by K T Brodland
“Hey, this was their idea, remember?”
“Ah, yes, the royal command.”
“Yup, and since you were specifically in the invitation, they will be royally pissed off at me if I show up without you.”
“Well, we can’t have that.”
Cat keyed the ignition and backed out of the garage. “You’ll be fine. If all else fails, close your eyes and think of England.”
Olivia sputtered, then burst out laughing.
Cat joined in. “We need to do that more often.” She tried to keep her attention on the road while wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
“Do what? Laugh or cry?”
Cat shook her head. “Laugh, of course. What did you think I meant?”
“I think I need to shut up and let you concentrate on your driving.”
Cat exhaled. “What am I going to do with you?”
Olivia decided it was a rhetorical question and focused her attention on the scenery.
By the time Cat turned into the cul-de-sac where her friends lived, Olivia had pretty much convinced herself that the party was going to be fine. She wouldn’t make any social gaffes. She would manage to make polite conversation. At least until the time came when she could bring up the subject she and Cat were not talking about at the moment.
That all went out the window when she spotted a big red pickup truck parked in the driveway leading up to the split-level house painted a tasteful Wedgewood Blue. It had never occurred to her that she and Cat wouldn’t be the only guests at this shindig.
“Good, Pat and Tracy are here. Haven’t seen those two for way too long,” Cat said.
She drew in a deep breath before joining Cat on the sidewalk. A woman she recognized from the funeral hailed them from the front steps.
“Hi there, you two!” Jean pumped Olivia’s hand. “C’mon in, make yourself at home. Lee’s in the kitchen getting things organized for our supper.”
Jean took the lead up a short flight of stairs and into a large living room. A dark blue sectional sat beneath the bay windows and comfortable looking armchairs flanked the fireplace. Olivia paused to admire a landscape painting featuring a grove of poplar trees glowing in the afternoon sun.
Jean smiled at her obvious appreciation. “I photographed that scene years ago and finally got around to having it done up by a local artist.”
Olivia nodded, following her hostess into the kitchen. Lee turned from the sink where she was wrapping potatoes in foil. Two women, one tall and half again as wide as Cat, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail, the second one built more along the lines of the shorter, rounder Jean, raised their bottles of beer in a salute as Cat entered the room.
“Hey there, stranger, long time no see,” the taller of the two boomed as she set her beer down and swept Cat into a bear hug.
Cat thumped the woman on the back before introducing her.
“Olivia Jeffries, meet Pat Wallace.”
Pat beamed down at Olivia, winked at Cat. “Check my pockets before I head home. This little gal would fit nicely in one of them.”
While Olivia was trying to decide how to respond to that remark, Cat spoke again. “Pat, Jean and I go back many years. This sort of nonsense goes on all the time when we get together.”
Pat grinned. “Don’t remind me.”
Jean joined in. “All right, we won’t.” She added for Olivia’s benefit. “The three of us joined the RCMP at the same time and spent six weeks at the depot training center outside Regina way back in the past century. The CO breathed a sigh of relief when we graduated. I’m sure we did a lot to turn his hair even grayer than it was when we joined up.”
“Yeah, we certainly managed to get into our share of scrapes,” Cat added. “They didn’t call us the three amigos for nothing.”
The other woman extended her hand. “Hi, Olivia. I’m Tracy Collins. I was smart and became a paramedic. My patients aren’t interested in doing me bodily harm.” She grinned. “Most of the time anyway.”
Pat was smiling as she turned to Olivia. “What did Cat have to promise you to get you to come here with her? Oh, and if you don’t know yet that she’s a real badass, you soon will.”
“It’s not so much what she promised me as what I was told could happen if I refused a royal command to put in an appearance,” Olivia said.
“Yeah. That sounds about right,” Pat said.
Lee joined in. “Okay, you guys. Give the poor woman a break. She’s only just met us. Let’s not scare her off completely.”
