MSW/Jessica Fletcher and the people of Cabot Cove belong to
someone else. (Have no money, make no money - written for something to do over
the summer.) The character Tipper
Murder by Skullduggery
Finished July 24th
2006 © Kats
Frank looked
up from the sofa where he was writing and regarded his mother as she entered
into the front parlor of his Aunt Jessica’s home. Lucky looked up as well and
thumped her tail as Donna sighed and sat across from him. Frank placed the note
book on the coffee table and looked up at his mother.
“Honey,
it’s a beautiful day out there, why aren’t you with your friends, maybe riding
bikes or something? I know Grady said he was going to take you to all the
places he used to play when he comes back from moving everything, but that will
be next week and I hate to see you cooped up in here all that time.”
“Willie
and Taylor are still on their honeymoon, and Tipper is working today, as is Dr.
Hazlitt. There isn’t far to ride around here on bikes and I - I haven’t made
any other friends. There hasn’t been time. I’m still an outsider, Mom - I‘m ‘from
away.’ Besides, I’ve taken a whole week off of my lessons and I have to catch
up with them. I’m not really into playing sports, and anyone who is my age
around here is helping on their parents’ lobster boats.”
“Well,
if Willie and Taylor were here, what would you be doing with them?”
“Carding
wool, and learning how to weave – it’s pretty cool. Mom, are we going to stay
here in Cabot Cove? Even though it’s quiet, I kinda like it better than the
city.”
Donna
regarded her son. “What exactly do you like the most about Cabot Cove? The
people or the seafood?”
Frank
shook his head. “Um, I’m not wild about the fishy stuff. Moo is better. I’m
learning things here, Mum, real things that, well, they don’t teach in school
and maybe they should. I’m just a number when I am in the city schools. Here,
they know me as Frank Fletcher, son of Grady and Donna Fletcher, great nephew
of Jessica Fletcher, and it doesn’t matter that Aunt Jessica writes books, they
still like to talk about me at Loretta’s beauty shop, and its not because I
stink at English, its because I am a kid.”
“There
are other things you can be doing, Frank,” she said encouragingly.
“I’ve
already cut the grass, and taken out the trash, and swept the back porch, and
clipped off the dead roses, and swept the upstairs, but I didn’t clean the
bathroom yet…”
“The
last time you were this ambitious with helping was just before you came here, and
something was bothering you. Does it have anything to do with the discussion
you and Tipper had the other day?” Donna inquired.
“No,”
he said softly.
“Frank?
It is, isn’t it…?”
“I
would rather not talk about it, Mom.” His voice became softer.
Donna
leaned forward and took his hands into hers. “You know you can tell me anything,
honey.”
Donna
watched the struggle on Frank’s face before he spoke in a soft voice. “She
hurts inside, Mom. Someone wanted her to autograph the picture that came out in
the newspaper, and it had Faraday’s picture on there. I remember what it was
like to wake up in that place, and I know there are people in this town who
probably think Fordham was right all along. I even hated Faraday because he
made Tipper laugh, and because she looked at him like that. The way you look at
Dad some times. I found myself even liking him later. If I keep doing my homework,
and the stuff around the house, then I don’t have to think about what happened.
I’m eleven and I feel old, Mom. I know you say I can tell you anything, but I
can’t tell you everything. Not that you would love me less, but because it
would upset you and Dad said we have to keep you calmer than normal,” he said
ruefully. “In a way, I don’t want to go back to my old school. I don’t fit in
there anymore."
A
voice called from the kitchen. “Hello?”
Both
Frank and Donna straightened up. “Aunt Jessica!” said Frank, springing from the
sofa and covering the distance to the kitchen in leaping bounds to embrace her
in a long hug.
“Well,
my goodness it’s only been three days!” she said, returning his hug.
“I’ve
missed you.” The door opened and Mort entered carrying someone. Frank goggled. “Ian!” he gasped, softly regarding the
sleeping boy over Mort’s shoulder.
“In
Frank’s room, Mrs. F?” Jessica nodded.
Frank looked at Jessica quizzically.
“Ian
will be staying with us until
“Apprentice?
But Aunt Jessica, he’s only nine!” gasped Donna.
Frank
shrugged. “Willie said he was helping to deliver babies since he was eleven.
How come Pattie didn’t come too?” he asked, curious.
“Because
she is being apprenticed by Gram. Each of them will learn different things, and
later Pattie will come here, and Ian will return home.”
