The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club - Book One Read online

  While he might be blond, Eddie was giving off a dark, menacing aura.

  Pulling in a breath, I moved my feet so I was standing more solidly. I set my tote on the ground and slipped a hand in my pocket, closing it over my cell phone, feeling for the right keys to dial Mac’s number.

  “Who do you think you are, to check on me?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  As he took a step toward me, I took a step back. It moved me further from the door, into a more open area within sight of several windows, including Josephine’s.

  “I’m talking about you and that old bat coming to my apartment and then telling everyone about it.” Although his tone was angry, he was keeping his voice down. But how did he discover Josephine and I had visited his apartment complex?

  “Old bat?” I raised my voice, although the chances of being overheard were slim. “Are you by chance referring to Josephine Bartlett?”

  I’d read some where that we can hear our own name, even with the overlay of sound in a place like an airport terminal, so I thought it was worth trying to get Josephine’s attention, even though I doubted the sound would carry through the double-paned windows.

  Eddie put up his hands, ordering me to shush.

  Raising my voice covered up the beep the phone made when I pushed the Send button. I didn’t know if I’d dialed Mac’s number, but hoping I had gave me another reason to yell—if Mac answered, I wanted him to be able to hear me.

  “Sorry. I don’t agree with you. Josephine Bartlett’s a terrific person. But who told you we checked on you, Eddie?” Even to my own ears, I sounded like a poorly rehearsed bit actor trying to project to the back of a drafty theater.

  “Dammit, keep your voice down.”

  Good, my strategy was rattling him. “If you’re so concerned about something that involves me, Eddie, why accost me in the parking lot when you could have come to my office?”

  Someone had to be on the other end of the phone.

  A tapping sound interrupted us. Josephine stood at her window, her phone to her ear. When she saw Eddie looking at her, she gave him the finger.

  He turned back to me. “This isn’t finished, bitch. You stay out of my face and my business if you know what’s good for you.”

  I was no longer the only one sounding like a ham actor in a bad melodrama. “Gladly.” In the distance, I heard a siren approaching.

  So did Eddie. He walked past me and aimed a kick at the tote. It landed in a muddy puddle, and that made me mad enough I was tempted to try a kick of my own.

  Josephine tapped on the window a second time and gestured for me to come inside. I picked up the dripping tote and did just that.

  I almost forgot about my phone, but as I walked into Josephine’s apartment, I pulled it out and checked to see if the line was still open. It appeared to be, but no one was on the other end. I clicked my phone off.

  Josephine walked back to the window to look out. “Very clever of you, dear.”

  “What was?”

  “Dialing my number and alerting me to what was going on.”

  “Oh. And it was clever of you to figure it out so quickly.”

  I pulled my phone back out and checked to see if I could figure out which buttons I’d pushed. Given Eddie’s anger, it seemed prudent to move Mac to a more accessible number on my speed dial.

  “It’s okay, Mac,” Josephine said into her phone. “Eddie’s gone, and Devi’s with me.”

  After listening to whatever Mac had to say, she turned off the phone and smiled at me. “Mac says he needs to check with you about what happened, but I think he just wants an excuse to see you.”

  “He’s married, remember.”

  “No, I really don’t think so,” Josephine said. She glanced out the window. “He’s here. Can you let him in?”

  Rolling my eyes, I went to open the back door for Mac.

  “Thanks for coming.” After Eddie’s anger, it was a relief to have Mac there.

  “What happened?” he said as soon as the door to Josephine’s apartment closed behind him. “Josephine said Eddie attacked you?” He seemed out of breath, but I figured it was because he’d rushed to get here.

  “It was only a verbal confrontation.”

  The three of us took seats at Josephine’s table, and Mac pulled out his notebook, signaling this visit was all business. I gave Josephine a you see look, but she ignored me.

  I described what happened with Eddie while Mac took notes and Josephine listened.

  “How do you think he knew you’d been to his apartment?” Mac asked.

  I shook my head, but then Josephine spoke up. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. Lill and I were playing cards with Myrtle, and she was going on and on about organizing donations for Eddie’s sick daughter, and well, I told her you and I had checked, and there was no daughter. It made her angry, I’m afraid. I’m sorry, dear. It didn’t occur to me she’d tell Eddie. Guess I really put my foot in it.” Josephine pursed her lips, looking worried.

  “Regardless, his response was inappropriate,” Mac said. He turned to me. “I hope you plan to report this to the manager or your supervisor.”

  “I can’t. Eddie didn’t do anything, after all. He didn’t even touch me.”

  “What about the time he tried to kiss you?” Mac’s expression was stern, his tone angry.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t. The manager is his uncle.” I was being backed into a corner by both Mac and Eddie, and I didn’t like it.

  “Is there someone here you trust to walk you to your car when you leave at night?” Mac said.

  “She could always let me know, and I could watch until she’s safely in her car,” Josephine said.

  “Will you agree to that?” Mac said.

  “Of course.” I wondered if Eddie knew where I lived, a possibility that sent a shiver up my spine.

