Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 04 - Awkward Moments (16 page)

Chapter Thirty

I awoke to Mikey shaking my shoulder. He hadn’t fallen asleep. I had.

“Mom, don’t you think we’d better turn off the lights?”

Glancing around, it took me a moment to remember what was going on. “Oh. What time is it?”

He glanced at a clock on the wall. “It’s almost ten o’clock. Don’t you and Dad usually go to bed
by now?”

“We do when we’re on vacation.” I stood and walked through the living room, switching off lamps. “I’m going to get myself some iced tea.
Maybe it’ll help me wake up. Do you want anything?”

“I’d like a soda, please.”

“Be right back.”

When I returned to the living room I found Mikey at the front window, peeking through a slit in the curtains.
Well, it was more than a slit because most of his head was covered with curtain. The dogs were sleeping, one on each side of him.

“You might want to watch through one of the windows on either side instead of the one
in the middle,” I said. “We don’t want to be too obvious. And don’t open the curtains quite so much.”

I pulled a chair in front of one of the other windows and looked outside. There was only a sliver of a moon
and it was too dark to see much. The men must have hidden themselves well because I couldn’t make out any forms in the darkness.

“Can you see them?” I asked.

“No. I thought I saw Uncle Bill once, but I lost him.”

“Were you watching outside the whole time I was asleep?”

“Most of the time, but my eyes got kind of tired.”

We continued to watch, but
after a bit my eyes began to feel like they were going to cross, so I sat back and rested them. I understood how Mikey had felt. It was harder than I’d thought to try to watch things in the darkness. “I’m taking a break. In a few minutes I want you to take a break, too, and I’ll take over.” Standing, I stretched and walked to the kitchen and back. I tried touching my toes to limber up, but couldn’t do it. I was glad no one saw me. Maybe I needed to start an exercise program, although I thought I was getting plenty at the restaurant.

I had no idea what good it would do for us to watch, but there was always the possibility we’d see something from a distance that the men wouldn’t see because they were too close. It made sense to me.

After about five minutes I went back to my station at the window. “Mikey, why don’t you lie down on the sofa for a few minutes and rest your eyes like I did. It might refresh you.”

“Do I have to?” he asked.

“Yes. Just for a few minutes. If anything happens I’ll let you know, I promise.”

Grudgingly, he made his way to the
sofa and sat down. Within only a couple of minutes I heard him breathing deeply. A small snort told me he’d fallen asleep. I looked over and saw he was lying down on his side, no longer sitting. I smiled, thinking about how much I loved my young son. He looked uncomfortable, so I lifted his legs up on the sofa. He turned over onto his other side and mumbled something unintelligible.

Returning
to the window, I continued my surveillance of the front yard. I thought I saw Jimmy making his way to the back, toward Chris, but it was too dark to be sure.

What if it
isn’t Jimmy
, I thought.
What if the killer is out there? Chris might need me.

I took another look at Mikey to be sure he was still sleeping.
He’d rolled over again and faced me. Taking note of drool on his chin, I knew he was out for the duration. I checked the front door to make sure it was locked before leaving by the back door. I locked it, too, and stuck the house key in my pocket, leaving the dogs inside to watch over my son. I trusted those dogs with all my heart.

Quickly stepping away from the door, I surveyed my surroundings. I couldn’t see anyone, but since the house was white, I probably stood out like a sore thumb to anyone who might be watching
, even in the dark. I moved away from the house, toward some bushes.

Someone grabbed my arm and jerked me into the bushes. I tried to pull away. The intruder wouldn’t let go. I swung my other arm, trying to knock him
off balance. I lost
my
balance. The hand hung onto my arm.

“Pamela,” Chris whispered, “will you
stop it and hold still?” His grip loosened, but he didn’t let go of my arm.

“Oh, Chris, you scared me half to death. Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t want to be heard. I didn’t think you’d start swinging at me.”

“Anything going on yet?” I whispered.

“Quiet as a church at midnight.”

“
Obviously
you haven’t been to one of our midnight services. They can get pretty loud.”

“Okay, this isn’t the time to discuss my lack of church attendance.” Chris let go of my arm.
It was a touchy subject. I’m a church-goer and he’s not, although it’s not because he doesn’t believe, just that he’d rather watch sports.

“
Psst
.”

I stiffened. “What’s that?”

