As she got out of bed, Megan looked for Barney. When she didn't see him she opened the door to her room and could hear Frank's voice as he talked to the dog and Barney's bark as he answered him. Deciding everything was under control she went back to her room to take a quick shower and get ready for the day.
Twenty minutes later she was joining her friends in the kitchen for a hot cup of coffee. Bonnie was busy, there were new guests coming in today and rooms needed to be prepared. As Megan finished a cup of coffee, she said goodbye to her friends so she wouldn’t tie them up while they were busy. With a promise to come back soon, she gave each a hug before returning to her room to pack her overnight case.
After making sure Barney was secure in the passenger seat, she pulled out onto the main road to Citrus Beach. Ralph’s teasing from the day before came to mind, and she took a detour. Taking the scenic route home would add an hour to her drive, but it was a luxury she rarely took, and she decided to indulge herself. Besides, she knew of a couple places where she could go off-road and break in the four-wheel-drive on the Jeep.
***
At the same time that Megan was pulling off-road to try out the Jeep’s four-wheel-drive feature, her office assistant Janice was pulling into the office to deal with the first of many problems about to face Citrus Beach Concierge. Janice was Megan's right-hand man. The office simply wouldn’t run without Janice's calm efficiency.
When the emergency phone call came in about one of the concierge customer’s alarm going off, Janice's cell phone had been called. When Megan was out of town she handled most of the emergencies. Janice had gotten in her car and drove out to the office to deal with the problem. When she reached the office she punched in her code to the gate, opening access to the ten-acre property.
Paul ran a high-end residential construction company on the same property as Megan’s business. It worked out perfectly for the two of them, Megan had purchased the first few acres with her home on it years ago when she first moved to Citrus Beach. When additional property became available, the two of them purchased the land, creating a ten-acre compound that housed Megan's home, her private office, and the main office building that serviced both companies. Multiple barns were converted into storage facilities and over one barn was the small apartment that Aiden rented. The property even boasted a small landing strip for private planes, which their customers used often.
Janice parked her car in front of the office and, pulling out her set of keys, got out of the car and walked over to open the front door. Once inside, she contacted the security company to deal with the problem she had been called for. It was the car dealership that Joe Stevens owned. One of the back entrances had been broken into. The local sheriff had sent one of his deputies out to investigate, and the security company was waiting for Janice to contact the officer to find out if there was any damage.
Janice talked to Deputy Sean Young, who reported that would there was no visible damage to any property. However, it appeared that the main office had been searched thoroughly and messily. She was relieved to find out there was no damage, and since it was Sunday and the dealership was closed, she arranged for the door lock to be fixed. Janice knew that Joe Stevens was out of town, and there was nothing she could do about straightening up the office until the next day. She sat down at her desk, arranging for one of her staff to go to the dealership on Monday to help clean up Joe's office, and deal with any extra work that might need to be done.
Joe was one of three main customers of Citrus Beach Concierge, and they had carte blanche to do whatever was needed to keep both his business and home life running smoothly. It was a holistic service they provided for a number of customers, while other customers needed more limited service. Megan might be the one who determined the right programs and services for each customer, but it was Janice who kept things running smoothly. She made sure that everything Megan wanted done for her customers was handled properly and with little fuss.
Janice made notes about the break-in and then she walked over to Megan's desk and set it down front and center. Now Janice’s report would be the first thing she’d see the next morning. Megan always managed to arrive before Janice or anybody else. Living on the property meant it was an easy thing to do. It was rare that Megan enjoyed a leisurely morning. Even if she wasn't sitting behind her desk when Janice arrived in the morning, there would be evidence she’d been there, and usually could be found over at her private office. Her private office was a separate building that Paul had converted from an old country cottage into a design studio, complete with a large conference room where Megan met with her customers to go over landscape designs, which were still a major part of her business. The cottage was Megan's favorite spot on the 10-acre property. She’d spent hours creating garden pathways around the building and Paul had even constructed a small foot bridge over the creek that ran between her residential home and office. Her gardens were on both sides of the bridge, encompassing both her home and office.
Since she was already in the office, Janice started preparing for the next day. After all, she might as well get a head start.
"Well, Megan, I hope you are enjoying your day off, because it looks like tomorrow will be another busy day," she mumbled to herself as she looked over the schedule for the next day.
***
When Megan and Barney arrived home later that afternoon, all was quiet. The only ones there to welcome the weary travelers were the two house cats that lorded over Megan’s home. Janice had left hours ago, and the employees did not work on Sundays, even at the height of their busy season. Megan was a firm believer of having a day of rest to spend in worship and with family. After saying hello to the cats, she got to work, emptying the Jeep and getting settled. Staring out the front window, she admired the car parked out front. It had been as much fun as Joe promised. Driving off-road along the beaches had refreshed her, and Barney loved every second of it. She had stopped outside of town and gotten a quick car wash to get rid of the sea salt residue and to vacuum the sand from the floor mats.
