Sequestered with the Murderers

by Dr. Sandra Tanner

  “Yeah, that’s fine. The special is fried chicken.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll see you at 6:00 pm.”

  “Okay, see you then. I love you.”

  I hung up the phone and began to ponder the Ellisons’ short notice dinner invitation. This was certainly out of character for Gam’s mother, a master at planning and reserving dates far in advance.

  Cuthbert and Rachel Ellison won my heart the day Gam introduced me to them. I will forever remember the day I met them. They were warm, inviting, and loving toward me and still are. Rachel is one of the kindest and caring women I know. I loved her from the start. Her five feet four inches, 150 pound high spirited self is something to be admired. Her skin is the color of caramel. She has big brown eyes, a small nose and mouth, and she wears her gray hair hanging long past her shoulders.

  Cuthbert, Cutty as everyone calls him, is like Gam in looks, height, and mannerisms. Cutty and Rachel are both in their early seventies. I pondered a little longer on why the urgency to meet tonight, then work matters pushed my thinking about the dinner aside.

  At noon, Aunt Clove rang.

  “Vett, you want to have lunch with me?” I hadn’t realized it was lunchtime.

  “Sure. Are you ready to eat now?”

  “Yeah. What do you want?”

  “I’ll have the spinach salad and iced tea.”

  “Eating light, I see.”

  “I’ll probably be doing this for the rest of the month. I ate so much at Serenity.”

  “With all that exercising you do, you probably haven’t picked up a pound.”

  “It sure feels like it.”

  “Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll bring the food to your office.”

  “Okay. Aunt Clove, Gam and his parents are coming for dinner tonight at 6:00 pm. I just want to let you know.”

  “Do you need for me to stay?”

  “Oh no. You always want to know when the family is coming to dinner, so I’m letting you know.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”

  Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I opened the door and Aunt Clove walked in carrying a tray with two bowls of spinach salads and two glasses of iced teas. I quickly grabbed the white table cloth from my bottom cabinet drawer, then put it on my small table. Aunt Clove arranged the food and drinks on the table. She prayed. We then began eating.

  “This is good.” I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. I should have. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and my stomach had been growling for an hour before Aunt Clove telephoned me.

  “You remember my good friend Tish that lives down the road from me,” Aunt Clove asked.

  “I do.”

  “Spinach salad is one of her favorite foods. Many times during the summer months, she has given me money to bring her a spinach salad home for dinner.”

  “How is she?”

  “She is fretting because she does not have anyone to drive her home from Orlando, Florida. She called me this morning asking if I knew anyone who wanted a job.”

  “A job?”

  “For years now, from the day after Thanksgiving to May, she lives in Orlando. She lives down the road from me May through Thanksgiving. She is afraid of flying, so she pays a man in our neighborhood to drive her to Florida in her car. She buys the man a return ticket home and a ticket back to Florida when she is ready to come home. She pays him for his time, too. Well, the man broke his leg last week and has already told her he can’t come to get her this year.”

  “What’s she going to do?”

  “Get her tail on a flight like the rest of us do when we go back and forth to Florida,” Aunt Clove said flippantly.

  “Her fear of flying may be so debilitating that she shouldn’t get on a plane.”

  “She’s never flown. She doesn’t know how she will react. She just has it in her mind that the plane is going to fall from the sky with her in it.”

  “Fear is a terrible thing. It holds you back from doing a lot of things you would otherwise do.”

  “I know. I’ve offered to fly down to Florida with her. She won’t do it. I think it’s kind of funny that she is now stuck without a driver,” Aunt Clove snickered.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I have told her many times something like this might happen. She swore it would never happen.”

  “Can she stay the summer in Orlando?”

  “She’s already rented her place for the summer.”

  “Then, what’s she going to do?”

  “I’m looking around trying to find someone to go get her. Even though I told her this event would one day happen, I’m going to help my friend find a driver.”

  “What about those two big strapping grandsons of yours.”

  “They have already told me no way. They both said the two hundred dollars Tish pays each way is not enough.”

  “Are either of them working now?”

  “No.”

  “What is it, about ten hours to drive from Orlando to Danville, perhaps more considering bathroom breaks? It’s about two hours to fly to Orlando straight through. Let’s say they would use twelve hours of their time. That equates to about sixteen dollars an hour. Where else can they get a job for sixteen dollars an hour?”

  “I said to them exactly what you just said. Plus, Tish pays for all the food and drinks both ways.”

  “Don’t those boys want to work, Aunt Clove? And Reed now has a daughter to support. Dottery is not going to let him live off her forever.”

  “I’ve got Dottery working on Reed to do the job. So we shall see.”

  “What is it with these young people today? They want to make big money right out of high school. How many of their high school friends are working making $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 a year with just a high school diploma. You got to start somewhere; this driving job may lead to something big.”

  “You echoed me almost word for word, Vett.”

  “We can lead them to water, but we can’t make them drink, right?”

  “Absolutely. Reed has got to do better. That baby girl of his deserves better. You talk to him when you go over there. He listens to you.”

  “I will, Aunt Clove.”

