Elementary in Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  Jerry knew she wasn’t really expecting an answer. He turned to look at her when he heard her stomach rumble. “You want to get something to eat first?”

  “No.” Erica motioned toward the farm coming into view. “We’re already here.”

  Jerry looked down at the on-board computer. “Gregg Eastman. Age forty-one. Electrician.” He scrolled down. “Unmarried.”

  “Telling his parents was hard enough,” Erica said as she pulled into the driveway. She parked next to Dan’s truck and headed for the kitchen door in the back of the house.

  Megan opened the door before they reached it. “Hungry? It isn’t much. Just soup and sandwiches.”

  Erica glanced at the empty high chair.

  “My mom is with him in the living room. We figured you wouldn’t want the distraction.” Megan began filling bowls as they took seats at the table.

  Jerry opened his notepad and set it on the table next to the bowl Megan gave him. “This is awesome, thanks.”

  Dan set a plate of sandwiches in the middle. “Help yourself. She made extra if you need to take some with you.”

  “It’s probably going to be a long night,” Erica said as she reached for her first sandwich. “Tell us what you know.”

  “It isn’t much.” Dan made a face. “It was a busy day at the feed store. I was running around like a crazy guy.”

  Megan added glasses of iced tea next to each of them then took a seat.

  “Thanks.” Jerry jotted a note then took a bite of his sandwich.

  “What did you hear?” Erica took a bite of sandwich.

  Dan circled his hands around the glass of tea in front of him. “Gregg Eastman and Kirk Moody were going at it. Yelling at each other.”

  “They were yelling before you got there,” Jerry clarified.

  “Yes. I heard the loud voices and went over to them.” Dan rubbed his hand across his mouth. “No, that’s not quite right.”

  Erica looked up from her soup. “What isn’t right?”

  “The order of events. I saw Gregg first. I passed by an aisle. He was buying electrical tape. I asked him if he needed help. He didn’t, so I kept moving. I was looking for someone to jump on a cash register. The lines were long.” Dan nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t find anyone so I was coming back through the store. That’s when I heard the yelling. Kirk Moody and Gregg. Kirk was accusing Gregg of stealing his customers. Gregg was denying it. Said Kirk just didn’t know how to run a business.”

  “That’s it?” Erica asked.

  Dan nodded slowly as he thought back. “They might have tossed similar comments one more time but when I told them to break it up, they left. That’s all there was to it.”

  Jerry flipped his notepad open to a blank page. “I’m going to need to know everyone that was there at the time.”

  Dan blew out his breath and shook his head. “No way. Place was insane.”

  “I might be able to help with that.” Megan stood and crossed over to the counter. She carried the remains of a cake back to the table and set it down with some small plates. “I can access the video feed from here. It’s part of the security system but I can log in remotely.”

  Erica and Jerry were done with their cake when Megan returned with her computer. She set it on the table and turned it around before running the video. They all watched in silence as the argument in the electrical aisle escalated.

  “I’m going to need a copy of that,” Jerry said as he pushed his empty plate away.

  “I figured.” Megan slid a portable drive across the table.

  Chapter Eight

  Megan watched the morning standoff between man and beast. Well, technically Henry wasn’t a beast. But he definitely had his morning rooster attitude on as Dan tried to make his way from the barn to the house. As her husband drew closer to his feathered nemesis, Henry began hopping back and forth on his feet. He almost appeared to be revving up for some type of charge.

  Megan turned the burner down on the stove and leaned against the kitchen sink to see out the window better. “I think Henry’s changing up the routine.”

  Dan must have agreed. His steps slowed even more as he eyed the rooster warily.

  Henry’s wings began flapping.

  Dan’s spine seemed to stiffen as he threw his shoulders back. He stopped walking completely for just a moment. Megan could see Dan’s lips move but she had no clue what he said just before he charged forward.

  Henry’s feet clawed at the ground as he took a few steps forward just before going airborne. A moment later, he went over Dan’s head and landed safely on the other side. After a strangled, but victorious-sounding crow, he began pecking at the barnyard again.

  “It could be me, but I think Henry is actually strutting,” Megan murmured to Aaron as Dan came up the steps of the back porch.

  Dan was sliding out of his coat as he entered the kitchen.

  “What was that?” Megan checked the frying pan on the burner.

  “I think Henry wants to play football.” Dan crossed over to the coffee pot.

  Megan brought up the mental image of the two of them squaring off. “It did seem like you were on opposing sides of a skirmish,” she agreed.

  “It made me wonder.” He took a seat at the table with his coffee cup. “What’s he going to be like when you have people stopping to buy produce?”

  “I don’t think it will be a problem.” Megan used a hot pad to carry the frying pan to the table. “He only acts that way with you.”

  Dan shook his head as he reached for the serving spoon. “What do you have planned for today?”

  She got her mug of coffee and slid into a seat. “Why did that sound like a loaded question?”

  He offered a sheepish smile.

  “You usually don’t want me to get involved in puzzles,” she pointed out.

  “I know. And I wouldn’t want you to get into anything dangerous with this one.” He added some pieces of sausage to the high chair tray for Aaron.