As she turned away from the window, a flash of lightning raced across the sky, followed by the sounds of thunder. Not wanting to have washed the car for nothing, she raced to the counter and grabbed her keys. There was an open barn where she could park the Jeep hidden away from the weather. After closing the doors on her now-protected Jeep, she hurried back to her house, eager to beat the rain. Locking the kitchen door, she crossed over to the fridge to grab a cold drink. Then, with two cats and a dog following her, she made her way to the living room to settle into her favorite chair and relax for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 6
Monday
Megan opened one eye, looking at the furry face in front of her before closing her eyes again. This time the swat from the padded paw that had woken her originally wasn't as gentle. Megan opened both eyes and squinted at the cat sitting on her chest, her paw raised, ready to take a swipe at Megan's nose one more time.
"All right, all right. I'm up."
Pulling herself up on her elbows, she watched with some satisfaction as the cat roll down her chest and looked at her indignantly.
"Don't look all offended, you're the one that wanted me to get up." The cat gave a little meow before jumping off the bed and heading to the door. She was so confident that Megan would get up to feed her that she didn't even look back to make sure her human was following her.
Megan knew the morning’s routine by now, but her cat seemed to always wake up extra early after she had been away for a day. Almost as if it was punishment for being left alone. As she walked to the bathroom, she whispered a good morning to Barney as he raised his head up from his bed to see what all the commotion was about. He had worn himself out yesterday and was content to spend another hour in bed.
By the time Megan from the bathroom, Barney had gotten up as well. After all, if Megan was going to feed the cats then she may as well feed him too.
A short time later Megan was enjoying the view from
her kitchen window, watching the sunrise she sipped her first cup of coffee of the day. She didn't like to get up early, but once she was up and awake she enjoyed the early morning solitude. Megan decided it was the perfect time to take Barney for a long walk before the morning activities began at the office. She grabbed his leash and opened the door for him to follow. She rarely used the leash, but always kept it on hand just in case.
Barney kept pace with her, sometimes veering off to sniff something that caught his attention, but he always came back to her side within moments. Megan walked along the paved runway that ran through the property. When they had bought the land they had been amazed to find a small landing strip. Surprisingly enough, it got used quite a bit by Megan's clients who often flew in on their small private planes. The pilots would let their passengers off and then fly to the larger municipal airport to park the plane while they were in Citrus Beach. The landing strip was the center of the property, all the buildings were next to it and a small, spring-fed pond sat in the center. Golf carts were used to get from building to building, and Megan often use the paved area for running.
Megan loved this time of the morning before everything started. The birds weren’t even fully awake yet, and she could hear the rustling in the bushes as the nocturnal animals made their way back to their dens. Barney had learned long ago to leave the raccoons and the possums alone, so they all got along just fine. He kept close to Megan's side , feeling lonely , she was sure. For years her daughter Emma's dog, Fred, had lived with Megan, but he’d recently moved into Emma’s new home. And Gypsy, Aiden's dog, wasn't around to play with either.
"Come on, Barney, you can spend the morning at the office and get lots of attention." Megan told him as she bent down and gave him a scratch behind the ears. They made one more loop around the property, then Megan led the way to the main office. Unlocking the door, she let herself in, turning on the lights as she entered. As she looked around her, she couldn’t help but smile with pride. The office was immaculate as usual. Janice's desk was the first thing she saw as she walked in the door and as always there wasn't even a speck of dust to be found. A second desk had been added next to Janice's, and it was just as clean and organized. Janice was training an assistant for herself, under Megan’s orders. They had hired a young woman named Zoe who they both felt had great potential. She had caught on quickly, and she was grateful for both the job and the friendship she was developing with Megan’s staff.
The main office was shared by Megan’s company, Citrus Beach Concierge, and her cousin Paul's company, Citrus Beach Builders. Because most of their customers overlapped it worked out perfectly. Janice often handled messages and deliveries for Paul's business as well. Because of this, Paul had taken over an empty office for himself. His business was still conducted out of one of the side buildings, but he left that for his foreman and crews to operate out of.
Megan made her way to her desk, glancing through the open door of Paul’s office as she walked by. It was hard not to cringe at the mess on his desk, and she knew it must drive Janice insane to see such disorganization. That was one of the main reasons she was grateful for her private office, the small cottage close to her house. She only kept the desk here so she could confer with Janice and their staff in the morning to get the day started. She met all of her customers and developed her design work over at the private office where she was free of distractions and able to let the creative juices flow.
As she walked over to her desk, the first thing she saw was Janice's detailed note about the break-in at the dealership. Pulling out her chair, she sat down and read through what Janice had written. It was clear that Janice had done everything she could at the time. Megan would follow-up later that morning by swinging by the dealership.
Before Megan could get started on her first project the phone rang, making her jump. She glanced at the oversize clock centered in the room for all to see, amazed that anybody would call her office this early. Any other time she would have let the answering machine pick up, but the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she had an uneasy feeling. Without hesitation she grabbed the phone before it could ring a second time and answered it.
