by Marja McGraw
When the telephone rang, Sherlock didn’t even try to race for it. He knew something smelled very, very good, and that’s all he cared about. Judith made enough mini meatloaves that Sherlock and Watson each got a half of one with their dinner after we people were through eating.
“Fickle dogs,” I said under my breath. “You never watch me with that look on your face.”
Janet overheard me and laughed. She had a chocolate-colored Labrador retriever at home and understood. She’d
arrived just in time to eat, after finishing her investigation at the old house. We ate, we talked, and Janet asked Judith all the questions my mother-in-law might have the answers to. Unfortunately, she didn’t really know anything other than she’d heard someone whistling softly.
“It did sound like a man whistling though,” she said.
“And what difference is there between a man and a woman whistling?” Janet folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Judith shrugged, but insisted it sounded like a man. “It was a deeper whistle, like a man’s voice would be.”
“Uh huh.” Janet’s tone sounded like she might want to make that determination herself, even though she hadn’t heard the whistler.
Janet left, Judith and Chris Sr. retired to their motor home, and Mikey went to bed without even arguing, which surprised me. He must have been tired. Chris and I finally had some time alone.
We leaned back next to each other on the couch and Chris took hold of my hand. “Quite a day,” he said. “My mother wears me out.”
“Yes, it was quite a day, and your mother wears me out, too, but I like her. I think she can probably be a lot of fun. I just wish I had half her energy.”
“Yeah.”
I turned my head and smiled, looking into Chris’s hazel eyes. “She told me the super glue story.”
“Figures.”
“That’s all you have to say? I never noticed any glue scars.”
“No scars. What could I possibly add to that story, cupcake? Even as a kid it was embarrassing. Can you imagine being pushed into the emergency room with your pants down and your butt glued to a chair? Not a pretty picture. Thankfully my mother draped a towel across my lap.”
Picturing the whole thing in my mind, I smothered a laugh and let it go.
“At least we won’t be involved in this murder,” I said. “It’s all up to Janet. We don’t have to lift a finger.”
“Like Mikey said, we have a track record. How much you wanna bet something will happen to drag us into this case?”
I yawned. “Nope. No bet. Why don’t we go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Then if someone drags us into the case, at least we’ll be more alert.”
Chris squeezed my hand. I heard thunder off in the distance. The storm was going to hang around, at least for the next few hours. Maybe the sky would be clear by morning, along with our pessimistic attitudes.
~ * ~
Chris and I would have slept in except for three things – Mikey, Judith and Chris Sr. Well, make that five. Sherlock and Watson wanted in on the action when Mikey came to wake us up and let us know that my in-laws were waiting downstairs. They launched themselves onto the bed and nearly broke my knee in the process.
My nose twitched after I sat up and pushed the dogs off the bed, and I realized I could smell bacon frying. Maybe having Judith around wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
I took a quick shower and headed downstairs. Chris was already sitting at the kitchen table talking to his father.
“Can I do anything to help?” I asked, standing next to Judith.
“Not a thing.” She paused. “I take that back. Can you make these two dogs back off a little? I keep tripping over them.” She tossed each dog a bite of bacon.
“Well, that’s not going to get rid of them.” I pursed my lips before I shooed the dogs outside, irritated that they were so attentive to my mother-in-law. Maybe it was just the novelty of someone new throwing little tidbits to them. I
didn’t usually give them table scraps, and Judith was making a habit of it.
After checking their water and putting the dogs’ breakfast outside, Mikey and I set the table while Judith prepared French toast. My son gave his grandmother the same adoring look as the dogs, and I rolled my eyes. “Son, why don’t you bring in a chair from the dining room?” I knew the five of us could squeeze in at the kitchen table.
“I hope you don’t mind me taking over your kitchen, but with you and Junior being involved with food and spending so much time at the restaurant, I thought you might like a little break.”
The adoring look had finally worked its way around the room and onto my face. “Works for me. Just let me know if I can do anything to help.”
While we ate breakfast, I asked if there was a plan for the day. The restaurant would be closed until Tuesday, so we were open to anything.
“If the police will let us, I’d like to take another look at the old house,” Judith said.
All eyes turned to her in surprise.
“You would?” I hadn’t thought she’d want to go back there after finding a dead body.
“I would. I kind of like the old place, and I’d like to explore it a little. Can you call your friend and ask about it?”
“Sure. No guarantees, but I’ll see what she says.”
Chris kicked me under the table. I turned toward him, and he gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. He didn’t want us to go back.
I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly.
He turned to his mother. “You know, Mom, that poor old house is ready to fall down around your ears. I don’t think you should go back there.”
“Well, Christopher, it’s a lot sturdier than you’re making it out to be, and I’m sincerely interested in seeing it
again.”
Not Chris, not Junior, not Bogey Man. Using his given name was a sure parental sign that he’d gotten on her last nerve.
“You’re sincerely interested?” he asked, ignoring the signs. “You wouldn’t actually think about buying that place, would you?”
