by Marja McGraw
“Mikey!” I cried, fear gripping me in bands of steel.
“Here, mister, have a cookie.” Mikey threw a doggie treat at Victor. What the heck was he doing?
“Knock it off, kid? Stop that! Where’d you come from anyway?”
Mikey shoved the container closer to Chris, who seemed to understand what was going on.
“Yeah,” Chris said, tossing a cookie, “have a treat.”
I glanced at the dogs and they were practically vibrating. They seemed to sense that something was wrong, but they weren’t sure what it was because they kept seeing their doggie cookies flying across the room. Their only contact with Victor had been as a friend. I realized people weren’t the only ones who had conflicted feelings. And the light dawned on me, too. Thank you, Lord, I thought. You do come through when I least expect it sometimes.
“Yes, Victor, have a snack,” I said, and threw another doggie cookie.
Jasmine, Lila, May and Florence stopped praying and just watched us.
“Oh, I understand,” Lila said, grabbing a treat and throwing it. She handed one to Nate, who threw it at Victor’s head.
“Stop throwing things at me or I’m shooting you all right now.” Victor was not only confused, but so angry that he was practically frothing at the mouth. He aimed his gun at Chris, who never flinched.
I turned to the dogs. “Want a cookie? Go get it,” I said softly.
Victor stood in the middle of several doggie treats. The dogs lunged, hitting him in the knees before he could react, and he hit the floor with a loud thud, cracking his head on the tile and knocking over the cart of silverware in the process. Knives, forks and spoons landed all around and on top of him, with the ones landing on the floor creating a loud clatter. Napkins fluttered through the air. His gun went off, harmlessly shooting a hole in the ceiling.
Have I ever mentioned how fast Labrador retrievers can be? Especially when food’s involved? Trust me on this one. They only glanced at Victor while eating their treats as fast as they could – until the gun went off. Sherlock got right in Victor’s face and growled.
Watson ate another cookie, apparently figuring Sherlock had things under control.
The front door of the restaurant crashed open. I looked up to see Janet and another detective standing in the doorway with their guns drawn.
Chapter Thirty-six
Chris, Wade and Nate descended on Victor like a pack of angry wolves. If Janet hadn’t arrived when she did, I don’t know what they would have done to him.
The next few minutes were total chaos. The dogs didn’t know what to think and since they knew Janet, they went right to her, long tongues hanging out of the sides of their mouths, looking dopey as only a Lab can. After greeting her and doing a nervous doggie dance, they went back to their cookies. Well, Sherlock gave Victor a perfunctory growl first.
Mikey started to cry, which surprised me because he’d been so brave through the whole fiasco. “I did it, Mom, I saved everyone.”
Giving him a bear hug, I said, “That you did, Ace. You really did save everyone.”
The tears didn’t last long because before he could take another breath the Church Ladies had descended on him with hugs and grandmotherly kisses and God Bless You’s. I clung to his hand during his moment in the sun because… Well, because I loved him and he was smart enough to save us all, but mostly because things could have turned out so very differently. It would have killed me if anything had happened to my precious son.
Janet saw the gun, still held in Victor’s hand, and took it from him before he could react.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
Victor tried to stand up and Chris gave him an angry look that caused him to stay where he was. Wade placed his foot on Victor’s chest, and with a great effort, Nate sat down on his feet. Nate was no spring chicken, and getting down to floor level was no easy task.
“This is your killer,” Chris said. “He’s the one who bumped off John Jackson. They were partners.”
Before he could say any more, everyone started talking at once.
Janet turned to her partner who already had the cuffs out and was heading for Victor. Janet nodded and her partner cuffed the killer and turned him over to two uniformed coppers who’d just walked in. Janet must have called for backup as soon as she heard the gunshot.
In all the excitement I hadn’t even heard the sirens.
“One at a time,” Janet said, loudly, waving her hands at us. “I can’t understand what’s going on if you all talk at once.”
Mikey, as brave as he was trying to act, had walked over to me and clung to my hand, standing as close as he could. I patted him on the back and leaned over to say as many soothing words as I could think of, but my mind was in such a dither that it wasn’t all that easy.
Chris held his hand up for silence. “I’ll fill her in. Why don’t you all go out to the tables and relax.”
Yeah, like anyone could relax right now.
“I sure could use a glass of wine,” Lila said.
“I think we all could,” Jasmine replied. “Is it okay, Chris?”
“Sure. We’ll be out in a minute. And take Mikey with you.” He didn’t want our son to hear everything we were going to tell Janet.
“Do I have to, Dad?”
“Yes, Ace, you do. Some things aren’t meant for a boy to hear.”
Forcing myself to let go of Mikey’s hand, I let Addie take it and he reluctantly followed the ladies and Nate out to the lounge.
I stood with Chris while he told Janet the whole ugly story, from Addie climbing into the camper all the way to Victor showing up at Bogey Nights with a gun. Wade had stayed behind when the others left. He had a personal stake in the outcome of Janet’s actions.
“So this guy wanted to murder his elderly neighbor for an inheritance. And you’re her nephew?” She turned to Wade.
“Yes, I am. Maybe now I can talk some sense into her. I can’t believe she fell for this guy’s line of crap.”
I glanced at the dogs. They were both lying on the floor, licking their paws and acting very contented.
