Deep Fried Trouble (Eugeena Patterson Mysteries)

by Tyora Moody

  There wasn’t much originality with Junior’s name. Another Ralph. Even when Cedric came along, Ralph insisted on using his deceased brother’s name. I’d known my brother-in-law for all of two years before he was killed in Vietnam. Ralph loved his older brother with a fierceness that he only bestowed on a few people. Who was I to deny him of naming his second son after his brother?

  Now Leesa. She threw both of us for a loop. Fifteen years with only testosterone in the house, after I got over my shock, I was elated with the female addition and proceeded to take charge in naming her too.

  “Ma’am, you do know sometimes adults take off on their own and might not want to be found?”

  She had a point there, but I had some babies, currently under Louise’s care, who really needed their mother. I’d only planned to take in a pooch, not two grandkids, and even the dog wasn’t in the picture until a few days ago. Funny, how only last week I was complaining about being lonely. If this was the Lord’s idea of teaching me a lesson, he wouldn’t hear anymore grumbling from me. “Look, my daughter came by with her children on Saturday night.”

  “She has children and it was Saturday.” The woman raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like she was in need of some babysitting.”

  I looked at the officer like she fell off the Stupid Truck. “Aren’t you supposed to be writing this down or something?”

  “Well, she has to be gone for twenty-four hours before....”

  “I just told you she’s been gone over twenty-four hours. She arrived at my home Saturday night. She’s been gone since Sunday morning.” I leaned into the counter and I stared at Sgt. Pearson. “Today is Monday afternoon, which I believe is more than enough time to say a person is missing.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to ask you to calm down so I can get the information down.” The officer appeared ready to put her hand on her gun, so I stepped away from the counter before I messed around and got myself shot. I would get the most incompetent employee in the department to help me. Maybe I should have asked Amos to come in for this one. “Is there someone else who can help me?”

  “Ma’am, I’m trying to help you. Now has she done this before?”

  Here we go. All I needed was to tell this woman yes, Leesa has run away before and she would really not take me seriously.

  “Yes, when she was younger she ran away twice. It was a difficult time. Her best friend died and she got caught up with the wrong crowd.”

  By this time my body shook. There was no way I would breakdown in front of this woman. But I knew the feeling in the pit of my stomach shouldn’t be ignored. “Look, I don’t know if you are a mother, but I know something is not right. She’s been good for several years. A real good mother too.”

  Had I ever told Leesa how proud I was of her taking care of Kisha? She’d turned her life around. All this time-wasting, I hoped Leesa wasn’t in some serious trouble.

  “When did you discover her missing?”

  Eugeena took a deep breath. This woman was on the slow side. “I woke up Sunday morning and couldn’t find her in the house.”

  Sgt. Pearson’s eyebrow shot up again, but came back down. “You said she’d brought her children to you. Had she indicated a length of stay?”

  “She did mention she wanted to stay for awhile, I don’t know how long. There were clothes for the children ...” I stopped. The bag with the money. I can’t mention that.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I ...” What should I say? Should I say something? Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. “It’s just that I hadn’t seen her in awhile and I know she wouldn’t have reached out to me unless she needed help. I need you to find her. She could be in real trouble.”

  Sgt Pearson nodded and jotted down more information on her clipboard. This woman probably had a picture of Leesa in her mind. I don’t like labels. I always wanted to see the good in people, especially my own children. Leesa needed me. She would never come out and say it, but she brought those children to me because I was the one person she knew would care for them.

  But children don’t fall too far from the tree. From experience, I knew Leesa had inherited the I-will-take-care-of-it-my-way part of my personality. We’d bumped heads enough.

  I straightened my shoulders and leveled my eyes on Sgt. Pearson. “Thank you for taking the report. I know what you are going to say next. She’s an adult and she could have left on her free will. She didn’t. Wherever she is, she’s driving an aqua blue Nissan Altima. Here is the last registration I have in my possession for the car.”

  “Ma’am, we will check local hospitals, traffic reports and other stuff. We will do our best to find her. But you need to be aware she may have taken advantage of the free babysitting opportunity. Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “Could you check here in Columbia and the Charleston area? She dropped her children off at my home in Charleston, but she lives here in the city.”

  “Did you think she returned home?”

  “I’ve been to her apartment. Here is the address.” After I gave Sgt. Pearson the information, I added, “I talked to one of her neighbors, she mentioned that my daughter’s boyfriend...” Baby daddy. “... might have been by looking for her. I don’t know this young man, but he sounded like he may have been difficult.”

  “You think this is a domestic violence incident?”

  “I don’t know, but the neighbor who lives below her made it seem like they fought a lot. It could have been physical in some cases. Could you talk to her? Her name is Mrs. Hattie.”

  For the first time since I showed up at the desk, Sgt. Pearson eyes really connected with mine. Maybe the fear seeping through my body had reached my eyes. This was serious to me. More than I knew until that moment.

  “She’s my only daughter and she’s still a baby. Just turned twenty-one.”

  “Mrs. Patterson, we will do everything we can to find her.”

  “Thank you.” I gripped my pocketbook as though I needed it to hold me up and walked out into the bright sunshine. The sun’s rays didn’t warm my chilled body.

