Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (19 page)

“James, it’s all we’ve got to go on.”

“What does it mean?”

“Moe sounds like he’s warning Charlie. Warning him that someone suspects him of something. Probably of sabotaging the rides.” I just had a strong feeling. That had to be what they were talking about.

“And I still think Winston is our man.” James was adamant.

“And I think you’re wrong. Why couldn’t it be Charlie and Bo? They have access. They know how to manipulate the machinery.”

“I’m not sure they’re that bright, amigo.”

“Skip, that makes no sense.” Em spoke up, now curled up on the couch.

“Why?”

“Because Moe is intent on finding the people involved. The people trying to take down his show.”

“And?”

“And? Why would he warn Charlie that he and Bo were suspects? If he wants to find the bad guys, he’s not going to warn them.”

“We’ve talked about Bo and Charlie, but have we ever seriously considered them as suspects? Have we?” I didn’t remember Bo and Charlie being talked about as possible players. But again, in their current positions, they would have access to the rides. A good point to consider.

“Yeah.” He seemed deep in thought. “We had a conversation. Nothing serious, but I seem to remember we said they should be considered persons of interest.” James tapped his fingers on the table. “I know we had that conversation.”

James had always figured Pugh as the primary suspect. I didn’t believe it.

“In fact, I think it was your idea, amigo.”

And then it hit me.
“You
said that.” There was no conversation. Just James spouting off. “You said that Bo and Charlie were persons of interest.”

“Whatever.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It came up.” He kept tapping fingers. “But maybe Moe
isn’t
intent on finding the people sabotaging the Show.” James sitting there on the kitchen chair in nothing but his boxers.

“Why would you say that? He hired you and Skip to find the culprits.” Em was in his face.

“When we talked to Ken Clemens, he claimed that Moe didn’t want any investigation.”

“What? He hired you for heaven’s sake.”

“He’s right, Em.” I nodded. “I didn’t tell you, but Ken Clemens dates Judy Schiller and Clemens claims the sisters insisted on an investigation. They
made
Moe hire an investigation company. He says Moe was adamantly opposed to the idea.”

Em stood, walking to the door and opening it, letting the early morning breeze blow through our stale trailer. Turning to the two of us she said, “I don’t get it. Moe Bradley hires you as private investigators, but he’s opposed to the investigation. Makes no sense.”

“Ken said the sisters own controlling interest in the Show. And they get what they want. They wanted an investigation; they got us.” I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders, massaging her neck.

“So,” Em relaxed as I squeezed her tight muscles, “he didn’t want to hire you, but they forced the issue.”

“They didn’t necessarily want
us
. Clemens made it clear that the sisters thought we were bozos. He seemed to recognize that we were uniquely unqualified for the job.” I hated to admit it. “But they wanted an investigation. And we were close at hand.” I squeezed her shoulders again.

“If you two want to get cozy, I’ll just head on back to Angie’s.”

“Hold on, James.” I let go of Em and looked him in the eyes. “Tell me again, who is Angie?”

“Come on, Skip.”

“Where is she from, what does she do for the Show?” All the players were suddenly important.

“I’m not sure. This is the exploratory stage, pardner. We’ve only known each other for a couple of days.”

Em walked around and stared him in the eyes. “That’s when all this stuff usually comes out, James. In case you haven’t dated before. The first couple of dates usually consist of talking about your backgrounds.”

He smiled. “In this case, and I have dated before, something else has been more pressing. We’ve been preoccupied.”

“Oh, give me a break.”

“Okay,” he said, “I know she went to Bluffton College. Someplace in Ohio. They are known as the Bluffton Beavers. I know that she was in finance. She worked for some bank.”

James’s private banker.

“And she was married. Clark is her married name. Other than that, you’re right. I don’t know much.”

“And she just volunteered to lend you the money for your truck? After you’ve known her for what? Two days? Is she crazy?” Em shook her head.

“I think it was a good investment.” James stood up. “She thinks it’s a good investment. She asked me a lot of questions, Skip. It’s not like she just handed me the money.” He licked his lips. “You know, I don’t need to sit here and be insulted and questioned like I am a criminal. Don’t need it.”

