Page 73 of 3rd Tango
But the other two? It couldn’t be a coincidence that all three were buried there. And, ohmygod. My crazy mother may have been right all along.
I lean forward, resting my hands on the table and digging my fingertips into the top. “Please, Taylor. Tell me a serial killer hasn’t actually been living across the street from my parents.”
“A serial killer has not been living across the street.”
Thank you.
“Remember,” she continues, “Evelyn’s boyfriend had some twisted sexual fetishes. He liked to choke girls out during sex.”
“Bastard,” Charlie mutters.
“Apparently, Gayle wasn’t above helping his buddy dump a couple of bodies.”
“Bastards, plural,” Charlie says. “So, Marie calls Gayle in a panic and Gayle tells her he knows a place.”
Taylor rests her index finger on her nose. “They bury Evelyn near the other two, so it looks like one person buried them all.”
One person did bury them all.
He just wasn’t the killer.
Two pot brownies tonight.
At least.
I look at Charlie, the full weight of what my mother had gotten herself into now hitting me. “Mom could’ve gotten killed. Just like Evelyn.”
Charlie nods. “Imagine Al’s surprise when Mom goes to his cold case group asking for help with her quirky neighbor.” Charlie looks at Taylor. “All this time, Al’s been working with her and he’s known exactly who Gayle is.”
“Yep. He’s been trying to protect your mom, afraid Grenado would get wind of it. What with Gayle threatening to take him down if he ever saw him again. Al’s been keeping an eye on Gayle and getting intel from your mother. While trying to figure out how to turn in his ex-partner and keep your mother safe.”
My mother. The rock star.
“We have to tell Mom,” I say to Charlie. “It’ll break her heart about Al, but she’s…amazing. Her hard work brought these people down.”
27
Charlie
Ihost Sunday lunch this week with Meg and Jerome, JJ, Mom and Dad, and we’ve added Taylor and Matt.
The men are on the patio, JJ grilling and fending off questions from my dad regarding a run for office. He and I still haven’t discussed this idea, but I know it’s far in the future, if at all.
Jerome is, surprisingly, holding his own on sports and politics with Matt. They seem to be getting along quite well. I suspect Jerome will be around permanently, so it’s a good thing.
Taylor is showing off her new engagement ring, thanks to Matt, who finally went shopping with Meg and landed the perfect diamond. We’ve made all the appropriate noises, Meg keeping her input a secret and giving Matt all the glory at choosing a ring Taylor adores.
The three of us putter around the kitchen, getting together some of the side dishes and drinks. Mom is in the dining room laying out plates and silverware.
Meg has been invited to speak at a forensic conference in the fall on her techniques for rebuilding the dead. She’s already making notes and practicing her speech.
The A/C is finally fixed, and I’ve decided to give Haley a few more responsibilities. She has some interest in doing investigative work, and I’m hiring a friend of Matt’s part-time to help with the more mundane tasks, such as surveillance, which Matt and I both hate. Mom’s two friends from the CSCC group have also offered to help us catch up with paperwork.
My car is totaled and I’ve already started scanning online sites to replace it when the insurance check arrives. Taylor managed to get a confession out of that scumbag, Mike, that he was the one who shot at me. I’m considering calling Jackie DelRay for a referral on a civil attorney so I can sue his ass.
Mom returns, grabbing a handful of napkins to take back. She’s slightly depressed, the case that consumed her for nearly twenty years is solved. Meg and I sat her down and brought her up to speed earlier, and she was both satisfied and slightly at a loss. What comes next? The Citizens Solving Cold Cases is disbanding, talking about starting a new group and making her their president, but she doesn’t seem all that excited about it.
JJ and Dad bring in trays of grilled meat and veggies and everyone takes their time sitting at the dining room table. It’s nice when it gets to be used for its real purpose, instead of my second office, scattered with files and my laptop. Casual conversation fills the air. We’re talking and laughing, enjoying a relaxing get together. I feel blessed to have all these people in my life.
