by Alexie Aaron
"Did he say anything else to you?" prompted Buslowski.
"He called me a big baby for crying, but that was all. You came, and you know the rest." I sat back and sniffed the coffee before I took a tentative sip. “Good coffee. Can I go now?"
Buslowski looked at me wryly. "Did you find out anything else at the hospital?"
"You were with me most of the time." I held up my thumbs so he could see the red angry marks.
"I know you visited him."
"I didn't really ask. I felt that I had done the job of finding him, so I backed off and just visited with him."
"That doesn't sound like you."
I held up my thumbs again. "I think I’ve had enough espionage for a lifetime, Sergeant."
"Let's go back to Perez. How did you know that was Manuel Perez, and what does he have to do with Father Williams?"
"I know that I probably jumped the gun on identifying him. I was just showing off. Was I right?"
Buslowski nodded.
"Cool. Just put one and one together. I don't know why Father Williams is down here. Maybe you should ask him about Perez. And while you’re at it, I would be very interested to know what the hell he does for the Church."
"Back to Perez."
"He didn't show up for work according to the staff at the school, and when we found that body in the back, I just got the uncomfortable feeling that it was him. I never knew him in life - it was just a gut feeling."
"Harry mentioned that maybe Father Williams was looking for Perez."
"You'll have to ask him about that. Harry gets good hunches. Remember, he pegged Tobias and Manfred as the killers long before you or I did. He’s a pain, but he is good at figuring things out."
"Father Michael said he pulled the debris down on himself accidentally, but he told you that it wasn't an accident."
"I told you what he said to me. You have to ask him. Remember, Harry and I were looking for him. We thought that he was investigating something, but as I recall we were just guessing. We really didn't have much more than that toy drive flyer and an overheard conversation between priests to go on. That and the..."
Buslowski shook his head as a warning, and I stopped talking.
"I’ve been very cooperative, considering." I crossed my arms, which was difficult to manage while holding a cup of coffee.
"Tina, I think that’s all. Could you print that up and have Ms. Fin-Lathen sign it, after she reads it, of course."
Tina smiled, reached back to the printer and handed me the form. Ah, the miracle of computers. I read it over and signed it and handed it to the young lady. She mentioned she would be back with copies and left the room.
Buslowski moved behind his desk and sat down. He unlocked a drawer and pulled out the marble bag. He opened it, and I leaned forward as he counted out the marbles and the diamonds.
"So we’re back to the diamonds," I said. "Did you find anything out?"
"My expert tells me that these are old stones taken probably from a setting or several settings. They’re real and worth about two hundred thousand combined."
"So they're not blood diamonds?"
"Nope, probably family heirlooms and not terrorists' currency."
"Well, that's a relief. The last thing I want to be involved in is anything to do with terrorists."
"Does Father Williams know you have them?"
"No, but his housekeeper does."
"I think I’ll give these back to you to deal with." He scooped them up and put them in the bag. He handed them to me. "Put them somewhere safe."
I stood up and put them in my front jeans pocket. I smiled as I patted my safe place. Buslowski frowned and shook his head.
"Can I go now?"
"No, I’ve something to discuss with you."
"If you're going to yell at me some more, it isn't necessary. I heard you loud and clear."
"It's about the hospital. I think I bungled things up between us."
"You think," I said sarcastically.
"I'm under this pressure. I get gut feelings too, and my gut said you were lying to me."
"No, you asked if I knew where Michael was and I told you he was in surgery. And I was telling you the truth that he was in surgery, just not the right room. It's not my fault that someone else screwed up." I cleverly avoided telling him that I wasn't lying then because I was. "We worked together, or sort of together, before, and I thought you knew me well enough to not hide a priest that needed surgery from the police. Hell, I remember being accused. Wait a minute. Is this about Father Michael disappearing out of that hospital in London? Well, that wasn't my doing either. He left on his own accord." Technically, it was with the help of my pagan witch friend, but I didn't need to go into specifics.
"You certainly have a knack of getting yourself into trouble."
"It would appear so. I'd blame Harry and the drink, except Harry wasn't in England, and I've only had two drinks in the last couple of months. Maybe I'm cursed."
"I think you just like helping people. Now what do I have to do get you to stop sticking pins in me?"
"I guess we could call a truce, and you could try to understand that you cuffed me in front of some very chatty people in my community. And really, there’s nowhere I could go that you couldn't find me."
"So am I forgiven?"
"Forgiven, but not forgotten. Believe me, I will think twice before doing anything to cross you," I said overdramatically.
He got up and crossed over and shook my hand, sealing the truce. We walked out together, and as I stopped to unlock my car he asked. "So you think you're an alcoholic?"
I turned and looked up at him. "No, but there were times I did a remarkable impression of one. Impressed me enough to let go of my drinking ways."
"So asking you out for a drink would be a bad idea."
"Liquor-wise no, but I think that there's chemistry between us. Good or bad, it's chemistry. I wouldn't have been so pissed if it were someone else cuffing me, but you? So, in order to keep me on the straight and narrow, I’m going to decline."
Buslowski smiled and straightened up. "Must be the uniform. All the ladies like a man in uniform."