  “Dottery spoils him. What is it about young people today that make them want to go back home to their parents? When I got out of high school, I couldn’t wait to be on my own and have my own place. Nowadays, with the first sign of toughness or a problem, the child gives up and goes back home.”

  “Didn’t both Reed and Cindy lose their jobs?” I asked.

  “Just Reed. Cindy is still working at that fast food place on Riverside. When they lost their apartment, Cindy’s mother wouldn’t take them in. Well, she couldn’t. She only lives in a small one-bedroom apartment. Cindy’s father is dead. Since there was no one else to help them, Dottery let them move into her house.”

  “Dottery may have spoiled Reed, but knowing her the way I do, she’s not going to let them stay there for long with Reed not contributing to the expenses. Reed is going to have to get a job soon and find an apartment.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  We talked about baby Chloe and the living arrangement in Dottery’s house for the next twenty minutes.

  Then Aunt Clove said, “I’m making a pineapple cake for tonight. It isn’t on the menu, but I know how Rachel loves it. So make sure she knows it is available.”

  “I will.”

  “You have no idea why they decided to invite you and Gam to dinner on such short notice?”

  “None at all. I know something is up because Rachel doesn’t make short notice meetings like this. You know how she is. She is a planner.”

  “Well, I hope it is all good. I’m leaving at 5:00 pm. If you need me before then, let me know.

  We then app
roved the menu for next week. After that, Aunt Clove went back to the kitchen, closing my office door behind her. After reading and answering some of my e-mails, paying bills, and reviewing food pricing advertisements, I looked at my watch, and it was 5:30 pm. I jumped up, grabbed my bag, and then went to the ladies’ room to freshen up. I put lipstick on my lips, blush on my cheeks, and combed my hair. Looking into the mirror, I turned my head several ways to make sure I was happy with my appearance.

  Leaving the ladies’ room, I quickly walked to the hostess stand.

  “Hi, Connie. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Vett. How are you?”

  “Fine, too. I’m expecting Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert Ellison for dinner at 6:00 pm tonight. When they arrive, would you seat them at one of the back booths on the right? And be sure to call me when they arrive.”

  “Sure, Vett. No problem.”

  “Thanks, Connie.”

  I was about to turn and walk back to my office when I saw Gam walking to the front door. I waited for him. He looked up, saw me, and then smiled.

  “Hi, Baby,” Gam said as he entered the room.

  “Hi, back at you,” I said as I kissed him on the cheek. “Come on back. We have a few minutes before your parents arrive.”

  Once in my office, we embraced and kissed long and passionately. When we released each other, Gam said, “I could hardly wait to see you. I missed you. I need a replay of that morning we had at Serenity.”

  “You’re so bad. I missed you, too, but we can’t do that here.”

  “Why not? Mom and Daddy won’t be here for another ten minutes or so.”

  “Oh no. You’ll get your replay tonight at home.”

  “You’re such a spoilsport.”

  “I won’t be tonight, trust me,” I said teasingly.

  “I’m ready for you.”

  I then sat in my office chair. Gam sat in the chair in front of my desk.

  “How was your day today?” I asked.

  “It was a slow day. This was good. I was able to catch up on some paperwork. How was yours? Did you get any further along on your case?”

  At that moment, it all rushed back on me. I hadn’t thought any more about the case since I made the phone call to Detective Rivers this morning. Now it mushroomed inside of me. I need to have an answer to Jackson by Friday. Today is Wednesday. I have no answer. What was I going to do? I don’t know who murdered Duffy. How do I get an answer by Friday?

  “No, I’ve not worked on the case today. I’ll get back on it tomorrow,” I said with trepidation.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Gam asked, seeing the apprehension and concern in my face.

  I then heard my inner voice say, “The case will be solved tomorrow.”

  “Gam, I was just told that the case will be solved tomorrow.”

  “What! Do you know who murdered Duffy?”

  “No,”

  “Then how do you know the case will be solved tomorrow.”

  “I trust what I heard.”

  “Baby, we’re having dinner with Mom and Daddy tonight. You won’t get a chance to work on the case tonight. So how are you going to solve it by tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know, but it will happen.”

  The phone rang. It was the hostess letting me know Gam’s parents had arrived.

  After hanging up the phone, I said, “Gam, let’s go. Your parents have arrived.”

  “Okay, let me use the men’s room, then we’ll walk out together.”

  When Gam and I approached the booth, his parents were heavy into reading the menu. They didn’t see us standing there.

  “Mom, Daddy, we are here,” Gam said.

  They both looked up at us, then got up from the booth, and hugged us both.

  After a round of civilities and pleasantries, Cutty asked, “What are you two going to order?”

  “I’m going to order the fried chicken. It’s excellent. You can order any sides you want. I’m ordering cabbage and stuffing,” I said.

  “I’m going to order the same as you, Baby,” Gam said.

  “I don’t think I want chicken again. I had chicken salad for lunch. Rach, are you ordering chicken?” Cutty said.

  “It smells so good. I know we had chicken salad for lunch, but I’m going to order the fried chicken. The smell has sold me,” Rachel said.

