and more, watering can swinging. “These guys traipse through here all hours of the night. They think no one notices how they stop by for five minutes and then come back the next week and do it all over again.”
This was certainly a new angle. I swiped at my temples again as I felt sweat trickle down the side of my face. “Are you saying Stump was dealing drugs?”
“Not just Stump, but Bobby Joe, too. And what kind of stupid name is Stump?”
Bobby Joe might have had his faults, like cheating on my sister, but I hadn’t pegged him as a drug dealer. “Are you sure?”
Yolanda cackled. “Of course I’m sure Stump is a stupid name. Might as well call himself Log.”
“No, I meant are you sure Bobby Joe was involved?”
“Yessum. I happened to be crouched down, pruning the base of my lemon tree one afternoon, and overheard him making a deal right at his apartment door, in front of God and everybody.”
I had to take a moment to digest that information. My little sister had been dating a drug dealer? Did she know?
“Sounds like their operation was pretty big with all the people coming and going,” I said.
“Big as the great sky.” Yolanda said. “’Course, that don’t mean they didn’t have their differences. They were shouting at each other something fierce a couple of nights ago.”
Now that was interesting. “Any idea what they were arguing about?”
Yolanda started to say more, but her voice was drowned out by my own car horn beeping as Ashlee barreled into the parking lot and screeched to a halt in front of Yolanda and me.
Yolanda frowned. “There’s one of their customers now. She must have a real problem what with all the times she’s been here.”
“Um, actually, she was dating Bobby Joe. But I’m sure she didn’t know about the drugs.”
Ashlee stuck her head out the driver’s-side window. “Get a move on, Dana,” she shouted. “I don’t have all day.”
Oh. My. God.
I tried to ignore her. “Yolanda, could you hear what Bobby Joe and Stump were yelling?”
Yolanda tugged on her T-shirt and fanned her face. “Afraid not. I got out here right at the tail end. Bobby Joe said something about how this wasn’t over and then got in his truck and drove off.”
“Come on, Dana. Let’s go,” Ashlee shouted behind me.
Man, she could be annoying.
I offered Yolanda a tight smile. “Nice talking to you.” I slunk to the car, sure she’d already tucked me away under the riffraff category in her mental filing cabinet, now that she’d seen me with Ashlee.
I yanked open the passenger door and slid into the seat. My gaze immediately fell on the ice cream cone propped in the cup holder, melted vanilla and chocolate swirl oozing down the sides of the cone and dripping onto my car’s interior.
Ashlee followed my gaze. “You sounded kind of mad, so I bought you a cone. I’ve been blasting it with the AC, but you took so long to get in the car, it’s starting to melt.”
Not wanting my car awash in sticky dairy products, I pulled the cone from the holder and licked the sides.
“See, I knew you’d want it,” Ashlee said.
I checked the cone to make sure I’d gotten most of the drips. “Don’t ever take my car again.”
“It was your own fault,” Ashlee retorted. “You left me in the car like a dog.”
“That’s not true. I’d never leave a dog in the car in this heat.” I stared at the rapidly melting ice cream that I hadn’t wanted. I could throw it out the window, but I wasn’t a fan of littering. I could give it to Ashlee, but she could barely drive with two hands. As I debated, the ice cream continued to melt until I had no choice but to eat it. I didn’t want Ashlee to think I was enjoying the ice cream, but man, it was tasty.
“How about my iPod?” Ashlee asked. “Did you at least get that?” She slammed on the brakes after almost running a stop sign.
I jerked forward in my seat as the belt tightened and held me in place. “Watch it,” I snapped.
This was certainly a new angle. I swiped at my temples again as I felt sweat trickle down the side of my face. “Are you saying Stump was dealing drugs?”
“Not just Stump, but Bobby Joe, too. And what kind of stupid name is Stump?”
Bobby Joe might have had his faults, like cheating on my sister, but I hadn’t pegged him as a drug dealer. “Are you sure?”
Yolanda cackled. “Of course I’m sure Stump is a stupid name. Might as well call himself Log.”
“No, I meant are you sure Bobby Joe was involved?”
“Yessum. I happened to be crouched down, pruning the base of my lemon tree one afternoon, and overheard him making a deal right at his apartment door, in front of God and everybody.”
I had to take a moment to digest that information. My little sister had been dating a drug dealer? Did she know?
“Sounds like their operation was pretty big with all the people coming and going,” I said.
“Big as the great sky.” Yolanda said. “’Course, that don’t mean they didn’t have their differences. They were shouting at each other something fierce a couple of nights ago.”
Now that was interesting. “Any idea what they were arguing about?”
Yolanda started to say more, but her voice was drowned out by my own car horn beeping as Ashlee barreled into the parking lot and screeched to a halt in front of Yolanda and me.
Yolanda frowned. “There’s one of their customers now. She must have a real problem what with all the times she’s been here.”
“Um, actually, she was dating Bobby Joe. But I’m sure she didn’t know about the drugs.”
Ashlee stuck her head out the driver’s-side window. “Get a move on, Dana,” she shouted. “I don’t have all day.”
Oh. My. God.
I tried to ignore her. “Yolanda, could you hear what Bobby Joe and Stump were yelling?”
Yolanda tugged on her T-shirt and fanned her face. “Afraid not. I got out here right at the tail end. Bobby Joe said something about how this wasn’t over and then got in his truck and drove off.”
“Come on, Dana. Let’s go,” Ashlee shouted behind me.
Man, she could be annoying.
I offered Yolanda a tight smile. “Nice talking to you.” I slunk to the car, sure she’d already tucked me away under the riffraff category in her mental filing cabinet, now that she’d seen me with Ashlee.
I yanked open the passenger door and slid into the seat. My gaze immediately fell on the ice cream cone propped in the cup holder, melted vanilla and chocolate swirl oozing down the sides of the cone and dripping onto my car’s interior.
Ashlee followed my gaze. “You sounded kind of mad, so I bought you a cone. I’ve been blasting it with the AC, but you took so long to get in the car, it’s starting to melt.”
Not wanting my car awash in sticky dairy products, I pulled the cone from the holder and licked the sides.
“See, I knew you’d want it,” Ashlee said.
I checked the cone to make sure I’d gotten most of the drips. “Don’t ever take my car again.”
“It was your own fault,” Ashlee retorted. “You left me in the car like a dog.”
“That’s not true. I’d never leave a dog in the car in this heat.” I stared at the rapidly melting ice cream that I hadn’t wanted. I could throw it out the window, but I wasn’t a fan of littering. I could give it to Ashlee, but she could barely drive with two hands. As I debated, the ice cream continued to melt until I had no choice but to eat it. I didn’t want Ashlee to think I was enjoying the ice cream, but man, it was tasty.
“How about my iPod?” Ashlee asked. “Did you at least get that?” She slammed on the brakes after almost running a stop sign.
I jerked forward in my seat as the belt tightened and held me in place. “Watch it,” I snapped.
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