A Minute on the Lips (17 page)

Ralph shot a quick look around to make sure no one was nearby and shushed the boys. Mark tilted his head down then looked at Andi. She nodded once to show that she’d heard it then said to his mother, “Mrs. Taylor, could I get a sample of your chili? Mark says you’ve been working hard on it.”

Jackie straightened and rounded his table. “Good idea, Sheriff. Me, too.”

Mrs. Taylor smiled graciously. “Well, since
one
of you asked so nicely...” She handed them both small cups of chili, and Andi was amused to see the look of unease slide across Jackie’s face as he took the first bite.

He narrowed one eye at Mark’s mother. “Is that brown sugar?”

Mrs. Taylor just shrugged. Jackie sniffed. He turned sharply and said, “Now yours, Ralph. I want a taste.”

Ralph shook his head. “No way. Can’t be giving away the trade secret, now can I?” Andi watched his face go from a nice tan color to a bright red.

Lori patted his arm. “Oh, come on. We all want a taste.”

Ralph looked around the crowd, which included Ray and his wife, Martha. He cleared his throat and started handing out samples, leaving Jackie last. While everyone murmured over how good the chili was and Lori beamed with pride over his accomplishment, Andi watched Jackie. The minute the second bite touched his lips, he jabbed one pointy finger and said, “My recipe. That’s
my
recipe!” He whirled to advance on Andi. “Arrest him. He’s using my recipe...and...” He whirled again. “You! You broke into my place! That recipe was locked up in the safe!”

Everyone froze. Ralph shook his head feebly. “You weren’t supposed to taste it. I just...”

Andi glanced around the courthouse square. The crowds were clustered in front of the small stage, so they didn’t have much in the way of an audience. But Jackie was just getting wound up.

Andi stepped between the two men. “All right. Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re all going to go over to the office and wait in the conference room so I can sort this out. Now.” Jackie opened his mouth to blast her with...Andi wasn’t quite sure, but Mona stepped forward to put a hand on his arm and he settled. With an angry nod, he marched off.

“Ray, will you take Ralph and Lori over?” Andi tried to smile reassuringly at the twins while she waited for him to agree.

He clapped a hand on Ralph’s shoulder. “Martha, you okay with the kids?”

Martha Evans blinked back tears and then clapped her hands. “You bet. We’re going shopping!” With noisy celebration, the twins forgot the tension in the air and all three headed for the vendors.

“I’m going to grab Mr. Brown,” Andi said. “Be right there.” She propped her hands on her hips and watched Ralph and Ray head toward the sheriff’s department.

“What can I do to help?” Mark asked. Andi was glad to see he didn’t have his little notebook out. Obviously he knew better. His mother just looked shocked. Andi couldn’t blame her.

“Nothing for now. I’ll see you tonight when they announce the winners?”

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

He pulled her against him and they stood like that for a long moment before Andi forced herself to talk to the high school principal who was also the head judge. After a heated exchange, she convinced him to withdraw Ralph’s entry. As she headed back across the grass in front of the courtyard, she tried to convince herself that justice was all that mattered here. She’d done what she could to keep the cook-off fair, and now...she had to figure out what to do about Ralph.

CHAPTER TWELVE

R
ALPH
P
ORTER
HAD
probably just handed Andi the election. The biggest case she’d had in months would be solved and the thorn in her side would be neutralized, maybe forever. She didn’t understand why she didn’t feel happier.

When she thought about the embarrassment they would all go through when this came out, Andi felt sick. Ray and Lori had made her life difficult, but Lori loved her father and he had been a good sheriff. He’d been hardheaded, too, but Andi might have a predisposition to that herself.

When Andi entered the sheriff’s office, Brenda Lawrence was working dispatch. She greeted Andi with a smile.

“Hey, Brenda, we’re going to use the conference room for a minute. Don’t let anybody back until we’re out, okay?”

She nodded once. “Sure thing, Sheriff.” A strong gust of wind might knock her over, but Brenda had served the office for more than twenty years. Andi had a lot of faith in her abilities. And her smiles were genuine, not grimaces with teeth like Lori’s.

Andi turned to look at the pictures plastered over the wall next to the desk. Happy faces stared back at her. There were the boys in their Halloween costumes. Ray Evans holding two bundled newborns, one in each arm, in the hospital. Martha Evans smiling up from a pile of Christmas presents, two little boys wrapped in her arms. There was the first day of school and birthdays and swimming in the lake and a beautiful wedding photo of the whole family.

And when the news came out, because it would, Ray Evans and his family would probably be fine. There’d be some talk and laughter and that might never end, but she wasn’t sure about Lori and Ralph. Lori was proud of her father. Instead of helping him, Ralph had seriously damaged Ray’s position.

Andi squeezed into the conference room and shut the door behind her.

After she carefully sat down at the head of the table, she wondered how to get this thing started.

Ray beat her to the punch. He had a stern look on his face as he turned to Lori, and Andi suddenly pitied his daughter. “What did you do with the trophies?”

Everyone in the room was silent for a beat. Then Lori turned to Ralph. He looked absolutely miserable.

