by Leena Clover
Dad and Tony came back with two giant bags bursting with food. We could smell the steaming meat and fries.
“Barely 11:30,” Dad said, looking at his watch. “We can stop in an hour.”
Sally pulled out the car and we merged onto I-40 W once again.
“Back on Route 66,” Dad called out.
Dad cranked up the volume and began singing along with his CD.
“Is this the only music we are listening to on this trip?” I bristled.
Dad ignored me. Sally was humming along with him. Dad looked totally besotted, sort of like Jeet does when he has a new girl friend. I must have been staring at them for a long time.
Tony elbowed me and cleared his throat.
“You’re drooling.”
Motee Ba handed me a tissue.
“Your mother has a good voice,” she said, pouring oil on troubled waters.
“Like a nightingale,” Pappa said, bobbing his head. “What was that song she always sang at parties, Hansa?”
They argued over it for some time. Sally started humming a tune. Dad switched the CD off and let her sing.
“That’s the one,” Pappa said.
Dad clapped his hands and Sally looked happy. I sulked, keeping my head firmly turned toward the window.
We came upon a good rest area and stopped for lunch. We made quick work of the chili burgers and fries. Jeet pulled out some cold drinks from a vending machine.
I signaled Tony and we got up to stretch our legs. I took his phone and called the diner. Sylvie answered. I assured her everyone was doing fine and everyone missed them.
“Did Charlie ever mention what he did before coming to you on Tuesdays?” I asked her.
“Well, he wasn’t a big talker,” Sylvie mused. “Your grandpa will tell you that.”
I hoped Sylvie would get to the point soon. Tony was going to end up with a big cell phone bill this month.
“I think he went to the library before coming to our place,” Sylvie said. “He always had a stack of books with him.”
“Maybe he was planning to return them?” I spoke out loud.
“I don’t think so. He used to pick up one book from the pile and start reading it while he had his meal here.”
“Did he ever get something to go?”
“Never!” Sylvie said. “I offered him a slice of pie once but he said no. He didn’t want to overindulge after the meatloaf.”
“So he didn’t get an extra helping or something to take home?”
“Our portions are generous, Meera. You know that! Keep a man going all day.”
I knew Sylvie wasn’t stingy with her portions. I had wondered if Charlie took anything home for Leo.
“Did he say anything particular that day?”
I could imagine Sylvie shaking her head from side to side.
“Said Thank You when I placed his plate on the table, remarked on the weather…that’s about all he ever said.”
“Did he look worried, or angry? Different from usual?”
“Can’t say he did, Meera. Came in at 12:30 like always, polished off his plate and left.”
“What’s Becky up to?”
“She had to deliver an order. She said she might drive by Charlie Gibson’s house and talk to his neighbor.”
I felt a burst of excitement. “She did? Can you ask her to call me tonight please?”
“Sure, baby,” Sylvie laughed. “She’ll do that anyway.”
I thought of something.
“Becky told me you said Audrey Jones wasn’t that good at her job?”
“She’s lazy. That’s what she is.”
“Why did Charlie keep her on all these years?”
“Now I never thought of that,” Sylvie mused. “Maybe no one else wanted to work for him.”
“She works for Aunt Reema too,” I volunteered. “Sits around watching TV most of the time.”
“Audrey works for Reema?” Sylvie asked, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Tony and I just talked to her yesterday. Why?”
“Charlie had a condition. Audrey wasn’t allowed to work for anyone else.”
“But why?”
“He could be whimsical, Meera. Maids have a tendency to gossip. He didn’t want anyone talking about him.”
“Was there something to talk about?” I raised an eyebrow, then realized Sylvie couldn’t see it.
“Maybe he just liked his privacy. If you ask me, Charlie Gibson was the most boring person in Swan Creek. I have never seen him do anything spontaneous.”
“Why did Audrey agree to this exclusive condition? She can’t have made enough working for Charlie alone?”
“He gave her a raise every year,” Sylvie said. “Obviously, she was taking on other jobs though.”
“What do you think Charlie would do if he found out?”
“Fire her!” Sylvie was confident. “He didn’t tolerate any nonsense.”
Had Audrey got into a fight with Charlie over her job?
“Isn’t she coming to the diner today?” I asked Sylvie.
“That’s what she said. She has a lot of time on her hands now. And some extra cash to burn, looks like.”
“Do you think she stole the money?”
Sylvie grunted.
“If she was light fingered, she wouldn’t have lasted in that job.”
Sylvie had to take care of the diner customers and Tony was giving me the evil eye. I hung up, and tried to look innocent.
“Why are you using up my daytime minutes, Meera?”
“Relax! I’ll help you with your bill this time.”
“You’re paying the whole darn thing, Meera!”
I rolled my eyes and we walked back to the car. Dad and Sally were settled in the back seat.
“When can I drive?” Jeet asked.
“Maybe tomorrow?” I said.
Tony wanted to drive and I was okay with that. I settled into the front seat and popped in a CD of my choice. We were in for a 4-5 hour drive.
“Where to?” Tony asked.
