Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace

by Marja McGraw

  The dogs followed Mikey out to the kitchen and Chris sat down next to me.

  “I asked the lady at the white house if her son was there. She said he wasn’t, but I know he was. She wouldn’t open the door more than a crack, and I could hear him whispering, telling her what to say.”

  “Did you get pushy?”

  “Not really. I held my temper, and believe me it wasn’t easy. I asked her if he’d been there and if he’d been out at all this morning.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said she hadn’t seen him in two days. I’ll be asking Cheryl and Sherry about that.”

  “Carol and Coral,” I corrected.

  “Whatever. I’m sure they said they’d seen him around the house in the past couple of days. In fact, I’m going to leave a little early and stop to see them on the way to the restaurant.”

  “Good idea. Now you’d better go upstairs and change clothes.” At the moment, I didn’t particularly care who’d pushed me down the stairs. I just wanted to close my eyes and I hoped my headache would be gone when I opened them again.

  “Mom, do you want a sandwich, too?” Mikey called from the kitchen.

  “No, thanks, sweetie. I’m fine. I just want to rest.”

  Closing my eyes, I drifted off thinking about Kimberly and her boyfriend. I wasn’t sure why they’d come to mind, but they did. Something didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  I must have been dreaming, because I woke with a start when Kimberly’s boyfriend licked my cheek. It was an ugly feeling, and I flung my hand up to push him away, only to find Watson sitting on the couch next to me, staring at me with her tail flinging back and forth. I wiped my cheek. Yes, Watson had licked me, of course.

  On the bright side, my headache was almost gone. Mikey sat on the floor watching cartoons on the television. Sherlock was lying across Mikey’s legs.

  “Where’s your father?” I asked.

  “Oh, he left for the restaurant a long time ago.”

  Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was almost four o’clock.

  “He didn’t want to wake you up. Neither did I.” I realized he’d turned the TV as low as he could while still being able to hear it.

  “Thank you.”

  “Someone called for you.”

  “I didn’t even hear the phone. Who was it?”

  “One of those dames. You know, the twins. I think it was Coral. I told her Dad told me not to wake you up. She was pretty excited, and she wants you to call her back. I wrote down the phone number.”

  Watson was inching her way toward me, ready to climb on my lap. I told her no and pushed her away, although she didn’t move far.

  “Don’t call women dames.” My son was picking up Chris’s bad habits.

  He’d turned back to his cartoons and didn’t hear me. I really didn’t care if he was paying attention or not. I was more concerned about what might be exciting Coral.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  It took a little work, but I pried myself up from the couch while keeping Watson at bay. She really seemed to want to comfort me, by climbing onto my lap. It wasn’t going to happen. I wanted to find out why Coral had called, and if Watson got a foothold I’d never get rid of her. Besides, I was too sore.

  Limping to the kitchen, I searched for the phone number Mikey had written down, to no avail. “Mikey,” I called, “where’s Coral’s phone number?”

  “In my pocket,” he yelled in reply.

  Taking a deep breath, I rolled my eyes and discovered that my headache wasn’t too far off. “Would you please bring it here?”

  “On my way,” he hollered, sounding distracted.

  I waited for about thirty seconds before raising my voice. “Mikey?”

  He backed into the kitchen, trying not to lose sight of his cartoons, with his hand and a piece of paper behind his back.

  I took the paper and reached for his shoulder to turn

  him around and remind him about manners, but he was too fast for me. I didn’t feel up to giving chase and decided it wasn’t that big of an infraction.

  Reaching for the phone, I jumped when it rang. Before I answered it I glanced toward the doorway, hoping Sherlock wasn’t going to race in and knock me down. Not seeing him, I picked up the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Pamela, this is Coral. Why didn’t you call me back? Well, never mind. I’ve got things to tell you. You’ve been missing all the action over here.”

  “Slow down, Coral. What’s going on?”

