by Marja McGraw
“Honestly. We can fix this. I’ll play up the new restaurant angle without mentioning the murder. That’ll work, I promise.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head, figuratively speaking, of course.
“I can see the headline now,” she said. “Fine Dining and Dancing at the Bogey Nights.”
“‘Bogey Nights?’ How did you come up with that name?”
“Isn’t that what you were going to call it?” She looked panicked that she’d gotten the name wrong.
“We haven’t named it yet,” Chris said. “But I have to admit, I kind of like that. Pamela, what do you think?” He turned to me.
“I thought you didn’t want to use the name Bogey. However,” I said slowly, “I kind of like it. Bogey Nights – where good food and great atmosphere abound. Okay, Sharon, one point for you. You gave us the name for the restaurant – maybe. But you’re still not off the hook.”
“’Bogey Nights – where gourmet food and great atmosphere abound’,” Sharon said, correcting me.
“Don’t get carried away,” I said. “The food won’t be what I’d call gourmet, but it will be excellent, just the same. And I don’t want it to be an advertisement. I want you to write a real, honest-to-goodness story.”
Sharon pulled a pad of paper out of her purse and began writing. “I don’t want to forget any of this. Excellent food, atmosphere and dancing to a live 1940s-style band. Good stuff.” She put her pen and paper back in her purse.
I had the distinct feeling that she was trying to distract us, hoping we’d forget about her story.
“Okay,” Chris said. “You’ve redeemed yourself some, but not enough. I’ve still got a beef with you. You’ve got to clear this up so people don’t think we’re running a mortuary instead of a restaurant.”
Sharon began batting her eyelashes at Chris like she thought flirting would help.
He wasn’t going for it. “Flapping those blinkers at me ain’t gonna help either. Another story like this one and we’ll never get the supper club off the ground.”
“Okay,” Sharon said, “I got carried away. And I know it, and I’m sorry. I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
“You’d better,” I said, none too politely.
“So what’s next on the agenda?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked.
“Look, can I come in instead of standing here on the porch?”
I gave it a slow count before I stepped back and let her come in. I didn’t want her to feel too comfortable.
“Oh, nice house,” she said, looking around, kissing up to us.
“We like it.” I led the way into the living room where I saw Midge’s phone number sitting on the coffee table. I nonchalantly picked it up and shoved it into Chris’s hand. He stuffed it in his pocket. I didn’t want Sharon to see it because she probably knew the name of the relatives.
She watched our interaction suspiciously, but didn’t comment.
Neither Chris nor I spoke, waiting for Sharon to say what was on her mind. We were still thinking in terms of intimidation.
“So, what’s up? Where do you two go from here?” she asked.
“We’re going to start work on the restaurant,” Chris said. “What did you think we were going to do?”
“Oh, nothing. Well, I thought maybe you’d work on the murder. After all, the body was found in your cellar.”
“Just because there were bones in the cellar doesn’t mean we’re going to get involved,” Chris said. “We don’t know a thing about the stiff or what happened to him.”
“Yeah, Sharon, we’re not P.I.s or anything,” I added. “Maybe you should go talk to that female private investigator you drive crazy. At least she’s really an investigator.”
I thought Sharon shivered, but I couldn’t swear to it. “Oh, no. She doesn’t want to see me right now. She says I get in her way.”
“And is she right?” I couldn’t help it. I grinned.
“It’s not amusing.” Sharon looked indignant, although embarrassed at the same time. “She says I always get under her feet and in the way. That’s not true. I’ve actually helped her out on occasion.”
“That’s not what I heard,” I said, still grinning.
Sharon didn’t look happy. Time to change the subject.
“How did your date with Big D go?” I asked.
She actually smiled a genuine smile. “Davey and I had a wonderful time. He’s such a gentleman, but not boring. We’re going out again. Of course,” she added, “he’ll have to get used to my career. I’m a reporter, and that’s number one in my life.”
She hadn’t convinced me. I had a feeling Big D could easily sweep her off her feet and maybe make her let her career take a backseat to their relationship, if it went that far.
“By the way,” she said, “who were those two ladies I saw leaving just before I got here?”
My mouth dropped open and Chris nudged me. “Close your mouth, Pamela. Dangling lips are not attractive.”
Chapter Eleven
My dangling lips were itching to give Sharon a piece of my mind, but instead I briefly clamped them shut.
“How did you know we had company?” I finally asked, perplexed and annoyed at the same time. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Sharon put on the most innocent expression she could muster. “I was on your street, heading over here, and called you on the cell phone from my car. When I saw that you had visitors, I tried to give you time to get rid of them.”
“You thought we’d give them the bum’s rush because you were coming over?” I was incredulous that she’d even think such a thing – until I remembered that was exactly what we’d done. “No way,” I lied, feeling only a slight tinge of guilt. “They were just leaving when you called, so don’t think we got rid of someone just because you were on your way.”
At least Sharon had no idea that our guests were in any way related to the death of Charles Blakely. We wouldn’t have been able to keep her away if she’d known that little tidbit.
“What’s a ‘bum’s rush’?”
