Murder Between the Covers Page 9

  “I try to think of him as little as possible, and I’m getting tired of hearing everyone talk about him. He’s made himself the center of attention all over town.”

  “Do you get along with him?”

  He laughed. “Bubba doesn’t come in anymore. I didn’t mind giving him a free meal a few times when he was first elected, but when that fathead thought I should comp his food and booze every time he came in, I told him to get lost. He blew a fuse, and I had Hank escort him out in front of the patrons. I’ve been watching my back ever since, but I think he’s just a blowhard.”

  I stood to leave. “Send a bill to us for your time. I know Arnie will approve the expense.”

  “Naw. I’m glad all this equipment was put to good use.”

  I thanked him and encouraged him to reconsider sending a bill. When I walked back into our offices, Arnie was gone.

  “Where’d he go now?” I asked Nancy.

  “Cleveland. He drove up to the FBI offices for the day.”

  “Do you know why?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have a clue. He didn’t say if it was about the laundromat surveillance or something else. He only said he wouldn’t be back today.”

  “Do you know if Agent Roberts is still in town?”

  She shook her head again.

  I went into my office and downloaded the pictures onto my computer. I printed the license plate of the Escalade and took it, along with the picture of the plate on the white convertible, to Nancy. A few minutes later, she dropped the names and addresses for both on my desk.

  The man in the Escalade was Geoff Marina. I wasn’t interested in tracking him down. I’d wait for Arnie to see how he wanted to handle his information, but I was interested in talking with Tabitha Abbott as soon as possible. Her address was in Patterson.

  I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Nancy looked up from her paperwork.

  “I’m running across the street to talk with Peggy, and then I’m headed over to Patterson. I won’t be back today. If Arnie calls, go ahead and give him the information on the Escalade.”

  There was more honking as I waited to cross the street, but at least I had an arm to throw up in the air today. I never really understood all of this honking to say hello to people. I never honked at anyone. Mama was always on her horn, and Pepper was just as bad. When you knew almost everyone in town, it was inevitable you would see them in your travels throughout the day. You could be friendly without making so much noise.

  Officer Collins sped by on his bicycle. I threw my arm up and flashed a big smile his way. He ignored me.

  I jogged across the street and down to the bookstore. I couldn’t help glancing through the window of the laundromat as I went by and saw Bubba leaning against the open space in the wall. I sped up before he spotted me.

  The closed sign was still on the front door of the bookstore. There wasn’t any information indicating when it would reopen.

  The odor wafting from Crump and Crumpets was irresistible and pulled me in next door.

  “G’morning, Jo,” Walt called out as the bell above the door tinkled.

  “Hi, Walt. I’ll have a cup of coffee and a crumpet.”

  I hadn’t yet tasted a crumpet, and as it was one of Walt’s signature items, I thought I’d give one a test drive.

  “You do know they’re not sweet right? They’re like an English muffin only lighter. You can put a little jam or honey on one, or you can eat it with syrup. I don’t make clotted cream here. Still want one?” He smiled as if he already knew the answer.

  Clotted cream sounded disgusting. I wouldn’t make it here either. “A blueberry muffin will be great,” I said.

  The bell tinkled.

  “I was hoping you might have stopped in here,” the mayor said, smiling his creepy smile at me. “Good morning, Walt. I’ll have a maple creamstick and a cuppa joe.”

  I paid Walt, shoved the bag with the muffin into my satchel, and sipped my coffee. I made no effort to be polite to the mayor. “What do you want?”

  “Did you ask Keith about the book?”

  His question took me by surprise. I forgot that I told him I would ask Keith if he found a Treasure Island book in the boxes from the book sale. My poker face wasn’t in place, and I knew I radiated that I was lying when I said, “Uh. Uhm. No. He didn’t find anything.”

  The mayor squinted his eyes and cocked his head slightly. A second later, a smile crossed his face. “Well, in that case, I’ll keep looking.”

