by Lynn Cahoon
“I’ll start a fresh pot of coffee. I made peanut butter muffins this morning, you can help me eat them before I devour the entire batch myself.”
Angie’s phone beeped, indicating she had another call. “I’ll talk to you later, I should take this.”
She clicked over to the other line. “Hello?”
“What have you been doing? I’ve gotten a member complaint on you and Allen’s been griping about having to reel you in. Reel you in from what?”
She recognized Ian’s voice and with the anger she heard in the tone, also was a slight brogue he probably thought he hid most of the time. “I bet the member was Carl Simpson. The guy’s a tool.”
“You’ve already figured him out?” Ian’s chuckle tempered what she’d thought had been anger, but maybe it was just emotion. “Seriously, can you stop by my office? I’d like to talk you down from your delusion you’re a roving FBI agent.”
“Actually, FBI can’t investigate on US soil.”
“That’s the CIA. Even I know that and I didn’t go to school in the States.” He pushed on. “Anyway, I know you’re in the car, I can hear the tires. Can you stop by? I told Allen I’d talk to you and make sure you weren’t going off the rails.”
“Why don’t you meet me at the restaurant in thirty?” She glanced at the dash clock. “I’ve got a stop before you and Felicia has coffee and muffins waiting.”
“You sure I won’t be a bother?”
Angie felt the smile before she caught a glance of herself in her rear-view mirror. “I’m positive. Besides, Felicia will want to hear this too. And, I want to ask your opinion about who might have been out at my place yesterday.”
“Wait, what? Are you okay? No problems with the crew, is there?”
The worry she heard in his tone made her smile widen. “We’re fine, I’m just concerned and thought you might have heard something.”
“Do you want me to call Allen? Maybe you should report this.”
“What, that someone I don’t know and didn’t see came and looked around my house and in the barn when I wasn’t home?” She pulled her car into the parking spot behind her building. “Look, I’ve got to go. Come by the restaurant and we’ll talk.”
“Where are you going?”
Angie turned off the car and hung up on Ian. If she told him what she’d planned, he’d tell her she was crazy and to stay out of things. She’d apologize when he came to the restaurant. Right now, she needed to talk to Reana and see if Carl Simpson’s story was more than a story. She cut through the alleyway behind the buildings and went through the side door to Reana’s office.
No one was in the office except Reana. The staff was tiny, but in the past when Angie would stop by, there would be at least one other person. Now, the real estate office looked as deserted as a store that was closing in less than a week. Reana looked up at her and groaned.
“Go away. I don’t want to talk about Gerald anymore. You’re right, it was Sunday, not Saturday.” She put her head on the desk. “Go away and I’ll call Allen tomorrow and tell him. I promise.”
“I wanted to ask you something else.” Angie sat in the visitor chair, watching the realtor. “Where is everyone?”
“The office is merging with the Meridian branch so this place will be closed soon. Everyone has moved to the new digs, but I like this space. And I hate change. So I’ll be here until they lock the doors.” She lifted her head. “Alone.”
“Oh.” Angie winced. She didn’t like to see businesses close especially since she was opening a restaurant that would depend on businesses and customers being in town. Not in Meridian.
“So was that your question? Can you go away now?”
Angie shook her head. “Sorry. One more. Was Gerald Moss negotiating with another realtor to sell his land?”
“No!” Reana leaned forward and banged her fist on the desk. “He was my client. He wasn’t talking to anyone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” She thought about her conversation with Carl. The man was mean and coldhearted, he could have been lying.
Reana nodded. “I mean, there were rumors, but Gerald promised me he wasn’t talking to anyone else, especially not Mark Foreman. I think he was making up the rumors himself to make him look better to the developers. He’s in their pocket and he’s good at keeping up the public image.”
She wrote the name down on a note pad she kept in her purse. “Where does he work?”
“Foreman Real Estate. Of course, he’d name the company for himself. The man is an egomaniac. It’s all a scam.”
“So you believed Gerald when he told you this?”
Reana stared into her eyes. “I do. Gerald was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar. If he was going to sign a contract with anyone, it would have been me. It’s unprofessional, but since Gerald’s gone, I guess it can’t hurt anyone. We were in love.”
CHAPTER 18
“She said what?” Felicia’s eyes widened and she grabbed another muffin. “Oh, moving here was the best idea ever. This place is a hotbed of rumor and gossip.”
Angie giggled and looked at Ian. “You’ve lived here longer than we have. So is there any truth to the rumor that Reana and Gerald were a hot item?”
Ian’s face had gone stark white. “Gerald never said he was dating anyone. Not to me.”
“Not even Mildred?” Angie watched as Ian took in the idea.
He shook his head. “No one. Not Reana. Not Mildred. Next you’ll be telling me he dated the woman who manages the grocery store as well.”
“She might be the one keeping him in Ding Dongs.” Angie grinned. “Okay, so this investigation just took a weird turn. Two of my prime suspects just admitted they were sleeping with the old guy.”
