He waited and watched for another hour before deciding it was time to go. He would see the final décor at some point. He would give them a few days to settle in and go over and introduce himself. He knew they would still be unpacking boxes, but the furniture should be in place. He maneuvered his way to the front door and hobbled to the blue Lincoln Mark V he had brought back to the house after the last time he had visited his cars. He was glad he had swapped it out with the Cadillac. He carefully inched the car out of the driveway and slowly moved past the neighbors. He gave a wave as he passed the van and drove slowly to his destination.
* * *
Jeanne and Frank were as curious as everyone else on the block. Frank practically had to hold Jeanne back physically. “You don’t want to seem like a nosy neighbor.”
Jeanne looked at him and laughed. “Have you not met me? I am a nosy neighbor.”
“Well, not right now.” Frank grabbed her by the back of the waistband of her slacks.
She playfully slapped his hand away. “I’m only going to look out the window. Carefully.”
Frank shook his head. He knew that when Jeanne got an idea into her head, it would take a crowbar to get it out.
But he, too, couldn’t resist. He sneaked up behind her, and they both had a look-see. Andy’s car was passing in front of their house at the same time.
“He’s such a sport,” Frank commented. “Look at him. Well dressed and driving a classic car. I hope I can do that when I’m his age.”
Jeanne chuckled. “I’m not sure about a light blue Lincoln, though.”
“Maybe Andy will leave it to me.”
“Oh, shush.” She gave him a slap on the arm.
After staring out the window for a half hour, they realized there wasn’t much to see.
“When should we go over there?” Jeanne asked.
“Hon, can you wait for the van to leave at least?”
“All right, but I am going to get started on making some baked ziti. I’ll take it over to them later.” Jeanne was being very sincere. Sure, she was curious, but she also wanted to make the neighbors feel at home. They were, after all, going to share the same street for a long time. Better to get on their good side right away.
“That’s my girl. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, too.” Frank gave her a pat on the fanny. “Don’t forget to make some for me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of forgetting you.” Jeanne blew him a kiss as she entered the kitchen. “Let me know if there are any signs of the kids.” Jeanne knew that Frank would stand guard at the window until he was satisfied. It was in his protective nature to suss out every situation.
“Roger that,” he replied.
* * *
Ellie was sitting on her perch in the loft, holding her binoculars. She watched Andy inch his way out of his driveway and navigate around the big van. Three strapping young men were rapidly moving boxes and furniture from the moving truck. She caught a glimpse of a woman talking to a person who appeared to be the supervisor. She was nodding and pointing to something on a clipboard he was holding. There didn’t appear to be any issues, simply an exchange of information. Had there been an issue, Ellie would have clearly seen an expression of discontent on the woman’s face. Her binoculars were that good. She could almost see the woman’s nose hair. Ellie let out a guffaw at that thought. Ew.
So far, nothing appeared to distinguish them from any other middle-class, modern family. Modular furniture, big-screen TV. The dining-room table was a simple rectangle with light wood. She counted six cream-colored, chevron-patterned parsons chairs. Now that’s adventurous, considering there were two kids in the house. Maybe they weren’t allowed to sit on them. Maybe they never used the dining room. She could only guess. She waited to see if there was another table, perhaps for the kitchen. There was. It was a light-wood trestle table with a bench and four matching chairs. That was more like it.
After the first group of modular seating had been carried in, another modern sofa was pulled from the van. It was also cream-colored. Probably to go in another room, one the kids were not permitted to enter, she surmised. The woman disappeared into the house, most likely to supervise the placement. A sound from her computer told her that someone was likely in need of her help. She reluctantly set down the binoculars and looked at Buddy and Percy. “You guys keep an eye on things. Mommy’s got to get to work.” Percy yawned, and Buddy thumped his tail.
* * *
When Jackson and Colleen got home from school, the boy was excited to see the movers finishing up. He couldn’t wait to meet the new neighbors. He had heard there was a boy four years older, and he hoped they could be friends. He knew some twelve-year-old kids kind of liked girls. While Jackson was still of the mind that they might have cooties, he understood it was a part of life. Maybe they could do some guy things, like go fishing or something. He knew he didn’t want to share Buddy with him. That was his special time and his special place. Besides, he didn’t think Ms. Bowman would want another kid running around her yard.
He unpacked his homework and went to the kitchen table to get it done. Maybe he would stop by and say hello on his way to see Buddy. “Hey, Mom?”
“Yes, honey.”
“Do you think I could go over and say hi to the new neighbors on my way over to Buddy?”
Colleen got a shiver up her spine. She wasn’t ready for that, especially since she hadn’t heard from Officer Pedone.
“Let’s give them a day to settle in, OK?”
“But if I walk past them, I want to say hi. Is that OK?”
Colleen couldn’t think of a good reason why her son couldn’t be cordial. She could only think of a bad one. Her maternal instinct kicked in, and she went for the phone. She made her way into her bedroom for privacy and dialed Pedone’s number.
“Pedone,” he answered on the second ring. Perhaps it was because he knew it was her from the caller ID, but he wasn’t going to let on.
