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The town hall meeting room was sparsely populated, making it easy for Wanda and Myrtle to sit near the front. The commissioners were already in their seats behind the long desk, facing the audience. Tippy blinked as she spotted Myrtle and Wanda, then gave them a wave, which they returned.
Wanda said, “That’s him.” She nodded her head toward a man in his late-thirties, who carried himself with a preppy elegance. His sandy-blond hair was meticulously styled, and his piercing blue eyes appeared to dissect the world around him. He was wearing a tailored navy blazer, a crisp white shirt, and designer loafers. To Myrtle, he looked like a very successful man.
Red sat in the front row, far to the left of his mother and Wanda. The meeting was called to order. This was followed by several minutes of very boring talk from several of the commissioners, who Myrtle believed likely loved hearing their own voices.
Finally, it was time to get down to business. Nat stated he had purchased a building in downtown Bradley and was planning to develop it into a mixed-use residential and commercial building, with residential on the top floor and businesses on the bottom. The commissioners asked a few questions about this. There was apparently a zoning change that was going to have to take place because the area wasn’t currently zoned for any sort of residential use whatsoever. Tippy asked a question regarding the exterior design of the building, apparently wanting to ensure that it was going to match the rest of the properties downtown. Nat quickly reassured her that would be the case.
Myrtle, having gotten spotty sleep the night before, found herself starting to doze off. Wanda was already ahead of her, chin nearly touching her chest.
Tippy cleared her throat, looking directly at Myrtle and Wanda. “I see we have some members of the public in attendance today. Thanks for coming. I’d like to give you the opportunity to speak or ask questions.”
Red turned to look at Myrtle, scowling. She pressed her lips together in annoyance. Red was sure to give her a hard time later if she didn’t speak. But she really didn’t have questions. Still, she stood and walked over to the rather unnecessary microphone that was stationed nearby. “Yes, I have a question. I’d like to know what commercial enterprises will be occupying the proposed development.”
Red rolled his eyes.
Nat gave her a tight smile. “That’s as yet undetermined. We’ll start looking for tenants after everything is approved and our renovation is completed.”
“Is there anything else?” asked Tippy.
Myrtle shook her head and took her seat. The commissioners took a vote, and the development was approved.
Nat was apparently not in the mood to hang around and schmooze with the commissioners. He gave them a quick thanks, then headed for the exit. Red gave his mother a hard stare as she and Wanda hurriedly followed suit. He looked as if he might be ready to give chase, but then he was stopped by an elderly commissioner who wanted to bend his ear for a few minutes.
Myrtle was able to catch up with Nat shortly before he climbed into the largest SUV she’d ever laid eyes on. “Mr. Drake,” she called.
He stopped, turning around. Then he gave her a 100-watt smile. “Hi there. Thanks for your interest in the project today. Are you considering residing in the finished building?”
“Hmm? Oh. No, I’m just on my neighborhood watch. I give my neighbors updates on various things in town. They just love those kinds of details.”
Nat looked amused. “Do they? That’s great they’re so interested. If you want to email them the pertinent information, I know the meetings are transcribed and released online.”
Myrtle already knew this. But she also knew Nat Drake appeared to be the kind of man who enjoyed knowing things. And explaining what he knew. So she affected a grateful expression. “That’s wonderful. What a great idea.”
Nat regarded her thoughtfully. “I believe I know who you are. Myrtle Clover, aren’t you?”
It pleased Myrtle to be recognized. “That’s right. And I’m with my friend, Wanda.”
Nat didn’t give Wanda more than a passing glance. In Myrtle’s mind, it was a strike against him. He continued, “You’re Red’s mother, aren’t you?”
Ah. Myrtle suspected she knew now why Nat was interested in speaking with her. “Yes. You know Red?”
“Naturally. Although I’m afraid our relationship is somewhat strained right now. He was glowering at me during the meeting.”
“Was he?” asked Myrtle. “How odd. Why would he do such a thing?” Myrtle was quite sure Red was glowering at her and not a bit at Nat. But then, she had no desire to disclose that, since she wanted to hear what was on Nat’s mind.
“Yes. I believe he thinks I’m upset about a development project that had to be scrapped because of Teddy.”
Myrtle smiled at him. “I’d think you were an unusually patient person if you weren’t upset.”
He gave her a wry smile. “You’re right. I was upset. Still am upset, actually. But I certainly wouldn’t have gained anything from murdering Teddy. It’s not like I can move forward with the project now that Teddy’s dead. The salamanders are still there. They’re still endangered. It would have solved nothing.”
