by R A Wallace
“You’re Gabe’s sister-in-law?” Josie turned to Delmar. “She’s married to Dan, the guy at the feed store.”
“Oh, sure. We know him. Gabe’s brother,” Delmar said. “They look alike.”
“They do,” Megan agreed as she removed the cap from the bottle.
“Good thing you didn’t come last night,” Josie said.
“When the police were here?” Megan took a drink.
“You know about that?” Delmar asked. “That was some excitement. Of course, we didn’t get to see much. The police came around before all the good stuff started and told us to stay put until we got the all clear.”
“I still can’t believe they took them away because of the gambling,” Josie said as she looked from Delmar to Megan. “We can’t think of any other reason why it might have happened.”
“They didn’t take Gabe,” Delmar pointed out.
Josie frowned as she considered it. “True.”
“Did you gamble on that web site?” Megan asked.
“She did,” Delmar pointed at his wife.
“I had a blast. You can’t complain about it either.” Josie waved her finger at her husband. “It’s not like we lost anything. We broke even.”
“It kept you entertained and out of my hair.” He put his hand on his bald head and laughed at his own joke. “She’s right though. It didn’t cost anything.”
“Did you go to the party the night of the murder?” Megan watched Josie’s eyes light up.
“We did. That’s the party at Gabe’s, remember?” she asked Delmar.
“He grilled burgers. They were pretty good,” Delmar said.
“Did you see anything unusual that night?” Megan asked.
Josie made a face indicating the answer was no. “The police asked us too, of course.”
Megan heard a whimpering noise. Delmar was up in a moment.
“Don’t you worry, poppet. Daddy is coming,” Josie said.
Delmar climbed back up onto the deck carrying the small dog. He cradled the dog as he sat back down.
“This little guy goes everywhere with us,” Delmar murmured as he gently rubbed behind the dog’s ears.
“You didn’t see anyone argue that night?” Megan asked.
“No.” Josie looked at Delmar for confirmation. “Of course, we didn’t stay for very long.”
“That’s right. Shortly after we ate, this little guy told us he wanted to come back here,” Delmar said with an affectionate glance at the dog.
“Do you remember who else came and went while you were there?” Megan saw the confusion in their eyes. “Like the victim, for example. Was he there the whole time you were?”
Josie and Delmar looked at each other. Delmar shook his head. Josie looked away from him as she tried to remember.
“We went over in the golf cart, remember?” Josie looked at Delmar. “When we left, some of the others started leaving then too. We offered a ride but no one wanted one.”
He nodded. “We got back into the golf cart but the little guy was settled down by then. We took a spin around the campground, the way we usually do every night.”
“As we drove around, we passed some of the people who had been at the party,” Josie said slowly. “Ken was one of them, wasn’t he?”
Delmar pointed at her. “That’s right. He left a little after we did.”
***
Caitlyn entered Anderson Florist using the front door. Gail was behind the counter but moved away from it when she saw her boss.
“I’m back. You can head out for your lunch.” Caitlyn followed Gail into the workroom.
Gail pulled her new purse and a lunch from a drawer. “Do you need me to get you anything while I’m out?”
“No, I’m good thanks.” Caitlyn tucked her purse away then turned to follow Gail to the front of the shop. Caitlyn stopped at the front desk to check for new orders.
Gail continued walking to the front door. “I’m just going to eat my lunch in the park today. I shouldn’t be long.”
Gail walked through the door pulling her purse over her shoulder as she walked. She could see the reflection of her purse as she walked past different storefronts. She still loved it every bit as much now as she had when she’d first bought it. When she reached the town square, her steps slowed. She loved looking at all of the flowers they had planted there. There were other people there enjoying the same thing. Some were feeding the birds or the squirrels. Others were power walking around the walkways. Based on their clothes, she assumed they worked in town and were on their lunch break.
Gail saw her favorite bench in the shade waiting for her. She sat down and opened her lunch cooler. As she ate, she scrolled through the messages on her phone. She was done with her sandwich when someone sat down on the other end of the bench. Gail put her phone away.
“Nice day for a picnic lunch isn’t it?” Gail balled her sandwich baggie up and put it back into her cooler.
Brianna nodded but didn’t answer as she took out her lunch.
Gail pulled out her yogurt. “I’m packing my lunch because I splurged on my new purse. I couldn’t believe the deal I got on it though. Designer bags like that usually cost way more than what I spent.”
Brianna glanced at the purse and frowned. “You should get your money back.”
Gail’s smile slipped when she turned to the other woman. “Excuse me?”
Brianna broke off a piece of banana. “Check the seams.”
“What?” Gail started laughing then stopped. She looked down at her purse. “The seams?”
“I can tell from here it’s counterfeit. That’s obviously not real leather. But if you don’t have the background to spot that, check the seams and the stitching. They should be even.”
Gail held her purse up and frowned. She opened it and looked inside.
Brianna continued talking. “The lining might be a clue. So could any logos you’re expecting to see. Make sure they’re in the right place and on the right material.” Brianna broke off more banana.
