His phone rang and he answered on the second ring. “Larken.”
“Hey, it’s Bubba.”
Leaning back in his chair, he arched his back to relieve the ache. “Hey. Tire ready?” He’d dropped it off on his way into work.
“Where’d you get that tire?”
He leaned forward. “My neighbor. Helped her change it this morning, why?”
“Someone have it out for her?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“Tire was slashed, man. Was that the only tire that was flat?”
What the fuck? “Yeah. The other three were fine.”
“Might want to have her take her car in to have them checked out. Unusual for a slashed tire to not go flat, but stranger things have happened. Stranger that someone would be pissed off enough to hit one tire, but not the rest of them.”
“I’ll give her a call.”
“You do that. Want me to put a new tire on the rim?”
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll pick it up this afternoon.”
“Sure thing.” Bubba hung up and Tim set his own phone down.
Grabbing his cell phone from the desk, he thumbed through the contacts until he came to the number Denise had texted him. It went to voicemail after only one ring. Either she was already busy with the inspection or she didn’t answer unknown numbers. He glanced at the clock. Almost ten o’clock. She might still be at the restaurant—he’d try to catch her there.
Pulling up an internet search engine, he typed the Cafe and address into the search bar, then used his work phone to call the number listed.
“Thank you for calling the Cafe. This is Elba.”
“Hi, Elba. This is Tim.”
Silence answered him.
“Hello? Elba? Are you there?”
“Yes! Sorry. I must have accidentally muted the phone.”
“Is Zoe there?”
“You just missed her—she went next door a few minutes ago. Can I take a message?”
“Actually, I realized I don’t have her store number. Would you be able to give it to me?”
“And what would you do with her number if I gave it to you?”
He smiled and twirled a pen around his fingers. “I would call her.”
“And what would you say to her when you called her?”
“You’re being awfully nosy, Elba.”
“I’m her best friend. I’m supposed to be nosy.”
“Are you going to give me the number?” He wasn’t going to tell Elba the real reason he was calling until he talked to Zoe. She could think what she wanted. Not that he wouldn’t use Zoe’s number to ask her out as well, but that wasn’t what he needed it for right now.
