Upstate Uproar (9 page)

Vivian shivered. “We won’t be out here at
night, you can count on that.”

A white paneled van with JD Locksmith painted
in navy block letters stopped behind the girls’ SUV. A tall guy
with a beer gut, brown hair and a scraggly goatee got out and
walked over. “Did you call for a locksmith?” he asked.

He and Dawson shook hands. “Hi, Jeremy, this
is the vehicle we need you to pop the locks on.”

Jeremy peered into the driver’s window, then
opened the back doors on his van and dug around. He came back with
a deflated bag with a tube coming off one end and a black ball on
the other end to pump it up. In his other hand, he held a long,
thin rod with a hook on one end. The girls stood back as he pried
the window away from the frame enough to slide the flattened bag
through. He then began pumping the black ball, and the bag
separated the window and frame wide enough for him to slide the
thin rod through. He hooked one edge of the driver’s lock and
gently pulled it back toward him. The rod slipped a few times, but
he had the door unlocked in less than a minute.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Vivian said. “I’ve
never seen a thing like that. Good work.”

Jeremy tipped an imaginary hat to her and
opened the car door. “Hope you don’t need my services again, but
here’s a card in case you do.” He reached in his front pocket and
handed a card to Lucy, who stood closest to him. “I perform other
services as well.”

Lucy turned red and took the card but didn’t
have a comeback other than, “What do we owe you?”

“Let’s see, for 45 seconds work, plus gas,
let’s say fifty bucks.”

“You take credit cards?” Lucy asked.

“Nah. I’ve been meaning to get that Square
card swiper, but haven’t. How about I give you my ‘damsel in
distress’ discount. Shall we say twenty bucks?”

Lucy pulled a twenty out of her backpack and
handed it to him. “You’re sweet. Thanks.”

Jeremy laughed and walked back to his van.
“Enjoy your stay,” he called, then got in his van and drove
away.

The girls said goodbye to Deputy Dawson, and
Kate got behind the wheel. She drove to the nearest gas station for
a pit stop. Once back in the car, she said, “We’d better go by the
shelter and drop Austin off.” She put it into drive and pulled in
front of the shelter a few minutes later.

The faint glow of a computer screen was the
only light coming from the front window. Vivian hopped out of the
SUV. “I’ll go see if anyone’s here, just in case.” The door was
locked, so she knocked and waited a minute. No answer. She got back
in the SUV. “Guess we’re bringing a boy home tonight. Hope Tracy
and Brandon don’t mind.”

Kate pointed the car toward Turlington Farms.
“He’s so cute, I bet they won’t.”

T
racy greeted the
girls as they got out of the car. Austin was the last to emerge.
“Hi, there,” she said. “And who is this?” she asked, scratching
under his chin and rubbing his head.

Wendy explained that they’d ended up with the
shelter dog a little longer than anticipated. “Is it okay if he
stays the night?”

“Sure he can. I’ve got some scraps he’ll
enjoy. I’ll go get him a bowl of water, too.”

Before she turned around, she took in their
appearance. “Are you girls okay?”

“I’m heading up,” Kate said and started up
the porch. “I need a shower.”

“Right behind ya,” Lucy said.

Vivian ran a hand through her blonde curls.
“It was a helluva day. We’ve been surrounded by men in uniform.
Unfortunately, we weren’t at a strip club. They were the real
deal.”

“Oh, wow. Would you like a glass of wine? Or
a beer? We have all that you brought in the fridge.”

“I’ll have one of my Dox Equis.” Vivian sat
in a rocker on the back porch. “Thanks.”

“You got it,” Tracy said and disappeared.

Vivian and Wendy sat rocking and tried to
relax. In a few minutes, Tracy brought them each a beer. She set
down a cup of hot tea and walked down the steps with a large
plastic bowl. She filled it with water from the hose. “Come here,
boy,” she called to Austin, who trotted over and went to town
slurping.

She picked up her tea and sat down beside
Vivian.

Vivian and Wendy told her about the hike, and
then about finding the jawbone.

Tracy’s eyes got big, and she put her hand on
her chest. “A human bone? Are you sure?”

“The teeth had silver fillings,” Wendy said.
“There was no doubt. When we left the coroner, crime scene techs
and a bunch of volunteers were there and looking for more, uh,
pieces.”

