Something Borrowed, Something Bleu Part 7

When Dad brought out the dessert, we all groaned, but no one said no. Homemade angel food cake smothered in spiced peaches and heavy cream whipped with lots of vanilla.

aIam not going to be able to move for a week,a I said, settling back in my chair and closing my eyes.

aWeall do the dishes,a Meghan said, reaching for her own plate.

I cracked one eye. She was such a tiny little thing, maybe tipping the scales to a hundred pounds with snow boots on, but shead packed away a big portion of that wonderful food tonight and still felt frisky.

Kelly reached over and took her hand.

Oh. No wonder.

aYou will do no such thing. Itas my job to do the dishes when Calvin cooks,a my mother said, immediately taking the plate from Meghan and motioning my father to his feet. He obeyed with alacrity.

aOh, let them do it,a I said to my parents. aThey only got to spend the whole day together; donat deny them some kitchen time as well.a Kelly grinned.

aNonsense,a Anna Belle said and bustled into the kitchen with Dad trailing behind her.

aThey didnat get to spend the whole day alone, though. Not with me there,a Erin said.

The trace of bitterness underlying her words made me open the other eye. Kelly regarded her with surprise, Meghan with concern. Beside me, Barr watched the tableau with one eyebrow slightly raised.

Erin saw us all watching her. She launched to her feet and ran inside.

aWhat,a Kelly said, awas that all about? Did I do something wrong?a Meghan looked after her daughter with a combination of bewilderment and guilt on her face. aOf course not.a aDoes she resent me encroaching on your vacation?a My housemate shook her head. aShe seems to think sheas the one encroaching.a Poor Bug, I thought. Eleven wasnat easy to start with, and there were a lot of changes going on around her these days.

_____.

The house wasnat set up for so many guests, but Anna Belle was surprisingly enthusiastic about having a houseful and had cheerfully made do. Shead made up a bed on the sofa in the bas.e.m.e.nt for Kelly, and happily supplied a sleeping bag when Barr had requested to sleep in the backyard, under the stars. Iad protested, but shead shushed me.

aAll men like to revisit their youth once in a while. Besides, you two will have more privacy out there than anywhere in the house.a Iad gaped at her, but she just smiled and went to track down another pillow.

Now it was nearly midnight, and Barr and I sat out on the patio enjoying the cool air and talking. Ca.s.siopeia rode her glittering throne overhead. A light breeze carried the scent of night-blooming nicotiana from the side of the house, and crickets chirped from under the bushes.

In low tones, I told Barr about what Iad learnedaand hadnat learnedafrom Inspector Schumaker that morning, as well as Tabbyas odd behavior at the dairy.

aIt was really strange, how cool and collected she was. I tried to convince myself that Joeas death hadnat hit home yet, but I donat know if she misses him at all. Or maybe sheas being stoic in order to keep it together for her daughter.a aPeople react to loss in different ways.a aI suppose so. But Tabbyas all over the board. First she seemed willing to talk about Rancho Sueo, and then all of a sudden she reversed herself and wanted me to leave. All along she insisted none of it had anything to do with Bobby Lee. Iam positive sheas lying about something, Barr.a aOf course she is,a he said. aEveryone lies.a aI donat. At least not often.a aSure you do. You just donat do it very well.a I punched him lightly on the arm, but didnat argue the point.

aWhy didnat you want to tell your parents about any of this?a he asked.

aThereas nothing to tell them, really. Itas all more or less a lack of information, and I donat want to get their hopes up unless I find out something truly useful.a My shoulders rose and fell. aSomething isnat right about the whole Gwen Miller story, despite what Schumaker told me. I want to talk to the girl who was there, the one who spoke with the authorities at the hospital that night.a aDo you know who she is?a I shook my head. aI didnat want to ask Schumaker. For one thing he probably wouldnat tell me anyway because he thinks Iam trying to solve Joeas murderadid I tell you he called and talked to Sergeant Zahn?a Barr grimaced.

