Fern Michaels' Godmothers Bundle: The Scoop, Exclusive, Late Edition, Deadline & Breaking News

by Michaels, Fern

  Poor Bernice. She tried to smile with all the paraphernalia down her throat and up her nose, but couldn’t manage to bring it off.

  “Okay, ladies, I imagine you two want to go for a nasty smoke and a cup of coffee. We’re going to get Bernice squared away. And she’s going to sleep most of the day, which is my advice to the two of you. You’ve seen her, she’s fine. Now skedaddle.”

  “Bernice, we’ll be back this afternoon. Dr. Becker, you have all my numbers just in case she needs me?”

  “Oh, I have your number all right,” he teased.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Toots asked.

  “Whatever you want it to mean. Oh, before I forget. Dr. Lowery was here earlier looking for you.”

  Toots cringed at the mention of his name. “If he comes around asking for me again, call security. This man could be serious trouble, just so you know.”

  “What kind of trouble? Something I should be concerned about?”

  “Yes, but I won’t go into the details yet. We’re having him ... never mind. Just take my word that he isn’t all he claims to be,” Toots said, then leaned over the tubes and machines to kiss Bernice. “I’ll see you later, old gal.”

  “Later, Bernice,” Sophie said.

  They walked out of the room, then stopped when they reached the bank of elevators. Toots pushed the button to the main lobby. Steel doors opened and closed.

  As soon as they exited the elevators, they located a coffee vending machine. Toots bought two large cups with extra cream and sugar. Once they were outside, Sophie reached for her ever-present pack of Marlboros. “I am dying for a damn cigarette. I don’t give a shit what your boyfriend says. I need to puff. You gonna join me?”

  “I’ll have a drag off yours, but not in the car. And he’s not my boyfriend,” Toots added.

  “Yet.”

  Sophie lit up, Toots took a few puffs, downed her coffee, then crawled into the Range Rover. She hadn’t been that tired in a very, very long time. Too tired to argue with Sophie.

  They were quiet on the drive back to Toots’s Charleston home, both lost in their own worlds.

  Toots felt the same familiar excitement again as she pulled through the wrought-iron gates. Giant live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss draped the path to the old Southern mansion. The beauty of her gardens never failed to amaze her. She had to remember to give Pete yet another raise. The man was brilliant.

  “This is my home, Sophie. No matter where I may travel, my heart is always here in Charleston.”

  “I understand. I love this place, too. I’ve been thinking about buying a place of my own. And not in Los Angeles or New York. Here in South Carolina. What would you think of having me for a neighbor?”

  “I think you have to do whatever makes you happy, Soph. If being my neighbor is what works, then I’ll be the first one to offer my decorating skills. I’ve missed that, you know.”

  “I know you have. Toots, have you decided if you’re going to tell Abby about The Informer? It’s been two years. She’s going to hate us all when she finds out that we’ve been lying to her. I hope she only hates you, Toots, and not the rest of us.” Sophie cackled. “Just teasing. Seriously, don’t you think it’s time we all ’fessed up?”

  Toots agreed. It was time, but not today. “When Bernice is home, and we’re all back to normal, whatever normal is these days, I’ll tell her. I promise.”

  She parked the Range Rover behind the house. They entered through the kitchen, where they were greeted by Jamie carrying two large mugs of coffee. “How is she?”

  “She flipped Toots the bird,” Sophie said. “But used Toots’s hand. It was funny as hell.”

  Jamie clapped her hands. “Now that sounds like my Bernice.”

  Goebel grabbed Sophie in a hug before she could put her coffee cup down. She barely managed to keep from spilling coffee all over the place. “Careful, big guy, or you’ll be wearing this.”

  Sophie put her cup on the counter and gave Goebel a real hug. Freshly showered, he smelled like Dial Soap and Prell Shampoo. Damn, but if he didn’t keep getting better and better.

  “Sophie has something to tell you, Goebel. Serious stuff, right, Soph?” Toots said as she carried her cup of coffee over to the table. “Where are Mavis and Ida?” she asked Jamie.

