The Snow White Christmas Cookie

“Did that old Studey truck of his break down again?”

“Not exactly. Although he did say that he wanted to get something out of his truck. He went out to the parking lot, oh, maybe a half hour ago or so.”

“And?…”

“And he never came back.”

Des felt her pulse quicken. “Where is he, Rut?”

“That’s just it, young lady. Nobody seems to know. His truck’s here but Mitch isn’t. And I can’t find anyone who knows what happened to him.”

“Rut, are you okay?”

“Fine and dandy. It’s Mitch who I’m worried about.”

“Stay put. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

She rang off and turned to discover Yolie and Toni standing there in the hallway with her.

“What’s going down?” Yolie wanted to know.

Des shook her head in amazement. “He did it to me again.”

“Did what?”

“Went barging into the middle of things like Robert Mitchum on a bad-hair day. I’m going to kill him, I swear. But first I have to find him. I can’t believe he…” She broke off, her stomach in knots. “Want to get in some trouble?”

“You know me, girl. I’m up for anything. Let’s roll.”

“You could end up back in a gunnysack like me,” Des cautioned her.

“Not a problem. I look hot in gray. Whatever it is, I’m in.”

“Me, too,” Toni said.

“This ain’t your fight,” Yolie told her. “Besides, I need you holding down the fort here.”

“No way, Loo. I’ve been chained to a computer all day. And if I have to spend five more minutes in a room with Grisky I’m going to shoot him. Enough with the talking thing, okay? Let’s get out of here and break bad.”

Yolie’s fierce face broke into a smile. “Good answer, Sergeant.”

Mitch’s dear old truck was parked in the slushy lot just as Rut had said it was. Unlocked, with nothing and no one inside. Quite a few other pickups were crowded into the lot. There was no sign of Mr. Slick Rick Fontanella’s silver Coupe de Ville.

Des could feel the tension inside the Rustic the second that she and Yolie walked in the door. The sight of two very large sisters, one of them in uniform, tends to do that in a bar that is frequented by pigment-challenged workingmen. Toni stayed outside to conduct a thorough search of the parking lot and the area out back.

Des’s eyes scanned the room. She saw no sign of Tommy the Pinhead or Gigi Garanski. No sign of Rut Peck either, for that matter. She made her way over to Steve Starkey, who stood behind the bar with a wary look on his face.

“Afternoon, Des,” he said, forcing up some good cheer. “What can I do for you today?”

“I got a call from Rut Peck a few minutes ago. He wanted a ride home.”

Steve’s face fell. “He told me he was calling the Jewett sisters. I didn’t realize he called you.”

“He seemed a little confused about a few things. Thought I’d better check them out. Steve, say hello to Lieutenant Yolanda Snipes of the Major Crimes Squad.”

“Major Crimes?” Steve’s eyes widened. “Hey, what’s going on here?”

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Yolie growled.

“Where is Rut, Steve?”

“Lying down in my back room. He had one beer too many and got a little light-headed. Come on around, I’ll take you to him.”

Steve’s back room was a combination kitchen, storeroom and office. Chili bubbled in a huge pot on the stove. Cases of beer were stacked practically to the ceiling. There was a desk cluttered with papers. Also a beat-up old sofa where the occasional Rustic regular had been known to spend the night if he’d had one or seven too many. Rut lay stretched out on it with a blanket thrown over him. He was awake but looked a bit wan.

“Are you okay, Rut?” Des asked him.

“I’m fine, young lady. Sure didn’t mean to kick up a fuss. I’m just having a little bit of trouble sorting things out. Plus I think I ate one too many of Steve’s chili dogs,” he confessed, belching discreetly. “I feel like a fool for putting you to so much trouble.”

“No need to. There’s only one fool in this picture and it’s not you. Where is he?”

“That’s what I can’t sort out. Mitch asked me if I’d mind stopping off here for a beer on our way to Essex Meadows.”

“Did he say why?”

“No, he didn’t. And I didn’t care why. It was fine by me. Except now he’s gone and I don’t know where.”

Des glanced over at Steve. “What can you tell us?”

“Not a whole lot. Rut popped in a couple of hours ago with a young guy who he introduced to me as your friend Mitch Berger.”

“Mitch’s truck is still here,” Des said. “Where’s Mitch?”

Steve hesitated, licking his lips. “Look, I run a friendly bar. A place where regular guys can hang out and relax.”

“I’m going to keep this real simple, Steve. I’m not holding you personally responsible for anything that’s happened here today-unless you start playing games with me. Then I promise that you’ll be sorry this day ever happened.”

Steve let out a sigh, then opened the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a half-empty bottle of Wild Turkey. He poured a stiff slug into a not-very-clean-looking glass, drank it down, and then poured himself another slug. “Des, you’re going to get sore no matter what I say.”

She stood there in silence, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“Rut and your friend Mitch were sitting at the bar enjoying a Guinness and a chili dog, okay?”

“Best chili dog in town,” Rut said. “I had two.”

“And Casey Zander showed up looking for Gigi. Casey wasn’t in a friendly mood. When Rut offered to buy him a beer he gave Rut the brush-off.”

“And he was downright rude about it,” Rut said. “How a fine woman like Paulette could raise such a no-good louse I have never understood.”

“Then Gigi sashayed in and right away those two are snarling at each other. She told Casey to get lost and went over to talk to Tommy.”

“This would be Tommy the Pinhead?” Yolie demanded.

Steve blinked at her. “Yeah. He was sitting in the corner with a fellow who he sort of associates with.”

Yolie nodded. “Slick Rick Fontanella. We know all about him. And we’re not interested in that right now. We’re interested in what happened to Mitch.”

Steve took another swallow of Wild Turkey. “Gigi does pretty much whatever, whoever, Tommy tells her to. He beats her if she doesn’t. I’ve seen her in here with a fat lip, bruises all over her arms. It’s not pretty. Anyhow, after she talked to Tommy she came right back to Casey and started acting all nice. The two of them made a date. Casey told her he just had to take care of some business first. He went outside to the parking lot. Tommy followed him out there.”

“That’s when Mitch told me he had to get something out of his truck,” Rut recalled. “I told him it would cost him another chili dog, which is how it came to pass that I ate two of them.”

“So Mitch went outside just after Casey and Tommy did?” Des asked.

Rut nodded his tufty white head. “Correct.”

I’m going to kill him. First I have to find him, then I’ll kill him.

“Keep talking,” Yolie ordered Steve.

“Tommy and Casey came back inside a few minutes later. Casey had a real sick look on his face. Was kind of bent over, too. He and Gigi took off together right after that.”

“And what about Tommy?”

“He sat back down with Slick Rick. They talked for a sec and then he left, too. Slick Rick stuck around for