  “But you do want me to look into it?” Megan reached for the serving spoon.

  He considered it as he chewed. “I’m worried about Gabe and LeAnn being the only ones in the house with the victim.”

  “You think Jerry and Erica are considering them suspects?” She realized he was right. “Of course they would. It’s early days yet, as Jerry would say. Right now, they think everyone is a suspect.”

  “What did you have planned for today?” Dan asked again.

  “I have a meeting at the mayor’s office. I also promised Caitlyn I would try to learn more about the toy business that used to own her shop space.”

  “They’re the ones who made Aaron’s blocks?” He bent to scoop up some food with a napkin that Aaron had dropped.

  “Yeah.” She reached for her coffee cup. “Since I’m going to be out anyway, I guess I might ask about Gregg Eastman.”

  “Your mom is watching Aaron again?” He sounded hopeful.

  “Yeah. She should be here shortly.” She checked the time then glanced at Aaron. He was covered in food. “I should have just enough time to get us cleaned up after you leave for work.”

  A short time later, Megan was driving into town. When she reached her first stop, she didn’t have to wait long before the front door opened.

  Ward Beecham smiled a greeting. “Megan, there you are. Come on in.”

  “Thanks for making the time to see me.” Megan followed Ward through his house. As usual, he led her to his workroom. She checked out his worktable with interest. “That looks like a trestle.”

  Ward beamed like a schoolteacher proud of his student. “It is. I’m working on a bridge structure for the scale model of Teaberry.” He rummaged through some photos on one side of his workbench then passed one over to Megan. “This is a bridge that used to be near here, just outside of town.”

  “That’s for a train,” Megan said as she looked at the photo. Her eyes went up to his. “I didn’t know you were planning to add a train.”

  “Already di
d. Well, just the one straight track. It’s not much, really. If you want to see something impressive, you should go to the train show over in Nodding Pine that’s coming up. They usually have a nice layout. It’s something I can only dream about for now. I just don’t have the funding to create something on that scale. It’s always been a dream of mine though.”

  “The show in Nodding Pine does sound interesting.” Megan gave the photo back.

  “But it’s not why you’re here.” Ward set the photo down. “Don’t let me talk your ear off.”

  Megan shook her head. “You always have interesting stories to tell. That’s actually why I’m here. I’m hoping you can tell me more about the family that made toys for Elementary in Teaberry.”

  “The Wielands?” Ward started to shake his head then stopped as an idea came to him. “Someone who might have information is Archie Travis.”

  “You think?” Megan glanced at the time. She happened to know that Archie often visited the library in the morning. “I wonder if there’s anything on the family in the genealogy section at the library?”

  “Another good idea,” Ward agreed. “I remember the toy shop. As a boy I would look in the window whenever we went past but I never knew the family. They closed up long before Susan bought the space for Anderson Florist.”

  Megan shifted gears. “Before I leave you to your work, there’s one more thing. Can you tell me about an argument that you might have overheard at the feed store recently?”

  “I heard on the news about Gregg’s death. That was something, wasn’t it?” Ward’s brows went up. “Is this another one of your puzzles?”

  “Maybe.” Megan listened to Ward’s description of what happened at the feed store. It matched up with what they watched on the security video. “Do you know anything about the history between Gregg Eastman and Kirk Moody?”

  Ward shrugged as he reached for a bottle of glue. “No, but I guess it isn’t surprising. They’re both electricians. I guess they both competed for the same market share.”

  Megan thought about it as she drove to the library. She found a parking spot across the street. Glancing at the lot next to the library, she realized that it looked full. Rather than trying to find something in the lot, she opted for the open spot that she knew was available and parked her SUV. Glancing up through the windshield before reaching for the door, she debated digging for her umbrella. In the end, she decided to chance it. According to the weather report, it wasn’t supposed to rain.

  She moved quickly to the entrance of the library. Once inside, the first door she passed was the public meeting room. She saw a small group of people inside. She frowned when she realized that most were carrying umbrellas. She continued to the front desk then stopped. There was no one there. Megan glanced around the library.

  There were several people off to her left near the magazine racks. There was an arrangement of comfortable chairs around a gas fireplace. Off to one side, a small table held a coffee pot. Several people were sitting around with newspapers and magazines. Some were chatting, no doubt about what they were reading.

  She turned to look toward the other side of the library. Though the children’s wing was located on the far right, there was also a computer room on the other side of a glass wall. That was where she spotted Linda, the full-time librarian. She was helping Archie Travis with something at a computer. Most of the other computers were also occupied.

  Linda looked up and spotted Megan. She reached down and put her hand on Archie’s shoulder. The older gentleman pointed at Megan and smiled before looking up at Linda. After a few moments, Archie pushed himself up from the computer chair. Linda followed him to the front desk.

  “There you are.” Archie leaned against the front desk.

  “Sorry I’m a little late. Ward Beecham started telling me about the train show in Nodding Pine that’s coming up.” Megan offered an apologetic smile. “It sounded really interesting.”

