The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “A few hundred thousand dollars more,” Nora laughed. “Tina, did you even hear the casualness with which you said that? It’s an insane amount of money.”

  “Well I have an insane amount of money,” Tina said. “I’ve been thinking about it for three months now, Nora. I turned 35 and inherited all that money from my trust fund opening up. I got to invest it all some place. I would have asked you before, but I thought that if you refused Harvey, I had no chance at all.”

  “I can’t take your money,” Nora said, stiffening.

  “Why not?” Tina asked. “You’re fine with taking it from Anna.”

  “Because you’re giving it to me for the same reason Harvey did,” Nora said. “Pity.”

  Tina’s jaw seemed to come unhinged. “Wh—”

  “Tina, the kind of people who can throw around money like this on a whim…” Nora shook her head. “I’m sorry but they’re the kind of people I’m scared of. You haven’t looked over my business plan, you haven’t seen any of my past work, and you’re ready to invest a few hundred thousand into my business? That’s just scary. No, I’d rather work a few more years and have the bank give me a loan, or get a loan from Anna and buy back the equity eventually.”

  Tina scoffed. “You’re being closed minded, Nora. I’ve eaten what you’ve cooked. That’s the only thing I need to want to invest in you. Well, that and the fact that I know how hard you work. You don’t need a genius to know that the diner will succeed.”

  “Success isn’t always just about how good your product is or how hard you work,” Nora said. “It’s a combination of luck, timing and opportunity.”

  “Well said,” Tina said. “But here’s the thing, Nora. You’ve got the opportunity, right in front of you. I’m willing to invest but you’re saying no. What’s up with that?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Nora said, angrily.

  “I think you should,” Tina said. “I think you should have a talk with yourself about why you really refused Harvey’s money. Why you’re refusing mine.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Do you really want to achieve your dream?” Tina asked. “Or do you want to be a caterer doing odd jobs all your life?”

  Nora shoved back her chair. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

  “No. You don’t,” Tina agreed. “But you’re going to listen anyway, because I’m your friend. You pushed Harvey away on the flimsiest of excuses. Now you’re pushing me and my money away too. You told me that you’d probably have enough money to think of asking the bank for a loan after the Viking festival, but you haven’t approached anyone, have you? Instead, you’re telling yourself you’re chasing your dream of owning a diner when you’re not. You’re going to talk to Anna, you’ll take her money, you’ll work for her for six months, and at the end of that time, you’ll make new excuses about why you don’t want to start the diner.”

  Nora’s face hardened. “I don’t want to see you again, Tina,” she said. “You can keep your armchair psychology to yourself.”

  “I’m telling you this because I love you and I’m your friend, Nora,” Tina said.

  “I had a friend,” Nora replied. “I had a best friend already, and you, no matter how hard you try, aren’t ever going to come close.”

  She tossed down a few dollars and headed out the door.

  *****

  Chapter 14

  The nerve of her.

  Nora was fuming. How dare she suggest that Nora wasn’t trying her hardest to open the diner? For ten years, she’d been killing herself, working every job she could, to save up the money.

  She and Raquel had been so close, too, Nora thought. They’d been so close to making their dreams a reality, and it had all been snatched away in the blink of an eye.

  Nora remembered the blow of it, losing first Raquel, and then her dream of opening the diner.

  With the exception of the few moments that she’d shared with Harvey, the last time Nora had felt truly light and carefree had been with Raquel. They’d been struggling, but it had been their struggle. They’d shared something together that no one else would understand, a dream of transforming the world.

  Now Raquel was gone, and Nora was left with…

  With what?

  Was Tina right? Nora wondered. Was she saying the same things that Harvey had tried to tell her?

  The truth was, Nora couldn’t picture opening the diner any more. Every picture she’d had, in her ten years of struggling for it, had involved Raquel. She’d pictured the two of them, best friends forever, working together. They’d even mapped out their roles neatly, each of their strengths complementing the others perfectly.

  After Raquel’s death, Nora continued to struggle, almost considering it her duty to do what Raquel had wished. She’d worked very hard to earn the money that would go to opening the diner, or so she’d thought.

