by Cat Clayton
“Heck yes, I remember.” Trudy tossed the comb and roller. The comb slid across the tabletop of her workstation, clanking into the clear glass jar filled with blue sanitizing solution. The roller hit the edge of the counter and bounced to the floor. It spun several feet away and came to a stop when it hit the wastebasket.
I glanced back over at Trudy, anticipating the rest of her reply. “And?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “That maniac Earl Wood beat my sister black and blue, and it wasn’t the first time! She lived with him, despite my parents begging her to come home. She had one of those victim attitudes about Earl, you know the ones, but he pays my bills. She refused to listen to anyone. So, one day, after he beat her for spending too much money at the food store, I went over there and gave him a piece of my mind.”
Vivienne Peacock sucked up her lower jaw from her lap, swiveling to face Trudy. “But you were only a kid back then, Trudy? What were you thinking?”
Trudy stood tall in her apron and chunky-heeled boots. “You’re right. I was sixteen, Vivienne, but I wasn’t standing for that man to beat on my older sister. I rightly told him so, but he came after me with a two-by-four he’d been cuttin’ in the shed. I screamed so loud the neighbors all came runnin’. Someone called the police. He chased me, and my sister chased him. When the cops arrived, he’d turned his anger back on her. Your father is the one who yanked him off her, Steely.”
“Pop?” Well, I’ll be, I thought as the connection to him and the case settled over me.
She nodded. “There was another officer there with him, who made the official arrest, but your father threatened Earl. He told him if he ever raised a hand to another female, he’d see to it Earl went to prison, where he’d be the one gettin’ beat on.”
“Oh, my...” I whispered.
“Yes, ma’am. I don’t know how long he sat in jail, but before he got out, we’d convinced Joley to move home. He came pounding on the door, but my parents called Chief Lamarr and had him escorted off our property. We never saw or heard from him again until he showed up in town a month ago.”
“Did he try to contact your sister?” I asked, stumbling over my words. My mind whirled with the information. “Wait, did you say a month ago?”
“That’s what she said,” Vivienne snapped. Her head had been following us like a ping-pong ball during the conversation.
I thought back to the first time I’d seen him here. “He told us he came to close up Ziggy’s lot, and that was last week.”
Trudy shrugged. “I don’t know. But I saw him in the food store four weeks ago. I heard him mention to Angie he was staying at his family’s farmhouse. But Ziggy wasn’t dead yet.”
Why did he lie about when he’d arrived in Buckleville? I thought to myself.
“Did you see what he was buying?” I asked, my heart hammering inside my chest.
“No, he was in Angie’s line, one row over. So, all I could see was his head and hear his voice, which gave me the willies. I hoped to never lay eyes on the creep again. I’m just thankful Joley moved out of Buckleville a while back.”
“Thank you for the information, Trudy. I really appreciate it,” I said, turning to go.
“Steely? Did you forget?”
I spun around.
Vivienne held out a campaign flyer. “For your shop window.” Vivienne grimaced.
Biting my tongue, I took the flyer and left.
I FOUND THE CASHIER, Angie, a pretty, chestnut-haired woman, sitting in the small coffee area inside Buckleville Foods. Much older than me, we were merely acquaintances, so I reintroduced myself to her.
“Hi, I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Steely Lamarr,” I said, noticing the empty seat at her table. “Do you mind?” I pointed to the chair.
With a huff, she shrugged. “I guess, but I’m only on a fifteen-minute break.” She smoothed out her green work apron on her lap and peered up at me with dramatic, wide hazel eyes. Severe black eyeliner outlined both upper and lower lids, each with an exaggerated cat-eye flick in the corners.
I took a seat across from her. “I’ll be quick then.” On the drive over to the food store, I’d convinced myself it was Earl who’d taken Stoney. But I needed a few more pieces of information before I confirmed my suspicions. “Do you know Earl Wood?”
Her eyes widened as she nodded.
“Did you see him in your line a few weeks ago?”
