by Jessica Beck
“Coming right up,” Trish said, and then she walked back up front to where the kitchen connected to the dining room, her ever-present ponytail bobbing with every step that she took.
“Any luck yet?” I asked Grace softly.
“Some. I need a little more time, though.”
“Sorry,” I said quickly.
“No worries, my friend.”
I was about to reply when Gabby Williams, the woman who owned ReNEWed, a gently used clothing store, approached my table. Without a moment of pleasantries, she asked bluntly, “So, when’s the big wedding?”
I was so caught unaware that I actually asked her, “What wedding?”
Gabby grimaced a little, her natural, fallback expression most of the time. “Yours.”
“To be honest with you, we haven’t even talked about setting a date yet,” I answered.
“What are you waiting for? You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
I could usually handle Gabby’s impertinence, but for some reason, it struck me as being even ruder than normal. “As a matter of fact, neither are you.”
I heard a gasp a few tables beyond her, but I chose to ignore it. It could go either way now. Either Gabby would unleash her fury on me for my boldness, or she’d let it slide and pretend that I hadn’t said anything.
To my surprise, she chose a third option. After letting out a startling laugh that got everyone’s attention, she smiled as she said, “Too true. The reason I ask is that I just got a wedding gown in that will fit you perfectly, if you’re interested.”
“Is it white?” I asked her, still startled by her amiable response. Maybe she was one of those folks who just loved weddings, though I never would have predicted it based on her past behavior.
“Of course it is.”
“Well, that might be a problem, then. After all, I’m not exactly a blushing innocent,” I said. “I’ve been married before, remember? How appropriate would it be for me to wear white again?”
“You’re kidding, right? I had a customer who bought a new gown from me every three years for twelve years running, each one whiter than the one before.”
“Well, I imagine that I’ll wear a nice pantsuit, or maybe even a dress, instead of a formal gown,” I said.
“I have those, too, you know. I’ll keep my eye out for something you’ll like.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Happy to do it.” A little wistfully, she added, “I just love a good wedding.”
So, that particular theory had just been confirmed, much to my surprise. “I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I’m ready to shop for something.”
“Fine.”
Our food came as Gabby left, and as Trish placed our orders in front of us, she asked, “What was that all about?”
“Gabby wanted me to look at a wedding dress that she just got into the shop,” I said with a smile.
“Are you seriously thinking about wearing a formal white bridal gown, Suzanne?” Trish asked.
“Not a chance. If I did wear one, it would be more for the irony of it, and there’s not going to be a single thing to mock when I marry Jake.” I studied the food. “This looks perfect.”
“It better be,” Trish said.
“Grace, our food’s here,” I said as I picked up a fry and ate it.
“One second,” she said, and then she turned back to her screen.
“No hurry. I’ll be happy to wait,” I said as I picked up my burger and took a rather large and unladylike bite from it.
“There’s no need to do that for me,” she said, and then she looked at me with a grin, spotting the bite that I’d just taken. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Hey, I said that I was hungry, too. Did you have any luck?”
Grace started to say something when she looked around and saw several folks still watching and listening to every word we were saying, and yet trying their best not to be noticed doing it. “After.”
“Then let’s eat,” I said, agreeing with the sentiment.
As we dined on that glorious meal, I couldn’t help but think about what Gabby had suggested. On the face of it, wearing white was ridiculous, even if I was starting my life over with Jake by my side. I’d loved to play pretend as a girl as much as any other girl I knew had, but this was not fantasy. Marrying the man of my dreams, as corny as that might have sounded if I’d said it out loud, was the reality, and it was so much better than any scenario I might have dreamed up as a child.
After we ate and paid for our meals, Grace and I lingered at the register for a second. I’d tried to get Trish’s attention, since she’d asked me to touch base with her at some point, but she was busy dealing with a group of other customers. I caught her eye and held up my thumb and pinkie, imitating a telephone, as I mouthed the words, call me.
She nodded, and Grace and I left.
“That was perfect,” I said. “Now back to business. Did you have any luck finding either one of our last two suspects?”
“It was tough, but I finally got a line on both of them.”
“Let’s hear what you’ve got,” I said as we headed for my Jeep, now ready to tackle the world again after filling our bellies.
Grace was interrupted before she had a chance to get started, though, as my cellphone rang.
“It’s Chief Martin,” I told her after glancing at the caller ID, and then I answered. “Hi. Thanks for calling me back.”
“Suzanne, I need you to come to my office at the police station right now.”
“Does it have to be this instant? Grace and I are busy at the moment.”
“Sorry, but this can’t wait. You should come alone, so ask Grace if she could meet up with you later,” the chief said.
“Is that an order?” I asked, resenting his command.
There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, and then Chief Martin asked me in a voice full of contrition, “Just do this for me without giving me any grief, okay?”
“Fine. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I said. I’d never heard him couch a request like that, and I wanted to see what this was all about.
