"You're being awfully quiet this morning Kim. Any thoughts on what our next steps should be?"
"To be honest, Megan, I'm just taking it all in. This is the first time I've been included in one of your investigations. I had no idea how thorough you are, and just how instinctive your investigative skills are. I think you will be a match for Detective Carson."
"It's not a competition, Kim."
"No, you're right, it's not. It's much more important, and my grandfather's freedom is in jeopardy right now. And I haven't told you my other news. Because of Detective Carson's call to the paper, my bosses won’t let me write the story because of the close ties I share with a suspect. Again, they're calling my grandfather a suspect. So not only is Detective Carson posing a threat to my family, but now he's getting in the way of my career. And you know how important that is to me."
Megan looked at the girl in astonishment. She was amazed at how insightful Kim sounded and surprised that she acknowledged how ambitious she was about her job. She had never made it a secret she wanted to advance in the world of reporting and that Citrus Beach was only a stepping stone for her.
"I realize you and I have been at odds before, Megan, but I'm here to do whatever you need me to do. Let's get this sorted through and get things back to normal."
In a surprise gesture Kim held her hand out for Megan to shake. Megan looked at the younger woman and saw she was sincere. Without hesitation, she reached out and shook the other woman's hand, wondering if they should pinky swear as well.
And with that handshake, it seemed as if the final tension in the air cleared, and there was a collective sigh of relief from the entire group. Colonel Heart looked over his granddaughter, pride beaming on his face.
"Did you know that they took my grandfather in the back room for fingerprints?" Kim continued. "The detective told me they didn't need my prints because they were on file. How that came to be, I don't know."
"That's not unusual, Kim. They will fingerprint anybody connected with the crime, even if it's for the simple reason of elimination. And if the detective was worth his salt, he will check every one of us to see what criminal record we might have. Your prints are on file because you've trespassed once or twice trying to get a story, remember?"
Aiden broke in before Kim could get all worked up again by explaining the basics procedures to her. Kim simply smiled at him sweetly, waiting for him to finish and then she added her bombshell to the conversation
"Well, that might be all fine and dandy, but it was his mistake. Because when he took my grandfather to the other room he left me alone in his office."
"Kim, what did you do?" Charlotte asked with suspicion.
"Nothing illegal and nothing that would harm the case. I just looked at the things lying on top of his desk." She paused to see the reaction her words would bring and wasn't disappointed. Everyone asked questions. At this point they didn't care whether it was legal or not that she was snooping around the detective's desk. All they wanted to find out was what she had found.
Megan brought things back into focus with a simple question. “What did you see – and did you leave it there?”
"Megan, you mentioned that you were looking for a clipboard you had seen the victim with earlier in the day. Well, the board was on the detective's desk. I took a really good look at it— "
"Do you think you can remember anything on that list?" interrupted Mrs. Purdy, her interest piqued.
With a coy smile, Kim reached into her back pocket and pulled out her cell phone, holding it up for the older woman to see.
"Isn't modern technology a great thing? I didn’t touch one piece of evidence. I didn't trespass, and I didn't leave fingerprints. But I took a lot of pictures of anything that looked important on his desk."
Grinning openly now, Kim told Megan she would forward all the picture she taken to her. She explained why wouldn't send them to the FBI consultant – she didn’t want any trails leading back to Aiden. It was important that he stay involved with the detective. If there was any suspicion he was in any way trying to undermine the man's investigation, then he would be excluded just as Megan had.
As she began the process of sending the information to Megan's email, Charlotte looked at the clock over the kitchen counter and gave a small gasp
"Darn it! I need to be down at the station to give my statement in 15 minutes. Adele, they want yours as well, we'd better get a move on."
With a flurry of activity, the two women left. The colonel looked at his granddaughter and suggested that they leave too.
"Let's give Megan and Aiden time to examine what you sent them and maybe they can add more Post-It notes on that glass door. I suggest we all get together this evening and go over any new developments."
Megan and Aiden agreed with the Colonel's suggestion and in no time the kitchen was quiet again. The two of them stood looking at each other and then walked over to the sliding door to look at the Post-It notes and decide on what their next step would be.
Chapter 12
Before they got too involved, the phone rang. Leaving Aiden to contemplate the notes in front of him, Megan walked over to the kitchen phone and answered. It was Lucy, checking in to find out if all was well and if there had been any new developments.
For the second time that morning, Megan went over everything with her friend. She heard Paul in the background, asking questions. After a few minutes, she also heard her niece and nephew asking about fishing supplies. Megan smiled to herself as she heard Paul give an answer that must have pleased the kids because there was a round of cheers.
Megan understood Sunday was family day, without exception. Often, she was included in the fun, but today she wouldn’t participate.
“Lucy, you go with the kids and have a good day. Forget about this for the day and enjoy your family. We can catch up tomorrow. I’ll bring coffee and muffins to your shop and we can work and compare notes then. And tell Paul if the detective can’t get a hold of you, then he’ll just have to wait for your statements. In other words, don’t answer your cell phone unless you recognize the number.”
