by Mary Clay
"That's for sure," Ruthie replied. "As soon as Heather leaves, I think we should work on the book inventory. At least see if any of the books Kevin and I logged are missing. I was going to do it this morning, but there was too much commotion with all of the workmen."
There was a loud bang on the door. Alice let herself in and stomped down the hall, mad as a hornet. She was holding the manila folder she'd lifted the night before. "Leigh, you have to go with me to the Medical Examiner's office and return this folder. I think this is why the cops are still holding Kevin."
"What?" I asked.
"Guthrie's not here. Besides, neither of us can do it because we'd be recognized," Alice said. "This must be the only copy of the information, and since they can't find it, the Examiner hasn't issued his report. Kevin will never be released until we take it back."
"What am I supposed to do? Waltz in and say 'here's a folder that someone stole yesterday?' And, why me? Why not Ruthie?"
"Because you look more like a tough reporter. Ruthie appears much too sweet."
Aunt Alice says I look like a tough reporter after Penny Sue said my condo didn't have anything valuable? That family was pushing their luck! "Just how am I supposed to pull this off?" I asked tersely.
Alice rolled her eyes. "You're going to walk in with a stack of folders and pretend you're doing a story on the Medical Examiner's office and ask to make an appointment. When the receptionist isn't watching, you'll put this folder on her desk. There was a red-headed receptionist working yesterday. I'll watch from my car and call your cell after you get rid of the folder. That will give you an excuse to leave quickly."
"I guess it could work," I said slowly. "Why not Penny Sue? She'll be here any minute."
"She couldn't pull it off. Penny Sue doesn't look like she knows diddly-squat," Alice replied.
Ruthie's eyes widened, as Penny Sue appeared directly behind Alice.
"Thanks, Auntie, dear," Penny Sue boomed.
Alice swung around to face her niece. "Do you know anything about news reporting?"
"No, but--"
Alice did a palms-up. "See, I didn't think you knew diddly about it. Don't get your panties in a wad. I was talking about newspaper reporters."
"Oh." Penny Sue stalked past Alice to the bathroom. I suspected Penny Sue was banging her head against the wall and muttering every cuss word she knew.
"Alice, we can't go anywhere until Heather interviews us about last night," Ruthie spoke for the first time.
"Well, where is she? And, what's to tell? The place was burglarized, the thieves got away and they couldn't lift any prints. End of story."
"Wait a minute," I said. "I wonder if Lu Nee 2 keeps a recording. Maybe Carl can retrieve pictures of the thieves. I was supposed to call him earlier to see if he could crack the code to Abby's computer, but forgot it in all of the commotion."
Penny Sue must have been listening at the bathroom door, because she came out talking. "Yes, Lu Nee has a recording function!"
"Well, for godsakes, call Carl and get on with it," Alice said curtly. "We need to get to the Examiner's office before the shift changes."
Thankfully, Heather arrived at that moment. True to Alice's prediction, there wasn't much to tell, except that we planned to call Carl about retrieving Lu Nee 2's video.
"Excellent," Heather commented, giving the robot an appreciative pat. "If Carl can get the recording, it may be the break we need to solve a number of robberies on the beach."
"What about the handprint?" Ruthie asked.
"It'll be a while before we have those results. Our lab isn't as fast as the one on CSI." Heather flipped her notebook closed. "Please call me as soon as you get the video. If Carl can't retrieve it, our technicians may be able to help."
I grinned. "Doubtful. Carl's a genius from MIT. If he can't get it, no one can."
"Probably so, but we still have to try. Call me as soon as you learn anything."
"Will do." I walked Heather to the front door with Alice breathing down my neck. Honestly, Penny Sue was right. Alice was one pushy broad!
To make me appear like a reporter, we rummaged through Abby's boxes and came up with about a half dozen file folders. I stuffed the stolen folder upside down in the center so I could find it easily, and Alice and I took off in her Caddy. I thought we were cutting it close until Alice hit the interstate. She drove like a NASCAR tire tester! A good thing, because we arrived only about ten minutes before the shift ended, which turned out to be fortunate since the red-headed receptionist, whose nametag read Harriet, was packing up for the day. She told me the Chief Examiner was out of the office and continued stuffing her briefcase. I slid the folder out of my stack, bent over, and straightened up holding it out to her. "This was under your desk. Is it yours?"
