by Midge Bubany
“Mine too. We have things in common, Sheehan,” he said.
“What? Liking peanut butter cookies?” I said.
“Peanut butter cookies, cinnamon rolls, and Adriana,” he said.
I put my hand up. “Do not go there.”
Thank God Janet Felton called at that moment or I might have thrown his bag of cookies out the window.
She said, “Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but I’ve been swamped. I just wanted to tell you Silver and Laurel missed the very same days of school. I apologize for not figuring that out in the first place.”
“If you didn’t know they were friends, then how would you think to run her absences?”
“I should have known.”
“Thanks for calling, Janet.”
“Hope it helps in some way.”
“Me too.”
When I hung up, Troy was looking at me expectantly. “Janet?”
“The high school secretary.” I gave him the update.
“So Silver and Laurel slacked off together.”
“Now that’s bothering me. Silver wasn’t a slacker. She must have had a really good reason.”
“Only Laurel knows. Ask her.”
I called the Wolfsons’ home phone number. No one answered. I left a message for Laurel to call me.
Troy said, “You have to get a hold of her today. By the way, Adriana liked your idea. We’re having the Beemer sent to Adam. We attached a note saying ‘Embellishment courtesy of your daughter.’”
“Ha. Good one.”
“He’s such a jerk.”
“But a rich one with a big reach.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s not over,” I said. “He’s gonna be pissed.”
Later that afternoon Shannon texted me that she forgot to buy ice cream for Luke’s birthday party and asked if I could pick some up. When I walked into Save-Rite the first thing I noticed was their floral department and all the bouquets in buckets. I hit my forehead with my palm. How did I not realize flowers were sold everywhere?
A woman fussing with the location of the potted plants ask if she could help me. Her zebra-print glasses didn’t quite go with the dangly fruit earrings.
“Anybody pick up bouquets regularly?” I asked.
She looked confused but said, “I’m sure.”
“These bouquets don’t come with ribbon. If a customer wants one tied around a bouquet, you do that for him?”
“Sorry, we don’t have ribbon here, but you could buy some at Michael’s across the road and next to Walmart.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I found the owner, Jason Campbell. He said there was no way he could track which customers bought flowers. When I asked the three clerks working if they remembered any customers who bought bouquets regularly, they looked at me like I was nuts. I went to Michael’s to check out their ribbons. I grabbed an employee to cut samples of the one and a half inch wired silver ribbon that looked like the one tied around the bouquet we found.
Then I went back to Save-Rite to buy the ice cream I forgot.
When I arrived home, I asked Shannon how it was going. One look and I knew. She blew air out of slightly parted lips. Her face was flushed and a section of hair hung out of her ponytail, giving her a frazzled appearance.
“Where have you been? I thought you’d be home for the start of the party.”
“How late am I?”
“Thirty-four minutes.”
I glanced at the boys who were using the foam noodles Shannon had purchased as swords and bats rather than float toys. Shannon hollered at the boys in the shallow end who were shoving and dunking each other.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I’ll change and be right back.”
“Hurry.”
“Call your parents in for reinforcements.”
“I just did.”
Every five minutes it was something new. One kid found a frog and threw it in the pool while others were doing cannon balls, almost landing on each other. Shannon and I took turns yelling. Man, this was not fun at all. I secretly wished dispatch would call me. I looked at my watch: two and a half hours to go. I glanced up at the neighbors’ deck. They had big smiles on their faces as they waved. Glad someone’s having fun.
I grabbed a beach ball and started a volleyball game. It lasted all of ten minutes. Richard and Donna arrived. She organized a game of target shooting with the two supersoakers. Richard and I went inside to order the pizza and have a beer.
“Whose idea was this?” Richard asked.
“Mine.”
“Not your best.”
“No shit.”
When we went back out I asked Shannon, “Can’t we call their parents and say to pick them up an hour early?”
“No. Get inventive.”
“The supersoakers look like a hit. How about if I go to Walmart and get them for everyone?”
“I’ll go with,” Richard said.
Once in the car, Richard said, “I’m happier than a mosquito at a nudist colony to get out of there.”
When we got back we passed out eight mega squirt guns. There were two left over.
“Did you arrest two of them?” I asked Shannon.
“Luke and Channing are going to the bathroom, but they’ve been gone a while. Can you make sure they aren’t eating the cake?”
“Sure enough,” I said.
The suspects were in standing in the open door of the main floor bathroom trying to hit the toilet with their puny streams of pee.
“What the heck are you guys doing?”
They jumped, and turned to face me. Channing peed on my leg. Urine was now not only pooled just outside the toilet, but across the floor—and on me.
“Okay. The idea of the game is to quit once you don’t make it to the rim of the toilet. You’ve flunked long-range peeing and now you’ve got some clean-up to do,” I said as I headed to the kitchen for the cleaning materials.
They followed but were headed outdoors.
