Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace

by Marja McGraw

  Coral leaned toward me. “Could you tell who it was?

  Did you see anyone?”

  “No. Whoever it was threw something over my head. I would have gone down the stairs if it hadn’t fallen off so I could see the banister.”

  “Well, that son-of-a – ”

  “Coral, don’t be crass.” Carol shook her finger at her sister. “You really need to watch your language. Cursing isn’t a becoming trait in a woman your age.”

  Coral bristled. “Oh… Shut your pie hole. I’m only a couple of minutes older than you, so you’re a woman of the same age.”

  The twins inched their chairs away from each other and I almost laughed out loud because of the precision timing. They were actually making me feel better and distracting me from myself.

  We talked for a few more minutes and then we sat quietly, just listening to the storm. I couldn’t believe the twins had run out of chatter.

  The thunder had moved past the house, but the rain was still falling.

  A thud sounded upstairs and all four of us jumped. Maybe my attacker hadn’t left, after all.

  “I still have a weapon, and I’m still not afraid to use it,” I yelled. It was easy to be brave and aggressive when the sound had come from upstairs and I was downstairs – and I wasn’t alone. My head pounded and I wished I really had a weapon.

  We listened and didn’t hear anything else.

  “There are four of us. Maybe we should go up and see what the noise was,” I suggested.

  “Okay.” Judith looked like she’d rather be anywhere except upstairs.

  “Sure.” Carol sounded unsure of her reply.

  “Yeah. We should.” Even Coral didn’t look too enthused. Having second thoughts, she said, “What are we? Chickens?”

  “Cluck, cluck,” Judith said.

  I rolled my eyes. How could I not? Cluck, cluck? “Come on.” I stood up and headed for the stairs.

  I tried to turn and see if they were following me, but my neck was stiff and I couldn’t look over my shoulder. I stopped and turned around. Three faces looked at me expectantly. I was surprised that Coral wasn’t more aggressive, but the fact was, she looked like a frightened old woman. All bark, no bite maybe.

  “Wait! I said I have a weapon, and I don’t. One of you needs to grab something we can take upstairs with us.” I did a quick look around the living room and spied a pair of study glass candleholders.

  Pointing at them, I waited while Judith brought both of them back. She kept one and handed the other to Coral. Coral lifted it up and down to see if it was heavy. It was, and suddenly her bravado returned. She straightened her back and took the lead, heading up the stairs.

  Judith and Carol followed her with me bringing up the rear. I was moving slowly. My head, neck, shoulder and knees hurt. Each step up the stairs made me grit my teeth. The ladies waited for me on the top landing.

  “Let’s start with the room at the front of the house,” I whispered. It was one of three bedrooms, and I knew it was empty. Most of the furniture had been left behind, but for some reason this room didn’t contain much of anything.

  I reached for the doorknob and thunder boomed overhead.

  “Damn,” Coral said, jumping. “Here we go again. Listen to the rain. It’s pounding on the roof.”

  Judith pushed me out of the way and turned the doorknob, quickly shoving the door open and leaping into the room, candlestick held high, ready to clobber someone.

  There are moments that make me wish I had a camera handy. This was one of them. Itty bitty Judith was out for

  blood, but there was no one to attack.

  She tiptoed out of the room and headed for the second bedroom – the room where we’d found Kimberly’s body. We’d been making so much noise that I wasn’t sure why she was tiptoeing. She reached for the knob, turned it and threw the door open with such flair that I almost clapped for her. It was nearly as melodramatic as when she’d opened the front door. It was award-winning.

  And we found the culprit. At least, we found what had made the thud. A piece of the rain-soaked ceiling had fallen in, knocking over a chair.

  You could hear a collective sigh as we all relaxed.

  “I’ll go find a bucket to put under the leak,” Judith said.

  “You’re not expecting us to fix the roof, are you?” Coral asked. “I mean, we’ve let you keep the contents of the house.”

