by Sara Gauldin
Moment of Doubt
An Avery Rich Mystery
Sara B. Gauldin
Moment of Doubt
Copyright© 2020 by Sara B. Gauldin
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All Rights Reserved. World Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the copyright owner, except brief quotations for the purpose of reviews.
This is a work of fiction. The names and characters come from the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. Similarly, the locations and incidents in this book, which might resemble real locations and events, are being used fictitiously and are not to be considered as real.
Chapter 1
It was getting chilly in the car, but I wasn’t about to turn on the heat. I took a sip of my coffee as I watched the Gina Meadors leaving her office. Something about her wasn’t the same. Perhaps it was because the painted-on smile she normally wore was missing, or maybe it was the few strands of bleach-blonde hair that were out of place.
Gina was the realtor who’d sold me my cabin to begin with. She later referred me to a fake contractor and shook my trust in her sunny disposition only a few weeks back.
I didn’t want to follow Gina, but I had to be sure she wasn’t a high-level player. I already knew she had told the George family’s hired hand to keep track of me, but I didn’t know her level of involvement.
A text message buzzed my phone. I glanced at the message. You coming back soon? Dinner will get cold.
Jesse made dinner? I wondered what he had made. Since he had been visiting, I had made takeout and cereal for him and his daughter, Amelia.
I’m seeing some movement now, I answered. It would be a shame to give up on Gina now; I had been watching for her to leave the realty office for more than an hour.
Don’t stir the pot. Watch and go. Jesse was bossy. But he was right. There was no way he could help me while he had his daughter.
Gina climbed into her white car. Or at least I think it was her car. She used to drive a Cadillac SUV that looked like it had room for nine people inside, but this car was a smaller sedan. I used my binoculars to zoom in. The license plates read “Listed.” It was hers—there was no doubt now. I watched Gina reapply her face in the rearview mirror. Why bother? I wondered. She put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction from her house.
“Hmm, where are you going?” I grumbled to myself. The curiosity was getting the better of me. I had to know she wasn’t up to something. I glanced at my phone. Should I call Jesse? I shook my head. If I waited, Gina would be out of sight, and I couldn’t waste the opportunity. I started Jesse’s rental car, making sure I didn’t turn on the headlights until I was in the lane of traffic. Gina was a full block ahead of me. I followed her, trying to match her pace. If I got too close, I would risk being seen. Too far back and I would lose track of her. Each time she drove under a street light, I squinted to see her more clearly. I had to be sure it was still Gina that I was following and not some other white sedan just like hers.
I traveled in silence through Allenspark. The sound of the tires crackling against the freshly scraped road was my only company. We had gone about half a mile when Gina put on her signal. I looked at the map on the console. There wasn’t even a road there. Where was she turning right? I hit the brakes and turned onto the next street. I stopped at the first cleared spot. Leaning back, I still couldn’t see where Gina went.
“Crap. What’s on that street?” I mumbled I couldn’t think of what was on that stretch. The realty office where Gina worked was on the opposite end of town from the grocery store and the road to my cabin. I looked at my phone. Jesse was waiting. If I wanted to know where Gina went, I would have to risk being seen.
I pulled out of the parking spot and worked my way around the block, hoping to pass by without being noticed.
Gina’s car was parked out in front of O’Leary’s Pub. I glimpsed her as she disappeared through the doorway with another woman whose bleached hair was three shades brighter than Gina’s.
“Who are you?” I said to the woman’s retreating form. There was no way I was going into the pub to find out. Gina would know I was there.
I guess that’s my cue to go home, I thought to myself. I kept going past the pub and back the way I had come from.
***
Jesse had cooked a pot of chilly. It smelled divine after sitting in the half-frozen car for more than an hour.
“It looks like you need to thaw out.” Jesse grinned as he held both of my hands in his warm grasp. He was broad, and his dark hair suited his features, although his hairline was receding.
“It was cold out,” I admitted. “When did you learn to cook?”
“My mom taught me when I was a kid. At home, she does most of the cooking since I work crazy hours.”
“That’s nice of her.” I felt a slight pang of envy. My mother wasn’t around to cook my favorites anymore. She had died in a car accident several years ago, or I thought she did until a woman who could be her long-lost twin showed up on a tactical team in Alexandria and bailed me out of a nasty situation.
Amelia came out of the guest room with her pigtails crooked, rubbing her eyes. Jesse turned to his tiny daughter and swept her up into an enormous bear hug. “There’s my sweetheart. Did you have a good nap?”
I missed that, too, being around my dad. He was still living in California, less than a mile from Jesse, but here lately, I could never pin him down for a phone call. My frustration with his strange behavior grew by the day.
Amelia giggled, squirming to get free from her dad’s hug.
“The price is one kiss.” Jesse pointed to his cheek, and his daughter kissed him. He lowered her to the ground, and she ran to the couch where her stuffed bear was waiting.