Tracy pointed in the general direction of Olivia’s face with the beer bottle she held. “If it isn’t a rude question, what does the other guy look like?”
Olivia shrugged, trying to sound offhanded. “Much worse.”
“You should have seen her face earlier this week, Lee said. “At least the bruises are starting to fade. They’re more the color of an under ripe apple now as opposed to an eggplant.”
Ensuring that everyone had a drink, Jean led them out to the patio where Lee lit the propane barbeque. Soon the first of the burgers were sizzling and sending up a mouth-watering aroma. Pat and Tracy busied themselves setting out plates and cutlery on the big acrylic-topped table. The heater was turned on and the glassed-in porch was toasty warm. Jean turned a dazzling smile their way and announced that the food would be ready shortly. Cat was busy assembling a huge green salad. Olivia made herself useful and brought trays of buns and condiments out and set them on the table.
Once they were all seated, Pat leaned forward, her forearms resting on the table. “Did I hear Cat say your last name is Jeffries?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a market garden out on Boundary Road with that name. Is that your place?”
Olivia nodded confirmation. Pat slapped her thigh. “Thought the name sounded familiar. Tracy and I have shopped there many times. Your produce is always nice and fresh. We especially love the heritage tomatoes and the free-range eggs you have on occasion.”
“We’ll definitely be out there again soon.” Tracy added.
“You may be disappointed then. I’m trying to figure out how to run the place on my own now that…” she choked on the words. “Now that my farm manager and his family aren’t with me anymore.”
Pat and Tracy exchanged glances. “Sorry to hear about your loss, Olivia. Any time you need an extra pair of hands, just give us a whistle. We’d be happy to stop by,” Pat said.
“Assuming we are both off at the same time. Mind you, it does happen now and then, so you might get lucky and have to put up with the two of us,” Tracy added.
Olivia smiled her thanks, then turned her attention back to the almost forgotten meal in front of her. When the burgers were nothing more than a memory, Olivia patted her tummy. “That was so good. I’m glad now that Cat talked me into coming with her.”
Jean gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re more than welcome, sweetie. The party’s not done yet, though. Sit tight and close your eyes. No peeking.”
Feeling somewhat apprehensive, Olivia closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of chairs being moved back, dishes being cleared away, footsteps heading away in the direction of the kitchen, and then moments later, returning. She heard something being placed on the table. “You can open your eyes now,” Cat announced.
When she did, Olivia could only sit there, too overcome to speak. She stared at the vase of six yellow roses and the cake.
“I’m afraid the carrot cake is store-bought, not homemade, but it’s the best we could do at short notice,” Cat said. “Hope you like the flowers, though.”
“How? When?” Olivia stammered when she could finally get words past her numb lips.
“I called ahead this morning and tipped everyone off that today was your birthday. Then I did a bit of shopping and dropped the cake and flowers off here before coming back to get you,” Cat replied.
“So that’s where you disappeared to this morning and returned looking so mysterious.”
“Yup. You got it.”
Olivia looked all around the table at the faces smiling back at her. Cat lit the three candles on the cake and then they all started singing the happy birthday song.
Now completely at a loss for words, Olivia could only sit there shaking her head. She turned to gaze up into Cat’s face as a warm hand came to rest on her shoulder.
“Hey,” Cat said. “You okay?”
“Um,” Olivia had to swallow a couple of times in order to speak. “Yes. I…I just wasn’t expecting anything like this. Thank…thank you. All of you. I…I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. By the way, roses are my favorite flowers.”
Jean beamed back at her. “Now that we know what day it is, we shall have to see what we can come up with next year.”
Olivia shook her head again. “You’ll be hard put to top this one, because it was so unexpected.”
Jean smiled back at her. “Those are the best kind.”
As guest of honor, Olivia was invited to cut the cake to share with everyone. While doing so, she paused to inhale the fragrance of the roses. Weren’t yellow roses supposed to signify friendship? She cast a sidelong glance in Cat’s direction. If that was the case, then she should count herself fortunate to have one so kind and caring.
