Are You Listening to Me? : A Detective Toby Mystery (9781927899403)

by Cushnie-mansour, Mary M.

  ~

  Camden walked to the corner store early Monday morning to get a newspaper. When he got home, he flipped immediately to the obituary page. The first name was Tyler Acton. He scanned down the column until he came to Brianna Gates. Camden leant back in the kitchen chair and smiled. “Boy that worked fast this time,” he thought.

  “What are you so happy about this morning?” Emma walked into the kitchen, still in her nightgown.

  Camden didn’t answer her directly. “You look tired, Emma. You could’ve stayed in bed longer. I don’t have to work until one today; they’re staggering our shifts now that we are open later.”

  Duke barked at the back door. Emma walked over to let him out. “It’s okay, Cam. I don’t want to get into any bad habits again. The book I’m reading says one of the best things one can do to get through depression is to get on a good schedule. So, what would you like for breakfast?”

  Camden closed the paper and jumped up from the table. “Why don’t you let me make breakfast for you for a change? You can still stay up, but you can be waited on.”

  “I really don’t mind…”

  “Emma, let me do this for you just for one morning. If you’re up to it, we could take a walk after breakfast. Looks like a beautiful day. Then, I’d like to take you shopping and out for a nice lunch before I go to work.”

  Emma smiled. “What’s the occasion, Cam?” Deep inside she was happy to be able to get out. It would be a real test for her to see how she managed to be out in public. Jack’s place, for supper, had been safe because Toby had been there.

  “Just because,” Camden answered her. “Just because I want to celebrate our move here and because I want to show you how much I appreciate you. Now, what would you like to eat for breakfast?”

  “Just some toast and jam will do me fine.”

  After breakfast Camden and Emma went for a long walk. As they passed by Jack’s house, Emma glanced in to see if Toby was on the back of the couch. “Toby must be having breakfast, or maybe he’s on his way to see me,” Emma stated. “We shouldn’t go too far just in case.”

  “Don’t worry about the cat.” Camden’s voice was tense for the first time that morning. “He’s just a dumb old cat with a grumpy attitude. Did I tell you what he did the other morning to me?”

  “No, do tell,” Emma grinned, expecting that if it had something to do with Toby, it would be funny.

  Camden told Emma about the incident on the sidewalk. To his amazement, Emma laughed. “That’s hilarious!” she exclaimed and then skipped ahead of her brother. She felt light-hearted but had no idea why. “Catch me, Cam––just like when we were kids!”

  The two ran down the sidewalk and then crossed the street into the local park. Emma reached the swings before Camden. “You never were a fast runner, Cam!” she giggled as she started to swing. “Let’s see who can get the highest!”

  “You know I always beat you in that, Emma!”

  An elderly lady, passing by, was happy to hear such joy coming from the park. But someone else sitting in the bushes wasn’t. Toby had been headed for Emma’s house when he had seen her and Camden start their walk. He had followed them to the park, at a discrete distance. “I wonder what he’s so cheerful about today. I actually haven’t seen him happy since he moved here.” Toby was puzzled.

  Finally, Emma and Camden left the park and headed for home. Toby followed, again, at a distance. He was disappointed when they got into their van and left. “Oh well, guess I’ll have to catch her later.” Toby turned and headed for home. He found the house empty; it appeared Jack had abandoned him too. He had a little snack and then jumped up to his spot in front of the window. He would wait for Emma to return, and for Camden to go to work.

  ~

  Tyler’s mother was beside herself. She called his uncle. “George, there’s something terribly wrong here. I had Tyler at the hospital on Saturday, and the doctor passed it off as food poisoning and a touch of the flu. They pumped him with intravenous fluids and sent him home. I saw how ill Tyler was. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

  “What are you saying here, Olivia? Do you think there’s more to this than food poisoning?” George’s voice had a slight edge to it. He knew how Olivia could sometimes exaggerate. “Maybe you should order an autopsy?”

