Throw a Double for Spite

by Cherie Mitchell

  “It wasn’t their choice. I’m not yet so decrepit and incapacitated that I can’t make my own decisions.” Some of Bill’s old fire had returned and he even managed a sly wink for the middle-aged waitress as she took Riley’s order.

  “Did they advise you to go straight home?”

  He made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh. “They might have done.” He dragged the newspaper closer and pointed at the Condo Killer headline. “They still haven’t caught that monster. I worry about you two girls and I won’t stop worrying until he’s safely in the slammer.”

  “They’re saying that it might be two different men now. The body they found at the construction site might have been the victim of another killer.”

  “It’s a sorry state of affairs. Young women should feel safe to walk the streets alone.” His mouth drooped and the bags under his eyes stood out sharply against his paper-thin skin.

  “I’m not sure if the world will ever evolve enough for that to happen.” She pinched her lip between her teeth, wanting to offer something to the conversation that would cheer him up. “How’s Jacqui?”

  Bill gave her a sharp look and she could see he was trying to determine if there was a hidden barb in her question.

  “She must be worried about you.”

  “She is, but she’s good at hiding her emotions and only revealing what she wants the world to see.” He kept his eyes upon her. “The two of you have more in common than you might think. One of my deepest regrets remains the fact that you’ve never met one another.”

  Riley battled against a bristly twinge of anger. Now wasn’t the time to lose her temper. “Can you just try to look at it from my point of view for once? A woman scarcely older than I was the time swooped in and destroyed our family.”

  Bill chuckled. Some of the color had returned to his cheeks now and he looked more alive. “It wasn’t like that. Life isn’t always like one of your beloved movies, with a happy ending before the credits roll. Your mother and I had been having difficulties for some time. She had a drinking problem, as you now know. She wasn’t the easiest of people to live with and I’d be the first to admit that I bring my own share of challenges to a relationship.” He veered off and changed the subject with no warning, leaving her scrambling to keep up. “Are you still a movie fan? You always loved them as a kid.”

  Riley flapped her hand dismissively, almost knocking the coffee out of the returning waitress’s hand. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.” She waited until the woman left before continuing. “Yes, of course I still like to watch movies but can we go back to what you said before that? Are you saying that your marriage was over before you met Jacqui?”

  “Dead in the water.” He seemed pleased with this analogy.

  “Why didn’t I know about this? I thought it ended because of the affair.”

  “You were a teenager, embroiled in dramas of your own making. It’s hard to notice what’s going on in other people’s lives when you’re entirely focused on your own. I’ve been guilty of the same crime myself on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, you have more of your old man in you than you like to think.” He straightened his shoulders, shaking off his old man weariness with a concentrated effort. “Drink up. I’m ready to go home and take another nap. The doc wasn’t wrong when he said my body would take a pummeling from this treatment.”

  Riley took her father home and made sure he was comfortable. His tiredness had increased during the drive but she could see he was trying hard not to let on. Bill lived in an expensive but unpretentious home in the suburbs, with a square of neatly mown lawn at the front, quaint gables on the roofline, and understated artwork and furnishings sprinkled throughout the interior. It had always felt like a family home without a family to Riley and again she was struck by the sense of loneliness that seemed to cling to the walls like a thin covering of lightly embossed wallpaper.

  Bill wouldn’t let her stay to make sure he was safely in bed, shooing her out the door and telling her that he could manage on his own. Riley reluctantly left him to it, but only after making him promise to contact her if he didn’t start to feel better soon. He’d agreed, offering his cheek for a kiss before trying to tuck a $50 note into her hand ‘to help pay for the gas’.

  “I don’t want your money.” She crossly thrust the note back at him. “I just want you to get well.”

