Murder For Neptune's Trident...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 1)

by Victoria LK Williams

  The elevator doors opened to a large waiting area. It was obvious that this floor’s offices were of the officers of the company. A large conference room was directly ahead of them, and off to the side were private offices, decorated in high-end elegance that would be what their clients were accustomed to in their everyday life.

  A pretty young woman came from one of those offices, as if she had been waiting for them to show up. Reaching them, she held out her hand to shake theirs and introduced herself.

  “I’m Leslie Black, Mr. Travel II’s assistant. I’ve been told to help you any way that I can and that I was to give you full access to any of John’s paperwork that you feel you need. I just can’t believe that John would have been involved in anything that would cause him harm. There must be another reason he was killed. I really don’t think that you’ll find anything here that will be helpful.”

  Megan and Aidan shook her hand and thanked her for her time. Megan found it interesting that Leslie was so quick to try and stir their suspicions away from JT’s work as a possible connection to his murder. Either she did not want the office tied to any possibility of scandal or she was trying to hide something, possibly protecting John’s involvement. Megan raised her eyebrows as she looked over at Aidan. The look he gave her back showed that he was thinking along the same lines.

  “Ms. Black, we appreciate your time. I do have a list here of items that we would like for you to put together for us to take. While you do that, Megan and I are going to look around JT’s office … if you wouldn’t mind.” Aidan’s authoritative tone did not give the woman any room to object as he handed her a printed list of items while he moved past her into the office. She looked hard at him and then, seeing that he was going to do just what he said, looked down at the list in her hands.

  “This will take me a little bit of time to put together. If you would rather come back later?”

  “No, that’s fine. We will keep working in here, and talking to the rest of the staff. You don’t need to worry about us.” Aidan cut her off, and held the door open for her to leave. He softened the dismissal with a smile, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was taking charge.

  Since he had left her no options, Leslie left the two of them to start compiling the materials Aidan had asked for.

  “Wow, that little show just made me want to tear this office apart. It sure seems like there is something here Ms. Black does not want us to find. Did you get the same vibe from her, Aidan?”

  “Oh yeah. She’s either hiding something or protecting someone. Let’s get started and go through as much as we can before she comes back.”

  Walking over to the desk, Aidan pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the computer and looked up at Megan, pointing her in the direction of the wall of books.

  “I’m going to see what I can find in his computer files and go through his desk. How about if you start on the shelves and we’ll both work our way to the filing cabinet.”

  Getting a nod of agreement from Megan, Aidan started looking around the desk and opening drawers. After a few moments, he grinned to Megan as he held up a small notebook and opened it.

  “Here we are … I just love a neat and organized desk. JT was meticulous about keeping a record of all his passwords. And here they are. I’ll look through the rest of this notebook later, but right now I want to get into this computer. I have a flash-drive and I’ll download anything that I think looks promising. How are you doing over there, Megan?”

  “I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but so far everything seems normal. There are mostly reference books over here.”

  “Look for anything that doesn’t fit: you know like the child’s game “one of these things doesn’t belong.” It can be anything. Give the whole area an overview and then break it down into smaller sections. If you find anything, leave it where it is, I’m going to want to get a picture of it so we can go over it again slowly. Wait, here, why don’t you take the pictures? I have a feeling you are going to see things differently than I would.” Tossing her a small camera that he took out of his pocket, Aidan gave her the simple directions, trusting that Megan would use her own judgment.

  Giving Megan a camera was like giving a kid a bag to fill at a candy store. She was a firm believer in you couldn’t have too many pictures, and besides you can always delete what you don’t want when using a digital camera, which she was. Stepping back from the shelves, she snapped a couple of pictures giving her an overview and then took multiple pictures of each shelf. Glancing up at her, Aidan shook his head and hoped that she didn’t plan on taking pictures of every book on the shelf.

  Deciding she had enough pictures for Aidan to study later, Megan put the camera down and started to look over the books in more detail. As she scrutinized the titles, she found a few that were not reference books as she had first thought. Getting approval from Aidan, she pulled out three that caught her attention: one that was on the history of the local area, one that was a “who’s who” directory for the region and one that upon opening it was a book put out by the state that showed listings for each county, both government and privately owned properties and roadways. Putting these aside for further inspection, Megan kept searching the shelves.

  Megan was on the second shelf from the bottom when she found a photo album. It had the look of a traditional book and would have easily passed for one at a casual glance. Opening it up, she found that most of the pictures were of JT and young men his age. Megan recognized Aidan’s son Brandon in a number of the pictures and realized that these must be pictures from college. She was about to set it aside for Aidan to look over, when she noticed that the back half of the album had all of its pages glued together. Curious, she opened to the top page of the glued stack and was astounded at what she found. Knowing that Leslie would be back shortly, Megan did not even show Aidan what she had found, and instead she stuffed it in her tote bag under her sweater so it would not be noticed. Aidan was busy downloading files from JT’s computer onto the flash drive and did not notice her actions.

