Operation Ginger Avenger

by Heather Rainier

  “I just wonder where she’ll pop up next,” Hank said before turning as a car came down Main Street with the driver laying on the horn. “And speaking of popping up next.”

  A redhead with a big smile, lots of attitude, and powerful lungs called out, “Love you, Haaank!” With a Doppler effect to her horn, she continued down the street, and Tank squinted at her back window, which she’d shoe-polished with the phrase, I have the map to Divine! Follow me!

  Hank’s cheeks were flushed when everyone turned to look at him, and Tank said, “I’m glad it’s not just us getting the attention. You got your own fan club yet, Sheriff?”

  Hank just groaned and rubbed the back of his neck as he surveyed the line of cars that was slowly progressing through the drive-up pharmacy window. “It’s a damn good thing Veronica’s got a sense of humor. And a damn good thing I’m already taken. Otherwise, I’d be getting auctioned off with the rest of y’all,” he added with a chuckle.

  Hank departed soon after, and Tank turned to Jessica, aware that they still had a little crowd of observers. “We happened to see your car parked out front and wanted to check on you.”

  “Check on me?” she asked, glancing back at the building as she inched closer to her car.

  “Just making sure you’re doing all right,” Troy murmured as he opened the car door for her after she’d keyed the remote door lock. “What was all of that about in there?”

  Jessica groaned. “I’d rather not talk about it right this minute.”

  “It’s okay,” Tank said, already having a good idea, based on what he’d overheard when they’d come in the pharmacy earlier. “It’s not our business, really.”

  Seeming relieved as she got into her car, she nodded. “I’m making my grandmother’s chicken and rice casserole for supper tonight, if you’d like to eat with us. I know Bella would be happy to see you.”

  “The same one you brought over for the Easter potluck last spring?” Troy asked, his tone, and the way he rubbed his belly, implying there wouldn’t be any leftovers.

  “Yes.”

  Tank squatted down by her car door so that they were at eye level. She looked down at the red-and-white-striped bag she was still holding and then lifted her gaze to him. “Jess, would it make you happy if we came over?”

  Her smile curled up in slow motion, and she nodded. “It would. Can you come around seven? I need time to cook after I get home.”

  “Sounds perfect. Maybe we’ll have news from Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier to share with you by then.”

  “Okay. Don’t forget to pay attention to your adoring public,” she added with a soft snicker as she lifted her chin at the women peeking at him through the pharmacy windows. “Remember, it’s for the kids.”

  Tank chuckled and patted the roof of her car. “Go on with you.”

  They watched her carefully back out of the parking spot and drive off then climbed into Troy’s truck. No less than three women were standing on the sidewalk, snapping pictures, and one of them was brave enough to approach them. She didn’t seem inclined to scream or faint or do anything outrageous.

  “Are you really Tank Drummond and Troy Burnett?”

  “Yep,” Tank replied cautiously. Maybe it wasn’t his brightest idea, but if Jessica approved of them helping with the charity fundraisers, they might as well get with it. “You’d be helping us out if you’d spread the word about something we’re involved in. It will benefit the local boys’ ranch and other charities.”

  “That’s why I was hoping to talk with you for a moment. I work for the local radio station, and I follow you on social media. I’m the host for a local call-in talk show, Local Chatter, and I’m hosting two of the charity events’ organizers in this afternoon’s segment. I also write a column for the radio station’s daily newspaper. Would it be possible to ask a few questions of you?”

  Troy returned his inquiring glance with a shrug and a nod, and Tank said, “Sure, but I’m not sure I’d have much to say that people would find interesting. Troy here is the social butterfly.”

  The young woman grinned at both of them. “But I believe that’s part of your appeal.” She held up her recorder and said, “It’ll be on the record once I turn this on, but I won’t ask questions with the purpose of putting you on the spot. Just want to help build interest in the community for the event. Do you have a card?”

  Getting in the ranch truck a few minutes later, Tank had a feeling that embarrassing viral video might have a good use after all.

