“Good eye, Jake. You’re reading into the picture correctly. He’s right, Megan, Lisa seems to be pretty intense with a few of these people.”
Megan was pleased that they saw the same thing she did, but slightly frustrated that they weren’t looking beyond that. If they would just open their eyes and look a little more closely, they’d discover it wasn't just the guests of the gala that Lisa was having intense conversations with, but also someone else. Using her shoulder to give them a little nudge out of her way, she stood in front of pictures and pointed to two or three showing them what had been so obvious to her.
"I don't know about you, but James seems to hover around Lisa, much more than what the party demanded. There's something else going on between the two of them. It's clear to me that James is giving her directions and I don't think she likes them."
Jake seem to catch on to what Megan said, and he nodded his head in agreement. By nature, Aiden sorted out the facts for himself, and he took his time looking over the pictures. But now that Megan had pointed out what she saw, it was clear to him as well.
"I think you might have found key, Megan. I would be willing to bet a fancy dinner that if I run some data, I'll be able to produce evidence that there's a correlation between the names on the blackmail list and the parties that your party planner has worked."
"That's gotta be it. How else would the blackmailers have access to so many victims?"
Megan picked up one picture and it was obvious James had a firm grip on Lisa's upper arm. Megan rubbed her own arm as if she could feel the pressure being applied. The expression on James's face was not that of the organized party planner she had been dealing with over the last few weeks. Instead anger, bordering on threatening, was evident. She felt a wave of sympathy for the murder victim and now understood why Lisa had seemed so skittish when they had met. Putting the picture down she picked up a few more and saw the same interaction between the two people. Peering closer at the picture in her hand she noticed that James was pointing to the clipboard in Lisa's hands. And then it clicked.
"Where's that list of names from the clipboard?" Rather than waiting for an answer she rummaged through the papers on Aiden's desk. It only took a moment to find what she was looking for and she held it up triumphantly.
"Did you notice most of these names are of the same people that Lisa was photographed next to? I think she was instructed to pump these people for information. Maybe to find out personal information or something as simple as when their home or office might be empty. At that point it would be easy for somebody else to enter the home with the intent of finding evidence for their blackmail scheme."
The three of them looked at each other, the answer seemed simple enough but now they had to prove it. And then they had to convince Detective Carson that their deductions were right.
"Okay, so now we have a theory – what's next?" Jake asked.
"I need to run a few programs and confirm this information—"
"I want to contact Charlotte and the Colonel and find out if they’ve heard any gossip about these people on our list," Megan and Aiden both answered at the same time.
Jake laughed, recognizing that the two of them were on a roll. He was familiar with the signs; he had seen them before when they were involved with a case. Realizing they would both quickly get wrapped up in their own agendas, he went out to make a pot of coffee in the kitchen, pausing before he left the room to add a reminder.
"Don't forget, Detective Carson will be here in about half an hour. I hope you have more than theories by that time to present him. I kinda get the feeling he will only accept hard facts."
Megan exchanged a worried look with Aiden behind Jake's back. The young office assistant was right. Detective Carson wasn't going to simply accept a theory. And if they didn't present everything in the right way, he would block their every effort to prove that theory.
Aiden shot Megan a thumbs up signal, along with a reassuring smile. Megan returned his smile and decided the best way to combat the detective was to get to work, gathering concrete facts. She moved over to the reception room and closed the door behind her so Aiden could work without interruption. Once again pacing, she dialed Charlotte Potter’s cell phone. As if the woman was waiting for Megan's call, she answered on the first ring.
"How's everything going, Megan?"
"We think we've got a good idea of what's going on, Charlotte. But now we need proof. I need your help, you and Colonel Heart." Without hesitation on the other side of the line, Charlotte answered her.
“You just let us know what we can do for you."
"I think we all need to meet again. Unfortunately, Detective Carson will be here shortly, he wants to talk to Aiden. I'm already cooking dinner for the family tonight, so why don't you all come over the house?"
Charlotte readily agreed, and Megan outlined their theory so that Charlotte could start gathering info, Citrus Beach style. Megan was just hanging up the phone when the detective walked in the front entrance. He was early for the appointment, but he made no apologies. He looked around him curiously, wondering how the retired FBI agent worked. It was clear he wasn't expecting to find two dogs sitting by the reception desk, nor the fancy espresso machine he could see sitting on the kitchen counter. As he tried to conceal his disapproval, Megan thought it was a shame he wasn’t a more pleasant person to be around; he seemed intelligent and a few times she had seen the hint of a sense of humor
“Hello, Detective Carson.” Trying to be pleasant, Megan spoke first. And then wondered why she bothered.
“Ms. Cassidy. I’m surprised to find you here. I hope you don’t expect to be included in my meeting with Mr. Tory. What I have to say to him is not for a citizen to be included.”
Biting her tongue and counting to three, Megan didn’t answer right away. And when she did, the fake sweetness dripped from her tone like honey from the hive. Jake was listening from the kitchen, hidden from the detective’s view, but he was in clear view of Megan and she almost burst out laughing as he animated her words with exaggerated movements. It seemed she was adding a hint of a southern drawl to her voice, and Jack was giving his best Scarlet O’Hara impression.
