Aiden grinned at her, pleased with himself. He never failed to be amazed at the stupidity of a desperate criminal. Seeing the woman they were talking about heading back to their table, he got up to pull her seat out for her. She seemed calmer and continued their small talk, even included Megan, while they waited for their food.
Once the waitress brought out their meals, Leslie picked up her boxed meal and, resting her hand on Aiden’s arm, thanked them for lunch and apologized for not staying. She did not waste any time leaving, and the two left behind were laughing at her quick departure. Before they started on their own meals, Aiden made two calls himself: one to the sheriff and one to the security at Megan’s to let them know of potential visitors.
As they dug into their salads, Megan acknowledged that the police would probably pick up the two men who had tried to run her over, but that still didn’t bring them any closer to finding out why John had been killed. Or who ordered the killing, because it was obvious that the two men in the boat were either hired or ordered to kill him.
“You’re right, Megan. That means that we stay alert and keep digging. But for now, we will enjoy lunch and let the next step be theirs. Hopefully it will be the action we want, and we can plan from there.”
Nodding her head in agreement, Megan relaxed and enjoyed her meal and the company of the man next to her.
Chapter Twenty
After they finished their meal, the two wandered out to the yacht club’s mooring docks to look around. They knew they couldn’t go back to Megan’s office until they had some word from security, nor did they want to wander the streets in the small business district just in case they were being followed by more than the two men they knew of. As they walked down the dock, Megan was surprised to hear her name called.
Looking down a couple of boats, she saw Sean Young, one of the officers on the police force. Waving for them to join him, Sean jumped off the boat and onto the dock.
“Beautiful afternoon, isn’t it, Sean? What are you doing out here on your own? Are you on the clock or enjoying some free time?” Megan asked as they joined the smiling man.
“Oh, there’s no free time for any of us for the next few days. No, actually I’m going out on patrol. We’re working alongside with the Coast Guard, since the surf is getting rougher and they are tied up with more rescues. We are patrolling the causeways and intercostal waters when they are busy.”
Megan thought quickly and then asked Sean what part of the waterways he was heading for. He looked at her closely, catching on to where her thoughts were going. Grinning, he nodded towards his boat and answered her as she expected.
“Well, I’m heading around the tip of Neptune’s Trident and then down the causeway towards the Bloomquest residence. You two wouldn’t want to come on board and join me would you? With your expert detecting skills, Mr. Tory, and with your knowing the area so well, Megan … you would be helping me out.”
“Is that a fact, Officer Young?” Laughing Megan didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed Aiden’s hand and pulled him behind her as she boarded the twin-engine motor boat.
“Actually, Sean, this works out perfectly. We need to stay out of sight for a couple of hours, and Aiden has never seen Neptune’s Trident. We would be delighted to help you patrol.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Get yourselves settled, and we’ll cast off and head out. Mr. Tory, do you enjoy boating?”
“I sure do and please, call me Aiden. Does this excursion come with a guided tour?”
“Oh, I’m just driving. You can have Megan give the tour.”
Laughing, Sean cast off the lines tying the boat to the dock and jumped on deck. Radioing in to the sheriff that he was heading out on patrol and had picked up a couple of passengers, he walked over to the wheel, turned the engine over and pushed the throttle to start out at a slow speed since they were currently in a no wake area. Following the markers set up in the inlet, they headed out of the marina and out inlet to the Atlantic Ocean.
Once they were about two hundred yards out, Sean opened the throttle so they would pick up speed and Megan settled back in her seat to enjoy the ride. Looking over at Aiden, she figured he was also having a good time, judging from the grin on his face. The seas were sporting three-to-four-foot waves, but a little bit of roughness did not bother Sean’s passengers. As they looked out to the east, they could see storm clouds starting to form in the distance. They motored like this for about twenty minutes before Megan pointed out a piece of land jutting out into the ocean that they were quickly approaching.
“That’s the tip of Neptune’s Trident.”
Aiden leaned forward, eager to get his first view of the preserve that was rapidly becoming the center of their investigation. Palm trees, trunks bent from years of fighting the seasonal storms, lined the shore. White sandy beaches were more evident than a rocky shore line, but if you looked closely, you could see the tips of large rocks out beyond the surf’s break line. You would need to know where to land on the island to avoid damage to the hull of any boat.
Beyond the palm trees, there was lush tropical greenery thick and full with bright patches of exotic flowers. Megan explained to him that there were pathways throughout the island for nature lovers to enjoy. A few natural streams ran their course from the mainland at the base of the peninsula out here to the tip to empty into the ocean.
As Sean brought his craft in closer to Neptune’s Trident, Aiden was surprised to see a few shelters in amongst the palms. They were simple structures, with a thatch roof and concrete tables and benches. Then he remembered Megan had told him earlier that the founder of the preserve had added areas for people to relax and spend an afternoon enjoying quiet picnics while exploring.
Sean slowed down so that he could do a proper patrol of the shoreline, and as they advanced down the coast the connecting islands came into view. It was low tide, so Aiden was able to see the sand bars that linked the pieces of land together forming the shape of the trident.