  “They’re still upstairs. Mavis came down earlier, poured two cups of coffee, and took them with her. She said something about Ida getting a gig on television.”

  “What?” Toots shouted, then caught herself. “I’m sorry. You said Ida is going to be on TV? Did I hear that right?”

  Ida chose the perfect moment to make her grand entrance, pink hair and all. Mavis followed, a sheepish grin spread across her face.

  “How is Bernice?” they asked at the same time.

  “Ornery. Dr. Becker says she’s doing better than most. They’re keeping her in ICU for the day to monitor her. He told me right before we left that he’d probably take the ventilator off today. I know Bernice will be glad. She’ll be able to talk then.

  “I’m worn-out, so tell me your news before I have to strangle it out of you,” Toots said to Ida.

  “Well, if you’re going to be an uppity old hag about it, I am not going to tell you.” Ida smiled when she said it.

  “Ida, I will kick your ass. Spill it,” Sophie said. She and Goebel sat at the table next to Toots.

  “Okay, but it’s not a sure thing yet. I’ve been checking into a line of cosmetics for ... seasoned women. I hired a team of chemists to work on this a few months ago. I’ve kept it to myself because I didn’t want to tell anyone until I was sure they could make a product worth using, a line of products that would work, not cost a fortune. And this is the big surprise. The Home Shopping Club heard of my venture through the entrepreneur grapevine. They’ve invited me to market my line of cosmetics as soon as they’re available.”

  “Ohmygod, a real frigging Estée Lauder. Damn, Ida. How were you able to keep this under wraps? Your mouth usually has hinges on it,” Sophie teased.

  “This is fantastic, Ida! Congratulations. I am very proud of you. You know we’ve all been to hell and back a time or two, and just look at us now. Four seasoned women, at the prime of our lives, each with a new passion and profession. We’ve come a long way, baby!” Toots had tears well up in her eyes for the second time that day.

  “I’m going to call the cosmetic line Seasoned. What do you think?” Ida gushed with pride at her accomplishment.

  “I think it’s fabulous,” Mavis said. “We’re all a bit seasoned, like old cast-iron skillets.”

  Toots, Sophie, and Ida glared at Mavis as though she’d taken temporary leave of her sanity.

  “An iron skillet? Surely you can come up with a better analogy than an iron skillet! For crying out loud, Mavis, you were an English teacher!” Sophie huffed, apparently not liking being compared to an old seasoned cast-iron skillet.

  “Oh, you know what I meant.”

  “I think we all get your drift. I love the name. Seasoned. Ida, you’ve become quite the entrepreneur. I for one will be the first caller as soon as you’re on the show. I used to watch that channel all the time. When I lost a husband and couldn’t sleep, I shopped. I have so many unopened boxes in storage. Someday, I’m going to go through all that stuff and donate it to charity, but now, ladies, I simply have to call it a day. I want to rest before I have to go back to the hospital. Who knows what Bernice will be up to?”

  Toots swallowed the last of her coffee, rinsed her cup, and placed it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Upstairs, she took a quick shower, then crawled between the cool sheets. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was, I don’t even want a cigarette.

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later

  Bernice sat at the kitchen table, delighted at the changes she’d made already. With Mavis and Goebel’s help, she’d lost twelve pounds, her sugar cravings were all but gone, and she was going to the rehabilitation center every day for her physical t
herapy. Yes, she was sore, and yes, she wished she’d taken better care of herself, but it was what it was. She was doing everything in her power to make the best of the situation.

  “You’ll love this new herbal tea. It’s full of antioxidants, plus it actually tastes good,” Jamie said as she served Bernice her breakfast. She’d let Lucy open the bakery today just so she could spend some quality time with her ladies.

  The entire gang, as they’d recently started referring to themselves, gathered around the table for breakfast. All had agreed to let Mavis and Jamie prepare a healthy breakfast. Jamie wanted to start offering a healthy choice at The Sweetest Things, and today they were all going to act as guinea pigs.

  “You all have to try one of everything,” Mavis insisted as she placed a large platter of breakfast meats in the center of the table. “Promise?”

