A Problem in Paxton Park, page 11
part #5 of Paxton Park Mystery Series
“No, he really didn’t.”
Before Jack left, his heart-felt parting words to Shelly were the same as they’d been for the past seven days, be careful.
The day was perfect for an outdoor public gathering, clear and warm with a bright, blue sky overhead. Some families had brought blankets to spread and sit on. A few kids played a game of catch down near the ballfield. A musician sat at the piano on the stage and played some of Barrett’s and Mayor Daniels’s favorite songs.
A man’s voice called to Shelly. “Ms. Taylor?”
The security guard, Donald Chapel, walked over to her. “Hi again. Nice to see you. You remember me, from the adult community classes?” The man wore jeans and a crisp blue, long-sleeved shirt.
“Yes, I remember you. How are you, Donald?” Shelly and the man shook hands.
“It’s a nice day, but sad circumstances,” Donald said. He had a big grin on his face which made his comment about the day being sad seem insincere. “So many people are here.”
“It’s a very nice turnout for the remembrance.”
Donald turned his round face to Shelly. “Have you been interviewing a lot of people about the murders?”
“I only help out when I’m needed. I just take some notes and listen while Officer Landers-Smyth talks with the interviewees.”
“Do you help with the analysis?” Donald pressed.
Shelly didn’t care for the man’s probing interest in the crimes. “No, I don’t. That’s police work and I’m not a member of law enforcement.”
“But Officer Smyth must ask your opinion. She must want to know what you think.” Donald’s expression was eagerly attentive.
Shelly forced a smile. “She really doesn’t. I give her my notes and she adds them to the investigative pile.”
“I’d love to be hired as a police officer someday,” Donald said. “I’d love to work on investigations.”
“Police work does seem really interesting.”
“Are there any openings to do what you do with the police?”
Shelly sensed the security guard thought she had some influence with the department and hoped she would pull some strings for him to get hired. “I don’t know. I only volunteer with the police. I have two other jobs. Why don’t you go down to the station some day and ask about the opportunities they might have?”
“Maybe I will.” Donald sounded disappointed with the suggestion, but it only lasted a moment. He looked closely at Shelly’s face. “Do the police have any suspects?”
Giving a shrug, she said, “I really don’t know.”
“Why is it so hard to figure things out? The attacker killed two people. There must be some evidence to go on.” The sun’s rays caused some beads of sweat to form on Donald’s forehead. “Maybe I should look into the deaths. You know, like those internet sleuths do or those amateur detectives who figure out crimes. I bet I could come up with something.” The young man glanced around the park. “The killer must have been really clever. Not one person saw him. Not one person saw either of the victims get attacked. You have to think like the killer to catch him. I think that’s essential.”
Shelly thought Donald seemed almost child-like in his fascination with the police, perpetrators, and crimes. She would have bet the man spent a lot of time watching crime shows on television. “Were your parents involved with law enforcement?”
Donald turned quickly to Shelly and laughed. “Definitely not.”
Because of his strong reaction and since he didn’t say any more on the subject, Shelly decided not to ask any more questions about Donald’s family.
Donald put his hands in his back pockets. “Maybe I’ll go walk around the area where Wilson Barrett got killed and check it out again.”
“Where you in the park on the morning Mr. Barrett was found?” Shelly asked out of curiosity, thinking Donald might have a police scanner due to his interest in police work and wondered if he might have heard the alert go out that day about the crime scene and hurried over.
“Me? No, I wasn’t. I wish I was. I might have noticed something. I know the murder weapon was never found. I know divers checked the lake for it, but they didn’t find anything. Maybe the killer tossed it into the woods when he ran away. Maybe I’ll go walk the woods for a while. Nice to see you again.” When Donald headed off up the hill to do some sleuthing, Shelly noticed her landlord and his wife sitting in two of the chairs that had been set up around the park.
“Morning,” she greeted the couple and took the seat next to them.
“Oh, Shelly, hello.” Frank Ballard said with a smile and introduced his wife, Leona.
The three talked about the service that was about to begin, other town happenings, and how nice the weather had been.
“I saw you talking to Donald Chapel,” Ballard said. “A bit of a weird-o.”
Shelly’s eyes widened. “Is he? Do you know him?”
“He rents the little apartment in the old Victorian house we own, right next door to our place.”
Leona leaned over to speak quietly to Shelly. “He seems a little odd. I have trouble sleeping at night. I’m up quite a lot. Donald is always up when I’m awake in the middle of the night. From our kitchen sink, I can see him pacing in his sitting room, back and forth in front of his window. He seems to be talking to himself. I can see his mouth moving.”
“He must have trouble sleeping, too,” Shelly suggested.
“Maybe he’s one of those people who only needs two or three hours of sleep,” Leona said. “I had a friend in high school who only slept a couple of hours a night. Her mother was the same way. It must be genetic.”
“That could be,” Shelly agreed.
“He never has a single visitor either. I feel bad for him,” Leona said with a shake of her head. “I don’t think he has any friends.”
“How long has he lived in your apartment?”
Frank stroked his chin. “A year and half?” He looked to his wife for confirmation.
