by J A Whiting
“Joe Winkler. I went up to talk to him. He didn’t have a lot to say. He owns the auto body shop. He said he was busy. The guy seemed broken up about his pal.”
“Did he talk about Jeremy and Tara’s relationship?”
“He said they were a normal couple.” The chief gave a shrug.
“He didn’t know why Jeremy came down to Sweet Cove?” Angie asked.
“He said he had no idea.”
“Not much help. Jeremy must have kept his plans to visit here a secret. Why would he?”
“The million-dollar question.”
“And how did he get down here?” Angie asked. “Someone must have given him a ride.”
“Still digging into that.”
Lucille pointed out a man’s jacket in the window of a shop and Chief Martin agreed to go in and try it on. Before he went into the store, he asked, “Would you and some of the others mind a little drive up to New Hampshire to talk to the auto body owner and maybe a few other people? Sometimes people clam up when a law enforcement officer asks them questions. You might have better luck getting some answers.”
“We can do that, sure.” Angie gave the man a smile. “See you tomorrow.”
Chief Martin and Lucille wished everyone a goodnight and headed into the men’s shop to take a look at the jacket.
Watching them go, a flood of anxiety flashed through Angie and she had the impulse to call out a warning to the chief, but she stifled herself not understanding what was bothering her. She pushed the urge aside and tried to analyze the worry.
Unable to figure it out, she let out a soft breath and followed after her family suddenly wanting the comfort of home.
16
Angie and Jenna got out of the car and walked across the parking area of the Top Shop Sales, Service, and Auto Body business. Cars in different states of repair were parked on one side of the lot, two Porsches, three BMWs, a Mercedes, and a Corvette. The blazing sun reflected off the hot metal of the autos practically blinding the sisters.
No one was behind the desk in the office, so they stepped through the open garage doors into the noisy work area of whirring drills, welders, and sanders and looked around for Joe Winkler.
A guy pulled off his protective eye-wear when he noticed them standing at the entrance and loped over to them. “Help ya?”
Jenna smiled at the man and introduced herself and Angie. His name, Joe, was embroidered above the pocket of his shirt. Joe was tall and sturdily built with big shoulders and muscular arms. His dark blond hair was cut close to his head and he wore greasy jeans and a tight, blue, short-sleeved t-shirt. The beginnings of a beard covered his chin. Joe declined to shake hands due to the grease on his palms.
Jenna explained the reason for their visit. “We were friendly with a dentist who worked here in town and who moved to Massachusetts not too long ago. Her name is Carlie Streeter. Do you know who she is?”
When he heard the name, Joe seemed to stiffen. “I’d don’t go to the dentist much.”
Angie said, “Carlie died recently. We understand your friend Jeremy Hodges worked in Dr. Streeter’s office for a couple of years. We’re sorry about your friend’s passing.”
“Thanks.” Joe ran his hand over his face. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. Dr. Streeter. Yeah, Jeremy worked there.”
“Would you mind talking with us?” Jenna asked. “We won’t take much of your time. We’re trying to figure out what happened to our friend.”
Joe looked back at the car he was working on obviously wanting to come up with an excuse not to chat with the young women. “Ah….”
“We promise not to stay long.” Angie gave Joe a hopeful smile.
“I guess. There’s a picnic table over there.” Joe gestured to a scrappy area of grass where a broken down picnic table sat under a tree.
“You’ve got a busy place here,” Angie noted. “A lot of high-end cars to work on.”
“Everybody gets into accidents, all cars need work, expensive cars, old cars, everything in between. There’s never a lack of business.”
Sitting in the shade under the tree offered temperatures a few degrees cooler than out in the direct sun. Sweat beaded on Joe’s forehead. He swiped at the drops with the back of his hand. “It’s too hot. I like the winter.”
Angie gave a nod. “Do you know why your friend, Jeremy, was in Sweet Cove?”
“I have no idea.”
“Had he mentioned he might take a day trip?”
“Not to me.”
Jenna pushed her long braid over her shoulder. “Was anything bothering Jeremy? Did he seem nervous about anything?”
