“Thank you, Chief. You, too!”

  Chapter 25

  “What do we do now?” Arlene sat down on the sofa when she had a break between customers. “Do you have to file a report?”

  Peggy was sitting in the chair with her notebook in her lap. “I don’t think so. The chief didn’t say I needed to go down to the police department, but maybe I should.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “I’m trying to figure out who had the opportunity to put that skimmer in there. I know we don’t cover the shipping side every minute of the day, but we do usually run over there when we hear the bell.”

  Arlene jumped up. “I’m going to go print a list of customers we’ve had. We need to try to contact them. I’ll be right back.”

  “Good idea.” Peggy started her list backwards. Darryl Figgins had been over there alone this morning to hang the door. There was Cecil Ryman from Volker Electric, who put up the monitor.

  Arlene returned with a receipt tape in her hand. “You know this could have happened on opening day. It was crazy in there that morning, and I know I wasn’t paying attention to the counter at all.”

  “I was there though. I’m thinking it’s more likely to have happened when someone had to wait on us to get there or they were there working. You know we’ve had several workers over there.”

  “Fig from this morning.” Arlene held up a finger. “Was Cecil over there alone when he was here?”

  “Yes, a couple of times.”

  “But he brought another boy with him one day. It was Ricky, the boy that does the sound system at the community center when they have a play.”

  “Ricky Deavers.” Peggy added the name to her list. “Rumor has it that he has been in jail a few times.”

  “For stealing?” Arlene’s eyes grew wide in concern.

  “I think it was drugs.”

  “Oh.” Arlene frowned, uncertain if that was better. “People who use drugs steal to finance their drug problem.”

  Peggy smiled. “That’s what I’ve heard, too. They could do it together, Cecil and Ricky. I think they are friends, and they may work as a team. One distracts the owner and the other plants the skimmer.”

  “Was Andy over on the other side alone?”

  “He was, but I don’t think Andy would do something like that. Maybe it was a customer.” Peggy chewed her bottom lip and tried to remember each customer. “Can you remember anyone coming in the shipping side while you were busy over here? Maybe when I stepped out to pick up lunches? I had that happen the other day with the painter. The day you went to the doctor he came in for shipping and I had him wait a few minutes because I was checking Annie Walker out. It was less than five minutes though.”

  “I don’t think I’ve had anyone over there waiting alone when you’ve been gone, but it only takes one minute if you know what you’re doing. The chief had that thing apart in a second.”

  “True.” Peggy added Joe the painter to her list and tapped the pen against her notebook.

  Cecil Ryman

  Ricky Deavers

  Darryl Figgins

  Andy Gentry

  Joe the Painter

  “You might want to look through this list of customers.” Arlene handed Peggy the report she printed. “Maybe it will remind you of something. Did you ever go back in the storeroom looking for a box and leave someone up there?”

  “I haven’t. As far as I remember, these are the only people that have had the opportunity to plant that thing, other than you and me.” Peggy showed Arlene her list. “I guess I need to take this to the chief.”

  “You aren’t going to put me on that list, are you?” Arlene inhaled until her chest expanded.

  Peggy chuckled. “Of course not. I’m a bigger suspect than you!”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You already told the chief that checking the machines was my department!” Peggy pointed at herself and laughed.

  Arlene squinted with a sly smile and a sinister nod. “Yeah, that was all part of my plan.”

  Peggy laughed and reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “I think I’ll send the chief a text message with these names. He zeroed in on the painter first, but I’m not sure why.”

  Peggy tapped away on her phone. Having his cell phone number had been a big help these last few months. Playing phone tag with the police station could be frustrating. She just hoped he didn’t mind that she continued to use it.

  Just when Conrad had exhausted his attempts to locate the painters and was resigning himself to waiting for Monday morning, he received Peggy’s text message. He had arrested Ricky Deavers before and knew the other names well. Darryl Figgins did not live in Spicetown and wouldn’t be back at the Keslar Mansion until Monday. Andy Gentry was an unlikely suspect, but he would give him a call.