Harriet snatched the folder with an annoyed expression until she opened it. "My God, we've been looking for this all day! It was under my desk?"
My cell phone rang. I made a show of glancing at the readout and backed toward the door. "Yes. Sorry, I need to take this call."
"Sure." As I scurried to the car I heard Harriet mutter, "Under my desk the whole time!"
Chapter 13
Alice called a New Jersey attorney on the way home. I gathered he had already been in touch with the New Smyrna Beach officials and the local attorney. It also became clear that he knew Alice had stolen the file, and he instructed her to return it. She was surprisingly contrite.
"Can you get Kevin out tonight?" she asked. The response obviously didn't please her, given the muscle clench in her jaw. Hmm, another family trait, exactly like Penny Sue. "Tomorrow morning?" The smile told me that answer pleased her. "Are you coming down? You can share the room with Kevin. Sorry, single beds, but it's not my condo. I'd like to have you close in case anything comes up."
Wow! She was taking charge of the Judge's condo, too. If he knew a mob lawyer was staying in his place, he'd have a fit.
Alice chatted a few more minutes about travel arrangements to the Daytona Airport and hung up just as we reached our parking lot. As usual, she slammed on the brakes, spewing a massive cloud of sand. "Thanks, Leigh, I knew you could pull it off. Pretending you found the folder under the desk was a stroke of genius. Penny Sue would never have thought of that."
I gathered my purse and the files and prepared to get out. "I don't know. Penny Sue can be very resourceful. She learned a lot in all of those anti-terrorist courses she's taken."
"Anti-terrorist courses?" Alice asked incredulously.
"Sure, Penny Sue's a prime target for revenge with all the criminals her father has locked up. She's taken a number of courses on self-defense and terrorist avoidance."
Alice slammed her car door. "I'll be damned, I had no idea. She always struck me as a man chasing ditz, considering she's been married three times. Guess I was wrong."
"Yes, there's a lot more to Penny Sue than meets the eye."
"Seems so. Well, I need to hit the john. Thanks again." Alice headed into the Judge's condo while I went to mine. I found Penny Sue and Ruthie sitting on the floor, sorting through the books.
"How'd it go?" Ruthie asked anxiously.
I dumped my load of files on the kitchen counter and pulled up a chair beside them. "Amazingly well." I told them about the-file-under-the-desk ploy and how the receptionist was so happy to find it, she never suspected a thing. "Alice phoned an attorney from the car. He believes Kevin will probably be released tomorrow." Ruthie's eyes lit up at the news. "Only thing--the attorney is flying down tomorrow and will share the room in your condo with Kevin," I said to Penny Sue.
Penny Sue's jaw started to twitch. "That lady has the nerve of a bad tooth! She waltzes in and just takes over." Penny Sue straightened her shoulders defiantly. "Well, the old biddy can stay alone tonight. The place is alarmed, she'll be safe, and I've had enough of her for one day. I'm staying here."
"We'll all stay here," I said. "We can probably get Guthrie to come down and play cards with her. Alice looks real tired, anyway."
"Good plan. There's a new seafood restaurant near Flagler." I motioned at the books. "By the way, is anything missing?"
"No," Ruthie replied. "All of the books Kevin and I catalogued are present and accounted for."
"Did you hear from Carl while I was gone?"
"Yes, he's tied up on a project today, but will come over tomorrow. Carl is certain he can download the recording and enhance the photos." Penny Sue grabbed the edge of my dining room table and hoisted herself up. "I've got to take off some weight." She leaned backward and stretched. "I might get some help on that. The lunch with Susan went well. I'm a shoo-in for the investment club. I asked her how she stayed so slim. She alluded to a secret potion, a homeopathic concoction, I think. Anyway, an old lady she knew came in the restaurant and interrupted her story. I'll see if I can get the details at the meeting next week. Leigh, you want some if Susan sells it?" Penny Sue turned and gave Ruthie a disgusted look. "I know skinny minnie isn't interested."
