Diners, Dives & Dead Ends

by Terri L. Austin

  “What?” Ma slammed the knife on the counter. “He has Axton? What does that mean?”

  “Sheila gave me that list of numbers. When I called he answered ‘Sullivan.’ He told me to quit asking questions and said he had Axton.” That was creative and no one would worry, right? “Also, Pack and Sun Kissed Manny know each other.”

  “What’s the dress look like?” Roxy asked.

  Ma lightly smacked her arm. “Is Axton all right?”

  I thought about that horrible picture of Ax bound and gagged. He looked terrified. “I’m not sure.”

  She came around the counter and pulled me into a hug. “I miss him so much, Ma. I just want him to be okay.”

  “Maybe you should go to the police, Rose. I know this Bossy Jackass—”

  “Sullivan,” I mumbled against her shoulder.

  “I know he said not to, but maybe it’s time.”

  “I already went yesterday with Dane. They don’t care. The cop treated me like I was the criminal. He didn’t believe me.”

  “Dick,” Roxy said.

  “He kind of was.”

  “I wish I knew what to tell you, toots.”

  “Me too, Ma.”

  I went to the bathroom and splashed some cool water on my face. Had I done the right thing not telling them Henry kidnapped me and took me to a Godfather-style sit down with Sullivan? I didn’t know what the right thing was anymore. I was putting everyone around me in jeopardy. Would it be better if I warned them? Or would it just make them as paranoid and jittery as I was?

  Sundays were usually our busiest day with people waiting up to thirty minutes for a table. But because the heavy rain continued throughout the morning, we were pretty slow.

  Dane showed up at eight. He shrugged out of a wet all-weather jacket and hung it on the peg by the door. Running a hand over his hair, his gaze moved around the diner until it found me in the corner pouring coffee.

  I smiled and made my way over to him. I felt pretty guilty for leaving him in front of the police station yesterday, but I’m not sure I wouldn’t do it again. I didn’t appreciate Officer Thomas or his piss-poor attitude.

  “Hey,” I said.

  He smiled. “Hey.” He brushed his thumb along my cheek. “You look tired.”

  I raised my brows. “Oh stop, you’re making me blush. About yesterday, I’m sor—”

  “No,” he said, “I’m sorry. Andre Thomas may be a good cop, but he acted like an ass and I told him so.”

  “I found a name for BJ.” Before I could explain further, Ma walked up.

  “Hello, young man.”

  “Ma Ferguson, this is Dane Harker.”

  She held out her hand. “Dane, it’s a pleasure.”

  “Nice to officially meet you. Do I call you Ma?”

  “Everyone else does. Rose, we’re not busy right now. Go sit down with this handsome young man and take as much time as you need.”

  Dane smiled a little at the compliment.

  I grabbed him a cup of coffee and led him to the table.

  Dane snapped his fingers. “Oh, before I forget, I have something for you.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a folded piece of paper, then handed it to me. It was a copy of a webpage for NorthStar.

  “What’s this?”

  “All the information I could find about NorthStar. And that,” he nodded at the paper, “was not a quick Google search.”

  “This is it?” There was a logo and an address for a PO Box in Florida.

  “Afraid so. Looks like a dummy corporation.”

  “And that is?”

  “A shell company that’s a front for another company, and that company is just a dummy for yet another company.”

  I sighed and looked up from the paper. “So can we find the dummy who’s in charge?”

  “Easier said than done. These things are usually set up as tax shelters. There are often many, many knots to unravel. Think of it as the Russian nesting dolls of corporations. Could take years to figure it all out. And that isn’t my area of expertise.”

  One step forward, two steps back.

  “Now what is this about finding out BJ’s real name?”

  I told him the creative version of my conversation with BJ and finished up with Sullivan having Axton.

  “How do you know it’s true? Maybe he’s just telling you that to make you back off.” He sipped his coffee and glanced at me over the rim of the cup.