They spoke for a moment longer before Megan hung up the phone, a smile spreading across her lips, happy for her cousin’s happiness. Then she glanced over at the clock and back to Aiden.
“I may as well make the call. You know Emma and Taylor will want to know what’s going on too. And then we can concentrate.”
“That sounds like a perfect plan. While you’re doing that, I’m going to check if there has been any response from the agency about that information on the flash drive I sent over last night.”
Megan was already dialing the number to the farm where the two girls lived and worked as he walked by her. He knew from experience he would have plenty of time to talk to his contacts and get as much information as he could. Once Emma got on the phone with her mother, the two of them talked for hours. He didn’t understand what they had to talk about for so long, but he remembered his own mother and sister were the same way. Megan blew him a kiss, and then she was deep in conversation with Emma.
Sure enough, when he returned to the kitchen, they were still talking. Not wanting to interrupt, Aiden called to the two dogs and headed out to walk the loop of the airstrip that ran in a circular direction around a large portion of the ten acres. It was perfect for running or walking the dogs, and they knew they could run freely when he was with them.
By the time Aiden returned, with two very worn out dogs, Megan had finished her phone call and was standing by the printer at her desk, grabbing the pages as they came out. After giving the dogs a treat and fresh water he walked over to check what she was working on now.
"Are those the pictures Kim took?" Picking one out of her hands, he looked glanced over it. "It's a good thing she has a photographer that follows her around." He laughed as he tried to make out what was in the picture in his hand.
"They're not all bad. You can tell as she got more confident because the pictures got better. The one yo
u got your hand is probably the first one she took. I think her hands were shaking."
When the last picture came out of the printer, Megan picked the pile up and walked over to the kitchen counter where they could both look at them. Before Aiden picked up the first one, she asked him how he had made out with his contacts in the FBI.
"They said they had part of the code cracked, and figure by tomorrow they’d have all the information for me. I’ll work from my office where it’s secure and get that information so we can get an idea of what's going on around here."
"That will work. I just promised Lucy that I would be over at the shop to help her in the morning. And I'm sure that Joe will want to talk to us as well. I guess it's a good thing you're not working on an active case right now."
"Or you don't have any major functions or projects in the works."
The two of them were silent for a moment, each looking over the pictures that Megan had printed out. After a few moments, Megan turned to Aiden, hoping he would have answers.
"Well, does anything stick out?"
"At first glance, I can tell you that Detective Carson keeps a cluttered desk. Not very organized at all."
"Oh you."
She gave him a playful nudge at his attempt at humor. But his words had the effect he was hoping for; he got a smile out of the woman next to him, and oh how he loved that smile.
"It’s time to get serious. There must be something on these pictures that can give us a clue. Maybe we'll find something that the detective won't recognize or understand because he’s not from Citrus Beach."
Aiden nodded his head in agreement and scrutinized the picture in his hand more closely.
"I think this picture might be of that missing clipboard you were looking for, Megan,"
Eager to see what he had in his hand, she stepped closer to him giving him an excuse to put his arms around her waist. She looked at him with a smile and then pointed back to the picture.
“I think you're right, Aiden. I remember noticing that she had a purple paper clip running through the hole at the top of the clipboard just like this one does. Can you read what's on it?”
Aiden squinted his eyes and shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t read what the picture was showing them. Without hesitation, they walked over to her printer and adjusted a few digital measurements to print an enlarged copy of the photo. Now they could both easily see what was on the clipboard. It would just take two sheets instead of one.
Now as they read the lettering on the papers, it took little time to realize that it was a list of names.
"You know what? I might have to check my roster list, but I'm almost positive each of these names belongs to somebody who was storing a vehicle at the museum. Am I right?"
It took Aiden a couple more seconds before he answered her. He was more familiar with the ins and outs of how the museum worked on a day-to-day basis and who Joe and Paul gotten to donate their cars for the show’s gala.
"I would say a large majority of these names are owners of vehicles being stored at the museum. But there are other names on here I don't recognize. I mean I know them because I see them day to day, but I don't recognize them from participating in the museum, other than as a guest."
"But the common denominator on these names is the museum. Whether they contributed money or vehicles or were simply high-end guests that were invited to the gala. That should be a starting point. Whatever Lisa Fox was murdered for has something to do with the museum."
What Megan suggested made perfect sense, but Aiden had a feeling it wasn't that cut and dry. There was something else going on and he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Picking up the rest of the pictures he walked over to the long counter that served as a bar that divided the kitchen from the sitting area and lay the pictures outside by side. Once in place, he studied them for a few moments and then rearranged their order. Megan stood watching him, occasionally moving a picture herself when she thought he might have missed something.
They worked in silence, but it was a companionable silence and occasionally, they would exchange smiles and knowing looks. They were back on another case together, and it felt good. One picture was of a second list of names written by a scrolling, almost illegible hand. It wasn’t the same person with the flowery script who had written the names on Lisa's clipboard. It was hard to make out those names, but once she did Megan gave a little gasp
"I think I’ve found the detective’s suspect list. Some of these names he has written are ridiculous. There's no way they would be involved in something like this. It'll be a waste of time if he investigates every person he has written down on this list. Do you think I should tell him?"
