A Date With Fate (47 page)

“You know it’s not Mexican food, right?” I teased, slipping my arm through hers. As she laughed and shook her fist, I motioned to Luke. “Come on, let’s go eat. I need me some vittles!”

Within fifteen minutes, everyone was around the table and serving themselves family-style. Some people consider thirteen an unlucky number and I did consider asking Aunt Lily to leave for this reason. I settled for sitting her far away on the opposite end of the table. Luke stayed glued to my side until we were all safely seated. Poor James and Diego got the honors of being Aunt Lily’s chair partners tonight. If those two perfect examples of male magnificence couldn’t keep her speechless with wonder, nothing could.

We’d barely dipped into the soup when Jazy leaned forward to address Crooks on her right. “Okay Crookie, if you don’t want to talk about it--I get it. We all get it. Otherwise, I’m shamelessly asking, do you know anything more about Cheryl you can tell us?”

Mac exclaimed, “Jazy, quit being so shy and sensitive!”

Crookie was on my left, with Anna between us. He replied seriously, “No, Jazy is perfectly fine, Mac. A guy never has to worry about what she is thinking.” He smiled at her. “I like Jazy’s plain way of speaking.”

Everyone laughed at this understatement, even Jazy. She shrugged, comfortable in her own skin. James smiled slightly from his chair next to her, and I realized I’d never seen him touch my sister, or even flirt with her. I guess being super good-looking and inscrutable was all the effort he needed to put forth with the women. Too bad he hadn’t had reasons to develop some interesting qualities in his personality to make him more genuinely appealing for the long term. I’ve concluded extreme physical beauty was more often a curse than a blessing.

When Crookie cleared his throat and started talking, everyone stopped and listened attentively. Even Aunt Lily sat forward in morbid anticipation.

“So there are no misunderstandings, I am not a suspect in Cheryl’s murder,” Crookie’s voice cracked a little on her name. “The police routinely operate on keeping information out of the public domain for their own reasons. Please do not name me as the source where you’ve heard these details I’m about to talk about. I trust all of you.” Crookie paused, and looked at James. “Well, I do not trust you since I do not know you, but it appears you are a reserved man and not a chatty type. You are not from Northfield?”

Smiling, I met Jazy and Tre’s eyes. They both loved Crookie and were openly grinning. Reggie snorted into his beer bottle.

James nodded and answered calmly, “Correct on all accounts.”

Crooks nodded back. “Good.” He spoke to Aunt Lily down at the foot of the table. “Ma’am, I do not know you well, either, but as Anna’s aunt it stands to reason you must be a good person.”

Reggie laughed softly this time. Anna shot him an emphatic bird with her left hand while she forked up salad with her right. I giggled, and Luke squeezed my thigh under the table in shared amusement.

Aunt Lily slapped the table loudly with an open hand. The unsuspecting Diego startled. His breadstick dropped to land in his soup with a small splash. His spoon went clattering to the floor.

Diego’s eyes widened comically in dismay when Aunt Lily turned the force of her dark glare on him and shouted, “Pick it up, pretty boy! Don’t they teach you table manners where you come from?” Without taking a breath, she looked over at Crookie and sneered with a mocking gesture of disdain. “Good person, good schmerson. I’m a Christian woman and gossip is a sin.”

In the vacuum following this outburst, Crookie cleared his throat. Appearing doubtful, he nevertheless answered amicably, “Very well. Eric George?”

I felt Luke squeeze my thigh again, but when I peeked at him next to me, he was sitting back and listening with fascinated amusement.

Stella’s friend leaned forward and smiled shyly across the table at Crookie. “No problems, man. I’m not Christian, but say what you want. I can keep my mouth shut.”

Stella squeezed his hand at his answer, and Eric George smiled down at the Junior Jezzie with worship in his eyes. Mac was soothing an angry Diego, but she and I exchanged rolling eyes and grins at Eric George’s expressive face. Luckily, Eric George missed the sight of a scandalized, angry Aunt Lily staring his way. Good thing he wasn’t sitting closer to her, or she’d snap his blasphemous spine in half as easily as one of my breadsticks.

Crookie turned to Luke last. He grinned shyly. “Anyone here knows if Anabel asked you to dinner, you must be…” Crookie paused, at a loss for words.

Mac supplied straight-faced. “Superman?”

Stella dimpled at Luke. “Steve Jobs.”

Anna laughter was deep. “A secret agent!”

Tre J winked. “Strong.”