“No. He seemed himself, far as I know.”
“Was he upset when Dr. Streeter and Dr. Chase moved their dental practice to Massachusetts?”
“He didn’t want to lose the job. He liked working there. He said the people were nice, easy to work with. He wasn’t upset, he just felt bad about having to look for something else that he might not like as well.”
“Did he consider moving to Massachusetts so he could keep his job?”
“He did, yeah. It’s not that far away from here. His girlfriend wasn’t keen on the idea of moving and commuting. He tried to change her mind, but it was a no go.”
“That was Tara Downey?” Jenna asked.
Joe’s eyebrow raised. “Yeah, Tara. She’s a nurse. She didn’t want to move. She liked where she was working.”
“Was Jeremy angry about Tara not be willing to move for him?” Jenna asked.
“Oh yeah, he sure was.” Joe caught himself. “It didn’t last long though. Jeremy wanted to stay with Tara.”
“Were they serious about each other? Do you think he and Tara would have gotten married some day?” Angie asked.
Joe shifted around. “I don’t know. I don’t know if Jeremy was ready for marriage.”
“What’s Tara like?” Angie asked the man.
“I don’t know her very well.” Joe shifted his gaze from Angie to Jenna. “She’s okay.”
“Did you hang out together sometimes?”
“With Tara and Jeremy? Nah, just Jeremy. Tara never seemed like she liked me much.”
“Why not?” Jenna questioned.
“Maybe, jealous a little bit? I think she wanted Jeremy all to herself. She didn’t like him going out at night without her, or me and him going fishing or whatever.”
Angie tried a different question in order to get Joe to loosen up and talk more. “How did you meet Jeremy?”
A smile formed slowly over Joe’s face. “I was at a bar. Some guy started hassling a girl. She was with a group of her friends. The guy was hanging all over her. The girl wanted to leave and headed for the door, but the guy grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. I got….” Joe was about to swear, but changed the word he was going to use. “I got angry. The guy was a real jerk. The girl started to cry. I went over to them. Jeremy went over to them at the same time. I grabbed the guy by the back of his shirt and Jeremy took the girl by the arm and turned her away from the guy. The guy started to have a fit. Needless to say, Jeremy and I both got in a punch or two before he collapsed on the floor. Cops came. The girl told the police that me and Jeremy saved her from the guy. That was a little dramatic, but it got us off the hook. Me and Jeremy were good friends after that.”
Angie smiled at the man. “Was that a long time ago?”
“Yeah.” Joe looked off into the distance and sadness tugged at his face. “Almost ten years ago. I can’t believe Jeremy is gone.”
With a soft voice, Jenna asked, “Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt him?”
Joe turned and looked at the brown-haired young woman sitting across from him. “Jeremy was a good guy. He worked hard. People liked him.”
“Could drugs have been involved?” Jenna asked. “Did Jeremy take any drugs?”
Joe let out a snort. “No way. That guy was as clean as a whistle. No drugs. He’d barely drink a beer. He told me once his parents had drug problems, were alc
oholics. Jeremy was determined not to fall into that stuff.”
Angie asked, “Did Jeremy keep in touch with Dr. Streeter and Dr. Chase after they moved?”
Joe sat straighter on the picnic bench. “I don’t think so. He never said anything about it. I don’t know for sure, though.”
Angie thought of something else to bring up. “Jeremy’s car was in the lot at the office where he worked. The staff saw it that morning … the morning Jeremy died. How did he get to Sweet Cove if his car was here? Was there a friend he might have asked for a ride?”
“Got me.” Joe shrugged. “He didn’t hang around with anyone else that I know of. Jeremy worked, went home. He and Tara went out once in a while. I’d see him now and then. I don’t know who could have given him a ride.”
“Have you ever been to Sweet Cove?” Angie watched Joe’s face.
“Me? Ah, I don’t think so.” A muscle twitched at Joe’s jaw. “Maybe as a kid.”
