I heard a sharp inhale of breath coming from the speakerphone on the desk, but Jocelyn was too upset at my accusation to notice that her receptionist was eavesdropping. “No! That’s not what happened at all! I liked Monica. Broke my heart to fire her. Turns out she’s nearly irreplaceable. But I missed a court date because she was late, and that’s unacceptable. She wasn’t happy about it, not that I can blame her, but I’m the one that recommended her to Taggart and McGibbons.”
“When we were in here the other day, you pretended to not know my sister and me,” I pointed out.
“Yes. Your uncle wanted to be the one to break the news that we were seeing each other.” She grinned sheepishly. “Apparently, he hasn’t had a lot of serious relationships, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on your faces. I wouldn’t ruin that for him.”
“But you still didn’t say anything, even after we told you that our uncle—your boyfriend—was missing and incriminated in a murder investigation.”
“I’ll admit, I was shocked. I had no idea. As soon as you two left, I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail. He’s not returning my texts or emails. I’m really worried about him.”
“We are, too.” I was tempted to point out how much time I’d wasted investigating her when I could have been out looking for Calvin, but if she wasn’t going to hold it against me that I’d just accused her of murder, then that was water under the bridge. At least she was being honest now. “Do you have any idea where he could be?”
She shook her head. “Cal has a lot of friends, mostly good-time boys.”
“Good-time boys?” I asked.
“You know the type. They want to be your best friend as long as the champagne, or, more likely, cheap beer, is flowing, but the minute your luck turns, they’re gone. And let’s be honest, Cal’s luck was mediocre at best. These aren’t the kind of guys that let you crash on their couch when the chips are down, much less when the cops are looking for you.”
“Was his luck particularly bad lately? Maybe he owed money or talked trash to the wrong bookie?”
“Not that I know of. In fact, he had a pretty good run at the track last week. Said he was gonna take me out for a weekend in Corpus to celebrate.”
“Do you think he went to Corpus without you?” Corpus Christi was a family-friendly beach destination that was popular with spring breakers and locals trying to beat the summer heat.
“I doubt it. Honestly, I’m surprised he suggested it. You know your uncle. He’s not much of a beach person. Have you ever seen someone try to walk on sand in blue jeans and cowboy boots?”
I laughed at the image. She was right. He would totally do something like that. Calvin was more comfortable in a fishing boat on a lake or the casinos up in Oklahoma. If he was camping out, there were about a million acres of wilderness to choose from—more than I could ever search myself.
“Speaking of romantic weekend getaways, how long were you planning on sneaking around with my uncle?”
She laughed. “My divorce was finalized last week. Cal wanted to make a big announcement at the Sip & Spin grand opening, but I didn’t want to steal the spotlight from you girls.”
“So you were at the party?” I asked. Beau said he’d seen her on the security footage, which not only proved that she had been holding out on us but also placed her at the scene of the crime.
“I was. I wasn’t going to go, but Cal begged me to come. I got there, and your uncle was arguing with someone. It made me uncomfortable, so I left without even saying hi.”
“Who was he arguing with?”
She hesitated, as if weighing her options. “I think it was his old buddy, Samuel. I can’t be sure. I haven’t seen him in decades.”
“Black guy, about my uncle’s age? White hair, goatee, glasses?”
She nodded. “That’s him.”
Why had my uncle been arguing with his best friend during the grand opening? And why hadn’t Samuel mentioned it when we questioned him? Not that he’d admitted much of anything. “What were they were fighting about?”
She shrugged. “Something about a game. Sorry, but I didn’t stick around long enough to hear more. You have to understand—I argue for a living. And the past eighteen months have been non-stop fighting with my ex. I didn’t have the energy for a confrontation. Although, now, I’m wishing I’d stuck around.”
“You couldn’t have changed what happened.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Did you see Monica at the grand opening?”
