Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 02 - Bogey's Ace in the Hole

by Marja McGraw

  Phyllis met me at the front desk. “A lady called to make a reservation for a party of four. I told her we were booked tonight and she said she was a very close personal friend of yours.” She picked up the reservation book. “We’ve got a party of twelve coming in for a birthday party, and another party of six coming in for a pre-wedding dinner. The rest of the tables are full, too. It’s going to be a busy night. Anyway, I did some finagling and managed to fit them in.”

  “Thank you, Phyllis. Good job. What was the lady’s name?” I had a feeling I probably knew who it was.

  “Jasmine Thorpe. Was that okay?”

  I sighed. “You did the right thing.” Was I ready for the Church Ladies tonight? I wasn’t sure. And if it was a party of four, then Addie was probably coming along. I was sure she needed a night out and a break from her confinement at Jasmine’s house. Everything would be okay.

  I actually believed that until Chris and I were talking later and his cell phone rang.

  “Yeah,” he said, answering it. He listened and I saw his face harden.

  “Have you called the police?” he asked.

  Again, he listened.

  “I’m on my way.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “That was the mall cop. He said he was checking out the camper again and there’s a very nasty odor coming from inside.”

  “What would that mean?”

  “It could mean nothing, or it could mean somebody’s goin’ home feet first tonight.”

  “Why would you think someone’s dead?”

  “He described the odor. I smelled something like that when I was a mailman. An elderly man’s mailbox was filling up, so I stopped to do a check on him. He’d been dead for a few days, and it was summertime. I’ll never forget the stench as long as I live.”

  “Oh, Chris, what’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m bound to find out.”

  “Call me as soon as you know anything,” I said.

  Chris left and Phyllis and I opened the restaurant. I checked the reservation book to see who was coming in. Looking up, I saw two familiar faces.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Longworth,” I said. “It’s so good to see you. It’s been a while.”

  Mrs. Longworth smiled. “We’ve been on vacation in the Mediterranean. What a wonderful trip.”

  She filled me in as I showed them to their table. Mrs. Longworth was involved in several charities and worked hard for her community. She deserved a trip and time to enjoy herself. I told her as much. Mr. Longworth was a well-known criminal defense attorney. If I were to do something illegal, I’d definitely want him in my corner.

  “We’ve been so fortunate. This city has been good to us, and I like giving something back.” She sat down on the chair I’d pulled out for her.

  Mr. Longworth gave his wife a smile of approval. “I have to admit that we didn’t find another restaurant to rival this one while we were gone.”

  “Well, bless your heart,” I said. “Thank you.”

  I returned to the front desk after talking for a moment longer, and they were settled in with menus. I placed their drink orders and glanced at my watch. I hoped it didn’t take too long for Chris to call me. Patience isn’t my long suit.

  The door opened and the party of twelve walked in. They were happy and chattering and ready for a celebration.

  “And which one of you is having a birthday?” I asked.

  A gentleman stepped forward, slowly, and declared he was the culprit. “I’m ninety-six today,” he said.

  “Well, you don’t look a day over eighty-six,” I said.

  They all laughed and Gloria showed them to their table.

  The party of six came in and were seated by Phyllis.

  And the party of four was right behind them. “Pamela, dear, God bless you and what’s your special tonight?” Jasmine looked different. It took me a moment to figure out what had changed.

  “Why, you’re the only thing special in this place. You look wonderful in your forties dress. All of you do,” I said, taking in each of their outfits, all from the same era. Jasmine was wearing a light blue shirtmaker dress with small red bows throughout the fabric. She had her hands tucked into the front pockets and smiled at me.

  “Oh, you,” Lila said, patting the skirt of her grey day dress, the kind that homemakers wore while they cooked and cleaned. At least it fell in soft folds. Her tennis shoes definitely looked out of place.

  May grinned and pushed Addie front and center. They each wore soft cotton dresses. May’s was black with pink roses throughout the fabric. Addie’s was off-white with a flower I couldn’t identify decorating the fabric. Both dresses had shoulder pads and caplike sleeves, and a V neckline with a winged collar. It almost seemed like they’d hit a two-for-the-price-of-one sale, but they looked adorable.

  And all four women wore hats. Lila’s was big and floppy, and the rest were smaller and just covered the top of their hair.

  “We’d like a fancy dinner tonight,” Addie said.

  “Is it a special occasion?” I asked.

  “Yes. I’m out of the house and I don’t believe that John person will see me here. I can’t help wondering what went wrong in his life to turn him into a killer though.”

  Hopefully he’ll run his car off a cliff and never see you again, I thought. I glanced at the Church Ladies and chastised myself for having an unchristian thought. They were getting to me. Addie was beginning to think of him in terms of being a person with circumstances that had turned him into a potential murderer. But we all have circumstances. That doesn’t mean we plan to kill someone. Victor might agree with me on that one.

  Phyllis arrived and showed the ladies to their table. I continued greeting people at the door, and a few made their way into the lounge. Monday Moonshine would start their music soon.

  I carried my cell phone with me, waiting for Chris to call. My patience was beginning to wear thin. What had he found?

  I was debating with myself about calling Chris, when he walked through the door.