  Maybe, without Raquel involved, Nora’s heart had come to believe that there could be no diner.

  She felt an absurd flood of tears come to her eyes.

  Luckily for her, she was in the most comforting of Wyoming’s forests. The woods she’d grown up playing in. Even now, as an adult, Nora came into the folding embrace of this green patch, whenever she felt vulnerable. It was here, in fact, that the final confrontation with Raquel’s murderer had occurred. Nora shivered as she recollected the horrible moment when the sound of a bullet had rung out, and Harvey had dived to save her.

  She walked on further in the woods and then paused. In between the trees, she could see movement. A bright cloth flashed and then vanished just as quickly.

  Intrigued, she followed. Moving closer, she heard sounds too. A voice.

  “Well, I know what I saw,” the voice was saying. “I know I saw you with him, and I think that’ll interest a lot of people.”

  Nora froze. Who was this? It sounded young. A boy’s voice, not a man’s. She crept closer to the sound of the voice.

  “You can say that again,” the boy was saying. “I only know what I want, and I’m going after it. In this world, you take what you can, when you can. That’s what I’ve learnt. So let’s make a deal.”

  Nora crept closer, trying to minimize the noise she made, but each shiver of a tree’s leaves against her body, each crunch of stone against her boot, convinced her she’d be caught soon.

  “No, that excuse won’t work on me,” the boy was saying. “Fifteen’s too little. Fifty. In unmarked bills, or there’s no deal.”

  She could see him through the trees now. He was wearing an orange and bright blue windbreaker, blue jeans and white-toed converse sneakers. His hair was a floppy black, and he was of average height.

  She realized who it was even before he turned around.

  “I’ll meet you tomorrow at--” The boy turned around, saw her, and froze. He pushed a button on the phone in his hand and dropped the phone quickly into his pocket.

  “Ricky,” Nora said. “Ricky the Roadie. What are you doing out of jail?”

  “Who are you?” Ricky asked, looking frightened.

  “I was there that day, when Wallis was berating you about breaking his guitar,” Nora said. “You were desperate for a job. Interesting conversation you were having.”

  “I… that…” Ricky was sweating all over. “That was my agent from New York. I’ve got a CD that I’m selling.”

  “Really?” Nora cocked her head. “So you got out of jail and came all the way here into the woods where no one could hear you, just to have a conversation with your agent in New York?”

  “Yes,” Ricky said defiantly. “I know you. I recognize you. You’re the chef, right? Nora.”

  “That’s me. But not to change the subject… what’s his name? Your agent,” Nora asked. “I used to live in New York. I had friends who were active on the music scene. I’d probably find out about him fast.”

  “I… did I say New York? That was my old agent. This guy is from Chicago.” Ricky was still stammering.

  “Ricky, d
rop the act. It’s not cute. You’re barely sixteen, aren’t you? Who were you really talking to?”

  “What business is it of yours anyway?” Ricky demanded. “Are you just a snooper?”

  “I’m concerned about you,” Nora said. “You seem like a nice kid who just needs a break. I’m trying to help you stay away from the wrong path.”

  “I can help myself, thanks,” Ricky said, trying to brush past her.

  Nora caught him by the shoulder. “Not so fast. You haven’t answered a single question of mine.”

  “I got the right not to,” Ricky said aggressively. “I know my rights. I know I am just a dumb kid to you, but I’m still covered by the law. I’m a citizen.”

  “Goodness, you’re touchy,” Nora said. “Look, I’ve got your best interests in mind when I say I think you should go talk to the cops. Tell them the truth.”

  “They tried to pin it on me,” Ricky said, rage in his voice. “Can you imagine that? Those dumb hicks tried to say I was the one that killed Wallis. I wouldn’t even mind if I had, and I wanted to, when he got me fired. I wanted him dead. But… I didn’t kill him.”

  “No. I know you didn’t,” Nora said.