  Chapter 15

  When we returned, I thanked Amos for his assistance and gathered the children from Louise’s home. I would like to say I slept well, but visions of my child on the run from the law haunted my dreams. Tuesday morning, I woke up with a new burden on my heart. It was past time to tell the boys about their sister. Well, at least one of them.

  If anyone knew where Leesa might be, it would be her brother, Cedric. I knew how much Leesa looked up to him. Despite having a baby sister at age fifteen, he never let on Leesa cramped his style or showed resentment for losing his place as “the baby.” He was not the typical middle child. No one expected Cedric to become the other doctor in the family. Out of all my children, Cedric butted heads with Ralph the most. Although he admired Ralph’s accomplishments in the medical community, to this day, he refused to visit his father’s grave.

  “Where are you headed to this morning, Eugeena?” Louise asked me innocently as I handed over my two sleepy grands. As much as I wanted to share my mission with Louise, I had to be wary. If she knew what all had transpired in my household since Saturday evening, I would never get her to keep quiet.

  Thirty-five minutes later, after crawling through morning traffic, circling the hospital parking lot, I found a spot. I cut the engine and stared at the glass and concrete structure. I really didn’t want to walk in the place. Too many memories. Ralph was this beautiful caramel man with a bright countenance, well-known for having a warm bedside manner with his patients. He was a distinguished obstetrician at the Charleston General Women Center. He loved delivering babies and teaching his residents. This same deeply admired man was a complete stranger to me at times.

  Ralph was a good man, who chose to do the right thing, marry a woman pregnant with his child. That woman being me. There were years I wasn’t sure if he ever really loved me. Funny in the back of his Chevy Impala, he didn’t mind saying the words I nee
ded to hear before I shared my most treasured gift with him. I knew I was head over heels in love with this beautiful man until I started feeling funny. When I told him I thought I might be pregnant, his response left me a shriveled mess. I grew up with no dad around, but my oldest brother made sure to confront the young Ralph Patterson about what he intended to do. It all happened so fast, me married with a baby. After awhile, I wasn’t so sure I really loved him either.

  I didn’t need to think about the past now. God had a way of turning the situation around even after years of what seemed like unanswered prayers. When the first heart attack hit Ralph, it was probably the first time I’d ever truly seen his vulnerable side. It was so ironic the one who held so many young lives in his hands, laid in a hospital bed facing his own immortality.

  The experience humbled both of us. Despite all the pockets of misunderstandings that drove us to be more like enemies than friends for so long, our last years together were more beautiful than I could ever imagine. It really did pay to stick it out in a marriage and trust God. God is the fuel that keeps the relationship in drive.

  Okay, I needed to find Cedric. I wouldn’t have to do this if my son would respond to his voice mail. I’d only left at least ten messages. I moved my derriere from the car and walked up the path towards the hospital’s front doors. I smiled at the receptionist. “How are you, honey? I’m Eugeena Patterson, I’m wondering if you could tell me if Dr. Cedric Patterson is with a patient? His mother is looking for him.”

  “Sure ma’am, let me see if I can locate him for you.”

  I smiled at her. Really smiled. As a mother I felt good asking for my son. The doctor. Following his dad’s footsteps as an obstetrician. With Junior being a lawyer, my heart swelled with pride over my sons.

  Then, there was Leesa. An invisible needle burst my bubble. There was hope for her. She was only twenty-one.

  “Ma’am, he appears to have several deliveries on the schedule today. Would you like to leave a message?”

  “No, that’s okay.” I rounded the corner and headed toward the elevators. The gift shop enticed me with its assortment of stuffed animals, some fit with helium balloons. I had thought about volunteering at the hospital after I retired, but now with the neighborhood association on my plate, looks like I will be plenty busy.

  Plenty busy trying to catch a killer. With all my energy centered on finding Leesa, I could not forget there was an unknown person floating out there that I needed to find to prove my child’s innocence.

  The elevator doors opened and several people stepped off. I entered with some trepidation. Sometimes riding in the enclosed moving box made me feel like I’d messed around and let somebody trick me into getting on an amusement park ride. I pressed the third floor button. A good cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria would give me time to think. I had this gut feeling I should be the one to find Leesa first. So I had to look for her in all her spots.

  As soon as the elevator door opened, smells from the cafeteria assaulted my nose, making me realize it was close to the lunch hour. A hint of meatloaf and green beans floated through the open double doors. The hospital had remodeled this end of the building, but the cafeteria still looked the same, just now with a huge salad bar plopped in the middle.

  I observed the sea of colorful scrubs to find my son, just in case he might have ventured down for some nutrition in between delivering babies. Instead, my eyes caught sight of someone else sitting alone at a table. Well, what’s she doing here? I grabbed a cup from the dispenser and poured my coffee, then mixed in some Splenda and creamer. With the white lid in place, I maneuvered my hips around the tables to one in the back.

  I approached the woman sitting with her head down. She had some white wires coming out of her head. One of those iPod things, I guess. I sat my coffee on the table. “Carmen?”

  The young woman lifted her eyes, and then adjusted her torso in the seat from her previous slumped position. “Mrs. Patterson, hey how are you?”

