Chapter 12 #2
Bernadine, Lily, and Sheila spent the rest of the day on the phone and online trying to find a way to either donate the thing or destroy it.
Of course, no one wanted it, and the local landfill people simply laughed before hanging up.
Trent and construction boss Kelly called around for an industrial-size crane to at least move the thing off Main Street to a spot less visible, but there weren’t any available for hire until the end of the upcoming week.
“I like your idea of the dynamite or the plastic explosives,” Mal told her over dinner at his place that evening. “Just blow the sucker up and call it a day.”
“Don’t think I haven’t considered it. Barrett told me the government frowns on private citizens owning plastic explosives, though, and ordering a bunch of dynamite might get us a visit from Homeland Security.”
“Which is not what we want.”
“No, we don’t. I hate Riley so much. That damn statue is going to give me nightmares.”
He smiled. “We’ll get it figured out, babe. At least we have Genevieve to thank for getting Riley out of our hair for the time being.”
“What do you mean?”
“She called Lyman Proctor about Riley being back in town, and he called Will. She said the warrant for his arrest has been in the system since February, but he wasn’t picked up because no one knew where he was.”
“Apparently in Texas at some point. I wonder if the piglet will be sent back to Eustacia?”
He shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Did he make bail?”
“Not yet as far as I know. Bing won’t help, but Clay probably will when he gets back from his trip with Myra. He’s the only real friend Riley has here.”
“Where’d they go?”
“To visit one of her cousins in Topeka. They should be back sometime tomorrow.” He paused and studied her. “Do you still want to have the fish fry this weekend?”
“Yes. Maybe it’ll help me let go of some of this anger. I want to shake Riley until his head pops off and rolls around in the street.”
“Okay. I’ll let everyone know we’re still on.”
“Did you invite Tamar?”
“I did. Sent her a text. Got no response, though. If she doesn’t show, I’ll drive over afterward and see if we can’t get this whole Aaron thing ironed out. I don’t like it when she’s unhappy, and something tells me she still is.”
“You’re a good son.”
“Doing my best.”
“And you’re an excellent husband, if I haven’t told you today.”
“Doing my best with that too. Happy wife. Happy life.”
“Wifey has no complaints. None.”
“Good to hear.”
UP IN HENRY Adams Heaven, the Three Spinsters were also unamused.
Rachel said, “Can they find one of the old dugouts and just bury Riley inside?”
Daisy agreed. “Poor Bernadine. That awful statue looks like it was made by a bunch of drunk ground squirrels. Did you see the ears?”
Lucretia, who’d empathized with Riley in the past due to his poverty-stricken childhood, was as outdone as her friends. “How dare they leave that awful hog near our beautiful restaurant. No one should have to enjoy a meal with that atrocity in view. The piglet was cute, though, I must admit.”
“Stolen piglet, Cretia. Eustacia is probably furious.”
“But we don’t know the circumstances.”
Daisy said, “They don’t issue arrest warrants for simple circumstances, and we do know the check he wrote to Franklin bounced like a rubber ball. I hope they lock him up long enough for him to learn his lesson.”
“They probably won’t,” Rachel said sadly. “He’ll get a slap on the wrist and go back to flimflamming folks.”
“Maybe we’ll be wrong.”
“Maybe.”
But none of them believed it.
AFTER WATCHING THE news coverage of Riley’s latest fiasco, Tamar turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch.
No one got on her last nerve like Riley Curry.
No one. She was still angry about Trent being arrested and handcuffed in front of the entire town a few years ago when Riley stole his identity to buy a car.
He’d offered no apologies nor shown any remorse.
Now, Henry Adams was forced to endure the presence of his ugly hog statue.
She hoped Bernadine and Sheila had it towed to the dump, because that’s where it belonged.
The doorbell rang. She went to answer it and smiled at the sight of Trent standing on the porch.
She opened the door, and when he stepped inside, they shared an affectionate hug.
It had been a few days since they’d seen each other.
“How are you?” he asked as they parted and he took a seat on the couch.
“Doing good. How about you?”
“I’m good. I came by to check on you, and to see if you’ve picked out a time for Devon’s quest.”
“I haven’t because at this point, he doesn’t need me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about all he’s gone through this last month or so.”
“He’s dealt with a lot.”
“And he’s come through the other side a different boy. It’s as if Life decided to lead him along the path in its own way. It didn’t need me.”
“I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. That’s interesting.”
“The wig. How he deals with his friends. How he carries himself now as opposed to how he did before. All different.”
“And different in a good way.”
“Exactly.”
“But he’s still going to want to do what he considers his quest.”
“I know. Have you shared your journey with him?”
“No, and I’m pretty sure Dad and Amari haven’t either.”
“Good, then he won’t have anything to compare his quest to. He and I can hang out, talk, and do things, but he doesn’t need me to guide him the way I did with you and Mal and Amari.”
“Zoey let him back into the band too. Apparently, he wrote her a different letter than the one everyone else received. It must’ve impressed her.”
“Zoey has a big heart, even when she’s mad. Glad they’re on the same page again.”
“So am I.”
“I’ll call him and set up a date for us to get together. I know how important this is to him.”
“Okay, thanks. Are you going to Dad’s fish fry? I can swing by and pick you up if you don’t want to drive.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just hang here.”
