by Ted Clifton
“How about we go find a nice quiet bar in a nice restaurant and have a beer or two and dinner?” Ray was ready for some less intense time.
“Firewater and steaks, nothing better for Indian—especially if old white man is buying.”
Ray smiled. Tyee was ready for some quiet time too.
Beverly and The Kids
“Beverly, my goodness, it’s been so long.” Sue wasn’t real sure she’d have recognized Beverly if she hadn’t known that was who was at her door. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her, but she was fairly sure that she’d been just a teenager and probably weighed a hundred pounds less than she did now. Sue gritted her teeth and gave her a hug.
“Oh, Sue you look so great. My god, you are still beautiful! And you are so slim. My goodness, I must weigh twice what you do—don’t you eat anything? Hey, meet my kids. This is Kay, she’s eight, and the little one is Tom, he’s six. Say hello to Sue, kids.”
More or less hidden behind mom’s girth were two actually quite beautiful children. The kids seemed polite, and they smiled and said hello to Sue. Sue was having a little trouble matching the kids’ looks and manners to Beverly. Must be the father’s influence, she thought.
Sue helped Beverly bring in the luggage and placed the children in one spare bedroom and Beverly in the other.
“Wow, this is a wonderful place. I had no idea when you said a cabin that it would be this large and so fancy. So where’s your new husband? Did he hear I was coming and leave town?”
Bingo.
“Yes, he’s away, but it had nothing to do with you being here. He was sorry to miss you. He’s working on a case and he’s in Ruidoso tonight.”
“Well, maybe I’ll be able to see him on our way back.” Sue didn’t like the sound of that, but let it pass.
“Beverly, since I wasn’t sure when you’d be here I thought it’d be easiest and probably good with the kids if we just had hamburgers—is that okay?”
“The kids will love that—throw in few beers for me and I’ll love it too. Do you need me to do anything?”
“Nope, everything will be ready in a few minutes. Come out to the kitchen and you can pick your beer. So tell me, what does your husband do for work?”
Beverly had found the refrigerator and the beer supply. She grabbed two bottles and sat at the kitchen table—the offer to help appeared to be something of a hollow gesture.
“Well Sue. I didn’t mention this to you over the phone, but Chuck and I have called it quits. For about six months now he’s been living with a girl who I’m sure isn’t even legal in most states—shit, I think she’s eighteen but I’m not sure. The man has lost his mind and his damned soul. He told me I didn’t make him happy sexually anymore—what the fuck? Does he want me to be eighteen and slim after two kids and piles and piles of dirty clothes?”
“Beverly, I’m so sorry. How are the kids handling everything?”
“Jeez, I think they like the new girlfriend better than me. That’s all they talk about when they come back from a visit, how neat it is to be with Molly. What fun Molly is. What a great time they had with Molly. Fuck, what kind of name is Molly for a grown woman anyway?”
Sue decided she needed a beer, too.
In an odd contradiction, the children seemed more mature than their mother. Beverly, who was nursing her sixth beer, had done nothing to help with dinner. The children, on the other hand, had pitched in immediately. They set the table and helped Sue bring in the burgers. They were quiet, polite, and very attractive. Sue began to wonder if Beverly had stolen these kids from someone else.
“Sue, I guess it’s the long drive but I’m completely exhausted. If you don’t mind I’m going to lie down a bit and rest up for tomorrow. Don’t worry about the kids. They’re pretty self-reliant.”
Kay and Tom didn’t pay much attention to Beverly as she staggered off to bed. They helped Sue clean up, showing unusual skill for kids that age. Apparently they were practiced at cleaning up after their mother.
Sue talked to them about school and whether they were excited about going to Disneyland. Both kids talked about school, about how they enjoyed their classes and school friends. With regard to Disneyland they seemed evasive, avoiding looking directly at her. Sue liked the children much more than she did Beverly. She made sure they were comfortable in their room and told them good night.
Sue had an uneasy feeling that Beverly wasn’t being honest about what was going on and that somehow this was going to impact Sue personally. She just hoped that Beverly was gone before Ray got back tomorrow—she was pretty sure Ray wouldn’t be impressed with her.
