Death at the Bar X Ranch

by Marlene Chabot

  I threw my hands in the air and gave Aunt Zoe my special look. She got my drift. What was the poor woman talking about?

  Not finding whatever it was that she wanted, Mrs. Grimshaw finally gave up and tossed a question my way. “Where are you hiding Gracie?”

  “What do you mean where am I hiding Gracie? Oh, no!” My hand flew to my forehead. “I forgot about her. I was so wrapped up in my car woes.” Now, I hurriedly excused myself to make a quick call on my cell phone. “It’ll just take a minute. I promise.”

  When I finally returned to the living room, I found my aunt and our neighbor sitting on the couch exchanging recipes. “So, then you add just a smidgen of garlic to the sauce right before serving,” Mrs. Grimshaw said.

  “Mmm. Sounds delicious.” My roommate focused on me. I hadn’t quite made it to the recliner. “Who did you rush out of here to call, Mary?”

  “Mike, my brother.”

  Not satisfied with my curt reply, Aunt Zoe demanded more info. “Why did you need to contact him?”

  “See if he could pick up Gracie.” I slipped into the La-Z-Boy and directed my attention to our visitor. “Margaret, did Zoe fill you in on our crazy morning yet?”

  A hasty reply came but not from the elderly woman. “No. We found too many other things to chat about, didn’t we, Margaret?”

  “Yes, indeed,” our guest stated as she straightened her back. It had been hunched over while she was sharing recipes. “What happened, Mary? Did you go to Mr. Griffin’s like you planned?”

  My stomach lurched forward and did a flip or two as thoughts of my damaged car floated miserably in my head. “Yeah,” I responded sourly, “we went there.”

  Aunt Zoe shot off the couch and began to pace dramatically. “Mary’s a total wreck, Margaret.”

  Our neighbor sighed. “I’ve noticed. The man must’ve been a real slime ball.”

  If it had been any other day but today, I would’ve burst out laughing. The absurdity of slime ball being used by a woman in her nineties was too much. Where did she hear that? A goofy TV show? “Where did you ever catch that kind of verbiage?” I asked.

  “Slime ball? Matt said it a lot when sharing tidbits of cases with me.”

  “Of course. I didn’t think of that. Auntie, maybe you should clear the air regarding Reed Griffin. You spent more time with him than I.”

  Auntie nodded nervously. “Take it from me, Margaret; Reed Griffin is not a slime ball. He’s one fine gentleman.”

  “It’s what went down at the end of our visit,” I briskly added, “that soured the day.”

  “Oh, dear.” Mrs. Grimshaw scooted her short cotton-clothed body closer to me. “Do you feel like sharing, Mary?”

  “I guess so.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t as ready as I thought. Tears began to slide down my cheeks. I didn’t give a hoot. I let them flow. “I lost the use of my car through sheer stupidity.”

  The elderly woman’s mouth jerked open. “What? Oh, no! You had a car accident? How awful. Are you both all right?”

  Aunt Zoe couldn’t contain herself any longer. “No. No. You don’t understand. There was no car accident. It was Mary’s car and a horse that didn’t see eye to eye.”

  “A horse?”

  “Yes, a horse. It found the “Bug’s” steering wheel quite delicious, and with the steering wheel gone, there is no vehicle to drive.”

  Margaret’s bony hands flew to her face. “Horses like salt, but I never knew they chomped on car parts. I’m sorry, Mary. I wish I had a car to loan you, but I stopped driving five years ago. Any idea how long your car will be indisposed?”

  “Haven’t a clue.” I wiped my square-shaped face with the palm of my hand now. “Mr. Griffin just said the car needed to be towed to a shop.”

  “How did the two of you manage to get home from his place? A cab?”

  My aunt’s face grew flush as she eagerly explained. “Why, that kind man at the horse ranch offered us a lift in his truck.”

