Teaberry Chase

XXI of Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast

Wallace, R.A.

(2019)

Tags:
Cozy Mystery

Cozy Mysteryttt

When someone close to home is suspected of murder, Megan races to find the puzzle pieces for a mystery that is full of false starts and deceptive turns. This mild cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth and friends in a small-town setting. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.

Teaberry Chase
A Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery

R. A. Wallace

2019

Author’s Note

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, dialogue, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.  Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Material in this book is not intended as a substitute for legal or medical advice from qualified professionals. The author has no connection to any software or website mentioned.

© 2019 R. A. Wallace. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Megan’s Recipe

Books by R. A. Wallace

Chapter One

“Ready for another fun-filled day?” Heddie Gould joined her behind the large counter that bisected the long room. It was nearly chest high affording customers an easy height to conduct their transactions. The glass partition segments above the counter were heavy and lined the length of the counter with open windows spaced evenly along it.

“Of course.” Misty Moore lifted her head from her task and fixed a smile on her face that she hoped contained an abundance of confidence. Inside, she felt everything but.

Heddie positioned herself on her stool at her window and began organizing her space into an efficient order based on her preference and years of experience. In addition to other necessities, she always kept a stack of blank deposit slips within easy reach and a small container of fingertip moistener. Once everything was in its proper place, she next began counting the money in the drawer she’d just been given.

Misty shifted her eyes to Heddie to watch her routine. No matter how hard she tried, she’d yet to emulate it. Her intentions each day as she left for work at the Teaberry Bank were honorable and good. It was her execution that always seemed to fail. She couldn’t even keep track of her supplies let alone organize them. She swore her stapler had grown legs in the middle of the night and disappeared. Her other supplies often suffered a similar fate.

The biggest issue, however, was the money drawer. Misty stared at hers with trepidation, hoping against hope that today would end differently than the other days before it. No matter how hard she tried, her drawer never matched up with her receipts at the end of the day. She’d tried following the standard practice of counting her bills out at the start of each day. Dutifully, she wrote down the numbers of each denomination she had.

It was during the course of the day, after a few transactions had been made, that things went downhill. On top of that, she also had to order cash from the vault throughout the day as her drawer supply was depleted. It was all fairly confusing. At least, it was for her. Misty shifted her focus back to Heddie. The older woman was now facing forward on her stool, ready to conquer the day.

“Supposed to be a hot one.” Heddie slipped her arms from her sweater before twisting to drape the garment across the back of her stool. Under the sweater, she wore a colorful chiffon tank to complement the white three-quarter length capris.

“Really?” Misty hadn’t paid much attention to the weather report.

“Ladies? Are we ready?” Rose Xiang stood in front of them on the other side of the counter. As the bank manager, it was both her duty and honor to unlock the heavy glass doors each morning.

“I am.” Heddie rested her hands lightly on the counter in front of her.

Misty watched Rose’s focus turn to her. She knew she visibly cringed under the manager’s disapproving stare.

“Let’s try to keep everything to the penny today.” It was the same thing Rose said each morning just before unlocking the doors.

Misty felt her stomach clench when Rose turned to walk to the entrance. There were several people standing on the other side of the door waiting to get in. Rose greeted them all, most by name, as they entered.

A line formed in front of Misty though only the first customer was permitted to approach the counter. The others were instructed by signs posted everywhere that they should remain behind a line several feet away from the counter for everyone’s safety.

The first customer seemed easy. He only wanted to pay a bill. Misty followed through the required steps and nearly flashed a smile of triumph when she finished. She could see from the corner of her eye that Rose had not yet returned to her office. It wasn’t uncommon. When she wasn’t mingling with customers, she often joined the tellers on their side of the counter and periodically even staffed a window at peak times. Misty knew that Rose didn’t have to watch over the tellers’ shoulders to monitor them. There were several cameras positioned all over the bank to do just that. No matter what Misty did, she was being watched by someone, or something, at all times.

She could hear Heddie carrying on conversations with each of her customers. It seemed the woman knew everyone in town. Often, the conversations were personal as a customer would give private details about their finances or share a confidence. There were times that Misty suspected customers went to Heddie’s line just to avoid the need to verify their identity if they were serviced by her instead. In her early thirties, Misty wasn’t quite half the age of her co-worker but she definitely knew less than half the people that Heddie knew.

“Excuse me.”

Misty focused on the next person in her line. She’d forgotten to motion them forward when the last person had left.

“Caitlyn, hi. Making your deposit for the florist shop?” Misty’s smile was more natural now. She and Caitlyn hadn’t been in the same year at school, but they were fairly close in age.

Caitlyn stepped up to the window and set her security deposit bag on the counter. “Here you go.”

“Okay, let’s see what we’ve got,” Misty murmured as she opened the bag and began separating the cash from the checks. “You don’t usually get in here this early.”

“I hired someone new for the summer,” Caitlyn said as she began reading the various notices posted on the glass dividers on either side of her.

Misty quickly totaled all of the items up and entered the number on the deposit slip before keying it all into the system. The deposit slip was then stamped with the time and number of the transaction.

“Here you go.” She passed the stamped slip to Caitlyn.

“Thanks.” Caitlyn returned Misty’s smile as she took the slip then turned to walk away. She immediately stopped and turned around, offering an apology to the person behind her in line. “Sorry, there’s a mistake.”

Caitlyn set the slip on the counter and pushed it across. “You have the number wrong.”

Misty felt the heat start in her neck before climbing up to her cheeks. She knew Rose was already working her way to the other side of the counter to check on the situation.

“No, I’m sure I have the amount correct. I counted everything twice.” Misty pushed the slip back across the counter.

Caitlyn picked up the slip and pointed. “The deposit amount is correct.”

Misty let out an audible sigh of relief just as Rose reached her side.

Caitlyn pointed at another number on the slip. “The account number is wrong. You deposited my money into someone else’s account.”

Rose reached out her hand to take the slip from Caitlyn. “I’ll handle this.”

***

“Teaberry Campground. This is Zeke.” He listened to the person on the other end. “No, ma’am. I’m afraid we’re already booked solid for the weekend. It’s the Teaberry Chase weekend.”

Zeke hung up the phone and turned back to the woman with fiery red hair on the other side of the counter. “Any more of that coffee?”

She nodded and leaned back against the wall with her own cup in her hand. He picked up his empty cup and crossed the room. They kept a pot on in the mornings for anyone who stopped in the camp store. It was a fairly common event and one of the many reasons why Zeke enjoyed owning the campground.

“I took some more orders for firewood yesterday.” Zeke filled his cup and returned to the counter.

“I saw. I’ll add them to my list of deliveries.” Roxie sipped her coffee. “Did you get the tractor going?”

Zeke nodded his head. “I got the train all ready to hook up for the rides.”

One corner of Roxie’s mouth hitched up. It was her job to drive the train around the campground in the evenings around dusk on the weekends. Any of the campers staying with them could ride for free and it wasn’t just the children that seemed to enjoy it.

“I should get at it.” She set her empty cup down and reached up to pull her shoulder length hair back into a tale. The red was now liberally sprinkled with white.

The sound of the bells on the door caused them both to turn toward it. Two couples came in. One of the men was holding a small beagle.

“Delmar, when did you get a beagle?” Zeke’s eyes narrowed when he saw the blood. He immediately moved to the other side of the counter and motioned toward a small table often used for chess games.

“We found this little guy. He’s hurt, as you can see.” Delmar carefully lowered the dog to the table. The beagle was shaking so hard, Delmar didn’t let go.

“We didn’t know what else to do.” Delmar’s wife, Josie, was pressing her hands together as she stared at the dog.

“Do you recognize it?” Roddy McKay removed his cowboy hat before bending over to get a better look at the injury. The small dog began to whine.

“I’ll call Casey. He’s the vet in town,” Zeke said. His gravelly voice was even more pronounced.

“I can run him into town,” Roxie said. Her eyes met Zeke’s across the room. “I’ll make the firewood deliveries when I get back.”

He glanced at the dog then nodded his agreement. “Probably best.”

“Sorry to dump this on you,” Nettie McKay said.

“Not your fault,” Zeke said quickly. “Wonder what happened to the little guy?”

***

“You’re sure about this?” Jennifer studied the woman across her desk with compassion in her eyes.

LeAnn took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s time. Gabe Parker hasn’t been a part of my life for so long now, our marriage ended years ago.”

Jennifer held up both hands. “I’m not arguing any of that. I’m just suggesting that how you choose to end it might matter to you later on.”

LeAnn’s shoulders slumped. “I know. We were friends once. It was a long time ago. I don’t hate him. In some ways, I wouldn’t mind having that friend back.”

Jennifer grimaced.

LeAnn let out a shaky laugh. “Was that the wrong answer?”

Jennifer picked up the pen on her desk. “Do you have your own bank account yet that is in your name only?”

LeAnn’s eyes dropped. “No.”

“That’s the first order of business. You’ve been legally separated for quite a while now with an agreement in place. You need a bank account with just your name that your paychecks get deposited into.”

LeAnn looked up quickly. “Gabe hasn’t touched any of the money.”

Jennifer’s tilted her head. “If you’re really ready for the divorce to be final, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

LeAnn bit her lip. “No. You’re right. It isn’t. I’ll do it today.” She stood. “Thanks for everything. I’m sure all the extra hand holding is over and above your normal call of duty.”

Jennifer shook her head. “What you’re feeling is all perfectly normal. It’s a difficult time for both of you but I’m sure it’s also the beginning of a new chapter. As you said. It’s time to move on.”

LeAnn managed a smile before leaving Jennifer’s office. She knew she should have followed up on getting a separate bank account long before now. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and was slammed from the side.

“Oh! Are you alright?” A deep voice asked. Strong hands grabbed on to her momentarily to stop her from falling.

LeAnn looked up at a concerned face. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” She tugged on the hem of her shirt to straighten it.

“I see you were with my new cousin,” he said with a smile. “I’m Beau.”

LeAnn glanced at Jennifer’s door behind her. “Hi. I’m LeAnn. You’re related to Jim?”

“Guilty.” He glanced down at her again. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Sure.” She waved his concern off as she began walking again.

Chapter Two

“She still isn’t behaving?” Julia held up the first shirt of the pile and examined it critically before reaching for a hanger.

“What do you think?” Giselle motioned to the new item.

“The fabric looks good. There aren’t many wrinkles from shipping and I think they’ll come out after hanging.” Julia hung the first shirt on the mobile rack behind her then reached for the next one in the pile.

Giselle turned back to the counter to continue entering the new item into the system. “In answer to your question, no. Ian’s dog is driving him crazy. Dakota won’t listen to anyone.”

Julia turned to hang the garment on the mobile rack. “She’s a Malinois, right?”

Giselle paused. “Yeah. Do you know anything about them?”

Julia’s laugh was short. “I wish. I was never allowed to have pets.”

Giselle’s gaze went to her front window. “Maybe we should display that new top in the window?”

Julia held up another top and reached for a hanger. “I was thinking the same thing. It would go really well with the capris we got in last week. I think you could even wear the outfit at work.”

Giselle finished entering the new item then moved to join Julia. She picked up one of the tops and headed for the large display window in the front, pointing to a female form. “We’ll swap this outfit out.”

Julia stopped what she was doing and crossed the shop to get a pair of capris. “It’s almost lunchtime.”

Giselle removed the other outfit from one of the dress forms. “You brought a lunch, right?”

Julia helped her slip the capris onto the form using the pins Giselle kept in her pocket to fold the excess fabric. “Yeah. I was just thinking that we’ve been getting more traffic in here at lunchtime lately.”

Giselle handed Julia the previous outfit then slipped on the new top. “Yeah, I noticed that too. I’ll cover so you can eat lunch first.”

Julia looked out the window and grinned. “Or I could cover for you right now so you can step outside.”

Giselle’s brows went up. She looked out the window and saw an off-duty police officer walking his dog down the sidewalk.

“You do have good ideas. I’ve noticed that about you.” Giselle flashed a smile before exiting through the front door.

Ian smiled when he saw her. Dakota began dancing in place and pulling at her leash. “No! Calm down, girl.”

Giselle shook her head while waiting for them to reach her. “She still hasn’t gotten the hang of it?”

Ian stopped in front of her and reined in the leash. “I’ve been trying to take her on more walks to get her used to the leash. You would think she’d be happy to get out of the house and see new things.”

Giselle looked down at Dakota. The dog was now focused on her. Intelligent eyes seemed to telescope some mystical doggy thought to her that Giselle’s human brain couldn’t register. “Maybe that’s the problem. She’s too excited about seeing new things.”

Dakota barked when she heard Giselle’s voice. She strained against the leash with her front paws off the sidewalk. She pawed the air in front of Giselle.

“No! Stop that.” Ian turned frustrated eyes to Giselle. “I hate to ask given the way she’s behaving now but do you think you can pick her up again after you close up here?”

Giselle kept the smile on her face. It wasn’t that she didn’t like watching the beautiful animal. The problem was she felt like such a failure each time. No matter what she did with the four-legged bundle of energy, it seemed to be wrong.

“Sure. Not a problem.” She looked down at Dakota. She wondered if she was imagining the disappointment in the dog’s eyes.

Dakota’s head swung around as the noise of traffic on the street caught her attention. A bird flew within view and landed in a nearby tree. A car pulled into an empty parking space a couple of doors down and two women emerged a moment later gathering on the sidewalk as they pointed at the shops around them. Dakota strained against her leash again, her front feet pawing at the air as she barked.

“No!” Ian tried to rein in the leash. Small hands gently wrapped around his. He looked down at the dark-haired girl that had appeared behind them. He saw a question in her eyes behind tortoiseshell glasses.

“May I?”

Ian looked down at her black pants. “Are you sure? She’s going to be all over you. Her fur goes everywhere.”

The woman smiled and reached one hand out toward Dakota. She placed it gently on the top of Dakota’s head between her ears. Dakota dropped her feet to the sidewalk and twisted to see who was there.

“Hey, Misty. Window shopping on your lunch break?” Giselle looked from Ian to Misty. “Have you two met?”

“Not yet.” Ian watched as Misty focused her gaze on Dakota. Dakota sat on her haunches and stared back.

“She’s beautiful,” Misty said.

“She’s a beautiful handful,” Ian agreed.

“How often do you tell her no?”

He laughed. “Nearly every second I’m with her.”

“Sounds pretty confusing, don’t you think?” Misty looked up at Ian.

“What do you mean?”

“How will she ever know what it means if you apply it to everything?” Misty rubbed the spot between Dakota’s eyes.

“She has to learn to behave,” Ian said.

“Agreed. But it might help if you give her more clues to what you want. Pick a different keyword for each situation. If you want her to stay down, try saying down instead of no. If you want her to stop pulling on the leash, try saying heel instead of no.” Misty shrugged self-consciously. “Just a suggestion. I don’t mean to tell you how to treat your dog.”

Ian looked down at the Dakota. She was sitting quietly next to Misty. He tried to remember the last time he’d seen her do that. He couldn’t come up with anything.

***

Zeke lifted the lid of the dumpster behind the camp store and tossed the bag inside before dropping the lid back into place. He secured the latch to help deter bears and returned to the camp store to find one of the campers browsing the aisles.

“Can I help you?” Zeke crossed to the counter with the cash register and stepped behind it.

“I’d like to place an order for a load of firewood to be dropped off at my camp site.”

Zeke pulled up his registration software and pushed a large map across the counter toward the man. “Which site are you in?”

The man glanced at the map and pointed. “Over here.”

Zeke quoted the price while he pulled up the number of the camp site in his software. “You’re Alva Guzman?”

“I am.” Alva pulled his wallet out and dropped the cash on the counter.

“Zeke Banner. Nice to meet you.” Zeke opened the cash drawer and gave the man his change. “First time staying with us?”

“Yeah. Nice place you have here.” Alva pointed to a flyer hanging on the wall behind Zeke. “A group of us are meeting up here for the Teaberry Chase.”

Zeke nodded. “You all must have booked early. We’re full up because of it.”

“We were lucky to get sites.” Alva tucked his wallet away. “Didn’t get them all in the same area of the campground but we aren’t complaining.”

“With the off-road trail right next door, we’ve expanded our registration system to a year out.” Zeke entered the order into the system to add the wood delivery to Roxie’s to-do list.

“Thanks for the wood. The rest of my group will be here for the weekend. I know we’ll be wanting campfires in the evenings.”

Zeke leaned against the counter. “Roxie will drop the load off at your site.”

***

LeAnn approached the front of the bank feeling as though her feet were encased in cement. The large glass doors in the center of the marble façade front sparkled in the sunlight. The four tall columns spaced evenly across the front lent the historic building an air of prosperity.

After stepping inside, she waited her turn in line and watched the others in front of her as they completed their transactions and moved on. Jennifer was right. She shouldn’t have put this off as long as she did. Her marriage to Gabe had been over for a long time. She would open an account in her name only using funds transferred from their joint account in the amount Jennifer had quoted her, and have her future paychecks deposited into it.

Raised voices jolted her focus back to the people in front of her. She recognized the teller. She and Misty had been in school around the same time. With her short straight-cut bangs and thick black arched brows above lavender tortoiseshell glasses, she always stood out in a crowd. LeAnn watched with everyone else in line as Rose came from her office and made a beeline for Misty. After a few more tense moments, Rose had the situation under hand. The customer left shortly after. The next person in line swung their head from Heddie in the next window over to Misty before reluctantly moving forward.

“Rose, do you have a minute?” LeAnn moved out of line to join Rose as she walked back to her office. “I’d like to open an account.”

Rose put her hand on LeAnn’s arm as they walked into the office. “Does this mean you’re ready for an account without Gabe?”

LeAnn nodded as she took a seat.

***

Giselle turned Dakota loose in her back yard as soon as she got home. It didn’t take her long to change out of her clothes and into something more comfortable. Within minutes, she had a portion of the salad already in the fridge transferred to a bowl with dressing on it. She carried the bowl outside to eat it on the deck while watching Dakota. It wasn’t the first time they’d kept each other company during Giselle’s dinner. Keeping Dakota entertained while Ian was at work had become something of a routine for them. It was, however, the first time she’d found Dakota digging up her newly planted annuals.

“Dakota! No!” Giselle set her salad down on the deck table. As she descended the steps to her yard, she remembered Misty’s words. It really was no wonder Dakota was confused. ‘No’ was without a doubt her most commonly heard word.

“Okay, we’re going to need to learn a new vocabulary for you.” Giselle bent down and replanted the flowers as best she could. “Come on. I’ll get you some water.”

Dakota immediately ran to the deck and quickly went up the stairs.

“Is that a word you understand? Water?” She watched as Dakota looked from her to the sliding glass door leading back to the kitchen. “Let me get your bowl.”

Giselle opened the sliding glass door just enough to slide into her kitchen. She grabbed the water bowl from the corner of the kitchen where she kept it and brought it out. As soon as she set it down, Dakota began drinking.

“Bowl,” Giselle repeated. The word reminded her that her salad was still waiting. She watched Dakota roam around the yard sniffing everything as she ate her salad. As soon as she was done, she called for Dakota. As usual, the dog ran straight to her.

“Well, you are good at listening. Maybe we really just haven’t been using the right words,” Giselle muttered.

She held up the leash. “Walk?”

Dakota began whining and dancing in place.

Chapter Three

Misty sat on the edge of her chair with her hands clutched together in her lap. She was glad she hadn’t eaten much before coming into work. Rose had been waiting for her at the door. Misty knew what the look on Rose’s face meant when she asked to speak with her privately.

After studying Misty for a moment, Rose leaned forward in her seat. Her office offered them privacy from the bank customers and tellers on the other side of the wall. “Misty, this just isn’t working out.”

Misty unclenched her hands and pushed her glasses up. “I’m sure I can get the hang of it if you just give me another chance.”

The grimace Rose made as she tilted her head held compassion. “I think we both know better. Don’t we?”

Misty filled her lungs with air ready to argue her case with everything she had then slowly exhaled. Deep down, she knew it wouldn’t help. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“You’ve been short on your drawer consistently since you began working here. You must know that can’t continue.” Rose leaned back in her chair.

Misty looked down at her hands. “I know. I just can’t seem to keep everything straight. No matter how hard I try, something always happens to throw things off.”

“You do seem to get distracted easily,” Rose said gently.

Misty knew it was true. She never enjoyed being trapped inside for much of the day doing the same routine tasks over and over. “Sorry.”

“You’re very bright,” Rose said. “I just don’t think banking is in your future. Not from behind the counter, at any rate.”

Misty stood. “Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me privately.”

Rose also stood and followed Misty from the office. Misty glanced over at the other tellers working behind the counter. She saw Heddie look her way with a sad smile. Misty gave a little wave before walking toward the front entrance.

She heard Rose’s voice behind her as she walked through the doors. “Good luck.” Misty stepped out onto the sidewalk allowing the heavy glass doors to close behind her.

***

Phin Burch made another cast and watched as his lure made a satisfying plop into the larger fishing pond at the Teaberry Campground. It was out far enough that the bobber wouldn’t return to the shore any time soon. He resettled himself in his folding camp chair and picked up his coffee cup. This was his favorite time of the day. The fish almost always kept him entertained with a nibble at the very least. He loved watching his bobber bouncing with action.

It was a catch and release pond which was a good thing for him. He didn’t really like eating the fish anyway. Mostly, he just enjoyed sitting out by the pond in the mornings before the heat of the day. During the camping season, one or more people nearly always stopped to ask him how he was doing. It kept him company to have a constant stream of people stopping by to talk with him.

That was one of the reasons why he spent his summers at the campground. It was better when Margaret was alive, of course. Phin frowned as he thought about his wife. He still missed her, even after all these years.

“Are you fishing or are you catching?”

The voice behind him startled him. “What’s that?”

A young man stopped beside him and pointed at the bobber. “I said, are you fishing or are you catching?”

Phin laughed even though he’d heard a variation of the same question hundreds of times before. “Oh, today it’s mostly fishing. Caught a four pounder the other day though.” He looked up at the young man next to him. He was a solid guy. More solid than Phin had ever been. Now that he was older, he seemed downright boney.

“Yeah?” The blond smiled at him. “Name’s Ken. Ken Medina.”

“Phin.” He glanced at his bobber before turning back to Ken. “Are you here for the Chase?”

“In a way. I’m actually in the area to promote a new opportunity.” Ken tucked his hands into his pockets as he watched the bobber.

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Phin thought he saw the bobber move. He pulled back on the line but didn’t get any resistance.

“It’s mostly for fun, really. It’s like a lottery of sorts. It helps out some charities and education. That sort of thing.”

Phin raised a hand mottled with the scars that remained after his doctor had removed the many patches of melanoma and adjusted his hat. “That sounds a little fishy. Pardon the pun.”

Ken laughed. “This isn’t. It’s totally legit. Like I said, the proceeds go toward education and charities. All local, of course.”

“Legit, you say?” Phin pulled back on his line again.

“Yeah. You can check it all out online. There’s a web address where you can place your bets. It takes most credit cards.”

“Betting, you say? What kind of betting?”

Ken pulled his phone out. “On the off-road trail, of course. That’s what I’m talking about. Everything is local and legit. Here.” He pulled up the website and passed the phone over to Phin.

Phin squinted at it. “Well, I’ll be.”

Ken smiled as he took the phone back. “I’m here to let the local people know about it. You might want to give it a try. Who knows, you might even make some money from it.”

“Really?” Phin turned back to the water. His bobber was gone.

“I think you may have something there.” Ken pointed where the bobber used to be.

Phin pulled up on the line immediately. His bobber flew out of the water along with the hook. His bait was gone.

***

Dena drove past Gabe’s Garage and wondered why it looked like no one was there. She tried to think back to the last time she had passed. It had seemed deserted that time too. She wondered what Gabe could be up to that would take him away from his work at the garage.

Then she remembered. One of his customers had paid with an older model toy hauler. It was a trailer with space for someone to sleep but also space for something like a dirt bike or all terrain vehicle in the back. She had been the one to suggest that Gabe use the trailer out at the campground as a mobile repair unit for the off-road trail.

It was the one thing that Gabe seemed really excited about. He liked anything with engines but the bigger, noisier, and faster they went the better. She assumed that must be where he was each time she’d passed his garage. Maybe he was getting enough business out at the off-road trail that he didn’t need to hang around at his garage as much. She wondered how that was working out. She couldn’t imagine people being happy if they couldn’t find him when they needed him at the garage.

Dena parked her car behind the small building that housed several offices. She was running a little early with her cleaning schedule, just as she had planned. If she timed things just right, she had enough time between her morning jobs each Friday to stop at the bank and pick up some cash for the weekend. She left her car where it was and walked around the front of the building to head down the sidewalk. As she neared the bank, she saw someone she recognized.

“Misty, hey. Aren’t you going in the wrong direction?” Dena stopped and looked at Misty. She could tell immediately that something was wrong.

Misty managed a shaky smile. “Looks like my banking career is over.”

Dena reached out and put her hand on Misty’s arm. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Misty shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ll find something else. I always do, right?”

“I don’t know if Ava has any openings right now, but I really like working at Maid in Teaberry. Ava is an awesome boss.”

Misty glanced at the bank behind her. “Rose wasn’t bad either. I don’t think we can place the blame there.” She gave Dena a wry grin.

“Well, maybe we should celebrate your new career path. Whatever that may be.” Dena smiled back. “What are you doing this weekend?”

Misty laughed. “Not much of anything, I guess. What did you have in mind?”

“The boys and I are going to the Teaberry Chase. You could come with us. It would be my treat to get you out of the house. Being around a lot of people might be a good thing. What do you think?”

Misty didn’t hesitate. “You talked me into it.” This time, her smile seemed genuine.

***

Dan pulled into the campground and parked his truck in front of the office. He found Zeke inside at the counter. The man had always reminded him of a grizzly bear. “Morning, Zeke.”

“Hey stranger. You need a pass to visit your brother?” Zeke reached for a blank hang tag. He quickly wrote a date on one side of it and held it out. “Just make sure the date is facing out when you hang it on your mirror.”

Dan reached for the hang tag. “Thanks. Have you seen him around?”

Zeke pointed at the map of the campground in front of him on the counter. “His site is here.” He used a marker to show Dan how to get there. He tore the map from the pad and handed it to Dan.

Dan waved the hang tag as he left the camp store. He hung the tag as soon as he slid into the truck then drove slowly through the camp following the map. He saw Gabe’s truck first. It took him another moment to recognize his new trailer.

“There you are.” Dan stepped from his truck and joined Gabe in the back of his trailer.

“Hey, you just caught me. I needed something else to work on an engine over at the trail.” Gabe continued looking through his toolboxes. “What brings you all the way out here?”

“I was wondering how work was going.” Dan watched his brother digging through a tray in a toolbox.

“Work? Work is great.” Gabe closed the drawer and opened another.

“How can that be? You seem to be out here most of the time now. What’s going on at the garage with you gone so much?”

Gabe pulled something out of the drawer and smiled at it. “Here it is.” He moved toward Dan to exit the back of the trailer.

Dan followed him down the ramp. “Gabe?”

“Yeah?” Gabe turned to look at Dan. “Listen, I have to get back over there. I’m in the middle of something. You understand, right?” Gabe moved toward his truck. “I’ll call you when I have some time. Okay?”

Dan shook his head as he watched Gabe drive toward the off road trail.

Chapter Four

It was her favorite time of the day. Megan sat on her back porch with her tea mug and waited for the show to begin. She could hear the birds around the house as they began their day. She could see the sheep in the field on the other side of the barnyard. They were in the distance this morning, closer to the woods than the barn. The grass in the rolling field between the barnyard fence and the woods was luscious and green. Flora and Dora, the miniature donkeys, were sticking close to the Fletcher horses.

Megan didn’t know if it was because the donkeys enjoyed being with others they more closely resembled or if they somehow understood that the horses were at a difficult juncture. Since the death of the doctor that had kept them before, the location of their future home was unknown. Megan took a sip of her tea as she admired them. They were beautiful animals. She only had four left at this point. Casey had been slowly finding homes for them all. He would arrive periodically to take one or more of them away.

A noise in the chicken coop brought her attention to the other side of the barnyard. The hens were out in their large pen, clucking over something as they searched the ground within the fenced area. Outside in the barnyard, Henry the rooster took center stage. Megan no longer wondered if Henry accidentally positioned himself between the barn and the house at the same time each morning. She knew it had to be by design.

