A Problem in Paxton Park Read online

  “Come to my house for dinner,” Shelly suggested. “I’ll make a chicken stir-fry.”

  Jay thanked the young women and strode away to deal with the crime scene.

  * * *

  Shelly was an hour late to her job where she baked in the big kitchen of the resort’s diner, but she planned to stay later in the afternoon to complete her baking tasks for the day.

  “It’s all anyone is talking about.” Melody came into the backroom carrying some dirty plates. In her sixties, short and petite with silvery white hair, she had run the resort diner for years with her husband, Henry. “That poor man. A couple of people said he walked through the park every day on his way to and from work at the bank. He wasn’t robbed. So what was it? A random attack?” Worry was written all over Melody’s face as she nervously patted her chest. “What do you think about it?” she asked Shelly.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Shelly was rolling out a pie crust on the marble countertop. “I guess we have to wait for information. The man may have had cash or credit cards in his pockets. He might have been robbed even though his wallet wasn’t taken. The robber may have been satisfied with what he removed from the man’s pockets and then took off not wanting to linger in the area.”

  “How much could the robber have taken?” Melody asked with disgust in her voice. “A few hundred dollars? That’s worth killing someone for?”

  Shaking his head, Henry spoke from the grill where he was frying eggs and bacon and tending the waffle machine. “Some people have no reverence for life. We’ve seen it time and time again.”

  “At least our police force is capable and clever. They’ve solved so many difficult cases. We have to thank our lucky stars for that.” Melody headed back to the front of the diner to take care of the customers.

  “You doing okay?” Henry asked Shelly. “It wasn’t an easy morning for you.”

  “I’m okay. I’ve been thinking. If Juliet and I had been earlier, we might have been able to head off the attack.”

  “If only doesn’t change things,” Henry said. “It’s very easy to look back at something and think about how it could have been different. It doesn’t matter. It worked out a certain way. We can’t go back in time and make the outcome different. There’s no point in giving it any thought.”

  “I know. You’re right,” Shelly sighed. “I wonder when it happened. Was he killed early this morning or was that man lying out there all night?”

  “It probably happened on his way to work this morning. Wilson Barrett used to stop in here for breakfast a lot. He came in bright and early. He was always the first one at the door. Must have been an early riser.”

  Shelly turned to look at Henry. “You knew him?”

  “I can’t say we knew him. We exchanged pleasantries. A little chit chat. It’s always crazy busy here in the mornings. There wasn’t any time to talk.”

  “Why did he stop coming in?”

  “He moved to the other side of town.” Henry plated some eggs and toast and put the dish on the serving counter under the heat lamps so the waitstaff could pick it up and deliver it.

  “Did he have a family?” Shelly asked.

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember him ever mentioning a family. Like I said, we didn’t have the opportunity to talk that much.”

  “Do you know anything about him?”

  “He worked at one of the banks in town. He lived in the north end. Seemed like a nice guy. That’s all I know.” Henry cracked a few eggs over the grill.

  Shelly said, “Funny, isn’t it? You can pass by the same people during the day having little interactions with them … at the bank, the gas station, the market … but you never really know anything about them at all.”

  “It’s true.” Henry mixed more batter for pancakes. “I wonder if the guy was in some kind of trouble.”

  “What sort of trouble?” Shelly carefully placed the top crust over the fruit pie and crimped the edges.

  “Drugs? Gambling? Did he owe the wrong person money? Did he steal from someone? Was he involved with a married woman?” Henry speculated. “There are any number of possible scenarios that could have gotten him killed.”

  Shelly looked up and sighed at how naïve she was. “I didn’t think of any of that. I imagined him as an innocent guy who had the misfortune to cross paths with a killer.”

  “That’s a very real possibility, too.”

  “The police will figure it out,” Shelly said hopefully.

  “They’d better figure it out.” Henry glanced over to her. “Someone killed Wilson Barrett for revenge or for kicks. Neither option is good news. We all need to stay on our toes and keep safe.”

