Blended Bribes

by Jessica Beck

  “We used you as bait,” I said as plainly and simply as I could.

  “Go on. I’m listening,” Gabby said with a look of concentration. “Tell me more.”

  “We implied that you will, without a doubt, get your complete memory back by the end of the day, and that at that time you’ll know whoever it was that attacked you in your shop and then burned ReNEWed to the ground,” I replied. “Given the deadline of how short a period of time Bo can stay here watching over you, we thought it was the only way to make things happen fast.”

  “I think it’s a marvelous idea,” Gabby said with a grin. “I’m proud of you both for coming up with it.”

  “Does that mean that you’re okay with us painting a target on your back?” Grace asked her, clearly surprised yet again by Gabby’s reaction.

  “It should get results, and that’s all that really counts,” Gabby said enthusiastically. “I feel as though I’ve been sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop since I woke up. I can’t go around for the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering when the arsonist is going to attack again. This way we can flush out whoever did it, and we’re done with it once and for all.”

  I knew from experience that it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as that, but I wasn’t about to point that out to Gabby. We could be in for some perilous times in the course of the next twenty-four hours, and I was afraid that she wasn’t taking it seriously enough. “We’re assuming a great many things here, Gabby,” I explained, “not the least of which is that Bo can handle anyone who comes after you.”

  “Don’t you worry about Bo,” Gabby said. “He may have the heart of a poet, but he’s got the build and general disposition of a middle linebacker. He and his friends can more than handle the worm who hit me from behind. So, who have you told so far, and how did they react?”

  “We’ve spoken with Tyra and Mindy,” I said, “with mixed results. Tyra wouldn’t give us an alibi, and when we pushed her on it, she left us standing there on her doorstep and went back to bed.”

  Gabby shrugged. “She’s been a night owl her entire life, so I’m not really surprised you woke her up banging on her door this early in the morning. What did Mindy say?”

  “She gave us something, but actually, it was a pretty weak alibi,” I said, not wanting to go into details about Mindy’s aborted date with their common boyfriend if I could help it. “Momma’s helping us check up on it, but in the meantime, Mindy has to stay on our list.”

  “Good, you’ve got the whole crew working on it,” Gabby said, clearly glad that we’d called in reinforcements. “What about Jake? What’s he doing?”

  “At the moment, Jake is working with the Union Square police to help solve a rash of robberies they’ve been having lately,” I said. “But he’s there to advise us if we need it.”

  “I heard about that masked robber,” Gabby said. “I’m glad your husband is pitching in. It’s a sad thing when a small business owner has to worry about getting robbed by someone other than their suppliers and customers. So, what’s next on your list?”

  “We’re heading to Union Square to have a chat with Manny and Buster,” Grace said.

  “Gabby, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. Who do you think hit you and set your shop on fire?” I asked her. It was a delicate question to ask, but I really wanted to know what she thought about it.

  She shrugged again. “If I had to guess, I’d say that it could be any one of them,” Gabby replied. “I keep having this feeling that I can see who attacked me, but the harder I focus on it, the faster it vanishes. It’s so frustrating losing part of my memory.”

  “Don’t fight it,” Grace said. “It will come back when you least expect it.”

  “I hope you’re right. Evidently there’s a chance that I’ll never get the last day before the attack back.” She looked desolate about the prospect, and I knew there was nothing I could do about that, so I decided to change the subject.

  “Gabby, do me a favor and rate our suspects as to how likely they are to have done it, if you can.” I pushed a little harder. “Come on, I know you’ve been thinking about this since you woke up. How could you not?”

  She looked a little troubled by the question. “It’s true enough. I’ve had time to think about little else,” she admitted. “If I had to have a favorite, I’d pick Buster. The long shot would be Mindy, and I’d say that Manny and Tyra are somewhere in between.”

  “Do you really think Buster did it?” Grace asked him.

  “It sounds like something he would do,” she said. “Suzanne, if he was responsible for burning my place to the ground, Donut Hearts has got to be next on his list.”

  “That’s why we’re trying to catch whoever did it before they can strike again,” I said as calmly as I could. I couldn’t stand the thought of my shop being attacked. There was so much of my heart and soul in the place that I wasn’t sure that I’d ever be able to recover. “Gabby, how are you doing?”

  She tried to blow off my question and my obvious concern. “I’ve got a headache you wouldn’t believe, and it’s still kind of hard to breathe, but other than those two things, I’m just dandy.”

  I wasn’t going to let her get away with being so dismissive. I reached out and took her hand in mine, and then I asked her again. “I’m talking about ReNEWed being gone, and you know it.”

  Gabby started to tear up, but somehow, as though by sheer willpower alone, she stopped the sudden display of emotion. “The truth of the matter is that I’m trying not to think about it at the moment,” she admitted. “Otherwise it would be too painful to deal with. Thanks for asking, though.”

  “Once this is over, if there’s anything I can do, and I mean anything, to help you get back on your feet, all you have to do is ask.”

  “That offer includes me, too,” Grace said as she reached out and took Gabby’s other hand.

