Priced to Kill

by Margaret Evans

  “Everybody – shifts are about to change. We still have a town to keep the peace in. You can party later,” he said. “Thompson and Beauregard will be back in two weeks. They have some maneuvering to do in Eagle Junction before releasing them. Duluth has plenty of officers which is why we get Mortensen back as quickly as we are. Broadmoor, start redoing the scheduling. And Mo, I sure am glad you’re staying,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.

  The exuberant atmosphere continued long after Connor was back in his office. Corporal Brianna Broadmoor, former Raging Ford High School cheerleader and one of Connor’s most reliable and trusted officers, poked her head into his office.

  “Got a minute?”

  “Sure. You gonna tell me you’re having twins?” Connor teased, in his best mood in months.

  Brianna grinned. She closed the door quietly before entering and taking a chair.

  “I sure hope not. Connor, what’s going on?”

  “I think that’s above my pay grade. I just do what they tell me and lead all of you the best I can.”

  She looked at him.

  “Honest. I got a call from Mallory, then I got another call from Mallory. And then I got a third call from Mallory.”

  “He didn’t explain it?”

  Connor knew she kept track of Mallory’s activities because she didn’t believe his explanations of why he was rarely in the office. He also knew she didn’t like their boss and had hoped for a better police chief than Arthur Mallory.

  “Mallory said exactly what I told you, that the state budgetary folks have just noticed the error and recalculated the ratios of peace officers to civilians in our town.”

  “And you believe him?”

  Connor tilted his head.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “There’s something you’re not telling.”

  “Broadmoor, let’s get those schedules redone as quickly as possible before they change their minds again, God forbid. I’m taking Mallory at his word, and you should, too.”

  thirty

  With as many strangers as known townspeople who patronized Laura’s little thrift shop, she was always happy to see someone she knew. In this case, Willow Wright fell into the unknowns, but Laura smiled and greeted her as the front door jangled her entrance. The crowds had grown, and Laura was glad she’d stocked the romantic and fun Valentine things as she had. The sets of pink and rose-colored table linens and even a set of pink king-sized sheets had gone in a flash. There were still a few linens left, including some hand towels with pink hearts embroidered by Jenna who had done the needlework as a donation to Laura’s store. Jenna had sat in the back room of Laura’s shop and helped her stamp red and pink hearts all over the shopping bags to add to the season.

  Red and pink scarves and red heart-shaped pillows went quickly, as well, and Laura’s stock was getting lower with four days to go before Valentine’s Day. She would have to scramble to come up with more products to sell, if the demand was as good as it had been so far. Perhaps she could crochet a couple more small pink scarves this evening and the next.

  Willow Wright, however, was not interested in holiday things. She was supposed to start nursing studies in the fall and would need some things for her dorm room, or if she was able to find expanded student housing, a lot more items. Laura took a few moments to show her around the store.

  Willow glanced at everything, checking out clothing and linens, but she passed right by the striking fireplace light display with quilts. It struck Laura as odd because almost everyone had been drawn to the flickering lights of the fireplace and commented on it, whether they bought a quilt or not. But Laura left Willow to wander on her own while she rang up another customer who purchased a set of three of Jenna’s embroidered hand towels for a powder room then rejoined Willow in her perusal of the shop.

  “It’s just that I don’t have much room where I am now to store anything,” Willow explained in that deep southern accent that Laura just couldn’t believe came from northern Florida. Although it might be because of her town’s proximity to Georgia. It could be.

  “I know it’s hard when you’re living in a room in somebody else’s house,” Laura agreed. “What about this little table lamp? It’s small, but you could use it in your dorm.”

  “Yes,” Willow said, zeroing in on the little lamp with an old-fashioned ruffled shade. “That’s very pretty. I’ll take it. Do you see anything else you can think of that I might need? What pretty teacup sets you have!”

  Laura wondered what she would do with teacups in a dorm room.

  Willow checked her watch and frowned.

  “Oh, my break’s over; I have to get back to the florist shop. Can you wrap the lamp for me and I’ll be back after work?”

  “Sure.”

  With the next wave of customers filling her shop and almost totally emptying her of all the rest of the Valentine-themed items, Laura thought she saw Willow Wright’s blonde hair again in the crowd, but as the lady turned toward the counter, Laura saw it was Kitty Lenz from Will’s bakery. Not a long walk for her, but it was good to see that Second Treasures was drawing more and more new customers. What had Will Kovacs told her? That Kitty was looking to fill an apartment that was way emptier than she wanted it to be.

  Kitty picked up a few items, including some kitchen towels, and promised to come back later for more. Laura didn’t even have a chance to discuss fudge or Kitty’s other recipes. The crowd thinned and swelled again, as if on cue. Laura was almost as busy as she’d been at Christmas, but at that time, she’d had more holiday goods to sell. Will Kovacs was right. She had to realize she was a true retailer now and would need to plan ahead and stock up better.

