by Marja McGraw
“It was Kimberly’s ex-boyfriend,” Judith interrupted.
“Well, why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?”
“Because you asked what he looked like. Cloene saw his face as he drove away. She knew right off who it was.”
I honestly tried not to roll my eyes, but it was a lost cause. I sincerely hoped my mother was wrong when she told me they’d get stuck that way someday.
“So is Ben going to do anything?” I asked.
“He said he’s going to drive to the kid’s job and talk to him. Try to find out what he was doing here. I’m assuming, now that I know who it was, that he was watching Kimberly’s house. But why would he do that? Kimberly’s gone.”
“I don’t know, Judith. Maybe he really misses her.” Could Ryan have been the one who pushed me down the stairs? If so, why? And why was he really hanging around the house? If he’d murdered Kimberly, you’d think he’d stay away from the scene of the crime.
“Well, sweetie pie, you get some more rest. I won’t bother you again. I just thought you’d want to know what was going on.”
“Oh, I’m glad you called. I really am. Maybe since I’m just sitting around the house I can give this some thought. I’ve been too busy to really take the time to lay out all the facts and take a good look at them.”
After telling me Carol and Coral sent me their good wishes, Judith hung up.
Mikey came in with the dogs. “I just saw Danny coming up the street, Mom. Is it okay if we play in the back yard or will that bother you?”
I was actually relieved because I knew eventually he’d be bored if he stayed inside with me. “That’s fine, but would you bring me a pad of paper and a pen before you go back outside?”
“Sure.” He ran back to the office and returned with the pen and paper. “What’re you gonna do?”
“I’m going to make a list and try to figure out what’s going on at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I have a feeling there’s more to this than meets the eye.”
There was a knock on the back door and the dogs sounded the alarm.
“That’s Danny. Now I’m gonna go play.”
Mikey opened the back door and I heard Danny’s childish voice. “Hey, Mrs. Cross. I’m here.” Danny always announced his presence, and it cracked me up.
“Okay,” I called. “You boys have a good time. And don’t let the dogs out of the yard.”
“Okay, Mrs. Cross. We won’t.”
With the boys and dogs outside, and the television off, it was suddenly quiet in the house. Too quiet. Turning the TV back on, I tuned in a music station and lowered the volume.
Picking up the pen Mikey brought me, I put three headings at the top of the pad of paper – three names – Ryan, Mark and Ken. I wrote down what little I knew about each one, realizing I didn’t know much. Thinking about it and feeling guilty even as I wrote, I quickly added two more names – Carol and Coral. I remembered another case with a surprising perpetrator and knew that no one should be overlooked. Sometimes the bad guy can be the one you least expect.
When I was done I read my notes, realizing that not a single one of them actually had an alibi for the time of Kimberly’s death.
Before I could carry my thoughts any farther, the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Pamela, this is Janet, your favorite copper.”
I smiled. “I can honestly say you really are my favorite copper. Have you got news? Anything on Kimberly yet?”
“I wish, but no. This one has me bamboozled. There’s not a single lead, and I’m frustrated. But that’s not – ”
“Did Ben call you? Ryan Gables has been hanging around the neighborhood watching Kimberly’s house. Now that doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?”
“Ben called, and I sent him over to talk to Gables. I have a feeling about that guy, but no evidence yet. Anyway, that’s not why I called. Mikey mentioned his birthday last time I saw him. It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. And I feel soooo bad. I lost track of time and thought it was next weekend.”
Janet chuckled. “Oh, good goin’, Mom. Well, anyway, I have a present for him. Can I bring it by when I get off work? I called the restaurant first and Chris told me you had an accident and you were staying home.”
“Are you working tomorrow?” Janet’s schedule was constantly changing, depending on what was going on in her little part of Los Angeles.
“I’m off. Why?”
“We’re having a birthday party for Mikey at Bogey Nights. Why don’t you come by? I know he’d enjoy having you there so he could show off what he considers his own personal homicide detective to his friends.”
