Teresa jumped down from the tree, lunged at Flea Bag, and said “Boo!” The dog yelped, turned around, and blasted through the front door of the house nearly knocking over Joy.
“Well, I never,” she said as she shut the door behind him. Betty suddenly appeared, we don’t know where she went during all of this fun. She looked at Teresa. Uh oh, I’m thinking that Teresa is in real trouble.
“Nice call,” Betty said as she turned to get closer to Roger. Huh!
Nettie’s niece was in dirty sweats, her hair looked oily, and she obviously didn’t own any tweezers…big uni-brow…ugh. “Look, Mr. FBI Man, I have to be at work in less than twenty minutes. I am the cook at Pleasant Rest nursing home, so I hope this won’t take too long. My truck is already warmed up.”
Roger was smiling, “Just a couple of questions. How long had Darla Phillips worked for your aunt?”
Joy looked surprised, “Darla Phillips? Oh, that cleaning gal. Let’s see, years really. Pretty girl, woman, whatever. Aunt Nettie called her an angel. She took her to doctor appointments, groceries, that kind of stuff. She cleaned her house every now and then.” Then Joy got an angry look on her face, “She’s not claimin’ to get any of aunties stuff is she? We got a lawyer and everything. I get that house!”
Roger was flipping through his notebook, “Miss Phillips was murdered. Her body was found on the 6th of this month. We are investigating her relationships and her connection to your aunt.”
Joy Covington started jumping up and down. “Holy SHIT! She was one of them gals thrown next to the highway? Holy SHIT! I read about that in the paper. I guess I didn’t catch the name. HOLY SHIT!” I slowly looked towards Betty. I knew I was used to this kind of language, but I wasn’t sure how upset I was supposed to be, now that I am an ‘Angel’. Mary was biting her lip and kind of rocking. Betty actually looked fine. Okay then, but I betcha this chick doesn’t get to heaven! Oh wait, I did. Linda cleared her throat, and I glanced at her. She and Teresa were frowning at me.
Roger continued, “What day was Nettie’s Funeral?”
Joy was picking at a sore on her hand. Really? She is a cook? “The funeral was Friday morning, and Darla was there! I remember she rode with Auntie’s lawyer to the graveside services. She took cabs everywhere. Didn’t have no car.”
Roger asked, “Do you know Nettie’s lawyer’s name?”
Joy twisted her mouth in thought, “Devon, I think. I have some papers I can look for has him on ‘em.”
Roger pushed on, “When was it, you tried to reach Darla to clean Nettie’s house the first time?”
Joy looked annoyed, “She never called me back. Let’s see, it was whatever day your people called me and said I could use the house again. Couple of weeks ago anyway. Can I go now? I’m really gonna be late!”
Roger flipped his notebook shut, “I will have more questions later, and I will call you. Thank you for your time.”
As we walked back to the car we heard that dog barking again, and Joy yelling, “Shut UP, Flea Bag!”
We were back in our regular seats, and I was trying to decide if seat belts worked for people like us. I found that I could pick up the strap, but when I snapped it, it went through me again. I think I did this about three times before Linda pointed out that if Roger looked into the back seat, he would see his seat belt moving around.
Then Teresa asked, “Afraid you might die?”
Betty spoke up and said, “You know it is fairly common to start feeling like you are mortal again when you are around them. I am surprised you can move objects so easily already Vicki. That usually takes a while longer. Stop it!” Okeey Dokeey.
Roger was sending his thoughts again, Maybe Joy Covington did want Nettie’s stuff and decided to move things along. Doesn’t explain Darla, she was raped. Who knows Darla? Do we have a boyfriend? Should be in the office file.” He started to speed up, and reached to flip on the light and siren again. Oh Goody!
Betty looked to the back seat at Teresa, “Why don’t you and Linda go to the nursing home and see what Ms. Covington really thought of this visit, dear? When you are done, set your watches to the number two and we will meet you at the last victim site, Ginger.” Teresa gave a quick nod, and they were gone. Then Betty looked at Mary, “You and Vicki go to Valerie McDonald’s house in Boston. That detective woman named Sal is on her way there now with another officer. I have a hunch that we may find something that could help.”