“It’s a nice town,” Jenna told him. “It’s right on the ocean with really nice beaches. It has a great center with restaurants and shops, a village green. And only a mile from the center is Coveside which is right on an inlet cove with lots of boats docked there. There are pubs and restaurants, nice shops. It’s great. You should visit sometime.”
“Sounds like a nice place.” Joe glanced back to the garages.
Angie saw Joe look away and she didn’t want him to finish the conversation. “What do you think happened to Jeremy?”
“I don’t know what happened. Somebody killed him. He must have run into some nut.”
“Why would he be at the dentists’ house?”
Joe stared at Angie, but didn’t say anything.
“Did he have some business with them? Was he visiting?”
Joe repeated what he’d said previously. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why he was at that house.”
“Do you have any guesses?” Jenna asked. “Can you think of any reason he might have gone to Sweet Cove?”
Joe stood up. “I said I don’t know. I have to get back to work now.”
Angie hurried to her feet. “I’m sorry about Jeremy. Thank you for talking to us.” She extended her hand. “I don’t mind a little grease.”
Joe hesitated, but then reluctantly took her hand and shook. He turned to Jenna and did the same, and then he strode away to the building where he fixed the cars.
When he was back inside, Jenna and Angie walked slowly to their car.
“What do you think?” Jenna asked her sister.
“I think Joe knows more about Jeremy than he’s telling.”
“Yeah. That’s for sure.” Jenna took a quick glance back to the garages. “What are we going to do about it?”
“I have no idea,” Angie said.
17
Having the uncanny ability to transfer the emotions she experienced while baking into the dough or filling she was making, Angie was being careful not to think about the murder or the people she’d interviewed while mixing flour and sugar together in a big bowl. If she didn’t control her feelings, then the person who ate the bakery item would feel the same emotions she’d had while making it.
“What’s cookin?” With a bowl of ice cream in her hand, Courtney plopped into the seat at the kitchen island still wearing her candy shop apron. Euclid and Circe perked up from their perch on the refrigerator when they sniffed what Courtney was snacking on.
Without looking up, Angie said, “I’m making some muffins and cookies and a banana bread.”
“Make extra. I’m hungry for sugary things today.” Courtney licked her spoon. “I haven’t see you since you went to New Hampshire to see the auto body guy.”
“Joe Winkler.”
“What happened up there?” Courtney dipped her spoon into the creamy chocolate chip ice cream with marshmallow topping.
Angie gave her youngest sister the summary of the trip north.
“Huh. He knows more about Jeremy than he’s telling you. I bet he knows why Jeremy came to Sweet Cove.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell then?” Angie scooped the mixture from the bowl to the muffin tins.
“He’s afraid,” Courtney speculated. “He’s worried that telling what he knows will get him into trouble. Or he’s afraid that if he talks, he’ll get someone else into trouble.”
“Or …” Ellie entered the room. She was wearing a tennis skirt and had her blond hair pulled up into a bun. “The man has been warned that if he tells why Jeremy came to Sweet Cove, then he’ll end up dead, too.”
Angie and Courtney looked at Ellie.
“You think someone threatened him?” Angie asked, her forehead scrunched with concern.
“I see this all the time on the crime shows I watch with Mr. Finch,” Courtney said with excitement in her voice. “Somebody knows something and the person gets warned not to tell the important thing he or she knows. Then they either tell and end up dead or they don’t tell and the police suspect them or the criminal doesn’t get apprehended. At least not right away.”
Angie said, “I don’t know. Joe seems like a tough guy. I don’t know if he’d let someone push him around.”
Courtney savored the last of the ice cream. “If someone has a gun, Joe would probably do what that someone tells him to do.”
Ellie filled her water bottle from the fridge. “If Joe has a loved one and that loved one was threatened, then I’d bet he’d do whatever he was told to do.”
“You’re right.” Angie let out an angry sigh. “I wonder if Joe is married, or if he has a child.”
“Chief Martin must know if Joe has family,” Ellie said.
At the mention of Chief Martin, a flash of anxiety filled Angie’s chest.