I smiled, shook my head and got in the car. Let him have his big head and enjoy some ego. Maybe it would keep him off track long enough for my houseguests to depart and leave me once again in peace.
I wondered as I drove home whether I had meant anything I just said to him. Either I was good at lying or good at lying to myself. Either way, it had bought us some time to find out what was really going on at Lake Okeechobee.
Chapter Sixteen
Arriving home used to be such a pleasure. I had a nice empty four-bedroom ranch house with a heated pool. My children, both college age, had abandoned me for higher education. Noelle, my eldest, was now in the doctorate program at the University of Exeter in Devon, England. My son Alex was in his junior year juggling an emerging music career and abnormal psychology at Florida State. I figured with the antics of his mother and friend Harry, abnormal psychology was a walk in the park.
My husband, ex-husband, Luke, who we like to say makes cameo appearances in our lives, is a corporate pilot and spends most of his life flying rich executives around the world. His job even with all its benefits was still all consuming. He was on call 24/7, and although it provided a nice income, I missed him. The longer we were married, the less I knew about him. The defection of him from our marriage shouldn’t have come as a shock to me. He was less and less there for me. He was my man of mystery.
And one mystery I was pondering as I drove was how my daughter knew about Lucy Blues. What I had gathered from the priests was that it was an ordinary blues bar but had something extra and secret going on upstairs. They wouldn't elaborate and neither would Noelle. It was possible she knew of the place from her father, or a boyfriend? Hell, she was a damn fine researcher , maybe she Googled it.
Now Harry’s relationship to us has always been difficult to explain. We met Harry when he and Alex wer
e in high school. He was a frequent visitor to our “no questions asked” guest room. His family life was a mess so we shared ours with him, which should have made him more confused than stable but it suited him. His father took off when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, leaving him to nurse her through her final days. Harry did this without a word to anyone. We never knew or we would have been there for him. Harry and I got reacquainted when I was suspected of murdering a band member of my community group. My son asked him to look after me, and I haven't been able to get rid of him since.
Harry and Luke got along, and although the divorce angered my friend, he thinks we are better off not married. Luke likes Harry. He is the posh son who always dresses smart. Alex's fashion is still a mystery defying classification. Harry refers to my son as a pig, and Alex calls him Felix after the neat fussy character in the Odd Couple. Harry moved in with us when his lease expired. He didn't ask, and I didn't offer, but he took over Noelle's room much to her disgust.
So, I didn't have an empty house to come home to, thus pushing the empty nest syndrome that I was looking forward to on the back burner. However, I still didn't want to come home to Michael's Aunt Diane or four commando priests. I warily turned into my driveway and pushed the garage door opener. It worked! As it raised, I crossed my fingers and prayed that there would only be one familiar jeep in the garage. Yes! Woo hoo! Just Harry's jeep, parked in Luke's space. I would have to have another conversation with Harry about taking Luke's spot. It would start a war if Luke came home tired and couldn't park his car in the garage. True, Luke shouldn’t be living there at all, but until he got on his feet and left, I wanted to keep the delicate peace between us.
I joyfully entered the house.
"Harry?" I called as I walked through the house. I found him in Noelle's room chatting on the phone.
He waved at me as I smiled and closed his door. “At last peace," I said to myself. Please be careful when you tempt fate with three innocent words like that. Fate thinks it’s funny to give you the opposite. While I was rummaging in the refrigerator, the doorbell rang. Still holding a jar of gherkins I went to answer the door. I looked through the peephole and saw only a neck. I turned on the outside light and saw only an illuminated neck.
"Cin, it’s me, Betty." The neck sans adams apple jiggled, ah, female.
I opened the door and hissed, "Are you alone?”
"Yes."
"No Aunt Diane?"
"No. I left her in Palm Beach," Betty said with growing irritation in her voice.
I opened the door wide and let her in. "Come on in. I was just making myself something to eat. You hungry?"
"A lady my size is always hungry." She followed me into the kitchen.
I pulled every kind of sandwich fixing out of the fridge and added several different kinds of bread to the counter, and we went about making ourselves sandwiches that no restaurant would dare put on the menu.
"How is Michael doing?" I asked, passing her the mayo.
"He was sleeping when I left him a few minutes ago. I promised Diane I would check on him, which was my excuse to come back out here." She was looking around the counter and smiled as she found the cheese. "I just love Munster. Where's Harry?"
"Down the hall on the phone. I guess I should offer him a sandwich, but it would be more peaceful if I didn't," my voice faded away in a sigh.
"Ah, choices," Betty commented.
I didn't know if she meant the array of food before us, or whether or not to have Harry join us. I opted not to disturb Harry, and we took our food into the dining room to eat in peace.
Betty looked around and complimented me on the decorating. I told her it was a collaboration, and I couldn't take full credit. Noelle had more say in the color design than I did. We had worked our way through most of our food before Harry made an appearance. He went over and gave Betty a big hug and started to help himself to what was left on my plate.
I smacked his hand, "Get your own. I left everything out."
"I will later. Don't you want to ask me?" Harry said with his hands out.
