Murder at the Geo-Cache...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 3)

by Victoria LK Williams

  Megan gave her friend a nod and smiled as she promised to get some rest and to be careful. She added a generous tip to the money that was already on the table for their dinners, Megan pushed out her chair and left. She drove back to her home with the windows down, it was a beautiful evening with a warm breeze and hint of jasmine in the air, and the radio was on. She didn’t think of anything but the words to the old songs playing on the radio. By the time she got home, the tension had eased and she felt like she had more energy, enough to play with Barney who greeted her excitedly when she open the door to her house.

  She gave the beagle the attention he craved before she did anything else. She ignored the pile of mail on the counter and the blinking light of her answering machine. Once she had played and fed Barney, Fred, and the two house cat that wandered out from the soft folds of the antique quilt on Megan’s bed, she turned her attention to the answering machine. Pushing the play button she found that she had two messages. The first was Aiden, apologizing for leaving her stranded at the diner and letting her know that he would spend the night at his office; with the puppy, working. Megan smiled of this message, remembering how one of the main pieces of furniture he had wanted in the office was a foldout sofa for when work would turn into a late night affair. His message suggested that they meet at the diner for breakfast. Megan pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent off a quick test to Aiden, agreeing to meet him for breakfast. She turned her attention to the second message, which was from her daughter.

  “Mom, we searched through Mary’s house pretty well, and Taylor and I went back over a few points after you and Aunt Lucy left. But there’s one spot we never looked. Honestly, we didn’t think about it until we went up front to lock the main gate. There’s an office off of the little store she has in the petting zoo. It’s small, but it’s crammed full of all kinds of things, so we thought maybe you would like to come out and help search that room, too. How about late morning? We have a few things that we need to go over with Charlotte first thing in the morning, and then we can meet you there. You don’t have to call me back, Mom, just show up. And if you can’t show up, Taylor and I will search. Have a good night, get some rest, love you.”

  Megan pulled the bright pink coin holder that still held the key out of her pocket and felt a flicker of excitement.

  “I have a feeling we can find what you belong to tomorrow," she said out loud.

  She smothered a yawn and called for her animals to head to her room to get a quick shower and settle in for the night. She was excited about what the morning would bring, but for tonight she needed some rest.

  Chapter 21

  Monday

  Megan groaned in frustration as she pushed the cat off her chest and squinted at the sunlight coming in through the blinds she’d forgotten to close the night before. Megan was not a morning person, and Monday mornings were the worst. She fought the urge to pull the blankets back up over her head and get some more sleep. Instead, Megan yawned and stretched her arms over her head. She pushed the second cat off her feet, pulled herself out of bed and slowly worked her way into the bathroom to get ready for the day. She didn’t worry about the dogs. A few months before, Paul had put in a doggy door for the animals to come and go as they needed. Her property was completely walled in and Megan had installed an invisible fence line to keep Barney in check and close to the house when he wasn’t being supervised.

  A hot shower helped, and she felt more awake as she walked out to the kitchen to get her morning cup of coffee. The dogs had wandered back in and were waiting for their breakfast. After cleaning up the kitchen a little bit she fed the animals and tackled the pile of mail on her counter. Finishing, Megan found she still had enough time to wander over to the office before she went to meet Aiden for breakfast. She walked out the front door and Barney pranced along with her, eager for another walk. Fred, however, wandered over to a sunny spot on the porch and settled down for his second morning nap. The younger dog had worn him out earlier and he now needed to catch up on his sleep. With a little laugh, Megan bent over and rubbed his long silky ears and then called for Barney to follow her as she walked over to the main office.

  As usual Janice had everything ready for her for the morning. Folders were piled in the center of the desk to indicate what jobs were on today’s schedule and, post-it notes had been stuck to her computer monitor so she would be sure to see them. Off to the left, lay a smaller pile of client requests that Janice felt needed her attention. Megan said a silent prayer of thanks for Janice’s organization. Her abilities kept the business running like clockwork, giving Megan the time to do more creative work with garden designs or work with some of her favorite customers on their private projects. As she went over the work in front of her, Megan made her own notes for Janice to attend and a detailed note explaining that she would be tied up for a few days as she unofficially investigated Mary’s murder.

  She glanced up at the oversize clock she put in the center wall of the main office to help her stay on schedule and Megan saw it was time to head out to meet Aiden. Pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk, she grabbed a couple of dog treats and a bottle of water to take along for Barney. With the windows rolled down in her car he would be more than content to sit in the car and wait for her while she went into the diner. He was used to this routine and had never given her problem, probably because he remembered if he was well behaved there would be a treat for him when Megan came back to the car.

  The ride to the diner was pleasant, the breeze coming through the open car windows, cool. Barney sat up front with Megan, his head not quite hanging out the window as he barked to anyone they passed by. Most of the people he barked at, gave a wave back, seeing Barney riding shotgun with Megan was a sight they had come to recognize. Even a few tourists waved back, smiling at the sight of the excited puppy. She slid into the spot right up front by the diner windows and parked the car. The building provided plenty of shade for Barney, and she knew he would be fine. Most of the diners would be sure to stop by the car and give him a bit of attention. Plus she would be able to keep an eye on him through the windows. She kept a leash on him just to be sure, and giving him one of the treats from her office, she told him to behave as she left the car.

