“Watcha want?” she asked, I answered for myself and Jeff, Max placed his order with Arlene and Arlene twisted her neck and shouted again.
“Fran, Nina needs a skinny latte, Max wants an Americano, black, and Jeff needs a to go Americano, cream and one sugar. Got that?”
“Yeah, up in a minute,” Fran shouted back and then turned to the table that had twice been interrupted in placing their own orders.
Arlene plopped into her chair as Mindy and Jeff came back to the table, still, I noted with a warm feeling in my middle, holding hands.
“Yo Mins,” Arlene greeted, her eyes moving to the couple’s hands but fortunately, her mouth remaining shut.
“Hey Arlene,” Mindy replied.
“Jeff, what’s shakin’?” Arlene asked.
“Everything,” Jeff answered, releasing Mindy so she could sit down and his torso twisted, he glanced at a table beside ours, put his hand on the back of a chair, gave them a chin tilt and then at their nod he rounded the chair to our table.
We all pushed our chairs out a bit as our group got wider so we could fit everyone in and Jeff sat, his chair very close to Mindy’s.
“So, Shauna Fontaine is suspect numero uno,” Arlene said to Jeff and Jeff’s eyes cut to her.
“Pardon?” he asked, playing dumb.
“Boy, you got an APB out on her,” Arlene informed him of something he obviously already knew.
“Arlene, can’t discuss the specifics of the case,” Jeff told her and Arlene gave him a look but turned back to the table, declaring, “Well, I can.”
Jeff’s eyes went to Max and both men sighed simultaneously as Arlene launched in.
“Shauna Fontaine is gone, gone, gone. Her house’s been sold, her shit’s been moved out and no one has seen her since day before yesterday,” Arlene told the table.
“Her shit’s been moved out?” Linda asked, her eyes wide.
“Yep, cleaned out,” Arlene replied. “Cops went through it yesterday.”
“That’s not enough for an APB,” I noted, my eyes moving to Jeff.
“Yeah, though she cleaned all the shit outta her house, don’t mean she left the house clean. That dead PI guy was done on one a’ Curtis’s construction sites in the bedroom of a new, unfinished build. They were drywallin’. Cops found drywall residue inside Shauna’s house, leadin’ a trail from her backdoor to her bedroom.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed and Arlene looked gleefully at me.
“Shauna don’t work and it’s doubtful she drywalls as a hobby, so why’s she got drywall dust in her house?” Arlene asked without really expecting an answer and I knew this because there was no answer to give and because she kept speaking. “So, the woman’s got evidence in her house, motive and she and her boytoy disappear into thin air…” Arlene grinned and finished, “A… P… B.”
“Boytoy?” Barb asked.
“Well, more like mantoy,” Arlene answered. “Name’s Robert Winston and Winston’s gone too. Neighbors of his say he hasn’t been home in days, they haven’t even seen his car. Cops got a man parked out in front of his house and have since yesterday. No show. He’s self-employed, real estate, if you can believe that shit. If I remember, Shauna’s wrinkled, old goat of an ex-husband was also in property. Girl’s got a type.”
I looked at Max and he was glaring at Arlene so I again put my hand on his thigh, his eyes came to mine and I gave his thigh a squeeze. His hard face got a bit softer but that’s all my effort achieved before Arlene was talking again and Max looked back at her.
“Cops went to Winston’s office, they say he’s on vacation and has been for two weeks, his leave is extended and he’s not due back in awhile. ‘Cept, he was seen brawlin’ with poor, old Harry at The Rooster Saturday night, so everyone knows he isn’t exactly outta town.” Then Arlene leaned forward and shared on a very loud whisper, “And, get this. He’s got a wife! In Aspen. He’s supposed to be openin’ a branch of his business over here, which he’s kinda done but he’s also definitely on…” Arlene lifted her hands and made quotation marks with her fingers, “‘vacation’.” She dropped her hands and carried on talking. “The wife says she’s been in Aspen, closin’ up their house, gettin’ ready to move here. Cops in Aspen who questioned her said she was pretty pissed when she heard the name Shauna Fontaine. Apparently Shauna’s got a history with this Winston guy, one dates back years. The wife took his ass back after the last round of history and now Shauna’s back for round two.”
My gaze slid to Jeff to see he was staring at Arlene in disbelief or, I should say, somewhat angry disbelief as Arlene kept sharing her story.
“This’s where it gets really interesting. See, last time, when the wife took him back, she made him sign everything over in her name. She owns it all, the houses, the businesses, even the bank accounts are in her name, she’s got control of the whole enchilada.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, now I was staring at Arlene.
“How do you know all this shit?” Jeff asked.
“Everyone’s talkin’,” Arlene answered.
“Not cops and this is confidential information,” Jeff returned. “You aren’t hearin’ this stuff on the grapevine or on your police band, Arlene.”
“I got my sources,” Arlene replied.
“They local?” Jeff returned.
“Not sayin’,” Arlene muttered.
“Arlene, are they local?” Jeff repeated.
“Nope,” Arlene answered quickly and Jeff stared at her.
Then he muttered, “Chantelle.” His eyes went intense and he asked, “Your niece works reception at Chantelle PD, doesn’t she?”
“Uh… she might,” Arlene replied, Max grunted (whether this was an amused or knowing grunt, I had no idea), Jeff looked annoyed and the rest of us glanced at each other as Arlene carried on, her eyes on Jeff.
“Anyway, Jeff, seems to me, unless this Winston fella finds himself a sugar mama, his wife gets pissed, which she is, she takes it all.”
It was then Mindy entered the conversation and suggested to Jeff, “Maybe a sugar mama who thought she was going to inherit some, or all, of a local big man’s construction empire because she told him she was pregnant with his child?”
My gaze snapped to Max who was watching Mindy then his eyes turned to me.
“That’s what I’m thinkin’,” Arlene responded to Mindy then looked to Jeff. “That what the boys at the Station are thinkin’, Jeff?”
At this point Fran hit our table carrying a tray filled with coffees and Jeff stood, fishing his wallet out of the back of his jeans.
“What the boys at the Station are gonna be thinkin’ in about ten minutes, Arlene,” Jeff said, flipping open his wallet and pulling out some bills, “is that the shit you shared at this table better stay at this table or someone’s niece is gonna be out of a job.” Jeff threw the money on the table and took his coffee from Fran before he concluded, eyes back on Arlene. “Yeah?”
I looked at Jeff’s angry eyes and set face and realized, when he was being macho mountain man police officer, he was even more attractive than normal, in fact, as Becca would put it, he was downright hot.
Then I looked at Mindy and saw her gazing up at him with an expression on her face that said she thought much the same thing.
Arlene visibly ground her teeth at having her gossip curtailed and then she muttered, “Yeah.”
“Right,” Jeff stated then his eyes went to Mindy and his set face changed entirely before he said softly, “See you tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” Mindy replied back, just as softly, the pink again tingeing her cheeks.
“Kami’s comin’ to the Station from work,” Max told Jeff, stopping to look at his watch before finishing, “in about half an hour, that good?”