The First Ladies Club Box Set

by J B Hawker

  “Can you maybe earn some money, somewhere, and get your own dresses?” one of the other girls asked.

  “I already have my Work Experience job, homework and karate. I don’t have time for another job,” Astilbe said, while Paisley nodded in agreement. Both girls had busy schedules.

  “What about borrowing a dress from someone from last year? I’ll bet there are lots of good dresses just hanging in closets getting dusty,” Zill suggested.

  “Oh, I can always wear my dress from last year’s Winter Ball, I suppose. It isn’t like I have to impress my date,” Paisley said. “Warren’s so focused on trying to get me out of my clothes that I don’t think he even notices what I’m wearing.”

  “Well, he’s an athlete, so he has stronger needs than the wimpy guys,” Hannah, a mousy girl sitting across the table said. “I wish I had a guy like Warren interested in me that way. Maybe you should be more cooperative, so he doesn’t give up on you and find someone friendlier.”

  “More power to him, if that’s all he wants,” Paisley said. “I’ve been thinking it’s time to stop fighting him, though.”

  “Patsy! You don’t mean...?” Astilbe began.

  “I mean it’s time to break up. He’s getting too annoying. After prom, I’m telling him it’s over.”

  *

  Before she could begin her story, a nurse had come into the room to adjust Hester’s IV and check her vitals. Once the two women were alone again, Hester sipped some water, coughed and fell back against her pillow in exhaustion.

  When she recovered, she began, “Like I said before, I grew up in foster care, moving from house to house every few years. I don’t remember any of my real family. When I was in junior high, I lived in a group home. The woman who ran the place had a son, Tommy. He was in his early twenties and handsome like a movie star. He was real nice to me. I thought he was gonna marry me and we’d go away together. I’d do anything for him. No one had ever made me feel special like he did. When I got pregnant, I was so happy and excited. But, when I told Tommy, he wasn’t happy, at all. He told his mom and she had a fit. She was so mad at me. She called me all kinds of names and took me to a doctor. When the doctor asked if I wanted the baby to go away, I tried to tell him I wanted to keep it, but my foster mother said if I did that, she’d send me away. So, the doctor took what he kept calling a ‘fetus’ out of my body. They killed my baby.

  “Tommy went away after that and the foster mother sent me to another home, anyway, just as soon as a place opened up. I sort of gave up. I got pregnant a couple of more times before I aged out of foster care. I knew the ropes, by then. I’d tell the foster parents and they’d send me to a clinic and the little problem went away. I’d already killed the baby I’d loved, so it didn’t seem to matter.

  “When I was too old for foster care I was put out on the street. I had no real education, no skills and no place to turn. I sort of drifted from man to man, sometimes for a place to stay and sometimes for the money. Every time I had another abortion, I felt more worthless.

  “I’m too old to worry about pregnancies, now, and too old for any man to want, too. I’m ready to go to hell, to get the punishment I deserve.”

  Hester fell silent then, the task of pulling air into her congested lungs seeming to require all her remaining strength.

  “Hester, do you know who Jesus is?” Judy asked.

  “My name’s Ann,” the woman breathed.

  “I’m happy to meet you, Ann,” Judy said. “Is the name of Jesus familiar to you?”

  Ann waved a feeble hand dismissively. “Too late for that nonsense.”

  “While you live, it is never too late,” Judy said. “You are obviously repentant about the life you’ve led. If you would like to avoid eternity in Hell, all you need to do is ask Christ to forgive you, accept that He died to forgive all your sins and ask Him to be your savior and Lord of your life.”

  Ann shook her head weakly. “Too late. I’m a murderer. Unforgivable.”

  “Christ forgives even you, Ann. Only ask Him. Would you like me to pray for you?”

  When the woman failed to respond, Judy took her hand and began to pray in a low voice.

  “What are you saying?” Ann asked.

  Judy repeated her prayer in a stronger voice, pausing between the phrases to allow Ann to indicate she heard before going on.