“You really think it’s a fake?” Gail set her purse on her lap.
“Where did you buy it?” Brianna asked.
Gail made a face. “Online.”
“Always a gamble unless you know for sure you can trust the site.” Brianna stood to toss her banana peel in a nearby trash can. “I have to get back to work.”
“Thanks,” Gail said weakly as she watched the other woman walk away. Her eyes dropped back to her purse. “I think.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cooper nodded to Casey’s receptionist as he passed through from the waiting room to the examination rooms. He and Cooper walked down the hall until they came to the area in the rear of the animal hospital where Bella was waiting for him.
She jumped up as soon as he entered. “Do you really think this is going to work?”
Ethan looked down at Cooper. Intelligent eyes looked up at him. “I hope so. It’s the only thing I know to try. Cooper already knows the beagle.”
Bella held up the stuffed toy she had in her hand. “Maybe if he got the scent?”
“Good idea.” Ethan took the toy from Bella and held it in front of Cooper. “We’ll keep this with us.”
Bella nodded her agreement as she opened the rear door. “I swear to you I only left him out here by himself for less than a minute.”
“I believe you,” Ethan said as he and Cooper followed her outside. Cooper’s ears pricked forward as he sat. He looked up at Ethan. Ethan gave him a hand signal that they had practiced before. Cooper stood again and began walking. “Let’s go.”
“How much longer do you think Casey will be?” Ethan asked Bella as they walked.
“I don’t know for sure. He went out to one of the farms for some emergency,” she said.
“Let’s hope it’s long enough,” Ethan said as he watched Cooper moving ahead of them. The border collie was following a trail across a field. Ethan had no idea who’s field it was. Beyond the field, he could see woods.
“Do you think it’s safe to leave Cooper off his leash?” Bella asked as she walked with Ethan.
“We practice like this a lot.” Cooper moved quickly in front of them. Ethan picked up his speed. “Can you keep up?”
For an answer, Bella increased her speed.
***
Megan reached the next camp site on her list. She found the owners outside enjoying the weather. They’d apparently just returned from the pool. A man with a thick mustache was sitting on the deck next to their RV. A woman in white capris and a floral knit tunic was hanging towels from a clothesline she had running from the RV to a nearby post. Megan guessed they might be in their late sixties.
“Can we help you, young lady?”
Megan smiled as she approached the deck. “I’m Megan Parker. Gabe’s sister-in-law.”
“Do tell. This here is my wife, Nettie. I’m Roddy. Roddy McKay. You look like you need to take a load off.” Roddy motioned to a chair on the deck. There were a few others around the deck. One near Roddy had a cowboy hat on it.
Megan stepped up onto the deck and took a seat. “Thanks. It’s a bit muggy today.”
“That it is,” Roddy agreed. “Made it a little hard to sleep last night. Of course, that may have been from all the excitement around here.”
Nettie hung another towel. “It sure was exciting.”
“Can’t say we’ve ever been raided by the police before.” Roddy reached up and smoothed his mustache down. It covered his mouth and drooped down the sides.
“At least they’re on the job.” Nettie hung a woman’s bikini top.
“Can’t argue there. Now they just need to find a killer,” Roddy said.
Nettie held up a matching woman’s bikini bottom. “I still can’t believe they arrested those people because of the online gambling site.” She got another handful of clothes pins and pinned the bikini bottom on the line.
“According to the news, there’s a little more to it than that,” Roddy said.
“Really? What did you hear?” Nettie held up a man’s bikini bottom then pinned it to the line. She put the container of clothes pins on the picnic table and joined them on the deck.
“They aren’t releasing all of the details yet,” Roddy said. “But that group had something to do with identity theft.”
“Are you kidding me?” Nettie said loudly. “What does that mean for us? We both used that web site.”
“I understand that your data is safe,” Megan said.
Two sets of eyes turned to her.
“How do you know?” Nettie asked.
“I spoke with two of the police officers yesterday,” Megan explained. “I can’t give any details either but I do know that your sensitive information hasn’t been breached. Not in this incident.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Nettie sat next to her husband. “If you spoke with the police, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to ask you a few questions,” Megan said. “Let’s start with the gambling web site. You both used it?”
“Oh, yes. I thought it was better than going to a casino,” Nettie said. She raised her hand and absently fingered the beaded chain around her neck holding her glasses.
“Did you win much?” Megan asked.
The McKays shared a look.
“Well, no,” Nettie said.
“But we also didn’t lose anything,” Roddy added.
“You broke even?” Megan watched them both nod. “Did you go to the party at Gabe’s camp site last weekend?”
“Oh, yes. We like things like that. Don’t we?” Nettie asked her husband.
“It’s one of the reasons why we stay here. It’s a community,” Roddy said.
“A community we enjoy,” Nettie added as she motioned to her husband. “Gabe grilled that night, remember?”
Roddy’s forehead puckered. “That was the night of the murder.”
“Yes, it was. Did you notice anything unusual that night?” Megan shifted her gaze from Roddy to Nettie. Both were shaking their head slowly then Roddy stopped and tilted his head sideways.
