There, gleaming softly under the harsh overhead light, sat a silver convertible.
âIt came three days ago.â Randy ran his hand lovingly over the sleek curve of one fender. âIsnât it beautiful?â
âThat it is.â I began to circle the car. I didnât want to prick Randyâs balloon, but all I could think of was how inappropriate this expensive car was for a novice driver. The potential for a serious accident was incredible!
If Randy met a sycamore in this marvelous car, he would be in big trouble.
I bent down to peer inside. I might as well study the upholstery before it was drenched with Randyâs blood.
Someone had beaten Randy to it.
Blood stained the passenger seat and floor.
I knew there had to be very little, if any, left in the very dead man who slumped against the gray leather interiorâ¦.
This time I got myself into trouble without Joleneâs help. Not that she didnât contribute, but at least she wasnât the cause. Edie was. Or rather, Edieâs husband.
Edie Whatley is my coworker at The News: The Voice of Amhearst and Chester County, where she is editor of the family page and a features writer. Iâm a general reporter and features writer.
âEdie,â I called across the aisle that separated our desks. âCan I do the ironmongerâs mansion at Hibernia Park for the Great Homes of Chester County series?â I thought it would be fun to write about that the big pale orange home set on the knoll above the gently sloping lawn.
There was no response from Edie.
âEdie!â
Still nothing.
I frowned. It wasnât like her not to answer, especially since she was doing nothing but staring at her CRT screen.
Then spoke Jolene, Queen of Tact. âEdie, what in the worldâs the matter with you, woman? Youâve been a mess all day.â
âJolene!â I was appalled, but I had to admit that she got Edieâs attention. Edie blinked, skewered by Joleneâs accusing gaze.
âSpill it,â Jolene demanded. âIs it Randy?â Randy was Edieâs fifteen-year-old son whose life journey kept all of us glued for the next painful installment.
âRandyâs fine,â Edie said.
Jolene and I looked at each other, then back at Edie.
âHe is?â I blurted with more disbelief than was probably good for our friendship.
âWell, probably fine is too strong a word, but heâs not bad.â
âHeâs not?â Joleneâs surprise was equally obvious.
Edieâs face scrunched momentarily as she understood what we had inadvertently revealed about our opinions of her son. Then she got huffy, Edie-style. âI said heâs fine.â
âWell, if itâs not Randy,â Jolene continued, unabashed at having hurt Edie, âthen what? Is it Tom?â
Edie smiled too brightly. âTom? What could possibly be wrong with him?â
A good question. He and Edie doted on each other and didnât care who knew. Being around them was instant tooth decay due to the sweetness of their relationship. I donât mean just lovey, which I happen to think is good, or considerate, which I happen to think is necessary. It was the touching, the patting, the unconscious back rubbing and collar adjusting.
Tom was Edieâs second husband, and therein lay part of Randyâs problems. He didnât like his stepfather.
Not that Tom should take that lack of appreciation personally. Randy didnât appear to like any adults. He also didnât like many kids, and I strongly suspected he didnât care much for himself either.
But Tom took the brunt of all the boyâs angst and anger. More than once, Edie had come to work teary-eyed, only to tell Jolene and me about Randyâs latest verbal abuse and disobedience.