Ralph rubbed his forehead so hard that his fingers left pink marks behind. He looked lost. “They’re out in the shed. Safe and sound.”

Andi sighed with relief. She’d been afraid he might have destroyed the evidence to cover up what he’d done. After all, why would anyone hold on to trophies? Andi was glad Ralph lacked the mind of a supervillain or even a good criminal. Of course, now he had some pretty juicy information, too. Andi wondered what his plans were for that.

He wiped his sweaty brow. “I took them. I broke into the safe. It seemed like...” He trailed off and wiped his forehead. “I wanted to get even with Jackie. Because of him, I lost my job at the store. We needed money, and Lori deserves...so much. I figured I could take the money and get the trophies, a little middle finger for Jackie.” He cleared his throat. “Thought it might help Ray, too.”

Lori was devastated. There were tears in her eyes. Somehow, the idea that she might cry upset Andi more than Ralph’s distress. She’d been a worthy adversary for a long time. She didn’t deserve to be defeated in this way.

“So Lori didn’t know anything about it? Or Ray?” Andi found it hard to believe but she wanted to.

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I did it on my own, but the boys found the trophies last night when we were out there looking for rakes. I thought I’d hidden them well enough, but it’s hard to keep Alexander and Andrew out of stuff.”

“And you used Jackie’s recipe for the chili you entered in the contest?” The whole world had stopped spinning while they waited for his answer.

Finally he swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.” He glanced at a furious Jackie, who was only seated because Mona was leaning hard on his shoulder. “Just another way to show him up and take the prize money, too. With that money, Lori and I could...well, I just wanted to take her someplace nice. She deserves it.”

Everybody at the table had a grasp on the danger of the situation. Lori gave out a little cry, and Ray made fists with both hands.

Jackie jabbed a finger across the table. “That recipe...that means you went through my private papers! All the rest of this stuff’s just...” He trailed off but there was murder in his eyes.

Ralph raked a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know what I had, Jackie. You have to believe me. Getting fired made me...just so angry. Still does when I think about what I can’t give Lori or the boys but...if I’d known, I’d have left it all there. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get it back to you, but I wanted to wait until after the election. Just in case.” There was an apology in his eyes as he glanced from Mona to Andi.

Lori and Ray were confused. Mona was crying silently, and Jackie was slowly deflating. He wrapped a hand around Mona’s and looked ten years older in a second.

“Ralph, what happened at the hardware store?” This was one of those times when Andi had to take a look at the context. Ralph was a man who loved his wife. There were two little boys in the mix, as well. She wanted to understand why he’d done what he did.

Ralph shrugged and started to answer but Jackie interrupted him. “King fired him because I threatened to sue. Ralph made a delivery to the diner and broke the glass in the trophy case. I wanted someone to pay for it.”

Ralph held up both hands. “And I would have, but I never got a chance. We didn’t have that much extra, but I could have paid it off eventually. Like I promised I would.”

Jackie heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I went to talk to King, told him he better pay for it, but he wasn’t prepared to do it. We argued to beat the band and I...well, he didn’t agree with me.” He glanced up at Mona before he said, “I didn’t find out he’d fired you for a couple of weeks and then I told him...well, I told him I didn’t care for your replacement. Kid’s not bright. King wasn’t going to let me win there, either. So...I’m sorry. I guess. But breaking in...”

“I know. It was really dumb. But at the time, it felt inspired. I just... I wanted to get some of my pride back. I wanted to make Lori proud and happy.” Ralph leaned forward. “You gotta believe me, Jackie. That other stuff...the papers in the safe, I was going to give it back. And I’ve been real upset over the unhappiness I figured it was causing you and Mona but...”

Lori and Ray were both in the dark, but they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut.

Finally Andi said, “Okay, well, now we know what happened. What are we going to do about it?”

The black-and-white rule follower in her knew Ralph should get what he deserved for breaking the law. Did it matter that no one really got hurt? Or that he’d done it out of love for his wife? The answer should be no. She should arrest him and let the consequences fall out as they would.

Mona’s voice was unsteady when she said, “No harm’s been done. Let’s all just...get back to normal. I want my things by the end of the day. Then we just...go on.”

Jackie shook his head angrily but stopped when he met his wife’s stare. They communicated quickly and silently and Jackie said, “That’s not right. Gotta be some justice in the world, Mona.” He turned to look at Andi. “But I don’t think we need the law involved. Not anymore.”

Andi wanted to clear out her ears. Jackie wasn’t demanding his pound of flesh. Her surprise must have shown on her face.

Jackie looked at Andi and shrugged. “I guess I don’t care for the way he went about it, but I can understand trying to keep the wife happy. And the situation with his job...it’s been bothering me, so let’s just...can’t we move on?”

Ralph still looked miserable. He was shaking his head slowly, as if he wanted the answer to be yes but he couldn’t quite say it. Lori looked hopeful. Andi sighed. “Well, I have a proposal to make. I
am
the sheriff. I like justice almost as much as Jackie.”

Nobody looked happy, but everybody was focused on her.

