Watson Manor Eventually (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 1)

by Ronald S. Craig

"I'm sorry, C.W. I got closer so no one would get between us."

  "We'll be out of Brinkley and this traffic shortly." Relief that she was there and okay had come through in his grin. She saw it and smiled.

  Jenny looked up at him from the first step with a playful grin. "Worried?"

  "Yeah; worried that I'd lose even more time looking for you."

  She studied his face and could see he was a little uncomfortable. "If you're done resting then ... I suggest we get moving." Jenny paused and studied him a moment, smiled and shut the door.

  Charlie felt confused. The boundaries of his different worlds were losing definition. He had begun to wonder if a new one was evolving when what sounded like a loud cry from a dying goose broke his thoughts. Jenny had honked her horn, signaling she was ready to go.

  "Please Lord; tell me that horn is not an indication of the rest of her car."

  The next two hundred miles went smoothly. He found he looked back as much as forward. For the last fifty miles she checked in every fifteen minutes with the call of a dying goose as she crossed the center line to give him a full arm wave. Peg was right, he thought; this one is loony. He felt she was taking the joke a little far but played along, returning both the honk and wave. It bothered him at first, like she was making fun of his concern about not seeing her in his mirrors, but then he grew to enjoy the game.

  A large highway sign announced Fort Smith as the next exit. It was 12:30 then and time for lunch, so he took the exit. He pulled up to the gas pumps at the station beside the café and watched Jenny speed past him to a parking spot outside the café. She jumped out of her car and, in what appeared to be only three steps, and disappeared inside. Fueled and parked, Charlie went inside to join her. She was seated in a booth and looked worn out.

  "Boy, you must have been hungry," Charlie said as he sat down across from her.

  "We've got to talk about potty stops. For the last fifty miles I've been trying to get your attention and you just honked and waved back." Charlie burst into laughter until tears came to his eyes.

  "What the hell's so funny? Am I in some kind of endurance test?"

  "No, Jenny, you don't understand. I thought you were mocking me for being a bit worried earlier when I couldn't see you in my mirrors." He started to laugh again and, reluctantly, she joined in.

  "The signal to stop was flashing your headlights, not acting like a flirtatious teenager cruising on Saturday night." His tone softened. "I'm sorry, really. You must have been miserable. But, if it's worth anything, you did pass the test." They began to laugh so loudly that the whole cafe turned to watch them, though it didn't matter to them. "I would have stopped had I known."

  "I couldn't believe you could be that cruel. As I danced around in the seat, I came up with quite a few ideas about what C.W. could stand for, none of them flattering."

  Throughout lunch they both found it hard to look at each other without laughing. The fear and tension she had displayed earlier that morning were completely gone. She appeared happy, almost giddy. Charlie struggled with how much it pleased him to see her that way. His goal had been to tolerate her as an intruder, a temporary distraction for a few days, but Jenny was unfamiliar to him because she didn't fit in C.W.'s world, which was all he felt he had to offer.

  The waitress refilled their coffee cups. "I just can't tell you how nice it is to see such a happy couple," she said smiling.

  "Thank you, that was very kind," Jenny replied as the waitress turned to leave, neither one of them feeling a need to correct her.

  "Have you always lived in Long Beach?" Jenny asked.

  "How do you know I live in Long Beach?" Charlie's tone defensive.

  "The door on your truck: C.W. Trucking, Long Beach, California."

  "Oh yeah, forgot that. Moved there about eight years ago."

  "From?"

  "Little Rock."

  "Small world; I moved to West Helena from Little Rock myself. I've never been to Southern California, though. I hear it's beautiful. I'd love to live by the ocean."

  "I like it, be right back." He abruptly got up from the table and headed to the men's room.

  When he returned she said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

  "No… We just have a lot of miles ahead. Are you ready to go?"

  "May I get this, please?" she asked, slowly pulling the check towards her.

  "I'd feel funny about that. I'm a little old fashioned."

  "It seems to me you pointed out this was not a date," she retorted, feeling satisfied that she'd remembered his words. "Think of it as payment for leading me to Palm Springs."

