“Thanks, Charlie. The county requires three references, and this does it. The pipeline had great things to say. I think we can consider it official. Do you want to tell your wife now?”
“What are you men talking about?” Sarah asked
“Deeg and I have worked out a solution to Timothy’s problem.”
“You have?” she said, looking surprised. “What?”
“I’m going to offer him a part-time job right here,” Chief Deegan responded. “Charlie here came to me with the idea, and I liked it.”
“I didn’t know a thing about this,” Sarah responded, “but this is just perfect for Tim.” And this will make Martha so happy, she thought.
“I decided not to mention it,” Charles explained, “because I didn’t want to get their hopes up until Deeg had a chance to check it out.”
“I’m going to call him this week,” the chief said. “I was really impressed with the guy when he was here helping old Charlie with that massive search of his. That young man is some worker!”
“He did most of the searching and organizing that day,” Charles added.
“And that’s exactly what they’ll be needing around here.”
“Are you planning to retire?” Sarah asked.
“I sure am someday, but not now. What I’m hoping to do is cut my hours back to half-time for the next few years. My wife’s been sick for a while now, and I want to spend more time with her.” He dropped his eyes, and Sarah could tell he was feeling very emotional, but he quickly continued, “Everyone we’ve talked to about the job is either unqualified or wants full time, and we only want a part-time guy.”
Before leaving, Charles asked if he could show Sarah the Quonset hut where he had located the information on the 1985 fire. They walked behind the station to the annex, and the room filled from floor to ceiling with boxes took her breath away. “What a terrible job that must have been,” she exclaimed. “How did you ever do it?”
“I had help,” he reminded her.
After thanking the Chief and heading to their car, Charles got the hug of appreciation Sarah had been saving for him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Do you think I should call Martha?”
“No. Deeg will be calling Tim. Just let the guys handle it from here.” He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. “And leave my name out of it, okay?”
“Yes, that’s best,” she replied. “Tell me about Deeg’s wife,” she asked as they were driving home.
“Parkinson’s,” he responded. “She’s had it since we worked together, but it’s progressing more rapidly the past year or two. When I knew her, it was just the tremors, but now Deeg says she’s not getting around at all. She’s got a caregiver, but that’s just not the same.”
“I can see why he wants to be home. I’m surprised he’s not retiring.”
“Deeg won’t consider it, and honestly, I think they need the money, what with her medical care.”
They drove on in silence, each lost in thought. Sarah wondered about their own future and what was in store for them. Just enjoy the moment, she told herself as she reached for her husband’s hand. “Thank you for helping Tim,” she said.
Still holding her hand, he lifted it to his lips and gently kissed it.
Chapter 14
“Sarah, you have a call.”
“Take a message, please. I just started kneading this dough, and I have sticky stuff up to my elbows.”
“Can’t do that,” Charles responded. “This is a critical call. I’ll put it on speaker.”
Suddenly words rang out across the kitchen. Charles had set the speaker volume on high. “Grandma, I love my sports quilt. It’s so cool," the young voice called out. “Man, just wait ‘til Buddy sees this. None of my friends have anything this awesome. Thanks, Grandma.”
“You’re very welcome, Jimmy. I enjoyed making it for you.”
“Uh, Grandma?” he said, sounding hesitant and somewhat embarrassed.
“Yes?”
“Could you not call me Jimmy anymore?”
“Okay, but why?”
“It’s a little kids’ name.”
“So what shall I call you?” Sarah asked as she winked at Charles.
“Jim,” he responded, “or James if you want. Just not Jimmy.”
“Done. From now on, you’re my grandson, Jim or James, never Jimmy.”
“Thanks," he responded. "And thanks for the quilt. I gotta go. Bye"
“You’re very welcome, Jim. Tell your family hello from me.”
“I will,” he responded with a smile in his voice.
After Charles had hung up the phone, they both burst out laughing. “They’re becoming teenagers younger and younger, aren’t they?”
“They sure are,” Sarah responded. “I almost put a label on that quilt that read: ‘For my grandson Jimmy.’ It’s a good thing I ran out of time.”
* * *
“Detective Lawrence called while you were out. He said he tried your cell phone, but it was off. He wants you to call right away. So who is Detective Lawrence?” Sarah asked after delivering the message to Charles as he walked in the door from the garage, “and why wasn’t your cell phone on?” she added.
“Okay, let me get in the house and pour a glass of lemonade, and I’ll answer your questions.” Charles was dripping sweat, and Sarah knew he had been working out hard at the gym. She hoped he wasn’t overdoing it but decided not to ask, at least not right now. He wasn’t making eye contact, however, and she was getting concerned.
“Charles?”
“I said I’ll just be a minute.” He drank most of the glass of lemonade without stopping and wiped his forehead with his workout towel. He refilled the glass and sat down at the table. “First of all, my phone was in my locker for ten minutes while I was in the sauna, and if he really wanted to talk to me, you’d think he’d have left a message.”
“He told me he did,” Sarah responded as she placed the turkey sandwich and salad in front of him.