Myrtle gave him a sweet smile. “I don’t suppose you would do something like that for revenge? It seems many people murder for that reason. Hard to imagine, of course.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I don’t want to go to jail. I have a booming business, I’m doing well, and I’d like to reap my rewards instead of whiling the hours away behind bars.” He paused. “Perhaps you can tell Red that.”
“Perhaps.” Myrtle didn’t mention the fact she was out of contact with Red whenever humanly possible. “Were you able to give Red an alibi? I’d think that would be a great way to keep him off your back.”
“Unfortunately, honest people don’t think about alibis too often. I was dealing with odds and ends at the house yesterday morning. Teddy Hartfield was the last person on my mind.” Myrtle wasn’t completely sure he was telling the truth, however. She wondered if Wanda felt the same. He was fidgeting quite a bit and not completely holding eye contact.
Myrtle decided not to call him on it, instead giving him a sympathetic look. “Housework is a never-ending chore, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I was chasing down elusive socks, watering my houseplants, and texting my girlfriend. Aside from that, I was tying up loose ends on another project, via email. It was just an ordinary day.”
“What did you make of Teddy?” asked Myrtle curiously.
Nat shrugged. “I didn’t really know him. This was the first time I’d met him—over the salamander thing, I mean. I had no idea he was any sort of environmental activist. That caught me totally off-guard. I’d heard of Teddy, of course, but only that he was the guy to order flowers from if I wanted a special arrangement for my girlfriend.”
Myrtle wanted to hear more about the salamander issue from Nat’s point of view. She tilted her head to one side. “How exactly did the salamanders shut down the development project? I’m only slightly familiar with the story.”
Nat was looking just a smidgeon impatient, as if he were ready to head off in his tremendous SUV to do Very Important Work. But he was clearly also hoping Myrtle would talk with her police chief son on his behalf. He said, “Well, Teddy managed to get my planned development blocked because of the stream running through part of the property. That stream was the habitat of the Eastern Hellbender.”
“Gracious! What a terrible name.”
“It’s a pretty terrible-looking animal,” said Nat wryly. “Especially to the crayfish they eat. It’s nobody’s pretty child. Apparently, it’s a giant salamander. The average length is nearly a foot and a half, I’m told.”
“What I don’t really understand is why Teddy took such an interest in this animal. How did he even know about the salamander in the stream? Did he visit your property and go looking for endangered species?”
Nat said, “The property I own abuts Teddy’s property. So Teddy had a direct interest in preserving it.” Before Myrtle could say anything, he added, “My intentions were to be very responsible with the development. It was meant to help revitalize the community with new commercial spaces, housing, and infrastructure that would attract businesses, create jobs, and boost the local community.”
It sounded as if Nat was reciting from memory the speech he must have given in front of the town commissioners at the time. It sounded slightly unnatural, like a stump speech or a polished soundbite.
Nat continued, “There were going to be affordable housing units since I believe strongly that everyone deserves a safe and comfortable place to be, regardless of income. The commissioners were all very excited about the project.”
“Gracious. How big is that property? And so near to downtown? It must be quite valuable.”
“Acres of woodlands. I’d bought it years ago and waited to develop it. Part of the woodlands were going to be preserved as green spaces.” He made a face. “Instead, it was all abandoned.”
“No wonder you were upset,” said Myrtle.
Nat gave her a sharp look. “Not upset enough to murder Teddy. It was annoying, but things like that happen in this business. Yes, it held potential financial gains for me. And I was irritated that I was holding a piece of property that could no longer feasibly be developed. But I wasn’t going to kill anybody over it. It was just a professional disappointment.”
“Is there anybody you can think of who might have something against Teddy?”
Nat nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. Perhaps that’s something you can tell Red, as well. Curtis Walsh. Do you know him?”
Myrtle nodded. “I spoke with him yesterday. He lives next door to Teddy, I believe.”
“That’s right.” Nat sighed. “One thing Red has focused on is that my fingerprints were found at the shop.”
“Probably half the town of Bradley’s fingerprints are there.”
“Exactly,” said Nat eagerly. “That’s what I was telling him. I did go by there in person one day to try to reason with Teddy. I wanted him to back off about the salamander.”
“But weren’t you saying that wouldn’t do any good?”
Nat said, “This was before Teddy contacted the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Myrtle raised her eyebrows. “I see. So the Hellbender Salamander is listed as endangered by the Federal Endangered Species Act.”
“That’s right. Like I was telling you, once Teddy spilled the beans to them, there was no way the development was going to move forward. If I was going to murder Teddy, it would have made a lot more sense for me to have done it weeks ago.”
Myrtle nodded. Nat would then have been preventing the whistleblower, so to speak.
