Getting Old is Criminal
Page 23
They congratulated me earlier, and I thanked them again for their help. It was their information that broke the case.
Morrie and Oz are here, too. Women flock around them eagerly. I caught Sol looking at them almost wistfully. I bet he was thinking jail would be preferable.
Conchetta comes over to me. “I heard the news. My God, that was a close call.” She looks toward Evvie. “Is she all right?”
I shrug. “Hopefully, in time.”
Mother Nature is kind and the weather is balmy. Everybody loves a wedding and it’s been a long time since we had one, so everyone is in a festive mood.
Yolie and Denny are maid of honor and best man. Denny has given her a sweet little ring. Maybe more wedding bells are about to ring. They also got to pick the music, so it’s Latin salsa, blaring out over the happy conversation.
Evvie is putting a good face on it, but I know her heart is breaking. Ida is at her side to comfort her. Sophie and Bella still don’t understand about Philip and Ray, but that’s all right. Sophie comments, as she is wiggling in place to the music, “We got two killers for the price of one.” So she’s satisfied.
The announcement is made. The Spankowitz-Hoffman nuptials are about to begin, so we all start to gather on the big lawn.
I find my seat and wait for my girls to join me. Someone sits down next to me. “It’s about time,” I say, “they’re starting.” I look to my left and there’s Jack. I actually gasp.
“I hope you don’t mind. My sitting here.” He smiles gently at me.
I wait for my throat to open so I can speak. “No, that’s fine.”
The girls don’t show up. I assume they saw Jack and sat elsewhere so we could be alone.
Jack reaches over and holds my hand. We don’t speak. I can’t take my eyes off him, but he continues to watch the ceremony. I notice Evvie looking at us from across the crowd. She smiles bravely.
The ceremony is fun. Tessie is in high spirits. Sol can barely stand up, but not to worry—Tessie has a firm grip on him.
Afterward the happy bride throws the bouquet. Many eager hands are held high. Ironically, it lands in Evvie’s crossed arms. She drops it as if it were the proverbial hot potato. Eighty-one-year-old Dora Dooley grabs it from the grass where it fell and cackles happily.
Evvie looks at me and I look at her. So many thoughts pass between us.
I look around for Jack, but he’s disappeared as suddenly as he arrived.
I see Morrie walking over to me. Before I can say anything, he hands me an envelope. He shakes his head and walks away.
I open it and read the note inside. “Gladdy, I’m sorry. I have to leave. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Jack.”
I don’t know how to feel about this, so I hand the note to Evvie to read. Her voice rings with poignancy. “It’s just you and me again, kid.” She puts her arms around me and hugs me.
Who said getting old is criminal?
Sometimes it is sweet and lovely and many times filled with pain—but always full of surprises.
Acknowledgments
As always, Howard, Leslie, Gavin, and James.
Caitlin Alexander, every single time. Lucky me.
Sharon Propson, PR maven.
My agent, Nancy Yost. Welcome to the club.
The amazing Margaret Sampson and the wild and wooly Women Who Walk on Water Book Club in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They better watch out or the next series might be about them.
Lynn Vannucci and Ginger Liebovitz, my loyal friends and first readers.
The always wonderfully helpful, talented “kitchen klatch” mystery writers group for whom I travel (and never stop kvetching about) the dreaded 580. Camille Minichino, Margaret Lucke, and Jonnie Jacobs.
My sister, Judy, and adopted sister, Rose; my biggest fans.
Thanks to Guiamar Sandler Hiegert for Pago Pago and for my north coast “bookstore” at the Lost Whale Inn in Trinidad, California.
Dr. D. P. Lyle, physician to the authors. Thanks for your help.
And last but definitely not least. Thanks to Cheryl Jones, owner and “chef extraordinaire” of The Pleasure is Mine restaurant at Harbor Point. Most of the last half of this book was written in the San Rafael restaurant, with Cheryl keeping me strong by feeding me her wonderful food.
And to my faithful friends, my East Coast family and loyal fans who keep on writing.
Thanks for your support.
Discover More by Rita Lakin
Gladdy Gold Mysteries (in order)
Getting Old is Murder
Getting Old is the Best Revenge
Getting Old is Criminal
Getting Old is To Die For
Getting Old is a Disaster
Getting Old is Tres Dangereux
Getting Old Can Kill You
Memoir
The Only Woman in the Room: Episodes in My Life and Carer as a Television Writer
Single Title Mysteries
Demon of the Night
Summer Without Boys
The Four Coins of the Kabbalah
About the Author
Fate (a.k.a., marriage) took Rita Lakin from New York to Los Angeles, where she was seduced by palm trees and movie studios. Over the next twenty years she wrote for television and had every possible job from freelance writer to story editor to staff writer and, finally, producer. She worked on shows such as Dr. Kildare, Peyton Place, The Mod Squad, and Dynasty, and created her own shows, including The Rookies, Flamingo Road, and Nightingales. She wrote many movies-of-the-week and miniseries, such as Death Takes a Floliday, Women in Chains, Strong Medicine, and Voices of the Heart. She has also written the theatrical play No Language but a Cry and is the coauthor of Saturday Night at Grossinger’s, both of which are still being produced across the country. Rita has won awards from the Writers Guild of America, as well as the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award and the coveted Avery Hopwood Award from the University of Michigan. She lives in Marin County, California, where she is currently at work on her next mystery starring the indomitable Gladdy Gold. Visit her on the Web at www.ritalakin.com or e-mail her at ritalakin@aol.com.