Maid in Teaberry

by R A Wallace

  “What should we do?” Heather asked.

  “I have an idea,” Bev said, thinking about Megan. She definitely didn’t want anyone to say anything that could get Ava into trouble. Especially since she didn’t think Ava was doing anything. “I can ask someone to look into it. If she thinks there’s anything serious to it, we’ll pass the information along to the police. Okay?” Bev looked around the group. Most looked relieved.

  “What do you need from us?” Andrea asked.

  “I need you all to tell me about everything odd that has happened this week,” Bev said.

  ***

  Bev finished relaying the stories to Megan and then sat back in the cushioned rattan chair on Megan’s porch. “What do you think?”

  “Well, obviously it’s very interesting. Are you sure the teachers don’t want to speak to the police?”

  Bev considered it again and shook her head. “And tell them what? We think the ghost of Jonah Simms is messing with us because we’re using his building? Why don’t you look into it first?”

  “Actually, I’ve already begun. Too many people have asked me to. I just couldn’t turn everyone down.”

  Bev relaxed for the first time in hours. She knew Megan would figure it all out. “What can I do to help?”

  “Was Jonah Simms the only janitor in the building?” Megan asked.

  Bev shook her head. “No, there was a part-time janitor also. His name was Ronnie. Ronald Logan. All the young girls in school had a crush on him, of course. He wasn’t much older than we were though, at the time, it seemed like decades. He never paid any attention to us though. He always said he wasn’t planning to stick around Teaberry.”

  “Do you know where he went?” Megan asked.

  Bev tilted her head. “No, I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything.”

  “Tell me about Jonah Simms and his death. What do you remember?” Megan asked.

  “Well, it was a long time ago. I was pretty young. It was before I was a teenager even.” Bev frowned in thought.

  Megan tried to think of ways to prompt her memory. “What was going on in school then? Anything that sticks out in your memory? Was there a school play? A dance?”

  Bev smiled when she remembered. “No, it was Pirate Week actually.”

  Megan felt her eyebrows go up. “We didn’t really have pirates in Teaberry. Did we?” Maybe she’d missed something in school.

  Bev chuckled. “No, but once I became a teacher I thought it was a pretty ingenious way to get kids interested in a subject. One of the goals was to teach kids about maps. Of course, it also emphasized the exit routes from the building in case of an emergency, that sort of thing. They had a map of the school building and then there was make believe treasure marked with a big red X, just like a pirate map. They used literary clues, or sometimes math clues, to help you find the treasure.”

  Megan watched several emotions cross Bev’s face. The last one was sadness. “What?”

  “That was where Jonah died. Where the red X was on the map,” Bev said.

  “Really?” Megan tried to remember any stories she may have heard as a child. “I guess there were some ghost stories that talked about pirates. I never paid any real attention to them.”

  “Yes, the stories. The stories have been going strong ever since about the lights in the buildings at odd times and then the voices. Those seemed to come later on.” Bev looked at Megan. “Do you think you can help?”

  “I can try,” Megan said simply.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Megan left her farm soon after Bev. It was already late afternoon and she wanted to try to speak to more people about the death of Jonah Simms.

  She knew that Brenda John was in the correct age group. She hoped that Brenda might remember Jonah from when she attended school. Megan had spent a little time with Brenda recently when Brenda’s daughter, Courtney, was married. Some of Courtney’s wedding guests had stayed with Megan at her bed and breakfast. Two of her female guests had conspired to murder one of her male guests. It was the reason why Megan had begun sleuthing. Another guest was a prime suspect and she wanted to prove her innocence.

  Brenda answered the doorbell quickly. She was dressed casually in capris and a matching sweater top. “Megan, what brings you by?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. John, I’d like to ask you some questions,” Megan explained as she stood on the front porch of the small house. She wondered why Brenda was wearing a sweater top on such a hot day.

  Brenda backed away from the door and motioned for Megan to enter. “Are you working on another case?”

  Megan felt the frigid air as soon as she entered the house. Apparently, Brenda had her own way of dealing with the late summer heat.

  “In a way. This mystery is much older though.” Megan took a seat in the living room opposite Brenda.

  “It sounds right up my alley. I’m no spring chicken either.” Brenda looked much more relaxed than the last time Megan had seen her.

  “It’s about Jonah Simms,” Megan said. She saw surprise on Brenda’s face.

  “Oh, I haven’t heard that name in years!” Brenda narrowed her eyes at Megan. “Why do you ask?”

  “As you know, the old elementary school has been converted into a community center,” Megan began but was interrupted.

  “Oh, yes! I couldn’t believe when I heard that. You know it’s haunted, right? You young people might not have heard the stories,” Brenda said, her hands motioning expressively as she spoke.

  “That’s just it. The stories have been around for so long I’m not sure anyone remembers how they got started. Do you remember when Jonah died?” Megan asked.

  “Like it was yesterday,” Brenda nodded vigorously, her voice taking on a solemn tone.

  That was good news, Megan thought. “What do you remember?”

  “Only that we got a little break from class. My teacher was so mad.” Brenda smiled at the memory. “My teacher had to cover for the classroom next door. The kids were all left alone. They’d come to class, but the teacher wasn’t there, you know?” Brenda looked at Megan to make sure she was following.

