Green Tea

by Sheila Horgan

  “Crap. You might be right. I honest to God didn’t see it, but maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ve been living like a ninny because I just haven’t recognized it. Maybe it’s because my last boyfriend left me for two reasons. The first was my family. He just couldn’t stand the fact that we were all so close. He said we were dysfunctional to the point of pathology, which I don’t think is true, but I can understand him feeling that way. He also said that I needed to tone it down. A lot. That I’m a ball buster and I’ll never find a man willing to put up with my attitude and my family. Maybe I actually, on some unconscious level, believed him.”

  “He’s an idiot.” It was AJ’s voice coming from behind me.

  I hate hospitals. They leave the door open. You never know who’s coming and going.

  AJ walked up behind me and rubbed my shoulders. A thousand times more intimate than kissing me and right there in front of his grandma probably more appropriate.

  “Your grandma is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met”

  “I know.”

  “You’re really blessed to have her.”

  “I know.”

  “She told me you were a bed wetter till you were in junior high.”

  We needed a laugh to break the tension in the room.

  “She did not.”

  “True, I told her you were in high school.”

  Another good laugh and we were back to normal.

  Nana got serious again. “I’ll tell you one thing that I am sure of. Your generation makes things so much more difficult than they need to be. Problems, most problems, are easily solved. With a little thought and a little work, you can take care of your problems one, two, three. What your generation does is to complicate them. To make them into such a huge problem that they seem insurmountable, then you have a valid reason not to address the issue at hand. My generation learned that if you break a problem down into its individual little pieces and take care of each piece, any problem can be solved quickly and completely.”

  AJ smiled. “Maybe problems really are more complicated now, Nana.”

  “It’s human nature to believe that yours is the most difficult time, or exciting time, or successful time, or depressed time. Each generation believes that. I will confirm for you that conveniences that your generation has, that mine didn’t dream of, have complicated your lives, but they have also enriched it. It always comes down to the same thing AJ, it always comes down to balance.”

  I could have cried. Balance. Balance is so important to me, and I’d lost sight of it. Maybe AJ was attracted to me not because I am unlike his mom, but because I am like his grandma. I can live with that. I like his grandma.

  Nana said, “Now, the two of you go home. I’m fine. I’ll be ready for release in the morning, you can come back tomorrow to drive me home.”

  “I’m not leaving here, forget it. We can argue about it all night, or you can accept the fact that I’m a full-grown man and I make these decisions for myself. Ma’am.”

  Nana took a deep breath. “Thank you AJ.”

  AJ settled in front of the TV. I dug through my purse and found the cards I’d put there to play with Adeline. For some reason, I’d had a moment of thinking that I could ascertain her neurological problems by seeing if she could remember how to play a game of cards. I worry about myself sometimes.

  Nana and I played a few rounds of Funny Rummy. She kicked my butt.

  A nurse dragged another convertible chair in sometime around midnight, provided a couple of pillows and some really unwarm blankets, and we dozed the night away in the little room with Nana.

  Just before the sun came up, the doctor came in, told Nana that she was fit for travel, and as soon as the paperwork was done, she was free to go.

  A nurse came in to help Nana get dressed and get organized. Normally, I would have helped my family with things like that, but as a guy AJ is a little more limited. Nana shooed us both out.

  We got Nana settled in at home, hit our apartment in full gonna-be-late-for-work mode, and got both of us ready and out the door in record time. We took separate cars, as I had my normal running around to do today, plus wedding stuff, most of which I hadn’t helped with, which is completely un-O’Flynn.

  I still can’t decide if my feelings are hurt that O’Flynns are living their lives without my help or input. Maybe I’m not as indispensible as I always assumed I was.

  Half way to the photography studio it dawned on me that I hadn’t turned my phone back on. When I got to the next stoplight, I grabbed that little sucker out of my purse, hit the appropriate button and waited, knowing full well that it would squawk and beep and boop all over the place because I’d have phone messages and email messages and missed call alerts.

  Silence.

  Hmm…

  It was an off-site day for AJ. He packed up the equipment he would need and rushed off to parts unknown.

  I went into the main area of the studio and boxed up some props, called the guy that transports them and asked for a quick pickup. He happened to be eating at the diner across the street and said he’d be over in a few.

  When he mentioned the diner, it dawned on me that when I’d been meeting with Steph there, I’d noticed a change in the front window of the studio, and had never checked it out.

