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After Luke left, Haley showed Mindy and Jenna a couple pictures of pre-pot Michael and tried not to remember how full of life he’d been back then. The glimpse into her once-happy past had cast a shadow over their gathering, prompting her guests to make their excuses and leave soon afterward. The makeover reprieve was fine with Haley, although Mindy made her promise to reschedule at a later date.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Haley drove to the garden store to meet Mindy before the temperatures had a chance to climb too high. From the number of cars in the parking lot, she gathered they weren’t the only ones with the same goal in mind. Gardening was clearly a much more popular Sobaco hobby than anything requiring an Internet connection. She wondered if the town’s residents had ever even heard of online gaming or social media.
Unfortunately, Moreno’s had dedicated a disproportionately small part of their property to customer parking. Except for the row of eight empty disabled spaces, every spot was taken.
If Mindy hadn’t been expecting her, Haley would have turned her car around and returned home. She had no qualms about letting Jenna’s housewarming gift fend for itself. She could treat it as an experiment of sorts, measuring how long a plant could survive without food or water. She could even keep the blinds closed to deprive it of sunlight.
But somehow, that struck Haley as cruel. Neglecting the plant seemed almost akin to outright killing it.
After all, hadn’t she done the same to Michael?
Sighing, Haley shook yesterday’s dredged-up images of her fiancé from her mind and redoubled her efforts to locate a parking spot. She exited back onto the street and headed toward the rear of the store in case Moreno’s had additional space in back.
But a white box truck occupied the only parking spot accessible from the alley behind the building. The man reaching down to lift a bag of soil off the loading dock paused when he spotted her. He hurried into the back of his truck, probably to avoid the risk of being waylaid by a chatty Sobaco resident.
Her frustration bubbling up, she reversed her car and returned to the customer parking lot. After five minutes of circling aimlessly, she stalked a shopper back to his car and hovered until his vehicle pulled out.
The inside of the store proved to be as busy as the outside. As soon as Haley stepped through the doors, the cacophony of voices saturating the air overwhelmed her ears. Her jaw fell open when she saw the sheer number of people milling around. The whole town had to be present. And nobody seemed to be in a hurry as they stopped to chat with anyone who crossed their paths.
“Haley!”
She looked around, craning her neck in search of the speaker. So many people jostled around her that she had trouble focusing. But then she saw Mindy standing near a display of rose bushes, waving with the same verve that Haley used to fend off flying insects.
Mindy weaved her way through the crowd, pausing to nod and exchange greetings with several other people on her way. When she finally made it to where Haley was, she was out of breath.
“So, this is Sobaco’s pride and joy,” Haley said.
“What do you think?” Mindy asked.
What Haley thought was that any sensible shopper should keep their belongings close or risk falling victim to a pickpocket. “It’s certainly big.”
“Ain’t it? I’m tickled you like it.” Mindy beamed. “Why, we can make this girls’ shopping excursion a weekly event too. You know, I come here every Saturday morning before work.”
Haley opened her mouth to remind Mindy of how she didn’t care a whit about gardening, but her tongue froze when she caught sight of Mindy’s face. Mindy looked so thrilled by the prospect that Haley didn’t have the heart to crush her spirits.
“They carry everything a person needs here,” Mindy continued, prompting Haley to search for the cosmetics section. “And the prices put all others to shame.”
“It looks like the entire population of Sobaco came out today,” Haley commented.
“This is the most popular gardening store for miles around. It’s family owned, and just about everybody in the county knows the Morenos. Folks travel from as far as Portland to shop here.”
“Hmm.” If anything, Haley figured the patrons’ loyalty had more to do with the low prices than from a desire to support the Morenos.
“Why, the Morenos even get some California and Washington folks crossing the border to save themselves some dough,” Mindy said.
“Are the prices really that much better?”
“It ain’t just the prices, honey, it’s the taxes.”
“It seems they’d spend more on gas money than they’d save by shopping here instead of their local Walmart.”
Mindy’s eyes widened. “Honey, you’re liable to be lynched if you go around suggesting people would be wiser to shop those chain stores. Here in Sobaco we support family-owned businesses.”
Haley spread her palms. “Oh, I wasn’t suggesting that people not support family businesses.” Although really, she hadn’t realized the subject was so inflammatory. Apparently peaches weren’t the only hot topic in Sobaco.
“You’d better not be.” Mindy’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t take kindly to these big corporations stealing dollars rightfully belonging to our mom-and-pop stores. Last time a big business tried to set up shop here, we ran ’em right out of town.”
“Isn’t there a Subway on Main Street?”
“A Subway franchise owned and operated by Wendy and Alan Smith.”
Haley wasn’t clear why the Subway being a franchise made a difference, but she also didn’t care to dwell on this particular subject any longer. “So, what are we shopping for today besides fertilizer?”