“You’re a great dad,” I said.
Jesse took his eyes off his daughter to answer me, “Thanks, I try. It’s being a mom that’s the tough part.” Jesse’s wife had died not long after his daughter was born.
I nodded. “I bet it would be hard to be both.”
Jesse nodded but he didn’t elaborate. He gestured toward the front porch. “Come on, let’s take Milly out, and you can tell me about your stakeout.”
Hearing her name, my rescue dog, Milly, hopped up from her bed, stretched, and headed for the door.
“Well, she knows what you’re talking about.”
Jesse and I went outside with Milly, leaving Amelia entertaining herself with her bear and a doll on the couch.
Jesse closed the door behind us. “Well, I know you spotted her, but did you find out anything?”
“She looked rough, like she was sick or something. I followed her. She went into a pub with another woman.”
“So, you are no closer to knowing if she is dangerous.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “She shouldn’t be.”
Jesse put his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t know that.”
I shook my head. He was right. There was no way to know if Gina was a threat—not without getting closer. “I want to list the cabin.”
“What? I thought this was your home base.”
“It was, but too much has happened here. I need to get out of here. It’s time.” My mind raced through the time I spent here harboring Ryan Kain. I looked up at the tree line, remembering the drone I shot down while he was here. I didn’t know what happened to my former partner, turned fugi
tive, after the last showdown with the George family, but I doubted I would see him or his sister again.
Jesse looked me in the eye, trying to read the emotion I wasn’t ready to share. “It’s your place. If you want to sell it, then you should.” There was hope there. I knew Jesse wanted me to move closer to him and Amelia in California, where my dad lived. I wasn’t ready to tell him I didn’t have a plan past investigating Gina and leaving this cabin and its memories behind me.
I nodded. Before I could answer, Milly nudged her nose under my hand, demanding my attention. She knew my emotional strain without me telling her. I kneeled and gave her a good scratch. “Such a good girl,” you have perfect timing. I finished the sentence in my mind.
Chapter 2
Jesse and I sat down on the couch with our chili. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until I found a news station.
Jesse raised an eyebrow. “The news, no movie tonight?”
“I’m cartooned out.” I laughed. The fallout from the mess of an investigation I’d left back in Alexandria crept into my thoughts.
“Well, if that’s what you want to watch, I’m good with it. I just hope I don’t see anything work-related.”
“I think you’re safe. It’s almost time to rejoin the real world and get back to work, anyway.”
“That’s no fun,” Jesse said, smirking.
We listened to news about a blizzard in the Midwest and about somebody raising money to filter the trash from the ocean.
The third story was about a body that was found in Crystal Rock in Erie County, Ohio. The victim was about my age. A photograph of the woman flashed on the screen. “They have identified the body as Dana Myer of Sandusky, Ohio.” The camera panned out, so the anchor could appear beside the photo.
I stared at the image, dumbfounded. I knew her. She was older now. There were no more braces and glasses, but there was no mistaking it. Dana Myer was the same Dana Yeaman who was my best friend during high school.
What in the world happened to her? I wondered. Murdered? I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Jesse felt me stiffen. I leaned forward, trying to catch every detail the news broadcast offered.
“Avery?” he asked.
I held up my index finger. I needed him to give me a minute.
The anchor droned on. “This is the second body found in the Crystal Rock area this month. Authorities are not commenting as to the identity of the first victim or if they believe the cases are related. If you believe you have information, contact your local police department.”
The show cut to a commercial showing a woman on a horse. I didn’t wait to see what they were trying to sell.
“Avery, what’s wrong?” Jesse asked.
“I knew that lady. They one they found murdered.”
“You did? How did you know her?” Jesse eased me back into his arms, cradling me against him.
“She was my friend, my best friend back in high school. They found her body less than ten miles from where we grew up. I haven’t heard from her in years.”
“Oh, sweetie. I am so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to find out this way.”
“I know. It’s awful. Dana was the nicest person. I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt her.”
“People do crazy things. I guess she may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I guess so.” I wanted that to be true. I wanted whatever happened to Dana to be an open and shut case. But the second body in the same area wasn’t likely to be a coincidence.
We watched most of the rest of the broadcast before I realized my food had gone cold, and I still hadn’t eaten it.
“Do you want me to heat your chili?” I stood up to head to the kitchen area. “I didn’t realize it was getting cold.”
Jesse shot me an apologetic smile. “Sure, that would be great.”
It was kind of him not to mention that he could have been eating his food instead of holding me while I had an emotional moment.
***
“It’s hard to believe that it’s time to head back home to California already.” Jesse hoisted Amelia’s pink sparkly suitcase into the trunk of my SUV. We had returned his rental car early to make the early morning departure smoother.
“I’ll miss Milly.” Amelia bent down and petted Milly. She gave Amelia a lick on the cheek for her trouble.
