The Heart of Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  “Completely,” Jessilyn assured him. She didn’t like what he was saying, but she did understand it.

  Seth sat back in his seat. “I think we’re on the right track with it. We’re talking about hiring a lot of staff for the summer. We want to really expand the number of contracts we have.”

  “That sounds good,” Jessilyn agreed.

  “So, we’re on the same page with this? We’ll wait until Jax and I get the landscaping and plowing business established first?” Seth asked.

  Jessilyn looked up as Tyler came over to their table.

  “Are you two ready to order?”

  Seth looked over at Jessilyn. She told Tyler she’d have the special of the day. Seth ordered the same.

  “I met someone who might be interested in working with you this summer. Do you mind if I mention it to him?” she asked.

  “Sure. Who is it?”

  “His name is Cole. He’s shadowing the mayor. It’s a requirement in school now,” she explained.

  “Really? You mean, they’re required to spend time at a job with people?”

  Jessilyn made a noise of agreement as Tyler came back over with a pot of coffee.

  “I probably would have hated that assignment when I was school,” Seth said as he pushed his cup to the edge of the table.

  Tyler filled his cup and moved on to another table.

  “I’m sure the students hate it now,” Jessilyn agreed.

  “I bet they have a different opinion years from now when they look back on it,” Seth predicted as he lifted his coffee cup.

  ***

  Cole sat at the computer in his study period and began working on the materials for the mayor’s office based on what they had learned so far. He had planned to create some flyers that could be distributed at the meetings the mayor had described to them. He knew that there were plans to take the information he and Julia created and post it on the town web site too. He wondered if she’d had a chance to get her part done in her study period earlier in the day. He pulled up his email and checked. There wasn’t anything there from Julia.

  Cole muttered to himself. It looked like he was going to have to do all the work himself. He hated this shadow assignment. Whatever he ended up doing for a living, he was going to make sure he didn’t have to work on any teams. When he felt his chair being jostled, he turned with a scowl on his face to see who had done it.

  “Hey,” Julia whispered. “I couldn’t get into my email. I put everything on here.”

  Cole looked down at the small, portable drive she had handed him. It was pink and had her name on it. He plugged it into the computer and pulled up some files she’d put in a folder named SHADOW. He felt her hand tap his thigh under the desk.

  She nodded her head toward the front of the room. Cole leaned over and looked around his monitor. One of the kids from the group that had talked to him in the hallway about making money was on a computer in the front row. He was looking at a map but that was all that Cole could tell from the back row.

  He turned and locked eyes with Julia.

  “I have to go,” Julia said. “My teacher only let me out of class for a minute to give that to you for the shadow assignment.”

  He nodded and watched her go, then turned back to the kid in the front row. He had no idea what the group of them were up to, but he doubted it was good.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The champagne was in the fridge, the box of chocolates was in the suite. Megan mentally ticked off the rest of the things she needed to do before her guests arrived for the weekend. She thought she was in pretty good shape except for dinner. Since their guests would be arriving later in the evening, she only needed to cook for her and Dan. She thought maybe some applesauce brownies would be nice for dessert.

  As she began pulling ingredients from the cupboards, she was surprised to hear the doorbell. Finding Vince on her doorstep surprised her even more.

  “Vince, come in. What brings you out here on a Friday afternoon?” Megan hung his coat on the rack near the door and led him to her living room. He declined her offer of tea.

  “I’m sorry to bother you like this. I know you’re probably already busy on a puzzle.” Vince took a seat on the sofa.

  Megan sat on a chair across from him. Emma immediately jumped into her lap.

  “A puzzle?”

  “You haven’t heard yet?”

  Megan shook her head as her hand automatically dropped to Emma’s ears to rub them.

  “There’s been a death,” Vince explained.

  Megan’s hand stopped moving. If Vince was telling her about it, it involved someone she knew.

  “Is Bev..?”

  “No, she’s fine. I’m sorry. I’m not explaining myself well.”

  Megan realized that although Vince looked troubled, he didn’t appear to be overly distraught. She wondered what the problem could be.

  “Maybe you should start at the beginning?” she suggested.

  Vince took a breath and leaned back in the sofa, his hands on his thighs.

  “I ordered a bracelet for Bev for Valentine’s Day. I was supposed to pick it up today. I had it designed just for her.”

  “That’s sweet.” The implications of his story hit her. “Miles?”

  Vince nodded. “He’s okay, but there was a death at the jewelry store.”

  “This happened today?”

  “Yes.”

  Megan was confused. “I’m sure the jewelry store will be open again on Monday. There’s still time to get the bracelet before the holiday, right?”

  “That’s the thing. They’ve arrested Miles for the murder.”

  “Miles?” She tried to imagine the diminutive man who always wore a suit and tie with matching pocket square committing murder. She couldn’t do it.

  “I know, right? But in this case, maybe.” Vince wasn’t sure himself.

  “You think he may have done it?”

  “I don’t know. I just know that there’s no way to get Bev’s gift until someone figures it out.”

