by Ann Mullen
“Who’s out there?” I called out. As I was about to get out of bed, Billy walked in.
“Stay in bed, `ge ya,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“What… what do you mean?” I asked as my heart jumped up in my throat. “Is Jonathan… dead?”
“No,” Billy said as he stood by my bed. “But he sure had a close call. Like you said, he’s a tough guy, plus the bullet was from a small caliber handgun. If it had been a larger size, he’d be dead for sure. Fortunately, he was hit in his right shoulder and not square in the chest.”
“Thank the Lord he’s going to make it. I was worried sick, especially since it’s been hours and I hadn’t heard anything.”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t leave,” Billy said. “Mom was almost hysterical, and the chief was already rounding up a posse.” He let out a little chuckle. “You know how that goes.”
“I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” I was surprised at Billy’s ability to make light of the situation. I learn something new about him every day.
“After I found out that Jonathan was going to make it, my mind shifted into a different mode. My concern was to find the person who did this to him, and to do it quickly. Of course, my idea of handling the situation is a lot different from my father’s. He’s ready to go on the warpath—take no prisoners. ‘Scalp the paleface!’ he kept shouting. Daniel had to take him outside and calm him down.”
“Scalp the paleface? He actually said that?”
“You know how he gets. He says things like that just to incite others around him. He figures if he can’t get what he wants from the cops the traditional way, he’ll use his own method. It usually works, but this time nobody was in the mood for his antics. Mom told him to zip it up right in front of everybody. That really set him off. Daniel took him aside and then finally had to get him out of the hospital.”
“Your father is an amazing man,” I said. “The only times I’ve seen him act up was when he had a reason, and I definitely think having your child shot is a good reason to go off the deep end.”
“I must admit that when Chief Sam has an agenda, he gives it his all, but sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t carry it a little too far.”
“Make fun of me if you want to,” the chief said, walking into the room. “I have my ways and they usually get results. I know who shot your brother.”
“You have your suspicion, that’s all,” Sarah said as she came into the room with my mother following her.
I looked up and said, “I thought y’all had gone home.”
“Are you kidding?” Mom asked. “We were in the parking lot when it happened. I mean, we weren’t all together, but we were near enough to know what happened when Robert shouted out that Jonathan had been shot. It seems that he was parked two cars down from him. I had just strapped Maisy into her car seat when I heard the gunshot.”
“Please don’t tell me that you were alone.”
“No, dear,” Sarah said. “The chief and I walked your mother to her car. You know we wouldn’t leave her alone at night especially in a parking lot. Plus, Claire and her children were right behind us.”
“You worry too much, honey,” Mom said.
“Jonathan just got shot, and you say I worry too much? I think I have plenty of reasons to worry. This family is made up of a bounty hunter, two private investigators and a clan of Indians ready to go head-hunting at a moment’s notice. I think I have a right to be worried.”
The chief had a hurt look on his face as if I had just stomped on his ancestry.
“I’m sorry,” I said looking over at him. “I didn’t mean that in a hurtful way. I love you all dearly, but sometimes you make me crazy—especially you, Chief Sam. I don’t know what you’ll do next and I worry that at any minute I’ll lose one of you. My heart couldn’t take it.” I started to cry.
“Do not regret your words,” Chief Sam said as he walked over to the bed. He sat down in a chair next to me and took my hand in his. “I have upset you. Your hands are trembling. I’m sorry. I know you mean only the best, but let me assure you that I know you love this family and would fight to the death to protect any one of us. You have a heart full of love. That makes you a very special person. But you must trust me on this one.” He winked at me. “I am the one who looks over this family. Let me do the worrying.”
“Are you so upset because you just had a baby?” Mom asked. “I know they have this thing now they call post-partum depression. I don’t understand it, because I never got like that when any of my kids were born, but if you have it, we can get you some drugs. Do you want me to call the doctor?”
I had to laugh at Mom. Even though she’s always been so old-fashioned, she’s been doing her best the last couple of years to try to catch up with the world. She even accepted the fact that her son is gay and wanted to learn everything she could about his sexual orientation. I’m sure she’d rather Jack marry a woman and have a few children, but when I explained to her that he didn’t have to have a wife to have kids, she was flabbergasted. All she could do was try to handle it, and she did. Now Jack and Dennis are a couple to her just like anyone else... almost. It’ll take a bit of getting used to, but I know she’ll deal with it. She always does.
“What’s so funny?” Mom asked. “If you need medication for your condition, we’ll get it. Maybe you need counseling.”
I held up my hand up and said, “Hold on, Mom. I’m fine. I don’t need drugs or counseling. I’m concerned about my family, that’s all.”
“Before you say anything, don’t worry about Maisy. Claire took her and the kids back to your house. She’s going to stay for a while.”
I looked back at the chief and said, “You said you know who shot Jonathan.”
“That’s right. The police were interviewing two witnesses in the waiting room who were in the parking lot when Jonathan was shot, and they said they could have sworn they saw a woman running away from the scene. They described her as medium height, thin, and old. I overheard everything they said.”
