A Fitting End, page 15
“Sure! I’m an open book. What can I do you for?”
“I’m investigating some credit card fraud and I know you had a bit of that back in the winter.”
“Yep, I did, and I about threw them machines in the trash. What good is all this advance technology if all it does is teach people new ways to steal?”
“I hear you, but it’s kicked up again. It’s happening in Paxton and we’re seeing a little bit spill over into Spicetown, so I’m trying to nip this in the bud.”
“I check mine all the time, just like you showed me.”
“That’s good to hear. I was wondering if you could send me a list of all the employees you’ve had over the last year. I can run out and pick it up from you if that’s easier.”
Melvin hummed. “I think Edie can put that together for you and do you an email so you don’t have to make a trip. There’s been a lot of ‘em. These kids don’t stick around long.”
“It might be that one of those kids is now working somewhere that’s being skimmed and it might give us a good lead. It’s a long shot, but worth a phone call.”
“Sure thing, Chief. We’ll get that to ya!”
“Thanks, Melvin, and tell Edie hello for me, too.”
Conrad logged out of his computer, feeling a small sense of calm returning until Wink Hobson’s head popped around the corner of the door.
“You leaving?”
“Yes, I’ve had enough fun today.” Conrad took a calming breath before rising from his chair.
Wink chuckled. “You got Asher boo-hooing in the break room. He thinks he’s being punished for something.”
“Could it be because I caught him handwriting his reports? Or maybe it was his assumption that it was the dispatcher’s job to type his reports into the system. Or it could be because I sent him to find two kids and he didn’t even think to try a phone first. And all of those things happened just today.” Conrad tapped his finger hard on his desktop.
Wink grinned. “Yep, it could be, but that’s every day with Asher.”
Conrad huffed and pushed his chair under his desk. “I just wasn’t up to it today.”
“Could it be because it’s a Saturday and it should be your day off? Or maybe because you didn’t think to call the two kids yourself first. Or it could be because the Spicetown Chief of Police needs to go get a donut!” Wink laughed alone, but he saw Conrad’s demeanor change and knew he would accept some of the blame for his impatience.
“It could be.” Conrad said as Wink was walking away. He had been short with everyone this week and he needed to find a way to diet that didn’t alienate everyone around him.
Conrad waved at Officer Fred Rucker, who was sitting in the dispatcher’s cubicle, as he walked out the side door of the station. Fred was the only person that hadn’t gotten on his last nerve today, but that might be because he didn’t even talk to him.
Chapter 27
Monday morning, Cora Mae left the office on foot early to drop off Jason’s article at the Spicetown Star before picking up a cake at the bakery for a City Hall employee party. Everyone in the front office had contributed something for the luncheon. She had planned to bake a cake over the weekend and had completely forgotten all about it. She knew Vicki would have something made up to save her.
As she turned the corner from Fennel Street to Clove Street, she saw Conrad peeking through the windows of the abandoned tax office with both hands cupped around his eyes to block out the sun’s glare. He stepped back and waited for her to approach when he saw her.
“You’re out and about early.”
“Just headed to the Star. Is something going on inside?” Cora glanced in the window.
“No, I’m just waiting to see if the painters show up. I need to talk to them.” Conrad put his hands in his pants pockets and tried to look casual.
“Whatever for?”
“Aren’t they supposed to paint this building next?”
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure they plan to paint this unless Jeremiah gives them approval to do it. I haven’t been down the other streets to see what they’ve finished.”
“Who keeps track of them? Jason? Would he know where they plan to be next?”
Cora Mae scowled and waited for Conrad to answer her original question.
“What?” Conrad held his hands out. “I just need to ask them a few questions, that’s all. They have been on the street for weeks now and they may have seen something that would help me with my fraud case.”
Cora Mae smirked and rolled her eyes. She knew when Conrad was speaking nonsense. “Come on, Connie. You can do better than that. What are you up to?”
