Driven (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 1)

by Becky Durfee

  “Sorry,” Jenny remarked. “Maybe I should wear a bell around my neck so you can hear me coming.”

  Elanor laughed. “Well, now that you’ve sufficiently scared the crap out of me, to what do I owe the pleasure this morning?” Jenny noted that for the first time, Elanor did not make the attempt to sit upright; she continued the conversation lying down.

  “I just wanted to see if I have something straight.”

  “Okay, shoot.”

  “A young blond woman and a dark haired young man were sitting on a blanket by the side of a lake. The man offered the woman a ring, which she declined, causing the man to storm off. The woman sat alone on the side of the water for quite some time…”

  “Oh my God,” Elanor whispered. “Did I tell you that?”

  “No, ma’am,” Jenny said softly, affectionately smoothing out an unruly patch of Elanor’s hair. “I watched it.” Jenny smiled kindly at Elanor. “It appears Steve was there with you that day.”

  Elanor closed her eyes as a tear dripped slowly down to her pillow.

  “But that’s not the best part,” Jenny added delicately. “I got to know what he was thinking. It appears he is waiting for you, Miss Elanor.”

  Elanor opened her eyes again. “He’s waiting for me?”

  “Yes. He is,” Jenny whispered. “He unwilling to cross over until you can do it with him. That’s why he’s able to communicate with me--he isn’t fully gone yet.”

  Elanor silently contemplated Jenny’s words, looking far more serious than Jenny cared to see.

  Jenny made her tone less sober to lighten the mood. “In fact, one of his goals was to make sure you never fell in love with anyone else. He wanted you to wait for him, just like he was waiting for you, so he lingered—hovered—just enough to make sure you never gave your heart to another man.” Elanor didn’t respond, so Jenny continued. “According to my calculations, you weren’t made of stone, like you claim. You just lived your life with a partner you couldn’t see.”

  “So he’s been around? All this time?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Elanor resumed her silence, eventually adding, “Is he here now?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know that. I only see the little snippets he allows me to see. I don’t ever feel his presence.” Jenny smiled. “But it is possible.”

  “And I get to be with him after I die?” Elanor’s eyes grew teary again.

  “For eternity.” Jenny stroked Elanor’s hand.

  From the confines of her bed, Elanor looked so painfully fragile. “Do you know how happy this makes me?” She wiped her tears away with her hand.

  Jenny got up and retrieved a tissue box from the kitchen counter. Pulling a few out and handing them to Elanor, she replied, “I’m glad.”

  “I’m serious,” Elanor said, dabbing at her eyes. “This changes everything.” She looked squarely at Jenny. “Do you know what it’s been like in here? Do you know how it feels to know that every good thing that’s ever going to happen in your life has already happened? Before you came into my life, the only things I had to look forward to were visits from the handyman and Cherry Jello night. But now…now I know that when I die I get to be with Steve again. Now death isn’t just an end to my misery, it’s actually a beginning—the beginning of something wonderful.” Tears flowed readily. “I can’t thank you enough for that.”

  “Don’t thank me,” Jenny reminded her. “I’m just the vehicle, remember? Steve’s the driver. I don’t write the messages, I just deliver them.”

  “Modest, as always.” Elanor gestured for another tissue, which Jenny provided. “You’re a remarkable young woman.” Elanor cleaned herself off and regained some control of her emotions. “Good gracious. I’m getting all worked up this morning.” She threw her used tissues into a pail that Jenny had held up for her, and then she added in her usual humorous tone, “Does this mean Steve sabotaged all of my relationships?”

  Jenny giggled. “I believe it does.”

  “Fucker,” Elanor remarked, then shouted louder. “Fucker! You hear that Steve? You’re a fucker. All these years I thought I was cold-hearted, and it was you all along, you selfish bastard.”

  Jenny laughed with every word Elanor spoke. A spitfire until the very end.

  With a sigh and subsequent release of emotion, Elanor asked, “Were you able to see that picture of Arthur?”