Reggie, his mouth full of salad, pointed a fork at Luke and stated decisively, “Nuts. You’re brave, man, but certifiably nuts.”

We all laughed at that, but I think Luke’s cheeks were actually a little pink.

I leaned over and spoke low in his ear. “How strange, but it’s really true. Men
are
always right.”

Aunt Lily couldn’t contain herself and erupted in a screech. “You innocent fools, look at him! He’s Satan incarnate!”

Eleven heads at the table swiveled in Luke’s direction to see what they’d missed. Make that twelve. I had to look, too.

Anna cried out in embarrassment. “Aunt Lily, what’s with you tonight? Please, stop! Luke, just ignore her. I’m sorry. We know you’re not Satan.”

As Anna argued over proper etiquette with her crazy aunt, I struggled to contain my laughter at Luke’s carefully blank expression. I well remember the first time I was scathingly called Delilah at age eight for encouraging a classmate to get a Mohawk within hearing range of the Behemoth. Luke’s reaction to Aunt Lily’s bizarre accusation was no reaction. His eyes were narrowed in thought as he gazed down the table in her direction.

I squeezed his thigh. I should say, I tried to squeeze his thigh but it was rock hard. I stroked his thigh. “In some cultures the elderly are known to be always right, too.” I nodded seriously when he switched his gaze to mine. “It’s a known fact she’s not an idle gossip or sinner.”

We smiled at each other.

Tilting my head, I tapped my lip while I looked Luke up and down appraisingly.

Meeting his amused eyes once more, I nodded. “Personally, I’d name you more of a demon versus a devil. Yes, I think Baal fits nicely.”

He arched a demonic, black brow slowly. “I thought you were a heathen?”

I scratched my fingernails up his inner thigh and warned under my breath, “Don’t be raising that brow at me at the dinner table. Where
are
you from, hell boy?”

Luke was snickering as I went on to answer him. “Yes, it’s true I’m not religious, but not from lack of curiosity or illiteracy.” I took a sip of wine, and shrugged a negligent shoulder. “The concept of faith is a hard thing to swallow when you’re older, if you aren’t fed it first with mother’s milk.”

He put his big hand over mine on his thigh. “My father is going to really like you.”

I laughed, confused but warmed by his words.

Everyone around us had started talking at once to rush in and fill the awkwardness, but Aunt Lily’s fanatic ways were familiar to most of us here and taken with a grain of salt.

Reggie called a halt to the chatter by dinging his wine glass with a spoon. “Can we let Bob tell us what he found out about Cheryl, please?”

Stella spoke up, smiling shyly from on Luke’s right. “Yes, we’ll be quiet, Uncle Reg, but only if Luke will promise me something first.” I knew that look. She’d learned it at my knee. I watched her suspiciously. “He has to tell us all about his first date with Anabel when Crookie is done.”

Mac chuckled wickedly and dinged her glass. “Here, Hear, I second that motion.”

Luke’s easy, smiling expression as he listened to Stella’s request didn’t change by a flicker, but I felt him tense up at my side. I laughed silently in my soup. He swiftly recovered.

“I’m sorry, ladies, but you’ll have to ask Anabel about our first date.” He shrugged with a “Gee, shucks” grin. “Men never get that sort of thing right, no matter how hard we try.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “I’m sure it must have been a fun, first date. When she begged me to take her out a second time, I obviously agreed.”

My family and friends were laughing uproariously even as they complained at his answer.

Anna’s voice was the loudest, “No fair pulling the “I’m a man” card, Luke. Everyone here knows Junior won’t say squat. No offense, but she probably doesn’t even remember your first date.”

Tre J was looking at me like I had two heads. “You
begged
him, Bel?”

“I think she remembers.” Stella looked at me around Luke. She asked sweetly, “Will you tell us, Auntie Bel?”

I finished my bite of soup, and lay down my spoon. Ignoring the man with the straight face at my side, I smiled back. “I would love to, Stell, but it’s X-rated, so I can’t tonight.”

Jazy didn’t doubt me for a second, but raised her wine glass in grinning salute.

Stella giggled. “Oh, don’t be a hold out. It was your first date. It can’t be that bad!” She smiled quickly at Eric George. “Besides, I’m not a baby.”

“Of course it wasn’t bad. Didn’t I just say it was X rated? And of course I didn’t mean
you
, sweetness.” I gave a nod towards Aunt Lily slurping up her bowl of soup at the other end of the table. I made a throat-slitting motion, crossing my eyes.