  Chapter Eight

  Troy squinted at the signs hanging over the aisles in Batson’s grocery store, spotted the floral department at the back of the store, and veered down the lane he was on. He and Tank had a notion before leaving town that they shouldn’t come emptyhanded to supper at Jessica’s house.

  He’d called Lydia, and she’d approved of their idea and had suggested flowers, a bottle of wine, maybe some fresh bread to go with the dish, and a little something for Miss Bella.

  With a dozen pink roses in hand, he went in search of something for Bella while Tank took off with the cart to pick out a bottle of wine and the bread.

  Halfway down the health and beauty aisle, he slowed as he spotted Ransome Cross staring at boxes stacked on the shelves and then looking at his smartphone. He was talking to himself. “Wonder if the color of the package makes a difference. Why do they have to have so many to choose from?”

  “Problems?” Troy asked, hiding a grin as he came to a stop beside Ransome and realized what he was shopping for.

  Ransome looked up at him and tilted his chin up in greeting. “Nah, just Satan’s Waterfall. Don’t want to bring home the wrong thing. I did that—once—thinking tampons are tampons and they’re all the same, right? Nooo. Justin just sent me a picture of what he usually gets when Charity sends him.” Ransome lowered his voice and added, “Is it weird that the guy keeps a picture of a box of tampons in his phone?”

  “No, I think it’s a good idea.”

  Ransome noted the bouquet in his hand and grinned. “Those for Jessica? How’s she doing? I haven’t talked to her in a while. I heard she and Bella caught the flu.”

  Troy paused before answering. Ransome and Val Teller were guys he respected. They’d been the ones who rescued Jessica from captivity and possibly saved her and Bella’s lives. He owed them for that but was aware that she clammed up whenever they came up in conversations.

  “The flu hit her hard, but she’s better. Bella is fine. We’re having supper with them tonight.”

  “Cool,” Ransome said. “The flowers are a thoughtful gesture. I approve. Maybe I should get some…or chocolate. Yeah, definitely chocolate. First, I’ve got to figure out which one she wants from here.”

  Troy looked at the picture on his phone, matched it up to a box on the shelf, and pointed at it. “That one.”

  Ransome grinned big. “Aha!” He grabbed the box off the shelf and threw it into his shopping basket then halted and grabbed another one. “Just in case. So what else are you shopping for? Did your lady send you to the store, too?”

  “Nah, just stopping for some flowers and stuff, to surprise her.”

  “Ah, the suck-up stage,” Ransome replied with a grin.

  “I thought Bella would feel special if I brought her something, too.”

  “Man, she’s how old? Three? She thinks you and Tank hung the moon. If you show up, she’s going to be thrilled. Although…”

  “What?”

  Ransome beckoned, and he followed him to the next aisle. “When we would visit Justin and Charity when the kids were Bella’s age, I used to bring Justine these little books.” He spotted what he was looking for and grabbed it out of the rack. “These are board-books, and they’re perfect for kids her age.”

  “Huh.” Troy murmured as he handled the book, which had thick cardboard pages.

  “Yeah. Justine loved them.”

  “She has some like this at home. Thanks for the suggestion.”

  “No problem. Thank
s for helping me with the tampon hunting. I’d better go. Tell Jessica and Bella we said hi.”

  “Sure thing, man,” Troy called as he looked at the selection of books and picked one out that had a horse on the cover. That gave him another idea, but one that he’d have to run by her mother first.

  They ran into Ransome again at the checkout counter, and Troy noticed he’d added a jumbo-sized Hershey bar to his haul of goods. Ransome grinned and said, “Never stop sucking up.”

  “Chocolate,” Tank whispered and pointed to the bakery. “No. Cake. And cookies. What does she like?”

  Troy halted him. “I’ve got a better idea.”

  After paying the cashier for their haul of love tokens, they stopped at Divine Drip. Cassie Cutter’s coffee shop was a step up from its previous manifestation since the original shop had gone up in flames thanks to the destructive actions of her father, who had been institutionalized in the aftermath.

