Death by Association

by Paula Darnell

  “Oh, right.” He hesitated only a second. “Well, Thursday’s fine with me. How ‘bout eight? I’ll pick you up.”

  I smiled. “Eight’s fine.”

  As Wesson stood, Bear, who’d fallen asleep with his chin on the detective’s shoe, jumped up and trotted beside him to the front door.

  “Good night, Laurel, and good night to you, too, Bear.”

  Chapter 12

  With a parting pat on Bear’s head, the lieutenant flashed me a 200-watt smile and strolled down my front sidewalk. When he reached the street, he looked back at me and waved. Feeling a bit light-headed, I raised my hand in a half-hearted salute and leaned on the door, closing it. What had I done?

  I rushed to my smartphone and texted Tracey that I had a date with Wes on Thursday evening. Not surprisingly, my phone rang within seconds.

  “I can’t believe you texted me the big news! Why didn’t you call?” Without waiting for my response, Tracey demanded: “Tell me everything.”

  I did exactly that, describing how I’d found the list mixed in with my paperwork and my meeting with Wes. By the time I finished, Tracey was gushing with uncontained excitement. At last, I was following her advice, and she was thrilled.

  “So you think I did the right thing by accepting his invitation to dinner?”

  “Why would you even ask that, Lo-lo?” she said, reverting to her childhood name for me. “He sounds totally hot! You go, girl! Does he have a brother?”

  We laughed. Tracey may have been between boyfriends at the time, but that was a situation that never lasted very long. My BFF certainly didn’t need my help where meeting men was concerned.

  After discussing my new-found love life for an hour, we agreed to meet the next day to do the shopping for Bessie’s party. I was glad that Tracey had been able to take the day off. As a top manager at a company that specialized in branding and the design of custom-made trade show booths and displays, she has some flexibility with her schedule. Not only that, but she also has a huge SUV. With her big vehicle and my smaller one, we would be able to transport all the food with no problem. After comparing notes on our expanding grocery list, we arranged to meet for brunch at our favorite breakfast hang-out, Cuppa Joe, before driving to Costco to buy the food for the party. I wasn’t sure that our budget would cover everything that we needed to buy, but I had already decided to pick up the difference if we couldn’t stretch the money far enough.

  During the night, I tossed and turned restlessly, not sleeping much at all, and after I finally fell asleep, it seemed like only minutes before I felt a wet doggie kiss on my face, and I knew that it was already time to get up and take Bear for his morning walk. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I dressed in light cotton capris, a brown t-shirt, and my been-through-the-mill, lace-up walking shoes. A glance in the mirror told me all I needed to know about my appearance. My sleepless night showed on my face, dark circles shadowing my eyes. Oh, well. I knew there wasn’t anything I could do about that now, and there’d be no time for a nap later, so I’d have to depend on caffeine, and lots of it, to get me through the day.

  After Bear and I had our morning walk and I downed three cups of coffee, I jumped in the shower, then dressed for the day in a short denim skirt, flat sandals, and a lightweight voile top with an autumn-leaf-inspired print design. I added sterling silver teardrop earrings and a beaded sterling bracelet I had made and popped on a couple of turquoise and silver rings.

  After Tracey and I shopped for the food, we planned to cart it directly to the community center’s kitchen, which connected to the meeting room where the party would be held. Since I wouldn’t be home until after the party in the evening, which would make a long day alone for Bear, I’d made arrangements for him to spend it with my neighbors, Fran and Brian Wells, a retired couple who have a friendly golden retriever. Bear loves to romp with Goldie, and the Wellses planned to take the doggie duo for a walk in the park, too. It’s handy to have neighbors who want to trade dog-sitting duties occasionally.

  Stowing his food and treats in a canvas bag, along with some extra goodies and a present for Goldie, I snapped on Bear’s leash, tied his new Western fringed scarf around Bear’s neck, and we walked three doors down the street to Bear’s home away from home for the day. I knew Goldie had heard us approaching when I heard her barking, and before I had a chance to ring the doorbell, Brian opened his front door and greeted us. Goldie was right at his heels, creating a bottleneck in the small entryway, but we managed to plunge ahead into the living room.