“We’ll have to go wide around the point. With low tide, there is no way to get through the arms of the trident. After we come back in towards the base of the preserve, it will just be a little bit further until we come up to the causeway. Then we’ll go down the channel towards the Bloomquest home.” Sean told them his plans, as he swung the boat wide and headed back out to sea.
Once they passed the shape of the trident and headed in towards the causeway, they started to see the activity on the shoreline. Workers were securing homes against the approaching storm, even though it was still days away, and homeowners that were in residence were out supervising. Waving to those along the shore, they moved into the river’s channel that the Bloomquest home was on.
There wasn’t much activity along this stretch of the river, and Megan had not expected any. Most of the homes were closed up and the homeowners already out of town. But she was glad they had come. This gave Aiden a chance to see the path the murderers had taken and to see what kind of access there was to Carol’s home, as well as the areas at this end of the island. They were finishing up Sean’s patrol of the area when his radio went off. It was Sheriff Green letting them know that two men had been taken into custody trying to break into Megan’s office. He told them the men were going to be booked and put in a holding cell. The sheriff suggested that he could hold off on questioning them until Aiden was present. He did not want Megan there so they would need to have her meet up with Paul or Lucy. Agreeing to his plans, Aiden arranged to meet him back at the jail in two hours.
Megan decided that she was not going to protest about not being included in the questioning of the two would-be robbers; she had no desire to sit in front of someone who was so evil they could kill a man in broad daylight. Instead, she called Lucy and arranged for her and Paul to meet Megan at her private office to go over what they had found out today. In the back of her mind, she was also going over the information Kayla had given her about the upcoming parties she would be catering. Megan knew that it would be importan
t to be there, and she planned on having her cousins as backup as she made her plans.
They had reached the marina by the time Megan ended her call to Lucy. After tying up the mooring lines, they thanked Sean for the tour and walked the dock back to the valet stand. Jake’s fast response had them back on the road heading to the office in no time. They arrived shortly after Paul and Lucy to find they had already gone over to the house and gotten the dogs. Promising to let her know what he and the sheriff could get out of the prisoners, Aiden left Megan in their care.
Megan waved as he left, smiling to herself. She was actually enjoying Aiden’s company. Hard to believe after the rocky start they had. There was something that pulled at her when she was with him. It was something she hadn’t felt in years. True, he was smart, good looking and had an air of authority about him, but if she was honest it was his sense of humor that got to her. Humor was a good base to build from: be it friendship or something more she conceded.
“Come on, let’s go inside out of the heat, we’ve got some news and I’m sure you do too. Lunch with Leslie. Nice way to get some info, Megan.” Lucy’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she turned with her cousin and followed them into her office.
Opening the door, the three of them followed two excited dogs inside. Well, one dog seemed excited; it was hard to tell with the old Bassett hound, who after receiving his allotted attention, curled up in the corner to watch the action. Megan dropped down into the chair at her desk while Paul and Lucy made themselves comfortable on the over-stuffed rattan couch. For the next hour, they filled each other in on their activities.
“Well, I think we can safely say that Leslie Black is more involved than we think, and from her nervousness at lunch, I would guess that she is more afraid of the people she is working with than she is trusting of them. She was really surprised to see me, and couldn’t wait to relay information about what we knew to someone else,” Megan told them.
“It seems like a lot is centered on bringing investors into the area and somehow Neptune’s Trident is mixed into it all. And they are being secretive about the business end, keeping the local business in the dark as much as possible. How they think that will work in a small town where we all rely on each other, I don’t know,” Paul added, his frustration with the business dealings apparent.
“Megan, Kayla told you that there were more events coming up that she was catering, any idea on the dates and who is hosting them? That might be significant.” Lucy asked as she encouraged the puppy up onto her lap.
“You’re right, Lucy. She said she would email me the info, let me check and see if she remembered.”
Swinging her chair around to face her computer, Megan opened her email account to find that Kayla had indeed forwarded the party information on to her. Writing down the dates, she then grabbed a stack of mail that she was in the process of filing. Sure enough, Kayla had been right, and Megan had invitations to both events in front of her. Invitations for her and a guest and both functions were about Neptune’s Trident.
“You’re right, Paul, Neptune’s Trident is at the heart of all of this, I just know it. Okay, the first shin-dig is tomorrow. It’s a silent auction during a women’s luncheon at the country club. Lucy, you and I can go to that and do some snooping. Now this looks interesting … I had forgotten all about it.” Waving the second invitation in the air, Megan tossed it over to Paul.
Lucy looked over her husband’s shoulder as he read over the fancy engraved piece of parchment and smiled, delighted at what she was looking at.
“Megan, how could you forget; we were both at the board of directors meeting when this was proposed. It’s such a great idea: actually having a party out on the beach at Neptune’s Point.”
“Oh, my, gosh, you’re right. That was so long ago, and since neither of us joined the planning committee for this project, I just forgot about it. Well, it looks like the four of us will be there for more than just supporting the fundraising on Saturday night.”
