by Raven Snow
“Oh.” Jasper’s eyes widened. He lowered his gaze to the table. “I didn’t think… That was stupid. I should have figured that would look suspicious.”
“It is kind of suspicious, yeah.”
“Me being out around that time to begin with was suspicious.” Jasper kept his gaze on the table. “I knew they might be thinking it was me, that it was someone close to Margo. I said I was at the hotel because that sounded better than the truth.”
“And what was the truth?”
“I was out.” Jasper didn’t have to be told that Rowen wanted more detail than that. “I was about a block away.”
“A block away?” Rowen tried to picture that in her head. The police had been patrolling that area. It seemed like they would have seen Jasper if he’d been that close. “What were you doing?”
Jasper shrugged sheepishly, like he knew but didn’t want to admit it. “I was keeping an eye on things. I was afraid. After what had happened the night before, I wanted to be nearby. I realize it sounds stupid. Obviously, me being around didn’t do a whole lot of good.”
“The police didn’t spot you?”
“The police were a problem,” Jasper conceded. “I had to park a ways away and only drive by occasionally.”
“Police weren’t that observant, huh?”
“I wasn’t either. Someone came and went, and I didn’t see them.”
“Neither did the police, and that was their job. You were just… there.”
“It was stupid of me. I was nearby when everything went down, but it wasn’t because I was the shooter. It was because I’m an idiot. You don’t have to believe me. I know you don’t have any hard proof that I did it and I’d be saying the same thing if I was guilty, but… God, I don’t know.”
“I don’t have any hard proof you’re the one responsible either. And, for what it’s worth, I do believe you. I tend to trust the vibes I get from people. I didn’t think you were capable of something like that to start with. I’ll admit I had my doubts, but…” Rowen shook her head. After touching his hands and getting a clear read off of him, she felt confident in her assessment.
“So.” Jasper took a deep breath. “What now?”
“Heck if I know.” Rowen looked down at her sandwich. “I guess I finish eating and head back to work before people start calling and asking where I am.”
Jasper nodded. “Well, thanks for hearing me out.”
“Thanks for coming and helping me clear this up. I still have a lot of questions, but I feel better knowing it wasn’t you. I mean that.”
Rowen finished her sandwich and headed back to the office. All in all, she ended up being away for a little over an hour. Fortunately, no one commented on it when she came through the front. Margo glanced up from her desk and gave a small wave. If she had noticed how much time had passed, she didn’t say anything.
The door to Rose’s office was open. She decided to go in there before she got back to work. “Hey.” Rowen closed the door behind her and sidled up to the desk.
Rose looked up from her monitor. “Hey.”
“So… don’t be mad at me.”
Rose’s expression quickly hardened. “What did you do?”
“I may have met with Jasper over lunch.”
Rose frowned, but she didn’t look terribly upset. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to see him? Ben didn’t put you up to that, did he? I know he’s been looking into Jasper.”
“I don’t think he did it.”
“That’s what you said before.”
“I changed my mind for a while. I’m back to thinking he didn’t do it.”
“Okay,” Rose said slowly. “You might want to tell that to Ben. I’m not sure what that information does for me.”
“I’m not sure what that does for me either.” Rowen glanced back towards the main office. “Are Margo and Peony on lunch?”
“No, they went to set up at that grand opening at the ice cream shop.”
“Oh, right. That was today.”
“I was going to send you too, but you were at lunch. I didn’t want to bug you.”
“I can head there now if you need me to.”
Rose nodded. “I said I might send you along. I’m not sure they need the help. It seems like an easy job. Seemed pretty safe too. I’m not sure anyone is going to make a hit at an ice cream parlor. Sutton said he was swinging by just in case.”
Rowen nodded. “Well, I’ll head down there and help them out.”
“Are you sure you don’t just want ice cream?”
“I wouldn’t say no to some ice cream. You’re welcome to go instead if you want.”
Rose smirked. “No, I have enough to do here.”
