I moved around the mini mob to put sugar and tea packets on the table. The argument had moved from how crazy Hattie and Irene were to how horrible it was that Virginia had a secret boyfriend.
When the tea kettle whistled, a strange quiet filled the kitchen. Everyone stopped yelling and listened to the high pitch squeal. It was almost like a referee calling a time out. They took their seats as Grandma brought the steaming water to the table. Wet, cold and emotional women held out their cups for Grandma to pour in the healing liquid.
Something in the air had shifted. Wrinkled hands that had wiped a million tears in their lifetime, those of others and their own, reached for tea bags. Greta dropped a sugar packet and Irene handed her another one. Hattie didn’t have a spoon and Virginia gave her hers. As the water filled with swirls of chamomile or peppermint or Earl Grey, the grannies took a breath.
Grandma waited until everyone had removed their tea bags, added their sugar and taken their first sip before she spoke.
“I want to be the first to apologize.”
I looked up from my drink, surprised. What did she have to apologize for?
“I have harbored a lot of pain from my past. And even though I have gone on with my life, the past has a way of catching up to you. And I feel like it has finally caught up with me.” Grandma took a deep breath. “I’m ready to find out what happened to Thomas.”
The grannie’s eyes filled with tears and as they congratulated her and offered up their support. My mind was reeling. That name was familiar. Then it hit me. A few months before, I had been looking through an old photo album when a picture of Grandma and a man that looked a lot like my mother had fallen out. I flipped it over and there was a name on the back. I couldn’t remember the last name, or if it had even given one, but I remembered the first name Thomas.
“I don’t know where to start,” Grandma said, bringing my attention back to the group. “And I don’t even know what I’ll do when I find out. I don’t even know if it will change anything.”
“At least you’ll know,” Greta said. “Maybe you can have some closure and put it behind you. And we’ll help you find him. With the internet, it should be pretty easy.”
Virginia spoke next and apologized again for the secret boyfriend, this apology was more for Hattie and Irene since they had just found out that evening about him. They of course were forgiving and if anything, I think they both thought even more highly of Virginia, knowing she had a rebellious streak in her.
All eyes were on Greta for just a moment but then we turned to look at Hattie and Irene. Greta was the only one at the table that hadn’t caused some kind of commotion in the last twelve hours. She wouldn’t have anything to apologize for.
Grandma was about to address Hattie and Irene when Greta spoke up. “Wait…” Her eyes filled with tears and she fidgeted in her chair. “I uh…I have a confession too.”
Oh no. What could this be about? My mind jumped to a hundred different scenarios but none of them were even close to what spilled out of Greta’s mouth.
“You know that pie I brought over the day? I didn’t make it.”
“What?” all the grannies asked at the same time.
“It’s true. I’ve been so busy with Hearts Before Parts and getting ready for my speaking engagements that I didn’t have time to make it. So, I…I…asked my neighbor Mrs. Flemming to make one for me. You know she used to own a bakery years and years ago. I was going to tell you guys but then you went on and on about how it was even better than usual and I…Well, I guess my pride just got the better of me.”
Irene picked up her phone and started typing.
“What are you doing?” Grandma asked her.
“I’m texting Mrs. Flemming. I would never have asked Greta to make me a pie because she’s so busy, but now that I know it was little old Mrs. Flemming? I’m going to make sure I have a standing order with her. That pie was delicious.”
“Do you forgive me?” Greta asked.
“Of course we forgive you!” Grandma said.
Virginia put her arm around her. “Look at us,” she said to Greta. “We’re about as wild and crazy as those two.” She pointed across the table and Hattie and Irene snickered. “I had a secret boyfriend and you lied about pies.”
We all laughed and then once again the attention turned to our two actual wildest members of the group.
“So,” Grandma started. “First of all, you two lost your bet. Hattie said enough cuss words tonight to embarrass a sailor.”
Greta cringed then laughed. “Don’t even worry about paying up. We all said enough cuss words tonight to embarrass a sailor!”
That was true. Between the panic of thinking Irene had drowned in the mayor’s pond, to then realizing Hattie had put us all through that for a doll, well, we had run the gamut of emotions, and cuss words, in just one evening.
Grandma looked from Irene to Hattie. “Do either of you want to tell us what’s gotten into you two lately?”
Hattie and Irene looked at each other and Irene burst out laughing. “Would you believe me if I said I actually don’t know? Hattie has been asking me to do all sorts of crazy things and I’ve just gone along with it.”
I looked at Hattie. “Lloyd told us the other day it’s because you two are going to get married and you’re trying to spend as much time with friends as possible. But you know you two will still hang out all the time, even if you’re married, right?”
Hattie scoffed. “That isn’t why. Why do men always think everything is about them?”
“Well, then what is it?” Grandma asked.
Hattie sighed and looked down at her hands that were folded on her lap. “When Beatrice was killed it was a reminder that we’re not going to live forever. She was my age and, well, I just wanted Irene to have a bunch of memories of us so when I die, she doesn’t forget me.”
