While Heidi waited for her heartbeat to slow down after hearing that news, Zack called out from the other room. “Hey, Mitch, aren’t you coming?”
“I’ll be right there!”
“The parade starts at nine and ends at Liberty Park. If you get to the north end of the park early, you’ll be able to find a parking spot. I’ll be riding in the car with Karl, who’s driving the float. Zack told me he’s too nervous to ride on it unless I’m there, too. Karl’s the one who ferries Bruno to work and back. We’ll be the first float behind my father and the horse cavalcade.”
Mitch’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll find you.”
Mitch…
“While I’m playing with Zack, do me a favor and see if you can reach that female employee from the mix room who was fired a few months ago. Use my laptop to get into the files and find her phone number. If possible, get her to tell you what led up to her being fired. Use my phone so she won’t be thrown off by your name.” He put it on the table before striding off to join Zack.
With some trepidation, Heidi sat at the table against the wall to begin her task. They’d gone over that list before. Deena Larson had been let go in April. Since Heidi had been the one to recommend her for the job, it had come as a big surprise to learn she’d been fired after the first day. To Heidi’s knowledge, nothing like that had ever happened before, but she supposed there was always a first time.
Deena and her husband had moved from Evanston, Wyoming, to Salt Lake, where her husband was looking for work. She’d worked as a pastry chef at a local bakery and came with a high recommendation from her former boss. Heidi had been impressed with her. The file indicated that Lucas had done the firing, but there was no written explanation for it.
Curious in her own right, Heidi picked up Mitch’s phone and called the first number listed. She reached Deena’s voice mail, so she tried the second number. After three rings, a female voice answered, probably from her cell phone. “Hello?”
Heidi bit her lip before she said, “Hi. This is Heidi Norris. I’m the person from Human Resources at Bauer Donuts who recommended that you be hired in April. Do you remember me?”
There was a long period of quiet. “Yes. What do you want?”
At least she hadn’t hung up on her. “This is an unofficial call. I’ve been going through some files and came across your name. When you were let go in April, I have to admit I was really surprised because you made a very favorable impression on me during our interview. Have you found another job yet?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad for that. Deena…would you be willing to tell me what happened? You’d only been working in the mix room a day. If you thought you’d been dismissed unfairly, I’d like to know about it.”
“I guess from the man’s point of view, it wasn’t unfair. I did challenge him.”
“Who? What do you mean?”
“It was the end of the shift. As I was leaving, one of the warehouse men—the name Lewis was on his tag—drove the motorized cart into the room. I saw some bags already on it. That surprised me, so I checked the tags. They were flour bags. I told him to take the bags back to the flour storage area.”
“I would have told him the same thing,” Heidi interjected.
“Well, he told me those bags were supposed to be there. But that didn’t seem right since they were supposed to be loaded on the truck. I’m afraid we got in an argument, so I went to Mrs. Owens’s office, but she wasn’t there. The only thing to do was leave the plant and talk to her about it the next day.
“But I never got the chance. Later that evening, I received a call from Lucas Bauer, the warehouse manager. He told me that Lewis had been with Bauer’s for four years and the company didn’t tolerate interference or insubordination from its employees. They ran a smooth ship, so I was being let go with a week’s pay.”
At least they’d given her some compensation, but with hindsight Heidi realized Deena had walked into something criminal without knowing it.
“I knew what had happened to me wasn’t right, but I didn’t have time to fight it. I’ve learned from experience that if you get off on the wrong foot from the beginning, things don’t normally go right. Our family needed money and I needed to find another job quick.”
Deena was a nice, decent person. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Larson. Thank you for being willing to talk to me. I appreciate it more than you know.”
Heidi hung up, horrified by what had happened to the woman. She hadn’t been wrong about Deena who was intelligent and bright and had tried to prevent what she’d thought had been a mistake. Heidi should have checked into the firing and gone to Bruno, but at the time she hadn’t been a witness to the argument, and she’d still been lacking the necessary confidence to go up against Lucas in a “he said, she said” situation.
She jumped up from the table and hurried down the hall. As she peeked around the door her gaze fell on Zack who was lying on a bench doing a bench press with dumbbells. Mitch stood next to him, cheering him on. They both saw her at the same time.
“Look at me, Mom!”
“You’re getting a real workout.”
“I know.”
Mitch chuckled. “We’re both worn out. Let’s stop for a while.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yup. You don’t want to strain your muscles.”
“Okay.”
While he was putting the dumbbells away, Mitch walked over and gave her a searching look. “Any luck?”
She nodded. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Hey sport,” he called over his shoulder, “do you want to watch that spy movie? If your mom will fix the popcorn, I’ll make us some wild berry punch. I always drink it after a workout.”
“Yum. I’m thirsty.”
“So am I.”
In a few minutes they’d settled down in the living room with drinks and snacks. Zack got on the floor to watch the film. Once he was involved, she turned to Mitch. In a quiet voice she told him what she’d learned.
He reflected for a moment. “Since you’ve been in charge of Human Resources, how many people have you interviewed for jobs in the mix room besides Deena?”
