by Tyora Moody
Folks started up with the protests.
“Now hold on, people.” I looked around at all the faces in my yard, conscious again of the hot temperature. Sweat poured down every crevice in my body. Not a good feeling. Understandably people were scared. But I was not the one to be interrogated. If anything I needed to know what these people knew.
Anybody in this neighborhood could have easily walked to Mary’s house and killed her. I had no idea why since the woman barely socialized with people. Still from what I knew from watching Perry Mason and Murder She Wrote, Mary might have known her killer. Somebody close by could have watched her activities, which were probably pretty routine since she didn’t leave the house often. “How did all of you hear this information? Who told you somebody died?”
Everyone was quiet and looked around at each other.
Wayne’s deep voice broke the awkward silence. “I don’t know about anyone else, but the way you came tearing down the hill a while ago, I knew something really bad happened.”
Was I screaming or something? I know pure terror had engulfed my soul.
Louise sat down on my step. “All those sirens gave me a clue. Looked like a scene from a cop show. Plus some detective has been around asking questions.”
Carmen interrupted, “Yeah. Totally took me by surprise this morning. How did she die? Was it a gun? I always tell people you need something to defend yourself with. I got....”
“Carmen, that’s enough. Y’all, I don’t know any more than what you know. I saw a disturbing scene this morning and quite frankly I’m too shook up to really talk now.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. Oh Lord, why did you take Mary? My sorrow swooped on me like a hawk going after its prey. I sat back down on my step, the hard brick work pressed into my thighs.
Porgy reminded me of his presence by licking my arms. Ew! Sweat and doggy spit. Okay, we were going to have to set some ground rules with that canine and I needed some AC. The humidity had encased my heavy frame like a warm blanket. But first I needed to run my neighbors out my yard. “Y’all, it’s getting hot out here. We’ll talk later.”
There were a few grumbles, mainly from Louise. She hadn’t gotten her scoop, but I knew she didn’t want to stay out in the sun despite her need to be in the know. Carmen and Tamara talked as they walked out the gate. Wayne slinked off, following behind the two women.
The little Corgi started barking again like he owned my porch. I looked towards the sidewalk to see what had his attention this time. A woman dressed in khaki pants and a white shirt stood at the edge of my property talking to Amos. He must have sensed me staring because he glanced over. Our eyes met.
The woman turned, taking note of where I sat and walked away from Amos.
I stood. Up close, I could see her red hair was pinned at the top of her head, but some sprigs had escaped and were stuck to her freckled face.
“Ma’am, how are you doing? I understand you found the body?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me a little about what you found?” The woman flipped a page in her pad and poised her pen. “Were you going to visit the deceased this morning?”
The deceased had a name. “Yes. I mean no. I was on my morning walk and noticed Porgy here.” I pointed to the little dog who sat looking up at the woman with an inquisitive face. I had some questions of my own. “By the way, who are you?”
The woman looked sheepish. “I’m sorry.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a badge. “I’m Detective Sarah Wilkes. Now you said you were walking and the dog was out. Why was this unusual?”
“If you knew Mary, you’d know she’d never let this dog out of her sight.”
“He seems pretty friendly with you. Did you go over there a lot?”
“Well, no. I did when she first got him. He’s about five years old. I guess he remembers me.”
“So, you hadn’t visited with Mary in five years?”
Here we go. “We didn’t visit with each other as often. Mary and I sort of grew apart.” That’s all she needed to know.
“I see. So, you thought it was strange that the dog was out. What did you do next?”
“I called Mary’s name several times. When she didn’t answer, I walked all the way around to the back of the house. I thought maybe she was engrossed with the flowers and didn’t notice Porgy was missing from her side.”
“What did you see when you arrived?”
“I peeked in through the glass doors. I saw the glass of water on the counter. I guess that might not mean nothing, but Mary didn’t like things lying around.”
“She could have sat it there to check on something at the front part of the house.”
“But she wouldn’t have locked her dog out of the house. That also doesn’t explain...”
I gulped. The image of Mary’s face made me shudder.
“Are you alright, Mrs. Patterson? Do you have something else to share?”
“Yes. No. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” The young woman cocked her eyebrow, and studied my face before speaking again. “Anyone we can contact for you?”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Can you think of anyone who might want to harm the deceased?”
There she goes again. The woman’s name was Mary. “No. Mary really was more of a recluse since she’d lost her family years ago. She didn’t bother anyone and nobody bothered her.”
“So, she didn’t have any tiffs with anyone. Sometimes people who live alone like that get annoyed easily.”
The only disagreement I knew Mary had was with me. In fact, most of the neighborhood knew. Sure, it was past history, but there were some folks who might decide to volunteer the past feud with the detective. I couldn’t let that happen, so, I offered her my two cents. “There have been several burglaries lately. I’m not sure how long poor Porgy was outside, but suppose Mary ran into an intruder?”
