Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

A fter Rose went back upstairs, I remained on duty, albeit struggling to fight the urge to join her. I dug out my satphone and went into the kitchen, leaving Maggs in the hallway, figuring the kitchen door combined with being on another floor would be enough to prevent the call from bothering Rose in her bedroom.

I had a hard time getting a signal inside, so I propped open the kitchen door and stood just outside until I got a linkup. Herc answered on the second buzz. It was rare it went longer than that, regardless of time of day. He was one of those people who could operate on an hour or two of sleep. Or, like Serena, he was a vampire, although I leaned toward him being a zombie, lacking any traits of humanity, even the need to drink blood.

"Max. How is Rocky Start?"

"Serena is a problem," I said. "Can I kill her?"

Herc didn't miss a beat. "No. That will bring a world of hurt down on Rocky Start. I told you she runs the Cauldron. She's got anywhere from a dozen to two dozen hard case dogs working for her. Not that they love her, but they'd miss their paychecks. I'm sure she owes some of them money, keeping them hungry and vested in her safety. "

"Tell me about the microfilm."

Now there was a slight pause before he responded. "Oz and Pike pulled all the film copies of the files. It was the price for me covering them disappearing."

"So Oz gave them to you."

"Yes. Except Serena's file. He made a hard copy and sent it to me. At least that's what he told me."

"Did he tell you where he hid the film?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that, Max."

He was right. You know when they say there are no stupid questions? Yeah, there are. "No one here knows where it is. Oz left a will, but he neglected to mention the film. Not even to Pike."

"What did he leave?" Herc said, which, while not a stupid question, was an odd one. As if he cared.

"He gave something wrapped in some used panties to Coral Schmidt, a watch and a box—no film in it—to Pike, some insults to Norman, and everything else to Rose and her kid."

"What was everything else?" Herc asked.

"His old truck, the house and store, and everything in them."

"That was nice of him," Herc said, which was so un-Herc-like I became suspicious. "You figure he cached his money in the house?"

"Maybe. How much do you think would be left?"

"I have no idea," Herc said. "He and Pike did spend some buying up most of that town and the land, but it was pretty cheap back then. They own everything up to the national forest boundaries all around. And I got the land a special preserve status so there're no taxes in either state."

That was interesting. It meant that Herc had a personal interest in the town. Herc didn't do things to be kind.

"Serena mentioned Pike and Oz taking something else from the Russians," I said. "You have any idea what that was?"

"Serena is a shit-disturber," Herc said.

Which was not an answer, which meant Herc wasn't going to tell me anything. But it also told me there probably was some form of "shit" involved .

"Can you talk to Serena?" I said.

"And?"

"Tell her to fuck off."

"I haven't talked to her in three decades," Herc said. "And our last conversation wasn't a happy one. I believe she threatened to castrate me."

"Well, you still have your balls. Use them. She's a problem and needs to go away. No one knows where the damn film is, and if we do find it, we aren't going to give it to her. She's a traitor."

"You tell her," Herc said.

"You owe me, Herc."

"What's gotten into you?" Herc demanded. "You were bitching to me about sending you to Rocky Start, and now you want to protect it?"

"Yeah, but you want to protect it, too, or you wouldn't have sent me."

He chuckled. "Max, Max, Max. I think I know what's going on."

"You know Serena is a problem," I said, cutting off his speculation. "Your daughter lives here and if this goes on further, there's going to be blood in the streets. I'm going to talk to Serena later today. I could use some backup."

"How am I going to do that?"

"The usual way," I said. "With your persuasive voice backed by your soulless heart. We'll chat later. Be around when I call." I hung up.

I managed to get a few hours' sleep in the chair, trusting to Maggs to wake me if anything or anyone untoward approached. Of course, Maggs had that cone on, so that might degrade her awareness, but she was better than me drowsy.

What I didn't count on was Poppy being able to approach Maggs and the dog simply rolling over on her back and presenting her belly so Poppy could scratch it. Maggs' moans of delight woke me.

"Good morning!" Poppy said in a very happy and too loud for the morning voice. It must be nice being young and greeting the dawn with such enthusiasm. My back hurt from the chair, but that was my own fault. There'd been a warm bed and a warm woman upstairs I could have spent the night with.

"Morning," I managed, standing up and stretching.

Maggs rolled over and got to her feet, doing a long, slow stretch and yawn.

"Breakfast?" Poppy walked past us and pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen.

"No thanks." Maggs and I followed her into the kitchen. "I'll grab something from next door."

"Eggs and whole wheat toast are better for you," Poppy said sternly.

Personally, a breakfast of cake and Coral's coffee loomed very positively in my mind. Plus, I'd texted Pike to text Luke to meet me there. I figured going through Pike would keep feathers unruffled. He'd know what was going on, and if he was upset that I was asking Luke, he could voice his opinion.

Plus, I didn't have Luke's cellphone number.

We both turned as Rose walked in, wearing one of her loose dresses and that apron.

"Good morning!" she said, smiling.

Someday, I was going to ask her what she had against undergarments, but not this day, especially with Poppy chowing down on her tub of oats and looking at us, back and forth, as if figuring how much we'd go for on the old people market.