Dan emerged from the barn after the morning chores and walked toward the back porch where Megan sat. She saw the firm set of his jaw as he drew nearer the brown leghorn. Henry waited until Dan was within range and then lifted his head to turn his one good eye toward his adversary. Man and rooster stood staring, as though suspended in time. Megan wondered who would win the battle of wills this morning. From her count, they were currently at a draw.

A loud noise erupted from the area of the hens as a squabble over bug rights erupted. Henry’s attention was momentarily distracted as he turned his good eye toward the fenced chicken yard. Dan took the opportunity to skirt around the rooster. He quickly joined her on the porch. He took the seat next to her and picked up the coffee cup she’d set there for him.

“Another draw, I think.” She smiled before taking a sip of her tea.

“It gives me an idea.” He slung one long arm behind her to rest on the back of the rattan sofa.

“Oh?” She turned her head toward him slightly while watching the hens.

“I could rig something up to get the hens going. Put it on a timer set to go off just when I need it.” He stretched his legs out in front of them.

She smiled at the image in her head. “If you spook them too much, it might reduce the egg production.”

“There is that,” he agreed. His gaze went back to Henry. “Still, it’s worth considering.”

“Did you have a chance to speak with Gabe yesterday?” She turned to look at him when he remained silent for too long.

His jaw was set again. “Not sure what’s gotten into his head. He was doing well with the garage.”

“He isn’t now?”

“How could he? He’s spending all of his time out at the campground and the off-road trail.” He set his coffee cup down.

“Maybe once the Chase is over, his schedule will get back to normal?”

Dan blew out a breath. “What about the people who need car inspections? The tune-ups? All those routine jobs that were keeping him afloat in his business. He’s going to lose the clientele he already had built up. He can’t just hare off whenever it suits him. That’s not the way you run a business.”

***

Caitlyn lifted another binder onto the table and opened it to the first page. “This is another option. You could have your bouquet in any color you choose but this would be the general look right here.”

The young bride-to-be pulled at her lip as she considered it. She turned to her mother. “What do you think?”

“It’s your wedding.” The fifty-something flattened her lips as she pressed them together.

Caitlyn knew what that meant. She’d seen it countless times before. Weddings could be such stressful events. Although there were common jests about bridezillas and mothers who took over the proceedings, the fact was that many families tried to navigate the affair without causing permanent rifts.

That did not describe this family. The bride-to-be dropped her eyes back to the binder in front of her. She began flipping through the pages. So far, they hadn’t managed to agree on anything. It was also a fairly common situation. In some cases, the arguments stemmed from parents who were paying for the event so they wanted to call all of the shots. In others, it was simply a matter of difference in tastes.

The bride-to-be paused over another picture. The mother hummed her disapproval. Another page was flipped. Both women leaned in to get a closer look.

“That’s a modern take on a classic bouquet,” Caitlyn said. “It’s on the smaller side but doesn’t have the perfectly round symmetrical look of the old days.”

“I’m not sure I like all of the flowers,” the mother murmured.

“Completely customizable to your tastes.” Caitlyn reached for the binder. “May I?” She quickly flipped through to another page. “This is another example. Same classic style with a modern twist.”

“I like the greenery.” The bride-to-be flashed a look at her mother.

The mother nodded. “Most of the flowers are nice too.” She turned to Caitlyn. “It’s not overly fussy.”

“We can coordinate the main color into the decorations at the church, as well.” Caitlyn leaned back in her seat. Both women were now nodding. The sound of the bells on the door broke up the session. The mother reached for her purse as she stood.

The bride-to-be pulled out her phone and took a quick picture of the bouquet they’d just agreed on. “I feel a lot better now, thanks.”

Caitlyn smiled at them both. “Glad I could help.” She crossed the shop to join Gail at the front counter.

Mother and daughter waved and flashed smiles before they went through the door.

“Sorry I interrupted,” Gail said.

“Perfect timing, actually. If they had sat there for much longer, they would have changed their minds again.” Caitlyn turned to her new employee. “How was lunch?”

“Great. I brought my own and sat in the town square to eat. After that, I did some window shopping.” Gail slipped her purse from her shoulder and stowed it behind the counter.

“Nothing tempted you enough to buy it?” Caitlyn left the counter and began gathering all of the binders she’d pulled out for the pair of women.

“No. I liked several things that I saw but I didn’t like the prices. That’s the thing with me. I’m always chasing after the big deals.” Gail crossed over to help Caitlyn put away the binders. “If I can’t find the price I want, I don’t buy.”

***

Bella finished cleaning a cage and got it ready for the next temporary guest, whoever that may be. She liked that she never knew what animal she would be seeing next. Although it was usually dogs or cats that were brought to the animal hospital for help, they also saw their fair share of birds, lizards, snakes, rodents, and rabbits. As much as she enjoyed all of that, her favorite part was when she travelled with Casey to the various farms to treat the larger animals.

She moved over to the next cage. This one was already occupied. Unfortunately, the current occupant was very unhappy. She opened the door and slipped her hands inside to try to comfort the small beagle. He was having none of it. His constant whimpering shifted into high gear and soon became howls. No matter what Bella tried, she couldn’t get him to stop. In addition to the howling, he also shook. She assumed it was from fear though, given his injury, she knew he must also be uncomfortable. She turned her head when she felt a presence beside her but kept her hands inside the cage to stroke the young beagle.

“No luck?” Ethan leaned down to peer into the cage. The beagle began howling louder.

Bella shook her head. “I don’t know what else to do. I think he misses whoever he’s used to being with.”

“Has he eaten anything?” Ethan straightened and took a step away from the cage, hoping it would lessen the beagle’s cries.

“No food and barely no water either.” Bella rubbed the spot between the beagle’s ears gently.

“He was found out at the campground, right?” Ethan watched Bella focus on the small dog.

Bella nodded. “No one knows where he came from or how he was injured. Casey said that he should heal just fine.”

“That’s good.” Ethan crossed the room to check the feed supply. “I need to order some more feed.”

“I guess that’s one good thing about working at the feed store with Dan,” Bella said as she closed the door on the beagle’s cage.

Ethan gave a wry smile. “Yeah. Casey likes my employee discount.”

***

Gabe closed the ramp at the rear of his camper and secured the latch before turning to walk through the campground. He tried to get around as much as possible to meet everyone and was happy to say that he now knew several people by name. As he walked down the rows of campers of all shapes and sizes, he saw an older couple sitting out on the deck they’d built around their RV. They kept the unit in the same place year round.

Gabe stopped and leaned against the deck railing. “Beautiful day.”

“That it is.” Josie Delmar wore a folded bandana as a band to hold her short hair back. The color of the bandana was every bit as loud as the loose-fitting top she wore over her black stretch capris. “Did you have any luck?”

Gabe held up the strand of wire. “I think this will do the trick.” He moved over to the portable fence they used to contain their small dog and bent down. After twisting the thin metal wire into place, he tried opening and closing the door.

“Oh, that works just fine,” Josie said.

Gabe stood. “It’ll do in a pinch.”

Delmar pushed himself up from the deck chair and carefully went down the stairs. The small dog cradled in one arm trembled with excitement. Delmar bent to set the miniature dog of mixed heritage onto the ground and closed the gate behind it.

“He’ll be glad to get his exercise again.” Delmar clapped one hand on Gabe’s back. “Thanks a lot. We really appreciate it.”

“Not a problem.” Gabe watched as the small dog began moving around inside the mobile pen. His eyes and ears were the largest features. The rest of the body was tiny in comparison. Gabe had no idea what all was in the lineage, but he assumed there was a teacup fox terrier in there somewhere. One of the wives of a race car driver he used to work for had one. She carried it around in her purse.

“One of the other campers stopped by here last night. He said he knew you.” Delmar walked over to the deck railing and leaned against it. “Real friendly guy. Liked to talk a lot.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gabe joined him at the railing. “Was his name Ken?”

Delmar glanced at his wife.

Josie nodded. “Ken. That was it.”

“He was talking about some new opportunity for locals. Sounded kind of interesting.” Delmar gave Gabe a speculative look. “Said you could vouch for them.”

“You bet. I’ve known Ken for years from the racing circuit. The opportunity he told you about is actually one of those win-wins. Gives you the chance to have a little fun betting on the outcome of the off-road trail while supporting education-type things around here.” Gabe flashed them both a confident smile.

“You’re sure it’s safe?” Josie asked. “I wouldn’t want to do anything illegal.”

Gabe raised his right hand. “Totally legit. Did Ken give you two the web site?” He waited for their nods. “You should go online and check it out. I’m telling you, Delmar. It’ll make you a whole new man.”

***

Megan glanced at the clock in her car. She’d spent her day sewing more sleepers for the baby. When she ran out of fabric and matching thread, she’d gone to the craft store to pick out some more. One thing led to another and she’d ended up staying longer than she intended which meant she didn’t have dinner ready for her husband.

If she hurried, she had just enough time to pick up some barbeque and get home before Dan did. She knew that he would offer to pick something up for them if she called him. But she was already at the restaurant. She slid from the SUV after parking at the Station Pub & Grill and saw Jerry Stevens in front of her.

He turned when he heard her laugh. “Must be a good day for barbeque.”

“I forgot to make dinner.” She caught up with him and they entered the restaurant together. The hostess went off to pick up their meals, leaving them to wait in the front.

“I was looking at your bed and breakfast web site recently. I really like the code you used for the online ordering system.” Jerry nodded at a couple as they walked out of the restaurant.

“Thanks. It works for me.” Megan smiled as the hostess returned carrying their bags. She and Jerry left at the same time after wishing each other a happy weekend. The smell of the barbeque drove her insane the whole way home.

Chapter Five

It was just after dinner time and there weren’t a lot of people in the park. Giselle knew from experience that would change soon as families finished their evening meal and began migrating back out to enjoy the summer evening. She saw a movement from the corner of her eye and braced herself. It was a good thing she did. Dakota nearly pulled Giselle’s arm from its socket as she lunged for the squirrel.

“No!” Giselle shortened the leash. “I thought we were going to have a nice quiet walk in the park.”

Dakota ignored her and began straining on the leash again toward a thicket of flowering bushes on one side of the walkway.

“You don’t need to go in there.” Giselle turned to walk in another direction.

Dakota was still focused on the thicket, her feet scrabbling on the walkway as she tried to reverse course.

“No, come on. There’s lots of things to smell over here.” Giselle tugged on the leash.

Eventually, Dakota turned from the thicket and lunged forward in the new direction. Giselle was pulled along with her for a few steps before she leaned her weight back on the leash.

“Slow it down a little. This isn’t a race.” In the distance in front of them, Giselle could see someone coming toward them. They were also walking a dog. She considered changing course again but hesitated too long.

Dakota saw the dog in front of her and began lunging forward again. Giselle shortened the leash again, keeping Dakota as close to her legs as possible. The girl walking toward her looked to be in her late teens. The brindle dog walking sedately by her side was huge. Giselle couldn’t help comparing the two dogs. Dakota was straining at her leash, trying with all her might to get at the other dog.

As she drew closer to the young girl, she couldn’t help asking. “Is that a Great Dane?”

The young girl stopped and held her hand flat above the brindle’s massive head. It sat immediately.

“Yes.” She nodded toward Dakota. “Malinois?”

Giselle looked down at Dakota. She was still straining against the leash. “Yeah. I didn’t realize Great Dane’s were better behaved.”

The girl’s gaze focused on Dakota before glancing at the brindle. “Well, we spend a lot of time together socializing. That makes a difference too.”

Giselle couldn’t take the pulling on her arm anymore. “Come on, Dakota. Let’s go check out this path.” She had to work at getting the Malinois to agree but once the Great Dane was finally out of view, Dakota began lunging forward.

There was a brief period when Giselle could finally relax and enjoy the walk a little. The Malinois continued to strain against her leash, but Dakota’s pull was constant. It was somewhat better than when she was lunging. Giselle should have known it wouldn’t last.

As they rounded a bend in the path, a rabbit darted across their view. Before she knew what happened, Dakota slipped from her collar and took off after the rabbit.

“Dakota, no!” Giselle tried running after her but there was no way she could keep up with the streak of fur. Within moments, Dakota had chased the rabbit around some bushes and was gone.

***

“I still don’t know what you see in that guy.” Alva Guzman reached into the cooler next to the folding chair and pulled out a beer can. A medium sized dog of mixed breed sitting at his feet began barking.

“I’m telling you to back off.” Ken Medina stood staring at the man across the fire ring.

They were complete opposites. Ken was the fair-haired blond with blue eyes fringed with long lashes and dimples when he smiled. The freckles across the bridge of his nose gave him the boy next door look. He had the natural ability to talk people into just about anything. It was that ability that had kept the small group of them in money. Though the rest of them did their jobs behind the scenes, it was Ken who usually acted as the front man. He was the one who went out to shake hands and kiss babies, lulling their next marks into a false sense of security.

“We do just fine without him,” Alva continued. He was the dark-haired brooding type. At five eleven, he had an inch over Ken but was thinner. His angular face didn’t have the openness of the other man. His dark eyes were scowling at Ken.

“This time is different,” Ken insisted. “We need his local contacts.”

“We never have before.” Alva’s voice grew louder. The black and white dog at his feet stood and continued to bark.

Ken looked around before shooting Alva a look. He didn’t want to attract attention. Not the wrong kind, at any rate. There were a lot of people moving around between the campground and the off-road trail. It was the night they were running the trials for the Chase. These runs would help determine the placement for the competition tomorrow. They could hear shouts and revving motors from the area of the off-road trail. They were so close to part of the trail, in fact, that some of the competition could be viewed without ever leaving the campground.

“Keep it down.” Ken stepped around the fire ring to get closer to Alva. “You’ll do as I say. If you don’t like the way I’m running things, you’re free to leave anytime.”

Alva’s mouth twisted to an ugly sneer. “You couldn’t make it without me.”

“Stop it!” Gabe moved to stand between the two men. “People can hear you.” He looked at a group of people passing by them on their way to the off-road trail property.

Alva lifted his can and took a swig as he glared at the other two men. The dog began an agitated dance around him in circles.

“There’s more than enough action here for all of us.” Gabe pointed at them. “You two need to get your act together. This is a close-knit community. People around here talk. You need to stop giving them the wrong thing to talk about.”

“He’s right.” Ken focused on Alva. “Like I said. You need to reel it in.”

Alva crushed the empty can with his hand and tossed it into the fire ring before turning to walk away. The dog ignored him. Alva stopped after several steps and turned to call his dog. It took off like a shot running ahead of Alva. They could hear him shouting at the dog for several moments.

Ken raised both hands as he focused on Gabe. “He’ll come around. He always does.”

Gabe pointed at Ken. “I hope so. I’m tired of making pennies with car inspections and tire changes. This is my chance to make some real money. I don’t want anyone messing up my chance.”

Ken flashed his dimples. “Hey, no one’s going to mess it up. This is the big time for both of us. There’s no way we can fail.”

***

The flowers in the park were beautiful. Misty walked slowly down the paved path through the park. Normally, it was something she enjoyed doing. On this walk, however, her mind kept returning to her lack of employment. She needed to get another job and fast.

The sound of a bird call in a nearby tree caused her to stop. She looked up, checking all of the branches until she finally spotted the pileated woodpecker near the top clinging to the trunk of the tree. He was hopping around, looking for something to eat. Nearby, she heard another call. A mate, perhaps.

She sighed and began walking again. She’d really hoped that the job at the bank would last. It didn’t matter so much that she hadn’t really liked it. It was a stable income. Something she desperately needed whether she liked the job or not.

It was true that she didn’t enjoy being cooped up inside all day. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked around at the beauty that surrounded her. Too bad there wasn’t an opening at the park. She’d love to spend all day there.

The dampness in her hand brought a smile to her face. She looked down at the intelligent eyes staring back at her.

“Well, hello again.” She automatically began rubbing the dog’s ears. “Are you lost?” Misty searched for a collar. “Uh, oh. I take it this is an unauthorized expedition?”

Misty glanced around. She didn’t see the tall man that had been with the dog the last time she’d seen it. In fact, she didn’t see anyone at all.

“We’re going to need to find your human.” Misty stood again. “Maybe we should go this way?”

The Malinois perked its ears forward as though it understood. Misty motioned with her hand. The dog fell into step beside her, easily matching its gait to hers.

“It’s much nicer walking through the park with you than doing it on my own.” Misty kept her hand just above the dog’s head. Periodically, she would touch it as though reassuring the dog that they were still in it together.

“Hey, I see someone that looks familiar. I think that’s the lady from Togs. Is she the one you’re here with?” Misty stopped and waited for Giselle to reach them. She smoothed her hand down the dog’s back and gently pressed. The Malinois sat and waited beside her.

“Dakota! You gave me a heart attack.” Giselle stooped down and put the collar back on before standing again. “Thanks for finding her.”

Misty smiled. “I think she found me, actually.”

“Well, whatever. I’m just glad she’s back. I should get her home before anything else happens.” Giselle looked down at Dakota. The dog was focused on Misty. “How did you get her to behave for you?”

Misty looked down into the intelligent eyes. “I didn’t get her to do anything.”

***

Gabe returned a greeting to a group of people passing by his camp site. The trials were over for the night. It was just a matter of everyone clearing out from the grounds of the off-road trail. Those staying at the campground were returning slowly but surely. Often, they passed close to his site because of its location. He was right on the line between the two properties.

He tossed another log onto his campfire. He was nearly out of wood. He’d have to stop by the office and order another delivery or he wouldn’t have enough for the rest of the weekend. As he stood staring at the flames with a beer in his hand, he thought more about the argument between Alva and Ken that he had interrupted earlier.

He wondered what had prompted it in the first place. He knew that the other guys that hung around Ken didn’t really trust him. For that matter, he doubted that Ken did either. They had never hung out together in the past. Gabe had always made it a point to stay away from them.

He hoped he’d managed to diffuse the situation at least temporarily. He needed to be successful with everything he was working toward now. It was important to him. More important than anything he’d done in a very long time.

Chapter Six

It was a beautiful day to spend outside with her family. Dena looked in her rear-view mirror. Luke and Asher were so excited, they could barely sit still. She quickly glanced at Misty before focusing back on the road.

“It’s Saturday, so I’m sure the place will be packed with people. Hopefully, you’ll see something of interest. I just hope you aren’t too bored with us today.”

Misty turned to Dena. “Oh, I can’t imagine that. I love being outside. I’ve never been to the off-road trail but I’ve wanted to get out there.”

“Good. But if you get fed up, just let me know and we’ll call it day.” Her eyes went to the rear-view mirror again expecting the boys to protest. Fortunately, they were keeping each other amused playing I Spy.

Dena slowed to join a line of cars waiting to turn into the property.

“Do you guys come out here often?” Misty was looking around with interest.

“Usually just when there’s a practice session of some sort going on. They let us in for free then.” Dena made a face at Misty. “I love free.”

Misty chuckled. “I know what you mean. Free is good.”

“Money is definitely tight.” Dena glanced at Misty again. “I checked with Ava. She said she doesn’t have any openings right now.”

Misty focused on the vehicles in the line in front of them. “Thanks anyway. I’m sure I’ll find something. I always do. This isn’t the first time I’ve lost my job. I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

“You can’t find something you like?” Dena moved forward when the line in front of her moved.

Misty let out a sigh. “That’s the problem, I guess. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. The problem is, I’m already in my thirties.”

“Yeah.” Dena glanced in the rear-view mirror.

Sitting in line got the boys’ attention. They were no longer playing their game. Instead, they were sitting up to look out the windows.

“Mom!” Luke pointed forward. “I can see some of the big trucks.”

“Is Gabe going to be here?” Asher asked no one in particular.

Dena felt the flush in her cheeks. Thankfully, Luke interrupted by reading the sign in front of them.

“The Teaberry Chase.” Luke pointed again.

“Why do they call it a chase?” Asher strained against his seatbelt to see more.

Dena frowned at the sign. “I don’t know, sweetie. I guess it’s just because they chase each other around the trail.”

***

Bella stood next to the examination table while Casey worked on the patient. The large basset hound turned woeful eyes toward her. Bella crooned meaningless words, hoping they would somehow comfort the animal while Casey finished tying off the last of the stitches.

“And that’s the last one.” Casey straightened and spoke to the dog. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

The dog shifted his sad gaze to Casey. Casey smiled and turned around to pick up the collar.

Bella began rubbing the dog’s head. She knew what was coming next.

“Do you have a good hold?” Casey asked.

Bella nodded as she did her best to steady the dog so that Casey could fit the large cone-shaped collar around the dog’s neck.

“He’s not going to be very happy about this,” Casey murmured.

She knew that was true. None of the animals ever liked wearing the collar but she knew it was for their own good. The basset hound would never leave the stitches alone long enough to let the area heal without it.

Bella waited in the exam room with the dog when Casey left to get the owner. A few minutes later, the unhappy basset hound left the building. Bella walked down the hall to the rear of the building where they kept their guests. She found Ethan waiting for her with Cooper.

“Hey, Coop.” Bella lavished the dog with attention.

“Let’s hope this works.” Ethan turned toward the small beagle. His cries were nonstop and had been ever since he’d arrived.

She opened the cage door and carefully took the beagle from the cage. She stooped down to the floor to set the whimpering dog in front of her then reached back into the cage.

“I gave him this stuffed toy hoping it would help keep him company.” She placed the toy next to the beagle. “So far, it hasn’t. I’m hoping Cooper has better luck.”

“Okay, Coop. Let’s give this a try.” Ethan crouched down next to beagle and motioned to Cooper.

The border collie moved forward then stopped when he reached the beagle. Cooper touched his nose to the top of the beagle’s head. Bella and Ethan shared a hopeful look but the beagle continued to cry.

Bella let out a sigh. “I guess he misses his owner too much to worry about the friendship of another dog.”

“It was worth a try.” Ethan made a hand signal to Cooper and the dog immediately spread out on the floor next to the beagle.

“Maybe we should have tried with Galen,” Bella said. “I just figured he was too young still. He would be all excited and trying to play.”

“I don’t think that would have worked either.” Ethan stood. “I’ll tell mom she can take Cooper home after she drops me off at work.”

Bella watched the beagle for a moment longer before nodding her head. “Okay. Thanks anyway.” She lifted the beagle when she stood to return him to the cage.

“Have a good day at work.” Ethan motioned to Cooper. The border collie leapt up to follow him out.

“You too.”

***

The crowd was way bigger than she had imagined. Dena kept a close eye on both boys as they navigated their way around. She was glad she had Misty with her to help. They finally found a spot that they liked and the two women unfolded their chairs to sit. The boys preferred to stand. They would be able to see the trucks involved in the hill climb challenge. When the boys tired of that, they would move to another area to see a different challenge. The actual Chase began later in the day and would be completed the following day on Sunday.

“This is awesome!” Asher yelled over the noise.

Dena shared a smile with Misty then her eyes went over Misty’s head to the man standing behind her.

“Hey.” Dena didn’t notice the others behind Gabe at first.

“Hey.” Gabe kept moving.

The man beside him grabbed his arm. “Who is this?” Ken smiled down at the ladies.

Gabe made the introductions.

“I didn’t know Gabe had any friends here.” Ken held up his arm. He was carrying a pile of pamphlets in it. “I see you have kids so you must be interested in education. We’ve been walking around sharing our news with everyone.” Ken passed flyers to Dena and Misty.

Dena glanced down at it quickly. Her eyes went up to Gabe. He stared back at her as Ken explained the online gambling opportunity but she couldn’t read the expression behind his sunglasses.

“Thanks, but I’m not into gambling.” Dena tried to pass the flyer back.

Ken wouldn’t take it. “Keep it. In case you change your mind, or you could pass the info along to someone else.”

Dena fixed a smile on her face before turning back to watch the hill climb challenge. Ken didn’t take the hint. He remained for several more minutes trying to convince Misty to try her luck at his online gambling site. Finally, they left.

“Interesting guy,” Misty said.

Dena made a face but didn’t comment. A few hours later, Dena convinced the boys it was time to go home. The boys walked in front of them as Misty and Dena followed carrying their chairs. They were in the area of the property that was closest to the campground. Dena looked up the slope, wondering if she could pick out Gabe’s trailer. He’d mentioned it was right on the property line. Asher’s cry of alarm made her drop her chair.

“What’s wrong?” She moved to catch up with him. The boys were standing close together.

“It’s okay,” Misty said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Dena moved closer to the boys as Misty bent down next to the black and white dog.

“He jumped out at us,” Luke said. “It scared Asher.”

“I wasn’t scared!” Asher took another step closer to Dena and reached for her hand.

Misty placed her hand on the dog’s head. He had been dancing around but settled as soon as he felt her touch.

“Why is it running around without a leash?” Dena asked. “And an owner.” She began looking around them. She spotted one of the men that she’d seen with Gabe earlier. He looked angry. She felt angrier.

“Is this yours?” Dena took a step forward, positioning herself between the man and her children.

“He won’t hurt anyone.” He motioned to the dog. “Come on.”

They watched as the man turned to walk away. The dog remained by Misty who stood as the man turned again. This time, he grabbed the dog’s collar and dragged it along beside him. Dena picked up her chair and motioned to the boys to follow her to the car.

“He seems like a nice dog,” Misty said.

Dena glanced behind them. “Not sure we can say the same about the owner.”

Chapter Seven

Gabe stood next to his RV with a remote in his hand. One of the things he loved about the RV was the option to have a flat panel television on the outside when camping. The volume ran through the speaker also located on the outside. He often listened to the radio that way but tonight he was showing a taping of some of the Chase events of the day. He figured it was appropriate. Besides, he’d been too busy with Ken and the others to actually enjoy any of it.

He was in full party mode. He had his string lights hanging around the perimeter of his camp site, the Chase was queued up and ready to play as soon as people began arriving, the cooler was full of beer and wine, and Roxie had delivered a new load of wood for the camp fire. A frown furrowed his forehead as he remembered the look on Dena’s face earlier.

“Are we ready for a party?”

Gabe put on a happy face and turned. He held his remote up. “I am. About time you guys showed up.”

Ken motioned to the television. “Are you kidding me?”

“I know, right?” Gabe hit the play button on the remote. “Watch this.”

As the replay began showing, he waved to the cooler. “Grab a cold one.”

Ken held up the can in his hand. “I’m good at the moment.”

Gabe looked at the others. “Harley? Dack? Bennie? How about you guys? You good?”

“I’m not.” Harley moved over to the cooler and opened the lid.

“Grab me one.” Dack easily caught the can Harley sent flying his way.

Bennie joined Harley at the cooler and took his place digging into the ice to check out the labels. Harley popped the top of his can and turned back to the television.

“I saw that.” Harley motioned with his beer before taking a drink.

“I didn’t think he’d make it up the hill.” Bennie stood beside him.

Dack made a noise and motioned to Bennie with his beer. “If you were driving it old man, you wouldn’t have made it.”

Ken shifted his gaze to Harley and Bennie. “Sounds like you were gawking more than you were hawking.”

“Hey, it’s not often you get to come to something like this,” Dack said. He reached up and pushed around the bandana he was never seen without using it to scratch his scalp.

“You’ve seen enough races in your lifetime.” Ken continued to pin them with a steely gaze.

“Yeah, racing around a circle.” The condensation from Harley’s can dripped onto his tee as he tipped it back for another drink.

The scowl on Ken’s face was unmistakable. “You get paid to do whatever I tell you to do. That doesn’t include watching the action.”

Gabe’s eyes darted back to the three men across the fire pit from him. Harley shifted his feet but remained silent. Dack was staring at the ground. Bennie’s face was impassive. Gabe knew that Bennie was somewhere in his forties. Maybe he’d seen enough of the world to not shake in his boots like the other two. Dack and Harley were still in their twenties.

“You call this a party?” The man walking toward them was also in his twenties.

Gabe motioned to the tattooed man when he reached them. “Hey, Ike. Beer’s in the cooler.”

“Other than watching the Chase activities, what else did everyone get accomplished?” Ken looked around the group.

“I talked to a lot of people,” Dack said. “They all seemed interested.”

“Me too.” Ike popped his beer can top then moved to stand next to Harley and Dack.

Gabe couldn’t help making a comparison. He didn’t ever remember seeing Dack without the bandana on his head. Ike was covered in tattoos. Gabe had never seen him when he wasn’t wearing a tee with a car theme. Harley was the one that worried him though. Harley was stocky with a barrel chest and massive arms the size of tree trunks. In a fight, Gabe figured he could handle Dack and Ike. He wasn’t sure about Harley.

