by J A Whiting
Angie said, “I know we asked you before, but maybe you’d forgotten. Have you ever been to Sweet Cove?”
Joe looked at Angie shame-faced. “Yes, I have. And I didn’t forget being there. I wasn’t being truthful last time.”
“When were you there?” Finch asked, although he knew what the answer would be.
“I was there the morning Marty and his wife got killed.” Joe squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes momentarily. “I went back a couple days later, too.”
Angie waited for Joe to continue. When he didn’t, she asked him, “Why did you visit Sweet Cove?”
Joe swallowed hard. “Marty asked me to come down.”
Eyebrows went up on the faces of the three people listening to Joe.
“Marty told me he was having some financial trouble. He said he couldn’t go to a bank because he was overextended. He wanted to arrange a short-term loan from me. He asked me to come down to Massachusetts and meet him at a resort there. He said to ask at the desk for a Mr. Kravetz. He would rent a bungalow under that name so we could talk in private. He didn’t want anyone to know about our meeting. Marty said the loan would be very short-term and that he would build in some very attractive incentives for me. He said it would be win-win for both of us.”
“What happened when you got to the resort?” Finch asked.
“I arrived very early because Marty planned to go over the deal and then get back to the dental office. When I asked at the desk, the clerk told me there were no guests registered under that name. I got panicky.”
“You thought something happened to Marty?” Jenna asked.
“No. Not at all. I thought I’d been set up somehow. That Marty was mocking me or something. I was pretty angry. I left and then decided to go to the dental practice to see what Marty was up to. I wanted to chew him out.” Joe wiped sweat from his brow. “I looked up the address of the office. I parked and headed up the sidewalk. The closer I got to the place, the more I thought that something might be wrong. I couldn’t think of a single reason Marty would invite me to a meeting on false pretenses. I had a bad feeling about it.”
“You went in and asked for Carlie?” The receptionist told Angie that the man who showed up in the office after she and Courtney left that morning kept asking for Carlie.
“I went in and asked if the doctors were there. The receptionist said no. I got scared. I thought maybe Marty had been in an accident. I asked to talk to Carlie. The woman got annoyed with me and said Dr. Streeter wasn’t in. I wondered if the woman was yanking my chain because I was being so persistent. There were patients in the waiting room. I thought one of the dentists had to be there. I kept asking about them and the receptionist got more and more agitated with me. I was afraid she’d call the police so I left. I went home.” Joe’s face seemed to pale. “Later … I heard that Marty and his wife had been murdered.”
Angie’s heart clenched when she saw the look of anguish on Joe’s face. No one said anything for a full minute.
Joe took a deep breath. “I thought about whether I should return to the resort and talk to the desk clerk. I decided to go to the resort again. I wanted to ask the clerk if someone else besides me came in that morning asking for a Mr. Kravetz or a Mr. Chase. I wondered if someone got to Marty before I arrived.” Joe’s jaw set. “I wanted to know who it was.”
Angie realized that when she’d been on Robin’s Point with Josh and Jack looking over the land plans, it must have been Joe she’d sensed at the resort. “What did the clerk say?”
“He said no one else came looking for either man that morning.” Joe’s shoulders slumped. “On the drive home, I panicked. I was afraid there was a security camera at the resort’s front desk. What if the police thought I was the killer? I nearly drove off the road. Then when the police came up to talk to me … and then you came right afterwards, I was sure I was a suspect. I didn’t know what to do. I clammed up.”
“Did you go to Marty’s house the morning of the murder?” Angie asked.
“No, I didn’t. I did look him up on my phone trying to find his address. Nothing came up except the dental office’s address so I went there.” Anxiety etched into Joe’s forehead. “Thank the powers that be that I didn’t go to their house. I could have ended up dead. Or I might have found the bodies.” Joe looked like he might faint.
“Did you see, run into, or meet with Jeremy Hodges that morning in Sweet Cove?” Jenna asked.
