Lewis & Ondarko - Best Friends 03 - Now and Zen

by Deb Lewis

  But he only kept juggling.

  “Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t stop me, I’m the flimflam man. You, too, can be a winner.” Reaching out as if to grab her as Deb rushed by, his laughter echoed behind them.

  Turning a corner, she ran into a young woman in a waitress uniform running in the opposite direction.

  “Sorry, sorry,” she panted as she pushed by. “But I’ve got to get to the ferry before he catches up.”

  Debs eyes followed her as she was swallowed up in the dark, a man chasing close behind.

  “Don’t let him catch you,” she called out.

  Stopping to look around, she spotted a circlet of light off to the side.

  “Maybe we should check it out,” she said to Pat, and without waiting, she stepped off the path into the fog. Before her was a huge bed, covered in money. Sitting square in the center was a familiar figure, the rich man who lived on the island. On one side of him was his lover, and the other, his wife.

  This just gets weirder and weirder, she thought, stepping closer. The wife was showering him with dollar bills, while the other woman was busy stuffing them into a pillowcase. The wife had a hard smile on her face, and Deb saw that she held a pillow behind her back and was slowly pulling it out, moving it closer and closer to his face. Pat pulled on Deb’s arm, taking her back to the path.

  They were suddenly alerted by the sound of sobbing.

  “What’s that?”

  Moving slowly, they came upon a woman on a chair, face in her hands. Pat moved to comfort her, but stopped when the woman lifted her face

  “You can’t get in here,” she called out, “and I can’t get out, don’t you see? The cell bars are all around me. Do you have a key?” she asked hopefully. As far as Deb could tell, there were no visible bars, just a stool on which she sat.

  Shaking her head and wishing that she had a key, she watched as Lotta started to cry again. Turning, she reached out to Pat. Before she could even call her name, she felt herself falling, down… down… down.

  Will I ever stop falling? She anticipated the hard ground coming to meet her body, wishing she still had a few extra pounds of fat to shield the impact. What a silly thought! Somehow it made her feel a bit better. I’m falling endlessly through space.

  Just as she reached the ground and braced her body for the blow, she felt hands on the back of her neck, gripping it tightly.

  Help me! she screamed. I need help!

  “You don’t need my help,” a calming voice replied. “You know you’re strong. There is evil in the world, it’s true. But you are only dreaming. Come, take my hand. I’ll bring you back. But I can’t stay. I have much to do tonight.”

  Deb felt a hand on hers. And it was enough.

  She jolted upright, her whole body perspiring, and rubbed her eyes. It was only a dream. I dropped off while reading or saying my prayers, and I dreamt it all.

  She took a deep cleansing breath, willing her heart to slow down to a normal beat. Quietly, so she wouldn’t wake the others, she went into the bathroom and washed her face and hands. Then she cupped her hands and drank some of the cold water. It tasted so good.

  A dream, she thought, going back to bed and turning out the light. Only a dream. But was it? It sure felt real. Who was that who helped me? And where was Pat when I needed her?

  Determined to get back to sleep and trying to convince herself, she lay down.

  Only a dream, she thought, repeating it like a mantra in her mind. Only a dream. But still, wait till I tell Pat about this one. No. I’m not going to wait until the sun comes up, when I feel too silly to tell her. Pulling down the covers and putting her feet firmly on the floor, she padded her way into the next room to tell Pat.

  Pat was still awake.

  Deb’s hesitantly pushed open the door. Pat pulled back the covers and moved over to make room, open to hearing whatever she had to say.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  June 23

  “Pat, what in heaven’s name is the matter?” asked Deb, opening her friend’s bedroom door the next morning. “You look worried.” You look distracted, she thought. Two eggs short of a dozen.

  “I’m okay.” Pat got up from the bed, her words meant to assure herself more than Deb. Walking past the antique dresser mirror, she saw a strange woman looking back at her, hair like a peacock’s feathers sticking out and up in the back of her head. Pushing it down, it immediately popped right back up.