Rowen headed for the door but paused as her phone rang. She fished it out of her cardigan pocket. It was Aunt Lydia. “Hey,” she answered, continuing out of Rose’s office.
“Rowen! Big news!” Lydia’s voice came through the receiver so loud that Rowen had to remove it from her ear to turn down the volume.
“What’s up?” she asked, once the phone was turned down to a more reasonable level.
“I was taking a nap just now.”
“Congratulations?”
“I had a dream!”
“Okay… Oh!” Rowen caught on to what she was getting at. “Was it— Did it have something to do with the ritual?”
“I believe so.”
“And?” Rowen couldn’t believe she had to prompt Lydia. Her aunt was clearly pleased with herself and wanted Rowen engaged in the conversation. “What did you see?”
“A cow.”
“A cow?” Rowen repeated, incredulous.
“Yes.” Lydia wasn’t deterred in the least by Rowen’s tone. “I was in a field. The wind was blowing gently through the grass. It was green for miles in every direction. Ahead of me there was a cow. It was white and black and it was standing beneath a rainbow. I looked around and saw at least two more. I was about to go closer to them, but then I woke up.”
“Okay.” Rowen had hoped for something a little less vague. “Are you sure you weren’t just… you know. Dreaming about cows?”
“I’ve been doing this for longer than you’ve been alive. I think I know a prophetic dream when I have one, young lady.”
“All right, all right,” Rowen said quickly. “I didn’t mean to doubt you. I’m just not sure what to make of it. Do you know what that kind of symbolism means?”
“I’m working on it,” said Lydia. She sounded a little crestfallen, like she had expected Rowen to be more excited by the news.
“Well, call me and let me know if you figure anything out. I’m driving right now, so I should let you go.” That wasn’t true. She wasn’t driving yet, but it felt like the easiest way to get her aunt off the phone.
“You do the same.”
“I will. Talk to you soon.” Rowen hung up.
***
The drive wasn’t a long one. Rowen was thankful to find that no one else was there yet. The Inquirer van was parked nearby, in the lot but away from the front of the building so that pictures could be taken. She took the spot next to it.
Peony and Blanche were out front. The former was taking pictures of the banner that announced the grand opening starting in a little over an hour. Rowen walked past the ceramic cow and raised a hand in greeting. She was about to call out to them when realization struck her. Rowen stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the cow. From so close up it looked cheap. The seams in the ceramic were visible, its multicolored hues were already faded a little from the elements. Even so, Rowen couldn’t help but think of what Aunt Lydia had just told her.
The cow. The rainbow. Her thoughts expanded on that. Multiple cows. What Peony said about being pulled in more than one direction. The Colorful Cow Creamery was a chain. It all fit together and didn’t at the same time.
“Hey, Rowen! I didn’t know you were coming!” It was Peony. She had spotted her.
Rowen shook the thoughts from her head and loo
ked to her cousin. “Hey,” she said slowly, trying to make sense of everything. “Where’s Margo?”
“She’s inside. She had to go to the bathroom.”
“She’s talking with my dad, I think,” said Blanche. She looked as bored as ever, back in her colorful work apron.
Peony shrugged. “I guess she’s getting info for the article.”
“I’m gonna go check on her.” Rowen headed inside. The door was locked but the interior was empty. The walls were decorated with more banners. The floors and tables were pristine, ready for customers. Instead of calling out for Margo, Rowen let herself into the back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Seriously.” That was Margo’s voice.
Rowen didn’t see her cousin immediately. She stood in the backroom full of boxes. She looked around. The bathroom door was open. There was only one more door in the backroom that didn’t obviously lead outside. It probably led to an office of some sort. Rowen went to the door and opened it. It occurred to her too late that she probably should have knocked.
Mr. Crenshaw stood behind a metal desk, flanked by filing cabinets. His eyes went wide when the door opened. Margo was to Rowen’s left, her hands raised to about shoulder height, palms outward. She turned her head in Rowen’s direction and opened her mouth to say something. She didn’t get a chance before Mr. Crenshaw barked out an order. “Get in here and close the door!”