“I did not. I didn’t know Jeremy was in town that day. I had no idea.” Joe shook his head slowly and sadly. “If I had run into him, maybe he wouldn’t have been at the manor house when the killer was there. Maybe he’d still be alive.”
“Do you have any idea why Jeremy was at Dr. Chase’s and Dr. Streeter’s house that morning?” Finch watched the man’s expression.
“I can’t think of any reason. None at all. I’m sorry.”
No one could think of anything more to ask Joe so they thanked him for his time and got up to leave. Mr. Finch fumbled with his cane and it fell to the ground. Joe picked it up and handed it to the older man. For several seconds, Finch and Joe held onto the cane at the same time.
Jenna took Finch’s arm, and the three of them headed to the car.
When Joe was out of earshot, Angie asked Mr. Finch, “Did you sense anything when you and Joe held the cane?”
“Yes,” Finch said quietly. “Mr. Winkler told us many things that are truthful, but he might not be telling us everything.”
“Then he stays on the suspect list,” Jenna said.
20
In the late afternoon light, Angie and Jenna walked along the sidewalks of town to the Streeter-Chase Dental Office. Chief Martin suggested that they visit with a hygienist who was in the closed office cleaning out her things. Emma Johnson had worked for Marty and Carlie in New Hampshire and moved down to Sweet Cove when the dentists relocated their practice to Massachusetts. The chief hoped that Emma would be more open in discussing the couple if some of the Roselands talked with her.
The shades were drawn on all the windows and there was a small sign on the door indicating that the office was permanently closed.
Jenna put her hand to the glass to knock and hesitated. “It’s odd, isn’t it? You and Courtney were here only a few days ago. Now everything has changed.” With a sigh, she gave a knock on the door.
After a few minutes, footsteps could be heard and a hand moved the shade away so the young woman could take a peek out. When she unlocked the door, she asked, “Angie and Jenna? Come in. I’m Emma.” Emma, in her twenties, was short and petite, with short black hair, perfect skin, and blazing white teeth. Angie had no idea how someone could possibly have such white teeth. She guessed working in a dental office provided Emma with products that turned her teeth to alabaster. Angie couldn’t help staring at them.
The waiting room and reception area were dark and the emptiness gave the space a gloomy atmosphere.
“I’m working in back.” Emma led the way to a cream-colored room that seemed to be a place for the employees to store their things, eat lunch, and have their breaks. A large table sat in the center with six chairs around it and two sofas had been placed in a corner near the windows. Some boxes had been stacked on the floor near a wall of closets. “I’m taking all the stuff out of the closets and setting them aside for people to come pick up their stuff.” Emma gestured to the chairs and they sat down. “Chief Martin told me you were crime consultants and asked if I would talk with you. I don’t know how I can help. I don’t want to waste your time.”
“It’s never a waste to talk,” Angie reassured the woman. “Things that seem inconsequential often turn out to be important and can end up helping to solve the crime.”
Emma didn’t look convinced.
“You worked with the dentists in New Hampshire?” Jenna asked.
“I did. Dr. Marty and Dr. Carlie were good to work for. That’s why I moved down here with them. I was ready for a change and thought moving would b
e a nice adventure.” Emma frowned. “Not the kind of adventure I was planning on.”
“Are you moving back to New Hampshire?” Angie asked.
“I’m not sure. I have a six-month lease here in town. If I can find work, I’ll probably stay.”
“How long did you work for the dentists?” Angie watched Emma pick at the corner of her fingernail.
“Um, about six years? Five and a half years were in New Hampshire.”
Angie smiled encouragingly. “What was the office like? How were the doctors to work with?”
“It was a great office. Most people had been with the doctors for years. People were nice. There was stress, but it was like we were all in it together. It was a really wonderful team.” Emma’s face began to crumble and she stopped talking until she managed to collect herself. “Sorry. I liked Dr. Marty and Dr. Carlie.” Taking a tissue from her pocket, Emma dabbed at her eyes. “I won’t ever find a better place to work.”
