Payback in Paxton Park, page 7
part #4 of Paxton Park Mystery Series
“Did she share anything of importance?” Shelly asked.
“No, she didn’t.” Jay sipped from her water glass. “Rosa might be someone you should have a chat with. She might be more relaxed with you as opposed to talking to a police officer. She might remember something.”
“Andrew told us his cousin was born in Paxton Park,” Juliet said.
“I remember that from his application,” Jay said. “He lived in Boston for a few years and then the family moved to Williamsville.”
“I wonder if he knew Grant or Benny,” Shelly asked. “They’re all around the same age.”
“He never mentioned knowing them,” Juliet said. “If he’d known the guys, wouldn’t he have said so?”
“I’ll ask him about it,” Jay said reaching for her coffee cup.
Juliet gave her friend a little kick under the table urging her to tell Jay about the dream.
Shelly bit her lower lip, and took a deep breath. “I had a dream the other night.”
Jay’s cup almost slipped from her grasp. Keeping her voice even, she asked, “Did you?”
Shelly gave a nod. “It’s probably a bunch of nothing, but I thought I should say something to you.”
“Good,” Jay nodded. “I’m glad you brought it up. Can you tell me about it?”
Shelly gave a quick account of her dream of being in a parking lot with a hundred cars that all looked alike. “I couldn’t find the one I wanted … until, Lauren showed up and helped me.”
“You felt panicky before seeing your sister in the dream?”
“Yes.” Shelly’s voice was soft.
“And after you saw her? Did your anxious feelings pass?” Jay asked.
“I felt like things would be okay. I knew she’d help me if I needed her.” Shelly sighed. “I wanted her to stay, but she just smiled at me and disappeared.”
“Do you have a sense of what the dream might mean?” Jay asked. “What your sister was trying to tell you?”
“No.” Shelly’s long brown hair moved gently over her shoulders as she shook her head. “I suppose it might not mean anything. It might have been only a dream with my sister in it.”
“Has Lauren been in some of your regular dreams?” Jay asked.
“Not so far,” Shelly admitted. “I guess my brain could be telling me that some things aren’t what I think they are? Like I thought I was trying to get into Juliet’s car, but it belonged to someone else and only looked like hers.”
“Okay,” Jay said kindly. “That makes a lot of sense. It’s an interesting development. I wouldn’t spend too much time trying to figure it out. It seems best not push this kind of thing. Let it play out as it will. At night, your mind is working on what you see and hear during the day. It’s trying to interpret the information. It will all become clearer over time.”
Talking with Jay about her dreams almost always made Shelly feel better about them. Jay treated Shelly’s dream experience as completely within the range of normal abilities even though part of her thought there might be something extraordinary about them.
“What are the next steps?” Juliet asked her sister. “How can we help? What should we do next?”
“I think we should speak with Troy Broadmoor again,” Jay said. “I’d like to pull more details from him about the everyday operations at the barn. Ask about the people who come and go. Find out the daily routine. It would help if the two of you came along.”
The women decided when it would be best to pay the man a visit. He still hadn’t returned to work due to his anxiety over being in the room where the murders took place. Management was creating a plan to move Troy into a new office a few doors down the hall from his previous one in the hope that a new space would help ease him back into his job.
“I sure wouldn’t be able to return to my job if it meant I had to work in a room where two of my co-workers had been shot to death,” Juliet said with a shake of her head.
“Management is reconfiguring the office spaces so no one has to work in that particular space,” Jay said. “It’s the best they can do. They certainly won’t consider knocking down the whole building and constructing something new.”
Justice let out a low growl.
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Shelly admitted. “It would be horrible to go back to work in that place.”
“How do you feel about going in there?” Jay eyed Shelly wondering if the young woman would be able to return to the space where she came upon two murdered men.
A shiver ran down Shelly’s back. “Do you want me to go inside?”
