by Marja McGraw
“The dress is okay, and I want a bra in a size 48C.” His voice was a deep baritone.
Felicity nudged me. “He must have lost a bet.”
My gut reaction was to study his chest after he mentioned needing a bra. I couldn’t help it. I tried to tear my eyes away and couldn’t quite do it.
“I’ll see if we have anything in that size.” The clerk turned away from the man and clapped her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh.
“You don’t look like a size 48 to me.” My mother approached the man, shaking her head. “I used to work in a lingerie store. Let me measure you so you can find one that’s comfortable.”
If I’d been chewing gum, I would have swallowed it. “Mother – ”
She tsk tsked me. “If this gentleman wants to wear a bra, then it should fit right.”
“I know what size I wear, lady.” The man backed away from her.
“Pulease! If you’ve got the guts to wear a wedding dress and bra, then the least you can do is make sure they fit. Trust me, son, I know what I’m doing.” Mother grabbed a tape measure out of one of the clerk’s hands. Since she was small and he was big, she handed him one end and walked around him with the other end, matching them in the front.
He stood still, looking flummoxed.
“Just as I thought. You need a 52 to a 54, at least. The measurements aren’t an exact science, but I’m pretty good at this. As for cup size, well, that’s your personal preference. The dress will need to be altered.”
“My name is Jack,” the man said, shaking my mother’s hand. “I just like the feel of women’s clothes.”
“I’m Livvie. Yes, the fabrics are soft.”
I saw Dolly and Glenna slip out the door and head for the car. Felicity was watching in amazement. I stood and studied my mother, wondering if I should pull her out of harm’s way, but there was no need. The guy was smiling at her.
“I’m not going to have the dress altered. I’ll only wear it around the house.” He returned to the dressing room with a rather large bra in hand while we sat down on a convenient couch and watched his back leaving the room.
One of the saleswomen tittered a giggle, but caught herself and took a deep breath.
Glancing out the window, I saw Dolly and Glenna sitting in the car. One of them said something and they began to laugh. I turned away, worried it might be catching. Men dressed like women all the time, and women dressed like men. It happened. I’d just never seen one in a wedding gown before.
“Mother? You just measured a man for a bra.”
“Hush, dear.” She reached over and patted my hand.
Before long the man exited the dressing room wearing jeans and a flannel work shirt. He looked and walked just like any big guy you’d see at a construction site, except he was carrying a wedding dress over his arm.
“I’ll take it,” he said, handing it to the first saleswoman.
She placed a plastic bag over the dress, put the large bra in a bag, took his money and thanked him for his patronage, all without looking him in the eye.
“What about shoes?” my mother asked.
Jack looked at her like she was nuts and hurriedly walked out of the store with the bag held gently over his arm.
“Shoes?” I couldn’t believe she’d asked him about shoes.
“Livvie,” Felicity said, “you take the cake. You have absolutely no idea how hard it was to keep from laughing.”
That’s all it took. Before another minute passed, my mother, Felicity, the saleswomen and I were laughing so hard we were crying.
Dolly and Glenna rejoined us, obviously wondering what they’d missed.
Mother was the first to recover. “Okay, now, that’s enough. If that nice young man wants to wear a wedding dress, that’s his prerogative. We shouldn’t make fun.”
“I’ve seen men dressed like women before. It’s just that he was so masculine looking and wearing a wedding dress.” Glenna sat down on the couch.
“Things have sure changed since I was a young woman.” Dolly shook her head in wonderment. “Of course, that was a lifetime ago.”
“As a model, I’ve seen all kinds of things.” Felicity scooted closer to me, making more room for Glenna. “You’d be surprised. But this guy? The only thing missing was a cigar hanging out of his mouth. I really thought he’d lost a bet until he said he knew what size bra he wore.”
“No matter what you might think of the guy, he was exactly what we needed this morning. Something to lighten our moods.” I glanced toward the parking lot, wondering if I’d see a manly truck pulling out of the parking lot.
“To each his own. Let’s not judge the gentleman. Now let’s look at some dresses.” Mother was done thinking about what we’d just witnessed and wanted to get down to business.
The sales clerk disappeared and returned with a rolling rack which held several dresses, none of which were formal gowns. “Ralph left these for you to look at.”
My mother pulled a dress off the rack and handed it to me. “This is you. Trust me, and try it on.”
The clerk nodded her approval.
Taking the dress out of her hands, I studied it. It was a long-sleeved winter white dress with satin trim around the slightly scooped neckline. It looked like velveteen, but I was sure it wasn’t. Since Pete and I were to be married in October, it would be perfect. It was rather plain, and yet sometimes plain can be quite elegant. I could dress it up with jewelry. I headed for the dressing room to try it on.
Slipping the dress over my head, I turned to look in the mirror. The reflection took me by surprise. It fit like it had been made for me. Turning around, I looked at it from all angles. The waist wasn’t tight, almost like an A-line dress, and the skirt hit slightly above my knees. The dress fell in soft drapes, accentuating my figure. It made me feel like I was beautiful, and that wasn’t something I felt all too often. I wondered if my mother and friends would like it as much as I did.
