“Who?”
“Clint Russell.”
“He’s the man who complained about Reed’s horses getting on his property, right?
“Yup.” My stomach rumbled loudly now. “Sorry. Are you hungry, Margaret?”
“A little.”
“Well, how about we move to the kitchen, and I’ll get us each a slice of blueberry pie?”
“That’d be nice.” Now, Margaret followed me into the other room. “I hope you’re not going to keep me hanging too long regarding Mr. Russell.”
“As soon as the pie’s on the table I’ll finish my tale, I promise.” I motioned for the elderly woman to sit, and I went to the fridge to retrieve our snack. After I cut generous portions for us and placed them on dessert plates, I carried the plates and forks to the table and sat down. “Okay, back to the story. The minute I pulled out on the road running in front of Clint’s and Reed’s property I was flagged down.”
The elderly woman broke off a bite of her pie with the fork. “By Mister Russell?”
“Yes. He said he wanted to ask me out on a date but didn’t have my number. Can you believe it?”
“Oh, dear. Sounds like there might be a conflict brewing.” With that said, my neighbor finally tasted her pie.
“Could be, but I have a hunch there’s more to this hunk of a guy than meets the eye.”
“You mean you think Mr. Russell is somehow involved in what’s happening at Reed’s?”
“It’s a gut feeling I have. I just wish there was some way I could check his background before I go out with him.”
Finished eating, Margaret pushed her plate out of the way. “I always lean towards playing it safe, especially these days. Perhaps the police could be of help.”
“I don’t know. They’re so busy with major crimes. Besides I’m not a licensed private eye. I’m only an unemployed teacher. Why would they give me the time of day?”
The nonagenarian flapped her hands on the table. “I hear a box of donuts goes a long way with Sergeant Murchinak. He’s just down the street in one of the police substations.”
I sighed. “And you know this how?”
“Matt knows him quite well.”
“Wonderful, so how do I convince the cop I need help?”
The elderly woman pointed to her forehead. “Use your imagination, Mary. You’re a teacher.”
“Unemployed, but thanks all the same. Hmm. Let’s see. Oh, how about this? I’ll tell him Matt thinks the guy I’m dating might have a criminal record and doesn’t want to see me ending up dead.”
Margaret’s eyes twinkled with delight. “That ought to get his attention.”
Chapter 32
After Margaret returned to her abode, I escaped to my bedroom. I didn’t go there to take a nap, only to make a phone call. I could’ve probably made it from any room in the apartment, but I didn’t want to chance my roommate walking in on me and overhearing the conversation.
“Yes, is Sergeant Murchinak there? Oh, I see. He’s already gone for the day. Well, do you know what time he arrives in the morning? Ten? Okay, thank you.”
“Mary, we’ve returned,” my aunt loudly proclaimed.
“I’ll be right there,” I called back, “I’m just straightening my room.” I opened the door and waltzed into the kitchen. Aunt Zoe was just taking Gracie’s leash off. “Looks like the walk wore you two out.”
“It did. Now, we’re both ready for supper, aren’t we, Gracie?”
“Wuff. Wuff.”
“I’ll tell you what; you two get something to drink, and I’ll scrounge up some grub. How does pizza sound?”
Aunt Zoe dampened a paper towel and then wiped the sweat from her brow. “From Crazy Harry’s across the street?”
“Nope. Good old Berkley’s from the freezer.”
“Oh?” My aunt’s lips clearly displayed her disappointment. “What time will it be ready?”
I pulled the pizza out and flipped the carton over. “Twenty minutes if all the cheese is melted.”
My roommate took a glass out of the cupboard now and filled it with ice and water. “I think I’ll go in the living room and watch TV.”
“Okay. I’ll join you after I get the pizza in and Gracie’s chow is ready.” Little did I know it would be sooner rather than later.
“Mary, you gotta come in here.”
“I’m not quite ready.”
“It’s important.”
Right. Just as important as the day she wanted me to see the kittens I suspect. Well, at least I’m not grooming a horse this time. I left the pizza on the counter now and went to the living room. “What’s up?”
She jumped up from the couch as soon as I spoke. “One of the gals on Kamini’s floor just called. She’s gone into labor.”
“What? No, I’m not ready for that.”
“Well, apparently Kamini is.”
“How am I going to put all my energy into the case if I have to work half days there?”
“You should’ve thought about that before you applied for the job.”
I clenched my hands. I couldn’t believe what just rolled off my aunt’s tongue. “I had no choice. I took that job for the two of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“How do you think we can afford to live here without extra income coming in? My teaching salary was divided into nine months not twelve.” Good thing my cell phone rang right then, or I would’ve been busting the seams on my jeans. “Excuse me. I’m going to take this in my bedroom,” and then I stomped off.
It was Clint. The call couldn’t have come at a better time if I had planned it myself. The hunk wanted to know if I liked to bowl and if there was a night yet this week I’d be free. Oh, brother. I didn’t even have him checked out yet. You’re crazy not to set a date with him now, Mary. You did want to dig deeper. Yeah, Yeah, but I wanted to know who I was dealing with first. He could be a serial killer for all I knew. “I guess that’s a chance I’ll have to take.”