“Would you mind?” Jay asked. “I’d like to speak with the new employee, Finny, as well as the receptionist, Rosa. I’d like to talk to them at the barn, in their work environment.”
“Okay. Sure. I’ll go with you.” Shelly ran a hand up and down her arms to banish the goosebumps that had formed and a thought popped into her head. “Remember when we went with you to see Troy Broadmoor? He seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He kept saying, I didn’t see anything. Why would he keep repeating that?”
“He was in shock,” Jay reminded Shelly. “He may not even have known what he was saying.”
“Why did that come into your mind?” Juliet watched her friend’s expression.
Justice jumped onto one of the chairs and kept her eyes glued on Shelly.
“I don’t know why,” Shelly said. “But if Troy didn’t see anything, why did he have to keep saying so. Was he trying to convince himself that he hadn’t seen anything?”
Juliet leaned forward, her eyes dark and questioning. “Or was Troy trying to convince everyone else?”
12
Jack and Shelly spent the windy, cold afternoon skiing together on the slopes. Jack praised his girlfriend for having the tenacity to attempt something she’d been afraid to do worrying her leg would prevent her from being able to manage the mountain.
After the last run, Shelly beamed at Jack, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright. “I’m happy. It was so much fun. I loved it.”
When Jack wrapped her in his arms, their skis overlapped and almost caused them to slip and fall. The two laughed out loud at their near tumble onto the snow.
“We’ve skied for two hours without incident, then we get to the bottom and get tangled up together,” Jack said.
“Well, there are worse things than getting tangled up with you.” Shelly smiled and Jack carefully leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips.
Sitting near the fire in the lodge, they sipped hot chocolate and ate pieces of apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Shelly was still talking about how great it had been flying down the mountain trails. “It was awesome.”
“It makes me happy to see you so happy.” Jack lifted his steaming mug and blew on the contents to cool it. “We should try the snow tube park one of these days.”
“I’d love that.” Shelly licked a little ice cream from her fork. “Thanks for asking me to ski today. It’s made me feel much better. The case was dragging me down.”
“I hate to bring it up, but how are things going?” Jack removed his thick ski sweater and placed it on his chair.
“Slow.” Shelly shook her head. “We’ve interviewed a few people. There’s nothing definitive yet.”
“Do you have the sense the attempted robbery was random?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know.” Shelly’s face looked pensive. “I have no reason or evidence to lean one way or the other yet.” She glanced around to see if anyone nearby was listening. “But I am leaning in a certain direction. I have the feeling that the murders weren’t random and I think someone or some people at the barn were in on the robbery or knew it was going to happen.”
“Really? What makes you think so?”
Taking a deep breath, Shelly said, “My intuition makes me think so. It might turn out to be wrong, but right now, I think someone at the barn knows some details, but isn’t telling.”
“Will you interview more people?” Jack asked.
“Yes. Some of the workers from the barn.” Shelly ate the last bite of the apple crisp. “That was delicious. I was starving.”
“The ice cold temperatures and the exercise always make me hungry,” Jack admitted. “I hope you or Jay can find some clues. Something that turns the case.”
“When you talk to people who are touched by a crime like this, it’s often hard to sort the truth from the fiction we get told.” Shelly pushed her hair from her eyes. “It would be really helpful if people would stop trying to hide little things they think will tarnish the deceased’s memory. Nobody’s perfect. Keeping details from us only serves to conceal clues and makes it harder to solve the puzzle.”
“It’s human nature, I guess.”
“What do you know about Grant and Benny?” Shelly asked. “You told me you weren’t surprised to hear the guys got caught up in this mess.”
“You know some people just seem to be risk-takers? They don’t seem to think things out, what can go wrong, what the consequences might be for their actions? Grant always seemed impulsive. If something sounded like fun, he’d leap at it. He liked women. He saw other women besides his wife. I know the rumor was that his wife didn’t care if Grant spent time with other women, and I heard Emmy had a fling or two of her own, but….” Jack hesitated and then said, “I don’t know, but I think being with other people besides your spouse can be damaging to the relationship. Grant was the kind of guy who wouldn’t think beyond the moment.”
