The Hewey Spader Mystery Series (The Complete Trilogy * Books 1 -3 )

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “To be honest, I’m going home to see a couple of friends I hadn’t seen in ages,” I told her. “A bit nervous about it, that’s all.”

  “Oh, I see! Well, if that’s all it is, that’s quite all right then.” She quickly patted my knee. “If it’s any consolation, just reminisce on all the good times you all have shared and gradually, you should feel that nervousness going away. Works for me every time.”

  I nodded, appreciatively. “That’s great advice, ma’am. Thank you.”

  “Glad to have been of help.”

  I retreated to my former position; this time shutting my eyes. The old lady’s humble suggestion was one I’d decided to take. As pleasant scenes of when the guys and I were kids sailed through my mind, it wasn’t long before I drifted right off to sleep.

  * * * *

  It seemed like hours had passed before I’d heard the woman’s voice again.

  “Sonny, you’d better wake up now!”

  I felt a feeble shake of my arm.

  “Huh?” I opened my eyes, trying to remember exactly where I was.

  “The pilot just said that we’ll be arriving shortly, so I didn’t want you to get left behind in this plane,” she said.

  Getting myself together, I laughed at the idea, though rather weakly. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re very welcome, deary.”

  Our descent at the Eppington International Airport was as smooth as could be, and thankfully, the entire flight from New Mexico was largely uneventful. I felt a bit tired and looked forward to grabbing a hot cup of cappuccino from the airport’s deli.

  I checked my wristwatch the moment the plane landed. It was 10:35 A.M.

  “Well, we’re here,” the old lady said. “Thankfully, we’ve all arrived in one piece.”

  “Yeah.” I agreed.

  As the hatch opened and she, along with others stood to gather their items, I remained seated by the window.

  Slowly, dozens of passengers trailed past our row toward the exit.

  “Aren’t you coming?” the lady asked with her purse in hand or do you want them to fly you right back to New Mexico?”

  I chuckled. “I’d rather wait for everyone else to leave first.”

  “My! That’s really generous of you! Well, it was nice meeting you.”

  “It was nice meeting you too.”

  “I’m Trudy, by the way. Surname’s Balfour.” She extended her hand.

  “Hewey Spader.” I returned the handshake.

  She stepped out into the aisle and gradually trailed along with the others ahead of her. I gathered she wasn’t an Eppington native because I would’ve recognized the accent.

  As the last four persons were leaving the aircraft, I got up and reached overhead for my luggage. A lovely stewardess kindly shut the compartment for me after I’d grabbed the bags.

  “Thanks so much,” I told her.

  “My pleasure.” She smiled. “Thanks for flying with us.”

  The first thing I did was made my way to the nearest deli and grabbed that cappuccino I desperately wanted. I prefer cappuccino over regular coffee as it tends to give me that boost I often need throughout the day.

  Outside, I caught a waiting cab and within a half an hour of landing, I was on my way to my parent’s house.

  3

  _________________

  Three years had passed since I’d flown back home for a visit. The last time I was there was to attend our parents’ funeral after they’d both been killed in an horrific car accident. I’d kept in touch with my brother, Carl, but avoided our house because I knew it would bring back so many memories I just wasn’t ready to deal with. Losing two parents at the same time was a heavy blow for both of us. I realized to some degree it was selfish of me to have not returned sooner, knowing that Carl had to face the reality of their loss every day since he’d never bothered to move out of the house. But I’d convinced myself that I had to be in touch with my feelings, aware of what I could handle and allow myself time to grieve in my own way in order to protect my sanity.

  Our folks meant everything to Carl and me. We used to be a tight-knit family and every year after I’d moved away, I either came back to see them or paid for a vacation for all of us to meet up somewhere else. My family was all I had despite the distance between us, and when Mom and Dad died, I felt I’d lost a huge part of my identity. Suddenly, I no longer had folks and even as a grown man, I can’t begin to express how that reality truly affected me.

  After entering my subdivision, the closer we got to the house, the more unsure I was of my feelings about being there. I knew I had to be strong because I hated the feeling of being out of control.

  Carl was outside working on his red motorbike when my cab pulled up in front of the house. He was wearing some faded jeans and a white spotted tee shirt. Despite his scruffy appearance, he still had that baby face which made him look like he’d barely aged since we were teenagers.

  Carl was a mechanic by trade, as evident by the vehicles he had on jack stands in front of our folks’ house. Mom used to give him a hard time for having a lot of cars in the yard at once, especially the ones that looked like they belonged in the junk yard instead. She said harboring vehicles like that for extended periods brought down the quality of the neighborhood. Carl did manage to upkeep the house though—fresh paint every year, clean windows and a well-manicured lawn. He had pride in his surroundings which spilled over into his work. He was one of the best mechanics in town and as quickly as he managed to clear up cars from in front of our house, others would be brought there for service or repair.

  Fortunately, he was permitted to operate his small mechanic business in our neighborhood since none of the neighbors complained, and he hadn’t any signage. Saved him overhead expenses, for sure.

