Paul would come by the apartment. That in itself was unusual. None of the Murphy clan ever came to my living quarters, not even when I was hired. The previous manager had shown me around.
“Apology accepted,” I told him. “It really wasn’t your fault.”
“Thank you,” Burke smiled, and moved around to take a seat at the counter. “Now, how about dinner? Let me take you out for a change.”
I thought about it. “I don’t think so,” I said.
“Afraid to be seen with me? It’s just dinner. At Kelly’s,” he added naming the diner in Monarch that was everyone’s favorite place to eat. “It’s Thursday, chicken and dumplings. I’ll even spring for dessert.”
He looked so sincere, batting his lashes at me while trying not to grin.
“Fine,” I said. “Let me get locked up.”
He straightened up and went to flip the signs. “I’ll help.”
Kelly’s is a diner, a casual place with the best food in the county and the best prices. Always reasonable, always tasty, and almost always leftovers to be brought home and reheated later. If you’re not too late they have wonderful pies from the local bakery.
On our way out I grabbed the folder from under the counter.
We drove to Kelly’s in Burke’s truck, a newer model with all the bells and whistles, exchanging small talk. He asked about the folder I had placed on the seat.
“Something for you to look at later,” I explained. “I finally found a frame with a partial look at the driver of the Move It truck. Thought maybe you might recognize him although it’s not the best copy in the world.”
“I’ll look at it tonight,” he said. “Anything else come up?”
“Not that I can see,” I answered. “It must be happening at night. Somehow they’re getting in and avoiding the cameras. Only other way is careful planning, using someone else to block the view. That would be tricky.”
“The thing is,” Burke began, turning into Kelly’s parking lot, “that unit is not important.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, babe. That was only nine cartons. A lot of drugs, granted, but not a full load. Were there more? And where were they? That unit was empty, right? Before they put those cartons in?”
“Yes. It was supposed to be. It had one of the little yellow snap tags on the door. I put that on myself.”
He turned off the truck and angled towards me. “I think that was leftovers or extras, that they had filled another unit somewhere close and didn’t have enough room for those last boxes. Or maybe someone interrupted them and they had to dump them off quick. The rest of the load was delivered on schedule, wherever that was. I think they came back to see if those nine were still there, and when they were? They took them.”
“So you think another unit is being used to store the drugs. Couldn’t a dog find it?”
Burke sighed deeply and turned back around. “Dogs could find the truck. Not necessarily the unit. Depends on so many things. So many scents can camouflage the smell of drugs. Coffee, cinnamon, even vanilla can override the smell. Plus, that was careful packaging. The plastic bags, inside a plastic covered carton and wrapped in more plastic. Not a lot of smell coming through all that. Come on, let’s eat. I’ll look at the pictures later. Let’s just get away from it all for a while.”
He stepped down from the truck and jogged around to open my door.
Not accustomed to such actions I had already popped the door and started to step down. Burke caught my arm and held it till I was on my feet.
“Sorry,” I murmured, “not used to help.”
“You don’t need help, babe, I know that. My mama just raised me to be polite to women. All women.”
Glancing at him I could see his grin in the dim light of the parking lot.
“Come on,” he said, taking my arm again, “let’s go
“Apology accepted,” I told him. “It really wasn’t your fault.”
“Thank you,” Burke smiled, and moved around to take a seat at the counter. “Now, how about dinner? Let me take you out for a change.”
I thought about it. “I don’t think so,” I said.
“Afraid to be seen with me? It’s just dinner. At Kelly’s,” he added naming the diner in Monarch that was everyone’s favorite place to eat. “It’s Thursday, chicken and dumplings. I’ll even spring for dessert.”
He looked so sincere, batting his lashes at me while trying not to grin.
“Fine,” I said. “Let me get locked up.”
He straightened up and went to flip the signs. “I’ll help.”
Kelly’s is a diner, a casual place with the best food in the county and the best prices. Always reasonable, always tasty, and almost always leftovers to be brought home and reheated later. If you’re not too late they have wonderful pies from the local bakery.
On our way out I grabbed the folder from under the counter.
We drove to Kelly’s in Burke’s truck, a newer model with all the bells and whistles, exchanging small talk. He asked about the folder I had placed on the seat.
“Something for you to look at later,” I explained. “I finally found a frame with a partial look at the driver of the Move It truck. Thought maybe you might recognize him although it’s not the best copy in the world.”
“I’ll look at it tonight,” he said. “Anything else come up?”
“Not that I can see,” I answered. “It must be happening at night. Somehow they’re getting in and avoiding the cameras. Only other way is careful planning, using someone else to block the view. That would be tricky.”
“The thing is,” Burke began, turning into Kelly’s parking lot, “that unit is not important.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, babe. That was only nine cartons. A lot of drugs, granted, but not a full load. Were there more? And where were they? That unit was empty, right? Before they put those cartons in?”
“Yes. It was supposed to be. It had one of the little yellow snap tags on the door. I put that on myself.”
He turned off the truck and angled towards me. “I think that was leftovers or extras, that they had filled another unit somewhere close and didn’t have enough room for those last boxes. Or maybe someone interrupted them and they had to dump them off quick. The rest of the load was delivered on schedule, wherever that was. I think they came back to see if those nine were still there, and when they were? They took them.”
“So you think another unit is being used to store the drugs. Couldn’t a dog find it?”
Burke sighed deeply and turned back around. “Dogs could find the truck. Not necessarily the unit. Depends on so many things. So many scents can camouflage the smell of drugs. Coffee, cinnamon, even vanilla can override the smell. Plus, that was careful packaging. The plastic bags, inside a plastic covered carton and wrapped in more plastic. Not a lot of smell coming through all that. Come on, let’s eat. I’ll look at the pictures later. Let’s just get away from it all for a while.”
He stepped down from the truck and jogged around to open my door.
Not accustomed to such actions I had already popped the door and started to step down. Burke caught my arm and held it till I was on my feet.
“Sorry,” I murmured, “not used to help.”
“You don’t need help, babe, I know that. My mama just raised me to be polite to women. All women.”
Glancing at him I could see his grin in the dim light of the parking lot.
“Come on,” he said, taking my arm again, “let’s go
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