by T. G. Hanson
“Goodness. What on earth were they looking for?”
“No idea, but the guys just left and are headed over to the diner to meet both Lynn and Meg now.”
“Alright, thanks for letting me know Myra. I’ll get dressed and head that way to see if I can find out anything else. You keep me informed if you hear anything more.”
“Okay, talk to you later. Oh, and don’t let on I called! They had the door shut and I was eavesdropping.”
Snickering Nyla replied “Don’t worry dear, mums the word from me.”
Hanging up the phone Nyla was beside herself. Something rotten was going on here in Mystic Pines and she was going to find out what it was. Forgetting her call to Helen she began looking for her keys.
******
Helen was crossing the street to Nyla’s when she saw her get into the car and drive off in a hurry. Now where on earth is she going? She didn’t even see me. She then realized that Nyla had not only taken the car but the fly-swatter with her! “Oh geez, oh golly,” Helen mumbled to herself. “I’ve got to get that swatter out of her car and soon.”
As she turned to go back to her house she noticed Henry out of the corner of her eye, sitting on his front porch, watching her every move. What on earth is he doing? He never sits on his front porch and why in the heck is he staring at me?
Looking right at him she yelled, “Henry you need to git on back inside yer house and just mind yer own business. You hear me?”
Henry just laughed at her. “It's a free country. A man can sit on his porch all he wants, and look at anyone he wants. You just git on back to your house and stay outta my business, ya hear?” Smiling at her, he just kept right on rocking and staring.
Turning around Helen stomped on back home. The nerve of him. One of these days that old fart is gonna get what’s coming to him, and I just might be the one to see that he does. He has no idea what I know!
Henry watched Helen go back inside her house wondering what it was, about Nyla taking off that had her so upset. He was surprised to see one of them leave and not take the other with them as well. Seems to him they always left together these days.
Rocking and thinking on it more, a thought suddenly hit him. What and how much does she know? I might want to start watching Miss Helen a bit closer from now on. But . . . I know things too. Things she doesn’t want anyone knowing. Things that could knock the old bitty right off that high horse of hers!
Back inside, Helen went to the kitchen for the piece of pie she had brought home from the diner the other night. Pie always made her feel better and she had some serious thinking to do.
She had left her cell phone on the kitchen counter and could see that a call had come in while she was outside. Picking it up, she hit the voice mail button and listened to the message.
“Helen, this is Sheriff Briggs. Just called to remind you that we need to have you come into the station for further questioning today. We are out now, but would you please call the station and let Myra know what time you can make it in. Myra will let us know and we will meet you there. Thanks, and have a nice day.”
Helen stared down at her phone. Myra? What was Myra doing at the Sheriff’s office? She was only there when Lynn was sick or something. Maybe she should call up there and find out? Myra might also know what’s going on with Nyla.
She began to call the station and then, thinking better of it, decided she would talk to Myra later. As far as coming in for questioning, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Not if I can help it.
She erased the message and sat down to enjoy her slice of pie.
******
Wade and the Sheriff arrived at the diner to find Lynn and Meg sitting on the park bench out front, chatting to one another. Wade couldn’t believe how nice Meg looked after the night she must have had. He did notice that she had red marks on both her wrists and ankles where the tape had been, and he could also see that she had a bit more makeup on, around her eyes, than she normally wore. Probably didn’t get much sleep, if any, he thought.
Both ladies were dressed casually in shorts and T-Shirts rather than work clothes. He wasn’t sure if Meg realized it, but both places might need to be kept closed for a few more days. He hoped she would be alright with that financially.
Strolling up to the girls, John tipped his hat to them. “Morning ladies. How you doing today Meg?”
“Fine Sheriff. A bit of a sore head but I’ll live.” Meg responded. “And don’t take this all out on Wade okay. We sort of ganged up on him last night about not calling anyone. I just couldn’t deal with anyone, or anything else at the time. I hope you’ll understand?”
John sighed. “I’ll let it slip this once but from now on we do everything by the book, you two understand?”
The girls smiled as they nodded their heads in agreement, then Meg unlocked the bookstore, leading them all inside.
The Sheriff let out a big whistle while looking around the place. It was a mess, that was certain, but it didn’t look like anything had been broken or damaged. “Meg, can you tell if anything is missing yet.”
“Not really. It’s looks to me like someone just made a mess and left.
“Well, we’re all glad you were not hurt too badly, it could have been much worse, you know.”
“I realize that Sheriff, but my guess is that I’ve made an enemy somehow and this is their way of letting me know.”
“Can you think of who that might be?” asked Wade.
And there was the question Meg had been dreading. Hoping it would work, she simply replied “Not a clue, not one clue.”
Lynn, trying to stay out of the conversation, but listen at the same time, had begun to pick books up off the floor and placing them on one of the reading tables. She had been curious to see what Meg would say. Now she could easily see what her friend intended to do. Just play dumb. The I know nothing routine. She hoped for her friend’s sake it worked.
