by Linda Bridey
“This investigation needs to get stepped up. What are you doin’ about this?” he asked. He stood with his hands on his hips and his hazel eyes were more green than brown, something that happened when he was feeling strong emotions.
Rick calmly asked, “Has the floor in the laundry room been mopped lately? If it hasn’t, don’t let anyone mop it.”
“I don’t understand,” Joe said as he stood in front of Rick’s desk. “Why are you wondering if the floor in our laundry room has been mopped?”
Rick said, “Because it will be too clean.”
Joe ran a hand over his face and turned around to Mitch. “Does that make any sense to you?”
Mitch said, “No, but I’m not the one investigating this. He is.”
Joe fully turned around and walked over to Mitch’s desk. “What does that mean?”
“It means that he’s in charge of this investigation,” Mitch said.
“Why?” Joe asked. “You’re the sheriff. Why aren’t you investigating it?”
“Because part of being a good sheriff is knowing who’s best suited to each job,” Mitch said. “Travis taught me that.”
Joe sighed. “So ferret boy is the best one to solve this?”
Mitch chuckled. “Yes, ferret boy, is the right one for the job.”
“The two of you do realize that I can hear you, right?” Rick asked.
“You hear everything, so it wouldn’t matter if I did try to talk privately,” Joe said. “Ok, I’ll bite. Why do you prefer the floor to be dirty?”
Rick asked, “Did Randall find out who last used the washing machine? While I appreciate you bringing the earring Randall found in it, it’s not going to help me much at the moment. But I have some theories about it.”
“What does that have to do with a dirty floor? Did someone hit you in the head recently because you’re not making any sense,” Joe said.
“Did he?” Rick asked, ignoring Joe’s insults.
“Yes. Callie used it because she wanted to get out a stain in a dress before it set. Before that, Addie used it to wash a table cloth, and before that, Eddie used it to wash a tie. I didn’t even know Eddie ever wore a tie. I’ve never seen him in one, I don’t think,” Joe said. “You can’t think any of them had anything to do with this. None of them would rob from me.”
“Ok, so when was the last time the floor was done?” Rick asked.
“I’d have to ask Callie and Rita since they clean the place. How do I do that without offending them? They’ll think I’m checking up on them,” Joe said.
“Who found out who used the washing machine?” Rick asked.
“Randy. We’ve already established that,” Joe said. “Why do you talk in circles? Is this the way that all Mounties investigate?”
Rick exchange an amused glance with Mitch and then said, “Randall is going to find out that information out for you. If you ask them, it’ll be out of character for you, and we don’t want to do anything out of the ordinary in your household. Randall oversees them, so it would not be out of character for him to ask them. He’s sharp as a tack and he’ll be able to come up with a plausible way to ask without tipping anyone off.”
“Oh. I see what you mean now. That’s a good idea,” Joe said.
“Joe, I have a proposition for you,” Rick said.
“I’m all ears,” the mayor said and sat down at the table.
“If you answer any questions I ask, do as I say, and stop arguing with me during the course of this investigation, not only will I catch whoever’s behind these robberies, I’ll keep Curtis away from you for the duration,” Rick said.
The thought of not having to deal with Curtis for a while pleased Joe. “It’s a deal,” he said. “So what else do you need to know besides the thing with the floor?”
“That’s it for now. Have my answer for me by the time you come to the bar tonight. Once you get there, I’m going to leave and go to your place,” Rick said.
“Why?”
“I need you to be out of the house while I check on something.
“Why can’t I—?”
Joe stopped talking when Rick wagged a finger at him. “Remember our deal?”
“Ok, fine. See y’all later,” Joe said in a cranky tone as he left.
“Is there really any significance to the floor being mopped or anything?” Mitch asked.
“Yep. However, I do not care to share it just yet,” Rick said.
Mitch grunted. “Typical of you.”
Rick just smiled. “Too bad that earring was in water. It would have been helpful if it hadn’t been so the scent was still on it. Oh, well.” Rick put his hat back down over is eyes and began working on the problem again.
