Stirring Up Trouble Read online

Maddie cut up the selections and put them in the box. Dottie left quickly for a change, apparently on a mission to land herself Dick Campbell. Bless his heart—he didn’t know what was about to hit him.

  Leaning against the back counter, Maddie crossed her arms and thought about what Miss Dotty had said about that movie theater in Gadsden. She bet quite a few people turned out for that kind of thing. It was a shame they didn’t have anything like that in Rosewood. They’d never gotten their own theater here, and there wasn’t really anyplace else that could show films like that.

  Her gaze strayed out the front window to the square. From her angle, she could see just past the courthouse to the library. Looking at the smooth limestone of the façade, she realized that she’d never noticed there weren’t windows on that side of the building. She walked over to her window for a better look.

  The square was the center of Rosewood, with the courthouse and the library situated back-to-back on a large, grassy lawn. It occurred to her then that if they set up a projector on that side, they could project movies onto the library wall. Folks could bring out blankets and chairs and watch movies on the lawn. She’d been searching her brain for something people could do in Rosewood to keep them from loitering at the bar and vandalizing public property. This just might be the thing.

  Maddie fished out her notebook from the drawer behind the register and started making notes. It was mid-October, not the ideal time to kick off a series of outdoor activities, but they had enough time to try it once while the weather was mild. If they got a good turnout, maybe they could host a series of movies, or even concerts, out on the lawn next summer.

  This wasn’t something she could pull off by herself, though. Lord knows, she didn’t have enough time between running the shop and all her community service chores. But she knew exactly who she could talk to about it—Alice Jordan. Alice was Mayor Gallagher’s assistant. No one who actually knew Alice had any illusions that Mayor Gallagher lifted a finger around town aside from showing up and shaking hands. Alice was the one behind the scenes who made things happen. She coordinated a lot of the community events, including the Christmas parade and the county fair, which just wrapped up a few weeks before.

  Now might be the perfect time to pitch this idea, before she got caught up in Christmas preparations.

  Alice normally stopped by the bakery at least once a week. Maddie hadn’t seen her yet, so maybe she’d come by today. Or maybe she’d just call her and flat out ask her to come across the street to see her.

  Maddie picked up the phone and dialed the courthouse. The operator transferred her directly to Alice’s line.

  “Mayor Gallagher’s office,” she said.

  “Alice,” Maddie said in her most chipper voice. “This is Maddie Chamberlain. Are you busy this morning?”

  “You know how things are,” she said with a tedious sigh.

  Maddie could just guess. Why people kept reelecting Otto was beyond her. He wasn’t a very effective leader, but he’d become a fixture in Rosewood somehow. Southerners just loved their traditions. “Do you think you’d have time to pop by the bakery this morning? I’ve just put on a pot of tea and pulled out a tray of fresh cinnamon scones.”

  Alice groaned. “That sounds wonderful, Maddie, but I can’t really run off for tea right now.”

  “Of course not,” Maddie said. “This meeting is to discuss official Rosewood community activities business.”

  Alice hesitated. “It is?”

  “Absolutely,” Maddie replied with a grin. “Come over as soon as you can. I have an idea.”

  “What in God’s name is that?” Maddie asked, staring at the wall in front of them.

  Emmett scratched his head and shrugged. “I’m not much of an art connoisseur, but I guess it’s supposed to be a penis wearing a fireman’s helmet, since it’s on the side of the fire station.”

  Apparently the Penis Picasso had decided to step up his game. No longer content with simple, crude images of genitalia, he had opted to add accessories this time. When they’d reported to the courthouse for their assignment Saturday morning, they were given paint remover and a pressure washer, and directed to the firehouse for their next project.

  “This is ridiculous. We’re going to spend our entire stint of community service cleaning up after this punk.”

  “Would you rather pick up trash in the park?”

  “I would, yes. At least then I’d be doing something productive, something that would make Rosewood a better place. Right now I just feel like the guys at the end of the parade, sweeping up animal poop. He makes a mess, and we clean it up. Repeat as necessary.”

  “Do you have a better suggestion?” Emmett asked. As long as there were penises to be covered up, he was pretty certain that they would be out here doing the work. It was probably saving the city a lot of money to farm out these jobs to local offenders.

  “I say we catch the little bastard and put a stop to this whole thing.”

  Emmett’s eyes widened at Maddie’s bitter yet unexpected enthusiasm. “Catch him? Isn’t that the cops’ job?”

  Maddie shrugged and eyed the directions on the paint remover designed to take graffiti off brick. “They haven’t managed to do it yet. Someone should. This needs to stop, and I think we’d be able to find him.”

  “Why us?”

  “For one thing, we both keep weird hours. We’re both awake at two or three in the morning and, to me, that’s the prime time to do this sort of thing. If I got up a little earlier and you stayed up a little later, we could do some hunting without anyone knowing.”

  Emmett wasn’t so sure. He was already mandated to spend six hours a week with Maddie. Was voluntarily spending more time with her going to help or hurt their situation? He had to admit that their fighting seemed to have stopped since they got arrested. The week had been fairly quiet, and no one called the cops Friday night. He hadn’t had a live act playing that night, but she hadn’t turned him in on ladies’ night, either. Maybe the worst of it was truly behind them.

