A Problem in Paxton Park, page 10
part #5 of Paxton Park Mystery Series
“Did Wilson give Mike a second loan?” Shelly asked.
“He didn’t, no. He smartened up. Give Mike some money and you’ll never see it again.”
“Did Mike tell you Wilson wouldn’t give him another loan?”
“No,” Jennifer said. “Mike didn’t know I knew what he’d done. He kept pretending to me that things were weeks away from turning around for the better. They never did. Things just kept going down the tubes.”
“Bankruptcy is in the future?” Jay asked.
“It is, but Mike isn’t going to take me down with him.” Jennifer crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m done with him.”
“Was this kind of behavior unusual for Mike?” Shelly asked.
Jennifer thought about the question. “Mike had always been someone who had a lot of ideas. In the past, he was more cautious. He’d back away from a business idea or plan if it seemed like it was too risky. This time though, it was as if this financial software thing was Mike’s last chance to make it big. I didn’t understand why he felt like that. He’s only in his late-fifties.”
“Did you give your husband an ultimatum?” Jay asked.
“I sure did. He was burning through money like a wild fire. I sat down with him and discussed my worries. Our nest egg was in jeopardy. We’re still paying off our two daughters’ education loans. Mike’s wild spending had to end. I suggested he bail on this venture and some day in the future, he could try again. My concerns fell flat. Mike went on and on about how things would turn around soon.” Jennifer sighed. “I thought I was listening to a mad man. That was it for me. Well, not exactly. The final nail in the coffin didn’t come until a little while later.”
“What happened?” Jay asked.
Jennifer looked down at the floor for a while and Shelly didn’t think she was going to reply. The woman’s eyes met Jay’s. “Mike was seeing Wilson’s ex-wife, Tina Barrett.”
Shelly couldn’t keep her eyes from widening. This was a revelation she wasn’t expecting.
“Tina and Mike had been seeing each other years ago,” Jennifer said. “Wilson found out. They didn’t have any kids. He offered to go to counseling, but Tina refused. She wanted a divorce so that was the end of that. I wanted to divorce Mike, but we had two little kids. I told him I’d stay, but if he ever cheated on me again, I’d be gone in a flash. Well, twenty years later, he did it again, and with the same person. How stupid am I?”
Jay and Shelly sat quietly. What could they possibly say to that?
“Mike and Wilson remained friends? Even after Mike had an affair with Wilson’s wife?” Shelly asked.
“Things were strained for a quite a while. Over time, Wilson forgave Mike. Wilson admitted to me a few years after the break-up with his wife that ending his marriage to Tina was the right thing to do for both of them.” Jennifer added, “Maybe Mike was desperate to have a business success to impress Tina. Maybe she was losing interest in him because he was struggling. Have you met her? She won’t be winning any awards for nicest person of the year, that’s for sure.”
“Did Mike know that Tina was a beneficiary of Wilson’s estate?” Shelly questioned.
“Was she?” Jennifer tilted her head to the side. “I don’t know if Mike knew that or not, but he must have.” She narrowed her eyes. “How interesting. Did Tina know she was the beneficiary?”
“We don’t know. It’s being looked into,” Jay informed the woman.
“Oh, my.” Jennifer’s shoulders drooped and her hand covered her heart. “Did those two join forces to kill Wilson to get his money?”
Jay sat up. “We don’t have any information that points to that.”
“Poor Wilson.” Jennifer’s voice was soft. “I can’t believe this. I thought I had suffered the ultimate deception.”
Jay spoke up with a firm voice. “There’s no reason to believe Mike and Tina conspired to get rid of Wilson Barrett. There’s absolutely no evidence that points to such an idea. If anyone suggests such a thing, it would be pure and simple speculation, and only speculation. We deal in facts and evidence. We have none. Nothing at all suggests Wilson knew his attacker.”
“I hope as the investigation goes on, that remains true.” Jennifer’s lips were thin and tight. “I would hate to have to tell our daughters that their father is a murderer.”