Mary and I looked at each other. I said, “I hope you know how to get there.” She got a determined look on her face and the next thing I knew we were standing in the middle of Fenway Park…. hmmmmm.
“I think we are close,” I said to Mary as she studied her watch. (I have to read that manual).
“Oh! Here we are”, she said and away we went. We stopped in front of a pleasant looking brick row house. Bet this cost a penny or two. Mary double checked the address, and we walked through the front door. Literally.
It was a duplex, two units with a common vestibule. Hmmmmm. Mary decided we would do rock, paper, scissors to decide which door to go through. The door labeled “B” won! This was our first ‘job’ without supervision. Very exciting. We walked through the wall together and found ourselves in a living room. The TV was on, and a guy was lying on the couch sleeping. Eeek. He shifted his shoulders, stretched his arms out, and looked right at us. We were standing in front of the TV, and we couldn’t tell if he was looking at us, or it. I couldn’t think of anything to say but “Hi.” He didn’t say anything or change his expression.
Mary whispered, “I don’t think he can see us.” We started walking sideways to get away from the TV.
Mary started to back up when I whispered, “Stop!” I saw a pile of mail on the table next to the couch, and on the top letter was the name Valerie McDonald. “Look at that stack of mail. It has her name on it. He must be getting the mail for her! Remember? That Detective Sal said a neighbor had said Valerie was going to Indiana for Thanksgiving.”
“I want that mail,” I whispered to Mary.
Mary frowned, pursed her lips as she said, “The cops are coming here. Don’t you think they will ask him some questions and get her mail?” She definitely did not like where this was going. I didn’t like her answer.
“Maybe, maybe not. Why take the chance he may leave before they get here?” She was trying hard to think of a reason. I decided to just grab the mail and run. I got to the other side of the wall in the vestibule and noticed I didn’t have the mail in my hand…dang. I went back, and Mary looked horrified. Evidently when I ran through the wall, the “mail” couldn’t do that. From her side of the wall it looked like the stack of mail jumped up from the coffee table and threw itself against the wall.
This took our sleepy dude by surprise too. He was now staring at the mail on the floor, looking at the table, and rubbing his hair. Oops. “Now what?” Mary asked as she tapped her foot. I shrugged my shoulders. Hey, I am new to this too.
“He’s a man. Give him five minutes, and he will fall back asleep.” I sure hope I am right. Sure enough. He closed his eyes, crunched his pillow around his face, and started breathing deeply again. I kicked the last envelope under the door and out into the hall, started backing out of the room through the wall, and saw that he still had one eye open. I am sure he was thinking that mail doesn’t usually slide under a door going “out” of a room. I quickly stuffed the envelopes under Apt. “A” door. I rushed through the wall just in time to hear his door open, pause for a second, and then shut. It sounded like he bolted it too.
We were in Valerie’s’ house on the couch cracking up. “That is something for us to remember,” Mary said, “Objects do not pass through walls.” Okay, time to get serious. I divided the mail into two piles to save time. I was sorting my half into piles of bills/other, and I looked over. Mary was just sitting there staring at me. “I don’t know how to do this.” Oh. That’s right.
“Well, let me teach you. Super focus on what you want to do. Block out everyt
hing else. I think that is what I do.”
Mary was certainly focused, her brow was creased and BAM! An envelope leaped from the pile and slapped into her forehead! She was so startled, she jumped. I couldn’t resist, “They are going to be easier to sort if you catch them, a little eye-hand coordination?” She stuck her tongue out at me and proceeded to the next one on her pile. Except for her tongue still sticking out, it looked like she knew what she was doing.
“Hey, look at this, a return address of Karen Smith, South Bend, Indiana. Looks like a card.” Mary was almost shaking with excitement, “Karen Smith is one of the names on the FBI board!”
“Open it!”
Mary got all huffy, “I am not going to open it—that’s against the LAW!”
I couldn’t believe she said that. “We’re dead. Hello? Are you worried I will turn you over to the cops? Open it!”
“No,” she pouted and hung on tight.
“Okay, then I’ll open it!”