“How old?” Billy asked. His attention piqued.
“I’m not sure,” his father replied. “But one of the women said she thought she must have been at least sixty.”
“Are you sure about that, Dad?” Billy asked.
“That’s what the woman said. Why? Do you know her?”
“I think I might have an idea.” Billy walked over to the window and looked out. Finally he turned around and crossed his arms. He had our full attention. He looked over at Mom and said, “You know who she is.”
“She sure has gotten bold to do something like this right in the middle of a parking lot with so many witnesses around. Do you think she’s on to us, and now she’s scared? Scared people do some pretty desperate things. You told me that yourself.”
“She’s killed before; another one isn’t going to make much difference to someone like her. In most cases, once a person kills someone, it gets easier the next time around. She’s getting more unpredictable by the minute.”
“What are you talking about?” I said, raising my voice. “What have the two of you gotten yourself into while I was busy being pregnant?” I looked at Mom and then back at Billy.
The room fell silent.
I scanned everyone’s faces looking for a telltale sign.
“Am I the only one in this room who’s in the dark?”
“Ah…” Sarah started to say something, but Mom interrupted her.
“Billy and Jonathan were working on a case and they needed a person about my age to help them out. You couldn’t help. For one thing, you’re not old enough.”
“I don’t understand.”
Billy walked away from the window and over to the other side of the bed. He stood for a second before speaking. “I got Jonathan involved because I needed help and I couldn’t let you get involved in this case. We’re dealing with a woman who might or might not be a serial killer. We’re not…”
“And you got my mothe
r involved instead? Have you lost your mind?” I looked at Mom. “Have you lost your mind as well? Where was I when all of this was going on? You did this right under my nose and I didn’t have the foggiest idea. I must be the most self-centered person in the world not to have noticed something fishy. The worst part is that you both kept me in the dark!”
“You don’t understand, honey,” Mom said. “I was just playing a part… so to speak.”
“I don’t think I want to hear anymore.” I looked at Billy. “How could you let my mother get involved in something so dangerous? It’s bad enough that you and Jonathan are chasing after a serial killer, but to enlist the help of my mother in something so dangerous is unspeakable. Somebody go get me a tranquilizer.”
“I’ll go find the doctor,” Mom said and started to leave the room.
“Hold on one minute, Minnie!” I yelled to her. “Don’t leave this room.”
Billy laughed at how I had turned the tables on Mom. She always calls me Missy when she’s putting her foot down, and when I want her full attention, I call her by her first name.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me,” I told him. “You’re in hot water, too, Injun!”
“But I thought…” Mom started to say.
“You know I can’t take drugs. I’m nursing. If I wanted anything right now it’d be a cigarette and a shot of bourbon. Yep, that would do it.”
“But you said…”
“Stop trying to make up an excuse to leave the room. Nobody leaves until I get the truth.”
“Don’t look at me,” the chief said. “I have no idea what’s going on. If Sarah does, she hasn’t said a word to me about it.”
“That’s because you can’t keep a secret,” she said and then turned to him. “You blab about everything. You’re always the first one to let the cat out of the bag.”
“That’s not true!”
“Are you involved, too?” I asked Sarah.
“Not yet,” she said. “They had me on the sidelines just in case.”
I looked over at Billy and said, “Have a seat, Mr. Blackhawk. We need to talk.”
“We should leave the room so the two of you can…” Mom said.
I interrupted her. “That’s not going to happen, Mother. Find a seat and let’s get to the bottom of this story.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Take mine,” the chief said. He got up, walked over to the other side of the room and stood beside Sarah. “I don’t want to be anywhere close to that woman when the lid pops off.” He chuckled. He was innocent and found it delightful that I was ready to rake everyone else, except him, over the coals.
I was ready to get down to business when the door opened and the nurse brought Ethan in to be fed. I looked up and smiled, then turned to everyone and said, “Y’all can leave the room and get your stories straight, but when we’re finished here, I want you to come back and be ready for a severe tongue lashing.”
They couldn’t get out of that hospital room fast enough… neither could the nurse.
“You stay,” I said as Billy got up to leave. “Regardless of how mad I am with you right now, I still want you here so you can stare at my breasts.”
Mom shook her head as she hurried out of the room. I heard her mumble something about my shameful potty mouth, and then disappeared.
“Don’t say a word,” I said. “We’re going to enjoy this moment before I let you have it.”
“My son is such a handsome Cherokee. He will make a fine warrior.”
“Blah… blah…blah,” I said. “You’re just trying to soften me up, but you’re going to have to do better than that. First off, your son is not going to be a warrior. He’ll probably be a private investigator just like you.” I smiled down at my handsome son.
“You’re just saying that to make me feel good. Wouldn’t it be great to have my son follow in my footsteps? But he must become a warrior first. I will teach him to fish, hunt and live off the land.”
“He can do all that stuff, but eventually, I want Ethan to go to college and become a doctor or lawyer—something not so dangerous.”
