Cold Trail (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Cold Trail - Chapter Seven

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Seven sugar sticks?

Six soft, cuddly cows?

Five chocolate chip cookies?

Four stainless steel milk barrels?

Three days to live?

Two flutes of champagne?

And a Christmas card in a snowflake envelope?

~ * ~

The sign on the side of the road said Meadow Grass 20 miles.

As they fast-approached rural community, the first ray of sunshine still hadn't peeked from the horizon, and her stomach grumbled.

"Can we stop for breakfast? Please?"

Rudolph pulled alongside at gas station, and turned to her. "I'm filling up and that's it. Can't you think of something else than eating?"

Yes, but the object of her thought didn't think about her...not the same way she thought about him.

"I'm hungry, Rudolph. Besides, snooping in the dark serves no purpose. Nobody will be up and we won't see anything, let alone your sister."

His hand paused on the door handle. "I...I suppose that's true."

"My treat. If you're not hungry, I'm sure you can use a coffee or two."

"Well, I am hungry." He smiled an innocent smile. "Once I get Jolly, I'll pay you back. Leland won't be able to complain I didn't treat his girl the right way."

"Myles will be...pleased." So pleased that he might even decide not to shoot Rudolph on sight. "We can eat at this gas station. They have a restaurant."

"You're sweet, Sue. I don't get what you're doing with a guy like Leland."

Maybe it was better that Rudolph kept his illusion about her being Myles' date if she didn't want to become expandable.

The smell of strong coffee mixed with the odor of bacon lingered in the empty dining hall. From the doorway of the kitchen, a waitress waved at them to pick a booth. A menu was already on the table. While she browsed through it, she calculated how long each meal might take to cook.

Two coffees were placed in front of them before they even asked. The waitress smiled. "You look like you need a pick me up, honey."

"You do refill, don't you?" Sue quipped.

"Sure do. What do you fancy this bright and early?"

It wasn't bright, yet. "The waffles...are they pre-mixed or homemade?"

"Homemade, honey. We only mix a small quantity of batter at a time. Yours will be fresh from the bowl."

Just what she wanted to read. "Then I'll take the waffles with whipped cream and fresh fruits. Diced, please."

"Will do." She turned toward Rudolph. "What about you, big boy? Same as the lady?"

"Yeah, and if you could be generous with the whipped cream, I'd love it."

"I aim to please. It shouldn't be too too long." The waitress disappeared behind a counter on which was pasted a Visa and Mastercard sign.

At least Jack would know where she and Rudolph were, and if he found the other clue, he'd be able to deduce their destination.

"Would you do me a favor, Sue?" Rudolph stared at her with big brown eyes, a shade lighter than Jack.

"What is it?"

"I may need a sugar rush to stay awake." He pushed seven sugar sticks across the table. "Would you put then in your pocket for later? My pockets are full."

~ * ~

The warden at the penitentiary didn't mind the late hour as much as the convict did.

"I don't want to talk to a fed. I want to sleep," Rudolph's mother groaned as a guard escorted her into an interrogating room, and nudged her not-so-gently into the chair.

Myles sat across the table, a folder in front of him, and his best poker face in place. According to her file, Ruby Redlight was forty-two, but like her son, she looked much older. Bad genes must run in the family.

"I'm Special Agent Leland, and I want to ask you about your children."

"I got no brat." Glare shone in her bloodshot eyes.

"Really?" He placed a copy of Rudolph's birth certificate on the table. "What about your son, Rudolph? He was born on Christmas Eve. Wasn't it why you called him Rudolph, Ruby?"

"So?" She paid no attention to the official paper. "That was twenty years ago."

Almost twenty-four years, but it wasn't like anyone was counting.

"What about your daughter, Ruby? Remember her?"

This one was a fishing expedition, and he placed a fake birth certificate on his side of the table. Except for the name Jolly Redlight, it contained blurry dates and names, and he hoped she wouldn't notice from the distance.

"So what?" She didn't even glance at the paper. "Are you gonna arrest me for popping out two brats?"

No, but Myles wanted to shoot himself for missing the sibling. "Why did you name her Jolly?"

"You ain't no light bulb, are you?" Her nose scrunched up in disdain. "She was born on New Year's Eve. What was I supposed to call her? Countdown?"

He had a birth date, but no year. "Children Services never took custody of her. On whose lap did you dump her? Her father's?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Broken laughter rose into the room. "Like I know which pathetic loser knocked me up."

So much for that theory. "Wouldn't you like to know what she became?"

"Listen, Big Guy, I didn't give her to Scarlet so I could play mommy. Can I go back to sleep, or do you have more stupid questions to ask me?"

"Who's Scarlet?" The name sounded more like a street nickname.

"A girl I knew."

All the people she knew were from the wrong side of the tracks, which didn't bode well for the baby girl. "Did Scarlet have a last name?"

"Scarlet Booby."

"Booby?" he repeated, but she shrugged in response. "What year was that, Ruby?"

"Don't know. Fifteen, twenty...the heck if I remember."

"Think, Ruby." The mother gene had obviously skipped over Ruby, and for a moment he felt sorry for Rudolph. "Was it before or after Rudolph?"

She crossed her arms over her bony chest, and glared. "I'm done. I want a lawyer."

Disgusted, Myles left the room, and waited until he was in his car to call Tara.