by Ava Mallory
I'd forgotten that she'd asked me to lead this neighborhood group. I hadn't had a moment to think about it and I had no time in my life to even give it consideration. Besides, I was never home. How was I supposed to keep the neighborhood safe from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles away three hundred days a year?
“I'm sorry, Margie, I haven't really had any time to think about this. I don't think it would be a good idea to have me be in charge. I can hardly remember to water all those pretty flowers you planted for me and I almost never remember to close a door behind me. I lose my keys all the time. My cell phone is rarely charged and my poor car wants to die.” I had every excuse in the world not to accept this position. I would be no good at it. I knew it.
“Sounds like you'd be perfect. We all know that you solved murders before. I'm sure you could figure out who stole my patio furniture and all the other stuff he stole from everyone else around here.” Margie said.
How could I argue with that? Everyone in the neighborhood saw me as some kind of hero. That was a nice change. Just a few months ago, I was the nurse they ran to with minor injuries, who drove the car that sputtered too loudly in the morning and leaked oil all throughout Lake Villa.
I sighed. “Okay, what do I have to do?” I asked.
“Go, act like you know what you're doing. Make them want to help each other out. Tell them some of the tricks of your sleuthing trade and help us take our neighborhood back.” Margie was good at this pep talk thing. I was starting to think I was capable of handling this position.
*
With copies of police reports spread out in front of me on my kitchen table, I was actually thankful for being let go by Lucilla. I needed a distraction and this was perfect for me. I wouldn't have to leave the house. I could finally figure out how to navigate the internet on my new laptop and come up with some tips to try to catch our neighborhood prowler.
As I read over the reports, I took some notes. By all accounts, it looked like our thief had a penchant for striking in the middle of the day, which I found odd. I'd always believed that thieves preyed on their victims in the thick of night.
Why would this one strike during the day and how did they go unnoticed?
“Hey, where did that come from?” I hadn't noticed the small statue sitting on my porch.
I stepped outside to take a look at it. I had to admit, it was kind of cute. A small card was taped to the front. It read: A gift for the sweetest nurse in the world from her ex-husband's future ex-wife. Smooches, Kitty
What in the world? Well, now this statue didn't seem so special. I don't care if it was Betty Boop dressed in a nursing uniform, holding a stethoscope.
“No, honey, I can't accept this gift from you,” I muttered under my breath. “And, my dear ex-husband, it's time we had a talk.”
I took the statue and placed it on top of the police reports, so I could describe it in detail to James. Tina walked out of her room to get a cup of coffee.
“That's cute! Did you buy that today?” She asked, picking it up to examine it.
I took it from her hands. “No, someone left it here by mistake.”
She read the name on the card. “It's for you. That's so sweet. Who is it from?”
I dialed James' number. “That woman.”
Tina laughed and took it back from me. “This is fabulous!”
“Hello?” James answered, sounding groggy.
“You have to do something about this James.” I said.
I heard him yawn. “With what? What happened?”
“Your bride-to-be is driving me crazy and, while I have you on the phone, why are you in such a rush to get married?” I asked.
“I'm not in a rush. Katherine just thought we should just go for it. Why drag it out?” He didn't sound like he was too excited about the idea.
“I just don't understand, James. Things are moving so fast, don't you think?” I hated to overstep my bounds, but it did feel rushed.
He sighed. “No, Mercedes, I don't. I know I should have spoken to you about this a long time ago, but I didn't know how to broach the subject. It is kind of unusual. I mean, with you being the one who introduced us and all.”
“Yeah, you're welcome.” I groaned. “I'm sorry, James. I want you to be happy, of course. The rest is none of my business. Could you please ask her to lay off of me though? Somehow I've been roped into making a wedding cake. Now, she's sending me gifts. I don't want any part of it. I don't bake wedding cakes and I sure don't want to be in your wedding. What would that look like?”
He answered. “It would look like you're a supportive friend.”
I hated it when he was right.
“I'm sorry. I am your friend. You know how much I love you. I just don't want to see you do something you might regret.” Oops, wrong thing to say.
“Keep the gift, Mercy. I asked her to give it to you. I thought you'd like it. Call me when you come to your senses or when Diana gets there, whichever comes first.” He hung up the phone and I hit my palm to my forehead for being a horrible person.
Tina poured a cup of coffee for me. “What did you do?” She asked.
“I'm making friends everywhere. You want to join my posse?” I felt like such a loser for letting my emotions get in the way of common sense. This wasn't the first time, but this time had larger ramifications.
James and I had managed to remain friends even though our marriage had to come to an end. It was a commitment we took to heart. We had a child to raise and we were both determined that she never felt like she was missing something. She had both of us supporting each other and her every step of the way.
