The Devil's Dwelling (25 page)

“At least no one is dead. There’s not a  ‘smell of death’.”  Mona said as we walked through the house. The living room was filled with school pictures of young children and one of an lady with her black hair high on her head in big curls setting on a piano bench in front of a baby grand piano.  She was dressed in a long white lacey dress with a turtle neck and long sleeves.  A broach  of a piano was pinned to her dress.  She was surrounded with little boys in short pants and white shirts and little girls with pretty dresses and bows in their hair. Some with pigtails and others with long candle curls. The bench and the piano from the picture was setting in the corner of the living room. I shined the light around.  Award plaques and blue ribbons for piano recitals were hung on the walls.

“She must have taught piano when she was younger. The picture was taken long ago. I think the picture must be of Sophia and her students.”

We walked into Sophia’s bedroom.  There lay Sophia in her bed with a gunshot wound to her chest.

“Tiffany, oh my gawd, another dead one.” Mona screamed stomping her feet and covering her face with her hands leaving two fingers spread for a view.

I ran in the room, check for any sign of life. “Mona she’s alive call Randy.”

Mona fumbled with the phone and hit speed dial.

“Sheriff Reagan.”

“Randy, this is Mona we are at Sophia’s Massage Parlor and Sophia’s been shot. She’s still alive can you get an ambulance here soon?”

‘They are on their way. If there‘s any bleeding apply pressure to the wound.”

I took a towel from the towel rack and applied pressure to the wound.  Mona opened the doors for the ambulance and Sheriff Reagan to enter.

Within moments an ambulance and Randy were at the door. Sophia was holding on. They checked her vitals and said it’s touch and go.  They put oxygen on her, an IV in her arm, laid her on the stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance as they continued to hold pressure on the wound.  The blare of the ambulance siren was chilling as the sound faded into the distance.

We explained to Randy how we came upon Sophia. 

Sheriff Reagan put an all points bulletin out on the Mini Cooper.

The next morning Sheriff Randy called me into the office to fill him in on what I knew about the shooting of Sophia.  I explained to him the reason we were there and about seeing Natasha McGuire run from the house. How we tried in vain to follow her.

“Randy, I know I should have told you about moving to Hayden’s folks house but it happened so fast.  I was in the move mode before I knew it.”

“Hayden’s going to want favors. You’ve put yourself in a bad situation.”

“I can handle Hayden.”  I wiggled in my chair. Knowing Randy was right.  I felt like I was hurting Randy but the home is so nice I couldn’t resist the temptation. 

“You and I don’t have a commitment just a good relationship.” I hoped my remark wouldn’t hurt his feelings.  Randy and I haven’t been able to commit to each other all these years.

“I need to get to the office.  Peewee has a lot of ‘no shows’ for me to pick up.”

Randy was reading over the file not wanting to discuss our situation. He looked up over his glasses.  “You keep in touch.”

THIRTY-ONE

Linda was setting at her desk when I walked in the office looking busy.

“Good morning Linda.” I walked over to the side counter, poured myself a cup of coffee and took a donut from the box.

“Hi Tiffany.” Linda continued shuffling papers and clipping them in a file folder.

“Looks like you are busy with your filing.” I walked toward Peewee’s office door, turned my butt to the door to push it open.

Linda put her hand up as in wait. “You might want to wait to go in there. Peewee has a woman in there.”

“Is it the monkey dance or someone looking for a job?”

I sat down on Linda’s desk.  “What’s she look like?”

“I’d rather not say.”  Linda continued to look down working on her filing.

I licked my fingers of the juicy sugary glaze just as I heard the office door squeak. Out from the office came the ‘big woman’ with Peewee right behind her.

“Linda, give Charley the new employee paperwork. Oh, Tiffany, this is Charley our new employee.  She’s going to work in the office and part-time out in the field helping you and Mona to catch up on the files.”

I stood for a moment with my mouth open. “We’ve met, Charley is it?”

Charley stretched her arm out for a handshake. I turned my hand showing her it was sticky.

“Good to see you again. I haven’t seen you at the park since your apartment burned.”

“Well, luck have it I had to move.”  Now Tiffany that’s a little sarcastic. I thought to myself wondering if she knew I worked for Peterson Bail Bonds before she applied.

“I’ll be here tomorrow at eight o’clock.” She walked out the door and turned and pulled the door shut.

I followed Peewee’s into his office.

“She’s the ‘big woman’ that bugs me at the park.” I paced back and forth tapping my pencil on my hand.

“I hope she doesn’t bug you too much. Charley has a lot of Bounty Hunter experience. She worked for a Bounty Hunter in the LA area for many years and wanted to get out of the LA scene.  She moved here a few months ago and doesn’t know anyone.  Hope you and Mona will welcome her.  She’s going to be able to help you ladies clean up the files and with another bounty hunter I can write a lot more bonds.  This business is going to flourish especially since Graham Bail Bonds closed his doors.”

Mona arrived momentarily and I sprung the news on her.

“What? Your stalker?”  We don’t know if she was stalking me.  It just seemed like she was.”

“I’ve a  mind to ask her.”  Mona strutted toward the donut and coffee bar.  “We won’t put up with her following you around.”

“Peewee said she doesn’t know anyone. She probably just needs friends.” I tried to convenience myself he was right.

“Peewee what do you have for us today?” I sat down in the chair and leaned over his desk. 