“Meg”, the Sheriff asked, “You told us last night that you didn’t have any idea who our murder victim was, but do you have any clue yet as to how he had the miniature hand with him?”
“Again, no idea John.”
The Sheriff scratched his head. “Actually, my first thought - knowing you were in the diner the entire time and couldn’t possibly have murdered anyone - is that someone is trying to make you look like the guilty party. I just don’t have a clue as to why.”
“I don’t know John. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do that.”
“Okay, one last question. Do you remember, when you came back to get your dog last night? What door did you come in, and was it locked?”
Meg thought for a moment before she answered. “Gosh you know, thinking about it now, I think I just walked on in. I was so upset about forgetting Chewy here that I didn’t even think about it. But didn’t you lock up when we left last night?” she asked Lynn.
Lynn thought she had locked the door but when they saw the shadowy figure, it's very possible that she forgot to. However, it was clear that Meg didn't want to mention seeing anyone so she decided to keep quiet, for now.
“I’m sure everything was locked up when we left John. I was the last one out and had Meg’s keys from locking up all the other doors, but, we were talking on the way out and I could have just forgotten I guess.”
“So what were you talking about that had you so distracted, that you forgot the dog? That’s something I don’t understand” asked Wade.
Lynn spoke up, “Nothing unusual. We just had a couple glasses of wine and were talking on the way out. It was late when we left.”
“If that’s the case, we should assume that someone might have keys to the bookstore, as there appears to be no sign of a break-in. If I were you Meg, I’d get on the phone, and get Rick from the Nail & Coffin Hardware store down here. Have him change the locks and make new keys for every door in the building. Tell him I said it was a rush job for me.”
“Good idea Sheriff, I’ll get right on that.” Meg looked over
at Lynn with a pleading look and Lynn headed to the phone to make the call.
Sheriff Briggs had been watching Meg closely. He’d been on the job for a lot of years and was good at picking up on body language. There was something Meg wasn’t saying. He was still unsure if she was outright lying, or just trying to hide something.
Eventually he’d find out, but he guessed some good old fashioned digging into Meg Stinner would be in order. While he would normally pawn that sort of thing off on Wade, it was clear to him that the boy was way too close to this one. His feelings for Meg would no doubt get in the way, like they had last night.
“Alright girls, I think we have all we need from you for now. You can pick all this mess up, but be sure to let me know if you find anything missing or any clue as to why this might have happened. Please stay clear of the alley as it’s still a crime scene” the Sheriff warned.
Wade looked at Lynn and told her to let Rick know about the window he broke last night getting in here. “He will need to replace the entire piece of glass.”
Both men turned to leave when the Sheriff stopped and called back to Meg. “Can you manage if I ask you to keep the diner and bookstore closed for the rest of today and all day tomorrow Meg?”
“Sure John, no problem. Just let me know when I can open back up.”
Outside the Sheriff turned to Wade. “She seem upset about having to keep both businesses closed for a few days to you?”
Wade stared out into the parking lot and replied “No John, she didn’t.”
“Odd don’t you think? Most people would be upset when it’s their only means of income.”
“But then Meg isn’t most people, is she John?” It was all Wade said as he kept on walking.
Walking on towards the station, neither one noticed Nyla sitting in her car across the street, in front of the Venus Flytrap. Her window was down and her ear was turned towards them.
******
Nyla waited till both the Sheriff and Wade were back inside the office before getting out of her car and walking over to the bookstore. Instead of going inside, she snuck around back to get a good look at the scene of the crime. She pulled out her little note book and began to jot down her thoughts.
Blood stained concrete indicates victim could have bled to death. No murder weapon visible. Sheriff probably bagged it up and took it with him last night. It’s obvious, from the stain on the concrete, located inside the head area of the chalk line, the man had died of a head wound, but what object was used to cause the head wound is undetermined. She then made a crude little drawing of the chalk line in her notebook.
Walking around the area looking for any clues that might have been missed, she had found nothing and was just about to leave when she spotted what looked like a piece of a torn photo, near the bushes. “Now what’s this?”
Reaching down she picked up the scrap and turned it over in her fingers. Hmm she thought, obviously female from the looks of the hair, but beyond that, there was nothing else to identify who was in the photo. She decided to stick the paper into her notebook and headed on back to the front of the bookstore, to have a little chat with the girls.
“Hello, hello . . . you girls in here?” Nyla called out as she walked through the front door of the bookstore. Goodness someone had done quite a job here from what she could see.
Meg looked at Lynn, “Oh geeze, we forgot to lock the door after the guys left. It’s that nosy Nyla!” Meg whispered. “I’m so not in the mood to talk with that woman.”
Lynn turned toward the front of the store, “You stay back here and I’ll try to head her off.”
“Well if it isn’t miss Nyla. I’m afraid dear, that we forgot to put up the Closed sign earlier.” Lynn reached out and took hold of Nyla’s elbow while steering her back to the front of the shop. “The bookstore and the diner are closed for a few days, but can I help you in some way?”
