by Tim Myers
I sat again, a little reluctantly, when Jeff admitted, “I I guess I’m still smarting from my rejection.”
“Renee blew you off? Why?”
Jeff shook his head. “Not Renee, Molly.”
That was news to me. “So you finally asked her out. I’m sorry she said no.”
He laughed sadly. “That makes two of us. Bob said it was time I did something about my crush. You won’t believe this, but Molly even gave me that speech that I was too good a friend to risk messing things up with her. Oh, man, if I hear that line again, I’m going to scream.”
I patted his shoulder. “You can still take Renee out.”
Jeff nodded. “You know, I was probably out of line asking Molly out.”
“Because of me? Don’t sweat it.”
Jeff said with a laugh, “Believe it or not, my world doesn’t revolve around your life, Ben. I took a chance fouling things up with Renee for a pipe dream. It was pretty obvious the attraction was one-sided, you know? I’m beginning to think maybe Mom is right. How do you know when you’ve found the person you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with? Am I sitting around waiting for something that might not ever happen?”
Since Dad had died, I found myself having more of this type of conversation with my siblings. It had made me uncomfortable at first, but that still didn’t stop me from giving advice whenever it was solicited. “Let me ask you something. If Renee decided to stay in Raleigh and live there so that you’d never see her again, could you bear to live with it?”
He shook his head. “You don’t know her that well. She hates big cities, Ben. Before she left, she was fussing about how big Harper’s Landing was getting.”
“Don’t be so literal, you nit. What if she decided to leave for good? How would you feel about it?”
He thought about it for quite awhile, then finally said, “I’d miss her, sure, but would I move there to be with her? You want to know the truth? I’m not even sure I’d make that three-hour drive to visit her more than a time or two. I guess I just got my answer, didn’t I?”
The last thing I wanted was to be responsible for my brother breaking up with his girlfriend. Mom would never let me hear the end of it, and I could only imagine how my sisters would react. “You know what? You’re probably asking the wrong brother. I’m no better off than you are. Why don’t we both corner Bob and find out what his secret is?”
Jeff said, “It’s not always that easy getting someone as sweet as his wife is to love you. He’s the first to admit it; he got lucky when he found Jessica.”
“There are plenty of rabbit’s feet out there for us, too, but we’re not going to make anything happen by wishing for it. Now let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”
He nodded. “Okay, but I won’t dress up. The last time you dragged me out to dinner, I had to wear a tie.”
“Is it my fault I want my baby brother to have a little culture in his life?”
“Actually, yes, it is.”
I laughed. “Okay, no suits or ties, I promise. We can go to Bubba Brown’s for some barbeque, or if you feel like it, I’ll even drive to the Burger Barn in Trailorsville with you.”
“No, it’s not Tuesday or Thursday. I only go there on apple day.” I had to agree; the greasy spoon had the best cooked apples I’d ever tasted. Mom had been insulted by the declaration once, and she’d struggled for years in vain to duplicate their fare, with varying degrees of failure that never quite matched the original.
“So you pick the spot,” I said.
“Why don’t we walk over to The Hound Dog? At least it’s close, and it’s cheap, too. I don’t want to break you.”
“Why not? I haven’t heard an Elvis tune since breakfast.”
As we walked to the nearby restaurant, Jeff said, “You know what? I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I’ve come to a decision. I believe it’s time Renee and I had ourselves a long, serious talk.”
“Hey, don’t do anything crazy on my account. I was butting in when it was none of my business. You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”
Jeff said, “You want to know the truth? I think she and I both realize we’ve just been treading water lately. It’s time one of us had the courage to face the facts.”
Great. I’d stepped into it again. “Just don’t tell Mom who gave you the idea. She’ll shoot me.”
He said, “No promises there. You know how it is when you get under that microscope. She’s relentless.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, brother.” The restaurant was crowded and I made a move to sit at a free spot at the counter when Jeff grabbed my arm. “Hey, it looks like they’re leaving over there.”
A couple from the back booth slid out and Jeff headed for the table before they could make it to the cash register. Ruby was busy, as well as Garnet and Phyllis, her two waitresses on the night shift. I grabbed one of the gray tubs and bussed the table myself, leaving the tip between the salt and pepper shakers. After I wiped the table down, I dried it with a napkin, then put two place mats down, along with wrapped silverware.
I said with a smile, “My name’s Bruno, and I’ll be your server tonight.”
Somebody poked me in the ribs from behind and said, “Sit down, Bruno, you’re making a scene.”
As I slid into the empty booth, I asked Ruby, “Do I get an employee discount since I had to clean my own table?”
Ruby cackled and shouted to Garnet, “He wants the employee discount, Garnet. Tell him what it is.”
“All you can eat, as long as you pay full price,” she laughed.
“Now how can I pass up an offer like that?”
“So what will you have?” she asked.
I had no idea, but Jeff was ready to order. “I’ll have a bowl of the vegetable soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.”
“Ah, the dinner of champions,” Ruby said. “How about you, Slick?”
“You know what? Make it two. That actually sounds pretty good.”
“Should I bring you some milk to go with it?” Ruby asked.
