Lethal Lasagna (16 page)

Gloria would know.

I hurried inside and grabbed up the phone. She answered on the second ring. Before I lost my nerve I blurted. “I just asked Brandon to the movies.”

She yawned. “Good for you.”

“Were you taking a nap?” I asked, twisting the cord around my finger.

“Yeah.” Another yawn filled the line. Either she was very sleepy or just wanted me to shut up and leave her alone.

“What do I wear?” I figured if I got straight to the point, I could let her go sooner.

“I don’t know, but I’d wear a pair of blue jeans, pretty top, and shoes to match the blouse.”

“What color of blouse?”

“Any color, just chose something he hasn’t seen you in before.”

Mentally I ran through my closet. Most of my shirts were pink or blue. I didn’t think blue on blue would look very good. And Brandon might be sick of seeing me in pink. Maybe I should go shopping.

“Is that all, Claire? I’d like to finish my nap.”

I’d forgotten all about her. “I’m sorry. Thanks. Enjoy your rest.”

She hung up.

The thought of running to the store for a new top brought a smile to my face. Why not? I hadn’t been shopping in a while. I grabbed my pocketbook and hurried out the door before I could talk myself out of it.

****

Don’t ask me how it happened. One moment I was trying on clothes, and the next I was sitting in a salon having my hair cut and colored.

“You know. I could add a body perm and it would liven up your naturally curly hair.” The lady said as she unclipped the cape from around my shoulders.

My reflection said the cut and color had livened my natural curls enough. Now my hair barely touched my shoulders. It felt and looked light and silky. “Not enough time today, but thanks anyway.” I laid a tip on her table and then headed to the front to pay the bill.

Butterflies took up permanent residence in my stomach, as I neared the house. A new magenta top rested in the bag on the seat beside me. Magenta is not pink, I had told myself in the store; now I wasn’t so sure. But the blouse is pretty and feminine looking. And the best part is, it will match my black jeans and boots.

Sprocket barked hello as I pulled into the drive. I noted that Sara’s truck wasn’t sitting in her garage. Most people would think I was nuts for showing the dog my new hairstyle and clothes, but I didn’t care. After opening the bag and letting Sprocket inspect my new purchases, I headed inside.

My bedroom smelled fresh and the sun shone through the window—the same window the police said the person who’d vandalized my house had crawled through. I pushed away that thought and focused on the movie date instead.

I pulled a pair of black jeans from the closet and then got the shirt out of its bag and laid it over the top of the jeans. And then I found the only pair of black boots I had and laid them on the floor, as if they were attached to the legs of the jeans. “Yuck.”

They just didn’t go with the outfit. I picked them up and tossed them back inside the closet. Crawling around on the floor, I looked for something that might match the top. After several moments of this, I found a pair of penny loafers in the back.

I dragged them out and dusted them off. Once more the empty jeans had shoes planted at the bottom on the floor. Taking the tags off the blouse, I smiled. A date. A real date. With Brandon.

Why had I fought it for so long? I sat down on the edge of the bed as the answer came to me. Because falling in love again would seem untrue to the marriage and love I’d shared with Frank.

“I still love him, Lord. But, I believe You brought Brandon into my life for a reason, and I don’t think You would allow me to have these feelings of love, if it weren’t Your will.” I sat quietly and waited to see what the Lord had to say. The room remained quiet but a peace washed over me. It was as if the Lord Himself hugged me with assurance that falling in love with Brandon was the right thing to do. “Thanks, Lord. I love You.”

****

While waiting for Brandon, I munched on a cookie. To take my thoughts off our date, I pulled out the notebook we’d been working on with the webbing system of searching out suspects.

Since we knew that Fred was the author of the short story at Mitzi’s I marked out the other two ladies names. What was his motive for killing Mitzi? She wrote better than he did? I doubted it. His story had been very intriguing. But then again, writers can be their own worst critics.

Then there was still Darlene. Jealousy was a strong motivator. Hadn’t I over-reacted to Susan’s attentions to Brandon? And we weren’t even dating yet.

My pen moved to Sadie’s name. Upon reflection, I’d come to the conclusion she was just a gossip. I marked her name off the paper.

