by K T Brodland
Jean poked at the contents of the box. “As for Stevie boy, he’s kept a low profile ever since he appeared on our radar about two years ago. Nothing serious. Speeding and a DUI. And then you find this box hidden in his closet. Nice going, Olivia, and thanks for bringing this to my attention. Now, would you object to letting us take your fingerprints? Just so we can eliminate any possible cross-contamination.”
While Olivia was being fingerprinted, Jean drew her friend to one side. “How’s she holding up?”
“She seems to be doing okay so far. I wouldn’t want to be the perps who killed her friends when she catches up with them, though. She might look calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but there’s a volcano waiting to erupt underneath that exterior.”
“That’s an interesting statement. You said when, not if.”
“Did I? Well, sooner or later somebody will get careless and get caught. It would be in their best interest for homicide or the gang squad to get their hands on them first.”
“Hm. I would love to have you expand on that idea one of these days, but your girlfriend is on her way right now.”
Cat would have corrected Jean’s definition of Olivia as her girlfriend, but it was too late. The lady in question was fast approaching, still trying to wipe the last of the ink off her fingers. She tossed the tissue she had been using into the nearest waste basket, huffed at Cat. “Can we get out of here now?”
Jean smiled at Olivia’s expression of distaste. “Go on with you. I’ll let you know the results of the tests on that money and the drugs in a day or two.”
Cat and Olivia said “Thanks,” in stereo then headed out to the car and their next stop.
The shelter was located in a neighborhood that was long past its prime. Weeds grew in the cracks in the sidewalks. Narrow houses leaned on one another as if that was the only thing holding them up. The aging brick building that had once been a church had been converted to a soup kitchen with a dormitory for men upstairs where services used to be held. A smaller room for women was set up in what was the Sunday school. The moment the street-level wooden door opened and Cat and Olivia walked in, each shouldering a twenty-five-pound bag of vegetables, a shout went up from a couple of the men and women sitting at one of the long wooden tables. “Livvy! How ya been, gal? Good to see you again.”
A stout older woman, whose long gray hair was done up in a braid, bustled out of an office tucked into one corner of the room. She greeted Olivia warmly, smiled up at Cat, then took Olivia by the arm., “Who’s the tall, dark and handsome escort?”
Olivia whispered back. “A friend of mine. She offered to help out today.”
The woman’s eyebrows rose. “Hmm, nice friend. Anyway, thanks for coming by.”
Olivia lowered the bag of potatoes to the floor and made with the introductions. “Cat, this is Sister Peggy. Peggy, meet Cat. And no, she won’t tell you what Cat is short for.”
Peggy shook Cat’s hand vigorously. “Pleased to meet you. Any friend of Livvy’s is a friend of mine. C’mon in my office and we can catch up on the gossip. I think I might even be able to offer you a decent cup of coffee for a change.”
Olivia nudged Cat in the ribs and shook her head. Cat got the message. “Thanks, but I’m coffee’d out at the moment. We had lunch just before we got here.”
“Same here,” Olivia hastened to add. “Perhaps another time. I would like to hear how you are managing though.”
Peggy exhaled noisily. “I wish I had better news for you then. Three of our kids OD’d this weekend on heroin laced with fentanyl. I have no idea where the kids are getting this stuff from. You know what they’re like though, they won’t tell who their suppliers are. I have my suspicions, but I can’t prove anything. And without proof, the police can’t do anything either.”
“I’m so sorry to hear this, Peggy,” Olivia murmured. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”
Peggy patted her hand. “I know you do, love. You help in your own way, though. I certainly appreciate the food you brought. We’re getting a bit low.”
“Is there anything else you need? Blankets, bedding, medicine?”
“We can always use extra bedding. As for medicine, good old acetaminophen is always useful for hangovers and colds. Um, we could always use more feminine hygiene products. We have about a dozen women here at the moment. And they all seem to have their periods at the same time.”
Olivia grinned. “I think it’s called synchronicity.”
Peggy laughed. “No matter what you call it, it does create a slight problem.”
“I’ll see what I can do about it.” Olivia paused. “I take it the exchequer is getting a bit low.”
“’Fraid so. We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. Donations have been slow coming in lately.”
“Duly noted.” She dug out her wallet, removed two hundred dollars in small bills and handed them to Peggy. “Will this help for now?”
“Oh, child. Thanks ever so much, sweetie. You are an angel.”
“Hmm, an angel with black wings more like it. But you’re welcome.”
As she got up to leave, she turned and asked Peggy if she thought the Alphas were selling the drugs the kids were getting.
Peggy was silent for a moment. “They’re at the top of my list. Them and the Hells Angels. Given there is no love lost between those two gangs, I’d be hard put to say which of them is the worst.”
“I agree. Not that I am overly familiar with either group. A situation I intend to remedy.”
She stood and Peggy joined her, hugged her, then offered her hand to Cat. “Nice meeting you. Don’t be a stranger, either of you.” She sized Cat up. “We can always use someone around here who can reach items on a top shelf.”
