Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked (20 page)

Once on top, I hit the accelerator again and swept by a lumbering camper at the first straight stretch. Minnie had described Phil and Eileen’s enormous RV, right down to the USC pennant on top, but there was no sign of it ahead. I pulled off onto the shoulder, checked for traffic, and swung in a U-turn.

“
There’s no way they could have gotten this far ahead of us. We must have lost them at the T. When we headed for Jun
iper, they went the other way.
”

“
But why? They live in Juniper.
”
Minnie
, still deep in Operation Hollow Feather mode,
narrowed her eyes to consider the problem
.
“
Trying to shake the tail. Must have spotted us somehow
.
”

“
Never mind Phil and Eileen. You just about lost me in all that smoke in there.
”

“
Wasn’t that awful? My eyes are still stinging. Sorry. I detoured to pick up my winnings. Surprisingly easy to beat the system when you know how.
”

“
Really. How’d you do it?
”

“
Strategy.
”

“
Could you be a bit more specific?
”

“
When I sp
ied
Phil and Eileen heading for the door, I
took cover behind
the slot machines and sent you that note. While I was waiting for you to show up, I put a dollar in the machine in front of me and hit the jackpot. It was great!
”

“
S
trategy.
”

“
It provided good cover,
”
Minnie replied modestly,
“
and we’ve more than made back our expenses for the day.
”

“
Even including the cost of the disguises,
”
I added soberly.
“
You gave such a good clue that I practically ran into them outside. They were with someone.
”

“
Did he look like an accomplice?
”

“
You mean, was he wearing a ski mask?
”

“
Don’t be silly. People don’t walk around like that, not in June anyway. I mean, well, did he look shifty?
”

“
Couldn’t tell. They were holding him up, one on each side, and they seemed to be arguing.
”

She nodded.
“
Probably an accomplice, mask or not. You know how thieves always get to wrangling over the loot.
”

We rounded a curve, and I identified the USC pennant on top of an RV barreling toward us.

“
Duck!
”
I hunched over the wheel and pulled as far to the right as I could go.

The RV roared past without a sign that the driver recognized us, but I had swerved too far and the passenger side wheels bounced along gravel until I wrestle
d the poor old Volvo to a stop.

Minnie’s voice came from under the cockeyed sun hat.
“
Do you think they saw us?
”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I rested my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes as I listened to my furiously beating heart. My hands didn’t quit shaking for several minutes. What was I doing, driving like a maniac all over Oregon? Minnie might have a raging desire to swap her rolling pin for a tour with Delta Force, but this was nuts. I had let myself get sucked into silly excursions with her for the last time. No more chasing down phantom leads.

At least today’s excursion had provided one unexpected benefit. Revisiting the hot springs where Tony and I used to bring our children for a simple swim had brought back wonderful memories of our early family life, but it had also jolted me to confront the sweeping changes at Mystery River in the intervening years. I didn’t like seeing the commercialism encroaching on the formerly peaceful countryside, but I couldn’t alter today’s reality, just as I couldn’t alter the fact that Tony had died two years ago. All three of our girls were now grown, and Tony wasn’t coming back. Tony and I had promised to remain true to each other
“
‘til
death do us part.
”
We’d kept that bargain. It was time for me to look to the future, and the future was Nick.

“
Jane, are you all right?
”
Minnie’s anxious voice penetrated my thoughts.
“
You’re crying. Are you hurt?
”

How could I break the news to her that the chase was done?
“
Just ne
rves. I’m fine. How about you?
”

“
Terrific! That was some fancy driving you did.
”

“
Thanks.
”
I restarted the car and attempted to pull back onto the asphalt, but
movement
was sluggish, so I pulled back to the side and got out for a look.
The right front tire was flat.

Minnie joined me beside the car.
“
We’ll never catch them now.
”

“
Nope.
”

We stood together for a moment, listening to the fading growl of the RV’s big engine. When the high desert stillness again surrounded us, I popped the trunk and hauled out the jack and the spare in preparation for the dusty process of changing the tire.

“
But your hands . .
.
”

Minnie’s tearful distress seemed way out of proportion to the prospect of me getting my hands dirty. She must be mourning the ignominious finish of Operation Hollow Feather.

