Mr. Cooter's Bowling Ball

by Harper Harris

  “What engagement?”

  Gus grimaced at us, “A ‘none of your business’ engagement. Look, I need to go. We have to leave the gym right when we’re scheduled to or we get charged extra.”

  He made a gesture to leave, but I tried once more.

  “But, Gus –”

  “I have to go! Bonne nuit!”

  And with that he left. I was a bit bummed that it ended so abruptly. I felt like we may have been finally getting somewhere.

  “I guess he was done answering questions,” Ashley said.

  She was right. Maybe I was pushing too far. I didn’t have a right to pull a part everyone’s lives, but I also didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. I couldn’t let Cooter take the blame for this. I couldn’t say that I thought Gus had something to do with the whole horrid business, but I wasn’t totally sold on him being any kind of good guy. Sure, his reasoning for the subterfuge was… acceptable, I still found him to be a bit slippery. Whether or not he was involved, I’d make sure to find that smoking gun.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Wednesday

  It was ‘Walk to Work’ Wednesday. Every Wednesday, I had to get up super early. I couldn’t fathom how I did this as a child or how Ash had done it as a grown adult.

  Anyway, every Wednesday Ash and I would walk Shortbread, and that day Bisco for the first time, over to Ted’s café to get the first brew of the morning. Unfortunately, we had to skip last week. We couldn’t figure out what to do with Biscotti. Ashley couldn’t take a puppy with her to the elementary school. First off, it was against school policy and, secondly, her students would get so off track if there was a puppy just sitting in front of them all day. They would not get a single thing done.

  But, that week we came to a compromise. I would take Biscotti with Shortbread and me to work. They were fairly well behaved and I believed they wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Well, I hoped they wouldn’t cause too much trouble. I had a bit of faith in the little guys.

  I met Ash at the front door. “You ready?”

  “We are,” she said, looking down at Bisco. We walked over to the Appleton Café and got that first cup of the day. Ted was already stationed at the front behind the counter. I could see him pouring some of that dark delicious coffee into a cup,

  “Good morning Ash, Kari. I’ve got the very first cup of joe of the day ready, just for y’all.”

  He handed us the cups and, like I did every time, inhaled the intoxicating scent. Ooh, it just smelled so good. I took my first sip and almost melted.

  “How do you do it, Theodore? How do you make such a good cup of coffee? How are you not the most famous café in America?” He shrugged. “Honestly, tell me your secrets,” I whispered.

  He smiled at that one, but said, “I don’t know what it is, Kari? I think I just have the magic touch… or is it magic beans?”

  I scrunched my nose up at him, but I knew he was playing with me.

  “Well, thank you for this cup. I’m going to drink every last drop.”

  Ashley and I went to sit down at one of the tables. We sat and drank for a little bit, the puppies resting at our feet. Since it was so early, the café barely had anyone coming in. Ted decided to join us with a cup of coffee of his own.

  “What are you two gabbing about?” He looked between the two of us as Ashley and I considered our answers. In the end we both shrugged. “You don’t know what you were just talking about?”

  He sounded beyond confused.

  “We know what we were talking about, it’s just that it wasn’t about anything particularly important,” Ash explained.

  “So, what unimportant things do you two talk about?” Ted wasn’t going to drop the subject. He was a very calm, cool, and collected fellow, but he was also quite persistent. I had learned that when he wanted something, he worked pretty hard to get it.

  “Well, Ted, if you must know, Kari and I were talking about Biscotti and Shortbread needing to get jobs because if they want to continue living at our house then they’ll need to pull their weight.”

  That was not even close to what we had been discussing. What we had really been discussing were some of the interesting things Ashley found cleaning out her classroom.

  “You want to charge your dogs rent?” Ted turned to me with the question.

  I felt like I had been thrust into Ashley’s weird vortex, but I wasn’t about to ruin the fun.

  “I don’t want to, but I feel like I need to. I mean, I personally feel like they’re still a little too young, but we have to at least start talking about so when the day comes, we’re ready.”

  I felt like Appleton and the friends I made there brought out a lot of the weird in me – the weird that had laid dormant while I was studying for my degree. But being in a new town gave me the freedom to explore so many facets of my personality.

  “Oh, I see,” Ted said while nodding. “I can’t believe I hadn’t even considered this. Of course, you’d come to expect your dogs to pitch in. It’s really the only logical conclusion.”

  Bisco and Shorty lifted their heads for a second but got disinterested in us really quickly. Whenever the two of them were close to one another, I always thought that they were whispering their secrets. I had wished to be able to understand their little conversations.

  We moved away from the pups and I tried to start another conversation. “So, how are things going for you Theodore?”

  He sipped on his coffee as he thought. I saw Ted almost every day, but our conversations were often quick. A couple of times each week, the two of us had a chance to have longer conversations with one another.

  “Pretty good, doing my usual, minding the café? You, Kari?”

  “My usual, lawyering and sleuthing.”

  “And not that anyone asked,” Ash added, “but I am also doing my usual. Teaching the next generation. Preparing them to be functioning adults and stuff.”

