What Are the Odds

by Marja McGraw

  “I haven’t had a barbequed beef sandwich in years,” Felicity said. “It smells wonderful, and the aroma is making me hungry.”

  “About five more minutes,” my mother said.

  My friend got out some paper plates and cheese slices, in case anyone wanted cheese on their sandwich, and I brought out the iced tea and glasses.

  “I’ll go tell the men to come for dinner.” Fel wandered out the sliding glass doors and headed around the house.

  I heard a thud and Felicity yelled, “Hey!”

  Without glancing at my mother, I ran out the door to see what was wrong.

  “Felicity?” She was sitting on the ground. “Are you okay? Did you trip or something?”

  “Or something would be more like it.” She reached up, wanting me to help her stand.

  I took hold of her hand and pulled.

  “What happened?” My mother followed me out the door.

  “Your blonde is getting sloppy,” she said. “Now I’ve seen her, too. I came out the door and she was hiding, listening to us. Unfortunately, I didn’t see her until it was too late. She shoved me and ran away, right past me.”

  Excitement overtook me. “You saw her face? What did she look like?”

  “No. By the time I looked up, all I saw was her back before she ran around the side of the house.” She wiped dirt off the seat of her pants. “I honestly don’t think she meant to hurt me. I think I scared her.”

  “Which way did she go?” I asked.

  Fel pointed toward the corner of the apartment.

  “That’s the same area where I saw her when she watched me through the bedroom window, when we were cleaning. I guess there’s no point in trying to find her. She’ll be long gone by now.”

  “All right, girls, this could become dangerous. I mean, she pushed Felicity. She could have sprained an ankle or something.” My mother crossed her arms and watched me intently. “It seemed like a game in the beginning, but if she was listening to us and getting pushy, then it sounds like things have changed.”

  Felicity looked thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I agree with Sandi about her wanting something, but I have a feeling she was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I came out here. I think the sight of me scared her because there’s no good reason for her to come out of hiding to shove me. She could have stayed where she was until I was gone.”

  “Honestly? I think my mother’s right. Listening to us talk puts a different light on things. And shoving you? It wasn’t necessary. She could have run away without getting physical. I have a feeling there’s something she really wants us to know, or see, or do. No one’s lived here in years, so I can’t imagine what it could be, but…”

  “So what do we do?” Felicity turned and glanced in the direction the woman had fled.

  “Stanley brought four walkie talkies with him. I’m going to pass them out. If anyone sees her, then quietly call to the rest of us. With all of us on guard I’m pretty sure Blondie’s days are numbered.”

  My mother lifted her hand in a hold on a second motion. “There are four walkie talkies and six people. Who are you going to pass them out to?”

  “Anyone who’s within running distance.” I wanted each of us to have easy access to the others. “You know, Blondie knows this house like the back of her hand or she wouldn’t be able to come and go, and disappear, as easily as she does.”

  My mother nodded. “I’ve thought about that very thing. This house has been vacant a long time. She’s had years, apparently, to discover all the ins and outs of this place.”

  She was quiet for a moment.

  “Did you know the Powers that Be have declared hormone pills are a controlled substance?”

  “Well, that was out of the blue,” I said.

  “It’s because they have testosterone in them. I have to get the prescription renewed every month.”

  I watched Felicity as she stepped away from my mother.

  Mom started laugh. “I just got to thinking, if I couldn’t get my hormone pills Blondie wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

  “Neither would anyone else,” I mumbled under my breath.

  “What, dear?”

  “Nothing.”

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  This had begun to feel like one of the longest weeks of my life. Pete and I were newlyweds and how were we spending our time? I didn’t want to think about it. Looking ahead at my life with Pete, it really was only one week out of our lives. Or maybe a week and a half. I had a feeling Felicity probably felt the same way I did.

  This time when Fel left to call the men for dinner, I went with her. We found them sitting at the table by the motorhome, drinking a beer and talking.