“What about Benny?” Shelly asked.
“I think he was different than Grant. I never heard Benny was seeing other women. He seemed happy, content with his girlfriend and his life. He wasn’t the type to need that rush of adrenaline that Grant seemed to crave. Benny seemed like a people-pleaser. It makes me wonder if he got dragged into something he wasn’t expecting. Maybe he’d go along with something a friend asked him to because he didn’t want to let the friend down.”
“It’s interesting to get your take on the two men,” Shelly said.
Jack checked his watch. “We should get going and deliver that lunchbox to Emmy.”
Jay had Grant’s lunchbox in her car with the intention of returning it to his wife. The box had been checked over by police and they were ready to release it. When Jay and Shelly met for dinner at Juliet’s house, Shelly offered to take the lunchbox to Emmy since Jay had meetings all day long and into the evening. “Jack won’t mind driving me over there.”
“Are you okay about riding in my truck?” Jack asked with a kind tone. “I can do the errand on my own if being in the vehicle will make you uneasy.”
Shelly stood and put her ski parka on. “It’s always easier for me when I ride with you. I would like to avoid it, but that’s just putting my head in the sand. I have to desensitize myself and get accustomed to riding in cars again. I hate it, but I have to face my fears.”
Jack nodded and took her hand and they headed out to the truck to make the short drive to the house where Grant’s wife, Emmy, now lived alone.
After knocking on the door, Emmy invited Jack and Shelly in out of the cold.
Shelly handed a paper bag to the woman. “Officer Landers-Smyth asked me to drop this off to you.”
Emmy’s facial muscles seemed soft and loose and she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. “Thanks.” She took the bag from Shelly. “I don’t know why I told Officer Smyth I wanted the lunchbox returned. It makes me sad. I should have told her to throw it out.”
“Would you rather I take it back with me?” Shelly offered.
“No.” Emmy said the word with a force that surprised her. “I’ll keep it.” Her voice had gone soft again.
“How are you, Emmy?” Jack asked. “Is there anything I can do for you? I’d be glad to plow your driveway whenever it snows.”
Emmy batted away a tear that threatened to fall. “Thanks, but the husband of a friend is doing it for me.”
“Don’t hesitate if there’s anything you need,” Jack said. “Just call the resort and they’ll connect me or leave me a message.”
“Thanks.” Emmy shifted on her feet. “Oh, can I get you something to drink? Some cookies or something? I’m forgetful lately. I feel like I’m moving around in a fog.”
“No, thanks. We had something to eat a little while ago.” Shelly smiled kindly. “It’s understandable to be fuzzy-headed. It’s normal … under the circumstances.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Emmy opened the paper bag and took out the lunchbox, setting it on the kitchen counter. She stared at it for several moments and Shelly thought the woman might break down, but instead, Emmy turned to her and blinked. “This isn’t Grant’s lunchbox.”
Shelly looked from the lunchbox to Emmy. “It was in the refrigerator at the barn. Grant left it in there on the morning of the crime.”
“Maybe he left it in the fridge, but this isn’t it.”
“Didn’t he own a black metal lunch container?” Shelly asked feeling confused about what Emmy was telling her.
Emmy gave a slight nod. “Yes. I always wanted to get rid of it, buy him a new one, but no, Grant had to keep the one he had.” The woman gestured to the box. “This isn’t it.”
“Why do you say that? It’s black. Metal. It was in the refrigerator at the barn. I saw it in there right after the crime took place.”
Emmy cocked her head. “The police must have mixed it up with this one. This isn’t Grant’s. His was a little more beat-up. His had a slash across the side. The metal got scraped. There isn’t a scrape on this one.”
“Well, I don’t know.” Shelly’s mind raced. “I suppose the police might have sent the wrong one.”