“It's normal. I know I'd be upset if my ex got remarried – at least for a little while. Not that I want him back, but I guess a part of me will always want what I thought we had.” Tina may have been young, but she was wise beyond her years. I'd said it a thousand times, but she was going to go down in history as the world's best nurse.
“Enough about me and my nonsense, how are you doing? I'm sorry that I haven't had much time to devote to you and Noah, but I hope you're settling in well. If you and Noah would like, I'm going to make a run out to Ruby's to pick Barney up?” I asked.
“Yes, I'm excited to see him. Is he still as lazy as ever?” Tina worked for the facility I'd gotten Barney from. She was a nurse's aide at the time and I was filling in for a nurse who was on maternity leave.
“He's still as inactive and hungry as he's always been.” I answered.
Tina giggled. “And, I have something to tell you.”
I looked up, intrigued by this. “I hope its good news.”
“Ruby found a job for me with your agency.” She squealed with excitement.
I jumped up and hugged her. This had been a long time coming. The facility, she used to work at didn't appreciate what a brilliant employee that she was and her family was making life difficult for her and her son. After a few months of trying to convince her, I was glad she'd finally taken the leap.
“That's so great! When will you start?” I asked, hugging her again.
A frown appeared on her face. “As soon as I figure out my childcare situation.”
I'd forgotten what it was like to be a single mom. Unlike Tina, I had a support system. Between James, Ruby, and Hank, I had no shortage of people willing to spend time with my daughter so I could work.
“Well, I know plenty of people and I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a place deserving enough of him. Where is he, anyway?” I looked around and didn't see him. He'd been so quiet, I almost forgot he was here.
“He's on the phone, talking to Nubbin.” She answered.
I'd completely forgotten that I'd told Nubbin I'd get back to him about Tina's whereabouts. Poor guy, he loved Tina. I knew she was fond of him too. When she and I'd worked together, we'd spent a lot of time trying to calm Nubbin down and keep him from wanting to wreak havoc on the dementia unit he lived on.
“How are things with you, Tina? Everything okay with your
ex?” I asked.
She sat down across from me to explain. She ran her hand through her long, wavy hair. “It is about as good as it's ever going to be. Between him and my family, I guess all I can do is accept it and move forward. I can't change them and they can't change me.”
“What did they say when you told them that you and Noah were moving halfway across the country?” I asked.
“They told me not to come back.” She answered, tears in her eyes.
I don't care how many years I live, I'll never understand why or how people could turn their backs on family. I wanted to cry for her, but I could see that she was trying her best to be strong, so I took a couple of deep breaths and wracked my brain to find something to say to lighten the mood.
“I was thinking about inviting Charlie over for dinner tonight.” So sue me, why don't you? What else could I say to distract her?
Tina jumped up and down with joy. “Yes, that's a great idea! Oh, we have to go shopping. You need a new outfit and you can get your hair and nails done too.”
Oh my, what did I just get myself into?
“Mommy?” Noah walked into the room, holding the phone out to her. “It's for you.”
Saved by a preschooler!
“Hi, Nubbin,” Tina said into the phone. “I'm right here with Mercy.” She handed the phone to me. “He wants to talk to you.”
Uh oh. I took the phone.
“Hey, Nubbin. How is it going?” I asked.
“Going way too slowly, if you ask me, Toyota. But, you know that's not why I wanted to talk to you.” He snapped.
Feeling guilty for forgetting to contact him about Tina, I offered him an apology. “I'm sorry, Nubbin. Things have been busy here. I haven't even had any time to get myself settled in yet.”
“I don't want to hear it. There's two things you have in life, your family and your word.” He said, his voice trailing off.
Whoa! He was serious. Now, I felt even worse for not contacting him sooner.
“Nubbin, I'm really sorry.” I offered again. This time without the excuses. He was right. A person was only as good as their word.
He cleared his throat. “Well, don't let it happen again, Silverado.”
I had the feeling there was something more that he wanted to say, but I knew better than to rush him. For a couple of minutes, I listened to him breathe into the phone and thought I'd heard someone in the room with him, but he never acknowledged them or told me who was there with him. Finally, he coughed a tight cough and started to speak again.
“I have never been to California, Renault.”
Aw, he misses me.
“You haven't? Well, you haven't missed much. I live in the middle of nowhere, so I don't get to see anything exciting.” I said.
As was often the case with Nubbin, our conversation took a sudden turn.
“You should check out the wife. It's always the wife.” He said.
Okay, what is he talking about?
“The wife? Are we talking about your wife?” I thought he wanted to reminisce about his late wife, but he quickly proved me wrong.