“I’m not up to anything! One of the painters was at the site where I found a skimmer. I want to know who else he saw.”
“You want to question him. These guys are here providing a free service to this town, and I don’t want you bullying them.” Cora Mae straightened her shoulders as her eyebrows clinched together.
“That doesn’t mean they can steal from us.” Conrad glanced over at the Caraway Cafe, but they were not open yet.
“Pfft.” Cora walked around Conrad and continued towards the newspaper office on Tarragon Street without looking back. The topic was not worth an argument because she knew the painters were not planning to come back to town until Friday.
Conrad crossed Fennel Street before he had to walk by the Fennel Street Bakery. The cinnamon roll aroma was like a punch in the stomach, but he was trying to resist. He could see Peggy moving around inside the Carom Seed Craft Corner and he knocked on her window.
“Good morning.” Peggy held the door open and flipped on the lights. She had just arrived, and Sully was still wandering around inside the store. “Come on inside.”
“I just wanted to let you know I talked to Melvin Pickens.”
Arlene walked in the front door and Conrad stepped to the side as everyone said good morning.
“Was he able to tell you who worked there?”
Arlene put her purse under the counter and busied herself at the register so she could listen in.
“Yes, he sent me a list. The names mean nothing to me, but I don’t have employee lists from all the other shop owners to compare it to. I could request that, I guess, but he’s had quite a few.”
“Can I see it?” Peggy reached her hand out and Conrad handed it to her.
Peggy studied the list and looked at Arlene, but her eyes were blank as she searched her memory.
“What do you see?” Conrad stepped forward seeing wheels turn in Peggy’s mind.
“Arlene, do you remember the day that Cecil and Ricky both came over to try to fix that monitor?” Peggy pointed toward the Salty Shipper.
“Yeah.”
“In the middle of all that, Valerie stopped by to introduce Derek. Right?”
“Yes. You were over there talking to Cecil, and Ricky had just arrived. I took them over to that side to see you.”
“But then Valerie wanted to talk to us. Remember? She wanted to show us a picture and we came back over here to look at her phone.”
“That’s right. Derek seemed to know Cecil and he stayed over there with them.” Arlene nodded, but she didn’t know why they were rehashing the day.
Peggy glared at Arlene. “Derek is on this list. Was he over there by himself at any time?”
Arlene bit her bottom lip. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t remember when Cecil and Ricky left though.”
“But Cecil and Ricky were busy working. They would have had their back to Derek. They were mounting a new monitor at the back door. They might have been talking, but they weren’t looking at him. I should have known this days ago!” Peggy slapped her leg. “Valerie told me she met Derek when he worked for Slim Pickens last summer and her father had his credit card scammed from Slim Pickens right before Christmas. The list says Derek worked there until February. Darryl Figgins had his card number stolen at Slim Pickens in February.”
“Now, wait.” Conrad waved his hand to settle the tension. Peggy was running away with herself again. “We don’t know anything yet.”
“Derek would know how to pop those covers off. He’s a retail manager in Paxton and works for a company that owns a bunch of convenience stores. I bet he checks those machines himself so he can open and shut them without any suspicion. He can plant those things and remove them anytime he wants, even on camera!”
Arlene’s bottom lip pushed out as wrinkles formed across her forehead. She didn’t want any of this to be true. “I did wonder how a gas station manager could buy land and a mobile home.”
“Huh? Slow down, ladies. You’re losing me. How do you know Derek Fields?”
“He’s engaged to Valerie Duffy. Come sit down, Chief.” Peggy motioned Conrad to the back of the store. “Would you like some coffee? I haven’t made any yet, but I need some.”
Conrad shook his head.
“I’ll put a pot on.” Arlene rushed to the storeroom, almost tripping over Sully who stood at his crate door ready for his morning nap.
