I remained on the couch for the better part of an hour, holding and petting Nilla for as long as she let me. I was painfully aware that out of all the murder investigations I’d found myself involved in, this one was clearly the most dangerous. For as I held the black book and the contents of the pages appeared clearly in my mind’s eye, I realized there were more than fifty prominent men and women whose lives could be destroyed by the revelations inside that book. Some of these people had political connections and others were connected to the mafia. Any of those persons could’ve wanted Glenda Risdal dead, including Mayor Terrance Bradley. But if he knew she had something on him and wanted her dead, did it mean that since he knew I did as well, my life could possibly be in jeopardy?
Only time will tell.
~ The End ~
*** Lucille finds herself embroiled in another murder mystery involving her good friend. Will she put her life at risk to uncover the truth or was she already in danger before ever getting a hold of Glenda’s black book?
Get ready for the next installment in this exciting series!
BLIND RISK
Book Six
Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series
Tanya R. Taylor
1
_________________
(A hard pill to swallow.)
From the outside, Merlene’s house looked as pretty as a postcard—just the way she’d left it before she was kidnapped and beaten half to death by a couple of thugs on a murder-for-hire mission. Thank goodness she came out alive and was back to her old self again.
The fresh sunny yellow paint she had her son, David, throw on her cherished single-story abode several months earlier still blinded the average person whenever they dared set eyes on it. I’ll never truly understand what possessed her to choose such a high yellow color, in spite of her claim that whenever she looked at it, the paint had a glorious mesmerizing effect on her senses to the point where she’d suddenly find herself in a great mood if she was having an “off” day or an even better mood if she wasn’t as grumpy as she usually was. So, everything basically was the same, except for a recent lawn trimming David had taken care of the day before he’d brought her home from the hospital.
I must admit I missed her a lot since the hospital took over having to deal with that humongous pain in the derriere. She was my Merlene; my best friend; my almost aged partner in crime. She was like what the young people call my ride or die. Yet, even though she was finally home, I was quite saddened by the loss of my good friend, Glenda Risdal, who was found dead on the side of the highway a week earlier. Glenda and I went way back and I couldn’t help but wonder if her untimely demise was tied to her loyalty to me.
The moment Merlene entered the house with David and we all shouted, “Welcome back!”, she almost had a heart attack right there by that front door. I could tell David was worried for a second since his drama queen of a mom would usually react to a far more colorful degree than most people who’d find themselves in the exact same situation. Her hand even met her chest as if she was having some sort of heart palpitations. Anyway, Merlene’s beaming smile which came moments later, brightened the room and I went over with the aid of my cane and gave her a great, big hug.
“Welcome home, Merlene!” I said. “It’s great having you back.”
She gently hugged me, careful of her ribs that were still healing, then she whispered in my ear, “Thanks, Lucille—if you really mean it.”
I shook my head and sighed, but it was a happy sigh. If fate hadn’t been kind to all of us, Merlene would’ve taken her last breath in that forest.
David had tacked across the living room ceiling a large Welcome Home banner in bright yellow lettering. It had a baby blue background and colorful stars speckled over the fabric of the paper. He’d only invited several of Merlene’s closest friends by to make her return a warm and memorable one.
Theodore and Anthony were there, as well as a few of Merlene’s and David’s neighbors who’d been religiously checking in with David to see how Merlene was progressing. Merlene had told me some neighbors of theirs had come to visit her while she was in hospital a couple of times—Luke and Thelma Dorsett who were both in their early thirties and Fran and her husband, Peter, who were middle-aged. She’d also once told the story about the neighbors next door and others across the street who’d been feuding for years. Ross, the grown son of Joann and Eddie Burns—a hard working truck driver and occasional gambler—had even gone as far as threatening to put a bullet in the butt of the soul bold enough to make another snide remark at his niece or for calling her outside of her name. Apparently, a couple of nineteen-year-old boys on Merlene’s right had been trying to win the affection of the teenage girl who lived on the opposite side of the street, but she’d ignored them enough to demonstrate she wasn’t the least bit interested. I suppose dealing with rejection wasn’t any of the boy’s strong points. So, they started verbally bashing her and behaved like a couple of spoiled, sore loser brats throwing a tantrum simply because they couldn’t get their way. The girl’s name was Aladay. She was a beauty for sure. I’d spotted her a few times sitting outside on the front porch of her grandparent’s house across the street. Most times, she was right there reading a book with her legs stretched out on top of the iron railing. Merlene said that her mother had died in childbirth, so her grandparents, along with her uncle who lived with them had raised her. I felt sorry for the girl, but could see they’d done a good job with her. Since that threat her uncle spewed out, the boys had very little to say at that point on, but the dirty looks and snickering when Aladay passed by continued.
Merlene had told Ross not to allow those kids to cause him to end up in the big house over pure child’s play that Aladay seemed to be handling quite well on her own by simply ignoring them. Ross could be hard-headed, but he agreed. He and Aladay showed up at Merlene’s house twenty minutes after she’d arrived to personally welcome her back. They even came bearing gifts from the child’s grandparents which I thought was very nice.
