“Oh, okay. All is well that ends well, huh?” I replied. “At least, that’s what my grandpa used to say.”
“Yip,” Hugo chimed in. “All is well that ends well.”
After popping in at the distillery and giving the guys a couple of high fives, I suddenly remembered something. I told everyone I’d be right back, went downstairs and hopped on my bike.
As I rode toward my house, I tried to suppress the anger that had risen once again inside of me. There was something I needed to do and after that it would no longer be on my chest.
At the house, I dismounted the bike and leaned it against the side of our front porch. I heard the sound of the TV inside and quickly climbed the steps.
On opening the door, I found Dillinger sitting on the couch with a glass of red wine parked next to him.
“Hewey Spader…” he smiled. “I thought you had moved on permanently.”
“You should be so lucky, huh?” I boldly replied, without making eye contact. I wasn’t sure of his abilities. So, I wasn’t about to take the chance looking him in the eye, especially after the guys and I had come so far.
“So, you’re speaking now. It’s no longer a big act,” he added.
“Guess that means you knew all along…”
“Uh-huh.”
“Look, Dillinger, I came here to tell you something.”
“I’m all ears.” He shifted fully in my direction.
I stood in the middle of the living room. “What you did to us was plain evil,” I started.
“Evil?”
“Shut up and let me talk! You are one of probably the few dogs in this neighborhood that got treated like a frigging king. You were loved, fed, given a good shelter and you turned around and betrayed us; had my folks shipped out like they’d been cruel to you. I never imagined in a million years that you wanted anything but the best for all of us, but this experience showed us exactly who you are.”
“You’re taking things way out of perspective, Hewey.”
I shook my head quickly. “I’m not and you know it. You saw an opportunity to take over my folks’ house and live a selfish life, and you took it. We loved you, but it was clear, you didn’t love us back.”
“I loved you enough to know you were out there and I didn’t say anything to anyone,” he replied. “I didn’t give you up.”
I sighed. “I’m not sure why you didn’t, but that one thing doesn’t justify the bad things you’ve done. I want you out of here today.”
“You’re giving me orders, Hewey Spader?”
“You’re intelligent enough to understand, Dillinger.”
“Well, maybe it’s time for me to turn you in.”
“Do so. See if anyone listens to you.” I returned to the door. “Be gone before four o’clock today. If I find you here when I get back, I’ll get you out myself.”
I slammed the door behind me and left him with something to think about.
Jeffreys and Hugo stayed with us at the distillery until later that afternoon. We had been checking our cell phone clocks almost every minute from 3:40 P.M. onwards. At 4:00, to our amazement and relief, we all witnessed Brick and Dutch, while chained, vanish out of those chairs right in front of our eyes. The mastiff had told the truth.
There was a collective cheer in the room and shortly thereafter, Jeffreys and Hugo decided it was time for them to leave.
Afterwards, I asked the guys, “Do you know what this means?”
“Our folks are home!” Sam exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
“Group hug before we split up?” Rob asked.
“Group hug,” Sam readily agreed.
We all hugged tightly and shed tears of joy. We’d been through hell and survived.
We got on our bikes and rode together until the time came for us to part ways. Immediately, we saw the difference in our neighborhood. Julio Perez was outside dumping the trash and I could hear Christian music blaring from the Rivera’s house. Another neighbor, Joe McAlpine, was giving his Shih-tzu a sudsy bath in a plastic tub.”
“Hey, Hewey!” He waved with suds all over his white tee shirt.
“How you doin’, Joe?” I waved back. It was so good to hear his voice.
Donna Farnham was outside giggling and playing with her kids, Michael and Sara. The laughter sounded heavenly and I remember smiling while passing by. I’d glanced at Mrs. Christie’s house and couldn’t help thinking how we’d never see her again and she would no longer be the brunt of some of our jokes. How she’d lost her life in the midst of all that confusion saddened me. Now, that things were obviously back to normal, I was hopeful that her murder would be investigated.
I couldn’t wait to get home and when I finally arrived, I believed the wheels were still spinning after I’d hopped off the bike. When I opened the front door, the scene I beheld before me was heavenly. Carl was playing a game on TV and my parents were talking at the dining room table.
When they saw me, they all hurried over in my direction and we hugged so tightly for what felt like hours.
“So, you remember?” I asked them, after we finally loosened our grip.
“Yes, we do,” Mom said. “We heard every word you said when we were at that terrible place, son, but for some reason, we couldn’t respond.”
“You kept your word, didn’t you?” Carl smiled.
“He surely did,” Dad said.
I could see he was proud of me. They all were and they said so.
“Because of you, honey, everything’s back to normal now,” Mom remarked. “You have to tell us everything.”
“Do you have about three hours?” I asked.
They all laughed.
“Wait a minute! Where’s Dillinger?” I noticed he was nowhere in sight.
“We don’t know. He wasn’t here when we got back,” Mom said.
“Cool,” I replied.
