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With no news of an arrest by Wednesday, Haley’s doubts about the small-town police force’s ability to bust a drug organization were proving to be accurate. If she didn’t take matters into her own hands, she feared the owners of the marijuana would get off scot-free.
Thankfully, she didn’t have any scheduled work calls that morning. She figured she could ignore the MIT account for several hours while she ducked back into the woods on the off chance that the police hadn’t either collected or trampled over key drug evidence. She needed something concrete to lead her to the man she’d seen. A dropped wallet would be nice, but at this point she’d settle for an overlooked shoe print.
Given that four days had passed since her discovery, she assumed the police had finished their collection efforts and reopened the woods. Barring that, she’d simply have to hope the authorities didn’t catch her sneaking into their crime scene. She felt more confident in her ability to remain undetected since learning that the local force only consisted of three people, one of whom preferred not to venture farther than the comfort of his living room.
Haley had just opened her front door when a rusty car pulled up behind hers in the driveway. She watched with growing horror as Mindy Larkin climbed out.
“Morning, honey,” Mindy said with a wave. “I reckoned it was time for me to mosey on over and offer our newest resident a proper welcome.”
Haley didn’t say anything, her stomach clenching as her unwanted visitor reached back into her car to pull out a plastic-wrapped plate. Knowing Mindy’s penchant to babble, a visit would usurp her entire morning.
Mindy barreled up the driveway, eyeing Haley up and down as she approached. “You off to a photo shoot?”
“I was going for a hike.”
“In that gear?” Mindy burst into laughter. “Honey, you look like you just stepped out of a magazine ad.” She bustled into the foyer before Haley had a chance to close the door. “Now come on in here and let me officially welcome you to Sobaco.”
Mindy settled on the one couch Haley had brought from Seattle, a two-seater. Haley tried to think of something to say to get her to leave, wishing she’d gone along with the opening of attending a photo shoot.
Mindy turned an exasperated glance in Haley’s direction as she held up the plate she’d brought. “Honey, these cookies ain’t gonna eat themselves.”
Haley refused to budge. “I can eat them later, thank you. Right now, I’d like to get on with my hike before it gets too hot.”
Mindy wrinkled her forehead. “You’re really going back to the woods? Dressed like that?”
“I like hiking.” Haley wondered if she said it enough, she might even convince herself. “And this is my favorite outdoor outfit.”
Mindy set her plate on the coffee table before hauling herself off of the couch. “Well, I reckon I could stop by when you’re not otherwise engaged. You’re probably eager to get back into the great outdoors now that the police have recovered those fifty ganja plants, huh?”
Haley stilled. “Fifty plants?”
“That’s what I heard.”
Haley reconsidered her goal of banishing her guest. Given Mindy’s connections, she could probably learn more from her than she could by trouncing through the woods.
She slammed the door shut and motioned for Mindy to reclaim her seat. “I suppose I could chat for a while before my hike,” she said.
Mindy raised an eyebrow. “What about the heat?”
Haley dropped onto the couch. “Suffering through a little sun is a small price to pay for getting to snack on hot cookies.”
“I baked them last night. They’ve cooled off by now.”
“The drive over must have warmed them up.” Before Mindy could issue another protest, Haley unfolded the plastic wrap, grabbed a cookie, and shoved half of it into her mouth. “Mmm.”
Mindy beamed as she reseated herself.
“So, fifty plants, huh?” Haley said around a mouthful of cookie.
Mindy bobbed her head in the affirmative. “I got that figure from Chief Victor himself.”
“Is fifty plants a lot?” After comparing the amount of marijuana she’d seen to the square footage of Michael’s Seattle condo, Haley would have guessed more than fifty plants had been out there but she was hardly an expert.
“Fifty plants would keep the Lord himself busy, honey. Plants are as troublesome as kids. You’ve gotta pick off aphids and caterpillars just like you would head lice on a child.”
Haley shivered at the thought of touching a caterpillar. But Mindy’s insight helped her to better understand how Michael’s pot had ended up laden with pesticides. A drug organization likely didn’t have the time or inclination to pluck insects off of their product one by one, preferring instead to saturate their inventory in poisons.
