Sintown Chronicles I: Behind Closed Doors (91 page)

“I'm glad you're happy. You deserved something better than the old folks home. Speaking of old folks, will you be my doctor again?"

Dr. Wood smiled. “I would if I could—you know that. You were my favorite patient."

“I can be again. I've decided to move in with Jo and Randy after all."

“That's wonderful,” Angela replied, perfect white teeth against her chocolate complexion making her smile absolutely delightful. “Of course I'll be your doctor again."

“I'm feeling better than I have in years. This is a personal, not a professional, visit."

“Uh-oh,” Angela laughed.

“I need some information."

“Playing detective again?"

“Yes, but this time it's for real. I need to know who the father of Penny Swanson's baby is."

“Leora, I know, but I can't divulge that information. Penny wants to keep the father's identity secret. She was Al Young's patient. Dr. McGee has taken over. She saw Penny the other day and immediately afterwards told all of us to keep everything in Penny's file strictly confidential. Come to think of it, that was the first time I noticed how depressed Mary Lou seems to be."

“Is the father Billy Morgan?"

“So that's it. You're afraid the baby may be retarded."

“Of course I am."

“Well, I'm not going to reveal the father's identity, but you can stop worrying about the father being Billy Morgan."

“I know who Penny says the father is, and I've uncovered some evidence that indicates she may be telling the truth, but I've also uncovered evidence that the father could be two other men in addition to Billy."

“Come on, Leora,” Angela kidded. “Your imagination is working overtime."

“Maybe,” Leora laughed. “What can you tell me about Alfred Young?"

Angela dropped her smile. “That's a sad case. I liked the man and he seemed to be a very competent nurse practitioner."

“Did he have any enemies that you know of?"

“None."

“What was his relationship with Penny Swanson?"

“As far as I know, it was purely professional. He definitely is not the baby's father if that's what you are driving at. He came to Dot about the same time I did. Penny was already pregnant."

“There was no social relationship that you know of—perhaps extending back to an earlier time?"

“You're barking up the wrong tree, Leora."

“Probably."

Angela saw the disappointed look on Leora's face. “There is one thing about him that may interest you. He was a lousy record keeper."

“What do you mean?"

“We did a drug inventory two days ago. Some powerful narcotics are unaccounted for. It looks like Al was giving them out to some of his patients without recording the fact. We know that Sandra Dollar received some of the drugs. She came in yesterday asking for a refill."

“Holy horsehair!” Leora said as she entered the wonderfully scented atmosphere of her new car. “Dr. McGee and Mrs. Dollar are also mixed up in this mess somehow."

“You've had a busy day, Mrs. Nickels,” Detective Borders said as he placed a paper cup of tasteless coffee on his desk in front of her. He sat down and fingered the wrinkled paper. “You've done a better job on this investigation than we have. All we've come up with is an unlikely tale from a very unreliable informant."

“And what did the informant have to say?” Leora asked.

The detective smiled. “As I said, he's very unreliable. He responds to all cases like this, hoping to collect the standard reward offered. Sometimes what he has to say pans out, but usually he just makes something up. We don't take his information very seriously."

“So what did he say?"

“I can't tell you that, you dear woman,” the detective smiled.

“Then I won't continue to report my findings to you,” she huffed.

He shook his head. “I could get fired for this. The informant named a couple of Charlotte hoods as the executioners. He claimed Alfred Young was trying to launder a large sum of money and found two smalltime crooks who offered to help. Instead, they killed him and kept the money. Like I said, we don't put much stock into anything this informant tells us."

“Maybe you should this time. The note says Amos Stone left Penny some dirty money. Maybe that is the money Al was trying to launder. Maybe the two of them, Penny and Al, were in it together—dirty money and blackmail over the tapes."

“Maybe,” he said as he reread the note. “If there is anything to this, we have a problem with your note."

“What kind of problem?"

“This note in not admissible in court as evidence. You were trespassing when you obtained it."

“I could put it back on my way home tonight. Then you can find it when you search the house tomorrow."

