The Heart of Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  She stole another look at Cole. He looked confused. She pulled up another web page and entered her house address then pointed at the monitor.

  “See? This was taken a couple of years ago during the fall. You can tell by the colors of the leaves. My dad had these bushes pulled out after this was taken and he had someone put new ones in. That’s how I know it’s an old picture.”

  Cole wondered why the other kid would be looking at something like that but realized that they needed to get to work.

  “Okay. What else did you find out about security?”

  Julia showed him the other page she had found.

  “Here are some things that they suggest people do. Maybe we could ask the police about this too?” Julia suggested.

  Cole was impressed. He hadn’t thought Julia would be any help at all.

  “Do you spend a lot of time on the computer?” Cole asked.

  Julia shrugged. “What else am I going to do?”

  “You could get a job,” Cole suggested.

  Julia laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Who would hire me?” she asked with a shake of her head.

  “Why wouldn’t they? People hire me.”

  “Like, where?” Julia asked.

  “I work at the feed store now. In the summer, I work out at the golf course. I shovel snow.” Cole shrugged even though he knew she couldn’t see him.

  “Why do you work all the time?” Julia asked in a whisper.

  “The same reason everyone works. To make money.”

  Cole watched as another kid walked into the computer room and headed for the one who was looking at the maps. Julia turned to Cole and raised her eyebrows.

  The two kids in front of them sent some of the shots they were looking at to the printer. The kid who had just arrived got up and walked over to the printer quickly to pick up the print outs. Then he brought them back to the first kid. The first kid looked at the print outs first, then closed out all of the windows on the computer. They both got up and walked out.

  Cole tapped on Julia’s arm. She closed out of the pages she was looking at and followed Cole out of the computer room. He returned the chair from where he had gotten it.

  “I think we got enough for now. The library is going to close pretty soon anyway. We should try to figure out how to make an appointment to interview the police officers,” Cole suggested.

  Julia followed Cole out of the library and waved to Cole before turning toward her car. Then she stopped and turned around. Cole was walking away from her.

  “Hey!” Julia yelled.

  Cole turned around and kept walking backwards.

  “Do you want a ride home?” Julia asked.

  Cole shook his head and waved, then turned around and kept walking.

  He’d seen what her house looked like when she’d pulled it up on the computer. The thing was practically a mansion. No way did he want her to see what his house looked like.

  Chapter Nine

  He woke early on Friday morning and slipped from the bed without waking his wife. It was unusual for him to actually be able to slip out without her knowing it. Usually, they were both up and out of the house quickly and not just on work days. Last weekend was a perfect example. On Saturday, they’d been at the lake early with their snow skis to meet up with a group of friends and had made it all the way around the lake long before lunch.

  They’d stopped at a place to eat and then had visited with some other friends in the afternoon. Saturday night, a few of them had gone to a movie. They hadn’t gotten home until late in the evening and by then it was time to go to bed. Sunday, the routine began all over again except they’d ended it by staying late at some friends to play games.

  Russ Franklin went into the kitchen and popped a pod into the coffee maker. As he drank his first cup of coffee, he wondered what Celia had planned for them this weekend. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about it yet. They’d been out every night this week meeting up with friends but now that Russ thought back, he couldn’t really remember anything that they’d talked about.

  He carried his coffee into the living room and stood looking at the photos on the wall of their wedding day. It had been a year ago now. The time had gone by in a blur. It seemed like when they weren’t working, they were always on the go and usually meeting up with friends. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d just stayed home, the two of them. In fact, he wasn’t entirely certain that they ever had.

  Maybe they could do that this weekend, he thought. The problem was, he wasn’t sure what they would do if they did stay home. They always filled their time doing something. Russ turned and looked around the room. Usually, when their friends came over, they would play games or something. He couldn’t imagine doing that with just the two of them. Maybe they could take a walk together? He heard a noise in the kitchen and knew it was Celia. She must have awakened. He could hear her making her own coffee.

  Celia walked into the room a moment later carrying her coffee cup. She smiled at Russ as she snuggled into the corner of the couch.

  “I can’t believe I slept in so late.”

  Russ looked at the clock. It was five AM.

  “We were out pretty late last night,” Russ pointed out as he took a seat next to her.

  “Yeah, but we have a lot of packing to do before we leave for work, so we can get an early start on our weekend,” Celia said before stifling a yawn.

  “We do?” There go his hopes for a quiet weekend at home.

  Celia nodded before taking another sip of coffee.

  “We’re going to the bed and breakfast for the weekend, remember?” She cradled the coffee cup in her hands.

  Russ had forgotten all about it. It had been quite a while since they’d first talked about it. He hadn’t even known that she’d actually done anything about it. Ah well. Maybe while they were there, they could talk about staying home next weekend. Of course, it was their anniversary. He didn’t want to seem like they shouldn’t spend it together at some nice place.