  I turned from the mayor and asked Walt, “Do you know when Peggy will be back?”

  “Can’t say that I do. She stopped in to say she was going to stay with her mother in Florida for a while.”

  I was surprised to hear she had left town so quickly and wouldn’t be here for Meredith’s funeral.

  “She won’t be back,” the mayor said. “After Meredith tried to take her shop from her, and then she died, Peggy was close to having a breakdown. It will be a long time before she comes back to Buxley.”

  “What do you mean Meredith tried to take her shop?” I asked.

  He looked surprised. “You didn’t know? I thought everyone knew.”

  I looked at Walt. He shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t have a clue what the mayor was talking about.

  “After Meredith put all that money into the store, she demanded Peggy pay her back with interest or sign the business over to her. She was only giving her thirty days before taking legal action.”

  “Meredith made a lot of changes in there, but I didn’t know she was so ruthless,” Walt said.

  The mayor threw his head back and laughed loudly. “She was one mean woman. Peggy was terrified of her.”

  I was stunned to hear this. I’d seen Meredith’s unpleasant side at the book sale, but Peggy had talked so kindly about her. And why did Meredith want to hire me if she was the one threatening Peggy?

  Something was off here, but I didn’t want to discuss it with Bubba. I opted to try to get a rise out of him instead. “Walt, what do you know about the Confederate gold that’s buried around here? I guess we’ve hit the forty-year mark when everyone starts looking for it again. The town will be crawling with gold hunters soon.”

  I took a brief glance at the mayor and saw his eyes widen. Maybe he thought he was the only one looking for the gold.

  Walt laughed. “I remember when I was a kid, the town held a gold-hunting event. Anyone who hadn’t already dug holes in their basement dug them, and the town permitted digging in the parks and on city land. Farmers let people dig in their fields and everyone went nuts. My dad came home with blisters so bad, his hands bled.”

  The mayor hung on his every word. “Did anyone find anything?”

  “Of course not,” Walt said. “It’s called a legend for a reason, and it’s gotten bigger over the years. My granddaddy used to say the original story was that only three gold coins were stolen by Randolph Buxley, but the legend grew to more than a million dollars worth of gold.” He shook his head and smiled.

  “I heard the gold was found and moved,” Bubba said. “I heard it from someone who knew.”

  Walt made a phooey noise. “Believe what you want. You’ll only go crazy if you chase that pipe dream.” He handed the mayor his coffee and creamstick. “That’ll be four dollars.”

  Bubba dug through his pockets, and came up empty. “Put it on my tab, and I’ll catch up with you next payday.”

  Walt frowned. I knew there was no tab. The mayor simply wasn’t paying.

  “I’ve got it, Walt,” I said and pulled the money from my bag.

  The mayor beamed. “Why, thank you, Jo. That’s right nice of you.”

  I ignored him and hoofed it back to our parking lot and my truck. The mayor’s news about Peggy and Meredith cast a completely different light on Meredith’s murder. Peggy could have been so upset about Meredith’s hostile takeover of her store, she could have easily gone in through the back door and murdered her. The fact that she left town so quickly ma
de her look guilty as heck.

  I sat in my truck and called Jackie.

  “Ryder. Buxley Beacon.”

  “It’s me. What are you doing? Can you run over to Patterson with me?”

  “No. I’m swimming in crap here. If someone doesn’t kill the mayor pretty soon, I’m going to do it myself.”

  I couldn’t help smiling at her frustration. Jackie usually held it together really well, and she was the consummate professional, but Bubba had her twisted in knots these days.

  “What’d he do now?”

  “He’s presenting a proposal at the next council meeting to use eminent domain to claim any property within the city limits with a building that hasn’t been occupied for a year or more. He says the buildings pose health risks to the community, and children could break in and get hurt on the premises. If something like that passed, a third of the buildings in the industrial park would be confiscated by the city, and some of them are only a few years old. I’ve interviewed the council members and they’re all considering voting with him. Has everyone around here gone mad?”

