Kayla smiled over at her friend in thanks and then continued to answer Aiden’s question. She trusted Megan, and if the Travels had asked her and Aiden to look into JT’s death, then she would help any way that she could. The Travels had always been good to her, and it was time do the same.
“I know that she was with JT a lot. But, you know I don’t think it was because she really liked him. Oh, I know she gave the appearance of being more than a good assistant and tried to play the girlfriend. Yet it felt more to me like she was keeping an eye on him, or keeping him in check. She always seemed to stir him away from people he could develop friendships with and kept him tuned into making business connections. I know Mrs. Travels was concerned about this too. The councilman may not have noticed, but a mother knows.” Kayla seemed a little sad as she finished, and they were all silent for a few moments.
Aiden thanked her and also told her about his connection to JT. Once he had established his connection to the Travels, some of the tensions left the room. It was as if the woman decided not to hold anything else back. Kayla gave some examples of what she meant based on a few parties she had catered and Rose went on to tell them about some of the things she had noticed going on at Leslie’s home.
“She did get a lot of deliveries from a carrier service down in the Miami area. I had to sign for them a few times. It always seemed that after she got these deliveries, she would have visitors too. The license plates were either from Orange County or Dade County. My boys could give you the details on the cars. They are keeping a log on the out-of-state and out-of-town cars they see this summer … where they are from and what kind of cars. I’m not sure why they are doing this, but who knows the reasoning behind the minds of twelve-year-old boys” Rose laughed at her boys’ expense and then continued, “I saw JT over at her home once in a while, but other than that, she was pretty much a loner.”
The four of them talked a bit longer, but Aiden and Megan found out nothing new than what they had just learned. When they got up to leave, Kayla pulled Megan aside.
“I have two large parties coming up that I know I heard Leslie mention while she was trying to get me to invest with her. I will email you the details, but you might want to show up and look around yourself. You know both of the hosts so it won’t be a problem for you attend. You might already be on the guest list. She was really excited about the last one. Like something special was going to happen. Let me know if I can help out in any other way. I’ll keep my ears open.”
“Kayla, just don’t talk about what we have discussed today. We are dealing with some pretty nasty people and you have small kids here to worry about. Just be careful. And thanks for the party info.” Giving her a quick hug, Megan left to join Aiden, who was currently discussing cars with Rose’s two oldest boys.
Aiden gave each of the boys his business card and wrapped up his talk with handshakes for both and a final remark.
“Remember, email me that list and I’ll send your mother those basketball tickets for you. And keep writing down any new cars you see. But what is the most important thing I need you both to do?”
“Keep our eyes open, our mouths shut and our feet in our own yards!” Both boys shouted with grins. Grinning back at them, Aiden gave high fives and turned to leave with Megan. Looking amused, she nodded at the boys and then headed to their car.
“Recruiting them a little young aren’t you, Aiden?” she asked reaching the front of the vehicle.
Aiden joined in her laughter and then explained that after talking to the boys, he had discovered that their car log was pretty detailed. So he had made a deal with them: they would email their list to him, and continue to add to it as needed and he would send tickets to them for a Miami Heat Game.
“Oh, Aiden, you’ll be their hero forever! That’s actually kind of cute.”
“Yeah, well they are keeping track of the cars anyways, so I may as well use their info and compensate them for it.” Aiden shrugged a bit embarrassed.
“Okay, now what do we do … should we try to talk to more neighbors?”
“I don’t think we are going to get much more information from anyone else. That was really good luck that our first stop turned out to be someone you actually knew.”
“That’s just silly. In a town this size, the chances are actually pretty high that I would know someone we set out to interview. So, if we’re not going to talk to anyone else, I want to be really nosey before we leave.”
Once again Megan left Aiden behind to catch up with her, and started down the driveway to Leslie’s home. Catching up with her in a few long steps, he grabbed her hand to slow her down.
“What are you doing? Its broad daylight, you can’t—“
“Sure I can! And I will. Come on, Aiden, the neighbors already know that we are here asking about Leslie, so what can it hurt to have a quick peek in the windows? I promise I won’t try to do any breaking and entering. I just want to get a feel for her lifestyle. We’ll start at the back window; you can give me a boost up so I can look in.”
Tugging on the hand that held hers, Megan started in the direction to the back of the house. Aiden had little choice but to follow her, if nothing else to keep her out of trouble. Once at the back, Megan went to the first window that had opened curtains that she would be able to see into. She didn’t need much of a boost, more of a steadying hand as she stretched to see into what was Leslie’s bedroom.
The room was stark. There was no color, only whites and touches of black or gray. But even beyond the color and styling, it was stark of personality. There were no pictures or personal knick-knacks, no clothes lying about: it could have been a room directly from the showroom of a high-end furniture store.
“Hmmmm…makes you wonder if she really lives here. No one I know is this impossibly neat. There doesn’t seem to be a thing out of place. Let’s try another window; maybe we’ll have better luck.”
