It's Marple, Dear

by L Mad Hildebrandt

  “Who does that leave us with, then? Besides… besides…” Dee looked about to faint. Donna took her by the arm, protectively.

  Mother paused the motion of her needles. “Only Jennifer, and Mac, I’m afraid.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  It’s funny how quickly something than can become familiar. That’s how the Angel County Sheriff’s pickup seemed. Familiar. As if I’d seen it every day of my life. Lonnie, too. We’d picked up where we left off as children. Best friends forever. Okay, maybe a little more? I fingered the necklace I’d started to wear again. Nothing special, really. An arrowhead Lonnie had chipped out of stone for me. Not the best, but he had just been learning. He gave it to me for my tenth birthday. I’d strung it on a piece of leather we’d dug up in his dad’s stuff. That was before his father moved out, like mine. Before Lonnie started hanging out on the reservation up by Magdalena, and spending time with his father’s people.

  “I missed you at church this morning,” he said as he climbed out of the pickup cab.

  “I didn’t know you were religious.” Hadn’t I had this same conversation with my mother? Or something nearly like it?

  “I’m not, particularly. But Grandma thought it would be a good idea for me to come this morning.” I giggled at the thought of Maria urging him, probably with the help of his mom.

  “Oh. Mother tried to get me to go, too.”

  “She clearly didn’t succeed.” Lonnie leaned against the pickup, and I sat down on the step in front of our door. “What did you do, instead?”

  I laughed, and tossed my hair in a silly echo of Donna Trueblood. “I went back to sleep.” Lonnie laughed, too, tipping his head back.

  “So, what did you learn yesterday? Anything new?” He rested his arm along the hood, and crossed one ankle in front of the other. I gazed down at his brown boots as he dug at the gravel with the tip of the right one and my heart leaped. Jeez, how could a pair of dust-covered boots make my heart do that?

  “Is that all you’re interested in, Lonnie?” I looked back up into his cat’s eyes.

  “No. But it gives me a reason to come over.” Now, it was my turn to laugh. But, I’m sure I blushed a little, too.

  “Well?” He nudged.

  “Mother and I talked to…” I cocked my head toward the Garfield house, then scanned the windows. They were closed, and I could hear their swamp cooler humming out back. He followed my gaze.

  “And?”

  “You sound like my mom.” We laughed again. “She admitted to having a fling with the doctor.”

  Lonnie grimaced. “When this is over I’ll see if Jennifer wants to press charges. Or if her dad does. We’ll need her testimony.”

  “Then, you’re thinking she might not be guilty?”

  “Don’t know. We’ve got a ways to go yet.”

  “And am I doing all your work for you?” I smiled, and tilted my head to the side, looking up through my lashes. Flirting isn’t my natural condition, so I didn’t know if it worked.

  He grinned. “Some. Frees up my staff for other things.” He hitched his head back toward their house. “She say anything else?”

  “Well. There’s a bit of a problem.”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  I hesitated. I didn’t want to get Jennifer into more trouble than she was already in. “It appears she may have made some threats toward Mrs. Wilson. Like she might’ve wanted to kill her, or something.”

  Lonnie nodded. “Got that already.”

  “Oh, you got me doing your dirty work, but you aren’t telling me what you’ve already got?” I laughed, but halfway meant it. “If I’d known about her threats, I wouldn’t have pursued it with her.” I realized it was an official investigation, and he couldn’t really share everything he knew with me. Just minor things, like the suicide note he’d already relegated to the irrelevant pile. “Mother’s friends got confirmation from Doctor Wilson, and from Jeanine Pryor, that they’d been together in T or C.”

  “Careful,” he said as he wrote it down in his little book. “You sound like you’re becoming one of the Solitaire Gang.”

  “Oh, is that what you call them?” I laughed. “Maybe. They’re a great group, but I think I’m too young.”

  “And a man, to boot.” Now, he roared with laughter, and tucked in a few Spanish words I didn’t know.

  I glared at him. A man, to boot! Grr. If only the townsfolk wouldn’t go along with Mother’s delusions. “If I could just get Jennifer to ‘fess up to where she goes at night. Then this would all be over for her.”