  “Stan? Are you drinking beer?” Felicity knew Stanley couldn’t hold his liquor very well.

  He turned the can around and tapped it, showing her he’d opted for a soft drink. “No beer, but we’ll still have a wild time at the llama ranch tonight.”

  She grinned. “Why, Stan, whatever do you mean? No, don’t answer that in mixed company.”

  His face turned pink when he realized what he’d said. It was so out of character for him. “Well…”

  “Come on,” I said. “Dinner’s ready and waiting. Remind me to ask Racheal for the dinner triangle bell thingy she said she had.”

  They threw their empty cans in the trash and headed for the house. I held back and took a good long look around the property. It was dusk, and even with all the work that needed to be done, the place looked like it would eventually belong on the front of a brochure. Which reminded me, I wanted to ask my mother and Frank what they’d decided to call their bed and breakfast.

  I glanced up and saw Pete standing by the corner of the house, watching me. He looked happy.

  I smiled. I was happy, too, even if we weren’t on our honeymoon. I stopped wasting time and headed in his direction.

  We walked hand in hand to the apartment and dished up our dinner. Mother had set everything on the small breakfast bar, buffet style.

  “Pete?” I looked up at him and smiled again. “Why don’t you and I take our food outside and eat by the motorhome? Just you and me.”

  He nodded while he continued to pile barbequed beef on his hamburger bun. “What more could I ask for than dinner and you?”

  I laughed to myself. What a romantic! Uh huh.

  No one followed us outside. I had to assume they realized we wanted some alone time. I only gave one thought to Marion taking her walk and quickly dismissed the idea of watching for her.

  There were no insects bothering us, no snakes rattled at us, and I didn’t see even one tarantula. Any lurking scorpions kept their distance, too.

  Pete excused himself and headed for the garage. Returning, he lit a hurricane lamp he’d found earlier in the garage. The sun dipped behind the hills and we had the closest thing to a romantic dinner possible.

  I knew in my heart that good things were waiting for us, no farther away than a trip up the stairs.

  Turned out I was right.

  ~ * ~

  We slept well and didn’t wake up as early as we had earlier in the week. The extra sleep made a difference in the way I felt, thankfully.

  Blondie hadn’t bothered us and my mother and I hadn’t tried to scare each other. I’d have to come up with a plan. We’d been having fun throwing the scare factor into the mix. I’d have to find out what Micah was talking about when he’d said he had something that would serve my purpose.

  Pete took his shower first while I relaxed and almost fell back to sleep. It promised to be a productive day, and we’d make a great husband and wife team. I had a feeling with him working beside me, we’d accomplish a lot.

  I didn’t have enough time to doze off before Pete came in and dressed, letting me know the shower was ready and waiting.

  Breakfast turned out to be a “roll your own” meal.

  “We’ve got plenty of work to do today and cooking isn’t on my To Do List this morning.” Mom sat
at the table and ate cereal.

  I joined her.

  So did Pete. “I don’t think I’m going to work up the same type of appetite as usual today.”

  “Are you saying that painting is easy?” I asked.

  “No, but it’s not as demanding as working in the stable or the yard. I think Frank is planning on tearing out some dead trees and bushes today.”

  “Ah.”

  Pete poured a second bowl of cereal.

  He asked the question I’d been meaning to ask. “Livvie, what did you and Frank decide to call this place? I’m sure it needs a name if it’s going to be a B&B.”

  “We haven’t figured it out. I’ve got a couple of ideas, but Frank and I haven’t agreed on anything yet.”

  “You’ll come up with something unique.” I spooned a bite of cereal and ate it.

  Mother finished her cereal. “See ya. Everyone else is already outside, looking things over and figuring out what we need to do. Oh, and your walkie talkie is sitting on the counter.”

  She looked in both directions before stepping outside. Blondie wouldn’t get the best of her.