  Ashley really was a great teacher. The kids loved her, and she always came back to me with the most adorable stories.

  “In fact,” she said, while checking her watch, “I have about another fifteen or so minutes before I have to go and do just that.”

  “What’s on the lesson plan for today?” Ted asked.

  “Well, I’m teaching the kids the alphabet, but I’ve been finding new and fun ways to go about it. Today, I assigned them each a couple letters and had them bring in an object that starts with those letters. I really hope that some of them bring in edible things. I did my best to plant those seeds in their heads without outright telling them to what to bring in.”

  Ash always got excited on snack day since most parents in the area were keen on the homemade stuff.

  We talked for a little while longer, but then it was time for Ash to leave.

  “I don’t want to be late for the students.” She knelt down so she could say goodbye to Bisco. “I’ll see you later, my sweet girl. You get to have a fun day with Kari and your brother and then I’ll see you tonight.”

  Ash said goodbye to Ted and me as well and then left.

  “So, what are your plans for the day?”

  “Well, I was going to –” before I could finish, or even begin, the morning rush came in and Ted had to leave.

  “Sorry, Kari. Maybe we can talk later?”

  I nodded and let him get back to work. I still had a coffee to finish and some time before I had to be into work. I continued to nurse my drink and watch the puppies as various Appletonians filed in. Soon, one I liked came in.

  “Hi, Kari. How have you been?”

  It was Budrow!

  “Hi! It’s been a while.” I stood up to give him a quick hug. He was a lifesaver back when my car broke down. A lifesaver and good conversation. “I’m doing really well. My car hasn’t broken down, so I’ve got that on my side.”

  “Speaking of broken down cars, I actually got a job off Highway 9. Awfully close to where I towed your car. If they’re even half as lovely as you, then I’m sure it’ll be a good day
.”

  I was so happy when Budrow finally showed up. I thought I was going to have to stay at Red Rivers a lot longer, but then my knight in a tow truck showed up and I was just a chatty Cathy the whole ride.

  “Oh, you’re just saying that. You’re honestly way too nice. I’m just grateful that you were able to get to me sooner than expected and you were also great company. You really know how to make someone smile.”

  Budrow loved to crack a whole lot of jokes and they were actually good ones. Even though it was a bit inconvenient that there was only one tow truck for like three towns, it was awfully great that it had ended up being Budrow.

  “You don’t know how much I appreciate you saying that.” I smiled a huge smile. “I have to get going but we should catch up. I want to hear all about how things are going for you as a big fancy lawyer.”

  I said goodbye to Budrow, promising to call him so we could talk even more, and I went back to my coffee. I only got about two sips in before I heard someone else say my name.

  “Well, well, well, Kari Jacobs.”

  This time it was Duggie. Like me, he was in the Appleton Café almost every day for a to-go cup.

  “I see you’re having your usual cup of coffee.”

  “I am, Duggie. I’m guessing you’re here for your usual as well.”

  When I first met Duggie, I wasn’t very sure about him. He was a city councilman, and politics was never a totally clean game, as far as I observed. But Duggie grew on me. I felt like he was a pretty good guy – and, yeah, maybe sometimes he did a thing or two that wasn’t always the most above board, but I liked him.

  “Yes, I am. I also heard that you made a bit of a risky career move?”

  I furrowed my brow because I didn’t know what he was talking about. I didn’t think I had done anything that I had thought as career ending recently.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Duggie’s eyes went wide.

  “The talk around town! You’re defending Cooter Prescott. I know you had quite the win with your last big case, but ol’ Coot is quite the doozy.”

  I knew Cooter was the town weirdo, but it was just something everyone accepted, and I also knew Duggie wasn’t being mean-spirited. It was all just light-hearted ribbing.

  “Well, let’s hope I made the right choice.” I knew I had and I was going to see this whole thing through.

  “I’m sure you did, because I know when Kari Jacobs makes a decision, no one can talk her out of or into anything and you’ve got a great record so far which must mean you’re doing right.”

  I had enough confidence in myself to know that I was a good lawyer and I always fought for my clients.

  I smiled at Duggie. “Thanks for saying that. It was awfully nice.

  “I meant every word,” he said before winking at me.

  I could see why a lot of the woman in town found him so… magnetic. He was quite the charmer.

  Other people I knew came in and out of the café. Seeing all the familiar faces and saying hi to all of them made me suddenly realize something. I was a local now – an Appletonian. A small smile escaped as I thought about it. I had gotten myself acclimated to a place that was basically the complete opposite of the Bay Area. And honestly, there were things that I missed about the Bay Area. The Bay Area was where I grew up and spent almost my entire life, but there were also things I didn’t miss.

  In fact, there was a whole list of things: traffic, rude people, tech billionaires, the wet and freezing cold – I could go on and on. But it wasn’t all bad. I had my friends and family and my old haunts. A place that you once called home just always kind of stays with you.

