Diced

by Deany Ray

  Celeste thought about it. “There was a death involved.”

  “It was self-defense!” Marge said. “Surely they wouldn’t see it differently. Oh, I hope he’ll be okay.” She paused. Something was going through her head. “Hey, I know what we can do. We can help Aurora with the kids! Wouldn’t that be fun? We could take them to a park, organize some games, or dress them up for that parade Celeste just talked about.”

  Celeste smiled. “That would be fun. The kids would almost have as good a time as Marge.”

  “And we’ll have to wait to see what becomes of Stanley.” Marge picked up her burger.

  “I guess we’ll find out soon,” I said. That morning, Alex had texted me to say he’d meet us at the diner and give us details of the aftermath of our crazy night. I’d been surprised to get a text from someone I didn’t think even had my number, but Alex was a cop. He had a way of getting information.

  Although, who had gotten the information first on where Stanley was hiding out? CMC! That’s who.

  “I also got a call this morning,” Celeste said as she dipped her spoon into her soup. “The world’s most unpleasant client will drop off a check this week. Why can’t people use the mail?”

  “Because that way she couldn’t scowl at us and talk about what we were doing wrong,” I said.

  “She was fairly pleasant, really.” Celeste leaned back in her seat. “I guess she’s relieved that we found Stanley – and the money. The police, of course, are in possession of the cash, but she’s thinking that she’ll get her share once things get sorted out. And she said she wasn’t wasting any time filing for divorce. That’s next on her agenda.”

  “Well,” I touched my napkin to my mouth. “I do wish her well.”

  “You won’t believe it, but she paid us a compliment,” Celeste said. “She said You do good work. That’s high praise from her.”

  I smiled. “It took her a while to notice.”

  Marge picked up her drink. “I’m glad she’s finally pleased, and I’m glad to have the money. Mostly, I’m just glad that I’m alive after last night.”

  “You got that right,” Celeste said. “Before I fell asleep, I was wondering if they would have shot us if it wasn’t for the cops banging on the door.”

  I shuddered. “Best not to think about it.” As I bit into my grilled cheese sandwich, scenes from the night before played out in my mind. “Hey, you know what?” I asked. “I think we would have been just fine. Marge was fierce with The Persuader.”

  Marge blushed. “Well, the guy was asking for it.”

  “Speaking of the cops,” Marge sang out in a gleeful tone, “what’s up with you and Alex? I almost forgot to ask.” She reached over and grabbed my hand across the table.

  “Yeah, I couldn’t help but notice,” Celeste said. “That know-it-all cop is so into Charlie.”

  “Didn’t they look cozy?” Marge squeaked. “Oh hon, I’m so glad! You make the cutest couple. I always thought you would.”

  “No one said they were a couple.” Celeste picked up her mug.

  “But did you see how he held on to her?” Marge asked. “It was almost like a movie. It was so romantic. I do love a good romance. He’s very interested.” She winked.

  I blushed. “I think I might be too.”

  “Who wouldn’t be?” Marge asked. “That man is absolutely fine.” She squeezed my hand. “Now, it’s time for you to flirt a little.” She winked. “Then you can tell us how he kisses.”

  I blushed. “I already know.”

  They gasped.

  “That night at the hospital, after my parents cooked him dinner, we were standing outside afterwards and…” I blushed one more time as the memory came back, warming me all over.

  The others leaned forward in their seats.

  “And?” Marge asked.

  “What?” Celeste insisted.

  “It was wonderful,” I whispered.

  The others froze, Celeste with her coffee mug halfway to her mouth.

  “I knew it was going to happen,” Marge squeaked when she had found her voice. “Oh Charlie, he’s just perfect.”

  Celeste put down her mug. “Except that he’s a cop. As a rule, you know, I’m not fond of the cops. But if he makes Charlie happy, then I’ll be glad for that. Although I guess it could be kind of awkward on the job.”

