Goose in the Pond - Earlene Fowler [99]
The kids hesitantly approached Peter. He held up his hands and growled at them, “Don’t touch me.”
“Both of you, in my office,” I snapped. “Now.” I turned and told the crowd, “The fun’s over. I’ll take care of this.”
“I be waitin’ outside,” D-Daddy said.
“That’s not necessary,” I said.
“I be there.” His determined face dared an argument.
“Okay, thanks, D-Daddy.”
Inside my office, both the men had claimed an office chair, scooting them as far apart as they could in the small room.
I sat down at my desk, picked up a pencil, and didn’t say anything for a minute or two. They shifted in their seats, avoiding my gaze like guilty schoolboys.
“I should toss both of you out of the festival right now,” I finally said, running the pencil through my fingers.
An infinitesimal grunt came from both of them. Then Roy leaned forward in his seat and said, “I didn’t start it. Peter—”
Peter broke in. “Me? He’s full of crap. I—”
I slammed my fist down on my desk. “Both of you shut up. I don’t care who started it and I don’t care what it’s about. All I care about is this festival going off without a hitch. Now, you both are already on the schedule, and people are counting on hearing you, but one more incident like this and you’re both going to be escorted off the premises by a police officer and not allowed back on. And I’ve got the power to do that. Got it?”
They both started to talk.
I held up my hand for silence. “Got it?”
They nodded.
“Then get out of here and get ready for your performances. And stay away from each other. That’s an order.”
After giving each other a fierce look, they left. Once he saw I was okay, D-Daddy nodded and followed them outside.
“Is it safe to enter?” Evangeline poked her head around the corner of my doorjamb, her wide-cheeked face worried. “Are you all right?”
“Just another fun-filled day in paradise. Though Eden would certainly be a lot more pleasant without Cain and Abel.”
She made a sympathetic clucking noise. “What did you tell them?”
I lifted up my hands in exasperation. “What could I say? They are both featured storytellers. People are expecting to hear them, and it would really hurt the festival if I kicked them out. Not to mention it looking to Constance like I can’t handle my job. On the other hand, I can’t have them throwing punches at every turn of the hat.”
“Don’t worry, D-Daddy will be keeping a close eye on them now.”
“Easier said than done.” I took my purse out of my drawer. “I have to go down to the police station and see if I can identify anyone from the pictures they’ve pulled. Is there something you needed?”
“I just needed to use your phone, if that’s all right,” she said. “I know we’re supposed to use the public phone in the kitchen, but it’s to my doctor and I need a little privacy.”
“Sure, help yourself. If anyone asks, I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“I’ll pass it on.”
I was halfway to the police station when I remembered that, distracted by the fight, I’d left Evangeline and Ash’s files sitting on my desk in full view of anyone who walked into my office. I hit the steering wheel in frustration at my carelessness. Unless Evangeline was blind, it was going to be obvious I was looking into her and Ash’s backgrounds. I sat in the Taurus for a moment in the police station parking lot, rolling my shoulders, trying to get the tenseness out. If I was lucky, Gabe would be busy and I wouldn’t have to see him while I looked through the pictures. He’d sense my tension immediately and, before I knew it, extract out of me the reason why. Up till now I’d kept my promise to stay out of the investigation—the call to Emory changed that.
Luck was with me when I walked through the busy office and parked myself in front of Maggie’s desk.
“He’s up to his ears in meetings,” Maggie said. “He left orders for you to look through the pictures sent over from the sheriff’s computer.”
She sent me over to the detectives’ department, where a young man in an olive tweed jacket and new Levi’s sat with me while I studied the pictures. Like Sam, I couldn’t make a