Welcome to Sweetwater (Annie Parker Mystery Shorts Box Set)

by A. J. Bromley

  “You look great. I like the new you. How did you get hooked up with Victor in the first place?”

  “Victor can be very charming. It wasn’t difficult to buy into everything he was selling with all the bright lights and glamour of Las Vegas.”

  “Well I can’t talk when it comes to men. I made a mistake years ago. I thought I was going to marry my one true love and live happily ever after.”

  Darla had a surprised look on her face. “What happened?”

  “His family. They wanted Brad to marry someone of their social standing. That ended our love affair. It took me a long time to realize how much better off I was without him.”

  A sauce was simmering on the stove and there were thick slices of buttered bread topped with tons of garlic.

  “You are full of surprises tonight, Darla. I didn’t know you were such a good cook.”

  “Being married to Victor, I quickly learned that he enjoyed his food. I have been experimenting for years to get just the right blend of herbs and spices. You have been so good to me; I wanted to do something for you. I hope you are hungry.”

  “I’m ready to eat right now but first let me go and change out of these flour-covered clothes.”

  Darla went about setting the table as she hummed an old tune. She really missed working with the showgirls. Those were happier times.

  Annie was back and a sat down to a delicious meal. She didn’t talk until she had eaten several bites.

  “I wish I could hire you as a cook, but Roy would really be upset. Thanks for a great meal Darla.”

  “I appreciate that but I really enjoy my sewing.”

  After dinner, Annie brought up the subject of Darla’s neighbor. “Did you ever get to know your neighbor, Sadie Thomas?”

  “When we first moved here, I wanted to go over to meet her. She worked in her yard when the weather was good. She would always wave when I went out.”

  “What happened?” Annie asked but she thought she already knew the answer.

  “Victor. Do I need to say anymore?” Darla surprised herself with this admission. “He called her a crazy old bat.”

  “I’m going to visit Sadie tomorrow afternoon. Is there anything you want me to get from your trailer?”

  “Your dress is finished and in my closet. I wanted to get it but I don’t feel up to going in there yet. You could bring me my sewing basket. It is on the bureau in the bedroom.”

  “Darla, have you ever thought about starting your own storefront in town? Maybe you should talk to Kate after things slow down. She could use an outside interest and a new friend. It’s just a thought. I know you need to find Victor before making any new plans. Think about this idea in the meantime.”

  Annie was ready for an early bedtime. She left Darla watching Sunset Boulevard knowing that she would be happy to escape reality for now.

  Chapter 8

  It was Wednesday, Annie’s half day at the café. She knew she was going to have a busy day ahead. The posse was due at 6:00PM for her chili dinner. Stopping off at Carl’s Groceries for a few items, she made it home by 12:30PM.

  Darla fixed sandwiches for the two of them while Annie browned the stew meat and sausage for the chili. She put the meat and all the other ingredients in her Crockpot then sat down to lunch.

  “Can I fix anything for the dinner?”

  “Why don’t you enjoy an afternoon off? You could make the cornbread before dinner; there is a mix for it in the pantry. I’m not sure when I will back, Darla but no later than 4:00PM.”

  Annie changed into black pants and a pink blouse. Jeans and a sweatshirt weren’t appropriate when visiting Sadie.

  They had been friends forever. Sadie would come in for coffee and a chat. Some folks thought that she was senile and she never tried to dispute it. Nobody knew her age or dared to ask.

  “I’ll need your keys for the trailer.”

  “Let me get my purse.” Darla went into the bedroom. When she didn’t return right away, Annie found her sitting on the bed with tears flowing down her face.

  “What’s wrong, Darla?” Annie couldn’t imagine what set her off.

  “I forgot about my special Hummel that I put in my purse. It got broken Friday night.

  She lost part of her wings. See?” The distraught woman held up a small figurine with a broken wing. Darla went on to tell Annie how she had found the missing piece among all the wreckage.

  “I need to fix my angel.” Then handing the key to Annie, she put the broken keepsake on the bureau.

  Annie left Darla cleaning up the kitchen. She would miss that woman when they found Victor and she moved back to the trailer.

  Brewster Street was in an older residential section of town. It had deteriorated in the past 20 years, but Sadie was too stubborn to leave. She could certainly afford to move since her husband left her well off when he died. This was a little known secret of hers.

  Annie noticed the dreary looking houses on the street. Very few looked occupied. It was odd that zoning allowed trailers.

  Sadie greeted her at the front door. Annie had brought an assortment of cookies to go with tea. This was her usual habit when she came to visit.

  “Come in, come in. It is so good to see you, Annie.”

  Her kitchen was the most inviting place in the house and there was an aroma of cinnamon tea in the air.

