“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey, sweetness,” Derek said.
“Hi.”
“What are you up to?” he asked.
“I’m just on my way to get a bite to eat and then to the store to get groceries,” I told him.
It was loud where he was. I looked at my dash clock and saw 5:10 p.m.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Hey, do you still like Barcardi Coke or do you want something else?” I heard a woman’s voice say. Then there was a scratching like he was covering the phone, and some muffled words I couldn’t make out.
“I … ah … just finishing up a work report, and then heading home for the night. I thought I’d check in with you.”
I wasn’t happy.
“So you do work reports at the bar with women and cocktails now?” I asked trying not to sound angry. “Who was that?”
“Uh, no. Well, yes and no. I’m finishing up a report but I needed to get some paperwork for another detective, so we met here at the lounge down town,” he said. I didn’t know if I trusted that.
“Oh, who’s the other detective? Anyone I know?” I asked in a more friendly tone.
“No, it’s one from the MPD. They were assisting on a case that involved one of the gangs in the area that we both deal with.”
“Oh, okay. Well you two have fun and enjoy yourselves,” I said.
“You sound upset. This is a work thing, not a date, Sara. You don’t have to worry about anything,” he said.
I could hear the smile in his voice, which made me even madder. But really, he can do what he wants. It’s not like we’re exclusive, right, Sara?
“Oh, yeah, of course not! I know that. Sorry, I’m just tired. I just got up from a nap and I’m super hungry. Sorry if I sounded crabby,” I said.
“So what else is new? Any plans for the week?” he asked.
“Nope, well I guess I’m kinda helping new friend with a project.”
“Really?” What kind of project?” he asked in his police voice.
“She wants me to check up on her husband. He’s a little off lately, and she thinks he may be cheating. I told her I’d help her out.”
There was a long silence.
“As a friend, right? Is she paying you?”
“Why?”
“Well, because if you’re acting as a private detective you need a license. And if you’re getting paid to do this, you should have one.”
“Whatever!” I said. Man I hate rules.
“I didn’t hear that. Just keep me informed on the other happenings in your life and I won’t know anything about that should it come up. Okay?”
“Okay.” I’m not going to get a license for this crap. If anything her husband should need a license to cheat. She shouldn’t need one to find out if he’s cheating. Sheesh! “Well, I’ll let you get back to your uh, business meeting,” I said.
“Okay, take care. I’ll call you tomorrow … after you’ve eaten.”
“Whatever.” I said annoyed and disconnected.
Hmm, was that our first fight? Who cares. I’m going to eat tacos and stock up on wine. I’ll be good in a little while. Men! Who needs ‘em? Wowzers, I’m crabby. Must be PMS. I pulled up to the door just as a police car did. I threw it into park and jumped down. There was Rex.
“Hey, you!” he said with a smile. “Come here often?”
I laughed out loud.
“I was just going to ask you the same thing.”
He stood by his open door and took his jacket off, then tossed it on the passenger’s seat. Under it was a tight blue uniform shirt and a belt full of “toys.” My mind left for moment, on a mini vacation, to a happy place, that included a cop and a billy-club and …
“Sara?” Rex asked.
“Huh?” I snapped to attention.
Sheesh, yup I must be hormonal. There was heat where there shouldn’t be heat when one is standing in a public parking lot. “Here for the Mexican Buffet?” I asked.
“Never miss it,” he answered with a grin and squinted eyes.
I wondered if he could read my mind.
“You?”
He shut his door and walked to the sidewalk to meet me.
“Yeah, I was going to make something, but I have nothing in the fridge. Bummer too ’cause I was kinda craving homemade food.”
“Really?” he said and stopped.
“Really. I’ve been eating out a lot lately and haven’t had much energy since the … kidnapping. Man I hate that word.”
“Oooh,” he said sympathetically. “Then I have an idea, and since you owe me, it’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Really?” I said. “What’s the offer? ”“We are going to get in our vehicles, drive to the grocery store, and you are going to walk with me through the aisles while I get everything I need for my famous Taco Pie. Then we’re going to drive to your place, and I’m going to make you a home-cooked meal and plop you down on the couch where you can rest while I clean up. And then …” he paused, looking confused, looking for something to say.
“And then?” I asked with my eyebrows in the air, a small smirk on my face.
“And then I’ll bid thee farewell, my lady,” he said with a slight bow. “But there’s one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You borrow me some Tupperware so I can take some leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow.”
I eyed him up and down. I already knew my answer, but I wanted him to sweat a little.
“You can’t refuse. It’s my turn,” he insisted with puppy-dog eyes.
“Okay,” I said, “but I get to pick out dessert.”
“Deal!” he said and extended his hand. I shook it. He held onto it and said, “Okay, follow me to the store.”
I parked next to him in the grocery store lot and climbed out of the Jeep. He was already standing by his truck waiting. We walked in together. I followed him through the aisles as he explained his recipe.
“My mom taught me how to cook from a young age, and I must admit I am pretty good at it.”
