Midnight Paws

by Jessica Beck

  “That’s quite a markup,” Whitman said. “Do you have any wiggle room on that price?”

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked.

  “I’ll give you a hundred and fifty, but I don’t want a receipt. In fact, I insist on it.”

  “I’m sorry, but we are required by law to keep track of the used jewelry we sell. The records go to the police at the end of every month so they can check their records against insurance claims that are made.” This too was a lie, but I was dying to see what David Whitman thought of this new development.

  After a long hesitation, he said, “But this isn’t being sold; it’s being returned to its original owner. How about if we double it and make it three hundred if you forget to file the paperwork? Does that interest you?”

  “Not one little bit,” I said. “Besides, we never agreed on one-fifty. My price was and is two hundred dollars, and I’m giving you a huge break as it is.”

  “Are you actually going to try to hold me up for more?” he asked.

  “No, that’s not it at all. I just don’t want to take a loss on this.” What was next? I wondered.

  “Okay,” he said with some resignation in his voice. “You drive a hard bargain. Two hundred, and you file all of the reports you want to. I’ll be down this afternoon to pick it up. I trust it will be there.”

  “It sure will, but you need to bring cash with you,” I said, remembering what I had heard about his money problems.

  “That’s an odd request, isn’t it?” he asked. “Do you make all of your customers pay you in cash?”

  “Call me quirky, but it’s the only way you’re getting the necklace back. I’ve got to pay my buyer today, and I won’t make her wait for the money until your check clears.”

  “Fine,” he said, and then he hung up on me before I could say anything else.

  While the shop would make a tidy profit on the sale, it could have been a great deal more, but I drew the line at extorting too much cash from our customers, no matter how sleazy they seemed to be to me.

  I was losing faith in David Whitman as a suspect. He might have money problems, but I doubted the necklace would come anywhere close to solving them, not if what Cora had written about him was true. While I couldn’t take his name off the list entirely, it did make me wonder if I was following a bad lead by pursuing him as one of my suspects.

  When the front door opened next, I expected to see David Whitman come in. Instead, it was Jim Hicks, and there were too many ways that I wasn’t happy about his presence in my shop than I could count.

  I was about to snap when I noticed his smile. It was the first real one I’d seen since I’d met the man. What did he have to be so happy about all of a sudden? “What can I do for you?” I asked him.

  “Actually, I came to thank you. I just spoke to Kelly. Thank you for not calling the police. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “I’ll be honest with you; I’m having second thoughts. She stole from me, plain and simple. How have you managed to keep her out of jail this long?”

  “Many of the shop owners have been very understanding in the past,” he said. “She’s getting much better, if it’s any consolation.”

  “Well, it’s nice. I suppose you’d like me to lift my ban of her from this store.”

  I was about to give him all of the reasons that I wouldn’t change my mind when he surprised me. “That was a stroke of brilliance. I don’t know what you said to her, but she’s terrified that she’ll never be able to come back. It might just prove to be enough to allow her to stop once and forever. She used to be a fine, upstanding young girl, and then her parents died in a horrible car accident. She came to live with me when she was nine, and the poor kid has been scarred for life by the trauma of losing them both so suddenly.”

  “Have you tried to get her help?” I asked. I hadn’t realized what she’d been through, but at least in my mind, that still didn’t excuse her thefts.

  “We’re still looking for the right answer for her,” he said. “But I believe that we are finally getting close. She’s been good for months. I don’t know what triggered her today, but she assures me that it won’t happen again.”

  “Well, I can guarantee that it won’t, at least not here. I can’t afford to have my merchandise keep disappearing.”

  “About that,” Jim said as he pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet. “This should more than make up for the trouble.”

  “I wouldn’t take Kelly’s twenty, and I’m not going to accept your hundred, either. What’s she going to learn if you keep buying her out of trouble?” I was lecturing the man, and I hated the sound of my voice as I did, but somebody had to say these things to him, no matter how hard it was for all of the parties involved.

  “Fair enough,” he said as he tucked the bill back into his wallet. “May I at least buy the beret in question?”

  “I’m not exactly sure that’s the right signal, either, are you?”

  “I want it as a reminder to her that she can’t just steal things when she’s feeling frustrated or alone. It’s a valuable lesson, don’t you think?”

  “I do. In fact,” I said, “let the beret be my gift to you both. A dollar profit is worth losing if it helps her straighten herself out.”

  “I can’t accept this,” he said as I put the hat in a bag and handed it to him.

  “Don’t make me call the police,” I said, adding a grin so he could see that I was just teasing.

  “We don’t want that,” he said as he took it from me. “Thank you for your understanding, and your compassion.”

  “It’s just a dollar,” I said, uneasy with his praise.

  “It means a great deal more than that to us,” he said. “I won’t be bothering you any more about selling this place. You’ve at least earned that from me today.”

  “Then I’m the one who’s coming out ahead,” I said.

