Mission: Imbrewable – A Frothy Fiasco (The Coffee Loft Series: Mountain Brew Collection)

Chapter 17

Luke

We hang around Kaylee’s campsite, waiting for the sale to go down (as she phrased it). Will it be the Richie Riches or Yellow Galoshes or the VW Bus Gang who end up being the poachers? Or possibly one of the other suspects?

She produces a bag of Doritos and a couple cans of Dr. Pepper. We munch on snacks while I give her a few more interrogation tips. “One key to being an effective interrogator is knowing when to remain silent.”

Kaylee frowns. “I’m not very good at that.”

A laugh rips from my throat. “True! Sometimes counting to ten inside your head helps.”

She nods as she types notes into her phone. Kaylee is really taking this stuff seriously.

“Establish rapport. Start with non-threatening questions. That’s why I suggested asking Yellow Galoshes about why she’s visiting the park. ”

“So leaping right to parsley chips made by Alpine Snacks was a little too threatening?”

I chuckle. “More like a little too obvious, especially if she’s the one poaching the alpine-parsley. It’s too big of a coincidence that you mention both words, even though you used them in the pretense of describing chips.”

“Roger that,” she says, pointing the little stylus at me.

I cast my mind back through the interrogation training I’ve gotten over the years, looking for other small bits of wisdom. “Ah, observe their body language.”

Her eyes flit to mine. “I did that with Yellow Galoshes.”

“And? What did you observe?” Little does Kaylee know that I just used one of the best interrogation techniques on her—an open-ended question.

“She’s British and had very stiff posture, like she had a rod up her spine.” I wince at that descriptor. “But it was the last thing she did that really set off my alarm bells.”

My heart skips a beat. Did the woman threaten my sweet sidekick? “What was that? ”

Kaylee cups her hands around her mouth and murmurs, “She left without buying anything at the vending machine.”

“Hmm... That is certainly odd but doesn’t necessarily make her a criminal. Maybe your talk about parsley chips nipped her cravings in the bud.” I tease. Mentally I note the odd behavior and the accent and will mention it to the General during our next phone call.

She shakes her head, clearly still not convinced. “I would never go to a vending machine and not make a purchase.”

Another small laugh slips out at her honesty. “Back to interrogation techniques and another piece of advice. Perhaps the most important thing. Stay calm and patient; keep the person engaged without making them feel pressured.”

A few seconds later, she slips the stylus back into the slot on her phone. “Thank you, Luke, for giving me these pointers. Hopefully I’ll get another chance to interrogate one of our suspects and I can use them. ”

Kaylee’s taken to surveillance work like a duck to water. I’m really impressed. “You’re welcome.” A comfortable silence falls between us as we sit and enjoy the gorgeous weather. The air has that touch of chill and yet the sunshine feels warm and toasty. It’s just another thing I realize that I miss about this gorgeous place.

“Ooh! Here comes Mr. Richie Rich,” Kaylee whispers, then pops up from the lounger and sits beside me at the picnic table. We watch as he approaches, ambling along as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Do his pockets look full?” she asks as she pretends to take a photo. She has the lens zoomed in on our suspect. “What does he use to harvest the plants? I don’t see the outline of a knife or scissors. He didn’t even get dirty.”

Chuckling at her commentary, I hear her snap a few photos. I don’t know what good they’re going to do as evidence—he looks innocent as a baby. “Let me look.” She hands her phone over to me. “You’re right, there’s no sign of anything in his pockets. Not that I was expecting bulging pockets, but if he’s the thief, where’s he hiding the harvest?”

She nudges my elbow, and I return the phone to her. “Maybe he hid the stash in his underwear? Thieves do that, you know,” she says as she slides her phone in her pocket.

Cringing at the image her words evoke, I hold my breath as he approaches. Did he witness the park ranger talking to me up on the mountain? Kaylee and I casually wave as he walks by, and he nods, his facial expression not changing one iota. Unless he’s an incredible actor, he has no idea I was following him. When he gets to his campsite, he unzips the tent and crawls inside.

The minutes tick by but there’s no other activity at the Richie Riches’ camp.

“Doesn’t he have to deliver the stash?” Kaylee whispers.

