Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series

by Maryann Jordan

  She carefully folded the jacket, knowing it would go into the pile for Philip’s parents to keep. Another peek inside and she lifted out the high school football t-shirt that he had worn and when he left to join the Army had given to her. Lordy, I wore that to bed almost every night! The material was soft, almost threadbare in a few spots. Holding it close for a moment, she sighed heavily and placed it in a garbage bag she had brought up with her. It was the first item to go into the bag and her fingers itched to snatch it back out. She closed her hand around it again, pulling it a few inches out—hesitating—and then pushed it forward again.

  Steadying her breathing, she fought the urge to close everything back up and run downstairs. No…I can do this. I can go through the memories and put them in their place. It’s time.

  Next came the high school yearbooks that she used to have proudly displayed on a bookshelf and, once Philip died, had buried in the attic, no longer wanting to be reminded of their happy, bygone teenage years. Flipping them open, she realized they contained so many memories, not just of Philip, and moved them to a pile to take downstairs to place with her childhood photo albums.

  Underneath the yearbooks, she pulled out an old scrapbook, smiling at the forgotten hobby. She had cataloged their relationship in the pages with carefully preserved movie ticket stubs, the play program from a musical he took her to in Virginia Beach, concert tickets from when a group of them sat in a Norfolk stadium, prom pictures, and a multitude of other memorabilia. She ran her finger along the trim edges and remembered the hours she and Jillian spent making their scrapbooks. The realization hit her that Jillian’s scrapbook about she and Grant was still relevant now that they were together.

  With a sigh, she carefully pulled the photographs out of the book before placing it into the garbage bag. It was easier to let go since old movie tickets and programs no longer held the same appeal as they did in her teenage years.

  The final box was the most difficult to go through—letters. This tote contained the notes passed in class, the letters she had written to him and he gave back to her for safekeeping when he joined the Army, as well as the letters, cards, and copies of emails he sent to her when he was in service. It was difficult at first, trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of but, as she plowed through the pile, it became easier. She ended up only keeping a few that he had handwritten, where she felt as though his personality shown through, had another pile for his mother, containing some where he chronicled his military days, and the rest went into the bag to throw away.

  A sound from below hit her ears, followed by a shout. “Hey, babe? You here?”

  “Gareth! I’m up in the attic. Come on up!”

  A moment later, his head poked up through the folding, stair door, saying, “I didn’t realize there was anything here but a crawl space. This is great—you could build this out into another room up here!”

  She looked around, nodding in agreement. “I never thought of that since I haven’t needed the extra space.”

  He climbed the last few steps and walked over, his gaze landing on the boxes next to her. “Whatcha doing?” Before she could answer, his eyes landed on the high-school jacket and he instantly understood she was going through Philip’s things. “Oh, I’m sorry, babe. I’ll leave you alone.”

  “No, no,” she rushed, patting the towel she was sitting on. “Please, sit with me.”

  He lowered his body next to her, reaching out to rub her shoulder. “Katelyn, you don’t have to show me or tell me anything.”

  “I know…and that’s one of the many reasons I love you,” she said, her face soft with a slight smile. “I was sitting at the ball game and it occurred to me that I no longer look at the field and expect to see—or miss—Philip. Instead, all I think of is you. And that was when I knew it was time to deal with what was up here. I would never want you to stumble across it and wonder what I had kept and why.”

  Moving in closer, he whispered, “I never want you to lose your past. It’s what made you who you are.”

  “I agree, but Gareth, the memories I need to keep are in here,” she touched her heart. “And they’ll share the space with all the new memories that I have to make. But these?” She looked at the boxes, “are just things that I no longer want to hide from. I either need to throw them away, give to Philip’s parents, or find a new place in my life for whatever I want to keep.”

  He leaned over and kissed her forehead, saying, “Well, then I’ll leave you to it. But when you’re finished, call me and I’ll come help you take the boxes down.” He stood and, with a last glance and wink backward, he climbed back down the steps.

  Turning back to the boxes, she sighed. “He’s a good man, Philip. I know you would have liked him…and approve of what I’m doing now.” With those words whispered into the air, she turned back to her sorting.

  An hour later, everything sorted and with Gareth’s help, she was ready to celebrate. “Let’s go sit out on the pier,” she suggested.

  Readily acquiescing, they walked the few blocks to watch the sunset over the bay. Carrying a blanket to wrap over their legs, she quickly snuggled into his arms.

  “You doin’ okay?” he asked.

  “Perfect,” she replied, knowing it was the truth. She felt a hitch in his breath and turned to peer deeply into his eyes, reaching up to cup his jaw. “Really,” she assured. Inhaling the salty air deeply, she added, “I feel freer than I have in years and I have you to thank for that. Falling in love with you has given me the push to let go of the past and face the future.”

  Gareth inched forward, his lips claiming hers. The kiss started slow, building heat as he nibbled on her bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. Pulling back, just enough to whisper, “I want to be your future, Katelyn MacFarlane,” he moved back in.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Eleanor!”

  Katelyn, sitting at her desk, had answered the phone, surprised and pleased at the caller. “How are you doing?”