  “Are you going to help me or just stand there?”

  Maybe.

  “I’m coming,” he said. They used spray bottles to spritz the graffiti with paint remover and then had to kill a half hour while it dissolved the paint before they hit it with the pressure washer.

  “It’s a shame we can’t leave,” Maddie said when they finished and settled onto the sidewalk to wait. “We’re half a block from my house. At the very least, we could sit on my couch and wait in climate-controlled comfort instead of sitting out on the curb.”

  “We could go in the firehouse and annoy your brother,” Emmett noted.

  Maddie shook her head. “If I go in there without baked goods for them, they’d never let me come back.”

  Emmett leaned back on his hands. “You mean you didn’t pack us a treat today? You spoiled me with those MoonPies.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Maddie reached into her bag and pulled out a box with two sticky buns in it. “I just don’t have enough for everyone.”

  She handed over one of the gooey, nut-covered pastries and Emmett’s stomach growled. He’d managed five hours of sleep before he got up for this and hadn’t left himself enough time for food, just a mug of strong black coffee before he ran out the door. “You’re going to get me hooked on all your goodies, and then I’ll have to come into your shop and buy them after we’ve served our debt to society.”

  Maddie smiled and tore off a bite that she popped into her mouth. She seemed more laid-back today. Happier. Last time he’d been too freaked out by how high up they were to notice her state of mind, but she seemed almost human today. The smile was a nice touch. Without stress etched into her face, there was a softness about her that made her beauty even more undeniable. In the early-morning light, there was a glow to her skin that beckoned him to touch her.

  But he wouldn’t. One good morning d
idn’t mean she’d changed for good. Perhaps their battle was just feeding itself—the less sleep they got, the crankier they were; the more trouble they caused, the less sleep they got. Somehow, the cycle had been broken and they both seemed fairly at ease with each other. For now. He would never say it out loud, but maybe it was a good thing that they had gotten arrested.

  “How’s your new bakery assistant?” Emmett asked. He’d heard she’d hired one of the high schoolers to help. He’d had to make similar arrangements with Joy. He decided to open a little late on Wednesdays, but on Saturdays she’d open the bar and watch it during the early afternoon while he took a nap and showered. There was no way he could make it to two in the morning without a break.

  “She’s amazing. It’s only been a few days and I really don’t know how I’ve ever lived without her. She minds the shop in the afternoon, which gives me time to do other things. She cleans and helps bake. I’m absolutely spoiled and it’s only the fifth day she’s worked for me.”

  “Ahh,” Emmett said. “That explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  “Why you’re in such a good mood. You’re not nearly as stressed out as usual.”

  “It certainly helps,” she admitted. “And I think we’ve both slept better this week, don’t you agree?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “A good night’s sleep gives you perspective. This morning I woke up and decided that I don’t want to sit back and let something like this go on anymore.” She gestured toward the blue fireman penis that was starting to drip down the wall. “The whole point of Judge Griffin making us work together was so that we would learn to get along. I think finding this guy and turning him over to the police would be a great way for us to build . . . I don’t know . . . a rapport.”

  “A rapport?”

  “Yes, a relationship. One where I can call and ask you to turn down the music and you will, because you’re not on the defensive about it.”

  Emmett chuckled. “And what do I get out of this relationship? Are you going to stop parading princesses outside my window?”

  “I will. I might also bring you your favorite goodies from time to time.”

  “Okay,” Emmett said, considering her offer. “So we’re officially calling a truce so we can catch the Penis Picasso. Once we’ve done that, we’ll move forward, both being mindful of each other, and occasionally you will provide me with baked goods?”

  “Yes,” Maddie said with the widest, most sincere smile he’d seen out of her yet.

  Emmett held out his hand and they shook on it. The casual touch quickly turned more serious when her soft skin met his. It sent a surge up his arm, like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly his whole body was aware of how close they were. His gaze met hers for a moment, and he was pretty certain that she felt whatever it was, too.

  At last, he pulled his hand away. “Okay,” he said, his voice shakier than he expected it to be. He needed to focus their discussion on something else. “What’s your plan to nab our neighborhood vandal?”

  “Well, I’ve looked back at the reports in the paper and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the graffiti. There’s been five incidents so far, and there’s not a pattern I can discern. He hit the Piggly Wiggly on a Wednesday night, the power company on a Tuesday. The car wash was on a Monday, and the water tower on Friday night. This one”—she gestured behind her—“popped up Thursday night. I say we start tonight and see if we notice anything peculiar.”

  “Why tonight?”

  “Because I’m off Sunday and the bar opens later, so it won’t throw our sleep off too badly.”

  “That makes sense. What time?”

  “I’m thinking maybe about two, after the bar closes. If you want to walk over to my place after you close up, we can take my car and drive around. I was thinking maybe we could park near the courthouse and watch for any sort of activity around the square. Most of the graffiti has been centered around the downtown area, so I think that’s our best bet.”

