by Lynn, JB
"Need anything else?"
I half-expected her to give him her phone number on the spot.
He shook his head. "We're good."
Shrugging, she walked away.
I systematically spread mayonnaise on the bread of my sandwich, waiting for him to get to his point.
Instead of finishing his story, he began to eat his burger.
I took a bite of my sandwich, and chewed. My nervousness made it taste like chalk.
Finally, when he'd finished half the burger, he started talking again. “As bad as he was, he was good at not getting caught. Until one day, a thief with a conscience, who was probably trying to save his own ass, ratted him out."
"I still don't understand why you’re telling me this."
“Arnold swore that once he got out of prison, he would make the guy pay," Jack continued relentlessly. He waited a second, letting that sink in.
A pit gaped in my stomach, as I put together the pieces. He said this was about my family. Was it my father who'd helped to put Arnold away?
I put down my sandwich and folded my hands in front of me, trying to appear calm. "What’s he saying?"
He shrugged, and looked around again to make sure no one was listening. Leaning closer he whispered, "How well do you know the guy your aunt is engaged to?"
Stunned, I sat back in my seat. "Templeton?"
Jack nodded.
I tried to digest the new information. Sure, I'd always known something about Templeton was sketchy, but overall, he'd been decent to me. Still, it made a certain kind of sense, that he was a thief with a conscience. "You're sure…?"
Jack shrugged a shoulder. "At one point, he had quite the life of crime."
I frowned, knowing that it probably wasn't past tense. After all, I knew he frequented a poker game with known criminals, and he was overly fond of visiting the local pawn shop. I didn't say any of this to Jack, I just sat silently, trying to make sense of my thoughts.
He ate some more of his burger, quietly waiting.
I wondered if it was some sort of reporter’s trick. Staying silent in the hopes that someone would inadvertently blab something useful.
Finally, popping a French fry into his mouth, he asked, "You okay?"
I nodded.
"I know it's probably a lot to take in, especially with your dad and all."
I studied his face, trying to figure out exactly what he was getting at. It was pretty common knowledge that my dad, Archie Lee, had lived quite the life of crime. Petty crime mostly. What wasn't common knowledge was that he's now in the Witness Protection Program. Not that he did anything to get him there himself, it's a deal I cut for him.
"Loretta will be heartbroken," I said finally.
"Maybe she likes the bad boys," Jack teased lightly.
Considering she'd once been married to one of the biggest drug dealers in town, he was probably right, but I didn't tell him that.
"I don't know why you're telling me all of this now." I picked up my sandwich and took a bite, determined to not let him know how much it upset me.
Jack sighed. "Because Arnold is getting out of prison. I'm worried that he'll go after the guy who put him there, and that you'll get caught in the crossfire."
There was none of his usual sarcasm in his voice. He seemed sincere.
"Thanks for letting me know." I reached across the table and stole one of his French fries.
He lowered his head and shook it, chuckling softly.
"What?" I demanded.
He looked up at me. "Any other woman, I tell that a violent criminal may be stalking a member of her household, would freak out. Your only response is to keep eating."
I shrugged. "It takes more than that to make me hysterical."
His smile faded. "Does it take more than that to make you concerned?"
I shook my head. "I'm worried. I'll talk to Templeton."
"And what's that going to do?"
"I don't know. But I'm sitting in a diner, and you've just given me this news, so it's the only plan I have at the moment."
Chapter Three
I was still mulling over what to do about Templeton when I returned to the B&B. As I pulled into the driveway, I realized that Aunt Susan was preparing to plant flowers around the house. Plastic bags filled with topsoil dotted the yard. I made a mental note to try to make sure I wasn’t around when she began the work. I had no desire to get pulled into her latest beautification project.
I knew something was up the moment I walked inside. The place practically reverberated with excited energy.
"Is that you?" Aunt Loretta called.
"If you mean, is it Maggie, then yes," I replied.
"Stay right there. Stay where you are," Aunt Leslie ordered.
I stayed in the kitchen.
"Maggie?" a high-pitched female voice whined.
I walked over to the door that led to the basement, and whispered, "I'll be down as soon as I can.”
DeeDee, my Doberman pinscher, sighed heavily on the other side of the door, as though I were asking her to wait decades not minutes.
"Hungry," she complained.
"The beast is always hungry," God opined from his spot between my breasts.
"Can you both just cut it out?" I had the feeling that I wasn't going to like whatever Leslie and Loretta were up to.
Loretta’s stilettos clicked toward me.
