After he’d let me know everything he knew so far, we rode for a while in silence, as both of us tried to absorb what was happening. The longer I thought, the more terrified I became. Poor Fry. At the mercy of men who had already murdered two people.
CHAPTER 18
After creeping through the New Orleans traffic, it was around 2:00 in the afternoon when we pulled up to my house. I got a huge lump in my throat when I saw Fry’s car parked in the driveway, looking like it did every other time Fry had stopped by. It made me want to cry.
In an effort to keep anyone from finding out I was having a hard time coping, I tried silent, deep breathing to calm myself. The calm was working but not the silent, since Luke apparently heard me.
“I know this is hard, Maggie, but we have to hold it together, or we won’t be able to help CeCe get through this,” Luke encouraged. His words eliminated my desire to indulge in a good cry.
He was right. We needed CeCe to recount everything she saw down to the most minor detail. If I didn’t keep my panic under control, I wouldn’t have any chance of keeping her calm enough to tell us something that might help.
“I know, and I’m okay,” I reassured him. “Let’s go.”
CeCe threw open the front door and came running out to greet us. “I’m so glad to see you guys,” she cried, as she threw her arms around me.
After she hugged me for a minute, she must have noticed I used only one arm to return her embrace. She pulled back, looked down at what I was holding, and said, “Oh, you have a – dog? Where’d you get the dog? That is a dog, right? I mean, of course it’s a dog, but what’s up with the ears?”
After CeCe gave Luke his I’m-so-glad-you’re-here hug, we all walked into the house together with me explaining how we acquired Peso as we went.
When we walked in the front door, Sassy Cat stood in the foyer and rubbed her face against the arched doorway that led to the living room. She spotted Peso in my arms at the same time that he went from a relaxed blob to a rigid guard on full alert.
“Do you want me to close Sassy Cat in the bedroom for a while?” CeCe asked when we followed her into the living room.
While I stood there unable to make a decision (since my mind was focused on Fry), I reminded myself I had to give the appearance of coping. It was obvious CeCe had been crying recently. She needed me to appear capable instead of the way I actually felt, which was kind of lost in a fog as I watched things happening around me.
Although it had only been a few seconds that had passed while I lectured myself, Luke must have seen my struggle to come up with an answer to CeCe’s question.
“It’s up to you two, but I say they need to meet at some point. I’d put Peso down and let them check each other out,” he suggested. “If you need to separate them, then you could do that, but see what they think of each other first.”
Luke’s suggestion not only saved me from appearing as zoned out as I felt, but it also made sense. CeCe and I shrugged and spoke at the same time.
“Sounds good to me,” CeCe agreed.
“Sure, why not,” I nodded.
Sassy Cat had followed us into the room, refusing to take her eyes off Peso. He responded in kind by adjusting in my arms to keep her in his line of vision.
“CeCe, can you be ready to grab Sassy Cat just in case there’s any attitude or fur that starts to fly?” I asked as I lowered Peso to the floor.
Sassy Cat walked slowly toward Peso as he inched slowly in her direction, neither one ever taking their eyes off the other. When the distance between them was only about a foot and a half, they both stopped moving and stood staring at each other while sniffing the air.
Peso was the first to adopt a nonaggressive position. He sat down. As he gazed at Sassy Cat, the edges of his mouth turned upward, and he gave her his smile-look. Sassy Cat did her signature move, the nonchalant scan to the side, but she was unable to stick it. Her attention came right back to Peso. Bless her heart, she once again attempted aloof by going for the head-turn-in-the-opposite-direction-snub. Unable to look away for more than a few seconds, she focused on Peso’s face and cocked her head to the side. The look on her face seemed to say, “Is he grinning at me?”
Finally, she cast her eyes heavenward, possibly a silent plea for help, walked over to just past where Peso sat, adopted her usual sitting-on-a-throne posture with her back to him so that her tush was touching his, and started to clean her paws. Peso, whose focus had followed her progress until she sat touching him, swiveled his head back toward Luke, CeCe, and me. As we all let out the breaths we had been holding, Peso grinned at us for just a second before he curled in a half circle, put his head down, and closed his eyes.