Stepping back and away from Aiden, Megan started to the side of the house, which turned out to be looking into the living room/dining room. This room was also stark … a stark contrast. Paperwork was strewn across the dining room table, some spilling onto the chairs. On one end of the table was a laptop and a pad of paper beside it. The blue couch in the living room was loaded down with colorful bags from high-end department stores. Some of the bags had clothes half in and half out, looking as if the bags had just been thrown there in haste. A pair of high heels lay on their side next to the ottoman, where Leslie had obviously kicked them off the night before. The coffee table held a bag from a local fast food restaurant and crumpled wrappings from her last meal. There were only generic pictures on the wall, and the few accessories were obviously supplied by the landlord. There wasn’t much more that they could see from the window though Megan found herself sorely tempted to get inside to see what was on the computer. Aiden glanced over at her and reading her mind shook his head ‘no.’
“I know, I know. But wouldn’t you just love to see what she has on that computer, or maybe rifle through the papers? One thing’s for sure: she likes to shop! And looking at those bags, she had to go to one of the larger malls down south. Citrus Beach does not have any of those shops, although there are times I wish we did! She dropped a pretty penny on that shopping spree, more I think than her salary could justify, I’d bet. So she either saved for a shopping splurge, or she came into some extra cash.”
“We can’t, Megan. Yea, I admit it’s tempting, but we don’t have any legal right to enter. Interesting points about the shopping bags, as always you have a unique point of view that goes in directions mine doesn’t.”
“We make a good team, Aiden. And together we are going to figure this out. Are you sure…?”
“Absolutely, and don’t push it. Listen, we’ve stayed here long enough. We need to move on. I still want to meet up with Leslie herself and see if we can get her to reveal anything to us.”
Firmly pulling Megan away from the window, Aiden steered her back towards their car. Once they were bot
h inside and buckled in, he pulled out and did a U-turn, heading back the way they had come from earlier. Megan did not ask where they were heading, but when they pulled up to the valet parking at the Yacht Club, she had a smug smile on her face. It was good to see that Aiden shared her sense of irony. Looking over at her, Aiden simply grinned.
“You had a good idea this morning. Maybe having Leslie meet us here might put her off balance enough to give us a glimpse into what is going on in this town.”
“So, how are you going to get her over here?”
“Well, the receptionist said that she doesn’t go out from the office very often, the Yacht Club is a nice place, close to the office--”
“Close to the scene of the crime!”
“Yeah, I guess so. Anyways, I’ll ask her to meet us here to go over some questions I have regarding … oh, let’s go with the ledger. She probably doesn’t even know we found it.”
“That means that she is going to have to meet with us to find out what we know and how much we know. She’s going to be nervous about this, and there is no way she will turn down your invite! Oh, that’s sneaky, Aiden. I like the way your mind works.”
“Let’s go in and see if we can get a table in the back. I want to be settled in before we call her, and I want to be sure that there is no chance for anyone else to surprise us with another sneak attack.”
Putting the vehicle in park, Aiden opened the door and found the same valet that had helped them the day before waiting to take it to the assigned parking area for club guests.
“Welcome back, Mr. Tory. Ms. Cassidy, it’s good to see you both. I’ll park this for you by the back entry just so you know where she’s at.”
Glancing at his name tag to refresh her memory, Megan smiled at the young man and waited for him to open her door.
“Thank you so much, Jake. Has that black truck we talked about returned?”
“No, ma’am. And I’ve been keeping an eye out for them too. It’s actually been pretty quiet around here today. But it’s early yet, and the lunch crowd hasn’t started coming in.”
After he opened the door for Megan, Jake went back around to the driver’s side and prepared to get in. Before he did, Aiden pulled out a picture he had downloaded from his FBI connections of Leslie and showed it to the young man.
“Does she look at all familiar to you, Jake?”
“Sure. That’s Ms. Black. She doesn’t eat here, like ever, but she is always running over here to pick up lunch to take back to her office. Sometimes she’ll pick up four or five lunches to take back. She’s okay … not really friendly to the staff, but she knows how to play up to the members. She works in that office where the guy who got murdered works. I think he was her boss or something.”
“What do you mean about her playing up to the members?”
“Oh, you know. The super fake smile and air kisses like she’s their best bud. I don’t know who she thinks she’s fooling. Most of the members here are really nice, but they like their privacy and they are not all that thrilled to see her when she comes in the door. I’ve actually seen a couple of the ladies hurry in the other direction if they see her first.”
“Jake, have you ever seen her with those two guys who tried to run Ms. Cassidy down?”
The valet gave the question some serious thought, but then, to Megan and Aiden’s disappointment, shook his head no.
“Well, thanks, Jake. We are actually going to try and get her to join us here. Maybe you could keep an extra sharp eye out to see if those same men show up too. They may be driving a different car, but if you could give me a heads up if you see them that would be great. You still have my cell number?” asked Aiden.
“I sure do. I even put it on my speed dial to make sure I didn’t lose it!”
Laughing, Megan and Aiden thanked Jake and headed into the Yacht Club restaurant. At the hostess desk, Aiden asked for a table in the back and then when the hostess led them to his request he surprised Megan by having both of them sit side by side facing the front entry. Placing their drink order, Aiden let the hostess know that they would be expecting someone else. Smiling, she told them to relax and enjoy the club, there was no reason for them to hurry through their meal, today was a slow day.