Karen and Jack’s names branched off the circle that was labeled Creative Writing Group. After the confrontation I’d had with them in class, they moved to the top of the list.

As I studied the list I wondered, who would break into my house and put dead rats and one bloody, gooey chicken in the bedroom? Were Karen and Jack capable of such a thing? I believed they were.

Rats? Where had someone gotten the horrible vermin? I wrote the word, “rats” on the paper. Something flickered in my mind, but I couldn’t quite get a grasp on it. Think Claire, what is it? I closed my eyes in hopes of a clearer mental image.

A knock on the front door broke my concentration. I took a deep breath, pushed away the pad and pen, and then answered the knock.

“Wow. You look great.” Brandon entered the living room.

Heat filled my cheeks. “Thanks. Shall we go?”

I had thought the movie would be uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. The only time I’d felt uneasy was when Karen and Jack had entered the theater. They’d both looked at us for several long moments before moving further down the row and back two. After awhile I’d forgotten all about them as we ate popcorn and enjoyed the film.

It wasn’t until the ride home that I remembered they’d been at the theater, too. The way they looked at us, I felt sure they knew we were going to be there. I shook the thought off. That was impossible. This investigation was getting the best of me. As we walked up the drive to the house, I realized there was no way they could have known about our date.

Standing in front of the screen door that leads to the living room, Brandon kissed me gently on the lips. I laid my hands on his shoulder and returned the kiss. All thoughts of Karen and Jack fled.

“I’m glad you asked me out.” He said, resting his forehead on mine.

I pulled away. “Me, too.”

“Good night.”

“Night.” I closed the door and listened. He walked across the porch. It felt good knowing he was still there, guarding me.

****

Sunday morning I woke up feeling horrible. My head hurt and my stomach felt a little queasy. I dressed in a jogging suit for comfort’s sake and then in socked feet, I made breakfast.

Brandon and I had fallen into a comfortable arrangement. He enjoyed oatmeal so I tried to make it for him Sunday mornings. While it finished cooking, I made toast.

His knock sounded on the front screen. I walked to the door and let him in. “Good Morning, Beautiful.” He smiled as he came inside.

Even though my head hurt, I appreciated the compliment. “Good morning.” I led the way back to the kitchen. Sunshine filtered through the curtains.

“Something wrong this morning?” he asked, walking to the coffee pot and turning it on.

I got down a mug and handed it to him. “I just don’t feel very well today.”

“Then you sit down, and I’ll finish this.”

Within minutes he had the cereal, toast, and coffee on the table. I bowed my head for grace. Closing my eyes against the sunny kitchen felt good.

“Amen.” His warm voice forced my eyes open.

“Amen.” I echoed softly. The bowl he sat in front of me wafted up the scent of oatmeal. My stomach flipped unhappily. I pushed the dish away.

“Not hungry?” He asked buttering a slice of bread.

I wrinkled my nose. “My stomach says I should pass on the cereal this morning,” I answered, reaching for a dry piece of toast.

“Do you have a fever?” He reached out with a cool palm and felt my forehead. “You feel a little warm to me.”

“I’ll take my temperature here in a little while.” I nibbled at the toast and sipped the hot coffee.

He nodded and then finished eating. “Should I make your excuses this morning at Sunday school?”

“If you don’t mind. I just don’t feel like getting out this morning.”

Brandon pushed his chair back and began to clear the table. “Okay, I’ll tell them. Do you think you’re going to be all right? I promised my friend, Rodney I’d have lunch today with him and his wife, Kim. Then we’d planned on fishing this afternoon. I’d planned on asking you, but now that you are sick, I can cancel.”

I stood and hugged him. “Go have fun at church and with your friends. I’ll be fine. I’m going to take some aspirin. I’ll be fit as a frog on a log in no time.”

He returned the hug and kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll call after church. If you aren’t feeling any better, I’m coming home.”

My heart swelled at the sweetness of his offer. What had I done to deserve such a wonderful man? “Okay.”

He released me and left. I finished loading the dishwasher and ran it. Then I went to the living room and picked up the book I’d been reading. After several minutes, I realized I couldn’t stay focused on the words.

