1 In For A Penny

by Maggie Toussaint

  “You’re right,” Mama said. “I see stories on the news of kids shooting kids, of fathers killing their entire families. I tell you. The world’s going to hell in a handbasket.”

  Personally, I didn’t see how the entire world would fit in a handbasket, whatever that was. But I agreed with the sentiment.

  There was too much craziness out there in the world. We didn’t need it coming here to Hogan’s Glen. “You don’t mind if I invite Bitsy to stay, do you? We’re just a few blocks from the funeral home and it would make everything so much easier for her.”

  Mama waved my comment off. “It’s your house. Invite whomever you like.”

  It didn’t take a genius to interpret that remark. She didn’t want me to invite Bitsy to stay over, but she couldn’t come out and say so because it would blow her self-proclaimed image as grand lady of the manor. She liked to appear as if she were the only sane person in a world flush with insanity.

  Mama gripped the arm rest so tightly her knuckles gleamed. “Will she be bringing those hellion boys of hers? And that monster dog? The one that ate all my roses last summer?”

  Bitsy had gotten her sons a second Saint Bernard after Dudley claimed the family dog in their divorce settlement. But the new dog had landed in a house of apathy and had grown up with very little supervision. Consequently, Mozart had no manners, but he was part of Bitsy’s family.

  “Definitely. The boys are old enough to go to a funeral. Artie’s thirteen to Grant’s twelve. They’ll be fine.”

  Mama shuddered. “I’m calling my heart specialist as soon as I get home. With all this confusion, I’m going to need a tune-up.”

  I did my best not to roll my eyes. Mama’s world revolved around her. What did it matter that a man was dead and a family was grieving? The only thing that mattered to Mama was herself.

  I recognized Charlie’s sleek BMW sedan in our driveway as I pulled in. My ex-husband lounged on the steps, waiting. In spite of my resolve to be firm, my heart lurched at his disheveled appearance. His thinning dark hair needed combing. His cotton dress shirt looked like he’d slept in it.

  A short-haired Saint Bernard drooled on Charlie’s shoulder. I recognized Dudley’s dog at once and I ached for her loss. Madonna must be awfully confused. With Dudley not coming home last night, the dog had to think she’d been abandoned.

  Dealing with Charlie in a civil manner took every bit of composure I possessed on a good day. This hadn’t been a good day, and I didn’t feel like being polite to anyone, much less my ex-husband. Life had handed me lemons and I didn’t care for lemonade.

  Chapter 6

  “Shit,” I muttered as I fumbled for my purse.

  “Watch your language, Cleo,” Mama advised. “It’s not becoming for a lady to swear all the time.”

  “Mama, I don’t have to be a lady around my ex-husband the adulterer.”

  “We could wait in the car until he goes, but that would inconvenience us. Rise above your feelings, dear.” This from the woman who had forever barred Charlie from darkening the doorstep of our two-story Victorian house.

  The fact that he’d had enough courage to wait on the steps for our return showed how desperate he was.

  Charlie rose and walked toward my car. We were of equal height, he and I, and he’d never liked me to wear heels. The wonder of it all was that I’d let him tell me what to do for so long. Since the divorce, I’d binged on shoes with heels. Too bad I was still in my golf shoes.

  When Charlie saw Mama in the passenger seat, he veered wide around her and ended up at my door. I saw the glassy tears in his baby-blue eyes and my wrath cooled a notch.

  My instincts told me he was here for consolation. My brain reminded me he was married to another woman.

  “I see you’ve heard the news,” I said.

  He reached for me, but I kept the car door between us. It was the best defense I could come up with on short notice. As a result, the clumsy embrace ended almost as soon as it began.

  I swallowed my triumph with a dose of guilt. Charlie’s color was off and his hands trembled. Even if he’d ruined my life, there was no reason for me to sink to his level. I was a bigger person than that.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” I cleared my throat delicately. “I know you and Dudley were very close.”

  He pinched his nose to keep tears from flowing. “I can’t believe he’s dead.”