  Aidan was also conscience of the limited amount of time they had before JT’s assistant returned. As the files downloaded, he was going through each of the desk drawers. When he found the middle drawer locked, he didn’t let that stop him. Using a special tool he had attached to his key chain, he quickly managed to unlock the drawer.

  “Megan, let me have the camera back. I found a ledger that I don’t think Ms. Black is going to want to see leaving the office. I’ll photograph everything in it for now and relock the drawer. She’ll think I couldn’t get in, and if she is trying to hide something from us, this will buy us some time.”

  Megan walked over and handed him the camera, trying to read over his shoulder as he took pictures of the ledger’s contents. It did not make any immediate sense to her, so she left Aidan to finish and moved over to the file cabinet.

  “Hurry up over there, Aidan. I’m going to start on the middle drawer and work down. When you’re done, start on the top drawer. We’re running out of time if we want to search everything without Leslie Black watching our every move.”

  “I’m almost done, go ahead and start. This is probably the only time we will have to search before anything is removed. I think we got here before anyone expected us to, so things should be just as JT left them. The next time we come back, I’m not so sure that items won’t be missing or deleted.“

  Opening the drawer she had indicated, Megan began to look through the files inside. Each was a history on the company’s clients, including past transactions and forecasted investment planning. It seemed like normal items for the business. Not feeling comfortable going through all this personal material on Travels Investment clients, many who Megan knew, she did not look too closely at the particulars of each file. Aidan joined her and started on the top drawer as she opened the bottom drawer.

  Since the drawer Megan had just finished withheld the files on the clients with the last names starting with “s” and going throug
h the end of the alphabet, she was not surprised to find the bottom drawer held a collection of office supplies and miscellaneous items that were obviously not in high demand for use. Rummaging through the odds and ends, Megan found an unusual pen, and held it up for Aidan to see.

  “This is different. Ever see one of these before?”

  Aidan looked down at her, and with a surprised laugh, took the pen from her.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen these before. As a matter of fact, I gave it to John as a joke gift for graduation. It’s a “spy pen” camera.”

  Smiling to himself, Aidan put the pen in his pocket without thinking and went back to the files in front of him. Megan also returned to her task, but other than a few desk “toys” she found nothing out of the ordinary. Pushing in the drawer, she stood and ducking under Aiden’s arm, went over to the couch across from the desk and sat down. Reaching over, she started flipping through the magazines on the coffee table in front of the couch while she waited for more instructions from Aidan.

  Aidan was just finishing his search of the top file drawer when the office door opened. Leaning against the drawer to close it, he turned, expecting to see Leslie Black returning. But instead he found a younger woman, one of the interns, coming into the room with a tray of coffee and cookies. Walking over to the table in front of Megan, she placed the tray down and smiled at them both.

  “Ms. Black asked me to bring these in for you. I am also to answer any questions you may have about Mr. Travels. I often ran errands for him, he was always so nice to me. Oh, and she said that the materials you asked for are at the reception desk waiting for you when you leave.”

  Megan and Aidan looked at each other, surprised at this change of events. Leslie Black had gone from not wanting them alone in the office to pulling a disappearing act on them. Deciding that there was nothing they could do about it, Aidan asked the woman in front of him about the type of errands she ran for John. They drank the delicious coffee while talking to her and also got a list of the other employees at the firm.

  After finishing their questions and coffee, Aidan suggested they each take half of the remaining employees to question. Megan had listened to the type of questions Aidan had asked the intern and with a few of her own, felt confident that she would be able to get the same information on her own as they would have together. Agreeing with him, she left the room in search of the first person on her half of the list.

  Chapter Eleven

  Within an hour, Megan found herself meeting up with Aidan at the receptionist desk, ready to leave. Wishing them the best with their investigation, the same woman who had greeted their arrival, walked them to the front door. Handing Aidan the paperwork he had requested, which he added to the books they had taken off the shelves, the woman also apologized for Leslie Black not being the one to say goodbye.

  “I am so sorry that Leslie isn’t here to answer any last minute questions you may have. It is so unlike her. Why, she rarely even goes out for lunch. You look through these papers and if you need anything else, please let me know. We are all so distressed about JT’s death and want to help in any way we can. These are wonderful people to work for, and I know how awful this all is for them. Anything you need just let me know.”

  Megan thanked her for all the help and Aidan assured her that they would get in touch if there was anything further that they might need. Megan handed the woman one of her business cards and asked her to call if she remembered anything else that might help them. Waving goodbye, the two of them walked out the front door and over to their vehicle. As Aidan started to help Megan into the pickup, he looked around the area they were in and admired the view around him.

