Peaches and Crime (Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Book 16)

by Amber Crewes

  Meghan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “They had it out a few times,” Declan explained. “Jacob didn’t do a great job installing some cameras Lee had ordered him to do, and Lee really gave it to him. Jacob didn’t take flack from anyone though, and he told that sucker off.”

  Meghan bit her lip. “Do you think Lee had anything to do with Jacob’s death? It sounds like they didn’t get along, and Isla made some accusations about Lee…”

  “Oh, Isla,” Declan laughed. “I think she has enough on her plate right now, with Lauren Chambers coming into town. Did you two know Jacob was married?”

  “Jacob was married?” Jackie asked in horror. “Did you know?”

  Meghan nodded. “I bumped into Lauren,” she told them. “I don’t know if Lauren knows about Isla, but it’s all a mess.”

  Meghan’s phone rang again. “It’s Lee again,” she said. “I need to take this. Declan, please make your way off of the property. Jackie? Can you escort him out?”

  “You bet,” Jackie said, slipping her arm through Declan’s. “I’ll escort him anywhere he wants to go,” she said with a wink.

  Meghan rolled her eyes and answered the call. She was surprised when the voice she heard was not Lee’s, but the Governor’s.

  “Meghan, how are you? It’s the Governor. I am calling to inquire about my daughter’s wedding and using that barn of yours.”

  Meghan smiled. “I am well, thank you. And yes, let’s make the plans!”

  “Excellent. My personal assistant checked out the barn and informed me that she had actually attended a wedding there. She says it’s a nice place, and that my daughter and wife will approve.”

  “That’s good news!”

  “Let’s talk about security,” he said as Meghan’s stomach sank. The last thing she wanted to discuss was security.

  “My operatives will be checking by sporadically in the next few weeks,” he informed her. “They will ensure this barn is appropriately equipped to entertain influential guests. I will make sure you are aware of their comings and goings. Is that okay?”

  “Of course,” she answered. “We want to do our best to make sure everyone is taken care of.”

  “Excellent,” he replied. “And we can adjust the security from there; my people will make recommendations on what further measures need to be taken to ensure everyone’s security, but don’t you worry, I will be paying for any cameras, fences, or wiring that needs to be installed.”

  “You will?”

  “Of course,” he assured her. “That’s how it works. Whatever needs to be done will be paid for, don’t you worry.”

  19

  “Did you have a good time?” Pamela asked Meghan. “At the ball? Your blue dress was perfect; that is your color, Meghan! Did Jack see you and try to win you back?”

  Meghan, Pamela, and Trudy were baking banana bread in the kitchen, the radio playing country music softly in the background as they worked. “It wasn’t what I expected,” Meghan admitted. “But I had some fun. I love dressing up, and I made a connection with the Governor.”

  “What do you mean?” Trudy asked.

  “It isn’t public news yet,” Meghan began, clasping her hands excitedly. “But the governor is going to hold his daughter’s wedding at the barn, and he is going to do the catering through Truly Sweet!”

  “That’s amazing,” Pamela said. “What a good opportunity!”

  Trudy nudged Meghan. “Tell us more about Jack. We saw him there. Did you speak?”

  Meghan hung her head. “Not really,” she admitted. “It’s hard, guys.”

  “Can you two just get back together?” Pamela begged. “Please?”

  “It’s over between us,” Meghan shrugged. “I think we both know it.”

  “YOO-HOO!”

  “Karen’s here,” Meghan said as she heard Karen’s cheerful voice in the dining room. “Karen? We’re in the kitchen. Come on back!”

  Karen skipped into the kitchen, her blonde hair bouncing. “What’s going on, ladies?” she asked, surveying Meghan’s somber face. “You look like someone died!”

  Everyone was silent. “Probably not the right thing to say considering someone died at your event barn,” Karen said. “Sorry, Meghan. But really, what’s going on?”

  Meghan’s eyes twitched. “Nothing,” she whimpered.

  Pamela shook her head. “It isn’t nothing. Meghan and Jack broke up!”