A lump formed my throat. I loved these grannies and the love they had for each other.
“Girl,” Irene squealed putting her arms around her. “We have so many memories already I can hardly keep them all straight! I could never forget about you. You are unforgettable!”
Hattie hugged her back. “So are you.”
“It’s hard to come to terms with our own mortality,” Greta said. “We can say we’re not going to live forever, but it’s easier to say that when you’re younger and you still have years stretched out in front of you. But when you get to what could be your last decade with a sound mind and body, well, you really start to feel the heaviness of that phrase.”
“Oh please,” Irene said. “We’re all going to live forever and you know it.”
We laughed as Irene picked up her teacup and brought it to the middle of the table. “To living forever!” We all brought our teacups in and shouted the phrase back. “To living forever.”
23
The next morning, I slept in until after nine. When I got up, Grandma was gone, a note on the table letting me know we were going to attempt to meet Delores for lunch again. The note said to meet at Rosa’s Café, and she had already called Brittney to make sure she could stay a little later at the shop to cover me.
I was dressed, my hair straightened – something that was easier to do with it shorter and layered – and ready to go by ten. I still had an hour and a half before I had to meet Grandma. I fiddled around for a minute then decided to go grab a latte. Maybe I’d even take one to Annalise at the antique shop. It would be nice to stop in and talk to her.
As I walked out, I nearly bumped into Ayden who was standing outside Grandma’s door. I let out a startled scream, not expecting anyone to be standing right there.
“Oh! Sorry about that!” he said. “I was just about to knock.”
“That’s okay,” I smiled. “What are you doing here?”
“I just gave my grandma her birthday gift. I thought I’d let you know how much she liked it.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” I looked at my watch. “You dropped it off and you left all before 10:30?”
He laughed. “You know old people, she gets up early. Plus, she had stuff to do.”
I understood that. Grandma was up and out early every morning.
“Who is your Grandma again?” I asked.
“Alice,” he smiled. “I think her cat liked the shirt too. So, where are you headed?”
“I was heading to the coffee shop downtown. Care to join me?”
“I’d love to! I’ll meet you there.”
I was hoping since it was the middle of the morning that Owen wouldn’t be there. I knew he stopped in early each morning for his coffee, but he should’ve been in and out hours ago. But as my luck would have it, there he sat at a table in the corner. It was like he sensed that I walked in because at that moment he looked up at me. He started to smile but then he saw Ayden come in behind me. Owen looked disappointed and then looked back down at his phone. Why was he even there?
We ordered our drinks and I tried to sit as far from Owen as I could. Unfortunately, Ayden didn’t get the mental memo that we were avoiding Owen and when he saw him, he shouted out, “Hey buddy!” Ayden looked over at me. “There’s your friend!” He said to me “Should we go over and say hi?”
Owen gave a weak wave and I told Ayden to sit down. Ayden was attractive and kind, but he seemed to have the mind of a child.
“No, it’s okay, we’re kind of on the outs right now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, and he looked genuinely sorry.
A woman walked up to Owen and he stood to meet her. His face lit up and he stood up to greet her. Who the heck was that? I watched them talk for a minute and it looked like someone he was meeting for the first time. There was an awkwardness to the conversation that made me wonder if it was a date.
“So,” Ayden said, “Get any more codes lately?” His words tore me away from Owen and his lady friend.
“Uh, yes actually.” He got excited as I told him about the latest codes and their meanings. He was so interested in the story and I had to admit, it was fun to talk about.
“I wonder if there’ll be any more?” he asked excitedly.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But we have to remember that this is about a murder. It’s not all fun and games.”
“You don’t think the person giving out the codes is the murderer, do you?” he asked.
“Well, yeah. Don’t you?”
“Seems pretty risky to me,” he answered. “I bet the murderer paid someone to do it for him.”
That was definitely a possibility. My head started to hurt with how many there were. How did Owen do this day in and day out. I glanced up at him and he and the mystery woman were laughing. Ugh, why did I feel this way?
“So, back to these codes…” Ayden could see my mind was drifting as I stared at Owen. “You don’t know who they’re from, and you don’t know the murderer? Do you have a list of people who might have done it?”
I laughed bitterly. “Basically anyone who knew John Asuza.”
“So, what’s your next step?” he asked.
I took a sip of my latte. “That’s a very good question. We’re going to have lunch with someone this afternoon. And I feel like we should circle back around to Kaylee Palmer, the girl who works at the Hair Bar. But beyond that, I’m really not sure. I wish we could talk to someone who really knew him.”
I looked at Ayden thoughtfully. “You know, speaking of knowing someone, I don’t really know you.” I wondered if he’d tell me about his past. I hadn’t asked Owen for details on Ayden’s criminal record, but I had to admit, I was curious.
He smiled and sat forward, ready to tell fill me in. “Well, I work at the Taco Shack and I like to play video games and surf.” He laughed. “And that’s basically my life!”
“And you love your grandma,” I added.
“Yes, but not so much her cat.”
“Your life sounds pretty simple and carefree,” I said wistfully. “It must be nice.”