  ***

  Megan returned to the kitchen after seeing Vince to the door. She hadn’t promised him that she would be able to help. She was feeling guilty about that now. But she had guests coming for the weekend and she wasn’t certain that she’d be able to help anyway. For now, she was going to focus on her applesauce brownies.

  She measured out some of the ingredients into a mixing bowl. As she was about to add the eggs, the doorbell rang again. This time, she found Jax on her doorstep. She led him into the kitchen and offered him a cup of coffee. He declined and took a seat at the table after hanging his coat on the back of the chair.

  “Have you heard?” Jax asked without preamble.

  “About the death at the jewelry store?” she wondered what that had to do with Jax.

  “Yeah. I plow the lot there.”

  Megan didn’t get the connection. She sat down across the table from him. Emma immediately jumped into her lap.

  “Did you see anything when you were plowing?” Maybe that was it.

  “No. In fact, I haven’t been there for a couple of days because we haven’t had any new snow fall.”

  Megan gave up trying to guess. “Okay. How can I help you?”

  “I need you to find out who did it.”

  She felt her eyebrows go up.

  “I didn’t know you and Miles were friends.”

  Jax dropped his eyes. He actually hadn’t even considered Miles. Now he felt like a heel.

  “Actually, I’m being totally selfish. I ordered a ring. It was supposed to come in on Monday.”

  “Ah, gotcha. Trina?”

  He nodded. “I haven’t told anyone yet.”

  “I understand.” She hoped she could hide it from his sister the next time she saw Caitlyn. She didn’t want to be guilty of spilling the beans.

  “You don’t know anything about the death?” Megan asked.

  Jax shook his head.

  “You know I might not be able to help,�
� she pointed out.

  He pleaded with his eyes.

  “I have guests coming this weekend. The police will be looking into it.”

  His gaze never wavered.

  Megan sighed.

  ***

  After Jax had left, she returned to her applesauce brownies. She was spraying the baking pan when the doorbell rang again. She looked over at the batter in the mixing bowl and shook her head before answering the door. Rhys was probably the last person she would have guessed she’d find on her doorstep. He wasn’t in uniform.

  “Mind if I come in?” Rhys asked.

  Megan led him back to her kitchen.

  “I’m in the middle of making some brownies. Do you mind if I put them in the oven while we’re talking?”

  Rhys hung his coat of the back of a chair and sat down. He declined her offer for coffee.

  “You aren’t in uniform,” she commented.

  He shook his head as he watched her pour the batter into a pan.

  “No, I’m not here on official business.”

  She threw him a questioning glance as she scraped the rest of the batter into the pan.

  “Have you heard about the death yet?” he asked.

  “Yes, but no one knows who died. Do you?” Megan asked.

  “He was an adjunct professor out at the college branch,” Rhys replied.

  Megan put the pan into the oven.

  “The police really think Miles did it?” she asked. She still couldn’t believe it.

  Rhys shrugged. “It’s looking that way so far.”

  Megan put the mixing bowl into the sink and began filling it with water.

  “I’m having trouble believing that,” Megan said.

  “He seems like a nice man,” Rhys conceded.

  “But?”

  “Nice people have been known to commit murder.”

  Megan went to the table and sat across from Rhys.

  “You don’t seem convinced.”

  “In the end, the facts will tell the story. I just know that he made my life easier recently.”

  Megan figured there was one good way that could have happened.

  “He helped you pick out a ring?” she guessed.

  Rhys nodded. “I was supposed to pick it up on Monday.”

  ***

  She thought about the three men who had asked for her help as the afternoon passed. She had dinner almost ready and was waiting for Dan to get home from work when the doorbell rang again. She shouldn’t have been surprised to find Jerry on her doorstep, but she was.

  “Listen, I can’t stay long. I just wanted to touch base with you,” Jerry explained as she led him to the living room.

  Megan took a seat across from him. Emma immediately jumped into her lap.

  Jerry looked puzzled when his eyes dropped to the tiny black cat with green eyes.

  “I just saw another cat that looked exactly like that,” Jerry said.

  Megan began rubbing Emma’s ears.

  “Is this about the death at the jewelry store?” she asked.

  Jerry nodded.

  “Is it safe to guess that you proposed to Madison?”

  Jerry gave her a wry grin. “You’re getting pretty good at this puzzle thing.”

  “Not really. You’re the fourth man on my doorstep today.”

  Jerry laughed. “I imagine some of us are a little panicked at the moment.”

  “You’re worried this won’t be cleared up in time for the holiday?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I just know that I’m one of those panicked guys who would like to propose when I’d planned to.”

  “What can you tell me?” Megan asked.

  “Miles looks good for it. He was found with the murder weapon and the victim and there are witnesses to an uncomfortable meeting between the two men shortly before the death.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Megan murmured.

  “It gets worse. When he was first found, he kept saying it was all his fault.”

  She winced.

  “You’re thinking he’ll be staying in custody?” she asked.

  Jerry shrugged. “Early days yet. Listen, I have to go. If you learn anything, make sure you tell me.”

