Twelve
The game is afoot
“Got’em,” Maxine announced as she entered the kitchen throwing pictures on the table.
I’d had my eyes closed (trying to block out Naked Max flashbacks from last night) when she entered, so I’d jumped and spilled my coffee. Sighing, as I grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess, I looked up wondering what had her so excited.
“What’s going on?”
“Jess and I put our heads together after she came home last night and showed me that scrap of shirt you found. We talked it over and it made sense that whoever killed Zimmer had to have at the hand axe competition since they knew which axe you touched.”
“Right, do you remember who was there?”
“As much as I hate to admit it, my memory isn’t what it used to be. But I remembered a few who were there so I called’em and got more names. Then I called everyone to see if they’d taken any pictures during the event,” she answered tapping the photos on the table. “Smith’s has a digital film kiosk so I grabbed the memory cards from everyone and had prints made up.”
“And? . . . Please tell me you have a mad dog killer in one of those pictures,” I responded as I grabbed the package off the table. When I pulled them out, and started shuffling through, one thing was certain—I was still screwed.
Every picture had a different man, all in red and black plaid flannel.
“Shit, I didn’t even notice, is this like the town’s uniform or something?”
“No, but we dress up for Founders Day. Black and red checked flannel are the symbol of a lumberjack, of course, so it stands to reason there’d be a few,” she replied.
“How does this help, Maxine? There must be fifty men in these pictures wearing that shirt.”
“It don’t if we can’t put that scrap with the shirt. But at least we know who to look for.”
“And how do you propose we find out whose shirt the scrap of material came from?”
Just then, Jess walked in and dropped a large pink bag on the table.
“Hi, I’m Mia, your Passion consultant. We’re expanding our business going door-to-door. Would you like to see today’s special?”
“You can’t be serious?” I asked in disbelief.
“As a heart attack,” Jess laughed.
“And if they invite me in, then what? How does that help us find the shirt?” I countered.
“Hi, I’m Jess, Mia’s assistant, do you mind if I use your bathroom?”
“So, you’re gonna do what exactly? Search their home while I demonstrate how to use a vibrator?”
“You, my dear niece, will do whatever it takes to keep them busy while I search.”
“Look, I appreciate your help, but there is no way I can demonstrate how to use a vibrator without laughing.”
“Then I’ll do the demonstration and you can be a decoy. Just dress sexy so they can’t take their eyes off of you and Jess can look around,” Maxine explained.
“I don’t know Maxine, what if Max finds out . . .”
“Pish posh, he can bellow all he likes it’s not like I can’t handle him.”
“Does he throw you over his shoulder to get his way?”
“Not and live to tell about it, why?”
“Your son found us on the mountain last night—”
“Oh, that’s right. How the hell did he find you all the way up there?”
“My rotten luck, of course. He saw our Jeep parked on the side of the road and figured we were up to no good. Which, by the way, we were not, but try telling that to him,” I complained.
“And when he didn’t get his way he threw her over his shoulder like a Neanderthal, which was hot,” Jess laughed, “then he hauled her off into the woods and made passionate love to her under the stars.”
“Jesus, Jess, don’t tell her that.”
Maxine just chuckled and patted my shoulder if you can believe it, and replied, “About time, he’s been in a foul mood since you arrived. Maybe he’ll cool his heels now that you’ve given in to him.”
“Oh, no, it’s not gonna happen again. We may be attracted to each other, but we have nothing in common. I need to focus on clearing my name and getting my job back.”
“Right, good luck with that,” she mumbled as she pulled out vibrators and edible undies.
“You don’t think I can resist your son?”
“I think he’s just like his father. Irresistible,” she remarked.
“But we have nothing in common, it’s just pheromones at work. Once I’ve gone home, he’ll see we don’t work.”
“We’ll, see,” she replied just like Max had. The family resemblance was starting to annoy me, and I was just about to argue why we didn’t work when Jess jumped in and pulled me out of the room by the arm.
“Time to get you changed,” she announced, “I have the perfect outfit that will keep the men occupied while I search.”
“Stop dragging me. Do you want me on my ass?”
Ignoring my protest Jess looked back at Maxine and then whispered, “Look, don’t listen to me and don’t listen to Maxine. You have to do what is right for you where Max is concerned. I’m the last person you should listen to when it comes to relationship advice. If you feel a connection, that means something. Just forget about what I said this morning, okay?”