Tracy shivered. “Had they found
anything?”

Wendy shook her head. “Not that we know of,
but from what we understand, it sounded like a tedious process. I
bet we’ll know more tomorrow. I hope so, for the sake of that
person and the family.”

Tracy got up. “I need a real drink; this tea
isn’t cutting it. I’ll be right back, and I’ll bring us all a
little something special.”

Wendy took a long draw of her beer and looked
around. “It’s so nice out here. It’s little things like this I was
looking forward to sharing with Jake.”

Austin lay at Vivian’s feet. He sat up and
she rubbed his soft ears while she thought about the Jake
situation. “Why don’t we call Antonio in New Orleans? Ask him to
use his NOPD accesses to see what he can find out about the name on
that other passport? We can trust him.”

Antonio Robichaux was a detective with the
New Orleans Police Department they had met earlier in the year. He
was also the brother/brother-in-law of Adrienne and Al Russo, whom
the girls met in Playa del Carmen on their first vacation. They’d
run into them in NOLA where Al’s contacts and Adrienne’s street
sense had come in handy during Wendy’s bachelorette party.

Wendy brightened. “I don’t know why I didn’t
think of that before. He would be straight with us, tell us if he
found anything, even if it wasn’t...” She couldn’t finish.

“Pleasant,” Vivian finished.

Wendy nodded. “Do you still talk to him?”

Vivian shrugged. “I haven’t been to New
Orleans to see him, but we still talk occasionally.” She grinned
mischievously. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him next time I go. Maybe
slip into his handcuffs.”

Wendy laughed and seemed to relax.

Vivian was happy to see her smiling. The past
few months had been really tough, and they’d thought about
canceling the trip, so this made her feel better about their choice
to come. “I’ll call Antonio first thing in the morning.”

Tracy pushed the door open with her foot and
came out carrying three martini glasses filled to the brim with a
reddish amber drink, a cherry resting at the bottom.

Wendy held up her drink to toast. “To that
poor person up on the mountain. May they not only find out who it
is, but bring to justice whoever is responsible.”

The three women clinked glasses.

Tracy sat down and took a sip. “Mmmm, not
bad.”

Wendy took a sip, then another. “Wow. I’ve
given up bourbon and the like, but this is delicious.”

“I’m not one for whiskey at all, but this is
yummy,” Vivian said, fishing the cherry out. “What is it?”

“Let me guess,” Wendy said, and took another
sip. “It tastes a lot like a manhattan, but sweetened up.” Wendy
had tended bar through college at Morton’s Steakhouse and made her
fair share of manhattans and martinis. She’d even won a martini
making contest, twice. “What’d you use?”

Tracy sat her drink on the porch railing.
“This is made with Crown Royal Maple, extra cherry juice. My secret
ingredient from my bartending days. Shhh. I call it the Upstate
Uproar.”

Kate pushed open the screen door and walked
out in her jammies and pink, fuzzy house shoes. “Who’s causing an
uproar?”

They all laughed.

“I’m going to make another round. Kate, what
can I get for you?”

“Just some water, thanks. Lucy’ll be down in
a second. She’d probably like something.”

“I’ll check with her,” Tracy said and went
inside.

Wendy and Vivian chatted with Kate for a few
minutes, telling her about reaching out to Antonio for help with
the Jake situation. Lucy, smelling freshly showered, walked outside
and sat down in the rocker Tracy had vacated. “Did I hear the name
Antonio?”

Vivian smiled. “That’s affirmative.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Wendy finished her drink. “I think it’s a
great idea. She’s going to ask him about Jake’s passport. Or
actually, Paul Vaughn’s passport.”

“Yeah, it’s a good idea,” Lucy agreed.

Tracy arrived with a cocktail tray of
decadent drinks. Even Kate’s water was gussied up with a lemon
wheel. “I feel like I’m back at The Rumor Mill.”

“What’s The Rumor Mill?” Lucy took a cautious
drink, then a bigger one. “Yum-ola.”

“The place in town where I bartended for
years,” Tracy said.

Vivian took a long sip of her cocktail.
After today and finding that jaw, I could use a few more of
these.

“Where’s Brandon?” Wendy asked.

“At work. He’s had a job at the hardware
store for years. The money helps when it’s slow around here, and
besides, we can get things at cost. He’ll be home soon.”

