Rusty Logic

by Robin Alexander

  Rusty Logic

  By Robin Alexander

  Rusty Logic

  © 2015 by Robin Alexander

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-935216-77-3

  First Ebook Edition: 2015

  This Ebook Is Published By

  Intaglio Publications

  Walker, LA USA

  www.intagliopub.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  _______________________________________________

  Credits

  Executive Editor: Tara Young

  Cover design by: Tiger Graphics

  Dedication

  For those who take the time to write me and offer their words of encouragement and praise. I can write a whole book, but I can’t adequately put into words what that means to me.

  To those who buy my books and enable me to have the career I’ve always dreamed of, I humbly thank you. I love you all.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I must thank Tara and my editorial staff who keep me in line. Tara, one day, I’ll stop “sprinkling commas,” unfortunately, today, is, not, that, day.

  Chapter One

  “I don’t know why I agreed to this.” Rusty Martinez squeezed the steering wheel of her car.

  Neil Bauer placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soothing tone that Rusty had come to resent. “I’ll remind you. You are the heart and soul of Smart Shopper, my best friend, and business partner, and I can’t and won’t lose you. Years of energy drinks, smoking, and your horrible diet finally came to roost, and you had a—”

  “Mild infarction, that’s what Dr. Calabrea said.”

  Neil nodded. “At thirty-eight, you had a heart attack, and that’s not common for someone your age. You realize you have to make a change, and that’s why we’re here.”

  “I could’ve made a change at home,” Rusty said as she smacked all the nicotine gum she could stuff in her mouth.

  “We tried that, remember? You were sneaking into the office at night like an addict looking for a fix.” Neil waved a hand as Rusty drove into Ancelet Bay, Louisiana. “This is a lovely peaceful little place. You can relax here.”

  “There’s no bay, just a big ditch running through the middle of town.”

  “You could’ve gone to Florida, or for that matter, San Tropez, but you didn’t want to be more than two hours from Baton Rouge, so here we are. The rental house I found you is cozy and so very cute. I know you’re going to be happy there. Now slow down, the moving van is having trouble keeping up, and this is a thirty-five-mile-an-hour speed zone.”

  Rusty squeezed the steering wheel harder and blew out an explosive breath. “Neil, I can’t do this. We have a company to run.”

  “I’ve told you a million times that we have a more than capable staff, and we’re at the point where we can sit back and let them do the work. Do you think Bill Gates involves himself in every aspect of Microsoft?”

  “That’s a really big company,” Rusty practically yelled. “We aren’t anywhere near that size. That’s why we need to be there.”

  “Deep breath,” Neil said calmly.

  “I’m so sick and tired of being told to breathe. It’s an automatic thing, our brain and lungs handle that!”

  “Big inhalation, come on, do it, then—why are you rolling my window down?”

  “Because I’m about to shove your head out of it,” Rusty said with a maniacal grin.

  “And this is the other reason you have to get away from the office. The stress you cause yourself makes you aggressive and mean. You make our people cry. We’ve lost some really excellent employees because they couldn’t suffer your abuse, and they shouldn’t have to.”

  “You keep saying that. Name one instance when I was abusive.”

  “Take a left right here. All right, here’s an example. The day before you had the heart attack, I personally heard you call one of the dispatchers Sally Sloth to her face. We could be sued because of that and other things you say and do, and we could lose everything we worked for.”

  “Sally is lazy, her workstation looks like a hazmat scene,” Rusty argued.

  “Her name is Rene, and she has worked for us for fourteen years, she’s sixty-three years old, and she has a bad hip. She also won the outstanding service award for the past three years because she’s extremely proficient at what she does. I think we can afford to overlook that sometimes she leaves her uneaten lunch on her desk. Slow down, it’s the second driveway on the left.”

  Rusty turned into the driveway and stared at the wood-framed house with its tidy porch and swing. “I hate it.”

  “When I showed you the picture, you said it was sweet and reminded you of your grandma’s house.”

  “That doesn’t mean I want to live in an old lady house.”

  Neil shook his head and got out of the car. The moving van stopped on the street, two men hopped out, threw open the back door, and began quickly unloading. Rusty got out too, and felt as though she’d been kidnapped, even though in a moment of fear that she may die, she agreed to the respite in Ancelet Bay.

  Neil strolled across the freshly mowed lawn, hopped up on the front porch, and unlocked the door. The moving guys were right behind him with a small couch that came from her home office. Rusty could hear Neil telling the men where to place things while she stood near the hood of her car with her arms folded like a petulant child who’d just been put in timeout.

  The house did remind her of her grandmother’s place, and it conjured some of her sweetest early childhood memories. Nana was a doting grandmother, and Rusty had been the apple of her eye. Justine Martinez was a single mother who worked several jobs to support her own mother and daughter. Nana did the mothering and kissed the boo-boos, tucked Rusty into bed, and told her stories. She was also a marvelous cook and enjoyed having Rusty help her in the kitchen. Rusty sighed, thinking that the years they lived with Nana were the best she’d ever known. She didn’t have a care in the world, but that all changed after Nana died not long after Rusty turned eight. Her mother sold the house just outside of Houston, Texas, and moved them to Baton Rouge. There, Justine began taking classes and working at the same time, and Rusty became a latchkey kid who cooked, cleaned, and did the laundry.