  “Well, before he went to the restaurant, your hubby stopped by and had it out with that weirdo next door to Kimberly’s house.”

  “He what? You’ve got to be joking.”

  “Nope. When we realized what was happening we all headed over there to see the action. Well, let me back up. We saw the Bogey Man drive past Turnbal House – that car can’t be missed – and he pulled up in front of the other house. Chris Sr. was the first one to figure out what was going on. Anyway, when he ran out the door, we followed him and watched from the sidewalk.”

  “Did my father-in-law wait on the sidewalk, too?” I stopped myself when I realized I was chewing on my lip.

  “No. He stood right next to Chris. Okay, so the little old lady answered the door and the Bogey Man asked her to send out her son. She tried to close the door on Chris, but he put his hand up and stopped her, and he told her he meant business. And let me tell you, for such an old woman, she’s got quite a kick on her.”

  “What?”

  “She opened the door and kicked your hubby on the shin. So the weirdo finally pulled his mother out of the way and stepped outside.

  “The Bogey Man asked him if he’d shoved you down the steps, and ol’ yellow tooth said he hadn’t, but he wished he had.”

  I sucked in my breath. “What did Chris do? Did he believe the guy?”

  “Your hubby was just mad until the guy said he wished he’d pushed you, and that put him over the edge. Chris reared back and decked the little creep. Oh, and he said something about dogs? I think he said that was for throwing rocks at your dogs, too. Your father-in-law stepped in and stopped things before they could get any more out of control.”

  It took a moment for all of this to sink in, and then my headache came back with a vengeance.

  “Pamela? Are you still there?”

  “I’m here. Did anyone call the police?”

  “Nope. The old lady asked the yellow-toothed guy if he wanted her to call them, but he waved her off. He said he could handle his own fights. Of course, he said that from his spot on the ground.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “Chris walked out to his car, climbed in and left for work. Your father-in-law helped the weirdo get up and he went back inside with his mother yelling at Chris Sr.”

  “Is that the end of the story?” I hoped there wasn’t any more to it.

  “Almost. Your father-in-law got the old woman to calm down and he went inside the house and talked to her and her son.”

  “Really?” I was way beyond surprised.

  “Ken – that’s the guy’s name – admitted he knew about the treasure. He said he’d even been in the house looking for it before Judy and Chris Sr. bought the house. But he swears he hasn’t gone inside since they started working on it.”

  “Did Chris Sr. believe him?”

  “I think so, but… Hold on a sec.” Coral covered the

  mouthpiece and spoke to someone. “Okay, I’m back. Judy was just telling Carol that your hunky builder will be here tomorrow. I guess you know where we’ll be in the morning.”

  “Coral, he’s already spoken for.” And he’s way too young for you, but I didn’t say that part.

  “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, we think Ken’s telling the truth, but you never know. And that’s the end of the story. I just thought you might like to know what happened before your hubby gets home from work.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Okay, gotta go. Judy
and her husband are going to pick up some dinner for you and your son now. What’s his name? Mickey?”

  “Mikey, but he likes to be called Ace.”

  We hung up and I sat down at the kitchen table. What was Chris thinking? We could be sued, at the very least. Ken could have turned him in and filed charges. Any number of things might have happened. The weirdo, as Coral liked to call him, could come after Chris.

  “Mom?”

  I must have jumped a foot. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I heard you talking to Coral. Is Dad okay? What happened?”

  “Your father is fine. And on a need-to-know basis, you don’t need to know what happened. If he wants to tell you, he will.”

  Mikey pursed his lips in a pout, and turning his back on me, left the room. “You guys never tell me anything.”

  I made a cup of hot tea and sat down at the table with a bottle of aspirin. I’d stiffened up considerably while I napped on the couch. Sleeping in a sitting position hadn’t helped. The headache wasn’t doing much good either.

  Sherlock and Watson walked into the kitchen and sat down in front of me, staring at me and apparently willing me to read their minds. As if I had to do that. “Dinner?”

