The Hardy Bros in Hot Ice by Ann ~ Chapter 2

HOT ICE

Chapter Two

   The celebration after the hockey game moved to a favorite food hangout. The Bayporters had several tables, enjoying the burgers, fries, and sodas.

   Iola had just finished her fries when her dad called her. She answered it with, “Hi Dad! We won the hockey game!”

   “Congratulations!” her dad exclaimed. She gave him a brief summary of the game at his request. Then he told her why he called. “Could you and Joe pick up that present I backordered for your mom? I thought I’d be done here in time, but it’s just not happening. It’ll be closed if I wait until I’m done here to drive and get it.” Mr. Morton worked at his real estate office during part of the winter months to go along with their farm income.

   “Well, Mom would still love you, Dad, but okay, no problem,” Iola told him after she checked with Joe.

   “Thanks. The roads should be clear, but be careful.”

   Joe and Iola excused themselves from the party and after picking up the receipt for the already paid for gift at the real estate office, headed for the jewelry store. Chet had already left with his girlfriend to go to her house for dinner with her mom and dad as planned weeks before.

   Frank would use their customized, crimefighting former police van to take Callie to the Hardy home where they had planned a surprise date for Aunt Gertrude, who thought she was fixing a special dinner for only Frank and Callie. Joe had helped set it up but, so it wouldn’t be too crowded, would be having dinner at the Morton farm that evening. Frank and Joe’s parents, Fenton and Laura, had left that morning for a romantic getaway.

   The jewelry store was on the outskirts of the city, but the roads weren’t too bad, weather and traffic-wise, comparatively. Iola’s dad had told her he’d called the store and told them she would be picking it up. The gift, a platinum tennis bracelet with diamonds, had already been paid for. It had been on backorder from the sale that was currently going on.

   Iola and Joe arrived in a decent amount of time, got a parking spot and entered the store way before it closed. The jewelry all seemed to have a bright glow as the store had everything shining bright for one of the biggest sales of the year.

   “May. I. Help. You?” asked a snooty voice in clipped tones. Joe and Iola stepped over toward the display case where the employee who’d asked them that stood as if the coat hanger was still in his suit.

   “If he sticks his snozz anymore up in the air, he will fall over backwards like a chicken,” Joe predicted to Iola quietly, as she tried to stifle her giggles at her boyfriend’s comment.

   “Hi, I’m Iola Morton, my dad called about a bracelet he’d backordered.” Iola proceeded to give him all the necessary information and show him the receipt. The store required the actual one, rather than a copy or a picture of it.

   “Hmmmm, let me check.” After giving them a really rude look, the man turned and left, but not before Iola regained possession of the receipt. The employee went to confer with another employee who’d taken the phone call from Iola’s dad.

   “What a-” Joe started to say, but Iola nudged him slightly.

   “True, but let’s try to keep this as short and pleasant as possible,” Iola told him.

   “Hey, I kept from crossing my eyes at him when he was trying to stare us down,” Joe stated. “I want – and deserve! – big points for that.”

   “I know. I had to fight that, too.”

   Joe and Iola discussed the various pieces of jewelry in the display case as they waited. It started to get a little ridiculous with how long it was taking, though.

   “We don’t want to spend all evening here and on the road. Maybe he will come back if I act like I’m trying to pick the lock.”

   “Behave, Joe!”

   Joe grinned. He laughed a little when the man actually started back to the display counter.

   The employee just stared at them at first when he returned.

   “You maybe have the purchase for the lady?” Joe asked, raising his eyebrows. They shouldn’t be treated like this.

   “Yes. It’s being brought out.”

   Joe opened his mouth to ask if it was too heavy for him to take care of himself, but Iola put her hand on Joe’s arm. He sighed and swallowed what he was going to say and exchanged it for this, “Friendly service isn’t impossible to attain, shouldn’t be considered too lofty of a goal.”

   The snooty employee of the store just managed to look snootier and asked, “Will this purchase complete your business here with us today?”

   “I hope so,” Iola responded very honestly. Joe tried to keep from snickering. He knew Iola was holding back a lot, too.

   “Yes.” Apparently Mr. Snoots agreed. “Now if you just let me know what payment option you’ve chosen, we can complete this transaction.”

   “The it’s-already-been-paid-in-full option,” returned Iola. Joe grinned. That was his girl.

   The employee sighed very dramatically. “I beg your pardon?” he sniffed.

   Iola held up the sales receipt. “My dad already paid for the bracelet in full when he had it backordered.”

   Mr. Snoots took the receipt and read it very slowly. Joe and Iola both nearly hurt their tongues biting back smart remarks.

   Finally the employee wrote that it had been picked up and entered the information into the computer. No apology accompanied the receipt as it was handed back.

   “Trying to get money twice for the same item isn’t cool,” Joe couldn’t help but point out.

   Mr. Snoots placed the gift wrapped box on the glass display case. Then he said the mandatory, “Thank you for making your purchase of fine jewelry with us.” Then he stared at them pointedly for them to leave.

   Iola picked up the box and did exactly as Joe knew needed to be done – she began to unwrap the gift. It wasn’t rude and it was totally necessary even in a fancy schmancy jewelry store such as this one.

   Mr. Snoots looked absolutely offended. “What? Are you..doing?!?”

   “My parents taught me not to be too trusting. I’m picking this up, so it’s my responsibility to make sure this store doesn’t embarrass my father should this box turn out to be empty and disappoint my mother,” Iola stated with a very matter of fact tone. “I’m not accusing you of doing it on purpose, but it would be not too bright of me not to make sure.”

   As she talked, Iola finished opening the box. The beautiful bracelet was indeed in the box. Iola knew for a fact that it could easily have been empty – by accident or on purpose, and not only because it had happened to a friend of theirs.

   Mr. Snoots just turned on his heel and went to another customer a little bit away. Joe helped Iola fix back the wrapping paper. A piece fluttered to the floor on the side of the case. As Iola moved over to pick it up, the doors to the store opened and a man and woman stepped inside. Then came a classic, too-often used phrase.

   “Nobody move. This is a holdup.”

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