“You won’t have to be good company. You can be miserable company—but I’m not going to let you sit over here all alone sulking. I mean—that is so Clara-Alice.”
“I don’t feel like laughing, Lila, so don’t go all funny on me. And speaking of The One—is she going to the store with us?”
“No, she’s watching the cooking channel in my living room and sipping on a glass of port. I put the bottle next to her elbow.”
“Ooh, you are bad.”
“We need to think about a side dish to go with the chicken.”
“I can do something fancy with fresh yams.”
“Think of something else. Yams give me methane gas. Put a match to those fire logs and my whole house might go up.”
~~~~
Caburn had two things on his mind: Anna Nesmith and Anna Nesmith. He wasn’t getting any of his usual Saturday tasks done because he kept finding himself in another world envisioning himself with Anna. Not to put too fine a point on it, what he was envisioning was a naked Anna doing some exceptionally wonderfully things to him. Then he turned the vision around and he was performing incredible sexual feats that had her gasping and begging for more.
Well, maybe not begging, but making a lot of appreciative sounds. He didn’t tear himself away from the daydream until he thought he might be suffering cardiac arrhythmia.
He was sitting at the kitchen counter trying to make sense of Nesmith’s diary when his cell phone chirped.
“Hello, Frank.”
“I’m busy, Helen.”
“Well, you just got busier. You need to get over to Nesmith’s house.”
Caburn’s heart fell into his stomach. “What’s happened?”
“The old lady, Nesmith’s mother, has locked Anna in the basement. The neighbor, Lila Hammond called me. I slipped her my card yesterday while we were at the tea shop. The mother was giving Anna these funny looks. Kind of gave me the creeps. I’ll meet you there, but I gotta call Albert, first. And, Frank, be careful. Lila told me the old lady has been hospitalized a couple of times for psychotic breaks.”
Caburn shot a half-dozen red lights and knew traffic cameras were catching every infraction. As long as he didn’t get stopped. Now that he was in the 21st century, he could pay the damned things online. He made the trip in twenty-two minutes flat, and parked three houses down from Anna’s. Lila saw him moving across her yard at a fast clip and came out her front door to intercept him.
“Was Anna hurt, pushed down the steps?”
“No, nothing like that. She went into the basement for something. Clara-Alice told me Anna was messing in her things. She just shot the lock. I left to call Miss Callaway. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to call in front of Clara-Alice. When I went back over, Clara-Alice had locked me out. I have a key,” she said, giving it to him. “But I didn’t think I ought to go in...I mean, I’m not afraid or anything, but Clara-Alice is twice my size, and with her in this funky mood—”
“No, you did right, Miss Lila, you did real good.” It looked as if every light in Anna’s house was on. A light in the front bedroom went off.
Caburn exhaled. He was having an adrenaline rush and knew he needed to slow down and think this through. They went instead into Anna’s backyard. He was looking through the glass panes of the sunroom. He could see the old woman moving around in the kitchen. “Let’s wait a minute here. I’d rather not confront her, if we can avoid it. If she leaves the kitchen, we’ll slip in.” He was trying to watch Clara-Alice’s hands. Please God, don’t let her pick up a knife.
“Where’s the basement door?”
Lila pointed. “It’s off to our right. You can’t see it from here. It’s on the other side of the pantry. Geez, it’s getting cold out here.” She tucked her hands in her armpits.
“Here, you can have my coat,” Caburn offered. He was so stuffed with worry, he wouldn’t feel an ice cube down his back.
“No. no, that’s okay. It’s just my hands.”
“What set the old lady off—do you know?”
“Apparently, Kevin has been filling her mind with a bunch of BS—he told her Anna had asked for a divorce. Not true. He told her Anna was wasting his money or some such. Anna found out that Kevin has been borrowing money from his mom. Plus, he’s had Anna taken off their household account. Anna is kind of in limbo and Clara-Alice is cruising the ozone. And, then—there’s all the trouble Kevin is in at work—but you know that part.”
Yes, he sure did know that part. Clara-Alice was making a move. “Oh, where’s she headed?”
“Dining room... Okay, she’s turning into the hall. That leads to the bathrooms, and bedrooms.”