Betty was now sitting on the couch with us. “No you won’t, dear! Whew! That was a fast trip. Okay, we cannot tamper with anything that the police may need for their case. Hand me the letter Mary.” Mary handed it to Betty and then gave me an ‘I told you so’ look. Huh. Betty stated “This will be very helpful to the detectives because it confirms that Valerie was leaving to visit Karen Smith for Thanksgiving. I think the police will discover they were sorority sisters in college. It is signed Sis, and neither Valerie or Karen have any sisters.”
I was shocked, “You can read through the envelope?” I asked Betty.
“Yes. I started to travel here when I saw you two go into the wrong apartment.” She was looking at me. “Do you have anything else to tell me about your trip?”
I was shaking my head. Mary pointed at me and spouted, “She stole this mail!” Snitch.
Betty started laughing, “I saw that. It’s okay. You did not interfere with the investigation really, and the neighbor is due to leave at any minute. Detective Sal would have missed him.” Just then we heard the neighbor’s door shut and the vestibule door open and shut. I stuck my tongue out at Mary when I didn’t think Betty was looking. “Okay then, since I am here, let’s look over the rest of the apartment quickly and see if there isn’t something that just needs to be made a little more obvious.” We searched for what seemed like hours, and then we heard a key in the door. Detective Sal and a man were entering the apartment. Betty told us to set our watches to the number two, and get back to South Bend to the last victim’s dump site where we would meet up with Agent Dance and Agent Casey.
Meanwhile, Linda and Teresa had made their way to Pleasant Rest Nursing Home. They were outside the building sitting on a bench, watching people come and go, waiting for Joy Covington to arrive. “What do you think is taking her so long?” Linda asked Teresa.
“That truck of hers didn’t look so good. Maybe we should call Betty?” Right then a black cat with green-blue eyes came from under the bench and started rubbing against Teresa’s ankles. “Oh great!” Teresa said. “First I have that crazy dog and now a cat!” She used her leg to nudge the cat away. The cat just turned around and started rubbing her leg some more. Then it stretched up and put its front paws on Teresa’s knee. “Oh for pity’s sake!” Teresa said as she pushed it away and stood up.
Linda was laughing, “That’s right! You are not exactly a cat fan are you?”
“No I am not. They are sneaky, and they…..” She couldn’t finish because the cat had jumped up behind her head, and was lying across the top of her shoulders. You could see the tail wrapping around one side of Teresa’s neck and the face peeking around the other side. Linda was bent over laughing. “This isn’t funny!” Teresa was annoyed.
Linda worried that Teresa might hurt the cat trying to remove it. “Here, let me come around you and get it off.” She pulled on the cat, but it had implanted all of its claws into Teresa’s shoulders. It seemed the cat had rubber legs that could stretch to infinity. Linda pulled again. That cat wasn’t going anywhere it didn’t want to.
Teresa started screaming, “Yeow! Just stop it!” The cat was now craning its neck all the way around to Teresa’s face. They were eyeball to eyeball. Teresa said, “BOO!” The cat jumped down. Teresa glared at it. The cat sat about two feet from her cleaning its paws. It tilted its head, kept cleaning, and watched her. “That cat is creeping me out,” Teresa said as she straightened her hair.
Linda said, “Look! Isn’t that Joy’s truck pulling in?”
It was. Joy Covington slammed the truck door shut and started stomping across the parking lot to a side door. Linda and Teresa followed her. She went down two halls and slapped open a set of stainless steel doors into a well-lit kitchen where four startled people stood frozen at their tasks. One little meek woman started, “I made soup and the stuff for the salad bar, but I didn’t know what you wanted for the entrée.” She looked like she was going to cry.
Joy barked out, “How much of that damn meat-loaf is left from last night?”
The little lady rushed over to a huge walk in cooler and came out with a metal pan. “We have three logs left.” She stood like a soldier waiting for orders.
Joy made a face and then said, “Start breaking that up. John, go in the pantry and get four large cans of marinara sauce and use the large pot. We’re having spaghetti.” Everyone started running around like they knew what to do now. Joy slammed a large pot on a gas burner and using a faucet at the stove filled the pot with water. She turned the flame on high and just stood there leaning against the counter top. Her thoughts blared across the room, but we knew that we were the only ones that could hear.