“Jess, we barely know each other and have nothing in common, just like you said. I need to focus all my energy on clearing my name and securing my job.”
“You’re right, of course. Just, make sure you know exactly what you want before you make any rash decisions, Mia. I think I may have steered you wrong this morning. I don’t think I had a clear picture of what was happening.”
“Honestly, the whole thing is ridiculous. I’ve known him five days, who turns their life upside down for a man they’ve known five days?” I would and that’s what scares me the most.
“It’s happened, but you do what’s right for you. I just wanted you to know that I’d support anything you decided, okay?”
“Right, you’d support any crazy ideas I may have concerning falling in love with Max.
“You’re in love with him?”
“What? NO!”
“You just said—”
“Are we selling vibrators or what?”
“Mia . . .”
“It’s only been five days,” I whispered in an attempted to convince myself and Jess that it couldn’t happen.
Jess, sensing my panic, whispered back, “Okay,” as she grabbed my hand in support.
“Let’s clear my name and then I’ll worry about how I feel about Max, okay?” I begged.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jess agreed.
“Then doll me up and let’s go find a killer.”
Maxine divided the suspect list into least likely and most likely suspects. Then she’d narrowed it down by age. Those who were too old in her opinion went to the bottom and the younger men went to the top. Which, of course, made sense; Donald had been in good shape and could have easily handled an older man. Then she narrowed the suspects down by disposition. Those who had a known temper made it to the top and so on. She narrowed those down further by who was married and who wasn’t. Maxine argued a married man wouldn’t be able to hide what he’d done from his wife. In her mind, the killer was single. Again, that made sense to me, so the list was narrowed down again. After all that finagling, she’d finally come up with the “ten most likely” from those pictures and I hoped like hell the killer was on that list. However, now that it was time to knock on doors, I realized I hadn’t taken into account how dangerous this all could be until we’d pulled up in front of the first house. Fortunately, after meeting our first suspect, it was clear the only thing he seemed guilty of was being lazy—and wandering hands.
Jason Allen was forty and divorced due to his drinking. He was currently unemployed and at the top of the list. He was a rough looking man with a beer belly and smelly feet. He lived in a ramshackle cabin on the outskirts of town that needed a good cleaning. We’d knocked on his door, given our speech about expanding door-to-door sales and he’d let us inside once he got a good look at Jess and me.
Jess had pulled out all the stops coiffing me. My hair was a sleek veil of black down my back, which drove me nuts. I lived in ponytails, but she insisted I needed sex hair to set the right mood. To go with the sex hair I had on a low-cut red top that left nothing to the imagination, and ripped stonewashed jeans that sat low on my hips. They were tucked into stiletto boots that took my clumsy from comical to dangerous, so I stayed seated as much as possible. Which is where I was currently as I helped Maxine “stall” while Jess “used the bathroom.”
I’d written a receipt for the Passion Princess Inflatable Doll Jason had just purchased all while dodging his wandering hands. I’d tried to keep him distracted, not that it mattered, he’d been too busy salivating over the catalog and accidentally grabbing my ass to realize Jess had been gone longer than five minutes.
Perched on the side of the couch, I handed Mr. Allen his purchase order just as his hand landed on my thigh. Thankfully, Jess returned with a quick shake of her head, which let us know her search was a bust. Seeing that, I jumped up and away from his hands.
“Here you go, Mr. Allen, sign here and we’ll make sure your order is filled and on its way shortly.”
Ignoring the receipt, he scanned my body, licked his lips, and then asked, “Maybe you’d like to get a drink later.”
Oh, boy!
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be too busy with my son, Jason,” Maxine replied as she packed her bag.
“She’s Max’s woman?”
“Seems like,” Maxine answered.
His eyes shot to me and he immediately replied, “Then forget I ever mentioned it, okay?”
I wasn’t technically anything where Max was concerned other than confused and in way over my head. But it got me out of that situation so I nodded, grabbed Maxine’s bag and headed for the door. Once outside and the front door had closed, I looked at Maxine and rolled my eyes.
“Does Max put the fear of God in everyone or something?”
“Nope, he’s the biggest employer in this town and everyone likes him. You won’t find a man, woman, or child who will do anything to upset my son.”
