The Heart of Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  Casey motioned for Megan to hold Emma on the table.

  “Active? You mean, she isn’t playful?” Casey asked as he prepared a booster shot for Emma.

  “Yeah, like that. She’s just, I don’t know, more subdued or something. Any idea what that could be from?” Megan asked.

  Casey turned from giving Emma her shot and discarded the syringe.

  “Not unless you’re pregnant.” Casey laughed. He looked over at Megan and stopped laughing. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t say anything offensive.”

  “No, I was just surprised that you would notice. I didn’t think I was showing yet.”

  Casey laughed again. “You aren’t, and I didn’t know you were expecting. Congratulations. What I was trying to say with my awkward joke is, some people say that animals can tell.”

  “Do you believe that?” Megan looked down at Emma. She had been very cuddly lately, but just with Megan. Was it possible?

  “I have no idea. I can say that animals are amazing creatures.” Casey handed Emma back to Megan. “Here you go. You’re good until the next time.”

  “Thanks.” Megan held Emma close.

  “Did I see her twin out there?” Casey removed his gloves.

  “Yes. The owner was recently killed and the neighbor took the cat in.”

  “At the jewelry store?” Casey asked. “Boy, that was something, wasn’t it?”

  Megan nodded agreement. “Do you know anything about that?”

  “I was in the jewelry store recently.” Casey looked guilty.

  “Should I offer congratulations back?” Megan asked with a smile.

  “It isn’t quite official yet.” Casey was hoping to change that later in the day.

  “You didn’t happen to see anything that might help with the mystery, did you?”

  Casey shook his head. “No, but I’ll be glad if you solve it. My ring is being held hostage for now. It has me pretty worried, as if proposing wasn’t stressful enough.”

  ***

  Bella listened to the other students around her talk about the test they were all taking. The big day was finally here. Although some of the students didn’t seem to care about it one way or another, others were taking it seriously and the stress was showing in the way they moved quickly through the hallway without the normal between-class conversations.

  Under normal circumstances, she would have loved the challenge. Today, her mind was focused on Rhys. She had really thought they were going to be a family. A real family. She moved through the hallway on the way to her assigned room for the test without paying any attention to the people she passed. When someone stepped out in front of her to block her way, she didn’t even bother to look up. She just skirted around them and kept walking. The laughter that followed her never even penetrated her thoughts about Rhys.

  Julia watched as the middle school student dodged the idiots in the hallway. It was the same group of kids that had approached Cole about making money. She turned her back on them and opened her locker. They remained where they were, apparently oblivious to her presence.

  She heard one of them mention going to more houses after school. She grabbed a few things from her locker and closed the door quietly, trying to catch more words but the group moved away after that. When Julia turned around, they were gone, but Cole was approaching her from the other direction.

  Cole stopped near Julia when he saw the look on her face. She explained what had happened and what she had heard.

  “You’re sure they’re going to try breaking into houses?” Cole asked.

  “No, but it sounded like that. I mean, I don’t know for sure enough to call the police, but maybe.” Julia looked uncertain. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Cole didn’t either. “We should call the police.”

  “And tell them what? Some kids might be going to a house after school?”

  He knew she had a point. “What do you suggest?”

  “I thought I heard him say the name of the street. Maybe if we go there after school, we can see what they’re up to? Then, if they are doing something, we’ll call the police?” Julia almost wanted him to say no.

  Cole nodded slowly. “Okay. But we can’t take that shiny red car of yours. They’ll spot that from a hundred miles away.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After returning Emma to the farm, Megan went back to Teaberry to continue working on her puzzle. Her first stop had been to Miles’s lawyer. Although Jennifer was unable to give Megan any confidential information about Miles’s case, she did mention that she spoke with Harriet recently at the Jammin’T and that Harriet was there for a coffee date.

  That was why Megan was walking into the diner a short time later. The Monday mid-morning crowd exuded an air of tranquility. This group wasn’t trying to grab a quick bite before dashing off to work or during their allotted lunch time. Many were reading the paper over another cup of coffee or chatting casually with the person sitting next to them. The televisions suspended from the ceiling throughout the diner were set to different channels. One ran a continuous feed of national news, but the rest offered typical daytime television fare including a game show, a home makeover show, and a talk show.

  Megan slipped into a booth and smiled when Tyler magically appeared with a pot of hot water and tea bags. She immediately began steeping the tea.

  “I was wondering when you might stop in,” Tyler said. “I figured you would be working on this puzzle.”

  “What makes you say that?” Megan hadn’t planned to get involved.

  “From the bits of conversations that I’ve heard in here, half the men in Teaberry were hoping to propose. None of them know what to do without the ring. They’re hoping you manage to figure it out.”

  “The police are looking into it,” Megan reminded him.