  “I was thinking about the woman, you know, Mida, the one that disappeared.

  “You gave her a name?”

  “Just so I could think more clearly about her. I know it’s not her real name.” She was busy pulling things out of her overnight bag.

  “Aha, she said triumphantly, pulling out a hair brush and trying to get her hair under control. “I think I know where she is.”

  “Really?” Deb asked skeptically, sitting down on the bed to listen. “Did it come to you in a hot flash dream? One of those personal hot tropical moments?”

  “I would rather not talk about menopause, if you please,” Pat said, concentrating on her brushing.

  “Enough,” Deb said impatiently. “Talk.”

  “Well, I still think she’s not a real woman at all.”

  “How did you come to that conclusion? You mean she’s a man dressed as a woman?”

  “No, that would be interesting, but too silly.”

  As if any idea was too silly for you, Deb thought.

  “No, it’s a lot of stuff that has been happening: the journals and what some of the other women have said.” Putting down the brush, Pat turned to face Deb.

  “And I swear I saw her take Sarah’s hand at the fire last night. Really. And what about the dream you shared with me last night?”

  “That was just a person and my dream wasn’t real,” Deb said, trying hard to forget how she had felt in the dark the night before.

  “Dreams are sometimes more real than you think.”

  “I know, but who else saw her at the fire?”

  “Lots of folks. But listen, please. I went around asking, and the strangest part is she always looked different to each person. Sarah, for instance, saw the woman as a grandmotherly type, and I saw her as my age.”

  “Ahuh,” Deb said. “Like you’re not a grandmotherly type? Sorry, it just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would she use the ferry to escape?”

  “Okay, this is the crazy part. I think she belongs to the island. She could be some spirit that protects it and the people here, and at solstice she leaves it for a day or so and then comes back to start the new cycle all over again.”

  “Puh lease. What has that Doc been giving you for menopause? Ask her if I can have some. Do you think she’s some kind of Zen Goddess of the island or something?”

  “Maybe. Remember what that woman said to you on the bench the other day? Come on Deb, listen to me. This is important.” She turned away sighing.

  Deb took the brush from her and began to brush Pat’s hair.

  “I’m just trying to understand.”

  “Anyway, whether it’s a spirit or not, I don’t think they’ll ever find her. She just isn’t meant to be found.”

  Maybe, just maybe, Deb thought, shaking her head, skeptically.

  “Yeah sure,” she said. “Tell me, friend, just how are you going to spin that one for our dear detective?

  “Easy,” Pat said with a grin. “I’ll just convince his wife, and she’ll convince him!”

  * * *

  “I’ll be right back,” Pat said to the others. They were picking up trash on the street outside Lotta’s and putting it into the can tied to the back of Bev’s scooter. “I have to clean off the message board.” Pat walked up to the board posted outside the door. There were several scraps of paper tacked to it. She reached up and took them down in turn. Reading each one, she smiled.

  Noreen: Remember to call your mother.

  She’s waiting to hear from you.

  Thanks for the great ti
me! See you next year.

  Next year, ask Coco’s to cater the food. (Just kidding)

  She reached for the last note, written in perfect small script.

  Pat and Deb: Happy summer solstice. Thanks for coming.

  I was trying to think of a gift I could give you two, so I decided

  to give you a mystery. Hope you enjoyed it. Safe travels.

  Pat re-read the last note and shook her head. Folding it in half, she tucked it carefully into her pocket and walked towards the cabin.

  “Thanks for the gift,” she said, raising her face to the sky and laughing out loud. Thinking of the good coffee awaiting her, she left to meet her friends and help finish the cleanup.

  * * *

  “Need more coffee?”

  “You bet.” Pat held up her cup. “This has definitely been an espresso weekend.”

  “I know what you mean,” the Beach Club waitress said. She hesitated. “Can I sit down for a moment?”