Waiting until Emma had a chance to steady her emotions, Angie asked, “What did you think of Marty?”
Emma said, “He could be difficult, but he knew what he wanted done and if you followed his directions, you got along fine. It was like Dr. Marty was the complete opposite of Dr. Carlie. He was kind of full of himself, Carlie was humble and kind. Marty was quick and sort of boisterous while Carlie was quieter and calm. Marty was always rushing around, Carlie always had time to talk. They balanced each other out.”
“Did you notice if things were getting tense between them lately?” Angie asked.
Something flashed over Emma’s face. “Tense? How do you mean?”
“Did they argue a lot? Did they seem short with each other?”
“Marty and Carlie worked and lived together. I feel like they handled it all better than other people would be able to.”
“Did you ever hear them arguing?” Angie tried again.
“Once in a while.”
“Did they argue more in the last weeks of their lives?”
“I didn’t notice.”
Angie knew the woman was lying. “We understand how hard it is to answer questions about people who you liked. In cases like these, it seems wrong to talk about the people who have passed in anything other than glowing terms. When someone loses his or her life in this way, it’s not unusual for people to want to rally around the person who died as if trying to protect or help him.” Angie paused for effect. “If you really want to help Marty and Carlie, it’s important to be honest and upfront with us.”
Emma took in a short, quick breath and then nodded. “I don’t want to tarnish their relationship by saying something dumb.”
“You won’t. No one is perfect. It’s okay to speak about them as they were.”
Emma looked down at the tabletop. “They were arguing more. I overheard their fighting pretty often. It could be awkward. I’d be in here taking a break and they’d be in the room next door fighting about something. Most of the time, I couldn’t hear their words. It was the tone of voice they used with one another. It was like they hated each other at the end.”
“Did you have a sense of what they fought over?” Jenna asked.
“Money was a hot topic,” Emma told them. “I heard Carlie tell Marty he had ruined them financially. She resented him for messing up their lives. They’d worked so hard and they had nothing but debt to show for it. They’d never be able to recover. That’s what she said to him. I heard her.”
“You worked in the New Hampshire office,” Angie noted. “You must have known Jeremy Hodges.”
Emma’s big brown eyes got misty. “Sure, I knew him. He was a great guy. He was good at his job. The patients loved him. Jeremy was such a nice person, fun to be around. I tried to convince him to move down here when Carlie and Marty decided to relocate. He wanted to, but his girlfriend refused.”
“His girlfriend was Tara Downey?” Jenna asked.
“Yeah.” Emma’s face changed when Jenna mentioned Tara.
“Had you met Tara?” Angie asked.
“A few times at parties Marty and Carlie put on for the office.”
“Did you like her?” From the look on Emma’s face, Angie thought she knew what Emma would say.
“She was okay.”
“Did you think Tara and Jeremy were a good match?” Angie pressed.
“No.” Emma let out a long breath. “He was great. She was sour and angry and jealous.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Tara seemed really controlling. Jeremy and I got along great. Tara seemed jealous of our office friendship. I’m engaged. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or a hookup. Jeremy and I never hung out together after work. I love my fiancé. Tara didn’t trust me or Jeremy. At the office parties, she’d always be quiet around me, but she’d shoot daggers out of her eyes at me like she was giving me a warning or something.” Emma looked about to say something else, but she hesitated, bit her lower lip, and changed her mind.
Jenna spotted Emma’s reluctance. “Did Tara have any reason for jealousy? Did Jeremy ever meet up with other women? Did he ever cheat on Tara?”
Emma blinked a few times. “I don’t think so. It would’ve surprised me if he did anything like that. He sure didn’t tell me anything about seeing other girls. I think maybe Tara was just a jealous person. Maybe a boyfriend cheated on her in the past and she couldn’t trust anyone anymore.”
“Did you know Jeremy was in town the day he died?” Angie asked.