Aiden agreed with her and looked over the pictures one more time but nothing else stood out. But it was early in the detective’s investigation and he may not have found very much. Megan was just glad that Kim had had the foresight to take the pictures when she had the opportunity.
The spent the rest of the morning alternating between examining the pictures and playing with the dogs. With all the preparation and extra work that Megan and Aiden had put into the opening of the museum, they hadn’t spent their usual time with the animals.
By lunch time they were getting antsy from being in one place for too long. That, along with feeling frustrated over the lack of communication with anyone from the police, had Megan pacing. Aiden knew her well enough to recognize the signs she was getting impatient and decided that a little distraction was in order.
“It’s time to go for a ride. Go put on some beach clothes and I’ll grab the gear. Getting away from all of this for an hour or two is what we need.” Aiden simply kissed her when she protested, and as she pulled away from the kiss, she laughed and admitted he was right.
“If we’re including the dogs, I’ve put together a new basket for them. It’s right next to the one we always take. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.” Without waiting for an answer, Megan ran up to her room to change.
While she was busy doing that, Aiden made a call to Susie’s Diner and ordered a picnic lunch to be ready for takeout. Then he went to the mud room to get the two bags. Years ago, Megan had started the habit of always having a bag ready to grab on the go. Most often their trips would lead to the beach, so there was always towels, sunscreen, and hats in the bag. Her camera was hanging on the hook next to the bags and Aiden dropped it into one.
The dogs had followed him out to the room and their tails wagged as they watched him pick up the second bag. Inside they knew were toys and treats. Barney gave a bark of approval.
“Like she had to ask if you two were going,” Aiden mumbled to the dogs looking up at him expectantly.
Chapter 13
Aiden was right. Getting away from the house was just what they needed. He kept quiet about his plans, wanting to surprise Megan.
A short time later Megan was smiling to herself as Aiden turned on the blinkers in his car to pull in to Susie's Diner. She knew he enjoyed the house special, a club sandwich of Susie's making and especially the key lime pie that was always on the menu. But when he drove past the main parking lot and pulled around to the back where the kitchen door was she broke into an excited grin. She guessed what would happen next, it had become one of Aiden's favorite ways to spend quiet time with Megan. When Susie's father opened the door to the kitchen and came out with a picnic basket, she knew her assumption was right. There had been many afternoons the two of them spent with a picnic lunch sitting on the beach at Neptune's Trident.
The beach’s sand was pristine white, and there were areas where you can find the best shells along the coastline. It backed up to a nature preserve, and it wasn't unusual to find a bobcat wandering through the tropical foliage, and the bird watching was exceptional. Neptune's Trident was special to the two of them. They had almost met an untimely death there at the hands of a vengeful killer during the first case they’d worked together.
The closer they got to the ocean, the more excited the dogs in the ba
ck seat became. They could smell the salty sea air and remembered there would be time to run along the beach and play their favorite game of chasing the sea terns. Aiden parked in the car lot, and making sure the dogs were on their leashes, before leading the way to the beach pathway. There they found pavilions with picnic tables set up for beach-goers to sit and enjoy. After they devoured the lunch Susie had packed for them, they cleaned up their garbage and left the basket sitting on the table while they joined hands and walked along the beach. The dogs raced ahead of them, chasing the birds, especially one noisy seagull that kept swooping down to steal the sticks Aiden was throwing for the dogs. The waves of the ocean rolling across the shore created a calm and peaceful afternoon, just what they needed to clear their minds.
"Thank you, Aiden this is a perfect way to spend the afternoon."
"It is, isn’t it?" Coming to a stop, Aiden twisted Megan around to face him and pulled her close for a kiss. After a few enjoyable moments, he suggested they head back.
"How about if we stop at my office before we head over to the Colonel's?"
"Sure. You've got something on your mind, don't you?"
"I thought we would run the names on that list through some of the computer programs I have access to. These are not the sites I can just go into, like Google, and get the information." Aiden gave her a knowing stare, and she immediately understood what he meant.
His office was equipped with secure servers giving Aiden access to government sites that the average civilian didn’t even know about. If he was willing to use that information to help solve the case, then Megan was all for it. Calling to the dogs, she led the way back to his car, now eager to get back on the case.
When they reached Aiden's office, Megan got to work giving the dogs water while Aiden went into his office to log into the sites he could work with. Megan didn't join him until he called, giving him the privacy he needed to log into the accounts without putting his security at risk. It seemed like the information came at lightning speed as he checked into each name on the list. Soon he was printing out a dossier on each person in question. Megan notice that with each person he could also get a photo. As the printing continued she stapled the picture to each person's information. When finished, she held 16 little pamphlets ready for them to inspect.
The Flapper Caper Page 7