“Anyway, I went by to see if Teddy could be persuaded to drop the whole matter. He couldn’t be, though.” Nat shrugged. “So that was the end of that. But while I was there, Curtis Walsh came bursting into the shop, screaming about something that had happened that morning. Curtis had a climbing wall he’d built for his son. His son fell, breaking his arm. Curtis wasn’t able to leave his driveway because he was blocked in by a delivery truck.”
“Mercy,” said Myrtle. “Couldn’t he drive off-road a little and get around it?”
“Apparently not. There’s a ditch at the front of his yard. Curtis was steaming, he was so furious.” Nat turned his arm to look at what appeared to be a Rolex watch. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to get going. I have a meeting I need to attend in a few minutes.” He looked again at Wanda and said slowly, “You seem very familiar.”
Wanda blushed, shaking her head. “Don’t know yew.”
Myrtle, who hadn’t forgotten her irritation when Nat seemed dismissive of Wanda earlier, said crisply, “Wanda has a well-regarded column in the newspaper. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. She does the horoscopes.”
Nat snapped his fingers. “Of course. That’s where I’ve seen you. There’s a headshot right next to your column. I’m quite a fan of yours. I never miss your column.”
Wanda’s blush deepened and she studied her feet. “Thank yew.”
Myrtle said, “I’m surprised someone your age reads the newspaper at all.”
“The entire reason I subscribe is for Wanda. I’d love to have a reading with you.”
Myrtle quickly interjected. “There’s a fee for that.” She could feel rather defensive on Wanda’s behalf. Readings could be very tiring, and she certainly didn’t want Wanda to be taken advantage of. Especially by this slick, wealthy-looking young man.
“Of course. I’ve got cash with me.” He glanced at his watch again. “You know what? I’ll cancel the meeting. There’s a small sitting area that’s usually pretty quiet inside town hall. Would now work for you?”
Wanda looked at Myrtle, then nodded.
“I’ll come along, too,” said Myrtle. If Nat Drake was a potential murderer, she certainly wasn’t going to leave Wanda alone with him.
The sitting area was modest, but then the town hall was modest, as was Bradley itself. Myrtle was curious how this completely off-the-cuff reading was going to transpire. Wanda’s other readings were usually at her home, where she had things like tarot cards, a crystal ball, and tea leaves.
Then Wanda, almost apologetically, reached for Nat’s hand. He stuck it out, peering at her as she peered at his palm. Wanda’s eyes flickered uneasily.
“Something wrong?” asked Nat sharply.
Wanda had told Myrtle before that no one wanted to hear anything bad. Why would they? Wanda’s hesitation made Nat add, “Go ahead and tell me what you see.”
Wanda said, “Money. And unhappiness.” She didn’t meet his eyes.
Nat sighed, nodding. “Anything else?”
Wanda put down his hand and folded her arms, closing her eyes. Nat and Myrtle looked on as she sat silently, almost as if she were listening. Then she opened her eyes. She cleared her throat. “Kale smoothies.”
Myrtle thought perhaps poor Wanda had suffered a minor stroke. But Nat immediately laughed. “My ex-girlfriend, Trisha. She drinks two of those things a day. I’m considering trying to get back together with her. I was going to call her today and ask her out to dinner.”
“Don’t,” drawled Wanda.
Nat nodded, looking thoughtful. “I won’t. Thank you.”
That was all Wanda could see, so minutes later, Wanda was slowly driving Myrtle back home. Wanda looked pale and tired, as she often did after a reading.
“Do you want to come in and have a nap for a while?” asked Myrtle with concern.
Wanda shook her head. “Think I’ll head home. Work in th’ yard.”
Myrtle nodded. That was always very restorative for Wanda. She loved her plants. Although she wasn’t sure how much was growing in February. She supposed there was always pruning to do. “Oh, I know what I’ve been meaning to tell you. Garden club is tomorrow. How about you come along?”
Wanda gave her a grin. “You wanna go because Ollie will be there.”
“Your psychic abilities are truly stupendous today. Yes, Teddy’s former employee will be speaking to the group. Maybe I can get Miles to attend, too. He does enjoy going to some meetings.”
Wanda pulled carefully into Myrtle’s driveway, then gave her a reproachful look. “Gotta be careful around Miles now.”
“Yes, I know. He’s sad. But perhaps, if he has activities to do, he’ll be a bit better.” Myrtle was quickly tiring of treating Miles with kid gloves.
Wanda appeared doubtful at this. “Mebbe yew should put yer feet up, too.”
“Me? I’m absolutely fine.”
But thirty minutes later, Myrtle was asleep on her sofa, Pasha curled up next to her.