Read Between the Tines (8 page)

"Me? No. He worked on a different floor so I rarely ran into him."

Odd. If
Gary
was a personnel manager and Nathan the accounting manager, surely the two interacted quite often. Was he trying to distance himself from
Gary
because he had something to do with the murder? I noted this on my pad. "Do you remember the last time you saw him?"

"No, not really. Listen, I have to go. I'm sorry to cut you short, but I have a meeting in a few minutes."

He wasn't going to get away from me that easily. "Maybe I could come by tomorrow to talk with you. It would mean a great deal to Karen if I could tell her you're willing to see me."

"Don't know how I can help, but. . . well. . . okay." I heard fingers clicking on a keyboard in the background. "I'm free tomorrow morning around nine. Does that work for you?"

I agreed to the time, got the particulars about which entrance to use then hung up. Buoyed by my initial success, I grabbed my truck keys and the note pad so I could drive
Gary
's route to work. If I found his car, I could add it to my databank of clues.

As I rushed out the door, I could feel the clues falling into my lap, and I was certain this trip would bring me even closer to flushing out the killer.

I drove down tree-lined streets with my windows open and listened to birds chirping. They'd usually brighten my day, but the loss of a friend weighed heavy. Outside the Buzzy house where I'd begin my route, I wasn't surprised to see Lisa's van still parked on the street. She wouldn't leave Karen until her mother arrived to help. Since Lisa had survived a similar tragedy, she might not go home even then. Karen was in good hands. I could proceed on my quest without any guilt. At least not any guilt about Karen. Adam was another story.

I followed the directions on my pad, making the necessary turns and scanning the streets for
Gary
's Explorer along the way. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for the drive. Summers in the
Willamette
Valley
were usually gorgeous. Little rain, loads of sunshine and highs not often reaching the nineties marked most of the days. Sunshine like the rays glinting off big pickle vats outside Pacific Pickles.

Pulling to the curb just short of the entrance, I considered my options. The factory was gated with a guard standing duty in a little house and he could refuse to let me enter. Not that I'd let him chase me away without my best effort.

I maneuvered my truck up to the gate and waited while the uniformed man finished a phone conversation. His wildly gestured with his hands as if the person on the other end of the line could see how upset he was. Not good for my chances of getting in.

He leaned out the half-window, his large belly hanging over his belt scraped the top of the short door. "Help you?"

"I hope so." I gave him my best smile and tried to act as if I belonged there. "Gary Buzzy's wife asked me to see if his car was in the lot. If you'll let me drive around the parking lot, I can get back to her and put her mind at ease."

Showing no emotion over
Gary
's passing, the big man gave me a quick once over. "I'm not authorized to let you in."

I had to get a by-the-book, kind of guard. Plan B time. "Maybe I wouldn't have to go in. You could just tell me if
Gary
's car is here."

He shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know if it's here or not. Employees use an access card at the back gate to come and go."

Card, huh? Hmm, so if
Gary
entered the lot with his card it would be in the electronic records. But this Mr. Rules guy, even if he could pull up the records, wouldn't give out that info. "If all visitors have to pass through here then you would know if the police have picked up his Explorer."

The guard hiked his pants up in the rear, but the front was a lost cause. "Been expecting them to show up ever since I heard about Mr. Buzzy. Haven't seen 'em yet."

"Are you sure you can't let me make a quick tour of the lot? How about I leave something with you so you'd know I'd come back? Karen would be so relieved to have at least one thing resolved."

He looked around as if could find an answer in the air and pluck it down. "I don't know."

Time for a more personal plea.

I checked his name badge and noticed a wedding ring. "Please, Nick. Looks like you're married. Wouldn't you want your wife to be able to find some closure if this happened to you?" I ended with the pout perfected on my dad when I was young and frequently employed when Lisa and I argued. I'd yet to use it on Adam, but might need to when I confessed.

Nick flapped open his hand. "Okay, give me your driver's license. But don't take long. I could get in serious trouble for this. If I lose my job, I won't have to worry about my wife. She'll kill me outright."

I smiled and fished my license from my wallet. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

"See that you are." He took my ID and punched a button.

The gate slowly rose, and my heart rate ratcheted up with the white pole. This must be how Moses felt when the sea parted before him. Not giving the guard a chance to change his mind, I zipped through the entrance and immediately headed for the back gate. If the employees entered from the rear, their lot should be in the same vicinity.

Nearer the building, the tangy scent of pickles in the canning process filtered into my truck. I circled around an area containing ten large vats before spotting a parking lot. If
Gary
had come in early, he'd surely found a spot in the front row. I crawled along the vehicles and hit the brakes in front of a black Explorer. I checked my notes. License matched.
Gary
had indeed come to work.

I knew better than to touch the car, but an up-close inspection wasn't against the rules. Slowly and with small steps, I worked my way around the Explorer. Nothing odd, other than the immaculate interior.
Gary
wasn't known for his neatness. Karen must have been in charge of keeping his car clean. Rounding the front, I pulled out my phone. There was nothing else I could do here other then let Mitch know about my discovery and hope he'd allow me to wait to see if they unearthed any evidence. Right and maybe gas prices would fall.

I dialed the police station and asked for Mitch, claiming it was urgent and related to
Gary
's death.

He answered in as much of a whisper as the big, burly lawman was capable of. "This better be important. I don't like being pulled out of meetings for no reason."

