“Oh?” He eyed Tyler. “I didn’t know you knew the Aligers.”
“I don’t,” Tyler told him. “I just met the man today.”
“How’d you meet him?” Louis asked suspiciously. The guy really got around.
“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine first.” Tyler leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “What does she look like?”
“I could get a subpoena,” Louis told him irritably. He didn’t want to talk about her. “She’s a short, fat red-head with a mole on her nose and buck teeth.”
“Liar!” Mike laughed. “She must be somethin’.”
“Yeah, I know that’s right.” Tyler grinned. “Perry Aliger wouldn’t be married to no dog. That’s for sure.”
“Oh, yeah?” Louis raised both eyebrows. “And what makes him so special?”
“Go on, Tyler,” Mike urged him. “Tell him what happened. Tell him about the N.D.E.”
“The what?” Louis looked at Mike. “If you guys know something I don’t, you’d best spit it out.”
“It ain’t nothing!” Tyler frowned at Mike. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“All right, dammit.” Louis leaned forward and propped elbows on the table, cupping his hands around his bottle. He stared at the neck of the bottle as if conjuring up the image of Angelica Aliger in front of his eyes. It was not hard to do. That was the trouble to start with. He’d come here to forget about her. “She’s real nice lookin’. Got big brown, no black, eyes. About five foot two. Very small lady. Talks with a slight accent. Olive complected.” He tried to keep his description vague without any personal commentary.
Louis nodded to Tyler. It was his turn. Tyler looked at Mike in disgust. Why had the man told Louis about the N.D.E.? He knew Louis well enough to know that the man would not let the subject go. He drew a deep breath and told Louis what had happened at Aunt Mary’s in a capsulated form leaving out as many details as possible.
“That’s real interesting,” Louis told him when he had finished. “Real strange coincidence. All this stuff on the same day with the same guy and none of us ever even seeing him before. He gets around, don’t he?”
“Yeah, sounds like it,” Mike nodded enthusiastically.
Tyler hoped Mike wouldn’t get started on all his theories and stories again. Louis would probably try to arrest both of them for public intoxication if Mike started spouting off about vampires and werewolves.
“They seem like nice enough folks,” Louis said after a moment. “Lots of money. I wonder why they picked Magnolia Springs? People like that usually opt for the bigger cities where they can spend their money easier. Valet parkin’ and all that stuff.”
“Magnolia Springs is a good town.” Tyler felt the urge to defend the town in light of Mike’s earlier forebodings about the evil towns he’d seen.
“Yeah, thanks to the unappreciated diligence of your local police department.” Louis grinned at him.
“Yea, right,” Mike mumbled. “Well, I’d best be going. Carla will be wonderin’ where I’m at.”
“All right, Bud.” Louis reached up to shake his hand when he stood up and flinched expecting a shock, but nothing happened. Mike leaned over the table to point a bony finger at Tyler.
“You remember what I told you, Tyler,” he said and glanced at Louis. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
“Sure,” Tyler answered.
Mike stuck his ratty baseball cap on his head and turned to leave them at the table.
“What’s up with him?” Louis hooked a thumb after the retreating figure of Mike.
“Oh, you know him.” Tyler shrugged. “He’s got some pretty funny notions at times.”
“Yeah, he don’t trust strangers much.” Louis nodded. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” Louis waved for another beer. The image of Angelica Aliger danced on the table in front of him.
“Yeah, a good policy, I suppose.” Tyler sipped his beer. “A damned good policy.” He wondered what Paula Anne was doing at that moment.
Chapter Five:.
Life went on in Magnolia Springs. Nothing important or noteworthy occurred from Wednesday to Saturday. Each morning when Aunt Mary went to check her mail, she would shuffle down the steps and out the sidewalk to pick up her newspaper and squint at the building across the street. Then she would make her way carefully back up the steps into the house where she would pull back the lacy curtains on the door to look again before going back to her kitchen. She had not seen Mr. Aliger since he had visited her on Wednesday morning when Tyler had electrocuted himself. But every morning there were changes across the street. Some of them were subtle, some more dramatic, but all for the better.
