Misdirected in teaberry, p.1
Misdirected in Teaberry, page 1
Misdirected in Teaberry
A Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery
R. A. Wallace
2019
Author’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogue, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Material in this book is not intended as a substitute for legal or medical advice from qualified professionals. The author has no connection to any software or website mentioned.
© 2019 R. A. Wallace. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Megan’s Recipe
Books by R. A. Wallace
Chapter One
The voice heard over the hospital sound system barely registered. A small portion of her brain automatically filtered it through the other information already there, sifting for any part of it that might be relevant to her. Finding none, her pace didn’t slow as she continued down the hall to join the others in her team.
Chloe Roberts had been on shift since zero dark thirty. Her work day would last longer than most. It was a routine she had grown accustomed to during her residency at the hospital though the actual times varied. As she grew closer to the group gathered in front of her, she could tell the conversation had already drifted from patients to supervisors. Given the scowl on Zach’s face, she was pretty sure she knew which supervisor in particular.
“I’m telling you, the guy has it in for me.” Zach Martinez was rarely seen at rest. He was of average height with a lithe frame, dark hair that he kept close on the sides but styled a little higher in the front, and wore dress clothes in the more modern cuts. He stood now with his hands on his hips, facing the others.
“Gordon Fletcher treats everyone that way.” Scott Nelson didn’t glance up from the notes he was reading. They would no doubt be tested on them as the day went on.
Chloe agreed with Scott. She couldn’t remember any time that Gordon Fletcher hadn’t pushed them. Then again, she couldn’t remember any time that anyone above the group of residents hadn’t pushed them. She shifted her gaze to Avery Campbell. The other female in the group, Avery was the serious, even-keeled member.
“I was surprised he didn’t suggest we investigate the new procedure before making comments on this one to see which of us comes up with the best alternative.” Avery didn’t bother to look around for consensus on her comment.
“He doesn’t suggest. He just dumps it in your lap,” Zach said with a pointed look at Avery.
Avery gave the barest shrug. “I would rather know all of the options before proceeding.”
Darius King looked around the group. “This isn’t helping. You know he’s going to devise some new way to make us compete with each other. We already have a million things to accomplish today. We need to figure out how we’re going to do all of that and whatever else Gordon Fletcher dumps on us today.”
Chloe could see the concern on Darius’s face. It wasn’t the first time he had mentioned the workload. As she looked around the group, she saw different emotions on each face. Since joining the team, she had grown accustomed to seeing those looks. Avery exuded quiet competence. She looked ready to handle whatever was thrown her way. Zach shifted his feet and looked ready to argue again. Scott glanced quickly at the rest of the group, then returned his frown to the notes in front of him.
The look on Darius’s face turned from concern to panic. Chloe knew exactly what that meant. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Gordon Fletcher was bearing down on the group. She steeled herself to hear the senior doctor give his orders for the morning before leaving the hospital for his own practice.
She was glad that she had. By the time Gordon Fletcher was done critiquing their recent work and barking orders, the team of residents had scattered. The only good thing about having Gordon Fletcher above them in the chain of command was knowing that he would leave the hospital relatively early each morning to return to his own office. It was a moment that Chloe looked forward to every day as she arrived for work.
***
“Well, what do you think?” Dan pushed his empty plate out of the way and reached for his coffee cup before leaning back in his chair.
“You’re right. It’s time. Instead of my faithful old truck, I will take the new car to the doctor’s office today.” Megan tried not to frown.
Dan saw through her bravado. “I know you love that thing. I know you’ve had it for a long time.”
“We’ve been through a lot together,” she conceded.
“I’m just saying that it might be time to move on.” He emptied his coffee cup before continuing. “I’ve done everything with it that I can do and it’s still not perfect.”
“In defense of my truck, it is pretty old. Perfect might not be an attainable goal at this point.” She set her tea cup down and rubbed her side.
His eyes dropped to her hand. “My point exactly. I don’t want you stranded somewhere just because your truck has gotten to that phase of its existence referred to as having character.”
She smiled at the thought. “It does have character, doesn’t it?”
“Not always reliable character,” he emphasized.
“I know.” She sighed. “But it served me well for a long time.”
“That it did.” He stood and quickly cleared the table of their breakfast things. He leaned in for a kiss before leaving the room. “I need to finish getting ready. Don’t work too hard. I can help with the linens when I get home.”
“I’ll do a little at a time but I would like to finish getting all the rooms put back to order now that the guests have gone.”
“I’m okay with that. I’m just saying that I’ll be home to help with it later.” He paused long enough to see her nod of agreement.