  “Asher!” Conrad roared.

  After several seconds, Roy Asher appeared at Conrad’s door. “Yeah, Chief. Did you call me?”

  Conrad held out a piece of paper. “I need you to pick these two up and bring them in for questioning. They both work at Volker Electric, but I don’t know if they’re working today.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, Chief. I know ‘em. I can do that. I’ll get right on it.”

  As Roy turned to leave, Conrad stopped him. “And Roy?”

  “Yeah, Chief?”

  “Don’t arrest them. It’s just questioning. They might be witnesses. I just need to ask them a few questions. Don’t spook ‘em.” Asher could amplify the importance of simple tasks and don the persona of a sheriff in the wild west if he was let loose without direction.

  “Gotcha, Chief.” Roy rushed down the hallway and out the front door glancing at the parking lot camera before jumping into his squad car.

  Conrad felt guilty after every impatient interaction with Roy, but some days he just didn’t have it in him to coddle him. Asher’s wide-eyed nervous reaction always made him feel like he was the bad guy.

  Harold “Wink” Hobson walked in the side door of the police department and slowly passed Conrad’s office door with a sly smile.

  “Wink!” Conrad barked and held his hand out to stop him. He wasn’t sure why he was arriving for night shift so early, but he didn’t get the opportunity to talk to him often.

  “Hey, Chief. What’s up?”

  “I’d just like to take this opportunity to go on record and tell you that I really hate this schedule rotation thing you’ve started.”

  Wink clutched his stomach when he laughed. “Noted, but I’m sure you can admit that you understand why I did it.” His official reasoning was to give every officer an opportunity to learn and become comfortable with office day shift and night patrols.

  “Oh, yeah. I knew that from the start, but I didn’t know how miserable it would make me.”

  “Only twenty-seven more days left and then we’ll rotate again.” Wink tried to swallow his laughter knowing Conrad could rewrite that schedule any time he wanted.

  “Why didn’t you put Georgia in the rotation? Let Asher sit in dispatch for a few weeks. It might be good for him.”

  Wink lifted an eyebrow as if he was considering it. He knew Asher had a tendency to disrespect Georgia’s contribution and the experience might offer some growth. “We could.”

  “I’ll see how it goes, but I may just swap them since they are both on days. Georgia hasn’t been out on the road for a long time. I’ll talk to her about it.”

  “Let me know how it goes.”

  Conrad nodded as Wink headed down the hallway. Reaching for the radio, he turned up the volume so he could follow Asher’s activity and try to be patient.

  Calling Andy Gentry was going to be touchy. He had forgotten who Andy’s mother was, and although the boy was no trouble, his mother sent Conrad running in the other direction every time. With fingers crossed he dialed the number, hoping Andy’s stepfather Rodney Maddox would answer instead, but this had not been a lucky day for him.

  “Hello.”

  “Mrs. Maddox? This is Police Chief Conrad Harris. Is your son, Andy, at home?” Conrad could tell by the sound of Carmen Maddox’s voice that she was agitated by something before she even said hello. Carmen was always hot or cold, never in the normal range, and both extremes made Conrad jumpy.

  “What’s this about, Chief?”

  “Is Andy at home right now? I just need to speak to him. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  “Andy’s not home, but I’m not letting you talk to him unless you tell me what’s going on.”

  Conrad knew Andy was over eighteen and the argument wasn’t worth having. “I’ll contact him later. Thank you.” Conrad hung up without waiting for her response. He would have to go through Rodney on Monday and then run Andy down.

  When his phone chimed with a new text message, he held his breath hoping it was not Roy Asher.

  Sorry to bug you again, but Slim Pickens keeps coming up in conversation. Is it okay if I check with Slim and see who he’s had working out there since November?

  Conrad frowned at Peggy’s text message and agreed it was a business name that showed up more than once, but Peggy just had a skimmer in her own store. How could an employee of Slim Pickens’ plant it at the Carom Seed?

