Chapter 16
Cam spent the rest of the morning checking out all the places in Magog. Everything seemed status quo. She stopped at the tobacco store.
“Hey,” Max, the old man, greeted her, “How have you been?”
“I’ve been pretty good. You?”
“Never better, eh? What can I get you today?”
Cam looked through the packs of cigarettes laid out in a glass case.
“What do those Black and Golds taste like?”
“Those are a lot stronger, almost like Marlboro blacks, but they’re very smooth. Want to try one?”
“Are they expensive?”
“Two dollars more than others, but I think they’re worth it. Here, try one.” He reached under the counter where he had an open pack and gave her one cigarette. He held a lighter out for her.
Cam took a deep drag. “Wow. These taste very nice,” she said as she exhaled, “but they’re a lot stronger than what I usually smoke.”
“I always let customers try one. It’s so expensive to buy a whole pack and then find out you really don’t like them. Try one; if you like them, you’ll buy a pack every now and then as a special treat. That’s just what you need.” Max smiled at her.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Give me a pack of these and another Marlboro lights.”
“Just one Marlboro lights? Why don’t you buy a whole carton? Not that I don’t want you to come in here, but it would save you from buying more tomorrow.”
“Because if I buy a carton, I’ll smoke them all right away and I’d never have an excuse to get out of the house,” Cam said with a laugh, “but two packs would be better.”
He placed the three packs on the counter and she paid for them.
“What have you been doing lately?” he asked as he rang up the sale and put the money in his cash register, giving her the few coins change.
“I’ve been relaxing. Got some stuff from my friend Preston and I’ve just been sitting back at home.”
“Preston, eh?” Max smiled a sly smile at her. “Preston has some good stuff.”
Cam nodded. “You can say that again. It was just what I needed.”
“How’d you find Preston?”
Cam knew he was testing her. “Darren introduced us.”
Max laughed heartily. “Good for you. I’m glad you made the right connections.”
“Me, too. It had been a long time without. I may stay around a while now, at least for a bit.”
“Good! I hope you can settle down for a long while.”
Cam let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I get tired of moving around so much.”
“Nope, that wouldn’t be me. Been here all my life; wouldn’t want to move. A nice young woman like you should settle down in one place.”
“Yes, I’d like that. Maybe this might be the place.”
They continued talking until she’d finished the Black and Gold.
“Say, do you smoke a pipe?”
Where did that come from? “I have from time to time.”
“I just got in some cherry pipe tobacco you might like,” he said, a strange look in his eyes.
“Cherry?”
“Yes, and it’s got a bit of oak in it.”
“Hmm,” said Cam. “I should try that.” She wasn’t sure what he was offering but maybe this was something she could use.
“Yes, come into the pipe room. Got a real good filtration device in there. It really cleans the air, so you don’t ever get the smell of the last pipe. That way you can really taste what you’re trying.”
“Ah! That sounds good.”
He opened the door into the room behind the counter and ushered her in. Before he entered behind her, he flicked a button beside the door. Once inside he pressed another switch and the atmosphere was softly swept out of the room and refilled with clean, fresh air.
Max opened a jar and filled a pipe, lit it himself and inhaled a big lungful before he passed it to Cam. She immediately smelled the aroma of marijuana.
She gave him a surprised look as she inhaled and kept it in her lungs for a few moments. When she finally exhaled it, she smiled at him. “Oh yes!” she exclaimed. “That’s some fine tobacco.” They both laughed.
“The first bowl is free,” he said, smiling at her. “But now you know where you can get more. I grow it myself in the back room, so there’re no other chemicals in it. It’s one hundred percent pure.”
“Wow,” Cam said. “It’s very, very nice. Thanks.” She inhaled a second time.
Max started straightening up the stacks of tobacco packages on the shelves around the room.
“There are all sorts of things around here, if you look for them. Did you get what you needed from Preston?”
Am nodded. “Some coke and a little meth. That’s all I usually do.”
A buzzer rang.
“Oops, got another customer. Finish the bowl. I’ll be right back.” He turned the filter to high and went out into the store.
Damn, thought Cam. I wasn’t expecting this. Now, can I drive home or should I wait somewhere until I can? She took a third toke from the pipe and looked around the room at all the other jars of tobacco sitting on the shelves with packages of the different brands and flavors below them. I’ve also got to be careful what I say. This isn’t the time to blow it.
When Max came back into the room, Cam turned to him. “That was some fine shit,” she said. “I’m not sure I can drive home like this, though.”
“Not a problem,” Max said as he laughed. “Go down the street to Sandy’s Sandwich Shoppe and order a cup of joe. That’s the signal. You’ll get the coffee and a donut. You can sit there until you feel safe to drive.”
“Wow,” Cam said again. “That’s a good set-up.”
“Do you want to buy some of the Cherry Tobacco…or as I call it, some Cheery Tobacco, to take with you?”
“Sure! A dime? And I’ll need some papers, too, if you have them.”
“Yup, or I’ve got a pipe that’s not too expensive. I don’t know how well you roll.”
“It’s been a while. I guess a pipe would be better.”
