Midnight Crossing (Josie Gray Mysteries #5)(16)

Josie listened to his boots clip-clop down the stairs and replaced the handset. “So now I’m required to support his wife’s charity work? That bastard infuriates me.”

“It’s not like he’s asking you to do something immoral. It’s a charity event.”

Josie’s eyes widened and Otto threw his hands in the air. “All right, all right. Just tell him you’re busy.”

“I have a murder to solve. I’m not worried about his wife’s latest do-good cause.”

“So send your mom. It’ll keep her occupied for the evening.”

*

Josie clocked off at ten a.m. to get a quick shower before returning for an eleven to seven-thirty shift. In order to get their shifts straightened out again, she would be back at work at eight the next morning. The swing shift was the worst. It would take her a day or so to get acclimated to the new sleeping schedule, and she had her mom visiting from Indiana, hoping to be entertained on Josie’s off hours.

Josie called her mom on the drive home to fill her in on the situation.

“What am I supposed to do tonight while you’re working?” she asked.

“Just hang out at the motel for tonight and get caught up on your sleep. Tomorrow, the mayor invited us to his wife’s charity event.” Josie winced as she said the words. She couldn’t believe she was using his summons to buy off her mother.

“At least that’s something.” She paused. “He’s married?”

Josie sighed. “Yes. Her name is Caroline. She’s a senator’s daughter with money. Her goal appears to be getting the mayor elected into the state senate, but so far, no luck.”

“That’s hard to believe. Seems like he’d be a great politician.”

Josie stifled a sarcastic comment and promised to stop by the motel later that evening on her break to check in.

*

Otto drove home to his ranch on the outskirts of town and found Delores standing on the front porch when he pulled into the driveway. She appeared to be placing something on the ground. Then he saw the gray cat weaving in and out between her feet, and he realized she was setting down a bowl.

Otto opened the jeep door, hollering to Delores before his feet even hit the driveway. “No, no, no. We’ve had this discussion. No more strays. Especially cats. They’re evil animals. They leave prints on my patrol car.”

“Oh, Otto,” she said. Her tone was irritated, and she waved her arm at him dismissively. “You can’t call that old jeep a patrol car. And with all this dust on the roads, who’d notice a paw print anyway?”

“Cats multiply like rabbits. We have enough animals to feed. We don’t need another one, that will eventually turn into twenty, milling around my feet every time I walk in the barn.”

“We’ll get him fixed. You have your goat herd to take care of. I just want one cat. And he showed up looking for love. Look at him. He loves you already.”

The cat was greedily lapping up the bowl of milk Delores had given him.

“My goats serve a purpose. Cats are pointless rodents.”

“They aren’t rodents.” Delores opened the screen door and ushered Otto into the living room.

He stopped just inside the door and took a long deep breath through his nose. He closed his eyes and stood perfectly still. “Do I smell corned beef?”

“And?”

“Sauerkraut?”

“You have a nose like a chef.”

He opened his eyes and turned to face her, feeling a mix of betrayal and excitement. “Sauerkraut balls for breakfast?”

“It’s almost ten-thirty. Brunch,” she said.

“Bribing me with food. You want this cat bad, don’t you?”

“I do.”

Otto sighed, knowing he’d already lost the battle.

He followed his wife into the kitchen, where she pulled a platter of deep-fried sauerkraut balls out of the oven.

He snatched one as she carried them over to the kitchen table, and popped it into his mouth. “A perfect, mouth-sized piece of Polish goodness.”

“Since we’re having the rest of the apple dumplings for dessert, I thought we’d best just eat the kraut balls and nothing else. Josie will cut you from the department if you gain any more weight.”

“She’s got bigger problems than my midsection.”

Delores poured them both tea and sat down across from him at the table. “Fill me in.”

Otto had called Delores after they’d found the women to let her know he’d be working at least a double shift. He’d given her the basics but no details.

“Josie and Marta took the woman they found hiding on the front porch to the trauma center.”

“Was she hurt?”

“Josie said physically she’s fine, but she’s not said a word. She acts as if she doesn’t understand any English or Spanish.”

“Maybe she’s from Latin America. They speak other languages besides Spanish.”

“We can’t even get a yes or no out of her, not even a shake of the head.”

“She didn’t carry a purse or any ID?” she asked.

“Nothing. The woman who was shot in the pasture didn’t have an ID either. She was running away from the road and was shot in the back. I imagine the women were traveling together, and after her friend was shot, she hid at Josie’s.”