When Sue woke the next morning, she was sure she smelled brewing coffee—if that was Beverly she’d have to rethink her opinion of the woman. She put on her nicest bath robe—not the ratty one that was her favorite—and headed to the kitchen. It was Kay making coffee, while Tom worked on toast. Beverly was nowhere to be seen.
“Well Kay, how sweet of you to make coffee. How did you find everything?”
“Oh it wasn’t hard. Most people keep their coffee stuff all in one place—once I found your place, it was all there.”
Smart kid. “Guess you make coffee quite often for your mother?”
“She’s a late sleeper. But I don’t mind. I like the smell of coffee—even though I hate the taste.”
About that time Beverly came into the kitchen wearing a robe that made Sue’s ratty one look like a high fashion statement. Her overall appearance suggested that she’d slept in a cardboard box. Beverly said nothing, concentrating on the coffee machine. She poured a cup and added a massive amount of sugar, then sat at the kitchen table without a word of thanks to anyone.
“Sorry Sue. I’m just a bitch in the mornings until I have had at least two cups of coffee.”
Sue had many things she wanted to add to that assessment, but decided to keep her mouth shut.
“Well I guess you’ll be wanting to get an early start. Where do you think you’ll stop for the night?”
“Sue, I was wondering if we could stay another night with you. I do want to meet your husband, and I’m feeling a little washed out for some reason. I’m sure I’ll be feeling much better in the morning. Do you think that would be okay?”
Well, crap. Sue knew she should tell her to get in her damn car and go to Disneyland or else, but she also knew that she couldn’t. Something was wrong, and screaming at this annoying woman wasn’t going to help.
“What’s really going on Beverly?”
“Well like I said, I’m just a bit tired today and tomorrow would be much better to start our drive again. And I really wanted to be able to meet your new husband.”
“Beverly, either cut out the bullshit and tell me what’s really going on or get in your car and go to California. Or go home. I really don’t care.”
Beverly started to cry. This is reflex for many women—when you’re caught at something, cry, and see if the one who caught you can be bought off with tears. Works on men like a charm, not so much on other women. Sue waited without saying a word, her arms crossed, while Beverly shed some dramatic, but not very effective, tears.
“Shit, Chuck stopped paying the rent on the apartment—I was evicted. I called him and yelled at him and told him he’d never see his kids ever again. His lawyer called me later and told me they were filing divorce papers and in the interim asking a judge to award custody of the kids to Chuck’s mother because I was an unfit mother and didn’t have a place for them to stay. I was unfit—can you believe that shit? It’s that asshole who’s sleeping with a teenager, not me! Well, I lost it and threatened the lawyer—maybe even said I’d kill him, not real sure what all I said. He must have filed charges. I heard from a girlfriend that the cops were at my old apartment looking for me to arrest me for something. Well, I had to leave. You understand don’t you? You were the only person I could think of. Shit, I’m sorry Sue, but I didn’t know what to do. I’m such a loser. A big fat loser.”
The te
ars that started this time were real. Sue looked at the kids, who had heard all of this, and realized that they’d known from the beginning what was going on. These were tough kids. Sue wanted to scream at Beverly, but realized that it’d do no good, so she went over and held her while she cried. The children came up to Sue and gave her a hug, and soon they were all crying. Sue was thankful Ray wasn’t there—he might have shot the lot of them.
Sue spent much of the day trying to understand exactly what had happened with Beverly and her husband. While it did seem that Beverly had lost her cool with Chuck’s attorney, there was no way to make this out to be Beverly’s fault without addressing Chuck’s infidelity. Plus, to make everything even more loathsome, it was the kid’s babysitter he was having the affair with. Beverly had heard from the parents of the babysitter and they were looking at the possibility of filing criminal charges against Chuck. Beverly said the girl was eighteen, but just barely, and that there was some law in Colorado that made it a criminal offense for a man to have sex with a woman who was more than twenty years younger than he was. And to add dark humor to the whole mess, Chuck worked as an administrator at a huge church in Denver, and when word got out about his new relationship, he was fired. Lust had once again claimed many victims.
