Tie Died

by Carol Dean Jones

Sarah told Charles she needed to talk to Sophie, and he assured her he would be fine working on his own for a while. He would install all the brackets and then would need her to help him place the shelves. He had built the sewing table extension at his house and brought it when he came. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call first, Sophie. May I come in?”

  “Of course, kiddo. Come on in,” Sophie replied. “I wanted to talk to you anyway, but I saw your pretty boy’s car in front of your house early this morning and didn’t want to disturb anything.” She waggled her eyebrows Groucho Marx style.

  “Be serious, Sophie,” Sarah said, defending herself. “He’s just there to help with the shelves.”

  “Um hmm.”

  “I want to talk about this Lake thing,” Sarah said as they walked into the kitchen.

  Assuming a more serious tone, Sophie said, “I wanted to talk to you about that, too. I’ve tried to call Millie this morning, but there’s no answer.” Sophie and Millie had been friends since they moved into the Village years before. She and Millie used to do many of the activities together, but in the past few years, Millie didn’t go out much. “Problems at home,” Sophie had explained.

  “So I called Alice, who lives next door to the Lakes,” Sophie continued as she started the coffee. “She said Millie went off with the police last night and came home in a squad car early this morning. She said she was home for a few hours and drove off around 9:00 this morning.”

  Sarah thought about that, shaking her head and frowning. “I just don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right. I want to talk to Millie. Where do you suppose she is?”

  “Let’s call Detective Gabriel,” Sophie suggested. They immediately dialed the number and were told the detective was not available. As they were starting to leave a message, the sergeant put Officer Holmes on the line.

  “Hello, this is Amanda Holmes.”

  “Good morning, officer. This is Sarah Miller, and Sophie Ward is here with me. We wanted to ask you a couple of questions about the Lakes.”

  “Yes?” Her friendly tone turned guarded.

  “We’ve been trying to reach Millie Lake, but there’s no answer. We were wondering if she’s okay and thought perhaps you or Detective Gabriel would know something about it.”

  “Well, I assume they’re on their way home,” she responded.

  “They?”

  “Yes,” she responded in an exasperated tone. “They,” she emphasized. “Mrs. Lake bailed her husband out just a few minutes ago. They’re probably home by now.”

  “How could that happen? I thought he was arrested for murder.”

  “Well, according to the prosecutor, our evidence was weak. The judge set bail low, and Mrs. Lake jumped right in and bailed him out,” Amanda added with growing irritation in her voice.

  After they got off the phone, Sarah told Sophie about the conversation, and they sat without talking for a while. “I don’t get it,” Sophie finally said. “People get out on bail, so he will still be tried. Why do you suppose Officer Amanda is so upset?”

  * * * * *

  Amanda Holmes sat at her desk staring out the streaked station house window. She had only been in the department a couple of months and already she had seen several women choose life with their abusers over their own safety. She was surprised to see Millie Lake at her husband’s hearing and noticed that Millie dropped her eyes when Amanda looked her way.

  Amanda Holmes was a strong, independent woman and couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to live in a dangerous situation. She would hear the women making excuses for their men: “He didn’t mean it.” “It was my fault.” “He always apologizes the next day....” “I know he loves me.”

  “Don’t women know they have choices?” she muttered to herself impatiently. She shook her head but knew she would not stop trying to make a difference. She had watched her mother live under the total control of a cruel drunk. Amanda got away the day she graduated from high school. Her mother chose to stay, despite Amanda’s efforts to help her.

  Amanda sighed and picked up one of the files Detective Shields had left untouched.

  * * * * *

  When Sarah got back home, she was shocked to see how much Charles had accomplished. He not only had the braces installed, but had the bottom shelf in place as well as the extension for her sewing machine. “Let’s see how your machine looks on here,” he said as she admired his handiwork. Sarah rolled the machine out of the closet and unzipped the case. Charles pulled it out and put it on the table. It exactly fit and made a perfect sewing station.

