Remote Consequences (21 page)

It didn't seem practical, but it was her way of dealing with his death. I guess.

I shuffled through the messy garage and lifted the garage door. It rolled up with a few creaks and groans. Then I made my way around to the driver's side. I saw what she meant by rusty when I tried to pry the door open. It was a bear to move, but I finally made it inside. Now, if only this sucker would crank.

I closed my eyes and turned the key. A few whirs and clicks and then the engine turned over.

Woot!

I couldn't believe it. You absolutely cannot kill a Cadillac—the old slogan was right.

I pulled the beast out of the garage door and turned to wave at Ms. Lanier, who was watching from the front porch.

Stella, I'm coming to get you.

The waiting man thinks the time long. –Irish Proverb

I drove around town looking for Stella, with no such luck. Finally, I stopped to get some gas and a snack at the Thrifty Mart. As I pumped the gas, I reviewed my options.

I could go down to the station and file a report, but the thought of doing things the "official way" had lost its appeal to me. After all, I'd tried that with the body discovery, and look where it had gotten me.

Now someone had stolen my car, and I had an idea that it might be Allyson. She wasn't exactly red-haired, but her strawberry blonde might pass for red at a distance. But I couldn't figure out why or what she'd want with my car. I knew that she was involved with Trask and I knew that he was tied up in this mess somehow. Why else would Mrs. Mills have had it out with him at O'Hannigan's? I also knew that Matson had tried to poison me, but why?

Why was everyone messing around with me? Why was I suddenly so important when it came to this case?

Could it be just like Randall Jamison had said? Could they simply be trying to take the focus off the mayor by making me look crazy?

"How're you liking the hair?" A soft and somewhat familiar voice caught my attention, and I looked up to see my new friend Sundae Giddings approaching.

I smiled and she returned it with one of her own.

"Well, I like the hair but I've been having a bit of a bad time since my makeover."

And that was putting it mildly.

She gave a little pout and then came to stand by me and the Caddy. "So, did you figure out everything you needed to figure out yet?"

I shrugged. "Ah, no. Actually, things keep getting more and more complicated by the minute. I just can't seem to get it all together."

Sundae tapped her finger on her lips. "Well, you know what they say…if you want to solve all your problems, ask the women in a beauty shop."

"Ha! Ms. Lanier said the same thing a few days ago." I smiled, despite my current predicament.

Sundae blew a bubble with her chewing gum and gave me a head tilt. "You've got all these people and all this stuff happening, right?"

"Yep. That about sums it up."

"Well, just gather all the folks together and let it work itself out."

Now, wouldn't that be interesting? All those people in one place just hashing it out. I let out a bark of laughter. "Thanks for the idea. I'm not sure if I can swing it, but I'll keep it in mind."

She stepped back and slipped her hands into her back pockets. She seemed to be considering something. "You know. Allyson Harlow was at the beauty shop that same day after you had your makeover."

"She was?" This caught my attention. "She didn't have her hair dyed red, did she?"

Sundae widened her eyes at the thought. "No. She didn't do that, but she did see your photo up on the makeover wall. Remember how we took your picture before you left?"

Scrabble tiles were lining up in my mind, but they couldn't quite complete the full word.

Before I could finish the thought, Sundae said, "Speaking of red, this isn't your car, is it? I thought you drove a big red one."

"Oh, I do. But I had to borrow this from my neighbor. Seems as if someone has stolen my car."

Her eyes widened again. "Really? Wow. I thought I just saw your car over by the high school. Should you call the cops and tell them that?"

"The high school?"

She nodded.

I returned the nozzle to the pump. I was done pumping gas, but my heart took over pumping blood at a heightened pace.

"We almost never have stuff like that happen around here. Things have sure been odd over the last few days. It is almost as if the town has gone crazy or something." Sundae continued to talk, but my mind was screaming one thing.

Paget.

"Listen, Sundae. Can you do me a favor?"