  “Was this after they found Jonah?” Megan asked.

  Brenda shook her head. “Just before. We all changed classes when the bells rang, because we were the older kids, but the teacher next door, Mr. Davidson, that was his name. Mr. Davidson wasn’t next door like he was supposed to be. I’d forgotten about that until you asked. My teacher was mad because she had to watch the kids in both classrooms. We were all happy, of course, because it meant we didn’t have lessons.”

  “Did you ever learn why Mr. Davidson was missing or where he was?” Megan asked.

  “No, now that you mention it. I never did.”

  Megan asked Brenda John several more questions but didn’t learn much else. Her next stop was with Carla Evans. Carla was the ex-wife of Phil Porter, the man that had been murdered by accident when Ross McMann’s former protégé, Parker Lavigne, killed him by mistake. When her ex-husband was killed, Carla inherited Porter’s Auto Sales and had decided to keep it. The manager was thrilled to run it for her.

  Carla was surprised to find Megan on her doorstep. Megan quickly explained the reason for her visit once she and Carla were sitting in the comfortable living room.

  “Jonah Simms. Oh, my that does go back, doesn’t it?” Carla leaned back in her chair.

  “Do you remember anything about that day?” Megan asked.

  Carla drew her brows together in thought and she began shaking her head slowly. “Not really,” she murmured.

  Megan gave her another moment and then tried prompting. “Do you remember the janitor? Can you picture him?”

  “Sort of. I guess,” Carla said with a slight shrug. “It was a long time ago. I remember the other one better. He was younger. What was his name? Donnie? No, Ronnie. Ronnie Logan.” Carla’s eyes went wide with a memory. “Oh, I remember now. Ronnie was so sad about Jonah’s death. They must have been friends, I guess, even tho
ugh there was an age difference.”

  “What was the age difference? Do you know?” Megan asked.

  “Hmm, maybe a decade or so. I think Jonah was around thirty when he died. It seemed ancient to me at the time. Ronnie had just graduated from high school. He was around eighteen.”

  Megan didn’t get much more from Carla and moved on to the next person on her list. This stop brought her to the florist shop to see Susan. Caitlyn was out making deliveries and Susan was watching the shop and happy for the distraction Megan offered her.

  “I’m glad to hear that you’re looking into all of this,” Susan said.

  “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be,” Megan said. She wondered if there were enough pieces to the old puzzle left to make sense of it all. “What do you remember of that day? The day when Jonah died?”

  Susan understood the way Megan collected her puzzle pieces and gave herself a moment to think before answering. The smallest clues might be the piece Megan needed. Shaking her head, she let out a breath. “Not much, I’m sorry. The only thing that really sticks in my brain is that my teacher was furious.”

  Megan raised her brows in question. “Furious?”

  “I know, probably not helpful sorry. It stuck in my head because we didn’t have class. The teacher next door was missing and mine had to cover both rooms,” Susan said.

  Megan thought back to Brenda’s story and nodded. “You must have been with Brenda John. She said Mr. Davidson was missing.”

  Susan thought for a moment. “No, Brenda wasn’t in my class. And the missing teacher was Miss Smith.”

  After a few more questions, Megan thanked Susan and left. She thought about what she’d learned on her way to Erica’s. Brad answered the door and led her into the kitchen where he offered her a cold drink. Megan accepted gratefully and was taking her first sip when Erica arrived from work.

  “I wondered when I was going to hear from you,” Erica said as she accepted her own drink from Brad.

  “I wanted to tell you about Jonah Simms,” Megan said.

  Erica nodded. “I guessed as much. As far as the police are concerned, this isn’t an active case. However, I still don’t want you to do anything stupid and the same ground rules apply. If you learn anything important, tell me immediately.”

  “There’s not much to tell so far, but I just started,” Megan said. “How are you doing with the shower registry?”

  Erica threw her husband a surprised look. Brad shrugged. They both turned blank faces toward Megan.

  “A registry?” Erica asked.

  “I figured. You need to create a list of things you’d like people to buy you for the baby shower,” Megan asked.

  Erica looked horrified. “Seriously? People do that?”

  Megan chuckled as she set down her glass and adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder. “Yes, they do. It makes it easier for the rest of us to buy you things that you actually need.”

  “Like what?” Erica asked curiously.

  “Oh, everything,” Megan said vaguely. She remembered the typical things on Lauren’s baby shower lists in the past. “Blankets, diapers, sleep clothes, a baby monitor, sometimes people put cribs or bassinets and strollers on the list, things like that. Though, in your case, you’ll need two of most things.”

  Erica looked over at Brad hopefully. “You said you’ve been talking with Lauren about the stuff we’d need. Did you already make a list?”

  Brad gave his wife a look. Erica took it to mean no and sighed. “Okay, we’ll make a list.”