  If I turned my back on him and skirted around the car to Mama’s side, he should get the message that I wasn’t still his supportive wife. But in spite of all he’d put me through, I felt his pain.

  I girded myself with facts. He was married to Denise. He’d betrayed my trust. He didn’t deserve my sympathy. A little compassion was all he was getting from me.

  I darted around the back of the car and assisted Mama from her seat, taking her arm as if she were a delicate hothouse flower. “It’s real enough,” I said. “I found the body.”

  Charlie trailed after us, the dog at his heels. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  I would not let him make me feel guilty. He wasn’t my responsibility. “We’re not married anymore, remember? You have a brand new wife. Go home and let her comfort you.”

  He kicked at the loose stones in the driveway. “Damn it, Cleo. I heard the news from Britt Radcliff and I detest that man. How do you think that made me feel?”

  Mama answered for me. “Like the yellow-bellied snake you are?”

  I patted her arm. The last thing I needed today was a trip to Intensive Care. Mama’s hatred of Charlie ran deep. “Hush, Mama. Don’t get all worked up. You have to think of your heart.”

  Charlie muttered something under his breath. “Will you just stop a minute, Clee? I need to talk to you.”

  I glared at him over my shoulder. Apparently he was used to my fierce stare, as he didn’t quake like the old men at the discount store. Pity.

  I could have used a bit more respect from Charlie, but his needs had always come first. Dismissing him would be great for my ego, but what if he wanted to discuss the children?

  “I have to get Mama settled,” I said. “If you have time to wait, I’ll come out when I’m done.”

  Madonna politely pressed her head under my hand. I petted the very large dog and then slipped inside the house.

  “How long you going to make him wait?” Mama asked when we were safely inside.

  “Forever would serve him right, but the girls will be home from school soon. I’d just as soon be done with him before they get here. Maybe ten minutes?”

  In that time, I went to the bathroom, fixed myself a glass of water, took off my golf shoes, and donned my faded pink slippers.

  I called Bitsy but she didn’t pick up the phone. At the tone on her answering machine, I invited her and the boys to stay here. When I ran out of things to do, I stepped out on the porch.

  Charlie patted the seat next to him on the porch swing. I had too many memories of sitting beside him in that very swing, nestling my head on his broad muscular chest. Not going to happen today.

  I sat in the nearby rocker. Madonna came over and placed her whole head in my lap. I scratched behind her ears. “What are you doing with Dudley’s dog?”

  Charlie’s teary blue eyes peered out of his gaunt face. “When I heard about Dudley, I went and got her from his house. I wanted to keep the dog but Denise threw a fit. Says she’s allergic.”

  Yeah right. Denise didn’t want Charlie spending time with anyone but her. She hated sharing him on the weekends with his daughters. Having a dog around would definitely cut into her Charlie time. “So?”

  “So, I thought of you. The dog likes you, so it’s all set.”

  Warning bells clanged in my head. Was Charlie telling me what to do? That was so not going to happen. “What’s all set? I didn’t agree to anything.”

  Charlie exhaled deeply. “You don’t have to keep her for long. Bitsy and the boys will take her home after the funeral.”

  I had enough responsibility with Mama and t
he girls. Reasons why I couldn’t keep the dog churned out of my mouth. “We live on a busy road, Charlie. This dog isn’t used to traffic. What if she wanders out on the road? Kids are in and out of here all the time, and they won’t always remember that the dog can’t go out unsupervised. You should make other arrangements. Why don’t you kennel the dog?”

  “I can’t put her in a cage.” Charlie’s voice broke. “She was Dudley’s dog. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Where’s your heart?”

  My chin came up. Charlie didn’t have the market cornered on grief. “He was my friend too. But he wasn’t a very nice person. Why did you let him be so mean to folks down at the bank?”

  Charlie scowled. “Dudley always looked after the bottom line. The Board didn’t care about his methods as long as the balance sheet looked good. That’s why he got the job of financing that new development.”

  “I can’t believe you’d bring up White Rock at a time like this. That farm acreage won’t pass the percolation test. People are still laughing at Dudley about that boondoggle. Old Man Wingate must have laughed all the way to the bank with his pot of gold.”

