The Truck Comes on Thursday

by Sue Hardesty

  "Do you know how long he's been around here?"

  "A couple of months before you. Midwinter, I think."

  "Know where he came from?"

  "No." Lola unlocked a file drawer on the side of her desk. "Come to think of it, I don't believe it's in his file, either." She read for a few minutes. "Nope. It doesn't say anything. Curiouser and curiouser."

  Loni changed the subject. "Can you get me the phone numbers of the ranchers between here and the border?"

  "Sure. Tomorrow okay?"

  "You bet."

  "Can I ask you a personal question?"

  Loni panicked. "Depends. What?"

  "I've read your file. You've got a bunch of awards and commendations. Great recommendations, too. So what are you doing here?"

  "Sick Shiichoo."

  "Slick swho?"

  "Sorry." Loni laughed. "That's Apache. It means my grandma on my mother's side."

  "Must be more than that."

  Loni thought for a minute to decide what to say. "I worked with violent crimes, profiling serial killers. Also did a lot of sexual assaults. One day my partner and I chased a perp into a building. Perp jumped off of a fire escape with my partner right behind. It was pretty dark. Backup cop arrived and followed her around the corner, and shot her three times in the back. I stayed around with another partner for a while, but I was done with it. My grandma's not well, and I wanted to help her anyway so it gave me a reason to come home."

  "Didn't the backup warn her? Give her a chance to tell him who she was?"

  "Not a word."

  "So, what happened to him?"

  "Drummed out. Became a fireman."

  "No shit! Listen, honey, I'm surprised you left him alive," Lola exclaimed.

  "The truth? So am I. The Apache in me was exploding, but the Papago in me won. My granddad's voice."

  "What?"

  "Do no harm. Over and over he said to me as I grew up. Do no harm."

  Lola nodded toward the bullpen. "So are you sorry you came home?"

  "Every day. But if I ever get some sleep and have time to think about it, I might change my mind." Loni’s lips curved upward. "Meeting you may have made a difference."

  "You flirting with me?"

  Carl came out of Chief's office and beckoned Loni to follow him. "You need a desk. Take one of those with a computer and stick some personals on it."

  "Sure."

  "I know you're tired, Loni. But can you do one more thing for me?"

  "Sure." Loni followed Carl out of the building, knowing she had no choice.

  "I didn't get Todd's ceramics teacher interviewed. Can you do that now?" Carl squinted at the hot sun and slid on his sunglasses. "Damn, I'm tired of this heat." He got into his patrol car.

  Silently agreeing and extremely envious as she watched Carl roll up his windows, Loni slipped on her own sunglasses and walked with Coco to her truck. Loni thought about the boy's parents and hoped Tully would dredge up some sensitivity when he talked to the grieving parents.

  * * *

  Loni walked into the ceramic room through a colorful door covered with graffiti-like cartoons. She was surprised the students were allowed to paint it. In the middle of the students was the reddish-blond haired woman from Rene's funeral. The full length yellow apron covered a gray short-sleeved blouse, and her Levis were smeared with an array of vivid colors.

  The woman's smile revealed a small gap between her top front teeth that Loni had always found sexy.

  "Hi, I'm Jenny O'Neal. You're here about Todd?"

  "Yes."

  "Let's go in my office." Jenny's warm expression faded as her eyes teared. Loni followed her in, leaving Coco in a circle of excited students. Jenny's small office was like Agnes's, same large window opening onto the organized chaos of the ceramics class, and same mess. Jenny cleared the papers from a chair and offered it to Loni.

  She moved with the natural grace of a dancer, Loni thought. Nice to watch. Her eyes were a light-brown, almost cat golden. "I'm sorry. Todd was so beautiful. The most talented student I've ever had." She stopped and wiped her eyes. "One of my students talked about a party where Todd took her last night." She gazed out the window at the class. "Just a minute. I'll let her tell you." Jenny called out to a student, "Katy, could you please come here?"

  A petite girl with long, dark hair and braces on her teeth came into the office. Any other time she would be pretty, with her delicate pointed chin giving her face a heart shape. Today her eyes were swollen from crying, and her short nose was red and raw. Loni stood up to give Katy her chair. "She was home alone and couldn't stand it," Jenny explained. "Her friends are here."

  Nodding, Loni sat on the floor. It made her less threatening. "Are you Katy Beachum?"

  Katy nodded.

  "I'm Loni Wagner from the state police. I wanted to ask you about last night."

  "I need to get back to my class," Jenny said. "Talk to you later?"

  Nodding, Loni watched her walk away before she turned back to Katy. "Has anyone interviewed you yet, Katy?

  Sniffling, the girl shook her head.

  "Tell me about last night's party."

  Between sniffs, Katy said, "The assistant football coach had a barbeque for the team. Like up in Caliente Butte." She stopped again to blow her nose. "Even losers like Billy Joe were there, you know? Like I remember because he and somebody else held Todd down and like made him drink something." She shuddered a sigh. "Like he never took drugs, you know? Said he hated them."

