The Sly Prankster

Part II

Mart, his heart thumping loudly in his chest, moved silently through the darkened antique shop.

“Have a seat,” welcomed Imogene when Mart appeared in the doorway of the restaurant.  “I had Ian prepare dinner for us.  I trust you’re hungry?” She patted the spot next to her at the table.

“Indubitably.”  Mart slid into the chair and placed the computer on the table.  “Before we start, I need to inform you of a strange situation at the nursery.”  He told Imogene about his disappearing shoes, boots, and the thumb drive.  “Thank goodness I created a board on my Pinterest app, so not all my ideas were lost.”   Mart felt himself wince slightly at his reference to the app that was now on his phone.

“Good.  It’s always wise to have a backup plan.” Imogene patted Mart’s arm.  “But I am concerned about the goings-on at the nursery.  Do you think one of your crew is the culprit”?

Mart started to answer, but paused when he saw Ian, the chef, bringing two loaded plates to the table.  

“Ian, you are a true savior.”  Mart sniffed his plate appreciatively.  

Ian grinned, then turned to Imogene.  “I’ll be in the kitchen cleaning up.  Just holler when you want dessert.”

“I most certainly will.  Thank you, Ian.”

The young man bowed slightly, then disappeared into the kitchen.

“Now, shall we savor this scrumptious repast?”  Imogene winked at Mart. “We can revisit your quandary after we eat.”

“Most assuredly,” grinned Mart, already beginning to feel better about his meeting with Imogene.

The two dug into the meal while Mart outlined his plans for decorating the buildings around town.  Wiping his hands on his napkin, he opened up the computer and showed Imogene the pictures he had saved.  As Imogene’s delight in his ideas became apparent, Mart relaxed and shared the sketches Diana had sent and his vision of how everything could be merged together.   By the time Ian served dessert, Imogene and Mart were excitedly compiling a list of products to order.

“I’m so glad you sought Diana’s help with your project,” said Imogene.  “She brought a real spark to these designs. She is clearly gifted.”

“That she is,” agreed Mart.

“But,” cautioned Imogene, “going back to your problems at the garden center, I do want you to resolve your footwear situation, and sooner rather than later.”

Mart nodded.  

“You’re welcome to look at the security tapes but I don’t believe I  have a camera focused on that particular spot.  I suppose I could add one…”

“No.  If you add a camera, then everybody will know you did that and we won’t be able to catch the culprit.”  Mart tapped his forefinger thoughtfully against his chin.  “Maybe I should think about a certain Bingo game.” His eyebrows raised,  he looked at Imogene.

She immediately understood his reference to a Bingo cheater Trixie had recently caught and the method she had used to catch him. She nodded solemnly.  “Go make the arrangements.”

Giving Imogene a snappy salute,  Mart left through the kitchen door, leaving Ian and Imogene chatting while Ian finished his clean-up.

 

Stopping at a red light on his way home to Crabapple Farm,  Mart grabbed his phone and quickly punched in Trixie’s number.

“Yes, brother,” answered his sister.

“I have a favor to ask you,” said Mart.

“I’m all ears.”

“Can I borrow the nanny cam you bought to catch that guy who was cheating at Bingo?”

“I suppose so.  I’ll have to get it down from my bookshelf.  I use it as my own security system here.

“What?  You mean you and Tad aren’t enough to scare off any would-be intruder.  You guys keep me away.”

“Ooh, then our plan is working!  Why do you want my camera?”

Mart outlined his plan to place the camera near the bench to catch whoever was taking his possessions.

“Well, as long as it’s being used to solve a mystery, I’m all for it.  When do you want it?”

“Can I get it tomorrow morning?  That way I can set it up before any other employee gets there?”

“Sure, but you’ll have to download the app on your phone.”

“What?” Mart slammed on his brakes when the approaching light suddenly turned red.  “I have to download yet another app.  My poor phone is going to erupt over the abundance of apps.”

“Yeah.  Yeah.  And now that you’re into your big words, I’m hanging up.  Besides, Tad and I are baking a pizza that smells insanely delicious.”

