Murder at the GeoCache

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sunday, the week beforeMegan Cassidy tapped her foot impatiently and looked at her companion sitting patiently in the car while she paced outside. Glancing at her watch once again, she gave an exasperated sigh as she looked at the open road behind her.

"Well, Barney, he's late again. I'll bet any money he got lost."

Her companion didn't seem too upset about this news. Instead, he wagged his tail and stood with his head out the window, waiting for attention. Megan smiled at the sweet beagle who was her constant companion and gave him the scratch behind his ears that he was looking for. Hearing the beep of a horn, she looked up and saw the car she was waiting for turning into the driveway.

The rental car pulled in beside hers. Opening his door, the man behind the wheel swung his legs out and climbed out to join her.

"I know, I know, I'm late—lost again."

"Oh, Aiden. How can you possibly get lost in this small town? Really, Citrus Beach is not that big," laughed Megan

"You're right, it's not that big of a town, but every street is named after some kind of citrus and when you don't know a Mandarin from a Honey Bell, well, it all gets confusing. I had no idea there were so many types of citrus." Aiden laughed along with Megan, making light of his trouble finding his way around the small town.

He walked over to the pretty redhead and gave her a kiss on the cheek. At the same time, he gave the dog a small treat he had in his pocket.

"You’ll spoil him, Aiden. If you’d agreed to look at an office on Main Street, we wouldn't be out here in the middle of nowhere trying to find this building. Dorothy and Don Ross have plenty of open rentals that would be perfect for your needs. Tell me again why we're out here, away from town and away from potential customers."

Aiden just smiled at her and took the key out of his pocket that the agent from Ross Realty had given him to the rental they were going to look at. Holding his hand out to take hers, he led the way to the front door. Unlocking it, they went inside. As they entered, Megan felt like she was being attacked by dust bunnies and quickly put her hands to her nose to try to block the sneeze that was forming as she inhaled the dusty, stale air. Looking around them, it was easy to see that nobody had been in this office in a long time. The grime on the windows made it hard to see outside. The thick layer of dust on every surface was like an invitation to write on. Aiden looked around in dismay, not only at the dirt and dust, but at the layout of the office and the disrepair that it was in. It would take a lot of work just to get this building cleaned up, let alone functional. He did a cursory walk around the perimeter, shaking his head as he went.

"Okay, I guess we need to check this one off the list and go to the next one," he finally admitted.

"I'm sorry, Aiden, I understand you want to find the right office, but I really don't think you can find one out here in the boonies. You need to be closer to town."

"From a business standpoint you're absolutely correct, Megan. But because of the type of business I’m in, I need to be in a location that’s discreet. I mean, let's be honest. How many people are going to openly walked into the front doors of a private detective office on Main Street, especially in this small town? It would be like announcing that you have a deep dark secret that needs to be solved. I’ve only lived here a few months and, I'm perfectly aware of just how hard it is to keep a secret in Citrus Beach. Some people in this town consider gossip a form of art that needs to be perfected at every opportunity." Aiden’s shoulders shook with laughter as he answered her.

"Okay, I'll give you that, Aiden. There aren’t too many secrets that can be kept in this town, and that can be good or bad. I'm just glad you decided to move here and open your own office. With your background as an FBI agent and consultant, you have the skills to help many people. And being able to fly wherever you need to meet with your clients and do background work is an added bonus," she said, referring to the airstrip on her property.

"Well, there were plenty of incentives to stay here in Citrus Beach, and I think you know what I mean. Plus, with my contacts at the FBI, I won’t be short of clients. I'm sure they'll be sending plenty of referrals my way. Your airstrip will certainly make my coming and going easy."

"All right, Aiden, hand me that list. You’re just going to have to trust my judgment. I know this town like the back of my hand, and driving to all these godforsaken spots is just senseless. You need to be in town where you can have access to proper phone lines and Internet service. If you want something a bit more discreet and off the beaten path, let’s work on this together. I don't know how you ever talked the Ross’s into just giving you a list of everything available."