  Margaret shifted her gaze my way and winked. “Ah. I see. Well, Zoe, Mr. Griffin certainly does sound like a true gentleman. So, when are you going to see him again? Ah, I mean when do you think the two of you will need to go back to the area to do more investigating?”

  “I don’t know. Mary?”

  I gritted my teeth. “The sooner the better, I guess. I don’t want this case to grow cold.”

  Our neighbor seemed to have drifted off into another dimension now. Her face appeared strained as she tapped an imaginary message on her brightly covered lap with her fingers. Then quite suddenly she announced, “Mary, you need to speak with Matt. Ask him if you can borrow his Topaz. I’m sure he won’t mind. It’s just sitting in storage.”

  The elderly woman’s suggestion made me feel like an elephant had finally been lifted off my chest. “Neighbor, you’re a genius. Why didn’t I think of that?” I jumped out of the La-Z-Boy and immediately marched over to Margaret to give her a bear hug.

  “Probably because you were so focused on the VW,” my aunt exclaimed.

  “You’re right, Auntie. I had a bad case of tunnel vision, but now I see clearly.” I started to head back to the La-Z-Boy, but then I stopped abruptly, spun towards the two women again and asked, “Hey, does anyone know what time it is in Germany?” Not born a procrastinator like some people in my family, I figured I might as well get the long distance call to Matt out of the way as soon as possible. Why delay what you can do today?

  Chapter 10

  Instead of remaining comfortably seated in the living room where I had left them, the two women met me halfway between the hallway and the kitchen. Obviously, curiosity got the best of them. “Well, how is he?” they eagerly questioned in unison. “What did he say?”

  “Who? About what?” I lightly teased.

  As silly as my aunt can be at times, she wasn’t about to partake in any silliness coming from me right now. She swiftly reprimanded me. “Mary, don’t be so childish.”

  I flipped my palms up like I was trying to hold back a tidal wave. “Okay, okay. Considering the fact that Matt had already put in a gruesome eight hours of work and was just slipping between the sheets, he sounded like one would expect, exhausted. But don’t worry, because he did manage to ask me to greet you two and give you both a hug.”

  “What about the car?” Margaret drilled, “Can you use it?”

  I smiled. Then I balled up all my fingers except for the thumbs, which pointed to the ceiling.

  “What’s she doing?” our neighbor inquired.

  Aunt Zoe gingerly deciphered my actions. “It’s a go for the Topaz.”

  “Oh? So, did you mention Mr. Griffin?”

  I swiped my hand in front of me. “Nah. Why, complicate things?”

  *****

  “C’mon, Mary,” my brother Michael whined, “I haven’t got all day.” He was already on the elevator and keeping the door from sliding closed.

  “Don’t get so uptight,” I bantered back as I picked up my pace and finally hopped on, “You know you don’t have anything better to do today.” I turned around to face the door and discovered that Margaret and my aunt had followed us. “Are you sure you’re okay with watching Gracie?” I quickly inquired of them one last time.

  “Yes,” Aunt Zoe pounced.

  “Just do what you have to do,” Margaret cheerfully added as she gently waved me off with the bottom of her yellow floral apron.

  Michael released his hold on the open button now, and we were immediately surrounded by four gray sterile walls and silence. The perfect time to ask about Matt’s car. “Mike, did Matt ever mention how his car runs?”

  My brother shifted his stance a little. “Not that I recall. Why?”

  “I was just wondering how dependable the Topaz is. It’s more than twelve years old.”

  My bro
ther scratched his thick head of hair for a moment while he thought about that tidbit. “That’s right. He bought it back in ’93, didn’t he?”

  “Yup.”

  “Well, I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  The elevator suddenly jerked to a halt. When its door finally popped open, the sun’s harsh rays were bouncing madly about the lobby. Michael and I swiftly donned our sunglasses as we stepped out.

  “Would you like me to call around town to see who can replace your VW’s steering wheel the cheapest and the quickest? A man usually gets better results talking to car technicians.”

