Waiting and Watching (24 page)

Connie crept to the peephole and could only see the elevator doors closing. On an impulse, she dashed into the bedroom to find her room key, pulled on a coat, and ran down the stairs to the lobby. It was empty except for the clerk at the front desk, who asked if he could help her. In an attempt to not look foolish, she waved her acknowledgement and said she just needed a bit of fresh air. Connie then walked out the front door of the hotel. Sitting on a planter under the porte-cochère was Lily, smoking a cigarette.

“Lily, did you see anyone come by here?”

“No. I've been here about ten minutes now and haven't seen a soul.”

“Strange. I thought I saw a man come down the elevator,” Connie murmured. “So what are you doing out here this late?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. I couldn't sleep; I guess I'm not used to spending the night in a hotel, unless I'm behind the front desk. What's your excuse?”

“Probably too much excitement.” Connie sat down on the adjacent planter. “I heard someone walking by my room. I got curious and came downstairs.”

“Hey girls, what's going on?” Sylvia asked as she came out the door. “Are we having a slumber party in the snow and I didn't get the invitation?”

Connie and Lily looked at each other and laughed. “I guess we're all having a bit of insomnia,” Connie offered. “Too much champagne, perhaps.”

“I'd say, not enough.” Sylvia laughed. “Besides, if I were you, lying next to that gorgeous hunk of yours, I'd have tired myself out hours ago, if you take my meaning.”

Connie Laughed. “I guess I'm just paranoid. I thought I heard someone in the hallway in front of my door.”

“I thought the same thing, I'm a light sleeper and I'm always watching, " Sylvia said.

“Let's not forget we are in a hotel,” Lily added. “It's not unusual to hear someone walking in the hall. I often have to work the night shift and you wouldn't believe what sometimes goes on in the wee hours of the morning. So, how did you and Earl get along?” she asked, changing the subject. “I saw you two holding hands. Anything going on there that we all should know about?”

“He's a nice guy I guess,” Sylvia answered. “He's lonely and misses his wife—I know how that is first hand—but he loosened up tonight and was telling me all kinds of stories. I couldn't get a word in edgewise and you know for me that's not easy. Your Mr. Lookey definitely came out of his shell. Did you know he was a decorated veteran?”

“No, I had no idea.”

“Well, Connie, you'd better go upstairs and leave a note for Andrew. What if he wakes up and finds you gone?"

“You're right,” Connie said. I'll run upstairs and leave him a note, then come back down. Let's reconvene in the lobby. It's getting pretty cold out here.”

“We'll meet you there,” Lily said. “I just want to finish my smoke.”

Connie took the elevator upstairs to her floor where the hallway seemed too quiet and too dark. It made her feel edgy. So when a door suddenly opened and a man popped his head out, Connie jumped.

“What's all the fuss about?” Earl grumbled. “How's a man to get a good night's sleep in this place, with doors opening and closing all night, and people constantly marching up and down the hallways?”

“Ssssh,” Connie said, “or you'll wake up all the other guests. A group of us insomniacs is gathering in the lobby. Care to join us?”

“What the hell,” Earl said. “Let me grab my robe. Mind if I bring my buddy?”

“Your buddy?” Just then Connie noticed a brown nose sticking out the door. “I'm not sure the hotel will be happy to see you're sharing your room with a four-legged buddy. You better sneak him past the front desk.”

“Will do.”

When Earl ducked back into his room, Connie ran to her room and found Andrew snoring away. She left him a note and joined the others in the lobby.

Friday—December 26, 1986

In spite of the late night, everyone was up early the next morning and ready for the day. Earl, Lily and Sylvia were off to finish some last minute preparations for the dinner they were hosting. Andrew's mother and Aunt Viv were packing for their morning flights home. Connie and Andrew were driving them to the airport and would meet the others later at Earl's for dinner.

While Connie and Andrew were packing, there was a light tap on the door. It was Aunt Viv.

“Honey, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you alone before I leave.”