aI know. But I guess Zahn doesnat hate me as much as I thought he did. Anyway, the other reason I donat want to ask Schumaker is because he might start to think Bobby Lee really did have something to do with Milleras death. I mean, I showed him the note, so he knows Bobby Lee did something wrong.a aOr thought he did something wrong,a Barr said.

aThat would almost be worse.a One corner of my mouth turned down. aAnyway, take a look at these.a I handed him the printouts from the library. aThese are why I was late, and you had to deal with my parents all by your lonesome right off the bat.a aI like your folks,a he said, taking the papers. aYou know I canat read these in the dark.a aOh. Right. Well, they arenat that informative. The first is about how the hit-and-run driver hadnat been found yet; thatas not really useful since Schumaker already indicated by his questions this morning that the case is still open eighteen years later.a aAnd doesnat seem to have anything to do with your brother,a Barr said.

I nodded. aThen there are two stories about Rancho Sueo. Neither was written by the same reporter who first wrote about Gwen Milleras death. The first one mentions the accident, but merely as evidence that there was inadequate supervision at Rancho Sueo. The second came out about a month later, and was a weak attempt at an expose. It cites some of the rules Dunner imposed on the kids who stayed there.a aLike what?a aOh, things like they had to pray with him before each meal, and everyone had daily ch.o.r.es. They grew a lot of their own food, and the teenagers who stayed there had to help. And if anyone was found with drugs or alcohol they had to leave.a aExcept for Ray Dunner and his a'good weed,aa Barr said, referencing Tabbyas stated reason for spending time at Rancho Sueo.

aRight. I wonder whether he shared it with everyone, or just Tabby and Joe?a aI wonder where Tabby and Joe were the night the Miller girl fell in the water,a Barr said.

aMe, too. And where Bobby Lee was that night, as well.a I sighed. aIt was all so long ago. Makes it extra hard to get information when people have to rely on memories that are eighteen years old.a aAnd when they donat want to tell you something in the first place.a aYeah, then thereas that. Anyway, Dunneras place didnat sound that bad. I mean, I wouldnat have wanted to stay there, but I wasnat a desperate teenaged runaway looking for, as Schumaker put it, a place to catch my breath. He seemed to think Dunner was doing a good thing out there, though I could tell he didnat care much for Dunneras son.a aMaybe the sheriffas department knew about the drugs.a aHmm. Maybe. For an expose this sure doesnat seem very scintillating, yet when Dunner closed the doors to outsiders, it was supposedly because of poor publicity. There were kids involved, but other than Gwen Milleras death, nothing sordid or even sad. Dunner seemed to be the real thingaa man of G.o.d who wanted to do something good. Maybe a little more enthusiastic than some, but not a bad guy.a A flash of light near the horizon brought a smile to both our faces: heat lightning. Another flash followed immediately, and then another and another. We fell silent, mesmerized by the show. My hand crept over to Barras and our fingers intertwined.

After a few minutes of dark sky, I asked, aDo you think Joeas murder had anything to do with what happened back then?a Barr inhaled, thinking. aIf Iad known the guy I might be able to speculate, but I really donat know enough about the situation to have an opinion.a aI guess I donat either. Itad be an awful strange coincidence if they were completely unrelated, is all.a aYouare right about that.a Another flicker of lightning on the horizon. aSo whatever happened to Ogden Dunner?a I turned to look at him, all shadowy handsome in the moonlight. aI wonder.a aWe couldaa aTomorrow,a I said. aRight now I want to stop talking and try out that sleeping bag.a His teeth flashed white in the darkness. aHard to argue with that.a _____.

Kitty Wampus had kindly deposited a present beside my bed during the night. My bare foot landed on the cold, wet hairball first thing Thursday morning, which did little to improve my reluctance to greet the day. Grumbling, I cleaned it up then shuffled down to the kitchen, still in my bathrobe and ducky slippers.

Barr sat at the kitchen table typing on his laptop. He had showered and dressed in a pair of khaki shorts, a polo s.h.i.+rt, and Birkenstocks. No cowboy boots or bolo ties on vacation, I guessed.