Charles checked his phone and mumbled, “He did. I’ll listen to it later.”
“He told me it was important,” Sarah added.
“Could we just eat lunch in peace?” he snapped. “I’ll handle it later.”
Shocked by her husband’s behavior, she started to storm out of the kitchen but turned to confront him. “Charles, what’s going on? I didn’t do anything to deserve this attitude.”
“Okay,” he responded lowering his head and looking deflated. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just that this detective, Bud Lawrence down in Louisiana, wants Maud Templeton to come down and testify before the grand jury. They’re looking at Jamal for his wife’s murder, and the prosecutor wants to present Maud’s story about the untimely death of his first wife.
“And this involves you?”
“Lawrence wants me to see if I can get her there, perhaps even take her there. I don’t mind doing it, but I didn’t want to tell you yet. I knew it would send you up the wall since I’ve promised to stay out of this one.”
Sarah had to pinch back a smile as she watched him struggle with his confession. Finally, she rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Okay. I get it. So tell me more about what’s going on. Maybe you and I could both go and eat some Jambalaya.”
“I understand New Orleans seafood is phenomenal, fresh right out of the Gulf,” he added, trying to encourage what appeared to be her more accepting response to the situation. “We could make it a mini-vacation.”
“What would we do with Maud while we were mini-vacationing?” she asked rhetorically.
“Ah. I didn’t think about that.”
“But,” Sarah said, giving him a playful look, “It still might be fun. We could at least have one good meal while we’re there, or we could even get Maud a room and stay over one night.”
“I’ll call him now,” Charles responded with a sigh of relief. Sarah knew he was torn between his love of crime solving and his love for her. He didn’t seem to get it, though, that her concern was
his health and wellbeing. Her last talk with his doctor had scared her.
“Let me know when to start packing,” she called as he left the room with his cell phone already on his ear.
They slept late the next morning, having talked into the night about the case against Jamal, about Maud, and about the trip. They decided to both go the next morning to talk with Maud and, if she was willing, they’d accompany her to New Orleans the following Monday. Detective Lawrence had told them the hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, and he had assured them there were funds available for airline tickets and hotel rooms for both Maud and Charles. “But if she doesn’t want to go,” Sarah had said, “we drop it. I don’t want to force her into anything. The woman’s been through enough because of that man.”
“I agree,” Charles had said as he turned out the light and reached for her hand. “Thank you for understanding.”
Chapter 15
“And you thought I wouldn’t want to go?” Maud Templeton responded incredulously. “If I can do anything to get that man locked up for the rest of his life, I’m in. Who’s driving?”
“It’s at least a twelve-hour drive,” Sarah replied, “and that’s too much for any of us. Charles will get our tickets and we’ll fly.”
“We’ll what?” Maud shrieked. “There’s no way I’m getting onto an airplane. I’ve made it eighty-one years without being up in the sky, and I’m not starting now. I’ll get Gilbert to drive me.”
“Who’s Gilbert,” Sarah asked.
“He’s my grandson,” the voice behind them said. Bertha was standing in the hall just outside of Maud’s bedroom. “I’ve been listening to what you people are trying to do here. I think it would be very hard for Maud to travel all the way down there, and it’s probably going to be a waste of time anyway. They aren’t trying him for Clarissa’s murder, right?”
“Correct,” Charles said. “They’re looking at him for the possible murder of his second wife. The prosecution thinks it will help their case for Maud to tell them about her suspicions.”
“Maud, I think you and I should talk about this without these folks.”
“The hearing is next Tuesday, Mrs. Washington. We’ll have to make plans right away…”
“I know. You get on out of here and come back in a couple of hours. I just need some time alone with Maud.”
As they pulled away from the curb, Sarah turned to Charles and said, “What do you think? Is Bertha going to talk Maud out of going?”
“I think so. She’s made it her mission to take care of her friend. Remember, she tracked her down in that shelter and gave her a home.”
“What should we do?” she asked.
“I think we should do exactly what you suggested last night. We told her about the prosecutor’s request, and we offered to go with her. And now the decision is hers.”
“Yes, but it was very clear to me that she wanted to do this. You saw her initial reaction. I’m afraid Bertha is going to talk her out of it.”
“For once,” her husband responded, “I’m going to be the one who says that we let them work it out themselves. Let’s get some lunch. We were in such a hurry this morning we skimped on breakfast, and I’m hungry.”
“They serve brunch until eleven at the Village Diner. Let’s go there.”
“You got it,” he said as he made a U-turn and headed for the diner. It was one of his favorite places back when he was with the department. They were open all night, and he often stopped for sausage and eggs with a side of fries smothered in country gravy on his way home when he’d been working nights. I guess that’s not what I’ll be ordering today, he told himself reluctantly.
As he was paying the bill an hour or so later, his cell phone rang, and Sarah glanced at the display as he picked it up. He had left his number with Maud and said to call when she wanted them to return. “It’s Maud,” she said.
Charles’ side of the conversation didn’t reveal much. He said “Okay” three times and ended with, “We’ll see you then.”