  “C’mon,” he said, and striding over, he offered me his hand. I took hold and he pulled me to my feet. “I happen to know where she is. Maybe you’ll get lucky.” He wagged his eyebrows at me, and I knew he wasn’t talking about the girl’s confession. For a minute there, I thought about… maybe… getting lucky with him. But I didn’t tell him so.

  I climbed into the pickup, and he drove to Santillo Park, over by the elementary school. The park was named after an Italian family, whose locally famous forebear had come over a few hundred years ago, and got a land grant from the Spanish. The current Santillo had donated land for the park and the school back when I was a kid. It was old digs for Lonnie and me. We had a history together there. In fact, he’d been the first person to kiss me, back behind the public restroom, and maybe a bit more if I was to be honest. But I wasn’t. Heck, at eleven years old, I didn’t even have breasts. And yes, he had gotten to second base.

  He was thinking about that first… kiss… too. I could see the memory in the curve of his lips and the sparkle in his eye. He glanced toward my breasts and I blushed. I got a little hot in my darned private reserve, too.

  “There she is,” Lonnie said, as we pulled into the parking lot. She and another girl swayed on the swings, talking. They stopped when they saw us pull up. I could tell they thought about running. “Now I wonder what that’s all about,” he said.

  “I’m going to find out,” I said, and I hopped out of the truck before he cut off the engine.

  I moseyed across the grass, trying not to frighten the girls, but they were already skittish. Apprehension splashed all across their faces and in the rigid way they held their bodies. Kind of like rabbits in the headlights.

  “Hi girls,” I called as I got close.

  “Hello, Raymond,” Jennifer said. Her friend tittered a little at my name, but I could hear near panic hiding in the laugh. “What are you doing here?”

  “Come to talk with you. And your friend too.”

  “Oh.” They both looked crestfallen, like I’d found them out.

  “You don’t have to protect each other anymore,” I guessed. “It’s okay, really.” I sat on a third swing, and moved in time with them. It seemed to put them at ease. But, still, Jennifer kept her eyes on Lonnie. He’d stayed in the truck, letting me have a minute. If anything came of it, I could flag him down.

  “This is Tinsel Brubaker,” Jennifer said.

  “Mm-hmm,” I said, making it sound like I knew, without outright lying. I recognized the name from my conversation with Patsy Daniels.

  “This is a nice park,” I said. “Safe.”

  “Better than the high school,” Jennifer agreed.

  “So, tell me about it,” I didn’t look at them, but let them both have their space.

  Tinsel leaped right in. “She didn’t do it! Really, Raymond.”

  “I believe you,” I said. I kept swinging. The same, slow, hypnotic movement.

  “Jen was with me that night. When Nurse Wilson got killed. She wouldn’t hurt anyone. Really.”

  I glanced over at the girl, hadn’t looked at her before, because I had been focused on Jennifer. The girl had fading bruises across her face, and on her bare arms. She tried to hide her arms when she noticed me looking.

  “Your father do that?” I guessed again. It could just as easily be her mother, or a boyfriend. But, she nodded yes. “And that’s why Jennifer was with you.” I made the question sound more like
a statement. Like I already knew the answer. The bruises looked nearly faded, a couple weeks old, with new ones on top of those. She nodded again.

  “Can we talk to the Sheriff now? He’s really understanding. And, it’ll get Jennifer out of all the trouble she’s in.”

  The girls tensed, but didn’t run, so I waved to Lonnie. Jennifer had an alibi, but where did that leave Mac?

  Chapter Eighteen

  I took Mother up to Water Canyon in the afternoon. It made for a nice Sunday outing. I asked Lonnie, but, to my disappointment, he declined. Said he had to spend the afternoon with his mom. Much like me, I guess. But I had to spend every day with my mother. Was it a blessing, or a curse? I hadn’t yet decided.

  We loaded the picnic basket—there really was a second wicker one—with a white cloth interior. But, it hadn’t been left out at the river. That had just been a ruse to get me to take her out there. I tossed in a throw blanket at the last minute. When we got up to the canyon, the blanket turned out to be a good thing. Bird doo littered the concrete tables. I covered the one my mother selected, and pulled out sandwiches, sodas, and chips.