Before arriving at Jennifer Meeks’s home, Shelly would never have pointed a finger at Mike Meeks for the death of Wilson Barrett, but now, hearing about the man’s obsession with keeping his new company afloat despite endangering his family’s finances and finding out he’d had an affair with Tina Barrett … twice, Mike was beginning to look as if he could be guilty. Adding in the possibility that Tina knew she was the beneficiary of Wilson’s three-million-dollar estate didn’t shine a very positive light on the couple.
If it turned out to be true that Mike and Tina planned and executed Wilson’s murder, it would be a terrible and heart-breaking deception by two people Wilson had once trusted.
Shelly felt ill at the thought of it.
18
After work, Shelly and Juliet had time for a long walk before meeting Jay, but they chose not to walk on the wooded trails preferring to stay where lots of people were around.
“I know I’m being silly,” Juliet said, “but I’m feeling uneasy about being in more isolated places. I’d rather walk or jog around town, at least until this killer is caught.”
“I feel the same way,” Shelly admitted. “Why take a chance? And anyway, I wouldn’t enjoy the exercise because I’d be looking over my shoulder every few seconds. I wouldn’t be able to relax at all.”
“So now Mike Meeks and Tina Barrett are suspects?” Juliet asked with a frown on her face.
“Not necessarily, but there’s some concern and Jay wants to look into it further. It’s an idea that needs more investigation.”
“What’s wrong with people?” Juliet demanded. “Even if they aren’t the killers, getting involved with each other twice is an outrage. How selfish those two are. They completely ignore the effect their affairs have on others. Mike was married to Jennifer both times he started seeing Tina. Tina was married to Mr. Barrett the first time she started the affair with Mike and she knew he was a married man.” Juliet shook her head in disgust. “I’m glad Jennifer Meeks is filing for divorce. How much can she be expected to take from that guy?”
“I’m sort of dreading going to talk to Mr. Barrett’s other friend,” Shelly admitted. “I hope he’s not another Mike Meeks, and I certainly don’t want to talk about Mike Meeks’s bad ways.”
“Sit and listen then. You don’t have to ask questions. Don’t feel pressured to take part in the conversation,” Juliet suggested. “Just take it all in and see if any ideas come of it. Or any dreams.”
Shelly changed the subject. They’d be meeting Jay in an hour and a half to head to see Barrett’s other friend, Bill Handy, and she wanted the time outside with Juliet to be crime-talk free. “There’s a place in the center of town that’s available to lease. I know the space. I think it could work well for a bakery.”
“Oh, that’s exciting.” Juliet smiled. “Let’s go walk by.”
The available shop was located a block from Main Street on a pretty street lined with different stores and cafes. It was empty and the big front windows were covered over with brown paper, but part had come loose and the young women were able to peek inside.
Juliet shaded her eyes and pressed her face up to the glass. “It looks great. There’s a good amount of space to put tables and chairs and the counter that’s already set up would work well for a bakery counter.” She leaned back from the window. “What do you think? Are you going to ask to see it?”
“I think I should,” Shelly said. “But it’s a lease situation and I really hoped to buy a building. It makes me feel more secure to own a place. If I build up a clientele and then lose my lease for some reason, it could be like starting all over again.”
“That’s a good point.” Juliet looked up and down the lane. “This is a really great spot though.”
“I know,” Shelly groaned. “A few days ago, I hadn’t been approached about buying the bungalow and this place hadn’t come up for lease. Now I have too many options and I don’t know what the right thing is to do.”
Juliet put her arm through Shelly’s and they started back towards Main Street. “You’ll figure it out. Of course, I’d love for you to buy the house next door to me, but you owning a bakery in town would mean I get free desserts and coffees.”
Wait a minute,” Shelly protested. “I never said anything about free stuff. I have to pay my lease, you know.”
“I’m teasing you. I don’t expect free coffee.” A grin spread over Juliet’s face. “Just a free dessert once in a while.”
