He grumbled as he opened the door and slid out. “I ain’t drunk. And excuse me for not lookin’ as pretty as you.”
If Myra had left him, I understood the drinking. I kept my face blank and pulled the Breathalyzer from the back of my belt. “Take a deep breath and blow for seven seconds.”
He coughed at the end, but the readout was almost clear. He wasn’t inebriated—at least not anymore. “Okay,” I said, as I placed the machine back in its holder. “You’re clear.” I nodded my head toward the back of the truck. “You should close that back panel, though, before you drive anywhere.”
“I’ll risk it,” he grumbled as he started up the engine.
I stepped back but needn’t have worried, as he rolled forward exactly seven parking spaces, before cutting the engine again.
Walking back to my cruiser, I saw Trudy duck her head out of the shop. Damn. I forgot I said I’d buy a cupcake. I changed direction and followed her into the store.
“That man! He is going to be the death of me.” She waved her hand, shooing away thoughts of Chuck. “Now, Chief, what would you like?” She walked behind the display case. “The white chocolate raspberry turned out especially well today. Or the chocolate ganache—it’s one of my most popular.”
I studied the perfectly iced, pastel-colored desserts, and remembered that I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. Trudy looked so pleased, though, I could hardly walk out empty-handed.
“I’ll get a dozen. Mix ’em up any way you want.”
Her eyes got big but she quickly folded up sheets of cardboard, creating small bakery boxes. I didn’t understand why she didn’t just use one big box. It’d be a hell of a lot easier to carry than little ones sliding all over the place. My gaze wandered to the menu board behind her. What the shit? Cupcakes were $4.50 each? No wonder she was so happy.
Driving back to the station, I thought about Katie’s empty pantry. No. Not my problem. Still...in the end, I left three of the bakery boxes in my car, taking the other three into the station. Sap.
“Morning, Chief.”
I walked to my office, nodding at Heather, the coffeepot foremost in my thoughts. Damn, I would have to apologize to Bear today. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at my desk. I’d get through some paperwork first. I was not looking forward to that conversation.
An hour later, I finally found my balls and called him.
He picked up after one ring. “Hey, if it isn’t my friendly neighborhood cock blocker.”
He was not going to make this easy. “Yeah, about that. Where are you?”
“In bed with Katie. Shh, I don’t want to wake her. Poor thing; I really worked her over.”
In the silence following that statement, my stomach turned. I knew he was screwing with me, but my body reacted just the same. Bear laughed, and I decided I’d need to kill him before I apologized.
“I’m at the diner. Why?” His voice had a strange echo.
I wanted to get this over with. “Just needed to apologize and I’d rather do it in person.”
Bear laughed. “Good. Get over here and grovel. Bring my cock a present. He likes porn.” He hung up.
I put on my jacket, grabbed my phone and hat, and made my way back through the station. Nancy was in, chatting with Heather. I almost turned and went out the back door but something she said caught my attention.
“...arrested?” Her voice was gleeful with the prospect of someone being arrested.
“No, not arrested, Nancy, and you know I can’t talk about that kind of thing.”
It was Heather’s voice that had first caused me to stop. She’d sounded annoyed, even in hushed tones and across the station, which was unusual for her.
“You don’t have to say anything. I’ve already been hearing stories. I think her husband must have thrown her out.” She leaned into Heather, who shifted away. “LaraBeth told me that she had two cards confiscated at the market. I don’t know if they were stolen or in default, but they weren’t just declined. They were taken from her.”
“Oh, now, I don’t know anything about that, and I wouldn’t want to speculate. She seemed real nice when she was here. Her dog was well-behaved.” Heather shuffled papers around on her desk.
Nancy leaned down farther. “I also hear she’s been dating, still married but dating.” She tilted her head knowingly. “Probably why her husband threw her out. She always was a wild one. I’m not the least bit surprised to learn she hasn’t changed a bit, always the center of attention, always flirting?—”
I cleared my throat and Heather jumped. “Chief! What did I say about sneaking up on me?”
“Didn’t sneak,” I said, patting Heather’s shoulder, staring at Nancy.