  Conrad had time to kill waiting on Asher, so he decided it couldn’t hurt. He hadn’t talked to Melvin Pickens in a long time either. He’d return Peggy’s text message later.

  Chapter 26

  Arlene finished helping a customer with a shipment and returned to the craft side of the store. Sully was walking around the new display she had set up that morning by the entrance, sniffing and studying it to see if it passed inspection. Looking out the front windows, she could see the flurry of activity on Fennel Street had died away.

  “It’s about time to close. Did you hear back from the chief? What did he say?”

  Peggy closed her sewing kit and carried the wedding dress skirt to the sewing machine. “He didn’t answer. He must be busy.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I thought about just driving out to Slim Pickens. I haven’t seen them in a long time. I could buy something and act like I was just passing by.” Peggy arranged the dress carefully on the sewing table so she would be able to resume the alterations on Monday.

  “But they probably aren’t there this late. You’d drive all the way out there and some stranger would be at the counter.”

  Peggy nodded. “You’re right. I should just wait. The chief has already told me to stop getting involved. I don’t want to get in trouble with him again.” Peggy had promised him she wouldn’t go off doing crazy things without talking to him first, and she had been careful the last few months to not break that promise.

  “He may have already talked to Melvin Pickens. He knows what he’s doing, so I wouldn’t worry if I were you. If he doesn’t answer you this weekend, you can ask him again Monday.” Arlene picked up one of Sully’s toys and tossed it into his crate before glancing at the clock. It was still too early to close up, but Arlene was afraid if she sat down, it would be more difficult to get back up.

  The bells on the door jingled and Sully’s stubby tail began to dance when Valerie Duffy slipped in, her forehead creased in apology. “Sorry, guys. I know you are getting ready to close. Hello, Mr. Sully!” Valerie scratched Sully’s head as he panted. “I just wanted to drop off this swatch.”

  Peggy walked over and took the small piece of cloth Valerie offered and rubbed her fingers over it. “This is chiffon.”

  “Oh,” Valerie shrugged. “I don’t know my fabrics, but this is the sample from the bridesmaid dresses. My dress inserts don’t have to match exactly, but I just wanted you to see them. I’d probably rather mine be a little paler in color, but as long as it doesn’t clash, it will be fine.”

  “I’ve ordered it, but I haven’t gotten a shipping notice yet. Let me show you what I ordered.” Peggy went to the storeroom and came back with her laptop.

  “Are you getting excited?” Arlene scrunched her shoulders up around her ears and smiled.

  “I am. I’m getting a little stressed out that I am not organized enough and I’m going to overlook something important. It’s not just the wedding. We have the land sale, the utilities, and the mobile home stuff to work through. After that, we have to do something about furniture!” Valerie threw her hands out. “It’s a lot!”

  “Oh, but that’s the fun part. It is a lot of work, but it’s all effort going toward making your perfect day and the happily ever after. You’ll look back later when you’re rested and realize this was the best time of your life!” Arlene still remembered every minute of her wedding day, the good and the bad.

  “My mom is sure having fun. She’s exhausting me with details.” Valerie laughed.

  Peggy turned her laptop around and pointed. “That’s what I ordered. If that’s too deep, I can look around for something lighter.”

  “It should be okay. There will be netting and stuff over it, right?”

  “Tulle. Yes, it will be underneath the tulle.”

  Valerie stared at the photo trying to picture her finished dress in her mind. “Maybe a sash in the peach? I think I’d like that if the color is close to what the girls are wearing.”

  “Sure! That’s easy to do. We can decide how wide or how long once I get the pieces back together.” Peggy waved her hand over the sewing machine table where Angela’s wedding dress was in several pieces.

  “That sounds good!” Valerie leaned down and scratched Sully behind the ears. “I need to meet Derek down at Juniper Junction at five o’clock and I’m sure you are ready to close for the day, but I’m glad I caught you before you left.”

  “A Saturday night dinner date!” Arlene smiled. “That’s nice.”