“Hey Ray, where are you?”
“Still in Ruidoso. Now don’t yell. I’d thought we’d be leaving any minute, but things just kept happening. Rather than drive home in the dark, we’re going to stay one more night and be home tomorrow. Got lots of stuff to tell you about the case up here. It’s becoming more confusing by the minute, but there are some very interesting developments. How are things there?”
“Well it’s probably just as well that you’re staying. Beverly has some issues she hadn’t told me about and is in a serious crisis.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Sue told Ray a brief version of the story. Ray was silent.
“I know you are not going to like this, but she has no one to help her. That rental I had in town is still vacant and I think I can get it now for even less than I was paying before. I won’t let her and her kids stay here and mess up our routine, but I can’t put her out in the street either.”
“Sue, I understand. You do whatever you think is right. I love you.”
“I love you too. And I really miss you.”
Sue wasn’t sure about her next decision, but she decided to ask Big Jack to dinner to meet Beverly. She knew Big Jack had been a lawyer, and by all accounts a very good one, and Beverly needed some legal advice. She probably should have run it past Ray first, but she went with her gut instinct and plowed forward.
“Big Jack, what kind of name is that? What, you’re inviting someone over to meet Big Beverly named Big Jack?”
“Beverly, you need to control your mouth. I’m trying to help you, and you’re making it very difficult. Now please shut up.”
Beverly actually looked hurt. Sue could see that poor Chuck may have had reasons to wander off the farm.
“Big Jack’s name has a long story behind it—yes he’s big, but that’s beside the point. I invited him to dinner because he’s a friend, number one, but also because he used to be a hot shot attorney in L.A. and I thought he might be able to give you some advice.”
“Oh.”
“This isn’t about romance, it’s about your current mess of a life. You have two wonderful children, and you need to start thinking about what’s best for them and stop just thinking about yourself. I think Jack can give you some options and explain the law a little so you can start fixing what’s happened to you and your kids. Got it?”
“Yep. I’m sorry. You’re being so nice, and I’m such an ass. Please, anytime it’s appropriate you just tell me to shut up. I already owe you so much, and I know you really don’t know me from anybody and here I just show up and lay my problems in your lap. Sue, I’m so sorry—I’ll try to behave better.”
Sue knew she was being conned, but at least it was better than the head-up-my-ass attitude she’d been getting up until now.
“I’ll try to help you the best I can, but you’ve got to help yourself.”
Sue was tired of making speeches, so she headed off to the outbuildings to get some steaks from the freezer. The outbuildings on the cabin property had once been used by drug smugglers as a storage and staging area. They’d made some improvements in the process, and then after Ray bought the cabin and decided to open the PI business the buildings had gone through a major renovation. The buildings now housed a state-of-art communication and computer center. They also boasted accommodations for Tyee, plus a couple of rooms for guests. Sue didn’t want to put Beverly or the kids in those rooms, though, in case it’d be a distraction to the business activities. The outbuildings also had storage freezers that were used by everyone, including Big Jack, since the grocery store was some miles away in T or C.
Kay and Tom opted for hamburgers again, so Sue pulled out two steaks. She decided that she and Beverly could share one—it was clear Beverly was more than capable of eating the whole steak, but Sue was going to try to help change her ways if she could.
“Hello Big Jack, I really appreciate you taking some time to talk to my cousin.” Sue had stepped out on the front porch so she could have a quick visit with Jack before she introduced him to Beverly. “She’s something of a mess and can be a little annoying, but she has herself in a legal situation where you might be able to give her some advice about what she should do. I know you can’t be her attorney, but she needs some direction or I think she may end up making things worse. I know I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“Sue, it’s no bother. Dealing with your crazy relatives will be a piece of cake compared to my nutso kin. Plus free steak dinner—that’s top dollar legal fees for me right now. Don’t worry about it—if I can help, I want to, and if I can’t, at least you tried, right?”
“Thanks, Jack.” Sue gave him a little hug.