Arching an eyebrow, she nodded again. With a shaky hand, she took a sip of her water.
I didn’t want to scare her off.
“Angie, this may sound strange, but it’s important. My older sister is missing. Any information you have may help find her. Now, do you remember anything specific Earl said to you that day? Can you recall anything he purchased that may have seemed odd?” I crossed my fingers she’d give me more than a nod.
“Is he in some kind of trouble?” she asked, apprehension spreading across her face. “Because if he is, I want no part of this.”
“No,” I said, biting my lower lip. At least not yet, I thought. “But my sister and Earl have a long history. And, it’s possible he may know her whereabouts.”
“Look, I’m a single mother with three kids. I can’t have him coming after me.”
I reached across the table, placing my hand over hers. “Anything you say will stay between us. I promise. Please help me find my sister.” I intended to keep my promise to her. If she could validate my suspicions about Earl, and what I’d learned from the file and Trudy, I wouldn’t need to mention her name.
Sighing, she removed her hand from under mine and reached for a bag of chips on the table. She folded the opening closed and secured it with a plastic clip. Her uneasy eyes searched the area around us and finally settled on mine.
“Earl is much older than me. But I remember when he lived here before. He was one mean son-of-a-gun. Mixed up in a lot of bad stuff. As soon as I saw his face in my cashier line, I thought, Oh Lord, trouble’s come to town.”
“Can you tell me when you first saw him, like how long ago?”
She shrugged. “Maybe a month, I guess. He came in again last week and bought food. Said he was staying in town for a while. I thought it was strange that he purchased a lot of baby stuff.”
“Baby stuff?” My breath hitched in my chest as another piece of the puzzle fit into place.
“Yeah, like baby bottles, teething rings, clothing, and such. I asked him if he had a baby, and he told me it was due in a few months. I congratulated him.” She glanced at the time on her cell phone. “He told me he’d moved into his family’s old farmhouse out on FM 218, about fifteen minutes outside of town. I’ve driven by it on my way to my parents’ house. The farmhouse is a pretty yellow.”
I startled her by jumping out of my seat. “Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it.”
“Hey, there’s one other odd thing I thought was weird the first time he came in. He purchased blond hair dye. He said it was for his girlfriend. I thought nothing of it, but last week when he came in, you know after his brother died, he had dyed his hair blond. I mean, I guess he and his girlfriend both could’ve dyed their hair together, but anyway, that’s all.”
I tried to contain my shock and remain composed. His girlfriend, my butt. He dyed his hair to help conceal his identity. So, if Stoney caught a glance of him from afar, while he worked about the car lot, she’d be less likely to recognize him.
“Thank you, Angie. Have a nice afternoon.”
“I hope they find your sister soon,” she said.
“Thank you.”
Careful not to break a leg, I trotted—not walked—out of the food store and hightailed it to Jackson’s place to let the dogs out. It might turn into a long, busy day, and they probably needed to take a quick backyard break. I also needed to stop by the apartment and grab more sensible shoes.
In Jackson’s backyard, and unable to stop my thoughts whizzing around in my mind regarding all I’d learned in the past hour, Cuff won an ar
gument about accompanying me to the police department. But I won the next battle. We left Taffy safely snuggled on Jackson’s sofa. When tracking down my sister’s kidnapper, one pup sidekick was plenty.
As I pulled into the station, I realized I’d forgotten to stop at my place and change shoes.
Good thing you are not planning on a foot chase with a bad guy, Chiquita.
“You can say that again, little buddy.”
Chapter 27
Good thing you are not planning on a foot chase with a bad guy, Chiquita.
We rushed into the station lobby and found Lenora munching on her burger and fries.
Cuff’s nose tested the air. Oh, I smell beef, Chiquita.
“Thank you so much for lunch, Steely!” Lenora said.
“You’re welcome! And thank you for letting me borrow your car.” I held Cuff under my arm and handed her the keys. “I promise he won’t make a peep.”
Chicks peep, Chiquita. Dogs bark.
