Weaving The Web: A Cold Hollow Mystery (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 2) (9 page)

She smiled and made her way to the kitchen with him. “Yep, I’m starving. I had to walk all the way to town to pick up some stuff for my mom.”

He pulled out a stool and said, “Pop a squat.” He grabbed a soda from the fridge and handed it to her as he flicked on the music system he had installed in the restaurant.

She frowned. “Aw, old music?” She pulled her backpack off her shoulders and placed it on the floor beside the stool.

He laughed as he took some seasoned, baked cheddar potatoes from the oven and plopped two slices of rubbed prime rib on the hot grill before tossing the salad. “You call it old, I call it classic.”

She moaned, but watched with curiosity as he cooked with lightning speed. The smell made her mouth water, and she got up, retrieved two dinner plates, and set them on the prep table before her. She searched for utensils and napkins, and set enough out for them both. Something dawned on her, and she asked, “Since this is an experiment, the meal is free right? Because it smells too expensive for my wallet.”

His back was to her, but she heard him laugh. “Yeah, kid. It’s free. But by the way you just set the prep table, I just might hire you full time come fall and winter.”

“Yeah? It’d be great, because I usually don’t have an income in the winter. The nursery is somewhat dead, and only Mom is needed. She keeps some of the greenhouses heated and the winter crops healthy.”

He reached behind him, grabbed a plate, and filled it with a three-course meal fit for a king. He handed it to her. “Good, you’re hired.” After filling his own plate, he sat opposite her on a stool of his own.

He watched her and smiled as she ate. She was devouring the food and making yummy noises. She pushed the food to the side of her mouth for a moment and giggled as steak juice leaked down her chin. “Can you teach my mom to cook like this?”

He burst out in hearty laughter and blushed. He shook his head. “I think your mom is too busy right now, but if she wants to come and check on you in the winter, if it’s slow, I’ll teach her a few things.”

She was nearly bouncing on her stool, and she smiled at him, her expression filled with hope. “You like her. It’s why you named the place after her. I saw the way you two stare at each other sometimes at the nursery.”

He shook his head and reached out for her hand. “I explained the name to your mom. I named it after someone from my past I wronged.” Sure, he and her mom had exchanged glances and innocent gestures, but he never pursued a relationship with her because he felt it was just too big a leap for him at the time. He would ask the parole officer what his impressions were at his next visit.

Her expression turned serious. “Was this other Carla your girlfriend?”

He pondered the question and gave a quick shake of his head. “She probably would have made a wonderful girlfriend, I’m sure, but I screwed it up. I was angry and stupid and drank too much when I was young. If I could go back in time and change it, I would. I’d be a lot more patient and smarter about a great many things.” He pulled his hand away and continued eating.

After her plate was clean, she wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin and said, “Then I think it’s a great thing you named this place in her honor. I think she’d forgive you.”

He nodded as he chewed the last of his steak. “I hope so.”

They sat and stared at each other, and Becky said, “This was a great meal, it was perfect. Thanks.”

He wiped his mouth and said, “It’s all a chef longs to hear, honey.”

She stood and shouldered her backpack and smiled. “Well, I gotta head back home now, so you take care. I’ll see you around.”

“Get ready for a busy winter!” He heard her soft laugh as she headed through the dining room for the front door.

***

After Myrna helped the Borges boys run the bakery and the slow period between breakfast and lunch arrived, she made her way to her office at the town hall. In her absence, Sarah Macy would show up and run the bakery with the boys. Myrna found Sarah to be such a good baker and fine waitress she had grown quite fond of the girl; actually, so had Donnie, much to her amusement. Carla Macy stopped in frequently and Myrna had begun a friendship with Sarah’s mother as well.

She summoned Artie and Amanda to her office and asked them to bring the town budget ledgers with them. As she settled in behind her desk, they arrived and sat opposite her. Once again, Artie tripped on the threshold before sitting down. “I need you to review the chief’s budget again to see if he can afford to hire two more officers. I also need to hire an extra firefighter
and
a certified lifeguard for the town beach. He or she can groom and maintain the beach in the spring and summer. In the winter, they can assist Ranger Morrissey on the hiking trails.”

She watched as they opened their ledgers and ran the numbers. They discussed yearly income and comparable salaries, interest, and turned to her with smiles on their faces. It was apparent the budget would allow for these new hires. Artie was twitching in his seat; Myrna rolled her eyes and said, “Spit it out, Artie. What’s bugging you?”

He began stuttering, and she held up her hand. “Stop it. Take a deep breath, and then speak.”

He did as she asked and then said, “I…I…nuh…need to speak with you in private.”

Myrna turned to Amanda, who was smirking and shaking her head. Amanda gathered up her papers and left them alone. When the office door shut, Myrna sat back, stared at him, and blinked as he asked, “I like your engagement ring. Should I get Amanda one?”

Myrna wanted to laugh aloud, not because Amanda would say no, but because Artie required her permission. Instead, she grabbed at the opportunity and remained serious. She shook her head. “Not until you have the laser surgery on your eyes. With your luck, you’d end up buying her a hunk of coal in a copper setting without even knowing.”

He began twitching and twisting his body, and Myrna sighed. “All right, I’ll go with you for the surgery, and Tom will be in the operating room with the specialist. He practices in the next town over, but told Tom he wouldn’t mind coming here to perform the procedure. He’s just waiting for you to give in and let him know you’ll have the procedure done.”

Artie’s smile could not have been brighter. He gathered his ledger and papers and scooted out of the office. He yelled as he nearly tripped out the door, “I’ll pick a date when it’s your day off!”

