by Misty Simon
My hands shook on the wheel. Sure, Bella and I had worked some things out this afternoon, but the rest still needed to be discussed. I hoped I’d be up for it. We hadn’t even touched on her rude behavior toward me or the reason she’d turned from me in the first place.
Before long, I pulled up to the curb in front of her little cottage. I would have parked in the driveway, but there was a strange car in what I considered to be my spot. I wondered whose it was and hoped Bella didn’t think we needed some kind of chaperone. I had things to say to her I didn’t want anyone else to hear.
After knocking on the door, I waited a few seconds. She didn’t answer, although I could hear voices on the other side of the door—nothing distinct, but it seemed one voice was male. I didn’t want to interrupt them, but I also didn’t want to freeze out here. So I knocked again, refraining from just walking in the way I used to.
The door flew open before I could step back onto the stoop. “Ivy, come in.” Bella yanked me inside by my upper arm, her fingers digging into my fleshy bicep. Suddenly, I was face to face with one of the nicest-looking men I’d seen besides Ben. His close-cut hair was an intriguing chestnut with glints of red. Broad shoulders filled out his impeccably tailored dove-gray suit.
Yowza! Who was he, and what was he doing at Bella’s house? A new beau, perhaps? That would be so exciting for her—and for me. We could double date. Yay!
I waited as patiently as I could for an introduction, but none was forthcoming. Bella was all but pushing him out the door, actually. What the heck was going on? And why did he seem familiar when I was sure I’d never met him?
“I’m only going to ask you one more time to go, Chad. I don’t want to have to call the police, but don’t get me wrong, I will if you force me. How would that look for your new brokerage business?” Bella stood with the door open and her hand on the knob, her mouth thinned, and her lips compressed. Diagnosis: she was beyond pissed. I almost told poor Chad he should get a move on because she really meant business when she didn’t worry about lines forming around her mouth.
But he was already moving. “You don’t have to be bitchy, Bella.”
Uh-oh, he was in dire trouble now. “Look, you ass, take yourself and your ridiculous suppositions”—oh, good word, Bella—“and get the hell out of my house. I’m tired of dealing with you. I listened for a while, but I’ve wised up now. I suggest you take your wild theories along with you, too, and don’t darken my door again. It won’t be the police I call next time. I’ll just be wearing my ass-kicking boots and deal with it all by my lonesome.”
He stomped down the path to his car, muttering curses under his breath the whole time. At one point he stopped and turned back toward the door. It looked like he was going to come back and say something more, but then he shook his head and got into the car parked in my spot. With squealing tires, he backed out, nearly missing another car on the road. His horn blared as he tore down the street, heading toward the center of town.
“Wow, what was that all about?” I said, feeling Bella’s hand vibrating on my arm.
“We’ll talk about it inside. Thank you so much for pulling up just in time. I didn’t think I’d ever get rid of him.”
“Who was he, besides a fine specimen of male?”
“Yeah, he might be fine, but the more you get to know him, the uglier he gets.” She pulled me into the living room, and it reminded me of the party. God, was that only last week? “Have a seat. Let me go get some wine, and we’ll talk.”
I settled into the big chair with its curved cherry arms, waiting for Bella to return from the kitchen. Being here again made me wonder if the guest bedroom was still cordoned off and how Bella felt about living in a house that had seen death. Maybe, if things went well tonight, I’d ask.
She came bustling in, all flying hair and smiles. The bowl of chips went on the coffee table and a cup of guacamole joined it. She’d fallen in love with the snack when I’d introduced her to it last month. I had a feeling it came out tonight as a peace offering. One I fully intended to accept after we got a few things straight.
“So, um, thanks for coming over tonight,” she said, sitting down on the couch and crossing and uncrossing her legs like she couldn’t get comfortable.
“Bella, let’s get something out of the way right now so we don’t have to bob and weave around each other all night.” She kept twisting the ring on her right index finger. “I like you; I have liked you from the moment you tipped your shears at me in your shop. I will always like you no matter what goes wrong between us, as long as I get a chance to understand how things went awry. I just want honesty and open communication, no matter how ‘Dr. Phil’ that sounds.”
She laughed and it felt good to hear it. Blowing out a breath, she said, “I don’t know how, or where, to start.”
More ring twisting ensued, until I stopped her by placing my hand on hers. “Anywhere. The beginning usually works best, though.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. It seems so embarrassing now, looking back. I should have known better.”
I leaned back in the chair, prepared to hear anything. “Spill it.”
“Okay. At first I didn’t want to talk to anyone. It wasn’t only you. I avoided all contact with anyone except the police that night. I was so confused and sad. And it was all such a huge mess.
“Then, that same night Tarrin was killed, Chad, her fiancé, came over to the Bubbling Brook. He said he needed someone who knew her to grieve with, and I understood perfectly. So we ordered in Chinese. We ate and reminisced. It was like Tarrin was down the hall getting ice or something and would be back any minute. About one in the morning, he finally said he should go and then broke down like a baby, crying and cursing about what a waste of a good life and how they were starting out together. He was so heartbroken, I let him come back into the room. We sat up until three, when he finally got himself under control enough to leave. I’m pretty sure he went back to his and Tarrin’s house that night, but every other evening he’s been in the Bubbling Brook with me.” She took a deep breath, then a big gulp of wine.