Mindy looked ready to do battle for a few more seconds before her face softened. “I’m looking to plant some tomatoes in my backyard. My husband pops them right into his big mouth like you would a caramel.” She darted Haley a quick look. “I reckon that sounds a bit country to you, coming from the big city.”
Haley followed as Mindy grabbed a cart and began making her way through the store. “He doesn’t put anything on them at all? Not even salt?”
“Nope. He prefers them fresh out of the garden, bugs and everything.”
Haley’s stomach churned just thinking about it.
The trek to the seed aisle progressed more slowly than Haley thought possible. Mindy stopped to greet everyone she ran into, both employees and customers. From the snippets of conversation she caught, she gathered that the friendly waitress wasn’t only familiar with Sobaco gossip but also the juiciest tidbits from the neighboring towns. The woman must have a network that stretched for miles.
Her network certainly appeared to be more reliable than any Internet connection in town, Haley thought.
Haley kept an eye out for Jenna as they worked their way through the store. She’d thought more about their girls’ night after her guests had left and wanted to apologize for inviting Luke over. She didn’t know why she’d ever thought attempting to jump-start a romance between her new friend and her boorish neighbor was a good idea.
Mindy finally turned off into a less crowded aisle. But just when Haley thought she might be able to breathe easier, they barreled straight into Tracy Lamb.
“Haley.” Tracy looked equally startled to see her.
Haley forced a smile on her face, the tension she’d felt during Tracy’s home visit resurfacing. At least Mindy’s presence should deter the redhead from bringing up Ricardo Zepeda and his presumed innocence again.
“Morning, Tracy,” Mindy said. She glanced between the two women before staring at something farther down the aisle. “Well, I’m gonna go see what kind of tomato seeds they’ve got.” She nudged her cart forward. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Haley’s jaw clenched as Mindy hurried away. She could have kicked her friend for abandoning her.
Tracy scanned their surroundings, presumably on alert for eavesdroppers. Unfortunately for Haley, nobody else stood close enough for her to jump into the middle of their conversation.
Tracy leaned closer. “Have you thought about what we discussed the other day?”
“I talked to Luke Justice,” Haley said, avoiding the question. “The police have solid evidence against Zepeda.”
Tracy’s eyes widened. “Evidence?”
“They found a baggie of pot at his house. That alone will be enough to charge him with something, but they’re testing whether it came from the same plants found in the woods.”
Tracy’s lips puckered. She looked as if she wanted to spit. “I bet the police planted it. They could have repackaged some from the plants they seized, then said it came from Ricardo’s house.”
“They’re also DNA testing a water bottle that was in the marijuana patch,” Haley told her. “And they’re comparing his fingerprints to those on a knife they found.”
“They planted those too. Victor probably went to Ricardo’s, stole a water bottle out of his recycle bin, then claimed it came from the woods.”
Haley doubted the police chief would go to that much trouble, given how circumstantial such an item would be. But she knew better than to waste her breath arguing with Tracy. Instead, she said, “If Victor did plant evidence, then my testimony won’t really matter.”
Tracy’s eyes snapped toward hers. “Of course it will matter. Ricardo will argue that he’s being framed—which he is. If you deny seeing him that day, it will be that much harder for anyone to believe the police have pure motives.”
Haley steeled herself, unwilling to fall for Tracy’s performance again. “I can’t help what I saw, Tracy.”
Tracy folded her arms across her chest, reminding Haley of a child on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
Several patrons ambled down the aisle, eyeing them as they passed. Tracy smiled stiffly in their direction before grabbing Haley’s arm and dragging her to a more isolated section. Haley didn’t protest. Besides, the racks of manure they’d relocated next to struck her as appropriate for her current situation.
Tracy set her hands on her hips. “Okay, tell me this. If Ricardo is a drug dealer, why did the police only find one little baggie of marijuana in his house?”
Haley inched closer to the shelf behind her, careful not to touch any of the products on display. “Maybe he tossed everything after I spotted him in the woods. He obviously knew the police would be paying him a visit soon.”
“Then why leave one baggie? Why not get rid of all the evidence?”
“He could have overlooked it.” Haley glanced down the aisle at Mindy, who was blindly flipping through seed packets as she stared, unblinking, in their direction.
“And why would he leave a water bottle and knife behind?”
Haley wrenched her attention back to Tracy. “I don’t know. How about because he dropped them during his rush to run away from me? Look, Tracy, I understand your dilemma, but I can’t help you.”
Tracy’s whole body sagged. Her hand knocked a sale tag off the shelf as her arm flopped to her side. “I don’t understand why you insist on being so blind to the truth.”
Haley’s jaw dropped open, a spark igniting in her chest. “Me blind? Look at you. You’re ignoring all the evidence because you’re sleeping with the man.”
