Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series Box Set

by Tanya R. Taylor

  That night, and even leading up to it, I literally felt like I had children and it was a good feeling. I never felt my life had been incomplete without having any of my own because I always had my Donnie. And in a way, I didn’t think I could be a fit mother anyway since Jennifer Meadows was not a really good mom to me. But it felt great being looked after like that and catered to by these fine young men who were spending a little part of their life with me—for however long that was.

  “Oh! How lovely!” Debbie Anderson remarked as she walked in. Her daughter, Judy, and largely absent husband, Gary, were with her. Judy immediately went to Nilla and started to play with her. The two wandered off somewhere while Debbie and Gary chatted with me.

  “Thanks, my dear.” I smiled. “I can imagine how lovely it really is.” I hated when people stared at me, thinking I couldn’t see, when in fact, sometimes I could. Although I knew they weren’t aware that I could see them, I felt guilty nonetheless. But I was ready for the government. If they suspected I’d been lying about my blindness, all they had to do was send me to a specialist who would confirm, in no uncertain terms, just as Dr. Junca did that for me to see, it would be a miracle. At my age, I was no longer willing to fight battles that weren’t worth fighting, but this one surely would be.

  “Happy Anniversary, Lucille,” Gary Anderson said.

  “Gary, is that you?” I reached out for his hand and he took mine.

  “Yep. It’s me.”

  He was such a handsome guy when he smiled. Other than that, he wasn’t much of a looker and quite frankly, I was never too sure of what Debbie saw in him. He was a fabulous provider though; most men in our neighborhood were, except for Big Nose Frankie who had his common-law wife Drita for his sugar momma. Nobody liked Frankie and he didn’t like any of us just the same. Minded his own business, for the most part, which suited everyone just fine. I remember Donnie having a run-in with him once when he was driving by and caught the big brute kicking their German Shepherd. What the hell did that sweet dog ever do to him? Donnie stopped the car and hollered at him and all Frankie did was give him the middle finger. Donnie had told me all about it after he got home from the store. He said he threatened to call Animal Welfare to take the dog from Frankie, but felt more like getting out of that car and confronting the middle-aged giant man to man. I was glad when Donnie did call Animal Welfare and they went in a couple of hours later and collected the dog. By all accounts, the animal was on the verge of starvation anyway, so the timing was almost perfect for getting it out of there and to the shelter where the treatment would’ve been far better.

  That was my Donnie. He cared about everything and everyone; that’s why I had to make this day extra special for him.

  “Well, it’s good you came up for fresh air,” I told Gary, who seemed puzzled by the remark. I did notice the smirk on Debbie’s face as she tried to conceal it.

  “You’re still dieting?” I asked him.

  “Actually, I am. Going on two weeks now. I’ve lost a few pounds,” he proudly informed me.

  “That’s marvelous! I’ve got the perfect selection of food for you here. I didn’t want to ruin your diet.”

  “That’s really nice of you, Lucille.”

  “It’s nothing. Least I can do for a neighbor.”

  Debbie was checking her watch.

  “What is it, honey?” Gary appeared concerned, probably because Debbie, at that moment, did.

  “I hope Angela remembers to lock the top latch when she leaves,” she said. “No neighborhood is completely safe, you know.”

  “That’s why you should’ve left the key somewhere for her like I suggested. We could’ve always gotten it back in the morning. We have a set. And besides, we’re gonna eventually have to get her a key of her own anyway. ”

  “Who’s Angela?” I asked.

  “She’s our new housekeeper,” Gary said. “She called before we came here to say she’d left her purse in the laundry room. So, she’s on her way back to get it. We left the front door unlocked, but I think it would’ve made more sense to hide the key under the doormat for her.”

  “I see,” I replied.