“Maybe I should just buy the house,” Shelly said. “I’d miss seeing Henry and Melody at the diner every day and I would have to give up my part-time job at Glad Hill Farm. I’d miss talking to Dwayne.”
“You could always visit those people,” Juliet suggested.
“It wouldn’t be the same.”
“Think it over. There’s still time before you have to make a decision. Try not to stress. Whatever choice you make will be a good one.”
* * *
Jay, Shelly, and Juliet sat in white rocking chairs on Bill Handy’s wide front porch. Bill was in his late-fifties, had brown hair that showed no sign of gray, and had the thin build of a long distance runner. He had a friendly, relaxed manner that set people at ease.
“How long have you taught at the high school?” Jay asked.
“Over thirty years.”
“You could retire, couldn’t you?”
“I could, but then I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” Bill chuckled. “I really enjoy working with the kids. I think they keep me young.”
“Can you tell us about your friendship with Wilson Barrett?”
Bill swallowed hard. “I can’t believe Wilson is gone, and under such cruel circumstances. When I go to bed at night, I think of him lying out there in the park in the rain, in the dark, alone, hurt, injured. It’s just too terrible.” He ran the back of his hand over his eyes. “I met Wilson in that park over thirty years ago. We joined the town softball team on the same day. That was a lot of fun. We played on the team for about fifteen years. Life was busy, there were a lot of young guys joining the team. We had a good run, but it was time to give it up.”
“You stayed in touch though,” Shelly said.
“Oh, we sure did. We got together about twice a month, at least. Had dinner, got a few drinks, went skiing together, watched sports, played pool or badminton at the pub. Sometimes, I went to the resort to listen to Wilson play piano.”
“Mike Meeks was a friend of yours and Wilson?” Jay asked.
“Yeah. The three of us got together a lot.”
“Did the three of you still meet up together?”
“Yeah, we did. Well, maybe not as much as before,” Bill said.
“Why not?” Juliet questioned.
“Mike got real busy. He started a software company a while back and spent a lot of his time with that. Wilson and I still got together regularly.”
“We’ve heard that Mike was under a good deal of financial pressure.” Jay balanced her small notebook on her knee.
Bill took in a long breath. “Yes, he was.”
“He was close to losing the company?”
Bill nodded. “That’s true.”
“Did Mike ever ask you for a loan?” Jay asked.
A frown formed over Bill’s face. “He knew I didn’t have money to lend out. I make a nice salary, but I’m cautious with my savings. I don’t want to run out of money as I age and I want to be able to help my kids if they need something. Wilson and I shared the same philosophy about money.”
“We’ve heard that Mike asked Wilson for a loan,” Jay reported. “Were you aware of that?”
“Yes. Wilson had a generous heart. If a friend needed help, he gave it.”
“But he refused a second loan when Mike asked for one.”
Bill nodded. “Wilson told me he felt very bad about not being able to give Mike the help he needed. They got into some arguments over it. I didn’t think it was fair for Mike to pressure Wilson like he did. I wasn’t that comfortable around Mike anymore.”
“Because he hounded Wilson for money?” Jay asked.
“That, yes, but Mike had become self-obsessed,” Bill said. “The only thing that mattered was what he wanted. He had tunnel vision focused solely on his own goals. There were always shades of that in his personality, but it had really come out lately. I don’t know what fueled it, maybe this start-up business, but he became someone I didn’t really care to be around anymore.”
“You pulled back from the friendship?” Shelly questioned.
“I did. Mike could never relax. He was always wound up. If Wilson or I tried to discuss what was going on with him or offer some suggestions, Mike would get angry. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.” Bill ran his hand over his hair. “One night, Wilson told Mike he needed to slow down, not be so consumed with the business. Mike got upset. He told Wilson he didn’t have the big bucks in the bank like he did. Mike had been Wilson’s financial advisor for years. Wilson knew as much as Mike, but he wanted a professional to look over his investments as a second pair of eyes. Mike was clearly jealous of Wilson’s money. He ranted about how Wilson had three million dollars and wouldn’t give a loan to a friend. Mike said Wilson wasn’t married and he had no kids. He didn’t have anyone to leave his money to so why couldn’t he give Mike a loan? One day, he asked Wilson if he’d ever updated his will.”