“What about the traffic on the web site?” Ken turned to Gabe. “Are we pulling them in? That’s the important part. We should be seeing a lot of bets placed this weekend.”

Gabe was saved from answering when a spark flew out of the fire directly toward the three men standing on the other side. Everyone laughed as Harley danced to avoid the hot embers.

“Looks like we got here just in time.” Delmar smiled at the others already assembled.

“What do I smell?” Josie turned to Gabe. “Whatever it is, I like it.”

Gabe crossed over to the grill. “I thought everyone might be hungry.” He flipped the lid up. It was all cooked. He was just keeping it warm.

Ken joined Gabe at the grill. He kept his voice low. “What’s going on?”

“I invited everyone over from the campground. Figured you could work them while everyone is enjoying themselves.” Gabe reached for the tongs.

“Good plan.” Ken slapped him on the back before turning around. More members of the campground were walking toward them.

Ken’s dimples flashed. “Good evening everyone. There’s beer and wine in the cooler if you need refills.”

Phin held up the six pack in his hand. “I brought extras to add to the cooler.”

“Good man. Hey! Where’s Alva? There he is.” Ken laughed and shifted his gaze from the man walking toward the group to Gabe as he rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get this party going.”

***

Matthias returned to the stone patio at the rear of the large Queen Anne situated at the edge of town. Their efforts in the back yard showed. There were flowers blooming everywhere.  Though some of the earlier blooms were already spent, others like the lilies were beginning to take their place.  Matthias breathed in the happy sigh of a man who knew that he had a few days before he’d have to mow the lawn again. For now, he could sit next to his wife and enjoy himself.

He topped her wine glass off with the bottle he’d brought with him. “Where is Kaylee tonight?”

Barbara smiled her thanks. “She went to the Chase with some friends.”

“Good. She needs to get out with her friends.” He settled back in his chair. “Interesting name. What made them call the competition a chase?”

Barbara sipped her wine then crossed one leg over the other in her chaise lounge before resting her head back. “It’s an interesting story, actually.”

A smile pulled at his lips. “I never doubted it a moment.”

“We’ve been out there together when they were first putting the off-road trail in.” She turned her head a little to look at him. “You remember the terrain there?”

“Oh, yes. You couldn’t have picked a better spot for the trail. There are boulders the size of houses, hills bordering on mountains, and flat areas in the valleys that flood in the spring naturally.”

“The mud is quite a draw for them,” Barbara murmured with a smile.

Matthias nodded his agreement as he watched a hummingbird work its way around the closest grouping of flowers. “There are man-made and natural bridges over the many streams, long stretches of the trail that allows them to really show off their speed and, perhaps best of all, plenty of space for parking.”

“Then you can imagine how interesting it would be to have a fox chase there.” Barbara took another sip.

Matthias turned toward her in surprise. “That was not what I was expecting you to say.”

She laughed. “No doubt.”

“How long ago are we talking?”

She narrowed her eyes as she considered. “Late eighteen hundreds.”

“Really?” The hummingbird finished working each of the blossoms and disappeared from view. “Now that you mention it, I did notice that all of the ads for the off-road trail feature images of foxes.”

Barbara nodded. “Now you know why. Every year in the last couple of decades during the eighteen hundreds they would release a handful of foxes or so and the chase would be on.”

“It was a tradition for that long? Interesting.” He turned to her. “Did you have any family that joined in?”

“Oh, yes. I can’t tell you how many greats exactly, but my great great something grandfather took part. I have a picture here somewhere of a group of them just before they released the foxes.” Barbara took another sip of wine.

Matthias made a face. “Would you think less of me if I told you I would root for the fox in those things?”

She laughed. “No. To be honest, I’m the same way. I’m a lot happier with the land now supporting a chase of a different sort.”

“If the numbers I saw are any indication, it’s extremely popular.”

“It brings a lot of good press to the area also,” Barbara said. “It’s streaming on the Internet and has been picked up by television.”

Matthias glanced down at his wine glass. “I have another confession to make.”

She smiled as she rolled her head to the side to look at him again. “Yes?”

“I would rather be right here with you than out there right now.”

She reached over and patted his hand. “Me and you both. But if you change your mind, they’ll be events running most weekends well into the fall.”

“I’m sure everyone in attendance will have a great time.” Matthias leaned back in his chair and sighed.

***

Bennie walked out of the restroom and headed back toward his camp site. He didn’t mind that his site wasn’t close by any of the others. Having a little space to himself was a good thing. Some of the others could often get on his nerves, especially after drinking all night. The lights on the posts up and down the roads inside the campground did a good job of illuminating his way but he still carried a flashlight in his pocket. This wasn’t the first time he’d been camping.

There weren’t a lot of people out walking around this late at night. Bennie liked that too. When he did encounter someone else, he gave a quick greeting and continued on his way. No doubt, they were also on their way to use the facilities. The beam of a flashlight hit his eyes. He reflexively brought his hand up to shield his eyes. The light dropped after a moment to shine in front the man carrying it. The size of the man brought a scowl to Bennie’s face.

He stopped in front of Harley. “What did you do that for?”

“I wanted to see who was coming toward me.” Harley’s words were slurred.

“You’re an idiot.” Bennie stepped around him to continue walking.

“Hey, have you seen Ken?” Harley remained where he was.

Bennie paused. “Not since the party broke up. Why?”

“He isn’t answering his door.”

“He’s probably just passed out. Did you check if it was locked?”

Harley walked toward Bennie. “No.”

“Idiot.” Bennie shook his head as he began walking again. This time, he went toward Ken’s camp site. Harley held back as they reached the door of the camper. Bennie pounded. There was no answer. He turned to look at Harley but couldn’t see him in the dark. He reached for the latch and pulled. The door opened easily.

Bennie stepped up into the RV. It rocked with the motion. Ken must not have put anything under the stabilizers to keep it level. Bennie reached automatically for a switch near the door. The wall was smooth. He should have known. Some of the cheaper models didn’t have a central switch. The lights were turned on separately. Not knowing where the lights were located, he pulled out his flashlight.

That was when he realized that he couldn’t hear Ken snoring. He probably wasn’t even there. Bennie saw a light fixture on the ceiling and reached for it. His eyes were immediately drawn to the figure lying prone on the floor in front of him. If Bennie had any doubts about what had happened, the baseball bat next to Ken’s body told him the story.

Chapter Eight

Kaylee found her grandmother and Matthias sitting on the stone patio behind the house Sunday morning. She stopped behind them to let them know she was leaving. “I shouldn’t be gone long. Erica said she needs to work for a little while this morning.”

“How did that project you were helping Brad and Jerry with turn out?” Matthias asked.

Kaylee stepped around to face them. “I had a lot of fun with that. I didn’t do much, of course, but Brad did let me see some of the code. It was pretty impressive.”

“It must have been if you think so,” Barbara said. “What made this project so different from the others you’ve seen?”

Kaylee didn’t have to think about it. “The math, actually. That was way beyond anything even Brad or Jerry could do. They definitely had help from some sort of expert with it. Gotta go.”

Matthias leaned back against the chaise lounge. “Luckily, Jerry happens to know an expert.”

Barbara adjusted her sunglasses. “I was thinking the same thing.”

***

Bending to cut the swiss chard was time consuming. Getting down was hard enough. Getting back up was nearly impossible without holding on to something. Megan made a face as she looked at the start of the row to gauge her progress. She didn’t try to hide her relief when she heard Dan’s voice behind her in the garden.

“I said I would get that.” Dan easily stepped over the row of nearby plants to reach her.

“Help me up first.” Megan held her arm out.

Dan pulled her up. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and rested her free hand on the top of her stomach. “I think you’re the official picker of greens until the baby is born.”

Her words changed the frown on his face to a goofy smile immediately. “Not much longer now.”

“Seems a lot longer to some of us.” Megan moved out of his way. “Maybe if you cut, I can take it from you and put it in the basket. That will make things go a little quicker.”

“Sounds good.” Dan took the small knife from her and began cutting the mature leaves from the swiss chard plants.

“What are we doing with this?” He held the cut leaves out for her.

“We’ll eat some of it fresh and I’ll steam and freeze the rest, just like frozen spinach.” She transferred the leaves to her basket.

“Do you have the menu planned for the guests staying here this week?” Dan passed more cut chard.

Megan shifted the menu around in her head. “I could make a Chard Spoonbread.”

“Is that the one you’ve done in the slow cooker?” He stood to move down the row a bit then crouched again.

“With the cornbread mix, yeah.” She looked around the garden. “That’s a good idea. It takes green onions too, we have that. And we’re good on the eggs. It’s supposed to be warm, so using the slow cooker sounds like good idea. Thanks.”

“I’m trying to come up with ideas to make this easier on you. I was surprised you accepted the reservation this far into your pregnancy.” His eyes met hers when he passed her more chard.

She smiled. “We have about a month to go and these couples have stayed with me before. They’ll be out and about visiting with people from the area most of the time.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He stood again. “But I’m still willing to take some time off from work to hang around here.”

“Save it for when we both can enjoy it.” She looked at her basket. “I think a few more feet and we’ll call it quits with the chard.”

He crouched down again and began cutting. He stopped when he heard Megan laughing and turned to look at her.

She pointed at the ducks waddling through the barnyard in a row. “It must be time to take the babies for their Sunday morning walk.”

“I still can’t believe they do that.” Dan stood and transferred the rest of the chard to Megan’s basket before taking it from her.

They watched the mother mallard duck lead the ducklings across the barnyard to a grassy area.

“How long do they usually hang around?” Dan followed Megan from the garden.

“Just until the babies are old enough to really fly long distances, I guess. They don’t nest here every year, but most years they do.”

“They like the pond behind the barn, that’s for sure.” He closed the gate to the garden and latched it.

They heard the neigh of a horse as they walked to the house. It was followed by an answering neigh from the other horse. Megan paused to look at them before continuing.

“You’re going to miss them,” Dan said as he followed her up the porch steps.

“Yeah. I have to admit that I like having them around.”

“Has Casey said anything about these last four?” He set the basket on the counter near the sink.

“Not yet, but I’m sure he will soon.”

***

“We’ll need you to come into town with us.”

Gabe faced Erica and Jerry. The reflective sunglasses they wore made it impossible to see their eyes. “Seriously? Why me?” He waved around the campground. “Anyone here could have killed him.”

“Don’t make this any harder than it already is.” Erica rested her hand on the butt of her gun.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Gabe knew he said it loud enough for everyone in the campground to hear him.

Jerry moved forward and put his hands on Gabe’s arm. Before he knew what was happening, his arm was twisted behind his back and he felt the cuffs around his wrists. Erica latched onto his other arm and together they walked him to the police cruiser. Gabe looked out the side window at the faces staring back at him as the cruiser pulled away. Alva, Harley, Ike, Dack, and Bennie were clustered together in a small group apart from the other campers. He may have imagined it, but he thought Harley was laughing.

The drive to the police station didn’t take long and was completed in silence. Gabe entered the police station with Jerry on one side of him and Erica on the other. When they reached the large open office area where Ian and Rhys waited for them, Jerry removed the cuffs.

“Are you okay?” Erica asked.

Gabe massaged his wrists. “What happened?”

“That’s what we were hoping you could tell us.” Ian nodded to an empty chair.

Gabe sat when the others did. “I have no idea.”

“From where we sit, it looks like you killed Ken Medina,” Erica pointed out.

“How did your bat get there?” Rhys asked.

Gabe brought both hands up and rubbed the top of his head as he thought about it. “I couldn’t even tell you the last time I saw that thing.”

Erica and Jerry shared a look. “We figured as much.”

Rhys looked around at the others. “Maybe we need to call this off.”

“No! We can’t do that. You know what they’ve done in other locations. They’re bad news. We can’t let them get a foothold here in Teaberry.” Gabe leaned forward in his seat and looked around the group. “Come on you guys. We’ve come this far and I’ve already lost too much doing it.”

“That’s exactly my point.” Rhys motioned to Gabe. “Your family is about ready to give up on you completely.”

Gabe thought about the disappointment in Dena’s eyes the last time she looked at him.

“Ken and the others with him are only the middlemen. We need to get whoever is behind all of this. They’re not good people. It isn’t just identity theft like what they’re trying here.” Gabe looked around the group again. “You know there’s been far worse.”

There was silence for a moment. Gabe could tell they were hesitating. “You wouldn’t be this close if it weren’t for me.”

Ian motioned to the four of them in uniform. “We know that, okay? We get it. When we were first alerted that this particular group might be headed our way, it was our hope we could use your past association with them from your days of travelling.”

Gabe took a breath ready to argue again.

Rhys held up his hand. “We also know these individuals are not in any way associated with the racing world you followed.”

Gabe expelled his breath. “No, they definitely are not. They’re just the scum who follow wherever large crowds of people gather because it’s an easier target for them.”

“Like the crowds we’re now getting in Teaberry because of the off-road trail,” Erica said. “We just didn’t foresee anyone dying with the plan we came up with.”

“You know I didn’t do that, right?” Gabe raised both hands.

“We know. We heard everything you said last night through the wire you were wearing,” Jerry said.

“Okay then. So what’s the problem?” Gabe looked around the group then fixed on Rhys when he dropped his eyes.

Rhys rubbed a hand over his face. “You have to understand that someone is on to you, right? Why else would they have used your old baseball bat to kill someone and then make sure it was left at the scene?”

Gabe stared at him as memories of himself as a young teen burning his name into the bat flashed through his mind. He knew Rhys was right. “Yeah. There is that.” Then something occurred to him. “LeAnn?” He stood quickly.

Erica waved him back to his seat. “She’s okay. We checked.”

“You think that’s where your bat was?” Ian asked.

Gabe dropped back to his seat. “I have no idea. Dan packed all my stuff and transferred it to my new place above the garage. I don’t remember seeing it in with the rest of the stuff but that doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t really look. For all I know, LeAnn threw it out years ago and someone just found it in the dump.” Gabe looked down at his hands. “She had no reason to keep it.”

Erica let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, where are we with this?” She looked around the group.

Gabe watched them for a moment as different emotions crossed their faces. “I think we need to play it out. Listen, you don’t know these guys like I do. I mean, I stayed away from them whenever I came close to crossing paths with them in the past because I knew they were bad. But now they’re in my hometown and targeting people I care about. I can’t just walk away from this. Identity theft is probably the nicest of their arsenal of tricks. If the rumors are true, they’ve done a lot worse.”

Erica leaned forward in her seat. “Yeah. We’ve been hearing theories from our counterparts all up and down the eastern half of the country. No one has anything concrete. They’re pinning their hopes on us to stop the bad guys.”

“I’m in,” Gabe said quickly. “Right now, everyone at the campground and a lot of the people who attended the Chase yesterday think I created a web site for them to gamble online. The groundwork is already laid.”

“He’s right,” Jerry said. “You would be amazed at the number of people who have already logged into the site to place bets on the different challenges scheduled this weekend during the Chase.”

“Someone is expecting to get the names and financial information from those bettors so they can steal their identity,” Rhys said.

“Just as they were promised when we set this all up.” Jerry stood.

“We just need to make sure we catch whoever that someone is.” Erica also stood and turned to Gabe. “Okay. We’ll try this your way a little longer. Come on. We’ll get you back to the campground and let everyone know you’re our number one suspect in the case.”

Chapter Nine

Megan moved from room to room Monday morning making sure that she hadn’t missed anything. Her guests were due to arrive later in the day. It had taken her longer than usual to get the rooms ready but that was mostly due to her promise to Dan that she wouldn’t try to do too much at once. Instead, she’d broken the tasks up over several days. Pleased with everything that she saw, she went downstairs to finish getting breakfast ready. She could hear Dan’s voice in the kitchen before she even reached it.

She found him sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. She moved to stand beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder. He didn’t look up.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

She could hear his mother on the other end of the phone. Her words caused Megan to pull out a chair and sit next to Dan. He disconnected a moment later and lifted his head.

She could see the worry in his eyes. “How bad is it?”

Dan set his phone on the table. “Some friends of my parents heard that Gabe is in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Dan rubbed his hands across his face. “Something out at the campground. No one is clear on what exactly. They know the police were involved.”

“You don’t sound surprised.”

“I’ve been hearing rumors lately. So have my parents.”

She looked at his coffee cup. It was empty. She stood to fill it. “What kind of rumors?”

“People are saying they can’t find Gabe when they need him.” He reached for the cup she passed to him and managed a tired-looking smile.

“Did you talk to him about it?” She went over to the stove and began transferring their breakfast to plates.

“He blew me off. Said he was too busy this weekend.”

“That’s possible, right? And not a bad thing.”

“Yeah, if it’s work that’s keeping him busy.” Dan stared at the plate she set in front of him.

“What did your mom mean? Just before you hung up, she said something about talking to Gabe.”

“She wants me to go with them to see Gabe. Try to talk some sense into him.”

Megan set her plate on the table and took her seat. She nodded at his plate. “You need to eat.”

He automatically picked up his fork and began chasing the food around on his plate.

She lifted her fork. “Maybe talking to him will help.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

***

The sound of the bells on the door of Anderson Florist made Caitlyn pause in her work. She waited a few moments with flowers in her hands, trying to determine if the ringing was caused by a customer or her new employee, Gail. The smiling college student appeared in the workroom a moment later.

“Look!” Gail held up a new purse. “It just came in the mail yesterday.”

Caitlyn glanced up from her work. “Very nice. Looks expensive.”

“I know, right? I can’t believe how cheap it was. I’ve seen them locally but they would have cost me all of my paychecks this summer combined. This one was dirt cheap.” Gail stared at her purse a moment longer before stowing it away.

“Are you sure it’s real?” Caitlyn went over to a cupboard and pulled out more floral wire and another roll of tape.

Gail leaned against the door frame looking into the workroom. “Sure. The only difference is I managed to find it marked down about ninety percent. I checked the label when I got it. Besides, it looks exactly like the pictures I’ve seen online.”

Caitlyn wasn’t sure that was proof of anything but didn’t want to dim Gail’s excitement over her new buy. “Well, congratulations on your find then.”

Gail beamed. “I used part of my first paycheck to pay for it. It was my treat to myself for passing all of my classes this past year.”

“That is definitely worth a pat on the back.” Caitlyn crossed over to a refrigerator unit and pulled out more flowers to begin another arrangement.

“Do you need my help with anything?” Gail watched Caitlyn begin to construct another arrangement.

“Not right now. I’ll be leaving for deliveries soon so you’ll be in charge while I’m gone.”

Gail looked over at the completed arrangements ready to go out. “If you take longer than usual, don’t worry about it. I packed my lunch today. I figure it will help offset my little shopping spree.”

***

Dena pulled into the parking lot at Gabe’s Garage. She knew Gabe was there. She could see his truck and the bay doors were open. It took her a moment to figure out what was different as she walked toward the open doors. Then it hit her. It was the silence. Usually, the radio was blasting while he worked. There was one car inside. Dena bent to look under it but didn’t find Gabe. She turned to go to the office to look for him but found him standing there staring at her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said as he wiped his hands on a rag.

“Why not?” Dena took a step intending to close the distance between them. The look on his face caused her to change her mind. She stopped moving.

“Look, I know what you’ve heard. In this town, the news must be all over the place by now. I don’t want you coming around here until the investigation is over.” He tossed the rag in the general direction of a rolling toolbox.

“What investigation?” Dena watched his eyes widen in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I wanted to talk to you about this gambling thing that you keep pushing.” She knew it wasn’t any of her business. She’d tried telling herself to stay out of it. Here she was anyway.

“If you aren’t interested in it, that’s fine.” Gabe turned to the rolling toolbox and began organizing its contents.

“I just think you should be focusing your energy on your garage business. You like cars and engines and things like that. You don’t need to get mixed up in the rest of it, right?” She stared at his back. His shoulders were set and his movements seemed jerky. He didn’t answer for several moments. When he did, his shoulders sagged and he turned around.

“Listen. There was some trouble out at the campground over the weekend.”

She tried to read the emotions on his face. “During the Chase?”

He nodded and brought one hand up to rub the stubble on his chin. “It was Saturday night. Someone was killed.”

“In one of the trucks?” She watched him drop his eyes then remembered he’d said it was at night. “Was it someone you know?”

“Yeah. One of those guys I was with when I saw you.”

She took a step back. Her first thought was of her children. Those men had been right next to her children.

Gabe lifted his hand and took a step closer to her then stopped. He dropped his hand. “That’s why I don’t want you around here. Not until this is all over. Do you understand?”

A million questions ran through her mind. Instead of asking them, she nodded before turning to walk away. She had no idea what was going on. She just knew she didn’t want to take any chances that it might somehow touch her children.

***

Bella carried the box of supplies to the storeroom and began restocking the shelves. From where she stood, she could hear the small beagle crying. The only time the beagle was quiet was when it finally succumbed to exhaustion. Those respites never seemed to last very long. She knew it couldn’t be good for him.

Ethan came in behind her with another box of supplies. “This is the last of them.”

“Thanks.” Bella turned her head toward the sound of the small beagle has his cries increased.

Ethan set the box on a table and opened the top. “I don’t know what else to do for him.”

“I wish he’d had a collar with a tag,” she murmured as she closed one cupboard door and opened another.

“Any clue would have been better than none,” he agreed. “We have no idea where to start looking for his owner.”

Bella’s hands stilled for a moment as she considered the options. “You would think the owner would be looking for him.”

Ethan brought over some boxes of gauze and stood beside her. “If they’re able. The dog is definitely devoted to the person he keeps crying for.”

“I imagine the owner feels the same way.” Bella reached for the boxes of gauze then began stacking them on the shelf. “What if we put out flyers?”

Ethan returned to the table to get more supplies from the box. “That’s not a bad idea. If we put them up in town, someone might see them. Even if it isn’t the owner, someone else might know about the beagle.”

Bella turned and smiled at him. “I think we should do it.”

He handed her more supplies. “I’ll put one up at the feed store too.”

***

Dan finished entering his order for the next shipment of supplies and left his office. He walked through the feed store looking down each aisle as he did. Whenever he encountered a customer, he asked if they needed help. Halfway through, he saw one woman struggling to reach a jug of fertilizer from a top shelf.

“I’ll get that for you.” He joined her mid-aisle and reached above her for the plastic jug before setting it in her cart. “There you go.”

“Oh, thanks Dan. Those of you up in the clouds don’t know what it’s like from down here.” Mrs. Cheung chuckled at herself.

“Good point. I’ll shift some of that stock to a lower shelf to make it easier to reach.” Dan glanced down at the label.

Mrs. Cheung pretended to be worried. “Oh, don’t do that. This is my secret weapon. It’s why my roses look better than my neighbors.” She patted the jug in the cart.

Dan chuckled with her this time. “On the other hand, if your neighbor’s roses are healthy, you’ll have less chance of an infestation.”

Mrs. Cheung sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She pushed her oversized glasses back up her nose as the smile left her face. “You know, my neighbor mentioned your brother just yesterday.”

Dan felt his heart sink. “Gabe?”

Mrs. Cheung nodded. The humor had fled her eyes. They were now filled with concern.

“What about him?” Dan glanced around to see if there was anyone else within ear shot.

“My neighbor dropped her car off at the garage to get inspected. I brought her back home. I was supposed to take her to pick it up again but she said it wasn’t ready yet.” Mrs. Cheung looked around then leaned forward. “I guess Gabe is running behind with his work.”

Dan managed to keep the smile on his face. “I’m planning to talk to him later today. I’ll check on that for you.”

A movement at the end of the aisle caught his attention. Mrs. Cheung looked down at Dena and nodded. “I should let you get back to work.”

Dan watched Mrs. Cheung push her cart toward Dena. He remained where he was. He could tell by the look on Dena’s face that she wanted to speak with him.

“I can’t stay long. I need to get to my next cleaning job.” Dena clamped her lips together.

Dan braced himself for whatever she was about to say.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard this,” Dena said.

“Probably not. Just tell me.”

Dena nodded once. “It’s Gabe.” Her eyes filled with compassion. She knew her next words would be upsetting. “He said there was a death at the campground yesterday.”

Dan closed his eyes for a moment as images of her parents filled his head.

Dena blew out a breath. “Dan. The police are looking at your brother as a suspect.”

Chapter Ten

“There you are. We wondered if you’d be able to make it.” Kelly Parker smiled at her son.

Dan saw the concern etched in her face behind the smile. He held out his arms and she stepped into them.

“I thought he was getting his life turned around,” she said into his chest. She pulled away and looked up.

He could see the moisture in her eyes. “Yeah. Me too.” He followed her into the kitchen.

His father turned with a coffee pot in his hand. Todd’s eyes shot to his wife’s face. The frown on his face deepened with what he saw there. “Coffee?”

Dan shook his head. “No thanks. I’m agitated enough.”

Todd looked down at the coffee pot. “Yeah. I know the feeling.” He set the pot back on the burner.

Kelly wrapped her arms around herself. “What if we can’t get through to him.”

“Let the boy have his say first,” Todd said.

Dan could tell by the tone of his father’s voice that it wasn’t the first time he’d said that. “That’s just it, Dad. He isn’t a boy anymore.”

Todd started to say something then stopped. He nodded his head.

“I saw LeAnn in town yesterday.” Kelly stared at the wall as she spoke. Both men turned toward her. “She told me that she’s selling the house.”

Todd raised one hand to rub the back of his neck. “Can’t blame her for that.”

Dan gave a half shake of his head. “Maybe I should offer to fix it up a bit for her. She might get more from it that way.”

Kelly grimaced. “She told us not to worry about it.”

There was silence for a moment. Todd finally broke it. “Can’t blame her for that either. We practically ignored her all those years. It wasn’t right.”

One corner of Kelly’s mouth lifted in a humorless smile. “She said we shouldn’t worry about that either.”

“She’s going through with the divorce then?” Dan couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t. After spending most of his adulthood following the racing circuit, Gabe hadn’t been a real husband to her in years.

Kelly nodded just as the doorbell rang again. “That must be him. I wasn’t sure he’d come.” She looked at both men. “Try to be kind. You know he always takes things the wrong way.”

Dan glanced at his father as his mother left the room. Todd didn’t meet his gaze. They could hear Gabe’s voice as he followed his mother back to the kitchen. Todd turned to pick up the coffee pot again.

Gabe stopped when he saw Dan and Todd standing in the kitchen waiting for him. “What is this? Some kind of intervention?” He huffed out a laugh.

Todd held up the pot. “Coffee?”

Gabe ignored him. He turned to his mother. “Why am I here?”

Kelly took a deep breath. “We’ve been hearing some odd rumors and we wanted to talk to you about it.”

Gabe made a noise of exasperation and looked up at the ceiling. “I should of have known.”

“Known what? That we would be worried?” Dan motioned to Gabe. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Gabe waved his hands. “Nothing, okay?”

Todd slammed the coffee pot back onto the burner. Hot liquid flew everywhere. Kelly moved slowly to the sink and pulled some paper towels from the roll. Todd took them from her and began wiping up the coffee.

He kept his back to Gabe as he spoke. “We are your parents. We have a right to know if you’re in some kind of trouble.” He turned still holding the wet towels. “We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Gabe shifted his gaze from his brother to his parents. “There’s nothing to worry about.” His eyes narrowed. “Why aren’t any of you at work?”

Dan’s face filled with disbelief. “You get taken in for murder and we’re supposed to just go about our business?”

Gabe’s chin rose and a mask dropped over his face. “You heard about that?”

“Not until today and I had to hear it from my customers.” Dan heard the volume of his own voice increase. He struggled to lower it as he motioned toward his parents. “Why are you putting them through this?”

“I have to go.” Gabe clamped his lips together and turned to walk away.

“Tell me this,” Dan said. “Was it really your bat they found with the victim?”

Gabe stopped for a moment. He turned to look at the others. “Don’t worry about this, okay? I have to go.”

Dan turned to look at his parents. His mother’s lower lip was trembling. His father reached for her and pulled her toward him. Dan shook his head and followed his brother out.

***

Lee Compton stepped out of his car and turned toward the paddock. “Look Molly. She has horses now.”

Another car pulled in and parked behind them. The two people inside opened their doors at the same time and climbed out.

“Oh, aren’t they beautiful.” Molly motioned to her sister-in-law to hurry. “Look, Naomi. Horses.”

