He and I went to lunch at Pop’s, a place that had been there ever since I can remember. On the outside it looks like a dump. On the inside the kitchen is clean. Everything is freshly made and the people are friendly. Everybody in the county knows about Pop’s and most have eaten there at least once.
I ordered a burger and fries. Dad got a barbeque sandwich with onion rings. We both had iced tea and slices of carrot cake for desert. The food is good and plentiful and we both came away with full stomachs.
I asked Dad what he was going to do the rest of the day.
“I think I’ll wash some clothes and take a nap. You?”
I’m going to figure out a way to kill one of the men that murdered Miranda. I may take a nap after that too, I thought to myself.
“I don’t know maybe run up to Wal-Mart or something. There’s not really much to do in the county now. I don’t have any friends around here anymore. I wish I knew where to go to meet people.”
“Sorry, son, I can’t help you there. I’d suggest the church but there aren’t too many singles your age there. You didn’t really enjoy yourself the last time you came did you?”
“No sir. To be honest I was shocked at what the church has become. I used to love going there when I was a teenager but back then all of my friends were there. I didn’t even feel like God was there. People were so irreverent. ”
That pretty much put an end to the conversation. I had spoken ill of his church. I don’t think I could have hurt him anymore. I didn’t mean to but I wanted him to know how I felt.
“Okay, son, have a good day.” He got into his car and drove away.
I got into my truck and started it up. I decided to go back to Yorktown and take the Battlefield driving tour. I hadn’t done that in years. A lot of people didn’t know about Yorktown but we had had the local history drilled into our heads all through school. We knew all about Yorktown, Williamsburg and Jamestown.
Yorktown is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of British General Cornwallis to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. The nineteenth is a local holiday here.
I slowly drove the dirt roads and read all of the signs even though I knew most of it by heart. I stopped and got out where George Washington’s headquarters had been. It was probably my imagination but I could almost sense the soldiers, officers, horses and General Washington.
I wish I could feel Miranda’s presence like I did in those woods. I envied Washington’s skill at battle and wished he’d tell me how to get Garvey.
I kept thinking that maybe the best thing would be to call the Norfolk police and tell them what I had found and let them handle it. I wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. He may not be dead but he’d be in jail for a long time. Or would he? Was I willing to take a chance that the judge would be hardcore enough to put that bastard away?
Could I live with that? You know what? If he got by I could still go back and hunt him down.
That’s what I’d do!
The next day was Sunday so I drove over to the house. I looked into the bedroom window to make sure he wasn’t there and then I called the police. I explained the situation to the dispatcher and she said someone would be there soon. I sat in my truck and listened to the radio while I waited. Soon a patrol car pulled into the driveway behind me.
I got out and introduced myself. I told him about my job and why I was wearing a pistol. I showed him my badge and ID card (The real one!) and told him what was going on. I let him in the garage and showed him the broken window and the packages under the workbench. He pulled out his knife and cut into one of them and put a little bit of the powder on the tip of his tongue.
“That’s cocaine,” he said with authority. “There’s several thousand dollars of the stuff there. So you said someone was in the house?”
I took him through the back door and led him down the hall to the master bedroom and showed him Garvey’s stuff. Of course I didn’t say who it belonged to.
He stopped and looked at me. “Wait, I know this house. Your wife was killed here wasn’t she?”
I nodded my head.
“There were two guys but we never caught them.”
“Yep, Daryl Resnick and Marcus Garvey. I remember y’all got fingerprints and identified them.”
He thought for a moment then said, “Nah, that’d be too cliché.”
“What?” I asked.
“You know how they say on TV that the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime?”
I nodded my head again and let him talk.
“I’m going to sound stupid but I wonder if that’s his stuff there. He was a drug dealer if I remember. It’d all fit wouldn’t it?”
“Sounds about right to me. But how could you find out for sure?”
“Easy, I’ll call the crime scene unit and have them go over all of this. If we’re lucky we’ll get some good fingerprints. I just wish I knew where he was during the day. If I could find him and arrest him I’d get a promotion I bet!”
I just stared at him.
“Oh, Jesus, I’m acting like a kid aren’t I? I’m sorry. It’s just that this is the most exciting thing that has happened to me since I became a cop. I’m really sorry, this is a tragedy for you and I’m worried about getting a promotion.”
“Hey, I understand. IF you can get him I hope they make you commissioner!”
He smiled and began calling it in and I heard the dispatcher say that CSI was on its way. I smiled again.
We’re coming for you, you murderous bastard, I thought. Maybe they would tie you into Miranda’s murder. Well, of course they would. Wouldn’t they?
“Can I ask a question?” I said to the cop.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“If you find that this is one of the guys that raped and killed my wife and this is his stuff would he get charged with murder too?”
He grinned. “Yeah, damn right, he’s a murderer and rapist too. With the drugs added in plus breaking and entering he’d go away for a long time. Hell, maybe he’ll even get the death penalty!”