  The new building sported plate-glass windows and a white limestone exterior similar to its neighbors, Clay Cook Jewelers. Mottled red and brown tiles, countertops that sparkled with shades of gold and copper, and red blown-glass light fixtures suspended from the dark ceiling gave the coffee shop a warm, lively ambience.

  Troy gestured to the large bakery case stretched along one side of the front counter. “If you want something special for Jessica, this is the best place to get it.”

  Cassie strolled up to the counter and said, “Hey there, guys! What can I make for you today?”

  “You’re our secret weapon today, Cassie.” He pointed at the glass-fronted case. “Since you’re one of Jessica’s best friends, I’ll bet you know what kind of sweets she likes.”

  Cassie giggled. “It just so happens I do. I’m almost finished decorating an Italian cream cake. It has cream cheese icing, which she finds irresistible. How about two coffees while I finish it and box it up for you?”

  “Sounds perfect, ma’am. How are Samson and Ivan? I haven’t seen them lately.”

  Giggling while she poured their coffees, Cassie said, “Ivan is at the print shop, picking up the new lunch menus. He’s starting with seven, so each day of the week can have its own menu. And they’ll change with the seasons so he can switch up what we’re offering based on what he can find locally at its freshest. We’ll also be staying open in the evenings five days a week soon.”

  “He talked you into working on Sundays?” Tank asked with a grin.

  “Nope. That’s his baby. His and my son, Joseph’s. They’ve hired crew that is willing to work flexible hours, so I have all the time off I want—if I want it.”

  “I’ll bet that comes in handy, huh?” Tank said, and Troy recalled that Cassie had other endeavors besides the coffee shop underway.

  Cassie nodded. “With the house quiet, I have time to compose and write. True and Noble Strong asked me to write them two songs. If they work out and make it on their next release…” She let the words taper off, but the excitement shone in her eyes.

  “That’d be a big deal, huh? We’d see you on television accepting one of those Song of the Year awards?”

  She chuckled and shrugged. “I’m not counting on that, but yeah, it’d be pretty cool.” It was also a possibility, Troy knew, since one of True’s original songs had won them that same award a couple of years before. Changing the subject, she said, “So, you must be taking Jessica sweets for a special evening?” She looked back and forth between the two of them with dark eyebrows raised in a questioning arch.

  “Yeah,” Troy answered, the warmth glowing in his chest at the thought. “We’re both going over to eat supper with her and Bella.”

  “Ah,” Cassie replied with a nod and approval in her smile. “Well, in that case, I’ll include something special for my little sweetie-pie. Jess can chalk it up as extra brownie points for y’all.”

  “Anything you could do would be appreciated, Cassie,” Tank said, his cheeks suffused with color, which deepened as she giggled again.

  “You both are too adorable for words, you know that?”

  And now Troy’s face was heating up, too, all the way to his ears. “Thanks,” he muttered, cursing genetics and his ginger heritage, same as Tank, whose ears were probably throbbing they were so red.

  They nodded their thanks when she placed their coffees on the counter and then took a seat in the corner to let their faces cool off and wait while she got the baked goods ready to take.

  His phone rang in his pocket, and he took it out, noted the caller, and nodded at Tank, who leaned forward as he said, “Troy Burnett.”

  “Troy, this is Ace Webster. I looked into Brian Dornan for you.”

  “Good. What can you tell us?”

  “Not much that would raise red flags. I’ve got a social security number and a commercial driver’s license for him. Insurance policy for his vehicle. He works for a trucking firm as a mechanic. Pays his taxes. Seems to operate mostly with cash. There’s a bank account, but it doesn’t have much activity, besides one big deposit, which is on the large side for a mechanic, as well as small regular deposits. Could be his savings or he might’ve sold property. No wild spending or debts. There are no prior arrests or convictions, besides what you already know about that was connected with Jessica’s abduction and attempted re-abduction, but he was cleared of those. Nothing else, not even a traffic fine.”

  “And you’re sure it’s Trevor Dornan’s brother you were looking at?”