  “Let me pour the tea and set out those delicious cookies you brought.”

  They both enjoyed their tea before getting down to talking about the Franconis.

  “Deputy James was here on Monday asking questions about what I saw Friday night at the trailer. We had a nice little visit.”

  “I saw a red Cadillac pulling out the driveway across the street when I arrived. I wonder who that could have been. I need to pick up my dress when I leave here. Darla had to shorten it for me.”

  Sadie got up to pour them more tea. Then she went on to say she saw the same red car over there last Friday night. “It was well after the poker players had left but before Mrs. Franconi got home. I never saw it leave. One of my grandchildren called to chat. They live in Alaska so there is a 2-hour time difference. They know that I’m a night owl so I hear from them at odd times.

  “When I got back the car was gone. Do you think that had something to do with Mr. Franconi?”

  “Did you tell Dennis about this?”

  “No, I never got a chance. He was only interested in the poker players. He never asked any more questions. It doesn’t seem like they train the police very well.”

  “You could have volunteered the information.”

  “Yes, I could have but I didn’t.”

  They both enjoyed a good laugh. Annie told her about her posse and its history.

  “Good for you. Sam needs some competition. It will keep him on his toes”

  After talking about the town and the Spring Fling, Annie went on her way.

  She drove into the driveway and cautiously entered the trailer. Someone needed to air out the place. Stale smoke lingered from the overflowing ashtrays. Annie didn’t want to think about the food scattered around.

  She quickly went down the hall to the bedroom. Her dress, a bright red color was easy to spot in the closet surrounded by Darla’s drab clothes. Grabbing it and the sewing box, Annie made a hasty exit. Once outside she took a very deep breath and went to her SUV.

  Chapter 9

  A warming smell of her chili greeted Annie as she came in the front door. Darla had the kitchen in order and the table set.

  “Here’s your sewing basket, Darla and my dress.”

  Darla quickly grabbed her sewing basket and dashed into the bedroom.

  “What’s that all about?” Annie wondered aloud to herself while she went to put her dress on a nearby chair.

  In a few minutes, Darla was back.

  “Sorry Annie, I didn’t mean to be ungrateful after you went into that dreadful trailer for me. My sewing basket is also my bank. It has my savings from all my sewing jobs.”

&nbs
p; “Is all your money there?”

  “Yes, thankfully.” Darla quickly sat down in a nearby chair. She didn’t realize how on edge she was about her money.

  “I’m trying to make a go of my sewing and alterations. Victor never thought much of my work.”

  “Darla you are really something. Victor doesn’t give you enough credit. I would personally like to give him a piece of my mind.

  …

  It was a tight fit around the table but everyone managed. The chili was a big hit with everyone having seconds. The cornbread with butter and honey went quickly.

  After dinner, everyone helped clean up and 15 minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room.

  Annie started with telling about her visit with Sadie. She brought up the mysterious red Cadillac.

  Darla gave a sudden gasp. “Did you say a red Cadillac? Did you see the driver?”

  Annie didn’t quite know what to make of Darla’s obvious distress, as she replied “No. It was leaving your place when I got to Sadie’s. It was at your trailer Friday night after the men had gone. Sadie didn’t see it leave. She was on the phone in the kitchen.”

  “Victor loaned his red Cadillac to his friend, Charlie Brooks. They have been business partners for about two years. Victor did this part-time; another one of his get rich quick schemes.”

  “What kind of business?” Annie thought that they might have hit the jackpot.

  “It had to do with home improvements. Victor never explained how the business operated. He thought I was too dumb to understand anything. I’m sure that they got money illegally from these people. Victor would only laugh whenever I told him that this was all wrong. His only response was ‘These old folks have got plenty of dough. Don’t worry your little brain about it.’ I wish I could tell you more.”

  “Do you know the name of the business, Darla?” Polly asked hopefully.

  “It was called Star Energy.” She was glad that she remembered that.

  “Now I need to confess. I think I’m responsible for Charlie finding us. I sent a birthday card to his on again off again girlfriend about a month ago. We have been good friends over the years. Victor is going to kill me when he finds out that I am the cause of all this trouble.”

  “What does Charlie look like?” Kate inquired.

  “He’s a big man, almost 6 feet tall with a shaved head. Charlie walks with a noticeable limp from an old football injury. I don’t think I have ever seen him smile. He can be abusive to women; that is why Cyndi was always leaving.”

  Annie’s head was spinning. She needed to get the twins working on this new information. “Molly and Polly, I hope you two can do some research tomorrow. Check with the Better Business Bureau using that business name, also check out Charlie Brooks and Victor Franconi.”