  Judith ignored her and left to find a bucket. She gave me a look on her way out of the room, but I couldn’t read it.

  “Hello? Where is everybody?” Chris’s voice sounded from downstairs. “Pamela?”

  “I’m up here,” I called, walking out to the landing. “The roof is leaking and your mother is coming down for a bucket.”

  “We’ll bring one up,” Chris, Sr. hollered. “I know where to find one.”

  “Are there any other problems with this house that you’d like to share with me?” Judith asked, looking at Coral.

  “No.” She sounded a little like she was hoping the roof wouldn’t be a deal-breaker. “I’ll tell you what. How about if Carol and I split the cost of roof repairs with you?”

  Carol didn’t look too happy about her sister offering to spend her money so easily, but she didn’t say a word.

  “I’m going downstairs,” I said.

  I left the three women to discuss the roof. I wanted to see my husband and son. I wanted them to comfort me and I wanted Chris to promise to find the person who’d pushed me

  down the stairs.

  He didn’t let me down. “Sweetie,” he said, coming up the stairs to help me limp down, “are you okay?” His face was a study in anger and concern. Apparently he wasn’t quite sure which direction to take.

  “No.”

  Mikey walked on my other side, taking care not to jar the injured arm. He held his hand under my elbow without touching me.

  Chris started to lead me toward a dusty old cloth-covered couch in the living room, but I pointed to the dining room. We changed directions. I was afraid that once I sat down on the couch I’d have trouble getting back up.

  Chris was very gentle and helped me sit. “Where does it hurt?”

  “Everywhere. But my shoulder and knees are the worst.” I told him what happened, and how I’d twisted around as I fell. The concern on his face was touching, but the anger underneath the concern was a little scary.

  Mikey stood on my good side and gently patted my back.

  We looked up when we heard the women coming down the stairs, all talking at once.

  Chris, Sr. passed behind us with a bucket. He stopped by Judith. “Where’s the leak, Judy?”

  “Center bedroom.”

  He grimaced, not caring for what he called the Den of Death. I wondered how he’d ever manage to be comfortable in Turnbal House. Not my problem.

  The women gathered around my little family.

  Chris looked at the twins. “Did you see the guy who lives next door to Kimberly’s house today? Was he at his mother’s house?”

  Carol and Coral nodded.

  “Did you see him heading for this house?” Chris asked.

  “Well…” Coral didn’t have an answer.

  “Um…” Neither did Carol.

  “You see…” Judith wasn’t any better.

  “Did anyone see anything?” Chris sounded frustrated.

  “Well, Junior, it’s like this. I went over to visit with the girls, and we were talking out in the kitchen. We really couldn’t see anything from there. Not a thing. We never would have suspected that Pamela would show up and someone would come after her.”

  Judith made sense, actually. I hadn’t told her I was coming over. None of the women were expecting me.

  “Maybe we should call Janet,” I suggested.

  Mikey continued to pat my back, and as much as I adore that child, it was beginning to annoy me. I glanced up at him and he stopped patting, taking hold of my hand instead.

  “And what good would that do?” Chris was not a
happy camper. “There’s not a damn thing she can do that we couldn’t. None of you saw anything. No one knows anything. And yet here you sit, Pamela, in pain and lucky not to have a broken neck.”

  I didn’t say a word, deciding it might be best to let him vent.

  He turned to Carol and Coral. “You wanted to help. I only asked you do to one thing. Watch that guy. And did you? No! You were too busy yakking in the kitchen. A fat lot of good that did.”

  “Okay, Junior, settle down,” Judith said. “It’s not like we were having tea and crumpets. I took a little break and went next door to visit. Your father and I have been working hard today. Take a look at the kitchen. We’ve done a lot of cleaning and repairing. I needed that break. Instead of yelling at us, count your blessings that your wife is okay.

  “Why, you should have heard how brave she was when I came in. When she heard me she yelled out that she had a weapon and she was ready to use it. I found her in the

  kitchen with a screwdriver in her hand.” She reached over and stroked my hair. “I was proud of her.”

