Catered Catastrophe (A Willow Crossing Mystery Book 3) Read online

  Chapter 2

  “Hey, guys, can you all come here for a minute? Mrs. Delgado and I need to talk to you,” Esteban said at the end of the night. The group had been cleaning up since the last of the alumni left about an hour before.

  “What’s up, Mr. D?” Griffin asked. “Tonight was some kind of crazy, huh?”

  “That’s what we want to talk to you about,” Esteban started.

  When all four of the teenagers made it over to them, he continued, “We need to know what happened.”

  “I don’t know, Mr. Delgado, Mrs. Delgado. All I know is I set up the tables like you asked and was working the buffet. Then the smoothie maker went nuts and a cart broke,” Julie said.

  “The cart didn’t just break, and that shouldn’t have happened with the smoothie machine.” Esteban looked into the eyes of each teen as he spoke.

  “Somebody did this.”

  There was a long pause, much like the pause you would hear when a child does something wrong but doesn’t want to admit it, and the parents are asking them who did it … even the looks on the teens’ faces were similar to that. Julie looked as though she was about to cry, Dante looked completely clueless, Beck looked very indifferent, and Griffin was glaring at Beck. Ru noticed Griffin’s expression and knew she would have to talk to him away from the others. She was so tired she decided it would have to wait.

  “I got nothin’ Mr. Delgado. I gotta go,” Beck announced, turning around to walk out.

  As he walked he asked, “We’re done here, right?” He didn’t wait for a reply, though, and left the building.

  Esteban and Ru looked at each other and back at the teens. Ru spoke softly, “You guys can go home. Thank you for all your help today. We really appreciate it.”

  Esteban nodded his head and then the teens left to go home. He was worried about Ru; she looked so tired and defeated.

  “Come on Mama, let’s go home.” Ru smiled and they walked out together holding hands.

  She went to her car and he got in the van. Ru followed her husband out of the parking lot and stayed close behind him the whole way home. When they pulled up the driveway, Ru smiled when she watched Esteban get out of the van and lock it. She really loved that man.

  “We can unload the van tomorrow. It’s really late and you look exhausted,” he said.

  “I am tired. It’s cold, let’s get inside,” Ru said, shaking.

  “You got it, Mama. Why don’t you change into your pajamas and I’ll make you some tea.”

  “No tea. Can you make me some hot chocolate?”

  “Whipped cream and a cherry?”

  “Of course!”

  They went inside and while Ru changed clothes, Esteban made her his magic hot chocolate. It always seemed to make her feel better, and she hoped that it would help now. She had been tired and queasy for almost a week. As she put on her pajama pants, she couldn’t help but notice that she had gained a few pounds; they just weren’t as comfortable as they used to be. It hadn’t dawned on her before, but all of a sudden it became clear to her. She ran into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Ru went down to the kitchen for her hot chocolate.

  “There you are! Your hot chocolate is ready.”

  “Thank you, Papi.” Ru was smiling ear to ear.

  “What? Why are you smiling like that?” Esteban asked.

  Ru didn’t say a word; she simply slid the pregnancy test across the table to where he was sitting. He looked at it, but didn’t pick it up. Then he looked at her and, just by the look on her face, he knew what the result was. He picked up the test and looked at the word ‘positive’ that went across the little screen. He looked back at Ru.

  “Really, Mama?”

  “Really, Papi!”

  Esteban got up and walked over to his wife. Ru stood and they held each other; tears falling from both of their eyes. They had been trying to get pregnant for a few months, knowing that it may be their last chance. Realizing neither one of them were getting any younger, and they wanted to have a baby while it was still safe for Ru and for the baby. Esteban stepped away from Ru and looked at her, holding both of her hands out to the side.

  “You are beautiful, Mama.”

  Blushing, Ru said almost teasingly, “Stop, Papi, I’m getting fat. Look, my pants are already getting tight!”

  “Monday you need to go to the doctor. Then we need to get the baby’s room ready. We need to go shopping!” Esteban could barely contain himself.

  “Esteban,” Ru started, “we have time. There’s no rush.”

  “I know, I know. I’m just so happy!”

  “Me, too, Papi. Me too! I can’t believe it happened so fast!”

  “It’s all the hard work we put in!” Esteban said, grinning.

  Blushing, Ru replied, “You are definitely right! We did put forth great effort!”

