by Kaye George
* * * *
It had been a long, busy day. Tally was so tired she could hardly stand up, but Yolanda sounded like she needed to talk. “I’ll meet you for a glass of iced tea, okay? Then I have to get home. We had an incredible day.” It seemed that the more complicated her life got, the busier her store became.
Yolanda agreed to a brief meeting. “It won’t take long, but I just have to tell you something. Just so you know.”
Tally bent to put the last of the baking sheets away in the cupboard.
“I’m off, Tally,” Lily called from the front. She usually stayed until every single thing was in order. But she had other things on her mind lately, Tally knew.
“Have fun tonight,” she called to Lily.
Lily ran back to the kitchen. “Am I that obvious? How do you know we’re going out tonight?”
Her young love warmed Tally’s heart. “Just have a good time. Say hi to Raul.”
Lily gave her a sheepish look.
“I’m glad you’re feeling good today. How are things with you and your cousin Amy?”
Lily frowned. “Not all that good. I’ve tried to sit down and talk things out with her, but she won’t do it.”
“What do you mean? She won’t talk to you?”
“Every time I mention working things out, she gets cold as ice and says she has to leave, has to call someone, has to go in her bedroom and do something. She might as well say she has to wash her hair.”
“That’s tough.”
“We’ve always gotten along okay, but we were never bosom buddies or anything. We probably shouldn’t live together. I can’t afford a place on my own, though.” She gave a slight smile.
“But?” Tally asked, at that smile.
“Something might work out. You just never know.”
After she left, Tally wondered if she was thinking of moving in with Raul. Sure sounded like it. She hoped Lily didn’t make a hasty move before she was ready for it.
Tally finished tidying, gathered her things, and was locking up. Before she got out the door, though, Detective Jackson Rogers called her.
“Have you seen this morning’s paper?” he asked.
She hadn’t, but her copy from home, still folded, was on her desk, unread. “What do you want me to see?” She headed back into the office to get it. She picked it up and shook it open.
“Look at the first page and tell me if you’ve ever seen the man who’s pictured.”
She opened it up and saw that the name and picture of the Motel 11 victim were displayed on the front page. With a start of recognition, she answered him. “Yes, that’s the guy!”
“What guy, Tally? Tell me exactly.”
“He’s the one on crutches. The one who was looking at our window when the plastic was first melting. He’s the one who bumped into Lily and almost knocked her down.”
The name Sawyer Sutton was under his picture and the article began by asking if anyone had any information on the “mystery” victim.
“He’s the one that’s dead? Who is he?” she asked.
“We can’t find much information on him. That’s why we’re making the public plea. Do you know anything else about him?”
The dead guy was on crutches. Was he also killed with them? “How did he die?”
“I’m not at liberty to say yet.”
“I mean, was he beat up with the crutches, like Walter Wright was?”
“He might be the person who attacked Mr. Wright. But we don’t know what their connection is. But Sawyer was strangl—he wasn’t beaten with crutches.”
“I thought,” Tally said, “that Walter Wright got beat up trying to get back our plastic.”
“Pretty severe consequence for that, don’t you think? A fight over pieces of plastic?”
“You think it’s all about the jade stones. The ones that were inside the plastic. Do you think they all knew about them? This Sutton guy and Walter Wright? Were they fighting over them?” Or had Walter just been trying to catch a thief in the act? As a good Crime Fritzer?
“I shouldn’t say anything more. But if you know anyone who knows this guy, or anything about him, let me know.”
She promised she would as she stuck the newspaper into her purse and darted out the door to meet Yolanda. She was the one who said they should have a quick, short meeting. As she walked to the small café, she realized Jackson was right. Walter probably didn’t get beat up because he was trying to retrieve cheap, melting pieces of plastic, to save them from being stolen. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Had he known there was valuable jade inside of them? Or had he seen the jade as Sawyer Sutton was stealing it? How much jade had actually been there? Enough to kill someone over? Jackson hadn’t been sure that there was more, other than just that the few pieces she found of the valuable Burmese jade.
Yolanda was waiting with two glasses of wine already poured, at a table in the corner, when Tally walked into the small, dim dining room. Hadn’t she suggested iced tea? Tally wasn’t used to drinking wine every single night. She would have to take a wine vacation soon.
This wasn’t a place that tourists visited and it wasn’t crowded, even though this was Saturday night. Before Tally could get completely seated, Yolanda started in.
“I’m so worried about Raul,” she said. “I walked in on him talking to Mateo this morning. He didn’t know I was there.”
“Hi, I’m doing fine today. Did you have a good one?” Tally countered, raising her glass and taking a sip. “Thanks for fortifying me. What am I in for?” This obviously wasn’t the time to give up the wine for a while.
“Sorry. Yes, we had a good day. Well, not me. I’ve been worried sick all day. And my darn allergies.” She wiped a sniffle with a tissue from her purse.
“Why, pray tell? What was Raul saying?”
“He was talking about Mateo working with someone named Sutton, who had been killed, of all things, and he sounded like he was talking about them doing illegal things.”
“Them? Sutton and Mateo? Look at this.” She fished the paper out of her purse and held up the picture labeled Sawyer Sutton. “He’s the guy Raul’s cousin found dead.”