  George was surprised when she said she thought that would be a good idea. “Of course … don’t they usually do that anyway if someone dies in their own home?”

  “Most times, but not always. If Tyler was at the hospital and the doctor had already made a diagnosis of food poisoning, well then, that’s probably what the cause of death will go down as.” George was trying to be patient.

  “I think I’m going to call our doctor and ask for an autopsy,” Olivia revealed her intention. She would not be satisfied until she had a concrete answer as to what had killed her son.

  “That means the funeral will have to be postponed. Do you really want to do that?” George asked.

  “I want the truth. I don’t believe my son had food poisoning, George. I’ll get back to you on what the doctor says.” She hung up the phone.

  George shook his head. After his brother had passed away, Olivia had lived for Tyler. Why, he couldn’t figure out. He was a lazy, son-of-a-gun who hadn’t amounted to much. George doubted Tyler was even going to take him up on his offer of an apprenticeship. He had only given Tyler a job for Olivia’s sake after she had begged him to help. Too much booze and drugs were probably the reasons behind his nephew’s untimely death; George knew there had been a lot of that in Tyler’s past.

  A couple of hours later Olivia called her brother-in-law. “We’re going ahead with the funeral, George, but it will just be a memorial service. I’m going to cremate Tyler later.” She paused. “After the autopsy.”

  George sighed. “Whatever you like, Olivia––whatever you like.”

  ~

  Caitlin was devastated by her sister’s death. She couldn’t understand why and she felt if she had gotten to Brianna’s house sooner, she would have been able to save her sister. She hadn’t been able to reach their brother, Neil, so she had to handle all the funeral arrangements herself. Caitlin had never seen such a mess in Brianna’s house. There were trials of vomit everywhere and the toilet had not been flushed. The picture of her sister’s twisted body lying on the cold ceramic floor in the bathroom wouldn’t leave her mind.

  There was no thought of having her sister’s body autopsied. She just wanted to get the funeral over with. The tears wouldn’t stop, and she had three little boys who needed her. She had three little boys who would probably forget their Aunt Brianna because they were so young. And that was a crying shame.

  Tuesday, June 2, 2009

  “T

  his is interesting, Toby,” Jack said as he read the morning paper. “One of the young people who passed away over the weekend … his mother contacted the hospital and requested an autopsy on her son. She must have talked to a reporter to get an article in the paper. Looks like there might be some foul play.” Jack paused for a minute so he could read more. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “Listen to what she says his symptoms were: severe vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, drop in blood pressure, severe stomach cramps––sounds like it was more than a touch of the flu or food poisoning. The lady goes on to say that she thinks the poor doctor who looked in on her son was almost as haggard looking as her son. She also believes the doctor misdiagnosed her son, reason why she’s asking for an autopsy.” Jack dropped the paper on his lap.

  There was a knock on the door: Jack got up to answer it. “Hey there, Camden, come on in,” Jack invited. “Would you like a coffee?”

  “No thanks. I was just on my way to work but don’t really have to be there for another half an hour, so thought I’d stop in and say hi and tell you again how nice it was for you to invite Emma and me over the other night. It really meant a lot to Emma.”

  “No problem. Have a seat. I was just reading abo
ut the young fellow who died over the weekend. His mother is going to have an autopsy done.”

  Toby sat up and stretched. He hadn’t been overly interested in the article Jack had been reading, but the fact Camden was here made him want to leave the room. However, Toby noticed the look that crossed over Camden’s face when Jack mentioned an autopsy. “Why would that upset him? He didn’t know the guy––or did he?”

  “An autopsy, eh?” Camden repeated. “Do they suspect foul play then?”

  “I believe the mother thinks the doctor at the hospital misdiagnosed her son’s condition. She isn’t convinced it was a flu or simple food poisoning.”

  “Oh, is that what the doctor said it was?” Camden inquired.