“I’d think about it,” she replied, “but mostly I just want a closer look at it right now.”
“You’re kidding,” Chris Sr. said.
Judith gave him a warning look and he showed his tight-lipped smile. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing at the moment. All I could do was wait and see.
“May I be excused to go play with the dogs now?” Mikey asked. I wasn’t sure if he was defusing the storm that was brewing or not. Could he be that intuitive?
“As soon as we clear the dishes off the table. You can help me. Your grandmother did the cooking, so the least we can do is clean things up.” I stood and started collecting the dishes and silverware. Mikey helped, and we had the table cleared off in no time.
Judith and Chris Sr. left us to it and walked out to their motor home, heads together and chatting quietly. I couldn’t help wondering if they were talking about the old house.
After the kitchen was clean, Mikey ran out the back door to play with the dogs and Chris followed. I called Janet to ask her about the house.
“We’ve done everything possible there, so if the Realtor will let you back in, I have no problem with it. Your mother-in-law is quite a character.”
“Isn’t she though?” I thought eccentric might be a better word, but that was just me.
“She told me she needs to go back to the house and climb up and down the stairs three times to ‘ward off the murder cooties’. Those are her words, not mine.” I could hear
the smile in Janet’s voice.
I laughed. “She didn’t mention it to me, but my best guess is that’s just an excuse to go explore the house in more detail.”
“You’re probably right. I kind of like her though. She’s funny.”
“That she is. She was trying to say she’s genuinely interested in the house and – ”
“Do you mean she might want to buy it?” Janet sounded surp
rised.
“Well, I know she loves a project, and that house would definitely be a good one. I’m not too sure Chris Sr. will go along with it though.”
“To each his own. Hold on a sec.” I could hear someone talking to Janet in the background. “Gotta go, Pamela. I’ll talk to you later.”
We hung up and I called Max to ask if we could look at the house again. He sounded happy about my request, and I figured he’d be thrilled if Judith wanted it. At least she already knew the home’s past – and present – so it wouldn’t be an issue.
I walked out to the motor home and knocked on the door. Judith must have been standing right next to it because she opened it immediately.
“Okay,” I said, “we can go through the house again.”
“And this time we won’t find any dead bodies.” She gave a slightly theatrical shiver.
“Not this time.”
She turned to Chris Sr. “Do you want to go with us, sweetie?”
I didn’t hear a reply, so I figured he must have waved her off.
“When can we go?” Judith asked.
“As soon as I take care of a few things around the house. I need to talk to Chris and make sure he’s okay with
this. Mikey will want to go, too. Don’t forget, he figures the old house is a mystery that belongs to you and him.”
Judith put her hands on her hips. “What if Chris doesn’t want you to go?”
“He won’t care. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out he wants to go with us. He hates to miss a good puzzle. Of course, remember that the dead body isn’t our mystery. The house is.” I thought I should probably make my point before we left.
“Oh, that young lady is a mystery, all right. What was she doing there, and who killed her? Since she thought she’d be going right back home and left the door open, she must have accidentally caught someone in the act of committing a crime.”
“Yeah, but what was the crime? Stealing from an old house? I wouldn’t think that would be a reason for murder. I mean, the family left the old woman’s furniture and a lot of things there, but none of the antiques look valuable enough to steal.”
Chapter Ten
Returning to the house, I found Chris in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of water.
“Um, Chris, your mother and I are going back to the old house.”
“Swell.” He took a gulp of his water and choked on it.
I patted his back.
“Do you want to go with us? I don’t think your father’s going along, but I thought you might want to.”
“Nah. I was hoping Ma would deep six this idea, but it looks like she ain’t gonna do that. Guess I’ll just dummy up and let her have her way. I could flap my lips until a week from Sunday, but she ain’t gonna listen to me. But if you get in that house and start feelin’ goosy, I – ”
“I don’t think there’s anything there to make me feel jumpy, but I’d leave if something felt wrong. You know I would.”
“Yeah, but would Ma?”
“Why are you calling her Ma?”
“I don’t have a clue. I guess it comes with her attitude. Sometimes it just seems to fit. Besides, she keeps calling me Junior.”
Okay, now he was being silly. It’s amazing how sometimes our parents can turn us back into children. I shook my head and went in search of Mikey. He was still in the backyard with the dogs. I watched them for a moment before returning to the kitchen.
“How about this? What if we take the dogs with us? Would that make you feel any better?”
“That’s aces, as long as you keep them with you. Don’t let my mother talk you into leaving them in the car.”
We walked out to the motor home and shared our plan with Chris’s parents. Judith smiled and Chris Sr. grunted.
He needed some tools for a repair in the motor home, so he and Junior headed for the garage. I had to admit that calling Chris by the nickname Junior did help lessen the confusion of having two men named Chris in the same house.
Deciding I could put my household chores on hold, I grabbed the dogs’ leashes and headed back to the yard again, ready to talk to Mikey and put the leashes on the dogs.