  A wave of worry passed over Shelly’s skin like a cold, driving rain.

  3

  Shelly had texted her boyfriend, Jack Graham, as soon as she left the park that morning to tell him about the body she and Juliet found. Just before she was finished with work for the day, Jack came into the diner to meet her.

  “I’ll drive you home,” he’d said after giving her a hug and a kiss.

  Shelly protested that she had her bike outside, but Jack told her he had his rack on the car so after attaching the bike to it, they headed out of the resort parking lot towards town. Ever since the accident, Shelly strongly disliked riding in any vehicles and tried to avoid it whenever possible. Jack knew how she felt and did whatever he could to support her.

  “You really didn’t have to drive me,” Shelly told her boyfriend.

  “After the morning you had, I thought you might be feeling tired.” Jack moved the car onto Main Street. “I also didn’t want you riding home alone with a killer on the loose.”

  “You’re very thoughtful. I appreciate it.” Shelly gave him a warm smile, and then filled him in on the details of her and Juliet’s discovery. “Have you heard the victim’s name? It’s Wilson Barrett. He worked at the bank in the center of town. Henry was acquainted with the man and told me Mr. Barrett walked to work and back home again each day.”

  “He must have been walking to work when he was attacked,” Jack guessed as he turned down Shelly’s lane and came to a stop in front of her bungalow.

  “Jay and Juliet are coming over this evening to discuss the case.”

  “Good. Maybe you can be of help as they move forward with the investigation,” Jack said with an encouraging tone.

  Jack knew that Shelly had strong perceptive skills and a unique perspective that helped her pick up on things that others overlooked, and that she was brought in to consult with Jay when cases were proving difficult.

  “Maybe,” Shelly said leaning in for a kiss. She really hoped the police would solve the case quickly so she wouldn’t be called in to assist.

  The couple made plans to meet for a bike ride the next day after work. Shelly got out and waved as Jack drove back to the resort to finish his shift.

  Justice waited inside in the small entryway and when Shelly entered the house, the cat purred and purred and rubbed against the young woman’s legs.

  “Such a nice greeting.” Shelly picked up the Calico and petted her. “It’s been a crazy day. I’m glad to be home.”

  After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Shelly went to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal with Justice sitting in one of the kitchen chairs watching and listening to her owner talk about finding the dead man.

  “Can you imagine someone attacking the man in the park?” Shelly asked the cat. “Lots of people use that park at all times of the day and evening. It was reckless to attack someone in a busy place like that. Let’s hope someone saw the killer and can give a good description to the police.”

  Justice meowed.

  “It makes you wonder about people, doesn’t it? How can someone do that to another human being?” Shelly sighed as she cut up the chicken breast and placed the pieces in a bowl to marinate. “It can be a harsh world. I don’t know how Jay and the other law enforcement officers can handle dealing with the worst of people day in a
nd day out. It would really drag me down. I’m not cut out for such work.”

  The cat sat quietly taking in every word.

  Shelly made a salad and some rice, and when Juliet and Jay arrived they sat at the kitchen table sipping wine while Shelly cooked the meal in the wok.

  Jay’s eyelids drooped a little from fatigue and her usual straight posture was more rounded and slouched. She leaned back in her chair with her wine glass in her hand. “The food smells delicious. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  Juliet scolded her sister. “You’ll be good for nothing if you let yourself get rundown.”

  Shelly lit the candles on the small dining room table and the women sat down to enjoy the warm, tasty meal.

  “Henry and Melody are familiar with Wilson Barrett,” Shelly said. “He often went to the diner for breakfast when he lived near the resort. Henry said he didn’t see the man after he moved to the other side of town.”

  Jay scooped the chicken and vegetables from the serving dish to her plate. “It seems Mr. Barrett walked to work each morning and walked home in the evening through the park. It was his usual routine.”

