by Sheri Richey
“I went to check on Miss Violet, but she was just getting back from the store herself.”
“I’m sure everybody’s there. Miss Violet gets around pretty good for her age.”
“Yes, she does.” June was probably nearing eighty herself. “You mentioned your arthritis, does Saucy have you using essential oils on it? I saw him one day in Ivy’s Oils & Organics and he told me the oils help with painful joints.”
“Oh, I think that’s nonsense. He’s just trying to help out little Denise, and she’s not worth helping. She’s never been there for him. Never been anything but trouble for him.” June wrinkled her nose and frowned.
“He knows Denise pretty well then?”
“Well, yeah. She’s his step-daughter. Don’t you remember Alice?”
“Saucy’s wife? Well, I didn’t really know her. Bing knew her, but I didn’t realize Denise was her daughter. I thought Denise was new to town.”
“Naw, she left with Alice, but came back to live here when her grandma died. She’s living in her grandma’s old house just around the corner from Saucy. She’s never been anything but trouble.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize their connection.” The information startled her. Why hadn’t Saucy mentioned this?
“Yeah, well he always tries to help her. I don’t know why. She’s never treated him anything but dirty. She has a smart mouth, that one.”
“Well, young people sometimes, you know. Do you ever talk to Alice at all? I don’t even know where she’s living.”
“Nope. Don’t care to either. I think she’s up north of here somewhere. As far as I know she doesn’t bother Saucy with anything. He never mentions her but having Denise around may change that. He said her store’s not doing too well so maybe she’ll close up and move on soon.”
“Well, it’s hard to start a new business.” Cora took the last sip of her tea. “This weather is hard on businesses too, unless you’re the grocery store.” Cora chuckled and got up to put her cup near the sink.
“I need to get going before I get snowed in. I’ve got a few more stops to make but I appreciate the hot drink and conversation.”
“Well, I’m glad you stopped. It’s been too long, but I know you’ve got a lot to do.” June followed Cora to the door and waited for her to get her coat and boots on again.
“If you see Saucy while you’re out running around, tell him to call me,” June said as she opened the door. “I don’t want him driving around in the dark.”
“I’ll tell him.” Cora opened the screen door and tensed as she lowered her head into the blowing snow. “Take care, June.”
She hopped into the footsteps she’d made in the snow on her approach to the door but when she reached June’s driveway, she edged around June’s car to peer through the garage windows. The garage interior lights were on and June was moving among the boxes with her cell phone in her hand.
June’s words were muffled at first, but the tone was angry. Maybe June was leaving Saucy an angry voice mail about the boxes. As June’s pacing brought her closer, Cora could clearly hear her.
“I don’t care about the snow. Get the unit ready tonight.”
Cora hustled as quickly as the snow would allow and jumped into her car. Starting it, she turned on the heat then pulled out her cell phone to call Conrad.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Amanda handed up her bag to Bryan’s outstretched arm, then one at a time, lifted up each lidded coffee mug as he secured it all in the cab of the plow. Then she took his hand as he helped her leap up the sideboard of the plow and into the passenger seat.
“I’ve got hot ham and cheese sandwiches, chips and hot chocolate. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s still warm. Are you hungry?” Amanda was oddly exhilarated about riding in the plow. Bryan had seemed enthusiastic about it when she’d shared Cora’s suggestion and promised to bring her home as soon as she got bored. He had joked that it wasn’t as exciting as it looked, but she wasn’t along for the scenic challenge. She wanted to spend time with him.
“It smells great. I’m so glad you thought of this because the snow isn’t stopping and I probably wouldn’t have gotten anything to eat all night.”
Bryan picked up a duffel bag that sat between them and tossed it behind his seat. “All I have is protein bars that I keep in here for these long nights. Your dinner is a welcome treat.”
Bryan had picked up the truck at the county depot while she had prepared their sandwiches. They had talked on the phone while he waited in line to get his truck loaded with salt. The truck was an older model that the county was going to retire so Cora had crafted a deal for Spicetown to buy the truck and be responsible for their own roads if the county would pay for the gas. Even though the truck had been expensive, it meant the citizens got immediate attention in a storm instead of waiting for the county to do the larger towns first.
The citizens didn’t realize it, but Cora had made a huge difference with her deal and the town was now much less paralyzed when snow was heavy.
They ate their sandwiches while Bryan told her all about the truck. It was loud with the diesel engine running and this model didn’t have the electronic gadgets that the county trucks had but it did have radio communication so she heard the chatter of the county drivers.
The front end was huge and difficult to turn when cars were parked on the street but Bryan had been driving for the city for several years now so he was comfortable talking and shifting gears without concern.
Amanda found it difficult to take her eyes off the road when they approached a parked or passing car and felt relief only when the encounter was behind them. She would never want to drive a snow plow, but it was fascinating to ride in one.
After an hour of talking non-stop, Bryan drove back to the center of town to clean the main streets again. It was after 5:00 in the evening so everything had closed and almost all the cars were off the street.