  “I’ll do my best.” He stood in the doorway and watched her leave, and her last impression of him as she drove off was that of a lonely elderly man gripping the edge of the door for support in a house far too large for one person. The idea that she’d been selfish in wanting him to live his life without a partner hit her like a bullet to the heart. Jacqui’s re-entry into his life might be the shot in the arm that he needed to pull him through this trying time, but she wasn’t yet ready to wholeheartedly accept that. However, the fact that she was willing to consider it might be a positive step. It was strange how life could suddenly turn a corner just when a person thought the road ahead was straight and the view unobstructed, but didn’t that exact same scenario happen time and time again? Bill had it wrong; she wasn’t suffering under any delusions that life was supposed to be as picture perfect and complete as a movie plot.

  Riley tried calling Megan again when she arrived home but once again, the call went to voicemail. She left a message anyway, asking her friend to phone her back when she received the message.

  She didn’t hear from Megan that evening, but Jack sent a text just before she went to bed. It was the first time she’d heard from him since he excused himself to use the bathroom at the movie theater. The message was brief, containing yet another apology for letting her down and telling her she was as beautiful as he’d imagined her to be.

  She didn’t reply. As far as she was concerned, she was done with Jack and his silly, childish games. She’d allowed it to drag on for far too long as it was. She deleted him as a contact on her phone and immediately felt better for it.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  “Ruth isn’t here yet. Kevin has taken the girls out to the playground.” Morgan gave an explanation instead of a greeting when she opened the door for Riley on Saturday morning. Riley had called a crisis meeting with her sister to discuss Bill’s deteriorating health and at the last minute, she had invited their mother too. Ruth had a different perspective on Bill as a person than his daughters did, and when she wasn’t obsessing about her latest cruise trip she could be surprisingly lucid and sensible with her advice. She’d proven that when she asked Riley to speak to Morgan about her drinking.

  “You look nice. You’ve done something different with your hair.” Riley peered more closely at her sister in an attempt to discern why she looked lighter, prettier, and less stressed than she had done of late. “There’s something else too. What have you been up to?”

  Morgan giggled girlishly as she tugged at the ends of her hair. “I had it cut. I’ve started yoga classes on Tuesday nights, too. Kevin and I had a long talk and we’ve agreed that it’s time for me to do something for myself. He has his regular times away from the house on his own, and it’s high time for me to do the same. I don’t know why I left it so long.”

  “You look great, you really do,” Riley said honestly.

  “Here’s Mom.” Morgan had been about to shut the front door but she opened it wide again. “I hope she hasn’t brought any of her homemade cookies. I nearly broke a tooth on the last batch and Kevin made me promise not to ever serve them to him again.”

  “She tried to poison me with a scorched chicken breast when I was at her house for lunch.” Riley raised her voice to call out as Ruth made her way up the path. “Good morning!”

  “Is it?” Ruth glared at her daughters as she pushed past them to step into the house. “I’ve certainly had better days. I nearly got a speeding ticket on the way over here, and he only let me off because I said I was hurrying to get to my dying husband’s side. I need a coffee.”

  “Mom, why would you lie like
that? You don’t have a husband and even if you were still married, Dad isn’t dying.” Riley hurried down the hall after her mother while Morgan followed at a more leisurely pace.

  Ruth started looking through the kitchen cupboards, opening and shutting them with a bang. “It wasn’t a lie. Cancer kills plenty of people.” Her voice broke and she turned to face her daughters. Tears shone from the corners of her eyes and her lower lip wobbled alarmingly. “I spoke to Bill earlier this morning. He sounds awful, just a husk of the man he once was.”

  “The last treatment hit him badly,” Riley said gently. “He was warned that the sessions would get worse, and he warned us too. All the same, I think he’s probably just as shocked as we are. I took him home from the clinic on Thursday and I could see that he was struggling, which is why I’ve called us all together today.”

  “He can move in here,” Morgan said as she briskly handed her mother a box of tissues. “I’ll shift Samantha into her sister’s room and Dad can have Jessica’s room. It won’t be a bother.”

