A New Place, Another Murder (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery Book 1) Read online

  A NEW PLACE, ANOTHER MURDER

  A Sheridan Hendley Mystery

  CHRISTA NARDI

  Copyright © 2018 Christa Nardi

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10: 0-9991429-5-X

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9991429-5-0

  This is a work of fiction. Although some of the locations may be real, others are fictitious. None of these events actually occurred. All characters are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people is entirely coincidental. Reference to law is specific to Virginia and when this was written.

  The reverse engineering, uploading and/or distributing of this ebook via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.

  Cover Design by Victorine Lieske

  The Cold Creek Series by Christa Nardi:

  Murder at Cold Creek College (Cold Creek #1)

  Murder in the Arboretum (Cold Creek #2)

  Murder at the Grill (Cold Creek #3)

  Murder in the Theater (Cold Creek #4)

  Murder and a Wedding (Cold Creek #5

  Sheridan Hendley Mysteries by Christa Nardi:

  A New Place, Another Murder (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery #1)

  Stacie Maroni Mysteries by Christa Nardi:

  Prestige, Privilege and Murder

  The Hannah and Tamar Mysteries for Young Adults with Cassidy Salem:

  The Mysterious Package (A Hannah and Tamar Mystery)

  Mrs. Tedesco’s Missing Cookbook (A Hannah and Tamar Mystery)

  The Misplaced Dog (A Hannah and Tamar Mystery)

  Malicious Mischief (A Hannah and Tamar Mystery)

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  Author’s notes

  CHAPTER 1

  My complaints to my close friend, Kim, about boredom were interrupted by the slamming of the front door and I ended my call. Probably something I’d have to get used to as step-mom to a teenager. In the kitchen, I found Maddie, her backpack thrown on the floor. She was stomping around the counter island, her face in a pout.

  “What’s up Maddie?”

  “You won’t believe what happened today. It’s unbelievable. I still can’t believe it and I was there.”

  Her voice rose an octave as she vented and I had no clue what she was talking about. Maddie went to a variety of activities during the week. They were called “camps” but that seemed a misnomer to me. Robotics, theater, and computers were not quite what I thought of as a “camp.” I waited a few seconds and she ranted some more.

  “Alex was accused of stealing money from the office. It was in his backpack, but he didn’t steal it. They didn’t even give him a chance to explain. They called his mom and took him away. He was mortified.”

  “Calm down and help me understand. Can we back up please? Who’s Alex?”

  “He’s one of the kids attending all these camps with me. Of all the kids, he’s been the nicest to me. I don’t understand why they don’t believe he had no idea how the money got in his backpack.”

  She finally simmered down and plopped into a chair, a grimace on her face.

  “You may be upset for nothing. Once they got him to the station with his parents and got more information, they may have figured out they made a mistake. But why would they think he stole the money and why are you so sure he didn’t do it?”

  “I don’t understand why they picked on him. The officer walked in and asked for him. Then asked where his backpack was. Alex pointed to his pack and the officer went over, opened it and pulled out an envelope and money fell out. It wasn’t even hidden. Then they grabbed him. He looked around but nobody helped him. I didn’t know what to do to help him.”

  “What makes you think he’s innocent? How else would it get in his backpack?”

  “You don’t understand! Alex’s nice. He … He wouldn’t do that.”

  “How do you think the money ended up in his backpack then?”

  “I’m not sure and Dad says I shouldn’t accuse people without facts. When the police came and asked for Alex, two other boys snickered and fist-bumped. I think they set him up. All our backpacks stay in the main room while we go in and out. They could have stolen the money and stuck it in his pack. Then they must have called the police and made an anonymous report or something. We’ve got to help him.”

  She stomped around the kitchen some more and kicked her backpack.

  “Maddie, is your backpack in the same place as Alex’s and the others’?”

  She turned to me and nodded. “Yeah, why? They’re all together in the main room.”

  “Humor me, okay? Can you dump everything out of your backpack and make sure that the only things in there really belong to you?”

  I cleaned off the table and she emptied her back pack onto the table. Books, brush, hair ties, crumpled up papers, pens, pencils, stale cookie, and an envelope.

  “What? Where did that come from?” Her eyes opened wide. She went to grab the envelope and I caught her hand.

  “Don’t touch it. You don’t know where the envelope came from or what’s inside?”

  She shook her head, eyes wide. “Am I going to get arrested now, too?”

  “I don’t think it will come to that. Your dad will be home in a little while and we’ll show him what we found. He’ll decide what to do. But don’t touch the envelope in case there are fingerprints or something else that might help identify who handled that envelope, okay?”

  She nodded and sat down, staring at the mess.

  “Is that everything? What about the pockets? Everything out, even the crumbs.” I realized this was going to be the cleanest this backpack had been since she got it almost a year ago. Maddie emptied and gasped as she found another envelope in one of the outside pockets.

  “Sheridan, there’s another one here. Oh, no, I touched the edge!”