  After they finished their hot chocolate, Ru and Esteban went up to bed. They slept all night, his hand on her belly, both with soft smiles on their faces. It was the first time they both slept through the night, and they both had sweet dreams of their new addition to the family.

  ~~~

  In the morning, Esteban made a big breakfast, and even though she wasn’t feeling that great, Ru ate the eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep it down, and just hoped she wouldn’t get sick in front of Esteban.

  “I’m gonna get going, I have inventory today,” Esteban said after washing the dishes.

  “So it’ll be a late one for you?”

  “I shouldn’t be too late. Hopefully it will go smoothly.”

  “I think I’m going to get dressed and take Opal for a walk.”

  “Just take it easy. Don’t work yourself too hard.”

  “Papi, it’s just a walk. Besides, I want to go talk to Griffin. He looked like he had something to say last night about what happened with the equipment.”

  “You saw that, too? Okay. Just be careful and let me know when you get home.”

  The couple kissed and Ru walked Esteban to his car. She waved as he backed down the driveway, and then she went inside to get dressed. It was October, and the weather was cool, so she put on a pair of stretchy yoga pants and one of Esteban’s old sweatshirts. It was big and comfy, and it smelled like his cologne. She smiled as she rubbed her tummy. Thankful that she didn’t get sick, she went downstairs and put Opal’s little pink jacket on her and put her in her wagon.

  “I’m sure you heard us talking last night, Opal, but just to make sure you know, Mommy is having a baby.”

  Opal let out a slight snort and Ru replied, “Don’t worry; we will still love you just as much.” Ru couldn’t help but laugh as the dog looked at her, head cocked to one side.

  Even though they had lived in Willow Crossing for years, it never ceased to amaze her how beautiful the streets were at this time of year. The leaves on the trees had all changed to the most brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red. Lawns were sprinkled with the same colors, and she couldn’t wait to get to the park, where the entire area had been transformed in much the same manner.

  A year ago, Ru would dread going to Griffin’s camper at the park. Mr. Carlin, at that time, was a mean and cranky drunk who always loved an argument. But, after working at the grocery store with Esteban, he had cleaned up his act. Mr. Carlin no longer drank, and his demeanor was friendly and approachable. Ru pulled Opal’s wagon down the path that led to the camping area of the park. She reached the camper and knocked on the door.

  “Mrs. Delgado, what’s up?” Griffin said when he opened the door.

  “Can we talk for a few minutes?”

  “Sure, come on in,” he said, holding the little door for her.

  “Actually, Opal needs to get some exercise. Why don’t we go sit in one of the pavilions?”

  “Sure, I’ll meet you over there. I gotta get my shoes on.”

  Ru took Opal over to one of the covered picnic areas and let her out of her wagon. Naturally, the only way to get the dog to do
any kind of running, or moving for that matter, was to toss little doggie treats for her to chase after. Ru laughed when she thought about how counterproductive that really was. Within minutes, Griffin joined them.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t find one of my shoes.”

  “I’ll never understand how kids can lose their shoes in their own home. You all are nuts.”

  Laughing, Griffin replied, “I know. I know.”

  “Listen, I don’t want to keep you too long. I just wanted to see if maybe there was something you wanted to say last night that you didn’t want to say in front of the others.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, Griff, you know you can talk to me. You were looking at Beck kind of oddly. Did he have anything to do with the equipment messing up?”

  “Well, he is a bully. He could have done something to it.”

  “He’s a bully? He always seems so nice to me.”

  “Yeah, Mrs. Delgado, he’s nice to all the teachers. That’s the thing. He’s nice to you, but he’s always giving me and Julie and even Dante crap.”

  “I had no idea,” Ru said caringly. “Do you think he could have done that to the cart?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him. He knew that was the one I’d be pushing around, and he was out there in the van alone for a little while.”

  “Do you remember seeing anyone else out by the van?”

  “I wasn’t out there; I was helping you in the cafeteria. But,” he paused briefly, “there was one guy hovering around outside. I saw him through the window. I guess I just thought he was one of the guests who got there early.”

  “Do you remember what he looked like?”

  “Not really. I was busy, and I just glanced up for a second to look out the window. I didn’t really pay attention to his face because, like I said, I thought he was just a guest.”

  “Do you remember what he was wearing?”

  “Yeah, he was a big guy, and he was wearing an aviator jacket.”

  “Did you see him come inside?”

  “Now that I think about it, no, I didn’t.”

  “Can you remember anything else about him?”

  “He had dark hair. That’s all I know.”

  “Okay, don’t worry about it. That helps a lot.” Griffin smiled and then petted Opal.

  Ru said, “I’m gonna get her home. It’s chilly and I don’t want her to catch a cold. Thanks for talking to me.”

  “No problem, Mrs. D. I wish I could have helped more.”

  “You were a big help. Thanks. Now, go do something fun and I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

  “Okay, see ya!” Griffin jogged back to his camper and ducked inside.