  I reached over and paid the cab driver, got out of the vehicle and grabbed my luggage from the popped trunk. Carl looked at me, stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. His expression was blank; much different than I was used to.

  As the cab drove away, I walked towards him. “Hey, li’l brother! How are you doing?”

  “Okay,” he replied, as I got within a few feet of him.

  I dropped the luggage and gave him a big hug, but I could feel the coldness.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked. “You don’t look that thrilled to see me.”

  He wiped off his hands with the old rag he was holding. “Good to see you. How long will you be here?” He led the way to the front door.

  “A couple of weeks at least.”

  “Okay. Well…your room is pretty much the way you left it when you were here three years ago.” He walked inside and held the door the open for me. “And you can probably remember where everything else is.”

  “Yeah.” I set the luggage down again and looked at him as we stood awkwardly together in the living room.

  “Anyway, I’m gonna get cleaned up, then I’ll be going out for a while,” he added, before starting down the hallway.

  “Carl…”

  “Yeah?” He turned around.

  “What’s up with you? You don’t seem like yourself.”

  “Me?” He took a few steps forward. “You’re the one who’s changed, Hewey. You went away, became a big shot and only looked back at us once or twice a year whenever you were good and ready. I was here with Mom and Dad, taking care of everything they needed while you lived the good life.”

  “That’s a damn lie and you know it, Carl! I never turned my back on any of you. Mom and Dad needed for nothing because I made sure they didn’t. How could you say such a thing?”

  “You think just because you showed up here, you deserve some special privilege, huh? I’m not Mom and Dad, Hewey. I don’t kiss up to anybody. He sucked his teeth. “I’m not getting into this. I’m gonna take a shower.”

  He continued down the hallway toward the bathroom.

  I shook my head and sauntered over to the window at the southern side of the living room. Looking outside,
I recalled the countless times Carl and I had rolled our bicycles on that side of the house from the backyard where they were often kept. He was annoying even back then, but we got along. I wasn’t sure what had happened.

  Turning to my right towards where the kitchen stood, I envisioned Mom there making breakfast while Dad sat at the counter reading the newspaper. That was pretty much their early morning routine and I remember being so happy and feeling secure as a kid just having them as my folks. Then there were pictures of all of us on the walls; some were of Mom and Dad only and others of us as a family. Within minutes, the emotions I thought I’d conquered overwhelmed me as the memories came flooding back. I sat on the sofa, covered my face and just wept. Everywhere reminded me of my folks and in my mind, I could even hear their voices still. It’s the very reason I’d stayed away for so long. I wanted more than anything to avoid those feelings and now I was thinking that maybe I’d returned too soon.

  After a good cry, I got up and went into my parents’ room, but only stood at the door. The first place my eyes landed were on their king-sized bed. It was neatly draped with Mom’s favorite bedspread and her dresser still had all her favorite perfumes on top. Dad’s brown robe was hanging on the standing rack near his bureau and I could see him wearing it as he walked about the house. More tears fell, but by then, I knew I’d already gotten out a lot of what I had bottled up inside for so long.

  “I love you both,” I whispered, before leaving the room.

  Carl exited the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist, then headed into his room.

  I went to my bedroom and sat on the bed. Carl was right—everything was basically the way I’d left it three years ago after the funeral. I didn’t remember it being as clean though, but I’m sure I had him to thank for it.

  I stretched out on my back and folded my arms behind my head.

  A few minutes later, Carl appeared in my doorway dressed in a dark blue jeans and a yellow cotton shirt. He’d obviously had a shave.

  “You asleep?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered, sitting up.

  “I’m heading out now. Got an early lunch date with Tamara. You remember her, don’t you?”

  “You mean Tamara Hinsley—Mom’s best friend’s daughter?”

  “Yeah—her. She was at the funeral…”

  “Yeah, I know. She’s a nice girl. Always had her eyes on you since you were sixteen.”

  “Sure…right.” He managed a slight smile. “So, what’re you up to?”

  I rubbed my chin. “Rob and Samantha are in town and they’re coming over for a while.”

  “Yeah. You said on the phone you guys had some catching up to do.”

  I was beginning to wonder if this was the same guy who’d treated me so coldly when I arrived. I figured his conscience had gotten to him.

  “Anyway, I’m off. A spare of keys for the house are on the kitchen counter.”

  “Thanks, bro.”

  After Carl pulled off in his jeep, I carried my luggage into my bedroom and pulled out the chardonnay I’d brought with me from New Mexico. I figured our first meeting in decades should be one celebrated with a quality white wine and good conversation before we embarked on the mission at hand.

  Immediately, I placed the wine in the freezer so that it would be chilled by the time the guys got here.

  4

  _________________

  I nervously checked my watch several times before Sam and Rob were due to arrive. The time we’d settled on was one o’clock.

  I paced back and forth through the living room, then went on the back porch at one point and caught a smoke. I’d quit smoking a year earlier, but couldn’t resist a pack of Marlboro’s while grabbing my coffee at the airport. Mom would’ve been disappointed if she knew I’d relapsed, if only once. She never understood how I’d managed to pick up such a bad habit and had warned me over and repeatedly that I could be looking at a future with lung cancer if I didn’t quit. After a few years of enduring her stern rebuke, I finally decided to take heed and I quit cold turkey.