Her accusation seemed to revive some of Tracy’s spirits. She squeezed Haley’s arm as if she could physically mold her into seeing things from her point of view. “What if I show you around Ricardo’s place? Then you can see for yourself that it’s not the home of a drug dealer.”
Haley shook Tracy’s hand off. “I don’t see how that will help.” She wondered if Tracy believed drug peddlers displayed crack pipes and bongs on their bookshelves. “I have no idea what a drug dealer’s residence looks like.”
“But looking around might convince you he’s a law-abiding citizen.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
Tracy squared her shoulders. “Would it really hurt you so much just to peer inside his house for a nanosecond?”
Haley was growing tired of this conversation and willing to agree to almost anything in order for it to end. She could tell Tracy wouldn’t drop the issue until she gave in. The woman was obsessed.
Besides, Haley had to admit that Tracy made a good point. What harm would it do for her to take a quick peek around Zepeda’s residence before telling Tracy she had nothing left to offer her? She supposed she could be arrested for unlawful trespass if someone happened to see them. Still, she couldn’t imagine that would be more unpleasant than enduring any more of Tracy’s begging.
“Fine,” Haley said.
The tension evaporated from Tracy’s body, making her appear two inches taller. “Oh, thank you, thank you.”
“But this is the last thing I’m doing for you or your precious lover,” Haley warned. “I mean it.”
Tracy pressed her palms together, her face lighting up as if Haley had promised to admit to ownership of the marijuana herself if that’s what it took to free Zepeda. “When do you want to head over there?”
Haley blinked, bracing her feet in case Tracy tried to drag her out of Moreno’s. “I’m a little busy right now.”
“What about noon? That gives you a couple hours to finish up here.”
“Today doesn’t work for me.” Haley scrambled to come up with something she could pretend to be doing. She didn’t want Tracy thinking she could say the word and she would come running.
“Tomorrow then.”
Haley knew this could go on forever until she agreed to a date. “Fine.”
Tracy rummaged through her purse, yanking out a scrap of paper and a pen. She scribbled something down. “Here’s his address.”
Haley accepted the paper Tracy shoved in her hand. She stared at the address for a moment before refocusing on the chief’s wife. “Are we even allowed on the premises? Isn’t it considered a crime scene or something?”
“The police have already conducted their search.”
“Aren’t you afraid Victor will see you there?”
Tracy’s face hardened into the stubborn look Haley was starting to associate with the woman. “Victor spends most of his time at the station.”
Haley couldn’t blame the man. As elated as he must be to finally have a reason to lock up his wife’s lover, he was probably working double-time to ensure the charges stuck.
Tracy gripped Haley’s wrist. “So you’ll be there?”
Haley slipped out of Tracy’s hold under the guise of tucking the address into her purse. She half hoped it would get lost sometime during the next twenty-four hours. “I’ll be there tomorrow at noon. But I’m not promising anything. Frankly, I don’t see what looking inside his house could possibly prove about anything.”
Tracy beamed, Haley’s disclaimer seeming to fall on deaf ears. “Thank you.”
Haley watched as Tracy practically skipped her way down the aisle. She couldn’t help but envy her faith. During the last year of Michael’s life, if someone had blamed her fiancé for some far-fetched injustice, Haley didn’t think she would have immediately dismissed the idea. She wouldn’t have put anything past Michael by that point.
Mindy barreled up the aisle, her eyes aglow. “What did Tracy Lamb fancy?”
Haley shrugged, not inclined to tell anyone what she had just agreed to. “She just wanted to hear if there were any updates on the marijuana case.” She started walking toward the fertilizer section.
Mindy raced after her. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Mindy made a face. She’d obviously expected Haley to get the inside scoop on how Tracy and Ricardo Zepeda were expecting their first child together or how they often engaged in threesomes with the mayor.
Haley sighed, her heart growing heavy. She’d had her fill of talk about Ricardo Zepeda. As often as she’d fantasized about punishing Michael’s drug suppliers, she had never imagined that catching them could turn into such a convoluted mess. In her dreams there was never any ambiguity as to who was responsible. Her only task was to locate the plants and let the police handle the rest.
Now, she didn’t even know if she could trust the police.
Haley shook her head, trying to knock Tracy Lamb’s accusations out of her mind. Whether or not she believed Tracy’s stories about police corruption and tampered evidence after her visit to Zepeda’s tomorrow, she at least would put the woman’s badgering to rest once and for all.
She grabbed the first bag of fertilizer she saw and hugged it to her chest. “Where to now?”
Mindy crouched down to slide a much larger bag into the lower basket of her shopping cart. “We’ll make our way through each aisle. You’ve gotta take in the whole Moreno’s experience, honey.”
Haley suppressed a groan as she trudged after Mindy. If the rest of her Moreno’s experience ended up being anything like the last fifteen minutes, she was pretty sure she would be driving to Walmart the next time she needed plant supplies.