She finished cleaning the kitchen and managed to get the guest rooms mostly clean before her doctor’s appointment. The trip into town seemed different somehow. She knew it was the new SUV. It would take a little getting used to. Maybe over time, the new car would also grow character. She glanced into the rear-view mirror at the back seat. Before long, there would be a little one sitting back there.
Her doctor’s office was in a large medical building with several other doctors. Some had the same specialty, others were different. There was a smaller parking lot close to the medical building and a larger one across the street. Seeing no empty spaces near the building, she drove into the lot across the street and parked. She felt her phone buzz as she walked into the building.
There were different check-in points all over the building depending on the doctor. Megan walked through the building until she came to the window for her doctor. There were two women seated at the window. One was on the phone, the other was checking patients in. Megan took her place in line and pulled her phone out as she waited. She frowned when she read the message and looked up at the woman on the phone. She had been the one to call Megan. She waited in line periodically moving forward a few inches until it was finally her turn at the window.
Holding up her phone, Megan gave a wry smile. “I heard.”
Patsy Reyes gave a sympathetic smile in return. “Sorry about that. Doctor was called to a delivery. We’re rescheduling all of the appointments.”
Megan switched to the calendar feature on her phone and made a new appointment. After leaving Patsy, she made her way to the closest restroom. On her way out of the building, she ran into a familiar face. The woman walking toward her was even farther along in her pregnancy.
Amber Brandt laughed when she saw Megan. “I think we’re on the same schedule. I see you every time I come for my appointment.”
“I may have just broken the routine.” Megan motioned behind her. “My doctor cancelled on me today.”
“In their line of business, you can’t blame them,” Amber said. “Babies come when babies want to on their own schedule.”
“True. Good luck with your doctor.”
Amber watched Megan leave the building. She started moving toward the reception area for her doctor then stopped and turned to the restroom. Several minutes later, she stepped up to the receptionist for her doctor.
“Good morning.” Cecilia Masterson waited for Amber to sign into the computer. “Any changes since the last time you were here?”
“Shouldn’t be,” Amber said.
“Insurance information is the same?” Cecilia pulled Amber’s chart up on her computer.
“It is.” Amber waited patiently as Cecilia read through her chart.
“Okay then. I’ll call you when the doctor is ready for you.” Cecilia returned her focus back to her computer.
Amber looked around the large shared waiting area for an empty
She was going to set it aside when it began slipping from her hand. She caught it just before it fell. As she did, she noticed a card inside. It was one of those post cards with an ad that magazines include asking the subscriber to renew. It had her doctor’s name and address on it. Dr. Fletcher must be the horse lover in the office. She could tell from the pile of magazines that there were several others about horses.
She flipped the magazine over. Part of the cover was cut away. She was used to seeing that. The office usually cut away the subscriber’s name before setting the magazine out. She held the card in one hand, wondering what to do with it. Feeling guilty about putting it back in the magazine where anyone could see it, she finally folded it up and stuck it in her purse to throw it away later.
She glanced at the pile of magazines again. Those closest to her didn’t look interesting. The thought of getting out of the chair to walk around looking for one didn’t sound appealing. Finally, she picked up a newspaper. Glancing at the title, she could see that the focus of the paper was on local business news. It was a special paper geared to members of the business community. She wasn’t really interested in that either, but a headline caught her eye.
The name of her apartment complex was listed. Wondering what it could be about, she began skimming the article. She wasn’t surprised to learn that her apartment complex was co-owned by two local people. She was surprised to learn that her doctor was one of those people. She hadn’t realized that she was technically his tenant as well as his patient.
***
Dan pulled into the parking lot of his brother’s garage. He found Gabe working inside with the music blasting. He walked over to the radio first to turn it down. That got Gabe’s attention.
Gabe’s head popped out of the front of a truck. “Hey, brother of mine. What’s up?”
Dan joined Gabe at the front of the souped-up pickup truck. “I wondered if you had a verdict yet?”
Gabe grinned. “Megan’s missing her truck already?”
“I think she’ll adapt okay. I’m just wondering if there’s any life left in her truck. We aren’t real sure what we’re going to do with it yet. Seems silly to let it sit unused.” Dan checked out the truck in front of him.
Gabe nodded his agreement. “I agree. I think it has a lot of life left in it. But I also think it’s going to take a lot more effort to keep it going.”
“What are you saying?”
“It would probably have a better home with someone who has the time to baby it.” Gabe wiped his hands with a rag.
Dan understood what his brother was saying. He pointed outside. “What’s with the camper?”