  “Lucille, Gary can’t seem to understand that I’m not leaving our house keys to a total stranger!” Debbie said. “We don’t even know if she’s going to work out as the new housekeeper. It’s best, in my opinion, to give it a few weeks before we turn over our keys to any new help. Besides, I’m there all the time anyway. What does she need the house key for?”

  “So, I guess you won’t be leaving the house for even a minute, Deb,” I said. “You won’t be running any errands, taking Judy to school, etc. as long as your new housekeeper is in your house?”

  “’Course I will!” She frowned.

  “Well, you’ll just go out and leave her without the keys? What if she goes out to dump the trash and mistakenly locks herself out of the house? I remember one time this lady left a housekeeper home alone with her infant son and the housekeeper went outside to do something or the other and found she couldn’t get back into the house. If she had the keys in her apron, she could’ve let herself back in. But instead, in a panic, she had to go to a neighbor, who thankfully, was at home at the time, use their phone and call her boss at work. Look, my point is…if you trusted the woman enough to hire her to be in your home for whatever number of hours a day, I’d think you can trust her enough to not take off with all your material possessions when you’re not there to watch her.”

  “Well put!” Gary agreed.

  Debbie seemed to have come to her senses, though I could completely understand her reluctance to trust a stranger with her keys. However, I know from having renters in my own house that trust has to start somewhere.

  Finally, they were off with David as he led them to the living room. Honestly, that family had taken up enough of my time at the door. I certainly wasn’t there as a domestic counselor.

  Nilla strolled back over and took her seat again next to me. She was better behaved that night than usual. Perhaps it was because she recalled the last time we had any type of gathering, was right after Donnie’s funeral for the repast.

  I guess the crew from the Pichton Pet Society had arranged to meet at my house at a certain time, since they arrived one after the other. Claire Fairweather entered first with a rather handsome older man on her arm.

  “Lucille! Happy Anniversary to you and your dear husband!” She leaned in and lightly pressed her cheek against mine.

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  “This is my wonderful husband, Frederick.”

  “Freddie, for short,” he indicated.

  Anthony, dressed in a long sleeved, black dress shirt and black trousers, led all the guests to the main sitting area where they were free to pour their preferred drinks. Theodore had stocked up nicely, being a man who knew his wines and spirits quite well. There was no heavy alcohol; I only allowed milder beverages due to the occasion.

  Montey Williams showed up next with a stunning, young African-American woman on his arm. He introduced her as his fiancé. Montey was in his thirties and she looked to be in her mid to late twenties. Seemed like a lovely couple.

  Jim Haygood, director of the Pichton Pet Society walked in a few minutes later with his wife, Edna. She looked like the epitome of class and literally turned heads when she entered the house. It could be because she might’ve gone overboard with that long, sparkling ball gown she had on. I waited with Merlene until Edna had disappeared into the living room before laughing myself to tears.

  “She thinks she’s something, isn’t she?” Merlene remarked.

  I tried to catch my breath before chiming in. “That nose of hers couldn’t get any higher up in the air. She looks like a damn peacock!”

  We were both in tears by then. I knew it was wrong to laugh at a guest, especially one who’d gone through all the trouble of trying to steal the show, which I might add, she’d done rather successfully, but I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sure if Jim Haygood imagined fo
r a second I was having such a time at his wife’s expense, he would’ve kicked me out of that high society club for sure.

  David stood nearby to assist Anthony with seating and anything else he needed, while Theodore was outside ensuring that people were able to park in a good spot. I didn’t let on, but David looked bothered by something. I could tell he was trying not to make it obvious. I also noticed him on that cell phone every so often, but what young person isn’t? But in this case, he seemed a little more obsessive with it, considering we were having a party that night. I figured it had something to do with Juliet, but I couldn’t be sure.

  Four other members of the Pichton Pet Society soon arrived: Marsha Simms, secretary; John Ashwood, a local veterinarian; Sammy Furrow, Assistant Chairperson to Claire Fairweather and Ronald Lancaster, regular member like me. I humbly received their warm anniversary greetings.