“Ooh.” Mart’s thoughts drifted off as he pictured the hot, bubbly concoction. Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts,  he added, “Tell him I’m sending him my salutations.”

“I most certainly will not deliver that ridiculous message.”  Trixie clicked off.

Grinning, Mart tossed his phone onto the seat next to him and, feeling pleased with the way his evening had turned out,  sped up, eager to get home for his nightly conversation with Diana.  

 

********

The next morning, after stopping by Ingram’s Antiques, Mart went to his own place of business. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was the first to arrive. “So far, so good,” he said as he got out of his car and hurried to the building.

“I can’t believe Trixie gave me pointers on how to use the camera,” he muttered as he unlocked the door and went out to the greenhouses.  “Clearly, she’s forgetting who she’s dealing with. I didn’t read all those Cosmos McNaughts for nothing.”

Mart stood in front of the bench near greenhouse #1 and looked around.  He assessed the piles of clay pots, the rows of plants and the display of herbs.  He looked up at the flowering baskets that shaded the aisles. “Aha!” Grabbing a nearby stepstool, he placed the camera in a hanging fern, adjusting the leaves so the camera itself couldn’t be seen but the lens would have an unobstructed view of the area.  “Now we’ll see who’s stealing my shoes.”  Satisfied, Mart dusted off his hands, then removed his sneakers and put on his work boots.  Strategically placing his shoes under the bench, he went about getting ready for the busy day ahead.  With a constant stream of customers looking to grab the last of the summer annuals, Mart had little time to think about the camera or his shoes.  

The indigo and violet streaked sky brought an end to the busy day at the popular nursery.  While Josh started his own closing duties, Mart wearily flipped the sign on the door then headed for the outside bench. When he got there, he noticed his old sneakers were missing.  

“Great!” yelled Mart, grabbing his phone and clicking on the app.

“Hey, Boss,” yelled Josh from the back door.  “Don’t get all excited about your footwear.  I saw them sitting under the bench so I moved them inside to the office.  Don’t bother thanking me. I was happy to do it.”  Closing the door soundly, Josh’s proud face disappeared.

Mart dropped to the bench and slapped his palm to his forehead.  When he checked his phone’s app,  he saw Josh come into view, grab the sneakers, then disappear again.  “I can’t believe this,” Mart moaned.  “And the worst part is I’ve got to ask Trixie if I can use her camera for another day.”

Preparing to grovel to get the camera for another day, Mart called Trixie from his car as he sat in Bing’s parking lot.

“What do you mean it didn’t work?  You either got something or you didn’t.”  Trixie’s voice carried an edge of exasperation.

Mart explained what had happened.  

“Then I guess you’ll have to try again tomorrow,” sighed Trixie. “I hope nobody tries to break into my place.”

Mart remained silent on the other end.

“Mart?  You still there”

“Yeh.  You know, I’ve been thinking and  I’m pretty sure that whoever took my stuff didn’t take until late in the day.  Maybe I should put my shoes out later.”

“Possibly.  And you could also get your shoes wet or muddy and say you’re setting them out to dry.  That way nobody will be tempted to move them.”

“Good idea, Trixie.”

“Glad I could help.  Hey, Tad and I are eating at Wimpy’s.  Wanna join us, that is, if you’re not afraid to.”

“Haha!  Very funny. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.  And Trixie, thanks.”  Mart tossed his phone aside, happy to have something to look forward to.  He  zoomed out of the parking lot and sped toward his favorite hamburger place in Sleepyside, recalling the entrees from which he could choose.

 

Entering the restaurant that looked like an old train car, Mart inhaled deeply, savoring the smells of frying hamburgers and onion rings.  

“Mart!” Tad motioned from a nearby booth.

“Hey.”  Mart slid in across from Tad.  “Isn’t Trixie here yet? I thought she was off work.”

“Nope. Something was off in the computer so she was trying to figure that out.”

