Birds of a Feather (An Agnes Barton Senior Sleuth Mystery Book 9)

by Madison Johns

  “We only know his first name, Stephan. He drives a red GMC truck with a lifter.”

  Eleanor then rattled off the license plate number.

  “And you were visiting here? What I mean is, was there any altercation that proceeded this and prompted Stephan to damage your vehicle?”

  “No. We were here asking Clara questions about her son’s death.”

  The trooper smiled. “Is one of you Agnes Barton?”

  “I am, why?”

  “Oh, isn’t Trooper Sales married to your granddaughter?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I’ll write up a report for your insurance company. It’s hardly a hit and run.”

  “But he left the scene of an accident.”

  “Were you even in the car at the time?”

  “No.”

  “Look, this is private property so unless you can find out the full name of the man who damaged your car and sue him, you’re out of luck. I’m sure your insurance company will take care of the damages.”

  I began to grind my teeth, frustrated beyond belief.

  “You can pick up the police report Monday at the Tawas post. Have a good day, ladies.”

  We watched as the trooper left and a woman from next door waved frantically at us. “Let’s go see what she wants,” Eleanor suggested.

  We crossed over Clara’s much longer yard to her neighbor’s manicured one. We approached the porch and the woman, who was around my age, ushered us inside.

  “Sorry, but I’d hate for the other neighbors to see me talking to you. I’ve seen your pictures in the paper. You’re Agnes and Eleanor, the private investigators. I’m so glad you’re involved in poor Donnie’s accident. I just know it couldn’t have been an accident. He was a very safe driver. He drove me to the store regularly.”

  “That’s not what his mother said.”

  The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh, her. It’s not like she’d win the mother-of-the-year award. Poor Donald was practically left home alone since he was nine. Clara is a bartender and bar fly when she’s not working.”

  “What about the boyfriend?”

  “Which one, the latest?”

  “Oh, so how many boyfriends did Clara have?”

  “Sorry, dear. I can’t count that high. My memory isn’t the best.”

  “Do you have any idea how Donald got along with Stephan?”

  “I can’t say for sure. All I know is I’ve heard their arguments plenty of times. Even though Clara hasn’t been the best mother, Donald tried to take care of her.”

  “Do you think either of them might have wanted to harm Donald?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t put anything past Stephan, if him smashing into the LX is any indication.”

  “How well do you know him?”

  “I don’t really, but he obviously doesn’t respect the property of Clara’s neighbors. In January he did donuts in my yard. I’ll have to put down new rolled grass soon.”

  I didn’t see anything wrong with her yard, but I could understand how she might feel. It made me feel fortunate that I had woods on either side of my house and didn’t have any neighbors close by to deal with.

  “We have to be going now. I have to explain to my husband what happened to his vehicle and I really don’t look forward to it.”

  “Thanks for all your help,” Eleanor said.

  We were back at the LX, hopping in and getting back on the road in minutes. I sped past the trooper, who hadn’t gotten that far, or was he waiting for us to leave? He apparently didn’t notice that I was exceeding the speed limit, since he didn’t pull me over, although he seemed to follow us to the edge of town.

  “So, now we have work ahead of us,” Eleanor said.

  “We do. Stephan and Clara both are suspects in my book. Getting rid of her son’s clothing this close to his death doesn’t sit right with me, then there’s the fact that Stephan drives a GMC truck with a lifter.”

  “We shouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions just yet.”

  “But we haven’t run into any other large GMC trucks yet.”

  “We still need to find and question the remaining members of the Bird Geeks.”

  “There certainly is a difference of opinion about Donald’s driving skills, too,” I pointed out.

  “Yes, but you know how some parents can be. Most wouldn’t want their son or daughter to cart them anywhere.”

  “I’d like to find out if Donald actually meets Mary at the coffee house.”

  “How can you do that? Even if the people who work there remember that they meet there, they might not know the particulars.”

