“Is Barb okay with that?”
“I think that she’s approaching it as a jump into the unknown. She’s been doing a cocoon thing since we got together, much of that is just recovering from her abusive prior relationship. I think we both know that it’s time to move our lives to a new stage, and she’s making that jump with both feet.”
Barb stepped out on the patio and looked at the steaks. “We’re ready to eat, and I like my steak rare. Can we call them done?”
“Sure we can.” Floyd held the platter with one hand while Sandy stacked four steaks up. He pulled one from the back corner that was barely browned.
“When Barb says rare,” Sandy said as he held the door for Floyd, “she means warm on both sides. I actually put all the other steaks over the heat for a few minutes.”
CHAPTER 43
“What’s in the plat book?” Pam Ryan asked as she sat in the chair next to Floyd’s desk.
“You sound like you’ve got the world’s worst head cold and you look like you’ve been kicked in the face by a horse,” Floyd said as he appraised the broad adhesive strip over Pam’s nose and the dark bruises under her eyes. She’d removed the pad over her cheek and it was scabbed over, giving the appearance that someone had scuffed it with sandpaper. “How do you feel?”
“Like I was kicked in the face by a horse.”
“Why are you here? You should take the day off.”
“I feel worse when I’m sitting at home without distractions. Where’s your sling?” she asked. “I thought you were supposed to wear it for a couple weeks.”
“It interferes with my driving.”
“I thought the doctor told you not to drive.”
“That’s only if I take the pain pills.” Floyd closed the plat book and stood up. “Well, I can’t have you on the road scaring people, so I guess you’re riding with me to Redwood Falls.”
“Remind me what’s in Redwood Falls?” Pam asked as she followed him down the hallway. “I’m not firing on all cylinders today.”
“Melissa Schotten, who used to be Melissa Smith. She works at the hospital there, and we need to interview her,” Floyd said as he walked down the hallway leading to the parking lot.
“You’ve talked to her like three times already. Do you think that being there in person will yield different answers?” Pam asked as Floyd held the security door open for her.
“I might have a new twist to my questions.”
“Does that tie in with the plat map tucked under your arm?” Pam asked as she got into Floyd’s car.
“I think so.”
“I had a nice time with you guys at Sandy and Barb’s apartment yesterday. I felt crappy, but had a nice time anyway. I felt sad leaving early, but I really crashed after supper. Did I miss anything?”
“You missed Barb’s stories about her road trips with the motorcycle guys. She had us in stitches.”
“It’s probably good I missed them. It hurts to smile. Between the broken nose and my bruised ribs, I don’t want to think about the pain a laugh would cause.”
“I understand. Driving around with my arm in a sling was hardly a treat.”
“Every time I hang around with Mary, I like her more. She’s really sweet.” When Floyd didn’t respond she asked, “Are you guys just buddies who go out for meals together, or is your relationship going somewhere?”
“It’s comfortable for now.”
“Is it comfortable for Mary too? I have the impression that Mary would like your friendship to progress, based on the way she hangs on your arm and fawns over your every word.”
Floyd gave her a suspicious glance. “Did someone put you up to this?”
“I like both of you, and I don’t want to see either of you hurt.” When Floyd didn’t respond, she asked, “Are you still going to the cemetery to talk with Ginny like you did before you met Mary?” Pam asked, referring to the conversations Floyd was known to have with with his wife’s headstone after her death.
Floyd had consulted with Mary during a murder investigation and her engaging personality had drawn him out of his depression after becoming a widower. He was returning to her flower shop for conversation weeks after she had nothing left to contribute to the investigation. They started having coffee together after that and Mary had slowly talked him into letting her cook dinner. After months of meeting for coffee at the Rock Creek Restaurant he’d given her a key to his house to open the door to let the dog out when he worked long hours.
Floyd shrugged. “I’m not going there as often, but sometimes I like to talk over things with her. We were married a long time and she’s still…” He stopped, at a loss for words. “I like Mary, but there are still things I can’t say to her.”
“I bet Mary listens pretty well, and she will even offer an opinion, unlike Ginny.”
Pam’s words were true, but they stung nonetheless. “Who are you dating these days?” Floyd asked, trying to redirect the discussion.
“I’m not dating anyone lately,” she replied, followed by a sharp intake of air. “I should have filled the prescription for the codeine.”
“You can’t be on duty with codeine in your system. Do you want me to drive you home?”
“How long is the drive to Redwood Falls?” Pam asked as they reached the interstate.
“I’m not exactly sure. There’s no interstate once we get to the south edge of the Cities, so I’m guessing we’ll be gone about ten hours. Do you have a hot date tonight?”
“Oh sure! The guys are lined up outside my apartment waiting to take out the deputy sheriff with the broken nose and two black eyes. Guys find black eyes very attractive this time of year.”
“Are you taking the codeine?”
“No,” Pam replied. “Do I sound like I’m out of my mind?”
“Just checking. I wouldn’t want to spend a long day in the car with a woman carrying a gun who’s on pain meds.”
“Let’s stop in Rush City for coffee. I’d like to pour a cup on your lap.”
“Ooh! A little edgy today?”
“Give me a break, I’m in pain. Okay?” They rode in silence for while, and then Pam said, “You never explained the plat map.”
“Mike Nelson and Betsy Ring said they were necking on a dead end road the first time we talked to them. Well, I challenged Mike yesterday and pointed out that if their story were true they would’ve run out of gas or had frostbite. He broke down and explained that they knew where the key was hidden for a house on Round Lake that belonged to Melissa’s uncle, having partied there a few times. The night Aaron disappeared, Mike and Betsy were inside the house, not in the backseat of his car.”
“That makes a lot more sense.”
“I also told him about the ATV disappearing from a Passenger Lake cabin near where Kathy Tucker left Aaron Roberts and the large coincidence that the missing ATV showed up in a ditch near Round Lake, where Aaron knew how to get into a warm house.”
“Too many coincidences,” Pam said.
“Exactly. When I talked to Betsy and Mike, they admitted to spending the night at the Round Lake house, but got really strange when I asked about Aaron. They admitted to having partied with him at the Round Lake house. On top of that, Betsy let it slip that Aaron didn’t show up while they were there, but she didn’t deny he’d shown up later. Since the house belongs to Melissa’s relatives, I thought our best chance for getting information was going directly to her.”
“Back to the plat map,” Pam suggested.
“I was checking to see who owned the Round Lake house. It’s the big A-frame you can see from the road. Steven Bradshaw owns it. You showed up before I could check the tax rolls to see where he lives, but Mike thought they lived in the Cities.”