Gabe walked over to the open door to the bay and looked out at his parking lot. On the far side, there was an older model toy hauler.
“One of my customers gave it to me for payment.”
“Seriously?” Dan looked at the trailer more closely. “It’s not bad.”
“I know. My customer is pretty flush. He’s real into the off-road trail circuit. Bought himself a new trailer and gave me this when I got his pride and joy going for him again.”
Dan slapped Gabe on the back. “Looks like you’re getting more business.”
Gabe looked at the small group of vehicles parked in his lot. Some were waiting for repairs. Others were fixed and waiting to be picked up.
“Thanks to Megan. I think that web site she put up for me is really helping.”
Chapter Two
The knot in her stomach tightened with each step that she took. Mandy stopped on the corner and reminded herself to breathe in and out slowly. She didn’t want to be in the middle of a panic attack when she reached the book store. She knew that a book signing was a big step in her career as a writer. She was actually looking forward to meeting some of the children who enjoyed her stories. She knew that many children did. The reports of her sales had been steadily growing.
She would never forget the kindness of the people who had helped her to become published. She’d first met Megan when the older woman was working on a mystery about the death of Mandy’s writing instructor. Megan had gotten Mandy in touch with another man who shared a love for writing children’s stories.
Everett Plant was an interesting character who owned a craft store in Teaberry. Like Mandy, he didn’t really seem to fit in with others around him. Instead, they both preferred spending time in the worlds they created in their own minds. The honking of a horn startled her. Mandy realized that she’d been standing in the same spot on the corner for quite a while. She looked around to orient herself.
She was standing in front of Tea & Thyme, a shop that sold products and also had a small area on the side where shoppers could sit and enjoy a cup of tea and something sweet to go with it. She took another breath and realized that she was feeling much better. She continued walking down the sidewalk. It was nearly summer now. The leaves on the trees were fully formed. A bird flew past her into the closest tree with a long piece of grass trailing behind it.
She knew there would be more baby birds soon. The thought brought a smile to her face. She could picture the drawing in her mind that she would use to tell the story of it. Her fingers closed reflexively together as though the colored pencil was already in her grasp.
The door to the shop next to her opened and someone walked out. The woman smiled at Mandy before continuing on her way. Mandy peered inside the windows. Togs had some interesting clothes in the display. She remembered going shopping with her mother when she was very small. She would hide in the clothes on the racks until her mother found her. She could picture drawing a circular rack filled with clothes and a small child slipping inside.
“Hello, beautiful day, isn’t it?”
Mandy turned to the voice. A small, serious-looking man with skin a beautiful shade of mocha paused to offer her a smile. She could see his kind eyes behind his thick glasses. She nodded her agreement and watched him enter the antique store. Vintage Teaberry looked to be full of treasures. She wondered what a small child might find inside.
“Mandy?” Megan stopped in front of Tomes and waited for the young girl to close the distance between them. “I’d heard you were going to have a book signing. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Mandy exhaled and offered a quick smile.
Megan pulled the door open and waited for Mandy to pass through. “It’s this weekend, right?”
“There she is. I thought you’d gotten lost.” The man in front of them was standing in the middle of the bookstore. He quickly separated Mandy from Megan and drew the younger woman to the other side of the bookstore.
Megan crossed over to Tia and lifted her brows in silent question.
“Del Langley, her agent, though technically I understand he’s also her publisher.”
“A man of many hats?” Megan watched them from across the shop. Mandy was silently listening to whatever Del was saying. Del was gesturing a lot with his hands.
“He’s a man of many somethings, I’m just not sure what yet.” Tia tilted her head as she watched them.
“I’m planning to stop in on Saturday to get my copy signed if I can make it.” Megan continued watching Mandy and the man who obviously wasn’t happy about something.
“That’s the day Jennifer and Jim are getting married, right?” Tia smiled encouragingly when Mandy glanced at her.
“Yeah. Think we should save her?”
“It would take a strong person to withstand him,” Tia murmured before crossing the shop.
Megan followed her.
“I’ve ordered in a large shipment of Mandy’s first book to have them on hand.” Tia turned to Mandy with a warm smile. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you come out with next. The first one is so charming.”
“Writing the book is the easy part. Selling it falls on me.” Del shook his head. “I can’t do that if she won’t cooperate with me.”
Mandy’s eyes shifted from Del to the floor.
“I don’t see the problem,” Tia said. “Her first book is a major hit. She already has a large following.”
“If she wants to make it in this business, she needs to treat it like a business. That’s where I come in. She needs to do what I tell her and write what I tell her to write.” The color in Del’s face increased as he spoke.