  “I’m getting the pork chops, mashed potatoes, and turnip greens,” Cutty said.

  A waitress walked over with four glasses of water and a basket of biscuits just as Cutty finished his statement.

  “My name is Gail, and I will be your server tonight. I’ve brought you water and a basket of hot biscuits. Are you ready to order now?”

  After Gail took the orders and walked away, Gam spoke.

  “What’s going on with you two? Why the last-minute cloak and dagger routine?”

  “Son, it’s not that at all. We got an approval on something today, and we want to share it with you. That’s all,” Cutty said.

  “What is it?” Gam asked.

  “We’ve been looking at a home in Florida, and this morning we got approved to buy it,” Rachel said.

  “You buying what!” Gam screeched, then looked at me.

  “Now, son, this is good for us. It is a senior citizen and gated community. We saw the community when we were in Florida last year. We loved it,” Cutty said, trying his best to appease Gam.

  “What are you going to do with your home here?” Gam asked.

  “Gam, we are going to sell it. At our age, there is no reason to hang on to it,” Rachel said.

  “Mom, why didn’t you tell me about this earlier so I could check out the place? Vett and I could have gone down and checked out the place to make sure you are not getting a raw deal,” Gam said.

  “Junior did that for us,” Cutty said.

  “You told Junior about your plans ahead of time, and you are just now telling me,” Gam said. Cuthbert Ellison, Jr. was Gam’s older brother with whom he didn’t get along.

  “Junior volunteered to check out the place. We didn’t ask you because we knew you would behave exactly the way you are behaving now. You want to keep us wrapped up in a safe bubble. I appreciate that and love you for it, but it’s our life. That community offers so many things that we will never get to do staying put in Blairs. We want to live; we want to have fun. We have the money to do it, so we decided to do it,” Cutty explained.

  “What do you think, Vett,” Rachel asked.

  I was stuck on the draw to Florida, but I heard her question. Earlier today, Aunt Clove told me about her friend that spends half the year in Florida, and now Gam’s parents are moving there. What’s the lure? It has to be more than the sunshine.

  I reached over and held Gam’s hand. “I’m a little surprised by the short notice to Gam, but I do see how strongly you want to do this. Do you have any literature we can read?”

  “I do. I brought these brochures with me,” Rachel said as she pulled the brochures from her bag. She handed them to Gam. He didn’t take them, so I did.

  “Son, I can promise you Junior checked out the place thoroughly, and his lawyer is reviewing all the documents,” Cutty said.

  “Daddy, did it occur to you that I would want to be involved upfront in this, too. This is a major decision you are making. What if you don’t like it in Florida? You won’t have a house to come back to,” Gam said.

  “We’ve vacationed in Florida for the last five years. We love it there. I really didn’t want to bother you with all this. You and Vett are still newlyweds. Junior travels a lot with his job, so it was easy for him to check out the place on one of his trips to Florida,” Cutty said.

  “Daddy, no disrespect, but don’t bring my marriage into this. Vett and I have seen you and Mom at least once a month since we got married, and I have talked to you on the phone at l
east once a week. Neither one of you said a word about moving to Florida. So if you. . . .” Sensing Gam was about to say something he would regret, I squeezed his hand tightly. He got the hint and stopped talking.

  “Son, I’m sorry. I see now that we should have told you about this at the same time we told Junior.”

  From what Rachel had previously shared with me, there has always been a sibling rivalry between Gam and his brother; there are no other siblings. Now that they were adults, Rachel believes Junior has turned his rivalry into envy. Junior wanted to be a sheriff’s detective, but his domestic abuse record and the car accident he was in contributed to him being unqualified. The car accident had damaged his right leg and he could never pass the flexibility, strength, and range of motion test. Cutty, a sheriff at that time, pulled some strings to get Junior qualified several times. His leg was never strong enough to meet the qualifications. Rachel said this devastated Junior, but he was able to find work as a salesman.

  Though Rachel and Cutty couldn’t see it, they favored Junior. They overcompensated to make him feel equal to Gam. I didn’t like it when the excessive measures they undertook to uplift Junior were at Gam’s expense. I persuaded Gam to talk to his parents about this. He did. Their response was they did no such thing.

  “Daddy, you leave me out all the time. Why can’t you see that?”

  Gam and Cutty were still at it when Gail came to the table with our food. They stopped talking as she sat the food and drinks before us, then asked, “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

  “No,” the four of us echoed affably.

  “Enjoy your meal,” Gail said.

  Cutty prayed, then we ate.

  “Mmm, the chicken is good,” Rachel said.

  “It is. Aunt Clove has a bunch of secret herbs and spices that she uses on poultry. She is proud of this and guards the secret with her life. She’s made a pineapple cake just for you. She asked me to make sure I mention this to you.”

  “Then I must have a slice,” Rachel said.

  For five minutes, we ate in silence.

  “Do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend? I’m inviting you to my cookout on Saturday before Memorial day,” Rachel said. It was pretty evident she was trying to cheer up the gloomy atmosphere.