"It's nothing too secretive. Do you remember the valet that helped us when we were trying to find the killer of John Travels? Well, he heard that I was opening my office and had left a message that he would be interested in working for me, if an opportunity opened. I remember what keen observation the young man had, and he was quick on his feet too. Since I need a receptionist/office helper, I thought I would give him a try."
"Oh, that's great, Aiden. Jake is a great kid and I'm sure he’ll work out well for you. He wants to go to law school, so this might be a good job for him."
Megan was pleased that Aiden was thinking of hiring somebody. That was one more step toward becoming a part of the community, one more commitment to sticking around town. When they got to the Yacht Club, Megan left Aiden to talk to Jake as she wandered inside, viewing the displays. After a few moments, Aiden joined her with a pleased smile on his face.
"I take it everything went well?"
"Couldn't have gone better. Jake’s giving his two weeks’ notice today and he’ll start working part-time immediately for me setting up the office. He’ll earn some extra money and be in on the operations of the office right from the beginning."
"It sounds wonderful. I’m glad that things are moving along smoothly for you, Aiden. I think you'll be happy here. And let's face it, you won't have any competition. I don't think a town this size could support two private investigators and keep both of them busy."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that Megan, you can never tell what kind of secrets the citizens of this small town are hiding."
Laughing, the two of them wandered around the Yacht Club stopping at the displays. Occasionally, Megan was texted with a question, which she handled promptly. She spoke with the volunteers at the Yacht Club, making sure they were all set and had no immediate needs. Finishing up, she looked at Aiden and suggested they go to another site. Emma had indicated that everything was fine back at the office and that Megan should stay out in the field, so to speak, waiting until she was needed at one of the sites.
"Come on, Aiden, the next place were going to is one of my favorites. We have to head west of town, but it will be worth the drive."
Megan gave Aiden directions and soon they were driving to the same area they’d visited earlier in the week, searching office sites for him. As they drove, Megan gave him a bit of history about the petting farm they were heading towards.
"The Wheeler’s farm is one of the oldest in the area. The Wheeler family was here before Charlotte Potter's family arrived in Citrus Beach. It’s always been a working farm until this last generation. Mary Wheeler is last of her family; she was an only child, and never married or had children of her own. She couldn’t carry on with her family's tradition of farming, so she sold off most of the land. But she kept a small portion of it around the homestead that included barns, padlocks, and a bit of land for gardening.” Megan paused to point out an eagle flying above them before she continued.
“I met Mary when we first came to Citrus Beach, when I took Emma out to the petting farm for her first visit. What Mary has done with her family's property is wonderful. She works with the local Humane Society and brings in farm animals, pets, and older animals that no one wants. She gives them a home where they can heal or live out their final years with dignity and love. I’ve always thought that Mary got along better with her animals and the children who visit the farm, than with the adults around her. She rarely comes into town, instead volunteers bring her the supplies for the animals. She’s deeded the land to the town, with the stipulation they continue her work with the animals. The money raised with this event will go towards a trust fund for when that needs arises."
Aiden could hear the respect in Megan's voice as she spoke of her friend, Mary, and he found himself curious meet the woman. Before he could comment, though, he reached a crossroads and glanced over at Megan for directions.
"Which way, Megan?"
"Take the next right. About three miles down, the road leading into the Wheeler Farm will be on the left side. There’s a really small sign at the end of the road, and when you turned onto the road you want to go slow. This is the back way in, not the main entrance, and the road is dirt and a bit bumpy. Oops, another text. Let me take care of this, by the time I'm done we should be there." Megan looked down at the phone in her hand as she spoke.
Aiden followed her directions, taking the next right, heading towards their destination. Megan was busy answering questions on her phone, so he concentrated on driving taking care not to disturb her. But as they got closer to the road to the Wheeler Farm, Aiden found that he had to slow down, and it wasn't because of the dirt road. Even to the man who spent the last few years living in the city, the sight in front of him did not seem normal.
Finally, he had to come to a complete stop, causing Megan to raise her eyes to the road to see what was going on.
"What in the world!"
"I’ve heard of free range animals before, but I don't think this is what that means. Why would these cows be out walking in the street?"
"There's something wrong here, Aiden. Mary would never let these animals wander into the road. Especially when she knows that there will be a lot of traffic out here today. Back up a little bit and pull your car across the driveway so nobody else can pull in. I’ll get out and try and lead these animals back where they belong."
Megan was opening her door as she spoke, and before Aiden even answered her, she was out and shooing the first of the six or seven wandering cows back towards the driveway. The animals gave her no problems, indeed they followed her docilely as she herded them back down the drive, towards the farm. Megan knew from experience that the only way these animals would follow her that easily is because they thought she would feed them, which meant that they had not gotten their breakfast. Something was obviously wrong at the Wheeler Farm, and Megan's heart began to beat a little faster with anxiety.
Megan had volunteered enough at the farm to remember where to lead the animals for their feed. In no time she had the cows securely back in their pen, with the gate closed behind them, and hay to munch on.
