Trouble at TeaFest

by R A Wallace

  “Oh.” Jessilyn glanced at her door for a second before looking back at Megan. “Okay. What about him?”

  “I know that you must have had a working relationship with him. Did you know him well?” Megan asked.

  Jessilyn’s face began to redden. “Well, he was a lot older than I am. I didn’t really know him, no.”

  Megan thought about Jessilyn’s response. On a hunch, she asked, “Did Jason Malone ever say anything unprofessional to you?”

  Jessilyn looked over at the door again and sighed. Sitting back in her chair, she nodded. “He asked me out several times. I kept telling him no, but he didn’t take the hint.”

  “Did he ever get out of line with it? Ever scare you?” Megan asked.

  Jessilyn shook her head. “Not in that way, no.” Jessilyn glanced at the door again. “I was planning to speak to the mayor after the TeaFest.”

  “About what?” Megan asked.

  “Some of the photos that he’s submitted for the town web site. They go through me before they make it to you for the technical part. I have to approve them for other reasons,” Jessilyn explained.

  “And you didn’t like some of them?” Megan asked.

  Jessilyn shrugged. “I was seeing an uncomfortable pattern with them.”

  “How so?”

  “He rarely took pictures of men. They were always of women and they were often of the same women. Over and over again.”

  Megan nodded. “And that set off some bells for you?”

  Jessilyn seemed to tense. “Exactly. It just didn’t seem right to me.”

  Megan explained what the police had found on Jason’s laptop.

  “You mean he was stalking the women? Oh, my goodness. I should have said something,” Jessilyn said.

  Megan looked at the distraught woman across from her. “And you were planning to,” Megan said calmly. “Either way, Jason would have been stopped. You saw a potential problem and you were going to deal with it. You were handling it, Jessilyn.”

  Jessilyn gave a relieved smile and relaxed her shoulders. “Thanks. I needed to hear that. I would have. I mean, it wasn’t much to go on and I wasn’t sure how the news would be received, exactly. It was just worrisome. I thought it should be addressed. I watched him on that first day of the TeaFest whenever I could. He seemed to be doing the same thing. Following the women around and focusing on them. I had planned to speak with the mayor the first thing this morning, once all of her guests were gone and the event was over.”

  Megan thanked Jessilyn and left to find the next person on her list.

  ***

  Caitlyn heard the bells on the shop door ring and went out to the front of the shop. She expected to see a customer but found Doug Kendall instead.

  “Hey, what brings you here?” Caitlyn stopped on her side of the counter that was just outside the door separating the front of the shop from the rear.

  “I wanted to stop by and thank you again for helping us this weekend.” Doug walked up to the counter on the other side.

  Caitlyn leaned against her side of the counter and smiled. “I had a lot of fun. I’d be happy to do it again. It was for a good cause.”

  Doug tilted his head and smiled. “Is that why you did it? To help out the fire department?”

  “Well,” Caitlyn pretended to think about it for a minute then grinned. “The whole department did arrive here quickly when I needed them.”

  Doug nodded in agreement then walked behind the counter where Caitlyn was. “But, I got here first,” he said, as he pulled Caitlyn toward him.

  Caitlyn rested her hands on his chest and smiled up at him. “True. Very true.”

  “So, I was thinking that I should take you to dinner,” Doug said.

  “I think so too,” Caitlyn agreed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Megan finally caught up with Keith Baker later that same afternoon. She had to wait until he got off of his shift at the hospital. He agreed to meet with her in the cafeteria for a few minutes.

  She found him pacing in the cafeteria with a cold soda in his hand. He stopped pacing when he saw her and waited until she approached him. He waved to a table, indicating that she should sit and he took a seat across from the table.

  There were several other people in the cafeteria at this time of the day. It was one reason why Megan had agreed to meet here. She didn’t know Keith that well, other than by sight. She didn’t know what his temperament was. Just that he had found reason to argue with Jason before his death.

  “What did you want to know?” Keith asked, taking another drink from his can.

  “As I mentioned on the phone, I have questions about Jason Malone,” Megan said.

  “I already talked to the police,” Keith said.

  “Yes,” Megan smiled. “So have I. I was wondering how well you knew him?”

  “I didn’t. I just knew he had a serious problem when it came to women and he needed to stay away from mine.” Keith didn’t look particularly sorry that Jason was dead.

  “Okay. What exactly was the problem?” Megan asked.

  “He chased after them with that camera of his. He wouldn’t leave my girlfriend alone. Started following her around when she was out somewhere. She’d turn around and see him. She was scared.”

  Megan nodded encouragingly. “I can understand that. I was one of the women that he followed.”

  “Then you understand what I mean. It’s not right. He shouldn’t have been allowed to do that,” Keith said. His voice was getting a little louder with each sentence.

  “I agree,” Megan said soothingly, hoping to calm him down. It didn’t work.

  “And then that woman!” Keith shook his head in anger.

  “What woman?” Megan asked, confused.

  “I didn’t tell the police because I didn’t want to get my girl into trouble. This woman accused my girl of trying to steal Jason Malone. Can you believe it? Man had to be twice my girl’s age.” Keith huffed an angry laugh. “The woman grabbed her in the street one day outside of where she worked. Told my girl off and threatened her.”

