by Tim Myers
“Great, I bet it’s something I really need. It’s a pedicure, isn’t it?”
She hesitated, obviously expecting a little more excitement than I’d been able to muster. After a slight pause, she said, “No, I’m sorry, that’s not what you won at all. If that’s what you were hoping for, perhaps you could trade prizes with the woman who won the beauty treatment.”
“No thanks. I’m actually kind of happy I won the stuffed armadillo instead.” I don’t know why I’d said it even as I did, but for some odd reason, my earlier conversation with Diana had lightened my mood enough to be playful with this stranger.
I could hear her riffling through some pages when she finally said, “Mr. Perkins, we didn’t raffle an armadillo this year. In fact, to my knowledge, we never have.”
“Then I don’t have much chance of winning it, do I?”
That seemed to confuse her even more. “This is Benjamin Perkins, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
After another hesitation, she asked, “And you did enter a raffle on Saturday?”
This had gone on long enough. “I entered one ticket in each of the pickle jars, but to be honest with you, I didn’t even look at the prizes you were giving away. I’m sorry for the confusion. So what did I win?”
With new energy in her voice, she said, “You’ve been chosen to receive a complimentary dinner for two at The Lakefront Inn.”
Wonderful. The food was excellent there, and the ambiance was the best there was in Harper’s Landing. Unfortunately, it was also the place Kelly and I had gone on our first date.
“That’s fine,” I said, not able to hide my disappointment.
The woman said, “Honestly, it’s quite nice. My husband took me there on our anniversary.”
“Fine. Okay, thanks for calling.”
I was about to hang up when she said, “Mr. Perkins? I’m afraid there’s a stipulation to your prize.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
She hemmed and hawed, then finally admitted, “The dinner’s for tonight. I’m sorry about the short notice, but it is a stipulation for the prize.”
“Of course it is,” I said a little louder than I should have. Kelly wasn’t an option for a dinner date anymore, and neither was Molly. I wasn’t about to take one of my sisters or my mother. Maybe I’d give the whole thing to Bob. His wife deserved a nice meal out, and they could celebrate their wonderful news in style. “Do I need a coupon or anything?”
“No, just show your driver’s license to the maitre d’ and you’re set.”
“Do you mean I can’t give it to someone else?” I asked.
She hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry, but it’s nontransferable. You’ll have a delightful time, I’m sure of it.”
“Dinner for one at a fancy restaurant? What’s not to like?”
She laughed. “Didn’t I say? It’s a meal for two, so feel free to bring a date.”
“If I can scare one up, I will.” I hung up, wondering what I was going to do. There was no way I was passing up a free meal at The Lakefront. Though Kelly had insisted on paying during our date, I’d left the tip and it had still put a dent in my weekly budget. It looked like I was going to be taking Mom after all when Diana walked up. “Ben, I have a question for you.”
Should I ask her to join me? Why not? “Okay, but I want to ask you something first. How would you like to have dinner with me tonight at The Lakefront Inn?”
“I’d love to,” she said before I could barely get the words out of my mouth.
I quickly added, “I just won a free dinner from the raffle Saturday, and I have to use it tonight or lose it.”
Diana frowned. “I must admit, I’ve had more romantic propositions in my life. You are asking me out on a date, aren’t you?”
Was I? Kelly had broken up with me, and Molly would probably never be any more than a great friend. So why shouldn’t I start dating again? I’d felt a spark with Diana from the first time we’d met.
I must have taken too long to answer. She said softly, “Ben, if you’ve changed your mind about asking me, that’s fine. Just don’t leave me up in the air like this, okay?”
I smiled at her and took her hands in mine. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little out of sorts today. Can I try it again?”
That brought her smile back. “Absolutely.” She made no move to pull her hands away from mine.
“Diana, would you like to go out with me tonight on a date to The Lakefront Inn?”
She pretended to think about it, started to shake her head, then began to laugh. “That’s much better. Yes, I’d love to go out with you tonight.”
Her enthusiasm wiped away my last doubt. “Then it’s a date. You won’t have any problem getting away from the bookstore, will you?”
Diana smiled. “For dinner with you at The Lakefront, I’d close my doors if I had to. I can’t wait.”
“It sounds like fun,” I agreed.
Some of the members of my class were milling about the shop, and I saw that it was five minutes until we needed to get started. I caught Cindy’s smile and realized she’d witnessed my entire bungling attempt to ask Diana out. I figured I might as well take the abuse from her up front, so I said, “Would you excuse me for a minute?”
Diana nodded happily, and I walked over to my sister. “Go ahead, get it out of your system.”
Cindy tried to look innocent, but it was beyond her range as an actress. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You heard me foul that up. Blast away.”
Cindy shook her head. “I’d be the first to admit that you used a technique I’ve never seen before, but she said yes, so I figure that’s a success, don’t you?”
“That’s it? That’s the best you can do?” I knew my family too well to think I was going to get off that easily.
Cindy said, “Ben, I think it’s wonderful. From what I’ve heard about Diana around town, I think she’s actually a better fit for you than Kelly ever was.”