“Mikey, your dad and grandfather are going to work on the motor home. Would you rather stay here with them and do some guy stuff, or go with Grandma Judy and me back to the old house?”
He glanced at my hand. “Sherlock and Watson are going with you and Grandma?”
I nodded. “Your father thought we’d be safer if they want along.”
“I’m going with you guys.” He took one of the leashes from me and attached it to Watson’s collar.
Sherlock began doing a doggie dance so I put his leash on him and headed toward the garage. It was time for a bye-bye, and he was winding up to drag me down the driveway.
“Heel,” I said. He started to pull, so I gave a quick, sharp tug on the leash. He stopped pulling and fell in step beside me.
“Chris,” I called, “we’re leaving now.”
He walked out of the garage and gave me a kiss. “Please be careful, Pamela. Don’t let my mother talk you into anything you’ll regret.”
“I’ll have Mikey with me, so you can be sure I won’t do anything that might put him in danger.”
Mikey’s head swiveled back and forth between Chris and me. “Is this going to be dangerous?” His face looked hopeful, but then he was only seven. What did he know about danger?
“No, it’s not. We’re just going to explore the old house.”
Chris rolled his lip under in true Bogey fashion, and tugged on his ear. “Ace, I’m expecting you to watch out for your mother.” Chris handed Mikey his cell phone. “If you find yourself in a jam, just call me. Don’t let anything happen to her, and don’t let your grandma make a sap out of you.”
“Yes, sir! Me and the dogs’ll keep Mom and Grandma Judy safe. You can count on us.”
I smiled. My little hero. Chris patted Mikey’s back and returned to the garage.
I backed the Jeep down the driveway and we waited for Judith. Mikey and the dogs managed to fill the back seat, and my son giggled when the dogs got excited and licked his face. I watched them in the rearview mirror.
We didn’t have to wait long for Judith. She climbed into the car and settled on the front passenger seat. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
I reached over and touched her arm. “Patience.”
I pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the restaurant and the old house.
“What do you expect to find in that place?” I asked.
“I have no clue, but it fascinates me. It reminds me of a house where you’d find hidden passageways.”
I could see excitement on Judith’s face, and I had a feeling that she never would have thought this if it weren’t for
finding Kimberly’s body in the house. It was wishful thinking on her part, but who was I to burst her bubble?
“Grandma’s right, Mom. I know we’re going to find something there. I can feel it in my bones.” Mikey leaned forward, putting stress on his seatbelt. He was just as excited as Judith.
“Me, too, Mikey,” Judith said. “We’re going to do some exploring, like real detectives.”
I would have rolled my eyes, but I was trying to concentrate on the traffic. I drove past the restaurant and everything looked as it should. What did I expect? Burglars climbing out of the windows? Turning at the corner, I headed two streets over to the old house.
Max was waiting in front for us. He walked over and opened the door for Judith. “Good morning, ladies. Aren’t you glad the storm moved on through? You’ll be able to see the house better without all the clouds darkening the sky.”
I looked around and saw new clouds moving in. They weren’t close enough to block out the sun yet. I could smell moisture and realized that the ground hadn’t dried. The front yard hadn’t been kept up, and wet leaves covered the grass, or what should have been grass.
Judith took Max’s hand as he he
lped her out of the car. “My, what a gentleman. Chris Sr. doesn’t do that anymore. I’m lucky if he opens my door, much less helps me out of the car.”
I could tell Judith was sucking up to Max. Sometimes it takes a woman to recognize another woman playing a man. Judith wanted something, and she was working for it.
“Max, we’d like to spend some time in the house. If you have anything else you need to do, you could let us in and come back later.” She said it so sweetly, and yet I knew she was giving him the brush off. She wanted him gone.
“Why, I do have some other houses to show. How long do you want to explore the house?”
“Oh, let’s say at least a couple of hours,” Judith said.
Max looked surprised, but he didn’t argue with her. “I’ll come back around noon. How does that work for you?”
“Perfect.” Judith looked up at him from under long lashes. For a married woman, she could flirt with the best of them to get her way.
Max headed up the walkway to unlock the door.
Judith leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Pamela, leave the dogs in the car until he leaves. I don’t want them to screw this up for us. If he thinks about those big dogs running through the house, he might change his mind about leaving us here alone.”
I nodded. “Mikey, climb up into the front seat and get out through the front door. We’ll come back for the dogs.”
He did as he was told without asking questions.
Max walked back down the walkway and handed Judith a key. “If you get done early, just lock up and leave the key over the door, if you don’t mind.”
“We will, and don’t rush, Max. We might be here for some time.” Judith smiled up at him.
He narrowed his eyes at us. “You’re not planning on doing some treasure hunting, are you? Because I can’t have that. I don’t want you tearing up the house, you know.”
“Why, Max, whatever gave you that idea? I just want to really look through every nook and cranny and see what kind of work needs to be done here.” The look of innocence on Judith’s face could only be rivaled by the look of innocence on a newborn baby’s face.