  Both tails began swinging wildly and they jumped up. Sherlock turned in a circle, being the dog who enjoyed food the most. His stomach was a bottomless pit.

  My body ached, my head hurt, my son was pouting, my husband had turned into a bully, and the dogs were hungry. I began to feel sorry for myself.

  If anyone had been watching, I probably would have taken Judith’s Drama Queen crown away from her. I limped down the back steps and checked the dogs’ water bucket. The dogs followed me out and I told them to sit and stay. Using one hand, I stacked the dogs’ bowls and brought them in to the service porch where I filled them with dog food – all the while holding my arm tightly against my side so I wouldn’t hurt my shoulder. Then I limped back down the steps, taking one dog bowl at a time outside, reminding the dogs to stay. When I told them they could eat, all bets were off and they dug in like they hadn’t eaten in a year.

  I returned to the kitchen and sat down, finally taking a couple of aspirin. I was hungry. Mikey probably was, too. Maybe that’s why he was pouting. His attitude was out of character for him, although I reminded myself that he was just a child, and he was entitled to a bad mood once in a while, too.

  Taking my tea with me, I limped out to the living room and sat down on the couch. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost five-thirty.

  One of the dogs barked at the back door. I recognized Watson’s tone as the one she used when she wanted in.

  “Mikey, please go let the dogs in.”

  He stood up and headed for the service porch without a word. Momentarily the dogs came bounding into the living room, happy and with full tummies.

  Mikey followed behind them. “I’m sorry, Mom. Can I do anything to make you feel better?” This was the Mikey I knew and loved. I’d rolled up my pant legs and he studied my

  knees which were bruised. “I’m really sorry, Mom.”

  “It’s okay, Ace. Why don’t you come sit by me? Maybe Grandpa will tell you what happened when he gets here. I only know what Coral said, and I don’t know if she exaggerated or not.”

  About ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Both dogs barked and ran to the door. Mikey followed, ready to open it.

  “Make them sit before you let anyone in.” I knew I didn’t really need to remind him, but I couldn’t help myself.

  The dogs sat and Mikey opened the door to let his grandparents in. Their arms were full of bags, hopefully filled with our dinner. They headed straight for the kitchen and set the bags on the sink.

  I heard Judith pulling plates out of the cupboard followed by the clink of silverware.

  “Come and get it,” she called, “before it gets cold. Chef Luis sent you a special dish.”

  I could smell the food and my stomach rumbled. “What is it?” I asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “It doesn’t look like anything on the menu.”

  “It’s his version of Cashew Chicken, and he made it just for you and Mikey. He said you’ll love it.”

  I took a bite, and I did. It was delicious. Judith and Chris Sr. sat down and joined us.

  Chris Sr. told us what happened over dinner, and other than a few more details, his story didn’t differ from Coral’s.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Junior that angry.” Judith took another bite of dinner. “This is really good. I wonder if Luis would give me the recipe.”

  We finished eating and Judith gave each of the dogs a bite of chicken. She told me to sit still and she’d clean up the dishes. Mikey and his grandfather retired to the living room to see what was on TV.

  After a moment I decided to follow them, but stopped in the doorway when I heard them talking.

  “Why did Dad hit that guy?” Mikey asked.

  “Because someone pushed your mother down the stairs, and when Ken said he wished he’d done it, it was more than your father could bear. He was scared.”

  “Scared? Men don’t get scared.”

  “Yes, we do. Things frighten us. We just don’t let people know it, especially the women. Well, maybe we hold back even more around other men, now that I think about it.”

  “Why was Dad scared?”

  “Because your mother could have been seriously injured. It could have been a lot worse than it was. And when that locoweed dimwit of a neighbor didn’t show any compassion, your father lost control. Now that’s something we Cross men don’t do often – lose control.”

