by Ava Mallory
“Before I forget or you get yourself killed – whichever comes first – Nubbin is all up in arms about something, so you might want to reach out to him and see how he's doing.” Charlie and Nubbin were buddies. Since they lived in the same town, Charlie would make a point of checking in on him and making sure he was okay and didn't need anything.
“He just called me. Do you know what he's upset about?” I asked, hoping that would stop him from asking about my intentions here.
“Nope, but with Nubbin it could be anything. I haven't seen him much lately because of work, but I'll make a point of stopping by tomorrow and finding out. That is, if I don't have to go to California to save you from yourself.” Charlie said.
Diana asked for the phone. “Can I talk to him for a minute?”
Oh, that's a bad idea.
“Charlie's really busy now. He's working on a case.” I explained as I moved out of earshot of her.
“Mom, give me the phone.” Diana demanded, reaching for it.
Ruby snagged it out of my hand and gave it to her. “I swear, you are like a child sometimes. Let her talk to Charlie.”
I walked out of the room, knowing that Diana was going to fill his head with all sorts of information that I didn't need him to know just yet.
I sat down in the dining room, without thinking, and shot up as soon as I realized where I was sitting – in the same seat that Flynn had died in. It gave me chills to think about. I played the scene over again in my mind. Everything from the moment we sat down was odd. I could just see his face and the way beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Oh, Mom, Charlie wants to speak to you,” Diana called out in a singsong voice.
I swear, I'm traveling with teenagers. I suppose she told on me and was feeling pretty proud of herself for it.
“Now, what?” I asked as I put the phone to my ear.
“The cook threatened you?” Charlie's voice was shrill.
I glared at Diana. “No, not really. She just asked me not to say anything. It's no big deal, really. I don't know what possessed my dear child to share that information with you.” I answered.
“You need to mention that to someone. I know you won't, but you need to. I told you that digging into this is a bad idea. It's probably your worst idea yet. Why can't you just do what you're supposed to do and leave? I'm beginning to get the feeling that every time you go somewhere, someone dies. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear, you plan it that way.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you calling me a murderer, Sheriff Wagner?”
“Well, if the glove fits...” Charlie teased, but I didn't find it to be funny.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Sheriff,” I groaned.
“Oh, lighten up. I'm just kidding with you,” Charlie said.
“Are we done yet, because I have a meal to prepare and I still have to come up with something for the ghost hunting group.” I had a plan in mind, but needed to make sure that the ingredients were on hand.
“You're cooking for ghost hunters? Well, now I've heard everything.” Charlie quipped.
“Calm down there, Mr. Professional,” I said in response to his sarcasm.
“I hear your ghost hunting too. That's how you got into this mess. Someone put a hex on your car. Oh, wait, that was Father Time, wasn't it? Your poor car should have been removed from life support decades ago.” Charlie joked.
My other line beeped. “Charlie, I have to go. As always, it's been a pleasure speaking to you. Next time I'm in a bind, I won't call you.”
He laughed. “Okay, but Ruby or Diana will, so I'll stay by the phone. Don't do anything any normal person wouldn't do. Try and keep your head above water on this one, please.”
I had plenty to say to that, but my line beeped again. “Hello?” I answered the other line.
“Sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I think Barney is sick,” Hank said.
“What do you mean? What happened?” I asked.
Hank answered, “Well, he's not moving.”
“What?” I screamed into the phone. Ruby and Diana moved in on either side of me. “What do you mean he's not moving?”
“Who?” Ruby asked me.
“Hank, tell me what's going on,” I begged.
He took a deep breath. “Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. Ruby told me that you'd been on edge the last few days. Barney's not dead. He's just not acting like a normal dog. I can't get him to go outside. I can barely get him to move from his crate. He won't eat anything.”
“Whoa! Barney won't eat?” I knew then that something had to be wrong with him, because Barney may not have been like other Pugs, but he was about the best eater I had ever seen.
I sighed. When it rains, it pours.
“Okay, call James. His next door neighbor is a veterinarian. See, if he can take a look at him, please. You know what, hold tight. I'll call him myself. Let me know if anything else changes. Has he had a fever? Any other symptoms?” I asked Hank.
“I'm a psychiatrist, not a doctor, Mercy. I don't know.” Hank answered.
I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone to call James and see if he could get in touch with his neighbor. The last thing I needed was to have my dog suffering at home while I was trapped in this circus of a town.
The doorbell rang. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping that it wasn't the curious crew of hopefuls, expecting to find a ghost.
“Who do you think that is?” Diana asked.
“We'll find out,” Ruby answered, peeking out the door. “Uh oh.”
I cringed. “What does that mean?”
“We're about to find out,” Ruby answered, backing away from the door to allow Chip to pass.
