Other than that, you know as much as I do. Does that help you any?”
“Has anybody gone down to Yellow Rose, Texas, to check things out?”
“Nobody from here but they’re probably in touch with the cops down there. At least, I would imagine. Maxymowich isn’t stupid. He’ll cover all the bases.”
Reg wasn’t much help but he did put a thought in my head. Why couldn’t I go down and do some snooping? No one would be concerned about an older woman hanging around and asking questions, would they? The biggest problem to that would be how could I do it without raising suspicions? Not there but here in Parson’s Cove.
Who knew the answer would drop right into my lap?
Flori entered the shop the next morning looking about as haggard and drained as I’d ever seen her. She usually bursts in like this tall, larger than life, sparkling sunbeam. Most days, she radiates warmth, love and joy. One look at her orange-red hair, her artificially arched auburn eyebrows, glossy pink lips and flamboyant orange and pink sundress and you can’t help but smile. There are just not enough adjectives to describe her.
“My goodness, Flori, what’s wrong? Why do you look so forlorn? Where are the cinnamon buns? Please, don’t tell me that Jake ate all of them. If he did, I’ll never forgive him.”
Just the hint that in some other world, I would even consider for one moment forgiving Jake anything, usually makes Flori burst into laughter. Not today.
Instead, she burst into tears.
“What’s the matter?” We met half way and I put my arms around her. Flori is the most wonderful person to hug because there’s so much of her and all of it is soft.
“It’s Jake,” she managed to sputter before letting out a loud wail.
I steered her to the chair. She sat looking up at me, a torrent of tears streaming down her face, mixed in with mascara that eventually joined her very runny nose. I grabbed a handful of tissues.
“Here,” I said. “Wipe your face and keep your mouth closed until you’re finished.”
She nodded and complied.
When she finished using up about ten tissues, I asked, “Now, what’s this about Jake? And don’t start crying again. That’s my last box of tissues.”
“Oh Mabel, I can’t believe he would do this to me.” With that, she did exactly as I’d told her not to do - she started to wail and blubber again. I went into my back room and brought out an old hand towel, something I should’ve done in the first place.
“Here,” I said. “Let it all out. When you’re finished, we’ll throw this in the trash.” I did not intend to keep that towel. Or, ever use it again even if it were washed in straight bleach.
I grabbed her hand. “Are you trying to tell me that Jake is having an affair, Flori?”
That was the only thing I could think of that would make a woman carry on so. Suddenly, Charlie’s words came back to me. Esther Flynn was meeting someone in the woods at night. Surely, it couldn’t be Jake!
“Is Jake having an affair with Esther?” I gasped.
Flori stared at me as if I were out of my mind.
“What?” she whispered. “What are you talking about, Mabel?”
“Oh, never mind. What are you talking about? Why, on earth, are you crying like this? What has Jake done?”
“He’s going on a fishing trip with Mike Brown and Henry Brewster.” She sniffed. “For a whole week. They’ve made the plans already and he never even told me. He didn’t consult me. I always consult him no matter what I do.” She covered her face with the towel and blew her nose. I shut my eyes and cringed. “I can’t believe it,” she said when her face finally surfaced. “He’s never done this before. What’s happening to our marriage? Do you really think he’s going to meet another woman?”