“Oh no, no, no,” I said. I handed them paper towels and supervised them soaking up the urine and depositing the towels in a plastic bag. Next, I handed them a bottle of Mr. Clean and a scrub brush. While they cleaned up, I gave my leg a double scrub.
When I allowed them back outside, Luke looked up at me with big eyes and said, “Are you going to tell Mommy?”
“Nah, it’s just between us guys.”
He held my gaze for a second before he and his buddy raced out the door. Shannon handed them their supersoakers. I sat next to my wife.
“What were they doing?”
“Playing a computer game.”
Without warning, Shannon and I were hit with blasts of pool water.
“Those supersoakers were a great idea, huh?” I asked.
She wiped water from her face and gave me the evil eye. “I wish I could drink,” she muttered.
I checked my phone in case dispatch had tried to call me.
What kind of a father was I going to be if I couldn’t handle a kids’ birthday party? At five o’clock the pizza arrived. At five thirty Luke opened presents, then we served cake and ice cream. We still had an hour to go, so we let them swim some more. All four of us sat poolside, shouting things like, “Watch out! Walk! No dunking! Get off him! Stop that right now!” Would this ever end?
After the last kid left, our boys went off to play with Luke’s new toys, and Shannon’s folks and I sat around the table on the deck and drank margaritas. No one seemed to notice Shannon’s was void of tequila.
“God, those boys are little dipsticks,” Richard said. “Pour me another drink, Cal.”
I filled his and mine.
“They’re kids,” Donna said.<
br />
“Anyway, how would you know, Dad? You were inside most of the time,” Shannon said.
Oh, she’s pissed.
“That’s not true. Cal and I were out here for most of it,” Richard said.
“Didn’t seem like it,” Shannon said.
“They liked the supersoakers,” I said.
“Yeah, but I think my plants are going to die from chlorine poisoning,” Shannon said.
Richard said, “In my day, we kids behaved or we got our heads knocked.”
“Men don’t remember being rowdy boys,” Donna said to my wife. They exchanged conspiratorial glances as women do when discussing how clueless men are.
“Did you have fun, Cal?” Shannon asked.
“Not so much.”
“Me neither. Next time, it’s one or two friends max,” Shannon said. “The pool was a grand idea in theory though, Sheehan.”
“Live and learn.”
“Tomorrow will be a day for relaxing. I’m looking forward to having a family day with just the four of us. Brit’s off for the weekend.”
“I’m not really off tomorrow, babe.”
I had to talk to Laurel Wolfson and every dang clerk in every establishment that sold flowers. I didn’t have a lot of hope.
Chapter 29
August 25
Saturday morning Shannon was feeling pretty good, so before I left for work, I made scrambled eggs and sausage for the family. After breakfast, the boys went outside to play with Bullet and their supersoakers. The boys and my dog were good for each other.
Before I drove to the department, I checked out the Wolfsons. A 1996 black Suburban was parked in the carport but no one answered the door. Where the hell were they? Could they have split? I left a message for Laurel to call.
When I got back to the office, I dropped the ribbon off at the lab and left a note for Betty Abbott. Then I called Tamika in to tell her I needed her help. I made copies of photos of our main players and a list of businesses that sold bouquets. I split the list in two and told her our job was to ask every clerk in every store if they remembered anyone who bought one or two bouquets with any regularity.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes, and it may take a few days.”
“I can’t imagine . . .”
“What?”
“It seems like a lot of work for nothing.”
“That’s what we do in investigations—a lot of work for nothing.”
Big sigh. “I’m on it.”
“And get a list of clerks not on duty, so we can go back and ask them later.”
“Jeez.”
Walmart was my first stop. The manager there reiterated Jason Campbell’s statement that there was no way to track the customers to sales of flowers. But I spent the rest of the day going from business to business interviewing clerks. When Tamika reported back to me, she had the same negative result I had. I drove by the Wolfsons again: still no one home.
As I walked in my back door, the fire whistle sounded, then minutes later the sirens screamed as the trucks left the station. Troy was supposedly on call.
Shannon greeted me with a beer. She was dressed in black shorts and a tight white tee. I liked the look.
“Looking good, Little Mama.”
I gave her a kiss.
“Did you hear the sirens?” I asked.
“A fire, no doubt, and do not check with dispatch.”
“I won’t. Troy is probably handling it.”
My phone rang. Shannon and I exchanged glances.
“Dispatch,” I said to her before I answered.
“Deputy Sheehan, this is LaVonne. Troy Kern wants you to join him at a fire scene.”
“Where?”
“At the Valero residence.”
“All right.”
I hung up and looked at Shannon. “What?” she asked.
“There’s a fire at Adriana’s. Troy wants me to come out.”
“Well, you better go,” she said.
“So much for a family dinner,” I said, handing her my unopened beer.
“Can’t be helped,” she said.