“So?” she said as they were walking toward the car.
“Maud wants to talk to us.”
“Did she say what she decided?”
“Nope. Just told me she wanted to talk to us.”
They were both silent as they drove back to Bertha’s house. They had talked about it over breakfast and were both comfortable with whatever Maud decided. “We’ll be able to tell the prosecutor that we tried,” Charles had said.
Bertha Washington opened the door before they had a chance to knock and ushered them into the kitchen where Maud was sitting at the table drinking coffee. “Have a seat, folks,” Bertha said. “Coffee?”
“We just had coffee,” Sarah said, “but thank you.”
“Actually, I’ll take one if you don’t mind,” Charles said as he sat.
Once they were settled, Bertha excused herself saying, “You folks have lots to talk about. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
“Well,” Maud began. “Bertha is dead set against me going all that way in the car. You said it was twelve hours, but Bertha said what with me having to stop every few hours it’d be much longer than that.”
“Maud,” Sarah began. “Remember when we told you about this, we said it’s completely up to you. We understand if you don’t want to do it.”
“Didn’t say I don’t want to do it.” Turning to Charles, she said, “You told me that this would help to get that monster locked up, and I want that. I want that for my Clarissa. I know I said that I’d never fly, but if you really think it will help put him away, I’ll grit my teeth, what few I have, and get on that plane. Will you sit with me?” she asked, turning to Sarah.
“Most planes have three seats in a row, and you can sit in the middle between us,” Sarah responded as she reached across the table and patted Maud’s shaky hand. “We’ll be with you every minute.”
“One more thing,” Maud said. “Do you think I could spend a few hours with my cousin? You said New Orleans, right?”
“Yes, is that where your cousin lives?”
Maud smiled. “It sure is. I haven’t seen Bessie for over fifty years. She’s in her nineties, and this might be our last chance. I called her this morning, and she was really excited about me coming. Her grandson can drive her to the courthouse to be with me, and she said they could take me back to her house, but I told her you folks would be coming right back home.”
“This works out just perfectly, Maud. Charles and I wanted to spend a couple of days down there, too. Will it be okay with your cousin for you to stay with her for two or three days?”
“I’m sure it will. This is turning out to be an adventure,” Maud said excitedly. “Who’da thought it?”
They used Charles cell phone for Maud to call her cousin to make the arrangements and before they left, he called Detective Lawrence to let him know they were coming and to verify the time and place for the hearing.
“I’ll make our airline reservations when we get home, and Sarah will call to let you know exactly when we’ll be picking you up.”
“What should I bring?”
“Just a small bag, Maud,” Sarah responded, “so we can take it on the plane with us. You’ll only be there a couple of days. If you have any questions, call me. Sarah wrote down the number for her own cell phone and handed it to Maud.
“You and your husband have different phone numbers?” she said, looking confused.
Sarah laughed. “Life is getting more complicated every day, Maud. We have a phone at home, and we each have our own cell phones – three phone numbers, a house address, several email addresses…”
“Lordy be,” Maud muttered as she got up and rinsed out her cup.
Sarah noticed she wasn’t shaking anymore and had a twinkle in her eye as she walked them to the door. “We’re gonna get this guy, aren’t we?” Maud asked as they were leaving.
“We’re going to do our best,” Charles replied with a wink.
Maud smiled and watched until they pulled
away from the curb.
“She’s finally able to do something for her Clarissa,” Sarah said hopefully.
* * *
While Charles was making their reservations, Sarah put a call into Ruth at the fabric Shop. “Ruth, are you busy?”
“I’m totally bored. I haven’t had a customer all afternoon, and I’m glad you called. In fact, I was just getting ready to call you and get the phone tree started.”
“What’s up?”
“I just had a call from Delores. She fell at her daughter’s house, and her arm is in a sling. She called to see if we could postpone the class for a week. I was going to ask you if you thought we should just cancel the meeting altogether since Delores’ class was all we had planned.”
“That’s easy for me to answer. I was calling to tell you I can’t be there, and I must admit that I’m delighted that I won’t be missing Delores’ class, but of course I’m sorry she is hurt,” she quickly added, realizing her response had sounded very self-serving.
“It’s just that Charles and I are making an unplanned trip to New Orleans next week.”
“Does this have anything to do with the Memories quilt?” Ruth asked hopefully.
“Indirectly, yes.” Sarah caught her friend up on the progress they had made and told her about tracking down what she hoped would turn out to be the family whose ancestors had made the quilt.
“What’s the family name? I might know them.”
“The name we have is Tarkington. Agatha Tarkington, but she died in 1976 so you probably wouldn’t have known her.”
“No, but there’s a Tarkington Wing in City Hospital. They might know something about her. I don’t know if it’s named for her or maybe someone in her family.”
Sarah felt a surge of excitement. “This might be the lead we need. Thank you, Ruth. I’ll go talk with them tomorrow.”
“I know how busy you are,” Ruth said. “I’ll call your three people and let them know about Tuesday so we can get the word out on the phone tree. Shall I mention that you’ll be out of town as well?”
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