  Karen’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  Meghan shook her head. “I don’t like talking about it.”

  Karen took Meghan’s elbow and guided her outside. “Let’s go on a walk,” she said authoritatively. “You obviously need to talk this out.”

  Meghan blinked as they stepped into the cold air. It was a cloudy, dreary day, which only served to worsen Meghan’s mood. “I really don’t want to talk about this, Karen.”

  “I’m your oldest friend,” Karen joked, taking a jab at her own age. “Come on, Meghan. Talk to me.”

  Meghan began to cry. “We’re done,” she said, explaining what had happened over the last few weeks. “And he wants nothing to do with me now.”

  Karen shook her head. “I’m sure that isn’t true,” she assured Meghan as they crossed the street. “Love never ends. It may change, but it doesn’t ever go away. Don’t close the chapter on Jack, sweetie. It sounds like he just needs to get his head on straight. And, look at things from his point of view, honey...it sounds like he viewed Lee as a threat, and he was just trying to protect you.”

  “By hurting someone?”

  “It sounds like the intense love Jack has for you made him act crazy,” she said. “Sometime, people who are crazy in love act crazy. That just shows how much he cares, I think.”

  “Still,” Meghan protested. “I don’t agree with violence.”

  “I get that,” Karen agreed. “But I think you and Jack need to have a real conversation.”

  “It’s just so odd,” Meghan commented. “Jack always had a weird feeling about Lee. And now, Lee hasn’t returned any of my calls. It’s all a mess. I wish I could just go on vacation and get out of here for a few days.”

  “We could always go to my timeshare in Tampa,” Karen offered. “You say the word, and we’ll hit the road!”

  Meghan smiled. “Thanks,” she said as she hugged Karen. “This walk helped.”

  “Walking always makes things better,” Karen promised. “Trust me. I have to dash now; my yoga class begins in ten minutes, but I am glad we talked. Call me about the timeshare, honey. See you soon!”

  Meghan waved goodbye to Karen, and then turned to head back to the bakery.

  “Hey!”

  A tall woman dressed in black slacks and a matching turtleneck was waving at her. She squinted her eyes and realized it was Chief Nunan in civilian clothes. “Hey, Chief. I’ve never seen you in street clothes. I didn’t recognize you.”

  “I get that a lot,” the chief laughed. “How are you doing?”

  “Not good,” Meghan confessed. “Jack and I broke up.”

  “I heard,” Chief Nunan said. “Meghan, can I offer you some advice? Please talk with him. He is one of the finest men and officers I know. He is so off, and I am worried about him. From what I’ve noticed, this breakup is affecting his work, his sleep, his appetite...I am truly concerned.”

  She frowned. “I have to do what’s best for myself,” she countered. “I am sad that he isn’t doing well, but he really crossed the line when he fought Lee.”

  The Chief nodded. “I hear you,” she assured Meghan. “I do not condone violence. I do, however, condone forgiveness and grace. I don’t know what’s going on with Jack these days, but I think forgiveness and grace are what the guy needs.”

  Meghan pursed her lips. “I’ll give him a call. I do miss him, Chief. Truly. He and I dated over a year. I care about him.”

  The Chief patted her shoulder. “Just hear him out,” she urged. “And give him grace.”

 
Meghan bid farewell to the Chief and continued on her way. Her phone began to ring, and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Was it Jack calling?

  It was an unknown number. “Yes?” she answered.

  “Is this the owner of the barn?”

  “It is,” she confirmed. “This is Meghan Truman.”

  “This is Rodney, a security operative with the governor’s office,” he said. “I need to do some work in the barn. Can you stop by and unlock it?”

  “Of course,” she agreed. “I’ll be right out.”

  Rodney was a tall man with a thick mustache. Meghan smiled as they shook hands. “Thank you for coming out,” he greeted her.

  “My pleasure. We are happy to host this event, so please, do whatever it takes!”