  A heavy sigh escaped from me. What Michael just said was true, but still, why did certain things in life have to work that way? “Ah, thanks for the offer, but I’ve got time to handle it. Summer school doesn’t start for another week yet, and they usually don’t need a sub right away.”

  Our conversation stopped as we came upon Mr. Edwards who was preparing to scrub a portion of the floor by the front doors. The seventy-something man’s thin, sandy brown hair splotched with gray was combed to perfection, but his brown plastic eyewear sat askew on his nose as usual. Rustler jeans skimmed the tops of his hard-toed black shoes and a chocolate-brown short-sleeve shirt exposed his almost pale, transparent skin. One arthritic hand held the wet mop while the other rose slightly to greet us.

  The two of us waved back.

  “Nice guy,” I shared with my brother once we were outside. “Not nosey—just does his job. A good one at that, I might add.”

  “Oh, I agree about his thoroughness for cleaning. Every time I walk through the lobby or ride the elevator, it smells like Mr. Clean has just visited.”

  I jabbed my brother in the ribs.

  “Ouch! What’s that for?”

  “For being so sarcastic. The apartment building should smell clean. Why, that man’s busy getting things done in the building from 6:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m. every day except Sunday.”

  “Is he married?”

  “I don’t know. I never thought to ask. Maybe he’s a widower and doesn’t have anywhere else to hang out.”

  “Could be,” Michael replied as he started to jiggle his car keys in his hand.

  I glanced up and down the street but didn’t see my brother’s car anywhere. “Okay, where did you hide your little gem?”

  “You mean my shiny new Buick?”

  I nodded politely. He was being sarcastic again. His car was ten years old.

  “Around the corner.”

  The minute we hopped in the car, Michael began to give me the third degree. I suppose Mom and Dad put him up to it. “So, what have you and Zoe been up to?”

  I was evasive. “Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that.”

  His head nodded like he understood. “Have you filled out any job applications yet?”

  “No time. I’ve got something else cooking right now.”

  “Oh?”

  Michael and the remainder of my family would go ballistic if they knew I took a case that was meant for Matt. “Yeah,” I said as coolly as I could, “a guy I know is shorthanded at his riding stable and asked if I’d help out.”

  My sibling shook his head. “A riding stable? I don’t know, Sis. I sure hope you haven’t taken on more than you can chew. Horses can be quite fickle at times, especially stallions.”

  Don’t I know it. “There aren’t any stallions. The males have all been castrated, but thanks for being concerned,” and then I carefully let our discussion about horses drop.

  When my brother removed the Topaz from the Foley’s under­ground parking lot, he stored it on his property in the pole barn, which is surrounded by tall grass. I had forgotten that fact and had dressed inappropriately for tick season.

  Michael looked at me now as we pulled into his driveway. “Your shorts and flip flops aren’t going to cut it with the tick population on my property. You’d better wait here while I retrieve the Topaz.

  Ticks. Mean buggers. Why did one of the worst arachnids have to live in Minnesota? Talk shows might joke about ticks, but no one living around here did. We took them very seriously. Some ticks were harmless, but others caused major problems like Lyme disease, which attacks a human’s muscles and heart if not caught in time. I watched now from afar as Michael made his way through the uncut grass leading to his pole barn and wondered how many ticks would find their way to his skin. If he was lucky, maybe none.

  The Topaz quickly appeared in front of me, and I hurriedly plopped my size-sixteen bod behind its steering wheel. Of course, the next logical step was to set my foot on the gas pedal, but I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t know this car’s quirks like I did the VW’s. What if I bumped some tiny gizmo and repeated another close call on the highway like this morning’s drive to Reed Griffin’s property. My hands shook. Right this very moment, Aunt Zoe and I could be lying in hospital beds being nursed back to health at St. John’s in St. Paul. Yikes! On the other hand, if one of the guys on the most recent poll of sexiest men alive was hovering over me, well, I wouldn’t be too unnerved.