I did my best to school my face into a neutral expression.
She stuck her head in the doorway, and waved a silk scarf, like it was a flag of surrender.
I had no idea what that meant.
"Cover your eyes," she demanded.
"Why?"
"So as not to ruin the surprise."
My stomach lurched. Surprises in my family were rarely good. "I'm good without the blindfold."
She shook her head. "I insist."
Grudgingly, I took the length of fabric and tied it around my head so that my eyes were covered. "Happy?"
She took my arm to guide me out of the room and I almost retched at the scent of her sickeningly sweet perfume. The effect of which was magnified by the loss of my sight. "This way."
We shuffled awkwardly down the hallway, until we reached the sitting room.
"I hope you like it," Loretta said.
"Like what?"
"It's going to be a shock," Leslie warned.
Bile burned the base of my throat. Whatever this was, it wasn't good. I fought the urge to rip off the blindfold, and run away screaming. Clenching my fists, I forced myself to keep breathing.
"I'll take it off on three." I felt Loretta move closer to me.
I braced myself. I tried to remember all the terrible things I'd survived recently: the car accident, Katie's condition, some messed up assassination attempts. I'd survived them all and whatever this was I would survive it.
"One," Loretta whispered in my ear.
"Breathe," Marlene urged.
I cocked my head in the direction of my sister. "You're in on this too?"
"Two," Loretta practically cooed.
I took Marlene's advice, and sucked in some oxygen, certain I was going to need it when I witnessed whatever this big reveal was.
"Three!" Loretta shouted, tearing off the blindfold.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what I saw. The normally antique-filled sitting room had been transformed into a fairyland. Gauzy pink curtains hung from the windows, a pink shaggy throw carpet covered most of the floor, and a canopy-covered bed took center stage.
"Do you like it?" Leslie asked nervously.
I focused on the pile of stuffed animals covering the bed, their plastic eyes stared back at me, willing me to say I loved them.
"I told you she doesn't like surprises," Marlene said softly.
I swung my gaze around the room, taking in a toy chest, television, and bookcase. "Where did everything go?"
"It's in storage," Loretta explained.
"We thought this was the best option for Katie."
Aunt Leslie patted the bed. "This way, you won't have to carry her up any stairs. We even changed the powder room for her. Would you like to see?"
I nodded, allowing Loretta to lead me toward the bathroom. Gone were the lace-trimmed finger towels and French milled soap. They had been replaced by Princess towels and bubblegum flavored toothpaste.
"It's a-amazing," I stuttered.
"Most of the things are from her old room," Loretta said. "We thought that by bringing them here, it might make it feel more like home."
A knot of guilt closed off my throat rendering me speechless.
"We thought for sure you were on to us," Loretta said, leading me back into the room. "Especially that time when you saw Templeton and I removing the painting."
I swallowed hard, and forced words out. "I don't know how to thank you. I couldn't do this without you. I – –" I took a shuddering gasp, trying to ward off the tears that threatened to silence me.
"That's what family is for," Leslie said softly. "We're here to help you in any way we can."
"Besides," Marlene rushed to my side and hugged me tightly, "we couldn't do this without you."
Loretta patted my arm. "Now tell me, how did you like your first day at The Corset?"
Chapter Four
I must admit that I was feeling pretty good when I ran down the stairs and into the basement. I felt supported by my family, and the logistics of bringing Katie home from the hospital suddenly seemed less daunting.
"Gotta! Gotta!” DeeDee panted.
I hurried across the basement, climbed a couple of stairs, and threw open the storm cellar door, so that she could get outside and relieve herself.
"I don't know why she carries on, your boyfriend was here, and he let her out earlier," Piss, my one-eyed cat, drawled.
"Patrick?" I asked, looking to see what he'd left me.
"Do you have another boyfriend?" God mocked from my chest.
"Out," I ordered. Stalking over to his terrarium, I pushed the lid aside, and dumped him, rather unceremoniously, inside.
"Sensitive skin," he grumbled.
"Oversized ego," I countered.
"Under the pillow," Piss purred, answering the question I hadn't even voiced.
I rushed over to the couch, threw back the throw cushion, and snatched up a cell phone. It immediately buzzed in my hand. Startled, I dropped it. It clattered against the basement floor.
"Brilliant," God said snidely. "Break it before you even get to use it."
"Shut up." I snatched up the throw pillow and tossed it in the general vicinity of his enclosure.
"Violence never solved anything," he gasped.