  Megan smiled at the unknown man who held the door open for her as she entered, the dark socks with sandals giving him away as a northerner here to visit. It didn’t matter if he was here for a week or the season, there was always something about a snowbird that let a native southerner identify one as a northerner. Thanking the man, Megan turned her head toward the bar where a few regulars gave out a good morning shout to her. As she returned their greetings, Megan reveled in the warmth of living in a small town. She knew her neighbors, and they knew her, which meant that they looked out for each other. Declining their offer of a stool at the bar, Megan grabbed the same booth where they had sat for dinner at the night before, and took a seat to wait for Aiden.

  Susie was behind the bar, serving another round of coffee to the patrons who were there for the morning, and working on their third or fourth cup. She held the pot up in the air and asked Megan how many cups to get. Megan held up two fingers, grabbed the newspaper from the table next to her and got comfortable. The morning paper had a way of working its way around the diner, from table to table, as people came and went. For some reason, her own paper had not been at the front door when she left. Megan had a sneaky suspicion that Barney had absconded with it again. This was a new game to him, and two or three mornings a week, Megan would have to go searching for the paper while Barney watched, tail wagging and a happy expression on his face at the success of his new game. As she unfolded the paper so that the front page faced her, Megan saw the write up about Mary’s murder.

  She read the account, detailing what few facts the sheriff had shared with Kim Heart, and was reading the follow-up article that Kim had written about Mary’s charity work with animals when Aiden arrived. He gave her a quick kiss as he took the seat next to her, asking h
ow her morning was going.

  “Much better, now. How was your first night as a dog owner?”

  Aiden gave a snort, but before he could answer, Susie arrived with their coffee and menus.

  “Did I hear that right? Aiden, you’ve gotten yourself a dog?”

  “More like she’s got me. It’s a stray dog we found at the Wheeler farm. You haven’t heard of anyone who is missing a pet have you, Susie?”

  “Can’t say that I have. That’s probably the stray that Mary was working so hard to win over. She was pretty sure the puppy was abandoned by someone passing through. She was real upset about that one, worried about it just being a baby. You know, she’d be real happy knowing that you’ve taken it in, Aiden.”

  Aiden looked at the two women in front of him, feeling one more nail in the coffin of dog ownership being pounded in. There was no getting out it without looking bad, he would have to keep the puppy. Secretly he was getting used to having her around and didn’t mind the idea as much as he had the day before.

  “Well, she’s with me unless someone claims her. I just want my usual breakfast, what about you Megan?”

  “Same here, Susie.”

  “Oh, Susie, can I get a pancake breakfast to go? I promised Jake I’d bring him something back since he’s watching the dog for me.”

  “Sure thing, I’ll have it ready for you when you leave.”

  Susie jotted down their order on her pad and headed back to the kitchen to turn it in. Megan watched her walk away and then turned back to Aiden and asked him if the puppy had been okay through the night.

  “She was really good. The whole time while I worked, she sat in the doorway watching me. When I stretched out on the sofa, she dragged her little bed over right next to me and fell to sleep."

  Megan smiled at the picture the words made and the pride she caught in Aiden’s voice. Yes, the man was committing himself to dog ownership and Megan was sure he would enjoy every minute of it.

  “Well it sounds as if she has accepted you as her owner, now your first job is to give the poor thing a name.”

  Aiden nodded his head in agreement, and the two of them spent the next few moments going over suggestions for the puppy’s name. The arrival of their breakfast interrupted their arguments over a girly name or a tougher name. Just as he put the plates in front of them Aiden made one last statement and then close the subject.

  “All I know is that I will not be walking around calling for a dog named Fluffy. And that pink bow that Carol put in her fur is going, too. That is if I can get her to let me undo it. Every time I try to take it out she growls at me," he laughed.

  They were silent for the next few minutes, as Aiden dug into his breakfast, his appetite apparent. Megan ate at a more leisurely pace, but enjoyed the good food just as much as he did. Once his initial pangs of hunger were satisfied, he asked her if Kim Heart had caused any further problems after he left the night before.

  “No. When she realized that she wasn’t going to get any more information out of us she didn’t stick around too long. But I’d watch your back, Aiden, I think she’s gunning for you. Rita Thomas’s announcement yesterday has stirred up a pot of trouble, and where there’s trouble you’ll find Kim Heart.”

  “I’ve dealt with people like Kim before, so I don’t anticipate any problems with her I can’t handle. I think I’ll have more problems handling my new client and her need for attention. That woman is aggressive. I don’t think she cares how she gets her results as long as they are the results that she wants. I’m going to regret keeping her on as a client. But, I’m thinking if I keep her occupied with proving her claim, and out of the sheriff’s way, then the murder investigation can proceed without any hindrance.”

  “Aiden, I’m not going to be asking for details regarding Rita Thomas. But if I find things out on my own, I will use them. You may as well know that I will continue to investigate Mary’s murder. I promise I’ll be careful, but I think you and the sheriff are looking at it from one angle, and it’s not the angle I’m seeing.”