“Mom and Dad sent their regards,” Ross said in that husky voice of his. He was wearing a checkered shirt with rolled up sleeves as far back as his elbows, faded blue jeans and dusty work boots. I know by the sight of those boots on her cream-colored fluffy carpet, Merlene wanted to run him right out of there, but her heart wouldn’t let her. She liked the guy and it meant a lot for him and Aladay to have shown up.
“Oh! That’s so nice of your parents, Ross! Please give them my love. It’s so good of you and Aladay to drop by.”
Aladay was smiling with her hands crossed in front of her.
Merlene gently pinched the girl’s cheek. “Have some refreshments you two!” she said, happily.
Aladay had the silkiest, long, black tresses that I’d ever seen and her face was a pure masterpiece; undoubtedly, very easy on the eyes. Kudos for Sir Clement, the friendly ghost, for not snatching my inner sight away recently like he’d done more than once before. I hadn’t seen the guy for weeks and kind of missed him. After all, he’d been a crucial part of my life for a few years, even though for a good while, I had no idea why the hell he was in my house in the first place.
But I digress…it’s no wonder the rascals next door were head over heels in love with the young lady before they morphed into two scorned, dark-hearted, pathetic crybabies. I told Merlene she should’ve put them both over her manly lap and spanked some sense into them a long time ago. Their age made not a bit of difference as far as I was concerned. The saying when I was growing up was that it takes a village to raise a child. In essence, that meant Mr. or Mrs. so and so from across the street or down the block had the explicit right to give you a good spanking if you fell out of line, and your parent wouldn’t dare question it once you weren’t injured.
My unadopted adoptive sons, Anthony and Theodore, had helped David with the preparations. Theodore had purchased the drinks and Anthony had taken care of the finger food and even whipped up a special meal just for Merlene and David for after the g
et-together, which he invited David to take sole credit for. I doubt David’s cooking could have been compared to Anthony’s, but I’m pretty sure Merlene would not have fallen for the harmless deception.
By that time, Anthony’s interior decorating business was well underway and he was booked with jobs for the remainder of the month, and actively scheduling even further into the year. He’d made me so proud having left that dead-end job at the computer company and ventured out to follow his passion.
As Merlene was mingling with her guests, making them feel right at home, David came over to the couch and whispered in my ear that we had to come clean that day. I knew what he’d meant since we hadn’t breathed a word to Merlene concerning the truth behind her kidnapping. We waited until all the guests had left, then with Theodore and Anthony seated along with us in the living room, David inched closer to his mom. As I was also next to her on the couch, Merlene looked at both of us suspiciously. “What’s this about?” she asked.
David glanced at me, then a heavy sigh escaped him. “I don’t know how to say this, Mom, but you need to know…”
“Just say whatever’s on your mind, David,” she said, worriedly. “I’ve got my big girl panties on.”
She certainly had a way with words.
“It’s about your kidnapping,” he went on.
“Uh-huh…” She slowly nodded.
“Dad was behind it, Mom. He hired those guys to kill you.”
Merlene’s eyes widened to the size of golf balls and I could see her fists clenching. Merlene was a big, tall woman, so her reaction had me a bit concerned.
“What did you say, David? ‘Cause I’m sure I misheard you.”
“You heard him right,” I told her. “Roy wanted you dead to collect on your life insurance.”
“What blasted life insurance? He’s no beneficiary to my life insurance! We’ve been divorced ages ago!”
David gently took her hand. “He had you insured anyway, Mom. I’m not sure at what point, but he kept the policy active for years and only after hitting hard times and his wife threatening to divorce him, he decided to put the policy to good use.”
David’s last remark sounded a lot like what I would’ve said. At that point, I was sure the boy was hanging around me a bit too much. You should’ve seen that look Merlene gave him too; I think she was thinking the same thing I was.
She eased David’s hand away, stood up and quietly walked over to the front window where she gazed ahead.
“Are you all right?” David asked her.
None of us bothered to follow her. We knew Merlene well enough to know that if she removed herself physically from your company, she wanted to be alone and if you invaded her space, you’d wish you hadn’t.
She nodded; her back still to us. “That son-of-a… He tried to kill me, huh? For money? Okay…” She placed her hands on her waist. “After I gave him a whole son; put up with his foolishness and allowed him to nearly drain my retirement fund dry, this is what he went and did. I see.”
Merlene was too calm for me, considering the circumstances. I knew she was seething inside and without second thought would’ve shredded Roy to pieces if he was anywhere in sight.
“So, what are those nincompoops in the Sheriff’s Office doing? Are they building the case or what? I hadn’t seen any cop all that time I was in the hospital which I thought was strange.”
“They were specifically asked not to bother you while you were in there recovering,” I said.
“Really?” She turned and looked at me. “Who could’ve told the police not to do their jobs after someone was nearly murdered?” Then she sucked her teeth and turned towards the window again. “Never mind. I know who.”