I made CeCe and Luke promise not to talk about anything important while I went into the kitchen to start coffee and throw some sandwiches together. In accordance with my wishes, Luke told CeCe the details I’d left out of how we ended up with Peso.
When I entered the living room with the tray of food and coffee, I heard CeCe asking Luke, “What’s the deal with that smile? I didn’t know dogs could smile?”
“Actually,” I began as I deposited the tray on the coffee table. “I was watching his face while he slept in my lap all the way here. I think his lip gets kind of stuck on his teeth at the edges of his mouth, and that gives the appearance of a smile. Or maybe he’s just really happy and likes grinning.”
That made CeCe smile, which was nice because she hadn’t done much of that since I’d arrived home.
Once we were all comfortable, I asked Luke if he would mind staying at our place for the night since I thought it would make CeCe and I sleep better. What I didn’t say but was worried about, was the fact that the murderers knew where he lived. I really didn’t think he was safe in Barney’s house alone. He assured me he didn’t mind at all, if it was okay with CeCe. Her visible sigh of relief answered that question as she put her hand over her heart and told him she would be forever grateful if he would stay with us.
We had put off making CeCe go through every detail as long as we could, but now we needed her to tell us everything that happened. CeCe started at the beginning and went through everything she could remember leading up to and including Fry’s abduction.
She said the sisters popped in at the Big & Blessed shop and offered to mind the store so Fry and CeCe could go out to lunch. Our mothers had said they were going to rush next door to check on some material they’d ordered for Pearl’s bathroom window, and they’d be right back.
Fry and CeCe decided that would work out great, because earlier that morning, Barney’s neighbor called Fry looking for Luke. The neighbor explained that he noticed the Becnel’s door standing open and went to check it out. The front door lock had been jimmied and the house was torn apart, so he called the police. CeCe and Fry decided to help Luke out by going over to straighten and clean some of the mess left from the break in. CeCe called Deputy Ben to see if he could let her know when they had the all clear to go to the Becnel home and was told Deputy Ben was out, but the investigators were finished. The sheriff’s department said anyone with a key and permission to be there was free to enter. Since Fry had Luke’s keys and gave himself permission to enter, CeCe and Fry felt covered to go in and clean up a little before Luke’s return.
When the sisters finished their shopping next door and arrived to watch the shop for a while, CeCe told them thanks and that she and Fry wouldn’t be long. Fry and CeCe had a plan which they set it in motion when they first stopped to pick up a few supplies and then headed for Barney’s house. In spite of Luke’s insistence that he didn’t want them to do it, Fry and CeCe really wanted to help out by having Barney’s house somewhat put back together by the time Luke got back.
Their plan had been to stay for only a brief time, straighten as much as they could, head back to relieve the sisters at the shop, and return to finish the cleanup at Barney’s later after the shop closed. When they pulled into Barney’s driveway, Fry walked CeCe inside, since she really, REALLY ha
d to pee. That part nearly made CeCe tear up again as she described how she had to get the Big Boss size diet soda when they stopped to pick up trash bags and some cleaning supplies on the way to Barney’s house.
Apparently, after he walked CeCe into the house and tossed his keys on the table in the entranceway, Fry walked around each room assessing the damage. Then he went back out to his car to haul in the cleaning supplies just before CeCe came out of the bathroom. She was on her way back through the living room when she looked out the window and thought it was odd that a car was blocking Barney’s driveway. At the same instant that she saw two men struggling to shove something into the back seat, she realized the flailing object being shoved into the car was Fry. Within seconds it was over, and they were gone while her mind was still trying to process what she saw.
“See, it’s my fault,” CeCe said as her eyes misted over. “If I had just waited until after we carried in the supplies together, they never would have grabbed him like that. I should have been out there with him.”
