Ash stabbed Younger with his fork so quickly that Younger had to snatch his hand back or risk getting it impaled. “Thou shalt not touch the muffin.”
“Ow!” Younger shook his hand and looked at the little red marks in the pattern of the fork tines that now decorated the back of his hand. “That was a little uncalled for, don’t you think?”
Hetty appeared with another muffin on a plate and a latte. She plopped them down on the table. “I had no idea the two of you knew each other, but you boys will behave when you are in my shop.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ash said with a nod.
Younger eyeballed Ash but gave Hetty a respectful nod. “Yes, Hetty. Thank you for the muffin and coffee. Just put it on my tab.”
“You have a tab here?” Ash somehow felt as though he’d lost something special. Now that Younger knew about this little out of the way coffee shop, Ash’s small town had just gotten too small.
Hetty snorted and winked at Ash. “You’re still our favorite, sweetie. But yes. Since Younger and Ms. Talcott became an item—as my mother would have said—he’s here quite a lot. It’s the muffins.”
“Yes. I won’t even bother to deny that,” Younger agreed.
Hetty went back behind the counter to help some more customers and Ash returned to glaring at Younger. “What do you want?”
“Other than this muffin and some coffee?” Younger sucked down half the latte in one pull.
Ash frowned. He stared at the latte and then he stared at Younger. “Hang on just a second here! You don’t drink lattes. You call that stuff emasculating coffee substitutes. You used to give me hell for drinking these mochas and bringing them into the office. I seem to recall one or two episodes when you actually pranced around the office sipping from my empty to-go cup like you were in a stage play.”
“I do not prance,” Younger said quickly. “Not even in jest. And I know, but don’t tell anyone. It’s my dirty secret. Well, mine and anyone else who works in the store. I’d never actually tasted something like that and then I did and wow.”
Ash shook his head. The world was changing. That’s what was happening. Good God, what was wrong with him? He was starting to sound whiney. “Younger, how did you know that you were attracted to Laurie Talcott?”
Once the words were out, Ash wished he could take them back. Quickly. He did not need to start ruminating on something idiotic like a romantic entanglement. The answer was simply no.
“How did I know?” Younger looked strangely amused by this question. “Actually, I’d say I didn’t know. I didn’t like her very much. Laurie was pushy and bossy and yet had zero confidence in her own decisions. She would tell me one thing and do another. And it was driving me out of my mind.”
“And you want to marry this girl?” Ash did not bother to hide his shock.
Younger nodded emphatically. “The trick is to get past what they’re doing and figure out the why. It turned out that my Laurie was being manipulated by a guy who was supposed to be a subject matter expert and who was technically working for her. She was trying to be cooperative. He was trying to steal her job without her knowing it.”
“Oh.”
This was interesting. Ash hadn’t really been in the office during the last few weeks. Not officially. He’d been working with Detective Lowell on this police department corruption case, which meant he had missed out on Younger’s romance with mall security.
Younger slanted Ash a sly look of curiosity. “Why? Are you thinking that you’ve found your life mate?”
“Don’t go there,” Ash said flatly. “Just don’t. You know that’s not something I’ve ever considered. I do relationships. Yes. I do not do marriage.”
“Aw, come on!” Younger chided. “Duke is getting married. This fall in fact.”
“Duke is an old-fashioned Missouri farm boy who always intended to get married,” Ash reminded Younger. “Are you itching to run down to the altar and commit your life to someone else?”
Ash expected a flat denial, but Younger surprised him with a shrug. “You know, I never thought so before. I always figured marriage wasn’t my deal. But honestly? I love Laurie. I love spending time with her. And if she would agree to hang out with me until the end of our days, I would happily stand in front of an altar and put a ring on her finger.”
It was quite possible that Ash’s jaw was currently sitting on the floor of the coffee shop. He had never expected Younger to say such a thing. But then, Younger was talking about a young woman who was well-employed in a professional capacity with a steady home life. Mindy Hall—and Ash reminded himself that he was not interested in Mindy Hall—wasn’t looking forward to a life full of possibilities. She was contemplating the stress and possible disaster of involving herself in a police drug and internal affairs investigation. There was a bit of a difference.
“What’s on your mind?” Younger prodded Ash.
Ash didn’t actually have an answer for that. But he did notice that Younger was uncharacteristically patient about it. In fact, Younger just seemed different. The former Marine was usually kind of uptight. The only time he wasn’t uptight was when he was on his boat fishing in the lake. That was when he relaxed. The rest of the time, Younger always seemed to be on edge. Until now.
“How aware are you of this investigation that Titus has going with Detective Lowell?” Ash asked, testing the waters.
Younger’s brows drew together and he picked up his muffin and took a massive bite as though he was buying himself a moment or two to think. “I suppose,” he said after chewing and swallowing, “that I could say I know there is an internal affairs thing going on and that Titus is involved because he’s getting a bit concerned about the way Hilary Allenwood and the police seem to be picking and choosing what they investigate.”
“Good.” Ash found himself grinning. “So, you’ve got the gist of it.”