Two days later…
“Hewey, would you go get the newspaper from the porch?” Mom asked, after I emerged from my room for breakfast. She, Dad and Carl were sitting at the kitchen counter. We preferred to have breakfast there instead of at the table, for some unknown reason.
“Sure, Mom,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
It was so good to have slept in my own bed for the past two nights after sleeping on mats for more than a week. I’d heard from the guys and everything was good on their side of the neighborhood. Sam said that her neighbors were all back and everyone acted friendlier. A good change, especially on her street when a good many of those residents were sort of stuck up and couldn’t seem to crack a smile towards each other.
I opened the door and met the newspaper balled up right in front of it. It was good to know they were back in production. I picked it up and closed the door, then handed it to Mom.
“Pancakes, huh?” I said, taking a seat next to her.
“Your favorite.” She smiled, opening the newspaper.
I wasted no time digging in. Blueberries on top had my mouth watering from the second I spotted them.
“Oh, my gosh!” Mom exclaimed, gazing down at the paper, wide-eyed. Dad leaned in. Carl couldn’t care less.
“What’s the matter?” I asked as my chewing slowed down.
“Our neighbor, Clyde Rivera, is in police custody. They have his picture here brisk and bold!”
“Why was he arrested?” I grimaced.
“It says here that he confessed to his wife last evening that he killed Johnette Christie! Suzanne turned him in.”
“What? How can that be?” Shocked wasn’t the word for me.
“He admitted to have been having a secret affair with Johnette behind Suzanne’s back and said Johnette threatened to tell Suzanne about the affair after he told her he was going to end it. He said he knew it was wrong and felt guilty about it.”
“So, Mrs. Christie was seeing three guys?” I blurted.
Mom and Dad looked my way. “What are you talking about, Hewey?” Mom asked.
That was my cue to shut up. They had no idea th
at the guys and I had been spying on Mrs. Christie for a long time. The fact that she was seeing two men behind her husband’s back shocked me, mainly because we had no inkling about the other guy. I wondered what time he used to make it over to her place.
“But he killed Mrs. Christie while everyone were basically zombies around here,” I said to them. “It makes me wonder if somehow he avoided drinking the same crazy juice all the rest of you had. And instead, was in his right mind like me and the guys were. It might explain how he could’ve gotten angry enough to kill her. I doubt he would’ve been able to if he was under that spell.”
Dad was nodding his head. “You may have a point, son, but on the other hand, I’m sure police officers still had the ability to shoot people if they felt the need to. So, we can’t dismiss the possibility that Clyde did that while dazed.”
“I guess we won’t know unless someone asks him, huh?” Carl chimed in.
“Maybe someday I will, but right now, I’m not that interested. I’ve gotta take a shower and get dressed. None of us has seen Jase or his mother since everyone returned home.”
“Really?” Mom asked. “I hope they’re all right.”
“Me too,” I said. I took up my last bite and got up from the counter.
After I had a quick shower and got dressed, I met Sam and Rob outside sitting on the porch.
“Ready, guys?” I asked, shutting the front door.
“Ready like Freddy,” Rob replied.
As we were about to hop onto our bikes, Jeffreys was walking Hugo on a leash.
“A wonderful morning to you guys.” Jeffreys waved.
“Morning!” We all said, hurrying over to them. I started petting Hugo who was no longer walking on hind legs or talking, but was back to being a regular dog.
Sam caressed Hugo’s head. “Good to see ya, big guy. Jeffreys treating you well?” She glanced at Jeffreys with a smile.
It didn’t appear that he approved of her question. “I think the answer to that will forever lie in the way we both interacted as of late. Don’t you think so, young lady?”
“Yeah. You’re definitely right.” Her smile slowly disappeared.
“So, where are you guys headed?” he asked.
“We’re going over to Jase’s house again,” I said. “He and his mom haven’t been seen since they were at the compound.”
“That’s strange.” Jeffreys frowned. “I hope they turn up soon.”
And that was twenty-five years ago. No one has seen Jase or his mother ever since. We’d all come out of the curse of Eppington, as I think is now fitting to call it, but I’m not sure that Jase and his mom ever did. It’s a mystery to this day.
~ End of Book Two ~
KEEP READING FOR BOOK THREE
– Let Sleeping Dogs Lie…
*** Living in different parts of the world, the guys have a reunion more than two decades after the strange events that took place in their hometown of Eppington. They meet to discuss the possibility of getting to the bottom of what happened to their friend Jase and his mother. Will they uncover the shocking truth? Find out in book three of this thrilling series. ***
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
HEWEY SPADER COZY MYSTERY SERIES
BOOK THREE
Thank you, Oswaldo, Christian and Mercedes, for making my world bright and for being my inspiration. You are deeply loved. xxx
1
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I wasn’t sure how to feel after my long distance call with Rob ended. It was the first time we’d spoken since we’d grown up and pretty much went our separate ways. Our hometown of Eppington had been left far behind since the three of us—Rob, Sam, and I—had escaped to college, each starting over in a new city, and in Sam’s case, a new country. Rob and I had communicated regularly, but soon, the phone calls became less and less frequent. On the other hand, Sam and I had kept in touch for the longest time until shortly after she’d met a guy in college whom she referred to as her soulmate. Not wanting to crowd her, I eventually decided it was best to just give her her space.