  The best vantage point is the sidewalk. I went out front to take a peek. One of the sets used in the bridal shoot Morgan had done was blown up and sitting on the easel, but Morgan wasn’t in the shot. No bride was. It was just a naked background.

  I hate when they do that on billboards. I’ll have to mention it to AJ. My guess is that it was a requirement of the designer.

  I trudged back inside.

  Without the bride, the picture doesn’t make sense. Without the victims, murders don’t make sense. Without any background, the secrets of the memory cards don’t make any sense. Nana was right. I need to track down the people in the journals, the journals I’d handed over to Steph, and at the very least, try to find the details on the Internet. Why hadn’t I done that? Seems like a pretty damn obvious thing to do.

  I called, got Steph’s voicemail, left a message saying I wanted to borrow the journals back.

  I chastised myself again for allowing my life to rule me, instead of me ruling my life.

  My phone rang, frustrated and more than a little annoyed, I grabbed it and didn’t even bother looking to see who was calling me.

  “Hello?”

  “Cara, weren’t we supposed to meet at your apartment this morning?”

  “Eddie? Oh, Eddie, I’m so sorry. Things were a little out of control yesterday, and then I spent the night at the hospital.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, I was staying with someone else, I’m fine. I’m so sorry I’m not there. I’m in Old Town. Can you get started and I’ll meet you there and pay and collect the new key?”

  “I can do that cause I know you.”

  We made sure he was at the right apartment. Just my luck I’d have him change the wrong lock and then some poor unsuspecting soul would come home from work, all tired and cranky, only to find themselves locked out of their apartment, and the front office wouldn’t even be able to let them in.

  I left a note saying that I was done for the day at the photography studio, and if either AJ or Jovana needed me for anything, to give me a call on my cell.

  I raced back to the apartment. Eddie was already finished. He handed me three keys, “One for you, one for your boyfriend, and one for your mom.”

  I laughed, “You know us so well. How is your lovely bride?”

  “She’s great. Gettin’ rounder by the minute. I love me a pregnant woman, there’s just nothin’ more beautiful in this world. We been together a long time, since school, but she still makes me weak at the knees.”

  “She’s a lucky woman.”

  “I’m a lucky man.” He winked at me.

  I love a great love story.

  I paid in cash, stuck the bill on my desk, and headed back o
ut the door.

  My phone rang.

  Teagan.

  “Hey, did you get them?”

  “Get who?”

  “Your shoes, Dingleberry.”

  “Oh, crap, I forgot.”

  “How can you forget your shoes? I told you that they would sell out. You need to go over there right now. They’ll be open in about ten minutes, they might still have them in clodhopper size.”

  “My feet aren’t that big, I only wear a nine and a half.”

  “That’s pretty big.”

  “No, your shoes are pretty small, I’m amazed you don’t fall forward, being top heavy and everything.”

  “Me too.”

  “So, how did it go with Jessie last night? Are you a happy woman again, or are you still jealous.”

  “Jealous?”

  “You said you were all upset about some other woman.”

  “Cara, I don’t do jealous. I wasn’t worried that Jessie was attracted to some other woman, how stupid is that? If he wants some other woman, he’s welcome to her, just stay the hell away from me. I don’t play that game and you know it.”

  “Then I’m confused, what were we talking about?”

  “The stupid woman is from work. She wants him to relocate. She has offered him this great opportunity. I think he’s thinking about it. I can’t have a long distance life, Cara. What if he decides to take it? What if he decides not to take it and misses this huge opportunity because of me?”

  “What does he say?”

  “He says not to worry, we’ll work it out.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “This is a conversation that we have to have in person. Do you want to do lunch? Dinner?”

  “What about AJ?”

  “What about him?”

  “Do you have plans?”

  “Nope, as a matter of fact, he’s probably busy tonight, probably needs to check on Nana.”

  “Nana?”

  “Long story, tell you when I see you. When will that be?”

  “Dinner. You want to go out?”

  “I’d rather stay in, I don’t want to talk about all this stuff in public. Oh, and are we going to do something for Morgan? I know she cancelled the wedding shower, and I respect that, I know it was just too hard for her because her family wouldn’t come, but we should do something.”

  “We’ll talk about it tonight.”

  “See you then.”

  “And Cara? Go get the shoes!”

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  I went straight to the shoe store. Got there as the woman was unlocking the front door. I think my rapid approach kind of scared her, but when I went straight to the shoes I wanted, didn’t even try them on, and headed for the cash register, she seemed to understand I was in a bit of a hurry. She looked less than thrilled when I asked what the return policy is.

