Fibs, Lies and Alibis

By Joanna Carroll

Desperate for something to do in the sleepy New Mexican town, Meg Witt, a Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist, takes on the job of marketing maven for the meat packing company for which her husband is contracting. Everything is going along swimmingly until her new boss in a fit of anger flings the promotional plans at her and throws her out of his office. Things go from bad to worse when the man ends up drown in one of his own meat curing vats and her husband, Mark, becomes the prime suspect. The company town is rife with suspects who were angry enough to have ended his tyrannical reign, but they close ranks to protect their own making Meg’s job of finding the true killer dangerously challenging.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joanna Carroll
• Release date: Sep 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301311675

Joanna Carroll

Joanna lives in an Arizona desert home that she and her husband built....well, mostly he built it. She has two sons, two daughters-by-love and three grandchildren. As a corporate trainer and training executive, she has traveled all over the world and met so many wonderful people. The sights, sounds and warm memories cataloged for future stories! Please stop by Joanna's blog located at readjoannacarroll.wordpress.com/. You'll get recipes of the yummy dishes featured and by clicking "Follow" you'll get notice of all new releases. Other interests include helping those in business, non-profits, clubs and organizations succeed by improving their soft (essential) skills and serving as Your Business Skills Coach. Her blog yourbizskillscoach.wordpress.com/ has lots of info, ideas and a forum for sharing your business experiences. Joanna also loves to share tips and techniques used to build their beautiful custom dream home in the desert. The blog custombuiltbyyou.wordpress.com/ has great stories and pictures to help you replicate these customizable ideas! Thanks so much for visiting! Enjoy Meg's adventures!

Book preview

Fibs, Lies and Alibis

By

Joanna Carroll

Fibs, Lies and Alibis

Joanna Carroll

Version 1.0

Copyright © 2012 JoAnn Simpson

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-301-31167-5

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Someone's going to kill that man, and it just might be me. Meg slammed her keys down on the mission style table that held the old-fashioned, cast-iron cash register and the obligatory bowl of mints. Bibby, who had a washcloth in her hand, swiped at the spot of the new dent.

Oh Bibby, I’m so sorry. Meg’s finger outlined the new divot in the wood.

Are you kidding? Dents and scratches give this style of furniture character. If I ever decide to sell it, that dent will probably get me an extra twenty bucks. Her bright eyes sparkled. Now, you sit yourself down here while I go make us a pot of tea. Then you can tell me all about what Harry did this time. She led Meg over to one of the peacock-style rattan chairs and indicated she should sit down by standing with her hands on her hips waiting for compliance.

Her thick blonde hair, which hung down her back in a braid almost to her waist, swished gently back and forth as she strode to the kitchen’s swinging door. It seemed Meg was the only customer in the Pottery Shed Café. She must’ve caught Bibby between the breakfast and lunch crowd.

Meg Witt had an interesting life. Anyone could look at it with envy or dread depending on their desire or dismay for wanderlust. And Meg vacillated with her own appreciation for her life depending on the day. Recently, she and her husband, Mark, had rearranged their whole lives. Mark had accepted a position with Rockies West Development as an architect/project manager of commercial construction projects. Meg had quit her newspaper reporter position to take on more free-lance projects, some journalistic and dabbling in a bit of marketing. This arrangement allowed the two of them, along with son Josh to travel whenever a project caused Mark to be on-site for weeks or months as his projects dictated. Since Meg home schooled Josh, they just took school wherever they ended up.

They were currently in southwestern New Mexico as Mark was putting the finishing touches on a new school thirty miles away and taking on a side project of designing a new meat processing plant, which was slated to open right here in LaHava. Accommodations were hard to find, so they're renting a two-bedroom guest house behind Bibby’s café.

Here we go. Bibby placed the blue and green speckled pottery tea set down on the table. She also had a plate of bread and other goodies on the tray.

What's all this? Looks like a picnic.

"These are bilillos. They're like a hard roll. So tell me, what did Harry do?" A wisp of steam escaped as she broke open the crusty bread.

At the mention of Harry Whitney's name, Meg’s appetite escaped right along with the steam of the bilillos. The man is deranged.