“What’s up?” Grace asked me as I put my cellphone back in my pocket.
“There’s been a sudden change of plans. I need to drop you off at home, if you don’t mind. The chief wants to see me in his office right away.”
“Without me?” Grace asked, clearly unhappy about being left out.
“I’m sorry, but I have a hunch that if I don’t go alone, I’m not going to find out what’s happening,” I explained. “Do this for me, could you? Is there anything that you can do for an hour while I see what’s going on at the police station?”
She shrugged. “Actually, I’ve got a pile of paperwork waiting for me, but I’d still rather go with you.”
“That’s my preference, too, but I didn’t get a choice.”
After a few seconds, Grace finally gave in. “Fine, but you need to come by my place the second you leave the station and tell me everything that happened. Is that agreed?”
“Agreed,” I said.
We got to her place quickly, and I let her out. As I drove back toward the chief’s office, I couldn’t help but wonder what this sudden summons was all about. Knowing that I’d find out in a few minutes didn’t make it any easier to take, either.
When I drove up, I saw him standing out in front of the precinct door, and by the expression on his face, I had a hunch that I wasn’t going to like what was about to come next.
The way it ended up, boy, was that ever the truth.
Chapter 8
“I’m out here because I wanted to speak with you first,” the chief told me after I’d parked my Jeep in one of the spaces out front. He’d met me halfway in the parking lot, and his expression hadn’t softened during his stroll over.
“What’s going on? Nothing’s wrong with Momma, is it?”
“No, of course not. Why would you even think that?”
“Well, even you have to adm
it that this is all kind of mysterious,” I said.
“No worries on that front. Your mother is fine.”
“Have you spoken with her yet about what’s been troubling her lately?” I asked him.
“That’s why I asked you to come by. Suzanne, I’ve officially resigned, once and for all, as the chief of police for April Springs.”
“I already knew that,” I replied. “You’re still going to keep filling in until Jake can finish working his notice so he can decide if he wants to take over, right?”
“I’m sorry, but it looks as though that’s not going to happen. I’ve already spoken with Jake this morning, and so has the mayor. It appears that he meant what he said before. Jake made it pretty clear that he’s not interested in my job, and I can’t take another second of it.”
“Hang on a second and give me a chance to talk to him before you do anything rash,” I said, almost pleading with my stepfather. If Jake would leave the state police and become our new police chief, everything would be pretty much ideal for us.
At least that’s what I believed.
“Call him and see for yourself, Suzanne.”
I did as the chief requested, and Jake answered on the first ring. “I just have one question for you. Did you turn down the chief of police job?” I asked him before he had the chance to even say hello.
“Suzanne, I told you all along that I wasn’t interested in taking over there. Phillip clearly needs to move on, but I’m not going to be the one who takes his place.”
Jake had already told me that more than once over the past several days, but that clearly didn’t mean that I’d accepted it. “Think about it before you do anything rash, Jake. It would be perfect.”
“Not for me. I’m sorry. Suzanne, I hate to disappoint you, but it’s not going to happen,” he said flatly, and I knew that it was true, no matter how much I wished that it might be otherwise. “Do you still love me, anyway?” he asked in a softer voice.
“Only with all my heart,” I said. “I didn’t mean to push you so hard. If it’s not right for you, then it’s not right.”
The relief was clear in his voice as he replied, “I’m not saying never; I’m just saying not right now.”
“Got it.”
“Listen, I hate to do this, but I really have to go,” Jake said.
“Go. We’ll talk later.”
“I’ll call you tonight if I can,” Jake answered, and I hung up, still a little stunned by the police chief’s sudden departure. I knew that he’d been threatening to leave since his brother’s untimely demise, but a part of me hadn’t believed it.
I asked the chief, “What made you decide to act so suddenly? I thought you were planning to hang on for a while.”
“We both know that there’s nothing sudden about it,” the chief said. “In a way, this is all your fault.”
“How’s that possible?” I asked him, not understanding what he meant.
“Well, I took your advice and spoke with your mother. She was upset that I was still working as the police chief, even after I’d promised to quit. She told me that if I was going to leave, I needed to do it now. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with her. I’ve been miserable just hanging around waiting for someone to step in and take over. I told the mayor my decision, and an hour later, he had my replacement lined up, effective immediately.”
“He’s already hired someone!” I asked shrilly.
“There was no need to dawdle. My mind was made up, so there was no use delaying the inevitable.”
“Did he at least promote from within?” I asked, hoping that Grace’s boyfriend, Officer Stephen Grant, might have inherited the job.
“No, he’s hired an officer from the Granite Meadows Police Force. The man’s supposed to be good, and what’s even more important, he can start immediately.”
“If he’s so good, how can he just leave his old job without at least giving them any notice?” I asked.
“I pulled some strings to make it happen,” George said as he and a stranger approached us. “The mayor there owed me a favor, so he intervened with the police chief. Let’s go to Phillip’s office where we can discuss this in private.”