“Yes, that’s about right.”
“At least he keeps the place neat. Something was wrong with the faucet in the bathroom one day and he called me,” Frank said. “I could have eaten off the floor in there. Everything neat as a pin. Everything in its place. He always pays his rent early. I don’t care if he’s a loner or stays up all night. The guy takes care of the apartment and I don’t have to chase him for money. He’s welcome to live there for the rest of his life.”
“Or for the rest of our lives,” Leona kidded her husband. “Since we’ve got about fifty years on the young man.”
Juliet hurried over to them and sat down next to Shelly. “Sorry, I was with Andrew so long. I couldn’t find you at first and then I spotted you sitting here.” She greeted the Ballards and they made small talk until the service began with a number of people taking the stage.
“Did I miss anything while I was with Andrew?” Juliet whispered to her friend.
“Nothing, really.” Shelly couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but she felt slightly uneasy. It must be because of the remembrance service and the lingering feelings of dread and sorrow from discovering Mr. Barrett’s body.
How she wished she could wipe that morning from her memory.
20
Jay and Shelly waited in the police station conference room for Tina Barrett. Jay had asked her to come in for a quick chat and the woman texted them to say she was running late.
“It was a nice service yesterday for Mr. Barrett and Mayor Daniels,” Jay noted. “A lot of the town came out to honor them.”
Shelly agreed. “I ran into Donald Chapel at the service. He’s sure he can solve the murders. He’s planning to spend his free time looking into it.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. “I’m really not surprised. Donald is very keen on doing police work. He came in this morning to see me. He asked if there were any jobs available here that he might be qualified to do.”
“He asked me about it yesterday,” Shelly said. “He hoped to do what I do for you which I told him is taking notes and being a second pair of ears at interviews. I explained to him that it was strictly a volunteer position.”
“I told him the same thing,” Jay said. “I pointed him to the dispatch office. They have an opening for a part-time emergency dispatcher. I told him he’d have to go through training if he was offered the job. He seemed very eager about it.”
Shelly smiled. “I’m not surprised. I think he’d love doing that job. He’d get all the news about what was going on in town.”
The intercom in the room crackled and the man from the front desk spoke. “Officer Smyth? Tina Barrett is here to see you. Shall I have someone walk her down?”
“Thank you, yes.” Jay gave Shelly the eye. “I’m looking forward to hearing what Ms. Barrett has to say.”
Tina appeared in the doorway wearing a crisp business suit, her hair and makeup done to perfection.
Jay stood to invite her in to take a seat. “Thanks for meeting with us.”
Looking like a fish out of water, Tina wore a flustered expression as she hurried to sit at the scuffed conference table where she said hello to Shelly.
“I know why I’m here,” she announced. She sat ramrod straight.
“Oh?” Jay sat down opposite the woman.
“It’s about Wilson’s will. It’s about the inheritance.” Tina’s eyes flicked from Jay to Shelly.
“Why do you think we want to talk about that?” Jay asked.
“I’m not stupid, Officer Smyth,” Tina said. “The police must think I murdered Wilson for his money. How on earth would I do that? He was taller than me. He was bigger. How could I smack him in the head hard enough to kill him?”
“No one is accusing you,” Jay told her with a gentle tone of voice.
“Not yet.” Tina smoothed her hair with her hand. “But you will. I didn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. I’m not strong enough to kill a man.”
Jay said, “We’re only following up with many of the people Wilson knew. May I ask where you were on the evening Wilson was killed?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Tina’s hand went to her throat. “Why would you ask that if you weren’t about to accuse me?”
Shelly noticed a few tears gathering in the corners of Tina’s eyes.
Jay tried to reassure the woman. “Really, Ms. Barrett. It’s simply protocol to ask such questions. You aren’t the only one we’re speaking with. Please keep in mind that we’re trying to find Mr. Barrett’s killer. Your answers may help us find that person.”
Shelly admired the way Jay could usually calm an interviewee with her choice of words and her easy, non-threatening manner.
“What was the question?” Tina asked.
“Can you tell us where you were that evening?”
Tina squeezed her hands together. “I was at the office. I had reports to finish. I was in my office until about 9pm.”
“Was anyone else in the office at the time?” Jay asked.
“Um. The receptionist was there until around 6pm. My two colleagues went home around, oh, I don’t know, maybe between 6 and 6:30pm.”
“So you were alone in the office from around 6:30 to 9?” Jay clarified.
“Uh huh,” Tina mumbled.
“Did you know you were the beneficiary of Wilson’s will?”
Tina’s eyes went wide. “No, I didn’t know that. I had no idea. Why didn’t he change it? We divorced twenty years ago. He had a new girlfriend.” The woman put her hands flat on the tabletop. “I did not kill Wilson.” Tina muttered under her breath. “But I would like to kill him for putting me in this position.”
“Are you seeing anyone?” Jay asked.
Tina’s eyes flew to meet Jay’s. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’m simply asking if you’re dating someone.”
“No, I’m not.” Tina’s used a defensive tone and pouted. “It’s really none of your business.”
“When someone is murdered then a lot of things that don’t seem like my business, become my business.” Jay paused for a moment. “Did you know Mayor Daniels?”