“What did you say?”
“Ah, yeah. That sounds like fun.” The guy didn’t need to know most of my balls end up in the gutter. “I just have a slight problem. I don’t know my schedule yet for my other part-time job. I should find out tomorrow. Could I call you back in the afternoon sometime?”
“Yeah. If I don’t pick up, just leave a message.”
“All right. Talk to you then.” I pulled the handheld mirror off the dresser and looked at my reflection. “Way to go, Mary. You can talk to Murchinak in the a.m. and speak to the hunk in the p.m.”
Chapter 33
All my fretting last night was a waste of time. Have you ever had plans jerked out from under you while you were still snoozing? Well, I did. Within the last twelve hours to be exact. At 6:15 this morning I was awakened from dreamland by none other than my lovely cell phone. The principal of Washington Elementary was calling to see if I could fill in for one of the teachers who had a family emergency. I wanted to turn him down and go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. Money talked. Besides, I needed to keep my foot in the door. Over the years, I’d observed the longer teachers were out of the loop, for any reason, the quicker they were forgotten. I didn’t want that happening to me.
After I ended the call, I sat at the edge of the bed trying to figure out how the heck I was going to manage everything today. Summer school ran until two-thirty. I’ll probably have to fill in at the optical store around four. That didn’t leave me much wiggle room for the police substation, supper or the promised phone call to chick magnet, Clint. Don’t forget the trip to Bloomington. “Oh, crap.” That’ll have to wait. I glanced at the alarm clock. “Better get moving, Mary. You don’t want to be late the first day you sub.”
I dragged myself out of bed and immediately pulled the sheet and blanket taut. As much as I lik
ed Gracie, there was no way I was ever letting her sleep under my covers. That honor was reserved for Mister Right. With that out of the way, I gathered appropriate clothing for the classroom and then headed to the shower to try to wake up. After I was fully awake I’d follow through with breakfast and then dig through my teaching stuff to see what kind of fun filler work I could bring with me to the classroom. It never hurt to be over prepared. Kids could be overbearing with subs.
When I got out of the shower, someone was pounding on the door. “Mary, are you all right in there? You don’t usually get up this early.”
“I’m fine, Aunt Zoe. I got called to sub at Washington Elementary.”
“Oh, well, would you like me to throw a couple waffles in the toaster for you?”
Toaster! “No, no. That’s all right. I’ll just fix myself a bowl of cereal.”
“How about if I pack you a lunch?”
Enough already. I opened the bathroom door a quarter of the way and poked my head out. “I appreciate your trying to help me, Auntie, but I’m not sure what I want for lunch yet. I don’t usually think about that until after breakfast is out of the way.”
My roommate waved a hand at me while the other held a cup of steaming coffee. “I’ll leave you be,” and then she started to walk towards the kitchen. “Oh, by the way, I’ll be busy most of the morning too.”
Worried that my aunt planned to practice her culinary skills again while I was gone, I sprang back the door that was almost shut. “Really? What are you doing?”
“Why, I volunteered to watch the Singis’s two little ones until the grandparents show up.”
Whoa! She’s in for a rude awakening. As far as I knew my aunt hadn’t been around little kids since I was born. “Good luck,” was all I could manage to say without bursting out laughing before I shut the door and finished primping for school.
*****
A half hour later, Rod Thompson intercepted me in the hallway as I charged towards the elevator with a canary-yellow canvas bag dangling from my shoulder. He was dressed to the nines as usual and carrying a small suitcase. “Well, aren’t you all dolled up today, Mary. Rushing off to get married in Vegas?”
“Very funny,” I snapped. “You’re the one carrying the suitcase, Mister.”
He lowered his voice. “Shhh. Calm down. I didn’t mean to get you all riled, at least not this early in the morning.”
“Oh, so now you’re admitting you like to upset me.”
“No, no. I was just trying to have an adult conversation.”
Like he knows how. I drew in a deep breath. “In that case I’ve got a job to get to.”
My Nordic neighbor ran his free hand through his blond hair. “Oh, the sleuthing one you mentioned?”
“Wrong again.” So much for him thinking he knows everything.
“Give me a hint,” he mildly joked.
The elevator door slid open, and we both stepped in. Perhaps I was being too harsh with him. He did help me out at Ziggy Piggy’s after all. I started over again. “I’m subbing. How about you? What are you up to today?”
“Leaving for Texas.”
“Work or vacation?”
“A little of both, I hope.” The door opened on the lower level. Rod waited till I stepped out. “Say, Mary, how would you feel about a repeat at Ziggy Piggy’s when I get back?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Rod.”
“It’s okay. I get it.”
“Get what?” I asked as I shoved the straps of the cloth school goodie bag back on my shoulder for the umpteenth time.
“I’m referring to the guy I pulled you away from at Ziggy Piggy’s.”
My hand flew to my forehead. “Seriously?”
Rod leaned against his suitcase now. “Look, maybe I am a computer geek, but I saw what I saw. You two were pretty intense.”
“We were,” I blubbered. Stupid mistake, Mary. Why did you admit that? For all you know Mister FBI agent was laying a trap.
