Forbidden Entry

by Sylvia Nobel

  I pulled my felt cream-colored western hat from the closet and murmured, “Come here, sweetie.” Scooping my ball of fluff onto one shoulder, I returned to the kitchen to check my emails. Junk and nothing else that couldn’t wait. For a few minutes, I scanned my favorite site for local news and came across a story regarding the horrific car accident that resulted in the traffic backup where I’d been stranded yesterday. There had been four fatalities, a young mother and her two small children along with the driver of a pickup that had crossed the centerline and plowed into them. Authorities suspected the pickup truck driver was under the influence of a controlled substance and had ordered an autopsy. Awful! Struggling to erase the mental image, I pulled my phone off the charger, surprised to find a return text from Tally sent at 4:30 am. Wow. He’d actually turned his phone on for a change. Yes! Progress. Not one to waste a single word, his succinct message read: CALL THE HOME PHONE.

  I dialed the number wondering if he felt the same level of apprehension that I did regarding a potential meltdown by Ruth. We’d had more than one heated discussion and when I’d voiced my concerns about his unstable mother, he’d attempted to allay my doubts by asking, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Of course, he was accustomed to her erratic behavior patterns, and perhaps he was right. But then he was pretty laid back, where I tended to overreact. Or as Tally liked to point out, especially during an argument, that while he appreciated my admirable qualities, my sizable list of shortcomings, which included being overly impulsive, short tempered, impatient and mulishly stubborn at times, tended to annoy the hell out of him.

  Tally’s sister Ronda answered on the second ring. “Hey, Kendall. What’s up?”

  “Oh, this and that. Is Tally around?” His younger sister, also not one to mince words, had never really warmed up to me. While she wasn’t as brooding and withdrawn as their mother, she didn’t go out of her way to be sociable towards me either.

  “Hold on.” I heard her set the phone down and shout, “It’s Kendall!” Less than a minute passed before he came on the line. “Good morning, pretty lady.”

  “Hey there, cowboy. Marmalade and I sure missed you last night.”

  “Same here.” He lowered his voice to a husky whisper. “What would you think about sneaking away to the barn for a while during the barbeque?”

  His suggestive tone sent a delicious heat coursing through my body. “You are so naughty!” I answered, unable to suppress a chuckle. “That’s a very tempting invitation and I will definitely keep it in mind.”

  “You do that.”

  I hated to terminate our playful exchange, but I was running short on time. “How are preparations going for the big bash?”

  “Good.”

  “You are a sweetheart to go to all this trouble for my family.”

  He laughed. “Well, thanks, but I couldn’t do it without Ronda’s help.”

  “And I will tell her how much I appreciate it when I see her. Oh, by the way, did you book Buzzy and his band?”

  “They weren’t available.”

  “Oh no! So…we’re not going to have any live music tonight?” Damn! I’d had my heart set on having a live western band to create just the right ambiance for my family.

  “Well now, hold on before you get yourself all worked up into a tizzy,” Tally advised calmly. “I did arrange for Randall Clay and his guys to come.”

  “Randall? How on earth did you manage to get him away from the Hitching Post on a Friday night?” The newly remodeled Hitching Post was a favorite hangout among the town’s genteel citizens and tourists alike, famous for western fare served up on tin plates and served on rows of long picnic tables.

  I wondered why he hesitated a fraction of a second before answering matter-of-factly, “Let’s just say a friend pulled a few strings.”

  His cryptic answer puzzled me but I didn’t press the issue. “Okay, well, I’m impressed. What about the food?”

  “Gloria’s two sisters are here and they’re whipping up a feast right now. Miguel’s got the ribs and steaks marinating and I’ve got George, Juan and a couple of neighbors helping too, so I think we’re covered.”

  I said a silent prayer of thanks that his housekeeper, Gloria, had returned from Mexico in time to spare us all the horror of having to endure any more of his mother’s wretched cooking, which I had to pretend I enjoyed. “Yum! I can hardly wait!” At the mention of food, my stomach rumbled and I knew there was no way I could wait until after nine to eat something.

  “Ah…sorry to hear about your dad. I’m guessing the trail ride is off the table.”

  “Well, I think my mother and Sean could still ride out to the building site with me. I really wanted to show off Starlight Sky,” I mused wistfully, referring to my new Appaloosa mare Tally had recently bought for me. “Maybe he could go with Jake in the truck.”

  “Do you think he’s even up to that?”

  “Knowing my dad, he’ll insist on participating somehow. If not, we’ll figure something out. And speaking of my family, get prepared for the invasion of the fighting Irish. And I mean that literally.”

  “What’s going on?”

  I gave him a brief overview of the situation with my brother and he whistled softly. “Are you bothered because he’s a pothead or because he was dealing drugs?”

  “Both. My folks are royally pissed off and I’m guessing he and I will get into it again before the trip is over. He’s got pretty strong opinions on the subject.”

  “And unsurprisingly, so apparently do you,” came his quiet reply. “This is a subject we’ve never talked about.”