  “What did she look like?” Megan asked.

  Keith shook his head. “I didn’t see her, but my girl said she looked like one of those models. What do they call them? Runaway?”

  Megan thought for a second. “Runway?” She guessed. “A runway model? They’re the ones who walk up and down wearing the new clothes.”

  “Yeah, that’s it. That’s what my girl said. She was thin and tall and dressed like a runway model.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Erica Bennet walked toward the front door of her house after a long day. She was dog tired. She’d not only caught a murder case, she’d had to investigate her best friend. And she was going to have to continue to investigate her. Erica reached her front door and stopped. She stood there and stared at it.

  This was when she hated living alone the most. That initial moment when she walked into the quiet, lonely house so that she could spend her quiet, lonely evening alone. She’d know as soon as she opened the door that the house was empty. She could physically feel the emptiness. And she hated it.

  Taking a deep breath, Erica unlocked the door and swung it open. It only took a nanosecond to realize that she wasn’t alone. It was the garlic that did it. Erica sniffed the air. Following the smell, she walked to the kitchen. She found a tall, dark, and very handsome man cooking. He sensed her presence when she reached the doorway and turned around to give her a smile.

  “I thought you might like dinner,” Brad Henley said, holding out a wine glass to her.

  Erica smiled at her ex-husband and took the wine glass. She took a sip. It was really good, so she took a another one while she stepped next to Brad to see what he was making. It was a simple Bolognese, but it smelled great and was way better than anything she would have scrounged together from whatever moldy leftovers she could find in the fridge.

  Brad leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss then topped off her glass. “You
have time for a shower before it’s ready.”

  Erica smiled all the way to her bedroom. The shower was quick but refreshing. By the time she got back to the kitchen, the table was set and there was a salad and a loaf of garlic bread in addition to the plates of pasta.

  “This is awesome, thanks.” Erica sat next to Brad.

  “I heard what happened on the news. I figured you were having a hard day.” Brad sliced the bread and put some on Erica’s plate.

  Erica nodded and spoke around a mouthful of garlic bread. “Having another murder in Teaberry is tough enough. Having to treat Megan like a suspect is the worse.”

  Brad stopped moving. “Do you seriously think she did it?”

  Erica shook her head. “No, but I need to make sure that I’ve done my job well enough that no one else can say she did it.”

  Brad nodded. That made more sense. “So what do you have so far?”

  Erica explained as they ate their meal.

  Brad pushed his empty plate away at the end of her story. “So you have a guy stalking women and throwing up flags turning half the men in town into cavemen in the process.”

  Erica laughed. It felt good. She definitely hadn’t headed for home tonight thinking she’d have any reason to laugh. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. You are right about the cavemen. What’s up with that?”

  Brad shrugged. “If we were talking about code, I’d say the program is operating as designed. It’s just the way men are made. I worry about you all the time. It just took me a couple of extra years to figure out that’s normal and it’s a two-way street. When people are in love, they worry. When people have friends, they worry.”

  Erica sat back, rolling the wine glass between her hands. “And you think you’re ready to live with worry now?”

  “I know I’m ready to live with you now. That’s the important part. Sometimes I’ll worry about you. Sometimes you’ll worry about me. Then we’ll have a bunch of kids and we’ll both worry.”

  Erica laughed. “Kids, huh?”

  “A bunch. What do you think about that?” Brad asked.

  Erica tilted her head and thought about it. Thought about empty houses. And smiled. “A bunch of kids sounds great. Can we wait until after we clear Megan to get started on them?”

  “Does that mean you’re ready for me to move back in?” Brad asked, watching Erica intently.

  Erica took a deep breath then nodded.

  Brad smiled, kissed her hand, then started to get up to clear the table. Erica gently pushed him back down and cleared the dishes. “You cooked. The least I can do is clean.”

  “Do you have the next step in mind to clear Megan?” Brad sat back and watched her work.

  Erica frowned without realizing it. “Not really. I’ve spoken with everyone I can think of so far. We’re hoping to get the autopsy results soon. That should give us some more information. I’m hoping it will start to come together after that.”

  “Can I assume Megan is looking into it also?” Brad asked.

  “Try holding her back.” Erica sighed.

  ***

  Megan was working in the kitchen when Dan arrived for dinner. He brought takeout, thinking it would be easier on Megan. She was working on her computer, jotting down the pieces of the puzzle that she’d gathered so far.

  “Wow, that smells really good. What is it?” Megan asked.

  “Since we missed the TeaFest, I stopped at the Station Pub & Grill and got some brisket and pulled pork with sides.” Dan found plates in the cupboard and started pulling the food out of the bags and setting it on the table.

  “Oh, this is awesome, thanks.” Megan got up and took a salad out of the fridge. She’d thrown it together when Dan had suggested getting take out.

  They sat down to eat and talked about what Megan had learned so far.

  “So Keith’s girlfriend said she looked like a model?” Dan asked.