She shook her head. “No. But it was crowded. And loud.” She had a point. Perhaps no one else noticed my uncle arguing with Samuel for that same reason.
Jocelyn stood. “Thanks for the burrito, and it was nice to get to know you better, but I have clients coming in any minute now.” She handed me a business card. “I am very worried about Cal. Call me the minute you locate him?”
“I will,” I promised. I handed her one of my Sip & Spin cards. “And reach out if you hear from him.”
“I certainly will,” she said.
As I walked back to my uncle’s truck, I tried to keep my spirits up. I’d been so certain that Jocelyn was involved in Monica’s death, but to be honest, now I was glad she wasn’t. I couldn’t remember the last time Calvin had a girlfriend. It would be horrible if the first woman he got serious about in decades turned out to be a murderer.
I knew more than I had this morning, so the meeting hadn’t been a total waste of time and gas, but I still had no idea where my uncle was, who killed Monica, or how we were going to save Sip & Spin. However, as long as we were in business, I had a job to do, and right now that meant relieving my sister and starting my shift.
The drive back to Cedar River was easier than the trek into Austin. Traffic was lighter; plus, I was starting to get used to driving the Bronco. Until it started raining.
Texas can see long stretches without so much as a cloud. It was possible to go from mid-June to early September without a drop of rain. This time of year, when the rivers were full and the grass was green, a nice spring shower would still have been pleasant, but Texas doesn’t do anything by halves. I leaned forward to get a better look at the sky and saw a thunderhead looming overhead. We were in for a doozy.
I drove as fast as I dared. Even so, cars zoomed past me. By the time I got to the Cedar River exit, rain was coming down so hard the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up. On top of that, the windshield fogged, and visibility dropped to practically nothing. I flipped the Bronco’s lights on. I might not be able to see anyone else on the road, but at least they could see me.
There was a flash of lightning followed by a loud crack. The Bronco jerked as one of the rear tires blew out and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel even as the back end fishtailed on the slick road. I eased over to the shoulder. This stretch of road was lined on either side by cattle fences around thousands of acres of pastures. I didn’t want to hit a fence post or get mired down into what was inevitably a lake of mud.
When the Bronco finally slid to a stop, it took me a minute to find the hazard flashers. I pulled out my phone. The electrical storm must have been interfering with the cell towers, because I only had one bar, and that blinked down to zero. On the off chance the message would get through, I texted both my sisters that I was stuck on the side of the road with a flat but would be at work as soon as possible.
Waiting for a break in the storm, I tried to relax, but the sound of the rain beating down on the car and the fear that the driver of a car coming up behind me wouldn’t see me in these conditions made me anxious. I just about jumped out of my skin when someone rapped on my window. As soon as I caught my breath, I rolled down the window.
Standing outside, rain pouring down over the brim of his hat, was Elroy. “Juni?” he asked. The cold rain blew into the window, stinging my face.
“Who else were you expecting?” I asked, then realized that was a silly question. I was driving around town in my uncle’s very recognizable truck, the one he didn’t let anyone borrow for any reason.
“Car trouble?”
“Flat tire,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder toward the back of the Bronco. Even as the passenger’s side slowly sank into the mud, because of the deflated tire, the truck listed hard to the left.
“Let me give you a lift into town,” he offered.
“Thanks!” I’d had every intention of waiting for the worst of the storm to pass so I could get out and change the tire, but the longer we sat there, the more the waterlogged pasture consumed the truck. At this rate, it would take a heavy-duty wrecker to free the Bronco. My uncle was gonna kill me.
Assuming he ever came home.
I followed Elroy through the driving rain to his car, which was parked behind me. The rain had been coming down so thick and the Bronco sat so high, I hadn’t even seen him approach. “Quite the day for it, isn’t it?” he asked once we reached his car. In the short dash around the Bronco, I was drenched through and through.
