The Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries 1-3 (61 page)

Arriving
home used to be such a pleasure.  I had a nice empty four-bedroom ranch house
with a heated pool.  My children, both college age, had abandoned me for higher
education.  Noelle, my eldest, was now in the doctorate program at the
University of Exeter in Devon, England.  My son Alex was in his junior year
juggling an emerging music career and abnormal psychology at Florida State.  I
figured with the antics of his mother and friend Harry, abnormal psychology was
a walk in the park.

My
husband, ex-husband, Luke, who we like to say makes cameo appearances in our
lives, is a corporate pilot and spends most of his life flying rich executives
around the world.  His job even with all its benefits was still all consuming.  He
was on call 24/7, and although it provided a nice income, I missed him.  The
longer we were married, the less I knew about him.  The defection of him from
our marriage shouldn’t have come as a shock to me.  He was less and less there
for me.  He was my man of mystery.

And
one mystery I was pondering as I drove was how my daughter knew about Lucy
Blues.  What I had gathered from the priests was that it was an ordinary blues
bar but had something extra and secret going on upstairs.  They wouldn't
elaborate and neither would Noelle.  It was possible she knew of the place from
her father, or a boyfriend?  Hell, she was a damn fine researcher ,  maybe she
Googled
it.

Now
Harry’s relationship to us has always been difficult to explain.  We met Harry
when he and Alex were in high school.  He was a frequent visitor to our “no
questions asked” guest room.  His family life was a mess so we shared ours with
him, which should have made him more confused than stable but it suited him. 
His father took off when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, leaving him to
nurse her through her final days.  Harry did this without a word to anyone.  We
never knew or we would have been there for him.  Harry and I got reacquainted
when I was suspected of murdering a band member of my community group.  My son
asked him to look after me, and I haven't been able to get rid of him since.

Harry
and Luke got along, and although the divorce angered my friend, he thinks we
are better off not married.  Luke likes Harry.  He is the posh son who always
dresses smart.  Alex's fashion is still a mystery defying classification. 
Harry refers to my son as a pig, and Alex calls him Felix after the neat fussy
character in the Odd Couple.  Harry moved in with us when his lease expired. 
He didn't ask, and I didn't offer, but he took over Noelle's room much to her
disgust.

So,
I didn't have an empty house to come home to, thus pushing the empty nest
syndrome that I was looking forward to on the back burner.  However, I still
didn't want to come home to Michael's Aunt Diane or four commando priests.  I
warily turned into my driveway and pushed the garage door opener.  It worked!  As
it raised, I crossed my fingers and prayed that there would only be one
familiar jeep in the garage.  Yes!  Woo hoo! Just Harry's jeep, parked in
Luke's space.  I would have to have another conversation with Harry about
taking Luke's spot.  It would start a war if Luke came home tired and couldn't
park his car in the garage.  True, Luke shouldn’t be living there at all, but
until he got on his feet and left, I wanted to keep the delicate peace between
us.

I
joyfully entered the house.

"Harry?"
I called as I walked through the house.  I found him in Noelle's room chatting
on the phone. 

He
waved at me as I smiled and closed his door.  “At last peace," I said to
myself.  Please be careful when you tempt fate with three innocent words like
that.  Fate thinks it’s funny to give you the opposite.  While I was rummaging
in the refrigerator, the doorbell rang.  Still holding a jar of gherkins I went
to answer the door.  I looked through the peephole and saw only a neck.  I
turned on the outside light and saw only an illuminated neck.

"Cin,
it’s me, Betty."  The neck sans adams apple jiggled, ah, female.

I
opened the door and hissed, "Are you alone?”

"Yes."

"No
Aunt Diane?"

"No.
I left her in Palm Beach," Betty said with growing irritation in her
voice.

I
opened the door wide and let her in.  "Come on in. I was just making
myself something to eat.  You hungry?"

"A
lady my size is always hungry."  She followed me into the kitchen.

I
pulled every kind of sandwich fixing out of the fridge and added several
different kinds of bread to the counter, and we went about making ourselves
sandwiches that no restaurant would dare put on the menu.

