Murder at the GeoCache

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Wednesday, the week beforeIt was mid-week before Megan and Aiden had the chance to get together again. Aiden had signed the paperwork and was in the process of moving into his office with the help of Lucy, Megan's best friend and cousin by marriage. Megan was tied up with meetings and planning for Citrus Beach’s annual fall kickoff. Besides, Aiden was in good hands with her best friend, Lucy. Lucy’s keen sense for decorating wouldn’t lead Aiden astray. She’d recently decorated her own home in an easy, Key West style that pleased her husband Paul and reflected their lifestyle.

Megan did her share, too. By using her business connections and her own staff at Citrus Beach Concierge, she got Aiden's office cleaned up and ready for moving in. Her cousin, Paul, Lucy's husband, was a high-end builder, and using his crew from Citrus Beach Builders, he was able to make a few additional changes to the office that Aiden requested. Now, a week later, the final steps were being taken to officially moved Aiden in. Megan had even managed to prepare a welcome get-together at Aiden's new office.

Megan had just picked up a gourmet dinner from her friend’s catering service. Megan often used her to cater dinners and couldn’t wait to dig into the sure-to-be mouthwatering food. She was on the way to set things up at Aiden's office, and her company van was filled not only with wonderful aromas from the food, but also a few indoor plants to warm up the interior of the office as well as a small bistro set she’d found for the back porch. Friends and family would all be meeting there within an hour. Carol Bloomquest was in charge of getting Aiden to his new office. Carol was not only a customer of Megan's, she was also a mutual friend of her and Aiden. Lucy and Paul were already at the office completing the finishing touches, including hanging a sign that Paul himself had made over the front door, which said, Confidential Inquiries.

Megan had finished setting everything up and was putting the final touches on the food table when the first of the guests arrived. Soon Aiden’s office was full of well-wishers and it wasn't long before Aiden and Carol themselves pulled up. Aiden received congratulations from everyone and heartily thanked those who'd helped him not only establish his new office, but had also made him feel so welcome in his new home. Walking over to Megan, he hugged her and gave her a tender kiss.

"Thanks for doing all this, Megan. I saw my little table out back and couldn't help noticing that there's only two chairs. I hope that means that you’ll be sitting in one of them often."

"Oh, I couldn't resist picking up the set. It was perfect for back there. And knowing you’re such an early morning person, I'm sure they’ll get a lot of use when you enjoy your morning coffee. I saw that espresso machine from Charlotte Potter—I wish you luck trying to figure out how to use that, but I will be here to taste test your first cup."

They laughed together, and then Aiden was pulled off in another direction to talk with other well-wishers. As Megan had anticipated, the food was good, the company was great, and it was a wonderful evening that ended all too early. Before she knew it, Lucy and Janice, her office manager, were cleaning up the food and debris, and people were saying their goodbyes. Soon it was just Megan and Aiden standing at the front door, waving the last of them off. Grabbing her purse out of the bottom drawer of Aiden's desk, Megan told him she should head home, too.

"Hang on, and I’ll follow you out, seeing as how we’re going in the same direction," he laughed.

"I have to admit I'm glad you're still renting the apartment over the garage. It's nice to have you on the property with me. Plus, it will give you time to get your business up and running without having to worry about looking for a house."

"You're right. Plus, there are a lot of added benefits to living out on your property."

"That's sweet, Aiden, but I told you, I want to take things slow for a while."

"Oh, I don't just mean the fact that you're right there. There’s the added benefit about the landing strip and the fact I can just hop on one of Carol's private planes and head out wherever I need too. Just a phone call to her pilot to come and get me is all I need," teased Aiden.

"Well, I guess I've been put in my place. Seriously, Aiden. You're welcome to stay in the apartment as long as you need. There’s no rush to find a new place. With 10 acres out there, there's plenty of room for the two of us. But we really have got to do something about getting you out of these rental cars. Everyone you rent looks like a government-issued vehicle. You need to get a car with personality,” laughed Megan.

Aiden joined in her laughter and locked the door behind them. Soon they were heading west to Megan's home. Megan had bought her original home years before when she and her daughter, Emma, first moved to Citrus Beach after the death of her husband. She enjoyed her country-style home for a few years. Then the opportunity came up to buy the land adjacent to her property, which added up to 10 acres total. She’d convinced her cousin, Paul, to invest with her and they came up with a plan to incorporate both of their businesses on the property. With a two-story house, two large barns, the small airstrip, and even a few outbuildings, it was a perfect solution for both of them.