I thought about what Rose had said yesterday about being a parent. Poppy definitely could keep somebody on their toes.

A horn sounded from behind the shop and there was Darius in his Jeep.

"You two have a nice day," Poppy said as she put her oats bowl in the sink, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the back door.

Rose went to the door and waved goodbye to Poppy and Darius, and then she came back and put her arm around me and kissed my cheek, and I began to feel like I was in a Norman Rockwell painting. A weird one, sort of viewed through the prism of Rocky Start, which made it more like an Escher.

"Breakfast at Coral's?" Rose asked.

"You read my mind."

We left Maggs on guard duty with some food and water and meandered next door. There was a sprinkling of customers, and Pike was in his usual spot at the side counter. We joined him, Rose sitting between us.

"Luke said he'll pick you up in thirty," Pike said before I had a chance to ask. He didn't add anything, so our trip evidently met with his approval. Which was good but another sign he wasn't quite as in-charge as the town needed. I had to remind myself that he'd relied on Oz, The Wizard, as his right hand all those years. And he'd tossed me that stupid badge.

"You have any idea how much Oz might have hidden in the shop?" I asked Pike.

Rose was between us, head turning back and forth, while Coral was following from the other side of the counter in her usual breast-looming stance.

Pike glanced over his shoulder to make sure the other customers weren't listening in. "Not really."

Coral reached across the counter and smacked his hand. "Come on. Oz told me, and you told me, that you split the cash fifty-fifty on the plane. You spent fifty-fifty on the town. Your cabin was much more expensive than his shop buildings. And Oz was very frugal. I loved him very much, but he pinched pennies. There must be money."

Rose shook her head. "He wasn't miserly. He paid for my C-section and never mentioned it again. He paid for Poppy's surgery when she broke her arm. Whenever there were lessons she wanted or a school trip she wanted to take, he paid without a word. And he left Poppy a bank account that will get her through college and beyond. I think he was careful with the money, but he wasn't cheap."

At least not about Poppy, I thought and then realized I didn't know that, either. Rose didn't have any money of her own, but she didn't have debts, either .

Coral nodded and then looked at Pike. "So, what might Rose be worth now?"

Pike shrugged. "I don't know what Oz did with his money. I'm sure he's got some hidden, but how much? Who knows?" He looked at Rose, almost kindly. "I don't want to give you false expectations, Rosie."

"I have no expectations," Rose said, and I believed her on that.

"If we're asking questions now," Pike said, turning back to Coral. "What was in those panties he willed you?"

Coral lifted her chin. "It was a long time ago."

Pike scowled. "What was in them yesterday?"

Coral shook her head. "That is between me and Oz. What was in the box he gave you?"

"Not the microfilm," Pike said.

The two of them exchanged a look, and I had a feeling there would be further discussion when they were alone.

A dull, tan, very old minivan with wood paneling pulled up in front of Ecstasy, and I was surprised to see Luke climb out of the driver's seat. He came in the door, nodding at people sitting at tables.

"Hey Rose, Pike, Coral," he said as he arrived at the counter. "And Max," he added as a postscript as if withholding judgment on my place at the counter.

Coral slid a large to-go cup across the counter to him. "As you like it."

"You're a peach," he said to her. He turned to me. "You done gabbing? I've got a dentist appointment I need to make later."

Before I could ask, Coral had a to-go cup in front of me. I leaned over and gave Rose a kiss, which led to a raised eyebrow from Luke, which it shouldn't have since he'd rodeoed me into coming back to town, plus I was sure his son had briefed him on what had gone down yesterday.

"Maggs will be with you," I told Rose. "Stay in the shop. Do not open it."

"Like that works." She nodded at me. "Stay safe."

"That's the plan. "

Luke and I walked out.

"A minivan?" I asked as we walked up to it.

"It's a classic." Luke said with surprising pride. "1993 Chrysler Town and Country. They don't make them like this anymore."

"No. They don't."

We paused next to the van.

"It helped when I hauled kids on the team around," Luke said. "I had it before Darius could drive and you'd be surprised how much you end up shuttling kids all over the place. Very useful."

"Wood paneling? I thought they stopped doing that decades ago."

"Told you. 1993. I like my wood paneling."

"A minivan?" I repeated. I shook my head as I walked around to the passenger side and got in. "What is this?"

I stared at the dashboard because this was not your mother's minivan. There was a flat screen where the gauges should be but still a slot for an old-fashioned key on the column. Luke stuck the key in and turned, and the display lit up, low level, but no engine roared to life.

"What the?—"

"Electric," Luke explained. "Marley did it a couple of years ago, pulling the old engine and redoing the entire thing." He pulled away from the curb and there was the slightest of a whining noise. It was eerie.

"So an electric minivan with wood paneling and high school football games?"

He paused at the lone stop sign in Rocky Start and looked over at me. "You want to walk to Bearton, Max?"

"No."

"Never say ‘minivan' again in that tone of voice."

"I will only mention it with reverence in the future," I lied.

"Put your seatbelt on, Max."