One for the Hooks

by Betty Hechtman

  I went back over the fences again, checking for an exit, and it seemed they all had the same setup. A gate that only opened from the other side.

  I was berating myself for not being one of those people whose phone was like an appendage. It hadn’t occurred to me to grab mine before my adventure, and it was sitting in my purse … inside Miami’s gate. I scrounged in my pocket to see if I’d left a piece of candy, thinking I was going to be stuck there for the night. I heard a noise in the distance. It got louder and I recognized the thwack sound just as a bright line shone down on me. I heard a motor and metal clanking and a moment later a bunch of uniforms came at me. I was about to say thank you when one of them grabbed me and announced I was under arrest.

  Of course, I tried to explain, but the cop wouldn’t listen and put me in the back of a police car that smelled terrible. When we got to the station, another cop “helped me” to a metal bench and was attaching me to it.

  “Hey, what about my phone call?” I said to the female officer doing the honors. She looked at me and seemed about to dismiss my request, but I guess I was such a mess she relented.

  “I’m not supposed to do this,” she said, pulling out her cell phone. “Give me the number. But I’ll have to do the talking.”

  Nobody knows phone numbers anymore. You just click on something. I froze, realizing the only number I knew was my home. But did I really want Peter to bail me out? There was one other number I knew. This wasn’t going to go well.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Arrested for being a peeping Tom?” Barry said, shaking his head as he approached the bench I was chained to. He plucked a twig from my hair and, judging from the way he looked at me, I gathered that wasn’t the worst of it. A uniform came and unlocked the handcuffs, and I sat there, not sure what to do.

  “You can leave,” the officer said. “The person who reported you isn’t pressing charges.”

  “Who was it?” I asked. “I bet that’s who sent the drone.”

  Barry gave the uniform a look that I didn’t quite see, but I’m assuming it implied that I was a little nutty. “C’mon Sherlock, you never ask questions when they tell you that you can go.” He grabbed my hand, and I winced in pain, letting out a squeal as I pulled free.

  “I have a splinter,” I said. I held up my hand as evidence.

  Barry turned to the uniform and asked for the first aid kit.

  “You need tweezers,” I said, looking over his shoulder as he examined the contents.

  “Well, there aren’t any,” he said.

  “You can’t take it out without tweezers,” I said.

  “I’d hate to be lost in the wild with you,” he said, shaking his head. “Now hold still.” He grabbed my finger and pressed a piece of tape on it. I yelped with the stab of pain. He ripped the tape away and then examined the sticky side. “You’re fixed,” he said, showing me the piece of wood stuck to the tape.

  Just to make sure, I touched the spot and sighed with relief when I felt nothing. “Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand again. It wasn’t in any way a romantic gesture, more like dealing with an unruly teen.

  He nodded to a few people he obviously knew as we headed to the door. I put my head down in embarrassment. He led the way to his Tahoe, glancing over at me. “You’re soaking wet. What happened? Was the flood control ravine full of water?” He beeped open the SUV and retrieved a jacket from the back, draping it over me before I got in the passenger side.

  “No. It’s from a broken sprinkler,” I said. “I think you might be right about the Yanas.” Even with the jacket, I had a shivery feeling. It was probably the aftermath of what had happened.

  “We’ll get to that in a minute. First we get you home and out of those wet clothes.”

  “That sounds a little salacious,” I said.

  “You know what I mean. And by the way, your call got me in the middle of dinner. Aren’t you glad I didn’t insist on finishing first?”

  “Okay, you got me. I’m sorry I got upset with you for leaving in the middle of a meal when we were … you know.”

  “Dating,” he said with a laugh. He knew I thought it was a silly term for people our age. Just like I hadn’t wanted to say he was my boyfriend.

  “In a relationship,” I said. Barry had pulled the Tahoe in front of my house, and I saw the car in my driveway.

  “Oh, geez Louise, I forgot about Peter,” I said. “I don’t have my key. I can’t ring the doorbell.” I knew I was talking fast, but I didn’t seem to be able to help it.

  “Lucky for you I still have the key you gave me when Jeffrey was coming over to take care of Cosmo. “We can go in the door to the den, and your son will never have to know anything.”

  “But I have to get my stuff. I left my purse, phone, tote bag, and car at Miami’s,” I said a little franticly.

  “None of it is going anywhere. Why don’t you get out of those wet clothes, and then I’ll take you to get your stuff.

  “This is crazy, sneaking into my own house,” I said as Barry silently unlocked the French door.

  We slipped inside and then into the master suite. He waited in my room while I changed out of my wet clothes in the bathroom. I caught a look at myself in the mirror. I was right. The twig had been the least of it. There were dirt smudges all over my face, and my khaki pants were wet and stained with mud. I was pretty sure my white shirt was beyond saving.

  I pulled on a pair of leggings and threw on a black T-shirt with the Mona Lisa on the front. I got all the guck out of my hair and pulled it back, stuffing it in a scrunchy.

  We slipped back outside and Barry drove me to Starlight Court. Miami’s house was still dark, so I went in the side gate and grabbed my things while Barry waited out front.

