Tag Archive | The Clue in the Collectibles

Chapter 15—When

Oct18

If you’d like to start from the beginning of the story, and really, that is the very best place to start, click here! This is an unedited free write that is a challenge for the month of October. Comments are encouraged!

Chapter 15

When

 

The rest of the week went quickly for Erin as she had to open the store both Thursday and Friday. Harry had mercy on her and gave her Saturdays and Sundays off. That was definitely a luxury in the restaurant business. But since her job was mostly administrative, she felt OK with that plan.

Friday night, she and Cory and Pepper and Scott (not a double date, mind you, Scott was just a friend!) went to the Grand Lake Theater in Downtown Oakland to see the newest Marvel movie. Pepper insisted. She was a Marvel addict. The others liked them well enough, but Pepper was a fanatic.

After the movie they decided to indulge and head to Fenton’s Creamery for the most amazing ice cream creations ever. It was a little more than a mile’s walk, so they decided to enjoy the October weather and make the trek on foot. Pepper’s chosen footwear of three-inch heels to accent her black and white polka-dotted cold-shoulder dress proved to be a challenge, so within a block she decided to just take them off and carry them.

The four friends enjoyed their companionable argument about whether the villain was really a villain or an anti-hero with Pepper feeling sorry for the circumstances he was thrown into and Scott insisting that he was a villain who just needed to be put away. They laughed and joked and punched each other in the shoulders as they made their way down Piedmont Ave., finally arriving at their destination about 30 minutes later.

Wanting to save room for the real stuff, Erin and Pepper both ordered the amazing crab sandwich while the men went the burger route: Mushroom Swiss for Scott and Western Bacon Cheeseburger for Cory. They said they needed their energy for their big pick-up basketball game in the morning. It was going to be the ice cream creations that were going to take a lot of decision making skills. In the end, the girls decided to be smart and split a Saddleback Brownie while Scott got the Black and White in honor of his patrol car, and Cory went with the Cookie Connection Sundae. Too bad they couldn’t just jump to dessert, but they were responsible adults after all.

As they were finishing up, scraping their containers of the very last vestiges of ice cream that they could, Scott suddenly said, “Oh, hey, Erin, I was taking to my captain about Hazel and he has given us permission to go ahead and enter her residence to check things out, since she’s still missing.”

“Whaa?!” Erin exclaimed, shocked and surprised by this sudden announcement. “Are you serious? When? Who?” Pepper and Cory made exclamations of surprise as well. All eyes were on Scott.

“Tomorrow morning, early as you want,” Scott replied, wiping his lips of the last of the sugary treat.

“I get to go?” Erin again exclaimed. This was getting better and better. Finally, they were making progress. At least she hoped they would be making progress. She felt sure the answer was in the house.

Scott chuckled. “Cap figures that since Hazel called you, you’re the closest thing to family that she’s got. Have you ever been in her house?”

Erin shook her head. “She never let anyone in her house. I’m not sure why, but judging by the outside, maybe she was ashamed or something.” She hadn’t really stopped to consider what she might be getting herself into. She’d be sure she brought some disposable gloves along.

The group got up from their table, a good bit heavier than when they had sat down, and started the hike back to their cars at the theater. Cory and Erin walked hand in hand, flanked by Pepper on the left and Scott on the right. Pepper wanted to make sure nobody mistook them for a couple. Erin determined to get her friend alone again and find out what was going on in that big stubborn brain of hers.

Scott and Cory settled on an 11 a.m. start time for their pick up game at the local high school, so Erin determined that 9:00 would work for Scott to pick her up to head to Hazel’s. They walked the rest of the way in companionable, over-stuffed silence. Sleep wasn’t going to come easily on these full bellies, but boy had it been worth it.

 

 

Chapter 14—Ask

Oct18

Start at chapter 1 if you’re new to the story by clicking here. This is a free write with no editing, so your comments or concerns are welcome! Enjoy.

Chapter 14

Ask

 

“Are you serious?” Erin’s dad looked at her from across the table in the brightly lit Bo’s Burger Bistro three blocks west and two blocks south of the bagel shop. As always, Gordy had been right on time and they beat the dinner crowd that always seemed to fill the Village favorite. They had already ordered from the extensive menu and were enjoying a basket of crispy onion rings and glasses of lemonade while they waited for their culinary delights. Bo’s burgers really were the best.

“So, let me get this straight,” Gordy began. “Hazel hasn’t been seen around the village for two days, and you’re worried something has happened to her because she left a voicemail for you late at night and she sounded scared.”