Rowen jumped, startled that she had been shouted at. She was doing as he said mere moments before she noticed the gun in his hand. A chill shot through her.
“Do it!” barked Crenshaw.
Rowen did as she was told. She didn’t see another option. “What… What, um—” She raised her hands like Margo was, uncertain. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
“I don’t know!” Margo raised her shoulders in a helpless sort of shrug. “He won’t tell me what’s going on!”
“Don’t lie to me!” Mr. Crenshaw’s voice was shrill. He wasn’t a very imposing man. He was squat and a little out of shape. The gun made him a lot more imposing, though. “You’ve been blackmailing me!”
“You keep saying that, but I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Margo shot back. Leave it to her to be indignant even while held at gunpoint.
Mr. Crenshaw huffed. He glanced from them down to his desk and back again. “Don’t move,” he warned. He reached down and opened a drawer. Things banged around as he tried to fish something out without looking. Finally, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. “This!” He threw it to Rowen, but it was a piece of paper and so only fluttered to the ground. He swore.
Margo looked down at her feet where it had landed. “Can I?”
“Just pick it up,” Mr. Crenshaw grumbled. “Slowly!” he added.
Margo squatted down and picked up the letter. She stood and unfolded it. Rowen looked. She couldn’t read it from where she was standing, but she could see that it was something that had been printed out. Margo’s eyes moved over the font. Her brow furrowed. “You think I typed this?”
“I don’t know who else—”
“Oh my God, this whole place is a front for a drug operation?!” Margo’s eyes went wide.
Mr. Crenshaw shushed her. “What?” asked Rowen.
“This says… This says someone knows he’s been laundering money and… and some of the— Oh my God, some of the product is coming in with his shipments.”
“Oh my God,” echoed Rowen.
Mr. Crenshaw had gone pale. He had made a mistake, and it seemed like he was only realizing that now. “You’re… You’re not the person blackmailing me?”
“What?” Margo looked up from the letter to gawk at Mr. Crenshaw. “Why would you think that?”
“The last time you were here. There were some open boxes. That night there was that note in the mailbox demanding money. I—” He looked like he was going to be sick. “Oh no.”
“Are you serious?” Margo seemed to be connecting all the dots now. Despite their perilous situation, she was beginning to think clearly. “You’re the one who’s been trying to kill me?! I didn’t even send you that note, and you’ve been trying to kill me?!”
Mr. Crenshaw shushed her again. “It’s not my fault! I paid you, didn’t I? I paid you, and you still demanded more!”
“I didn’t demand anything!”
Rowen tried to calm everyone down before things got out of hand. Well, more out of hand. “Let’s all think about this rationally. Mr. Crenshaw, who else could have seen the product?”
“No one. I’m the only one who unloads those boxes.”
“What about your daughter?” asked Rowen.
“What about—” Mr. Crenshaw realized what she was getting at and shook his head. “She doesn’t know anything about this. Besides, she wouldn’t—”
“When she swung by The Inquirer she had a really nice new leather jacket. Are you sure this isn’t something she would do?”
“I think I know my own daughter.” There was doubt in Mr. Crenshaw’s eyes. He didn’t want to believe what Rowen was saying was true, but it well could be.
“I think Rowen’s right,” said Margo. “I mean there are some grammar mistakes in here that I would never make. No offense to your daughter, but…”
Mr. Crenshaw glanced to the letter in Margo’s hands. “Give it back here.”
Margo threw the letter in his direction. It fluttered to the ground once more. Again, Mr. Crenshaw swore. Reflexively, he bent down to pick it up.
Margo wasted no time. She dove to the side, grabbing Rowen by the shoulder and pushing her toward the door. Rowen caught on quickly. She fumbled the knob but managed to throw it open. Both of them scrambled out. Rowen could hear Mr. Crenshaw shouting behind them, but she didn’t slow down. She and Rowen clung to each other as they ran, charging through the door to the backroom and stumbling into the front of the shop. They nearly knocked the door off its hinges as they burst out into the parking lot.
