Love Under Two Detectives

by Cara Covington

  “It might be an idea to ensure there are at least a couple of bedrooms set up for parents,” Kate said. “Just in case it becomes necessary to hold the children here, overnight.”

  It took Mary a moment to understand what the nonagenarian meant by that. Thoughts of the virus currently making inroads in her home state exploded in her mind. She imagined that if it was necessary, they would keep the babies here, quarantined as the virus ran rampant through Lusty. Of course, that might not be what Kate meant at all, but Mary couldn’t always control her rambling imagination. She felt dread snake up her back. If she were to paint the emotions she felt in words, she’d mention a darkening sky, the ominous deep rumble of thunder in the distance, and the steady, and menacing omen of the wind picking up, tossing whatever may be in its path—every image on its own a portend of danger to come. But together, roiling, boiling, leading to a dreadful and sinister plot twist.

  Mary blinked and looked around the room. People were chatting. They were chatting as if nothing was wrong while the sun shone and the birds sang.

  Am I the only one who feels this…this dread? This big blanket of doom just waiting to fall on us all? Am I the only one feeling stressed?

  “Well, then, Mary and I will leave y’all to your planning.” Kate was beside her and ran a hand down her back. “I thought the two of us could go and have a nice lunch over at Kelsey’s.”

  The invitation was unexpected but definitely not unwelcome.

  “Thank you, Grandma Kate. I think I’d like that.”

  Mary knew people, and maybe she was beginning to know herself a bit better, living here. Because she understood in that moment that if there was anyone on God’s green earth who could help her get over this…this stress, well, that person stood not even five foot tall, with more energy and way more knowledge and plain common sense than any six people she could name combined. Mary nodded to Jacqui as she walked out the door of the house.

  She wasn’t ashamed to admit that, right then and there, she needed her Grandma Kate.

  * * * *

  Kate enjoyed coming to Kelsey’s for so many reasons. Time moved so quickly. Already, it had been more than a decade since their sweet Kelsey had come to them. Kelsey Madison had been her granddaughter Susan’s friend and roommate from college. Susan had finally persuaded the young woman to come to Lusty because, being Lusty, this was the perfect place to mend a broken heart.

  Kelsey’s heart had been shattered in the aftermath of the murder of her husband and young son a few years before.

  Now, here she was, Kate’s beloved granddaughter, who managed a restaurant, her husbands, Matthew and Steven, and their three children—and made it all look so easy, and fun.

  I marvel at the intricacy of life and way things work out sometimes. In a way, Kelsey’s arrival here in Lusty had been a turning point for the entire family, in much the same way that her own arrival and that of her dear friend Miranda Kendall had been back in 1942.

  Of course, one very tangible reason Kate loved Lusty Appetites was the wonderful aromas that could always be found here. And not just the individual aromas, either, but the mix of sweet and savory did something interesting to her taste buds.

  Kate would never consider ordering chili and a cream puff on the same plate, but inhaling those two aromas together made her almost believe she could.

  Kate caught Bernice’s eye. Her daughter-in-law, who was a part-time server and mother-in-law to Kelsey, nodded and came right over.

  “There you are, Mother. Hello, Mary.” Bernice didn’t use her arms to give hugs at work, but she certainly knew how to give one with her kind eyes and warm smile. When she placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder, Kate could see the effect her daughter-in-law’s touch had.

  “Are they getting busy then, getting their plans set for the daycare center?” Bernice asked.

  “They are, indeed. Jordan and Cam are there, too, so they don’t need the two of us there. I convinced Mary to join me for lunch.”

  “Wonderful. How about a nice table where you can chat?” Bernice led them toward the back of the dining room, close to the bookstore entrance.

  Kate recalled that long-ago phone call from Caleb, her firstborn, so excited because he’d met the woman meant to be his—his and his brother Jonathan’s. Kate had followed the tradition begun by her own husband’s grandmothers and done all she could to help that budding romance along. And like those long-missed women, she’d connected with her son’s choice of bride—connected and gained herself such a sweet daughter and very good friend. I have been greatly blessed by both my daughters-in-law.

  They were her family. And Kate’s family was her heart.

  “Would you like some hot tea, Kate?” Bernice’s hand on her shoulder was a comfort to her. She unabashedly soaked up every hug, every touch, offered by this loving woman.

  “I would, thank you. I’m going to have orange pekoe today for a change.”

  Bernice turned to Mary. “What will you have to drink, Mary?”

  “Coffee, please, Aunt Bernice.”

  “I’ll leave these menus here, in case you want to look at them.”

  Mary followed Bernice with her eyes. When she turned back to Kate, she was smiling.

  “She loves working here part time, doesn’t she?”

  “She does. When I first met her, she reminded me of myself at her age—needing to be busy, useful—wanting to make a contribution to the world around her, but in her own way.”

  “What was it like for you, Grandma Kate, when you first came here? To Lusty?”

  Kate loved the inquisitiveness, the insatiable thirst for knowledge she saw shining in Mary’s eyes. She indulged her questions, and Kate’s own need to look back, to note her own touchstones. “I was young and idealistic, and though I didn’t necessarily believe I had all the answers, I did believe quite firmly that I could find them if I just looked hard enough and smart enough.”

