Marjorie Thelen - Designer Detective

“We should stop and talk to him,” said Opal. “Cody can be very persistent when he wants to be.”

“Cody might want to harm us,” said Jake.

“Oh?” said Opal.

“We found out about his weapons business, and I don’t think he likes that so we are trying to get away from him.”

“Weapons? I didn’t know he had a weapons business. He has been acting funny.”

“Funny?” I said.

“Yes, he’s not himself. Back at the ranch he’s a pretty good hand. Here, he’s a different person.”

“How so?”

Opal was quiet for a moment then said, “He’s been short tempered with me. He’s never like that. He’s always been sweet natured. Something is bothering him.”

Something was bothering him all right, I thought to myself. He’s mixed up in something he can’t get out of. Maybe that’s what he wants to talk about.

“Jake,” I said, “we should talk to Cody.”

“I think you agreed we’ve helped this family all we can.”

Opal said, as if talking to herself, oblivious to what Jake and I were saying, “Cody’s been helping me with my medications. He insists I keep up with them, but they make me sleepy.” She gave a huge yawn.

I checked Jake out of the corner of my eye. He was nodding his head.

The car behind bumped us again. This was making me mad. I floored it and cut to an opening in the left lane and hit eighty miles per hour going back toward the city on Route 267. The Herndon exit shot by.

“Goodness,” said Opal. “Are we going to a fire?”

“Maybe,” I said.

A bell started chiming on the dash. I scanned the myriad of lights and saw flashing blue on the gas tank indicator. I was almost out of gas. We were done for.

Astutely picking up on our plight, Jake said, “Where’s the nearest exit?”

“Reston is coming up.”

“Maybe Cody will follow,” said Opal, “and we can have a talk with him. Maybe he wants to drive back to Oregon with us.”

“I hope not,” I said and shot across three lanes of traffic to get into the right hand exit lane. As fortune would have it, the light on the overpass road was green. We screeched around the corner to the left, but hit the red light at the end of the overpass.

“Impressive driving,” said Jake, cool and calm.

My hands were slipping on the steering wheel, and I was sure my deodorant had failed me. “Lucky I didn’t attract a traffic cop.”

I studied the mirrors as the traffic moved forward again.

“Is Cody behind us?” asked Opal.

“I can’t tell,” I said.

A Shell convenience store loomed on the horizon, and I changed lanes to the right.

“When we pull into the station,” said Jake, “I want you to hustle Opal inside. I’ll fill up. If you see Cody pull up and talk to me, or do anything weird, don’t come out. If he doesn’t find us, come out when you see I’m finished filling.”

“Right.” I didn’t question his logic, pulled into the lot and up in front of the first available self serve pump. Jake jumped out and started filling.

“Come, Opal, let’s use the rest room.”

I opened the rear door and helped her out, all the while searching cars for Cody’s smiling face. Opal had trouble getting up from a sitting position, so I reached in and gave her a hand.

“I’m sorry it takes me so long to get out of a car. I’m not as agile as I used to be.”

I tucked her hand under my arm and tried to hurry her into the convenience store. A cold wind blew drops of rain by us. I shivered and drew my jacket tighter around my neck. I wish I had brought a heavier coat. Needless to say, I hadn’t checked the weather forecast. It felt like snow even though it was early in the season.

Inside the store the overhead lights gleamed garishly. Two people stood at the check out to pay. I saw the restroom sign and hurried in that direction. “Do you need to go?” I asked Opal.

“Yes, I’d like to.”

“I’ll wait outside the door.”

She entered and locked the door while I waited, shivering with nerves and cold. The hall where I stood led to a back entrance, and the door blew open. I hurried to close it because the rain was now coming down in buckets. As I reached for the door banging in the wind, Cody stuck his head into the opening.

“We need to talk,” he said and then inconveniently collapsed onto the pavement.

“Good Lord, Cody, get up. Can’t you see it’s raining?” I said, bending over. “How did you get here?”

He groaned in response.

I stepped in front of the door to keep it from banging and knelt over him, the door thumping against me. I didn’t want to move him because I didn’t know what was wrong. I saw no blood. I looked down the hall for anyone who might help. No knight in shining armor appeared.

Cody gasped and went limp.

