A Sea Oak Mystery Boxed Set

by Adele M Cooper

  “Sounds fine.”

  2

  The R&K repair shop was a friendly, efficient business that even had a popcorn machine where customers could lift a bag from behind the glass and munch popcorn while waiting. Clay grabbed a bag and walked toward the waiting area filled with a dozen chairs and bunches of old magazines. He offered some to April, who shook her head.

  “Watching my weight,” she said.

  The big screen television on the wall was tuned to a sports channel, but no sports were showing. Just two guys arguing with one another. Clay briefly listened and decided neither one of the two knew what they were talking about. A common affliction in today’s society.

  Clay took a second look when he spied the slender man reading a magazine.

  “Jerry?”

  When the man looked up, Augustine walked toward him. “Jerry, haven’t seen you for a while. You’re looking good.”

  “Clay, it’s been a while. Great to see you again.”

  Clay smiled because Barton did look much better than the last time they had talked. That time, probably more than a year ago, the slender man appeared weary. His pale brown eyes were lifeless. He did not grin or smile but frowned. The brown hair was shoved, not combed. Barton moved as if he was carrying an invisible heavy stone tied to his waist. Clay knew one reason for the dimness in Barton’s eyes and the lifelessness in his voice. Barton was one of the minor investors in the Golden Sands Health Club project that had turned into a fiscal disaster. He had borrowed to invest in what seemed a sure business winner. Now he worked two jobs to pay off the debts and the food and utility bills.

  Today, Barton had a slight smile. He seemed more comfortable, more at ease. Some light and hope came from the gleam in his eyes. He breathed comfortably, not as if exercising the lungs was a strain.

  “Want some popcorn?” Clay said, offering the bag.

  Barton reached in and grabbed a handful.

  “Jerry, do you remember April Longmont? She was in our class, too.”

  Barton smiled and shook April’s hand. “Of course, I remember April. No man ever forgets a lovely woman.”

  April laughed and smiled. “I’ve gotten two great compliments this afternoon. I’m going to remember this day. Good to see you again, Jerry.”

  Clay munched on the popcorn. “I’m in for an annual tune-up. Hope you’re the same. Didn’t get into an accident or anything like that, did you, Jerry?”

  With Barton’s propensity for bad luck, Clay thought the question very pertinent.

  Barton shook his head. “No, routine check-up for me, too. I have a chance to take a long weekend on the Outer Banks, and the car hasn’t been checked for a year, or more so I figured I better come in. Don’t want to get stuck on the highway. However, the way things are working out, I may not be able to go.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t find anyone to take care of my pets. I’m a dog lover. I have a golden retriever and a black and white Pekingese who thinks he’s a golden retriever. I can’t take them with me on this trip, and I don’t want to board, not only because I don’t like putting them in a strange place, but also because boarding is costly. My budget is already strained even if the trip is only for four days.”

  “I’ll take care of them,” Clay said. “We share one trait, Jerry. We’re dog lovers. I really like goldens. You need them fed and watered and walked?”

  “I’ll help,” April said. “I like dogs, too. Leave them in our hands, Jerry. We’ll take good care of them.”

  April liked dogs, but the offer wasn’t entirely altruistic. If she helped Clay in dogsitting, they would have to work together which meant they’d have to keep seeing one another for a while.

  Barton nodded. “Thanks. That’s really nice of you two. I live at 715 Almond Street. It’s across the street from the Merrill Tarrett Park, on the corner.”

  “I know where that is. I drive past the park almost every day. Didn’t know you lived nearby,” Clay said.

  “Rented the house about a year ago. Got it for less than I thought. Apparently, some people don’t want to live next to a park, too noisy. It’s only a block away from sixty-four, and not everyone wants to be a block away from a four-lane highway. Anyway, I leave tomorrow morning. Could you drop by tonight? You can meet the dogs, and I can give you the key and show you where their food is.”

  “Sure.”