The forty-something Naomi stood next to her brother, Lee. “I don’t remember those being here the last time.”

“The donkeys are still here.” Clark Madden joined his wife. Like Naomi, he was also in his forties.

Lee looked at the house and motioned with his hand to Molly and Naomi. “You two go on in. Clark and I can get the luggage.”

“I’ll grab my makeup bag from the trunk,” Molly said.

Lee pulled the key fob from his pocket and pushed the button. The lid popped open. Molly reached in and pulled the small overnight bag out. She left the larger luggage and turned toward the house. Naomi followed her carrying her own small bag.

“Everything looks like I remembered,” Molly said. “I’m glad we decided to stay here.”

“I just feel a little guilty,” Naomi said.

Megan stood on the porch with the front door slightly open behind her.

“I know what you mean.” Molly smiled at Megan as she climbed the porch steps. “We don’t want to be a bother for you while we’re here.”

Megan’s smile was warm. “I’m not worried.” She motioned to her stomach. “And I feel fine.”

Naomi pointed to her sister-in-law and chuckled. “She is a nurse practitioner. I guess in case of an emergency, you’re in good hands.”

“Exactly.” Megan pushed the front door open and led the two women inside. “I put you in your favorite rooms.”

Molly waved Megan off. “And we know where they are. You stay down here.”

“There’s lemonade and cookies on the back porch when you’re ready,” Megan said as she watched them climb the stairs to the second floor. She went back out to the front porch.

Fifty-something Lee was pulling two large bags on wheels. When he reached the porch steps, he pushed the handles back down and lifted them, one in each hand.

Clark was right behind him with his own luggage. “We heard what you said. We’ll get these upstairs and see you in a few.”

Megan closed the door behind them and went to the kitchen to make a tray. By the time she had it out on the porch, the others had joined her.

Naomi sank into the thickly cushioned rattan chair and toed her sandals off. “I have been looking forward to this for weeks.”

Megan looked around the group. There were some minor changes since she had last seen them. Lee had a little more gray in his short dark hair. His gold framed glasses looked new. His wife Molly, also fifty-something, wore her blonde hair a little shorter. Lee’s younger sister, Naomi, was dressed in a colorful sundress. The laugh lines fanning out from her eyes were a little more pronounced. She and her husband Clark were both in their forties and were both school teachers. They enjoyed their summers off and often spent the time traveling.

Clark took a cookie from the tray. “Where did you get the horses?”

Megan explained that the owner had died. “They’re only with me temporarily. Our local vet has already found homes for the others.”

Clark chuckled. “That’s what you said about the miniature donkeys.”

Megan knew she couldn’t argue that point. She eyed the horses. “I have to be honest. I wouldn’t mind.” She turned her focus back to her guests. “What do you have planned this year?”

Lee motioned to her sister. “Our family is having a gathering.”

Naomi picked up the story. “We used to do it as kids. You know, that whole family reunion thing. Our relatives would come from all over the states.”

“I guess you have to reach a certain age before you take the reins for that thing,” Lee said. “We stopped doing it for decades when our grandparents and their generation got too old to pull it all together.”

“It looks like it’s our turn now,” Molly said with a wry grin at Clark.

Clark took another cookie and held the tray out for Lee. “I don’t mind. It’s only once a year.”

Naomi shot Lee a conspiratorial grin. “They haven’t met the entire family yet. Even Lee and I haven’t seen some of them for decades.”

Clark waved his cookie. “Every family has one or more black sheep tucked out of sight.”

Megan’s mind drifted to Gabe. She wondered if Dan and his parents had made any headway with him.

“As I promised on the phone, we’ll be gone a lot,” Molly said. “We don’t want to be too much of a drain on you.”

Lee nodded. “We have a lot of different events planned while the family is all here. We want them to enjoy the area as much as we do.”

“I signed up for some fishing out at the lakes,” Clark said. “There are some shopping expeditions planned. I don’t even remember what all else.”

“Everyone should be able to find something to sign up for and enjoy with others in the family,” Naomi said. “It’s going to be great.”

***

LeAnn stood just inside the entrance of the Station Pub & Grill and looked around.

“We meet again,” a voice said beside her.

LeAnn ran names through her head until she came up with the one she needed. “Beau, isn’t it?”

“Guilty. LeAnn, right?”

She nodded then glanced around the room again.

“Looking for someone?” Beau asked.

“No. I ordered takeout. I’m here to pick it up. I was just wondering if I knew anyone else here.”

“Do you?” Beau followed her gaze.

One corner of her mouth kicked up. “Yeah, but only about half of them.”

Beau laughed as he turned back to her. “That’s one of the things I liked about Teaberry. It’s why I came back after Jim and Jennifer’s wedding.”

“You moved here?” LeAnn glanced into the bar and saw Jim in the distance talking to a group sitting at a booth in there.

“I’m thinking about it. I haven’t really made up my mind yet. I was playing ball until I was injured.”

LeAnn’s brows pulled together as she looked at him. “Playing ball?”

Beau nodded. “Minor league baseball. Just my luck, I was injured right after I signed. They cut me immediately.”

LeAnn saw a waitress coming toward her carrying bags of food. “I’m sorry to hear that. What are you going to do now?”

“Something will come up.” Beau nodded to LeAnn as she took the bags. “Have a good night.”

Chapter Eleven

“This was a really good idea, thanks.” Megan rested one foot in Dan’s hands and closed her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m glad Molly thought of it.” He looked at her face and saw her grin.

“She is a nurse practitioner. She knows all about taking care of people.” She cracked open one eye. “But I do feel guilty. Molly was under the impression that I got breakfast ready for everyone on my own. You helped and you still have to go in to work now.”

“I told everyone I would be in a little late this morning to help with our guests. We still have a few more minutes before I have to leave.” He pressed his thumbs into the arch of her foot. “Did they say when they might be back tonight?”

“They promised it wouldn’t be too late.” Megan scooted down into the couch a little more to make it easier for him to reach her other foot. “They’re going to call when they’re close to us.”

“What did you have planned for them when they get back tonight?” He cupped her heel with one hand and gently rotated her foot at the ankle with the other to stretch it then began to stroke the top and bottom of her foot.

She shook her head. “They said they don’t want us to worry about it. There’s some wine in the fridge. They figure they’re going to be tired by the time they get here. They will probably have a glass of wine together to unwind down here and then go up to bed. They’re supposed to have an early start tomorrow.”

“What about breakfast tomorrow?” He started rubbing her toes.

“They’re meeting some of the family out for breakfast.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Why do you ask?”

He focused on her foot and didn’t answer.

She closed her eyes again. “Is this about Gabe?”

“I just… I guess I just can’t believe it.” He reached for her other foot.

“You said yourself he hasn’t been keeping up with the garage,” she murmured.

“I know.” He shook his head even though she couldn’t see him. “I just don’t believe Gabe killed anyone.”

“I can’t imagine how your parents must feel right now.” She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. “They must be so worried about him.”

His hands stilled. “Yeah.” He looked back at her face. She was watching him. “Do you think you might be able to look into it?”

She held out her hands so he could pull her up into a sitting position. “I definitely will if you think it might help but I’m sure Erica and Jerry are already doing that.”

“That’s what worries me. They’ve already found his bat.” Dan stood and reached for her hands again. “What else are they going to find?”

She looked up at him after she stood. “What if you don’t like what I find out about Gabe?”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Then we’ll deal with it. Promise me you won’t do anything dangerous. I love my brother no matter what he’s gotten himself into but he’d be the first one to take a swing at me if I asked you to do anything that could cause you harm.”

She smiled into his chest. “I promise.”

***

Dan leaned against the counter at the front of the feed store where the cash registers were. “How did it go this morning?”

Brianna looked up from the black three ring binder they kept at the register. It had all of the details for many of the items they had to look up prices for. Things like fence posts, all the different sizes of nuts and bolts, plumbing fixtures, and the million other items they sold. She was trying to study the book to make checking out customers go smoother.

“What? Weren’t you here? Huh. No one noticed.” She looked back down at the binder.

He could see the grin on her face. He was pretty sure it was the first time he’d seen her attempt humor. “Good. That means I should come in late every day.”

She laughed. “No, seriously. For once, we had an easy morning.”

“Maybe that just means you’re feeling more comfortable working here now. You know more of the answers without having to ask.”

She raised one brow. “You could be right. Having Ethan around helps too. He always seems to know the answer. For whatever reason, I don’t seem to mind asking him questions.”

“I can understand that.” Dan turned when someone entered the store. The twenty something male was wearing a volunteer firefighter tee shirt. “Hey, Zach. What brings you in?”

“Hey, Dan.” Zach nodded to Brianna. “I think the regulator on the gas grill is bad.” Zach looked around trying to guess which aisle.

“Over there.” Dan pointed and began following Zach across the store. He joined Zach in the aisle. “We have quite a few to choose from.”

“Hey, I saw your brother not that long ago.” Zach took one of the regulators from the peg and flipped it over to read the back.

“Yeah?”

“A couple of us stopped for beers at the bar outside of town.” Zach hung the regulator back up and picked another one to read. “Gabe was there talking about that new web site for gambling.”

“Gambling?”

Zach nodded. “This looks like the one. Thanks.”

***

He watched his prey from behind the large bush like a ferocious jungle cat. She was so unaware that doom was close at hand. She approached the watering hole slowly just as she had so many times before. He waited for his best chance. He waited for that one moment in time when everything would fall into place as he had planned. Finally, just as his prey was about to step into the right position, he leapt from his hiding place and ran toward her roaring like the king of the jungle.

Mia screamed even louder than the last time. “Daddy! He’s doing it again.”

“Noah, buddy. Quit attacking your sister.” Justin checked Grace to make sure she wasn’t getting too much sun.

“But Dad! She was at the watering hole.” Noah pointed at his sister.

“It’s a swimming pool.” Mia crossed her arms over her purple bathing suit. “Daddy, tell Noah it’s a swimming pool.”

Justin looked at the small swimming pool. It was the cheapest twelve foot inflatable pool they could find at the local box store.

“Mia’s right. It is a swimming pool.” Justin watched Mia smile triumphantly at her brother. “By day. At night, it’s a magic watering hole for all of the jungle animals that live in our back yard.”

Noah’s scowl turned to a delighted smile. “I’m going to hide in the jungle again and look for prey.”

“Uh, I’m not sure your mom would be happy if she saw you trampling her flowering bushes.” Justin looked at the pool. “How about you two racing for Daddy?”

“But Daddy, I want to stay in the pool.” Mia crossed her arms again.

“That’s right. You two are going to race in the pool. I want you to stay there, Mia. Noah, you’re going to stand in the pool on the other side. When I say go, you’re both going to run around the inside of the pool as fast as you can.” Justin helped Noah step into the pool then rocked back and forth to keep Grace happy. She was strapped to the front of him. “You need to stay as close to the edge as possible and work your way around.”

“Okay, ready!” Noah shouted. He immediately began moving forward.

Mia screamed and began splashing through the water trying to keep in front of him.

Justin hoped the extra exertion it took to move through the water would burn up some of their energy. He continued cheering them on until both children decided they wanted to do something else. He was out of ideas.

“Are there any good jam testers out here?” Megan joined Justin and laughed as Mia and Noah argued who the best jam tester was.

“Grab your towels and go inside,” Justin told them. “Dry off and you can sit in the kitchen to sample the jam.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at Megan. “You’re a life saver.”

“How does this one sleep through all of that?” Megan lightly stroked Grace’s cheek before they followed the older children into the house.

“When they’re really tired, they seem to sleep through anything.” Justin followed Megan into Lauren’s work kitchen. “In her case, it can be little catnaps and then she’s totally recharged and ready to go again.”

“Need help?” Megan turned to unsnap Grace from the front of him.

“No, I’m good.” Justin expertly disconnected the front-facing carrier with one hand while holding Grace with the other. He set the carrier down on the table and turned Grace around to look at her. “There’s my princess. You’re awake now.”

“You need to stop calling her that.” Lauren shook her head at Megan from the other side of her work island. “Do you need him to carry anything in?”

“Yes. I brought some frozen strawberries and some fresh-picked cherries. They’re just starting to ripen.” Megan sat at a chair near the table. “Do you want me to hold her?”

Justin bent and set her on the floor then reached for his phone and typed something in. “I think she’s good. Let me have your keys.”

Megan passed them over. “Everything is in the back.”

“Isn’t it a little early for cherries? I thought they were usually around the fourth of July?” Lauren rolled out another pie shell.

“Usually, but it got warm early this year and stayed that way.” Megan watched as Grace began scooting around the floor toward her. Once Grace was close enough, she reached out and grabbed Megan’s leg as though wanting to pull herself up.

“Are you going to do it?” Megan stretched her hand out to Grace but the child laughed and scooted away. “She’s not pulling herself up yet?”

“She’s thinking about it.” Lauren looked over at her cousin.

Megan could hear Justin talking to Mia and Noah in the other kitchen in between his trips to her car. The kids were fighting over who liked the jam more.

“Are you okay?” Lauren lifted the shell and placed it on the top of a pie before trimming the edges.

“Yeah, just a little worried.” She explained the situation with Gabe.

Lauren paused from her work. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to look into this?”

“I can’t just sit by and not try to help. Right?”

Lauren lifted her rolling pin. “I guess. But I totally agree with Dan. You need to stay safe.”

Megan agreed. “How are Bev and Vince?”

Lauren smiled. “My mother-in-law has decided it’s time to merge their lives into one house. She’s putting hers up for sale.”

“Really?”

Lauren nodded. “Stan Jiblonski is handling the sale, of course. He said there shouldn’t be any problem with selling the house. She’s really excited about everything.”

“I’ll bet.” Megan looked up as Justin came back into the room.

“All done.” He handed her the keys.

Megan pushed herself up from her chair. “Thanks. I need to get going. Wish me luck.”

Chapter Twelve

The young girl answered the door with a smile. “Hey, Megan. Dena’s just finishing the downstairs.”

Megan followed Julia into the large house. She stopped in the foyer and looked around. Julia’s shoes clicked across the inlaid stone floor then stopped also.

Julia saw Megan’s look of interest. “Oh, I forgot. It’s your first time here.” She motioned around them. “As you can see, the current theme features black lacquer and marble. My mother has it changed periodically.”

“Is your mom here?” Megan’s eyes were drawn to the massive chandelier above them.

“In the states? No. She’s visiting friends in Italy.” Julia turned and began walking again.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to bother Dena when she’s working?” Megan followed Julia through the first floor of the house wishing she had more time to stand around and gawk.

“No one else is going to know. As long as we don’t mess up her schedule to get to the next job, it will be okay.” Julia stopped when they got to the kitchen.

“Be right back.” Dena pushed a cart with cleaning supplies from the room. She returned a few minutes later. “You’re just in time.”

“I made some lemonade,” Julia said as she moved to the fridge. “And Dena said you might need a snack.”

Megan smiled her thanks at Dena then repeated her question. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to bother you at work?”

Dena pulled a chair out from a large kitchen table and motioned for Megan to do the same. “Julia helped me clean the first floor so I’d have some extra time to talk to you.”

Julia carried a tray that included fruit, cheese, crackers, and a pitcher of lemonade. She set it on the table. “Dena is pretty much the only person I ever get to spend time with here.”

“That sounds lonely.” Megan lowered herself into the chair.

Julia laughed as she took three glasses from a cupboard. “I’m pretty used to it now but I think I talk Dena’s head off once a week.”

“She usually twists my arm into taking a break with her. We have some nice girl time over some tasty treat and talk about everything under the sun.” Dena took a glass of lemonade from Julia with a smile.

“Here you go.” Julia handed Megan a glass. “Is it okay if I stay when you talk?”

“Of course. You never know when someone may have a piece of the puzzle.” Megan turned her focus to Dena. “I’m sure you’ve guessed this is about Gabe?”

Dena cradled the glass of lemonade on the table in front of her. “Yeah. I was glad you called and asked to talk to me actually. I just had no idea what to do about him.”

“This is the guy that owns Gabe’s Garage?” Julia pushed the tray closer to Megan and Dena and set some plates down for them.

Megan reached for a cracker. “Yes. Gabe is Dan’s brother. He moved back to Teaberry not that long ago.”

“He’s in trouble now?” Julia guessed as she took a seat.

“I’m starting to think that trouble just naturally follows him.” Dena made a guilty face at Megan. “Sorry.”

Megan waved her cracker. “I’m not sure I can disagree given the circumstances. I know you’ve been trying to help him out at the garage.”

Dena nodded.

Julia looked confused. “You work on cars too?”

Dena laughed. “No. My ex-husband owns a trucking company. I ran it for years handling the books. Gabe is great with anything covered in grease. It’s the paperwork he’s clueless about.”

“Ah, gotcha.” Julia picked up a bunch of grapes.

“Have you seen him much lately?” Megan took a strawberry.

Dena reached for a cracker and began crumbling it over her plate as she frowned at it. “Yeah, a couple of times. One was at the Chase over the weekend. The boys and I went on Saturday. We brought Misty with us. Misty Moore.”

“That’s the day the victim was killed,” Megan said. “How did Gabe seem that day to you?”

Dena continued to stare at the cracker crumbs on the plate for a moment before speaking. “He was with the victim.” She looked up at Megan. “They were in a group together. I swear it was like they were working the crowd.”

“Working the crowd? Gabe was drumming up business for his garage?” Megan tried to make sense of that in her head.

“No.” Dena’s eyes dropped back to the crumbs. “It was some sort of gambling thing.”

“Gambling?” That was not what Megan had expected to hear.

Dena sighed. “Yeah. I mean, I just couldn’t believe it. They said it was for charity though. You know, some of the proceeds go to education and whatnot.”

“Okay.” At least that was something. Megan reached for another cracker. “Do you know of anyone else Gabe may have spoken with?”

“Probably everyone the way they were working the crowd.” Dena sat back in her chair. “I did watch him for quite a while though. I just couldn’t believe how different he was. He didn’t even talk to the boys. They were pretty upset about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Megan said quietly. “Can you remember any names?”

Dena tilted her head. “Well, I saw Amy Callahan. The volunteer firefighter?”

Megan nodded to indicate that she knew her.

“Cole was there. Did you see him?” Julia asked.

Dena pointed at her. “Yeah. Yeah, I did. He was with his brother, Garrett.” The expression on Dena’s face showed her concentration as she thought back. “Jessilyn was there. She was with Seth, Evan and Logan.” She turned to Julia. “Evan and Logan are a couple of grades behind my youngest.”

“It’s a start,” Megan said. “Maybe one of them saw something.”

“Oh, and Danny. I saw Gabe talk to Danny Ortega, the dishwasher at the diner.” Dena glanced at the clock. “I need to get the upstairs done.”

***

LeAnn stood in front of the real estate office and took a deep breath before pushing open the door with Stan Jiblonski’s name on it. He was waiting for her inside.

“There you are.” Stan removed his reading glasses. “I was wondering if you would come back.”

LeAnn put her hand on her stomach as though to calm the butterflies inside. “I’m ready to sign a contract now.”

“You’re sure you want me to put your house up for sale?” Stan studied the woman in front of him.

LeAnn took the seat across from his desk. “Yes. It’s time.”

“Were you able to make any repairs to it since the last time I saw it?” Stan asked.

LeAnn grimaced. “No.”

Stan offered an understanding smile. “That will affect the price, you know that, but it might also help it to sell. We’ll market it as a cost-savings fixer upper.”

LeAnn managed a smile. “I know you’re fibbing but I appreciate it.”

Stan’s return smile was fleeting. It was replaced with a look of concern. “Now, about having both of your names on the title.”

LeAnn looked down at her hands. “I talked to Jennifer, as you suggested.”

Stan looked relieved. “I just want everything resolved so it doesn’t impact the sale at the last minute.”

“I know. I agree. So does Jennifer. She’s going to be speaking with Gabe about it today.” LeAnn raised eyes filled with sadness. “If he wants to buy out his half of the house, he’s welcome to it.”

***

Caitlyn checked the system for the florist shop to see if Gail had taken any orders while she was out doing her morning deliveries.

“I made an appointment for you. Another bride-to-be and her mother would like to go over their order again.” Gail moved to another arrangement with live plants and watered it.

“Did you tell them we quadruple the price if they change their mind the night before the wedding?” Caitlyn was only half joking.

Gail laughed as she moved to the next arrangement on the shelf. “No. In this case, they’re thinking of adding some flowers for the church and the wedding isn’t until August. I asked.”

“That sounds great.” Caitlyn finished checking the new orders and looked across the room at Gail. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring something back from the Jammin’T for you?”

“No, thanks.” Gail returned the watering can to its normal place. “I brought my lunch again. I’m still in no-buy mode after my splurge on my designer purse.”

Caitlyn still had doubts about the purse but didn’t mention them. Instead, she retrieved her own purse and walked the short distance to the diner. The place was packed. Caitlyn scanned the room and spotted two seats left at the counter. She nodded at a waitress on her way across the diner.

“Someone will be right with you,” Lynn called to her.

Caitlynn flashed a grin at Cy Douglass and Casey Adams as she slid into a seat one over from Cy. “I’m saving the seat in between us for Megan.”

Sissy stopped on the other side of the counter and motioned to the overturned coffee cup in front of Caitlyn. Caitlyn held her hand over it. “No. Two glasses of iced tea, one unsweet.”

“We don’t see you in here that often,” Cy said.

“I have someone helping me at the shop this summer.” Caitlyn smiled her thanks as two glasses of tea appeared before her.

“Is that for me?” Megan maneuvered into the chair at the counter.

“Unsweet,” Caitlyn said with a grimace. “I don’t know how you can drink that.”

Megan grinned as she took a sip. “You’re part hummingbird.”

Caitlyn glanced at the board next to the window where Holly worked at the grill. “The special looks good today.”

“I can vouch for it,” Cy said.

Casey leaned forward to talk around Cy. “Bella and I will be out to check on the horses.”

“Do you have a home for them yet?” Megan held her breath.

Casey gave an apologetic smile. “No, sorry.”

Megan expelled her breath. “Not a problem. They’re fine where they are for now.”

“You sound relieved,” Caitlyn said.

Megan didn’t deny it. “I don’t know what I am.” She made a face. “My hormones are all wacky. I don’t want to make a commitment then find out shortly after that I’m too busy with the baby to even notice they’re there.”

Caitlyn pulled her phone out and began typing.

Megan looked over her shoulder. “Are you texting my husband?”

Caitlyn nodded. “To let him know you got here safely for lunch. He put us all on Megan Watch.”

“Megan Watch?” Megan’s eyes narrowed as she thought back. “Is that who Justin was texting earlier at Lauren’s?”

“Probably.” Caitlyn smiled up at Tyler when he appeared on the other side of the counter in front of them. “I’ll take the special.”

Megan nodded her agreement.

“Sounds good.” Tyler turned to Caitlyn. “Do I need to text Dan?”

Caitlyn motioned to her phone on the counter in front of her. “Already did.”

Megan considered telling Tyler he didn’t have to be on watch then changed her mind. She knew it wouldn’t work. “Would it be possible for me to talk to Danny Ortega?”

Tyler looked around the diner and frowned. “We’re shorthanded today and Danny has to leave early for a doctor’s appointment. Can you come back tomorrow, like at closing time?”

“I understand. I have a lot of other people on my list to talk to in the meantime.” Megan picked up her tea.

Tyler leaned forward. “Does this have anything to do with that death out at the campground?”

“Have you heard anything?”

“Not much yet, but I’ll keep my ears open.” Tyler motioned to someone across the room. “Gotta go.”

Megan turned to Caitlyn. “How are you doing?”

“I’m enjoying having an employee. It gives me time to do things like this.” Caitlyn picked up her tea and swiveled around on her counter stool. “How was Lauren when you were there.”

“Good. Did you know about Bev selling her house?”

Caitlyn held her glass of tea in front of her and nodded. She swung her feet as she looked around the diner. She could touch the floor if she wanted to, but just barely and not without effort.

“How are Susan and Ross?” Megan took a sip of her tea.

Caitlyn’s feet stopped swinging. “I haven’t seen as much of Ross lately.”

“No?”

“He’s been traveling to Washington state a lot.”

Megan’s eyes were drawn to one of the televisions suspended from the ceiling. “He still owns property there, right?”

“Yeah.” Caitlyn swung back around to face the counter.

“Maybe he’s just dealing with that?”

Caitlyn set her tea down on the counter. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Chapter Thirteen

Bella stepped inside Tea & Thyme with a stack of flyers in one arm. There wasn’t anyone at the front counter when she entered. There was another counter on the other side of the rear door to the staff area that reminded her of old photos she had seen of soda shops. She knew the twins mixed their energy drinks and tea there. They also had display cases of baked goods on the top of the counter. That counter ran the length of the back wall to a side entrance that led out into the addition. That’s where Bella heard voices. Before she could go in search of them, one of the twins appeared from the rear.

“Oh, hello. Can I help you?” Jill Swindell studied the young girl in front of her.

“Hi. I’m Bella Prescott.”

“Oh, Ava’s daughter? How nice.” Jill turned as Janice joined them from the addition. “Janice, this is Bella. You know, the young genius.”

Bella offered a friendly smile as she quickly took in the slight differences between the twins. “I was wondering if I could post this in your shop?”

The twins shared a dubious look. Jill held out her hand. “Post?”

Bella stepped forward and handed her a flyer. “We have an injured beagle at the animal hospital. No one has come forward as the owner yet.”

Jill turned back to Bella. “You’ve been working there?”

“Volunteering.”

“Isn’t that nice?” Jill said to Janice.

“It is. That reminds me of us when we were her age,” Janice said.

“We’ve always loved animals, haven’t we?” Jill agreed.

“Still do,” Janice said.

Bella watched the conversation go back and forth. “The beagle hasn’t stopped crying since we got him. I’m worried that the owner is missing him just as much.”

“I can imagine. Look at that face.” Jill pointed to the flyer.

Janice made a noise of agreement. “We’ll mention it to our customers.”

Jill stepped behind the counter with the cash register. “I’ll hang it here. Most of our customers will see it when they pay.”

Bella stepped into Togs next. The woman behind the counter was a couple of inches taller than Bella’s five six. Bella guessed she was older than her mother by several years, probably somewhere in her late thirties.

“Can I help you?” Giselle smiled at the young girl.

Bella stepped forward and explained her flyer. Giselle reached for one and looked at the sad beagle.

“I’d like to find the owner, if possible,” Bella said.

“No collar?”

Bella shook her head. “Nothing that easy. He was found out by the campground but no one there had seen him before.”

“That’s too bad. I don’t have a board to hang it on but I can leave it here at the counter,” Giselle suggested.

“I would appreciate it.” The bells on the door caused Bella to turn around.

“Hey, Bella. What brings you in?” Julia crossed the shop to join them at the counter.

Bella held up the flyer and explained the lost dog.

“Good luck with it,” Julia said.

As Bella left the shop, she heard Julia telling the owner about the genius child taking classes at the high school. She went down one door in the long brick building and stepped inside. This space was twice as large as the others she’d already been in.

“Can I help you?”

Bella smiled at the serious looking man with kind eyes behind thick glasses. She handed him a flyer and explained it. As she spoke, a woman joined the man. She was taller than he was and didn’t have the same serious look. Both had friendly smiles.

Leah took the flyer from Daryl. “Poor thing. I keep a cork board behind the counter. I can hang it there.”

“Have you thought about posting it on the town web site?” Daryl asked.

“No, but that’s a great idea. Megan handles that, right?” Bella watched them both nod. “I’ll ask her the next time I see her. Thanks.”

***

Megan carried the takeout container into the feed store. She nodded at the employees as she passed them on her way to Dan’s office in the rear. He wasn’t inside. She left his lunch on his desk and went looking for him. She found him outside behind the building where some of his larger stock was kept.

He leaned in for a kiss when he saw her. “Is it lunchtime already?” He looked at her face. “What?”

“Megan Watch?”

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. They walked together to the rear entrance. “You must admit, it was a good idea.”

“It certainly seems effective.” She followed him back to his office and took a seat across from his desk.

Dan opened the takeout container. “Looks good. You already ate?”

“With Caitlyn, as you know.” She shot him a look.

He grinned again then turned more serious. “Any luck with the puzzle?”

“I got a list of people that Gabe, and possibly the victim, spoke with on Saturday at the Chase.”

Dan’s brows went up. “Gabe spent the day with the victim?”