Stepping out of the dressing room, I clapped my hands to get everyone’s attention. They were standing at the window, watching the parking lot. Their demeanor was relaxed so I knew there hadn’t been any David sightings.
“Is this me, or what?” I smiled and twirled in a circle.
Dolly was the first to speak. She held her hands together in front of her chest, and she smiled. “I very seldom see you in anything but jeans or slacks, Sandi. Sometimes I can almost forget you’re a real girl with a figure. There’s no doubt about it now.”
Felicity walked over from the couch and rearranged a drape in the dress. “You’re gorgeous, dahling, and you’ll be the envy of every woman at the wedding, including me. I’ve got some jewelry at home that will set this dress off to perfection, and that’ll take care of the something borrowed part of the traditions, along with the something blue. I have some blue sapphires you’ll just love.” She stepped back. “I’d like to hug you, but I don’t want to ruin the dress.”
I turned to my mother and saw tears running down her face. “My baby is getting married.”
Glenna said, “You really do have an awesome figure, Sandi.”
“She gets it from me.” Mother sniffled and rummaged through her purse for a tissue.
Dolly and Felicity laughed, but Glenna just looked at my mother, apparently not sure if she was joking or not. She wasn’t.
One of the saleswomen stepped forward and shoved a tissue into my mother’s hand.
Following Jack’s example, I also bought some new undies and a pretty bra to wear with the dress. Needless to say, my mother measured me for size before I tried on the bra. “You have no idea how many women are walking around in underwear that doesn’t fit correctly.”
She was right. I tried on a different size and it fit like a lovely, lacey glove.
We finished at the bridal shop and headed for home, stopping at a sub sandwich shop to pick up food to take home with us.
“I’d like to get home and talk to Rick to see if he found anything at any of the vacant houses.�
�� The fun was over and it was back to the drama of the day.
I glanced at my watch when we pulled up in front of the house. It was five minutes to noon. Rick was standing on the porch, waiting for us.
I carried the dress and walked to the porch while my mother gathered up the food.
“Did you find anything, Rick?”
“Hello to you, too.” His expression looked grim, or was it my imagination?
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? How are you today, Rick? Now, did you see anything?” At the moment, polite chit chat wasn’t on my list of priorities.
“I did. At the house next door to Dolly’s. Smith must have figured out the people were gone, on vacation. I guess he figured if he picked a house where people lived, he’d have some amenities. Don’t get me wrong. Hernandez didn’t miss anything outside, but he couldn’t see inside the kitchen because the curtains were closed. Actually, what I found was from this morning.”
Exasperated, I asked, “And just what did you find?”
“The fresh leftovers from Smith’s breakfast.”
“How do you know it was from him?” I asked.
Rick looked down at his shoes, before looking back. He rubbed his hand on the side of his leg. “A note.”
“A note? You’ve got to be joking. What kind of note? Who was it to?” And what did it say? Fifty questions ran through my mind.
Rick handed me the note.
I took a deep breath and read it. “Sandi, Catch me if you can. The cops won’t find me. On second thought, I’ll catch you. Are we having fun yet? Yours, David.”
“What a jerk! If he left a note, then he’s not going back to that house. That’s not all bad because it means he can’t watch us anymore. Right?”
“Let’s hope so. There was nothing there to indicate where he’s gone. He must have realized we were looking for him or he wouldn’t have left a note for you.”
I couldn’t explain it, but Rick made me feel like he was holding something back.
“There’s more, isn’t there?”
“I think you need to keep an eye on Bubba.” Rick shaded his eyes and watched the street, apparently trying to appear casual.
“What did you find?”
His face tensed and belied his unconcerned tone of voice. “He used a box of rat poison like a paper weight, and there was a crude drawing of a dog on the box. Where is Bubba, by the way?”
My eyes automatically sought out Dolly’s house, where we’d left my dog. Panic seized my heart and mind, and I ran across the two yards to Dolly’s front door.
Chapter Twenty-two
I banged on the front door with one hand while I motioned Dolly over with the other.
Woof!
My heart started to beat again. Bubba was okay. He scratched on the door, wanting out.
Dolly’s little feet didn’t carry her as fast as I wanted them to, so I raced across the yard and grabbed the key from her. The other women stood on the curb, waiting to find out what was wrong.
“What’s happening?” Dolly asked. She sounded flustered and a little frightened, thanks to me, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Thankfully, nothing. I’ll tell you about it in a few minutes.” Running back to the front porch, I unlocked the door and opened it.
Rick remained on my porch and waited.
As soon as Bubba walked out of the door, I knelt down and hugged him. I’d never thought about it when Bubba entered my life, but he made a good target. This was the second time someone had threatened him. Someone had once tried to feed him poisoned hamburger, but fortunately he was a picky eater and Dolly had gotten it away from him before he finished sniffing the meat.
My neighbor climbed the steps and watched Bubba and me.
Standing up, I turned to Dolly and hugged her. She hugged me back.
“What was that about? Is Bubba okay?” she asked.
“I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know, Dolly. I was just thinking that if it weren’t for you, Bubba might not be here.”
