Ida Mae opened her mouth to congratulate him, but a loud yowl filled the air, and Eden swore. It wasn’t one of the worst swear words, but it was one nonetheless.
“Sorry,” she said.
Ida Mae turned to see Eden holding on to her hand. “The cat looked uncomfortable, so I reached in there to pet him, and he scratched me. Ungrateful wretch.”
Ida Mae fumbled in her bag and pulled out a foil package of Neosporin and some Band-Aids. “Here you go, dear.”
“Are you prepared or what?” Eden took the items and got to work nursing herself as Ren pulled the car onto the road.
*
Upon reaching the house, Eden and Ida Mae fidgeted in the living room while Ren worked his magic in the bathroom-turned-darkroom.
“It’s taking forever,” Eden said, falling onto the couch.
“It’s only been a little while, but I agree that it does feel like forever,” Ida Mae said.
Eden sat motionless for a couple of minutes, then stood to wander around the room. She stopped at the fireplace and studied the row of framed pictures that sat on the mantle.
“You’ve got a really nice-looking family,” she said, picking up the picture of Ida Mae with her two children. “Where do they live now?”
“Keith lives in Montana, and Kim is in Chicago,” Ida Mae said. “That picture was taken several years ago.”
“They’re both quite a long ways away.” Eden replaced the picture, unaware of the discomfort Ida Mae felt. “Do you have grandchildren?”
“They each have two of their own. All boys.”
“You must be very proud.” She continued down the fireplace, peering at the faces in the pictures.
“I am proud . . . of them. I’m not so proud of myself.” Ida Mae didn’t know she was going to say the words until they were out, dangling in the air where she couldn’t snatch them back. She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she took a sip of the ice water she’d served upon reaching the house.
“What do you mean?” Eden asked, turning to face Ida Mae. “Unless you don’t want to tell me. I understand.”
Ida Mae was tempted to pretend she hadn’t said anything, but at the same time, she found the idea of sharing . . . appealing. She was used to shouldering the burdens of others. Wouldn’t it be nice for just a few, small minutes to share a burden of her own?
“I’ve always been a caretaker,” she said, shifting a little in her chair. “It’s how I was raised. When my children came along, I loved watching over them and seeing to their every little need. When they got older, I guess I was still trying to do what I’d always done.” Ida Mae took a deep breath, the memory of that day coming back sharply. “They sat me down, together, and told me that they wanted to live their own lives. They were tired of me trying to do it for them. And they left.”
“I’m sorry,” Eden said when Ida Mae fell silent.
“I thought I was just being a good mother,” Ida Mae said. “I didn’t realize I was smothering them. I didn’t know where the line was. I didn’t even know there was a line. They say they’ve accepted my apologies, but they haven’t been back to see me, and they haven’t invited me to come out there.”
Eden didn’t say anything, and Ida Mae was grateful. She didn’t want any platitudes or words of consolation. She wanted to be in the moment, to feel the weight of what she’d just said aloud for the first time.
When Eden did speak, Ida Mae wasn’t expecting what she said.
“I would have loved to have a mother like you.”
Ida Mae looked over at the girl and was surprised to see tears on her eyelashes. “My mom was really absent. Grandma practically raised me until I was twelve, and then my dad decided to take more of a hand. But if it hadn’t been for Grandma, I would have been pretty much neglected.”
“Taking Ren in sort of gave me a second chance too,” Ida Mae said, knowing Eden would identify. “He’s helped me feel that maybe I wasn’t a total failure.”
“You’re not a failure.” Eden walked over and placed her hand on Ida Mae’s shoulder. “I’ve watched the way you care for the people in this town. Okay, so you have a strange and illegal way of showing it, but you really love them.”
Ren came down the hallway, and both Eden and Ida Mae jumped. “Well?” they said simultaneously.
“Nothing,” Ren said, handing Ida Mae the picture. “There wasn’t enough light. All I could make out is that he has a mustache.”
Ida Mae and Eden hunched together, studying the photo. “That’s about all I see, too,” Eden said, and Ida Mae agreed.
“There are two men at work with mustaches,” Eden said. “I can’t tell who this is.”
“I was so close,” Ren said. He flumped down on the sofa. “I really thought I had something.”
“We have a lot more than we would have had without you,” Ida Mae said, inwardly grimacing at her words. Yes, they would all now have prison records. That was definitely something they had with Ren’s help. But at the same time, she knew they were on to something. They just had to keep looking. Hopefully, that continued looking wouldn’t involve any more cats.
Chapter Twenty
Eden burst in through Ida Mae’s kitchen door, Ren hot on her heels. “Ida Mae!”
Ida Mae looked up from the coupons she was clipping. “Yes, dear?”
“Look at this!” She pulled up a chair and plopped down, setting a piece of paper on the table. “Okay. Nick shipped out that package to Tulsa, right? Well, here’s the thing. When you’re through shipping a package, you’re supposed to put the order sheet into a box on my desk. That sheet hasn’t shown up, and it’s been a couple of days.”
“And no one else would have taken it out?” Ida Mae asked.
