A Problem in Paxton Park, page 14
part #5 of Paxton Park Mystery Series
As soon as she got home, she planned to call Jay to report Donald’s lie. When she was a few blocks away from the sandwich shop, a wash of anxiety flooded her veins and a terrible thought raced through her mind, and for a second, she almost lost her balance.
What if Donald is the killer?
* * *
The sun was setting and the shadows of the trees were long and dark when Shelly pulled the bike into her driveway. She was sorry to see that Juliet’s car wasn’t in the driveway next door because she wanted to talk over what had happened in town and discuss her worries that Donald Chapel could be Barrett’s killer.
Donald lied about his presence in the park. Had he returned that morning to watch the discovery of the body? Wilson Barrett showed up in the high school parking lot when Donald was menacing Pam McFee over the dent and the scratches he’d caused to her vehicle. Was Donald resentful about Barrett’s interference? Donald had a temper. Did his resentment slowly grow into rage? The young man’s obsession with law enforcement seemed slightly odd. The landlord’s wife had seen Donald pacing around his apartment at all hours of the night.
Shelly’s muscles felt weak with worry. All she wanted to do was to forget the case, go inside, see Justice, change clothes, and get comfortable on the sofa.
When she climbed the porch steps to the front door, she heard Justice howling and saw her in the bedroom window, her little paws on the glass and her tail twitching wildly.
Shelly’s body filled with dread as she pulled out her key to rush inside and see what was tormenting the Calico.
Hurrying into the living room, she stopped in her tracks.
Tina Barrett stood near the fireplace, her eyes blazing with hatred.
Shelly clutched her key ring. She would use it as a weapon if Tina came at her. She only hoped the woman didn’t have a gun.
“This is my house,” Shelly growled.
Justice flew into the room and leapt onto the sofa table, hissing and spitting at the auburn-haired woman.
Tina yelled at the cat and took two steps towards the animal.
“Run, Justice,” Shelly urged the cat and the feline jumped down and snuck behind one of the chairs. Filled with rage, Shelly’s eyes flashed at Tina. “If you touch that cat, it will be the last thing you ever lay your hands on.”
Like an evil witch, Tina threw her head back and roared with laughter. “So tough. So indignant. Too bad it won’t do you any good.”
“How did it feel to murder someone you used to love?” Shelly asked.
“I wouldn’t know since I’m not the one who murdered him.”
“Mike Meeks.”
“You’re correct. Good job,” Tina mocked Shelly.
“But you certainly had a hand in it.”
“Think what you want.” A little smile showed on the woman’s mouth.
“Where’s Mike now?”
“He took a little trip.”
“How did you know you were still Wilson’s beneficiary?” Shelly asked.
Tina sighed. “You and that cop didn’t figure that out? Mike was Wilson’s financial advisor for years and years. Once every five to ten years, Mike asks his clients to bring in all important documents, wills, investment statements, bank statements, any health care proxies or powers of attorney. Mike reviews them and explains which ones need to be updated.” Her smile grew wider. “About six months ago, it was time for Wilson to have Mike review his important papers. Mike noticed I was still the beneficiary.”
“So you and Mike had been dating for more than six months?”
“Don’t call it dating. We saw each other once in a while. When Mike told me I was still in Wilson’s will, it was time for me to up my interest in Mike. He’s having financial difficulties so I may have suggested we do something to get Wilson’s money. I have no intention of sharing it with Mikey, of course, but he doesn’t know that.”
“You were also seeing Clay Daniels.”
“That’s right.” Tina’s eyes narrowed.
“Why did you kill him? Had he put you in his will, too?” Shelly needled the woman.
“That was all Mike. He found out I was seeing Clay and decided to end my affair with him by ending Clay’s life.” Tina’s expression was as hard as nails. “That was a mistake. One that will end Mike’s life … very soon.”
“Lewis from the sandwich shop is your friend?” Shelly questioned, trying to buy time.
“Ha. My friend.” Tina spit the words out. “The man likes money and will do what is asked of him when he is well paid.”
Shelly could see Justice slinking out from behind the chair, her eyes pinned on Tina. If the Calico made a move to attack the intruder, Shelly would take her chance to defend herself.
Tina reached into her pocket and removed something. A taser.
Shelly’s stomach lurched. If she was touched by the taser, she wouldn’t be able to fight back.
If Tina had a gun, she would have taken it out by now. Shelly weighed her options. She could make a run for the door. She might be able to outrun the woman. It was her best chance.
