Murder Welcomes You to Buxley

by Maddie Cochere

  “That woman down there is my sister-in-law.”

  The smile fell from my face. I couldn’t hide my surprise. “You’re having an affair with Lois’ sister?”

  He smiled. “No, of course not. She just got her realtor’s license, and she’s selling a motel in Hapsburg. You may have seen us there the other day.” My guilty smile came back. “I stopped by to look the place over and give her some pointers.” He paused for a moment. “Lois became suspicious when she met Donna. She was mad I hired her in the first place, and she got it into her head that I was having an affair with her, but I’ve really just been busy and working late a little more than usual.”

  “Why did you hire her? She wasn’t very friendly when I was in your office.”

  “She’s the daughter of one of my commercial clients. He throws a lot of business my way, and I couldn’t say no when he said she was recently divorced and asked if I could give her a job. I’ve told Lois a dozen times that Donna has a boyfriend.” He raised his eyebrows and said, “You might know him.”

  I rolled my eyes. Why did I have to keep hearing about Alan?

  “Take whatever photos and evidence you think you have to Lois, and tell her I love her, and she’s the only girl for me. Give her your bill, and I’ll make sure you’re paid right away. And if you ever do decide to sell your house, give me a call.”

  He left me feeling foolish as he walked down the stairs to return to his table. I should have been able to find out all of this on my own without him telling me. I had been a colossal failure on this case. I needed more training. Arnie and I needed to talk.

  I glanced around the room again while I waited for a server to bring my sandwich and dessert. I couldn’t believe it when the hostess seated Curt Hendershot at a table in the loft across the room from me. He was with a stunning blonde, and they immediately began holding hands across the table. I had no idea if she was his wife or not.

  I grabbed my phone and called Pepper. She was yelling when she answered.

  “Mama, you didn’t say anything about toilets when you said you’d have a shirt for me.” Into the phone she yelled, “Hello? Who is it?”

  “Is this a bad time?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Mama’s here.”

  “I just want to know one thing,” I said. “Do you know what Curt Hendershot’s wife looks like?”

  “She’s short and fat like me, only her hair’s brown.”

  “That’s all I wanted to know. Have fun with Mama.”

  So … Curt Hendershot was the one having an affair. That may have been why he was here at the plaza the night his car was stolen. He was meeting his mistress for dinner at The Black Bison. Was the item in his car something he had wanted to give her?

  I smiled a huge smile this time. Maybe I was better at this than I thought.

  I called Glenn.

  “Do you still have the papers Johnny gave us today?” I asked.

  “They’re at the station. I’m on my way there now. Why?”

  “I want to know if he stole a Dodge Charger about a week ago. It had vanity plates – BANKER7.”

  “Hendershot’s car?” he asked.

  “Yep. I think Johnny took it, and I need to know for sure. It means a possible paycheck for me if I can get that information.”

  “I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

  A server brought my packaged food. I opened the container with the club sandwich and began to eat it while I waited for Glenn’s call.

  When I finished the sandwich, I started on the Decadent Chocolate Cake. If I had noticed it on the menu, I would have ordered it. It was chocolate heaven.

  My phone rang. Glenn began ticking off information before I even said hello.

  “Silver Dodge Charger from Patterson Plaza on February 4 at 8:25 p.m., BANKER7 plates. He got it, and Ed chopped it. Good thinking, Jo. I guess that’s another one solved. Pretty soon that whiteboard of yours is going to be all white.”

  We made plans to meet for breakfast in the morning before ending our call.

  I polished off the cake, asked for another iced tea, and telephoned Curt. I watched as he answered his phone.

  “What have you got for me, Jo?”

  “What are the chances you still have the receipt for that diamond tennis bracelet that was in your car?”

  I watched as he sat stunned by my words.

  He finally spoke. “You found my car?”

  “Sort of. I haven’t seen it, but I know where it went.”

  When I didn’t provide any further information, he asked impatiently, “Well, where did it go?”