She longed for a time a few years back when she would have had the energy to brave the June heat and go across the street to meet Mrs. Aliger. She would have baked her some cookies and taken them over there to thank her in person for the tea. But she was too fragile and her legs just wouldn’t cooperate with her wishes anymore. The one daily foray onto the sidewalk was all she could manage.
The changes were nice. Flowers were planted in the old concrete planters next to the sidewalk and in the brick planters next to the building. The windows were cleaned and the old staircase looked straighter. This morning she had noticed that beautifully lettered words had been painted on the inside of the windows facing the street. ‘the New Castle Gift Shop’, ‘Teas from Cathay’, ‘Spices from the Orient’, ‘Cuckoo Clocks from the Black Forest’, ‘Irish Lace’, ‘Austrian Crystal’, ‘French Wine’, ‘Bavarian and Swiss Chocolate’, ‘Toys from Sweden’. The three large windows were literally covered with the elegant script in gold and white. Red and gold curly Q’s in the corners. It seemed they would have a bit of everything over there. Behind the lettering, she could see white lace shades with satin fringe. Whatever was going on behind the shades was a mystery. She would certainly have to get Tyler to take her over to the grand opening. She was filled with curiosity concerning what the man and his wife were up to over there. Perhaps she would even buy some more of that tea he had brought her. It was Heavenly. Simply Heavenly. She could still smell the scent of cinnamon and spice in her living room from the day before. She let go of the curtain and hurried as best she could to the kitchen to fix herself another cup of it.
Sgt. Louis Parks drove past the building and touched his brakes slightly in front of the house where Tyler’s Aunt Mary lived. He admired the lovely script in the windows of the Gift Shop. It looked wonderful, just like the lady who lived there. He made a U-turn, pulled up to the curb and parked. He got out of the car and walked up and down the sidewalk with his thumbs hooked in his utility belt. He liked the way his accoutrements of office felt hanging from the big leather belt. The uniform was his favorite part of his job. It made him feel special in an odd sort of way. One thing about Julia, she kept his uniform in tip top shape and his boots always shined. The white shades were pulled down inside the windows preventing him from seeing what was going on in there. He noticed that the shade on the door was swinging almost imperceptibly and wondered if someone had been looking out at him. His heart lurched a bit to think it might have been her. He took a deep breath and puffed up his chest a bit. He might not be as elegant as Mr. Aliger, but he knew he cut a pretty fine figure himself. Julia had always told him that he reminded her of a taller, stockier version of that actor Harrison Ford who’d play Han Solo in Star Wars. And Julia had been a very pretty woman herself before she’d gotten sick. Maybe Angelica Aliger wouldn’t mind looking at him a little. He straightened his collar and walked up to the glass door to tap lightly on the glass with his safety award ring. The shade moved again slightly. Mrs. Aliger peered out of the darkened interior at him. He could see that he had been right, she had been watching him. He felt his throat constrict at the sight of her large brown eyes. Why had he been so stupid as to knock on the door?
She unbolted the door and opened it to stand looking up at him in the bright morning light. She wore a shor
t red blouse and white Capri pants with gold sandals on her feet. She reminded him of the script on the windows. All curvy and elegant. Her short hair framed her heart-shaped face.
“Sgt. Parks?” She asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No! Not at all,” he said with some difficulty. “Everything is just... peachy.”
He wanted to knock himself on the forehead. Peachy?! Where the hell had that come from?
“I just came by to thank you for the tea,” he said lamely. “Julia loved it. That’s my wife, Julia. I mean my wife loved the tea.” He felt himself reddening. What a curse! He’d never been able to control it.
“Of course.” She stood looking at him expectantly.
“Uh, er, is Mr. Aliger home?” He asked unwilling to leave, but not knowing what he would do if Mr. Aliger suddenly appeared.
“No, he isn’t,” she answered simply.
