by Teresa Trent
I looked around my aunt’s lovely two-story red brick home. She had a spacious dining room and a beautiful backyard that held her garden. As I listened to my aunt prattle on about the benefits of reversing her mortgage, I worried about her making a decision that would lead to losing her home.
After all, we were family, and family took care of each other whether it was a Santa Claus costume at Christmastime or saving an elderly aunt from a bad deal.
When I returned to the house later that afternoon, Tyler was on the phone with his new significant infatuation.
“Uh-huh.” That was all the poor boy had been saying since I walked into the kitchen. It seemed his new girlfriend was quite the talker. “Yes, I like that dress on you, too.”
There was a slight pause then he added, “Uh because it’s really pretty.” At least he was past the “uh-huh” stage of their conversation, but now it sounded like she was asking him to reassure her that she was beautiful. I had only seen this young lady at ball games in her cheerleading outfit, and she was a strikingly attractive teenager. She also seemed to spend a great amount of time brushing her hair and reapplying makeup. She was, by far, the most popular girl in Tyler’s class, and my stepson’s feet were barely touching the ground now that they were an official item. Just how much of her self-involvement would he endure?
Zach stood next to me in the kitchen, grabbing a tube of string cheese out of the refrigerator while glancing at his brother on the phone. “Man, he’s smitten.”
I had only been home a few minutes. “How long has he been talking to her like that, or should I say listening to her like that?”
“Since he’s been home from school. I think they’re talking about the dress she’s going to wear to the Christmas festival.” He put both hands together and said in a falsetto voice, “They’re planning their date together. Uh-huh,” Zachary echoed Tyler. “Yup. She’s got him wrapped.”
“You mean around her little finger?”
“I mean hook, line, and sinker. You know she tends to date whatever guy she thinks is the most popular in school. Tyler is the school’s best athlete right now. I’m sure that’s why she’s decided to date him. He’s just a status symbol to her, like her Michael Kors purse and Manolo shoes. Tyler is her latest accessory.”
It always amazed me how perceptive Zach was. He had a way of stating an event honestly and clearly. That was why I was sure he would be an excellent reporter someday. He already wrote for the school newspaper, and as a sophomore, he’d taken over as editor. This accomplishment was unheard of at Pecan Bayou High School. It didn’t hurt that he spent so much time with Rocky and Nick.
When Tyler finally hung up, Zach walked over and punched him on the arm, the way brothers tend to do. He was affectionate, but he hit a little too hard.
“So, are you having fun telling Tiffany how beautiful she’s going to look in that dress?”
“Shut up,” he said in a joking manner. “You’re just jealous. Are you taking anybody to the Christmas party?” That one hit home. Zach hadn’t been as successful in the dating arena as Tyler.
“Not yet. I’m going through my options,” Zach muttered.
“Sure. The only option you have is whether to go alone or stay home writing in that journal of yours. Dear diary ... I’m so lonely ...” Tyler drug out the last word, making Zach blush.
This kind of thing could lead to a real argument, so I attempted to put on the brakes. “Stop, you two.”
Tyler couldn’t resist teasing Zach. He continued, “I think it’s pretty pitiful that even Danny has a date for the Christmas festival, but you don’t.”
Zach brightened up. “That’s right. He told me you were going to double date for the festival. Tiffany is going to love that. Maybe Wanda can share some makeup tips with her.”
That shut Tyler’s teasing down. “I’m not going on a double date with Danny and his girlfriend.”
“That’s not what he says. Are you ashamed of going out with our cousin? Dumping him wouldn’t exactly be politically correct,” Zach said, smiling. Now he had the upper hand.
Tyler didn't answer. It was tough to choose between family and your dream girl.
Chapter 7
That evening the exploits of the Christmas Creeper continued. Delta Haney reported somebody in her yard then Enid reported seeing someone by her rosebushes. My father had to be exhausted accompanying officers on the calls.