  I’d thought about that, too. After waiting until I was almost thirty for my life to finally start, I had found a great guy and a great job, and they clashed big time.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before, hon?” Marge asked. “This is really huge.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know where it’s going. I guess we’ll wait and see.” Plus, it had been fun to have a secret.

  “Well, if you’re happy, then we’re happy,” Celeste said.

  I quickly changed the subject. “Did I tell you that my mom is finished with her cocktail class? They loved her at Amateur Night, so I guess she might keep going with her hobby. Of course, who knows what’s going to happen with The Bumpy Cashew now.”

  “There’s no shortage of bars around,” Celeste said. “She can bartend all she wants.”

  “Yeah. I just hope that she’s finished with the parties at the house,” I said.

  As I took another bite of my grilled cheese, someone touched my shoulder. Ouch. That was another part of me that hurt. I looked up to see a face that I vaguely recognized. I’d gone all through school with the tiny blonde who was standing by our table, beaming, but we’d barely even talked. She’d been in the school band, as I recall – and the prom committee, and the student council.

  I had…gone to class.

  “Charlie Cooper!” she squealed, as if I were her long-lost best friend. “Just who I need to see.”

  “I am?” I asked before I remembered to put on my social face. “How are you after all these years? It’s been quite a while.”

  Perhaps she had a case for us. I was way too tired to start one then and there, but in a few days’ time, we’d need a way to keep the paychecks coming. Supposedly, of course, we were undercover, but with Marge yapping around town, you never knew. This woman might know exactly the kind of business we were in.

  She ran a hand distractedly through her hair. “I’ve been absolutely wonderful, but I’m in quite a pickle.” She grinned. “Do you give a classmate discount?”

  From the size of the diamond on her hand, she didn’t seem to need one. The thing I noticed most, though, was the way she almost shouted when she talked. So much for undercover. I had to kind of shush her if I didn’t want the whole room to know we were private eyes.

  “Oh, I think you’ll find our rates are excellent,” I said. I scooted closer to the window. “Sit down if you’d like. These are my partners, Marge and Celeste. Tell us what’s going on, but remember, we can’t talk very loudly. We don’t want anyone to hear.”

  She looked startled. “Why?”

  “We’ve found that in this line of work, it’s best to work in secret,” Marge said.

  “You’re kidding?” The woman stepped back, startled. “That is just bizarre.”

  I could tell Celeste was put out. She was probably assuming Marge had let the secret out again by running her mouth in public.

  “We’d love to hear about your case,” Celeste said to the woman.

  My former classmate took a seat. “Well, I don’t keep it in a case. Do you think that might be the problem?”

  I exchanged confused glances with Marge and Celeste.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” I said.

  “My husband always tells me to keep the laptop in a case when I take it out to all those meetings,” the woman said. “The thing’s gonna get beat up. And now it’s just a mess, and I need you to fix it.”

  Mental forehead smack. She meant our other “business.” My heart caught inside my chest.

  “It’s been running so slow,” the woman continued with her story. “It takes me forever to pull my documents back up. And I don’t have tim
e for slow! I’m the new vice president of the PTA, and that’s not even all. Next month I’m in charge of Deviled Egg Days in the park. It’s sponsored by the Women’s League.” She gave us a proud smile.

  “There’s a festival for deviled eggs?” I asked. I’d never heard of that one.

  “It’s going to be so great.” She sat up a little straighter. “There’s a recipe contest, a tasting, a lot of arts and crafts, and a new game for this year. People toss eggs back and forth with partners to see who can go the longest without…well, you know – kersplat!” She laughed. “Glad I’m not on cleanup!”

  “We’d love to help you out,” I said “but things have gotten backed up.”

  Not another laptop!

  “And it sounds like you don’t have time to waste. Not with all those projects,” Marge said.

  The woman frowned. “That’s true. Maybe I’ll try you next time. But, hey, it was great seeing you.” She stood, then bent toward me to whisper. “I won’t tell anyone about your secret laptop business.”

  Watching out the window, we managed to hold our laughter until we’ve seen her get into her Lexus.