  “I wish you would let the sheriff do his job, but I’ve come to know you well enough, Megan, to understand that you will not sit idly by. Just promise me if you need help or you find yourself in any kind of situation that’s dangerous, you’ll walk away from it.”

  “I’ll do the best I can.”

  Megan’s answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he realized it was all he would get at this point. Aiden didn’t see what angle Megan thought she would follow, but he was pretty sure the sheriff was on the right line and he wasn’t too worried at this point about Megan getting in over her head. He made a mental note to talk to Paul about Megan staying on the investigation. He glanced down at his plate, seemed amazed to see the food was gone and his coffee cup was empty. Moments later Susie was at his side, filling his coffee cup and placing a Styrofoam box with his to-go order inside. As he paid their bill, Aiden asked Megan what she had planned for the morning.

  “I have a bit of running to do, I want to pick up a few things for Emma and Taylor. Then I’m heading out to the farm to check on the girls. What about you?”

  “Well, thanks to Rita’s announcement yesterday, which alienated most of those who heard it, it appears that I have to go to the county courthouse to dig up records on her family history. I don’t think I will be getting much help from the citizens of Citrus Beach.”

  “I’m sorry about that, Aiden, but you can see that the ranks are being pulled close to protect Mary. It’s just part of living in a small town. I will give you one suggestion that might help: you’ve developed a great friendship with one of the most predominant members of our town. Charlotte Potter does not follow everybody else’s leads, she makes up her own mind. She will do what she feels is fair and if anybody knows about this town’s history it will be Charlotte. I suggest you go ahead and visit the county courthouse to get your facts, but then go out and visit Charlotte.”

  Aiden looked at Megan, surprised, he appreciated that she was one of the townspeople who was undeniably on Mary’s side of the claim, but here she was offering him advice to help his case. Charlotte wasn’t the only one in town who was fair, and he was thankful for Megan’s suggestion. He got to his feet and came around and held the chair for Megan as she got up to leave. With a soft kiss he whispered thank you before letting her go. She merely smiled, waved to him and Susie, who was standing at the next table taking an order, picked up her purse, and left. Glancing down at his still-full cup of coffee, Aiden sighed and sat back down to finish it. Moments later he regretted that decision as Kim Heart herself slid into Megan’s empty chair.

  “Good morning, Aiden. I’m so glad I caught you. Now we can have that discussion about Rita Thomas’s announcement yesterday, the one that you so conveniently avoided when you left.”

  “Good morning, Kim,” he gulped his hot coffee down, hoping to avoid a discussion with her again.

  “I’m sorry, Kim, I can’t make any comments without my client’s permission. Or tell you anything that will in any way impede my investigation.”

  “You realize you have to talk to me sooner or later, Aiden. I smell a good story here and I’m not letting anybody else put their byline on it.”

  “It will have to be later, Kim. But I promise you, if there’s a story here, I will share it with you when I can.”

  Aiden stood, grabbed the Styrofoam container with Jake’s breakfast, and excused himself. Kim sat for a moment, watching him through the window as he opened his car door. Nodding to herself, she decided to follow him and stood, only to find Susie in her way.

  “Kim, just a word of warning. I don’t want to you to find yourself in trouble. Aiden Tory is out of your league, he’s a former FBI agent for goodness sake. Let him give you the story when he’s ready.”

  “Susie, just move out of my way, please. I’m getting this story and Aiden is just one means to achieve it.”

  The older woman stepped back, shaking her head at the attitude the younger woman was s
howing. She had an uneasy feeling that things in town were going to spin out of control, and Kim could be the catalyst at the center of any trouble that seemed sure to be stirred up. When Kim reached the door, she turned back to give Susie a reassuring nod, and was on her way to her own car.

  Chapter 22

  Megan had left the diner and Aiden behind, her thoughts racing. She as thinking ahead to what awaited her at Mary’s and hoping that her daughter did not get too anxious and start searching without her. Using her hands-free option on her phone, she called Lucy to tell her she was on her way to pick her up. As she stepped on the gas pedal, she disconnected with Lucy, and headed to her cousins home. Barney looked over at her as the car sped up, excited to be on the move again.

  The ride was short, traffic light in the mid-morning hour. Most of the year-round residents were at work, while the seasonal residents were out on the golf courses or still lazing around their luxury homes. The morning dew had disappeared off the immaculate lawns as the sun rose higher in the sky. The air was beginning to heat up to the promised high of 80 degrees. It would be a beautiful day, the kind the Chamber of Commerce loved to brag about as they promoted to the tourist trade.

  Megan pulled into the driveway of Lucy and Paul’s Key West style home to find that Lucy was outside waiting for her. Next to her was an old gray haired women that carried herself with an air of royalty. And so she should, for the woman was the reigning matriarch of Citrus Beach, her family being one of the earliest settlers in the area. As she opened the car door to get out to say good morning, Megan was trampled by her dog in his haste to get to the two women standing under the shade of the large live oak tree. Barney barked with excitement as he raced to their side and sat as he was trained, waiting for attention. Past experience had taught him that the older woman always seemed have one hidden in her pockets for him.