Waiting and Watching (9 page)

Connie slowly and clearly told the entire story of her night of terror with Martin to Sgt. Reynolds, Julio, Andrew, and Mr. Lookey. They listened, first in amazement and then in anger. Reynolds listened closely and took thorough notes. He explained that he would question Martin and Nola that night and file a police report, but if Martin was to be arrested, Connie would need to press charges. Connie said she wasn't sure she could do that because of her family history with Nola and Martin. Reynolds said he hoped she would reconsider. “It's obvious where this would have led,” he told her, “had his mother not interrupted. He definitely sounds dangerous. At least get a restraining order against him.”

Connie shook her head. “I can't do that to Nola. He's her only child.”

“This is no time to feel badly about Nola,” Julio said. “My God, he had a knife and intended to use it on you!”

“Julio's right, Connie,” Mr. Lookey added in a tender but resounding voice. “You shouldn't give a rat's ass what that old biddy thinks? If you ask me, she's short a few spoons in her own drawer. She's a prejudiced gossip and a lousy neighbor. It's no wonder that son of hers is so whacked out.”

“I know, Mr. Lookey, but she's always been good to me, and Martin is all she has in this world.”

“Nice try, but you're not going to soften me up where Nola Perkins is concerned.”

“So, I guess that means you never thought about hooking up with the only available widow in the neighborhood?” Julio said with a wicked grin.

Earl gave Julio a look of such horror, it actually lightened the atmosphere and made everyone laugh. He then put his hand over his mouth, leaned over to Julio and whispered, “I wouldn't wag her with your weenie, son.”

Julio grinned at him, but said nothing.

“Mr. Lookey, you were close to my parents. Do you think my father was unfaithful to my mother?” Connie asked.

“Oh, don't believe what that idiot Martin told you,” Earl said.

“I don't, but there has to be a reason why Mom and Dad were murdered. It might help explain what happened if I just had the answer to that question. Could there be anyone who maybe held a grudge of some kind with Dad?”

“I honestly don't think so,” Earl said as he thoughtfully scratched his gray-white sideburn.

Reynolds didn't want to upset Connie any more than she already was, but he felt he needed to ask if Martin said anything to incriminate himself in the murder of her parents. Connie repeated Martin's statement that he couldn't take credit for the murders, but that the murderer did the community a favor.

Reynolds wanted Connie to get checked out at the hospital, but she was reluctant. “He didn't rape me, Sergeant. All I came away with was some bruises. Nothing's broken, and I'm not bleeding anywhere.”

However, the sergeant insisted, considering what she had been through, so she capitulated.

Connie was given a sedative and then examined by the doctor. He noticed strange marks on Connie's thighs and breasts. He asked if she remembered how she had gotten them, and she didn't know. “It had to have happened,” she said, “during the time I was on the bed. I may have passed out.” She remembered waking up and seeing Martin bent over her with that menacing vulture sitting on his shoulder, flapping its black wings.

She agreed with the doctor that her injuries looked like peck marks done by the vulture. He put Connie on intravenous antibiotics to fight any possible infection the suspicious marks might cause, and kept her for the night.

Once the doctor completed his exam and she was taken from emergency to her room, Julio and Andrew were allowed in to visit. Connie was relaxed as the medication had taken effect and she'd begun to doze off. Refusing to leave her alone, Julio and Andrew decided to spend the night in her hospital room. There was only one well-worn leather chair in the corner, so Julio went in search of another one, with the intention of charming one of the nurses into getting them some pillows and blankets.

The next morning Connie woke up to the concerned stares of Julio, Andrew and Lily. It's good to be loved, she thought as she relieved everyone's anxiety with a big smile. In spite of the wretched events of the previous evening, Connie's spirits were high.

She insisted the guys go back to the hotel to get some sleep. “They won't release me until the doctor makes his rounds, and the nurse said he had two emergencies this morning so I don't think I'm going anywhere for the next few hours. If the doctor does come in early, maybe Lily could drive me back to the Inn. Lily quickly volunteered to stay with Connie until she was released or the guys returned.