  After a few seconds, I found I still couldn’t shake off my nervousness and decided it was better to check the position of the side view mirrors than to back up. Michael had been leaning against the ancient oak tree at the end of his driveway watching me, but now he strolled over to the car and motioned to roll the window down. So, I did. “What’s up, Mary? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put your foot on the gas pedal and back the car up.”

  “I know. I know. It’s just that I didn’t realize how nervous I’d be about driving someone else’s car. It’s a heavy responsibility.”

  My brother bent his head down, so we were on equal footing. “Look, did you worry every time you drove Dad’s car when you were in high school?”

  “Are you kidding?” I chuckled. “Of course not!”

  “Well, then, just pretend Dad’s loaning you his car again for a couple days, and everything will be fine.”

  I shook my head. “No, it won’t. How could it be? I was only a teenager then. The phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ made perfect sense when hormones were raging fast and furious through my system, but it doesn’t now. I’m a mature adult. With borrowing comes responsibility.”

  Michael shot back with, “In other words, you’re old enough to know how much things cost to repair.”

  “Ah, yeah. Something like that.”

  “Well, if you don’t back out of here soon and head for home, a certain threesome is going to be hunting you down.”

  I brushed my bangs off my forehead. “Huh?”

  “Gracie, Aunt Zoe, and Mrs. Grimshaw.”

  “Oh? Okay, okay, I’m going. Wish me luck.”

  My brother pulled his head away from the car window. “Good luck. And, Mary . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “Call me when you get back to the Foley.”

  I held the steering wheel in one hand and saluted him with the other. “Aye-aye, Captain.”

  *****

  There’s nothing like being smothered to death with doggie kisses the minute I walked in the door. By the time Gracie finished with me, there were tiny puddles everywhere.

  “Sorry,” Aunt Zoe said as she reached out to grab Gracie’s collar cinched around the mutt’s neck. “She just emptied her water bowl right before you walked in.” A beautiful young pregnant woman, who was short in stature, stood serenely by listening to our conversation. Her shiny straight black hair flowed down to her waist, partially covering the black and white silk sari she wore.

  “It’s all right,” I smoothly replied. “Next time, I’ll call before I enter.”

  “That wouldn’t hurt.” Aunt Zoe’s so naïve. She had no idea I was being sarcastic.

  Since Margaret and Au
nt Zoe were in charge of Gracie while I was gone, I ignored the stranger for the moment and listened for the elderly woman. No shuffling feet were coming our way. That was odd. “What happened to Margaret?” I quickly inquired; worried she might have gotten sick while I was gone.

  My aunt let go of Gracie now. “A friend of hers is dropping by in a little bit, so I figured she’d like a few minutes to primp.”

  “Ah,” is all I managed to say even though I was dying to know if our neighbor’s company was male or female. Matt had let it slip quite a while ago that Margaret goes out with a man friend occasionally.

  “l really must go, Zoe,” the stranger announced abruptly.

  “Oh,” I said, “I hope you’re not leaving on my account. I didn’t mean to scare you off. ”

  “No need to worry. It’s time for me to prepare supper, that’s all.” Now there was an awkward pause.

  Aunt Zoe glanced at the woman and then me. “Please forgive my man­ners, ladies. I just realized I forgot to introduce you two. Mary’s my niece.”

  “And her roommate,” I pointed out.

  “Ah,” the pregnant woman said.

  “Kamini, Mrs. Singi, lives in the apartment directly below us, Mary.”

  My hand stretched out to her. “Nice to meet you. If we ever make too much noise up here, let us know.”

  The woman smiled broadly as she politely grasped my nicked hand with her fine smooth one.

  “Kamini moved here from India five years ago,” Aunt Zoe explained. “Her husband owns the optical store next to our apartment building.”

  “Really? How convenient for you.” The young woman shook her head politely. I removed my sunglasses from my nose and wagged them in front of her. “You know, I’ve been telling my aunt the lenses in these glasses aren’t as strong as they should be. Perhaps I’ll stop by the optical shop tomorrow and have your husband take a look at them.”