Deep Fried Trouble (Eugeena Patterson Mysteries)

by Tyora Moody

“Oh. That’s all you have to say. The girl just dropped the kids off and disappeared.”

  “She did. Lord, help that child. Did you even know about the baby?”

  “No I didn’t.” Something struck me strange the way Cora asked me that question. “Did you know?”

  A long sigh on the other side of the call answered my question. “I told her she needed to tell you. I could tell the time that girl walked in the door she was carrying more than just her weight.”

  My face felt as though I’d been slapped. “When was this… she always confides in you, Cora. I’m her mother.”

  “Wait now! Don’t get upset. I was surprised by the first child too. Remember? Girl, if I could explain your child’s logic, I would. To be honest she seemed a bit in denial about the whole thing. I had to ask her if she was on something.”

  No, no. That was the one good thing about Leesa. In all her troubles, she didn’t touch drugs. Alcohol was another thing, but she stayed clear of the hard stuff. “You still didn’t tell me the last time you saw her?”

  “This was about a month ago, Eugeena. I was really surprised to see her. Have you thought to check her place out?”

  “It’s on my agenda. I’m going to ask the neighbor to watch the kids while I drive up to her apartment in Columbia. I’ve been calling the home and cell phone, but both appear to be out of service. I just hope she still has the apartment.”

  “Don’t worry yourself. God has been looking out for that child since you had her. Wherever she is, you’ll find her. I pray God’s protection over you and her.”

  “We need all the prayers that we can get because when I get my hands on her…”

  “Now, Eugeena, keep yourself under control. Find her and get her home. And please make sure you take care of yourself. You checked your sugar levels today, right? How’s that glucose meter working for you?”

  “Look at you. You a retired nurse and can’t seem to stop checking up on somebody.”

  “I know you. You will be so caught up in finding Leesa; you will let your health slide. Your children need you in this world a little longer. Keep me updated. Don’t wait so long to call next time.”

  That’s what I needed. Some reinforcements. Now I needed to move to next on my list.

  The babies would be up soon, both hungry. There was someone else who might appreciate breakfast this morning. I pulled down ingredients of the shelf to make cheese grits. Soon I had turkey bacon sizzling in my cast iron skillet.

  An hour later, I had a three folks at my table. Kisha’s eyes were glued to the small TV in the corner. Tyric sucked milk greedily from his bottle. Across from me, Amos shoveled grits off his plate into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten for days.

  “So you like the baked cheese grits?” I smiled.

  “Oh yeah. This is good. I can’t wait to try that fried chicken you promised me.” Amos winked.

  My cheeks grew warm. I know I wasn’t trying to blush, but I was right about him being a fried chicken man. I would have to keep my promise, but first... “Amos, I need your help.”

  “Sure. What can I help you with?”

  I wasn’t so sure how much I should tell Amos, especially with young ears at the kitchen table. I peered over at Kisha who appeared to be trying to feed Porgy again. “Uh-uh Kisha, Porgy does not eat from the table.” Goodness Mary had spoiled this dog something awful. He thought he was a little person or something.

  I turned my attention back to Amos who was scraping his plate with the side of his fork. I must say I missed having a man around my table. One thing I did do right with Ralph was satisfy his appetite. He didn’t go hungry or have to worry about not having a good meal. I’m sure my cooking didn’t help him, but Ralph was a doctor and chose to eat what he liked.

  It was rather nice to fix a healthy meal and see someone enjoy it. Instead of admiring the man, I needed to get his help. “Amos, you were a cop, right?”

  “Spent ten years as cop and twenty years as a homicide detective.”

  “You don’t say. Well, I guess you’ve seen quite a bit in your years.”

  “I would say, nothing surprises me.”

  “People can do the strangest things. I’m still in shock about Mary.”

  “You know, if you hadn’t went over there, no telling when someone would’ve found Mary’s body.”

  “That’s right, but I don’t think that’s going to help me. In fact I have a bit of a predicament with the detective conducting the investigation.”