Courtney noticed the look on her face. “What’s wrong with you?”
Euclid and Circe stared down at Angie.
Angie rubbed at the tension in her neck. “Ever since the other night, every time I see him or hear Chief Martin’s name, I get a terrible feeling of anxiety.”
“Oh, no.” Ellie’s eyes went wide and she stood still in the middle of the room.
“Do you feel anything specific about him?” Courtney asked.
“No.” Angie shook her head as an expression of helplessness crept over her face. “Should I tell him what I’m feeling?”
“No.” Ellie’s voice was adamant. “What good would it do to tell him unless you have something specific for him to be on the lookout for?”
“I think Ellie’s right.” Courtney folded her arms on the countertop. “If you give the chief some vague warning, it might just make him so nervous that he won’t be fully on guard. That could make things worse. We don’t want to paralyze him so he isn’t able to react to a threat.”
“I guess you’re both right,” Angie said sadly. “Whenever we’re with him, we need to be alert to any danger. We need to be ready if anything happens.”
“Nobody’s taken us down yet, Sis.” Courtney gave her sister a warm smile.
“And nobody will this time either.” Ellie picked up the tennis racquet from the kitchen table where she’d left it and turned to her sisters. “I’m going to meet Jack. Nothing’s going to happen to Chief Martin. You need me? You call or text right away.”
“I will.” Angie smiled at the fierce mother-bear instinct coming from Ellie.
The front doorbell rang and Ellie said she’d see who it was on her way out. In a minute, she was back. “Marty Chase’s mother is here. She was looking for Mari Streeter, but Mari went out. Mrs. Chase asked for you,” she told Angie.
Angie wiped her hands on a dish towel and after asking Courtney to watch the muffins in the oven, she followed Ellie to the foyer.
“Angie,” Mrs. Chase smiled when she saw her. “I’m meeting Betty Hayes, the Realtor, in a little while. I stopped by to see Mari Streeter, but she’s not here. We’re putting Carlie and Marty’s house on the market. Neither of us wants to keep it, so why wait. Do you have a minute?”
Angie and M
rs. Chase went to sit in the living room.
Mrs. Chase let her eyes wander over the furniture, the fireplace, the muted colors in the rug, and the artwork hanging on the walls. “What a lovely room. So beautiful and relaxing. Did you decorate it yourself?”
“It was pretty much like this when I inherited the house,” Angie told her.
“Lucky you.” Mrs. Chase wasn’t smiling and there was a trace of jealousy in her tone that gave Angie a shiver. “I wonder where Mari went?”
“I don’t know,” Angie replied. “Did you ask Ellie?” Angie wished Mrs. Chase would get to the point of why she wanted to talk.
“I didn’t, no.” Mrs. Chase shifted a little on the sofa. “I saw your boyfriend driving around in that red antique roadster. He likes cars?”
“He does.” Angie wondered how the woman knew Josh was her boyfriend.
“Marty loved cars, too.” Mrs. Chase looked wistful. “It didn’t matter what kind of car, he loved them all. He and Carlie had a few nice automobiles when they died. I have no use for them and neither does Mari. Would your boyfriend have any interest in any of the cars? There’s a Lamborghini, and a Mercedes, and a Ferrari. Oh, and a Porsche.”
“I don’t think he would, but I can ask him.” The blue Lamborghini could be a hard sell since a dead body had been found in it. She guessed Josh wouldn’t be bothered by that fact. Maybe he could pick it up at a good price.
“Please do. I’d like to get this stuff off my hands as quickly as possible.”
“Can you sell them to a dealer if no one wants them?” Angie asked.
Mrs. Chase said, “I think so, but like I mentioned, I’d like to offer the vehicles to people from your town first.” The woman looked down at her hands. “Marty and his cars. He couldn’t get enough of beautiful, fast cars. Carlie went along with his hobby.”
“She liked cars, too?”
“Marty said she did.” Mrs. Chase raised a shoulder. “I don’t know if she really did or was just trying to keep Marty happy.”
“Did the couple seem happy recently?”