“Of course. I'm up for some girl talk.” Andrew got the hint and left with the excuse that he'd better check on his mother to make sure she'd be ready to leave on time. Once he left, Connie could tell by the look on her aunt's face that this wasn't going to be a happy talk; she had something serious to say.

“This is probably long overdue,” Viv began, “but I want to talk to you about your parents, particularly your dad. Please, let's just sit down for a minute.” Viv took a seat on the end of the bed and patted the spot next to her. Connie sat down and folded her hands in her lap. She waited expectantly as Viv drew a deep breath and began again. “Your dad was a very handsome and charismatic man, but he wasn't always faithful to your mom. Your mom was very liberal in her thinking and she seemed to believe that those indiscretions were totally separate from her relationship with him. She thought the infidelity came with the territory. She knew women were attracted to him, but rather than get angry about his dalliances, she quietly tolerated them.

“I think your mother was surprised that a cultured man like your dad would want to marry such an unconventional woman. Your mom was smart and independent, yet she had a low opinion of herself. I think she and I both did, as a result of growing up in an alcoholic family without a lot of money and very little love. I don't think she felt worthy of your dad. She knew he loved her and would always stay with her and his family. I'm not telling you this to hurt you, but as long as you're on a discovery mission, you may as well hear the whole truth.”

“Thanks for your candor, Aunt Viv. I really appreciate your being so forthright. It must have been difficult for you to make the decision to reveal my father's flaws. Please don't think you're betraying my mother's confidence by telling me this, because this isn't the first time I've heard comments about Dad's illicit affairs. It doesn't come as a shock to me, by any means.”

Viv took her niece's hand in one of hers and then clapped her other hand over the top of Connie's. “Most importantly, honey. I want you to know how happy I am for you. I know your life was difficult in Utah and I wish I could have changed that for you. I did the best I could, but of course, I wasn't your mother, and I never thought you would think of me that way. I loved you then, and I love you now. I hope you're finally getting all the happiness you deserve.”

“Thank you, Aunt Viv. I know how hard you tried to make me happy, but nothing in the world could have made me happy during those years. That you were there for me when I needed you was enough. I've often thought about how I must have disrupted your life. To go from living alone to suddenly having a teenager to raise—I can't imagine how difficult that was, and I am so grateful to you…for everything,” Connie said, with tears in her eyes.

“I know you are. Now, give me a hug and let's get going so I don't miss my flight.”

Lily, Sylvia, Sniff and Earl left the hotel around ten o'clock in the morning. They still had lots to do before Connie, Andrew and Julio arrived for dinner. Earl had arranged for a cleaning lady to come in and thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom. Like many of the homes in the Tilden Park neighborhood, his was a traditional Tudor. Earl had arranged logs and kindling in the fireplace, so a flick of a match was all he needed to get it blazing. Lily had decorated a tall white pine Christmas tree with all of Sue Lookey's beautiful ornaments. In the corner of the attic, Lily found a sleigh with eight tiny hound dogs wearing antlers that they used to decorate the mantle.

Sylvia was dressed for the holiday with a Santa Claus hat, red Christmas tree bulb earrings that blinked on and off, and a bright green velour jogging suit trimmed in gold braid. On her feet she wore red leather boots decorated with green bells. She teetered on the two-inch heels her doctor had sternly recommended she forego for something more conservative and safe, but heels were her personal choice. The boots were actually her compromise between her normal four-inch heels—which she still wore on dates—and what she called old lady shoes. Sylvia rationalized boots were intended to be worn in the rain and snow, but if they had high heels on them, well, so much the better. Besides, she was careful to remember her walking stick whenever going out alone.

Christmas snow still covered the lawn, but today the sky was sunny and blue and everything twinkled like crystals. Everyone was in a good mood. Lily and Earl began hustling around in the kitchen. Sylvia noticed Sniff sitting by the front door with his leash in his mouth. She was normally not a dog lover, but the hangdog look on Sniff's face made her heart melt and she decided to take him out for a walk. Sniff loved the outdoors and in his exuberance to find the right spot to do his duty, he kept pulling on the leash. Sylvia found it hard to keep her balance even with the walking stick.