  “Can’t blame me for that one,” Marge said. “I was afraid that I’d opened my mouth again and spilled the beans.”

  I frowned down at the laptop we were supposed to fix that sat beside me on the table. “I guess we still have one problem.”

  Celeste had a plan, but her plan would cost us. After lunch, she wanted to take the laptop to a guy who knew a guy who could fix the thing – for more money than we’d made by finding Stanley.

  I ached all over and had almost died, and now I would be poorer than when this whole thing began? We had to find a better plan. I wished Celeste knew a guy who knew a guy who could fix it cheaper.

  “There’s no way we’re gonna fix this thing alone,” I said to my friends.

  Marge stared at the laptop. “Nope. Not our line of expertise. I can’t aim The Persuader at it and tell it to work again.”

  I waved the thought away. “Let’s don’t even think about it now. We’ve earned a day that’s just for fun.”

  I heard Marge giggle. “Speaking of fun,” she said, “guess who just walked into the door.”

  “Hopefully not someone whose laptop doesn’t work,” Celeste said.

  Before I realized it, Alex was beside us. I hoped no one could see the way I kind of melted when he looked at me.

  “You all look a little tired,” he said with a grin. “Been chasing thugs or something?” He didn’t look so fresh himself with those dark circles underneath his eyes. “That was some night, huh? I didn’t get much sleep. The paperwork, interrogations…”

  “Anything new?” I asked.

  “Have a seat,” Celeste said.

  Marge winked at me and giggled, and I kicked her beneath the table. What was this? Middle school?

  As Alex slid in next to me, a waitress appeared beside us. By the way she smiled at him, I guessed she’d noticed his good looks, too. Really, how could she not, unless she was blind.

  He smiled and nodded to her. “A ham and cheese sandwich to go, please. And I’d like some slaw with that.” He sighed once she was gone. “It would be nice to have a break and sit and eat my sandwich. But the world of crime awaits.”

  Celeste took a bite of salad. “Do you have any thoughts on what will become of Marty? He seems like a nice guy who got caught up in a bad spot.”

  “Yeah, it stinks when there are young kids involved and you’re locking up their dad.” Alex shook his head. “His poor wife went to pieces. She came down to the station with a kid in each arm. Several more were hanging to her legs. I don’t know who was crying more, the kids or the mom.”

  “The thing that Marty did sounds like self-defense to me,” Marge said.

  “It could very well be that the judge agrees with you. What the guy needs right now is a real good lawyer who really knows his stuff. I’m sure that Marty did feel threatened. Snakes was mad; he had a knife. Marty might just have a good case. When you throw in the wailing wife, the million kids crying for their dad, the judge might see it his way. Or the jury might. Whatever.” He shrugged, then closed his eyes.

  I wondered if he’d slept at all. I wanted to touch his soft hair, and tell him to make sure he got some rest. I hoped he’d stay a little longer. It felt good to have him close, his leg almost touching mine.

  “It just makes me sad for Marty,” Marge cut into a tomato that had fallen from her burger.

  “And Aurora too,” Celeste said. “I hope she has family close-by to help.”

  Alex nodded to the waitress as she handed him his order, packaged up for takeout. “Your friend Deborah was at the station with her. Your client had a lot to say about how husbands were a waste of skin – hers and Aurora’s too. I think Deborah is going to help Aurora where she can. She did something kind of nice, said Aurora should go on home and take a nice long nap, that she’d take the kids to her house and take them out for ice cream, too.”

  “Well, I would not have seen that one coming,” I said. “People can surprise you.”

  Alex continued with the story. “She said she could afford to buy some treats now that we’d found her money. Then she said the kids were the ones who needed treating. Ice cream for everyone! You’d never seen such happy kids. Made you wish you were that age again. One mention of an ice cream and that solves all your problems.”

  “Well, isn’t that something else?” Marge asked. “I always kind of wondered if there was a nice person in there somewhere. After all, she did like to read a good love story. How can you love romance and be a total shrew?”