Shelly whirled around and bolted for the front door. Tina was a second behind.
Before Shelly could cross the room, the door flew open and a man charged in like a linebacker ready to take out an opponent.
Before Tina could react, the man plowed into her and sent her flying through the air before she landed in a heap, unconscious, her taser skidding over the wood floor.
Justice let out a wild hiss as she took a position standing right next to the woman.
“Donald.” Shelly was so shaken and overcome she could barely squeeze the word from her throat. “How did you know?”
Standing over Tina with his hands formed into fists, Donald Chapel noticed the section of pipe on the floor near the fireplace that Tina planned to use on Shelly after she’d disabled her with the taser.
“I didn’t know. I came to tell you why I lied about being in the park. I didn’t want you to think I was the killer. I didn’t want you to think I was bad.” Donald’s round cheeks were bright red. “I saw you and Tina through the window. The front door was partly open. I could hear what she was saying to you. I was waiting for the right moment to rush in.”
Shelly walked over to the man and wrapped her arms around him. Several tears fell from her eyes onto his shoulder. “Thank you, Donald. You saved my life.”
Justice trilled from her spot on the floor keeping her gaze glued to the still unconscious Tina Barrett.
25
“I always miss all the exciting stuff.” Juliet placed a platter of cut-up vegetables on the long picnic table in Shelly’s backyard. Little strings of white lights were strung between the branches of the trees.
“You’re welcome to handle the exciting stuff from now on.” Shelly smiled at the man sitting across from her. “Unless Donald agrees to be my permanent bodyguard.”
Donald chuckled. “I’ll have to think about that. I like my job at the dispatch.”
Friends and family had gathered in Shelly’s yard for a cookout to celebrate finding the killer responsible for the murders of Wilson Barrett and Mayor Clay Daniels.
Earlier in the day, Shelly, Jay, and Juliet had discussed the dreams. Shelly told them, “My dreams of the pictures floating on the air must have symbolized the photos from social media showing Donald in the park … and Lauren touching her stomach and her head must have been indicating to me that Mr. Barrett got tased in the stomach before Meeks hit him in the back of the skull. In one dream, Lauren kept looking into the woods. I must have suspected that someone had hidden in the woods and ambushed Mr. Barrett.”
Shelly had cleared her throat and went on. “If Juliet hadn’t shown me the picture of Donald from social media, I wouldn’t have confronted him about his lie of not being in the park when I ran into him outside the sandwich shop. And if I hadn’t confronted him, Donald wouldn’t have come to my house to explain himself. That photo from social media played a part in Donald saving my life.”
Over in Juliet’s connecting yard, Jack, Andrew, Jay’s husband, Eddie, Dwayne from Glad Hill Farm, and Henry from the diner were playing a competitive game of horseshoes with shouts and cheers punctuating the air every few minutes. Justice sat on the fence watching the men play their rousing game.
“Mike Meeks was picked up in New York City,” Jay informed the people around the picnic table. “Tina had sent him there to wait until the will was probated. She told him once she had the money, they would leave the country together. Tina never intended to do such a thing. Tina and Mike have been busy in jail accusing each other of being the killer. She called him an idiot and a lackey. She told us Meeks was the one who orchestrated the killings. He was the one responsible. She had nothing to do with it. Of course, she’s lying.”
“Meeks denies everything?” Melody, from the diner, asked.
“Mr. Meeks might be cutting a deal with the district attorney’s office. What we believe from interviewing both Tina and Mike is that Tina was the mastermind. When Mike told her she was still in Barrett’s will, she concocted the idea to use Mike. She would pretend to be in love with him, have Mike kill Barrett, and then inherit the money. Once she had the inheritance, she would rat out Mike claiming he was the one who tried to get her involved and that he was the one who was the killer.”
“Donald,” Andrew called from the horseshoe game. “Come help me. I need someone good on my team.”
Donald nodded and held up a finger to indicate he would be right there.
Jay continued, “Mike Meeks murdered Mayor Daniels because Tina was having an affair with him. Tina was enraged, but she kept it together so she wouldn’t be implicated in Barrett’s murder. She told Mike to go to New York on the pretense he was looking for investors for his company. She wanted him out of her hair. He was too much of a liability.”
“Did Tina take part in the murder?” Melody asked.
