Mixed Messages (A Malone Mystery)

by Gligor, Patricia

  David cleared his throat. “I would.”

  They all bowed their heads. David, Ann, Dani, Davey and Louise all made the sign of the cross as he began. “Lord,” he prayed, “I have so much to be grateful for. I can’t begin to thank you for all that you have given me. Thank you for my wonderful family and friends,” he said, nodding toward Bernie, Olivia and Lawrence. “Thank you for sobriety. Thank you for giving me a wife who is understanding and who loves me enough to give me a second chance. When you come as close as I did, Lord, to losing the people you love most … .” He paused to clear his throat.

  Ann looked over at her husband. His hands were folded and his head was slightly bowed but she could see the tears that were welling up in the corners of his eyes. Silently, she said a prayer of her own. Thank you, God, for giving me my husband back.

  “And thank you, God, for all this food,” Davey interrupted.

  Once again, everyone at the table laughed.

  “Amen,” said David.

  “Now, would you please pass me the mashed potatoes,” Davey asked politely.

  Ann passed the bowl of mashed potatoes down to David who sat at the opposite end of the table next to his son. “Be careful,” she warned. “They’re hot.”

  “Tell me ‘when,’” David said, as he scooped the potatoes onto Davey’s plate.

  As everyone at the table filled their plates with the various dishes she had prepared and began to eat, Ann was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling. This was turning out to be the best Thanksgiving she’d ever had but a month ago she never would have believed it.

  She thought back to all that happened on Halloween night. The police had responded quickly to Olivia’s nine-one-one call. She cringed as she remembered the intruder being carried out of her apartment in a black body bag. She’d tried to erase the image from her mind but, sometimes, she still had nightmares of that night, reliving the terror she’d felt as the man tightened the iron’s cord around her neck.

  The police identified her assailant as Gregory Davis, a known criminal who had served time for breaking and entering, burglary and assault. He was also the live-in boyfriend of Tina Butreaux, Olivia’s psychic. As she and Olivia were leaving the police station after giving their statements, an hysterical Tina Butreaux had come barging in and confronted them.

  “I didn’t want you to talk Olivia out of her session,” she said, pointing at Ann. “That’s why we had to do all those things. I figured if me and Greg scared you and made a believer out of you, I wouldn’t lose Olivia’s business. I have to earn a living too, ya know. To think that, after Greg lost his job, I let him live with me rent free! So, yeah, we pulled some pranks on you but I swear I didn’t know he would go to your house and try and hurt you. All those nights when he said he was out with his friends … . Well, I had no idea I was living with a monster. My God, think of the danger I was in. Why, it just gives me goose bumps. It could’ve been me.”

  “Ann, I do believe this is the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted,” Olivia said, bringing Ann back to the present.

  “Well, that’s one more thing I can thank my grandmother for,” Ann told her. “This is Nana’s recipe. She was a fantastic cook.”

  “Does anyone need anything else to drink?” David asked, scooting his chair out and walking toward the refrigerator.

  “I need more milk, Daddy,” Danielle replied, holding up her empty glass.

  “Coming right up,” he said.

  “Mommy, can I have punkin pie now?” Davey asked.

  Ann smiled, realizing how much the non-stimulant medication that the doctor had prescribed for her son was helping him. David had agreed to it. He’d learned in AA that his drinking problem had probably started when he tried to use alcohol to self medicate his ADHD. He didn’t want Davey to have to go through all that he had.

  “You sure can, punkin,” Ann said, smiling. She got up and went to the counter. “Is anyone else ready for pie?” she asked, turning around to face her family and friends.

  “I am,” Danielle said, raising her hand.

  Bernie, Olivia, Lawrence and David raised their hands.

  As Ann sliced the pie and transferred it to desert plates, she thought about the meaning of Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for, she thought. It’s not going to be easy but, with a lot of love and patience, we’re going to make it, I know. She remembered what her grandmother had told her all those years ago. “To be happy, we have to let go of the past, Annie. We have to forgive.”

  She turned around. “How about you, Louise? Would you like some pie?”

  “Yes, Ann. Thank you,” her mother-in-law replied.

  Ann carried two plates to the table. She put the first one in front of Louise. “Happy Thanksgiving,” she said, smiling.

  Louise looked up at her. “Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Ann.”

  It felt good to Ann to be back on speaking terms with her mother-in-law. Maybe they would never be close, the way she’d like them to be, but, at the very least, they weren’t enemies and, with any luck, things between them would improve with time. She’d recently asked Louise about the photo she’d seen in Father Andrew’s bedroom and, although Louise was hesitant to “discuss Father’s personal business,” she finally gave in and told Ann the truth.