Chapter Six
The night Deena was to meet Eddie was warm and a soft breeze blew. She stood on the dilapidated front porch of the grist mill. Her nerves were frazzled and she wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. Her anxiety increased the closer it got to eight o’clock. Coming down of the porch, Deena began pacing.
“He’s gonna hate me, I just know it. Why did I do this? Kenny was right. I’m an idiot. The man of my dreams is never gonna want anything to do with me now,” she said to herself.
Hoof beats sounded close by and Deena’s stomach ache worsened. Eddie rode into sight and Deena almost turned around and ran. It was too late, though, because Eddie was sure to have seen her. She straightened her skirt just to have something to do with her hands.
Eddie rode over near her and dismounted. He saw Deena and a perplexed expression settled on his face. Walking over to her, he asked, “Deena? What are you doing here?”
Deena couldn’t speak for the fear that choked her.
Eddie saw her apprehension in her dark eyes and wondered what caused it.
“Deena, why are you here? Are you all right?” Eddie asked.
She twisted her hands up in her skirt and said, “I came here to meet you,” in a soft voice.
Eddie laughed a little. “I don’t understand. Why would you come here? I didn’t make plans to meet with you. Do you know Deanna?”
Deena nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, because I’m Deanna.”
Eddie wasn’t sure he’d heard right. “What?”
“I’m Deanna. I’m the one you’ve been writing to,” she said in a stronger voice.
“Did she send you?” Eddie didn’t believe Deena.
“No. I am Deanna. That’s my real first name. Deena is a nickname. Morris was my mother’s maiden name,” she said. Taking a letter from the pocket of her skirt she handed it to Eddie.
Eddie took it and looked at it carefully. It was definitely his letter. He handed it back to her, his temper beginning to grow. “Why would you do this?” he asked, finally believing her. “I’m gonna look like a fool. People know I’ve been writing to Deanna—you, I mean. They think I’ve been writing to some woman from Wolfe Point. Is this some kind of twisted game or something? Did someone put you up to this?”
“No! I swear! It’s not a game. Eddie, I’ve been interested in you for a long time, but you never noticed me. When I found out that you had put an ad in the paper for a bride, I thought that writing you would be a good way to get your attention,” Deena said.
Eddie frowned. “Yeah, you got my attention, all right. I can’t believe this! What about when you were seeing Scotty? Were you interested then?”
Deena looked down as she said, “Yes. That’s why he broke up with me. He could tell that my heart wasn’t in our relationship, but he didn’t know why. When Scotty first asked to court me, I said yes because you barely knew I existed. I was just a waitress who served you. I kept seein’ him because I hoped that I would grow to love him so I would forget about you, but it didn’t work.”
“Why didn’t you just say something? Why pull this crap on me? I’m gonna be so embarrassed! I told you personal stuff. Did you share my letters with anyone?”
“No. No one but Kenny knew I was gonna do this, but I never showed him any letters,” Deena
assured him. “Did you share my letters?”
Eddie looked away and said, “Yes. I had Joe read a couple.”
Deena groaned. “Oh, boy. Well, that doesn’t matter to me.”
“Well, it matters to me!” Eddie shouted. “You’ve been dishonest, sneaking around like that and leadin’ me on!”
“I wasn’t leading you on, Eddie. Everything I said in those letters is true, I swear. Please, you have to believe me,” she said, moving closer to him.
Eddie looked down into her face. For the first time, he realized that she was tall for a woman. Her dark eyes were wide and her mouth slightly parted. The moonlight made her hair look like spun silver silk and her scent reminded him of jasmine. He did indeed notice her now and thought her beautiful. Too bad he couldn’t trust her.
“Stay away from me, Deena. I don’t associate with liars. I’m just going to say that Deanna didn’t show up and so I’m gonna stop writin’ her. You say anything different, you’ll be sorry,” Eddie warned.