  "I was hoping to get dinner out of you," he confessed with a grin, feeling less defensive. "Let's split it and hit the road."

  "Alright," she conceded. "This was fun. I'll go fill up the car and meet you outside." Jenny handed him her share of the bill and stopped at the door, turned back to give him a quick smile.

  "Jenny, remember: it's flashing lights to stop." She laughed, shaking her head as she left.

  Charlie watched her walk over to a phone booth and pick up the receiver. After a few short minutes she hung up and drove over to the gas pumps. As he drank his remaining coffee he realized she was right, that was fun. It surprised him to see her check under the hood. Refreshing, he thought, a woman that didn't feel the need to be helpless around men. He paid the bill and walked out to her car.

  "Everything okay?"

  "Only half a quart down," she replied, returning the cap to the quart of oil in her hand. "I'll be ready in a sec."

  "Was your sister home?"

  She had a very puzzled look on her face. "What? Was my sister home?" Then she'd quickly turned her attention to putting the nozzle back into the pump.

  "I saw you on the phone and just thought you were calling ahead."

  "Oh," she said while digging through her purse for some money to pay the attendant. "No answer. I'll try again later." She'd given him a quick glance and sheepish smile.

  Charlie felt he'd invaded her privacy and wanted to change the subject. "Jenny, I have to make a stop on the other side of Oklahoma City, in Clinton. It would also be a good place to spend the night."

  "Alright. What's in Clinton?"

  "Friend of mine, he makes metal sculptures. I run them out West for him." Charlie paused for a moment. "If you want to go on ahead, I mean, it's pretty straight forward from here."

  "Am I slowing you down?" she asked, sounding a little hurt by his question.

  "No, not at all. I just wanted you to feel free with the option, if you wanted it."

  "If you don't mind, I'd just as soon stick with you." She watched him closely.

  "If it's all the same to you, don't use the word 'stick'. One close encounter with a knife a day is enough for me."

  Jenny smiled. "Let me rephrase that. Would it be alright if I continue to follow you?"

  "Works for me. We should reach Clinton in just under five hours or so, Lord willin' and the bladder don't rise that is. We can stop for gas and a stretch in Oklahoma City though."

  Chapter 5

  Oklahoma City offered Jenny a break after another three hours behind the wheel. Across the street from the gas station they had pulled into was a large flea market. The food booths were close to the street and the smells of barbeque beef and grilled onions were hard to resist. They parked in a large lot beside the station.

  "I could eat something, how about you?" Jenny asked.

  "If we didn't that alluring aroma would haunt us down the road," Charlie said. "I haven't been to a flea market in years. Used to enjoy them as a kid." They crossed the street.

  "Me too, my mom called them treasure hunts. It stayed with me I guess. My car still pulls to the right at yard sales."

  "Big decision here; barbeque beef of grilled cheese?" he asked.

  "What, no peanut butter and jelly options? Of course I'll have the beef."

  They started to walk through the vendors when Jenny pointed out the barbeque sauce that was running down his
arm. He dashed back for more napkins and, handed her a few. "What's the point if you can't wear it too."

  Jenny laughed. "Thanks, this is wonderful. Why do they always taste better from a simple stand?"

  "It's probably a reason you don't want to know. Something to do with a lack of health department inspections …" He trailed off, taking a large bite.

  "Despite your input, I'm still going to enjoy it. Do we have time to look a little?"

  "One row up and back wouldn't hurt, looking for anything special?"

  "Always, but I won't know what it is until I see it." When she finished her sandwich, she added, "I wish the food was half this good last night."

  "Last night, where did you go?"

  "A place called the Branding Iron. It was only supposed to be a few friends but…, have you ever been there?"

  "A time or two, yes." He'd almost mentioned that he, too, was there last night but decided against it.

  "It was my first time. Felt like a meat market to me."

  "Just regular folks letting their hair down, having a good time," he said, in a defensive tone that had caught him by surprise.

