by Karen Singer
“Uh…what’s going on? We already know Todd was working with those other guys to rip places off.”
“Yes,” Robbie replied. “The police arrested Todd the next day. And a few days later, Mr. Granger had Todd out on bail.”
“Even though Todd ripped his uncle off?”
“Yeah Jenni. Even then.”
“So, what’s the big deal? I know you said Mr. Granger was raising a stink about the pictures and about going to the cops in the first place.”
“Yes Jenni. Too much of a stink.”
“Jenni,” Shirley’s voice said. “Last night, Todd Granger’s body was found dumped under an overpass. He was murdered.”
“Murdered! But what’s that got to do with us?”
“Jenni,” Robbie Bosch replied. “You know I was a police detective before I started my own business.”
“Yeah.”
“And you know I’ve still got a lot of friends on the force.”
“I guess so.”
“Well evidently, Granger is throwing a major fit over the fact that in all the goods the police pulled out of that storage locker, he was still missing something. And according to the guys on the force, Granger is hopping mad about it. Several of my friends on the force have even come to me asking questions.”
“What’s missing?”
“Granger wouldn’t tell me, but I got luckier from my police buddies. Evidently, he’s missing some kind of small external hard drive for his computer. According to him, it holds all his personal financial data. He said he kept it in a small case in his bedroom nightstand.”
“What kind of case?”
“I don’t know Jenni. But now that Todd was found murdered, my friends on the force came back to me since they knew we had been working for Granger and we were the ones who had found his stuff. Jenni, they requested that I look a bit further into Granger and Todd for them, kind of off the books, in case we can dig up something that they don’t. They’re pretty much stuck looking at the murder and nothing else. Jenni, I promised my friends I’d keep looking for them. I sometimes get favors from them too Jenni.”
“Okay. I get it,” Jenni replied. “You want me to keep digging.”
“Yes, please.”
“Love to,” Jenni told them. “It will give me something to do, other than kill all my relatives.”
Shirley Bosch laughed. “Jenni, while you’re doing that, I’ll help Robbie with everything else here. Just give either of us a call if you find anything.”
“Will do, Mr. and Mrs. B. Not a problem.”
“Thanks Jenni,” Robbie replied.
“And Jenni,” Shirley added, “please don’t kill your relatives. We’ve got enough problems up here.”
“Sorry Shirley,” Jenni laughed. “I’m not sure I can promise that one.”
“Just try to enjoy yourself somewhat,” Shirley added. “You’re on vacation.”
“Not anymore I’m not. And now I’m a lot happier!”
--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---
Sally, once again wearing her shorts and a top over her bathing suit, climbed the steps up to building A. Her mother and father were staying in the end suite in that building. She saw the curtain was open, but she couldn’t see anything else inside. She knocked on the door and had to wait a moment before it was answered. She didn’t know if she should be surprised or not that her mother answered the door herself. “Hi Mom,” she said affectionately. She took a step forward and hugged her mother. “Are you enjoying the trip?” she asked.
“So far, so good,” her mother replied rather sarcastically.
“What’s that mean?” Sally asked as she followed her mother into the large room.
“It means that so far, I’ve got no problems with it,” her mother replied.
Sally let the question drop and took a seat on the couch while her mother sat in one of the nice single chairs next to the window. She could tell by the various things on the small end table next to the chair that her mother probably sat there most often. From what she could see, the chair offered the perfect view of the beach and the water out the wide window. As Sally looked around, she was surprised to see how much bigger this suite was than the one she had. She figured that the door leading off to the side, like her smaller suite, had to lead to the bedroom and bathroom. “This is a nice place,” she said, trying to sound complimentary.
“Yeah,” her mother replied. “It’s pretty good.”
Sally noted that her father didn’t seem to be around. She hadn’t seen him on the beach, so unless he was in the bedroom, she had no idea where he was. “So…you wanted to see me?”
“I wondered how long it would take you to getting around to ask.”
Sally raised her eyebrows. “You phoned me. I was on the beach.”
“I saw you down there. You and everyone else.”
“But was there something you wanted?”
Judith Finch smiled – briefly. “I talked to Greg and Lilli earlier. I’ll talk to Andy and Maddi next.”
“So, you’re meeting with all of us.”
“Not all at one time. I just wanted to let you all know something. That’s all.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’m turning seventy-five in a few days,” she said.
“Yes. I know. On Friday. We all know.”
“And I’m sure you know that I’m not exactly getting any younger.”
“Neither are any of us.”
Judith nodded. “Just getting everyone together for my birthday was only part of the reason for this trip,” she said. “The other part is so that I can get together and talk with all of you.”
“That’s nice,” Sally replied with a smile.
“No, it’s not! Since I won that money, all I’ve seen out of every last one of you is that the only thing any of you want from me is my money! Well let me tell you right here and now, none of you are getting a penny of it until after I’m gone.”
“Mom? Are you sick again? Is there something wrong with you that I don’t know about?” Sally asked with nothing but concern in her voice.
