Elementary in Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  A frown pulled at Grady’s mouth as he sat back. His eyes shifted from Erica to Jerry and back again. “I saw Gregg all over town. I don’t know why I’m here.”

  “To talk about Gregg Eastman’s murder,” Jerry said.

  Grady’s eyes flicked to Jerry for a moment. “I didn’t do it.”

  “One of your delivery trucks was brought to Gabe’s Garage for service,” Erica said.

  Grady gave a half shrug. “It’s leaking something. Gabe has the contract to service our fleet. He works on all of our trucks.”

  Erica smiled. “That doesn’t explain the bloody jacket Gabe found hidden underneath the driver’s side seat. The jacket has Gregg Eastman’s blood on it.”

  Grady huffed out a sound of disbelief. He shook his head. “You’re lying.”

  Erica leaned forward and pressed one finger against the table while maintaining eye contact. “The jacket has your name on it.”

  Grady stopped shaking his head and stared back at Erica for several long moments. “I want my lawyer.”

  A short time later, Erica and Jerry stood on the other side of the door.

  “What was that?” Jerry asked. “When you told him about the jacket.”

  Erica brought her arms up and looped her hands behind her neck as she shook her head. “Were you watching his eyes?”

  Jerry looked back at the closed door. “He knows something.”

  “You got that right.” Erica dropped her hands as she turned to walk away. “Let’s go. We aren’t getting anything else from him now. We need to get out there and find the evidence.”

  ***

  Jerry could hear a television blaring loudly from within the house. The man that answered the door scowled at him. Jerry checked his notes.

  “Mr. Stanko?”

  “That’s me. Ralph Stanko.” He crossed hairy arms over a white tee shirt and rested them on his stomach. When the noise from the television grew a little louder, Ralph twisted to watch what was happening.

  “Mind if I ask a few questions about your neighbors?” Jerry asked.

  “What’s that?” The scowl was back as Ralph returned his focus to the unwanted police officer on his front porch.

  “Your neighbors,” Jerry repeated.

  Ralph peered out through the door as though expecting to see his neighbors. “Which ones?”

  “Grady and Rhonda Waters.”

  Suddenly, Ralph looked interested. “Turn that down,” he shouted behind him before stepping through the door to join Jerry on the porch. “You here about the complaints? It’s about time.”

  The noise from the television ceased abruptly.

  “Complaints?” Jerry said.

  Ralph pointed to his left. “Look at that.”

  Jerry eyed the large billboard across the street. It was for Waters Food.

  “They built their business right on their farm. That shouldn’t be allowed. Do you have any idea what kind of traffic we have here because of them?” Ralph was still pointing. “It never ends. It’s not just during the day. They load the trucks up at night for deliveries. They’re going in and out all the time.”

  Jerry imagined it would be pretty bad. “You must have known it was a business when you bought the place.”

  Ralph’s hands went up. “We were here first. That was just a farm when we moved in. Not a multimillion-dollar company that ships food all over.”

  “Can you tell me anything about the owners?” Jerry asked.

  Ralph pointed again. “Yeah. They need to move their business somewhere else.”

  ***

  She read the signs in the yard as she approached the front door of the house. Most of them had red circles with lines drawn over the image or message. All of them appeared to be referencing Waters Food. The woman that answered the door reminded Erica of an older version of Lauren. She was pretty sure the stuff on the woman’s shirt was flour.

  Erica removed her sunglasses. “Rosie Godsey?”

  “Yes?” Rosie was wiping her hands on a towel.

  The aroma of something good wafted out of the house with Rosie as she stepped out onto a large wraparound porch.

  Erica tried to remember the last time she ate. “I’d like to ask some questions about your neighbors. You ever hear of any problems over there?”

  “Problems?” Rosie’s eyes went from Erica to the business a short way down the road.

  “With Grady and Rhonda Waters?” Erica prompted.

  Rosie’s lips turned down as she continued to stare down the road. “They’re pushing a lot of bad food out into the market.”

