by Bob Moats
I needed to track down the new offices of Bander, Witt and Grey in California and talk to Miss Waters. I wasn’t sure what story I was going to make up, but I would find out if she came back here during the murders of four women who screwed up but didn’t deserve this fate.
Maybe I should just come out with the truth. It sometimes works.
The giants came back in and said the relief cops had arrived. Changing of the guard, but Tim and Deacon elected to stay.
“Are you guys all right with pulling an extra shift?” I inquired.
“We need to make some brownie points with the Sarge, especially after letting that scumbag slip by us. You feel better now?” Tim asked.
“Yeah, my ribs don’t hurt quite as bad now. As long as I don’t breathe or move, I’m all right.” I smiled.
Penny came back into the room and said she took a couple days off from work. She didn’t tell them she was hiding out from a killer, but it would make a good show when it was over. I silently told myself that I hoped she was still alive to put on that show. I vowed that I would not let anything hurt her. This was very personal now. I needed to talk to Buck about getting a gun, on the side.
Penny asked me if I had seen her cat. Shadow was its name. I said no, but it might have slipped out with everyone going in and out. She looked concerned, and said it had gotten out before and it was days until it came back. She frowned.
Penny asked the cops if they would like some breakfast, and they started drooling, really they did. It was like watching two huge St. Bernards in front of a gigantic bowl of dog kibble. They even offered to help, but Penny told them to guard the house. She went off to the kitchen.
“Man, that is some woman,” Deacon drawled. He must have come from the south, I deduced. He looked at me. “If you two don’t make it, let me know,” he said with a really huge smile on that huge head of his. He actually looked somewhat cute.
“I have no intentions of letting her go. Sorry. You can fight me for her, and I’m sure you’ll win, but my heart will still be hers.” I stood and moved up real close to him. “Got that, big guy?”
He put his face close to mine and said, “You just better watch your back tonight, shorty.”
We both laughed loud and hard. Penny poked her head back in the room and asked what was so funny?
“We’re fighting over you,” I answered.
“I’m betting on the big guy,” she replied, looking serious.
“Yeah, well, I love you, too.” I looked back to Deacon and said, “This is not over, mister.”
“Shoot your best shot, Mr. I’m-afraid-of-cats!”
“Oh, low blow. Thanks, Gargantua.”
He took a pretend poke towards me. I went into the kitchen crying that Deacon was brutalizing me. Penny chased me out, telling me to grow up and telling Deacon to stop fighting with the little kid.
She scored more points with me.
*
Chapter Ten
Buck came back around 11:30, hauling out a big sheet of plywood from his mini-van. He headed around back with it. I went out and met him coming back around the house, and we went to get the rest of his shopping. I grabbed the steaks and said he could do the heavy work. After all, I was injured and had to take care of my body. He asked, for what, more sex? I ignored his comment and headed back to the house. Penny gave Buck a big hug when he came in. He looked at me and stuck out his tongue. She took the steaks from me and headed to the kitchen again after giving me a kiss.
“I get the kiss, you get the hug.” I smirked.
“She’ll get tired of you once she finds out how boring you are.” He smirked back.
With all the male population in this house salivating over Penny, I hoped we didn’t all kill each other before we caught the real killer.
My cell phone rang. It said private number, and I took a gamble. “Yes, Trapper?”
He was quiet for a couple of seconds, then said, “Richards, the Lakeport area sheriffs have located Linda Grolich. She’s all right for now. How’s things with Wickens?”
“All’s well here. We’re getting ready to patch up the holes in the house and barbecue some nice steaks.”
“Do you have enough meat for the hulk brothers?” I could tell he was smiling.
“If not, they can chew on the furniture. Are you with Grolich?” I wondered.
“No, I’m heading up there to see her now. It’s an hour ride up that I’m not looking forward to. At least I’m not driving. I’m going to see if we can get her back down here so she and Wickens are closer together, make it easier to watch them.”
I told Trapper to hold on and went to the kitchen. I told Penny that they had found Linda and were going to talk her into going back home to be closer to us. Penny suggested that Linda could come and stay here in the guest room. That way the cops could keep the place surrounded. I asked if she really wanted more people in the house. She smiled and said she was having fun. I was amazed. Her life was in danger, and she thought it was fun. I got back on the phone.
“Trapper, Penny said it would be OK with her if Linda stayed here in her guest room. See if she would be amenable to that.”
“Well, if it’s all right with Wickens and if Grolich agrees, that would make our lives easier and more confusing for the killer. He’d really have to do his homework to figure on killing two women in one place.”
“There’s always a bomb,” I half joked.
“Wonderful, give me a bigger headache. I don’t think he’d do that. He would be killing cops, and so far he hasn’t tried to kill any. I think he just wants to murder the women and embarrass the police.”
