Trouble at TeaFest

by R A Wallace

  He had to get his hands on some money. This had been the only plan he could come up with. It’s too late now. He had to make it work. Looking back at his computer, he wondered if there were any videos on the Internet showing how to create fake documents that were good enough to pass close inspection. He needed something that looked like a letter of agreement for repayment of a loan from Josh. He’d make this work. He had to.

  ***

  After walking calmly out of the photographer’s shop, Megan crossed the street to get back to her truck. True, her heart was pounding but she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she wasn’t into a public showing of histrionics at any rate.

  She didn’t believe that Jason had any documentation. If he did, he would have already produced it. She had no clue what he was up to, but she wasn’t going to be foolish enough to just believe anything he told her. She’d believed everything Josh had told her at first. But she’d evolved since then, Megan thought, glancing back at the photographer’s shop.

  Megan got into her truck, started it, and pulled away. She didn’t notice the tall, thin woman standing on the corner watching her with a calculating look.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jim Baxter parked his truck by the designated area they’d been assigned and got out of the driver’s side on Friday afternoon. Zach Adkins had already gotten out to help spot exactly where the trailer should go. The two of them had volunteered to set up the food trailer and construct the wooden booth around it. The numbered area they were given for this year’s TeaFest was the same spot they always had. It made it easier for people to find them each year.

  Being located on one corner of the town square, it was a prime location that was actually twice as large as most of the other spots. It had several picnic tables and benches nearby making it more convenient for their customers to sit and eat. And it was right next to the veterans memorial.

  The trailer held everything they needed to set up for remote food preparation. They quickly began unloading the wood they’d need for the booth and the portable smoker from the back of the truck. They’d chain the smoker to the trailer for the night. The design for the booth included a large work space area and a counter.

  With Zach’s help, they made short work of the assembly. All of the wood had been pre-cut and used in previous TeaFests. They’d worked out a system with numbers to help them easily identify which board went where for the construction and they’d engineered the connecting pieces to make it easier for assembly.

  “You’re getting pretty good at this,” Jim teased Zach. “Maybe next year I can just supervise while you do all the work.”

  Zach flashed a grin displaying deep dimples in both cheeks. “You getting tired, old man?”

  It was a common jest at the fire station and Jim took it as such. Although at forty-five he really was beginning to feel like the old man at the station, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to retire yet. He was beginning to feel torn between his duties as the fire station and his role at the restaurant though. He seriously doubted he would be able to keep up both for much longer.

  As they neared the end of the construction, Zach looked up and saw Lauren Dempsey trying to unload a large folded tent from the trunk of her car in a numbered area not far from theirs. “You got this?” He said to Jim. At Jim’s nod, Zach jogged over to Lauren and grabbed the tent, picking it up with ease.

  “I’ll get that for you, ma’am,” Zach said.

  Lauren was too grateful to wonder when she’d become a ma’am.

  “Thanks. I appreciate the help,” she said.

  With Zach’s assistance, the tent was fully in place within minutes, tie downs included. Zach glanced back at the car and saw the folding tables in the trunk. Without asking, he quickly unloaded those as well.

  “Wow, thanks. Hang on a minute,” she said.

  Lauren reached into her car and took out a package of cupcakes. They were for the mayor, but she could swing by the house and replace them easily enough before delivering everything else the mayor had requested.

  “I’m Lauren. What’s your name?”

  “It’s Zach. I’m with the fire department in the booth over there.” Zach pointed toward Jim.

  “Here you go Zach. I really appreciate your help.” Lauren passed over the container of cupcakes and watched Zach’s eyes light up. And that was why she loved baking, she thought with a smile. Waving goodbye, Lauren left to deal with her delivery.

  Zach walked back to Jim who had just finished putting their tools back into the truck. After handing Jim a cupcake, Zach took a bite of his own.

  “Man, that’s a seriously good cupcake.” Zach took out another one while Jim laughed at him.

  “C’mon. You can eat the rest in the truck while I drive.”

  Jim drove away carefully from the controlled chaos as dozens of other vehicles maneuvered to deliver their own setup in preparation for the TeaFest. They waved to Mayor Vance and Jessilyn as they crawled past them in the line of other vehicles trying to exit the area.

  Barbara Vance walked around the town square where the booths were being constructed. Dressed in her customary dress skirt and jacket, she knew full-well that her presence wasn’t necessary. Jessilyn had everything in hand. But she loved the excitement of watching the town come to life and speaking with the vendors, both old and new.

  There were a lot of crafters, those who created their own specialty products for sale. There were artists from multiple areas of expertise including paints, ceramics, and glass. Some vendors would be selling their own custom jewelry. Several businesses would have booths to promote their available services for the surrounding areas including fishing and hunting guides, kayaking, vacation homes, and boat rides.

  Jessilyn walked alongside the mayor with a tight grip on her clipboard. Periodically, she checked some detail in the many sheets of paper contained within the clipboard. Looking around with a practiced eye, she nodded. “Looks like we’re pretty much on schedule in this section.”