“I’ll get them for you. Go back into the shop. I’ll be right there.”
* * * *
The walk there had been interesting. She’d stopped several times to look into shop windows when something caught her eye. She had to concentrate very hard not to be distracted.
Cam walked into Sandy’s Sandwich Shoppe. The kid behind the counter came right up to her.
“Max said I should get a cup of joe,” she said.
He looked at her and laughed.
“Go sit down in back,” he said, pointing to the farthest table. “I’ll bring it to you.”
Cam looked at the table he’d pointed to.
“Thanks,” she told him, and then she wove her way over to the table and sat down facing the door.
The young guy walked up to her and placed a cup of coffee and a donut in front of her.
“That’s five dollars,” he said. “My name’s Josh. The coffee’s unlimited. If you want anything else, just wave at me and I’ll get it for you.”
“Thanks.” She reached into her pocket and found a five-dollar bill to give him.
“Max has some good stuff down there, doesn’t he?”
“Very nice stuff,” Cam agreed.
“Take it easy. You can sit here as long as you need to,” he said as he walked back to the front.
She sat in Sandy’s Sandwich Shoppe for over an hour and ate two donuts, a bag of chips, and three cups of coffee before Cam felt safe to drive.
* * * *
It was late in the afternoon when Cam ended up at Rosie’s Bar and ordered scotch. Ted was there as always.
“Hey, Cameron, haven’t seen you in here for a while.” He poured a drink and set the glass in front of her.
Cam smiled. “Yes, the address Mr. Morris gave me was what I needed.”
“That’s good. Then I won’t have to worry about you.”
“Why would you worry about me?” She looked up at him in surprise.
“You’re a long ways from home. And you’re meeting all the wrong people.”
Cam frowned and looked at him.
“Hold on a moment. Rosie wants to talk to you.” Ted motioned to a man Cam saw in there just about every time she came in here.
“Hey, Reese, can you watch the bar for a moment? There’s something I need to do.”
“Sure,” Reese said as he got up and walked behind the bar.
“Come on in back, Cam.”
She took a quick sip of her drink, then got up to follow him. Good God, now what? Did they find out something about her? Better be careful and watch what I say.
“Hey Andrews, how’s it going?” Rosie said when she first walked in. Darren lurked in the background.
“Things are fine, I thought. Is something wrong?”
“Ted told me something that happened last night that kind of upset me,” Rosie responded.
Cam looked from Rosie to Ted to Darren and back.
“Where did you meet that tall blonde I saw you with at the Pizza Palace last night?” he asked.
“I didn’t see you there,” Cam exclaimed. Why is he asking? What does he know?
“I was sitting out in the car with my girlfriend and we saw you walk in. I said I knew you and Rhonda asked what you were doing with a Mountie!”
“A Mountie?” Cam exclaimed, her eyebrows reaching for the ceiling. Oh God, I’d better be careful what I say. “She’s a Mountie?”
“Yup. Where did you meet her?” Darren asked, from his chair behind his desk.
“At a party in Montreal.” Cam looked from person to person in concern. “She said she was going to be in this area for a month and did I want to get together.”
“Rhonda works at the RCMP station here in Magog and she’s seen her come in to teach karate to the officers.”
“Holy shit,” was Cam’s response. Now what? “Is she a Mountie or just a martial arts teacher from Montreal?”
“Rhonda says she’s a sergeant.”
“Whoa!” Cam took a deep breath and sank down onto the chair in front of Darren’s desk.
Darren placed his gun prominently on his desk.
“If we thought you were trying to pull something here, you wouldn’t make it home tonight.”
“Damn! If I thought I jeopardized any of this I’d blow my own brains out. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through. I’ve got enough troubles without fucking a Mountie!” Her voice showed her disgust.
“Sorry to ruin your social life,” he said.
Cam sat back with a deep frown. “That’s okay. She wasn’t that good in bed, in fact she may dump me because I was a little too kinky for her taste.”
Ted broke out into loud laughter. “You’ve got to watch yourself. Your hobbies will get you in trouble.”
“Oh, my God! I almost offered her some meth.”
Cam leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.
“So where was this party you met her at?” Rosie asked.
“I don’t know the address. My friend took me there when I was visiting her right after I’d moved up here. I have a stupid thing for blondes so that’s all I looked at. She said she taught karate or something like that and was going to be in this area for a few weeks.”
“Was last night the first time you dated her?”
“Yes,” Cam answered with a loathing expression. “If I knew it was going to be that bad, I wouldn’t have followed up on it.” My God! What else do I have to explain to get out of this?
“And your friend didn’t warn you about her?”
Cam looked up quickly. “I don’t think she knew.” Yes, that is a good excuse. “This was a friend of a friend of a friend. She didn’t know half the people at the party.” Cam took a deep breath. “God! That’s the last time I go anywhere with people I don’t know!” Come on, Andrews. Think of something. “A Mountie?”
They were all silent for a moment.
“Shit, damn, fuck,” Cam swore as she suddenly sat up straight. “She knows where I live. That’s all I need: to have law enforcement here know where I am.”