“Oh, hell no! Since they took that tumor off my back a few months ago, the only thing I’ve got to put up with now is when my damn arthritis acts up in my knees a bit too much. But that’s it!”
“I’m so glad that tumor was benign,” Sally said.
“You and me both. You know how scared I was back then Sally.”
“I remember Mom. Any problems from it?”
“Nope. Just got a little scar still on my back that your father helps me put some cream on to stop it from itching once in a while, but other than that, I’m fine! According to my doctor, I’m healthy as a horse now, and I intend on staying that way…for a very long time.”
“Good! So, what brought all this on?”
“It seems that my damn lawyers all agree that I need some kind of will set up for when and if I do die…which let me remind you, I have no intention in the world of doing – for a very long time.”
“Mom, I understand that a will is something that everyone should have, even when they’re young. I’m surprised you don’t have one yet.”
“You know perfectly well I don’t want to dwell on anything that morbid,” Judith stated. “I’ve got better things to do with my time.”
“But you’re looking into it now?”
“The damn lawyers are insisting. They’ve been insisting for years. It’s just that now they’re getting a lot more pushy about it. Heaven knows I don’t know why. They’re not getting my money either.”
“But a will is still a good thing,” Sally said. “Suppose something happened to you and Dad both. Suppose you had an accident or something. The will would let everyone know what you want done with your house and everything else.”
“Like my money!”
“Like…your money,” Sally agreed. “Although that’s only part of it.”
“Huh! A big part. The only part that any of you seem to be interested in. If it wasn’t for that,
I have no doubt I’d never hear from any of you!”
“Mom, you know I call you every couple of weeks. At least I try to.”
“Yeah, you, and nobody else. But I just wanted to let you know that I’m talking to you and everyone else in the family on this trip, right down to the grandkids. Then I’ll let that help me figure out who should get what of my money – if anything! So don’t go automatically expecting anything at all when I’m gone. I’ll make the decisions.”
“And how about Dad?”
“Him? Well naturally, it will have to go to him first. But like you pointed out, if something happens to both of us, then according to the lawyers, I’ve got to spell out what to do with it. But I’m not sure he deserves any of it either!”
“Mom, be nice. You two have been married for what…fifty-six years now?”
“Huh! Didn’t any of you even call on our anniversary this year either!”
“Mom! You and Dad were in England. Out of the country!”
“Yeah, well, you still could have called.”
“I can’t make overseas calls on my phone. Jenni either.”
“Jenni…Kyle. That one won’t be getting even a penny from me when I’m gone. I’m not sure I’ll even bother talking to him.”
“Then why did you insist that she had to come?”
“For my birthday of course. I wanted everyone here for it. At least everyone showed up. Heaven knows, I paid enough for all of them to be here.”
--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---
At lunchtime, Jenni took a break from her internet searching and headed down to the restaurant again. But the place was deserted. She didn’t even see her aunt. “Where is everybody?” she asked the waitress.
“Probably down at the beach bar,” the waitress replied. “Most people eat there at lunchtime so they don’t have to get out of their swimsuits.”
That made sense to Jenni. Instead of going into the restaurant, she took the path that led towards the beach bar. She didn’t go all the way to it, she just looked at it from a distance. Crowded. From what she could see, the entire family had to be there. Just as long as they stayed away from her. She stood there for a few minutes, then turned around and left, going back to the hotel restaurant for her lunch alone.
--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---
Down at the bar, Andy had seen Kyle watching everyone. He nudged his wife. “He’s up the path just watching everyone.”
Cassie looked. Then she shook her head. “Just as long as he stays away! I want no part of him!”
“Me either!”
“What’s wrong?” Jimmy Finch asked his brother.
“Kyle is up there looking at us.”
Jimmy turned and was just able to see Kyle walking away. “It’s amazing how much he looks like a woman now,” he noted.
“Cassie figured it out,” Andy replied. “Mom must have paid for all his surgeries. And that’s the only reason she has him here with the rest of the family.”
“You’re sure?” Jimmy replied, very surprised to hear that. Then he thought about it. “Yeah, that would be just like Mom to do something like that…and stick it to the rest of us.”
“That’s the way I see it,” Andy replied. “Cassie too. Mom is trying to rub it in our faces that she gave money to someone like him, while she won’t give a dime to anyone else.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Mom.”
--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---
Jenni was the only person in the restaurant for lunch…until she got a visitor.
“Jenni?”
She turned and saw Ashley walking up to her. Ashley had wrapped a towel around her body covering her bathing suit. “Hi Ash,” she replied happily. “Have a seat.”
“Why don’t you come down to the beach?” Ashley asked, standing, not sitting.
Jenni shook her head. “Ash, me and the beach don’t get along. Me and swimsuits don’t get along.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Uh, Ashley, as hard as I try, I seriously doubt I can cover any of my…shortcomings…in a bathing suit.”
“Jenni, you look great! Everyone is talking about how they can’t believe how much you look like a woman now.”
“But Ash, that’s only when I’m fully dressed, and that’s only after years of practice. Practice that doesn’t include bathing suits.”