I searched for something to say that might cheer her up.
“
You can debrief Velda on our op when you deliver the soup.
”

Her wan smile told me she appreciated my effort.
“
Roger that.
”

Chapter 20

Bianca was slumped on the staircase with her head in her hands when I arrived at Thornton’s.
Heart suddenly thumping,
I asked the obvious question.
“
Alix?
”

Tyler gave me a playful smile and shook his
head. Whew
.
Just the
usual
Bianca drama. That, I could handle.

As he offered Bianca a
tissue
, he spoke in soothing tones.
“
Not your fault. Nobody could’ve guessed a porcupine would come so close to a wedding reception, especially in broad daylight.
”

“
Wendell spotted it fast enough.
”
Bianca’s words came from under a silken curtain of hair.

From her forlorn tone, I could imagine the scene, though I’d forgotten all about this afternoon’s frontier wedding.

Tyler’s face contorted in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a laugh
.

Bianca
scowled
as she snatched
the
tissue from him.
“
Not funny.
”

He turned to fill me in.
“
You should’ve seen him. Man, he’s fast! That’s one wedding no one will ever forget.
”
As another laugh threatened to overtake him, he deliberately changed the subject.
“
How’d you do at Mystery River? Learn anything?
”

“
Are you kidding? This was Minnie’s idea, and I’m sure she’ll tell you all about our glorious detective adventure in due time. Anything from Alix or Nick?
”

“
Nope. Everything was quiet in town. I’m glad I went to the wedding instead. Neve
r laughed so hard in my life.
”

I pulled the cell phone from my bag.
“
Go ahead, finish your conversation. I’ll report in to Alix, though there isn’t anything to say.
”
I started to punch in her number.

“
If only the fight hadn’t spooked the horses.
”
Bianca stared into space, mentally rewriting the debacle.
“
A couple more minutes and the bride and groom would’ve been long gone.
”

Tyler gave me a
“
what now?
”
look as I passed him. I snapped the phone shut and tried to think of something that would cheer her up.
“
Look at it this way … er . .
.
”

Tyler’s agile young mind sprinted in a new direction.
“
Yeah, look at it this way. The bride and groom wanted a taste of the Old West, right? They sure got it. Once they hauled the buckboard back out of the creek bed, everybody looked real happy.
”
Tyler’s lips twitched again, but this time he maintained control.
“
And don’t worry about that porcupine. He had plenty of quills to spare.
”

At last Bianca rose from the stairs.
“
The bride and groom liked the ‘jest hitched’ sign on the buckboard. And they did ask me to save them some quills. What do you think, Mom?
”

I lowered the cell phone and considered the big picture.
“
It’s hard to beat porcupine quills as unique mementos of a wedding. They wanted an unforgettable day, and you gave them one. Maybe We
ndell should raise his rates.
”

It was Bianca’s turn to consider the big picture.
“
I don’t think so. I kept him on his leash most of the time, but he still snagged a whole plate of grits.
”

Tyler shuddered.
“
The guests were probably begging him to take that stuff. Did you try them?
”

“
Yes,
”
Bianca said.
“
The bride wanted grits
,
and they’re nutritious.
”

“
Weird. I thought she was kidding.
”

“
That reminds me, Ty. Did you eat the carrot soup I brought back?
”

Tyler’s struggle between pleasing Bianca and telling the truth was written on his face.
He glanced at me for assistance, but I could only shrug in sympathy. We’d all battled Bianca and her passion for organic food.

“
I tried it, but Wendell seemed hungry after we got back from the vet, and I thought maybe it would be easy for him to eat.
”

Bianca’s tender heart kicked in.
“
He did seem rather forlorn after our trip to the vet. I think he was sorry for what he’d done
.
His poor mouth must have been sore, so the soup was probably just the thing. What did you have instead?
”

“
Three corn dogs.
”

“
And?
”

“
And a Pepsi and chips.
”

“
And?
”

“
And a couple of Twinkies and a piece of that chocolate cake Minnie brought. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
”
As Bianca frowned at him, Tyler caved in.
“
Look, I’ll have some of this leftover corn pone or whatever. See? I’m eating it.
”

I busied myself again with the cell phone so I wouldn’t get roped into sharing Tyler’s sacrificial act. Having been tied up all day with Operation Hollow Feather, I certainly wasn’t in any mood for corn pone.