  Above the sewing table, he was in the process of installing a piece of pegboard. He had purchased hooks of different shapes and sizes so she could hang all her tools. Along the bottom, he was inserting a row of very thin pegs. “What are those for?” Sarah asked, looking at the little pegs.

  “Those are for your thread,” he answered with a smile.

  “How do you know all this?” Sarah asked in amazement.

  She saw a look of sadness cross his face momentarily, but then he simply smiled and shrugged. Such a nice man. Gentle, kind, and thoughtful. She knew his wife had been sick for several years before she died, and Sarah knew he would have given her excellent care. He didn’t talk about his wife often. It had happened only once, actually, and that was when they were getting to know each other. It was clearly a painful thing for him to even think about.

  “Martha will be overjoyed when she sees that we used her idea,” Sarah said, changing the subject. “She loves to make suggestions, and I so rarely take her up on them. I must admit that this was a great idea.” Sarah had probably not resisted Martha’s suggestion this time because Charles was right there. Otherwise, she probably would have objected, just like she fought against the answering machine and even moving to Cunningham Village. She told herself that she would try to be more open to Martha in the future. These were, in fact, three good ideas.

  After they completed the project and moved all the furniture back into the room, Sarah stood back and looked at her new sewing room. She had placed her supplies on the pegboard, along with what few spools of thread she had, and she lovingly placed her few pieces of fabric neatly on shelves in the oak cabinet. “It needs more stash,” she said defiantly and vowed to go shopping the very next day.

  That evening she poured herself a cup of herbal tea and sat down in the living room. She had intended to watch television, but her mind kept wandering to Andy’s murder. She just didn’t feel comfortable with the route the police were taking. She had only known Millie and Ralph for a few months, but Sophie had known them for years. Andy had been a close friend of Ralph’s throughout those years. Sophie said they had always been close and that Millie and Andy seemed to have a close friendship, but she had never had any feeling there was “hanky-panky,” as Sophie put it. “Andy was just her friend,” Sophie had said.

  Sarah called Sophie despite the hour. She knew Sophie was still up because she could see the flickering light from her television through the curtains. “Hello, kiddo,” she answered. “Are you thinking about the same thing I am?”

  “I think so,” Sarah responded. “I really want to talk to Millie.”

  “Me, too. Let’s invite her to lunch tomorrow. I’ll fix something here.”

  “I think she might feel less intimidated if we invite her out somewhere,” Sarah suggested. “I was thinking maybe we could just go to the café. What do you think?”

  Sophie agreed and said she would call Millie since she knew her best. “We go out to lunch every couple of months anyway,” Sophie said. They decided to try to set it up for the next day.

  When Sophie called Sarah back the next morning, she said that Millie seemed eager to get together. Sophie didn’t mention that Sarah would be there for fear of scaring her off.

  Chapter 37

  It was a beautiful autumn day, and Sarah decided to walk through the park and stop by Stitches before she met Sophie and
Millie at the café. She wished she could bring Barney with her, but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be at the café, and she didn’t want to leave Barney at the fabric shop too long.

  She saw Sophie’s car pull up at 12:30, and the two women enter the café. She paid for her fabric and strolled over casually. As she walked in, Sophie called out in her usual boisterous voice, “Hey kiddo, come sit with us.” Millie looked surprised but smiled at Sarah. Obviously, Sophie had not told Millie that Sarah would be joining them.

  Sarah joined the women, and they all ordered. The conversation was light, and Millie laughed several times at Sophie’s raucous stories. After they finished dessert and were sipping their coffee, Sarah turned to Millie and said, “I’m so sorry about Ralph, Millie. I know that must be terrible for you. Why in the world would the police think such an outrageous thing? We all know Ralph couldn’t have killed Andy.”

  Millie was clearly taken aback by the directness of Sarah’s question, but after a moment’s hesitation she responded. “I’m sure you’ve both heard tales about me and Ralph, and some of those stories are true. He can get mean when he’s drinking. He hit me a time or two, and everyone knows about that.”

