by Patricia Fry
Michael nodded. "Something like that."
"Oh hi, Craig. We aren't intruding are we?" Margaret asked as she rushed to where Lily lay sleeping. She lowered her voice. "Oh there you are, precious baby. You are all right." She leaned over and kissed Lily on the forehead. "So what did you say, Craig?"
"I said, you're not intruding; in fact, maybe you can shed some light on what happened here last night."
"What did happen?" she asked, her bobbed hair swaying slightly as she looked from Craig to Savannah to Michael."
"Let me take your coats. Coffee's still hot. Help yourself to some fruit there on the counter," Savannah said.
Margaret slipped out of her maroon fleece jacket and handed it to Savannah. Max hung his black windbreaker over a chair back. Once the pair each had a cup of coffee in their hands and were seated at the table, Margaret said, "Well, we don't have all day."
"What she means is, she doesn't have much patience," Max said quietly.
"You got that right," Savannah said with a forced smile.
Craig placed a piece of pineapple on a small plate and sat down across from Margaret. "Well, we may have a murder on our hands, or…"
"Murder!" Margaret said with a gasp. "Who? How?"
Savannah was quick to respond. "Someone was pushed out an upstairs window," she said solemnly, near tears.
"They don't know that for sure," Michael explained.
"Who?" Margaret asked.
"Do you remember Julie?" Craig asked.
"The chunky gal? Oh yes," Margaret said. She gave Craig a piercing stare. "Did Cheryl do it?"
Craig sat forward in his chair. "Now why do you say that, Maggie?"
"Because those two gals hated each other. Didn't you notice that last night?"
"I saw them going at it yesterday afternoon, too," Michael said.
"Fighting?" Craig asked.
Michael shook his head. "Naw, I guess you'd say arguing…loudly."
"Well, they were fighting at the party," Margaret said, her eyes wide with excitement. "…or just about to."
Craig made notes. "What were they arguing about?" he asked.
Margaret and Michael looked at each other. She shrugged. "I don't know. They were just hissing at each other like a couple of wildcats."
"Rob had to break them up," Michael added. "Didn't you see that yesterday, Craig?"
He shook his head. "I think I was outside then. Iris said something about it."
"And to think I was going to put them in the same room last night," Savannah said.
"Well, maybe that bombshell Cheryl visited Julie after lights out and tossed her out the window…or Julie jumped out the window to get away from her," Margaret said, not cracking a smile.
"Do you think they hated each other that much?" Craig asked.
Margaret thinned her lips and stared off into space. "That's hard to say. Who knows what another person is capable of? I don't know anything about any of those people."
"Well, what about Lance, Auntie?" Savannah asked. "Don't you know him?"
Margaret grew silent. She looked down at her hands in her lap and fidgeted with the hem of her loose-fitting blouse. She looked up at Savannah and glanced toward Max. She took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, I know him. I dated him once."
"Dated him?" Savannah said. "Isn't he a lot…"
"Younger than me?" Margaret snapped. "Yes. I was widowed, lonely, and vulnerable." She paused and then continued, "He was…well, available." She smirked when she said, "He was always available."
"He appears to be a nice-enough guy," Max said. "I had a conversation with him last night about feral cats. He seemed genuinely interested."
Margaret put her hand on Max's arm. "Oh, Max, you don't know. You just don't know."
"Is something wrong with him?" he asked. "You sound kind of frightened of him."
"No, not really frightened. I don't think he's dangerous. He's just the love-'em-and-leave-'em type, if you know what I mean."
Everyone stared in Margaret's direction, waiting for more. Except for Michael, who shot a concerned look in Savannah's direction.
"Did he break your heart?" Craig asked.
Margaret thought about the question and then answered, "Well, yeah, he kinda did." She looked up at the inquiring faces around her. "And he didn't even seem to remember me."
Savannah reached out and touched her aunt's hand. "Gosh, Auntie, he really hurt you, didn't he?"
Margaret let out a laugh. "Yeah, me and every other available woman in town…and some that weren't."
