“Thanks, I’ll do that.” Wait a minute, did she say hat? Oh, my God. Not one of Gertie’s. “What hat Aunt Zoe?”
“You’ll see it. It’s on the shelf in the entryway closet.”
I opened the door reluctantly afraid of what I might find. To my dismay I discovered one lousy hat on the shelf, Aunt Zoe’s black Kubanka of course. Here’s hoping Duke doesn’t attack me when he sees it. I slipped the wool coat on first and then reached for the hat.
While I stood in front of the hallway mirror fussing with my aunt’s thick hat, I overheard Trevor say, “Zoe, I love the Vegas look you two have got going on here.”
Oh, my, God. Major mistake. Now my aunt will never want to change the décor back to its original appearance.
WHEN TREVOR EXPLAINED on the elevator how he’d found a spot for his Toyota Corolla close to the Foley, I had to wonder how close. For a policeman who works a set beat in Duluth it could mean anywhere from three to twenty blocks. Having been raised in Minnesota, I found the longer walking distance doesn’t usually deter me either this time of year if I’m wearing the proper clothing and the temperature is above freezing, but the temp was below zero and I wasn’t wearing boots, I had dress pumps on and a considerable amount of snow still covered the walkways from the last storm, so staying vertical for even a block could be a bit of a challenge.
Always thinking ahead, like any woman with a grain of smarts should, I immediately latched onto my date’s arm on the way out the lobby door and hung on tight. Surely an off duty cop would keep me upright, right? Besides, I couldn’t think of a better excuse to stay this close to him.
Trevor tilted his smooth-featured face down a bit and looked into my eyes with his gray heavy set ones. “So, where do you think you’d like to eat?”
My shoes slipped a little on the snow halfway down the first block and I automatically gripped Trevor’s arm tighter. “There’s a great little place a couple blocks from here called Ziggy Piggy’s. The buildings divided into two parts. One side holds the restaurant and the other a dance floor.”
“What kind of place is it?” he asked as he walked us across a lighted intersection and onto street two where he finally pressed his key fob. “You know, are they known for anything special?”
“Yup. It’s the best darn barbecue joint in the Midwest. I’m surprised no one has told you about it. Their hottest item is the Dagwood, a barbecue sandwich.”
Yay. Three more cars to walk past and I’m home free. No klutzy incident landing me flat on my back. Of course there’s still plenty of opportunity to do so, if Trevor chooses to line dance with me. The grapevine step can do anyone in.
As soon as we reached Trevor’s Toyota, I let go of his arm and patiently waited while he opened the front passenger door, and then slipped in. “I bet I know what your favorite sandwich is,” he said as he closed the car door for me.
I laughed. “Any good cop should be able to figure it out.”
Four minutes later we were seated in one of Ziggy Piggy’s scarlet-colored vinyl booths, sipping on mugs of hot buttered rum, being warmed by the building’s only brick fireplace from the late 1800’s. “I can see why you like this place, Mary. The people here are friendly, overly generous with the food, and don’t gouge the customer.”
After Trevor had another taste of his drink, his eyes drifted to the six foot bar across from us. “Hey, did you see the tower of onion rings our waitress delivered to that guy at the end of the bar?” I nodded. “I think I should’ve ordered that instead. I bet there’s at least twenty onion rings on his plate.”
Thirty to be exact, but who’s counting. The menu gives it away, but I’m not about to disclose that info and embarrass Trevor. Instead, I said, “I wouldn’t doubt it.” I set my mug aside and stared at Trevor’s dimpled chin. “I’m sure glad you had to come down for K9 drug training.”
He smiled, exposing perfectly straight white teeth. “Me too.” I wonder if he wore braces during his teen years, like me. Probably not.
My hands encircled my drink. “What do you think of the training so far?”
“It’s been good. I had already trained Duke to find marijuana and methamphetamine this past October so he’s on to cocaine, and heroin.”
“That’s right. I remember you two were working together when Aunt Zoe and I ran into you at Park Point.”
Our slim, middle-aged waitress appeared with our orders and placed them in front of us. “Do you two need anything else before I leave? Another hot buttered rum or perhaps a beer?”