  “What’s that?” Jim asked as he looked at the counter. I’d shoved Cora’s notebook under a bag, and when I’d given the hat to him, the journal was suddenly exposed.

  I put it under the counter as I said, “It’s just some of my musings.”

  “I didn’t know that you were a writer,” Jim said with a smile.

  “I’m not. At least not yet. Someday, maybe.”

  “I’m certain of it,” he said. Holding the bagged hat aloft, he said, “Thank you again for your kindness.”

  “She deserved one warning, but that’s all that she’s going to get from me,” I said.

  “I’m sure that will be sufficient,” he said, and then the real estate agent pulled out a sales flyer and folded it in half. After jotting something down, he handed it to me. “This is my cell number. I owe you one, so if there’s anything I can do for you, call me.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t imagine the circumstances.”

  “Still, you’ve got it if you need it,” he said, and then Jim Hicks left the shop. I put the flyer on the counter and promptly forgot all about it.

  Lincoln came in ten seconds later. “I’m here to take you to lunch,” he said. “Hey, was that who I thought it was leaving your shop just now? Jim Hicks isn’t still pestering you about selling this place to him, is he?”

  “No. As a matter of fact, he told me that he’s asked for the last time.”

  “And do you believe him?” Lincoln asked.

  “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” That’s when the other shoe dropped about Lincoln’s appearance. “You’re here for lunch.”

  “Is that a question, or a statement?” he asked.

  “I can’t. I’m so sorry, but there’s no way I can leave the shop. Is that okay?”

  “It’s fine,” he said, and then Lincoln headed for the door.

  “That doesn’t mean that you have to just rush off,” I said. Had I hurt his feelings with my rejec
tion?

  Lincoln just smiled as he walked away. I’d blown it now. Just when things were starting to look promising, I’d run him off. I was sad to admit to myself that it wasn’t the first time, and I was fairly sure that it wouldn’t be the last, either. Oh, well. Such was the life of a single shopkeeper.

  I had to eat something, though. I started to make a sign that I could put in the window that said I’d be gone for ten minutes when Lincoln surprised me by coming back in, this time holding a large brown bag in his hands. “If you can’t go to lunch, then lunch will come to you,” he said with a smile.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said with a smile. What was I smelling, Celeste’s French fries? I could feel myself drooling at the very thought of them.

  “I didn’t have to,” Lincoln said. “I wanted to. Where shall we dine?”

  “How about back here behind the counter?” I asked. “Is that okay with you?”

  “I’ll go wherever you’d like me to,” he said. “Now, what say we start our little feast before we’re interrupted?”

  “I think that’s a marvelous plan. What are we having?” I asked as I peeked into the bag.

  “Two hamburgers, two fries, and two sodas,” he said as he started withdrawing food from the bag. “Do those selections meet with your approval?”

  “More than you could ever know. I’m starving,” I said as I reached greedily for one of the burgers.

  “I managed to work up quite an appetite myself,” Lincoln said.

  “How was court this morning?” I asked, and then I took a bite my mother would have never approved of. Well, she wasn’t around to critique my eating habits, so I was going to eat as it pleased me.

  “My client was a complete and total boob,” Lincoln said. “He got caught robbing a convenience store, and then, to make matters worse, he tried to steal the police cruiser they placed him in upon his arrest.”

  “How did he manage that?” I asked, trying not to laugh.

  “One of the officers failed to secure his door properly, so while their backs were turned, he calmly got out, walked around to the driver’s door, and got in.”

  “How far did he get?” I asked, this time failing to conceal my laughter.

  “Not a foot. It turns out that he doesn’t know how to drive.”

  “Why didn’t he just run away, if they weren’t paying any attention to him?” I asked.

  “The very question I asked him myself. He claimed that they were trying to entrap him, so he wanted to show the world just how devious the police are.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He’ll be out on bail in a few days, but after that, he’s on his own. I was filling in for a colleague, so after this, they’re both on their own.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” I said as I took another healthy bite of my burger. “It’s good to have a guy like you around.”

  Lincoln’s back stiffened, and I wondered what I’d said. “Hey, that was a compliment, in case you didn’t know.”

  “Christy, you sounded as though the next words that were going to come out of your mouth was what a good friend I am.”

  I’d been close. “What would be so bad about that?”

  “Pardon me for saying so, but I have enough friends, thank you very much. I like you, and not in a way that could be misconstrued as friendship. Let me say it simply, and boldly. I have a romantic interest in dating you, and if things go well, I may even try to woo you. Would you be opposed to that?”

  “I don’t know, I haven’t been wooed in a long time,” I said.

  “Are you making fun of me?” he asked with carefully chosen words.

  “No, I think it’s kind of sweet, to be honest with you. Okay, go ahead. Woo me. Let’s see where it goes.”

  “First we try a date or two, and then I’ll decide if there’s any wooing in our future.” He said it with a grin, and I responded in kind.

  “We’ll try a few dates, then, but you be sure to tell me if we advance to the wooing stage.”

