by Marja McGraw
On the way home, Prudy and Dolly discussed Felicity.
“Isn’t she just about the cutest thing you ever saw?” Dolly asked. “I like her.”
Prudy nodded. “She and Stan are such a contrast to each other, and yet they look right together. What a pair.”
I joined the conversation. “You know, I’ve met a lot of beautiful women in my life, and some of them were pretty shallow, but definitely not all of them. My first big client was a gorgeous woman. I wasn’t impressed with her, partly because she was married to a bad guy with underworld connections. Turned out she was smart and nice. In fact, Pete’s friend, Rick, has been seeing her ever since her husband died.
“She had a good sense for business, too. She’s a wealthy woman. Beautiful, smart and rich. What a combination. And, although we haven’t become good friends, we have become friends. I respect her, which I hadn’t expected.
“Now there’s Felicity. Beautiful, smart and lovable. But we don’t really know her that well. I hope she’s all that she appears to be. She seems pretty forthright, don’t you think?”
No one answered me. I glanced at Pete and he was obviously trying to remain noncommittal. He was looking straight ahead and putting on his own poker face. He pulled onto the freeway and concentrated on the traffic.
Dolly yawned. “What a nice evening. Thank you so much for inviting Prudy and me along. Thank you for dinner, Pete.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Prudy said. “This was a real treat, not something I do often. Junior takes me out to dinner when I visit, but this was different. It was a special evening with friends. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, too, Prudy.” Pete glanced in the rearview mirror and quickly turned back to the road. After checking the side mirror, he pulled into the fast lane.
“So,” Prudy said, “that’s all we’re going to do tomorrow? Go over my Brian’s notes?”
I turned and looked at her. “That depends on if we find anything. I was going to just skim the notes, but now I think we’d better read them more closely.”
“Like I said, I’ll fix breakfast for everyone. Will Pete and Stan be coming too?” I could hear Dolly planning the meal in her question.
“No, it’ll just be us girls.” I didn’t want her to get too carried away, although waffles sounded pretty good, even with a full stomach.
“Are Brian’s notes in any kind of order, or will we have to sort them before reading them?” I wondered what we had to look forward to.
“About that,” Prudy said. “I forgot to tell you one little thing about Brian’s records. He had his own form of shorthand. He had a way of abbreviating words that I couldn’t quite figure out. That’s one of the reasons I never quite got it, but I know from remarks he made that there’s something important in his notes.”
“Hang on!” Pete yelled, swerving to the left.
Screeching brakes! Center divider closer than it should be! Car out of control! Rocking sensation! I felt myself swing to the side. The seatbelt held me in place. My heart was beating wildly.
I watched wordlessly while Pete fought to keep control of the car.
Thirty-two
Fortunately, we didn’t hit the center divider or any other cars. Pete slowed down and pulled across all the lanes to the shoulder where he stopped the car.
“Are you nuts? What happened?” I turned to the ladies in the backseat. “Are you two okay?”
“That was a brief, but wild ride,” Dolly said calmly.
“What happened, Pete?” Prudy appeared to be fine, too.
“Yeah, what happened?” I didn’t sound nearly as calm as the two octogenarians.
Pete sounded angry. “Someone tried to run us into the center divider. Give me a minute. I almost lost control.” He was breathing deeply. I knew it had been unexpected and fast but scary for him, too.
I waited for Pete to regain control. Prudy and Dolly leaned as far forward as their seatbelts would allow.
“I was checking the rearview mirror when I saw a car catching up. They started to pass us, I thought, but then they began swerving toward us.” Pete swallowed, hard. “I could see that it was intentional. Someone tried to run us into the center divider.”
“Probably some drunk,” Prudy said. “Lots of them on the roads.”
“Maybe,” Pete said. “But the driver didn’t drive like a drunk. This looked calculated.”
“But who – ” It didn’t make sense to me.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see the driver. I was too busy trying to keep the car on the road.” Pete was disgusted. I couldn’t tell if I was the object of his disgust or if it was the phantom vehicle. Maybe both.
“What kind of car was it?” I asked.
“A newer SUV. Black or dark blue. I couldn’t make the license number. It happened too fast.”
His hands were shaking. So were mine. I turned to Dolly and Prudy. Other than big eyes, they both looked okay. Not only were they calmer, but these two fearless old ladies were making me look bad.
“Do you think it could have been whoever’s been threatening us?” I asked.
“Probably,” Pete replied. “I don’t think it was your typical freeway mishap. It didn’t look like someone drifting into our lane. It appeared to be someone deliberately aiming for us.”
“This isn’t good.” That was the understatement of the year. I thought for a moment. “Prudy, you and Dolly had better think about getting out of town for a few days. At the very least, we could put you up in a motel somewhere. This is an easy town to get lost in. Pete and I have done it.”
Prudy looked me straight in the eyes. “Nuh uh. I’m the reason for the threats. I’m going to stay here and follow this through. I know I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I can do this. I need to do this. I – ”
“Prudy, you really don’t have to do this,” I interrupted.
