* * *
Back in the office, Cas mentally thanked the Lord for Gladys as he resumed his seat behind an almost clear desk. Only one current folder graced a corner, waiting for his attention.
"Gladys," he called through the open office door. "Get me the Universal Fire and Casualty Claim office. I want to know who the adjuster is on Mattie Carrington's house. Find out when he will be in if he's not there. And thanks for filing all that overflow."
"Okay. I will. And you're welcome."
Cas waited as patiently as he could. Waiting was not a thing he was good at. He had all the pencils in his desk drawer sharpened and the ballpoints stuck into a cup by the time Gladys came in with a sheet of paper in her hand.
"The adjuster's name is Al Pickens, and he's a field adjuster so he's never in the office in the afternoon. The best time to catch him is between seven and nine in the morning and he's expected to be in tomorrow morning. I asked the girl at the switchboard to give him a note saying you called and would call him in the morning before nine o'clock."
Gladys paused for breath. "I can call back and cancel that morning call part if you want me to."
"No, you did exactly right. I'll call him in the morning. Thanks."
Cas picked up the sheet of paper as Gladys left. He noted the name Al Pickens and that Gladys had written the number under it. He slipped it into his middle desk drawer as Rhodes came into the office.
"So, how goes the county, Senior Deputy Rhodes Cromwell?" Cas stretched and motioned Rhodes to sit.
"Didn't see much wrong with the county today, but I got a scare here in town just now."
"Scare?" Concerned, Cas looked up. "What happened?"
"Nearly hit our new judge. I'd already slowed down to turn or I might have."
"Tim Carpenter? Where was that?"
Rhodes nodded. "Tim Carpenter was crossing the street, or at least, I thought he was crossing the street. Then he changed direction and went back for some reason." Rhodes looked perplexed. "I've seen squirrels with more decision making ability about crossing a street. And that ain't good."
"Where was it he was doing all this milling around?"
"In the middle of the street in front of the library."
Cas caught his lower lip in his teeth to keep from grinning, "Uh-huh," he pictured the confusion. "Where did he wind up?"
"He went on into the library." Rhodes shook his head. "If it had been anybody but our brand new county judge, I'd have had him touching his nose with his finger by now, and trying to walk a straight line. Wonder what ailed him?"
"Oh," Cas gave up the struggle with the grin and chuckled, "I think he'll be all right."
"Hope so. Anyway, I didn't hit him. I'd swear he didn't even know I was there. Let's get some coffee."
* * *
Morning found Cas at the office early. He started coffee and got settled at his desk, pulling out the sheet of paper that Gladys had given him. He looked up at the clock as he dialed the claims office number. It was one minute to eight. He hoped as he dialed that someone would answer.
"Al Pickens," a male voice identified himself.
"You're the one I want to talk to, I was expecting a girl on the switchboard."
"Those girls keep bankers hours compared to mine. Is this Sheriff Larkin?"
"Yes, Cas Larkin. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about the explosion on the Carrington property. Mattie Carrington and her sister are cousins of friends of mine."
"Just a minute, Sheriff, I've got the file right here. I see the report from the fire department is here in my mail too. I haven't opened it yet. Is there something specific you want to know?"
"No, I don't know enough about it to ask intelligent questions, and I have no official excuse to. I just wondered what you found, if you can tell me?"
"I don't see why not, you're the County Sheriff, and I'm sure you'll keep it confidential."
"Certainly."
There was the sound of an envelope being opened and a pause while Al Pickens scanned the report.
"It was gas that caused the explosion. I don't guess that came as a surprise to anyone."
"We thought it probably was when we heard about it. Was it a leak in the gas line, the stove, or what?"
"They checked the line and didn't find anything, so it must have been the stove."
"Must have been a lot of gas to blow a hole in the wall."
"The owners were gone when it happened, so you're right, with nobody there to check on it, it must have accumulated fast to have that much gas in there. Hold on a minute and let me look at something here."
Cas sat wishing he knew more about gas and explosives in general.
"All this tells us is there was no leak other than the stove; the damage was caused by the explosion and subsequent fire; so what it boils down to is we will pay to repair the kitchen less the policy deductible, excluding the stove. And the curtains. I've already spoken with Miss Carrington about the curtains."
"Yes, they told us. They also told us how promptly you came out to inspect the damage and help them. They are both grateful for that."
"I happened to be here, it was no problem. I'm glad I was here to help."
* * *
The day Connie worked on Tim's correspondence, she got home in time to meet Cas at the kitchen door with a welcoming hug when he came home.
"It's nice to be appreciated," he remarked complacently.
"Really! Especially when what you deserve is a good, swift kick!"
"What? Me? What for?"
"For not telling me about Tim and Hannah, that's what for. You introduced them, you dog, and you didn't even tell me!"
"I meant to, it just slipped my mind. And it doesn't seem to have ruined your day," he added suspiciously.
"No way. He asked so many veiled questions about Hannah while I was there working, I know he's interested in her. I'm going by the library tomorrow to get a book, and see how she feels about him."
"Connie!"
"What? Simmer down. It can't do any harm to just go by, see if she asks as many questions about him as he did about her, can it?"
