by Kira Chase
Savannah’s bottom lip trembled. “I really want to. It would be nice to have an ally instead of fighting this battle on my own.”
Frankie pointed to a computer, which was seated on a small table next to Savannah’s desk. “Go on-line and you can check out Johanna’s and my credentials. I swear to you that we are aboveboard and my only motivation is to clear Johanna’s name and put Gretchen Wyler behind bars where she belongs.”
The woman hesitated.
“Go ahead,” Frankie urged. “Johanna and I were police officers before we became private investigators. You’ll find no deep dark secrets lurking in our pasts.”
Savannah smiled weakly. “I do believe you. It’s just—”
Frankie held a hand up palm out breaking in. “No need to apologize. This whole situation is so bizarre that I’d have the same doubts in your place.”
Savannah shifted in her chair as she nodded solemnly. “I do need your help, Ms. Barker.”
Frankie smiled warmly. “Please call me Frankie.”
She twisted her hands together. “I’m going to lay it all on the line. When I’m finished, you can judge me as you like.”
Frankie studied Savannah seeing the pain on the woman’s face and was immediately filled with compassion. “I only judge someone when it’s warranted.”
Savannah took a deep breath. “I was at the lowest point in my life after the doctor pronounced Lloyd’s diagnosis. I was an emotional wreck. I contacted every known specialist, but they all agreed with the original prognosis. I didn’t know from one day to the next if it would be Lloyd’s last.” She grabbed a tissue from a box near the edge of the huge desk. With a trembling hand, she dabbed at her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Frankie said softly. “How’s he doing?”
She sniffed. “He went into remission and I had so much hope, but then the cancer returned. “ She swallowed hard. “He doesn’t have much time left. We never had children, both being career driven, but now I wish we’d had at least one. It may sound selfish, but there would be a piece of him still with me when the end comes.”
“No, it’s not selfish. It’s evident how much you love your husband.” Frankie looked into the woman’s red-rimmed eyes and wondered what emotions she’d be feeling if something like that ever happened to Johanna? What if Johanna were given a death sentence that no amount of money could change? She continued looking at the woman and felt an overpowering sense of helplessness as though the woman’s pain was seeping into her own heart. “I’m sorry that Gretchen Wyler is doing this to you, especially now.”
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “At the time I met Gretchen I was emotionally drained. It was before Lloyd’s remission…I’d believed he wasn’t going to survive. The treatments were making him so sick. All I can say in my defense is that I was vulnerable and she was so kind and sympathetic.” Shamefaced she cast her eyes down. “One thing led to another and before I knew what was happening I found myself in bed with her. I’ve regretted that night ever since.”
“She took advantage of you. I have a feeling she’s good at taking advantage of others when they’re at their weakest emotionally.”
Savanna looked up and flashed Frankie a weak, but grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said softly. “Have you seen the new casino?”
Frankie shook her head. “Only on the news.”
She stood and Frankie followed suit.
“Our company is responsible for all the next year’s headliners…and let me tell you, we’ve got some exclusives you won’t see anywhere else.”
“Maybe Johanna and I can catch a show sometime.”
“Just let me know and I’ll see that you get tickets. Would you like a tour of the casino? We’ll have lunch afterwards.”
“I’d love to.”
* * * *
Gracelyn set two bowls of soup on the table, then hurried back to the counter and picked up a plate of sandwiches.
Johanna watched her as she made her way back to the table and sat down across from her. Guilt swept over her for what her mother and Frankie were going through because of Gretchen. This should have been a time for the three of them to relax and for Frankie and her mother to finally get to know one another. She swept a hand through her hair as she picked up her spoon glancing at her mother’s tired face. She assumed that her mother had gotten about as much sleep as she did last night which probably only amounted to a couple of hours.
“Johanna, we’ll get through this,” Gracelyn softly said. “Have you heard from Francine?”
“Just a quick message to say she’d be spending most of the day with Savannah Granger.”
“I take it that this Savannah is going to help?”
She nodded. “It still won’t clear my name.”
“But last night Gretchen told you she’s the one who put your name on the business.” She placed her elbows on the table and peered into Johanna’s eyes.
Johanna couldn’t avoid her mother’s penetrating eyes. “I know that, but she also made it sound like I’d given her permission all those years ago.”
“I know that you didn’t and Francine knows that you didn’t.” She nodded toward the soup. “Now eat. You look tired, dear. Why don’t you take a nap after lunch? You’ve spent all morning on the computer.”
She shook her head. “I can’t sleep.” She set her spoon down. “I’m not hungry. I’ve got to find a way to get Gretchen to come right out and admit that she set me up and that she deliberately shot Ben.” Tears sprang up in her eyes. “I’m so damned frustrated.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Mom, can we just talk?”
“Of course, Johanna.”
“I don’t mean just chitchat like we usually do, but can we have a real meaningful conversation?”
Gracelyn cocked an eye. “All of my conversations with you are meaningful to me, Johanna.”
