Spence apologized to Julian, tongue in cheek of course, but hedidback down.
Sheila was Tabbi’s sister, and worked as their office manager. Despite being on the spectrum, she had an uncanny way of keeping the Sothard men in check.
“It’s okay, Sheila,” Julian responded. “But thanks. I actually had a great time, and I’m meeting Petula again tomorrow morning,” he offered up.
“Hmmm,” Spence grinned. “Tabbi kept me from going to get coffee this morning so I wouldn’t seem like a snoop, but Imightneed some pastries for my Saturday morning.”
Sheila stared him down, but for this one, Julian didn’t need help.
“Go for it,” Julian replied easily. “Because we’re headed someplace else.”
“Dammit. Opportunity lost.” Spence griped, but with a smile.
Sheila picked up and held her swear-jar toward him.
“Aw, come on. Dammit isn’texactlya swear, Sheila,” he whined.
“It is. I told you it was. Now you owe me two,” she replied without a blink.
“Fine.” He dug in his pocket, and while he was extracting his recompense, Tabitha pranced over, having finished at the register with her customer.
“Tex called, Jules,” she informed him. “I told him you were out, but that you’d ring him back as soon as you got in.”
Julian swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat.
Finding out about Petula without her consent still felt wrong, but if Tex was calling, he’d obviously found something…important. If there’d been nothing to uncover, he would have said so to Tabbi and left it. That Tex deemed it necessary to speak with Julian was…disconcerting, to say the least.
“Here’s his number.” Tabbi thrust a piece of paper toward him, and gave him a knowing nod. “We’ve got the shop covered if you want to head somewhere you can have some privacy.”
“Thanks Tab.” Julian took the slip and walked from the shop in a semi-daze, heading back to his truck. Whatever was about to be revealed, it wouldn’t be overheard there.
Getting in, Julian sat for a moment and collected himself. How bad could it be?
There was only one way to find out.
Dialing Tex’s number, Julian waited one ring before the man picked up.
“Julian Sothard, I presume.” Tex wasted no time.
“It is.” Julian almost wanted to laugh. “How did you know?”
“I have your number,” Tex answered. “I just didn’t want to use it when Tabitha hadn’t shared it with me. Calling the Diver Downeast office seemed more PC,” he drawled.
Like the man cared about PC, Julian internally scoffed.
And Jules wasn’t about to ask how Tex had found his unlisted cell number. He already knew that’s what the omniscient man was all about; uncovering information to which no one normal, purportedly had access.
“So… You have some knowledge to share with me,” Julian put forth gruffly. “But before you tell me anything,” he hastily added, “let me say that any stuff you uncovered that might be too personal, should remain in your head. I don’t need to hear anything that isn’t useful in helping me walk the mine-field that is Petula.”
“Understood,” Tex concurred. “But there’s quite a bit here you actually need to mull over.”
Julian forcibly put aside his personal-involvement-feelings, and donned his combat-intelligence hat to receive the briefing. “Okay. Shoot.”
“First of all, Bothswait isn’t Petula’s birth name.”
Julian sat back hard in his seat. That had been a bit of a hit, but not a death-blow. He waited for more.
“She, her brother Statler, and another brother, Jefferson, were born with the surname, Caniday.” He gave a wry chuckle. “It sure sounds like Mr. and Mrs. Caniday had a thing for sixties music. Petula Clark, The Statler Brothers, Jefferson Airplane…”
