Idaho Springs, Denver Cereal V16

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “She’s a friend of ours,” Nash said as he moved into the room.

  Teddy followed close behind Nash. He and Nash seemed to be in a race to see who would become the tallest. But Teddy’s voice had already changed.

  “She’s changing her gender today,” Teddy said, in his serious voice.

  Chet looked from person to person. After a moment, he shook his head.

  “Really?” Chet asked.

  “Really,” Teddy said. “I know you’ve been in one of those places that encourages you to judge other people, but, here, we don’t put other people down.”

  “I wasn’t going to put her down,” Chet said.

  Everyone turned to look at him. Under their scrutiny, he raised his hands.

  “Okay, okay,” Chet said. “I am unaccustomed to . . . well . . .”

  “Listen,” Nash said. “We get it. You’ve had a hard time, and you’re in the middle of chaos of the brain. But if you want to live, here you have to get ahold of yourself.”

  Chet’s eyes went to Tink. She was speaking into the phone. She wasn’t going to rescue him.

  “What’s that mean?” Chet asked with a sneer.

  “No drugs or alcohol,” Noelle said. “Nash and me — both of our parents are addicts, so we can’t be around it.”

  “Try not to be a dick,” Teddy said. “Spend your energy making something of yourself. All of the support and resources are here — unless you just want to be a dick. Then you have to go.”

  “Like what?” Chet asked.

  “Join us for martial arts,” Nash said. “Get involved in school. If you want to learn something or try out — anything, really — you can do it. If you need help, we’ll help you or find someone who will. ”

  “No bullying,” Sissy said. “Or making fun of people. We have fun with each other.”

  “Ever,” Nash said.

  “We don’t mock other people, either,” Teddy said. “We just don’t do it.”

  “I know you’ve had a tough time,” Charlie said. “But you can’t begin to imagine what each of us has been through.”

  Chet looked from person to person. He opened his mouth just as Sandy came into the room with Rachel in her arms.

  “Why aren’t we heading out to the cars?” Sandy asked. “We agreed that if we stayed up last night, we would still get to school on time today. Remember?”

  She looked at the kids.

  “Who are you talking to?” Sandy asked.

  “Wanda’s mom,” Sissy said.

  “Sis, can you get these guys to school?” Sandy asked. “Charlie? Nash?”

  Sissy nodded. Sandy set Rachel into Sissy’s arms, and Rachel giggled. Charlie and Nash pushed everyone out of the room. Sandy retrieved the cell phone from Tink as she pushed her toward the door.

  “Edith?” Sandy asked. “How are you?”

  “Everything is really good,” Wanda’s mother said. “The nurse just came out to tell us that the surgery has started.”

  “We move forward,” Sandy said.

  “Always,” Edith said.

  “You’ll call if you need something?” Sandy asked.

  “Sam’s here — and one of those Lipson ladies,” Edith said. “We just have to wait now.”

  “You’re in our thoughts and prayers,” Sandy said.

  “Thanks,” Edith said. “You know, she’s . . .”

  Edith took a breath that sounded more like a sob.

  “A very special girl,” Sandy said. “Strong.”

  “Strong,” Edith said. “Yes. You’re right. She’s strong. Her father loves to tell the story of her stabbing the murderer in the eye with her special pen.”

  Sandy smiled.

  “Crazy kid,” Edith said with a laugh. “I’ll call when I know anything.”

  “Please do,” Sandy said.

  The cell phone went dead. Sandy looked at the phone and wondered whose phone it was. She stuck it in her pocket and started out of the room toward their bedroom.

  “Voodoo Queen?” Delphie asked.

  Gasping, Sandy spun in place.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Delphie said. She actually blushed. “I thought you’d heard me.”

  “I’m just a little jumpy,” Sandy said. “Tea?”

  “Please,” Delphie said. “When do you have to be at work?”

  “I have a couple of hours,” Sandy said.

  Sandy waved Delphie into the kitchen. Delphie leaned against the counter. Sandy filled the kettle and put it on the stove.

