by Marja McGraw
I stopped beside the bushes. “The body’s in there.”
He studied the surrounding terrain with the use of his flashlight before looking behind the bush in question.
“How did your mother find the body?” he asked.
“Would you believe me if I told you she was
birdwatching?”
“Probably not.” He couldn’t see the humor in my comment.
“We were looking at maps, trying to figure out where Mateo might have been when he saw whatever it was he saw. Zasu found a general area where he might have been working. We really didn’t think it would come to anything, but the four of us drove out here and started driving up and down dirt roads.
“Stan, my friend back at the car, saw tracks where it looked like a truck had taken off in a hurry. So we stopped and explored. It didn’t take long for my mother and aunt to disappear and we had to start searching for them. My aunt came flying toward us and she wanted us to follow her.
“That’s when we found my mother hovering over the dead man’s body.”
He gave me a look that I couldn’t read, especially in the dark forest. “Why didn’t you pass the location on to me instead of coming out here?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t think we’d really find anything – or anyone. I guess you could say I was indulging my relatives.”
“What’s your true interest in this situation?”
“We found Zasu and her baby in an abandoned house, as you know, and she told us her story. We took her in. I’m sure she told you that Mateo was frightened and wanted her to hide out, right?”
He didn’t respond.
“Okay. She’d found Mateo after he’d been beaten and called for help. She hid nearby and left as soon as she knew someone was with her boyfriend. She didn’t realize he was still alive, and she figured you’d think she was the one who killed him.”
“Why didn’t you have her turn herself in?”
“That’s what we were working up to when we went to
see Joe.”
“Why are you and your family so involved in this?” he asked.
“My husband and I are private detectives. My mother blabbed about our line of work to Zasu and she asked us to help. Simple as that.”
He glanced at the body. “Not so simple.”
“No.”
He pointed his flashlight at the body again. “With the Delgado kid in a coma, we wouldn’t have had a clue about what was going on if it weren’t for Ms. Pitts and you.”
“I guess that counts for something, huh?”
“Something.” Apparently Redding was a man of few words.
I could live with that.
“Why don’t you head back to your car and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. And stay by the side of the trail. Don’t walk on any more evidence.”
I turned around and headed back to the Jeep. A forensics team showed up and I explained about the trail and directed them to the body.
My mother and aunt had the cop from the patrol car cornered and they were talking his ear off.
I tapped my mother’s shoulder. “I want you and Aunt Martha to wait in the car.”
“In a minute.”
“Now,” I said.
Boom!
I felt like the thunder was placing an exclamation point at the end of my order.
Two faces turned toward me reminding me of kids who’d just been told to go to bed, with no arguments.
I almost laughed because they were so transparent. They didn’t want to miss anything.
The cop looked at me and smiled when they walked
away. “Thanks.”
I smiled back.
“Stan, did you call Pete yet?” I asked.
“Of course. He’s not, as you call it, a happy camper.”
“I’m not surprised. I don’t think he thought we’d turn anything up. He figured I was keeping my relatives busy and out of his hair.”
“Does that apply to me, too?”
“No, Stan, and I’m glad you came with us.”
“Can we leave soon?”
“Not yet. The detective wants to talk to us. He’s got more questions.”
He turned and started to open the car door, but suddenly changed his mind and stood by me. I saw two frustrated faces staring out of the window.
Smart man.
After about fifteen minutes I saw Detective Redding heading our way.
My mother and Aunt Martha saw him, too, and quickly climbed out of the Jeep.
“Did he have any ID on him?” my aunt asked. She seemed to be focused on who the man was. Curiosity? I couldn’t think of any other reason.
“He was shot, wasn’t he?” my mother asked.
Aunt Martha practically shook with excitement. “We’ve talked about it, and we think…”
“…it was a mob hit,” my mother finished.
“Who are these women? Tell me again,” he said.
“My mother, Livvie Brewster, and my Aunt, Martha Workman. They want to be involved.”
“Uh huh. Well, why don’t you take them home now and I’ll talk to you later. I’ll need more information from all of you.”
“But – “ My mother was ready to argue with him.
“Go home,” he interrupted.
“But – “
He turned his back and walked away. He he had bigger fish to fry.
Obviously he’d never dealt with my mother or my aunt.
Chapter Twelve
I drove home listening to my mother and aunt chatter. They talked about the weather (it was now pouring), Gloria from the B&B (although they didn’t tell any ghost stories), Zasu and the baby and Felicity’s pregnancy, but they never mentioned the body.
This made me suspicious. They were avoiding the one subject that I knew they wanted to discuss. They were biding their time until I was out of earshot, and I knew it.
On the other hand, maybe they figured they’d crossed a line by leaving me and Stanley behind while they searched the area and found the body.
We pulled up to the house and stood on the porch talking for a few minutes.
