by J. L. Wilson
Mina raised one supercilious eyebrow. "Jack? My, my. You're on a first name basis with all the law enforcement men, are you?"
I flushed. "He and I talked before Drew--I mean, Jack and I--Drew came over and--" I stopped before I could insert my foot even deeper into my mouth. Mina always had that effect on me. "Wade left the papers for me. His note said so."
Mina's dark green eyes were like small jade pebbles boring into mine. "What note? Drew didn't say anything about a note."
"Of course he wouldn't. It's none of your business." My cell phone, buried in my jeans pocket, chose that moment to blare the Oh-E-Oh dirge from the Oz movie that signaled a call from an unknown person. "Excuse me," I said, turning aside and taking out my phone.
"Dorothy, it's Jack Tinsley. I need to see you as soon as possible."
"Oh, Jack. Hello." I laughed unconvincingly. "I was just talking about you." I eyed Mina furtively. "I'm busy now. Can I call you back?"
"I talked to Chief Strawn. He told me about his relationship with you. He's removed himself from the case."
I almost dropped the phone in surprise. "Drew did what? He told you what?"
"What?" Mina demanded. "What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing to do with you," I snapped.
"Who's there?" Jack asked. "Who are you talking to?"
"It's Mina Wickman. She wants those papers Wade left me. What did Drew tell you?" I moved to one side, seeking privacy, but Mina only moved with me.
"He said you and he have resumed your relationship. Because of that, he's asked that the FBI take over the handling of the murder." Jack's voice was harsh, cold, and brisk. I could imagine how frosty his eyes were. "One of his deputies will assist, of course."
"He said we've--?" I stopped when I saw Mina's avid expression. I lowered my voice and turned my back on her, but I wasn't sure if it was enough to keep her prying ears away from my conversation. "I really can't talk now, Jack. Can I call you back? Or can you meet me? I'll be at the fairgrounds later today. I have to get things organized for the parade."
His voice lowered and softened, as though aware of his brusqueness. "I'd like to see you, Dorothy. I want to apologize and--no, I take that back. I won't apologize. It's one of the things I want to talk to you about. I think you're making a mistake with Chief Strawn. There are things you need to know."
I pulled the phone away from my ear, not sure I heard correctly. "What?"
"We need to talk, Dorothy." His voice faded and I heard other voices in the background. "I'll come to the dog show tonight. I'm busy all day. We're close to cracking this case. You and I have to talk. You might be in danger because of Strawn."
The phone went quiet. I pocketed it. What could Jack Tinsley know about Drew that was dangerous? That made no sense. What could Tinsley know that I didn't?
"So you and Drew are back together?"
I turned so fast I almost tipped over. I'd forgotten about Mina, who was a foot behind me now. "What makes you say that?" I stammered.
"Oh, please." She nodded thoughtfully. "Drew seemed different this morning when I talked to him."
"Different?" I longed to grab her and shake the words out of her but I forced myself to ask casually, "How so?"
She didn't answer, only narrowed her eyes and regarded me with a small, satisfied smirk. "You and he slept together, didn't you? Rosemary mentioned that his car was at your house yesterday for a while. He was with you, wasn't he?"
I raised my chin defiantly. "It's none of your business." I started to go back into the Legion building but her next words stopped me in my tracks.
"You're so naïve, Dorothy. I suppose you think because Drew slept with you that it will all be hearts and flowers from here on in."
I turned, surprised by the harsh bitterness in her voice. Mina and I had never been friends but we weren't enemies, either. Why was I the recipient of so much scorn? "I'm not stupid," I retorted. "I know it won't be easy but I'm willing to give it a try."
She laughed, a short burst of cheerless sound. "Right. True love."
"Now wait a minute," I said my voice and my temper rising. "This is none of your business."
"Of course it's my business. He and I have been dating. I'd like to know if he won't be dropping by any more." Mina tossed her head and for an instant I was reminded of Liza the guide-pony and her mane-tossing. "Oh, you should see your face, Dorothy. You look like you swallowed something sour." She lowered her voice. "Did you?" she asked slyly.