“James, I’m sorry.” I was. It was his life, but right now our possible career hung in the balance. “I just think we should know what her interest in this is. Shouldn’t everyone involved with the Show be considered a possible suspect?”

“Oh, you give
me
a break. Angie Clark? A suspect?”

He walked to the open door and started down the two steps.

“James, why can’t you just get a little more background on her?”

He turned and looked at me. “This is personal, Skip. Personal. I would appreciate it if you would just drop it, okay?”

“Okay. I won’t bring it up again. But, James, we’ve got tomorrow,” I glanced at my watch, “actually we’ve got today to solve the crime. Or Ken Clemens says they’re going to pull the plug.”

“I understand. I really do. I want this business to work, Skip. I’ll be back by nine and we’ll get this thing figured out.”

“Eight, buddy.”

“Eight?”

“Moe wants a meeting.”

“Oh, jeez.”

“A meeting at eight.”

“At eight? What are we going to tell him?”

“That you’re convinced the saboteur is Winston Pugh, but you have absolutely no proof.”

“I’ll think of something.”

“You always do.”

“Meet you here at the Airstream in—” he looked at his watch. “I don’t believe it. In three hours.”

“We’ll be waiting, roomie.”

“Our love to Angie,” Em shot at him as he headed across the lot.

She walked back in and smiled at me.

“None of this makes any sense, does it?” I asked.

“Nothing the two of you do ever makes any sense.” Em walked back to the bedroom, stripping off the blue jeans.

I followed her, snuggling when we got into bed.

“You know, Skip, I’ve never seen James in his underwear before.”

“Pretty scary, huh?”

“Actually, he’s got a pretty good body.”

It was seven a.m. when I heard the alarm go off. I tried to roll over and ran into my bedmate.

“Em, where’s the alarm?”

She rolled over, rubbing her eyes. “You don’t have one.”

“What’s that sound?”

She struggled to sit up, and looked around. “Here.” She grabbed the tiny receiver from the miniature nightstand.

“What’s going on?”

“Someone is calling Pugh.”

“Come on, Em. It’s personal. You said no personal—”

Holding her finger to her lips she pressed a button. There were voices, but I couldn’t make them out. She kept her finger at her lips, her eyes showing surprise. She nodded her head a couple of times and finally put the receiver back on the stand.

“So what was it?”

“Somebody called for Winston.”

“Obviously.”

“They wanted Winston to know that he is your prime suspect.”

“What?”

“The voice said that the two private investigators were narrowing their list of suspects and that Pugh was the number one guy.”

“You’re kidding me.” I thought I was still asleep and dreaming. What she was telling me was impossible.

“No.”

“Who was it?”

“He never identified himself. I assume they knew who it was, but it sounded like Mr. Big to me.”

“Moe? We haven’t even had our meeting with him.” I shook my head to get rid of the cobwebs. This was not good news. It meant that our employer was spilling the beans ahead of us. “This is impossible. Have you told—?” I realized that Em would never tell, and I realized she didn’t know anyone in the Show.

“Word travels,” she said.

“We’ve only talked to ourselves.” I was out of bed, struggling to get my jeans on. There wasn’t going to be any more sleep. “Why would he—?”

“I just know what he said.”

“But, we’re on
his
side. Moe Bradley is the reason we got the job, Em. You know that. I mean—”

She nodded. “You told me last night that Moe Bradley never wanted an investigation. He only hired you and James for that job because he was being pressured by his two sisters.”

Together, almost like a rehearsed act, we said, “Schiller and Crouse.”

“That’s true, Em, but I can’t believe he’s warning people about us. First off, Charlie and Bo, then Winston. Our employer is telling our suspects to go for cover. That’s just too strange.”

“You said it. James said it. The man didn’t want an investigation. So maybe he’s torpedoing this one.”

I thought about that for a moment. Moe felt that an investigation was useless. Apparently his opinion was that
bad things happen.
It was a natural cycle. And yet, he told us he was certain someone was out to get him. Maybe his enthusiasm for the private investigator work was just to make sure we said yes. And I had to factor in the fact that at that time, Moe Bradley apparently was trying to appease his sisters. The team of—ah, you already know who they are.