  “He won’t do that. He’s as stubborn as the rest of us and he’d never admit that he needs help. You’ll need a crowbar to wedge him out of his house.” Riley glanced at Ruth, who was now blowing her nose noisily. “Anyway, hasn’t he started seeing Jacqui again? I don’t think anyone would feel comfortable about her visiting him here.”

  “I wouldn’t care either way,” Morgan said. ‘It’s his life. He can have whoever he chooses around to visit.”

  “He won’t move in,” Ruth said as she ripped another tissue from the box. “Riley is right. He’s always been too stubborn for his own good. He won’t admit that he needs one of his girls to take care of him. His pride would never allow it.”

  “Maybe Jacqui could move into his house with him,” Morgan suggested.

  Ruth and Riley both turned to frown at her and Morgan hurriedly backed down. “It was just a suggestion.”

  “We could hire a nurse or a home caregiver,” Riley said, thinking aloud now. “He might agree to that. We could have someone call in on him once a day, just to check that he’s doing ok. They could drive him to and from the clinic for his appointments too. He can’t refuse us that.”

  Ruth nodded. “That could work.”

  Morgan clattered a trio of coffee cups out of the cupboard behind Ruth’s head and set them down in an untidy row on the counter. “Make sure that she’s young and sexy and Dad will be over the moon.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ruth said primly. “He doesn’t need any unnecessary excitement in his life right now. I’ll give my friend Dot a call later. She works for a home nursing company and she’ll be able to suggest someone suitable.”

  “Do you think we should check with Bill first? Give him a say in the matter?” Riley was pleased that they’d been able to come up with a solution so quickly, but now she felt a pang of guilt that they’d done it behind Bill’s back. His mind was still functioning perfectly, even if his body was feeble while it put all of its resources into fighting off the disease. Would he feel betrayed to discover what they’d organized something as major as a home nurse without his knowledge? Or should she just let it go and allow the man who had once betrayed her so badly to discover the pure awfulness of betrayal? She immediately hated herself for having such a vile thought. I don’t dislike men. I love my Dad. I’m a well-adjusted human being.

  “I’ll ask him now.” Morgan pulled her phone across the counter and dialed Bill’s number before switching it to loudspeaker. “I’ve never understood why you don’t talk to him directly whenever you have something to say. It’s all about communication. Honestly, the two of you are as bad as each other. Dad? It’s me. Mom and Riley are here with me too. Is now a good time to talk?”

  Bill sounded buoyant. “Now is a great time to talk. Are you three lovely ladies enjoying a Saturday lunch date together?”

  “No, we’re here to talk about you.” Ruth interrupted as Morgan went to speak, bending over to shout at the phone as if the inert device was Bill in the flesh. “I don’t think you’ve stopped to consider the trouble your illness might cause for everyone.”

  “Ssssh, Mom. It’s not his fault that he has cancer.” Morgan spun the phone away from her mother and held her hand protectively around it to prevent Ruth from snatching it away. “Dad, what do you think about the idea of having a caregiver come in once or twice a day until your treatment is finished?”

  Bill hummed and hawed, clearly not happy with the suggestion. “I’m not sure if that’s necessary. I’m not an invalid.”

  “You’re not well,” Ruth shouted again. “Can you sit back and listen to good sense for once in your life? Dot can sort someone out for you.”

  “Now, now, Ruth,” Bill said good-naturedly. “I showed you just how sensible I could be the day I asked your father for your hand in marriage.”

  Ruth hastily pulled back, her cheeks pink, as Morgan giggled and nudged Riley with her elbow. “You’ve made her blush, Dad.”

  Riley held herself off to one side without joining in with the chaotic conversation, marveling over what was now rolling out before her eyes. These people were her family, a bunch of individuals as different as anyone could be, yet this muddled, disjointed conversation somehow made perfect sense. The moment felt strangely pivotal, as if she’d learned something about her family and herself that she should have known long before now. People could have differences of opinions, make different decisions, and live their lives very differently from one another without their decisions causing long-term harm to the family unit. Why had it taken so long for her to realize this? Had she been the one who had withdrawn and distanced herself when for all this time she’d blamed the others for doing that exact same thing, especially Bill? It was a sobering thought.