“Hi. Bob?” She asked as if she wasn’t sure she should call him Bob, even though he had told her to.
“Hey, Colleen. I was just about to call you. Can you give me a minute and let me call you back? I want to take this outside.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to make a pest of myself. But . . .”
He interrupted her. “You’re not being a pest. I just want some privacy. I’ll call you in less than five minutes. Promise.”
“OK. Thanks.” Colleen hung up, feeling dejected. But before her imagination could turn the conversation into something she would regret, the phone rang again, causing her to jump.” Get a grip, girl. She also realized that she had said that to herself a few times when it came to the handsome, unmarried policeman. Only this time it was because of her concern for her son.
“Hey.” Pedone’s voice was soothing and familiar.
“Hey,” Colleen replied.
“I did a little recon and found out the boy was with some other older kids who had bullied him into jumping on a moped. This happened in another town.”
“So it wasn’t a motorcycle at all?” Colleen was still not sure if she should be relieved.
“No. It belonged to a pizza delivery guy who the little gang of hoodlums liked to taunt. So instead of getting themselves in trouble, they pushed the kid into taking it. He managed to get about a block away before the pizza guy caught up with him. The kid had no idea what he was doing, but luckily, he didn’t hurt himself. And the bunch of ne’er-dowells not only put the pizza guy in a tizzy, they laughed hysterically at Randy. The embarrassment was bad enough, but then the owner of the pizza shop wanted to press charges against all of them, but he couldn’t, since Randy was the only one driving. If you could call it that. So they dropped the charges down to shoplifting, mostly to teach him a lesson. It will be expunged when he turns eighteen if he doesn’t get into any other trouble. Which I doubt he will. The reason they moved here is to get him into a better school, away from those other kids.”
Colleen sat down on a dining-room chair. �
�That is such a relief. Thank you so much.”
“From what I gathered, they’re a decent, hardworking family. The father’s an accountant and the mother a librarian. So you have something in common. Books.”
Colleen almost started to cry from the news.
“You still with me?” he asked into the void.
“Oh, yes. Yes. I’m trying to absorb this. I was so worried.”
“I know you were. But you can relax now. Sometimes, there’s a road to redemption.”
“You are so right.” Colleen took in a gulp of air. “How can I thank you?”
There was a moment of silence. She thought they might have been disconnected. “Hello?”
“Yes. I’m still here. Listen, this may be a little unconventional, but after all this is over, the trial and all, and once you get yourself settled, would you consider having dinner with me? I’ll understand if you don’t want to, after all you’ve been through. But it would be nice to have a dinner partner. Someone to talk to and share a meal.”
Colleen was speechless. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Mitchel had “shared a meal” in a nice, quiet atmosphere.
“Are you still there?” Pedone asked.
Colleen laughed softly. “Yes. Yes, I am, and I would be delighted to have dinner and enlightened conversation with you.”
Pedone chuckled. “I can’t guarantee ‘enlightened,’ but I’ll try for entertaining. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good. It may be a while, but it will be something to look forward to.” Colleen was beaming.
“Me too. Remember, if you need anything in the meantime, give me a call.”
“Thanks Officer Pedone,” she teased. “I mean Bob.”
“Anytime, Colleen.” They ended the call, with both of them feeling good about the future. Even if it was only dinner.
When she hung up, there was a spring in her step as she made her way into the kitchen, where Jackson was doing his homework. “Honey? I thought about what you said, and it would be nice if you went over to say hello and introduce yourself. We need to be good neighbors. Do you want me to go with you?”
“Sure. Then I’ll go to Buddy’s.” Jackson was working on his homework—math problems—that day. “Hey, Mom? Did I tell you about how Mr. Chadwick helped me with the solar-system stuff? Which planets are where?”
“No. Tell me about it.” Colleen pulled up a chair.
“He showed me a trick to remember things by using letters. It had a funny name I can’t remember.”
“What was the trick?”
“First, I write the names. I have to remember them first, but I know them. Then I underline the first letter of each name. Then I remember by saying Most Valuable Earth. My name is Jackson. Then S.U.N. for Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. And Pluto is P for the period at the end.”
“That’s terrific. And you remembered everything?”
“Yep. At first I was a little confused, but I figured it out.” Jackson was wiggling his pencil.
“Well, you did a great job. And Mr. Chadwick, too!” She leaned over and gave him a hug from behind.
“Yep. He’s pretty smart.”
“Yes, he is,” Colleen concurred.
“He told me that he was kind of a teacher.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. When he was in the military, he had to teach guys how to do stuff.”
“I bet he was really good at it,” Colleen said.
“Prob’ly.” Jackson continued to work on his multiplication tables.
“How are you doing with your math?”
“OK, I guess. I don’t know any tricks, so can you check it for me?” Jackson looked over his shoulder at his mother.
“Of course. Anything in particular you’re troubled about?”
“Nah. But it does seem hard. I gotta memorize a lot of junk.”
“It’s not junk, but you are correct. It’s a lot of memorization.”
Jackson repeated the word “Mem-o-riz-ation. That kinda sounds like a word Mr. Chadwick used yesterday when he told me about the letters and the trick.”
