Another Grave Matter, page 2
part #3 of Volstead Manor Series
I reached out and touched her arm. “But you love him. Right?”
“Yes. But even more than loving him…I love being loved.” She puckered her brow. “Do you think that’s wrong?”
I cleared my throat, buying a second or two to think of something to say. “You need to love Adam with your whole heart. . .not just be in love with the idea of being loved.” The second the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them. And yet, I had to admit, it was the truth.
“We can’t all love like you do. Not everyone can be Max and Bailey.” Dedra turned and walked to the front door.
I locked up and headed down the steps with my friend. She said no more on the subject, and I hoped she’d forgiven me for being so blunt. I knew Dedra hadn’t been in the mood for the truly stripped-down version of the facts. But it seemed like more and more lately I had to tiptoe around honesty so I wouldn’t upset her. Friends weren’t supposed to have to do that. Right? Wasn’t truthfulness everything, or was it diplomacy? I was still trying to understand that friendship thing.
Dedra and I strolled back to her house in silence. The sun had devoured some of the early morning fog, but it still appeared Sherlock Holmes-ish as it hovered around all the large old houses in the neighborhood. Weird, but pleasant.
I sent another glance Dedra’s way. Had her words been significant in other ways? I’d known she’d felt something for Max long ago, but did she still care for him? Love him, in fact? Surely not. It was so long ago, and Max had made it clear they were just friends. Perhaps I was imagining things again. One question would set the record straight forever with Dedra, and yet I couldn’t quite open my mouth to ask. I was such a cagey person. Hadn’t I learned my lesson—that sharing things with friends was a good thing? Maybe I should tell Dedra everything. Even my concerns about arson. Like now. I could give away a piece of myself as other friends do. “I want to say—”
“Bailey, I’m going to tell you what’s really bothering me.”
All right. I tucked my thoughts away and concentrated on Dedra. “Yeah?” We slowed our walk, and she touched my arm.
“I worry about my little corner of joy. . .that God will take it away now. Perhaps Adam will tire of me like all the others have. I’ve learned over the years that joy never stays for long. It lives a transient life, like people who have no real home. Always on the move.”
Since Dedra was so frightened of losing Adam, maybe she really did love him. We stopped in front of her house. What should I say? “You know, God isn’t sitting in some. . .I don’t know, how would you say it. . .some mezzanine in the sky, waiting to torture the actors on His stage.” But wasn’t that exactly how I’d felt some months ago? Felt that God had abandoned me? That He’d decided to wipe away every last ounce of happiness I’d ever known? That maybe He’d found someone else to bestow His finer blessings on—someone who was more worthy? I lowered my gaze. “I’ve known those feelings too.”
“But maybe you’re right, Bailey. You usually are. It could be that I’m just scared.”
Just as Dedra opened the screen door, I saw a stain on her pocket—an oil stain. But then, Dedra is an artist. Aren’t paint and oil stains necessary evils in an artist’s life? I cringed at my growing suspicions. Perhaps Dedra had cold feet about Adam because she still cared for Max. Could Dedra have been jealous enough to set fire to Volstead Manor?
3 – Evil and Beauty
What kind of monster had I become? I could feel my friendship proficiency plummeting, and the needle on my jerk-o-meter flying off the machine. Dedra had opened her home to me while my house was being repaired. And she didn’t even need to be so generous, since the insurance company was willing to pay for a hotel. She was sharing everything with me right down to her bunny slippers. And what does the predictable Bailey do? Accuse her best friend of arson. Repeat. Bailey, you will no longer accuse your friends of heinous crimes. I’d already worn that T-shirt. I lowered my gaze, feeling penitent. “I do appreciate you taking me in. Have I told you that?”
“Yeah, about every fifteen minutes.” Dedra took a house key of out her pocket. “That’s what friends do, Bailey.”