Boy, Penny Sue was skating on thin ice. First she said my condo was cheap, then Alice said I look tough, and now Penny Sue implied that I was fat. One more insult, and Penny Sue would sleep with Alice. "I'll wait to see how it works for you. I really don't need to lose much weight." So there! I suppressed the urge to flash a rude finger salute.
Ruthie saw the look in my eye and dashed to the phone in the kitchen. "I'll call Guthrie right now. I'd love a grouper sandwich, wouldn't you?"
"Mmm-m," Penny Sue said. "Grouper with hush puppies and cole slaw. I can taste it now."
Guthrie had cooked a pot roast and brownies and was more than happy to keep Alice company. She also seemed pleased, Guthrie clearly amused her, not to mention he offered to bring the food. So, Ruthie, Penny Sue, and I retrieved our clothes and toiletries from next door, then piled into Ruthie's Jaguar and headed for Flagler Avenue, the center of New Smyrna Beach nightlife. I knew about the new restaurant and was surprised Ruthie didn't keep straight up Atlantic Avenue. Instead she stayed on A1A and took a right at Heath's Health Food Store.
"Didn't you miss the turn?" I asked Ruthie.
"I want to show you something."
"Well, I hope it won't take long. I'm starving," Penny Sue said. "I only had a small salad for lunch because Susan made me so self-conscious about my weight. I sure hope she really has some sort of diet potion. This extra weight makes me look old, and I don't want to have liposuction. They say it's painful, you'll be bruised for weeks."
"It's a short detour," Ruthie replied. "Another way to the restaurant." A moment later, she pulled into a parking space on Flagler Avenue across the street from a vacant lot. "What do you think?"
"Think about what?" Penny Sue asked. "It's a vacant lot and I'm ravenous."
"Don't you think New Smyrna Beach needs a beachside bookstore?" Ruthie asked.
"Yeah, I'm surprised there isn't one already," Penny Sue shot back.
"Well, there will be soon. I bought the lot yesterday." Ruthie pulled out of the parking space and drove to the restaurant, a couple of blocks away. Since Penny Sue was on the verge of starvation, nothing else was said until we'd been seated at the restaurant and ordered our drinks, grouper, slaw, and hush puppies. The wine came right away. Penny Sue downed hers like a person who'd stumbled in from the Sahara. She held up her glass for a refill.
"You're going to build a bookstore?" Penny Sue asked, as she waited for more wine. "Does that mean you're planning on moving down here?"
"Yep," Ruthie said with a grin. "I've found an architect, and the zoning will allow me to build an apartment upstairs. Actually, it will be about two thousand square feet, enough for two guestrooms and a studio for my art. I'm going to call the store Hungry for Knowledge. I want something fun to do. After all, I have a degree in library science, and I love books."
So does Kevin, I thought.
Penny Sue's wine arrived, and she took a big gulp. "You'll need some help, won't you? I have experience at the library, so I could sell books. I won't need a full time job, just something part time to satisfy Daddy."
Ruthie did a big eye roll. "Yes, Penny Sue, you can have a job." Ruthie cut her eyes at me. "Leigh, I was hoping you would agree to be the office manager. With all of your experience in Atlanta at the car dealership, you'd be perfect. What do you think?"
Her offer took me completely by surprise. I knew Ruthie was thinking of a bookstore, but never considered myself as part of the deal. I'd also envisioned a smaller store that Ruthie would handle herself. "That's really tempting. I'd love to work with you, but I need health insurance and retirement benefits like the library provides. At my age, I have to build a nest egg for the future."
Ruthie waved away my objection. "Oh, you'd get health insurance and a retirement plan. I'm not going to stiff my best friend."
Penny Sue's bottom lip stuck out. "How about me?"
Ruthie's lips screwed up into an are-you-kidding expression. "Yes, of course you'll get benefits, too. I wouldn't leave you out."
The food arrived, and Penny Sue's eyes shone like beacons. She took a big bite of grouper, chewed, swallowed, and shouted, "Yahoo! I've hit the jackpot. My stars must be in alignment." She shoveled down some slaw. "Ruthie, let's check my astrological chart when we get home. I must have something really good going." Penny Sue took a bite of a hush puppy and chased it with wine. "Leigh, don't take offense, but I think I'll resign from the library. I really don't like it, and my feet hurt all of the time. I know you and Guthrie were trying to help, but it's just not for me. Besides, it makes me look bad in the eyes of the investment club. I don't believe any of them are volunteers."