  “Well, there was some mention in the article about the young man having had some chicken wings the night before, so the doctor blamed his condition on them.”

  “I see.”

  Toby was studying Camden thoroughly. “He appears kind of jittery all of a sudden, as if he murdered the guy or something!” Toby was pondering the possibility.

  Camden glanced at Toby, noticing the glare. “I don’t think your cat likes me, Jack,” he mentioned, a strange curl to his lips.

  “Ah, Toby’s okay. He either likes someone, or he totally dislikes them. Nothing in between with him, and no rhyme or reason to his choices,” Jack laughed.

  Toby was disgusted with the explanation. He jumped off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Since Camden was going to work, he could go over and visit Emma. It had been a few days. Toby heard Jack saying goodbye to Camden just before he slipped out the cat door. “Anytime, son. You have a good day … talk to you later.”

  “Holy, mackerel fish! Now Jack’s calling that guy ‘son!’ Jack, you’re too trusting. Camden’s the kind of kid who’d kill a parent in their sleep!”

  Toby’s thoughts went wild.

  ~

  Mitch was skimming through the morning paper. He was trying to relax, knowing it would be a long day at the funeral home. His wife was a mess. Her brother, Neil, had called late last night to say he had gotten the message about Brianna but there was no way he could get back in time for the funeral on Wednesday, he was miles from an airport. Neil had said he wouldn’t be able to make it until next week, but he was going as fast as possible. Mitch’s eyes caught onto one of the headlines: MOTHER DEMANDS AUTOPSY: SON’S DEATH MYSTERIOUS. He read the article and then called to Caitlin.

  “Hey, honey. You should read this.”

  “Read what?”

  “Remember there was another young person who passed away on the weekend?”

  “Yeah … what about it?” Caitlin didn’t care about anyone else, she was too buried in her own grief.

  “The mother is ordering an autopsy. She talked about all the symptoms her son had; they sound pretty similar to Brianna’s.”

  Mitch’s last statement piqued Caitlin’s interest, and she came into the kitchen. Mitch was worried as he looked at his wife’s red-rimmed eyes. He knew how close she was to her sister. “Didn’t you say Brianna had terrible stomach cramps, and, she’d been vomiting and having bad diarrhea?”

  “Yes.”

  “So did this guy. Only his mum had taken him to the hospital. The doctor passed it off as food poisoning, escalated by a touch of the flu, but the mum doesn’t think chicken wings could make someone that ill!” Mitch paused. “Did Brianna say anything to you about eating chicken wings that day?”

  “No, she’d just come from the gym … she was in a happy mood until she started getting the stomach cramps. She’d met some guy––wouldn’t tell me his name––said there might be a possibility for a second date.”

  “Do you think maybe we should get an autopsy ordered too, just to check it out?” Mitch posed the question.

  “No. I don’t want an autopsy. I don’t want my sister’s body all cut up. I just want to get this over with!” Caitlin turned and left the room, another burst of tears releasing from her heart.

  Wednesday, June 3, 2009

  C

  amden was feeling pretty good; things were going well at work. The new guy, Graham, was working with him this week and he was less bossy than Paige. Camden had given up trying to be friends with Paige. She was too flirty with the male customers and with the trainers, Vincent and Nolan. He had seen her leave work a couple of times with both of them. They hadn’t even bothered to ask him to come along, not that he would have. He’d noticed them looking his way, laughing.

  On Wednesday morning a new lady came in to sign up and Graham, who hadn’t done an actual new client registration, asked Camden to help him out. “Good morning, miss,” Camden greeted her. “Shall we have a seat over here at the table? My name is Camden. This is Graham; he’s new here, so I’ll guide him through the process if you don’t mind. It won’t take much longer than normal.”

  “Sure.” The reply was not said with much sincerity. The woman glanced at her watch. “I only have a limited amount of time though, so I hope it won’t take too long.”

  “It shouldn’t,” Camden assured. “Your name?”