  “What a cute scarf you’re wearing, Bear!” Fran said. “I need to take a picture.” She pulled her phone from her pocket.

  “Wait a second, Fran. I made a scarf for Goldie, too.” I reached in the canvas bag, pulled out Goldie’s leopard-print scarf, and tied it around her neck.

  “They’re adorable,” Fran said as she took several pictures of Bear and Goldie posing in their scarves. “I’ll post these pictures on Facebook.”

  “Great! I’ll take a look as soon as I have a chance. Thanks so much for taking care of Bear today. I really appreciate it!”

  “We’re happy to have him,” Brian said. “Goldie always likes to have company, and Bear’s her favorite. They’ll have a good time at the park.”

  I set the canvas bag down on the kitchen counter. “Here’s a container with Bear’s food for dinner and some snacks. I brought extras for Goldie.”

  “Are they those peanut butter treats you make, Laurel?” Fran asked. “Goldie really likes those.”

  “Yes, and I added a couple of pumpkin treats, too. I’m trying out a new recipe.” After Wes had left, I’d spent some of my nervous energy making a batch of treats with the recipe my cousin Lynn had sent me. I’d been especially careful to follow the recipe exactly and monitor the baking time because I was famous for burning almost everything I attempted to bake.

  “You’re so talented, Laurel. Honestly, I can’t imagine how you think up all those projects of yours.”

  “Thanks, Fran. Actually, I’m not much of a cook or baker. My cousin Lynn gave me her recipe for the pumpkin treats.”

  “Well, I’m sure Goldie will love them.”

  “I should be back around nine or so to pick up Bear. I need to stay after the party and help with the clean-up.”

  “Sounds like you’re going to have a long day, Laurel. Would you like some coffee to take with you?”

  “No, thanks, Fran. I’ve had three cups already this morning.” I leaned over and patted Goldie with one hand and Bear with the other. “Be a good boy, Bear,” I admonished him.

  “Don’t worry about Bear, Laurel. He’ll be fine,” Brian said.

  “I know he will, Brian. Well, I’d better head out. I’m meeting Tracey in a few minutes. See you tonight.”

  “’Bye now.”

  Although rush hour had come and gone, the mid-morning traffic turned out to be unusually heavy, and I pulled into the parking lot of Cuppa Joe ten minutes late. I could see Tracey’s white SUV parked near the restaurant’s door, so I scurried inside and spotted her in a booth next to a window that looked out on the parking lot. Panting slightly, I slid into the seat across from her.

  “Sorry I’m late. Traffic,” I said, taking a sip of coffee to which I’d added a generous amount of the rich cream that Cuppa Joe features. “Thanks for ordering the coffee.”

  “That’s okay. I figured you got hung up somewhere, so I ordered the food, too. The usual for you.”

  “Great!” I don’t think I’d ever had anything except my usual brunch dish at Cuppa Joe. It’s a scrumptious French toast made with extra-thick bread that has raspberry filling inside and a raspberry garnish on top. “Looks like it’s coming out now,” I observed as the cook set two platters on the ledge between the kitchen and the dining room. Our server immediately picked them up and whisked our plates to us.

  “Another pot of coffee, ladies?” the server asked as she set our plates in front of us.

  “Sounds good to me,” Tracey said.
She turned to me after the server left, admitting, “I had three cups while I was waiting for you.”

  I nodded. “Bring it on.” As Seattle natives, both of us love coffee, the city’s favorite drink. “Mmmm. Yummy. This French toast rocks! You really should try it sometime, Trace.”

  “I’m more salty than sweet, unlike some people I know.” Tracey paused and winked at me. Honestly, she’s the only woman I know who can pull off a wink. “I’ll stick with my Canadian bacon and eggs; thank you very much.”

  “To each, her own.”

  “I’ll bet your lieutenant likes sweets. He likes you!”

  “We’ll see, and he’s not my lieutenant.”

