Murder At The Knife's Edge: A Mystic Pines Mystery

by T. G. Hanson

  Looking at the other images John spread the other papers out on the desk. “Look at these, they look the same to me.”

  The three of them stood staring at the images, agreeing.

  ******

  Standing up and stretching John walked over to start a fresh pot of coffee as he figured it was going to be a long night. Lynn jumped up and headed his way. “I’ll do that John go sit back down.”

  “Thanks Lynn but if you are going to be part of the team, then the rest of us need to sometimes get our own coffee. Agreed Wade?”

  Smiling Wade nodded his head and walked over to the coffee center. He held a cup out to the Sheriff who poured the last of the coffee into it. Turning Wade held the coffee out to Lynn. “Coffee Lynn?”

  With a huge smile on her face Lynn accepted the coffee. “I believe I will, thank you.”

  Lynn sat back down then turned to John. I think now is my chance. “Say John, Meg mentioned something the other day that I want to run by you.”

  John turned to face Lynn, “Go ahead girl, now’s a good of time as any.”

  “Well, do you know of a reporter by the name of Sherry Winslow? She writes stuff for the Houston Chronicle, mainly human interest stories and has a Sunday column.”

  “I don’t, but I think the wife reads her column, name rings a bell, why?”

  “Meg has seen her in the dinner twice now and she was there on the night of the murder. I’d like to make a trip into Houston to speak with her. She might have seen something, being a reporter and all. I’m thinking she might have been more aware of what was happening at the time.”

  “Well that one slipped by us huh Wade. That’s a great idea Lynn and it would help us out a lot seeing as how neither of us needs to be leaving town right now. Yup, go ahead as soon as you can, and let us know what you find out.”

  “Thanks John. I’ll probably head out there tomorrow.”

  An hour later without any word from Houston they all agreed to call it a night and head home. Agreeing to let the other know if they heard anything through the night, Lynn let the guys know she would be at Megs.

  Lynn pulled up in Megs drive and knocked on her door. She fell into the nearest chair and held her hand out as if it had a drink in it. Laughing Meg got up and fixed a glass of wine for her friend who looked exhausted.

  “So what gives, what happened tonight, and why do you have that silly grin on your face,”

  Lynn spent the next hour telling Meg what they think has happened to Henry, how the Sheriff had finally stopped treating her like a secretary, and had called her a member of the team.

  “He gave me permission to go interview Sherry Winslow as well!”

  “Oh Lynn, that’s fantastic! Wow. All this in little Mystic Pines. And here I thought I’d moved to this little sleepy town where nothing ever happened.”

  “I know it’s crazy, isn’t it? And Henry, of all people. Online gambling and a loan shark. Sometimes you have to wonder if that man has any sense at all.”

  “So Lynn, if that’s the case with Henry then it’s a good bet those two guys were not here for me, right?”

  “I’d say that’s a fair assumption. But, there’s one other thing you need to know.”

  “Oh dear, I’m almost afraid to ask,” sighed Meg.

  “John went over to the motel earlier and talked with Bill and Sally. Seems both the goons and our victim were staying there, but we think at different times. Anyway, John didn’t find anything in the victim's room, but as he was leaving, the pay phone started ringing. Bill mentioned to John that it had been doing that since the stranger checked into the motel and they thought it must be broken.”

  “Makes sense to me, after all who would call a pay phone?”

  “Meg, the motel doesn’t have any phones in the rooms. The guests use the pay phone. Anyway, John runs over and answered the phone while trying to disguise his voice with some crumpled paper. At first the person on the other end, a man by the way, thought they had a bad connection so he started talking to John.”

  “Umm, I don’t think I like where this is going.”

  Lynn shook her head in agreement and took a sip of wine. “That’s the thing. The guy on the other end of the line, he used the name Danny, and asked if he had found the money yet.”

  “Oh no Lynn, do you think John knows anything?”

  “I’m not sure just yet, but I’ll try to find out more. John didn’t say if the guy mentioned you or anyone else. With some luck, he didn’t because in the middle of the conversation he must have guessed John wasn’t Danny, and hung up on him.”

  “Oh thank goodness, maybe he didn’t say anything else that would have pointed to me.”

  “I’m sure if he had mentioned your name, John would have been over here right away.”

  “Let’s hope so Lynn.”

  The two were silent, each in their own thoughts for a bit, then Lynn asked, “Meg, you said the reporter for the Chronicle was here twice, right?”

  “Yes, she was at the Mystery Dinner about a month ago, just before that article came out.”

  “If that’s so, why was she back here a second time you think? I mean obviously, she got all the information she needed the first time for the article, so why return a second time?”

  Meg thought for a few minutes, “I have no idea, maybe she just liked the Mystery Dinner?”

  “What I’ve been wondering is why hasn’t she written an article about the murder. I’ve been checking the paper and her column since you mentioned her and nothing, not a peep. Far as I know she hasn’t contacted the Sheriff either. Seems strange to me.”

  “Gosh, you’re right it does seem strange.”

  “I’m going to pay her a visit either tomorrow or the next day so maybe we will know more afterwards.”

