A New Place, Another Murder

by Christa Nardi

  My first thought of “to be mean” I kept to myself. “Do they have any idea who did it? Maybe someone thought it belonged to someone else?” I knew I was reaching, but …

  Brett walked in, talking on the phone and not smiling. I looked to Maddie and mouthed “who’s he talking to?”

  “Mrs. Champlin. She asked to talk to him after Alex told me about the walker.”

  From the expression on his face, something else may have happened as well. “Why don’t you get cleaned up? Lunch will be ready soon.”

  My phone rang, and I cringed as caller ID warned me it was my insurance agent. Short call. Car totaled and insurance cancelled. I also got the message I’d be looking for another agent. Now that I lived here, one in Appomattox would make sense, probably whomever Brett used.

  Brett put his phone down and opened his arms. I didn’t need any more invitation than that. He held me for a minute of two, his chin resting on my head. He moved back.

  “Someone called the hospital where Angie worked and said they saw her poking around in the medication cabinet. Accused her of stealing drugs and selling them. Wouldn’t leave their name. Police came and interviewed her, her co-workers, and they inventoried the medication cabinets she had a key for. All meds were accounted for, none were missing. No one there believes the accusation, but pending a full investigation, she will no longer have access to meds.”

  “Who made the call? That’s slander or something isn’t it?”

  “Anonymous. Said they didn’t want to get involved. They tried to trace the call, but it was one of those prepaid cell phones.”

  Maddie came into the kitchen with “Lunch?”

  We laughed. Sometimes she wasn’t hungry at all and sometimes she’d eat every hour. Looking at the pants and top, both stretched to the limit, I reminded myself we needed to go shopping.

  “Oh, I heard from my friendly insurance agent and adjuster. The car is totaled, the check is on the way. I need to get back to Millicent College tomorrow and we need to go look at cars, and go shopping for Maddie.”

  Maddie grimaced. “I started to put all the clothes that don’t fit good in a pile. I think the pile of what fits is smaller.”

  Brett glanced at her too tight top and bottoms. “Clothes shopping, then car shopping if you’re up to it, but first some lunch.”

  My phone rang as I put sandwiches and macaroni salad on the table. It was Kim and I realized I’d never called her after the interview. I brought her up to date on everything while we ate.

  Shopping for clothes was fun for Maddie, boring for Brett, and painful for me. Maddie ended up with shorts, capris, jeans and shirts. Me? A cervical collar in the summer heat and humidity should come with an ice pack built in or at least the “no sweat” material. Not to mention my hair got caught in the Velcro every time I tried to adjust it for comfort. Car shopping would have to wait.

  CHAPTER 16

  With no opportunity to shop around and decide on a new car, we decided to go with a rental for a week. The Hyundai Sonata didn’t feel much different from my Accord and I loved the blue. All three of us were going to Lynchburg for me to teach the class. Brett wasn’t taking any chances given someone tried to run us off the road. The ride was uneventful if not stressful as Maddie pointed out where we’d landed on the shoulder.

  At Millicent, I left the cervical collar in the car, opting to grin and bear with the pain, rather than have to explain the injury. Maddie and Brett wandered toward the lounge area. The lesson went well. I got some laughs and saw the few faculty members who came nodding and making notes. Dr. Addison walked me out to the hallway. He was smiling and promised he would be in touch before the weekend. He walked away and I walked down the hall to find Brett and Maddie.

  Our next stop was the police station to sign off on our statements and answer any questions. On the way, Brett commented, “There were some students on a break I guess. They were not fans of Blake Buchanan.”

  “Huh? What did they say?”

  “They called him a racist, Sheridan.” Maddie chimed in before Brett had a chance.

  “Oh, they did?”

  “I don’t think I ever want to meet him. They made him sound mean.”

  Brett nodded and mouthed “later” as we pulled into the small station. Not quite as country as Mayberry, but close. Inside we waited for the dispatcher to finish her phone call.

