Page 46 of June's First Murder
"Do you think he'll share information with us now?" Sara Lee asked hopefully.
Her grandmother smiled. "I think he'll be more willing to listen to what we share with him. Which is almost as good."
20
JUNE
After Sheriff Gordon left, June and Sara Lee moved back into the study. The pets quickly settled in for another nap. It was all so comfortingly ordinary. Yet they were sitting here discussing murder. Sometimes even June had to fight the urge to pinch herself.
"What now?" Sara Lee asked, her voice still carrying the tremor of adrenaline from the Sheriff’s visit.
June thought for a moment, her mind cataloging everything they'd learned, everything they still needed to know. "Now we keep digging. We were just starting to look at someone from here who might have been arrested in Richmond, giving them a cause to have an interaction with Raymond."
She pulled out her notebook and reviewed the notes she was making before the sheriff interrupted them. "Let's think about what we know. Raymond worked at Richmond Private Lending. That's where he would haveencountered people in desperate situations. People needing money, people in legal trouble."
"People who might have needed bail bondsmen," Sara Lee added, re-opening her laptop and starting to search through public records again.
"Exactly." June tapped her pen against the page thoughtfully.
“Give me some names, Nana June. My mind is still stuck on Sheriff Gordon catching us investigating.”
June rattled off the names of many of the people they knew who hadn’t grown up in Meadowlark Creek. For each one, Sara Lee shook her head. “Nothing. But then, for some of the women, we don’t know their maiden names.”
For several more minutes, they continued their search. Finally, June said, “Oh, my goodness, where is my head? Helena lived in Richmond before coming here. What if she worked for a company that had dealings with Raymond's lending company?"
Sara Lee's eyes widened. "Helena is always so careful, so proper.”
June made a note. "It's possible, though. People can get into trouble through no fault of their own. A bad investment, a family emergency, medical bills. See if you can search for any records of Helena in Richmond? Court records, business filings, anything that might connect her to Raymond's world?"
“What was her maiden name?”
“Oh, dear… let me think. I can see their wedding announcement in my mind. Bright? No, Brightly. Brighton! That’s it… Helena Brighton.”
Sara Lee immediately began to type. June watched her granddaughter work, her fingers flying over the keys with practiced efficiency. The younger generation and their technology… it still amazed June how much information could be accessed with just a few clicks.
While Sara Lee searched, June stood and walked to the window. Outside, Meadowlark Creek went about its peaceful daytime business. She could see Pastor Pete walking down the sidewalk away from the church, his Bible tucked under his arm. Helena's husband was probably heading off for his rounds visiting shut-ins.
"Nana June… I… I found something." Sara Lee's words were halting.
June hurried back to the desk, leaning over to see the laptop screen. There it was… a brief news article from a Richmond paper, dated several years ago.Local Accountant Arrested in Fraud Investigation
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. “Oh, my goodness… how stupid I’ve been!”
"What?” Sara Lee.
June dropped her chin and stared at her hands resting on the table. “I should have made the connection sooner.” She looked at Sara Lee, then said, “Raymond didn’t make a strange reference to her cookbooks. She’s an accountant. He must have said ‘cooked books’.”
“Cooked books? Like fraudulent accounting?”
June read quickly, her eyes scanning the sparse details. Helena Brighton, employed by Bennett & Associates, a mid-size finance company in Richmond, had been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement. The article mentioned missing funds from client accounts.
"Keep looking," June urged. "See if there's a follow-up."
Sara Lee's fingers flew across the keyboard again. A minute later, she found a second, much shorter article, buried in the back pages.
Charges Dropped Against Richmond Accountant
The case had been dismissed due to insufficient evidence, and the district attorney declined to prosecute.