I sat down across from him and reached for the carafe of coffee.

He looked up and smiled. aNice bed head.a My hand flew to my hair. I could feel it sticking up on one side of my head like a punk rocker with a bad stylist. aThanks.a aDrink your coffee. Then weall talk.a He took a bite of the quiche wedge on the plate by his elbow and went back to his computer.

I sipped in silence, letting the caffeine take effect. It had been a late nightaa late and active night.

aHow long have you been up?a I still sounded pretty grumpy.

He peered at me from under his eyebrows and refilled my cup. aCouple of hours. Drink.a Obedient, I swallowed. He knew I didnat function well on a few hours of sleep, nor without a fair amount of caffeine in my system first thing in the morning. It didnat seem to bother him. Yet.

Wead see, though, how my morning crankiness went over on a daily basis. Who knew what irritating foibles each would encounter in the other? My first husband had left cupboard doors and drawers open in the kitchen and bathroom all the time. It had driven me crazy for the first two years we were married, until finally I realized he wasnat going to change so Iad better learn how to live with it.

I put my cup down. aWhere is everyone?a Barr took another bite of quiche and leaned back. He swallowed and said, aKelly, Meghan, and Erin went to the bike library in Old Town. The plan was to check out some bikes and go for a long ride along the river. Your motheras at the gym, and your dadas downstairs.a aMeditating or yoga-ing or some such,a I said. aHow long has he been down there?a aHour or so.a He got up and went to the counter where he sliced off a chunk of quiche and put it on a plate along with a pile of blueberries and brought it to me.

I leaned forward. Swiss cheese with bacon, broccoli and onion, no doubt on Dadas all-b.u.t.ter crust. Yum aThanks,a I said, as grateful to be waited on as I was for the food.

aYouare welcome.a Barr turned his laptop around so I could see the screen.

aWhat am I looking at?a I took a creamy, savory bite and chewed slowly, allowing the flavors to roll over my tongue. Between that first bite and two cups of coffee, I began to feel downright human. aAre you shopping for a new car?a aLook at the name of the business.a aDunner & Son Auto Sales. Oh, wow. So Ogden Dunner is still in town. Nice job!a aWell, his business is still in town. He could have sold it, along with the name.a I pushed back from the table and stood. aIam getting dressed, and then weare going down there and find out.a Barr nodded. aOkay, Iam game. But arenat you going to finish your breakfast first?a The wedge of quiche, minus that single bite, beckoned. I sat down. aItas been eighteen years. I guess it can wait fifteen minutes more.a The next bite contained a big chunk of bacon, verifying the wisdom of my decision.

aWhat are we going to say to him?a I asked after another sip of coffee.

Barr looked out the window and smiled. aWeall play it by ear.a I didnat know whether he was happy to be in on my little investigation or happy to be with me, but it didnat really matter. I was just glad to have him by my side and on my side.

Instead of being on auto row south of Spring Creek, Dunner & Son Auto Sales was tucked off a side street in Old Town. It looked like a small operation, with only twenty-five or so cars in the lot, but they were all expensive foreign models: jaguars, BMWs, a beautifully restored MG in British racing green, and in one corner a stately looking vehicle Barr informed me was a Bentley.

Still, the place had a rundown, seedy look to it. Paint peeled from the exterior of the old building with the Office sign over the door, dust dulled the surfaces of the fancy vehicles, and thistles and bindweed flourished in the planting strips surrounding the lot.

My fingers curled around the old wrought-iron stair railing, and it rattled against the bolts that held it to the wooden stairs. The bars set into the windows matched the railing. Overall, the place radiated Old West grimness.

We went up the short stairway and through the door. The sudden dimness slowed my steps. The clammy air smelled of scorched coffee and Pine-Sol. Behind an unmanned reception counter, two desks faced each other from opposite sides of the room, and three windows, also heavily fortified, punctuated the back wall.

