Fiona found herself enjoying the drive. The landscape was fresh and new with many different impressions to take in. She must be in the high desert phase of her life because the sage and rabbit brush landscape looked good to her. The endless blue sky put a smile on her face. She was looking forward to shopping and spending money. That always cheered her up.
Brewster was right. Rocky Point was a well kept secret. Its six block main street in the old section of town was lined with art galleries and shops. There was an outdoor café with tables under one lone tree. Fiona wondered where the people came from to shop in them. Yet the shops looked prosperous.
“There is only one furniture store in town,” Opal said. “After we visit the ranch supply store, we can stop in.”
“I’d like to look in some of these shops.”
“Sure thing,” said Opal.
Shopping in Rocky Point was an experience. They spent over an hour in the ranch store, not shopping but talking to people. Opal knew everyone in the store, and they all knew her and greeted her with warm hugs. Of course, Fiona had to be introduced all around, and she had to tell her story over and over, which she kept shortening in the re-telling.
The big talk of the town was the accident at the hot springs and finding the bones, and everyone had an opinion which Fiona listened to with interest. Several of the ladies were of the same mind as Fiona, that it was one of Hank Little’s wives. Rosemary and Esme strolled in and offered their opinions.
“It was murder, for sure,” said Rosemary. “No doubt about it. People have been known to get drunk and drown in hot springs, but the sheet that came up with the bones is your clue right there.”
Esme agreed. “Yes, ma’am. You better believe it. There’s lots of unsolved murders in this valley.”
“I think it was a woman,” said Fiona. “When I saw how small the bones were, and the small shirt and pants, it lead me to believe it was a woman.”
“Which side did the shirt button on?” asked Rosemary.
“I didn’t think to look. But we could ask the Sheriff,” said Fiona. “He would know.”
Rosemary elbowed Esme. “Hear that, Esme. She has an excuse to see the Sheriff.”
“I already saw him today. He stopped by the ranch this morning.”
“Is that right?” asked Rosemary. “Hear that Esme? I wonder what he was investigating.”
“You two don’t let up,” said Fiona with a smile. “Opal, we better get on with our shopping, or we’ll never finish.”
It didn’t seem to bother Opal that the shopping hadn’t started. She was a slow shopper, but they finally got the wire, gloves, seeds, and other commodities that the modern ranch woman needed. The next stop was the furniture shop.
Fiona stopped at the door and looked around the large showroom. She could tell by what she saw in the front row of sofas that there wouldn’t be much here that she liked. She wondered about having a sofa built to her specifications which she had done before. At least she could look for a decent mattress and box spring. They ran into more people Opal knew. Fiona began to despair of spending any money.
Then Brewster walked into the store.
“I’m glad I found you,” he said. “I heard you were in town and came looking for you. I heard about the goings on out there at the hot springs, and I got an idea about who that might have been. I hear you are a pretty good detective.”
Fiona’s ears perked up, and she leaned forward in anticipation. “Word certainly travels fast in this town. What do you know?”
Brewster motioned her over to the side aisle out of hearing of the couple that Opal was talking with.
“I have a friend who was supposed to visit me a while back. She never showed up. I didn’t think much of it because I didn’t know her well, and she said in passing that she was going to stop by and never did. Now that I think about it, maybe it was her. Maybe she was in some kind of trouble.”
Fiona said, “What did your friend look like? I mean, did she wear jeans and plaid shirts because that’s what came up with the bones.”
“Anyone could have dressed a body in those clothes. Maybe they did it to throw everyone off the trail.”
“You better take this story to the Sheriff.”
“Can’t do that. Sheriff Hoover and I have had a run in on more than one occasion. You tell him.” And with that he turned and stalked off.
“Wait a minute. You didn’t give me any details. And I never said I’d do it. I’m not that good a detective,” she said to his retreating back. But he was already out the door. Fiona sighed. The man was an odd one. That didn’t bode well for her remodel project.
“May I help you?”A slender, stylish young woman had come up behind Fiona. She was simply dressed in black slacks and a short sleeve pastel top, the first woman in town Fiona had encountered that wasn’t wearing jeans. She had a pleasant smile and a non-threatening countenance, perfect for a sales woman.
“I’m not sure,” said Fiona. “I need some furniture and a bed, but I didn’t see anything in the showroom I like.”
“We can order anything you want. I have tons of catalogs.”
“That would be great.”
“My name is Lauren, I own the store. Are you new in town?”
“Why, yes, I am. I’m re-modeling an old bunk house, and I’ll need furniture and drapes.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” said Lauren.
On the drive home, Fiona felt better, having made the acquaintance of Lauren Brooks, who had displayed impressive expertise in home fashion. The new bed would be delivered in two days. The new living room furniture was on order and would arrive after the re-model was complete. Opal’s purchases were in the truck bed, including a submersible pump, a roll of barb wire, fence posts, and tools that Jake had ordered. Fiona was in a fine frame of mind and looked forward to a glass of wine while watching the sun go down over her new albeit dilapidated home.
She had been lost in redecorating schemes in her head when she saw the flashing lights in the rear view mirror. She glanced at her speed. Seventy five miles per hour. She couldn’t believe she was being pulled over.
Opal looked behind. “He must have been sitting up on the ridge, waiting for us. That’ll be Scooter Brown. He’s a state policeman. That’s his favorite spot to nab the unwary motorist. I forgot to warn you.”
Fiona sighed. Just what she needed was another speeding ticket. She pulled over to the side of the road. The police car zoomed around and parked in front of her. She rummaged in her purse for her license.
“It’s a good thing you were driving, Fiona. Scooter said he’d take my license the next time he caught me.”
Fiona looked at Opal. “You get speeding tickets?”
She grinned. “Sure. Once I got a DUI. But I had hardly anything to drink. Scooter was feeling mean that day. He can be ornery when he wants. Smile pretty, and you’ll get off with a warning.”
Scooter appeared at the driver’s window.
“I didn’t recognize the driver of Opal’s fine rig,” he said. “I thought maybe someone had stolen it, though I couldn’t imagine who would want it. I see the owner is in the cab with you.”
“Yes, sir, she is. I drove her to town to shop today, and we are on our way home.”
Opal leaned over and smiled. “Hi, Scooter. This is our new neighbor. She’s moving into that old bunkhouse.”