  “Yeah, we promise. Now let’s get on with it,” Sophie said in her usual crass manner. She hadn’t been allowed her normal dose of caffeine, and it showed. “It’s one thing to do without coffee, but Toots and I are down to three cigarettes a day. Toots wants to hook up with Dr. Becker. That’s why she’s quitting.”

  “Kiss my ass, Sophie. You know that’s not true!” Toots flipped her the bird.

  Sophie shot her one back.

  “Talking about hooking up, have you heard anything from Abby about what’s with her and Chris?” Sophie asked Toots.

  “No, I have not. And, to answer your next question, No, I am not going to ask her. If there’s anything to tell us, one way or the other, she’ll do so when she thinks it’s time. And don’t you dare push her about this. She was feeling bad enough about the situation when Chris was missing. So there, Miss Psychic America.”

  “It’s okay, sweet thing. You’re gonna like this stuff.” Goebel patted Sophie’s hand.

  “Sweet thing?” Toots said. “I, for one, would never refer to Sophie as ‘sweet thing.’ ”

  “Good, because I don’t want to ever hear you calling me that either? Is that clear?”

  “Jamie, let’s hurry up so we can dose Soph with a pot of caffeine. She’s anything but sweet.” Toots wanted a real cup of coffee, too, but they’d all promised to try herbal tea first.

  “Patience, Toots, patience. Good things come to those who wait. I’m the perfect example,” Jamie said.

  And she was. She’d turned The Sweetest Things into one of the hottest bakeries in Charleston. People stood in line for hours for a batch of her pralines. Toots was so proud of her. She’d continued to live in the guesthouse with Toots’s blessing. She and Bernice were like two peas in a pod. Jamie was the daughter Bernice always wanted, and Bernice filled the void that Jamie’s grandmother’s passing had left.

  “What is this?” Ida wrinkled her nose in distaste. “It’s ... off-color.”

  “We’re not telling you until you try it. That was the deal. Now let me fill your plates.” Mavis was in her glory. Healthy living had truly become a way of life for her, which was ironic when you thought about it. She’d created a small dynasty with her line of clothing, Good Mourning—clothes you could wear after the event.

  “Come on, ladies, let’s quit yakking and get to work. I, for one, am hungry,” Goebel said.

  Mavis forked a slice of the off-color meat onto their plates. All but Goebel hesitated before biting into the strip of unknown meat product. They seemed surprised when they realized they weren’t eating flavored rubber.

  “This is really good. I’m surprised.” Ida reached for another slice.

  “It’s soy bacon,” Jamie said. “Not bad, huh?”

  For the next hour, they tried all the delectables Jamie and Mavis plied them with. Though Sophie wasn’t too thrilled with the gluten-free blueberry muffins, Ida loved them. Toots was impressed with the arrays of meat that weren’t actually meat, but tasted like meat. Bernice liked it all, as did Goebel.

  “So, there’s something out there for everybody. Do we agree on that?” Jamie asked as she cleared the dishes.

  “Yes, we do, but I for one will never give up real coffee. That herbal tea is nice, but I need that extra jolt of caffeine,” Sophie said for the umpteenth time.

  The phone rang. None of them seemed to care, and let the answering machine pick up. When Toots heard Abby’s voice on the answering machine, she hurried over to take the call before she hung up. “Abby, you still there?”

  “Mom, thank God you’re there. You’re never going to believe what just happened.”

  “Well, from the sound of your voice, I’d say it’s exciting.”

  “That crackpot doctor you wanted to hook Bernice up with has just been arrested for murder!”

  “Ohmygod, are you serious? Never mind, of course you’re serious. What and who and why?” Toots placed her hand over the phone and repeated what Abby had just relayed to her.

  They had told Bernice about the doctor, the séance, and the ghost box. She’d told them all she thought they were full of it, but was glad Dr. Becker had been around. She then accused Toots of trying to have her killed. They’d all laughed at the time, but now it was no laughing matter.

  “It’s who, what, when, where, why, and how. You’d never make it in the newspaper business, Mom.”