Erin nodded her head. “I know that’s not much to go on, but you always taught us to observe what’s going on around us, and if we see something, say something, right? Well, I’m saying something, but nobody’s taking it very seriously.” She grabbed another onion ring and chomped down on it in frustration.

Trying to channel her inner Kinsey Malone, Erin tried a different angle. “What do you know about Green Glass Vineyards and Winery?”

“Did we just change subjects here,” Gordy asked, “or does this still have to do with Hazel?”

Not wanting to admit to her dad that she was snooping around Hazel’s house, yet really wanting information that might help her make heads or tails out of what was going on, Erin hesitated. Deciding to just jump in with both feet she said, “It’s still about Hazel. I found a business card outside her garage that didn’t look like it had been out in the elements very long. It made me wonder that her disappearance and the winery might be connected.”

Their server arrived with their burgers just then, steaming plates of golden wheat buns and thick, juicy burgers that set Erin’s mouth to watering as soon as she caught sight of them. Had she forgotten to eat lunch again? All the works on her Red Zone burger and bacon and avocado on Gordy’s Touchdown were definitely the right choices. As was their habit, they cut each burger in half and swapped so they could share. It was too hard to narrow it down to just one choice.

This delay gave Gordy an opportunity to let his frustration over Erin’s foolhardy trip to Hazel’s cool down a bit before he made any comment. She cared, that was the main point, and he didn’t want to derail her completely from her concern for Hazel’s wellbeing. “OK, let’s look at this logically,” he said, swallowing his first bite. “I’ve known Hazel for a long time. She was destroyed by Bernie’s and Bryan’s deaths. She’s literally never been the same.”

“It’s so sad,” Erin responded, picking up her burger and holding it over her plate so that all the gooey goodness dripped there instead of on her shirt. “Bernie worked for the government, right?”

Gordy nodded because his mouth was full. “We weren’t completely sure what area he worked in, but we never got the idea that it was very dangerous. But they never talked about his work much.”

“So it’s conceivable that he could have gotten on the wrong side of some bad guys,” Erin insisted, offering Gordy the last onion ring, which he waved off. “You didn’t answer my question about Green Glass Winery. What do you know about them?”

Gordon chewed for a minute, trying to recollect what he knew over the years. “I know that a lot of the vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma and all over up there hit a hard time financially in the early 90s, but I don’t know too many of the details. That wasn’t really my realm.”

Erin looked up from her burger with interest. “Do you know if Green Glass was among them?”

“I don’t know specifically,” Gordon answered, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses further up on his nose, “Wine is a really big business in California, in case you didn’t know.” He grinned. He might be the economist in the family, but Erin held her own in the business end of things. “I know that many had to take out huge loans in order to stay in business. I don’t know specifically about Green Glass, but I do know that they’ve been around for a really long time.”

“So, it’s not outside the realm of possibility,” Erin pushed, “that Green Glass could have found some illegal way to stay afloat, and Bernie found out about it and wanted to blow the whistle.”

“No, it’s not,” her dad conceded, “But we never had any reason to believe that Bernie’s job had anything to do with criminal activity.”

Erin tucked all this information into the filing cabinet in her brain, and they finished their meal in companionable conversation, not wanting to spend the whole time on a heavy subject. Erin was very grateful for the relationship she had with her dad. Every since her mom’s death seven years earlier, they had been even closer than before.

As they settled the bill and were walking out the door, Erin took his arm. “Thanks for letting me ask all these questions. Gives me some things to think about. So, are we going to see Ellen this weekend?” Ellen was the 50-something widow “friend” her dad had been spending a lot of time with in the past year. Although she was an economist for the city of San Diego, she made the trip to the Bay Area often to see her adult kids, and a certain graying economics professor she had taken a liking to.

“I think that’s the plan,” he answered. “I’d like to see if you and Tyler and family could come for Sunday dinner. Haven’t seen enough of that grandson of mine lately.”

“Sounds good,” Erin said as they approached the parking lot where their cars were parked. “Just let me know when and if I should bring something. I was just thinking of texting Ty to see if I could see them, so this would work out great. “ She gave her dad a big hug, opened the door of her car and started up the distinctive VW Bug engine. Her dad waved as she backed out and he headed to his own car.

 

 

Chapter 12—Praise

Oct15

Getting close to halfway through this project, and I am getting so excited! I know there’s a ton of work to be done if I ever want to publish this little puppy, but I have never gotten so far along in a story. Remember this is just an unedited free write. Comment if you find things that don’t make sense or really couldn’t happen. Also let me know what you like! Click here to start on chapter 1 if you’re new to the story.