  “I’m weak,” Ricky said angrily. “That’s the problem. I’m so weak. Everyone just thinks they can push me around. That horrible cop, pretending to be kind, trying to get me tangled in my own words. He offered me coffee, then asked me all nice and normal like, if I hadn’t hated Wallis. Of course I said no. He just wanted a yes out of me so he’d have a nice signed confession and one more case ticked off.” Ricky shook his head. “Well, I’m not such a pushover. I got a layer of steel buried under all this flab.”

  “Ricky, the cops were just trying to get to the truth. No one wanted to pin the murder on you.”

  “Oh yeah? Then how come they made me stay overnight behind bars? I only got free in the morning because they had no evidence to keep holding me. Still, that deputy warned me I better not cross county lines or they’d arrest me. Tried to con me. I’ve been to juvenile once before and I’m not going back.”

  “Ricky, calm down,” Nora said. “Come on, calm down now. It’s all right. I believe you. I know you didn’t kill Wallis, but I believe you saw who did.”

  Ricky angrily shrugged her arm off. “How dare you!” he shouted. “How dare you say that?” But there was a note of alarm in his voice that Nora could immediately detect.

  People were a little bit like a complex recipe. Sometimes they tried to fool you into believing there was no artificial preservatives added to them, but a trained chef could always hunt out the slightest note that indicated otherwise. The true palate could always tell the difference between fresh and stale, and in humans, between truth and lie.

  “Why are you lying to me, Ricky?” she asked. “Who are you trying to protect, or extort?”

  “I’m out of here,” Ricky said. “And if you try and tell anybody what you heard, I’ll just say you’re a liar. They won’t believe you either. I know what people in town think of you. They think you’ve gone mad, that you’re depressed since your best friend died, and you’re just looking for ways to self-destruct.”

  Nora stepped back, unprepared for his violent tongue.

  “That’s right.” Ricky smiled. “You’re a freak, Nora. Everyone in town thinks so.”

  Nora resisted the urge to hit Ricky, and instead, calmly said, “You’re coming to town with me, Ricky. I think the sheriff’s office will be interested in a chat with you again.”

  *****

  Chapter 15

  Ricky tried hard to escape, but Nora’s grip on him was firm as she led him back into town. The young boy really was weak. Although he was tall, he seemed soft enough that Nora could overpower him easily.

  No, she thought, he did not have the build of a murderer.

  Then again, it didn’t take much of a build to hit someone in the head from behind. A coward’s murder technique, but of course, all murderers were cowards in some way.

  “Let me go!” Ricky protested, over and over. “I’ll sue you for a million dollars. See if I won’t! This is an assault!”

  “Keep your voice down if you know what’s good for you,” Nora hissed, as they walked through town.

  “Hey! Let that kid alone!” a voice called out.

  Nora turned around and saw Alan standing there, his features distorted by an ugly smile.

  Ricky gulped.

  “Alan. You got a problem?” she asked.

  “Sure I do,” Alan said. “You’re sheriff, sorry, ex-sheriff’s girl, aren’t you? What are you doing lording it over a poor innocent boy like this? Let him go.”

  “I’m taking him to the police,” Nora said.

  “They released him already,” Alan said. “Didn’t have the evidence to hold him.”

  “Well, maybe I got new evidence,” Nora said. “Get out of my way, Alan.”

  “You want to watch how you talk,” Alan scowled. “After all, your boyfriend isn’t sheriff anymore.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Nora said.

  “Ooh,” Alan squealed with laughter. He slapped the shoulder of one of his friends. “You hear that, Petey? Sean’s not her boyfriend.”

  “Alan, let it go, man,” Petey said. “Leave her and the kid alone.”

  “Sure I will,” Alan said. “After I ask my own questions.”

  Ricky trembled as Alan approached him, and put a meaty hand around his throat. “Well, how about it, Ricky? Did you murder Wallis? He was a good friend of mine, you know.”

  “Let him go,” Nora said. Up close, fumes of Jack Daniels seemed to erupt from Alan’s mouth. She pushed at Alan, and he stumbled backwards, then fell on his bottom in the street. His friends, always cultured, broke up into peals of laughter. They pointed at him and clutched their sides, as he struggled to get up.