"How
is Michael doing?" I asked, passing her the mayo.

"He
was sleeping when I left him a few minutes ago.  I promised Diane I would check
on him, which was my excuse to come back out here."  She was looking
around the counter and smiled as she found the cheese.  "I just love
Munster.  Where's Harry?"

"Down
the hall on the phone.  I guess I should offer him a sandwich, but it would be
more peaceful if I didn't," my voice faded away in a sigh.

"Ah,
choices," Betty commented.

I
didn't know if she meant the array of food before us, or whether or not to have
Harry join us.  I opted not to disturb Harry, and we took our food into the
dining room to eat in peace.

Betty
looked around and complimented me on the decorating.  I told her it was a
collaboration, and I couldn't take full credit.  Noelle had more say in the
color design than I did.  We had worked our way through most of our food before
Harry made an appearance.  He went over and gave Betty a big hug and started to
help himself to what was left on my plate.

I
smacked his hand, "Get your own.  I left everything out."

"I
will later.  Don't you want to ask me?" Harry said with his hands out.

"Ask
you what?"

He
looked crushed.  "Where the Marx brothers are?"

I
started laughing.  "The Marx brothers.  Yes, I have to confess I was a bit
surprised to see them gone."

Betty
looked up.  "Marx brothers?"

"Father
David and some friends," I said cautiously, not knowing whether Betty
should or did know.

"Oh
them, they’re at the condo," she said.

"I
wanted to tell her," Harry pouted.

"Well,
go on tell her."  Betty waved a sandwich-laden hand at Harry.

"While
you were gone - you were gone a long time by the way.  Anyway, we had a meeting
of the minds and decided that Father Michael would need protection until we
figure out what's going on.  Aunt Diane..."

"She's
not your aunt," I cautioned, looking over at Betty.

"Diane
then, where was I?  Oh, Betty has rented her a four-bedroom condo on the
Intercoastal just across the bridge.  It's on the top floor with a nice roof
garden and has a boat slip.  It has some big advantages that we don't have in
our humble abode."

"Sounds
great, kudos to you-all because, frankly, I didn't know how to tell Luke about
his having to share this home with four priests," I said, picking up a
forkful of potato salad.

"Speaking
of Luke, have you called him yet?"

"Nope,
for three reasons:  One, I don't remember where he is time zone wise.  Two, I
don't know where we are with this investigation - I hope we’re done.  And
three, frankly, I wouldn't know where to start when he asks how my day
was."

"You
use frankly a lot.”  He looked at my irritated face and asked, “Bad day?"

"No,
it was a good, bad, worse, horrible, and a long day." I looked at Betty,
and she nodded an understanding.

Harry
started to knead my shoulders, and I felt some of the tension leave my body.  "You've
had challenging days before.  At least you didn't end up in the hospital, and
you still have both your shoes."

Betty
looked at me.  "What's this about your shoes?"

I
explained that for some reason lately I had been destroying or losing footwear
at an alarming rate.

"Let's
see: one was run over by a train, another by a tractor, and it seems to me
quite a few of them are in forensic files here and there."  I thought a
moment.  "Come to think about it, I nearly lost six pairs in Savannah as
my friend Harry here thought it would be best to put all my right shoes in one
bag and then misplace the left shoe bag."  I looked up at Harry. 
"Did all the shoes return?"

"Yes. 
At least I think so.  I better go look."

I
caught his hand.  "Forget it, relax.  I'll check later."

Harry
went into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich while Betty and I retired to
the comfy sofas in the living room.  I waited until Harry returned to tell them
both about my time at the police station.

"I
think Michael will have to explain some things to Buslowski, but otherwise I
think we're in the clear.  And the diamonds."  I reached in my pocket and
pulled out the bag.  "They’re real, probably family heirlooms.  Whose
family? I really don't know, but I better return them."  I opened the bag
and made sure all was well before attempting to hand them to Betty who shook
her head.