“Oh, well,” he shrugged. “No problem. Some other time then.”
“I’ll tell him you were looking for him.” She smiled and he felt his knees giving way.
“That’s all right,” he nodded. “I’ll catch him some time.”
“Catch him?” She frowned.
“Some other time. I’ll stop by... and see him. Some other time.”
“All right,” she nodded.
“Thank you,” he said, but didn’t move. He couldn’t move. It was as if he were glued to the sidewalk. “I’ll just be going now.” He took a step back and swung both arms around in front of himself to clasp his right fist in his left hand.
She nodded.
“Good bye.” He managed to take another step backwards and then another. Finally, he was able to turn and walk back to his patrol car. He heard the door close behind him accompanied by the tinkling of glass chimes.
He sat in the car gripping the steering wheel, staring down the street in front of him without seeing anything but her image. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face. It wasn’t that hot. Not since high school had he felt so silly. He felt as if he were back on Mill Creek Road running from old Ledbetter’s haunted house on Halloween night. His heart pounded and his mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. He felt exhilarated and energized like some sort of electricity poured through his veins. It didn’t feel like sexual attraction at all. He told himself that it wasn’t. But he couldn’t figure out what it was. It was as if he just wanted to be near her. Just wanted to look at her. Talk to her. About what he had no idea. The thought of touching her made him feel almost sick like it would be unholy or something and he was not a religious man. What was it? He found himself growing angry with Perry Aliger for no good reason. How could he live in the same house with her? He had to get hold of himself. This was ridiculous! He had a job to do and a wife at home. He started the car and put it in gear. The radio crackled, but he reached to turn it off and then turned on the car’s stereo. He made another U-turn and drove out of town as the radio played a song by Sting about gardens in the desert. He thought it fit his mood perfectly.
Cheryl Martin had spent the entire day cleaning her room. Arranging and re-arranging her furniture. She had moved the dresser, the nightstand and the desk until she was near exhaustion. When it had finally been right, she had fixed herself and her mother a cup of de-caf and now sat at the foot of the bed with her mother gazing at her over the top of a Woman’s Day magazine.
“Cheryl Rene what have you been up to?” Her mother finally asked. “You look absolutely frazzled.”
“I’ve been moving furniture.” Cheryl sipped her coffee and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her face was still red from the exertion. “I’m so nervous. How are you feeling, Mom? Are you all right? Do you need anything? Would you like some chicken soup and crackers or some more chocolate mints?”
“No, no and no. I feel fine. I really do. I feel like getting out of this bed. I’m tired of lying here.”
“No, you just stay right there.” Cheryl looked at her in alarm. “You just say the word and I’ll cancel the whole thing.”
“Don’t be silly,” her mother shook her head. “If you don’t stop worrying, you’re going to have a heart attack yourself. You’re going on this date and that’s final. You’ve already missed two days of work on my account.”
“Mother.” Cheryl smiled. “I don’t care about work. All I care about is you. I almost lost you! If I hadn’t come home when I did...”
“Shhh.” Her mother frowned. “It’s all over now. It was just not my time to go. Stop dwelling on it.”
“I still don’t know why I came home.” Cheryl shook her head. “I just picked up my purse and came home. I didn’t even check out.”
“Maybe it was E.S.P. or something,” her mother suggested. “Just be thankful and forget about it. And, for Pete’s sake, stop being so nervous. This young man must really be something. Do I know him?”
“No, you don’t know him. He’s new in town.” Cheryl shifted her thoughts to Perry Aliger. “I don’t know him either. I guess that’s why I’m so nervous.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Mrs. Martin told her. “You run along now and take a nice bath before I get out of this bed and whip you with an ugly stick.”
Cheryl left the room carrying her coffee with her and laughing at her mother’s empty threat. She went back to her room and stood admiring her handiwork with her hand on her hip. Taking three dresses from the closet, she laid them out on the bed to study them. Which should she wear? Certainly her mother had been right. If she didn’t stop worrying, she was going to have a stroke at the very least. Peregrin Caelum Aliger, the man with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, was not likely to show up wearing jeans and boots. But where would they be going? He hadn’t said. She didn’t even know what kind of car he had. Probably not a pickup truck like Chris Parker.