  “Would you like to join me in this prayer, Ann?” she asked.

  Ann nodded and the two women prayed, Judy saying the words asking Jesus to come into Ann’s life, forgive her and become her Lord, with Ann echoing the phrases between coughing spasms.

  The effort wore Ann out, but she was calmer. Her usual grimace relaxed and was gradually replaced by a weak smile.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Judy wasn’t sure whether Ann was talking to her or to the Lord, so she squeezed the woman’s hand without responding.

  They sat quietly for a few more moments before Judy left, feeling grateful for the blessings she had received that day.

  Chapter 9

  Detective Ransom was in Doctor Haleby’s office. He sat across from the doctor after disclosing the identity of the girl whose body had been found.

  “I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad news, Doctor,” Detective Ransom said. “At least you no longer have to wonder where your cousin might be.”

  “Yes, I appreciate you telling me in person. I never understood why Victoria would want to run away. The poor thing must have climbed into that chest to keep warm or something,” Doctor Haleby replied. “Anyway, it is a relief to put the whole business to rest after all these years.”

  “I’m afraid it won’t get any rest, just yet; not until we find out how your cousin died and why her body was found in your family chapel. Do you have any idea why she would have gone there?”

  “I’m afraid not. That chapel hadn’t been used for generations, as far as I know. It was in pretty sad shape. Even as children, we seldom went there. Victoria occasionally visited the estate with her parents, but never alone.”

  “Did many people know of the existence of that chapel?” Ransom asked.

  “It must have been general knowledge at one time, and I suppose hunters and hikers may have come upon it from time to time. Why do you ask?”

  “We’re wondering why the person who snatched your cousin would have taken her there.”

  “I see. So, are you convinced she was lured away and killed? Then might her killer have planned to conceal her body in the woods and simply stumbled upon the chapel?”

  “At this point, anything is possible. We are tracking down the known offenders from around the time she disappeared. Her injuries were particularly vicious, and it is probable this was not the culprit’s only offense. We are hoping he might even have been tucked up in prison for the past few decades, but we need to be sure. Thanks for your help, Doctor.”

  “Of course, of course. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance, Officer,” Haleby said, escorting Ransom to the door.

  After the waiting room door closed behind the detective, Bitsy, who had been lurking in the hallway during his visit, followed him as far as the reception desk, leaned her bulk precariously over Gwennie, and whispered into her ear, “That body up on the mountain, the mummy, remember? Well, it was Doctor’s cousin!”

  “How do you know that?” Gwennie asked, swiveling her chair around and throwing the heavy nurse off balance.

  Bitsy grabbed at the desk and managed to stay on her feet while knocking several file folders to the floor.

  “Sorry,” she said, glancing down, but making no move to pick them up. “I just happened to be outside Doctor’s office when the policeman told him the sad news.”

  “You just happened to stay there long enough to hear the whole conversation, I’ll bet,” Gwennie said in a strained voice while bending to retrieve her files.

  “I couldn’t help it. They spoke loudly and the door wasn’t quite closed. Anyway, what do you think we should do?”


  “Why should we do anything?” Gwennie shrugged, combing her unconvincingly auburn-colored hair with her fingers as she sat back in her chair.

  “Gwennie,” Dr. Haleby said, surprising the two women by emerging from the hallway to his office. “Will you cancel the rest of today’s appointments, please? I have some family issues to deal with.”

  “We are so sorry for your loss, Doctor. Is there anything I can do to help?” Bitsy asked with a soulful expression on her round, florid face.

  “What?” Haleby said, looking confused.

  “We couldn’t help overhearing your sad news. You must be so shocked,” Bitsy explained. “After all these years not knowing, it must be a little bit of a relief, too, though.”

  “So, you heard. Well, I need to let my family know about it, also, and make arrangements for a decent burial and memorial service. Gwennie, I think you’d better reschedule tomorrow’s patients, too. I will be back in the office, as usual, the day after. Any emergencies can go to the hospital ER,” he said before leaving.