  When Laura closed up shop for a brief lunch in the back, she felt like jumping into a hot tub to relax. Instead, she put her feet up in the kitchenette, had some coffee and a sandwich, and treated herself to a small piece of that divine caramel sea salt fudge.

  A short while later, at Brandy’s Diner, the teenager who had noticed the suspicious couple the first time now brought the same couple to Brandy’s attention again.

  “I think they’re planning a bank robbery or a home invasion.”

  “You watch too much television.”

  The objects of scrutiny were in a corner booth, away from most of the other diners, as well as not near a window. Their heads were down and turned away from everyone, hands casually covering the sides of their faces.

  Brandy glanced at them and turned back to her table server.

  “I see what you mean. I’ve seen her somewhere in town, too. Don’t look at them! Okay, you don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of this. You go out there with your brightest smile and best service. Let me know after they go what kind of tip they give you.”

  Over in the corner, hidden from most eyes and with a false sense of privacy, the pair resumed their conversation.

  “I saw the quilts, but I didn’t see the teal one we’re looking for. I can’t stay long, my lunch is almost over,” she said.

  “Where could it be?”

  “Maybe she sold it?”

  “According to the agent, she just received the shipment two weeks ago. It would take her a while to get everything up on display, wouldn’t it?”

  “Depends on how fast she wants to sell them. She’s got some kind of fireplace-thingy that’s rigged up to look like it’s burning near the quilts, so she’s trying to make people think they’ll get warmer if they buy one of her quilts. It’s a clever idea in this unbelievably frigid weather.”

  “Was anybody else near the quilts?”

  “Not that I could see. I have to get back to work.”

  “Okay, I’ll take it from here. You don’t have to go back to the store again.”

  But as the lady left her companion, she was thinking that she wanted to go
back, if only to pick up some things she saw that she wanted. It couldn’t hurt. And it would certainly add to her cover.

  The teenage table server watched the lady go, gave the man his bill. Unbeknownst to her or him, Brandy, the diner’s owner, was snapping a picture of him from behind the counter, keeping her hand low and next to the register. When he paid with cash and left and the teen told her she hadn’t gotten a tip at all, Brandy decided she would find out who that guy was. Her server was right. Those two were up to something. Next time they came, she’d get his license plate number.

  Among the afternoon crowds, Laura was ringing up one customer after the other, until a man she didn’t know brought an armful of the red and pink silk roses to her counter. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen him.

  “Hold these for me, would you? I’m still looking.”

  It was too crowded for her to follow his activities, but he returned to the counter after waiting in line behind four people. He added nothing to the silk roses he had given her earlier but did have a question.

  “I noticed your quilts. They’re all very pretty. Nice display, too. I want to get a specific color for my sister, but I don’t see it up there. Do you, by any chance, have some more quilts in the back?”

  “What color are you looking for?” Laura asked.

  “Some greenish-bluish tones, simple pattern, nothing fancy,” he answered, giving her what he believed to be a disarming smile.

  Instead, Laura’s antennas shot up, and she smiled back graciously, pretending she was taken with him. She had learned long ago that when a stranger treated you that nicely, it wasn’t genuine and you’d better be on your guard.

  “Well, I do have a few in the back that are not ready for sale yet. I’m not sure about the color you want, though.”

  He looked curious.

  “What does ‘not ready for sale’ mean? Getting the aqua color is very important. My sister is very particular about color schemes and having everything matching. Can’t you go look in the back?”

  “Oh, I haven’t priced them yet,” she stalled, hoping he would just go away. His manner was creeping her out. There was only one teal quilt with a simple pattern in the back. Why would he press so hard for her to go look?

  Her attention was drawn to the jangling bells on the front door. The crowd had thinned and the creepy guy was the only one in the store. She was wishing she hadn’t put her gun in the safe deposit box the day before and considered hitting the silent alarm.

  For the first time in her life, she was happy to see Eric Williams, standing tall and full of muscles.

  “Eric!” she called out to him cheerfully. “I have your basket ready.”

  She excused herself from the customer, praying Williams would go along with her ruse, and ran to the back, picking up a Valentine’s Day Dream Basket all wrapped and ready for another customer who was supposed to pick it up tomorrow. She could duplicate it with no problems by morning.

  She put the large basket, filled with tempting and delicious delights, including a DVD of April in Paris and rose-scented candles with a bottle of wine and some sweet and salty munchies, on the counter and rang him up. A poster of the Eiffel Tower was rolled up and sticking out through the pink-colored cellophane wrap.

  To his credit, Eric kept a straight face before he smiled, thanked her, and handed over his credit card.

  The other man spoke up while Eric was signing the sales slip for the credit purchase.

  “Could I just go in the back and look at the quilts you mentioned? I’ll know right away if the color’s right.” He was looking toward her back door.

  Laura chuckled.

  “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I can’t let any customers back there. My insurance man would have my head on a platter,” she said, wondering if Eric was actually choking on something when he covered a cough as she said that. “Besides, it’s a big mess right now. Things all over the place. I doubt I could put my hands on the pile of quilts. A lot of them are still sealed up in boxes. Like I said, I’m not even sure I have anything in that color.”