  “I’m guessing the ladies in question are hoping someone figures it out quickly too.” Tyler glanced around the diner to see if anyone needed him.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Sounds like some of the men began having seconds thoughts after the fact.”

  “They changed their mind about proposing? Why would they do that?”

  Tyler shrugged. “Maybe they took it as a sign.”

  Megan couldn’t imagine that. “I heard that the victim was in here not too long ago?”

  Tyler nodded then excused himself when another customer waved to him. Megan poured the tea into her cup while he was gone and did a little people watching. He returned a few moments later.

  “He was with Harriet. She doesn’t come in all that often, but she handles the accounting services for the diner so that’s how I know her.”

  “Do you know what they talked about?”

  Tyler shook his head. “It was crazy busy at the time. It looked like he was reading something though.”

  “Reading?”

  “Yeah, you know. Like a homework assignment?”

  That made sense. Megan knew that Harriet was in the writing class.

  “Anything else?” Megan asked hopefully.

  Tyler nodded to someone across the room.

  “It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen him in here. He’s met others for coffee in the past too.”

  Interesting. “Other women?”

  Tyler nodded once as he thought about it then tilted his head to the side.

  “Not always. I mean, he hasn’t been in here a lot. I don’t want to give that impression. But, when he was, sometimes it was with men.”

  “Did you know any of them?”

  Tyler made a face as he thought about it.

  “Do you know Ward? I don’t know his last name. He’s really friendly. He comes in here and talks to a lot to the other customers. He seems to know a lot about Teaberry.” Tyler left to wait on the other customer.

  Megan brought up the image of an older gentleman with a fondness for all things Teaberry. She had interviewed him when she first began working on the town web site. He gave her a lot of the historical information about th
e town. She left some money on the table for the tea and quickly left the diner. It didn’t take long before she was pulling up to Ward’s house. He answered the door quickly.

  “Megan, how nice to see you. Are you here to ask me more questions about Teaberry?” Ward asked as he led her to his living room.

  She hadn’t planned on it, but adding new information to the town web site might be something to consider for a future day.

  “Not today, but I might want to come back and do that soon. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Chad Selway.”

  Ward looked surprised as he lowered himself into a chair.

  “That was something, wasn’t it? You never expect to know someone who has been murdered. It still has me a little unsettled.”

  Megan murmured her understanding.

  “How well did you know him?” she asked.

  “I signed up for a writing class out at the college branch,” Ward explained. “He is, or was, the teacher.”

  That cleared up one question for Megan. She was wondering what the connection between the two of them might be.

  “You didn’t know him before the class?”

  Ward shook his head. “No, but he was a friendly guy, and he spent time with each of his students. I felt like I got to know him pretty quickly. Of course, you know from personal experience that, like a lot of old guys, I talk too much when it’s a subject I enjoy.” Ward made a face to show that he knew it.

  Megan smiled back at him. She had always enjoyed listening to his stories.

  “How has your writing been coming along?” She assumed that the writing class was helping with his project of writing about the history of Teaberry.

  Ward made another face. “I thought I was doing okay until I took the class.” He removed his reading glasses and began wiping them with a white handkerchief.

  “And then?”

  “Well, let’s just say that Chad was trying to teach me how to focus better.” Ward frowned as he put his glasses back on. “We have no idea what’s going to happen now.”

  “We?”

  “Those of us taking the class. It’s a really nice group. We talked about it on the message board the college has set up for us. Hopefully, they’ll find some sort of substitute to step into the class but there haven’t been any announcements yet.”

  Megan smiled again as she asked him for a list of names.

  ***

  Megan found Doris at home, just as Ward had said she would be. He had contacted the other students in the writing class by posting a comment about Megan on the class message board. Megan was surprised at how promptly several of them had responded. A woman in her fifties quickly opened the door, giving Megan the impression that she had been waiting for her on the other side.

  “Doris?” Megan asked.

  “Yes, you are?”

  “Megan. Megan Parker. Ward gave me your name.”

  “Yes, of course.” Doris led Megan back to her living room. “Sorry to seem so suspicious, but you can’t be too careful these days.”

  “I understand.” Megan took a seat on a comfortable sofa.

  “Ward said you were interested in Chad’s death?” Doris looked curious.

  “Yes, I am. Can I ask you about Chad Selway?” She saw Doris hesitate. “How well did you know him?”

  “Just through the class really,” Doris said. “I’m a romance author. At least, I’m trying to be. I thought the formal instruction would give me the polish that I need for the final edit.”

  “Chad was able to help with that?” Megan wondered how much he was able to cover in just a few weeks of class.

  “He was an okay instructor. To be honest, I thought he spent way too much time socializing with everyone in the class.”

  “He didn’t stay on topic?” Megan guessed.

  “Exactly. And, with so many students all writing in different genres, it was easy to get off topic.” Doris suddenly looked guilty, as though she just remembered that the man had been killed. “Of course, as I said, he did try to be helpful to those of us who were serious about our writing.”