I had to find help. I couldn’t lift him on my own. I hurried inside. Opal stepped out of the rest room in front of me. I didn’t want her to see Cody.

“My goodness,” she said, “You’re all wet. Is it raining?”

“Sure is,” I said, hooking my arm through hers and pulling her to the front of the store. “I’ve got to find Jake. I’m going to help you into the car, okay?”

She smiled her pleasant little smile and trotted along beside me. Standing inside the store I looked out, trying to locate Jake.

The car was gone. It wasn’t at the pump where I had parked it. My eyes scanned the lot. No sign of the car or Jake. I shivered, unable to control the shakes.

“My goodness, you’re taking a chill, Fiona. Where’s the car?”

“I can’t see it, can you?”

“No. Where could Jake have gone?”

“Opal, stay right here. I’ll check in the back.”

I rushed to the back entrance where I had left Cody. He hadn’t moved, not that I thought he would. Jake was bent over him.

“What happened? Where’s Cody’s car?” he asked.

“Gone, I guess. I came to shut the door and there he was. Where’s my car?”

“Over there,” Jake said, pointing. “When you didn’t come out I pulled to the side out of the lights and saw you go back inside. I came over to investigate.”

“We need to get him to the hospital. I’m not sure he’s even breathing.”

“He’s breathing. If he goes to the hospital, the police and everyone else will be involved.”

“We just can’t leave him here.”

“The driver must have dumped him. But why?” Jake looked around like he was searching for clues.

The rain drummed on the pavement, and I was shaking worse than ever. “What do you think happened to him?”

Jake leaned close to Cody’s mouth and sniffed. “I think he’s been drinking and passed out. I’ll bring the car over and load him in. Where’s Opal?”

“Inside waiting. I’ll get her.”

I rushed back inside convinced the convenience store clerk must think I was a real loon. I smiled and he nodded. He didn’t look suspicious, like this sort of running back and forth happened all the time in his store. Opal was buying a handful of chocolate bars. There was some logical thinking.

I steered Opal to the back entrance. Jake was hefting Cody into the back seat. I helped Opal in the other side. When she settled she gave a little exclamatory “oh” when she realized that Cody was her seatmate. His head lolled against the back seat. He was groaning again.

“Oh, dear,” said Opal, “don’t tell me, he’s been drinking. He never could hold his liquor.” She shook her head, lips pressed tight.

I left him to Opal’s care, got in the front passenger seat and turned on the heat full blast. I was soaked, and my teeth were chattering. “What do we do now?”

Jake looked me over. “You need dry clothes and your passport. We’ll go to your place.”

“Isn’t it strange that guy dumped Cody off?” I said, as we barreled east toward the Arlington.

“Fits in with the rest of the family,” Jake said.

We were in fast traffic, the usual Washington crowd going somewhere important.

Jake said, “The way his eyes were rolling around in his head, I think he might have mixed a few drugs with the alcohol.”

“Or someone did it for him.”

“Here’s my read. Cody got sucked into this but is trying to get out. Someone took pity on him, why I don’t know, and dumped him out. He must be desperate for help given how hard he tried to stop us.”

“His behavior confounds me. I wonder how he got caught in this. Could the rifles be a legitimate business?”

Jake shrugged. “Maybe, but why all the secrecy and the guns stored in the basement?”

“And why did Opal lock you in the wine cellar?”

“She’s on drugs, too. Cody’s drugging her to keep her from seeing what is going on in the house.”

“That’s as good an explanation as any.”

Traffic slowed at the beltway. Jake maneuvered the car from lane to lane to get to the I-66 spur that goes into the heart of Arlington. The rain continued, blowing sideways in the high crime lights that lined the slick, black highway.

“At least we don’t have anyone on our tail anymore,” I said.

I held my numb fingers against the dash heater vents. My clothing stuck to me. I felt like I was submerged in a bowl of cold, wet noodles. I turned to see how Opal and Cody were doing. Opal was trying to pat Cody dry with her scarf.

“How’s Cody?”

“He’s got it bad this time. I’ve never seen him in such a stupor. Usually, he’s a funny drunk and passes out. But he seems to be in a coma.”

“We’re going to my place. We’ll get him into some dry clothes and into bed. Maybe something hot to drink will help.”

When we pulled into my parking space in the garage I breathed a sigh of relief.