by Keene, Susan
“Okay. We can begin Tuesday morning. It will give you a day.”
Ryan and Nathan retreated to the patio. They looked as if they were in deep discussion so we didn’t go out.
I stood and put Chili on the floor. She didn’t want any part of that. She stood on her back legs and jumped over and over with a sad look in those dark eyes until I reached down and picked her up. “Let’s have a glass of wine. Mexican wine is delicious, but I sure do miss good old California white.”
Amy picked up Digger. It was like old times.
I was too tired to talk and Amy didn’t seem to care. With Chili in my lap, I sipped my wine and stroked her fur. Digger snuggled with Amy. We sat in peaceful silence.
There’s no place like home.
Nathan came in from the patio. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked Amy.
Amy stood, dog in hand and hugged him. “You bet.”
I looked up from petting my dog. “Aren’t you afraid?”
Nathan laughed. “No. While you were out of the country I put alarms on every window and door, along with lights that come on if something moves more than an inch. I also put them on the fence and the garage. I’d say we are safe.” He reached in his pocket and took out a piece of paper. “This is the code to the alarms for your house. I did the same thing here. When the dogs go outside, the entire yard lights up like a baseball field. You might have complaints from the neighbors.”
They took two suitcases with them and said they would pick up the rest in a day or two. With Digger under her arm and Nathan laden down with the bags, I whispered a little, please keep us all safe, as they walked out the door.
An hour later I finished my wine, took a hot shower and laid happily in my own bed.
Ryan checked on his other business. I didn’t know when he came to bed. He didn’t wake me.
On Thursday morning, Amy and I met at Starbucks on the Loop. It felt good to take a break and get back to my regular job. Amy had a latte and a bagel at the table for me. She pushed them in front of me when I sat down. “Hi. Our assignment is to find out who is short changing the teenage clerks at Don’s or if the kids are skimming.”
“I thought there was a video.”
“No, I misunderstood. It was a YouTube video about how short changing is done.”
I took a drink of my coffee. “How do you want to handle it?”
“We should have Ryan’s guys install two new temporary cameras. One will catch the counter and the kid’s hands and the other under the drive-through window will point to the drivers.”
It had been a long time since we had an actual case together. I smiled. “Is there a walk up window?”
“There are two. One where the customer orders and pays and a second where they pick up the treats. Most of the sleight of hand takes place at the walk up window. The girl at the drive-through takes the money, turns to the cash register and then back to the customer. She puts the money in a little holder on the cash drawer where she and the customer can both see it. No one can say they gave her money they didn’t.”
I took the last sip of my latte. “This is a two cup morning. Want a refill?”
Amy picked up her fresh cup and blew on it. “I didn’t talk to Nathan about the cameras. We were too busy. She offered her left hand for me to look at.”
“Oh, my! You’re engaged. That’s terrific.” I stood and walked around the table to hug her. “Did you set a date?”
“Christmas. I don’t have any family so we’ll get married in Tyler at his childhood church with his family. Will you be my Maid of Honor? It will be a small wedding.”
I held her at arm’s length. “I would be honored. Has he picked a best man?”
“He wants to ask Ryan. You know how shy he is. It’ll take him a few days to get around to it.”
“You know Ryan will say yes.”
“I know. Back to the case. Will you call Ryan about the cameras? The store’s open from ten a.m. to eleven p.m. so it’ll have to be sometime outside of those hours.”
I took out my phone and made the call. “I’ll set it up.” I talked to Ryan and put my hand over the phone to ask Amy who he should contact. “ Lance Holt. He has been there full time since this started.”
“I thought it was Don’s.”
“It was and it was doing so good, Lance didn’t want to change it. He said he likes money over fame.”
She cleared the table. “Are you ready to go? I think we’ll have to learn some products and prices before Wednesday.”
“That’s only two days. Hope I can keep my mind off Ivy for a few days and focus on the job.”
We spent five hours at the ice cream store where we took orders and money. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought. Actually, I had fun. Lance turned out to be a twenty-something guy who bought a chain of four ice cream stores two years before, one of those high achievers. The store on St. Louis’ Southside was the only place he had a problem with short-changers.
On the way home, Amy said, “I wish we could study short-changing before tomorrow. I’ve heard about it but never seen anybody do it, except for the one grainy film Lance gave me.”
“I bet they have more than one video on YouTube. I’m convinced they have a film on everything. There’s most likely one on how to do brain surgery or take out your own appendix,” I said.
Amy took me back to her car and I followed her home. We looked up scams on the internet and watched until we found the exact one we wanted. After our fifteenth viewing we could have gone into business scamming people.
Nathan came in from work and when I hugged him he turned bright red. “I am so happy for the two of you. I’ve never seen two people more suited to one another.”
Nathan hugged me back. “Except you and Ryan.”
I smiled. “Speaking of Ryan, if I don’t head home, he’ll begin to worry.”
Nathan gave Amy a quick kiss and walked me to my car. “Send us a text when you get home and inside so we don’t worry.”
“Will do.”
Ryan’s truck was in the garage. When I opened the door to the kitchen, delicious aromas attacked my nose. “What is that?”