  “Hey!” Jill called from the door to the apartment.

  “We’re in here!” Sandy said. She turned to Delphie. “I need to pee. Can you?”

  “Of course!” Delphie said.

  Sandy nodded. Jill came in the kitchen as Sandy was leaving. Sandy pointed, and Jill nodded.

  “Cups?” Delphie asked. “Pot?”

  Jill went to get cups for tea and the tea pot. Delphie warmed the pot. She made the pot of tea when the water was boiling. Jill carried the cups out to the table.

  “Oh,” Delphie said when she left the kitchen with the tea pot.

  Heather and Tanesha were sitting at the table. There was a plate of scones in the middle of the table. Jill came in with the cream.

  “Am I interrupting?” Delphie asked.

  “Not at all,” Heather said. “We’re just checking in after the wedding and honeymoon and trip to New York.”

  “Honey?” Sandy asked as Jill came into the living area.

  “Jacob took her this morning,” Jill said with a nod.

  “The apartment building is open?” Tanesha asked.

  “Just this morning,” Jill said. “Jake and Blane busted it last week to finish the last details. Of course, Honey and MJ don’t know. They are heading there right now to ‘go over a few things.’”

  Jill beamed at them.

  “Everyone is moved in,” Delphie said with a nod.

  “The building is full,” Jill said. “The nursing staff is trained and in place. The doctors signed off on everything last week.”

  “That’s amazing,” Heather said.

  “The demand is huge,” Jill said. “Jake already has another in the middle of a remodel, near Craig Hospital. They’re looking for two more buildings. Can you imagine that this kind of thing has never existed?”

  “Weird,” Tanesha said with a nod.

  “The whole project is wonderful,” Delphie said with a nod. She looked at Sandy. “Tea cozy?”

  Sandy got up and got the knitted tea cozy from a drawer. Delphie smiled and put it over the pot.

  “Now,” Delphie said with a smile. She looked from face to face, “What do we think about the voodoo queen?”

  “I’m angry that she tried to put a spell on Sandy,” Heather said.

  “She didn’t, did she?” Delphie asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Sandy said with a nod.

  “What did Fin say?” Delphie asked.

  “He said I shouldn’t worry about stupid little girls,” Sandy said. “Still . . .”

  “Still?” Delphie asked.

  “She’s sworn to kill Seth,” Sandy said.

  “Or so someone told RJ,” Delphie said.

  “Do you know something?” Jill asked.

  Delphie nodded to Heather. The women turned to look at Heather.

  “Seth’s going to be fine,” Heather said.

  “Going to be?” Sandy asked. Her hand instinctively went to her throat.

  “Sometimes, we have to live out our karma,” Delphie said.

  “What karma?” Sandy asked.

  “What kind of karma could Seth possibly have?” Delphie asked.

  Sandy shook her head and shrugged.

  “Everyone likes Seth,” Tanesha said. “Even my mean old Gran.”

  “Okay, what if someone is doing this because they actually like him?” Heather asked.

  The women were silent for a moment.

  “What if they were?” Sandy broke the silence with her question.


  “Wouldn’t be so dangerous, would it?” Delphie asked.

  “Do you know something or not?” Tanesha asked.

  “I know that Seth is going to be okay,” Delphie said. “I know that he’s going to have to go through this.”

  “There’s no way around it,” Heather said.

  “So I should worry?” Sandy asked.

  “Not at all,” Delphie said. “Why should we care about voodoo queens?”

  The women laughed.

  Chapter Four Hundred and Sixty-two

  Tuesday morning — 10:10 a.m.

  New York City, New York

  Seth tapped on Claire’s door. He’d been shooed out of the apartment to get donuts while everyone looked at the insides of the envelope. Claire opened the door and stepped aside. He went straight to the kitchen. He put the donuts on a large serving plate while Claire made more coffee. Holding the plate of donuts, he was rounding the corner from the kitchen when he caught his first look at what was inside the envelope.

  He stopped short so fast that the donuts slid close to the edge of the plate.

  “What’s that?” Seth asked, as he pushed the donuts back in place.