He studied her. “Are you feeling okay?”
“No better or worse than usual.” Her heart had been jumping around a bit more than usual, but as always, she kept it to herself.
“The boys would love to see you.”
“I’ll see them at church on Sunday.”
He quieted again before asking, “You avoiding Dad?”
She didn’t reply.
“The answer must be yes. Which means you’re still upset about him and Aaron.”
“Can I just spend my day the way I want without getting the third degree?”
“If your reason held water, yes, but it doesn’t. You’ve never turned down going to a fish fry invite since I’ve known you.”
She smiled at that.
“You really need to let this Aaron thing go.”
That didn’t make her smile. “Let me run my life.”
“So you can continue to break Dad’s heart?”
“What? Did he tell you I didn’t let him call me Mom?”
“No, but Marie did. Dad has never said an unkind word about you ever. Well, maybe that time you shot the lights out at the Dog when Uncle Thad and the Oklahoma clan came for my wedding but other than that, never.” He continued, “And speaking of clans, since when did the Julys start putting up barriers about who’s family and who’s not? ”
“What do you mean?”
“I consider Aaron to be my uncle whether you want me to or not because he shares blood with my dad, just like First Tamar considered Diego and Shafts her sons even though she wasn’t their mom.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t reply.
“Just because you say it’s not, doesn’t make it so, Tamar. Your beef is with Joel Newton, not Aaron, and Joel is dead. You can’t wage war against a dead man.”
“Are you trying to make me mad?”
“No. Just trying to get you to see that you’re bringing drama that isn’t necessary and it’s hurting the bond between two of the people I love the most. You and Dad.”
From the look on her face, he must’ve surmised that she wasn’t buying what he was trying to sell, so he got to his feet. “I love you. And if you change your mind about the fish fry let me know. Have a good night.”
He left, and she remained seated until the sound of his truck’s engine faded away.
Alone again, she stood and walked to the kitchen and stepped out onto the back porch.
It was dark, breezy, and the moon had risen.
Over the night songs of the insects, she heard the distinctive hoots of an owl.
Turning to the shed, she saw the familiar feathered figure posed on it in the moonlight.
It hooted again, but not wanting to buy whatever it was selling, either, she ignored it.
After deciding not to think about the futility of waging war against a dead man, she walked back inside.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Bernadine came downstairs to have breakfast with Mal. She expected him to be still in his pajamas but instead saw that he was fully dressed.
“Morning, doll. We’ll probably have to take a rain check on the fish fry today.”
“Why?”
“Got a text from Bing a little while ago. He and I have to make a run to Topeka to pick up Clay.”
That surprised her. “Is he okay?”
“No. He’s in one of the hospitals. According to the doctors, looks like he was given one of those date rape drugs. A maid at the hotel where he was staying came to clean his room and found him passed out on the floor. She called 911.”
“What? Where’s Myra?”
“Good question. She’s disappeared along with his wallet, his keys, and his car.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God!”
“I know. I have to go pick up Bing. I’ll fill you in on what I learn later. Okay?”
“Okay. Go, go. Keep me posted when you can.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.
Bernadine dropped into a chair, speechless.
It was almost dark when Mal returned. As he came in the door, she asked, “How’s Clay?”
“Home. Has a bad headache, but the doctors say he’ll be okay sooner than later.”
“Did they find Myra?”
He shook his head. “The police had him look through some perp books, but none of the photos looked like Myra or whatever her real name is.”
“This is crazy.”
“Tell me about it. She took his phone, too, so the police helped him touch base with his credit card companies, and he’s had all his cards turned off. Who knows how much she spent before that.”
“Is her son with her?”
“No one knows. Clay couldn’t tell them where the cousins lived because he doesn’t know Topeka well enough to remember where they went. She gave him the directions to get there, so he didn’t use his GPS.”
“Poor Clay. I feel sorry for him.”
“Me too. He has to set up new accounts with his bank and lock down his credit. Just a whole slew of things to do. But he did file a police report, so finding her is now in their hands.”
“I hope they catch her quickly.”
“So do I. Police said he’s probably not her first victim and that there are people who do this for a living.”
“Tell Clay if there’s anything I can do to help to let me know.”
“I will. How was your day?”
“Spent it worrying about Clay. But glad to know that physically he’ll be fine, even if righting his accounts will probably be a nightmare.”
“I don’t envy him that, for sure. Oh, and Bing received a collect call from Riley wanting to know when someone is coming to bail him out.”
“And Bing told him . . . ?”
“Clay had his identity stolen and has no access to his bank account.”
“He won over a million dollars in the lotto. Why can’t he make his own bail?”
“Knowing Riley, he’s probably broke or just doesn’t want to tap into his own funds. Either way, he’s going to be chilling in the county jail for a while if he’s counting on Clay.”
“Good. Have you eaten?”
“We picked up something on the way home. All I want to do is watch the game and cuddle with my wife. I’ve had about all the adventure one man can handle for a day.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. You know I’m not a big baseball fan. Do you mind if I read while you watch?”
“As long as I get a kiss at the end of each inning.”
She laughed. “You are such a mess.”
“And I love your kisses like I love breathing.”
Dazzled by him as always, she went to get her book.