  Erica eyed the signs in Rosie’s yard. They had the same negative theme regarding the Waters Food products.

  “They’re too high in fat, for one thing,” Rosie said as her eyes returned to Erica. “And they should be using more natural ingredients.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Erica tried again. “I’m talking more specifically about the owners of Waters Food. What can you tell me about them?”

  Rosie’s frown returned. “I don’t have anything to do with them.” She paused while a noisy truck with the Waters Food logo on the side motored past. “I don’t like the noise of the trucks either.”

  Erica heard the faint sound of a buzzer going off in the distance.

  “That’s my cake. I need to go get it.” Rosie turned back toward the door.

  Erica thanked her for her time and moved on to the next neighbor.

  ***

  Jerry waited for the Waters Food truck to go past before repeating himself. “I’m Officer Jerry Stevens. I’d like to ask you some questions about your neighbors.” He pulled his notepad out. “You are?”

  “Vicki. Vicki Pappas.” She watched him write it down. “What’s this about?”

  Jerry used his pen to point toward Waters Food. “Rhonda and Grady Waters.”

  Vicki smiled. “My husband works there. He says they’re nice people to work for.”

  “Yeah? Can you give any examples?”

  Vicki didn’t hesitate. “I like that they give back to the community a lot. Most of the time, people don’t even know it.”

  “They’re pretty active in the community?” Jerry asked.

  Vicki looked fondly toward Waters Food. “They are and in a lot of little ways, too. Like with the softball team.”

  Jerry made a note then thanked her for her time before moving to the next neighbor.

  Chapter Seventeen

  This time when she pulled into Megan’s driveway, she told herself she shouldn’t be surprised to find little activity. She didn’t see any vehicles anywhere. It looked like no one was home. LeAnn was about to reverse course and leave when she saw movement in the barnyard. The creature she saw was like no rooster she’d ever seen.

  Of course, she could only really remember seeing cartoon versions of roosters. She had no idea what real ones were like. This one turned his head in an odd way as though staring at her with one eye. After studying her for a moment or two, he seemed to puff up in size then screech a noise. The noise sounded nothing like the cartoon version. She wondered how realistic cartoons really were.

  Whatever the case, this rooster seemed unusually friendly as he moved closer toward her car. Of course, she wasn’t positive he was being friendly. Maybe he was just curious? She was so busy watching the rooster that she didn’t notice Megan’s mother crossing the barnyard toward her.

  Sharon paused to speak with the rooster then continued toward LeAnn with rooster in tow. LeAnn opened her car door and stepped out. Her heart was warmed when Aaron smiled at the sight of her and held his hands out. Without thinking, she reached for him.

  “Hey, little man. Are you out looking at the animals?” LeAnn smiled a greeting at Sharon. “Sorry to drop in like this. I was hoping to talk to Megan.”

  “She’s meeting with some of the businesspeople in town today.” Sharon reached over and adjusted the knit cap on Aaron’s head. “We were talking to the donkeys.”

  LeAnn looked across the barnyard.
The miniature donkeys were standing near the fence. At the mention of them, Aaron turned to look. He leaned over in LeAnn’s arms as though wanting to go back.

  “I think someone still wants to see them,” LeAnn said.

  “I’m not surprised. I think he’d sleep with them if he could.” Sharon began moving that way. The rooster followed them, pausing periodically to inspect something he saw along the way. “Megan might not be back until later this afternoon.”

  “She’s lucky.” It came out before she realized. She glanced at Sharon. “I meant that you are here to watch Aaron. That must be so nice.”

  “I think so.” Sharon grinned. “I keep telling myself that I need to find a real job but, for now I’m content staying with him.”

  LeAnn stopped at the fence. She’d seen the donkeys on previous visits with Gabe but this was the first time she was close enough to pet one. She wondered if they would mind. Aaron didn’t share her hesitation. He threw his weight toward the fence to reach inside.

  “Wow.” LeAnn laughed. “You can move pretty fast.”

