Hounds, Harvest, and Homicide

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

  Hayden begged Sam for a Corvette from there years ago. Sam thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, getting a sixteen-year-old a Corvette. She begged and pleaded and begged some more for one of those cars on Beemer’s lot, and Sam finally purchased a sturdy Volvo because of its safety rating. We gave it to her as a belated birthday present. Our daughter ranted and raged about the monstrosity in the driveway, swearing it was the worst thing to ever happen to her, and she’d lose all of her friends because of it. We told her she didn’t have to drive it, but she’d better have a good pair of tennis shoes to walk around in because the Kingston Cab Company had officially closed.

  Her friend’s parents bought the Corvette, and a few months after Hayden’s birthday, she swerved off a two-lane highway and slammed into a tree. No one knows exactly what happened. That part of the highway didn’t have lights, and there were no cameras anywhere. She died instantly. Hayden never complained about her Volvo again.

  Justin talked with his mouth full of rice. “The two men had a long-standing feud over some adjoining land they owned. The night of the fundraiser Watson approached Beemer about it, they fought, and Beemer followed him to the kitchen, where they argued some more. He grabbed a knife and killed him in the other room.”

  “Why is this the first I’m hearing about Jonathan even being a suspect?”

  “Mom, why does it even matter to you?”

  “Hayden, please.”

  “Missy, there were witnesses. A few members of the kitchen staff even identified him in a lineup. He did it.”

  “But I spoke to Beth Lennon, and she didn’t mention him, not even once, and she worked in the kitchen.”

  “Well, she told Bruno earlier today. She was even one of the staff that identified him in the lineup.”

  I shook my head. “That’s impossible.”

  Bandit sensed my frustration, walked over to me, and leaned against my leg. I rubbed his ears.

  “Obviously it’s not impossible, Mom. They have evidence,” Hayden said. “You should be happy they caught the guy.”

  “I’d be happy if they arrested the right person, but I don’t think they did.” I rinsed off my bowl and placed it in the dishwasher.

  Justin brought his bowl to the sink and rinsed it. He handed it to me, and I put it next to mine in the dishwasher. “There’s things you don’t know, things relevant to the investigation. The district attorney’s got a solid case against him.”

  “Justin, Cindy wanted the shelter on her property to include rental units for the women who had jobs. It makes perfect sense. Since she couldn’t sell the land for the mixed-use development, she could lease the land to the shelter and make money with the rentals.”

  “How would she make money on rentals? She wouldn’t be buying the shelter.”

  “I don’t know that part yet. But Stacy Halstead heard her arguing with George the night of the fundraiser. That’s who wanted me to talk to you. She said she told one of the police there that night, but she’s worried nothing came from it. She said they were arguing about the property, and Cindy said she’d see George dead before he got in the way of another one of her projects.”

  Justin stopped smiling. “Stacy told you she told an officer that?”

  “She also said she lost track of Cindy for a while. And Stacy’s like a puppy in love when it comes to Cindy. She follows her everywhere.”

  Hayden finished wiping down the counter. “Why would she come to you about it? Why not just go back to the police?”

  “Because she doesn’t want Cindy to know what she heard.”

  Justin nodded. “I’ll mention it to Bruno, but I don’t think it’ll matter. The case against Beemer is solid.”

  Solid or not, if the police weren’t interested in digging deeper into Cindy Truelson, I’d just do it myself.

  Chapter 6

  I called Cindy the next morning and asked her to meet me for lunch. I was surprised she accepted.

  She pulled out the chair across from me and sat. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect a lunch invite from you.”

  I pushed the Riverwoods menu aside and smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about an idea I have.”

  A server came over and took our drink order. “Beth will be your server today. I’m just helping out with drinks.”

  “Thank you. I’ll have a Diet Coke,” Cindy said.

  “Just a water for me, please.”

  “Sure thing,” the server said and headed back to the kitchen.

  “So, what’s this idea? I don’t have a lot of time.”

  I’d stayed up last night plotting my plan, and since I didn’t want to give away too much, I decided to stay light on the details. I wanted to get her to talk. “You own that big plot of land on the outside of town, right? I think it’s in an unincorporated area.”

  “Yes, why?”

  Beth Lennon headed toward our table. “Oh, Ms. Kingston, how nice to see you.”

  “Beth! How’s Manny?”

  Her face brightened. “A big ball of love. He’s doing great. Thank you for asking.” She smiled at me, quickly shifting her eyes toward Cindy and then back to me again. “Would you like to hear the lunch specials today?”

  Cindy sighed. “No. I already know what I want. I’ve got an appointment at the chamber of commerce in a little over an hour, so this will be a quick lunch.”

  “Okay. What can I get you?” Beth wouldn’t look Cindy in the eyes.

  Cindy ordered a Caesar salad. I ordered a tuna salad with extra tuna.

  “Got it. I’ll bring y’all out some bread.”

  “Thanks, Beth,” I said.

  “You were asking about my land,” Cindy said.

  “Yes. I was wondering if you’d be interested in selling it.”