  Jenny froze. With her latest vision, she had forgotten all about the photograph. She still hadn’t decided how she was going to handle that, but one look into Elanor’s red, puffy eyes made her choice clear. “No. I haven’t gotten that yet.”

  “Let me know when you do,” Elanor said. “And then bring it in here so I can throw darts at it.”

  Jenny smiled. “Will do.”

  Jenny arrived back at the house at 11:30, making sure she was home in time for the noon to 2:00 window the Red Cross folks had given her. She fixed herself a sandwich and lounged on the couch while eating, enjoying the last bit of comfort the living room would provide for the next few weeks. She flipped through the channels on the television until the doorbell rang, at which time she greeted the two men dressed in Red Cross uniforms.

  “Good day, ma’am,” one of them said, “We’re here for the furniture.”

  “Yes, nice to see you.” Jenny replied. “Thanks for coming out on such a hot day.”

  “There’s no other kind of day in Georgia in the summer.”

  Jenny showed the men which pieces they would be taking, which was pretty much everything. “You’re not going to have any furniture left when we’re done,” the other man noted.

  “We have new furniture coming,” Jenny said. “In the meantime we’ve got folding tables and chairs.” Then she added, “How’s the family doing?”

  “The family from the fire?”

  Jenny nodded. “Yes sir.”

  “They’re okay. They’re glad no one was hurt, but they lost everything. No renter’s insurance.” The man shook his head. “Gotta have renter’s insurance.”

  “Well, now they have some furniture.”

  “Yes ma’am, thanks to you. They also have a lot of clothes and toys for the kids that people donated. It’s nice to see how kind people can be in the face of tragedy.”

  “Yes,” Jenny noted, “it sure is.”

  The workers proceeded to take out all of the furniture except the television and the bedroom set, although Jenny gave them the bedding. At the end of it all, the larger of the two men asked Jenny to sign a form, and then he looked at her with a smile. “Thank you for doing this. The family will be so happy. God bless you.”

  “You as well,” Jenny replied. As she closed the door behind them, she couldn’t help but smile. Her house looked as empty as the day she moved in, but her spirit felt full. Very little in life could rival the joy of giving to those who truly needed it.

  She’d have to remember this feeling when Greg got home and realized she gave the furniture away. She grimaced when she remembered Susan advising against tit-for-tat, but these wheels had already been put into motion before that greasy meal at the diner. “Oh well,” she muttered, “What’s done is done.” She felt too good to let Greg’s inevitable disapproval get her down. She headed out to the garage for a folding chair, setting it down in the middle of the empty living room.

  As she sat awkwardly in the chair, she thought about Zack, hoping he too would one day get the courage to stand his ground. It didn’t seem right anyone born a Larrabee had to go into construction, like it or not.

  “Wait a minute,” she said standing up. “Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” After a moment of deliberation she rushed to the phone and dialed. Two rings later she heard, “Hey Jenny.”

  “Hey, Zack. How’s it going?”

  “Eh,” he replied. “I’m at work.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Jenny said. “Listen, I just had a thought. You said all Larrabees have to work for the company, right?”

  “Just the ones with penises.�
�� Jenny heard an angry voice in the background. “Oh, sorry dad. It’s just a friend.”

  Jenny couldn’t help but smirk.

  “God, I hate this fucking place,” Zack whispered into the phone.

  “I’m sorry, but that was funny. Anyway, did Brian happen to have any sons? And if so, would it be a safe assumption that they would have worked on his crew?”

  “One step ahead of you,” Zack said, his pride in his ability to play detective fully restored. “He had three sons: Everett, Richard and John. I’m in the middle of doing some digging, but I was able to find out that Everett died a while ago. Richard is alive and well but lives about three hours away. I was just looking into John’s whereabouts when you called. I’m hoping he’s local so we can talk to him easily. If not, it looks like we’ll have to take a road trip so we can have a talk with Richard.”

  Jenny was flattered. “You’d actually go with me?”

