by PJ Fernor
Ben, his father, and Lo all looked at me.
“Great,” Ben said in a forced voice.
Lo swallowed hard.
Ben’s father lifted his hand.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Can I say something?”
“Sure.”
“Right now, I’m fully coherent,” Ben’s father said. “Please don’t make me eat that meatloaf, Allie. If I slip away for good, that might be my last meal.”
“Dad,” Ben said.
“Oh well,” I said.
I walked to the oven and opened it.
I felt them all staring at me.
At the end of a long day, I needed a small victory.
I pulled the pizza boxes out of the oven and smiled when I saw the relief on their faces.
“I’m not losing my mind again, am I?” Ben’s father asked.
Lo reached for his hand and patted it. “No, you’re fine. She played a mean joke on us.”
“Pizza,” Ben said. “But the meatloaf is good too.”
I put the pizza boxes on the table and leaned down.
I kissed Ben’s cheek. “Thanks for always having my back.”
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted in my life,” Ben whispered to me.
“You two,” his father said. “I knew this was bound to happen.”
“Tell me the story,” Lo said.
“There is no story,” I said.
“Oh, there’s a story,” Ben’s father said.
Lo opened the top box and served Ben’s father first.
“These two were meant for each other for years,” Ben’s father said. “I remember Ben coming to the garage after school. He darn near floated through the place. That’s what your aunt did to him, Lo.”
Lo smiled.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“But your aunt loved another boy,” Ben’s father said.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I said.
“It’s fine,” Ben said. “I learned patience at a young age. I knew someday I’d get my chance.”
“You really waited around for her?” Lo asked Ben.
“Hey!” I said. “What’s so bad about me?”
“Tommy,” Ben’s father said. “I should have knocked him in the head with a wrench a few times.”
“Me too,” Ben said with a wink to me.
“He wasn’t that bad,” I said. Then I laughed. “Okay, fine, he was terrible.” I looked at Lo. “He was nothing but trouble. A very bad guy.”
“That’s why you hated Trevor so much,” Lo said.
I rolled my eyes.
“Allie would come to the garage and confide in Ben,” Ben’s father’s said. “They would talk for hours. I would secretly wish to myself they’d get together. You know, date and all that. But Ben respected that she was with someone else. I told him to be patient. Right, Ben?”
“That’s right, Dad,” Ben said.
“And it all paid off,” I said.
“What happened with Tommy?” Lo asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Let’s eat.”
“He was…” Ben’s father looked around the table and blinked a few times. Then he reached for Allie’s hand. “Did you get that quart of milk for your mother, Susie? You don’t have to tell her I gave you the money. Just make sure you take care of yourself and your brother.”
Ben reached for the pizza. “This pizza looks great.”
“It’s okay,” Lo said to Ben’s father.
He looked around again. “So, how was today for everyone?”
“It was a good day,” I said.
“I want to talk about that nursing program,” Lo said.
“The one where you’ll be with Trevor even more?” I asked.
“How…”
“I’m not an idiot, Lo. He’s going to the technical school for cars, trucks and everything, right?”
“Yeah,” Lo said.
“Nursing is great,” Ben’s father said. “I deal with nurses all the time!”
“We pay for those nurses to hang out with you,” Ben said.
“You mean I pay for the nurses,” Ben’s father said. “Jeez, you’d think I’d get to pick which ones I want then.”
Ben snorted and laughed.
“That’s not appropriate,” I said.
Ben’s father grinned like he was a teenage boy making a dirty joke.
I looked at Lo. “As much as I’m not sure about you and Trevor spending more time together, I think for you it’s a good thing. We will definitely look into it.”
“Thank you, Allie!” Lo said.
She dove out of her chair and hugged me.
As I hugged her back, I suddenly thought about Alex.
And the man who killed Alex.
It really had been a long day.
I felt my mood plummet.
We got through dinner and thankfully pizza meant a quick cleanup.
Paper plates in the trash and pizza boxes in the recycling bin.
Outside, Ben followed me and hugged me from behind.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“My sister.”
“I figured.”
“What do I tell Lo? Or do I tell her at all?”
“I trust your judgement, Allie Down. You’ll do what’s right.”
“I just keep thinking about it all. If I tell Lo, I don’t want her to fall back on her emotions. She really wants to be a nurse. Because of your father. How about that for one last offering to my family? All that your father did for me when we were younger and now this for Lo.”
“I guess if there’s one good thing to come from the Alzheimer’s it’s that,” Ben said.
“If I don’t tell her, then I feel like I’m hiding it all from her,” I said.
“Or maybe you just wait it out a little longer. Get all the information yourself. Think it over. Process it first. You haven’t had a moment to yourself today.”
“Well, I did come outside alone,” I said as I slowly turned to face Ben.
“Right,” he said. “I’m in the way.”
“You’re never in the way… even though you always are…”
“That makes no sense.”