“Beef Stroganoff.”
“Really? It smells luscious.”
He gave me a hello kiss and pulled a chair out for me to sit at the table. “It’s simple. I thought since you worked all day I would treat you to a home-cooked meal.”
“Whatever the reason. Thank you.”
The table setting was elegant. He had thought of everything down to the tiniest detail. Salad bowls and forks, water glasses, plates for the stroganoff, and a dessert plate all were meticulously placed on a white lace tablecloth. “Should I be worried? Did I forget an occasion?”
He sat across from me and put his hand on the table. I put mine on top of his. “Mr. Meade, if you spoil me like this all the time, I’ll get lazy.”
“There is one thing. Did Amy tell you Nathan and she are getting married around Christmas?”
I looked at the engagement ring on my left hand. “Is that what this is all about?”
He looked down. “Maybe a little. We have dated for six years and lived together for four and a half of those. We don’t fight. I love you and you love me. What’s the holdup?”
I stood and went over to him. He rose to greet me. “Ryan. I love you. I don’t want to change my name, for one thing.”
“You can be Kate Nash as long as you want. Legally, your name would be Kathleen Madison Nash-Meade. My ego is strong enough to have a wife with a different name than mine.”
I kissed him. “How about Thursday? I have a case on Wednesday. I know we can wrap that up in one day.”
“We can have Nathan and Amy be our witnesses.”
“No. Just you and me and whoever’s at the courthouse at the time.”
“Why?”
“Because I am deliriously happy and I don’t want to take a chance on too much changing in our life, superstitious, I guess.”
We finished our dinner and s
pent the rest of the night practicing the finer points of married life.
I sat up in bed, wide awake in the wee hours of the morning. My dead husband Michael’s essence and memory were vivid, I looked around to see if he was in the room. It had been nearly six years since he was murdered on a fishing trip with his brother.
Back then I worked as a homicide detective. Not one time did it cross my mind I wouldn’t grow old with him.
Ryan had come to my rescue then and everytime I needed him over the years. We fell in love, yet in the back of my mind, I didn’t think it was time to leave my dear husband.
I laid down, turned with the front of my body to Ryan’s back and snuggled into him. Sleep didn’t come. I left Chili tucked in bed, grabbed a throw and went to the patio. The stars twinkled in a clear sky. I turned Nathan’s security lights off. A gentle breeze rustled the trees. I tucked my feet under me as I sat on the love seat. My mind skipped from one happy highpoint of my life with Michael to another.
I closed my eyes and imagined him next to me. A lite touch tickled my cheek, like a kiss, as though a feather brushed it. A warm breeze blew against my lips, yet nowhere else. When I opened my eyes, Michael stood under a muted light at the back of the yard. He leaned on a tree. He wore the same clothes he had on the day I last saw him. His dark blond hair hung on his forehead and he brushed it away.
“Come to me,” I whispered in my mind.
“I would love to but I can’t, it’s against the rules.” He didn’t move as he talked. The wind laid still. An apparition of my mind, I decided, yet so real. If I were a bit closer, I could touch him.
My gorgeous Michael, sweet, loving man. “Then why are you here?”
“To ease your mind.” He stepped back farther into the shadow.
“Please, stay awhile.”
“I’ve been here too long as it is. I came to tell you to move on. You have found another man who loves you. I release you with my blessing. Be happy, Kate.” He waved, as he always did with two fingers to his lips followed by a kiss he sent my way. He disappeared.
I stared after him until I fell asleep. I was on the patio when Ryan found me in the morning. For the first time, I was at ease with my decision to marry Ryan.
Whether or not Michael appeared in the yard, he appeared in my mind. I put the incident back in my heart where it belonged. I couldn’t bear the thought of sharing the memory with anyone.
CHAPTER 16
A my and I opened the ice cream store at eleven. We hardly had time to count the change and turn on the machines before there were two cars in the drive-through and three customers at the walk-up window. Thank goodness Lance came in, followed by Cindy, one of the teenagers who worked there. I took orders. Lance and Abby made sundaes, malts, smoothies, and every other ice cream treat imaginable. In the middle of our busiest rush I whistled to Amy, who had manned the drive through.
A young man, no more than sixteen, came to my window and ordered an orange sherbet. He handed me a twenty dollar bill and grinned so big I could see his tonsils. He immediately asked, “Can I have change for this ten?” He shrewdly held back the ten.
“I need the ten dollars sir before I can change it.”
He gave me a double-take. “I gave it to you.”
“No, no you didn’t.” I persisted.
He fanned out his change to show me he did not have a ten dollar bill.
I apologized and changed the ten for him. While the exchange took place, Amy left her customers waiting and their treats unmade. She scampered out the back door, and came up behind him. He turned around, the big smile still on his face. I saw her guide him away from the window and out of ear shot of the other patrons before she motioned for me to join her.
A city police cruiser pulled up behind us. The boy visibly exhaled and looked smaller and not near as smiley as before. Amy went back inside to help Lance who had been swallowed up by ice cream lovers.