  She straightened in her chair. “I consider every offer I receive, but I haven’t accepted any yet. Are you interested in purchasing it? I can’t imagine what you’d need so much land for.”

  “The training program at the shelter is going really well. Several of the staff and volunteers are certified to train dogs now with and without collars, and because of that, we’ve seen an increase in adoptions. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of dogs, and only so much space. Because the program has been so successful, and our adoption rate has increased, we’ve seen an increase in other shelters asking us to take some of theirs.”

  “Get to the point, Missy.”

  “I’ve been tossing a few ideas around in my head, and I’m considering pushing for the shelter to move, to build something bigger in a larger area. Something that could accommodate a real training program with both indoor and outdoor training facilities. I wanted to see if you’d be open to the idea of selling the land to the shelter. If I were to move forward with this, of course.”

  “That’s quite a lofty idea, but the shelter certainly doesn’t have that kind of money.”

  “They don’t, but I do.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “And you’d be willing to hand it over to the shelter just like that?”

  “I’ve already got money in it. What’s a little more?”

  “Yes, you’ve put a lot of money into the program.”

  Beth brought the bread to the table. “Here you go,” she said. She kept her back to Cindy.

  I took a piece and sliced it in half. “Thank you.”

  Cindy picked a sesame seed roll and placed it on the small plate in front of her.

  Beth looked down, nodded and scurried away.

  “You must make her nervous,” I said.

  “I make a lot of people nervous, but she’s not important enough to even be on my radar.”

  With that attitude I didn’t see Cindy winning a raffle let alone the mayoral election.

  She cut her roll in half and nibbled on a piece. “But why my property? What makes you interested in it?”

  “Its size. I drove by it recently, and for what I’m envisioning for the new shelter, it’s big enough.”

  “Yes, well, I’ve got some thi
ngs in the works for it already, but I’m open to discussing other options. I’m not sure I’m interested in selling it at this time, but I might consider leasing it. Would that be an option for you?”

  “Nothing’s off the table at this point. I’d planned to talk to Turner Shaw about the plans. I have a rough idea in mind, but nothing on paper.”

  “You’d need an architectural firm to draw up any plans. Breckenridge and Stout not only designs properties, we manage them also.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “And as a principle owner in the company, I’d obviously have a vested interest in the design, so our architects would handle any development for the land with golden gloves.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m not proficient in this kind of thing. Sam always made the business decisions,” I lied. Sam was more knowledgeable, but he educated me, and any big personal decisions with respect to our land, and the life we’d made together included us both. She just didn’t need to know that. “What would be the advantages of the shelter leasing the land over owning it?”

  “Oh, there are many. You’d be writing a large check for the construction costs of course, but leasing the land means you don’t have to cut another check for the property purchase.” She sipped her Diet Coke. “And the property taxes belong to the landowner, so leasing would eliminate that for the shelter, not to mention property insurance. Though there would be insurance required because of the dogs, it would be a separate policy. Those are just a few of the issues you’d have to consider.”

  “I hadn’t thought of any of that.”

  “Of course not. Your love is the dogs, as it should be. That’s why I suggest leasing over purchasing. It would be less complicated for you.”

  And she stood to make a lot more over the long run if she leased the property over selling it. “Wouldn’t that be a financial burden for you?”

  “Oh, no. I own the land outright. I’d use the rental money to handle those fees. Consider it a property management arrangement on the financial side. Of course there are other details we’d have to consider, but we’ll do those if things progress.”

  I nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  The original server that had come to our table brought our salads. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “I’m all set,” I said.

  “Can we get the check? I’ve got to eat and rush off.” Cindy held up her glass and swirled it. “And a quick refill would be great. It’s Diet Coke.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I read in the paper they’ve made an arrest in the murder investigation,” I said, hoping to bait her into talking.

  “Yes, Jonathan Beemer. What a tragedy. I’ve bought my children cars from him.”

  “Didn’t he and Watson have some long-standing battle about land?”

  “George had issues with a lot of people in town.” She took a bite of her salad.

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “You should talk more to people and less to dogs. You’d learn more about the community that way.”

  Theoretical punch to the gut received. “Yes, I probably should, but the dogs are so much more pleasant to be around.”

  She glanced up from her salad and placed her fork on the plate. “You don’t have any interest in my land do you, Missy?”

  I smiled. “What makes you say that?”

  “Let’s not waste each other’s time.” She removed her wallet from her purse, placed a twenty-dollar bill on the table, and stood. “If you decide you’re serious, give me a call.”

  I watched her walk out of the restaurant and went back to eating my tuna salad.

  Beth came out with Cindy’s Diet Coke. “I’ll just leave this here,” she said, placing it on the table.

  “Don’t bother. She just left.”

  She eyed the front entrance. “Oh? Was it the food?”

  “Nope, the company.”

  Beth smirked. “I say good riddance.”

  I sipped my water. “You didn’t seem all that comfortable around her.”

  “Is anyone comfortable around that woman?”

  I laughed. “Probably not.”