  “Wilkes. She can be a tough cookie. Heard she was the best.”

  “I’m sure she is, but I’m really wondering about this witness?”

  “Witness?” Amos frowned and cocked his eyebrow. “Well, what did this witness see?”

  “Someone I know. There has to be some mistake.”

  “Mmm, well I can certainly inquire about the case for you.”

  “Would you? That would mean so much to me.”

  “I can’t guarantee that Wilkes will run her mouth. These cases are pretty confidential from the public, but maybe someone will share some insight. I have a few fishing buddies in the department.” Amos leaned forward in the chair, “Now you’re not thinking about doing your own investigation?”

  “Oh no. Well, not without your help of course.” I smiled and this time I know I batted my eyelashes.

  Amos responded, “I don’t know, Eugeena.”

  “You know people are looking for me to have information being the head of this neighborhood watch.”

  “Yeah, but some things need to be left to the professionals.”

  “I know. But the …” I glanced at Kisha. “The k-i-l-l-e-r had to be someone Mary knew. Could be somebody we all know. A birdie told me there was no sign of a break-in at Mary’s place.” I didn’t want to let Amos know the birdie was Louise from next door, but then again he might have already known.

  Amos rubbed his chin. “That is odd. If they didn’t take anything, then they went in either with the sole purpose to hurt Mary or something went wrong, maybe an argument. Still, you know the person who entered Mary’s house could have driven into the neighborhood.”

  That’s true and not what I wanted to hear, since it only pointed more towards Leesa who didn’t live here anymore. “Amos, I don’t know if you know this since you haven’t been in the neighborhood long, but Mary and I were good friends at one time. I just don’t want her ...” I had to remember Kisha was probably listening though her eyes were turned toward the TV. “I don’t want her demise to go without justice. She suffered a lot these last years. With her tragedies, she still did good for other people.”

  “I understand. But just keep in mind, you need to be careful. If it is someone in the neighborhood, that leaves you vulnerable. It probably won’t hurt to get a better feel for who was where last Friday night.”

  What Amos didn’t know was the first person on my mind to find out their whereabouts was my own flesh and blood. I pondered whether or not I should tell Amos about my daughter’s predicament.

  “Something else bothering you, Eugeena?”

  My, my. It was almost scary the way Amos seemed to be reading my mind. “Well, I’ve been trying to decide if I should tell you. I have a feeling I might need your help. You see that witness reported seeing my daughter at Mary’s house Friday night. I know that can’t be.”

  Amos let out a long whistle. “Well, surely she can explain. Have her go down to the police and give her statement.”

  “I would.” I looked away from Amos. “If I could find her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Remember when she came with her children. I’m sure you noticed Sunday morning, she was gone. Amos, I need to find her and I need you to do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  Amos Jones would never know how grateful I was to hear those words. Sometimes people have to be careful when they agree to any favor though. I hoped after the fact, Amos would still want to be my neighbor.

  Chapter 13

  I
still wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do. But it was too late to turn back now. Time was of the essence here. I walked up to Amos’ front porch and rapped my knuckles on the oak door. Amos opened the door, sporting a Kangol hat, a golf shirt and khakis. He looked more like he was going to the golf course versus a wild goose chase. Amos shook his head. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, let’s go and thank you so much for doing this.” With some trepidation, I had asked Amos to help me track down Leesa. He suggested the first logical place was to head to her apartment. For the next hour we traveled I-26 towards Columbia. I could tell Amos had set the cruise control because he drove the Caddy with ease. He drove the truck more than the Cadillac, which I guess used to be his wife’s car. I felt a bit odd sitting in the passenger seat. Mrs. Amos Jones’ perfume still lingered inside the car. Wasn’t a brand I would have chosen. Not that it mattered.

  Amos interrupted my thoughts. “So you didn’t know about the baby until she showed up, huh?”

  “We don’t have the best mother-daughter relationship. I tried all I could with her.”

  “Well, don’t feel bad, Eugeena. At least your children live close to you and when she really needed you, she came home.”