Not to be left out, Aunt Maggie called me. Her voice sounded agitated on the other end.
“Betsy. Something’s wrong. I know Judd is busy with all these other folks, but I think I saw movement out by my mailbox. I don’t know what to do.”
“Turn on your porch light. See if you can figure out who it is. With all this craziness going on, it could just be your imagination.”
“If I turn on my porch light then he’ll know that I know he’s there.”
“Do you have your gun?”
“Locked and loaded. I know I talk big about it, but I’ve never actually shot this thing.”
The kids were all upstairs in their rooms, getting ready for bed. I could run over and wouldn’t even be missed. I had checked in on Coco just a few minutes ago, and she was fast asleep. “Where is Danny?”
“He’s watching TV in the den, but he’s on his last show. He goes to bed at ten.”
Having Aunt Maggie worried was one thing, but if Danny picked up on her fear, it could be very bad. “I’ll get Tyler and Zach to keep an eye on Coco. Leo and I will be right over.”
Aunt Maggie sighed. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You’d better have a reason for your visit so Danny doesn’t suspect.”
Five minutes later we were driving down Maggie’s street. “Turn the lights off,” I said to Leo.
Leo looked at me quizzically. “Why would I want to do that? We could get hurt or worse—run into somebody’s mailbox.”
“Because with the lights out we can sneak up on whoever is out there.” His surveillance skills were sorely lacking.
“I don’t know if I want to sneak up on this guy.”
Obviously, I’d been driving around with my father for too long. I just assumed that we would be confronting whoever was out there. Leo was not so anxious to jump into the fray. Give him a hurricane and he’s all over it, but a peeping Tom ... not so much.
“Just turn them off for a minute. There are plenty of Christmas lights to lead your way.” Aunt Maggie’s street had so many lights and Christmas displays that a small plane could land here at night using the street as the runway.
“Fine, but if I cause property damage it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”
We pulled up to Maggie’s neighbor’s house, where we spotted a dark outline of a man standing in the street, peering in Maggie’s direction. What happened next was totally unexpected. Maggie was yelling from the door and holding up her rifle.
“Whoever you are, Christmas Creeper, you need to make tracks, or I’ll shoot.” She raised the gun slightly and shot. The gunfire illuminated the man in the night. The Christmas Creeper slumped to the ground.
“Oh my gosh. Aunt Maggie just shot a man.” I scrambled for my seatbelt.
Leo put the car in park, and we jumped out as Aunt Maggie screamed, “Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. I killed him. I killed the creeper.”
Other neighbors started coming out as inside lights flipped on up and down the street, dulling the shine of their holiday splendor. We edged nearer to the fallen man while I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. Aunt Maggie continued to scream in the background, and now Danny was standing with her, his fingers curled up against his lips, terror in his eyes. He ran back inside. When he was really scared, he was known to take a couch pillow and hide between the couch and china cabinet in Maggie’s den.
“911. What is your emergency?”
“This is Betsy.”
“Well, hey there, Betsy.” I recognized the voice of Delta Haney’s daughter Tina.
“Hey, Tina. There’s been a shooting at my aunt’s ho
use. There was a man out front, and she felt threatened. Somehow, she shot him. She didn’t mean to. He’s on the ground. We need an ambulance.”
Leo turned the man over. The glow of the Christmas lights reflected off his face.
“It’s Joe. It’s Mr. Nelson,” I whispered.
Joe lay there in his sweater vest, blood creeping across the applique of a reindeer, turning its nose red. Aunt Maggie had just shot Joe Nelson, the leader of the Pecan Bayou Singers and the man who gave her solo to Enid Sanford. It was not looking good for my aunt. After telling Danny to stay inside, Maggie walked out to the fallen creeper. Her hand shook as she held it over her mouth.
“I can’t believe it. I didn’t mean to shoot him. I shot Joe. Why would I ever want to shoot Joe?”