  “I’ve studied up on the beginning years of the Second World War in this country and the massive changes that those years between 1941 and 1945 brought to America—well, to everyone, really.”

  “Times change, and that’s the truth. As it has been doing since the beginning of time. My father told me how everything was different after the end of the first Great War. He told me how, after that conflict, the entire world changed.” She sat back and met Mary’s gaze. “Not as quickly, I would bet, as the world changes now, simply because of our modern technology, allowing instantaneous world-wide communication. But regardless of all that, I’ve often wondered if the real question isn’t, do the times change, or do we?”

  Bernice brought their beverages. Kate noted that Mary hadn’t looked at the menu, yet. She apparently realized that, too, because she quickly grabbed it up and began perusing the selections. Kate allowed a couple of moments to pass, just in case something jumped out at the young woman. It didn’t look as if anything was.

  After another slow count of five, Kate leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Do you know, when I’m feeling stressed, I come here and I order some of Tracy’s cream puffs. There are times when self-indulgence is the medicine that’s needed.” She nodded her head as if closing the lid on that secret and then turned to Bernice. “I’ll have two, please, sweetheart.”

  Mary met her gaze, and Kate loved the spirit she saw there. Mary nodded, closed the menu, and handed it back.

  “I’ll have the same, please, Aunt Bernice.”

  “Wonderful.” Bernice grinned then stepped closer. “I’m usually pushing salads, especially on the younger folk, but there are just times we need to feed our souls, first.”

  Kate watched Bernice walk off toward the kitchen then turned her attention back to Mary. The young woman’s smile had disappeared. All pretense gone, Mary Judith Kendall let Kate see her true emotions.

  “I feel like I’m the only one who’s on the verge of falling apart.”

  “Oh, sweet girl, of course you’re not the only one.” Kate leaned over and la
id her hand on Mary’s. She felt her trembling, and her heart broke, just a little, for the young woman.

  “I’m scared, Grandma Kate. I can’t explain it. It’s just this sense, deep down…like everything is spinning out of control. I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Me, too.”

  Mary’s eyes went wide. “You’re not afraid! You’re strong and smart and…”

  “Everything you just said about me applies to you, and if we weren’t afraid right now, then what good, pray tell, would being strong and smart do us to begin with?”

  Mary blinked, a sure sign the young woman was listening, but most important, she was thinking.

  “We all should be afraid,” Kate said. “But sadly, it appears that some people don’t even believe what’s happening. I shudder with fear for them, I really do. I’m not afraid for myself. First, I’ve lived a good long life. Of course, I sure as hell intend to have more, don’t get me wrong.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Mary’s quip made her grin. “This family has been blessed with both money and power, and we don’t tend to use either out of hand, which means people don’t tend to realize how much of both commodities we really have. What good would they be, if they couldn’t be used to keep us safe? I really worried about the difficulty of that at first, until we learned this virus is primarily spread by human contact and wasn’t carried on the wind. That is a much easier threat to deal with. So, let’s look at what you’re afraid of and what we can do about those fears.” Kate took Mary’s hand in hers. “Are you afraid of getting sick and dying?”

  She knew already there were pictures being shown on televisions around the country, around the world, of the virus’s affect in Europe. Pictures of hospitals filling to the point that people were being left in corridors, some on the floor because there were no beds. That’s the stuff of nightmares right there.

  Those images were necessary but hard to watch. Kate thought that beyond a certain point focusing on what was happening was nothing more than self-torture. It was one thing, in her mind, to keep informed. It was quite another to dwell on every single heart-wrenching detail. Know what was going on, certainly. Then do what you could about it.

  The rest is just useless worry that will do nothing good but could very well end up pushing a body into the grave sooner, rather than later.

  I’ll take later, thank you very much.

  “No.” Mary inhaled deeply. “No, I’m not afraid for myself. I’m afraid for others, for…”

  “For the ones you love. Those two detectives, I’d wager, are at the top of that list, as are your folks back in New York.”

  “And the family here.”

  “And the family here.” Kate nodded. “What else?”

  “I read up on the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Five hundred million were infected, and fifty million died! Fifty million!”

  “Horrendous, to be certain. Very frightening. My own father actually lost his mother and sister in that pandemic. He told me there was practically no one who didn’t have at least someone they were close to who got sick and died.”

  “So, this time, it should be better, right? Because we have more developed science, better medicines, better contingency plans. Right?”

  “We have all of those things going for us, yes. We also have something going against us. As I mentioned, apparently, there are some people who don’t believe there is a virus. Those at the highest levels of government are saying, publicly, that it will disappear—poof—like magic.”

  Mary gaped then closed her mouth. “It is real, isn’t it? You wouldn’t be so worried about it if it wasn’t.”