  Sarah started to shake her head, but Millie stopped her. “I know what people are saying, Sarah. What they don’t know is that he loves me and he always apologizes. There are reasons for the way he gets, and I try to be understanding.” Again, she paused, and then she added, looking Sarah right in the eye, “Yes, Ralph has a temper and he can be mean, but Ralph is not a killer.” She hesitated as if deciding whether to go on.

  “Go on, Millie. Please,” Sarah said gently. “We care about you, and we want to understand what’s happened.”

  “I want the two of you to know the whole story,” Millie began. “There are already too many rumors flying around. “This all started a couple of months ago. Ralph heard those cruel rumors about me and Andy, and he just about went crazy.” Again, Sarah started to deny hearing about it, but Millie interrupted her saying, “Sarah, Sophie told me you both heard the rumors, and I want you both to know they aren’t true.” She looked at Sarah with tears in her eyes, and added, “Please believe me.”

  After a few moments, Millie continued, “I tried to tell Ralph there was nothing to it. Andy and I were just good friends. Andy was good friends with both of us, but Ralph wouldn’t listen. He kept bringing it up, and each time he would get angrier and more violent. This one night when he came home, he had been drinking—maybe not as much as other times, but some. He seemed to be angrier with Andy this time than with me. Suddenly he slammed out of the house and drove off in his car. He didn’t come back that night.”

  “Was that the night Andy was killed?” Sarah asked with trepidation.

  “No. This happened a week or so before that,” Millie responded. “Anyway,” she continued, “Ralph came home the next morning. He told me he was sorry, kissed me goodbye, and left for work. He didn’t tell me where he had been, and I didn’t ask.”

  “Did you ever find out where he had been?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes. Andy called me later that day,” Millie responded, “and told me that Ralph had banged on his door the night before and was fuming mad. But somehow Andy was able to get him settled down. Andy was good at that. He seemed to understand Ralph better than anyone. Andy was able to convince Ralph that the rumors were just that—rumors.” Millie took a sip of her coffee, and Sarah noticed her hands were shaking. Sarah took her hand gently in her own.

  Sophie spoke more quietly than usual and said, “Tell us what happened then. Did they make up?”

  “Ralph and Andy had been friends for years,” Millie continued. “Good friends. Andy was somehow able to get Ralph to relax. Andy didn’t drink anymore, but he had a bottle in the house, and he gave Ralph a couple of drinks. They ended up talking for hours. Andy told me he learned some things about Ralph he never knew. He said, ‘There’s a good guy in there under all that rage.’ Ralph ended up sleeping on Andy’s couch that night.”

  “Would you like another cup of coffee, Millie? I’m sure that’s cold,” Sarah asked, noticing that Millie was again sipping her coffee.

  “I think I would like tea. Do they have decaffeinated here?” Millie asked. Sophie signaled for the waitress, and Sarah ordered herbal tea for everyone. Millie thanked her and excused herself to go to the ladies room. Sophie expressed concern that she might not come back, but Millie returned right away and looked somewhat refreshed. “I splashed water on my face,” she explained with a weak smile as she sat down.

  After the waitress served the tea, Sophie said, “Okay, where were we?”

  “I think we left poor Ralph tossing and turning on Andy’s lumpy couch,” Sophie offered in an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat.

  “Yes. Andy told me that the next morning they had coffee, shook hands, and Ralph left to come home.”

  The women were quiet for a while as Sophie and Sarah let this barrage of information settle in. Suddenly Millie sat tall, squared her shoulders, and spoke with determination, “I know Ralph didn’t kill Andy,” she said. “I know that. Andy was killed just a few days after Ralph was with him. They talked on the phone the day before Andy was killed. I heard Ralph laughing with Andy. They had worked out their differences. Why would Ralph kill him?”

  “Was Ralph home the night Andy was killed?” Sarah asked cautiously, not wanting to alienate her new friend.

  “He went out that night for a while, but he came home early and was in a good mood. We were closer that night than we’ve been for a very long time,” she added with a trace of a blush on her cheeks.

  “Did you tell the police all this when he was arrested?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, but they didn’t believe me,” she said. “This gets complicated, but I need to explain this part. You know he was arrested for something else two nights ago, right?” Both women shook their heads and looked surprised.