  “The park is just across the street if you don’t mind taking them for a walk. You don’t have to—”

  “Glad to,” April said. “It’s good exercise. What time do you feed them?”

  “About seven, but I can take care of them tomorrow. I can feed them right before I leave. But one of you can come in about seven in the evening.”

  “I’ll drop by midday too. Give them a noon walk,” Clay said.

  “We’ll give them a noon walk,” April said.

  “Thanks. You can keep the back door open when you leave. I have a fenced-in back yard, although it’s small. I leave a door open so they can go in and out.”

  “OK. When you’re over on the Outer Banks, don’t worry about a thing. The dogs will be fine. They’ll be well-fed and well-walked,” Clay said.

  “That takes a load off my mind.”

  Glad to do it, Clay thought, you always have enough to worry about, Jerry.

  “Seen any of our high school classmates recently?” Barton asked.

  “Not lately. I’ve kept in touch with Keith Aplow and Joe Whitfield. I still play golf with them occasionally. Janice Diller and I still keep in touch and Melinda Jermaine.”

  “I keep in touch with my old friend, Mary Winslow,” April said. “She’s been my best friend since high school.”

  Barton spoke in a low wistful tone. “Ever hear anything about Martha? She used to be Martha Emersall.”

  Still in love with her? Clay thought.

  “No, no I haven’t, Jerry,” he said.

  When Barton opened his door at seven, both Clay and April appeared to be in giddy moods. Their sunny smiles could have melted the Antarctic.

  “Come in. I’ll introduce you to the dogs.”

  The golden retriever rushed to them. He didn’t bark or growl. He jumped around as if excited to see two new people. He sniffed April, then turned around and sniffed Clay.

  “Beautiful dog!” April said, petting him.

  “That’s Captain, and the one on the sofa looking a bit wary is Baxter, who is very friendly when you get to know him.”

  April walked over and extended her hand. Baxter smelled her fingers and gave an approving yap.

  An avid reader, Clay was impressed by three small bookshelves in the room. He figured there were other shelves in back rooms that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The house was small; it had been pressed into a corner lot. A brown sofa was set against the wall with a brown and gold coffee table in front of it. Barton picked up a set of keys and handed them to Clay.

  “The large key unlocks the front door, and the smaller one will lock and unlock the back door. There’s a second door in the back, and that’s the one you can leave open. Come in the kitchen, and I’ll show you where I keep their food.”

  As they headed to the kitchen, April was scratching Baxter’s stomach and hearing yelps with pleasure.

  “You are a cute little dog! I want one like you.” She raised her voice. “So, he’s a Pek, is he?”

  “He’s a little bigger than most Peks,” Barton yelled from the kitchen. “A vet told me he has an extra vertebra. He warned that can sometimes cause back trouble but haven’t seen any sign of it in Baxter.”

  The two men walked out of the kitchen. “That’s simple enough,” Clay said. “This is Wednesday. You’ll be back Sunday?”

  “Yes. As I said, I will feed them breakfast tomorrow before I go. You can take over Thursday night.”

  “Their bowls will be full.”

  “This little guy is cute. I’ll love walking him,” April said.

  “You can walk them anytime. They�
�re always ready to go, and I’ve walked them early and late. At times, I wake up early, and we’re going through the park at the crack of dawn.” He laughed. “Seen a few odd sights, too.”

  “We may not go at the crack of dawn, but we’ll walk them,” April said.

  “Thank you, again. I really need this vacation. For the past couple years, I haven’t had many. Well, for that matter I haven’t had any.”

  “Then go to the Outer Banks and have a long, deserved rest. April and I will take care of everything.”

  “We sure will,” April said,

  3

  “Thank you. I’ll have the filet mignon,” April said, handing the red, rectangular menu back to the waiter. “Mashed potatoes and corn as the side dishes.”

  “And to drink?” the waiter asked.

  She looked through the two flames on the long white candles in the silver candleholders.

  “What do you suggest, Clay?”

  “The house wine,” said Clay. “The restaurant always has a great one.”

