Hops and Homicide by Constance Barker

Author:Constance Barker [Barker, Constance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Constance Barker
Published: 2019-11-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen – Dixie

THE COMPUTER ROOM WAS all high tech, but small. A lone monitor occupied the small desk with Dixie seated in front of it. Tom pulled a second chair over to the desk and rapped Dixie on the side of her shoulder...she struggled to get her bearings. His stern voice didn't help. “You can’t fall asleep now, Dixie. We need both sets of eyes studying Darrell’s security footage.”

She rubbed the sting left on her shoulder from his fatherly swat and replied, “You didn’t have to smack me like that. I don’t sleep right if I’m not in my own bed, sorry. I’m soooo tired today.”

“Well, we got lots of security video to look at. So, get some coffee or something. We’ve got work to do.”

Darrell popped into the room and plunked a third chair next to them. “So, you figured out how to view them I see. Good, and I can set up my laptop so we have two screens running to view the videos on. We can take shifts between the three of us. That way we get a break every now and then. We should be able to plow through all the videos pretty quick.”

Tom nodded. “Good plan. But I think we may only have two and half people on this. Your mom can’t keep her eyes open.”

A small chuckle escaped from the young man. “Mom, got you covered. Plenty of coffee already made.”

The three then engaged the plan and started to run through various security recordings on the two computer screens.

After forty-five minutes, Dixie made a funny noise and gawked. “Darrell, look at this, it’s just before the accident according to the time stamp, and look. We can see the floor pretty well. It’s clean, no mess. It looks as if the mess came after the accident.”

Darrell squinted at the screen. “Son-of-a...”

Tom pushed between Dixie and her son to get a view for himself. “Well, that seems to me to be pretty important. We wanted to know if the mess was there before or after the accident. There you go!”

Darrell was still squinting at the screen. “Mom, replay it slow from here. Let’s see what else we can see.”

Dixie complied. After a few minutes, she exclaimed, “Holy schnapps, what on earth is he doing?”

Tom watched the screen closely as Dixie looped the tape segment. “I think he hears something overhead. Look how he stops, looks around, then scrutinizes the ceiling.”

Darrel huffed. “It can’t be.”

“It can’t be what? Don’t hold out on your mom.”

“I thought I heard bees for a moment right about then. But I convinced myself it was in my head. Could it be something made a noise and Alcott heard it, too?”

“Wait, what do you mean you heard bees?”

“Just before the accident, I picked up a bunch of hops and took a big whiff; I love the smell of them. It made me feel like I was out on the farm with the fresh air and hop plants; I thought I heard bees. But I assumed it was all in my head.

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