“Welcome our newest guest,” Chip stepped aside so that we could say hello.
Diana and Ruby gasped.
I couldn't believe my eyes. “You're the guy from the rest stop.” I said, feeling chills run up my spine. There was something about him that didn't sit well with me. He looked shady, like he was up to something. I didn't want him anywhere near me or my daughter.
“Hello, ladies,” the man smiled at each of us. “Forgive me, but I didn't introduce myself. I'm Jackson Lund. Nice to meet you girls.”
Girls? Who was he calling girls?
Diana gulped and stepped forward. “Yeah, hi. I'm Diana and this is my mom, Mercy, and my Aunt Ruby.” She shook his hand.
“Your mom and aunt? Really? Well, nice to meet you.” He shook Ruby's hand, then put his hand out for me. Instinctively, I took a step back. I wasn't ready to make nice with him just yet.
“I thought you were supposed to be visiting your dad. Wasn't he ill or something?” I asked, remembering what he'd told us at the rest stop.
Jackson's lips formed a smile, but the look in his eyes didn't mirror that same smile. He didn't like me and I was glad, because I didn't very much like him either.
“My dad and I had a bit of a tiff. It happens. Long story. You know how it goes. There aren't too many places around here that have spare rooms, aside from the Green Farm, and no one wants to stay there.” Jackson smiled.
“You're right there. Mom wouldn't even step foot in there.” Diana answered.
Jackson smiled a genuine smile then. He took pleasure in my fear. I'd have to pay close attention to that, if he was going to stay here with us.
Paul walked into the dining room. “Hey, is that Jackson Lund? What in the world are you doing here, buddy?” Paul gave Jackson one of those manly hugs that weren't true hugs at all. “When did you get out?”
It was my turn to gasp.
Chapter Nine
Another night with little to no sleep. I couldn't make my mind calm down long enough to catch some sleep. The thought of an ex-convict sleeping just a few rooms over, gave me chills. Ironic, that an ex-felon would decide to stay at a place called The Felon House.
What was it with that name anyway? What were they thinking when they named this place? Nothing about it said, “Yes, please, stay with us. We are a
welcoming place.”
I wondered what their motto was here. I'd have to check with Chip before I left.
Since the sun was about to make its appearance, I figured it was as good a time as any to go downstairs and begin my breakfast preparation. It was better than sitting up here, worrying about what the ex-con was planning behind our backs. I could at least be thankful that he didn't seem as interested in Diana as he had been when we initially met him. I guess, now that he'd reconnected with his friend, Paul, harassing women didn't seem so interesting anymore. Besides, my daughter definitely didn't need anyone like him in her life. Not that she would have been at all interested in anyone like him, but you couldn't be too cautious. I'd seen plenty of strong, independent women do stranger things.
I walked up to Diana's door and put my ear to it. There was no noise inside. I tried the knob. It was locked.
Good girl.
I stepped to the next door – Ruby's. It was locked too.
Good.
When I turned to go past the next set of rooms, I was startled by movement in front of me.
“Who is that?” I whispered.
Whoever it was, took off running down the hallway.
“Hey! Who is that?” I called out a little louder.
A door closed at the end of the hallway. As I rushed closer to find the source, I heard the clicking of the lock.
“Hello?” I asked as goose pimples formed all over my body. “Chip?”
A door opened behind me. I could make out Jessica's small frame. Great! Now, I'm waking up the whole neighborhood.
“Is everything okay?” She asked.
I didn't want to frighten her, so I walked over to offer her reassuring words. “I'm fine. I just thought I'd get an early start on breakfast. I'm sorry for waking you.”
She opened the door wider and stepped out into the hallway. “You didn't wake me. I'm afraid I have a touch of insomnia, so I was up working on my novel. Would you like any help in the kitchen?”
I glanced back down the hallway to see if I could see anyone lurking. “Oh, no, you don't have to do that. I'm sure you're busy with your memoir.”
She grinned. “It's not a memoir, dear. I'll meet you downstairs after I change.”
I guess I had help, but that didn't do anything to help me figure out who had been wandering around in the hallway, besides me.
With the low light now coming from under Jessica's door, I could at least see in front of me a little better. I quickly dashed over to make sure that Diana and Ruby were safely tucked away again, then walked down the stairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I was surprised to see that there were lights on downstairs.
Chip walked out of the kitchen as I approached. “Oh, you're up early, Mercy.”
“Good morning, Chip. I wondered why there were lights on down here. I thought, I'd get breakfast started. Why are you up so early?”
He pursed his lips. “No, it's more like, 'why are you still awake'. I haven't been sleeping well lately.”
I looked at his clothing. He wore a dark polo shirt and jeans. It could have been him that I saw upstairs.