“Probably the flatfoot. I don’t think the killer is going to
psst
us.”

“Oh. Right.”

Jimmy stepped into the bushes. “Anything yet? Oh, hi Mrs. Cross.” He didn’t seem particularly surprised to see me.

“Pamela,” I said.

“Nothin’ cookin’,” Chris replied.

“Nothing out front, either.”

“Are you sure something will happen tonight?” I asked.

“No way to tell, ma’am. Only time will tell.”

“Well, I guess I’ll go back inside. I locked the doors, but I don’t like Mikey being inside by himself, even though the dogs are with him.”

“That kid of yours is a crack up,” Jimmy said. “If I ever get married and have kids, I hope they’re all like him – even the girls.”

I smiled broadly. “You’d be blessed like we are.”

“Ace is a one-of-a-kind.” Chris was proud of his son and didn’t mind letting people know it.

I put a hand on each man’s arm. “Shhh. I thought I heard something.”

We stood still and listened. Nothing.

“Probably just the wind,” Chris said. My eyes had adjusted to the dark and I could see him relax.

I hadn’t noticed the wind picking up again. A cloud passed the sliver of moon and it was
so dark I couldn’t see a thing. “I wonder if the wind makes a noise out in the desert with nothing for it to blow around. You know, no leafy trees or anything.”

“Well, that’s a goofy thought to have right now.” Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew my Bogey Man was shaking his head.

And although he couldn’t see me, I shrugged my shoulders. “Just a thought.”

“Quiet,” Jimmy said. “I think I heard something, too, and it didn’t sound like the wind.”

We all listened again. I heard the faint sound of leaves and twigs crackling as though someone was walking slowly and stealthily across the yard.

Jimmy silently left the cover of the bushes. Although there was
only a little light – the cloud had passed the moon – we could see his faint outline as he moved away.

“Could you tell which way the person was heading?” I asked.

“Toward Bill. I’m going to follow Jimmy. You stay put.”

“No. I’ll be quiet, but I’m going inside to be with our son.”

I wasn’t sure if Chris heard me or not. He was already headed off in the same direction Jimmy had taken.

I’d almost reached the house when I heard a yelp, a yell and the sound of running footsteps. Someone passed by the side of the house, but it was too dark to make out who it was.

Shoving the key in the lock and turning it, I opened the back door and called to the dogs. They had some chasing to do.

Chapter Thirty-one

Sherlock and Watson heard the yelp and the yell and were scratching and whining at the front door. By the time they realized the back door was open, they were too late to catch anyone. I closed and locked it.

“What’s going on, Mom?” Mikey looked like he wasn’t too happy about the dogs waking him up.

“I don’t know yet. Someone was here.” I headed for the front window to see what I could see.

What I saw was Chris and Jimmy helping Bill across the yard. They were headed ou
r way so I unlocked and opened the front door.

“What happened?”
My voice was loud, probably from the stress of the last few minutes.

“Someone cold cocked my brother,” Chris said. “If I ever get my hands on that…” His words trailed off when
saw Mikey standing in the doorway.

“Was he unconscious?” I asked.

“Just for a couple of seconds, but yeah, I think he was.”

Jimmy helped Bill up the porch steps with Chris on his brother’s other side. They walked him into the house.

“Did he see who did it?” I asked.

“I didn’t see a damn thing,” Bill said, pulling away from the other two men. “Someone caught me by surprise. So much for protecting the property.
I’m about as useful as a wet rag.”

“Oh, Bill, I’m just glad you’re okay. You are, aren’t you?
Stephanie is going to have a fit when – ”

He looked me straight in the eyes. “We’re not telling Steph. Right? Do you understand?”

“Yes, but – ”

“No buts. She’d be here in a heartbeat, dragging me home. I want to see this thing through to the end. I want to catch – ” He staggered a step or two and sat down on the floor with a thump.

“Hey,” Chris said. “I think we’d better have Doc check you out.”

“No doctor,” he said from his spot on the floor. “I just got dizzy for a second, but I’m okay now.” He stood up to
show us the dizziness was gone.

“I’m not taking
no
for an answer,” Jimmy said. “You and I are going to see Doc Holland to make sure you’re okay. I’d be responsible if you collapsed.” He pulled his cell phone out of a pocket and punched in a command. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to go along with this crazy plan.”

