Give First Place to Murder (24 page)

It was after six before I finally made it home. The kitchen looked undamaged, I noted with relief, as I headed upstairs to shed my panty hose for something less barbaric.

"Hi." Susannah's voice was muffled by the tee shirt I pulled over my head, but I still picked up the slight tone of depression. "I brought you this."

She held a glass of white wine in one hand, a can of Coke in the other. I reached for the wine.

"Thanks. It's been quite a day. How was yours?"

"So so. Let’s go sit on the porch."

"Good thinking," Wicker rockers, the mild early summer twilight, and not starting dinner right away sounded great.

"Busy day?" Susannah held her can in both hands, no sipping, just staring down at it.

"Hmm. Hectic. Mondays always are. Every weekend holds at least one crisis." I thought how true it had been for this past one. "What did you do?"

"I spent most of the morning with Aunt Mary. She's wonderful, isn't she? You can tell her anything. How come we never came here when I was growing up? Grandma and Grandpa always came to us, and not that often."

"Because your father wasn't--isn't a fan of small towns. Or large family gatherings. They give him claustrophobia. What else did you do?"

"Decided I don't want to be a small animal vet."

"I didn't know it was on the list.”

Susannah had a "there's lots of things you don't know" look on her face, so I hastily abandoned that line. "Have you talked to Irma?"

"No." She rolled the can between her hands. Little drops sprayed out onto the top. “I tried a couple of times but I got the machine. I haven't talked to Neil either. Bryce was all over the afternoon news, but there was nothing we don't already know."

I took a sip of wine. Susannah contemplated her Coke.

"Have you heard how Stephanie’s doing?"

"No. And I don't care. Bryce was pretty bad, but the way she behaved yesterday made him look like a saint."

She raised her Coke can, paused, and put it back down. "Mom, even if Chovalo gets to come home, what happens now? What does Dan say?"

"I haven't heard from Dan. I don't know any more than you do." Gloom colored my tone I could hear it, but couldn't seem to erase it.

“
Can I ask you something?” There was a hesitation in her voice that surprised me.

“
Of course.”

“
Are you and Dan going to get married?”

Now there was a conversation stopper. It was a moment before I found my voice. “What ever gave you that idea?”

“
He’s crazy about you, and I think you love him too.” She paused, stole a look at me, rocked a little harder, and studied the oak tree across the street. “I don’t mind. I know what Dad was like and Dan, well, Dan’s a good guy.”

I had to say something but I had no idea what. “He hasn’t asked me.”

“
He will.”

She was probably right, but there hadn’t been any time for the serious conversation I had planned to have with myself, so what my answer would be, how I wanted my happy ending to read, I had no clue. “Yeah.” I needed to close the subject. "Guess I should see about getting us some dinner." I twirled my empty glass, but didn’t move.

"You know what I feel like?" Susannah slowed her rocker down almost to a stop..

"No. What?" After that last bombshell, it could be almost anything.

"Barbecue. Chicken. Or maybe pork ribs. Cole slaw. Deep fried onion rings. And mud pie."

I hadn’t been expecting that. But she was right. Absolutely right. A good dose of well cooked comfort was what we both needed.

"Smitty's?"

She looked over at me and a slow smile formed, probably the first one all day.

"Smitty's."

I was pretty sure I waddled as we left Smitty's. Even though I had ordered the small chicken plate, the beans, corn on the cob, garlic bread, and bites of Susannah's mud pie had severely damaged the diet I kept meaning to start. Maybe I'd walk home. It was only a few blocks and Susannah could bring the car. Her jeans didn't look tight.

I stood on the sidewalk, breathing in the jasmine scented night air, watching the stars tune up for their nightly performance and thought about walking home. I had just rejected the idea when I saw him.

"Susannah, look."

"At what?"

"At the man getting into that blue car. That's the pirate.”

"Pirate? The one you think…"

“
The same. What’s he doing here?”

“
I don’t know.” She stared at him. “Having dinner somewhere? Do you think Dan saw him?”

Smitty’s was on the street behind the police station, but I didn't think that mattered.

“
Dan could have sat next to him and he wouldn’t have noticed.” I couldn’t keep that bitterness out of my voice. “Dan’s convinced that pirate has nothing to do with any of this mess. But he does.”

The driver door closed behind the pirate, his engine started, his lights flashed on.

"Come on, hurry." I grabbed her by the arm and pushed her toward our car. "Get in. Hurry up."

I had the car started and was pulling out onto Main Street when Susannah asked, "Are we doing what I think we're doing?"

"If you mean are we following him, yes."

"Why?"

"Because."

"That makes sense."

"Look. Every time something happens that man is there, every time there's been a murder, he’s there. That's a little too much coincidence for me even if Dan doesn't think so. Or pretends not to. Somehow he’s right in the middle of all this, and absolutely nobody is paying any attention."

"So you think this guy is some kind of arch-criminal, maybe masterminding a drug ring, and we're going to play Nancy Drew and follow him. What happens if we catch him?"

"Don't be so melodramatic. We're only going to see where he goes, and then we'll tell Dan."

"Uh huh. Well, it beats re-runs. Do you see him?"

By now we were out of town and on dark country roads. I could see the bright beams ahead of me and dropped back as much as I dared.

"This is the way to Irma's." Susannah sat up straighter. "If he makes that turn coming up--there, he turned. Speed up."

"No. I don't want him to know we're following. We'll see his headlights if he turns into Irma's. But why would he go there?"

"I don't know. But I don't like this. Did he turn? I can't see any lights."