Yolanda squinted at the paper in the dim light, took it and got a closer look. “Wait, he’s the one who was on the sidewalk with us.”
“Yes, the one who ran into Lily.”
“He’s dead? And Mateo found him dead? And…Mateo worked with him, Raul said. I think.”
“So they were both smuggling that jade?” Tally filled Yolanda in on Jackson’s evaluation of the green stones and their value. “If all our plastic had the stones inside, there was a lot of jade in your window. Worth a lot of money. Are people fighting over it? Getting killed because of it?
“You know,” Tally continued, “Jackson said they don’t know much about the guy, Sawyer Sutton. Maybe Raul could tell them who he is and where he’s from.”
“Maybe. I’ll ask Raul to talk to the police about that, if he can. I’m glad no one knows about the other pieces of plastic. The ones we haven’t used yet.”
“Oh my gosh! There are more, aren’t there?” She’d forgotten about the extra pieces they hadn’t used. “We need to show them to the police.”
“I’ll get them and bring them to the station first thing in the morning,” Yolanda said. “They’re in one of my cupboards.”
“Does Raul know they’re there?” Would he steal them and help his cousin get them to their smuggling destination? “Are you sure they’re still there?”
“I—I don’t know. I haven’t looked.”
“Lily and Raul are seeing a lot of each other right now. Poor Lily. I hope Raul isn’t involved with anything illegal. She’s already upset enough about the plastic melting, and everything else related to it.” What if Lily was thinking about moving in with Raul? That was a good possibility. Should sh
e tell Lily about the suspicions swirling around her beau?
Tally prayed the pieces were still where Yolanda had left them. If they weren’t, that probably meant Raul had stolen them. She didn’t tell Yolanda that Lily and Raul were out together right now, at this moment. It was at least the second time they’d gone out, but there were probably more times she didn’t know about.
There was one thing for sure. She didn’t want Lily’s heart broken.
* * * *
Yolanda decided she couldn’t wait for morning. She had to know if the extra, unused candy pieces were still there, in her cupboard where she’d left them. She didn’t suspect Raul, she told herself. Not really. She just had to…reassure herself.
After Tally left for home, she returned to Bella’s Baskets, going in the back way, through the alley. She didn’t quite want to admit why she was being secretive and sneaking in where no one, Raul, Mateo, or anyone else would see her. She didn’t even turn the lights on, but tiptoed to the cupboard that hung over the countertop where she usually prepared and clipped live flowers, next to the flower cooler.
Pausing, she crossed her fingers and said a silent prayer. Please, let them be there. They have to be there.
She pulled the door open and reached in. It was too dark to see, so she groped for the plastic bag she had put them in. There. She touched it. She pulled it out.
Her knees felt weak as she felt the weight of the bag. Something was in it. When she reached inside and pulled out a plastic Whoopie Pie, her knees gave way with relief and she had to catch herself on the edge of the counter with both hands. The bag dropped to the floor.
She heard a sound at the rear of the shop. Had she left the door unlocked? Probably. She had intended to go right back out. Footsteps sounded, coming toward her.
Trying to stay still and undetected in that spot, so close to the counter where Raul had been preparing lilies, was a mistake. Lilies were one of her worst allergies. Her throat started to tickle and her nose to itch.
She stifled her sneeze as long as she could while the unknown person kept creeping slowly through the silence in her direction. The intruder was making barely audible noises, probably the friction of the person’s clothing. The sounds drew closer. She cast about in her mind for a weapon, getting more frantic by the second. Her flower shears weren’t within reach. Could she bop someone on the head with the bag of weighted fake candy pieces?
Then it happened. She gave a mighty sneeze.
The footsteps fled, the back door slammed. She was alone in the shop, holding a bag worth thousands of dollars. She couldn’t leave it here. Whoever had just come for it would return. Was it Raul? The intruder had been heading straight for where she was, in front of the cupboard that held the hidden contraband.
Her first thought was to stuff the bag into her purse, but it wouldn’t fit.
She had to get out of there. She headed for the back door.
No. That’s where the intruder had come from. What if he was out there? Waiting for her to exit so he could…what? Knock her down and take the jade?
Her mind felt heavy and dull. It was hard to think. She took a deep, slow breath.
She had to go out the front.
What if the intruder was there instead?
She called Tally.
14
Tally looked at her phone screen and wondered why Yolanda was calling her right now. They had just parted, less than half an hour ago. Yolanda should be heading to her parents’ house for their Saturday dinner very soon.
“I can’t hear you,” Tally said. “Why are you whispering?” She hoped this wasn’t an emergency. She was so tired and so comfy on the couch, her shoes kicked off, warm and rumbly Nigel snuggled in her lap, and a glass of lemonade at her fingertips.
“Can you drive to the back of my shop? Please? It’s urgent.”
She had gone to her shop! If she had told Tally she was going, Tally would have gone with her. Yolanda sounded scared. Tally dumped Nigel, stuck her glass in the fridge so Nigel wouldn’t knock it over—ignoring some urgent, loud, feline complaints—stepped into her shoes, tore to her car, and drove off for the alleyway.