  “I appreciate that.” She choked out the words, and then, while she could still trust herself to speak, she added, “Now get out of here and go find the lunatic that tried to burn me up along with my shop.”

  We hesitated at Bo’s station once we were outside of Gabby’s room.

  “How’s she doing?” Bo asked us anxiously.

  “She’s more fragile than I’ve ever seen her,” I admitted, “but the woman’s got fire and spunk, and if anybody can bounce back from this, it’s her. Keep an eye on her, Bo.”

  “I will,” he said.

  “Have you thought any more about asking Penny out again?” Grace asked him with a slight smile.

  “I’m still pondering,” Bo answered.

  “Well, don’t ponder too long,” I answered. “You don’t want to let a chance for happiness slip through your fingers. Life is short.”

  “I know it only too well,” he said. “I won’t take forever, but I’m just not ready yet to put myself out there again.”

  “Just don’t wait too long,” I told him.

  Chapter 18

  We were on our way to Union Square when my cell phone rang.

  “It’s Momma,” I said as I answered it and put the call on speaker. “Hey, Momma. How’s Phillip doing?” It was my go-to reaction since his surgery, and I was starting to understand why he didn’t want anyone to know what he’d gone through. He didn’t want his cancer to define him, or his mortality. Jake had implied as much earlier, but I hadn’t seen it until that moment in my own reaction.

  “He’s doing a bit better,” she said, “but that’s not why I’m calling. I just spoke with Jenny.”

  “How did you manage that? I thought the ban on outside communication was unbreakable,” I answered. My mother was something to reckon with, but even she had her limits, which was hard for me to realize sometimes.

  “She wasn’t at the retreat yet,” Momma said. “I got her on her cell phone as she was on her way. She confirmed Mindy’s story. They were together for an hour and a half, from a quarter till six until a quarter after seven. That’s more than
the time you needed to be sure of, wasn’t it? Clearly Mindy didn’t do it.”

  “Was she positive about the exact time?” I asked Momma.

  “Oh, she knew it well. It seems that Mindy spent the entire meal they were together lamenting over her lost love. Jenny said she kept checking her watch the whole time she was over there, so she knew exactly how long she was there. There’s no denying the fact that Mindy Fulbright is in the clear.”

  “Thanks, Momma. You’re the best,” I said.

  “This was one of the easiest things you could ask me to do,” Momma said. “Next time, give me something more difficult, will you?”

  “I’ll try,” I answered with a grin as I hung up.

  Grace hadn’t said a word, but once the phone call had ended, she said, “So that takes Mindy off our list once and for all.”

  “I’d say that’s progress,” I said.

  “We still have three likely suspects though, and remember, Gabby herself said that Mindy was a long shot,” Grace reminded me.

  “I didn’t say we were ready to accuse the arsonist yet, but when it comes to potential bad guys, you have to agree that three is better than four.”

  “And one is even better,” Grace said. “Suzanne, we’ve got to make something happen while Gabby is still under Bo’s protection.”

  “I agree that time is of the essence, but do you honestly think Bo is going to abandon his post just because the hospital administrator says he has to leave?”

  “No, but Gabby can’t keep looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life, either,” Grace said.

  “We’ll make something happen,” I said with more confidence than I felt. I’d never put myself under such a strict deadline before, and I didn’t like it. My style was not nearly so aggressive usually, but special times called for special measures. At least I had Grace with me. Between the two of us, we’d make something happen if it were at all possible.

  After all, Gabby was counting on us.

  “I don’t have any more time for the two of you,” Manny said the moment we walked through the door of his store. The place had just opened a few minutes earlier, and at least for the moment, we had the owner to ourselves. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

  “Then we’ll make it quick,” I said. “I thought you might like an update. Is Buster around?”

  “He’s in back,” Manny said, “but he’s busy. Whatever you’ve got to say, you can say it to me, and I’ll tell him later.”

  That wouldn’t do at all, since I wanted to gauge both men’s reactions to the news that Gabby’s memory was coming back, and I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t the one who broke the news. “Get him, Manny. It won’t take long.”

  He looked at me stubbornly, clearly about to refuse again, when Grace piped up, “We’d be glad to hang around if it’s not convenient now. I’m sure Buster will be out here sometime today, and while we’re waiting, we can talk in front of your customers about everything we know about who might have tried to kill our friend, including the two of you.”

  Manny stared at her for a long second, and then he called out, “Buster, get out here.” While we were waiting, he snapped, “Make it quick.”

  “We will,” I promised.

  As Buster walked out, he asked, “What’s up, boss?” And then he spotted us. “Hey,” he said uncertainly.

  “Hey,” I answered brightly. “We’ve got good news. Gabby’s memory is coming back. The doctors say that by this evening, she’ll remember everything that happened the day of the fire.”

  “That’s good news,” Manny said, clearly distracted by something.

  “Yeah, I’m glad, too,” Buster added, not sounding nearly so convincing.

  “Have you told Tyra yet?” Manny asked us.

  “Yes,” I said, but I was confused by his question. “Manny, are you dating her, too?”