  “If you are concerned they won’t fit, or will be uncomfortable, you can try them on now.”

  “I’d love to, but I don’t have time. The truth is, if they don’t make my feet bleed, I’ll keep them. They’re for a wedding. I’m only ever going to wear them once, so they really don’t have to be perfect. My sister says these are the ones I should wear.”

  She looked at my credit card, “O’Flynn, you’re Teagan’s sister?”

  “Yep.”

  “She’s one of my favorite customers.”

  “I’m sure she’s one of your best customers as well.”

  We laughed.

  “She has a pair of shoes on hold right now, she called and had me put them aside.”

  “I’ll take them. I’m meeting her tonight, I’ll give them to her then.”

  “Great.”

  I almost had a heart attack when I saw the total, signed the slip anyway, took the shoes and ran for my car.

  I texted Teagan, let her know I got my shoes, and her shoes, and that I’d see her later.

  I texted AJ and let him know that the front door lock was changed, and I needed to know if he wanted me to drop a copy of the key off at the office, or did he want to meet somewhere, or I could just make sure I was home when he got home and let him in the front door.

  I called Adeline to see if she needed me to drop by. She sounded great, said that she had a full day planned, she was going to do some painting, and that she’d see me in a few days.

  I called Jovana and let her know about Adeline, asked if there was anything she needed from me, she said she’d need my help tomorrow, but for today, I was a free woman.

  I called Steph back, hoping I could pick up the journals. Her assistant said that she’d gotten my voicemail and that the journals were waiting for me.

  Back at the apartment, my day to myself, a slow cook roast in the oven for dinner, I sat down at the computer with the journals, determined to unlock their mystery.

  I created a table in my word processor and started to enter all the information I found about each of the girls. Everybody thinks that the key to a crime is most often in the minutia, so the way to solve it, is to sift through the stuff and find where it matches. I’ve almost convinced myself that I can do this. Almost.

  I did five rows, and five columns and then started sorting the information and ended up with a hot mess.

  On to Plan B.

  I grabbed a bunch of colored index cards out of a hatbox. I bought them when I was going to write eulogies for a living. I figured that I would keep all the different clients straight by assigning a different color to each client. That didn’t go anywhere, yet, but I have the cards.

  I assigned a color to each name. I started writing down the details that were chronicled in the journals. Once I got a bunch of them done I stopped, sorted each color into alphabetical order. It’s, admittedly, an old school approach, but it was working for me.

  I really need to learn how to use a computer better.

  With new confidence that I was onto something, I filled out more and more cards for each girl. I had quite a stack by the time I was done with the first journal.

  I sorted all the cards, stepped away from them so that their meaning could crystalize in my wee little brain, had a cup of tea, checked my phone for messages, and then sat back down with all the information.

  It told me a whole lot of nothing.

  Frustrated, and determined to use the computer to help me though this conundrum, I logged onto the Internet and started searching again, for anything I could think of.

  Nothing.

  Another cup of tea.

  I was trying to push this whole mess to my conclusion, trying to make the puzzle match the image I had in my mind. That isn’t how my life works. Just like Teagan said, my talent comes in seeing things sideways. Everyone else tries to make the bubblegum puzzle and I figure out it’s marbles, or whatever she said.

  I need to stop trying so hard. Relax. Let the answers come to me.

  I went into the kitchen. Peeled some potatoes. Took the butter out of the fridge so it would be soft enough for dinner. Stood up to the temptation to scrub something and went back to the table.

  I took all the index cards and shuffled them, then looked at them with new eyes.

  Nothing.

  I went online and tried to find something, anything, new about the crimes. That was really frustrating. Every time I typed in a name, the first thing to come up was some stupid social network thing or the other. When I added the word ‘murder’ to the names, I got everything from news articles to death notices, but nothing new.

  Another cup of tea, and it dawned on me that I was still trying to push this thing where I wanted it to go.

  If the first thing that comes up is a social network, then I need to take a few minutes and look at it and see if it tells me anything.

  I spent the next hour creating an account and looking at all the girl’s pages.

  Nothing.

  Frustrated, I decided it was time to scrub something. Either that or throw the computer out the window.

 
; I scrubbed.

  Nothing came to me, but I felt better.

  AJ texted and said that he was going to go to his grandmother’s for dinner, since I wouldn’t be alone at the house.

  Teagan showed up right on time; there was no doubt that she would since there was food involved.