  “As well as can be expected, I suppose. I have started the process of going through some of Walter’s things.”

  Katelyn startled at this news, thinking about her weekend’s activity, years after Philip died. “Do you need any help?”

  “No, no. It’s good for me to go through everything a bit at a time. The reason I called was Walter had been in the Air Force after high school and I forgot that he had been in the American Legion Chapter when we lived in Norfolk. Anyway, he didn’t go to the local meetings when it was started up here, but I thought it would be nice to make a donation in memory of him to the Baytown Chapter.”

  “Oh, Eleanor, that would be wonderful,” Katelyn acknowledged. “Zac Hamilton is the Finance Officer. If you like, I can ask him who you would need to make the check to.”

  “That would be perfect, thank you. I also wanted to invite you over for coffee sometime soon. I can only spend so much time in this house, trying to decide what to do.”

  “I’d love to, Eleanor. Next week I start classes for becoming a private investigator and will be unavailable. Would sometime this week work out for you?”

  “Let’s plan for tomorrow? About ten o’clock?”

  “Perfect. I’ll talk to Zac today and let you know tomorrow what he says.”

  Telling Gareth where she was going, she walked the two blocks to the fire station. Waving to the few volunteers working on the fire truck, she made her way over to the ambulance, where she found Zac restocking his supplies. Telling him about the forthcoming donation, she laughed at his exuberant response.

  “Hell yeah, we’ll take a donation! The youth teams alone could use it, for sure. Once we get it, I’ll present it at the next meeting and the chapter will decide what to use it on. Then we’ll let Mrs. Berry know.”

  With a quick hug goodbye, she walked back to the office after a detour to Jillian’s coffee shop. Stepping inside, the dark interior was warm against the chill of the autumn air. The sound of the coffee grinder mingled with the late breakfast
crowd. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air and Katelyn’s gaze searched for Jillian.

  The old building had originally been a store in the late 1800’s and fell into disrepair over the years. The store passed through multiple owners and eventually ended up bought by Jillian’s parents. Determined to return the store to its former glory, they kept the solid wood paneling, carved wooden support poles, and the glass display cases on the sides of the long room downstairs. They turned the rest into a coffee shop and Jillian’s mother began baking pastries to sell along with the coffee.

  Antique tables and amber sconces on the walls to soften the sunlight that came from the front gave the quaint shop its ambiance. Jillian had worked in the shop as a teenager and when she came back after college her parents turned most of the business over to her.

  One of the servers noticed her and waved toward the upstairs. Jillian had restored the second floor to the same glory as the coffee shop downstairs and showcased local artists’ paintings on the dark paneled walls. Glass cases exhibited pottery and other artists’ work. She found Jillian, in her galleria, working on a display. “Hey, girl,” Katelyn greeted.

  “Hey, yourself. What brings you here this time of day?” Jillian wiped her hands on her pants and motioned for Katelyn to join her at a little table overlooking Main Street.

  “I had an errand to run and decided to bring something back to the office. I know it’s a bit early, but I ordered a couple of sandwiches when I came in.”

  Cocking her head to the side, Jillian asked, “Are you okay?”

  Nodding, Katelyn brushed her hair off her shoulder and said, “Actually, I’m great. I spent time yesterday sorting through Philip’s things that I had stuffed into the attic.”

  Jillian reached out and took Katelyn’s hands in hers. “Oh, sweetie.”

  “It was time. Honestly, it was past time. But it was good. I went through all the letters, the mementos, everything. I saved a couple of things like the yearbooks and pictures. But there were a few things that I’m taking over to his parents and then I threw away the rest.”

  The two women sat quietly for a moment, the sun streaming through the window warming them. “You know, Brogan once told me that he warned Philip that he’d kick his ass if he ever hurt me, but then he didn’t get the chance.” Seeing Jillian’s confused look, she chuckled ruefully, and added, “I didn’t understand either, but Brogan said that Philip did hurt me when he died. And Brogan wasn’t able to do anything about it.”

  After another moment of speculative silence, Katelyn said, “I realized when I read Philip’s letters yesterday, that he lied to me. He said he’d love me and be with me forever. Oh, I know, he didn’t really lie, but the fact is that life can intervene and it feels like someone has broken a promise.” As the words came out of her mouth, she jolted as a thought flew through her mind.

  “I know who did it!”

  Gareth looked up from his desk as Katelyn came flying into the room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. Panting, she looked as though she had been running. “Huh?”

  “Walter…I know who killed him.”

  Jumping up from his seat, he rushed over, placing his arm around her waist and drawing her near. Feeling her heart pounding against his chest, he asked, “Were you running?”

  Nodding, she wrapped her arms around his waist as well, feeling the warmth and strength from his body as she willed her breathing to slow. “Yes. I was over at Jillian’s and as we talked, I suddenly had a thought and realized I know who killed Walter.”

  Gareth led her out of his office to the workroom across the hall. “Let’s sit here. I’ll get you some water.” Once she was seated, he grabbed a water bottle out of the refrigerator and handed it to her. Several long gulps later, she set the bottle on the table and looked up.

