Bubba's Ghost

by Marja McGraw

  “So I’d be an apprentice, so to speak, until I can obtain my license?” Apparently, he didn’t care.

  “That’s the idea. We’ll keep you busy and teach you what we can. But remember, you’ll be leaving a steady job for one that does have its down times. We’ve managed to keep business coming in, but there are no guarantees.”

  “I understand that; however, you certainly can’t compare writing verses for greeting cards to private investigating. And I have some money invested that would help me through the lean times. Count me in.” I almost missed it when Stanley said zippy under his breath.

  “Okay, turn in your notice at the card company – you don’t want to burn any bridges by not giving enough notice – and then you’ll come to work for us. When do you think you’ll be able to start on a full-time basis?”

  “I’ll give them two weeks notice, which is certainly more than they actually need. That is, two weeks from the time I go back to work. The sabbatical they’ve put us on ended this weekend.”

  I knew I’d made a good decision. The three of us worked well together, and Stanley is a conscientious man. I could depend on him to give the business his all.

  “What’s next, Boss?” Stanley asked. He couldn’t seem to quit smiling.

  “First things first. You’ve got to develop a poker face so people can’t always read what you’re thinking.” I was teasing, and he knew it.

  “Yes, ma’am, but later.”

  I handed Stanley my cell phone. “Call Chrissy at Dolly’s and ask her how I can reach Ted. He’s the next one I want to talk to. Then, if it’s not too late, we’ll try Doug’s house again.”

  I gave him Dolly’s number and he dialed it and spoke to Chrissy. After he disconnected, he dialed Ted’s work number, and handed the phone to me. I pulled over to the curb while I spoke to him.

  “Ted, this is Sandi Webster. I’d like to speak to you about what’s been going on at Chrissy’s house. Have you got time tonight?”

  I could hear the clicking of his keyboard in the background, and when he replied, he sounded distracted. “Can you meet me for dinner? I have to work late, but I’ll take a break to eat.” The clicking continued. I hate talking to someone on the phone while they’re working on the computer. It makes me feel like I’m intruding and they’re not listening to me.

  “Tell me when and where and I’ll meet you there.”

  He named a place in West Covina, near the freeway, and we agreed to meet in half an hour.

  I drove to the restaurant and put our names on a waiting list after being told there would be a considerable delay. Stanley and I made our way to the bar to hang out until we were called. Since I was driving, I ordered iced tea. Stanley followed suit, explaining that he was on the job and wanted to remain alert.

  Ted was fifteen minutes late, saying he’d lost track of time. My name was called five minutes later, and we were shown to a table.

  We each studied the menu, and after ordering, I wanted to get right to my questioning.

  “Ted, were you at Chrissy’s house during any of Frendd’s visits?” I wasn’t sure where to begin, but that seemed as good a place as any.

  “No. He never showed up if she had company. She told me what was happening, but I didn’t realize how serious it was until near the end.” He folded the corner of his napkin and unfolded it again, then repeated the procedure.

  “So you never saw Frendd until the night of his murder?”

  “I didn’t say that. He was at her door one time when I pulled into the driveway, but he ran away as soon as he saw me.”

  “Where were you on the night of the murder? Prior to showing up at Chrissy’s.”

  “I was at work. I work late nearly every night.”

  I wondered how he and Chrissy ever found time for a relationship. “And you never left?”

  “Well, I did leave for a quick dinner. I usually go to one of those fast food places instead of a nice restaurant like this. In fact, most often I order take-out food and eat at my desk.” He was wearing the napkin out quickly. Fold, unfold, fold, unfold. He was nervous, and I wanted to know why. He wouldn’t quite look me in the eye when he spoke.

  “Ted,” I said sharply. “Look at me. I need to know every move you made that night.”

  Fold, unfold, but he still wouldn’t look at me. Stanley reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Ted’s, stopping the napkin action. Ted finally looked up.

  “There isn’t much to tell. I was working, stopped to grab a bite to eat, and went back to the office. Chrissy called me and told me what happened, so I drove over to her house. She wanted me there. You know the rest of the story. You were there.” Back to the napkin.

  “So you can’t add anything to what happened that night?” I asked.

  “Not a thing. Besides, I thought you were going to protect Chrissy.” He was taking the offensive, trying to get himself off the hook. “Didn’t do a very good job, did you?”

  “Neither did you. Don’t you care about Chrissy’s or Tammi’s safety? Seems to me that if you were serious about her, you would have been there to take care of them long before I entered the picture.” He’d effectively put me on the defensive.

  He picked up the napkin and tore it in half. “I’m not a hero, Ms. Webster, and I never claimed to be.” He was angry. “I care about Chrissy, but I’ve got a job to do and I can’t babysit those two all the time. I have obligations.”

  “And I guess Chrissy isn’t one of them.” I picked up my backpack. “Let’s go, Stanley.”

  I lost my temper, something a professional shouldn’t do. And I hadn’t handled the questioning well. I didn’t know any more now than I had when we walked in. There was something about Ted that made me feel like someone was rubbing sandpaper across my fingertips.

  “One last question,” Stanley said. I glanced at him, surprised that he was taking the initiative. “Do you have to clock in and out at work? Can you prove what time you left and then returned?”