“Totally worth it,” Kate said, rocking back
and forth in a white wicker rocking chair. “It’s not cheap to keep
up a house like this.”

Tracy gulped half her drink and changed the
subject. “So I can’t believe what happened to you today. Who all
was out there?”

“We met a couple of sheriff deputies, then
the coroner and the crime scene photographer,” Kate replied.

“What trail were you hiking?”

“Haystack Mountain.”

Tracy looked out across the lake and nodded.
“That’s a good one.” She finished off her drink. “Sorry it didn’t
end up so well.”

Vivian set her glass next to Wendy’s empty on
the rail. “On the contrary, we met a sexy blond fireman.”

“Larson Doolan?” Tracy asked.

Vivian looked at Tracy, amazed.

“I’m married, not blind.” She smiled. “He’s
very involved with the fire department. It figures he would be
there.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow. “Does he have a way
with the ladies?”

Tracy laughed. “You could say that, though as
far as I know, he’s never had a longtime girlfriend and he’s never
been married.”

“Lone wolf,” Vivian said. “A renegade, a
rebel. I like it.”

“AKA horny. Totally Vivian’s type,” Lucy said
and looked at the girls. “I’m getting hungry, what’s for
dinner?”

Kate propped her feet up on another chair. “I
don’t feel like going anywhere. I’m tired.”

“We have a great pizza place that delivers,”
Tracy said and got up. “I’ll go get their menu for you.”

“Perfect,” Vivian said.

The girls decided on two large pizzas, a meat
lovers and a veggie. Tracy went inside to call in the order.

Wendy set down her martini glass with a heavy
clank, hard to do with such a delicate glass. “I was interrupted by
the sheriffs showing up earlier today,” she said and blew out a
long sigh. She twisted her long brown hair into an up-do and tucked
it in so it stayed.

Vivian knew Wendy was back to business.

“There was more inside Jake’s secret
basketball than money and the passport.”

W
hat else was in
there?” Vivian looked at Wendy, almost afraid to know what else she
had found in Jake’s basketball, but dying to know just the same.
Jake was not turning out to be who Wendy thought he was, and she
felt bad her friend had been deceived.

“Jake, or should I say Paul, has an iPhone.”
Wendy pulled a black cellphone out of her pocket. “I bought a
charger and it’s good to go, but I can’t get past the code.”

Kate took the phone from Wendy.

Wendy nodded. “It’s unbelievable to me he had
a whole separate identity and life. I keep questioning everything I
thought I knew.”

“You can’t live like that, Wendy,” Vivian
said. “Don’t do that to yourself. I’m sure Jake loves you or he
wouldn’t have been marrying you.”
That damn sure better be the
case.

Kate handed the phone back to Wendy. “I can’t
get into it.”

Vivian reached for it. “Let me try.” She
punched in common codes like 1234, 9876, 4567 and a few others. Of
course the code was more complex and she couldn’t unlock it.

They watched the sun set over the mountains,
a brilliant display of colors. Kate took pictures and posted to
Facebook as Vivian feverishly tried to unlock the phone.

Wendy tapped her foot on the porch. “I’ve
tried his birthday, variations of his Social Security number, his
parents’ birthdays, the birthday on the other passport. Nothing has
worked.”

“I want a turn,” Lucy said and took the
phone. She tapped buttons on it while the girls discussed theories
of what could have happened to Jake.

After a while, Vivian heard a car pull up and
the front screen door open and close. Tracy brought out the pizzas,
paper plates and napkins a few minutes later.

“I’ll be right back with a couple of beers
and more water for Kate.”

“Thanks, Tracy,” Wendy mumbled through a
bite.

Vivian picked up a slice. “When I call
Antonio, I’ll tell him about the phone, too. Maybe he’ll have some
pointers for breaking into it.”

Tracy walked outside with beverages so the
girls ended the conversation and got down to business. They gave
Austin a slice and their crust, and the pizza was polished off in
no time.

Lucy threw down her napkin, stood up, brushed
off crumbs and walked down the steps toward the lake. She looked up
to the sky. “Wow, I can see a lot of stars in Colorado, but the
reflection off the water is amazing here.”

Tracy was picking up the pizza boxes and
said, “We have a high-powered telescope. You might not be able to
see Martians on Mars, but you can see the man on the moon.”