by Marja McGraw
Pete and Stanley waited while I changed clothes. They refused to leave until I did. Pete didn’t want me to stay alone in the house. I was beginning to feel smothered.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I said. “You two are making me feel like I’ve been backed into a corner. I don’t like it. Leave me alone. I’m not some little munchkin that has to be coddled.”
“Why, that’s almost exactly what Felicity said to me when I told her I thought she should stay away from us until this is settled,” Stanley said in awe.
I liked Felicity more and more all the time.
“She’s worried about Prudy and she’s decided to take care of her.” Stanley didn’t understand. “Women really watch out for each other, don’t they?”
“You betcha. We take care of our own.” I stared at Pete, daring him to contradict me.
He made a point of clamping his lips together, his way of telling me he had a lot to say, but he wasn’t going to give me the pleasure of yelling at him after he said it.
“Now leave,” I said. “Go find Bubba and go to the office.” A thought struck me and I smiled. “Besides, I’m sure Sharon Stone will be following me all day. I won’t be alone.”
The men didn’t return the smile.
I spent the morning at the mall and bought myself a new backpack, new shoes, and a pound of See’s candy. I was due for a chocolate fix. I bought a second pound to leave at Dolly’s house. They probably needed a fix, too.
I stopped for lunch at Dolly’s favorite diner.
Pamela set me up with iced tea and my favorite sandwich. “Where are Dolly and her friend today?”
“They’re out with my friend, Felicity. They’re going to meet Traci Marks.”
Pamela’s face lit up. “Oh, I just love that What’s in a Name show. I watch it every night. Lucky Dolly.”
Pamela went back to work and left me alone. I kept a watch out for Sharon, but she didn’t show up. I couldn’t believe it, but I almost hoped she would. Of course, Sharon showing up wouldn’t mean my back was covered.
Maybe I should have listened to Pete. No, he was being overly protective.
Forty-three
I drove home after lunch and turned on the television, hoping to catch a good movie. I love old movies, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was on. I couldn’t concentrate on it, hard as I tried.
I opened the box of candy and scarfed down several pieces. Good thing Bubba isn’t here, I thought to myself. No, I’d probably feel more relaxed if my canine cutie was keeping me company.
I tried reading, but I couldn’t concentrate on that either. I ate more candy. I’m gonna have a great big pimple in the morning, I thought. Well, that’s better than the alternative, which would be dead with no pimple.
I was driving myself nuts. Short trip.
I took the box out to the kitchen and put it in the cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind. Right? Didn’t work. I lifted it out of the cupboard and ate more chocolate.
It’ll just make me fat. So what? Pimply and fat. Who cares? I’m not ready to die. Where had that last thought come from? I’d been in trouble before. Why did this time seem worse?
I turned the television back on. The movie was over and there was nothing else worth watching. Wandering aimlessly around the house, I stopped and checked the windows. They were all locked.
Finally, I heard a car pull up next door. The girls were back. About time.
I peeked out the window before running outside, wanting to be sure it was really my neighbor. It was.
Who did you think it would be? The killer? I shook the thought off.
“Well? Did you have a good time?” I asked, walking over to Dolly’s place.
“Oh, it was wonderful,” Dolly said.
I spent the next hour listening to stories about Traci Marks and how sweet she was. “And she’s just as beautiful in person, although she’s skinnier than she looks on TV.” Dolly was all smiles.
Changing the subject, I turned to Prudy. “You know, I’m supposed to meet with Opal at nine tonight. I know that’s kind of late for you, but – ”
“I’m going with you. I’ll take a short nap and I’ll be fine. I can feel it in my belly, you know. We’re close on this one. I want to hear, firsthand, what Opal has to say. We’ll confront her about that night and her father’s gloves.”
“This isn’t going to be a confrontation. We’re just going to talk to her, not grill her.”
“Yeah, yeah. But we’re going to come away with information. She knows about her father. I’m sure of it. She knows that her father killed Matthew.” Prudy was excited. And after all these years, she didn’t want to be sitting at home while I came up with the answers. She was somehow making me feel better.