“No kidding.” I was dripping all over his car. My clothes were soaked. Without any dry material available to clean my glasses, I was helpless. Why didn’t glasses come with windshield wipers? “If you hadn’t come along, I would have been stuck out here forever. I couldn’t even get a phone signal.”
“The storm probably knocked out the towers,” he said.
“Do you think the Bronco will be all right out here?” I asked.
Elroy wiped the condensation off the windshield and stared out at it. The hazards were barely visible in the downpour. “No one in their right mind is going to be out driving in this mess.”
“You and I were,” I pointed out.
“True.” He pulled off the shoulder and onto the road. I could feel the mud sucking at his tires for a second before he gave it a little gas and almost slid on the slippery pavement.
“What were you doing out this way?” I asked as we regained traction and started the drive.
“Seeing a client. Speaking of clients, you heard from your uncle yet?”
I shook my head. “Not a peep. I’m sorry, Elroy. You took on this case thinking it would be a few unpaid parking tickets and now look at this mess.”
“Not your fault. And what brings you out on such a nasty day? And in Calvin’s truck?”
“I had some errands to run in Austin, and it wasn’t like he was using it.” I turned around and peered through the back window. The Bronco was too far down the road now to see, but a hint of blue skies peeked through the rain. “Looks like it’s almost over.”
Storms in Texas were violent but rarely lasted long.
“Drop you off at record shop?” he offered.
“Could you swing me by Tansy’s instead?” I needed a dry change of clothes and then I could use the landline to arrange for a tow truck. I’d figure out how to get to work later. I could always walk after the rain let up.
“No problem.” A few minutes later, he pulled into my sister’s driveway. “Juni? Be careful, okay?”
I nodded. “I will. Thanks for the ride.” I jogged inside. The rain was slowing and I couldn’t possibly get any more wet if I tried, but I was ready to be out of the weather.
Once safely inside, I left a trail of wet footprints as I squished my way to the guest bathroom. I tossed my wet clothes into the shower to deal with later and wrapped one towel around me and another around my hair. I was determined to have at least one good hair day this week, but today wasn’t going to be that day.
There was a corded phone in the kitchen, a remnant left over from the previous owners. I picked up the handset and was surprised that it worked. I can’t remember the last time I lived any place with a landline. I called the shop first. Maggie picked up. “Hey, Maggie, it’s me. I got caught out in the rain, and I stopped by to get some dry clothes, but I’ll be in as soon as I can get a ride.”
“No worries,” she said. “It’s been slow. Hey, a customer just walked in. Talk to you later.”
She disconnected. My next call was to the auto body shop. Esméralda Martín-Brown picked up the phone. She promised to pick up Calvin’s Bronco within the hour and tow it to the garage. I thanked her and disconnected.
I wasn’t sure where I would get the money to pay her, unless I went into debt on my credit cards. I sure wish the intruder hadn’t taken the envelope full of cash from Calvin’s house the other day. It was his truck, and I was only driving it because he’d up and disappeared. It made sense that he should foot the bill.
But why had Calvin had an envelope of cash hidden in his bedroom in the first place? He was the kind of man that spent money almost as quick as he made it, and if he couldn’t spend it, he’d blow it on the ponies. What was it that Jocelyn said? He’d recently gotten a good win and was going to take her to the beach. But unless he’d been planning on paying for their romantic getaway in cash, why hadn’t he deposited his winnings?
Then it hit me.
Of course. Uncle Calvin hadn’t wanted to pay taxes on his windfall. It was the only explanation that made sense. If he’d just reported it like he should have and put it in his bank account, maybe he’d still have it instead of whoever broke into his house getting it. And now, because of that, I would have to find a way to pay for a tow truck and a new set of enormous tires out of my nonexistent funds.
But that was a problem for another day. I dried my hair as best I could with the towel, got dressed in dry clothes and shoes, and was ready to go to work. It was still drizzling outside and I had yet to unpack my umbrella. Mom’s schedule was full. Who knew where Tansy was, but she wasn’t picking up her phone. Teddy was at work. I was not calling Beau.