“Jack, I’d like you to meet my cousin Beverly. Beverly, this is my friend Jack. And Jack, these are Beverly’s wonderful children, Kay and Tom.”
“Well hello everybody. It’s nice to meet you. Hey Beverly, how about a beer.” Sue had no idea if this was just Jack wanting a beer or if it was some kind of secret signal between beer drinkers, but whatever it was, it was the right thing to have said to get Beverly smiling.
Jack and Beverly grabbed two beers each and went out onto the front porch. Sue and the kids continued to fix dinner. Once again, Sue was amazed at how handy these kids were—they seemed much older than their ages and were so well mannered. Could this be a whole new movement in child rearing? Just be completely useless and self-indulgent as a parent, and your kids will turn out great?
Dinner was uneventful. The burgers got the thumbs-up from the kids, and the adults seemed to enjoy their steaks and salads. Beverly was even agreeable to having only half her normal serving. She seemed attentive to Jack, and Jack was very attentive to both Beverly and her children during dinner. Sue still wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing, but so far nobody was yelling at anyone.
After dinner, Jack and Beverly grabbed more beer and went back to the porch. The kids helped clean up, but it was obvious that they were growing tired. Sue suggested that they finish the clean-up in the morning—for now, instead, she’d read them a story. Sue had some old books she had lugged along in her travels that had had special meaning to her as a child. She put the children to bed and started reading her favorite. She was so intently enjoying reading her old childhood book that she didn’t notice the kids were drifting off to sleep—by the time she did, she suspected that they’d been asleep for some time. She made sure they were tucked in and turned out the light. Sue had never been much of a kid person, but she sure liked these two.
Sue made some unnecessary noise as an early warning signal for Jack and Beverly before opening the door onto the porch. She told her guests that the kids had gone to bed and that she was headed that way herself, asking Beverly to
be sure the front door was locked before she turned in. Then she said her good-nights.
Ruidoso Again
Ray and Tyee met at a small breakfast place next door to the hotel called Bud’s Breakfast. The atmosphere, and the age and appearance of the employees, suggested it was an old hippie establishment—which in Ray’s experience meant exceptional food. He wasn’t wrong. Maybe it was the mountain air, but the food was possibly the best Ray had ever had. It was just eggs and bacon with hash browns and toast, but it was close to perfect. The coffee was excellent, too. Tyee was obviously enjoying the sausage he’d ordered, and its aroma was amazing.
“We’re going to have to remember this place—the food is just wonderful.”
About that time, a man who appeared to be both the owner and the cook came over to their table.
“How was your breakfast?”
“Fantastic. I have never had better.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. Aren’t you the guy who was running the sheriff’s department for a while?”
“Yeah, Ray Pacheco is my name, and this is Tyee Chino.”
“Bud Jackson.” Everyone shook hands.
“Bud, you’re one hell of a cook.”
“Well thanks, I appreciate your kind words. I was meaning to look you up. There was something I needed to tell someone about the murder of that creep Marino.”
“Oh really. What’s that, Bud?”
“The night he got shot I was in here cleaning up some. The place was closed and I didn’t have the lights on, so not sure anyone could have seen me from the outside. It was pretty late. There are lots of nights I have trouble sleeping and this time I decided to do something useful, so I came down here to work on getting the grill spic-and-span. I’d made some coffee and was standing over there, just looking out at the street, when these two cars pulled up over there in front of the art gallery. I know he was shot further down the street, but this was maybe an hour or so before that happened. One of the cars was a sheriff’s patrol car and the other was some kind of fancy foreign car. Big, maybe a Mercedes or something like that. Well the guy in the foreign car gets out and walks over to the driver’s window of the patrol car, and before you know it they’re arguing—he was really pissed, yelling at the guy in the patrol car. He reached in the window once and must have had the guy by the neck. The guy inside the car pushed the door open and knocked the other guy down. Then the patrol guy got out and I could see it was Deputy Marino. He came around and was kicking the other guy who had fallen—kicking him hard. I thought I should get out there before it got worse, but I was reluctant to jump into the middle of anything involving that asshole Marino.”