Neither could I. We were at the mouth of Irma's long driveway, the large trailer barn a black shadow, Irma's house and horse barns invisible. The only light was a faint blue glow behind the drawn shade in Wes and Linda's mobile home.

"Where did he go?" whispered Susannah.

"I've no idea." I peered at the road ahead of me, mystified. "Do you see any light?"

"No," Susannah whispered again. "He has to be somewhere."

"Why are you whispering? He's not lurking outside our window."

She gave a little nervous laugh and resumed her normal voice. "I wouldn't count on it. Now what?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should go back to town and…"

Susannah grabbed my arm. "Look. There. Aren’t those headlights?"

The soft glow that suddenly appeared could have been headlights flickering in the direction of Irma's barn.

"No one should be back there now. Come on, Mom. Drive down there."

I hesitated. We really had no business here, but I wanted to know where the car had gone, and Irma was a friend.

"Lock your door." I turned down the drive.

I drove cautiously down the dark road toward Irma's barn when head lights appeared, almost blinding me. I jammed on my breaks and jerked the car to the right just in time to avoid the pick-up truck barreling down on us. The two men in it appeared briefly in our lights, then flashed passed us. They had to be the source of the headlights we’d seen.

“
Who was that?” Susannah had twisted around in her seat to stare after them. The only thing to be seen was a pair of red tail lights that disappeared around the ranch entrance onto the main road.

“
I don’t know, but it wasn’t the pirate. Let’s get out of here.” I wasn’t going to turn around here. The road was narrow and I had no idea what lay between it and the fences. I need a wider spot. My lights pierced the darkness as I neared the barn and the level parking area, plenty of room to turn around and escape. I didn’t know who those people were, but I felt an overwhelming need to follow them back out onto the road and back into town.

The by now familiar shape of a large horse van parked in front of the barn. I’d came to a stop by the barn, the engine still running while we both stared at it. “Should that be there?” I looked around. “I don’t see another car, do you? Where do you suppose the pirate is?”

"Beats me." Uncertainty was in her voice as she peered out the window. She turned toward Irma's house, but like everything else it showed no light.

"Now what?"

Before she could reply a hand tapped on my window and someone tried the door. Susannah screamed. My breath caught in my throat, my foot jerked, the engine roared, coughed, and died.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"It's Wes." Susannah slumped with relief. "Roll down your window."

I did, but not with enthusiasm.

"What are you two doing here?"

"I, ah, left something. My purse. In one of the tack trunks. Mom drove me out to get it," Susannah lied. "Who was that just drove out of here? Where are the yard lights?"

"Those guys? They came to talk to me. About a job."

"A little late for a job interview." I wasn't feeling too charitable about being startled.

"When you work days, nights are all you got left," Wes said, oh so patronizingly. I could have slugged him.

"Why aren't the yard lights on?"

Wes shrugged. "No idea. They weren't on when I got down here. What difference does it make?"

"They're supposed to be on," Susannah insisted stubbornly.

The only lights were my headlights shining directly on the large van, making the red letters of the Long logo glow dully against the silver sides. The van. There. In front of the horse barn. What had happened to the cross country run?

"I thought you would be halfway to Denver by now,"

"I'm not going to Denver. Going to Indiana, then Lexington."

I didn’t care about his destination, but I did wonder why he hadn’t started. You were in such a hurry yesterday. What happened?"

Susannah stared at the van as if she was seeing it for the first time.

"What's wrong?" I could hear alarm build. "Did one of the horses get sick?"

"No. The schedule just got changed.” Wes snarled impatiently. “What is this anyway? Some kind of third degree? Look, why don't you get whatever it was you said you forgot?"

"My purse."

"Yeah. Well, I got a flashlight and I'll help you find it.” His hand was on my door handle, ready to open it. “Where'd you leave it?"

"In the tack room." Susannah talked rapidly. "We'll be fine. I know right where it is, and I know where the lights are. We'll just get it, and then I'll close the barn for you."

"You will, huh."

"Yes. We will."

"Uh huh. If that's the way you want it." Wes continued to hold onto the door handle for another moment as though he was trying to make up his mind, then he shrugged and headed back up the drive.

"Can you believe the arrogance of that man." Susannah rummaged through my glove compartment. "I thought you kept a flashlight in here."

"Why does Irma put up with him?" I handed over the small light I kept tucked in the map compartment on the driver’s door.

"Because they're good at what they do. What's this?" She snapped it on.

"A flashlight."

"Barely. Come on."

"Come on where?"

"To the barn. I want to check on the horses. Besides, I'm supposed to be looking for my purse. Remember?”

I shouldn't have agreed. I knew it. But it seemed safe enough. The pirate couldn't have come down Irma's drive or we would have seen him. There was no one around but the horses. So I switched off my headlights and opened the door.

"Should I take my purse?" For some reason now I was whispering.

"Why?"

I couldn't think of a reason, so I threw the keys on the seat beside my purse and started after my daughter who was already at the barn doors, pulling on one of them. It slid open with only a small protest.

It felt like walking into a cave. I knew Susannah was moving because I could see the weak light dancing down the barn aisle, but for a moment, while my eyes adjusted, that was all. I could hear the rustle of straw, the soft snort of a horse, the brush of Susannah's feet. I could smell the alfalfa, the molasses orange smell of the grain, the distinctive odor of horse. Gradually, I made out shapes moving behind the bars of the wide stall doors and I ventured past the closed door of the tack room as far as the first stall. Its door was open. I had only enough time to wonder why before Susannah was beside me. The flashlight was off. I almost screamed when she grabbed my arm.