“Oh, I think I can manage that. Do you mind if Don comes with me?” Don Hacket was Janet’s significant other. I hoped one day they’d take the plunge and get married. They were perfect for each other.
“Of course not. By all means, bring him along. Then Mikey can show you both off.”
The boys came in the house and asked how I was feeling. Janet waited patiently while I talked to them. After the obligatory check on me, they grabbed snacks from the kitchen and ran back outside.
“So what kind of accident did you have? Car? Slip and fall? What?”
“Uh, somebody pushed me down the stairs at Turnbal House.”
“Excuse me? Did I hear that right? Why didn’t you call me?” Janet sounded peeved, but what could she have done?
“Janet, you couldn’t have done anything.”
“We could have looked over the house and checked for fingerprints. We could have talked to neighbors to see if they saw anything. We could have done a lot of things.”
“I don’t know who pushed me, and so many people have been in that house that the fingerprints wouldn’t help. Besides, you told me fingerprints are highly overrated.”
“I exaggerate sometimes. So sue me. Pamela, one woman has already been murdered. I’d prefer not to add you to that list of one.”
“I’ll be more careful in the future. We all discussed it, and until things come to a head no one is allowed in the house by themselves. Does that make you feel better?”
“Minimally, yes. Next time something happens, call me.” Janet and I had become close friends over the past year, and we cared about each other. I understood how she felt, because if something happened to her I’d feel the same way.
Changing the subject, I told her what time to come to the party, and we hung up.
The phone rang immediately. I figured I should have just gone to the restaurant. It would have been quieter. I answered the phone and it was Danny’s mother, asking me to send him home. He had some chores to take care of if he wanted to come to Mikey’s party. I understood her tactic and walked to the back door to tell Danny it was time to go home.
“Already?” he asked.
“Yep. I understand you’ve got some work to do if you want to come to the party tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah! I don’t want to miss that. See ya tomorrow, Mikey. Bye, Mrs. Cross.” After carefully opening and closing the gate so the dogs wouldn’t get out, he ran down the street toward home, waving as he went.
I squeezed my eyelids together tightly when I heard the
telephone ring again. Now what? Fortunately, I still had it in my hand, so I sat down at the kitchen table and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Pammy, this is Davey. I’ve got a problem, and Chris said to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s about those two women your mother-in-law made friends with recently. They keep hitting on me. They make me nervous.”
“And what do you want from me?” I knew my voice sounded too cheerful, but it was actually kind of funny.
“Can’t you make them stop?” He sounded panic stricken.
I couldn’t help myself. A small chuckle made it past my lips. “Me? What can I do?”
“Talk to them. Maybe they’ll listen to you. And quit laughing. It’s not funny.”<
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“Take Sharon over there with you next time. Maybe they’ll get the hint. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Judith and see if she can help. By the way, where is Sharon? I thought she’d be all over this treasure hunt.”
“Thanks, Pammy. Sharon’s been out of town on some story. She’s due back soon though, and your idea is a good one.”
We hung up and before I could even set the phone down, it rang again.
“Hello? Who is it this time? If you have a problem, I don’t want to hear about it.”
“Hey, Duchess, it’s your favorite restaurateur, and I don’t have any problems at the moment. What’s cookin’? Hey! A little play on words there, huh? I run a restaurant, right?”
“Ha ha. Let’s see. Your mother called, twice, and someone was watching Kimerly’s house. Turned out to be Ryan, Kimberly’s ex-boyfriend. Your mom and the twins have
exchanged cell phone numbers so they can talk while they spy on the neighborhood.
“Danny came over to play with Mikey, and Janet and Don are coming to Mikey’s party tomorrow. Oh, yeah, and Janet isn’t happy that I didn’t report my quick trip down the stairs yesterday.”