“Nope. That’s my job.” Eden jabbed the paper with her finger. “See what this means? Someone placed the order without my knowledge and they didn’t file the order form properly. And . . .” She paused, probably for dramatic effect.
“And?” Ida Mae prompted on cue.
“The order is no longer in the computer’s database.”
“What?”
“Someone went in and erased it,” Ren put in. “There is now no record of that package, except with the shipping company.”
“Why put it in the computer at all?” Ida Mae asked.
“To print the shipping label,” Eden explained. “You have to fill out a form on the computer in order to print the label. If Nick tried to mail a package without the right shipping label, it would really call attention to itself. I bet the guy in the Jaguar put the order into the computer to get the label, had Nick fill the order, and then erased all evidence of it from the computer. Nick probably destroyed the form instead of returning it to my box.”
“So, Nick is illegally shipping something,” Ida Mae said. “He’s not stealing baby formula, is he?”
“I don’t think so,” Ren said. “That certainly wouldn’t bring in the kind of cash he’s had lately. I think he’s shipping drugs.”
“Drugs?” Ida Mae blinked. “Are you sure?”
“Think about it,” Ren said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “He’s shipping something under the radar. It’s bringing in cash every ten days. What else could it be? Nothing else that valuable is small enough to ship in formula canisters. Unless we’re talking about jewels, but no one really steals and sells jewels anymore. That’s kind of a James Bond thing.”
“Does Nick know what he’s doing?” Ida Mae asked.
“It’s possible they didn’t tell him exactly what he was shipping, but he has to know it’s wrong. Nobody pays you under the table for doing something legal. Besides, remember that conversation we taped between him and Mary? She said it wasn’t right. So she knows a little something about it, too.”
Ida Mae shook her head, trying to squelch down the sick feeling that was building in her stomach. This meant jail time for Nick and Mary. What would happen to the children? For a second, she wished the Secret Sisters had never gotten involved with all their high-tec
h gadgets. But it was only a matter of time before the law got wind of it anyway, regardless of who brought it to light.
“What do we do?” she asked, feeling the weight of the decision.
“We still can’t do anything,” Ren said. “All of this is conjecture. We have no proof of anything.”
“Back to square one, then?”
“Not exactly,” Eden said. “We know a lot more than we did. We just don’t have proof of it, that’s all.”
“I wish someone would make a mistake so we could turn the whole thing over to the police,” Ida Mae said. She pushed her chair back from the table and reached for the emergency can of soda pop she kept on the shelf just for times like this. Her stomach needed some attention, fast.
“You all right, Auntie?”
“I’m fine, Ren. I just feel a little sick, that’s all.” She poured the pop over some ice and began to sip. “I can’t stand the thought of Nick and Mary ending up in jail and those poor children being farmed out somewhere.”
“I can’t promise you that won’t happen,” Ren said. “But I do know this. The sooner we can get to the bottom of it, the better for everyone.”
*
“I have something to report,” Eden said, her cheeks pink with excitement. “James Jeffries asked me out to dinner tomorrow night.”
“The man in the Jaguar?” Arlette pressed her lips together. “That can’t be a good idea.”
“Oh, but it is!” Eden said, patting her grandmother on the arm. “I might be able to find out what’s really going on.”
“How did this come about?” Ida Mae asked.
“Well, I think Nichole—you know, the girl I asked about the car? I think she must have told him I showed some interest because last week he came down to my desk and introduced himself to me. A few times since then, he’s walked by and said hello, and today, just before I left, he asked me out.”
“And you said?” Arlette asked.
“I said yes, of course. I’d be crazy not to.”
“Well, I think you’re crazy to say yes,” Arlette told her.
“We can follow her,” Ida Mae pointed out. “Where is he taking you?”
“To Laserre,” she said. “I told him I’d meet him there at five.”
“Good girl,” Tansy said. “Meeting him there is such a smart idea.”
“Laserre?” Ida Mae blinked. “That new French restaurant in Salt Lake?”
“That’s the one.”
“I’ve heard it’s terribly expensive.”
“Let’s live it up for once,” Tansy said. “We might never have the chance to eat there again.”
Ida Mae considered. Tansy did have a point. And they had to protect Eden at all costs. She felt her resolve crumbling even before it had time to become cemented.
“I’ll call and see if we can get a reservation,” she said. She dialed and learned they could fit in her party of three—Ren had to work and would not be joining them. It was probably just as well—it would be such a shame if the boy had to watch Eden on a date with another man.
*
The ladies watched Eden enter the restaurant, then counted to sixty before crossing the street and entering themselves. Ida Mae looked around when they got inside—Eden must have already been seated.
“Babbitt, party of three,” she told the maitre d’.
He led them through the dining room past tables swathed in white linen. Ida Mae felt like a chick waddling after Mama Duck as he guided them to an empty table. She finally caught sight of Eden and James off to the right, but they were nowhere near the table designated for Ida Mae’s party.
“Will this be all right?” the maitre d’ asked solicitously, and Ida Mae didn’t think it was.