When we were teenagers, I’d secretly hoped that someday Sam would think of me as more than a best friend. Goodness knows I loved the girl to the moon and back, and worshipped the ground she walked on. Never mind the fact that she wasn’t a girly girl and she dressed like a tomboy. As far as I was concerned, she was all woman and everything I needed in my life.
But I never got around to telling her that.
Deep inside, I wondered if she’d ever once considered giving me the time of day. Forget about all the mischievous things she, Rob, Jase and I did as kids and the times we hung out together on the top floor of the distillery after school spying on our neighbors, especially Mrs. Johnette Christie, who was later murdered during that questionable period in our lives. And who could forget Mr. and Mrs. Rivera a couple of doors down; not to mention the old grouch, Julio Perez, who lived next door to the saintly couple. Mr. Clyde Rivera, once a God-fearing man had been jailed for murdering Mrs. Christie, also during that questionable period. As it turns out, they were secret lovers.
The guys and I had spent countless hours on Lake Olivia fishing which was our favorite pastime. Considering the amount of time Sam and I had spent together, though largely in the company of Rob and Jase, you’d think she would’ve viewed me as her soulmate instead of some strange guy she’d meet years later in college. No one else on the planet understood the girl better than I did and that should’ve counted for something. But I guess it didn’t.
So, what’s a young man to do other than to cut his losses and move on to the next cutie pie willing to give him the time of day? And that’s exactly what I did.
After finishing college with a computer engineering degree—an accomplishment my folks were immensely proud of since I’d been a goof-off for most of my high school years—I remained in New Mexico and worked for a large software company. I’d put in eighteen years there and loved every minute of it. However, after raking in enough cash to pay off my condo and leaving a healthy chunk of it in the bank, I decided to start my own business. All of a sudden, I was the one doing the hiring and earning much more on my own than I’d ever thought possible.
Sam had become a hotshot attorney in France, and Rob, who’d fallen in love with sunny Florida, opened up a couple of bistros there in Orlando.
Decades had passed since any of us had set eyes on each other and that phone call I’d made to Rob that cloudy day in July was the catalyst that would bring the three of us full circle. After graduating high school, we’d never uttered a single word to one another regarding our experience many years ago in our hometown of Eppington until that day I’d spoken with Rob. I realized that he, too, never truly found peace of mind, knowing our best friend, Jase, and his mother had disappeared without a trace.
I left the task up to Rob to contact Sam since he’d actually seen her a year earlier when she was in Orlando with her husband to take care of some business. She and Rob had exchanged phone numbers then, though none had bothered to contact each other ever since. Rob had told me he didn’t get a good vibe from the husband who was at least a foot taller than he was and looked like a bodybuilder. Maybe it was a jealousy thing on the husband’s part and Rob was wondering if Sam should’ve offered to give him her number in the first place. In any event, I left it to him to get in touch with her as I certainly didn’t want to stir up anything between Sam and her supposed soulmate. Rob admitted they’d only spoken for a few minutes, reminiscing on old times. Jase’s name came up, but as the mood subsequently changed, they parted ways with a great big hug and the promise of “catching up”.
It was a few days later when I got a call from Rob saying that Sam agreed for us to meet in Eppington three weeks later. My folks’ house would be the venue. We had one mission in mind and it was to get to the bottom of what happened to Jase and his mom once and for all.
2
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I can’t describe how nervous I was knowing I was abou
t to see Sam again after being apart for so long. As I quietly sat in the plane contemplating our reunion with my head leaning against the head rest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when we met. Would I hug her or just say hello? It was bound to be an awkward moment; in fact, I was convinced of it. I’d never forgotten her radiant smile or the sound of her voice. There was no way I possibly could. Truth be told—if I’d thought about her once since the last day I’d seen her, I’d thought about her a million times. What was so strange was I didn’t remember having such strong feelings towards her when we were kids, compared to when we’d all moved away. Maybe it was that not missing the water ‘til the well runs dry sort of deal. I really think that’s it. Anyway, the day of reckoning was here. I tried to clear my head of all the distracting thoughts and to keep focused on the mission at hand which was the most important thing.
“Are you all right, deary?” The lovely old lady sitting next to me asked.
She had a heavenly glow about her narrow, little face and a demeanor like that of my sweet grandma who’d passed away when I was nine. She was short and thin—with shoulder-length gray hair.
“I’m fine, thanks,” I answered with a slight smile.
“I only asked, son, because you seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“It’s that obvious?” I arched my brows, moving my head away from the head rest.
“I’m afraid so,” she replied. “I always make it a point to ask if someone is all right whenever the thought crosses my mind because these days, so many people are keeping dreadful things to themselves that they have no business carrying alone. We can all use a listening ear or helping hand from time to time. Don’t you agree?”
The Hewey Spader Mystery Series (The Complete Trilogy * Books 1 -3 ) Page 13