“I need to call the PD. Somebody’s blocking the alley back there,” Bryan said pointing. “I’m supposed to clear the alleys for deliveries. Nobody is supposed to block them.”
“What do they do? Do they tow them?”
“I don’t really know. It’s never happened. Maybe their van broke down and they had to leave it.”
“You realize that’s right behind Ivy’s, don’t you?” Amanda lifted an eyebrow when she glanced at Bryan.
“Is she in jail?”
“I don’t know what happened. Cora called the Chief, but I left early before she came back so I don’t have any update from what we saw at lunch.”
“Hey, Sammy,” Bryan said into his phone. “I can’t plow through the alley off Clove Street because there’s a van parked behind Ivy’s Oils…. Okay, thanks.”
“They’re going to send a squad car out to run the license plate and see who owns it. I’m going to circle back around Paprika Parkway to see if they get back to me soon. Except for the alleys, I’m done. Let’s hope it doesn’t start snowing again.”
§
“They just released him,” Conrad said when Cora relayed all that she had learned from June. “Sounds like I might need to talk to him, but he’s not here.”
“I can’t believe that Denise is his step-daughter. How did I not know that?”
“Cora, you can’t remember everybody. They grow up. They change.”
“I’m getting old. I’m getting senile. I used to know everybody in this town and every connection. I always knew the children especially, now I can’t… I don’t know. I’m frustrated.”
“Go home and put your car up. I’ll come by and pick you up. We’ll go check on Saucy together.”
“Good idea.” Cora said goodbye and pulled away from June’s curb. It was so much easier now that she didn’t have to harangue Conrad into including her in things like this.
After Bing had passed away and she had taken over as mayor, Conrad had been very uncomfortable with her involvement in his police work. He had never hesitated to talk to Bing about these things but he w
as wary of Cora from the start.
She smiled in remembrance of the first few times she had taken information to him that she thought would help him on a case. He had looked at her like a stray dog who was being offered a treat from a stranger. Only after years of sharing and proving her talents, had he comfortably made her a part of his pack.
Now, just when she needed it most, she was losing her connections to the town and its people. She felt a small pang of panic when her memories failed her. Maybe she was getting too old for this job.
§
“They’re going to tow it,” Bryan said as he ended his phone call. “The mayor told them to.”
“Did they tell you the owner’s name?”
“No, just said to wait for it to be towed. A tow truck is on the way.”
“It’s not Denise’s, is it?”
“I don’t know what she drives.”
“Maybe she’s in jail and was getting ready to move it when they took her away today.”
“Maybe,” Bryan said shrugging. “If so, she’ll have to bail it out when someone bails her out.” Bryan laughed at his own joke but saw Amanda frowning.
“I just hope it isn’t over the oils. I feel bad for even telling the Chief about it.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Bryan said squeezing her hand. “You did the right thing. They needed to know.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s about the oils. I’ve overheard her on the phone several times when I’ve been in the store and she’s up to something. She’s always whispering and seems angry with whoever is on the other end. A couple of times it was someone named Harvey. Maybe a boyfriend? I don’t know, but just…”
“Just what?” Amanda leaned forward.
“Sinister? I don’t know. It just didn’t seem like normal chatty conversation. It seemed like she was telling someone what to do. Bossing someone or scolding. It just gave me a bad feeling. I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of those phone calls.”
“Hmm,” Amanda said, but it was drowned out by the diesel engine shifting into gear to pull into the alley as the tow truck pulled the van out the other side.
Maybe Denise wasn’t a very nice person. Usually good people don’t get dragged away from work by the police, but it could happen. Amanda was relieved to know she hadn’t hurt an innocent person. Somehow, she felt absolved of any wrong doing by just thinking Denise was a bad person on her own already. It was weirdly comforting.
“Now, I’ll take you home,” Bryan said as they pulled out of the alley. It was the last street on his route.
“You can come in and have something warm to drink.”
“Thank you, but I can’t. I have to get the truck back to the county so it can be cleaned. The salt has to be removed right away to keep the plow working right. Your mom and dad probably wouldn’t like a late visitor anyway.”
“It would be fine. I didn’t know you had to clean it. Do you do it?”
“I pull it into a station and dump the salt off the back. There is usually a line from other trucks coming in at the same time. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Sure—Well, if the roads are okay.” Amanda wrinkled her forehead. “I mean if it doesn’t snow any more.”
Bryan stopped the plow in front of her house and she felt his fingertips take her chin gently to turn her head towards him. When their lips touched, she stopped hearing the diesel engine running and the radio chatter. Heat snaked up her neck until she was certain she looked flushed and she skimmed her fingertips across the stubble on his chin until she reached the smoothness of his cheek.
“Thank you for riding shotgun with me tonight and for bringing dinner,” Bryan said staying within inches of her lips. “It’s the first time I’ve ever enjoyed plowing snow.”
“You’re very welcome.” Amanda smiled and leaned closer to him. He didn’t talk as much as she did, but he always seemed to say the right things.