*  *  *

I'd sent Sundae off in search of Ty. I needed his help and I had no idea how to find Colin. I wondered what his version of a Bat-Signal would be? Maybe he would sense that I was starving and he'd show up with food.

When Sundae had mentioned that she'd seen my car by the high school, I'd gone into crisis mode. But I feared that going by the police station to report this was a waste of time. Someone was messing with my life and now…if they'd gotten to Paget…

No, I couldn't go there right now.

I had to get to the high school before summer school dismissed for the day. I looked down at the time on my cell phone and then pressed the accelerator. Football practice would be letting out soon, and Adam would be escorting Paget to the house.

With one more mile to go, my cell phone rang.

"Hello…" I clutched the cell phone between my shoulder and ear as I chugged through town.

"Yes, this is Penny Dempsey calling from the
Main Street Mile
. I'd like to see if you care to make a statement about your recent incarceration?"

The skin of my forehead seemed to stretch a little tighter as my old "friend" mocked me with her words. Hey, maybe moving back to your hometown would be the next new thing in cosmetic surgery—or a way to avoid it, at least. Just allow people to mock you and frustrate you to the point of insanity, and your forehead would stretch accordingly—thereby removing the need for Botox.

Note to self: see if this method has already been patented.

"Penny, there's no need for you to act all official. You good and well know that you'll post an article whether I talk to you or not, and, frankly, I don't have time to chat just now."

I rolled up to the one traffic light on all of Main Street and, of course, I'd caught the red. There was absolutely no traffic coming across from Coosada Road. But still, I'd caught the red.

"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't." Her voice sounded just a tad nicer than it had moments ago.

"Look, go ahead and write whatever you want. There is little I can do to keep this from spreading it all over town—if it hasn't already, and it is by far the least of my worries today."

Penny grunted. "Oh, yeah. What is worrying you now? How you're going to change your hair color back?"

"Whatever, Penny. Look, I've got to go." The light changed to green and I put the pedal to the metal. Only the car barely scuttled forward up the hill. "Oh, and can you try to track down your brother for me? I could really use his help right about now."

"Yeah, right. And what makes you think he'd help you?" Penny tried to sound tough, but her voice had lost almost all of its vehemence.

"He's the one who bailed me out of jail, didn't you know? So at least he believes in me."

The line went silent. She hadn't known. She hadn't known that Ty had bailed me out. That he was in contact with me and obviously knew I was innocent and had made a huge statement by putting his name and his assets at risk.

"So, you didn't know. You should really check your sources better than that, Penny. I mean, you've been working at that paper for, what? Going on fifteen years now? Since we started high school?"

The line remained silent. I hadn't been able to keep the smart-aleck tone out of my words. We both knew that I was referring to the fact that she'd never left town, never gone to college, and hadn't aspired to do anything other than work for that paper. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel a little bad about pointing that out to her right now. But I was beyond worrying about her feelings. She'd made this call—she'd called just to taunt me. And I wasn't in the mood for it.

"No. You're right. I had no idea that you'd already caught my brother back in your web. Guess I should have known that he still had feelings for you. He was always a big idiot where you were concerned."

Ouch.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There is nothing going on between me and Ty. He bailed me out because he knows these charges are bogus. It sure would be nice if my lifelong friend felt the same way."

Now she laughed. "Lifelong friend? Friends don't destroy their best friend's family by revealing secrets just to spite her brother, leave town when their friend's mother is on her death bed, and, most of all, friends don't leave friends to pick up the pieces of their lives alone."

She didn't have to say these words. I knew them all, and they were true.

"Penny, maybe we should sit down and talk about it. You know…later."
Yeah, later, when I'm not a quarter-mile from the high school and frantic about the wellbeing of my sister.

"Oh, it's more than too late, Mandy. I just want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to make your return home as miserable as possible. Just try and see what good all your fancy degrees will do for you when you're not welcome anywhere in this town."