 

Chapter 12

Praise

 

After a fruitless hour of searching through the Green Glass Winery website for clues to something that could be nailed down about as well as cream cheese in the warm sun, Erin gave up and tried to focus her attention on the work that actually needed to be done for the shop. Harry had mentioned some numbers not seeming right on the invoice from their food service company. So she spent the next hour and a half combing through every charge and checking the original order form. It was a tedious process, but she finally discovered that an order for 10 boxes of 100 paper plates was billed at 100 boxes. Oops. Someone’s fingers got a little happy on the keyboard.

Erin called her contact at the company, explained the error and worked out a credit to their account for the next order, plus a 20% additional for the mistake. This was why she loved working with Hiller Foods. They took care of their customers.

Getting up to stretch, she poked her head into the kitchen to tell Harry she had found the error, but didn’t see him. Charlie was busily washing industrial-sized pots and utensils, earbuds in as he danced to his favorite jam. She smiled. The curly-haired teen was a good worker, even if he was a little ditzy. Catching his attention, Erin motioned for him to take out an earbud and then said, “Morning, Charlie. Know where Harry went?”

“He left about 20 minutes ago, Erin,” Charlie answered. “But he didn’t say where he was going.”

Waving her thanks, Erin went out into the front of house. Several of the small tables in the dining area were occupied, and Gretchen was serving customers lined up in front. Erin stepped in to lend a hand. Gretchen smiled her thanks and continued helping the young mom, Lauren, and her twin boys, Barton and Banner, who were jumping up and down with excitement at the mid-morning treat. It was their usual Wednesday morning outing before story time at the library. Leaning over to give high fives to the boys and ruffle their bright blond hair made Erin miss her nephew, TJ. She’d call Liz later and see if she could see them this weekend. She made a mental note.

A few minutes later, Harry came in the front door, holding a newspaper in his hand. “Where’d you go?” Erin asked him, as she finished ringing up the elderly gentleman who was making his first visit to the store after moving to the Village just two months before.

Harry waved the paper at her as he enthusiastically answered, “I didn’t tell you last week that the ‘Clarion’ interviewed me for an article leading up to our 30th anniversary. Listen to this: ‘Praise for Be My Bagel.’

“’There’s nothing better for breakfast or a mid-morning treat than a bagel and schmear, and there’s no better place in the Bay Area to enjoy this chewy treat than the locally owned and operated Be My Bagel in the Village. The 60’s vibe appeals to young and old alike as owner Harry Harrison, sole proprietor for Be My Bagel’s nearly 30 years of business, stocks his shop with not only the highest quality and creative product, but also with employees who treat everyone who enters like family.’”

“It goes on,” Harry grinned. “Lots more mushy stuff. You can read it when you get a chance.”

“That’s great, Harry!” Erin responded with enthusiasm. Free publicity was always a good thing. Their little local newspaper didn’t have a huge reach, but food reviews sometimes were picked up by the bigger city papers. “You and I need to sit down and plan our promos for anniversary week.”

“We’ve got more than a month,” Harry assured her. “How about Monday morning?”

“Sounds good,” Erin replied. I’ll put it on my calendar. Oh and, hey, I figured out that invoice error. Someone at Hiller got a little over zealous with their zeroes and charged us for 100 boxes of paper plates instead of just 10. It’s all settled with an additional 20% credit for our trouble.”

Harry gave a thumbs up as he headed over to the table where the elderly gentleman sat to introduce himself and welcome him to the Village. Soon they were knee deep in a laughter-filled discussion on some topic that Erin could just grin at. Harry had made another loyal customer, no doubt. The man had a gift.

 

 

Chapter 11—Door

Oct12

Welcome to chapter 11! If you need to, you can start at chapter 1 by clicking here. Remember this is a free write, so no heavy editing has been done. If you find mistakes, feel free to leave a comment. If you’re enjoying the story, share it with others and leave me a comment. If you have a critique, leave me a comment!

Chapter 11

Door

 

It had been six years since Erin had started working at the bagel shop owned by her Uncle Harry. She started at the counter when she was a sophomore in high school. Harry had made her manager before she graduated from Cal with her business degree with the intention of giving the store to her upon his demise. Which didn’t look like it would be anytime soon. For which Erin was eternally grateful.