“Sounds like it, at least for the few moments they spoke with Dena. I don’t know yet how long they were together or how well they knew each other. Anyway, one of the people that may have spoken to Gabe is here.”

It took Dan a moment to connect the dots. “Cole took his brother to the Chase. He’s mentioned it several times.”

“Mind if I bother him at work?”

Dan waved with his plastic fork. “Go. He’s at the dock dealing with this morning’s delivery.”

Megan left Dan in his office and found Cole on the dock at the rear of the building with the large overhead door still open.

“Hey, Megan.” Cole gave her a curious look over the stack of feed bags.

“How is your summer so far?” Megan stayed across the room from Cole so she wasn’t in his way.

“It’s good. Dan is keeping me busy.” He checked a list on a clipboard.

“You’re still working out at the golf course too, right?”

“Yeah, whenever they give me hours.” Cole used a utility knife to slice the outer plastic wrap from the stack of feed bags that held them together.

“Mind if I ask you some questions?”

Cole pulled off the plastic wrap and began balling it up. “Are you working on another puzzle?”

“This one involves Dan’s brother. Did you see him out at the Chase over the weekend?”

“Yeah.” Cole tossed the plastic wrap into the dumpster.

“Did you have a chance to talk to him?” Megan watched as Cole picked up a bag of feed and tossed it onto a large cart.

“Not really. He seemed a little busy. I saw him several times though.” Cole transferred another bag to the cart.

“Can you tell me what he was doing or if he was with anyone?”

Cole paused in his work for a moment and looked at Megan.

“What? Did you see something?”

Cole made a face as he reached for the next bag. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

Megan thought of all the times the level-headed young man had helped her in the past. “I doubt that.”

Cole glanced at her quickly before tossing the bag onto the cart. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was tracking someone.”

“Tracking? As in, following?”

Cole nodded and reached for another bag. “Every time I saw Gabe, he was following some other guy. Every time I saw that other guy, I’d see Gabe a little later going the same way. It was weird.”

“That does sound weird.” She had no idea what it could mean.

The door to the dock opened and Brianna came in from the store. She was pulling gloves on as she approached Cole. She smiled at Megan as she passed her.

“Need help?” Brianna went around to the other side of the feed bags and grabbed one. She gave Megan a curious look as she carried it to the cart.

“Megan is working on a puzzle,” Cole said to her.

“Ah.” Brianna nodded and gave Megan another curious look.

“How are things with you?” Megan asked her.

Brianna grabbed another bag. “My husband is leaving us alone, so it’s good. Thanks.”

Megan is asking about the Chase,” Cole said.

“You took your brother Garrett to that, right?” Brianna asked as she hefted another bag onto the cart.

“Yeah. I saw someone there that Megan is interested in.” Cole added another bag.

“Can you describe him? This guy you think Gabe was following?”

“He was a few inches shorter than Gabe. Light hair, I guess.” Cole tossed another bag onto the cart.

“Anything else?”

Cole shrugged. “He seemed to talk a lot. You know, the kind that always has something to say to the people around him.”

“Thanks. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“Hope you solve the puzzle,” Cole said as Megan left the dock.

Megan wondered if she’d be helping Gabe or hurting him if she did.

***

Jennifer leaned forward in her seat and rested her folded hands on her desk. “Thanks for coming in to see me.”

Gabe sat stiffly in the chair across from her. “Do I really have a choice?”

Jennifer flattened her hands on her desk. “Gabe, listen. I’ve known you since you were born. I know this is a difficult time for you.”

“No.” Gabe turned his head for a moment and looked away. “I’m sorry. Go ahead with what you called me in for.”

Jennifer stared at him for a moment then nodded once as she opened a folder in front of her. “LeAnn is ready to proceed with the divorce.”

Gabe expelled a breath.

“You knew this was coming,” Jennifer said gently.

Gabe raised his hand. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

“I have all of the information for your finances here. Anything you made after you were legally separated is easier to figure out. It’s the property and money when a couple is married that sometimes gets trickier.”

Gabe made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh.

“Everything has to be disclosed and documented. I have all of that here.” Jennifer rested her hand on the folder.

Gabe nailed her with a look. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Jennifer sat back in her chair. “She’s also selling the house.”

Gabe stood and began pacing the small space in front of Jennifer’s desk.

“Gabe?” Jennifer watched him pace.

Gabe shook his head. “We bought that house together,” he said loudly.

Jennifer’s eyes dropped to her desk. “Gabe.”

He stopped and turned to her with his hand raised and his finger pointed ready to argue. Her eyes came up to meet his. He deflated like a balloon right in front of her. Slowly, he sank back into the chair.

“Okay.” He didn’t look at her.

“Okay what?”

He shook his head slowly. “Okay. Whatever she wants.” He glanced at her quickly then looked away again.

“You’re saying that you won’t contest her selling the house?” Jennifer clarified.

“She deserves it.” Gabe pushed himself out of the chair again. “I didn’t take care of her the way I should have. Now it’s up to you to clean up my mess. Do what you have to. No, I won’t contest it.”

Jennifer closed the folder on her desk as Gabe walked out of her office.

Chapter Fourteen

Misty stared down at her new uniform in dismay. It wasn’t because the thing was an odd shade of magenta with green stripes up the sides. She could live with that as long as they paid her to staff the cash register inside the small minimart. It was the mustard stain she now sported on top of the magenta polyester knit top. Like many gas stations, her new employer sold food and drink options.

With the dozens of past jobs she’d held, none of them had included a bar capable of grilling fifty sausage-shaped links at once. She was now responsible for eight such rolling machines with links at various stages of doneness throughout each shift. It meant constant monitoring of the self-serve bar to ensure that each roller was performing at an optimal rate.

When she wasn’t taking payments for gas or items sold inside the minimart, she was constantly restocking the links, reorganizing the links, or refilling the condiment dispensers. The last task was obviously something she’d yet to master.

“Congratulations. You’re now officially one of us.” Maud Duffy motioned to Misty’s new yellow stain with her chin on her way to the restroom. Her arms were full of toilet paper rolls.

“Thanks,” Misty said automatically.

“You’ll be promoted to the sub station in no time,” Karen Bouchard said from the other side of the counter. “Next.” She waved to the next person in line to step up to the counter.

Misty grabbed a handful of paper napkins and wiped the yellow gob from her top as well as she could. She carefully wadded up the messy napkins to throw them into the trash next to the roller bar and discovered it was full. Taking the trash out was another of her duties. She took the lid from the can and pushed the trash down to compact it before tying off the top. After pulling the full bag out, she inserted several new ones to make it easier for the next time.

She hefted the full bag and followed Maud’s path to the rear of the minimart. In addition to the restrooms, there was also an exit door that led to the dumpster. This was part of Misty’s new job that she didn’t mind as much. She not only got to step outside and enjoy the weather, she usually had company when she did it. Sometimes it was one or more stray cats. This time, she found a brown, mid-sized dog of mixed parentage. It approached her carefully with its head held low and its tail wagging slowly.

“Hello there. Are you lost?” Misty bent to pet the dog. She figured she had to wash her hands after taking out the garbage anyway.

The dog’s tail wagged a little faster. She checked the neck. No collar.

“I’m afraid I don’t have anything to feed you this time. Maybe next time.”

She made a quick stop in the restroom before re-joining Karen at the front counter. One thing about working the cash register was that many paid with plastic rather than cash. On the plus side, she’d discovered that taking money at the minimart was a little easier than the bank. The cash register at the gas station always told her exactly how much change to give.

“Misty? You’re working here now?” Gabe stepped up to the counter.

“Just started this week.” Misty rang up the bag of chips and a soda. “That’s not dinner, is it?”

Gabe shrugged. “Whatever works, right?”

***

“Thanks for talking with me.” Megan looked around the automotive store. The only other person there was another employee stocking a shelf on the other side of the store.

“Not a problem. What did you want to know?” Amy Callahan was a solidly built twenty-something with strawberry blonde hair and freckles. At five six, she had an inch on Megan’s five five.

“I understand that you were at the Chase this past weekend?”

“Yeah. I was there to cheer Zach on. Do you know Zach Adkins?” Amy began organizing the stack of marketing flyers near the register.

Megan saw a photo of a small beagle on flyer in front of her. “He’s also a volunteer firefighter, right?”

“Yeah. He was competing in one of the challenges.”

“How did he do?”

Amy made a face. “Let’s just say he was in here Monday morning ordering a lot of new parts.”

“Ah.” Megan nodded.

“He said he had fun though.”

“I’ll bet. How about you? Did you get to see a lot of the different challenges?”

Amy’s face brightened. “Oh, yeah. Not as many as I wanted to though. That place is massive and there were people everywhere.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about, actually. Some of the people you may have seen.”

“Like?”

“You know my brother-in-law, Gabe Parker, right?”

“Gabe? Sure. He’s in here shagging parts all the time now that he has the garage.”

“Did you see him at the Chase?”

“Yeah, just to said hi. I didn’t talk to him much more than that.”

“Was he with anyone?”

Amy made a face.

Megan tried again. “Did anyone you didn’t know come up to you to start a conversation?”

Amy laughed. “Yeah, a lot of people.” She frowned.

“What?”

“Are you talking about the gamblers?”

“Yes. You spoke with them?”

The scowl was still on Amy’s face. “They tried. More than one of them and more than once.”

“What did they say, exactly?”

“To me? Not much. I told them I wasn’t interested.” Amy gave a half shrug. “I like watching the action. I don’t have any interest in throwing my money at it.”

“Did Gabe talk to you about gambling?”

“Nah.” The frown came back. “Now that you mention it, he was working the crowd like the other guys though.”

***

Dan finished entering the new stock into the computer system and left his office with a frown on his face. He wondered how Megan was doing with her puzzle. He walked through the feed store checking each aisle for any customers that might need help. After chatting with several, he made his way to the front of the store. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see his father there, but he was.

Dan glanced at the clock. “Just get off work?”

“Yeah.” Todd nodded to the cashier then turned back to Dan and lowered his voice. “Got a minute?”

Dan motioned to the side entrance. “Want to go outside?”

In lieu of an answer, Todd began walking toward the door. Dan followed him out. There were a few customers walking around. Brianna was in the distance helping one of them.

“What’s up?” Dan was pretty sure he knew the answer.

The lines between Todd’s eyes deepened. “It’s about Gabe.”

“What about him?” Dan scanned the outdoor area again. He couldn’t stand to see the pain in his father’s eyes.

“You mother is worried.”

One corner of Dan’s mouth lifted in a humorless smile. “I’m pretty sure that describes all of us.”

“The thing is, I don’t know what to do about it.” Todd cleared his throat.

“The police are looking into it. They’ll figure out what happened.” Dan wondered if his father could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“That’s what worries me.”

“Dad, we have to trust that Gabe didn’t do this.”

There was silence for several moments as both men stared unseeing at the activity around them.

“Gabe was always different, you know? He was never a bad kid. He just always had to know how things worked.”

“Like the time he took your old radio apart to see the people inside?”

The smile on Todd’s face was fleeting. “I wish that you two were little like that again. You grew up too fast.”

Dan turned back to his father. “Listen. For what it’s worth, Megan is looking into this.”

A flash of hope crossed Todd’s face. “One of her puzzles?”

“I can’t promise anything. There may not be anything for her to find.”

“It’s something though. Something I can tell your mother.” The smile on Todd’s face didn’t reach his tired eyes. “I should go. She’ll be home soon. She’ll want to hear this.”

“Don’t get her hopes up,” Dan cautioned as his father walked away. Todd didn’t answer him.

“Can I bother you with something?”

He turned toward the voice. “What’s that?”

Ethan held up a flyer with a beagle picture. “Mind if I hang this on the board out front?”

“No. Not at all. Here.” Dan pulled a pen from his shirt pocket then reached for the flyer.

Ethan watched him initial it. “Thanks. Not sure it will help. We’re putting them up all over town. Someone might know who the little guy belongs to. He wants to get home, that’s for sure.”

***

Casey pulled into Megan’s drive and parked the truck. Bella slid out of the passenger side door. They both walked toward the paddock where Megan was waiting.

“We shouldn’t be long. I just want to check on your guests,” Casey said as they crossed the barnyard.

“You haven’t been here in a while,” Megan said to Bella.

Bella turned to Casey. “Usually I come with my mom in the fall to buy cider.”

“The cider making Megan does here is quite an operation.” Casey leaned against the fence.

“I missed it last year. Some years, I even got to help. I’ve also been out to visit the donkeys.” Bella smiled at the sound of quacking. “You have ducks now?”

“They stopped at the pond this year to raise a family.” Megan turned at the sound of another vehicle pulling into the drive. They watched as Dan got out of his truck and began walking toward them.

“I always get confused when I see his brother,” Bella said. “They look so much alike.”

Megan smiled at Dan as he drew closer to them. “You’ve seen Gabe recently?”

Bella hummed an agreement. “In town one day. I figured out he was Dan pretty fast though. I’ve never heard Dan shout before.”

Megan turned to Bella quickly. “Gabe was shouting? At who?”

Bella shrugged as she turned back to the horses. “Some guy. I didn’t recognize him.”

“What did he look like?”

“Is this part of a puzzle?” Bella turned intelligent eyes back to Megan. “The other man was shorter than Gabe by a few inches. Blond hair with a slight reddish tinge.”

Megan glanced at Dan when he stopped next to her. “What was Gabe arguing about with him?”

Bella shifted her gaze to Dan then back to Megan. “I couldn’t tell what they were saying but the other man used his hands when he talked. They seemed to work it out pretty quickly. It looked like they parted as friends.”

Chapter Fifteen

She could hear the birds singing. She told herself that she needed to get out of bed. She had guests, after all. Megan shifted then managed to roll to her other side. She received a kick for her efforts. Her eyes popped open. Now she needed to use the bathroom. Probably a good thing. It was an incentive to get moving. Though her guests promised her they wouldn’t be up early, she still needed to get a little something started for them. They had plans to meet their family out for a larger meal.

Megan dressed as quickly as possible and went out to the kitchen. There was a basket of eggs on the counter. Dan had already brought them in. The coffee pot was half full. He’d already had more than one cup. She wondered how long he’d been up. She knew he hadn’t slept well the previous night.

She put the kettle on the burner then turned to look toward her pantry. She was pretty sure she had oatmeal. She knew she had brown sugar and all of the other staples for baking. She crossed over to the pantry to search for the oatmeal. She was right. There were two cartons and she’d only need about a cup for the recipe she had in mind. She dug a little further and found the coconut she’d need.

But there was something else that she needed to look for or she wasn’t going to get very far. It had been years since she’d made an oatmeal cake. She grabbed her grandmother’s cookbook and carried it to the kitchen table. After making her tea, she sat with the cookbook and began looking through it. When was the last time she’d seen the recipe?

She began flipping through the section in the cookbook on cakes, then frowned. No. It wasn’t one of the recipes actually printed in the book. She closed her eyes and tried to pull up the memory. It was one of those recipes that her grandmother had gotten from someone else. Handwritten, it should be on a loose sheet somewhere between the pages of the book. She fanned the pages. There were dozens and dozens of such loose papers. All recipes that her grandmother had collected from friends and family over the years.

Megan paused at one. Pudding. That brought back memories. Her grandmother’s pudding was a million times better than any mix that ever came out of a box. She pulled it out and set it off to one side. She would definitely be wanting to keep that within easy reach for her own children.

The back door opened and Dan stepped inside. “Hey, you’re up.” He leaned down for a kiss. “And you’re going through that cookbook again?”

He loved trying any recipe that came from the old cookbook. She heard the happiness in his voice. It occurred to her that it had been missing for a while.

“Blame Clark. He mentioned that he loves oatmeal last night. Especially if there is coconut involved. It got me thinking.” Megan unfolded another sheet of paper. “Here it is.”

“Oatmeal cake?” Dan moved over to the sink to wash his hands. “I don’t remember you making that yet.”

“I haven’t, not in years. It will go nice with their coffee this morning. They said not to cook a breakfast but that just doesn’t seem right. I need to offer them something.”

Dan turned away from the sink with a towel in his hands. “If they don’t eat it this morning, they might want it when they get back tonight.”

“Exactly.” Megan set the recipe aside. “Oh, look. Here’s one that used to make me laugh when I was little.” She held it up to read it as Dan pulled a small breakfast strata from the oven.

“It’s for elephant stew,” she said.

“Are you kidding?” He glanced at the card. After setting the strata on the table, he got out the plates and silverware. “I guess that would feed a whole crowd.”

***

“Speaking of wedding plans,” Susan said. She wiggled her brows at Caitlyn.

“Mine are coming along nicely, thank you.” Caitlyn lifted an arrangement from her work island to inspect it before putting it into the fridge behind her.

“Let me know if you need someone to bounce around ideas with.” Susan pushed away from the counter she was leaning on.

“Is that what you’re doing with Bev today?” Caitlyn took a vase from one of the cupboards.

“That’s what she said. I should go. We’re meeting down at Tea & Thyme.”

“Tell her I said hi.” Caitlyn opened another refrigerator unit and pulled out some cut flowers.

“Have a good day,” Gail said as Susan passed her.

“You too.” It didn’t take long for her to walk to the other end of the building. She entered through the main door and greeted Jill at the front counter.

“I haven’t seen much of Ross lately. Is he out of town again?” Jill walked around the counter and joined Susan on the other side.

“Yes. He’s been back and forth a lot lately between here and Washington.” Susan nodded toward the addition. “I’m meeting Bev here.”

Janice appeared from the door leading to the rear storage area of the shop. “Hey, Susan.”

“I was just telling Susan that I haven’t seen much of Ross,” Jill said.

“No, I haven’t either.” Janice turned to Susan. “Is everything okay with you two?”

Susan had been wondering the same thing. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s just that we haven’t seen you together,” Jill said. “Not as much as usual.”

“If there’s anything you’d like to talk about,” Janice said.

“We’re here for you,” Jill added.

The bells on the door rang when Bev entered. “Hi, all.” She looked at each of them. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Not at all,” Janice said.

“We hear best wishes are in order.” Jill crossed one arm over her stomach, propped her elbow on top and tapped her chin with an index finger. “Come to think of it, that’s when Ross started disappearing, wasn’t it?”

“When Bev and Vince decided to get married.” Janice sounded impressed that her sister had deduced it but the smile on her face disappeared when she turned back to Susan. “But I’m sure that can’t be right.”

Jill pressed her lips together and shook her head in support of Janice’s comment.

“We’d like some iced tea,” Bev said as she pointed to the addition. “And something with sugar from the display case there.

Susan smiled sweetly at the twins before following Bev to the other room. They slid into opposite sides of the booth.

“I hate to say it,” Bev said.

“I know. They’re right. Ross has been finding reasons to go to Washington a lot ever since you two announced your intentions.” Susan plastered on a smile when Janice appeared with a tray.

She waved Bev’s concerns away when Janice left them alone. “Enough of me. Tell me about what you have planned.”

Bev’s eyes lit up. “Nothing fancy. We’re looking at August though.”

“That soon? I’m impressed.” Susan reached for the muffin in front of her.

“After all this time, neither one of us can see any reason to put it off.” Bev took a napkin from the dispenser on the table and slid it under her glass of iced tea.

“I’m certainly not going to disagree with that.”

“Vince has a lot of commitments with Daryl and Emmet in July.” Bev reached for the other muffin.

“Singing harmony?” Susan broke another piece from her muffin.

“We’ll take another trip in the fall, after Mia and Noah have gone back to school.” Bev’s eyes dropped to Susan’s hands.

Susan looked down at her muffin. She’d shredded it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Bev asked gently.

Susan gave her a wry smile. “I don’t really think there is anything to discuss. Ross has been secretive lately, that’s true. But not necessarily in a bad way. He still makes it a point to talk to me a half a dozen different times each day when he’s gone.”

Understanding dawned in Bev’s eyes. “You mean like when Vince and I were acting all funny not that long ago.”

“Something like that. Whatever it is, we’re both adults. We’ll figure it out.” Susan picked up her spoon and scooped up some chunks of muffin. “One way or another.”

Bev reached for her tea. “Then it’s just a matter of waiting to see what he’s been up to.”

***

Megan paused just inside the administrative building to catch her breath before walking down the hall. Several doors down, she paused again and tapped on the open door. Jessilyn finished typing a few more words before turning toward her.

“Megan, what brings you in? I didn’t forget an appointment, did I?”

“No. I was hoping to ask you some questions.” She lowered herself into the seat in front of Jessilyn’s desk. “I understand you went to the Chase with your family.”

Jessilyn’s face lit up. “I did. I told myself it was somewhat of a workday. That, as the town events coordinator, I needed to have a good understanding of what those events were like.”

Megan grinned. “And you enjoyed it?”

“We had a blast. The boys were so excited. We had Logan with us too, my neighbor’s son, but I meant all three of them. Seth seemed pretty excited too.” Jessilyn glanced at her computer. “Are you asking because of the town web site? I did take some pictures while I was there.”

Jessilyn made a face as soon as she said it. “Of course, I didn’t get anyone to sign permission slips so we couldn’t use anything with people in them.”

“Let me know after you’ve gone through them if any might work.”

“If you aren’t here about the town web site, does that mean you’re working on a puzzle?” Jessilyn sat back in her seat. “I heard about the death out at the campground.”

“I was wondering if you saw anything unusual when you were at the Chase?”

Jessilyn shook her head slowly. “We were too busy having fun to pay much attention.”

Megan smiled. “Exactly as it should be. Others have mentioned that people approached them about a gambling opportunity.” She watched Jessilyn’s brows go up. “Did anyone speak with you about that?”

Jessilyn shook her head. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Did you see Gabe there?”

“Dan’s brother? No. I did see his parents, but Gabe wasn’t with them at the time.”

This time, Megan’s brows went up. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned that?

Chapter Sixteen

“I think that’s it.” Jerry took one last look at the notes he’d made.

Erica stood at the murder board with a marker in her hand. “Okay, so we’ve spoken with the people who stayed at the campground on the night of the murder.”

Jerry leaned back in his chair and laced his hands on his head. “We might want to get the records from Zeke for a longer period before that.”

She turned to point at him with the marker. “I thought the same thing. Maybe someone saw some tension or something building up.”

“Might still be some locals in town that would be easy to get to. A lot of the RVs out there seem to be owned by Teaberry residents. They weren’t there the night of the murder but they may have stayed before.”

She made a face as she turned to set the marker down on the shelf under the board. “Yeah, why is that? I mean, they have a house in this area and then they have an RV within a fairly close distance. It doesn’t make sense.”

Jerry’s grin was quick. “It’s called relaxing. A nice little getaway place where you can enjoy yourself and leave your problems behind.”

“Crammed together with a bunch of people you don’t know?” Erica took a few steps away from the murder board as she stared quizzically at Jerry.

“You get to know them. Some of them, anyway.” He pointed to the murder board. “That’s what we’re counting on now. Some of those folks out there spend most of the summer out there. It’s their home away from home. They get to know their neighbors.”

“Yeah. I guess.” She didn’t sound convinced. “If you share a shower stall with someone, you get to know them.”

This time he laughed. “You should try it. You might like it.”

The look on her face was priceless. “You’ve been camping?”

“Yeah, more than once. I started going when I was a kid. I liked it every time I went in the past. I’d do it again.” His eyes were drawn to the board. “If anything, you might get to know your neighbors better at a campground.”

“Why do you say that?”

He lowered his hands and sat up straighter in his chair. “How often have you sat around a campfire at night swapping stories with the neighbors at your place?”

She made a noise of incredulity. “Never.”

“Exactly. I’ll bet some of these people have.” Jerry stood. “We need to talk to the people that the victim knew best again. For sure, those people would have spent time around a campfire swapping stories.”

She turned back to the board as she nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll take your word for it. I think we need to hunt down more people who were at the Chase that day.”

“We also can’t rule out that someone from his past followed him here,” he pointed out.

“Anyone doing the things this guy is alleged to have done is going to have a slew of shady people in his past.” She smoothed the hair away from her forehead. During the course of the day, some stray tendrils framing her face often escaped the fat braid down her back. “I think we should stop to see Zeke and get some more names of local people who rent camp sites out there. Like you said, they may not have been there on the day Ken Medina was killed, but they may still know something. We can probably get a few more interviews done today before we call it quits.”

He turned to get his notebook from his desk. “Do you want to meet at the campground tomorrow morning or come in here first.”

She took one last look at the board. “Let’s hit the campground first thing. We’ll save the victim’s circle of friends for tomorrow morning. We might catch them off guard that way.”

“They didn’t seem like morning people,” he agreed as he followed her out.

She led the way out of the building. “You really like spending the night in a little RV crammed into a small spot with a bunch of strangers around you?”

Jerry nodded as he passed a colleague in the hall. “Who said anything about an RV? When I went with my family as a kid, we used tents.”

Erica whirled to look at him. Jerry laughed all the way to the patrol car.

***

The front door of the Jammin’T was locked. It was a few minutes after closing time. Megan tapped on the door. Tyler unlocked it for her a moment later. He quickly threw the bolt again as soon as she stepped inside.

“How is the puzzle coming?” Tyler had a towel over one shoulder.

She could see Holly in the window on the other side of the kitchen wall. The waitresses were all gone for the day. Many of the chairs were turned upside down and rested on top of the tables. There was a large bucket on wheels with a mop in it.

“Let’s just say, I’m hoping that Danny tells me something that helps.”

Tyler nodded to the kitchen. “He’s just finishing up back there.”

Megan passed through into the kitchen. Holly was scrubbing the large flat-top grill with a pumice stone. It resembled a brick but was black.

Danny looked up from his large stainless-steel commercial dishwasher. “I wondered when you’d get here.”

“I don’t want to hold you up. I know you’d like to get home.”

She saw him flash a rare smile. “Got that right. Is this about what happened at the campground last weekend?”

“It is. I understand that you were at the Chase?”

“Sure. It’s right next door to home.” Danny lifted a large tray of dinnerware out of the dishwasher and carried it across the kitchen. The muscles in his tattooed arms bunched with the effort.

“Do you stay out at the campground?” She could smell hot vinegar and knew that Holly was using it on the grill.

“All summer and most of the fall. Have for years.” He crossed back over to the dishwasher.

“Did you know the victim?”

“Not really. Nodded in passing. Had a couple of conversations with him. All about the same thing.” Danny opened the lid of a smaller dishwasher unit. It was filled with glassware.

“Yeah?” She watched Holly wipe the grill down. “What was that?”

“That gambling site.”

She turned back to Danny. “What about it?”

“He told me about a web site where I could take my chances on some of the action at the Chase.” Danny lifted a rack of glassware from the dishwasher.

“Did you check it out?”

“Sure, why not?”

“You weren’t worried about placing a bet on a web site some guy you didn’t know told you about?”

“Gabe was with him a couple of times when we talked.”

“Gabe?” Megan watched Danny set the rack on a counter.

Danny turned to lift a rack of dishes from the counter next to the dishwasher. “Sure. He swore the site was legit. Said he was the one who developed the site.”

Megan felt her brows go up as she watched him set the rack down near the other one. Danny turned back to her and began untying his apron. She watched him pull it off and reach into the pocket of his tee shirt for a pack of cigarettes.

He paused to look at her. “Anything else?”

She shook her head. “Thanks. I don’t want to hold you up.”

Holly pulled off her apron and stopped next to Megan as Tyler came into the kitchen pushing the mop bucket. “I’ve heard several people mention gambling lately.”

“Me too.” Tyler straightened. “They seem pretty excited about it.”

“Did you check out the web site?” Megan asked. She noticed that Holly looked surprisingly peppy given that her day had been spent behind a grill.

Tyler gave a wry smile with a quick shake of his head. “Reminds me too much of the olden days.”

“It would be like playing the games at the carnivals we used to work at,” Holly explained. “Once you’ve run one of those, you understand how a game of chance really works.”

***

LeAnn pulled into the large parking lot at the marina and got out of her car. It had been a while since she’d been out at the lake. She used to love walking the paved trail around it. It was one of the many pastimes that went by the wayside after her marriage to Gabe. A luxury she could no longer afford. It meant taking time away from earning a living.

There were always too many bills to pay and Gabe rarely sent money to her. It was always the other way around. His calls to her were sporadic. At the beginning, he seemed genuinely interested in how she was doing. Towards the end, he never bothered asking about her. He just wanted to know how much money she could send him as he followed the racing circuit to chase some dream she never understood. A dream that never included her.

