Teaberry Farmers Market

by R A Wallace

  It was time to make some changes. She and Evan were a family. They might only be a family of two, but they were a family. She needed to start acting like it. That included having healthy food in the house and family time at meal time. Although, Jessilyn thought to herself as she listened to Evan chattering on his way back to the kitchen, meal time was a lot better with Seth around. It definitely reminded her of family.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Megan spent Thursday speaking with more of the women from the list that Irlene had given her. She’d heard some pretty interesting stories so far. She was beginning to wonder if she should carry a box if tissues with her. Most of the women were relieved to talk about the secrets they thought they’d held close when, in fact, Megan knew that many in town were already aware of them.

  Like Judy Crocker, for example. She’d been terrified for nearly two decades that if word got out she’d failed a math class in school, her accounting business would fail. Megan had explained to her that it wasn’t actually a secret in Teaberry and that those who knew were actually impressed with her achievements. Judy had burst into tears. Judy had also been relieved to hear that Irlene would be happy to have her back as a customer. Judy had confirmed that Cybil had been blackmailing her.

  Next on Megan’s list was Linda Spelling. Megan knew Linda from the library. The same age as Megan’s parents, Linda had been a librarian for as long as Megan could remember. Megan had called her parents to ask if they might have any idea what Linda’s secret might be. She thought that if she knew in advance, it would help her frame her questions. Megan figured she’d find Linda at the Teaberry Library and hoped she’d be able to get a few moments alone with her. She saw that she was in luck when she entered the cool building. It felt good to get in from the heat.

  On the room to her right, Megan could see a large group of small children. They were working on some project together with the children’s librarian and volunteer parents. The other side of the library wasn’t as busy. The computer room was packed. Megan could see the patrons using the computers through the glass wall. But Linda was alone at the counter. She had a large pile of books that she was scanning into the system.

  “Linda, do you have a moment to talk?” Megan asked.

  Linda glanced up from her work for a moment, but she continued to scan the books. “What can I help you with?”

  “It’s about Cybil Lacey.”

  Linda’s hands paused for a moment before she picked up the next book in the pile. “Oh?”

  “Well, actually, it’s more about Irlene,” Megan said.

  Linda stopped working and looked up at Megan. “What do you mean?”

  “She wanted you to know that she would love to have you back as a customer.”

  Linda stared at Megan for a moment, her hands frozen above the stack of books on the counter in front of her. “Well.” Linda looked away from Megan for a moment, then back down at her books. “Well, I would like that.”

  “I’ve been speaking with several of Irlene’s customers. The ones who had gone to Cybil lately. It seems that many of you had something in common.”

  Linda jerked her head up and she looked sharply at Megan, her eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

  “Well, it seems that Cybil had found out something about each customer and then held it over their heads,” Megan explained.

  “Oh.” Linda clasped her hands together and rested them on the counter.

  “The thing is though, I’ve spoken with many of them about their secrets. And, it turns out, most of them weren’t really secrets. Kind of like my marriage, you know? You’ve heard stories about my husband, right?” Megan asked.

  Megan watched Linda’s eyes fill with sympathy before Linda nodded.

  “Over the years, I’ve sometimes thought that it might be better if no one ever knew all of that. How he’d cheated on me and some of the other things he did. But I’ve decided that I don’t really mind. It’s way better than always worrying about people finding out. You know? I wouldn’t want to worry about that all the time.” Megan shrugged.

  Linda took a deep breath. “I’m not proud of it. When I was in high school, I stole my girlfriend’s boyfriend.” Linda gave a self-mocking smile. “Of course, he didn’t just cheat on my friend. He turned around and cheated on me too. What a lesson there, huh? But my friend never spoke to me again.” The smile was gone. “That was the hard part of the lesson.”

  Megan called Erica when she got back to her truck. She sat in the running truck, the air on, and told Erica what she had discovered so far.

  “I’ve spoken with everyone on the list that Irlene gave to me. I’m really not seeing any of these people as killers,” Megan said.

  “We’ve gone back and spoken with some of the others that weren’t on your list. So far, we’re thinking the same thing. They’ve all admitted to being blackmailed, but none of them are throwing up any red flags. We’ll keep digging,” Erica said.

  “I have a guest staying with me tonight. He just registered today. I’ll need to get home now and get ready for him. But I’ll be at the farmers market tomorrow. I think I’m going to try talking to some of the other vendors there.”

  “You think there may be a connection?” Erica asked. She’d wondered the same thing too.

  “Well, the hair cutting competition was held at the farmers market. Maybe someone there knew Cybil. Did you cross check the list of vendors with Cybil’s appointment book?” Megan asked.

  “We did, but her bookkeeping skills left a lot to be desired. It’s possible that she just didn’t write something down.”

  Megan thought about it. “I guess that could happen if you got a walk-in, right? No need to write it down if they’re already there.”

  “Whatever you do tomorrow, just be safe. If you learn anything, let me know. But don’t get into trouble.”

  Megan thought about everything she’d learned while driving home. She may have solved one puzzle. She knew why Irlene lost her customers. But she didn’t yet have enough pieces of the puzzle to find a killer.

