Fatal Festival Days
Page 14
“I don’t know. The bottle was in my bathroom medicine cabinet, and then it was gone. I tried to recall if I put it in my purse to take with me. I do that sometimes, because I like to take the pills with food, so if we’re going out for a bite to eat, I’ll take them along, but
I can’t remember. Those pills could be anywhere.”
“Do you recall the day you discovered they were missing?” I asked.
“What is the Lost Drug Recovery Department?” she asked, suddenly sounding suspicious.
“It’s … um … it’s the recovery effort of the county to … uh … recover lost drugs. Prescription drugs. It happens a lot. You’d be surprised.”
“I am surprised. You don’t think I sold them, do you?”
“Sold them? No. No. I don’t believe … that is … we’ve found there isn’t a market for blood pressure medication drug deals. By individuals. Drug dealers. That kind of thing.”
Anna covered her eyes. Roy got his flask out. Johnna twittered in almost silent laughter beside me.
“Anyway,” I continued, “do you recall when you misplaced your medication?”
“I noticed when we were packing to spend some time in Indiana, a week ago now.”
“And um, did you go to Indiana?”
“We didn’t. What does that have to do with my lost pills?”
I frowned. The Buntleys did come to Indiana. Why was she lying? “Uh, nothing. I’m just getting a time line together.”
“Well, that’s all I know. If I find them, I’ll let my doctor know.”
“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Buntley. Goodbye.”
I hung up and rehashed the whole conversation to everyone. “So she could’ve misplaced them at home, or taken them with her somewhere and lost them.”
“No one saw Starnes or Lana in town before Clayton died,” Johnna said. “So how would they get the pills to Clayton even if they are the mystery kind that was in his system?”
“Which we don’t know,” Logan said.
“Hoof beats,” Roy said.
“I’ll beat you,” Johnna said.
“There are still too many unknowns,” I said. “Nothing is adding up like it should.”
“And what about David Dixon?” Anna asked. “Do we really think Jason killed him?”
We all looked from one to another around the table, but nobody seemed certain enough one way or another to say anything. Finally, Roy broke the silence.
“Hoof beats,” he said. “Jason didn’t do it. Lana’s the most obvious, just like the pills.”
“How is Lana more obvious than Jason?” I asked. “It was his couch the ice pick was found under.”
“It’s too coincidental,” he said, taking a swig from his flask.
“Maybe we should split up,” Logan suggested. “Half of us work on Dixon, and the other half on Banks. Anna and I will start finding info on Dixon. Who wants to help us?”
“I will,” Monica said in a rush, like she was buzzing in on Jeopardy. I gave her a dirty look over my shoulder.
“Guess that leaves us,” I said to Roy and Johnna. “Zebra hunters, or horse hooves or whatever.”
“You’re mixing up the saying,” Roy said, pushing Gus away. “Now I’m leaving. I’ve had enough of this dog prodding me with his nose.”
“Gus!” I called. “Get over here! I’m sorry, Roy. I don’t know why he’s taken such an interest with you today. Unless you have bacon in your pockets or something.”
“That reminds me,” he said, “Soapy’s started selling sandwiches. Think I’ll go see if he’s got any breakfast ones with bacon.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all morning,” Johnna said, tucking her knitting away in her bag. “I’ll join you.”
“Cameron?” Roy said. “You coming along? You’re the third wheel on our investigative team, after all. We can leave these other three to their business. Not that they’re going to solve anything without us.”
“How much do you want to bet we find Dixon’s killer before you guys find Clayton’s?” Anna asked.
“Don’t encourage him to gamble,” Johnna said.
“Hush,” Roy told her, then turned back to Anna. “You know I’m a wagering man. I’ll bet you—”
“We’re not betting!” I shouted, stopping the craziness before it got out of hand. Roy was taking food from Johnna; he was not making a bet with Team Anna and Logan.
Roy gave Logan a sly wink, like they’d finish their wager later, when I wasn’t around. Gus nudged him in the hip, sending him off balance. He took a step and grabbed the back of the chair. “This dog needs to learn some manners!”
“Gus!” I yelled. “I’m sorry, Roy. I’ll buy your breakfast sandwich to make it up to you.”
“Better throw in a cup of coffee, too. You never know when this hip will give out on me now because of that.”
“Absolutely. Coffee, too.”
Good gravy. If I was the next to kick off in this town, everyone should know it was this crew who was the death of me.
• Fourteen •
Soapy’s was packed. Like always, news had spread fast, and it seemed the whole town was here for his breakfast sandwiches. Roy, Johnna, and I stood in the line that snaked from the register and barista station in the center of the room all the way past the door on the side of the building, to the back wall.
Theresa took order after order, making coffee drinks and working the register as Soapy rushed in and out of the kitchen with sandwiches.
“They could use another pair of hands,” I said. Then I saw Andy rush out of the door to the basement where they had their storage area. He wore a Soapy Savant shirt and an apron, and took a box marked hazelnut coffee flavoring behind the counter to Theresa.