"You act like I was trying to kill you."
"You were."
"It's a pillow. By its very definition it's soft." I picked up the fallen phone as it buzzed again. "Hello?"
There was no answer. I looked at it more closely and realized it was buzzing to indicate there was a voicemail.
I looked to Piss. "I don't suppose he told you the passcode?"
She squinted her good eye at me. "You do know that most humans don't talk to animals, right?"
"It was worth a shot." I glared at the phone. Why had Patrick left it for me, if I couldn't use it?
DeeDee whined outside the cellar door. "Hungry."
"He fed her. Her appetite is endless," the cat hissed.
"Sure," God complained, "he feeds her, but what about me?"
The cat arched her back. “You weren’t even here.”
Ignoring them both, I opened the door and let DeeDee back in.
The phone buzzed again.
“Patrick!” DeeDee licked the phone affectionately as though it was the man’s hand.
“Hey,” I snatched it away, “careful.” Moving away to get her some food, I said casually, “I don’t suppose he gave you the code for the phone.”
God snorted derisively.
“Yes,” the Doberman barked.
I stopped and stared at her. “Yes?”
The dog grinned. “Patrick yes code gave the me.”
“Dreadful!” the lizard thundered from his enclosure. “Dreadful grammar. Dreadful! Do you hear me?”
DeeDee cocked her head to the side and replied innocently, “Yes.”
“Dumb and dreadful,” God raged.
“Oh stick a sock in it,” Piss stalked toward the terrarium, “before I make you take that back.”
The lizard shrank back, pushing himself against the glass, muttering what sounded like, “Ethically-challenged predator.”
Piss flattened her good ear.
“Can we just back it up a step?” I requested, focusing on the dog. “You have the code?”
She bounded toward me, jumping up to rest her front paws on my shoulders, almost knocking me over.
“Whoa,” I cried, stumbling backward.
“It’s a dog, not a horse,” God reminded me.
Before I could tell the cat to attack him, the dog licked my face.
“See?” she panted.
“See what?” I asked, struggling to stay upright beneath the double-assault of dog breath and her significant weight. But then I saw it. She was wearing a new collar. “Down!” I gasped. “Get down.”
Leveraging herself off my shoulders, she obeyed my command, and looked up at me expectantly.
“Did Patrick give you this?” I reached for the collar.
“Yes.”
Unbuckling it, I examined both sides and found that a message was written in permanent marker on the inside.
“Value of olives,” I read aloud.
“That’s helpful,” God mocked.
“Actually it is.” I snatched up the phone. “I told him that Armani would like him since she assigns numerical values to every name and his is worth fifteen.”
“That silly Scrabble tiles thing?” The lizard flicked his tail. “So the code is ‘eight’?”
“Nine,” Piss corrected. “As in cats have nine lives.”
“I don’t think a phone can have a one digit code,” I murmured, inputting numbers, “but if I put in 1-1-1-4-1-1…” The phone unlocked. I grinned victoriously, waving it for the animals to see. “He really did give DeeDee the code.”
She wagged her stub of a tail. “You told.”
“Told you!” God raged. “Told you, not you told, you imbecile.”
I snatched up another throw pillow, which effectively shut up the lizard.
Smiling, I lifted the phone to my ear, and listened to the voicemail message Patrick had left.
“Hey Mags. Sorry I missed ya, but I wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town. Duty calls. Stay out of trouble.”
The message ended. I stared at the phone. “What the hell?” I shook it, as though that could dislodge some additional information.
“Well that frown can’t be good. What’s wrong, Sugar?” Piss wrapped her body around my leg.
“He’s gone out of town.” I sank down onto the couch.
“For how long?” Piss purred.
“He didn’t say.”
“Why’d he leave?” the lizard asked from his enclosure.
“All he said was ‘duty calls’.”
“Legal or illegal duty?” God asked.
I shrugged.
“Gone Patrick?” DeeDee whined pitifully.
“For a while,” I replied, hoping I didn’t sound as pathetic as she did.
“What about Darlene?” I muttered, cradling my head in my hands.
“Marlene?”
“Darlene with a ‘D’ as in dummy,” God corrected. “The other sister.”
Confused, DeeDee buried her head in my lap and sighed heavily.
Absentmindedly I pet her as I explained, “Patrick was supposed to help me find her.”
“I’m sure he will when he gets back,” Piss purred soothingly.
“Why wait for him?” God scoffed. Before I could tell him to shut up, he added, “You manage just fine without him. Admit it.”