I found the thermometer and took my temp. The red line stopped at ninety-nine point eight. I remembered I hadn’t taken the aspirin and so went into the kitchen to get it. Light reflected off the silver birdcage that Brandon had converted into a bird feeder and hung in the window the day before.

Again, I had a flash of memory but not enough to wrap my mind around. After getting the aspirin, I went back to the couch and laid down. I must have fallen asleep because the ringing of the phone woke me.

“Claire, this is Jake.” His voice sounded winded as if he were afraid I might hang up at any moment.

I sat up and pulled my legs under me. I hadn’t expected Mitzi’s son to be calling but was pleasantly surprised. “Hello, Jake.”

“You sound funny. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Concern filled his voice.

“No, I was asleep. I think I’m coming down with a pre-fall cold. What can I do for you this morning, Jake?” My throat felt like someone had sanded it with rough paper.

“Honestly, I feel silly for calling. It’s okay if you have it, but I was just wondering ...” he paused.

The kid was making no sense. “Wondering about what?”

“I’m kind of embarrassed to ask.”

I sighed. “Come on Jake, spit it out.”

“Well, I was going through the box of figurines that came from Mom’s apartment and I can’t find one of them.” He paused. “And, I was wondering if you saw it or maybe packed it in a different box.”

At this rate I’d be on the phone all day with the boy. “Which one was it?” I hoped my impatience wasn’t evident in my tone.

“It’s a little crystal pig. I won it for Mom several years ago at one of those traveling carnivals, but it doesn’t seem to be here.”

I sat up straighter. “A pig?”

A nervous laugh drifted across the lines. “Yeah, it’s silly, but Mom swore she loved it. So I worked that crane machine until I finally got it for her. It took me three nights and about thirty dollars in quarters. I gave it to her for her birthday. I was sixteen but I’ll never forget that look of happiness.”

My mind raced. Had I seen the little pig? No. “I’m sorry, Jake, but no, I haven’t seen it.”

Disappointment filled his voice. “Oh, okay. I’ll let you go. Thanks Claire. I hope you get to feeling better.”

I hung the phone up and went to the kitchen. A thought gnawed at me. My gaze traveled past the silver birdcage and across the drive to Sara’s house. “Surely, I can’t be right.” But there was only one way to find out.

I filled a glass with water and took several sips. Lying down might not have been the best thing for me to do. Now I ached all over. A glance at the clock on the microwave confirmed I’d slept away the morning. It was now twelve-thirty. My head hurt even more than it had this morning.

The phone rang again. I sighed but went to answer it. Jake may have forgotten something or had another question about his mother’s things.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Claire. How you feeling?” Brandon asked.

I didn’t want to worry him so I made my scratchy voice sound as light as possible. “I’m doing okay. How were services?”

“They were good, but you sound awful. I’m coming home.”

If I wanted to do what I thought I wanted to do, I didn’t want Brandon to come home. He would definitely not approve. And, I wasn’t sure my suspicions were correct. “No, go have fun with Rodney. I’m taking some more aspirin and going to lay down for a nap.”

He paused. “Are you sure?”

“Very. All you would be able to do is watch me sleep. Plus, I’ll feel even worse if you don’t go have some fun. You’ve been babysitting me too much lately.” I twisted the cord around my hand and sent up a silent prayer that he’d listen to me.

A deep warm laugh traveled through the lines. “Okay, I’ll go, but if you need anything, call my cell phone.”

I agreed and we hung up. I got dressed and grabbed my jacket. Then I pulled Sprocket’s leash from its peg and headed out the front door.

Walking the dog was the last thing on my mind. Snooping over at Sara’s house, that was the real reason behind the leash. With the way I was feeling, hopefully I wouldn’t have to walk him any further than across the driveway to her house. How I’d get inside would be the next bridge I’d have to cross.

My gaze moved to Sara’s house. Her pickup sat in the driveway. Rats! I’d been hoping she’d already left to have lunch with her mother.

Sprocket barked and bumped my leg with his head. I laughed nervously. “Okay, boy. We’re going for a short walk.” Heat consumed me. My fever had picked up.

The dog was happy to walk around the block. I realized I’d neglected him since I’d taken on investigating Mitzi’s death. My thoughts turned to the crystal pig and the saltshaker set I’d given her that had disappeared.