“Not that we can think of,” Trevor and I replied in unison.
“Okay, enjoy.”
Trevor looked at his plate. “This meal is unbelievable, but I haven’t a clue how to tackle it. Any suggestions?”
“First protect your clothes. Watch.” I shook out one of the thick paper napkins provided and tucked it into the opening of my blouse. Then I picked up another one and laid it on my lap.
“Ah, I see.” Trevor followed suit to the letter and then bit into his vinegar laced pulled pork sandwich aptly named On Top of Old Smokey. When his first taste finally came, a large quantity of barbecue sauce oozed out of his sandwich and drizzled unto his chin and fingers, making him look like a victim of a crime scene. “Messy but good,” he announced, before setting his sandwich back on the plate and wiping his face with a napkin. “Mary, I noticed you’ve been avoiding the subject of Gracie. What’s going on there?”
I tried to nibble on a fry, but stopped when the tears took over. “She ran away eleven days ago. Neither my folks nor the humane society has seen her. And the posters and flyers Aunt Zoe and I’ve spread around town aren’t doing the trick.”
Trevor pressed the palm of his hands against the table and leaned back. “I wish you would’ve told me sooner. Would you like me to ask the cops in your area to be on the lookout for her?”
I pulled the napkin off my lap and dried my face. “I guess. I’ve put off asking the police force around here since they’re so busy, but I need all the help I can get. My brother Matt arrives home from Ireland in eleven days.”
“Wow, you haven’t got much time to find her.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I meant what I said. I’ll spread the word for you.”
“Thanks. Now that we’ve discussed Gracie, perhaps you wouldn’t mind lending an ear to a few other things going on in my life too.”
“Sure. Let me guess. One wouldn’t be your roommate would it?”
I shook my head. “Actually, no. My problems involve sunglasses and my work.”
Trevor cocked his head and grinned. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”
“Nope. See—”
“Hey, Mary, I didn’t expect to see you here?” Rod Thompson said, maneuvering his way to our table with a bottle of Coors beer in hand. “A working girl like you should be at home in bed already, unless, of course, you weren’t heading to work when I saw you early this morning.”
I slammed my hand on the wooden table, rattling my plate as I did so. “Save your smart remarks for another time.” I took a deep breath and then introduced Trevor to Rod. “Rod lives at the Foley too,” I explained.
Rod nudged Trevor. “Yeah, we share a common wall on the fourth floor,” the Nordic geek brazenly added. “I’m surprised you managed to get her here for a meal, Trevor. She keeps telling me she’s busy. Isn’t that right, Mary?”
At that Trevor’s face tightened. “It was nice meeting you, Rod,” he said in a brusque tone, “but Mary and I have been looking forward to this evening for a long time. Perhaps you can chat with her another day.”
Rod lifted his beer in the air. “Sure. Sure. Nice meeting you.” He backed up a couple steps and plowed into a waitress who was right in the middle of serving drinks to the booth directly behind us.
Drinks went flying. Trevor and I got doused. And that was the end of what was supposed to be a quiet dinner out.
~27~
Aunt Zoe dropped her romance novel on the coffee table the second
she caught a glimpse of us. “What on earth? What happened? You two look like drowned rats. I know it started to snow after you left, but I didn’t think that much had accumulated yet.” She pressed her hand to her cheek. “Oh, dear,” she continued, don’t tell me the sprinkler system went off at Ziggy Piggy’s? Wait right there. I’ll go get a couple towels,” and then she dashed to the linen closet.
“Thanks but I don’t need one,” I called out too late.
Duke got up from his prone positon by the coffee table, paraded over to us, and sniffed his master and me like crazy.
“Don’t worry, Mary. It’s not the food he’s interested in,” Trevor explained, setting the small black gym bag on the floor he’d brought in from his car. “It’s the alcohol.”
He gave Duke the command to follow him into the living room and then squatted next to the dog. “It’s okay, boy. There’s nothing worth wasting your sniffer on. Save it for tomorrow.”
“Wuff. Wuff.”
“Well, look at you, Trevor,” I said, standing over Duke’s master. “You’re looking pretty darn cozy despite being wet.”
