“Hey, good lookin’. What’s new and exciting out there?” Alex hoped all was nice and calm.
“Nothing new or exciting to report, except I miss you terribly. Darlin’, you have no idea how boring it is here now that you’ve gone. Your fan club is shrinking, as several of the families have gone home, but the kids asked me if I would let them know when you were coming back to find more ghosts.” Sam never thought days could drag as much as the last two had.
“I miss you too. Thank you for being so understanding about letting me tell Cyn before I called. She’s putting up a good front, but I know she’s upset. So it sounds like you may have a few pen pals, and they’re your fans too.” Alex wasn’t the only one who rode off from the Halloween hayride.
“True, but I didn’t talk to the ghost or help find two dead bodies. You are a superstar in this area. But several other people besides the kids miss you like Jessie, Andy, Pablo and Dawson. Not as much as I do, but in their own way.” Sam was trying to sound upbeat, but she had been having trouble staying focused and not slipping into a mood.
“I miss everyone too. Like yesterday, I missed you and our morning routine so much. It wasn’t the way I wanted to start the day, but then I think I need to focus on getting everything ready so when you arrive we can spend quality time together. It gets me out of my funk.” In fact, Alex had so much to do she was grateful that Dez had moved all her stuff for her.
The rest of their conversation was spent hearing about each other’s day and Cyn’s dilemma. Sam was worried that after what Alex had gone through, there might be another nut case roaming around Taylorwood. Alex reassured her that she was being watched over by Anna and Ramon, plus Frederick at school, so there was no need to worry. She didn’t have the same ominous feeling she had when Richard had been lurking. But then this situation wasn’t about her. She did feel there was something weird going on, though. She gave Sam her new home phone number and they set a time for tomorrow to recap another day’s events. They wished each other sweet dreams and said goodnight.
Alex walked back into the house where Cyn had the television on while she was going over homework. Alex suddenly realized she had papers to grade too. Mrs. Greenway had the girls write a five hundred word essay on what a hero was and had left them for Alex to grade. Before starting on the pile, she asked Cyn if she wanted anything from the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water, she wished she could skip the grading and just kick back and watch television. This was her reality now and she needed to get back into her teacher groove.
After reading several essays, Alex looked at Cyn who was very quiet and not her usual self. Although this was their first somewhat normal night together, this may be how she spent every school night. Or, she was being quiet because she was upset with how things had changed. Either way Alex thought maybe she should ask a few questions. Plus it would kill some time and she could put off reading more essays which were pretty much the same but in different handwriting.
“Cyn, do you grade on grammar when you’re grading a paper?” Alex thought it was a very benign question.
“Always. Why?” Cyn wondered why Alex would assume otherwise.
“I guess because I don’t grade on facts when reading an essay.” Alex was looking out of the corner of her eye hoping for some kind of friendly reaction.
“Why not?” Cyn realized Alex was teasing, and tried to keep a straight face.
“Because, I’m not as brilliant as you are.” Alex figured that would hopefully get a smile.
“That is true. But do the best you can.” Cyn continued to read and didn’t notice Alex was coming up behind her until she felt her hands around her waist.
“But I’m smart enough to know that you’re ticklish. So do you want to rephrase that answer?” Alex had a good hold and Cyn was trying not to laugh as she squirmed to get away.
“Tickling isn’t fair.” Cyn had to laugh but knew she needed to talk to Alex about how she felt. She didn’t like feeling angry when she really had no right to be.
“So tell me what’s wrong? Is it Sam? What can I do to reassure you that I’m still going to be your friend, always.” Alex hoped she could get an answer somehow.
“Nothing, it’s my problem. I believe you, but there’s a little voice in my head that keeps telling me otherwise. And the truth is, I’m not so sure I would be there for you if the roles were reversed. I guess that’s why I’m having trouble believing.” Cyn didn’t like admitting that, but it was the truth.
“So why is that a problem? If the roles were reversed and you had met someone you wanted to spend all your time with, that would be fine. It’s what you want Cyn, not what I want you to do. My rules don’t apply to other people. They’re for me to live by. I won’t expect my friends to change just for me. Do you understand?” Alex didn’t think there was anything wrong with her way, but then everybody’s different, she supposed.
“Yes, you’re right. I guess I thought it was just so selfish of me. But maybe with time I will become more secure.” Cyn figured she would actually need to have a girlfriend in order to test this new theory.
“So are we best buddies again?” Alex wanted her friend back and that quick sense of humor around all the time.
“Always. Just be patient with me. You know, give me a kick in the butt when I get this way. I’m just feeling sorry for myself and I hate it. So, promise.” Cyn wanted it the way it was. “I promise. So can we watch television or do you really need to grade those papers?”
“Actually, I finished when you were on the phone. I’ve just been re-reading them. Rather childish, don’t you think?” Cyn gathered them all together and put them in her briefcase.
“No comment. But will you also promise to talk to me when something’s bothering you about our friendship?” Alex really hoped this was the last of this type of behavior.
“All right. I guess if I can’t talk to you about our friendship, how will I ever be able to talk to my partner about our relationship?” Cyn suddenly realized how much of a problem it could be.