Emmy opened the box. “Nope. This definitely isn’t Grant’s. His was stainless steel inside. This one is black.”
Shelly peered over the woman’s shoulder to see. “I’ll have to ask Officer Smyth about it. You’re sure this isn’t Grant’s?” As soon as she asked the question, Shelly realized how foolish it was. The woman knew her husband’s lunchbox. When they were here previously, Emmy told them she made Grant’s lunch every day. She would have handled the box every morning before Grant left for work.
“I’ll bring it back to the police station,” Shelly said. “I’m sorry to inconvenience you. Sorry about the mix-up. I’m sure they’ll be able to locate your husband’s lunchbox.”
“Thanks.” Emmy passed her hand over her eyes. “I shouldn’t even want the old banged-up thing. But I do.”
When they left the house and crunched over the snow on the way to the truck, Jack said, “That’s odd. Are there two similar lunchboxes at the police station? How could they have mixed them up? Could they have misplaced the box?”
“I hope they didn’t lose it,” Shelly moaned. “Emmy lost her husband. She doesn’t need to lose any of the things that belonged to him, too.”
Shelly took a quick look inside the paper bag.
Two things that were similar, but only one of them belonged to the person in question. A cramp of unease clutched at Shelly’s stomach.
13
“Jay told me the lunchbox I brought back after trying to drop it off at Emmy Norris’s house is the lunchbox that was in the barn’s refrigerator,” Shelly told Juliet.
“But Emmy said the box isn’t Grant’s.” Juliet rubbed at her chin. “Could she be mistaken?”
“I don’t think so. She said Grant’s had a slash mark on one side and the inside of his was stainless steel. The one I brought to her was black inside.”
“Well, this is weird.” Juliet frowned. “Maybe Grant didn’t bring his lunchbox to work that day. Maybe he left it in his truck. The one Jay gave you must belong to someone else at the barn.”
Shelly shook her head. “Jay went to the barn with it this morning. No one claimed it.”
Narrowing her eyes, Juliet said, “It might belong to someone there, but that person might be denying it. For some reason.”
Shelly took in a long exasperated breath. “It’s a lunchbox, for Pete’s sake. What could possibly be the big deal?”
Justice let out a hiss from under the kitchen table.
Shelly lifted her teacup to her lips and drank. When she set it down on the table, she looked her friend in the eyes. “It’s odd.”
“It sure is,” Juliet echoed the sentiment.
“I mean the situation is strange.”
Juliet leaned her head slightly to the side in question.
“The other day, I tried to get into your car in the parking lot, but the car I thought was yours belonged to someone else,” Shelly explained. “The lunchbox we thought belonged to Grant belongs to someone else. Are these things clues to what’s going on?”
Juliet stared with a blank look on her face. “It is strange, isn’t it? What could it mean?”
“Things may not be what they seem?” Shelly suggested.
“Huh,” Juliet said. “Who or what isn’t what it seems?”
Shelly turned her hands palm up in a helpless gesture. “I can’t answer that question.”
“Then we’d better keep our eyes open. Wide,” Juliet said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t recall that you were here before. I was in a bad way.” Troy Broadmoor looked a lot better than the last time Shelly had seen the man. He had color in his face and he didn’t act like a scared rabbit, but he still appeared to have lost weight which showed in his sunken cheeks and in the dark circles under his tired-looking eyes.
Jay had picked up Shelly and Juliet for the meeting with the barn’s office manager at his home.
“It’s perfectly okay.” Shelly smiled kindly. “How are you doing?”
Troy let out a long sigh and gave a weak smile. “Well, the anti-anxiety medication I’m on has helped. I’m waiting to go back to work. The offices are being remodeled. Nothing fancy, just configuring them in a different way. I’ll return on a part-time basis to start with. I’m hoping that being back to a routine will be helpful. It will keep my mind busy.” Troy ran a hand over his sandy-blond hair.