  “Emily Foster.”

  Camden went down the page and filled in all the boxes as Emily answered the questions. “We need your banking information and where you work so we can fill in this section for automatic withdrawal,” Camden pointed to the last section on the page.

  Emily told Camden she was a nurse at the Leisure World Nursing Home and she gave him her bank account information. Camden gathered the papers: “There … that didn’t take too long, did it?” he commented cheerfully.

  “Long enough,” was Emily’s curt response.

  Camden’s head began to pound. She was not a very nice person. In fact, she was quite rude. He handed the papers to Graham. “Put these in the ‘to be processed folder’, and when I get back from showing Miss Foster around, I’ll help you enter her information into the computer. She’ll be able to pick up her membership card on her way out.”

  “I don’t need you to show me anything,” Emily said. “I had a tour the other day: I don’t think you were working. A lovely young lady showed me around.”

  Camden didn’t like her tone of voice. It insinuated he wasn’t nice, but he had done his best to be cordial. Some people were ungrateful, unappreciative of those who were particular about how their jobs were done. “I’m sorry, Miss Foster; I didn’t realize you already had the tour. Are you going to be doing a workout today?”

  “No,” her voice was sharp; “there is no time now. I have to get to work. I’ll pick up my card tomorrow.” She turned, and as she passed Camden, she bumped him. He was waiting for her to say she was sorry. She didn’t.

  Camden watched her go out the door and then returned to the front reception desk. “You okay, man?” Graham asked. “You look upset.”

  “It’s nothing. Just some people think they are so special! She was rude, but we’re taught the customer is always right, so we just smile. Doesn’t mean we have to like it, does it?” Camden pulled her file from the folder. “Here, I may as well show you how to process this.” He took careful note of Emily’s email address. He wouldn’t be using it yet, but he had a pretty good notion she might be next if she didn’t shape up her attitude.

  ~

  Emily was upset with herself at having been so rude to the young man. She should have just waited until the next day to sign up at the gym because she had known her time was short. She had an employee meeting before work, and she also wanted to stop in and check on Mrs. Silva who was probably not going to see the end of the week. Mrs. Silva had wiggled into a special place in Emily’s heart, and it was going to be dreadfully painful to see her go.

  When she arrived at work, she noticed Mrs. Silva’s daughter’s car in the parking lot. Emily prayed she wasn’t too late, but realized, as she walked toward her friend’s room, she was. She could hear Maria crying. Emily turned and walked the other way. She couldn’t handle this now. She should have come earlier so
she could say her goodbyes in private.

  Friday, June 5, 2009

  E

  mily didn’t return to the gym until Friday. She decided to go early in the morning so she would be able to go to the funeral home in the afternoon and evening. Mrs. Silva’s funeral was on Saturday. She walked up to the front desk. “I signed up the other day but didn’t get my card yet, the name is Emily Foster.”

  Paige reached under the counter and flipped through the cards until she came to Emily’s. “Here you go, miss.”

  “Thank you. By the way, the young fellow who signed me up the other day … I believe his name is Camden … is he in? I was rude to him … I’m not usually like that. I’d like to apologize.”

  “Camden isn’t in until 12:00 today,” Paige informed.

  “Oh, I’ll be gone by then. Could you pass the message to Camden for me, tell him I’m sorry.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Emily finished her workout and headed to her car, which she had parked on the street. Camden was walking down the sidewalk, heading for work. She didn’t recognize him even though she looked straight at him. But he recognized her. She got into her car and drove away.

  “Hi, Paige,” Camden greeted as he walked past the front counter on his way to his locker.

  “Hey, Camden,” she returned.

  At three o’clock Paige left for home, forgetting all about Emily’s message she was supposed to have passed on to Camden.

  ~

  It was a beautiful afternoon for a stroll. Toby decided to pay Emma a visit. She was in the backyard with Duke, so he meowed and rubbed against the fence.