  “I’ve had a few dealings with her before at the women’s shelter.”

  “Oh, you’ve been there?”

  “Yes, I volunteered briefly. It was rough. All those women and their kids. I couldn’t handle it, so I had to stop.”

  “I understand. Some people are impacted by that more than others. It takes a person who can step outside of the situation to volunteer. It’s the same with animals at the shelter. We’d had a lot of people volunteer once or twice and never come back. It’s just too emotional for them.”

  “I think that’s what it was for me, too. It was a few years ago. I’ve thought about trying again, but I really don’t think I can do it. Besides, I don’t want to have to spend any more time with that woman than I have to.”

  I laughed. “Yes, well, I don’t think she’s there all that much, so you’d probably be safe.”

  She laughed, too. “That’s a reason to consider trying again then.”

  “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

  She glanced around the room. “Sure, let me just check on my tables. I’ll be right back.”

  I finished my salad and waited for Beth to return. In the meantime, I put my debit card on the table on top of Cindy’s money.

  Beth returned and smiled. “Okay, I’ve got a minute.”

  “Did you know they arrested someone for George Watson’s murder?”

  “Yeah, the guy that owns that expensive used car lot. Something Beemer, I think.”

  “Jonathan. The police said several people from the kitchen staff that night ID’d him in a lineup, including you.”

  “Yeah, I did. Why?”

  “You didn’t mention him to me before.”

  “I told you I saw a bunch of people coming through, but I didn’t know most of them. The only reason I know him now is because he got arrested.”

  “I see. Do you remember what he did when he came through? Did he talk to anyone? Did you see him come back your way?”

  “I wasn’t paying that much attention, so I don’t know if he talked to anyone. He came into the kitchen, went to the bathroom, and then cut through again. I saw him come back from the bathrooms and it had been a while. I figured he’d had too much to drink or a stomach issue or something, but I didn’t think about it again.”

  “Have you talked to anyone since the arrest? Anyone that said they saw him?”

  “Sure, I mean, a few of them are here now, so yeah.”

  “Do you think I could talk to them?”

  “The kitchen’s starting to slow down now that the lunch rush is over. I’ll see if you can come back. I’m working a split shift so I’m leaving once you pay.”

  I pointed to the money and card on the table. “Cool. I’ll take care of this and see if the manager will let you come back. As I waited, I replayed my conversation with Cindy in my head. She’d really pushed leasing over purchasing, but was that because she knew I wasn’t really interested, or because it was the best option for her? She genuinely appeared interested in the shelter opportunity, but at some point, she figured out, or assumed, I wasn’t really serious. Thinking back over it though, I couldn’t quite determine when.

  “Come on back,” Beth said. “But you can’t stay long. She doesn’t want the staff distracted. They’ve got to prep for dinner.”

  I stood. “I understand.”

  There were people in the kitchen that worked the fundraiser that night. Each of them had gone to the lineup, but only one recalled seeing Jonathan Beemer the night of the murder. When I pressed for names of people they saw pass through the kitchen, the only ones they could remember were a few city council members, the mayor, and Cindy Truelson. And only one actually remembered her name. The other two described her, but that was good enough for me.

  The training classes at the shelter filled every night. Not only did we offer free
classes for all adopted dogs, we also charged a small price for others. Three nights a week volunteers worked on basic obedience skills. Some had been trained already and just needed a refresher course while others hadn’t been trained at all. I didn’t get to the classes often, but since I’d dropped the dogs off at the shelter earlier that day, I needed to go back anyway, so I decided to run a few errands, and then get back in time for the class.

  I loved watching the dogs train. Dogs were pleasers. They truly wanted guidance and stability, even the stubborn ones. Watching them learn and follow commands with tails wagging and ears up made me happy. They loved the small treats for rewards, and as those treats lessened, most understood. The stubborn ones took a bit longer, but that was okay. We knew they’d come around eventually. The best part about the training classes though wasn’t watching the dogs, it was watching the people. Their faces lit up like Christmas trees when their dogs listened, and sometimes it was hard to tell who was more excited.

  Sending them all home after training graduation always left me feeling like I’d just raised a child and sent them off into the world prepared and ready for whatever challenges they may face. It sounded silly, but it warmed my heart to help families like that.

  I finished my errands just in time for the class.

  Halfway through training, Justin and Detective Bruno showed up. I pointed to the door and headed that way. We walked down the long hallway that went around the kennels so we didn’t cause a ruckus with the dogs.

  “Are you here because you realized I’m right about Cindy Truelson?”

  The detective’s eyes shifted to Justin, and I saw the concern wash over Justin’s face.

  “What is it? What’s going on?”

  Missy,” Justin said. “Cindy Truelson is dead.”

  I stepped back. “What? That can’t be. I just had lunch with her a few hours ago.”

  Detective Bruno nodded. “That’s why we’re here. We need to talk to you about your meeting with her.”

  I pressed my hand to my chest. “Of course.”

  The detective flipped his notepad open. “Can you tell me what you talked about?” Detective Bruno asked.