  “Well, thanks for everything,” I said as I unlocked the Greenmobile. “You can go home and finish your dinner now.”

  “Not yet,” he said. “I want to make sure you get in safely.” He was staring at me.

  “What is it? Do I have something on my face?

  He paused and seemed to be measuring his words. “You seem a little crazed.”

  “What do you mean? I’m fine.” I looked around at the houses on the short street. “Which one of you called the cops on me? I bet it was the Yanas.” I pointed accusingly at their house.

  He put his fingers to his lips, shushing me, and urged me to get in my car.

  It was a short drive to my place. I pulled into my driveway and he parked on the street. We both went in through the den door and back to my room.

  “I’m good now,” I said. Then I realized that all the animals needed their food and the dogs some outdoor time. “I have to take care of the animals. I don’t want to keep you.”

  “No problem,” he said. “I’ll wait here.”

  I let the dogs have some yard time and made sure everyone had food. I heard the TV coming from Peter and Gabby’s room, and the door was shut. When I came back to my room, Barry was waiting.

  “Okay, now can you tell me how you ended up trapped in the flood control space.”

  “It started because I left my tote bag at Miami’s.” I told him how Dinah and I had noticed the open space when we’d been there before. “I thought the drone had come from that direction and, well, there I was in the yard alone. It seemed like fate was telling me to have a look around.”

  He put his hand to his forehead in frustration. “Molly, you were just supposed to talk to people and listen.”

  “But you said there was nothing you could do, like get a warrant to look around the Yanas’ place.”

  “You’re just lucky that nobody wants to press charges.”

  “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I didn’t stop and reason it out. I just went for it. It would have been fine if I’d realized the gate didn’t open on the other side and I’d left it propped open,” I said. “I’m not like you. I can’t keep everything inside and be all logical and unemotional. Sometimes I just go for it.” I knew I should stop talking, but somehow I couldn
’t, and the words kept falling out of my mouth.

  We were standing staring at each other now. “I hope it works out with Carol. An ER nurse is probably just like you—a real cool cucumber with no flares of emotion.”

  “What are you talking about?” He seemed genuinely confused.

  “Like right now. Here you are standing in my bedroom. A room with a lot of memories from our past, and you’re totally unmoved. You keep it all shut down.” I probably did sound a little crazed from all I’d just been through and the adrenaline rush, but once the genie was out of the bottle, I couldn’t stop. “I admit I still feel a tiny spark when I see you. But for you the fire is all out.”

  “Molly, don’t,” Barry said in a warning voice. “I told you a long time ago that the way I deal with things that I can’t have, like food when there’s no time to eat, sleep when I have to keep going.” He dropped his voice, “Or you.” He blew out his breath. “I keep a lid on it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything. I just know how to handle it.”

  “Really?” I said.

  “Yeah, really.” For a moment he stared at me, and I thought he was going to turn to go, but he seemed to be fighting with himself. Then he rocked his head in capitulation and let his breath out as he muttered, “What am I doing?” Before I knew what was happening, he’d closed the space between us.

  I was stunned. feeling his arm around me as I breathed in the scent of the citrus soap that he used. It was familiar and exciting, and then he leaned in to kiss me. Everything went swirling in my head, and when our lips met, it was like sparklers, rainbows, and rocket ships all going off at the same time and I felt myself melting. He pulled away so abruptly, I almost fell.

  “I hope you’re happy,” he growled. “I gotta go.” He rushed to the door before I could follow.

  I sat a long time, trying to process what had just happened.

  I finally left my room and went to make myself a cup of tea. I saw something slumped on the couch and didn’t realize at first that it was Peter. He was always so upright and together, and suddenly he looked like all the starch had gone out of his body. Mother’s instinct, I guess, but I immediately forgot about my own issues and focused on him.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “She left me,” he said in a miserable tone.

  I’d never seen my son so undone, and I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Samuel had always cried on my shoulder when things didn’t work out, but Peter never showed any vulnerability.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, fully expecting him to suddenly straighten himself up and brush me off. But instead he nodded. “I was going to have some tea. Can I make you a cup?” He considered my offer for a moment, and I almost upped it to something alcoholic, but then he nodded again.

  I brought the tea in with some cookies, thinking maybe the sugar would help.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “She blamed me for everything falling apart. I should have known. I should have had a backup plan. Mostly, I should have figured out something besides living here.” He stopped and drank some tea and gobbled a cookie. “She said she couldn’t wait around for me to get it together. She got a job offer—to be a line producer on a film.”

  “What about the baby?” I asked.

  “She doesn’t see it as any reason to do anything differently. She moved back with her parents in the Palisades until she can get her own place.” He slumped back against the couch. “It was fine when everything was going along as planned,” he said, “but I thought there was something about for better or worse.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I said the only thing I could think of. “I’m sorry.” And then he did something he hadn’t done since he was four years old and couldn’t find his Freddy Teddy bear: he threw himself against me and sobbed. I knew it was more than just Gabby leaving. It was everything—he’d lost his job, his lifestyle, the image he had of himself, and now the mother of his baby too.