  “The house wine it is.”

  The waiter jotted down the order on his pad. “And you, sir?”

  “The prime rib, same side dishes as the lady is having. And a glass of your house wine.”

  As she stared at him, she thought Clay looked even better by the candlelight.

  “I wanted to tell you, Clay, what a sweet thing you did for Jerry by offering to take care of his dogs.”

  A twinkle came to his eye. “Looks like we both offered. I’ve always liked animals. I’m glad to help him out. He’s had a lot of problems in his life, and they were not his fault, not really. I always felt a little sorry for Jerry.”

  The waiter brought two glasses of wine and placed them on the table. April picked hers up.

  “All I remember is he was always a bit of a nerd. Actually, he was a whole lot of a nerd…. but he always seemed nice.”

  “He is…I always had something of a bond with Jerry, although he doesn’t know it.”

  “Really?”

  Augustine nodded. “It’s kinda odd and maybe silly. Started back in fourth grade. We were in the same class. One day as we were taking a test, I looked up and saw Jerry stretching, lifting his arm, and turning his head to the side. The girl who sat behind Jerry walked up to the teacher and said something. As she walked back, the teacher said, ‘I don’t think Jerry was cheating by looking on your paper.’ No, he wasn’t. Jerry was an A-student. The girl made Bs and Cs. I didn’t think any more about it until I went home and did homework. I paused and, I mean it was like a revelation, a lightning bolt that hits you. I thought, ‘Why did the teacher make that public announcement and make the accusation before the whole class? She could have just privately assured the girl that she was mistaken.’ I don’t know why that hit me so strongly, but it did. Knowing Jerry was a geek, I wondered if the teacher would have done that to other students.”

  “That is a bit…odd,” April said.

  “Then in sixth grade, after a class party held by a student, I realized Jerry had not been invited. He was the only student in the class not given an invitation. He also missed a class party in the eighth grade. After that, I really tried to help him from time to time. I drove him and a couple of other guys to the away football and basketball games our junior and senior years, and he did strike up a friendship with Mike Abbot. Mike went to the games with us.”

  “Ah, that was nice of you.”

  He shook his head and grabbed his wine. “Sorry, got caught up in the past.”

  “That’s OK. But we can change the subject.” She raised her wine glass. “Shall we toast to a renewed friendship?”

  “Yes.”

  They clinked their glasses together.

  “So, have you been with the paper long?”

  “Only about six months. I had moved away but came back to Sea Oak, and I’m very glad I did.”

  “Where did you move to?”

  “Jenkins Bend. I was in an off-and-on relationship that was more off than on and finally came apart. I needed a new start which I decided would happen in my hometown. I was fortunate that Jim Bates at the Daily News needed another reporter. It’s tough to get journalism jobs these days.”

  “Were you working for a newspaper up at Jenkins Bend?”

  She sipped her wine and nodded. “Yes but, I did not like the working conditions or the editor. I think he won his job because he was a friend of the publisher.”

  “That sometimes happens in business, and in government for that matter. That’s why I like being a one-man operation. It assures that you never have a dumb boss. Sometimes it assures you don’t have a rich one either.”

  The candle flames flared when her laughter flowed across them.

  “So, how’s business?”

  “Lately, very good. Just closed down two cases. Did some long days and long nights, so I’m taking a few days off before I take another case.”

  “Sounds like the job keeps you busy. What do you do for fun?”

  “Take attractive women to dinner.”

  She smiled and sipped more of her wine.

  He did not remember, thought Clay, that April Longmont was so beautiful. It seemed an odd thing to forget. The two candle flames flickered light across her face giving contrasts of light and darkness, humor and somberness. The candles were not needed, he thought. April could light up the room with her smile. She had that capacity, which he had seen in two or three other ladies, to have a level of gaiety in her voice. Even while taking about the weather, her sentences seemed punctuated with a laugh so infectious that other people wanted to laugh too. He raised his wine glass.