  Mikey nodded, thinking it all over. His grandfather had opened some doors for Mikey that gave him plenty to contemplate.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Deciding to stay in the kitchen and let grandfather and grandson talk, I turned around and pulled out a chair at the table. Judith sat down across from me.

  “So what now?” Judith raised one eyebrow at me.

  “I have no clue. I hope Chris has some ideas, because I sure don’t. Unless there’s someone we don’t know about, there are only three suspects. Ken, Kimberly’s neighbor – Ryan, Kimberly’s ex-boyfriend – and your soon-to-be neighbor, Mark.”

  “Mark? Why would you suspect him?”

  “Because he’s right there and he knows about the alleged treasure. And I can’t explain it, but something just doesn’t feel right. It seems like he’s always watching what’s going on, and yet when things happen, he says he was doing something else and he didn’t see or hear a thing. I think he knows exactly what goes on around that neighborhood.”

  Judith stood up and put the kettle on for hot water. I had a sense that she was using the moment to think it all over. “Tea?”

  I nodded.

  “Any one of them could have come inside and pushed you down the stairs. And maybe Mark is just one of those

  people who never wants to get involved. The twins seem to know him quite well, and they like him.”

  “Yes, but they know him best from when he was a child.”

  “Which one are you most suspicious of, Pamela?” A voice drifted in from the service porch.

  “Chris? What are you doing home?” I was happy to see him, but he should have been at work.

  “Things were slower than usual, so I left Phyllis in charge and came home. It just seemed like I should be here with you.”

  “We’re here,” Judith said. “We’ll take care of her.”

  “I know, Ma, but I’m her husband.”

  Judith set a cup of hot tea in front of me and patted Chris’s arm. “I’m going out to the motor home to get that sling for Pamela.”

  She left the room and Chris poured himself a cup of tea before sitting down with me. He generally drank coffee, so I was surprised.

  “Where’s Ace?”

  “In the living room with your father. They’re talking about guy stuff. Your father is explaining that it’s okay for men to feel frightened somet
imes.”

  Chris mulled that over. “He’s right. Leave it to my dad to come up with that one.”

  “Is that why you hit Kimberly’s neighbor? Did my fall down the stairs scare you?”

  The Bogey Man rolled his top lip under and leaned back in his chair. “Ya see, angel, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Yeah, I had a beef with that guy. He said he wished he had been the one to put you down for the count.”

  I watched Chris work things out in his mind, but I didn’t comment.

  “See, it’s like this. A woman was bumped off. Someone’s been breaking into that house to look for a treasure

  that may or may not exist. The coppers aren’t getting anywhere, and no one is cooperating.”

  “You know, when I was a little girl I read some books of my grandmother’s. They were Honey Bunch books.” Memories of a particular book were front and center in my mind.

  “A what? And what does that have to do with our situation?”

  “A Honey Bunch book. If I had to guess, I’d think the series was probably written in the 1920s. The stories were about a little girl called Honey Bunch.”

  “I got that part.”

  “Okay, so in one of the books the story was about Honey Bunch having a birthday, and… Oh! That reminds me, I’ve got to get Mikey’s party invitations out.”

  “One thing at a time. So how does this kid in the books come into play here?”

  “Oh. Well, to make her birthday more fun, her mother hid things around the house. For instance, she asked Honey Bunch to help set the table for breakfast, and the little girl found a present in the drawer with the silverware. Her mother kind of made it like a treasure hunt for birthday presents. A present came with every task that Honey Bunch was asked to do.”

  “And you want to do that for Ace?” Chris seemed incredulous that I’d want to talk about hiding presents when we were in the middle of a discussion about murder and danger.

  “No. That’s not what I’m getting at, although it might be fun for Mikey. Okay, this might be far-fetched, but what if Marguerite wanted to leave something fun for her daughters. We know she had to be a little eccentric because she had all those secret places added to the house. After all, she was a writer, and she had a fertile mind.”