Murder at the GeoCache

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thursday, the week beforeLast night, Aiden had seen the lights go on in Megan’s office, tempting him to walk over to check on her. But he’d stopped himself. They had been through a lot a few months earlier and twice Megan was put at risk, almost a deadly risk. She was recovering well, not showing the fear and jumpiness that she did a month ago. Aiden knew it would be best if he left her be. She needed to build up her courage naturally with no one hovering around her. If he were honest with himself, this was one of the reasons he was in no hurry to find another apartment to rent. His presence on the property also put her family at ease, knowing Megan wasn’t out here by herself.

So, he kept an eye out for her, and like last night, gave her the space when she needed it. He was perfectly aware of when she closed up her office and headed back over to her home. He even knew when she turned in for the night. He wasn’t stalking her, but he was there if she needed him. Thanks to his years of working for the FBI, he always knew what was going on around him. Once he knew she was safe for the night, he turned his full attention to the case notes in front of him, a referral from the FBI, involving the fancy swindling of a select group of successful investors.

Megan got an early start to her day, and even managing to get in a quick run around the property, Barney happily keeping pace with her. As she ran, she mentally checked off the tasks that were completed, and prayed that everything would go perfectly.

She waved to Aiden as she went by the apartment and saw him sitting on the upper balcony, enjoying his morning paper. But she had no time to stop and talk. She had a to-do list a mile long for the upcoming event.

Seeing Aiden made her smile. He was her inspiration behind this year’s fundraiser’s theme, even if he wasn’t aware of it. The combination of his habitually getting lost and Emma’s telling her about a fun event at college had set Megan’s mind whirling and planning.

The seasonal kickoff wasn’t just a social event; it also raised funds for Citrus Beach’s community causes. Megan felt that if people could see where their donations would go, then they would be more willing to donate. So, Megan formed the idea of a Community Geocache Event.

It was a clever idea, or at least she thought so. Soon, she had others on board with her and a committee to run the event. The participating teams would each be given a list of clues and coordinates. From there they would have to visit each site. As they reached each site, they would have to sign the log book and pick up a clue to the next site. In traditional geocache games, the player is often required to leave a token at the site to prove that they were there. Megan planned on having the participants leaving their donation at each site—and that donation would go into the fundraising coffers of the community cause that each site represented. The final clue would lead them to Carol Bloomquest’s home for a dinner and dance.

Megan, with Emma’s help and guidance, had selected five sites. They planned that two sites would be visited during the morning, the third at lunch time, where there would be a catered picnic for everyone, and then the last two in the afternoon. Each of the sites would have a hidden cache to find, as well as information and a representative for each cause on-hand to answer questions and take donations. To encourage players to take their time and socialize as they went from site to site, there’d also be a tent with snacks and beverages at each stop.

It had been fun figuring out what sites to use and it was all very hush-hush so that no one had any advantages. On the day of the event, participants would meet at Megan’s for a continental breakfast and to receive their instructions. Then, each team would start their geocache adventure from a different location to ensure that no two teams were at the cache site at the same time. Megan and her team of volunteers were planning on setting everything up late on Friday, and everyone was sworn to secrecy.

The meeting at Charlotte's ended, everyone’s final assignments were handed out, and last-minute details were seen too. Charlotte and Carol happily took on planning the dinner dance, meaning Megan would not have to worry about any of the evening activities. So far, everything was going exactly as planned, and Megan was thrilled. The summer had been filled with enough stress and unplanned events. She was more than ready to kick off fall and get back to her normal way of life.

Megan’s run ended at her pool terrace, where a hot and happy dog jumped into the pool without invitation to cool himself off. Megan laughed at his antics, but decided to forgo a dip in the pool herself. Calling Barney, she dried him off with a beach towel and then went in the house to grab a quick shower. She would have time to relax and enjoy the pool after Saturday’s big event.