“I rest my case,” Rod said as he quickly shifted gears and began to wheel his baggage towards his car. “See you around, Mary.”
“Rod, wait! I need some answers.”
Too late. His car door had already slammed shut.
My head bobbed back and forth as I watched the FBI agent flee from the garage. Did he know what I was really up to, or did he innocently pick up on the vibes going between Clint and me? If it was the latter, I was seeing a whole new side of Rod Thompson I never knew existed. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy. He just didn’t know how to relate to women. Supposedly, it only took one good woman to turn a man around. Hmm? Don’t even think about going there. Remember what you told your mother, Mary. You don’t date FBI agents. Besides, you two are like oil and water. You don’t mix.
I slid into the car now and took off for North East Minneapolis.
Even though I already had enough on my plate before the sub job came along this morning, I was truly looking forward to my day with kids. Honest. Time spent with the little rascals would be a piece of cake compared to living with a menopausal roommate who was so behind the times, doing a job that scared the bejeebers out of me and being taken off guard by an FBI agent down the hall.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at school, nothing followed through the way I had envisioned. The principal informed me I would be nurturing fifty-some rambunctious kindergarteners and first graders in math and remedial reading throughout the course of the day, not teaching classes in the computer lab as he suggested on the phone. Hmm? Who showed up before me and forced his hand?
After only one hour with the little darlings and the noise level seeping in from the science class next door, I had a splitting headache, one that even the knock on my head couldn’t measure up to, and I wondered how my aunt was faring with just the two she was watching. Deep down I had a feeling the rest of my day would play out the same. Kids the world over have always taken advantage of substitute teachers. I felt like such a failure and wished time would leap forward enough so the students could go to the cafeteria for their morning break.
When the school bell finally rang for dismissal, I grabbed my belongings and flew out the door with the kids. One little chatterbox, a walker, managed to keep up with me all the way to the Topaz. “Miss Malone, what are you going to do with that box of Roll’n Donuts?” the boy asked as his eyes begged for a sample.
“It’s a gift for a friend,” I replied, and then I jumped into the car and tore off down the road to Highway 65 and on to Hennepin Avenue where Sergeant Murchinak was supposedly waiting for me.
“Thanks for the chocolate donuts,” Sergeant Murchinak said, displaying an uneven grin as I handed them over. “How did you know they’re my favorite kind?” Now, he turned his back on me and placed the box containing the donuts on a bookcase directly behind his sturdy chair.
“Telepathy.”
The big cop chortled. “Matt, huh?”
“Something like that,” I replied.
“So, you’re really Matt’s sister?” I nodded affirmatively. “Well, how about that. I didn’t think I’d ever meet any of his siblings.”
I gave him a cheesy smile. “We try to obey the laws.”
The cop stuck out his beefy hand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Mary. Have a seat,” then he shoved the stack of papers sitting in front of him to the side of his desk where a lamp and a framed picture of him in uniform rested.
I pulled a lone, side chair away from one of the enclosed walls and set it by his well-worn desk. “As I explained on the phone earlier, I won’t take up too much of your time. I know how busy you guys are.”
Sergeant Murchinak waved his hand at me. “Don’t worry about it. You said it was important to Matt that you see me.”
“Yes, especially since he can’t look into it.” I fumbled with my hands. I couldn’t decid
e if they should be closed or opened.
The cop leaned his belly over the desk slightly. “Your brother’s a good guy. I’m glad you listened to him. So, what’s your problem?”
Here we go. I sure hope the guy can’t read between the lines. “It all started the minute I mentioned the new guy I’ve been dating. Matt went ballistic. I begged him to tell me why he got so upset.”
Murchinak pulled his body up tight now. “What did he say?”
“He heard my boyfriend’s name while working on a prior case. Said he was bad news and made me promise to ask you to run a check on the guy. He didn’t want to find his baby sister in the cemetery when he stepped back on U.S. soil.”
“Holy shit. What’s the guy’s name, Mary? I’ll run a check on him as soon as I can.”
I stood now and clasped my hands together. “Oh, thank you, Sergeant. I just know the man I’m dating can’t be the criminal my brother’s thinking of. Clint’s just too nice.”
“Some of our worst serial killers appear to be as peachy as pie. Don’t let his face fool ya. Now what’s his last name?”
“Russell.”
“Got it.” Murchinak stood now. “So, where can I reach you?”
“Matt’s. I’m staying there with my aunt until he gets back.”
Chapter 34
After I sped back to the Topaz, I had exactly a half hour to take care of personal needs, make that stomach demands, before I showed my face at Singi’s Optical, and I knew just the place that could do it, Milt’s hamburger joint across from Loring Park. I grabbed the fun-filled bag I dragged to school this morning, pulled my cell phone out, and punched in Milt’s number.
“Milt’s, what can I get yeah?” the high-pitched boy’s voice asked.
Boy, that voice sounds vaguely familiar. Where did I hear it before? Maybe the kid took my order the last time I was here, or he lives somewhere in the Foley complex. Well, wherever I heard it, now is not the time to dwell on it. The guy’s waiting for me to speak up. “Yeah, I’d like an order-to-go.”
Death at the Bar X Ranch Page 20