  “It’s okay. Let me see if I can find something…” I rummaged through the kitchen drawer and pulled out serving tongs. “I’ll use these tongs and pull it the rest of the way out.” It took a few tries, but I managed to get the envelope out and dropped it with the other one. Then I released the tongs and left them on top.

  “Now what?”

  “Why don’t you go through all the stuff you just dumped here and either throw it away or put it back in the backpack. Except the two envelopes. In the meantime, I’ll work on finishing up the meatloaf and potatoes for dinner. Later, after we talk to your Dad, you might wipe the whole thing down with a sanitizer.”

  She made a face. “This cookie doesn’t look so good. Did you make any more today?”

  I looked at the cookie she’d picked up out of the pile. “That one bit the dust. Yes, there are more cookies over on the counter – only one, please. We’ll be eating in an hour.”

  Somehow, my boring day seemed preferable to the drama. The idea of the camps was giving Maddie something to do. A big benefit, the camps provided an opportunity for her to ma
ke friends before starting at her new middle school in the fall. As with most 13-year-olds, middle school was a big deal. It was convenient she attended the camps at Clover Leaf Middle School where she’d be a student. And it had been working until then.

  ***

  Maddie and I finished the dinner preparation and set the table as Brett pulled in the driveway. He raked his hand through his dark curly hair. That was a sure sign that he was tired or stressed. This situation with Maddie would push him over the edge, likely add a few gray hairs. Meeting him at the door, we kissed and that at least brought a smile to his eyes.

  “Hungry?”

  He looked past me to Maddie. I followed his gaze. Shoulders dropped and mouth quivering, she’d lost her independent teen, “I can take on the world” attitude.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He’d barely got the words out and she was in his arms, sobbing. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders.

  “Maddie’s friend, Alex, is in trouble. He’s been accused of stealing money. Maddie thinks he’s been arrested. The police found an envelope with money in his backpack.”

  “Do you want me to see if I can find out what happened with your friend?” He caught my expression and his jaw clenched. “That’s not all, is it?”

  “Afraid not. Maddie is sure he was set up, that somebody put the envelope in his backpack. When she told me both their backpacks were unattended in the room, I had her empty out hers. We found two envelopes that aren’t hers.”

  His jaw clenched, he mumbled. “We’ll figure this out. Let me call Chief Peabody and have him send someone over.”

  “I’ll finish putting dinner on the table. I imagine they’ll be tied up for a while.”

  Brett nodded and walked down the hall to our office. Maddie moved as if to follow him and I stopped her. “He’ll take care of it and you can help me in the kitchen.”

  A few minutes later, he joined us. “There was a shooting. It’ll be a while. Envelopes under the tongs?”

  “We used the tongs so we wouldn’t touch them.”

  He nodded. It was a quiet dinner, the envelopes grabbing our attention and dampening our usual dinnertime banter. We cleaned up and waited.

  CHAPTER 2

  It wasn’t until about 9 o’clock when the Chief himself along with two officers showed up. Brett took the lead, having now heard the whole story from Maddie.

  “Chief Peabody, good evening. I didn’t expect you. Good evening, officers. This is my wife Sheridan and my daughter Maddie.”

  “Wish it were better circumstances. The situation became a little more complicated. But let’s take a look at those envelopes to start with.”

  I pulled Maddie to me on the couch while the men moved into the kitchen. Something seemed off. They were a little more tense than I’d expected. I caught a word or two of the conversation and it sounded like the Chief was filling Brett in on the shooting. They came back in and joined us, Brett pulling up a chair in front of Maddie and me. The Chief and the officers stood on alert.

  “Maddie, can you tell the Chief what you know about Alex and the other boys you mentioned?”

  “Alex is my friend. He lives in Westerfield with his mom and his sister, Karla. Of all the kids at the camps, so far he’s been the nicest. He stood up for me when Luke or Caleb were bothering me.” Westerfield was another small community near by. Like Clover Leaf where we lived, it was not yet incorporated into Appomattox but enjoyed the benefits of the larger town.

  Brett’s face got red, but he managed to keep his voice low. “What do you mean bothering you?”

  “They … they kept bothering me. Getting too close, playing with my hair… One time Alex saw what they were doing and he told them to give me space and leave me alone. After that, if either of them came near me, he’d manage to be at my side. We started hanging together.”

  “What else can you tell us about Luke and Caleb? And the envelopes? Tell us as much as you can remember.”

  “The police showed up and they talked to Mr. Simpson, and he got everyone’s attention. He explained the police were here to search backpacks. Money had been stolen from the office and they’d gotten an anonymous tip it was someone in our group. I looked over to Luke and expected him to be nervous, but he smiled at me. We all waited. They asked specifically for Alex and his backpack. His was next to mine. They opened it, pulled an envelope out, and money fell on the floor. Then they took him away.”

  She got more and more upset as she talked. Hiccoughs started and we all waited for her to calm down.