  The weather was cooler up here in the trees. The canyon’s not that far from town, but, tucked between towering mountains, and watered by a trickling stream, it felt like we had gone up thousands of feet. I breathed in the glorious scent of pine trees that crowded the grounds. Birds chirped, and squirrels waited for an accidental treat. I debated tossing something, but Mother reprimanded me before the chip left my fingers. I stuffed it into my mouth, instead, giving her a ‘see, I wasn’t doing anything wrong’ look.

  I’d just started in on the second half of my turkey on rye when my cell phone buzzed. I’m not into musical ringtones. I fished it out of my pocket, and screened the caller. “Huh,” I said, and answered. “Hello.”

  I swung my feet out from under the table, stood up, and headed toward the Jeep. I leaned against the far side, but kept my eye on Mother just in case she got a wild hair for a long walk in the canyon. My recent beau’s voice barely made it past the scratchy interference. I shifted the phone, trying for a better signal, but gave up. I only had one bar, and if I moved too much, I was as likely to lose it as to pick up another.

  “I can barely hear you, Joshua,” I said.

  So he yelled. “It’s nice to hear your voice, Mary Sue.” Huh, I hadn’t heard that for a long time. Maybe Raymond was growing on me? “How’s it going?”

  “Fine,” I said. I felt insecure. Last time we spoke, he’d given me the boot. He hadn’t agreed with my choice to put my career on hold and see to my mom. “How’s it with you?”

  “Oh wow,” he said. “You’ve picked up an accent.”

  “Have not.” Well, maybe. This was my home, even if I’d been gone a long time.

  “Believe me, you have.”

  I spun away from Mother, and looked up the road that leads to the crest of the mountain. “What’s up, Joshua? I haven’t heard from you for a couple weeks.”

  “You’ve only been out there one week.”

  “Yeah, but you left before that.”

  He didn’t immediately reply. “I miss you, baby,” he finally said. Quietly. I almost couldn’t hear him through the scratchy connection.

  “What?”

  I couldn’t make out his reply. “Hey, listen,” I said. “Call me back later. I’m in the mountains, and I don’t have a good connection.”

  I guess he agreed, because either he hung up, or I lost him.

  I dragged my feet back to the table. I sat, but didn’t feel like eating anymore. “Who was that?” Mother asked. I just shook my head. What was I feeling? Surely, I didn’t feel guilty about my interludes with Lonnie? No. Maybe more like the comparison between the two men. Lonnie walked with confidence. Okay, like a cop, or sheriff, or whatever. Joshua’s was more cock of the walk. Like he was all that. Joshua was fit, but Lonnie was magnificent. On each point, Lonnie came out on top. And, more to the point, Joshua was an ex. Also, our relationship had been nice. He was good in bed. He treated me okay. He was, in fact, adequate. I didn’t want more than that. Did I? Could I have a no strings attached relationship with Lonnie? The blood rushing through my veins, and the pull in my groin at the mere thought of him said probably not.

  When Mother finished eating we walked around a little, picking up pine cones, and rocks. She piled the rocks, building a small cairn at the side of the road. Then she poured the pine cones into the picnic basket to bring home. I hadn’t a clue why she wanted them. I secured the basket with a bungee, and we headed home.

  ❃ ❃ ❃

  There’s something to be said for the simple life. No electronics. No pressures. No worries. Sleeping in. I could do it, if I wanted to go off the grid somewhere. Like I’d done in the Serengeti. I could nurse my savings along for several years, then, maybe write a few articles and disappear again. But life with Mother wasn’t simple.

  My phone buzzed early Monday morning. “Crud.” I rolled over, and reached for the offending cell. I searched for the button. “H’lo?” I cleared my throat. I usually kept a water bottle on the nightstand, but I’d already drank it. The desert makes for scratchy throats during the night. Even with a swamp cooler, the place was dry.

  I expected Joshua. But, it wasn’t him.

  “Mary Sue?” I recognized Robert Delgado’s voice. My editor from Continental Geographic. I sat up, suddenly wide awake. I ran my fingers through my hair, as if he could see me.

  “Yes, sir. What’s up?” I looked at my watch. Seven A.M. Nine on the East Coast.

