The Feed Store Floozy (The Penelope Pembroke Cozy Mystery Series) (12 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“You haven’t been in here in a while,” Millie said. “What’s going on with the community center?”

“It would’ve opened by now if things weren’t in such a mess,” Penelope said. “Now we’re running into Fall Festival preparation.”

“Is the B&B booked up already?”

“Not a r
oom to spare. Thankfully, all I have to do for this event is play innkeeper.”

“It’s a shame, after all everyone’s
hard work, we can’t seem to get things going out there.”

“Maybe with school starting, the teachers will come up with a program to put on in the auditorium. That’s what Mary Lynn hopes anyway. And we’ll definitely do something at Christmas.”

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal—the opening, I mean. Just a chance for folks to see what we’ve done and the possibilities for using the building.” Millie helped herself to a chip from the basket she’d handed Penelope.

“Right.” Penelope glanced around for her father and saw him at his favorite table, one hand clutching a longneck beside a Reuben sandwich on the plate in front of him. “I’d rather have a ham sandwich.”

“I can handle that,” Millie said. “Be right back.”

At nine, Penelope pushed the keys to the SUV across the table. “You’ll have to drive home, Daddy.”

He grinned. “Marbles in the moonlight?”

“Sam wants me to meet him outside at 9:15.”

“Have fun.”

“I wish I could count on th
at.” Penelope flushed. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean, honeychild.” Jake patted her arm. “I’m going to sit here and listen to a little more music and maybe have another beer.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have another beer and drive home.”

“Nellie, I could have four or five and still drive home without wrapping myself around a telephone post, but two’s my limit.”

“Okay, Daddy, I guess you know what you can handle.”

“I do know.”

At 9:13, Penelope edged down the narrow hall toward the restrooms and out the back door. Sam, dressed as Tiny, sat on the huge, idling cycle. “Hop on.”

She did, clutching
his middle as he roared off. At Rosedale Bridge, he pulled up and put down the kick-stand. “You still in one piece?”

“Would you believe this is the first time I’ve ever ridden on a cycle before?”

He laughed. “How did you like it?”

“I don’t think I did. And before you ask, you can’t stay tonight. I’m booked up starting tomorrow at noon.”

“I remembered. Of course, your room will hold two.”

“No.”

He sighed. “All right, be like that.”

“I will. Why did you tell me to meet you tonight?”

“Do I have to have a reason? I was in the vicinity and wanted to see you.”

“You could’ve called.”

“I thought I did.”

“I mean before.”

“Couldn’t. Sorry.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Missed you, Nell.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“That you missed me, too.”

“I did, but I didn’t want to. By the way, Peter and his in-laws went to court today.”

“And?”

She told him what the judge had said. “But they’ll try again, I’ll bet. Do you want to hear the latest about Harvey Hadden?”

“Shoot.”

She told him what the Toney Twins had seen. “Daddy went straight to Bradley.”

“Has he said anything to you about being upstairs that night?”

“No.”

“What do you think was in the envelope?”

“How would I know?”

He took a blanket from the side bag on the cycle and spread it
on the grassy bank near the creek. “Be nice to me, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Define ‘be nice’.”

He held out his hand. “I just want to be close to you, Nell. I won’t try anything. Promise.”

She stretched out beside him, her head in the crook of his arm. “Okay, tell me.”

“You know about the history of Hot Springs, don’t you? The gambling and gangsters and all?”

“Everybody knows that.”

“Well, it seems that they discovered Amaryllis around about 1920-25. It was a well-kept secret.”

“I never heard of anything like that in Amaryllis.”

“The building Brice Dolan bought was a grocery store before it was a feed store.”

“Daddy told me that.”

“Right. I got some names from him in the course of conversation last time I was here and did a little digging. It seems the people who owned the grocery store were raking in a little extra by funneling bootleg liquor through their place on its way to Hot Springs.”

“I blessed don’t believe it!”

“Believe it. The people connected to the operation weren’t big names in the gangster world, but they were definitely part of that culture. Also, the second floor operated off and on for years, the last time until the end of Prohibition in 1933.”

“You’re telling me that we had a…one of those places right in the middle of town when Daddy was growing up here?”

“Nell, people knew things like that happened. More often than not they turned a blind eye to them.”

“But the police…”

“Sometimes they were bought off, and sometimes they just didn’t care as long as there was no trouble. Anything that brought money into the economy of a small town, especially during the Depression, wasn’t frowned on too much.”

“Daddy didn’t know about it. I’m sure of that.”

“His parents might have. A lot of good people probably did.”

Penelope digested the information. “Madeline
Hadden was way too old to be one of the girls.”

“But not too old to oversee the operation.”

“You’re saying she did?”

“I’m saying she did. Don’t ask me how I know.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but did Harry’s family have anything to do with all that?”

“I’m almost afraid to tell you they did.”

“Oh, no.”

“Look, his grandfather owned the building
and rented it to the Harrises who ran the grocery store. Maybe he knew what they were doing, and maybe he didn’t, but I’m guessing he suspected it anyway. In a town this size, word gets around. He probably got his share of the profits.”

“A kickback? Mary Lynn said someone hinted to Harry at a convention a few years back that the
Sanborn money was tainted in some way.”

