“You heard about the break-in last night in Charlene Critch’s store? And that I saw the intruder run away?”

Struts nodded as she nibbled on the Model T’s wheels.

“Between you and me, I need an unobtrusive look at Charlie Critch from the back.” When Struts’s dark hazel eyes opened wide, Olivia added, “I think Charlie is younger than the guy I saw, but Sheriff Del wants me to be sure.”

Struts gulped her mocha and licked a few sprinkles off her upper lip. “Then we’ll use some of these cookies as bait. I sure hope Charlie isn’t the guy you saw. I like him. Nice kid, good feel for engines. Jason is working this shift, too, so we’ll have to include him. Man, that boy can eat.”

“No kidding,” Olivia said. “You might want to rescue a couple cookies for later.”

“Had that thought myself.” Struts grabbed a violet-and-yellow baby carriage and an electric orange bicycle with red sprinkles. She wrapped them in what looked like a clean rag and stowed them in her desk drawer. “Better eat them soon,” she said. “We’ve got mice. I’ll call the boys in here.”

“Before you do that, what do you know about Charlie and his sister?”

Sweeping errant strands of hair behind one ear, Struts said, “Not a lot of personal chatter goes on here, at least not when I’m around. But I’ve picked up a thing or two. I know Charlie worships that sister of his, god knows why. If he’s the one who messed up Charlene’s store, I’ll eat a seatbelt. Still, there’s something going on with him. He and his sister come from money, you know. Lots of it. Charlie told me once that both their parents are dead. Not a word about what they were like or how they died, just ‘They’re dead.’ Period. Jason might know more. He and Charlie are tight.”

“My mom mentioned Charlie’s father was a plastic surgeon.”

“Yeah, I knew that,” Struts said. “When they lived here in town, Charles Critch Sr. used to drive every day to his clinic in some DC suburb. Made quite a bundle, or so I heard. That’s why I said Charlie has some sort of problem; his father set up a trust fund for both kids. I know because I dated one of the managers at the Chatterley Heights bank, and he told me in the strictest confidence.”