  I put the phone on speaker and rummaged around in the cupboard, pulling out a pre-breakfast snack of peanut butter and crackers. “I guess we haven’t. Well, just so you know, I’ve never had the inclination to do any kind of drugs.” Jokingly, I added, “Have you?” The absence of his immediate response stopped me cold. Tally was about as straight-laced a guy as I’d ever met in my life.

  “I…uh…tried pot a few times in college.”

  His answer stunned me. “You’re kidding! You never struck me as the kind of person…”

  “Hey, don’t make this out to be more than it is,” he interjected. “I was young, I was stupid, I didn’t like it and I never tried anything else, end of story.” His dismissive tone signaled that the subject, at least as far as he was concerned, was closed.

  “Okay, well, I can’t say that I haven’t done some stupid things in my life.” I spread peanut butter on a cracker, hoping my super-calm tone had concealed my shock. Tally and drugs didn’t go together in my mind.

  He chuckled softly. “And I can certainly attest to that Miss Daredevil.” I knew he was referring to the chances I was willing to take in order to snag an important story.

  “Point well taken,” I answered lightly, mindful that I could no longer postpone the pressing question that weighed on my mind. There was no diplomatic way to ask him about his obstinate, irritating mother and I hated to tick him off, so instead of blurting out how I really felt about her, I attempted to be diplomatic. “By the way, how is Ruth feeling on her new medication? Do you think her ah…mental state has improved any?”

  A hesitation. “I think so.”

  “You think?” What a lame answer.

  “I can’t really tell if the new pills are working yet, but I did ask that she try to be civil to everyone.”

  “And?”

  “We can only hope.”

  That didn’t sound encouraging. Part of me would just as soon not have my family meet her at all, but if there were going to be any issues, I preferred to face them tonight where she could escape to the sanctuary of her room if things got dicey, rather than risk having her make a scene at our party.

  “All she has to do is be cordial for a couple of hours. Do you think that’s too much to ask of her?”

  Tally’s exa
sperated sigh hissed in my ear. “Ronda and I have lived with her mood swings our entire lives. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll be in a good place tonight.”

  “And if she’s not?”

  “I don’t know, Kendall. What would you suggest? That we put her to sleep?”

  I’d become somewhat accustomed to her mercurial mood swings and understood that, being her son, Tally was far more forgiving of her squirrely behavior. The peanut butter caught in my throat as I imagined how Ruth might react to meeting my family, especially my mother, whose critical, sometimes cutting observations could slice a person to the bone. It would be a toss up as to whether the visit would go well or be a complete disaster.

  “I wasn’t thinking of going quite that far,” I joked, hoping to lighten our exchange. “I just don’t know if I’ll ever have the patience to tolerate it like you do.”

  “That’s understandable since you don’t possess one ounce of patience.”

  He was right, I didn’t. “Tell me something. Do you think she’s still pissed off at me about how things turned out with…you know, my story on the judge?”

  “What do you want me to say?” he groused in my ear. “That she’s finally forgiven you for humiliating her by forcing her to disclose the secret she kept from me all these years?”

  Okay, he sounded officially ticked off now and I wondered if deep in his heart, he’d actually forgiven me. “Hey, I didn’t force her to…well, maybe I did, but it was her idea to get me involved in his murder, remember?”

  “Yes, I do. So, we’ll just hope for the best,” he said, sounding brusque.

  “Okay. Just asking. I don’t need any more bad news on top of everything else.”

  “Oh, right. You mentioned in your text that you’d share details,” he said, his attitude moderating somewhat. “Sounds like yesterday was no picnic for anybody.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “Want to tell me about it?”

  A quick calculation told me that I had another ten minutes before I absolutely had to leave so I quickly filled him in on what I’d learned about the young couple, where they were found and apparent cause of death.

  “That’s a damn shame,” Tally said gruffly. “I know that area. It’s near the McCracken Ranch. How’s Marcelene holding up?”

  “She’s devastated.”

  “That’s understandable. How about Ginger?”

  “Predictably stressed. But get this. She’s not buying that it was an accident.”

  “Carbon monoxide poisoning? How could it be anything else?”

  I took another bite of peanut butter-laden cracker and replied, “She swears they were both too savvy to use a charcoal grill in an enclosed space, even if they were freezing.”

  Tally, who volunteered for Search and Rescue with the sheriff’s department, sighed heavily. “I’ve seen this sort of thing happen before. People don’t intentionally set out to kill themselves, it just happens. What did Marshall say?”

  “He agrees with you, but with the caveat that nothing is definitive until he gets the reports from the medical examiner’s office and forensics.”

  A few seconds of silence. “Okay, so what is your take?”

  “I don’t know. Apparently Marshall is sitting on some evidence he wants to keep confidential for now, so naturally I want to know what it is. It’s possible Ginger may be onto something.” He didn’t respond so I tacked on, “I told her to take today off and maybe a few days next week. They’ll need time to plan the funeral.”

  “No doubt.” His morose tone matched my flagging spirits. I didn’t mention it because it seemed too selfish to even think about, but what was I going to do if Ginger could not continue in the role of our party maven? The engagement celebration had been her brainchild and she had insisted on handling almost every detail. Suddenly I was faced with the daunting task of assuming the reins at the last minute with little knowledge of her preparations. Ruefully, I reminded myself again that compared to her problems, mine were miniscule. “Hey, I’ve really got to go. I’m stopping by the office to file this piece before picking everyone up for breakfast.” He was silent so long I wondered if we’d been disconnected. “Hello?”