  Megan nodded and dished out some salad for each of them as Dan piled meat, baked beans, and mac and cheese on their plates. “Yes, I had him call his girlfriend while we were together at the hospital. Keith’s description was a little vague because he hadn’t actually seen the other woman.”

  “So now you want to figure out who that woman is?” Dan asked.

  Megan shook her head. “I think I already know.”

  Dan raised his eyebrows. “How’s that?”

  “The way they described the woman. Tall, model thin, caramel colored hair with blonde highlights. That’s Tamara Hines. She stayed with me this weekend.”

  “What? I thought your guests were all friends of the mayor?”

  Megan nodded. “Most of them were. And to be honest, Tamara was rarely here. She even left early.”

  “Why was she staying here then if it wasn’t to see the mayor? Did she go to the TeaFest?” Dan asked.

  Megan thought back. “She never mentioned the TeaFest. She didn’t really talk about much at all. Except my love life.” Megan felt her cheeks color a bit.

  “Your love life? Why?” Dan frowned, then noticed the blush in Megan’s cheeks. He smiled. “She asked about me?”

  Megan sat back. “No. No, she asked if I had a husband. And if I took care of this place by myself.”

  “So, she was fishing for information?” Dan wondered out loud.

  “Yeah, I guess she was.”

  “Do you think she was trying to find out if you were interested in Jason?” Dan asked.

  Megan thought about it while she pushed the meat around on her plate.

  “It’s possible. She accused Keith’s girlfriend of being interested in Jason.” Megan looked up at Dan. “You think that’s why she was here?”

  Dan shrugged just as Megan’s phone rang. She recognized Caitlyn’s ring tone and picked it up.

  “You didn’t call me,” Caitlyn said accusingly.

  “I was going to, honest. Dan brought dinner and we were talking about everything,” Megan said.

  “In that case, you’re forgiven. What did you learn from Jessilyn and Keith?” Caitlyn asked.

  Megan explained everything to Caitlyn as Dan finished his dinner.

  “Wait, I recognize that description! She came into the store,” Caitlyn said excitedly. “Caramel colored hair. Flawless teeth. She was wearing runway clothes, but they definitely weren’t from this season. They were much older than that.”

  Megan looked up at Dan. He could hear Caitlyn’s voice on the phone. “Tamara came into your shop? What did she want?”

  “Well, she didn’t tell me her name. She wanted to know if it was nice having a handsome man next door. She wasn’t interested in the flowers or anything like that. She just came into my store and brought up Jason. This has to mean something right? It’s a clue.”

  Caitlyn sounded full of energy. Megan could just picture her bouncing around as she talked on the phone.

  “She definitely appeared to have an extremely strong interest in Jason and was jealous of his creepy interest in other women,” Megan nodded slowly, thinking it through.

  “What are you going to do tomorrow?” Caitlyn asked.

  “I still want to talk to Madison. Erica said that most of the pictures that Jason had seemed to be of Madison. She may have another piece of the puzzle. I also want to talk to the mayor.”

  “I’ll let you both go so you can finish dinner. Make sure you call me tomorrow. Promise?”

  “Promise,” Megan said with a smile.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Madison Palmer sat back in her chair and stared at the large screen monitor on her desk in her home office, thinking about her next plan of attack. The consulting firm that she worked for had taken on a new client and Madison, because of her particular background, had been given the assignment. It required the typical analytical skills that all of the assignments had in common – math, programming, and a lot of research skills.

  But this assignment also required some knowledge about the use of technology combined with how people learn. With many students
at all levels now clearly showing a preference for online learning, educational institutions are interested in helping online students learn better. It’s a whole new paradigm and quite the shift from traditional learning. It was also an area in which Madison had done a lot of research.

  After analyzing the data for this particular client, Madison had already identified some gaps where suggestions for changes could make a difference. She added some comments to her report pointing out that studies have shown if students can compare their progress with other students across the course, they tend to perform better.

  Another gap that Madison had identified was on the instructor side. Giving the instructors the tools to identify exactly which students performed better on specific types of activities currently being implemented in the courses could help identify which activities are better suited to meet specific expected learning outcomes.

  She had just started writing a proprietary program to collect more granular data to target specific measures than their current analytics program was pulling when she heard her doorbell ring. Jotting herself a quick note so she wouldn’t lose her train of thought, she went to see who was at the door.

  She was surprised to find Megan Bennet. “Hey. What brings you by?” Madison asked, stepping away from the door to invite Megan in.

  Megan followed Madison to a comfortable living room. It had a wonderful view of the beautiful back yard. Megan could see flowers planted in strategic groupings throughout the yard. The living room mirrored the yard with colorful splashes complementing the neutral shades of the furniture.

  “I’m sorry to bother you when I know you’re probably working,” Megan said.

  Madison smiled. Working from home was great but not everyone understood that interruptions at home are equally as detrimental to productivity as they would be in an office environment. Madison appreciated that Megan understood that.

  “It’s okay. A short break may help at this point.” Madison waved Megan to a seat and took one across from her.

  “I’m here about Jason Malone,” Megan said, watching the smile on Madison’s face turn to a scowl.