  “If that’s the case, then someone would have known the approximate times when Barrett would be walking in the park,” Juliet said.

  “So was it random or was it planned?” Shelly questioned.

  “That hasn’t been determined yet.” Jay added a spoonful of rice to her plate.

  “Were there any witnesses to the crime?” Shelly passed the salad to Juliet.

  “Not yet. It seems the man was probably attacked on his way home. It rained heavily in the evening which kept most people away from the park, hence no one discovered the body until you two came along early this morning.”

  “What do you know about Mr. Barrett?” Juliet asked.

  “Barrett was fifty-eight. He’d worked at the bank for almost thirty years, although not all of that time was here in town. He started his career in the surrounding towns and his last assignment was in Paxton Park after he received a promotion.”

  “When was that?” Shelly asked.

  “He’d been working in town for about ten years,” Jay said. “Barrett was well-thought of. His colleagues liked him. His superiors gave him glowing reviews.”

  “Married?” Juliet asked.

  “Divorced. He and his wife split up about twenty years ago. No children.”

  “Was it an amicable parting of the ways?” Shelly poured a bit of the homemade dressing onto her salad.

  “We’re looking into that,” Jay said. “The ex-wife lives one town over, but has a business here in Paxton Park.”

  “Do you know anything about Barrett’s hobbies or interests?”

  “He enjoyed traveling. He played the piano. From what we’ve heard so far, the man was friendly and pleasant, he didn’t take risks, he was kind and helpful to everyone we’ve spoken with. His colleagues seem truly shocked by his death. Many of them said Barrett was the last person they would have thought such a thing would happen to.”

  “Well, it seems someone disagreed with Barrett’s colleagues,” Juliet said with a raised eyebrow.

  When Jay rested her fork on her plate, Shelly noticed the serious look on her face. “The attack took place right under one of the lamplights in the park. The lampposts are set along the walkways at regular intervals. The attacker chose to make his move directly under the light.”

  Shelly narrowed her eyes. “Do you think the attacker planned to do that? Why not hit the person when he was in a dark part of the walkway? Do you think the killer intentionally attacked Barrett in the light?”

  “Right now, it seems so,” Jay said.

  Shelly sat up straight. “It’s a bold move. Is the attacker thumbing his nose at law enforcement?”

  “Or maybe at Wilson Barrett?” Juliet asked. “Was it a move to demonstrate the killer’s power and aggression? Was the killer telling everyone including Mr. Barrett that he didn’t need to hide in the dark? He’s so good, he can kill a man in a popular park without anyone seeing him?”

  Jay shook her head slowly. “It is definitely a bold move to attack someone under a lamplight. What the message is, if any, is unknown at this time.”

  “But you think the killer was sending a message?” Shelly asked.

  “That’s the way I’m leaning,” Jay said. “I may be wrong. It may have just been a convenient spot. We’ll see how things progress.”

  “Was Barrett into anything that might have led to the attack?” Juliet asked.

  “We’re still investigating that possibility.” Jay sipped from her glass and praised Shelly for the delicious meal. “Wilson Barrett had a canister of pepper spray in his pocket. He didn’t get a chance to use it.”

  “Even if he’d had a gun in his pocket, he probably wouldn’t have been able to use it since he was hit in the back of the head,” Shelly said. “He was killed by a blow to the head, correct?”

  “Yes, he was. Several blows to the head in fact, and you’re right,” Jay said. “Being attacked from behind would take someone by surprise and it would be very hard to react in time to save yourself. Mr. Barrett was a tall man, a bit stocky, in decent shape. If he had a warning, he might have been able to fight the attacker. The blow from behind probably incapacitated Barrett preventing him from trying to defend himself.”

  “Did he always carry pepper spray or was that a new thing?” Shelly’s mind was working.

  Jay said, “I can see we’re thinking along the same lines. If Barrett recently started carrying pepper spray, he may have been worried about something. We’re talking to his associates about that. So far, no one has an answer.”