  Carla and Brittany Walkes, and Robert and Diane Clover—my good neighbors, showed up next. The Clovers had brought along their two sons, Brady and Drake, both home from college for the summer. They’d grown up like twins, though they were a mere eighteen months apart. The younger one, Brady—a mere genius, had skipped a grade in high school and ended up in the same stream as his older brother. Luckily for Diane and Rob, they’d both graduated together and got shipped off to college at the same time. Diane loved her boys, but she looked so relieved to get rid of the rascals for several months at a time.

  By a quarter to nine, at least fifty people were in my house, and there was plenty of room for more. At first, when Donnie had our house constructed, I had no idea what just the two of us would do with all that living space, but Donnie insisted it would come in handy for parties and the like, and he was right. We had so many of them over the years. They all stopped when I’d lost my eyesight.

  “Are you ready, Mrs. Pfiffer?” Anthony asked.

  A little overwhelmed, I nodded, slid my arm under his and we walked into the living room. Everyone was standing when we entered; Theodore had obviously made sure of that, since David looked more and more like his nerves were on him. There was another portrait of my beloved on the wall at the back of the room. That one was my favorite. He was posing with a hand under his chin. That Asian artist was famous for her realistic paintings and she’d done a fine job of rendering Donnie’s likeness.

  Applause erupted and they all sang the happy anniversary song—mainly a chorus, similar to the happy birthday song. I felt like a queen as I sat in my favorite chair that Anthony had draped over with my expensive dark-brown marble fabric. All I needed now was a crown —just kidding! — and everything would be perfect.

  Merlene took center stage when she gave a speech about meeting Donnie and me for the first time, and she got a lot of jokes in there as well.

  It was when I was almost done telling everyone how Donnie and I had met and how that smile of his had captivated my heart that Juliet quietly walked into the room. I thought David’s nerves were on him, but it was obvious this girl had some intense stuff on her mind as well. The excessive make-up on her face couldn’t conceal it.

  Who shows up at a party looking aggravated? I mean, really. Was she serious? Was she trying to get all of us in a bad mood?

  8

  _________________

  She stood near the archway, and David was at the back of the room. They made eye contact. Most heads had turned her way when she walked in, but I snagged the guests’ attention with the continuation of the Donnie and Lucille love story.

  “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for coming here tonight and for choosing to celebrate this wonderful occasion with Donnie and me. My house is yours—feel free to stroll wherever you please, apart from our bedrooms, of course. A tent, I’m told has been erected in the front yard, and seating is in place, if you prefer the cool night’s breeze. Our lovely caterers will take care of those growling stomachs I’ve been hearing all night.”

  Laughter erupted and moments later, soft music oozed from the ceiling speakers. Theodore had gone above and beyond to set that up nicely in spite of the short time-frame we all had to work with.

  David finally made his way over to his girlfriend and they spoke softly. As I sat there enjoying the music, I saw Theodore walk up to David.

  “The tent’s fallen,” he said. “Give me a hand, will ya?”

  David excused himself and went with Theodore, leaving Juliet to mingle—something I could tell she had no interest in doing. She stood with arms folded next to the miniature waterfall situated a few feet away from where the long table of hors d’oeuvres and other goodies sat. It must’ve been a minute or two after David had left that Brady Clover, approached her and said something she obviously didn’t appreciate. I figured he must’ve made a pass or something. Moments later, he yelled out loud: “Stuck up, bi*&%#!”

  Juliet swiftly raised her right hand and slapped him in the face. She even made mister arrogant stagger a bit, and I could tell he was startled, but more than anything, embarrassed.

  All eyes were now on them.

  He was about to retaliate when his brother, Drake, caught his hand in mid-air. “She’s not worth it, li’l bro,” he said. “Let’s just go outside.”

  “She slapped me though!” Brady replied with every bit of virulence he had inside.

  “She’s a dumb broad. Just leave it alone.”