  “Well, those two boys get away with everything. Their daddy and granddaddy take care of them.” She nodded as if the person on the other end could see her.

  “I agree with you. Caleb is the one who scares me. He’s bigger and he doesn’t say much. I bet he prefers to communicate with his fists.”

  The officer from the accident walked in and joined us as she continued. “I don’t know why the Buchanan boys are hanging around here. Nothing but trouble.”

  The officer motioned for her to finish her call and turned to us. “Officer Sparks, Detective. Nice to actually meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances. I attended some of your lectures at the academy.”

  “I hope you enjoyed the lecture. I certainly appreciate your helping my wife and daughter out the other day. Any word on the BOLO?”

  He nodded slightly. “Maybe. Maisy took a call a few minutes ago. Body shop the other side of Lynchburg called. Said a rental company brought in a yellow Highlander with some damage to the grill. It was stolen and when it was located, they noticed the damages. I came in to get the statements signed and ask a few follow up questions. When we finish up, I’ll give him a call and then pay him a visit. I’ll keep you posted if we find out anything.”

  “Good. Let’s get this done.”

  Officer Sparks led the way and we walked over to a desk. He handed Maddie and me the statements he’d typed up from his notes. “Everything look right? Remember anything else?” We both shook our heads and we signed. Paperwork taken care of, we left.

  ***

  The afternoon was quiet, though my heart raced each time my phone rang, hoping it was Dr. Addison. Melina called, then several telemarketers. Finally, the call I waited for came in.

  “Dr. Hendley? Dr. Addison here.”

  “Yes, Dr. Addison.”

  “We’d like to offer you the Visiting Professor position for the coming year. No guarantees of anything beyond the one year. Is that agreeable?”

  “Yes, that would be great. It would help to know what I’m teaching and my schedule of course. We discussed salary already.”

  “I’ll get back to you with possible classes and schedule. I’ll also send you the contract with benefits and salary for your review and signature. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Addison. I’ll do that.”

  He cleared his throat. “Dr. Hendley? I happened to catch the news about the accident and something about your involvement in solving murders? I’m glad you weren’t hurt. Let’s try to keep the excitement level to a minimum next year, okay?”

  I held it together as I agreed and disconnected. Then I laughed at his deadpan delivery as Brett walked in.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I chortled. “I have a job! And then Dr. Addison mentioned my reputation in relation to murders. He must have been talking to Max.”

  He chuckled and gave me a kiss. “Congratulations. For the record, I’d prefer a few less murders on your plate, too.”

  “Anything new on this murder?”

  “I talked to Chief Peabody. They’ve done due diligence with regard to the Champlin family. Apparently, someone – another anonymous tip – tried to pin it on Alex’s father. Whoever it was obviously didn’t realize he’d died. Being thorough, Peabody checked and there’s no record that anyone in the Champlin family, including the father, ever bought a gun. The gun in the garbage can was not registered. Wiped clean like he suspected. That’s no surprise.”

  “No resolution then. Anything tying Caleb and Luke to the murder or drugs?”

  “No. Though it wouldn�
��t be the first time Caleb was in trouble with law. He has a prior arrest for anger issues and assault. He got off with minimal community service. Mind you, he never did the service. He was such a problem at the community setting, they signed off just to get rid of him.”

  “No requirement for anger therapy?”

  “It was mentioned and somehow got lost when the paperwork was done.” His sneer told me he didn’t believe that was an accident.

  “What about Luke? He have a record too?”

  “No record. But he has a reputation, much as we’ve already heard. Peabody hemmed and hawed. He wouldn’t be surprised if either of them were dealing or using drugs. So far, no hard evidence though.”

  “What about Stories? Is it possible he was their source for drugs? Maybe the murder was some kind of drug deal gone bad?”

  Brett shrugged. “From what Peabody shared, that’s an option he’s considering. Only Stories doesn’t fraternize much with the Buchanans. Then there’s his support of programs designed to prevent drug abuse or treat addictions.”