“Hey, it’s not my office anymore,” Chief, or Former Chief Martin, said. “Ask Chief Tyler.”
“It’s not official until tomorrow at eight AM, so you might as well call me Alex until then,” the new chief said. He was tall and lean, somewhere in his mid-thirties, I’d say if I had to guess. There was a scar on his left cheek, and he had a full head of brown hair, and icy dark eyes that were almost black.
“That’s just a formality, as far as I’m concerned,” the chief said.
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” I said stubbornly, still reeling from shock about how quickly things had just changed.
“Suzanne, we couldn’t wait on Jake forever,” George said. “He told me himself that he didn’t want the job, and I had to do something, for the town’s sake.”
“I get it,” I said. “I just didn’t think that it would all happen so fast.”
“There wasn’t much choice. Anyway, we all thought you deserved to know about it before it became official.”
“Thanks for that much, anyway,” I said.
“May I have a word with you in private?” the new chief asked me softly. I didn’t like the look in his eyes, and I couldn’t read his expression.
“Actually, anything you have to say to me you can say in front of my stepfather and the mayor,” I said. Let him try to isolate me from my support and see where it got him.
“As you wish. I understand that you consider yourself somewhat of an amateur sleuth.”
“I’ve never called myself that,” I said.
The new chief shrugged. “But it’s true nonetheless, isn’t it? While my predecessor here may have allowed you some latitude investigating crime as a private citizen, be warned that I will not. In my opinion, there’s no room in police business for a rank amateur.”
“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Chief Martin asked.
Chief Tyler stared at him for a second before he spoke. “I’m not surprised that you feel that way, given that she’s your stepdaughter, but that doesn’t make any difference to me. I won’t have her muddying the waters in any of my investigations.”
“Hang on a second,” George said in an amiable manner. “Maybe we’ve all gotten off on the wrong foot here. Chief Tyler, you should know that Suzanne is a valued member of our community.”
“I don’t doubt it, but unless she’s carrying a badge, she’s just going to get in my way. Your honor, you might not like the way I run the department, but I can’t take orders from you. You can change your mind about hiring me, or fire me later at any point you wish, but you might as well know up front that you can’t tell me what to do, or how I should run my department.”
I half-expected George to cut him loose on the spot, but to my surprise, he merely nodded. “The point is a valid one. After all, it’s your department.”
“Thanks for nothing, old friend,” I said to him, and then I stormed off back to my Jeep.
“Suzanne, let me explain,” George said as he started to follow me.
The mayor might have had a perfectly rational reason for behaving the way he just had, but that didn’t mean that I had to like it, or even make nice with the new chief of police after the scolding that I’d just received. Chief Tyler had made it pretty clear that he didn’t care all that much about my opinion, so why should I care about his?
As I drove past the three of them, I saw Chief Martin mouth the word “Sorry” in my direction, but I didn’t offer him any response, or even acknowledgment.
I was too mad to trust myself.
Things had suddenly been turned upside down, but there was at least one comfort in what had just happened.
I still had until the next morning to find Rick Hastings’ killer before I had to worry about the wrath of Chief Tyler, and I meant to get busy. If it meant tha
t Grace and I had to stay up all night tracking down the killer, then we would just have to do our best.
It might be a long shot, given the current state of our investigation, but it was all of the time that we had left, and I meant to make the most of it.
“So, what was the big secret?” Grace asked me as I walked up the steps to her front porch. She was out there waiting for me, but I wasn’t all that eager to deliver the news I’d just received, especially not after the reception I’d just been given by the new police chief.
“Apparently there’s a new sheriff in town,” I said, trying to lighten my message.
“Suzanne, we don’t have a sheriff,” Grace said as my humor fell flat.
“We both know that I meant chief of police. Apparently, Chief Martin has officially stepped down, or he will tomorrow at eight AM, and George has already hired someone to take his place.”
“Is it Jake?”
“No,” I said.
A hopeful look shot through her gaze. “Stephen?”
“Again, no.”
“Who is it, then?”
“Some guy named Alex Tyler,” I replied. “He’s been working in Granite Meadows, but come tomorrow morning, he’s going to be our problem.”
“What’s he like?” Grace asked me.
“Well, to begin with, he told me that our time as unofficial investigators was about to be over.”
My best friend looked surprised by the news. “He can’t do that, can he?”
“Evidently he can.”
“Don’t worry. George will step up for us,” Grace said confidently.
“Grace, the man was standing right there when Chief Tyler read me the riot act, and so was my stepfather. Neither one of them lifted a finger in our defense. It looks as though we’re about to be out of business.”
“Suzanne, we can’t just take this lying down. We have to fight back.”
I shook my head as I answered, “What are we supposed to do? He’s going to be the one in charge around here. He told the mayor right in front of me that George could fire him, but he couldn’t tell him what to do, and our old friend agreed with him.”