  “Yeah, that’s right. What are we going to do once we get there?” Russ asked.

  “Oh, I have a lot of things planned. Don’t worry. You won’t be bored. I promise.”

  Russ looked at his empty coffee cup. “I should start packing.”

  Celia watched him leave and wondered again how she was going to keep him entertained all weekend. It seemed like a full-time job anymore, trying to come up with ideas. She glanced over at their wedding photos on the wall and wondered how they had fallen into the pattern of forever needing to be entertained or having to entertain someone else.

  She also wondered what the bed and breakfast would be like. It had sounded so nice on the web site that she’d found. She’d never spent time on a farm before. She was sure there must be a lot of things to do there. And maybe, just maybe, she and Russ could find a way back to each other. Every day that had passed since their wedding had made them seem more like friends who just spent time together doing things with other people. Just like the friends they hooked up with all the time who had to devise different ways to keep themselves entertained.

  ***

  Megan pulled her sweater on and went into the kitchen. Emma was already there munching out of her bowl. Dan must have fed her before he went out to feed the animals and check on them. She made a cup of decaf tea and began working on breakfast. Dan came back into the house just as she was putting everything on the table. She had barely sat down when Emma jumped up into her lap. Emma immediately curled into a ball and settled there.

  Dan loaded his plate up. “At least she’s keeping you warm.”

  “I guess,” Megan said as she rubbed Emma’s ears.

  “Are we ready for the guests this weekend?”

  Megan hummed agreement as she sipped her tea.

  “I still have the last-minute things to do.” She smiled when Emma turned her head so that Megan could reach her ear better.

  “I was wondering about the champagne. I n
oticed that there wasn’t any in the fridge yet, but I couldn’t find any in the cupboard either to put in the fridge. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

  “I was planning on running into town today. I’ll probably stop and see Caitlyn first. Then I’ll pick up the champagne and anything else we need.”

  Dan reached over and took another helping of breakfast.

  “Do you want me to make you some toast?” He glanced at her face and smiled. Her color was good.

  Megan looked at the food she had made. Her stomach didn’t complain, and she realized that it hadn’t bothered her to cook breakfast either. Maybe she was doing better.

  “No, I think I’ll try some of that this morning.”

  She finished cleaning up the kitchen after Dan had left for work and got ready to go out herself. Before long, she was walking into the florist shop. She continued walking through the front of the shop and into the rear where Caitlyn did most of her work.

  “I figured you’d be busy,” Megan said when she found her. There were components for arrangements everywhere. She could see boxes stacked against one wall and knew that they held empty vases, waiting for flowers for the upcoming holiday.

  “I do actually have some orders for this weekend,” Caitlyn said. “Including yours. I did it first.”

  “Thanks. I was hoping you’d say that.” Megan leaned against a counter and watched Caitlyn working on another arrangement.

  “But most of my orders, obviously, will be for Valentine’s Day.”

  “Your mom is helping again this year?”

  “And my brother, actually,” Caitlyn said.

  “Jax? Wow. That’s great.” In past years, Megan had also been pressed into service sometimes to cover all the orders.

  “What do you have going this weekend?” Caitlyn asked.

  “I got an email this morning from my guests confirming their arrival later today. It said that they are celebrating their one-year anniversary.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet. Maybe I’ll be doing that next year.” Caitlyn flashed a grin.

  “Really?”

  “We went and picked out rings.”

  “Wow. Your mom must be thrilled.”

  Caitlyn laughed. Her mother had made it known very early on that she was fond of Doug.

  “That she is.”

  “I’m so happy for you. You know what that means, right?”

  “What? That all four of us will be married?” Caitlyn set aside the arrangement she was working on and reached for another roll of ribbon. “The thought had occurred to me. Erica and Lauren have been married for quite a while. The three of you are ahead of me on babies too.”

  Megan laughed. “You still have time to catch up.”

  Caitlyn grinned. “I have to admit, I’m looking forward to having some miniature Dougs running around.”

  “You sound happy.”

  Caitlyn looked up from her work and nodded. “Yes. I can honestly say that marrying Doug definitely makes me happy. I cannot wait to get that ring on my finger.”

  Chapter Ten

  He couldn’t believe it was happening to him. Miles looked down at the flat tire and wondered why, of all days, it had happened today. He had pulled off the street and into a small parking area near a dentist’s office. He now stood next to his car debating his options. If he called someone out to fix it, he’d have to wait and would be late opening the jewelry store. If he changed it himself, he had a better chance of getting there more quickly. He might still be later than his posted opening time, but it would be quicker than waiting for someone else to come out and help him.

  He popped the trunk and got to work trying to move as carefully as possible so as not to ruin his trousers. He’d never changed a tire in a suit before and sincerely hoped he’d never have to do it again. It took him longer than it should have but that was because his mind kept returning to the previous evening and the phone call from Ross McMann.