  They walked past the large civil war monument in the center of the square. The flower garden surrounding the monument had been meticulously groomed to look its best as was the garden surrounding the nearby water fountain.

  They continued walking away from the town square and over several streets passing several shops and businesses along the way including the historic Teaberry Theatre. Turning another corner, they found a smaller park near the town administrative buildings. This area had not been used in the past for the TeaFest but, due to an increase in vendor applications, was newly added to open up more space. It, too, was a controlled chaos of vehicles jockeying to unload and depart.

  Barbara stopped to speak to the tall, beautiful redhead in full police uniform directing the traffic at this section of the park.

  “Erica, how are things going so far?”

  Erica signaled to a truck to wait its turn with one hand while motioning to a car to continue with the other. “We seem to be getting the job done. It’s taking a little longer over here because it’s the first year for the setup and everyone is still figuring out where everything is.” Erica waved on a large truck hauling portable toilets.

  “I was hoping the map that I placed on the town web site would have helped with that,” Jessilyn said, the concern evident in her voice.

  “Oh, trust me, it did. We’d have really been bogged down if they’d have come in without any clues.” Erica looked over at Mayor Vance. “Jessilyn had directions on the map indicating two different areas for accessing this section. Jerry is over on the other side of the park directing traffic for that half. That really took the pressure off by having two different ways to get in and get unloaded.”

  “Excellent. We’ll touch base again after the event to discuss possible improvements for next year. That’s the type of information we’ll want to know. We’ll leave you to it,” Barbara said, watching Jessilyn jot a note in her clipboard before they began their walk through the park.

  Jessilyn was pl
eased to see that at this point in the day, many of the booths were already fully constructed and the traffic trying to get out of the park area was greater than the traffic trying to get in and unload.

  “I think we’re in good shape here also,” Jessilyn said. “The two mornings of the event this weekend will be split with activity. Early Saturday morning we’ll have the vendors coming in with their wares to stock their booths before the TeaFest begins. Early Sunday, it will be the antique cars coming in for the car show. I’ll be here to watch over things each morning, but the police department is really to be commended for all of their work.”

  They stopped at a corner to wait for traffic. Barbara turned to Jessilyn and smiled. “I’ll see to it that the commendation happens. It looks like everything is running smoothly, also thanks to you. I’m going to turn you loose. I know I’m holding you back but thanks for letting me tag along for a while. If you need anything, you have my number.”

  Barbara walked back toward the town square. Crossing over Main Street, she saw Jason Malone further down the block in front of his shop. He looked furtively in both directions up and down the street before unlocking the door and entering. What on earth is he up to now?

  Chapter Twelve

  Late Friday afternoon Megan was putting the final touches in the guest rooms before the guests began arriving. She double checked everything in each room as she went along, ensuring that all of the extras were also in the bathrooms including the special soaps, lotions, and shampoos. Hearing a vehicle in the drive, she glanced at the clock. If that was one of her guests, they were a little early.

  Megan glanced out a window and saw Tom’s truck. She skipped down the stairs and went through the kitchen to the back porch. Tom rarely used the front door. He was climbing the steps to the porch when Megan stepped out.

  “Iced tea?” she asked.

  At Tom’s nod, Megan headed back into the house and filled a couple of glasses before returning to the porch. Tom was seated in one of the comfortable chairs and Megan took another across from him after handing him a glass.

  “What brings you here?” she asked.

  “I just wanted to touch base with you before your guests get here. I know you’ll be busy once they do.”

  Megan nodded cautiously. “Is something wrong?”

  “You tell me. What have you learned about the letter?” Tom paused and took a sip of his tea, watching Megan closely. He was concerned that she was in worse trouble than he thought and was keeping it from him. He was happy to see that she didn’t appear to be overly distressed.

  Megan set her tea down. “I don’t really know anything yet. My lawyer says his lawyer is dodging us. I did go to speak to Jason.”

  “You did? Did you get anything out of him?”

  Megan shook her head. “He claims that Josh owed him money, but he won’t say what for or produce any documentation to prove it.”

  “Do you have any idea why Josh may have needed money?” Tom asked. He could think of a few reasons himself, but he wasn’t planning on sharing them with Megan if he didn’t have to.

  “I’ve tried to think back. I know he was having a lot of issues. I know some of them may have involved money. To be honest, I think Jason’s bluffing.” At least, she was hoping he was bluffing.

  Tom thought about it for a minute. “Why would Jason do that?” Tom murmured, mostly to himself.

  Megan shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ll be honest, I never liked the man but I can’t say that I really know him at all.”

  Tom looked up when he heard a vehicle in the front of the house. “Your guests must be arriving. I’ll let you go. But you know you can talk to me whenever you want, right?”

  “I do, thanks.” Megan got up and kissed Tom on the cheek before heading back into the house and the front door. Looking out the window near the door, she saw Tom’s truck leaving the driveway.