Seeing a hurt look on her face, I closed my mouth. It suddenly struck me that Prudence Lewis had something to prove to herself. That she was still a valuable, vital woman and that she could still take care of business and herself. I didn’t like it, but I thought I understood it. Maybe I could sneak a call in to her son and see if he couldn’t talk some sense into her.
“Dolly – ” Pete began.
“I feel the same way,” she said. “Prudy needs to do this, and I’m backing her up, all the way. I’ll show her some more of my self-defense moves. That might help a little.”
“Mother,” I said softly.
“Huh?” Pete glanced at me. “What about your mother?”
“If Matthew’s killer doesn’t murder me, my mother will. Guess I’d better catch this guy. I’m more afraid of my mother.”
“Call your mom. Maybe she can talk some sense into Prudy.” Pete clenched his jaw and looked directly into my eyes.
Prudy was angry. “No way. Don’t you call your mother, and I mean it. I’m an adult and you’d better treat me as one.” If I were in her shoes, I’d probably be upset, too. No one likes to be treated like a child. I half expected her to grab her cane and start waving it in my face.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to call her. But we are going to take some precautions.” I tried to think fast.
Pete pulled back out into traffic, trying very hard to ignore us. He’d had enough. None of us were listening to him or his words of wisdom.
“First, Bubba will be staying at Dolly’s house, like I mentioned earlier. Secondly, you will open the door to no one but me or Pete. Period. No one else gets through your front door, Dolly, and you keep it locked. Thirdly, I’m going to ask the police for an extra patrol in our neighborhood.”
“I thought you already did that,” Dolly said.
“Oh yeah. I did, didn’t I?”
I turned to Pete. “You can talk Rick into making sure they take this seriously, right?”
“Sure. Anything you want.” I didn’t like his tone. He was frustrated and disgusted. There’s a right way to do things, and w
e weren’t listening to him tell us about it.
I glanced at Prudy and Dolly. So far I hadn’t said anything to get their dander up. “Dolly, I’m also going to ask a few of the neighbors to keep an eye on your house.”
“Hold on a sec,” she said. “I don’t want those nosey old biddies watching us, and furthermore – ”
“This isn’t up for discussion, ladies. Besides, I thought our neighbors were your friends.”
“Well, they are, but – ”
I didn’t allow Dolly to argue with me. “And lastly, you two will be spending more time with me. Maybe I can even talk Felicity into helping out. I don’t want you to be home alone any more than is absolutely necessary.”
There was no more discussion. They knew I meant business and apparently decided not to push their luck.
When we arrived home, Pete walked the two women to Dolly’s and checked the house for unwanted visitors before coming back to my place. I left him on the couch while I walked Bubba over to Dolly’s.
“Now, it’s your job to keep these women safe. They need our help, and they’re stubborn. It’s our job to take care of them.” I talked to Bubba while we strolled next door. He watched me, almost as though he knew what I was saying, but he had no clue. I knew he’d keep an eye on them though. He was loveable and friendly, but protective of those who cared for him. In other words, those who scratched his belly and fed him.
The night the rat had been left on my porch, Bubba had slept lightly. I heard him get up several times when he heard noises. I preferred to think it was my safety, and not the rat, that had kept him alert.
When I left Dolly’s house, Bubba’s tail was swinging wildly back and forth as the ladies made over him. He was in Doggie Heaven with those two. I was pretty sure Miss Kitty would have preferred he were in Doggie Heaven after seeing the way she glared at him. Actually, it was the glare and the fact that I had a brief glimpse of her claws as she slowly pulled them in.
Back at my own home I found Pete pacing back and forth across the living room.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m worried about the old women. What is it about females? Why won’t any of you listen to me? I really do know what’s best.”
“I know you do, but what if you weren’t here? We’d have to take care of ourselves, right?” I was chuckling inside. Pete wanted to protect us. He simply didn’t understand our independence. And I loved him for caring so much.
“You really make life difficult, Sandi. Sometimes I feel so useless.”
“You’re not useless. I wouldn’t know what to do without you. Honestly.”
“When have I ever come through for you? It seems like every time you’re in trouble, I’m not there. I’m off taking care of something else. I want to take care of you. I want to be there for you.”
“Well, you just made my point for me. You can’t always be there when I need help. I have to know how to take care of myself. And one of these days we’ll be in the same place at the same time when I need you. And you take care of me in other ways. Plus you’re always there when I want someone to talk to.”
“Big deal. Even Stan helped you out. I haven’t been there one time when I should have been.” He was the picture of frustration. I didn’t know how to make him feel better.
“You can’t help it if you’re working on other cases when I get myself into these fixes. It was just circumstances that brought Stan with me the last time I needed someone.”
“Yeah, well, I should have been there.” He jammed his hands into his pockets.
I ran my hands slowly up Pete’s chest and wove my arms around his neck. It was time for some affection. He needed it more than I did. I think.
I stood on tiptoe to reach his mouth and kissed him, long and hungrily.
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and was responding nicely when the stupid phone rang.
“I don’t believe this,” Pete said through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you just unplug that thing?”
“What?” I said, picking up the receiver, irritation dripping from that one word.