Make a note to self. Make a note to James. Moe cannot be trusted. Too bad. I thought he was the one steady rock in this entire place. God knows we could use a steady rock.

“One more thing, Skip. You need to know that Winston was busy. Apparently he doesn’t ever answer his phone.”

“He was busy?”

“He wasn’t the one who answered the phone. I got the impression he was either on the toilet or out feeding the animals.”

“Oh. Let’s go with the animals.”

“Linda answered and took the message. She said he was indisposed. And if it was Moe, he told her not to make any mention of this except to Pugh.”

“Oh, crap. She’s not happy with us anyway. Now if she thinks that we’re after her boyfriend—”

Em held up the receiver. “We are, Skip.”

“Yeah, there’s that.”

I found the cheap instant coffee that James had used before in the cupboard. As adverse as I was to tasting that dishwater flavor again, I mixed the required amount with water in the pan and heated it up.

“James needs to know. Before your meeting.”

I was tired of Em being right all the time.

“Are you going to go tell him?” She gave me a disapproving look.

“Yeah. I’ll go down there. Right now, so just settle down. I’m sure Angie will be glad to see me again.” She’d shuffle to the door in that pink bathrobe.

“Well, she’s going to get a good sense of what James is all about.”

“If she can deal with that.”

“I deal with you.” She smiled.

“You’ve got a good sense of what I’m all about.”

“You don’t understand, Skip. I’m a part of what you’re all about. Angie Clark has yet to reach that status with James.”

There was something very reassuring about that. She admitted to being a part of me. That’s pretty heavy.

I pulled on my Green Day T-shirt. “Watch the coffee, or whatever that stuff is. I’m off to see James. The one with the good body.”

“Jealousy does not wear well on you, boyfriend.”

She’d picked up on that immediately.

“I’ll be back.”

“Schwarzenegger said that, and then he actually
came
back, Skip. Look at California now.”

Nodding, I walked out of the trailer and hiked over to Angie’s place. James was going to flip when he heard this story.

“How is that possible?”

“I asked myself the same question. But Moe knows we suspect, or rather
you
suspect Pugh.”

“There couldn’t be a mistake?”

“Em was pretty sure.”

James stared out over the desolate show ground, sipping some really good coffee from a china mug. We sat in the lawn chairs outside Angie’s trailer, watching the mist in the distance and the dawn light coloring the blue sky with a light shade of pink on the horizon.

I took a swig of Angie’s home brew, thinking about Em drinking that swill in the Airstream.

“And, Moe is telling Charlie that we think he and Bo are persons of interest. Do we bring this up at our meeting? Do we tell him that we know he’s trying to sabotage us?” I figured we would have to tell him that we knew.

“What’s the motive? Is Moe trying to save money? Is that it? If we do find out that Pugh or Charlie or Bo is trying to sabotage the Show, he owes us more money. Maybe he doesn’t want to pay that money.”

“James, think about it. To a guy like Moe Bradley a couple of thousand dollars isn’t even a drop in the bucket.”

“Then why is he trying to do us in?”

I’d thought about that. “He never wanted an investigation in the first place.” Ken Clemens had been adamant about that. It was the sisters who insisted on an investigation. The only reason we had been hired was for expediency.

“Skip, plain and simple, Moe wants to mess this investigation up. He doesn’t want us to find anything. He wants us to admit that there’s no proof that there was any foul play. We’re both on the same page, right?”

I nodded. We were both silent for a moment.

“James, the question is, how did Moe know? How did he know what we were thinking?”

He shook his head. “We have Pugh’s phone bugged, right?”

“We do now. Em was able to break into the system. Every cell phone call Pugh gets, we can hear. She intercepted the phone call to Pugh this morning. That’s why you and I are here.”

“So what’s the chance that Moe is breaking into our system? The Airstream is his trailer. He owns it.” James was dead-on. And I countered.

“And, Angie Clark’s trailer is his. He owns it as well.”

“So he could bug these trailers.”

“Makes sense,” I said.

“So,” James took another swallow of his creamed coffee, “that’s the answer. Moe is bugging our trailers.”