  Emmett wasn’t so confident, but it was part of their agreement, so he’d give it a shot. Odds were they’d sit in the dark for a few hours, nothing would happen, and she’d give up. He wondered how much she’d care about the Penis Picasso when she wasn’t the one who had to clean up after him anymore.

  “Sitting on the job!” a man’s voice shouted from behind them.

  Emmett turned around in time to see Grant strolling out of the firehouse. His rusty red hound dog was on his heels. “We’re letting the paint remover process,” he explained.

  Grant wasn’t paying any attention to Emmett’s protests. His eyes were focused on the pink pastry box sitting between them. “What is that?”

  Maddie and Emmett both looked down at the box, then back up at each other. “Nothing,” they said in unison.

  Emmett slowly slid the remainder of his sticky bun behind his back.

  “Yeah, sure,” Grant said bitterly. “And you’ve got nothing in your hand, either, right?”

  “Nope,” Emmett insisted.

  Grant’s hound dog quickly rounded him and pressed his wet nose against Emmett’s hand. Emmett tried to protect his treat, but he was found out. The dog lay down beside him like he’d found prey and started baying incessantly until Emmett finally tossed the last few bites to him. He snatched it out of the air, swallowing it in one bite and sitting on the sidewalk with a happy grin on his face. “Traitor,” Emmett muttered.

  “I was going to say the same thing.” Grant turned to his sister and pointed an accusing finger at Emmett. “You don’t even like him and he gets treats?”

  “I would’ve brought something,” Maddie said, “if I’d known we were coming here.”

  “You would’ve had to go a whole twenty feet out of your way to stop at the shop on the way over here. It’s understandable.”

  Maddie sighed. “I’m serving court-ordered community service. I’m not about to take any detours that would get me in more trouble than I’m already in. If you want something so darn bad, go down to the shop and tell Gertie I said to let you have whatever you want.”

  “Gertie Perkins?” Grant asked with a raised brow.

  “Yes, why?”

  He shook his head dismissively. “Nothing.”

  Maddie frowned at her brother. “What? Tell me. Does she have a bad reputation I need to know about?”

  “Not at all,” Grant assured her. “She’s a sweet kid by all accounts. I’m glad you gave her a job. It’s your reputation I’m worried about.”

  Emmett watched the frown fade away from her face. “Why?” she asked.

  “Because,” Grant said, “back in high school you would’ve made life a living hell for a girl like Gertie. She’s shy, quiet, doesn’t keep up with the latest fashions, and has a unique look about her. You and your hens would’ve pecked at her until she cried herself to sleep each night.”

  Maddie opened her mouth to argue with her brother, but the words seemed to be stolen from her lips. Finally, she shut her mouth and sighed. “You’re probably right,” she admitted in a sad, defeated voice.

  “You’re not going to be mean to her now, are you?” Grant asked.

  “Of course not,” Maddie insisted. “She’s wonderful.”

  “Okay,” Grant said, satisfied. “Now that we have that cleared up, I’m going to take you up on that free snack and say hi to Gertie.” He looked over his shoulder at the wall. “I think it’s ready for the power washing. Come on, Chopper!”

  Grant started off along the sidewalk with his dog trailing behind him. Emmett watched them disappear down the street, and then he turned back to the very quiet Maddie beside him. “Are you okay?”

  Her head snapped around to look at him, her cheeks touched with the redness of emotion. “I’m fine,” she said.

  He doubted that, but he wasn’t going to push the subject. Most people
didn’t like to have their past sins pointed out. Brothers weren’t known for pulling punches with that kind of thing. Apparently, Maddie had a long history of making people miserable, not just him.

  He almost felt bad for her. She’d brought that on herself with her own actions, but he sure knew he wouldn’t want someone to fling his old baggage back at him. Better to just change the subject.

  “Okay, then,” he said, slapping his knees and standing up. “Let’s show this fireman weenie who’s boss.”

  Chapter Nine

  “We’re wasting our time,” Emmett complained.

  Maddie frowned out the windshield. “You’re giving up too easily. It’s only been an hour.”

  “Yes, but the only person we’ve seen since we parked here was your brother Simon driving by on patrol.”

  “Do you not hunt?” Maddie asked, turning to him in irritation.

  “No, I’m from Florida. The only thing I waste my time shooting is whiskey and pool. Wildlife and I have an arrangement—I leave them alone, they leave me alone. It’s worked pretty well so far.”

  Maddie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well, here’s lesson number one. You have to be patient. You can’t just expect the prey to pop up right away. You have to be still, don’t give it any reason for alarm, and wait for it to come to you.”

  “We’re not going to shoot this guy, are we?”

  Maddie snorted. “No. It’s just a metaphor. We’ve got to let the whole town fall asleep, then see if our sneaky little vandal thinks it’s safe enough to venture out.”

  “So we’re just going to sit here until five in the morning?”

  “You are the most impatient person I’ve ever met,” Maddie grumbled. “Yes.” She reached into the backseat and grabbed a box from the bakery. “See if this helps ease the discomfort of sitting in my presence for a few more hours.”

  “What is it?” Emmett asked as he took the box from her.

  “One leftover chocolate éclair, today’s special, a couple different cookies, one or two dirty brownies, and a slice of orange pound cake.”