  I shrugged. “He sounded pretty convincing. But I also found at least one NorthStar business has a link to Packard Graystone.” I told him the link I found between Packard and Sun Kissed Manny.

  Dane rubbed one finger along his temple. “None of this makes sense.”

  “I want to know more about that list of people I showed you, the one with dates and numbers. How do they fit in?”

  “You can’t seriously think the people on that list have anything to do with Axton’s disappearance? I know those people. Mayor Briggs was on that list. And Martin Mathers, the Chief of Police? You think he’s involved?”

  “Why else would Axton give it to me for safekeeping? What else could Sullivan want?”

  “I don’t know, but the idea of these people being involved with…” he trailed off.

  “Kidnapping a pothead?”

  “Come on, even you have to admit this is a little crazy. Do you think Michael Dayton, one of the partners at my firm, and my boss by the way, even knows Axton?”

  “What do you mean even I have to admit this is crazy? Axton had this hard drive for a reason, Dane. He gave it to me for a reason. This is connected to his kidnapping whether you want to believe it or not.”

  He leaned forward, a look of pity crossed his face. “I know you want to believe that, but there’s no evidence to support it. Axton doesn’t move in these circles. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Axton doesn’t, but his brother does.”

  He leaned back. “Right. A well respected doctor, a member of the city council, somehow ties into Axton’s disappearance? How? Why? It’s probably a donor list for a charity.”

  It bothered me how Dane kept referring to Axton’s kidnapping as a disappearance. It stopped being a disappearance when I saw that chilling photo. But I couldn’t tell Dane that. “Thanks for the info about NorthStar. I need to get back to work.”

  Dane grabbed my wrist. “Come on, don’t be like this.”

  I pulled away. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later.” I stepped into the kitchen to take a deep breath.

  Dane totally dismissed me.

  Why would Axton have an encrypted list on a hard drive if it wasn’t important? I was convinced I was right. If Dane didn’t want to help, fine. I’d keep going on my own.

  Even after Sullivan’s latest threat, it never crossed my mind to quit looking for Ax. I missed him so much. His goofy grin, his Star Wars t-shirts, the way he’d drop by the diner for breakfast or bring me a pizza and a horrible sci-fi movie. Axton had the sweetest spirit of anyone I’d ever met.

  Sullivan certainly made it clear he wanted me to quit looking. I had a good reason to let this go, the safety of my family and friends. But my heart had an Axton-shaped hole right now. I would keep going.

  An hour after Dane left, Steve Gunderson walked through the door and propped his umbrella against the wall. He smiled and waved at me before taking off his glasses and rubbing them against his white button-down.

  “Hey.” He slid onto a stool and leaned his elbows on the counter. “Haven’t heard from you in a couple of days, so I thought I’d check in.”

  “That’s nice of you.” I poured him a cup of coffee, introduced him to Ma.

  “Now which one are you?” she asked.

  “Steve works with Axton.”

  Roxy walked up, her jaw in constant motion. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  Steve’s cheeks turned pink. “I just wanted to see if Rose had any news.”

  I gave Roxy a death stare. “Steve’s worried about Axton, too.
”

  “Wanted to see you is more like it,” she muttered as she moved behind me.

  “What can I get you, Steve?” I asked.

  He ordered another cup to go and only stayed ten minutes. Long enough for him to ask me out. “Do you like Indian food? The Taj Mahal over on Blossom Avenue makes this curry—”

  “Steve.” I touched his arm. “You’re a really nice guy—”

  He glanced down at my hand. “Hey, no problem.” His crooked grin tilted to one side. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  I felt a little bad for him, but it was better to cut these things off at the pass. Cruel to be kind and all that.

  Customers were few and far between as the cold rain continued, so I didn’t feel guilty about calling Sheila Graystone during my shift. She didn’t waste time on pleasantries.

  “What have you found out?” she asked as soon as she heard my voice.

  “The first number belonged to Huntingford Bank and Trust.”

  She paused for a long moment. “Go on.”

  “One call from Charles Beaumont.”