She heard the hurt in her mother’s voice. “I don’t mean it like that, Mom. I’m sorry…it came out all wrong.” She stood, picked up her bowl of soup and walked to the island. “I’ll put this away and heat it up later. I’m sure I’ll feel better after I hear from Frankie.”
Gracelyn rose.
Johanna glanced at her. “No, sit down and eat, Mom.”
“I’m not very hungry myself.” She walked to a cupboard and pulled out a container, poured the soup into it, then wrapped the sandwiches and placed the container and sandwiches into the refrigerator. “Let’s go to the living room and have a nice long talk.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I love sitting by the fireplace. It’s so peaceful and relaxing.” Gracelyn smiled, grabbed Johanna’s hand and led her toward the living room chatting on the way. “I can honestly say that I never dreamed your work could be so traumatic.”
Johanna laughed. “Believe me it’s not always this way. We go for months sometimes with only routine surveillance and delivering summonses. This definitely is not the norm.” Her eyes narrowed. “And we usually get paid for our services.” She walked to the fireplace and put a log on then sat in one of the chairs near it while Gracelyn took the one facing her. “Do you want some coffee or anything, Mom?”
Gracelyn shifted her gaze from the crackling log to her daughter’s face. “Not right now.” She folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “At least the weather’s cleared up. I was worried about Francine driving to Atlantic City, but the forecaster said the roads were clear and traffic was moving normally.”
Johanna nodded as she cleared her throat. “Mom, I need to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind for a long time.”
Gracelyn’s forehead creased. “Is there something you haven’t told me about Gretchen?” she asked concerned.
“No, it has nothing to do with Gretchen…well not directly,” she said uneasily.
“What then? You’re not ill, are you?” Her voice caught in her throat. “If you are I have some of the best doctors—”
Johanna raised a hand palm out. “No, it’s nothing l
ike that.” She traced the pattern on the chair with a fingertip. “You and I have never really talked about my sexuality.” She watched the color rise in her mother’s cheeks. “You never really said anything or asked me any questions when I first told you I had a strong attraction to women.”
Gracelyn let her breath out slowly as her gaze shifted to a photograph of Johanna and Frankie, which was prominently displayed on the mantle ledge. “I’ve always accepted and supported you for who you are, Johanna, and it’s never been an issue for me. My love has always been unconditional.”
“But you’ve never said how you really feel and you’ve never asked me how I feel.”
Gracelyn shifted uneasily in her chair. “I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know that you wanted to discuss it. You never initiated a conversation so I felt it was best if I said nothing.”
“How did you feel when I first told you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose I was shocked. I certainly never had a clue. You’d always been popular with the boys. You hid it well from your father and me, but it didn’t change the way I’d always felt about you. It was just different. I know I was never vocal about my feelings as your father was. I always envied him that.” Her eyes misted. “But when you’re happy, Johanna, I’m happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
“When I was a teenager I desperately wanted to tell you and Dad that I was attracted to girls, but I was terrified. Then when Dad died the time never seemed right. I felt like I’d be placing more of a burden on you than you were already carrying. I was so lost and confused.”
Gracelyn shifted her gaze and settled on Johanna’s face. “Oh, sweetheart, I never realized until this very moment how difficult it must have been for you having those feelings and not being able to talk about them. I know your father and I were busy with his business and I was always running to one social event or another. We should have paid more attention to you. We should have been there for you.”
“You and Dad always were, Mom. I knew I was loved. You both always took the time to talk to me when I needed you.” She passed a hand over her chin. “What if I would have told you years ago instead of waiting till I was out on my own and in the police academy?”
“I’ll be honest with you, Johanna. We would have been shocked, but we would have still stood by you and tried to understand the lifestyle. All your father and I ever cared about was your happiness.”
“Have you ever been ashamed of me because of my lifestyle?” she quietly asked.
Gracelyn’s back grew rigid. “Of course not! I’ll admit in my day if it had been me, my parents most likely would have sent me for psychiatric help, but the world is a bit more accepting today.”
“There’s a lot of homophobia out there, Mom.” She stared at the blazing fire in the fireplace. “It’s still not easy at times.”
“I know. There’s a lot of ignorance, too. I’m happy that you have someone who loves you with all of her heart. I only hope that I’ll finally get a chance to really get to know Francine. Maybe I’ll never have a son-in-law, but I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful, kind and caring daughter-in-law.”
Johanna jumped up and ran to her mother flinging her arms around her neck. “Thank you, Mom. You’ll never know how much that means to me.”
* * * *
Frankie found the jewelry store Savannah had suggested when she’d asked the woman’s opinion during lunch. She glanced in the window at an elaborate display before entering. The attractive young sales clerk flashed her a bright smile. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
“Take your time. I’ll look around.” She walked across the expensive plush burgundy carpet to an intricately designed display case. She bent over the case and peered at the diamond earrings and necklaces lying on expertly displayed swaths of velvet and silk. She wondered about the safety of the lone sales clerk manning the store by herself. She glanced up at the corner of the ceiling and saw an elaborate camera security system. That was great, but what good would it do in a real emergency? She could be killed and the cameras destroyed. No, there was a more elaborate system in place obscured from normal view. A door to her right suddenly opened and a security guard poked his head out before silently slipping back inside. A moment later the door opened again and the man nodded at her as he walked toward the entrance. Before the door the man had first poked his head out of closed, she glimpsed another guard inside the room. Her curiosity was aroused as she wondered how many guards the store employed. But she was relieved that the clerk seemed to be well protected. She turned her attention back to the jewelry.