“Gross, now I have that image in my head.” Felicia poured more coffee. “Maybe it was more of an intellectual relationship. Or they were saving the deed for marriage. Once he decided between the two of them, that is.”
“It’s your fictional world, you can make it any way you want.” Ian unwrapped his second muffin. “So, do you know anything about this Mark Foreman?”
Angie turned the laptop where she’d been googling the guy for the last five minutes. “He’s a big shot in the developing world, that’s for sure. He worked several subdivisions in the river valley near Eagle. Big money in those houses.”
“The ridge would be prime real estate for people with money.” Felicia glanced around the table. “Then there’s the matter of the treasure.”
Ian scoffed. “That bloody treasure rumor is ruining my life. Allen wants me to stay out at the farm for the next few nights until they can get a security company set up. I am not looking forward to sleeping on that old couch.”
“There is a bed in the house.” Angie reminded him.
He shook his head. “After hearing all the stories about what the man might have been doing …”
Felicia interrupted. “Who. Not what, who.”
A slight blush ran down Ian’s face and into his throat. “Okay, who he’d been doing in that bed, I’m not sure I even want to consider sleeping in the bedroom.”
“So you’re a prude? I wouldn’t have guessed that.” Felicia teased as she watched Ian squirm under her gaze.
“Stop messing with him Felicia. You got him all flustered.” Angie grinned at her friend. “What kind of treasure do you think is there if any?”
“My money’s on nothing.” Ian shook his head. “Gerald was a practical man. If he’d had access to funds, even if it was a family inheritance, he’d have upgraded the barn. He was always saving for replacement milkers and complaining about vet bills.”
“I guess Kirk Hanley must have lost a good customer when Mr. Moss passed.” Angie glanced toward the brick wall and his clinic, even though she couldn’t see anything.
“Gerald stopped using Hanley about three months
ago. Said the man was a cheat and a hustler. He had a vet from Meridian come out even though it cost an arm and a leg because of the travel time.”
“As casual as Kirk is with his appointment times, I can see why Mr. Moss got frustrated with him.” Angie rolled her shoulders. “I doubt he’ll be in business in six months. Which will be two businesses River Vista will lose this year.”
A quiet fell over the three. Felicia was the first to respond. “We’ll just have to bring in better businesses to town. Ones that will stay. This could be an entertainment destination stop. Our restaurant, maybe a theatre, some upscale bars. Maybe even some designer-level clothing shops.”
“Our visionary to the rescue.” Ian grinned. “I’ve got to get going. I’m supposed to report back to Allen that we’ve talked and you’re not totally bonkers.”
“Just half.” Angie’s stomach growled. “I’m going to be making some lunch if you want to come back. It will give me a chance to try out a new recipe.”
“As enticing as that sounds, I’ve got some of my own work to finish up this afternoon before I go out to the farm. I could use some help tomorrow after milking if you want to come over and have the full farm experience.”
“Don’t you know you’re looking at the girl who had an award winning FFA steer freshman year? I’m experienced.” Angie grinned.
“Then you’ll be the perfect choice for getting the goats rounded up for the night.” Ian glanced at his watch. “I’ve really got to go. Seriously, if you have time, stop by. I can do it by myself, but the 4-H group’s stopping by to help and having another adult there to help wrangle the kids wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“What time do you need me there? I’d like to take Dom for a hike down by the river anyway. As long as I can bring him along.” Angie liked the idea of looking around Gerald Moss’s place one more time. Maybe there was something she didn’t see the first time she was there.
“Six would be perfect. The kids are arriving then and the milkers will be just finishing up.” He tossed his keys in his hand. “Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”
After Ian had left the building, Felicia pushed a cookie over to Angie. “Okay, so spill.”
“So spill what? I told you and Ian everything.” Angie broke off a piece of the cookie and groaned. “Except the fact someone was at the house yesterday, looking around.”
“Actually, I was asking about you and Ian McHottie. What’s going on with the two of you?”
“Nothing. I’m helping him out.”
“If that’s the way you want to play it, but wow, sparks are flying between you guys. Anyway, who was at your house yesterday?”
Angie sighed. “If I knew who, I would have said so. According to Mrs. Potter, the guy was tall and drove an old truck.” She pondered the idea. “You don’t think it was Kirk Hanley, do you?”
“Did you make an appointment with him to check Precious and forgot?” Felicia broke the other cookie in half.
Angie sat down the other half of the cookie. “I don’t think I even told him about Precious.”
As she drove home after lunch, she thought about the things she’d learned that day. It wouldn’t do any good to go to Mildred and ask her if she knew about Reana, but she might be able to get more information from her about the land. Now, instead the cheese, she wondered if it was really about the property. Had Gerald refused to sell the farm and his goats? Ian would tell Sheriff Brown about the Mark character and what Reana had said, so there was no reason for her to report in.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to head into town and talk to the next people on her list. She’d stop in Meridian first and chat with Mildred, then go into Boise to see what this real estate developer had to say for himself. And whether or not he even knew Gerald Moss.