“Keep going west on I-40,” Dad called out.
The folks in the back started playing 20 Questions. Tony put the car on Cruise and looked at me. We had talked about taking this trip for a long time. I felt a sudden urge to hold his hand. Then I curbed myself. Tony’s pupils widened and he gave me a sly smile. I looked away, trying to hide my blush.
He reads my mind every time.
Chapter 11
Pappa wanted a break. That set the others off. We had just entered the state of Arizona. Jeet had made us stop near the Welcome to Arizona sign for a quick photo.
“We need to get these photos printed,” I said, waving the camera in the air.
There weren’t too many people at the rest area and the restrooms were clean. I did my business and stood in front of the mirror, straightening my hair. Something caught my eye. It was too small to be graffiti. I peered closer and tried to make sense out of the drawing. Why would someone doodle on a crumbling wall in a yucky restroom in the middle of nowhere?
I looked around, looking for any more drawings. I didn’t find any. Must be some kid, I thought and stepped out. Another doodle stared me in the face. This one was drawn on a wooden pillar with what seemed like chalk. I made a mental note to look it up in the brochures Jeet had picked up. Maybe it was something local to Arizona.
The desert landscape was sparsely populated. I was eager to spot the giant cactuses that shot up 20-30 feet high. The mood in the car was upbeat. Dad took advantage of it and slid a brochure in front of Pappa.
“Now what? No stops, Andy!”
“It’s on the way, Pappa. Please!”
He sounded like a child.
Pappa grunted something unintelligible and gave a slight nod.
“Take the next exit Meera!” Dad crowed.
I turned just in time, barely enough to read the sign announcing the Meteor Crater.
“30 minutes tops,” Pappa ordered.
“You can get down her
e, Pappa,” Dad said. “This is a geological marvel.”
In Jeet’s words, it was just one big giant hole in the ground.
A paved path ran around the periphery of the crater. People were walking along it, doing a loop.
“We don’t have enough time to walk around,” Dad said wistfully.
There was a small museum with photos and stuff about meteors.
“Just imagine. A giant ball of fire came out of the sky and crashed here.”
Dad was reading the history of the crater, trying to get everyone to feel his excitement. Tony and I skimmed through the displays and I dragged him out on the pretext of checking out the trail.
“Don’t go too far,” Dad warned. “We’re done here.”
The family had already started going toward the car. We walked at a brisk pace until they were out of hearing range.
“Did Sylvie say something?”
I shook my head.
“All I gathered is Charlie Gibson probably went to the library every Tuesday morning. And he didn’t believe in small talk or compliments.”
“Hmm…” Tony said.
“Hey, did you notice any small doodles in that rest area we stopped at?”
“You mean like graffiti?”
“Sort of, but not very large. Maybe an inch by inch in size?”
“Not really.”
We went back to the car and I started driving.
“We should be there in an hour or so,” Dad said, trying to mollify Pappa.
We were stopping in the famous town of Williams, Arizona, gateway to the Grand Canyon. We would be there for two nights before heading west again. I was determined to talk to Becky and Stan as much as I could over these two days.
The sun was low on the horizon when I pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. The sky was ablaze in shades of orange and red. It was a desert sunset unlike any. If we were lucky, we would be able to watch the sun set over the canyon tomorrow. I waited until everyone got down and all the bags were unloaded. Then I turned the key in the ignition.
“Where are you off to now, Meera?” Motee Ba said sharply.
“Just dropping off these photos.”
I had spotted a sign for one hour prints and I wasn’t going to miss the chance. Tony and I were back soon enough. We spotted the gang having coffee in the hotel’s restaurant. They waved us over.
“Can you believe it?” Pappa said with awe. “We are at the Grand Canyon.”
My grandparents had talked about visiting many times. But they had never had the opportunity. My aunt and uncle had made a few trips here and they had wanted to take Pappa and Motee Ba along. But my grandmother had always stayed back home, loathe to hand us over to some baby sitter.
Sally’s absence had shaped our life in certain ways so far. I sensed her presence was going to shape our future too. Dad and Jeet stayed at the table, pouring over a stack of brochures. I was fine with whatever plan they came up with for the next day.
I went to my room, or rather, our room, the one I shared with the boys. A long hot shower sounded good to me. I felt I could tackle whatever Becky had in store for me after that.
Tony and Jeet were lounging on their beds, watching a movie on the TV.
“We’re meeting for dinner at 8,” Jeet told me. “The restaurant closes at 8:30.”
Thankfully, Dad had decided to eat at the hotel restaurant. That didn’t leave much time for what I had in mind. I threw the car keys to Tony and headed toward the door.
“Do we have to go now?” he grumbled.
“Aren’t you eager to see the photos?”
“I can drive you,” Jeet said hopefully.
“Thanks, buddy!” I said without turning back. “But I got this.”
Tony and I got back in half an hour. Luckily, there was still time for dinner. There were over a hundred photos. I split them up in three piles and we began rifling through them.
“Mom and Dad look hot together,” Jeet exclaimed.
