Page 13 of Mail-Order Avis (A Mail-Order Mystery #3)

Thirteen

M ilton Beeks didn’t bother to glance up when Reed entered the land office.

Instead, he scribbled in a ledger until his pen came off the paper in a flourish.

Reed fought the urge to roll his eyes. Beeks was of average height and dressed in a suit a little too fine for a town like Fiddler’s Gap.

His slicked-back hair and neatly trimmed mustache gave him a polished look, but the chill in his pale blue eyes told a different story.

Reed had never trusted a man who smiled without meaning it, and Beeks’ smile rarely touched his eyes.

Mr. Beeks finally closed the book and acknowledged him. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Barclay. What can I do for you?”

Reed approached the desk. “I had a few questions about the café.”

Mr. Beeks sat back in his chair with a puzzled look. “As I understand it, your mail-order bride took it over.”

Reed did his best not to frown. “She did. But I was under the impression that Lola and Lyle DeWitt had their hearts set on the café. Poor Miss Prescott feels guilty now for swooping in the way she did and taking it over, though it’s no fault of her own. She had no idea the DeWitts were interested.”

Mr. Beeks straightened in his chair. “Oh, is that all? Well, you can tell the little lady that Lyle and Lola hope no ill will toward her.”

“Are they still planning on moving to Fiddler’s Gap?” Reed asked casually. “I figured if they were, they’d have spoken to you about some land. The town’s going to need a restaurant, you know.”

“Yes, of course it will, one day,” Mr. Beeks agreed.

“But an undertaking like that might be a little too much for Lyle and Lola. It’s just the two of them, and they live in modest accommodations in Baker City.

Not everyone can have a rich mail-order bride.

” He arched an eyebrow. “There seems to be plenty of those around here.” He leaned forward and smiled. “What about yours? Is she rich?”

“No. But she’s practical, brave, and steadfast.”

“High praise coming from the future mayor of Fiddler’s Gap,” Mr. Beeks said with a slight smirk. “One might think you’re interested in your mail-order bride after all.”

“Perhaps,” Reed said.

“Would you want a wife who works her fingers to the bone every day trying to manage that café and bakery? Walter Penrose didn’t do a very good job of it. What makes you think she can do any better?”

“What makes you think she can’t?” Reed shot back.

Mr. Beeks shrugged. “She’s only a woman.”

Reed’s jaw tightened. “A hard-working, honest woman who’ll go far. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if, once a restaurant is built in town, she takes that over.” He considered staying longer but didn’t think he’d get much more. Still, he turned for the door.

“Now, now, there’s no reason to be upset. I didn’t mean to insult your lady,” Mr. Beeks said.

Reed slowly turned as Beeks straightened some papers that didn’t need straightening. “Very well. I just came to see about Lyle and Lola anyway. For two people supposedly interested in running a café, they had nothing nice to say about it last night when they showed up for dinner.”

“Oh?” Mr. Beeks feigned interest. “Well, I can tell you they haven’t come to see me about buying any land or building out here. For all I know, they’re heading back to Chicago.”

Reed stiffened and hoped Beeks didn’t notice. “Are they from there?”

“I believe they have a relative that lives there. At any rate, these East Coast folks come out here, try their hand at making a living, and often return. They seem the type.” He looked down and adjusted his papers again.

Reed let the silence stretch just long enough to become uncomfortable, then gave Beeks a polite smile. “Thank you for the information. I’ll be sure to let Miss Prescott know. She worries about Lyle and Lola. I’ll tell her they’ll be just fine.”

Beeks nodded. “I’m happy to help.”

Reed tipped his hat, turned, and left the land office, already going over the conversation in his mind.

If Lyle and Lola had a relative in Chicago, could they be the ones who placed the advertisement in the Tribune?

It could’ve been done easily enough. The question was, why?

What would they gain from putting a false ad in a major newspaper and having a mail-order bride show up in Fiddler’s Gap for him?

He stopped in front of the café and facepalmed. “Avis was a distraction!”

Inside, he found her wiping down a table. Her rag moved in small, agitated circles, as if she were working out her frustration. She looked up when the bell jingled overhead. “Reed, I didn’t think I’d see you this morning.”

“I just came from the land office,” he said, tipping his head in that direction. “I had a very interesting chat with Milton Beeks, the land clerk. He told me Lyle and Lola have a relative in Chicago.”

Avis suddenly straightened. “What?”

“Yes.”

She tossed the rag onto the counter. “You don’t think they sent that advertisement to the paper, do you?”

“That’s exactly what I think. But why distract me?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Is that what I was supposed to be? A distraction?”

He gave her a faint smile. “Well, a man has to admit, you are mighty pretty.”

She blushed, and his chest swelled. Avis cleared her throat and clasped her hands in front of her. “What else did he say?”

“That Lyle and Lola haven’t asked him about purchasing land or building anything near Fiddler’s Gap. But I do know they were keen on getting their hands on this place. Maybe they’re just upset they didn’t.”