"Good morning, Citrus Beach Concierge. This is Megan, how may help you."
"Oh, thank goodness, it’s you Megan. I didn't expect to reach anybody this early. This is Ben Davidson. Listen, I got a frantic call from one of my worker’s wife. Her husband never came home Saturday night. She was out of town until late last night and just started making calls to find out where he was. And the last place he was seen was the job we were working for you, Megan."
Megan could hear the concern in Ben's voice, he didn’t think that his employee was out on some wild weekend enjoying his freedom while the wife was out of town. Ben was one of her contractors and they’d been friends for a long time. She trusted his instincts.
"Who is it, Ben?"
"Lewis Martin. You know him Megan, he's one of the best; completely dependable and predictable. I have to admit I'm sharing his wife's concern. She didn't want to call the Sheriff until we checked all possibilities, and you’re the last one."
"What can I do to help? What job was he working on? You’ve got a couple you're doing for me right now." The hair on Megan's neck was standing upright, and she was sure that something wasn't right. When Ben told her that his employee had been working on the courtyard for Joe Stevens, she looked down to Janice’s note in her hands and knew instinctively the two were connected.
“I think we need to get out there and check the site. Can you meet me there?"
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Wait for me before you get out of your car. Promise." Ben had picked up on the urgency in her tone. He also remembered that Megan had recently been involved in solving a few murders around Citrus Beach, and he did not want to place her in any kind of dangerous situation. As soon as he got a promise to wait for him, he hung up and raced to his car.
Megan lost little time as she hung up the phone. She grabbed the keys off of the cork-board and called to Barney to follow her as she headed for one of the company pickups to head out to the island, and the Stevens’s residence.
Chapter 7
Megan drove towards the Atlantic Ocean and the home of Joe Stevens, barely keeping to the speed limit. As she drove, she called her office and left a message for Janice about the new developments. As she finished the call, she hesitated for a moment. Then, remembering the unpleasant discoveries she had made over the last year, including the body of a good friend, she dialed her cousin Paul’s home number.
Paul answered by the second ring, and Megan filled him in on all she knew. Without hesitation, Paul told her he would also meet her at the site. He seconded Ben’s command for Megan to wait for him before she got out of her car. Megan agreed, but urged him to hurry.
Luck was on her side, and she made it to Joe's in record time. Not one stoplight held her up as she sailed through town, and there was no radar patrol in the usual spots. There was little-to-no traffic this early going across the causeway, only a few fishermen making their way to cast their nets from the bridges across the Citrus River that connected the mainland to the island. Even as fast as she’d driven, she realized that the two men who pulled their trucks in behind her must have driven much faster.
The men nodded their heads in greeting and joined Megan as she walked to the front entry, pulling out her key to the front door. Holding her breath in anticipation, she inserted the key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. An eerie silence greeted them. There was no sound from within the house, including the security alarm that should have gone off when the door open.
“This isn’t right. The alarm should be howling. Joe has it programed to set itself at a certain time when he is out of town.”
Megan looked at Paul, with a frown wrinkling her brow, and voiced her concern. She moved forward, but her cousin grabbed her arm and pulled her back, taking the lead. Ben brought up the rear, closing the door behind him.
“Which
way is the quickest to Joe’s office? We’ll start there, since that's were Lewis was doing most of his work.” Paul asked Megan as they walked forward.
“The office is off of the master suite, so that would be the easiest way to get there. Go left, Paul,” instructed Megan.
As they walked through the main room, they were silent, each worried about what might wait for them. Paul reached the door to the office first, and seeing the lights on, came to a dead stop. His halt was so unexpected that Megan plowed right into the back of him. When Paul said nothing, or moved, she peered around his bulk and gasped at the sight in front of her.
Joe’s office was in a complete disarray. Papers were scattered all over the room, as if someone had looked at them, and then threw them away in a rage. His beautiful collection of books was pulled off the shelves, with no regard to their age or value. The desk drawers were open, and the filing cabinet had been ransacked.
Megan gave Paul a push to get out of her way, and squeezed around him and entered the room. Fearing the worst she walked to peer behind the desk and then the leather sofa. With a sigh of relief, she realized the room was empty except for the three of them.
“Someone was sure searching for something,” Ben commented.
Megan didn’t answer, she still had an uneasy feeling. Something was off. As she took in the room’s disarray, she had to agree with Ben. The search had been frantic. As she walked past the French doors that led out to the under-construction terrace, she looked out the window.
There were tools still out as if someone had just stepped away from their work for a second. She pulled her neatly tucked-in shirt out of her pants and used it to flip on the switch that would illuminate the terrace, and peered closer. It took a moment for her to pinpoint what seemed so off, but when she did, she grabbed hold of the handle and jerked open the door.
A Tank Full of Trouble: A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 5) Page 3
