by Marja McGraw
I turned around to face my mother-in-law. “Judith, I didn’t know you were coming in tonight. It’s good to see you.” I hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Are you going to sing with Lila?”
“Yes, at least for a couple of songs. We’ve been practicing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, trying to fine tune it.”
“You sing like a canary, Grandma.”
She gave Mikey a hug. “Why, thank you, Ace.”
She and my father-in-law had picked up on the nickname, and so had Mikey’s friends. I was about the only one who called him Mikey. Well, me and his teacher. Although, come to think of it, she always called him Michael.
“Where’s Junior?” she asked.
Chris couldn’t stand it when his mother called him Junior.
“He’s in the lounge with the band. You know he doesn’t like when you call him… Oh, nevermind. Where’s Chris, Sr.?”
“He’ll be in later. We’re going to have dinner here tonight.” She left us standing and staring after her as she headed for the lounge.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you, Mom. Their names are on the reservation list. I guess they wanted to be sure we saved them a table.”
I patted my son on the back. “I should have let you finish. At least she doesn’t know what we were talking about. You’re pretty slick, Mikey. A quick thinker.”
He grinned at me.
The front door opened and he moved out from behind the desk. “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Logan. It’s good to see you.”
Mrs. Logan smiled at my son and turned to me. “He’s such a little gentleman. He never forgets who we are.”
I smiled at her and picked up two menus before leading them to a table. They were regulars and came in at least once a week.
I waved Phyllis over, our Marilyn Monroe look-alike waitress. She greeted the Logan’s and asked what she could bring them to drink.
Most of our waiters and waitresses resembled old-time actors and actresses, and they dressed the part. Our customers really enjoyed this aspect of the business.
I returned to the Reservation Desk and found Mikey giving Lila a hug. Lila is an older woman from my church. She sings in the restaurant once or twice a week, and she always receives rave reviews. She has so much range in her voice, from deep to high, that it astonished me, as well as the customers. Talk about singing like a canary, she’s one of the best.
She waved to me and took off for the lounge.
The door opened again and I looked up to see Mary. “Do you happen to have an extra table tonight?”
Mikey tugged on my arm. “Do you want me to go keep Grandma busy?”
“Yeah. I think trouble’s ‘a brewin’”
My son snickered and left me to talk to my neighbor.
Chapter Five
“I’m surprised to see you here, Mary. Is anything wrong?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I had an uncomfortable feeling and decided I need to be with people – in a public place.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Like I told you, I still feel like I’m being watched. I didn’t see anyone, but I can’t get past the feeling.”
“Did you take a taxi or did you drive?”
“I drove. Why would I take a taxi?”
“Oh, no reason.”
Mary is one of the worst drivers I’ve ever seen. I once saw her drive over an island and turn left in the middle of the street instead of turning right and going around. Limitations don’t mean much to her. She has a lead foot, too. Apparently she loves speed. She offered me a ride to the store once, but I managed to worm my way out of the trip. I’m amazed that her driver’s license is reissued when she applies.
I picked up a menu and motioned for my neighbor to follow me. I found a table as far away from my mother-in-law as possible, and yet close enough to the lounge to be entertained by the band.
Judith is one of those people who strikes up conversations with total strangers, and within five minutes she can tell you their entire life histories. I didn’t want her to know about Mary and Meredith.
I called Gloria over, who happens to be the spitting image of Myrna Loy, and introduced her to Mary.
“Gloria will take care of you, Mary. I’ll be back a little later to see how you’re doing.”
I heard her speaking to Gloria as I walked away. “Has anyone ever told you that you look just like what’s-her-name? Uh, Myrna Loy. That’s it. Myrna Loy.”
“Every day,” the waitress replied.
People never get tired of asking the question, and thankfully both Gloria and Phyllis have the patience of saints. Phyllis always gives them her Marilyn Monroe smile and a gander of her sexy walk when she leaves the table.
Mikey handed me two menus when I returned to the Reservation Desk. “Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are set up for Table Three.” He sounded so grown up.
It made me smile. “Why don’t you show them to their table and let Duke know they’re here.”
Duke is our new waiter, and he’s a double for Steve McQueen. The women love him, and he seems to eat up the attention.
Chris sauntered out from the lounge, laughing to himself.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“My mother. She has a feeling we’re up to something, but she can’t quite put her finger on it.”
“I should probably tell you that Mary came in a few minutes ago.” Forewarned is forearmed.
Chris’s face dropped. “Where is she?”
“I put her on the other side of the room from your mother.”
Once again, a voice came from behind me. “Who don’t you want Judith to see?”
Turning my head and glancing up, I found Chris, Sr. standing behind us.
“I didn’t see you come in, Dad,” Chris said.
“I came in the back way. Okay, who should I steer your mother away from?”
He was generally a man of few words, but he knew when it was time to distract his wife. He’d seen her in action.