Paul and his employees converted the buildings to meet the needs of both companies, updated Megan’s house, and, to her complete delight, turned the smallest building that was closest to her home into a private office just for her use. With Megan’s landscape skills, she added beautiful gardens and meandering paths throughout the property. Paul even constructed a wooden bridge over a small creek that ran through both properties, making Megan's walk from her home to her office easier. They brought the landing strip, which circled a spring-fed pond in the center of the new property, up to code as well. Since most of the buildings on the property were adjacent to the paved landing strip, they purchased a few golf carts to travel from one part of the property to another.

Traffic was light, so it took just 15 minutes to reach the front gate of Megan's property. Megan opened her window and punched in the code to open the electronic gate that guarded her land. As she waited for the gates to open, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful, wrought iron sign in the shape of a “C” circled by the symbols of the south that adorned it.

The sign was a new edition, design by her daughter and built by her cousin, Paul. They had installed it on the gate after Hurricane Arlene. They’d suffered only minimal damage, but the hurricane had left a lot of areas needing some touch-up painting. The front gate was one of those. As long as they were painting, Emma thought that it was a perfect time for the property to adopt a logo and announced it to the world.

Once both cars pulled into the driveway, they separated. Megan pulled in front of her home, while Aiden followed the pavement to the converted barn and the apartment above. They had made plans to meet in the morning for breakfast. Aiden walked up the stairs to his apartment, mentally detailing his next day; he was an extremely organized man and liked to know his agenda ahead of time.

Meanwhile, Megan opened the front door to her home, greeted by the excited barks of her beagle, Barney, and her daughter’s old Basset hound, Fred. Emma had been out-of-state for college the last two years, and old Fred had been left behind. Recent events that had put her mother in danger convinced Emma to transfer back to Florida and continue her studies at a local university. She’d found a small apartment she was sharing with a friend, Taylor Jamison. Unfortunately, the apartment did not allow animals, so Fred was stuck with Megan. He had to make do with constant visits from Emma. They were all hoping that soon the two girls would find a larger home that would allow animals and give the girls more freedom from rules and regulations.

Picking up one of the two cats that wandered to her side to find out what all the commotion was about, Megan saw the blinking light on her answering machine and walked over to listen to her messages. She smiled, hearing the voice of her daughter.

"Mom, hope everything went well at Aiden's party. I'm really sorry that Taylor and I couldn’t make it. We’ll be back in town tomorrow, and I’ll have the final information we need for the fundraiser. Can we all meet out at Charlotte's tomorrow around 2:00? I want to show you what we came up. I can't believe it's this weekend. Until then, give Fred a hug for me. I love you, Mom. See you tomorrow."

Megan sighed at Emma's reminder of the weekend’s plans. There was still so much to do, but she had plenty of helpers. The fundraiser differed completely from anything Citrus Beach had ever done in the past, but she was sure that everybody would enjoy it and get behind it 100%. After all, she’d already sold all the advertising spaces to the local merchants for the event. They had enough pledges of donations to reach their intended goal. Not wanting to bother Emma with a phone call, she simply sent a text, confirming she would meet her at Charlotte's the next day.

Wide awake after the message, Megan grabbed the keys to her office and called to both dogs to go for a walk. It wouldn't hurt to go over her notes one more time, just to be sure everything was covered on her end. The two dogs were thrilled to get in one extra walk for the night and Barney ran ahead of her towards the office. Fred followed by her side at a more leisurely pace, fitting for his old age. Entering her office, Megan flipped on the light and left the outside door open with the screen door closed to keep out the bugs. She loved the sounds of the night, and the tree frogs were in full concert mode tonight. It was relaxing to spend time in her office, since this was her creative spot.

The building was made of two large rooms; the front served as her office and relaxation area. It was decorated in a nautical theme, and there were beautiful paintings by the famous Florida Highwaymen that depicted scenes of an older, wilder Florida landscape. Comfortable rattan furniture filled most of the room and a custom desk made from an old wood plank sat under the front window, giving Megan a view of her gardens as she sat there. The back room was a large conference room with a small kitchenette. This is where Megan concentrated on her landscape drawings, creating private and personalized gardens for her clients.

She had started out doing personalized gardening services, but with the demands of her clients, it developed into so much more. The concierge business evolved out of the needs of three of Megan's longtime clients. Over the years, her businesses had grown to the point where she employed a full-time staff and often hired on subcontractors and seasonal help. Megan was grateful for her success, and as a result, worked hard to give back to her community. The current fundraiser she was working on now was a perfect example. She was looking forward to it, not only because it was the season kick-off event, but also because it differed from any of the past events. Pulling out her folder full of notes and agendas, Megan sat down in the thick cushions of the sofa. Barney and Fred settled into their doggy bed by the desk. They knew from experience they might be here for a while.