  “I can’t tell you yet. It’s part of an F.B.I. investigation.”

  I was exaggerating, but it felt good to make him squirm a little.

  “The F.B.I. has my car?”

  “No, but they’ll have the guys who chopped it very soon.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  His voice was loud, and I could hear him both on the phone and from across the room.

  “Your car was stolen and taken to a chop shop. It’s long gone, but I’ve seen the diamond tennis bracelet, and I think you’ll be able to get it back with proof of purchase.”

  He ran a hand over the top of his head, and I knew he was frustrated and angry. I decided it was best to handle this more professionally.

  “Curt, your car was stolen and chopped for parts. It won’t be recovered, but the people who stole it found the bracelet. One of the guys gave it to his wife. I can’t tell you yet who it is, because this is a huge on-going investigation, and the F.B.I. will be all over it in a few days. If you confront anyone now, you could jeopardize the entire operation. The woman wearing the bracelet won’t take it off, so it’s not going anywhere. Once the authorities have it as evidence, you’ll be able to get it back. I’ll keep you notified as to what’s happening, and as soon as you can get the bracelet, I’ll let you know.”

  I suspected he didn’t want to say too much in front of his girlfriend. He was subdued as he said, “Thanks, Jo. I didn’t expect you’d find the car, so I guess this is good news. I’ll wait for your call.”

  I finished my tea, shoved my phone and camera back into my purse, and stood to leave. I left a tip on the table and looked across to Curt and his girlfriend again. He was looking directly at me. I smiled and gave him a little wave. He looked disgusted.

  I felt great. All of my cases were solved or in the process of being resolved. I left Patterson with one happy thought in mind – getting home as soon as possible and jumping into bed. I planned to put a Do Not Disturb sign on my front door and sleep until it was time to meet Glenn for breakfast in the morning.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Glenn ran his finger along my exposed cleavage.

  “This is a new look for you,” he said with appreciation.

  I squirmed, but I restrained from slapping his hand away. It’s not that I didn’t want him to touch me; I was uncomfortable to be so exposed.

  After having breakfast with Glenn yesterday, Pepper had talked me into going over to Patterson Plaza and shopping for something new to wear for my Valentine’s Day date with Glenn tonight.

  She embarrassed me in front of a store clerk when she commented on my ill-fitting bra and asked her to help me find something that would perk the girls up. I’d never worn a pushup bra before, and now I kept seeing my boobs in my peripheral vision. It was distracting.

  The black dress I was wearing was a scosche too tight and showed off curves I didn’t know I had. The square neckline showed off the tops of my pushed up boobs extremely well. I had taken time to curl my hair, and I knew the dark waves looked nice against my winter white skin.

  Glenn leaned in and nuzzled my neck. “You smell wonderful, too.” He looked lovingly into my eyes and said, “You’re always beautiful to me, Jo, but tonight you’re positively breathtaking.”

  I fidgeted. It was too big a compliment to know how to respond properly.

  “Come on,” he said.
“We don’t want to be late.”

  “Where are we going? You know I don’t like surprises. Please tell me where we’re going.”

  He continued to smile. “Nope. This is one surprise you’re going to have to wait for.”

  He held my coat for me while I slipped it on, and we walked out to his car. He looked pretty wonderful himself in a suit and tie. It was easy to appreciate his good looks and easy charm.

  I was disappointed when we pulled into Parker’s Tavern.

  “We’re having dinner at Parker’s? Aren’t we a little overdressed?”

  The parking lot was packed, and we had to park at the far end of the small plaza.

  I didn’t want to budge from the car. “He’s going to be packed tonight,” I said. “You know we’ll get stuck at that table by the kitchen that Hank saves for out-of-towners. The waitstaff bumps each other going in and out, and I don’t want something spilled on me tonight.”

  “This is a temporary stop on our way to a much nicer place.”