  Rodney led her inside. “We’ve done a few sweeps of the property,” he informed her. “We spotted a security camera next door at the neighboring property, and with your permission, we are going to ask them to remove it for the event.”

  “What?” Meghan asked.

  “We need the neighboring property to release their camera to us,” he explained patiently. “The winery next door has a camera on the outside of the bottling building that faces the event barn. The Governor wants maximum privacy for the wedding, so we are going to ask them to remove the camera.”

  Meghan shook her head. “I don’t think they will agree to that,” she said slowly. “I get that privacy is important, but will the neighbors really be willing to relinquish expensive cameras to us? Here’s an idea; why don’t you go explain the situation to them. They are nice people, and I’m sure there is a better way to handle this.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have something in mind?”

  “They could just give you their tapes,” she shrugged. “Let you take the tapes out of the cameras. That way, they aren’t handing over their cameras, but the governor’s daughter can still have her privacy. ”

  He nodded. “That could work. I’ll see what they say.”

  Meghan nodded. “When you have the tapes in your custody, can you bring it over here?” she asked. “There’s something I want to see…”

  Twenty minutes later, Rodney returned with a tape in his hands. “They asked for it to be returned after the wedding,” he said. “But your neighbors were very accommodating.”

  “Thanks,” Meghan told him. “There’s something I need to see...something happened here a few days ago, and I want to see if this tape captured it. We didn’t even think to ask the neighbors if they had security cameras, and now, we can see if Jacob Chambers’ death was captured on film…”

  Rodney’s eyes widened. “That sounds serious. I am going to do a walkthrough of the downstairs, but holler if you need me.”

  Meghan took the tape upstairs to the loft and settled into her leather office chair. She turned on the camera which Jacob has provided before his demise, buzzing through footage until she found the day of Jacob’s death.

  “Well, what do we have here?” she whispered as she hit play and saw Jacob on the screen, alive. She watched as Jacob climbed the ladder. He worked on installing a camera, but he stopped when a familiar figure entered the scene.

  “Oh my goodness,” Meghan gasped as the person shook the ladder, sending Jacob flying off. “I have to call Jack and the Chief!”

  20

  “It was her?” Pamela gasped as she covered her mouth, trying in vain to prevent a bite of peach tart to fall out of her mouth. “She killed him? But she loved him! She’s pregnant with his baby!”

  Meghan shrugged. “I couldn’t believe it either,” she admitted. “They were committed and together, and she killed him.”

  Trudy shook her head. “Was she just mad about the other woman? Was that why she did it?”

  Meghan nodded. “She finally found out about the other woman.”

  “How did she not know?” Pamela gasped. “After all of this time, how did she not know?”

  “Jacob was good at keeping secrets,” Meghan guessed. “All I know is that Isla came into the scene, pushed the ladder, and Jacob fell.”

  Trudy scoffed. “Do you really believe her? That she didn’t know Jacob was married? How did she just find out about his wife?”

  “She swore up and down in the investigation that she just found out about Lauren,” Meghan told them. “She found out Jacob was married, and that their relationship was an affair. She didn’t want to kill him; she’s pregnant with his child! She just wanted to scare him into leaving his wife and marrying her. She said her suspicions were confirmed on the day Jacob died. He had left his cell phone at the reception while he went to fix the cameras. Isla had read the text messages that had come from Lauren along with a picture she sent of her and Jacob’s child.”

  Trudy and Pamela had their mouth agape as they listened to Meghan reveal how the last moments of Jacob’s life had unfolded.

  “She flew into a rage and was screaming at him as he attempted to fix the camera. His unemotional response to her accusations set her off. She couldn’t believe a man she had given her life to and hoped to spend the rest of her life with, could be so cold. She pushed the ladder in a fit of rage… and the unimaginable happened. She says she wishes she could turn back time.”

  “That isn’t going to happen now,” Pamela lamented. “He’s dead, and now two children will be without a dad.”

  “It’s terrible,” Meghan agreed. “Lauren has received a lot of donations online to help her care for her son, and arrangements are being made for Isla’s parents to take care of her baby when it’s born.”

