I’m a teacher, but I tend to overexplain things, even when it’s not necessary. Of course you know the commissioners. There’s one of them who doesn’t like me much. He thinks I’m a pest.”
“Imagine that,” Rhodes said.
Benton looked at Rhodes and shook his head. “I’m not a pest. I just want people to do their jobs and mow the ditches now and then.”
“Right,” Rhodes said. “What do the ditches have to do with this?”
“One of the people who spends time in Mr. Kergan’s office is the commissioner for my district.”
“Mikey Burns.”
“That’s the one,” Benton said.
Benton was right about having some interesting information, Rhodes thought. He considered apologizing but decided not to. It might give Benton the idea he was being more helpful than he actually was.
“And there’s a woman, too,” Benton continued. “I don’t know her name, but I know she works with computers. She’s been out at the college a time or two, talking to some of the IT people.”
“What’s she look like?”
“She’s short, and she has blond hair. Not old. Not young. Kind of cute.”
“Mel Muller,” Rhodes said, though he wasn’t sure.
Benton shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry,” Rhodes said. “I’ll find out.”
Rhodes sent Benton away, then told Ivy to take the Edsel home and go to bed.
“How will you get home?”
“Duke will take me.”
Duke Pearson was the deputy who’d responded to one of the calls Rhodes had made.
“Are you all right?” Ivy asked.
“Just bruised.”
“And not as clean as a weasel, either.”
“It’s a hazardous job.”
“But somebody has to do it.”
“Right. I’ll try not to wake you up when I get in.”
“You’d better wake me. I want to know you’re home.”
Rhodes promised he’d wake her if that was what she wanted, and Ivy drove away.
Rhodes went inside the restaurant to make sure that Kergan’s office was sealed. It was.
Duke Pearson was just about finished with his questioning of the employees. The server whom Rhodes had talked to earlier was waiting his turn in the foyer, while Duke was talking to one of the cooks in the big dining room. Rhodes called the server over and asked his name.
“Ralph Meadows. Everybody calls me Scooter.”
Scooter was about twenty, Rhodes guessed. He had brown hair that was cut very short, a wide face with a big nose, and ears that stuck out a little too much. He still looked a little shocked at what had happened.
“All right, Scooter,” Rhodes said. “How long have you been working here?”
“Ever since the place opened. I live in Thurston, and Mr. Kergan knows my daddy. Knew him, I guess I should say. I still can’t believe he’s dead.”
“Your father’s Henry Meadows?”
“That’s right. You know him?”
Scooter seemed surprised that anyone would know his father, but Rhodes had met the man a couple of times. He was the only thing resembling a mechanic in Thurston and did minor car repairs in the shell of an old building that had once housed a service station. There was no service station in Thurston now, just a couple of gas pumps at a little convenience store out on the main highway that bypassed the town.
“Not well. He got you this job?”
“Yeah. He talked to Mr. Kergan about it. I guess I don’t have a job now, though.”
Rhodes didn’t know what would happen to the restaurant. Kergan wasn’t married, and Rhodes didn’t know about the next of kin.
“Has anybody told Miss Muller?” Scooter asked.
“Melanie Muller?” Rhodes said.
He’d told Benton he’d find out, but he hadn’t known it would be quite so easy.
“I think that’s her name. She does computer stuff. I think she and Mr. Kergan were pretty good friends.”
“You mean they were dating?”
“Do old people date?”
Kergan was around fifty. Rhodes figured that to Scooter that was about the same as being around a hundred.
“Sometimes they do,” Rhodes said. “Just for
“Imagine that,” Rhodes said.
Benton looked at Rhodes and shook his head. “I’m not a pest. I just want people to do their jobs and mow the ditches now and then.”
“Right,” Rhodes said. “What do the ditches have to do with this?”
“One of the people who spends time in Mr. Kergan’s office is the commissioner for my district.”
“Mikey Burns.”
“That’s the one,” Benton said.
Benton was right about having some interesting information, Rhodes thought. He considered apologizing but decided not to. It might give Benton the idea he was being more helpful than he actually was.
“And there’s a woman, too,” Benton continued. “I don’t know her name, but I know she works with computers. She’s been out at the college a time or two, talking to some of the IT people.”
“What’s she look like?”
“She’s short, and she has blond hair. Not old. Not young. Kind of cute.”
“Mel Muller,” Rhodes said, though he wasn’t sure.
Benton shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t worry,” Rhodes said. “I’ll find out.”
Rhodes sent Benton away, then told Ivy to take the Edsel home and go to bed.
“How will you get home?”
“Duke will take me.”
Duke Pearson was the deputy who’d responded to one of the calls Rhodes had made.
“Are you all right?” Ivy asked.
“Just bruised.”
“And not as clean as a weasel, either.”
“It’s a hazardous job.”
“But somebody has to do it.”
“Right. I’ll try not to wake you up when I get in.”
“You’d better wake me. I want to know you’re home.”
Rhodes promised he’d wake her if that was what she wanted, and Ivy drove away.
Rhodes went inside the restaurant to make sure that Kergan’s office was sealed. It was.
Duke Pearson was just about finished with his questioning of the employees. The server whom Rhodes had talked to earlier was waiting his turn in the foyer, while Duke was talking to one of the cooks in the big dining room. Rhodes called the server over and asked his name.
“Ralph Meadows. Everybody calls me Scooter.”
Scooter was about twenty, Rhodes guessed. He had brown hair that was cut very short, a wide face with a big nose, and ears that stuck out a little too much. He still looked a little shocked at what had happened.
“All right, Scooter,” Rhodes said. “How long have you been working here?”
“Ever since the place opened. I live in Thurston, and Mr. Kergan knows my daddy. Knew him, I guess I should say. I still can’t believe he’s dead.”
“Your father’s Henry Meadows?”
“That’s right. You know him?”
Scooter seemed surprised that anyone would know his father, but Rhodes had met the man a couple of times. He was the only thing resembling a mechanic in Thurston and did minor car repairs in the shell of an old building that had once housed a service station. There was no service station in Thurston now, just a couple of gas pumps at a little convenience store out on the main highway that bypassed the town.
“Not well. He got you this job?”
“Yeah. He talked to Mr. Kergan about it. I guess I don’t have a job now, though.”
Rhodes didn’t know what would happen to the restaurant. Kergan wasn’t married, and Rhodes didn’t know about the next of kin.
“Has anybody told Miss Muller?” Scooter asked.
“Melanie Muller?” Rhodes said.
He’d told Benton he’d find out, but he hadn’t known it would be quite so easy.
“I think that’s her name. She does computer stuff. I think she and Mr. Kergan were pretty good friends.”
“You mean they were dating?”
“Do old people date?”
Kergan was around fifty. Rhodes figured that to Scooter that was about the same as being around a hundred.
“Sometimes they do,” Rhodes said. “Just for
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