  “It’s only a matter of time,” Tracey said confidently as she speared a morsel of Canadian bacon with her fork. “Well, I don’t believe it,” she said, peering out the window. “Look over there, Laurel,” she said, pointing to a boutique on the other side of the parking lot. “Isn’t that Eva Meyer going into Ooh La La? I thought Karl said that she hadn’t been out of the house in over a year.”

  “Looks like her, all right.”

  “Maybe having Courtney stay with her and Karl has expanded her horizons and inspired her to get out of the house for a while. I don’t see Courtney with her, though.”

  “How does she stand it, I wonder, being trapped at home all the time?”

  “Beats me. I’d go batty after a day or so myself if I didn’t get out of the house.”

  “I guess she must prefer it that way. Nobody’s forcing her to stay inside all the time. It’s not as though Karl prevents her from leaving home.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Didn’t you think Karl seemed frustrated with Eva’s refusal to go out of the house when we talked to him on Sunday?”

  “Yeah, now that you mention it. Poor guy. Oh, gotta get this,” Tracey said as her phone beeped, signaling an incoming text message. “I can’t ever leave the office without being bombarded with messages.”

  “That’s because you’re a VIP.”

  “No, that’s because I’m too much of a pushover,” Tracey said as she rapidly texted a response. “You wouldn’t believe how many times the people at work bugged me last week when we were in the Ozarks. Mom and Dad really got irritated.”

  “Maybe you could turn your phone off for the rest of the day,” I gently suggested.

  “No can do. We’re working with a new client who has a huge budget, but, unfortunately, he needs a lot of hand-holding.”

  “Poor you! I don’t know how you stand it.”

  “Goes with the territory. You about ready to head out?”

  “Yes, I am. I’ve had enough coffee today to float a boat,” I said, pulling some cash out of my handbag and setting it on top of the check the server had left when she delivered our second pot of coffee. “My treat.”

  “Thanks, Lo-lo. When we get to Costco, let’s park right next to each other. It’ll be easier to load all the food.”

  “Okay, I’ll follow you there, but I’d better make a quick pit stop first,” I said as I headed to the restroom.

  Although Costco turned out to be much busier than I’d anticipated on a middle-of-the-week day, we managed to forage through the huge store, loading our carts as we went. We each ended up with two full carts of party fare before we joined the long check-out line. The couple in line behind us groaned when they realized that all four carts contained one order, but we shrugged and pressed on. Such are the grocery wars. As I’d guessed, our total came to more than Luke had given me, so I added some of my own cash to make up the difference.

  Loading all the boxes was a chore, and by the time we had them all stowed in our SUVs, I was feeling very glad that I’d been faithfully following my weight-lifting regimen, even though I worked out with only eight-pound dumbbells, far from the heaviest weights, for sure. Even so, I could definitely tell the difference. Before I began working out with the weights, it would have been much more of a struggle to lift heavy boxes.

  The next few hours passed quickly as we returned to Hawkeye Haven, unloaded the food at the community center, and prepared for the party. With help from Luke, Kenny, Cynthia, and Amy, we finished setting up just as the first few guests began to arrive. Cynthia and Amy had volunteered to replenish the food and drinks, which we’d arranged buffet style, on three long tables set against the wall in the meeting room where we were having the party. That left Tracey and me free to mingle until after the party, when we’d both be on clean-up detail.

  “Here’s Bessie now,” I told Tracey as Bessie arrived with her family. “Come on, and I’ll introduce you.” Actually, Bessie looked like a different woman in her beautiful purple lace cocktail dress, and I realized that the only time before tonight that I’d seen her wearing anything other than her security guard’s uniform had been last week, when I visited her in the hospital.

  “Hi, Bessie.” I greeted her with a quick hug, and we made introductions all around. Bessie’s son, his wife, and their two teen-aged daughters accompanied her.

  “You look lovely, Bessie,” I said, and I meant it. The wound on the back of her head wasn’t visible at all. She must have noticed that I was looking at her hair, trying to figure out how the head wound had miraculously healed so quickly.

  Bessie patted her hair and whispered to me,” It’s a wig. Debby fixed it for me.”

