Bubba's Ghost

by Marja McGraw

  My mother is a determined woman, and she occasionally strikes terror in my heart. Not so much since she met Frank and started taking hormone therapy for menopause, a condition that she calls the curse, but she still has her moments. Unfortunately, her greatest hope is that I’ll marry and supply her with many, many grandchildren. Oops! The words marry and mother had come up too often over the past few days, starting with the mothering thoughts I’d had about Tammi.

  “Any new cases?” she asked.

  “Oh, I manage to keep busy.” I wasn’t about to discuss my cases with her. Ever since my mother had inadvertently become involved in one of our cases, she always wanted to know what we were working on. I had a feeling she secretly wished she could do what I do for a living. She was too interested.

  “Just the run-of-the-mill stuff, huh? Well, don’t worry, dear, things will pick up.” The odd combination of disappointment and relief was evident in her voice before she changed the subject. “Frank and I are keeping pretty busy here. I’ve become involved in all kinds of things. I joined Friends of the Library and a book club, and Frank has joined some kind of businessman’s association. We’re getting to know our neighbors, too, and it seems like there’s always something going on.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Mom. You need something to keep you busy.”

  “You mean to keep me out of your affairs, don’t you, Sandra?”

  Uh oh. The dreaded name. Mother only uses my proper name when she’s upset with me. “Of course, that’s not what I meant at all. I meant that, well, you like to stay busy. That’s all I meant. Besides, you live too far away to get involved in my business.” Slid through that one by the skin of my teeth.

  “I don’t involve myself in your business,” she snapped at me. “When have I ever – ”

  “Sorry, Mom, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Sandra, I don’t interfere in your life.” More bad news. Now she sounded tearful.

  “I have a new dog, Mom.” My mother loved animals. Maybe I could distract her.

  “Oh? When did this happen? And what kind of dog?”

  “He’s around two or three years old, and he’s half wolf and half – ”

  “Half wolf? What are you thinking, Sandra?”

  “ – and half Golden Retriever,” I added quickly.

  And then it struck me. “Mom? Have you, for some reason, quit taking your hormone pills?” I tried to say it lovingly.

  “And what business is that of yours, young lady?”

  That answered my question. “Why did you quit taking them? They made you feel so much better.” Not to mention me.

  “I didn’t quit taking them. The doctor changed my prescription to something new. Honey, I’m sorry. I guess the new ones aren’t working.”

  “Call your doctor as soon as we hang up, Mother. Tell her how you’re feeling and that you want your old pills back. And where’s Frank?”

  “He decided to get out of the house for a while. He’ll be back soon. I guess he recognized what’s going on, too, but he doesn’t know what to do with me when I feel like this.”

  Somewhere along the way, my mother and I had started a role reversal. I was becoming the mother in some ways, and she the child. My brain was having trouble making that compute, but there wasn’t much I could do. She needed me, as an adult, for the first time in her life.

  “Well, dear, I’m going to call the doctor right now. She did say that the hormone therapy is basically a trial and error process until you find what works for you. I’ll let you get to your business and call you another time.”

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too, Sandi.” She started to cry, which she did over everything since menopause started, and we talked for another fifteen minutes. What a morning this was turning out to be.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Thus my day began. I replaced the phone in its cradle and took a deep breath. I needed to start the morning over.

  First, I called Dolly to let her know Miss Kitty had been visiting my attic.

  Dolly was apologetic. “I’ll try to keep her close to home from now on.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to replace the latch on the window, so she probably won’t be able to get in again.”

  Next I called Stanley and explained everything. “So, you see, there’s nothing strange going on here.”

  “I feel so silly.”

  I could hear the embarrassment in his voice.

  “No, Stan. You were in a house you’re not used to, and Bubba’s attitude already had you wound up. It’s perfectly understandable.”

  “But – ”

  “It’s okay, Stan. What time are you coming over today?”

  “Actually, I was about to leave. I should be there in half an hour.”

  “Okay. I’m going to run a couple of errands and then I’ll see you here. By the time I get back it’ll be around lunchtime. Can I bring you an In-N-Out hamburger?” I could live on those burgers. Everything fresh, never frozen, and they even make their own buns, or so I’ve heard.

  “That would be nice, Sandi. Thank you. Fries, too?”

  “Fries, too. I’ll see you around noon then. Later, Stan.”

  “Sandi?” Stanley sounded hesitant.

  “Yes?”

  “What about the baby I heard crying?”

  “No baby, Stan. Let it go.”

  “Uh huh.” He didn’t sound convinced.

  We hung up, and I sent Bubba to the backyard and took off to take care of a few things. Cats, dogs, mothers, neighbors, and bums. I was sorely tempted to stop at Crazy Larry’s Bar, a place Pete had inadvertently introduced me to, but changed my mind when I remembered how seedy it was and realized it was still morning. Sighing, I also thought about the fact that I seldom imbibed, other than a small glass of wine.

  Instead I drove to the office, momentarily wondering why I even needed an office. I could do most of my work out of my home. Well, not really. Pete needed work space, and I didn’t want clients coming to my house. I didn’t actually do that much at home anyway. Even Stanley only worked at my house on a limited basis. And with Stanley thinking he heard a baby crying, he might prefer to work out of the office anyway.