  Having formed some sort of plan of action the two girls fixed a few snacks and filling their wine glasses, sat down to watch another old movie on TV, before going to bed. Lynn was looking forward to paying the reporter a visit.

  TWENTY-THREE

  John, Wade and Lynn were all sitting around the office going over John’s notes on the murder. Wade stood up and walked over to a large write-on wipe-off board he’d brought in from the supply room, and began writing notes on the board.

  “So first, we have the murder, then on the same night, Meg is attacked and her bookstore trashed. That leads us to believe someone, was looking for something, they think Meg might have. However, we have no idea what that might be, or if the break-in is even connected to the murder.”

  Lynn added, “I took the liberty of calling about the victim’s car that’s still in the parking lot of the diner. The car is a rental, Hertz in Houston, rented by Danny Wise using the same fake driver’s license we have. We need to let them know when they can pick the car up by the way.”

  John walked over to the board and added, “What gets me, is that based upon the driver’s license, Danny Wise is the legit owners name, which would make us think it’s not the victim’s name. But, the guy on the phone referred to him as Danny. So perhaps our victims first name is Danny and we just don’t know the right last name? Or, was he using a false name with the other guy as well?

  John drew a line on the board. “This will be new information to you Lynn. Look at the photo of the victim. See those marks on his face there?”

  “Sure do, but what are they?”

  John reached around the opposite side of his desk and pulled up a large Hefty bag. Opening it he pointed for Lynn to look inside. “Look like a match to you?”

  Lynn peered into the bag. “Oh my gosh, but that, that belongs to Helen Means, doesn’t it?”

  “Sure does and it looks like she might have swatted our victim good with it. And according to Doc, it had to have happened very shortly before he died for the marks to remain there.”

  Lynn frowned, “But, if it belongs to Helen, we have to assume she lied about knowing the victim, and that puts her near him shortly before he died.”

  Wade ran a
hand through his hair. “But John, we found that in Henry’s house. So, if it was Helen’s how did Henry get hold of it, and why would he hide it in his house?”

  “That my son, is the million-dollar question isn’t it?”

  Neither Lynn nor Wade had any clue about the swatter or Helen.

  John looked back up at the board. “At the same time, we have these two goons in the black sedan, working for this sleazy loan shark. We’re sure that Henry got himself tangled up with the loan shark and that these two goons have most likely taken him. But, I don’t think this stuff with Henry is connected to our victim at all do you two?”

  Both agreed, one didn’t seem connected to the other at all.

  John had picked up a sharpie pen and was circling Megs name on the board. “If they aren’t connected, what money was pay phone guy talking about, and where could it be? And, I know you two are jaded on this one, but the only person in town that might have the kind of money someone would come looking for is Meg.” Looking at both Lynn and Wade, John added a big question mark beside Megs name on the board.

  Lynn looked at John. “Just because she paid cash for the dinner and bookstore doesn’t mean she has a lot of money stashed away someplace. That could have been her entire life savings for all you know.” Lynn had hoped to find a way to steer the investigation away from Meg, while also staying within the law, but she knew it was going to be a challenge.

  “I’m with Lynn on that one John. Meg has never acted like she had a ton of money and she works hard at those shops. And, she lives a simple life as well. Not to mention the fact that none of us has ever heard her talk about anyone but a Grandmother, and I am guessing she has no family left alive.”

  John sat back down at his desk and looked over at Lynn. “Time to put your team member face on Lynn. Since you are so close to Meg, I’m giving you the job of talking with her. We need answers as to why we can’t find anything on her before she came to town, and we need them soon. Far as I can see, that’s the only way to clear her of this investigation. Either that or point it right at her.”

  Lynn nodded her head and smiled at John. “Thanks for the vote of confidence John. I’ll do my best and I do appreciate it.”

  Wade walked over to his desk and pretended to look through a stack of papers. He thought back to the envelope he found on Meg’s bike, the night of the murder. Unfortunately, that note connects Meg to the stranger in a big way. I just didn’t know how yet. He wasn’t sure how he was going to find out beyond coming right out and asking her, and that was something he wasn’t ready to do. Maybe, just maybe, I should give Lynn the envelope and let her be the one to share it with Meg.

  The three had been sitting at their desks for several hours when the phone rang. John picked up the phone and leaned back in his chair. “Yup, what ya got. All right, nothing huh. Well that’s something then. Thanks for your help and keep me informed.”

  Lynn and Wade both looked up at John.

  “That was Houston. They picked up the loan shark and his two friends. Caught them all at the guy’s office and the black sedan was in the parking lot. Plus, they deny any knowledge of Henry. The two said they were just passing thru town and had planned to spend the night in the motel but couldn’t sleep, changed their minds, and drove on into Houston. They did however, find evidence of someone being tied up to a chair and they are holding them pending further investigation.”

  Wade moved his chair closer to John’s side of the room. “So what do you think they could have done with Henry?”

  “No way to know at this point. Either Houston will find him or with any luck, he will show up on his own I guess. Not much else we can do but keep our eyes and ears open.”

  Lynn began to pack her things up. “Guys, it’s been fun but this gal is getting hungry. Anyone care to join me for supper at the diner?”