“I agree.”
“You do?”
“Of course, I do. Now that I think about it, I don’t want him doing the same thing I do. You see what happened to my first marriage, and you know first hand the dangers involved in my line of work.”
“Our line of work,” I corrected him. “I’m glad you see it my way.”
I changed Ethan’s tiny diaper and then wrapped him in his blanket. I put him to my breast and he took to it like a pro. It was a very tender moment—with many more of the same to come. As soon as he finished, I told Billy to usher the crew back into the room. The truth be told, I wanted each one of them to have a chance to hold our son before he went back to the nursery.
They came in single file as if they were going to the gallows… all except the chief. He walked in with his head held high and was the first to ask if he could hold his grandchild. My heart filled with awe. I handed Ethan to him and watched as Mom and Sarah surrounded the two. They made silly noises and each one took their turn holding their new grandchild. It was a sight to behold. I guess I couldn’t yell at either one of them after all… at least, not now.
The nurse returned and took Ethan back to the nursery.
“The nurse said they were going to release you tomorrow,” Mom said.
“Can you believe it?” Sarah asked. “In my time, we were in the hospital for four or five days. Now they shove you out before you have time to think straight.”
“It just goes back to what I’ve said all along,” Mom added. “The insurance companies don’t care about the health of the patients. They want to get away with paying as little as they can. It gets my goat sometimes. If I had it my way, I’d change a few things about the health care system.”
“You can, Mom,” I said. “All you have to do is get involved. Write your congressman and your senator. Join a group involved in making the system better. Of course, you’ll have to wait until your job as Miss Snoop the detective is over.”
“See, you say such nice things and then you throw in that little barb. What am I going to do with you?”
“What am I going to do with you? You do things behind my back. What would I do if something happened to you? If someone hurt you, then I’ve have to turn into a killer myself. Is that what you want for your grandchild’s mother?”
“That’s not fair using my grandchild like that.”
“Enough, ladies,” Billy interrupted. “It’s time to get down to business.” He looked at Mom and said, “We need to let Jesse in on what’s been going on.” He then turned to me. “We kept all this from you because there was nothing you could do to help. You were over seven months pregnant and you were having too good a time enjoying your pregnancy. We didn’t want you to get involved and your mom thought you should have this time to enjoy yourself. She said she’d never seen you so happy. You were walking on a cloud. I never expected you to be so happy either. To tell the truth, with the way it started out, I thought for sure you were going to be miserable the whole nine months. I couldn’t bring myself to take all that pleasure away from you by asking you to go back to work, but most importantly, I wouldn’t allow myself to put you and my child in harm’s way.”
“Get to the point,” I said, giving him the eye. “I get the message.”
“A month ago, I got a call from a woman named Alice Aikens. She belongs to a club called the Stanardsville Social Club. The club’s made up of a bunch of rich, middle-aged women with nothing better to do with themselves other than socialize, spend money, and spread rumors. However, they’re women of influence in the community, so nobody gives them any grief about their silly club. Most of their husbands are retired and do their own thing. Anyway, Alice joined the club because of her friend, Pat Johnson who died several months ago. Before Pat’s death, she had voiced concerns about some of the women in the club. She said they had become extremely competitive and petty. They began arguin
g over who was going to be the next club president and silly things like that. One of the women said that Pat should become the next president and the others agreed. All of a sudden, a woman named Daisy Clark began spreading rumors about Pat and tried to cause a rift among the other members.”
“Social clubs—what a waste of time!” I interjected.
“Once Pat died from what was suspected to be e-coil bacteria after a dinner at Daisy’s house, Alice got involved. The medical examiner ruled Pat’s death as an accident brought on by eating raw hamburger earlier that day. But Alice suspected foul play. Another member mentioned to her the fact that Pat was served mushrooms that were different looking than what the rest of the women were served. She said it might be nothing, but she thought it was a little odd. Alice went to the police and told them there was no way Pat would eat enough raw hamburger to cause her death. She told them what she was told about the mushrooms.”
“What did the police say?”
“The police pretty much wrote off Alice’s accusations. So Alice joined the club to see if she could get to the bottom of the truth. In the meantime, another member died. This time the woman died from arsenic poisoning and her husband’s probably going to prison for her murder. Alice met Harriett Shifflett when she joined the club and then met Harriett’s husband, Joe, at a dinner party a while later. She said they acted like love birds and looked like they had a great relationship. After getting to know them a little, Alice said there was no way Joe Shifflett would do this to his beloved wife. That’s when Alice came to me. I was recommended to her by a friend, Russ Shank.”
“Russ?” I asked.
“I figured if Russ sent her to me, he must think there’s something to her allegations. He’s got better things to do than waste his time.”
“I see,” I said, looking at Mom. “That’s where you come in. I’d be willing to bet you’re the newest member of the Stanardsville Social Club, huh? Is that what you’ve been doing those nights you slipped out of the house on the pretense you were dining with your new male friend?”