When Tally got there, Yolanda ran out, locked her door, and jumped into Tally’s little two-door car.
“Did you see anyone in the alley?” Yolanda asked, swiveling her head to scan the surroundings.
She looked awfully worried. Panting like she’d just run a mile, she thrust a plastic bag into Tally’s lap.
“What’s—” Tally glimpsed the contents. Shiny plastic Whoopie Pies, pieces of fudge, some Mary Janes and Mallomars, and a couple of yellow, glowing Twinkies. She knew what they were. “These are the ones you haven’t used in the window yet.” Yolanda had gone back for them tonight.
“And never will, I think. Feel how heavy they are.”
Tally lifted the bag. “Now we know why, don’t we? I think it feels like these are full of jade, too. I would probably have thought they were weighted, silly me. To make them more stable, to stay in place better.”
“They are weighted. They’re still full of jade.”
“Did you notice this before? When you were decorating and putting them in your window?”
“I didn’t. Raul arranged them.”
Tally pondered that, her mind stilling. Did that mean that Raul knew they were stuffed with contraband? She mentally shook her head. No, he might just think they were made of heavy plastic. Or, as they just said, weighted. Maybe.
“So you went to get these just now, right? Why didn’t you have me go with you? What happened?”
“Someone came in while I was there. I scared them off, but I was afraid they were after these and they would kill me.”
“Who was it? How many?”
“Just one person, I’m pretty sure. I just heard one set of footsteps, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I had left the lights out. I didn’t want anyone to see me in there getting these.”
“Good thinking.” Tally started driving out of the alley. “How did you scare him off?”
“I, um… I sneezed. He didn’t expect anyone to be there, I’m pretty sure. Go slow,” Yolanda said, peering out the window. “I want to see if whoever it was is still here.”
“Waiting for you, you mean. That’s why you wanted me to come get you. We have to take these to Jackson. Did you think the person sounded like Raul?”
“I couldn’t tell. It couldn’t be Raul, though.”
“Why not?”
“Why would he sneak in here to get these? He’s here all day. He could grab them whenever he wants.”
That made sense. Tally handed the bag back to Yolanda and dipped her phone out of her pocket. The detective didn’t answer his phone. “Should I leave a message?”
“Maybe,” Yolanda said. “I can get to the police station at eight or so tomorrow morning. I’m so late for dinner right now. My father is going to be so upset.”
Tally left a message telling Jackson she and Yolanda would be at the station in the morning and drove Yolanda home. They both looked carefully all along the way, but no one was lurking or acting suspicious. No one paid any attention to them driving by. Tally made sure Yolanda was inside before she took off. She kept the bag so that if anyone was watching, they wouldn’t see Yolanda with it.
Before she could fall asleep, Tally wrestled with the idea of Raul being involved with the smuggling—and with Lily.
* * * *
Thet had been following Mateo for a few hours and was sure the young man didn’t know he was there. Neither Ira nor Kyle, the housebreakers, had the missing jade. They didn’t seem to know anything at all about any jade. They were just interested in watches, electronics, women’s jewelry, and loose money.
Walter was sure they had possession of all the jade there was, all that was in the window. He assured Thet there was no more, but Thet knew differentl
y. His original contact, Mateo, was the logical person to be holding some of it back. Yes, Sutton had tried to steal the bulk of it, but it was logical to think that Mateo had filched some of it from Sutton. Just a few pieces were worth a lot of American dollars.
So he followed Mateo, starting at noon. He went out to lunch and had a hamburger. Then he went back home and, Thet could see through the window, watched television and drank beer for a few hours.
Thet was just beginning to think he wouldn’t go anywhere else, when he came out of his small house at nine in the evening. Hanging back was easy, even easier than it had been earlier, since Mateo was quite drunk by now. He staggered along the sidewalk, heading for downtown, for Main Street.
When he ducked into an alley, Thet worried he might not be able to go there without being seen, but Mateo never looked back. He lurched down the alley to the back door of a shop. If Thet wasn’t mistaken, it was Bella’s Baskets, the place the jade had been delivered to, then stolen from by Sutton. Before he took it from him in the motel.
Mateo fumbled a key in the lock and finally got the door open.
Of course! The rest of the jade was still in the shop! Thet should have thought of that. They had probably not used all of it in their display. He squeezed his eyes shut and rapped himself on the head for his stupidity. If he’d thought of that earlier, he would have all of his property by now.
All he had to do was wait until Mateo came out with it, then take it from him.
He wasn’t inside for more than a minute, though, when he came running out. Mateo stopped to lock the door, then ran down the alley toward Thet. Thet tried to stop him, but Mateo stuck out his arm and knocked the man over, an expression of fright on his face.
Thet sat in the alley, catching his breath from the blow to his chest. The jade must still be in the shop. Mateo had looked spooked, frightened. He didn’t think Mateo had gotten the jade. What had scared him away? Thet would love to go inside and look for it. But he had seen Mateo lock it and had no way of getting in without breaking the door. He wasn’t ready to do that, even if he could. And maybe what he wanted wasn’t there. No, he wouldn’t take that risk for something that might not even be there.