  He stepped out of the car and ran around to open the door for me. Snowflakes began to fall softly. It was a beautiful evening. We quickly walked toward Parker’s.

  Aunt Bee and Max came around the corner of the building and ducked into a door that wasn’t part of the tavern.

  “What are they doing?” I asked.

  “I don’t have a clue,” Glenn said. “Maybe they’re breaking and entering. Let’s find out.”

  We stood in front of the door. “This is the space Arnie was going to look into leasing,” I said. “There aren’t any for rent signs out here any longer. I guess he couldn’t get it.”

  Glenn tried the handle. The door wasn’t locked.

  We walked in to a dark space. “Aunt Bee?” I called out. A feeling of unease rushed over me. I didn’t know anything about Max. What if he wasn’t a nice man and brought her in here to kill her?

  Glenn felt along the wall for a light switch. I reached out to grab his arm. She was my aunt, and I loved her dearly, but tonight was not the night I wanted to find her body.

  Before I could pull his arm back, he threw both switches. The room flooded with light.

  “Surprise!”

  Family and friends filled the room. Arnie was perched on the edge of a desk. Across the back wall was a large wooden sign with the words, Baranski and Ravens Investigations.

  I was overwhelmed - until Mama rushed to my side, opened my unbuttoned coat with both hands, and said, “When did you get a boob job? Can I touch them?”

  I ignored Mama, pulled my coat closed and walked over to Arnie. He shook my hand. “Congratulations, Jo. You’ve been working hard and doing a good job. I thought it was time you had your name on the business.”

  “Thank you,” I said. I hoped my tone imparted my heartfelt appreciation. “But I make so many mistakes. I’ve been lucky things have worked out so far.”

  “You’ll get there,” he said. “You’re a fast learner, and your thinking is sound. You observe a helluva lot more now than you did when you first started. I wasn’t happy the flea market burned down, but it lit a fire under me to find a proper office for us.”

  I smiled at his choice of words. “How did you get all this ready so soon?” I asked.

  “I signed the lease Saturday morning and had a crew in here that afternoon to start work. They just finished this morning. Nancy handled the furniture and decorating.”

  “Nancy?”

  A petite girl in her early twenties stepped forward and said, “I’m Nancy. Uncle Arnie hired me as his office manager and receptionist. I’ll be here to help you however I can.”

  “Uncle Arnie,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Nancy had two years of business management at the career center,” he said. “She’s been working for a lawyer who thinks she’s got a master’s degree in law. He’s a palooka. We need her more than he does, and I think she’ll be happy working here.”

  “I know I will,” she said and gave her uncle a hug.

  Hank was suddenly by my side and all googly-eyed toward Arnie’s niece.

  “This is my brother, Hank,” I told her. “He’s a photographer by day and a bouncer at Parker’s by night. He’s not married and not dating anyone. If you’re single and interested, Valentine’s Day is a great day to meet someone. It’ll make a good story to tell to your grandchildren one day.”

  Hank looked like he wanted to kill me. “You know,” he said, “you sound more and more like Mama every day.”

  Nancy laughed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone who’s a nice guy.” She turned her own googly eyes on Hank. “I think we can talk a little tonight.”

  Glenn grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s look around.”

  “Let me give you the tour,” Arnie said.

  There were three offices in the suite. Arnie’s office was the largest and to the right of the front door. I laughed when I saw it was already furnished with a Barcalounger and a television set. A second, smaller office was directly behind Nancy’s desk. Filing cabinets, a copier, and a small kitchenette were in this office. Keith and Kelly were in the room piling cookies on trays and filling a punch bowl.

  Glenn grabbed a cookie. “You look mighty dapper in a suit and tie, Keith.”

  Keith grabbed Grandpa Swenson’s fedora off the counter and jammed it onto his head. “I’m going to help drum up business for Aunt Jo tonight, so I thought I should dress like a professional.”

  I had no idea how he was going to drum up business for me. Before I could ask, Arnie was leading the way to the last office – my office. It was to the left behind Nancy’s desk.