  “We need to investigate every avenue to find out the truth of those accidents.”

  Eleanor frowned. “That will be hard to do once you go home and tell your husband what happened to his LX. He’ll insist that you halt this investigation. He’ll claim that it’s too dangerous and will give you such a hard time we’ll never be able to keep investigating today.”

  “So, what do you suggest we do? I’d hate to be going around town with a huge dent in the LX.”

  “I have a suggestion.” Eleanor drummed her fingers on the dash. “We could take my Cadillac.”

  “Oh, so we could pull the LX into your garage? Good thinking. I just hope the car will start since it’s been sitting for so long.”

  “Actually, Millicent made sure the battery was fully charged for me so that I’d be able to use the car when I came home.”

  I hated the thought of Eleanor and Wilson tooling around town in that car. “Eleanor, you know you aren’t the best driver.”

  “Oh, and that coming from the woman who nearly got us killed twice today crossing US 23?”

  “It’s not my fault there’s so much traffic today.”

  “I’d like to show you that I’m not that bad of a driver.”

  I really didn’t want to get into any car with Eleanor at the helm—but how could I deny her the chance to show me that I had nothing to worry about?

  “Fine. I’ll let you drive, but only to prove to me you’re better than the last time you drove us during an investigation.”

  * * *

  Luckily traffic wasn’t bad on US 23 on the way back to Tawas. When we arrived at Eleanor’s house, my Mustang was parked in the drive. Andrew was there; it figured!

  “What should we do?” Eleanor asked.

  “Hop out and back the Cadillac out of the garage, but try to be quiet and I’ll pull in the LX. With any luck Andrew and Wilson are on the deck and won’t be any the wiser.”

  “Good plan.”

  I pulled the LX over the side of the road while Eleanor opened the garage door and shimmied between the Cadillac and the wall of the garage. Sure enough, the car roared to life and Eleanor pulled the Caddy out, nearly sideswiping my Mustang, but she turned in time so that I was able to pull in the LX. I hurried out of Andrew’s vehicle and closed the garage door, and no sooner did I hop into Eleanor’s car than Andrew came outside. He waved frantically and I just knew he wanted us to stop, but Eleanor stomped on the gas and off we went. She swerved momentarily, but then drove in the right lane.

  My cell phone rang and I powered it off with a grimace. “Somehow I think we’re going to be in trouble over this,” I said.

  “You are going to be in trouble, you mean. You really should just call him and fess up.”

  “That’s not something I want to say over the phone.”

  “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Don’t you think he’ll look in the garage since we’re in the Cadillac? I think it’s a pretty good assumption.”

  I gritted my teeth. “It is. I had hoped to get away unseen.” I turned my phone back on and texted Andrew, ‘I’ll be back later.’

  ‘Where is my LX?’ came the text back.

  What could I say to that? I called Andrew and when he answered, I said, “Your LX is in the garage.”

  “Why are you taking Eleanor’s car?”

  “She wants to
burn the carbon off the engine.”

  He sighed noisily. “Why didn’t you just stop and tell me that?”

  “We’re really deep into the investigation.”

  “I see. Well, I hope to see you sooner rather than later. I miss you, dear.”

  “I miss you, too, but I’m hoping to wrap up this case today.”

  “That sounds good to me. I’d like to check out part of the Birding Festival.”

  “Me, too. I promise I’ll call and give you an update later.”

  “Okay, but make sure you do that. I don’t need to be worrying about you all day.”

  Andrew hung up and I gripped my iPhone until my knuckles were white. “I hate what happened to Andrew’s LX. Perhaps we shouldn’t borrow his SUV again,” I said.

  “Where to now?” Eleanor asked.

  “Let’s head back to Oscoda. I’d like to check out the coffee house where Clara claimed her son went to meet Mary.”

  “What will that prove?”

  “If we could find out that Clara is lying about Donald driving her car, it might prove that she’s hiding something.”

  “I thought we already thought that?”