"Ask you what?"
He looked crushed. "Where the Marx brothers are?"
I started laughing. "The Marx brothers. Yes, I have to confess I was a bit surprised to see them gone."
Betty looked up. "Marx brothers?"
"Father David and some friends," I said cautiously, not knowing whether Betty should or did know.
"Oh them, they’re at the condo," she said.
"I wanted to tell her," Harry pouted.
"Well, go on tell her." Betty waved a sandwich-laden hand at Harry.
"While you were gone - you were gone a long time by the way. Anyway, we had a meeting of the minds and decided that Father Michael would need protection until we figure out what's going on. Aunt Diane..."
"She's not your aunt," I cautioned, looking over at Betty.
"Diane then, where was I? Oh, Betty has rented her a four-bedroom condo on the Intercoastal just across the bridge. It's on the top floor with a nice roof garden and has a boat slip. It has some big advantages that we don't have in our humble abode."
"Sounds great, kudos to you-all because, frankly, I didn't know how to tell Luke about his having to share this home with four priests," I said, picking up a forkful of potato salad.
"Speaking of Luke, have you called him yet?"
"Nope, for three reasons: One, I don't remember where he is time zone wise. Two, I don't know where we are with this investigation - I hope we’re done. And three, frankly, I wouldn't know where to start when he asks how my day was."
"You use frankly a lot.” He looked at my irritated face and asked, “Bad day?"
"No, it was a good, bad, worse, horrible, and a long day." I looked at Betty, and she nodded an understanding.
Harry started to knead my shoulders, and I felt some of the tension leave my body. "You've had challenging days before. At least you didn't end up in the hospital, and you still have both your shoes."
Betty looked at me. "What's this about your shoes?"
I explained that for some reason lately I had been destroying or losing footwear at an alarming rate.
"Let's see: one was run over by a train, another by a tractor, and it seems to me quite a few of them are in forensic files here and there." I thought a moment. "Come to think about it, I nearly lost six pairs in Savannah as my friend Harry here thought it would be best to put all my right shoes in one bag and then misplace the left shoe bag." I looked up at Harry. "Did all the shoes return?"
"Yes. At least I think so. I better go look."
I caught his hand. "Forget it, relax. I'll check later."
Harry went into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich while Betty and I retired to the comfy sofas in the living room. I waited until Harry returned to tell them both about my time at the police station.
"I think Michael will have to explain some things to Buslowski, but otherwise I think we're in the clear. And the diamonds." I reached in my pocket and pulled out the bag. "They’re real, probably family heirlooms. Whose family? I really don't know, but I better return them." I opened the bag and made sure all was well before attempting to hand them to Betty who shook her head.
"Give them to Mikey when he’s settled. I don't think his aunt knows about them, and it would be better, I think, if she didn't. Better for you as you would have to explain why you took them, and Mikey would have to explain where they came from." She smiled weakly. "And, better for me because I knew all about it."
"So, I'm not the only one that fears the wrath of Aunt Diane." I sat back and sighed. "Okay, where are we now?"
"Florida," my partner in the absurd piped in.
"Cute, Harry, cute. I mean, are we finished?"
"We found Michael and delivered him. He wasn't in good shape, but it wasn't our fault." Harry rolled his eyes. "The Fathers are going to take care of things from here, so I think we’re finished."
"Betty, do you have anything further?"
"No, I
have a check here from Miss Williams." She opened her pocketbook and handed it to Harry.
Harry's eyes opened wide, and then he handed it to me. My eyes opened even wider. I was about to say that it was too much, but Harry was stepping on my foot, hard.
"Thank you. This is very generous."
"You did good. Frankly. Hell, now I’m using it, I figured that the boy had gotten himself in big trouble, which he did. But you got him back, and Diane is joyful. She still isn't singing your praises though, so I would avoid her at all costs."
"Hey, I didn't seek her out this time." I put my feet up on the coffee table. "I can't believe how quickly I got on her bad side."
"Water under the bridge, and speaking of bridges, I better cross a few and head back to Palm Beach and keep an eye on things. Those Marx brothers can be a handful."
Betty got up, and Harry walked her out to her rental car and joined me on the porch to wave to her as she pulled out. We waited until we were in the house and had shut the door before we started jumping up and down.
"Nine thousand dollars!" Harry shouted, dancing around.
"So we’re finished?" I asked again.
"I think so. The guys said they would only call on us if they had a question that we would be able to help them with. So what'll we spend it on?"
"First, I think I will have to give you a lesson in self employment and taxes."
"I don't like the sound of that," Harry grumbled.
"It can wait till tomorrow. After all, we do need to celebrate. What should we do?"
The ringing of the phone stopped our discussion. Harry ran to answer it. It was Luke, and he was on his way home from the airport. I don't know how Harry convinced him, but he agreed to stop and pick up a bottle of champagne. Harry ran to the kitchen to make some snacks but took time to remind me that I should clean up because Daddy was coming home and I looked like hell.
Chapter Seventeen
"Now if we treat this as a partnership..."
"No more," Harry cried. "My head is busting. You’ve taken all the fun out of detecting."