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Aiden. We need to find Mary as quickly as possible," she said as Aiden walked up to join her at the cow’s pen.
"Where are all the volunteers for the charity event? Shouldn’t they have noticed that something was wrong right away?"
"Everyone is up at the main entrance. You and I came in the back way, most don’t even know this entrance exists."
"With all the excitement and extra people out here, I’m sure somebody just forgot to close the gate securely. Let me move my car to a better location and then I'll help you find Mary. Wait for me though, don't head off without me."
Aiden quickly got behind the wheel of his car and moved it into a safer location. Locking the door behind him, he joined Megan, who was waiting impatiently. Taking the lead, she walked towards the closest barn, waving her arms at a few wandering chickens who had come up to investigate the new comers. She didn’t give them the second glance, Mary always had chickens and ducks wandering around. The animals were aware of their place and their feeding times. As she opened the small door to the barn, Megan called out a hello, but received no answer. Examining the empty stalls, she realized that this was one of the horse barns, Mary had probably taken the animals upfront for the festivities.
After making sure that there was no one in the barn, Megan and Aiden left, closing the door securely behind them. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the morning sunlight, and pointed to another barn farther out.
"I think we better check that barn, too. Mary just uses it to hold overstock of feed and supplies, but I think we should look it over anyway. It doesn’t matter how busy Mary is, or what kind of extra activities are going on in the property, she would never let her cows wander away like that. Her animals always come first."
They made their way towards the other barn, cutting across the open pasture. As they walked, a few old sheep wandere
d up to see what they were up to. Megan knew the cute, young lambs were at the front entrance in the petting area. These older animals were skittish, tending to not like being around young children, so Mary had given them a quiet little pasture to live out their last days. As they walked across the field with the sheep following, Megan felt like a shepherdess. All she needed was a staff.
When they reach the barn and saw the open door, Megan hesitated and glanced at Aiden. The sheep around her sniffed the air and began to act nervous. Aiden instinctively stepped in front of Megan, pushing her behind him.
"Let me go in first Megan. If this barn is rarely used, why would the door be open?”
“I don’t know. And I doubt if Mary forgot to close it up.”
“Stay here, would you?”
Megan didn’t answer him, but she didn’t follow his directions, either. Aiden moved into the doorway, pushing the door open wider. The open doorway didn't allow for much light, sun rays created a narrow beam of light like a lantern, and much of the barn was still in shadows. Aiden could make out bags of feed and boxes of supplies on rough wooden shelves made from pallets. He saw the outline of garden tools in one corner. As he walked, the dust kicked up and danced in the weak rays of the sunlight.
The musty smell of the building, combined with the scent of fertilizer, irritated his nose, causing Aiden to sneeze. But there was an underlying scent he had met before in his line of business, the same smell that was making the sheep nervous. Stepping around a stack of boxes, he could identify that order without a doubt.
Aiden move forward quickly and leaned over the form on the ground, but he was too late. He reached into his pocket and started to take out his phone, but stopped when he heard Megan gasped behind him. He moved quickly to his feet, trying to block her view, but he wasn’t fast enough. Megan had followed him, getting a clear glimpse of the body in front of them.
Megan looked at him, and he shook his head, indicating they were too late to help Mary. She started to move towards her friend, but Aiden stopped her and tried to push her back towards the door. Megan resisted, still looking at her friend, unable to comprehend what was before her eyes.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Today was supposed to be full of fun, adventure and sharing good times with friends and fellow citizens of Citrus Beach. Megan had had enough scary times in the beginning of the summer, and she was anticipating the new season starting out smoothly, normally, and with no extra excitement.
Instead, she was staring in horror at the body of an old friend crumpled at her feet with a bloody gash on the back of her head. Why in the world would anybody want to hurt this quiet recluse who is happier to spend time with her farm animals than she was with people? It made no sense at all.
Megan grab Aiden’s hand, who stood beside her, as if to reassure herself that she wasn't dreaming. Silent tears running down her face, she looked at him and then looked back at the body.
"We better call Sheriff Green," he said.
Chapter 5
With shaky fingers, Megan dialed the Sheriff's direct line, a number she now had memorized. She briefly told him what they had found, giving him instructions to come in the back way, where he would find Aiden's car parked. While she was talking, Aiden had taken a cursory walk around the barn to see if anything seemed out of place to him. Megan watched his progress, trying not to ogle at the body of her friend.
The pitiful bleating of the sheep outside the door reminded Aiden that this wasn't only a crime scene. He was at the scene of a murder of someone who had been important to Megan. He walked back towards her and gave her a comforting hug. Gently leading her to the door of the barn, he told her to wait outside for the sheriff. For once Megan listened to his instructions, she couldn't bear the sight of Mary. But she fully intended to go back into that barn later and check things out for herself.
Aidan returned, looking at Megan with concern, and asked how she was holding up.
"Megan, why do you think she was back here, so far away from where everything else was going on? Surely she must've planned on being up front with all the activity. What would've brought her back here?"