He kissed her again with a smile on his lips and she took his face with both of her hands to keep him close. When his lips parted against hers, the kiss was passionate but still gentle. It was heartwarming to know there could be passion without aggression. Bryan was everything that her previous boyfriends had not been. He was sweet. Such a simple word but it made all the difference.
Bryan jumped out of the truck and came around to help her down. She knew this first embrace was melting all the snow around them but managed to steal one more kiss before her mother turned on the porch light. Bryan smiled and released his hold on her as he pushed the truck door shut.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as she walked to the porch and waved quickly before going inside the house.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Good evening, Mayor.” Conrad smiled as Cora knocked her boots against the edge of the car’s door frame before she got inside the car.
“Dreadful stuff,” Cora said slamming the car door shut with a huff. “I guess you heard about the van?”
“I did. I heard dispatch run the plates and called Sammy. He said the van was abandoned behind Ivy’s place. Nobody around. Said you told him to tow it.”
“I did indeed. There’s a sign posted back there that says vehicles cannot block the alleyway. The bakery needs that alley for deliveries every morning and the sign gives me the right to tow.”
Conrad nodded as he backed down her driveway. He was grateful she had responded that way.
“The tow gives you the right to search it, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does,” Conrad said haughtily. “Do you want to make a quick stop before Saucy’s? Mike is checking out the van now.”
“Yes, let’s take a look.” Cora fastened her seatbelt for the short ride back to the police department.
Mike waved to them when they pulled in the garage and walked over to Conrad’s window as he rolled it down.
“Just getting started, Chief. You want it printed?”
“No, not yet. Is there anything in the back?”
“Not a thing. I just looked.”
“Tell you what.” Conrad shifted the car into park. “I’d like for you to call county and tell them what we have. Explain the plow and that we’ve towed it. Have them ask the sheriff if he wants us to print it up or whether he wants to send someone over.”
“Will do, Chief.” Mike rubbed his arms with his latex gloved hands.
“It’s his case and I don’t want to step on any toes. Of course, if they tell you to proceed, then go ahead, but I’d rather it be their idea.”
“Gotcha,” Mike said slipping into his coat. “I’ll let you know what they tell me.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Conrad backed out of the garage quickly so Mike could lower the door from the cold. The garage wasn’t heated, and they only had a space heater in the stall to keep warm when they worked.
“That was a good call,” Cora said. “I’m anxious to know what might be found in the van, but it wouldn’t be worth the backlash if it angered the Sheriff’s Department.”
“And I don’t want the blame if they don’t find anything. Bobby throws blame around pretty easy.”
“Are you going to tell him about the boxes at June’s house? I don’t want to see Bobby busting in there and scaring June over it when the boxes may really be Saucy’s.”
“No, not yet. We don’t really know what that’s about. I’m hoping Saucy is going to tell us.”
Driving up to Saucy’s house, they could see the outside flood lights on, but no truck in the driveway. It wasn’t unusual to not see lights on at the front of the house when Saucy was home, but his kitchen light on the side wasn’t on either. Conrad pulled the car into the driveway, careful to stay in the tire paths made in the snow.
“Wait here and let me see if he’s home.” Conrad released his seat belt and opened the door.
“It doesn’t look like it but it is about dinner time. He might be out getting something to eat.” Cora looked at the snow tracks in the headlights.
Cora
listened to the windshield wipers flap from side to side and thought about the day they were all in Ivy’s Oils & Organics together. Saucy had boasted about all the remedies the essential oils provided right along with Denise’s sales pitch, yet he and Denise didn’t interact much at all. If Denise was his step-daughter and he had a connection with her that compelled him to help her, why wasn’t he sharing his relationship? He had never told them he knew her, and she had addressed him as Mr. Salzman that day. Were they intentionally wanting to keep it a secret? What could be the motivation for that?
When Conrad slid into his seat and closed his car door, Cora saw him staring straight ahead. There were no fresh tire tracks leading into the garage. “He’s not home. It doesn’t look like he’s been home,” Conrad said glancing at the snow on his boots.
“No. Maybe we should—”
“Drive by Denise’s house?” Conrad interrupted to finish her sentence.
“Yes, we should.” Cora nodded as Conrad buckled his seatbelt to back out of the driveway.
Denise lived just around the block on Sage Street and Conrad drove by slowly. Saucy’s truck was parked in the street and lights were on in the house but he drove on by.
“It might be a good time to go see June now,” Conrad said and looked over for Cora’s nod. Maybe June would let him look in the boxes in the garage if she hadn’t talked to Saucy yet.
“She seemed annoyed that they were taking up so much room. She said they belonged to Saucy so she might want to ask him first.”
“Do you think she’s going to let me look in the boxes?”
“I don’t know. She might if she thinks they really belong to Denise. She doesn’t think highly of her and she feels like Denise treats Saucy poorly. Maybe if you tell her about today, she’ll show you just to clear Saucy.”
“Let’s give it a try. All she can do is say no.”
Conrad turned the corner and headed toward June’s house. It was only a few blocks away. Pulling up to the curb, Conrad drove into the same ruts that Cora had carved out of the snow earlier that day and they both started the march for the door.