Natalie followed his gaze, her heart shooting out of the starting gate only to screech to a halt when it landed on a trucker with a freight company logo on his cap. He waved at Mac before heading out into the cold desert night.
“Friend of yours?” she asked.
Mac shrugged. “I asked about his custom-painted Peterbilt parked outside in the lot, and he told me all about his vindictive ex-wife, including their vicious custody battle for their two prized Pomeranians.”
Huh. Real life was stranger than fiction some days. “And thus we have a shining example of the glamorous life of a bartender counselor. Do you charge by the hour for your liquid therapy sessions?”
“Remove thy drinks from my bar, mouthy serving wench,” he said with a smile, threatening to spray her with the soda water gun.
She delivered the tray of drinks to a table full of retirees staying at the RV park while on their annual birding vacation. As soon as Natalie had dropped off the drink order, Kate swooped in and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her off to the side.
“We have a problem,” Kate said, her gaze darting back and forth between the bar and Natalie.
Uh oh. Kate’s left cheek was twitching again.
Natalie crossed her arms, bracing herself for another wild ride with Crazy Kate. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Mac.”
“Mac?”
“Yes, Mac.”
Natalie grinned at Kate’s gunslinger squint aimed at the man of the moment. “You mean our ‘Mac,’ who is currently tending bar?”
Kate’s glare swung her way. “Natalie, don’t make me shave your eyebrows while you sleep.”
Something flickered in Kate’s eyes in between the twitches. Natalie took a step back to be safe. “Keep your razor holstered, Cactus Kate. What about Mac?”
“He’s spying on me.”
Natalie tried to keep a straight face. “Why would Mac be spying on you, Kate?”
“Because the sheriff put him up to it. Grady somehow knows what our posse is up to. There must be an infiltrator in our ranks. It’s probably that batty aunt of his. She could easily play the double agent part.”
Holy huckleberries! “What in the hell are you talking about, Kate? What’s the posse up to now?”
“You know.” Kate twirled around, fluttering her hands in the air, looking like a butterfly caught in a dust devil.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to throw Mac off our scent.”
Natalie glanced toward the bar. Mac was staring their way with a perplexed expression on his face that probably mirrored her own. “I don’t think he’s spying on you, Kate.” She turned back to her cousin. “I was just there talking to him. He’s too busy making drinks and chatting with customers to spy on you tonight.”
“You underestimate Mac and his big science brain. I’m telling you, he’s onto our plans to catch the killer.”
“What plans? Did I miss a meeting?”
Kate waved her off. “Don’t you worry your pretty head about things. You just do what Ronnie and I say and you won’t be eating bugs anytime soon.”
What? Natalie shook her head slowly. “Kate, I think your rudder is broken. Or your hull is cracked and you’re taking on water. Either way, maybe you should lie down in Butch’s office and try to focus on fixing your leaky brain.”
A loud cackle of laughter came from Kate. She stopped laughing as quickly as she’d started. After a frown aimed at the jukebox, Kate leaned closer and whispered, “I have to go now.”
Without further madness, Kate scurried away.
Shaking off that brush with insanity in the pregnancy form, Natalie cleared an empty table and carried the dirty glasses and mugs to the bar.
Mac “the spy” brought over the dish tub so Natalie could empty her arms and hands. Then he filled a glass with ice water, dropped a lemon slice into it, and set it in front of her. “You look thirsty.”
“I am, thanks.”
He nodded toward the jukebox. “What’s up with Kate tonight?”
Natalie lowered the glass, watching him closely in case there was a grain of truth in Kate’s loony ramblings. “Why do you ask?”
“The left side of her face keeps twitching whenever she hands off her drink orders.”
“She’s overstressed tonight.”
“I keep catching her watching me like it’s high noon and she’s ready to draw and shoot.”
“She’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant with a touch of paranoia seems more like it.”
He nailed it. “I think she’s catching downdrafts from the shit storm pummeling Ronnie’s world.”
“Could be. I should warn Claire to steer clear of her tonight so they don’t end up in jail again before sunup.”
Natalie snorted. “Kate does have a way of sucking her family into her maelstrom.”
“Order up!” Claire said from the kitchen order window.
Mac walked over and grabbed the burger and onion rings, delivering the dish to a cowboy at the other end of the bar.
When he returned, Natalie asked, “Why is Claire working in the kitchen tonight?” Serving drinks was much more Claire’s style, but since Natalie had arrived at The Shaft her cousin had been helping Butch prep food orders.
Mac glanced toward the order window, his brow lined. “That letter she found today on the windshield of the Winnebago really knocked her sideways. Kate agreed to switch with her tonight and let Claire hide in the kitchen.”
Claire wasn’t the only one hiding tonight. Ronnie wasn’t faring much better than her sister after learning about the attempted murder on her ex-husband. It wasn’t that there were any lasting feelings for Lyle on Ronnie’s part, more that someone had been able to get to Lyle, who was safely tucked away in prison. By comparison, Ronnie was an easy target. So, when the opportunity came to stay back at the RV park with Chester, Harvey, Jess, Manny, and even Deborah, Ronnie took it.
Natalie shook her head. “This is no good, Mac. Claire has a hard shell, but she’s starting to crack along with Ronnie.”
Kate was overzealous about many things, but she was right. The killer needed to be found before Claire or Ronnie had a full meltdown.
Butch stepped out through the batwing doors, joining Mac behind the bar. “We’re winding down,” he said, filling
