by Rayna Morgan
“Not even if Billy asked?”
Maddy twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. “Never mind. Tom said you called him for information before I did. What were you looking for?”
They carried dishes into the kitchen and Lea told her sister about Jason Jones as she poured herself a second cup of coffee. “He’s a nice kid, working on a degree with plans for a career in the technology field.”
Maddy reached her own conclusion while rinsing plates. “Maybe Jason should be at the top of our list. He drives the company truck. You only have his version of a heist taking place while he was having breakfast. He could have been transferring the goods to an accomplice instead of hitting on a chick. How is he paying for college?”
“Working at Fresh & Healthy. He needs the money. He wouldn’t risk losing the job and a good reference from Ryan.”
“Don’t be so sure. What about that incident with the shoes? The kid could be steamed over the way he was treated.”
“I considered that, but it doesn’t fit his personality. He’s an open book, outgoing and personable. If he has bitter feelings, he’s a genius at hiding them.”
“Maybe you should ask yourself the question you asked me. Is your opinion of Jason clouding your judgment?”
“Fair enough. I’m sure he’s innocent, but he stays on the list for the time being.”
They walked onto the wooden deck in the back yard. Hummingbirds darted among red, orange, and purple flowers. A small fountain bubbled in one corner. Lea sat in a wicker chair and closed her eyes. She raised her face to the sun, inhaling tangy salt air. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to scratch both Libby and Jason off our list. Let’s concentrate on people with bigger motives.”
Maddy inspected the plants, plucking withered blooms. “Do you mean the assistant manager?”
“Yes, and the farm manager who works for Sunny. Archie’s got a chip on his shoulder broader than a nut sweeper. There’s no love lost between Sunny Orchards and the folks in Hill Valley either. The townspeople feel the nut trees contribute to the water shortage.”
“There’s one thing there’s no shortage of.”
“What’s that?”
“Suspects. How do we narrow the list?”
Lea pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “By doing what Dad would do. We learn more about our suspects by talking to people who know them. You can start with Libby’s boyfriend.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. To tell the truth, I’ve been trying to avoid that dude. I get unfriendly vibes from him.”
Lea put her hands on her hips. “Just do it, Mad. If Dad only interviewed friendly people, he wouldn’t have solved half his cases. We have an advantage because no one thinks we’re cops.”
Maddy rolled her eyes. “No, they think we’re snoopy broads.”
Ignoring her sister’s remark, she asked, “Are you off work tomorrow?”
“I’m planning to catch some sun and—”
“Good. You can go to Hill Valley with me. I have an address for Archie’s father. I want to know how his son feels about losing his farm and working for someone else. We’ll leave when you’re done talking to Billy.”
“Why would I spend time in a hick town in no-man’s-land?”
“Because I’ll treat you to the best burger and fries you’ve ever had.”
Maddy’s lips puckered. “And a slice of that homemade apple pie you mentioned?”
Lea nodded. “That, too.”
Her sister rubbed her hands together. “I’m in. But, tell me again what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“We’ll manage our suspects the way they harvest almonds. Give them a good shake and see what falls.”
• • •
Maddy called Libby after Lea left. “Can you talk?”
“For a minute. There’s no one at the checkout counter.”
“I’d like to meet your boyfriend, and I’m off work tomorrow. What’s the best time for him?”
“You can’t meet him.” Her disappointment was palpable. “He won’t be here.”
“Has he left?”
“No, he’s working tomorrow.”
Shame on me for wishful thinking. “That’s all right. I’m glad he’s earning money.”
The girl perked up. “Yeah, that’s always good. He told me we’d go out to eat when he gets home.”
“Where is he working?”
There was a brief silence. “He didn’t say.”
“Can you find out? Maybe I’ll catch up to him.”
Another moment passed. “I don’t ask him questions. Billy tells me what he wants me to know.”
Maddy muzzled her impatience. “No problem. The pictures are ready. I’ll meet him when I drop off your copies.” The only response was silence. “Libby?”
“He says you need permission to use someone’s picture.”
“Mr. Olson will ask for a signed consent from every employee whose photo appears in the brochure.”
“Billy doesn’t want me to give my consent.”
“Why not?”
“He says there’s no cause for me to have my picture in public.”
Maddy felt the blood rush to her head. “The pictures will be in a food store brochure, not splashed all over the internet. What is your boyfriend worried about?”
“He says he’s only interested in what’s best for me.”
My guess is that he’s interested in what’s best for him. “Remind Billy the brochure attracts customers and sells products. Those customers pay your salary so he doesn’t have to get a job.”
“I don’t want to argue with him.”
She bit her tongue. The time will come when I give Billy Duncan a piece of my mind. “I understand. I’m sure he has his reasons.”
“I’ve got a customer.” The young woman sounded eager to end the conversation.
“Sure, Libby. Talk to you soon.”
She ended the call and forced herself to take several deep breaths before leaving a message for her sister. “I won’t be talking to the boyfriend tomorrow morning. Pick me up early and let’s get started. A trip to the country might be just what I need.”
• • •
Lea ignored her ringing cell phone. Maddy could be right about Jason. I hate to confront him, but I have to find out.