  Bingo!

  Chapter Forty-seven

  “No, they trust us to keep accurate records. We don’t clock in or out.” Ted’s shoulders drooped and his face had a look of defeat. “But I didn’t kill that guy, if that’s what you’re asking. I swear I didn’t have anything to do with it.” His defeated expression changed to anger. “And I have nothing else to say to you.” Ted slid out of the booth and stormed out of the restaurant.

  While Stanley and I stood and stared after Ted, the waitress brought our food. She watched us, suspicion in her eyes.

  “On second thought, let’s stay and eat our dinner, Stan. This looks pretty good, and I’m suddenly hungry.”

  He grinned and sat down on the other side of the booth.

  “What about the third dinner? Who’s going to pay for that?” The waitress obviously didn’t want to get stiffed.

  “I’ll take care of it,” I replied.

  She seemed relieved and asked if we needed anything else. We told her we didn’t, and she thanked us and left the table.

  “Stan, I’m so proud of you. I broke my own rule and lost my temper, but you kept a cool head and asked the right question.”

  “It was nothing. I felt we needed to know if he could prove he was at work, so I asked about it. Now we know he doesn’t have a solid alibi.”

  “Unless someone saw him at his desk.” If Ted was a viable suspect, we’d need to cover all of his movements. “We should find out where he bought his food and see if they remember him. It’s not likely at a fast food restaurant, but you never know.”

  Stanley’s mouth turned down at the corners. “I didn’t think about that.”

  “That’s okay, Stan. You did well, and I’m glad I brought you with me. We’re one step closer than we were a few minutes ago, and that’s because of your quick thinking.”

  “Chrissy should be able to find someone more suitable for herself than Ted. He doesn’t seem concerned enough about her and Tammi. Why, if she were my girlfriend, I’d do everythi
ng within my means to take care of them. I’m too old for her, but if I weren’t…” Stanley was feeling protective toward the girls, and that warmed my heart.

  “That’s because you’re a good man. He’s not. There’s something about him that puts me off, and it has since I first met him.” I try to give people a second chance, even if they don’t make a good first impression, but there was something different about him. Ted simply didn’t impress me.

  “I think he’s more than a nerd,” Stanley said. “I think he’s probably a coward. Men can see that quality, or lack thereof, in each other.”

  “Makes sense to me. Women can frequently see things in each other that men are oblivious to.”

  We took our time eating and finally left the restaurant, heading back toward Doug and Becky’s house. When we arrived it was after dark and all the lights were off. I pulled into the driveway anyway, and as we drove up I could see the glow of the television through the curtains.

  We climbed the steps and I knocked on the door. The light from the TV immediately blinked off. I listened, but there was traffic and I couldn’t hear any sounds coming from inside the house.

  “Let’s go, Stan. Nobody’s home.” I spoke loudly so Doug would be sure to hear me.

  We returned to the car and I pulled out of the driveway.

  “Sandi, he was home. I’m sure of it.”

  “I know, but he’s not going to answer the door. Let’s park over at the school and see if anything happens.” I drove down the street and turned around so I could enter the parking lot through the entrance farthest from Doug’s house. There were several cars in the parking lot, so I guessed that there must have been something going on. Maybe they were having an Open House or school play. It worked to my benefit, because my blue Crown Victoria wouldn’t be that visible to Doug. I turned off the headlights as I pulled into the parking lot, giving myself an extra measure of invisibility.

  We watched as Doug crept out from behind his house, apparently having exited the back door. He looked up and down the street, searching for us. He turned and walked back into the house when he didn’t spot us. Within seconds the television was back on and the lights were switched on, too.

  “I wonder why he doesn’t want to talk to me. He seemed perfectly happy to involve himself when we spoke on the night of the murder. Something’s changed his mind.”

  “Could someone have spoken to him and told him to keep quiet?”

  “It’s possible, but I have a feeling there’s something else behind his sudden silence. I’m going to drive back out tomorrow, and I’ll be waiting for him when he comes home from work. He won’t be able to avoid me this time.”

  “May I accompany you?” Stanley’s formality was such an endearing quality. “When I turned in my notice at work, I told them I want to use some of my vacation time over the next week. They were amendable to my request.”

  “Thank you, but no. I’ve got plenty of work lined up for you tomorrow.”

  “I see. Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He grinned. “I’ll be the one sitting on a chair in front of the computer, at my new office.”

  While driving back to Los Angeles, I began mapping out my plans for the next day. I’d bring Stanley up to speed on the research I needed him to do and spend the morning taking care of agency business. I knew I needed to contact a few of the insurance carriers and update them on my progress for investigations they’d hired us to conduct. Between Pete and me, we were pretty well caught up at the moment.

  I pulled up in front of my house and parked. Stanley exited the car, and while I pulled my backpack from the back seat, he came around and opened my door for me.

  “What time would you like me to appear for work tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Why don’t you be here around nine o’clock? I’ll have everything in order and you can get started.” We still had more background checks to take care of, and I’d have to pick up some forms from the company who’d requested them.