I bit back a smart retort. "I found
Gary
's car in the employee parking lot at the factory."

"What are you doing at the factory?" His tone now mimicked a screeching monkey.

"Ah. . .well. . .you see, Karen asked me to check on the car. So I did. I can wait for you to get here if you'd like."

"You better. And don't touch anything."

"Relax. I know to keep my hands to myself."

"I don't even want you within ten feet of the vehicle. You got that. Stay in your truck so you don't contaminate the scene." He disconnected.

Good thing I'd all ready given the Explorer a quick viewing. I climbed back into my truck and as I did so, I realized calling Mitch might have been a mistake. It could get the guard who'd been so helpful into trouble. I could only hope Mitch didn't even think to question if I was allowed on the property.

I picked up the legal pad and studied my notes. What really would be helpful was if I could find out
Gary
's time of death. Then if I discovered anyone who had it in for
Gary
, I could check out their alibi. I'd ask Mitch when he arrived, but he probably wouldn't reveal that info yet. I could call Lisa's hubby, Perry. As an attorney, he had connections at the police department. No. Not a good idea. Since he was best buddies with Adam, he'd tell Adam I was working on this, and I had to be the one to break the news to Adam.

I peered out my window at the veranda running the length of the stone building. Was that a security camera mounted by the door? Maybe
Gary
's movements this morning were on video. I hopped out and rushed up to the wide concrete porch holding groupings of tables and chairs. On the left side of the entrance sat a business-suited woman. Her dazzling black hair glinted in the sun and a cigarette dangled from red lacquered lips.

Ignoring the woman, I checked out the porch. Drat. It was a light, not a camera. No help at all. I turned to leave and the woman's eyes narrowed.

"I know you," she said, and her gaze swept over my body. "You're that garden lady, Paige Turner. I saw your demonstration on composting at the park on the Fourth."

I preened a bit at my celebrity and went over to my fan, figuring she'd want to ask for an autograph. "I hope it was helpful. Are you a gardener?"

She flicked her ashes into a Styrofoam cup. "Me? Nah. It was either listen to you or go to the livestock booth."

My ego deflated. Still, I did trump watching farm animals. "Oh, well then."

She stood, pulling down her black skirt and grinding the cigarette under a spiky black pump. She came forward, one hand clutched around a cigarette case and the other hand outstretched. "Mary Stills, Marketing Manager. You lost or something?"

Daisy's boss. Interesting. I shook her hand. "Lost? No. I was just helping Gary Buzzy's wife. She asked me to work on finding out who killed him."

Her heavily mascaraed lashes fluttered then halted with her eyes wide open. "So soon?"

"Doing something constructive is helping her deal with her loss. Did you know
Gary
?"

"Sure, everyone here did. I worked with him on employee issues. Never saw him much at any of our gatherings. He wasn't big on socializing with the staff here."

Just like Karen said. Work was separate from home. "Was he close to anyone?"

She nodded. "Nathan Jacobs. But I think that relationship fizzled out a while ago."

"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to kill
Gary
?"

She tapped a long red nail against those ruby lips and looked up. "No, I don't—wait. . .yes. . .of course, Barney Rubble."

Did she mean just Barney, or was Fred involved, too? "As in
The Flintstones
?"

She dropped her hand and smiled. "Just a disgruntled employee who had a set of parents with a warped sense of humor."

I couldn't understand the disgruntled employee part, but the bizarre need to give children odd names, that Daisy and I both knew well.

She looked around then took another step closer and lowered her voice. "I liked
Gary
and want to help if I can, but this isn't common knowledge. Can I count on you to keep it quiet?"

My cell rang in the song I'd assigned to Adam. I couldn't talk to him now. He'd want to know where I was, what I was doing. I couldn't tell him on the phone. I hit reject and switched my phone to silent mode. "Sorry about that. Of course, I'll be discrete about what you tell me."

"Barney Rubble worked on the line. He was fired a few weeks back for violating quality control standards on a regular basis. Soon after several managers received threatening letters from Barney.
Gary
was one of them."

Well yabba dabba doo, we have a suspect. "Do you know who else got the letter?"

"No, I only heard about—" Her eyes widened and she tipped her head at the parking lot. "Figured they'd show up."

I spun around.

Lights flashing, a police car barreled around the corner.

"Hey, listen," she said. "I have to get back to work." She opened her cigarette case and pulled out a business card. "Call me if I can help with anything else. Maybe I'll catch your show one of these days."

I gave a quick wave and rushed across the lot. Mitch pulled his long legs from the car, and we met near my truck.

"You touch anything?" he asked.

"Hello, Mitch." I waited for a civil response but got none. "I didn't touch the car, but I did walk around it before I called you."

He glowered at me. "Are you planning on sticking your nose in this investigation too?"

"Karen has asked me to help."

For a brief moment, his eyes flashed with concern, but he quickly veiled it and crossed his arms. "You must have forgotten how you were nearly murdered when you butted into Bud's investigation. Or you're just plain crazy."

I laughed. "Neither. I merely want to help my friend."

"Right, I forgot what a do-gooder you are." I'd expect this line to have a sarcastic tinge to it, but his voice held a hint of admiration. "You've done enough for one day. You can go now."

"How about if I wait around and see what you find?"

He laughed in a good-natured playful way. "You can't be serious."

"Okay, I'll go, but one question before I do. Any idea on
Gary
's time of death yet?"