As we went along our conversation was mostly about foods—what we liked, what we didn’t like, and most importantly, favorite desserts. We both agreed that cheesecake was the best. We stopped by the bakery and I picked out a turtle cheesecake just before heading to the till. He insisted that he pay for the Taco Pie, but agreed that I could get the cheese cake. After we were rung up, we went back to our vehicles and drove to my place. It was really dark already, stupid time change, and it was downright cold out too.
I drove the speed limit the whole way home. It took forever. I pulled into the driveway close to the front door and he parked behind me.
“So do you always drive the speed limit exactly?” he asked as he grabbed the bags out of the back.
“As you know, no I do not. Normally I speed but now that I know the cops in this town keep a close eye out, I do more often. I always do when one is following me though,” I said with a wink.
Once inside I started a fire in the fireplace and turned on the stereo for background music. Rex started unpacking the food and asked me for a few items like a frying pan and nine-by-thirteen baking dish. I grabbed a couple of cold beers out of the fridge and opened them.
“Here ya go!”
“Aw, thanks!” he said and drank half of it. “It was a long shift today.”
We talked some more about his boring work day, and then he taught me how to make taco pie. He plopped a pound of hamburger into a pan and handed me a spatula.
“Here ya go. Brown it up, nice and small.”
I went to work on that while he chopped up an onion and garlic. He added it to the pan, and then unrolled a package of Pillsbury crescent rolls and stretched them to fit the bottom of the nine-by-thirteen pan. He opened a bag of nacho cheese Doritos and crushed a few handfuls, sprinkling them on top of the dough. After the meat was brown, he added the Ortega seasoning packet and water like normal and then sp
ooned the meat over the chips. He brushed his arm across mine to reach for the shredded cheddar and sprinkled the entire package on it.
“That’s it!” he said and put it in the 350-degree oven.
He finished the rest of his beer and I got him another one.
“How long before it’s done?” I asked. I was starving, and the beer was really kicking in.
“Only about twenty minutes.”
We cleaned up the kitchen, got plates ready, and sat in the living room and talked for a bit. He asked about my store and if I was going to change the hours for winter. I told him the new hours and he promised to come in and get some help with Christmas shopping.
When the oven beeped we jumped up and went to the kitchen. It smelled wonderful. Rex cut a large piece for me, put it on a plate, and said to add whatever I wanted to it pointing to the counter where he had set out lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, and taco sauce. I piled a little of all of it on top and sat it down at the table. I got two glasses of ice water, and two more beers over to the table and started in. Rex was already two bites into it.
“Mmmm. Oh, my gosh! This is amazing, Rex!”
“And so easy!” he added. “And it’s better than the Morning Glory Buffet, at least once in a while.”
We ate a few more bites.
“Thanks for coming over and cooking for me.” I said.
“You’re welcome,” he replied sincerely.
After we ate, he did the rest of the dishes and I got him out a Tupperware container, which he loaded up, then told me that I got to keep the rest. I didn’t argue that one at all. I heard my phone ring and looked at the screen. It was Derek. I ignored it, but suddenly felt guilt pouring through me, not that I should’ve. After all he’s at the lounge with little miss Bacardi-Coke. I set the phone it back onto the counter.
“Don’t want to talk to him right now?” Rex asked.
I realized I wasn’t the only one who could see the screen.
“Nah, I’ll call him back later,” I said as I put all the toppings and leftovers in the fridge.
I grabbed the cheesecake out and cut two pieces. We ate that and went into the living room again. He asked me about Miss Kitty, and I told him everything I knew. He seemed very interested in Vincent, but I didn’t have a lot of information on him yet.
“The guy seems shady. I’ve talked to him a couple of times, and he seems like the kind who tries to feel ya out to see if you can be paid off. Just a jerk! No respect for the law. I made it pretty clear I wasn’t going to be bought. And he never actually said those words but he was pushing the subject. Anyway, like I said before, be careful. Just watch your back and don’t get too close to them. I don’t trust them. And remember you can always call me if you get in to a situation you don’t like,” he told me.
“I know, and I will. Thanks.”
I smiled and got up and took his plate from him. After I put the dishes in the sink, I returned to the living room. He looked at me with his soft, dark eyes. Our eyes locked and I wondered again if he could read my mind. Again I felt the guilt wave!
“I should go,” he said and broke his stare. “You need your rest and my work here is done.”
I laughed.
“Thanks for coming. Supper was amazing.”
When he got up to put on his shoes I went to the kitchen and grabbed his leftovers from the fridge and put half the cheesecake in another container for him too.
“This has to go with you, too,” I said handing it to him.
“Oh, fine!” he said, and took them. “Thanks. This was fun.”
“Yes, it was. Thanks again for the home-cooked meal, and the lesson.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’ll see ya soon.” He turned the door knob and walked out. He looked back as I closed the door and winked. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
I closed and locked the door, and tried to control my heart rate and catch my breath. I was suddenly startled by my ring tone.
“Hello.”
“Hey, did you get some food in ya?” Derek asked.
Did I ever!
“Yup, I ate Mexican. It was good.” I answered. “How was Bacardi-Coke, or whatever her name was?” I asked, surprising myself at the sarcasm. It had come out of my mouth before I knew it.