  “Alright,” Bill agreed at last, “See who Dot comes up with. Tell her I’d prefer someone with shapely legs. An ailing man has to have something scenic to look at from his sickbed.”

  Ruth tutted, dramatically threw up her hands, and turned away from the phone in mock disgust, as if she thought Bill might be able see the gesture. Morgan hovered her finger over the End Call button. “We’ll be in touch. What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

  “I’m taking it easy. I’m going to put my feet up and watch the game.”

  “Bye Dad,” Riley called out quickly before Morgan could cut off the call. “Take care of yourself.”

  “Much ado about nothing,” said Ruth into the sudden silence of the kitchen. “What does a poor old woman have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Riley switched off the TV, unable to stomach hearing any more updates about the Condo Killer. They had just interviewed the Police Commissioner, who seemed assured that they were close to an arrest, but who could know for certain? It seemed the public were only told as much as those in authority wanted them to hear. Add the usual media hype to the standard police releases and anything might be hidden amongst the torrent of words and artfully staged suspense. Her brain was busy enough dealing with her current problems to spend any more time on deciphering a case that had quickly risen to the subjective level of a contemporary detective novel.

  She paced listlessly around the apartment, listening to the muted noise of Sunday morning passing by outside the window. Jack, now once again appearing on her phone as Unknown Caller, had sent a couple of texts over the course of the morning. In both messages, he had asked if she was ok and wondered why she hadn’t responded but she had deleted them without replying. She missed Briar already, despite her spiteful duplicity and her lies. She tried Megan’s number again but the call immediately cut off. There wasn’t even a recorded voicemail message to chatter dolefully in her ear. Where was she? Why wasn’t she answering her phone? This wasn’t like her. Quickly making up her mind, Riley hauled on a pair of sneakers and picked up her car keys. She would take a drive over to her friend’s house and find out what was going on.

  Megan was eating a slic
e of watermelon when she opened the door. She seemed puzzled to see Riley standing outside. “Hey you. Did we have a date for Sunday lunch? Please don’t tell me that I’ve forgotten and stood you up again. My head feels as if it’s been stuffed with cotton wool over the past few days and I’m forgetting everything.”

  Riley walked past her into the apartment, looking at her curiously. “No, we didn’t have lunch plans. What do you mean, stood me up again? When was the last time you stood me up?”

  “I’m sure I’ve stood you up at least once at some time or another, just as you’ve done to me. As I said, my brain is barely functioning right now.”

  “Why? What’s the matter? I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days.”

  “Another head cold,” Megan said dismissively, bristling with vigorous good health as she bit into the watermelon slice. “Do you want some watermelon?”

  “No, thanks. You don’t look sick.”

  “I’m better now.”

  “Did you get my messages? I’ve left a few of them.”

  “I haven’t even looked at my phone. I had it switched off and the battery is probably flat by now.” She tossed the watermelon rind into the kitchen trashcan, padding around the apartment in shorts and a t-shirt with her feet bare as if it were still the middle of summer. She grinned across the countertop at Riley as she plugged in her phone at the outlet beside the bread bin. “How’s your weekend been?”

  “I’ve been busy with family stuff.” True to her word, Ruth had spoken to Dot and quickly found a competent caregiver for Bill. Riley and Morgan had both met with her on Saturday afternoon and given her their approval. Lorraine was in her late forties, with thick calves and business-like forearms, but she had a naughty twinkle in her eye and Riley had rapidly formed the impression that she wouldn’t be shocked if she heard a raunchy joke or two. She would be perfect for the role of Bill’s nurse.

  “Come into the living room and talk to me. I’ve missed you.”