you were at the police station.” Her chin started to tremble and after one giant snivel, she blurted out, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think what I was saying, Mabel. I was just so upset and worried.” Her face screwed up and tears poured down. “Do you think it will make it worse? Will someone come after you for sure now?”
I handed her a tissue. The floodgates gave way.
“Oh Mabel,” she said, through her sobs. “I’ve signed your death penalty, haven’t I?”
“No, you haven’t, Flori. You don’t have to be quite so dramatic. Now that I think about it, maybe it’s good that it’s out in the open. Now, whoever called me knows that everyone will be on the lookout for me.” I patted her back. “Maybe you did me a favor.”
She wiped away the tears and patted her eyes. The tissue was smudged black and blue with eye shadow and mascara. We’d reached the front gate to my house.
“Look at this, Flori,” I said. “Someone was here and left the gate open.”
“Well, since you won’t come and stay with us, I had Jake go through your house earlier, just to make sure no one was hiding in there. He should’ve known better than to leave the gate open.” She stopped in her tracks and stared at me. “Unless, someone else was here, Mabel.” Her eyes got bigger. “What if it were someone else? I’m sure Jake would’ve closed the gate. I’m sure he would’ve.”
“Flori,” I said. “Jake never closes my gate. He leaves it open to irritate me. And, besides, I figured you might get him to do a walk-through. By the way, you know I don’t have a phone now so you’ll have to trust that I’ll be all right. No sending Jake over in the middle of the night to check, okay?”
“Oh, Mabel, you know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Promise, Flori?”
“Oh, all right if you insist, but I will call the store at nine sharp and if you’re not there, I’ll send Jake over to the house.”
“I guess I can live with that. By the way, everyone is talking so much about Grace’s murder but no one told me who found her body. Do you know?”
We were standing at my back door now. The sun was sinking in the west behind the trees and there were streaks of shade across my lawn.
“I wish you hadn’t asked me that.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you’re going to make a big deal of it, that’s why.”
“Why would I? I’m curious. Obviously, whoever found the body is not the murderer so why would I get upset? It wasn’t Charlie, was it?”
I would be upset if it were Charlie. Not that he would be implicated in a murder but simply because he doesn’t need such trauma. Charlie is different from other folks. Some are afraid of him but he’s as harmless as a newborn. He spends most of his days, winter and summer, sitting on a bench in front of the library. He wears the same clothes, day in and day out, and he only talks to the people he wants to talk to.
“No, it wasn’t Charlie.”
“So, who then? Esther Flynn?” I laughed, imagining the look on Esther’s face if she ever saw a corpse. “That would be a good one - Esther wandering around the bush behind the nursing home. How could she ever explain that?”
Flori scowled but didn’t say a word. I stared at her.
“It was Esther, wasn’t it? I can’t believe it. It was really Esther?”
She nodded. “I told you, you’d be upset.”
“I’m not upset. In fact, for some reason, I find this almost exhilarating.”
“You should wipe the grin off your face.”
“I can’t.” I hugged Flori. “Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I started to shut the door but Flori’s foot got in the way.
“I don’t like it when you grin like that. What are you planning, Mabel?”
“Me? I’m planning
I handed her a tissue. The floodgates gave way.
“Oh Mabel,” she said, through her sobs. “I’ve signed your death penalty, haven’t I?”
“No, you haven’t, Flori. You don’t have to be quite so dramatic. Now that I think about it, maybe it’s good that it’s out in the open. Now, whoever called me knows that everyone will be on the lookout for me.” I patted her back. “Maybe you did me a favor.”
She wiped away the tears and patted her eyes. The tissue was smudged black and blue with eye shadow and mascara. We’d reached the front gate to my house.
“Look at this, Flori,” I said. “Someone was here and left the gate open.”
“Well, since you won’t come and stay with us, I had Jake go through your house earlier, just to make sure no one was hiding in there. He should’ve known better than to leave the gate open.” She stopped in her tracks and stared at me. “Unless, someone else was here, Mabel.” Her eyes got bigger. “What if it were someone else? I’m sure Jake would’ve closed the gate. I’m sure he would’ve.”
“Flori,” I said. “Jake never closes my gate. He leaves it open to irritate me. And, besides, I figured you might get him to do a walk-through. By the way, you know I don’t have a phone now so you’ll have to trust that I’ll be all right. No sending Jake over in the middle of the night to check, okay?”
“Oh, Mabel, you know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Promise, Flori?”
“Oh, all right if you insist, but I will call the store at nine sharp and if you’re not there, I’ll send Jake over to the house.”
“I guess I can live with that. By the way, everyone is talking so much about Grace’s murder but no one told me who found her body. Do you know?”
We were standing at my back door now. The sun was sinking in the west behind the trees and there were streaks of shade across my lawn.
“I wish you hadn’t asked me that.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you’re going to make a big deal of it, that’s why.”
“Why would I? I’m curious. Obviously, whoever found the body is not the murderer so why would I get upset? It wasn’t Charlie, was it?”
I would be upset if it were Charlie. Not that he would be implicated in a murder but simply because he doesn’t need such trauma. Charlie is different from other folks. Some are afraid of him but he’s as harmless as a newborn. He spends most of his days, winter and summer, sitting on a bench in front of the library. He wears the same clothes, day in and day out, and he only talks to the people he wants to talk to.
“No, it wasn’t Charlie.”
“So, who then? Esther Flynn?” I laughed, imagining the look on Esther’s face if she ever saw a corpse. “That would be a good one - Esther wandering around the bush behind the nursing home. How could she ever explain that?”
Flori scowled but didn’t say a word. I stared at her.
“It was Esther, wasn’t it? I can’t believe it. It was really Esther?”
She nodded. “I told you, you’d be upset.”
“I’m not upset. In fact, for some reason, I find this almost exhilarating.”
“You should wipe the grin off your face.”
“I can’t.” I hugged Flori. “Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I started to shut the door but Flori’s foot got in the way.
“I don’t like it when you grin like that. What are you planning, Mabel?”
“Me? I’m planning
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