  “Could be on the up and up. Or all his efforts against drugs could be a ruse to cover up for his drug trade. Certainly, access to addicts would be good for business. From the autopsy, though there was no indication he was an addict. Nothing other than the envelopes of money to suggest he was involved at all.”

  I shook my head and winced. “Anything else?”

  “Not really. Peabody thinks Caleb is good for it. He was acting off, nervous when the officers got to the scene. Blake Buchanan argued it was because he’d found his uncle murdered. Del Buchanan didn’t say much in defense of his son. Interesting, though, someone made sure he had an attorney with him when he testified at Alex’s hearing. The attorney probably rehearsed the testimony with Caleb in advance.”

  “And no word on who hit us? I thought the officer was checking on a lead?”

  “He called. It might be the right car. Silver paint on the grill. It was stolen from the rental lot. They’re checking for prints and they’ll let us know if they can identify any of them.”

  Maddie bounded into the kitchen. “Can we go see Bella? I bet she’s missing me. Pets and Paws is still open for another hour.”

  Brett glanced at me. “Do we need to go anywhere, do anything?”

  “We need to look at cars. We also need to go grocery shopping. With all of us home, we are out of just about everything.”

  “Please, Daddy. We can stop at Pets and Paws on the way.” She looked up at Brett and I almost laughed out loud.

  He snorted. “Okay. A quick stop. Then the Honda dealership to at least window shop.”

  CHAPTER 17

  It was a good thing Brett had accrued a lot of vacation and personal time. When Chief Peabody called and asked us to bring Maddie down to the station, I was glad he was available. Brett worked his jaw as he spoke with Peabody himself.

  “They want to talk with both kids again.” He shook his head. “We need to go as soon as Maddie eats and gets dressed. I can’t imagine what they want to ask her and he wasn’t very forthcoming.”

  “I’ll finish getting breakfast ready. You may need to go wake her up. She’s gotten used to sleeping late since she stopped going to camp.”

  He shuffled off and I could hear him trying to reassure her. Judging from her tear-filled eyes and her shaking hands, he wasn’t very successful.

  “Am I going to be arrested and put in jail, like Alex was?”

  “They only want to ask you some questions. We’ll be right there with you. We know you didn’t have anything to do with money or drugs.” He took her into his arms and I saw his concern in his eyes and the set of his chin.

  We picked at breakfast, and then I helped Maddie pick out her clothes. The short ride seemed to take forever. Maddie gasped as we exited the car and she saw Alex, his mother, and sister enter the station. At Peabody’s request, only Brett accompanied Maddie into the office. When Angie accompanied Alex, Karla and I kept each other company. Eric Pinsky joined us about the same time Alex and Angie came out.

  “Sorry it took so long. I got here as quickly as I could.”

  Angie nodded. “I appreciate it. We wanted to get it over with. At least find out what they wanted.”

  Brett and Maddie joined us as she finished. “How about we take this party some where else? Al’s? Whoever gets there first, grab a booth?”

  ***

  Not quite time for the lunch rush, too late for breakfast for a weekday, Al’s wasn’t crowded. We got a booth big enough for six and Eric pulled up a chair at the end. Once the waitress took our orders, Eric looked around the table. “Well?” Brett motioned to Angie and Alex to go first.

  “The questions were all about Luke and Caleb Buchanan?” Angie turned to Alex.

  He continued, “They asked me if they dealt drugs. I told them I didn’t know. Then something about an anonymous tip and did I have anything to do with that. It was weird.”

  Brett tilted his head as Maddie jumped in. “Same with me. Asked if they were into drugs. How should I know? Maybe they heard the rumors?”

  Eric commented, “Very…odd.”

  Brett shrugged but his expression was pensive. “No clue.”

  “I was very worried. My neighbors mentioned someone had been by to ask questions. Mrs. Daniels in particular. She was insulted they thought she was lying about being at our house when that man was murdered. I thought… I didn’t expect them to ask about those Buchanan boys.”