My stomach knotted and I was suddenly drenched in cold sweat. "What are you saying? Are you and Drew involved?"
She shrugged. "Not recently, no. But as soon as you broke up with him years ago, he came to me. And he's been coming back ever since. I doubt if that will change any time soon. He's always enjoyed my company."
A small voice inside my brain was clamoring for reason. If Drew and Mina were an item in town, I would have heard about it. Leo would jump on a hot story like that so fast it wouldn't have time to cool. And he would have told me. After all, Drew was a past lover of mine, not a current one. Leo would have shared.
Mina was lying. I don't know why I was so certain, but I knew it. She was flat-out lying. But why? Why go out of her way to hurt me, to drive a wedge between Drew and me? I said the first words that came to mind. "What do you want, Mina? What are you after?"
"I want those papers Wade gave you."
"Why? What's so important in those papers?"
"Wade took some things from me when he and I parted company." She hesitated, her lips tightening. "I'm afraid those papers he took might be mixed in with the ones he gave you. They might be embarrassing to my father's memory."
I almost laughed aloud but caught myself in time. Her father, William the Bastard, was the butt of many a joke when he took up with Wade's mother. There wasn't much more that could embarrass his memory. "Leo was going through it all before he left town."
"Leo? Why did you let that busybody see them?" She took a step toward me and I instinctively stepped back.
"Leo's a friend of mine." I shook my head angrily. "I don't have to explain myself to you. The papers are at the house. I don't have them with me." The lie came so easily I was surprised. I usually stammered and stuttered when I tried to lie.
"I need to see them."
The door to the Legion opened and Mel hurried out. "Dorothy, Baby Dot told me that she made you change the judging time for the dog show. I'm so sorry. If you need her to be there, you tell me. She can't go running off like that without checking with me." She came to a stop next to us, smiling briefly and politely at Mina. "Hello, Mina. Sorry to interrupt." Her attention zeroed back in on me. "Baby Dot has always judged the Baby Class."
"It's okay. I've already cleared it with Betty. She said the earlier time would be better anyway." I started back toward the Legion, using Mel's interruption as an excuse to escape Mina's wrath.
I wasn't let off the hook so easily. "Dorothy, when can I come by to see Wade's things?" Mina demanded peremptorily.
I held onto my fraying temper. "I'm a tad busy today. I have a dog show to run, a parade to get started, and animals to get adopted."
Mina appeared bored at my recitation of responsibility. I was surprised she didn't yawn. "When?"
I was tempted to tell her the papers were sitting in my tote bag, about fifty feet away, but I refrained. Let her stew. "I'll be at the Kiwanis breakfast tomorrow. How about nine in the morning? Does that work for you?" I turned away without waiting to hear her reply. "Mel, is Liza going to be okay to lead the parade?" I asked, linking an arm with Mel's and tugging her toward the Legion.
"What? Oh, sure. She always does." Mel looked back at the disappearing Mina. "She's really pissed off. What the hell is going on?"
I heard the thunderous sound of an SUV door slamming behind me. "Mina thinks Wade left me something that could cause her father embarrassment."
"William the Bastard?" Mel snorted with laughter. "He did that to himself a long, long time ago."
I stopped in mid-step, my hand on the doorknob to the Legion's door. "What? Who told you that?"
"Honey told Miranda Tolliver. I ran into Miranda when she was dropping off muffins at the Wand. Miranda said that Honey said that Leo said that you and Drew were an item." Mel started to smile, transforming her somewhat plain face into cherubic mischievousness. "You are back together. Oh, hot dog, that's great, Dorothy!"
I put a finger to my lips. "There's nothing to it. Not yet, at least. We're sort of thinking about it, I guess you could say."
Mel nodded happily. "Mum's the word." She opened the door and almost stumbled inside, making a beeline for Glynnis, who stood near the giant twelve-burner stove. "Glynnis, did you know...?"