Cat shook Peggy’s hand. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Out in the pickup, she turned to Olivia. “Your friend is quite the character.”
“Yes, she is.”
“You referred to her as sister. What’s the story there?”
“Peggy was once a nun, can’t recall the name of the order now, and they did a lot of work with street kids. She wanted to do more but found herself constrained by all the rules and regulations, so she left. Not long afterward she set up this shelter and has been a force to reckon with ever since. She soon found out that there were even more rules and regulations around running a shelter than there were in the convent. She finally convinced government officials to give her non-profit status and talked local businesses into donating large amounts of money and goods to the shelter. You saw the results today.”
“Yes, and I have to admire her determination. I have a feeling I’m going to be a frequent visitor there.”
“Glad to hear it. She needs all the help she can get.”
“Right, now what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
“Unless you have other plans, I want to pay a little visit to the big box grocery. If you are busy…”
“Nothing going on that I can’t shuffle around. For that matter, I haven’t been in that place for months. I also have a feeling you are going to need an extra pair of hands in there. I didn’t miss the way you were mentally running up a shopping list while you were talking to Peggy.”
“Don’t miss much, do you?”
“Nope.”
Two hours later, when Olivia emerged from the store, she had two carts overflowing with the results of her shopping expedition. Back at the shelter, Peggy took one look at the bags Cat and Olivia deposited on a long table set up inside the door and covered her mouth with her hand, all the while staring at the two women. She slowly shook her head. “Thank you so much, you two,” she finally managed to say.
Olivia shrugged it off and beat a hasty retreat to the pickup before she embarrassed herself by crying. As it was, she had to dig in her pocket for a tissue before she keyed the engine. She sniffed. “I’m heading home now. If you’d like to stay for dinner, I think I can come up with something edible if you don’t mind risking m
y cooking again.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t I pick something up at the store and fix supper for both of us?”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Nope, not at all. Tell me what you’d like, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Olivia gave the matter some thought and finally announced she’d like chicken.
Cat gave Olivia’s shoulder a playful squeeze. “Consider it done.”
Chapter Eighteen
W ith supper out of the way, Olivia and Cat took themselves out to the porch, Olivia with her usual glass of wine, Cat with a bottle of beer. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Olivia lapsed into silence, gazing across the driveway to the empty mobile, missing the homey sound of the McIntyres chatting as they too sat outside, enjoying the cool evening air. “I can’t believe I didn’t know what was going on, right under my nose,” she remarked, finally.
Cat shifted in her chair. “I imagine Abe and Barb would have been in the same position as you are. As for Trish, from what you’ve told me, it’s doubtful she knew just what her boyfriend was up to either.”
“I know. I got the distinct impression he kept her pretty much in the dark. I’m certain of one thing, though. Based on what we found in that box, he was planning on doing a moonlight flit. And he wasn’t taking her with him.”
“Yeah, a pregnant girlfriend tagging along could be a bit awkward if you’re on the run. Especially if the gang you’ve ripped off is hot on your heels.”
“You think that’s what that was all about?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Either way, whoever is behind this is going to pay. Big time.” In the fading light. she could just make out Cat’s raised eyebrows. Even she was startled by the venom in her voice.
“Easy, tiger. We’ll get the bastards.”
We? When did this become a ‘we’? Oh, right, when we agreed to work together. Not sure I’m really comfortable with that idea. However, I’ll go along with it. For now.
Her teeth clenched against the urge to throw something, scream, anything to relieve the storm building inside. “Yes, we will. For the record, I’m not sure which is making me angrier, Steven for bringing this down on his family and his girlfriend, or me for not paying closer attention to what was going on.”
“You couldn’t have known, Olivia. I doubt if even his parents knew what was going on.”
“Well, if he was in it for the money, he kept a low profile. Underwood had definite ideas as to how his lieutenants should appear in public. From what I saw of his wardrobe, Steven certainly didn’t fit that bill.” She rolled her shoulders. “Maybe Steven didn’t think he was getting a big enough piece of the pie.”
“Could be. In the meantime, let’s wait until we hear from Jean. She may be able to shed a bit more light on this situation. Then we can decide how to proceed.”
There was that ‘we’ again.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Olivia absently drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. “What do we do until then?”
“Keep our heads down, hope we don’t get a replay of what’s happened here lately.”
“Speak for yourself. I almost hope they do show up again.” Olivia snapped, nostrils flaring.
Cat gripped Olivia’s forearm. “Hey, take it easy. I’ve already seen what you can do with inanimate objects. I don’t want to find out what you can do with people.”
Forcing her breathing to slow to a normal level, Olivia responded. “No, you don’t.” She was really going to have to keep a rein on her temper. It wouldn’t do to lose control the way she had in the past. People tended to get hurt when she lost it.