"Well, I guess not." Cas backed down. "But you keep out of it, do you hear? Let them work out things or not work out things for themselves."
"I'll be cool as a cucumber," Connie grinned in pleased anticipation.
"Yeah, I'll bet. A cucumber with a lot of eyes."
"It's potatoes that have eyes."
"Just don't you interfere. I'll have to admit though, I'd like to see them get together, if they like each other. What I'm trying to tell you, is leave it to them to get acquainted. Now that they've met, they're two grown people, it's up to them. And they seem to like each other, even I could see that. So don't get in their way."
"I sure won't do that," Connie hugged his neck. "I guess there's hope for you yet. And I've got banana pudding for dessert."
Cas had gone up to take a shower when the phone rang. Connie took a message for him.
"A Mr. Pickens called," she reported when he came down to the kitchen. "I asked him to leave his number, but he said it wasn't that important and he was leaving the office. He said he will call you at your office tomorrow morning."
"Okay, thanks."
"He's the man from Mattie Carrington's insurance company, isn't he? I didn't place the name of the company until I'd hung up."
"Um-hum," Cas answered lightly, picking up the paper. The suspicion of something not quite right about two accidents which could have been fatal was triggered again by the adjuster's call. He resolved if Al Pickens didn't call the first thing in the morning, he would call him.
The next morning Cas heard the phone ringing as he unlocked the door. He sprinted to grab it before the caller gave up.
"Sheriff Larkin," he answered quickly, glancing behind him. He hadn't stopped to shut the door.
"This is Al Pickens. Sorry to call you so early. I wanted to talk to you before I go out."
"No problem, what is it?"
"
Probably nothing, to tell the truth. I got a call from one of the Fort Craig firemen yesterday. He's young and he's evidently a worrier. He was at Ms. Carrington's when they were out there investigating the scene and the fire damage. He said two of the controls on the stove were in the on position on high."
"You mean someone may have turned them on?" Cas pictured Mattie turning on the stove and getting sidetracked, forgetting she had done it. He kept the thought to himself. "Two of them? I guess there's the standard four, is that right?"
"Yes, two big burners, two small burners. He wanted to make sure I knew two were in the on position."
"Ms. Carrington is at an age where she could be a little forgetful I guess, but she's pretty sharp," Cas said slowly.
"On the surface you might think that, but my guess is the force of the explosion caused it. When this boy's seen as much in the way of fires, wind damage, and explosions as I have, he'll draw his conclusions on the overall investigation instead of one 'iffy' detail."
"Yeah, I can see that it's 'iffy'. You think it was probably the explosion that did it then?"
"More than likely, judging the force of it by the hole in the kitchen wall. But it bothered him that the controls were not mentioned in the report, so he called to tell me about it."
"I see, he takes his duty seriously." Cas mused.
"Um-hum, he'll be a good man with a few years behind him. As I said, it's probably unimportant. We have enough information to settle, and the file will be closed as soon as we make payment on it. But since you asked about the file, I thought I'd pass it on to you."
"I'm glad you did. Too bad we can't clinch it by knowing all that was going on that day."
"We do."
"What? You do?"
"We always get statements from our insureds and that's one of the things that's covered. Events leading up to the loss. Where the insureds were, things like that."
"Could I get a copy of those statements?"
"Sure. I'll send them to you."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." Cas gave him the mailing address.
* * *
All her matchmaking instincts alerted, Connie entered the library.
"Hi, Jo Beth," she smiled as she passed the desk. "I'm going to browse and find me something to read."
"Help yourself, I'm here if you need me."
Connie went to the fiction section and started looking at titles. All her other senses were alert for Hannah's voice or some sign of her presence. She tiptoed back to the reading rooms, being careful not to disturb Jo Beth. There was no sign of Hannah. Connie consulted her watch, it was too late for her to be at lunch, but there didn't seem to be anyone else who might be working in her place. She stalled a little longer, then selected two books. Still keeping an eye on the door she took them to the desk.
"Find something interesting?" Jo Beth took the books and opened the cover of the top one. "I like mysteries, too."
"Are you here all by yourself today?"
"No, there was a student who came in a couple of hours this morning, and there will be two more coming in after school."
"Oh. Is Hannah off today?"
"Yes, taking one of her personal holidays. She'll be back tomorrow. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Oh no, I just missed her. Tell her hello from me. I'll see you again soon."
Connie left with her two books, feeling let down by fate that she didn't get to see Hannah. "Not that I know what I'd have said to her. Maybe something subtle like, hi there, met any good-looking men lately? Or something just as obvious," Connie ridiculed herself.
Back in her car, instead of changing gears, she turned off the ignition. Stuffing the two books under the car seat, she got out and headed toward the flower shop.
There were three customers in the shop. Connie welcomed the waiting time to look at the silk arrangements, potpourri and all the elegant and tasteful gift items for sale.
"I love to come in here," she breathed in the scent of a candle. "There are so many pretty things, and the whole shop smells heavenly."
The back door closed and Miss Minnie appeared with a blue trash can in her hand. She beckoned to Connie.
"Come have a cup of coffee with me, Mayme will be finished in a little while."
