by R A Wallace
Chapter Thirteen
Megan moved from her car to the office used by the Monthly Business Review. Rachel Covington met her at the front door.
“You’re right on time. I appreciate that. You aren’t my last meeting before I’m done for the day.” Rachel led her over to a comfortable grouping of chairs.
“Thanks for squeezing me into your schedule.” Megan took a seat and got directly to the point. After explaining her meeting with the mayor and Caitlyn, she outlined her ideas. “I think everyone is working toward the same goal. We all want Teaberry to prosper. I was hoping that we can find a way to also work together on ads. As you know, I maintain the web site for the town.”
“I often use the information there.” Rachel rested her elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled her hands together. “What did you have in mind?”
“I can create a block on the web site for you to push content.” Megan gave details of the web server statistics for visitors to the site. She watched Rachel’s brows go up.
“This block to push my content. What is it in return for?” Rachel asked.
“A rotation of promotional ads for the various businesses in Teaberry in the Monthly Business Review.” Megan leaned back and waited.
Rachel didn’t take long to come to a decision. “I think I might be getting the better part of the deal but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Megan felt herself relax. “You were the first hurdle. We’re hoping that having you on board will help convince others to market the town as a destination place.”
Rachel spread her hands apart. “The Monthly Business Review is all about promoting the businesses.” A small frown formed between her brows as she brought a hand to her chin to prop her head on it. “I still can’t believe this thing with Gregg Eastman.”
“Did you know him well?” It was something she had wondered about on her way to see Rachel.
“I didn’t know him in school. I think he graduated the year before I went to high school.” Her eyes went around the room. “But since I’ve been involved with the magazine, I’ve certainly heard of him. I even interviewed him once.”
Megan watched another furrow form between Rachel’s eyes. “The interview didn’t go well?”
Rachel waved a hand before settling it against her chin again. “He seemed more interested in asking me out than telling me about his business.”
Megan wondered if she was remembering wrong. “I thought you were married?”
“Quite happily,” Rachel said with a nod. “Didn’t stop the man from asking more than once over the years. He didn’t seem to take no for an answer.”
“Maybe that helped to explain his success in business?” Megan suggested, mostly to see Rachel’s response. She watched Rachel’s lips form a polite smile. “Of course, I’m only guessing at his business success. I didn’t know him.”
“Let’s just say that I’ve heard others mention him in my travels,” Rachel said. “I speak to a lot of businesses, not just in Teaberry, but also the surrounding areas in western Pennsylvania.”
Megan nodded to prompt Rachel to continue.
“He apparently had a habit of asking women out everywhere he went,” Rachel said. “But he also was gaining a reputation for trying to nose his way into the market area of his competition.”
Megan tilted her head to one side. “I guess everyone is, technically. Businesses compete.”
“Most do it ethically,” Rachel pointed out.
“Gregg Eastman wasn’t one of them?”
Rachel grimaced. “Not from everything I heard.”
***
Jerry rubbed the top of his head as he watched the video segment. He knew without turning around when his partner stopped in the doorway leading to the small closet-like space he used to conduct his high-tech investigations. He could smell the coffee she held in her hand.
“You shouldn’t be drinking caffeine this late,” he said without turning around.
“It’s beginning to look like it’s going to be a very late night.” She took a long drink. “I thought we had him.”
“Early days yet,” Jerry said more from habit than anything. He was disappointed too.
“The guy was seen arguing with the victim all over town because the victim kept undercutting his bids and stealing his clients. From what we can tell, his wife was cheating on him with the victim.”
“The man had motive,” Jerry agreed before pointing at the monitor in front of him. “But not the means.”
“He was where he said he was?”
“We figured as much,” he reminded her.
“Still, a tiny piece of me held hope.” She pushed away from the doorframe. “Okay, I’m done feeling sorry for us.”
Jerry nodded. It felt good to whine for a bit. “Time to get back to work.”
“If Kirk Moody didn’t kill Gregg Eastman, who did?” Erica finished the coffee in her cup.
Jerry swiveled around in his chair to look at her as the video behind him ran in a loop. “We can look at other businesses in the area. If he was undercutting Kirk Moody, there may have been others.”
She tossed the empty cup into his garbage can. “I’m with you on that.”
Jerry rubbed at his chin. “There’s always the default option.”
“Yeah.” She crossed her arms. “The people who found him had means. We know for certain they were there at around the time of death.”
“But did Gabe and LeAnn Parker have motive?” he asked.
Erica nodded once before moving out of the room. “Let me get my notes.”
***
“Thanks for meeting with me.” Caitlyn climbed up onto a stool at the bar.
“I wouldn’t say no to good company, a good meal, and a good view.” Jennifer’s gaze followed her husband Jim as he worked behind the bar at the Station Pub & Grill.
“They do have good service here.” Caitlyn smiled a thanks at her husband when Doug slid a glass of wine in front of her. “That’s why I always leave such good tips.”
Doug shook his head at Caitlyn but was smiling when he set two menus down between their drinks. “I’ll be back.”