  Sodas and coffees arrived. Brett opened his mouth to speak, but Eric beat him to the punch. “Were these police talking to your neighbors?”

  “Mrs. Daniels said two men came to her house. Said they were investigating and wanted to ask her questions. She didn’t say they were police.” Angie glanced from Eric to Brett and back to Eric. “Were they police?”

  “Don’t worry about it Angie. I’ll stop by and talk to Mrs. Daniels myself. Not everyone who asks questions is the police though. Always ask for identification if someone doesn’t volunteer it.”

  Brett nodded and she seemed to relax. To shift the conversation, I asked, “Any plans for the afternoon?”

  Angie explained, head down, “I had to switch my work schedule a bit, so I’m going into work. Mrs. Daniels will keep her eyes on Alex and Karla.” She turned to Maddie. “What about you?”

  “We didn’t decide yet. Can we take Charlie to Pets and Paws to meet Bella? Mrs. Chantilly said it would be okay now. Please?”

  We all laughed and Brett caved. “If it’s okay with Sheridan. We’ll have to postpone car shopping if we do.”

  I agreed, not in any rush to decide on a car. We stopped at home to get Charlie then headed over to Pets and Paws.

  Charlie was beside herself when we entered Pets and Paws. She’d start to go in one direction, spot another dog, and change directions. We guided her in the direction of the mama and pups. Brown Sugar lifted her head and watched Charlie as we walked in. Susie was there and helped her stand and we introduced Charlie to Brown Sugar first. I hadn’t realized how thin she was before. The introduction went well and Charlie lay down. Brown Sugar did as well. Some of the pups searched out mama and others checked out Charlie.

  Brett and I moved out of the way and Mrs Chantilly joined us as she bustled here and there passing out her biscuits. “Poetic justice don’t you think? I heard police got an anonymous tip about a drug deal going down and caught Luke and Caleb with the goods. Be sure Maddie understands that pup’s not ready to leave yet.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Yup, late last night. No one showed up to buy the drugs though. Blake Buchanan is yelling ‘set up’ and ‘entrapment’ only dispatch has the call logged. Oh, look. Charlie’s playing with the pups. Mama is watching, but seems okay. More dogs coming later today.”

  She turned and walked away, Brett and I still stunned.

  “How…?” Brett put his finger to his lips to silence me as Maddie came running.

  “Charlie likes Bella best, too. I’m sure she
does.”

  Brett rolled his eyes and I chuckled. It was a draw on who it was harder to get to leave Pets and Paws, Charlie or Maddie. We stopped at the Honda dealership and talked to the sales person to see what they could give us for cost and financing. Maddie was bored, but hung in there long enough to stop at the Hyundai dealer. For her part, Charlie hammed it up and enjoyed all the attention at both dealerships.

  In the midst of our discussion of Honda or Hyundai, Chief Peabody called. Prints in the Highlander were a match for Caleb and Luke. He was following up on it.

  It was after dinner when Brett got a call and took it outside. Usually, that meant it was work related. In this case, it was Peabody again.

  “He thanked us for coming in so quickly. He apologized for any inconvenience and explained about the anonymous tip and drug bust last night. I got the feeling he hoped Maddie or Alex knew something or someone who bought drugs from them.”

  “Did he mention the entrapment explanation?”

  “No. Apparently they were able to get search warrants and not only found more drugs at Caleb’s house, but also more cash, in envelopes. Either $200 or $250 in each, like the ones in the kid’s backpacks and with Stories. He wanted to let us know, with what they discovered, we didn’t need to worry any longer.”

  “I sure hope that’s the case. Do they think Caleb killed Stories, then?”

  “That one is still up in the air. No way to connect him or Luke to the murder. Now, he’s trying to get them on crashing into you. Blake Buchanan hired a good attorney and nobody’s talking.”

  Before turning in, I diagrammed all the people involved from Alex and Maddie to Luke, Caleb, and Stories. The only common denominator was the money envelopes.

  CHAPTER 18