“None. That group has been together a long time. Patsy Reardon was forced to give up her job and move to North Dakota to take care of her ailing mother. It was the first job to come available there in several years. Deena’s background check was impeccable. When I met her, I thought she’d be a perfect fit.”
Mitch’s eyebrows lifted. “Too perfect. They had to get rid of her in order to stop her from upsetting a well-laid-out plan of embezzlement that had been functioning brilliantly for several months.”
Zack suddenly got up from the floor and came to sit between them. Heidi knew why he’d moved. So did Mitch, whose lips twitched. Her son wanted them to be quiet and pay attention to the movie. As if he couldn’t help himself, Mitch put his arm around him and gave him a squeeze. “You like this movie, sport?”
“Yeah. Don’t you?”
Mitch burst into laughter. “Yes, but I have an idea. When it’s over, let’s drive up to the zoo. Since the rain, it’s cooler out. We’ll buy some hot dogs and walk around. Maybe the orangutans will put on a show.”
“Hey—they’re my favorite, too! They’re funny, huh, Mom?”
“Hilarious.”
“Their baby does all kinds of crazy stuff and gets in trouble.”
Mitch’s face broke out in a grin. “Have you seen him swing that tire around?”
“Yeah. He’s strong for a baby.”
“Maybe we ought to go to the zoo right now. When we’ve seen the animals we want, we can come back and finish watching the movie. Your mother and I promise to be quiet.”
His blue eyes glowed. “I bet you can’t.” Her son was
a riot.
“Bet we can.” Mitch got in the last word.
Two hours later they returned to his apartment, still laughing from the orangutans’ antics. The spider monkeys were pretty funny, too.
They freshened up, then went back to the living room, ready to watch the rest of the movie. Before Heidi could sit down, someone was leaving a message on Mitch’s answering machine. It was in the kitchen, but loud enough to be heard.
“Now hear this, Mitch Garrett. Remember your old boss Lew Davies? How come I haven’t heard from you lately? I hope you’re winding up that case you’ve been working on, because I just received word that has made my day. Whitey Filmore’s back in custody. It’s time for you to come home. Call me as soon as you get this message.”
Zack couldn’t have comprehended all of it, but he’d figured out enough to stare at Mitch with haunted eyes. Heidi’s heart had already plummeted a thousand feet.
“How soon do you have to go home, Mitch?”
“That’s none of our business,” Heidi advised her son. “Come on. Let’s finish watching the movie.”
“I don’t want to.”
Mitch hunkered down in front of him. “That guy Lew is an old friend of mine who was just clowning around, Zack. I’m not leaving Salt Lake yet. For one thing, you’re going to be in the parade on Monday. You think I’d miss that?”
Zack’s eyes were suspiciously bright. “You’re really coming?”
“Would I lie to you?”
Heidi had to wait to hear her son whisper no.
“Can you say that a little louder please?” Mitch prodded him.
All of a sudden Zack smiled. Miracle of miracles.
“I’ve already arranged it with your mother.”
When Zack looked to her for confirmation, she nodded. “He’s going to be at Liberty Park.”
“Yup,” Mitch said. “I’ll be there with my friends taking pictures of you in your pioneer costume. I’ll be wearing a cowboy outfit with a white hat because I’m one of the good guys. You won’t have any trouble spotting me. Now how about we finish watching the movie. The really good part is coming.”
If there was a really good part, it passed by Heidi in a flash. The second the movie was over, she stood up. “We’ve got to go home now, Zack. Can you thank Mitch for a wonderful day?”
“But we haven’t played with the walkie-talkies yet.”
“Zack!”
With a penitent look he said, “Thanks for working out with me, Mitch.”
“Thank you,” Mitch answered. “It’s a lot more fun when you have a buddy.”
“Yeah.”
Mitch flicked Heidi a glance. “I’ll call you tomorrow evening when I’m through doing my research.”
Zack looked up at him. “Do you have to work on Sunday?”
“This Sunday I do.”
Heidi opened the front door. “Come on, Zack.” She was afraid he was going to ask Mitch to go to Sunday school with them.
“Okay.”
She knew how her son felt. Heidi didn’t want to leave, either. Their host walked them out to her car and helped Zack inside. “Thanks again, Mitch.” Without looking at him, she backed the car to the street.
On the short drive home she made a decision. Once Monday was over and Mitch had met with her father, she’d go back to work at headquarters on Tuesday and make certain there was no more togetherness. The message on Mitch’s answering machine had been like a bucket of ice water thrown in her face. Zack had been hit by it, too.
But that was good. It had brought them both to the understanding that Mitch’s days out west were numbered. Soon his cowboy hat would be nothing more than a souvenir.
Chapter Eight
“What do you think?” Mitch stood in front of the mirror at the Saddleman’s Emporium wearing cowboy boots and a Western shirt with fringe.
“You look like you just walked off a Hollywood Western movie set,” Chaz teased.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. That shirt looks more authentic than the plaid one you tried on.” He handed him the cowboy hat. “Now let’s see the whole bit.”