“In we go,” said Caburn, putting the key in the door and turning it as quietly as he could.
“I’ll just put a pot of coffee to perking,” whispered Lila. “That what I often do, so it’ll just seem normal.”
Caburn went straight for the basement door. He pulled back the sliding latch, allowing light to filter down the dark space. “Anna?”
“Down here,” she answered, her voice raspy.
“Why are you in the dark?”
“The bulb burned out. I came down to look for Kevin’s monthly diaries.”
Caburn went down the steps and sat down beside Anna on the lower step. He debated putting his arm around her or not. She sniffled and that decided him. He patted her shoulder, then slowly slid his hand up and down her back. She felt like cold silk beneath his palm. He closed his eyes, but only for a moment. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Come on; let’s get you upstairs where it’s warm. Miss Lila is making coffee.”
She didn’t move. “What about Clara-Alice?”
“She’s in the other side of the house. Helen is making arrangements to put her in the hospital. It’s a safety issue—for both of you.”
“I think she’s bi-polar, I really do. She’s up and happy one day and in the pits the next.” She buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God, my life is such a mess. I hate it that everything is crashing down at Christmas.” She wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I love Christmas.”
Caburn moved his hand to her shoulder, and when he felt no resistance, he pulled her a bit closer. Oh, lord, his johnson was acting like an erector set. The kitchen light trailed faintly down the steps. He could not see Anna’s expression in the shadows, but he felt her sadness. “Your life is not a mess. You’ve just hit a bump in the road. And the bump is not your doing.” He stood up and pulled Anna to her feet. “C’mon. Let’s have that coffee, and see what we can work out.”
Lila poured coffee for them. Anna sat at the table in her usual seat. Caburn had her move so that her back was not at the entrance to the kitchen. She had cobwebs in her hair and tear streaks down cheeks smudged with dirt and dust. Caburn stood, leaning against the sink. “Any sound out of Mrs Nesmith?” he whispered. Lila said, no.
He kicked off his loafers and moved silently throughout the house, listening at closed doors. Back in the kitchen, he slipped his feet back into his shoes. “No sign of her. Maybe she’s gone to bed.” He took off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of a chair, picked up his coffee, and kept vigil at the kitchen entrance.
A soft knock at the back door. Lila went to check and led Helen into the kitchen. Helen gave Anna a once over, taking in the distress that emanated from her, the tear-stained cheeks. “Are you all right, my dear?”
“Everyone keeps asking me that—the answer is no.”
Lila poured another coffee, handed it to Helen and pointed out the cream and sugar. “Black is good, thank you.” She took a sip. “Anna, we understand that your mother-in-law has had episodes before. Umm, we’ve gotten a judge’s order to have her committed for three days. After that, she can check herself out. The thing is, until we get this situation sorted out with Kevin, we want you safe. We want your-mother-in-law safe. So, do you have any suggestions?”
“I offered to put her up in a nice hotel u
ntil Kevin comes home. She didn’t want that. But now...Clara-Alice has good insurance and a decent pension. I’ve just discovered Kevin has been borrowing money from her—but I don’t know for how long or how much. She won’t say.” She looked from Caburn to Helen. “I know something has gone wrong with Kevin. I suspect he’s having an affair.”
Helen nodded. “I think that’s a fair assumption. I’m sorry.”
Anna bit her lower lip. Confirmed. Lila put a hand on her shoulder.
Helen’s phone vibrated. “Yes. Okay. Hold on.” She pressed the phone against her hip, “It’s the EMTs with the ambulance. They were told not to use the siren. They’re parked in Mrs Hammond’s drive. Should they come in front or back?”
“Back, if they don’t bring in one of those carts.” Anna took a deep breath. She felt as if she were in a very bad one-act play. “Clara-Alice is mobile. But—suppose she doesn’t want to go?”
Caburn watched Anna’s lips quiver. Albert was going to have to put a stop to this charade. They needed to figure something out and quit beating around the bush with this woman. She deserved better. He felt a slap on his back. Startled he spilled his coffee. “What the—”
Clara-Alice pushed around him. He flung out an arm to stop her. She ducked under, and went for Anna.