“That would require a search warrant. We don't have enough evidence to convince a judge to issue a warrant."

“That's your problem,” she smiled. “Make a couple of copies—one for you and one for me. I'll put the original back in the green cabinet."

“Leora,” he said as she reached the door of his office.

“Yes."

“Would you consider having dinner with me sometime?"

“To talk about the case?"

“Among other things."

“Detective,” she said incredulously. “Are you asking me for a date?"

“Would that be so wrong? I know you may be a few years older than I am, but I find you very attractive and the most interesting woman I have known since my wife..."

“What about your wife?"

“She passed away ten years ago. I'm just one year away from retirement, Leora. The department has been my entire life since Margaret died. I just thought it might be nice to explore the outside world a little before I am thrust into it. I think it would be fun to explore it with you."

“I don't know what to say. I haven't been on a date in so long I've forgotten how."

He laughed. “Me too. I guess I'm too old for that kind of foolishness."

She shook her head. “Are you thinking of having sex with me?"

“Leora!” he remonstrated with obviously feigned indignity. “What kind of man do you think I am?"

“That's what I'm trying to find out,” she smiled as she winked.

Randy took the bag of groceries from his mother and kissed her cheek. “You made a long day of it,” he said.

“Honey, it was wonderful. I've been on every road in Dot, looked at every house, and enjoyed all the lovely wooded areas and ponds. I am tired, though. I think I'll take a nice bath and then cook you and Jo one of my fried chicken specials. Remember my fried chicken?"

“I sure do,” he said fondly. “This grocery bag is from Food Lion in Charlotte."

“Yes. I drove down the Old Charlotte Road for a while. It's so beautiful this time of year with the trees budding and all. Before I knew it, I was in Charlotte. I needed to buy some chicken for tonight's dinner, so I just pulled into the Food Lion parking lot on the outskirts of town."

“Mom,” he said as she walked away. “How did you get your knees so dirty?"

“Oh,” she replied looking down. “I stopped on the Old Charlotte Road and walked around a little. I sat down for a while, watching a bird build a nest. I sure did ruin these stockings, didn't I?"

After Leora retired to her room for the night, she wrote down the day's discoveries on the legal pad. She concluded with a note on the contents of a telephone call she received from Sunny about nine o'clock and three questions.

Sunny says her source claims Penny was hooked on drugs and became a prostitute to pay for her habit. Her parents bailed her out of jail and sent her to a drying out clinic. She then disappeared. There seems to be no connection, but Alfred Young was a drug dealer suspect—never convicted.

If Penny does have a sizable sum of cash, do I really want Borders to find it? Do I want Borders to find the tapes? If Borders places Penny under arrest, will we still get the baby?

She tucked her notes under the mattress, paused, went to the closet and opened it. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror hung on the back of the door, turned to her left and then to her right. Grinning mischievously, she locked her bedroom door, returned to the mirror and pulled off her nightgown. She studied her reflection from all angles, smiled and slipped the gown back over her head.

She began to hum softly, held her hands out and danced around the room with an imaginary partner. She chuckled and said to herself as she crawled into bed, “You've still got it, old girl. I wonder what Border's first name is?"

Leora turned off the light, rolled over, stroked Lucky who had become her bedtime companion and, as she wondered what it would feel like to once again have her arms around a man, she dropped off into a peaceful sleep. She didn't forget her sleeping pills. She just knew she didn't need them anymore.

Leora's eyes blinked open. She reached for the lamp on her nightstand, snapped it on and checked the time on her clock radio. Not yet five, she thought. Randy and Jo will not be up for at least two hours. She turned the lamp off and snuggled back under the warm covers. She drifted and was almost asleep when her eyes snapped open. Holy horsehair! she thought. What have I done?

She jumped out of bed, quickly slipped into the warm jogging suit Randy gave her for Christmas, laced on her walking shoes, picked up her purse and made her way out of the house. She slipped behind the steering wheel of her Toyota and turned the ignition switch slowly, as if that would lessen the noise of the starter turning over. Before turning on the car's headlamps she eased out of the driveway, pulled on the light switch and headed for Penny's house.