“What? I met him a few times at business conferences, and at a charity thing. It was casual. I wouldn’t say I knew the man.”
“Had you ever been to his house?” Jay asked.
“Never.”
“Have you been seeing Mike Meeks?”
Shelly was impressed with how quickly and skillfully Jay was changing the subject in an effort to throw Tina off balance.
“Mike? No, that’s ridiculous.”
“We’ve heard from several sources that you and Mike have been seeing one another,” Jay said.
Tina’s face turned hard. “Your sources are wrong. We’re friends.”
Jay went on to the next question like she hadn’t heard Tina’s answer. “You don’t date? Even occasionally?”
“No, we don’t. We’re friends.” The woman emphasized the last sentence.
“I understand Mike borrowed some money from Wilson Barrett.”
“I don’t know anything about that.” Tina crossed her arms over her chest.
“Do you know anything about Mr. Meeks’s software company?”
“I know he has a business that produces software to track personal finances.”
“And how is his business doing?” Jay asked with an even tone.
“I don’t know. Fine, I assume.”
“He isn’t in any financial peril?”
Tina seemed to be approaching the end of her ability to remain civil. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I will,” Jay informed her. “But I’d like your opinion as well.”
“Anything Mike and I discussed about his business, if anything, would have to remain confidential. If Mike asked me for advice, I’m not at liberty to discuss a client’s information.”
“So Mike Meeks is a client of yours?”
“I don’t think I have to answer that question,” Tina huffed.
In Shelly’s opinion, Tina was becoming exceedingly unlikable.
“So you were in your office until around 9pm on the evening Mr. Barrett was attacked?” Jay asked.
“That’s right.”
“And the office was empty during the time you worked from around 6:30 to about 9pm?”
“Correct.”
“You have no one who could corroborate your statement that you were there in the office?”
Tina’s shoulders sagged. “No.” Her voice was almost a whisper, then suddenly Tina straightened. “Wait. I ordered something from the sandwich shop on Main Street.”
“Did you go to pick it up?” Shelly questioned.
“No. They delivered it.”
Jay cleared her throat. “What time was it when the food was delivered to you?”
“I don’t know. Around 7pm maybe. The sandwich shop delivery guy saw me at the office. Ask him. I couldn’t possibly have had time to pay the man for my order and run to the park to hit Wilson in the head.”
Jay and Shelly exchanged a glance.
After a few more questions, the interview ended and the woman left the room.
“The delivery guy,” Shelly said.
“I’ll talk to the sandwich shop people to follow up on Ms. Barrett’s claim she accepted a delivery,” Jay said.
“So she’s off the hook of suspicion,” Shelly said.
Jay nodded. “For the actual killing of Wilson Barrett, yes. But did Tina concoct the plan with someone? And did that someone kill Mr. Barrett?”
“Mike Meeks,” Shelly sighed.
“I need to find out where Mr. Meeks was on the evening Mr. Barrett was attacked.” Jay wrote something down on her pad of paper just as someone knocked on the doorframe to her office.
Jay and Shelly turned to see who was knocking.
An officer stood outside the door and said, “Jay. Andrew called in. He wants me to pass something on to you. Would you mind?” The officer nodded his head in a way that indicated he wanted to speak to her out in the hallway.
“I can go,” Shelly started to get up.
“Hold on. I’ll only be a minute.” Jay went out to speak with the officer, and when she came back into the office, her face was tight and serious.
“I need to go, but I have something to share with you. Andrew made a traffic stop. He was following someone who was headed home from his office in town. The man began to speed up when he noticed someone was tailing him. Andrew pulled him over. One thing led to another, and Andrew asked him to pop his trunk. Andrew also called for backup.”
Shelly’s heart beat like a drum. “What happened? Is Andrew okay?”
“Andrew is fine. He and the officers found a bloody rag in the guy’s trunk. It was wrapped around a tire iron.”
A gasp escaped from Shelly’s throat.
“The items will be tested to see if the blood matches Wilson Barrett’s,” Jay said.
“Who was the man Andrew stopped?” Shelly asked, her mind in a whirl.
“You’ll hold this in confidence,” Jay reminded her. “It was the young guy we interviewed with the two other people who were at the park on the morning you found the body. It’s the young man who works at the bank and held a grudge against Mr. Barrett.”
Shelly nearly fell from her chair. “David Pillman?”
“One and the same,” Jay nodded.
21
The space for lease had a big, wide front room that would comfortably fit tables and chairs near the two big windows overlooking the brick sidewalk. A long counter and glass cases ran along what would be the ordering and serving area. The coffered ceilings were high and Shelly could picture two or three chandeliers lighting up the shop.
“This place is practically perfect.” Juliet walked slowly around to get a feel for where everything would be set up. “There are already glass cases here where you can showcase your pastries. It would be so nice to sit by the windows and sip a coffee or an iced tea while watching the people walk past.”
Shelly glanced around at the walls. “I think I’d paint the walls a more neutral color, but other than that, this place is really great. It wouldn’t take a lot to get a bakery up and running in here, but it would still be expensive to make the necessary changes.”
