Catharine Bramkamp - Real Estate Diva 04 - Trash Out (36 page)

“Everyone is worr
i
ed about you, just so you know.”  I
handed her
another glass of water. From the looks of it, it
would
take her until Christmas to recover from her little vacation from reality.

“Really?”
Her expression was so hopeful I had to turn away.
I glanced at my watch.
The morning
commute traffic was
probably building
up
on
Douglas
Boulevard
. Crap.
It would now take four hours to get home.

“Tom Marten practically dragged the river.
”
Since it
was too late to get an early start
, I may as well follow through
.  “
Why don’t
I take you home and
your housemates or
a
co
-
housing
committee
get you back together?  I have a
rehearsal dinner
to attend.”
  I added needlessly
,
because it is always about me.

Debbie
did not
protest
as I
man-handled
her into the
front seat of the car a
nd drove her to the co-housing units. It was
only a few blocks
up the street
, but
Debbie
was in no shape to walk even
that
short distance.
And I wasn’t calloused enough to parade her up Main Street. 

The complex
seemed
deserted.  I helped Debbie walk to the communal kitchen.  She did not carry anything, no purse,
no
phone.  No wonder no one could get hold of her.  We made it to
the
dinning area
.
I
propped her in one of the booths that lined the
perimeter of the common
room
, she didn’t seem stable enough for a chair.  I found a glass and poured her another glass of water. 

She
took
the glass.  “I didn’t vote for this pattern
,
”
s
he said
apropos
of nothing.

Someone was bound to come by, that was the nature of the place, correct?
  I didn’t hear any sounds, but surely … 

I debated pinning a note to her, but changed my mind
;
she was
humiliated
eno
ugh.
I left a
voice
message
with
Scott Lewis, and another with
Summer
.  Everyone knew I was heading to Carrie’s
wedding;
there wasn’t more to say.

“Take care.”  I patted her arm.

My phone buzzed.  I glanced down, Carrie.  I let it go to voice mail.

“I owe you.”
Debbie
’s eyes began to roll back into her head.  In a flash I wondered if the poor woman had walked down off the ridge. That seemed fantastic
,
but
I didn’t have time to revive her and ask.  I had to get to Dry Creek for the
rehearsal
.

My phone buzzed again
as I headed to the doors
. 

“Hey,
”
Debbie
called after me.  “What’s the date?”

“The fifth.” 

“Oh
,
fuck!”

With that ringing cry
,
I abandoned her to her own people
,
climbed back into my car and shot off as fast as I could.  Which was over the speed limit.  Which explained the sirens behind me.

I ring
ing
l
y
endorsed Debbie’s last words and pulled over.

Tom strode from the squad car and leaned
against
the car door.  “We found her
,
”
h
e announced.

“That was fast, I just left her.” I suppressed the urge to lunge for my registration.
But
I woul
dn’t put it past Tom to pull me over on the highway just
for a social conversation.

“What?”  His handsome face creased and he eyed me a bit more warily.

“What?”  I
echoed
.

“We found Melissa.”

“
Good, but you could have
just
called.” 

Tom scratched his head. 
“I didn’t
want you talking on your phone while you were driving, it’s against the law.”

“Oh.”  As if I didn’t know, as if I didn’t plan to return Carrie’s calls as soon as I was clear of the city limits, and, I admit, Tom’s watchful eyes.

“I just got a call from the Sleepy Motel, you know the one?”

I nodded. It had a rather colorful reputation, home to both the only
prostitute
action in town and during the 80
’
s
it was
a great place to crash after a bad night of too much smoking and partying. I knew the place.

“
Luke
called me an hour ago, someone couldn’t pay their bill and
he
wanted me to arrest her.”

“And?”

“
I
t was Melissa, she had been
staying
there for a week.”
  A car zoomed past and honked.  Tom automatically waved.

“Without telling anyone?  Why?”

“Dick was out again, and he knows all her old safe places, even your grandmother
’
s.
Melissa told me she
ran into this girl who wasn’t a local, because Melissa would
recognize
her if she was, and the girl offered to share her room at the Sleepy Motel.  Problem
was the girl abandoned Melissa last night, along with the bill for the week.”

I lunged for my wallet, but he stopped me.  “I paid the bill.  Melissa
is almost at the point where she’ll press charges against Dick.” 

“In the mean time?”