  Neil walked out onto the porch with a big smile on his face and wiped at the sweat beading on his bald head. His skinny legs protruded out of a pair of shorts and practically glowed they were so white. “That goes in the spare bedroom,” he said as the movers prepared to carry a desk up the steps.

  Rusty’s heart went out to him; Neil didn’t handle confrontation or tense situations very well. His smile was plastered on, and it was obvious he was trying to remain upbeat. Neil was Rusty’s only true friend. They’d rarely gone a day without seeing each other since they met twenty years ago. Rusty knew he relied on her just as much as she did him. They knew everything about each other; they’d shared their deepest secrets. Though she wasn’t happy about being exiled, she knew that Neil had her best interests at heart, and the plan was a wise one, though she didn’t like it.

  “Did you see all the trees in the backyard?”

  “Yeah, I saw them.” Rusty watched the moving men jog back out of the house.

  Neil slowly approached her like he would an animal he wasn’t sure would attack. “This isn’t forever. You’re going to get healt
hy here, and you’re going to once again become the excited visionary with the great sense of humor I have always loved. You have to embrace this. You swore you would, and you’re a woman of your word.”

  “I made that promise because I was afraid I was going to do a face-plant on my kitchen floor and no one would find my body until I started to stink.”

  Neil’s expression was pained as he said, “Please don’t talk like that. It puts devastating images in my mind. Do you want to come inside and see the house?”

  “I’m sure I’ll be seeing plenty of it, so that’s okay.” Rusty pointed at the free-standing garage with its roll-up door wide open. “What’s in the boxes in there?”

  “Oh, that’s just some junk. The real estate agent told me she’d get rid of them. I guess she forgot. I’ll give her a call.” Neil stretched, working the kinks out of his six-foot-three-inch frame. “I took a map of the town and notated where certain stores and restaurants are. I thought that might come in handy since this is your first time here.”

  “Thanks,” Rusty said with a nod.

  Neil had done it all. He’d searched for a house with enough distance between it and Baton Rouge to keep Rusty from dropping by the office. He’d set up all the rental arrangements, hired movers, and even bought groceries that were packed in coolers in the trunk of Rusty’s car.

  “God, Rusty, I’m going to miss you so much,” he blurted out as tears filled his eyes.

  “Oh, no, don’t do that.” Rusty held her hands up. “You can’t be emotional now, I can’t take it.”

  Neil scrubbed his head again and sniffed. “You’re the best brother with a vagina I’ve ever had.”

  “Take a deep breath.”

  Neil laughed softly. “I want you to be happy and whole. I don’t think you realize how bad your heart attack scared me. That day in the conference room, you looked so bad, and my life passed before my eyes. I love my wife, my folks, and my sister and brother, but losing you would create a void that no one could ever fill.”

  “Mild cardiac infarction, that’s what the doctor said, I’ll be fine. This is an extended vacation. I might even learn to fish…maybe not because I refuse to touch bait or aquatic creatures.”

  “Oh, let’s get the food out of your car,” Neil said as he moved toward it.

  Rusty rushed in front of him. “No, it’s fine. You’re…you’re sweating, and I know how you hate that. I’ll bring in the rest of the stuff once the movers are done.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m not letting you carry in all that stuff by yourself.” Neil moved past her like a basketball player, threw open the driver’s door, and popped the trunk.

  Rusty rushed to the rear of the car and slammed the trunk shut. “It’s fine, I’m parked in the shade. I’ll get it later.”

  “Rusty,” Neil said, dropping his voice low, and it sounded like a growl. “What’re you hiding back there?”

  “Nothing, I just don’t want you—all right, my laptop.” Rusty stomped her foot. “I’m not staying in Timbuktu without it.”

  Neil popped the trunk again and raced to the back of the car. “What else did you squirrel away back here?”

  “Don’t treat me like a child.”

  Rusty closed her eyes when Neil shrieked and held up a pack of cigarettes. “You said you quit!”

  “I did, that’s an emergency pack. You can see it’s unopened. It’s like a pacifier. I feel better knowing they’re close by.”

  “You have a TV and cable, you have a phone that you can check your email on. I’m taking this laptop.”

  Rusty grabbed one side of the bag. “I will run straight up your back and snatch the hair follicles out of your scalp if you don’t let this go.”

  “You’re not supposed to work for a month, you promised.”

  “I still want my computer. Let go, or I’ll punch you in the neck,” Rusty said as she tugged again on the bag.

  “Uh…excuse me…I just need you to sign the delivery slip,” one of the moving men said, looking worried. He made no attempt to approach Rusty. She’d already threatened to neuter him when he banged the wall in her condo back home with a table.

  Neil reluctantly released the bag and took the slip and pen the moving man offered him. He signed, then gave the man a generous tip. The man backed away and said, “Thank you, sir, and…lady.”