“If you’re not careful, you’ll find out the hard way.” I sighed. “When you forcibly make someone leave, that’s a bum’s rush.”
“Oh.”
I suddenly remembered that Detective Riley would be arriving before long. I had things to do to get ready for the barbeque. The morning had left me feeling like I’d been running a race. I couldn’t wait for a moment to sit down and regroup.
“Okay, Sharon, so you’re going back to your office to start a new story, right?” I needed to get rid of her. If she saw Janet Riley, she’d want to stay and pump her for information. There was no way I was going to let that happen. Midge, Pidge and Janet were off limits, as far as I was concerned.
“Are you trying to get rid of me? Is this an example of the bum’s rush?” she asked suspiciously.
“You betcha. I’ve got things to do, and so does Chris. Things that don’t involve a reporter or a story.”
“I’m going over to the new restaurant,” Chris said. “Why don’t you drive over there and you can spend some time with Big D? We’ll talk about your story.”
Oh, what a good husband! He was trying to help me get rid of her. Since he was standing behind me, I turned and winked at him. He grinned.
“Good idea,” Sharon said. “I’ll meet you over there. Are you going to work on the place with Davey?”
“Not likely,” Chris said. “I’m paying my buddy to do the work for me. I’m just going over to supervise for a while. I’m pretty good at that.”
I laughed. “That you are, Bogey Man.”
Sharon left, and Chris followed behind her after I reminded him not to be gone too long because we had company coming.
I sat down for a full half hour before pulling the ribs out of the refrigerator and preparing them for the barbeque. I make a mean homemade barbeque sauce and I let them soak in it before Chris would cook them. I’d spent my half hou
r writing notes about the restaurant site and what we knew so far, which was very little, and planned on asking Chris to add anything I was forgetting.
Sherlock and Watson scratched at the back door, begging for attention. I found one of their tennis balls and we played fetch for a few minutes. “Okay, you two. We have company coming and they’re bringing another of your species with them.” I scratched their heads. “That’s right, another dog, also a Lab. I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
They watched me with their heads cocked to the side, probably wondering what I was talking about.
“Go get your toys and keep yourselves busy now,” I directed.
They have a toy box filled with doggie toys and goodies. As soon as they heard the word toy, they dashed away in search of something to play with, bringing their favorites back to the porch with them.
Returning to the kitchen, I washed my hands and began the dinner process. I was cutting potatoes for fries when the doorbell rang. Before I could rinse my hands and answer it, I heard Chris’s voice talking to someone.
“…glad you could make it,” I heard him say.
Dish towel in hand, I made my way to the front door. Janet and a very good looking gentleman were standing there talking to Chris.
“Janet, so good to see you,” I said, giving her a hug which seemed to surprise her. Hugging is a social thing for me when I like someone. I glanced at her friend, waiting for an introduction.
“Thanks for inviting us over,” she replied, returning the hug. “I’d like you to meet Don Hackett.”
Don held his hand out and we shook. He understood the firm but gentle handshake I’d mentioned to Chris. One point in his favor. On impulse, I pulled him into a hug, too, before backing up.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, studying him. Janet was around five-feet five-inches, just barely taller than me. He was about five or six inches taller than her. His hair was dark and cut relatively short, almost but not quite a military cut. It looked like it might be curly if he let it grow out. I thought maybe he and Janet worked out together – they made such a fit and healthy couple. Don had a pleasant face and a genuine smile. I liked him immediately. Somehow he and Janet seemed right together, not that appearance is everything.
“My pleasure,” he replied.
A chocolate-colored Lab sat quietly at Janet’s side. “And this is Friday,” she said. “Shake hands with the lady.”
Friday held her paw out to me and we shook. I’d swear she smiled at me, and I warmed up to her immediately. She was smaller than my dogs and appeared to be a bit younger, but I could see that Janet had been working with her and trying to train her. I could also see that it wasn’t quite working yet because Friday leaped up and panted in my face.
“Off, girl,” I said. She dropped to the floor.
“How about a beer?” Chris asked.
Janet shook her head. “I don’t drink, to speak of.”
“Lead on,” Don said. “I do.”
The two men, with Friday following, headed for the backyard where a cooler filled with beer and soft drinks waited.
“Let’s adjourn to the kitchen,” I suggested, taking a salad bowl out of her hands along with a bottle of what looked like homemade dressing.
She picked up a cake plate from the coffee table where it had been set and followed me, glancing around the house. “I like your place. You’ve made it feel comfortable; like a real home. Mine is pretty minimal because I’m gone so much.”
“Chris and I have only been married for a year. Before that I worked two jobs, so I wasn’t home much either. I understand your minimalism. Now that I’m married I can do what I like, and Chris loves this house. He says it’s the first place he’s ever lived in that feels like a real home. So thanks for your compliment. I appreciate it more than you know.”
“You’ve done a good job.”
I smiled, feeling good about myself.
“What did you bring for dessert? Never mind. Surprise me.”
“You’ll like it, I guarantee,” she said. “That is, if you like chocolate.”