  She had just finished getting a room ready when Dan arrived. He let himself in the front door and found Megan coming down the steps. Megan greeted him with a kiss. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming. Hungry?”

  “Always,” Dan said with a smile. He followed Megan into the kitchen. “What do you have going on?”

  “I was getting a room ready upstairs. I have a guest staying tonight. He should be here in about an hour but he won’t need dinner. So, I have time to feed us both. I still have some leftovers from last night’s dinner if that’s okay?”

  “Last night’s dinner was really good. I wouldn’t mind some more.” Dan started taking out plates and silverware while Megan got the food from the fridge.

  “So, this guy that’s staying here tonight. What do you know about him?” Dan asked as they ate.

  “Oh, not much. His name is Ross McMann. He’s just planning to stay one night. That’s all I know really. You can meet him after dinner.” Megan smiled at Dan across the table. She was thinking that she really enjoyed having dinner with Dan like this.

  Dan smiled back. He was thinking that he was going to have a lot of questions to ask Ross McMann when he met him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Megan woke early Friday morning disoriented. She stretched out her hand and felt nothing but flat bed. No Emma? She sat up, looking around the room. Emma was usually impatiently waiting to be fed and often woke Megan in the morning in her pursuit of food. Megan got out of bed and began pulling on clothes. Was that the smell of coffee? Did she sleep in?

  Megan looked at the clock. No, it was only six in the morning. Once dressed, she followed the smell of the coffee to the kitchen. There she found both Emma and Dan. Emma was munching happily from her bowl but did pause long enough to throw a glance at Megan before returning her focus on her food.

  “Good morning,” Dan said. He was standing near the counter, pouring a cup of coffee for Megan. He doctored
it up the way she liked it, then handed her the cup.

  “Did I miss something?” Megan asked. Her face was drawn in confusion.

  “I spent the night in one of your guest rooms.” Dan took a sip of his own coffee and waited for Megan’s response.

  Her brain must still be muddled from sleep. “Why?”

  “Do you often have single men renting a room?” Dan leaned back against the counter.

  “Well, no. I mean, I can’t think of any particular time. Usually, I have couples or a group staying.” Megan looked down at the cup in her hand, then drank from it gratefully. “I thought you left last night after Mr. McMann got here?” Dan had volunteered to give Ross a tour of the house when he’d arrived.

  “I did. I went home and grabbed an overnight bag. I was thinking it might be better if I hung around for the night so that you weren’t all alone with a strange man.” Dan watched her closely. “I was thinking it might be a better solution if I did that from now on, including tonight. I could even stay and help when you have a lot of guests.”

  “How did you get in?” Megan asked.

  “Ross McMann let me in. We talked about it before I left to pick up some things.”

  “Oh.” Megan thought about it while she drank some more coffee. “I need to go gather the eggs and get started on some breakfast.”

  “What are we having?” Dan asked.

  “Huckleberry pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Mr. McMann chose the menu. If you want anything else, let me know.” Megan drained her cup. “Next time, maybe you could keep me in the loop when you decide to stay.”

  “You aren’t mad?” Dan looked surprised.

  “Why should I be. You had my best interests in mind, right?”

  Dan nodded. “I did. And I’d like to help you.”

  “Well, then. I should get to work.” Megan grabbed her egg basket.

  “I can help with that,” Dan said.

  “You already did by having my coffee ready and feeding Emma. I’ll be right back with the eggs. As soon as I get breakfast ready, I’ll go out to the garden and pick everything for the farmers market today. Maybe you could keep Mr. McMann busy while I do that.”

  Dan watched her go then looked over at Emma. “I thought she’d be more upset.”

  Green eyes gazed steadily back at him.

  “Is that coffee I smell?” Ross McMann said as he entered the kitchen.

  “I have a cup right here,” Dan said as he pulled one from the cupboard. “How do you take it?”

  “Black is fine,” Ross said. He was dressed for the day in shorts and a polo. His dark hair was sprinkled liberally with gray and still looked wet from the shower. His brown eyes gleamed with appreciation after taking his first sip. “Ah, that’s exactly what I needed, thanks.”

  “We can sit out on the porch, if you’d like. Megan went to get the eggs.”

  “I’m game,” Ross said as Megan came back into the kitchen. “This is a nice place you two have.”

  Dan smiled at Megan. “Thanks, we like it.”

  Megan smiled back and set the eggs on the counter. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”

  Ross followed Dan onto the back porch. “Are those donkeys out there?” Ross asked.

  “Miniatures, yes.” Dan smiled when Henry let out a strangled crow. “So, what brings you in to town?”

  Ross sat in a chair next to Dan. Both men looked out toward the paddock and the fields beyond it, drinking their coffee. “I’m looking at a property.”

  “Yeah? Something in town?” Dan watched Henry scratching in the barnyard.

  “Yes, a small investment option, but what I read on the web site about it sounded interesting,” Ross said.

  Dan smiled. “If it’s a property in town, I might know what you’re looking at. Megan probably designed the web page for it.”

  “Really?” Ross looked over at Dan. “I’ll have to ask. Whoever did it is talented. I could use that kind of talent.”