  “Did you mention you are now boyfriend free?” Clay said.

  She gave him a thumbs up. “I sure did. Made a great mistake with the last one. He kept leaving. I mean literally leaving. He worked for Price Waterhouse and checked audits, did taxes, suggested investments, and a dozen other financial things. Much of the time, he didn’t have to physically be at the company. He could work from home or an apartment or motel room. But when he got upset with me or with the relationship, he’d just leave. I mean he would pack a suitcase and exit. We had separate apartments. So, I don’t mean he’d leave a residence. He’d leave the city. I could never tell when he was coming back. I came to realize, somewhat belatedly, that he had, as we said nowadays, issues. Emotional issues. Finally, I said, “Chuck, see a therapist. I’m outta here.”

  The waiter returned and carefully placed their plates of steaks and helpings before them. Clay picked up a fork.

  “This is the best restaurant in the city. So, eat up.”

  “I will, but I have to leave room for dessert. I have my eye on that chocolate cream cake. That’s bad for the body, though. You have to work off the calories in a gym.”

  “You don’t have to worry, April. You have an hourglass figure.”

  She nodded. “Yes, with all the sand shifting to the bottom.”

  “Not true. Not true.”

  The meal was excellent, and the conversation ranged from high school memories to politics to friends to jobs. Halfway through dinner, April asked if Clay could dance. One or two steps was the reply.

  She pointed her fork beyond him. “I just noticed the restaurant has a dance floor. Would you take the lady for two-step?”

  “I’d love too, but I’m not a professional.”

  “That’s all right. I am. I took six years of dance. I enjoy it,” she said.

  Clay nodded. It was fitting that the laughing extroverted and intelligent lady sitting across from him would like to dance.

  “I enjoy dancing,” he said. “I just can’t do it too well. Like my golf. I really like the game but keep having problems with swing and my putting. When I putt, the ball wants to go anywhere but the hole.”

  “Oh, you like golf. Need a partner? Let’s play sometime. I like the game, too,” she said. Actually, she was neutral about golf and hadn’t played in years.

  “Wow. You’re intelligent, lovely, witty, a
nd you like golf. You’re obviously the perfect woman.”

  She chuckled as she forked a piece of steak.

  “Oh, we are going to have to do a bit of coordination to walk Jerry’s dogs. I will be out of town until Saturday, and then I have the weekend shift. But the shift is usually slow, so I’ll have time to help walk that cute little Pek and the retriever.”

  “Working weekends I see. I’ve done some of that lately.”

  “The editor feels comfortable when I’m on the shift. Monday is usually a small paper, we have only one guy working the desk on Sunday. I can do layout and help him if he gets behind. I really don’t think it’s wise to have only one man on the desk, but newspapers are running on skinny budgets nowadays.”

  “You’ll be busy on the weekend, and I’ll be doing nothing. My only plan was to relax and play golf and then hope a client pops in the office Monday.”

  April raised her glass. “I hope that too. Want to come to the office Saturday or Sunday, and I can do the interview, then go walk the dogs?

  “OK.”

  Three inches of snow fell on the city the next Monday. It had started just after midnight, tiny star-like snow crystals dancing in the air and caressing the ground instead of falling on it. Temperatures in the state had fallen into the low teens. Snow provides the beautiful scenery that is often seen on postcards or Christmas cards and bestows a sense of majesty on ordinary things such as trees or lakes. But it is a pain to drive in, thought Clay as he poured a cup of coffee. As he stared out the window, the streets were, however, in good shape. The snow had fallen so slowly there was little accumulated on both the major and secondary routes in the city.

  Clay picked up the keys on his dining room table. He had forgotten to give Barton his extra keys back. He would stop at Barton’s before he went to the office. Jerry walked the dogs early so should be awake. The snow had stopped, and the weather channel assured viewers that the high temperature should be close to thirty-nine degrees. He preferred summer and spring, but the winter could be beautiful if you could stay in your house and not have to fight the traffic and bad drivers.