“What time was that?” Meg wondered.
“About ten-forty-five.”
That story didn’t gel in the least with Carla’s accounting of the facts. Someone was lying, and Meg was determined to find out who.
“Your wife told me she didn’t go anywhere near the parking lot. That she walked straight to her car that was parked on the street and drove away.”
Steven scoffed. “Well, she’s lying. She was in that parking lot all right; that’s right where I left her. I’ll never forget it. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the message and decided to come back here today, looking for forgiveness. So that’s what your domestic disturbance call was about. But like I said, it won’t happen again. We’re through.”
“No, not yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you drove away from that parking lot and came right home, but you have no one to verify that,” Meg insisted.
“Are you accusing me of killing Jack Jensen?”
“You sure had reason to. The man broke up your marriage. You took a swing at him at the party.”
“A lot of people hated Jack. I happened to be one of them. It doesn’t mean I killed him,” Steven explained.
“It doesn’t exactly make you look innocent,” Meg replied.
“You have no evidence that I strangled the guy, so unless you get some, I’d watch your accusations. In the meantime, I have nothing else to say. Goodbye,” Steven insisted.
Steven then slammed his door. Meg could have cast a spell to jam the door, but it wouldn’t do any good. Steven wasn’t going to give her anything else to go on. Besides, Meg suddenly had a new hunch to follow up on.
Chapter Twenty-One
After Meg’s conversation with Steven Adamson, she knew she had to pay another visit to Carla Adamson. The question became, would Carla still be in her hotel room? As Meg arrived at the motor lodge, she saw Carla’s car was in the parking lot. What a nice stroke of luck.
Meg approached Carla’s room and knocked on the door. She heard footsteps approaching the door, but the door didn’t open. Meg could tell Carla was staring at her through the peephole but had no intention of answering.
“I know you’re there. Open up,” Meg demanded.
Meg heard Carla’s voice through the door.
“I have nothing else to say to you,” Carla replied.
“Fine, I’ll do the talking. I just spoke with your husband. He told me you two had an argument in the parking lot behind Jack’s gym at ten-forty-five last night. I found that strange, considering you told me you went straight from the party to your car parked on the street,” Meg replied.
“I can explain.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Ok, fine. We did have that argument in the parking lot last night.”
“Why did you lie to me?” Meg asked.
“Because I thought it would make me look guilty if I told you I was in the parking lot,” Carla explained.
“You were right. It does make you look guilty.”
“I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill Jack.”
“You have no one to verify that,” Meg said.
“I’m telling the truth,” Carla insisted.
“Why should I believe that when you just lied to me?”
“Look, just go away. You don’t have any evidence I did this, and until you do, I don’t have anything else to say,” Carla replied.
Meg then heard footsteps walking away from the door.
It was times like this when Meg wished she’d gone to the police academy and had a legitimate badge to use. Since she didn’t, and Carla was clearly not ready to confess, Meg decided to move on to the next suspect.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Meg’s next stop was Walter Carter’s gym. Hopefully, this interview would go far better than the last few. She could only deal with so much drama in one day.
As Meg pulled up to the gym, she could tell immediately that this stop would be different than all the others. One thing immediately struck her. The logo on the sign of the gym matched the image on the pin she’d found at the scene of the crime. Meg had been waiting for a break all day. It looked like she’d finally gotten one.
As Meg walked into the gym, she tried to mentally prepare herself for trouble. She knew things could get explosive in a hurry. Once Meg was in the lobby, of all people, Walter Carter immediately took an interest in her. What luck? She thought she’d have to barge into his corner office. Instead, he came right to her with a big smile on his face.
“Interested in a membership?” Walter asked.
Walter was playing right into her hand without realizing it. Not only had he come to her, but they were in a public place, his own business, where he surely wouldn’t want to make a scene. That gave Meg leverage she normally didn’t have.
Meg decided to play along, pretending to be a prospective new gym member. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“What can your gym offer me that Jack Jensen’s Dance Bandit DVD can’t?”
Walter gritted his teeth. The mere mention of Jack Jensen was enough to get him annoyed.
Still, ever the salesman, he pitched her hard. “You don’t want some schlocky fad workout program that you’ll stop using in a month. Here at Walter’s we offer you a health regime that will keep you fit for life.”
Walter could try to deflect all he wanted. Meg was determined to push his buttons. She knew just how to do it, too.
“Really? Because I heard Jack Jensen was in danger of putting you out of business,” Meg said.
Walter scoffed. “Who would say something so ridiculous?”
“Jack told me.”
Walter tried to hide his anger, but it still found a way to seep through.
Meg kept pressing. “You hated his guts, didn’t you? You still do, even after his murder.”
Walter narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I’d rather talk about where you went last night after arguing with Jack outside his launch party?”