She looked toward the trail head and took a deep breath. She told herself to leave her thoughts behind and just enjoy the moment. As she reached the trail, the hot sun gave way to the shade of the woods that she entered. It was a different kind of quiet here. She let the sounds of nature wash over her. There was the sound of the waves hitting the shore. As she walked, she could just see glimpses of the lake through the trees.

There were the birds overhead in the trees singing. The breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees. She reached a small bridge crossing a stream that fed into the lake. The water burbled over the stones in the bed of the stream. A little farther there was an opening. Here, she could easily walk to the edge of the lake where she found a park bench. There was no one else around. She decided to sit and stare at the water for a while. It gave her time to think about the end of her marriage. She held onto the hope that the ending might allow her some new beginning. Maybe there was a future with the new someone she had met.

“Nice view.”

The voice startled her. She turned to see a familiar face. It took her a moment to match the name.

“Beau?”

He nodded to the bench. “Mind if I sit?”

She smiled noncommittally. It wasn’t her bench.

He sat at the far side of the bench. “Nice view,” he repeated.

“It is. I haven’t been here in a while.” She kept her focus on the water. “What brings you out here?”

“I’m studying my new workplace.”

She turned to him in surprise. “You’re working here?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He nodded at the water as he crossed his arms. “I decided to try something different.”

“With the lake?”

He laughed. “Sure. I like water. I like fishing. I figure there are a lot of people who like both of those things too.”

She stared at the water again. “You’re going to take people fishing?”

“Exactly. I’m the new fishing guide in the area.” He waved at the lake. “Not just this lake, of course. There are a lot in the area. I’ll take people out wherever the fish are biting.”

“Do you have any experience with it?” She sensed his shrug.

“A guy has to start somewhere. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“You’re following a dream?” Visions of her husband flashed through her mind.

“Exactly.” He seemed pleased that she understood.

“You aren’t worried that it might be like chasing rainbows?”

I figure it will be fun. For a while, anyway. I’ll keep doing it while it’s fun.”

“What if you don’t find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?” she asked.

He shrugged again. “Then I’ll think of something else.”

Chapter Seventeen

Erica held a paper coffee cup in one hand and a map of the campground in the other. They’d left the patrol car at the office and opted to walk to the sites first thing Thursday morning. Jerry had gone in one direction. Erica in another. She checked out the RVs as she walked past them. Each site had a fire ring and a picnic table.

Some of the fire rings still smelled of smoke from the previous night. Some had been rekindled by the campers earlier this morning. Many of the campers were outside and nodded at her as she passed or called out some greeting. Some used generic topics like the weather to start a conversation. It took her much longer to get to the site she was looking for as a result.

Maybe there was something to what Jerry had said. Maybe it was a much closer community than she had imagined. It gave her hope that they might learn something useful as she stepped up to the RV at the site where Harley was staying. He wasn’t sitting outside like his neighbors. She felt the smile lift her lips as she knocked loudly on the door.

The RV shifted from side to side, as though the resident had just bounded from bed. She looked under the RV. There were stabilizer jacks underneath but they were situated directly on the ground. She glanced at the RV behind her. Those jacks were on stacks of thick boards so they didn’t sink.

She heard fumbling noises for a moment as the occupant tried to open the door. After several more tries, he was finally successful. The man in his late twenties squinted as the light of day hit his eyes.

“Harley? I’m officer Henley. I’d like to have a few more words with you.” Erica backed up indicating that she expected him to step outside. There was no way she was going to cram herself into that tiny RV with him.

His eyes fell on her coffee cup. He glanced behind him into the RV.

“It will only take a moment,” she said.

He looked longingly at the cup in her hand. She took a sip then motioned to the picnic table.

He stumbled from the RV and lifted his legs over the bench seat. Once seated, he propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. “What’s this about?”

“We’re investigating the death of Ken Medina.”

A look of impatience crossed his face. “I know that. I already talked to the police.”

“Yes, sir. I just have a few more questions.” Erica took another sip. From behind her sunglasses, she watched his eyes follow the cup in her hand.

“So? Ask,” he growled.

Erica studied him from behind her sunglasses. He was a stocky man and had what was called a barrel chest giving the impression that he was larger than he really was. She had to admit, his arms looked massive, though she wasn’t certain it was all muscle.

“Tell me again about the night of the murder,” she said.

“We were over at Gabe’s drinking.” He dropped his face into his hands and began rubbing as though trying to wipe away the last vestiges of sleep.

“At Gabe’s. You mean his camp site?”

“Yeah, sure. Where else would he be?” Harley propped his head up again.

“And you were drinking?”

“Along with everyone else. We were all at the campground. It’s allowed.” His eyes dropped to her coffee cup again.

“Did you see anything unusual happen with the victim?” She took a final sip before crushing the cup.

“See? No.” He dropped his hands to the table. “I heard an argument, if that’s what you mean.”

Erica tossed her cup into his fire ring. “Who had the argument?”

“Gabe and Ken got into it.” His eyes were a little more alert now.

“What about?”

He shrugged. “I couldn’t hear what they said. I just know they both sounded angry.”

***

“I can’t thank you enough for putting up with us.” Lee Compton reached for Megan with both hands, engulfing her hand within his. At five nine, he was the tallest of his companions. He was comfortably dressed for a day of travel in shorts and a polo.

“You weren’t any trouble at all. It sounds like you had a great time visiting with your family.” Megan smiled at the others to include them in her comments.

“Oh, we did.” Molly nudged her husband aside to take her turn. Instead of a handshake, she enveloped Megan in a hug.

“We actually did things on this trip that we never did when we lived here,” Naomi said.

“I guess as kids you always think that the place where you live is boring and there’s nothing fun to do,” Clark said as he positioned two suitcases on wheels on the front porch.

Megan moved to the side to clear a path for all the luggage.

“Now I know what we were missing out on.” Naomi turned to Molly. “We also had a blast with that gambling site.”

Megan’s head quickly swiveled toward the two women. “Gambling site?”

“Oh, yes. You haven’t tried it yet?” Naomi pulled her phone out.

“Gambling isn’t for everyone,” Clark reminded her.

“Oh, I know. But in this case, some of the proceeds go toward charity,” Naomi said as she keyed an address into her phone.

“Maybe she hasn’t heard about it yet. It’s supposed to be new,” Lee said. He turned to Megan. “We were told that it was for people local to Teaberry but since we were former residents who happened to be visitors, we figured it was okay.”

“How did you hear about it?” Megan leaned forward as Naomi held her phone out.

“Oh, everyone was talking about it,” Molly said.

“Everywhere we went,” Lee agreed.

Megan tried not to grimace. “Can I ask how much money you lost?”

“Actually, that’s the thing,” Naomi said. “We all broke even.”

***

Jerry sat on top of the picnic table and waited. Periodically, someone would walk by and nod a greeting or even stop to talk. One of those kind campers had been nice enough to tell Jerry where the occupant of the camp site was. It was why he’d taken a seat on the table to wait. He knew the man he wanted would be back soon.

Eventually, he saw a man in his mid-twenties walking toward him. Ike wore blue jeans low on his thin hips. His tee was hanging over one shoulder. The bare skin of his arms and chest sported a kaleidoscope of tattoos. A mesh bag hung from one hand as Ike returned from the restroom. His dark hair was still wet and slicked back.

Ike didn’t pause when he reached his camp site. He walked directly to his RV and opened the unlocked door. After tossing the mesh bag inside, he turned to face Jerry.

“What’s up?” Ike positioned himself on the other side of the fire ring and stood facing Jerry.

“Just wanted to ask a few questions.” Jerry stayed where he was.

“Thought you already did all that.” Ike used the tip of his boot to kick a charred log protruding above the fire ring. A mushroom cloud of ashes ballooned out in all directions.

“Looks like we’re doing it again.” Jerry watched the ashes settle on Ike’s boots. “Nice campground. You ever stay here before?”

Ike shook his head. “Nah. First time.”

“What made you decide to stay here?” Jerry watched a frown of indecision cross Ike’s face. “Was it your idea?”

Ike scratched his chest. “Ken and Alva picked it. On account of the Chase.”

“Would you say they were close friends? Ken and Alva?” The indecision was gone.

“Oh, yeah. They go way back.” Ike stuck his finger in his ear and began scratching.

Ike pulled his brows together in a look that Jerry assumed was meant to be sincerity. Or maybe he was just scratching his ear too hard.

“Alva is real broken up about Ken’s death.” Ike stopped scratching and wiped his finger on the shirt still hanging over one shoulder.

“What about Gabe? Is he broken up?”

A scowl crossed Ike’s face. “Alva isn’t friends with him. Matter of fact, I heard the two of them getting into it.”

“Yeah? When was that?”

“I dunno.” Inspiration struck. Ike’s face became animated. “Just before Ken was killed.”

“Really?” Jerry stood up from the picnic table. “What were they arguing about?”

Ike shrugged. “Sounded like Alva was telling Gabe to lay off Ken.”

***

He was either a light sleeper or he was already awake. The pounding on his RV door brought an immediate response. Erica couldn’t quite make out the words on the other side of the RV door. She was pretty sure she didn’t miss much.

She knew that the man who answered the door was in his early twenties. He looked even younger. He had the face of a man who only needed to shave every other day at most. His bare chest was devoid of hair. After seeing Erica on the other side of the door, he struggled to pull on a tee shirt as he awkwardly descended the steps of the RV. He stumbled on the last step and turned accusing eyes toward Erica as though she were somehow to blame. She kept her face impassive as she waited for him to settle.

He went directly to the picnic table and flipped open the lid of a pizza box. Much of the pizza was already gone. After picking up one of the few remaining slices, he closed the box and turned to sit on the top of the table next to it. He took a bite before speaking.

“What’s up?” He reached up with one hand to swat away a fly. Erica watched as he chased the fly around while he continued to take bites with little time for chewing in between.

“How’s the pizza?” She saw the surprise in his eyes. It hadn’t been the question he was expecting.

He swatted again. “It’s okay. They make it in the office.”

She watched the fly land on the bandana on his head. “That’s convenient.”

He waved the pizza crust toward the office. “You got that right. They deliver right to your site.”

Erica turned her head slightly. Dack’s camp site was the closest one to the office. “I wondered if you remembered anything since the last time we spoke.”

“About what?” He tossed the hard outer edge of the crust into the fire pit.

She wondered for a fleeting moment if he was playing her. Then she dismissed the thought. “Ken Medina’s death the other night.”

“Oh, yeah.” He flipped the box open and pulled out another piece. “Not really.”

“Did you know him long?”

Dack shrugged. “Long enough I guess.” He bit off the long point of the slice.

They’d gone over that material the first time she spoke with him. She switched to a different topic.

“What about Gabe? Did you know him long?” Erica watched the fly leave Dack’s head and land on the remaining slice in the box.

“No. I just know what everyone else told me about him.”

“What was that?”

Dack folded the rest of the slice in half lengthwise and took another bite. “That he was a loser.”

“A loser, eh? How so?”

“He was always chasing the dream, you know? He wasn’t smart enough to know that he wasn’t good enough to catch it.” Dack tossed the remaining crust in his hand into the fire pit.

Erica watched as he reached into the box for the remaining piece. The activity caused the fly to temporarily hover aloft above the slice then landed again safely as Dack lifted it to his mouth.

Chapter Eighteen

“Looks like they’re back.” Roxie stood in the open door at the rear of the camp office and watched a female officer with a long braid walk in the opposite direction. They shared the same hair color though Roxie’s long red hair was now liberally sprinkled with white. The red that remained was no longer as vibrant.

Zeke joined her at the door and peered out. “Yep. Still don’t have it solved yet.”

She leaned back against him with her coffee cup in her hand. “I imagine it takes time.”

“Time we don’t have,” he said above her head.

“No one will blame us for the death.” She twisted to look up at him. “Will they?”

“No one’s cancelled yet.” His eyes followed the female officer until she rounded a bend in the road.

She settled back against him. “Well, that’s something then.”

“She must be looking for someone else to question.”

“I imagine they’re interested in anyone who spoke with the man that died,” she said.

Deke nodded. “No shortage of them.”

Erica reached Alva’s camp site just as the man was exiting his RV. She hadn’t spoken with him before. Jerry had questioned him initially. They were wondering if she’d have any luck getting some new information from him. He walked over to his picnic table and lifted a spatula. The small tabletop gas grill had metal sides around the top to help block the flame from the wind. There was a large cast iron skillet on one of the burners. She could hear the food inside it sizzling. The smell was phenomenal. She knew there was bacon involved. There was an old-fashioned silver coffee pot on the other burner. Alva had a coffee mug and a carton of eggs next to the grill.

He eyed her suspiciously as she came to a stop a few feet from him. “Can I help you officer?”

“Mind if I ask a few questions?” Erica’s eyes fell to the bacon sizzling in the pan. He only had a few slices in there taking up one half of the pan. On the other half, there was a mound of sliced potatoes.

Alva picked up a spatula and began flipping the potatoes. “Free country.”

“We were wondering if you’ve thought of anything new since the last time we spoke with you.”

Alva flipped the bacon over and inspected it for doneness. “Not that I can think of.”

“What about the others in your group? I’m sure you’ve talked about things, right?”

Alva transferred the bacon to a plate. “Not really. I haven’t anyway.”

“And why is that?” She watched him crack open an egg into the pan. It hit the hot bacon grease and sizzled even louder.

“Haven’t been around.” He cracked open a second egg.

“Why is that?”

Alva picked up his coffee mug and turned to her. “I’d rather spend my time with my girlfriend than hang out around here.”

“You’re saying that you spend most of your time with her?” Erica watched him take a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down. He lifted the spatula and flipped the eggs over.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He began transferring the fried potatoes to the plate with the bacon.

“Has this been just since the death of your friend?”

Alva shook his head as he turned off the flame for both burners. “Been doing it ever since we got here.”

She watched him flip the eggs onto the plate. He motioned to it with his spatula. “Mind if I have my breakfast now?”

***

Megan stood on the porch and waved as her guests pulled out of her driveway. She didn’t waste any time getting her computer. She carried it to the kitchen and set it on the table. Within minutes, she was looking at the gambling web site that her guests had showed her.

As they had said, there were references to proceeds benefitting the local community. She scrolled through the main web page for the site. It gave tantalizing leads about the activities at the off-road trail and alluded to the fun that could be had by gambling on the outcomes.

After reaching the bottom of the page, she returned to the top and clicked on the first link. A window popped up informing her that she needed to create an account to proceed. Although it was only asking for a first and last name and not a credit card, it wasn’t a step she was ready to take. She closed the window and stared at the main page again. Perhaps one of the other links would let her proceed farther into the site without a login?

She tried each of them with the same result. Whoever had written the code behind the web page had been thorough. She tapped her fingers on the table as she stared at the main page. She rather liked the layout for it. It reminded her of something else. Curious, she toggled the browser’s view setting to check out the code.

As she scrolled down the long page of code, her brows pulled together. It wasn’t just the layout of the page that looked familiar. The code did as well. She toggled back to the regular view and clicked on the link to access the rest of the site again. This time when prompted, she entered in random letters for a name. It allowed her to pass on to the next page.

This one gave a list of upcoming events all of which could be clicked on to place a bet. She toggled the browser to view the code behind the web page. What she saw led her to believe that her suspicions were correct but there was one more test. One more way to confirm without a shadow of a doubt. She clicked on the link to make a bet.

It flipped her to another web page asking her to enter her information including her credit card number. Megan toggled the browser to view the code. She leaned back in her seat when she saw it. There was no doubt in her mind.

***

Jerry looked down at his notes then lifted his eyes to look at the man in front of him. The forty-something man was scowling.

“You’re sure about that?” Jerry asked.

“Of course, I’m sure. As sure as you’re standing here right now.” Bennie turned and spit into the fire pit.

“Tell me why again?”

Bennie waved toward the property line that separated the campground from the off-road trail property. “He isn’t fooling anyone with his RV that he calls a mobile service station. He can’t be trusted.”

Jerry still wasn’t making the connection but nodded as though he agreed. “You think Gabe is putting people on?”

Bennie made a noise that might mean that he agreed with Jerry.

“I never trusted that guy.” Bennie waved vaguely away from them. “I remember him from the racing circuit.”

“Do you think Ken felt the same way? I mean, he was the one who wanted Gabe to hang around, wasn’t he?” Jerry glanced down at his notes again as though reading from them.

“Ken was just being too nice. Probably felt sorry for him.” Bennie shifted his gaze from Jerry to the female officer walking toward them.

Jerry flipped his notepad closed. “You ready to go?”

Erica stopped when she reached them. “If you are.”

Jerry nodded to Bennie before walking away with Erica. “Anything?”

“Not much. We’ll see once we compare notes back at the station.” Erica reached for her phone when it buzzed.

Jerry glanced over and lifted his brows. “What have you got?”

“It’s Megan. She wants to meet with us.” Erica typed something back.

“You think she just wants to touch base with anything she’s learned?”

Erica returned her phone to her pocket. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

***

Megan arrived at the police station at the time Erica indicated they would be available. Martha finished typing something into her computer at the front desk then turned to offer her a smile.

“In for a visit?” Her eyes glanced around the waiting room. There were a couple of small groups of people on the far side. For the most part, they were huddled together and talking quietly.

“Erica and Jerry are expecting me.” Megan waited while Martha called back to the main office. “One of them will be out soon.”

“Thanks.” Megan was too antsy to sit.

“Do you have everything ready for the baby?” Martha raised the tiny glasses that hung from her neck and perched them on her nose then lifted a pile of messages in front of her.

“We’re getting there slowly but surely.” Megan glanced toward the hallway wondering how long it would be before someone came to get her.

“I remember those days. Enjoy them while they last. Your little one will be all grown up before you know it.” Martha removed her glasses. “I did something with mine that I still go back and look at periodically.”

“Yeah?” Megan leaned against the counter.

“This was back when we had old videotapes. VHS, remember those? I used the same tapes each year, you know? All of their Christmas mornings over the years were all on the same handful of tapes. I’d keep using the same tape each year just for Christmas morning until it filled up then I’d put in a new tape. I used other tapes the rest of the year, of course. But now I have all of their Christmas mornings in one place. Eventually, I had the movies shifted over from VHS to something newer.” Martha chuckled. “Sounds old fashioned now with all of the electronics we have these days.”

“The idea of organizing memories is good one no matter what technology is used,” Megan said as Jerry appeared.

“There he is now.” Martha scanned the room again before returning her focus to her computer.

Megan thanked Martha before following Jerry. She knew the way back to the office but preferred to have someone with her when moving through the hallways.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Jerry said as they paused to let another group cross in front of them.

“It wasn’t a problem. Martha and I were talking about technology,” Megan said as they reached the main office.

“Technology?” Jerry paused for just a moment at the tone of her voice before crossing the room to Erica.

Megan took the seat next to Erica. “Yes. You know what a fan I am of technology. Especially when it comes to designing web pages.”

Erica’s eyes shifted from Megan to Jerry as he took a seat next to her.

“The thing is, most code is pretty unique to the author. Wouldn’t you say?” Megan shifted her eyes to Jerry also.

Jerry winced.

Megan continued. “In fact, I’ll bet it’s very much like a, well, like a fingerprint. Even if someone gave an entire roomful of programmers the same assignment, I feel fairly certain that no two lines of code would be exactly the same. Each programmer has their own unique style.”

Jerry looked down at his hands.

“Or, you might even say It’s like comparing handwriting. Don’t you think?” She motioned to Erica as she spoke but didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s possible for someone in the same field to look at a program, or a web page, and figure out who wrote it. It’s like a signature. Isn’t that true?” This time, she focused on Jerry again.

“I told you she’d figure it out,” Erica said.

Jerry raised his hands and dropped them. “I needed the code and I knew hers was solid.”

“You wrote the code for the gambling web site.” Megan rested her arms on her stomach. “Actually, I wrote the code for a gambling web site.”

Jerry held his hands out. “This all fell into our laps quickly and I didn’t have time to build something from the bottom up. I borrowed your code, okay? And then a couple, or actually a few of us, expanded on it to make a gambling site. It was for a good cause.”

“That’s actually why I’m here. The cause.” Megan looked from Erica to Jerry. “Gabe isn’t really a suspect. Is he?”

She watched Erica and Jerry share a look.

“You let his whole family suffer like this, and for what?” She heard her own voice getting louder. “His parents are beside themselves. Not to mention my husband and the rest of the people who love him.”

Erica kept her voice calm. “And you know full well that we wouldn’t do that unless we had to.”

Megan held her gaze for a moment. “Poor Gabe,” she murmured.

Jerry let out a sigh. “I’m sure it’s been hard on him but he hasn’t complained. He’s the one who wants to do this, Megan. We suggested stopping when Ken Medina was killed.”

Megan held up a finger. “You know for sure that Gabe isn’t guilty?” She had to know.

“We’re positive,” Erica said. “We even had a wire on him the whole time.”

Megan quickly ran things that she’d learned back through her mind with this new filter in place. “Tell me what the victim looked like.”

Jerry glanced at Erica. She nodded.

“About five ten. Blue eyes, blond hair that maybe leaned toward red in the sun,” Jerry said.

“Talked a lot?” Megan asked.

Jerry nodded.

“That’s who Gabe has been following. Cole saw him doing it on the day of the Chase. And Bella saw them arguing. He’s helping you on some sort of case.” Megan looked from one to the other again. She could see in their eyes that she was right. “I have to tell his family that he isn’t a murderer. You know that. It wouldn’t be right to keep it from them any longer.”

Erica shrugged. “Honestly? I’m surprised we kept it from anyone this long.” She pointed at Megan. “His parents and Dan. That’s it. We’re ready to move on the case for the original problem anyway. Either way, the cat may be out of the bag. But we still have a murder to solve and this charade might come in handy.”

Megan pushed herself out of her chair. Jerry stood to walk her out.

Megan turned back to look at Jerry. “Brad helped, didn’t he? With the code. I recognized his signature.”

Erica turned around to face her computer and said in a low voice. “Busted.”

Jerry laughed as he led Megan out.

Chapter Nineteen

He looked to his right to see if the bar side was any less busy. It was, but not by much. For a Thursday, the Station Pub & Grill was officially hopping. Ross McMann leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

“You look beautiful.”

A smile curved Susan’s lips. “Well, thank you. Irlene outdid herself today at the salon.”

“You have hair?” He sounded surprised as he pulled back to examine her.

She laughed as the hostess returned to seat them.

Ross put his hand on the small of her back and wove through the tables behind her. As he did, he looked around the busy restaurant and realized that he now recognized several of the faces he saw there. He hadn’t been born and raised in Teaberry as Susan had.

Instead, he’d met her son in Seattle and ended up following him east. Jackson, or Jax as he was known here, had been Ross’s protégé in Seattle. The two had grown close. When Jax had decided to ditch the corporate life and return home, Ross had opted to follow him to see what the appeal was. He’d found Susan.

He moved behind her to pull out her chair, glancing around the room again before taking his own seat. Susan picked up her menu, seemingly oblivious to what he thought he was seeing.

“You shouldn’t stare back. It just makes them talk all the more.” Susan’s menu remained in front of her face.

Ross thought he misheard her. “Excuse me?”

She lowered her menu a few inches to look at him above it. “The gawkers. You’re just fueling the gossip.”

Ross willed himself not to look around. He leaned forward. “Who are they gossiping about?”

“Us, of course.” Susan raised her menu back up.

Ross forgot his own instructions and looked around the room. “Why?”

“You’ve been away so often lately. They’re trying to decide if you brought me here to let me down easy.” Susan dropped her menu and set it on the table when a waiter appeared to take their drink order.

Ross leaned forward again when the waiter left. “Are you telling me they’re all taking bets on whether or not I’m going to dump you? In public?”

Susan smiled. “Of course.”

He sat back in his seat. “That’s crazy. Why would I do that?” His eyes widened. “You didn’t think I invited you to dinner to dump you, did you?”

This time she laughed. “No. I know you better than that.”

He reached across the table and took her hand.

“Oh, you just skewed a lot of percentages.” She curled her fingers into his. “Everyone is madly reevaluating their initial bets right now.”

“Let them. Listen, the only reason I’ve been travelling back to Seattle so often is because I’m trying to clear up what little was left of my business interests there.” He leaned back as the waiter reappeared with drinks.

Ross shook his head when the waiter asked if they were ready to order. They both reached for their glasses as the waiter left.

“You’re entitled to your privacy,” Susan reminded him before taking a drink.

“What privacy? I figured you knew what I was doing and why.” He watched her face as she lowered her glass. “I’m just trying to get ready for Caitlyn’s wedding.”

There was a flash of surprise in her eyes. “I don’t get the connection.”

“You’re going to be covering for her while she’s on her honeymoon, right?” He set his own glass down. “Even before that, I imagine. She’ll be busy with her wedding plans.”

She cradled her wine glass between her hands. “I’m still not sure I get the connection but I’m glad that you’re happy with whatever your plans are.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again as he ordered his own thoughts. A moment later, he tried again. “I’m hoping I’ll be helping you with whatever comes next. I’m hoping that we’ll be sharing the work and the joy that comes with it all as a team. I guess I was just thinking that it’s time for us to move onto the next phase of our lives. Caitlyn is getting married. You know Jax will be next with Trina. We’ll be busy as we’re caught up in all of that.”

A corner of Susan’s mouth lifted. “Are you imagining grandchildren already? I think Trina’s adorable daughter Jasmine has whetted our appetite for more little ones.”

He chuckled. “I confess, I am. I know I don’t technically have a right to, but I’ve grown to think of your family as mine. I don’t plan on going anywhere. In fact, just the opposite. I no longer have any ties to the west coast. In the not too distant future, I’m hoping we’ll be taking the same leap that Bev and Vince are enjoying now.”

He reached for her hand again just as the waiter approached. Ross saw his hesitation and waved him over with his other hand.

“We’d better order. I’m sure they’ll want our table with the crowd they have tonight,” Ross said.

Susan placed her order and scanned the room while Ross placed his. “I do believe the gawkers have breathed a collective sigh of relief.”

“No more betting?” He looked around the room. She was right. The stares and whispers were over.

“I wonder who won?” She lifted her glass.

“I already know the answer to that one.” He lifted his glass and gently tapped hers with it.

***

Rhys listened to the chatter on the radio then reached for his mic. With a nod from Ian, he called for radio silence.

“We’re ready to move,” Rhys said to Zeke and Roxie.

Roxie put her hands on her hips. “You’re sure this is going to work?”

“We’ve already alerted the other campers. Everyone has been notified to remain inside their own RVs until they get the all clear.” Rhys made eye contact with both of them.

Zeke nodded his head once. “The longer you stay in here, the better the chance someone is going to realize something is going on.”

Ian moved toward the rear door of the camp office. “Agreed. You two stay here, just like we discussed.”

Rhys followed Ian. Both men stood poised at the rear door. Rhys reached for his mic again and gave the signal to move. It wasn’t a word. Instead, he made two clicks. Both men quickly moved through the rear door to join the other uniformed officers in the campground.

The camp sites they passed were eerily devoid of activity for a warm summer evening. It was exactly what they hoped to see. The radio silence was broken with the sound of a single click. The first target had been apprehended without issue.

Rhys and Ian positioned themselves at Dack’s camp site. They knew he was inside. They’d had eyes watching him. Ian reached the door first. He stood to the side and pounded on it.

They could hear the movements inside. The RV rocked slightly as the person inside moved toward the door. It opened a moment later. The young man inside stepped down from the RV when he saw the uniformed men in front of him.

“What’s up?” Dack held a tee shirt in his hands. He raised it over his head to pull it on.

“Freeze,” Ian said.

Rhys moved in to turn Dack around. He quickly searched the man before allowing him to pull the tee on. Dack was handcuffed and mirandized shortly after.

Hours later, Ian and Rhys were back at the station doing paperwork. Ian reached for the phone and dialed Erica first. Jerry joined the conference call next.

“How did it go?” Erica asked.

“The arrests at the campground were made without issue,” Ian said.

“What about the people above them?” Jerry asked. “The brains behind the operation?”

“We got a call from the feds that they were apprehended also,” Rhys said. “There was a little more excitement with that operation, but no one was hurt.”

“Always good to hear,” Erica said.

“The feds seemed pretty pleased with us,” Ian added. “They thought the whole idea of tagging the bogus data you allowed the identity thieves to sell on the dark web was ingenious.”