  “It is real. I’ve known about the existence of this strain of coronavirus since the end of December. Because of Maria’s Quest, I have a lot of contacts throughout the world, and many of them in medicine. I was a nurse too, you know. I’ve been praying since I learned about it that this virus wouldn’t turn out to be too much of a danger. But I have a feeling that, before long, the World Health Organization is going to declare it a global pandemic. I have no idea how bad it will be—and neither, sweetheart, do you. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be as prepared as it’s possible for us to be.”

  “Being prepared is the key, isn’t it?”

  “Sweetheart, in life, it always is. You know how strongly this entire family adheres to the belief that we, each one of us, is responsible for our own actions and our own lives. We’re none of us alone, but we’re all of us responsible. Well, we’re responsible, and we’re not blind to reality.” Kate took a sip of her tea then sat back when Bernice returned with two plates each holding two wonderful cream puffs.

  Mary’s plate had an extra good dollop of whipped cream on the side. She giggled with delight when she saw it.

  One of the things Kate gave thanks for was the fact this sweet woman was still in touch with her inner child.

  Too many adults traded joy for what they took as the expected sobriety of getting older—and it wasn’t a good bargain, not one bit.

  “As you may imagine, we’ve been brainstorming, and we have disparate resources from which to draw. So let me tell you what we have planned and how we’re going to deal with this situation, going forward.”

  “Yes, please, Grandma Kate. And then please tell me what I can do to help. I think if I stop thinking about all the what-ifs and do something—even something small—I’ll be able to cope better.”

  Kate felt her heart swell with pride. She gave Mary’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I think so too, sweet girl. Now, let’s indulge in all this wonderful pastry and cream, shall we?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  While Anthony was off comparing notes with one of the uniformed officers who’d accompanied them on their last call, Toby finished writing up his report. He checked the bottom right corner of his computer screen. The day was winding down nicely. A part of his mind noted that several of his fellow detectives had returned from various assignments and were chatting as they grabbed coffee—or a safer bet at this time of day, especially when it came to the lining of their stomachs, a bottle of water.

  Toby sensed one of his fellow detectives approaching. He saved the file then looked up from his screen.

  “So tell me, Wyoming, is what I’ve heard true? Do y’all eat something out there in the untamed mountains called Rocky Mountain oysters?” Junior Wyatt—first name Eugene, which he hated—had pasted what Toby’s dad used to call a shit-eating grin on his face as he waited for Toby’s response.

  Standing just beside Junior, his partner, Nathan Blaine, shook his head, trying to hold back his own grin.

  A man didn’t grow up in a family like the Kendalls of Wyoming, with lots of male siblings and cousins, and not know how to take a ribbing.

  And hell, lately he’d sharpened his wit at the Sunday supper table of his Aunt Samantha. Now there was a serious field for honing what was called in Lusty the art of cousin speak, where no quarter was asked nor given.

  “It is true, son. I heard tell that once a man got a good taste of those, it changes him.” Connor Peterson, the fifth detective on duty for this shift was nearing retirement age. The man reminded him of his former partner, Beck. Just the way Peterson had said that, as soberly as a judge revealing the shrouded truth of the ages, sent a shaft of homesickness through him.

  He missed that old coot. Maybe I should give him a call.

  The more he thought about the theory that Mary had put forward, the more he became convinced that there really had been no dirty cop. Rumors, innuendos, and misdirection. That was all it had been.

  It could very well have been that someone else, a person close enough to one of the cops in the department, someone with cleverness and guile had managed weasel out just enough information to have created those rumors, innuendos, and misdirection. Maybe, if he called Beck, he’d ask him if there was anyone he could think of who’d fit that bill.

  Toby turned his attention back to his coworkers. He’d
taken their shots. Now it was time for him to fire back.

  “Y’all don’t have to be shy. We’re all compadres here. If you want me to send home for some Rocky Mountain oysters to help you out with your…um…stamina, why, just say so. I think there’s a restaurant that will ship overnight, in refrigerated containers, all safe-and secure. There are those who swear by those oysters for restoring a man’s vir-il-ity, so I can certainly see why y’all, especially, would be interested in getting some. Of course, I’ve never had cause to eat them myself, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of if a body—or several—needs help in that department.”

  “No one can ever say you don’t go the extra mile to help your fellow officers, Toby,” Anthony said.

  His partner had entered the office during his little shot. His grin said it all. And if it hadn’t, the high-five between the two of them did the job.

  “Seriously…people really eat those?” Peterson asked.

  “Bull testicles?” Toby shrugged. “Apparently. I meant it when I said I hadn’t tried them. Can’t see it ever happening, either.”

  “Testicles! I thought you said they were test cases, a new breed of mollusks!” The look of disgust Junior shot Blaine was priceless, if overdone.

  The two had a mock shoving match on the way back to their desks. Toby shook his head then focused on his partner. The humor left him as he looked at Anthony.

  “Something up?”

  “You could say that. Adam called a couple minutes ago. He said he had a call from one of the detectives in New York.” Anthony told him about the call. It didn’t take his best friend long to completely alter Toby’s mood and the balance in his entire world.

  “When the hell did that happen?”

  “About two weeks before we discovered we had a stalker.”

  Toby slowly got to his feet. They were here, safe and secure in police headquarters. But their woman… “Mary.”