I smiled. “It feels heavy again, Ben. Everything around me. I have to solve these murders before the parade. And I have to face the man who took my sister’s life.”
“I know you do,” he said. “That’s why I’m in your corner. By your side. Hugging you. Anything you need, Allie Down, I’m here for you. No matter what.”
I hugged Ben and shut my eyes.
For a moment, everything felt at peace.
I almost wished we could stay in the backyard on a cold, autumn night forever.
That couldn’t happen.
Tomorrow was on its way.
And I had to be ready for whatever was going to happen.
Chapter Forty-Six
After a quick breakfast the next morning, I got to the front door and Ben stopped me.
“Did you sleep okay?”
“I did just fine,” I said with a grin.
There was a glow in Ben’s eyes.
It made me smile.
I appreciated how our alone time still made us have the look the next morning.
“I’ll meet you outside,” he said. “Give me one minute to say goodbye to Dad. He’s all together at the moment. I want to tell him I love him.”
I nodded.
Dealing with that terrible disease was hard for everyone.
The moments when Ben’s father was focused were amazing moments. Him complaining about the weather or telling stories about Ben were memories I’d cherish forever. When he slipped away and didn’t know who he was or where he was, talking like the past was the present, those were moments that would forever touch my heart.
I snuck outside and was taken back by how cold it felt.
The crisp air hit my lungs and took me back to last winter.
The last big case I had worked on.
The One.
I shivered as I walked to my SUV, wanting to get it started and get the heat going.
Before I could open the door, I noticed something on the windshield.
“No,” I whispered.
It was another note.
I peeled it out from under the windshield wiper and read it.
PUT OUT THE FIRE!
I gasped and spun around.
My eyes searched, just to make sure Ben’s house wasn’t on fire.
I gasped for a breath and opened the door to the SUV.
I put the note on the seat and fumbled for my phone.
Muldavey.
Mrs. Mickels.
I heard the front shut and looked back at Ben as he jogged toward me.
“Another note!” I called out. “I have to call Muldavey!”
Ben picked up his speed.
I handed him the note.
Muldavey picked up the call.
“Are you okay?” I yelled.
“What? Yes. I’m fine. Why?”
“Are you at Mrs. Mickels’ house?”
“Parked right out front,” he said. “Was just about to call and see if I can get some sleep soon.”
“The house. Is it… on fire?”
“On fire? No. The house is fine.” I heard Muldavey open his door. “The house is fine from the outside. What’s going on?”
“There was another note left on my windshield. About a fire. Are you sure you’re okay over there?”
“I promise you, Allie, there is no fire here,” Muldavey said. “I can go inside the house and check too. But right here… no fire. I’m fine. I’m assuming Mrs. Mickels is fine.”
“Okay. Keep your phone handy. I’ll-”
My phone buzzed.
It was another call.
Johnny.
“I have to go,” I said to Muldavey. I switched over to Johnny. “Hey, listen, there was-”
“Someone set my SUV on fire,” Johnny said.
My heart sank.
I turned and looked at Ben.
“What?” Ben asked.
“Johnny,” I said.
“Is he okay?”
“Tell him I’m not okay,” Johnny said. “My SUV was torched!”
“His SUV was set on fire,” I said. I turned back around. “Johnny, we’ll be right there.”
I hung up and jumped into my SUV.
I started it and blasted the heat.
Ben ran around the front and got into the passenger seat, still holding the note.
We looked at each other for a quick second.
There was nothing much to say.
This entire thing was starting to get way out of hand.
We arrived at Johnny’s place to find the charred frame that was once his SUV.
Every window was broken. The back looked bent.
The seats were destroyed.
Everything was destroyed.
“At least you have insurance,” Ben said.
Johnny shook his head as he stood on the sidewalk.
He was in slacks and a black t-shirt.
“It’s gone,” he said.
“Johnny, it was just a vehicle.”
Johnny shook his head harder. He looked at me. “My suit.”
“Your suit?” I asked.
“My lucky suit. It was in there. That was my lucky… suit…”
“Your lucky suit for the ladies?” Ben asked.
“That’s right,” Johnny said. “I can’t get that suit back.”
“I’m sorry about the suit,” I said. “At least you’re okay. At least nothing happened to you.”
Johnny looked at me. “It’s getting serious. He left you a note then set my SUV on fire. I’m starting to get irritated here.”
“The dead women don’t bother you though?” Ben asked.
I punched Ben’s arm.
He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.
“This guy is getting cocky,” Johnny said. “That’s what this is. A message. Him laughing at me.”
“Let’s think logically for a second,” I said. “See if anyone has cameras. Figure out if there’s any evidence left behind. Let’s follow protocol here and see what happens.”
“What else can I do?” Johnny asked.
“You can get a new set of wheels,” Ben said. “I don’t think you’re going to get this vehicle fixed.”