Craning her head and trying to look towards the back of the room she remarked, “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by to see how our Meg is doing after last night. Is she not here today?” asked Nyla while trying to look over Lynn’s shoulder.
“Yes, she’s back in the office taking care of some things that needed her immediate attention, and can’t be disturbed. I’m sure you understand.”
Nyla tried to move the hand off her arm, but Lynn had a strong firm grip on it. Of all the nerve. “See here now Lynn, I’m good at this sort of thing and wanted to let Meg know that I intend to help her sort all this out. I just need a few minutes with her. I’ve got some questions.”
“Nyla, we need to leave Meg alone. She had a bit of a rough night. We also need to just leave the questions to the Sheriff and Wade don’t you think?” Lynn could tell Nyla was getting a bit perturbed at her but she didn’t give a hoot. She was not about to let her go back there and bother Meg.
“But it will only take a few minutes and I need to know things if I’m going to help solve this case.”
Lynn, having had enough of the woman, looked her right in the eyes, while using a rather stern tone to her voice and replied. “Did you just say solve the case? You are kidding, right? Just because you happen to be good at solving the mystery dinners in no way qualifies you to go around acting like you are a detective or something. You need to learn when to stay out of other people’s business or one day you just might be sorry you stuck your nose where it doesn’t belong. Do you hear me!”
With her hand going to her throat and a surprised look on her face, Nyla replied “How dare you speak to me that way Lynn Foster! Why I’ve lived in this town a long time and deserve more respect than that!”
“That might be so Nyla, but right now, you don’t belong here, so please take your attitude and let’s walk it right out the door, shall we?” Lynn took the woman firmly by the arm and all but shoved her out the door and locked it. Looking Nyla right in the face and smiling, she pulled the window shade all the way down, leaving Nyla fuming on the other side of the door.
Turning around and putting her back against the door, Lynn spoke out loud. “Honestly, that woman has lost her mind and is way too full of herself. “About the same time, she heard Meg burst into laughter at the back of the room and shortly after, followed suit laughing herself.
Back in the office the two girls had quite a few more laughs at Nyla’s expense. “She really does have some nerve, doesn’t she?”
“Yes indeed she does. More than she has sense, evidently,” Lynn snorted.
******
The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon setting chairs back upright, reorganizing books and getting them back on the shelves. Meg never did find anything missing and neither came up with any clue as to who had made the mess or why.
It was after ten in the evening when they finally decided to stop for the day. “What do you say I grab us some leftover tuna salad from the diner fridge, along with a couple slices of pie?”
Lynn stomach growled. “Oh my, guess that means my stomach approves of that idea.”
Meg was back from the kitchen in less than ten minutes. Locking up the place, they drove back to Meg’s house in Lynn’s car.
Lynn grabbed Meg’s laptop and set it up on the counter while Meg plated up the chicken salad. “Let's just see what we can find out about . . . what was his name?” she asked Meg.
Setting the plates down on the bar, Meg grabbed the wallet and looked thru it for a driver’s license. “This license says he is Danny Wise and he’s from Florida. The photo is sort of smudged up so it’s hard to tell what he looks like. I don’t know anyone from Florida Lynn, how could this guy know me?”
Lynn typed the name into the computer and clicked on images. Both girls looked at the images but none appeared to look like the murder victim. She next tried Facebook and found four hits located in Florida. They spent the next hour checking out the four men only to discover that none seemed to fit with the Danny Wise they were looking for.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” Lynn told Meg
.
Meg had been studying the license thinking there was something funny about it. Turning it over in her hand she noticed that a corner of the photo was a bit curled and began picking at it.
“Lynn, look at this,” showing Lynn the photo on the license. Meg grabbed her tweezers off her worktable and began to work at the corner of the photo. Lynn watched as the photo on top eventually lifted off revealing an entirely new image underneath.
“Meg, it’s a different person all together and I think this guy is one of the four we found in our search.”
Lynn went back to the computer running a few more searches for the name using the new photo. “I think this guy either lost his wallet or our murder victim stole it, and has been using it to hide his identity. The guy in the photo is just an average guy, married with a kid and is a computer expert it seems.”
“So that leads us back too square one. We have only a smudged photo to go on and no name. How are we ever going to find out who he is this way?” Meg questioned.
Lynn frowned. “I think it’s time I do some investigating on my own using the computer available at the office.”
“I don’t want you to get into any trouble Lynn, so please be careful.”
“I will, but now we know you can turn that wallet over to the Sheriff. I’d glue the smudged photo back on top of the other one but leave a little corner loose so he’ll find the license was doctored like we did.”
Meg agreed and went over to her worktable to re-attach the photo. After finishing up with dinner and cleaning up the dishes, they found an old Hitchcock movie, Rear Window, on the television and curled up on the couch to watch. Both were sound asleep before the movie was at the half way point.
SEVENTEEN