  “Dudley got the job done.” Charlie’s blue eyes filled with heat. “He had a plan that both the buyer and the developer liked. Wait and see. The whole community will benefit from the larger tax base.”

  The only thing that farm had going for it was its proximity to the Hogan’s Glen city limit. Nothing Charlie said to me would convince me Dudley had been thinking of the community’s welfare when he brokered that deal. I’d stopped trusting Charlie’s version of the truth after that little matter of adultery. “People didn’t like the way Dudley did business.”

  “Losers always complain. Their time would be better spent looking after their own bottom line. It wasn’t Dudley’s fault bank customers had financial troubles.”

  “That’s a stupid thing to say.” I saw red. My hands clenched in tight fists. “I’ll bet it was one of those irate customers that did him in, and I wouldn’t blame them. Dudley had no right to play God with the bank’s money.”

  His eyes narrowed. Snide comments about his bank had not been allowed when we were married. “Well now. That would put Jonette at the top of the suspect list, wouldn’t it? Which underscores my previous point. She’s a loser.”

  I didn’t have to take his condescension anymore. My opinion was just as valid as his, especially when it came to my best friend.

  I jumped up and yelled down at him. “You never understood Jonette. All you ever saw was that when I was with her, I wasn’t there for you. Jonette didn’t murder anyone. She’s my friend and I believe she didn’t do it.”

  Charlie went very still on the swing. “You’re a hypocrite if you can stand there and lecture me about friendship. My best friend is dead and Jonette probably murdered him. Where’s your compassion? Don’t you feel anything for me?”

  If he only knew the things I felt for him, he’d be taking cover behind his car. I was sick and tired of his attitude about Jonette. I had more sympathy for the grieving dog than I did for my ex-husband.

  It was past time Charlie got the message through his thick skull. “You threw my friendship and compassion back in my face when you committed adultery. You made promises of fidelity, and you broke them over and over again. I won’t be your friend, and you want to know why? Because I don’t trust you.”

  Charlie stood up and grabbed me by the shoulders. I thought he was about to shake the daylights out of me, but at that moment, the girls walked up the sidewalk from school. Madonna woofed in greeting and bounded over to intercept them.

  Charla dropped her bookbag and hugged the Saint Bernard. The color of her wavy chestnut hair exactly mirrored the dark brown of the dog’s tri-colored coat. “Did we get a dog?” she asked me. Then she noticed her father standing behind me on the porch. She abandoned the dog, which bounded over to Lexy.

  Charla ran up the stairs and hurled herself at the two of us. Charlie had no choice to let me go and catch her. “Daddy! I knew you two would get back together,” Charla exclaimed.

  Before the girls appeared I’d been thinking of wrapping my fingers around Charlie’s thick neck and choking the life out of him. I swore inwardly. Reining in my temper was my only option right now. “I’m afraid we have some bad news for you girls. Lexy, come on up here.”

  Lexy edged up to my side. She wasn’t as naïve and impulsive as her sister. Charla, on the other hand, had thrown her arms around Charlie and was hanging on for dear life. The dog sat next to Lexy and wagged its tail hopefully.

  I looked at Charlie, hoping he’d be the man here and do this hard thing for our broken family. His blue eyes filled with tears and he looked like a puff of wind would blow him over.

  Another minor twinge of sympathy bubbled out of the dangerous emotions circulating through me. Charlie had lost his best friend. I could afford to be magnanimous just this once. “It’s about your Uncle Dudley. He’s no longer with us.”

  Charla lifted her head from her father’s chest. Her eyes looked watery. “Uncle Dudley? What’s wrong? Is he in the hospital?”

  All eyes were on me. I wanted to spare my girls this pain, but there was no way to soften the news. My heart swelled with grief. “Afraid not, sweetheart. There’s just no easy way to say this. Your Uncle Dudley is dead. Murdered.”

  “Are you sure?” Lexy asked.

  I nodded slowly. “Real sure. I saw him myself.” The wind seemed to go out of Lexy. I reached for her and hugged her close.