"Weren't what?" Craig asked. "Available? You mean he's a ladies' man and he goes after married women, too?" He made a couple of notes.
"You might say that," Margaret agreed.
"He does know how to turn on the charm," Savannah said.
"Yeah, he had Savannah cornered here in the kitchen last night, wanting to take nude pictures of her," Michael spat.
"Michael," Savannah complained.
"Well, didn't he?" he challenged.
Savannah sat back and nodded.
"Oh no, Vannie. He came on to you?" She tightened her lips and said, "That dirty, no-good..."
"It's okay, Auntie," she said looking adoringly at her husband. "Michael took care of the situation."
"Yeah, he's charming—likable," Margaret said. She leaned toward Savannah and continued, "But Vannie, there is something wrong with that man…something terribly wrong."
"Wow, I've never seen you like this, Auntie. He really got to you."
"Is he capable of murder?" Craig asked bluntly.
The room became quiet as everyone waited for Margaret's response. Finally she shook her head and said, "Gosh, I'm no psychologist…"
"Yeah, but you have an opinion," Craig urged. "What do you think? What is your gut feeling?"
Rap-rap.
"Oh, come on in, Rob," Michael said, when he saw the producer through the window in the kitchen door.
"Just want to thank you all for your hospitality," Rob said, waving a hand at the group at the table. "I'll be in touch."
Everyone waved and bid Rob farewell. Michael walked over and shook the man's hand. He stood at the door watching as the film crew made final preparations to leave. "Well, I'll be," Michael said.
"What?" Margaret and Savannah asked. He had the attention of the two men, as well.
"I just saw Lance and Cheryl in a lip-lock and then she climbed into his car with him." He turned to face the others. "I didn't know they were a couple."
"No, I didn't either," Savannah said. "Did you see that coming, Craig?"
"Nope. There was no indication of it when I talked to everyone earlier."
"Well, that's Lance Grayson for you," Margaret said. "Killer? I don't think so, but he's going to take every opportunity to get what he wants, and Cheryl is the kind of thing he always wants."
"I thought he and Julie were an item," Savannah said. "Didn't you see the way she was latched onto him last night?" As Craig took more notes, Savannah continued. "Yeah, that was the message I got from Julie, anyway—that those two were dating."
"When it comes to Lance Grayson," Margaret said, "everyone's his date at one time or another."
The room grew silent for a few moments. While the others sipped coffee or took a bite of their food, Michael looked at his wife; concern on his face.
****
The following evening around six, Michael returned home from work. "Did you see the paper, hon?" he asked when he saw Savannah sitting on the sofa, her Kindle on her lap.
"Yes, I read it while Lily napped. We're in the news again, aren't we?" She grimaced. "I just hate that this happened here."
Michael sat on the sofa next to Savannah and wrapped his arms around her. He held her for a few moments before proceeding with his evening ritual. "I guess they've determined she was murdered," he said, removing his sport shoes and socks.
Savannah ran her fingertips gently up and down Michael's back. "Yeah, that wasn't an easy pill to swallow," she said
.
He leaned forward and relaxed his body, mumbling, "Mmmm, feels good." After a few moments, he sat straight and faced her. "I wonder if they have any suspects."
"Looks like Cheryl is the strongest one," she said.
He grinned at her. "Is that what Rags told you?"
She looked confused. "Rags?"
"Yeah, has he dug up evidence to that effect?"
"I don't think so," she said. "And I hope he doesn't. I just want this to go away."
Michael looked at Savannah for a moment. He took her hand and began massaging it between his fingers and thumb. She squeezed his hand and said, "It looks like Colbi and Damon's friends are okay."
Michael frowned. "Friends?"
"Colbi was concerned about some of the homeless people they know living down near the river. You remember, they got to know a couple of them when they were working on the story about the homeless gal who was living in that shed behind our property last year. There were rumors that some of them disobeyed evacuation orders. Damon's story said three men had to be rescued, but everyone got out safely. I guess their camp was washed away, though. That whole area was flooded."
