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“We would’ve won, for sure.”
“I bet next year is the charm.” Patting her hand, I help her to stand and walk her to Mia’s chair.
After more advice of similar quality, I say goodbye and on the way to the office, I stop for a bowl of minestrone where I leave another message for Vincent.
Back at ‘Suds and Sam’s’ PI office, I show my husband the oval, half-inch tag. “I think it’s a tree identifier.”
Soon, I find an article in a small-town flyer and jump up. “Got it! Some Virginia Pine Trees were stolen from a state forest. These must be the ones Howie said fell off a truck.”
Looking over my shoulders, my partner snickers. “You figure some tree-huggers cut off Howie’s finger as payback?”
“Not funny. I for one, am going upstate to snoop around. Are you coming or not?” When I stand, he kisses me senseless and smiles.
“Personally, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree, so to speak, but it sounds like a nice outing for Mikey and a hell of a lot safer than buying another tree around here.”
Chapter 12
Suds
She’s not driving upstate alone. Knowing her, she would’ve gone without me, if only to prove some vague notion of right and wrong. So, after picking up Mikey and getting an earful from the school staff about the fundraiser, we dress in layers, and put the kid in the car seat.
Sam suggests we stop at my father-in-law’s to pick up an axe, but it hasn’t been sharpened since the turn of the century. This means a pitstop at the local hardware store. Soon, we’re driving alongside the Hudson River. As we pass over the George Washington Bridge, Mikey’s head droops.
When his eyes close, my hand slips to Sam’s knee. “Babe, have you taken an at-home test yet?”
Paling, she bites her lower lip. “Ah, I’ve been kind of busy.”
Stuck behind a truck, I glance in the rearview mirror, and change lanes. “Are you worried about my PTSD? Because you don’t have to be, I’m fine.”
“No, no. That’s not it. There simply hasn’t been time, and it’s too early to know for sure.”
Like hell.Were this our first rodeo, maybe I wouldn’t be so savvy, but a husband soon learns when his wife’s body has changed.Is our relationship in trouble? Does she not want to keep our baby?
Holy fuck. What am I missing?
Time passes and we talk about everything but the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the SUV. Too soon, we arrive at the GPS coordinates where a woman in a green ranger jacket greets us. As she directs us to a parking place in a muddy clearing, Mikey wakes, raring to go. Worried he might run off, I snap on his leash, and let him race up the hill.
Whilewe search for the perfect evergreen, Sam chitchats with our guide. “Iread you had some Virginia Pines stolen recently.”
The twentyish, dark-haired worker nods and blows into her mittens. “Yes, from the national forest a little west of here. The furs arean endangered species in New York and all well-over six feet tall. It’s such a loss.”
Sam shows her the smallmetal tag she found at the warehouse. “Do you recognize this number?”
The Gen-Z’s eyes widen, but soon narrow. “How did you come by that?”
“We’re PI’s, researching the theft. Have you ever seen this man?” My partner waves her cell phone under the girl’s nose.
After studying the image for a moment, the brunetteshakes her head, no. “Sorry.”
Sam swipes her display screen and tries again. “How about this truck?”
The girl’s eyes widen, then she bobs herhead. “Oh yeah, him. Gossip around town says the guy’s a realjerk. The town hired him for summer landscaping and odd jobs.”
At the I-told-you-so-face from my partner, I shrug. So, Larry-the-trucker isa tree thief. I’m not sure how that brings us closer to getting our money back or finding out who shot at us. What it did do, is to get us a clean pine scentwhich needs to be chopped down. After striking at the base with a couple of hardwhacks, I hand Mikey a toy axe.
“Hit it right here, buddy.” Emulating me, he swings, and when it hits, I push the branches to the ground. “Greatjob, slugger.”
With one final cut, the pinedetaches, and as a family, we drag it to the bottom of the hill to pay. Once the treasureis secured to the roof, we buy hot chocolate, eat cinnamon buns, and make our way back home.