“I hope it doesn’t involve any math,” grinned Mart, settling in the old, comfortable bench.

Tad nodded.  “I know.  She loves doing simple algebra, but hates it when something is off in the computer.”

Mart’s mouth dropped open.  “She loves doing simple algebra?  Since when?”

“Since I pointed out to her that the equations were simply a mystery waiting to be solved.  What is the real identity of x and y?” Tad whispered conspiratorially.

“Wish I’d thought of that when she was in high school.  If I’d had to listen to her moan and groan one more time, I thought I’d be the one to die.”  

 Tad took a sip of his soda then leaned back against the padded booth. “So, did you catch your thief today?”

“No.” Mart signaled the waitress.  “I’ll have a chocolate shake, please.”  Looking back at Tad, he continued, “One of my conscientious employees saw my shoes sitting on the bench and put them inside so they wouldn’t disappear.”

“Do you  really think one of your employees is taking your stuff?” asked Tad. “That’d be pretty bold.”

“Who else could it be? I sincerely doubt that a customer is entering the premises with the sole intention of absconding with my old boots.”

Puzzled, Tad stared at Mart for a minute  “Right. So, if it is an employee, are you prepared to fire whoever it is?”

Mart looked up as the waitress brought him his shake then took a long draw at the straw.  “I suppose I’ll have to.”

Tad shook his head.  “Man, that’s a tough thing to do.  I’ve only had to fire two people and both times I felt bad for days.”

Mart sat up straighter.  “Yes, but I can’t and won’t tolerate somebody who’s wasting others’ time with childish pranks.  I want the workplace to be a fun environment but this is just silly.”  Indignation surged through Mart.  “Boy, when I catch the perpetrator, I’m going to rip off his nametag, delete his access code to the computer and take away his work apron.  Then I’m going to escort this malefactor personally to his or her vehicle, which is probably a clunker, and watch that shoe prankster drive out of my parking lot and down the road, never to darken any part of the garden center again.

Tad took a sip of his coke and said drily,  “Well, that should put him in his place.”

The conversation ended when they noticed Trixie standing next to the booth.  “Sorry I’m late.”  She slid in next to Tad, giving him a quick kiss.  “I hope Mart didn’t bore you with his imaginary confrontation.”  Smirking, she added,   “You’d think the threat of losing a work apron would stop anybody from messing around with his shoes.”

“Definitely. So, did you get your own problem resolved at the shop?” asked Tad.  

“Yes.  Clearly math isn’t being taught in school these days.  One of the high school girls decided to add up a customer’s order in her head.  Not a good idea. I’ll have to put a stop to that tomorrow.”

“How will you do that?” asked Mart, suddenly curious as to how his sister handled employee issues in her workplace.

“I’ll show her the error she made, then review the check- out procedures that everybody has to follow.”

“Hmmmph,” snorted Mart, getting agitated again.  “There’ll be no reviewing of anything with this person.  Like I said, I’ll rip off his...”

“We know. We know.” Trixie rolled her eyes.  “Must we hear it again?”

Scowling,  Mart grabbed the menu and stared at it, listening enviously as Trixie and Tad teased, joked, and discussed  their respective days.

A few minutes later,  Mart slapped the menu on the table.  “ Hey, guys, I have an idea. Would you like to go out with Diana and me some time?”

“You want to go out with us, like a double date?”  Trixie’s brows arched upward.  “Since when?”

“You guys are surrounded by an aura of amusement.  It just took me a while to ascertain that.  So, interested or not?”

“Will you be bringing your ridiculous vocabulary along too?” asked Trixie, fiddling with the straw wrapper that lay on the table.

“Natch.” Mart grinned at his sister.  

“Then... no.”

“What?” Mart stared at Trixie, his eyes wide.

“Okay,” answered Trixie.  “We’ll do that as long as Diana is the only thing you bring.  Now let’s order.  I’m starving.”

“Hey,” said Mart, “that’s my line.”

“I know.  Beat you to it,” giggled Trixie.

The three placed their orders and a short time later they were tucking into hot, steaming burgers and crispy onion rings.  