  I checked my messages and returned a few calls before getting down to paperwork. Sometimes the insurance cases were boring, but they were my bread and butter, on the rare occasions when they paid me on time. I had reports to complete and send out.

  Once in a while I was offered a case that I could actually sink my teeth into, and it looked like Chrissy’s problem might to be one of those. However, in her case I’d prefer that the bum would just disappear and not bother her anymore. Too bad problems don’t go away that easily.

  I finished my reports and stuck them in envelopes to be mailed on my way back from picking up lunch.

  The phone rang. “Sandi? Bring the hamburgers to the office instead of your house. That baby is crying again, and I tried to determine where the sound is coming from. It’s definitely in the attic, and it seems to be coming from the walls.”

  “Stan? What are you talking about?”

  “You heard me. I’m leaving now and I’ll meet you at the office.”

  “Did you actually go into the attic?”

  “No. I got all the way to the door before I realized the noise was coming from the walls. I’m downstairs, and I’m leaving. Now. See you soon.” He hung up before I could respond. I had a mental picture of him jumping from one foot to the other while trying to get me off the phone so he could make his getaway.

  “This is ridiculous,” I said to the air. “I haven’t heard any baby crying. Stanley’s got to get a grip on reality.”

  I locked the office door and headed out to pick up our In-N-Out hamburgers. The closest one was quite a distance away, but it was worth the drive. The line was long when I arrived, so I used the waiting time to try to make some sense of the crying baby.

  I don’t believe in ghosts, and never hav
e. It had to have something to do with the house being old and creaky, or Miss Kitty. I couldn’t think of any other explanation.

  I pulled my cell phone out of my backpack and dialed Dolly’s number.

  “H-Hello?”

  “Dolly, it’s Sandi. Is Miss Kitty at home?” I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t giggle. That was one of the most ridiculous questions I’d ever asked anyone, and I’d now asked it twice. It was the cat’s name, Miss Kitty, that made me feel silly.

  “Yes, she’s right here. Why?”

  “Has she been outside at all this morning?”

  “No, she’s been with me. Why, Sandi?”

  “Oh, Stanley’s hearing noises again. I wanted to check to see if there was any possibility the cat had been visiting the house again.”

  “I see. Well, I don’t know what he heard this time, but it surely wasn’t Miss Kitty.” She said it with finality and sounded offended.

  “Actually, Dolly, I’m sorry she wasn’t out because I wanted to solve this little mystery for him. I was honestly hoping it was the cat.”

  “Oh. I see. Well, I don’t know what he heard, but it wasn’t my Miss Kitty.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you this afternoon when we drive out to Covina. You’ll be ready to go by two-thirty?”

  “I’ll be ready and waiting.” Dolly was a punctual woman. She’d probably be pacing by one o’clock. Her family’s safety was at stake.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I paid for the burgers and drove back to the office, where I found Stanley waiting for me by the door. He was anxious to get to work, and he let me know it. He had a real feel for the Internet and seemed to know right where to look to find information on individuals. Of course, we couldn’t find everything there. We’d still have to make calls to past employers while doing our background checks. I was sure at least a few problems would come up that I’d have to follow up on, too, but Stanley made the process a lot easier for me.

  “Pete called.” Stanley took his burger out of the bag and popped a fry in his mouth.

  “Did he leave a message?”

  “No. He said he’d call you back later tonight.” He paused. “He told me what happened up at Lake Tahoe. He doesn’t sound too pleased with himself. I assured him it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t, you know.”

  “I know. He’ll get over it. He can’t protect everyone, and he couldn’t have known anything was going to happen. It appeared, on the surface, to be a run-of-the-mill wife and lover situation.” I had every confidence in Pete. Unfortunately, love triangles were rarely run-of-the-mill, but they didn’t usually end up with two of the three people dead.

  “Well, I know Pete relatively well after all this time, and he’ll do whatever it takes to solve the murders,” Stanley said. He looked up to Pete, and occasionally tried to emulate him.

  “I’m sure the police will be thankful to have his help.” They probably really wished he’d go home.

  I picked up my hamburger and started eating. Sure. The local police wanted an outsider’s help. Right. They might even thank him by telling him to butt out of their business.

  “What about the crying, Sandi?”

  “Stan, I’ll figure it out. Be patient. I know there’s a reasonable explanation, and I’ll find it. But not today. I’ve got to drive out to Covina to take care of a few things on this new case I’m working on.”

  “Dolly’s Chrissy. Tell me about it.” This was the Stanley I knew and loved. He wanted to hear about the case and, at least for the moment, he was setting aside the strange noises at the house.

  We spent the next half hour discussing Chrissy and the bum. Stanley didn’t have much insight to offer, but since we didn’t know enough yet to make much sense of the situation, I wasn’t surprised.

  “Would you like me to drive out there with you tonight?” he asked.

  “Thanks, Stan, but I’m taking Dolly with me this time. I think she’ll feel better if she can spend a little time with her granddaughter and great-granddaughter.”