Pat stood. “I hate to eat and run but I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s been a long week.” She nodded in Olivia’s direction. “It was nice meeting you. I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon.”
Tracy joined her and stretched. “Yeah, me too. Hopefully we can get together again one of these days. These reunions don’t happen often enough.”
“I guess the only solution to that is for us all to retire,” Lee said.
Pat snorted. “Uh huh. And when do you plan on doing that, doc?”
“When people stop coming into the ER needing to be patched up and sent out again more or less in better shape than when they arrived.”
“And we all know when that is likely to happen.” Pat shook her head and gathered up her jacket. She fist-bumped Lee and Cat, then hugged Jean and Olivia. Olivia was relieved that Tracy was a little more restrained, restricting herself to a warm smile and a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Once the two women were gone, Olivia let out the breath she’d been holding. “You certainly have demonstrative friends.”
“I guess we should have warned you. Hope that didn’t make you uncomfortable,” Jean said.
“No, no. Just not used to it, is all.”
“You’d better get used to it if you plan to hang around with us,” Lee added.
Now that company was gone, Cat asked Jean if she could have a word with her.
“Sure,” Jean said. “I’m guessing from your expression that this is serious.”
Cat waited until the four of them were seated around the patio table again. “Yes, it is.”
She nodded in Olivia’s direction and sat back as Olivia brought Jean up to speed about the state of the mobile when they checked it out. After a moment’s consideration, Olivia told Jean about the cryptic message spray painted on her door.
Long furrows deepened in Jean’s forehead. “I presume you took pictures?” she said, scowling in Cat’s direction.
Olivia pulled out her cell phone and showed Jean the photos she had taken before scrubbing off the graffiti.
Jean did a quick scan of the photos. “Damn. Wish I’d known sooner though. I could have had a patrol go by your place. I trust you have been taking appropriate precautions ever since then?”
“Oh, yes, I have had to reassure Cat on several occasions that I really can take care of myself. Fortunately for her peace of mind, I have agreed to stay on at her place until my car is repaired. By the time that happens, I will have worked out a different arrangement so Cat doesn’t end up parked in my driveway 24/7.”
Jean nodded. “Keep me posted. Or you will find Pat or me hanging out at your place, as well.”
Olivia laughed. “Just what I need. More knights in shining armor looking out for me.
“There’s more though. I found an interesting text message on Steven’s cell phone from Sonny Wilkes. Apparently the two of them were supposed to connect the day Steven was killed. I tried several times to get in touch with Sonny, but no such luck.”
Cat took control then and described the scene at the Wilkes home. She finished by asking if a missing person claim had been filed in the past week.
Jean shook her head. “Not as far as I know. Thanks for bringing me up to date, though. I’ll have a crew out to the house first thing tomorrow. We’ll talk to the neighbors as well, see if they’ve seen anything out of the ordinary.”
“Oh, there’s a crowbar on a bench in the basement that might have fingerprints on it,” Cat added.
Cat cleared her throat and leaned forward. “What Olivia has failed to mention is that I showed up at her place late Thursday night to find her in a standoff with four guys. They all had nine millimeters, at least one of which was a semi-automatic. Annie Oakley here was holding them off with a twelve-gauge, double barrel shotgun. Turns out they were after the rest of the money that Stevie boy had allegedly made off with. They were under the impression that there was more than the amount they had already found during their first pass through the mobile.
“They weren’t too happy when Olivia liberated their weapons and their clothes and then warned them if they ever showed up at her place again, they would walk home, buck-naked and barefoot.”
Jean shot Olivia an amused look. “My, aren’t you the little badass!”
Olivia’s eyebrows rose. “Could be, but don’t forget that dynamite and C4 both come in small packages.”
There was laughter from the other three women. “Touché,” Cat said.