“What’s on your mind?” Jennifer shifted her focus from her husband to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn held up a finger then reached for her phone. “It’s a two-fold story. I got interested in the business that used to be in the space where my florist shop is.”
Jennifer reached for her wine glass. “That goes back a way. I’m not sure I remember.”
“It was probably empty when you were little,” Caitlyn murmured as she scrolled through the photo gallery on her phone. “Here. These pages are from a genealogy book in the library.”
Jennifer reached for the phone. “Wieland. Doesn’t sound familiar.”
“I guess the last of the line moved away from Teaberry. Before that though, the family was really involved in the town. They made toys.” Caitlyn swiped her finger across the phone to move to the next picture. “This is the logo they used on every toy.”
“A sprig of teaberry. Nice.” Jennifer passed the phone back to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn explained her interest in developing a logo to promote the town. “I just want to make sure that whatever we come up with doesn’t infringe on any existing trademarks.”
Jennifer smiled knowingly. “That sounds like the mayor talking.”
Caitlyn flashed a grin. “Yep.”
“Wise woman, our mayor.”
“She is. She also suggested that you look into a donation that was made by Waters Food earlier today. It’s to help fund the portion of ad costs related to town branding for those businesses that need it.”
Jennifer brought her wine glass to her lips. After taking a sip, she nodded as she set the glass back down on the bar. “Yeah. I can see some potential issues.”
“I’ll be happy to leave it all to you to look into then.” Caitlyn smiled up at Doug when he reappeared.
“Ready to order?” He glanced down at the m
enus. They were still where he left them.
“We have the menu memorized,” Caitlyn assured him before rattling off her request.
***
Erica was reading from the notes in her hand when she reappeared in the doorway of Jerry’s small closet office. “Okay, these are the notes from when we interviewed Gabe and LeAnn.”
Jerry left the video he was reviewing running then spun around in his seat. “How is it feeling for you?”
Erica scowled at the pages in front of her. “For one thing, they would have had to do it together.”
“And then lie about it together afterward,” he added.
“What’s your gut saying?” She glanced up at him.
He was shaking his head. “I’m not seeing it.”
“Yeah. I have the same problem.” She scowled at the pages again as she shuffled them. “They are acting odd about something though.”
He spoke quickly. “Agreed. Definitely something going on with those two.”
“What do you think it is?” She looked up again.
Movement behind Jerry on the screen caught her eye as she watched the victim inside the feed store. “This is after the argument?”
“What?” Jerry swiveled back around and checked the timestamp of the video. “Uh, yeah. We haven’t looked at this part yet. It’s several minutes after the incident where Gregg and Kirk got into it in the store.”
He swiveled back around to face her. “What if there’s something we haven’t looked at yet with Gabe and LeAnn?”
“What do you mean?” Erica continued to watch the video.
“I don’t know. Gabe and LeAnn are divorced. Why were they looking at a house?” Jerry waited for Erica to toss out some ideas. He saw her eyes narrow as she took a step forward.
“What is that?” Erica pointed at the screen. “Who is he talking to?”
“Who?” Jerry spun around. “Our victim is in front of the feed store.”
“Outside, yeah. Does that look like another altercation to you?”
Jerry reached for the mouse and began clicking. “That’s a Waters Food logo on the side of the truck.”
“Wife or husband?” Erica asked.
“Husband. That’s Grady Waters.” Jerry isolated the section of the video they were interested in and ran it in a loop.
Erica shook her head as the segment ran over and over. “I can’t tell. Are they arguing?”
Jerry held up a finger then paused the loop. “Grady’s face might look upset here. What do you think?”
“Maybe. The guy always waves his hands around when he talks.” Erica sighed. “It’s just not clear cut. I think a good lawyer could argue they were discussing the weather.”
Chapter Fourteen
She sat in her car staring at the front door. She knew that when Gabe visited, he often went to the kitchen door in the rear of the house but LeAnn wasn’t comfortable doing that. She didn’t know Megan well enough. Going to the kitchen door in the rear was what family did. LeAnn wasn’t certain that she qualified for that informal relationship.
As she sat there contemplating what to do, she realized that she wouldn’t feel comfortable going to the rear door with anyone in her own family. In fact, it would never even occur to her. That she even considered it with Megan probably meant something. Her hand reached for the door latch. She was out of the car a moment later.
She was only halfway to the front door when she saw it open. Megan was there, waiting for her. She was smiling. She had Aaron on her hip. His face lit up too, like he actually recognized her. LeAnn felt the knot in her stomach tighten. Was she making a mistake? LeAnn’s steps slowed.
Megan stepped out onto the porch. “What a nice surprise. I was just about to make some tea.”
LeAnn felt her heart flip. What if Megan hated her for what she was about to tell her? “Sounds nice. I can’t stay. I was just hoping…”
LeAnn was taken by surprise when she reached Megan. Aaron put his hands out toward her. Without thinking, she reached for him. He felt good in her arms. Though he didn’t look heavy, she realized that he was solid.
“Hey, there. You remember me.” LeAnn smoothed his dark hair down. So like his father and uncle. He even had the same blue eyes.