I went over to sit next to CeCe on the sofa, put my arm around her, and cried, “That’s not true! It isn’t your fault.”
“CeCe,” Luke began softly. “I want you to understand, so listen to me very carefully. There is no reason to believe that if you had been out there with Fry that he would not have been grabbed.” Luke spoke so quietly, we had to stop weeping to hear him. It kind of irked me that he’d figured out a way to calm us that was so sneaky.
“The more likely result, had you been standing next to Fry, is that you would have been taken as well,” Luke explained as he continued to use the same soft, soothing tone. “I don’t even want to think about the bind Maggie and I would have been left in without the information you’re here to provide. Don’t get me wrong, if that were the case, we would get you and Fry back just like we’re going to get Fry back now, but it would have been much more complicated.”
“Don’t you mean impossible. If these are the guys who’ve already killed two people, what’s one more?” CeCe asked as her eyes grew moist again, but she didn’t cry.
“Ah, but here is where our advantage comes in. We have you,” Luke announced, a big smile forming as he spoke.
“Me?” CeCe squeaked, “I’m your big advantage? In that case, fear for us, Luke. I don’t know anything that can help.”
“Yeah, you do, CeCe,” Luke calmly informed her, “and you’ve already told me what I needed. When you were on the phone with me earlier, you said the men who grabbed Fry resembled Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright from Bonanza. I know you heard that reference from Fry recently, because he heard it from Uncle Barney. Even though you told me on the phone that Fry didn’t get to show you the pictures Stubby sent him before he was nabbed, you recognized the men who took Fry as the same men Barney described in Eliza’s kitchen.”
“Um, Luke,” CeCe eased in gently. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that is not good news. Those guys are stone cold killers. I really think we need to call the police even though they said not to. What choice do we have? They’re just going to kill Fry, too.”
While Luke was talking earlier, I figured out where he was going with his rationale. Since he’d bailed me out earlier, I rushed to his aid.
“But CeCe, Fry has an advantage poor Eliza and Barney never had. Luke!” When I said his name, Luke turned to look at me, although he’d been nodding in agreement up to that point.
“Well, uh, I wasn’t going to say ‘me,’ but I do agree Fry has an advantage,” Luke indicated. “These guys want something, and they probably see Fry as their last hope of getting it. If they kill him, they have nothing to bargain with. My guess is they’re planning to trade Fry’s safety for the painting. They think I have it and will trade it for Fry, and they’re right – I would if I had it. All I have to do is convince them to let me drop it somewhere in exchange for Fry. What I can’t do is let them know we’re aware of their identities. That would likely get Fry and I both killed.”
Luke was obviously thinking out loud, but when he saw the concern deepen on CeCe’s face, he quickly added with a smile, “So I have the advantage. I know exactly how much information I’m willing to give them and how much I don’t want to tell them. You were instrumental in clearing up that information, CeCe. Don’t think for one minute that you put Fry’s life in danger. You are the one who’ll be most to thank for saving him.”
Slowly, a smile crept across CeCe’s face as she turned to me and said, “This guy is pretty decent, I must admit. Looks like your taste in men is improving.”
As soon as CeCe realized what she’d said to me in front of Luke, she let out a little, “Eek!” and slapped her hand over her mouth.
It took me a only a fraction of a second to get control of myself and make sure I didn’t have the same horrified look on my face that CeCe currently wore. I smiled at Luke, who looked from CeCe to me with a questioning smile on his face, and then I waved off CeCe’s comment with a brief explanation.
“Oh, yeah, apparently I drunk texted CeCe the other night, and I never had the chance to clear it up for her.” I turned my attention to CeCe and offered up the lame excuse I’d quickly worked out in my head.
“I didn’t realize I was drinking such a strong drink the other night, but it was really a lot of alcohol,” I began explaining, but ended up rambling and couldn’t seem to stop myself. “You know I don’t usually drink that much all at one time, and apparently I started believing I was on a date with Luke from college. You remember Luke from college, CeCe. The guy I was so in love with, but then we broke up and I can’t even remember why anymore. It was all so long ago. It’s weird the things that hang around in your subconscious, isn’t it?”