  “I have some other news,” Josephine said, addressing Mac. But without telling him what it was, she went to the kitchen and ran water into the kettle.

  Then she sat down while the water heated. “Lill and I have been in contact with Glenn Bascombe’s son and Gladys Turpin’s daughter. Both of them said Mr. Souter blew them off when they reported the baseball card and the necklace were missing. After we spoke with them, they both said they’ll be filing police reports.”

  The kettle whistled and Josephine jumped up. I got up to help.

  “More details would be helpful,” Mac said.

  Josephine came back and picked up a pad of paper, tore off a sheet covered with writing, and handed it to him. “Those are the names of the people who will be filing the reports. We’ve also spoken to Dot Todhoffer, and she gave us her daughter’s number. We haven’t reached her yet, but when we do, I expect she’ll help Dot file a report. So that’s three. I hope that’s enough for you to look into it?”

  “Three is more than enough. But I don’t want you doing any more investigating on your own.”

  Josephine’s lips firmed. “I want to do whatever I can to help. And so does Lill.”

  When Mac looked at me, I shrugged. I didn’t think he believed Josephine would stop any more than I did.

  “I’m serious, Josephine. Let us take care of this.”

  “What’s your plan?” Josephine said.

  “I’ll interview whoever files the reports and get the details about the missing items.”

  “And then?”

  Mac shook his head and suppressed an eye roll. “We look for the items. And we interview the manager and the staff here.”

  “What about Eddie?” Josephine said.

  “What about him?”

  “He’s a suspect, right? Can’t you do that thing where you pull his financial data and prove he’s living on ill-gotten gains?”

  Mac struggled to suppress a smile. “Not without a warrant. And for a warrant, I need evidence. And you will leave that to me.”

  “Of course.” Josephine tried to look innocent, but I was beginn
ing to know her well enough to suspect she was crossing her fingers when she said it. That was what I did when I needed to tell a lie.

  Although I was tempted to check Josephine’s hands, I didn’t want to make Mac any more suspicious of her than he already seemed to be.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Josephine

  After Mac and Devi left—Mac insisted on walking Devi to her car—I called Lill to come over for a strategy session. She was as disturbed as I was when I told her about Eddie confronting Devi.

  “As for the thefts, Mac will investigate as soon as the reports are filed. But if we continue trying to find out who the thief is, we can’t let him know we’re doing it,” I told her.

  “Because?”

  “Because he made a big deal out of it. Said it could be dangerous. But we’ve already pulled Eddie’s tail. How much more dangerous can it be?”

  “What about Devi?”

  “She’s okay. More angry than frightened. She left when Mac did, so I don’t know if she’ll help us or not.”

  “They left together?”

  “And went as far as her car. They didn’t even chat. He opened her door for her, then he got back in his car and they drove off.”

  “Maybe he is married.”

  If he was, I didn’t think it could be a very happy marriage, not with Mac going out to dinner by himself and then accepting an invitation to spend an evening playing poker with a couple of old ladies.

  “What we need is a plan to figure out who the thief is,” I told Lill, getting back on topic.

  “Well, there’s one thing we can do, and it’s as safe as going to church,” Lill said, folding her hands together, her expression smug.

  “And that is?”

  “I can analyze everyone’s handwriting.”

  I sat staring at her. Possibly my mouth even hung open until I realized it was and snapped it shut. Up to now, I’d thought Lill was an intelligent and worthy partner in our little endeavor. But this latest suggestion was just plain nutty. I searched for words that would counter her idea without being unkind.

  Meanwhile, Lill sat there, her expression one of amusement. “I can see you don’t know what I’m talking about, Josephine. It’s an exact science, you know. It even has an impressive name: Graphoanalysis. I trained for a number of years before doing it professionally.” She settled her shoulders, giving me a so, there look.

  “You mean like those things you see in the newspaper? Copy this paragraph, and we’ll tell you all your secrets?”

  “That’s mostly a parlor trick. I have worked with the police, you know.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t know.”

  “And I helped a large corporation pick its executives. As a result, their stock has done very well.”

  “Oh?”

  “I could tell you which company, but then you might be accused of insider trading.”

  I suppressed a smile.

  “I’ve already analyzed Eddie’s handwriting, and he has very few good points. Still, I don’t think he’s intelligent enough, nor does he have the finesse, for these other thefts. I think we’re looking for a smarter, more devious person.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. What we need to figure out is how to get handwriting samples from as many of the staff as possible. I need at least four or five lines of writing to do a valid analysis, so we can’t just pass around a get-well card and ask everyone to sign it.”

  “I see the problem. But I don’t have a solution.”

  “I can also do couples analysis.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You know. If I had samples of their writing, I could tell if Devi and Mac are compatible.”

  “We still don’t know if he’s married.”

  “Like you, I doubt that. But I bet you can find out for sure with your computer, Josephine.”

  Lill was correct. And it was annoying that she had to suggest it before I thought to do it. But then, I’d never truly doubted he wasn’t single.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lillian

  I could see how skeptical Josephine was when I suggested handwriting analysis as a way to identify our thief. She obviously did some checking, though, because the next day she called me right after breakfast to come to her apartment, saying she had an idea and wanted my opinion.