“No, of course not, Studebaker. She's been gone a long time and she was an angel. Don't you forget that.” He snapped.
And, I was wrong.
“I'm talking about your conundrum. You need to look at the wife. It's always the wife, don't you know that, Corsica?” He liked to fancy himself an amateur sleuth too. I saw him as more of a good observer and a fearless man with a good heart.
“You're talking about what's going on here? Thanks for the advice, but I'm not investigating that case. I was just an innocent bystander, unfortunately. Anyway, I don't work for that family anymore. I'm taking some time off to reconnect with Tina and to just relax. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I'm not getting any younger. These old bones will be thankful for the rest.”
“Oh, bologna. You don't need to take time off yet. There will be plenty of time for that later, Studebaker. Right now, you have to get this thing settled or you and I both know you'll never rest. You didn't up and quit, did you? Seems like there's too much of that going around all over the place.” He was referring to Tina, which was probably the whole reason behind his grumpy – albeit, grumpier mood.
I watched Tina as she took Noah outside to play. As soon as she was out of earshot, I urged Nubbin to tell me what was really going on.
“I'm not worried about her. She's grown. Why should I be worried about her?” He sounded wounded. “She sure as beans wasn't worried about me or this place when she took off.”
I cringed. That's what this all came down to. He was hurt that she'd left. I made a mental note to speak to her about mending fences with Nubbin. I hated to think that their friendship would now be challenged, especially considering Nubbin's age and his deteriorating health. While I didn't want to think about him ever not being here, I also had to be realistic. He wasn't going to live forever, no matter how much I wanted him to remain a part of my life.
I had to broach this subject carefully. Nubbin was no fool and preferred a no nonsense approach, so no nonsense would have to be the way to go about it. The challenge was doing so without offending him in some way.
“Tina had to do what she had to do and I can't fault her for that. She had Noah to think about and I really don't think that her leaving was supposed to be a snub to you. I truly believe she did the best she could. I don't know her situation because we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk yet, but I do know that she's probably close to the best person I've ever met.” I thought reminding him of why we all loved Tina was the best way to go.
Nubbin grumbled, “She still could have said goodbye or taken me with her. I'm sure you got a big old fancy house over there in Hollywood.”
I had to laugh. “I don't live anywhere near Hollywood, but you're welcome to stay in my double-wide anytime you'd like. I might even fix you up with my neighbor, if you play your cards right.”
“Now don't go starting that nonsense, Cutlass. I gotta go. Someone finally decided to do something around here and made breakfast. I'm sure I won't like it. Never do. But, I'll eat it. Before I forget, how's the dog?” He asked.
I knew he was going to ask me that and I'd have to admit that I still hadn't gone to pick Barney up yet since I arrived.
“He's the same. He's over with my friends right now. We'll be leaving to pick him up soon.” I said.
“Well, that's good. Now, bye.” Nubbin hung up.
Tina poked her head in the door. “Did he hang up?”
I nodded. “I think that's code for 'I love you'.”
She shook her head. “Anyway, here's your paper and something's going on out there. The lady down the street said her dog got stolen.”
“Who are you talking about?” I ran outside with the newspaper still in my hand and went to see what had happened.
Margie caught sight of me and immediately made her way towards me. “You have to do something. Killer is missing. Someone took him.”
Killer was my elderly neighbor Helen's Chihuahua. Every time I heard her call him and saw him go running to her, it made me laugh. She'd have him dressed in little leather outfits to help with his image problem. I loved that dog!
“How do you know someone took him?” I asked.
Helen turned and noticed that Margie was talking to me and she motioned for me to come closer. “Someone stole my Killer.”
“I'm so sorry, Helen. How did this happen?” I asked.
“We were sitting outside on the porch and Killer saw a squirrel and went after it. The darn dog ran right out through the fence and, the next thing I know, a blue van is speeding off and Killer is gone.” She started to cry.
“Oh, I'm so sorry. Did you call the police?” I asked. My answer came immediately in the form of a squad car pulling up in front of her house.
I walked away so she could speak to the officers. Margie held on to my arm as I walked. “I don't know what is going on in this town, but someone needs to do something about i
t. You're going to have to hold an emergency meeting.” She said.
Tina and Noah watched the scene from my front porch. They were too far away from me for me to use them as a distraction, so I did the only other thing I could think of, short of running away from Margie before she'd invited the whole neighborhood to convene at my house. I opened the front page of the newspaper.
The headline read: Estranged Wife Speaks Out. The article was about Nathaniel's wife. A reporter found her and got an exclusive interview about the eccentric millionaire.
She's still alive? Why didn't he mention that to me?
“Did I say something wrong?” Margie asked. “You don't look so well.”