“Except Stetson,” I pointed out.
“Except Stetson,” she agreed.
We had three more stops for the day, but only cleared one more suspect. The other two worked for Max so we decided to hit the local diner for lunch, then we’d wait for quitting time to approach the other two.
The local diner, also a log style building, was decorated in a 1950’s soda fountain theme and aptly named “Timber’s Soda Fountain.” It had red and black chrome throughout with booths on the walls, tables scattered here and there, and a long soda fountain bar in the middle. It seemed to be the hub of the town at midday and when we walked in, everyone turned their heads and looked at me.
“Me thinks you need a K stitched to your chest like a scarlet letter,” Jess whispered as eyes followed us.
“These same people cheered me on when they thought I’d killed Donald. Now that one of their own is dead I’m a plague upon the town I guess.”
“Ignore them,” Maxine mumbled, “no one I’ve talked to believes you did it. However, the knee to Stetson’s nuts, they loved.”
A waitress named Marscha Weda, a Dutch spelling she told us, placed us in the back, which gave me a great view of the diner. This also meant I had a great view of all the eyes that kept looking my way. After Marscha brought our water and took our orders, we’d settled in to wait.
Maxine was still convinced we’d find the killer with our current plan, but I was as doubtful now as I was in the beginning. There was no way of knowing if the killer was even in those pictures and it could take weeks going door-to-door. Even if we do find the right shirt, assuming he hasn’t thrown it away, would Stetson believe us when we took him the evidence or would he lock us up for obstructing justice?
I was just about to voice this concern when I looked out the window and saw Max leaving Johnson’s hardware and he wasn’t alone. Annie was with him and they’d stopped near his truck talking. Jealousy reached up and choked me and I tuned out Jess and Maxine as they discussed the next two men on our list.
Max seemed deep in thought as Annie kept talking, her hands darting out to touch him, to cup his face. Then one hand came up and covered her mouth as she began to cry. Max’s brows pinched together as a look of sadness crossed his face. Then he reached out, hooked her behind the neck, and hugged her to his chest. Once there, she wrapped her arms around his waist and continued to cry as they stood next to the street. Guilt replaced my jealousy as I watched Annie sob, so I glanced away for a moment. The peroxide twins were right; she was in love with him. Turning back, a glutton for punishment, I watched the scene play out like a bad soap opera. Girl loves guy, guy leaves girl, and then . . . and then the guy . . . what does the guy do?
Unease hit me square in the chest. Something had been nagging me about their relationship since I’d heard about it. How does a man sleep with a woman for two years and not have feelings for her? In my opinion, they can’t. If Annie was in love with Max, then wasn’t it possible that Max was harboring feelings for her yet never explored them? But, why wouldn’t he? Oh, God, unless he thought her feelings were casual, so why rock the boat?
“That doesn’t look good,” Jess mumbled as she peered out the window. Then Maxine twisted in her seat and looked as well.
“Annie’s a good woman, came here about five years ago slinging beer to avoid a messy past. She and Max hooked up after Kelly took off, but he kept her at arm’s length, casual.”
“Kelly?” I asked.
“Kelly Whalen, pretty thing with dreams that she’d never find in this town. They dated for a few years, I thought they’d get married, but her heart wasn’t in it. She wanted out of this small town so she left. I don’t think Max would admit it, but he was burned badly when she left. I think that’s why he never put much emotion into his relationship with Annie.”
“How did Kelly burn him?”
“Oh, you know men and their egos. He thought he should have been enough that this town should have been enough for her if she loved him. The fact that she cared more about malls, and a nightlife that didn’t include Karaoke as the main attraction made no sense to him. She’d grown up here and Max thought she wanted the same things as him. Turned out Max was just something to do while she saved her money to get the hell out of town. When she left, he washed his hands of her, never tried to bring her back.”
“And Annie?” Jess asked.
“What about her?”
“Could he have buried his feelings for her because of Kelly?” I inquired as I looked out the window. When Max let Annie go, and kissed her cheek, my unease increased and jealousy returned.
“I don’t know. I think he’s been so focused on the company he doesn’t think much about that type of stuff.”
“So what you’re saying is you don’t know.”