  “Anything else you can tell us?”

  “Luke and Caleb – they fist-bumped and smiled as the police took Alex away. He didn’t steal any money. No way did he do that. He’s not like that.”

  “Sher, can you tell the Chief what happened when Maddie came home?”

  I hadn’t expected to have to explain anything. “Maddie told me what happened at school and suggested someone set Alex up. I asked her how that was possible. She explained all their backpacks are left in the room all day and nobody is in there when the kids go to different activities.”

  Brett nodded. “Go on.”

  I shrugged. “I asked her where her backpack had been the whole time and she said it was on the floor next to Alex’s. I cleared off the kitchen table and told her to dump out her backpack. The first envelope was near the top as she dumped it out. I had her check all the pockets and there was another envelope. We used tongs to get it out. Neither of us touched the envelopes except maybe the edge.”

  Chief Peabody nodded and held up a bag. “These the envelopes and the tongs?”

  I looked to Brett. “If those were on the table, yes.”

  Brett nodded and the chief confirmed.

  “We’ll check these out. Thanks for saving us some trouble.” He nodded to his officers and Brett walked them to the door.

  “Okay, it’s getting late and we’ve had enough excitement for the day. Maddie, go take your shower and get ready for bed. We’ll talk more then.”

  He gave her a hug. As she walked away, he tipped his head toward the kitchen and I followed him. Obviously, there was more to this story.

  He sat down at the table, shoulders slumped, and his hands moved to his hair and stayed there.

  “It’s a good thing you found the envelopes, Sher. The shooting? It was of Mr. Lawrence Stories. They found a couple envelopes with money in them at the scene. Two boys were hanging around and commented the envelopes looked like the one police found in Alex’s backpack.”

  At my raised brows and stare, Brett added, “Luke Buchanan and Caleb Buchanan – they’re cousins. They also said someone suggested Maddie was involved. By then though, I’d already called about the envelopes.”

  “So now Alex is not only accused of theft but murder? And they implicated Maddie?” I could tell my voice was rising and Brett signaled with his hand for me to bring it down.

  “Yup. And they found a gun in the dumpster outside Alex’s house after another of those anonymous tips.”

  “Oh my gosh! Is it the gun used to kill Stories? What would his motive be?”

  “Possibly the same gun. Ballistics won’t be back for a while. The Chief said it looked to be wiped clean. They’ll be checking for any traces though. Motive? I’m not sure. Unfortunately, Maddie is now implicated as well. What do you think? Should she go to camp tomorrow? If so, I think it’s time I showed up at this camp and introduced myself.”

  Maddie joined us as he finished. “No, Daddy. You can’t come in and tell everyone you’re a detective with the State Police! No one will ever be friends with me. Why shouldn’t I go to camp tomorrow? Did you find out what happened with Alex?”

  Brett took a deep breath. “This is a lot more complicated now, Maddie. The shooting I mentioned earlier? It was a man and he had envelopes like you and Alex had. Luke and Caleb showed up at the scene. They’ll give their statements tomorrow with their parents present, but they mentioned you and Alex. I think it would be best if you stayed hom
e for a day or two. The police need to sort out the whole money thing.”

  “Oh no. I didn’t like Luke. He was friendly, but he wasn’t nice and Caleb is just creepy. They don’t think Alex killed the man, do they?”

  “No idea, Maddie. You okay keeping Sher company tomorrow and Friday? Hopefully, this will all be sorted out by then.”

  Maddie wasn’t all smiles, her mouth in a pout at the idea of hanging around the house all day.

  “Wait a minute. I talked to Kim just before Maddie got home. She suggested I come visit. How about coming with me for a visit to Cold Creek? Maybe have lunch with Kim and Marty?” I’d worked with Kim Pennzel at Cold Creek College until Brett and I married and I moved to his house in Clover Leaf. Maddie knew Kim and her friend, Marty.

  That brought a smile to her face. “Okay, that might be fun. Before we go though, it’s too late now, but I’ll need to call Alex and make sure he’s okay.”

  Brett’s mouth dropped. “You can try in the morning before we leave. He may be busy though.”

  “Well, if he goes to camp and I’m not there, I’m sure he’ll call me.” She nodded her head as she talked. “I’m tired. Good night.” She went to her room and we heard the door close.

  “I still think I need to go in and scare some of these kids.”

  “You could do that this time. Maddie may be right though. It could make her a social pariah if you go in all gang-busters.”

  Brett didn’t respond, so I added, “It might stop the boys in this class or the next class. What about all the times in the future when Maddie may need to stand up for herself or defend herself?”

  CHAPTER 3

  Kim was good for lunch and I looked forward to seeing her and Marty. With a subdued Maddie, the hour trip to Cold Creek dragged. I tried to liven things up by turning on the radio, only just my luck, there was a news alert about the murder. The alert stated there was a suspect in custody. Then the station cut back to music.