She rang the bell and beat on the door repeatedly. Finally a light came on in the living room and the door opened.

“Go away. We're in bed,” Billy said.

“You must be Billy. I'm Leora Nickels. I must see Penny immediately. It's urgent.” The young man was dressed only in jockey shorts. Noticing his obvious erection beneath the cotton cloth, Leora was certain Penny was having sex with him. Billy looked at her for a moment. “You go away. Come back later."

“Billy, please. I must talk with Penny now. Her life may be in danger."

“Billy will take care of Penny."

He closed the door leaving Leora shivering outside in the predawn March air. The light in the living room did not go out. She rang the bell and knocked again. The door opened once more, but just a crack.

“This better be good,” Penny hissed.

“You don't have much time. Please let me in."

Penny hesitated, then stepped aside for Leora to enter. Billy was standing in the back of the room. Penny's robe gaped open, revealing that she wore nothing beneath it.

“This is a very private matter,” Leora said.

“Billy,” Penny commanded. “Put the coffee on and go get dressed."

He nodded and disappeared through the swinging door.

“Billy said my life is in danger."

Leora sat on the sofa while Penny sprawled in the recliner across from her. If I were a lesbian, Leora thought, that crotch would certainly interest me. No wonder Billy has an erection.

“Well?” Penny asked with disgust.

“Child, listen to me. I may have made a terrible mistake. Sometimes I can be a foolish old woman."

“You're a foolish old woman, all right."

“Pay attention to me, Penny. You don't have much time. Yesterday I spent the entire day playing detective and I uncovered far more information than I expected. For instance, I know that you became a drug addict in Florida and used prostitution to pay for your habit. After the police arrested you, your parents bailed you out. They sent you to a rehabilitation clinic and when you were released, they disowned you."

Leora could see that she had Penny's full attention and decided to gamble. “I also know that Alfred Young was your drug supplier. I believe you called him Spud at the time."

There was no protest from Penny.

“I uncovered enough evidence to convince me that Amos Stone was, as you say, an evil man. He may indeed be the father of your baby, but I know that you have been having sex with at least three other men in Dot—Billy Morgan, Mack McGee and Tim Dollar. Any one of the three could be your baby's father."

“You meddling old hag,” Penny mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?"

“Nothing."

Billy entered the room carrying a tray with two filled coffee mugs, a bowl of sugar, a box of powdered milk and two spoons. Leora watched as Penny stirred four spoons of sugar into her mug. She noticed that Billy had lost his erection but the bulge in his cotton briefs was still sizable.

Penny looked at him. “Go on and get dressed like I told you. You'll have to get your own breakfast. Don't come back into this room until I ask for you."

He nodded and slunk back to the kitchen.

“I also know that you, or possibly you and Al Young, are blackmailing some of the residents of Dot,” Leora continued, deciding to gamble even more. “You are blackmailing the preacher and Tim Dollar for having sex with you. There may be other men on the list I haven't yet uncovered."

“It's none of your damn business,” Penny snarled. “They took advantage of me. I was trying to change my life here in Dot. Hell, I even took a job as a church secretary and tried to do some missionary work with Billy. Uncle Amos demanded sex. I had no choice. Mack seduced me, and that damn Tim Dollar raped me."

Bingo! Leora thought. “There's more,” she said. “Alfred, or you, or perhaps the two of you together, have Sandra Dollar hooked on prescription medication."

“I didn't have anything to do with that."

“Are there others he's introduced to illicit drugs?"

“I don't know. Probably. What's your point?"

“I'm getting to it. After your uncle died, you discovered some sexually explicit videotapes featuring women who still live right here in Dot. You showed me one tape yesterday featuring Dottie Frank. I suspect you have many more. I think you probably have one of Dr. McGee and one of Billy's mother. I know you are blackmailing Dottie and Dr. McGee. I suspect there are others."

“Yeah, and I have a tape of your precious daughter-in-law too. You're going to have to pay through the nose to get that one from me."