  “Dumb broad, huh?” Juliet fired back. “I’ll show you who’s a dumb broad!” She was ready to give the other brother a taste of what Brady got.

  Claire Fairweather and her husband advanced from near the piano. I could’ve sworn the woman had an actual smirk on her face as the action unfolded. Her husband, stood a few feet behind; he didn’t seem to want any part of it.

  Diane and Robert Clover, the boys’ parents, were nowhere in sight, but Drake, managed to subdue the situation. He placed his arm around Brady’s shoulders. “Let’s go before she starts growing horns.”

  They laughed as they headed into the hallway.

  Anthony hurried in just as the boys were leaving. “Is everything all right?” he asked Juliet, who appeared justified by her actions.

  “I’m super,” she replied, then went to pour herself a drink.

  The crowd went on about their business and Merlene, who’d been in the kitchen with the caterers for a few minutes came and walked with me over to the dining room table where several guests were already seated. Claire and Frederick Fairweather and Pichton’s director, Jim Haygood and his wife, Edna, joined us.

  “It’s a good thing you couldn’t see that woman making a spectacle of herself a short time ago, Lucille!” Claire grinned, much to Merlene’s dismay.

  I could tell my friend couldn’t believe the dicty woman actually referenced someone’s blindness as if it was a good thing. Sitting to Merlene’s immediate left, I quickly patted her knee. It was a sign that she should continue holding her tongue. Thankfully, she’d taken the cue.

  A few at the table joked about the incident and said the boys should’ve been thrown out, especially Brady. But others who’d been in close proximity to the three, alleged that Juliet had blown the matter out of proportion and she didn’t need to cause a scene.

  “If a guy had insulted me just because I rejected his advances, I might’ve slapped him too,” one woman said.

  “What would give you the right to slap him?” Claire asked. “Sure, you might not like what he said, but putting your hands on another person outside of self-defense is a criminal act, as far as I know.”

  The majority agreed with her.

  A short time later, I excused myself from the table and headed upstairs to use the bathroom. After stepping onto the landing, I heard muffled sounds coming from David’s room and went to see what was going on.

  “You’re nothing but a whore!” David snapped at Juliet, who was standing there facing him. Guess on that rather harsh note, I’d better stop referring to her as Juliet and call her by her given name. They certainly weren’t acting like Romeo and Juliet anymore
.

  I immediately hid behind the wall, near the doorway.

  “You think I can’t see you don’t wanna be here—with me in public? What the hell did you come for?”

  “Because you kept hounding me about it; that’s why!” she retorted. “After you texted me about a thousand times, I just had to show up! I told you I had a headache and you kept bugging me! You didn’t even care!”

  “Headache, huh?”

  “Yeah! And I can’t understand why you keep talking that nonsense about me not wanting to be with you in public. You’re paranoid! That’s what you are!”

  David sighed. “Because you didn’t wanna be here, you decided to cause a big problem. Everyone’s talking about it.”

  “Oh really? A jerk says something inappropriate to me and I’m supposed to say nothing?”

  “You didn’t have to attack the guy. Men make advances toward women all the time. If you didn’t like what he said, you could’ve walked away or come find me. I’m the man; let me handle it! But you didn’t do that because you wanted to embarrass me. And you wanted a reason to leave,” he deduced. “Well, I’m not holding you back. Do what you want.”

  I quickly moved along, watching my inner vision fade until I was in utter darkness again. Just as I arrived at the bathroom door, I heard footsteps hurriedly descending the staircase.

  9

  _________________

  With a smaller number of people, mainly the younger ones outside in the front yard under the tent, the majority of my guests who’d already eaten, including those from the Pet Society, had joined me and Merlene in the living room where they played Backgammon and a few rounds of Strip Poker (okay, I’m kidding about the Strip Poker), when Nilla’s excessive barking somewhere near the sliding door area caught our attention.