Ashley shook her head. “I still think you look great. And whether you think you can do it or not, I have no doubt you’d look great in a bathing suit too.”
Jenni smiled. “Ashley, can I adopt you to be my sister? You sure know how to make me feel good.”
Ashley laughed. “I was kind of hoping you’d hang around with me on this trip,” Ashley replied. “There’s no one else my age for me to hang with. And we used to get along real well.”
“Yeah, we did. And I hope we still will. And…Ash, I’d love to hang around with you. I’m stuck on an island in the middle of the ocean with nothing to do, and I’m surrounded by a sea of relatives who want nothing to do with me. I’d love your company once in a while.”
“Then come down to the beach with me.”
Jenni shook her head. “No beach! No bathing suit. Besides, nobody else in the family wants me anywhere near them, and they’re all probably going to spend most of their time on that beach.”
Ashley was disappointed. “Well, maybe we can get together later and just…talk.”
Jenni smiled. “I’d love that!”
Ashley smiled. “Got to go. I told my mother I was just running to the bathroom. Bye!”
Jenni watched her hurrying out. She had a feeling that Ashley’s mother and father would not be pleased if they knew Ashley wanted to hang around with her.
--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---
Frederick Granger and Todd Granger. Jenni was back to work on both of them again. She still had all her old notes from before. She still had her list of everyone she had been able to dig up before that was even remotely related to either of them. But now Todd had been murdered. That kind of put things into an entirely different light.
Searching the internet, she found no news articles mentioning his death. Evidently, someone like him being killed, wasn’t deemed exactly newsworthy. Until now, she wouldn’t have thought so either. But the police had gone directly to Mr. B to ask him to keep looking into the Grangers – both of them. Were they just looking for another pair of eyes on the case, or did they think Mr. B had some other angle that he could find and they couldn’t?
This wasn’t like starting a case from scratch. She had already done several weeks of research into Frederick Granger, and a little research into Todd. The question was, how could she dig deeper?
She got so involved in trying to find things that she didn’t pay much attention to the time. She literally jumped when her cellphone rang. She didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Jenni? It’s Ash. Are you going shopping this afternoon?”
“Shopping? Oh yeah. I remember seeing it on the schedule. Uh…no. Not this time. I’m…working.”
“You’re working?”
“Yeah, well, my boss called and asked me to do something for him.”
“But you’re on vacation. You can’t even take a break and go shopping with me?”
“With you, or with you and everyone else? Ash, you know nobody wants me around.”
“So you’re going to hide yourself away in your room for the entire week? I wanted someone my own age to go shopping with.”
Jenni almost gave in…not that she would have spent any money. “Ash, I’m sorry. I just can’t right now. Okay?”
“Yeah. Sure,” Ashley replied disappointedly. “See ya.”
Jenni felt bad, but what could she do about it? She knew it was the absolute truth that nobody wanted her anywhere around. She turned her attention back to her computer. Where else could she search?
Once again time passed. She had managed to make several pages worth of notes on the case, but there was nothing specific yet that she co
uld see that might help things. She was just getting ready to email her latest list of non-findings to Mr. B, when her phone rang again. She was very happy to see who was calling her. “Hi Aunt Sally. Are you out shopping with everyone else?”
“Hi Jenni, I went, and now we’re back.”
“Already?”
“Jenni, that was hours ago! What have you been doing?”
“Working.”
“Working?”
“My boss called and asked me to do something for him.”
“Your boss! What did he want?”
“Don’t ask Aunt Sally. You know I won’t tell you.”
“I don’t know why Jenni. Sometimes I worry about what you’re doing to make the money you do.”
“Trust me, you don’t have to worry. I’m fine. And you know it’s nothing illegal.”
“No, I don’t know that!”
“Don’t worry Aunt Sally. It’s nothing bad at all.”
“But you still won’t tell me.”
“Sorry. I just feel it’s better this way.”
“Then I’ll keep worrying, and I’ll keep asking,” Sally replied. “But anyway, I was only calling to find out what you’re wearing for dinner.”
“Dinner?” Jenni glanced at the clock. “Oh shoot! I got so busy I didn’t even know what time it was. I’ll be down as quick as I can.”
“But what are you wearing?” Sally asked again. “Are you getting all dressed up again, or are you just wearing something casual?”
“Uh…I hadn’t thought about it. I guess…casual tonight. Is that okay?”
“Good. I didn’t feel much like getting all dressed up either. I’m worn out from the beach this morning and then walking through the shops downtown this afternoon. And it seemed like everyone has been giving me dirty looks all day. I wound up touring all the shops with Ashley today and avoiding everyone else. At least she was pleasant to be around. See you outside the restaurant at seven?”
“Perfect. I’ll hurry!”
Jenni glanced again at the time. She would have to hurry too, even though she had no intention of changing the clothes she was already wearing. But it takes time to brush and fix your hair, and even more time to shave and then redo your makeup. Not to mention checking a thousand other things about her appearance. But the truth was, she loved every little aspect of it…except the shaving.