Yeah, I had to be reminded of that once in a while. Or maybe every five minutes, since I was so keen on thinking the worst of humanity. Would I have done the same for Dedra if her house had burned? I wasn’t sure. I probably would have, but not without a lot of silent grumbling. I was a new and improved human being, but I still felt the dragging of my spiritual feet—still bogged down in clay. Clay, that is, mixed with super glue added for good measure. I glanced over at Dedra’s porch swing. I’d never been the kind of person to enjoy the healing benefits of a swing, but perhaps the time had arrived. “I think I’m going to sit out here for a while if that’s okay.”
“Good idea. Ten minutes on that swing is like a week’s vacation.”
Dedra went into the house while I eased down on the big wooden swing. Even though my friend’s personality was more flamboyant than mine, the outside of her house was a model of simplicity. Clean lines, plain Christmas-green shutters, and an old-fashioned, wrap-around porch. No gothic nightmare here. Of course, the inside was a different matter, with the rooms being decorated in different styles, such as Victorian or Tuscany or whatever struck her fancy at the store. Very Dedra.
I walked the swing backwards and then raised my feet. My fingers grasped the chain—smooth cool silver. Memories from long ago came flooding back. I remembered Granny’s swing and how we used to visit while we waited for the stars to come out. All that joy and laughter. It seemed like several lifetimes ago.
A couple walked by holding hands, looking very much in love, and somewhere in the distance, Tejano music brightened the day. The weather had warmed enough to only need a jacket, and so the breeze felt cool, but not cold. My muscles gradually unwound, and my breathing slowed. Yes, the swing was already working its enchantment.
As I drifted in mind and body, I thought of all that had transpired on Midnight Falls Drive since my arrival. It was a mixed bag to say the least. I had new friends as well as Max and Joby, the twelve-year-old girl we planned to adopt. And there was my dear Magnolia, a woman who’d become like a mother to me. That was the good stuff. But in the process, villains had nearly frightened me out of my home, and my other next-door neighbor had shown up dead. Then, of course, there was the mysterious house fire. It was as if evil and good had been sitting together in the front parlor. At times they sat dangerously close to each other. I just hoped and prayed I never got the two confused.
A car slowed in front of Dedra’s house and parked. I recognized the vehicle right away—a car belonging to Joby’s interim caregiver, Mrs. Crawford. She’d apparently brought Joby by for a visit. The car had only been stopped for two seconds when my little Joby jumped out and raced toward me—the kind of running with abandonment that makes grownups shake their heads in amazement. I jogged toward her, making up the distance, and we hugged each other until we couldn’t breathe.
Joby looked up at me with her bright, youthful eyes. “I missed you a lot, a lot, a lot.”
“And I missed you a lot, a lot, a lot, too.” I kissed her head. She smelled like strawberry shampoo and pizza.
Mrs. Crawford came up the sidewalk in her pea coat and loafers. “Hi.”
“Thanks for bringing Joby for a visit.”
“No problem. I had some shopping to do in the neighborhood, so I thought you two might enjoy visiting.” Mrs. Crawford turned to Joby. “Well, I’ll leave you two gals to it.”
“How long can I stay?” Joby asked Mrs. Crawford in her most beseeching voice. “May I stay,” she corrected herself.
“I’ll be back in an hour. Okay?”
“Only an hour?” Joby looked like she was about to rev up for a major dispute and then just sighed. “Oh, all right.”
Mrs. Crawford turned to go then waved to us. “See you both later then.”
I was glad to see Joby was dressed warmly in her corduroys and Nancy Drew-style sweater and also that she looked well cared for. All good things, but I had missed her terribly. There was no doubt, Joby’s life was now attached to mine like branches on a tree.
“So, what would you like to do? Watch TV? Eat ice cream? Play a board game?” I still wasn’t totally sure what moms were supposed to say or do.
“I hate board games. You know, there’s a reason why they’re called board games.”
I laughed. “I’ve always hated them too. You get to the end, and what do you have?”
Joby raised her chin. “A whole lot of nothing.”
“At least with eating ice cream, you have the opportunity to get fat. Now that’s worth our time.”
“Yeah, a hundred zillion pounds of fun.” Joby waddled around in a circle.