“Slut! I knew the minute I laid eyes on you, you weren’t right for my Kevin. You’re not supposed to have men in the house when Kevin’s not here! And you were digging in my things. Don’t touch my things! They’re mine! Evil slut! Evil slut—”
Anna stood so fast the chair toppled.
“Mrs Nesmith,” said Helen calmly, holding out her cell phone. “Kevin wants to talk to you.” She set Anna’s chair to rights. Clara-Alice stopped in her tracks.
“Kevin?”
“Yes ma’am. Sit right here,” she said holding out the phone. Sitting down, Clara-Alice accepted the phone, and put it to her ear. Helen placed her hands firmly on Clara-Alice’s shoulders. “Frank, why don’t you see who’s at the front door?”
Caburn turned, and Anna gasped.
“Frank! Stop,” Helen said. “Stand still.”
“Make up your mind, Helen.”
“I’ll answer the door,” said Lila, and within a moment was back with the EMTs. Clara-Alice looked up puzzled, then realization swept over her features. She started crying.
“Holy Hannah,” said the first EMT. He took Caburn by the arm, twisted a chair around and told him to sit sideways.
“I’m not the patient,” Caburn told him, jerking his left arm out of the man’s grip. He felt a burning sensation rip through his back.
“Don’t move your arm, buddy.”
Lila looked over the EMT’s shoulder with her RN-trained eye. “Those are embroidery scissors, sharp-pointed. The blades are about three inches long.”
The whooping siren and flashing lights of the second ambulance brought the neighbors out. Within twenty minutes, a resigned and tearful Clara-Alice was gently walked out to the first, and a dazed Caburn was placed face-down on a rolling cart in the second. Helen was on the phone to Albert Phipps explaining the situation. The neighbors retreated out of the cold into their homes. Anna stood on her front stoop, cold and speechless.
Lila stood next to her. “I am suddenly so tired, I can’t stand up,” she told Anna. “I’m going home and going to bed. Call me, if you need anything.”
Anna came out of her fugue. “Thank you, Lila. If you hadn’t made that call to Helen Callaway, I’d probably still be sitting in the basement freezing my fanny off.”
Lila shrugged. “That’s debatable. You know—it didn’t turn out too well. I can’t seem to get my mind around the fact that Clara-Alice stabbed Frank. I mean, I’ve seen her in those flash-flood temper tantrums she has now and then—but, wow—this one beats them all to heck speck.”
Anna agreed. She watched Lila into her front door, then her gaze swept up and down the street. Everyone had Christmas lights or decorations on their homes except her. Even Mrs Nagi, wheelchair bound, had a little tree twinkling with colored lights in her window. She determined she’d put up something, even if it was only a wreath on the door.
In the house she found Helen Callaway sitting on the sofa, Caburn’s jacket across her knees. She was on her cell phone, bending forward to write in her notebook that was open on the vast coffee table. She looked up when Anna came in and held up a finger. “Good,” she said into the phone. “That will take a lot of stress off on this end. Yes, I’ll meet you at MedSTAR.” She flipped the phone closed. “Sit down a minute, Anna. Let me fill you in. Both Frank and your mother-in-law are at MedSTAR. The hospital needs Mrs Nesmith’s insurance info. She’s committed a felony so she can be held past the seventy-two hours.”
Anna paled. “You’re going to charge her?”
“Only if we have to. Once she’s stabilized we can move her into a residential home for seniors. My boss had his mother in one in Maryland until she died and she was very happy there. They take the residents out on day trips, movies, the hairdresser; they even hold tea dances on Wednesday afternoons. They have an activity director, an RN and a doctor on staff.”
Anna ppondered for a moment. “What you’re proposing is fine with me, but shouldn’t Kevin have a say-so in this? I mean Clara-Alice is his mother.”
“My boss is going to meet us at the hospital and talk to you about Kevin.”
“This affair that Kevin is having...is it inappropriate?”
Helen inhaled. “Very inappropriate.” Helen watched Anna tremble for a few seconds before the younger woman regained her composure. “If it’s any consolation, Frank and I both pressured our boss to meet with you early on to let you know what is going on. Unfortunately, there are other issues, sensitive issues, and other people involved.”
