Chapter 5
Eric sits at his desk, reading a few notes that were taken while he was away from the office, and groans. He has to make phone calls now instead of working on pulling the files from the other five colleagues to help get things organized for Kyle and Adam. Eric hopes they had better luck with Judge Grayson and getting the signed court order than he is trying to get things ready for them. He picks up the receiver to his phone and dials in the first number.
After several hours, he finally puts down the phone for the first time after having to call six people and lets out a heavy sigh. It is almost time to go home, and he feels like he barely got anything done, even though he has done a lot with his clients for the day. He pulls out a stack of white paper and turns his squeaky black chair so that he is facing his typewriter. He puts the paper and types up his notes from the phone calls to turn into his bosses as he does every day. Even though he sees the words and his fingers click away on the typewriter, his mind wanders to his conversation earlier with Adam and Kyle.
He continues to type everything up for his bosses to read, hoping that the detectives will call soon so that he will have to stop his work and work on getting the paperwork. Eric corrects a couple typos with white out and a pen and then sets the papers into his out box for someone to pick up later before he leans back in his chair and stares out of the window, past a few others working at their desks helping clients are typing up their notes for the day. He lets out an exasperated sigh before he turns his chair back around to read a few files before he can leave for the day.
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Adam scours the ground around the Timerson’s front porch, already having looked at the Simon’s house but coming up empty-handed. Kyle is off at the Walters’ home to see if he can find anything in the bushes by the front that they can show Judge Grayson about their theory that the murdered is a salesperson or posing as a salesperson. Adam pushes through the overgrown bushes this way and that, but nothing catches his eye to show that anyone was there trying to sell the late Mrs. Timerson anything. Growing frustrated, Adam takes off his hat and wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, sitting down on the front step. He scans the neighborhood beyond the gate, listening to the birds and the hustle bustle of the neighborhood as people leave to go shopping or returning from shopping or work. Adam knew that Mr. Timerson will be home soon, and he would like to ask him a few more questions, maybe get him to open up about his time at Old Times Insurance, but he isn’t sure if Mr. Timerson will be open to him. It devastated the man the last time they tried to question him, and he shut down immediately, closing and locking the door on Adam and Kyle.
Adam stands up and places his hat back on his head and he hankie in his pocket when he sees Mr. Timerson pull into the driveway. He waves at the man who only stares at him for a moment, then slowly emerges from his car. Adam walks over to Mr. Timerson, who still does not know how to react when seeing the detective at his house again. The ‘For Sale’ sign quietly creaks behind the man, causing Adam to look towards it.
“Selling I see?” Adam comments before shaking the man’s hand who reluctantly takes his outstretched hand.
“Yes, I have had a few people look, and a couple is considering buying. Once they buy, I am moving to another part of Tennessee, close to Memphis for a new job and a new life.” Mr. Timerson waves for Adam to follow him to his front porch where they can talk.
Adam sits in one chair on the porch and leans his elbows on his knees, “Again I want to express my condolences over the loss of you wife, Mr. Timerson. I know it is extremely hard to talk about it, but I need to ask you a few questions about that day and a few about where you used to work.”
“Where I used to work? You mean Old Times Insurance? What does my working there have to do with Sharon’s death?” Mr. Timerson perks up a bit at the mention of his job.
“We ran into a colleague of yours and we did a little chatting during lunch today. Eric?” Adam says as he pulls out his notebook and pen, opening it to a new page and writing Mr. Timerson at the top of the page with the date. “Do you know him and did he work at the same insurance agency as you?”
“Yes, Eric and I worked at the same insurance company,” Mr. Timerson answers, still not sure why it would matter.
“Did you know that the other victims were wives from those men who worked at your insurance company as well?” Adam asks as he watches for some reaction to the question.
Mr. Timerson raises his eyebrows at the news, not having really thought about it before, “I did, but I never thought that their wife’s death might be connected with mine until now.” He sits up straighter in his chair.
“Can you tell me what you were working on before you quit?” Adam asks, his pen ready to write anything he is told.
“The last client I was working was with a couple who was looking for car insurance. And before that it was someone who needed to get help because their house almost burned down in a fire,” Mr. Timerson says as he thinks about his work. “They gave those to another agent at the company, but I don’t know who or I could send you to them. Do you think either of them are the ones who took my Sharon?”
Adam writes it all down, shaking his head, “I don’t think so because neither of those sound like the client would be so mad, they wanted to get revenge on you.” Adam taps the pen on his lips and squints his eyes for a moment. “Are there any cases that you can think of that resulted in someone leaving the agency as a client and made someone mad at the Insurance agency?”
Mr. Timerson grows quiet as he thinks about all his past cases that could cause someone being mad enough that they would murder his wife, but nothing came to mind. He shakes his head, “I had a few upset people but nothing that I can see would cause this.” Mr. Timerson shakes his head, “I no longer have permission to look at the cases or I would go in and see what I could find.” He snaps his fingers, “But I think I might have something that will help.” He gets up and disappears inside after unlocking the front door.