Chris and I sat down on the
sofa with his brother. Mikey joined us, and the dogs began sniffing Bill’s legs. He pushed them away. “It’s just dirt, you mutts.”

I held my tongue because I knew he’d had a bad experience. I recalled one time when Chris had been hit over the head. It hadn’t been pleasant.
In fact, he’d been kind of whiney, but then I probably would have been, too.

“How does your head feel? Do you have a headache?” That’s when I finally noticed blood on his shirt. “Oh. You’re bleeding. I’ll go get a wet cloth.”

“Thank you,” he said. “And, yes, I have a headache. Would you bring me a couple of aspirins while you’re at it?”

“I don’t think you should take aspirin until you see the doctor,” I said.

“Fine. I’ll get them myself.” He started to stand, but Chris pulled him back down.

“
Okay,” I said. “Mikey, you come with me while I get a wet cloth. You can bring the aspirin back to your uncle.”

My son nodded and followed me to the kitchen. “It figures. I missed the whole thing,” he said.

“Count your blessings. At least
you
didn’t get hit on the head. And I think your uncle has a pretty hard head, thankfully.” I got the aspirin and a glass of water, sending Mikey back to the living room with them.

Taking
a deep breath, I stood quietly for a moment. With Chris and Jimmy on their way to talk to Bill, how did they miss the killer? He must have hidden in the shadows until they passed him. He’d never looked my way, so he didn’t realize I’d seen him pass the house. Maybe that was a good thing or he might have thought I could identify him.

After wringing out the cold, wet rag, I returned to the living room.

Jimmy was off the phone and looking at Bill’s head. “It looks like you’re going to need a few stitches. Doc is waiting for us. Let’s get moving.”

I handed my brother-in-law the wet rag to hold against his head and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Bill asked, not sounding at all amused.

“Nothing, really. You called yourself as useful as a
wet rag a few minutes ago, and here I am giving you a cold wet rag. The irony struck me, that’s all.” It must have been nerves for me to make a joke with my brother-in-law sitting on the sofa, bleeding.

Chris and Bill gave me the look Watson gives Sherlock when he does something silly. I sobered up and watched the men walk out the door. I thought Chris was going with them, but after Bill was safely in Jimmy’s car he came back to the house.

“I saw the guy who hit him,” I said.

“What? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because I couldn’t see who it was, so what was the point in mentioning it?”

Chris didn’t look too happy. “How tall was he?
Was
it a he? Fat? Skinny? There’s a lot you could tell us. Which way was he headed? That might give us a lead about where his car was parked.”

I should have felt like I’d dropped the ball, but I didn’t. “It happened so fast
that I didn’t get a good look at him. And he was running, so I couldn’t be too accurate about his height. If I had to guess, I’d think he was about as tall as you. His build seemed average, although he could have been a
little
pudgy. I don’t think he was old because he moved pretty fast. When I saw him it seemed like he was headed for the creek, or in that general direction. He could have turned off after I saw him.”

“Did he look familiar?” Chris asked. “Could it have been Tony?”

Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the running figure. “No, I don’t think it was Tony, but I couldn’t swear to it. There was something kind of familiar, but I didn’t get a good enough look at him.”

“You’re really not much help, sweetheart.”

“Now you know why I didn’t mention it when Jimmy was here. The most important thing was to take your brother to see Doc. You know, he could have a concussion or something.”

“He’s too hard-headed for that.” Chris winked at me, something he very seldom did.

“What if the guy comes back tonight?” I asked.

“It’s unlikely, but possible. He wants to search the area around the hole for anything he might have lost. I think I’ll just go sit under the oak tree until Jimmy brings Bill home.”

“Chris…” One injured brother was enough.

“Bill wasn’t careful enough. Now I know what I can ex
pect, so I’ll be extra vigilant, and I’ll sit with my back to the tree.”

He fixed himself a glass of iced tea and took it outside with him, returning after a moment. “Sherlock. Watson. Come.” He patted his chest as he gave the command. Both dogs followed him out the door.

“And I’ll be watching from the window,” I said, as he disappeared into the night.

It suddenly struck me, Mikey was being too quiet. I found him sleeping soundly on the
sofa. Rousing him, I walked him to his bedroom.

“Mom,” he said, sounding sleepy, “I want to help.”

Thirty seconds, tops, and he was sound asleep again, safely in his bed.