  "I can have a good time, C.W., but in the 30 foot walk to the ladies room, I got hit on four times from guys all thinking happiness was in their jeans. I have no doubt thinking with the head above their waist is a strange concept to them. I just don't understand anyone finding something worthwhile in a place like that." Her tone became harder.

  "Well I guess it's just a place for normal folks and not prima donnas," he said reflexively, feeling like he was under personal attack. He immediately regretted his words.

  She stopped and turned to him. "Prima donna? Because I want more from a relationship then a Billy-Bob quickie in the back of a beat-up pickup truck?" She paused, taking a breath to calm down. "I never said I was better than them."

  "I didn't mean that. Really I didn't … ." Frustration in those words stopped him. "Maybe we should get on the road." They turned and walked back to the gas station in silence.

  He opened her door. "Ready?"

  "Yes." She slid quickly into her car and stared straight ahead through the windshield.

  Charlie walked back to his truck fighting with all of his thoughts. I'm not a rude or unfriendly guy, he thought; why did I say that to her? He pulled out when traffic was clear and made it two miles down the road before pulling off onto the shoulder. He stepped out of his truck and walked back to her car.

  "Jenny, I was out of line and, well, am really sorry for what I said."

  "I must have hit a nerve. We were having a good time and I screwed it up. Maybe the feeling, I was on the dessert menu last night carried over." After a moment she looked him in the eyes and her tone softened. "After the way Paul treated me and leaving that place last night… the way they regarded me as a play thing, a conquest adding a notch to their belts. So when you called me a prima donna, it just pushed me over the edge."

  "I felt that. I'm sorry that it came out. I don't know where it came from. A nerve, you were right, I guess, but prima donna is not at all how I really see you, Jenny."

  "It's fine, really. Let's go see what awaits us in Clinton." She offered him a forgiving smile.

  "Works for me." He tapped the roof of her car and returned to his truck.

  *****

  Clinton was a small town kept alive only by the highway that passed through it. This was always a regular stop for Charlie on this run to refuel, grab a quick bite, and shower at the truck stop before calling it a night in the sleeper cab. It was late when they hit Clinton and, seeing as how this trip was anything but routine, he pulled right off the Interstate into the Motor Lodge parking lot. Jenny pulled in alongside him.

  "There aren't many choices here for a place to stay," he said as he opened her car door.

  "A bite to eat and hot shower will feel like the Ritz to me." Jenny locked her car door and they walked into the diner. "I don't know how you do it C.W.," she said, sliding into a booth. "Driving all those hours straight, for me, three hours behind the wheel is cross-country driving."

  "It becomes a way of life, I guess. Not my original plan, but you play the cards you're dealt."

  "And the original plan was?"

  "A long story for another time." He felt the need to change the subject. "We can get gas in the morning after breakfast before we run out to Jake's place." He saw her friendly smile fade, despite her attempts to hide it by reaching for the menu. It bothered him, pushing her away to keep the leader-follower relationship in perspective. He knew he was trying to fight it, but he liked Jenny.

  She broke the silence. "OK, so what's good here?"

  "Your guess is as good as mine. I've never eaten here before." Charlie was relieved that the conversation was moving on around his detour.

  "I thought this was a regular stop for you?"

  "Yes, the truck stop and Jake's place, but dining at the Ritz, here, is a first for me."

  They ordered and ate their dinner with little comment. Though it wasn't the greatest meal, filling an empty stomach won out over satisfying a gourmet palate. Plus, it came with dessert, which was always a silver lining. Jenny was in a conversation with the waitress and discovered she had three little boys, their names and ages, that she was originally from Kansas, and that her husband had an auto parts store in town.

  "Didn't mean to ignore you," she said after the waitress had left.

  "Didn't feel ignored, was just thinking you should be in sales."

  "She was friendly. It sounded like her little one, Stevie, will be a handful."

  "I enjoyed watching you and her reaction to your sincere interest. I was going to move over, let her join us so you could get her bank codes."

  "Bank codes?"

  "A joke, not a great one. It seemed like you were old friends, that she could tell you anything."