“You mean mnemonics?” Colleen asked.
“Yeah! That was the word.” Jackson’s delight was evident.
Colleen knew that further explanation would only confuse him more. But she was happy he understood the concept and was grateful for Frank’s assistance.
“You almost done?” she asked.
“Yep.” He handed her his paper.
Colleen checked it for errors. He had gotten all the answers correct. “Great job.”
“Mom? How come we have to memorize all this stuff when we could use a calculator?”
“Because we can’t always depend on having access to machines, computers, or our phones,” she explained carefully. “They say that knowledge is power, so the more you know on your own, the more powerful you become.”
“Like a superhero?” Jackson was intrigued.
“In a way, yes.” Colleen handed him his paper. “Now, go change your clothes.”
Jackson packed up his backpack and headed to his room. A few minutes later, he returned with his usual jeans, sweatshirt, cap, ball, and glove. “Ready?”
“Give me one more second. I want to wrap one of the zucchini breads I made.”
“Yuck. Zucchini.” Jackson made a face.
“Bet you’ll like this.” She handed him a piece from another loaf. He took a bite and nodded.
“Yeah, but I don’t like zucchini.”
Colleen smiled. “Well, you’re liking it now!”
Jackson held the piece in front of him. “This?” He looked at it suspiciously.
“Yes, honey. That is zucchini bread.”
“I wish you hadn’t told me.” He took a sniff and made a face.
“Come on, Jackson. You have to admit you like it.” Colleen smiled.
“I guess,” Jackson reluctantly agreed. “Just don’t tell me when you trick me.”
“I wasn’t tricking you, sweetheart. Just a lesson in good eating.”
He shrugged and munched down the rest of the fragrant slice.
He resisted asking for another. He was still miffed his mother had tricked him into eating a vegetable.
“Wash your hands.”
“But I just did.”
“Yes, but now they have grease from the zucchini bread all over them. And wipe your mouth, too, please.”
A few minutes later, he appeared from the bathroom, holding up both hands for inspection.
Colleen laughed at her son’s attempt at humor. She picked up her phone and called Jeanne.
“Hey, Jeanne. Jackson and I are about to greet the new neighbors. Want to be part of the welcoming committee?”
“Sure. I have a pan of ziti cooling on the stove. It should be ready to go. Meet you outside.”
Colleen and Jackson left the house, Jeanne and Frank stepped out as the van was pulling away.
“Come on. Let’s go meet the new neighbors.”
Frank started the small parade of well-wishers across the street.
“Too bad Andy isn’t back yet.” Jeanne noticed that his car wasn’t in his driveway.
“Maybe we should have waited for him,” Colleen said.
“I’m sure he’ll have plenty of opportunities to descend on these unsuspecting folks soon enough.” Frank kept walking.
Just as they were crossing the street, the big baby-blue Lincoln crept its way down the block. They stopped midway and waved him down. Jackson ran over to the window.
“Hey, Mr. Robertson! We’re gonna go meet the new neighbors. Wanna come?”
“Well, hello to you, Jackson. I would be delighted to meet the new neighbors, but I have to park my car first. Can you wait for me?”
Colleen, Frank, and Jeanne knew that could mean another fifteen minutes in limbo. They looked at each other. Frank chimed in first. “I’ll go and walk him over. You two are bearing gifts. I only have my charm.” He winked. Jeanne laughed out loud.
Frank approa
ched Andy’s window. “Go park, and we’ll walk over together.”
“Marvelous. Thank you.” Andy rolled up the window and moved his car slowly in the direction of his driveway. It seemed like an eternity before he finally put it in gear and got out of the vehicle.
Frank slowly made his way over to Andy’s driveway and greeted him again. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is.” Andy held onto the driver’s door as he pulled himself from the front seat.
“Here, let me help you.” Frank moved toward Andy.
“That’s very kind of you, but it’s quite all right. I have a routine.” Andy spoke with eloquence and perfect diction. Frank wondered why Andy had chosen Hibbing to retire. He was a man of many talents, with a love for art and theater, and art and theater weren’t exactly abundant in such a small town. Frank finally decided to ask why. It was something he had wondered about all these years.
The two men walked slowly to the sidewalk, then in the direction of the new neighbors. Frank began. “Andy, may I ask you a question?”
“Certainly. Ask away. Let’s hope I can remember the answer.” He was only half joking.
“After living in St. Louis and being surrounded by art, culture, and music, what made you decide to move to Hibbing, of all places?”
“Well, I was interested in antiques. I had thought about opening a shop in the city, but after doing a little research, I discovered that city people preferred to forage for antiques in the countryside. Sounds silly, but you know how some folks can be. Perhaps they think that if they don’t actually find it, it isn’t authentic.” He paused walking for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued on their path. “One day, I decided to drive west to see what the rest of the state looked like. It was lovely, and there were a lot of homesteads that had gone up for sheriff’s sales. I thought it might be a treasure trove for me to cull. I settled here because it’s halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, so I could have clientele from both cities. Remember what I said about people foraging for their own? Well, I am here to tell you that’s nonsense.”
No Way Out Page 18