“I think you’re right. I believe Opal knows what happened that night, in 1943. So you take your nap and have something to eat, and we’ll leave around eight-fifteen.”
Assuming we’re both still alive. I was ready to slap myself silly. Nothing had ever unnerved me the way Ugly Voice had. I didn’t like the feeling, but I couldn’t seem to get past it.
Felicity walked out with me when I left the house. Her purse was hanging from her shoulder. “Sandi, I’ll stay with Dolly while you’re gone.” She patted her purse. “We’ll be fine.”
I looked at her suspiciously. “What do you have in that purse?”
A knife to kill me with? Hmmm?
She returned my look, but hers was one of confidence. She opened her purse and held it out for me to take a look. She had a gun.
“Felicity, you can’t – ”
“Don’t worry. I know how to use it. And I’m not a nutcase. I’ve had extensive training.”
“I’d be happier if you had something like pepper spray.” Wishful thinking. No one I knew ever made things easy.
“I’m single and I live alone. I’m a small woman. I decided that no one would ever get the best of me. I bought a gun.”
I’m single, and I live alone too. That’s why I may die tonight. STOP IT!
I sighed and shook my head. There was nothing I could do but pray for a peaceful evening, but somehow I knew that wasn’t in the cards for this fateful Thursday night.
I walked home, shoulders slumped, and called Pete to ask when he was bringing Bubba home. There was no answer at the office. I punched in his cell phone number. He answered on the first ring.
“Where are you?” I asked. “And a better question is, where’s Bubba?”
You’re going to tell me that the poisoner finally got to him, aren’t you? That’s why you’re not here yet.
“Stan and I are following up on a case. The insurance company called with new information, so we’re checking it out. Bubba is right here. Where are you?”
“I’m at home. Waiting for you. When are you bringing Bubba back?” I wanted the dog stationed at Dolly’s house before Prudy and I left for Opal’s. I wanted everyone to be safe, each in their respective places.
“It looks like this may take awhile. What time are you leaving for Opal’s?” Mr. Let Me Take Care of You was not doing his job. He wasn’t at my house, taking care of me. But I didn’t really want that anyway. Did I?
“We’re leaving for Opal’s at a little after eight. Will you be back by then?”
“I hope so. This dog seems to have a gastrointestinal problem. We need to get him out of the car.”
I heard Stanley groan in the background, and I grinned an evil grin. “Take him for a walk. He probably needs to take care of his doggie business. What time will you be here?” Something as simple as a dog with gas was making me feel almost normal again.
“As soon as possible.” He stopped talking. “Oh, Bubba. Give it a rest! Stanley, take that dog for a walk. But leave the door open so the car can air out.”
I laughed – couldn’t help myself. They deserved every whiff of doggie stink they got.
“Okay, if I’m already gone, take Bubba to Dolly’s when you come back to my house. Felicity is going to stay with Dolly while Prudy and I go out to Opa
l’s place. By the way, Felicity has a gun with her. Make lots of noise when you approach the house. This wouldn’t be a good time to scare her.”
“Okay.” Pete sounded like he was about to gag. “Drive carefully, and watch out for dark colored SUV’s.” He paused. “What did you say? Felicity has a gun?”
“That’s what I said, and you don’t even have to ask if we’ve all lost our minds. We have. Obviously.”
“Wait until I tell Stan about the gun,” Pete said. “At least I won’t be the only one around here with a crazy girlfriend.”
“You have a girlfriend?” I laughed and hung up.
After having something to eat, I paced around the house. I had nervous energy that needed to be worked off.
I looked out the window, not knowing what I was looking for. It was becoming dark quickly. I noticed that rain clouds were gathering, and the sliver of moon we had that night was hidden. The wind was coming up. A storm wasn’t far off.
Perfect night for a murder. What was the matter with me? Why did I keep having thoughts like that?
I glanced at my watch every few minutes. It was finally time to leave.
