A Minute on the Lips

by Cheryl Harper

  She waved at him again. He was motionless on the sidewalk. Andi wanted to burn rubber but acted in the absolutely appropriate, speed-limit-obeying manner befitting an officer of the law and drove sedately away. She looked in the rearview mirror again and for the second time that day, Mark Taylor was watching her drive away.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ANDI WAS STILL rattled when she came to a stop in front of her grandmother’s unit at the assisted living facility. Shady Pines had opened just as they needed it. Gram was now recovered from the fall that brought Andi home to Tall Pines, but she wasn’t well enough to live alone. They argued on a pretty regular basis about her living arrangements. Andi wanted her to come back home. She wanted to take care of Gram the same way Gram took care of her when Andi’s mom had lost her battle with cancer.

  Gram was happy in Shady Pines and had no desire to return home where she’d have to cook and clean and entertain herself. At Shady Pines, she had shoppers and cooks and a constant stream of card games whenever she wanted. That was her story. She never deviated from it.

  As stubborn as Gram was, there was no way Andi was leaving. Not yet.

  As long as she won the election. When she’d first come home, she’d applied more than once for the sheriff’s office. She would have been content as a deputy, maybe even in dispatch, but Ray Evans held a mean grudge. When she’d first come back, desperate to make a good impression, she’d swanned into the sheriff’s office and proceeded to tell Ray just how much she could improve the workings of the sheriff’s office with her advanced training.

  Obviously she’d been gone so long she’d forgotten some key factors about living in Tall Pines. Natives were pretty sure the way they had done things for decades or centuries was the right way. No newcomer would tell them any different. The fact that she’d made her little speech in front of the mayor, the president of the bank and richest man in town, and other assorted head men in charge had pretty much sealed her fate. Ray would hold a grudge. He might even deserve to. If she could figure out the kind of apology it would take to set things right, she would make it. When...if she lost this election, Ray would have the last laugh.

  Andi loitered outside until the heat and the flutter of the living room curtains signaled it was time to go in. Dealing with her grandmother was tough on the best of days. She was sharp. Nobody pushed her around, not even for her own good. She might need a walker to get around and a little help keeping the floors scrubbed, but she had eagle eyes and a mean intellect. Andi didn’t think it would do any good to pretend everything was normal, but she wanted to try.

  “Hey, Gram!” Andi called as she opened the door. She’d lectured Gram over and over about keeping the door locked even during the day, but those words had fallen on selectively deaf ears. Andi thought she remembered to lock it at night and tried to content herself with that. She also told herself not to check because the knowledge that Gram might forget would make her crazy.

  “Well, Andi, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sit in the car all evening.” Gram’s voice was low and soothing. Unless she was mad. Then it could reach decibels that might register in the next county.

  “Just checking in with dispatch, Gram.”

  As Andi bent to kiss her cheek, Gram reached up for a hug. She smelled of clean laundry and vanilla; it was comforting. And sometimes it brought tears to Andi’s eyes, but not tonight. She was too nervous to be sentimental.

  “And were you thinking you’d have two big stories in one day?” Gram leaned back in her recliner and watched Andi closely. She froze for a second, certain that Sarah had called Gram before she’d even delivered Mark’s ribs. Finally she took a deep breath and looked out the window to stall before realizing she was just talking about Jackie. Gram obviously hadn’t heard the possibility of a second hot story.

  Andi shook her head as she dropped down on the cushiony sofa and asked, “Have you had dinner, Gram?”

  She nodded serenely. “And have you?”

  There was just something about the look. Andi wanted to blithely acknowledge her salad and cheesecake and gloss over anything else. Two things stopped her. First, Gram knew something was up. Andi could tell from the look on her face. And second, if someone else told her about the dinner with Mark Taylor, and someone would—they always did—she’d be livid. Gram didn’t expect Andi to keep any secrets from her. And Andi understood that. Gram knew her better than she knew herself sometimes.