A deep, thrumming roar sounded from the street behind me. I whirled, peering through the two parking lots to Fifth Street. Four motorcycles were driving decorously down the street, four rough-looking men driving them with busty female companions clinging to their burly shoulders. AMRAK Weekend was starting. I had a dog show to run.
I peeked into the building and saw Glynnis, Mel, and Rosemary all smiling at me. I did what any self-respecting woman would do.
I fled.
Chapter 14
Six hours later I finally had a chance to worry if my romantic life was Broomfield public knowledge. I had no time to consider it before then. My afternoon was spent at the high school, checking in dog show entrants and their owners. After that, I hurried home and changed clothes into clean jeans, a golf shirt with Humane Society embroidered on the breast, and my lucky red Earth clogs. As I left the house I grabbed my Volunteer Jacket, a lightweight denim coat with large pockets that could hold a cell phone, notebooks, pens, and the other multitude of things I needed. I set my cell phone to vibrate, tucked it in my jeans pocket and was out the door in ten minutes, racing downtown where the Parade of Orphans began.
The POO was a Broomfield tradition, dating back to the Sixties. The dogs who were offered for adoption all paraded through town, the puppies in a cage on a wagon pulled by two schoolchildren and the seniors offered a ride on a hay wagon when their paws got tired. Liza the retired guide pony led the way, a position of honor she had occupied since coming to Mel's farm five years earlier. She was always gaily dressed for the occasion in tasseled headgear and a rainbow-colored blanket. Mel had managed to get all the paint off her and Liza's warm brown coat was brushed and burnished, like rippling velvet as she paced sedately down the street. The tiny pony was completely undaunted by dogs who were as tall as she was. If one of them attempted to get ahead of her, she leveled a pony gaze at him that had the miscreant going back into the ranks, tail between his legs.
This year a crowd that was six-people deep thronged the streets of Broomfield's modest downtown. Liza knew she was the center of attention and she played it for all she was worth, tossing her head so her blonde mane shimmered in the sun and prancing along, her legs held high. Like the Pied Piper, she led everyone to the fairgrounds where the dog show would take place and where many of the AMRAK riders were already appearing at the nearby campground.
I was worried about the extra people and the sounds of the motorcycles and how that might affect the dogs, but the show took place in the Coliseum, an oval building with a large indoor show arena and it was relatively buffered from outside noises. And only those dogs who were good with strangers were in the actual show ring. The other dogs, the shyer ones or those who spooked easily, were showcased in the nearby swine barn, where potential owners could visit them away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds.
The show got underway at five o'clock with Baby Dot and two other youngsters judging the puppies, an activity mainly comprised of examining them, evaluating them in terms of a pet-ready checklist, and declaring a winner, usually the cutest and clumsiest puppy there. The puppies were then taken away and allowed to interact with potential owners from the crowd, giving the Humane Society volunteers a chance to evaluate possible families.
The rest of the groups were all judged to the amused approval of the milling crowd. Glynnis judged the Good Sports group comprised of animals that appeared to have at least a smidgen of retriever or Labrador blood. Other classes included the Veterans (older dogs), the Couch Potatoes (mellow, laid-back dogs who lounged in the show ring and grinned at the crowd), Terrors (energetic, busy dogs who spent their time herding, retrieving, or bouncing from place to place), and the MUPs (Mostly Unknown Parentage, by far the biggest group).
The judging consisted of talking to the handlers, letting the dogs parade around the ring and choosing one animal who seemed the biggest show-off of the bunch. Afterward, potential adopters could visit with the Humane Society volunteers and hopefully a match would be made.
The Coliseum was almost full, which boded well for the Humane Society's coffers because we were charging an entry fee of three dollars. Add that money to the funds raised by the Girl Scouts, who provided the popcorn, pop, and chips, and we would probably clear several thousand dollars as well as find homes for many abandoned pets. It was worth every minute of my hectic evening.
I caught a glimpse of Baby Dot when she finished her judging stint. She and K.K. were talking to a group of men, Baby Dot appearing especially young and vulnerable in comparison to their scruffy, leather-clad appearance. I saw Mel and Hank watching her, too, which relieved my mind somewhat. I made a mental note to keep an eye on her but the next time I tried to find her, she and K.K. were gone.
