by Ann Mullen
I made the bed and then went to the kitchen for breakfast and a chat session. Billy was putting food on the table when I walked in. I kissed him on the cheek, and then went over to Maisy.
“Good morning,” I said to Jonathan, and then glanced out of the kitchen window. “And what a beautiful day it is. The snow has stopped and the sun is out. I guess we didn’t have such a bad blizzard after all. It sure is beautiful out there. Everything is white.”
“You haven’t been outside,” he replied. “There’s at least eleven inches on the ground. We didn’t get all they called for, but we got enough. We’re snowed in.”
“For the moment,” Billy added. “But not for long. We’re going to plow the driveways and Bear Mountain Road, so we can all get out. We have business to attend to.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said as I went over to Maisy and picked her up. She hugged me and tried to pull my ponytail. I snickered, and then walked over and kissed Ethan on the forehead before I sat down at the table close to him. I propped Maisy in my lap and waited.
Jonathan sat across from me at the table and was way too interested in his cup of coffee.
“Okay, I guess it’s time to strategize. What’s on the agenda for today? Is the phone working? Has my mother called?”
“Yes, the phone’s back up. I don’t know what happened to it, but the lines weren’t cut and it’s working now. The storm must’ve knocked it out.”
“Good,” I replied. “I don’t like to be without a phone in the house.” I paused and then looked at Billy and Jonathan. “I think I saw someone or something in the woods when we got home from the clinic.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Billy was visibly shaken.
“Because I’m not positive. I thought maybe I was being paranoid. I get like that when people try to kill off members of my family.” I saw the surprised look on both of their faces. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound…”
“That’s okay, Jesse,” Jonathan said. “We can’t ignore the fact that someone in our family died, and occasionally we might say something that doesn’t sound right. We’re human. Our tongues slip.”
“Mine has a tendency to do that frequently.”
“And that’s why we love you,” Billy added. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Okay, stop lollygagging and tell me what you did. I know you’re going to tell me something I’m not going to be happy about, so just say it.”
“First things first. I found Spice Cat. He was shut up in your mother’s closet upstairs. I guess the door wasn’t closed all the way, so he took advantage of the situation. Jonathan and I kept hearing a meow upstairs, so he went to investigate. Look on top of the refrigerator.”
I looked up and saw a big, furry tail wagging back and forth. I smiled a relieved smile. “Welcome back, Nosey Cat. See what happens when you go places you’re not supposed to go? You won’t do that again.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Jonathan said. “He’s a cat who has a new place to hide. Next time he goes missing, that’s where I’d look.”
“That’s one thing off my mind.” I started dishing up eggs onto my plate. “Would you pass the grits, Jonathan?” I looked up at Billy and asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’ve already had breakfast.” He leaned against the kitchen counter, holding a cup of coffee in one hand. “Eat up and enjoy.”
Jonathan filled my plate for me as I held Maisy. I ate everything except a few small pieces of baked apples, which I cut up into smaller pieces and fed to her.
“Have you heard anything about the Greene County killer?” I asked. “Have they caught him?”
“Ha… that’s a good name for him. Where did you come up with that?”
“I just made it up, but he does live in Greene County, so it only makes sense. That is, if Wayne Avery is the one.”
“I think we can say for certain that he is our guy,” Jonathan said. “We can call him whatever you like. It doesn’t matter to me as long as he pays for his crimes. To answer your question—no, they haven’t found him, yet. He managed to sneak past the police. The truck they saw last night is gone, too. That kid is one sly fellow. I can’t believe the police didn’t catch him last night. I was sure they would. However, there has been an interesting development.”
“What is it?” I asked, eager to hear more.
“I have one more thing to tell you before we continue,” Billy interrupted. “I don’t know how you’re going to take this, so I have to say it now before I lose my nerve.”
“This must be serious.”
Billy walked over and sat down at the table next to me. He sat his coffee cup down and then took my free hand into his. “I talked with your mother and she agreed that we need to hire a nanny.”
“What?”
“Don’t get mad, `ge ya. Your mother needs a life of her own that doesn’t include watching our kids twenty-four hours a day. I want her to be here, but I don’t want her to turn into our permanent babysitter. It’s not fair to her.”
“Is that what she said?”
“No, but after we talked, she agreed. This will free her up to spend more time with Eddie. Jesse, she needs her life back. She can stay with us all she wants, but I want her to have the freedom to come and go as she pleases. This is her time, too. Plus—I miss having you to work with.”
“Wow! I can’t believe it. I’ve been trying to figure out how I was going to broach the subject without hurting her feelings, or feeling bad about not staying home with the kids every minute of the day. I love them dearly, but I need to do something other than talk to the kids and the dogs all day. Am I awful for feeling that way?”
“No, you’re not,” Billy said, stunned. “I’m just surprised to hear you say that. I thought you’d have a hissy.” He looked relieved. “Then it’s settled.”
“I suppose that you have someone in mind, and before you answer, don’t even think about saying Geneva. She’s not going to be my children’s nanny. No way—no how!”