  “Has the murder weapon been found?” Juliet asked.

  “A baseball bat was found nearby, but we don’t know yet if it was used in the crime,” Jay reported. “As I said, it rained during the night so any blood on the bat may have been washed away. It’s being tested.”

  “There are a lot of questions still,” Shelly sighed.

  “And so far, very few answers. I don’t know why, but I have the feeling this is going to be a very involved and convoluted case.” Jay looked to Shelly. “Let me know if your sister shows up in any more of your dreams.”

  Shelly nodded, but hoped Lauren wouldn’t pay her any more nightly visits. For some reason, this was a crime she didn’t want to get involved with.

  4

  The late afternoon was sunny and warm when Shelly and Jack finished their bike ride on the mountain trails and swung into town to get ice cream cones.

  “Do you want to avoid the park?” Jack asked taking a lick of his chocolate chip ice cream. Whenever he and Shelly stopped in town for cones, they often took a walk through the park past the baseball diamond and around the pond.

  “No, I think I’d like to take our usual walk. It’s nice out. We can stay away from the crime scene.”

  After locking their bikes in the rack by the ice cream shop, Shelly and Jack walked hand-in-hand over to the park. The place bustled with walkers, families with little kids, a ball game going on, a couple of people having a picnic, and joggers and bicyclists moving over the walkways and paths.

  “Look,” Shelly said, “officers are questioning people as they pass by.”

  “It’s a good idea,” Jack nodded while he watched the police officers stop and talk to several passersby. “A lot of the same people use the park at the same time each day. Maybe one of them will recall seeing something that will help solve the crime.”

  Approaching the officers, Shelly and Jack spotted Juliet’s boyfriend, Detective Andrew Walton with the group doing the questioning.

  Andrew gave them a slight smile and a greeting when he noticed the young couple. “Out for a stroll?”

  “We rode bikes and then came into town for a walk.” Shelly told the detective as she licked a few drops of ice cream from her cone. “Are you having any luck?”

  Thirty-year-old Andrew had dark blond hair and was tall and slim. He’d rubbed Shelly the
wrong way the first time he met her when he questioned her about a crime that occurred in town not long after she’d moved to Paxton Park. She got to know him better last winter and discovered that underneath the tough-guy exterior he put on, the man was kind, honest, and funny. Juliet got to know Andrew at the same time, and she and he clicked and had been seeing each other for several months.

  “Not really,” Andrew told them with a frown. “It’s like the park was empty when Wilson Barrett walked through on his way home last night or everyone who was here in the evening didn’t notice anything amiss. A lot of the people we’ve talked to claim they didn’t see one unusual thing.”

  “Or they’re too afraid to admit seeing anything,” Jack said.

  “Some people don’t like to get involved with cases like this,” Shelly pointed out. “They’re nervous about it, wary to talk. And living in a busy town with lots of tourists and townspeople around, people often don’t make eye contact and just hurry along to wherever they’re going without noticing what’s going on around them.”

  “It sure seems to be the case.” Andrew shrugged. “Somebody had to see something.”

  “It could have been momentarily empty in here when the attacker made his move,” Jack suggested.

  “Do you think the killer waited for Barrett to walk past or did he follow him into the park?” Shelly wondered out loud.

  Andrew knew that Shelly helped the police with some aspects of their cases, but he had never been told exactly in what ways she was valuable, and since he never got much of an answer when he asked about it, he’d given up trying to find out how she contributed. “Some of the stores and shops in the area have security cameras mounted outside. Officers are speaking with the owners, managers, and workers to get access to any tapes that might be available. So far, any tapes are so grainy nothing can be seen and a couple of other cameras don’t even work. Some of the owners put up dummy cameras with the hope it will keep people from causing trouble.” Andrew shook his head. “Studies show that functional cameras don’t really deter bad behavior, but they can be useful in cases like this if there are tapes to review.”