“Now that you mention it, there did seem to be a little tension.” Roddy turned to Nettie. “Did you notice it?”
“Not really. I filled my sippy cup before we went.” Nettie made a face at Megan as she pointed at Roddy. “He was driving.”
Roddy chuckled. “The golf cart doesn’t go that fast anyway.”
“Sounds like you had a nice time.” Megan began pushing herself out of her chair. “I should let you go.”
“Did you walk down?” Nettie asked Megan.
“I left my car at the office,” Megan said.
Nettie turned to Roddy. “You should drive her back up to the office.”
Roddy stood before Megan could protest and reached for his cowboy hat. “I would be happy to.”
Megan thanked Nettie as Roddy got into the cart. He pulled up to the steps of the deck and Megan slid in.
“I appreciate this,” she said.
“Not a problem.” Roddy drove slowly along the gravel roads. He pointed out some of the other campers that they passed and told Megan a little about them before returning to the previous subject. “I still can’t believe everything that’s been going on. That whole thing with the gambling web site still has me puzzled. Is that really why those men were arrested?”
He didn’t wait for Megan to answer.
“They said part of the proceeds would go to education and scholarships and other things around here.” He stopped at a crossroad and waited for a pickup truck to drive through. “I have to admit, I may have bet a little more than Nettie knows about.”
Megan smiled at his confession. “Did you win or lose?”
“Neither. Broke even.” He accelerated again and was quiet for a few moments. “Course, that’s another thing. Why didn’t they arrest Gabe?”
“I’m sure all of the details will be released as soon as possible,” Megan said as they reached the office.
She slid out and thanked him for the ride before entering the camp store that also acted as an office. She assumed it was something of a gathering place as well. There was a kitchen area on one side that also had a separate entrance and a pickup window. The board hanging on the wall advertised prices for pizza, sandwiches, and ice cream.
The shelves in the store were stocked with small amounts of everything under the sun. There was a small automotive section, rain gear, games, grocery items, tee shirts with the Teaberry Campground logo and other tees featuring the state of Pennsylvania. In one small corner, there was a shelf full of movies on disc that could be rented. Another shelf had well-worn paperback books that could be checked out for free.
In several places throughout the store, she saw references to foxes. There were pictures on the walls. The logo on the tee shirts included a fox. The sign listing the prices for food also included the same image of a fox.
The man behind the counter was large with a bushy mustache and a long, full beard that hid most of a wide neck behind it. She guessed he was somewhere in his fifties. His brown eyes held curiosity as he nodded a greeting.
“You don’t look like you’re here to do some camping,” he said.
“Not this time, no. But my brother-in-law is staying here.” Megan leaned against a table with a chess set on it and introduced herself. She learned that his name was Zeke.
“You’re the owner?” Megan asked.
“I am.” He moved around to her side of the counter and leaned back against it with his arms crossed in front of him. “What brings you in?”
“The murder, actually. As you might suspect, Gabe’s family was pretty upset that anyone might think Gabe was involved with that.”
“You might want to discuss that with the police,” Zeke suggested.
She flashed a quick smile. “I have. I’m also talking with anyone else who might know something about that night or the events that led up to it.”
“You know about the raid we had out here last night?
” He worded it in the form of a question.
Megan got the impression he already knew the answer. “Yes. Was this the first time Ken Medina stayed here?”
“You sound like the police.” His gaze held hers.
“I know you’ve already spoken with them. Would it be possible for you to tell me also?”
“Why?” He looked genuinely curious.
Megan explained her theory about solving her puzzles. “Sometimes people know things and don’t realize it. They may or may not be the same people that the police have spoken with. Perhaps, at a first glance, they don’t look directly involved. Maybe they are and held some little detail back because they didn’t think it mattered.”
“You call those little bits of information puzzle pieces.” He was nodding slowly.
“Sometimes the little bit of information is the critical piece that solves the puzzle. Sometimes it’s the edge pieces of the puzzle that just help to give more detail.”
Zeke reached up with one hand and smoothed his beard down. “You’re hoping I have a puzzle piece.”
“It’s a possibility,” she agreed.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Do you remember the weekend of the murder?” Megan asked. She watched him tilt his head to one side. Her eyes scanned the store as she considered ways to prompt him. “Did anything odd happen here in the office that day?”
“Same old, same old.” His eyes drifted above her for a moment then returned and dropped to the table. “Someone found an injured dog.”
“He belonged to one of the campers? Maybe one from the group that the police picked up yesterday?”
Zeke shook his head. “No one here claimed him. Roxie took him to Casey in town.”
“I hope it wasn’t badly hurt,” Megan murmured.
“Bad enough. That reminds me though. Roxie put off her firewood delivery until she got back. Some of that group had ordered firewood.” Zeke shrugged. “Well, if you count Gabe in the group.”
Megan didn’t. “Who else?”
Zeke turned and picked up a small notepad near his cash register. He flipped back a couple of pages. “Guy’s name was Alva. Alva Guzman. He was in site number two oh six.”