“If it hadn’t been for Mikey and the dogs, who knows what might have happened?” I said. “I’m sure Chris would have figured something out, but thanks to Mikey, Chris didn’t have to take any wild chances.”
“Honestly, babe, that son of ours is crazy like a fox. I never would have thought to use the treats and the dogs to bring that bum down.”
“You ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie.” I smiled at my husband in agreement.
“Okay,” Janet said. “I’ll need to take formal statements from everyone. This guy’s going to be charged with murder, and probably attempted murder, and who knows what else? The D.A. should have a grand time with this one. This guy was after everyone from his neighbor to all of you.” She swung her arm around indicating the entire restaurant, apparently figuring that would include all of us.
Janet stopped in the lounge to tell everyone about needing their statements, but said they could come in to the station the next day. By that time it was quite early on a Saturday morning, and our little group looked pretty bedraggled. After all, most of the adults were in their late seventies, and this would have been too much excitement for most people anyway. Mikey had fallen asleep in the booth with his head leaning on Addie’s arm.
Nate had taken it upon himself to open a bottle of wine and everyone had a wine glass sitting in front of them.
He was sitting next to Lila. “My dear, you certainly don’t lead a boring life. Tonight was the most excitement I’ve had since I was in the military. Is it always like this?”
Lila put her hand on Nate’s arm. “Oh, no. Usually our lives are pretty dull. You just came along at the right time.”
The right time? I wondered about that.
~*~
Florence and her family reconciled. The poor woman was shaken to her very core when she found out what Victor had planned for her. I hoped her family could handle what she wa
s going through mentally because she wanted nothing to do with anyone except her family.
Even the Church Ladies were told to stay away. However, knowing Jasmine and the rest of the ladies, I figured they wouldn’t let go. They’d wheedle and pray and push until Florence let them back in the fold. I knew in my heart that this would be a good thing. Wade had taken a liking to the women so I was certain he’d be singing their praises, too.
A month went by and Bogey Nights had started opening for lunch. Nate was working out very well and our patrons loved his cooking. Between him and Luis, we seemed to be attracting an even bigger crowd. We’d developed a reputation for outstanding cuisine. I suppose the notoriety we received because of Victor didn’t hurt either. People have a natural morbid curiosity and they wanted to see the scene of the almost crime.
Donna, the waitress we hired from the diner, was working out well, too. She seemed to enjoy working in the atmosphere that Bogey Nights offered. She said even though she was working, she felt like she was attending a costume party several times a week.
Lila and Nate continued to see each other, and Lila sang at the restaurant one night a week. She also sang at church more often, and Nate had decided he liked her and her lifestyle. He had become a regular at church on Sunday mornings.
The Church Ladies? They continued to pray for anything and everyone, and Chris and I developed a soft spot in our hearts for them. Although Lila spent time with Nate, she didn’t desert her friends.
Constance, Mikey and I took to sitting in the row just behind the Church Ladies on Sunday mornings. We liked being close to them, and Constance even developed more tolerance for their pushy ways.
Addie finally went home and began to lose her fear of leaving the house, thanks to her friends. The Church Ladies wouldn’t let her hang onto her fear. They prayed and they nagged and they made sure they took her places.
I had to laugh when Addie’s neighbor, Elsie, showed up at church one Sunday. It just happened to be the same Sunday that the prostitute attended, and they struck up a friendship – kind of like grandmother and granddaughter, and they continued to come to church. Each one encouraged the other one.
Mikey is nothing, if not resilient. By the Monday after the incident, he couldn’t wait to get to school to tell everyone about it. His teacher, Miss All, called to ask if any of what he said was true. I confirmed his story, and she decided to have him write a paper about what had happened and read it in front of the class, although she insisted he tone it down a bit. I was very surprised she did that, and even more surprised that Mikey’s paper was well-written. Maybe my son had an author buried deep inside of him. Of course, the story was filled with forties slang, which tended to give it a little humor. At my suggestion he played up the dogs’ part in the whole thing, and played down the gun.
Chris told me he might consider going to church with me when Lila sang again, but although she’s been like a little canary, that hasn’t happened yet.
The ladies continue to pray for him. I told him about their prayers and he just shook his head.
And he laughed.
About the Author
Marja McGraw worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement for several years in California. She eventually relocated to Northern Nevada where she worked in the transportation field. She also spent time in Oregon where she worked for a County Sheriff’s Office and owned her own business, a Tea Room/Antique Store. Her next stop was Wasilla, Alaska. The draw to Northern Nevada was strong, and she eventually returned.
She wrote a weekly column for a small newspaper in No. Nevada and she was the editor for the Sisters in Crime Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.
Marja has appeared on the morning news in Reno, Nevada, and in Laughlin, Nevada. She’s also been a guest on several radio and Internet radio shows.
Starting with Mysteries of Holt House, A Mystery, Marja followed up with A Well-Kept Family Secret - A Sandi Webster Mystery and the beginning of the Sandi Webster series. Bubba’s Ghost, Prudy’s Back!, The Bogey Man, Old Murders Never Die and Death Comes in Threes followed.
Bogey Nights – A Bogey Man Mystery, the first book in a new series was followed by Bogey’s Ace in the Hole, They Call Me Ace and Awkward Moments.
She says that each of her mysteries contains a little humor, a little romance and a little murder, and that her books concentrate on the characters and solving the crime rather than the crime itself.
She has a website at www.marjamcgraw.com and a blog at http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/.