  “What I’m thinking,” Josephine said, after we were settled with cups of one of her delicious teas, “is we get Myrtle to propose a fund-raiser.”

  “For?”

  “Eddie’s daughter.”

  “I thought you said he didn’t have one.”

  “But he has pictures of a little girl, and he’s convinced a number of people she’s his daughter. So here’s the deal. We talk Myrtle into setting up a fund at Children’s Hospital, then we volunteer to put together a book of encouraging messages to go along with the money.”

  “It won’t work, Josephine. You and Myrtle aren’t even speaking. Besides, she knows you don’t believe Eddie.”

  “I bet you that if I go crawling to Myrtle, saying how awful I feel about doubting Eddie, she’ll go for it.”

  The idea wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t have a better one, even though I’d asked the Heavenly Father to send me one. But perhaps he sent me Josephine instead.

  ~ ~ ~

  After Josephine and I talked further about how to handle Myrtle, we decided the best approach would be for me to talk to her, since she wasn’t as angry with me as she was with Josephine.

  After lunch I followed Myrtle back to her apartment, pleased that Bertie wasn’t with her, since he distracts her. When I knocked on her door, she opened it and gave me a suspicious look.

  “May I speak with you, Myrtle?” I said using my meekest tone.

  “About?”

  At the unpleasant aggression in her voice, I leaned away from her. Then I remembered why I was there and said a quick prayer.

  “May I come in?”

  In response, she opened the door wider, but it was obvious she was withholding approval of the visit. I stepped inside and waited for her to take a seat on one of her sofas. I then sat on the second, facing her like a naughty child awaiting judgment for my transgressions.

  “I’m here to apologize. The last time we talked, I made a dreadful mistake. You were being compassionate and caring, and Josephine and I were being . . .”

  Myrtle frowned, then spoke firmly into the pause. “Not very nice.”

  Probably better if I avoided any further mention of Josephine. “Yes. Not very nice. But I hope you and I can make a fresh start?” I paused.

  Josephine insists Myrtle lags a word or two behind, and I wanted to give her time to catch up. Besides, I needed a moment to gather myself before saying the next bit.

  “You’ve been talking to people about the daughter, I believe. Trying to get donations to help with her expenses?”

  Myrtle nodded. Sharply and begrudgingly.

  “I think it’s wonderful that you’ve taken that on. And I want you to know you can count on me to help.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. And I’m wondering why you don’t expand your efforts? Make it a project. You know, establish a fund in the daughter’s name at Children’s Hospital? That way everyone who donates will get a tax deduction.” I stopped again to let her think about it.

  Then the clincher. “And if you set up a fund, I know someone who’s willing to donate a thousand dollars.”

  Myrtle gasped, which is what I did when Josephine proposed it. She said the promise of a large donation was the best way to keep Myrtle from figuring out she was being manipulated, although Josephine also thought there was little danger Myrtle would suspect. I agree. Myrtle is a sweet lady, but she isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, as my Roger would say.

  “Who?”

  “An anonymous benefactor,” I said, avoiding the dreaded J word. “And since you’re the one who had the idea, you should get all the credit.” I waited. And prayed.

  �
�I’ve talked to several people, but I’ve only been able to collect a couple hundred dollars so far. Do you really think . . . ?”

  Ah, she was on the hook. As Josephine predicted.

  “That’s amazing, and I think that proves if you give people the chance to write a check so they know where the money’s going . . . well, I think this could be huge.”

  “You really think so?”

  “I do. It’s so wonderful of you to do this. And I hope you’ll let me help.” I stopped, then snapped my fingers. “I know what I can do. While you take care of the donations, I’ll ask people to write messages of encouragement for Eddie’s daughter. Remind me, what’s her name?”

  “Sara.”

  “Sara, that’s so pretty, isn’t it? Well, as I was saying, I’ll ask the residents and staff to write inspirational messages. Even those who can’t afford to contribute money can write something. And then I’ll get help to turn it into a book. Yes, indeed. A book. For Sara.”

  “My goodness. You’re taking my breath away,” Myrtle said, panting.

  “You’ll be doing the hard work. And I’ll make sure everyone knows it’s your idea to do this.”

  The two of us stared at each other.

  Then Myrtle grinned. “You know, I did raise lots of money when I was younger.”

  We stared some more.

  “And you’ll help with the book and other things?”

  “Of course,” I said. “I only want a chance to help.”

  Hooked. I’d done it. I wanted to pump a fist in the air the way young people always do today, but refrained. I didn’t want Myrtle thinking too deeply about what I’d proposed.

  I jumped to my feet. Time to go before Myrtle asked any probing questions, or before I slipped and mentioned Josephine.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Josephine

  A few days after the conversation with Myrtle, Lill and I had just taken our seats in the dining room when Myrtle bustled over to show Lill the chart Bertie had set up for her to track donations to the Sara Fund at Children’s Hospital. I didn’t realize Bertie had that much tech savvy in him.