“Then what about the advertisement for a mail-order bride?” she asked.

Reed started to pace. “I know if I think about this hard enough, I’ll figure it out.”

Avis crossed to him and put a hand on his arm. “Need some help?”

He looked at her hand and covered it with his own. “Of course. After all, this involves you too.”

She smiled and stared past him, her eyes scanning the front of the café as if the answer might be hidden there. “I still don’t understand. Why distract you? What might you find?”

“I think the answer might be in the documents kept in Samuel’s safe at the church. There must be something in there that ties all this together.”

“I thought you already looked at those documents.”

“No, just the meeting notes. I’ll go over more today. Samuel mentioned he had a few things to show me, but I put him off so I could talk to Mr. Beeks.”

Avis smiled. “You’ll figure it out. Maybe there are questions we’re not asking, and that’s what’s keeping us from seeing it clearly.”

“What sort of questions?” He tilted his head and studied her a moment. “You look lovely today.”

Her cheeks went pink. “Thank you. And you’re getting off topic.”

“I guess I am easily distracted,” he said with a grin.

“Which was exactly what they were trying to do.” She flushed and turned away. “Can you imagine if I…well…”

Reed tucked a finger under her chin and gently brought her face back around. “If you were what, honey?”

She giggled. “If I had three eyes and four arms and…”

“You mean, if you were unattractive?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged. “Well then, I guess we might not be having this conversation. But since we are, I mean it. You look lovely today, Avis.”

She flushed again and gave him a shy smile. What few patrons remained didn’t pay them any mind, but she ushered him into the kitchen for more privacy. Cora Belle and Hattie were taking pies out of the oven.

“Mr. Barclay and I are stepping out back,” Avis announced.

“Go right ahead,” Hattie said, setting a pie on the worktable.

Avis pulled Reed through the back door and stepped outside. She turned to him. “Okay. What power does a mayor hold?”

“Power?” he repeated, surprised. “You mean besides smiling at ribbon cuttings and trying to keep the peace at town meetings?”

She laughed and locked gazes with him. She really was looking prettier every day. “No, silly, I mean real power. The kind someone like Lola and Lyle might worry about.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You have a point there, Avis.” He dropped his hand. “The mayor has influence over land use, for one.”

“What else?”

“Well, it depends on the town, but here? I’d have enough power to be a problem for certain people.”

She frowned in thought. He watched her, admiring her focus, her fire. He’d be a fool to let her go. But he needed to clear this mess up before he told her how he felt. She had to know she’d be safe with him.

“How can it be a problem for others?” she asked at last.

“Think about it,” he said. “I’ll be chairing town meetings, helping pass ordinances. If someone wants to buy up land cheap or run folks out, I could stop it or at least shine a light on it. That would make me very inconvenient.”

Avis gasped. “And the fact that you got a mail-order bride you didn’t actually send for makes you look foolish?”

“It makes us both look foolish. But here in Fiddler’s Gap, it’s water under the bridge. No one’s talking about it in a bad light. On the contrary, everyone’s been very good about it.”

She nodded. “That’s it, as far as mayoral power?”

Reed sighed. “A mayor doesn’t have formal power like a judge or sheriff, but he has influence, and if he’s popular, a lot of it.

If someone tried to buy up half the town in secret, for example, I’d see it.

If a land clerk were pushing through questionable paperwork, I’d be the one asking questions. ”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You mean like you already have?”

He nodded. “Exactly. Maybe I wouldn’t know what I was stepping into, but if I saw a deed that didn’t look right, or a claim that didn’t match the ledger, I’d mention it to Samuel or bring it up at a meeting.

” He thought a moment and nodded to himself.

“And then, suddenly, someone decides I need to be distracted. And here you are.”

“So they just used me…”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. “They tried, honey. But you didn’t play the part they wanted you to.”

She gave him a tiny smile. “Fall into hysterics and drive you plum loco for a few weeks?”

He slowly nodded. “That’s my guess. Which means something’s going on in this town, and I aim to find out what it is.”

“With my help,” she added.

“Of course,” he said, his eyes roaming her face. “But only for so long. The only players we’re sure of are Lola and Lyle, and I’m beginning to think they’re the reason Walter Penrose left town so suddenly.”

“So theydid want the café,” Avis said, worry creeping into her voice.

Reed gently squeezed her shoulders. “You let me worry about them. If they ran poor Walter out of town, who knows what they’ll try with you? But I know Lola and Lyle well enough to say they’re not that smart. They must be working for someone. The question is, who?”

“How are we going to find out?” she asked.

Her eyes were locked with his, and he wanted to kiss her something awful. He lowered his face to hers, unable to help himself. “I’ll start going through the documents in Samuel’s safe this afternoon,” he said. “He’ll know more than anyone if something isn’t right.”

His eyes bumped over her face again. “If I think this is getting to be too much, then you’ll stop asking questions and just run the café. Understand?”

Concern flickered in her eyes, and she quickly nodded.

And then, he kissed her.