Paul looked up at them puzzled. To him, the timing seemed off for an event like this: usually they were held during the busy season when more of the northern visitors would be in town. Lucy hastened to explain the reasoning, as it had been presented to the board members.
“The plan is for the local attendees to go to the party and have fun. But each attendee has a silent partner from out of town. We don’t know who our partner is until the dinner … they have been bidding on who they will team up with. Once the teams are announced, we have until October first to raise funds for an upcoming project on Neptune’s Trident. At the annual season kick-off party, the results will be announced. They have some wonderful prizes for the largest funds raised and it will be bringing in a lot of interest from all over the world to the preserve.”
“That’s right. The locals that wanted to be involved submitted our names to the committee. We put your name in too, Paul. As a business, we will be able to benefit from the advertising and promotions, plus it is my favorite cause in town.”
“Sounds impressive. Glad I decided to help out.” Laughed Paul, who was by now used to being volunteered for just about anything the two women got involved with.
“And with this kind of attention to our area, it’s a great time for someone to sell the idea of a large resort or tourist attraction. Think about it … those from out of town who are participating with the fundraising are going to be asking their friends to donate. Those friends could be from any part of the country, or even out of the country. Our town and the area around it will be on the minds of a lot of potential investors or consumers. I’d better RSVP to this right away.”
“Umm, Meg, look closer, this is a reminder of the party; you responded already.” Paul held out the paper for her to look at.
“Megan, do you ever look at a social calendar? I know I reminded you about this at least two weeks ago. I think I know your schedule better than you do, at least your personal schedule. Oh, and the luncheon is taking place of our regular chamber of commerce meeting, so you are already signed up for that, and it’s on your calendar. It’s our annual event planning meeting for the upcoming season. You really should keep track of these dates better.”
Lucy shook her head at her friend. For someone who could organize her staff and keep track of her clients’ schedules, Megan was hopeless with her own social life. From the day Lucy had taken Megan under her wing and got her involved with life in Citrus Beach, Lucy found that she had also become Megan’s social secretary. Not that she minded, it was a great way to get Megan to try new things with her and the two of them always seemed to enjoy most of the activities they tried. As she watched Megan, a funny look crossed her face, and Lucy swore it was like watching an idea form and catch hold. After Megan’s thought process was complete, it was clear that she had come up with something, and she was excited about it.
“Dates! Of course, that’s the link. It’s been driving me nuts all morning, thank you, Lucy, you’re a genius.”
“Wow, I’m not sure what I did, but you’re welcome. Care to clue the rest of us in on what’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Aiden and I were working on a time line and we have all of our clues and facts posted on a story board over at the house. I would bet you anything that if we take the dates of the different fundraisers and charity events that have been going on in Citrus Beach for the last couple of months that they would correspond with the dates on the checks John has been tracking in his ledger. It makes so much sense. Who would question checks being passed around at these functions … it would be so easy to pass checks for an alternative use under the disguise of giving to a charity whose function you are at.”
“Megan, do you have all of the dates of the fundraisers that you’ve gotten invites to? Maybe if we go back and think about each of the events, something will stand out as unusual, or you’ll remember someone who stands out as an outsider to the usual group of attendees. They have to be networking with potential investors somehow, and what better way
can you think of then at a party with people who are willing to contribute to a charity’s coffers?”
“Paul, that’s brilliant. Lucy, you and I have gone to most of these together, yes I know you’ve gone to some of them too, Paul. But let’s be honest, when you go, you hang around with the same group of people and you’re not exactly a people watcher. You’ll see friends and be polite when you are introduced to someone, but you’re not really watching the interactions of the guests around you.”
“Megan’s right, Sweetie. There are so many undercurrents going on at one of these events. You can read so much from a person, from just a simple look or hand motion. You’d be surprised just what is going on behind those social smiles.”
“Good Lord, I thought we just went to raise money and have a nice evening out with friends.”
“And that is why Megan and I are going to sit down and go over each event in detail. We can keep notes on what we come up with and see where it leads.” Lucy laughed fondly at her husband.
“Let me grab this stack of mail and flyers to make sure we don’t miss any and we’ll go over to the house and get comfortable. Paul, would you mind walking the dogs while we get started?”
“I’d be happy to. Let’s see if I can wear this little guy out. Come on, you two. Do you wanna go out, Fred, Barney?” Paul grabbed their leashes and headed for the door. Normally they did not bother to use the leashes, but Paul wanted to keep the puppy close at hand until things settled down.
“I’m going to stop by the office before I head back over. Do you need anything, Megan?”
“Not really, Janice has kept everything under control today and she let me know what went on earlier. I am really thankful this is our slow time of year. Like you, we can’t get much done until we know when and where Arlene is going to strike. But thanks for asking, Paul.”
Getting up, Lucy walked over to the door with her husband and gave him a quick kiss. Keeping one hand on the door knob, she turned and encouraged Megan to hurry up and bring the stack on her desk with them over to the house.
Murder For Neptune's Trident...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 1) Page 17