“Looks like they have another pair of hands,” Johnna said, eyeing me, like she was waiting for me to be jealous or something.
Why on earth would I be jealous that Andy had a job? If anything, I was relieved of the guilt I’d felt when I didn’t need him anymore.
Who was I kidding? I missed having him around. I did feel a pang of jealousy that he was working somewhere else, but it was ridiculous! He couldn’t work for me anymore, so of course he’d work for someone else. It was great that Soapy and Theresa had found someone reliable and hard-working like Andy. It was a perfect match for all of them.
“We can leave if it’s going to be awkward,” Johnna said.
“Why on earth would it be awkward?” I smiled and changed the subject. “Looks like they have three different kinds of sandwiches listed on their menu board. Which one are you getting?”
Fortunately, she turned her eyes to the board to read about the new offerings and dropped the subject of Andy. With him helping Theresa make coffee, the line moved quickly, and soon we were at the front.
Theresa gave us a warm and weary smile. “Good morning,” she said. “It’s nice to see you three. What can I get you?”
We ordered and moved down the line to where Andy was making our coffee. “I gave you an extra squirt of chocolate,” he whispered to me, conspiratorially. Then he leaned in across the counter. I did the same, realizing he had something private to tell me. “Look back there.” He jerked his head back toward the front of the cafe.
At a table by the window, Richard Banks sat with John Bridgemaker. My pulse sped. This was the break we’d been waiting for. This was proof. Granted, they might be old pals from back when Richard lived in the town, but Richard had a good decade, if not more, on John, so I was reluctant to believe they were childhood friends.
I nudged Roy and nodded my head toward our suspects.
“Lookie there,” he said. “Think I’ll go and say hello, see what the topic day jury is.”
“Day jury?” Johnna shook her head. “I think you mean du jour. You’re no international playboy, Roy, that’s for sure.”
“I’ll go,” Andy said. “I have the perfect cover. I’ll refill their coffee and eavesdrop at the same time.”
“No,” I said. “You can’t do that. What if they complain to Soapy? I don’t want you to jeopardize your job.”
“Complain about coffee refills?” He smirked.
“Three bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches,” Soapy called, hustling up behind Andy. “I’ll find you three when the line dies down to say more than good morning, but in the meantime—good morning!” He laughed and took off back into the kitchen.
“Two caramel cappuccinos!” Theresa called to Andy.
“We’ll leave you to it,” I said.
“I’ll get the scoop and fill you in as soon as I get a break.” He grabbed two cups and began packing coffee into a silver thing—some part of the fancy cappuccino maker.
“Let’s sit as close to them as we can get,” Johnna said.
“No tables up front, though,” Roy said, steering us toward a table in the back corner. “This will have to do.”
We settled in at our table, and I soon realized that all three of us were staring holes in Richard and John. “We need to take turns watching,” I said. “We can’t all do it at the same time.”
“Yeah, Roy,” Johnna said, “try being discreet.”
“Look who’s talking. You’re about as discreet as a circus train pulling into to town.”
“Oh, there goes Andy,” I said, tracking his progress across the room with a coffeepot.
He came up behind John while he was talking and stood there for a moment, not interrupting. Then Richard looked up and smiled, pushing his cup toward the edge of the table to be filled.
Andy took his time. At least, he took as much time as he could to fill both cups, which wasn’t much. The couple at the table next to Richard and John got up and left, giving Andy an excuse to linger, picking up napkins, empty sandwich plates, and coffee mugs. After he took the dishes into the kitchen, he came back with a cloth and wiped the table and each chair, slowly and methodically.
“I hope he’s hearing some dirt,” Roy said between bites.
“There’s Claudia and Ethan James,” Johnna said, “Elaina’s great-niece and -nephew. They must be in town visiting. I think I’ll go say hello.” She hoisted her knitting bag over her arm and ambled off across the room.
“And there’s Elaina and Dan,” Roy said, watching the door.
Elaina had her arm hooked through Old Dan’s and was practically dragging him across the room. I couldn’t look at them without smiling. And laughing. That poor man was swept up in a tornado of polka dot–wearing force that he couldn’t resist. Elaina had more energy than a woman half her age, and I should know, being just under half her age.
They made their way over to the table where Johnna had joined Claudia and Ethan James, who I believed were Elaina’s brother’s great-grandchildren. There were so many family lines to keep track of in Metamora that I often got them mixed up.
“There she goes, showing off her tea cozies,” Roy said, shaking his head as Johnna pulled a couple knitted items out of her bag. “She’ll try to hawk them for a buck or two.”
“What’s a tea cozy?” I asked.
“It’s a sweater for a teapot,” he said. “Supposed to keep it hot.”
I didn’t ask how he knew. I figured he got the whole rundown and probably even a demonstration from Johnna.
The Soapy Savant began to empty little by little as we finished our coffee. Andy finally got a break to come over and talk to us. He sat his own mug on the table and took the chair beside me. “What a morning,” he said. “I feel like I just ran a marathon.”