Besides, everyone was reliant on their cell phones these days, and if the tower was down, no one would have service.
Before I could get too worried, Tansy’s car pulled into the driveway. She honked her horn. I locked the front door and ran out to meet her. After hopping in the passenger side, I turned to my sister. “Thanks! How’d you know I needed a ride?”
“Would you believe me if I told you it was the sisters’ psychic network?”
“Maggie called you.”
“Yup,” she confirmed. “She said you wrecked Uncle Calvin’s truck? He’s gonna kill you.”
“Only if he comes back to town,” I said. “Besides, I didn’t wreck it. It was only a flat tire.”
“What were you doing borrowing his truck in the first place? My car’s always available for you. I appreciate that we’re all in on the business. We couldn’t do it without you. You’ve made bigger sacrifices than anyone.”
“That’s not true,” I said, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
“Yes, it is. You gave up a promising career, your car, and your friends in Oregon. You moved halfway across the country and invested all your savings into the family business. We’re all in this together. Don’t feel like you have to do this alone.”
“I am worried about how I’m going to afford to fix the Bronco,” I admitted.
“Charge it to the shop. If Calvin comes back, he’ll reimburse us. And if he doesn’t, well, a tow truck bill is going to be the least of our worries.”
“Seriously, though, what if he doesn’t come back?” I asked. I hadn’t voiced my biggest concern aloud to my family, but I knew it was weighing on all of us.
“He will,” Tansy assured me. “He has to.”
She pulled up to the front of Sip & Spin and I glanced inside. Contrary to what Maggie had said about the day being slow, there was a line snaking around the store to the cash register. “What on earth?” I asked. I hadn’t seen that many people in the store since the grand opening. “Are we having a sale?”
“Not that I know of. I’ll go find a parking spot and come help.”
I got out of Tansy’s car and opened the record shop door. “Excuse me,” I said to the man blocking the door. He was a skinny man in overalls without a shirt underneath. He had on a sun-bleached John Deere hat and cowboy boots that were possibly older than I was, and was holding an umbrella that continuously dripped on our floor. He wasn’t holding a record. I glanced around the line. No one was. Weird. Maybe there was a run on coffee?
Today’s special—All the Single Lattes—was bound to be a hit, after all. It was a simple but satisfying combination of dark roast espresso diluted with steamed milk (or milk substitute if the customer preferred), a drizzle of caramel, and a foam heart on top. But I didn’t expect this kind of overwhelming response. At this rate, we would run out of ingredients.
“Get in line, girlie,” the man in overalls growled at me.
“It’s okay. I work here,” I said. I could barely make out the Bonnie Raitt album playing through the shop’s speakers over the noise of so many conversations going at once.
“Good. Maybe you can tell me why I didn’t get no game piece this week? I paid for it, fair and square.”
“Game? What are you talking about?”
He raised his voice and repeated himself. “The. Game.” His face was turning red. He reminded me of people who are trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak their language, so they just repeat the same things over again, but louder and slower. Only in this case, we spoke the same language. Or at least I thought we did.
“What game?”
He glared at me. “You really don’t got no idea, do you?”
“I really don’t.”
“Well, shoot.” He looked down at his feet, as if composing himself. When he lifted his head, his face was back to its previous peachy color. He raised his voice again but this time ignored me and directed it at the room. “Y’all hear that? This here girl says she don’t know nothing about the game.”
A murmur spread throughout the line, sprinkled liberally with words most folks around here don’t use in mixed company. After a good deal of pushing and shoving, the line reversed itself right out the front door. Tansy had found a parking spot and had come back just in time to hold the door open for the departing masses.
Once they were gone, a few customers remained. “Can I help you find something?” I asked the closest person.
“Uh, I don’t know. I was just walking by and saw the line and thought maybe you were giving out free stuff or something. Are you?”