  But, what I missed the most was my Aunt Tavey. I would love to know what her connection was to this weird town. I also wanted to let her know that I was alright, and that after graduating I’d landed on my feet, got a job, found a new place to call home, and made a ton of great new friends… I actually wasn’t even sure if she already knew. I hadn’t been able to get ahold of her in a while. I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t communicating with me. We had been so close. It was like that since I was young.

  Aunt Tavey had taken a special interest in me. She had never married or had any kids, so she was like a third parent to me. I actually remembered a few times when my Dad had to remind his sister that she wasn’t actually a parent of mine. Aunt Tavey never took it the wrong way though. She just loved me and liked showing it. We were really that close, but then, all of sudden, she wasn’t returning my calls, my emails or my Dad’s calls or emails. I wasn’t sure if anyone had been able to get a hold of her recently. She was unreachable. It was hard for me to accept that she just wasn’t there anymore. My Dad had gotten over it a lot faster than me. I just felt like he, and my Aunt Tavey, didn’t realize how deeply it hurt that she was out of my life. Honestly, I could barely believe it.

  I could feel myself tearing up and knew I shouldn’t think about it anymore. I needed to divert my line of thinking. I’d gone over this in my head over a million times and I’d never came up with any kind of explanation. If I tried to crack this case once more, I’d end up being late for work. I sniffled a little and downed the rest of my coffee. I needed to leave the Appleton Café and get myself to the firm.

  I got Bisco and Shorty ready to leave and the three of us left for our first day as a working trio. Well, I was the one who was going to be working. Biscotti and Shortbread would hopefully be good little puppies and keep themselves occupied, but quiet in the little area I had set aside for them in my office.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wednesday

  The three of us got to the firm and working with two puppies in the room proved to be quite the challenge. They were still young and, with double the energy, the two of them kind of egged one another on. They’d be settled and sitting after I had tended to them and then, all of sudden, they’d start getting all excited, jumping all over one another. They really were siblings and friends. But that also made them a little harder to deal with.

  I had walked past Tammy with the two little guys and she had oohed and awed at them. She watched me disappear into my office and then, after I had gotten a small bit settled, but still trying to deal with my little guys, I heard a knock at my door. I looked up to see Tammy at my door.

  “I thought you might be having a little trouble with those two bundles of excitement and I wanted to offer my services. For the good of the firm, I will play with these puppies as long as you need me to.”

  Tammy was super excited when I told her that Shortbread’s sister would be joining him on Wednesday. She had been counting down the days until they would both be there.

  “I would really appreciate that actually. The two of them get extra rowdy when they are together.” Tammy walked into my office and right over to the playing dogs. Shortbread immediately went over to her, letting her pet him and licking her face. Biscotti was a little hesitant, but when she saw how happily her brother was playing with Tammy, so she joined in on the fun.

  The day passed by like that with Tammy coming in and out of my office to occupy the dogs time whenever she had a spare minute. This way I was able to get more work done than I had anticipated. I realized that I could probably leave Shortbread at home with Biscotti during the day. I mainly brought him because I was worried he might get bored and, since the partners were okay with me bringing him, I did it. But having them both here was showing me it was a task. But I’d become so accustomed to his calming presence. He just made me happy.

  It looked like I wasn’t ready to let go just yet. And Tammy would be crushed. She loved Shortbread so much. She really did spoil him. But I did know that, as he got bigger, it wasn’t going to be much of a choice. There would come a time when I’d just have to leave him at home. But he’d have a friend at least when that day did come around.

  The workday was basically like any other – there was just double doggy clean-up. Lunch came around, and I thought it would be a good idea to take the puppies out for a
walk. I had a Clif Bar, so I grabbed that and leashed up Bisco and Shorty and took them down the tree-lined town square. It was right out front of city hall, the bit we were going to be walking down. I wanted them to have a tree nearby if they really needed it. The town square was really quite nice. It was the busiest part of Appleton, but it wasn’t full of hustle and bustle like the city centers I’d gone to go to in the Bay Area. It was calming.

  While on our walk, I noticed Gladys sitting on a park bench. Once we got closer to her, I saw that she was actually crying.

  “Gladys?”

  She looked up at me and wiped some of the tears from her eyes.

  “Oh, Kari. What a surprise. How are you?”

  “More importantly Gladys, how are you? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  I sat down next to her and got as close as I could without encroaching into her space too much.

  “It’s nothing, really. I’m just like – I don’t know.”

  It was clear something was up if she was sitting out here in public crying her eyes out. I didn’t like pushing people too hard to reveal problems they were having if they didn’t feel comfortable, but Gladys was my friend and I wanted to make sure she was alright.

  “I know something is up, Gladys. I don’t want you holding it all inside and feeling worse and worse. I’m here for you, I hope you know that?”

  She nodded and wiped a few more tears away.

  “I know you are, Kari. You’re a good friend.”

  “So, tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help? And if I can’t, maybe talking about it will make you feel better.”

  “Okay,” she took a deep breath. “It’s John.” She was fussing with her hands as she explained. “I came here today to file for divorce, but I couldn’t even get myself up the steps. I just – I don’t really want to leave him, but things just haven’t been good between us, they haven’t been for a while.”

  “Really? The two of you always look so happy together.”