“I wouldn’t dream of getting in the way of you two men. I simply joined my fiancée for lunch. As a matter of fact, since he is busy in his office – you are early, you know – I’ll take the dogs and get out of your way. Jake, be a dear and tell Aiden I’ll wait for him at home.”
With a snap of her fingers for the dogs to follow her, Megan gave the two men a flirty little wave as she flounced out of the office. All she needed was a parasol and hoop skirt to complete the impression. She barely made it to her Jeep before she ruined the effect by bursting into laughter, hard enough that she snorted. Not at all like a southern lady.
She opened the door for the dogs to jump in the back seat, and looked back towards Aiden's office and saw Jake waving to her from the window. Still laughing, Megan returned his wave and then pulled out. Now she had the equivalent of a party planned for this evening, she figured that she had better make a few plans. With a quick glance at her watch, she crossed her fingers for luck, and made a call to the caterer who had handled the gala. Kayla Spinner was a bit of a miracle worker and had come to Megan’s rescue before. The two had become friends over the years, and Megan often used Kayla’s services to meet her client’s needs.
When Kayla answered, Megan explained her dilemma and held her breath waiting for her friend’s answer.
“I can save your butt, my friend. If you don’t mind having the same menu I served for the gala. I always make extra, so my supply is full. I can have it out to your house by 6pm. Will that work for you?”
“Thanks so much, Kayla. You truly have saved my butt. I should have planned for coffee and dessert, but everyone is so busy…”
“Not a problem. When I get there, I want all the gossip on the murder. I’m sure you’re involved in the investigation in some way, you usually are.” Joked the woman on the other
end of the line.
She promised to keep her updated, and ended the call. That was one thing taken care of, but she still needed to straighten up the house and check in with Janice to find out how everything was going at the office. Pushing down on the gas pedal, she picked up her speed and headed west of town to her home.
While Megan was getting ready for the evening’s dinner guests, Aiden was dealing with an arrogant police detective, and losing his patience. Because of the man’s early arrival, he’d been unable to gather the information to back their theory. The detective was treating it as only that: a theory. He refused to listen to Aiden’s suggestions, especially when it slipped out that Megan had come up with most of the theory, based on what they found in the pictures.
“That can all be open to interpretation. And you know that, Aiden. I need proof before I can question anyone along these lines. You provide that proof and I’ll take it from there. Now, what I wanted to talk to you about was Colonel Heart. What do you know about the man? Or his granddaughter?”
Chapter 17
Aiden was last one to arrive for the evening’s dinner and discussion of the murder Megan had planned. If he was honest with himself, when he saw all the cars parked in front of Megan's house, he was tempted to just keep driving over to his own apartment where there was peace and quiet.
He was exhausted. Working with Detective Carson had been like pulling teeth. The man had a one-track mind, and it was not open to ideas or other possibilities. In his mind, the colonel was the culprit, and he would twist the facts anyway he could to make them work. Aiden had been as cooperative as he could, but after a while he gave up trying. The other man seemed to sense his reserve and after another 15 minutes of trying to pull information wasn't there the detective took his leave.
Once the detective left, Aiden felt like his back was up against the wall. He was determined to prove not only the colonel was innocent, but Megan's theory about the blackmail was correct. He spent the rest of the afternoon gathering information from the different sources he had, sources that were not public knowledge. Not even Detective Carson had access to some of the databases Aiden was using.
The hours passed, and he was so deep in his work; he didn't even hear a thing, not even when Jake said goodbye at the end of his work day. Jake knew the signs well, and he had discreetly set an alarm to go off so Aiden would remember to make it home in time for Megan's dinner.
When the alarm went off, Aiden had looked up, shocked at how much time had passed. He realized he didn't dare leave everybody hanging. He wrapped up his work, then and then gathered what information he could take out of the office with him to share with Megan and the others.
Straightening his shoulders, Aiden took a deep breath: a calming and renewing breath. Then he opened the door to enter the house. The first thing that hit him was the delicious smell of Kayla's catered food. His mouth watered and then he noticed the noise. Most of it seemed to come from the pool area, but the sound he wanted to hear the most seem to materialize by magic at his side.
"Hey there. I missed you this afternoon. Sweetheart, you look tired, let's get you something to eat and then you can relax.” Megan seemed to just appear, ready to welcome him home, and he liked the feeling it gave him. Bending, he gave her a deep kiss regardless of who was watching. This was the recharge he needed.
"Megan, it looks like half the town is here," he joked.
Glancing around him as he walked out on the pool deck he was surprised to see how many people were there. He had known Lucy and Paul and the kids would be there, but so were Emma and her roommate Taylor. Hearing a familiar voice, he looked over where the teenagers were standing and found Jake and Lynn were also there.