I casually pointed toward Mary’s table. “That woman. We may be taking on her case, or issues. Apparently this may have something to do with gangsters, so keep Judith occupied, please.”
My father-in-law grinned. If you didn’t know him, you might think he was grimacing. His was a tight-lipped smile that was almost a straight line across his face. “The last time it was elderly spies. Now you have an old woman with mob ties? I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
He left us and headed for the lounge.
Mikey joined Chris and me, so I left them to tend to business while I wandered toward the lounge. I found Lila and Judith sitting with Chris, Sr., heads together, going over some music. My father-in-law sat quietly and listened to the band tune up.
Thinking this would be a good time to talk to Mary, I turned away from the scene, just in time to run into a customer. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said.
He wouldn’t have received my attention other than to apologize, but he was dressed to kill – in vintage clothing and looking like a gangster. And he was a big man, at least six foot three. Maybe he wasn’t that tall, but with the fedora comfortably sitting on his head, he made quite a memorable and big impression on me. He couldn’t have been more than forty or so – definitely from a different generation than Mary. His hair was dark brown with a little curl around the edges.
I couldn’t help it. My eyes darted to his coat before looking into his eyes. Did I detect a slight bulge? Like from a gat? No, he wouldn’t carry a gun into the restaurant. Would he?
“Can I help you?” Like Mary, I was becoming a bit paranoid. I mentally shook my head. I shouldn’t feel that way. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for customers to show up dressed in period clothing.
“Just heading for the bar,” he replied, in a deep baritone voice.
I stood between him and the bar, gawking. He put his large hands on my shoulders and moved me out of his way.
“Sorry,” I said again.
He tipped his head at me and found a seat at the bar.
Daniel, the bartender who didn’t look like anyone famous, took his order and started mixing a drink.
The stranger turned in his swivel chair and saw me watching him. This time he smiled and tipped his hat at me.
Flustered, I looked away. He was a handsome man, I’d give him that, and yet he had a hardened look about him.
I didn’t walk over to Mary’s table yet, not wanting to draw attention to her.
Okay, I thought, you’re being silly. Lots of people dress up to come into the restaurant. Get over it.
Daniel set a drink in front of the man and the customer turned back to the bar.
Since he was no longer watching me, I made a beeline for Mary’s table. She looked tense. I had a feeling she’d been watching the interaction between me and the stranger.
“Mary? Are you okay?”
She hesitated before replying. “Yes, I guess so. Somehow that man took me back in time.” She cleared her throat. “Goodness! Lots of people here, well, a few anyway, are dressed in old-style clothing.”
“It’s one of the reasons people enjoy Bogey Nights. It gives them a reason to do something different for a change.”
The band started playing their version of Ain’t Misbehavin’. It seemed to have a calming effect on Mary. It was kind of slow and swingy, and it calmed me, too.
I glanced toward the bandstand and saw five musicians instead of the usual four. Then I remembered that Scott had said his cousin would be joining them for a couple of sets.
“Does that man look familiar to you?” I asked, reverting back to the subject of the man wearing the fedora.
“No, not really. He has a certain look that reminds me of the fifties. That’s all.”
I glanced at her plate to see what she’d ordered, but what I saw instead of the food was that her hands were shaking. I know that some older people tend to shake, but I’d never noticed her shaking before.
Something struck me and I blinked. “If your cousin was the one who hung out with gangsters, why would he look be familiar to you?”
“Old movies,” she replied. “I watched a lot of old movies. Of course, they weren’t old to me at that time, but they would be to you now. Does that make sense?”
“Ah. Of course, it makes sense.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Mary took a bite of shrimp after dipping it in sauce.
“Mary, what’s really going on? I have the feeling you’re not being totally honest with me. Is there more to your story than you’ve told us?”
She choked and took a drink of water.
I waited.
“No, I’ve told you everything. My cousin was kind of wild, but she was a kind-hearted woman underneath her bravado. She disappeared and I never saw her again. No one heard from her. I had to assume she was… Well, that she’d passed on. I missed her long before she disappeared though. And, now, with someone watching me and thinking I’m her, my nerves are on edge. Wouldn’t you feel the same way?” There was an expression of pleading on her face.
“I guess I would. Wasn’t there ever a clue about what happened to Meredith?”
“The police looked into it, but not very hard. Let’s just say that they didn’t think highly of her because of her so-called friends.”
I smiled. “In a way I understand how they felt, and yet I know they should have investigated as they would with any other disappearance.”
My neighbor narrowed her eyes at me. “She was a good person, and I don’t believe for one minute that she was a killer. She didn’t have it in her. I told you, she was like a sister to me. I probably knew her better than anyone else.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to be rude. It seems she made some poor choices, but like you say, you probably knew her best. But I have to be honest. I still feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Mary sat quietly, glancing around the room. She seemed to be weighing her options.
“There is something,” she said. “Meredith telephoned me shortly before she disappeared.”