She pulled into the driveway and parked. Once inside, she grabbed her calendar and started to make a to-do list for tomorrow and groaned. Tomorrow was Saturday. Which meant she needed to make an appearance at the farmers’ market to finalize her week’s order for opening night. The County Seat was her life. This playing Nancy Drew was more of a hobby. She flipped open her computer and set up a mini workstation on her desk. First thing, she needed to review and tweak the shopping list.
By the end of the day, she’d gotten a good list going of what she would need and ordering quantity for each supplier. She had separate order lists for each farm she would be using this week which she printed out and put into her bag for tomorrow.
Then she went back to her to do list. Farmer’s market 7am to 9am. Drive to Meridian and talk to Mildred 9:30 to 10am. Finally, she wrote, Drive to Boise, talk to Mark Foreman.
She’d be home with her feet up and reading a novel by three. And that was with a stop for a quick bite at one of the restaurants in Boise.
Her day was planned. What could go wrong?
* * * *
Apparently, everything. She slept through her alarm that morning so was late getting on the road. Precious decided to escape when Angie went in her pen to clean out her water dish. Angie dove for the baby goat and landed in a pile of dung so once she got the goat back into the pen and fed, she went back upstairs to take a second shower for the day.
When she came back downstairs, Dom looked at her like “I told you the goat was a bad idea.”
“Don’t give me that look. Precious is part of the family now, and we’ll just have to get used to her antics.” She gave him a hug. “We’ll go for a walk down by the river when I get home.”
She got into the car with her notebook and orders for the produce she needed for opening. As the actual date was getting closer and closer, she was more and more nervous for the actual opening. Maybe she should schedule another dry run for next week. She dialed Felicia’s number as she drove toward town, but only got voice mail. “Call me when you have a minute. Or meet me down at the market. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, max.”
It was more like fifteen since she found a parking spot near the entrance. She grabbed her tote bag and locking the car, sprinted across the street to her first stop.
By ten, she’d talked to all of the producers and had a delivery schedule for Friday morning set up for all of the farms. She glanced around. Still no Felicia, and come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Ian either. Maybe he’d gotten stuck out at the farm. She and Dom would stop by after they walked the river trail. She looked around one more time, then headed to her car. If she kept pushing, she might just get through everything on the list.
Mildred grudgingly gave her ten minutes. When they got into her office, she shook her head. “Carl Simpson is all up in arms about you and your rudeness.”
“I wasn’t rude, I just asked him some questions.” Angie didn’t care what the guy thought of her, she just wanted to figure out who had pushed an old man over the edge of the river canyon. “Anyway, I have a couple more questions for you. Did Mr. Moss tell you he was working with someone to sell the farm?”
“You mean a realtor? Like that Reana woman?” Mildred looked down and shrugged. “I know she spent a lot of time with him. He told me he’d never sell the place.”
“So why didn’t he tell Reana to stop bothering him?” Angie paused, then decided to play her card. “Or was there something else going on with them?”
“No, he said they were just friends. If he was with someone else, I would have known.” Mildred flushed. “Besides, I don’t think she was really interested in getting him as a client. She was just after some attention, not only a sales contract.”
Angie felt bad for the woman. She could see the pain on her face as she talked about Moss and Reana.
“Look, before you think I’m going all ‘Stand by Your Man’ or something, I need to say something. I had a choice. Believe Gerald, or let my insecurity get me. I chose to believe the man I thought I was in love with.” Mildred played with a pen as she gazed out the window. “I guess I held my own secr
ets. We were two of a kind, weren’t we?”
“Did he ever say he was talking to anyone else about selling the farm?” Angie leaned forward.
Mildred shook her head. “He was dead set against selling. He said the dairy was bringing in good money. He’d had some sort of downturn, but he was sure he’d make it up in a few months.”
“When was his downturn?”
The buzzer on Mildred’s phone proceeded Heather’s announcement that the next appointment was in the lobby.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go. You might want to talk to the bank in River Vista. I know he worked with someone there with his business accounts. They might know more.” Mildred stood. “I hope this is the last time we’ll have to talk about this. I want to move on and put the past behind me.”
“I appreciate you being candid with me.”
She paused as she held the door open for Angie. “For some reason, I believe you are doing what’s best for Gerald. I owe him that much.”
“One more question, do you know Mark Foreman?” Angie could see the answer in her eyes before Mildred opened her mouth.
“Sorry, no. Is he one of your suppliers?”
“No. Again, thank you for your time.” She walked down the hallway and met a younger man on his way into Mildred’s office.
He tipped his cowboy hat as she passed by. “Ma’am.”
Angie smiled in spite of herself. Cowboys were hot. Especially when they cleaned up and wore their best jeans and clean boots for an appointment.
Before she left the parking lot, she called the office where Foreman worked. A perky female voice answered the phone. “Foreman Real Estate and Investments, may I help you?”
“May I speak with Mark Foreman?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Foreman is out of the office this weekend and unavailable. May I take a message?” The too friendly voice asked.
“No. But when will he be in the office? I’d like to talk to him about an investment property.” So much for her trip to Boise this afternoon. Today was turning out to be a to-do list failure.