  "Did they say what it was?"

  "Something about Come to Mama. Everybody kept looking at me and laughing, you know? Like even the coach's wife. Is that what killed him?"

  Evidently she didn't know anything about sex enhancers, Loni thought. "Billy Joe. Is that Billy Joe Kildare?"

  "Yeah. A real slime ball."

  "What adults were there?"

  "Just the coach and his wife. They're really nice."

  "What happened then?"

  "We had hot dogs and hamburgers. There were all kinds of fruit and dessert. Like some kids threw oranges around until they hit this girl, you know? She tried to make them stop, but they wouldn't so she left."

  "Didn't the coach make them stop?"

  "I don't remember seeing him around. His wife like laughed and sort of danced around with the boys like she was having a good time, you know?"

  "What was Todd doing?"

  "That was the really strange thing. He, like, couldn't sit still. He was tossing oranges. Then he'd sit down a minute. Then like he was up again." Tears rolled down her face. "He got mad at me when I tried to get him to dance with me. He jerked me up and dragged me to the car. He didn't say anything. He left me home, you know? That was the last time I saw him." Katy kept sobbing. "I don't understand." She wailed. "He never acted like that before."

  "Do you know the coach's address?"

  "Yes, it's next to Glenda's. My friend." She nodded out the window. "647 Caliente Butte Drive." Still sniffling when the bell rang, Katy said, "Can I go?"

  "Sure," Loni answered her gently as she followed the girl out of the office.

  "I really appreciate this," Loni said to Jenny after the students had gone.

  "Did she help you?"

  "I hope so."

  Jenny’s voice got quiet. "I heard you know something about sexual assault crimes. Is that true?"

  "I've had training, yes. But if you have one to report, you need to tell Chief."

  "I talked to him. Twice. He told me girls are always screaming rape when they don't get what they want, but they didn't really mean it." Jenny stopped, a disgusted look on her face with something else Loni couldn't read. "But I'm convinced someone is not only raping young Mexican girls, he is drugging them to rape them."

  "Did they get to the clinic for rape testing?" Loni's sex crime training kicked in.

  "The first one did. It was too late when the second one talked to me."

  "When did she go to the clinic?"

  "About a month
ago." Two students came into the room and Jenny changed the subject. "Maybe we can meet for coffee tomorrow? At the Greasy Spoon?"

  "Sure." Loni nodded. "What time?"

  "Noon?"

  "Good." Loni nodded. Walking out the door, she called Carl to report.

  "Hey," Carl answered her. "I need one more thing from you. Tully can't make his interview with Todd's folks, and I'd like you to do it. You should take Coco over there anyway and see if the kid had any drugs." He rushed his words so that Loni couldn't refuse.

  "What the hell, Carl! Does Tully do anything?" Loni snapped her cell phone shut and drove to Todd's parents' house. Signaling Coco to stay behind her, she walked up to the door and knocked. She remembered them. High school sweethearts years ahead of her, Bill ran the Whistle Stop Café with his dad, and, between pregnancies, Janine waited on tables. Loni saw a closed sign on the café as she drove to Bill and Janine's house.

  "Bill. Janine. I'm so very sorry about your loss."

  Pulling Janine with him, Bill stepped back and let Loni and Coco in. It was hard for Loni not to cry.

  "Thanks, Loni. Heard you were back. And a cop no less." Bill stared at Coco.

  "She's a police dog," Loni responded to Bill's unspoken question. Loni fiddled with her sunglasses. "I was sent over to go through Todd's room. And maybe ask a few questions if you're up to it. Is that okay with you?"

  "No." Janine wiped tears off her face. "I'm not okay with it, but I know you have to do it."

  Bill led her to the couch and sat down with her. He and his wife had both gained weight. Long-legged and short-waisted, Janine was taller than Bill until they sat together. Her brown hair, cut short, was graying. Bill's dark-rimmed glasses partly hid his eyes, and his recently shaved head gleamed white against his tanned face. He looked out of place without his tall white cook's hat on. "We need to know what happened, sweetheart."

  "I'll keep this short, I promise." Loni sat down across from them. "I need to know about his friends and about the party he attended last night."

  Janine leaned against Bill. "He said it was the usual opening season celebration with adult supervision." Janine buried her face in Bill's shoulder. He rubbed her back as he talked. "His friends were really good kids, too. I don't see any drugs going on with them." He paused. "I was watching for it, too. We both were. Close to the border like this, it's easy for them to get drugs," he continued. "His girlfriend is... I mean was... Katy Beachum. He buddied around with Jimmy Crowe, Fuzzy Bals, Jake Jr., and Alvin Petre." He patted his wife. "Is that about it, honey?"

  She nodded in his shoulder and mumbled, "They're the ones that hung out here."

  "Good." Loni stood up. She knew all the names. Jake Jr. must be the mayor's son. "Can I see his room?"

  "At the top of the stairs, last door on the right," Bill answered her. "He shares it with his brother. Don't know what belongs to who. But Todd keeps... kept his space neat."