  “Sure,” Pat said, looking up in surprise and pulling out a chair. “What’s up?”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you might be looking for me.” She noticed Pat’s blank stare. “I think I’m one of your missing women. At least, that’s what your mother told me.”

  The woman now had Pat’s full attention.

  “Tiny old wrinkled woman with a fancy cane?”

  “And great clothes? Yes, that’s her.”

  “So Mom thought you might be the missing woman? For a dead woman, you look pretty lively to me.”

  The girl chuckled nervously.

  “Your Mom was in this morning. Jessie, right? And she got to talking… “

  “That’s my Mom alright.”

  “So, she told me who your missing suspects were, and she thought I was the missing girlfriend.” The woman looked around to see if anyone needed coffee.

  “Just a minute,” she said, getting up and making a quick round with the pot. She returned to the table and settled back in. “You see, I had a fight with my boyfriend, and well, more than a fight, and I went over on the ferry for the day to clear my head. The very same ferry when someone was thought to disappear. So, is it me?”

  The woman acted like she was in some Agatha Christie mystery, and was about to win the prize.

  “Tell me one thing,” Pat said. “Did you leave a note?”

  “A note? No,” she said, with a puzzled expression. “I don’t think… wait a minute, I started to leave one for my roommate, and then I lost it. Is that the one you mean?”

  “That might be it. Thanks, and congratulations.”

  “For what?”

  “For being alive.”

  “You’re welcome. Gotta go.”

  As she rose to leave, Pat stopped her.

  “Just one more question, if you don’t mind. I’m curious. Why did you come back?”

  The woman thought for a minute.

  “I wasn’t going to. The strangest thing happened. While I was sitting over at the Big Water Cafe in Bayfield waiting for my ride, a woman came over with the pot and offered me another cup of coffee. I remember feeling grateful because I always pour coffee for other people.

  “‘Looks like you’ve been having a hard time,’ the woman said.

  “I burst into tears. After I told her what had happened, she said an interesting thing. She said - and I’ll never forget it - you don’t have to give up something you love because you’re afraid. And I decided she was right. Then the woman got up and moved away.

  “Oh, and here’s your mother’s tab. She said you were good for it.” As the waitress stood, her thoughts had already returned to the extra tips she had made during the retreat.

  Can’t wait to get to Duluth for the Macy’s sale, she thought.

  Mothers, Pat thought.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  June 23

  Noticing that Bev hadn’t come inside with the others, Pat walked up behind Bev on the street as she was packing up her Tarot paraphernalia.

  “Need help?”

  Bev hesitated only a moment.

  “Yes, that would be great. Can you help me with this table?”

  “Sure.” Pat started to collapse the card table. “I’ve been thinking about that reading you did for me the other day.”

  Bev’s cheeks pinked.

  “It was pretty terrible. Sorry. I’m really just learning, and sometimes I say stuff that makes me just want to poke out my third eye.”

  Pat laughed.

  “Funny! No, really, I think the cards were spot on. I was that silly Jester in the middle of things making a whirlwind with this retreat. Trouble is, the cards were true. We just weren’t interpreting them quite right.”

  “Isn’t that the way it goes?” Bev pulled out a notebook from her pile of books. “Lets see, here it is. Five of Pentacles reversed could mean there will be strife, but it doesn’t have to have a bad outcome. So that would be the retreat, I guess. For this card, it’s all in the attitude. And you are the Jester,” she said, looking up and softening the words with a smile. “At least in this reading.”

  “The Chariot card represents you at your worst, when you always feel you know best no matter what, or, at your best, you helping and making things better. Then there were the Tower and Swords cards. You could think of the missing woman being away in the tower, but that could mean either it’s because she was being held, as shown by the presence of the swords, or because of her choosing to take herself away. Maybe your theory of the woman being a spirit could fit for her.”

  “The Devil card could be about a battle of light and dark at solstice, and evil appearing to get the upper hand,” Pat said.