“Trenchcoat Thomas didn’t show up for court. He needs to be brought in.”  He pitched me his file.

“Not him again? How many times have you bailed him out?” I took the file and flipped through he papers.

“Every time his trench coat flies open the cops pick him up, we bail him out and the vicious circle continues.”  Peewee laughed and rolled his stogy between his teeth.  “Keeps the doors open.”

“We’re outta here.” I picked up the file slipped it under my arm. Put my bag strap over my shoulder and Mona followed in the same fashion.

We hoped in Mona’s Explorer.  I could be the eyes today since I’ve seen Trenchcoat Thomas on the streets many times.

“Let’s go to the mall.  He’s usually there scaring the mall walkers.  A lot of the old ladies walk in the mall for their exercise.  They are out of the weather whether it be rain or sunshine and they can window shop all at the same time.” I told Mona laughing at the thought of being old, slipping on a pair of sneakers and heading for the mall.

Mona parked near the front entrance.  Not too many cars were in the parking lot.

“It must be a slow day for mall walkers.” 

“Probably not very many sales today.”  Mona locked the Explorer and we were off to do some mall walking.

Trenchcoat Thomas usually stands behind a post and steps out just as a group of ladies walk by.  He flashes his trench coat open showing off his eighty year old physique of stringy gray hair on his chest, sagging skin hanging over his bony ribs, and on down to his manly that seems to have shrunk up into a birds nest. The ladies scream or faint.  Trenchcoat Thomas usually laughs and high tails it away. He is usually near an exit at the mall and has a good hiding place.  The women run for security and by the time they find security Trenchcoat Thomas is long gone.

We strolled around the mall looking for our flasher and window shopping while on duty.

“Mona, look over in McDonald’s patio eating area.” I pointed to our flasher. He was having a sausage McMuffin and hash brown’s with a cup of coffee.

“Let’s let him finish his breakfast and then we will nab him.”  I seated myself on a bench in good view of Trenchcoat Thomas. 

“How about, I’ll be a decoy and when he comes out of the patio area I start walking.  I’m sure he will notice me.  Then when he flashes me we can apprehend him.” Mona smiled.

“You want to be flashed. You might throw up all over your Bounty Hunter uniform. Anyway, he wouldn’t flash a uniformed official.”

“Okay, I guess we won’t have any fun with him.”  Mona dropped a quarter in the paper machine and took out the morning paper.  She sat down and shook the paper open to the sale pages. 

“Give me the front page.”  Mona dropped the paper while trying to take out the sale page and we were scrambling around trying to pick up the paper.  I looked toward the patio and he was gone.

“Dang, he must have seen me.”  We jumped up and headed in separate directions. I jogged to the end of the mall and no sign of our flasher.  Mona met me half way back. We heard ladies screaming. Our eyes and legs went in the direction of the screams. A couple of ladies were jumping up and down and one lay on the cold tile floor with another fanning her and slapping her face.

“Tess wake up. Tess wake up.”

Tess looked around. “That’s the ugliest man I’ve ever seen.” And passed out again. It was apparent to me Tess’s man must have died before he reached his golden years.

“Which way did he go?”  I asked the ladies.  Each pointed in a different direction.

Mona and I walked through the mall.  Trenchcoat Thomas knows every nook and cranny in the mall and can easily hid.

“Let’s give it up for today. He’ll be back around soon.”  I headed for the exit when Mona grabbed my arm.

“Isn’t that an awful ugly manikin and too short to be a manikin in a Big and Tall Shop?”   Mona nodded her head toward the manikin standing posed in the window.

I looked over my shoulder. There stood the flasher in his trench coat. He saw me take a look and immediately flashed me. I took another look and he was standing frozen like a real manikin.

“Mona, the manikin just flashed me.  If you wanna be sick…I mean flashed take a look at the window.”  Mona looked over my shoulder.

“He’s gone. His faster than a rabbit.”

“There he goes.” I pointed to the hall leading to the restrooms.

We got to the hallway and Trenchcoat Thomas was no where to be found.

“He’s in the bathroom. I wonder how long he can hold out.”

“Apparently longer than us he has a toilet.” 

Mona pulled her 38 from the case on her waist. “You watch the door. I’ll get the sucker.” 

She looked at a gentleman about to enter the bathroom. “You might want to hold it a minute.  I’ve got business in there.” 

The man took a look at the 38, put his hands up and walked back.

“She’ll be right out she just needs to apprehend the flasher.”

A couple of guys ran from the bathroom. I heard the noise from a trash can being tipped over.

“Get your sorry ugly wrinkled body off your all fours and stand up.  It‘s pretty sad when a man has to hid in a trash can.”

“Don’t shoot me. The mall ladies wouldn’t like it if you shot me.  Who would give them a thrill if they didn’t have me.  I’m the reason they walk at the mall. I’m Trenchcoat Thomas the best flasher in Conway.”

“Let’s hope you are the only flasher.”  Mona pulled him from the bathroom by his trench coat collar gapping the coat open.

“Close your coat you are disgusting.”  I pulled his trench coat together, buttoned it and cuffed him. We walked him to the Explorer. 

He yelled to the lady walkers passing by.  “I’ll be back in a few days.  They need me to spend some time flashing at the jail.”

Mona, opened the Explorer’s back door and tossed him in the back seat. He set up like a big dumb dog on his ride to jail.