“Nothing ever happened between us. It wasn’t that kind of grieving, but I started to become close to him, understand where his heart was during our time together. The very first night, he told me I needed to beware of you, but I scoffed at him. Then all the stuff started piling in, and he made sure I heard every word said against you. The night of her murder, I was in shock. That’s no excuse, but it’s why I was so vague with you, and cold. I barely knew my own name. But the rest of it, all the unanswered calls and my calls to you, were about things he was telling me.”
“But why didn’t you come to me and talk to me about everything instead of assuming he told you the truth?”
She blushed, actually blushed, and I had no idea what to do. This was completely new territory for me. She saved me from a decision. “I wasn’t getting out to see anyone. I closed Bella’s Best and didn’t take any calls. Chad was pretty much my only link with the outside world for the first few days. Then when I did come out, several people came up to me and said how awful it was that you had killed poor Tarrin.”
I was shocked. I mean, I knew some people were talking about it and the police were trying to pin it on me, but I thought she would have known better, trusted that there was no way I would ever hurt someone, much less take a life.
All these things must have shown on my face because she was quick to add, “I didn’t really believe you would do it, but I didn’t know what to think. All I had was the information regarding the police questioning you, and Chad’s words about your guilt.”
“But still...”
“I know, I know,” she said, dipping a chip in the yummy green dip. “I know I should have trusted you. I was so messed up, though, I had no idea what I was even doing. It seemed easier not to deal with all of it, and that hurt you. I am really sorry. It’s not enough, but I don’t know what else to say.”
She wasn’t alone. I didn’t know wh
at to say either. It’s hard to find out the friend you thought was perfect is human, just like you. I cleared my throat, not sure where to begin. I guess at the beginning, like I’d told her. “I can understand confusion, anger, even wanting to be alone for a few days. I knew you were hurting and was trying to respect it. But you completely shut me out without a single word except you thought it would be better if you weren’t seen with me. I can’t begin to describe how that cut me. I started wearing brown.”
Her chuckle was weak, but it was there as she dabbed at her eyes. She was a pretty crier, darn her, and I would have hated her if I didn’t like her so much.
“I saw the brown bra the other day and wanted to ask where the hell you had gotten it, but I couldn’t.”
“I understand the grieving and the whole I-want-to-be-alone thing, but why were you so quick to believe I’d harm another person like that at all?”
“Part of it had to do with the last conversation we had. You were trying to convince me my friend of almost ten years was threatening you, and then not an hour later she’s dead with your scarf around her neck. What would you have done?”
I’d like to think I wouldn’t immediately assume the murderer was my best friend, I thought but didn’t say. This wasn’t an appropriate time to be flippant. Instead, I took a moment to come up with of an answer that wouldn’t hurt her feelings but was still truthful. “To be honest, Bella, I would have talked to you first, or at least called the next day to see what happened, give you a chance to tell your side. It really hurt my feelings to have you turn away from me so fast.”
“I know. All I can say is I am so sorry. I’d do anything to take back the last few days and act differently, but I can’t. I’d like you to forgive me, though, if you can.” Her eyes grew misty, and I didn’t know what to do. This was Bella, the woman who never cried, the tough-as-nails chick who took on the whole town frequently. How do you cope with tears from such a strong woman?
The best thing I could do at the moment was hug her, so I did. “Let’s put this all behind us, now,” I said as I patted her back. “I understand what you were going through and want things back the way they were. If anything, this whole thing can make our friendship stronger.” I backed away and resumed my seat in the big chair. “Hey, I think we had our first fight.” I grinned. “I did pretty good, if I do say so myself.”
Her watery chuckle joined mine. “Yeah, now if we could only get you back away from the brown, you’d be flying.”
Chapter Twelve
In a black cable knit sweater and a pair of forest green corduroys, I decided to finally attack my small front yard. For weeks now the leaves had fallen from my two oak trees. I’d tried to make piles of them, but when I came back with the bags I’d forgotten, they were all over the grass again. It drove me absolutely insane.
But I’d come up with an incredible plan, one that couldn’t fail. A fantastic plan, destined to succeed. I was going to vacuum the entire mess. And not with just any vacuum. Oh, no, I’d bought myself a Shop-Vac. Woo-hoo!
Eight o’clock in the morning and I was ready to take on the lawn. I dragged the vacuum out of the garage, breathing in the fresh smell of a new day. Autumn had come a little late this year, from what I understood, but the air was a crisp cold. Few leaves remained suspended from the trees. It was the perfect time to finally clean up.
My dad came to stand on the porch, coffee mug in hand, as I went in for the extension cord. “Morning,” he said.
“Good morning to you. What do you have going on today?” Even though we’d sorted out most of our issues, I still wanted to get back to living alone.
“Oh, I thought I’d go down to Mad Martha’s again and see what she has on the menu.” He tucked his free hand in the pocket of his khakis and rocked back on his heels.
“Probably the same thing she’s had on the menu for the last four days you’ve been there.”