  Carol and Coral watched the mother and son with wide eyes, waiting to see what would happen next.

  I waited, too.

  Mikey squeezed my hand. He took a step forward and I pulled him back, barely shaking my head. Now would not be a good time to come between a mother and her son.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Watching Judith and Chris, I felt like there should be old west movie theme music playing in the background – something appropriate to a shootout. They’d both moved and they were practically toe-to-toe, with Chris looking down at his mother. She stood with her hands on her hips, almost daring him to defy her.

  He blinked first, but she didn’t win the standoff.

  “Mother, I’m not your little boy anymore. And we’re talking about my wife’s safety. You and the other ladies should have been eyeballing that house next door to Kimberly’s place.”

  I could tell he was softening, at least a little, because he’d used one of his old-time detective words. I couldn’t help but wonder why.

  “You do realize that Pamela could have bought the farm, don’t you?”

  Judith hung her head. “Yes, Pamela could have been killed and it would have been my fault.”

  “No, no, no. That’s not…” Chris knew he’d gone too far, even it if was true.

  “Yes, she could have ended up in the hospital, or worse.” Judith sounded close to tears.

  “Ma,” Chris said, placing his hands on his mother’s shoulders, “you could have been here alone.”

  He didn’t have to say another word. I realized why he was relenting. I was okay, but if it had been his mother, she might not have kept herself from falling. Chris was scared, no matter how anyone looked at it. Either way his wife or his mother could have been hurt far worse than it turned out.

  Mikey glanced at his grandmother before looking into my eyes. He started to cry.

  I pulled him to me. “It’s okay, son. I’m okay and so is Grandma Judy.”

  “But…”

  “No buts. We’ll be a lot more careful from now on. No one will be in this house alone until we have this figured out. And who knows? Maybe Janet is hot on the trail of the bad guy. I’ll call her when we get home.” Giving him an extra hug seemed to help.

  “Speaking of home,” Chris said, glancing at his watch before turning to me, “we have to get moving. I’ve got to clean up for work. And, no arguments, you’re staying home tonight. I’ll have my parents stop in at the restaurant and bring some food home for you. You don’t need to be cooking in your condition.”

  I smiled at him. At that moment in time, my heart felt like it was overflowing with love for this man. No one had ever cared about me the way he did.

  “Come on, Ace, let’s help your mother stand up.”

  I groaned as they pulled me to my feet. My headache was worse and my shoulder throbbed. My knees weren’t doing too well either. They were already starting to bruise.

  “I’ve got a sling in the motor home that you can use for your arm and shoulder,” Judith said. “I had to use it when I threw my own shoulder out sometime back.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?” Chris asked. “I think you probably should.”

  “No, I’ll be okay. I just need to lie down for a while, and I need to take something for this headache.”

  “The headache worries me,” Chris said.

  “I didn’t hit my head, Chris. I just wrenched my back and neck. Honestly. I’ll be aces by tomorrow.” It made me uncomfortable to have everyone fuss over me. I was usually the one doing the fussing. And yet, I’d hoped he’d baby me a little.

  We left, with Judith and Chris, Sr., promising to bring Mikey and me some dinner.

  Chris and Mikey were helping me down the walkway when Mark came out from next door.

  “What’s going on? How come your wife is limping?” he asked.

  Chris stopped suddenly, releasing me too quickly. I almost fell over, but Mikey steadied me. “She had an accident. Did you see anyone hanging around the house today? Was anyone acting suspicious?” The Bogey Man put his head back and looked down his nose at Mark. His eyes were suspicious slits. He pulled on his ear lobe.

  “No. I didn’t see a thing.” He turned and walked back into his house. He didn’t say he was sorry about my fall, didn’t ask how I was and didn’t seem to give us a second thought. His attitude surprised me.

  Mikey climbed into the back seat before Chris helped me into the car. My husband walked around to the driver’s side and stood there, staring at the house just past Kimberly’s place.