“Do you play video games?” he asked.
I tried to think if I had ever played a video game in my life. “Um, one time I played Pac Man at an arcade.”
He laughed at me. “Seriously? That’s it? You don’t even play any games on your phone?”
“Nope. Not a single one.”
Ayden was astonished. “Life without video games? I can’t even imagine.”
“What do you play?” I asked.
“I play an MMO called Merchants of the Gods. It’s a mythology game.”
I had no idea what MMO stood for, so I had to ask. He told me it meant massively multiplayer online. Basically, it’s a game you play with a bunch of strangers all over the world.
“Sounds boring,” I said.
“It’s actually a lot of fun. You should try it. I’ve met a lot of interesting people.”
“Like in person?” I asked.
He laughed. “No, like we talk on a headset while we play. Most of the people I play with are in the US but some of them are in other countries.”
That did sound interesting. Well, the talking to different people part, I still wasn’t interested in the gaming part.
“So, this whole gaming thing is fun, but you can’t work at a taco place and play games forever, right? You’re what twenty-five, twenty-six? You have to want more out of life than working at a fast food restaurant and playing games all the time.”
“Ouch,” he said chuckling, “you sound like my mom.”
His words stunned me for a moment and then I thought about what I had just said to him. Who I actually sounded like was Grandma Dean.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “I have no idea why I said that. I was trying to ask about your future goals and it came out very, very wrong.”
He laughed in his easy-going way. “That’s alright. I can see where, from the outside, it looks like I’m not really doing anything. But I’m actually pretty big on YouTube and I make a lot of money off of advertising and subscribers and donations. I made enough to put a nice size down payment on a house earlier this year. I just work at the Taco Shack to hang out with friends and stuff.”
I was shocked. “Really? You were able to buy a house?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, “You would be surprised at how much money you can make.” He laughed again. “You’d probably also be shocked at how many people out there like to sit in front of their computers and watch other people play video games.”
That sounded ridiculous. “People watch you play?”
“Yep, for hours. Sometimes I play with other people. That gets a lot of views. It’s like two for the price of one – getting to watch two streamers play at the same time.”
This was all very strange and interesting to me. It was like there was this whole other world I didn’t even know about.
“My gamertag is EpicMode. You should look me up sometime! Or better yet, you can be a guest on my show!”
Now I was laughing. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. But thanks for the invitation.”
I saw movement from behind Ayden and I looked over him to see Owen coming closer. I glanced around and realized the woman he was with was gone. Owen came up to the table and said hello. Ayden seemed really excited to see him, like a puppy who was ready to go outside and play.
“Hey man!” Ayden said reaching out to shake his hand. “It’s good to see you again! So, I hear you’re some kind of cop or something. That’s cool!”
Owen looked at me like I was crazy then looked back at Ayden. “Yeah, or something.”
He turned back to me. “I’ll see you around Nikki.”
Owen looked exhausted. He walked away and my heart sank. I hated that we had this tension between us. I looked up at Ayden and he was excitedly talking about something. It took me a second to focus on him and when I did, I had to back him up a little. “Whoa, wait, what did you just say?”
“I said I used to get in trouble a lot when I was younger. Stupid stuff. I have a lot of respect for cops. I wouldn’t want to deal with a
bunch of punks day in and day out. And a few years ago, I was really a punk.”
He looked at his phone. “Oh man, I better get going. I’m going to go live in about an hour and I have to clean my living room. It’s totally trashed.”
Ayden stood up to leave. “Are you heading out too or are you staying to chill for a while?”
I started to get up too, but then I noticed the mystery woman was back. She was heading back to the table she had been earlier. At first I wasn’t sure why, but then I noticed a sweater on the floor. It must have fallen off her chair and she was coming back for it.
I told Ayden I was going to stay and as soon as he was out the door I rushed over to the woman as she was leaving the table. “You left your sweater?” I asked. “Don’t you hate it when that happens?”
She looked surprised that a stranger was talking to her, but she smiled at me. “Yes, and I seem to do it all the time.”
The woman waited for me to step aside but I really wanted to find out who she was. When she finally decided to sidestep me, I stepped back in front of her. “So,” I said, a bigger than it needed to be smile on my face. “You know Owen?”
She looked nervous. “Yes. I take it you know him too?”
“Oh yeah, I’ve known him for a while. How did you say you knew him?”
She stood tall and wasn’t so nervous anymore. Instead she just stared me down. “I never said.”
Well, she definitely won the self-confidence battle. I moved aside, not knowing what else to say. I was terrible in these situations. Of course, later I would think of a million things I should’ve said to get more information out of her. But for now, I just watched her smirk and walk past me, her long legs strutting toward the door.
24
I was running short on time. I wanted to talk to Annalise at the antique shop for a little bit, but I had to meet Grandma at the café in fifteen minutes. Thankfully they were close to each other, so I had time to drop off the latte I got for Annalise and still make lunch with Grandma on time, as long as I didn’t stay and talk to Annalise too long.
Crack the Code (Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery Book 5) Page 10