I warned you about him, didn't I? She licked a drop of honey off her finger. Her nonchalant attitude indicated that anyone with even half a brain wouldn't have had anything to do with Harry Whitney. Apparently Meg didn’t even qualify as a half-wit.

All of our other meetings have been fine. In fact, all of the other meetings have been fact-finding missions for me. This was the day I was supposed to present him with his new public relations plan.

Supposed to? Bibby’s eyebrows arched, enveloped by the short wispy hairs that framed her face. You've been working on that plan for weeks. Why didn’t you give it to him?

I don’t know, I did….sort of….but then….he just..., she could feel her frustration building again as she remembered the scene in the tower.

Bibby’s eyes lost their sparkle. Did he touch you?

No, of course not. Meg closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to force herself into a calm she didn't feel. No, he didn’t touch me. He just beat me up with words. I had just begun to make the presentation when he started yelling and swearing at me. He accused me of working for Carlotta, and that I was trying to sabotage his business.

Bibby's jaw locked into a firmness Meg had never seen before, and her hazel eyes started to turn deep green as she smoldered with anger. All in all, she managed to hide her anger rather well. The casual observer probably wouldn't have noticed anything different. The tension in the vacant café began to build as a solidly built, stooped-shouldered older Mexican gentleman came in and sat at a table near the window with his back to them.

Meg changed her volume to more of a stage whisper to avoid being overheard. Then he picked the plan up off the desk and….and…. he threw it at me. Bibby's eyes widened. She almost looked embarrassed. Meg could relate to that feeling. Sometimes people she knew well would say or do something stupid and she’d immediately feel embarrassed by their words or actions. Her old neighbor, Silas Bursak, leapt to mind. Silas, although nearly seventy years old didn’t play well with others and needed another adult to translate for him on occasion. She mentally shook her head to get her back on track.

He just picked it up off of the desk and flung it at me. I couldn't believe it. He didn't even want to discuss it. I demanded an apology. Meg could feel her face and neck getting red as she recalled the event

Oh, I would've liked to have seen that. A crooked grin turned up one side of Bibby’s mouth.

He said he wouldn't give me an apology because his outburst was all my fault. There's a mature individual for you. He can't even take responsibility for his own actions. Meg tended to slip into sarcasm when angry. I'm not even sure what provoked him. I mean we were sitting there one minute discussing business like two rational adults and the next minute, he was ranting, raving, and pointing his finger in my face. The man is a lunatic.

Meg, I'm really sorry this happened. I sure hate to say I told you so.

I know, I know. I guess I was just ripe for the picking. I was so bored that I jumped at the opportunity to have something to do.

Don't go anywhere. I need to make Juan's breakfast. She covered Meg’s hands with her own. I'll be right back. She moved towards the swinging doors of the kitchen, the opposite direction of her customer.

Bibby, Meg said in a stage whisper. She stopped and turned. You forgot to take his order. She thumbed her hand in his direction.

It's Wednesday, right?

Meg nodded.

Every Wednesday, he comes in and has hash, eggs and coffee. He thinks of this as his treat for the week.

It was probably better this way. Meg could tell her the story in bits and pieces. Besides, Meg never tired of her surroundings. She loved sitting here soaking up the ambiance. The Pottery Shed Café had thick adobe walls with exposed vigas in the ceiling, over which Bibby draped colorful Apache blankets. Small shelves jutted out from the walls in a random pattern to display the exquisite pottery that she crafted. The dark, tiled floor seemed to swallow up the light that streamed into the expanse of windows that faced the street. In another setting, the floor might've seemed cold and foreboding. In the Café, its cool darkness was a wonderful contrast to the warmth and light of the bright blankets and colorful pottery. It was the typical simplicity of the Santa Fe style that made the surroundings peaceful.