  “Oh, believe me, you’ll know.” He stood, and then cleaned up the bags. “Where should I put these?”

  “There’s a trash can in back,” I said. “But just leave it. I can take care of it later.”

  “I respectfully decline your offer,” he said. Sometimes talking to him was like a trip back in time, but in all honestly, I kind of liked it.

  He was gone ten seconds when my phone rang. I was about to let it go to voice mail when I saw that it was Trudy from the library.

  “Hey, Trudy. Give me one second, would you?”

  “I can give you three, if you need them,” she said with a laugh.

  I walked into the back as Lincoln was walking back in, and we nearly collided in the doorway. For one second, he had his arms around me to keep me from falling, and I had to admit that I didn’t mind it, not one bit. “I’m so sorry, but I have a call I need to take.”

  “I understand,” he said. “Are you busy tonight?”

  “I’m not sure yet. May I call you?”

  “I’ll wait, but not forever,” he said with a grin.

  After he was gone, I could still smell traces of his cologne in the air. Snapping myself out of it, I put my phone back to my ear and said, “Sorry about that. Someone was here.”

  “Someone tall, dark, and handsome, I hope?” she asked.

  “I suppose you could say that. How’s the search been going?”

  Trudy laughed. “So, that’s all of the details I’m getting out of you. Is that right?”

  “Pretty much,” I agreed.

  “I understand,” she said. “I just called to tell you that Professor Jenkins has an unshakable alibi, so he needs to be taken off your list.”

  “I’d love to hear what it is,” I said.

  “On that fateful day, he was at a conference on the west coast. I called a few places to confirm it, and it’s true.”

  “Trudy, did you come right out and ask him for his alibi?” The woman had more moxie than I did, that was for sure.

  “Of course not. I spoke to a secretary at the college, and she told me. We took a class together in continuing education once.”

  “Dare I ask what the subject was?”

  “We were both getting our scuba diving certifications, as a matter of fact,” Trudy said. “Wendy was going on vacation to the Bahamas.”

  “How about you?”

  “It just sounded like fun to me,” she said. The woman had levels that I was just discovering, and the deeper I dug, the more I liked her.

  “Do you trust her?”

  “I do, but that’s not an issue. I went online and downloaded his lecture. It was time and date stamped, so there’s no discussion. He’s in the clear.”

  “Thank you so much,” I said. “You should get a merit badge in detection.”

  “I’m a librarian. What makes you think that I don’t already have one?” she asked me. “I’ve got to run. I have a few more feelers out, so sit tight. We’ll have this thing solved in no time.”

  “I have a hunch that the police don’t know what a valuable asset they are missing out on,” I said.

  “Oh, they know,” she said, and I could hear the grin in her voice as she said it.

  Chapter 14

  I suddenly realized that I’d forgotten to ask Lincoln if I could choose something else for my legacy. Taking a chance, I called his cell phone.

  “Do you miss me already?” he asked after he picked up. “I’m taking that as a good sign, whether you mean it to be or not.”

  “I have a question for you,” I said.

  “Ask away. As it happens, I’m still free tonight, if that’s why you’re calling.”

  “It’s not, but I can appreciate a man who looks at things from a positive point of view. Can I change my mind about my inheritances from Co
ra?”

  “Have you decided to swap the wooden box for something more valuable?”

  “As a matter of fact, I want to keep the box,” I said. “It’s the necklace I was thinking about trading in.”

  “Sure, that would be fine, but may I ask why?”

  “I’m selling it back to David Whitman,” I said.

  “You’re not under any obligation to do that. You realize that, don’t you? Has he been bullying you about it?”

  “I brought it up myself. With all of the ill will surrounding it, I don’t feel right taking it for myself.”

  “Understood. I at least hope you’re gouging him for more than the hundred Cora bought it for.”

  “I doubled my money,” I said with a smile.

  Lincoln laughed. “It looks as though there might be a bit of Cora in you after all.” After a moment’s pause, he quickly added, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that last bit.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me,” I said.

  “Have you made a new selection?” Lincoln asked me.

  “I’m still thinking about it,” I said.

  “Well, just let me know so I can change the paperwork. If you’d like help deciding, I’d be happy to lend my expertise in fine antiques and jewelry tonight.”

  “You’re trying to skip dating and go straight to wooing, are you?” I asked with a laugh.

  “No, Ma’am. The formalities must be followed. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye,” I said.

  When I hung up, I saw Midnight for a split second. It must have been harder for him to appear in broad daylight, but he was still there long enough for me to see him shaking his head at me, something he’d often done when he’d been in firmer form.

  Wonderful. Only one of my cats would find a way to make fun of me from beyond the Great Divide.

  In the middle of the afternoon, my cell phone rang. It was Marybeth. “Have you heard from our friend the librarian yet?”

  “Actually, she called while I was having lunch with Lincoln.”

  “Hang on a second. You had lunch with Lincoln?” she asked. “I want to hear every last detail.”