  Knowing that her father was responsible for the death of the priest’s sister and, after all that had happened at the church, she felt uncomfortable going back to work there so, with David’s blessing, she’d quit her job. Reluctantly, at Louise’s insistence, she had invited Father Andrew to have Thanksgiving dinner with her family but he’d declined; he had accepted a previous invitation. She planned to talk to him in person as soon as possible about the accident but, since Halloween night, there had been so much commotion, with reporters and neighbors constantly calling and stopping by, that she hadn’t had the time to go see him or to think about finding a new job.

  “Oh, Ann,” Olivia said, “I almost forgot to tell you. I ran into John Berkley the other day and I showed him the pictures of the incredible Halloween costumes you made for the kids. He was very interested. In fact, he gave me his card and asked that you call him next week. I have a feeling he might offer you a job at his store.”

  Ann blushed at the compliment. “That was so nice of you,” she said. “I’ll call him.” A new job would be another prayer answered.

  After she’d handed out the rest of the pie, she sat down. She looked around the table. I am so blessed, she thought. The people that I care about most are all here, except for one: my sister. I wish she could be here.

  A few seconds later, the phone rang and Ann stood up and hurried to answer it. “Marnie!” she exclaimed. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving, little sister.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving to you too. Where are you? What are you doing today?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m on my cell, lying on the beach on Fripp. The weather’s remarkably warm but the water’s a little too cool to go in.”

  “Are you there all by yourself?” Ann asked.

  “No,” Marnie replied. “Actually, I’ve met someone. His name is Sam and, believe it or not, he’s from Cincinnati. He came down here a few weeks ago and I’m showing him the sights. We’re having a great time.”

  “What happened to Brad?” Ann asked.

  “Oh, that’s old news, Ann. We’ll talk about that when I come up for Christmas.”

  “So, you’re coming? For sure?”

  “Of course I am. Have I ever missed spending a Christmas with you? Which reminds me, I’d like to bring Sam with me. Is that okay?”

  “You bet. I’d love to meet him and I can’t wait to see you. I miss you so much!”

  “I miss you too. Well, gotta go. Give my love to the kids … and David. I’ll call you soon.”

  Ann went back to the table and sat down. As she ate her dessert, she couldn’t help but think about her sister. Marnie’s always been successful in her professional life, she though
t, but her personal life is another story; she’s never had a meaningful, lasting relationship with a man. She’s such a good person, she deserves the best but she always ends up with guys who turn out to be jerks. Maybe this time it’ll be different. Maybe this time she’ll be lucky in love.

  She glanced over at Olivia and Bernie who were once again holding hands. They couldn’t seem to take their eyes of each other. They’re living proof, she thought, that it’s never too late to find love and it’s never too late to start over. The tender way they looked at each other warmed her heart.

  “Mommy, may I please be excused?” Davey asked.

  “Sure,” Ann replied, smiling.

  “Come on, Uncle Larry,” Davey urged, tugging on Lawrence’s shirtsleeve. “I wanna show you my new Hotwheels.”

  As Lawrence stood up, Ann saw him glance over at Olivia and Bernie. She had been concerned about how he would react to meeting Bernie; after all, this would mean a big change in his life. But the smile on his face told her all she needed to know. This was a dream come true for him; he finally had a father. And, he had a whole new family in the Kerns. His infatuation with her was over and he now treated her like the sister he’d never had. It’s never too late, she thought, to have what you want most in this world: to make your dreams come true.

  Not one of us is perfect, she thought, but we’re all wonderful in our own way. It’s so important that we accept people for who they are, not who we want them to be. That includes accepting ourselves for who we are. If we want to improve our lives and our relationships, instead of finding fault and criticizing, we need to look for the good in others and ourselves. Thanks to our weekly counseling sessions with Susan Thatcher and our AA and Alanon meetings, we’re learning how to do that. David and I are working hard to overcome the disease of alcoholism, to break the cycle that existed in both of our families, possibly for generations. Amazing, how life sometimes works, she thought. Nana was right; everything really does happen for a reason.

  We’ve gone through a lot, she thought, but I’m confident that the worst is behind us. She smiled. In less than a month, it’ll be Christmas and Marnie will be here. We’ve got so much to look forward to. There’s hope for a bright future and, from now on, we’re going to do what Alanon and AA recommend; we’re going to take things one day at a time.

  Acknowledgements

  I’ve been blessed with such a great family and so many wonderful friends who support and encourage me. Since it would be impossible to name everyone, I’ll just say “thank you.” You know who you are.