  It took exactly two minutes for Wade to reach the front door. “I’m starved!”

  John waived his hand at the two of them. “You two go on. I’m going to give it another hour here and then head on home. It’s been a long day.” Yawning he went back to working on his computer then said, I’ll be in touch if I hear anything.”

  “Take it easy John. I’ll call you after seeing that Meg and Lynn get home later tonight.”

  With a little grin John replied, “You do that my son, you do just that.”

  ******

  Wade and Lynn walked out the door heading to the diner. Taking Lynn by the elbow he stopped her at the corner of the building. “What’s up Wade?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope then placed it in Lynn’s hands. “You might want to show this to Meg, when the two of you are alone and ask her about it.”

  Lynn looked inside the envelope, pulled out the note, and read it to herself. “Oh my gosh Wade, where did you get this?”

  “I sort of found it on Meg’s bike the night of the murder and have kept it stashed away, trying to decide what to do about it.”

  “Does the Sheriff know about this Wade?”

  “Afraid not,” winced Wade. “I just didn’t want to show it to him till I knew more about what it might mean.”

  Lynn couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe Wade would keep something like this from the Sheriff.

  “I know what you must be thinking of me Lynn, but you and I both know Megs had nothing to do with this at all. Something is going on with her, but I just couldn’t bring myself to ask, and had hoped she would confide in me at some point. I also have a feeling that you know more than you are saying and that’s why I’m giving it to you now.”

  “Wade, I’m not saying I do, and I’m not saying I don’t, but, I do understand why you did this. I also know that you are a decent man and you care about Meg.”

  “That I do Lynn. More than you know, and I also know I need to be careful with her.”

  “If it makes you feel any better about the Sheriff, this was a good thing you did here. Meg is also a victim here, and I hope to prove that soon. But, there are things from her past. Not only does she have trust issues, but she has very good reasons for keeping her past quiet.”

  “I trust you Lynn and trust that you will do what’s right for everyone.”

  Elbowing each other like a brother and sister would do, they smiled and walked the rest of the way to the diner in silence.

  ******

  Nyla and Helen sat at the little table in Helen’s kitchen. “Helen sweetie, what on earth are all these unopened boxes all around the house? “

  “Just some things I’ve picked up here and there is all.” Nyla could tell Helen was antsy so she was trying her best to tread lightly while getting Helen to open up.

  “Well dear, what do you say, why don’t we open some of them. I’ll be happy to help you organize them by date if you like. We could open the oldest ones first.”

  Helen was beginning to be sorry she had let Nyla follow her home and come inside. She knew a lecture was not far away and she just didn’t want to deal with it. “That’s okay Nyla, I’m getting a headache and think I just need to go lie down for a bit. Can we just skip all this for now?”

  Taking her friend by the hand, she pulled Helen over to the couch and sat her down. “Sweetie, it seems to me that you have some sort of problem here and that you need to talk to someone. I can see that all these boxes come from that shopping channel you like and am smart enough to know that there’s been quite a bit of money spent here. I can also see the stack of unopened mail on top of the TV.”

  Helen jerked her hand from Nyla’s. “Seems to me, once again, you need to just go home and mind your own business.”

  Seeing she was getting no place with this tonight, Nyla stood up to go home. Leaning down she gave Helen a big squeeze. “All right, I’ll go for now, but, if you need to talk to someone, I’m here for you. Any time. We have been friends for too long to let things come between us and frankly, I miss my sweet bubbly friend.”

  Helen looked like she was about to cry so Nyla headed
to the door. “Take care my friend and try to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow let’s go to lunch and stop by the bookstore to check out some new books. My treat.”

  Helen nodded her head and stood at the door till Nyla had crossed the street and gone inside her house. Closing the door, she sat down on the couch and began to sob.

  Once inside Nyla picked up the phone and called Myra. Leaving Helen’s, she had decided it was time for a widow’s watch intervention.

  Myra and Nyla talked for over an hour about Helen and the mess she might possibly be in. “We have to do something for her Myra. Why I thought she was going to break down and begin sobbing the entire time I was over there.”

  “Do you really think it’s that bad Nyla? I mean, were there a lot of bills that you could see?”

  “Hun that stack was at least three inches high. There’s no telling how much money she must owe, and they looked to be from collection agencies so they must be long overdue.”

  “All right then. I’ll see Y’all at the diner tomorrow. Just give me a ring right before you leave. I’ll be there helping Meg, but I’m sure she will let me sit down for a few minutes with you, under the circumstances.”

  “All right, and thanks Myra, you're a good friend.”

  The two women hung up the phone and went on about their evening. Myra, returned to a movie she’d been watching, and Nyla, went back to writing her book. Neither could get much of anything done for thinking about their friend.

  ******

  Most of the dinner crowd had left by the time Lynn and Wade walked into the diner. Waving to Meg they walked to the back counter and took a seat. Meg was with the last remaining customers and motioned to her friends that she’d be with them in a few minutes.

  Lynn smiled at Meg while walking into the kitchen for a pitcher of ice tea and two glasses. Back at the counter she poured a glass for Wade and then herself.