The notion caused heat to sear through her. Michael’s death could have been prevented if the drug organization hadn’t taken such a careless shortcut.
She didn’t realize she’d crushed the rest of her cookie until she caught Mindy frowning at her clenched fist.
Haley brushed the crumbs off her lap. “Does the chief have any idea who might be responsible?”
“He didn’t mention anybody.” Mindy nudged the plate closer, as though she could tolerate a drug felon running loose as long as her cookies didn’t go to waste.
Haley grabbed another cookie. “What are the police doing to identify the culprits?”
“I ain’t gotta clue about that, honey.”
“Do you know if they plan to talk to the drug users in town?”
“Sobaco ain’t got no hard-core junkies.”
“But some people here light up occasionally, right?”
Mindy stared at her for a moment. “I reckon,” she finally conceded. “I don’t have any names, if that’s what you’re after. Any ganja users here indulge behind closed doors. We ain’t like Washington with your fancy smoking laws.”
“What about Timmy?” Haley asked, recalling how the Wheelbarrow owner had prioritized his smoke break ahead of her lunch order.
“What about him?”
“Does he ever indulge in a little marijuana use?”
“He’s never mentioned it.” Mindy’s face softened. “Look, honey, if you’re so determined to find yourself some hooligans, you’re talking to the wrong person.”
“Who should I be talking to?”
Mindy shrugged. “I reckon Brian might know a few names.”
“Brian the cop?” Haley asked, startled. “I thought Luke Justice was the town’s narcotics officer.”
Mindy scrunched up her nose. “Where did you hear that, honey?”
“I was just under that impression, since he took my statement Saturday.” Haley broke off a piece of her cookie and popped it into her mouth.
“That’s ’cause he was there.” Mindy winked. “And he likely fancied chatting up a nice, pretty lady.”
Haley doubled over, coughing as a chocolate chip lodged in her throat.
“We ain’t really got ourselves a regular narcotics officer,” Mindy continued. She smirked, as if the term amused her. “Until now, most folks in town assumed any drugs that found their way here originated from Eugene, myself included. But Brian handles the occasional domestic dispute, and I reckon drugs play a role every now and then.”
Haley considered Mindy’s assessment, silently acknowledging she made a valid point. After all, how often had she thought about smacking Michael when she caught him with a lit joint?
Mindy shifted to face Haley better. “Why are you so interested in squirreling out a drug user?”
Haley didn’t say anything. She wasn’t ready to clue anyone in on her own reasons for wanting to nab the marijuana organization. Besides, Mindy might not appreciate an outsider questioning the competency of her hometown police, seeing as how she seemed to be personal friends with all three members of the force.
Haley bent forward and plucked another cookie off the plate. “I thought one of the local users might know who I saw in the woods. Then I could pass on his name to Officer Justice.”
Mindy’s eyebrows crept toward the ceiling. “Officer Justice? Honey, you need to be calling people by their Christian names around here. Officer Justice sounds like a cartoon hero.”
Haley laughed. Luke certainly would be more tolerable if she could simply write him off as a figment of some animator’s imagination.
“And you don’t need to go off doing Luke’s job for him,” Mindy continued. “Between you and me, I think Luke will care the most about this ganja discovery. It will give him the chance to prove himself if he’s gunning for a promotion like I suspect. I reckon he’s rather weary of being the town’s rescue officer.”
“Rescue officer?” Based on what Haley had seen of Sobaco so far, boredom seemed to be the only thing that residents needed rescuing from.
“At least once a week Jenna McArthur’s little cat Jane climbs up a tree and gets stuck. Luke is the only person capable of coaxing that critter down.”
Haley flashed back to the animal carrier Luke had been lugging through the woods. No wonder he’d been in such a foul mood. He had probably been frustrated over having to rescue the same cat again.
Of course, that didn’t explain why he’d acted so rudely Monday morning.
Mindy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “Truth be told, I’ve got a hunch Jenna lets that cat out just to have an excuse to talk to Luke. Ain’t no creature on earth capable of getting herself into that many binds all on her own.”
Haley wondered exactly how desperate a person had to be to seek out the company of Luke Justice.
“Those woods where you found that ganja,” Mindy said, “that’s where little Jane likes to tree herself.”
