by T. G. Hanson
Lynn fell into the chair by the couch. “Meg, do you think this is him, and that he might be hiding out in town?”
“It has to be Lynn, who else would want money from me? What am I going to do now?”
“Meg, you have got to tell Wade, the Sheriff or both now. This is a threat on your life and it’s serious.”
“I can’t Lynn, I just can’t. Not yet anyway. You’ve got to help me figure this out.”
Against Lynn’s better judgment she promised to not say anything to the guys for now. “Let’s see what we can find out tonight and go from there.”
The girls fixed a light salad for supper, then sat down at the coffee table, with both laptops connected to the internet. A few hours later Lynn jumped up yelling “BINGO!”
Meg rushed over to look at Lynn’s laptop. She had found a rather long article about the Mystery Dinners with photos of both Meg and the front of the diner.
“Oh gosh Lynn, does she have any idea what she has done to me! And how does she get away with using my photo without my permission? I’m sure I’d remember if I gave her permission” she cried out.
Meg was furious. “So now, I’m sure he knows where I’m at, and I know why the stranger was in town. He was after either me or the money.”
“Meg, wait a second. We don’t know anything for sure yet. Just because the article is in the paper doesn’t mean anyone saw it. I mean California is an awfully long way for someone to be reading Houston newspapers.”
“You don’t know him like I do Lynn. When he wants something, he stops at nothing to get it. And he knows all these shady people who are good at these kinds of things. What’s even worse, you know what this town is like. If any of this gets out, the entire town will be gossiping about me for the next few years. Just think what that could do to my life and my business.”
Lynn, realizing Meg was probably right, agreed to be quiet for now and to continue to try and help figure everything out. One thing was for sure, she didn’t intend to let Meg be alone any more than was necessary. “Okay but for now, I’ve just become a permanent resident in your home. At least till we get this all sorted out.”
“Lynn, I just thought of something, this letter, it couldn’t be from the stranger because he was already dead by the time I found it. It also wasn’t sent through the mail as there are no postal markings on the outside. Do you know what that means?”
Going back over the past few days Lynn realized Meg was right. “Well either the stranger wasn’t working alone, or someone else in town is involved in all this.”
“We have got to figure this out and soon Lynn.”
The two looked back at the computer, each trying to think of who in town might have figured out Meg’s secret, and why they would threaten her with it.
Outside, Wade had driven by while entertaining the idea of stopping in for a few minutes, to see what Meg was up to. Seeing Lynn run into Megs house he thought better of it and kept on driving by. They sure are spending a lot of time together these days. Wonder what they’re up to?
******
Rocking on his front porch, Henry had been thinking. It might be time to visit Meg’s house again. Wonder if she found the letter? If so she sure wasn’t acting like anything is wrong. Maybe I’ll just sneak over there tonight and see if I can find anything out.
Picking up his empty beer cans, he walked back inside, and began to fix himself something to eat. Hours later, once it was dark, he crept out the back door and snuck over to his spying spot behind the big tree.
Across the street, Helen had been sitting in her darkened living room, looking out the window and trying to figure out what she should do next. She saw Henry go inside and then, a bit later, saw his shadow as he crept down the alley. She knew where he was going. Honestly what would it take to get him to leave Meg alone.
She was about to get up and follow him, when she saw two men get out of their car, and go inside Henry’s house. A few minutes later, all the lights went out.
Helen sat watching. Wonder if Henry was expecting company? Unlikely since he never has anyone up to his house. She wondered if she should call the Sheriff since the men had entered the home without Henry being there? Probably the less I have to do with the Sheriff right now the better, she thought and gave up the idea of calling.
Sitting back down she continued to watch out the window. Maybe, just in case, I’ll just jot down the license plate number of the car.
She tried to stay awake to see when Henry came back home, and the men left, but the late hour finally got to her and she fell asleep on the couch.
Henry watched Meg’s house from behind his hiding tree. Drat, looks like I won’t find much out tonight. That Lynn girl is over there again. He could see them sitting in the living room and it looked like they were watching the television. He sat and watched for what was probably another hour, then gave up and snuck back home.
Entering the back door, Henry realized that all the lights were out in his house. Strange, I always keep the little light over the sink on. Reaching around to pull the chain on the light, he heard a noise behind him.
Henry spun around only to be hit hard in the stomach, making him double over. Next a fist connected with his nose and just before being hit on the back of the head, he heard a man’s voice saying: “Time for a little meeting old man. Your times up and you’d better pay up, or you’re going to find a permanent place right up there near the Church!”
As Henry began to pass out he thought, Guess I now know what they mean by “come to Jesus meetin.”
******
The Sheriff just couldn’t seem to sit still. He had turned on the TV, turned it off, picked up a book and tried to read only to put it down after a few minutes, and turn the TV back on. He just couldn’t keep his mind on either for any length of time.
Wendy walked over and gave John a little shove on his arm begging, “Please Hun get out of the chair, go into the office and see what you can find out about the wallet, will you.”