  The walls had been painted a light orange color. The beautiful wood desk was a rich mahogany color. Nancy had placed fresh flowers on the credenza behind it. There were two upholstered chairs for clients. A large whiteboard hung on one wall. I had a strong feeling Pepper had a hand in helping Nancy put the room together.

  I noticed a small box on the desk.

  “Look at this,” Arnie said.

  He stepped back out into the reception area and opened a door. It opened directly into Parker’s Tavern.

  “Parker and I have an agreement. We won’t go into the restaurant after hours, and he won’t come into our offices after hours. The door locks from our side.”

  “Wow,” Glenn said. “You’ll be able to go out for lunch without going out for lunch. Pretty slick.”

  It was definitely slick. I suspected Arnie would be perched on a stool at Parker’s far more than he would be in his office.

  The front door opened. Mrs. Murgatroyd walked in and demanded, “Where’s the punch and cookies I was promised?”

  Jackie came to stand beside me. “What’s Mrs. Murgatroyd doing here?” I asked.

  “This is an open house,” she said. She looked at her watch. “In five minutes, and for two hours, the town has been invited to stop in and see the new offices of Baranski and Ravens Investigations.”

  I was amazed. “How did everyone keep this from me?”

  “You’ve been busy or sleeping. And Keith’s been stealing your paper for the past three days so you wouldn’t read about it.”

  I looked over at Keith. He was still wearing the fedora and had taken up residence at Nancy’s desk. He had a sign-in sheet for guests, and he was armed with a stack of our business cards. If anyone could sell our services, Keith could.

  “How are things going with the Hapsburg story?” I asked her.

  “At lightning speed,” she said. “Harry hired Nick on the spot and gave us complete freedom to handle the story any way we wanted. Glenn gave us copies of the papers you took from Johnny. Between his copies, the details Nick already uncovered, and information we both found after spending time in the county records office, we had everything we needed to call Glenn’s friend at the F.B.I. The warrants for searches and to collect files from Ed’s, the police department, and the mayor’s office should all be executed tomorrow. Thanks for bringing the story to me.”

  “That
’s great news,” I told her. “But you should thank Darby. I wouldn’t have known anything about any of it if he hadn’t been so upset about Susan’s car being vandalized.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll drop him a note.”

  “I need you to take care of something for me,” I said. “Curt Hendershot’s car was one of the cars Johnny stole. He had a diamond tennis bracelet in the glove box, and Ed’s wife has been wearing it. If you could make sure someone puts the bracelet into evidence where it’s safe, Curt can get it back. He has a receipt for it.”

  She agreed to pass the information on. Mama came over and grabbed my arm. “Take your coat off already. There are people here who want to meet you and hire you. Start mingling.”

  Within minutes, the offices had filled with visitors. Arnie opened the door to Parker’s to help with overflow, but it seemed even more people were coming in from the tavern.

  Keith took a stack of business cards into the bar and began passing them out.

  For the next hour and a half, I met with friends and strangers alike. I couldn’t believe how many people had legitimate needs for a private investigator. Arnie was a genius to arrange the open house.

  Glenn pulled me into my office and shut the door. He backed me against the desk and slipped his arms around my waist to pull me close. “Want to break your office in right?”

  I laughed. “No. Mama would catch us.”

  He ran his finger along my cleavage as he had done earlier. “I don’t think I care. This dress is killing me, and I can’t resist you much longer.”

  He pulled me even closer for an extremely heated kiss.

  The door burst open and Mama walked in. “New boobs will do that for you,” she said. “But you’re going to have to break it up. Someone’s here to see you.”

  I wasn’t a blusher, but I felt my face go red hot. It was probably already flushed from Glenn’s kiss, and Mama’s appearance only added to the color.

  We walked into the reception area to see Sergeant Rorski talking with Arnie. I was surprised to see him up and around already, and even more surprised he had come to the open house.