  I did the same thing I’d done for my younger son when he’d fallen apart. “It’ll be okay,” I said in a voice that sounded like I had some secret knowledge. Then I crossed my fingers, hoping I was right.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “What am I going to do? It was all my fault,” I said to Dinah. I’d skipped my morning coffee and dressed quickly before showing up at my best friend’s door. Commander was already gone and we had the place to ourselves, but even so we went into her She Cave. She’d plied me with coffee and cinnamon toast, and I’d dumped the details of what had happened the previous day, ending with the moment with Barry. I felt like I had an emotional hangover, and only some girl time could help.

  “Not exactly,” my friend said. “He’s the one who made the move.”

  “But I pushed him to it, going on about how locked down he was.”

  “But you were still stunned from all you’d gone through and were operating on nerve,” Dinah said, trying to make me feel better.

  “You’re right. It was just a hiccup, a mistake after getting lost in the secret garden and arrested and all the adrenalin,” I said, feeling a little calmer. “But what about Mason? Do I tell him?” I drank some more the coffee, hoping it would ease the burned-out feeling. Before she could answer, I did. “Maybe it is better to just leave it be. And then I won’t have to explain what Barry was doing in my bedroom. I’m sure that will be the end of me helping Barry with this case anyway. I’ll probably just get a curt phone call.” I drained my cup and with a hug and a thank-you, I felt ready to face my day.

  I’d left my car in the bookstore parking lot and walked to Dinah’s. Now I retraced my steps and went into Shedd & Royal. After all the trouble it had caused, I’d made sure to bring in my tote bag with the list Mrs. Shedd had been so insistent about needing. My first stop was her office.

  “Molly, you have it already? I hope it wasn’t any trouble,” she said. I wanted to laugh at how absurd her comment seemed, all things considered, but I didn’t.

  “No problem,” I said, handing it to her.

  I went directly to the yarn department after that. The Hookers had been a big help the day before, but there were still kits to make, as well as figuring out a way to display them. On top of it all, I was nervous. I’d pushed the idea of buying the yarn and making the kits. If nobody wanted them, it was a black mark for me.

  I took a bunch of yarn and put the skeins on the table, along with the other supplies, and started putting together the kits. I was glad for the repetitive work as it took my mind off everything else for the moment.

  “I wanted to be sure you had this,” CeeCee said, coming up to the table. She laid one of the Serendipity scarves on the table with a flourish.

  “Wow,” I said. Seeing hers reminded me why I had fallen in love with the idea of mixing the yarns in the first place. She’d made hers in different shades of shades of pink with spring green running down the middle.

  “I’ll get it back after the event, won’t I, dear?” She touched her work lovingly. “I’ve convinced the director to let me wear it in the play. If all else fails, at least it will get a good review.” She punctuated it with her merry laugh, but there was a hint of worry in it.

  “You’ll be great,” I said. “You’re a professional.”

  “Yes, when I have a lot of takes and retakes. There’s just one shot with live theater. It’s not like when I played Ophelia in the Anthony movie.” She’d gotten a faraway look, and I knew she was thinking back to the movie about the vampire who crocheted to contain his lust for blood, particularly that of his love interest. Suddenly, the actor snapped to attention. “Dear, how could I have forgotten that Sloan was one of the set designers on the movie.” CeeCee’d had a supporting role in the movie, and not only had it given her career a huge boost, but she’d been nominated for an Academy Award. “She was the one who designed his lair.” CeeCee glanced at the scarf that Rhoda had made. “Anthony would have loved that, all those shades of red.”

  Her face clouded. “It’s
so tragic that she was a victim of such a strange occurrence.” She let out a sigh. “You haven’t heard any more about it, have you?”

  I considered whether to mention that I thought it might not have been an accident. In the past when I’d gotten involved with investigations, I’d always talked them over with the crochet group, but this time was different since no one but Dinah knew that I was involved with the case. I decided saying anything would lead to more explaining than I wanted to do. “The police are still investigating,” I said before turning the subject back to her upcoming play and repeating my reassurance that she would be great.

  “Join The Adele as we tour the Shedd & Royal yarn department.” Adele came up to the table and pointed her phone at CeeCee. “We have a celebrity guest today, CeeCee Collins. Remember, she’s in my group of crocheters. What’s going on?” Adele looked at the table and figured it out. “CeeCee and a bookstore worker are in the midst of preparations for our big event tomorrow evening.” She turned the camera on the table. If I was in the shot, it was only my hands. “It’s your big chance to have a crochet lesson from The Adele herself. Then you can buy a kit and make one of these to remember the moment we met.” She held up one of the samples and went on about what an amazing experience it was to get a lesson from her. I was usually annoyed by Adele, but this time I was glad she was pitching the event. She was livestreaming and, after giving the details of the bookstore location, signed off. She flopped in one of the chairs and let out a breath of relief.

  “I hope that holds them for a while. My fans are like content monsters. They keep wanting more. I didn’t know what I was going to give them, and then I saw you,” she said to CeeCee.

  “While you’re sitting here, I could use some help making the kits,” I said. CeeCee apologized for having to leave.

  “I don’t know. You are in charge of the department, so isn’t it your responsibility?” Then she relented and joined me in putting the kits together.