“I’m sure the attitude won’t last long,” Jerry said. “We’ll enjoy it while we can.”

“They seemed impressed with your work,” Rhys said. “They were able to track the transfer of the bogus data from the group at the campground to the big guys who sell the information online.”

“Some of the thanks should go to Gabe,” Jerry said. “If he hadn’t come to us about this group moving into to Teaberry to target our residents, a large percentage of them would be the victims of identity theft right now.”

“You have to admit, it was a good way to steal someone’s identity,” Ian said. “You get them to willingly log into a web site and hand it all over.”

“With the promise of fun and the possibility of helping your community with some of the proceeds,” Erica said. “It helped when the group from the campground made it seem like a community effort of some sort.”

“Imagine them moving from community to community to do the same thing.” Ian leaned back in his seat.

“Not going to happen now,” Rhys said.

“Not with this group,” Jerry said. “There will always be another one to take their place.”

“At least we can sleep tonight knowing that they weren’t successful here this time.” Rhys glanced at his computer. He had a lot of paperwork to do.

“We still need to figure out who killed Ken Medina,” Erica reminded them.

“Maybe our crew from the campground will be more willing to talk now that they’re looking at some other charges against them,” Jerry said.

“We’ll hit them first thing tomorrow,” Erica said. “For tonight, good work both of you. Enjoy the accolades. You deserve them.”

***

Megan waited until everyone was seated at the kitchen table. She’d opted to serve them in the kitchen, rather than the dining room. She knew Dan was surprised, but he hadn’t asked why. Not just about the room she chose to serve his parents. Also the fact that she’d invited them to dinner without telling him first.

“This is nice,” Kelly Parker smiled at her daughter-in-law. “I’m glad you thought of this.”

“It helps to have family together when things become difficult,” Todd agreed. He reached his hand out toward his wife. She slipped hers inside. They rested their clasped hands on the top of the table.

“That’s what I wanted to talk about, actually. Sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem.” Megan saw the confusion on their faces.

“Have you learned something?” Dan asked quickly.

Megan nodded. “It’s about Gabe.”

Kelly closed her eyes. “How bad is it?”

Megan saw their knuckles grow white in their clasped hands. “We owe Gabe an apology.”

Kelly’s eyes flew open.

“What?” Dan pushed his chair away from the table. “For what?”

“Apparently some people he came across in his past showed up here in Teaberry,” Megan said.

“They followed him?” Todd asked.

“No. No, I don’t have all of the details yet but I didn’t get that impression. These were people that Gabe didn’t associate with. He suspected in the past that they were doing something illegal.”

“I don’t understand.” Kelly’s voice was full of confusion.

“Gabe was concerned that this group was going to target our community somehow. He went to the police.”

Todd’s brows went up. “Gabe is working with the police?”

“Megan, what are you telling us?” Dan sounded frustrated.

“Gabe volunteered to go undercover to help catch these guys at whatever it was they were planning to do. In fact, he helped them.”

The confusion in Dan’s eyes began to clear. “The online gambling?”

“Pretty smart, right? How else do you get people to willingly hand over their sensitive information to you? And not just their bank or credit card information, but in a lot of cases their passwords too. For whatever reason, when people create accounts they often use the same login information for all of them. Once you know that, you can get into all of their accounts.”

Kelly looked around the table. “I still don’t understand. If Gabe was conning people into giving up their sensitive information, how was that helping?”

“That’s where the police come in,” Megan said. “They were actually running the web site. The information they got and the information that was later put up for sale wasn’t the same data.”

“They kept the real data secure,” Todd guessed.

“And passed fake info to the thieves,” Kelly said. “I see. You’re crushing my hand, sweetie.”

Todd dropped her hand. “Sorry. It’s just, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Kelly huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. Me neither. In my wildest dreams, I didn’t see this one coming.”

Todd looked at Kelly and flashed a weak smile. “We owe our son an apology.”

“Yeah,” Dan said. “Right after I flatten him for putting us all through this.”

Chapter Twenty

She could see the ducks in the barnyard through the kitchen window early Friday morning. She knew that Dan hadn’t slept well the night before. It hadn’t stopped him from getting up at his usual time. Although she’d always considered herself an early riser, he was typically out doing chores before she got out of bed. He often started breakfast as well by turning on the oven and popping the pan of strata in from the fridge before going outside.

She moved the tea kettle to the burner and turned it on. While she waited, she watched Henry enter the barnyard followed by the ducks a short time later. He stopped to stare at the invaders with his one good eye then chose to ignore them. Megan fixed her cup of tea and went out the back door to sit on the rattan sofa to wait for Dan.

It was probably her most favorite time of the day. The snorting of a horse drew her attention to the paddock. The remaining horses were near the fence with the miniature donkeys. Although the gate leading to the rest of the fields was left open, they often spent time in the paddock nearest the barn at certain times of the day. It was as though they knew when they were most likely to get attention.

Dan walked out of the barn and headed straight for them. She suspected that he enjoyed having them as much as she did. She could see him talking to them as he reached his hand over the fence to touch the horses. Not wanting to miss out on attention, Flora and Dora pressed forward also. Dan reached down to pat each of them before turning back to the house.

Henry lifted his head to watch as Dan approached. Just as Henry’s wings came up in preparation for whatever argument he had planned, the ducks scattered amid a lot of noise. Henry was too distracted with the activity to take Dan on. Her husband slid through the melee and safely reached the back porch. He picked up the coffee cup she’d brought for him as he settled on the sofa next to her.

“Everyone seems to be doing well out there,” he said.

“How about you? How are you doing?” Megan shifted to lean against him.

“I was happy to hear that my brother isn’t a killer.” He paused for a moment.

Megan filled the silence. “They’re positive about that.”

“I know. You told us.”

“But?” She lifted her tea mug to take a drink.

“But I’m still pretty annoyed that he put my parents through that.” Dan stretched his legs out.

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” She set her tea mug down on the table next to her and rested her head on his shoulder. “Ours might do the same thing someday.”

“Hang out with bad guys to help the police? Let’s hope not,” he said.

“Are you sure about that?” She shifted her head to look up at him. She could feel the tension in the way he held himself rigid.

He let out a sigh. “I know what you’re trying to say. Gabe did a good thing. He helped a lot of people. He probably felt bad about our parents the whole time. I know that you’re right.”

“But?”

“But it’s going to take a little time before I let him off that easy.” His eyes shifted down to look at her. “What about you?”

She turned her head back to look at the barnyard. “I still have a puzzle to solve.”

He stiffened even more. “I don’t want you doing anything that might hurt you or the baby.”

She smiled. “I know that. There was a text from Erica on my phone this morning. She said they rounded up all the bad guys that Gabe was hanging out with at the campground.” She felt him relax a little.

“They’ve been arrested?” he asked.

She hummed her agreement. “Along with the next level in the chain of bad guys above them. The ones who bought and sole sensitive information.”

“Well, that’s something.” He glanced down at her. “You’re thinking of going out to the campground now.”

She pushed herself away to sit up. “Yes. There shouldn’t be any issues. Erica said they’ll still have a presence out there as they continue to investigate.”

“Okay.” He smiled when he heard her stomach rumble. “I think someone is hungry.”

She put her hand on her side and rubbed in an attempt to calm the baby. “I know someone is hungry.”

***

Bella laughed at the squirming puppy in her hands. “I don’t think he wants a shot today.”

“I’ll make it quick, I promise,” Casey said to the young labradoodle. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

Bella spoke soothingly to the sad looking puppy as she carried him to the front of the animal hospital. The man waiting there stood as Bella passed into the reception area. The puppy wagged its tail and barked. The trauma of the shot was now forgotten.

“Here you go. Good as new.” Bella carefully passed the puppy over.

“Thanks.” The man shifted his focus from Bella and began talking to the puppy as though they were old friends. “I told you it wouldn’t be that bad, didn’t I?”

Bella watched them walk through the front entrance then turned to pass back through to the other side. She ran into Casey going the other way.

“That was the last of them for now,” he said.

“I’ll work in the back until you need me again.”

“Maybe take our beagle friend for a walk,” he suggested.

“Okay.” It was one of her favorite assignments. She continued down the hall to the rear of the building where the animals were kept. There were several cats and a few dogs waiting to be picked up at the end of the workday. Their owners had dropped them off on their way to work earlier in the morning. Bella took a leash from a hook on the wall then went to the cage that held the beagle. He was howling his displeasure.

“Come on, little guy. You’ll like seeing new things outside.”

She attached the leash to his collar and lifted him from the cage. After opening the back door, she wedged a small piece of wood so it wouldn’t close completely behind her. She set the beagle down and tried to encourage him to move with her. He wanted none of it. He crouched down on his hind legs and dug his heels in refusing to budge.

“Well, this isn’t going to work.” She reached into her pocket for a treat to tempt him with and discovered she was out. “Hang on just a minute.”

Bella looped her end of the leash around the doorknob then slipped back inside. After refilling her pocket with pieces of dog food that she used for treats, she turned to go back outside. The door behind her opened and the receptionist poked her head in.

“Casey just got a call. He said to tell you he needs to run out to a farm but he’s not expecting to be long.”

“Okay, thanks.” Bella slipped back through the door then looked down in dismay. The leash was there. The collar was on the other end on the ground. The beagle was gone.

***

Megan thanked the busy man in the campground office and walked outside with the map in her hand. He’d been nice enough to circle some of the camp sites after she explained why she was there. He thought the people at the sites she’d indicated might be able to give her some of the answers she was looking for.

She looked up at the sign post at the first fork in the road and compared it with her map. Once oriented, she took the road to the right and began walking. She checked out the RVs as she passed by them. They ranged from the largest Class A motorhomes to smaller, much older trailers with everything in between. She knew that some of them remained there year round while others were only stopping there for a short time.

Each camp site had a number. As she neared the number she was searching for, she saw an older man with the hood of his truck up. He was reaching inside doing something. After getting a little closer, she realized he was checking the oil. It must have passed his inspection. After replacing the dip stick, he reached up and closed the hood of the truck. He stood wiping his hands on some paper towels as she reached him.

Megan checked her map. Zeke had written the names on it for her. “Phin Burch?”

“Yes?” He eyed Megan curiously.

“I’m Gabe Parker’s sister-in-law, Megan. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions?”

“Gabe, you say?” Phin motioned for Megan to follow him. There were some comfortable chairs next to his RV. Phin waited until Megan lowered herself into one then sat facing her.

“I hear you had some excitement out here last night,” Megan said.

Phin’s face became animated. “That we did. Police everywhere.” He motioned vaguely around the campground.

“That does sound exciting.” Megan saw the many scars on his arms. She assumed they were from biopsies and routine maintenance of his skin. There were also some on his face. She wondered why he wasn’t wearing a hat to protect against the sun.

“They took those other guys away,” Phin said. “The ones who talked about gambling.”

“Did you try the gambling site they talked about?” Megan still had one important unanswered question about that.

“Oh, sure. I’m not usually interested in that sort of thing, but Gabe promised it would be okay.” Phin waved at a couple that walked by. “I trusted his word.”

“He didn’t lead you astray?” Megan asked with a smile.

“Nope. I didn’t lose a thing.” Phin laughed. “Of course, I didn’t win either.”

“Did you talk to those other men much?” Megan asked.

Phin shook his head. “I went over to Gabe’s RV the night of the murder. He had a party there. Didn’t see anything though. I mostly just talked to some of the folks from here and then Gabe for a little before I left. I’ve known the Parker family for years. You traded up when you married Dan, if you don’t mind me saying. That first husband of yours.” Phin shook his head.

Megan thanked him for his time and checked her map for the next camp site number.

“Where are you headed next?” Phin asked.

“I’m looking for Lou Avalos.” Megan pushed herself up from the chair.

“You won’t find him at his RV this time of day. He’ll be at the fishing pond.” Phin stood and pointed on Megan’s map.

“Thanks.” She followed the map and found a man sitting in a folding chair with a fishing pole in his hand, tackle by his feet, and a scowl on his face.

“Not biting today?” Megan asked as she approached.

“You know anything about fishing?” Lou asked.

“According to my young neighbor, I have one of the best fishing holes on the planet,” Megan said.

The scowl left Lou’s face. “You have a farm pond?”

“I do.” Megan looked over the water. “It’s not as big as this one, but it’s pretty fair sized.”

“You let your neighbor fish there?”

“He’s been doing it since he was very small.”

“Those will be some of his best memories. He’ll keep those for as long as he lives. I still remember fishing in a farm pond when I was a kid.” Lou looked at her curiously.

He had heavy lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes as though he had spent a lifetime of squinting. The area around his eyes was a surprising color of white in contrast to the rest of his face. She assumed it was from wearing sunglasses. She wondered where they were now. Megan introduced herself and explained her relationship to Gabe.

“I was hoping that I might ask a few questions,” Megan said. “I know there was some excitement here last night.”

The scowl returned to his face. “That crew. It was only what they deserved.”

“You didn’t care for them?” Megan watched the tip of his pole move ever so slightly.

“Always yapping about gambling. I told them I wasn’t interested. They kept pushing me about it.” He looked up at her. “Some people just don’t seem to understand that no means no, right?”

“Did you go to the party the night that man was murdered?” Megan asked. “The one at Gabe’s RV?”

Lou scowled again. “Yeah, but only for a couple of minutes.” The scowl cleared. “He made a good burger, that’s for sure.”

“Gabe grilled?”

Lou’s scowl returned. “Those men started pushing the gambling again though. I took my burger and left.”

Megan watched the tip of the pole dip. “I think you have something.” She pointed at his fishing rod.

Lou immediately pulled back on the pole and began reeling. “Feels like a monster.”

Phin joined them as Lou continued to reel. “I’ll get the net.”

Megan watched as the two men finally got the bass to the shore. “That looks like a nice one.”

“Are you kidding? This is the biggest one I’ve ever pulled out of here.” Lou pulled his phone out of his pocket and passed it to Megan. “Would you mind taking a picture?”

Chapter Twenty-One

Misty stared at the screen in front of her trying to make sense of it all. “Which gas pump did you say?”

The woman across from the counter huffed out a breath then repeated herself.

“Sorry,” Misty said as she completed the transaction.

“Did you get the cost of the sub I ordered on that?” the girl asked.

“Oh, no. I forgot.” Misty looked at the long line behind the girl. “I’ll get that for you in just a minute but I’ll need to run your card again.”

“Never mind.” The girl spun on her heel and walked out.

Misty plastered a smile on her face. “Next.”

A young man stepped up to the counter and ordered four twelve inch subs.

“Must be hungry,” Misty joked. The man stared at her. “I’ll just be a few minutes making those.”

She quickly went to the counter behind her to begin assembling the subs as he’d requested. Step one meant pulling on plastic gloves. She could hear Karen and Maud working the other registers. For whatever reason, they never seemed to have any problems handling the sales from the minimart, the gas pumps, and the sandwich and drink orders. Misty flattened the sliced sub bun open on the counter and began layering the different meats and cheeses. As she reached for the metal tub of shredded lettuce, she realized she hadn’t asked him what else he wanted on the subs.

She turned and raised her voice. “What veggies?”

“Lettuce and tomato on all four. Hot peppers on two of them, green peppers on one. Black olives, spinach, and onions on all four. Hold the dressing. We’ll take the packets.”

Misty turned back to her sandwiches. One was turkey, one was pastrami, and two were Italian. Which of those got the peppers? She reached for the metal container of hot peppers and turned to ask him. Her hand hit the container and hot peppers went everywhere. Misty looked down to see them all over the floor. The pickled juice they were in was dripping down the side of the counter, her right leg, and her foot. Misty threw an apologetic look to the line in front of her cash register. It had grown even longer and now snaked around two aisles. “Be right with you,” she yelled as she bent down to scoop up the hot peppers with her hands.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the manager, Flem Lugo, approaching from the other side of the store where he’d been busy restocking the refrigerator section. Flem took one look at the mess she had made and went to the cash register.

“She’ll have your food out in a minute,” he said to the first person in line as he motioned them to the side. “Next.”

Misty continued cleaning until she managed to get most of the mess off the floor. She left the rest where it was and quickly removed her gloves. After pulling on a fresh pair, she began assembling the subs again. At this point, she had no idea what she was supposed to be putting on them. She made a guess, wrapped the sandwiches, and took them to Flem.

He took the sandwiches from her hands then pointed to the door. Misty didn’t have to guess what he meant. She pulled the gloves from her hands as she walked around the counter to the other side. She had to cross through both lanes of the line in front of Flem’s cash register to get to the exit. She paused long enough to smile at Karen and Maud. Both women were too busy to notice.

Misty let out a sigh as she walked to her car. At least it was a nice day. She would go home and enjoy what she could of it. Later on, once she managed to talk herself into it, she would check the online job postings. Maybe there was something else she could try.

***

Megan found a couple sitting out in front of their RV at the next camp site. It was obvious that they kept their RV there year round. There was a deck built next to the RV where the couple now sat. A small fenced area was on the grass. There was a tiny mixed-breed dog inside. A golf cart was parked next to the RV. She assumed they used it to get around the campground. The couple called a friendly greeting to her as she approached the deck.

“Come on up,” Josie Fry said. Her short hair was held back with a folded bandana.

Delmar motioned to an empty chair on the deck. There were several others scattered around. Megan got the impression that the Fry’s enjoyed entertaining.

“We haven’t seen you here before,” Josie said.

Delmar motioned to Megan’s stomach. “We’d remember.”

“Delmar!” Josie shook her head as she offered Megan an apologetic look. “Honestly.”

Megan laughed. “It’s okay. I do stand out in a crowd now.” Megan lowered herself to a seat.

“Go get her a bottle of water,” Josie said to her husband.

Delmar pushed himself up and went into the RV. He reappeared a moment later.

“Thank you.” Megan reached for the bottle. “I was hoping I might ask you some questions.” She introduced herself.

“You’re Gabe’s sister-in-law?” Josie turned to Delmar. “She’s married to Dan, the guy at the feed store.”

“Oh, sure. We know him. Gabe’s brother,” Delmar said. “They look alike.”

“They do,” Megan agreed as she removed the cap from the bottle.

“Good thing you didn’t come last night,” Josie said.

“When the police were here?” Megan took a drink.

“You know about that?” Delmar asked. “That was some excitement. Of course, we didn’t get to see much. The police came around before all the good stuff started and told us to stay put until we got the all clear.”

“I still can’t believe they took them away because of the gambling,” Josie said as she looked from Delmar to Megan. “We can’t think of any other reason why it might have happened.”

“They didn’t take Gabe,” Delmar pointed out.

Josie frowned as she considered it. “True.”

“Did you gamble on that web site?” Megan asked.

“She did,” Delmar pointed at his wife.

“I had a blast. You can’t complain about it either.” Josie waved her finger at her husband. “It’s not like we lost anything. We broke even.”

“It kept you entertained and out of my hair.” He put his hand on his bald head and laughed at his own joke. “She’s right though. It didn’t cost anything.”

“Did you go to the party the night of the murder?” Megan watched Josie’s eyes light up.

“We did. That’s the party at Gabe’s, remember?” she asked Delmar.

“He grilled burgers. They were pretty good,” Delmar said.

“Did you see anything unusual that night?” Megan asked.

Josie made a face indicating the answer was no. “The police asked us too, of course.”

Megan heard a whimpering noise. Delmar was up in a moment.

“Don’t you worry, poppet. Daddy is coming,” Josie said.

Delmar climbed back up onto the deck carrying the small dog. He cradled the dog as he sat back down.

“This little guy goes everywhere with us,” Delmar murmured as he gently rubbed behind the dog’s ears.

“You didn’t see anyone argue that night?” Megan asked.

“No.” Josie looked at Delmar for confirmation. “Of course, we didn’t stay for very long.”

“That’s right. Shortly after we ate, this little guy told us he wanted to come back here,” Delmar said with an affectionate glance at the dog.

“Do you remember who else came and went while you were there?” Megan saw the confusion in their eyes. “Like the victim, for example. Was he there the whole time you were?”

Josie and Delmar looked at each other. Delmar shook his head. Josie looked away from him as she tried to remember.

“We went over in the golf cart, remember?” Josie looked at Delmar. “When we left, some of the others started leaving then too. We offered a ride but no one wanted one.”

He nodded. “We got back into the golf cart but the little guy was settled down by then. We took a spin around the campground, the way we usually do every night.”

“As we drove around, we passed some of the people who had been at the party,” Josie said slowly. “Ken was one of them, wasn’t he?”

Delmar pointed at her. “That’s right. He left a little after we did.”

***

Caitlyn entered Anderson Florist using the front door. Gail was behind the counter but moved away from it when she saw her boss.

“I’m back. You can head out for your lunch.” Caitlyn followed Gail into the workroom.

Gail pulled her new purse and a lunch from a drawer. “Do you need me to get you anything while I’m out?”

“No, I’m good thanks.” Caitlyn tucked her purse away then turned to follow Gail to the front of the shop. Caitlyn stopped at the front desk to check for new orders.

Gail continued walking to the front door. “I’m just going to eat my lunch in the park today. I shouldn’t be long.”

Gail walked through the door pulling her purse over her shoulder as she walked. She could see the reflection of her purse as she walked past different storefronts. She still loved it every bit as much now as she had when she’d first bought it. When she reached the town square, her steps slowed. She loved looking at all of the flowers they had planted there. There were other people there enjoying the same thing. Some were feeding the birds or the squirrels. Others were power walking around the walkways. Based on their clothes, she assumed they worked in town and were on their lunch break.

Gail saw her favorite bench in the shade waiting for her. She sat down and opened her lunch cooler. As she ate, she scrolled through the messages on her phone. She was done with her sandwich when someone sat down on the other end of the bench. Gail put her phone away.

“Nice day for a picnic lunch isn’t it?” Gail balled her sandwich baggie up and put it back into her cooler.

Brianna nodded but didn’t answer as she took out her lunch.

Gail pulled out her yogurt. “I’m packing my lunch because I splurged on my new purse. I couldn’t believe the deal I got on it though. Designer bags like that usually cost way more than what I spent.”

Brianna glanced at the purse and frowned. “You should get your money back.”

Gail’s smile slipped when she turned to the other woman. “Excuse me?”

Brianna broke off a piece of banana. “Check the seams.”

“What?” Gail started laughing then stopped. She looked down at her purse. “The seams?”

“I can tell from here it’s counterfeit. That’s obviously not real leather. But if you don’t have the background to spot that, check the seams and the stitching. They should be even.”

Gail held her purse up and frowned. She opened it and looked inside.

Brianna continued talking. “The lining might be a clue. So could any logos you’re expecting to see. Make sure they’re in the right place and on the right material.” Brianna broke off more banana.

“You really think it’s a fake?” Gail set her purse on her lap.

“Where did you buy it?” Brianna asked.

Gail made a face. “Online.”

“Always a gamble unless you know for sure you can trust the site.” Brianna stood to toss her banana peel in a nearby trash can. “I have to get back to work.”

“Thanks,” Gail said weakly as she watched the other woman walk away. Her eyes dropped back to her purse. “I think.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Cooper nodded to Casey’s receptionist as he passed through from the waiting room to the examination rooms. He and Cooper walked down the hall until they came to the area in the rear of the animal hospital where Bella was waiting for him.

She jumped up as soon as he entered. “Do you really think this is going to work?”

Ethan looked down at Cooper. Intelligent eyes looked up at him. “I hope so. It’s the only thing I know to try. Cooper already knows the beagle.”

Bella held up the stuffed toy she had in her hand. “Maybe if he got the scent?”

“Good idea.” Ethan took the toy from Bella and held it in front of Cooper. “We’ll keep this with us.”

Bella nodded her agreement as she opened the rear door. “I swear to you I only left him out here by himself for less than a minute.”

“I believe you,” Ethan said as he and Cooper followed her outside. Cooper’s ears pricked forward as he sat. He looked up at Ethan. Ethan gave him a hand signal that they had practiced before. Cooper stood again and began walking. “Let’s go.”

“How much longer do you think Casey will be?” Ethan asked Bella as they walked.

“I don’t know for sure. He went out to one of the farms for some emergency,” she said.

“Let’s hope it’s long enough,” Ethan said as he watched Cooper moving ahead of them. The border collie was following a trail across a field. Ethan had no idea who’s field it was. Beyond the field, he could see woods.

“Do you think it’s safe to leave Cooper off his leash?” Bella asked as she walked with Ethan.

“We practice like this a lot.” Cooper moved quickly in front of them. Ethan picked up his speed. “Can you keep up?”

For an answer, Bella increased her speed.

***

Megan reached the next camp site on her list. She found the owners outside enjoying the weather. They’d apparently just returned from the pool. A man with a thick mustache was sitting on the deck next to their RV. A woman in white capris and a floral knit tunic was hanging towels from a clothesline she had running from the RV to a nearby post. Megan guessed they might be in their late sixties.

“Can we help you, young lady?”

Megan smiled as she approached the deck. “I’m Megan Parker. Gabe’s sister-in-law.”

“Do tell. This here is my wife, Nettie. I’m Roddy. Roddy McKay. You look like you need to take a load off.” Roddy motioned to a chair on the deck. There were a few others around the deck. One near Roddy had a cowboy hat on it.

Megan stepped up onto the deck and took a seat. “Thanks. It’s a bit muggy today.”

“That it is,” Roddy agreed. “Made it a little hard to sleep last night. Of course, that may have been from all the excitement around here.”

Nettie hung another towel. “It sure was exciting.”

“Can’t say we’ve ever been raided by the police before.” Roddy reached up and smoothed his mustache down. It covered his mouth and drooped down the sides.

“At least they’re on the job.” Nettie hung a woman’s bikini top.

“Can’t argue there. Now they just need to find a killer,” Roddy said.

Nettie held up a matching woman’s bikini bottom. “I still can’t believe they arrested those people because of the online gambling site.” She got another handful of clothes pins and pinned the bikini bottom on the line.

“According to the news, there’s a little more to it than that,” Roddy said.

“Really? What did you hear?” Nettie held up a man’s bikini bottom then pinned it to the line. She put the container of clothes pins on the picnic table and joined them on the deck.

“They aren’t releasing all of the details yet,” Roddy said. “But that group had something to do with identity theft.”

“Are you kidding me?” Nettie said loudly. “What does that mean for us? We both used that web site.”

“I understand that your data is safe,” Megan said.

Two sets of eyes turned to her.

“How do you know?” Nettie asked.

“I spoke with two of the police officers yesterday,” Megan explained. “I can’t give any details either but I do know that your sensitive information hasn’t been breached. Not in this incident.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Nettie sat next to her husband. “If you spoke with the police, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to ask you a few questions,” Megan said. “Let’s start with the gambling web site. You both used it?”

“Oh, yes. I thought it was better than going to a casino,” Nettie said. She raised her hand and absently fingered the beaded chain around her neck holding her glasses.

“Did you win much?” Megan asked.

The McKays shared a look.

“Well, no,” Nettie said.

“But we also didn’t lose anything,” Roddy added.

“You broke even?” Megan watched them both nod. “Did you go to the party at Gabe’s camp site last weekend?”

“Oh, yes. We like things like that. Don’t we?” Nettie asked her husband.

“It’s one of the reasons why we stay here. It’s a community,” Roddy said.

“A community we enjoy,” Nettie added as she motioned to her husband. “Gabe grilled that night, remember?”

Roddy’s forehead puckered. “That was the night of the murder.”

“Yes, it was. Did you notice anything unusual that night?” Megan shifted her gaze from Roddy to Nettie. Both were shaking their head slowly then Roddy stopped and tilted his head sideways.

“Now that you mention it, there did seem to be a little tension.” Roddy turned to Nettie. “Did you notice it?”

“Not really. I filled my sippy cup before we went.” Nettie made a face at Megan as she pointed at Roddy. “He was driving.”

Roddy chuckled. “The golf cart doesn’t go that fast anyway.”

“Sounds like you had a nice time.” Megan began pushing herself out of her chair. “I should let you go.”

“Did you walk down?” Nettie asked Megan.

“I left my car at the office,” Megan said.

Nettie turned to Roddy. “You should drive her back up to the office.”

Roddy stood before Megan could protest and reached for his cowboy hat. “I would be happy to.”

Megan thanked Nettie as Roddy got into the cart. He pulled up to the steps of the deck and Megan slid in.

“I appreciate this,” she said.