Myrna stared at her desktop. “Oh, joy.” She then picked up the phone and called the parole officer in order to move up the date of Warren Measly’s and Robert Collin’s parole meetings. When he pushed it up to Wednesday, she called the chief, Warren, and Robert to let them know. She blamed the movement of their appointments on the parole officer’s personal schedule. Neither man minded.

She called the area newspapers and placed several help wanted ads in each of them. If the response to the ads was as good as she hoped it would be, she, the chief, and Robert Collins were about to become busy with interviews. She then called the local housekeepers they used to maintain all of the vacant homes and had them start to clean each one. They promised her the homes would be clean and ready for occupation within two weeks, leaving her reassured. They were hard workers who ran the bed-and-breakfast in town. During the spring and summer, after the tourists left, they needed to earn money, so they became the town’s cleaning crew.

She then worked on the itinerary for the Fourth of July extravaganza. Although it was more than a month away, she liked to be prepared. She turned her chair to look out the large window behind her and noticed Robert Collins locking the doors to what would soon be his new restaurant. The man had his work cut out for him. The building was in need of some work before he could open, but she had a feeling he had been spending each waking moment working on it.

A voice behind her startled her from her brooding. She spun in the chair and noticed the chief sitting down in his usual chair. “I got a visit from the Carlisle sister over the weekend.” Myrna’s mouth opened and she was about to speak, but he silenced her and said, “I straightened her out.” He watched Myrna relax back in her chair. “I just came to see how many jobs you placed ads for in the surrounding town’s newspapers.”

She handed him the long list of ads, and he responded, “You are one determined woman, Myrna. I swear. How far are you willing to go to get those homes filled before the commissioners can blink?”

Her head tilted from side to side as she contemplated his question. She finally said, “Well, I wouldn’t go as far as pulling my fingernails out with pliers, but I’d go far enough.”

He chuckled. “I’ll be here in your office for the parole meetings on Wednesday.”

She sighed, “I can’t blame Belinda for being upset and worried. She always relied heavily on Bernadette to make the hard decisions and to take care of her, but now she must be lost without her. I placed an ad for a farmhand to help her out until this is resolved.”

“Mighty nice of you, considering they are both notorious bullies.”

Myrna shrugged. “Part of my job is to run this town and try to keep all the voters happy, Chief.”

He belly-laughed and left her office, as she got back to her paperwork.

***

Wednesday came, and Myrna sat in her office after her morning shift at the bakery, waiting for the chief. Carl Drake, the parole officer, had arrived. He was a slim, pleasant, good-looking man in his thirties with dark brown hair. He wore a sky-blue business shirt with a navy-blue tie and navy trousers. The color of his shirt made the color of his blue eyes pop. Myrna handed him the new list of questions and Warren’s and Robert’s thick files. He viewed the new questions and smirked. “Good catch. I also like the new questions.”

Myrna grinned. “The chief presumed you might. If you need him, just knock on the door and step right in. He’ll be in my office for the duration of the two meetings. Robert Collins is first, because he has a lot to do for his new business.”

The parole officer’s eyebrows rose. “Is he excited about it? Eager? More importantly, is he any good at it?”

Myrna glanced down at the paperwork awaiting her. “If you tasted his cooking, you’d never ask the question. The man is a culinary genius.”

“Hmm, I might go there for supper.”

“You can’t. He’s not open for business yet, but if you’re lucky, he’ll slip you in the back door as he tries out new recipes.”

“When is he opening?”

“He’s opening up after the Fourth of July. We’ve got town issues to be taken care of before we allow him to open.” She eyed the liquor license Robert had applied for and held it up. “Do you think I should grant him this license? It’s only for wine and imported beer. He dislikes all forms of hard liquor, unless he uses it in the kitchen for one of his recipes.”

The parole officer eyed the form and said, “I’ll let you know after our meeting.”

He watched her place it to one side; she said, “Smart man.” He turned and went to the office beside hers and shut the adjoining door.

The chief arrived and left the door to her office open behind him. He took his usual chair and plopped his hat on her desk. He crossed his legs and tapped her desk. “You almost caught up?”

“Yup. I have many scheduled interviews coming in tomorrow. I want you here, as well as Robert Collins. I let him know what time for the applicants for his restaurant, but you should be here for all of them in order to run their background checks.”

She handed him a schedule for all of the new applicants, and he reviewed it. “No problem.”

A man cleared his throat at the office doorway, and the chief turned to see Robert Collins standing there. Myrna smiled and handed a slip of paper to him. “Robert, here are the interview dates and times for your prospective employees for the restaurant.”

He smiled and looked at it. “This is great! I can’t wait.” He glanced up from the list and asked, “What about my license?”

She peeked at the chief and back at Robert. “I don’t have a problem with it, unless the chief or parole officer does. It’s up to them.”

The chief turned to Robert. “What’s for supper tonight?”

Robert chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not telling. It’s a surprise. Come to the back door of the restaurant at the usual time, and you will not be disappointed.”

The chief frowned. “I like to get my taste buds ready!”

Robert shook his head and went to the adjoining door for his appointment. “Nice try, Chief.”

The chief fluttered his lips and shook his head as Myrna chuckled. “You’re unbelievable.”

The chief’s eyes went wide. “If you had what I had to eat last night, you’d try anything to get him to feed you!”

“I think he likes the attention he gets from you. I think he respects you, Chief. I also think the man lives for cooking and thrives on his diners’ expressions as they eat.”

“Yep. Not much different from you.”

“We both aim to please, Chief.” The remark elicited a chuckle from him.

***

Robert sat in front of the parole officer’s desk and placed the appointment list Myrna had given him in his shirt pocket.

The parole officer stared at a sheet of paper in front of him and began the meeting. “I hear from the mayor you’re beginning a new venture? How does this make you feel?”