"All right, I'll tear myself away." She entered the little office. "I've been enjoying all the pretty things in here and sniffing all the wonderful scents."
Miss Minnie had set out another cup when they heard the door chime and glanced up as Miss Mayme came to join them.
"Had a little rush there, didn't we?"
"Yes, some good sales, and it gets better. One of them, the dark haired one, has a wedding she wants us to do the flowers for later in the month."
"That is good news."
"They were probably thankful to have a florist to handle it. See, I told you how much you're needed here." Connie beamed proudly.
"This is our second year now, and business gets better every day. I was afraid to believe it at first," Miss Minnie smiled.
"We were afraid we'd starve to death between seasons," Miss Mayme admitted.
"And just be able to afford jelly doughnuts at Christmas and Valentine's Day," Connie giggled at the thought.
"Something like that, but never fear. We have some only slightly left over cake doughnuts in the cooler. You don't mind if they smell like violets, do you?" Miss Mayme raised an eyebrow.
"Certainly not, that's a PLUS!"
"I'll sip to that," Miss Minnie raised her cup.
"How are Mattie and Katie doing? Is their kitchen about finished?"
"Just about, I guess. They, or I'm sure, mostly Mattie, has watched every bit of the work being done and lets them know how she wants things."
"That's the way to get it done right. But I don't think if I were a carpenter or an appliance man, I'd want too many jobs working for someone who watched everything as closely as I'll bet Mattie is doing."
"Has there been something in particular she didn't like?"
"I wouldn't say didn't like, exactly. But she took her time and got all the samples she could for them to choose the flooring and things like that. Then the finish on the cabinets had to be redone in some places."
"From talking to Katie, I gather they've used Eugene's willing services quite a bit too," Miss Minnie smiled over the rim of her cup.
"That's the gentleman friend Katie's been seeing? This Eugene?"
"Yes, his name's Eugene Austin."
"I don't think Mattie thinks much of him, from the little I've heard."
"I guess that's natural, that Mattie would be as protective of Katie as Katie is of her. And I know she must be concentrating on getting all that work and repairs done right so she can get on with her book. Oh, well," Connie dismissed the kitchen problems. "Since all that seems to be in Mattie's capable hands and being taken care of, on to more pleasant news."
"Pleasant news?" Miss Minnie and Miss Mayme's eyes met then turned to Connie in anticipation.
"You know how I've been wishing I could get Tim Carpenter and Hannah McLaughlin together somehow. Well, Cas, my Cas, of all people, who doesn't have a matchmaking bone in his body, is the one who introduced them to each other! How about that?"
"Oh," Miss Mayme wilted like lettuce in hot oil. "That's not news."
"Yes, we knew that," Miss Minnie chuckled at Connie's surprise.
"You did? How did you know? Who told you?"
"Tim came in here several days ago and got one of those small Remembrance arrangements. The ones with a carnation or some other center flower and baby's breath and ribbons."
"And he said it was for Hannah?"
"He had it delivered with a note."
"A note?" Connie clasped her hands. "Did he write it or have you write it?"
"He wrote it, but I was standing there where I could see. He said thank you for helping him get his library card. But I noticed he took his time and picked out the prettiest pink rose in the cooler."
"Oh, wonderful. Wha
t a sweet thing to do. I'll tell Cas about that tonight. He's such a wet blanket when it comes to things like that. Last time I mentioned getting them together he said humpf, maybe they wouldn't like each other. Doesn't that sound just like him?"
Chapter 5
When she got home from work Katie's little car waited in the street while a panel truck pulled out of their driveway in front of her. She waved to the driver as he went by, through with his work for the day, her friendly smile including both the construction workers.
The men gave her a nod and waved back as they passed.
"Shame that isn't the one that's home all day," the driver grumbled to the man beside him.
"Oh, Ms. Carrington's all right. Just a little set in her ways is all. My cousin used to work for her at the bank, and she says she's nice when you get to know her, really good hearted."
"Hides it well," the driver grunted.
Katie parked the car in the garage, noticing the ruts the panel truck had made getting close to the back of the house.
Mattie stood waiting for Katie in the door and noticed when she stopped to look at the ruts. "They had so much to bring in, I let them get by with that," she explained. "Must be getting soft in my old age."
"It's not too bad," Katie looked back at the tracks again as she went in and made sure there was no dirt on her shoes. "A few rains to soften it will fix it with a little help from a shovel."
She raised her head as she closed the door, sniffing the air. "Umm, something smells good in here."
"You're sniffing the wrong way," Mattie pointed out with a gesture. "They've been working on the floor and the cabinets in the kitchen all day so I put us some things in the den. We're not supposed to walk on the new floor until noon tomorrow." She waited with the den door open but Katie stopped.
"I'll just go to the kitchen door and look in then. I want to see it."
Mattie nodded and followed to see her reaction.
"The floor looks good. I like that pattern even better than I thought I would when we were looking at the samples. And the cabinets, Mattie, they're beautiful! You can see yourself in that finish! It's really going to be nice with the new floor and the cabinets finished, and new curtains to go with it."
Recipe for Trouble Page 6