  “Do you think Jacob was ever going to tell Isla?” Pamela asked. “It seems creepy that he had a wife and a baby, and then had a girlfriend on the side who was pregnant.”

  “Bad guys do bad things,” Trudy shrugged. “But, I don’t know if he deserved to die.”

  “It’s not our place to make that call,” Meghan shrugged. “Thankfully. The police are ruling the murder as manslaughter.”

  “What about the vandalism? Did the tape reveal who vandalized the barn?” Pamela asked, folding her hands across her chest.

  “I almost forgot to tell you. It was a young man who had been in and out of the jail,” Meghan said, clasping her hands in front of her. “Apparently, he was on the police radar. He confessed to it all when they found him.”

  Pamela rested her chin on her hand. “And then the news about Lee? What an eventful week in Sandy Bay!”

  Meghan’s stomach churned. The police had arrested Lee the previous day for fraud; he had been investigated by the FBI, and it turned out the two men in the suits at the ball were on to something. Lee had been making promises to companies for years without fulfilling them, and now, he was sitting in the Sandy Bay Jail.

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore about anyone,” Meghan lamented. “I never would have believed Jack was so irrational, or that Lee was a thug, or that Isla would have anything to do with someone’s death! I just don’t know who to believe in.”

  “Believe in me.”

  Meghan gasped. Jack was standing in the doorway with a bouquet of white roses in his hands. “Jack?”

  Jack approached her slowly. “May I come in?”

  “We were just leaving!” Pamela exclaimed. “Come on, Trudy!”

  Meghan stood face to face with Jack. “This feels awkward,” she said as he looked down into her face. “How are you doing?”

  “Not good,” he told her. “It’s been a rough few weeks. I wanted to apologize to you. I’ve been in my head about some personal things, and I let it ruin our relationship. I am so sorry.”

  “What personal things?” she asked gently. “What’s been going on with you?”

  He sighed, placing the roses on the counter and looking down at his shoes. “You don’t know this about me,” he whispered. “But I had a twin sister. Her name was Julia, and she was my best friend. She passed away when we were seven, and I’ve never gotten over it. Last week was the anniversary of her death, and I always get edgy aroun
d that time each year.”

  “Oh, Jack!” Meghan cried. “I wish you had told me; I could have been there for you.”

  “No one understands,” he told her. “And it hurts to talk about it. Julia died unexpectedly in a car accident, and it’s something I try not to think about or talk about.”

  Meghan put a hand on Jack’s muscular shoulder. “You can always talk to me, Jack,” she murmured. “I still care about you, and I want to be there for you.”

  “You do?” he asked in surprise. “You still care about me after I acted so horribly?”

  “Yes,” she said, staring straight into his icy blue eyes. “I do. That’s what true love is.”

  Jack gathered Meghan in his arms and kissed her on the mouth. She kissed him back, melting into his arms as he ran his hands through her wavy hair. “I love you,” he whispered as he pulled away, kissing her forehead gently. “I don’t want to be apart, Meghan. I want to be with you.”

  “I just need to know something,” she said as she pulled away. “Were you seeing someone else, Jack? That night I went to your house, I saw your lights on. I know you were ignoring my calls.”

  He laughed. “I wasn’t even home, Meghan,” he told her. “I hired a house cleaner to do some work for me, and she must have been working in my room. I was at work when you were calling non-stop. I tried to explain when we were on the phone, but you wouldn’t let me get a word in!”

  “Oh goodness,” she blushed. “I’m sorry, Jack. I was just so upset. I was convinced that you had found someone else, and I was so angry and jealous.”

  “No one compares to you,” he assured her. “I want to be with you, Meghan. I would never run out and start dating someone in place of you. That would be absolutely crazy. I want to be with YOU!”

  “I want to be with you, too,” she promised him. “I still love you, and I want to make it work. Let me be there for you, Jack. I will be by your side, your loving girlfriend, as long as you want me to be.”

  Jack smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red box. “How about by my side as my loving wife?”