  “You put your foot in it that time, Bitsy,” Gwennie smirked when he was gone. “Doc didn’t much like you knowing his personal business, even before he’d told his wife.”

  “Oh, pooh. He and I are very close. He considers me family. Besides, his wife isn’t interested in anything except her next drink.”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say!” Gwennie protested.

  “Well, it’s true. Everyone knows it. Poor Cassius has so much to deal with, already, what with his alcoholic wife, his tragic family history and all, and now he has this terrible news on top of it. If only I could do more to ease his burdens.”

  Gwennie rolled her eyes.

  “You needn’t worry,” she said. “His real family will help him deal with his grief, I’m sure. All his kids are successful and well-off. They’ll be able to fly home from the East Coast to comfort him...I wish flying was less expensive. James and I wanted to fly down to Disneyland last year and the price of even economy tickets was crazy. We finally decided to go camping, instead.”

  *

  Dr. Haleby was almost as distressed as Bitsy suggested. That his cousin’s body had been identified now, after all these years lying in the nearby forest, had shocked him. Learning the investigating officers were convinced she’d been murdered was even more disturbing.

  When he reached his modern, glass-fronted home on a hillside overlooking the town and the ocean beyond, he didn’t stop to admire the view as he usually did. Instead, he trudged up the wide steps to the flagstone veranda, leaning heavily upon his cane. He paused at the top, straightened his shoulders and opened the door.

  “Inez!” he called from the marble foyer. “Inez! I’m home. Where are you?”

  He heard a thump from the sitting room and found his wife on the floor reaching under the sofa. She was still in her nightgown, although it was late afternoon.

  “Inez,” he said.

  His wife sat back on her heels, holding a bottle over her head triumphantly.

  “I got it! And not a drop spilled, either, see?” she said, turning to Cassius. “I was lying down with one of my headaches and dropped my medicine. Is it dinnertime, already? I seem to have lost track of the time and I haven’t got anything planned. You won’t mind getting take-out from the Crab Shack, will you?”

  “No, I won’t mind. But it’s not quite dinnertime. I came home early to tell you something.”

  Inez got up from the floor, unsteadily, and flopped back onto the sofa.

  “What is it, Cassius? Has something happened to one of the children?” she asked, white-faced.

  “No, no. Nothing like that, but it isn’t very nice, either, I’m afraid.”

  “Tell me! What is it?” Inez urged, seeming to become more clear-headed.

  “You remember me telling you about my young cousin, Victoria? The one who disappeared as a teenager?”

  “Oh, yes. She ran away the very night your family home burned, leaving you all alone in the world.”

  “Yes, well, it seems she didn’t run away, after all, or at least she didn’t run far. Her remains were found up in the hills near here a few weeks ago.

  “Apparently, she died soon after she disappeared,” Cassius said.

  “They’ve only just positively identified the body.”

  “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry,” Inez said.

  “It happened a long time ago, of course, but there will have to be a service and a decent burial in the family plot. I’ll try not to burden you with too many of the details, but you will be expected to be there, so I do hope we can stave off your headaches until it is over.”

  Inez glanced at the bottle in her hand and swiftly put it on the end table.

  “I hope so, too,” she said, looking down.

  “I’m going into my study, now, to make the funeral arrangements and notify the children,” Haleby said, getting up.

  “What about Victoria’s parents? Your aunt and uncle?” Inez asked.

  “They were very upset when she disappeared, naturally enough, but they assumed she’d run away. They even told police Victoria had been behaving oddly, being moody and disrespectful for a few weeks before she left. Typical of a thirteen-year-old, really. However, my aunt blamed herself and her husband agreed with her. They split up about a year after the disappearance. They are both dead, now, however, so they will never know the truth.”