I saw the smoke billowing three miles away, and as I got closer, I could see flames shooting skyward. This was bad. I parked my truck on Ronson Road behind local news vehicles and walked in. I was stunned at the sight. Adriana’s home was engulfed in flames. It was beyond saving.
There were five fire trucks, but they hadn’t arrived in time to make much of an impact.
Deputy Jerry Olson approached me. He adjusted his pants to just under his big belly. He’d never pass a physical fitness test. When is this man going to retire?
“Hey, Cal,” he said.
“Hey.”
“I was first responder. Took forever to get the trucks here.”
“Hopeless feeling.”
“You got that right. Heard you met my daughter, Jenny. She’s got her application in. Chip off the old block.” He chuckled and nudged me.
“Guess so,” I said, hoping she was a better cop than her old man.
“That’s something about her friend Silver Rae, eh? You looking at that whackjob Stillman?”
“We’re looking at everybody . . . even you, Jerry.”
He got an alarmed look on his fat face. When he figured I was kidding, he broke into a grin. “Well, good luck with that whole deal.”
“Thanks.”
I left Jerry and walked over to the small huddle surrounding Adriana: Troy, Tamika, Maddie Mitchell, and Adriana’s Great Dane, who looked nervous. I stroked Tino’s back and he wiggled in beside me like he needed comforting.
“Everybody get out?” I asked.
Troy nodded.
I glanced at Adriana. Tears were streaming down her face. I went to her and took her face in my hands.
“You’re okay, Adriana. That’s all that matters. The house and all the shit can be replaced.”
“She did this, you know,” Adriana said.
I pulled my hands away and put them in my pockets. “Victoria?” I asked needlessly.
“She’s evil. Sending the Beemer to Adam with the note must have pushed her over.”
“If this is her doing, she’s certifiably nuts,” I said.
“Don’t say that, she’ll plead insanity,” Adriana said.
“Were you home?”
“No, Maddie and I had taken Tino for a long walk. On our way back we noticed the smoke.”
“Where will you stay tonight?” Tamika asked.
“With me,” Troy said.
“I don’t have food for Tino now,” Adriana said.
Troy said, “I’ll get some right away in the morning.”
How obliging, I thought.
Fire Chief Lucky Holmgren found us. “By the time we got here, the house was too far gone to save. Basically we’re just trying to contain the fire so it doesn’t spread.”
“Everything’s gone,” Adriana said.
“Do you have any idea what caused it?” I asked.
Lucky said, “An accelerant was used, most likely gasoline. Looks like it started on the deck and spread, but we’ll see.”
Troy said, “No offense, Lucky, but I say we get us some expert help. I want this done right. And if Cal’s right about the Lewis woman being responsible, we should do something soon before she disappears again. What if I send an email attaching a photo of her to all the sheriff departments in Minnesota saying she is wanted as a person of interest?”
“All right by me,” Adriana said. She turned to Troy, “I’ll have to take tomorrow off and find a place to live and buy basics—like clothes. All I have is what’s on my body. I’m going to call Phillip right now.”
She left and Tamika said to me,
“About the flowers?”
“Yeah?”
“Do I do work on this report or finish with the flowers tomorrow?”
“I’m pretty sure one of us will handle this. Right, Troy?”
“Yeah, I’ll do the paper on this one.”
Troy said he didn’t feel well and took Adriana back to his place. I stayed until Lucky said the crew was convinced the fire was no longer a threat. Crime scene tape once again surrounded the property.
When I crawled into bed, Shannon said, “How bad was the fire?”
“A total loss.”
“Oh, no. Poor Adriana. So where’s she going to live?”
“She’s at Troy’s tonight.”
“He’s moving quickly.”
“Yeah.”
“I was thinking we should rent out my house instead of selling. What would you think if I ask Adriana if she’d be interested?”
“Sure. Whatever you want.”
But it would be one more way for Adriana to be in my life.
“Mom and Dad know I’m pregnant.”
“Did you tell them or did they guess?”
“Mom noticed I wasn’t drinking. She said it’s the only reason I’d refuse. Is it okay I told them?”
“You can tell anyone you want.”
Chapter 30
August 26
On Sunday morning after Bullet and I went for a run, I pulled the Birch County Register out of the newspaper box and glanced at the front-page story: More Trouble at Emmaline. Then I unfolded it and saw the photo they ran with the article. I froze. It was a silhouette of me cradling Adriana’s face, with the fire in the background. It was dramatic and intimate—like we were still lovers. Why did I hold her face like that?
Shit—shit—shit.
It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds and they snapped a photo? My first impulse was to trash it, but Shannon would find out anyway. This is bad—really bad. I set it on the counter and went upstairs to shower and dress, trying not to wake her.
When I got back to the kitchen, Brittany had eggs out on the counter. “I’m making an omelet. What do you like in yours?”