Blanche and Peony both took a step backwards. “What’s going on?” asked Peony.
“Are you all right?” asked a man’s voice. It was Sutton. He was standing a few feet away in casual clothes. Rose had mentioned that he would be swinging by. His timing was perfect.
“It was him!” Margo pointed back at the front door. “It was Mr. Crenshaw!”
“What?”
“He’s the one who’s been trying to kill me!”
“He just had us both at gunpoint!” Rowen added.
“Call Ben,” said Sutton, pulling a gun from the holster on his belt. He moved through the front door.
“Be careful!” Margo yelled after him.
“Hey,” Peony said softly from behind Rowen. “Where are you going?”
Rowen turned to see Blanche’s back as she ran across the parking lot. Margo turned as well. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She took off after the girl. Rowen had never met anyone faster in heels. It took mere seconds for her to catch up with Blanche. Rowen winced as the two went sprawling across the asphalt.
“Help her,” Rowen said to Peony, already pulling out her phone and dialing Ben. “She’s involved. It’s a long story. Or a short one. I don’t know. I’m still really confused about all of this.”
Chapter Fourteen
There was not a grand opening that night. Cars came by, but they were all directed away by police. There was tape and flashing lights. The Greensmiths were all there, but thankfully Rowen and Margo had their privacy. They were sitting on the steps outside the ice cream parlor, sharing a blanket Sutton had retrieved from the back of his car. Maybe Rowen should have felt exposed sitting out there. It was getting dark and they had been shot at in the past. She felt safe, though. There were police milling around and they finally knew who had been after Margo.
“Mr. Crenshaw,” Margo repeated. “I didn’t even know that guy.”
“Well, clearly he thought he knew you.”
“You’d think he’d have known his own daughter.”
“Poor kid.�
��
Margo snorted. “Poor kid? She nearly got me killed. She nearly got us both killed.”
“She found out her father was all caught up in the drug trade. That’s a lot to process. I’m not sure what I would have done.”
“I doubt you would have blackmailed him for extra pocket money.”
“Probably not,” Rowen said with a nod. “I wonder how she found out. Ben said that she matched the description of someone who’s been dealing at the schools. I don’t think her father knew about that.”
“I don’t really care about their family drama. I nearly got killed over a misunderstanding. I’m just glad it’s all cleared up now.”
“That’s fair.” Movement caught Rowen’s eye. She looked up to see Detective Sutton approaching. He was still in casual clothes, still looked cool and collected. He hadn’t broken a sweat chasing down Crenshaw. The guy had tried to make a break for it out the back. He hadn’t gotten far. “Hey,” said Rowen.
Sutton gave Rowen a nod of acknowledgment. His attention turned to Margo. “Jasper is here. He wants to talk to you.”
Margo’s eyebrows raised. She bit her bottom lip. “What did he say?” She sounded wary, like she was nervous he was there to pick a fight again.
“He just wants to talk to you. I called him, actually. Told him what was going on. He’s worried about you.” Sutton folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t sound angry. Maybe a little tired, but not angry.
Margo turned to look at Rowen, like she needed her opinion on all this. Rowen shrugged. “It’s your call. If you don’t feel like talking to him, you don’t have to. You’ve been through a lot today.”
That seemed to make up Margo’s mind for her. She stood. “No, I should go talk to him.”
“He’s around front. I’ll show you where he is.” Sutton led the way and Rowen watched them go.
Sutton wasn’t a bad guy, Rowen decided. Margo could probably do a lot worse. She could do a lot worse than Jasper too. Heck, she had. With all this behind them, maybe her cousin could finally decide on what to do next.
“There you are.”
Rowen looked up with a start. It was Eric. He offered his hand down to her and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were looking for me.”