"Give
them to Mikey when he’s settled.  I don't think his aunt knows about them, and
it would be better, I think, if she didn't.  Better for you as you would have
to explain why you took them, and Mikey would have to explain where they came
from."  She smiled weakly.  "And, better for me because I knew all
about it."

"So,
I'm not the only one that fears the wrath of Aunt Diane."  I sat back and
sighed.  "Okay, where are we now?"

"Florida,"
my partner in the absurd piped in.

"Cute,
Harry, cute.  I mean, are we finished?"

"We
found Michael and delivered him.  He wasn't in good shape, but it wasn't our
fault."  Harry rolled his eyes.  "The Fathers are going to take care
of things from here, so I think we’re finished."

"Betty,
do you have anything further?"

"No,
I have a check here from Miss Williams."  She opened her pocketbook and
handed it to Harry.

Harry's
eyes opened wide, and then he handed it to me.  My eyes opened even wider.  I
was about to say that it was too much, but Harry was stepping on my foot, hard.

"Thank
you.  This is very generous."

"You
did good.  Frankly.   Hell, now I’m using it, I figured that the boy had gotten
himself in big trouble, which he did.  But you got him back, and Diane is
joyful.  She still isn't singing your praises though, so I would avoid her at
all costs."

"Hey,
I didn't seek her out this time."  I put my feet up on the coffee table. 
"I can't believe how quickly I got on her bad side."

"Water
under the bridge, and speaking of bridges, I better cross a few and head back
to Palm Beach and keep an eye on things.  Those Marx brothers can be a
handful."

Betty
got up, and Harry walked her out to her rental car and joined me on the porch
to wave to her as she pulled out.  We waited until we were in the house and had
shut the door before we started jumping up and down.

"Nine
thousand dollars!"  Harry shouted, dancing around.

"So
we’re finished?" I asked again.

"I
think so.  The guys said they would only call on us if they had a question that
we would be able to help them with.  So what'll we spend it on?"

"First,
I think I will have to give you a lesson in self employment and taxes."

"I
don't like the sound of that," Harry grumbled.

"It
can wait till tomorrow.  After all, we do need to celebrate.  What should we
do?"

The
ringing of the phone stopped our discussion.  Harry ran to answer it.  It was
Luke, and he was on his way home from the airport.  I don't know how Harry
convinced him, but he agreed to stop and pick up a bottle of champagne.  Harry
ran to the kitchen to make some snacks but took time to remind me that I should
clean up because Daddy was coming home and I looked like hell.

"Now
if we treat this as a partnership..."

"No
more," Harry cried.  "My head is busting.  You’ve taken all the fun
out of detecting."

"You
wanted it to be a business.  I was happy just living off alimony."  I
smiled at my ex-husband who leaned against the door jamb of the den doorway.

"If
we treat this as a windfall, you'll have to pay taxes on the whole amount
but..."

"Argump!"
was all that came out of Harry's mouth before he put a sofa pillow over his
head and tried to smother himself.

"Cin,
I think he’s had enough," Luke said with compassion.  "Let him go and
play.  So what's the take?"

"After
expenses and a two way split, about four thousand and change," I said,
looking at my figures.

He
whistled.  "Nice."

He
had that look of “How about a new grill?” in his eyes.  Men, I have found out,
always know what to do with money.  I believe in rainy day funds, and Luke
feels he needs to spend it before the drops hit the ground.  I could see I wasn't
going to get any help out of his corner.

"Have
you heard from your church buddies today?" Luke asked the pillow-topped
Harry.

The
pillow shook “no,” and once again I felt the pleasure of relief course through
my body.  "No news is good news, I expect."

"I
know that in the past I haven't been that supportive of your activities."

"Let
me jump in here and express that not one 'activity' of the past I wished for or
engineered," I voiced.

"Noted,
but I’m amazed that this is the end of it.  I'm taking a couple of weeks off
till I'm sure this has blown over."

"You? 
You never take time off.  Now I'm worried.  Did you get fired?"

