Too Dead To Dance (22 page)

“Oh, hi, Ms. Penny. You
know, I think Detective Decker said something to someone on his way
out that he was going to the Fest Grounds. Although, I don’t know
why. Polka Daze is over.”

I thanked her, and was
about to hang up when she asked, “Do you want me to have either one
of them to call you?”

“No, Angelia. But if you
talk to them could you tell them that I went to the Fest
Grounds?”

“Sure thing, Ms.
Penny.”

I hung up and started
shoving things from the kitchen table back into my purse. Then I
stuck my cell phone in my pocket and took off for the Fest
Grounds.

Cars and trucks were
arriving and leaving the Fest Grounds when I arrived. Cars were now
parked where just the day before food stands had sent out delicious
aromas. I pulled up and parked right in front of the Home Arts
Building.

When I stuck my head in, I
saw a few vendors packing up their wares. They talked in hushed
tones in this almost empty building. It was so unlike the hustle
and bustle of the previous weekend. My coffee booth was completely
gone. My efficient employees had arrived early and moved everything
back to the warehouse to await the next festival or
event.

Turning, I walked through
the grounds. The smallest tent was rolled up and six men were
picking it up to put it on a flat bed truck. The medium sized tent
was down and several men stood around looking at it. Maybe they
were waiting for it to do something.

I looked for Decker’s truck
then realized he and Jacobs were probably in a squad car. I didn’t
see any of those either. But if they were in an unmarked car, I
wouldn’t recognize it. I had again run off without thinking things
through and now I didn’t know what to do. I continued to walk
through the grounds looking for Decker or Jacobs. Jacobs would
stand out if he were here because he always wore a suit and the men
here wore work clothes.

When I came to the largest
tent, I saw a dozen men pulling on ropes attached to it. Someone
was shouting orders. I watched as the huge canvas structure
billowed in the wind, and then sank to the ground like a balloon
losing air. The men gave a cheer when it settled like a huge white
puddle.

When I turned to check out
the Christmas Shop, the big double doors were both open and the red
cargo truck from Metzger’s Meat Market was backed up and blocking
one side of the entryway. Cautiously entering through the
doublewide barn doors, my steps echoed through the small building.
It no longer looked like a fairyland. The cement block walls were
cracked. The cold cement floor completed the bleakness, so
different from the magical Christmas Shop.

Folded tables were lined up
along one side of the room. Someone was stacking chairs against the
other wall. I peeked into the back of the cargo truck and saw more
folding chairs.

When the man stacking
chairs turned, I saw that it was the Fest Meister. “Frank! What are
you doing here?” I realized I was relieved that it was Frank and
not Al.

“Hi, Ms. Penny. I’m just
stacking the chairs from the small tent. This is where we store
them.”

“I’m just surprised to see
you with the truck. I thought that Al was the only one who used
it.”

Frank smiled and took the
toothpick from his mouth. “It seems that way to me sometimes, too.
He sure likes this truck. But, I use it occasionally. Can I help
you with something?”

“Maybe. Frank, I think Al
may be in trouble.”

“What kind of
trouble?”

“I think he may have tried
to run me off the road the other night.”

“Why would he want to do
that? Did you see the driver?”

“Not then, Frank, but I saw
Al driving the truck as I left the Fest Grounds. One of the
Princesses was sitting next to him. At first I thought the truck
was a black or dark blue SUV, but I just figured out that red looks
black in the night.”

“Why would my brother want
to run you off the road?” Frank asked again.

“I’m not sure. I think Al
may have gotten into it with Wes. I’m so sorry, Frank. But I think
Al was involved in that bank robbery a few years ago. I think he
needed the money for his portion of the meat market that he bought
with you.”

“Aw, what are you talking
about? Are you nuts? Al had a good job. He saved that money for his
share and he invested it wisely.”

“Maybe you don’t know your
brother as well as you think you do. People aren’t always as they
appear.”

“No they aren’t, Missy. Why
did you have to stick your nose into other people’s business?”
Frank flashed a scornful grin that frightened me. Suddenly this
sweet little man looked intimidating. Something flashed as he
pulled his hand out of his pocket. By the time I realized what he
was doing, he had flipped open a menacing knife with a needle sharp
point. Grabbing my arm he pulled me closer.

I felt my whole body grow
cold. “Oh, crap, it wasn’t Al, it was you,” I whispered.

Why didn’t I realize that
the pudgy little man who seemed to be everywhere at Polka Fest
wouldn’t be missed for short periods of time. People would just
think he was at a different tent on the Fest Grounds. And the red
truck with the sausage man on the side was so familiar around town,
that no one would pay any attention to it parked on a residential
street.

“You should learn to mind
your own business, girlie. I tried to warn you. Now I’m going to
have to shut you up, too. I’ve got nothing to lose at this
point.”

Stall, I had to stall, I
thought. I put my hand in my sweater pocket and pushed the number 4
button, then the “send” button on the phone. At least I hoped that
I had pushed the right buttons. “I understand why you killed Wes.
He wanted his share of the money from the bank robbery, didn’t he?
You spent it all to buy your share of the meat market.”

“Damned economy. I would’ve
had the money to pay Wes if my stocks hadn’t tanked. I just didn’t
have the money to give him. I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t
listen. When he hit me in the stomach, I just grabbed the first
thing I saw and stuck him. I just wanted him to stop hurting me. I
didn’t mean to kill him.”

I took a little step
forward, moving in real close to him, hoping he’d automatically
move back. It worked but he was still a good way away from the
door. There were people all over the fairgrounds. If I could get
close to the door, I could yell and maybe someone would hear me and
come to help.