  “Are you kidding?” Zack asked. “This is the coolest thing ever. I’d be bummed if you went without me.”

  Considering Zack’s appeal as a romantic prospect had taken a nose dive in the sub shop, Jenny didn’t feel the least bit funny about spending a day with him. “I really appreciate that,” she said, “but it would still be nice if John ends up living closer and we don’t have to spend six hours in the car.”

  “Yeah, it would be,” Zack began. “But if we do need to take a road trip, are you available tomorrow? It’s my only day off for a while.”

  “Tomorrow would be ideal, actually. Just let me know if we need to go.”

  “Give me a little bit of time, and I’ll give you a call when I find out. Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect. Thanks, Zack.”

  “You bet.”

  Jenny hung up the phone with renewed optimism, although she was uncertain how long Zack would take to find John’s whereabouts. To kill some time, she hopped in her car and headed out to a gas station with a convenience store, picking up her first issue of Choices magazine. She returned home, sat uncomfortably in her folding chair, and opened the pages.

  Her focus first turned to an article entitled, ‘Know Your Worth.’ The segment was directed toward working women, advising them not to settle for too little in the workplace, but she was able to translate those same principles into her own life. That had been her problem. She didn’t know her worth until recently, and she was willing to settle for much less than she had deserved in her marriage. The article offered advice on how to negotiate with an employer in order to get a higher salary. Jenny didn’t want a higher salary; she wanted her husband to regard her as an equal.

  As she contemplated the article, her phone rang. “Well hello, Zack. Did you find anything out about John?”

  “Yup,” he replied. “Dead as a doornail. You ready for a road trip?”

  Chapter 17

  Zack was supposed to be at Jenny’s house at 9:00. At 9:40, he finally arrived. Jenny got into his car, and this time he offered no apology for being late. He also had a coffee and doughnuts for himself, and none for Jenny. She smirked at his immaturity. The fact that this adorable man was a bachelor made sense to her now; he definitely wasn’t marriage material.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. Does Richard know we’re coming?”

  “Yup. I checked with him yesterday. I didn’t want to drive all the way out there and have him not be home.” Zack pulled out of the driveway and started on his way.

  “Good call. Does he know what this is about?”

  “I told him it was about one of his fellow crew members getting murdered, and he said he remembered it.”

  “How could he remember it when no one knew he was murdered until now?”

  “I guess we’re about to find out.”

  Jenny felt a twinge of excitement which she kept subdued, realizing this promising lead might also turn out to be another dead end.

  “Have you ever met Richard before?” Jenny asked.

  “Maybe, but if I did I don’t remember. We’re a huge family, and we often have a lot of gatherings where I don’t know everybody. He’s probably been at a few of those, but I generally stick with people that are my own age at those things.”

  “You know, I usually do that too, but now that I’ve met Elanor I may change my tune.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Let me tell you, that woman’s a trip.” Jenny told Zack all about Elanor, including some of the crass things she’d said during the visits.

  “She sounds like quite a woman,” Zack admitted.

  “She sure is,” Jenny replied sadly. “I’m going to miss her when she’s gone.”

  Zack glanced at Jenny as he drove, offering her a sympathetic smile. Irresponsible as he may have been, he was indeed a nice guy.

  “So,” Jenny began in a friendlier tone. “Are there any Mrs. Zack Larrabees running around? Or Zack Larrabee Juniors?”

  Zack laughed. “No. No wife, and I don’t think I have kids. Guys can never be sure, though.”

  “Okay, that’s scary,” Jenny replied. “You got a girlfriend?”

  “No, but I’m working on one.”

  Jenny felt a hint of worry, hoping she wasn’t the girl he was working on. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady?”

  “She’s a waitress at a restaurant I like to go to.”

  Relief.

  “She’s young, though,” Zack continued. “She’s only like, twenty one or twenty two.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty nine.”

  “That’s not so bad. Age is just a number. Maturity level is what counts.”