“And then something about a drug ring,” Younger added with a shrug. “But I don’t know much about that. I know Titus and Lowell have been on the phone a lot in the last twenty-four hours. That’s about it. I guess Lowell is really excited about the drug dealing angle.”
It was an interesting observation and one from someone who wasn’t standing knee deep in the situation. Ash gave a little nod and pursed his lips. “Lowell does seem really interested in the drug angle. More than I would have expected.”
“Maybe that’s because he thinks this will finally be the thing to get Internal Affairs interested,” Younger suggested. “The state police are busy. Ask Duke. He used to be a state trooper. They don’t open investigations into smaller departments without some pretty ironclad reasons to do so.”
“That’s because most of the time the individual city or village forces are under oversight by a county department,” Ash reminded Younger.
Younger scratched his jaw. “And they spend so much time tattling on each other, there’s not really a need. I know. But what’s this new drug angle got to do with a girl?”
“Who said this had anything to do with a girl?”
“You did. When you asked me about Laurie.” Younger bared his teeth in a grin and then polished off his muffin in one big bite.
Right. Because he had been foolish enough to open up that topic. Damn. “There’s just a woman involved in this drug investigation. She’s a local girl who works at the mirror maze. Her brother works at Dino Golf. I don’t know if she’s really suited to police work though. It’s a lot to ask of her.”
“I’m assuming she’s doing it because of her brother?” Younger said with a nod. “But at the end of the day, you don’t get to make her decisions for her. She gets to choose what she’s involved in and what she isn’t involved in and that is the end of it.”
Younger was right. Sort of. “Normally, I would say you’re right. But I’m honestly afraid this young woman is so desperate to save her younger brother that she’s willing to sacrifice herself in the process.”
“Why do you care?”
“Why do I care?” As
h sputtered and searched for an answer and then realized what Younger was driving at. “You mean, why is it my business?”
Younger bobbed his head. “Yeah.”
“Because nobody else cares.” Even as Ash said the words, he realized they were true. “Nobody else cares about her or what she’s giving up. Not the brother she’s trying to save. Not the police detective who wants the case resolved. Not family. Not friends. Not even the jackass who is supposed to be her boyfriend.”
“That isn’t true, you know?” Younger said after a moment or two had passed.
Ash frowned. Who was there to care about Mindy Hall? She’d let it slip that her mother had passed away and they had no family. She hadn’t mentioned any friends, just a few coworkers. She worked as many hours as she possibly could and spent the rest of them trying to sleep or take care of her idiot, no good brother. Who was there to care about her?
“Dumbass,” Younger muttered. He rolled his eyes. “You care about her, Ash. That much is obvious.”
“I don’t count.”
Now Younger scoffed. He sounded as though he was suddenly impatient. “Seriously? If I was in her boat and going to want someone to care about me, then you would be my first choice.”
“Why?” Ash was taken aback by Younger’s ridiculous statement. “What good would it do?”
“Ash Forbes is like a terrier. He doesn’t let anything go. He never lets it just coast. Ash, you are the guy who doggedly and determinedly pursues every last lead and every last shred of evidence or hint of information until you have run the suspects into the ground. If anyone can keep that young woman safe, it’s you.”
Chapter Twelve
Mindy was pretty sure she was going to die of stress sometime in the next five minutes. It was going to happen. She could not say exactly when or where, but it was going to happen. She would die right there behind the ticket and information counter at the mirror maze and she would lay there because everyone else was too busy to care.
“Mindy!” Delia said sharply. “Can you help them, please? This online ticket order problem is taking a little longer than I expected.”
“Huh?” Mindy tried to focus on the family of five standing right in front of the counter. They were literally a few feet away from her and she could hardly have spouted off any details about them. But that didn’t matter. Did it? Mindy put on her fake smile. “Sure. What can I do for you, folks?”
“I need two adult tickets and two child tickets, and then the youngest is under three so he’s free.” The balding man with his wife and children were obviously on vacation. He had a slightly belligerent vibe going on, but that was because he’d just told her a whopper of a lie. His youngest child was very obviously five or six, not three.
“You’re only three?” Mindy smiled at the little boy. The kid was a bit slender, but there was a huge difference between three and five. Of course, Mindy was the one who had made the mistake. She’d asked a vague question instead of just calculating tickets for the customer. “Wow. You’re so tall for your age.”
“Yeah, he’s a big kid for his age,” the man told her in a tone that dared her to argue.
Mindy almost wanted to tell him to back off. She wasn’t going to argue though. Not today. It just didn’t matter. She didn’t have the energy or the gumption to deal with a customer who didn’t want to pay that extra twenty-five dollars. The employees had once joked that they should change the rule from “Under Three” to “If You Carry Your Kid the Whole Way” they’re free because there were no strollers allowed inside the mirror maze and if you had a babe in arms, then you deserved to get the discount.
“That will be one hundred thirty dollars, please.” Mindy forced herself to smile again. She waited, but the guy was now whispering with his wife. Great. Mindy had these conversations on an almost daily basis. But for some reason, it was really getting to her today.