She exhaled slowly, focused her attention on the here and now. “Okay. It could be a couple of days before we hear from Jean. Until then, I’ve got a million things to do around here. Unless it’s urgent that I come in and talk to Anne right away before she heads off, I’m going to spend the next few days here at the farm. I need to focus on something else besides shredding the Alphas to pieces and feeding them to Ogopogo.”
Cat laughed. “That sounds like an excellent plan. That gives you a few days to unwind. As far as I know, I don’t have any clients needing my undivided attention. Text me if you want company.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep your offer in mind.” She pushed up out of her chair. “If it’s all the same to you, I need to be alone for a while now.”
Cat took the hint. “Okay. See you later.” She stood and waited for Olivia to retrieve the empties, then trotted off down the steps to where her car was parked. She turned and waved goodbye, then drove off, leaving Olivia standing in the doorway, backlit by the warm yellow light coming from the kitchen.
Cat took her time driving home, her mind more on the memory of the sad, lonely woman she had left standing in the doorway than on the road. Fortunately, there was little traffic. By the time she pulled into her driveway, she couldn’t wait to change into sweats and go for a run. That was as good a way as any to blow away any cobwebs cluttering her mind. Good way of getting rid of stress, too. And she was certainly feeling stressed.
The first part of the evening with Olivia was great. Good food, good company. Then everything changed when they started discussing what was to be done about solving the problem of who killed the McIntyres. Everything went downhill from there. Sitting next to Olivia was like sitting next to a live wire. She could practically feel sparks of high voltage energy flowing from Olivia’s body. She was almost relieved when Olivia announced that she was going to call it a day.
Still, the woman had to be hurting big time about the loss of the people she had worked with for so many years. She’d be out for blood if that had happened to any of her friends.
Chapter Nineteen
O livia stood in the doorway until Cat turned left at the end of the driveway and the Mustang’s growl slowly faded away. Closing the kitchen door behind her, she set off in the direction of the barn, with nothing more in mind than putting the chickens to bed for the night after checking their food and water. She deliberately put all thoughts of the ways and means she could bring down the Alphas and their traffic in drugs out of her mind.
With the chickens taken care of, she emerged from the barn and stood in the yard, looking off into the distance, admiring the gold and oranges of the fading sunset.
A heaviness settled on her that weighed her down, resurrecting the pain she had felt earlier that evening. She hadn’t felt this sad and alone since Alison died. There was only one way to deal with it. She hesitated a moment, then turned left and passed around the side of the building. A narrow dirt path, beaten hard from years of foot traffic, led to a meadow stretching off into the distance. Even though it was dark now, long experience took her onward without a flashlight. Halfway along the path she picked up her pace and broke into a run. Feet pounding on the path, her heart rate accelerating, arms pumping, she raced blindly onward, unaware of the rivulets of tears flowing down her cheeks.
She soon reached the little stream that acted as a border between her farm and a neighbor’s property and collapsed on the bank. Arms cradling her face, shoulders heaving, she remained on her belly on the patch of grass where she’d landed. Long minutes passed before she sniffled, sat up again, and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
She remained motionless, listening to the murmur of water gliding over the smooth rocks that dotted the surface of the stream. Sniffling once more, she slowly pushed to her feet. The expression rode hard, put away wet came to mind. That was pretty well the way she felt. Shoulders slumped, head down, she lingered by the edge of the stream a little while longer, trying to blank out the pain of yet another loss. When did she become so attached to other people that losing them hurt so bad? Losing Alison was bad enough, and she’d sworn she would never get that close to anyone again.
And then there was Cat…
She exhaled and slowly shook her head before turning away from the stream and making her way back to the house. In no hurry to fac
e the emptiness of the farmhouse, she took the long way back, through the apple orchard. A gentle breeze rustled the emerging leaves and brought with it the subtle scent of apple blossoms. When she reached the porch, she sighed and pushed the door open. Crossing the kitchen, she passed by the big oak kitchen table, remembering the way she had shared a meal with her new friend. That cozy feeling hadn’t lasted long once they began discussing what they were going to do about the death of the people who were the closest she’d come to having family since Alison died.
Her shoulders bowed, as if she carried the weight of the world on them, she breathed a weary sigh and slowly made her way upstairs. Outside her office door, she stretched out her hand, placed her palm against the cool wood. Too wired to sleep, she decided she might as well pass the time doing something useful instead of lying wide-awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Thinking back to her conversation with Peggy, she entered her office, flipped on the overhead light and stood in front of her desk, looking at the array of computers at her disposal. She drew in a deep breath. This was where she felt most at home. Settling in the wheeled office chair with its mesh back, she checked out the shelter’s bank account and was dismayed at the accuracy of Peggy’s statement that they were indeed scraping the bottom of the barrel. She made a few calculations, then transferred enough funds from her offshore account into the shelter’s account to keep them operating smoothly for quite some time. While she was at it, she did the same with several other shelters, who also seemed to be having cash-flow problems.