  “For what,” Sophie asked in disbelief.

  “Well, unfortunately, the police were called that night because of the noise. Ralph had way too much to drink because he was laid off that day. He went straight to the bar and came home in the middle of the night in a rage.”

  Millie dropped her eyes and looked embarrassed. “He hit me that night and yelled obscenities. He was very drunk, and our next door neighbor called the police. It was the first time he had lost his temper since that night about Andy. The police took him away, and this woman officer talked me into filing charges. I was immediately sorry, and the next morning I went to get him out. In the meantime, they had somehow connected him to Andy’s death. I guess you know he’s been charged,” she added, beginning to sob. “But he didn’t do it. I know that in my heart.”

  “Is he back home now?” Sophie asked, knowing the answer already.

  “Yes, he’s home temporarily,” Millie said, wiping her eyes. “I need to find a lawyer. They assigned him a public defender, but I don’t know if he’ll be any good.”

  Sophie and Sarah looked at each other but didn’t know what to say. Finally Sarah spoke. “Millie, you know we care about you. We want to help but don’t know how. What can we do?”

  “It means more than you can imagine that you would even want to get involved in this mess.” Tears ran down Millie’s cheeks, and her face sagged with exhaustion. “Just letting me talk is help enough,” she added.

  “I think right now the best thing would be for you go home and get some rest,” Sarah offered. “Would you like for us to check around about the attorney? I have a friend who worked in the criminal justice system before he retired. He would probably know the attorney you were assigned, and if necessary, he could give you a better referral.”

  “I would appreciate that, Sarah. You’ve been so kind.”

  “Sophie and I care about you, and Andy was a dear friend of ours. We can both understand how you became close to him. He was a kind and understanding man.”

  “That’s exactly it,” Millie said with a hint of enthusi
asm. “He listened to me. I could talk to him about my relationship with Ralph, and he never judged me or Ralph. He was the most understanding man I’ve ever known. He truly cared about both of us.”

  “Let’s get together again, Millie,” Sarah was saying as they got their things together and prepared to leave. “But in the meantime, I want you to call me if you need to talk or just want to get out of the house for a while.” Millie thanked her with tears in her eyes, and the two women hugged. Sophie stepped back almost imperceptibly, but enough for Sarah to notice. Sophie is not a hugger, she realized.

  When she got home, Sarah felt exhausted. It had been an emotional afternoon, and she was drained. She hoped Sophie wouldn’t want to dissect what they’d learned today. She just wanted to curl up on the couch with Barney and let it all sink in. And that’s exactly what she did.

  Chapter 38

  Barney jumped on the bed and began licking Sarah’s face. “Barney. Get down. You know better,” Sarah shouted. Barney slithered off the bed and hid his head under her dust ruffle. Sarah immediately felt terrible for yelling at him. “I was asleep and you surprised me, little fellow.” She bent over and patted his neck at the point where it disappeared under the bed. “I’m sorry, sweet dog. I’ll never yell at you again. I know I scared you.” Barney twisted sideways so his head came part of the way out from under the bed. With his chin flat on the floor, he rolled his eyes upward and looked at her with a most pathetic and forlorn look.

  “I know you would like me to think you’re totally destroyed by my actions, my dear dog. But unfortunately for you, your tail is starting to wag ... and as you know, that’s a dead giveaway.” Barney scampered to his feet and snuggled his neck against hers, taking advantage of the fact that she was bending down and closer to his height. They hugged for a while before she interrupted the lovefest and said, “How about some breakfast?” All was forgiven. Barney ran in his happy circles, and they headed for the kitchen.

  Sarah opened the back door for him and left it open a crack so he could get back in. Moments later he was back and wagging his whole body as she opened his can of dog food. She put just a few spoons full into his bowl of kibbles, and he attacked it like he hadn’t had a bite for weeks. He followed his breakfast with enthusiastic slurps from his water bowl, splashing water all over his corner of the kitchen. She handed him a dessert treat and gave him an ear scratch. “What did I ever do without you,” she asked as she sopped up the water. He smiled.