“Yeah, it’s not too bad down here. You’re welcome to join us.”
“No, thanks. I’d better hang up the coats before my aunt returns from the linen closet,” and then I marched back to the entrance closet a few feet away.
No sooner had I mentioned Aunt Zoe and she breezed into the living room carrying a couple bath towels. “Sorry, Mary, I didn’t quite catch what you said. My ears seem to be blocked. All I heard was a bunch of gibberish.”
I took one of the towels. “It’s no big deal. I’m going to get out of these wet clothes.”
“Oh?”
“Me too,” my date candidly announced, not realizing his statement was taken to heart by Aunt Zoe. Her wide eyes suddenly appeared too narrow for their sockets.
Trevor’s face turned crimson the instant he realized his faux pas. “I...ah, mean I’ll change after, Mary.”
“Of course you will,” I teased.
Aunt Zoe immediately tried to eliminate the pitchforks we’d seen in her eyes. “I knew he wasn’t going to change at the same time as you, Mary. He’s a policeman and a gentleman. Now go get changed,” she ordered, “and I’ll warm up whatever’s in those containers you brought home.”
“Thanks. We’re starving.”
I waltzed out of the living room, took a slight detour to drop the Styrofoam containers off in the kitchen, and then continued down the hallway to change into a comfy, outdated sweatshirt and a pair of old jeans.
When I returned, I found Trevor still on the floor next to Duke playing tug-a-war with a rag tied into knots. Even though I hated to cut their fun short, I knew Trevor had to be as miserable in his wet clothes as I had been, and hastily advised him the bathroom was available.
Upon hearing the news, Trevor grabbed his gym bag and left Duke to fend for himself, which he did.
The German Shepherd immediately flattened his fury body by my feet and treated me to a soulful look. “It’s not the end of the world, Duke, although it might be for my aunt if she’s nuked your master’s sandwich and fries to death. Maybe we’ll give her a treat if she didn’t. What do you think?”
Duke scrambled to attention. “Wuff. Wuff.” I patted his head “Don’t worry she won’t get any of yours. She’d choke on them.”
When I entered the kitchen with Duke, I found my aunt peeling carrots. “What are you doing with Trevor’s dog?” she inquired.
“I figured he was probably ready for a snack. Did Trevor bring any treats for him?”
She nodded. “You’ll find the bag on the counter next to your food.”
Oh, great. That’s all I need. Doggie treats added to what should’ve been a delicious barbecue sandwich, sans beer.
Duke watched my every move as I traipsed over by the microwave where the already warmed sandwiches and fries and doggie treats sat. I poked my hand in the bag of treats and came out with two large Milkbones. I dropped them to the floor. “Here you go, boy. Don’t chew them up too fast.” Done with handing out dog snacks, I plopped in one of the chairs and watched Aunt Zoe work at her task. “What’s with the carrots?”
“I figured you’d like to eat something else besides soggy French fries with your sandwiches. Would you like celery too?” She peeked over her shoulder for a second. “Someone stocked up on it for midnight snacks and ‘dieting purposes.’”
I noted dieting purposes was stressed more than snacks, but didn’t react. “Nah. That’s plenty.”
Aunt Zoe tossed her pile of peelings in the trash. Then she grabbed a sharp knife and cut the cleaned carrots into smaller pieces. “Mary, did you have a chance to tell Trevor about Gracie?”
“Yup. He offered to contact the police in the neighborhood for me.”
“Wonderful. Every little bit helps.”
“What helps?” Trevor asked, pulling out a chair and sitting. I thought maybe he’d have changed into gym clothes, but he had slipped into another blue cotton dress shirt and black pants, looking sharper than ever.
“I told Aunt Zoe you offered to contact police in the area and make them aware of our missing dog.” I shoved my chair back so I could get up and collect our warmed up supper from the counter.
“It’s the least I can do.”
Aunt Zoe put her knife down and rinsed her hands. Then she brought a plate of raw carrots to the table. “Would either of you like water, pop, or coffee?”
“No thanks.” I handed Trevor his meal and sat back down with mine.
Trevor picked up his sandwich. “I could use a cup of coffee later, Zoe.”