  Zack laughed. “Then we’re good. I operate at about eighteen or nineteen.”

  “At least you can admit that,” Jenny noted. “Have you asked her out yet?”

  “No. That’s what I’m working on.”

  “What’s the hold up?”

  “I want to be sure she’ll say yes if I ask.”

  The logic seemed odd to Jenny. “You know, it’s flattering to a girl when someone asks her out, even if she’s not interested. Well, unless the guy is creepy, which you’re not. I think you should ask her. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “She’ll laugh in my face. And then she’ll get all of the restaurant patrons to come over and laugh in my face, too.”

  Jenny was amused by the visual. “Do you really think that’s what will happen?”

  “No, but it could.”

  “I think you have a better chance of being struck by lightning.” Jenny slid her feet out of her flip flops and crossed her legs on the passenger seat. “What if I made it a bet? Would it be easier to ask her out if it was a dare?”

  “Actually, it would.”

  “Okay, then, here goes,” Jenny said. “If you ask her out within a week, I’ll give you the gas money for this trip. If you weenie out, you’re paying for it.”

  “A week?”

  “Yes. A week. Any more than that and you run the risk of some other dude coming in and snatching her up. So do we have a deal?”

  Zack sighed. “Deal.” He reached his right hand out and Jenny shook it.

  “Now can I offer you some advice if she says yes?”

  “Please do. I seem to fuck up every date I go on.”

  Jenny wasn’t surprised. She told him about the importance of punctuality, responsibility, and consideration. She pointed out that a phone call this morning would have been appropriate, letting her know he was running late and also offering to pick her up a coffee or doughnut as well. “Those are the kinds of things that go a long way,” Jenny concluded.

  “You know, that never would have occurred to me.” Again he flashed Jenny a sideways smile. “You’re a good friend to have in my corner.”

  “Just name your first born daughter after me and we’ll call it even.”

  The conversation flowed lightly the rest of the way to Richard’s house. The three hour trip went by rather quickly, and before she knew it they had arrived.

  J
enny could feel her stomach flutter as she and Zack got out of the car. “I’m nervous.”

  “Nothing to worry about,” Zack replied as they headed up the sidewalk.

  “What if he’s mean?”

  “He’s, like, eighty.”

  “Yeah, I know. Sometimes old people can be nasty.”

  They arrived at the front step and Zack pressed the doorbell. “If he starts throwing punches, I think we can take him.”

  “But what if he has a gun? Then what will…”

  The door opened to reveal an elderly man dressed in long pants and a sweater. “Uncle Richard?” Zack asked.

  Jenny gave Zack a strange look; Richard wasn’t his uncle.

  “Yes,” Richard said nonetheless. “You must be Zack. Come on in.” He backed up slowly to let Zack and Jenny in. The house was sweltering.

  “This is Jenny,” Zack said. “She’s a psychic.”

  Jenny felt awkward as she held out her hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

  Richard shook her hand and eyed her suspiciously. “A psychic, huh? You can read minds?”

  Jenny shook her head, wishing Zack hadn’t said anything. “No, not exactly. I just get a feel for things.”

  “Well, go on, have a seat,” Richard said, gesturing toward the couch. He sat down in a worn old chair that was clearly his favorite.

  Jenny looked around as she and Zack sat on the sofa. “You have a lovely home.”

  “Built it myself,” Richard said, “back in 1962. It’s held up real good.”

  “It certainly has,” Jenny replied politely. Her eyes scanned the room until they fell on an old framed photograph on the end table. The black and white picture featured a young couple on their wedding day; the style of dress the bride wore indicated the picture was from the 1920s. While she couldn’t tell for sure because she was too far away, Jenny believed the groom could be a younger version of the gray-haired man from her vision.

  Zack was busy eyeing the handiwork. “Egg and dart, huh? Nice touch.”

  “It was expensive but worth it,” Richard said.

  Based on where the two Larrabees held their gazes, Jenny surmised they were talking about the crown molding.