Eric George laughed. I smiled at him thinking maybe he was a keeper.

Anna muttered a “Yeah, right.” on my left while Stella narrowed her eyes at me on my right.

Mac was laughing, even as she impatiently shook her head. “Stella, honey, no matter how tempting it may be to beat it out of her, you can’t force your aunt to tell. You must learn to barter.”

My niece opened her mouth for a rat-terrier rebuttal, but suddenly stopped. A small smile played on her lips. Although it may be used against me at a later date, it’s always fun to see our Stella learning the ropes. I still shot the grinning Mac a glare that promised revenge. After all, she had announced a trade secret in mixed company, which broke all sorts of woman rules.

Tre J and Crookie laughed together at this byplay, and then she gave a little elbow to Crooks to continue.

I took this opportunity to pinch Luke hard under the table. He didn’t flinch, but his lips turned up as his gleaming eyes met mine. I wasn’t lying. Our first date really was rated X. Luke wasn’t lying, either. I wouldn’t call it begging exactly, but it was true that I was the one to ask him for a second date first.

Luke leaned in and spoke low. “You remember every minute, Anabel.”

With a small smile, I turned away from his look of masculine confidence to give Crookie my attention.

“Here is what I know. Cheryl was found by two teens about ten o’clock last night when they went to a conveniently unoccupied farmstead to probably have sex in the barn.” Crookie had come a long ways socially in ten years. He didn’t even blush. I heard Aunt Lily revving up a deep grumble at the word “sex”, but didn’t take my eyes from Crooks. “They discovered the car with Cheryl still in the driver’s seat.”

There were groans around the table at this revelation. Tre J, being one exception to my beauty-is-a-curse rule, covered his hand with hers. She nodded encouragingly with a small smile. Her Nordic blue eyes were soft with sympathy. Crookie smiled sweetly in return.

Nibbling on a soft breadstick, I paused in speculation while marveling at the two of them together. ‘G
ood god, the potential! Their offspring could be beautiful, kind, ass-kicking giants with monster brains—practically a new species of humans.’

“Thankfully, these were decent people.” Aunt Lily grumbled under her breath but we all ignored her. “They called the police immediately, and didn’t touch or take anything from the car. Cheryl’s cell and her purse, with the cash inside, were recovered. In her purse they found a receipt dated and time stamped from a Saturday morning in September. It was the fifteenth, the day after I had seen her last. The receipt was from the Northfield Bakery. The bakery owners were questioned earlier today, and they remembered her even two months later.” Crookie shook his head remorsefully. “Cheryl had been terribly rude to the woman owner. She came in early, about seven in the morning on that Saturday, and bought coffee and rolls. Then she claimed their Cruellers were stale, and made a scene demanding her cash back. They do not get too many customers calling them “motherfuckers” at the bakery.”

At his wry tone, we all groaned and chuckled in sympathetic disbelief. Aunt Lily shook her finger at Crookie. Watching her from my end of the table, it was obvious she was riled up. Her whole chest rose and fell with each breath.

“How dare you curse on the Sabbath? There will be NO profanity at this table!”

Anna was trying valiantly to be patient. “Crookie’s not swearing, Aunt Lil, he’s repeating a story.”

Crookie ducked his head and shrugged apologetically in Aunt Lily’s direction. “Cheryl always kept her phone charging in her car, and that is how I am cleared. When she was stabbed…” at our collective sounds of shock his eyebrows raised. Then comprehension dawned, and he rushed to clarify while running a hand through his light brown hair. “Oh, I am sorry! Yes, that is how she was murdered. Her heart was punctured by a sharp, unknown weapon--most probably a knife of some kind. I apologize again; it has been a long day. I do not mean to sound callous, but I have had hours to become accustomed to this news.” He leaned forward to look down his right at Luke and I. “The police found her phone between the seats. They interviewed the person she called last. I don’t know who it is, but the report is they had heard strange, gasping noises, but then ended the call after a few seconds when there was no other response from Cheryl. This person had one earlier conversation with Cheryl at 7:05 AM. I was not told all the pertinent details, only that somehow these calls cleared me.” He shuddered. “I am definitely not arguing with that conclusion.”

Tre J squeezed his hand in agreement. Nobody spoke right away. Around the table, everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. I didn’t know how much he knew beforehand of Crookie’s latest details, but Luke was silent on my right. I could discern little from his closed expression. I was hoping he’d share his insights later when we could speak freely.