“What did Wilson say to that?” Jay asked.
“His face turned really serious,” Bill said. “Wilson stared at Mike, then he told us he had to go home, and he got up and left the restaurant. That was about a month before he died.”
“Did you ever ask Wilson why he left so abruptly?” Shelly asked.
“Yeah.” Bill seemed to be trying to make a decision, then he said, “Maybe you know, maybe you don’t. Mike was seeing Wilson’s ex-wife. Wilson and I knew what he was up to, but neither of us told Mike we knew. Wilson told me he needed to change his will. His ex-wife was still his beneficiary. If anything happened to him, he wanted his girlfriend to get his money.”
Jay held her pen over her notebook. “Did Mike know Tina Barrett was still Wilson’s beneficiary?”
“I think he knew,” Bill said. “Every five years or so, Mike reviewed all important documents with his clients so yeah, I bet he knew Tina was in Wilson’s will. The only thing was, Mike didn’t know if Wilson had recently updated his will.”
19
“A celebration of life, huh?” Juliet looked around the park at all the people who had assembled for a remembrance service for Wilson Barrett and Mayor Daniels. “I don’t think this was the right place to have this gathering.”
“I guess they couldn’t come up with another place that would hold so many people,” Shelly said.
Juliet shook her head. “How about the ball field behind the high school? Or the big open space behind the resort?”
Shelly shrugged. She agreed with Juliet about the location, but maybe that was only because the place held bad memories for both of them.
A stage was set up near the lake where a band was playing upbeat tunes. Several officials were going to say a few words, a minister would give a blessing, Barrett’s friend, Bill Handy, would give a short eulogy, and then Mayor Daniels’s son would speak about his father. There would be poems, some readings, and songs. The planners wanted the remembrance to be a joyful appreciation of the men’s lives.
Shelly and Juliet thought not having found the killer put a damper on the idea of a joyful celebration.
Although Jay asked the friends to be present at the service to observe those in attendance, Shelly and Juliet had planned to attend anyway to pay their respects to the two murdered men. Jay thought there might be a chance the killer would wander around the gathering to watch what he had wrought. The idea the attacker would be in the park made the young women anxious.
“I have pepper spray in the pocket of my dress,” Juliet announced as she and Shelly stood at the edge of the lake.
Shelly said, “There are a lot of people around. I don’t think you’ll need it.”
“I’m not taking any chances.” Juliet slipped her hand into the pocket of her spring dress and wrapped her fingers around the small canister. “Here comes Andrew.”
Juliet gave her detective boyfriend a sweet smile and a quick squeeze on his hand. Neither thought it was a good idea to show affection to one another in public when Andrew was working.
“It’s nice to see you.” Andrew’s eyes twinkled at the brunette and he returned her smile.
“How are things going?” Shelly asked.
Andrew’s expression quickly changed to one of frustration. “Same as they have been for the past week. Not much to show for our efforts.”
“There are some suspects though?” Shelly wanted to know if Andrew thought Mike Meeks and Tina Barrett had motive enough to join forces against Barrett.
“No strong pointers to anyone yet.” Andrew’s eyes drifted over the crowd. “I’d better keep moving around.”
“I’ll walk with you for a few minutes.” Juliet told her friend she’d be back in fifteen minutes.
A few friends came by to chat with Shelly and then moved away to walk around the park when Jack stopped to talk to his girlfriend for a little while before he had to head to work at the resort.
“It’s a huge turnout. I wish I didn’t have to work.” Jack took Shelly’s hand in his. “I’d like to stay here with you.”
Shelly told him a few details of their visit to see Bill Handy. “He seems like a very nice person, and a true friend to Mr. Barrett. He’s going to speak about Wilson today during the ceremony.”
“He didn’t have any suspicions about who might have killed Barrett?”
