Free tj jensen 01 - barkleys treasure by Kathi Daley Page B

younger element,” I observed.
    “At times. But I do my best to manage the crowd. I don’t want my pharmacy customers to feel too intimidated to come inside. A lot of my regulars are seniors who don’t necessarily feel comfortable with the vibe teens these days are sending out. And the music they like to blare: don’t even get me started.”
    “Have you considered shutting down the soda fountain?” I asked as I stirred ice cream into my root beer. Somehow a soda fountain, barbershop, and pharmacy didn’t seem a likely combination when it came to customer base.
    “Thought about it. Been here for over forty years, though. Wouldn’t seem right somehow. If I have any trouble, I just mention it to Rick and he takes care of it. His papa started bringing him in here for a cut and a cone when he was just a young’un. Guess he must have been three or four.”
    “Is Deputy Savage’s father still in town?”
    “Lives out at the senior home. Rick tried to take care of him on his own, but his dementia got to the point where he really needed round-the-clock care. Rick felt real bad about moving him in to the home at first, but Colin takes good care of Tom, and Rick volunteers at the home as often as he can, so I think it all worked out for the best.”
    I remembered Colin Walton was the man who’d been given the authority to decide that Buck Barnes would be cremated. I didn’t know whether the fact that the men obviously knew each other well would play into our investigation, but I made a mental note of the relationship just in case.
    “Seems like Deputy Savage spends a lot of time volunteering. Someone mentioned he coaches both adult and kids’ sports.”
    “Rick is an important member of the community. He pitches in more than most. I tell him he should settle down and put some of that energy into a family of his own.”
    A phone rang in the background. “I best get that. You folks enjoy the rest of your drinks.”
    “So, what do you think?” I asked Grandpa.
    “I think the more I find out about Deputy Savage the less sure I am that he’s intentionally covering up a murder.”
    “Doc seemed pretty certain the wound to the head couldn’t have been caused by a fall.”
    “Yeah, and Doc knows his stuff.”
    “Maybe the others will learn something different from what we have so far. If not, I’m not sure where to go next.”
    I followed Ben’s gaze as he looked toward the front of the store. A pair of women were looking in the window and talking, as if they were discussing whether or not to come in.
    “I guess we should wait to discuss this at home,” I said.
    “Agreed. So what now?”
    “I’d like to check out the senior home. If the man who runs it is the one who gave the go-ahead to have Buck cremated, I’d like to get a general impression of the guy.”
    “Are you just going to show up and ask to speak to him about the cremation?”
    “I’m going to show up and ask to speak to him about senior care for my elderly grandfather.”
    “I’m not that old and I don’t need to be in a home.”
    “I know that, but I didn’t say you were the grandpa I was shopping around for. I’ll just make up a story about my maternal grandfather, and once I have his attention I’ll try to work the Buck thing into the conversation.”
    “This should be interesting,” Ben said under his breath.
    As it turned out, you really couldn’t just show up at the senior home and look around, nor could you meet with Colin Walton without an appointment. The woman at the front desk was willing to make an appointment for us to tour the place the following morning. I gave her my name and promised to return.
    When we got back to the house there was a note from Kyle, letting us know he’d taken all three dogs for a walk. Grandpa wanted to take a nap because we planned to be out late that evening, so I decided to take a look around the attic.
    Deputy Savage had come back on the day we’d found Buck’s remains for a reason. He’d