  No sooner than the moving van pulled away from the house, a black sedan took its place. Neil waved and turned to Rusty. “Jaqueline won’t be getting out of the car. She’s still a wee bit upset that you threatened to pop her breasts with a pin. I hope you’ll keep your promise and not try to log into the system at the office.”

  “You just said earlier that I’m a woman of my word. I told you I wouldn’t, so I won’t.”

  Neil spread out his arms. “I’m going to hug you now. I know you don’t like it, but I need it.”

  Rusty set the computer in the back of her car and stepped into Neil’s arms, and he wrapped her tight. “I’m going to be okay,” she assured, even though she didn’t feel that way.

  “I know. We’ll be fine. I made an emergency list for you too. There’s an ambulance at the fire station, which is four blocks away. The closest hospital is twelve-point-four miles from your doorstep. The number for Poison Control is—”

  “Neil, this is beginning to feel weird,” Rusty said with her cheek pressed against his chest. “I’m feeling more of you than I ever wanted.”

  Neil released her and took a step back. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you with the rest of your things?”

  “Positive,” Rusty said with a nod. “We should do this quick. It’ll be less awkward and painful.”

  “All right. I love you, man.”

  Rusty winced at the expression of affection. “You too.”

  She watched as Neil jogged across the yard and climbed into the passenger’s seat of the sedan. She turned as it drove away, knowing that Neil was bawling like a baby inside. Rusty tore into a fresh pack of nicotine gum and shoved a few pieces into her mouth.

  Chapter Two

  “Patty, this is Stella. I’ve set up surveillance on the house at 123 Chestnut Street. The subject is a—”

  “This is June, and it’s eleven o’clock at night. Put on your glasses, for Pete’s sakes, if you’re gonna make a call.”

  “Okay, but we have to have an emergency meeting. A strange woman has moved in at one twenty—”

  “I don’t give a hot damn who moved in. Did you hear me say it’s nearly the middle of the night? Go to bed, Stella, we’ll talk in the morning.”

  June banged her phone on the bedside table before she hung up, and Stella jumped as the clatter filled her ear. She held her phone at arm’s length and pressed another number. “Patty, this is Stella, a strange woman has—”

  “Baby, this is Mona, are you outside at this hour?”

  “I’m at a secure vantage point, which is the Brumfields’ azalea bush. With my binoculars, I can see into the subject’s living room window. I think she’s eating broccoli.”

  “Well,” Mona began after a yawn, “at this hour, that’s probably the best thing to eat.”

  “This woman has dark hair and eyes, she looks to be from the Middle East, and I think I saw some kind of prayer rug being brought into her house. You know what that means,” Stella whispered.

  “She has a pretty doormat?”

  “She’s a Muslim, and she’s probably a terrorist.”

  “It’s highly doubtful that anyone with nefarious intent would come to Ancelet Bay. There’s nothing here of importance. Honey, are you wearing the coat?”

  “Of course, I am. I’m on a mission. What else would I wear?” Stella said as sweat coursed down her spine.

  “It’s August, sweetie, and probably eighty degrees right now. Go back inside, cool off, and we’ll sort this out tomorrow.”

  “I’m calling an emergency meeting. We need to get together as soon as possible, so everyone can hear the information I have.” Stella looked at
her notepad. “And I’ve got a lot.”

  “Good, go inside dear. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”

  As soon as Mona ended the call, Stella pressed another button and waited. “Patty, a Muslim extremist has moved into the Calumet rental on Chestnut Street.”

  *******

  Rusty was restless. She’d arrived in Ancelet Bay around three in the afternoon, and by eleven that evening, she’d already unpacked everything and put it away. She didn’t bring a lot with her, thinking that she’d only be there a month or two before Neil begged her to come back. It made no sense to her to bring everything in her condo, but the tiny two-bedroom house seemed so empty. She walked into her temporary bedroom and gazed at the bed she’d taken from her spare bedroom. It was only a queen, but it took up most of the room. A small closet and dresser held her clothes, and the only picture Rusty brought with her sat on the bedside table facing the wall because she really didn’t want to look at it.

  Like a caged animal, Rusty wandered the house. The spare room held nothing but her desk, which was basically useless for a month. The only furniture in the living room was a brown leather sofa and matching chair and a TV on a stand. Rusty had picked up a bistro table for the kitchen a week before the move. It only had two chairs, but she didn’t anticipate doing any entertaining. She walked past it, running her hands over the cool black metal, and felt a rush of panic as the walls closed in.

  She marched back to the bedroom, threw on a pair of running shorts, stripped down to a sports bra, grabbed her keys, and rushed out the door. It was a hot and still night, and though Baton Rouge wasn’t truly a big city, it seemed like New York compared to the silence of Ancelet Bay. The slap of her sneakers echoed as she jogged down Chestnut Street, then turned onto Pin Oak Lane.

  There were a few lights on in the houses she passed, but most were dark. Rusty wondered if Neil had moved her into a retirement community until in the distance she saw a group of kids standing at a corner smoking. She saw herself knocking one of the kids to the ground and snatching his cigarette from his lips, then inhaling it all in one breath. So Rusty made another left and slowed to a walk with her arms raised above her head.