“Okay, so where’s the remote?” Alex looked around and spotted it and the television guide.
“I thought you had papers to grade.” Cyn could see a small pile.
“It was Mrs. Greenway’s assignment, not mine. I’ll get them done by the end of the year, if at all.” Alex wasn’t too happy with the extra work, considering that her lesson plan hadn’t been followed to the letter. The holidays were coming and so were midterms. Her girls needed to get back on track to finish what they needed to have done by the Christmas break.
“Okay, you’re in charge of the remote. But keep the surfing down to a minimum.” Cyn plopped down next to Alex who found an old black and white movie with Bob Hope. It was about ghosts and buried treasure. One of these nights Alex needed to tell Cyn her own ghost story.
The movie wasn’t scary, but was fun to watch. Cyn had made popcorn and Alex channel surfed during the commercials. When it was over they said their goodnights, but not before Alex gave Cyn a big hug and wished her sweet dreams. Cyn loved her house guest but the desire for a girlfriend of her own was growing. That was something she needed to work on. She might try internet dating again or just go out with Alex and see who was out there. Either way, something needed to happen and she hoped it would be soon.
Chapter 9
Awakening to the alarm, Alex was startled back into her morning routine. The time change wasn’t a factor anymore. It was Wednesday and the week was almost half over. It was another rainy day. Although it was a light rain, you could still get soaked if you stood in it long enough. Looking out the large living room window, Alex noticed a white truck down on the main road. There was someone in it and it appeared to be idling. She realized that whoever it was behind the wheel was watching the house. Alex wished she was dressed so she could take a little walk out to the street to get a closer look. She decided to go out onto the porch in her sweats to let them know she had spotted them. As she stepped out and stood in plain view the tru
ck drove off. It was too far away to get a good look, but she would make sure she checked the school parking lot for a white truck. She would let Frederick know too.
As Alex walked back in the house, Cyn was just coming out of the bathroom and gave her a look that said, “What were you doing out there?” Not wanting to alarm Cyn, she tried to think fast and come up with something believable.
“I think I just had my first hot flash.” That was the only thing she could think of that Cyn might accept as a reasonable answer. At least it sounded good to her.
“Hot flashes at your age?” Cyn was a little skeptical about that response.
“Well sure, I think they can start at any time and I have no idea when my mother started to get them.” Alex headed for the bathroom and pretended to wipe sweat off her brow. Hopefully Cyn would accept it and no more would be said about it.
But, as Alex took her shower, she couldn’t help but think that if the truck did belong to the person responsible for tampering with Cyn’s car, they now were watching the house. Luckily Little Blue was locked up in her garage and this person had no idea where she lived at least not yet. So should she tell Cyn about this newest development, or not? Would it do any good or just panic her? Maybe she should just let it go and only tell her if she asked a direct question.
Alex toweled off her hair before she left the bathroom and grabbed her clothes out of the closet. She could hear Cyn in the kitchen and then the sound of her footsteps coming towards her. Turning around, the look on Cyn’s face told her that she wasn’t buying the hot flash story.
“I know you saw something and I want to know what it is, and don’t tell me you saw aliens or Elvis!” Cyn appreciated Alex wanting to protect her, but she was a big girl and needed to know.
“Aliens? Not a chance. They’ve let me down too much lately. And as for Elvis, he only shows up at big events.” Alex was trying hard to lighten the mood and hoped Cyn wouldn’t freak at the truth. “I saw a truck down on the road. It was idling and it appeared that the driver was watching the house. When I went outside it drove off. I didn’t see who was driving or get the license. I just saw a white Ford F-150 truck, I think. But that was all, I swear.”
“So now they know where I live.” Cyn felt the bottom fall out of her stomach and was glad she had a house guest.
“Little Blue is safe at my place, and if you want we can stay there until we find out who’s watching you.” Alex could see the tears in Cyn’s eyes and knew she was getting scared.
“No. Then they might follow us and know where you live and where I’m keeping my car. All I can say is that I’m so glad you’re here with me.” Cyn was trying to pull it together as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“We’ll get through this, Cyn. We can do anything we set our minds to.” Alex pulled Cyn into a hug and rubbed her back. She could feel her trembling and knew the bravery was for show. Cyn was scared and Alex didn’t blame her as she was afraid for her friend too.
As Alex finished getting dressed, she realized she had never seen an F-150 pickup in the school parking lot before. Having been through her own ordeal she had made it a point of knowing every new car that spent any time at school. The truck looked fairly new and the price tag was more than the fellows in maintenance could swing, unless they had another job that paid a lot more than Taylorwood.
Having lunch with Frederick, they could update him on what to be on the lookout for. Also, tonight she was going to quiz Cyn on everyone she had dealings with where her car was concerned. Maybe a call to the good Sheriff was in order. He may have information on any reports of chop shops in the area. The Sheriff was a good friend of Frederick’s and having him involved would have another pair of eyes on the lookout for any suspicious individuals, not to mention those owning white F-150 trucks (although white trucks seemed to be everywhere these days). Besides, Alex needed to personally thank the Sheriff for his part in her rescue. Maybe a trip to town after school to update him in person was called for in this situation. She would still run it by Frederick, but he would surely think it was as good an idea as he had wanted the police brought in before.
