Chapter 3

Lodi, California:

“Good grief!” Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, Brandi ran what she had just heard, through her mind again. “How, on Gods green earth, can you properly explain to me that you lost an entire reefer load, and have it make sense?” Holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder, she started typing furiously on her computer. A much needed load of frozen goods was supposed to be delivered that afternoon, and had suddenly vanished. She was trying to determine how the missing delivery would impact her inventories. The person on the other end of the call was a dispatcher from the central distribution warehouse for Central and Northern California. He had never met Brandi, but had spoken with her a few times when she was still at the store in Weed. The fact that she was now running things at the Lodi location made him wary of her. “Just punch in the GPS codes for the trailer and you should find it quick.” (Mumbled reply.) “An older trailer without a GPS beacon. Great. Has the District Manager been notified? No? Well, guess who gets to brighten his day by letting him know that almost a quarter million dollars of Hot Pockets and Tater Tots wandered off!” (Another set of mumbled protests.) “Look, just find it and keep me updated. Okay? Bye for now.”

“That didn’t sound good.”

Brandi looked up at Margaret who was leaning against the door frame. The woman was thirty eight and she would never be though of as pretty, being heavy with a wide face and large nose, but she was a sweet woman who had taken to Brandi as a friend when the young manager first got there. Her husband loved her beyond compare, and she was devoted to him and their son. Putting an elbows on the desktop and holding her forehead in her hands, she sighed.

“Somewhere between here and Bakersfield, is a refrigerated load of stuff that seems to have been abducted by a UFO. It was supposed to get here this afternoon. The ‘Einsteins’ at central are running around like chickens without heads, trying to find it.”

“Vanished into thin air? Wow. Sort of like a magic trick. Or an old shell game. Where is the button? What cup is it under? Watch carefully!” Margaret chuckled.

Brandi looked up suddenly. “Margaret, you’re a genius!” Remembering some of the stories she had heard from Christopher when they had been together, about how some loads could be miss-marked or parked in the wrong location, she grabbed the phone and called the distribution center that she had been speaking with just a few minutes earlier. “Hey, Paul? Brandi Winters again. Do us all a favor. Have someone go through the ENTIRE yard and match trailer numbers. It’s possible that the load never even left the yard today.” (Pause.) “Look, just try. We might be grasping at straws here, but it’s your head on the chopping block, not mine. (Pause.) Good. Call me back.” Letting out a long breath, she looked up. “Margaret, if this pans out, I owe you a BIG cup of coffee and a day off comp time.”

Less than ten minutes later the call came in. The missing refrigerated trailer had been located, parked in a section of the distribution site that had been overlooked. Nobody had a clue how it got there, but thankfully, it had been hooked to a power supply so the load of frozen goods hadn’t thawed.

“I’m happy to take the day,” Margaret laughed. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker. But I know where you can get the best cup in the state. And it’s not one of those pretentious places where they boast that the beans had been picked by vestal virgins under a full moon, while being serenaded by pan pipes!”

True to her word, Brandi pulled a few managerial strings, and Margaret found herself with a the extra (paid) day off and a resulting three day weekend. However, as both ladies were clocking out that the same time, Margaret paused. “My husband is working second shift and will be off at midnight, and my son is on a date with his sweetie. You got dinner plans?”

Brandi thought a moment. “No. Just a heat and eat meal out of the microwave. Why?”

“Remember when I mentioned that place for a great cup of coffee? They also have a good menu. How about we go, relax and let someone else do the cooking? You can follow me in your car.”

The truck stop on I-5 looked like countless other places across America. “Smith’s” was a place were you could get a hot meal, fuel for whatever you were driving, and merchandise from tire chains, to t-shirts. There was also a large lot that was set aside for the rigs that traveled the highways to park so the drivers could rest, grab a hot shower, and chow down. The place was also known up and down the I-5 corridor for having some of the best coffee available. Always fresh, robust, and flavorful. While she had never been in the place, Brandi had heard from several people that the food was great and portions large.

Finding a table near the window, Margaret waved her friend to the chair on the other side, Brandi smiled as a waitress brought her a menu. “What can I get you started with, ladies?” Drinks came out quickly.

You can never go wrong with a mushroom-swiss burger combo, and they decided that looked like a good choice for each. Conversation topics included family, work and random tidbits of gossip. Concerning “gossip”, Brandi was mostly silent, still being new to the area. However, she laughed as Margaret shared her insights to Lodi and the people who lived there, along with the many social activities.

“During the holiday season, downtown is let up with festive displays of lights and it is like something out of a postcard!” “In February, we have the Lovers and Wine Lovers celebration. All the local wineries host a number of tastings and events. Lots of chocolate and prizes! And towards the end of summer, we have our own version of Hot August Nights!” At Brandi’s puzzled look, she continued; “Classic Car Shows. The really big one is up in Reno, but why drive four hours to see theirs, when we have ours? We’re talking about some serious muscle car enthusiasts. And cars from the earliest around, like the Model A Ford, and lots of customized cars.” She paused and gave a dramatic sigh. “But I feel so bad for my yet unborn grandchildren. When they are my age, will they see a classic 1957 Chevy? Nope. They will see ... A PRIUS!”

Brandi nearly choked on a fry, she was laughing so hard. They received a few curious looks from the others seated nearby. Two tables over, sat a woman that Brandi guessed was slightly younger than she was. She had a twinkle in her eye as well as lips pressed into a tight smile to keep her own laughter inside. The young woman winked at her. Smiling, Brandi did a quick assessment. She looked slender, long black hair, dark eyes and a delicate nose centered her face. She was obviously Hispanic, and quite pretty. Brandi smiled at the stranger, then turned her attention back to her dinner companion.

Inside Margaret’s purse, her phone rang. Fishing it out, she paused. “Sorry, it’s my son. I need to answer this.” A brief conversation took place and she hung up. “I’m sorry. I need to go pick Scotty up. I don’t know the details, but it seems that ‘Juliette’ found herself another ‘Romeo’ and she decided to end the relationship. He asked me to pick him up.” She closed her eyes a moment. “I can recall the drama of being 15 years old. Sure, it was back when Noah was building a large boat, but I can understand how he feels and just wants to go home.”