  “Okay…now bear with me, so I can explain what my thought process was.”

  He settled into a chair and said, “Okay. Go for it.”

  Licking her lips, capturing the last water drop, she began. “It started yesterday as I was going through Philip’s things. I read the letters and cards he sent when he left to join the service. And they all promised that he would come home to me…love me forever. And I was struck with the realization that he did not keep his promise.” She waved her hand in the air, saying, “Of course it wasn’t his fault, but nonetheless, something had been promised and not fulfilled. And that really hurt me. And in my grief, I admit that at one time I was angry with him.”

  She sighed heavily adding, “Anger toward someone who is dead might sound bad, but it really is one of the stages of grief. I moved past that, but in studying grief, I do know that some people do not move through the stages…they get stuck. So, some people might get stuck in anger.”

  Taking another sip of water, she said, “And then you were talking yesterday morning about how maybe, like the pirates, someone had been waiting for the right opportunity to kill Walter. Not a quick crime of passion, but a slow burn where they just waited.”

  Seeing the confusion still on his face, she plunged ahead. “Okay, so then I was talking to Jillian, telling her all this and it suddenly hit me. Someone was angry with Walter. We know he had been seeing a woman, so what if this woman thought something was going to happen. Promises unfulfilled. And so their anger built, simmered. A plan was formed and then at the right time, they killed him.”

  Reaching out, he took her hand, giving her fingers a squeeze. “Okay, I get where you’re going with this, but who are you thinking of?”

  “Carrie. Carrie Reynolds.”

  Gareth was silent for a moment, his cautious nature at odds with Katelyn’s enthusiasm. Her leg bounced in excitement as she held his hand tighter. “Keep going,” he prodded.

  Leaning back in her chair, she said, “What if Carrie found out Walter was her father. Not after he died, but before.”

  “But would killing him do anything? After all, he was helping to pay her college tuition.”

  Jumping up from her seat, she paced. “Oh, big deal, a thousand dollars a month, when he could be paying so much more!” Whirling around, she leaned her hip against the counter and continued, “Okay, think of this. She finds out he is her dad and suddenly is mad that he knew and has done nothing more than just give her some college tuition money. She starts to stew about it. Gets really angry. I mean…shouldn’t he want to do more? Shouldn’t he want to have a special relationship?”

  “So, how’s the murder happen?”

  Sucking in her lips for a moment as her mind spun, she said, “If her mom actually told her before his death, like they led us to believe, then she’s angry because he doesn’t treat her any differently than any other employee. And, if her mother had also told her that he’d agreed to leave Carrie something, then to her, maybe he’s better off dead than alive. So she begins to plot. She tells him she wants to meet to talk. Maybe they were going off to meet that weekend…that’s why he didn’t say anything to Eleanor.”

  “And you think that at that meeting, she killed him? What about disposing of the body?”

  “I think Cindy and Jerry helped her. She killed him and then panicked. She once described Jerry as a man who would hide a body…maybe she wasn’t lying. He’s considered himself her father and is besotted with her mother. Wouldn’t they do anything to cover up for Carrie?”

  Gareth leaned back in his chair, and sighed. “I get where you’re going with this, Katelyn…I honestly do. But there are a lot of ifs in your theory.”

  Walking over, she knelt next to his chair, laying her hands on his knees as she stared up into his face. “I feel it, Gareth. I feel like this murder was out of anger. A slow burning anger. Anger for a promise not kept…whether real or imagined.”

  Smiling down into her face, he nodded slowly. “Okay…here’s what I’ll do. I’ll go to Mitch right now and go over your theory with him. Let’s see what he thinks, because I don’t want to act right now without the police involved. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she a
greed as she squeezed his knees. “But here’s one more thing I thought of. With the lawsuit for her to have a share in the will based on paternity, then there’s only one person standing in her way for a larger claim.”

  “Eleanor,” he breathed.

  Nodding, she said, “I’m afraid for her.”

  With a soft kiss, he assisted her up from her kneel and they walked together to the reception area. Leaving her at her desk, Gareth headed to speak to Mitch.

  “Katelyn’s got a theory.”

  Mitch, Ginny, and Grant listened carefully to Gareth as he explained the conversation he just had with Katelyn. ‘I know it’s not much to go on, but lacking any conclusive evidence…unless you all have something…”

  “We haven’t found any specific sums of money transferred from Walter to anyone, including those he works with,” Ginny reported. “And we looked at his private, shared, and business accounts. There was no evidence of blackmail or that he was involved in anything financially illegal. The Berry’s accounting business checked out as well. So, his payments to Carrie have been the only oddity in his finances and, while Cindy explained how that came about, we only have her word for it. Maybe Carrie was upset that more wasn’t coming, if she knew ahead of time that he was her biological father.”

  “If so, she’s a damn good actress,” Gareth admitted. “When I talked to her, she gushed about Walter. That’s what I kept going back to when Katelyn was telling me her suspicions.”

  “People can pretend all sorts of things when they’re afraid of being caught,” Grant stated. “Protesting innocence or a love for the victim is common.”