  “What happened,” Celeste said, “is that she focused on something else than Stanley and her troubles. When you’re steeped in your own miseries, you’re mad at the whole world. But when it’s someone else whose life is falling into pieces? Well, you step on up to help. It can make a person better – when somebody needs you to be there.”

  Alex nodded as he listened. “Makes sense to me, I guess. Marty might be okay in the end, but he made a big mistake by not just coming clean as soon as the thing happened. He let Stanley take the blow. Then there was the gambling, but right now that’s the least of the guy’s problems.”

  “And Stanley? What are the charges against him?” I asked as I picked up my sandwich. I cut off a little bite and handed it to Alex. I knew he must be hungry.

  “Well, his problem is he ran after he found the body. We got him on gambling too,” Alex said.

  “And the money that he took?” I asked.

  “Well, that’s not a matter for the law. That’s between Stanley and his wife.” He raised an eyebrow and looked amused. “And I would imagine that he’d rather face the law than have to deal with her.”

  Celeste leaned toward him, interested. “Without a doubt,” she said, “and what’s the story on the bar?”

  He sighed. “Well, you’ll have to find another place to get your fancy drinks. The Bumpy Cashew is no more. We’re shutting the place down.” He winked at me. “I’m sure Barbara can work her magic somewhere else. Someone else would love to have the best bartender in our town.”

  My mom would not be happy to hear the bar is closing, but then again she’d had a “feeling” that it was not the place to be. It turned out she was right. No amount of spraying could fix the goings on in that closely guarded room.

  Marge was very quiet; I could tell she had something on her mind.

  Finally, she spoke up, fixing her gaze on Alex. “I won some money at that place. Not that I meant to gamble! Or to ever break the law! We were undercover and I had to look the part. I know that the right thing is to give the money back. That’s what I plan to do. It was never my intention for all those coins to spill out of the machine.”

  Alex laughed out loud. “First time I’ve heard that – someone who’s horrified by tons and tons of coins falling into their hands.”

  Marge smiled at the memory. “Well, it was nice at first, but still…”
/>
  “Thank you for your honesty,” Alex said.

  “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you know to come to the motel?” I asked Alex.

  “That night at the bar I couldn’t catch Stanley, but I memorized the license plate when he got into the cab. Then I got hold of the company that runs the cabs, told them where the pickup was, and asked them where they dropped him off. It was the motel – which I’m familiar with. Lots of crimes go down there.”

  “That’s not a surprise,” I said. “It’s a disgusting place.”

  He glanced over at the laptop. “What’s the story on that thing? Do you ace detectives always bring that thing along in case a crime breaks out at the diner and you need to call Detective Google?”

  “Be careful with the jokes,” Celeste said. “They’re almost as bad as the awful ones that Charlie’s father tells.”

  “We’re kind of in a bind,” I said, feeling my spirits fall with the mention of the broken laptop. “This is the laptop I told you about. The one we’re supposed to fix.”

  “And we don’t know how,” Marge said. “We don’t have a clue.”

  “Oh yeah, you mentioned that,” Alex said. “A real-life customer for the computer gurus.” He grinned. “Do you at least know what’s the problem with the thing?”

  “I have no idea,” I answered. “Sometimes it won’t even come on.”

  “Hmm,” he said. “Happens to mine sometimes. Mind if I take a look?”

  I gently pushed it toward him. “Go to town.”

  He pushed a button and then another one. I saw the screen light up, and then the display disappeared. I heard a humming sound. Alex held the machine up and studied the lights flickering on the side. Then he put it back down on the table and pressed a series of keys while he watched the screen intently.

  “What exactly is he doing?” Marge asked, ready to take notes.

  “This is fascinating,” Celeste said.

  We watched Alex hard at work for a couple of minutes. He seemed to be finished and he handed the laptop to me like a gift, a big grin on his face. “A present for the lovely Charlie Cooper. The computer’s good as new.”

  I stared at it. Then at Alex.