  “I guess you are right. Don’t you have two daughters?”

  Amos’ jaw tightened. “Yeah. One is in California and the other in Seattle. We don’t keep in touch much since Aubrey passed. I have three grandkids.”

  I felt really awful for Amos. Father’s Day was coming up in about two weeks. Maybe his girls would touch base with him. “I’m sorry. It can be hard when the children get older. You get so caught up with them growing up and then when they are on their own, they live their own lives.”

  After Ralph died, I didn’t dare want any of my children to think me insufficient to care for myself. Truth of the matter, I almost didn’t tell any of them about my diabetes diagnosis. So many things change as you get older.

  I glanced up to see the exit sign. Soon enough we would arrive in front of the apartment complex where my daughter had lived for at least a year now. I helped her move into the apartment. Anytime she relocated for whatever reason, I was there to assist with packing her belongings. If I didn’t come to help, she would throw her belongings in boxes any old kind of way. No newspaper, towels or anything to try to cushion her breakables. That child never did learn how to appreciate her things.

  We finally arrived at the apartment complex, an aluminum-sided overnight building project. The row after row of boxed-shaped buildings didn’t appear very appealing. At least the landscape had finally grown since I had been there last. Now snapdragons, red, purple and yellow lined the sidewalk.

  “Amos, you can pull over there. Her apartment is in the Q section.” I didn’t see any signs of Leesa’s car, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been around.

  Amos parked the car and then we sat. A curtain in the window right across from us shifted. It appeared Leesa’s downstairs neighbor was keeping an eye on things. Was she looking for Leesa too?

  Amos prodded me. “You want me to come up with you or will you be okay?”

  Did he think I was going to choke her if I saw her? That thought occurred to me, but I really wanted to find her. “I will be fine.” I stepped out into the blazing hot sun. The sidewalk reflected the sunlight back into my eyes. I placed my Terminator shades on today. My children hated them, but they fit rather nicely over my bifocals.

  I grimaced when I rounded the corner. The apartments had the kind of stairwell that dared you to take it on. It wasn’t like I didn’t have stairs of my own to deal with it at home, but at least mine were carpeted and didn’t seem as steep. Or quite so many. One foot after the other, my extra pounds mocked as I climbed. I knocked on the door labeled Q7. With no response, I increased the intensity of my banging.

  Someone else’s door creaked open below.

  “Boy, didn’t I tell you that girl wasn’t there. Why you keep doing all that banging?”

  Boy? I walked over to the railing and leaned over as far as I dared. “I’m not a boy, but I am this girl’s mother. Have you seen her?”

  “Oh my.”

  I heard shuffling and soon found a face glowering up at me. The woman appeared to be about my age or slightly older. She had a short white hair that from a distance looked liked lamb’s wool.

  “You’re her mother. Well, I’m sho’ glad to see you. That girl needs to get her some new friends.”

  I went towards the top of the staircase and began to descend. “Friends? Are you saying somebody else has been here looking for her?”

  “Only that boyfriend of hers. At least I guess he is. He used to always be here, but then I got the impression she might have kicked him to the curb.”

  I’d reached the bottom of the steps. The woman must have been no taller than 4’11. With my 5’3 frame, I felt like I towered over her. “Are you Mrs. Hattie?”

  “Yes, I am. How did you know my name?”

  “Kisha has mentioned your name a few times.”

  “Oh, that’s my girl. Just as sweet as she can be. I do watch her from time to time. But I haven’t seen Leesa in a few days though. Usually when she works nights, I keep Kisha for her. Now, when she had the other baby, I told her I might have to charge extra. Babies can be fussy. Anyway, I hadn’t heard from her, so I figured she’d found someone else to babysit. Looks like she got you.”

  No, she didn’t. I loved my grandkids, but I’d raised three kids already. Besides that, where was the father? Was this young man possibly related to Tyric? “Do you by any chance know where I can find this man?”

  Hattie scrunched her face. The woman looked like she was in pain. “I don’t know.”