  “Positive. We didn’t find any social media, e-mail, no dating site profiles or online porn. Hell, I couldn’t even find where he’s hooked up to cable or satellite or internet service. And the number he’s called Jessica from is a landline account started by his father years ago, and transferred only once. If it would be helpful, and Jessica would like me to, I can reach out to him in person as her representative.”

  “We’d appreciate it if you did. She told us the other night she’d like to find out why he keeps attempting to establish contact. So nothing about him raised red flags with you?”

  “Nothing concrete that I can point out. Seems pretty much consistent with anyone living off the grid, which means I’m not really providing you with much in the way of reassurance. We’ll track him down and pay him a visit for you. If he winds up being squeaky clean, then at least she won’t have to live in fear. Tell her this is pro bono. We won’t take her money.”

  “Wish me luck with that. The woman is stubborn. Keep us informed,” Troy said before ending the call. After filling Tank in with the details he missed during the call, Troy took a sip of his coffee. “What do you think?”

  Tank sighed and shook his head. “For her sake, it’d be great if he’s just trying to reach out to her to apologize for what she went through with his brother, but you and I have both seen too much of the world’s underbelly to not be suspicious.”

  Cassie trotted up a few minutes later, toting a white box in one hand, wrapped with a pink satin ribbon tied in a flouncy bow, and a much smaller box, tied up with the same ribbon in a slightly smaller bow. At their surprised looks, she patted the bows. “I had some ribbon left over from a baby shower cake. Jess and Bella are going to be thrilled when you show up.” She pointed to the smaller box and added, “There’s a fancy chocolate cupcake in this one for my angel-girl.”

  Rising, Troy pulled out his wallet. “What do we owe you for the cupcake?”

  “Nothing! I’m just glad to see the two of you making a move, finally. Jessica is long overdue for some real ‘happy’ in her life. I know I shouldn’t be shoving my opinions on you, but I hope you go for it and don’t give up. Oh, by the way, I was listening to the local radio station while I was working and they mentioned the charity fundraising events. The announcer said she’d chatted with you both earlier today. She invited listeners to call in during the Local Chatter broadcast, which starts in a few minutes. She’s going to be talking to Grace and Charity in the studio.”

  “I guess we’d better get in the truck and listen to it,” Tank said as
Cassie handed off the boxes and bid them good-bye and good luck.

  They stepped out into the fall sunshine. The humidity had abated, at least temporarily, and there was a pleasant crispness in the air. It’d be a good evening for sitting on the porch. He tuned the radio in the truck and adjusted the volume as the announcer said, “You’re listening to Local Chatter on KDIV. Grace Warner and Charity Connor have joined me in the studio, and we’re talking about the big charity fundraiser coming up this month. We’ve got a caller on the line. What’s your question?”

  “Ohmygawd, am I on the air? Can y’all hear me? I just want to know one thing. How can I win Hank Stinson in the auction because I looove Haaank. I just gotta win Haaaaaaank!”

  Silence. And then a giggle from either Grace or Charity. Troy thought it was finally Charity who answered. “Well, his wife has put a real damper on him participating in the bachelor auction, seeing how he’s married and all, but he’s been getting so many requests, we may auction off one of his many other talents.”

  “Oh, I don’t care, I just want to win Haaaank! Do you think he’d spank me if I asked him to? Just put me over his knee and give me a good—”

  “Probably not, ma’am.” The radio announcer cut her off, her voice shaking as though she was laughing. “But you know, our illustrious sheriff has a lot of other, more platonic, less…inflammatory gifts. Of course, that’s not to say that I know if he knows his way around a paddle or anything, Just…well…maybe Sheriff Stinson will call in and tell us about what he might be willing to auction off. This fundraiser could wind up being quite an exciting evening, folks. And all the proceeds go to charity.”

  The previous caller gasped and then blurted out, “His uniform shirt, maybe? I’d wear that sucker to bed every night. I’d never wash it. I’d even buy his undershirt or his boxer shorts. I just looove Haaank!”

  “We’ve got to take a short break for our sponsors. Listeners, keep those questions coming.”