She smiled. “I’ll always be here to take care of my loved ones, including Bubba. I promise you that. Now what’s this all about?” For some unexplainable reason, her squeaky little senior voice comforted me.
“Let’s go back to my house and I’ll explain everything.”
Bubba approached Rick and waited for a friendly greeting. Rick smiled and didn’t disappoint him, reaching down and scratching his ears. Bubba kept looking over his shoulder toward Dolly’s house, as though he couldn’t figure out what had just happened and why I’d been so excited to see him.
“Come on inside, Rick. I’d like you to tell the others what you found.” I unlocked the front door and everyone trooped inside. At least now I knew how David had seen what we were doing when the women snuck through the backyards. All he’d had to do was go upstairs and he could see both the front and the back of my house.
I’d thought ahead and brought a sub sandwich for Rick, too, so we ate while he told us what he’d found.
Bubba scratched at the front door and whined. I tried to ignore him. He eventually settled down, but he kept watching the door.
Dolly listened closely to our discussion about the rat poison before she set her sandwich on the table and stood up. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to go home for something.”
Bubba tried to follow her out the door, but I scolded him and sent him to the other room. He gave me a look of annoyance before leaving the room.
I turned back to Rick. “So do you really think he would have tried to poison Bubba?”
“I don’t think that box of rat poison was an empty gesture. It was a threat. He wants you to know he means business. He’ll get Bubba and your friends out of the way any way he can. I believe this, Sandi. He didn’t commit a murder in my jurisdiction, but I’m staying on top of this one. Even though Smith hasn’t killed anyone here, we know he’s in the area. I already talked to the Captain about it, and he’s behind me. I’m calling in more help. We’ve got to get this guy, and we’ve got to do it in a hurry. There’s a lot at stake here.”
“He killed a prison guard,” my mother reminded him.
“Yes, he did, but that crime wasn’t committed here – that’s why it’s not in my jurisdiction. I’m crossing a very fine line, but fortunately everyone seems to understand. I’m working hand-in-hand with the detective involved in the guard’s case. He seems relieved to have help.” Rick picked up a napkin and wiped crumbs off his hands. “He’s coming in this afternoon to start working from Los Angeles. He didn’t think David would stay in this area, but now we know he’s not leaving until he’s done what he wants.”
I knew he meant until David murdered me and got his revenge.
“Sandi! Sandi!” I heard Dolly yelling from outside just before the front door flew open.
“What’s wrong, Dolly?” I stood up and hurried to her side.
She was huffing and puffing and it took her a moment to speak. Her face was pale and tears streaked her face. Her granny glasses barely clung to the end of her nose. “It’s Miss Kitty. Come quick.” She pulled on my hand.
Rick jumped up and ran out the door, right in front of me and Dolly. The women followed us while we ran to Dolly’s house. Fear clutched my heart. We’d been worried about Bubba, and something had happened to Miss Kitty.
Rick was the first one inside the house, and we found him kneeling by a very sick cat. The cat had vomited and was lying in a pool of drool. Rick laid his hand on the cat’s side. “She’s alive, but just barely. You need to get her to the vet’s office in a hurry.” He turned and picked up Miss Kitty’s food dish with a paper towel. It appeared there wasn’t much food gone, thankfully. “When I came in she was trying to walk, but she looked like she was drunk and then she collapsed.”
“Mother, get my purse and car keys and meet me by the car.”
She didn’t question me and took off running.
I grabbed a kitchen towel off the sink and picked up Miss Kitty, carrying he
r to my car. Dolly followed close on my heels. I settled Dolly in the passenger seat and put the towel across her lap before I set Miss Kitty down.
My mother handed me my keys and purse.
“It’ll be okay, Dolly.” I ran around and climbed in the driver’s side, started the engine and took off, never looking back. I had no idea what Rick, my mother and the other women were doing – nor did I care at the moment.
I drove to my veterinarian’s office instead of Dolly’s because it was only a few minutes from home. Dolly cried and stroked the cat’s black coat. It was catching. I wanted to cry, too, but I knew I had to be strong or my friend would fall apart. I took a deep breath and blinked several times. Dolly traced a white patch on the cat’s head with the tip of her finger.
After pulling into the parking lot, I ran around and took the cat from Dolly. I rushed her into the vet’s office. “I think she’s been poisoned. It could be rat poison.”
The receptionist took the cat from my hands and ran to an examination room after knocking on one of the other doors. Dr. Lucas stepped out and she grabbed his arm, pulling him along behind her.
Turning, I found Dolly standing behind me. “Will she be okay?”
“I don’t know, Dolly. I think we found her shortly after she ingested the poison, if that’s what it was. She’s a sturdy cat even if she is small, and very healthy, thanks to you. All we can do now is wait.” How many times have people said those words? Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. It makes a person feel so helpless.
We sat down in the waiting room and held hands. My heart broke for this teeny tiny woman who loved her cat so much. I didn’t want to see something this ugly touch her life. It was all my fault.
“David!” I said, under my breath.
Dolly heard me. “Probably. He’s a very nasty man, Sandi. As much as I love Miss Kitty, I’m glad it’s not you being treated right now.” She patted my hand, which only made my guilt heavier to carry.