  "It's fun, I like people, C.W., for me it's like picking up a book without a title. I'm excited to discover if it's a mystery, a cozy family story, a budding romance or even a tragedy." She returned his smile and finished her dinner.

  They walked over to the motel office. Charlie waited outside as Jenny checked in for the night. "How many kids does he have?" he asked as she walked out.

  "None. Just got engaged. Her name is Penny." Jenny rattled the room key in her hand. "I'm in room 20. I asked about the room next door and it's available."

  "I've got a room already." Charlie pointed back at his truck. "And there's a hot shower waiting for me at the truck stop." He saw a little fear run across her face. "But I'll come back and park just outside your door."

  "I feel silly, but Paul really scares me. Having you here lets me forget, relax, look forward." She paused. "That's just crazy. You can use the shower in my room and leave your truck where it is."

  "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine and only gone about thirty minutes."

  "I insist C.W. Save the drive for tomorrow. Please allow me to help you out in some small way."

  Back in West Helena C.W. wouldn't have had a moment's hesitation at the offer and a quick playful response would have reflexively found its way out. But this was a different place; a place without stage lights, overused lines or costumes. Her logic made sense, but his defenses and comfort zone were waging war against it. "I guess you're right," he said. But he couldn't hold back and needed to vent the tension he was feeling. "I've always had trouble washing the middle of my back."

  "Hold on C.W., or should I say Casanova Want-to-be. The offer was for hot water, soap and a towel only." Jenny couldn't fight the grin, but her hands were firmly planted on her hips to emphasize her words.

  "Works for me," he replied and felt the relief of not having to make changes he was not ready to make. What he didn't know with two more days to Palm Springs, was how well he could resist the pull of those new feeling.

  Chapter 6

  The side trip to Jake's place the next morning didn't take them far from the interstate. Charlie backed his rig up to an old barn and jumped out. J
enny pulled up alongside and joined him.

  "C.W., been a' waiting on ya," they heard emerge from inside the barn. Jake, a man in his late fifties, confined to a wheelchair, made his way through the door. "How'd we do on the last one?" He stopped abruptly when he saw Jenny. "Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't know you were bringin' a friend by."

  "Jake, this is Jenny. She and that fine looking automobile over there are following me to Palm Springs."

  Jenny slapped Charlie's arm playfully then turned to Jake. "Pleased to meet you, Jake. I understand you do metal sculptures."

  "Yes ma'am. How long is it now, C.W., pert near three years I fig'er," Jake said prideful. "Me and C.W. are partners. I make 'em and he takes 'em out West to some fancy store by the ocean where they sells 'em."

  "They loved the last one, Jake. Told me they could sell as many like it as I could bring them," Charlie said enthusiastically, handing Jake an envelope.

  "I've been tryin' them small brass sculptures you're always talkin' 'bout. Fact is, sold me a few to a guy over in Oklahoma City a few days back. The guy has himself a gift store and all. Called just this mornin' and ordered ten more."

  "That sounds promising, Jake, good for you," Jenny told him.

  Jake opened the envelope and, after counting the money inside, exclaimed, "There be five hundred bucks in here, C.W. Who would a fig'erd, I'd be a doing so good just a doin' somethin' I loves doin'. Did ya get your cut outta' this?"

  "Of course. You don't think I'd hand you my share do you?" Charlie laughed. "I'm really glad to hear you've got the smaller brass sculptures going, I knew you'd figure them out. Have you got some to show us?"

  "Sure do. I bet them folks out west would like 'em too," Jake suggested, moving into the barn.

  "I'll check with them. Do you have a big one for this trip?" Charlie asked, looking around for the typical large sculpture he was used to hauling out West.

  "Yep. But first, what do ya think of these?" Jake pointed to the work bench where there were five small metal buildings formed out of brass and copper. Jenny walked over, picking up the building closest to her for a closer examination. They were about eight inches long on the sides and ten inches tall. The roofs were rolled like old-style metal roofs, but had been heated in such a way, it brought out an array of beautiful colors in the metal. The windows were framed on the outside and had crosses in the openings to look like window panes. One of the front windows on the porch side had a flower box in full bloom.