Bibby opened the Café two years ago as a way to get people to come in and look at her pottery and the blankets. Otherwise it was just another in a long stream of artisan’s shops that cascaded from one end of New Mexico to another. Bibby’s idea was that if the tourists could sit and contemplate their purchases over a cup of coffee, breakfast or lunch, they would be more likely to purchase something. It seemed to be a winning combination. The longer they sat looking at the unique and colorful art the more likely they were to walk out with at least one item and sometimes they walked out with their arms full. There seemed to almost be a mathematical correlation between the time they spent in the Café and the quantity of their purchases. Since tourists bought everything in sight there was a constant influx of new pottery and blankets.

The smell of Juan's breakfast began wafting through the Café. Meg sniffed appreciatively at the aroma drifting from the kitchen. It didn't smell like any hash and eggs that she’d ever had. But then again, most of what Bibby created was different from anything she'd ever experienced. Bibby’s parents left Santiago, Spain when she was just a baby. They lived in Mexico until she was five before finally settling in Albuquerque. So everything she cooked either had a Spanish or Mexican flair to it. Although to look at her or hear her, no one would ever take her for Spanish descent. She looked and sounded as if she came from someplace in Nebraska. So much for stereotyping.

Bibby deposited Juan's breakfast in front of him and exchanged a few pleasantries before joining Meg again.

I see your appetite has come back, she said as she surveyed the plate of crumbs left from the bilillos.

Sorry, but those kitchen smells inspired me. What did you put in those hash and eggs?

Chorizo, sliced potatoes, and onions topped with fried eggs and finished off with a little cheese shredded on top.

Mmm, sounds good. But I thought I caught a whiff of cinnamon.

You have a good nose. Mexican coffee is usually served with a cinnamon stick. Something you undoubtedly would've experienced by now if you drank anything besides tea.

What can I say? My mother always told me I was too young to drink coffee, so I never acquired the taste. Coffee is something that generally smells a lot better than it tastes. Meg wrinkled her nose.

Bibby licked her finger and then proceeded to chase the bilillo crumbs around the plate. So back to Harry. I don’t suppose he had the good graces to have this meeting in his corporate office.

Nope. We were in the tower for everyone to see.

Bibby shook her head in disgust. Harry Whitney's business was Southwestern Meat Processing. In the center of the main building, suspended from the ceiling twenty feet above, he had a glass enclosed operations room. This way he could make sure that no one was sitting down on the job and there was no socializing going on. Harry figured he paid the people to work not to chat. The tower, being fully insulated in the floor and having one inch thick glass all around, ensured soundproofing from the deafening noises of the plant below.

Not that anyone dared to take a direct look, but I imagine there were more than a couple of stolen glances in our direction. He made quite a scene, flailing his arms around, jabbing his finger in my face, and flinging that business plan at me.

Meg met Harry Whitney through Mark, who was working on the plans for a new meat processing plant, which everyone was hoping would pass the scrutiny of the building commission and would begin construction sometime next year. Harry was not only one of the most influential individuals in the state, but he was the head of the planning commission for the county. He also owned a meat processing plant, but said there was always room for another plant. Along those lines, he asked Meg to put a public relations plan together for him, so he would be in a better position to be a competitor to this new business. Bibby had tried, subtly at first, to dissuade Meg from getting involved with Harry. As they got to know each other better, her warnings were far more direct.

What was that part about you working for Carlotta? Bibby asked.

I don’t know. I guess because the new plant is supposed to be built on her land.

I knew Harry would pull something like this. This whole act about him being in favor of this new plant being built was just too good to be true. He said it would be good for the economy of the county. The only economy he's ever been interested in has been his own. Of course, since Carlotta's going to benefit, that's reason enough for him to ditch the idea.

I’m confused. Isn't Carlotta not only his sister-in-law, but the widow of his oldest brother?

Your memory serves you well.

You'd think that he'd want to do anything he could to assure himself that she'd be financially set for the rest of her life.

Well that logic doesn't fly for two reasons. First, he couldn’t care less about anyone besides himself. Second, there's no amount of money that could ensure that Carlotta would be set for the rest of her life. Money soaks through her hands like water here in the desert. A puddle one moment and dry as a bone the next.

But, he said he wanted to see what changes would be necessary to keep him competitive with the new kid on the block.