I nodded my head and thought to myself, one way or the other he’s going to die, by the states hands or mine.
He told me I didn’t really need to stick around. He’d make sure everything was locked up. I reminded him that the door had been open when I found it and if he was coming back he’d be suspicious and maybe not go in.
The cop nodded his head in agreement.
“Maybe y’all could stake out the house. Is that the correct term?”
He nodded his head vigorously.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to the sergeant about that.”
We shook hands and I got into the Tahoe. I realized he was parked behind me so I got back out and asked him to move. As soon as I pulled out into the street I saw the crime scene van pull up. I hope they were sharper than that dumbass cop. I’d practically had to type out the instructions for what he needed to do.
I shook my head as I drove home. Well, I thought, that was a good days work.
Chapter 7
Monday morning I got a call from Detective Raymond Spader of the Norfolk Police Department. He had been assigned my case. (My case? Hmm.) He told me that they had gotten a hit on the fingerprints and they belonged to Marcus Garvey (Surprise! Surprise!) and they were looking for him.
“I don’t know if this means anything, Detective, but a few months ago I thought I saw him down at Ward’s Corner. I’m not sure if that was him or not but it looked like him.”
“You know what he looks like? How is that?”
“Um, I got the two guys names that killed my wife from somewhere, maybe the TV news or something and I looked them up online.”
“Hmm, I didn’t know their names had been released then. But it could be. “Well, we’ll look around on Ward’s Corner and we’re keeping an eye on your house. Can I ask why you’re not living there now?”
“After what happened to my wife I just couldn’t st
ay there so I moved back to the Peninsula. I’m from York County originally.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
You guess that makes sense?
“I’ll let you know if anything else comes up,” he said and hung up before I could say goodbye.
What a jerk! I began wondering if I had done the right thing handing this over to the Norfolk police. What if the prosecutor was like these cops? Maybe I’d just have to kill everyone! I wonder if anyone knew of a good bell tower I could borrow for a little while to go on a murderous spree?
I called the detective back and asked if I could go ahead and fix my house and put it up for sale. He told me I could so I started looking for another realty company online. I wasn’t really sure who to go with and after that last debacle I thought I’d better ask around.
Some of the guys in the office made recommendations but none were really glowing endorsements. I decided to call my dad and he told me of a friend from church who was very well known. I recognized the name and looked the number up.
I told the receptionist my needs and she set up and appointment for me the next night at 8:00 at my condo. After work I went back to the house and made a list of things I would need to get it back in shape. Most of the stuff I could do myself except the windows. I decided to call base maintenance the next day and ask if anyone did side work.
I don’t know if it was a good idea that the cops cleared Garvey’s stuff out or if that would make it more difficult to catch him. It seemed like a perfect trap to let him come back to the house and get him there. On the other hand I needed to get the house sold so I could move on.
The next day I decided to hire someone to come in and clean the house really good. They’d do a much better job than me I’m sure. Maybe maintenance would know someone that’d do that to. It couldn’t hurt to ask. So I made the call and soon I had people to come to the house. I said I’d meet them there at 5:00.
They were right on time. It was a husband and wife team. I showed them what needed to be done and told them to make a list of the things they’d need and I’d be sure to have it there. They told me they’d make the list right away and within twenty minutes I had paper in hand and was headed for Home Depot.
It took just over an hour to get it all and then I was on the way back to the house. I had given the man a key and told them everything would be in the garage waiting on them. They promised they’d come back on Saturday morning and start working. We agreed on half down and the balance when they were finished. I had written them a check before they left.
One night I realized that it had almost been a year since Miranda’s death. Wow, the time had actually gone by quickly. I still missed her and still told her picture I loved her. I just wasn’t thinking about her as much and that saddened me.
I guess maybe I was ready to begin looking for someone else. I didn’t think I was ready for something permanent or real serious but I was tired of being alone. I wanted companionship. And I hoped Miranda was okay with it. I pictured getting to Heaven and her being mad at me. Or what if I remarried? Would I have two wives in Heaven?
Oh no, not this again! Questions with no answers. God should have a call center where you can get answers to questions like this. I’m sure it would be very popular.
The next day at work I asked Danny what he thought about me dating again. He said he thought it’d be a good thing for me but to be very careful if I did. He offered some advice; the biggest one was not to compare other women to Miranda. He said he doubted anyone would equal her in my mind.
Then he said, “When, and if, the right one comes along you’ll know but you’ll probably also be conflicted. You’ll have to work that out before you move forward. She’s going to be a part of that relationship too and you never want to make her feel like she is second pick or will live in Miranda’s shadow. You’ll have to love her for her and not for an ideal she’ll never reach. It won’t be fair to her.”
I stared at him in disbelief!
“What?” He said.
“I’m just amazed at what you said. It’s so clear, well thought out and insightful.”