  “But in the end, the Death card could mean new beginnings, for you, or for the island, rather than the actual death of the woman.”

  They looked at each other.

  “So, do you want me to do another reading?” Bev asked, with a twinkle in her eye, “not the third one. I’ve got my cards right here,” she said, holding up her hand.

  Pat hugged her.

  “Actually, I would, but not now. In the end, I guess I know it’s always up to me what happens.”

  “Spoken like a true Jester. Pat, there’s something else I want to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I knew about Lotta, but I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s my friend. And once you say something, there’s no taking it back. Maybe you should talk to her.”

  Pat nodded.

  They packed everything up and headed inside to meet their friends.

  * * *

  Deb sat out on the front steps of the cabin, enjoying the moment of waiting for the others to finish packing.

  As she looked around, she noticed that the foliage on the trees seemed to be bursting with crisp greens. The grass was still kissed with dew. Lupine and trillium were in full bloom in the beds around the steps.

  Deb inhaled, feeling gratitude and taking in a breath of fresh, crisp air. A line of women meandered happily past her, pulling suitcases behind them as they made their way to the ferry.

  A young girl ran up to Deb, thrusting a small bouquet of Johnny jump-ups into her hands.

  “Here,” she said with a shy smile. “Thanks for inviting us.” She turned and ran quickly to her place in line. Deb waved her hand at the mother who was patting the child on the back.

  “Thanks,” the woman mouthed back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  June 23

  Walking inside the cabin, Deb and Pat sat with their friends, enjoying one last chat before leaving. Their packed bags were piled next to the doorway.

  “So you didn’t have to convince anyone about your weird theory? And that’s it?’

  “Yup, I think so.” Pat leaned back on her chair legs just like she always told her son not to. She ran her fingers through bangs that flopped right back down on her forehead.

  “Let’s see, Gary says…”

  “Wait a sec,” Noreen int
errupted. “The detective lets you call him Gary now?”

  “Sure. At least when he’s not around to hear it,” Pat said a little sheepishly.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Anyway, do you want to know the scoop, or not?”

  “Oh, oh, someone didn’t get her nap,” Julie teased.

  Pat pretended to scowl.

  “Come on, Pat, we’re dying to hear,” Bev said. “We’ve been so busy ‘retreating,’ by which I mean leading workshops, serving meals, and picking up garbage, that we haven’t had a lot of time to figure out the mystery.”

  “Yeah, remind me to be gone when these two invite us again for a relaxing weekend retreat,” Carolyn agreed.

  “Oh, come on, Carolyn. You know you had a great time.”

  “I did,” she admitted. “But fill us in. What happened to our suspects, and was there really a woman?”

  “Let’s see,” Pat said. “LeSeur found the woman that Deb heard about from the jealous wife. Remember the one who was cheating with her husband? My goodness, I almost pity that poor husband. I said I almost pity him,” she added, after noticing their surprised stares. “It turns out the woman went off to her mother’s home to reconsider her role of being the other woman. She decided she just wasn’t cut out for it.”

  “Especially,” Pat said with a twinkle, “when she found out that her boyfriend’s wife was the one with all the money and not him.”

  “I never thought that one was a real candidate, but what about my guy in the bathroom?” Carolyn asked eagerly. “Now, there’s a real suspect. He had motive and opportunity. And he was horrible. You didn’t hear him. I did.”

  “I’m surprised you could hear him through the wall. What did you do, put your ear up against it?” Linda teased. “I’ll bet the F.B.I. would just love to sign you up for bathroom duty.”

  “Well, you’re right,” Pat interrupted, “he did have opportunity, and he is certainly a bad character, but it turns out he was just showing off to his friend. I just talked to his girlfriend at the Beach Club, where she works as a waitress. He hit her once and she was gone. Unfortunately for him she has two big brothers. You won’t be listening to him through bathroom walls anytime soon.”