  Ru took Opal home and then grabbed her purse and jumped into her car. She wanted to run to the grocery store and talk to Esteban about what Griffin told her. She knew her husband was out by the van, unloading it for the event, so she hoped he would know who the big guy in the aviator jacket was.

  Chapter 3

  Ru wandered the grocery store aisles for a while, waiting for Esteban’s break. While she did so, she picked up a few things and put them in her cart. She decided she would make taco salad for dinner, that way Esteban would be able to eat it when he got home. It was easy, and they both loved it, so that was a bonus. When she had everything she needed, she went and sat in the employee break room while one of the employees brought out her purchase and put it in her car trunk. She loved the perks that came with being the wife of the store manager.

  “Hey! I didn’t expect to see you here! How do you feel?” Esteban asked and kissed his wife.

  “I feel good, actually. I’m a little tired, but my stomach feels better.”

  “Good, I’m glad. I don’t like to see you feeling bad.”

  Smiling at his caring statement, Ru said, “I went to talk to Griffin.”

  “How’d that go? Did he know anything?”

  “Did you know that Beck was a bully?”

  “No, did he tell you that?” Esteban looked just as surprised as Ru did when Griffin told her.

  “Yeah. He said he wouldn’t put it past Beck to wreck the cart and make him look bad.”

  “Wow, he always seems so nice.”

  “Griffin said he is like that with the teachers at school, but then he gives the kids crap.”

  “Hmmm,” Esteban thought for a second. “Did he say anything else?”

  “Yeah, he said he noticed a big guy with dark hair and an aviator jacket just standing around outside the school yesterday while we were setting up. He said he figured it was just a guest who got there early.”

  Esteban’s face instantly changed and he said, “That’s Moe Cranston. I saw him walking down the street yesterday, right outside the school.”

  “Who is Moe Cranston?”

  “Oh, only the one man who may put this store out of business.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s a businessman, Mama. He is planning on opening up a grocery store twice the size of this one. He just moved here.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and get this, he is planning on his store offering catering services.”

  Frowning, Ru said, “Well, we both know that won’t happen. This town is known for its small, family-owned businesses. Nobody is going to want some big chain-type store here.”

  “Well, I hope you’re right. This store won’t survive for very long if he wins.”

  Ru thought for a minute and then said, “I know you’re busy. I’m going to take a walk and clear my head. Then I’ll drive home and take it easy.” She threw in the last part knowing that it was what her husband wanted to hear.

  “Don’t be out in the chilly air too long. We don’t want you getting sick.”

  “I know, Papi. I’ll be careful.” She kissed her husband and then left the break room.

  Ru knew that if a big chain store came to town, it likely would put more than just the grocery store out of business. She decided to stop in at a few local shops to talk to the management about Moe, hoping to stir the pot a little bit. She knew if she got some of the shop owners worried, they definitely would vote against a big retail store opening up within the town limits.

  After stopping at a couple of places, she realized this Moe character basically had everyone believing the same story. They told Ru he was researching the town’s needs and discussing with the shop owners all of the opportunities that could come from a large chain opening in town. He was trying to convince them it was a good thing. The third shop she went to she heard the same thing.

  “Mr. Cranston seems to think his store would be beneficial,” Samantha Wilson said. She was the owner of the local ice cream shop.

  “You do know that he plans on having his store offer catering, right?”

  “He didn’t say that.”

  “If he offers catering, then what stops him from also having an ice cream shop in his store?”

  Samantha thought for a moment and then said, “Nothing. I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “He could put a lot of us out of business. I would think long and hard about it before you decide to back him.”

  “Well, I definitely will think about it, but I like our town the way it is. I’ll tell you this, he has been spending time with Joanna Murphy,” she paused for emphasis and then continued, “I mean, a lot of time.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. She met him here for ice cream a couple of times, and others have seen them having dinner together. He even went to church with her.”

  “Hmmm, isn’t that something? Well, I won’t keep you. I really do need to get home. Thanks for talking with me.”

  “It’s always a pleasure, Ru. You and your husband need to stop in soon. We’ve got all kinds of new flavors! We even have something special for Opal.”

  “We definitely will stop by soon!”

  Ru walked back to the grocery store where she had left her car and then headed home. She tried to do the lazy thing, and sat
in the recliner, but after about an hour she felt like she was going crazy, so she got up and started cleaning. Once the kitchen and bathrooms were clean, she threw in a load of laundry and then did all the prep work for dinner. She cut the tomatoes and lettuce, placing them into their own separate containers. Then she cooked the meat, added the seasoning, and put it in a container as well. When she was done, she tucked everything neatly into the refrigerator and set the table. She knew Esteban still would be a while, so she made herself a snack and went back in the family room to watch a movie. While she watched the movie, she began thinking about baby names.