“I don’t know
for sure, Nell, but it might have happened that way.”

“Poor Harry. He’s honest as the day is long. And he really cares about this town.”

“I know.”

“So how does Harvey
Hadden figure into all this?”

“This is how I see it—the
Haddens knew about Madeline. She must’ve helped support them on what she made through the years. And maybe Wally Powers did his research before he ever came to town, so he knew about the Haddens, too.”

“And told Jill.”

“Sure.”

“That doesn’t explain why Harvey killed Wally
Powers and Jill.”

“If he did.”

“Who else—you don’t think that Brice Dolan had anything to do with it, do you?”

“This is what I think—that Wally went to Harvey
Hadden and promised him some money in exchange for information, and then Wally paid him off, at least part of it. Maybe Jill was giving him the rest.”

“What kind of information?”

“If they wanted to cover their backsides, all the madams kept records, especially if they had to pay rent.”

“Records? Most of the
Haddens never learned to read or write.”

“I’m betting Madeline could do both, so she chronicled everything and everybody who came through the doors of that building, be it saloon, grocery story, feed store, whatever.”

Penelope lifted her head. “So Harvey had her records and was going to sell them to Wally.”

“Could be.”

“And Wally thought he could stiff him?”

Sam laughed. “Stiff him? Nell, you’re beginning to sound like a gangster yourself.”

“If that’s what Wally thought, he made a big mistake. The Haddens may be illiterate, but they’re not dumb. So Harvey kills Wally, gets the records back from Jill…”

“Or maybe not. She might’ve tried to cheat him, too.”

“But why would she? She could’ve packed up and left town, and he wouldn’t have bothered going after her. The Haddens never stray far from the Hollow.”

“Maybe she hung around too long, putting the moves on her former college flame, and Harvey figured she ought to deliver what Wally
Powers promised.”

“He killed the golden goose then—both of them.”

“Or not.”

“Then who?”

Sam shrugged. “Nell, I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I found out and the theories I came up with. That’s all they are—theories.”

“Did you tell Bradley?”

“Let’s just say I saw to it he got the information.”

“Sam, who are you? How do you find out things? Why do you have a secret code with my son?”

He rolled over and brought her body against his. “You don’t need to know, Nell.”

****

When Sam finally dropped her at the back door, Penelope had to admit he’d kept his word about not trying anything with her, despite their compromising position on the blanket. They’d kissed…talked about nothing…kissed some more…and finally, Sam said he had to leave.

From the back porch of the B&B, she watched him roll his cycle down the drive and into the street, estimating he’d walked it to the end of the block before she heard it roar to life. Inside, she locked the door and leaned against it, already feeling bereft.

****

By Sunday, when the last guest left, Penelope told Jake she felt her age. “You’re young yet, honeychild.”

“I have to go upstairs and clean all those rooms tomorrow.”

“Mary Lynn will be here to help you.”

“I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”

“You don’t have to. They money you make on this place is just frosting on the cake.”

“It’s pretty tasty frosting.”

“You’re just missing Sam.”

She opened her mouth to deny it, then gave it up. “Daddy, I’d be better off if I’d never met him.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“Sometimes I do.” She stood in front of the open refrigerator. “I’ve got leftovers that need to be used up.”

“Call Brad and Rosabel. Shana. The Hargroves. The Dancers.”

“I’m in no mood for company.”

“They’re family, not company.”

“I’m in no mood for family either—present member excepted.”

Jake lau
ghed. “I’m going to get ready for Mass. You going?”

“Don’t  I always?”

She’d just gone upstairs to dress when she heard the sirens. Jake was already outside looking toward downtown. “It’s the old feed store,” he said.

Penelope watched the thick black smoke billowing into the September humidity. “Poor Brice.”

“He’s insured, I guess, but the building’s history can’t be replaced.”

“Maybe it looks worse from here than it really is.”

“Could be.”

The acrid smell of smoke drove them inside. Mary Lynn showed up within minutes. “Harry’s worried the whole town is going to go up.”

“There’s no wind, and the building is on the corner,” Jake said.

“Harry worries.”

“What does it look like?”

“Like it’s all upstairs—more smoke than anything else.”

A few minutes later, Mary Lynn’s phone rang. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said. “I’m at the B&B, but I’ll come home.” She put the phone back in her purse. “That was Harry. It wasn’t much of a fire, and it’s out now.”

“Has he seen Brice?”

“He didn’t say. I’ll bet Brice is back in Little Rock. It’s odd he didn’t open up this weekend for Fall Festival.”

“Maybe Bradley told him not to open under the circumstances. I guess somebody will call him.”

“Probably.” Mary Lynn leaned her chin in her hand. “He should never have come back here and stirred up all this trouble.”

“I don’t think he meant to stir up trouble, Mary Lynn.”

“Maybe not, but he did it.”

“I can’t argue with you there.”

“Wonder what started the fire?”

Penelope grinned. “Miss Madeline’s ghost.”

“Oh, stop it!” Mary Lynn got up and grabbed her purse. “If we hurry, we’ll just make second Mass. I’ll come in the morning about nine to help you clean.”

****

Just before dusk, Penelope walked downtown to see the damage to the store. Though the smell of charred wood permeated the air, the walls and roof were intact, and only a couple of windows on the second floor were broken.