  Her first guests were getting out of their car slowly. Both appeared to be in their early sixties. The man was average height with a slight stoop to his back and a crown of white hair. His wife was nearly his height and had light golden brown hair. Megan opened the door and went outside to greet them at their car.

  “Hello, welcome to Teaberry Farm. My name is Megan.”

  The couple returned her smile and the gentleman responded. “Hello there. We’re the Walkers. Barbara recommended your bed and breakfast to us.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. Can I help with your luggage?”

  Megan moved to the rear of the car as Gerald Walker pushed a button on his key fob to pop the trunk. Grabbing two large suitcases, Megan moved aside so that Julie Walker could take out her smaller bag. Gerald pushed the lid down and turned to follow Megan slowly to the front porch.

  “I can put these in your room upstairs for you. Would you like me to show you to your room now or would you prefer to rest on the porch with a cold drink first?” Megan asked, pausing in the hallway near the stairs.

  “A cold drink sounds wonderful, but I would like to freshen up first,” Julie said with a smile.

  Megan nodded and gave a brief tour as she led them upstairs to their room. She left them alone with a reminder about the cold drink and directions to the porch. Megan took a tray of lemonade and cookies out to the porch and didn’t have to wait long before she was joined by the Walkers.

  “Oh, this is lovely back here,” Julie said taking a seat on the sofa next to her husband. “Have you lived here long?”

  Megan poured them each a glass of lemonade and offered cookies. “About ten years now,” Megan smiled as she settled into her own chair.

  “The house is beautiful. When was it built?” Gerald asked, taking a cookie.

  “Around 1870. It needed a lot of work when we bought it but I think it was worth it,” Megan said.

  “Oh, look at the garden Gerald. We used to have one but it was much smaller,” Julie said. She reached over and patted Gerald’s hand. “That’s when we were younger, before we retired.”

  “You’re living in Florida now, right?” Megan asked.

  “Yes, we love it there,” Gerald said emphatically.

  Julie chuckled. “We loved living in Colorado when we were young and raising our own family. But now that we’re both retired, we love to spend the winters in Florida. In the summer we still travel a bit. As teachers, we both had the summer off so we got used to doing that.”

  Megan nodded her understanding. “My parents are in Florida year round now.”

  “Is that rhubarb by the garden?” Gerald asked.

  “Yes. Believe it or not, I got those plants from my grandmother. They’re older than I am.”

  Julie shook her head. “His mom used to make a rhubarb pie with custard. We’ve never been able to find the recipe.”

  “I loved that pie,” Gerald said with a sigh.

  “Well, there are a lot of different ways to do the same thing. I have a Rhubarb Custard pie recipe from my grandmother that I can make for you while you’re here. You don’t have to pretend to like it though, if it isn’t the same,” Megan said.

  Hearing another vehicle, she excused herself and headed to the front door. This time, it was a single gentleman. That makes him Matthias Reynolds, Megan thought. He was using a cane to get around. Megan went out to greet him. After helping him into the house she gave a brief tour and showed him to his room. She mentioned that the Walkers had already arrived and were on the porch. He promised to be down quickly.

  Megan had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard the next car. This couple must be the Ingrams. Aaron Ingram got out of the small SUV and walked around to the rear to take out the luggage. Crystal Ingram grabbed her own bag and they both headed for the porch. Megan opened the door to greet them.

  “Looks like we aren’t the first ones here,” Crystal said with a smile.

  “No, the Walkers and Mr. Reynolds just arrived.” Megan turned as she heard Matthias coming down the stairs. She backed up to let the old friends greet each other. “I can ta
ke your bags upstairs and show you around later. The Walkers are on the back porch, if you’d like to join them. There is a pitcher of lemonade already out there.”

  Megan took care of the luggage and then returned to the kitchen to make another batch of lemonade. She could hear her guests talking and laughing on the back porch the way that old friends do. Megan smiled, listening to their happy voices. She brought out a full pitcher of lemonade and swapped it with the empty one, leaving the friends to catch up.

  Megan heard the doorbell and went to get it. Must be Tamara Hines, Megan thought. Opening the door, she saw a tall, very attractive woman.

  “Hello, welcome to Teaberry Farm.” Megan recognized the woman as the one she had seen crossing the street in town.

  The woman removed her sunglasses and smiled, revealing hazel eyes and flawless teeth. “Hello, I’m Tamara. I have a reservation for the weekend.”

  “Yes, come in. I’ll show you to your room. The rest of the guests are on the porch sharing some lemonade if you’re interested.” Megan led the way upstairs.

  “Oh, that’s okay. I wanted to drop my things off and then head into town for a bit.” Tamara looked around the house. “Your house is lovely. Do you live here with your husband?”

  “Uh, no. He passed away several years ago.” Megan opened the door to the bedroom. “Here you are.”

  “Thanks. So you take care of this house all by yourself? Seems like a lot of work for one person.” Tamara said.

  “Well, I’m used to it. Please let me know if you need anything. Breakfast will be served early but if you have any special needs, let me know.”

  Megan returned to the kitchen, thinking about her grandmother and the Rhubarb Custard pie.