  The business district of Citrus Beach had developed along the Citrus River front, providing for both the mainlanders and the island residences. There were business offices mixed in with small businesses, each with a colorful awning to keep out the heat of the Florida sun. Citrus Beach was a small town, with no big box stores or major department stores. Instead, the main street had a wide variety of “Mom & Pop” stops all located along the river, offering a quaint old fashioned downtown. Seventy-year-old live oak trees lined much of the street, creating a natural canopy. Unless you wanted to drive to one of the nearby towns, most of your shopping was done here.

  Directly across from Travels Investments were the river and the Yacht Club. Beautiful sailboats, expensive yachts, and small fishing boats were anchored off the marina docks and waterway. Lush tropical landscaping lined the entry to the club’s public restaurant and he could see people seated around the open deck, enjoying the food and atmosphere offered. Realizing that he was hungry, he smiled at Megan.

  “Are you ready for a break? I would love to take you to lunch and get to know you better. We could try across the street; do you know if the food is any good there?”

  Megan looked at Aidan in surprise, realizing that she would also like to find out more about her companion. Besides, she was starved.

  “The food at the Yacht Club is excellent, especially if you go for the fresh seafood of the day. I know the chef and his cooking can’t be beat. I would love to sit down and relax and enjoy a meal with you. If we sit out on the deck, we can watch the dolphins too.”

  “Let’s go then.” Holding out his hand for her, Aidan helped Megan back out of the truck and they headed across the street. As they entered the restaurant, they missed the figure of Leslie Black going back into her office after looking to be sure Aidan and Megan did not turn back to see her actions.

  Within minutes, the waitress was pulling chairs out for them at one of the tables on the patio. They were right by the railing and had a beautiful view of the river. A brightly-colored umbrella over their head provided shade and there was a cooling breeze coming off the water. After taking their drink order, she let them know the lunch specials and left them to decide on their choices.

  It didn’t take them long to pick what they wanted to eat, and after folding up the menus, they sat back and relaxed in their seats, enjoying the sounds of the music and the atmosphere the yacht club provided.

  “So tell me more about yourself, Aidan. I know you have a son and that you’ve worked for the government long enough to want to be out on your own, but what else makes you tick?”

  Aidan smiled at her question, and realized that it had been a long time since he had a real conversation with someone. Oh, he was great at small talk and pulling information out of someone else. But one on one, connecting to each other conversation? Well he couldn’t remember the last one, other than with his son.

  “Well, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Within reason. But in return, I want you to do the same. Deal?”

  “Deal. Okay, first question … I know you are friends of Carol’s, but are you part of her St. Louis crowd and why did you leave the FBI?”

  “You don’t want to start with simple questions like what is my favorite music, do you? Okay. I’m friends with Carol and her family, but I wouldn’t say that I am part of her crowd. My family has property in the same town, and our parents grew up together. When I left DC and the agency, I decided to spend some time there. Brandon had been with his grandparents while he finished college, and it felt like the right place to be.”

  “I can understand that, family is important, especially during times of change. Brandon is lucky his grandparents have been there for him. Paul has been a brother to me for so many years, and he was an important influence in Emma’s upbringing. So, why the departure from DC?”

  “I guess it was just time. My immediate boss was retiring, and his replacement was not someone I could see myself working with: too many differences in philosophies on how to get the job done. After one conflict ended badly, I didn’t see any other option than to resign. It was my old boss that talked me into the position of consultant, and that has worked out for the best. It also gives me the opportunity to explore other avenues of investigation and take on cases that appeal to me and that I can tackle in my own way, without all the red t
ape.”

  Aidan took a bite of his fresh snapper and looked across the table at Megan. Giving her a nod, he asked her about her friendship with Carol. After telling him all about how Carol had helped her take her business to the next level and how they had become lasting friends in the process, Megan and Aidan spent the next half hour getting to know each other better.

  It was the waitress putting their bill on the table that made them realize how much time had passed. Finishing the last of their sodas, Aidan left some cash on the bill, and they got up to leave.

  Megan was pointing out some of the exotic flowers planted in containers at the Clubs entry as they started across the road to the truck.

  “I love the way that the ginger is mixed in with the annuals, it makes the planter have character.”

  “Do you analyze every garden you see?”

  “Yeah, I guess I do, occupational hazard I guess.”

  They were laughing at each other when they heard the sound of a large black truck rounding the corner at full speed heading right for them. Aidan reacted before Megan even had time to understand what was going on: grabbing her around the waist; he pulled her backwards so hard that they both landed on their backs on the sidewalk. Looking in the direction the truck sped off to, Aidan tried to get the license plate number, but saw that the tag had been smeared with mud to obscure its details. Furious, he turned to Megan, concerned that she might be hurt.

  “Holy Crap. You failed to mention that you played tackle football, Aidan. It’s okay. I’m fine, it could have been a lot worse.”

  Megan tried to make light of what could have easily been more deadly of an outcome, but her voice was shaky as she was trying to get to her feet. Aidan pulled himself up and turned to her as the valets from the club came running out to see if they could help.