"Sounds like quite a nightmare. I wonder where they went to get out of the weather."
"According to the story, a local church took in those who wanted shelter. I suppose the others just took cover in abandoned outsheds, empty dumpsters, unlocked cars, and under canopies."
Michael stared at his wife. "You sure have a good imagination."
"No, that's what they do, Michael. Some of them sleep in old abandoned cardboard boxes for shelter. But I guess not in the rain."
"How do you know what the homeless do?" he asked.
She pulled back from him a little and put her hand on one hip. "Don't you read stories about the homeless? I find them interesting. I just finished a novel about a homeless couple. They lived under a bridge." She laughed. "Like trolls. Only you can't safely live under a bridge when it's flooding."
"Hmmm," Michael murmured. "Hey, let's change the subject, shall we?" he suggested. "How was your day? Did you do anything special?"
She smiled. "Every day is special with our daughter. She's such a sweetie."
"Where is she, napping?"
"No. Actually, she's on a playdate," Savannah said with a grin.
Michael stiffened his posture. "What?" he all but demanded.
"Well, I had a few errands to run and Iris talked me into letting Lily come stay with her and Craig for a while. She practically begged me to be gone for at least two hours. She thought I needed a break." She looked at Michael imploringly. "Michael, my arms ache for my baby."
He chuckled and took his wife in his arms. "You're such a good mommy. But we really should take advantage of help when we can get it. We may want to go someplace without Lily sometime, and we'll need a babysitter." He looked at his watch. "So is two hours up yet?"
Savannah turned his wrist so she could see the time. She sat upright. "Ten more minutes. Let's go get our baby."
"Yes, let's," Michael said, pulling his flip-flops out from under the sofa and slipping them on. "Did Helena come today?" he asked, as he stood and put on a lightweight fleece-lined jacket.
"Yes, we got the beds changed and bathrooms cleaned. I'm glad to have that done. I was creeped out when we were working in Adam's room." When Savannah returned from their bedroom with her jacket, she said, "Michael, I'd like to switch Adam to another room. Can we move him to the blue room?" She frowned. "I really don't want to think of him in that room anymore. How do you feel about it?"
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that." He took a deep breath. "Yes, let's do take him out of there—at least for now. We won't mention anything about what happened. We'll just present him with a new room."
"Good, I like that idea," Savannah said, picking up her purse and heading for the front door. She stopped and said, "You know, I'd really like to have him downstairs with us. Are you up for diving into the unfinished room downstairs for him?"
Michael opened the door and the couple walked out. Before they reached their SUV, he said, "Yeah. I'd actually like to start another project." He looked at Savannah, a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe Adam would like to help me with this one."
"Gonna teach your son how to make sawdust, huh?" she said.
They both laughed as they entered the car and buckled up.
"Oh, by the way, Michael," she said reaching out and touching his arm. "Charlotte's coming over this evening. Reba has a meeting…or maybe it's a date. Little Ruby is with her dad, and I told Reba that Charlotte could have dinner with us. So we need to be back by seven."
Eight minutes later, the Iveys walked up the pathway to where Iris Clampton lived with her three sons—Damon, and two younger boys, who had been left in her custody by her second husband. Just before they could ring the bell, Brett stepped out through the front doorway. "Oh hello, Dr. Ivey…Savannah…" he said.
"Hi Brett, where are you going in such a hurry?" Michael asked.
Brett, a strapping sixteen-year-old, winked and said, "I have a date."
"Way to go, buddy," Michael said. "Where are you taking her?"
"Uh…a movie downtown."
"The drive-in?" he teased.
"The what?" Brett asked
"Drive-in movie. Aren't there drive-in movies anymore?"
Brett looked confused. "I don't think so. Do you mean like a drive-through at McDonalds?"
"Not quite, Brett," Savannah said. She patted him on the chest and said, "You go on and have fun. Michael can explain drive-in theaters to you another time."
"Uh, thanks, will do," he said.
"You look nice," Savannah called after him as he jogged toward the family car.