I chuckled. “Okay, so what do you really want to do?”
“Well, let’s see.” Joby put her finger to her chin. “I want to do exactly what you were doing when we drove up.”
I pointed to the porch. “Well, I was on that old swing over there.”
“Then that’s what I want to do.”
Chip off the old block. “Okay.”
She took my hand and we strolled up the porch steps, Joby’s long gold braid wagging behind her.
We eased ourselves on the swing. When a gust of wind whirled through the porch, she snuggled against me.
Joby and I sat there for so long holding each other I realized we both were in the mood for affection rather than visiting. Perhaps it was a way to feel that the world could still be a safe place. That all the ruffling of the earth’s feathers wouldn’t knock either one of us too far from the nest.
“Know what?” Joby finally said.
“What?” I pushed off and we started swaying like a willow branch in the breeze.
“I’ve been reading another mystery.”
“Yeah, but you read constantly.” A sparrow landed on the porch railing, and we watched him watch us.
“Yeah, but this mystery is different,” Joby went on to say. “It’s very. . .prodigious. Did I say that right?”
“You sure did. Great word.” I grinned. “So what makes this new mystery so prodigious?”
Joby looked at me. “The heroine is just like you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She’s all fun and pretty and lopsided and way cool.”
I blinked. Wasn’t sure what to do with that lopsided description, but then again. “Come to think of it, I’ve often thought I was lopsided. I just didn’t have the right word for it.” I pursed my lips. “Now I know who and what I am.”
“Know what else?” The teasing disappeared from Joby’s face. “The heroine in the book, I think she’ll solve the mystery. And nothing bad will happen to her that she can’t get out of. I believe in her.”
“Good.” My feet gave us another push on the swing.
“I mean, that’s what you’re supposed to do with all the good characters. Root for them. And hope everything will be okay in the end.” Joby fiddled with the button on her sweater.
“Yes, that’s right.” I slowed the swing and held her again, realizing she was saying so much more than she was letting on. “Joby, I want to ask you something.”
She wriggled her small frame into my arms. “That sounds kinda serious.”
“Well, we can talk about serious things too. Can’t we?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” She tilted her head and fluttered her eyelashes at me. “So, what do you have on your mind?”
I smiled. “Well, I was just wondering if you’re scared about something.”
“’Bout what?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, like the promise that I’m going to do everything I can to become not only your foster parent, but your mother. Are you worried Max and I will change our minds about adopting you?”
Joby went quiet and then said, “People talk a lot. And they say all kinds of stuff. And then later you find out they didn’t mean any of it. That kind of stuff keeps happening to me. So, it’s easy to get scared.”
“Well, then you need to come for more visits and get to know Max and me better. ’Cause when it comes to promises, we’re serious.”
Joby smiled, but it was a weak one. “But what about the fire at your house? Won’t that mean I can’t move in with you?”
“I hired Woody G. to do all the repairs. He’s the one who refurbished my house before. He’s very good, and he’s fast. And he’s going to start on the repairs soon.”
“Oh. Okay.” Joby didn’t sound convinced.
Then I thought of something that might encourage Joby to believe in my promise. “Do you remember me talking about my Granny?”
“Yeah, she was special.”
“Yes, she was, and I loved her. In fact, I’ll bet if you had met Granny when she was your age, you two might have been best friends. Like sisters.”
“Really?”
I nodded and then undid the diamond necklace Granny had given me. “She gave me this pendant to remind me how much she loves me.” I held it in front of Joby.
She touched it. “Oohh. Looks real expensive.”
“I’m sure it was. But now someone else needs reminding.”
“Me?” Joby’s mouth came open.
I placed the diamond pendant around Joby’s neck and fastened it.
“But not for keeps, right?”
I knelt down on the porch floor in front of her. “For keeps. Just like you and me and Max. Okay?” I could almost feel Granny’s warm smile on me. She would have approved.
Joby looked at me and then at the necklace and then back at me again. She swallowed hard. “But what if I lose it? What if I—”
“You won’t, Joby. I believe in you. I’m rooting for you.”