I turned to Barr. He shrugged.

The sound of a toilet flus.h.i.+ng drifted through a closed door on the right. It opened to reveal a man about my age still hitching up his pants. He saw us and hurried to the counter.

Please G.o.d, donat let him try to shake my hand. No way had this guy taken the time to wash his hands.

aHiya, hiya. Sorry, about that,a he said. aIam here alone today, and you know, sometimes a manas just gotta do what a manas gotta do.a aNo problem,a Barr said.

I smiled, my radar on high alert. Something about this guy, just being in the same room with him, set my internal alarm bell to jangling.

aAre you Dunner or Son?a Barr asked in a light tone.

We both could see he wasnat old enough to be Ogden Dunner. But he looked to be about the right age to be his son.

aRay Dunner, at your service.a Iad wanted to meet the father, but Ray would have to do, at least for now. And, after all, head been the one at the river when Gwen Miller fell inathough I didnat know how on earth I could bring up that painful incident with any finesse.

Barr started asking him questions about an XJ something-or-other. My eyes had adjusted to the difference in light, and now I perused Dunneras face while trying not to be obvious about it. He was short and stout, his considerable gut hanging over his belt buckle. His thinning blonde hair didnat stop the dandruff from sifting down to the shoulders of his dark blue s.h.i.+rt, and the broken capillaries on his nose and cheeks formed a complicated road map of dissolution. As Barr spoke, Dunner fidgeted, moving his head side to side as if trying to work out a crick, squinting and pursing his lips. All together the movements gave him the air of a teenager with ADD who didnat really care about anything the teacher was saying.

His eyes belayed any notion that he was stupid, though. Dark and watchful, they sent a cringe down my spine when they met mine.

aLetas go take a look at that beauty, then,a Dunner said, leaning across the counter.

I tried not to wince as a wave of rank halitosis drifted over me.

aOh, Iam not sure whether weare ready to buy yet,a Barr said.

aPlease, honey?a I said. aPretty please? Itas so cute.a I had no idea which car they were talking about.

aWell, there ya go, buddy. The little lady has spoken.a Dunner bustled out from behind the counter and opened the door to the lot.

aThatas right,a I said. My voice had gone up at least an octave.

Barr looked down at me. Raised one eyebrow, which Dunner couldnat see.

I grinned. He rolled his eyes.

We tagged after Ray Dunner, who glowed pale in the August sun and instantly began to sweat. Any sports this guy was interested in were on the screen in the corner of his living room. He led us to a low, sleek Jaguar, easily the s.e.xiest car on the lot. Cute didnat even begin to describe it.

aThis little lady of yours here has real good taste.a He opened the driveras door. aLookit this interioraall leather. Soft as b.u.t.ter.a And hot as h.e.l.l. Even with the old asphalt beneath our feet beginning to soften in the heat, the air coming out of the closed car felt like a blast furnace.

Dunner jingled the keys.

I sighed, long and loud.

aWhatas the matter?a he asked.

aItas just not quite right. I wanted one with a white interior.a Behind me, Barr snorted.

aWhite?a Dunner asked.

I nodded. aMy friend, Tabby Bines, said youad be the man to talk to.a Too late I wondered whether Ray and Tabby were still in contact. I couldnat really tell from his reaction.

aTabby. Bines.a I nodded again, adding extra vigor.

aSent you out to see me.a aWell a I scrambled for just the right words. What would Anna Belle do?

aShe said you carried the kind of car little Sophie Mae here wants me to buy her.a My head whipped around so fast my neck hurt. Little Sophie Mae, indeed. It was one thing for me to let Ray Dunner refer to me like a second-cla.s.s citizen, but Barr better not get any ideas. Amus.e.m.e.nt played across his features at my reaction.

I looked back at Dunner. Tried a wink. aYou remember Tabby, donat you? From when she and my brother used to go out to your place, way back when?a Thatas what Anna Belle would do: charm, manipulate, and lie like a rug if she had to. So perhaps I had the gene for lying after all. I just needed to practice more.

aWhoas your brother?a The words were flat, as was the gaze. His fidgeting quieted, too. I bet Dunner knew darn well who I was; Bobby Lee and I had looked too much alike for him to have missed the resemblance.