  I had a bad feeling which only grew when he left us sitting in the car and headed for the white house with blue trim.

  “What are you doing?” I called out the window. “Chris, come back.”

  He put his hand behind his back and waved me off. I knew better than to get out of the car and try to stop him. His mind was made up.

  He passed Kimberly’s house and after he turned up the walkway, I couldn’t see him anymore. The house where the little old lady lived was set back too far and Kimberly’s home hid him. I thought about sending Mikey in to get Chris’s father, but decided against it. If two men showed up at the old woman’s door it might actually make things worse.

  “Where’d Dad go?” Mikey asked.

  “Oh, I think he just went to talk to one of the neighbors. He’ll be back in a minute.”

  That seemed to satisfy my son and he sat back with a Hardy Boys book his grandmother had given him.

  It felt like Chris was gone for an eternity, but in fact it was probably five minutes or less. He was stomping when he walked back down the sidewalk toward the car.

  “What happened?” I asked when he climbed into the car.

  He sat, looking straight ahead and gritting his teeth before he answered me.

  “The old lady said he wasn’t there. I know he was.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I could hear him moving around behind her.”

  “Maybe she has a dog or something,” Mikey piped up from the back seat.

  For some reason Mikey’s voice brought Chris around.

  “Oh. No, she doesn’t have a dog. Well, let’s get your mother home.” Chris turned to me and gave me a look that told me we’d talk when Mikey was out with the dogs or in his bedroom.

  The ride home was relatively quiet.

  “Hey, Mom, this book Grandma Judy gave me is pretty good. You’re going to have to help me with a lot of the words though.”

  I smiled, remembering Chris had bought Mikey more Hardy Boys books for his birthday.

  “She can help you tonight while the two of you are taking it easy,” Chris said, glancing quickly over his shoulder and then back at the road.

  The rain had stopped along with the thunder and lightning, at least for the moment. The sky was still filled with charcoal-colored clouds, but I could see some blue sky off in the distance. The rain had
washed the dust and grime off of everything from the trees to the road, and it was turning into a pretty day, even with the clouds lingering.

  “Are you sure you don’t need me at the restaurant?” I asked.

  “We’ll be just fine. Phyllis and Gloria will be there, and George will be back tonight.”

  George Chandler looked quite a bit like George Raft, and the female customers adored him. He’d been gone on vacation for two weeks. I’d forgotten he was due back.

  “Okay, you talked me into it. It’ll be nice to have a quiet evening with Mikey.”

  As soon as we arrived home Mikey climbed out of the car on the driver’s side. Chris handed him the house key and he ran ahead to let the dogs outside. We decided it would be best if I got settled on the couch so they wouldn’t jump all over me. That was a joke and I knew it. Those beasts believed they were lap dogs, even with Sherlock at one hundred two pounds and Watson weighing in at eighty-six. No one could convince them otherwise.

  Before I sat down I went to the kitchen and took something for my headache. With any luck it would help my other aches and pains, too. I finally settled down on the couch. Chris moved some magazines in place so I could put my feet on top of them and up on the coffee table.

  “I checked their water and the bucket is still full,” Mikey said. “I decided they should stay outside for a while.”

  “They probably should, but the backyard is soaked from the rain,” I reminded him. “You’d probably better let them in before they roll around in the water. I don’t feel like cleaning up a mess.”

  Mikey let the dogs back into the house and they immediately ran over to me. Sometimes dogs are amazing. They seemed to sense something was wrong and stopped before jumping up on the couch. Sitting in front of me, they waited for an invitation, something they rarely do. It wasn’t forthcoming and they watched me intently, almost willing me to read their minds.

  “Not today, kids. Go lie down.”

  “Hey, Ace, why don’t you go fix yourself some lunch,” Chris suggested. “You can make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich, right?”

  “I’m old enough to do that,” Mikey said. “I know how. We never did get our In-N-Out hamburgers, and I’m hungry.”