rolled his eyes and shrugged. “My
mom is probably pacing the floor right about now. If I’m not home when she gets
there, she starts to worry.”
“A man your age shouldn’t have to worry
too much about that. It isn’t good to rely on your mother too much at your age.”
Leroy pointed at a stack of wood beside the back porch. “Check those for warped
pieces, then go on home.”
Obviously, I wasn’t going to get anymore
rest. I moved back into the house, grabbed my bag of M&Ms from the cookie
jar, and settled in front of the television with a chick flick. I might as well
try to enjoy the rest of my day.
Leroy might be noisy, but I felt a whole
lot better knowing I wasn’t alone. The afternoon passed with the sound of
sawing from outside and vows of love from the TV. Occasionally, I’d glance at
the clock to check the time, wondering where Lindsey was, but at the almost
tender age of sixteen, she flew off the handle when I asked too many questions.
She had a dinner curfew and a night time curfew, and woe to the one who checked
on her before those times.
The closer she got to becoming an adult, the more of a stranger she became. Was every teenage girl such a
nightmare? Last mystery we’d been involved in, Lindsey couldn’t wait to help me
solve it. Neither could Mom. Maybe that’s why I was getting nowhere fast. The
three Callahan women weren’t together.
I sat up and grabbed my cell phone off
the coffee table, then texted Mom and Lindsey for a meeting right after supper.
With it being Saturday night, my daughter might balk a bit, but I was hoping
she’d be thrilled at helping us brainstorm.
Seconds later, I received a text from my
daughter saying, ‘If I have to’ and one from my mother saying she’d bring cake
and coffee. Maybe I should have texted her first, then relayed her message to
Lindsey. Cake could sway the toughest opponent.
The hours until the meeting time of seven
o’clock dragged, despite Duane bringing pizza and Lindsey actually coming home
in time to eat. Since she loved her uncle, conversation wasn’t stilted as I’ve
heard it could be with prospective step-parents. But…she did get a glint in her
eye when he spoke to her in a gruff voice about her attitude. How would she act
if we decided to have another child?
“You’re quiet tonight. Is your hand
hurting?” Duane bit into a slice of meat lover’s pizza.
“No, just thinking.” I smiled at Lindsey.
“Thinking on how fast my baby is growing up.”
“Mom, please don’t start the gushy talk.”
Lindsey set her soda can on the table. “I’m too old for that.”
“Never.” She’d always be my baby.
“ Yoo hoo !” Mom shoved against the screen door, loaded down with
a pitcher and a platter.
“Cake!” Lindsey immediately perked up,
losing the bored look teenagers loved to wear.
Duane jumped up to help her. “Do I get a
piece of this before you women run me off?”
“I’ll cut you a big slab right now, and
you can run over to the house and share it with Leroy. He’s watching some
sports thing on TV.”
Mom set the cake in the middle of the
kitchen table and cut him a piece before transferring it to a paper plate.
“There’s hot coffee at the house, too. Now, git so we
can go over our notes.”
Duane froze. “Y’all are meeting about the
killings?” He turned to me. “Didn’t almost getting shot teach you anything?”
“Yes.” I lifted my chin. “It taught me
that I need to find out who is behind this before one of my family, or myself,
end up dead.”
He sighed. “Fine. Do what you want.”
Gripping the paper plate hard enough to bend it, he stormed out the front door.
My heart ached at his attitude, but I was
now past the point of no return in this latest mystery. Squaring my shoulders,
I plopped into a kitchen chair. “Since I can’t write with my injured hand, I
need you to take the notes, Lindsey.”
“ Uhm . Huh.”
Lindsey scooted the paper and pen toward her. “Last time, I almost got
mom is probably pacing the floor right about now. If I’m not home when she gets
there, she starts to worry.”
“A man your age shouldn’t have to worry
too much about that. It isn’t good to rely on your mother too much at your age.”
Leroy pointed at a stack of wood beside the back porch. “Check those for warped
pieces, then go on home.”
Obviously, I wasn’t going to get anymore
rest. I moved back into the house, grabbed my bag of M&Ms from the cookie
jar, and settled in front of the television with a chick flick. I might as well
try to enjoy the rest of my day.
Leroy might be noisy, but I felt a whole
lot better knowing I wasn’t alone. The afternoon passed with the sound of
sawing from outside and vows of love from the TV. Occasionally, I’d glance at
the clock to check the time, wondering where Lindsey was, but at the almost
tender age of sixteen, she flew off the handle when I asked too many questions.
She had a dinner curfew and a night time curfew, and woe to the one who checked
on her before those times.
The closer she got to becoming an adult, the more of a stranger she became. Was every teenage girl such a
nightmare? Last mystery we’d been involved in, Lindsey couldn’t wait to help me
solve it. Neither could Mom. Maybe that’s why I was getting nowhere fast. The
three Callahan women weren’t together.
I sat up and grabbed my cell phone off
the coffee table, then texted Mom and Lindsey for a meeting right after supper.
With it being Saturday night, my daughter might balk a bit, but I was hoping
she’d be thrilled at helping us brainstorm.
Seconds later, I received a text from my
daughter saying, ‘If I have to’ and one from my mother saying she’d bring cake
and coffee. Maybe I should have texted her first, then relayed her message to
Lindsey. Cake could sway the toughest opponent.
The hours until the meeting time of seven
o’clock dragged, despite Duane bringing pizza and Lindsey actually coming home
in time to eat. Since she loved her uncle, conversation wasn’t stilted as I’ve
heard it could be with prospective step-parents. But…she did get a glint in her
eye when he spoke to her in a gruff voice about her attitude. How would she act
if we decided to have another child?
“You’re quiet tonight. Is your hand
hurting?” Duane bit into a slice of meat lover’s pizza.
“No, just thinking.” I smiled at Lindsey.
“Thinking on how fast my baby is growing up.”
“Mom, please don’t start the gushy talk.”
Lindsey set her soda can on the table. “I’m too old for that.”
“Never.” She’d always be my baby.
“ Yoo hoo !” Mom shoved against the screen door, loaded down with
a pitcher and a platter.
“Cake!” Lindsey immediately perked up,
losing the bored look teenagers loved to wear.
Duane jumped up to help her. “Do I get a
piece of this before you women run me off?”
“I’ll cut you a big slab right now, and
you can run over to the house and share it with Leroy. He’s watching some
sports thing on TV.”
Mom set the cake in the middle of the
kitchen table and cut him a piece before transferring it to a paper plate.
“There’s hot coffee at the house, too. Now, git so we
can go over our notes.”
Duane froze. “Y’all are meeting about the
killings?” He turned to me. “Didn’t almost getting shot teach you anything?”
“Yes.” I lifted my chin. “It taught me
that I need to find out who is behind this before one of my family, or myself,
end up dead.”
He sighed. “Fine. Do what you want.”
Gripping the paper plate hard enough to bend it, he stormed out the front door.
My heart ached at his attitude, but I was
now past the point of no return in this latest mystery. Squaring my shoulders,
I plopped into a kitchen chair. “Since I can’t write with my injured hand, I
need you to take the notes, Lindsey.”
“ Uhm . Huh.”
Lindsey scooted the paper and pen toward her. “Last time, I almost got
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