I didn’t even know where to start in replying to that, so I just shook my head and walked away. Before I could get to the classroom door, I heard Cindy talking to Kate and Louisa. “You all are not going to believe what our big brother just did.”
They were both listening raptly when I announced that class would begin in one minute. That broke up their chat as effectively as a bucket of cold water, since Cindy was assisting me.
I was walking to the front of the classroom when Cindy called out, “Hang on a second, Ben. You’ve got another phone call.”
“Take a message and I’ll call them back,” I said. “I’m just getting ready to get started.”
“It’s Grandpa,” she said. “From the sound of his voice, you need to talk to him.”
I walked back to the counter and said, “Fine, I’ll talk to him, but that means you have to start teaching the class by yourself until I’m through.”
“No way,” she said. “That wasn’t part of our deal.”
“Sorry, but you have to do it.” I looked around and saw that Louisa and Kate were both waiting on customers. “It shouldn’t be that bad. I shouldn’t be long.”
She reluctantly agreed, then said, “What should I do?”
“Help them get their soaps out of the molds, teach them how to cut and cure them. I should be back before you’re finished.”
“And what if you’re not?” she asked. There was a real look of terror on her face.
“Listen to me, Cindy. You are a wonderful soapmaker, and you have it in you to be an excellent teacher. Trust your instincts. Show them some of the blends you’ve made in the past. They want to learn, and they’re eager for you to teach them.”
She hesitated. “But I could never do what you do.”
“And you shouldn’t. Find your own style. Remember, I believe in you. Now from what you said, I’ve got to take this call. Go on in there. Your class is waiting for you.”
I walked behind the desk, but I didn’t pick the telephone up until
I watched Cindy walk inside. It was a trial by fire, and not one that I had arranged for her, but I knew if she could get through the first two minutes, she’d be fine. Paulus was just going to have to wait. I counted to 120, then I walked over and cracked open the door.
Cindy was showing Herbert Wilson how to free his soap, and Constance was adding her own direction. My littlest sister turned to her and said, “Constance, it looks like Myra’s having a little trouble in back. Could you be a sweetheart and help her?”
Constance nodded vigorously. “I’d be delighted.” After she was gone, I saw Herbert wink at Cindy and I knew my sister had crossed that particular hurdle.
By the time I got back to the phone, the line was dead. I was sure that whatever Paulus had wanted hadn’t been all that urgent. If it was, he’d surely have held on the line. Then again, if he’d had to go in a hurry, I knew my grandfather would call back. I was tempted to sneak inside and watch Cindy teach, but I knew she needed the chance to try it solo first, just to prove to herself that she could do it.
The phone rang again, and I picked it up. “Where There’s Soap,” I said, as was our custom at the shop.
“Good, I found you,” my grandfather said. “Where were you?”
“I was just getting ready to teach a class. Sorry about that. What’s going on?”
There was a level of enthusiasm in my grandfather’s voice I hadn’t heard in years. “Ben, I think I’m on to something.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you think, boy? I’m talking about Earnest’s murder. I’ve been digging into it, and I’m learning some pretty fascinating stuff about the man.”
My grandfather was not the subtlest of men. It worried me that he wasn’t taking the proper precautions when it came to nosing into other people’s lives. “I didn’t realize you were looking into it.”
He laughed. “You’re not the only Perkins who’s good at snooping. I’m surprised how much fun it is.”
“You’re being careful, aren’t you?” I asked. “This isn’t a game, you know.”
“Ben, I was able to stay out of trouble for well over forty years before you were even born. I know how to watch my step.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him. “Why don’t we work on it together? We can share our thoughts, and that way we can look out for each other at the same time.”
He snorted into the phone. “I don’t need a babysitter, either. I just wanted you to know what I was doing.”
I had to be careful; I could tell he was feeling defensive. “I’m talking about teamwork, Paulus, just like we have running the shop. We need to work together on this. So what have you found out?”
“Well, I’ve uncovered some pretty fascinating stuff. Have you had a real look at some of the jewelry in the Joy store’s cases? I was in there this morning—Ben, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back later.”
“Wait, what is it?” I asked, but the line was already dead. Great. As if Molly didn’t have enough problems with me digging into her official police inquiries, now she was going to have to contend with Paulus snooping around as well. I loved the enthusiasm I’d heard in my grandfather’s voice, but I was worried, too. Even though he was quite a bit older than I was and more experienced in life, he was a neophyte at this, and there weren’t many mistakes allowed investigating murders freelance. His snooping added just one more reason why I’d have to get serious about my own investigation if it would help me keep him out of danger. I was concerned enough to consider calling Molly and telling her about Paulus’s behavior, but then quickly rejected the idea. The way she’d been acting lately, she’d probably find a reason to lock us both up.
To my surprise, Molly herself walked into the shop twenty seconds after I’d rejected the idea of talking to her.
As she approached me, I could see that she was as displeased about seeing me as I was in finding her at my family’s soap shop.
I saw her stop and talk to Louisa a second, who quickly hurried into the back room. After a few seconds, Molly approached me.