As she walked in the door with just seconds to spare before the clock chimed 10, Erin breathed deeply, enjoying the yeasty smell of the baked goodies and the 60s vibe Harry carried out so well.

There were several people in line at the counter, so Erin hurried to drop her bag off in her office and then washed her hands at the small sink behind the counter before moving to help Gretchen, the middle-aged grandma who worked 15 hours a week supplementing her husband’s income so she could feed her crafting addiction. Erin was pretty sure Gretchen alone kept the local hobby store in business. She was a sweet woman who loved on everyone who came in and was completely trustworthy. Erin loved her like an aunt.

After the line died down, Erin grabbed herself a cup of coffee and went in search of Harry and found him in the kitchen, sitting on a stool, squinting at the computer screen in front of him. She reached around to give him a one-armed hug. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Hey, girlie!” her uncle greeted her heartily. “Did you know that we’re coming up on our 30th anniversary? I’m looking on Pinterest for ideas of what to do to celebrate.”

Erin chuckled and pulled up another stool to sit beside her gray-haired uncle. “It makes me incredibly happy to see you searching Pinterest,” she quipped. “It just does so much for your persona.”

Harry gave her a sidelong glance. “Don’t get sassy with me, you.” Harry had never married and had no children, so Erin, Sarah and Tyler were his surrogates. He loved them immensely and was as heart-broken as Gordon was about the choices Sarah was making now that she was on her own at college. And he lavished gifts on Tyler’s baby boy, Blake, like any enamored grandpa.

Erin sat watching for a minute before she ventured, “Did you see Hazel this morning, Uncle Harry?”

“No,” he answered distractedly, “But I haven’t been up front much, so she could have come in without me seeing her.”

“I’ll go ask Gretchen,” Erin said, getting up from her chair and taking her mug to the big industrial sink and rinsing it out. “Can I get you anything?”

“Nah, I’m good, girl. See if you can get those invoices from Hiller Foods figured out for me. I think there’s something wrong with last week’s total.” Harry hadn’t taken his eyes off the screen as he answered.

Erin had one hand on the swinging door when the business card in her pocket came to her mind. “Hey, Harry,” she said. “You ever heard of Green Glass Vineyard and Winery?”

“Sure, it’s been around forever,” Harry responded, taking off his glasses to glance at Erin across the room. “Gordy and I used to go up there every now and then before he and your mom got married. Nice place. Why you ask? Looking for a nice getaway for you and Cory?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

Not wanting Harry to know that she had been snooping around Hazel’s house on her own, Erin simply said, “Just curious. Don’t stare at that computer too long. It’s bad for your brain.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry said as Erin pushed through the door.

Gretchen was refilling the clear glass case with fresh bagels when Erin went back behind the counter. “Hey, Gretch. Seen any sign of Hazel this morning?”

Straightening up and pushing her light brown hair behind her ear, Gretchen thought for a minute before replying. “I don’t think so, kiddo. Why?”

Erin felt her stomach knot in concern. Missing one day in the Village was one thing, but to miss two? Something was definitely wrong. “This is the second day in a row she hasn’t been in,” Erin answered. “She left me a very strange voicemail overnight two days ago, and then hasn’t been around since. I’m worried about her.”

“That is unusual,” Gretchen agreed. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. What does Scott think?”

“He went to her house after he got off yesterday. Said it didn’t appear her car was there. He figured she just went somewhere. “ Erin moved to the dining area and picked up the dishes people had piled by the trash cans. “Have you ever known Hazel to take a trip anywhere in the 20 years since Bernie and Bryan died?”

Gretchen shrugged. “Can’t say that I have, but there’s a first time for everything.”

Ugh, thought Erin. Why is nobody taking this seriously?

After taking the dishes to the kitchen sink, Erin headed to her office. Charlie, the young college student they hired to help with keeping the kitchen clean would be in before noon to wash up and then tend to keeping the dining area clean through the rest of the day. Whenever needed, Harry would see to baking fresh bagels from the trays prepared by Barry and Bonnie that morning and kept in the walk-in refrigerator.

As she sat, she pulled out the Green Glass Winery business card and studied it. The white card stock was only barely discolored, telling her that it hadn’t been out in the elements very long. It was a little water damaged, which would stand to reason for something outside in the Bay Area fog. Setting it down on her desk, she turned on her desktop computer and waited for it to boot up. She didn’t exactly know what she was looking for, but greenglasswinery.com seemed a good place to start.

