No Accounting for Murder

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Where to look for someone who doesn't want to be found? And in a short period of time. Carly needed to get ready to drive to Riverdale, and she couldn't leave everything until the last minute. As she'd last seen the mayor on Main Street, that would probably be the best place to look.

She strolled down the darkened street, past the bank and the barber shop, which were already closed for the day. She worked her way down to the last storefront in the business section, Susan's real estate office, pausing to look into each window as she went by. She didn't really expect to see him, but then again, she hadn't expected to see him in the barber shop earlier in the day. It was late in the day and he had likely retreated to the safety of his home, enjoying supper with his wife.

When she had no success on that side of the street, she crossed over and walked up the side nearest the harbor. Past the post office, the pharmacy, the flower shop, and the grocery. The only businesses open after five on a Monday night were the diner and the gas station, although the streets weren't completely empty. A few people strolled along the sidewalk. Everybody she asked said they had not seen the mayor.

Crossing the intersection at Harbor Road to Roy's Garage and seeing the lights on, Carly decided to pop in for a minute. The Roy family had owned the town's only gas station for several generations, and old Jacob Roy currently operated the business. When Carly came into the relative coolness of the garage bay, Jacob was laying on his back underneath a car, his head sticking out one side, his feet the other. Tall and lanky, he often reminded her of a scarecrow in a too-big set of overalls.

He reached for a wrench that rested just out of reach. "Hiya, what can I do for you?"

She nudged the wrench toward him with the toe of her shoe. "Hi, Jacob."

Jacob twisted at something under the car. "That car of yours still running okay?"

"It sure is. Seen the mayor today?"

"Sure did. He came tearing in here about thirty minutes ago. Said he needed his gas tank filled and needed it done now."

Carly smiled. Everyone knew Jacob moved at his own pace. Being the only show in town gave him that privilege. "Where did he go then?"

"Dunno. He hightailed it out of here, going south. Mighty strange. He always treats that car as if it's a baby. Hardly takes it over fifty on the highway, and I bet he was doing that going down Main Street."

"Are you sure about the time? Could it have been an hour ago?" Carly knew she had sat in the hallway about that long, and Miss Cook said Carly had just missed him.

"Positive. I just came back from supper and he walked in a few minutes later."

"Where did he come from?"

"Dunno that either. I didn't see him from under this-here car when he came in."

"Thanks, Jacob. I'll see you later."

Jacob mumbled something about being interrupted and not being able to finish a job.

Carly sighed and walked home, her thoughts racing. Why didn't the mayor want to talk to her? Where had he gone for the thirty minutes between when he left his office and when he showed up for his car? What could have been so important that he drove his precious Towncar like the devil was on his tail?

Although she mulled these questions over in her mind all the way home, the answers escaped her. She pulled out her list of notes and reviewed them until her head ached. Even pacing back and forth in the living room didn't help her make sense of the mayor's actions.