil on.
After I checked in at the office I headed to the old factory. No one used it much since the only thing on the road was the factory and it'd been closed for years. I turned into the lot at the end of the road. As soon as I made my way around waist-high grass that edged the old road I looked up and saw Jake. Busted! He was leaned against his car with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a look something between Cheshire cat grin and scolding me. "Hi, Honey!" I managed to get out in a playful tone as I walked over to him.
He shook his head, "I knew you were up to something."
"True," I said, "But this is not dangerous. I'm just looking for a shirt." I said as I turned to head towards the factory.
He grabbed my arm, "Spidey didn't think this place was dangerous either."
He had a point and I hadn't thought of that. "You're here, so I'm sure I'll be fine."
"That's not the point, Lexi. You need to start letting people know where you're going and what you're doing. If I didn't know you so well, I wouldn't be here to protect you."
I guess I couldn't deny that I was sometimes reckless and took off on these little whims. I used to not be so impulsive, but after having my life turned upside down from the death of my parents, finding out my dead grandmother was alive, moving back to my hometown only to have it thrown into chaos, I had changed. I wasn't a great investigator or anything like that, but I had figured out a few things along the way. So, what if it was mostly by accident. I grabbed Jake's arm and headed towards the building, "You're right. You can get on to me later. Right now, we need to see if we can find that missing shirt."
Jake followed along as we made our way around to the back of the building where Spidey and Charlie had been doing most of the cleanup. There was an old dock that went out into the inlet of a small cove. On the other side, there was a beach that no one used, and a cliff overlooking it. I wondered to myself why no one used it. It was kind of secluded and the perfect place for young couples to be alone. I noticed a white and blue boat tucked up into one of the little alcoves. It looked to be several years old and not in real good shape, but perhaps someone was using it for a little rendezvous spot. Maybe an older couple who finally got some time to themselves. I smiled to myself thinking it'd be nice if Jake and I could sneak off to the spot one day.
This wasn't a port area, but back in the day when the plant was actually in production, smaller boats would haul the loads out to the cargo ships. The plant was used for de-heading the shellfish or something like that.
Jake was looking around behind some old equipment when he called out to me, "I found the shirt."
I ran over and pulled a plastic zipper bag out of my purse. I opened it up and told him to drop it inside. He gave me a quizzical look, "So you carry zip-lock bags around with you?"
I laughed, "Well, Mr. Finche is learning more about forensics, so I keep some with me for when I find things he can study."
"And you think he's going to find something on this shirt?"
"Well, if there's blood mixed in with the oil he should be able to."
Jake shook his head. "I'm betting he won't find blood on it."
"You don't know that. Besides, it's a good way for Mr. Finche to work on mastering his skills. I need to get this to him."
I turned and headed back towards the front to the parking area. Jake caught up with me, "Why is he studying forensics? There isn't a huge need for it in this town."
I looked over at him, "He said he's always been fascinated with it, but Mr. Haynes never would let him set up a lab. Now that he's the county coroner, he has run of the place. He also said something about keeping his brain active. It's gotta be boring working with dead people all the time."
Jake nodded his head, "So what all does he test for you?"
"Mostly non-pertinent stuff. He's gotten into fingerprinting, looking at cells and stuff under a microscope. Nothing that requires the high-priced equipment in a large lab. I think he has some of that spray stuff and a light to check for blood, though."
"Ah, so that's why you're taking this to him?" He said as he held up the bag.
"Yep. And like I said, if nothing else, it'll help him work on his new venture."
CHAPTER 17
I dropped the shirt off at the mortuary so Marcus Finche could do some testing on it. His face lit up to have something to work on. He said he'd take care of it after he finished up his coroner duties for the day and the results should be ready by morning.
As I left his office my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID. It was John. He'd finally figured out he could call me and talk to me on the thing. There hadn't been any new developments and he told me to go ahead and take off early. They'd have Charlie in first thing in the morning for some questioning. The sheriff was being compassionate for some reason and letting him sit with his father as much as he could since he'd slipped into a coma. It seemed odd that they weren't jumping to question him. Maybe he wasn't as high on the suspect list as I thought he was. Or maybe the sheriff was a kind man underneath all of that law enforcement exterior.
I decided to take my chances to go see if I could chat with Peyton. We hadn't spoken since the night we all had dinner together when Jake finally realized that Mark wasn't a nice guy. He could've been having a bad day, but he seemed to have a lot of bad days. Since he'd been laid off from his job he was around more than I liked.
I walked in and didn't see Peyton anywhere. Mark was behind the desk with the clerk. She had an uneasy look about her. Mark had a way of doing that to people so I wasn't surprised. I grabbed a coffee knowing I'd need the caffeine boost if I was going to talk to Alice and Alan before I headed home. John had told me on the phone that Alice wasn't on top of the list of suspects now. Her small size would make it near impossible for her to throw Will over the railing. Whoever had done it had done so quickly, most likely without much effort. It would have taken someone small like Alice a good bit of time to get a body of dead weight over the railing. Someone would have seen her considering the timeframe. A lot of people had been in
that area the night of the party and each had reported seeing different people speaking to Will. So, it didn't add up.
I headed to the counter to pay for my coffee. I put on my best pleasant face and sucked in a deep breath before having to deal with Mark. I looked off to my right and noticed Mrs. Thompson headed towards the counter as well. She ran the local dry-cleaning service and had several garments in plastic bags. I noticed the pale blue dress she'd worn the night we went out to eat, her tan coat she always had cleaned before winter set in and another dark garment. Mrs. Thompson arrived at the front desk before I did and laid them on the counter. As I walked up she was telling Mark she came by some afternoon treats and coffee and thought she'd just deliver Peyton's cleaning. She flipped through the bags and pointed to one. "I had a time getting this jacket mended, but I think she'll be pleased with the results."
Mark nodded his head, "I'm sure she will be." For a moment, I thought I saw a smile cross his face.
"Tell her she can stop in tomorrow and take care of the bill. I know she's a busy girl." Mrs. Thompson said as she turned around and saw me. "Good afternoon, Lexi."
I barely got out a reply as she whizzed by me. The woman had a lot of energy making a beeline for the coffee area. I kind of giggled knowing she didn't need any caffeine to hype her up more. Hopefully, she'd grab a decaf.