I was giving CeCe the ‘just go with me on this’ stare that we always gave each other when we found it necessary to fabricate or embellish and needed the other one to back us up. It always worked, but CeCe was about to ruin our perfect record. I would never again be able to say it always worked.
“What? Luke in college?” CeCe asked, obviously confused. I crossed my fingers that her response could be classified as distracted by worry for Fry. Unfortunately, CeCe wanted to concentrate on something else (like the rest of us) and decided to seize on this as her escape. “What Luke in college? There was no Luke in college.”
I gave her the bug-eyed stare with my lips pressed together so hard, it probably looked as if I didn’t own any lips. After a couple of seconds of that message, I relaxed, smiled again, and picked up where I’d left off. “Oh, wow. I thought I was getting old, but I guess the dementia is hitting you first, huh? You remember Luke? From college? Who I dated? Before we broke up?”
The bug-eyed stare never fails, and at least I can count on that old reliable.
“Oh, LUKE from COLLEGE. Yeah, I remember him,” CeCe lied and turned to Luke. “He was so in love with Maggie, you know, until they broke up. Good times.”
CeCe looked from Luke to me. I blushed and jumped up. “Who needs more coffee? And nobody touched the sandwiches I made. You guys can’t live on coffee alone. You’ll get sick, now eat.” I slipped into the kitchen to refill my coffee, thankful I couldn’t tell what the voices in the living room were saying to each other.
As I stood at the kitchen window and gazed out at the beautiful day, completely lost in thought, Luke came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. “CeCe wants to talk to you about your mothers,” he said softly, taking the coffeepot I didn’t realize I was still holding and placing it back on the coffeemaker.
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” I said and started back toward the living room.
“Uh, Maggie,” Luke called before I made it to the kitchen door.
Now, I panicked. He knew. Of course he knew. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew there was no Luke in college. He knew all that stuff I said to him when I was drunk was probably what I was actually thinking but never would have said without that stupid Long Island Ice Tea. Why don’t they just call it truth serum, and be done with it. Same result. W
hy didn’t I pay more attention? Why did I have to prove to him I could party like everyone else, end up proving exactly the opposite, and round out the evening by spilling my guts in the process, both literally and figuratively. Now he probably wants to let me down easy. Explain how with everything going on he isn’t in a relationshipy place right now. Fine, let’s just get it over with.
“What?” I turned to face him and tried not to wince. I was determined I was going to take it like a grown up. Be brave. Be strong. Fry was really all that mattered right now anyway, so there was nothing Luke could say or do to hurt me. I was ready.
“Your coffee,” Luke reminded me, as he handed me the coffee cup I had walked away from and left on the counter.
“Oh. Thanks,” I said as I took my mug and headed out of the kitchen. Let me just say I’m so glad he’s not one of those vampire-mind-readers, because that would be so embarrassing.
“The sisters?” I squealed at CeCe before I sat back down. “What’s wrong? Are they okay? Did something . . . ?”
“Take it easy,” CeCe answered, now playing the part of the calm one. “They’re fine, but they’re stopping by here this evening. I thought we might want to formulate a game plan.”
“Here? They’re coming here? Why are they doing that?” I asked unable to hide the panic in my voice.
“I don’t know,” CeCe said slowly as she watched me carefully place my coffee mug on the coaster before I started nervously wringing my hands. “I guess they’re crazy enough to think that just because their daughters live here, they might be welcome?”
“Oh, of course they’re welcome. They know that. It’s just — well, you know — Luke’s here,” I stammered.
“This might surprise you, Maggie,” Luke interjected, after he entered the room all sneaky and quiet. “But I have been known to be in the same room with mothers without sending them screaming into the night. Besides, I already met your mothers, remember? What’s bothering you?”
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