“The only reason Cat was there was because I hung up on her when I heard a car in the driveway,” Olivia added, shaking her head. “Oh, and Cat took photos of my uninvited guests. No surprise, when she ran them through facial recognition, they all have rap sheets. Nothing to get excited about, just the usual sort of thing you expect from kids in their late teens, early twenties. B&Es, DUIs, possession. Interestingly enough, there’s been nothing for the past five years. Not even a parking ticket. They are so squeaky clean that I suspect somebody is running a tight ship.”
“From what I know of the gangs in this town, I’d put money on the latter.” Jean frowned, then glanced between Olivia and Cat. “I don’t suppose either of you were able to find out which gang these guys were with?”
Cat nodded. “Yeah, I saw the Alphas’ ink on the oldest one’s back. The rest just had smaller versions on their shoulders, which makes me think they were lower on the totem pole. I’ll send you the photos as well as at the beginning of the week. I’ve got their weapons in a box in the trunk of my car. I can leave them with you now if you like.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate that. You two seem to have rattled somebody’s cage, so tread carefully. If you come across any more information, I’d appreciate it if you keep me in the loop.”
The evening wound down soon after and Olivia was more than willing to head home. She couldn’t recall being as easily tired as she seemed to be since she had returned from her trip to Calgary. Granted, a great deal had happened since then, which could account for it.
She thanked her hosts for a lovely evening, smiled when told to come by anytime. She gathered up the roses that Jean had thoughtfully wrapped for her, then made her way down the front steps and out to the Mustang. Cat was close behind her. Jean joined them long enough to collect the box of guns Cat had brought with her.
She stood by the car for a moment, breathing in the cool night air, scented with the subtle fragrance of the daffodils that bloomed in Jean’s flowerbeds. Yellow lamplight spilled from the front windows, creating patches of lighter green on the lawn. Once upon a time, before Alison passed on and after the McIntyres had arrived, she was sure the farm had looked like this, warm and inviting. Now the place felt cold and empty.
Cat came to
a halt beside her. “Was it better than you expected?”
“Yes, it was. I even managed to talk to Jean without sounding like an idiot.”
“You were great. Sounded professional. You certainly were a hit with Pat and Tracy.”
“So I gathered. I can’t get past the fact that they actually remembered me.”
“Cops are trained to be observant. So are paramedics. Goes with the territory.”
“Does that apply to PI’s too?”
“Yup.”
“Then can you observe that I can barely keep my eyes open? If so, would you be so kind as to whisk me off home before I fall asleep standing here beside your car?”
Cat opened the passenger door. “Consider it done.”
Chapter Fourteen
B y Monday morning, Cat was almost sorry the weekend was through and it was time to get back to work. She just knew case files were stacking up on her desk. She was so going to miss Anne. Maybe she should consider getting a partner as well as a new receptionist.
She cast a surreptitious glance at Olivia, who was sitting across from her with a cup of coffee nestled in her hands, her hair framing her face as she gazed out the kitchen window. She’d known Olivia for a little more than a week, but at times she felt as though she’d known her for much longer. There was something about having her around that felt…right. She certainly had to admit she’d enjoyed working with her during the past few days.
She drained her coffee, set her cup down. “I hate to break up this domestic scene, but I need to head to the office. I haven’t been in for several days and I still have a business to run.”
“And I need to see if my car is ready.” Olivia made a quick phone call to the garage. “Good news,” she said, when she hung up. “I have wheels again.”
She put her dishes in the dishwasher, then went upstairs to do whatever she needed to do before decamping for the farm.
Cat remained where she was seated, thinking about how much she had come to enjoy Olivia’s presence in her life, until Olivia appeared in the kitchen with her suitcase. She had also changed into a pink scoop-necked top that clung to all the right places. The tan pants she wore did much the same for her lower regions. Cat swallowed hard, nodded in Olivia’s direction and headed for the garage.