  “Are you from the area?” Dan asked.

  Ross set his empty cup down and shook his head. “No, from Seattle actually. I like what I’ve seen of the area so far though.”

  “More coffee anyone?” Megan asked. At their nods, she refilled both cups with her carafe. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

  “I’m looking forward to the huckleberry pancakes.” Ross settled back in his seat with his fresh cup of coffee. The temperature was already in the lower seventies. The sheep and the donkeys were grazing in the field. He could get used to this.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Megan wheeled the last of Lauren’s baked goods over to their tent, then helped Lauren set them up on the table.

  “I sold a lot of your zucchini while you were gone,” Lauren said. “They said they were going to make pickles from it.”

  “I plan to do some of that myself next week. The hot peppers are getting ready too. I can add some to the zucchini and make some Angry Pickles.” Megan took the seat next to Lauren behind their table. “Dan spent the night last night.”

  Lauren looked at her cousin in surprise. “He did? I thought you had a guest?”

  “I did. They seemed to get along fine,” Megan said. “He said he thought he should do it more often, like even tonight since Mr. McMann has decided that he’s spending one more night with me. Mr. McMann said he’d be spending the day in town but would be back at my place after dinner.” Megan thought about her earlier conversation with Dan. “Dan also said that he could help me at other times when I have guests.”

  “Well, that seems positive. Have you two talked about what you’re planning to do in your future? Are you both thinking about the same things, like whether or not you would keep the farm and still run it as a B&B?” Lauren asked.

  Megan shook her head. “No, I would like to know what he is thinking but every time it seems like the conversation is headed that way, we get interrupted.”

  “Well, the only way you’ll know for certain is for the two of you to discuss it,” Lauren said wisely.

  “I know. And I plan to, soon. But I need to finish up the situation with Irlene first.” Megan explained to Lauren what she had discovered so far.

  “That is so sad. In a lot of cases, those people were being blackmailed to keep secrets that weren’t even really secrets.” Lauren shook her head.

  Megan stood when she saw Madison approaching. “Hey, how are you two?” Madison asked.

  Megan looked at Madison’s hair and had a thought. “Who usually does your hair?”

  Madison smiled knowingly. “Working on the case of the dead stylist? I go to Irlene.”

  “Did you ever think about switching to Cybil?” Megan asked.

  Madison wrinkled her nose. “No, I don’t need a lot of attention, just a trim now and then. I didn’t see any reason to change and I got the impression that Cybil would try to talk me into something new.”

  Megan remembered Cybil’s attempts to give her a new cut during the previous weekend. “Yeah, I think you’re right about that. What looks good today?”

  Madison looked around at what they had available. “Some fresh zucchini and chard please. Oh, and some eggs and green onions. Put those all together and you’ve got a great frittata.” Madison exchanged money for the produce.

  “That sounds good to me. I’ll bring the wine,” a deep voice said behind Madison.

  Madison turned and smiled, her bag of produce in her hand. “Officer Jerry. Well, you know where I live. I’ll see you at dinnertime.” Madison waved to Megan and Lauren, who were sharing a grin.

  Lauren took out a cookie and handed it to Jerry. “Thanks, I needed this,” Jerry said. “I’m technically just on a short break but I offered to run over and tell Megan that Erica would like you to call her later and give her an update.”

  “And, you wanted your cookie and also happened to know when Madison usually gets here,” Megan guessed.

  “That too,” Jerry smiled and waved. “Gotta run. We’re still working the case.”

&n
bsp; Megan looked around the farmers market and then turned to Lauren. “Do you think you can handle the booth by yourself while I walk around and talk to people for just a bit? I won’t be long. I’d like to try to get some more information before I touch base with Erica later. I know some of the people that are here were also here last weekend.”

  “I’m fine,” Lauren assured her. “Go. Find your puzzle pieces.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ross McMann parked his car in an open spot on Main Street and then walked around the historic town. It was actually larger than what he had envisioned. While they were at breakfast this morning, Dan had told him where his feed store was. Ross stopped to check it out, examining everything with a critical eye. The parking lot was pretty busy. The store looked well-kept. There were security cameras on the building and the lighting in and around the store, including the parking lot, was more than adequate. Looked like the man knew his business. Good for him, Ross thought.

  Ross continued walking around. There were several streets with shops, restaurants, and other businesses. There weren’t any vacant storefronts, except for the one that used to be a photographer’s studio in the building he was considering. No wonder they were actively promoting the sale of the building. No doubt having the question of the building’s future settled would help with renting the space out.

  He liked what he saw of the town. The ornate iron lampposts had decorative flags. Some promoted the farmers market. Others talked about upcoming events in town. Some of the buildings looked old, but in a well-maintained, impressive way. The stone churches were amazing. They were huge and the stained-glass windows were unbelievable. Many of the other buildings were made of old brick and brick was often incorporated into the streets and sidewalks, sometimes woven into patterns.

  The farmers market that Megan had told him about was in the town square. Ross walked around and checked it out. There was a large water fountain in the center of the square. The Veterans Memorial was also located in the square. The rest of the square was lined with rows and rows of canvas canopies with tables underneath them laden with produce and crafts.