Just then, Iris opened the door and called out, "Drive safely, Son." She was startled to see Michael and Savannah heading up the walkway. "Oh, hi. Come for your little girl already?"
"Yup, playdate's over," Michael said with a grin.
"Bummer," she said. "We were having fun." She motioned toward the front door. "Come in, come in." She then called out, "Lily, your folks are here."
As the couple stepped in, they saw Craig sitting on the sofa cradling Lily in one arm and dangling a set of plastic keys in the other hand. "Hi, watch this," he said.
Michael and Savannah watched as Craig lowered the keys and let Lily grab one of them in a pudgy hand. "Hand-eye coordination," he said with a grin. "She's going to be a good shot when she becomes a detective."
"A detective?!" Savannah screeched. "I don't think so."
"What's wrong with being a detective?" Craig asked, as if hurt.
Iris laughed. "Craig, that's not the first choice of careers most parents consider for their little girls. Savannah and Michael probably want to see her become a veterinarian or a doctor."
"Well, the world is wide-open to her," Craig said. "She can become whatever she wants. Right?"
"Yes," Michael said, sitting down in a chair near where Craig sat. He reached over and caressed Lily's chubby leg. "Whatever she wants." He grinned mischievously and said, "Builder, President of the United States…"
"Wife and mother…" Savannah added.
"Dull," Iris said.
"Being a wife and mother is dull?" Savannah challenged. "Not for this wife and mother. I've never been happier."
Michael smiled broadly. He then leaned toward Craig. "Anything new in your investigation? I see that poor Julie was murdered. How did it happen?"
"Awww, I can't talk about stuff like that while I'm holding this angel," he said.
"Then I'll take her," Iris said. She held her hands out. "Gimme, gimme."
"Iris, I don't think I've ever seen you dressed like that," Savannah said.
"Like this?" Iris questioned, looking down at her faded jeans and tie-dyed t-shirt.
"Never. You're such a fashionista."
Iris shrugged. "These are my playdate duds."
"You still look fabulous."
Iris's face brightened. "Well, thanks
."
Savannah walked over to where Craig and Michael sat. "So, what can you tell us?" she asked.
Craig cleared his throat. "Julie was with a man sometime before she died. It will be easy enough to find out who."
Savannah gasped. "So a man killed her?"
Craig shook his head. "Not necessarily. We don't even know if she fell or was pushed through the window. She may have been lured to that spot and killed there or her body was dumped there. We can't be sure yet."
"I hope so," Savannah said under her breath.
"Why?" Craig asked.
Michael also waited for her response.
Savannah choked up when she said, "I don't want that kind of negativity connected to Adam's room." Her voice raised an octave. "I don't even like hearing that someone was—you know, being frisky in there."
Michael stood and put his arms around his wife. She wiped at her eyes and apologized to Iris and Craig.
"Hey, you have every right to be upset," Craig said. "This is an awful thing to have happen in your home."
"Yeah," Savannah said, pulling away from Michael, "and to think we were entertaining a killer." She shook her head in disbelief. "It just makes me so mad."
Iris spoke up. "Maybe it wasn't someone you know."
Michael stared at her. "What? Are you suggesting that someone broke into our house that night?"
"Or Julie let someone in," Craig added.
"Are you serious?" Michael asked.
Savannah stood poised to hear Craig's answer.
"Uh, well, we gotta look at all the angles. Anything's possible." Craig took in a deep breath and let it out. "The clues are few and far between at this point. But this case is my priority. We should have some answers soon."
****
Michael, Savannah, and Lily had been home for only a few minutes when Charlotte arrived exactly on time. She waved goodbye to her mom and stepped inside at Savannah's invitation.
"Whereth Ragth?" the teen asked.
"He's waiting for his dinner. Would you like to help me feed the animals?"
"The horth, too?" she asked excitedly.
"Peaches is still boarded at Bonnie's place. Guess who's her next-door neighbor."
"Who?" Charlotte asked.
"Wilson."
"I love that horth. He goeth thlow for me. When can I ride Wilthon again?"