  “I’m sure you’re correct in that assumption, but if you need me to accompany you at a later date, I’ll be available.”

  I smiled at Stanley’s continued formal speech. “Thanks, Stan. You’re a good man; always ready to help when I need it.”

  He turned back to the computer without answering. He was grinning though, probably remembering some of our past adventures. At least, he considered them adventures. I didn’t think he quite understood the gravity of some of our situations.

  I left Stanley about an hour later, still working, to go pick up Dolly.

  Her door flew open before I could push the doorbell. She’d been waiting, as expected.

  “I’m ready.” She pulled the door closed behind her and headed down the steps, purse hanging from her arm, sweater over her shoulders, and a casserole cradled in her other arm. “Well, come on, let’s go,” she said, glancing back at me.

  I hurriedly passed her and opened the car door for her.

  “You’re a good girl. Thank you.”

  I was glad we left a little early. Traffic was horrendous. There’d been an accident that tied traffic up for miles. When we passed the scene, I noticed it was more than a fender-bender, but apparently no one had been injured.

  The lengthy trip on the freeway gave Dolly and me a chance to chat.

  “We don’t have a large family. I’m an only child, and my daughter was the only child I had. Chrissy is in the same situation.” Dolly sounded resigned more than sad.

  “After the accident that took the lives of my daughter, son-in-law, and Chrissy’s husband, I wasn’t sure I could pull my life together. If it hadn’t been for Chrissy and Tammi, I don’t know what I would have done. But they needed me, and they needed me to be strong. I did that for them.”

  “You’re a good woman, Dolly. Chrissy’s eyes light up when she talks about you. I don’t know if I could have handled what the two of you went through.”

  “You know, Sandi, if anything happened to my two babies, I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t think I could handle another… incident.”

  “It’ll all work out. I’m going to find this guy and figure out what this is all about.” I reached over and patted her hand. “Now let’s go talk to that cop and find out if he’s learned anything about this bum.” I tried to sound as positive as possible.

  Dolly turned to study me at some length.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I was right. You’re a good woman. Thank you for caring about my girls, Sandi. If I did have another granddaughter, I’d like her to be you.”

  “Deal.” My grandparents died when I was young, and I didn’t remember much about them. Dolly would be a good surrogate grandmother. I warmed to the idea quickly.

  We drove through West Covina and got off the freeway at Citrus Avenue, heading for Covina and the police department. I glanced at my watch, hoping we hadn’t missed Officer Paley.

  “This is a nice little place,” I commented as we drove through downtown Covina. The older portion of the city gave me a good feeling when I looked around. I noticed several small shops that I’d like to take a closer look at some time.

  “It is a good place to live. This used to be my home, you know.”

  “Really?”

  “When I was younger. I can remember when they put in the first grocery store. It was called the Market Basket, but that was over on Azusa Avenue.” She stopped talking and glanced around the town. “It’s changed a lot in some ways, but not in others. It was a fine place to raise my daughter.”

  I turned right, heading for the police department, and asked Dolly to wait in the car while I talked to Paley. She agreed and pulled a paperback out of her purse to read while I was gone.

  Entering the main lobby, I asked for the officer.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you just missed Officer Paley. He’s out on a call. Would you like to leave a message?” The phone rang, and the young woman at the desk politely asked me to wait a minute. She finish
ed the call and the phone immediately rang again. She held her index finger up, indicating she’d be with me in a minute.

  She hung up and the phone rang again. “Is Lieutenant Johnson here?” I asked my question quickly, before she could pick up the receiver.

  “Sorry.” She held her index finger up again.

  “I’ll be back later.” I gave her a little wave.

  She nodded.

  I decided I’d come back after Dolly and I ate dinner, if there was time. Walking back to the car, I wondered what might wait for us at Chrissy’s house. Would the bum have returned?

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Dolly, I missed him. I’ll have to talk to him another time. Guess we should have left earlier than we did.”

  Dolly returned her paperback, a mystery, to her purse. “I sure wish you could have talked to him.”

  “So do I. But don’t worry, I’ll come back again.”

  We drove over to Millie’s Kitchen, a restaurant we’d passed on Citrus Avenue. It was located next to Ralph’s Market, and Dolly asked if we could stop and pick up a few things for her granddaughter after dinner.

  “Of course. I need to pick up a few things myself.”

  We entered the restaurant, and Dolly took a look around. The place was filled with older people. “This should be a good place to eat.”

  We’d walked into Dolly’s World. If there were seniors eating here, then she knew it would be to her liking. I wasn’t sure what that would mean for me, but as it turned out, we both had a good meal.

  After eating, we made a quick tour through Ralph’s, where Dolly picked up some milk and bread, and a few other basics, along with a cake from the bakery. I didn’t actually need anything, but I bought bread and peanut butter so I wouldn’t walk out empty-handed. As an afterthought, I picked up a bag of doggie cookies, too. Somehow I didn’t want Dolly to feel like stopping at the store had been an imposition.

  I checked my watch. “I think Chrissy should be home by now. If not, we shouldn’t have to wait long.”