  “In what way?”

  “Well, it was obvious that he knew how devoted to my writing I am. He even made the time to review some of it outside of class.”

  “You met him somewhere?” Megan asked.

  Doris nodded proudly. “He came right to my home. Can you believe it? I guess I’m not surprised. As I said, my current manuscript is pretty far along, unlike some of my classmates. They spend more time talking about writing than anything. In my case, I just need the final edit to get it polished up. Chad was able to tell that from the assignments I submitted in class.”

  ***

  The woman who answered the door was around Megan’s age but was wearing striped stockings. Megan couldn’t help it. She looked down at the other woman’s legs.

  Annie laughed. “Oh, did I forget to change out of these?” She looked down at her own legs then waved Megan into her apartment. “Sorry. I sometimes use them as my muse, so to speak. They get me in the right mood for writing.”

  Megan took a seat in the small living area and looked around. It was an open space floor design. It looked like Annie did most of her writing using a laptop while sitting on her small sofa.

  “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

  “You’re lucky you caught me. It’s my day off work.” Annie’s eyes were drawn to her laptop.

  “I won’t keep you. I just have a few quick questions about Chad Selway.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  “How well did you know him?”

  Annie made a face indicating not much. “I just met him a few weeks ago when the class started. Don’t get me wrong, he seemed like a really nice guy, but I didn’t really know him that well.”

  Megan glanced at the laptop.

  “Was he able to help you with your writing?”

  “A little. We were really just getting started with the class. I have to say though, he did try to spend time with each of us to get to know us better.”

  “Like, how?”

  “Well, he always asked about our hobbies and what I do at work, that sort of thing.”

  Megan must have looked confused, because Annie tried to explain better.

  “I guess he thought he would be able to give us more individual help with our writing if he knew us better. I just really didn’t have time to meet with him after class though.”

  “He wanted to meet you outside of class?”

  “He offered to come here and review some of my work and, I guess, get to know me better.” Annie shrugged. “Like I said, between work, my writing, and keeping up with the class, I was just too busy. I told him I didn’t have the time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cole met Julia in front of the building after school, just as they’d planned.

  “You’re sure you want to do this?” he asked, not for the first time.

  Julia grabbed his arm impatiently and began walking.

  “C’mon. They said they wanted to get done before people got home from work.”

  Cole reluctantly allowed her to pull him along. He had to shorten his steps so he wouldn’t outpace her. He noticed that once they were both walking in the same direction, she didn’t remove her hand from his arm immediately. It wasn’t until they had gone a whole block before she pulled her hand back and tucked it into her pocket. He felt the loss of the slight pressure on the sleeve of his coat.

  “How do you know where they’re going to be?” he asked as they walked along the sidewalk.

  “I heard them mention a street. I looked it up on my phone during the exam breaks.” Julia stopped at a street corner and waited for traffic before continuing.

  “What are we going to do once we get there?”

  She had been wondering the same thing. “You ask a lot of questions.”

  “I’ve learned it’s best to know in advance what I’m going to do before I run blindly into a situation.”


  Julia thought that sounded very mature. “That’s lame.”

  Cole felt the smile pulling at his lips. He stole a glance at her. She was smiling too. The slight pressure returned on the sleeve of his coat.

  Julia pointed to the street sign. “This is it.”

  Cole looked up and down the street both ways. It was a very long street and he couldn’t see either end. The traffic seemed really light and he didn’t see any other activity at any of the houses.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  For the first time, he noticed that Julia seemed uncertain.

  “We could try walking up and down the street.”

  “That might take a while,” he pointed out.

  “We could split up?” she asked hesitantly.

  “No way,” he said immediately. He saw something that looked like relief cross her face.

  “Okay, then we need to choose a direction and start walking.”

  Cole felt a tugging on his arm again. Without saying a word, he fell into step with her. This time, her hand remained on his arm. After several blocks, they still hadn’t seen any of the kids from school. Cole contemplated calling it quits but figured they had come this far. He didn’t really mind the exercise either. He looked down at Julia.

  “How did you do on the exam today?” he asked. It was the only thing he could think of.

  “It was okay.” Julia reached up to pull her colorful knit cap down over her ears a little better.

  “Yeah, but how did you do on it?” Cole asked.

  “What’s the difference? It’s just another test, right?”

  Not to Cole. “Yeah, but the school has a special fund for it. There are all kinds of scholarships for the students that score the highest.”

  “That doesn’t matter. My father will just pay for college. I don’t know what I want to major in anyway.”

  Cole couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would be like. He needed a scholarship. Without it, he faced earning all of the money he needed for college. He couldn’t expect his mom to help much. Her salary was barely enough to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.

  Cole stopped walking and pulled Julia toward him like he was hugging her.