The ambulance pulled up, followed by two police cars. Dad jumped out of the first one and frowned, seeing his own family assembled on the curb. “Everybody okay?”
“I shot Joe. I didn’t mean to shoot him. I really didn’t. You have to believe me,” Maggie repeated.
Leo looked up at the porch. “I’ll go stand with Danny. He’s going to have a tough time processing all of this.”
My father took off his Stetson, looking confused. “Why would you shoot Joe? I know you were upset ...”
“I thought he was the Christmas Creeper. I told him to be on his way, and I shot up in the air to try to scare him off. Next thing I know, he fell to the ground. I never meant to shoot him. He isn’t dead, is he?”
Orly Ortiz, the paramedic who had shown up at several of my crime scenes, shook his head. “I’m sorry. He’s gone. The bullet hit him square in the chest.”
A group of neighbors crowded onto the yard next door, no one daring to cross Maggie’s lighted candy cane ropes. Several of them had their phones raised, taking pictures of the fallen choir director. In another minute, Rocky showed up. He positioned himself at the front of the crowd and motioned for me to come over. I chose to ignore him. Orly and the other paramedic picked up Joe, put him on a stretcher, and covered him with a sheet before loading him into the ambulance.
My father put his arm around his sister. “It’ll be okay. We’ll go down to the station and get this all figured out.” From the location of Joe’s feet, he was in the street and not even on Maggie’s property. She would have a tough time selling this as an act of self-defense.
“But what about Danny?”
“Don’t worry about Danny. We’ll take him home with us,” I assured her.
“Mama?” Danny called. He had returned to the porch with Leo.
I took Maggie’s hand. “Just go and get this straightened out. You can pick up Danny at our house when you’re done, and don’t worry about what time it is.”
She nodded as if in a trance. When we arrived home, we put Danny in Zach’s room in the spare bunk bed.
He kept repeating the same questions: “Where did they take Mama? Is she going to jail? Why did she shoot the gun?”
I tried to settle him down, but even I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Maggie. I just had to hope she would be back in time to calm his nerves.
Chapter 8
The next day, Dad asked to meet me at Benny’s Barbecue to discuss what had happened. Even with his favorite plate of brisket in front of him, he was clearly disturbed. “This doesn’t look good, Betsy. I’m afraid your aunt has gotten herself into some trouble.”
“It was an accident. She was shooting into the air. We both know she’s not a killer.”
“She shot a man, darlin’.”
“But she thought it was the creeper. She was defending herself.”
My father leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “There is not a prosecutor on earth who couldn’t make a case out of this. He wasn’t even in her yard. How could she be in danger when he was standing on the street? Should we be allowed to shoot joggers when they run too close to the house? Be reasonable.”
Benny walked over with a piece of pecan pie for each of us. “Heard about what happened last night. Thought the two of you could use a piece of pie—on the house.”
“Thanks.”
Benny shook his head in disbelief. “I just can’t believe your aunt shot old Joe. She was always so nice to everybody. I guess you never know ...”
“It was an accident,” I repeated. How long would it be before people realized Maggie would never shoot anybody?
Benny scooted into the booth next to my father. “What I can’t believe is that Joe Nelson was the Christmas Creeper. Joe came in here to eat lunch every day for years. When he had his mail route, I could set my watch by him. He was a regular member at the Methodist church. I just never would have figured that man for a peeping Tom.”
“Me either, but we aren’t even sure if he was the creeper. He wasn’t very close to Maggie’s house.”
Benny patted my father on the back. “Yep. You are in quite a pickle. I wouldn’t want to send my sister to jail.”
Someone from across the restaurant raised two fingers to get Benny’s attention. “Have to go. You enjoy that pie, now.”
As I cut into a sumptuous piece of pie, my father leaned forward. “The bullet went clear through him. I sent out my guys today, and they are looking for it in the street. We’re also going to be searching his home to see what would possess the man to be walking around old ladies’ houses. You can bet that bullet’s out there somewhere, that is if we didn’t run over it with our squad cars last night.”