“She
ldon’s mother isn’t doing well so
Suzanne Chatterhill
hired Melissa and Melissa will stay in the house
while Sheldon is down in the city for work
. Dick doesn’t know the place
, it should do for a while.”

“Pretty complicated.”

“What was your friend’s name again?” 

“Eliot, Carrie Eliot.”

He pulled out a battered leather covered notebook.  “No.
T
hat’s not the name.”  He smacked the notebook closed.  “Just stop speeding down Main Street will you?”

“Okay. What name did this mystery woman use?”

“Sullivan, Kim Sullivan.”

The thing about a semi-public venue for a wedding is that anyone can hang out and catch you on tape or phone or camera.
Then again, churches are public, parks are public,
there
was
probably no getting around it.  
Two news vans and a half dozen reporters milled around the perimeters of a
brand
new tent
stretched over the Prophesy Estates parking lot. 

I smiled and waved but they all were clever enough to recognize me as not
the bride
, and not important
. Fine.

Carrie and Patrick stood under the gazebo
draped
with
bright white
tendrils
of jasmine. 
I slid in behind Carrie and smiled at
a
boy I had never met who was standing close behind Patrick.

The minister was a tall dour looking man who looked like a cousin to Lurch from the Adam’s Family
:
not some
one
I’d chose for a festive wedding, but he could be a friend of the family.

Kathleen and Claire glared at me.  Carrie rolled her eyes and shoved the makeshift bridal
bouquet
made from a paper plate and gift ribbons from the
soiree
two weeks
before
at me
. I didn’t remember creating the
thing;
it must have
been
concocted
by one of the Furies who
seem to
have a great deal of bridal lore at their disposal.
Patrick smiled, but not with his eyes.

“Just in time
,
”
Carrie
muttered.

“Then I say
,
” Lurch blinked at me and calmly continued on.  “Do
you
,
Patrick promise to love honor and cherish till death
d
o you part and Carrie you promise the same.”

Carrie automatically
responded,
“I do.”

I blinked back sudden tears and make a
mental
note to
apply
waterproof
mascara
tomorrow.

“Good, you exchange the rings and I pronounce you man and wife
,
”
h
e intoned,
exactly like
Lurch but not with the character’s
wry
sense of
whimsy
.

“Husband and wife
,
”  Carrie
corrected.

I heard Kathleen groan but Carrie ignored her.

“Husband and wife.”
The preacher made a note and continued.  “Then you two walk
through
the guests
straight
to the reception tent.
He pointed to the new tent.
“
Followed by,”

“Allison.” I stepped behind Carrie and Patrick and took the arm of the cute boy who introduced himself as Patrick’s cousin
, James.

The Furies
trailed after
us as
we
all
marched decorously to the tent now filled with
a jumble of
tables and raw plywood round tops.

“You’re late
,
”
Carrie turned and regarded me critically.

“Little challenge in Claim Jump.” I nodded to Kathleen and Claire. I did
appreciate
their gift for the shower, but I didn’t
think
that
one gesture
made us
soul sisters.
  I did not need to review the traffic, the delays and the five hours it took to get here. I didn’t even have time to stop by the office.  I did not have time to go home and change
.
I just hauled ass straight up.
  And who the hell was Kim Sullivan?  I approached the Furies to ask, but they
abruptly turned away
,
probably to hunt for a new victim to harangue
.

“It’s okay
,
” Patrick
cut in
quickly. “You got the gist of it.” He squeezed Carrie’s arm gently.  “We’re meeting my parents at The Barn in
an hour
.  Coming Allison?”

The
Barn
restaurant
is indeed a large converted barn. The owners kept the
agricultural
theme that is
still
the
gestalt
of
Healdsburg
.  Farm
implements
decorated
the rough wood walls
and p
atrons sat at
brightly painted
picnic tables
,
the classic
benches
fitted with backs for comfort.
It is as expensive and exclusive as the Madrona Manor, but more trendy. It had quickly gained fame for serving
locally sourced, and of course
delicious food, one spoonful at a time. Ben and I tried out the place when it opened.  We left $200 poorer and still ravenous.  We stopped by McDonalds on the way home.

I kept
a
change of clothes at Emily’s
for just such an emergency as this and so
headed there for a brief respite.  Emily wasn’t home and neither was Ben. 
I was tempted to call Prue and check to see how Debbie Smith was doing
, but resisted
, I didn’t want more information than I could handle
.