She found the young man washing a truck in the back lot. His dazzling smile disappeared when she told him the reason for her visit. “I heard about the incident with the department store.”
He stared at his shoes as if they had turned to cement blocks. When he looked up, his eyes reflected pain mixed with anger. She wished she hadn’t come.
“I don’t mean to embarrass you, but I need to know how you feel.”
“You couldn’t know, could you?” The question was rhetorical and tart like a lemon. “You’ve never been arrested for buying an expensive dress.”
“You have every reason to be angry.”
“My father wanted to sue them. All of them. The store and the police department.”
“But you didn’t.”
“What’s the point! Besides, Pops didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer.”
“I’m sure an attorney would take your case on contingency.”
“Lawyers can’t be certain of winning cases for folks like us.” His wounded eyes turned inward. “I only asked the police to make sure it didn’t show as an arrest so it wouldn’t hurt my chances for future employment.”
“The story still made headlines.”
“The reports were in my favor. There were thousands of hits on social media expressing outrage on my behalf.”
“Then you aren’t bitter or carrying a grudge?”
“Granny tells me when a person holds a grudge, they carry the devil on their shoulders. She says the only way to find peace is to forgive and forget.”
“Your grandmother is a wise woman with a smart grandson who will be a big success.”
He straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. His dazzling smile retu
rned to make her day.
CHAPTER TWELVE
When they passed the last billboard advertising food and lodging, Lea hit the button to lower the windows. Strands of hair blew across her face as she listened to her sister recount the conversation with Libby.
The Border collie sat in the back with her nose out the window and her gold and white fur blowing in the wind. On the seat beside Gracie, Spirit struggled to keep his eyes open as the rocking motion of the car and the low-pitched humming of the tires lulled him to sleep.
“Billy is a control freak,” Maddy complained. “Libby isn’t strong enough to stand up to him.” She gathered her loose hair and tied it in a ponytail. “I don’t understand why he cares if her picture is in the brochure. She’s enjoying the attention; why spoil her fun? Is he jealous?”
Lea considered the question as she signaled to change lanes. “Maybe it’s not the attention his girlfriend gets that worries him. Perhaps he’s afraid of drawing attention to himself. Any news from Tom about Billy?”
Maddy pulled out her phone and left a message. “Hey, Tom. Just checking to see what you found on the license plate number I gave you. Call me. Thanks.” She returned the phone to her purse and gazed out at fields of strawberries. “Do you think there’s something in Billy’s past he wants to keep hidden?”
“Possibly. What else have you learned about him?”
“Nothing, other than that he’s secretive.”
“People usually have a reason for being secretive.” Lea tapped her fingernail on the steering wheel. “It will be interesting to hear what Tom has to say.”
Maddy looked closely at her sister. “You enjoy this stuff, don’t you?”
Lea smiled. “I suppose I inherited Dad’s love of mysteries. You got Mom’s artistic genes.”
“It’s more than that. You have the same sense of right and wrong I see in Dad and Tom. The three of you have an inherent need for justice. You cling to the hope that life is fair. You want the right guy to come out on top and the bad guy to be punished.”
“Doesn’t everyone feel that way?”
“Most of us aren’t compelled to do something about it.”
“I’ll admit, I always wanted to be like Dad.”
“You never talked about becoming a cop when we were growing up. As I recall, you wanted to be a journalist.”
“I knew I couldn’t handle the violence Dad encountered, but the process he used to solve crimes intrigues me. Figuring out what makes people tick, what motivates them to do the things they do.”
Before entering a barren stretch of sand and sagebrush, Maddy’s phone buzzed. She pressed the speaker button. “Hi, Tom. Thanks for calling back.”
“I would have called sooner, but we’re dealing with our own nut cases this morning. I got a hit on those plates. Hold on while I find my notes.” A crackling noise came over the line and the signal dropped to a single bar. “Billy Duncan’s been in trouble with the law, all right. When he was a teenager living in…”
Spirit’s head popped up as the static increased. “You’re cutting out,” Maddy said. She spoke louder. “Tom, can you hear me?”
After a final expulsion of crackles and snaps, the line went dead.
“Darn it!” Maddy dropped the phone in her lap and chewed on her lower lip.
“Call him when we reach Hill Valley,” Lea suggested. “You’ll get better reception there.”
Her sister relaxed, letting her head rest on the cushion. A faint smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Why are you looking so smug?” Lea asked.
“I was right about Billy.”
• • •
Maddy sneezed continuously as she read signposts on the outskirts of Hill Valley. “So much for a day in the country,” she said. “Make a left at the next speed bump. The house we’re looking for should be the first place on the right.”
An oxygen tank beside a person sitting on the porch told Lea they’d come to the right place. The man who greeted them was an older, frailer version of Archie Turner.
“Good morning, Mr. Turner. I’m Lea Austin. This is my sister, Maddy. I appreciate your agreeing to see us when I called this morning.”
“The pleasure is mine,” he said in a phlegmy voice. “We don’t get many visitors out here. You two are a whole lot easier on the eyes than the meter man.” His tone was weary but cheerful, and his green eyes sparkled. “Pull up a chair and tell me what’s brought you all the way from Buena Viaje.”