“Do you have anything . . . over there?” she asked, nodding in Eden’s direction. “The sunlight on this table . . . is too bright.” She knew her excuse was pathetic, but it was the only thing she could think of.
He looked at the table and at the window. “Too bright?”
Ida Mae realized the sun was setting and felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden, but she had to carry on. “Yes. I can’t be subjected to too much light.”
“She gets blotchy,” Tansy interjected.
“More blotchy than she is now,” Arlette added.
“I’ll see what I can do. Please wait here.”
He moved through the tables and looked around, then came back. “I believe I found just the thing,” he said. “Please, come this way.”
He situated them at a table several feet away from Eden’s, but she was now close enough that she could signal if need be. Ida Mae breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her menu.
“I’m not blotchy,” she said to Arlette, skimming through the entrée selections.
“You do get a little spotty under the eyes when you haven’t had enough sleep,” Arlette replied.
“Then you should pity me, not share the information with the world at large.”
“It got us this table, didn’t it?”
They looked at their choices for a moment, then Tansy said, “Don’t look now, but they’re both standing up.”
Arlette started to put her menu down, but Tansy hissed, “I said don’t look!”
All three women held their menus high, but peeked around the edges. Sure enough, James and Eden were walking away, led by the maitre d’.
“They aren’t leaving, are they?” Tansy asked.
“I think they’re sitting at that other table,” Arlette replied.
They watched as Eden took her seat at a table near the fireplace.
“Well, now what are we going to do? She’s clear over there, and we’re clear over here,” Tansy said.
Ida Mae raised her hand. The maitre d’ saw and scurried over.
“What can I do for you?”
“I . . . I’m getting a little chilled. Would it be possible for us to move closer to the fire?”
“She does get very cold,” Tansy said.
“She’s downright icy sometimes,” Arlette added.
He tilted his head to the side. “The fire might give off light, madam. Is that all right?”
“It’s sunlight I’m allergic to. Firelight is perfectly fine.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Once again, he scurried off to check for tables. Once again, he came back. “You are in luck. I do have one table.”
“Take your menus,” Ida Mae whispered, and the ladies tucked them under their arms as they rose. They had to pass Eden’s table to get to their own and they held their menus high, pretending to study them as they passed.
“Here you are,” the maitre d’ said, helping the ladies be seated. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“This is perfect,” Ida Mae said.
“Very well. I’ll send your waiter over shortly.”
The three nibbled bread and peeked at Eden while they waited for their entrees. Eden seemed to be enjoying herself. Her light laughter filled the room from time to time, and James seemed very attentive. If Ida Mae hadn’t known he was full of evil, she would have said he was charming.
Right after Ida Mae’s roast beef arrived, James got a call on his cell phone. He excused himself to go answer it, and stepped out into the hall.
“This might be important,” Tansy whispered. “One of us should go listen in.”
“I’ll go,” Ida Mae said. “My dinner needs a minute to cool anyway.”
She rose and walked toward the hallway, thinking she could pretend to be on her way to the ladies’ room. But when she got there, she saw that she was in a corridor that led directly to the kitchen with no ladies’ room in sight, no pay phone—no logical reason for her to be there. There was, however, a large potted plant in the corner. She dove behind it just as James, who was facing away from her, turned on his heel and started pacing back the other way.
“I don’t know why you think that,” he said into the phone. “I’ve done everything you asked me to do.”
Ida Mae crouched, trying to ignore the fact that the plant was some variety of fern, and she was allergic to most types of fern.
“I think it’s only my right,” James continued. “I’ve done all the legwork, haven’t I?”
Ida Mae tried to ignore the fact that the plant was set in some sort of peat moss, and she was allergic to most types of peat moss.
“We’ll have to talk about this on Monday,” James continued. “I’m at dinner right now, and I need to get back to my table. Yes, I’m with a woman. It’s none of your business who.” He listened for another minute, and then snapped, “I said we’d talk on Monday.” He punched a button on his phone, then strode back into the dining room.
Ida Mae began to straighten from her hiding spot, then startled at a voice behind her. The maitre d’ had come up and was inquiring as to what she might need.
“I was just looking for the ladies’ room,” she said.
“If you go out through the dining room, you’ll find it to the left. I’m afraid there’s nothing back here but the kitchen and an emergency exit.”
“Thank you,” she said and made her way back out to the dining room, where she took her seat and checked her food. It was now just right.
“What happened?” Tansy asked just as Ida Mae let loose a long-restrained “A-a-a-choo!”
“May I offer you a tissue and an antihistamine?” the maitre d’ asked, appearing at her elbow. She didn’t appreciate the touch of sarcasm in his voice.
*
“Why did you change tables?” Arlette asked later that night as they gathered at Ida Mae’s to compare notes.
“James said he wanted to sit somewhere a little more intimate,” Eden explained. “We couldn’t really hear each other where we were at first.”
“I’m just glad we were able to change tables too,” Ida Mae said. “I would have felt terrible if you hadn’t been in our line of sight.”
“I was giving thought to rigging semaphore flags with two napkins and a couple of long breadsticks, but you solved that by moving,” Eden told her.
Secret Sisters Page 12