  Loni easily identified which part of the room had belonged to Todd. Jenny was right about his talent. Drawings and paintings were pinned on the wall above a small desk with a laptop computer. Bed was neatly made. Bookcase was filled with science books, mostly animal anatomy. Did he want to be a vet? No, Loni decided he was learning how to draw animals. She opened his closet for Coco to sniff. Clothes were neatly on hangers or folded on shelves. This is a teenage boy? She opened all the boxes found more of the same. Neat. Organized.

  Coco finished and quietly sat in the center of the room. "Nothing to say, Coco? Good to know." Checking out his desk, Loni opened drawers and skimmed the papers. Just class notes. Research. Loni was amazed at the list. Most of the anatomy terminology she didn't even know. Making sure that no drug names were listed, she took the papers and the computer back downstairs. Bill and Janine sat on the couch, Bill holding her as she cried. "We'll mail you a receipt for the computer and papers. I promise to get them back to you as soon as I can."

  "Did you find anything?" Bill asked. "Anything at all in those papers?"

  "No," Loni told him. "Just class notes."

  "And?"

  "Nothing. Really. No drugs. I don't expect to find anything. What I see is a teenager serious about his art. Nothing more."

  Loni let herself out. Wondering where the other kids were, she made a mental note. Need to tell Carl to interview them. She remembered seeing two girls working at the café. And Todd's brother. Siblings often knew more than anyone suspected.

  * * *

  Home at last, Loni was hungry. She fried herself some hash browns and eggs. Working on the night shift, she never cared what she ate or when. She glanced around for something to read, realizing she missed going to the library again. She wondered if Mrs. Hunt would pick some mysteries out for her. She was always good at that. Loni opened the boot box again and pulled out her grandmother's notebook.

  NOVEMBER 24, 1917.

  Big day. Mama came down with the measles and also delivered Sal, the family baby and our pride and joy. Everything she did was something to ooh and ah over for my older brothers and me. She was a little white-headed, brown-eyed beauty. If she got spanked, we were all suffering right along with her. Believe me it was a clash of wills too because Mother never gave in. If she said to do a thing, we'd do it even it took a long time.

  Papa never whipped me, but the sad way he'd act if I disappointed him and how he'd talk and explain things to me. I'd feel about a foot high and sorry and wished he'd whip me instead.

  Our cousins came to live with us for awhile. A girl older than me and a boy my age. Mama and Auntie were quilting and sent me down the road a mile to the neighbors where my cousins were playing with the neighbors. They were playing cowboys and Indians. Butch was tied to a post in the front yard and they were doing a war dance around him. They never asked me to play. When I got home auntie said, "Did you see the kids?" I wasn't going to lie, but I guess it sounded like it. I said, "They've got Butch tied to a post and doing a war dance." I should have stopped there, but I had to elaborate a little. I said, "I think they were going to light the fire to burn him at the stake." Thread and chalk and scissors flew thru the air. Aunt Nettie turned her chair over and mama was already out of the house. I thought I'd better stay where I was. Auntie was short and fat, but she sure got home fast and pretty soon mama came back and whipped me with the yard stick. I didn't mind that, but hated the indignity of holding my skirts up so she could hit the back of my bloomers.

  Christine, Butch and I didn't do anything but fight. Hateful needless fights kids get into. Part of it was my fault when we got to the point of really fighting with our fists, sticks, or whatever. Butch and I were up in an ironwood tree and we got to pulling hair. That is one thing that never hurt me. My scalp must be leather. Anyway, mama and my aunt told us to come down at once. I didn't dare disobey, and I wouldn't turn loose first, so we both let go of the tree and fell to the ground. It knocked the breath out of us. Both mama and auntie cried. It was a climax, auntie said she'd better move on before I killed some of them. I guess I was born with an evil fairy godmother.

  Loni had to laugh thinking about growing up with James and her other cousins and the fights they had over the years. Except for Daniel. Maybe she had an evil fairy godmother, too.

  FROM: Loni Wagner

  TO: Sandi@gmailyahoo.com

  DATE: July 9

  SUBJECT: Still not looking

  I know I told you about how much I like my cousin Daniel, but I don't think I told you about James. We've always been serious enemies, and now I have to see him every day! I worry about what he might do to me.

  This town is beginning to feel like LA. We lost a great kid to ricin poison and have no idea where it's coming from. I interviewed his parents this afternoon. It's the hardest thing I've done in a long, long time.

  And the high school art teacher tells me that there's a serial rapist attacking teenage girls. I'm going to work with her on that no matter what Chief says.

  A woman shot herself in the leg to see if committing suicide wo
uld hurt. Then our PA told me about a man earlier this week that got shot by his dog. It's been a really weird day.

  Take care of you and yours.

  Loni

  The high humidity from the monsoon joined with the hot afternoon temperature and left her bathed in sauna heat under the swamp cooler, forcing her to the ranch to sleep under her grandparents' refrigeration. Finally ending up on the couch, she overslept and woke to the smell of coffee.