She flapped her hand. “Don’t mention it.”
“Please tell me one of the officers or Chief Becker is here.”
Lenora shook her head. “Honey, they’re all out hunting for your sister. And I heard on the scanner two units are assisting with a big disturbance outside of town. You will never believe this, but it involves one of those visiting Santas!”
“You don’t say?”
Lenora shrugged a shoulder. “Afraid so.”
“Do you have a copy of the hospital security footage the nurses emailed the chief earlier?”
“I sure do. It’s right here in my email.”
“Would you mind if I watched it?”
She smiled. “Come on around the counter, sweetie. You’ll see it better.”
Lenora opened the file and hit play. We watched in silence. The way the man moved, the deliberate strut to his step. I’d witnessed Earl’s swagger. This guy was definitely him. I stood upright, my arms breaking out in chills.
Chiquita, did that bad man take Stoney?
Yes, he did. I patted Cuff on the head.
I thanked Lenora and rushed through the swinging doors toward the file room.
I heard Daniel and Gertie laughing from down the hall, and as I rounded the corner of the doorway, Gertie let out a boyish belch.
“You ate it!” she yelled, her thumb planted firmly on her forehead.
“You taught her a burping game?” I asked, heading over to the worktable. I set Cuff down on the floor.
Any food left, Chiquita?
“We thought you’d never come back,” Daniel said, pointing to the two boxes on the floor. “We sifted through two more boxes.”
“Where’s the folder I left earlier with a note on it?” I asked, digging in the Burger Palace bag for my burger. It was lukewarm. Oh well, better than nothing. I broke off a quarter of the meat patty with cheese and handed it to Cuff.
Thanks, Chiquita.
Gertie held up the folder. “Right here, calm down.”
“Guys, I think I found him. The person who has Stoney.”
“Who?” they asked in unison.
“Ziggy’s brother, Earl Wood.” I chomped a bite of burger, chewed, and swallowed.
“He’s always been a lowlife, a lying cheat, and a woman beater, but why on earth would he take Stoney?” Gertie asked, pushing her cheetah glasses up on her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I know. It’s been hard to wrap my own thoughts around the idea. The things I’ve learned in the past hour have my brain spinning. Listen, something's happening outside of town involving one of the Santas. The chief dispatched a few officers to assist. It’s stretched the department to the maximum. But I need to check something out. Y’all stay here. If Pop or any of the officers show up, tell them I’ve figured out who took her and to call me on my cell phone.”
Gertie pushed her chair backward. “Do we look like we just fell off the back of a turnip truck? You’re going to look for Stoney, and no way in hell are you going alone.”
“I will only try to locate his family homestead.”
“Time for a stakeout,” Daniel said, standing up and accidentally knocking his chair over. “And you can’t do a stakeout alone. It’s dangerous.”
“He’s right,” Gertie added.
I gave in. “Fine, but no hot wings this time. And, Daniel, you’re driving. I don’t have my car.” The last time we did a little surveillance work, Gertie had bought hot wings and they stunk up the car.
“For the record, Ms. Smarty-pants,” Gertie said, grabbing her luggage of a purse. “I don’t need wings. I ate a burger.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And you realize we’ll be sharing a seat?”
“Eh, we’re both small fries. It’ll be fine. Let’s go,” Gertie said.
We left the police station through the back door and raced to Daniel’s car.
Daniel drove while I made phone calls to Pop, Jackson, and Chief Becker. Where on earth were they and why didn’t any of them answer their phones? Why does this always happen in times of crisis? I called the front desk of the police department as Daniel zoomed down FM 218.
My phone dropped the first call when Lenora answered. I tried again, my cell signal down to two bars. Not good.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Lenora, have you heard from anyone? I’ve tried to reach the guys by phone, but no one is picking up.”
“I heard... scanner they’re ways north of town... one of those Santas... caught shoplifting... DPS picked him... looking for him,” she said, her voice cutting in and out.
“If you can hear me, get a hold of someone and tell them I got a lead from one of the files. I’m headed out to see what I can find,” I told her.