  “Yes. Yes, they have. Take a break from the madness and come with me to Patterson. I want to talk to the woman in the white convertible. I have her name and address now. She might know something about Meredith’s death.”

  “The case is settled, Jo. Her death has been ruled an accident, and you’ll never get Sergeant Rorski to think otherwise.”

  “I have proof she was murdered, and I have two suspects. Leave the mayor and the council alone and come with me. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

  She was quiet for a few moments. Eventually, she said, “I can’t get away today. I have a deadline to meet, and I can’t pass this off on Nick. He’s pulling his hair out over the police on bicycles. They recovered the two stolen bikes, but there’s a mutiny brewing within the department. Can you wait and go tomorrow?”

  I didn’t know what to expect at Tabitha’s house, and I wanted Jackie with me. I was going to have to wait whether I wanted to or not.

  “Tomorrow will work,” I said. “How about if I pick you up at the paper at ten?”

  “Ten is fine, but I’m driving. I can’t lose that much time if you drive. I’ll pick you up at your place.”

  I couldn’t help smiling when our call ended. Jackie drove like a wild woman. We’d get to Patterson and back in half the time with her driving.

  I called Pepper.

  “Thanks for the mess you left for me this morning,” she said in lieu of a greeting.

  “You’re welcome,” I said cheerfully. “Just be glad we finished the baking and the decorating. How are you feeling?”

  “Terrible. My head hurts. I’d have a little of the dog that got in my drink, but we’re leaving soon.”

  “It’s the hair of the dog that bit you. A dog didn’t get in your drink.”

  “Whatever. Buck’s in West Virginia waiting for a load. He wants us to come down and spend the day with him, and we’ll probably stay overnight. There’s a book sale in a local church the next morning.”

  “Jackie and I are going to Patterson tomorrow to talk with the woman in the white convertible. I was going to ask you to come along.”

  I could hear disappointment in her voice. “I’d love to meet her, but I can’t go. Could you go Friday?”

  “I don’t want to wait any longer. I wanted to talk with her today, but Jackie can’t get away until tomorrow. Go and have fun with Buck and the kids. I’ll fill you in when you get home, and if we get in her house, I’ll make a trip to the bathroom, so I can look in her medicine chest for you.”

  She laughed and hung up.

  It was still early. I could get out of the truck and go into the office, but the thought of spending the rest of the day doing paperwork sent pain waves through my brain.

  My thoughts went back to Meredith. I punched Jackie’s speed dial number again.

  Before she could identify herself, I asked, “Do you know if Meredith Duncan was married, and do you have her home address in any of your paperwork?”

  I heard her phone bang on the desk and the sound of papers being shuffled. She finally said, “Address - 802 North Wilkins. One husband - Gus. No children.”

  “Thanks,” I said and disconnected.

  It seemed appropriate to pay a visit to Gus Duncan and offer my condolences.

  Chapter Nine

  Nell Preston set a cup of tea in front of me and poured Scotch over ice for Gus.

  She had already explained she was Meredith’s sister and had come into town to stay with Gus to help him with funeral arrangements and to adjust to his wife’s passing.

  “Again, I’m sorry for your loss,” I said to both of them as Nell set her own cup of tea on the table in front of her. “I only met her once, and she seemed like a lovely person.”

  I hoped I wouldn’t be struck down dead for telling the whopper of a lie.

  “There was nothing lovely about her,” Gus said.

  “Now, Gus,” Nell said, reaching over to pat him on the knee. “Mare did right by you for a lot of years. She took good care of you when you couldn’t work anymore.”

  It was then I noticed the cane by his chair. Could he have struck his wife in the face with it?

  “What did you do for a living?” I asked.

  “Do you know what a flibbergasper is?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Neither do I, but I ran a forklift at a lumber yard for over twenty years.”