Aiden had to admit she was right, and he sheepishly gave her the list of potential rentals. As Megan looked over the list, he couldn't help but to admire the view in front of him. At 45, Megan had a fit body of a woman 10 years younger than her. Her skin had a healthy glow from hours spent in the Florida sun, and her red curly hair had lighter streaks due to spending so much time near the beach. He had known her for a little over four months. They had been through a lot together and their friendship was developing—and he hoped it would develop into something more than just a friendship. However, Megan wanted to take things slow, which that was fine with him. Developing a strong friendship before a romance was always a good idea.

Megan followed the list with her finger, mumbling as she looked at the properties in front of her. She hesitated over a couple of sites and then kept reading. Finally, she got a huge smile on her face, looked at Aiden, and said, "Trust me, I’ve found the perfect place for you."

Without discussing it with him, Megan called to Barney, who was wandering around the office, and she walked out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Aiden if you follow closely, you won't get lost. I think this spot will be perfect for you. It’s on is a side street and it’s quiet, so you don't have to worry about nosy neighbors. Your potential clients will be able to come and go at their own discretion."

Aiden followed her, locking the door behind him. Getting behind the wheel of his car, he trailed her back towards town. As he drove, he couldn't help but admire the surrounding beauty. Huge oak trees draped with Spanish moss formed canopies over the roadway. This far west of Citrus Beach, the area was primarily farms and horse ranches. The paddocks were framed in with alternating white or rough wood fencing and the fields were a lush green from the recent rains. Mixed in with the ranches, were acre upon acre of citrus groves. Come November, harvest would begin. February was when the sweet scent of citrus flowers would perfume the air.

As they drove closer to town, the landscape became more tropical, palm trees and exotic flowers were planted in the median of the roadway. When they pulled on to Main Street, off to the east he could clearly see the Citrus River. They drove their cars through the business district into the older section of town. Megan turned onto a side street that ran parallel to the river. Here, Aiden saw older businesses, the type that had established clients and did not need the bold frontage of a Main Street location.

Megan pulled up in front of a one-story, freestanding building. It was clean and well kept, the older landscaping meticulously manicured. The sidewalk led up to three stairs and a small porch. On either side of the door were two large windows that currently had their blinds closed. The building had at one time, long ago, been a small residential bungalow. Now it served as a commercial site. Aiden looked around him. A smile started to spread across his face as he realized the potential of this building. While he was looking around, Megan went right up to the door and lifted the welcome mat, pulling out a key from underneath. Inserting the key into the lock, she opened the door and with the bow, welcomed Aiden into his potential new office.

Aiden proceeded her into the office, shaking his head at the casual way the key was left under the mat. He had yet to get used to the small-town philosophy of trusting everyone. Coming from a big city, it was something that he wasn’t used to. His smile widened as he looked around him. Megan was right. This was a perfect location; he should have trusted her to begin with. Barney circled behind them and began sniffing the corners of the rooms. Aiden and Megan, each with their own agenda, began looking the building over. Aiden's FBI training kicked in, and he looked around for back doors and all access points into the building. He only found the back door. Most of the windows were small and could easily be fitted with a good security system. The main office even had a few pieces of furniture in it, a huge old oak desk and some old-fashioned wooden file cabinets. Compared to the last place, this office was in pristine condition and would take little effort to move into.

Megan joined him in the main office, Barney following closely behind, and she looked at him to see if he approved of her choice.

"Well, you've done it again, Megan, this is perfect. How about if I go meet with the realtors to finalize the paperwork, and then I'll take you out to lunch?"

"That sounds wonderful, Aiden. While you're at the realtor’s, I’ll run back to my office and check on things. Let's make it a short lunch, I need to meet with Carol Bloomquest and Charlotte Potter about a charity event we’re working on to kick off the fall season."

Aiden agreed with her plan and gave her a quick hug, thanking her. Once again, Megan had stepped in, showing him the right direction. It was obvious that she would need to guide him quite a bit as he got used to life in the small southern town of Citrus Beach.