“Well, I’d like to go there again for the good food. I’ll head out in about ten minutes. I’ll see you back here tonight.”
I hooked the vacuum cleaner to the extension cord and nodded, not really listening to the rest of what he said. I was concentrating on my new toy. He went inside, leaving me to play, and I revved that baby up. Okay, I only flipped the switch to On, but still.
The leaves made a very satisfying thwopping sound as I positioned the hose over them. Every once in a while I emptied the vacuum bowl into a garbage bag before continuing in neat rows around the yard. My next-door neighbor, Mrs. Hartzell, walked down the sidewalk, saw me, and smiled and waved. I hadn’t seen much of her after the day I moved in, but it was nice to see her now. And she looked to be in such a good mood.
After that, a surprising number of my neighbors—some I’d never even seen—passed by during the hour it took to suck all the leaves off the browning grass. They were all smiling and waving to me, and I was happy to return the gestures. Maybe I was finally going to be accepted into the town and could stop feeling like such an outsider.
After I had the cleanest lawn in all of Martha’s Point, I looked up and realized I’d have to do this all over again since there were still a few leaves left clinging to the branches. It was a small cluster here and there, but they’d fall eventually and would have to be cleaned up. Another brilliant idea hit me—apparently it was my day for them—I’d vacuum them right off the tree. Then I’d be completely done for the season.
Pulling them off the branches was a little harder to do than I had expected. But as I was listening to the last few leaves going down the hose and congratulating myself on a job well done, Bella pulled up, her car practically screeching to a stop in my driveway.
“What’s the emergency?” I asked as she popped out of her little VW. For a second, worry clouded my mind, fright that something else had happened. Visions of another murder topped the list.
“You are,” she said, then burst out laughing, the sound clear and bright to go with the awesome weather.
Her laughter was always contagious, so I laughed with her until her words sank in. “I’m the emergency? Why?”
“Well, first, tell me what you’re doing.”
“Cleaning up my yard?” Stupid lilt at the end of my sentence.
“Um, okay.” She snickered again, which was fast becoming annoying. “See, here’s the thing.” Her snicker turned into a full-on snort, and I briefly thought about vacuuming her hair into the tube. She’d stop laughing then, no doubt about that.
“Yes?” I put my hands on my hips, the hose sticking out from my right hip.
“Erm, well, have you noticed many people going by today?”
“Yeah, and they were all really friendly. I think they’re starting to accept me as a real Virginian.”
“Oh, Ivy.” She swiped at a tear leaking out of her eye. Her mirth was making her cry.
I’d make her really cry if she didn’t stop soon. “What!”
“Sweetie, I hate to tell you this, but they’re all coming by because they think you’re a raving lunatic. Is it true you vacuumed your whole front yard?”
My back straightened, my spine stiff with indignation. “Yes, I did.”
“Whatever possessed you?”
“It was a brilliant idea.”
“I won’t disagree with you there. I’m pretty sure you have the cleanest yard for miles around, but that’s not the way we do things around here. Didn’t you see everyone else blowing their leaves into piles and bagging them up?” Her amber eyes were sympathetic, but a twinkle of mischief still lingered.
“It seemed a waste of time to me. I tried the pile thing, and they kept coming undone behind me. All that raking only to turn around and have them all spread out two minutes later.”
“It’s done now, so I don’t think there’s any help for it. But I wanted to let you know you showed yourself as a city girl again.”
“Yeah, thanks. So I guess I’m no closer to being a native.” I was disappointed, and yet a small part of me could see the humor in all this. What a
picture I must have made. No wonder everyone had come by to look at the crazy Californian.
“I guess I’m done out here, so come on in.” I led Bella into the house for some tea and sympathy before I started work. Today ought to be fun. Everyone would know about the vacuum debacle (good word) before the day was through. How many would come in the Masked Shoppe to see if the story was true? Could I have made a worse impression?
****
Apparently I could, as I found out later that night. Bella and I were at the Rusty Pelican, the one bar in Martha’s Point, with a round of fruity drinks in front of us. Ben was going to join us soon, but I hadn’t told him yet that Bella and I had made up. Most likely, he already knew, courtesy of the Martha’s Pointers (cute, huh?) grapevine.
Most of the tension had ceased between Bella and me after our talk. Little pockets of time still existed where I would remember the hurt and the feelings of betrayal, but I put them away because I had Bella back. And I didn’t want to be one of those people who held onto things forever and never let it go. Regardless, I continued to feel a bit like I had given in too easily. Sure, she had made a mistake and reacted to information she hadn’t verified; I understood her reasoning. Unfortunately, it didn’t take away all the mixed emotions. But despite all that, I was going to have a good time tonight and enjoy being out with my two best friends.
However, before my good time could get started, I was faced with Jackie Sturder—she of the desperate need to buy lingerie in sizes way too small for her. She was also the girlfriend of Charlie, the woman’s-panty-wearing plumber who was currently spending time in jail for stealing from me. To some extent, I thought he took the jail sentence with no arguments to get away from his mom and his girlfriend. Come to think of it, I didn’t know if they were even still together.
“Hi, Jackie,” I said before she could start in about me ignoring her.