“We’re not,” I told them. “But if you’re a music lover or a coffee drinker, we can probably find something you’ll like.”
“But it’s not free?”
I smiled and shook my head. “’Fraid not.”
“Well then, y’all let me know when it’s free, okay?” They left, taking another customer with them.
The one remaining customer looked at me. “I saw a band down on Sixth Street the other day that I really liked. They only had MP3 cards at their merch table, but said you carry their album on vinyl?”
Finally, a customer I could help. “We very likely do. What was the name of the band?”
“I, um, don’t remember.”
“That’s okay. Tansy? Think you can help?”
“Of course,” Tansy said. She asked a string of questions and rambled off a list of local band names as she escorted him upstairs, where the majority of our collection was housed. Right now, the very recent and the more expensive albums were on the main floor, but we might rotate that depending on sales. I didn’t know about my sisters, but I was getting a little too much exercise traipsing up and down the stairs all day.
I joined my other sister at the counter. “What on earth was that all about?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No idea. They started trickling in a few minutes ago, demanding to play some game. I told them there was no game, but they wouldn’t leave. More of them kept coming, and they were starting to get agitated. Like, really agitated.”
“Yeah, the guy I talked to was none too pleased. You think maybe someone is pranking us?” Maggie and I locked eyes and at the same time said, “Samuel Davis.”
“What about Samuel?” Tansy asked, escorting the customer to the checkout counter. He was holding three records from three different local bands. My sister is a born salesperson.
“Think about it,” Maggie said. “Yesterday we annoyed him and now a mob shows up demanding access to some game that doesn’t exist. Doesn’t that sound like a classic Samuel-style prank? He probably promised all those people some kind of prize to dupe them into swarming us.”
The remaining customer cleared his throat from across the counter. “Um, actually, that’s not what happened.”
We all turned to him. “Oh yeah?” Tansy asked. “Then what did happen?”
“It’s Wednesday. Game pieces were supposed to be delivered yesterday.”
“What game?” my sisters and I all said, at the exact same time.
“The game. You know, The Game.” I could practically hear him capitalize it. He looked around at our blank faces. “Twenty dollars gets you a game piece. Winning game piece takes the pot, more or less. Calvin gets his cut, of course. And there are expenses.”
“Wait a second, Calvin was running this game?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah. Has been for ages. Used to run it out of a warehouse out by the airport, but the last few weeks, the game pieces have been coming from here. Let me tell you, getting those weird old scratched records last week was a lot more pleasant than wondering if you might get a glitter bomb by mistake.”
“Tell me about it.” Even now, I was still finding glitter in my hair. If several showers and a Texas thunderstorm hadn’t dislodged it all by now, I might as well resign myself to finding glitter in my hair for the rest of my life.
“Well, a glitter bomb…”
I stopped him. “No, don’t literally tell me about it. Players throw into a pot. Calvin sends out game pieces. Winner takes all. Am I missing anything?”
“Well, it’s a little more complicated,” the customer said. “There’s usually a riddle or puzzle. You might have a winning ticket, but if you can’t solve it, you don’t know to come and claim your prize, and the money rolls over to the next week. Or if it takes you too long to solve it, someone else might have already won the pot. It can be geocoordinates or a crossword…”
“… or lyrics to a kid’s nursery rhyme written in a foreign language?” I guessed.
“Yeah, that one was a real bear. Has anyone claimed that one yet?”
I looked at my sisters. “Kind of.”
Now we knew why the rancher was so angry when he’d come to collect his winnings and none of us had any idea what he was talking about. I was starting to suspect that my uncle hadn’t had a streak of good luck at the ponies lately. He’d been planning on using the proceeds from the game to take Jocelyn out for a weekend getaway. I’d even bet dollars to those little cinnamon mini-muffins they sell at the bakery across the street that the envelope of cash had been this week’s buy-in.
Which means there were a lot of angry players around here who wanted their money—but were any of them angry enough to kill?