"Emma and Taylor volunteer to come and keep the kids entertained. Jake swung by after work with Lynn, so I included him in the invitation. We'll let everyone under the age of 25 stay out here on the pool deck while the rest of us go inside after dinner." Megan explained as she watched his gaze move from one group of people to the other. Positioned a safe distance from the splashing water from the kids, he found the colonel and his granddaughter Kim, along with Charlotte and Adele. He was expecting those people, but he was truly surprised to see Deputy Young in attendance as well, He looked at Megan questionably.
"I'm as surprised as you are to see him here. I hope he won’t wind up in trouble with the new detective." Megan lowered her voice discreetly. "But I don't think the murder is the only thing on Sean's mind. He seems pretty taken with the attention he's getting from Emma and Taylor."
Aiden looked in the direction she was pointing, and couldn't help but to laugh.
"Seriously Megan, you've got to stop playing matchmaker. Not everybody has to be a couple. Maybe they're just friends."
Megan rolled her eyes at his complaint. Sometimes she wondered if the man had a romantic bone in him, but then she would remember the sweet things he did for her and knew underneath that hard exterior was a sweetheart.
"Uncle Aiden!" Sammy’s excited yell when she noticed him announced his arrival to the others. She and Toby had given him the honorary title when he and Megan had announced their engagement.
The smile Aiden got on his face went from ear-to-ear and he gave a wave hello to the younger girl. He instantly felt a surge of energy. Sammy had a way of doing that; she would either energize you or exhausted you. Leaving Megan’s side, he walked over to where the kids were in the pool to say hello and find out what they were doing. After getting splashed once too often he walked away to join the adults.
"You don't have to stand there and take that from them Aiden," Paul said as he handed him a towel.
"It's okay it's just something kids do. I remember when my son was that age. Besides next time I'm in the pool with those two, I'll remember getting splashed," was his laughing answer.
Megan walked up with Lucy by her side and told the two men the dinner plans.
"The four of us, Charlotte and Adel, along with the Colonel and Kim, will eat now so we can talk about the murder afterwards. Emma and Taylor agreed to keep the kids occupied and they’ll eat later. Kayla's got a beautiful banquet set up for us. Doesn’t it smell great?” she inhaled deeply and then pointed to the dining room. “So why do we go get started. I don't know about you but I am starved."
The men agreed, and in a short time the eight adults were seated at Megan's dining room table, plates full, eager to eat and get down to business. The conversation during dinner was casual, no one wanting to bring up the subject of murder until later. When they finished, Lucy tried to clean up the table but Megan stopped her.
“That's part of Emma's agreement; she will clean up after us. So, let's all go into the living room and I can shut the folding doors. We can have privacy and not worry about what's going on with the kids."
They all got up and entered the living room, each finding a comfortable seat. Like the rest of Megan's house the room was decorated in beautiful antiques, the rich warm colors of the wood highlighted by the brightly colored accents she had added. Once everybody had found a seat, Megan surprised them by bringing out a rolling chalkboard like what you would see in an old-school room. On the board, she had transferred all the Post-It notes from her sliding glass door. There were more notes based on the things she had found out during the day. And she was sure Aiden would add more as well. As she walked by him she handed him a stack of multicolored Post-It notes.
"You can fill these out, Aiden, so we can all get caught up with what you've come up with. In the meantime, while you're doing that I will explain our theory about the blackmail. Then you can tell us all about your visit from Detective Carson."
Aiden almost groaned out loud at the detective's name but he held it inside not wanting to prejudice anybody against the new law enforcement officer. Instead he did as instructed, and got to work filling out the Post-It notes. He remembered Megan liked everything done orderly, at least at this stage of an investigation. Somehow at the end of investigation all it always seems to blow ope
n and go in different directions. Often directions he ever expected and he was learning to keep an open mind where his fiancée was concerned.
While Aiden was filling out the Post-It notes, Megan brought everybody up to speed about what they had deciphered from the pictures Lynn had taken. She then explained their theory about the party planners being involved in a blackmail scheme.
When she had finished, Aiden stood up as if he was in a board meeting, to go over what he had found out through his confidential sources.
"Each person on the list from the flash drive has been withdrawing large amounts of money from their financial accounts. Those monies were then deposited into a separate account that James, the party planner, keeps. He labeled it as part of his business and the monies are listed as reoccurring consultation fees. For some of the people that are being blackmailed, those reoccurring fees are steep. They all come on a regular basis. Most only last 6 to 7 months. But a few that have been ongoing for over a year. We are assuming the longer the person is being blackmailed, the more delicate the situation is and they will pay longer to keep it quiet."
Aiden paused for a moment and reached over and picked up one picture Megan had put on the board. He tapped on the figure of Lisa Fox and continued.
"We can guess from these pictures that Lisa was part of the gang, but I tend to think she was more of a gatherer of information. Her bank accounts do not show large amounts of money coming or going, which makes me think James had something he held over Lisa's head as well."
As he looked down at the picture, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the young woman. Around him everybody else was breaking into conversation. Each person coming up with their own idea of what secret could be held over the young woman's head that would cause her to do such an awful thing.
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