Adam puts away his pen and notebook while he waits for Mr. Timerson to return from inside his house. He is wondering how Kyle is doing since he has not gotten a call yet from him. Adam raises his eyebrows when Mr. Timerson joins him back on the porch, gently carrying a plastic bag in his hands.
Adam peeks inside to see a magazine inside and he raises an eyebrow, “A magazine?”
“Yes, it is someone else’s magazine that someone stole. My neighbor down the street was complaining about their two magazines being stolen from their mailbox.” Mr. Timerson walks down his walkway to the front gate and points out the house where the magazines had been stolen. “Their name is on the magazine, so I know that whoever took my Sharon was trying to sell her something.”
Adam nearly jumps over the gate, rushing out to his car, thanking Mr. Timerson for the significant find. He scurries down the sidewalk to the house and rings the bell. In a few moments, a nicely dressed woman answers and looks at him questioningly. “Evening ma’am, I am Adam, a detective that is looking into the murder of one of your neighbors, Sharon Timerson. Mr. Timerson told me you had two magazines stolen from your mailbox. Is that correct?”
The woman steps back as her husband joins her at the door. They look at each other before the man answers, “Yes, that is true, but what does that have to do with Sharon’s death?”
Adam holds open the bag so that they can see inside and see the name tag, “Is this one of those magazines?”
“Yes, that is my Women’s Kitchen Recipe magazine,” the woman pipes in. “Where did you find it?”
“Mr. Timerson found it in his hard by the front porch where he found Sharon,” Adam tells the couple, closing the bag. “Someone pretending to sell magazines is the murderer. When did you notice the magazines missing?”
“About two days before they murdered poor Sharon,” the woman tells him. “You don’t think the murdered is a salesperson, do you? I open the door to talk to them all the time, even if it is just to tell them no.”
Adam nods, grabbing his notepad and pen, holding the bag under his arm as he writes all the information that they are giving him. “We can’t be sure, but that is one theory. Thank you for your time and please do not open the door to any salespeople while this case is still open.” He puts the notepad and pen back, holding the bag more securely in his hands.
Adam says his good nights, tipping his hat at the couple before he walks away, heading back towards Mr. Timerson’s house to retrieve his car. He gets in his car, yawning since his excitement has zapped his energy, and he drives off, heading for the diner in order to get something to eat since he has been working since lunch and it is well past dinner. His stomach growls angrily as he pulls into a parking spot in front of the diner, glad that the place stays open late and heads inside for something to eat. He still has not heard from Kyle and before he takes a seat, heads to the back where a pay phone is, dropping some coins inside. He dials a number in for Kyle’s phone and waits while it rings in his ear. Not getting an answer, he hangs up and heads back to the front where the hostess is waiting for him. She sits him down at the bar area as Adam has requested and leaves him to go sit a family of six.
Adam taps his fingers as he looks over the menu to find something that sounds appealing to eat for dinner. When the waitress stops in front of him, he looks up and smiles, “Coffee please, black. And a water too, please.”
The waitress flips over the coffee cup and fills it before she heads off to get him some water. He returns his gaze to the menu, still unsure of what he wants to eat when he hears someone enter the diner and turns to see Kyle walking in looking exhausted and hungry. He waves at his partner who joins him, flopping on the stool and placing his hat beside him.
“I had a feeling I would find you here. I am hot, tired, and starving,” Kyle says, stealing Adam’s menu to look it over.
The waitress walks over and puts Adam’s water down, glancing at Kyle, “Can I get you anything, dollface?”
Kyle glances up and grins, “Yes please, the biggest regular coke I can get, a side salad with ranch dressing, and the mashed potatoes and steak dinner plate.”
“Actually, that sounds good, make that two of everything except for the soda since I have my coffee and water, please,” Adam tells the waitress who nods and walks off still writing the order before ripping it free and putting it on the turn wheel for the chef.
Adam looks at Kyle, “Find anything?”
“Nope, all three houses were a bust,” Kyle groans as he lowers his head, his slicked hair falling since the moose he used earlier has lost its hold.
“Well, no worries. After we eat, we will call Judge Grayson back and set up a meeting so that he can see the magazine Mr. Timerson found outside in the bushes where he found her body.” Adam grins, crossing his arm over his chest, “Two days before the death, someone stole two magazines out of a neighbor’s mailbox that sits three houses down from the Timerson’s house.”
Kyle looks over at Adam, his eyes wide as Adam nods, grinning, pointing towards the door and to the parking lot where his car is parked. “It’s in the car right now, hidden under the seat.”
Kyle lets out a loud whoop and gives Adam a high five. They look around the diner at the few patrons and hold their hands up, apologizing for being loud. The waitress brings their drink and food, and they lean down, hovering over their plates quietly as they eat, not wanting to bring any more attention to themselves. Even though they have lived in the two for two years, they are still the strange outsiders. They pay for their meals and rush out to Adam’s car so that Kyle can see the goods before they head back to the office in their separate cars for a late night, their first order of business being to call Judge Grayson.