Conrad listened for almost an hour, taking notes as Peggy and Arlene powered through the story from the beginning. It was clear he still needed to do some legwork, but they had given him a solid suspect. It was possible that one of the stores Derek worked for now would also show up on the credit card lists he had collected from recent victims. If this panned out, it could strengthen his relationship with the new sheriff, as well.
“Okay, I got it.” Conrad stood up and yanked on his belt for more breathing room. “Let me get busy. If Derek or the girl come in here for some reason, text me. Otherwise, mums the word.” Conrad mimicked zipping his lips and looked at both Peggy and Arlene. “I’ll be in touch.”
Conrad didn’t even pause to revel in the bakery smells. He hurried down the street to get back to the office. Georgia had been giving Roy a refresher on how to work the radio when he left, and he hoped that lesson didn’t last all month. It was time for them both to start the day with new assignments. He worked on the interview questions he would ask as he walked.
Barreling down the hallway of the PD, Georgia and Roy both looked up in surprise and Conrad waited a few seconds to calm his breathing. He might have walked faster than usual, and he felt a little overheated.
“Georgia, I need you to get in touch with Cecil Ryman and Ricky Deavers. They both work for Volker Electric. See if you can get them in here for questioning. They aren’t being arrested. I just need to talk to them.”
“Okay, Chief.” Georgia was seated at the day officer’s desk and fumbled for a moment to get acclimated to the computer there but went to a search page to get a phone number.
“Asher, I need you to pull me a sheet on a Derek Fields. He lives in Paxton, about 27 years old, and works for some company that runs a bunch of convenience stores over there. I need to know if he has a history and I need contact information for his employer.”
“It’s probably Kamal Kart Inc. They own a dozen of those places in Paxton.” Asher spun his chair toward the computer and his fingers hesitated over the keyboard while he searched his memory for the steps he needed to take.
Conrad stood there waiting to see if the hamster on the wheel in Roy’s head would be able to get things moving without Georgia pointing it all out again, but he did. Conrad went to the office and grabbed his pitcher to fetch water for his coffee maker and work on his interview questions. As he walked into the break room, he stopped and looked around.
There were red and white tablecloths spread over two tables, with plastic trays and bowls filled with carrot sticks, cauliflower, broccoli, and cucumbers with slices of cheese on the side. A platter was heaped with bananas and grapes with apple slices in a covered bowl and two cans of assorted nuts.
Conrad didn’t move, but yelled out, “What’s going on in here?”
“Help yourself, Chief.” Georgia hollered back and then quickly dialed the phone number to Volker Electric.
Conrad strolled back to the lobby with his water pitcher still in his hand. Seeing Georgia on the phone, he looked at Asher and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “What’s all that about?”
Asher shrugged with his mouth hanging open in innocence. “Georgia brought it in. She said we needed some healthy snacks. I guess she’s on a health kick or something.”
Conrad smirked. He knew Wink was behind this. He returned to the break room, filled his pitcher with water and filled a plate with fruit and nuts before returning to his office to call the sheriff. It wasn’t a donut, but it was something.
Chapter 28
After a long day, Conrad felt he had handed the sheriff’s department a strong case. The county had arrested Derek at work in Paxton and compared his prints to those found on the skimmer they had discovered a few days ago at a station owned by Kamal Kart Inc.
Ricky and Cecil had both provided statements that they saw Derek pull the cover off the credit card machine, but they thought Derek was just playing around with it at the time. Once the credit card statements were collected, Conrad saw that every victim had gotten gas at a Kamal Kart owned station in Paxton within the last two months.
Derek didn’t confess, but he did hire an attorney, and the prosecutors were confident they had what they needed to convict him. Conrad’s work was done.
After calling Peggy to give her an update, which he did not permit her to share, he called Cora Mae.
“Hello, Connie.”
The greeting was normal, but the tone was frosty. He knew he would have to mend fences. “Do you have dinner plans? I thought you might like to go to Old Thyme Italian.”
“Do you have a riddle to solve and need a pizza?” It was an inside joke between them.
