Рита Браун - Catch As Cat Can

“I thought that was a problem for Argentina, not Uruguay, but then what do I know?” She sighed.

“We tend to ignore South America, which, when you think about it, is really dumb. After all, we're all part of the New World.”

“He's probably got a mistress in Montevideo.” Harry wasn't focusing on American shortcomings. She was focusing on Diego.

“No, he doesn't. I wouldn't do that to you . . . not if I knew. But he doesn't. Feel better?”

“Sort of.” She walked to the stove, turning the flame up under the kettle. “Boom, this welding that you do—could you cut locks?”

“Of course.”

“Steel plates?”

“Yes, but it would take some time. What I work with is thin sheets. The cutouts are strong enough to stand on the base I make for them but a heavy steel plate like the kind put in the back of pickups to hitch trailers, that kind of plate, that would take a long time. Why?”

“Donny had one of those huge old stand-up safes. If Rick doesn't find the combination, he'll have to cut it.”

“That will be a very difficult job.”

“I know but if you volunteer we'd be there first. I could help.”

“Harry.” BoomBoom considered this. “What do you think is in the safe?”

“I don't know but I'd like to find out, wouldn't you? Maybe it will tell us why Donny was shot. In fact, why don't you call Rick now, then call me back.”

“Well—all right.” BoomBoom hung up the phone. Within minutes she dialed back. “Harry, he's at Donny's shop now and said he'd be grateful for the help. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes. I told him I need you to regulate the oxygen in the tanks.”

“Did he believe it?”

“Uh—sort of.”

“Okay, fifteen minutes.”

31

As the blue flame slowly sliced into the heavy lock of the safe, Rick Shaw allowed as how the last person he thought would be wielding a torch would be BoomBoom Craycroft. He readily agreed to her offer, otherwise he'd have to wait a day while the safe company flew in an expert to open the lock. The county budget prompted him to make use of local talent even though it meant destroying the lock, which resembled the hatch locks of submarines.

“Harry, you drive me crazy sometimes, you and your amateur detective crap, but I hand it to you on this suggestion.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.” She stood by the oxygen tank feeding the welding torch.

“She'll live off that compliment for a month,” Tucker remarked as she sat discreetly next to a finished stuffed elk's head on the floor.

Pewter, frightened by the noise of the welding torch, crouched behind Tucker. Mrs. Murphy perched on top of Donny's worktable. She remained motionless, since she didn't want to rouse the sheriff's attention either.

“Think Harry will stuff us when we go?” She laughed as she surveyed Donny's handiwork.

“Vile!” Pewter leaned harder on Tucker, who licked her head.

Coop stood well behind Boom.

Arms across her chest, Harry murmured, “Tell Booty?”

“Yeah. Rick did.”

“Did he know anything about the truck?”

“Said it was his but for farm use. Never took it off the farm. Didn't much use it anyway, he said. No license plate. You know, he took it like the soldier that he was. He asked if Marge knew and Rick said that I was with her. He got in his car and drove in her driveway just as I was leaving. Poor Marge. He was her only son.”

“Yeah.” Harry felt bad for Donny's mom, a much-liked woman.

Rick checked his watch. “Harry, tell me about the woodpecker.”

“I brought it in just before the Dogwood Festival and Donny said he'd get right on it. Business was always slower in the spring, the taxidermy business, I mean. His leather business was doing well and he was making coffee tables, too, out of license plates. One's over there.” She pointed it out. “He was bursting with ideas.”

“Did he seem like himself?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged.

“Did he look healthy?”

“Very.” She waited a moment. “Sheriff, what's going to happen to my woodpecker?”

“It's my woodpecker,” Pewter chirped up.

“Shut up. Don't attract Rick's attention,” Murphy counseled.

“For now, nothing. I told them to run it through an X-ray machine.” He turned to BoomBoom, who stopped for a moment, pushing up her protective face guard to check her work. “How you doing?”

“Another five minutes, I hope.” She slapped the mask down and resumed cutting.

“Find anything besides my woodpecker?”

“A Dallas Cowboys windbreaker just as Sean described it.” Cooper squinted when a shower of sparks flew off the safe. “And a matchbook from Roy and Nadine's restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky. Very colorful.”

“Any ideas?” Harry asked.

“That's what I was going to ask you.” Rick hitched up his belt. “You've known Clatterbuck all your life. Did you like him?”

“Yeah. Always seemed levelheaded. He didn't run with a bad crowd. Didn't have a lot of bad affairs with women. Stuff like that.”

“Huh.” Rick grunted.

“I guess you looked for the key to the safe?”

“Yes, we did. Why?”

“Oh.” Harry turned her palms up for a moment as if in supplication. “Hate to see the safe ruined.”

“It's not ruined. I can put it back together if Rick wants me to.” BoomBoom turned off the torch. She waited a moment, then pushed the heavy lock with her gloved hand. “Sheriff, if you grab one handle and I grab the other I think we can pull it out. I'm afraid if I try to do this by myself I'll push it into the safe and that might damage whatever's in there.”

“Good thinking.” He grabbed a brass handle.

They both pulled on the count of three and the heavy lock and spinning handle fell out on the floor with a clunk. Rick stepped aside as BoomBoom, gloves on, reached in and pulled open the door.

“Oh, my God!”

Each shelf contained bundles and bundles of crisp new bills, neatly stacked.

“That's a lot of stuffed deer heads,” Mrs. Murphy laconically observed.

32

The shock of finding five hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in Donny Clatterbuck's safe was nearly as great as finding Donny himself.

Harry and the animals drove to Miranda's, a place of sanity and common sense. To her surprise, BoomBoom wanted to go, too.

They found Miranda and Tracy playing gin rummy. Tracy was winning.

“Knock, knock.” Harry let herself in, with Mrs. Murphy rushing first through the door. “I'm coming unannounced and BoomBoom's about two minutes behind me.”

Tracy rose, as befit a Virginia gentleman. “You look a little peaked, Harry, my girl. Some fortification?”

She shook the rain off in the little back-door entranceway. “How about a steaming cup of tea with a drop of Maker's Mark in it?” She mentioned the famous sipping whiskey distilled in Loretto, Kentucky.

“Why, Harry.” Miranda stood up herself, heading to the teapot. “I don't remember you ever roping your tea.”

“Well, I'm wet, I'm chilled, and I'm sorely vexed, as my grandmother used to say.”

BoomBoom stepped in tight behind Harry. “Miranda, forgive me. I just had to see you.”

“Are you two having another fight?” Miranda turned on the gas stove while Tracy opened the cabinet serving as a liquor chest. “BoomBoom, what can I get you?”

“A straight shot of gin will revive me considerably.”

“What in the world is the matter with you two girls?” He put his hands on his hips.

Harry hung up her worn Barbour coat. BoomBoom did likewise, only her Barbour coat was new and longer. One couldn't reside in Albemarle without a proper Barbour coat, made in England and the best working raingear in the world. Tucker, anticipating treats, moved over to be near Miranda. Pewter, no fool, headed straight for the table.