  “What part of the house are we going to work on?” Pete sat back in his chair and watched me finish eating.

  “The apartment. If we can get it done before we leave, Mom and Frank can live here while they work on the rest of the house. I think she said someone is coming tomorrow to start installing tile, so we should probably try to get as much done today as we can.”

  “Works for me. Where’s the paint? It’s in the Arizona room, isn’t it?”

  I nodded. “Let’s get busy.”

  The morning passed quickly. Working with Pete sure wasn’t like working with my mother and Felicity. He was a no-nonsense guy and we finished the two bathrooms. That left one bedroom and the living room.

  “What color is your mother using on the living room?” Pete asked.

  “Off-white. Since she did the kitchen in yellow, nothing else would look quite right. Actually, the whole apartment will be off-white except for the kitchen.”

  “Off-white it is, just like the bathrooms. We need more paint. Back in a minute.” He left the apartment and headed for the Arizona room.

  I’d just sat down at the kitchen table when I heard a voice.

  “Sandi, are you down there?” It sounded like either Tyler or Micah. My guess would be Tyler. Micah had a booming voice.

  “Down here,” I called.

  Both Tyler and Micah strolled down the stairs.

  “How are you guys, this morning?” I asked.

  “Good,” Micah said. “We decided to come on over and see if there’s anything we can do to help. The wives will be here shortly.”

  “Thank you. We can use all the help we can get. Mom and Frank want to live in this apartment while they work on the rest of the house. If y’all want to help me and Pete paint the living room, we can do the rest ourselves.”

  “Y’all?” Micah grinned.

  I grinned back. “I’m not from the south, so I’m not sure where that came from.”

  “Never end a sentence in a preposition,” Tyler said, “at least in a book. I have trouble remembering all the rules when I write, but sometimes I can make exceptions in dialogue.”

  “Not the time or the place, bro,” Micah said. “And don’t ever correct me when we talk.”

  I could see where these brothers might get on each other’s nerves from time to time.

  I stood up and the walkie talkie fell out of my pocket.

  “What’s that?” Micah picked it up for me. “Oh, a walkie talkie. What’s this for?”

  “Four of us have them,” I replied. “If anyone sees the elusive blonde, we’ll call the others. My goal has become to catch her and figure out what’s going on.”

  Tyler nodded. “I think I may have to use her in one of my books unless it turns out she’s some nutcase. Well, even if she is, she might make a good character. Especially after we figure out what she’s up to.”

  Micah studied his brother for a moment. “Yeah, I think we ought to help these good people. Maybe we can stake this place out one night. Isn’t that what you call it in your books? Staking things out?”

  Tyler looked shocked. “Uh, are you telling me you’ve actually read one of my books? I’m shocked.”

  I could tell he was teasing his brother by his tone of voice.

  Micah gave him a withering look. “Yeah, I’ve read them all. But only because Zoë said I should and she said they were good.”

  “And are they?” I asked.

  “If you like mysteries, I guess they are. And the blonde would fit right into one of his puzzles.”

  “I think I just got a glimpse of her,” Pete said from the doorway, “but you’ve got the walkie talkie, and she disappeared around the house. She’s got a lot of guts, I’ll give her that.”

  Chapter Forty

  “You could have dropped the paint can and given chase,” Tyler said.

  Pete set down his load. “The paint can isn’t closed. She’ll be back, and we’ll be ready for her. I heard what you said about staking out the place, Micah. If we do that it might give your brother some real experience for his books.”

  “Cool!” Tyler said. “I’d like to have some experiences for the books.”

  His brother slapped him on the back. “You’re a real piece of work sometimes. What are you? Thirteen?”

  “If I ever make the bestseller list, you’ll be talking out of the other side of your mouth.”

  Did I need to break up this interaction? “Okay, okay, guys, let’s get busy. If we get the living room painted and you’re still in a helpful mood, maybe you can see Frank outside and work off some of your… Uh, feelings toward each other.”