Walter lost his patience with her. “Now, I’m not asking. I’m telling. Please leave.”
Walter went to force her out of the lobby.
Meg wouldn’t be pushed aside that easily. “If you touch me, I’ll scream. You wouldn’t want me to cause a scene in the middle of your busy gym, would you?”
Walter laid off her but remained curt. “What do you want from me?”
“Like I said, I want to know where you went after you argued with Jack outside of his launch party.”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
Meg whipped out the pin she’d found earlier. “You’d better answer my questions. Recognize this? It has your gym’s logo on it. I found it at the scene of the crime.”
Walter’s eyes opened wide. He stammered. “It must have fallen off--”
“When you killed Jack?”
He corrected her. “No. When we argued earlier in the evening. He shoved me, and the pin must have fallen off then.”
“That’s a convenient explanation.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You still haven’t told me where you were last night between eleven and midnight.”
“I was at home.”
“Do you have anyone that can verify that?”
“Look, I didn’t kill Jack--”
“You had a good reason to. He was putting you out of business. Your whole livelihood was threatened. With Jack out of the picture, you had the entire Enchanted Bay fitness market all to yourself again. I saw the desperation in your eyes last night as you argued with Jack. You were a man at your wits end,” Meg declared.
“Fine, I hated him. I admit it. But I was at home at the time of the murder,” Walter argued.
“At least that’s your story. You have no one to prove that, do you?”
Realizing he couldn’t force Meg out of his gym without her causing a scene, that left only one option for him. He decided to bail on the conversation e
ntirely and bolt towards his office.
“I’m not saying another word to you. This conversation is over,” Walter replied.
Walter then stormed back to his office and slammed the door shut.
Meg couldn’t hide her frustration anymore. She felt like she’d just gotten so close, yet not quite close enough.
Chapter Twenty-Three
What an emotionally-explosive day. Meg had no idea what would happen next. Surprisingly, the fireworks were far from over. She headed back across town towards the donut shop, hoping to grab a bite and regroup. Meg didn’t make it there.
As she drove passed Jack Jensen’s gym, she saw something highly curious. The light was on. Meg furrowed her brow. That didn’t make any sense. That was highly suspicious. Who would have come to the gym at a time like this? After all, the facility was closed. Meg decided to investigate.
She parked her car, then headed towards the gym. Meg had no idea what, or who to expect. She was on high alert. With good reason, too.
Suddenly, the back door to the gym swung open. Of all the people that could have been inside the gym, it turned out Robert Nelson was the one rummaging around in there. Robert had been quite vocal with his accusations that Jack Jensen had stolen his idea for the Dance Bandit workout system. Judging by the way Robert darted out the back door, he’d been up to no good inside the gym. There was only one way to find out for sure.
“Hey, what were you doing in there?” Meg yelled.
Robert was surprised to have company. He gave Meg a quick look back, then kept on running. Robert sure knew how to turn on the jets. He was in a full sprint and was carrying a stack of papers.
Meg couldn’t let him get away. She already had a bunch of questions to ask him about this case before getting down to what he was doing inside the gym. Not to mention, she wanted to see what was written on those papers.
At the same time, Meg wasn’t about to get into a race with him, not only because there was no way she could keep up, but also because she didn’t need to. If anything, this situation called for a good spell.
Luckily, she thought of the perfect discreet spell. On top of that, with Robert running away and the parking lot empty, no one would see her casting the spell in the first place.
Meg focused on Robert, then whispered in Latin, “procident, procident, procident.”
Suddenly, Robert tripped over his own feet and fell to the asphalt.
Meg smiled to herself. Spell accomplished. Even better, no one was the wiser about Meg’s powers. Robert probably just thought he’d lost his balance and tripped. Meg knew better. She’d cast a basic tripping spell.
With Robert face-planted on the asphalt, Meg time to catch up with him in the parking lot.
As she approached, Meg saw the papers Robert dropped when he fell over. They were filled with pictures of the various workout moves from the Dance Bandit fitness routine.
Meg wasted no time going after Robert. “Interesting paperwork.”
Robert had a panicked look on his face. He scrambled to pick up the papers. “These are none of your business.”
“It doesn’t seem like they’re any of your business, too. It’s a bold move, breaking and entering in broad daylight.”
Robert finished gathering up the papers. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Meg whipped out her phone and put her finger on one of the buttons. “Do you want me to call the police and you can explain yourself to them instead?”
Robert groaned. “What do you want from me?”
“I want to know what you were doing here, and why you stole those papers from Jack’s gym.”
Robert was defiant. “I didn’t steal them.”
She raised her eyebrow at him. “You could have fooled me.”
“You can’t steal something that’s already yours. I was just taking back what’s mine.”
“Is this about your claim that Jack Jensen stole your idea for the Dance Bandit fitness routine?”
