Rita Braun - Pay Dirt. Murder, She Meowed. Murder On The Prowl

4. PAY DIRT

1

Cozy was the word used most often to describe the small town of Crozet, notquaint, historic, orpretty. Central Virginia in general, and Albemarle County in particular, abounded in quaint, historic, and pretty places, but Crozet was not one of them. A homey energy blanketed the community. Many families had lived there for generations, others were newcomers attracted to the sensuous appeal of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Old or new, rich or poor, black or white, the citizens of the town nodded and waved to one another while driving their cars, called and waved if on opposite sides of the street, and anyone walking along the side of the road was sure to get the offer of a ride. Backyard hedges provided the ideal setting for enriching gossip as gardeners took respite from their labors. Who did what to whom, who said what to whom, who owed money to whom, and, that glory of chat, who slept with whom. The buzz never stopped. Even in the deepest snows, a Crozetian would pick up the phone to transmit the latest. If it was really juicy, he or she would bundle up and hurry through the snow for a hot cup of coffee, that companion to steamy gossip shared with a friend.

The hub of the town consisted of its post office, the three main churchesLutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, and one small offshoot, the Church of the Holy Lightthe schoolskindergarten through twelfthMarket Shifletts small grocery store, and Crozet Pizza. Since a person worshiped at one church at a time, the goings-on in the other three might remain a mystery. The small market provided a handsome opportunity to catch up, but you really had to buy something. Also, one had to be careful that Markets fat gray cat, Pewter, didnt steal your food before you had the chance to eat it. Schools were a good source, too, but if you were childless or if your darlings were finally in college, you were out of that pipeline. This left the post office the dubious honor of being the premier meeting place, or Gossip Central.

The postmistressa title which she preferred to the official one of postmasterMary Minor Haristeen rarely indulged in what she termed gossip, which is to say if she couldnt substantiate a story, she didnt repeat it. Otherwise, she was only too happy to pass on the news. Her unofficial assistant, Mrs. Miranda Hogendobber, the widow of the former postmaster, relished the news, but she drew the line at character assassination. If people started dumping all over someone else, Mrs. Hogendobber usually calmed them down or plain shut them up.

Harry, as Mary Minor was affectionately known, performed her tasks wonderfully well. Quite young for her position, Harry benefited from Mirandas wisdom. But Harrys most valuable assistants were Mrs. Murphy, her tiger cat, and Tee Tucker, her Welsh corgi. They wallowed in gossip. Not only did the goings-on of the humans transfix them, but so did the shenanigans of the animal community, reported by any dog accompanying its master into the post office. Whatever die dogs missed, Pewter found out next door. When she had something to tell, the round gray cat would run to die back door of die post office to spill it. Over die last few years, the cats had banged on the door so much, creating such a racket, that Harry installed a pet door so the friends could come and go as they pleased. Harry had designed a cover she could lock down over the animals entrance, since the post office had to be secured each night.

Not that there was much to steal from the Crozet post office stamps, a few dollars. But Harry diligently obeyed the rules, as she was a federal employeea fact that endlessly amused her. She loathed the federal government and barely tolerated the state government, considering it the refuge of the mediocre. Still, she drew a paycheck from that bloated government on the north side of the Potomac, so she tried to temper her opinions.

Miranda Hogendobber, on die other hand, vividly remembered Franklin Delano Roosevelt, so her perception of government remained far more positive than Harrys. Just because Miranda remembered FDR did not mean, however, that she would reveal her age.

On this late July day the mimosas were crowned with the pink and gold halos of their fragile blossoms. The crepe myrtle and hydrangeas rioted throughout the town, splashes of purple and magenta here, white there. Not much else bloomed in the swelter of the Dog Days, which began on July 3 and finished August 15, so the color was appreciated.

So far, less dian two inches of rain had fallen that month. The viburnums drooped. Even the hardy dogwoods began to curl up, so Mrs. Hogendobber would sprinkle the plants early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid losing too much moisture to evaporation. Her garden, the envy of the town, bore testimony to her vigilance.

The mail sorted, the two women paused for their morning tea break. Well, tea for Harry, coffee for Miranda. Mrs. Murphy sat on the newspaper. Tucker slept under the table at the back of the office.

Is this a honey day or a sugar day, Mrs. H.? Harry asked as the kettle boiled.

A honey day. Miranda smiled. Im feeling naturally sweet.

Harry rolled her eyes and twirled a big glob of honey off the stick in the brown crockery honey pot. She then removed the teabag from her own drink, wrapping the string around it on the spoon to squeeze the last drops of strong tea into her cup. Her mug had a horses tail for a handle, the rest of the cup representing the horses body and head. Mirandas mug was white with block letters that read WHAT PART OF NO DONT YOU UNDERSTAND?

Mrs. Murphy, Id like to read the paper. Miranda gently lifted the tiger cats bottom and slid the paper out from underneath.

This action was met with a furious grumble, ears swept back. I dont stick my paws on your rear end, Miranda, besides which theres never anything in the paper worth reading. She thumped over to the little back door and walked outside.

In a mood. Miranda sat down and looked over the front page.

Whats the headline? Harry asked.

Two people injured on 1-64. What else? Oh, this Threadneedle virus threatens to affect our computers August first. I would be perfectly happy if our new computer were fatally ill.

Oh, now, its not that bad. Harry reached for the sports page.

Bad? Mrs. Hogendobber pushed her glasses up her nose. If I do one little thing out of sequence, a rude message appears on that hateful green screen and I have to start all over. There are so many buttons to punch. Modern improvementstime wasters, thats what they are, time wasters masquerading as time savers. I can remember more in my noggin than a computer chip can. And tell me, why do we need one in the post office? All we need is a good scale and a good meter. I can stamp the letters myself.

Seeing that Miranda was in one of her Luddite moods, Harry decided not to argue. Not everyone who works in the postal service is as smart as you are. They cant remember as much. For them the computer is a godsend. Harry craned her neck to see the photo of the car wreck.

What a nice thing to say. Mrs. Hogendobber drank her coffee. Wonder where Reverend Jones is? Hes usually here by now. Everyone else has been on time.

A thousand years is as a day in the eyes of the Lord. An hour is as a minute to the rev.

Careful now. Miranda, a devout believer although those beliefs could occasionally be modified to suit circumstances, wagged her finger. You know, at the Church of the Holy Light we dont make jokes about the Scripture. Miranda belonged to a small church. Truthfully, they were renegades from the Baptist church. Twenty years ago a new minister had arrived who set many parishioners teeth on edge. After much fussing and fuming, the discontents, in time-honored tradition, broke away and formed their own church. Mrs. Hogendobber, the stalwart of the choir, had been a guiding force in the secession. When the offending minister packed his bags and left some six years after the rebellion, the members of the Church of the Holy Light were so enjoying themselves that they declined to return to the fold.