You know, Bibby said looking thoughtful, from what I know about Harry, he talks about change more than he ever actually does any changing. Bibby exhaled a big sigh, I guess this means that he's going to block the building of the new plant. That's too bad. This county could sure use the jobs.

What do you mean block the building? He's only the head of the planning commission. The final decision isn't up to him.

Bibby chuckled. You really believe that don't you?

This is a democracy. That's the way it works. He and his committee get together and make a recommendation to the county commissioner, who then in turn takes it to the governor, or something.

Bibby shook her head at Meg as her mother used to when she offered up a lame excuse for why she needed to go against the stated rules of the house. Meg, you really don't understand how it works in a company town. Harry Whitney owns practically everything in this part of the county. What he doesn’t own are this place, Alex's garage, Carlotta's spread and Samuel Harmony's ranch.

But everyone else's homes and businesses are their own, aren’t they?

No. He hires everyone to either work at the meat processing plant or any number of businesses he owns. Then he rents them the houses where they live. They shop in his general store and grocery market. He owns everything, even the church. Harry keeps their wages low enough and the cost of the houses high enough that although there is the option of buying the house they live in, they can never save quite enough money to do it.

This reminded Meg of a scene from It's a Wonderful Life after the angel shows George what the town would've been like without him. This didn't sound all that wonderful either.

I can’t believe that. This is the 21st century. This kind of thing is still going on? It's amazing that everyone is as positive and upbeat as they are. This kind of living situation would down right depress me.

So you see Harry already has this town crippled. We all had our doubts that he would let this new plant be built. That's why I thought it best that you didn't get involved with him. He'll probably never make the changes you’ve recommended because he will never allow that plant to be built anyway.

He's the head of the planning commission, not the whole thing. Surely his vote only counts as one, doesn't it?

Meg’s apparent lack of understanding was simply compounding itself as Bibby continued to shake her head at her. He is the entire commission. The others are merely puppets, so that visiting dignitaries, architects, public relations people or potential business owners are satisfied that everything is on the up and up.

But what about Mark? He's been working after hours every night and every weekend trying to design something that the new owner wants and still is within approval from Harry's input.

See that’s what I mean, just a big waste of time. She peered over at Juan to see if he needed anything. She didn't hop up so he must’ve been doing okay. The final presentation to the planning commission is tonight at the church and pretty much the whole town in expecting to be there. Realistically, I guess we're all hoping against hope that the new plant will pass committee. Are you going?

I'd better stay here with Josh. You go ahead and go. Carter can stay with us. I'll let them pitch their tents outside. They've been bugging us to do that for a week now. Pretty soon it'll be too cold for them to sleep outside."

Bibby nodded her head in agreement. Are you sure you don't mind?

Listen, the idea of seeing Harry anytime in the near future is not exactly appealing. Besides, when Mark finds out about this, he's not going to be very pleasant to be around either.

Everything will work out just fine, Bibby said pounding on the table for emphasis.

How can you be so sure?

"Because my grandmother always used to say, Todo saldré en la lavada!

Sorry my Spanish is a little rusty, best I could do on a translation is that it has something to do with the bathroom.

Close. It means everything will come out in the wash. It'll turn out the way God has planned it.

The front screened door had opened and closed half a dozen times within the past few minutes as the lunch crowd began to filter in. Bibby checked her watch and stood. Well, try not to be too bummed out about this. I've got to get going or they'll bury me in orders, said the chief cook, bottle washer, and waitress as she surveyed the filling Café.

Okay, well, I’d better get going on Josh's and Carter's lessons anyway. Where are the boy wonders?

They're behind the garage doing something. I've been made to promise that we won’t peek and spoil their surprise. They were over at Paco's Whatever this morning talking him out of something.

I haven’t been into that place yet. What exactly does one buy at Paco's Whatever?

Bibby rolled her eyes. Whatever you want or need, Paco is likely to have, just like it says, whatever.

As long as they're not getting into something I'll go ahead a take a shower first. After that meeting with Harry, I feel the need to be clean.

Bibby gave her a rather abbreviated wave as she headed towards the kitchen. Meg smiled and made small talk as she made her way to the back door. The people of LaHava were pleasant enough, but rather reserved. After