The Cherry Cola Book Club - By Ashton Lee Page 0,71
route salesmen, Miz Mayhew. But in a delightful way. Don’t worry, I’d be happy to help you out here.”
“I couldn’t ask for more than that. Except maybe your attendance, too.”
He cut her off with a playful wink. “I’ll see what I can do about juggling my schedule. I’ll even talk to the wife.” Then he pushed a notepad and pen across the desk in front of her. “Meanwhile, as long as you’re here, you might as well give me your special-order list for Thanksgiving and Christmas since they’re not very far away. I assume you’re in the market for another free-range turkey?”
She smiled warmly and began writing. “Among other things. It’s the time of year I like to splurge.”
“We’ll get everything to you as usual,” he added. “I also have something I’d like to share with you. Most everyone here at the store knows you—all the cashiers and the clerks, the deli people, too. You’re one of our favorite customers, and we have a special name for you.”
She momentarily abandoned her list and caught his impish gaze. “Don’t tell me. I bet I can guess.”
“Go ahead, then.”
“Something to do with crackers?”
“You got it. You’re the Peanut Butter Cracker Lady.”
They both had a good laugh, and Maura Beth revealed everything about Mr. Putzel and his behavior.
“I’ll share that with the store, Miz Mayhew. Maybe everybody that works for The Cherico Market will show up for your book club meeting.”
“I’ve heard rumors from a certain source,” Councilman Sparks was saying to Chunky Badham and Gopher Joe Martin, as the three of them gathered in his office for a last-minute strategy session the day before the Mockingbird meeting. “Of course, I’ll be attending the book club to-do as usual. But I want both of you working that library full-time tomorrow night, too. It shouldn’t be a problem for you. There’ll be plenty of food to eat and lots of folks to talk to. What I want you to be on the lookout for is where people are actually from. It should be easy enough to find out if they live here in Cherico or somewhere else. We need to see if these rumors are true that Miz Mayhew may be bringing in out-of-towners to pump up her numbers and give us a false impression of the library’s popularity. Not that we’d be fooled.”
Chunky frowned. “What about license plates?”
“What about them?”
“Should we inspect all the parked cars and see if there are any from different states?”
Councilman Sparks took a moment and then cleared his throat. “I want you to stay in the library to circulate, Chunky. There’s no point in your roaming the streets at night. Someone may think you’re about to steal their car. Besides, a license plate is nowhere near as conclusive as a direct question.”
“What about if I ask them if that car with the Alabama plate outside belongs to them?” Chunky continued.
Councilman Sparks was unable to keep from rolling his eyes. “Again, not as direct as asking them if they live in Alabama. Or Tennessee, or anywhere else in Mississippi, for that matter. Either they live in Cherico, or they don’t. Either they’re regular library users, or this is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors on the part of Miz Mayhew and her fellow travelers.”
Chunky busied himself writing things down, while Gopher Joe entered the fray. “What kind of rumors you been hearing?”
“Oh, that this book club meeting has gotten to be the talk of the town. All the little people seem to be excited about it. Also, that there might be a bus coming down from Nashville. I have to hand it to Miz Mayhew. She doesn’t give up easily, men. She’s been out there beating the bushes.”
“Can we eat as much as we want?” Chunky said, having finished his note-taking duties.
“Yes, Chunky, you can go for seconds and thirds if you like. Just remember to also use your mouth for a few questions. Listen, I don’t want you two going around frightening people or making them think they’re being investigated or something. For God’s sake, try to be subtle.”
“Gotcha!” Gopher Joe exclaimed, while Chunky settled for nodding his head obediently.
Councilman Sparks dismissed his cohorts and then buzzed his new secretary in the outer office. “That’ll be all for today, Lottie. See you on Monday morning bright and early.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered promptly.
He could picture Mrs. Lottie Howard throwing on her warm coat, padding down the hall and out into the chilly weather. She was a pleasant enough