by Ava Mallory
“What is all the hollering about, Honda?”
I flung completely around, shocked to hear Nubbin's voice.
“Nubbin Schmeckpepper, what in the world are you doing in California? Does everyone at the nursing home know where you're at? You didn't run away again did you?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his thick middle to give him a bear hug. He was one of my absolute favorite people on Earth.
“Aw, now cut that out before people start thinking you're sweet on me, Corolla.” Nubbin teased, but I knew it was just in good fun because his embrace was just as tight around me as mine was around him.
I kissed him on his cheek, not minding the roughness of his face. He wasn't exactly the smoothest shaver and I'm sure he gave the guys and gals at the nursing home a run for their money if they got anywhere near him with a razor.
“Already with the nicknames, I see.” I joked. In all actuality, I loved the nicknames he had for me. All six million of them. It was kind of his thing.
“Well, what do you expect? When your parents give you a name like that, you're bound to get a nickname!” Nubbin never shied away from saying exactly what he thought. It was one of the many reasons why I loved him so much.
I laughed. “Just so you know, you're the only person I allow to call me anything other than Mercy or Mercedes.” I planted a kiss on his cheek.
Nubbin nudged me away from him, winking, “That's enough, Fiat. We don't need any rumors spread across the whole state of California. I mean, I just got here. Let's leave some room for the ladies.”
Charlie, Hank and I laughed. I'd never heard Nubbin say anything like that in all the time I'd known him.
“I don't know why you're laughing. Someone thinks I'd be quite the catch.” Nubbin nodded to the doorway leading to the kitchen.
Hank started to laugh, then realized who Nubbin was referring to. “Are you talking about my wife?” Hank pretended to be offended.
Ruby walked out of her kitchen, saying, “I heard my name. What did I do?”
Charlie said, “Rumor has it that you have a thing for our old pal here.”
Nubbin stood a little straighter. I couldn't help but smile. He looked good. He looked healthy.
When I'd first met him almost ten months ago, Nubbin was an angry old man, living in a nursing home, full of inept employees and one very lazy dog, my dog, Barney. Now, after a few bumps along the way, Nubbin was what you would call a curmudgeon, but lovable. He still lived in Valley Retirement Estates in Gering, Nebraska, but a lot had changed since the day I'd met him. He'd become sort of a local legend, hero in fact.
Ruby swung her newly cropped red hair over her shoulder flirtatiously, telling Hank, “You better treat me right or this Irish gal will pack her bags and move across the country to become a farmer's wife.”
Nubbin's face turned a beet red. “Now, that's enough of that nonsense.”
If anyone could stop an argument, it was Nubbin. I had no idea that Nubbin would be traveling with Charlie, but I sure was glad to see him.
“What a nice surprise to have you here with us, Nubbin.” I said, shooting Charlie a glare for not bothering to inform any of us.
“It was a surprise to me too!” Nubbin answered as he hung his cane on the back of a seat and sat down in it.
“Yeah, I thought it was high-time that he went on a vacation. I figured since I was going to be out here anyway, why not bring my old pal.” Charlie cleared his throat. “I guess I should have figured that we'd land smack dab in the middle of one of Mercy's situations again.”
Oh, no. He wasn't pinning this on me. I didn't want anything to do with that haunted house to begin with and I surely never wanted to see Stanley's face again.
“Don't blame this on me. This isn't my situation. This is Ruby's...” I started.
Hank cleared his throat, reminding me not to say anything I'd regret.
“I mean, I don't even like Halloween. I was at home, safely tucked away in my bed when Stanley got... Well, when Stanley...” I couldn't think of the proper way to phrase it yet. I guess I hadn't fully processed what happened.
Ruby rolled her eyes. I swear, one day, those big green saucers she calls eyes, are going to roll right out of her head. “Got killed. He was murdered. Just say it, Mercy. Not saying it, doesn't make it all go away.”
Everyone in the room hushed.
“I'm sorry.” Ruby pulled her hair up with one hand to fan her neck. “I'm a little jumpy. I just can't believe that I was right there in the same place as he was and I didn't see or hear anything. What if I had...” Ruby shuddered to think about it.
Charlie pulled a chair out for Ruby to sit down. “Let's start from the beginning. Tell me what happened.”
“That's the thing,” Ruby started, looking at me, “After Mercy left, so much happened. I couldn't keep up. I had a line full of people waiting to get in and Stanley, the man who died, was throwing a fit because Mercy upset him and Hank had called me on my cell phone. I don't know what happened. I couldn't be everywhere.”
“You were alone. You didn't have anyone helping you run this thing?” Charlie asked, looking over at me.
I put my head down, realizing that I should have offered to help her.
“Mercy has issues with Halloween. It's not her fault. She couldn't help.” Ruby tried to sound sympathetic, but I still felt like the worst friend in the world.
Charlie stared at me. I'm sure he had something sarcastic to say, but didn't for whatever reason.