“Steely... should wait...” Although her voice cut off, I heard the worry in it.
“I won’t approach anyone. I repeat, not approaching anyone. Just have them call me as soon as possible!”
I disconnected the call.
“How long have we been on this road?” I asked.
Daniel took a quick peek at me in the passenger seat. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be keeping time.”
Squashed beside me, Gertie wagged her phone in the air. “Thirteen minutes and twenty seconds. I set my timer when we left town.”
“What for?”
She shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you did. Does your phone have a good signal?” I asked her.
Peering at her screen, she shook her head. “No bars.”
Cuff perched on her lap, tongue out.
I glanced at Daniel’s phone mounted on the dash. No signal. Crap! Out here in the sticks, cell phone service was spotty.
“What’re we looking for, anyway?” Daniel asked.
“A yellow farmhouse. You need to slow down. Daniel, you watch the road. I’ll look out to the left. Gertie, you keep an eye out on the right.”
Yellow farmhouse. I am watching too. Cuff put his tiny paws on the dashboard for a better view. Wait, what is yellow, Chiquita?
I patted his head. We’ll watch for the house. You keep your eyes peeled for a human.
Got it. I am looking for a person.
Daniel shifted into a lower gear, slowing his speed, the car engine revving as it decelerated.
Keeping my focus out the driver’s side window, I hoped Stoney was okay. Her fragile state of mind and the stress on her pregnancy worried me. Is she afraid? Does she know we’re looking for her? Has he hurt her?
Cuff whined beside me. Chiquita, it will do you no good to keep thinking bad thoughts. Stay positive. I turned and rubbed his ears before I returned my eyes to the window.
“How long, Gertie?” I asked.
“Fourteen minutes, ten seconds.”
“Okay, I expect it’ll be around here somewhere. My source said it’s about fifteen minutes out of town. She drives by the old farmhouse to visit her parents, which means we should see it from the road.” I took a deep breath and exhaled, attempting to
calm my pounding heart.
“Your source?” Daniel asked, both hands on the wheel.
“Yes.”
“That’s cryptic,” he replied.
“Stop!” Gertie hollered.
Daniel slammed on the brakes, jerking all of us forward. Our seatbelts held us in, but Cuff slid off Gertie’s lap and tumbled onto the floor.
He sprang up like a jack-in-the-box.
“Cuff! Are you all right?” I reached for him, searching him over for any injuries.
I am okay! I am like a bouncing ball. With four legs. And a tail. He licked my chin.
“That’s it. I’m ordering you one of those puppy harnesses and strapping you in from now on,” I turned to Gertie. “Why did you scream ‘stop’?”
She snapped her head around, her denim blues wide behind her lenses. “Because I saw it! The big yellow farmhouse. Back up!”
Daniel reversed the car enough so we could see the house.
My mouth dropped at the sight. Down a long, winding, and overgrown driveway, a dandelion-yellow farmhouse stood tall against a blue-sky backdrop, streaked with white ribbons of clouds.
“It’s beautiful,” Daniel muttered.
“I’d call it a storybook house if it didn’t have my sister trapped inside,” I replied.
“Well, what’re we waiting for?” Gertie asked.
I hadn’t really thought a plan through yet.
“Steely, we’re not doing this alone, are we?” Daniel asked, his voice shaky.
“Give me a few minutes to think,” I said.
Cuff’s panting and Gertie’s raspy breathing were the only sounds in the car. I glanced at my phone. No missed calls. No texts. No signal. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make out as many details as I could. Green pickup truck parked near the house. Scattered farm equipment in the yard. Giant oak trees covered the property. Dense thicket and clinging vines lined the fence.
Good eye, Chiquita.
“No, we need to wait for backup. Daniel, pull up some and move the car off the road, into the grass, and turn your hazard lights on,” I said. “We’ll wait for Jackson or someone to call. We can’t risk our lives, or we could make a bad situation worse for Stoney.”