  “Yes, but I’d like to tie up every loose end.”

  Eleanor drove into Tawas and pulled into KFC for a quick bite to eat. When we walked in, Ella was manning the counter. I grimaced until she smiled with gritted teeth. “How may I help you, ma’am?”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “The manager is watching, please make me look good.”

  “After you threw donuts at us in the Tim Hortons drive thru?”

  The lady behind her was laughing now. “I wish I had been there to see that.”

  Ella turned and glared at her. “Be nice Jo or I have a biscuit with your name on it,” she threatened.

  I motioned over the manager. “Hello, Mr. Manager. I was wondering why Ella here isn’t making biscuits? They haven’t been the same since she’s been moved to working the counter.”

  “I-I … really?”

  “I promise no more throwing biscuits at the customers,” Ella said. “As you can see, I don’t have the kind of face people want to see when they come in. It’s probably hurt business.”

  “Well, you certainly don’t have the friendliest face, but I know you’re working on it.” He pulled his shirt from the neck. “We need a batch of biscuits made up.”

  Ella’s face lit up. “Are you sure?” Her eyes then narrowed. “You’re not fooling me, are you?”

  “Oh, I’d never do that. I’ll tell the general manager I gave you permission and I think if you don’t cause any issues back there, he’ll agree to allow you to make biscuits from here on out.”

  Ella turned to us. “Thank you, Agnes. I own you a dozen donuts and this time I swear I won’t have you wearing them.”

  “No need to do that. You’re the best biscuit maker in all of Tawas.”

  “Don’t oversell it, Agnes,” Eleanor said.

  Ella went into the back and the manager took our order. When our chicken tender meal and empty pop cups were all on a tray, I carried it over to the drink dispenser and we filled our cups with soda. When I passed the other customers, I noticed that just about all of them had binoculars. Apparently bird watchers had taken over Tawas, which was as expected. Eleanor and I ate in silence, staring across the room and I locked eyes with the wrecker driver, Jimmy, who came over, sitting down.

  “I was meaning to call you and now I don’t have to,” he said. “The sheriff’s department is finished with the wreckage and it’s now at the impound yard if you want to follow me there.”

  “How about we meet you out there when we’re finished eating?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

  Jimmy left and Eleanor and I dug into our food, and Eleanor had to tell me to slow down. “You’re going to make yourself sick,” she said. “Jimmy will wait for us. What do you think you’ll find in that car?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s important to at least have a look. Who knows, we might find a solid lead.”

  “Besides Donald’s mother and boyfriend?”

  “Yes, or something that will connect the accidents.”

  We discarded our trash and got back into the Cadillac, but this time Eleanor let me drive. “I don’t like to drive all the time,” Eleanor said. “I’m used to you doing all the driving.”

  “I must say, you drove much better today.”

  “I’m surprised since I’ve only driven my car once since we’ve been back. Wilson and I made a late-night run to Wal-Mart to buy ice cream. He really has a sweet tooth.”

  “Him or you?” I laughed.

  Traffic was getting heavier, but not so much that I wasn’t able to get to the impound yard. Jimmy’s wrecker was parked in the front and the gate slid open when we walked over and met Jimmy.

  “I’m good friends with the man who runs the yard so you’ll have all the time you need.”

  “Those dogs aren’t nearby are they?”

  “No, they’re only put in there at night.” He grinned.

  We walked into the impound yard and I felt a lump in my throat when we passed Donald’s car. Now that it was during the day, I took another look at it. I gulped when I saw how mangled the car was, the twisted metal of where the fire department canned open the car door with the jaws of life. Papers were scattered all over the backseat and I carefully pulled out a map that was part of the Birding Festival. There wasn’t anything that looked like bullet holes or slugs, so I walked to the rear of the car. There was a dent near the back corner of the car, which made me know my take on the accident was correct.

  “Didn’t we already look at that car?” Eleanor said.