 

**********

The next morning, Mart was sitting in his small office in front of his computer where he was finalizing plans for Bing’s first Christmas.  Studying available shelf space, Mart was trying to figure out where he could profitably display what he had decided to purchase.  He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

“Hi, Imogene,” he said when his boss’s name popped up.

“Good morning, Mart.  How is everything going?  And by that, I mean, did you discover anything new?”

“No.”  Mart explained to Imogene how Josh, in an attempt to be helpful, had moved the shoes that he had set out.

“Did you check your camera anyway?” asked Imogene.

“No, I didn’t see any reason to.”

“Maybe you should take a look.  You never know what might show up.”

“I’ll do that.  And Imogene, I’m working on the merchandise placement for the Christmas season.  I’m sure I can fit in all the product we want to order.  I’ll email the specifications to you when I’m done.”

“Perfect.  I’ll keep an eye out for them.” Imogene clicked off.

Mart continued working until he was satisfied with his shelf arrangement. “There! And now to thoroughly soak some tennis shoes so they have a good reason to be drying in the warmth of the sun.”  Mart closed his computer and stepped out of his office, humming as he went.

A short time later, Josh saw the wet, dirty shoes sitting in the sun. “Hey, Boss,” he called.  “What happened to your shoes?”

“Oh, that.”  Mart nodded toward a nearby basin.  “I was dumping some water from one of the birdbaths and I ended up dousing my shoes. I’m sure the sun will dry them before too long.”

“It better,” remarked Josh, “or they might just disappear.”

“I hope not.  I can’t afford to keep replacing my boots.”  Mart smiled at an approaching customer.  “I'll be in the office if you need me,” he said to Josh as he turned and went into the main building.

“Got it.” With a brief nod to his boss, Josh turned his attention to the customer who was interested in purchasing one of the fountains that he and Mart had moved out front a few days earlier.

After making sure there were no customers in the store who needed his assistance,  Mart stepped into the small office and pulled out his phone to review what the nanny cam had captured the night before.  As he suspected, there was nothing but a lot of shadows created by the security lights.  Suddenly,  though, he saw movement in a dimly lit corner by one of the greenhouses. Looking closely at the video, Mart saw a white form waddling slowly down an aisle.  “What’s that?” Using his fingers to enlarge the picture, he examined it closely.

“No!” he exhaled slowly.  “No way!  I don’t need this.”  Mart  replayed the video feed and watched the plodding  movement of a skunk, pawing through the ground around the greenhouses.  “I wonder how long that critter’s been stopping by. I definitely don’t want to run into him.”  

Mart made a call to his partner.  “I didn’t catch the prankster, but I did find something else.”  

“What?”

“I’m afraid I’ve got a skunk wandering the garden premises while I’m otherwise located.”

“A skunk! Oh, heavens!” exclaimed Imogene. She urged him to get a professional out to the nursery center right away to make an assessment on how to effectively remove the odiferous animal. “The last thing we need is for the roses to smell like skunks. I’m glad you caught that on your nanny cam.  I really need to have more cameras installed over there.  Why don’t you contact the security company as well.”

“Will do, Imogene.”

Mart made two more calls, then went out to inspect the garden area himself.  “If there are skunks out here, they have to be getting in some way,” he muttered.  Walking the garden center’s perimeter.  he did note several gaps in the fence. “Hmmm...not sure if they’re coming in through these gaps, but we’ll fix them  and see if that keeps them out.”

Mart took over at the front counter where he stayed busy ringing out customers’ purchases and answering the phone. By the end of the day, he was  completely exhausted and  forgot about the wet shoes he had set out to dry.  He closed up, then went home, eagerly anticipating the hot, hearty dinner he knew his mother would have saved for him.  After dinner, Mart settled himself on several pillows in the privacy of his room and skyped with Diana, the two of them hashing out the details for the holiday displays.

“I can’t wait to get started on these arrangements,” exclaimed Diana.  “And we’re going to have so much fun working together.”