“You’re loving this, huh?” Johnny asked Ben.
“I mean, I’m just glad it wasn’t your place,” Ben said. “You know?”
“I don’t believe that at all. I’m also not in the mood to be messed with.”
“The two of you back off,” I said. “Go your separate ways. We do this the right way. We have to see if we can get lucky here.”
My phone rang again and I thought it was Muldavey calling.
I answered as I looked at the screen.
Mayor Jim.
I couldn’t stop myself from answering the call. I also couldn’t hang up on him because he would just call right back.
I groaned and took a few steps away from Ben.
I had no choice but to talk to Mayor Jim.
“This is not a good time,” I said to Mayor Jim.
“I think it has to be,” he said.
“What?”
“We need to meet up.”
“I can’t do the parade talk anymore. You have no idea what’s happening right now.”
“It’s not about the parade, Allie. We need to talk.”
“We need to talk about what?”
“There’s something I have to tell you… please meet me right now.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
I dropped Ben off at his house, then took off to meet Mayor Jim.
His tone cut through me over the phone.
There wasn’t much we could do for Johnny.
He was going to mourn the loss of his lucky suit as long as he felt warranted.
My bigger worry was obviously whoever left the note for me and set the SUV on fire.
Mayor Jim chose a coffee shop in town, right smack dab in the middle of town.
There were outdoor seats still available even though to me it was a little too cold out for that.
Of course that’s where Mayor Jim stood, waiting for me.
As I approached, two people came from the inside of the coffee shop.
I watched as he shook their hands.
The big smile on his face. The perfect hair and teeth.
When he shook their hands, he touched their hands and held the handshake long enough to get a few statements of praise in for himself.
His entire world revolved around being mayor and staying as mayor.
“In fact,” I heard his voice begin to rise. He looked back at me. “Look who I’m meeting with right now. As you both may know, Allie Down took over the department earlier in the year and has done a stellar job at correcting many wrongs.” Mayor Jim turned to face me. He put his hand to the man’s shoulder next to him. “Allie, this is Jacob and his wife, Diane. They have lived here in our fine town their entire lives. Can you believe they’re high school sweethearts? Now that’s a commitment, right?”
“Congrats,” I said.
“We were just talking about town safety,” Mayor Jim said. “They were worried about the rumors around town.”
I cringed on the inside.
“We just want to know the kids will be safe for Halloween,” Diane said.
“The kids, and the town,” Jacob said.
“All will be safe,” Mayor Jim said. “That’s why we’re meeting. We meet frequently. I am very hands on when it comes to the safety of our town. I just cough up orders and hope for the best. You can ask Allie yourself. Am I not always bothering you?”
The smile on Mayor Jim’s face was as big as ever.
“You drive me nuts,” I said. “With all due respect.”
“That’s the way I like to do it,” Mayor Jim said. He clapped his hands
together. “I don’t believe in sitting back. I believe in jumping right into it all. You know, Jacob, I’ll be honest…”
I couldn’t believe how smooth Mayor Jim was.
And it worked.
Jacob and Diane stared at him like they’d known each other for years.
“I could have had this meeting with Allie behind closed doors,” Mayor Jim said. “I know the appearance of us meeting might make some feel uneasy. That something bad is happening. You know what I think? I think this is transparency and honesty. I want you to see me meeting with your law enforcement. I want this to be a safe town. Sadly, things happen. We can’t control it. But we can control how we react. I feel the best line of communication is open communication. Right?”
“That’s right,” Jacob said.
“Don’t let us hold you up,” Diane said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mayor.”
“The pleasure is always mine,” Mayor Jim said.
The couple walked away and Mayor Jim went to a chair.
“That was good,” I said. “I can see why this job works for you.”
“I meant everything I said.”
“I’m sure you did.”
As we sat down, a waitress brought us each a coffee.
Mayor Jim thanked the young woman with a big smile.
Then the smile faded. “Let’s talk.”
“Yeah.”
“Bad morning?”
“The killer left me another note and set Johnny’s SUV on fire.”
Mayor Jim shut his eyes. He took a deep breath.
“My feelings exactly,” I said.
“Allie, I need to say something.”
“What?”
“I’m thinking for a second here. What if you just ignore it? All of it. No more investigation. Nothing. Just act like nothing happened.”
“What?”
“If this killer leaves a note, throw it out. If this killer makes a demand, listen to it. Then keep moving forward.”
“This is about the parade.”
“No, it’s not. I promise.”
“Jim, I get that you’re nervous. I am too. We can’t ignore this. What do you want me to do? Throw the note out? Tell Johnny to have the fire put out and get a new car?”
“Maybe.”
“I don’t know where this is coming from.”
“I’m thinking of a different angle here. Maybe this killer just wants attention. What happens when a bully wants attention? The bully attacks. You ignore the bully, he goes away.”