I walked next door to Dolly’s house to see if Prudy was ready. She was.
We were walking out to my car when I glanced down the street and saw, of course, Sharon’s car. At least she’d had the decency to try to hide. She’d parked quite a ways away. Maybe it wasn’t really her. Maybe it was a car that just looked like hers. I unlocked the car doors.
Dolly stepped out on the front porch. “Sandi,” she called, “Pete’s on the phone. He wants to talk to you.”
Prudy and I headed back to Dolly’s. I couldn’t imagine what he wanted.
“Why didn’t you just call me on the cell phone?” I asked.
“I thought you were at Dolly’s, and before I could tell her not to go get you, she’d already laid down the receiver.”
“Okay, what do you want?”
“I wanted to tell you that after I drop Bubba off at Dolly’s, I’ll meet you up at Opal’s house. I’ll feel better about things if I’m around.”
“Okay, you do that. I’ll see you there at around nine.” I hated to admit it to myself, but with all the thoughts I’d been having, I’d feel better, too.
Prudy and I once again headed for the car.
“I see Sharon parked down the street. She’s going to follow us again,” I said disgustedly.
“So what d’ya think she’s gonna do? Run us off the road?” Prudy’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. I had a feeling she liked Sharon.
Uh oh. What if Prudy was right? What if Sharon was the one who’d been making the threats to liven things up? No, that was too far-fetched.
“Maybe she’ll get bored and go home,” I said. “We’re not going to be doing anything exciting.”
Forty-four
Prudy glanced up toward the sky. “It’s so dark out tonight. And windy.” She pulled her fur coat a little tighter. “It’s a cold wind.”
“Yeah. Perfect night for a murder, huh?” I voiced my earlier unwelcome thought.
Prudy chuckled nervously. “Yeah. Wouldn’t that be something?”
“Look,” I said, pointing down the street. “Sharon seems to be climbing out of her car. I wonder what she’s up to.”
Prudy turned in the direction I was pointing. “She’s waving at us.”
“Ignore her and maybe she’ll go away. Let’s hurry up and maybe we can lose her.”
“Wow,” Prudy said. “Listen to that wind. You’d think I’d be used to it with living in the desert and all.”
“You have a lot of wind?”
“It comes with the territory. There’s something about the desert…”
I tried to unlock the car and realized that I’d already done that. Opening the door, I noticed that the inside light had burned out. “There could be a short. I hope the car starts.”
I turned the key and the engine started right up. “Doesn’t appear to be anything wrong. Let’s get out of here and see if we can… Uh oh, here comes Sharon.”
“What’s the matter with her?” Prudy asked. “Why is she waving her hand out the window like that? Is she having some kind of a fit?”
“Who knows, and who cares?”
We headed out to our destination, Sierra Madre, where Opal lived. I pulled onto the freeway.
“Prudy, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Opal has the most to lose if we prove her father murdered Matthew. I can’t quite figure it out, but my suspicion is that it goes beyond hurting the company’s reputation. I have a few questions for her tonight that might put me on the right track.”
“I’ve been thinking about it, too,” Prudy said. “After the stories we’ve been hearing about how her father treated her, I believe you’re right. It’s not the company, but there is something else going on.”
“You’re right about that,” said a voice from the backseat.
“What the…?” Prudy jumped before turning to look over her shoulder. “Opal? What are you doing?”
I snapped my head around and found the muzzle of a gun pointed at my face. I quickly turned my eyes back to the freeway.
Opal, I thought. I was right? I’d just been throwing ideas around. But something had been working in the back of my mind that hadn’t had time to gel yet or I wouldn’t have even mentioned Opal.
I remembered something. “But a man bought the hamburger,” I said feeling helplessly and hopelessly stupid.
“That was Arthur. I told him to pick up a pound of burger on the way to my office. I told him I needed it for dinner. He’s such a sap.” Opal didn’t sound too happy. “I was hoping to get rid of that dog of yours.”
“What are you doing?” Prudy asked. “What’s going on?”