  I pointed to the seat. “Do you mind if I sit with you for awhile?”

  “No, please do.” She frowned. “Is someone you know staying at the hospital?”

  “No, no. What about you?”

  “Just off my shift. Second-year resident.”

  “Well, I’ll be, I did not know. I was just talking to Mr. Amos about how much I didn’t know about some of our neighbors. Can’t be too careful, you know?”

  She raised her eyebrows at me.

  Maybe that came out wrong.

  Carmen sat back in the seat and crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t have anything to hide. Just trying to get through this residency.”

  “Oh I was just running my mouth. Don’t mind me.”

  She continued to stare like she wasn’t too sure about me. “People do like their privacy.”

  “That’s true, but with all that’s happened, it might be a good idea for the neighbors to reach out to each other. You were at the last neighborhood association, right? I’m sure you remember us talking about this.”

  Carmen uncrossed her arms. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess we probably should try to know each other better especially with what happened to Mrs. Fleming. Have you heard anymore about the investigation?”

  “No, I haven’t. I guess it’s all down to the evidence stuff. You know like on CSI.”

  “Yeah. The forensics. Fingerprints and fiber. All that stuff does take awhile.”

  I nodded as silence settled between us despite the conversations going on around us. I still wasn’t quite sure what to think of Carmen. She was on my list of mystery folks. Her defensiveness a minute ago piqued my curiosity. I sipped some of my coffee. Smooth and strong. “This is good.” I lifted my cup. “I have no business drinking it.”

  “Why, what’s happened?”

  “Chile, diabetes happened.”

  “Is that why you started walking? Exercise and diet can really help maintain your glucose levels.”

  Okay, sistah girl kept up with me walking, but a minute ago she seemed resistant to the whole getting to know you bit. I pointed my index finger in her direction. “You sound like a doctor already young lady.”

  The hardness of Carmen’s jaw softened as a slight smile appeared. “Thanks. I have a long way to go. I want to be an obstetrician.”

  “You do? I’m sure my son can help you out.”

  Carmen blinked, the smile disappeared. “Your son works here?”

  “You can’t miss him, chile. That boy is not one to be ignored. Believe me, I’m his mama. Dr. Patterson. Cedric Patterson.” I observed Carmen’s face. A range of emotions etched across her pretty face. “Carmen, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I guess I never made the connection. You know that you were Cedric’s mother.”

  First name basis? Since when was a resident that cozy with the attending physician? “So, you do know each other?”

  “Yes. I report to him.”

  I wanted to poke my nose further into this revelation, but Carmen jumped up from the table. Her headphones went flying around her neck. “You know what? I need to get going.”

  My goodness, she had to be close to six feet if not over. She probably could look Cedric right in the eyes. I strained my neck looking up at her from the table. “Didn’t you just get off your shift?”

  “I did, but I have a lot to do today. Nice talking with you.”

  “Okay.” I doubt Carmen heard me as she whizzed out of the cafeteria like her scrubs were on fire. I could only deal with one child’s mess at a time. When the time was right, Cedric would have to explain what he did to my neighbor. Most importantly I wanted to know more about this young woman and what she knew about the Patterson family.

  Chapter 16

  I knew as soon as she opened the door, Louise wasn’t about to let me off the hook. As I entered her home, it always struck me as odd how similar our houses were constructed on the inside. Now the decor was another matter. Being a social studies teacher, I loved history and especially loved exp
loring my family tree. Photos of family members as far back to 1890 graced my hallway along with school photos of my children.

  Now Louise was the cat lady of Sugar Creek. I remember her having as many as a half dozen cats at one time. In the house. Now only two remained. There were no signs of the sleek grey cat, Sylvester but the old tabby, Chester, sat perched on a chair, keeping an eye on me. There were more than just the live cats. There was the cat wallpaper. The cat figurines. The cat wall hangings. The cat rug. And yes, Louise was sporting one of her probably hundred shirts with a feline imprinted on the front.

  Louise shuffled into the living room. “We had a good time. Miss Kisha is so sweet.”

  Kisha sat on the couch, her eyes glued to the television. When she saw me, she ran over. “Grandma. Did your bring Mama?”

  Oh Lord, here we go.

  Louise picked up Tyric from the carrier. “Yeah, Eugeena. Where is Leesa?”

  This must be how a cornered cat felt except there was no way I could scratch my way out of this one. But I had no answers for either one of them. I still tried to get my head wrapped around the fact that my child dropped her kids off Saturday night and hasn’t been seen since. And the new grandbaby, well I just laid that burden down at Jesus’ feet. The child was here now and that story would have to come later.

  “Let me get Tyric.” He really was a good baby. Leesa hadn’t given me much trouble during her baby years either. “With two little ones Leesa needed a bit of a break. I remember when Junior and Cedric were about their ages; I thought I would pull my hair out.” At least I prayed that’s what this situation was all about. She would show up rested and with a full explanation for her disappearance. Then, all would be back to normal.

  Maybe not. There still was the problem of a dead neighbor whose funeral was only two days away.

  “Louise, I did need to ask you something that’s been worrying me.”