“Huh,” he sighed before answering. “The investigation will be complete once the paperwork I got is added to the file. Then I can close the case. And the cocktail was fine, pretty weak, but fine,” he answered.
“That’s nice,” I said trying to use a nicer tone.
“So what did you do tonight?” he asked.
“I got some groceries and had Mexican food with a friend, and I’m home. What are your plans for the weekend?” I asked trying to move on to a new subject.
“Not sure yet,” he said. “You?”
“Not sure yet either. I’m going to go to bed now. I’m still pretty worn out from the events of last weekend.”
“Yeah, I’m still having nightmares about it to. It was pretty scary, Sara.”
Ahh, now he’s being all sweet, and I want to be crabby. Dang him. I exhaled hard. “I know. I’m sorry,” I said gently. He was so nice to me, and here I was being mean to him.
“Well, I have to work all week, but I have the whole weekend off. I’d like to see you, if it works for you,” he said.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll work. I’ll call you later in the week and we’ll set something up,” I said.
“Okay, I’ll wait to hear from you. Have a good night. Get some rest okay?”
“I will. Good night,” I said and disconnected.
I sat there on the couch for a while longer feeling confused. I prayed to God, hoping he remembered me, and asked him to calm my mind. I didn’t know what to think about either man. Both seemed to like me but I didn’t know what I wanted. I prayed that it was just PMS and would pass. Derek’s my boyfriend right? It was just a business meeting. But what was the Taco Pie about? Ugh! I grabbed another beer, the last beer, from the fridge and went to the bathroom and soaked in the tub. I read through Vogue, then dried off and went to bed.
Faith woke me up before dawn. I shooed her off the bed and tried to go back to sleep again, but it didn’t work. I got up, showered, and got dressed. My plan today was to check out Vincent’s schedule and see if I could figure some things out. I dressed in dark, comfortable jeans, and t-shirt with a sweatshirt over that. I wore socks and tennis shoes in case I had to run fast. I was kind of excited to spy on someone. I had gotten rushed the day before and I liked the puzzle of it all. Maybe this is my new thing! Sara Martin, detective at large! I was drying my hair and laughing at myself in the mirror, while my mind was coming up with all kinds of crazy crap. I mentally designed my super hero suit and cape when my phone rang. I turned off the hair dryer and ran to the kitchen. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Sara Martin?” asked a strange voice.
“Yes it is.”
“Hi Sara, gosh I don’t even know where to start. Umm, my name’s Kerry Vedders. I met you briefly at the vet’s office on Saturday. I was with the great Dane and my daughter …”
“Oh, yes, I remember. How are you?” I asked.
“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d remember us. I’m … I’m really not good. I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from the receptionist. She was very reluctant to give it to me, too. Please don’t be mad at her. I promise not to harass you. I just … I’m out of options. You see I’m recently divorced. I moved to this state to follow my husband. All of my family and friends are back in Iowa. I have a daughter in middle school, that I try my darnedest to keep up with, and a mother who is sick, needs constant attention and is being put into a nursing home. I need to help her with the move and the sale of her house. She’s broke and I can’t afford to cover any payments for her. I’m the closest child to her, so it’s up to me to help with all this.”
“Wow,” I said.
&n
bsp; “On top of that, I need to get her stuff moved to her room at the home and then get her house stuff packed up, auctioned off, and the house ready to sell. But, the real kicker is now there’s Pepper. My daughter’s pride and joy, her best friend through the whole mess her father caused. Her dad ran out on us, and as much as I want to keep Pepper, I just can’t do it right now. I’m going to be gone for a few weeks and Hailey’s going to stay at a friend’s house from school so she doesn’t have to miss classes, but I don’t have any place for Pepper.”
She finally paused to take a breath, so I jumped in.
“Kerry, if you need someone to watch Pepper, I can do it for a few weeks.”
I heard her catch her breath. “Really? Oh, my gosh, are you sure? I know it’s a lot to ask. Plus he’s huge and he’s an indoor dog.”
“Really, it’s no problem. I love animals, and I know he gets along great with my kitten, Faith. I have room here at my cabin, and I also have the apartment in the Cities which allows pets, so it’s fine.”
“Oh, Sara, I’d really appreciate it. It’d just be for a few weeks, I promise … But there is just one catch. He needs surgery. The doctor insisted I do it a.s.a.p. so I scheduled it for Friday morning, but I was hoping that Saturday I could head to Iowa.”
I jumped in again, “So you’d need me to get him from the vet Saturday morning?”
“Yes, it’s awful timing I know. Does that work with your schedule?”
“Yes, I’m very flexible, and Faith has an appointment Saturday morning anyway, so I’ll just take Pepper home with me after her appointment.”
“You’re so kind. I really appreciate this. I’ll meet you there Saturday, and be there when the doctor gives follow up instructions. You realize that he’ll be in a cast right?”
“Will he be able to walk by himself?” I asked trying to picture how I would get him in to the house and back out to pee and poo every few hours.
Found and Destroyed: The Second Sarah Martin Mystery Page 23