“Why don’t you two stay to dinner?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” Mother said. “I think we’ll head back to the B&B and see what’s been going on there. I’m sure Gloria has more ghost stories. We like her cooking, too. I’m surprised she confided in us, but she’s a bit cranky because she says her husband doesn’t pay her as much attention as normal.” She nudged her sister.
“Uh, oh, yes. She’s quite the cook. I can’t wait to see
what she’s serving tonight. Besides, I love her stories. As far as her husband, he’s probably tired of hearing about ghosts.”
“You never told me the stories. Maybe you can stay for dinner tomorrow night,” I said. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re supposed to be here for Felicity’s sake.”
“We remember, and we’ll share the stories with you tomorrow.” She turned away from me and waved over her shoulder. “Bye now.”
They headed for Mother’s car.
Stanley and I stood outside the house and watched them drive away.
“They’re up to something,” he said. Observant man.
“Yes, they are. I can’t imagine what they could do, though. This is in the hands of the police now.”
“That’s never stopped them before,” Pete said, suddenly standing behind us. “I’ve been just inside the door, listening to all of you. Your mother’s tone of voice spoke volumes. I agree with Stan. They’re up to something.”
I glanced at the house. “Where are Felicity and Zasu?”
“They’re back at the guest house, talking about babies. I had to make a break for it when they started asking about you and me having kids.”
Stanley started to laugh and made his own break for it, heading around the house and back to the guest house. He must have decided Pete and I needed to talk.
“Pete, we’ve talked about having kids. All we can do is w
ait until it feels right. Let nature take its course.”
“You’re right. With the type of work we do, it wouldn’t be fair to bring a kid into our lives right now.”
A thought suddenly struck me. “Have you and Stan been talking about you and me having a family?”
I wasn’t sure if it was guilt or embarrassment on his face. “Well, yeah.” He changed the subject. “You might be interested to know that I already fixed dinner. Hungry?”
“Starving.”
He’d prepared wieners and beans – no big surprise there – and he’d picked up potato salad from a deli. Adding chips, he figured we were good for dinner.
Actually, it hit the spot.
While we ate, we discussed the little excursion I’d had with Stanley and my relatives.
“No wonder your mom and aunt are trying to get involved. There’s nothing they like better than to jump into the middle of things.”
“You know them well.”
After we ate, we sat on the front porch and listened to the rain. The thunder storm had passed so the sound of gentle rain was peaceful. Zasu and the baby joined us about half an hour later.
Bubba and Clem followed the pair and settled on the porch.
“I really like Felicity and Stan,” she said, bouncing the baby on her knee. “He’s a little bit eccentric, but it’s kind of endearing.”
“We feel the same way,” I said.
Sophie seemed to enjoy being bounced. She squealed with delight.
“My leg is getting tired,” Zasu said. “Why don’t you give it a go?”
She handed Sophie to me. I stood her on my legs and looked into her eyes while she pushed herself up and down with her tiny legs.
She smiled and cooed at me.
“You’re so precious! Yes, you are, you little sweetie. Where did you get so cute? Wanna bounce some more? Yes, you would, baby girl. I can tell. And you’ll be walking in no time, snookums.” Oh, good grief! I was talking baby talk to her.
I turned her around and set her on my knee, bouncing her up and down.
Zasu shifted in her chair and stared at her lap. “So, you and your mother found a body. I guess now we know what Mateo must have seen. Right?”
“Probably,” Pete replied. “Now that the police have some idea of what happened, at least that Mateo may have seen the murder, they’ll go from there.”
“Do you think Sophie and I are safe? Can we go home now or should we stay here?”
“I’d say stay here.” I’d already thought about this. “I mean, the cops found the body, but that’s all they know at the moment. A neighbor said a black SUV has been cruising by your house. Whoever it is probably knows Mateo is in a coma in the hospital, but they can’t be sure that he didn’t tell you what he saw before they beat him. And, frankly, I think they left him for dead. I don’t like bringing this up, but if you go home, you could be next.”
“She’s right,” Pete said. “Stay here until things change.”
She was quiet for a few minutes. “Is there any way you could sneak me into the hospital to see Mateo? Maybe if he knows I’m there he’ll wake up.”
“Let me talk to Detective Redding,” I said. “I’ll see if we can set something up. Obviously they want to talk to him, and I’m sure they’d do whatever it takes to pull him out of his coma.”
She looked relieved, but only for a moment. “I don’t know what Sophie and I will do if he doesn’t come out of it.”
I handed the baby back to her and Zasu hugged her, speaking to her in a soft voice. “We’ll go see Daddy, I promise. Even if we have to sneak in on our own.”
“I’ll talk to the detective.”
A plan began to form in my mind. If Zasu entered the hospital with my mother and aunt, no one would pay much attention to her. All of their attention would be on my flamboyant relatives.
If she walked in with a cop, it would be like putting up a neon sign. Her black hair wouldn’t help either. She could wear Mother’s birdwatching hat to cover that up.
I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling that Redding might go along with my plan. I’d speak to him before contacting my mother. I didn’t want to get her hopes up.