  “Yes, let’s look at Mary’s car.”

  Mary’s car had impacted the tree head-on, from the looks of the dent. She never had a chance.

  “Come back here,” Eleanor said, pointing out a dent on the driver’s side rear panel. “It looks like red paint to me.”

  “It sure does. So now we’re looking for a red GMC truck.”

  “With lifter,” Jimmy added.

  “How many trucks like that do you know of in Tawas?”

  “I can’t say that I’ve ever been called to pull one out of a ditch or to give them a jump, but Curt and Curtis have one.”

  “They didn’t have one when they brought you out to check the scene of Mary’s accident.”

  “Probably not, but I’m sure they weren’t involved in the accident.”

  “I agree, besides, they were at our coming home party when the accident happened,” I said.

  “You’re right,” Eleanor agreed. “Why would you try to pin this on Curt and Curtis, Jimmy?”

  He backed up a few steps. “What? I wasn’t doing that. It’s the only red GMC truck with lifter I know of in town.”

  “Do you happen to know a Stephan? I was under the impression that he also has one.”

  “Does this Stephan have a last name?”

  “No, sorry, he never gave me his last name. He did smash into Andrew’s LX, though.”

  “What? Did you report it to the police?”

  “Yes, but that didn’t get us anywhere. We were in Clara Downey’s driveway at that time.”

  “So, it was a hostile interview?”

  “I didn’t think so until the boyfriend showed up. Do you know the trooper said he couldn’t do anything about it?”

  “Well, they do handle things differently when it happens on private property. You could possibly sue him for damages.”

  “I’m more worried about finding the driver of the truck responsible and now I need to find Stephan to see if his truck has any damage.”

  I then gave Mary’s car a look over. In the back seat was a blue folder with the words, ‘Bird Geeks’ on it. I picked it up and looked through it and it also had a map.

  Eleanor was staring at the roof of the car. “I don’t see any bullet holes or slugs in the roof.”

  “I guess we were wron
g about that assumption.”

  She pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. I shuffled through the pictures of Donald and Mary. Some of them were of them bird watching, yet in one of them they were both dressed up and standing rather close to each other, with Mary’s head on Donald’s shoulder. I handed the picture to Eleanor. “It seems Donald got up the nerve to ask Mary out after all,” she said.

  I nodded. “Thanks, Jimmy. I think we have everything we need, now.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope you’re able to sort this out. I hate the thought that someone is purposely running people off the road.”

  We followed Jimmy to the door and we got back in the Cadillac, waving as Jimmy hopped in his wrecker and drove off. I had no sooner drove off myself when Eleanor asked me, “Are you sure Jimmy isn’t up to something?”

  Chapter Eleven

  I wasn’t sure if I heard her right or not. “Come now, Eleanor, you don’t actually suspect Jimmy of wrongdoing here. He was helpful in pointing out what type of vehicle the killer drove.”

  “Oh, so now we’re looking for a killer? I’m still not positive of anything, including that those cars were forced off the road. Even if they were followed, why would they have been traveling so fast that they’d die on impact?”

  “Good point, Eleanor. I feel the same way and that’s why I’m looking into where the clues follow.”

  The sheriff’s car passed us and he did a U-turn, positioning himself behind us, with the flashers on. Now what? I pulled onto the shoulder of the road and waited until Sheriff Peterson waddled to the driver’s side before I powered down the window.

  He leaned over and said, with coffee-laced breath, “I need to speak to you, in my office.”

  “That’s silly. As you might have noticed we’re quite busy at the moment.”

  “Come along or I’ll be forced to have Trooper Sales come out here and arrest you.”

  My mouth gaped open until Eleanor said, “They can’t arrest a person just because they don’t have valid plates or insurance.”

  I turned to her. “What?”

  “Come along. I’m sure you don’t want to be ticketed. I’ll overlook the violations if you come along peacefully, now.”

  “Move out of the window and I’ll be there with bells on.”