  Nora offered him her hand, and he slapped it aside, moving first on his knees, and then lifting his bulky frame up. “You made a big mistake,” he said to her.

  “Ricky, come on,” Nora said, still keeping the tight grip she had on Ricky’s shoulders. She pushed him onwards and began moving up the street.

  It was 3pm and the street was fairly crowded, crowded enough that Alan wouldn’t be stupid and try anything funny.

  It didn’t stop him from shouting at her, though.

  “Yeah, go on. Go on and try to rescue your little boyfriend. I’ll see him hang for his crimes, see if I don’t. He was always acting so pious, and so are you. I bet this isn’t the first person he’s murdered, either. It was always convenient how you blamed someone for Raquel’s murder. I bet you and Sean set it up somehow.” Alan was babbling now, and his friends surrounded him, trying to get him off the street.

  Nora’s face burned, but she refused to turn around.

  “Who was Raquel?” Ricky asked.

  “My friend,” Nora said. “My childhood best friend. Never mind what that Neanderthal says.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ricky said. “About what he said, I mean. Also, I’m sorry about what I said. I called you a freak and I shouldn’t have.”

  Nora looked down, surprised.

  “I had a brother,” Ricky said. “He wasn’t my real brother. He died in the foster home we were put in. That’s when I ran away. My point is I know how it feels. Those idiots will pretend to be friends with each other but they’ll never get it, true friendship.”

  Nora smiled. “It’s rarer than gold, I think.”

  “Yeah,” Ricky said. “I wish every day that I could get Henry back. But I guess… I got to do what he wanted. I got to get my life together. That’s why I ran away. I ran away to become a musician.”

  “Are you good at it?” Nora asked.

  “Very,” Ricky said. “I’m the next Zany Motts. I’m the next Elvis.”

  Nora wanted to laugh but she looked in his eyes, and saw how serious he looked.

  “Thing is, the agent I went to said I’d need cash before I can kickstart my career,” Ricky said. “Plus, I only look l
ike I’m fifteen, so everyone thinks I’m too young to sing.”

  “But you’re doing it despite the odds,” Nora smiled.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Look, I promise you I had no hand in the murder of Wallis. Please don’t take me back to the station? Please?”

  “You saw something,” Nora said. “No matter how trivial it is to you, and if you were trying to extort someone, I doubt you think it’s trivial. You clearly saw something. So I have to take you to the station. It’s my duty.”

  “They’ll throw me in jail and throw away the key,” Ricky said. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Cops are never nice to kids like me. They think we’re scum.”

  “Sean’s not built that way,” Nora said. “He’ll help you out. Wait and see.” She bit her lip, remembering it wasn’t Sean anymore down at the station.

  “I didn’t see anything, really,” Ricky said. “I just saw someone looking scared, and thought I could get some money out of them. It was a scam. I was just hustling.”

  She walked in, with Ricky next to her. The station looked the same as ever - a little messy, with a coffee pot in one corner and an electric fan in another, and three desks lined up in a U-shaped formation.

  But the center desk, where Sean would have sat, was now occupied by a man with a handlebar mustache and aviator goggles covering his eyes. He took them off when she entered and gave her an appreciative look. Sitting on his desk, with his legs just barely touching the ground, was a tough looking man with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a buzz cut.

  The man with the goggles smiled at her. “Welcome, Miss. I’m Detective Jason Mars from the state police. This is Officer Rudy Piscalone. We’ve been personally invited here by Mayor Almand after the town got a little… rowdy the other day. We’re Sean’s replacements.”

  “Temporary replacements.” Dean Elbert said from the desk next to him.

  “You want to go back to doing those files, sonny,” Detective Jason said, a thin warning in his voice. “You go do the files while I talk to this nice lady here.” He got up and came around the desk to meet her. “So. Did this little rat do something? I see his kind all the time in the city. Untrustworthy bunch.” He made a sudden motion at Ricky, and Ricky flinched and shivered. Detective Jason laughed.