Read Flowertown for Free Online Page B

was a Tinkerbell lunch box full of fresh, green buds and several pipes and packs of rolling papers. It was the biggest drawer in the desk and the most logical place to hide any sort of stash, and so, of course, the goons saved that drawer for last. The woman got the pleasure of discovery, and she slapped the metal box on the desktop with satisfaction.
    “What’s this?” Mr. Carpenter asked.
    “My lunch.”
    “I’m hungry.” He smiled and flicked the metal latches. “Let’s see what you’ve brought.”
    Ellie couldn’t bear to look and instead turned to Big Martha for a moment of consolation. Her boss shook her head, disgusted, until she looked back at the desk. Her eyes widened and once again she bit back a laugh.
    “What the…” Mr. Carpenter began emptying the lunch box, pulling out handfuls of Twinkies. “What is this?” He ripped open a package and squeezed it in his fist. He held the yellow and white mess under her nose. “What the hell is this? Some kind of joke?”
    “No, Mr. Carpenter. That’s a Twinkie.”
    “You think this is funny?”
    “No, I think it’s delicious.”
    He threw the snack cake on the ground. Before he could let loose another tirade, Big Martha stepped in. Easily six feet tall, she didn’t need actual physical contact to make her presence felt.
    “I’ll tell you what this is, Mr. Carpenter. This is over. You got your warrant. You did your search. You found out who moved the boxes and why. I think your visit is over.”
    Mr. Carpenter spun on her, too angry to be aware of anything but his failed search. “I don’t really give a good goddamn what you think. I don’t know who tipped you off to our visit today, but you’re on my radar now, both of you.” The warning would have been slightly more ominous if he hadn’t chosen to turn sharply on his heel. In his rage he had failed to notice the smashed Twinkie beneath his feet and nearly fell on his back. Everyone in the room had the good sense not to laugh, but Big Martha and Ellie both suffered from the effort.
    Swearing, Mr. Carpenter stomped out of the office, followed by his associates and a diminishing trail of cakeand cream. Only when the last footstep sounded down the stairs did Big Martha and Ellie dare let out the breaths they held, which immediately led to near-hysterical laughter. They leaned against each other, laughing and gasping, both suddenly damp with delayed flop-sweat. The new girl, who had stayed well out of sight during the exchange, crouched down and began picking up the office supplies around the desk.
    “What the hell are you doing?” Ellie asked.
    “Cleaning up. I can’t believe the way they just—”
    “Get the fuck away from me.”
    The young girl clutched a stack of tabbed folders to her chest like a shield. “What?”
    “You heard me.” Ellie pointed to the front of the office. “Get the fuck away from me, you little suck-up.” Her voice skipped up to a comically nasal tone. “‘It’s after one o’clock. Your meds were at eleven thirty.’”
    “Well, they were!”
    Big Martha laughed and shook her head. “Honey, go up front. Just go.” The girl threw down the folders, big tears in her eyes, and stomped off. They watched her go, and Ellie let out a sigh that held the last of her tension. She felt like she had been running on stilts. Big Martha stared at the mess before her.
    “Twinkies? Where the hell did you get Twinkies?”
    Ellie picked up the Tinkerbell box as if it were actually magic. “I have no idea.”
    She didn’t see Bing again until the end of the day. Big Martha kept the new girl busy in the front of the office and left Ellie to spend the day organizing and cleaning up her ransackeddesk. She wanted to leave the smashed Twinkie on the ground as a badge of victory, but both she and Martha knew the rat story would get a lot more believable if they left open treats like that around. She didn’t need three and a half hours to rearrange her paperclips and scissors, but