Megan scrawled and shook her head, not understanding why Mary had been in the back barn and not up front getting ready for the onslaught of geo-catchers soon to be coming to the front building.
"I don't know Aiden, it doesn't make sense. When I talked to her yesterday she was aware of what the schedule was. She assured me that she would be up front and ready for the first team of geo-cacher's to come in. She was really excited about it. Which for Mary was a big deal because that woman did not usually like to have a lot of people around her, unless it was to brag about her animals."
Aidan could detect the puzzlement in her tone, but before he could answer they both clearly heard a noise coming from the hay bales that were piled immediately to the right of the barn’s entrance.
"Megan, get against the wall and stay still. Don't move"
Aiden quickly drew out the gun that Megan hadn’t even realize he had with him. Megan did as she was instructed, her eyes wide, she watched him move towards hay where the noise was coming from.
Before he had moved more than two steps, they heard the noise again. This time Megan was able to clearly decipher what it was.
"Hang on a second, Aiden, it’s nothing to be concerned about. I think I know what it is.” Crouching down she gave a little whistle and held her hand out. As Aidan watched, the sound came again. He slid his gun back into the holster as he watched a small matted ball of dirty fur work its way out from its hiding place and move towards Megan’s outstretched hand.
"Is that a dog?” he questioned.
The sound of his voice stopped the little fur ball in its tracks. The animal looked from Megan and her outstretched hand over to the source of the deep voice it had just heard. Without hesitation, the animal made a detour and headed right over to Aiden. Aiden regarded the little animal sitting at his feet in dismay. He wasn't sure if he should back away from it, or if he should try and comfort it.
"That's not merely a dog, Aiden, it’s a puppy. A lost puppy that needs little bit of love. Mary's been telling me that she's got a stray out here. She was trying to befriend it and get the poor thing to come to her. That must've been why she was out here. She probably saw the puppy, followed him, and tried to bring him some food. Could it be that her kind heart is what got her killed?"
Aiden looked over at Megan, but didn't respond to her question. He wasn't sure what to do. The professional side him demanded that he not touch the animal, since it might have evidence on it. The humanitarian in him wanted to pick the animal up and comfort it. He scanned the area for some sort of solution and finding none, made a quick decision and unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled the shirt off his shoulders, then bent down and swept little puppy up into it. The t-shirt he wore underneath his shirt strained against his muscles as he bent and Megan couldn't help but to admire the picture in front of her, sweet and masculine at same time.
The puppy gave a little whine and buried himself deep into Aiden's arms as if seeking shelter. Before either of them had a chance to examine the dog or make any further comment, they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. With a glance back towards the road, Megan saw the sheriff's car pulling up as close as it could to the scene of the crime. Within moments, a flurry of activity descended, as the sheriff took control of the scene. Crime scene tape was used to cordon off the area and preserve any possible evidence that might be there. A sheriff's deputy secured the site, making sure there was no one else around other than Megan and Aiden. The sheriff pulled the two of them aside and began to ask questions.
"Aiden, briefly tell me what's going on here. What am I going to find in that barn?" Sheriff Green directed his initial question at Aiden, knowing that with his law enforcement experience he would noticed different details than Megan.
Getting the basic information, he turned and gave Megan a pat on the shoulder, telling her he'd be right back. He squared his
shoulders and walked into the barn to investigate for himself the grisly discovery Megan and Aiden had made.
He didn't spend much time in the barn. There wasn’t much to find other than what Aidan had already told him. He walked out of the barn, hat in hand, shaking his head at the loss of a friend.
Megan looked at him hopefully, but knew deep in her heart the answer to her question before she even asked.
"I don't suppose it was an accident was it?"
Both men looked at her with pity; they all knew the answer to the question, but the men understood Megan's hopefulness that it was an accident and not something more horrendous that would involve another investigation for her to be involved in.
"You know as well as we do, Megan, that gash on the back of her head was not caused by an accident. Somebody meant to hurt her. They were filled with anger when they hit that poor woman. I don't take kindly to that kind of action in my town and we're going to find out what happened here."
Megan could hear the anger in the sheriff's words as he spoke. Before she had a chance to respond, his deputy, Sean Young, approached to get directions from the sheriff as to what actions he wanted him to take next. With a nod in Megan’s direction, Sheriff Green requested that Officer Young take her statement, while he and Aiden went back inside for a more detailed survey of the murder scene. Aiden tried to give Megan the puppy he held in his hands, but the frightened animal just whimpered loudly and tried to bury himself deeper into the crook of Aiden's arm. Deciding it would be easier to hang on to the puppy, Aiden carried it into crime scene with him, leaving Megan and Sean smirking at the contrasting picture he made.
Megan was filling Sean in on what little details she had when they heard the sound of honking horns from the front of the property. The sheriff and Aiden came out of the door the barn and looked towards that area as well. They all realized the first group of Geo catchers had arrived.
Murder at the Geo-Cache...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 3) Page 3