Without being asked he swore he only had the change for the twenty dollar bill I gave him minus his ice cream. I looked him straight in the eye. “Then how did you know what we wanted to talk to you about?”
He looked at me and then at the cop who now stood next to him.
The officer asked him to show the change. He reached in his front pocket and pulled out the correct amount. “Empty the rest of your pockets, son.” The police officer insisted.
The additional money was stuffed into his back pocket. The cop put the kid in the back seat of the cruiser and leaned down to talk to him. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Michael Moyer.”
“How old are you Mike?”
“Sixteen.”
The cop squatted and took a notebook and pen out of his front pocket. “According to the ladies inside, you have been stealing money from them for weeks. They say you have two friends who rip them off too. What are their names?”
“We didn’t steal anything, we were only messing around. Do I have to tell you their names?”
The officer stood and told the boy to get out of the car. “I don’t think you understand. Anytime you take something that’s not yours, it’s stealing.
“If you call taking money from a business every time you visit, messing around, you are traveling down the wrong road. If the owner here wants to press charges, you’ll be in big trouble.”
I wasn’t sure how far the cop would go with his fear tactic.
He handed the notepad and pen to the boy and said again. “Write down their names. I know you think you’re being a loyal friend by not telling. If the other two have the same outlook as you, they are going to end up in bad company.”
He wrote two names on the paper and handed it back. The cop put him back into the car. “What's going to happen to them?” I asked.
“I’ll take him to the station and put him in a holding cell by himself until his parents arrive. I need to talk to Lance and see if he wants to press charges. I don't believe he will. They’ll all have to pay the money back, do some community service and hopefully learn the difference between messing around and committing a crime.”
I had mixed feelings about the boy in the back seat of the cruiser crying.
Amy and I collected our fee. The rest of the day we spent at our office in Clayton. There were emails to answer and dozens of phone messages. I worked for a half an hour before I kicked off my shoes and propped my feet on the desk. Amy sat in a chair on the other side and followed suit. She wore a pair of vivid orange cheaters low on her nose. She looked over them. “Okay, Kate, what's wrong? Are you still upset about the boys?”
“No. I can't get my mind off the Tucker family. I think about them constantly. I believe they were railroaded.”
“By who?”
“Someone who knew the preparation they put into the planning of their trip and decided to ruin their plans and push them into their own agenda.”
“I'm not sure I follow your train of thought.”
“Do you and Nathan have plans for this evening?”
She took her feet off the desk and sat up straight. “No, just dinner and TV.”
“Come over and join Ryan and me. I want to run my ideas by all of you. I'd rather not go through it twice.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call and run it by Nathan.”
“I need to see what time Ryan will be home.”
Twenty minutes later, we were on our way to Max's BBQ, in the city, to pick up sandwiches, cole slaw, potato salad, and buns. Nathan said he would swing by home and pick up Digger.
We all got to the house within five minutes of one another. Ryan and Nathan took the bags of food from Amy and me. Ryan stuck his nose next to a sack. “I haven't had BBQ in a long time. It smells marvelous.”
Nathan opened the door. “Max’s is where I learned how delicious it is to put cole slaw on a pulled pork sandwich.”
We ate outside while Digger and Chili played tug-o-war with a toy squirrel. We were all having seconds as I began my story. “Since Ryan and I returned from Mexico, I hav
e been putting together information on each person, actually starting in Chicago. The neighbor who gave us the information about the Tucker family and their ill- fated trip.”
Ryan looked at me. “Such as.”
“Let’s get the Pictionary board out to make notes on. I think I can make a good case for why the entire family was killed.”
They looked up from their plates with noteable frowns. “I meant after dinner.”
Ryan went to a cabinet in the den, came back and set up the easel in the living room in front of the TV. He kept the magic marker. “I’m ready, give us your thoughts and I’ll write them down.”
“First, we went to the neighbor’s house and she told us the Tuckers had planned the trip for two years or more. She said they had it right down to the minutest detail.”
Ryan abbreviated my sentence and nodded at me to go on. “The woman at the travel agency said the trip was so well planned, all she could provide was a few maps.”
Amy folded her legs and curled up with them under her. “The hospital where the doctors worked said they were obviously in love and they wanted to take a memorable trip. It dominated their conversation for the better part of six months.”
“You’ll have to enlighten us about what you heard on your trip. We haven’t had time to talk about it,” Nathan said.
I bent over, picked up both dogs and put them in my lap. “The boat rental is run by a Brit named Reginald Saylor. He told us the Tuckers had a boat and captain picked out before they arrived. The man who originally intended to sail for them was not in port. Saylor said the owner of the boat rental company wanted to use the schooner the family reserved so he could sail to Mexico for his daughter’s wedding.
“They were forced to leave in another ship with a different captain and first mate. The boat they ended up with had been in dry-dock for a year and they completely redid it.”
“I know where you’re going with this, Kate,” Ryan said. “Every person we spoke to said the children were polite, happy, and smart. For the three days they were docked in the waters just outside the lagoon, no one ever saw an adult. Not on deck, in the water for a swim, nowhere.”