  “You didn’t know that?” Manny asked, looking angry with himself for inadvertently helping us. “We went out a few times, right up until the day before the fire. She didn’t make the cut, so I dumped her. I figured Gabby had already blabbed to you about Tyra. She found out by accident, but it was no big deal.”

  “I’m not sure Tyra felt that way,” I said.

  “Listen, I know you both think I’m a bad man, and maybe I’m not the greatest guy in the world, but I’m happy Gabby’s getting her memory back,” Buster interjected. “If it really happens, she’ll be the first one to tell you that I didn’t do it, but I have my doubts.”

  “The doctors seemed pretty certain that it would,” I said, trying to see why Buster sounded so confident.

  “Yeah, well, if they said that, they’re lying to you. I looked it up on the Internet. In a lot of cases like this, those memories never come back,” he said matter-of-factly.

  Maybe that was why he was so assured in his statement. Buster believed we were bluffing, and he was going all in on his bet.

  A few customers poked their heads in the door. “Are you open yet?”

  Manny put on his best smile. “Come on in and have a look around.” He then turned to us and said in a near whisper, “You’ve said what you needed to say, and now you two have to go.”

  It was clear we’d gotten all we were going to get out of both men, so I turned to Grace and said, “He’s right. Let’s head out.”

  Grace nodded, and once we were outside, she asked, “Can you believe Manny was seeing Tyra, too?”

  “The fact that he dumped her just before the fire looks bad, too,” I said. “Do you think it’s odd that Tyra didn’t say a word about going out with Manny to us?”

  “It’s not something you’d want to voluntarily bring up though, is it? Remember what Mindy confessed to after we pressed her on it? She knew what Manny was capable of, and yet she still asked him over for dinner,” Grace said as we headed back to my Jeep.

  “That’s true, but we still need to ask Tyra about it, and press her even harder for an alibi,” I said. “Are you up for another drive back to April Springs?”

  “You could probably make that trip with your eyes closed,” Grace said as I started off.

  “Maybe, but if it’s all the same to you, I’m not going to try it,” I said with a grin.

  We were getting closer.

  I could feel it in my bones.

  Something told me that there was just one more missing piece, and then everything would come together once we had it.

  The problem now was knowing where to look for it.

  Chapter 19

  “We need to face facts, Suzanne. Tyra’s not here,” Grace said after we spent six minutes knocking on Tyra’s door, ringing the bell, and even walking around the house, searching for some sign that the woman was ducking us.

  “Or she’s not answering the bell this time,” I replied. I started pounding again, long past trying to be subtle about my demand to see her. I wasn’t sure how she’d react if she ever did come to the door, but apparently we weren’t going to find out.

  “She could be gone,” Grace said.

  “Do you think she ran away?” I asked. “It’s going to make her look guilty if she just took off.”

  “Suzanne, I didn’t mean that she’s gone for good. What if she’s off shopping, or out having an early lunch? We can’t just assume that she ran.”

  “But what if she did? We need to call Chief Grant and at least let him know what’s going on,” I insisted.

  Grace stepped between me and the door I was currently assaulting. “And tell him what, exactly? That we think someone he isn’t searching for is missing in a case he doesn’t believe exists? You know him well enough to guess how he’d react to that particular phone call.”

  I nodded. “You’re right.”

  “Besides, he’s not all that thrilled that we’re stirring things up when there’s no direct evidence to...wait. What did you just say?” She looked clearly puzzled by my response. “Did you just admit that I was right?”

  “I did. Grace, we can only do so much. We have
no official status even when the police believe that a crime has been committed. I know I’m grasping at straws. I’m just really worried about Gabby.”

  “Have a little faith. We’ll figure this out, Suzanne,” Grace said. “Just because we’re out of leads doesn’t mean that we have to give up.”

  “What else is there for us to do?” I asked her. “I mean it. Manny and Buster are both stonewalling us, and we can’t find Tyra. We can’t exactly look over what we believe is a crime scene, since it’s ash and rubble at the moment. Gabby hasn’t regained her memory of what happened, or we would have heard from her. I don’t know what else we can do.” I felt as defeated as I had in a long time, and I didn’t like the feeling. I had enjoyed a particularly long run of good luck in solving the cases I chose to investigate on my own, with help from a variety of the people closest to me, including Grace, Jake, Momma, Phillip, and even George, but it appeared that streak was about to come to an end unless Gabby got her memory back or we managed to come up with a new clue.

  I was beginning to believe that neither one of those things was going to happen.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Grace said.

  “I’m certainly open to suggestions,” I admitted. “Anything you can come up with has to be better than just standing around waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “Let’s go have lunch,” Grace said.

  “How exactly is that going to help further our investigation?” I asked her.

  “I doubt that it will, but it seems to me this is as good a time as any to regroup. I truly believe that we’ll come up with something.”

  “And if we don’t?” I asked her.

  “At least we’ll get to eat,” Grace answered with a grin.

  I couldn’t deny her logic. “Okay. I’m sold. Besides, we promised Trish that we’d have lunch with her, so at least we can keep our word to one of our friends.”