 

 

Chapter 10—How

Oct12

Are you as curious as I am yet about how this is all going to turn out? Thanks for coming back for more. Remember that I’m still just free writing, not editing for anything major, and welcome your critique and comments! If you’re new to the story, click here to start at the beginning. Enjoy the next couple of chapters!

Chapter 10

How

Waking up late was a luxury Erin didn’t usually have. But Uncle Harry had wanted to open the shop today because he had some ideas he wanted to run by Barry and Bonnie before customers started showing up. So she pulled on her trusty turquoise sweats and running shoes and headed out the door for a much-needed run to try to clear her head. She hadn’t slept well after initially falling asleep quickly, her dreams filled with visions of Hazel lying injured in a ditch somewhere and car crashes caused by unknown assailants. She really needed to get her act together.

Running in the hills was always an adventure. Sometimes the fog could be so thick you could barely see in front of you. Today, the mist was light as the sun, already gaining altitude in the sky, burned off the wispy tendrils. She was due in the shop by 10, so she chose her longer route, enjoying the quiet the hills and canyons brought.

Her feet automatically lead her to Canyon Rd., the site of the fateful accident involving Hazel’s husband, Bernie, and their 5-year-old son, Bryan. Hazel and Bernie had been married 15 years before they were able to have Bryan, and they adored the curly headed boy. The night they died, Bernie and Bryan were headed home from a T-ball practice at the Canyon Park.

Into the rhythm of her run now, Erin didn’t even have to think about where she was going, so she just let her mind continue down the path it was taking on its own. If she remembered what her parents had told her when she asked about Hazel when she would see her alone in the Village, Bernie had worked for the Federal Government. Systems analyst or something like that. Pretty low key, but a good job. Nothing nefarious that she knew of. Of course, she was only two when the accident happened. Hard to believe it had been twenty years.

Which brought her back to the question, how is it possible that Hazel had turned up something proving the accident wasn’t all that it seemed? Like a dog gnawing on a bone, Erin could not let go of this mystery. Turning toward home, she determined to head back to Hazel’s house now that it was light, and do a bit more thorough of a search.

 

After a warm shower and a quick cup of coffee—she’d grab a bagel at the shop when she got there—Erin filled Einstein’s bowls, gave him a kiss on the head, and headed to her Bug. It would take her just a few minutes to get to Hazel’s, but she knew she didn’t have much time before she needed to show up at work or Harry would have Scott putting out an APB on her. Leftover hippy that he was, he was still over protective of both his nieces. Erin’s sister, Sarah, was at school in San Diego, and her older brother, Tyler, was married with a baby and seemed to be doing well taking care of his family, so Erin usually got the brunt of his watchfulness.

As she again pulled into Hazel’s driveway, Erin was struck by the rundown look of the place. It hadn’t seemed so pitiful in the dark. But to see it in full daylight brought a lump to Erin’s throat. Why did Hazel refuse all offers of help? This house could be beautiful if it was taken care of. The view of the Bay would be stunning if the trees were trimmed. Even with the city ordinance requiring views to be conserved, Hazel had somehow slipped under the radar.

She slowly got out of the Bug and headed toward the garage that was straight in front of her. Most people used their garages around the hills, because it was almost impossible for emergency vehicles to get by if there were cars on the edges of the road. Hazel’s garage was typical for the neighborhood: two-car, heavy wooden door drawn up manually with the aid of a large spring, door out back, windows on both sides. Erin approached the door but hesitated to try to open it. She really didn’t have a right to enter Hazel’s property.

But how was she going to be able to check thoroughly if she couldn’t go in? She went around the side window, but it was so covered in grime that she couldn’t see a thing in the dark interior. She tried rubbing her hand through the dirt, but it only made it worse. She climbed through the weeds and overgrown bushes to the other side, scaring a pair of rabbits in the process, but encountered the same grime on that side as well.

Heaving a deep sigh, Erin stood with her hands on her hips, trying to decide what she should do. She glanced at her watch and saw that she only had 15 minutes to get to work, so she decided to head back to her car. Looking down to make sure she didn’t encounter those rabbits again, Erin slowed as something on the ground caught her eye. As she got closer, she saw that it was a small business card, dirty and a little damp, but clearly legible. It said, “Green Glass Vineyard and Winery. Serving Napa Valley’s Finest Wines for more than 150 years. Grant Frasier, manager. 707-555-3487.”

Obviously the card hadn’t been there a long time, but by now Erin was pushing the window on getting to the shop on time, so she tucked the card in the pocket of her jeans, and hurried to her car to start the short trip down the hill to the Village and Be My Bagel.