An Uplifting Murder (41 page)

“Grace had nothing to do with your fall,” Ted said. “You’ve had a rough couple of days. Don’t forget you were bruised from that tumble down the escalator and hurt in the attack by Cody John Wayne.”

Two teenage girls in bright pink coats skated by, moving effortlessly around them.

“The escalator bruised my knees,” Josie said. “Cody whacked my shoulder with a nightstick. This time, I landed on my rump. I have bruises front and back.”

“You look good in purple,” Ted said, and Josie gave him a small shove. He caught the side railing, slipped, and hung on.

“Is that what you did to poor Victoria?” Ted asked. “Did you shove her down the escalator?”

“No, my heel caught and I fell on top of her,” Josie said. “Knocked the breath right out of her. I hope she has a few bruises of her own. But she’s in enough trouble. She’s looking at fifteen to twenty years in jail.”

Josie didn’t bother hiding her satisfaction. Her car was still a frozen lump. Her knees ached from the fall at the store. Her pride was hurt. But she’d made sure Victoria was caught and jailed, nice and legal.

“Hi, Mom! Hi, Ted!” Amelia yelled as she made another circuit of the rink. They waved to her.

Ted skated to a deserted part of the rink. “Josie,” he said. “I love you.”

“I—”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the other two words. They were so dangerous. Do I love Ted? she wondered. I love his brown eyes and the set of his broad shoulders. I like the feel of his well-worn flannel shirts and his gentle way with animals. I like that he’s the right age for me, not too young or too old.

It’s too soon, a voice whispered. Unless that was the sound of skates on the ice.

I don’t like how I make hasty decisions about men, Josie thought. It took me a while to get over Mike and now I’ve fallen for Ted.

It’s too soon, she heard again. But that couldn’t be the sound of skates. No one was near them. She was hearing her own doubts. Should she listen to them?

“Josie, say you love me,” Ted said.

His plea made Josie dizzy. Did she love him? Was that what she felt? Maybe. But there was something else. Was it joy? Fear? No. It felt like confusion.

“I don’t know anything about you,” Josie said.

“Yes, you do. You know I’m a veterinarian. You’ve met my partner, Christine. I’m thirty-five. I’m still paying off our clinic expansion, but I meet the payments every month.

“I like animals and so do you. I have a Lab and an orange cat named Marmalade. I rent a two-bedroom house decorated with pet hair. I like snakes a little too much for your taste, but I promise I’ll never bring you a reptile—well, one with scales. Can’t vouch for the two-legged reptiles I encounter.”

Josie was laughing now. “I mean, I don’t know anything personal about you. You’re not married. Were you ever?”

“Once, way back in veterinary school I gave a woman named Leann an engagement ring. We were supposed to get married after graduation. But it didn’t work out. I wanted a small-animal practice in the city. Leann grew up on a farm and liked working with large animals. We each went our way, literally. She moved to Kirksville and I went to St. Louis. No hard feelings.”

“What about your family?” Josie asked.

“One brother. With any luck, you won’t meet him.”

“What’s wrong with him? Is he a thief? A drunk? A drug dealer?”

“He’s an idiot,” Ted said. “He loves stupid practical jokes. He almost got fired for a stunt he pulled on some coworkers with Super Glue. I nearly killed him after he tried one of his stupid pranks on poor Festus. I don’t want him around.”

“And your parents?” Josie asked.

“Mother lives in Florida. She has a second marriage made in heaven—for her, anyway. Mom married a plastic surgeon. My stepfather whittles on her constantly when he isn’t injecting her with Botox and collagen. I’ll see Mom in a few weeks. I usually ask for a photo before I pick her up at the airport. Every time we meet, she’s a new woman. I barely recognized Mom when she came here for her last visit.”

“Will she stay at your house?”

“Never,” Ted said. “She says I’m so grown-up now that I make her look old. She can’t abide my house. Mom doesn’t like dogs or cats. She doesn’t like pets, period.”

“How did she produce a son like you?”

“I take after my dad.” Ted became serious. “I’m sorry you won’t be able to meet my father. He died ten years ago. Heart attack. Dad would have loved you. There, is that enough about me?”

Ted had his arms around her, sheltering Josie from the cold winter wind. Josie took a deep breath, gathered her remaining courage, and said, “Ted, I love you. But I never told you about—”

Ted stopped her with a kiss. “I don’t want to know about the other men in your life. I only care about Josie Marcus, the woman with me now. She’s magnificent.”

“But I have a history of bad decisions when it comes to men,” Josie said.

“You make bad decisions? Don’t you remember that I have an ex-girlfriend in prison for murder?” Ted asked.

“I didn’t forget,” Josie said. “I figured you wouldn’t want to be reminded.”

“At least none of your ex-boyfriends murdered anyone,” Ted said.

Three boys whizzed by. One jostled Josie and she fell on the ice again. The boys didn’t look back or stop. Ted reached for her. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

Ted tried to lift Josie and he fell, too. They sat on the ice, laughing and holding each other.

Amelia skated over to them and said, “I see you’re back where you started. Can I help you up?”

“I’ll do it,” Ted said. He pulled himself up by the railing, then lifted Josie. She moved gingerly. Her bruised bottom was cold. Her shoulder ached. Her knees were too cold to feel any pain.

Ted took her hand. They started skating, moving together on the ice.

“See,” Ted said. “We both slipped, but we got up again. Look how good we are together.”