  “It’s really a strategy meeting so we can go over our list of things to do.” Valerie chuckled. “We were supposed to go look at mobile homes today, but he got called in to cover someone’s shift, which happens all the time. They pull him from one store to the other to fill in for people who call out sick or don’t show up at all. It’s impossible to make plans with him.”

  Arlene patted Valerie on the back as she walked toward the door. “Pretty soon he’ll be saying that about you and all of your pet emergencies.”

  Valerie nodded as she pulled the door open. “You’re probably right.”

  “I’ll text you when the fabric arrives.” Peggy waved as Valerie slipped out the door.

  Conrad glanced at the security monitor when he saw Officer Asher’s squad car pull in to park. It idled for several minutes until Roy stepped out of the car alone. Conrad shook his head and reached for the weekly shift schedule to see who was assigned day shift on Monday. When he saw Roy Asher was listed as the day officer, he picked up his mobile phone and called Georgia Marks.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Georgia. It’s Conrad. Sorry to bother you on a Saturday.”

  “It’s no bother, Chief. What can I do for you?”

  “How do you feel about working the street again? Taking a rotation as day officer?”

  Several seconds of silence preceded Georgia’s response. “Well, it’s been a long time…”

  “Wink has everyone doing monthly rotations and I thought you might like to be included. It wouldn’t hurt the other staff to take a turn at dispatch either. They need to be more comfortable there in case they’re needed, too. Do you have any objections?” Conrad could force the issue. Georgia was a trained and experienced police officer just like the others, but she had volunteered for the dispatcher role when no one else wanted it, and she was good at it.

  “Okay, Chief. Yeah, let’s give it a try. I might be a little rusty, but you’re right. I want to see if I can still do it.”

  “Thanks. See you Monday.” Conrad hung up his phone and saw Roy Asher hovering in his doorway. “Come on in. What happened?”

  “Nothing, Chief. I just couldn’t find them. Ricky’s mom said he went to Pine Lake fishing with his dad. He’ll be around tomorrow maybe.”

  “And Cecil?”

  “No clue.” Asher shook his head in bewilderment. “He wasn’t home or at work.”

  Conrad wasn’t surprised. “Did you try calling them? I know we have Ricky’s number and Volker Electric probably has a phone number for both of them.”

  Asher inhaled and his eyes swam around the room searching for a response.

  “Never mind. I’ll take care of it later. There’s been a change in the shift schedule. You’ll still be on days starting Monday, but you’ll be on the dispatch desk.”

  “Dispatch! Holy cow, Chief. Why do I gotta do that? Is Georgie sick?”

  “No, but she could be. Everyone needs to be cross trained. We need all officers to be able to fill in wherever they’re needed. We’re a small department and we can’t be specialized.”

  “Why you gotta start with me? What did I do?”

  “I just told you why.” Asher’s whining was raising Conrad’s blood pressure. “And you’re about to talk yourself into a permanent reassignment.”

  “Sorry, Chief. I’ll do my best.” Asher slipped quietly away and down the hall.

  Conrad pushed back from his desk. He should just go home and try to salvage some of the weekend. He wouldn’t find the painter until Monday and that’s who he really wanted to talk to. Maybe he could take Briscoe for a walk down by the lake. It might improve his mood and keep his mind off food, then he remembered Peggy’s text.

  He texted her back, telling her that he would request an employee list, and then reached for his desk phone. He didn’t need Peggy going down there and stirring things up. After a quick internet search, he dialed the Slim Pickens’ convenience store.

  “Pickens.” A gravelly voice barked impatiently into the phone.

  “Melvin?” Conrad said cautiously.

  “Yeah!” The voice lit up with recognition.

  “This is Chief Harris.”

  “Hey! Howdy, Chief. How’re you doin’ these days?”

  Conrad chuckled. Melvin Pickens was probably not as old as he looked, but the passage of time never dampened his enthusiasm for life. “I’m pretty good. I’ve got a favor to ask of you. Nothing urgent, but I do need some information when you get a chance.”

 

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