“Oh, so that was you I ran into upstairs a little while ago.” I said.
His eyebrows quirked up. “No, I usually don't go upstairs when the guests are sleeping. It's one of the advantages of living on a separate floor. I can roam about freely in my section of the house, while the guests can do the same on their floor.”
“You weren't upstairs just a minute ago?” If it wasn't him, then who was it?
He put his hand on my shoulder. “You're having trouble sleeping too, I see. Don't worry about it. We've all been under some stress. Since you're here, I did have a question for you – when you were getting yourself situated in the kitchen, did you happen to find a black box?”
I shook my head. “Not that I recall. What kind of box was it?”
He bit his lip. “That's kind of a funny story actually. You know how I mentioned that my mother was a nurse? Well, my dad always bought her these novelty medical kits and emergency cases. That's what this was. You sure, you didn't see it? It would have been underneath the island, in the bottom drawer.” He asked again, as he bent down to check the drawer.
I shook my head again. I hadn't had time to rearrange anything and I didn't think it was my place to do so.
“I'm sorry, I didn't see it. I think I would have noticed a black medical case.” I smiled, but Chip wasn't even paying attention. He was elbow deep in another drawer.
“Are you hurt? I have my emergency kit...” My voice trailed off as I remembered that I'd put the kit in the trunk of my car before we went to the Green Farm. “It's in my car.”
“No, I'm not hurt.” Chip's tone was serious. “Are you sure you didn't move it?”
Why was he looking for it so desperately?
“I swear, I didn't. I can help you find it though.” I offered.
“What are we looking for? I can help.” Jessica walked into the kitchen, wearing the cutest handmade dress I'd ever seen. It reminded me of something my grandmother would have made for me and my mother when I was growing up.
Chip glanced up at her, but didn't acknowledge her, so I explained.
“He's looking for a black medical case. It belonged to his mother.”
“No, that's not why I'm looking for it,” Chip snapped at me.
Jessica's eyebrows quirked up. “Someone's not happy, is he?” She winked and walked in to help look for the case.
With each increasing minute, Chip became more and more frustrated. I wondered what was so important about the case. If it wasn't sentimental value, then what could it have been?
We searched and searched. All the while, we found all sorts of contraptions that I could only dream of owning one day. There were several varieties of pots and pans, some for sauces, some for meats, some for poultry. I salivated just thinking about all of the delicious meals I could cook up with any one of the pans that were in this kitchen.
As the sun started to rise and we'd still not found the wayward black medical case, I began regretting that I'd come down here this early in the first place, but I was no quitter, so the idea of returning to my room in defeat wasn't an option I'd be willing to accept. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, hoping that by the time I'd expended all my air that I would have been pleasantly surprised to find the kitchen had come equipped with some fast-acting self-cleaning mechanism and every knife, spoon, spatula, pot, pan, and thingamajig – that's what they're officially called, right – would have been put back into their designated places and ready to be used the next time some desperate traveler was anxious to get out of the gore fest that was this vacation destination.
I had a meal to prepare and not much time to get it done. Chip was oblivious to the time as he continued to tear the kitchen apart in search of whatever it was he was looking for.
He threw his hands up in the air in frustration and stormed out of the room without another word to us.
I looked over at Jessica, who I'd given a chair to as soon as her search began, and asked, “Now, what am I supposed to do? Clean up or work around it?”
She looked around at the detritus and giggled. “I wish I knew what to tell you. How about we just move stuff aside and worry about it after breakfast?”
“Sounds like a plan.” I agreed. “Thanks for your help, but I'm sure you're really tired. You really don't have to stay. Why don't go on up to your room and get some rest before breakfast? I can handle this alone.” I tried to avert my eyes from the disaster and pretend that it wasn't there.
“No, I'm fine. I'll help you,” she answered. “I'll whip up some muffins, if that's okay with you? What were you planning to make this morning?”
“Oh, I forgot. Muffins sound great. Thank you. Now that we're alone, we can chat and get to each other. It will be fun.” I started a pot of coffee for her and I to share.
Jessica was such a sweet woman. I thought she was so brave for doing what she was doing. I could only hope that w
hen I was her age, I'd go after my dream too.
As someone who grew up in a multi-generational home, I adored senior citizens. I had so much respect for them and had learned so much from them over the years. Perhaps, that's why Nubbin – my old curmudgeon friend – was so special to me. He reminded me of my grandfather, a warm man with a penchant for grumpiness.
“Is today your birthday?” Jessica asked.
Oh, that.
“No, my birthday is tomorrow. This trip is a birthday gift from my daughter and my best friend, Ruby. I'm afraid, though, that it's going to end up costing me quite a bit of money. My car died yesterday.” I explained.