“I think it’s time to corner Mike Nelson with Melissa’s information. If Melissa couldn’t put Aaron into a coffin by herself, we should be able to find her helpers. My guesses are Mike Nelson and Betsy Ring.”
CHAPTER 48
It was twilight by the time Floyd got to Mary’s house. She met him at the door with a hug. “You look bushed. I think you need another day or two before you’re ready to be out there chasing bad guys.”
He nodded and sat in a kitchen chair. “Maybe I’m getting too old to do this.”
Mary took plastic wrap off a sandwich and slid it in front of him. “You’re not too old; you’re banged up and haven’t let yourself heal.”
“I feel old.”
“That’s because you hung out with spunky Pam Ryan all day. She’s got all the energy of youth spilling out.”
“She got a text message from Barb today. Her fingers flew over the keypad, then she sent off a response. I’m a dinosaur.”
“Feeling a little sorry for yourself tonight, tough guy?” Mary asked as she pulled a chair close and sat down. “Did something bad happen that made you so glum?”
“No. We actually found out what happened to Aaron Roberts.”
“Really? You found out what happened to Aaron after all these years?” Mary leaned close, waiting to hear the story.
Floyd stopped with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. “What?”
“You can’t tell me that you solved the case you’ve been quizzing me about and then just stop talking.”
Floyd took a bite of the sandwich and chewed, staring at her, unsure how much he could share.
Mary leaned back and asked, “Did you discuss cases with Ginny when she was alive?”
“She didn’t want to know…police stuff.”
“Ah, but the flower lady does want to know some of the police stuff, just not the blood and gore parts.” She pulled the plate away playfully. “So, cough up some details, or the sandwich dies.”
“You wouldn’t hold an innocent sandwich hostage, would you?”
“Try me, county boy. I get details or you’ll hear the sound of the disposal.”
Floyd cracked a smile. “It appears that Ken Solstad killed Aaron at the house on Round Lake. We have a lead on where we can find Aaron’s body.”
Mary slid the plate back on the table. “Did you eat lunch?”
“Hot turkey sandwich with a mountain of mashed potatoes, followed by a slice of pie.” Floyd’s eyes lit up. “Half the pie is still in my car!”
He jumped up from the table and almost ran to the car. In a minute he was back with the two pie containers. “Do you want the lemon or the sour cream raisin?” he asked.
Mary scrunched up her face. “Who eats sour cream and raisins in a pie?”
“Good choice,” he replied, slipping the container with the lemon pie to her.
Mary opened the container and paused. “It looked like there are a couple of bites missing,” she said suspiciously.
“Pam ordered it, but lost her appetite when we started talking about Aaron’s dead body.”
“Mmm, good pie,” she said after a small bite. “But it’s a little warm. How long has it been in the car?
Floyd shrugged. “Since Winthrop. I guess it’s been a few hours.”
Mary stopped eating and pushed the pie away. “A lemon pudding sitting unrefrigerated in a car in July is a recipe for food poisoning.”
Floyd pulled the lemon pie in front of him. “I have a cast iron stomach.”
Mary watched him eat the second piece of pie, shaking her head. “Let me be perfectly clear, I will not be the one holding your head when you retch into the toilet tomorrow.”
“I won’t get sympathy?”
Mary gathered up the plate and the pie containers, still shaking her head. “I give no sympathy for self-inflicted wounds.”
“Then, I suppose I should go home and retch in silence,” Floyd said, getting up from his chair.
“You don’t have to,” Mary said, pulling him into a hug.
Floyd suddenly turned somber.
“What’s the matter?” Mary asked.
“This sounds stupid, but I can’t…I can’t lie with you in the same bed where you made love with your husband. I’m sorry.”
Mary smiled. “I thought it was something about me that was keeping you away.”
“You’re…perfect. It’s just my baggage that’s getting in the way.”
“I’ll bet you’d have an even bigger problem with the thought of us in the bed where you and Ginny…”
“I can’t get my head around that either.”
Mary reached up and touched his cheek. “You’re sweet,” she said, giving him a gentle kiss.
“I hope you’re patient,” he replied, returning the kiss before walking out the door.
CHAPTER 49
The ringing phone woke Pam from a fitful sleep. “Hey, Pam, are you feeling any better?” Pam looked at the clock, which said ten o’clock.
“I’m kinda sore, Barb, but I’m getting by. How are the wedding plans going?”
“We’re pretty well set. I mean, I can’t think of anything else that needs to be done. We just need to show up and then we’ll be married.”
“It’s hard to believe it’s only a day-and-a-half away. You must be excited.”
“Actually, I’ve got this strange feeling. It’s like I’m nauseated every time I think about it.”
“Barb! You’re scared. You’re feeling butterflies. It’s normal.”
“I’m not scared. I can ride a motorcycle a-hundred-miles-an-hour on a gravel road without being scared.”
“It’s a different kind of scared. This isn’t the kind that gets your adrenaline flowing. This kind settles in the pit of your stomach and twists it around. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s a lot like love, either that, or you’re pregnant and you’re having morning sickness.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Barb laughed, “so, I guess it must be love.
Changing the subject, “I texted you on the drive to Redwood Falls. Did that help you make any headway in your investigation?”
“We know Aaron is dead and we think we know where his body is hidden. But that’s all I can say right now.”
“So how much pain are you really in?” Barb asked. “Will you be able to be my maid of honor?”
“It’s not the pain, Barb. It’s the bandage across my nose and the black rings under my eyes. By Saturday they should be turning green. You’ll have the world’s ugliest wedding pictures.”
“You and Mary have taught me a lot. This wedding’s not about the pictures or the way we look, it’s about friends and people who care enough to take you as you are. That’s why you talk to me even though I’ve got ugly tattoos and I talk slow. Isn’t that right, or did I miss something?”
“You’ve got it exactly right,” Pam said as her eyes moistened. “It’s just that so many people are hung up about having perfect weddings. I don’t want to mess that up by showing up looking like I’m dressed for a Halloween party.”
“Mary called, too. She thought I wouldn’t want a fifty-year-old woman in the wedding party. I told her that I wanted her, and I didn’t care how old she is.”
“I think that’s what love and friendship are all about,” Pam said. “I think you’re helping all of us learn that again.”
“So, you’ll still be my maid of honor?”
“Sure, black and green eyes, ugly bandage and all.”
CHAPTER 50
At 8:00 the next morning Pam was telling Floyd about Barb’s old boyfriend burying drug dealers in occupied caskets when the sheriff walked into the bullpen. “The judges are reluctant to let us dig up dead bodies without someone making a statement stating definitively that they put an extra body in a casket.” He poured a cup of coffee and took a sip, followed by a sour expression. “Did we brew this batch with turpentine? It tastes even worse than usual.”