“He has a great memory.” Megan led the way into the kitchen. “I was working on dinner. Can you stay?”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be interrupting.” LeAnn could smell something before she even reached the kitchen. She pressed her lips together and began counting slowly.
Megan turned to take Aaron when they reached the kitchen table. “Here. I’ll put him in his high chair. The water is hot. I’ll just make a couple of cups. I find tea also relaxes me as I’m cooking.” She eyed LeAnn as she settled Aaron into his chair. “Do you like teaberry tea?”
“Um, I don’t know.” LeAnn wasn’t sure what to do, so she took a seat near Aaron. “I don’t think I’ve ever had any.”
“We’ll give it a try.” Megan crossed over to the sink.
LeAnn smiled at Aaron. “What did you mean? Tea also relaxes you?”
“Well, cooking relaxes me. I know that isn’t true for everyone.” Megan turned to glance at LeAnn.
LeAnn shook her head. “I never had much reason to cook. I was usually by myself. It seemed too much of an effort to cook for one.”
“I know what you mean. I was single for quite a while after Josh died.” Megan carried two cups of tea to the table. She set one in front of LeAnn then took a seat. “Are you okay?”
LeAnn wrapped her hands around the cup in front of her. “I’m sorry to bother you. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“How about you start at the beginning?” Megan gave an encouraging smile.
LeAnn stared at the tea in front of her for several moments. This was the moment. She had hoped that she and Megan could be friends. With her next words, there was a very good chance she would end any hope of that.
“It was while we were divorced.” LeAnn kept her focus on the cup. She didn’t want to see the disappointment in Megan’s eyes. “I was trying to move on.”
“You were better at that than I was,” Megan said.
LeAnn looked up. Megan was still smiling.
“After Josh died, I was hopeless with any of that. I never really dated anyone other than Josh. I didn’t even know where to begin. Then there was the fact that everyone in town knew about him cheating on me.” Megan shook her head.
“I was always so impressed with the way you kept your head up,” LeAnn murmured.
Megan made a face. “It took a while before I realized that it didn’t matter what everyone else thought. I could either live stuck in the past or move on. But it was still hard to do it, even once I made the decision. And even then, it’s not like I managed to date anyone. Not until Dan.”
“Yeah.” LeAnn huffed the word out. “Yeah, it was all pretty confusing.”
“So you met someone,” Megan prompted.
LeAnn’s lips flattened. Her eyes went back to the tea in front of her. “It was Gregg. He asked me out to dinner. I went.” She held her breath.
“You were both single. You were brave enough to give it a try.” Megan lifted her cup with both hands and blew on her tea. “It didn’t work out?”
LeAnn lifted her eyes again. “Uh, no. No, it didn’t.” She heard herself laugh. “Even I could tell he was a player. At least I was smart enough to meet him there rather than letting him pick me up. It only happened one time. We went out. Had an awkward meal. I drove myself home.”
“And then you and Gabe found Gregg’s body,” Megan said with a nod. “You’re worried.”
“Very.” LeAnn felt her hands tremble. “I don’t know what to do. I think they’re looking at us for the murder. We were there. We didn’t see anyone else. I can’t really blame them.”
“You didn’t mention this to the police when they first questioned you?”
She pulled her hands away from the cup and clasped them together. “I was t
oo scared. I haven’t even told Gabe.” She looked up at Megan. Her next words came out as a whisper. “What should I do?”
Megan set her cup back down. “I think we should ask the police what to do.”
LeAnn began shaking her head. “No, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t even know how.”
Megan smiled gently. “I would just text Erica and ask her. Is that okay?”
“That doesn’t sound bad. I guess.” LeAnn took a breath. “Okay. You’re right.”
Megan stood and crossed the room. She entered a text then crossed back over to the table and sat down again. “How are you doing? Do you want something to eat?”
LeAnn doubted she could stomach anything. Not without knowing what the police were going to do. Besides, her stomach hadn’t been feeling well. She barely got any of the tea down. Her eyes dropped to the cup. It was almost empty. She realized that her stomach didn’t feel as bad either.
“I think the tea was what I needed, thanks.”
Megan smiled then her phone buzzed. She reached for it and read the response out loud. “They want you to come in and amend your statement.”
LeAnn’s eyes closed. She felt Megan’s hand on hers.
“I can come with you,” Megan said.
LeAnn looked at Aaron. “I couldn’t ask that of you.”
A tone sounded. Megan pointed toward the noise. “Dan can stay with Aaron. That’s him now. He put a sensor in so we would know when people pulled into the driveway.”
It made sense. “That’s how you knew I was here.”
“It’s really going to help when I start selling produce. I’ll just tell Dan where we’re going.” Megan reached for LeAnn’s hand again. “It shouldn’t take long. Erica said she’d have the form waiting for us at the front desk. Okay?”
LeAnn felt herself nod in agreement.
***
“What do you make of it?” Erica sat in the passenger seat of the patrol car with her notes in her lap.
“Megan’s text about LeAnn?” Jerry checked his mirrors then signaled a turn. “On the surface, I can understand it.”