“I’m saying it’s doubtful. Annie went out with other men to make Max jealous, get his attention, but he was either too busy to notice or not emotionally invested in their relationship to care.”
“Did she ever let on that she loved him?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
“Nope! I think she figured if she bided her time Max would come around sooner or later.”
“So, if he didn’t know how she felt and she told him, he might reassess his feelings?” Jess threw out catching my drift.
“I suppose it’s possible,” Maxine muttered while she watched her son, “But, I don’t think so.”
“Well, it looks like he knows how she feels now. Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
“You’re still determined to leave aren’t you? You won’t even consider the possibility that you could be right for my son?” Maxine inquired sounding cross.
I looked out the window and watched Max put his hand on her shoulder and lean in, his face gentle as he spoke. Then he lifted his hand, ran it down her hair, a small smile on his face before he turned and walked away. Annie crossed her arms over her stomach, holding back her tears as she watched him climb in his truck, then she turned and headed in the opposite direction. He’d been gentle with her, comforting, and that made me think about how he was with me.
With me, he’d been flirty, bossy, arrogant, giving, sexually compatible, and I’d been . . . a pain in his ass according to him. Why was he even interested in me when he could have a woman like Annie, a woman who could handle the winters in Alaska and sling beer without tripping? Why me? It seemed like all we’d done is fight since we met. He’s right; I was a pain in his ass.
I looked back at Maxine and saw another strong woman. One who could throw an axe with pinpoint accuracy and I knew I’d fall short of what Max needed in his life. We fought, had nothing in common, not to mention the whole Annie thing was unsettling at best and, I was a pain in his ass.
“It would never work, Maxine, there are too many cons between us,” I answered truthfully as Marscha placed our food on the table.
Maxine gruffed, shook her head, and then rolled her eyes at in disgust. Aunt Jess squeezed my leg for support as I picked up a French fry and tried to forget about Max and Annie. Then Maxine, a mini version of Max, which meant she didn’t let things go, snapped, “My son deserves who he wants. If that’s you, then I’m gonna make sure it happens.”
“Maxine—” I got out before she raised her hand and pulled out a pen and paper.
“You say there are too many cons then let’s list the pros and cons,” she argued.
“The pros and cons of what?”
“Of Max, of course! We’ll list why you should or shouldn’t give it a go with him and then we’ll see which list wins out.”
“Maxine—”
“Just humor an old woman,” she snapped.
“Fine, fine, I’ll list, Jeez,” I mumbled.
I sat there a moment and thought about what she wanted. All of Max’s finer points kept swirling in my head so I tried to come up with his less than stellar qualities.
“Sometime before I die would be nice,” she sighed.
“Okay, um, he’s smart, has a good work ethic, good teeth and hair,” I spit out.
“You make him sound like a prized poodle,” Jess chuckled. “Write down, he’s hot and makes love to her under the stars,” she added.
“Would you stop repeating that?”
“I sell sex toys for a living and you’re worried I know my son has sex?”
“Just . . . you know what, never mind. Put down he’s arrogant, bossy and hauls me around without my permission, but he can be incredibly flirty which is nice. Oh, and his sense of loyalty to this town goes in the plus column as well.”
“Still waiting for a negative,” she chuckled, “at this rate you should just go ahead and marry him.”
“I gave you negatives. Bossy, arrogant, hauls me around.”
“I see those as positives. He’s arrogant because he’s good at what he does and he knows it, which keeps the company in the black and people employed. He’s bossy because he’s responsible for keeping those he employs safe while keeping the company in the black, so his bossy is needed. I figure he hauls you around because he cares and doesn’t want you to get hurt, so that falls under the pros. Sorry, Mia, but so far you’ve given me nothin’ that says you should run screaming from my son.”
“Oh, come on, he has faults.”
“Not in my book,” she laughed.
“Fine, then list all the reasons I won’t work with him.”
“Okay, that’s fair, what would those be?”
“Annie, I’m not convinced it’s over between them and I’m afraid to risk my heart.”
“I think you’re wrong, but it’s your list.”
“Just write it down. Okay, let’s see . . . I can’t throw an axe.”
“Positive in his eyes,” she mumbled with a grin.
“We’d fight all the time because I wouldn’t put up with him bossing me around.”
“That goes under foreplay, so it’s a positive.”
“Maxine everything can’t be a positive,” I snapped.