  “I thought you were taking some time off?”

  “I am.”

  “Doesn’t sound like it. In fact, this incident is made to order for you, isn’t it?”

  Was I imagining a whisper of censure in his tone? “What are you talking about?”

  “Just admit it. It’s past time for your adrenalin fix.”

  The pilot light on my fiery temper kicked on. As much as I loved this man, sometimes he could be utterly exasperating. “Why are you being so snarky? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

  “Are we fighting?”

  Ginger often compared our volatile relationship to two bucks clashing antlers and if I objected she would fire back with a wicked laugh, ‘Oh, flapdoodle! I know you two enjoy snappin’ at each other. It keeps the sparks flyin’ in the bedroom, don’t it?’ She was right. Makeup sex was pretty hot. Nevertheless, it was really early in the morning for one of our spats. “I’m not taking the bait,” I said, striving to keep my voice placid. “I’m simply filing the initial story. Walter is covering for me next week.”

  “Come on, Kendall, I know you too well. If there’s a story here, you’re going to move heaven and earth to find it. You can’t help yourself.”

  His droll cynicism rankled me to the point of choking on the last bite of cracker. Why should I give him the satisfaction of knowing that his assessment of me was right on target? In my secret heart, I would like nothing better than to jump on this story, but I snapped back, “You really think I’d abandon my family to go prowling around the Bradshaw Mountains hunting for trouble?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  I could not think of a suitable comeback and contemplated hanging up on him but instead, sweetened my tone. “I’m going to prove you wrong this time, cowboy. Care to make a sizeable wager?”

  His burst of laugher irritated me even further. “Recent history has the odds on my side, so sure, I’ll be happy to take your money.”

  I let out a groan of frustration. “Tally! How did we get from planning a rendezvous in the barn to here?”

  “You started it,” he replied, his teasing response only serving to fan the flames.

  “I did not!”

  “Face it. You love being argumentative. It’s part of your adorable personality.”

  “That is not true!”

  More laughter. “Are you listening to yourself? You’ve just proved my point.”

  Oh my God. I did sound contentious. Best defuse this before I said something I’d regret. “Well, we’ll see who’s right this time.”

  “That we will. Catch you later.”

  CHAPTER

  6

  The sky had brightened to a soothing powder blue patterned with white waffle-shaped clouds as I slammed out the front door. Damn! Tally was a master at pushing my buttons. I zipped up my coat and marched towards my car. While the bracing dawn air chilled my hot cheeks, the peanut butter snack had become an elephant-sized lump in my stomach.

  I jumped into my Jeep and tore out of the driveway. Still teed off, I flew along Lost Canyon Road, leaving a swirling rooster tail of dust behind me. It had certainly not been in my plans to start the day squabbling with Tally and I vowed to put it behind me. Why should I allow our disagreement to color the rest of my day, especially when I would be seeing him in just a few short hours? One second after I filed my article and hopefully spoke with Fritzy, I would be officially off duty for ten days. A whirlwind of fun and sightseeing with my family awaited me and I was determined not to miss a moment of it. In an effort to dispel my blue funk, I tuned in soft music and concentrated on the ever-changing beauty of the desert landscape. The promise of another spectacula
r day emerged as I watched the pleasing interplay of light and shadow crisscrossing the landscape and rugged mountain ranges.

  By the time I pulled into the Castle Valley Sun parking lot, my agitation had lessened considerably. “Okay, O’Dell,” I admonished myself, hurrying towards the door, “get over yourself and get busy.”

  A sharp pang of sympathy hit me as I passed Ginger’s empty desk and I reminded myself how petty my problems were compared to hers and Marcelene’s. I would call soon to see how she and her aunt were coping. As I entered the newly renovated office, I stopped short. It was barely seven-thirty and Tugg was already busy at his desk. “Good morning!” I called, shedding my coat. “You’re early, so I gather you got my text.”

  Tugg glanced away from his computer screen, looking glum. “Yeah, I got it. Hell of a shock,” he muttered, with a sad shake of his head. “How are the girls doing?”

  “As well as can be expected, “ I answered, switching on my computer. I took a few minutes to fill him in on the details. When I finished, he leaned back in his chair, the speculative gleam in his eyes matching my thoughts. “I’m assuming that you are going to follow up with Marshall?”

  “You know I can’t right now, but I’ll make sure Walter does. And by the way, is Louise going to be able to cover the reception desk?”

  His grimace answered my question. “She’s in Chicago with the kids until Wednesday. Didn’t I tell you that already?”

  My heart dropped. “No, you didn’t.” I tapped my fingers on the desk. “It’s going to be tough going around here with both Ginger and me gone next week, but there’s really nothing I can do about it.” Well aware that Tugg was not in the best of health, I added sheepishly, “Sorry. I know your doctor doesn’t want you stressing out. I’m sure Al and Jim can handle the phones.”