To be completely honest, Penny Sue's quitting the library was music to my ears. Since I'd recommended her, I knew it was just a matter of time before she screwed up and I got blamed. Of course, I couldn't say that. "I understand. There is a long list of lonely widows who are waiting for a spot. You're actually doing them a favor."
She shoveled down some more slaw. "You're right. With the money I have coming from the sale of my property, it's actually cruel of me to take a spot from a lonely widow."
Ruthie did a fabulous job of stifling a grin. "That's kind of you, Penny Sue. You're doing the right thing."
Penny Sue nodded. "I shouldn't put it off. I'll go in tomorrow and explain things to Terry. Are you going to quit, too?" she asked me.
"This caught me by surprise. I enjoy working at the library. When do you expect to start construction?" I asked Ruthie.
"As soon as they can pull the permits. But I'll need your expertise before then to keep track of the expenses and everything. Accounting is way beyond my ability, and I know I can trust you. Besides, with Penny Sue's windfall, she can hold off for a few months, right?"
"Yes, I actually need some time off to buy a new car and some clothes. I can wait until the bookstore is finished."
I took a hefty bite of grouper and chewed slowly, thinking. "It will take at least six months to build the store. "How about I continue working at the library and help you nights and weekends? There shouldn't be much to do until you're ready to buy fixtures and inventory. I'll quit my job then and work for you full time."
"Good, then it's settled? I don't want to push y'all into anything, but I can't think of two people I'd rather work with." Ruthie turned to me. "Do you mind sharing your condo with me until mine is finished? I'll pay all of the expenses."
"That's not necessary. You've already installed an expensive alarm system for me."
"I insist. It's the least I can do if you'll help with the accounting. Of course, when you start full time, we'll work out a compensation package."
No housing expenses for six months? Boy, I could save a lot of money. "Okay, it's a deal."
"We'll be together again. The DAFFODILS will take New Smyrna Beach by storm," Penny Sue said loudly. "We'll put this place on the m
ap!" She held up her hand and we did our usual sloppy high five.
The lights were on in Penny Sue's condo when we got home. Figuring Alice was watching television, we knocked on the door to check on her. Guthrie answered, holding a scotch and wearing a shirt, black socks, and his "tighty whities."
Penny Sue drew back with her hand over her heart. "Where's my aunt? What are you doing?" Penny Sue screamed.
Alice appeared at the end of the hall wearing her bra and slacks. Judging from her gentle sway, she'd had a few belts of scotch, too. "Keep it down! You'll wake up the whole neighborhood." She snatched her blouse from the arm of the sofa and struggled into it. "We're playing strip poker and I'm winning."
Ruthie and I were dumbstruck. Penny Sue's eyes almost popped out of her head. "This is my condo, and there will be no strip poker here."
Guthrie staggered back. "Man, it was her idea. Alice said it was her only chance, since she's old and Kevin will be home tomorrow."
"Chance for what?" Penny Sue demanded in her School Marm voice.
Guthrie flashed a silly grin. "We were playing rummy when Alice suddenly decided she wanted to see my wiener. She said my cooking was so good, she couldn't believe I had one. I told her it was private, so she challenged me to strip poker."
"Alice," Penny Sue bellowed, "Guthrie's wiener is off limits. He's just a good cook."
Alice smirked at Penny Sue while she finished buttoning her shirt. "Man, you are one uptight lady. A lot like your mother--no yearning for adventure."
"Leave my mother out of this. I've had plenty of adventure, and strip poker with Guthrie isn't one of them. I show you hospitality, try to help your son, and you take advantage of my neighbor who was kind enough to bring dinner."
"The food was good," Alice said. "And I didn't force him to play poker--he was willing."
Guthrie leaned toward Penny Sue and stage whispered. His breath was close to a hundred proof. "Don't worry, I would have gone only so far. You know my sexual persuasion, and I don't show the Big Boy to just anybody. Besides, I'm still engaged to Timothy."