And, of course, there was Big D’s dilemma. “Davey called and he wants me to talk to the twins. I guess they’ve been flirting with him.”
“Yeah, they have. He’s coming to the party, too. Ace is a pretty popular guy, angel. Even the adults like spending time with him.” I could hear a smile in Chris’s voice before he became serious. “Maybe we should have called Janet yesterday.”
“What could she have done? Nothing. We already hashed this out, and she’s okay with it. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me if I got a lecture tomorrow.”
“So you’re feeling better?” Chris asked.
“Surprisingly, yes. My knees seem to be the sorest. I – ”
“Gotta go, cookie. Ken-with-the-yellow-teeth just walked in.”
“Chris…”
He’d already hung up. I began to pace thinking about the donnybrook that might be about to take place. My heart was pounding. If I’d had a car to drive, I would have jumped in it and driven over to the restaurant. Fat lot of good that would do.
I suddenly realized that walking was actually making me feel better.
I called Judith’s cell phone. When she answered, I didn’t give her a chance to say a word. “Ask Chris Sr. if he’ll hurry over to Bogey Nights. Ken just showed up there.”
“Right away!” She hung up on me again.
Chapter Thirty-seven
I glanced at my watch. It was a quarter to five. Where had the day gone? I’d never even been able to take a nap, and I thought that would be half the fun of staying home. The best laid plans…
Mikey came in and settled on the floor in front of the TV. Sherlock and Watson lay down next to him. He didn’t watch television very often, so this was a treat for him, but we had things to do. He’d turned on a program about animals because every once in a while Sherlock would take an interest and watch with his young master. The show was about dogs and one of them barked. Sherlock’s head popped up and he studied the screen.
I watched my family for a moment before breaking the spell. “Mikey, if you’ll feed the dogs I’ll see about putting some dinner together for us.”
“Okay, Mom, I will in a second.”
I waited for thirty seconds before I started tapping my foot. Mikey got the hint and headed toward the service porch with the dogs. “How’s your shoulder, Mom?”
“Sore, but not too bad.”
“Then you can come to my party tomorrow?”
“Oh, sweetie, I wouldn’t miss your party even if I had to show up in a body cast.”
He grinned. “What’s a body cast?”
After I explained, he noticed that the dogs were getting antsy. I think the fact that Sherlock kept nudging the back of his leg might have given it away.
There was just enough Cashew Chicken left for the two of us, so I prepared a small salad and some garlic bread, and heated the casserole in the microwave with Mikey’s help.
Thankfully, the phone didn’t ring again until after we’d finished eating.
“Pamela, Chris Sr. and I will be bringing your dinner home in about half an hour.” It was my mother-in-law again.
“Oh, Judith, thank you, but Mikey and I just finished off the casserole. I didn’t know you were going to bring something again.”
“That’s okay. We’ll eat it and you can have the leftovers if you feel like snacking later on.”
“What are you having?”
“Chris is having Eggplant Parmesan and I’m having spaghetti.”
“As long as you called, what happened with Ken and Chris?”
Judith huffed. “He didn’t want to fight with Junior. He wanted to apologize for his remark about you and the stairs. I guess his mommy really let him have it after everyone left. That woman looks like a little old grandma, but she’s feisty. He told Junior she really made him think about what he said, and he figured if the situation was reversed he might have taken a swing, too.”
“Well, I’m amazed. Did he say anything else?”
“No. He apologized to Junior and left in a hurry. I think he was afraid my son would sock him again.”
“This has been quite a day,” I said. “The phone’s been ringing constantly. By the way, I talked to Janet this afternoon.
She doesn’t have anything new to report, and she was upset that we didn’t call her after my fall yesterday.”
“I guess I can’t blame her. We should have reported it. Maybe you and Junior are beginning to get used to all the calamities. That might not be such a good thing.”
“Big D called, too. Carol and Coral are getting under his skin. I suggested he take Sharon over there with him next time, but he asked if you’d talk to the twins.”
