Shortly after, the bespectacled graphic designer answered.
He seemed surprised to see her. “Oh, hi. What’s going on?”
“I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute,” Meg replied.
“Uh, sure.”
That was the least enthusiastic welcome she’d received all day, and that was saying a lot. It was also a strange switch in moods from Scott. The last time they talked, he was full of sympathy. Now, he looked like he couldn’t wait to get her to go away.
Meg motioned to take a step inside his apartment. He stopped her in the doorway and nudged her back into the hall.
“I was uh, just about to go out for a smoke.”
Perhaps that was true. Or, maybe it was just a good excuse to keep Meg from going inside his place.
“Ok,” Meg replied.
They headed out to the front of the building where Scott immediately lit up a smoke.
“So, what’s up?” he asked.
“I have to ask you a few questions about the night Paige died.”
The skittish look in his eyes returned. “I already told you what I know.”
“And I thank you for that. There’s still a piece missing, though. Think back, is there anything else you remember about that night? Anyone that came over to Paige’s apartment? Please, this means a lot to me.”
“Like I said, I was watching some TV when I heard Paige and Tyler arguing a few hours before she killed herself. Did you talk to Tyler?”
Meg nodded. “I sure did.”
“And?
“It was a very odd conversation.”
“See. I told you he was a suspicious guy. That dude is really shady.”
“I meant, it was odd for another reason,” Meg said.
Scott wrinkled his nose. “What do you mean?”
“Tyler threw you under the bus.”
He scoffed. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“He said some very eye-opening things about you--”
Scott quickly interrupted her. “Don’t believe anything he said. That guy’s a liar.”
“Why are you so jumpy? I haven’t even told you what he said yet.”
“It’s just that you don’t know Tyler like I do. Paige used to always complain about how he twisted the truth.”
“There seems to be a lot of that going around.”
Scott folded his arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Did you have feelings for Paige?” Meg asked.
He bit the corner of his lip and groaned. “I knew it. Tyler tried to paint me as some crazy obsessive type, didn’t he?”
“He said you were fixated on her and couldn’t get over the fact that she didn’t want to be with you.”
Scott shook his head in disbelief. “That’s why you can’t believe that crazy nut job. The man will say anything.”
“And what is the truth exactly? You still haven’t answered my question. Were you interested in Paige romantically?”
Meg and Scott seemed to be having two completely different conversations. That was never more apparent as Scott answered Meg’s question with a question of his own.
“Do I look like the obsessive type?”
Yesterday, Meg would have replied with a resounding no. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Scott seemed to be a whole new person all of a sudden. Evasiveness was never a good sign, especially when she was asking yes or no questions. She just wanted a simple answer. Was that so hard?
“I don’t know what to believe. All I care about is finding out the truth,” Meg replied.
Scott groaned. “I’m done with this conversation.” He then started walking away.
Meg took one last stab at getting information. “The night Paige died, were you alone in your apartment?”
He didn’t answer that question. He just kept walking away. “I have to get back to work.”
Meg sighed. She’d come to Scott for answers, and left with nothing but more questions.
Chapter Twenty-Two
With the war of words going strong between Scott and Tyler, Meg felt another visit to Paige’s boyfriend was in order. She tracked him down to his server job at a café off of Third Street.
Everything was in Meg’s favor now. She was confronting him in public, so if he was smart, he’d behave himself. Even more, this was his workplace, so he wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his job. Meg was also deliberate to show up at an off hour, so the café wouldn’t be so busy that Tyler could ignore her.
When Meg arrived at the café, she spotted Tyler inputting an order into the computer. She immediately approached and went right into her questioning.
“You reported me to the police?” she asked.
Tyler looked at her with wide eyes, in shock at how brazen she was being.
He snapped at her. “Please leave. I have work to do.”
Meg looked around at the half-empty café and couldn’t help but chuckle. She didn’t back down. “If I were you, I’d make time to talk to me. Otherwise, I’ll make a huge scene in front of your boss and all your co-workers.”
Tyler stared into her eyes and saw that she meant business. He then turned to his boss.
“I’m going to take my ten-minute break.”
Tyler then went to the alleyway behind the restaurant where they could have it out in private.
“How dare you come to my work and try to cause problems for me?” Tyler barked.
“Really? You have a lot of nerve snapping at me with outrage when you’re the one that reported me to the police,” she countered.
“You bet I did. It’s irresponsible to go around accusing people of murder.”
“Or, maybe my accusation just hit a little close to home.”
“I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with you right now. It’s about time you headed back to Enchanted Bay.”
He began walking away.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You know, I’ve been asking myself why you reported me to the police in the first place. Then, it hit me. It’s because I’ve been digging up too much information that points the finger of blame at you.”
He tried to brush off her comment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Phoebe told me she gave up on trying to get back together with you because you were still too hung up on Paige,” Meg said.
“Paige was my girlfriend. Of course I’m heartbroken about what happened to her.”
Meg wasn’t done. “I also know from Isaac Reed that Paige still hadn’t forgiven you for cheating on her.”