“Not a problem.” Roddy drove slowly along the gravel roads. He pointed out some of the other campers that they passed and told Megan a little about them before returning to the previous subject. “I still can’t believe everything that’s been going on. That whole thing with the gambling web site still has me puzzled. Is that really why those men were arrested?”

He didn’t wait for Megan to answer.

“They said part of the proceeds would go to education and scholarships and other things around here.” He stopped at a crossroad and waited for a pickup truck to drive through. “I have to admit, I may have bet a little more than Nettie knows about.”

Megan smiled at his confession. “Did you win or lose?”

“Neither. Broke even.” He accelerated again and was quiet for a few moments. “Course, that’s another thing. Why didn’t they arrest Gabe?”

“I’m sure all of the details will be released as soon as possible,” Megan said as they reached the office.

She slid out and thanked him for the ride before entering the camp store that also acted as an office. She assumed it was something of a gathering place as well. There was a kitchen area on one side that also had a separate entrance and a pickup window. The board hanging on the wall advertised prices for pizza, sandwiches, and ice cream.

The shelves in the store were stocked with small amounts of everything under the sun. There was a small automotive section, rain gear, games, grocery items, tee shirts with the Teaberry Campground logo and other tees featuring the state of Pennsylvania. In one small corner, there was a shelf full of movies on disc that could be rented. Another shelf had well-worn paperback books that could be checked out for free.

In several places throughout the store, she saw references to foxes. There were pictures on the walls. The logo on the tee shirts included a fox. The sign listing the prices for food also included the same image of a fox.

The man behind the counter was large with a bushy mustache and a long, full beard that hid most of a wide neck behind it. She guessed he was somewhere in his fifties. His brown eyes held curiosity as he nodded a greeting.

“You don’t look like you’re here to do some camping,” he said.

“Not this time, no. But my brother-in-law is staying here.” Megan leaned against a table with a chess set on it and introduced herself. She learned that his name was Zeke.

“You’re the owner?” Megan asked.

“I am.” He moved around to her side of the counter and leaned back against it with his arms crossed in front of him. “What brings you in?”

“The murder, actually. As you might suspect, Gabe’s family was pretty upset that anyone might think Gabe was involved with that.”

“You might want to discuss that with the police,” Zeke suggested.

She flashed a quick smile. “I have. I’m also talking with anyone else who might know something about that night or the events that led up to it.”

“You know about the raid we had out here last night?” He worded it in the form of a question.

Megan got the impression he already knew the answer. “Yes. Was this the first time Ken Medina stayed here?”

“You sound like the police.” His gaze held hers.

“I know you’ve already spoken with them. Would it be possible for you to tell me also?”

“Why?” He looked genuinely curious.

Megan explained her theory about solving her puzzles. “Sometimes people know things and don’t realize it. They may or may not be the same people that the police have spoken with. Perhaps, at a first glance, they don’t look directly involved. Maybe they are and held some little detail back because they didn’t think it mattered.”

“You call those little bits of information puzzle pieces.” He was nodding slowly.

“Sometimes the little bit of information is the critical piece that solves the puzzle. Sometimes it’s the edge pieces of the puzzle that just help to give more detail.”

Zeke reached up with one hand and smoothed his beard down. “You’re hoping I have a puzzle piece.”

“It’s a possibility,” she agreed.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Do you remember the weekend of the murder?” Megan asked. She watched him tilt his head to one side. Her eyes scanned the store as she considered ways to prompt him. “Did anything odd happen here in the office that day?”

“Same old, same old.” His eyes drifted above her for a moment then returned and dropped to the table. “Someone found an injured dog.”

“He belonged to one of the campers? Maybe one from the group that the police picked up yesterday?”

Zeke shook his head. “No one here claimed him. Roxie took him to Casey in town.”

“I hope it wasn’t badly hurt,” Megan murmured.

“Bad enough. That reminds me though. Roxie put off her firewood delivery until she got back. Some of that group had ordered firewood.” Zeke shrugged. “Well, if you count Gabe in the group.”

Megan didn’t. “Who else?”

Zeke turned and picked up a small notepad near his cash register. He flipped back a couple of pages. “Guy’s name was Alva. Alva Guzman. He was in site number two oh six.”

“He ordered firewood Thursday?” Megan wasn’t sure it mattered, but she preferred having the details.

“Yeah. Looks like it. Alva ordered Thursday and Roxie delivered later that same day.” Zeke flipped a page. “Gabe ordered his wood Saturday. Said he needed it for a party he gave that night. Had a little cookout for some of the campers here, I guess.”

“Roxie would have delivered it during the day then?”

“Yeah. Like I said. Gabe wanted it before his cookout.”

“Is Roxie available?” Megan asked.

Zeke set his notepad back down. “Not sure how much she can help you. She delivered the wood during the day. Ken Medina wasn’t killed until that evening.”

“Still.” Megan flashed another quick smile. “You never know who might have a puzzle piece.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Do you know where we are?” Bella asked.

Ethan looked around. “Not really, but I can still see Cooper.”

Bella pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I still have a signal.”

“That means we could call for help if we need it,” Ethan said.

Bella looked around. They were walking in a wooded area now, but there was a well-defined trail. “There’s more light ahead.”

“Must be another clearing. Cooper is waiting for us there.”

“Do you think he really has the beagle’s scent?” Bella asked as she picked up the pace again.

“I hope. If not, we just took a long walk for nothing.” Ethan bent down when they reached the border collie. “What’s up, Coop?”

Cooper took off again through the clearing.

“There’s a house over there.” Bella pointed in the direction they were walking.

“Wish I knew where we were,” Ethan muttered.

“I can figure it out if I still have a signal,” Bella said as she pulled her phone out again. “The map software shows where we are. We just need to zoom out and get a reference.” Bella stopped and showed Ethan. “See? This is us. The animal hospital is over here.”

“Wow. We walked farther than I thought.” Ethan scanned the area for Cooper. “I think he’s over by that house. It’s on the other side of that tree line. We’d better get over there before the owner finds him.”

Bella took off with Ethan. Once they reached the tree line that acted as a natural fence around the far side of a yard, they saw that a woman was with Cooper. She was sitting on the step of a back porch.

She looked up when she realized they were approaching. “Is this a friend of yours?”

“It is. That’s Cooper. He won’t hurt you.”

The woman laughed. “No. He definitely will not.” She looked down at the border collie. He was sitting on the step below her. She had her hand on his head. “He’s a good boy.”

“Looks like he didn’t find the beagle,” Bella said to Ethan.

A look of dismay crossed his face. “Sorry. I really thought he was on to something.”

“He was,” the woman said. “Sherlock was here. If that’s who you’re referring to?”

“Sherlock?” Bella stepped closer to the woman. She guessed she was maybe around her mother’s age. “I’m Bella, by the way. Bella Prescott. You might know my mom.”

“Ava?”

Bella nodded. “This is Ethan Jenkins.”

“I’m Misty. Misty Moore. This is my place.” Misty motioned at the small farmhouse behind her. “For now.”

Bella wondered why Misty looked sad. “Ethan’s dad is the town vet. Do you know Casey?”

Ethan’s eyes flew to Bella when she called Casey his dad.

Misty smiled as she absently rubbed Cooper’s ears. “Casey, sure. Is that where Sherlock was? Makes sense. Looked like he’d been patched up.”

“I hope he wasn’t any trouble,” Bella said.

“Trouble?” Misty sounded genuinely confused. “Dogs are never trouble.”

Bella and Ethan shared a smile.

“I feel the same way about most animals but especially dogs and cats. I have one of each,” Bella said.

“Where is Sherlock now?” Ethan asked Misty.

“Oh, I took him home. Just got back, actually, when this guy appeared.” She motioned to Cooper.

“Where is home for Sherlock?” Ethan asked.

“My neighbor, Mr. Wilton. He was pretty thrilled to see Sherlock, that’s for sure. Mr. Wilton is in his eighties. The two of them keep each other company. Do you know where Sherlock got hurt?”

“He was found out at the campground,” Bella said. “According to the map on my phone, that’s not all that far from here.”

“The way the crow flies anyway.” Misty’s eyes widened. “I just saw something about the campground on the news. You know there was a death out there this past weekend, right?”

Bella knew from Rhys that Megan was looking into it along with the police. “Yes. Hopefully, someone will have it solved soon.”

“The police raided the place yesterday. Picked up a bunch of guys. I saw them when I was at the Chase with Dena,” Misty said.

“You saw the guys that were arrested?” Bella moved forward and took a seat on the step next to Misty. Ethan took a seat on the other side of Cooper.

“Dena knows Gabe.” Misty looked at Bella. “Do you know him?”

“He’s Dan Parker’s brother.” Bella nodded toward Ethan. “Ethan is Megan and Dan’s neighbor and Dena works for my mom.”

“I can’t believe Gabe would be involved in anything that bad,” Misty said with a frown. “Though I guess they didn’t mention his name on the news.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t involved,” Bella said. “Or he would have been picked up with the others.”

Misty looked down at Cooper. “I wonder what happened to the one guy’s dog?”

Bella looked at Ethan then shifted her eyes back to Misty. “Dog?”

“I didn’t get his name. He was running loose at the Chase. Must have gotten away from his owner. He spooked Dena’s son but didn’t mean to.” Misty’s brows pulled together again. “The dog had manners. The owner, not so much. I wanted to take the poor thing home with me. I got the impression he wasn’t treated well.”

“You sound like you work with animals,” Bella said. “You remind me of Casey.”

Misty smiled but it looked sad. “I wish. I just lost a job today.” She looked at Bella first then Ethan. “I can’t say that I blame them for it. I was horrible at this job.” She winced. “And the one before that.”

“Why don’t you work with animals?” Bella asked.

Misty opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Finally, she said, “Huh.”

Ethan looked at Cooper then Bella. “We should probably get back. Casey is going to get worried if he makes it back to the animal hospital and we aren’t there.”

Misty stood when they did. “I don’t think you should walk. Like you said, the campground isn’t all that far from here. I wouldn’t feel right if I just let you wander back off. I should drive you over and drop you off.”

Bella looked at Ethan and made a decision. “We’ll accept the ride but only if you do us a favor.”

Misty and Ethan shared a look of confusion.

“You may not know this, but Megan often works on mysteries that happen in Teaberry. She calls them puzzles. Anyway, with Gabe being in the middle of everything, I’m sure Megan must be working on this puzzle.” Bella looked at Ethan.

Ethan nodded his understanding and turned to Misty. “We’d be happy to have a ride, but only if you promise to talk to Megan.”

Bella pulled her phone out. “I have her number in my phone. I can call her right now.”

***

Dan pulled into the parking lot in front of Gabe’s Garage. He was happy to see that there were cars in the parking lot either waiting to be worked on or ready to pick up. Both bay doors were open. Both bays had cars inside. As Dan approached the open bay doors, he heard the music blasting. He found his brother bent over the front of a car. Dan bypassed Gabe and went to the radio in the back. He turned the volume down.

Gabe poked his head around the hood. “Hey, brother. What brings you by?”

Dan joined Gabe at the front. “I want to talk.”

Gabe straightened at the tone of Dan’s voice. “About what?”

Dan straightened to his full height and faced Gabe. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t knock your block off?”

“What?” Gabe spread his feet out a little farther as though ready to fight.

Dan pointed at him. “You should have told us what you were doing.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he wiped his hands on a towel. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Dan leaned in. “Liar. You gave our parents gray hairs with that charade of yours. Not to mention me.”

Gabe tossed the towel down. “What charade?”

Dan pointed again. “Megan figured it out.”

Gabe grimaced. “Erica said she would.” He let out a sigh. “Listen, she needs to keep it to herself, okay?”

“Too late. She already told mom and dad. Something you should have done,” Dan repeated.

Gabe shook his head. He looked tired. “You know I couldn’t. You also know that I wanted to. Right?”

Dan breathed in. He wasn’t ready to let go of his mad yet. “But you didn’t,” he insisted.

“There was too much at stake. I knew these people. I wasn’t friends with them, I didn’t hang out with them, but they were always there. Around the fringes. Nothing good ever came of their presence. They were into every bad thing you can think of and several that you can’t. Drugs, identity theft, you name it. If they could figure out a way to make money from it, they did it.” Gabe waved his hands. “I couldn’t let them bring that here.”

Dan dropped his gaze. He took a step back. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Gabe’s disbelief was obvious. He didn’t expect Dan to let him off so easily.

“I get it, okay? I’m about to have a child. I want them to grow up in the Teaberry that I remember. Not the messed up scary one that you’re describing.”

Gabe nodded slowly as he stared at his brother. “Okay. So, we’re good?”

Dan held out his hand. “Yeah, we’re good.”

Gabe reached his hand out. Dan grabbed it and pulled him in for a hug. “Just don’t do it again.”

***

Megan found Roxie where Zeke had told her to look. She was loading up firewood into the back of a four wheeler. Megan introduced herself and explained why she was there.

“You’re like one of those characters in a book,” Roxie said. “The nosey resident of a community that goes around getting into everyone’s business.”

“Something like that,” Megan agreed. “I understand that you delivered firewood for several of the people involved in the raid? Zeke mentioned that you dropped wood off for Alva Guzman.”

Roxie continued to load wood into the four wheeler. “If you say so.”

Megan thought back to what Zeke said. “Site two oh six?”

“Oh, yeah. That I did.” Roxie tossed another log.

“And also for Gabe?”

“Him I know.” Roxie paused for a moment and looked at Megan. “He wasn’t one of the ones picked up by the police.”

Megan smiled. “No, he wasn’t. Did you notice anything unusual when you delivered the wood?”

“Nope.” Roxie lifted another log.

Megan looked around. They were next to an outbuilding. She imagined they kept the lawn equipment there and whatever else they needed to maintain the campground. There was a tractor parked next to the building. It had train cars hooked up to the back of it.

“You deliver firewood during the day?” Megan asked.

Roxie paused again and pointed toward the tractor. “And the train in the evenings, yeah.”

“The murder occurred during the evening,” Megan said. “Did you notice anything unusual then.”

Roxie hesitated for a moment before bending to pick up another log. “Just the dog.”

“What dog?”

“At two oh six.”

“Alva’s dog?”

“I guess. Anyway, the dog was tied up at two oh six but he was facing the other camp site and barking.” Roxie tossed the log in. “I told the police this too.”

“Which camp site?”

Roxie picked up another log. “The one where the victim was staying.”

“You don’t know what the dog was barking about?” Megan watched Roxie toss the last log into the back.

“No idea. Can’t imagine it was normal. None of the other campers ever complained about it and I never heard it barking when I made deliveries. Speaking of which.” She pointed to the four wheeler. “I need to make one now. It’s Friday. Everyone will be here tonight and they’ll want their campfires.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Misty stopped near the front door of the animal hospital just as her phone buzzed. She picked it up and checked the message.

“Megan just texted me back. She wants to meet with me now.” Misty motioned to the building. “You’re sure Casey is still there?”

“Yeah. He replied to my text letting him know that you were dropping us off.” Bella smiled as she got out of the car. “Thanks for the ride. Hopefully, you’ll have a piece of Megan’s puzzle.”

Ethan waved before opening the front door of the building. He let Bella and Cooper pass through first. They found Casey standing at the window where the receptionist usually sat. The waiting room was empty.

“Sherlock, huh?” Casey opened the door leading to the exam rooms and crossed into the waiting room.

“Misty didn’t seem very surprised when he ended up at her place,” Ethan said. “Or when Cooper did either, for that matter.”

Casey laughed as he took a seat. “I’m not surprised. It isn’t the first time dogs from here have shown up at her door.”

“Seriously?” Ethan took a seat near Casey.

“She’s like some sort of dog magnet,” Casey said. “Always has been. No matter where she goes, they seem to chase her.”

“That’s funny.” Ethan reached for Cooper. The border collie sat between his feet.

“They always seem to behave better around her,” Casey said as he watched Cooper.

“I suggested that she try some sort of job working with animals.” Bella took a seat next to Casey. “It seems like something that would make her happy. I felt bad when she told us she’d just lost her job today.”

“Maybe she’ll figure something out,” Casey said. He looked at one then the other. “Have you two had enough excitement for one day?”

“We know that Cooper can track a dog now,” Ethan pointed out.

Casey chuckled. “I guess.” He pointed at Bella as he stood. “We need to get you home.” He pointed at Ethan. “You have chores.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ethan grinned as he stood. “Come on, Coop. You did good today.”

“He did very well,” Bella agreed as Casey locked the front door and turned around.

“Truck is out back,” Casey said as he crossed back through to the other side. “Next time, you two need to text me before you go haring off.”

Bella and Ethan shared a smile behind Casey’s back.

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

***

Megan parked in front of Misty’s small farmhouse. Misty was waiting for her on the front porch. Megan climbed the steps and took a seat next to her.

“Thanks for meeting with me,” Megan said.

Misty gave an apologetic smile. “I’m not sure what help I can be. The kids seemed to think it was a good idea.”

Megan wasn’t sure either. “What were you talking about when they suggested it?”

“A dog, actually. It belonged to one of those men they picked up at the campground.”

Megan crossed her fingers. “Do you remember what the man’s name was?”

Misty made a face. “Al or Alvin or something.”

“Alva?”

“Yes. I think that was it. I didn’t pay any attention to the other names they flashed on the news. I just remember the guy with the dog.”

“When did you see the dog?” Megan thought about what Dena had told her. “It wasn’t at the Chase was it? When you went with Dena and the boys?”

Misty’s eyes widened. “You know about that?”

“Dena told me.”

“Yeah. It was there. We were walking back to the car. A dog rushed the boys and shook them up pretty bad. The oldest boy tried to laugh it off, but I could tell they were both scared.” Misty’s eyes held concern behind her purple tortoiseshell glasses. “It wasn’t the dog’s fault. He was just as scared as the boys were. He didn’t understand why there were so many strange people everywhere.”

“What happened next?”

A frown pulled the sides of Misty’s mouth down. “The owner. That Alva guy. He grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him away.” She shook her head. “Yelled at the dog the whole time like it was all his fault.”

Megan wondered if what Misty was telling her helped with her puzzle.

“It wasn’t the first time we’d seen them, of course,” Misty continued. “They were all together earlier when they stopped to talk to Dena.”

“Was that when Gabe was with them?” Megan wondered why Dena hadn’t mentioned the dog. She probably hadn’t thought it was important.

“Yeah. It was pretty obvious then that the dog didn’t like the owner.”

“Really?”

“He definitely liked Gabe.” Misty frowned. “And that guy that was killed.”

“Ken Medina?”

Misty shrugged. “I didn’t pay any attention to his name. I did see his picture on the news. It was the same guy that the black and white dog liked.”

“How could you tell that?”

“The dog didn’t try to hide his feelings,” Misty said wryly. “He barked at the owner and it wasn’t a happy bark. More like an agitated, growling kind of bark.”

“Yeah. I guess that’s pretty obvious.” Megan looked at the view from the porch. There weren’t a lot of houses close to Misty’s. It was a nice, rural area.

“Of course, that’s not the only place I’ve seen him,” Misty said.

Megan turned to look at her. “Him who?”

“That Alva guy. I saw him a couple of times.”

“At somewhere other than the off-road trail?”

Misty made a face. “I’ve had a bad string of luck when it comes to jobs lately. I was working at the bank.”

Megan nodded. She knew that. “You saw him there?”

“Well, not him. I saw LeAnn at the bank.”

Megan was confused. “LeAnn?”

“She’s married to Gabe, right?” Misty asked. She didn’t wait for an answer. “That’s why I was surprised to see her with another man. I mean, I guess she and Gabe aren’t really together anymore. Right? That’s why she wanted a bank account just in her name.”

Megan shook her head and waited for Misty to tell the story in her own way.

“I saw LeAnn at the bank when I worked there. Then I went to work at the gas station. I saw a lot of people there as you might imagine. That’s where I saw that Alva guy with LeAnn.” Misty lowered her voice and leaned a little closer. “It was obvious they were more than casual acquaintances.”

Megan felt her brows go up as her phone buzzed.

“I saw Gabe at the gas station too but he was by himself,” Misty said.

Megan checked her phone. The message was from Jessilyn and said she was attaching the pictures from the Chase that Megan might want to use for the town web site. Jessilyn warned her that some of the pictures might need to be cropped to remove people who hadn’t signed permission slips to have their likeness used.

“I just got some pictures from the Chase,” Megan murmured as she scrolled through the attachments Jessilyn sent.

“The boys had a great time,” Misty said.

Megan stopped at a picture. She moved the focus to the two men in the background. “Are these the men you’re talking about?” She held out her phone.

Misty pointed. “That’s the Alva guy. That’s the guy that was killed.” Misty got excited. “Look. You can see what I mean. Look at the dog. See how his fur is up. He looks like he’s ready to attack his owner.”

Megan zoomed in on the picture a little more. It was obvious that the two men were arguing. The anger on their faces was clear. She had to admit, it looked like Misty was right also. The dog looked ready to tear Alva apart. She forwarded the picture to Erica.

***

LeAnn showed surprise at finding Megan on her porch when she opened the front door.

“Mind if I come in?” Megan moved forward without waiting for a response.

LeAnn backed away from the door then led Megan to a small living room. There were boxes everywhere. LeAnn was packing to move.

“I saw the for sale sign out front,” Megan said.

“That’s why you’re here?” LeAnn looked confused.

Megan lowered herself into an uncomfortable chair. “No. I’m here because I have a few questions. I also thought that you might want to talk.”

“About what?”

“Alva.”

LeAnn sank slowly into a chair across from Megan. She dropped her head into her hands.

“LeAnn, I know that you were seeing him.”

LeAnn lifted her head. She looked tired. “Can I pick them, or what?”

“Did you? Pick him?”

“Well, I guess I didn’t mean that literally. I mean, we just ran into each other one day. We started to talk. We hit it off.” LeAnn looked away.

“Did you tell the police any of this?” Megan asked gently.

LeAnn shook her head. “They didn’t ask.”

“No, I imagine they didn’t think to. Still, it was relevant. Don’t you think?”

LeAnn turned to look at her. “Why?”

“LeAnn. You know about the baseball bat, right?”

LeAnn wrapped her arms around herself. “I told myself that it didn’t make any sense. I knew Gabe would never do that. He’d never kill someone with his old bat and leave it there.” Her eyes went to Megan’s. “Then I told myself that I hadn’t seen it in years. There was no way it could have come from here.”

“Do you really believe that?” Megan asked.

LeAnn nodded once then stopped. She shook her head slowly. “No. I guess not.”

“Was Alva here? Would it have been possible for him to get the bat?”

LeAnn kept her eyes down but she nodded again. “Yeah. He could have found it.” She turned her head toward the garage. “Probably out there. He said he’d help me pack things up out there.”

“You understand that we have to tell the police now?”

LeAnn kept staring at the garage. “He asked me about Gabe a lot. I just thought he was jealous, you know? I just never thought.” She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head.

Megan reached for her phone.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Emma was curled up on the pillow beside her head. Megan looked up at the ceiling and smiled. “This was a good idea.”

Dan rolled onto his side and spread his hand across her belly. He could feel the kicking. “Looks like someone doesn’t agree.”

Megan put her hand on her other side and rubbed. “It’s not as bad now as it was earlier.”

“I feel like we’re playing hooky,” he said.

“It’s a rain day. You couldn’t be out working in this anyway. Besides, everyone needs to take a break every now and then. We did manage to get some more greens from the garden before the rain started. I’m not feeling too guilty.”

“I like taking breaks with you,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else on a rainy Saturday afternoon.”

He shifted his head to look at her. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

He propped his elbow on the bed and held his head up. “For figuring out what was going on with Gabe. He might never have told us.”

“Would you have believed him if he did?”

He hesitated before answering. “I’d like to think so. You have to admit. Things did look pretty bad.”

“They did. Your parents never gave up on him. They even went out to the Chase just so they could watch what he did there.”

He pretended to frown. “Given that he was hawking a web site for gambling there, I’m not sure that worked out well for them.”

She laughed. “Still. You know what I mean.”

He rubbed her side. “Yes. I do. Actually, that’s what I told Gabe.”

“Before or after you threatened to beat him up?”

“After. He was willing to make a sacrifice because he didn’t want to see a horde of locusts come in to take advantage of us. I told him I didn’t want to lose the town I remember from my childhood either.”

“Having your identity stolen is bad enough,” Megan agreed. “From what Erica told me on the phone this morning, that group had a history of way worse. Several federal agencies are now taking a close look at them. I suspect they will be facing a lot of other charges when all is said and done.”

“Whatever happened to the dog at the campground?”

“The one that was barking the night of the murder? A couple that camp there all summer took it in. They’re planning to keep it.”

“That was nice of them.” Dan felt another kick. “The dog was barking at the killer, I take it.”

“Yes. From what Erica and Jerry can piece together, the dog was barking during the actual murder. He must have realized something was going on.”

“What’s going to happen with LeAnn?”

“Nothing, really. She came forward voluntarily to share what she knew.”

“But not when they initially went out to her house to question her about the bat,” he said.

She turned her head to look at him. She felt the small black cat stir. “Whose side are you on?”

“No, I know. I don’t want her to get into trouble either. She’s had it hard enough already.”

“Apparently that’s what Gabe said when he argued in her favor.” She turned to look at him. “I think he’s grown some since he moved back here.”

“Yeah. I think so too.” He felt another kick. “Did the killer confess?”

“Alva? Yes, he did. He said that he was tired of making pennies on the dollar. I guess Ken always dealt with the same bad guys figuring it was safer that way. Alva wanted to go wide and put this data out to the highest bidder. They argued over it and Alva lost his temper.”

“How did he actually manage to get Gabe’s bat?”

“He went through LeAnn’s garage and stole some things out of there. She didn’t know it at first, of course. She never paid a lot of attention to what was in there.” She shifted her weight trying to find a more comfortable position. “When she decided to sell, he offered to pack up whatever was in the garage hoping she wouldn’t notice that he’d already taken things out of it. That’s when he took the bat. She may have never noticed what was missing if the police hadn’t made her go through the boxes.”

“I guess I missed it when I moved his stuff out. I doubt Gabe has even gone through the boxes I dropped off at the garage.”

Megan finally stopped moving. Emma gave up and jumped off the bed. “The whole idea was pretty ingenious.”

“Having an online gambling site where everyone willingly logs in to give up their financial information? Yeah, I thought so too.” He looked at her. “Not that I would have been interested.”

“Yeah, I was never one for gambling either.”

“There’s one thing I haven’t figured out yet,” he said. “How is it possible that everyone who gambled was happy? Didn’t they lose money?”

“Everyone I spoke with said they broke even.” Megan smiled. “I asked Erica about that. She wouldn’t confirm or deny my theory, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.”

“Give me a clue.”

“It’s all in the math, right? That’s all gambling really is. It’s a game of probability.” She turned her head to look at him again. “Name one person we know who would understand that kind of math.”

He smiled. “Madison.”

“Has to be. The fact that she’s engaged to Jerry…”

“The police department couldn’t have afforded to pay for her services,” Dan interjected. “She must have donated the time.”

“Brad helped with the code.”

“Another freebie.” He pointed at her. “They stole some of your code.”

“It was all for a good cause.”

“It was.” He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you think we’ve waited long enough?”

“Probably. It should be cool enough by now.”

He was standing before she even realized he was going to move.

“That was fast.” She held out her hands.

“I really want to get some.” He helped her get out of the bed. “Maybe with a scoop of ice cream.”

“If I had known you would like oatmeal cake so much, I would have made it sooner.”

“I think we should start at the beginning of your grandmother’s cookbook and work our way through all of the recipes.”

Megan’s Recipe

Oatmeal Cake

Pour 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over 1 cup of quick oatmeal and let stand.

Mix together:

1 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs

Add oatmeal mixture, then flour and spices.

1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pour mixture into oblong cake pan which has been greased and floured. Bake 350 degrees until almost done (about 30 minutes). Spread topping over top of cake and return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer.

Topping:

1 stick of butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup nuts
1 cup coconut

Notes: Use a 13x9 pan for the full recipe. This recipe can be halved for a smaller cake. Use an 8.5x6.5 or 8x8 pan for a half recipe. If nuts and coconut are omitted for the topping, use 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. For a half recipe, bake for 25 minutes, add topping, bake another 10-13 minutes. Megan uses old fashioned oatmeal instead of quick.

Books by R. A. Wallace

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