“What's your issue with Halloween and don't tell me that you're scared?” Charlie asked.
My eyes immediately fell on Hank. He understood. We'd spoken about it in private over the years.
Hank nodded, leaning closer to me. In a low voice, he said, “I think it's time you tell everyone. You'll feel better once you let it go and make it known.”
Chapter Seven
“C'mon, it won't take too long, I promise.” I begged for the thousandth time.
First, he refused to eat breakfast. Then, he declined my offer to drink some water. Now, he's refusing to step outside and get some exercise with me. If I didn't love him so much, I'd trade him in for a new one.
“Why the long face, beautiful?” Margie scared me when she suddenly appeared on my front porch.
“I can't get him to move.” I said, pointing at my stubborn charge.
“Well, is he breathing?” Margie leaned close to him to feel for his breath, retreating immediately when he surprised her with a snort as he nestled himself further into the chair. “He's breathing alright. Just leave him here. I have to get this mile in before I hit the gym for some tennis.”
She had more energy than a schoolyard full of children, while I had to bribe myself with a tiny morsel of chocolate just to get out of bed in the morning.
“I can't leave him here. What if he gets lost?” My frustration made me sound whiny.
“What are you bellyaching about, Dodge. If I don't want to go for a walk, why should I have to? I walked enough in my life. Back in the day, I would put in five or ten miles a day, just taking care of my crops.” Nubbin kept his eyes closed as he spoke.
Barney was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the steps. “See, even Barney wants to go for a walk. Why can't you join us? We're not going to go too far. If I can do it, you can do it. It will be good for you.” I said.
Nubbin opened one eye and said, “No can do, Toyota.”
Margie, all one hundred twenty pounds of her, stood right in front of a semi-slumbering Nubbin and grabbed him by both of his hands and yanked him forward.
“You're getting up now. We're jogging. If Miss-I-hate-exercise-and-being-healthy can do it, so can you. Get up, you old coot. I have a tennis lesson to get to and you're slowing down progress. Now, open your blinkers and let's get moving.” Margie continued with all her might to try to lift Nubbin off the seat, but considering he was at least three times her size, she wasn't getting much traction.
“Nubbin, look at what you're making her do.”
I said, stepping in between them before either one of them got hurt.
“Who is this woman?” Nubbin groaned, smoothing out his shirt. “Whoever she is, she's a real pill and I don't like medicine.”
“Well, you're a grifter!” Margie crossed her arms in front of her small frame, fixing her eyes squarely on Nubbins.
He looked at me, expecting me to do something to quiet Margie down, but I was just as baffled as he was about how aggressive she was all of a sudden. I actually kind of admired her. I knew she was spunky, but I never saw her like this, especially with a complete stranger. This was fun!
I took a step back, my hands in the air, indicating that there was nothing I could do. He needed to be riled up a little. I could see that he didn't like to have the tables turned on him, but I had an inkling that this would do him some good, as long as Margie didn't go too far with him because Nubbin did have a boiling point.
“Fine, don't help me, Range Rover. That's a nice how do you do! I come all the way from Nebraska to spend two weeks with you and you sic this pit bull of a woman on me. Thanks for nothing, Nova.” Nubbin tried to scowl at me, but catching a glimpse of Margie revving up for round two of their back and forth, a smirk appeared on his face for a moment. He liked her. I could tell.
“Nubbin, meet Margie Cline. Margie, this is Nubbin Schmeckpepper.” I smiled to myself. These two were a match made in Heaven. Not that I was any sort of expert, but it seemed perfect to me.
“Cline? I never did like the Clines.” Nubbin grumbled.
“Schmeckpickle?!?! What kind of name is that? Nubbin wasn't bad enough?” Margie winked in my direction, proud of herself for getting Nubbin to respond.
“It's pepper, you twist!” Nubbin protested.
Margie rolled up her sleeves, exposing her thin but strong forearms and asked firmly, “Did you just call me 'woman', you crumb?”
Uh oh! It was time to put a stop to this.
“Can we go for a run now?” I stepped in between them again.
Nubbin pushed himself forward in the seat, grabbing me with his giant grip and pulling himself to a semi-standing position.
“I don't run, especially with the likes of her.” He glared down at Margie, who looked diminutive standing in front of his substantial frame.
Margie clapped her hands together and said, “Good, looks like he's afraid of me too. That's the way I like them.” She turned and marched down the stairs, ready to torture me with a run.
I glanced back at a pouting Nubbin and asked, “Are you going to join us?”
“Not on your life, Studebaker.” Nubbin turned around and walked into the house, slamming my front door behind him.
“Did you have to do that, Margie?” I asked.
Margie took off for her five minute warm up, holding Barney's leash. “Nope, but it sure was fun. Now, get your feet moving. You're killing my mojo.”
I did as she said, not wanting to have her do a number over on me too. It was bad enough that she had me exercising as much as possible to begin with; I didn't need to be put through any more.