  Needless to say how proud she was of me. Yet, here I am now—trying to smoke away my anxiety over meeting with a girl I’d known practically all of my childhood. I shook my head in disgust, tossed the cigarette to the ground and squashed it with my shoe. I resented the idea that a grown man like me could be so shamefully weak. Sam was like one of the guys and that’s how I needed to remember her.

  I heard a vehicle pull up. It was definitely one of them. I sprang up, hurried inside and closed the door behind me, then rushed over to the front room window to get a peak outside. Sam and Rob were exiting a black Camry and suddenly, at the sight of Sam, my knees felt weak. I realized I was behaving like a punk again, but there was nothing I do to stop the nervousness that had cruelly resurfaced. I hurried over to the rectangular mirror attached to the wall at the front of the hallway, ensuring I still looked presentable in my light brown trousers and white dress shirt I was wearing. I straightened my collar and did a final pat of my slicked back hair and figured right then and there it was now or never.

  The doorbell rang, and convincing myself to man up, I coolly walked over and opened the door.

  “Hewey!” Rob exclaimed on the other side. Sam was standing behind him.

  “My man!” I said, as we immediately locked into a bear hug.

  “It’s been ages!” he said. “Before you called, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever see one another again.”

  “I was beginning to wonder the same thing.”

  Smiling, Sam stepped forward. “Hey, Hewey.”

  Rob stepped aside.

  “Sam…it’s really good to see you,” I told her, mesmerized by how beautiful she was. She was always breathtaking, but adulthood had been even kinder to her. She almost looked like a different person, especially since she was actually wearing a dress that day. It was literally the first time I’d ever seen Sam in a dress, not to mention the makeup which enhanced her natural beauty.

  “Don’t I get a hug?” she asked. “Rob here got his. What am I—chopped liver?”

  I stepped outside and gave her a warm hug, remembering that she was a lady—now, more than ever—and I didn’t want to let her go.

  Rob cleared his throat. “I think it’s been like five minutes you two have been locked in this position. My bear hug wasn’t even a good ten seconds.”

  Sam and I chuckled as we gently parted ways.

  “When did you guys arrive in town?” I asked.

  “I flew in yesterday,” Rob indicated. “Sam got here a couple of hours ago.”

  “I just landed after ten,” I said. “Oh! Don’t know what I was thinking…please come inside, guys.”

  “Bro, it’s been decades!” Rob exclaimed, having a seat on the sofa.

  Sam sat on the couch where I joined her while leaving ample space between us, of course.

  “Yeah. Twenty-five years to be exact,” I replied.

  “Has it really been that long?” Sam asked.

  “Yep.” I nodded. “Time surely flies. After we graduated high school in ‘98, we all went to college and that was it.”

  “Strange how that happened for the three of us, huh?” Sam crossed her legs. Her black, sleeveless dress stopped a couple of inches above her knees revealing her flawless skin, while her red painted toenails poked through the open front tip of her black shoes.

  “I guess we all just wanted to get the hell outta this town, especially after what we’d been through,” Rob remarked.

  “Certainly was true for me,” Sam noted. “I dreaded the thought that what happened before could possibly happen again. Even tried to convince my peeps that we should all just pack up and move to another city, if not another country altogether. But Mom and Dad thought what happened here in Eppington could happen anywhere else and there was no sense in running. Rob’s peeps obviously saw things differently since they got out of here, eventually.”

  “Surely did.” Rob agreed. “When I went away to college,
they moved to Dallas. Been there ever since.”

  “I see you moved to a whole other country,” I said to Sam.

  She sighed. “To be honest, every day I spent here since that spacecraft appeared and even throughout my college years, I was fearful. I couldn’t imagine having to live through another nightmare like that, so as quick as I could get through law school, I went as far away from this country as I could. Figured France was far enough. I took some extra courses while there and passed the French bar exam, and it wasn’t long before I landed a good job working for a major company in their legal department.”

  “So, you weren’t practicing—like in a courtroom?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No and that’s fine with me. I figured if I ever started my own practice, that’s when the courtroom drama’ll come in.”

  “And we know drama’s right up your alley!” Rob said.

  “Very funny.” Sam smiled. “By the way…where’s Carl, Hewey?”

  “Out on a lunch date,” I replied.

  “Ooh!” She winked. “Have you met her yet?”

  “She’s actually a friend of the family.”

  “I see.”

  “So, how are you guys’ folks doing?” I asked both of them.

  “My folks are chilling, man,” Rob replied. “Said leaving this town was the best decision they ever made.”

  “Good to know they’re happy where they are,” I said.

  “Mom and Dad are doing okay,” Sam answered. “Retired now and enjoying every minute of it, even though Mom says having Dad around her twenty-four-seven drives her nuts sometimes.”

  I grinned. “Imagine that! What about your sister, Taylor? What’s she up to these days?”

  “She works as an editor in New York and just got engaged. He’s a wonderful guy; worships the ground she walks on. The wedding’s set for next year June.”