“I’ve only met one woman in my entire life who didn’t like chocolate, and it wasn’t me. Talk about your comfort food. And I think it’s inspired that you have a chocolate Lab.”
Janet was so easy to talk to, and I wondered if that was a help to her when she was grilling bad guys. I had to think it worked to her advantage.
We watched out the window for a moment to see how the dogs would get along. Famously is the only word to describe it. After a lot of rear end sniffing and some chuffing noises my dogs headed for the toy box with Friday following behind them.
Janet sat at the kitchen table while I finished the potatoes and then we worked together to finish up. I felt like I was visiting with an old friend while we chatted. She reminded me of someone who’d never met a stranger, kind of like my Labs. Uh, not that I was comparing a woman to a dog. But Labs are a friendly breed. And Janet was friendly. I did what I could to turn off my thoughts.
Finally, when everything was ready, I called Chris in to get the ribs and start them cooking while I picked Mikey up at school.
“Do you want to stay here or go with me?” I asked, turning to Janet.
“I’ll go with you. I love kids, although I’ve never had any of my own. Being a police officer does have its drawbacks. I smother my sister’s kids, but they don’t seem to mind. At my age it doesn’t look like I’ll ever have any, so my niece and nephew fill the void. I can spoil them and then send them home.” She laughed. “Drives my sister crazy.”
When we arrived at the school I found Mikey standing and waiting for me. He had a suspiciously guilty look on his face, and he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He saw my car, but he wouldn’t look directly at me.
“Hey, pal,” I said, rolling down the window, “how was your day?”
“Okay,” he said quietly, glancing at Janet with subtle curiosity. His usual greeting would have been a moment by moment description of the school day with theatrics to embellish his stories.
“I’d like you to meet Janet Riley. She and her friend are having dinner with us, and she brought her Lab to play with Sherlock and Watson.”
“Hi,” he said, perking up and jumping into the backseat of the car. “So you have a Lab, too? We have two of them. Way cool.”
“Yeah, cool,” Janet said. “She’s a good dog. You’ll like her.”
“I bet I will.” Mikey sat back and put on his seatbelt, reverting back to his quiet mode once he’d settled in.
“So what’s up, pal?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure? You’re awfully quiet.”
“Wellll…” He drew the word out, lingering over it, almost tasting each letter.
“Uh huh. What’s going on, Mikey?”
“Um, now Mom, don’t get mad at me. Promise?”
I could see the corners of Janet’s mouth twitch before she clamped her lips together. She seemed to know this was going to be a good one.
I glanced in the rearview mirror before turning to look over the top of the car seat, and didn’t say a word.
“Mom, I need your promise.”
“I promise,” I said. “I won’t lose my temper. Now what’s going on?”
Mikey looked down and mumbled something.
“What?”
He sighed, very loudly. “I said that I talked about that dead body at school today. Remember, you promised you wouldn’t get mad, and it wasn’t my fault. But at least the kids believe me now.”
“Why on earth did you break your promise to me?” I asked. “You weren’t supposed to say anything else. I told your teacher you’d – ”
“But, Mom, it wasn’t my fault. Somebody’s dad read a story in the newspaper and talked about it in front of their kid. Then their kid talked about it at school, and pretty soon Mrs. Stanhope got a paper and read it and said that, by golly, it looked like I was right.” He sounded like he felt vind
icated.
“So your teacher called me and asked me to quiet you down about dead bodies, and then turned around and jumped into the middle of it herself.” I decided to let it go without saying anything else or Mikey might spill the beans about my comments at school. I didn’t want another call from Mrs. Stanhope.
“Is this about…” Janet said.
“It is. It’s about the bones at the new restaurant. Mikey was told not to talk about it at school per his teacher’s request.”
“Ah, I see. You know, Mikey, I’m a police officer, and if you have any questions about this you can talk to me. What they put in the newspaper isn’t always the whole story. And sometimes they make it sound like more than it really is.”
“You are? You have a Lab and you’re a copper?” I could hear awe in his voice. Janet had handed him a double whammy, and he liked it.
“That’s police officer to you, young man,” I said.
“But you and dad always say – ”
“Never mind what we always say. Show a little respect, please.” He was putting me on the hot seat, and it wasn’t very comfortable.
I could see Janet’s lips twitching again.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And, yes, it was in the newspaper, so it isn’t your fault. But, sweetie, don’t say anymore about it. Okay? You’re going to give your teacher a coronary if you’re not careful.”
“What’s a coronary?”
“A heart attack.”
I pulled away from the school and we headed home. Glancing in the rearview mirror again, I noticed Mikey sitting up straighter and watching the back of Janet’s head. “Can I really ask you some questions?”
“Sure. What would you like to know?” She turned in her seat as much as she could to face him.
“What’s it like to find a dead body? What does it look like? Is it like in the movies?”
“Mikey!”
Chapter Twelve
Janet laughed, waving me off with her hand. “Believe me, Pamela, my niece and nephew have asked worse than that.”
She turned to Mikey. “I’ll tell you about my most recent case. Yes, we did find a body in the basement at the new restaurant, but it was only bones. I’m sure you’ve seen bones before, right?”