Beside me, Barr tensed. He didnat say anything, though, and I plunged on.

aBobby Lee Watson. Heas no longer with us, you know.a Wide eyes. Big blink. I waited for the inevitable sympathy.

aI didnat know Bobby Lee had a sister. So youare friends with Tabitha Atwood.a aBines,a I said. aTabby Bines.a aRight. Married.a He lifted his left palm to the sky. aOr at least she was.a So he knew about Joeas murder. Of course, all that proved was that he read the paper or watched television. The story was all over the news.

aTerrible tragedy, what happened to Joe,a I said. aTerrible.a Dunner blinked slowly. aMm-hmm.a The dark eyes in that pale face looked reptilian.

aI was there when it happened, you know.a It wasnat hard to sound frightened.

aYou donat say. Musta been awful,a he said, rotating on his heel and moving back toward the air-conditioned office. Apparently head given up on us as potential customers. But we were right behind him. aYou see who did it?a He tossed the question so casually over his shoulder that it took me a moment to realize what he was asking.

aWhat? Of course not. If I had, then the sheriff wouldave already arrested the killer.a He stumbled on my last word, paused, then went up the steps and opened the office door. Looking over his shoulder at me he said, aDepends on what you saw.a I trotted in after him, Barr silent beside me.

aWell, I didnat see anything.a Dunner regarded me with narrowed eyes from behind the counter. aIs that so. Well, now, you tell Tabitha h.e.l.lo from Ray Dunner. And tell her Iall be giving her a call soon, okay?a Condolence call or threat?

aListen,a I said. aI want you to know that I think itas a real shame you all had to shut down your Rancho Sueo place. It sounds like it was a good thing while it lasted, and helped a lot of teens who were in serious trouble.a Dunner grew still again. aThat was something my father did. I was just a kid.a I could feel the tension roll off Barr, and I glanced up at him. His poker face was impeccable, though, a mask of polite interest. He smiled at me. aWhere was that place again?a aYou know, Iam not sure. Ray, it was out east of town, wasnat it?a I asked, all chattylike. aOh, my G.o.d. Are you okay?a His face had suffused with red so quickly I thought he was going to have some kind of attack. aMr. Dunner? Ray?a aMaybe you should ask your good friend Tabitha where our place was.a He grated the words out.

aRay.a The single word came from the doorway, and Barr and I turned to find an older gentleman had joined us. He was rail-thin, with a gaunt, Lincolnesque face under bushy eyebrows. His brown eyes smiled at us both.

aDad.a Ray Dunneras tone held warning.

I glanced at Barr. So this was Ogden Dunner. Very unlike his son, it appeared.

Now he came into the office and introduced himself. aAre you two looking for a new car?a he asked, then laughed. aOr a new old car? Weave got both kinds here.a Barr spoke. aWe were looking at one of your Jags, and then Sophie Mae and your son here got to talking about some people they knew back in the day.a Ogdenas look contained interest and kindness. aYouare Sophie Mae Watson, arenat you?a Nonplussed, I said, aUsed to be, yes.a aWell, dear, you have wonderful taste in cars. And you, sir,a he said to Barr, ahave wonderful taste in women.a If Ray Dunner had said that I would have been disgusted, but coming from his father, who gazed at us both as if he genuinely meant it, I found myself almost charmed. This guy was either a bona fide good guy or a terrific con artist. Either way, I found myself smiling.

aIam afraid weare not quite ready to buy yet,a Barr started.

aIn fact, they were just leaving,a Ray said.

aReally? Thatas too bad. I wouldave liked to try and convince you of all the positive attributes of the Jaguar. Theyare very nice machines.a aIam sure they are. Weall be back if we decide to buy one,a Barr said.

aThatad be fine. Well, you have yourselves a nice rest of the day, then.a And darn it if he didnat seem to mean that with every fiber of his being.