“I know you will. She’ll miss you, too. I’m sure of it.” I petted Milly and gave Amelia what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
“You can’t come back and stay with us at our house?” Amelia was working up to a pout. I could see it building.
“Not this time. But I’ll tell you what, I’m going to visit my dad soon, and I’ll see you and your dad when I’m in town.”
“Fun. Who is your dad?”
“His name is Bill Rich. I think you met him.”
Amelia shook her head. Her pigtails bounced back and forth, almost smacking her cheeks. I liked the look; it reminded me of when I was a little girl. “I don’t remember.”
“That’s okay,” I said.
“I bet you would remember him if you saw him,” Jesse prompted Amelia. “Remember, he had a new dog. It was a brown dog, a chocolate lab.”
Amelia smiled, showing off tiny white baby teeth. “Oh yeah, I remember that dog. Her name is Coco. The nice lady told me.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Was Amelia talking about my mother’s lookalike who had shown up out of nowhere? “What was the lady’s name?”
Amelia put her finger on her lips like a fussy old lady. “I don’t know.” She shrugged.
“That’s all right. Maybe I can meet her when I visit.”
Jesse looked at me with his brow creased. “So when are you coming?”
“The day after tomorrow. I have to put the cabin on the market. I already called Gina Meadors to let her know.” Jesse scowled.
He thought I was crazy for doing business with her again, but I couldn’t prove she was involved in any of Keith Johnson’s plans. Gina had introduced him to me to upgrade the office space I was renting, but he was on the George family’s payroll and double-crossed them. I wanted to know what the connection was and to do that I had to have a reason to reach out to her.
Jesse put his suitcase in the trunk. “I think you should hire someone else. Leave that one alone.”
“You worry too much.” The irony of what I said hit me after I had spoken. Jesse had witnessed an attempt on my life. He had every reason to worry.
“You want to sell this place? It’s kind of a shame. The view is beautiful.” Jesse looked out over the Rockies from my Allenspark home.
“You can’t beat the view. I used this place to hide away from my problems. If the George family will leave me alone, then it is time I rejoin the real world. Plus, I owe my dad a visit.” And he owes me an explanation, I thought to myself.
Jesse helped Amelia into the car before opening the door for me. I slid into the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition. “Hmm,” I said, reaching down beside the seat and pulling the electric switch to adjust the seat, so I could reach the pedals. Jesse had driven the car to get take out last night, and his legs were way longer than mine.
I turned on the radio and sang along with some nineties’ grunge band. There were things left unsaid between Jesse and me. He only knew some about my confrontation with the George family, a political family who had tried to have me killed when I’d uncovered their actual intentions for profit and power. I wanted to keep things honest and open, but it seemed like for each door I closed, something new took its place.
I knew I could take a job in California near my dad. The chief of police there, David Morris, had already offered me a position several times. But I wasn’t sure that was the next step in my career. Career was putting things broadly; I hadn’t had a paying job for more than a year.
Jesse reached out and turned the radio down a little, breaking me out of my train of thought. “Avery, wh
at’s on your mind?”
“Oh, nothing much.” I was becoming a terrible liar. I was terrified, grieving my former partner’s death, or was it his disappearance? And I wasn’t sure if I was safe from the fallout from my past few investigations.
“It feels like something is bothering you.”
“I’m fine. What do you want to do when I get to town?”
“Well, there is a food truck festival downtown. I thought it would be fun if we checked it out.”
“That sounds perfect. Will Amelia come along?”
“No, not for that. My mom has missed seeing her. She’s due for some serious grandma time.”
“Grandma?” Amelia chimed in from the back seat. It surprised me that she hadn’t fallen asleep, as she often seemed to do on car rides.
“Yes, Grandma. Won’t you be glad to see her today?” Jesse grinned over his shoulder at his daughter. A lump formed in my throat. I remembered when I was the little girl and my dad smiled at me like that. My dad was a sore subject. We spent Christmas together, but since then it seemed like he’d been dodging me in favor of spending quality time with a mystery woman.
Chapter 3
I stuffed the camera and some wire I had detached from around the office doorframes into a cardboard paper box. As I detached each piece of the elaborate security booby-trap in the old office building, I thought of Ryan Kain and how he had set the system up to keep us safe. His plan had worked; he had trapped two men.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Jesse. We just landed. Amelia’s worn out.
I bet. Glad you made it there safely. I didn’t tell him I was at the office. I didn’t tell him I was meeting Gina there. I wanted to see if Gina would make a move or if she was just a bystander in the George family’s last attempt to interfere in my life. I patted my jacket, making sure my gun was situated where I could reach it.
After placing the last set of speakers in the second box I taped the lids shut. No other tenants would be likely to appreciate the homemade system for security. But most other tenants didn’t have to look over their shoulder all the time. That was my new normal, but it had kept me alive this long. I shivered as I remembered that Ryan Kain had also kept me alive, but I may have failed to return the favor.
