Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 02 - Bogey's Ace in the Hole (21 page)

Chapter Thirty-six

Chris, Wade and Nate descended on Victor like a pack of angry wolves.  If Janet hadn’t arrived when she did, I don’t know what they would have done to him.

The next few minutes were total chaos.  The dogs didn’t know what to think and since they knew Janet, they went right to her,
long tongues hanging out of the sides of their mouths, looking dopey as only a Lab can.  After greeting her and doing a nervous doggie dance, they went back to their cookies. Well, Sherlock gave Victor a perfunctory growl first.

Mikey started to cry, which surprised me because he’d been so brave through the whole
fiasco.  “I did it, Mom, I saved everyone.”

Giving him a bear hug, I said, “That you did, Ace.  You really did save everyone.”

The tears didn’t last long because before he could take another breath the Church Ladies had descended on him with hugs and grandmotherly kisses and God Bless You’s.  I clung to his hand during his moment in the sun because…  Well, because I loved him and he was smart enough to save us all, but mostly because things could have turned out so very differently.  It would have killed me if anything had happened to my precious son.

Janet saw the gun, still held in Victor’s hand, and took it from him before he could react.

“What’s going on here?” she asked.

Victor tried to stand up and
Chris gave him an angry look that caused him to stay where he was.  Wade placed his foot on Victor’s chest, and with a great effort, Nate sat down on his feet.  Nate was no spring chicken, and getting down to floor level was no easy task.

“This is your killer,” Chris said.  “He’s the one who bumped off John Jackson.  They were partners.”

Before he could say any more, everyone started talking at once.

Janet turned to her partner who already had the cuffs out and was heading for Victor.  Janet nodded and her partner cuffed
the killer and turned him over to two uniformed coppers who’d just walked in.  Janet must have called for backup as soon as she heard the gunshot.

In all the excitement I hadn’t even heard the sirens.

“One at a time,” Janet said, loudly, waving her hands at us.  “I can’t understand what’s going on if you all talk at once.”

Mikey, as brave as he was trying to act, had walked over to me and clung to my hand, standing as close as he could.  I patted him on the back and leaned over to say as many soothing words as I could think of, but my mind was in such a dither that it wasn’t all that easy.

Chris held his hand up for silence.  “I’ll fill her in.  Why don’t you all go out to the tables and relax.”

Yeah, like anyone could relax right now.

“I sure could use a glass of wine,” Lila said.

“I think we all could,” Jasmine replied.  “Is it okay, Chris?”

“Sure.  We’ll be out in a minute.  And take Mikey with you.”  He didn’t want our son to hear everything we were going to tell Janet.

“Do I have to, Dad?”

“Yes, Ace, you do.  Some things aren’t meant for a boy to hear.”

Forcing myself to let go of Mikey’s hand, I let
Addie take it and he reluctantly followed the ladies and Nate out to the lounge.

I stood with Chris while he told Janet the whole ugly story, from Addie climbing into the camper all the way to Victor showing up at
Bogey Nights
with a gun.  Wade had stayed behind when the others left.  He had a personal stake in the outcome of Janet’s actions.

“So
this guy wanted to murder his elderly neighbor for an inheritance.  And you’re her nephew?”  She turned to Wade.

“Yes, I am.  Maybe now I can talk some sense into her.  I can’t believe she fell for this guy’s line of crap.”

I glanced at the dogs.  They were both lying on the floor, licking their paws and acting very contented.

“If it hadn’t been for Mikey and the dogs, who knows what might have happened?” I said.  “I’m sure Chris would have figured something out, but thanks to Mikey, Chris didn’t have to take any wild chances.”

“Honestly, babe, that son of ours is crazy like a fox. 
I
never would have thought to use the treats and the dogs to bring that bum down.”

“You ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie
.” I smiled at my husband in agreement.

“Okay,” Janet said.  “I’ll need t
o take formal statements from everyone.  This guy’s going to be charged with murder, and probably attempted murder, and who knows what else?  The D.A. should have a grand time with this one.  This guy was after everyone from his neighbor to all of you.”  She swung her arm around indicating the entire restaurant, apparently figuring that would include all of us.

Janet stopped in the lounge to tell everyone about needing their statements, but said they could come in
to the station the next day.  By that time it was quite early on a Saturday morning, and our little group looked pretty bedraggled.  After all, most of the adults were in their late seventies, and this would have been too much excitement for most people anyway.  Mikey had fallen asleep in the booth with his head leaning on Addie’s arm.

Nate had taken it upon himself to open a bottle of wine and everyone had a wine glass sitting in front of them.