She knew that Johanna would admonish her for purchasing such an extravagant gift, but she didn’t care. Johanna deserved something special after what she’d had to endure with Gretchen and what she’d have to endure in the coming days. Frankie’s ears perked up when she heard the customer exasperatedly ask to see another item. She glanced over her shoulder where the plump woman was frowning at an assortment of toe rings.
Frankie noticed the woman’s long greasy hair and the small, but visible stains on her well-worn white coat. She watched the sales woman as she patiently removed each item then carefully returned them after the woman scrutinized them.
“Don’t you understand what a toe ring is?” the customer indignantly asked, slightly turning so that Frankie got a bird’s eye view of her face. A perplexed expression enveloped her large apple-shaped acne-scarred face as she scowled at each of the items. The woman’s dark eyes looked like small slits and her tiny nose looked out of place on her round face. A top front tooth was missing making her talk with a slight lisp. “None of these look like toes!” she huffed.
Frankie almost choked as she caught the sales woman’s eye. The clerk was biting her bottom lip to control the laughter Frankie knew was trying to escape. Frankie quickly took a deep breath and covered her mouth with her hand so the woman wouldn’t hear her muffled laughter. She glanced again at the clerk who was slowly losing her self-control. As the customer stared at a small delicate toe ring with a diamond-studded flower, the sales woman rolled her eyes in Frankie’s direction. Frankie smiled in return and slowly made her way to the counter.
The customer turned when Frankie approached. “Don’t ask for a toe ring…you’re wasting your time!” she angrily said as she pushed the ring back at the clerk and in a huff left the store but not before Frankie caught a strong whiff of body odor. Frankie wrinkled her nose.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” the blonde apologized.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m in no hurry. Do you get many like her?”
The pretty woman frowned as she rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Occasionally. They come here if they win big at the casinos.” She shrugged her slender shoulders. “I suppose they want something flashy to take home to show they’ve hit it big.”
“Well, I hope she has luck finding her toe ring.”
The woman’s body trembled as her laughter burst forth. After a full minute she composed herself. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize. I don’t know how you managed to stay in control.”
She slowly shook her head. “Believe me, it wasn’t easy. What can I show you?” she asked as she put the case back into the display case and locked it.
‘I’d like to see your diamond earrings.”
The woman nodded as she moved to another display case and removed a case holding the earrings.
“Wow! This is going to be a hard decision. These are all so beautiful,” Frankie murmured.
* * * *
Frankie parked her car next to Trey’s truck and was getting out of her car as Will pulled up. He waved and smiled as he parked and jumped out of his truck.
“How’d it go?” he anxiously asked as they made their way to the door.
Frankie beamed. “Better than I thought. Savannah Granger is nothing like I thought she’d be.”
Will opened the door and followed her inside where Trey was waiting in the living ro
om with a tray of cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine. He began to pour the wine as they removed their coats and hung them up.
“Something sure smells good,” Will said, rubbing his hands together as he hurried over to Trey and gave him a hug.
“It’s just a homemade chicken pot pie.” Trey smiled. “Did everything go okay with Mrs. Williams?”
“Tomorrow she wants us to plow out the dead end road on her property. She’s going to clean out the vacant building and is planning to build a little home for her son and his new wife. She says it’ll be their own private place after the baby comes. Her son recently lost his job and is too proud to ask for help.”
“We can do that first thing in the morning. Tomorrow’s going to be a slow day.” He turned his attention to Frankie. “I’ll bet from the look on your face that your meeting went well.”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Better than I expected. I want to go tell Johanna in person.”
“What about Gretchen? Aren’t you keeping a low profile?”
She shrugged. “She won’t know that I’m there unless she’s staking out our house.”
Trey’s eyes narrowed. “From what I’ve heard about her I wouldn’t put it past her.”
“Well, then, I have a suggestion.” She shot him a sly look. “You could drive me over later tonight.”
“Aw…don’t do this to me, Frankie.” He sighed, then looked at Will before nodding. “Okay, we’ll drive you over. I hope she won’t suspect anything.”
“She has no reason to, but I doubt she’s staking out the house.” She threw her arms around them. “Thanks, guys. I’ll give Johanna a call and tell her.”
* * * *
Johanna held Frankie close. “I miss you,” she whispered in her ear. “I wish you could stay home.”
“Me, too, babe,” Frankie said, taking Johanna’s hand as they followed Trey and Will into the living room. Gracelyn had set out a tray of pastries and coffee. She greeted them warmly as they seated themselves and gratefully took the cups of coffee she poured.