Jay sadly nodded her head. “Tina knew Mr. Barrett’s routine. She hurried to the park to intercept him on his walk home. She pretended she wanted him to help out Mike Meeks, but she really wanted to walk with him until they reached the crest of the hill. Once they got there, she tased him in the abdomen. Mike Meeks was hiding in the woods. He rushed out and beat Mr. Barrett to death, then he and Tina made their escape through the woods.”
“What terrible, terrible monsters,” Juliet said. “Obviously, the blood found on that rag in the trunk of David Pillman’s car wasn’t Wilson Barrett’s blood.”
“The blood tested as a match to Pillman’s friend,” Jay told them. “Pillman was telling the truth about the flat tire and his friend accidentally hitting himself in the face with the tire iron. Pillman was no prize of a human being. He hated Mr. Barrett and was delighted that he’d met such an awful fate.”
Shelly poured glasses of lemonade for everyone. “The delivery guy had been paid by Tina to lie about the time he delivered the food to her on the evening Barrett was killed. After I talked to him, he called Tina to alert her to my inquiries. Tina believed I thought she was the killer so she went to my house and waited for me.”
Juliet glanced over at Donald. “But someone saved the day.”
With red cheeks, Donald smiled. “I was upset that Shelly was angry with me. I told her I wasn’t at the park the morning the body was found because I worried she would think I was the killer, or that I was weird for standing around looking at the dead body. I was watching the crowd looking for anyone suspicious. I’ve read that sometimes killers show up again to the crime scene to watch what’s going on. I was afraid when Jay found out I had that fit in the parking lot of the high school, she wouldn’t ever hire me for anything at the police station.”
“We understand why you were upset that day in the lot,” Jay said. “You were afraid your insurance would be canceled and you’d have no way to get to work. Since the incident in the parking lot, Donald’s been going to counseling to learn to deal with his emotions.”
“I want to do better,” Donald said. “I want to understand and control my feelings. I’m learning a lot with my counselor. My parents died in an accident right before I turned eighteen. I have a lot of pent up feelings about loss and grief. It’s good to be able to talk to someone about them.”
“We’re proud of you,” Jay told the man.
The men walked over to join the others at the table for the cold drinks and snacks.
“We’re playing again after a ten-minute break,” Jack told Donald. “We need your help.”
“How about we play the men against the women?” Jay suggested to whoops of agreement from the other females.
“Bring it on,” Andrew playfully taunted them. “Now we really need Donald on our side.”
Shelly and Juliet brought out mini pizzas, small meat and vegetable turnovers, and some cupcakes.
“If we’re going to have a competitive game of horseshoes,” Juliet said, “then we all need our strength, so eat up, everyone.”
Shelly reached for one of the mini pizzas. “And after horseshoes, we challenge you men to a game of cornhole.”
Jack put his arm around his girlfriend. “Before we play, Shelly has some good news to share.”
Everyone’s attention turned to the young woman. Justice jumped up on the picnic bench and rubbed her head against Shelly’s leg.
Shelly patted the cat and chuckled. “Justice and I have made a decision about how to spend our money.”
“What have you decided to do?” Juliet looked to her friend with an eager expression.
“This house means a lot to us. It’s the prefect size and location in town, but most important of all, it’s right next door to our best friend.” Shelly smiled and made eye contact with Juliet. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else so I’m taking up the landlord’s offer. Pam McFee told me I’m approved for a mortgage. I’m buying the bungalow.”
Juliet whooped and the others clapped and cheered.
Shelly hugged her friend and accepted congratulations from everyone.
“You can always save up again to have a bakery someday,” Juliet said.
Taking a look at Henry, Melody, and Dwayne, Shelly said, “The bakery might not happen for a very long time, if at all. If I open a bakery, I’d miss my seeing my friends every day.” Shelly looked at each of the people who had gathered in her yard. “I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
“Okay,” Andrew said, “enough of sunshine and love. Men, put on your A-game. It’s time to win this challenge.” And turning around, he led the exuberant group of friends … and one lovely Calico cat … back over to the horseshoes pit to begin the great battle.
Thank you for reading!
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Also By J.A. Whiting
OLIVIA MILLER MYSTERIES (not cozy)
SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERIES
LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERIES
CLAIRE ROLLINS COZY MYSTERIES
PAXTON PARK COZY MYSTERIES
SEEING COLORS MYSTERIES
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in Massachusetts. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery and suspense stories.
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J A Whiting, A Problem in Paxton Park