“Shut up! Don’t talk. And you, Sandi, I want you to take us on a little trip.”
Sometimes I could be a little slow, but it was all sinking in.
“Where do you want me to go, Opal?”
“Sandi,” Prudy said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I reached over and patted her knee. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Keep your hands to yourself,” Opal said. “And drive. And when are you going to get rid of that ratty coat, Prudy?” Opal inhaled loudly and let her breath out slowly. “Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I saw Prudy stiffen, rubbing her coat sleeve.
“Shut up, Opal.” I wasn’t going to let her pick on my friend.
“Hey! Who’s holding the gun here?”
“Where do you want me to go?” I asked again, deciding I’d better not push the issue. Pressing on the gas pedal, I moved out of the slow lane and joined the racing traffic on the freeway.
“Keep heading west. We’re going to pay a little visit to one of my construction sites. They’ll be pouring cement there tomorrow morning.”
I heard Prudy suck in her breath, but she didn’t say anything.
After a few minutes I glanced in the rearview mirror. Opal appeared to be deep in thought. She’d lowered the gun a notch, but not much. The car lights coming up behind us helped me see what was going on in the back.
“Opal,” I said softly, “your father killed Matthew, didn’t he?”
“You know he did. All of your snooping has caused me too many problems.” She frowned at the back of my head. “I still have the workout gloves he used. That’s how I kept him in line for so long before he died. He’d actually kept the gloves. Had them in his safe, where I found them. Can you imagine that? I can’t figure out if he was arrogant or ignorant. Maybe both.”
“You know I have to ask this,” I said. “If your father killed Matthew, and he’s dead now, why have you been threatening us? That was you on the freeway the other night, right?”
“Sure. I borrowed Arthur’s car so you wouldn’t recognize mine. That silly old man would do anything I asked him to do.”
“Okay, but why have you been threatening us? If you have the gloves, w
e couldn’t have proved anything.”
“But you could have made the police start asking questions again. Didn’t you hear any of the scuttlebutt about Nick’s death? It was, shall we say, suspect, but no one could quite figure it out. Nothing could be proved.”
“Are you going to explain? It sounds like you have the answers, little girl.” Prudy was taking on her no nonsense persona. Her voice was loud and strong.
“Sure. I’ll tell you, because you’ll never be able to repeat it anyway. Nick didn’t fall off that building. I pushed him.” She stopped talking and leaned back, a satisfied smile on her face. Having second thoughts, she sat up again and turned the gun on Prudy.
“That’s it?” Prudy seemed to think this reply should have included more details.
“You need to know more? You knew my father. You know what a bastard he was. With all the questions you’ve asked around town, was there anything said that would make you think he’d changed?”
“Well, no, but – ”
“He made my life miserable. I had a dreadful childhood. And when I finally got out from under his thumb, when I got married, he screwed that up for me too. He made my husband’s life a living hell. So we were divorced. And I moved back in with Nick, who continued to make my life miserable.”
I know that many women move back with husbands, even after being abused. I’ve never thought about it in relation to a child and parent.
“Opal, I know Nick hit you on the night Matthew was murdered. Did he do that often?” I asked.
“No, just that one time, but he wouldn’t let me play and be a kid. And he was always telling me I’d end up just like my mother.”
Opal was wound up and ready to share her story, all of it. “When I found the gloves, life became easier. Nick didn’t want to end up in prison at his age. I reminded him about those gloves at every opportunity. Whenever he tried to do something to make my life hard, I just reminded him that I had the gloves hidden away where he couldn’t find them.
“One night he asked me to meet him at a construction site. He said there were problems, and he wanted my input. I thought it was strange, but I hoped it meant he was finally accepting me. To make a long story short, he was going to try to force me into telling him where the gloves were hidden, and then…” She stopped, sounding choked up. “And then I think he was going to kill me. I beat him to it. He didn’t expect meek little me to shove him. When I pushed that man off the building, my heart began beating for the first time in my life. It felt good.”