Ralph Turner’s warm reception was far different from the one Lea received from his son. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the food heists taking place.”
“I’ve read about ‘em. It started up north with cheese and wine. Now, they’re right here in the valley stealin’ nuts.” He frowned, adding more lines to his creased brow. “The whole world has gone nuts, that’s what I say.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Mr. Turner.” Maddy gave him a high five salute.
“Call me Ralph or you’ll make me feel like an old man.” He slapped her hand. “You’re a spunky one. If I were twenty years younger…”
Lea leaned forward. “I’m trying to help a friend whose shipments from Sunny Orchards were stolen. Any information you can give us will help.”
“My son knows more about that place than I do.”
“I talked with Archie two days ago. He doesn’t hold his employer in very high regard. Selling your farm to Sunny couldn’t have been easy. Do you share his feelings?”
“Archie had a harder time with it than I did. He felt guilty he wasn’t able to hold onto the land. He dreamed his son would take over and continue the family tradition.” Ralph shook his head and his eyelids drooped. “That’s all it ever was, Archie’s dream. My grandson wants no part of farmin’. He had his eyes set on the big city, plannin’ to get away the day he graduated from high school. That’s what he did, and hasn’t been back since.”
“That must be hard on your son.”
“It is, but it’s his own darned fault. If he wouldn’t have tried to control the boy’s life, they might have maintained some sort of relationship. Archie never listened to the boy.” He paused and looked over Lea’s shoulder. Pride shone in his eyes. “My grandson desires to be a race car driver, imagine that. I give him credit. That’s as far from farmin’ as he could get.”
“How is your grandson doing with his dream?” Maddy asked.
“He’s on the right track workin’ as a mechanic for a guy who owns race cars. Even if he never becomes a driver, he surrounds himself with what he loves. That’s more than a lot of people do.”
“How does his son’s career choice make Archie feel?”
“He doesn’t know, and I’m not going to tell him. It’s up to the boy to contact his father when he’s ready.” His mouth turned up in a sly smile. “But we’ve stayed in touch. My grandson calls every week or two to tell me about life in the city. We talk about the girls. There’s no shortage of those around the race track. He’s a looker; he has no trouble attractin’ ‘em.”
His laugh was deep and good to listen to until it ended in a fit of coughing. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and looked embarrassed. “The cigarettes caught up to me. It forced me to stop, which I suppose is a good thing. Archie’s always hated my smokin’, even when I went outside to do it. I think my son feels justified that his warnings of it ruinin’ my health have come true.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t feel that way,” Lea said.
“His self-righteous attitude keeps his son from being close.” He rubbed his veined, weathered hands. “That and the chip he carries on his shoulder.”
Lea appreciated the man’s candor. “I can’t say I didn’t notice it.”
“It’s his negative way of lookin’ at things. His cup is always half empty, never half full. That’s how he viewed sellin’ the farm. He believed we were being forced to do somethin’ we shouldn’t have to do after all the hard work we put into farmin’. I didn’t see it that way.”
“
But you couldn’t have been happy to sell your farm,” Maddy insisted.
“I considered it the same as how we rotate crops. Rotation prevents decay and erosion. The land becomes tired and less fertile if a farmer plants the same crop over and over in the same area. It’s no different with people. Do the same thing year after year, see the same people, go the same places, and people become tired, too.”
“Are you saying you got tired of farming?”
“I accepted what my son couldn’t; the way we were farmin’ was outdated. It was time to find better ways to do things, especially regarding use of natural resources. I was all for sellin’ and lettin’ Sunny and his group plant new crops and implement new methods.”
Lea admired the older man for being more progressive and open-minded than his son. He was someone the grandson could look up to and emulate. “What would Archie have done if Sunny hadn’t offered him a job?”
Ralph’s rheumy eyes clouded. “He’d have sat around and grown into a bitter, old man.” He shifted in his chair, straining to move the oxygen. “Sunny Ralston did Archie a big favor. I’m sorry my son hasn’t realized that.”
“Let me help.” Maddy picked up the tank and repositioned it. “Is that better?”
A smile eased the strain on his face. “Thank you, young lady.”
Ralph seemed to enjoy the attention. Lea didn’t want to upset him, but there was one more question she had to ask. “Is it possible Archie would hurt Sunny’s business to get back at him?”
“That’s an interestin’ question.” He turned his head toward the street.
A boy rode his bicycle down the road and a dog raced out, barking at the tires. The rider swung his cap and hollered, “Morning, Mr. Turner.”
Ralph waved. When he turned back, the bags under his eyes were a deeper shade of purple. “I’ve never understood what causes a sensible man to act like a fool, but I’ve seen it happen. Unless a person stays vigilant, emotions can carry him to dark places and cause him to do foolish things.”
“Are you talking about your son?” Lea asked gently.
“I’m speakin’ in generalities. Whether this applies to Archie, I can’t say. I hope for his sake, it doesn’t. If I knew for sure, I’d tell you. But we never truly know another person, even those we’re close to.”