Connie liked Lily and felt comfortable in her presence. Without the guys around, the two girls enjoyed some old-fashioned girl talk. Lily admitted to Connie that she used to watch her cheerleading at football games, envying her confidence and popularity. She said she hung out under the bleachers with the misfits, but always watched Connie, wondering what her life was like. “I thought it must really be great compared to mine.” She reminisced about watching Connie and Andrew hanging out together after the games. Andrew was the star quarterback and so handsome. “You were his beautiful cheerleader girlfriend. In my eyes,” she admitted, “you were the ideal of everything I wanted.”

“I had my problems too, Lily. I was in love with a black boy and most people weren't very accepting of interracial couples in that day and age. It was hard sometimes.” What more could she say to Lily than that?

Eventually the conversation turned to the frightening events of Saturday night. Lily talked in depth about her psychic powers and her phone call to Julio. She knew Connie was in trouble. Visions of Connie in a bedroom frightened and sobbing kept appearing to Lily. “I couldn't relax as the visions kept getting stronger. I finally decided the only way I could get any peace of mind was to call Julio. I figured he would still be up since I saw him leave alone at the end of the party.”

“Why Lily, I didn't know you were there last night. I didn't see you, but I bet Julio did.”

“No, Julio didn't know I was there either. I didn't want to intrude as you both were having so much fun.”

“But Julio enjoyed dancing with you Friday night. I think you were being silly. Both of us would have enjoyed your company. I can't believe we didn't see you. I'm so sorry. I wouldn't want you to think we were ignoring you. I'd feel terrible if you thought that.”

“Connie, I wasn't a guest at the reunion and you probably saw me, but didn't recognize me. I worked with the catering staff, mostly in the kitchen. It's how I make extra money. Besides, it was fun watching the two most beautiful people at the reunion while incognito. No one recognizes me when I put on a chef's jacket, pull my hair up and cover it with a white cap.”

Connie reached up and gave Lily a big hug. “Well, thank you for your consideration and you are a doll for cheering me up in this dreary hospital. Reuniting with Andrew and meeting you have made this trip to Cincy a positive memory.”

“You're not planning on leaving town yet, are you?” Lily asked with lots of anxiety in her voice.

“Actually, I am hoping to stay longer and to ask Julio and Andrew to stay, too. I think my assistant can handle our events by herself, but Julio and Andrew have such demanding jobs that I doubt whether they can take more days off from work.”

“I have this feeling that in time we could become real soul mates, Connie. I feel such a positive connection to you.”

“Are you sure, Lily, it's me you want the connection with?” They both laughed.

Changing the subject, Connie wanted to know more about Lily and her psychic abilities—when and how they began for starters.

“Well,” Lily said, “everyone has the ability, but most people choose to ignore it because it scares them. I think I had it from birth, because even when very young, I was often surprised that I wasn't surprised. When something unusual or eventful happened, it was always like, ‘Yeah, I knew that was going to happen.' But my powers strengthened right after my mother died.

“I never knew my Dad. Mom wouldn't talk about him. I would ask, of course, and she would only say he left when I was young. So it was just Mom and me. She was a beautician and worked long hours, but there was never enough money. I started working at the salon when I was twelve by helping out whenever I could. The owner couldn't give me a salary because I was definitely under age, but she slipped me cash and that helped. I never minded being poor. The hard part was that Mom was always so sad. I know she missed my father, and I truly believe she loved him until the day she died.

“Anyway, Mom didn't do such a bad job of raising me. We had some good times and I think I turned out okay.” Lily laughed, but Connie wasn't convinced that there were many good times. “I missed Mom so much when she died that I tried communicating with her spirit. I began reading books on channeling and eventually Mom began communicating back.”

Just then there was a knock on the hospital room door, and Mr. Lookey peeked into Connie's room. He was all dressed up in a suit, with a red bow-tie perilously perched beneath his chin and his hair neatly slicked down. Connie wasn't sure she recognized him; he looked so different all dressed up.