He was looking at the photo I took at the top of the mountain. I ignored him. Something clicked in my mind for a nanosecond. But then I couldn’t remember what it was.
Motee Ba knocked on our door. It was time for dinner.
I ordered Chicken Parmesan, one of my favorite meals. It seemed almost simple after all the spicy stuff we had eaten in New Mexico. It was our fourth day on the road and everyone was looking tired.
“No staying up late tonight,” Dad warned. “Tomorrow’s going to be hectic.”
Dad’s eyes bore into me as he said this. I nodded. I had other plans.
I called Becky the moment we got back to the room. I rushed through what we had done that day, playing it down. I could sense Becky’s mood going downhill as I talked about all the fun I was having without her.
“Did you drive by Charlie’s house?” I asked finally.
Becky started explaining where she had gone for her delivery, who she had met and all that. I had to steer her back to the point.
“Alright, Meera. I’m getting to it.”
“Did you meet this Anna?”
“I wasn’t sure where she lives,” Becky began. “I parked in Charlie’s driveway. You know how his house is in a cul de sac.”
“Yeah.”
“I walked around a bit. I was hoping someone would come out of their house.”
“And did they?”
“I saw the curtains move in one house. But no one came out.”
“What about Anna?”
“Well, I started reading the mailboxes and spotted one with Collins written on it. I knocked on the door.”
I held my breath.
“A man yelled from inside,” Becky said. “Asked me to go away.”
“So you left?” I asked, disappointed.
“Give me some credit, Meera! I kept knocking.”
“Go on…”
“The door opened and a man yelled at me. He wasn’t even dressed. He was wearing a torn undershirt and boxers. There was a beer can in his hand and he must have had a few already.”
“What did he say?”
“He yelled at me again.”
“I suppose you had to leave then?”
“No. I saw a gun tucked into his waistband. Then I fled.”
“What? Oh my God, Becky! Are you alright?”
I felt guilty, putting Becky in harm’s way.
“I was a bit shaken up at first,” Becky laughed nervously. “I think my car drove itself out of there. But I’m okay now.”
“So you never got to meet Anna then.”
“When did I say that, Meera? You’re rushing ahead.”
I dialed it back a bit.
“So what happened after you got back to the diner?”
“About two hours later, this Anna Collins came to the diner.”
“Does she come there often? I don’t remember seeing her.”
“Nope. But Sylvie knew who she was of course.”
“Did she just come in to eat?”
“No! She asked to see me. Or rather, the young chit who had come knocking on her door. She didn’t know it was me exactly.”
“So that guy must have told her someone came knocking.”
“Told her? Complained to her, most likely.”
“So you finally got to talk to her.”
There was a pause. I imagined Becky nodding her head.
“She told me a thing or two, more like.”
“And what’s that?”
“She said she saw Leo jump out of the window and get away in Charlie’s car. She was sure it was Leo and no one was going to convince her otherwise.”
“Did she say what time it was?”
“7:30 PM.”
“Exactly 7:30? Not 7:29 or 7:31? How can she be sure of that?”
“That’s what she said.”
“And she came to the diner to tell you this? Why?”
“We talked about that, Sylvie and I. It seems a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
“What else did this Anna say?”
“She reminded us she had already talked to the police. And they had arrested Leo based on it. So the case was closed. Leo killed Charlie.”
“She can keep saying that all she wants. That doesn’t make it true.”
“Exactly!” Becky burst out. “Sylvie says her son’s a crook.”
“Yeah! Stan said something about it. You better stay away from that guy, Becky.”
I couldn’t bear it if something happened to Becky.
“Did you get to ask Anna any questions?”
“She wouldn’t listen. All she would say when I mentioned Charlie was that he was dead and he couldn’t harm anyone now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Becky’s voice grew thoughtful.
“She seemed relieved Charlie wasn’t around anymore.”
“That means she didn’t get along with Charlie.”
Becky agreed with me. It seemed Sylvie thought that too. I had always had doubts about what Anna Collins had seen that night. I figured she couldn’t be sure if the person jumping out of the window was Leo. Maybe there hadn’t been any such person at all.
“Anna Collins could be lying about the whole thing.”
“How are you going to prove that, Meera?”
“We either have to make her talk, or find someone else who will contradict her.”
“I’m not any help at all, am I?” Becky said glumly.
“What? You are my eyes and ears in Swan Creek, Becks. You’re doing great.”
“Audrey didn’t turn up today,” Becky said next.
“Don’t worry. Maybe she’ll be in tomorrow.”
I wished Becky goodnight and hung up. The phone rang before I had a moment to reflect over what she had said. It was Stan.
Chapter 12
“Leo may be getting out on bail,” Stan began.
I was flabbergasted. All this time, we had assumed Leo was on his own. Who was posting bail for him?
“But how?”
“By the usual process, Meera!”
“I mean, who’s paying up for him?”
“Some lawyer,” Stan said. “But I don’t know who he’s working for.”
“Did you ask Leo?”
“He’s as surprised as we are.”
“Maybe I can at least talk to him then.”