“
Her line’s busy. I think I’ll just run over there, see how she’s doing. You’ll be okay to close on your own, Tyler?
”

“
No problem.
”

Bianca jumped in.
“
Before you leave, what do you think about us doing an intervention on his grandpa?
”
Bianca waved away Tyler’s protests.
“
J
ust tell us what you think. You know, we could all confront him and make him tell us what he’s been doing, meeting that man and all.
”

“
The problem is, I’m not sure he even knows what he’s been doing.
”
Tyler was glum as he spoke.
“
I’ve caught him in outright lies, so he’s either hiding something or he’s losing his memory. I don’t know which is worse.
”

“
If we bring it out in the open though, Laurence might get mad and send Tyler back to Nevada. What do you think, Mom?
”

“
Are you worried about that, Tyler?
You’re not going back there, no matter what. If Laurence is just getting a little forgetful, no one’s going to yank you away from here. It’s not like you need him to fix your lunch or anything. If anything, it’s the other way around.
”

“
But what if she shows up here when he’s acting weird?
”

“
She won’t. You told me that yourself the other day.
”
I didn’t see any need to pussyfoot around. Tyler knew his mother and her grand schemes that somehow never worked out.
“
It’s not going to happen. Just keep your head down for now
,
and you’ll be fine. We’re with you, but I need to get this deal with Alix sorted out before I can concentrate on Laurence’s behavior.
”

Distress remained evident on Tyler’s face. When he finally blurted out what he’d been thinking, I could see why.
“
That’s part of what I’m talking about. I’ve been afraid that … I know this sounds really dumb … but suppose Grandpa somehow g
ot mixed up with the dead guy.
”

“
You don’t think your grandfather killed him!
”
If Tyler hadn’t been so pale as he forced himself to voice his fear, I’d have laughed at the very idea.

“
No, but what if there’s some connection? That weird guy he met the other day wasn’t the one who got killed. I know that because the murder happened before they met, but something’s going on with Grandpa.
”
He shook his head as if to clear it.
“
Two strange guys come to town, and one of them ends up dead. That talk about scams the other day got me to wondering.
”

I was finally catching Tyler’s train of thought. I clenched my hands at my sides to keep from rushing over to hug this poor kid who had been carrying such a heavy burden. He didn’t need motherly coddling so much as he needed someone to keep a clear head and figure things out.
“
So you think the man Laurence met might be another con man, maybe even the murderer.
”

“
Yeah.
”
Tyler’s face cleared as he explained.
“
But I don’t know his name or anything. If I tell the sheriff about him, he’ll go to Grandpa
,
and then all the stuff about Grandpa might come out.
”

“
We can’t leave Laurence on his own to deal with someone who might be a murderer, that’s for sure,
”
Bianca’s voice was rising, her worry more evident with every word.
“
We ought to have an intervention right now.
”

“
Hold on,
”
I said.
“
We don’t know whether this man had anything to do with the murder.
”

“
Yeah, but we don’t know he didn’t either. Far as I know, there aren’t any other suspects in the picture, except Alix, of course.
”
Bianca pleaded her case for action well.

Especially since
it concerned me that Arnie hadn’t turned up any other leads.

“
Wouldn’t it help if we gave him someone else to think about
?
”

“
It might. Let me think about it.
”

Of course
,
I was the only one here who knew that Arnie was aware of Irene Cook’s existence and thus had every reason to concentrate his attention on Alix. It had been just a pipe dream of mine that another suspect would somehow walk in and confess.
I felt an i
ncreased urgency to take action
.

“
What should I do, Jane?
”
Tyler looked at me with such trust that I gave him the only possi
ble answer
, wishing I could think of something more
tangible
.

“
For the moment, n
othing. Just keep a close watch on your
g
randpa while I think out our next step. And try not to worry, okay?
”
I
t was my job to shoulder the worry for all of us.
“
I promise we’ll sort everything out soon.
”

Both Bianca and Tyler gave me that look of confidence I had come to dread. They now believed that the Bookstore Heroine was fully engaged in all aspects of the case—clearing Alix of suspicion, solving the murder, and figuring out what was causing Laurence to act strangely—so they could relax and wait for further instructions. I gave them a reassuring smile that stayed firmly in place just long enough to get me out the door and on my way to see Alix.
I wish I was as certain as I’d sounded that I could fulfill my promise.