  He still couldn’t believe what Ross had told him. Just as Miles was getting ready to leave his jewelry store for the evening, Ross had called to coordinate their next visit to the entrepreneurship class at the college branch. After making their plans, Ross had casually mentioned seeing Harriet with another man. It was the same man they’d seen at the college.

  Miles shook his head in disgust. It was his own fault. He knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. He couldn’t blame Harriet. After all, it was Miles who had never made his feelings known to her. Of course, other men would be quick to take advantage of that. He couldn’t blame them.

  Miles finished with the flat tire and stowed the tools and the tire in the trunk. It hadn’t snowed for a few days and most of what was on the ground had melted leaving puddles everywhere. He could see a spot of dampness on one of his knees. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad once it dried. He considered going home to change, but there was just no way. He had too many things going on at the jewelry store. He’d have to just hope for the best. It was now past opening time.

  Miles got back into his car and began driving the rest of the way to the jewelry store. His mind returned to the previous evening. He had been in the middle of his closing routine when Ross had called him. After the call, Miles had been so upset, he’d turned off his phone. It occurred to him that he hadn’t yet turned it back on. Not that it mattered. He didn’t want to talk to anyone yet anyway.

  He needed to get to the jewelry store. Work was the only thing that was going to help him now. The night before had driven him insane because he’d spent the entire time agonizing over the thought of Harriet with that other man. He’d been so torn up about it, he couldn’t fall asleep. He finally did, but not until it was time to get up. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten to set his alarm and had ended up sleeping in.

  He needed to focus on the task at hand. He knew there would be several people stopping by the store today to pick up their items. Some were new purchases that he’d had to order in and others were purchases that he’d had to resize. All were meant to be gifts for the upcoming holiday. It seemed half of Teaberry was planning to become engaged and he was in the wrong half.

  He forced his mind back to work. He had just received a shipment before the phone call from Ross. He was expecting some of it and had promised his customers that their jewelry would be in today. But the rest of the shipment had surprised him because it was early. Although he had made some phone calls trying to get some of the orders expedited because of anxious customers, he still wasn’t expecting the shipment until Monday morning. He hadn’t even had a chance to go through it all yet. Much of it was still in the shipping boxes. He had it all in one place back in his work area, but he needed to get the items ready for his customers before they began arriving. Several of the customers were so eager to get their hands on the jewelry, they’d already stopped multiple times during the week to check if the jewelry had arrived.

  Finally, Miles pulled into his parking lot. After unlocking the front door, he stepped inside and turned to configure the alarm system. His hand stopped halfway and his heart plummeted. The alarm wasn’t set. How was that possible? He always set the alarm. It was part of his closing routine. He never altered his routine.

  He knew he must have set the alarm. He had it configured to call him with an alert if it wasn’t set. Miles tried to think back to the previous evening and remembered Ross’s phone call. Miles closed his eyes for a moment when the realization hit. He’d been so upset about Ross’s call that he’d turned his phone off.

  He flipped the store lights on and pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. As soon as he turned it on, he could see the repeated messages that had been sent to his phone warning him that the alarm hadn’t been set by the specified time. How could he have been so stupid?

  Miles looked around the store. Nothing seemed out of place. Maybe it hadn’t mattered? That was certainly very possible. His heart rate began to slow. Of course, that was it. Why would anything happen? It was just a learning experience for him. He would
know to be more careful from now on. And, most of all, not to turn off his phone.

  Relieved that nothing bad had happened during his lapse, he slid his coat off and walked toward the work room in the back to hang it up. He needed to go through his opening routine and get ready for his customers. He was certain they would begin arriving any moment.

  ***

  Everett kept telling himself that the ring probably wasn’t in yet but that hadn’t stopped him from heading to the jewelry store to check, just as he had done more than once already this week. He couldn’t wait to propose. He’d ordered it for Luella, the love of his life. She was at the craft store now, covering for his absence. The two of them had been running the craft store together ever since the previous owner had been killed. Although Everett had spent decades living with the previous owner, the two of them had never married and their relationship had really been more like employer-employee for many years.

  Maybe that was why Everett was so eager to get his hands on the ring now. He had always envisioned being married. That, and he truly did love Luella. He had loved her for a long time. He pulled into the lot, happy to see that Miles’s car was already there. He quickly walked into the jewelry store and looked around. He didn’t see Miles.

  Everett walked toward the rear of the store. He knew from experience that deliveries often arrived early in the morning. Miles was probably in the back opening up boxes. That was a common event for Everett at the craft store also and it increased the chances that his ring had arrived. He couldn’t wait to find out.

  “Miles, are you back there?” Everett called loudly enough to be heard in the back room.

  “Help!” a voice called back.

  Everett didn’t hesitate. He knew it was Miles’s voice. He rushed to the back room then stopped and stared, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was Miles Craney, covered in blood. Everett assumed it had come from the body lying on the floor under Miles.