“That’s a possibility.” The woman scratched down some notes and then snapped her pad closed. “The investigation is still early in the process. We can’t verify if this was a robbery just yet, but thanks for the tip though.” She reached inside her front pocket and handed me a card. “Just in case you think of something else, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
“Thank you, Detective. I will.”
Now more than ever I regretted being appointed the neighborhood association president. At the meeting a few weeks ago, we discussed the protocols to follow if we saw something suspicious. Even Wayne offered some tips. Apparently, that boy picked a few locks at some point in his life. This raised my suspicions about him even more.
Even if he was a thief, I couldn’t quite picture him as a killer. I didn’t want anyone in the neighborhood to fit that description.
How did I get this much responsibility on my shoulders? I’m retired.
I looked down at Porgy. “We’re going to find out what happened to your mama. In the meantime, you need a place to stay.”
I couldn’t believe what I was doing. Boy, if Ralph was alive he’d thrown a fit. God had a way of working situations out. The least I could do for poor Mary was to take care of her most prized possession. I also needed to find out who took her life.
Chapter 4
We patrolled Sugar Creek from my porch. Amos and I. Oh yeah, and little McGruff the Crime Dog. Porgy’s ears shot up from time to time. With his tummy full of Kibbles ’n Bits, thanks to Amos, he seemed at peace despite being in a strange home. I wish I felt a bit peaceful.
My eyes wandered up the hill wondering what evidence the investigators had found. The card from Detective Wilkes sat near my phone in the hallway. Who knows? I might think of something else. I already knew sweet dreams wouldn’t be visiting me.
It was still muggy even though the sun had dipped lower in the sky. Every once in a while a breeze caressed my skin. To keep us cool, I’d fixed some fresh brewed sweet tea. I said brewed not that powdered stuff. You can choke and die on that nasty concoction some folks liked to call
tea.
I was still trying to get myself used to Splenda. It ain’t half bad.
I kicked my foot to get the rocking chair to glide back and forth. The chairs were old, but comfortable. With a recent coat of white paint, thanks to my oldest son, the chairs looked brand new.
Amos still wore his denim overalls, but at least he’d retired his hat onto his knee. He looked content. I didn’t want to disturb him, but I needed advice and he seemed like the logical place to start. Plus, it gave me a chance to actually talk to him about something besides the weather and the grass.
I knew he’d worked in law enforcement in some type of capacity. Today, he’d managed to get the necessary authorities to Mary’s house in no time and seemed to be quite friendly with the crew traipsing around behind the crime tape.
“Amos, you know about the neighborhood association?”
“Yeah, the group is a good idea. Now more than ever. People are getting stranger and stranger.”
Tell me about it. Signs of the times for sure. “I can’t help but think how none of us helped poor Mary. What can we do to prevent this from happening again?” Better yet, I wanted to find the culprit. All afternoon I’d watched neighbors come and go. I didn’t realize how many folks I didn’t know. The neighborhood had changed, and now a new crop of young couples and their children lived here. A few retirees like me, Louise and Amos were scattered here and there.
Amos and his wife were from the crop of northern folks who chose to retire on the coast of South Carolina instead of Florida. Charleston was a town rich in history, some bad and some good.
Amos stopped rocking. “I’m still new here, has anything like this happened before in the neighborhood? I was reading the other day; North Charleston had been ranked the seventh-most dangerous city in the nation back in 2007. In recent years, the crime rate decreased. I believe we are around sixty-three now. That’s a definite improvement.”
“Yeah, I saw that list.” I shivered. “Still Jesus must be coming back soon. The world has clearly lost it.”
There were rumors about young men selling drugs out of their home. The house was three doors down from mine. Both young men waved when I passed by, but they did have an awful lot of folks in and out their house at night. They suddenly moved. Nobody knew where they went or where they came from.
Then, there are the robberies. Poor Annie Mae and Willie Mae Brown, the two sisters who lived a few doors down came home one night from playing bingo only to find many valuables stolen, including their television. For days those two old women couldn’t stop talking about missing their stories. Now who would’ve thought the world would come to an end when you couldn’t see your soap operas? Even though I was here during the day now, I still couldn’t bring myself to get attached to television actors and their imaginary problems.
Now Dr. Phil. I can watch that man all day. He tells it like it is. Just the way I like it.
Amos held up his index finger. “You know what you need is to get some history. Police reports are public record you know.”
I raised an eyebrow at Amos’ suggestion. “Really? I know they have a database for sex offenders. Do I need to be checking all that out?” I can’t believe the word sex came out of my mouth in front of this man. When he was alive, I don’t think my own husband heard me say that word. Ever.
“If you want to make this neighborhood association stronger than those signs y’all got up and down the street, you need to know what you are up against.”
“Can you help with some of this?”
Amos grinned. He still had all his teeth. They didn’t appear to be dentures either. “I will be happy to help where I can.”
That made me feel a tad bit better. I’ve wondered how Amos spent his retirement days in an empty house, a predicament I was still adjusting to myself. The more I thought about what happened to Mary, the more I started to fathom my own lonely state.
I had Cedric’s steel baseball bat. But what good would that do me if someone walked in on me with a gun?