“I didn’t know he was in Sweet Cove. I wished he’d dropped by here. I would have loved to see him.” Emma’s eyes glistened again with a few tears.
“Do you have any idea why he was in town?”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t know. We didn’t keep in touch.”
“Do you think he maybe was asking the doctors for his job back?” Jenna asked. “Could that be why he was at their house?”
“Why would he go to the house?” Emma asked. “Why wouldn’t he meet them at the dental office? If he wanted to work for them again, why wouldn’t they meet at the office?”
“Was there an opening for a dental hygienist?” Angie asked.
“Not that I know of. If there was, I didn’t know anything about it. There were three of us working. I didn’t think the practice needed another hygienist.”
Jenna said, “Maybe Jeremy was unhappy working where he was. Maybe he wanted to come back to Carlie and Marty’s practice. He might have just shown up to ask about an opening.”
“Maybe.”
Angie sensed something wasn’t being said. “From what we’ve heard, Jeremy loved working with Marty and Carlie. Is that right? Would you agree?”
“Yes, I would.”
“He would have moved here if not for Tara’s refusal?” Angie asked.
“I’m sure he would have.”
“Maybe he changed Tara’s mind.”
“I doubt it. Tara didn’t like Marty or Carlie.”
“Why not?”
“Well, maybe she liked Marty, but she didn’t like Carlie. That was clear from how she acted at those parties.”
Unease ran through Angie’s veins. “How did she act?”
“Like she did with me. Quiet, but giving us the evil eye.”
“Out of jealousy?” Jenna asked.
“Tara didn’t have to worry about me and Jeremy. She didn’t have to worry about Carlie either.”
“What did she have to worry about?” Jenna questioned.
Emma looked from Jenna to Angie. “Jeremy.”
Angie and Jenna waited.
“Jeremy loved Carlie. He never said so to me, but there was no way to deny it.”
“Carlie knew this? Did she reciprocate the feelings?” The tiny blond hairs stood up on Angie’s arms.
“Gosh, no. Carlie knew Jeremy was in love with her. He was like a fawning puppy around her. But she had no feelings like that for Jeremy. It made her uncomfortable.”
“How do you know how she felt?”
Emma said sof
tly, “She told me.”
Jenna thought she saw movement in the dark hallway and when she turned her head to look, she saw the translucent spirit of Jeremy Hodges standing just outside the door.
One tear spilled from his eye and traced slowly down his cheek. And then, he was gone.
21
Chief Martin asked Angie, Jenna, and Mr. Finch to return to Top Shop Auto Body to watch the Porsche being loaded onto a flatbed truck for return to Sweet Cove. Standing beside the automobile, neither one felt anything more than the arguing between Carlie and Marty as they rode in the vehicle before hitting the tree.
Since they were in Miltonville anyway, they decided to stop by Tara Downey’s apartment to have a talk with her. It was late afternoon and they thought it was worth the chance to see if she had finished work for the day and was at home.
When they pulled in at the address Chief Martin had texted to them, they were surprised how nice the complex was. Brick townhouses were situated on the lots for maximum privacy and the area was well-landscaped with ornamental trees, flowers, and freshly mowed lush, green grass.
“This place seems very expensive.” Jenna maneuvered the car into a visitor’s parking spot.
“I wasn’t expecting such a high-end place.” Angie glanced around at the quiet, peaceful property.
After ringing the bell twice without a response from inside the townhouse, they decided that Tara must be out and turned to head back to the car when someone came around from the back of the next house.
“Are you looking for Tara? Can I help you?” A thirty-something auburn-haired woman walked over to them with a little white dog on a leash.
Angie introduced themselves and explained that they were consultants with a Massachusetts police department.
“You must be investigating the murder of Tara’s boyfriend. I’m Lizzie Potter. I live next to Tara.” She smiled. “We share a wall between our places.”
“We didn’t have an appointment,” Jenna explained. “We were in town for something else and decided to stop by hoping Tara might be home.”