That Son of a Bitch. That drunken son of a bitch! I bet he planked that Darla! He ran over there every time she was at Nettie’s. Raped huh? NOW he can get it up! He’s not at the job sight now either. Damn foreman thinks he’s talkin’ to a fool? Sure he went to get more drywall. Wait ‘til he gets home. His ass is mine!
Linda was thinking that dinner at Joy’s house was not going to be much fun. Joy yelled, “WHO LET A DAMN CAT IN HERE?” She grabbed a broom and started swinging at Teresa’s new little friend. It looked to Linda like the cat wasn’t afraid of her and was slapping back.
Teresa lunged at the cat and said “BOO” again, and it ran out a small service door that was propped open.
Linda looked at Teresa and said, “We have to find out who ‘HE’ is.” Just then the cat flew out from the service door, ran across the counter, knocked over Joy’s purse, spilling everything on the floor. It circled the entire room and went back out the service door.
Joy was livid, “SHUT that damn door! If that thing comes in here again, it is going in the spaghetti pot!”
Teresa and I were on the floor wildly trying to read any names on anything in her purse. There it is. Debit card: names Joy Covington and Jack Simpson. “Let’s go!” Teresa said, and they adjusted their watches to the number two.
They found themselves standing next to a busy highway. Linda saw the highway sign, US-31 South. Betty, Vicki and Mary were not there yet. As she looked down, she saw the black cat sitting behind Teresa. “You brought the CAT!”
“What?” Teresa jumped, and saw the cat sitting behind her cleaning its paws.
“You brought that cat! Take it back!”
Teresa was stunned, “I didn’t think we could even do that.”
Linda stomped her foot, “Take it back. It’s going to get hit by a car!”
Teresa rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she turned around, picked up the cat and vanished. A minute later she reappeared.
Linda was giggling. “You think this is funny?” Teresa was not amused. The cat was perched on the back of Teresa’s neck looking at Linda over Teresa’s head. “You know we are graded as a ‘group’ in this little job. I wouldn’t be laughing too hard.”
Right then Betty, Vicki and Mary showed up. Mary looked at Teresa and said, “I bet there is a story.” The cat jumped off Teresa and stood up on its hind legs. Teresa braced
for it to jump on her again, but it started dancing. Really good dancing!
Betty giggled, “Girls, I requested some extra help here!” Suddenly Ellen DeGeneres was dancing next to Teresa! We knew it wasn’t the real Ellen, but WOW!
“Oh my Gosh!” We were all jumping and clapping! I always wanted to meet Ellen, maybe get on the show. Fall through that hole in the floor.
Ellen stopped dancing and said, “You guys know I am not Ellen, right?” We were all nodding. She soooo looked like her and sounded like her that it seemed real. She looked at Teresa and said, “I was just messin’ with ya.” Yup, that’s what Ellen would do.
Betty spoke up, “This assignment is going to get increasingly difficult from here on. Ellen volunteered to help us until the end, give me a little break, but I’ll be back!” She made the motion of wiping her brow, still smiling, “I think there is a hammock in the park with my name on it. Catch you girls later!” With that she was gone.
* * *
CHAPTER 6
* * *
Jack Simpson had decided since it was December and there still wasn’t any snow cover it was a sign from God to take an extra-long lunch. Maybe he’d have a few beers, see what the guys were up to and check out any gals that might wander in. Of course he knew that if there had been a blizzard, or even a few flakes, he would have taken that as a sign from God to do the same thing. Pretty much any event was a sign from God if you looked at it right, he thought.
He entered his favorite bar, the Pub. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw his favorite bartender Larry wiping down the counters. “Hey Man! Since when do you do days?” Jack plopped onto the corner bar stool and waited for his beer.
Larry looked at him and asked, “Don’t you ever work?”
Jack grabbed the remote and changed the channel on the TV. Too early in the day for a game, so he stopped on the news and turned it up. Larry and some old guy at the end of the bar were the only ones there. Of course it was only 11:00 a.m. and the Pub had just opened.
Alcohol Was Not Involved : A Shallow End Gals Trilogy Page 4