“Yeah, it was me,” I admitted. “David and I agreed since the doctors said you’d make a full recovery that the questioning from the police could wait until you were out and doing better, particularly since we knew the guys involved had already been apprehended.”
“Including Roy?” she asked, still looking away.
“Yes,” I replied.
“The sheriff was kind enough to see it our way,” David told her. “Said a detective will come by tomorrow to speak with you, along with someone at the prosecutor’s office.”
Merlene stood quietly for a while before returning to the sofa. I must admit, her demeanor, even to me, who’d known her for so many years, was quite mysterious. I suppose it was because I’d never witnessed her having to digest the news before that her ex-husband put a hit out on her.
I patted her knee. “Roy can’t get out of it. He’s going away for a long time.”
“Miss Lucille’s right,” David added. “The sheriff told us the guys have all confessed and they pointed the finger at Dad.”
Merlene took a deep sigh and nodded. “That, at least, is good news.”
Theodore and Anthony were observing silently. They both were disgusted by the nerve of David’s father to do such a terrible thing.
“I guess I have to accept it for what it is,” Merlene went on. “Every time I look in the mirror at my face although the bruising has faded, and at the scar on my back from that knife, I think of Roy. Whenever I touch my abdomen, even after I’m fully healed, I’d think of Roy and it would all be a reminder of why I did the right thing by divorcing his ass. I just wished I would’ve sealed the deal with a knife in his back like what he had done to mine, then I wouldn’t have had to go through the horror I went through when those idiots came in here and forced me into their car, and took me out there into the forest and nearly beat me to death. I really wished I would’ve had the idea first at least to rid the world of a self-centered, black-hearted human being who thought nothing of the mother of his only child! How I wished I would’ve gotten the job done the right way!”
Merlene’s voice had elevated and that cool demeanor of hers had swiftly and unexpectedly found its way out the door. David was trying to calm her down.
“You did the right thing all those years ago, Mom. Doing what he did wouldn’t have made you any better than he is.”
“He’s right,” I said, and the boys agreed.
“You’re no killer,” Anthony chimed in. “You obviously put the love for your son over your dislike for his dad.”
“Not dislike,” Merlene rebutted. “Hatred is more like it.”
“So, that makes you even more honorable,” Anthony responded. “It takes a lot to hate someone and to not actually act on your feelings. I think it’s called emotional intelligence.”
Merlene sucked her teeth. “Whatever!”
We were aware she’d need time to digest the cold, hard truth and told her we were there for moral support and in any other way she needed. She’d soon collected herself enough to thank us again for going all out to find her and for saving her life. Later on, when we had more private time to talk, I told her the role Sir Clement played and how, without him, she certainly would’ve died. I could see she was astounded.
“I thought he was your fairy godfather—in that he only looked out for you,” she uttered quietly, nearly tearfully.
“Guess the truth is he cares for whomever I deeply care for and that’s why he pulled you out of the stream and stayed there with you the entire time until you were found.”
The tears were actually flowing now as Merlene became overwhelmed with thoughts of her brush with death and the love of family and friends that saved her life.
As the boys and I got up to leave Merlene’s house, there was a knock at the door. David went right over and opened it. We all figured it was another neighbor showing up to welcome Merlene back home, but to our surprise, it was none other than Sheriff Gerald Cooke. He had that annoying smile on his round face and his wild, grey moustache and beard—both which needed a good trimming— immediately stood out to me.
“Hi Sheriff,” David said, rather nonchalantly.
“Hiya! I heard Merlene’s back home so I thought I’d stop by to give her a quick hail.”
I could see his squad car
parked parallel to the road and someone was sitting in the front passenger seat whom I didn’t recognize—a lady with the brightest red lipstick I’d ever seen and she wasn’t in uniform either. I wondered who she was and if the good sheriff was driving around with business or pleasure.
“Come on in, Sheriff,” David said. “She’s right here.”
Cooke cleared his throat as he walked in, his eyes scanning the room. He said a general good afternoon and the rest of them, including Merlene, responded likewise.
“Merlene…it’s nice to see you again!” he sang.
Merlene couldn’t make her lack of enthusiasm any clearer. “Thanks,” she dryly answered from the couch.
Cooke went over to where she was sitting. “Do you mind if I have a seat?”
Her eyes met his. “No.”
“No…as in no, I can’t sit down or no as in no, you don’t mind?” He sought clarification.
“You asked if I didn’t mind? Didn’t you?” She frowned. “Well, I answered your question!”
I went ahead and sat on the sofa as Cooke awkwardly made himself comfortable next to the shark.
“I meant to stop by the hospital sooner and check up on you,” he said, shifting a bit in the chair.
“I know why you or any detective didn’t come, so no need to explain.” She glanced at me.
“We all agreed since you were out of the woods figuratively that our questioning could wait until you got better,” he explained.
“Wow. Thanks for being so considerate.”
Everyone who knew Merlene knew that particular response was nothing less than a snide remark. She never forgave Cooke and his department for what they did to David, arresting him like a common criminal after his girlfriend fell to her death from my balcony.
Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series (Books 4 - 6) Page 15