  Molly was quick to answer. “We are free to go in the morning. With all this information, we should find some answers. Now we did go to the casino yesterday morning. We had such a nice visit with Chris and Dan. We laughed over old times and they talked about their work at the casino. It was really quite interesting.”

  Polly spoke up about the Chief of Police questioning them. “I don’t think they were too happy. We volunteered to keep them posted. In fact Molly and I want to go out there for dinner some night and try our luck with the slot machine.”

  Kate gave a quick report about Lee. He had a family crisis and had to leave suddenly. Hank Davis vouched for him. Hank even said that he wanted Lee to work for him at the shop when Wes retired.”

  Darla was feeling responsible for Victor’s kidnapping. She excused herself and went into the bedroom.

  “Annie, I’ve been meaning to ask you about your niece.” Polly turned to Annie with a questioning look. “I enjoyed her being around when we worked that last case.”

  “She is in school, hopefully starting to study for finals. I see less of her now than when she lived in Kansas. I know she will regret not being here. My sister, Sue, has not let me forget the danger I put Taylor in before. Remember how Taylor complained all she ever got to do was make the tea?”

  The posse enjoyed few moments reliving that time.

  Molly, Polly and Kate were getting ready to leave. They thanked Annie for the great dinner. The twins were excited about their assignment.

  Chapter 10

  Early Thursday morning the twins were making their plans for the day. Every morning started with a yoga session in front of TV. Both Molly and Polly thought that all this stretching helped keep them agile and spry. Their adventures took them on very rough terrain and many guides didn’t want to take people in questionable condition. Fortunately, Peru and Sweetwater had the same elevation so the altitude would not be a problem. The twins maintained their stamina by hiking often.

  They were on a special mission today; it was amazing all the information available online with just a click of a button. Polly often thought that they should buy their own computer but Molly vetoed that idea.

  “It’s good for us to get out of the house and stay in touch with the outside world. I also enjoy visiting with Clara. She always has amusing stories to tell and she’s very helpful with our research.”

  The twins were dressed in khaki pants and different colored tops this morning. They did own a car but that was for trips out of town. Today they wore their new hiking boots that needed a bit of breaking in before their trip.

  Arriving at the library at 10:00AM, they found only Clara. She was returning books to their home on the shelves. She had an endearing quality of being like everyone’s grandmother. She had a story time on Saturday morning. The kids called her “Mother Goose”. She was short and round with lots of white curly hair. The kids loved her. She laughed easily and often.

  Polly went to claim their usual computer. She needed to finish some last-minute details for their trip. Peru would be their third foreign adventure, which made the research easier. Being retired schoolteachers, they enjoyed spending time at schools along the way.

  Molly took a nearby computer and started putting in the information she needed. She checked the Better Business Bureau in Henderson and the surrounding area for any reports on Star Energy. This resulted in several complaints with senior citizens losing their money to this company. Some people said that it was a swindle but were never able to locate the owners to get their money back.

  After making copies of this report, Molly went on to research Charlie Brooks and Victor Franconi. It showed that these men started this company two years ago. Star Energy did free energy audits for senior citizens. Prospective clients would fill out a form with all their personal information to establish a line of credit for the improvements. Charlie and Victor used the credit lines for their personal use and not for repairs. There had been a police report filed and the two men were wanted for questioning.

  “You are sure busy with the printer today, Molly.” Clara stopped by just to see if the twins needed any help.

  “I’m finding everything I need. Thank you, Clara. I think we are about finished here. I just need to gather up all my copies and pay you.”

  “I think we deserve some lunch. Don’t you Polly?”

  “I’m all for that. I think Roy’s special today is French dip.”

  The twins left and headed for the café.

  “I’m anxious to give this report to Annie. There is quite a bit to go over with her.”

  Annie saw the twins coming through the front door. She directed them to a back booth where they would have some privacy. After taking their order, she sat down with them. They both looked pleased as could be. It must have been a very successful library visit.

  Molly handed over the copies from the library. Then she briefly went on to tell about the reports. It was all there in black and white. Annie was thrilled.

  “I’ll let you know what happens after I talk to Sam. It’s time I let him in on this discovery.”

  When Caitlyn brought their order, Annie told about what a big help this young woman was. “She is trying to update
my computer system for the café. I’m quite a challenge aren’t I Caitlyn?”

  “There is hope for you, Annie.” Turning to the twins and placing their order in front of them, she remarked, “Technology changes so rapidly it’s hard to keep up with all the new innovations.”

  “She knows how to be diplomatic. Plus I sign her check.” Annie laughed while getting up to greet the new customers.

  Sam showed up for a late lunch. Annie steered him in the back booth so they could talk.