They skated hand in hand. Slowly, gracefully, they circled the rink, enjoying the glow of the city lights against the night sky.

Epilogue

The spring thaw brought an unexpected warming trend in the icy relations between Jane Marcus and her neighbor. Mrs. Mueller apologized to Jane and reappointed Josie’s mother to her usual committees. Mrs. Mueller and Jane were civil to each other, but their friendship lacked its old intensity.

The ice on Josie’s car melted sooner, after a freakishly warm day in February.

Laura Josie Chadwick arrived February fifth. The healthy baby girl weighed seven pounds six ounces. Kate named her daughter in honor of the two women who’d helped her during her difficult final trimester.

Three months later, Grandma Laura Ferguson was reinstated as manager of Desiree Lingerie. The chain’s headquarters gave her an apology and a raise and expunged all criticism from their records.

Rosa happily gave up her manager’s title in return for weekends off at the store. She remains assistant manager at Desiree Lingerie, working at the pay level she enjoyed as manager. Saturdays and Sundays, she helps at her family’s restaurant. Rosa used her pay increase to consult an immigration lawyer.

Josie had jumped to the wrong conclusion about Rosa’s father: He wasn’t the only man named Hector Maria in St. Louis, and he’d never applied for that restaurant job. Rosa’s parents were in this country legally. Rosa was a United States citizen, and under the immigration laws, Rosa’s parents were “immediate relatives.” The lawyer filed the proper petitions and applications to get them green cards. Rosa’s parents are now legal residents.

Trish quit as a sales associate at Desiree Lingerie to become a uniformed officer in the Rock Road Village force. She is working toward a degree in law enforcement at night. Josie sees Trish occasionally going into St. Philomena’s Church for Narcotics Anonymous meetings, but never says anything. Trish pretends not to see Josie. Josie never found out why Trish attends the meetings. She reminds herself that she was wrong about Rosa’s father. All she knows for sure is Trish’s past is not her concern.

Dr. Tino married his receptionist, Shannon, the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Their son, Tino Junior, was born seven months later.

Cody John Wayne pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The judge felt that the hero was remorseful and had been subjected to “extreme provocation” by the victim. “That does not justify your crime, Mr. Wayne,” the judge said in a severe tone. “There were other solutions. You could have gone to the police for aid.” Cody was sentenced to ten years in prison. With good behavior, he may be released in five. Dr. Tino, Frankie’s only surviving family member, did not protest the sentence.

Cody’s son, Tyler Dylan Wayne, was relieved when the true story of the fatal car accident came out and he was no longer a hero. Tyler goes to meetings at Alcoholics Anonymous. He has been sober for 362 days so far.

Victoria Eva Malliet (who falsely claimed she was Victoria Garbull) was sentenced to twenty years in prison for a Class B felony. The police found nearly forty thousand dollars in stolen goods in her home. She was forced to sell her house to pay for her attorney’s fees and to make restitution to the stores.

Chuck never forgave Josie for the loss of his fetching blond neighbor. A middle-aged couple bought Victoria’s house on Palmer Avenue. Chuck came over several times to talk to them, but they claimed to be hard of hearing. Chuck still tips the pizza deliveryman Big Al one dollar.

Officer Doris Ann Norris was promoted to property-crimes detective for her work on the felony shoplifting bust.

The Bluestone’s department store security guard received a letter of commendation for the capture and conviction of Victoria Malliet, along with a five-cent-an-hour raise. If he works every day for the next twenty years, he might make the money he saved the company when Victoria was prevented from shoplifting the three-thousand-dollar dress.

Shopping Tips

Measuring pain:
Some women rank shopping for a new bra with mammograms and other painful female experiences. One of my friends needs at least one martini before she marches off to a department store lingerie department. Shopping for lingerie isn’t my favorite pastime, either. I’ve shopped on my own, facing mind-numbing choices: underwire? Padded? Front closure? Back clasp? Seamless? Strapless? Soft cup? Sports? Low-cut demi bra or safe matronly over-the-shoulder boulder holders? A short tour of the racks and it’s enough to make strong women sag—and I’m not talking about the sad gray lingerie I’m wearing.

But I don’t have to be alone in this search. I can consult a bra fitter. I’ve been to department stores where the fitter used a tape measure and to Intimacy, where the fitters used their eyes to figure my size. Personally, I’d go back to Intimacy again. I spent about the same at both types of stores, but the fit was better at Intimacy.

No hot times for your bra:
Dryer heat kills bras. Ask the experts. They’ll recommend that you wash your bras by hand. But if you don’t have that kind of time, invest in a lingerie bag, fasten your bra clasps so the hooks don’t catch in the bag mesh, and drop your bras in the washer. Then air-dry them. You’ll get longer wear.

Squash may not be good for you:
Curvy women like Josie’s friend Alyce often resort to minimizer bras to make their breasts look smaller. Some fitting experts say minimizers only maximize the pain. Instead of squashing, buy a bra that lifts your breasts higher. This will make your torso look longer and slimmer.

Help yourself—and help fight breast cancer:
You can buy martini glasses, bracelets, baby clothes, bikinis, and a host of other items to support breast cancer awareness and research, especially around Mother’s Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. One such site is
www.advantagebridal.com
.

If only we knew this in high school:
The average American woman’s breasts change size and shape some six times in her life: when she gains or loses weight, when she quits exercising or starts working out more, when she uses birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, during pregnancy and nursing, and if she gets breast implants.