The Puzzle (15 page)

Chapter 28

Keeping Score On Many Years Ago

I had been plagued for days with an annoying, sporadic surge in electricity in my house that didn’t seem to be going away anytime in the near future. It became a thorny issue with me, since I was dependent on having stable power, not only for my day-to-day existence, but because my laptop did not take too kindly to the sudden surges. Even though I backed up daily, I couldn’t afford for it to crash midstream. The computer tech warned me it would be wiser to have my power supply checked out and repaired or I might find myself purchasing a new laptop, and maybe even some major appliances.

It just so happened that I also suffered from a sporadic outflow of money. I dutifully paid my medical bills, the careless driving ticket (which really irked me), and the increase in my car insurance premium. Thankfully, those bills arrived well after I was on the mend and I was able to go back to the shop to try to make some sort of headway in the profit department.

On my first day back, the number of good wishes from my friends surprised me. I was treated to lunch by Clay, given beautiful flowers at the shop personally by Jack, received cards from Mike and, surprisingly, even Ben. Martha brought me a box of expensive chocolates that the two of us savored while we worked. People I hardly knew came into the store to congratulate me on my narrow escape, and some of them even bought items that I knew they did not need. Did they know how tight I was for cash? Whatever the reason, I was surprised that so many of them wished me well–with the exception of the one that wished me ill, of course.

So, with cash in my bank account, I took off early one day to meet Mike at the house to see what he could do to resolve my wiring issues. He brought along his electrician to try to pinpoint what was causing the problem. They arrived and went straight to work, heading to the electrical box downstairs and outside.

Mike came back in about thirty minutes later with the source of the problem. “A squirrel got into your electrical box outside, chewing wires and made a mess. The box apparently blew open somehow. Maybe, the latch wasn’t completely closed. Pete is working on the repair now.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “By the way, thanks for the card. I appreciated it.”

“It’s amazing you got away with only some cuts and bruises. It could have been so much worse, when you think what might have happened. He edged his way to the door, uncomfortably.

Something was out of sync. Or was I getting paranoid again?

“Well, considering I haven’t learned to fly yet,” I replied. “Yes, I guess I was one lucky girl. Hey, Mike, do you have a minute? Do you mind if I ask you something?”

He hesitated for just a beat. “…Sure,” he said.

“You’ve lived here for quite a while, right?”

He looked down at his hands, then up at me. “I sure have.”

“How did you end up working with Jack’s company? Have you two been together long?”

I noticed his finger started to tap, tap the side of his thigh
.

 
Uneasy?
Why?
I waited impatiently for his response.

“I’ve been with him a long time, if you count drawing a regular salary. I guess I’d say I’ve been with his company since I graduated high school. Jack said I proved myself those earlier summers, impressing him with my strong work ethic. He hired me as soon as I graduated.”

My antenna instantly shot up.
Summers?

“How long ago did you work there during the summers?” On the edge of my seat now, I already knew what was coming.

“Let’s see. About sixteen or more years ago.”

Dare I ask?
“Mike, did you happen to know Stephen back then? It must have been about the same time you were there.”

His shoulders slumped. “I figured eventually you would figure it out and get around to asking me about him. It was just a matter of time. I told Jack you would.”

Jack?
This was getting more interesting by the minute. “Well, he was my husband, and now he’s dead. I’d like to know all I can about his past…it would give me some sort of closure.”
Would he buy that?
“So…were you there when Ben was there too?”

“Yes.”

Wow!
“So, the three of you all knew each other.”

“Yeah. We were sort of friendly with each other. Of course, I wouldn’t exactly call us all the best of friends though.”

“Did you by any chance meet Clay the last summer he was there?”

“Sure. He was a really nice guy. Mature for his age and lived with his aunt. Then he went off to college. I figured he was itching to move on to bigger and better things. He was a restless soul, if you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do.” My ears were hearing this, but my mind was still a few steps behind, filtering all of it. Everything was slowly falling into place as far as associations were concerned, but it still left me in the cold as to who in the world killed Stephen and for what possible reason. “So you saw how Stephen reacted when his parents were killed?”

“Yes. I’d never seen him so upset and out of control, ready to run and leave behind everything that mattered.”

“Then what did he do?”

“Guess he decided to stick around.”

I noticed he made no reference of Jack, as both Ben and Clay had. Why was that? Did he resent Jack in some way? Also, he didn’t seem all that choked up about Stephen the way Clay and Ben had been.

“Were you closer to Stephen than Ben?”

“To be honest, no, not at all. Just for an occasional drink. He worked on the books and I work out in the field and on the trucks. He had the brains and I had the brawn.”

I noticed a slight edge in his voice.
Jealousy?

“How long were you there before Stephen came along?”

“Oh, I was working at the construction company way before. Jack and I go way back. We used to be inseparable, going out to the worksites, checking on suppliers, walking the terrain of future developments. Sometimes on weekends we went camping together.” He had a reminiscent look in his eyes. “Jack was like a father to me. You see, I never got along with my own mother and spent as much time as possible out at Jack’s, learning the trade. When I was old enough, I moved into his guest cottage out back of his house.”