  Bernice and R.J. looked up at him. Claire came out of the kitchen behind him.

  “That’s what was in the envelope,” Claire said as she passed him.

  Seth set the plate of donuts on a side table. Claire poured coffee for Bernice and was just pouring coffee for R.J. when Seth dropped into a squat next to the coffee table. He picked up a piece of paper and then another. His face flushed red and then went white.

  “This was in Di’s envelope?” Seth asked as he held up an empty pack of cigarettes. “You’re sure.”

  “They don’t make those anymore,” R.J. said. “I know. I tried to get some.”

  Seth nodded and set the cardboard pack on the table.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth said. “I need to take this back from you.”

  “Seth!” Claire said at the same time Bernice said, “We’ve been through this.”

  “I’ve seen that look and it’s never good.” R.J. shook his head at Seth.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth repeated. He gave a nod. “It’s not you or even me trying to be controlling. It’s . . .”

  “You know what this is,” Claire said, cutting him off.

  Seth nodded.

  “What is it?” Bernice asked.

  “Nothing good,” Seth said.

  “You don’t need to protect us,” Bernice said. “We’re not children.”

  “I’m not trying to protect you,” Seth said. “I’m . . .”

  He looked down at the ground and sighed.

  “This is about an unsolved murder,” Seth said.

  “Murder?” Bernice asked.

  “Unsolved?” Claire asked.

  “It’s a case that Mitch and I were called in to consult on, and we . . .” Seth said. With his shoulders back, he moved his head toward Bernice. “You got this from . . .”

  “Di,” Bernice said. “Before she died.”

  Seth shook his head.

  “It never occurred to me . . .” Seth said.

  “What never occurred to you?” Claire asked.

  “That those murders had anything to do with me or Di or . . .” Seth nodded. “I need to get this to Ava, and . . .”

  Claire gave Seth a long assessing look; after a moment, she began packing up the envelope.

  “You’ll let us know?” Claire asked.

  Seth nodded.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth said. “I was enjoying our time together. I don’t have a lot of friends now and this has been . . .”

  Seth nodded rather than say anything more.

  “Did you solve this case, son?” Bernice asked.

  Seth shook his head.

  “You sure we can’t help?” Bernice asked.

  “You . . . Uh . . .” Seth said.

  His eyes flicked to R.J. and Claire before turning to Bernice.

  “Oh good Lord,” Bernice said. “This is about that poor man who was beaten to death in 1955.”

  “Know anything?” Seth squinted at her.

  “Not a damned thing,” Bernice said. “Except . . . well . . .”

  The air in the room became heavy. R.J. watched Bernice out of the side of his eye. Claire turned toward her, and Seth’s blue eyes squinted.

  “You remember that case . . .” Bernice said, and stopped talking.

  After a few minutes, Seth asked, “Case?”

  “Cigarette smoker,” Bernice said.

  Seth reeled back as if he’d been stung. The envelope dropped out of his hands and landed with a thud on the rug.

  “That was his daddy’s,” Bernice said.

  “Whose?” Seth asked.

  “That killer,” Bernice said.

  “You’re saying that the Cigarette Killer’s father was killed here, in New York City, just outside the Savoy where Di was working, Bud was playing, and . . .”

  “Your daddy was there that night, too,” Bernice said, with a nod. “Me, Big Daddy. We were just kids. You must have been. . .”

  “Not born,” Seth said.

  “But . . .” Bernice said.

  “But?” Seth asked when her voice trailed off.

  “It wasn’t just him that was beaten to death,” Bernice said. “His sister, too. Right there.”

  “She wasn’t in the report,” Seth said evenly.

  “She . . .” Bernice said. “Well . . .”

  “She worked for Di,” R.J. said.

  “And the man?” Seth asked. “Did he work for Di, too?”

  “Not that I know of,” R.J. said. “His name was . . .”

  “Delmer,” Seth and R.J. said together.

  “And hers?” Seth asked.

  “Delilah,” R.J. said. “But she went by ‘Raven.’”