Earl, who was usually impervious to others' feelings, actually noticed Connie's slight hesitation in addressing him and quickly introduced himself to Lily. Sitting himself down in the vacant chair next to Connie's bed, it was now his turn to look embarrassed as he wondered what to say to these two attractive young ladies.

Connie broke the ice and again thanked him for his help last night. “If you hadn't let me in, I don't know what I would have done. It must have been unnerving to find a complete stranger sprawled out on your front porch in the middle of the night. You were so brave and so kind. I'm sorry we had to meet again under such horrid conditions.”

Earl actually felt a blush heat his cheeks under the barrage of compliments Connie was heaping on him. “Just glad you're alright, Constance.” He leaned over the bed to pat Connie on the hand. Feeling quite uncomfortable with his gesture of compassion, he stiffened up and in his typically harsh voice said, “I wanted to bring my old dog Sniff in to see you, but the damn nurses made me put him in the car. Damn nurses always telling everyone what to do, just like that nosey Nola. Do you think the cops caught her son last night? I always knew that kid was crazy as a loon. Do you still think he didn't have anything to do with your parents' murders?”

“I don't think he did. Can you believe I actually had the nerve to ask him that last night? He was so weird and scary I think he would have bragged about it if he had. He said he couldn't take credit for that, but whoever did was doing the neighborhood a big favor. He ranted on that my Mother was a bleeding heart liberal involved so much in helping people she didn't notice her own husband was cheating on her. He said lots of hateful things. I never knew how much Martin hated my family. I need to let Joe Reynolds know today if I'm going to press charges. I know I should, but I don't think I can do it.”

Earl looked Connie right in the eye to say, “This is no time to feel badly about Nola. There's no telling what Martin might have done to you or what he might do to other people in the future. I think Nola is probably the reason that son of hers is such a whack job.”

Julio and Andrew walked into the room laughing, “Could we be talking about our lovely neighbor Nola Perkins?” Julio jested.

Connie grinned and just nodded her head in acquiescence. Julio would never see Nola as anything but a bigot. Earl stood up and shook hands with both men.

“Hey, Mr. Lookey,” Julio said, “thanks for helping Constance last night. I think now is the time for me to apologize for any misdemeanors I committed on your property as a kid. I hate to admit that most of the toilet paper you pulled out of your trees probably came from our house.”

Earl laughed. “Well, I guess we're even, Julio. Remember the year you found a piece of coal in your Christmas stocking? I slipped it in at your Mom and Dad's annual Christmas Eve party. Just wanted you to know that your misdeeds weren't going unnoticed.”

“Oh, shit!” Julio laughed. “I remember that. After pulling out the candy canes and oranges, this one lump of coal came rolling out of my stocking. I hid it quickly because I didn't want Mom and Dad to know that Santa's elves had seen me pulling pranks. I was on my best behavior after that for, well, at least for a week.”

Connie laughed and said in a mockingly serious tone, “Well as long as it's true confession time, Mr. Lookey, I recall some shopping trips to Kmart with you where you treated yourself to a ‘Five Finger Discount.' You especially liked the plants they sold in the parking lot.”

“Well, I might have taken a little something from time to time, but I usually ended up paying for it.”

“How's that?” Connie asked.

“Well, the next time I would go to checkout at Kmart, the Manager would come up and say, ‘Why don't we add a couple of plants to your tab today, Mr. Lookey?' I never argued with him.” Mr. Lookey glanced over at Julio. “I guess the elves were watching me, too.” Everyone laughed.

Turning serious, Connie said. “Since we're on the subject of misbehavior, Mr. Lookey, have you given any thought to someone our father might have been unfaithful with? What if Dad really was seeing someone? It could explain what happened.”

“I honestly don't think so,” Mr. Lookey said. “The only strange and unpleasant event I remember is your mother having a fight with some real estate agent. That was very unusual for your mother. I don't ever recall her being angry with anyone else—not even you, Julio—in your worst mischievous stage. I wish I could remember her name. My memory isn't as good as it used to be, but maybe it will come to me later.”