Sometime between the Terrors and the MUPs, Drew called me. I barely heard his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ringtone over the buzz of the crowd and excited talk of volunteers in the staging area where I was taking a breather.
"I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier," he said in a low voice. "We've been swamped."
"That's okay." I went to a nearby entryway and leaned against the cool brick wall that composed the Coliseum's foundation, drinking in the smells of a late May night. Roses, grass, straw, and dust all mingled into a heady perfume that wafted to me on a gentle breeze. Thunder rumbled in the distance and a glow lit the southern sky. Oklahoma was getting wet tonight. "We've been busy, too. I think we've found homes for more than half the dogs here tonight."
"That's great."
I heard voices behind him and I wondered where he was. I also wondered how to bring up the subject that had buzzed around in my brain all day. "Drew--"
"Dorothy--"
We both laughed. "You first," I said.
"No, no. You go on."
I took a deep breath. "I talked to Jack Tinsley this morning. He said--"
"Why were you talking to him?" Drew's voice was sharp and harsh.
I barreled ahead, not sure if I wanted to share Tinsley's concerns about Drew. "He told me you removed yourself from the case. Did you?"
"Yes, I did. He was right. I can't be objective about you. So I let him take over the case, with Deputy Majors assisting. Was that all he said?"
"Pretty much. Your turn. What did you want to say?" I hoped my breezy 'pretty much' was convincing. It sounded lame to me.
"I wanted to stop by but I'm not sure if I can. We've had a couple of problems in town." Something in the way he said it made me think he was trying to be as casual as me. I wondered if there was something he wasn't telling.
I moved further away from the noise in the building, pressing the phone to my ear. "What kinds of problems?"
"A drunk and disorderly, a fight...the usual things when a bunch of people get together in a strange place and party." He laughed softly. "I wanted to see you tonight, but I'm not sure if it'll happen."
"I understand. Maybe we can see each other at breakfast." The Kiwanis Club was sponsoring a breakfast from seven to noon for the departing motorcyclists. Anyone in town would probably stop by for pancakes and sausage.
There was a lon
g pause and a bunch of thoughts cascaded into my brain, each vying for attention. Why is he hesitating? Doesn't he want to be seen with me? We're dating, aren't we? This wasn't only a one-night stand, was it? Is he busy? Why won't he answer? Why am I so worried, this is Drew, I can trust him...can't I?
"You know I'm always on call, don't you? I mean, at any time I might be called away."
"Of course." I hadn't even thought about it but I suppose it was like being a doctor. "I guess all we can do is make plans and hope for the best." I kept my voice light, trying to convey my lack of concern. But I suddenly understood that I should be concerned. Drew was a cop. He could be in danger at any time. Did I want to fall in love with somebody who might die at any minute?
As soon as I thought it, I chided myself. Heavens, anyone could die at any minute. There weren't any guarantees in life. And who was I kidding? Fall in love? I was already halfway there if not more.
"I, uh, I talked to Mina this morning," he said, his voice hesitant.
Something in his tone made me straighten, senses on alert. My bare elbow scraped against the bricks behind me and I winced. "I talked to her, too."
"Oh." There was another pause. "She said she was going to talk to you. She wanted to know about those papers of Wade's."
"I told her I'd give them to her tomorrow."
"Was that all you talked about?"
I took the plunge. "Mina said she knew that you stayed with me yesterday. You know, that we, well, you know." I started to add, And she said you and she had dated and maybe more, but he interrupted me before I could get the words out.
"Ah, shit. I was afraid of that."
My stomach plunged. "Afraid of what?"
"It's not like it sounds. She and I--I can't discuss it now. I need to see you and we'll talk about it."
I stared at the pavement, willing myself to stay still. I longed to tear out of there, go to my car, and find him. "Talk about what?"
"I have to go. We're busy here. It's not like it seems. I'll call you as soon as I can." The phone went dead in my hand.