  “That makes sense. He and Charles are both on the city council. What else?”

  “One call from the Sun Kissed Tanning Salon.”

  “What?” she asked, surprise in her voice. “That must have been a wrong number or something.”

  “Maybe. And the last number belongs to a man named Sullivan.” If I had been waiting for a big revelation, I was in for a disappointment.

  “Is that it? That’s all? I mean, there wasn’t…?”

  “No women.”

  “Of course not. I told you.” In spite of her words, I heard the relief in her voice.

  “So, who is this Sullivan guy?” I tried to make the question sound casual. “He and Packard spoke nine times.”

  “Who knows? Probably something to do with the city council. Pack even has a committee meeting tonight and that almost never happens on a Sunday. I guess I was worried for nothing,” she said with a little laugh.

  Uh huh. “Take care, Sheila.”

  Roxy stood next to me chomping her gum as she filled the coffee pot with water.

  “I’m going to follow Packard tonight, want to come?”

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Where are you going?” Ma sat at the counter, sipping her coffee.

  Ray came out of the kitchen with my omelet in one hand, Roxy’s cinnamon roll in the other. “Thanks, Ray.”

  “Son, the biscuits were too salty this morning,” Ma said to Ray’s retreating back. She looked at me. “What’s going on tonight?”

  “We’re going to follow Packard. He told Sheila he’s going to a city council meeting, but I think he’s lying.”

  “Ooooh, that sounds like fun. Just like a television show.” She looked at me expectantly. When I said nothing, her face dropped. “Well. You girls have a good time.” I knew she wanted to come, but I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. It could be dangerous. And the woman was almost eighty, for crying out loud.

  “Don’t you have bingo or dominoes or bridge club tonight?” I asked.

  “No, bunko got canceled. The woman hosting it had a stroke.”

  “Oh Ma, I’m sorry.”

  “Is she going to be okay?” Roxy asked.

  “Oh, sure, it was a mild one. Hey, at our age, stuff like that happens.”

  That’s what I was afraid of. “Well,” I said, frowning, “you probably don’t want to go with—”

  “I’d love to.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. “This is going to be such a kick.”

  I wished I shared her enthusiasm.

  Chapter 19

  When I got to Roxy’s apartment later that night, I was surprised to see her dressed in normal clothes. Well, normal for her. True, the crotch of her black slacks hung to her knees and the hood of her furry coat had bear ears, but the t-shirt and ballet flats were perfectly normal.

  The rain had finally stopped, but the air was still damp and cold. I parked in front of Ma’s blue and white Victorian house. I still thought Ma coming had bad idea written all over it, but I didn’t want to disappoint her.

  I hopped out of the car, ran up the front stairs, and knocked. Ma stepped onto the porch, handing me a thermos and a plastic grocery sack. “I’m so excited. Do we need a camera, because I’ve got one in my purse, just in case.”

  “I don’t think so.” I followed her down the steps. “In fact, I think it’s going to be pretty boring.”

  She brushed me off as she walked to the car. “Don’t be such a downer, Rose.”

  Roxy climbed into the back seat so Ma could sit shotgun. “I brought snacks,” Ma said. “And hot chocolate.”

  We drove to Packard’s subdivision and I parked at the end of the cul-de-sac. I cut the headlights, but left the car running.

  Ma skillfully poured hot chocolate into cups she’d pilfered from the diner, the ones with a lid and sleeve around it so we wouldn’t burn our hands. She reached back into the plastic bag and pulled out a container. “Who wants Chex mix?”

  We waited about forty-five minutes before Packard came out of the house and got into his SUV. I followed him from a discreet distance keeping my headlights off until we turned onto a main thoroughfare. He led us through town before taking the highway.

  “Where do you think he’s going?” Ma yelled. She had to if she wanted to be heard over the thwapping noise of the plastic bag window.

  “It’s not City Hall, that’s for sure,” I said.

  “Crap,” Roxy said from the backseat.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I only have two pieces of gum left.”