  My eyes met Charlie’s over our girls and I knew that, no matter what, we were aligned in our feelings for our children. For the first time since the divorce, I didn’t feel quite so alone.

  My heart melted enough to realize that having a dog here for a few days might not be such a bad thing. It would give us something external to focus on as we dealt with our grief. “Your father wants us to keep Madonna until Aunt Bitsy and the boys get here. It’s a big responsibility. We’d have to keep track of her so that she doesn’t accidentally wander out onto the road.”

  Lexy scooted out of my arms and hugged the dog. She’d inherited Charlie’s jet-black hair, which exactly matched the thick eyebrow markings on the dog. “I’ll watch her, Mom. She must wonder what the heck’s going on and I know what that’s like. Can she sleep in my room?”

  Charla disengaged herself from her dad and followed Lexy and the dog inside the house. “No way. She’s staying with me. I’m the oldest. I get first pick. Mom!”

  Charlie looked momentarily pained at their squabbling. “Thanks for taking the dog, Clee.”

  I marveled that we were in accord. Not that I was in danger of succumbing to his boyish charm, but it was the first time since the divorce that I hadn’t felt like strangling the life out of him. And it meant a lot that he’d been here when I told the girls about Dudley, even if he didn’t say much.

  While we stood there, my next-door neighbor came home. Ed Monday waved, then unloaded four shopping bags from the office supply place and ambled into his house as fast as a three-hundred-pound man could move.

  My neighbor was something of a weird duck. His blinds and curtains were never open. I imagined the inside of his house to be dark as a subterranean crypt. Maybe he was a nudist and liked privacy so that he could prance around in his birthday suit.

  Beside me, Charlie shoved his hands in his pockets. What should I do with him? If I invited Charlie in, Mama would probably have a heart attack. The girls were so busy with the dog, they’d forgotten all about their father. Speaking of the dog, I wondered what kind of food she ate. “Does this dog come with accessories?”

  “Huh?”

  So much for being on the same wavelength. I rephrased my question. “Dishes, leashes, bowls, food, dog bed? You know, dog stuff.”

  “It’s in my trunk. Just a minute.”

  Charlie lugged the doggie gear to the porch. “Keep the girls away from your neighbor, Clee,” he warned.

  I figured he wasn’t talking about nice old M
rs. Waltz in the house to my right. I glanced over at Ed Monday’s heavily curtained house. “Why? Do you know something about him?”

  Charlie lowered his voice and leaned in close. “I’ve seen him down at the bank a lot these past few weeks. Several times I heard raised voices when he was in with Dudley, and the last time we had security escort him out of the building.”

  My eyes rounded and my throat constricted. “Ohmigod,” I whispered. “You think Ed killed Dudley?”

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, and I don’t trust him, that’s for sure. Be careful and don’t let the girls go over there. I’m glad you’ll have the dog here for a few days.”

  So was I. There was a murderer running loose in Hogan’s Glen. A big dog like Madonna would help me feel safer late at night.

  Charlie left then, and I was spared the embarrassment of reminding him that he wasn’t welcome in Mama’s house, even though technically I owned the house. As long as my mother lived here, this would always be her place, no matter what the deed said.

  If what Charlie said was true about my neighbor, I had plenty to worry about. I’d never considered reclusive Ed Monday to be a threat in the year he’d lived next door.

  A lawn service cut his spartan yard, and he didn’t have any flower beds to weed. We’d collected his newspapers the few times he’d gone away for a weekend, but that was it for neighborly interaction.

  Ed looked like someone’s grandpa. Sixtyish with a receding hairline and a protruding stomach. He didn’t throw wild parties. A perfect neighbor.

  Ed hadn’t been here long enough to be mad at Dudley on general principle so the most likely cause for his atypical behavior was a money problem. What kind of financial trouble did Ed have? Insufficient funds? Gambling debts? It worried at me like an infected splinter.

  I didn’t want to agree with Charlie, but my family’s safety came first. Until I knew more about what was going on in this community, I was going to assume everyone was guilty of murder, Ed Monday included.