Judith laughed. “Oh, Pamela, you should have seen them. They were all over him, like flies on candy. He was practically twitching. The only reason they finally left him alone was because I reminded them they were supposed to be watching Ken.”
“When will you be home?” I asked. I was finding I actually enjoyed Judith’s company.
“We’re leaving right now. We’ll pick up the food on the way home and see you in about an hour.”
Well, Mikey couldn’t have waited until that late to eat anyway. I was glad we’d already had dinner.
“We’ll bring you some dessert.” Judith hung up.
I was learning that when Judith was ready to hang up, or leave a place, she was very abrupt. Different people have different ways.
After watching a mystery show on TV, Mikey decided it was time for bed. I didn’t even have to nag him, which surprised me until I remembered his birthday was the next day. Apparently he wanted to be well-rested for all the activities. He went upstairs and took his shower, and came back down just in time to greet his grandparents and tell them goodnight. After hugs were shared all around, my in-laws retreated to the kitchen to eat while Mikey went up to bed.
I joined them, and Judith began filling me in on her day.
“Other than that kid watching the house, it was pretty quiet at Turnbal House. We got a lot done. Oh, and the title
company called. Thanks to Carol and Coral, they’re rushing things through so we can take title on the house. In this economy, I think everyone is anxious for a sale.
“I’m so glad Ken apologized to Chris. With his mother living so close, it will make things nicer in the neighborhood. He sure has yellow teeth. I didn’t smell smoke on him though. Maybe he’s got a medical problem.” Judith seemed to be wound up.
Chris Sr. sat and watched his wife while she talked, and every so often he’d smile that tight-lipped grin of his. He seemed to enjoy listening to her. He seldom had too much to say, which is why I was surprised when he finally interrupted Judith.
“Junior says he thinks he might know where the treasure is.” My father-in-law cut off a piece of Eggplant Parmesan with his fork and ate it.
He took a bite of salad and set his fork down, picking up his bread. He’d quit watching Judith and concentrated on his food.
“For heaven’s sake, Chris, what did Junior say? Where’s the treasure?” Judith didn’t sound annoyed, just a bit impatient. She turned to me. “He always does this. He passes on a snippet of information and lets me sit and wonder what he’s talking about. Sometimes I think he does it on purpose.”
Chris Sr.’s tight-lipped smile returned when he looked across the table at Judith, and he blinked a couple of times before setting down his fork. Picking up his napkin, he patted his lips. “I don’t have an answer for you. Junior said he wants to make a couple more calls before he tells us where it is. He wants to check some facts, is what he told me.”
Judith sighed. “Now you’ve made me curious, and I know Junior won’t tell me a thing until he’s ready. I almost wish you hadn’t mentioned it. You can be so aggravating sometimes.”
Chris Sr. shrugged and turned back to his dinner.
“I need to find a new hobby,” Judith said.
I wondered how she’d made the leap from treasure to hobbies. “You need a new hobby?”
“Yes. I need to keep myself busy or I become bored. I’ll have to think up a new idea. Maybe I can find something around the house to inspire me. I know some of the old furniture needs to be reupholstered. I could do that and then sell it. Of course, we’ll be bringing some of our own furniture from storage, and the things at Turnbal House have been sitting there for a long time. Twenty years, I believe.”
“You’ve got a hobby.” Chris Sr. set his fork down again and looked at his wife.
“No, I don’t. I need something to keep me busy. Reupholstering would be fun.”
“Yes, you do, Judith. You have a whole house to fix up, and that’s hobby enough for now. I’m not going to fix the place by myself.” He picked up his fork and began eating again.
Judith reached over and caressed his cheek. “You’re right, honey, I’ve got enough to keep me busy. I wasn’t thinking.”
“What about the Big D situation?” I asked when Judith rested her hand on the edge of the table. “Are you going to talk to the twins?”