“Yes, we will, my fair Diana.  But, there’s one problem,” cautioned Mart.

“What?”

“Imogene plans on having Trixie assist us.  You know what that means?  Crushed plants, tangled lights, knotted ribbons.”

“Oh, Mart.  You don’t mean that.  You’d be surprised at what Trixie puts together.”

“Maybe.  But I was hoping this could be our little project.”  Mart scooted down on his bed.

Diana laughed lightly.  “Don’t you worry your blond, little head, Mart.  We’ll have plenty of little projects to work on later.”

“Ahh. Those projects sound quite enticing to me.”  Mart smiled at his computer.

“Trust me, they are.” Diana returned Mart’s smile.

The two started refining the details of the displays, their excitement growing as they each visualized the beautiful results they were sure they would achieve.

 

The next morning Mart  made his usual lap through the outside area of the nursery and he noticed right away that several mums had been knocked over.  The dirt was scattered and the flowers were smashed.  “Those stupid skunks. I know this is their doing.” He righted the plants then checked for any additional damage.  Finding nothing else amiss, Mart went into one of the greenhouses and got to work pruning back some of the larger plants.  He paused when his phone rang.

“Hi, Imogene,” he said after clicking on the call.

“Hello, Mart.  Did anything happen last night?”

“I think the skunks were back because I found a few mums knocked over.”

“What about your shoes?  Are they still there?”

Mart  nearly dropped his small clippers.  “I completely forgot about my shoes.  Hang on a second.”  Mart stepped out of the greenhouse and saw an empty bench that had held his shoes yesterday.  “Imogene, they’re gone!”

“Well,” huffed Imogene, “you better go look at your video and see who is wasting everybody’s time by playing the prankster.”

“I’ll call you right back.” Mart hurried into the privacy of his office to review what the nanny cam had picked up.  Sitting down in his chair, Mart  took a deep breath, then hit the button to start the video feed.  He anxiously watched  his phone, noting the deepening shadows as night fell over the nursery.  Suddenly, he sat up, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

“What?  That can't be!”

Mart quickly viewed the video again, but there was no doubt.  He had indeed caught his prankster with his sister’s nanny cam.  With a slight groan, he dialed Imogene’s number.

“Yes, Mart.  What did you learn?” asked an impatient Imogene.

“The nanny cam caught our prankster.”

“Who is it”

Mart squirmed slightly.  “It’s not exactly a who, more like a what.”

“Oh?  What is it?”

“A fox.”

“A fox?”

Mart nodded into his phone.  “Yes, it’s a fox. You can see it come out of the shadows, grab my shoes, then disappear again.”

“A fox,” repeated Imogene.

“Yes,” answered Mart.  “I don’t know whether I’m relieved or annoyed.”

“Why would you be relieved?”

“I wasn’t looking forward to firing whoever it was,” answered Mart truthfully.  “To be honest, Imogene, the only confrontation I enjoy is with Trixie.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Imogene paused.  “What do you plan to do about your fox?”

“Guess I’ll have the critter people take another look around. I want to make sure we find all the possible entry sites.”

“It’s awfully hard to deter a fox,” said Imogene.

“I know that all too well.  We had a chicken coop when I was younger and my brother and I were forever working to keep the chickens safe.”

“Then, you know what you’re up against.  Maybe firing somebody would have been easier,” quipped Imogene.

“I doubt it.  I really like my crew here. But a fox does surprise me.  I never knew they could be so attracted to footwear.”.  

“Used footwear, at that,” chuckled Imogene.  “However, I am glad you caught the culprit.”

“Me, too,” sighed a relieved Mart. “I’ll take care of this right away”

“I trust you completely.  Keep up the good work.  I’m glad I’m in business with someone who has such a level head on his shoulders.”

Despite hearing a click at the other end, Mart kept the phone to his ear as a pleased grin spread across his face.  When he slid the phone back into his pocket, Mart felt a feeling of pride wash over him.