  “It is interesting.” Archie’s bushy eyebrows began dancing. “You should take a ride out to see it. It’s a family event. I’ll bet your husband and son would love it.” Archie reached up and rubbed the top of his bald head. “Too bad we don’t have layouts like that here in Teaberry.”

  “That was also something Ward was talking about. He said it would take money,” Megan said.

  “And a lot of it,” Archie agreed.

  “I’m here to ask you about Elementary in Teaberry. What can you tell me about the family that owned the toy store here?” Megan asked.

  “Oh, that brings back memories,” Linda said as she glanced at Archie. “I was pretty young though. I remember the toy shop, but not the family.”

  Archie pointed over to the genealogy section. “You probably have something on the family.”

  Linda immediately began moving. “You’re probably right.”

  Megan and Archie followed the librarian. By the time they took a seat at a nearby table, Linda already had a binder open for them. She set it in front of Archie.

  Archie flipped a couple of pages as Megan looked over his shoulder. “This is the original toy maker. Grover Wieland.”

  Megan read the birth and death dates. “Eighteen seventy five to nineteen fifty eight.” She had a thought. “Do you mind if I record your stories about them?”

  When Archie nodded his agreement, she slid her phone onto the table next to him and tapped to begin the recording app. “Oral histories are the best. You were talking about Grover Wieland.”

  “Grover created those alphabet blocks and other toys primarily of wood. He also had a lot of patent fights with other toymakers at the time. As you might imagine, he wasn’t the only one to come up with the idea of square blocks with letters on them. And that wasn’t the only toy he made that ended up being similar to someone else’s. Or vice versa. There were fire wagons and dolls and several different kinds of those building blocks.” Archie tapped the page. “That’s part of why he never made a lot of money. It was all of the patent fights he ended up being in. Grover was actually very poor.”

  Megan watched Archie flip the page then point to another name.

  “This is Elias Wieland,” he said.

  Megan read the dates again. “Eighteen ninety five to nineteen seventy.”

  “Elias is the one I remember,” Archie said. “He was quite a bit older than I was, of course. But the whole family was involved in the town of Teaberry. You can’t imagine how many toys they donated over the years.” Archie’s hand brushed lightly across the page. “That’s how I met Elias. When I was just a scruffy little guy, I was one of the beneficiaries of their generosity. As time went on and I got a little bigger, I even helped them distribute the toys. Lots of kids in town got toys at Christmas because of the Wieland family. Most people didn’t know that. It was always anonymous.”

  “Very nice,” Linda murmured.

  Megan nodded her agreement as Archie flipped to another page.

  He put his finger on the last name. “Randall Wieland.”

  “Nineteen twenty to two thousand ten,” Megan said.

  “He was the last of the line as far as I know.” Archie leaned back in his chair. “The family moved away from Teaberry when they sold the space to Susan Anderson for her florist shop.” He rubbed his ear as he thought back. “That was right before Caitlyn was born I suppose, but the space was empty for a long time before that. Years.”

  “You surprised me when you texted me asking if Archie was here,” Linda said. “I thought you’d be interested in Gregg Eastman.”

  “I saw about that on the news.” Archie’s brows began dancing again. “Another one of your puzzles?”

  “The police are looking into it,” Megan said.

  Archie chuckled. “That never stopped you before.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jill Swindell checked the display case in Tea & Thyme then called to her twin. “There’s not a lot left.”

  Janice didn’t turn around from her task. She was trying vainly to keep up with washing
the teacups and small plates being used by their customers that morning. “Lauren’s baked goods have been selling out every morning.”

  “Do you think we should increase the order?” Jill looked through the side door into the addition to check on her customers.

  Janice hummed her agreement. “Especially now that the weather is getting warmer.”

  “True, true.” Jill lifted the tray she’d just filled and headed toward the addition just as the bells on the door rung. “Morning!”

  “Good morning. I hope you saved something for me.” Leah paused long enough to pick up a box of her favorite tea then headed for the display case.

  “How are things at Vintage Teaberry?” Janice reached for a towel to dry her hands.

  “Better, now that the weather is looking better.” Leah stared at the remaining options in the case. “We have several estate sales coming up.”

  “That time of the year, I guess.” Janice moved to the display case on her side of the counter.

  “That’s for sure.” Leah pointed at something in case. “Does that have pudding in it?”

  Janice nodded. “Last one.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” Leah said as she motioned that she’ll take it. “Daryl and I can split it instead of eating a whole one each.”

  Janice transferred Leah’s choice into a takeout bag. “Have you heard anything more about Gregg Eastman?”

  Leah took the bag and moved over to the cash register. “Wasn’t that just awful? One day we were at a meeting with him, the next day he was gone.”

  “Murdered,” Janice pointed out. Her eyes went to the front windows. “I expect Megan to arrive any moment.”

  “No doubt,” Leah murmured. “It’ll be interesting to see who gets to us first. Her or the police.”

  “No way to avoid it,” Janice agreed as she rung up the purchase. “Not after the argument we saw.”

  Leah used her phone to pay as the bells on the door rang.

  “Good morning,” Gail said as she made a beeline for the display case. “Please tell me you have some of those things with pudding left.”