  “You’ll burn a lot of calories trying to keep up with him,” Sharon agreed as she leaned against the fence.

  LeAnn thought about Sharon’s previous comment. “What kind of job are you looking for?”

  “I have no idea.” Sharon sighed as she propped her arms on the fence and rested her chin on her hands. “I thought about starting my own company. Maybe event planning, that sort of thing.”

  “What’s holding you back?” LeAnn tightened her hold on Aaron as he reached for the second donkey.

  “Beats me. I feel like I have half of a good idea but I’m worried that I’m missing something.” Sharon smiled at Aaron’s joy when his fingers touched fur. “I don’t want to leap into something and regret it five minutes later.”

  LeAnn understood the feeling. “I know what you mean. I want to change the field I’m in too.”

  “What’s holding you back?”

  LeAnn gave a lopsided smile at getting her own words back. She realized it was a more difficult question than she’d first imagined. “Same thing, I guess. I don’t want to regret the wrong choice.”

  “Well, aren’t we a pair?” Sharon straightened from the fence. “I know that I like throwing parties.”

  “Sounds like something an event planner would do,” LeAnn said.

  Sharon was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, but then I think back to the kind of parties I enjoyed. They involved kids. Children are so much more fun than adults, don’t you think? I just haven’t figured out if formal weddings and such things are my cup of tea. Speaking of which, would you like some?”

  Aaron was looking toward the house, his focus no longer on the donkeys that had moved away from the fence.

  “Sounds good.” LeAnn turned and began walking with Sharon across the barnyard. Once again, the rooster fell in with their plans and moved with them. “He’s a hoot.”

  “He thinks he’s human,” Sharon said. “Not only that, he’s jealous of Dan.”

  LeAnn couldn’t imagine such a thing. Aaron was focused on the rooster who chose to lead the way. “I think children are more fun too. I’ve never had the chance to spend a lot of time with them.”

  “You must be a natural,” Sharon said as she began climbing the steps to the porch. “Children can always tell.”

  “I think it’s what I want to do,” LeAnn said quietly as she followed Sharon into the kitchen. It was the first time she’d said the words out loud. She discovered that hearing them didn’t scare her as much as she thought they would.

  “What does that mean in terms of a job?” Sharon reached for Aaron to put him in his high chair. “Would you want to be a teacher?”

  LeAnn thought back to her own memories of school. “Maybe. I guess I was thinking in terms of younger kids though.”

  Sharon put the kettle on the stove then reached for the tea tin. “What kind of tea sounds good?”

  “Megan made some teaberry tea for me the last time. That seemed really good.”

  Sharon’s hands froze for a moment as she reached for the tea mugs. “Teaberry it is.”

  “What about you? What age do you like the best?” LeAnn asked.

  “I think life was really exciting when Megan and her friends were little. Everything was so new to them. I enjoyed seeing the world through their eyes as they learned about it for the first time.” Sharon put the tea bags into the mugs then turned around and leaned against the counter while she waited for the kettle to whistle. “What about a daycare?”

  “You mean, working in one?” LeAnn’s eyes went to Aaron. “I could see that.”

  “You would have more control if you owned it,” Sharon pointed out.

  “What?”

  Sharon smiled at LeAnn’s surprise. “Think about it. You would be the one to make the decisions about how it was run.”

  LeAnn told herself not to be tempted. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “I’m sure there are classes to help.”

  “Gabe mentioned taking classes,” LeAnn murmured.

  “There’s the business incubator to help. The one that Ross McMann runs.” Sharon turned when the kettle whistled and filled the tea mugs.

  LeAnn reached for the mug Sharon passed to her. “Thanks.” She tried to remember if she ever sat down with her mother and cup of tea just to talk. No memories came to mind. “You think Mr. McMann would be able to help?”

  Sharon took a seat. “I think it would be worth the time to ask him.”