“What did your parents say about that?” I asked.

His features tightened. “I had a mother who didn’t give a damn about me from the beginning. I was just an impediment in her life. You see, my mother got pregnant very young and my father took off, never marrying her. She resented me from day one and when Jack’s opportunity came along, she practically threw me at him.” He shifted uncomfortably.

“After I graduated, I came home one day and found my mother had overdosed on pills. It was the first time I had seen a smile on her face, that day I found her. She wore the most serene look of happiness and contentment. It was a look I had never witnessed before. I was scared at first, wondering what would happen to me, but I should have known better. Jack didn’t even think twice about taking me in permanently. I had no place to go back to. My mother had an apartment and six months back rent was due. Jack paid it, and I never looked back. No questions were asked. None were needed. I was and still am indebted for what he did that day and would do just about anything for him now.” He actually sounded a bit choked up.

I figured I had him wrong about resenting Jack. “I wish I’d known,” I said, a bit lamely.

“Even though Stephen and I weren’t that close, it didn’t mean I didn’t respect him. I never related to smart guys, but he was different. Even though sometimes obsessive, he was extremely persuasive. Stephen was compelling when he had an objective, all right.”

“You can say that again,” I replied, remembering Stephen’s convincing, credible, and efficient manner. “I know exactly what you mean.”

I sat, trying to process the image of all Stephen’s acquaintances from the past, and wondered what–if any–motive one of them might have for murdering him. So far, I had a lot of connections, but no clear resolution.

Mike fidgeted again. “I really have to get going. Is there anything else you need to ask?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t think of one damn thing.

My laptop was going to love this one!

Chapter 29

Bewitched, Bothered And Baffled

I sorted through my notes, which were written haphazardly all over the place, and methodically entered them into my laptop. Sometimes I paused, mystified by a word here or a reluctant manner there, but I was more determined than ever to find out who murdered Stephen and why, and who had threatened me on the phone. Was it one of these new friends I was making?

I had been warned, harassed, threatened and chased, but was still in the dark about why. I had to figure this out. First of all, why would Stephen lie to me? What was he hiding? What or who was he fleeing from? Did he do something illegal? Someone had murdered him, but why? I was treading water, waiting for a life preserver to pull me out of this drowning pool of questions.

Okay, here’s what I had:

Stephen left Highlands abruptly, about …15 years ago?

Marries me.

He insisted we build a vacation house in Highlands.

Was he taking mysterious trips all along and not telling me where he was really going?

He had no interest in my writing success.

Departed abruptly this last business trip.

When I called him, he was angry, then nice, then urgent, then angry, then hangs up.

He’s murdered.

His laptop and hard drive are missing.

I’m threatened about a key and information, which he too had mentioned.

There is some connection to Highlands, but I don’t know what it is.

Everyone seems to have known him since he was a kid.

Why did everyone think Stephen was such a wonderful person, yet he was still murdered?

I was being given disinformation, but by
who
?

I needed a break. I needed a pedicure.

Chapter 30

Lost And Found

On a regular basis, all the way down the mountain from Highlands and into the town of Franklin, they held country auctions. You name them, they all came: tourists, collectors, shop owners, farmers and families, all out for a night’s entertainment. You could find antiques, paintings, old furniture, quilts, toys, books and much more. Martha finally talked me into attending one in particular, all excited about what was up for offer. She said that when she went for the preview that afternoon, they had some very interesting pieces I might want to bid on for the store.

We arrived early so I could see what was on display in the adjacent room. I noticed Ben off to the side by himself. If two people hadn’t moved, I never would have noticed him. Feeling guilty for recently treating him so suspiciously, I detoured around to greet him, wanting to thank him for his get-well card and acknowledge his thoughtfulness. Martha followed me. He appeared edgy and uncomfortable as we approached.

“Ben, this is a surprise!” I greeted. “I thought you’d be at the market because it gets so busy around this time of night. I certainly never expected to see you here.”

It was obvious he wasn’t overjoyed to see us, especially at the auction.
Why?

“I arranged for my manager to close tonight. Besides, you never know what you might discover in a place like this. …Well, I better go find a seat before it starts. If you’ll excuse me.” With that, we were summarily dismissed. He scurried away, keeping to the fringes of the crowd, while constantly looking around for
what?

“Well, what got into his underwear?” Martha commented, miffed by his strange behavior.

“Well, who would have guessed?” I said, indignantly. “We’ve just been given the brush off by the biggest flirt in town.” Martha and I looked at each other, laughed and moved on, eager
ourselves
to head over to the room that displayed what was coming up for auction. We started in that direction, but someone gently grabbed my arm from behind.

“Hey, good
lookin
’,” Jack greeted me, smiling.

His positive mood was always contagious and I smiled back, surprised and glad to see him there. “Hi!”

“Well, look what the cat just dragged in,” said Martha, smiling sweetly at him.

Jack turned slightly, reluctantly acknowledging her with a slight nod. “Martha.”