  She noticed Eric was taking a really long time to sign his name to the charge. She hoped the other customer didn’t pick up on that.

  “Okay, maybe I’ll come back another day when you’ve had some time to look.”

  “Sure. Do you want these flowers? You picked some of the nicer ones, I see.”

  As soon as he left after paying, Laura caught Eric staring at her.

  “Talk,” he said.

  “Creepy guy,” she responded.

  “The cops still got surveillance on your shop since the last major incident? And I’m not talking about the stupid attempted robbery you had recently where you shot the idiot.”

  “I didn’t shoot anybody,” she protested. “I shot the gun out of his hand so he wouldn’t shoot me.”

  “Same difference. Are they?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m just glad you were here.”

  “You need a couple cameras that go to a security company. You know that, right?”

  “Eric, this is a thrift shop, not Tiffany’s.”

  “But you have a draw that has proven shady in the past, and you just got another one.”

  She was silent, thinking he was right but wondering how she could afford such a luxury. It wasn’t just the cameras; it was the monthly security charges that were outside her budget. Maybe she could figure out a way to make it work.

  “While you’re thinking how you can afford more security, do I really have to pay for this basket? It’s seventy-five-freaking dollars. I know you were glad to see me and all, but…” Both of his hands were still on the counter, as he couldn’t decide to finish signing for it or not. He’d only gotten through his first name once he saw the total with sales tax.

  “No, I’ll void it. Wait—why don’t you give it to your wife?” she asked, tapping her index finger on his wedding ring.

  “She’ll think I went out and got drunk and cheated on her.”

  Laura stifled a smile.

  “It’s a gift lots of women would appreciate. You can tell her you know you haven’t been as attentive as you should, and since it’s Valentine’s Day and all…”

  “How would you know how attentive I’ve been to my wife?”

  “I don’t, but even if you are, I know she would love it. Tell her you can’t afford the trip, but maybe you both could pretend. That’s the whole point of these dream baskets.”

  She looked hopeful.

  He grumbled as he finished signing and handed her the pen and the signed charge slip.

  “You owe me on this one. I do recognize a good sales pitch when I hear one, and I know when I’m being conned into something, but I have to agree it’s a good idea, so I’ll go with it and you owe me.”

  “I know. And I’ve looked at the some of the paperwork you gave me, and I think I found one policy that will work. And yes, I’ll look into the security more. I promise.”

  He reached for the basket.

  “I got a picture of him in case you want to show it to the cops, should anything more happen, which we hope it won’t, but you never know.”

  “When did you take a picture of him? You were standing right next to him. I never saw you.”

  “The minute I walked in the door and you greeted me, I knew something was wrong. I pretended I got a text and was reading it. Snapped him several times from different angles.”

  “Text it to me.”

  “Your number?”

  She gave him the number as she pulled out the LG to make sure it went through.

  “You got the same phone you had eleven years ago?” he asked, incredulous. “You’ve got to be kidding. You sure it takes pictures and you can open them?”

  “Yes, it does, but you have to text them. I have a new one, too, but I want you to send it t
o this one.”

  The crowds had thinned when Eric left with the surprise gift for his wife, and it was just about that time when Willow Wright showed up for her second run at the goods in the shop. She stuck by the teacups which Laura still couldn’t figure out, especially if she was moving into a dorm in the fall.

  “Do you still have my lamp?”

  “Absolutely. It’s all wrapped up in the back. Is there anything else you spotted that you could use in a dorm?”

  Willow turned and looked longingly at the teacups, just as Jenna came into the store and waited off to the side while Laura attended to the remaining lingerers. The sun was down and dinner would soon call the rest of them away. Then Laura would close up.

  “Those teacups remind me of my grandmother,” Willow said. “She had such a lovely collection. I know it’s not really the style anymore, but I sure would love to have some. I just don’t have a place for them yet. So many of the things in your shop remind me of her.”

  “I always have bone china teacups, Willow. I go out to estate sales all the time. You never have to worry that I won’t have some. They’ll be here when you’re ready to buy them.”

  Willow smiled gratefully at Laura and picked up a few more things from the shop, a set of sheets, two sets of towels, a bath mat, and a set of plastic glasses. When she left with all of her purchases, Laura was exhausted from the day.

  She turned the Closed sign out and locked the door, turning off the front lights and pulling Jenna by the hand into the back where they settled in the kitchenette.

  “That was a sweet thing you said to that girl about your being ready with teacups when she’s ready to buy.”

  “I know,” Laura replied, handing her friend a dinner-spoiler from her stash. “I might not even be in business by the time she’s ready. She’s starting nursing school in the fall.”

  “Oh, you’ll still be in business. You’re too stubborn to quit anything,” Jenna said, unwrapping the piece of fudge and taking a ladylike nibble.

  Laura laughed and took a much bigger bite out of hers.

  “Isn’t she the one who makes this stuff?” Jenna asked, tasting her fudge, contemplating the remainder still in her hand. Taking another nibble.