  “Oh. I do hope the children can all come home for the service. It’s been so long since they’ve been home together. I thought when they were growing up that all the work of raising five children would pay off once they were grown and we had a houseful of grandkids and all those great Norman Rockwell holiday gatherings. I never guessed they would all move so far away and never even come to visit. This house is too big for just the two of us, Cassius. I get so lonely. Why can’t we move to a smaller place?”

  “Don’t start in on that, Inez. We are not moving. This is my home. The subject is closed.”

  Dr. Haleby turned his back on his wife and went to his study.

  Inez sniffed, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and picked up the bottle.

  *

  The next day, Judy approached the nurses’ station at the hospital.

  “Hi, Tammy. I just looked in on Ann, the woman calling herself Hester Prynne. She’s not in her bed. Is she having tests?”

  The middle-aged nurse behind the desk checked her computer before responding.

  “I’m afraid that patient passed away, Mrs. Falls. The record says her heart failed around two this morning,” Tammy said.

  “Oh, no!” Judy said. “I thought she was improving.”

  “It happens that way, sometimes. Fighting pneumonia takes a lot out of a patient. Her heart just couldn’t take the extra load,” the nurse said while scanning the records. “There’s a note in the chart from yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Prynne changed her contact person from N. Hawthorne to you, Mrs. Falls. Did you know she was going to do that?”

  “No. She never mentioned it,” Judy said. “Poor thing. I guess she didn’t have anyone else. I’m just so thankful, though.”

  “You wanted to be her contact?” Tammy asked in surprise.

  “That’s not what I mean. Yesterday Ann gave her life to Christ. That’s why I’m grateful.”

  “So, her name was Ann, not Hester? Did she tell you her last name?”

  “I’m afraid not. But can you add a note to her record that her first name was Ann?” Judy asked.

  “Certainly. If you go down to Admitting and Discharge, they will give you the forms to fill out on the disposition of the body.”

  Judy looked surprised and was about to protest.

  “You are the contact person, now. There isn’t anyone else,” the nurse said.

  “Oh, of course. Do I have to do it immediately?” Judy asked. “I’d like to talk with my husband, first.”

  “If you prefer not to handle it, the body will be treated as an indigent and the county will cremate. Not being
related, you aren’t obligated to arrange a funeral or anything like that,” Tammy reassured Judy.

  “Thank you. I’ll get in touch with the discharge office as soon as I can,” Judy said and left the hospital. She walked the few blocks to Ken’s office at the church.

  When Astilbe had asked about Hester Prynne the night before at dinner, Judy told the family a little of Ann’s story. She told them she fully expected the unfortunate woman to have a complete recovery after turning her life to Christ and having her burden of guilt lifted. Judy was dismayed at the turn of events and needed Ken’s counsel.

  “Hi, Jane. Is Pastor in?” Judy asked the secretary who had jumped up from her desk and moved to block admittance to Ken’s office.

  “Hello, Judy. I’m afraid Pastor is very busy working on his sermon this morning. He asked not to be disturbed.”

  “I’m sure he won’t mind if I just pop in for a minute,” Judy said, sidling past the Guardian of the Gate, squeezing through the door, and quickly shutting it.

  Ken looked up and smiled, then walked over to his wife and reached around her.

  “You’ve caught your scarf,” he said and opened the door to release it. “You can leave when you’ve finished that letter, Mrs. Wilson,” he addressed his secretary who was still standing right outside the door. “I’ve decided to take my wife to lunch.”

  Draping the newly emancipated scarf around her shoulders, he kissed Judy and ushered her into the visitor’s chair.

  “To what do I owe this delightful surprise?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry to bother you at work, but...did you mean that about taking me out to lunch?”

  “Of course. If you want to,” Ken said.

  “Well, then let’s go and I’ll tell you all about it when we get to the restaurant. I need to mull things over in my mind a bit,” Judy told him.

  “You are being unusually mysterious, but, okay, let’s go.”

  *

  Once settled in a booth at The Boatworks coffee shop in the town’s quaint seaside mall, Ken took an appreciative drink of the rich, strong coffee, set down his cup and looked at his wife.