"The
world’s changed.  It's taken a giant step towards the dark side.  Everywhere I
fly there’s tension.  Either it’s the hatred of Americans or the tension of
waiting for the next bad thing.  The economy is bad, and people have lost the
innocence of being safe.  The military is stretched too far and so are our
intelligence units.  I understand why your..."

"Church
buddies," Harry filled in.

"I
understand why they don't want to let go of this.  That bar Harry went to has a
rep of having the best of the best hanging about, chatting about current
events, running scenarios, talking secretly about things that concern this
country.  Between you two and me, I imagine plans have been launched and
unpublicized raids have taken place.  If these four priests are connected with
the others, then they have resources that our local police don't."

Well
that answered the question of where Noelle got her information.  I tried to
relax, but my body was riddled with anxiety.  "Why don't I feel any
better?"  I leaned back in my chair.

"Because
you can't make it go away.  Cheer up, you’ve faced worse things."

"Like
root canals?"

"Like
Manfred, Tobias, Michael Sherborn and Ivana Penny."

"You
forgot Horrible Harry," I reminded him.

"Hey!"
Harry popped out of his self-imposed suffocation.

"Terrorism
is like Harry here.  You can go away and hide, but when you return, he’s still
here.  You think you have everything balanced and calm, but all along he has
been scheming, maneuvering, and he strikes."

"I
get the feeling you guys don't like me."

"Just
trying to make a point,” Luke commented.

"Ouch,
rather a sharp point," Harry pouted.

"Don't
take it personally.  He uses a raptor scenario to explain Noelle and
Alex," I explained.  "Consider it a compliment."

"Have
you thought any more about it?" Luke asked.

"You
mean about why these men, if they’re terrorists, are out at Pahokee?"

"Let's
just assume they are terrorists.  Now, what are their targets?"

"In
Pahokee?  The only thing would be the Lake Okeechobee.  You don't think they
could blow the dikes?"  Harry was sitting upright now.

"Maybe,
but I think that’s too open and too big. Harry, maybe we need to look around a
bit out there."  I looked at him.

"Can't,
too dangerous.  If they’re out at the mill, they know you and I.  And you gave
away my gun," Harry reasoned.

"What
gun?" Luke asked.

"Oh,
just an unregistered firearm that Harry brought back from Savannah as a
souvenir," I replied casually.  "I made him give it back."

Luke
glared at Harry, and Harry just smiled.  "But maybe we could look around
from a safer altitude?"

"Ah,
I see where you're going with this.  But who would Harry and I get to fly the
plane?"  I said in my best Betty Boop impression.  "I think I know
someone, handsome and dashing."

"Oh,
please, I'm going to be ill." Harry hung his head between his knees.

"Please
don't be ill on the plane or I'll have to throw you out," Luke cautioned.

At
that moment something struck a chord - I think a B minor chord.  Anyway, I
forced myself to listen to the two of them squabble.

"Well,
I better have a parachute."

"That's
it!" I shouted.  "I’ve got a big hunch here."

"What
about lunch?" Harry brightened.

"No,
not lunch, hunch," I said exasperated.

"Go
on, we're listening," Luke encouraged.

"What's
out in Pahokee besides sugar cane and fish camps?"  I waited, but no one
replied.  "Come on, Luke."

"An
airport, too small for a target though.  Hell, there are only some trainers out
there and..."

"A
jump school!" Harry shouted.

"Right,
let's say that somehow these guys got airborne.  What would stop them from
venturing towards other targets?"

"They
only jump out there but..." Luke started.

"This
weekend is an air show," I pointed out, "in downtown West Palm Beach,
right along Flagler Boulevard, thousands of people."

"But
they would have to be entered.  They wouldn't pass the screening," Luke
protested.

"Unless
they were taking someone else's place.  Harry, you better call the Marx
brothers and have them look into who is sanctioned.  Meanwhile, I think it is
lovely weather for a flight."  I held out my hand to my handsome pilot
ex-husband.  He took it, and we left the room arm in arm, ignoring the retching
sounds from the couch.