  I glanced at Nell. She closed her eyes and shook her head. I suspected she had her hands full with the man. “Gus and Mare haven’t lived here very long,” she explained.

  I pulled out my card and handed it to her.

  “I’m a private investigator. Meredith called and wanted to meet me this past Monday morning. She said she was thinking of hiring me. Do you have any idea why that might have been?”

  Gus looked up from his drink and said, “She probably wanted you to follow me, so she could find out who I was having an affair with.”

  Nell shook her head and sighed loudly. “You weren’t having an affair. Don’t start telling your stories.” She turned to me. “I don’t have any idea. She was bitter after she lost her job at the prison. We haven’t kept in touch much this past year.”

  I hadn’t yet run a background check on Meredith, so I didn’t know about her past. The prison comment intrigued me. “She worked at a prison?”

  “She gave conjugal visits to the prisoners without women.”

  “Gus, that’s enough,” Nell said sharply. “She did no such thing. She maintained a library for the inmates. She loved books, so it wasn’t a surprise when I found out she was working in a bookstore here.”

  I couldn’t let on that I thought Meredith had been murdered, but the thought crossed my mind she might have made an enemy at the prison – someone who wanted to hurt her.

  “Was she at Mansfield?” I asked.

  “No, Gary,” Nell said.

  “Gary, Indiana?” I asked.

  Nell nodded.

  “We lived in Gary ‘til Mare went off the deep end,” Gus said. “She said Buxley was one of the top five places to live in Ohio, and she moved us here. I hate it, and now that she’s gone, I’m going back to Gary.” He looked at Nell and said, “Hurry up and get her in the ground, so I can go home.”

  It was painfully obvious the relationship between Gus and Meredith was difficult – at least since moving here. I didn’t feel I could ask any more questions without raising their suspicions.

  I scooted forward in my chair and set my cup in the saucer on the table next to me. “Thank you for your time,” I said.

  Gus gulped the rest of his drink and grunted. Nell stood and walked me to the door.

  “Mare wasn’t always an unhappy person,” she said. “Gus has always been a grump, but Mare was kind and wanted to help people. Something happened at the prison. She said she wanted to get away and leave Gary behind. I had no idea how the two of them were getting along here, and
I’m shocked she died in such a bizarre way.”

  “Peggy said the spear was in the shop because Meredith wanted to start a storytime for adults.”

  “That sounds like her. She used to do storytime at the prison. She said the guys seemed to like it.”

  I thanked her again for her time and left.

  This was interesting. I now knew of three transplants from Indiana – Bubba and the two Duncans. The Duncans were from the northern part of Indiana, while Bubba was from the southern part of the state. It was highly unlikely they had ever crossed paths, but I intended to ask the mayor when I saw him again.

  My cell phone rang. I dug it out of my bag but didn’t recognize the number.

  “Baranski and Ravens Investigations. Jo Ravens speaking.”

  A voice whispered loudly, “Aunt Jo, it’s me – Keith.”

  I whispered back. “Hi, Keith. Do you have something for me?”

  “We’re at the grocery store, and Bubba’s here. He got me away from Mom to take me to the candy aisle. Can you believe she let me go with him?”

  I held back a laugh. He made it sound like the mayor was a child predator.

  “He didn’t even want to buy me any candy. He asked me if I found a copy of Treasure Island at the book sale. I told him no, but I don’t think he believed me. Is he one of the bad people looking for the map?”

  The mayor was a pain in the rump. He definitely thought I was lying if he tracked Keith down to ask him about the book.

  “I don’t know if he’s a bad person, but I do think he’s looking for the map. You did the right thing telling him you didn’t find a copy of the book. Just stick to the plan, and thanks for letting me know he asked you about it.”

  He talked in his normal voice. “Ok. I have to give Kelly her phone back. Thanks.”

  I hoped I was doing the right thing. I wasn’t ready to let anyone know we had the map. I wanted to find out who Bubba really was, what he was up to, and what he intended to do with the map if he found it.”