Arguing the point any further was a waste of time. "Okay, Penny. Do what you need to do. The newspaper is seriously not on my mind right now. Look, I've got to go. But thanks for the call."

I pulled the Caddy into the parking lot and searched through the faces of students who were milling about near the back of the stadium. The coincidence that I was having this conversation with Penny as I sat behind the stadium wasn't lost on me.

"Okay. Okay. But I just thought you'd like to know about tomorrow's article, and if you haven't had time to check out today's article, you should definitely do that."

I opened the car door and stepped out. Elbowing my way through the barrage of football players, cheerleaders, and band members who had all been on campus for their summer camp practices. "Okay, Penny. If that's what you think you need to do." I was only half listening to her now. Where was Paget?

"Oh, I don't need to do anything. I
want
to. And by the way, good luck getting a job in town after tomorrow."

She was starting to get on my nerves now. "Uh, Penny, I already have a job. A crappy one, but I already have one nonetheless." I suddenly felt a burst of pride for my job at Flicks Vision. I truly must be losing it.

She cackled back at me as I spotted Adam Owens standing near the gym doors. Football helmet in hand as he chatted with a shorthaired blonde cheerleader who was wearing way-too-short shorts.

"Oh, you don't know? How priceless. I'm glad I get to be the bearer of bad news, then. You've been let go from Flicks. Yeah, it's in today's paper. A nice quote from your boss, Barry. Apparently, it is against corporate policy to employ felons."

The call ended as I caught Adam's eye.

Va va va boom.

*  *  *

"Oh, hi, Ms. Murrin. How are you today?" Adam grinned his all-American boy smile, but I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries at the moment.

"Adam, have you seen Paget?"

He looked at me, and then over my head back at the parking lot, and then back at me.

"Uh, well, I thought I saw her get in the car with you earlier." His eyes muddled.

"That wasn't me. Do you know where they went?" I heard my voice speak the words, but I wasn't sure how, as my throat was rapidly constricting with fear.

He stepped forward and touched my shoulder. "No, ma'am, but I'd like to help you find her. Let me call my dad."

"Uh, no." That was just what I needed. Captain White Hair back in my business again.

"But why not? Do you think that someone has taken her?"

Taken her? As in kidnapped?

All of a sudden I felt the impact of it hit me in the face and I grabbed Adam's arm in response. Little dots of light hit me in the face and a moment of dizziness took control. It was almost like I'd felt right after I'd been drugged.

Just then, a siren sounded in the distance and we both looked up to see an unmarked car pull into the lot. It was Ty.

Adam and I walked over to meet him, and he jumped out of the car. His face was unreadable, but his presence spilled a dose of calmness over me that I couldn't explain.

"What's going on, Mandy? Sundae Giddings tells me that your car has been stolen and that she saw it near here earlier. Is something going on with Paget?" He eyed Adam and gave him a nod. "Adam Owens, what's the deal?"

I clenched my stomach and bent over at the waist. It was all hitting me now.

"Come on. Sit here." Ty pushed me down on the seat of his car.

"I saw her get in Ms. Murrin's car just about half an hour ago. It was weird because she didn't tell me that she was leaving. But we were running laps, just like we have to do at the end of practice, and she was all the way up there at the top of the hill. There was a woman driving it, and she had a scarf thingy tied around her head. That's all I could see from here. But I thought it was Ms. Murrin and figured that she'd picked her up today instead."

Ty looked at me. I was at a loss for words. My throat just wouldn't work.

"Mandy, when was your car stolen?"

I shook my head. Tears spilled down my face.

"Mandy. I need you to pull it together for a minute. We need to find Paget."

I coughed and then drew in a deep breath.
Come on, doctor, pull yourself up.

"Ms. Lanier saw someone take it from my house earlier today. She thought it was me because she had red hair. And, well…" I motioned to my new dark-haired 'do. Ty nodded. "And now Adam says she was wearing a scarf on her head…and that sounds just like…"