And Mary. I sucked in a breath. Maybe I shouldn’t leave that butcher block of knives sitting around on my kitchen counter.
A noise broke through my worry session. I looked down at my feet where the dog laid. His eyes were closed tight. I listened. Well, Porgy was no guard dog that’s for sure. That little mutt had the nerve to be snoring. We can’t have that. I’m the only one who snores in my house. Sometimes I woke myself up.
I would lie awake for sure. Visions of murder and mayhem would assail me for the rest of the night.
“Eugeena.” Amos had stopped rocking. “I believe you’ve got company.”
Sure enough, a car had slowed down in front of my house. I know I needed to work on being more hospitable, but it was getting late in the day.
I eased my hips out of the rocking chair to get a better look at the vehicle. Dusk had arrived quickly, casting a reddish tone across the landscape. The car turned into my driveway. When I caught sight of the old Nissan Altima, I wasn’t sure if I should shout for joy or slump in misery. My prodigal daughter had returned.
Chapter 5
There would be no sleep tonight. Leesa Patterson, my youngest and only girl walked towards the porch holding what appeared to be a blanket. As her mother, I should have been happy to see her, especially since four months had passed since I saw her last. Oh, she called. She called when she needed me to wire money. Then, she’d forget about me.
Funny, that’s how she was conceived. One night, I forgot how much I despised Ralph and I guess he remembered I was his wife. Nine months later, with two sons in high school, Leesa made her entrance. She’d always been good at surprises. Like showing up out of the blue.
“Hey Mama.” Leesa looked behind her. “Kisha, say hello to Grandma.”
I watched as a small hand snaked around Leesa’s bare leg and then a head appeared. The large eyes looked up at me.
My little Kisha. I still felt she was a little small for a four year old. “Hey precious, come to Grandma.”
Shyly stepping from behind her mother, Kisha smiled and then reached her arms up. I pulled her up into my arms and squeezed. Lord, how I missed this grandchild.
My oldest boy made sure his twin boys spent time with me. Both of those monsters made me lose my senses sometime, but I hated the quiet house even more after they left.
I stared at Leesa, who seem to be looking everywhere, but at my face. Something wrestled in the pit of my stomach. My poor stomach had experienced a lot in one day. I couldn’t remember what I ate, which probably wasn’t good for my blood sugar. Earlier the levels were normal. I did remember to do that much for myself. Got to take care of this body of mine. I’ve already failed it thus far.
Amos cleared his throat behind me. I whirled around embarrassed; I’d almost forgotten him. “Amos, you remember my daughter Leesa?” How could he? She doesn’t come around that much.
“I do remember her. Nice to see you again.” Amos stood and held out his hand.
Leesa cringed. Something in her arms squirmed. A little arm popped out of the blue blanket, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Leesa, who’s this?”
My daughter turned her body to the side to show me an adorable little face. “Mama, this is Tyric.”
“My baby brother,” Kisha yelled.
All kinds of questions ran through my head. I know it had been sometime since I’d seen Leesa, but when was she pregnant with that baby? Why didn’t she tell me? Who was the father?
Amos made a choking sound.
I wanted to choke my child. Instead of peppering her with questions, I turned around. “Amos, I guess this is goodnight. Thanks for talking with me.”
He tipped his hat before placing it on his head. “My pleasure. Goodnight, ladies.” I watched him walk away, wishing I could follow him home.
“Grandma, you have a dog now?” My precious granddaughter had discovered Porgy or rather vice versa. The dog wagged his tail and seemed delighted by all the attention he was recei
ving.
“Looks like it, sweetie pie. Let’s go inside.” I grabbed the little one by the hand and marched back towards the kitchen, making sure she washed her hands at the sink. Kisha, then made herself at home at the kitchen table, while I opened and closed cabinets. Finding plates, I put them on the table, ignoring my daughter until I could figure out what to say. Eating always helped. Or not.
My beautiful grandbaby, the one I knew about, gave me a crumb-covered smile as she gobbled the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had made in apprehensive silence. I smiled back, feeling tension slightly release from my shoulders.
Then I focused on Leesa. I tried not to frown, but the spot between my eyebrows clinched up.
Leesa had the nerve to get pregnant with Kisha her senior year in high school. As much as this child struggled, why would she bring another child in this world? She just turned twenty-one a few months back and as hard as I tried to get her back in school, it was a closed subject.
I nodded my head towards Tyric. “I’m waiting for the explanation for this one.”
“Mama…”
“A few weeks ago when you called crying about not being able to pay the rent, you couldn’t have mentioned there was going to be a new mouth to feed. Even more so, why didn’t you tell me before now? I’m your mother. I was there with you for the first one.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure.”
“Chile, it wasn’t like you hadn’t been through this before.” I looked over at Kisha, who sat next to me, now munching on a cookie. Her eyes traveled back and forth between me and her mother.
Leesa huffed, “Mama, we are just here for a few days. If you don’t want us, I can leave right now.”