“I heard that you saved
money for years to buy the meat market. Why did you need to rob the
bank?” Another tiny step forward.

“It was my wife. It’s all
her fault.”

“Why? Did her illness take
all your savings?” One more step.

“No, we had insurance for
that. She gambled it all away. While I was working to save for our
future, she was at the casino losing it faster than I could earn
it. The cancer finally slowed her down, but by then she’d lost all
of our savings.”

“I heard that you used her
life insurance to buy your share.” Another step. We were getting
closer to the door but not close enough for me to be sure someone
would hear me if I yelled.

“Ha! I only had a $10,000
policy on her. The funeral took most of that. I was desperate. I
had no other choice.”

“What about Marty? Why kill
her?” I asked.

The Fest Meister shook his
head and waved the knife around. “Man, she wouldn’t shut up. She
demanded I give her Wes’ share. Kept telling me she’d blow the
whistle on me. Stupid broad. All Wes did was drive the car. And he
almost took off without me when the shooting started. Why should
that broad get anything? I thought I’d just get in and out of her
house while her stupid boyfriend was at church. Then you women
stared coming in and out of the house. I almost got caught when her
boyfriend walked in the front door just as I slipped out the back
way. Now we’re done talking.”

He grabbed my arm, and
pushed me in front of him, toward the back of his truck.

Poking the knife at me, I
jumped as he said, “Move!

I took a few steps forward,
then spun around, put both hands on his chest, and pushed with all
my might. Frank fell backwards and crashed into a stack of folding
chairs. The chairs fell off the rack and Frank hit the floor. I
turned and ran through the door, shouting and waving my arms. A
hand reached out and grabbed my arm. I screamed. Detective Decker
pulled me into his arms as Jacobs moved into the doorway pointing a
gun at the Fest Meister.

“Drop the knife, Metzger.
It’s all over.” Jacobs said.

“You tricked me! You can’t
do this to me. I’m the Fest Meister!” He leaned over and placed his
hunting knife on the cement floor.

Jacobs gave him an amused
grin. “Fest Meister, you have the right to remain
silent…”

I looked around and saw
four squad cars along with the black sedan that I realized was
Jacobs and Decker’s unmarked car.

Lieutenant Jacobs put the
Fest Meister in the back of one of the squad cars and they left the
Fest Grounds.

Decker grabbed me by the
shoulders. “That was an incredibly stupid thing to do, Jennifer.
You could’ve been hurt.”

“Didn’t Angelia tell you
where I was?

“Yes, but what if we hadn’t
checked in?”

“Did you get my cell phone
call?”

“Yes, it’s the reason we
knew you were in trouble.”

“See, I knew you’d show
up,” I bluffed.

“What if we had been on the
other side of the county? Jennifer, you could’ve been killed, damn
it.”

Whoops, I hadn’t thought of
that.

Just as I was searching for
an answer, Decker pulled me into a bear hug and kissed me. It was
worth waiting for, believe me.

21

Tuesday

I pushed the “end” button
on my cell phone and stuck it in my purse. Grabbing my car keys, I
rushed out the door into the garage. Megan and Bernie would be here
to pick me up in a half hour and I needed to check out the last
store for Laura’s Coke stein. One more place to check and then I’d
be done with this exasperating beer stein quest. I found a parking
place right in front of 422 Center Street, right in the middle of
the downtown area. This is where the “Coins to Cups” store was
supposed to be. However, the script on the window announced
“Messer’s Jewelry.” I looked at the paper in my hand. It read 422.
I looked around to the stores next to and across the street from
the jewelry store. Ben Franklin, Aunt Martha’s Confectionery, Book
Nook. No coin shop.

I got out of my car and
walked toward the jewelry store. Thinking that Coins to Cups might
have gone out of business, I decided to ask at the jewelry store if
they knew anything about the previous owner. When I got to the door
I saw under the large gold script declaring Messer’s Jewelry a
smaller sign--Coins to Cups.

I went inside and walked
past glass show cases sparsely filled with jewelry. About a dozen
wristwatches and pocket watches were in the first case. Bracelets
and earrings were in the second. They were sorted by the type of
stone in them, pearls, rubies, emeralds and others. Next to them
were gold chains and bracelets.

Across from them were cases
that held rings. A considerable number of diamond engagement and
wedding rings along with ruby, emerald and pearl rings, arranged
much the same as the other jewelry.

As I perused the contents
of each showcase I heard a snapping, popping noise coming from the
back of the store. I made my way toward the sound and saw a woman
sitting behind the counter, snapping the gum she was intently
chewing.

Her head was down and she
was poised over something on her desk with an odd little tool in
her hand. When I got up to the counter I saw that she had the back
of a man’s watch open and was using the tool to poke at something
in the watch.

She looked up and appeared
surprised to see me standing there. “Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you come
in. The buzzer must not be working. Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m looking for Coins
to Cups. This is the address I have for it.”

“Yeah, it’s in the back.”
She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. I looked where she had
pointed and saw a glass door with a sign bearing the same gold
script as the one on the front door. “Thanks,” I said, walking
toward the back door.

The woman answered, “No
problem.” But she had already dismissed me and was back to poking
at the watch and snapping her gum.

When I opened the door to
Coins to Cups, jingle bells attached to the inside door handle
announced me. The room was wide but very short. Only about eight
feet separated me from the woman standing behind the counter. Young
and perky, she beamed at me. “Welcome, come in and look around. Let
me know if I can be of help to you.”

“Thanks,” I replied,
looking around the minuscule shop. There were two other people in
the shop, both older men leaning over a table where the perused
several coins laid out in front of them.