I stood and looked down on Zasu. “I have an idea and I’m going to call to see if the Detective is still in his office.”
“What’s your idea?” Pete asked.
“Come inside and you can listen while I present it to Redding. Zasu, you and the baby wait here.”
Thankfully, the detective was still on duty.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Goldberg? Or is it Webster-Goldberg?”
“Either name works, just not both of them. In fact, call me Sandi.”
I came right to the point.
“Zasu thinks if she visits Mateo he might come out of his coma.”
I paused.
“And?” he asked.
“And I think it’s possible.” I laid out my plan for him.
“As a detective, I need to think of her safety first. She shouldn’t go to the hospital.”
“But – “
“However, I can’t stop her from visiting him. I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a heads up, though, so I can make sure someone is there to watch out for her. Do you think your mother and aunt will go along with the idea? It could put their lives in danger, too.”
“I don’t even have to wait to tell you they’re in. I’d be willing to bet they’re holed up and planning something right now. They love the adventure.”
“Adventure?”
“Yeah. I can’t seem to convince them this isn’t an
adventure.”
“Are you going, too?” he asked.
“My husband and I will be there, but we’ll stay on the sidelines. No one knows who we are, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, my husband used to be a cop and he’ll know what to watch for.”
“I see. May I speak to your husband?”
“Sure. He’s right here.”
I handed the phone to Pete and walked back out to the porch where I sat next to Zasu.
“I think this may work,” I said. “I don’t know if Mateo will come out of his coma, but at least you’ll have a chance to see him. I’ve heard that even if someone is in a coma, they can hear what people say to them. Maybe you’ll be the catalyst that wakes him.”
I went on to explain our plan.
“When can we go?” she asked. “Tomorrow?”
“Let me call my mother to see what we can set up.”
“I get a kick out of your mother and aunt,” she said. “I like their spunk. My relatives would be cowering in a corner. Don’t get me wrong. I love my family, but they’re sure not like your family, or your friends. Felicity told me a few stories about some of the cases you’ve worked on.”
“We’ve never handled anything quite like this before,” I said, “but I think things will work out. I thought you only had one sister.”
“I have other relatives, but we don’t get along, and they live on the East coast.”
I had to go inside and call my mother, and I was positive she’d be bouncing off the ceiling after she heard what I wanted her and her sister to do.
Get a grip, Sandi, I thought to myself.
Chapter Thirteen
As I suspected, Mom and Aunt Martha were through the roof about becoming involved in sneaking Zasu into the hospital. If they’d had their way, the deed would have been done immediately.
Zasu put the baby down for the night and hurried back to the guest house to ask Felicity and Stanley to babysit while we went to the hospital. Of course, they were all in and wished they could be there.
Before going to bed, Pete and I sat out on the porch again. I could have sworn I saw a black SUV drive by, but I reminded myself that there are plenty of black SUVs around. Besides, how would the bad guys, if that’s who’d been driving by Zasu’s house, know she was staying with us?
The next day my relatives showed up at six o’clock in the morning, waking us up. Mom fix
ed breakfast for all of us while Aunt Martha took Sophie downstairs and fed her.
“Hurry up, everybody,” she called from the kitchen. “Let’s get moving. Move, move, move!”
Pete groaned. “What’s the matter with those women?”
I shrugged. What else could I do?
Mom and Aunt Martha had dressed like birdwatchers
again, apparently figuring they’d hit on a good theme. They both had binoculars hanging around their necks. Zasu wore neutral, earth tone colors and after we ate she put on my mother’s tan bucket hat. With the brim down, no one could see her jet black hair.
Pete and I wore jeans and neutral colored shirts, hoping to simply blend in with the other visitors at the hospital.
“Let’s go,” Aunt Martha said. “We need to – “
“We can’t leave yet,” I interrupted. “Detective Redding said to wait until he calls before we go to the hospital.”
“But – “
“We’ll do as he asked,” I said.
My mother nodded. “The copper knows best, Martha. We’ll wait.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said, “although it’s a rare occasion when you know best.” She shot my mother one of her tight-lipped, narrow-eyed looks.
Mother ignored her sister.
I ignored them both and walked back to the guest house to see how Felicity was doing.
She’s so tiny and her baby bump was so big that she looked miserable.
“Not much longer,” I said.
“A lot you know,” she snapped at me. “I feel like I have a watermelon tied to my waist.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m sorry, Sandi. The baby might not be quite ready, but I am. I just want to hold her – or him. I feel like it’s a them.” She held out her hand. “Help me up.”
I took her hand and pulled. Stanley approached, ready to help, but she gave him a stay-away-from-me-this-is-all-your-fault look.
He sat down and gazed out the window.
It was time to change the subject, away from pregnancy and babies.
“So! I wonder what the chances are that Mateo will come out of his coma with Zasu by his side.”
“Fifty-fifty, I would guess.” Poor Stanley. His voice sounded so forlorn.