Billy looked at Jonathan and then back to me. “My cousin, Helene Sullivan. She’s my age and she lives in that big house by herself over in Crozet. All her kids are grown and her husband died a few years back. She’s all alone. She was thrilled when I called her. She can move in here with us and then rent out her house. Don’t get huffy on me. I didn’t say yes. I told her that I had to discuss it with you first. Your mother met her and she likes her.”
“What… where…”
“The discussion came up one day while you were gone, and Mom mentioned Helene. You’d really like her. She’s Cherokee. She looks just like one of us.”
“Oh, I bet that’s a pretty sight—a woman who looks like one of you guys.”
“You know what I mean. You love our Cherokee people.”
“That’s true. I do love your family and just about all of your relatives—except… you know who.”
“Geneva is not a bad person.”
“I never said she was.”
“I thought you liked Geneva,” Jonathan stated.
“I like her okay, but I just don’t feel as if I can trust her.”
“Maybe one day you and I can sit down and discuss her. You’d be surprised at some of the things I could tell you about her that might change your opinion.”
“I would welcome your input, Jonathan.” I looked at Billy. “When do I get to meet your cousin?”
“I have to call her back, but I did mention that sometime around noon would be good. It’ll take that long to plow the driveway. She drives an SUV and she isn’t the least bit afraid to get out in the snow in it.”
“That soon?” I scanned the room. “We have to straighten up before she gets here.”
“The house looks fine, Jesse,” Jonathan said. “After a while, Helene will see your house and you at your worst, and I’m sure she’ll be able to handle it.”
“I sure hope so,” I mumbled as my mind drifted. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, I wasn’t so sure that I wanted
a stranger in my house, but if I liked her, I guess I’d get used to it. Who knows? It might work out just fine. And if it didn’t… well… we’ll just have to wait and see. “Now what else is there that you’re afraid to tell me?”
“That was the main thing. I wanted to get that out of the way before we go on to the more serious stuff.”
“I’d say that hiring a nanny is serious.” I looked down at Maisy. “Why don’t I put you in your playpen little one? Your brother needs some attention from his mother.” I stood and walked over to the other side of the table. When I sat Maisy down in her playpen, she started playing with her toys and didn’t fuss one bit when I walked away. I went over to Ethan’s lounger and picked him up. He was such a tiny thing. He smiled up at me and melted my heart. I clutched him close and swayed back and forth. The next time I looked down, he was asleep. I held him for a moment longer, and then I walked over and laid him back down in his lounger. I tucked his blue animal print blanket around him and stood there, admiring his precious face. His olive skin and dark hair were the same as his father’s. He would be a heartbreaker when he grew up. Isn’t that what all mothers say about their children?
“I guess you’d better call Helene.”
Billy pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket and dialed her number. The conversation was short. Billy told her to pack a few bags and come on. He told her to take it slowly, and if anything happened to call us.
I grabbed my cup and walked over to the kitchen counter for a refill. I looked over at Jonathan and asked, “What is this new development you were going to tell me about? I hope no one else has been murdered since I went to bed last night.”
“Let Billy tell you. He’s the one who talked with your mother.”
“What does my mother have to do with anything?” I was beginning to get a little nervous. When my mother gets involved, I worry. I would prefer that she stay at home and never leave the house so I wouldn’t have to worry about her, but as I can see now, that isn’t going to happen. What can I say?
Billy came over to where I was standing and said, “I called your mother this morning to make sure she was all right, and she had a pretty bizarre tale to tell.”
“I’m listening.”
“Last night she met one of her neighbors. The woman lives right down the road, and her name is Savannah Kelley. She’s an author who just happens to drive a green Mustang convertible.”
“She’s not the same one…”
“Yes, she is. She’s the one whose car was stolen by Naomi Kent while she was out of town at a book signing. It was the same car that we encountered in the parking lot that time.”
“It seems to me that she got her car back all in one piece. She was lucky.”
“I gather from your mother that the woman has so much money that she wasn’t upset about the car. However, she was concerned that someone could get that close to her.”
“If she wants seclusion and security, she needs to have a tall, brick wall erected around her property.”
“After that incident, she did. It wasn’t a brick wall, but it was just as good. She had a gated, wrought iron fence put up around her house.”
“I bet that cost a pretty penny.”
“I’m sure it did,” Jonathan chimed in. “Enough money can buy you just about anything.”
“Except more time,” I said.
“Last night, Ms. Kelley got stuck in the snow in front of your mother’s house. She was driving her Mustang and it obviously doesn’t do well in the snow. She slid off the road and when she tried to get out of the snowbank, she dug herself in. Your mom and Eddie saw her and went out to offer help.”
“Knowing my mom as I do, she probably invited her in for coffee.”