He smiled at his wife, “That bad huh?”
“Well considering you’ve picked up your book twice now and turned the television on and off as many times, yes I think I’d have to say it’s that bad.”
Pulling himself out of the chair, he decided to do just that. “Okay babe, I’ll be back in a bit and if not I’ll give you a call.”
Walking towards the door, he stopped and gave Wendy a hug. “You truly are a gem and I don’t deserve you.”
Wendy watched her husband get into his car. No, you have it all backwards, I’m the lucky one, she thought while watching him drive off.
The Sheriff turned on both the desk lamp and his computer, then went to fix a pot of coffee, while waiting for the computer to boot up. Fixing a cup, he returned to his desk and sat down to go through the wallet Meg had given him. How could we have missed this?
He emptied out the wallet on his desk examining the contents. Florida driver’s license, couple credit cards, a laundry receipt, a photo of a man with a woman, and a receipt from the Haunted Inn Motel.
Looking at his watch, he figured he’d start by calling Bill over at the motel. Maybe he or his wife could offer some information about the stranger. Dialing the number, he leaned back in his chair, listening to the phone ring. Bill picked up the phone on the third ring.
“Haunted Inn, can I help you?”
“Hey Bill, it’s John Briggs. You have a few minutes to talk?”
“Sure Sheriff what’s up?”
“Well it’s about this guy, Danny Wise. Seems he either is, or was, staying at the hotel recently. What can you tell me about him?”
“Let me check the book, just a second. Oh, I found him. Checked in late Wednesday before last, and looks like he is still here. Paid cash in advance for two weeks.”
“He’s been in town that long has he, strange.”
“Yup, wait a second, Sally is trying to tell me something.” John waited and could hear Sally in the background going on about something.
&
nbsp; “Sally says the guy’s car hasn’t been in the lot recently, and his room doesn’t look like it’s been used for a few days. Says she noticed him going and coming all hours of the night, and he used the pay phone out front a lot.”
Leaning back in his chair, John enlightened Bill on their guest. “Bill, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, I’m sure he is our murder victim.”
John could hear the shock in Bill’s voice. “Oh no, really.”
“Yup. So, I need you to keep his room locked, and don’t let anyone else in there, till Wade or I get a chance to look it over.”
“I will Sheriff and let us know if we can help further.”
“Will do Bill, but wait, what kind of car was he driving, and do you have the plate number?”
Bill consulted his book again and gave John the information he had asked for. “Something else John, not sure this matters much, but, we had two strangers come in last Wednesday as well. They left early this morning before Sally and I were up, but they were sort of odd looking. Drove a black sedan of some kind. They paid cash as well.”
“So can you give me their names and maybe the plate number for the car, and has Sally cleaned the room yet?”
“That’s what is odd, they used the names Bill Smith and Ted Smith, but we did get the plate number. Sally says she went to clean the room this morning and it didn’t look like anyone had even used the room. The paper wrappers were still on all the glasses, across the toilet, no towels used, and the bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in.”
“You should lock that room as well; I’ll want to check it out too.”
“I will John and come on by anytime you need to.”
“Thanks Bill.”
Hanging up the phone, John sat and thought for a bit about the information he’d gotten from Bill. It was out of the ordinary to have that number of strangers in town at once unless it was during festival time.
Turning to the computer he began to run searches on all the names and addresses he had, as well as the plate numbers. That’s when he noticed something odd about the license from the wallet. Fiddling around with it, he discovered that the photo had been tampered with. Fishing around in his desk, he found a pocket knife and began to poke at the photo. One corner came up easily and without much effort, the entire photo came away to reveal the legitimate license photo underneath.
At the same time, a hit popped up on the computer. The address belonged to the name on the license and the photo was the same as the legitimate one on the driver’s license. The fake photo was the same as their victim.
He made a quick call to one of the credit card companies and discovered the card had been reported as stolen two weeks ago, and there was a pending investigation for charges made on the card, someplace between Florida and Houston.
He now knew that the wallet was a false lead and he still had no idea who his victim was. Right back too square one unless something came up on the victim’s photo.
Two more pings on the computer let him know that further matches had been found. Seems the other two men were not exactly the sort he wanted in Mystic Pines. The black sedan was registered to a small-time loan shark in Houston and he was guessing the two guys must work for the shark.
Good lord, what on earth would have brought these types of guys to Mystic Pines? He couldn’t think right offhand of anyone in town who might be involved in gambling and if so, where in the heck were they gambling at?
TWENTY-TWO
Flipping on the office lights, Lynn dropped her things on the desk, and walked over to start a pot of coffee. She knew Wade wouldn’t be in till later today because of the night shift John had him working, but John would most likely be in shortly. She intended to have a chat with him about the investigation to see if he’d tell her why he was checking into Megs background.
She started the coffee to brew then noticed there was a message on the answering machine. Turning the machine to play, she heard the Sheriff’s voice.