He was sitting next to Lila.  “My dear, you certainly don’t lead a boring life.  Tonight was the most excitement I’ve had since I was in the military.  Is it always like this?”

Lila put her hand on Nate’s arm.  “Oh, no.  Usually our lives are pretty dull. 
You just came along at the right time.”

The
right
time?  I wondered about that.

~*~

Florence and her family reconciled.  The poor woman was shaken to her very core when she found out what Victor had planned for her.  I hoped her family could handle what she was going through mentally because she wanted nothing to do with anyone
except
her family. 

Even the Church Ladies were told to stay away.  However, knowing Jasmine and the rest of the ladies, I
figured they wouldn’t let go.  They’d wheedle and pray and push until Florence let them back in the fold.  I knew in my heart that this would be a good thing.  Wade had taken a liking to the women so I was certain he’d be singing their praises, too.

A month went by and
Bogey Nights
had started opening for lunch.  Nate was working out very well and our patrons loved his cooking.  Between him and Luis, we seemed to be attracting an even bigger crowd.  We’d developed a reputation for outstanding cuisine.  I suppose the notoriety we received because of Victor didn’t hurt either.  People have a natural morbid curiosity and they wanted to see the scene of the
almost
crime.

Donna, the waitress we hired from the diner, was working out well, too.  She seemed to enjoy working in the atmosphere that
Bogey Nights
offered.  She said even though she was working, she felt like she was attending a costume party several times a week.

Lila and Nate continued to see each other, and Lila sang at the restaurant one night a week.  She also sang at church more often, and Nate had decided he liked her and her lifestyle.  He had become a regular
at church on Sunday mornings.

The Church Ladies?  They continued to pray for anything and everyone, and Chris and I developed a soft spot in our hearts for them.  Although Lila spent time with Nate, she didn’t
desert her friends.

Constance, Mikey and I took to sitting in the row just behind the Church Ladies on Sunday mornings.  We liked being close to them, and Constance even developed more tolerance for their pushy ways.

Addie finally went home and began to lose her fear of leaving the house, thanks to her friends.  The Church Ladies wouldn’t let her hang onto her fear.  They prayed and they nagged and they made sure they took her places.

I had to laugh when Addie’s neighbor, Elsie, showed up at church one Sunday.  It just happened to be the same Sunday that the prostitute attended, and they struck up a friendship – kind of like grandmother and granddaughter, and they continued to come to church.  Each one encouraged the other one.

Mikey is nothing, if not resilient.  By the Monday after the incident, he couldn’t wait to get to school to tell everyone about it.  His teacher, Miss All, called to ask if any of what he said was true.  I confirmed his story, and she decided to have him write a paper about what had happened and read it in front of the class, although she insisted he tone it down a bit.  I was very surprised she did that, and even more surprised that Mikey’s paper was well-written.  Maybe my son had an author buried deep inside of him.  Of course, the story was filled with forties slang, which tended to give it a little humor.  At my suggestion he played up the dogs’ part in the whole thing, and played down the gun.

Chris told me he might consider going to church with me when Lila sang again, but
although she’s been like a little canary, that hasn’t happened yet.

The ladies continue to pray for him.  I told him about their prayers
and he just shook his head.

And he laughed.

About the Author

Marja McGraw worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement for several years in California. She eventually relocated to Northern Nevada where she worked in the transportation field.  She also spent time in Oregon where she worked for a County Sheriff’s Office and owned her own business, a Tea Room/Antique Store. Her next stop was Wasilla, Alaska. The draw to Northern Nevada was strong, and she eventually returned.

She wrote a weekly column for a small newspaper in No. Nevada and she was the editor for the Sisters in Crime Internet Newsletter for a year and a half.

Marja has appeared on the morning news in Reno, Nevada, and in Laughlin, Nevada. She’s also been a guest on several radio and Internet radio shows.

Starting with
Mysteries of Holt House, A Mystery,
Marja followed up with
A Well-Kept Family Secret - A Sandi Webster Mystery
and the beginning of the Sandi Webster series
. Bubba’s Ghost, Prudy’s Back!
,
The Bogey Man,
Old Murders Never Die
and
Death Comes in Threes
followed.

Bogey Nights – A Bogey Man Mystery
, the first book in a new series was followed by
Bogey’s Ace in the Hole,
They Call Me Ace
and
Awkward Moments
.

She says that each of her mysteries contains a little humor, a little romance and a little murder, and that her books concentrate on the characters and solving the crime rather than the crime itself.

She has a website at
www.marjamcgraw.com
and a blog at http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/.