  “Di’s women went by bird names when they were working,” Bernice said. “Delilah — Raven — went to school with my husband and myself.”

  Bernice nodded.

  “That’s probably why Big Daddy didn’t want you to have this,” Bernice said.

  “Why?” Seth asked.

  “Didn’t want to involve you, I guess,” Bernice said.

  “But . . .” Seth bent to pick up the envelope. With the envelope in his hands, he took a step forward. “Why would Di put this together for me? I was 12 years old when she died. I hadn’t met Mitch. The idea of becoming a police detective didn’t come to me until ten years later, or more.”

  “You used to read all those mystery books,” Bernice said.

  Claire’s head went up and down.

  “Now that you mention it, you talked about mysteries all the time,” R.J. said. “You were always trying to figure out the latest murder mystery. I’d get you the papers to get the latest details. You’d read them on the way into the city. You had a real knack for it. You’d solve the crime by the time I was taking you back to school. And you were right every time.”

  Seth’s head went up and down slowly.

  “I’d bet she thought it was a mystery you’d solve,” Bernice said.

  “I need to . . .” Seth pointed to the door.

  “Take a donut,” Claire said.

  Seth’s eyes flicked to the plate. Claire got up. She picked up a plain-cake-with-chocolate-frosting donut and set it on a napkin. She gave it to Seth and kissed his cheek.

  “For luck,” Claire said.

  “Thank you,” Seth said.

  He left the apartment. Bernice, R.J., and Claire watched the door for a moment.

  “That boy is going to get himself killed,” R.J. said.

  “Not if we can help it,” Claire said.

  “There’s the truth,” Bernice said.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Tuesday morning — 9 a.m.

  Denver, Colorado

  “I just feel like we’re never going to get this thing done,” Honey said.

  Nodding, Jacob pulled into Jill’s old apartment building parking lot and parked his Jeep
.

  “I know how you feel,” Jacob said. “But like we talked about at breakfast, the state just wants two more things done and they’ll let us open.”

  “That’s what they said last time!” Honey said.

  Jacob nodded. He turned to look at her.

  “You looked rested. Tan,” Jacob said.

  “We had the best time.” Honey visibly brightened with her words.

  “Maggie missed you,” Jacob said. “We all did.”

  “Yes, poor Maggie,” Honey said. “She’s . . .”

  “Wonderful?” Jacob asked.

  “She really is,” Honey beamed.

  “You want to go in and do this, or shall we . . .” Jacob looked out the windshield.

  “Let’s go inside,” Honey said. “If it’s bad, we’ll head to the bar.”

  Jacob gave her an agreeing nod and got out of the truck. He grabbed her wheelchair as he rounded the back of the truck. He opened Honey’s door and helped her out of the truck. When she was situated, they started toward the building. They were near the door when Honey gasped.

  “You liar,” Honey said.

  “What?” Jacob asked. “What did I do?”

  “You, sir, are a liar,” Honey said.

  She pressed the door button and rolled into the entrance. A bright young woman in a wheelchair was sitting at the reception desk.

  “Can I help you, Mr. Lipson?” she asked.

  “This is Honey Lipson,” Jacob said. “Uh, Scully. Honey Lipson-Scully. She owns the place.”

  “Really?” the woman whipped around the desk to greet Honey. “Thank you!”

  Honey accepted a sideways hug from the woman.

  “Would you like a tour?” the woman asked.

  “I’ve been through . . .” Honey started.

  “Not with patients here,” Jacob said.

  “Not patients,” the receptionist said. “Tenants. We are a community.”

  “Yes — sorry,” Jacob said. “My bad.”

  The receptionist whipped back to her desk and pressed a button. A young man in a sports wheelchair arrived at the desk.

  “Honey would like a tour,” the receptionist said.

  The young man raised a hand in hello.

  “You know, Honey Lipson-Scully,” the receptionist said out of the side of her mouth. “The owner.”

  “I know who she is,” the young man said. “I was with MJ in Iraq.”

  “Nice to see you, Rudy,” Honey said.