“Almost got you tonight,” the Ugly Voice said. “Next time I will.”
Click. End of conversation, if you can call it that.
“That’s it. I’m staying here tonight,” Pete said. “This time I’ll be here if you need me.”
I grinned at him. “Oh, I need you alright. I always need you.”
Pete grinned. “Too bad I’ll be downstairs watching for trouble.”
“Yeah. Want me to keep you company?”
Pete hung his head, shaking it. “No, you’ll just distract me. Think the ladies will notice if my car is outside all night?” Pete asked.
“Most definitely.”
Thirty-three
The next morning my phone rang at seven o’clock on the dot.
“Oh, Sandi, will Pete be staying for breakfast?” Dolly asked, not so innocently.
I grinned. “I’ll ask him. He’s in the shower, so I’ll call you back.”
I heard Dolly titter before she hung up.
I’d already taken my shower and fashioned my hair into a French braid. Casual, but at least my hair wouldn’t be falling in my face all day. I’d learned that when I spend a lot of time bent over papers, my hair gets in my eyes.
Hurrying downstairs, I started the coffee brewing. Pete was one of those people who couldn’t get going without his morning caffeine fix. I heard him on the stairs and poured him a cup.
“Dolly wants to know if you’re going to join us for breakfast,” I said.
“Me and all you women? No way. I’m going home to change clothes. I’ll eat something there and then head for the office. Lots to do today.”
He finished his coffee, gave me a kiss and headed out. Felicity had just driven up and she waved at him as he pulled away from the curb.
“Good morning,” she said, walking up to meet me. “Am I too early?” She was watching Pete’s car disappear around the corner.
“Not at all. Dolly is fixing breakfast right now. They’re probably waiting for us.”
“I like your hair like that,” Felicity said, pointing. “I never could get the hang of the French braid. I always have my beautician do mine.”
“I’ll show you how to do it.” I felt like I was talking with an old friend. This teeny tiny woman was as unassuming as anyone I’d ever met. I liked her, and I hoped she wouldn’t disappoint me. Quit being a pessimist, I thought to myself. She seems like a good woman. Honest. Down to earth, even though she is a model. So what did being a model have to do with it?
“Uh oh,” I said, climbing Dolly’s front steps. “Looks like someone’s been here already.”
There was an envelope sitting on Dolly’s welcome mat. I picked it up, noting that Prudy’s name was printed on the front.
“What is it?” Felicity asked.
“Probably another threatening note. No one else would be leaving something for Prudy on the porch. No one else around here knows her, except us.”
“She was threatened? I don’t like the sound of that. What kind of threat?”
“Someone has been trying to warn us away from this case. They even tried to run us off the road last night.”
“Oh.” Felicity appeared thoughtful. She was putting everything we’d talked about at dinner together with what I’d just told her. I could see the wheels spinning.
“Yeah. Are you still sure you want to get involved in this?”
She stopped walking. “Now more than ever. I like Dolly and Prudy. I don’t want to see them hurt. Someone needs to watch out for our seniors, and just maybe it’s you and me.”
“You surprise me,” I said. “I could be listening to a recording of myself talking.”
I knocked on Dolly’s door, which she opened immediately. She’d been waiting for us.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the envelope in my hand.
“I don’t know. It’s got Prudy’s name on it,” I said.
Doll
y lowered her voice. “Don’t tell her about it until after we eat. She’s a lot more worried than she’s letting on. Do you have to tell her about it at all?”
“Maybe not. Let me see what it is and then I’ll decide.” I folded the envelope and shoved it in my pocket. If I could save Prudy from more worry, I would.
Felicity nodded her agreement.
Dolly shook her head. “I should have been paying attention to Bubba. He was waltzing around at the front door late last night. I looked out the peephole, but since I didn’t see anyone I told him to go lie down. I never thought to open the door and look out. Oh, just as well. Prudy would have known about the note or whatever it is already if I’d found it last night.”
Dolly had prepared waffles and bacon, and she’d filled a bowl with fresh fruit. Prudy appeared to be subdued, which broke my heart. Where was that feisty woman I’d become used to? Maybe if I could keep her away from everything but the paperwork she’d still feel involved, but not threatened.
Bubba sat next to her and quietly gazed at her plate. I saw Prudy sneak him a few pieces of bacon, but didn’t comment on it. She smiled every time she looked at him. Ol’ Bubba was worth his weight in gold. Prudy began to perk up.
Miss Kitty, not wanting to be left out, jumped up and landed on Prudy’s lap. Even though Bubba didn’t seem to understand it, there was a competition between him and the cat. When Prudy would have tossed Bubba another piece of bacon, the cat meowed and rubbed against Prudy’s arm. She set the bacon down and ran her hand down the cat’s back. Miss Kitty purred loudly and looked over her shoulder at the dog.
After we finished eating I stood and turned to Prudy. “Let’s get busy. I’ll help Dolly clean up the dishes while you and Felicity bring out Brian’s notes. We’ll take the box over to my house and get started.”
“You don’t need to help me,” Dolly said.