Not that there was any reason she had a short fuse today. Mindy was only hanging onto two rather large bags of illegal prescription drugs that she was supposed to be selling. She had yet to see Kevin this morning and was expecting him to go off on her at any moment. And when she had gotten up this morning, Darren had just been gone. No. Mindy’s life was going just great. She had no reason to be worried. None at all.
“You need to redo your math there, young lady.” The man was looking up at the sign hanging just above and behind the ticket counter. “It should be one twenty, not one thirty.”
Mindy pursed her lips. “I must say, sir, you and your wife look awfully good for being over sixty-five, but of course I would be happy to give you the senior discount if you’ll just present an AARP card or your driver’s license for proof of age.”
“You can’t ask me for that!” the man protested.
Mindy thumbed at the sign over her shoulder. “Actually, sir, if you read the sign it does say that proof of age is required for senior citizen discount.”
“Well what about the local discount?”
The man was obviously determined not to pay full price. Local tickets were actually ten dollars cheaper for adults. The local discount was to allow grandparents who lived in the area and had visiting grandchildren to catch a break.
Mindy wanted to reach across the counter and grab the guy by the throat. “Of course!” Mindy said brightly. “Just show me your driver’s license, please? That way I can make a note of what locality you’re from. It’s corporate policy.”
At this point, Mindy was starting to feel sorry for the wife. No doubt her husband did this everywhere they went. He probably had all of his kids order off the “Under Ten” menu when some of them very definitely did not qualify. He likely tried to sneak them into hotel rooms without paying full occupancy, too. Mindy could not begin to imagine being this man’s wife and having to listen to him lie and lie and lie—in front of his children no less—just to try to get something for free.
“Sir,” Mindy said after a moment or two of him glaring at her. “The price is one hundred thirty dollars even. Would you like to pay with cash or charge?” She should have left it at that, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “You’re not from anywhere near here. I’m going to guess not even this state. You and your lovely wife are in your late thirties and nowhere near retirement age. Your children are all over the age of three. I allowed you to have twenty-five dollars off. Be satisfied with that and just move on with it. All right? Or, you and your family can go try your game with another establishment in a town full of tourists who all want something for nothing.”
There was absolute silence in the hall after Mindy’s speech. Delia was sitting on her stool in front of her register in open-mouthed horror. There were several customers waiting in line who were sniggering behind their hands. Everyone was now waiting to see what would happen next.
The wife pulled on her husband’s arm. “Ralph, please? We just want to do the mirror maze.”
Ralph, the cheapskate, fished out his wallet and carefully picked one hundred and thirty dollars from a huge wad of cash. He wasn’t surreptitious about it or anything. There had to be at least five hundred bucks in his hand and he counted it out like a banker. The sight was enough to make Mindy sick. He could well afford to do this activity with his family. They were on vacation and most likely had a specific budget for it, but he was one of those assholes who was determined to make that budget stretch until it squealed.
“Thank you, sir,” Mindy said in a mild tone as she took the cash and put it into her register. She handed over the maps, the tickets, and then went through her little spiel about how to proceed from the counter. Thank God there was no line this morning. “I hope you and your family have a lovely morning in the mirror maze.”
Ralph might have tried to grab her and give her a shake but for his wife snatching at his arm and dragging him away. The kids were excitedly jabbering to each other, the supposed three-year-old incredibly verbose for his “age.”
“Mindy,” Delia whispered. “What is wrong with you?”
&nbs
p; “I don’t know.”
Mindy raised her hand to the next customer and found herself face to face with Detective Lowell. She blinked. What on earth was he doing here? She had texted him that she needed to talk to him later. Thanks to her cheap phone plan, she was limited on texts so she’d left it at that. She hadn’t told him he needed to come up to her work.
“Good morning, Mindy. I’ll just take one regular adult ticket,” Detective Lowell told her with a twinkle in his eye. The man actually pulled out his wallet. “And that is a local discount.”
“Right.” Mindy could not understand why he was there. “That will be thirty dollars please.”
Lowell handed her a twenty and a ten dollar bill. Mindy swallowed and handed him his map and his ticket. He looked at the map for a moment, and then he reached for the pen beside her register. He scribbled something on the map and then turned it around so she could see it.
Meet me in fifteen minutes by the gift shop.
Good Lord. Mindy couldn’t really say no. Could she? So, instead of telling him hell no, she nodded her head. He grabbed his ticket and his map of the castle and moved off at a leisurely walk with a whistle on his lips.
Fortunately, Delia hadn’t noticed anything about that transaction. She didn’t know Detective Lowell, which made Mindy feel slightly better. Maybe nobody would notice her. She just had to manufacture a reason to go to the gift shop for a few minutes. That was all. A few more customers.
She helped a grandmother with her seven rowdy grandchildren. Mindy could not believe people like that who were brave enough to turn a bunch of kids loose inside that maze and just hope they all came out again on the other side. After that, and a few smaller families who were blessedly honest in their ticket purchases, it was time to go meet Lowell.
“Delia, I’m taking a quick break. Be back in a minute and then you should go to lunch.” Mindy added that last bit to make up for all of the times that Mindy had been sneaking off to go to lunch first just so she could check on Darren.
Rock Wolf Investigations: Boxset Page 80