“I see.”
“Yes, you probably do. There’s one other thing. Did Frank talk to you about Kevin’s diaries, the calendars?”
“Yes, that’s why I was in the basement. We keep a file cabinet down there for warranties, insurance policies, old tax returns, stuff like that. I thought Kevin might have filed them there.”
“Did you find them?”
“No. But the light went out, and then Clara-Alice locked me in.”
“Would you mind if either Frank or I look for them—at your convenience, of course.”
“No, I don’t mind. Help yourself.” In her mind’s eye Anna was seeing Frank Caburn on the stretcher, the scissors sticking out of his shoulder, the confusion on his face as he was wheeled out to the ambulance. She was recalling, too, how he’d sat down on the basement steps next to her, his arm around her, and the goose bumps that swept up her arms and legs that had nothing to do with the chill in the basement. “Umm, has anyone said how Frank is?” His name felt good on her tongue. Strong and comforting—like the man himself.
“He’s in X-ray. We should know more when we get there.”
“I’ll just get Clara-Alice’s things and my coat and purse. I won’t be a minute.”
Helen smiled. “You might want to wash your face.”
In the bathroom Anna stared at her reflection. She was an utter train wreck! Her face was smudged, as dirty as a five-year-old; her hair bunched up on one side and draped with cobwebs. It took five minutes to repair the damage—with comb, brush, a soapy washcloth and a bit of pink lipstick. She wasn’t going to church or out to dinner. This was a hospital visit fix. It would do.
She went into Clara-Alice’s room, found her purse hanging on a closet knob, quickly checked inside for wallet, ID and insurance card. All there. She hurried down the hall to her own bedroom. She opened the door and switched on the overhead fixture. Like she’d done a thousand times. A small yelp escaped. Helen came into the hall just as Anna was sliding down the door jamb.
“Whoa!” Helen tried to catch Anna; too late. Anna was on her butt, her forearms on her knees with Clara-Alice’s purse swinging between them.
“This is what she was doing while I was locked in the basement.”
Anna choked out the words in a whisper.
Every drawer in the room had been emptied, the clothes and shoes from her closet—once so organized—were scattered in heaps about the room. The feather bed had been shredded, feathers lying like snowflakes on every surface. Only the smell of mustard kept Anna from fainting. She spied the bottle, then the empty ketchup bottle and another, empty of honey. Even the dirty clothes basket had suffered—the clothes streaked with mustard splats. Oh. Her books. Some ripped and shredded into confetti, others splatted with mustard.
“Holy Hannah,” Helen whispered. The destruction was so complete it felt like a sin to speak in a normal tone of voice. She knelt down next to Anna. “Please, let’s just close the door on this. We can put you up in a hotel, and we’ll get you some help on Monday to clean it. But the psychiatrists need to know about this, Anna. This kind of destruction suggests incredible rage. No. It is rage.” She got to her feet, knee bones cracking. “I’m going to say something I shouldn’t. You cannot let this woman back into your life. Just imagining what might have happened if Mrs Hammond had not called me. Those scissors could’ve been plunged into your back—or worse.”
It did not need saying. Anna had gotten there on her own. She looked up at Helen. “I don’t know where in this mess is my purse and coat.”
“I’ll look. Where do you usually put them?”
Anna pointed to the door. “On the back.”
Helen stepped into the room, kicking aside clothes so she could look behind the door. She held out a shoulder bag and navy wool car coat. “She missed these, I guess. They look okay.”
“My lucky day,” Anna said, getting to her feet.
Helen took one last look around the room. “At least she didn’t break the mirror.”
“No, she wouldn’t do that. She’s superstitious.” Heart heavy, Anna closed the door on the destruction.
CHAPTER SEVEN
At the hospital Anna went to Emergency Admittance and gave the clerk Clara-Alice’s insurance information. She waited thirty minutes for the attending psychiatrist—a woman of an uncertain age, a bit wrinkled about blue eyes that emanated a gentle kindness. Anna liked her at once. The name tag read: Dr Joan Neal.
No Perfect Secret Page 9