  ***

  Megan pulled into Waters Food just as her phone buzzed. After parking in front of the office, she read the message from Gabe. Twice. Her eyes went up to the large window in front of her. She could see Rhonda Waters waiting for her. Megan got out of the car and walked into the office, her mind racing as she went.

  Megan pushed the office door closed behind her after stepping inside. “I’m so sorry. I just heard about your husband. I can come back some other time.”

  Rhonda wrapped her arms around herself. “No, that’s alright. Work first. It will take my mind from whatever is going on with Grady.”

  “You’re sure?” Megan saw Rhonda’s hesitation. It didn’t last long.

  Rhonda managed a smile. “I’m positive. I need something to keep my brain busy. You’re here about Caitlyn’s ad campaign?”

  Megan launched into the short speech she’d been using on everyone she visited. At the end, she mentioned the donation from Waters Food. “It was very generous.”

  “And we will continue to support Caitlyn’s initiative to market the town. I was thinking about when we first started out.” Rhonda’s smile seemed sad. “It was a small operation then.”

  “You sold produce in front of your farm?” Megan watched Rhonda nod agreement. “I’m planning to do that this year. Now that we have a little one, I just don’t want to drag him to the town square every weekend.”

  “We didn’t have little ones, but we never really thought about selling anywhere except from here.” She moved toward the front window to look out. “Everything else just sort of grew from there.” She turned to offer a wry smile. “Pardon the pun. We now grow some of what is needed for our products. The rest is outsourced, of course. But we try to include as many local farmers as possible.”

  Megan glanced at the advertisements hanging on the walls. “You have a new product coming out?”

  Rhonda shook herself from her thoughts. She turned to look at the ads. “Yeah. We’re pretty excited about it. A new recipe for us. I think people will like it.”

  “I should let you go.” Megan moved toward the door. “Thanks for agreeing to the new promotional idea. I’ll add Waters Food to the list and get things moving with it.”

  Rhonda’s smile seemed tired as she nodded a goodbye. Megan returned to her car and wondered if she could be so professional if the situation was reversed and Dan was the one being questioned by the police for murder. She doubted it.

  Chapter Eighteen
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br />   Rhys checked his mirrors then sped up. “Domestic disturbance?”

  “Yeah. Take the next left.” Ian reached for the on-board computer. “Neighbors are saying it’s pretty loud.”

  “Any reports of violence?” Rhys asked as he made the turn.

  “Not yet. Just a couple doing a lot of shouting. With any luck, they’ll have calmed down before we get there.” Ian looked through the windshield. “The address must be near the end of the street.”

  “What’ve you got on them?” Rhys asked as he looked around the neighborhood.

  Ian checked the computer. “Married couple. Name is Moody.”

  Rhys frowned as he began to slow. “Why does that sound familiar?”

  “This one.” Ian pointed at a house. “Sounds familiar to me too. Kirk and Salina Moody.”

  “Isn’t that one of Jerry and Erica’s suspects in the murder case? Kirk Moody?” Rhys pulled to the side of the street and cut the engine.

  “I believe it is.” Ian reached the front door first. He shot Rhys a look when they heard shouting inside then began pounding on the door.

  The noise inside immediately stopped. A moment later, a woman opened the door. She pulled the sides of a lightweight sweater closed across her front then crossed her arms when she saw the two officers.

  “Can I help you?” Salina shifted her eyes between the two men.

  “That’s what we’re here to ask you,” Rhys said. “Neighbors reported a disturbance.”

  Salina’s eyes went past them and scanned the neighborhood as her lip curled. “Idiots.”

  “We’ll need to check on your husband,” Ian said.

  Salina began to argue but stopped when she looked at Ian. Without a word, she pushed the door open wide then stalked through the house to the living room. Rather than stand next to her husband, she faced him and pointed at the two officers that joined them.

  “This is your fault.” Her voice held anger.

  Kirk’s mouth opened in surprise but it took a moment for the words to come out. When they finally did, they were loud. “You’re the one who had the affair with Gregg Eastman. How can you blame me for this?”