  “Wow, well, it looks great. I couldn’t figure out how you’d healed so quickly. Sorry I was staring.”

  “If only I had healed quickly! My head still hurts, but it’s getting a little bit better every day. I don’t feel nearly as fuzzy as I did when you visited me in the hospital. I don’t even feel bad about giving up my job anymore because I already got a new one.”

  “That was quick. I thought you were going to take it easy for a while.”

  “Don’t know what I’d do, staying at home all day.” Her comment made me think about how different Bessie is from Eva, who wants to stay home all day, every day. “Deb noticed that they were looking for a clerk at our neighborhood supermarket. I applied yesterday, and this morning, the manager called and told me I could start work there Monday. Not bad, huh?”

  “I hope you like it, Bessie,” I said.

  “Oh, I will. All my friends shop there, and I know all the clerks, too. It’ll keep me out of trouble,” she joked. “Hey, Al!” she cried, as she spotted a white-haired man wearing the uniform of the Hawkeye Haven security guards. I’d noticed that quite a few of her co-workers had shown up to bid Bessie farewell. “’S’cuse me, Laurel; I’ll see you again later,” Bessie said as Al approached her and gave her a big hug.

  Turning to Tracey, I suggested that we sample some of the food from the buffet that we’d helped Cynthia and Amy to set up. Luke and Kenny had placed several round tables in the center of the room where guests could sit although many of the attendees were milling about the room, balancing plates and cups while standing. Since we’d been on our feet for several hours, we decided to snag places at one of the tables so that we could sit down for a few minutes.

  “Call me a wimp, but it feels good to sit down,” Tracey said.

  “It really does,” I agreed. “I’m glad we’re having a good turn-out tonight. It was nice of Luke to suggest having a party for Bessie. Too bad he had to hassle with Patty about it.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Tracey said. I turned to see Patty approaching Luke.

  “Oh, no, now what?” I groaned as Patty angrily grabbed Luke’s arm. He shook her off, but she grabbed him again. I watched as Luke led her toward the kitchen and closed the door between the two adjoining rooms.

  “Looks like it’s time for me to replenish the veggie tray,” I said.

  “Amy and Cynthia will take care of that,” Tracey said, looking at me as though I’d lost my mind. Then the light dawned. “Oh, I get it. I’m coming with you.”

  We discarded our paper plates and cups in the giant wastebasket Kenny had set next to the kitchen door and passed through to the adjoining kitchen
. Although Amy and Cynthia were bustling about the room, there was no sign of Luke or Patty, so I guessed that they’d gone out into the hallway. Just as I reached the door to the hall, Luke burst through it, a big grin on his face. Certainly not what I’d expected.

  “Luke, I’m surprised Patty showed up,” I said.

  “Anything to cause a problem. That woman is certifiable. Now she’s complaining that I was supposed to have her authorization to book the room. I told her again that the board had approved this party and that she’d better steer clear or I’d remove her from the building. Just then Rachel, the new HOA president, happened to come by, and she backed me up.”

  “So Patty left?”

  “She turned around and headed towards her office. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any more of her tonight.”

  “Let’s hope not. I wouldn’t want anything to spoil Bessie’s party.”

  “What do you say we go back in, ladies? I’m going to present Bessie with her ten-year service certificate in a minute.”

  “Could you wait just a little while longer before you start? Liz said that she’d bring the going-away gift, but I haven’t seen her yet. I need to find her so that you can give her the present along with the certificate.”

  “Sure. Just say the word.”

  Returning to the party, we scanned the room looking for Liz. Tracey spotted her sitting with the colonel at a table in the corner at about the same time Liz saw us and waved. We made our way through the crowd to their table.

  “Hi, girls,” Liz greeted us. “Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure,” Tracey said, grabbing the chair next to Liz.

  “I bet you’re looking for this, aren’t you, Laurel?” Liz pulled a beautifully wrapped gift box from a shopping bag that she had stashed beside her on the chair that Tracey now occupied.

  I smiled. “Sure am, and that’s a fantastic job of gift wrapping. Did you do that, Liz?”