Aspen Allegations - A Sutton Massachusetts Mystery

Chapter 22

We were in our own little world - tucked into a quiet booth at MargaritaGrill in Auburn. I loved the booths. There were three of them along the right side of the main dining area. Each featured high-backed wooden benches, the right side abutted the wood wall, and the left side had figured woodwork edges creating a private space. A hanging tin light provided a constellation of patterns and a red-glass candle on the table added to the ambiance.

I took the last bite of my beef burrito, dousing it fully in sour cream. It was as delicious as the first. "Someday I need to try one of their other dishes," I admitted. "I just love this one so much – it's hard to think of anything else when I come to order."

He chuckled, offering me a toast with his Dos Equis beer. "If you find something you adore there's no harm in sticking with it," he reminded me. "So many people out there have to make do with things they're not fond of. Treasure your satisfaction."

I smiled. "So true."

The opening notes of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" echoed softly from my purse and I reached down into its depths. "Nobody ever calls me," I apologized to Jason. "I wonder who it could be?"

The contact name said Matthew and I brightened. "Hi, Matthew," I spoke into the phone. "How are you doing?"

His voice was rich with delighted excitement. "I sent you an email, but you didn't answer. The scanning program found the password!" He gave a merry laugh. "It was My1Love."

I smiled. "It figures," I answered. "Although if we had tried every combination of love and desire and adore it might have taken us years. It's a good thing we found that program."

"So what did you want to do now?" asked Matthew. "I think you wanted Jeff present when we opened it up?"

"Definitely." I glanced at my watch. It was just about eight. "Is it all right if we come over now?"

"Absolutely," he agreed with heart-felt warmth. "I want to know what's in this file as much as you guys. How about I call Jeff and you two plan to get here at half-past? Does that give you enough time?"

"We're just finishing up dinner now in Auburn," I let him know. "That will be perfect; it gives us time to pay the bill and head over. Probably back roads will be the fastest. You're sort of in the middle of nowhere out there."

"Eight-thirty it is," he confirmed, and then he clicked off.

Jason took my hand from across the table. "I heard most of that. So the password has been revealed?"

I nodded, waving to the waitress. She cleared off the plates and Jason handed her his credit card. She headed off into the back room with the lot.

I leant forward. "He hasn't actually opened the file yet," I explained. "He's going to wait for us to get there with Jeff. That way we can all see it together."

He tilted his head to one side. "You still think there might be a chance it's Jeff?"

"I think it's not Jeff but I figure there's no harm in being sure," I stated. "It's hard to think that anybody could have shot an old man simply for writing his memoirs. But then again, I was born in 1969. To me that is long ago and not worth worrying about." I took a sip of my sangria. "But what if it was something out of my high school years, something I was quite ashamed of? For example, what if I had been raped? Even though it was over twenty years ago I might still be quite upset at the idea of it being broadcast to everyone I knew. If I got wound up enough, I might get pushed to my limits."

His eyes were steady on me. "You would never murder someone, though."

I smiled, squeezing his hand. "Certainly, I know that I would not murder anyone. It's not in my nature. But I'm also wise enough to know that we all have different natures, and we all have different triggers. It could very well be that, to another person, life holds less value."