The misplaced bullet hadn’t been found, and Aunt Maggie was looking guilty to everyone in town. As if her ears were burning, Maggie called and asked if I could drive Danny to his adult care center that day. She had picked him up at around 2 a.m., but Danny was always an early riser.
When I arrived at her house, Maggie looked drained.
“I still can’t believe I shot him. It didn’t help that I told him what I thought of him when he gave Enid the solo.” She dabbed at her eyes with a white hanky embroidered with pink roses.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Could you show me one more time exactly where you were standing on the porch?”
“Sure.”
We walked to the porch, and Maggie took up her position again.
“Could you show me just exactly how you shot the gun?”
She positioned herself at the door, holding an imaginary gun on her hip then she reached up into the air just slightly. Looking at the angle of the gun, I established two things: The bullet had to have gone straight up in the air. There was no way it would have hit Joe standing in the street. My aunt was innocent.
“There is no way you could have shot Joe dead on if your bullet was coming in a downward direction.”
Maggie backed away from the door and sat down on a chair in her parlor, holding her hand to her chest. “Lord a’mighty. That is such wonderful news. Having this on my heart has been such a burden to me.”
I sat down in the chair across from her and took hold of her hand. “Don’t get too excited. We still have to prove it. You know what this means, don’t you? If you didn’t shoot Joe, who did? There was a killer on your street that night.”
Maggie’s hand once again returned to her chest. “Good Lord, Betsy. Can’t you give your old aunt one minute to live in peace? I just got over the fact that I didn’t shoot Joe, and now you tell me there was a homicidal maniac looking to shoot Joe? We don’t even know if the killer was finished yet. Maybe he had a bullet with my name on it.”
“Sorry. I thought it would make you feel better.”
“Well, darlin’, not many people calm down when they’ve spent the night answering questions at the police station.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” I admitted. “So, if you didn’t kill Joe Nelson, who did? Do you know of anybody who was angry with him?”
“You mean besides me? Everybody loved Joe. If I had to choose a person to get knocked off in Pecan Bayou it would not be him. Enid maybe, but not Joe.”
“What if it was the Christmas Creeper? Mayb
e he thought Joe was homing in on his territory?”
Aunt Maggie rubbed her eyes. “I guess it could be. But why was Joe standing in the street in front of my house?”
“Maybe he was on his way to see you. He always liked you.” After I said this, I realized it was pretty late at night for Joe to be paying a social call on my aunt, which raised even more questions in my mind. Sure, he was your average retired mailman, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to have a romance. The thought of him making advances on my aunt wasn’t something I had considered.
“That doesn’t make any sense at all. Joe Nelson has never visited me at my home. Not all alone at night like that.” Her eyes flashed to mine nervously. I had to figure she was also picturing herself as Joe’s girlfriend.
“And then we come back to the question of why anybody would want to shoot Joe.”
Maggie rubbed the back of her neck. “Right where we started.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to solve it today.” I sighed. “I do want to discuss something else with you. Danny has it in his mind that he and Tyler are going on a double date to the Christmas festival with their new girlfriends.”
Aunt Maggie put her hand to her mouth casually. “Yes. I do believe he’s mentioned it a few times.”
“Tyler’s new girlfriend is not exactly tolerant of people who are ... different.”
“What do you mean? Everybody accepts Danny for who he is.”
“This young lady seems to be in ...” I tried to put it politely. “She is all about appearances. Danny and Wanda may not be what she deems as acceptable.”
Aunt Maggie threw her hands in the air. “Well then, I don’t find her acceptable. Did you tell Danny this?”
“No. Not yet.”
“I see. I hate to tell you this, but this is the kind of thing Danny doesn’t always understand. I’ll do my best to talk to him, but I’m not making any promises.”
“I don’t want him to get his feelings hurt.”