  Andi stretched out her legs and plumped a pillow behind her head. She crossed her arms over her face and managed to mumble, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And what did you have?” Her sweet tone voice wasn’t fooling Andi. She was pretending to be patient. Gram wasn’t patient. Never had been, obviously never would be.

  “I had a salad, a slice of cheesecake, and...a dinner companion. At the Smokehouse.” There was silence. It was a long, uncomfortable silence. Finally, Andi moved her arms down and looked over at Gram. She was staring down at her hands. Just waiting. She had always done that. And Andi had always hated it.

  “Mark Taylor.” When she didn’t say anything, Andi added, “The newspaper editor.”

  Gram nodded slowly. When she had nothing to say, Andi continued, “He didn’t ask me out. He just showed up, sat at my table, forced me to talk to him and paid for my dinner.”

  “Funny sort of date.”

  “This wasn’t a date, and he’s a funny sort of man.”

  “Hmm, did he ask you out again?” Gram sounded as if she didn’t believe she was getting the whole story.

  Andi held up one finger. “Let’s be clear. He never asked me out the first time.” One corner of Gram’s mouth quirked up, but she didn’t answer. “He offered his help with Jackie’s case.”

  “And I hope you were at least polite when you turned him down.” Gram picked up her crochet hook and yarn and started working on the dishcloth in her lap. She’d always crocheted, but her projects had gotten smaller to match her space. On the bright side, every church yard sale made a nice chunk of change from her donations. Gram had to have a project going at all times.

  “So you think I was right to tell him no?” That surprised her a little. Gram made no secret of her wish for Andi to go out more, live a little.

  Gram arched a single eyebrow and tilted her head. “Well, now, I never said that. I just know how you feel about him.” She returned her attention to her dishcloth with a little sniff. “Seems a shame to turn away help, even from the newspaper man.”

  “But, Gram...” Andi huffed. They’d been through this before.

  “Andrea, he was doing his job. I said it then. I’ll say it now. Maybe you don’t like the way he did it, but not everyone has the same...attitude you do.”

  “So I’m wrong to be upset over the angry calls I got?”

  Gram’s mouth tightened before she dropped her crochet hook. “You’re wrong to take everything so personally. The only way you can avoid angry phone calls is to perform absolutely perfectly or do nothing at all. And we both know what you’ve chosen.”

  Andi rolled her head on the pillow. This was an old conversation, too. Gram had never understood her goals, her ambition. As she closed her eyes, Andi realized that wasn’t exactly true. Gram understood better than anyone why Andi was driven to be the best. She just thought Andi ought to take it a little easier.

  Andi was starting to wonder if she was right.

  She rubbed her forehead. Of course she was right. Gram was always right.

  “Well, this might surprise you. I’m thinking of taking him up on his offer. Being on better terms with the newspaper editor during an election couldn’t hurt.”

  Gram nodded. “And he’s very popular in this town. Could help you with voters.”

  That stung just a little bit. “I’m thinking of agreeing to his offer of a date, a sort of working dinner where we talk
about the case but it looks like something more to everyone else.

  “This time listen to me.” Gram shook her finger. “Maybe you try a real dinner and normal conversation. Forget the job for two seconds and enjoy yourself with the town’s most eligible bachelor. And if you can’t, you’ve got to go, Andi. You have to get back to Atlanta or wherever it is that you can enjoy life a little. That’s what you should be doing, not campaigning to win a job you don’t really love.”

  Andi sighed. This was how it went between them. And as she usually did, she ignored Gram’s orders to go. “Fine. So you think a date would do that? And I should just forget that he runs a newspaper and is firmly attached to Tall Pines and I’m...”

  The silence stretched out as they both considered how to fill in the blank. Andi wanted to go. Gram wanted her to. But it wasn’t the right time. Not yet.

  Andi waited.

  Finally, Gram pursed her lips. “It wouldn’t hurt to go for dinner once or twice. Let your hair down a little. And maybe try a smile or two.”