“Don, believe it or not I have been thinking it over for a long time anticipating when this time would come. They’re not all my words though. My wife and I have discussed this several times over the last few months. We have ached for you and prayed for you.”
“Really?” was all I could say, “I never knew you prayed. Are you a Christian, go to church, read the Bible and everything?”
“Yes.”
“I never would have known. I mean, I know you’re a good person but I never heard you talk like this before. It surprises me.”
“Well Don, I guess I need to do something about that. Bonnie and I have never been the kind of Christians that push our faith on other people. Maybe that’s wrong. I guess we should be more open and witness but we just don’t feel like we can do that. Do you know what I mean?”
I nodded. “Yes, I guess I do. I was brought up in the church but drifted away when I was still in my teens.”
I told him about my church life growing up and how my parents were. I also told him about the last time I went to church and how shocked and disappointed I was in not only the service but especially the people.
We talked more that afternoon and he urged me to find another church. Just because I grew up in a church didn’t mean I had to be faithful to it the rest of my life.
I changed the subject. “Where do I start looking for someone, Danny?”
“That’s a tough one. I’ve been out of the dating game for a long time. I met Bonnie through a free newspaper called, Port Folio. She had put an ad in the classified section and I answered it. The rest is history. Port Folio no longer exists though. I guess maybe you could try Craigslist. I’m not sure how good or reliable it is though. I guess you’d just have to try it and find out. Of course the best place to find someone is in a church.”
I laughed. “That’s what my mother told me!”
Chapter 8
After dinner I opened Craigslist and began looking through the ads. I started in the strictly platonic section since I didn’t think I was ready for anything too deep. There were a couple of interesting ads but nothing really caught my eye. Then I went to the women seeking men section.
Wow, these women were serious! And crazy. The title of one said, “I'll be your nude housekeeper (Where you at)” That was unique. Evidently people don’t know how to spell or use punctuation or grammar. The ad said:
“I'm looking to be a sexy freaky housekeeper anything you're looking for I can play that role while up keeping your house must be real I'm a sexy female curves in all the right places and a face to match trust you won't be disappointed if real send pic with number”
Then one really caught my eye; “Single lady seeking mature gent” The ad said she was 48 years old, curvy and single. She was shorter and older than me but hers was the only one that interested me. The ad said:
“Single lady here. Mature, fun, responsive, and attentive. If these qualities interest you, do let me know. I prefer a mature gentleman.”
She at least knew how to write. I wasn’t sure what responsive meant but it didn’t sound bad. Or scary and a lot of these ads were. There was some weird stuff on there.
I decided to reply to her ad. According to the tag at the top it had only been put up two hours ago. I clicked the reply button and something popped up. I clicked on reply by email and a blank email opened. What did I do now? What should I say? I decided to just be open.
I wrote, Hi. My name is Don. I’m a 32 year old widower. I lost my wife just about a year ago and I think I’d like to start dating again. I’ll be honest I’m really unsure of myself here. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated. Your ad seemed like you are somewhat sane.
No I couldn’t say that! I started over:
Hi. My name is Don. I’m a 32 year old widower. I lost my wife just about a year ago and I think I’d like to start dating again. I’ll be honest
I’m really unsure of myself here. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated. I’m not looking for anything serious I don’t think. I don’t really know what to say here. I live in York County, I have an almost whole college education, I am gainfully employed, have a home and a car (or truck really). What else would you like to know? Just ask questions and I’ll answer them.
“Almost whole college education?” Would she understand what that meant? Oh well, if she wanted to know I guess she’d ask.
I read it over once more, decided to not make any more changes, hit send, closed the laptop and went to bed. I was assuming I’d never hear back from her. I didn’t get to check my email for another two days.
The house was repaired, cleaned and up for sale. Just for good measure I had an alarm system installed and it was monitored 24/7. Let Garvey try to get in now! He might get in but hopefully the Norfolk police would get there fast enough to catch him.
When I did get a chance to check my email I was surprised to find a reply to my reply. I was too afraid to answer it believe it or not. I decided to open it later. I didn’t really feel like getting rejected on an empty stomach. I changed clothes and went down to the County Grill to get some barbeque.
This stuff was so much better than Pierce’s. They have about six different barbecue sauces. My favorite is the Lexington sauce. They serve warm corn muffins with honey butter and they keep bringing them until you tell them to stop. I ordered the same thing I always do, the Pulled Pork Platter. They have this delicious warm potato salad and sweet cole slaw. I took my time eating and watched the news on the overheard TV.
When I got home I looked at the laptop and decided to wait to read the email. Or should I just get it over with? Wait. So I cleaned up the kitchen glancing at the laptop every few minutes.
What was I scared of? Rejection? That was silly, if she did reject me I’d be no worse off than I was before. My ego might be bruised but I’d get over that. So why was I standing here staring at my laptop like it was diseased or something?
Turnabout Is Fair Play Page 6