Chapter 10
Alex was relieved that school had returned to its normal boring routine. Updating Frederick at lunch was the only highlight worth noting for the whole school day. Cyn had agreed to bring the Sheriff up to speed. He was a nice guy and they had become friends after the event that introduced him to her, that fateful Saturday.
Sheriff John Taylor was a local whose family could be traced back to the first settlers in the area. His greatgrandfather’s lumber company had been the main supplier of materials for the construction of the school and orphanage, which was built back at the beginning of the century the same buildings which had been transformed into Taylorwood School for Girls in the seventies. Sheriff John was very proud of his family’s contribution. Even though he never brought it up, you could see the change in his face when the school was mentioned. The lumber mill had closed long ago, but the legacy his great-grandfather had left was everywhere you looked in town. Most of the old wooden structures had been built with Taylor wood products and their beauty was still apparent to those who looked closely.
Cyn directed Alex to the Sheriff’s office which was on the main street in town and not that far from the Tea Room. Seeing the patrol cars parked out front gave hope that he was in the office. Although he had five deputies that would patrol the town and surrounding area twenty four seven, he was a nine to five kind of guy who only showed up at Taylorwood that Saturday because of the call he received from Frederick. Walking in the office, both were greeted by several smiles and were told the Sheriff was in. Having spotted them, he waved them back to his private office. Entering, Cyn closed the door behind them for added privacy.
“Good afternoon, Cyn. Nice to see you and Ms. Whitney. We finally meet under more pleasant circumstances, although you probably don’t remember me at all.” The Sheriff had gone to the hospital to get a statement, but Alex wasn’t coherent at the time. Most of the information for his report came from Cyn and Dez, who had relayed Alex’s accounts of what happened prior to their arrival at the scene.
“Call me Alex, please. Sheriff, I wanted to stop by and thank you for your efforts in my rescue and the apprehension of Sally Jennings.” Not to mention Alex wanted to say, keeping a lid on the truth, and organizing the authorities to see that Sally stayed locked up for a good long time.
“Well, you are most welcome. I was just doing my job. But one always likes to be appreciated for their efforts. What else can I do for you ladies? I doubt you came all this way just for that, when a call could have produced the same results.” The Sheriff was a pro at reading people and Cyn was unusually quiet.
“John, someone is tampering with my car, and this morning Alex saw someone in a white truck watching my house. I’m at a loss as to why, but now that they know where I live I’m really scared.” Cyn hadn’t planned on saying all that, but it just came out.
“Tampering how, and when did this all start?” Looking at the two of them, he took out a pad to write down the facts.
Starting at the beginning, with the first incident they had blamed on Richard Greenway, Cyn recapped the events leading up to this morning’s sighting of the white truck. The Sheriff shook his head, as there were a lot of white F-150’s in town. Now, if it had been black or fire engine red like Alex’s, it would have been easy to figure out who the driver was. He didn’t know of any chop shops in the area, and auto theft was very low just the occasional teens taking their parents’ cars without permission for a joy ride. The attempt on Alex’s life had been the biggest crime the county had seen since the days of prohibition with the whiskey smugglers coming down from Canada. The low crime rate was another thing that the Sheriff took pride in and the news of this new development was not making for a good day. He was at a loss, as he didn’t think there were any real troublemakers in town. Everyone was pretty much of the mind to live and let live, but it could just be wi
shful thinking on his part. He told them he would check with the other deputies and find out if there was anyone new in town, as well as alert those that patrolled around the area where Cyn and Alex lived to be on the lookout for the white truck. Alex requested the facts of their little dilemma be kept private and that he only tell his staff, as they were hoping someone would tip their hand and ask about Little Blue’s whereabouts. He agreed and thought that they were on the right track in trying to figure out who was behind it all, but also requested that if they found the person they let him confront the suspect with the information. They agreed to the Sheriff’s wishes. He gave Cyn a hug and put out his hand to shake Alex’s, but she went for the hug which he was very happy to return. His cousin Carol, who owned the hardware store with her husband Bob, had told him how much she liked these two women and hoped they both stayed around for a very long time. He would try his best to make sure they didn’t have any reason to move away.
Leaving the Sheriff’s office, Alex could hear the Tea Room’s egg rolls calling her to come in and have a few. Alex suggested “take-out” to Cyn who thought it was an excellent idea, but wanted to try a different dish tonight. She had been wanting to try the orange chicken she had seen on the menu. Alex was happy to see Cyn’s mood change and they decided to walk the three blocks to the restaurant, but not before Alex called in the order to go. Looking at the businesses along the route was helping to pass the twenty minutes Ping had requested to get their order ready. As they walked, Alex was amazed at the number of white trucks she saw parked and driving down the main street. Although they were not all exactly alike, from a distance one couldn’t tell the difference unless they had a rack or box in the back. Thinking about it, she was sure there was nothing in the bed of the truck she saw, so that helped eliminate anyone in the construction trade.
but, mercury's not in retrograde! Page 4
