got to make a phone call.”
She eased out of the car and tried to unkink her back.
The man behind the battered cash register was skinny, his bald head shone in the light of the bare fluorescent bulb. He looked up at her approach, eyeing disapprovingly the water that coursed off her jacket onto the tile floor.
“Hi,” Maria said, shaking the rain from her hair and giving him a bright smile. “Quite a storm. Looks like the worst has passed.”
He bobbed a chin at her.
“Uh, do you have a phone I could use? My cell is dead.”
He jabbed a finger at the door. “Pay phone outside.”
She fished around in her damp pocket and handed him a bill. “I’m going to need some gas. Could I get some change for the phone, too?”
“Not unless you’re buying something else.” His shaggy brows knitted as he read the newspaper.
A real gem, Maria thought. She looked at the bins of vegetables and picked a plump carrot for Hank. From the crowded store shelf she grabbed a package of chocolate doughnuts and a soda.
The surly man rang up her purchase and handed her the change.
“Thank you,” she said.
He didn’t answer.
She dashed outside to the rickety gas pump and refueled.
Another foray into the rain brought her to the phone booth. She plunked a couple of coins in the slot and waited for the operator, plotting out her approach. She’d call the police in Los Angeles and tell them the whole story and then alert the authorities in Oregon to rescue her, and her plane while they were at it. Her mind was so busy planning out the conversation that it took a few moments for her to notice the lack of dial tone.
She jerked the change lever. Nothing came out and she slammed down the receiver. “Great. I didn’t even get a dial tone before it ate my money.”
Maria decided there was no point in telling the store clerk about the problem.
She sighed and slogged back to the car, water soaking her socks over the top of her sneakers. Inside she cranked the heater and gave Hank his carrot. The rabbit immediately began to munch, his slender teeth clicking a staccato rhythm. She put her own chattering teeth to work wolfing down the chocolate doughnuts.
An odd beeping noise startled her. Her cell phone was ringing.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hello, Maria. It’s Marty.”
She was so happy to hear his voice she almost cried. “Mr. Shell. I’m so glad you called. You’ll never believe what happened.”
“I’m sorry things didn’t go as planned at the airport. Again, I apologize for my guys being late. Promptness is not a cultural norm anymore. Sad. Ah, well, it’s hard to find good help.”
“No, no. It’s not that. There was a package of drugs on my plane. I’m going to call the police and get this thing straightened out.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Oh, my. That was supposed to be a little secret.”
Her mouth dropped open. “A…secret? You…you…knew about the drugs?”
“A small sideline of mine, Maria. No need to trouble yourself about it.”
The shock that coursed through her veins began to melt away as anger took its place. “Are you out of your mind? You had no right to use my plane to smuggle drugs.”
“I hired your plane to deliver cargo.”
“Pet food, not cocaine. I never would have agreed to that.”
He chuckled. “Well, you did carry pet food, dear, plus two tiny extra packages. No need to get huffy about it.”
She gritted her teeth. “I’m way beyond huffy. I want my plane.”
“Excellent. I would be happy to reunite you with your plane as soon as you give me back my property.”
“What property?”
“The drugs that were hidden in the cargo.”
“I didn’t take the box. It’s still there.”
The sound of breathing filled the line. “Maria, you’re a good girl, an honest girl. I know you were surprised to find my extra packages, but let’s not make a big mistake here. I know you took one of them. All will be forgiven if you return it to me. I am nothing if not a fair man.”
“You are nothing if not a drug dealer.” Her mind reeled. “What does your wife think about your second job?”
“My wife?” He sounded puzzled. “What does she have to do with this? I am discussing business here. My package. It was stowed in your plane. My men tell me half of the goods are not there now.”
“I did not take your drugs. Maybe your gun-toting friends did. Did you think about that? They shot at me, you know.”
He sighed. “Yes, that was regrettable, but they have strict orders to return my property. They know what would happen to them if they crossed me. The man I hired to load the merchandise onto the plane found that out the hard way. Unfortunately, he tragically passed away.”
She swallowed. “Passed away?”
“He was run down by a car, poor man.”
The air felt suddenly colder. Maria still could not wrap her mind around the jolly beekeeper’s dark side. “Well, how do you know he doesn’t—didn’t take your property? Maybe he never hid it on my plane in the first place.”
“I had someone watching from a distance when he exited the aircraft and he carried nothing. It was a test, you see. He did well until he started talking to some folks about his new job, and he needed to be disciplined. We’ve searched his place and his car to be on the safe side.” Martin sighed gustily. “Breaking in new people is such a challenge. Running a small business is no picnic, either.”
The thought of a man being run down in the street made her shiver. “I am telling you, I don’t have it, Marty. You need to believe me. All I want is my plane.”
“I do want to believe you, sweetie. I am very fond of you. You are what I imagine my daughter would be like, if I had one.” His voice became hard. “But I want my property.”
She ignored the growing fear in her gut. “What are you going to say to the police when I tell them about your little business?”
He laughed. “You go ahead and tell them your story. They won’t find anything to connect me to illegal activity. I’m a very careful man, meticulous, one might say. You, on the other hand, are driving a car that isn’t yours and all you’ve got is plenty of debt and a nutty story. No proof of anything, my dear.”
She suppressed a whisper of panic. “I just want my plane. If I