“Sweet tea, twice,” I said, after Jeff nodded.
Ruby had just left to place our order when Jeff nudged me. “Well look who’s here.”
I turned to see Kelly walk in, with Annie dogging her footsteps. I waved in their direction, and was secretly happy when Kelly brightened suddenly.
“Ask them to join us,” Jeff said.
“I don’t know if that’s such a great idea. She wants to be with her daughter.”
My brother gestured around the room. “Where are they going to sit, on the floor? I swear, sometimes you just like to make things harder for yourself, don’t you?” Jeff stood, waved to Kelly, and called out, “Come join us. We’ve got plenty of room.”
They walked over, and Jeff offered his hand to the little girl. “You must be Annie. I’ve heard so much about you. Any chance you’d be willing to sit with me? I don’t bite, I’ve had all my shots, and I took a bath almost eight days ago.”
Annie giggled and slid in beside Jeff. That left Kelly beside me. “Hi,” I said lamely, wishing for the thousandth time I had my brother’s glibness. It was easy for him to be witty, though. He wasn’t under any pressure.
“Hello yourself,” Kelly said.
“Hi, Annie,” I said.
“Hello. You’re probably Mr. Perkins, aren’t you?”
“Please, call me Ben.”
Kelly said, “Actually, I like Annie to call adults by their last names.”
Jeff laughed. “Whew, thank goodness I’m not one of those.” He held a hand out to Annie and said, “I’m his brother Jeff.”
Annie giggled again. “I’m supposed to call you Mr. Perkins, too, Jeff.”
“Annie,” Kelly said, trying to hide the grin I saw fighting to escape.
“Sorry,” she said, obviously not meaning it at all.
Ruby came over and said, “Now aren’t the Perkins boys being neighborly sharing their booth with two beautiful yo
ung ladies tonight?”
“We were glad to,” I said, hating how wooden I was sounding.
Kelly must have understood, though. She reached under the table and squeezed my hand before releasing it.
“Now what are you all having tonight?” Ruby asked.
Annie asked, “What are you having, Jeff—I mean Mr. Perkins?”
“Vegetable soup and grilled cheese, but you wouldn’t like it.”
“Why not?”
Jeff said, “It’s really just supposed to be for grown-ups. You probably don’t even like grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Annie said, “Are you kidding? That’s what I always get.”
After they ordered and Ruby left, I asked Annie, “So how was your visit with your dad?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Annie said, the storm clouds coming up quickly.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Kelly said, “Wade’s got a new girlfriend, and Annie doesn’t approve.”
Annie said “He shouldn’t be going out with anybody. You two are married.”
“Not anymore,” Kelly said. “We’ve discussed this a thousand times.”
Annie said, “You’re not going out with anyone, and he shouldn’t either.”
“We’ll talk about it more when we get home,” Kelly said,
Annie rebutted, “You always say that, and we never do.
Jeff looked up and saw Ruby moving toward us with heavily laden tray. “Looks like it’s soup,” he said.
I tried to mate conversation through the meal, but my heart wasn’t in it. It was pretty obvious Annie wasn’t ready for either of her parents to start dating again, and I couldn’t care less what Kelly’s ex was doing, her social calendar was of eminent concern to me.
Somehow, we managed to get through our meal. Kelly handed Annie the check, along with enough cash to cover it. The little girl asked, “Can I keep the change again?”
Kelly said, “Yes, I suppose so.”
Jeff grabbed our bill and before I could protest, he said, “Dinner’s on me, Ben. Come on, Annie, let’s go get in line.”
After they were gone, Kelly said, “Ben, I’m really sorry about this. Annie’s been so upset since she came home that I thought bringing her here might cheer her up.”
“She’s not too keen on you dating, is she?”
Kelly said, “She has this delusion that her father and I are getting back together someday. No matter how hard I try to convince her that it’s not happening, she won’t believe me. I can sway a dozen people on a jury with my arguments, but my own daughter won’t budge an inch.”
“She’s immune to you,” I said. “So where does that leave us?” Suddenly I was dreading the answer, afraid I already knew it.
“She’ll just have to get used to it,” Kelly said.
“It’s not going to be a welcome with open arms, is it?”
Kelly shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Listen, if it’s not worth it to you, just say the word. I’ll understand completely.”
I looked at her and smiled. “I don’t even have to think about that. Of course it’s worth it.”
She glanced at her daughter, saw that she was occupied with Jeff, then kissed me quickly. “Thanks, I think so, too.”
Jeff and I walked them to their car, then we headed back to the shop on foot.
“That was fun,” Jeff said. “I always liked Kelly.”
“You were pretty charming to Annie, too. Thanks for setting the bar so high.”
Jeff laughed. “Ben, you worry too much. I’m sure, in your own awkward and clumsy way, you can be just as charming.”
I shoved him gently. “Wow, is there a compliment in there somewhere? You’re being too kind.”
“I try.” Back at the shop, he said, “I hate to run out on you in your hour of need, but I’m reading a mystery I can’t wait to get to the end of. I picked it up at Dying to Read the other day; it’s about a candle shop. Pretty cool stuff. Good night, Ben.”