“When the person is your soul mate, then everything is a positive.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know what a soul mate is?”
“Of course, in principle, but that doesn’t exist.”
“Oh, yeah, it does. When you’re with your soul mate, you feel like you’ve come home. You know it when you meet them and none of the crap I’m writing down matters. It is what it is and you can’t stop the pull of a soul mate.”
“Well, I don’t believe in that so stop putting everything in the pro columns,” I begged as my heart slammed in my chest. There are no such things as soul mates. If there were such a thing, divorce rates would be non-existent. However, her comment about feeling as if you’ve come home left me a little rattled, if I was honest.
“Fine, I’ll put it on both sides,” she sighed.
“Thank you, now, where was I?”
Life in Trails End ran through my head and then it hit me, “I’m clumsy, and I’ll end up falling off a mountain leaving him wifeless with ten kids
“Ten?”
“Of course, he has potent written all over him. I’ll be knocked up every time I have a viable egg.”
“Okay, ten kids goes on the con side.”
“And don’t forget to add I’m not a big fan of flying. I’d have to fly back and forth for my job and I’m the world’s worst flyer.”
“Is that it? Nothin’ more you want to add to the list?”
“I think I’ve covered, oh, wait, add in Wet Max, Naked Max and I have a feeling Sweaty Max onto the pro side.”
Maxine smiled at that, then finished writing out the list and held it up. Scanning both sides my heart started beating faster.
“That’s not possible,” I exclaimed.
“It’s your list.”
“I didn’t say he was great in bed?”
He was, I just wasn’t telling her that.
“It was implied by the ten kids comment,” she explained.
“What about the “he would kill for me” on the pro side?”
“I know my boy and if he falls in love with you he’d kill to keep you safe. You needed to know that before you make a rash decision.”
That, though alarming, was kinda nice and gave me a warm squishy feeling inside. I didn’t think anyone, besides my parent, would ever love me enough that they’d kill to protect me. Of course, thinking about my parents made me think about kids, which in turn made me think of those ten babies I’d produce from his fertile loins. A vision of a dark headed Mini Max’s running around a yard made my chest ache, and I instantly could see why a person would have a reason to kill.
“Well, what’s the verdict? You gonna give my son a chance to change your mind or are you gonna run scared of a little competition?
I looked at the list, thought about those ten babies, remembered the hot springs, the feeling of being home, and sighed. Unfortunately, I also thought about Max holding Annie and the sadness on his face when she cried, so I sighed again. I wasn’t ready to make a decision wasn’t prepared to examine my heart, not today. But Maxine kept her eyes on my face staring me down like a dog begging for food.
Needing more time, I was about to tell this to Maxine when Stetson walked into the diner. When he saw us sitting in the back, his face pinched in anger and he marched to our booth looking fit to be tied. Jaw ticking, he put both hands on the table as he leaned down and held my eyes.
“You got friends in high places?”
“Sorry?” I asked, confused.
“My phone’s been ringing off the hook. Friends, let’s call them, tellin’ me to drop my witch-hunt of one Mia Roberts,” he growled.
“Really?” I was shocked. I had no friends in high places, low places maybe, but definitely not high.
“Much as it pains me, you, Ms. Roberts, are cleared as a suspect and are now free to leave Trails End. Do me a favor, pack your shit and get the hell out of my town,” he barked, then turned to Jess and then Maxine, scowling at them both as he left.
“Holy shit,” Jess laughed
“Oh, my God,” I whispered. “Who do you think called?”
“My guess, Max called Jack, Jack called his friend in the FBI and they put the screws to him,” Maxine answered.
“Who’s Jack?” Jess asked.
“My nephew, he’s a sheriff in Colorado. There aren’t many who would say no to him. Family trait, I believe.”
“Well, that puts an end to our door-to-door sales. Do you want to stay a few more days, see how you feel about Max or go?” Jess asked.
Both women’s eyes pinned me with a questioning look and then it hit me I could actually leave. I opened my mouth to say something and then shut it. Leaving meant saying goodbye and for the first time since coming here five days earlier, I wasn’t sure what I wanted.
With less enthusiasm than I thought I would have, I coughed to clear my throat and then looked between both women replying, “I think, um, I think tomorrow morning would be soon enough don’t you?”