Page 48 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
“Not in yet. Might be running late.”
“I’ll handle the deliveries if you want to cover the front until she wanders in,” Odessa said. Bonnie sometimes cut it close, arriving to the store just before her shift started at 8:30, but she had never been late before.
Handling the daily deliveries took all her attention. She, the driver and the stock guy unloaded fresh produce and fruit from the truck. Physical labor kept her warm, despite the docking bay door being wide open and cold air sweeping into the stock room.
With the final boxes unloaded, she prioritized moving the most in demand—those sugar pumpkins, still—to the floor. They’d look cute stacked in vintage wooden baskets.
“Odessa,” Rocco said, snagging her attention.
“Hey. We got a fresh supply of those clementines you like. And I think chestnuts,” she said, even though chestnuts weren’t exactly an on-the-go snack.
“Actually, I’m here about Bonnie. Did she come in today?”
Odessa glanced to the front registers. “No. She’s a no-show today.”
“Did she call in sick?”
“I’ll have to check with the shift manager, but not that I know of.” Odessa frowned. Bonnie hardly ever took a sick day and she’d never just not show up for work. “What’s going on?”
“Is that common for her?”
“No, not really. She’s not great about being here on time but she’s always here.”
“When was the last time you saw or spoke to Bonnie?” His stern voice conveyed that at that moment he wasn’t a friendly acquaintance or even a regular customer. He was there in his official capacity as sheriff’s deputy.
“Rocco, what happened?”
He sighed. “Bonnie didn’t show up for Sunday dinner at her parent’s place. They reported her missing last night. She’s not at her apartment or answering her phone.”
“Um, we went out for drinks on Friday night,” Odessa said.
“When did you last see her?”
“I dunno. I left early, maybe seven-thirty? I wanted to get home before the snow got too heavy.”
He nodded. “And you got a flat for your trouble. Any calls or messages from her?”
“Let me check.” She pulled out her phone from her back pocket. Sure enough, she had an unread message from Bonnie. “She sent a text Friday night. I guess Saturday morning, around one.” She showed the text to Rocco.
The message read:Going home with my own silver fox! Rawr!
Oh, Bonnie. What did you do?
“Mind if I take a screenshot and send that to myself?” Rocco asked.
“Knock yourself out,” she said.
“Where did you get drinks?” He took out a notepad and pencil.
“The Pour House.”
“Anyone unusual hanging about or giving you a bad feeling?”
Odessa shook her head. “Not really. Bonnie kept trying to get me a hook-up, but I wasn’t interested.” His dark eyes gave her a peculiar look, but she ignored it. “Luz and Alyse were there too.”
“You mean Liz?”
“Dang it. Yes, Liz.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “It was loud. I didn’t get her name and I was too embarrassed to ask.”