Robert glared at her. “It’s not just a claim. It’s the truth, and these papers will prove it.”
“If you’re so sure, then let me see them,” Meg insisted.
Robert pulled the papers back towards his chest. “I don’t have to show these to you.”
“The only reason you wouldn’t want to show them to me is if you were lying.”
“No. I’m doing it because I don’t know you.” He went on the offensive. “What are you even doing here?”
“I’m investigating the murder of Jack Jensen. And let me tell you, this doesn’t exactly make you look innocent.”
Robert became outraged. “Are you accusing me of murder?”
“No. I’m just stating a fact. You break into Jack Jensen’s gym and steal paperwork from him the day after he was murdered. Talk about looking suspicious.”
Robert flew off the handle. “I didn’t do it.”
Meg didn’t back down. “Where did you go last night after security kicked you out of the party?”
“I went back to my motel.”
“Do you have anyone who can verify that?”
“I don’t need anyone to verify it because I didn’t kill Jack.”
“At least that’s your story.”
Robert became more frustrated with each sentence she uttered. “No, it’s the truth. Think of it this way, I had no reason to kill Jack.”
Meg scoffed. “Don’t pretend that you didn’t have a motive when it’s as clear as day. You said it yourself, Jack stole your idea, and was trying to profit from it. Then, even after you confronted him, instead of admitting his misdeeds, he had security throw you out of his party.”
“That still didn’t give me the motive to kill him. As a matter of fact, it didn’t matter to me if Jack was alive or dead. The only thing I care about is proving once and for all that Dance Bandit was my idea. With this paperwork, I’ll be able to do that.”
“You keep saying you didn’t have a motive, but revenge is the biggest motive of all. I saw how irate you were about Jack stealing your idea. I can’t imagine the amount of anger you’ve been holding in all this time. Did you know that murder is often a crime of passion, and what makes someone more passionate than sheer rage?”
Robert narrowed his eyes. “Stop pushing me.”
“Why, am I making you angry?” she asked.
He took a step back and calmed himself down. “Ah, I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to push me over the edge. Well, it’s not going to work.”
Meg gritted her teeth. He was on to her. She’d have to try a different tact.
Robert shut her down before she had the chance to. “I’m not answering any more of your questions.”
Robert then turned around, eager to dart off.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked.
“I’m done talking to you. This conversation is over.”
Meg worried she’d have to use another spell. Another tripping spell would be too obvious. She had to think fast. Meg’s hesitation gave Robert the room to take off.
He wouldn’t get far.
Suddenly, the sound of a police siren rang out. A squad car raced into the parking lot.
Robert stopped dead in his tracks as his face went white. He swung around, full of anger. “You called the police?”
Meg held up her phone. “The 911 operator has been recording everything you said.”
It suddenly dawned on Robert what had happened. When Meg held up her phone earlier, threatening to call the police, she’d actually gone ahead and dialed 911, then left her phone on.
Robert became desperate as two police deputies sprung out of their squad car.
“For the last time, I didn’t kill him,” Robert barked.
“That’s still up for debate. One thing that isn’t is theft and breaking and entering. You’ll be taking a nice ride to the police station,” Meg said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The police deputies loaded Robert into the book of their squad car, read
y to book him for breaking and entering with a charge of theft thrown in as well. Meg didn’t have much time to contemplate whether Robert was guilty of murder as well. She now had Detective Connor Smith to deal with.
Meg knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her sleuthing a complete secret from Connor forever. It was inevitable that at some point during the case, he’d get wise to her gumshoe activities. In an effort to keep Robert from getting away, Meg ended up revealing to the police that she’d been investigating this case. Now Connor had some questions for her.
He stared at her with his arms folded.
Meg was not looking forward to this conversation. She tried to deflect with small talk.
“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? Feels like spring is finally here,” Meg said.
Connor wasn’t biting on the weather chit chat in the least. “Meg, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
She played dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You couldn’t come up with a better way of trying to distract me than talking about the weather?”
“Well, now didn’t exactly seem like a good time for an in depth discussion about my feelings of having you back in town again,” Meg said.
Connor bit the corner of his lip. “Yeah, that’s a conversation we’ll definitely need to have.”
Connor then gazed into Meg’s eyes.
“Are we really going to get into this now?” she wondered.
Connor pulled his head out of the clouds. “No. At least not now.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“We do have to talk, though.”
Meg was coy. “About the weather?”
“Don’t joke around. I’m mad at you.”
“Really?”
Connor was a man caught between warring emotions. On one hand, the playful banter had effortlessly returned to his interactions with Meg, just as they had before Connor left town years before. At the same time, on a professional level, he felt completely deceived.
The Witches Of Enchanted Bay (Witches Of Enchanted Bay Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 7