  Ma twisted in her seat to look at Roxy. “What about that patch? How’s that working?”

  “I hate that stupid patch. And I hate this sucky gum. I want a cigarette. Argh!” She sounded like a pirate.

  “Feel better?” My gaze met hers in the rearview mirror.

  She shrugged. “A little.”

  Packard pulled onto the Crabtree Avenue exit. We were officially out of Huntingford and into country territory. He drove another fifteen minutes to a deserted highway. When he turned right, I turned left, then doubled back and cut my headlights once again, letting him get far ahead of me. We pulled into a long gravel drive that led to a two-story brick building.

  “This used to be a school, I think,” said Ma. “The country kids went here.”

  “I’m assuming this is a bar, right? What else would be out here?” I asked.

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Ma put the snacks back in the plastic sack at her feet.

  Packard parked in front of the building with about seventy-five other cars. Every light in the place was on.

  When he walked in, I drove the rest of the way down the long drive and parked in the last row, as far from Pack’s car as I could get. I switched off the ignition and turned in my seat. “What are we going to do? We can’t just march in there.”

  “Pull around back,” Roxy said.

  I restarted the engine and did as she asked. There were cars parked behind the building as well, but I found a space near the back entrance. “Now what?”

  “Now we do reconnaissance.” She shrugged out of her jacket. “Will you be all right here, Ma?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll leave the car running,” I said. “It’s extra chilly because of the busted window.”

  “Go on, girls. Call if you get into trouble.” She waved her phone at us.

  I shrugged out of my coat and left it with Ma, just in case she needed it. Roxy and I walked toward the building. “Okay, Rox, what’s your big plan?”

  “This is it. Reconnaissance.”

  I stopped and stared at her. “You don’t have a plan?”

  “I can’t do everything, Rose.” She huffed and stomped toward the building.

  Good God.

  When she got to the door, she waited for me to do the honors. With a deep breath I twisted the knob and opened it. Clinking plates and n
oisy chatter filled a professional stainless steel kitchen. Steam smacked me in the face and the briny smell of shrimp made my stomach growl. I glanced back at her. “At least we’re in familiar territory.”

  I walked in with Roxy behind me. Men and women dressed in black slacks, white dress shirts, and black bow ties hustled around the kitchen. Now this I could do.

  A woman with oversized black eyeglasses and a clipboard strode toward us. “Who are you? What are you doing in my kitchen?”

  I smiled. “We’re new. NorthStar sent us.” I held my smile as she looked from me to Roxy, taking in her blue hair and baggy pants.

  “I wasn’t told about this. Where are your uniforms?”

  Roxy smacked her gum. “They said you had ’em.”

  The woman put her palm up to Roxy’s mouth. “Spit.”

  “Huh?”

  “Gum is not allowed. Now spit.”

  Roxy looked slightly panicked, but spit the gum into the woman’s hand.

  Alice, as marked on a very large nametag pinned to her shirt, looked disgusted as she marched to the other side of the room and threw the gum in the trash. She briskly walked back to us. “That blue hair has got to go. It’s not regulation. You can work in the kitchen tonight.” She turned toward me. “You, come with me.”

  I glanced over as Roxy flipped off Alice behind her back.

  “I have a few extra uniforms. What’s your name?”

  “Uh, Sue.” Damn, why didn’t I ever have a good answer for that question?

  In a little cloak room off the kitchen, several uniforms hung on a rolling rack. She grabbed one and thrust it at me. “I have very strict standards. Follow them and we’ll get along just fine. Get dressed. Then grab a tray of shrimp puffs and take it out.” She left the room and I locked the door behind her.

  As I changed clothes, I wondered what we had stumbled into. And I wondered if I could snag some of those shrimp puffs. I was hungry.

  I adjusted the bow tie, then grabbed the phone out of my jeans, and shoved it into the pocket of my new uniform. I walked back to the kitchen and glanced over at Roxy. She slapped doilies on a tray, and by the look she gave me, she wasn’t happy about it.