Conrad heard a small smile in those words, a small opportunity to turn things around. “Nope, case solved. I think I need a ravioli celebration. I’m hungry!”
Cora Mae giggled. “Case solved, huh? You found the credit card skimmer thief?”
“Well, I didn’t solve it. Peggy did, but that’s classified information.”
Cora Mae chuckled. “So, who was it?”
“Derek Fields. He’s not from Spicetown, so you may not know him. He was engaged to Valerie Duffy, Angela and David’s daughter. You know them.”
“Oh, my! Yes, I do. That’s terrible. I feel so bad for her.”
“At least she found out before she married him!”
Cora sighed. “That’s true. That’s a blessing.”
“So, are you hungry?”
“If you go eat ravioli, you’ll undo all the hard work you’ve done this week.” Cora knew the battles of dieting. She had struggled with it for the last twenty years. It was hard.
“I didn’t eat lunch today. Georgia fed me grass and weeds instead. I deserve a decent meal.”
“Okay, on one condition.”
Conrad moaned. He never fared well in these deals. “What condition?”
“That you let me give you some suggestions on this diet. Let me help. I know I don’t set a good example, but you never saw an extra pound on George Bingham, did you? I’ve had a lot of experience and I think I know what will work best for you. I think you can lose weight without feeling hungry.”
Conrad hummed. Over the phone, she couldn’t see the doubt on his face, but the silence conveyed it.
“It doesn’t work on me because I don’t eat from hunger, but you do. There is a way to eat satisfying meals and lose weight.”
“Do I get pizza and donuts?” Conrad smiled, waiting for her to scold him.
“Oh, Connie.” Cora Mae huffed in defeat.
“We can discuss all this over ravioli. I’ll meet you there at six.”
Although weeks of awkward silence passed, Peggy continued to work on Valerie’s dress. No one reached out to her, but it was always possible Derek could be exonerated. Peggy had to be ready in case Valerie wanted to move forward. By the time Arlene heard through the grapevine that the engagement had been broken, Peggy had already reassembled Angela’s wedding dress with the promised adjustments and Peggy knew she had to call her.
“I’m so nervous.” Arlene fanned herself with a Leisure Arts afghan pattern booklet.
The dress looked beautiful on her standing dress form, but no one had ever tried it on. She left it on the stand so Angela and David could see it before she put it away. She had asked them to come pick it up and they were due to arrive any moment.
“I hope she doesn’t talk about Derek. She doesn’t know you were involved, does she?”
“Me?” Peggy pointed at her chest in teasing. “You were there, too.”
Arlene shook her head and smiled. “I plead the fifth.”
“I don’t think anyone outside Cora Mae and the chief know we had anything to do with his arrest and I think we need to keep it that way.”
“Oh, I agree! I just hope this isn’t weird.”
“Me, too.” Peggy was also concerned about whether she was getting paid.
When the Duffys finally arrived, Peggy was on the shipping side finishing a shipment with a customer and she hurried to get back. She didn’t want to leave Arlene with it. As she came through the pass-through, she saw Angela and David both standing at the dress form staring at the dress, as Angela stroked her fingers over the satin.
“Hi there.” Peggy glanced at Arlene with a question in her eyes. Arlene seemed frozen in place. “Do you like it?” No one was talking. “I thought it turned out pretty well.”
“Oh, Peggy.” David glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, it’s really beautiful. I’m sure Valerie will be pleased.”
“It’s gorgeous, Peg.” Angela sighed. “It has a whole new life in it. I just hope someday Valerie gets to wear it.”
“Oh, I’m sure she will!” Peggy rushed around behind the mannequin and grabbed the large white box. “Let me pack it up for you. I just left it on the form so you could see it.”
“Oh, look at the time!” Angela looked at David. “I need to get to Chervil’s. Can you take care of this and let me run down there? I’ll meet you at the car.”