“Well, whatever. Let us know what Grolich says,” I finished, and Trapper hung up. I’ve noticed he doesn’t like to say good-bye.
“I’m not going to regret inviting Linda here, am I? You aren’t going to chase after her now?” Penny looked me in the eyes and snarled.
“I’ve already seen a picture of her on her website. I’m not interested.”
“Oh, is it just my good looks that make you want me?” she inquired as she pounded on the steaks with a very large meat hammer. I feared for my life.
“No, darling, I love you for your brain. Well, maybe your cute butt, too,” I confessed.
“Better. Now I’m going to let the steaks marinate in beer for a while.” She had just elevated to sainthood. She took a couple of cans out of the fridge and popped the tops like a pro. She poured the contents into a deep pan, soaking the raw meat.
I told her I was going back to the computer to see if I could locate Waters’ law firm in California. She turned me and pushed me toward the computer. I sat on the desk chair, and she plopped down on my lap.
“Kind of hard to type and molest you at the same time.” I grimaced.
“You can’t multi-task? I’m not getting up.” She bit my neck and growled in my ear. It sent a chill up my spine. I had to forcibly turn my attention to the computer. I reached around her being sure to run my arm across her breasts. She giggled and did a little lap dance on me. This was not going to be easy.
I managed to bring up an article about the new law firm in San Francisco and noted the phone number. I started to get up, and she protested about being comfortable. I slid her off my lap, took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Buck and the bruisers were outside playing carpenters so we had time to do some investigating.
“The bedroom? So early in the day?” she panted in my ear.
“Knock it off. We have to play Nick and Nora Charles now,” I said, referring to the classic detective stories about “The Thin Man.”
She looked at my beer belly and said, “Not exactly the thin man, are you?”
I stared at her for a moment, then went to get the phone and sat on the bed. She climbed on the bed and straddled me from behind, nibbling on my free ear. I swatted at her. I dialed the number and waited.
“Law offices of Bander, Witt and Grey. How may I direct you?” came an efficient voice sounding much like the one in Chicag
o.
“May I speak with Julia Waters, please?” Doing the big smile thing.
“Miss Waters is not available at the moment. May I ask who is calling?” Miss Efficiency inquired.
“Yes, I’m personal assistant to Penny Wickens. She has a TV talk show, ‘Penny for Your Thoughts,’ here in the Detroit area, and she is interested in having Miss Waters as a guest to talk about spousal abuse.” Penny squeezed me from behind reminding me that my ribs were still trying to heal.
“I can’t speak for her, although I’m sure Miss Waters would be willing to talk about the subject, but she is presently out of the state. She’s on a much needed rest somewhere in Cabo for now.” More info than a receptionist should give out, but I was glad she did.
“Wow, Cabo is great. Sorry I missed her. Has she been gone long?” I dug.
“Just for the last week. She should be back in Chicago soon from Cabo. You can call her office in Chicago to see when she is due back. Do you have the number there?”
“Yes, I do. That’s how I found out she was in San Francisco.”
“Of course. I hope you can reach her. She is passionate about spreading the word on abuse.” She was giving that big smile, too.
I thanked her, said I would call Chicago, said good-bye and hung up.
“OK, plot thickens. She’s been off somewhere for the last week.” I twisted toward Penny.
She pulled me back on the bed. “Do I have to pay you as a personal assistant now?” she said, biting me on the ear again. I wrestled her, but had to pull away when I felt pain in my ribs. She let me go and looked concerned.
I lay on the bed catching my breath. “I hope this won’t interfere with any rough housing we may do tonight.” I grinned.
“Oh, you expect it now. I may start making you earn it.” She got up from the bed and left me alone.
“Hey, not nice,” I protested.
She peeked around the door and said, “I never said I was nice.” Then she disappeared again.
I followed her out to the kitchen where she stuck her finger in the beer and made me lick it. I sucked on her finger for a while then stopped. “I don’t know where that finger has been, but I like the taste.”
“Maybe some time I could marinate myself in beer. Would you like that?” she teased. The image in my head was delightful.
“On a serious note, I have to do something for a couple of hours. First change my clothes, and then I really need to explain you to my mother. I think you’ll be safe with Buck and the Gorgo twins till I get back, though I don’t know how safe they’ll be from you.” I kissed her cheek.
“I think I can survive till you get back. I want to meet your parents when this is over. My parents are both long passed, so you lucked out. Go do your thing and get back to me.”
We locked lips for a bit. Then I headed out the door, around to the back, and told Buck what I was going to do. He said I shouldn’t leave Penny alone with his charms. I said he better watch himself or I’d sick the giants on him. They agreed to keep an eye on Buck and Penny, and with that I left. While I was outside, I introduced myself to the relief cops and told them I’d be back.