“He’s probably removing it from his underwear,” I tease, and she smacks my arm.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Mrs. Richie Rich pops out of the tent and strides over to the Land Rover .

“Marc Jacobs designer bag,” Kaylee squeals, awe lacing her voice. “I love that style! It’s from his new fall collection.”

“You recognize that purse at this distance?”

She nods. “Some women take their handbags seriously. I’m saving up for one of those.”

“How much do they cost?”

“That one is $395.”

What? I squint at the bag, wondering how something that small costs that much. My partner is an enigma. Come to think of it, women in general are an enigma.

“Our suspect is getting away!” Kaylee squeaks as Mrs. Richie Rich hops into the luxury vehicle. Fortunately for us, she spends several seconds talking on her cell inside the car before she drives away.

“Let’s go!” I say as our suspect carefully pulls out of the campsite parking spot.

“Should I stay behind and watch Yellow Galoshes?” Kaylee asks, disappointment leaking from her voice. She’s right. A seasoned surveillance team would split up at this point and have only one person follow Mrs. Richie Rich. But my sidekick’s letdown is palpable, and her sad face sways my better judgement. Besides, I came on this mission solo; without Kaylee I wouldn’t even have the option of leaving someone behind.

“We’ll both go. I might need your help once we get into town.” What the General doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Kaylee grins widely, scoops up Liz, and we jump into my rental. The Jeep will blend in with all the other similar vehicles in this mountain community.

“She’s a law-abiding driver,” Kaylee observes as the Land Rover keeps well below the twenty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit inside the campground. “At this speed, she’s going to notice us behind her.”

True. We’re the only other car on the gravel road. It’s not like there’s traffic we can hide in.

“Pull over and I’ll buy a candy bar from the vending machine,” Kaylee suggests. The tires crunch as I whip the Jeep next to the shower building, keeping an eye on the Land Rover so we don’t lose track of it. The Jeep door slams shut but then reopens what feels like only a few seconds later.

“Can you still see her?” Kaylee asks in a breathless voice as she hops back inside and clicks her seatbelt. Liz pants as she sits on Kaylee’s lap, as if the dog is as excited as Kaylee is about this trip.

“Yes, I can still see the Land Rover.”

Our suspect passes the old man and the basset hound walking with Yellow Galoshes. The pair move over to give the vehicles space. “Hopefully those two aren’t suspects, because there’s no one here to watch them,” Kaylee says as she waves at them on the way by.

I almost suggest she stay behind, but one glance at her excited expression and I quickly discard that idea. Mrs. Richie Rich is our main suspect at the moment, so it’s reasonable to focus on tailing her.

The Jeep rolls along slowly as the two vehicles wind their way out of the campground, me trailing as far back as possible while still moving. Eventually a few other vehicles join our little parade, so I’m sure Mrs. Richie Rich has no clue that we’re tailing her.

“Want half of this Snickers bar?” Kaylee asks once we’re on the main road.

Chuckling, I extend my hand and say, “I didn’t think you’d had time to buy anything. But I should have known; you said you never leave a vending machine without buying something. I never turn down food. I love the chocolate, caramel, and peanuts!”

“Me too! But don’t forget the nougat, that’s their secret ingredient,” she says, giving me one of her mega-watt smiles. My heart flips as I watch her happily devouring the candy bar. How did I fall for her so quickly?

Reluctantly tearing my eyes from her pretty face, I watch the road, making sure I don’t lose the Land Rover. When we hit the Estes Park city limits, the Land Rover slows, and a few blocks later our suspect turns in to a city parking lot .

“You can park over there,” Kaylee says, pointing to a lot across the street. “Let me out now and I’ll tail her on foot, so we don’t lose her.”

I do as Kaylee instructs. “Text me where she’s going,” I say and Kaylee nods. Once my partner and her dog are safely on the sidewalk, I pull away.

Is Mrs. Richie Rich going to make a sale of the alpine-parsley plants or is this a coincidence? Maybe she’s just picking up lunch. I’m excited at the possibility that we may have caught the parsley gang so quickly, but on the other hand, I’m disappointed because that would mean the end of my assignment. I’m going to miss Kaylee, her dog, and these mountains when I return to California.