I still couldn’t bring myself to formulate the words in my mind.
The package still sat in my loft, next to my filing cabinet.
This was where I’d seen the mayor. Perhaps Gus and I were the last to see Bryce’s father. I walked into the store, a little bell on the door tinkling.
Gus looked up from the book he was reading behind the counter. “Afternoon, ma’am. Can I help you with anything?”
“Maybe. I was in here several days ago.”
“Of course. I should have remembered such a pretty lady. What can I do for you?”
“I believe the mayor was also in that day, purchasing some rope and duct tape?”
Gus frowned for a moment. “You may be right. I haven’t seen him in here since, though.”
I didn’t know whether I was at liberty to say that the mayor was missing. Perhaps Bryce wanted to keep that fact quiet, so until I knew for sure, I didn’t want to divulge the information. But I could ask some questions about the purchase.
“Do you have any idea why he was buying those things?”
“Are you a detective or something?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m a psychotherapist, actually. I’m a friend of the Steel family. I was just wondering why the mayor would be buying rope and duct tape.”
“Everyone needs duct tape,” Gus said. “That and WD-40. Two things no household should be without.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it’s stuck together but isn’t supposed to be, you use WD-40. If it’s not stuck together but it’s supposed to be, use duct tape.” He smiled. He was missing one of his lateral incisors.
“That’s funny.” I chuckled a bit. “Tell me, how long have you lived here in Snow Creek?”
“All my life. This used to be my daddy’s store. I don’t have a son or daughter to give it to, so when I go, it’ll close, or maybe someone will buy it from my estate.”
A little more information than I’d wanted. “What about the rope?” I tried to replay the mayor’s purchase over in my mind’s eye. Was it the same kind of rope the masked man had used to bind my ankles? It was white rope, of a normal thickness. It could’ve easily been the same rope, or it could’ve easily been different.
“Maybe Evelyn wanted to hang up some laundry. I have no idea.”
“Evelyn?”
“Yeah, she’s the mayor’s wife.”
I nodded. This wasn’t getting me very far. “Do a lot of people come in here to buy rope and duct tape?”
“Rope and duct tape are two of my biggest sellers. Everybody has need of one or the other at some point. What’s with all the questions?”
“Nothing. I was just curious.”
Of course everyone had need of rope or duct tape sometime in his life. A world-class detective I was not.
“It was nice seeing you again, Gus.”
“I didn’t get your name, ma’am.”
I left the store without answering.
Chapter Nineteen
Jonah