“Maybe Jane planted the pot,” Haley joked.
Mindy laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past that little devil. I’m telling you, you’ve never seen a pet so spoiled. Gets whatever she fancies, that one does. If she had a hankering for a little ganja, Jenna would be bending over backward to roll her a kitty-sized blunt.”
Haley giggled, finding Mindy’s amusement infectious. In spite of herself, she was actually beginning to enjoy her guest’s easy camaraderie. In fact, she hadn’t even thought about not having Internet access for the past ten minutes.
“Your ganja discovery could be Luke’s big break. It’s not very often our force gets to deal with a big-city crime.” Mindy actually sounded disappointed more people weren’t murdered and mugged. “In fact, I’d have to say this is the most talked-about crime to hit Sobaco since that truck driver passed through here in 2008.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, the guy had cruised into town to make a delivery to Subway, but one of his brake lights didn’t work. Luke pulled him over not two minutes later only to find out he had himself an outstanding arrest warrant from Washington State dating back to 2005.” Mindy lifted one shoulder. “It turned out to be nothing really, just some old record they’d failed to clear off their computers, but it sure did stir things up around here for a few days.”
Haley didn’t know what to say. She had expected the town’s most discussed crime to involve something more along the lines of a man violating human-trafficking laws or trucking illegal firearms through town, not an old, expired arrest warrant.
“It created more of a hassle for Luke than anybody,” Mindy continued. “He had been on street patrol since joining the force and didn’t know too much about interview procedure. He ended up asking the driver a leading question or something. Anyway, he got a real dressing-down from Victor on that one. Tensions were high, and the chief had no patience for a rookie mistake. He even made poor Luke attend a seminar on how to question people.” She shrugged. “Can’t really fault Luke. He was greener than a dollar bill. But that experience hardened him a little.”
So maybe Luke Justice hadn’t always been a jerk, Haley considered. Who knew one botched interview could have that much influence on a man’s personality.
“If the warrant had ended up being a big deal, the guy may have gotten a pass based on Luke’s handling of the situation. But as it happened, everything turned out peachy keen.” Mindy smiled. “In fact, the driver still picks up deliveries here, though he’s driving for Moreno’s now.”
“What’s Moreno’s?” Haley asked.
“Moreno’s is our little town’s pride and joy. You must have noticed it on your way into town. The garden store down on Pine Street? Don’t tell me you weren’t tempted to stop on your drive in.”
Haley lifted one shoulder. “I’m not big on gardening.”
Mindy reeled back as if she’d been slapped. “Honey, gardening is the lifeblood of Sobaco. Ain’t nobody within a hundred-mile radius who hasn’t stopped by Moreno’s sometime in the last season.”
“I’m sure there must be someone.”
Mindy’s eyes flashed. “Nope, not a one.”
Haley processed this disturbing news. Gardening, like most outdoor activities, was not something she could appreciate.
“All the folks from the neighboring towns shop there.” Mindy’s face flushed. She appeared to be working herself into a frenzy to compensate for Haley’s lack of enthusiasm. “Even with these big chain stores popping up all around like measles sores, people still appreciate personal customer service.”
“I can understand that.”
“We’ll go sometime.” Mindy’s firm tone left no room for argument.
“Okay.” Haley figured she had only extended the offer to be polite or to earn a larger tip the next time Haley visited the Wheelbarrow.
“You’re in Armpit, Oregon now. You’ve gotta take an interest in our local hobbies.”
Haley tilted her head. “Armpit, Oregon?”
“‘Sobaco’ means ‘armpit’ in Spanish.”
Haley groaned, wondering how she’d managed not to stumble across that unflattering translation during her online research.
Mindy slapped her thighs as she hefted herself off the sofa. “Well, I reckon I oughta let you get on with your hike then. Pretty girl like you ain’t gonna maintain your figure plopped on the sofa eating cookies all day.”
Haley stood up to walk Mindy to the door. “Thanks for visiting.”
“My pleasure.” Mindy waggled her eyebrows. “I just wish your stud of a neighbor wasn’t on duty at the moment. Seeing that hunk would have certainly improved my morning.”
Haley bit her tongue as she let Mindy out. As far as she was concerned, Luke Justice could remain out of sight every day of the week.