“Jackie, I know this whole thing has been upsetting, but you’re such an understanding man that I’m sure you want to save this family pain.” Andi took a calming breath and swallowed back the laugh that desperately wanted out. She’d meant to butter him up, but she believed what she’d said, too. And she wouldn’t have guessed that.

“Ralph is going to return everything in the morning when the diner opens.” Andi waited for Ralph’s nod. “And then he’s going to put on an apron and help with whatever you need help with—cooking, cleaning, whatever—every day for a solid week.”

Ralph nodded again at her prompting. Lori looked a little bit like her old self. There was a gleam of speculation in her eyes and a bit of color in her cheeks. Ray was an enigma wrapped in a riddle and covered in pure deadpan.

Jackie leaned forward and Andi could see the dollar signs in his eyes. “For free?”

Andi leaned forward, too. “For free. For a week. And then, if you think he’s doing a good job, you’re going to consider hiring him on.”

Jackie stared at her as he processed the last of her words. They might not have tasted good when he got through, but he agreed. “Well, all right then. We’ll see. Gonna move that darn override key someplace safe, though.”

He shot evil looks around the table and stood to exit in a huff. Andi decided to push her luck. “And Jackie, one more thing. If you can, try not to talk about what’s happened, okay?”

His mouth swung open and closed like a fish without a hook. Andi shrugged. “There’s no harm done here and I’d hate for little Alexander and Andrew to deal with the talk forever. Right?”

Andi smiled at him. “Guess you’ll have another secret or two to use when you need it most.”

The calculating gleam was back when his eyes met hers. Andi thought she saw respect, too, but it might have been a trick of the light. And then he was stomping out through the office. Mona followed but she paused to hug Andi’s neck and whisper, “Thank you.”

When Andi looked around the table, both Ralph and Lori wore shaky smiles. Lori spoke for them both. “Thank you, Sheriff, for handling it this way.”

“You owe Jackie your thanks. You must have caught him on a good day.” Andi looked at Ralph. “He’s tough but seems fair. Do a good job and maybe it’ll turn into something.”

He nodded. “I enjoyed making that pot of chili. Maybe that’s a sign.”

“All right,” Ray said. “You better go rescue Martha from the boys.” He motioned them out and they stood to leave. Lori surprised everyone by stopping to hug Andi. Andi awkwardly patted her on the back, and they waved as they left.

Ray rested his elbows on the table. “And now you have one of those secrets over me, too. I guess you’ll want me to drop out of the race?”

Andi shook her head. “No, I didn’t do this for any other reason than to help Lori and the boys. You’ve been no friend of mine, but I won’t use dirty laundry to kick you out of the race.” One corner of her mouth quirked up. “I’ve had an opponent who politicked that way and it got old fast.”

He leaned back. “So you aren’t going to say anything about this?”

“Nope.” Andi shrugged. “I’ll either win or I’ll lose and that’ll be that, but I’m not going to hurt your family just because I can. Secrets are next to impossible to keep, but let’s give it a try.”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how dumb she was.

Andi stood and opened the door. “I wish I’d handled myself differently when I came home. I understand why you didn’t hire me on. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to win the election. I’ll see you at the debate.”

She spent the rest of the afternoon putting out fires, answering calls and generally running from one situation to the next. That evening, when Andi dropped down next to Mark in front of the stage, she was ready to cancel the Fall Festival forever. Mark wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and squeezed the tired muscles there. “Did you get everything worked out?”

Andi gave a tired nod. “Yep, barely.”

He looked thoughtful, but the emcee interrupted whatever he was about to say. When Mark’s mother won second place, everyone celebrated with high fives and a group hug, and when Jackie won first place, Andi sighed with relief. That was the missing piece.

When Mark took out his notebook, Andi’s stomach churned. She wanted to beg him not to put Ralph’s name in the paper. She wanted to call on whatever connection they had to make this story fade away. But it was a good story. The town would want to know. He needed to print it. Maybe. And she just...she wasn’t sure what his answer would be. They hadn’t known each other long. It should still be easy to choose the news over her feelings. And if she asked and he published it anyway, she wasn’t sure she’d recover.

The smile slid off his face as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

She pointed at the notebook. “I’m just worried about what...how you’re going to report this story.”

His face was serious as he watched her. The clamor of the Fall Festival disappeared as she waited for his reply. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He didn’t do anything else to pull back, but she could feel the distance between them. Andi stayed a bit to listen to the musicians but the long day caught up with her. Finally she said, “Good night, Mrs. Taylor, and congratulations again.”

Andi kissed Mark quickly. “Gotta go. I’m on deck in the morning.”

He stopped her scramble to stand with one hand and wrapped the other around her nape. His kiss was slow and meaningful. When he leaned back, Andi wanted to follow him. A sharp twang of feedback from the speakers snapped her out of her daze.

Andi was uneasy as she stood, like maybe something had shifted in their relationship. As she made her way through the crowd and back to her car, Andi tried not to think about how tired she was and how many different pieces of her body ached. She should be proud of herself for resolving Jackie’s case so neatly, but mostly she wanted to go to bed. And she wondered about Mark, his response and what she should do about it. One thing was certain. All those questions would have to wait until the Fall Festival was over.