We thanked him and left.

In the rental car again, I asked Barr, aDid Ogden get rid of us? Or did Ray?a aHard to tell.a He shook his head. aSo much for the pretty Jag.a aI have the best car ever, thanks to you,a I said, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. A few months earlier, Barr had given me a used Land Rover when my little Toyota pickup had met with an unfortunate end. It was dark green, and I loved to drive it. It was also a very practical vehicle for running errands for my soap-making business.

aG.o.d, you do wade right in, donat you, Sophie Mae.a aWhat do you mean? I didnat ask either of them a single thing about Bobby Lee, didnat ask anything about Gwen Milleras death, didnat ask much of anything at all. But we did get a pretty good feeling for how Ray felt about Tabby, and Joe, too.a aMr. Dunner the younger doesnat strike me as the nicest of men.a aThat,a I said, ais the understatement of the day. You know, I keep wondering a aWhat?a aAccording to the newspaper there were three other people there when Gwen Miller fell into the river besides Ray Dunner. Inspector Schumaker said the same thing. One was the mystery girl I mentioned last night, the one who talked with the sheriffas department. He told me the other two were runaways staying at Rancho Sueo, that they got spooked and left before the authorities got involved. They couldnat track them down afterwards, and he thought they probably had given false names to Dunner. I went back and looked. The article said the authorities were looking for Tom and Jane Smith.a aYeah, those names sound fake, all right. But it makes sense; runaways never give their real names to cops or social workers.a aRight. But the article in the paper didnat say who the girl who stuck around was. I wonder why.a aThe law tends to protect kids. Thatas a good thing.a aOh, I agree. But just because youare a teenager doesnat mean youare a child. They didnat say how old the runaway siblings were, but they wouldnat call them runaways if they were eighteen or older, right?a Barr nodded.

aAnd I think Ray Dunner was nineteen. Iam surprised everyone was so protective of this one witness. After all, the paper was willing to publish the names of the brother and sister who hightailed it out of there, even if they were fake.a Speculation settled on Barras face as he drove. aMaybe she was quite young. Plus, they were trying to track down the siblings who ran away, so publis.h.i.+ng their names makes more sense. I donat know.a He shook his head and glanced over at me. aOkay, so it does sound off. But all this happened almost two decades ago. Thereas just so much we donat know.a My shoulders slumped. aAnd can never know.a aDo you want me to ask your Inspector Schumaker about the mystery girl?a he asked.

aHeas not my inspector. And no, I donat think so. Iam still leery about making it sound like Bobby Lee had something to do with the Miller girl.a aDo you think he did?a aBobby Lee? Not really. But if he did have anything to do with that girlas death, it would kill my parents.a aDoesnat sound like the brother youave described to me.a aOf course not. And thereas no evidence at all that he was even there. Still, I canat believe he was involved with the Dunners or Rancho Sueo at all.a aA boy will do a lot for a girl,a he said. aLove is blind.a aIt better not be. Youare not some crazed serial killer, are you?a He grinned. aMaybe. The wifeas always the last to know.a I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, watching a bicyclist riding toward us. He was about twenty, and took a long puff off his cigarette as he rode by. The irony distracted me for another couple of blocks. Barr turned on the radio and Neil Youngas voice filled the car.

Down by the river I flicked it off, and silence returned. aThe reporter would know,a I said.

aWho the other girl was? Yeah. Probably. But why would he tell you?a aShe.a aOkay, why would she tell you?a aShe might not. But it was a long time ago, as everyone keeps saying. It canat hurt to try.a He made a left turn, heading back toward my parentsa house. aThe same argument you make for not pus.h.i.+ng the sheriffas department for an answer applies here. You could just stir up trouble, make this reporter look for dirt on Bobby Lee.a aMaybe. But Schumakeras seen the letter and knows Iam trying to find out more about Bobby Lee. This woman would only know that Iam a I wracked my brain for a good story.