“She did. They got to know each other as they waited for the tow truck. Well, the tow truck didn’t get out there for almost an hour and a half, so that gave them plenty of time to chat. It seems that Ms. Kelley was on her way to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Her phone was out of service, so that’s why she was out in the snow. She was extremely upset and had to get there immediately. She has a police scanner she listens to and she’d been following the case closely. She said she knew who the killer was going after next, because she had written about it in her latest fiction novel. She writes murder mysteries set in this area. Of course, it’s all fiction, but she claims that everything that’s happened so far was in her book. The parents of a teenager die, and so the teenager goes after everyone he thinks contributed to their deaths. The first victim dies in a house fire, then two other victims are shot to death, and then their house is burned down.”
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” I said. “And it’s not exactly accurate. Jonathan didn’t die in the fire.”
“No, but I’m convinced that he was supposed to.”
“Who, in their right mind, would commit crimes according to what’s in a book?”
“It happens more often than you think,” Jonathan added. “A nut case will read something in a book and then go out and do it. It’s not the author’s fault, but sometimes they actually get sued over it. If I hadn’t gone hunting that day, I might’ve been in bed at the time of the fire.”
Chills went up and down my spine. We were in the middle of a story that was unfolding as we spoke. Something had to be done. I looked back over at Billy and asked, “Why didn’t Mom call us last night as soon as she found out about this?”
“She said she couldn’t get through. Since Ms. Kelley’s phone was out, she figured that’s what was wrong with ours—which it was. And she said she tried our cell phones and got that message that comes on when the phone is off. I guess I had turned them off by then.”
I let my mind absorb the news and then said, “If all of this is true, then who is the next victim?”
“The boy’s psychiatrist.”
“Wow! Maybe we should buy her book and find out how it ends,” I said, half-joking.
“According to what she told your mother, it isn’t pleasant. He kills six people before he’s finally caught and killed. The title of her book is Greene County Killer.”
Now Billy had my full attention. I was shocked. “This creeps me out,” I said. “I just called him the Greene County killer, and now you’re telling me that a woman who lives right down the road from my mother wrote a book with the same title, and we’re reliving the story. We need to get a copy of her book, or better yet, we need to talk with her. It would save time.” I stood and began pacing the floor. “Who else gets killed?”
“We didn’t get that far. Ms. Kelley was alarmed when she found out that Jonathan was the first victim, and that your mother is related to him. She was rather upset—and so was your mother.”
“I guess she is. I know I am. Aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“I say we have an open mind and find out more about this author and her book. I need to call Mom.”
“You might want to wait until a little later. Your mother and Eddie are probably still in bed.”
I stared a hole through Billy when I asked, “Who’s still in bed? Are you talking about my mother and Eddie? You must be joking!”
“Don’t get all riled, `ge ya. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…”
“Don’t lie to me, Billy Blackhawk. What do you know?”
“I never lie. Lying is not in my nature. I am an honest person!”
“You skirt the truth, just like my mother tells me I do. I want to know if he’s sleeping with my mother!”
“Jesse,” Jonathan jumped in. “Listen to yourself. Your mother is a grown woman. She has a right to do whatever she wants, and knowing your mother, she doesn’t take intimate relationships lightly. Cut her some slack.”
I thought over what Jonathan said, and then calmed down. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s none of my business what my mother does. At least, now I know the truth behind why she wants me to get a nanny. She wants to canoodle with her new boyfriend.”
> Billy and Jonathan broke out in laughter.
“Did you just say canoodle?” Jonathan asked. “And I thought I’d heard everything.”
“It’s a word my mother has said to me many times, usually in a different context. Normally, it’s me who’s doing it. Call your cousin back and tell her to get over here right now. I need my nanny so I can go over and have a chat with my mother about her social life.”
“Jesse, please tell me that you’re not serious about giving your mother a hard time.”
I smiled and said, “Gotcha!”
The sound of heavy equipment coming up the driveway interrupted our conversation.
“What on earth is that?” I asked as I walked over to the living room window and looked out. “It’s the chief! And look at the size of that thing. I didn’t know he had one of those. If I’d known that, I would’ve gotten him to let me use it so I could’ve plowed a garden this past summer.”
“Oh, that would’ve been a pretty sight,” Billy said. “My extremely pregnant wife operating a backhoe... trying to dig a garden that she couldn’t possibly work in. What would the neighbors think?”
“We are the neighbors,” Jonathan said. “And we know her. We wouldn’t laugh too hard.”
“If you want a garden next summer, I’ll get the tractor and till you one. I’ll even help with the planting, but I don’t want to hear you complain when you come across a snake. And believe me you will.”
“There goes the garden. I’ll buy my vegetables from the market.”
The telephone rang and startled me out of my thoughts about snakes in my imaginary garden.
“I’ll get it,” I said. “It’s probably my mother calling to tell me about her new roommate.”
“Be nice, `ge ya. I know you’re kidding, but you might hurt your mother’s feelings if you joke about her relationship with Eddie.”
“You know I’m not going to say anything to hurt my mother. I love her more than anything on this planet, right along with you, the kids, our family, and chocolate.”