Deena’s heart shriveled a little as he spoke. “I won’t say anything, Eddie. I promise. I don’t blame you for being mad. I’m sorry. I only did it because I like you so much.” She put her head down in shame.
“I don’t care now. It’s a good thing we didn’t go dancin’. That would have just made things worse. Like I said, don’t bother me,” Eddie said. He turned away and walked angrily back to his horse. Not once did he look at her as he mounted and rode away.
Deena sat on the porch of the mill and cried until her eyes were swollen and she had a headache.
That same night, Rick left the bar as he’d told Joe he would and went to the Dwyer estate. Randall let him in and said, “The laundry room floor hasn’t been mopped since Thursday last, Rick.”
“Great. That’s good. Thanks for finding that out and keeping them from mopping it,” Rick said.
Randall smiled a little and asked, “Is there anything else you require?”
“Just some space so Curtis can work.”
“Very well. I shall go to my quarters, but should you need something, simply ring for me,” Randall said.
“I will. Thanks.”
The butler gave Rick a curt nod and went on his way. Rick went to the dining room and let Curtis out of his bag. Taking two pieces of jewelry he had collected from two separate crime scenes from his jacket pocket, Rick unwrapped them and had Curtis sniff them.
“Find!” he commanded and stood up.
Curtis stood on his hind legs and began sniffing the air. He started off slowly down the hallway, stopping and scenting the air now and again. Then he started sniffing along the floor, zigzagging across the corridor. When he started picking up speed, Rick knew he was on to the scent and smiled. He loved watching Curtis work and the ferret loved his job. Ferrets were happiest when they had something to occupy their busy minds and Curtis enjoyed his work to the fullest. The ferret went into the playroom, ran over to a cabinet, and scratched at the door.
Rick opened the door and Curtis scooted inside, making dooking noises the whole time. Curtis began grunting and Rick knew he had found something. Lying down on the floor, Rick reached his hand inside the cabinet and found Curtis. He reached around the ferret and felt a small sack of some sort. It seemed to be stuck on something, which was why Curtis hadn’t been able to bring it out to him.
Rick reached farther inside the cabinet and released the drawstrings from a nail head. As he was bringing the sack out of the cabinet, Curtis kept trying to attack it because he wanted the prize for himself. Rick laughed softly and put the sack in another pocket. Curtis jumped against Rick’s legs as he stood, angry that his loot had been taken from him.
Rick picked Curtis up by his scruff and shook him just a little bit to let Curtis know that he wasn’t to do that right then. Then he gave him a piece of jerky for a job well done and took him back out to the next part of the hallway he wanted explored. He gave Curtis the scent and the ferret took off running. This time Curtis led him to a window and jumped up on the sill, where he scratched at the glass.
The deputy inspected the window and found that it had been jimmied. Rick’s brow furrowed. He went to the next window and found it locked. All of the other windows were as well. He was glad to see that Joe had taken his warnings about locking up seriously. Rick picked Curtis up and carried him out past the kitchen to the laundry room.
Sitting him on the floor, he gave Curtis the scent again and stepped back while the ferret worked. He crossed the floor many times and Rick sighed as he thought that the scent was probably too old or had been too contaminated by too many different feet for Curtis to pick it up.
Suddenly Curtis ran over to a door and scratched it. Rick opened it and saw in the moonlight stairs that led down into the darkness beyond. Curtis hopped down the stairs. Rick looked around for a lantern, found one, and lit it. He followed Curtis down the stairs and started looking for the critter.
As he walked through the huge cellar, Rick listened intently with his keen hearing for Curtis. He found him digging furiously at a stone in a wall near the back of the cellar. Crouching, Rick looked at the stone and discovered that the mortar had been chipped away. Rick used his penknife to jiggle the stone loose so that he could pull it out enough to get a finger hold on it. No sooner did he have the stone out of the wall, than Curtis slipped inside and began making all kinds of noises.