Chapter Six
“Why didn’t you mention that before?” I asked. It seemed to me that if Meredith called Mary shortly before she disappeared, that would be a big deal. “Did she say anything about what was going on?”
Mary had picked up another shrimp, but now she set it back on the plate. “Not really, but there was something in her voice. She sounded nervous and scared. She asked if I thought Mom and Dad would welcome her home with open arms if she showed up at the front door. I told her we’d all welcome her home.
“She said, ‘What if I brought Gabriel Rizzo with me?’ That’s the one time I heard her refer to Lefty by his given name. I told her I wasn’t too sure that would go over very well. She said that coming home probably wasn’t a good idea after all.”
“Did she say anything else?” I asked.
She picked up the shrimp again before setting it back down. “I think I’d better finish my dinner and go home.”
I could tell she didn’t want to talk about what Meredith had said. I wouldn’t push her, at least for now. At some point she’d have to open up, but now wasn’t the time. The band was playing and the guy at the bar was watching us. People were eating and talking and generally making noise.
“Would you like me to have Chris talk to the man at the bar?” I asked.
“No. He’s just a customer, and I’m making something out of nothing. Besides, I think he’s watching you because you’re so attractive.”
“Why, thank you! You just made my evening.” It’s nice to receive a compliment once in a while. “I’d better get back to work.”
“Oh, Pamela, there is one thing.” My neighbor glanced out the window. “It’s getting dark and I can’t drive at night. I didn’t even think about that when I drove over here.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make arrangements to get you home.”
I patted her hand and made my way back to the Reservation Desk.
“Chris, Mary is just about ready to go home and she can’t drive at night. Could we – “
“Don’t worry. I’ll find my dad. I’ll drive her home in her car and Dad can bring me back in his car.”
“Thanks, Slugger. You’re aces.”
Mikey whipped his head around. “Did you call me?”
“No, Son, I told your dad he’s aces.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s a good guy.”
Chris patted Mikey’s back and left to find his father.
I heard Judith and Lila start singing Rum and Coca Cola, a song The Andrews Sisters had sung. The timing was perfect because my mother-in-law would be too busy to pay attention to my neighbor.
After the song was finished, Judith stepped back and Lila sang Blues in the Night. Her voice never ceased to amaze me, and she sang this one like a torch singer.
“My mama done tol' me
When I was in pigtails
My mama done tol' me
A man's gonna sweet-talk and give you the big eyes
But when the sweet-talking's done
A man is a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave you to sing the blues in the night”
I saw Mary waving me over and headed for her table. I was surprised to see her wipe away tears.
“Who’s that woman singing?” she asked.
“That’s Lila, a friend from my church.”
“She put her whole soul into that song. It takes me back. Mer once told me that was her favorite song. She said it was true, that a man would leave you to sing the blues.”
“You’re remembering more, aren’t you?”
My sharp, lovely elderly neighbor had faded a little. Her shoulders sagged. “Yes. I miss my cousin. I think she had a harder life than she admitted to me. There was a sadness about her the last time I talked to her. After she asked about bringing Gabriel home with her, she said that no, she wouldn’t bring him along. She quoted a line from that song and said she’d leave him and he’d be singing the blues in the night.
But she said it like her heart was breaking.”
I nodded. “She didn’t really want to leave him behind, did she?”
Mary took a deep breath. “I don’t think so, and I think it was her way of telling me that I’d never see her again, and neither would Lefty. I mean, Gabriel. I can’t explain it, but that was the feeling she gave me.”
I mulled that over for a moment.
“I need to pay my bill,” my neighbor said. “Can I get the check?”
“Oh, no. It’s on the house.”
She started to argue the point.
“No, we’ll write if off on our taxes. After all, we are working on something for you.” Yeah, like that would happen. We certainly couldn’t write her dinner off on our taxes, but she fell for it so she didn’t belabor the point. I knew she was on a fixed income and sometimes people need a treat, even when they can’t really afford it.
Chris and his father showed up at the table and my husband introduced his father to Mary.
“I’ll drive you home in your car and my father will pick me up in his car. Are you ready to go?” Chris held his hand out to the elderly woman, ready to help her up.
She smiled at him. “You’re such a gentleman.”
He rolled his upper lip under before speaking, and pulled his hand back. “You cool your heels for a minute while we get the cars. Then we’ll blow this place. May I have your car keys?”
She dug them out of her purse and handed them to my husband. He and his father left through the kitchen, heading for the parking lot.
“He really is something,” Mary said.
I smiled at her. “I sometimes wonder what that something is. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to talk to my son.”
She nodded and I left the table.
“Mikey, would you please feed the dogs? I’ll watch the desk. You might want to play with them for a few minutes, too.”
“Sure, Mom.” He ran through the kitchen door before I could warn him not to run through the restaurant.
Chris and his father reentered the restaurant through the front door. I followed them to Mary’s table, trying to keep one eye out in case a customer came in.