  This was familiar territory. Any social difficulty Andi encountered was because she didn’t smile enough. She’d need to have a smile surgically implanted to keep up with Gram’s demands. So she was serious. She always had been. Was that a crime?

  As the town’s sheriff, Andi was uniquely qualified to affirm that being serious, logical and dependable was not against the law. In some places, those characteristics would even be celebrated. In fact, being serious had made her very successful in her FBI field office. Maybe she’d been out of step there, too, but at least she recognized the music. Tall Pines had a completely different song.

  Clearly a subject change was required. Gram agreed. “There was a bit of a bother over at Jackie’s this morning.”

  Happily, Andi nodded. This she could talk about easily. “Yeah, before I even made it to the office, Nettie had me turned back around and headed over there. Someone broke into his safe and took money and some important papers, along with all of his cook-off trophies. He had a group gathered, but I can’t see any of them being involved.

  “Mark was there this morning,” Andi continued, “and he might be the type to play a joke on someone...” The lightbulb went off over her head because this was exactly what she was afraid of. It was easy enough to rule him out as a suspect because he wasn’t the kind of guy who’d intentionally harm someone. At least she thought so now. And something inside loosened up a little. She believed him. None of that meant he wouldn’t take advantage to get the inside scoop—all in the name of the “truth”—and let the chips fall where they would.

  “And?” Gram was watching Andi closely again.

  “And I don’t think he’d try to hurt Jackie on purpose. And Oscar’s an employee. Jackie might be hard to work with, but would he risk his job for what little money Jackie kept on hand?”

  Gram worked a few double crochets before she answered. “I don’t know if you can rule it out. What does he say?”

  “Absolutely nothing. He manages a yes or a no and every once in a while a single-word answer.”

  “Who are his people?”

  Andi smiled. She should have known that question was coming. Gram would never hold it against him, being born away from Tall Pines, but she still asked. “His mother teaches at the school. They seem to be a real nice family. Awful quiet though.”

  “And was that everyone?”

  “No, Wanda Blankenship was there, too.”

  Gram glanced at Andi over the top of her glasses. “Have you interviewed her?”

  “Just for a minute. Of course, she was the perfect example of cooperation. After she flirted with Mark Taylor.”

  In a dry voice, Gram said, “I think she must be guilty, then.” Andi laughed as she sat up straight on the couch.

  “Gram, I absolutely wouldn’t mind if she were, but I somehow don’t think life is going to work out that neatly. It never does.”

  Gram put her crochet hook on top of the dishcloth in her lap. She reached out to take one of Andi’s hands. “Well, it hasn’t always been easy, that’s for sure. That’s why I don’t understand why you stay here.”

  Andi shrugged. “I stay here because you stay here.”

  Gram closed her eyes for a minute. “You know I’m not always going to be here. Then what?”

  Andi smiled at her. “I’m pretty sure I’m headed to Vegas right after the funeral, Gram. I’ve always wanted to be a showgirl. Without you holding me back, I’m going to be a star.”

  Gram tilted her head and squeezed Andi’s hand. “How did you get to be so hardheaded?”

  Andi bugged her eyes out and gave her head a wiggle. “Why, I do declare I have no idea.” The truth was they both knew that as soon as Andi had the chance, she’d leave Tall Pines. No matter how well she did as sheriff, Ray Evans would continue to oppose her while he was able and every election would be a battle.

  Gram picked up her crochet hook. “You probably ought to get on home. It’s getting dark out there.”

  She seemed to forget that Andi was an officer of the law, licensed to carry a gun and use it when necessary. And that they lived in a small town where a business robbery was the biggest news in a while. To Gram, no one should be out after dark. Nothing good happened after dark.

  The sleepless night and long day were wearing on Andi so she decided to take Gram up on this piece of wisdom. “Okay, night, Gram. When I stop by tomorrow night, I’m going to have a new hairdo. Got any advice?”

  She pretended to study Andi and her long brown curls. “I think you should go blond.” She laughed as she said it so there was no possibility that Andi would take her seriously.