  “Chris, I didn’t expect you back this soon. What happened? What was in the back of the camper?”

  “No dead bodies. Let me check with Luis and make sure things are running smoothly in the kitchen and then I’ll tell you what happened.”

  At least there were no dead bodies. I could wait for the explanation for a few more minutes.

  I made the rounds and checked on the customers to be sure they didn’t feel neglected. The birthday group had ordered a cake ahead of time and all of our employees gathered and sang the birthday song to our honored guest. He was absolutely glowing – until he grabbed his chest and fell off his chair taking silverware and several dishes with him.

  Bending over and leaning close, I briefly studied his face. The initial glow had turned into a pallor. I dropped down and felt for a pulse. Nothing. I was preparing for CPR when his daughter put her hand on my shoulder.

  “He left a Living Will. He didn’t want to be resuscitated. He knew he had a heart condition. At his age, well, he said he’d just as soon go and be with my mother. We lost her twenty years ago.” Tears streamed down her face. “He was a good man, but he was tired.”

  So our birthday boy expired – right there. In Bogey Nights. I was just about ready to start clutching at my own chest.

  Chris ran out from the kitchen, Phyllis ran to call the paramedics, and when I looked up I saw the Church Ladies approaching. My heart dropped to my feet when I considered what they might do or say. Would they preach at the family? Drop on their knees and pray at the top of their lungs for the elderly man’s salvation?

  Oh, ye of little faith.

  The ladies comforted the family with loving words and kind gestures. They were wonderful.

  And people being people, the rest of the diners just kept eating while throwing several curious glances over their shoulders at the unfolding drama. After all, there was no blood and no screaming, so how bad could it b
e? Mr. and Mrs. Longworth were the exceptions and came to ask if they could help. I thanked them and shook my head, indicating it was too late.

  The paramedics arrived quickly, and the family left heartbroken, but comforted by four wonderful little old ladies who understood their grief.

  “Well,” May said. “That man’s daughter told me he was celebrating his ninety-sixth birthday. At least he went out with a bang.”

  “May!” Jasmine exclaimed.

  “Well, she’s right,” Lila said. “He was having fun with his family, and there was a lot of commotion when all the dishes broke.”

  I turned my head away and rolled my eyes. What next?

  “Pamela,” Chris said, “I’m going back to the office to fill out some paperwork about this incident.”

  “I’m right behind you,” I said. “Phyllis can take care of things while you tell me what happened with the truck.”

  “Truck? Not the truck.” Addie looked into Chris’s eyes and nodded her head. “Yes, indeed, he’s talking about the black truck. I can see it in his eyes.”

  Three other heads turned to Chris and all bore questioning expressions.

  “You might as well all come back to Pamela’s office. That way I’ll only have to tell the story once.”

  We followed him through the kitchen and back to the office.

  “Are the dogs here tonight?” Lila asked.

  “Yes, but I’ll leave them outside,” I said.

  “No, it’s okay. You can bring them in. I need to lose my fear of dogs, and I’ve been praying about it. Your pets can be my test case. They’re so darned big – if I can get along with them, then I can get along with other dogs.”

  “You have dogs?” Addie asked.

  I nodded. “Two Labrador retrievers.”

  “Oh, my favorite breed. I’ve had dogs over the years, and I had a Lab some years ago. She was the best dog I ever owned. If I wasn’t so old, I’d buy me a couple.” She glanced at me suspiciously, maybe having second thoughts. “How old are your dogs?”

  “About two years,” I replied. “Why?”

  “I just wanted to make sure they’re past that puppy stage. They’re not, but… My Lab was hell on wheels as a puppy, but when she grew up? She was the best companion a woman could ask for. Actually, they don’t mature until around four years old.”

  Lila cringed when Addie said hell on wheels.

  Jasmine reached over and patted her hand. “It’s okay, Lila. She didn’t mean to say that.”

  “Yes, I did,” Addie said. “That dog was an absolute terror until she grew out of the puppy stage.”

  “Addie’s the wild one in our little group,” May explained.

  “Do you ladies want to hear what happened or not?” Chris asked. “I can wait if you want to talk about puppies some more.” His frustration was showing again. First he went looking for a dead body, and then he returned and found an unexpected body and a gaggle of Church Ladies. He was probably wound pretty tight.

  “Go ahead, Bogey Man. Tell us what happened.”

  I let the dogs in and told them to sit. They looked at the ladies and sat, but their behinds barely touched the floor. I figured they knew if they played their cards right they’d be in for some attention.

  Chris cleared his throat after rolling his upper lip under and pulling on his ear lobe, a sure sign that the Bogey persona was about to put in an appearance.

  “Okay,” he said. “I had this pegged as a crime scene, with someone down for the count. So I hightailed it over to the mall —”

  “What mall?” May asked. “And what crime scene?”

  “We found the black truck Addie told us about sitting in a mall near Victor’s house. It appears to have possibly been abandoned. The mall cop called Chris and told him about a nasty odor coming from the camper on the back of the truck.”

  I glanced at Chris. He was rolling his lip under again and rocking back and forth from heel to toe.