  Stanley headed home, and I found Bubba waiting on the porch. What a dog. He never bothered the neighbors, at least that I knew of, and it appeared he always stayed around the house. I wondered how long it would take Animal Control to tell me I had to put up a fence. I decided I’d better call a fence company to come out and give me an estimate.

  Once again, Bubba was going to have a late dinner. I felt pangs of guilt when I opened the front door and he headed straight for the kitchen. I wasn’t being fair to him. With my hours, maybe I could strike a deal with Dolly and talk her into feeding him when I was going to be late. I’d talk to her about it. Maybe I shouldn’t even have a dog. Maybe I was a terrible person for making him wait to eat.

  Bubba sat patiently while I prepared his meal. He grinned at me, one of his biggest smiles yet. It didn’t seem to bother him that I was late. Maybe I should learn to deal with guilt.

  I didn’t feel like turning on the TV, so I searched the bookcase for a new book I’d recently bought. It was a mystery, of course. Female P.I. I could relate to that, although as I began to read I realized this one was more of a romance than a mystery. Oh well… I’d give it a chance. Maybe the storyline would turn around.

  Bubba placed his huge paw on the couch and I knew that once again he was going to try to sit in my lap.

  “No.” I said it sternly, so he nonchalantly removed his paw and stretched out on the floor by my feet. If dogs could shrug their shoulders, I think he would have. It had been worth a try, in his mind.

  The next morning I got up early and drove over to pick up the next batch of applications. This new business we were working for was being careful about who they hired. I didn’t know what type of work they did, except it had something to do with finances, but it must have been important for them to require such thorough background checks. I turned in the information we’d – well, that Stanley had already dug up, and picked up more applications.

  The general manager made a point of stepping out to thank me personally for our “industrious and timely completion of assignments.” His wording reminded me of having someone discuss a job evaluation with me. I told him we had a real computer whiz working for us, and he asked if my employee might consider coming to work for them. I laughed, politely, and said I’d pass the offer on. He informed me that he was serious. He’d like to talk to our computer-literate wizard. I nodded.

  I felt good when I left, appreciating the man’s comments, but knowing that Stanley would never leave Pete and me. At least, I didn’t think he would.

  I was home by a quarter to nine and had everything set up and ready for Stanley by the time he pulled up.

  “I’m ready to begin.” He headed straight for the office. I heard him whistling to himself and he seemed cheerful, even more so than usual.

  “You’re in a good mood this morning,” I said, sticking my head in the office. “What’s up?”

  “Actually, I’m delighted because I turned in my notice at the card company. You can’t imagine what a feeling of freedom your job offer has given me. I’m elated.”

  “Along those lines, you had another job offer this morning. You wanna hear about it?” I knew I had to tell him about the general manager’s offer, although I would have preferred to keep it to myself.

  “A job offer?” He looked confused. “Who would make me an offer of employment through you?”

  “You know the people you’re doing the background checks for? They’re looking for someone of your, well, caliber, to come work for them. The general manager was quite impressed with what you’ve been doing and a comment I made about you.”

  “Oh, thank you, but I think not. I might lose this wonderful feeling of freedom I’ve recently discovered. I’m not ready to give that up quite so quickly.”

  I was relieved to hear his decision. “I’ll let him know, Stan. And I’m glad you’d prefer staying with Pete and me.”

  Stanley glanced at the computer and sat quietly for a moment. I was about to leave the room when he stopped m
e. “Sandi, for the first time in my life I’m having fun. You and Pete have given me a whole new purpose in life. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d like to work and spend time. Thank you.”

  “No, thank you, Stan. You have no idea how good that makes me feel. We’re glad to have you in our lives, too.” What a guy. I’d have to repeat our conversation to Pete. Oh, he wouldn’t say anything, but I knew that deep down it would make him feel good, too.

  “Okay, enough of this. Get to work.” Our conversation was making me feel too sappy.

  “I’ll have these whipped out for you in no time at all. Actually, I enjoy these background checks. They’re a bit of a challenge.” Stanley turned to the computer, and before I reached the kitchen I could hear the keys clicking.

  I smiled to myself. I had Pete, Stanley and Bubba in my life. Not to mention my little friend, Dolly. My mother was taking her hormones, and we were getting along pretty well. I had my new home, and a job I loved. I couldn’t help but wish everyone could feel as blessed as I did.

  It seemed like it should be illegal to be so happy.

  And then the phone rang.

  Chapter Forty-eight

  “Hello?”

  “Sandi, it’s Dolly. I think you’d better come over right away. Detective Chase called, and he’s on his way out to talk to Chrissy.”

  “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “No, but Chrissy said it sounded serious. Maybe they’re going to arrest her for murder.” Dolly’s voice was higher and squeakier than normal.

  “Calm down, Dolly. I’m sure he just wants to ask her more questions. I’ll come over and talk to her.”

  “He said he has some new information, and I don’t like the sounds of it.”

  “I’ll be over in a few minutes. Fix yourself a cup of hot tea and sit down. Relax a little bit. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” I could make that promise because I knew Chrissy was innocent. There was no doubt in my mind.

  “I’m trusting you, Sandi.” Just what I needed. Dolly put me on the spot with those four words.