  Andi shook her head. “Okay. Don’t be surprised if I show up with a blond buzz cut tomorrow. You had your chance. Maybe it’s time to shake things up around here.”

  Gram waited for Andi to kiss her cheek. “Baby, I think you might be right. You go ahead and shake some things up. Try smiling at that handsome young man.”

  Andi pulled back and gave Gram her best lawman’s gimlet-eyed stare. “How do you know he’s handsome?”

  She shook her head. “Some lawman you are. His picture’s in the paper, dear.” Her tone was mild but Andi could hear the unspoken duh in it.

  “Right.” Andi walked over to the door, opened it and made a theatrical show of turning the lock on the knob for her.

  When Gram said, “Good night, Andi,” she waved and walked out to her car.

  On her way home, the streetlights illuminated empty roads. Jackie’s Country Kitchen was closed for the evening. A lamp in the back sent weak shafts of light through the dining room. Andi stopped and tested the door. It was locked. She got back in and drove around behind to check the alley. It was well lit as far as alleys go, and it was deserted. On the way home, she passed the newspaper office. Mark Taylor had an apartment on the second floor of the building. Lights were on up there but the newspaper office was dark. Apparently the news did sleep, maybe right after the weekly paper went out.

  Andi turned onto the two-lane highway that led out of town then made a quick right down the lane to her house. It was a well-loved place. That was clear even in the bright moonlight. It was neat. There were healthy bushes and well-kept outbuildings. And someone was waiting for Andi. Her cat, Mojo, sat in the living room window as she pulled to a stop in front of the house. Sometimes she thought about getting a dog. After years of living in an apartment, she was lucky enough to have plenty of space now and the Tall Pines shelter was always crowded. If she were sure this was going to be home, she might. The only problem was Mojo. He had a bad attitude and lightning-quick reflexes. They’d ironed out a tenuous peace over eight years, and he’d almost forgiven her for packing him up and driving him more than two hundred miles. That had taken more than two years. She had no idea how long the recovery period might be for bringing home a dog. Pl
us, she liked the routine she and Mojo had established. She tried to get him to talk to her in the morning and evening with a can opener, and he tried to ignore her the rest of the day.

  As she dropped her keys on the kitchen counter, Andi sighed with relief. It was good to be home. And no matter how hard things might be in town, when she was here, Andi felt safe. She could remember family dinners here, back when she was sure she’d never be happier than she was at Gram’s kitchen table. Mojo meowed loudly at her feet.

  “All right, cat. Here comes the chow.” As she pulled down a tin of expensive cat food, Andi smiled and hoped for a good night’s sleep. Her campaign was going to kick into high gear tomorrow. It might be the last night of good sleep until she made her acceptance speech.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THERE WERE A few things Andi could not compromise on. Black coffee was one. It was the only proper way to drink coffee, and it had not escaped her notice that Mark Taylor drank his the wrong way.

  Another thing that was nonnegotiable for Andi was having nice hair. Sure, she kept it tamed in a ponytail for almost all her waking hours, but it was nice to know that she could let loose her crowning glory if she wanted to. Crowning glories didn’t come cheap or easy. For Andi, it required a morning in the chair over at the Hair Port under the very capable hands of Lynn Davis. Lynn was the only person Andi trusted to get her color the right shade of “better than the original but not quite noticeable enough to cause talk.”

  Lynn looked like she’d just moved up to the eighth grade, but she’d actually been doing hair in Tall Pines for about five years. And there was not a single secret in the county that she didn’t know. There’s a power in being a hairdresser. She had a captive audience.

  Going to see Lynn was a double-edged sword. Even after growing up as the subject of more than a few conversations, Andi had to fight the temptation of trading information with the ladies in the Hair Port to fit in. So she’d just listen. And keep her mouth shut. All the time. Because any details Andi let slip would travel across town before she made it back to the office two blocks away. If Andi could do that and pick up anything about Jackie’s case or the suspects, the hundred-dollar check she was going to leave behind would be money well spent.