  Jerry stood and pointed at Emma. “The murder victim had a cat just like that. The two of them could be identical twins. The neighbor took it in when we were at the victim’s place. He said he didn’t really know the victim, but he didn’t want to leave the cat alone.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Megan lifted Emma and stood to walk Jerry to the door. Before he left, he reminded her not to do anything stupid. She smiled when he said it. She knew he’d gotten the phrase from Erica.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Harriet saved the file on her computer and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Fridays were typically a busy day for her and today was no different. Of course, her bookkeeping business was always swamped as they came ever closer to tax day. The rest of the year she was kept busy at a more consistent pace handling things like payroll for small businesses in the area.

  It was a nice steady income for her and one that offered a fairly typical routine. She always knew when she had to have payrolls calculated and she always knew when tax day was coming. She glanced at her clock and realized that she had finished the last calculations right on time. She would be through with work for the week soon.

  The thought brought back a tension that she had been feeling ever since the chance encounter with Miles at the college branch. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she’d been very upset ever since that day. Although, she had to admit to herself, maybe the reasons weren’t completely unexplained. She knew in her heart that she was very fond of Miles. The ringing bells on her front door startled her out of her thoughts.

  “It’s that time of the year again,” Irlene said with a smile. She stopped when she saw the look of despair on Harriet’s face. “Are you okay?”

  Harriet forced a smile as she stood.

  “Of course. Just wishing the weekend was already here.” Harriet nodded toward the expandable file organizer that Irlene was carrying. She assumed it was the yearly tax information for Irlene’s hair salon.

  Irlene held the file organizer up. “Where would you like this?”

  Harriet held out her hands. “I’ll take it.” She set the organizer on her desk.

  “Do you have plans for the weekend?” Irlene asked politely.

  “Oh, not really, no. Though I do have a writing assignment for a class I’m taking.” She smiled to show it wasn’t drudge work.

  Irlene frowned. “That’s a coincidence. My customers have all been talking about a writing instructor today. That’s just horrible about Miles, isn’t it?”

  Harriet felt her heart skip a beat. “What?”

  “You haven’t heard?” Irlene leaned against a bookcase and crossed her arms. “They say Miles murdered some professor from the college branch.”

  ***

  Jennifer dropped her head into her hands as she ran several scenarios through her brain. None of them turned out the way she hoped they would. She lifted her head and opened the folder in front of her. Flipping through the notes she took when she’d spoken to Miles, she zeroed in on a specific question. She was reading the answer to it when she heard the front door of her shop being opened with some force.

  She stood quickly and moved out of her office and into the front room where she found a terrified-looking Harriet. Jennifer immediately moved toward the other woman.

  “Harriet, are you alright? Did something happen?” Jennifer looked behind Harriet, expecting to see a knife-wielding maniac appear behind her. She couldn’t think of any other reason for Harriet to come rushing into her office in such a panic.

  “He didn’t do it!” Harriet shouted.

  Suddenly, it made sense.

  “Oh, Harriet. Don’t tell me Miles is The One?” Then she remembered that the victim had been a writing teacher and her eyes opened wide. This didn’t look
good for her client.

  “Please tell me that Chad Selway wasn’t the writing teacher that you were telling me about at the diner?” She watched as the color drained from Harriet’s face. She took Harriet’s arm and guided her to a chair. Harriet sat heavily. Jennifer pulled over another chair and sat next to her.

  “Tell me what you know,” Jennifer said.

  Harriet shook her head in despair.

  “I know Miles wouldn’t kill anyone. He is a kind, decent, gentle man.”

  “That won’t help me with his case, Harriet. Tell me what you know about Miles and Chad Selway.”

  Harriet raised her hand to her mouth. “Miles was at the college branch the other day. I don’t know why. He saw me talking with Chad after class.”

  Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Harriet. “And?”

  Harriet took a ragged breath. “Miles heard Chad ask me to meet him for coffee.” Harriet gave Jennifer an imploring look. “It can’t mean anything. Really, it can’t. Miles has never approached me or done anything to indicate that he would care. Except…”

  “Except, what?” Jennifer asked. “Harriet, it’s a small town. If there is anything to know, someone is going to know it and it will come out at the worst possible moment. I need to be prepared if I’m going to help Miles.”

  “Except, I just always thought Miles cared for me. I don’t have any proof of it, though. That’s all, Jennifer. Honest.”

  ***

  Teri sat down at her computer to check her email. She stretched her hand out reaching for the glasses she assumed were next to her keyboard as she squinted at the monitor. Not finding them by touch, she looked around her desk. Wondering where she had left them this time, she finally reached on top of her head. She laughed at herself as she pulled them down and began reading her mail.

  The first message caused her to stop laughing and gasp. Immediately, she logged onto the web site for her class and checked the message board. It was a private message board for the writing class and allowed students of the course to interact as they worked through assignments. She posted what she’d just learned and asked if anyone else had heard anything. Her inbox played a musical note indicating that a new posting had been made to the message board. She knew that was the posting she had made.