“Hey Lynn, just letting you know that I’m headed over to the Haunted Inn and I’ll be a few minutes late this morning. I ran a search on some guys last night and there might be some new info on the fax machine. If so, please set them on my desk.”
Sure thing, she thought, and headed back to the fax machine to check. Lynn grabbed the stack of papers from the machine, looking them over on her way back to John’s desk. It sure didn’t take him long to find out what she and Meg already knew about the license, and the stranger. Plus, looks like there are two more suspicious men in town as well. Funny thing, these guys had something to do with a loan shark and she didn’t believe Meg had been doing any gambling lately.
She decided better safe than sorry and walked over to the desk to give Meg a call. Meg, picking up on the second ring, didn’t sound as cheerful as she normally did.
“Hey Lynn what’s up?”
“You okay Megs?”
“Oh I’m just a little put out. Daisy has not shown up for work again and isn’t answering either her home phone, or her cell. Glad Myra is coming in today.”
“Maybe you should take it easy and let Myra help in the diner today.”
“I’m going to train her on the bookstore register and checking in the new book arrivals. I hope she picks up on it as quickly as she did everything else. If so, I just might take off early.”
Lynn could hear how tired Meg was beginning to sound. She figured all this trying to stay cheerful around John and Wade, was starting to wear her down.
“Hon, I hate to give you bad news, but, there were some papers on the fax this morning. Looks like John was in here yesterday and he knows what we do about the license. Plus, he’s found out that there are two more strangers in town.”
“Oh my gosh Lynn, are they after me you think?”
“Actually, I don’t think they have anything to do with you, unless you owe money to a loan shark?” Lynn replied. “Looks like to me someone in Mystic Pines has a serious gambling problem and might have borrowed money they can’t pay back, from a not so nice guy. I just wanted to let you know just in case. Maybe just keep your eyes open and be a bit cautious till I know more.”
“All right, and thanks for letting me know. Myra just arrived so I need to go but I’ll call you later this evening.”
Lynn reminded Meg that she was staying at her house again and she’d see her as soon as she could get off work. What Lynn had not said to Meg, was if someone had sent the stranger to look for her, what must that person be thinking right now. She was sure he hadn’t been contacted since the stranger was killed and that was several days ago. Lynn guessed whoever that person was, might be getting a little curious right about now.
******
Bill Stanford walked out the office door of the motel, just as John pulled into the parking lot. John could see the large keyring in his hand and Bill was motioning to the end of the motel. Following Bill’s lead, John parked in front of room number eight, then got out of his car.
“Morning John. The two strangers you asked about were booked into room eight so I thought we would start there. Not sure what you might find though as it’s clean.”
John looked around the room. It was just as Sally had said it would be, like the room had not been used at all. As he turned to leave the room he noticed a small scrap of paper on the floor, just at the edge of the bed. Picking up the paper he uncurled it and saw that it contained an address and nothing else. 108 Marple Lane.
Now why would two strangers have a paper with Henry Means address on it? What on earth has Henry gotten himself into? he wondered. Maybe I’ll find out this morning when he comes into the office.
“Bill, let’s go check out the other guy’s room, shall we?”
The two men walked down to the last room, number thirteen. Bill unlocked the room and followed John inside.
“By the way John, Sally told me to mention to you that this guy specifically asked for the last room. Said he had a hard time sleeping and wanted as far from any noise as he could ge
t. She thought it was odd seeing as how anyone with eyes could have seen we had no other guests when he checked in.”
“Yup is strange huh. Like he was hiding or something.”
“That’s what she wondered. Said she didn’t like the guy at all, and almost told him the rooms were all reserved, but we can use the money so she thought better of it.”
John looked around the room but not finding anything walked out of the door into the parking lot. “I’m guessing since your rooms are behind the office you never saw him coming or going?” he asked.
“Not really, we just heard the car leaving and coming back but never actually saw him. Sorry John.”
They had walked back up to John’s car when they noticed the pay phone had begun to ring.
“Dang phone. Sally was supposed to call the phone company about it today. Guess she hasn’t had time yet.”
“It been ringing a lot or is it broken?” John asked.
“Been ringing just about every day for the last few days. Now that I think about it, seems like it started about the time you mentioned the stranger was killed. Rings all hours of the day and night, driving us crazy.”
John ran over to the phone booth and picked up the receiver, “I’m here” he said while holding the paper up next to the mouthpiece and rolling it around between his fingers.
“Man, must be a bad connection there, you don’t sound like yourself.”
“Yup bad connection, they have been working on it for a few days now.”
“I was beginning to wonder what was going on and if you had skipped out on our deal. Was gonna come out there myself if I didn’t hear from you soon. So, tell me what’s up, did you find out where the money is yet?”
John thought for a minute, what should he say. “Not yet, still looking and this phone is going bad. Give me your number so I can call you back from a different phone.”