“Yeah?”
I tugged on the sleeve of her sweater. “That’s what we’re supposed to do with all the good characters, aren’t we?”
Joby’s face puckered. It seemed like she was trying not to cry. One tear made it out anyway and spilled down her cheek. Her little fingers closed around the necklace protectively. “I have something for you too.”
I sat back down. “You do?”
Joby took off her thin leather bracelet—the one given to her by a dear friend and the one she wore all the time. Then she rolled it up over my hand onto my wrist. “That’s to remind you that I’m not giving up on you either. That I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
“Okay.” I touched the bracelet.
Joby leaned her head against me.
“Thank you very much.” I tried to hold back the tears. I hated for Joby to see me get too sloppy with my emotions.
“I can hear you sniffling. I know you’re crying.” Joby pulled a tissue out of her little satchel purse. “You can go ahead and blow your nose now.” She rolled her eyes and grinned.
I laughed and took her tissue. We both sat there on the swing blowing our noses like little fog horns and loving it. After a while, I could hear us breathing in rhythm together. Joby was so one-of-a-kind. I would never forget the moment I first saw her with her hazel, moon-shaped eyes under her wide-brimmed straw hat. She was inquisitive and funny, and could see right through anybody. She had bewitched me, and Max too. And she needed a real home, a real mother. How did I get so fortunate, Lord, to have her in my life? And what had I been so afraid of? At first, I’d felt clueless how I could take care of a preteen, but now I had the answer—it was mostly about love. In fact, having a couple more kids with Max seemed pretty inviting.
Joby and I visited until Mrs. Crawford returned from her shopping. We said our good-byes, but they were bittersweet, since we both wished all was settled with the home study and that she hadn’t just dropped by as a visitor but had come home to stay.
I sat back down on the porch swing, which had gone quite cold without Joby next to me. I stayed put for a moment, thinking over our conversation in detail and pondering the future. My dear Joby. Before I rose to go back inside I saw yet another car pull up in front of Dedra’s house. It was Adam, Dedra’s fiancé. Guess he couldn’t stay away from the love of his life. But when Adam got out of his car, it was impossible not to notice that his walk didn’t have the usual bounce.
When he reached the steps I gave him a little wave. “Hi. Is everything all right?”
Adam paused.
When he looked at me, I noticed the twinkle was gone from his clear, green eyes.
“I just heard from Dedra,” he said. “She’s called off the wedding.”
4 – Teetering Toward the Abyss
Oh, no. “But why would she do that? Why would Dedra call off the wedding?”
“You’re her best friend, so you might as well know.” Adam walked up the steps, eased down next to me on the swing, and waited for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. “Dedra is somehow convinced that I will eventually leave her. She thinks saying good-bye now would be easier. But that’s just not right. I’m quite a bit older than she is, and I know my own mind. It’s not in me to do that. . .to walk away.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I know she’s been hurt a lot, so I can understand how she feels. I’ve known loss too. My wife died four years ago.”
Adam had such a sad expression I wanted yell at Dedra. How could she be desperate to be loved one minute, only to break off a perfect relationship in the next? She was slipping away from all of us. Unless what she told Adam was a lie—just a safe excuse to break off the engagement. Either way, it wasn’t like Dedra to be so cold.
Adam clasped his hands together. “What can I do to convince her I’m not going anywhere?”
I shook my head, still not wanting to believe that Dedra had done anything so impulsive. “I don’t know what to say. I feel uncomfortable discussing this with you. I’m not sure she would want me to. Maybe I should go get her.”
“She won’t talk to me.” Adam sighed and then leaned back on the swing. “She told me not to drive over, but here I am. I love her, Bailey.” His voice choked. “Maybe it’s her illness.”
“You know then.” I shook my head. “Of course you know.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “She thinks it bothers me. It doesn’t. I know we can be happy. But until they can find a cure or a more effective way of controlling it, she’ll have to be faithful with her medicine.” He dabbed at his face and then looked over at me. “Dedra has been taking her medicine. Right?”