“You’re listening to Isaac Reed now? I’d pay more attention to your source if I were you. That man has no concept of the truth.”
Meg chuckled. “Everyone’s a liar but you, right? Is Scott Bailey lying too about the argument he heard you and Paige having the night she died?”
Tyler’s voice sounded panicked. “Everything you’re saying is moot anyway. You’re acting like you’re conducting a murder investigation. Paige killed herself, end of story.”
Every word out of Tyler’s mouth revolved around getting Meg to back off.
That’s why she just kept on coming. With any luck, she’d throw him so far off his game that he’d let an important detail blurt out.
“Why are you so afraid to tell me what you and Paige argued about?” she asked.
He gave her a death stare. “I’m warning you for the last time. Leave me alone.”
“Are you threatening me? Do you think that’s wise? Is that what you did the night Paige died too? That would explain why you don’t want to tell me what you were arguing about.”
Meg laid a trap, but Tyler didn’t take the bait. Instead, he turned around and walked back into the restaurant, leaving Meg in the alleyway alone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After a tough day of confrontations, Meg needed a break. She felt like she’d reached an impasse with this case. The answer was out there. She just hadn’t found it, yet. It was so frustrating knowing she was
so close, yet hadn’t been able to crack this. At the same time, she knew trying to jam her square peg into a round hole wasn’t the solution. She needed a new approach. In order to do that, she’d learned it was often best to get some distance, to take her mind off things and come back fresh later.
Meg went back to her hotel room, ordered a pizza, and made a video call back home. Her mother, Beth Walton, and her talking cat, Penelope, greeted her as they spoke over video chat on Meg’s laptop.
“I’d ask how things are going, but considering you went to L.A. for a funeral, it seems like a crazy question,” Beth said.
Meg sighed. “Yeah. You can excuse me if I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I’m so sorry about Paige. But look, there’s a hug waiting for you when you get back home.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“That’s what moms are for.”
Even though Meg didn’t want to talk about the case, at that moment, with her mother lending such a sympathetic ear, her true thoughts spilled out. “It’s just that it’s hard enough with Paige gone, but the fact that she was murdered is just so gut-wrenching.”
Beth gasped. “Wait. Did you just say murdered?”
Meg nodded. “Unfortunately.”
Beth was wary of even asking her next question. “Please tell me you’re not investigating the case?”
“Of course I am,” Meg replied.
Beth sighed.
Penelope, the talking cat, took a different approach. She shook her head in disbelief. “The universe just keeps finding new ways to throw you for a loop. You should be the one with nine lives.”
Suddenly, Meg regretted opening her mouth about the case. Her family was naturally expressing their concern, but she could see the conversation snowballing into talking about nothing but the case if she wasn’t careful. She definitely didn’t need that. It was time to change the subject fast.
Meg knew just the right topic to bring up. “How are things back in Enchanted Bay?”
“Same as ever,” Beth replied.
“Really, so nothing interesting has happened since I left?” Meg said.
“You know how it is in home sweet Humboldt County. We like to leave the hectic life to the rest of the world,” Beth replied.
Normally, Meg believed that. This time, one detail in particular was troubling her.
“Are you sure you haven’t heard any gossip at the donut shop?” Meg asked.
“Honey, this case must really have you rattled. What do you think is going on back here?” Beth said.
“I don’t know; that’s the problem. I’ve been having a hard time reaching Connor. He seems to be keeping busy,” Meg explained.
Beth furrowed her brow. “It beats me what’s going on.”
“Of all the times for the gossip queen of Enchanted Bay to be stumped, why does it have to be now?” Meg bemoaned.
“I’m sure Connor is fine,” Beth said.
“I hope so.”
“You really miss him, don’t you?”
Meg looked off into the distance. “I sure do. More than I ever thought I would.”
“Isn’t that the way it always is? That’s why they say absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Beth replied.
Penelope jumped in. “Yeah, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Then, you want him back as soon as possible feeding you tuna by the spoonful while petting you until you’re purring up a storm.”
Beth stared at Penelope.
“What? A cat can dream,” Penelope replied.
Penelope had meant her comment to be a joke, but Meg wasn’t laughing. Instead, her mind was racing. Her brain had been jumbled since she started investigating this case. Suddenly, it was like a light bulb had gone off, and everything became crystal clear.
“Wait. That’s it,” Meg exclaimed.
Beth and Penelope both looked confused.
“What are you talking about?” Beth asked.
“I know who killed Paige,” Meg declared.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next day, Tyler Watson opened up the door to his apartment looking as nervous as could be. No matter what he did, he couldn’t keep the stress lines from his face as he looked at who was at the door.
His ex-girlfriend, Phoebe Cooper, stood in the hallway, plenty anxious in her own right. She waited for Tyler to talk first.
“Thank you for coming over,” Tyler said.
“Of course. Now, tell me, what’s going on?” Phoebe replied.