  “Abby, before you tell me about Dr. Lowery, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’ve wanted to for a very, very long time, but suddenly I find the time is right. You just said I would never make it in the newspaper business, right?”

  Abby laughed. “Yes. So?”

  Toots looked at Abby’s godmothers, Bernice, and Goebel. If Abby rejected her, she would need them, need a shoulder to cry on, someone to tell her she wasn’t the most wicked mother alive. They would be there, she knew that. She just hoped she wouldn’t need them for that particular reason.

  “Remember when your old boss sold the paper and ran off with the money?”

  “How could I forget? Of course I remember. He hasn’t been found to this day. Actually, I was going to talk to Goebel about him. I’d like to find him and tell him exactly what I think of him. So, what’s that have to do with anything?”

  “It was me, Abby.” There! After two long years, she’d finally come clean, told Abby the truth, come out of the closet.

  “What was you, Mom? You’re talking in circles.”

  Toots guessed she was really going to have to spell it out for Abby. Taking a deep breath and offering up a quick prayer, Toots lowered her voice, then spoke into the phone. “It’s me Abby. I’m the face behind The Informer.”

  Silence.

  More silence.

  “Abby? Are you there?”

  Still more silence.

  “Say that again, Mom, because I’m sure I didn’t hear you,” Abby said slowly.

  “I said I’m the face behind The Informer. It’s me, Abby. I bought the paper so you could have a job. When I heard what that traitor did, I had to do something. I knew you didn’t want to go back to work at the Los Angeles Times, and you didn’t want to move back to Charleston, so I did what any decent mother would do.” Toots looked at the group gathered around the table. All of them, even Goebel, gave her a thumbs-up.

  Encouraged, she went on. “I knew if you found out I bought the paper, you’d quit, and end up with a job you didn’t like. I had to do this, Abby.”

  “Wow.” Abby’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “Abby, talk to me. Tell me you don’t hate me. Tell me you understand,” Toots pleaded with her daughter.

  “Mom, it’s okay. Truly. I’m just shocked. Hell I’m floored, but not in a bad way. I can’t believe I didn’t find out. All this time, and you never once let on. Do the three Gs know? Shit, of course they know, what I am thinking. They know, right?”

  “Of course. They’ve known since day one. It’s part of the reason they came with me to California.”

  “It is?”

  “Yes. We thought we might have to work there. I really don’t know what I thought except I didn’t want you to be unhappy. That was my main mot
ivation. Can you forgive me?”

  Tears were rolling down Toots’s face. If her relationship with Abby was seriously damaged, she would totally lose it.

  “Mom, come on! I’m not three years old! I can’t believe you’d go to such lengths. Oh, what am I saying. Of course you would go to whatever length necessary to see that I was happy. Oh, Mom, I’m not angry at all. I’m honored that you would do something so phenomenally, fabulously, off the wall just to make me happy. There isn’t another mother in the world who would do something so gigantically crazy. Why should I be angry? I’m humbled and bowled over, but angry? No way.”

  Toots had been worried for nothing. Abby truly was her father’s daughter.

  “Abby Simpson, you’re the absolute best daughter a mother could ever ask for. Have I told you that lately?”

  “Tell me again,” Abby said.

  “You’re the absolute best daughter a mother could ever ask for.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I know you did it because you love me, truly.”

  “You’ve got that right, Abby,” Toots said, her eyes filling with tears.

  “So you still want to know the who, what, when, where and why?” Abby asked her.

  “I’m all ears,” Toots said.

  “It seems Dr. Lowery and Maximillian Jorgenson’s personal physician had something in common. They both had a thing for the same woman, who just happens to be dead. She was found in her apartment by a neighbor last night. Seems the good Dr. Lowery’s fingerprints were all over the place.”

  “Oh my God! Sophie did it again!” Toots said.

  “What did I do this time? Please, tell me. I want to know,” Sophie asked.

  “Abby, can you hold on? I’ve got to tell the others.”

  “Sure.”

  “Dr. Bruce Lowery, our own DBL, has just been arrested for murder, Sophie. That’s what you did, old girl. You used your God-given talent to identify a killer. Again,” Toots said.