  Megan left the two of them with a few more ideas to get started. Later that evening, she checked online and found the list. She was surprised that they’d accomplished it so quickly and assumed Brad had a big part in it. Megan wasn’t as experienced with baby things as Lauren was, so she wasn’t sure what sizes or anything to buy. She saw that Brad and Erica had included a baby monitor on the list. Technology was something she was a little more experienced with. Quickly, she checked the baby monitor before anyone else selected it as a gift from the list.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jax offloaded his equipment from the trailer early Thursday morning at the Teaberry Retirement Community. It was a large campus and all hands were on deck. Seth and Trina were nearby getting their own equipment ready. Jax had been thrilled to get the contract at the retirement community. It was a year-round maintenance contract that included snow removal in the winter. The campus included multiple buildings from small to large. The buildings housed community members with multiple needs ranging from independent to assisted living.

  The campus included its own restaurant, also open to the public, and a wide range of activities. The parking lots and walkways were endless and the grounds extensive. They included a golf course, tennis courses, a swimming pool, gardens, and multiple club houses. Those who lived independently were housed in separate villas. Others, who may require different levels of care, were in the larger buildings that resembled apartments or hospital rooms, depending on the need.

  The three of them would spend much of their day there. Jax walked over to Trina and Seth to touch base. They’d fallen into a schedule that seemed to work well, but Jax wanted to make sure there weren’t any planned adjustments.

  “You two ready?” Jax asked as he approached them.

  He got a nod from Seth and a smile from Trina. “I like it here. The people are always so friendly.”

  Jax grinned back. “Good to know we have this option when the time comes.”

  Seth barked out a laugh. He wasn’t planning on retiring for a long time. He jumped on the large mower and headed for the golf course with a wave.

  Trina pulled on the noise-cancelling protective ear muffs and jumped on her stand-on mower. She waved at two elderly men walking past her as she adjusted her protective eye gear, then took off.

  “Do you remember having that much energy?” Silas Granger asked his companion as they walked at a steady clip around the campus. It was part of their morning routine to help them stay fit.

  Victor Muncie pumped his arms as he kept pace with Silas. “I always thought my students kept me young. Back then, I thought fifty was ancient.”

  “Do you miss it?” Silas asked as he stepped to the left to go around a golf cart. A cluster of people had met in the road and stopped to chat. Some had been walking. Others were in golf carts.

  “Being a school superintendent?” Victor stepped to the right around the cluster of people and met back up with Silas. “I do now. There were a lot of times while I was working that I dreamed of retiring.”

  Silas grinned to himself. He had been the same way. “Funny how we never pictured what that retirement would really be like.”

  Victor thought fondly of his wife, now gone. “Yeah. Hey, you up for something cold to drink? We could stop at the restaurant and see who’s there.”

  Silas nodded in agreement. Stopping at the restaurant for a cold drink in the morning was also part of their routine. Many others from the community would also be there and it gave them a chance to socialize and catch up.

  They entered the restaurant together and paused for a moment, looking around. They saw a group scattered among several tables and booths and went over to join them. Their drinks arrived a moment later. They didn’t have to place the order. It was the same thing they had each morning at this time of the year. They switched it up once the weather turned colder and ordered decaf coffee.

  Silas and Victor pulled seats over and joined the group. They were already deep in conversation and it took Silas and Victor a moment to figure out the topic.

  Josie Klingerman repeated a question to draw Silas and Victor into the conversation. “Did you hear about the new community center in town?”

  Victor nodded. He monitored the town web site. He liked to keep current with what was going on. As a former superintendent of the school district, he recognized most of the names in town.

  Silas hadn’t heard. “What about it?”

  “It’s the o
ld elementary school building,” Josie said loudly.

  She knew that many had problems with hearing, but it could also be difficult to hear because they tended to all speak over each other and there were many other groups of people around the restaurant doing the same thing.

  “It is?” Silas said in surprise. “I can’t believe that old building is still in good enough shape. Didn’t you used to work there?”

  “I did,” Josie agreed as she looked around the group. “A few of us did. Victor, of course.” Josie pointed to Victor and he nodded in agreement.

  “Laura did too,” Victor said, pointing at another woman in the group.

  “So did Annie,” Laura said, turning to the woman sitting next to her.

  “Just my first year of teaching,” Annie said. “After that we moved to the new building.”

  “A community center, eh?” Silas said.

  “Yes, they have a Kids Camp going on there now,” Laura said.

  “I guess someone is coming here to talk about it,” Josie said.

  “Coming here, you say?” Victor repeated.

  “Yes, Barbara Reynolds called me. You remember the mayor, right?” Josie asked of no one in particular.

  “Yes, yes. It used to be Vance, right?” Annie asked.

  “Vance, yes, that’s right. She got married again not too long ago,” Victor said, turning to Annie in agreement. They started talking about Barbara and her first husband.

  “Barbara is coming here?” Silas asked above the other voices.

  “No, not Barbara. Young Megan Bennet. Do you remember her?” Josie asked loudly. “Her maiden name was Miller. She married that Josh Bennet first, but now she’s married to Dan Parker from the feed store.”

  Several in the group nodded at the mention of Josh Bennet. They remembered him well. Some students were difficult to remember because they always did what they were supposed to do, turned their work in on time, and never drew attention to themselves. That didn’t describe Josh. Several in the group began comparing the two young men and the choices Megan had made in husbands.