When Sniff made a mad dash for his favorite tree in the neighbor's yard, the leash flew out of her hand, and Sylvia slipped on the icy sidewalk. As she fell, her walking stick went flying and she was left lying on the icy concrete. Her ankle was throbbing all the way up to her knee. She tried to get up and couldn't. All she could do was grimace in pain.

She saw a woman in the window of the house across the street. She tried to get her attention by yelling and waving, but the woman didn't hear or see her. She laid there for what seemed like hours, hoping Earl or Lily would wonder where she was and come looking for her. Her jogging suit was wet from the snow and ice and it was beginning to freeze solid.

A white car came slowly towards her. She tried to wave the driver down, but the car seemed to accelerate as it passed, throwing slush from the street all over her. Crestfallen, she watched the car proceed down the street and the corner.

“So much for the spirit of Christmas,” she grumbled, too cold and miserable to even swear at the disappearing car. Sylvia knew she couldn't just lie there and freeze to death; she needed a plan. And Sniff.

Where is that damn dog anyway? Sylvia sat up as much as she could with her right ankle throbbing. She called out for Sniff, but naturally he was nowhere in sight.

It seemed like hours, but it was probably just a few minutes before Earl shuffled down the sidewalk toward her, blanket in hand, and wouldn't you know; there was Sniff leading the way. He hadn't deserted her after all.

“Don't move,” Earl told her. “There's an ambulance on the way. She could already hear the siren in the distance, the blare getting closer by the second.

“How did you know I'd fallen, Earl?”

“It was Sniff,” he said, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. We heard him howling at the back door with his leash in his mouth. He wouldn't come in when we opened the door and I wondered how in the hell he got his leash on and himself out the door. Lily and I were so busy cooking, we didn't notice you had taken him out. We both feel terrible.

“My hero,” Sylvia said, hugging Sniff's neck and thinking she might become a dog lover after all.

The emergency room doctor determined Sylvia had only twisted her ankle. She had to apply ice on it and stay off it for a few days. Most importantly, she had to start wearing sensible shoes.

As Sylvia and Earl were driving back to his home from the hospital, Sylvia said. “I can't believe that car sped right past me. I could see the driver was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. Instead of stopping, the jerk accelerated. I was sure he was going to pull into your neighbor's driveway. But he changed his mind when he saw me.”

"Which neighbor are you referring to?" Earl asked.

“He planned to turn into the house next door to where Connie and Julio used to live.”

“Was it a white Cadillac?” Earl asked.

“No, it was definitely not a Cadillac," Sylvia said.

“How can you be so certain Sylvia? You were on the ground and in pain.”

“Listen, Earl, I'm a trained observer. I used to be a PI and before that I was a cop for two years. I know a Caddy when I see one. Plenty of them in Miami, and plenty park in my building's garage. I'm just pissed at myself for not getting the license plate numbers. But I'll chalk that up to the pain and cold. It looked like an inexpensive compact car, a typical cheap rental.”

“Speaking of cold, how do you stand these winters? Sure, the snow is pretty, but it's colder than a witch's tit here in January. You and Sniff ought to think about coming south to visit me in Coral Gables during the winter. And speaking of tits, if it's a woman you want, I could introduce you to a divorcee on my floor with tits so big you could—”

Earl cleared his throat to cut Sylvia off. “I'm not looking for women.”

“Not even one with big—”

“No. Now let's get back to the issue at hand. I'm wondering if the driver could have been Martin Perkins. He's been hiding out ever since he attacked Connie, and before that, he lived in the apartment above his mother's garage. It seems reasonable to assume he would eventually come back home.”

They pulled into the driveway. Connie, Andrew, Julio and Lily must have heard the car. They were all lined up in the garage ready to help Sylvia into the house. They put her on the couch and treated her like royalty. Connie put a pillow under her ankle. Lily removed her shoes and Andrew tucked a soft warm blanket gently around her. The queen was on her throne and it took only a few minutes before the edicts were issued.