“Okay,” she replied, backing away from the table as if we wanted complete privacy.
Noticing what she was up to, Trevor said, “You don’t need to leave. Mary had hoped to discuss a few more things with me concerning sleuthing, while at supper, but then we got doused with liquor and that took care of our evening,”
My aunt pressed her fingers to her red painted lips. “For heaven’s sake, who would do such a thing?”
Trevor glanced down at his food. “Your neighbor Rod.”
“What? I can’t believe it.” Aunt Zoe pulled out a chair and sat. “I knew Rod had a crush on Mary but I didn’t know it was that bad. It’s hard to picture him being so jealous he’d ruin your evening.”
My date opened his mouth. “Ah, actually that’s not—”
I tapped his hand. “Save it for another time. Did I tell you about a customer at Singi Optical who stole a ton of sunglasses while I was working?”
I caught Trevor at the wrong time; he had a mouth full of food. All he could do was shake his head.
Aunt Zoe blatantly interrupted before I could share. “Mary wants to catch the thief.”
The man finally had a chance to swallow. “Oh? Why? Is your boss blaming you for the loss of merchandise and threatening to subtract the amount from your wages?”
I took a bite of my barbecue sandwich. “Absolutely not. Raj Singi is one of the kindest men around. He knows I tried to apprehend the old guy after he left the building and doesn’t hold it against me. Besides, the thief was simply too darn agile for his years.”
“But get this, Aunt Zoe recently ran into this guy outside of a local store. Care to guess what he was doing?”
“Selling stolen sunglasses,” Trevor replied.
“Yes, and I actually chatted with him,” she said, tapping her painted nails on the kitchen table for emphasis. “That man may be fast on his feet, but he has a screw loose upstairs. He told me I could take a photo of him in case I wanted to track him down to purchase a pair of sunglasses.”
Trevor laughed. “I’d say he has more than a screw loose.” He turned his head slightly and gazed at me. “I suppose you’d like to catch the man in the act?”
“You got it,” I said, “but what method of capture would you advise? Corner him at his dwelling or stake out his place of business? Remember it’s not summer.”
He held his half ea
ten sandwich in midair. “Normally, I’d recommend passing the information on to your local police department, but in your case I’ll bypass that. I know you wouldn’t follow through, Mary.”
“You got that right, Trevor. She was born stubborn.”
I held my head up high. “I can’t help it. When it comes to seeing justice prevail, I’m like a bulldog.”
“More like a Rottweiler,” Aunt Zoe said.
Trevor rested his elbows on the table and leaned in. “Zoe, I think it sounds better if you say she has tenacity.”
“Hmm, tenacity? I guess it does have a nice ring to it.”
“You bet. Okay, Mary, here is my input for what it’s worth. First and foremost, play it safe.” He dropped his arms to his sides and sat up tall. “Don’t follow the thief home. Too dangerous. He might have weapons stashed there. Instead, take a trip to the store every other day. When you find the guy, one of you keep him busy playing customer while the other contacts the cops. Got it?”
“Loud and clear,” Aunt Zoe and I chanted.
When I picked up a napkin to wipe my messy chin and lips, I inspected Trevor’s plate. Not a crumb of supper evidence remained. “What did you think of your sandwich?” I asked.
“Great, even though the bread was a bit soggy.”
Aunt Zoe’s hand flopped on the table. “This darn brain isn’t what it used to be. I forgot to put something else out for you two?”
Thrilled that she might be speaking of an after dinner sweet, I said, “What? Did Margaret bake a pie for us?”
“No. I forgot to put the pickles out.”
I shook my head. “You and your darn pickles.”
“You should talk. When you come home from that job of yours, you reek of pickles.”
Trevor tilted his head to the right. “You sure you aren’t sisters? You certainly sound like it the way you go on about stuff.”
His comment stopped Aunt Zoe and I cold. We shot a glance at each other. The poor guy. He was probably looking forward to a quiet evening and instead he ended up with Lady Mary and Lady Edith, from Downton Abbey, going at it minus boxing gloves. “Sorry about that Trevor, but pickles are a segue into my other problem.”
Death of the Pickle King Page 14