In Cahoots with the Prickly Pear Posse (A Jackrabbit Junction Mystery--Book 5)

Grady both turned in their seats. Claire’s usually well-dressed and polished younger sister looked like she’d been wrung out and hung up to dry. Her hair stuck out every which way, as if someone had rubbed a balloon all over her head and tried to stick her to the wall via static cling. Her eyes were wide, her gaze darting here and there, everywhere but at the sheriff.
“I need to talk to you, Kate,” Grady said. His tone was softer than usual, coaxing rather than commanding.
“I know. Ronnie made me come over here.”
“Give me the quick version,” the sheriff said, leaning back against the bar.
Taking a deep breath, Kate spilled a tale of traded insults and hurt feelings, mixing in a splash of indignation and embarrassment. Her explanation for her actions sounded borderline legit in Mac’s opinion, along with her accusation of harassment. Grady seemed to be on the same page as Mac, nodding at her side of the story with a wrinkled brow.
But then the left side of Kate’s face twitched several times, and her chin jutted. “Your deputy was lucky I wasn’t driving when he said my butt was going to need a ‘Wide Load’ sign strapped to it before long.”
Grady’s gaze tightened. “Why’s that?”
“Because I would have—”
“Kate!” Claire interrupted from behind them. “Your order is up.”
Mac hadn’t realized Claire had returned.
“Rudeness!” Kate said to her sister. “You need to learn how to be nicer to the wait staff if you’re going to keep playing bartender.”
“Yeah? How’s this for nicer? Get your ass over to table eight before I call Butch and tell him about your hissy fit this morning.”
“It wasn’t a hissy fit.” She snarled at her sister, bared teeth and all, before taking the tray Claire held out to her. “Grady’s deputy needs some schooling when it comes to manners, and I’m just the teacher for the job.”
“Go!”
Kate stalked off. Mac could’ve sworn her hair was sticking out even more.
Grady turned to Claire. “Excellent timing, referee.”
“Why, Sheriff, I don’t know whatever you might be talking about.” She pointed at their glasses. “You two ready for a refill?”
“Not yet,” Mac said. He had a feeling he’d need his head on straight tonight. “But I’ll take a burger when you have a chance to let the cook know.”
“I’m still nursing this,” Grady told her. “If you got a minute, how about you give me your account of this morning’s showdown?”
After a glance around the bar, Claire nodded. Her story echoed Kate’s, only there was less of a defensive edge to it. She, too, blamed Grady’s deputy for instigating the whole thing, and then swore that she tripped over the shopping cart’s wheel trying to save him from her sister’s “runaway cart.” The smashed nose had been an accident, no battery intended.
The sheriff waved Claire off when a woman in braids and a flannel shirt called for a pitcher of suds for her and her friends over at the pool tables. Apparently, Special Agent Brown was about to get some company.
“Well, Grady, what’s the verdict?” Mac asked after swallowing another gulp of beer. “Are you hauling them back to jail tonight?”
Grady shook his head. “I’ll tell you a secret. I stopped at the grocery store earlier and talked with an Air Force vet who works there part-time and happened to witness the ordeal. He told me that my deputy started the whole mess by insulting the ‘cute little blond birdie,’ as he called Kate. He verified that Claire was trying to referee the match, and really did trip over the shopping cart, falling into my deputy, elbow first.”
Claire had skirted the law yet again. “So, now what?”
“I’ll talk to my deputy in the morning about keeping his mouth shut and we’ll put this mess behind us.”
They paused to watch Kate argue with Claire at the other end of the bar. The blond birdie’s hands flapped about, her feathers ruffled about something that had Claire’s jaw visibly clenching.
“Shit-criminy,” Mac said. “Butch’s woman is unstable.”
“He needs to get his ass home and keep a closer eye on her. That baby of his is causing one hell of a ruckus in my county, and I don’t like it one bit. I have enough headaches with Veronica’s troubles and all of the black market problems Claire keeps digging up around your aunt’s place.”
Mac raised his glass. “Hear, hear.”
“Long time no see, Mac,” a voice said behind him.
He looked over his shoulder, grinning when he saw the apron strapped on Natalie’s hips and the order pad in her front pocket. “They put you to work here at The Shaft, too, huh? Building a deck wasn’t punishment enough.”
“Ronnie calls it on-the-job training, but I call it slave labor.” She leaned in and gave him a brief hug, and then held up an order, whistling for Claire. After handing off the piece of paper, she pointed at Grady. “I see you have a law dog at your side. Did you bring him with you, or is he here to rescue us from Crazy Kate?”
Grady raised his glass of beer, holding Natalie’s stare. “I’m off duty at the moment.”
Natalie held out her hand. “The name’s Natalie Beals. We’ve met before, I believe.”
“Grady Harrison.” They exchanged a brief shake. “If memory serves me right, Veronica was dealing out junk jewelry the last time I saw you.”
“Junk jewelry? No way. Those were high-quality pieces she was using to bribe your aunt for computer time at the library. Ronnie’s ex made sure to splurge for the good costume jewelry that looked very real, so she wouldn’t figure out he was bonking some other babe on the side.” She wrinkled her upper lip. “Men suck. No offense,” she added, patting Mac’s shoulder.
“Natalie!” Kate called, waving her to the other end of the bar.
“Duty calls … or rather the ol’ fishwife, as I prefer to think of the pregnant lunatic these days.” She saluted Mac. “Catch up with you later. Nice to meet you again, Sheriff.”
Mac finished his drink. “I’m starting to