As soon as we got a safe distance from my house, she asked, “Have you heard anything about your friend's murder?”
I swallowed hard. After what she'd said the last time I spoke to her about Stanley's death, I wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea to say anything to her. Not that I didn't trust her because I did. I didn't trust whoever it was that was spreading rumors about what happened.
“No. You know when you told me about what you'd heard, I don't remember you mentioning who you heard that from. Who was it?” I asked.
“Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something from me?” Margie had the remarkable ability to read me. Was I that easy to read? I didn't think so, but maybe I was wrong.
“No, no secrets. I guess I'm still in shock about the whole thing.” I said, before redirecting the conversation back to my question. “Who did you say told you that story about what happened?”
Margie slowed down her pace. “I don't remember. I think it must have been Ruby or maybe it was the mailman. Sorry, but is that what happened?”
The truth was, I had no idea, not even an inkling of what could have happened. One minute, I'm exchanging words with him and the next, I'm lying down in my bedroom, practicing deep breathing to calm myself down after running into the slimy little man.
“I can't say. I mean, I wasn't there. I arrived shortly before the police did.” I explained.
“Did Ruby see it? Poor girl. She must be so broken up about the whole thing. I can't imagine what it must have been like to find him like that.” Margie put her hand to her heart.
“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned that the run may have been too much for her.
“I'm fine.” She giggled shyly. “I was just thinking about your angry, old friend. I really got him going, didn't I?”
I laughed with her. She was right. Knowing Nubbin, he wasn't going to let me ever forget that Margie had challenged him.
“I think, he'll live. He's harmless. He likes to fuss, but he's a good man. In fact, I told him several times that I couldn't wait for the two of you to meet. I thought you'd hit it off.” I said, noticing her face blush slightly.
“Hit it off? If you're going to fix me up with one of your leftovers, you'd have better luck with that handsome sheriff friend of yours.” Margie nudged me with her elbow. “So, have you made room in your house for him yet?”
What was she implying?
“No, Charlie's not going to live with me. I wouldn't do that.” I could feel sweat forming on the back of my neck and I knew it had nothing to do with our little jaunt. “Charlie's here for two weeks while he looks for a place to live. He's staying with Hank and Ruby. Nubbin is staying with me since Tina and Noah are gone.”
“You're blushing. You better watch out or you'll stay that color.” Margie teased.
“Does Charlie plan on living here in Lake Villa? There's a couple of empty places here. Have you told him that?” Margie asked.
I hadn't and I hoped that she wouldn't either. It was bad enough that Charlie was now going to be living in the same town as me; the last thing I needed was for him to live in my small community. I'd never be able to handle that. One step at a time.
“No, I think he's looking for a house on the other side of town. Something closer to the lake. He likes to fish.” I explained.
“And, your grouchy friend, what's his story?” Margie asked, referring to Nubbin.
I thought about it for a second. “I don't really know. I hadn't gotten around to asking him why he'd decided to come along for the ride.”
Margie started jogging again. “When you're ready to tell me something, let me know, dear. I can see that you're not ready to talk.”
“What? What do you mean?” I asked.
She sped up her pace a little, remembering that she'd promised to make me work harder this week.
“I've kept my questions simple. Eventually, you'll have to tell me what it is about Halloween that bothers you so.” Margie said to my surprise.
“Who said I have an issue with Halloween?” I asked.
“Mercy, how long have we known each other?” Margie asked. “I'll tell you. I've known you long enough to know that every Halloween you shut yourself off from the world and hide out in that house of yours. Why?”
I didn't know how to answer her. I didn't see it to be a big deal. I actually felt silly about the whole thing.
“I didn't think you'd noticed.” I said, feeling guilty.
Chapter Eight
“Are you out of your mind, Acura?” Nubbin didn't have the foggiest idea what the word 'whisper' meant.
I put my finger to my mouth, indicating for him to lower his voice.
“You're going to get us caught.” I warned him.
“And, you're going to make sure I spend the last days of my life in the pokey.” Nubbin quipped.
I put my arm out in front of him to keep him from moving forward. “Shh! Did you hear that?
” I asked, listening intently for noises other than our own.
Nubbin spoke in his megaphone watt voice. “How can I hear anything if you keep yapping, Corsica?”
I held my breath, willing myself not to answer back. After all, I was the one who got Nubbin involved. The least I could do was try to remain calm.
After a moment, Nubbin resigned himself to follow the game plan. “What do you want me to do here? I can't stand around twiddling my thumbs.”
“Just keep an eye out while I get everything all set up here.” I said.
I had sunk to a new low. First, I didn't listen when Ruby asked me not to get involved. Next, I promised Hank that I'd tell everyone what my hang-up with Halloween was and then I only told people – the people I love the most in the world – half the truth, right in front of his face. Now, I have an elderly man sneaking around in a corn maze with me, in the same exact spot where a man was killed just a couple of nights ago. What was wrong with me?