My tires lost traction for a second or two when I pulled out onto Sherman Street. The snowplow had recently been through on the main drag, but Old Man Winter was making quick work of whiting out the plow’s hard work.
“I know, it’s crazy,” Natalie continued. “We’ll be on our way as soon as we pick up Doc.” She paused, listening. “We as in Vi, Doc, Cornelius, and me.” Another pause. Natalie grinned at me. “Yes, Cornelius is the one who talked about his dead grandfather’s fondness for coffin flies at the family dinner a few weeks ago.” She listened again and laughed, glancing back at Cornelius. “No, I don’t believe he’s ever been employed by a traveling circus. However, I have been recently informed that one of his female ancestors was revered as some sort of voodoo queen down in the Louisiana swampland.”
A cacophony of squawks and high-pitched utterances came through the line.
Natalie held the phone away, snorting and giggling. Her lips were still twitching at the corners when she returned to the call. “Is Cornelius coming as my date? No. He’s a good friend. Your daughter insisted he come along with us because he couldn’t make it home to his family for the holidays due to a flight issue.”
I heard my mom’s compassionate “ohhh” through the line. Damn, Natalie was good. She knew all about my mom’s soft spot for orphaned souls.
I passed a few other four-wheel drive vehicles as well as a pair of snowmobiles as I steered through the mess to Doc’s house, a few blocks away from the office. If it weren’t for Doc, a new set of chains, and four-wheel drive, I would have been doing more knuckle chewing about making the snowy drive to my parents.
As we neared Doc’s, I whispered to Natalie, “Wrap it up.”
Natalie nodded at me. “Was there something you needed from Violet?” she asked my mom in a much nicer way than I would have at this point. Her forehead furrowed, her smile flipping into a troubled frown. “Sure thing, Hope-ster. I’ll let her know. Don’t worry, we’ll be there raiding your fridge before long. Give Susan my love and tell her I’ll see her soon.”
I giggled. That should get Susan good and spooked. Natalie’s historic feats of retaliation against her on my account were almost as legendary as Susan’s evil deeds.
Natalie hung up after saying good-bye. She tucked the phone back in my purse. “Your mom needs a bottle of tequila.”
I guffawed, pulling in behind the Picklemobile, an old green truck Doc was borrowing from Harvey while he stored his souped-up 1969 Camaro SS in his garage. “That’s why she called? She’s low on liquor?” Hell, I wasn’t even there yet to get the mayhem rolling. I shut off the engine.
“No. She called because she just heard on the news that they closed Interstate 90 from the Wyoming border to Rapid City.”
“Fudgesicles!” I groaned, leaning my head on the steering wheel. Now what?
Cornelius spoke up from the back seat. “Truth be told, I actually spent a summer working for a circus troupe during college.”
“Really?” Natalie turned to look at him. “Doing what?”
“Training the monkeys to ride unicycles.”
A bubble of laughter rose up my throat, hilarity and hysteria mixing in my chest.
Damned the meteorologists for being right this time.
How in the hell was I going to get to my kids?
Natalie patted my back. “We’ll figure out a way to Rapid,” she said, reading my mind. “Let’s go talk to Doc. He and his big brain will have a solution.”
The three of us scurried around Harvey’s Ford pickup that sat next to the Picklemobile and climbed the steps onto Doc’s front porch.
The door opened before I could knock. Harvey ushered us inside, shutting out the wind that was trying to beat down the door. Green and white striped suspenders were hooked to his jeans, looking festive with his red flannel shirt.
“You’re cuttin’ it close, Sparky,” he said, frowning at me through his salt-and-pepper beard. His matching eyebrows were wrinkled into one long bushy caterpillar. “A blizzard is a bad time to be drivin’ through the backside of nowhere.”
“What do you mean, the backside of nowhere?” I unbuttoned my coat and then took off my cable knit beanie, shaking out my damp blond curls.
“They shut down Interstate 90 clear to Rapid.”
“We heard,” Natalie said, tugging off her stocking hat.
“The only way yer gonna git home now is up Strawberry Hill on Highway 385 and out past my ranch.”
Natalie sucked air through her teeth. “That’s a lot of twists and turns and hills to slip and slide through. We could try Nemo Road, but it might be even worse and your parents live closer to where Rimrock Highway dumps us into Rapid.”
“Those flying reindeer would come in handy right about now,” Cornelius said, stuffing his gloves in his coat pockets. He sniffed. “What’s that divine aroma?”
“Chocolate peanut butter surprise cookies,” Harvey answered. “Feel free to help yerself to some. They’re on the counter.”
Cornelius didn’t hesitate, his long legs speeding toward Doc’s kitchen.
“US 385 is tricky in the snow,” I said, returning to the problem at hand. “But it’s still doable.”
I spoke from experience. My dad had driven us home from Aunt Zoe’s place through the snow many times in the past.
“Sure,” Natalie said, rubbing her hands together. “If the plows are still running up there.”
“Are they?” I asked Harvey.
Harvey scratched at his beard. “Let me call Coop and double-check.”
“Where is Coop?” Natalie asked, earning a pair of raised brows from me. She ignored me, focusing extra hard on Harvey. “I thought he was going to his mom’s place for the holiday.”
“He’s still at work.”
“Of course Detective Scrooge is still hunched over his desk,” Natalie grumbled. “He’ll probably work straight through Christmas and not even realize it.”
Natalie suffered from a twisted sort of professional jealousy when it came to Cooper’s job, stemming from his choosing to run away to his work rather than