“The sandwiches were great,” I said. “I think Soapy and Theresa are on to something.”
“Enough chitchat,” Roy said. “Spill it. What did you hear?”
“They’re talking about Clayton’s land,” Andy said. “The Mound Builders’ Association wants to buy it.”
“I knew it,” I said, my mind buzzing. “What did Richard say?”
“He was saying it would be difficult with Jason in prison.”
“Did it sound like shady business?” Roy asked.
“Of course it’s shady business,” I said. “They’re talking about making a deal without the land owner present. That’s shady.”
“How does this tie into Clayton’s murder, though?” Andy asked.
“There are still a lot of moving parts,” I said. “We’re trying to figure it out.”
“We’re looking in the wrong place,” Roy said, reaching for his flask. “This business isn’t part of it.”
“Don’t be so quick to write it off.” I took a sly glance toward Richard and John’s table. “People have been killed for land before.”
“What do you think, Andy?” Roy asked, eager to get someone on his side of the argument.
“I don’t know. People are crazy, especially in this town. I have to get back to work.” He hustled off without saying goodbye.
“Chilly,” Roy said. “Seems he’s still upset with you.”
I looked after Andy, regretting the way our working relationship had ended. I did him wrong and had to find a way to make it up to him.
Dress shopping with Mia was one of my least favorite activities. The winter dance at the high school was a few weeks away, and Mia was on the court for the sophomore class. When I walked through the door getting home from Soapy’s, she’d wrangled me into taking her to the prom and bridal store where all the girls bought their dresses.
“I told you,” she said, shooting down the dress I held in my hand, “it has to be one of the colors for the dance—red, white, or black. It can’t be blue.”
“I don’t understand why you all have to wear the same colors,” I said, shoving the blue dress back onto the rack.
“All the girls on court have to match the colors of the theme.”
“And it can’t be long, but not too short, and not sleeveless, but not with sleeves either, and you want sequins, but not too many and not beads, is that right?”
“Yes.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked to the next aisle of dresses. “And I want the skirt to be puffy, but like layers of meshy fabric.”
“Chiffon is what you mean. I think. Basically, we’re on mission impossible.” Where was Irene when you needed her? Probably bossing someone around somewhere. I followed Mia to the next row of dresses.
“I don’t know why you won’t just let me order one online,” she said.
“Because you can’t try it on. I’m not spending a bunch of money on a dress and waiting for it to show up just to find out that it doesn’t fit, all before we end up here anyway.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m never going to find one. We need to go to Indianapolis. That’s where Steph found hers. There’s nothing in this stupid town.”
“Before we lose our cool, let’s go through all the dresses that they do have, okay?”
“I don’t even know why I’m going. I don’t have anyone to go with. I’m going to feel so dumb.”
Mia never offered any insight about boys and who she liked or who liked her. “You don’t need a date to have fun at a dance. I’m sure you’re not the only girl going without a guy. Isn’t there a … ” I spotted Robin walking into a fitting room. What in the world was she doing here?
“Hello? Earth to Cameron. Isn’t there a what?”
“Oh. Uh, a group. A group of girls you can go with?”
I needed to find out what Robin was up to. Mia was going on and on about the dance, and I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. A piece of the
Clayton puzzle was right under my nose, I could feel it.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mia asked, crossing her arms in a huff.
“Of course I am. Let’s just grab a few dresses and you can try them on. You never know what might look nice on.”
“I haven’t found any I want to try on.”
I had to get Mia to the dressing rooms so I could run into Robin and find out what she was up to.
“Okay, listen. Don’t ask me why, but I will take you to Indianapolis to shop for a dress if you pick one up right now and go try it on.”
“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “Why do you want me to try one on so bad? What’s going on?”
Mia had been involved in other investigations the Agency had undertaken. I didn’t like bringing her in when I didn’t need to, but it was clear she wasn’t going to go along with my plan until I gave her a reason.
So I told her, and then asked, “Do you understand now why I need you to try something on?”
“All you had to do was explain why,” she said. “I’m not a little kid, you know. I can help you.”
Maybe she was right. She was a frustrating teenager, but when I treated her more like an adult, she tended to act more like one, too. It was hard to treat her like a grown-up, though, when she was freaking out about a dress for the winter dance.
She pulled a dress in her size off the rack. “Come on.”
I followed her to the fitting rooms and took a seat on the nice plush chair by the mirrors to wait.
Robin was in the room two down from Mia. She’d been in there for about five minutes, and I hoped she would come out and take a look at herself in front of the big mirrors that showed different angles. Even if she didn’t, I’d be sitting here when she came out.
The sales woman stopped in. “How’s she getting along?” she asked. “Is the size okay?”
“I’m not sure she has it on yet,” I said. “I’ll let you know.”
She knocked on Robin’s door. “Can I be of any assistance?”
“I’d like to try this one in a smaller size,” Robin said, tossing a black dress over the top of the door.