Chris Parker! My God, what would he say if he knew she was going out with a stranger? Chris was just so common like everyone else in Magnolia Springs. But he did have a nice truck. A brand new one. A big, customized Ford crew cab dually. Everyone in town was still oohing and ahhing over it. But Chris was so backwards. She would be an old maid waiting on him to make his move. She had done everything but ask him to marry her. And if she had, wouldn’t he have died on the spot? Chris was so cute in his big black hat and boots, but he was so shy. She picked the blue dress with red buttons down one side. It was almost the same shade as the jacket Peregrin Aliger had worn to the bank and hadn’t he worn a red tie? Surely he must like blue and red, if nothing else. But which shoes? Oh God, which shoes should she wear?! Heels or flats?
Tyler McDaniels let go of the handle on the lawn mower and it died automatically. He walked over to the back steps and flopped across them to pull a Bud Light from the cooler on the porch. Paula Anne came out the back door with a plate full of cookies and a coozie for his beer. She took the can from him and pushed it into the damnable little foam contraption while he took the cookies. Sure, they kept the beer cold longer just like she said, but they were hard as hell to get off an empty can. She never said a word to him, but bounced down the steps into the yard. Her blonde pony tail swung across her shoulders and her rear end jiggled under the nylon wind shorts. Tyler admired the tight muscles of her legs. She still had it where it counted: all over. She disappeared down the gravel drive for her delayed morning jog. One thing about Paula Anne, she kept herself in shape, but she was mad at him in spite of the cookie gift. He had refused to go down to the creek for a swim. He hated the creek. He couldn’t stand the feel of the fine-grained, soggy silt beneath his feet and only God knew what creatures lived in the muck at the bottom of the deeper channels further from the bank.
He turned up the beer and munched on the cookies. They were store bought, not Aunt Mary’s. Paula Anne had given up long ago trying to compete with his aunt’s cooking. He glanced at his watch. Almost three o’clock. Time to take a shower and clean up. Get ready to evacuate the premises. He surveyed the newly mown back yard where a troupe of cheerleade
r hopefuls would be practicing their yells at five. He certainly didn’t want to be around for that. It was also Paula’s turn to host the bi-monthly meeting of the Sweetheart Club. Another reason to be gone. An unlikely group of sweethearts ranging in age from eighteen to fifty-eight would show up carrying covered dishes. Each one of them a former Lion’s Club sweetheart. Their main objective seemed to be sipping frozen margaritas and daiquiris under the pretense of planning the next social event in Magnolia Springs such as the up-coming Fayette Memorial Library Fund Raiser. There would be a lot of chattering and drinking and more chattering and more drinking. He wondered vaguely why women had to have an excuse to drink. Why didn’t they just go hang out at Harold’s like he did? Tyler laughed at the thought of the Sweetheart Club invading the honky-tonk and got up to go in the house wondering who would show up at Harold’s tonight.
The silver, gray Mercedes cruised slowly past the immaculately clean Texaco Super Service Store and then turned in the wide drive to approach the open bay doors of the garage where several young men in blue jeans and grease-smeared white tee shirts worked on a trio of pickup trucks.
“There.” Perry pointed out one of the young men who had come out rolling an over-sized tire in front of him. The slim, dark-haired man wore wire rimmed glasses and black cowboy boots. He picked up the tire, slung into the tire rack and took off his glasses to wipe his face with the back of his hand before going to study a line of new tires on another rack beside the store.
“That’s Chris Parker?” Angelica asked and leaned to look around Perry at the person in question.
“Yes,” Perry nodded. “He gets off work at six, but usually stays to help his sister, Joanne, inside the store until she closes at eleven.”
“Why would they work on Saturday?” Angelica frowned. “Aren’t they the owners of this establishment?”
The Pandora Effect Page 6