“So, are you here to arrest me?” I asked. I was only half joking when I’d said it.
“Why, are you confessing to something?” There wasn’t much humor in her voice, either.
“Hardly. I just seem to be the only suspect you’re focusing on.”
I realized I’d goaded her a little too much as soon as I’d said it. “Ben, believe it or not, I’m looking at other people close to Earnest Joy. Besides that, I’ve got other cases I’m working on.”
“More important than a homicide? I thought you handled one case at a time.” I didn’t need Molly distracted. She had to be focused on finding Joy’s real killer.
She frowned. “Normally I do, but we seem to be having a crime spree in Harper’s Landing at the moment. I’m helping out on an arson investigation and I’m coordinating a counterfeiting task force, too.”
“Counterfeiting, here? You’re kidding, right? We’re not exactly a hotbed of criminal activity, are we?”
She was about to reply when Jeff came out of the back. He smiled the second he saw Molly, then scowled at me. “Would you keep your voice down, Ben? I could hear you all the way in the back.”
“She started it,” I said.
“I did not,” Molly protested.
I hadn’t seen Mom lurking in the wings, but she had to have been nearby, she got there so quickly.
“Molly, I need to see you and Benjamin outside.”
Jeff protested, “Mom, we’ve got a date.”
“It can wait. You stay here.” She pointed to Molly and me, then said, “Now.”
Even though Molly was a seasoned cop and I was a grown man, we both followed her with worried expressions on our faces. My mother was an expert at chewing people out, and it looked like we were both going to get a lecture neither of us wanted.
The day was pleasant out on the porch, but the rocking chairs were empty. At least nobody would witness the castigation. Before she could get started, I said, “I want to say something first.”
“I want to go first,” Molly said.
“Sit,” Mom commanded, and we both did, our protests dying in our throats.
“Molly, I’m disappointed in you.” Her words were spoken softly, but there was an edge to them. “You are a professional police officer, and yet I hear you practically shouting at my son from all the way upstairs.”
I thought Molly would protest, but she just said, “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
I stared over at her, not believing what I’d just heard. She’d never given up in a fight so fast in her life. It was an apology based on appeasement, not sincerity. I couldn’t believe Mom was buying it, but evidently she was. Great. Now it was my turn.
She stared long and hard at me before saying, “You, young man, should know better too.” My mother loomed over me, and there was a real snap to her words. “Are you ever going to grow up?”
“I think I am,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” she asked.
“I said I am.”
Mom shook her head. “I sincerely doubt it. I understand you two are going through a rough patch in your relationship, but you need to stop this right now before you kill your friendship completely.”
Molly said, “All due respect to you, Mrs. Perkins, but I’m dating Jeff. I don’t have a relationship with him.” As he said the last word, she pointed in my direction while avoiding eye contact with me.
My mother said, “Molly, a friendship is a relationship, too. You’ve been in each other’s back pockets since kindergarten. I still can’t figure out what there is between you, whether it’s just friendship as you both so vigorously proclaim or something more, but I do know how important you are to each other. You’ve got to stop this bickering.”
“Then tell her to stop trying to pin a murder on me,” I said.
Mom jumped all over that. “Benjamin, you know Molly is fair. She’s just doing her job, and you’re not making it any easier for
her.”
“So what do you want me to do, confess to a murder I didn’t commit? That would make life easier for everybody but me.”
“Don’t be flip with me, young man. I expect you to give her the respect she deserves.”
Molly had a smug look on her face as I capitulated. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And as for you,” Mom said as she turned back to Molly, “I hope you find what you’re looking for, I sincerely do, but don’t trifle with my sons’ hearts. Any of them. Do we understand each other?”
Molly paused, then said, “Yes, ma’am, I believe we do.”
Mom smiled at us both, then said, “Good, I’m glad we got that settled. Now I understand you have a luncheon date,” she said to Molly, who gratefully got up and went back into the shop.
I started to get up, too, when Mom said, “Ben, I’m worried about you.”
“What else is new?” I asked, trying to smile as I said it. “That’s what you’re best at.”
As I stood, she hugged me. “No, this is what I’m best at. You’ve had your world turned upside down in the last few days, haven’t you?”
“I’ve had better weekends,” I admitted. “But I’ll be all right.”
She pulled away and patted my cheek. “I know you will; you’re strong. Do you know what you should do?”
“What’s that?” I asked, fearful of what was coming.
“You should go out tonight and have a nice time. Try to forget about your troubles. Find someone interesting and ask her out to dinner. You don’t have to propose. Just have fun. You deserve it.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew Mom would find out soon enough. “Actually, I just made a date with one of my soapmaking students. We’re going out tonight to The Lakefront Inn.”
She had a shocked look on her face, and a part of me wanted to stop my explanation so she could wonder about it for the rest of the day. I couldn’t do that to her, though.
After a pregnant pause, I confessed, “I won a free dinner for tonight from the raffle Saturday, so I’m taking Diana Long out. She owns Dying To Read in town.”