  “So Chris drove over to see what was going on. Chris?” I pointed at him, indicating he could pick up the story.

  He quit rocking. “Thanks, cookie. Okay, so the mall cop meets me by the camper. We walk around the truck and I take a sniff after eyeballing the whole thing. The smell ain’t good, but I don’t picture a heavy inside and bleeding. See?”

  “Heavy?” Addie asked.

  “A bad guy,” I interpreted.

  “Oh.”

  Chris pursed his lips before going on. “Yeah, a bad guy. The smell is putrid, but something ain’t right. I remember that Addie climbed right into the camper, so maybe it could be unlocked. See? So the mall copper and me, we try the back door of the camper. It opens like a charm. He’s thinkin’ he better go call the Paddy Wagon. I tell him, ‘Hold the phone, I don’t see no dead body in here.’ So he settles down and hands me his flashlight.”

  Chris stopped and shook his head.

  “I don’t know where that bozo went after you got out in Victorville, but somewhere along the way a raccoon climbed into the camper. And it died.”

  “A raccoon?” Jasmine asked.

  “Dead as a doornail.” Chris rolled his hand into a fist and pointed downward with his thumb.

  “So that means the bad guy is still out there,” May said.

  “It sure does,” Addie said, sadly.

  “Uh oh,” Lila said.

  Jasmine opened her mouth but I cut her off. It seemed like these women all had to make a comment every time something happened.

  “Okay, so Addie, you’re going to have to continue to lie low for a while.” I watched her for a reaction.

  “You’re right,” she said, suddenly standing up straighter. “I need to stay where he can’t find me. But I’m not afraid. You need to understand that.”

  “A little fear can be healthy sometimes,” Lila said, sounding very wise.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Apparently Watson recognized that the ladies were charged with emotion. She walked over to Addie and held out her paw. Not to be outdone, Sherlock padded over to Lila and turned his back to her to give her something to scratch.

  Lila watched the dog for a moment before setting a tentative hand on his back. He wiggled a little and she got the hint and gently stroked him. He wiggled a bit more before dropping and rolling onto his back. Lila relaxed and grinned, and gave him some well-deserved scratching.

  I handed each of the women a doggie cookie to give to the dogs. Addie held hers out for Watson, and Lila held it much more tentatively. Sherlock didn’t disappoint me. He took it from her hand very gently.

  “That’s it,” Addie said, shaking Watson’s other paw. “As soon as I can go home, I’m going to look for an older Lab who needs a home. I’ll go to one of those rescue places you hear about. We’ll finish growing old together. I’d feel so much safer.”

  “Safer?” Chris asked. “The most a Lab would do is lick the bad guy to death.”

  “Chris, why don’t you take the ladies to the lounge while I put the dogs back outside? Lila can have a glass of wine – it has such a calming effect – and the other ladies can have whatever they want. On the house. That’ll be our way of thanking them for their help with the birthday tragedy.”

  “Oh, it was our pleasure,” May said. “We’ve all lived long enough to have lost loved ones. We knew how those poor people were feeling. I just hope, and pray, that they understand their loved one is in a better place now. I know how that sounds to some people, but it’s true. It’s not a cliché.”

  “No, it’s not,” Jasmine said.

  “He’s happier now,” Lila commented.

  “And he got to celebrate his birthday before he left us,” Addie said, smiling. “How wonderful is that?”

  Chris almost looked panicky when he turned to me. “You take the ladies to the lounge, and I’ll put the dogs out.”

  “Oh, brother,” I mumbled, leading the ladies out of the office.

  Daniel, the bartender, took the ladies’ orders while I got them settled at a nice table
in the corner, not too close to the band. They loved to chat and the band made that difficult.

  I sat down, planning to visit with them for just a few minutes before I had to get back to work. We talked about the upcoming church social and Jasmine said the ladies had been put in charge of the homemade ice cream. Strawberry was her specialty, and May said she’d take care of the chocolate while Lila made the vanilla.

  “I’m going to be attending,” Addie said. “Our church doesn’t do anything like that and I think they should. But, then, we don’t have as many children who attend our services. Your church has plenty of children, and I like that.”

  Addie stopped talking and her face began to turn reddish. Her jaws were clenched and I could see the muscles working. She appeared to have quit breathing. The other three ladies were still talking and hadn’t noticed anything was wrong. I hoped we weren’t losing another patron. One in a night was enough.

  “Addie? Are you okay?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”

  She turned and looked at me, her eyes wide. Pointing toward the doorway to the lounge, she moved her mouth, but no words came out.

  “Addie?” My heart beat harder than normal. “What is it?”

  “It’s him,” she said softly.

  By this time the other ladies had figured out that something was wrong and they were paying attention.

  “Who?” Jasmine asked.

  “Him!” Addie said adamantly, shaking her finger in the general direction of her gaze. She grabbed Lila’s wine glass and took a big swallow. “Go get the dogs!”

  There was no doubt in my mind about whom she was referring to as I turned to face the doorway.

  But there was no one there.

  “Was it the goon?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes. It was the goon okay. He was standing right there, looking straight into my eyes.” Her hands were shaking. “Are you going to go get those dogs or what?”