“Haven’t you found a permanent place to live yet?”
“Not yet.” Cam shook her head. “But there are promising places out there.
“There are some nice apartments that are renting near me,” he said. “Some are weekly.”
Cam frowned. “I’d rather not get an apartment,” she said. “That’s too close to other people. I don’t want to listen to upstairs neighbors and I don’t want people downstairs hearing everything I do.”
“I can understand that,” Ted commiserated. “Do you have a lease on your place or can you move when you want?”
“It’s month to month, so I’m pretty free.”
“Then I’ll keep my ears open for you.”
“Thanks.” Cam looked up at the three of them. “Thank you, all. I appreciate you telling me. This could have turned into a real disaster.”
“That’s all right,” Rosie said. “At least you found out before you did anything you shouldn’t have. Ted, pour her a drink, on me. She looks like she needs one.”
“Okay,” Ted said as he patted Cam on the back. She sat up and rose to leave.
Darren broke out laughing. “You’ve got to watch your libido, Andrews. That will get you into more trouble than you’ll ever want.”
“Tell me about it.” Cam nodded and followed Ted back out into the bar.
“What do you think?” Rosie asked Darren when Ted and Cam had left.
“I don’t think she knew,” he answered. “That reaction was too real. Besides, Preston and Max both think she’s okay.”
“Yes. No one could be that good an actor.”
* * * *
“Good God!” Cam said when they got back into the bar. Ted placed a drink in front of her and she immediately took a large gulp. “Now I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to find someplace else to live.”
“Good. Oh, I talked to my dad last weekend. He said there’s a little cabin up on Lake Magog, about twenty-five miles northeast of here, that’s up for rent. I know the place. It’s very secluded and you’d have a lot of privacy. The owner is even thinking of selling it. It’s on five acres; right on the lake.”
“That sounds great, but I may need to get further away.”
“If you want, I can take you up there sometime next week.”
“Let me think on it, okay? What’s the address of those apartments that rent by the week? Maybe just some time away would settle my stomach.”
“Let me write it down for you.” He took his notebook out from under the bar and wrote an address. He handed her the paper. “It’s a good neighborhood. I live in the next block.”
“Thanks, Ted. I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” She took another mouthful of her drink. “A Mountie! I’d better warn my friend about it. Damn! There’s a lot I need to do now.”
Chapter 17
When Michael returned that evening, Cam was where she had said she was going to be. Michael woke her gently. She gave her a short kiss.
“I didn’t think you were serious,” Michael said with a smile.
“Oh, I got up and you’re not going to believe what I did today,” she said as she rolled over to her.
“Really? What?”
She explained about the tobacco shop and the pipe room.
“And I checked out Rosie’s Bar. Guess what? Someone saw us together at that Pizza Palace. Ted had to tell me that his girlfriend recognized you from your RCMP class. He wanted to warn me that I was hanging out with a Mountie!”
“What?” Michael exclaimed as she sat back.
“In fact, Rosie and Darren grilled me about you.”
“Oh, my God,” Michael exclaimed. Her eyes showed her fear. “What did you say?”
Cam smiled. “That I had met you at a party in Montreal. I told him you’d said you were go
ing to be in the area for few weeks and we could get together, but that you’d probably dump me because I was too kinky in bed.”
“You were too kinky?” Michael laughed.
“I didn’t want to put it off on you, you sweet little sergeant in the RCMP.”
Michael laughed. “Who was this woman?” she asked.
“Her name is Rhonda and she works at the RCMP station.”
“I know her. I’ll have to tell Jean-René to keep an eye on her. I’ll have to say something about being grossed out by this woman I had dated.”
“Grossed out?”
“Sure, wouldn’t you be?” She smiled at Cam. “What should I say you did that grossed me out?”
“That’s up to you. You know more about these gross things than I ever will.”
Michael and Cameron laughed heartily.
“I’ll have Jean-René in on it, too.”
Michael rolled into bed beside her and took Cam into her arms.
“Cherie,” she said softly, “Aren’t you being careful? You get stoned and told your lover is a Mountie all in one day.”
“Usually, but this all came up out of the blue. I did one toke but when he left the room and told me to finish the bowl, I was stuck. But, then I also found that donut deal at the sandwich place, so I guess it was meant to be.”
“Then, I guess I should reward you for a job well-done,” Michael said, her smile getting bigger and brighter.
“Yes, I think you should. Maybe we should see if you’re still grossed out by a little kink.”
* * * *
The next day, Michael spoke with her brother before she started her class. They agreed that the best way would be to talk about it in front of the receptionist’s desk.
“Good teaching today,” Jean-René told his sister as she came out of the shower room later that morning. “I was watching the class. Some are doing better than I expected.”
“Yes,” Michael replied. “Even the afternoon class is better than I thought they’d be.” She set her gym bag down on the floor in front of the clerk’s desk.
“Belle classe aujourd’hui, sergeant,” one officer said as he got ready to leave. Two others agreed with him.
“Merci. The next class will be harder,” she answered and waved as they left to go on duty.
Bodies Out Back Page 12