Tyler opened the door wide and led her inside. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
When they both made their way into Tyler’s living room, Phoebe spotted Meg Walton sitting on his couch. Phoebe stopped dead in her tracks in complete shock.
Phoebe’s voice cracked as she turned to Tyler. “What’s she doing here?”
“That’s what I called you here to talk about,” Tyler said.
Meg spoke up. “Tyler and I had a few drinks last night to try and bury the hatchet between us. As the night wore on, we got to talking and realized we had a lot in common. Then, before we knew it, one thing led to another--”
Phoebe took a step back. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you two are--”
“Together now?” Meg nodded. “So, it would be great if you could give us our space and let the relationship develop without any outside interference.”
With each word Meg spoke, Phoebe became more unhinged.
A fire came to her eyes as she lit up with rage. She turned to Tyler for an explanation. “How could you choose to be with her?”
Meg stoked the flames. “Hey, when something feels this right, you just have to go with it.”
That was the last straw. Phoebe blew her top and screamed. “No, this can’t be happening.”
Tyler was wide-eyed. “Phoebe, calm down.”
His comment only made Phoebe more livid. “You can’t be with her. Tyler, you and I are meant to be together. I mean, after all I’ve done--”
Meg spoke up again. “You mean, like killing Paige Martin.”
Phoebe lashed out. “You’re crazy.”
“No, you’re the one who is crazy. I know you killed her,” Meg replied.
Tyler turned to Phoebe. “Is it true?”
“Don’t listen to her,” Phoebe insisted.
“You can’t hide from the truth any longer. I know you did it, and I know why too,” Meg said.
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know anything.”
Meg soldiered on. “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. It’s more than just an old saying to you, Phoebe. It’s the heartbreaking truth. You’ve always loved Tyler, even after he left you for Paige. Throughout their whole relationship, you were hoping he’d realize the error of his ways and come back to you. Then, one fateful night, after Tyler and Paige had a fight, he did come back. You had a magical night together, just like the days of old. Only, in the morning, Tyler decided to try and make things work with Paige again while you quietly longed for him. That’s when you knew you had to do something to get Tyler back once and for all. You figured if Paige was out of the picture, nothing would keep you and Tyler apart. So you killed Paige, then staged it to look like a suicide, didn’t you?”
Phoebe quietly seethed.
Meg knew if Tyler wasn’t there, Phoebe would have already attacked her. But, with Tyler around, she wanted to be on her best behavior. At least, until her crazy side overtook her better judgment.
“Say it isn’t so,” Tyler commented.
Meg egged Phoebe on. “Admit it, you killed Paige.”
Finally, Phoebe lost it. “Yeah, I did it, I killed her, and you’re next.”
Tyler’s jaw dropped. “What? Tell me I didn’t just hear that right.”
“I did it for you,” Phoebe pleaded. “Just like I’m going to do this for us. With this snoop out of the way, we can be together like we’re meant to be.”
Tyler backed away, not wanting anything to do with her. “You’re
crazy.”
The shocked expression on Tyler’s face was the last straw for Phoebe. She turned to Meg, determined to take all of her psychotic frustration out on her.
“This is your fault. If you’d just left well enough alone, Tyler and I would be back together by now,” Phoebe ranted.
Phoebe then charged at Meg with her hands out, looking poised to strangle her. She wouldn’t get the chance to.
Just then, Detective Brees emerged from the bedroom where he’d been hiding out the entire time, listening to the drama unfold. The detective drew his gun.
“Freeze,” Detective said.
Phoebe stared down the barrel of the gun and stopped dead in her tracks.
Meg then breathed a sigh of relief while Phoebe, realizing she’d been caught, had a complete emotional meltdown.
Phoebe everything out. “Paige was the reason I lost Tyler in the first place. Everything was going fine between us until Paige caught his eye. Then, Tyler dumped me at the drop of a hat, as if our relationship had meant nothing to him. I was never the same after that. I spent my days trying to come up with a way to get him back. Then, an opportunity presented itself. I knew that Tyler and Paige had been fighting a lot recently about the one night stand Tyler and I had. So, the other night, when Tyler confided in me that he and Paige had another fight, I went over to Paige’s apartment with a bottles worth of prescription meds that I had already crushed down into a powder and put in a baggie in my purse, and waited for the right time to slip it into Paige’s drink. I put on this huge act for Paige, telling her there was nothing between Tyler and me anymore. But really, I’d gone there to kill her. I told her I wanted to bury the hatchet between us and did everything I could to butter her up. She took the bait completely. We ended up having a series of drinks where she talked to me about all her problems with Tyler. Then, when Paige went up to go to the bathroom, I knew this was my chance. I slipped the entire baggie of crushed pills into the rest of her cocktail. When she came back, she finished her drink and passed out about half an hour later. I then dragged her body into the bedroom, staged the scene as a suicide, and left. When Tyler told me the next day that she’d killed herself, I figured I had gotten away with murder. Paige cost me the best relationship I’ve ever had.”
Halloween Witch Cozy Mystery Ten Book Set Page 24