As soon as she left them, Aiden pulled out his phone and called Leslie Black. He kept the conversation vague, but made sure she knew he had seen the ledger. As he had expected, Leslie accepted his invitation to lunch. “So, was it the lure of the ledger, or your charm that made her agree so fast? I notice you didn’t let her know that I was included in this lunch,” teased Megan.
“No, I thought I would like to see her reaction to seeing you here. Plus, this will give her no time to call her henchmen ahead of time.”
“Okay, so I guess we just sit here and wait.”
“I don’t think it will be too long, judging from the tone of her voice when she realized what ledger I was talking about.”
Aiden’s prediction proved to be true and in a matter of ten minutes they saw Leslie enter the front doors.
“She must have dropped everything and ran to get here this fast!” Megan whispered.
They watched Leslie look around for Aiden, and Megan couldn’t help but snicker at the look of distaste she got when Leslie saw her sitting next to him. Leslie hesitated and looked down at the cellphone in her hand. Then she seemed to realize that they had seen her, and she would not be able to make a phone call without it seeming awkward. She straightened her shoulders and started in their direction. Reaching their table she gave Aiden a warm smile, while she barely acknowledged Megan’s presence.
“Aiden, this was such a nice surprise! It’s so sad and dismal at the office; I’m actually glad you called me to join you.”
Pulling out the chair across from Aiden before he could get up and pull it out for her, Leslie sat down, tossed her purse onto the table and crossed her long legs. She all but batted her eyes, and Megan stifled the groan of disgust she felt. As Aiden turned the charm on for Leslie’s benefit, her groan turned to a grin of amusement. She was not sure which of them was the better actor. Megan waited through a few minutes of small talk before she forced Leslie to look her way and answer a few questions.
“Leslie, you know that we took the time to go over JT’s office pretty thoroughly, and there are a few things we found that didn’t seem like they were part of the day-to-day operations of the business. I wanted to ask you about them, starting with a ledger that we found locked in the desk.” Megan deliberately made it sound as if she was the one who was snooping and getting into places she should not have been.
Leslie shot her an angry look, and Megan was not sure if it was because she had been in the locked drawer, or because she had interrupted Leslie’s flirting with Aiden. The younger woman reined in her anger with some effort before she answered Megan.
“Really, Ms. Cassidy, I would have thought that a locked desk drawer would have been a clear signal to stay out. You really have no business going through our office paperwork without myself or Mr. Travels present. What else did you get into?”
“Actually, we had permission from Mr. Travels and did not need anyone’s attempts at concealment to get in our way. What did we find that has you so worried Ms. Black? Or didn’t you know about the ledger? Maybe we should show it to her, Aiden? Let’s see if she knows what JT was taking such care to keep track of and keep out of her sight.” Figuring that the woman didn’t like her anyways, Megan took the aggressive route in the questions and a wild guess about John keeping the ledger from Leslie’s knowledge.
Aiden could see that Megan’s questions had hit their mark, and he was impressed. Before Leslie could formulate a lie, he decided to get back in her good graces and make her think he believed she was innocent of any wrong doing.
“Megan, I’m sure Leslie has no idea about the ledger or what JT was working on. I mean if he kept it locked up, then it surely wasn’t anything to do with his work and naturally she wouldn’t know about it. Leslie, when I get ba
ck to Megan’s office, if I were to fax you a page of it, you would look it over it for me wouldn’t you?”
“You mean you don’t have it here with you? Of course, I will look it over for you, Aiden. I told you I wanted to help any way I could. Listen, I don’t want to rush this, but could we order. I don’t have a very long lunch and with all that has happened, I feel I should be back at the office to help the Travels.” Leslie smiled at Aiden, pacified by his words and tone.
“I understand, Leslie. You’re right, you need to be at the office. Would you rather a ‘to-go’ order? You and I could get together some other time when things are not so hectic.” Aiden asked sympathetically.
“You are so kind, Aiden. Would you mind terribly? I would love for the two of us to try this another time. I’m sure that we have much to talk about.” Leslie looked meanly at Megan, who just smiled back at her.
Aiden signaled the waitress and explained that Ms. Black needed to return to her office and would be taking her order with her. He then ordered for all three of them, letting the waitress know that he and Megan would stay to eat their lunch. There was little talk as they waited for their meals to be delivered, just general small talk. Leslie was fidgety and seemed anxious to get back to her office. After two or three minutes, she told them she wanted to freshen up before she returned to work. Grabbing her purse and phone, she got up and headed in the direction of the restrooms.
“Should I follow her?” Megan asked
“No need, I’m pretty sure I know what she’s doing. Sorry to set up your office like this, but I figured with all the extra security out there and the fact that none of your employees are on site it would be a smart move. You do know what she is doing right now don’t you?”
“Of course! You’re not very subtle, Aiden. “I left the ledger at Megan’s office?” I can’t believe she is falling for this. She’s in there calling her partners in crime to go look for the ledger isn’t she?”
Murder For Neptune's Trident...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 1) Page 16