  Now I felt stupid asking my next question, but since my child had failed to keep me in the loop. “Do you remember his name? I really am concerned. I haven’t seen Leesa in a few days.”

  “All I can remember is she called him Chris. I only knew that because they liked to argue. Outside my window and my door.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know what type of car he drove?”

  Mrs. Hattie narrowed her eyes. “You sure ask a lot of questions. Like some cop. Anyhow, he drove a black pick-up truck most of the time I saw him. Don’t ask me what kind.”

  “That’s okay. You’ve been very helpful to me, Mrs. Hattie.” We had walked outside the walkway. From where I stood, I could see Amos.

  “Is that your husband?”

  “Oh no. My husband passed years ago. That’s a neighbor. I needed some help driving today.”

  “Mmmmm. Well, I do hope you find her. These young people these days, I would not want to be in their shoes. Your daughter seemed to be decent. Really quiet until that boyfriend of hers came by. I always thought she should lose him.”

  “Thank you. You’ve been pretty helpful.” I marched back to Amos, probably with Hattie’s eyes glued to my back. Once inside the car, I let out a loud sigh.

  “I saw you talking to the neighbor. Any clues?”

  “No, but her neighbor mentioned a man, I guess Leesa’s boyfriend has been looking for her.” As much as I didn’t want to speculate, I couldn’t help it. Was it possible this young man may be the cause of Leesa’s disappearance? “I really don’t know where to start next. Any ideas?”

  “If you want my advice, you are going to have to consider getting some more help. It has been over twenty-four hours.”

  I looked over at Amos. “You mean report her missing. I can’t do that. Detective Wilkes already wants to talk to her as a person of interest in a murder. Suppose they think she’s on the run.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather she be found safe?”

  “Of course, I would.”

  “I promise. I will do whatever I can do to help, but if you think she might be in danger, we need to find her ASAP.”

  Murder. Missing persons. Danger. Why did my first week of retirement resemble an episode from Law and Order? I prayed we never made it to the part where I would see my chil
d on trial for murder.

  Chapter 14

  In my heart, I knew Amos was right. The relationship I once had with my little girl had become estranged. No matter that I carried her for nine month during the part of my life, where I should have been long finished with babies. Or that I received the brunt of criticism for her actions. I’m sure people thought I’d lost my parenting skills when it came to her. You just never know how a child is going to turn out. Despite our conflicts, Leesa was my daughter and I wanted her safe.

  I walked into the police department, and waited patiently for a good five minutes, thinking the officer behind the desk would acknowledge my presence. When I realized the person on the other end of her conversation was definitely not an emergency, but more like a gabbing girlfriend, I rapped my knuckles on the desk. “I want to report a missing person.”

  The officer narrowed her eyes and turned her back to say something to her telephone buddy. She hung up the phone and grabbed a clipboard. “Ma’am, how did you say I could help you?”

  I read her name on the badge. Arnetha Pearson. Didn’t I just tell this woman, I wanted to report a missing person? Could she not hear the desperation in my voice? I cleared my throat and raised my voice, “I said I want to report my daughter missing? Her name is Leesa Patterson.”

  “No need to raise your voice, ma’am. Your daughter, has she been missing for over twenty-four hours?” The woman narrowed her eyes, which were already slanted and cat-like.

  I felt an urge to slap some sense into this woman, standing before me looking like I inconvenienced her. The attitude I could do without. She was the one wearing a blue uniform with an official badge, but I wasn’t too sure about her people skills. “Yes, it has been well-over twenty-four hours.”

  Sgt. Pearson cleared her throat, and pulled a pen from her slicked back bun. “Is she over eighteen?”

  “Yes.”

  “Her name is Lisa Patterson right?”

  “It’s L-e-e-s-a.”

  The officer gave me a look and shook her head. That wasn’t unusual.

  My mother tried being different with my name. Eugena would’ve been fine. But something about the Eug-e-e-na gave it a bit of distinction. At least I liked to think so.