“Night, Jeff.”
Back at my apartment, I found myself restless, turning the television on and off a dozen times, reading the same paragraph three times before abandoning my book and finally staring out the window as the wind picked up outside. There was a heavy breeze coming in, causing the trees around my apartment to dance in their wake. It was the best show around, and I watched it until I fell asleep.
With the next morning free of business obligations until my afternoon class, I decided to visit the people on my suspect list to see if I could stir things up again. It had taken me forever to fall asleep, and when I’d finally managed to nod off, I kept coming in and out of consciousness. There was something nagging at me about how I’d found Jerry Sanger, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
After a long, hot shower and half a pot of coffee, I was ready to attack my day and start nosing around again. I planned to save Monique for last, though she was near the top of my list. I was probably just delaying the confrontation that would surely follow, but putting her last in line was the only way I’d get the nerve up to talk to anyone. Since Heather Kent’s place was the farthest from home, I drove there first. The Mustang was responsive and a real joy to drive, but I missed my Miata and looked forward to picking it up later in the day. As I drove, I considered my suspects. I hated to throw Steve Erickson out of the mix, but Molly had been so certain of his alibi that I had to downgrade him to my B-list. Besides Monique and Heather, I also wanted to talk to Melissa Higgins and John Labott again. John’s rivalry with Jerry could have extended past love into business, and I wondered if Melissa had been telling me the truth when she’d scoffed at dating the dead man, but clearly Heather and Monique were still at the top. I decided to push Heather a little harder when I got to her place, and I had a plan in my mind when I drove up to A Long Lost Soap.
Heather was out in front of the shop, taking snips of some of the herbs growing in a pretty border.
“Harvesting already?” I asked.
“I’m experimenting. Ben, what are you doing here? Don’t you ever work in your own shop?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting close. I’m expecting the last bit of proof I need this evening.”
She stared at me, waiting for me to continue, but I wasn’t about to say another word. Her reaction had been slightly tense when I’d dropped my little bombshell, but she quickly snuffed it out and went back to snipping hyssop leaves.
“Good for you,” she finally said. “Is that the only reason you came by?”
“I thought you’d like to know. Aren’t you the least bit curious about what I know?” I asked.
“Ben, it’s a shame about what happened to Jerry, but I’m not going to let it ruin my life. I’ve moved on, and you should, too.”
What an odd reaction. I finally said, “I just thought you’d like to know.”
She shrugged, then stood from her harvesting. “You really should leave this to the police, Ben. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a wonderful idea I want to try before my grandparents come home. They’re due back tomorrow. I’m so excited to see them.”
As I drove to Melissa’s craft shop, I hoped I’d have a better reaction from her and the others on my list than I had from Heather. Was she playing it cool, or did she really not care what had happened to Jerry Sanger anymore? If she was guilty of the murder, she’d certainly mastered the art of hiding it.
Melissa was talking to John Labott when I arrived at her shop, and for a second it threw me off, finding two of my suspects huddled together like that. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were conspiring about something until I realized that he was one of her suppliers as well.
I had a fence to mend. “Hi, John. How are you doing?”
After he offered me a frosty nod, he said, “Melissa, I’ll check your inventory in back and see how you’re doing on your craft molds.”
“That would be fine, John.”
After he disappeared into the storage room, Melissa said
, “My, you certainly have a way with people, don’t you? If looks could kill, I’d be standing over your dead body right now.”
“What can I say—it’s a gift. I’m sorry to drop in on you, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting really close to solving Jerry Sanger’s murder.”
Melissa clapped. “Aren’t you clever? So tell me, Ben, I’m dying to know, whodunit?”
“I’m not ready to say yet. I’ll know for sure tonight.”
“Well, be sure and call me with the results, I can’t wait to hear. But not after ten. I need my beauty sleep, you know.”
Had the whole world gone mad? I said, “Do you mind if I speak with John a minute?”
She waved a hand. “I don’t mind a bit, but I’m not sure he’s going to welcome your presence.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I said as I walked into the storeroom.
I found him going through a few boxes on the floor. “John, I’m close to solving the murder. I’ll know without a doubt tonight.”
He didn’t even look up at me as he snapped, “You just can’t keep your nose out of it, can you? Do the police know what you’re up to?”
“They’re supporting my investigation,” I said, one of the biggest bald-faced lies I’d told since I’d been in the third grade.
“I find that very hard to believe,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”
As I left the shop, Melissa called out, “Don’t forget to let me know who you unmask.”
I needed to track Steve Erickson down before tackling Monique. I called his office and was surprised to hear that he’d taken a few days off. When I asked why, the dispatcher told me, “He said he needed to get away.”
Now what did that mean? Was he trying to get away from the stress of the investigation, or had he lined up another tryst somewhere?
I was still chewing over the possibilities when I got to Monique’s shop. She was building a new display in the window with sprigs of lavender and sage. A bandage still covered one corner of her forehead, and it was pretty obvious from her first words that her gratitude toward me had faded overnight.
“Ben, you are getting to be a real pest popping in here all the time. What do you want now?”