  “Now you sound like my wife.” Micah picked up a paint roller.

  Pete headed for the door. “Back in a minute. I’ll go grab a couple more brushes and rollers.” And he was gone.

  Tyler picked up a paint tray and filled it while Micah scoped out the living room. “We’ll have this done in no time with four of us working on it.”

  “Make that six,” came a female voice from the stairs.

  I smiled at Racheal and Zoë. “Welcome to the painting party.”

  Pete stuck his head inside, saw the two wives and turned around. “Back in a minute.”

  Racheal looked around the room. “If we each take a wall – ”

  “Six of us and four walls,” Tyler said.

  “Yes, but two of the walls are longer, so we can get this done in no time.” She smiled sweetly at her husband.

  “Have any of you noticed how much smiling and laughing goes on around this place?” I asked.

  “No, we haven’t been here that much,” Zoë said. “But it’ll be what you make of it – hard work or a lot of fun.”

  Micah gave his wife a hug. “Love your attitude.”

  Pete returned once again. “Okay, grab a brush or a roller and let’s get this done. And thanks for the help.”

  Pete and I took a longer wall while the Hansens divided up the rest of the room. At first there wasn’t very much conversation, but once we got into it we started talking.

  “So what do you think the blonde is up to?” Zoë asked. “Are you sure she’s not a ghost?”

  “I’m sure,” I said, “but I have no idea what she wants. From the back she resembles the woman who used to live here, but you already heard that. Maybe the resemblance is on purpose. I just don’t know. Thanks to Stan, we’re using some walkie talkies. If anyone sees her, they’ll send out an alarm and hopefully we can catch her.”

  “Don’t we have some walkie talkies in the truck?” Zoë tapped her husband on the shoulder and dropped her hand to her side. Unfortunately, she forgot she had a paint brush in her hand and his dark blue shirt suddenly had an off white stripe down the arm.

  He looked from the stripe to her and shook his head. “Yes, dear, we have walkie talkies in the truck. I’ll fetch them for you when I go back to my brother’s
house to change shirts – after we’re through painting.”

  “I didn’t mean – ”

  Before she could say any more, the walkie talkie in my pocket buzzed. I set down the roller and pulled it out.

  “Yes?”

  “No sightings,” my mother said. “I just wanted to check to make sure it was working. Things have been so quiet.”

  “Pete thought he saw her, but she disappeared. As usual.”

  “We need to sit down as a group and discuss her knowledge of this house.”

  “Sounds good to me, Mom. The Hansens are here, too, and they want to get involved.”

  “Good. It’ll be better with more people.”

  “We’ll talk later,” I said. “Now I’m going back to work.”

  “Roger and out,” she said.

  I looked up and everyone was watching me. I hadn’t realized how quiet it had become.

  “Roger and out?” Zoë was chuckling to herself.

  “Yeah, my mother likes to play the role.”

  Pete started painting again. “She likes to be involved, you mean.”

  “Well, sure. She doesn’t like sitting on the sidelines.”

  “Sounds like my mother-in-law,” Micah said.

  Zoë poked his side. “Be careful what you say about my mother.”

  “I was only joking, honey.” He hunched his shoulders before relaxing them and going back to work.

  It didn’t happen in mere minutes, but we finished painting the living room quicker than I’d hoped we would.

  “What’s next?” Racheal asked.

  “Pete and I are going to work on the last bedroom. If you’re still up for it, why don’t you head outside and talk to Frank. I know he’s got plenty of outdoor work just waiting to be done.”

  They walked outside as a group while Pete and I made our way to the bedroom.

  “It looks like everything will be ready when the tile guy comes tomorrow,” he said.

  “I can hardly believe how much difference painting the rooms has made. This house is going to be gorgeous when it’s finished.” Sometimes a person doesn’t realize how much things have changed until they stand back and take a good, long look.