 

***************

Trixie was busy unwrapping old bone dishes when she heard the tinkling of the bell over the door of Ingram’s Antiques.

“Mart!” she cried out, hurrying toward her brother.  “Did you solve your mystery?”

“Uhm, yeah,” answered Mart.  He held out the nanny cam.  “Thanks for letting me use this.”

“How’d it turn out?”  Trixie’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Do you know who stole your shoes?”

“Yeah.”

“So...who is it?”

“Ummm.” Mart hesitated.

“Well…”

“It was a fox.”

“A fox?” Trixie’s eyes widened. “You mean like an animal?”

Mart nodded.  “‘Fraid so.”

“So,” Trixie crossed her arms across her chest and a gleam entered her blue eyes.  “Did you rip off the fox’s name tag? Delete him from the computer?  Take away his apron then escort him to his clunker car and watch him drive off?”

Rolling his eyes, Mart glared at his sister.  “Are you finished?”

“Not yet.  ‘And never to darken your garden center again.’” Trixie made air quotes with her fingers.  “Now I’m done.”

“Good.  Because I refuse to stand here and listen to your nonsensical babbling.”  Mart looked over Trixie’s shoulder and saw Imogene hurrying toward them.

“What are you two bickering about now?” she asked in exasperation.

“Nothing,” answered Mart quickly.  “I was returning Trixie’s camera to her. It really did the trick.”

“Yes, it did,” remarked Imogene. “I think we should get a few of them.  Those little buggers certainly come in handy.”

“Yes, they do,” agreed Mart.  As he turned to leave, he saw Tad entering the eclectic shop.

“Hi, all,” said Tad.  “Say, Mart, did you catch your prankster?”

“Yes.  I’m sure Trixie will tell you all about it.”

Tad looked at Trixie.  “So, who was it?”

“It was a fox.”

“A fox? Really?  Tad turned to Mart and crossed his arms.  “So, do we now know what the fox says?”

“That’s a stupid song,” groused Mart. “I hate it.”

A smile pulled at  Tad’s lips. “Ahem.  About this fox, I trust you’re going to rip off his nametag, delete his access code to the computer and take away his work apron.  Then I hope you escorted him to his car and watched him drive out of the parking lot, never to be seen at the garden center again.” He stopped and looked at Trixie.   “Did I get that right?”

“Perfect!” Trixie held up her hand to high five Tad.

“You two are hilarious,” scowled Mart.   “And I changed my mind.  I don’t want to double date with you.” He tossed the small camera to Trixie, then turned and headed toward the front of the shop.

“You’re an ornery boy, Tad,”  Imogene winked. “What does the fox say indeed! I always thought that song was odd, even for my tastes.”   Executing a slight prancing motion, Imogene lightly pushed Trixie and Tad aside and followed Mart.

“Those two are crazy,” she chuckled with a nod of her head toward the young couple that was still talking.

“At the very least,” answered Mart.  “Now I need to get back to the nursery.  I have to confirm my pumpkin order and meet a varmint specialist.”

As Mart opened the door, Imogene stopped him.  “Mart?”

“Yes.”

“I knew I made a good choice going into business with you.”

“Thank you, Imogene.  I’m greatly relieved to hear that.”   Mart stepped through the door and out into the late summer sunshine.  “Yes! I did it!”  He pumped his fist into the air.  “I got the Christmas displays resolved  and I discovered who the prankster  is.  Plus, I don’t have to fire anybody.  Yes sirree, this day is going really well. Maybe a food truck will stop by the garden center.” Feeling more secure than he had in weeks, Mart couldn’t help but jump up into the air and click his heels together. Getting into his car, he zoomed down the street toward Bing’s Garden Center,  eager to get to work.

**********

word count: 4437

Author Notes:This story came about as a result of the August writing challenge, so a special thanks to Jixemitri for providing this opportunity.  Thank you also to my sister, Judith, who edited this story and to my daughter, Katia, who also edited and provided feedback. Pinterest - a mobile and computer app that is basically a “catalog of ideas” as stated by CEO Ben Silbermann.