When Mitch put the hat on and pulled the rim lower, Chaz nodded. “It’s an improvement over the marshal hat you left back in Florida. I think this one’s a keeper.” The subtle hint that Chaz wanted Mitch to stay on at Lufka’s wasn’t wasted on Mitch. “You’ll be impossible for Zack to miss now.”
“That’s the idea.”
Lew’s phone message, escaping the way it did throughout his apartment at the worst possible moment yesterday, had caused definite repercussions. Particularly after Heidi had forced him to look at their situation without rose-colored glasses.
Heidi had gone all quiet. As for Zack… To his chagrin, Mitch could do nothing about anything until he’d finished the job for Bruno Bauer.
“Thanks for breaking away from your family to meet me for breakfast, Chaz.”
“Lacey was glad to get rid of me for a while.”
Mitch flashed him a knowing glance. “Liar. Marriage agrees with you.”
“You’re right. I’m so happy I go around in a daze.”
“I’ve noticed,” Mitch drawled.
He grabbed his T-shirt and shoes from the chair and walked over to the counter. He asked for a bag to put his things in and handed the clerk a credit card. Before he turned away, he said, “You wouldn’t happen to have a white cowboy hat like mine to fit a six-year-old, would you?”
“Sure we do.” She walked to the end of the store and produced one for him made to order.
“Zack’s going to like this.” He paid for it and put it in the bag. “Thank you.”
He looked at Chaz. “Since I’m driving down to Alpine right now to do some more sniffing around, this outfit ought to fit right in with all the cowboys down there. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see Gary Norris on the premises.” He squinted. “That’ll make my day. Lon didn’t have any luck spotting him when he went down there to look around.”
They walked out of the store to their cars. “Nevertheless, watch your back,” Chaz said.
Mitch nodded. “I’ll get to Liberty park early in the morning tomorrow and save us all a place.”
“Abby’s so excited, she’s doing double butterfly loops around the condo because she can’t wait.”
“Neither can I,” Mitch murmured.
After waving each other off, Mitch started his Audi and headed for the freeway. Today there was no sign of a storm. The sky was a hot blue overhead. His thoughts shot ahead. If he couldn’t find Norris at the pub, he’d start checking out the three addresses.
Twenty-five minutes later he found parking along the street in front of the Alpine strip mall. It was twelve-thirty and already the place was bustling with moviegoers and shoppers. Sunday was a big day evidently. He got out of his car, noticing people going in and out of the pub. You could hear the music outside.
Mitch checked out a couple of other stores before walking in. He spotted Georgia waiting on a table. Just the person he wanted to talk to. A group of teenagers got up from one of the tables, so he took their place. Pretty soon she came over.
When she saw who it was, she flashed him an inviting smile. “I was hoping I’d see you in here again. You look hot in those duds.”
“Thank you, ma’am. You’re looking pretty fine yourself. When’s your next break?”
“Not until two.”
“Can’t you take it now?”
“No. My boss would fire me.”
“Maybe he’ll make an exception if I ask him. Is he in the back?”
“Yes, but please don’t bother him. I need this job.”
He could see she meant it. “Okay. I don’t want to get you in trouble. T
hen will you bring me a cup of coffee and a donut to go?”
“Sure thing.” If a few minutes she was back with his order. “I’m off at six tonight.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be around then.” He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks. Next time your order is on me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sugar.”
He walked back to the restroom area in order to take a look around. This was the second time he’d been in the pub. Three employees had been on duty both times. The strip mall hadn’t been there long. In this good a location, the people who owned or leased these properties paid higher rent. Someone with money had to be funding this place.
He tipped his hat to Georgia before leaving the pub. Once back in his car, he drove to the end of the street, made a right, then turned right again into the alley. Most likely the cars he saw here belonged to employees. He spied an empty space near the pub’s rear entrance and parked the Audi.
The nearby waste-disposal bin, probably shared by several of the stores, looked full to the brim. On a whim, Mitch got out to take a look. The Dumpster was filled with boxes. He peered inside as many as he could reach and hit the jackpot on the last box, which felt heavier than the others. When he opened it, he found a discarded container of Cramer cooking oil, the same brand Bauer’s used in their outlets. If he dug deep, he’d probably find a lot more discards.
Mitch took a picture with his iPhone and hurried back to his car. After removing his hat, he called Lon.
“Hey, Mitch. Got something new for me?”
“Always. I need a couple of things. First, can you find out who either owns or leases the Drop In Family Pub in Alpine?” He gave him the address. “Secondly, the oil used to cook Bauer’s donuts comes from a company called Cramer’s in Stockton, California. If we could talk to someone there, they might tell you who does the ordering for the Drop In Pub. I know it’s a Sunday, and Monday’s a holiday, so you might not be able to find out anything until Tuesday.”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” Mitch smiled. “Where are you?”
“In Alpine doing surveillance.”
The Marshal's Prize (Harlequin American Romance) Page 13