As I was driving down Gratiot Avenue, I reviewed the past few days’ events. It seemed like a dozen days had passed. Time doesn’t fly when there’s murder involved. I was surprised that my mother hadn’t called me to see if I was still alive. She was a worrier, something that was nice, but it bugged me a little. I’m sixty years old and still feel like a child. Parents say, “you’ll always be my little boy,” but I don’t buy it. I am a responsible, mature person, not a damn child. Let us children grow up and turn us loose. Do birds call on their young after they throw them out of the nest? I think not. Because the young birds are smart, they move far away from Mom and Pop.
My lack of sleep was catching up on me. I pulled into the driveway and almost didn’t get out of the car. Yeah, I was nervous about talking to my mom about my relationship with Penny. I don’t share feelings easily. Penny was the first girl I ever confessed my love to and meant it. It was crazy. I’d only been back in touch with her for two days after forty years apart, and I was ready to run off with her. Stupid love, anyway.
I got out of the car and went into the house. Mom was cheerful that morning, which was good. I went into my room and grabbed a change of clothes, being sure not to let Mom see my bandages. I changed quickly. I went back out to the kitchen where Mom was sitting at the table which served as her desk and pharmacy, for all the pills she gave my dad.
I sat down across from her and said I needed to talk. I didn’t tell her the whole story. She would have had a coronary if she knew I was involved with murder. Maybe I’d tell her after the dust settled. So I told her I met a woman, her name was Penny, we hit it off, liked each other and would be seeing each other a lot more. I told her I would still be around to help with Dad and running errands, but I would be spending more time with Penny. Surprisingly, Mom was happy. She was worried I was turning into a hermit, always in my room. It wasn’t healthy for a grown man to be alone. She told me to go have a happy life, and she wanted to meet Penny. I told her it was Penny Wickens from the talk show, and Mom got all excited. Now she really wanted to meet her. I said it would be a while, but she would have a chance to get together. Penny was kind of busy right now.
Mom was satisfied. I told her I had some running to do and then was going back to Penny. I said I would return to help get Dad to bed and then excused myself. I wanted to get back to Penny’s to be sure she was all right. I asked if Mom needed anything. She didn’t. I packed up my laptop and a few other things I would need and headed out.
I stopped at a store and bought some Pepsi and chips. I needed them to survive each day. I drove into Penny’s drive and waved to the cop in front. I presumed the other was out back. They had to also watch the water now. I noticed Deacon was prowling around outside. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was making sure all was good out here and getting some fresh air. I went in. Penny was in the kitchen, assembling potato salad.
“Well, back in time to start the barbecue. Buck and Tim are out back getting the fire going.” She handed me the plate of steaks and steered me to the door. I said “Hi” to everyone. Deacon had now drifted around and joined us. Buck took the plate from me and insisted he was the grill master. I didn’t argue. Penny and I sat together on her picnic table and watched the festivities. Tim and Deacon went off to visit with the other cop by the water, talking strategy or maybe cars. I was trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious outside the yard. A person could fire a high power rifle from the woods next to her property. Penny could see I was a little tense.
“Sweetie, stop worrying. I’ll be all right. The killer seems to only hit at night and usually up close.” She comforted me with her braveness. I sort of knew she was right, but killers don’t have set rules.
“Yeah, well, this killer won’t get close to you.” I gritted my teeth and pulled her closer to me.
“Did your talk with your mother go well?” she asked.
“Yeah, better than I thought it would. But now she really wants to meet you since I told her who you were.” I smiled.
“Well, I want to meet her, she brought you into this world just for me.” She grinned.
After a while, the steaks were ready. Everybody got their plate full of steak and potato salad and sat or stood around the picnic table. After we ate, everyone helped clean up. Buck, Penny and I went into the house. The cops decided to stay outside for a while.
The three of us went to the family room and sat, feeling full from all the food. I told Penny that around 6:00 I would have to run back to my house to get my Dad to bed. She said she wished she could go, but was sure the cops would object. I said I wouldn’t be gone long.
We had about four hours before I had to go, so I suggested we take a nap. She grinned and thought that would be nice. Buck was already involved watching the James Bond DVD on the TV so he waved us off, and we went to the bedroom. We snuggled a
nd kissed a bit, but we decided to actually take a nap. We had had a long sleepless night. I set the alarm on my Palm TX for two hours, and we slipped off to dreamland.
*
Chapter Eleven
The phone rang about an hour later. Penny answered it. She held it out to me as I lay on the bed, still half-asleep.
“Hello?” I slurred.
“Richards, Trapper here. We got Grolich, and we’re taking her home. She doesn’t want to go anywhere else. I couldn’t convince her. Tell Wickens it was a nice gesture, but it’s a no-go. We’re going to transport her to Bloomfield where she lives and get the local police involved. She confirmed the Rocco incident, so I’m betting he’s the connection. She hasn’t seen her emails yet, so we’re bracing for a threat.”