Rick grinned as Curtis backed out of the hole, pulling another sack with him. The ferret wasn’t happy when Rick took away his second discovery, but then Rick gave him a larger piece of jerky that distracted Curtis from the sack. Rick also put that in his duster. He picked up the sound of someone descending the steps and doused the lantern. He quickly stowed Curtis in his bag and moved into the shadows.
As the person came around a stack of crates, Rick pulled his gun and came up behind them. “Hold it right there,” he said quietly.
The person jumped and Joe said, “It’s just me!” This was followed by a string of obscenities that made Rick laugh.
He put away his gun and asked, “What are you doing here? I told you I wanted you out of the house.”
“I just had to know what was goin’ on. I couldn’t concentrate on singin’. So I came home and saw a light in the laundry room. Then I saw someone was down here, and thought maybe I’d catch someone down here. I didn’t think I would be the one getting caught, though,” Joe said with a shaky laugh. “It’s a good thing I don’t have a bad heart.”
Rick chuckled. “You should leave the investigating to me. Let’s go upstairs. I have something to show you.”
“So you found something?” Joe asked eagerly.
“Upstairs,” Rick repeated. “Let’s go into your big office so we’re away from all of the bedrooms.”
“All right,” Joe said and started up the stairs.
*****
Joe looked at the array of jewelry on his huge desk with an open mouth. He reached out to touch a necklace but Rick grabbed his wrist, stopping his hand in midair.
“Don’t touch them. You’re going to want to back up,” Rick said. “I’m going to put Curtis to work again.”
Joe made a face of distaste and moved as far away from the desk as possible. Rick took Curtis out and said, “Sniff.”
Eagerly, Curtis began rooting through the pile of jewelry, his nose working furiously as he went over the mound several times. When he stopped, Rick gave him a reward and had him hop back into his bag.
“You say he found all that?” Joe asked after Curtis had done his job.
“That’s right. One sack was in the playroom and the other was down in the basement. I replaced the stone the one was stashed behind,” Rick said.
“He led me to the window at the end of that hall first. It’s been jimmied. Leave it open for now. I don’t want to tip anyone off that I’m on to them. I’m going to have Reckless help me tomorrow. Don’t tell anyone besides Lacey that I found anything,” Rick said as he began putting the jewelry back into the sacks.
Joe sighed. “All right. Why would they hide it in the house they stole it from? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Actually, it does. They must be expecting to come back once things die down. I wouldn’t have known if was here if it wasn’t for Curtis,” Rick said. “Well, I’m going to let you get to bed and I need to do the same. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Come early enough for breakfast. I owe you something for finding that stuff,” Joe said.
“No, you don’t. That’s my job,” Rick said with a smile. “Goodnight, Joe.”
“Goodnight. Tell the rat I said thanks,” Joe said.
“Why don’t you tell him yourself?” Rick asked with a grin as he started opening his bag.
“Keep that thing in there and get out, Rick,” Joe responded.
Chapter Seven
The breakfast crowd at the Grady House was rather light, which was unusual. Deena prayed that Eddie wouldn’t come in. She wasn’t ready to face him yet. He was right to be angry and of course he would be embarrassed. Deena knew that she deserved the things he’d said to her the night before. Her spirits were very low because she’d ruined any chance she had with Eddie.
Alice could tell that something was really bothering Deena, but the younger woman kept denying it. Finally, when Alice saw Deena wiping away a tear she said, “Deena, come with me, honey.”
“Why?” Deena said as she tried to appear normal.
“Just do it,” Alice said.
Deena followed Alice as she walked back through the kitchen and out the back door of the restaurant.
“Now,” Alice said, “You’re gonna tell me what’s eatin’ you. Don’t tell me you’re fine, because you’re not.”
Deena clasped her hands together and then released them again. “I can’t tell you, Alice. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Oh, c’mon now, sweetie. You can tell me anything,” Alice said as she rubbed Deena’s arm. “You’ll feel better if you talk about it.”
Deena shook her head. “I can’t.”
Alice was a very insightful person. There was only one thing she could think of that would make Deena this upset. “Does this have something to do with Eddie?”