  “We’ve been discussing your work.” By ‘we,’ I gathered he meant his editorial staff. “And we want you to come on board. Did Josh Banks talk to you?” He went on for several minutes before the meaning sunk in. He wanted me full time. On staff. It was my dream come true, all because of a little story about hippos. My heart raced, and blood rushed in my ears. Wow, was I excited. Just as I began to say those fateful words, yes, yes, and yes, I remembered my situation. I would have to talk to Emma and Earl before I gave a hard answer. I suddenly felt cold, then hot, then cold again. And it had nothing to do with menopause. Or Lonnie.

  “Can I have a few days?”

  “We’ve got to make this quick, Mary Sue. We’re relying on you. But, if you can’t make a fast decision, we’ve got other people waiting in the wings.”

  Holy Cow. “Can I have…” I thought about it a fast second. “Two weeks?”

  “You can have one. I’ll ring you a week from today, and I’ll expect your answer.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “I’ll have things in order by then.”

  “Good.” He hung up.

  Would a week give me the time I needed? I had to talk to the twins, see what we could do about Mother. And then, I still wanted to solve this murder, not only for my mom’s sake, but for Dee’s too. I’d begun to care about her, and the other Solitaire ladies, too. And I had to figure out what was happening between me and Lonnie.

  ❃ ❃ ❃

  Mother lay down for a nap, so I took off for the plaza. The air felt stifling, with little to no breeze, but once I got under the trees in the plaza, I felt cooler. I headed for the gazebo, hoping for a private place to think about my options. I climbed the steps and ducked inside the covered, open building. I spun around, taking in the historic adobes that bordered the open space. Should I leave? Could I?

  I had no idea what to do about Mother. My siblings made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that they were done with her. Well, maybe not so harsh, but they didn’t intend to care for her on a daily basis. I hadn’t been to their homes, yet. Earl lived above the store. I glanced up toward an open window, a curtain billowing outward. Since there wasn’t any wind, the swamp cooler must have been the source of the breeze.

  Emma lived farther afield. I’d driven by when I got to town, trying to get my bearings. She had a nice house, close to the college campus. Two stories. The twins must be doing well with their store. That’s easy, I guess, when you’re the onl
y place in town. A couple others, like the feed store, had some stuff that crossed over with their merchandise, but they had the only true mercantile.

  A movement drew my attention back to the door of their shop. A woman. She walked across the street, and strolled slowly around the plaza, her skirt swaying with each step. I watched as she drew close, then climbed the stairs. Emma. She stopped near me, leaning her elbows on the rail. No patriotic banners this time of year. No orchestra. Just us on the bandstand. She got my attention with her hangdog look.

  “What’s up, Sis?’ I closed the gap between us, and leaned on the rail beside her. She looked like her problems loomed as big as mine.

  “I don’t know,” she said. But I could tell she did. She wanted to talk, but hadn’t yet formed the words. I waited, silently. Like we had when we were little. Sadness gathered in my mind for those long ago days, when we were close. I imagined a brass band playing in my mind. Seventy-six trombones to brighten my mood. I tapped my heel to the non-existent music. Emma glanced down at my foot, then smiled. She sang the first few lines of the song we’d sung here as children, the three of us. “Seventy-six trombones led the big parade…” We’d marched around the gazebo stage, pretending we had instruments in hand. Emma with the trombone, Earl with a trumpet, and me with a sax.

  Finally, she opened up. “I’m having a hard time since Anthony got back from prison,” she said. “He… he and Joe… you know.”

  “Killed Tonya?” I turned, and leaned my back against a post, giving her my full attention.

  She looked at me, then at her fingers where they rested atop the gazebo fence. “I liked her. I mean, really liked her.”

  Did she mean what I thought she meant? If so, was she coming out to me?

  A tear sparkled in her eye when she glanced my direction. “I just don’t like those guys being around. Him and Joe.”

  “You know they have a right to be here.”

  “I know.”

  “Were you up at that party?”

  “Only for a little while. I went with a couple of girlfriends. Mother didn’t know. When Earl showed up, we left. I didn’t want to get into trouble. Except, my friend stayed.”