Frank
looked at his mother. “Does this mean Willie will be taking his boards to
practice medicine here? He could be your doctor, Mom… I know he could make the
baby healthier.”
“Honey,
I know he is your friend but we’ve talked about this, and about living with
Grandma and Grandpa Mayberry,” she said firmly.
“Just
give him a chance, Mom! Please!”
Donna
struggled with what she was going to say next. She looked into her son’s
earnest eyes and said softly, “I am sure he is a wonderful doctor, but I don’t
know him that well, and I don’t know if you would understand this, but there
are ways that things are done when having a baby. It’s very difficult to, well
… things are very personal.”
“If
Willie can help save my baby sister, then you need to get over the personal
things, Mom,” Frank said evenly. Snagging Ian’s bag he carried it upstairs as
Mort came down.
Mort
looked puzzled between the two women and the upstairs. Donna threw her hands up
in the air. “I don’t know what to do with him. He loves it here, and your offer
is very kind, Aunt Jessica, but - “
“You
don’t have to explain, Donna - I understand.”
Donna
closed her eyes. “Is he a good doctor?” she asked Jessica softly.
It
was Mort who spoke up as he came down the steps into the room. “I don’t know
what is going on, Mrs. F, but I can tell you that when Willie first arrived to
claim that sword, I ran a check on him. He is one of the foremost authorities
on immunology and he heals with herbs and plants. You don’t know him, but
Donna
turned to Jessica and shrugged with her hands in despair. “Aunt Jessica!”
“It’s
all right, Donna. I understand.”
“But
you agree with them,” Donna said with a sniff. “Does that make me a horrid
mother that I won’t…?” Donna turned around and went into the parlor where Mort
heard her sniffing.
“I’m
sorry, Mrs. F. I didn’t know it was such a sensitive topic.”
“Mort,
it’s all right. I expect there will be more tears and yelling until things are
resolved. It wasn’t the peaceful vacation that was planned.”
Upstairs
Frank ran to the bed where Ian lay and climbed beside him. He was careful not
to wake the young boy with his movements, but he couldn’t help the tears that
came or the gulping sobs that he tried to keep inside of him.
When
Jessica looked in on them later she found both of them asleep, wrapped in each
others’ arms. Sighing, she made her way back downstairs to where Donna was
laying down on the sofa with a cold cloth on her head. It had been hard for
Sara to agree to allow Ian to come to
She
paused and saw Frank’s open note book that had fallen off of the end table in
the excitement of her arrival. Picking it up she glanced at the scrawled
writing and sat down as she began to read what he had written:
“Week
three of my summer. It’s hard to know where to begin, when trying to explain
what you feel inside. Things you can’t tell adults or your friends because either
they worry, or they think you’re strange. I feel ill inside, remembering,
trying to fathom how greed and hatred can ruin people. How we take things for
granted, and that there are others who live in such conditions that it makes me
ashamed to have so much. To have parents who love me, and family who owns up to
being related to me with pride. In all of their love and understanding I know I
can’t tell them what happened, not all of it.
In the middle of celebrating something good and pure, my friends
and I were snatched away, and held in a place where others had died. I saw
things: things that gave me courage, things I can’t explain. Things that others
may not have seen, or understand. I think, sometimes, that I am going mad -
maybe it was the moment, or the danger that we were in. I knew if I could not
find the way to safety, no one would. Sometimes I wish that moments could float
away on the breeze and never be seen again. I can’t speak of what I feel in my
heart, yet I know my friend who was there hurts more than I do. I know that
things won’t change soon, but I worry about my mum, and my dad, and my Aunt
Jessica, that the same people who have done these things would want to hurt
them. Or that I would do something, and not know, and it would cause them
distress. I am eleven, but I feel old before my time - it’s a burden that I can
not fathom, it’s a guilt that I should not have to bear, but I do…
I want to be a kid again. I want to do things to get into
trouble because I need a reason to be yelled at, so that I have a reason that
can justify my tears, and the horrible feeling that has been a monster inside
of me. I know my parents will love me regardless, so I need them to be firm
with me, so that I have a reason to yell, and scream, and flail my arms around
like windmills and maybe break out of what has been hurting inside of me. But I
can‘t. I can‘t bring myself to do that because their lives have been up ended
as well as mine. They hurt for different reasons, and I can‘t burden them with
what has been stabbing through my heart since then. I know, now, why Willie
cried when the storms came. I know why there is a haunting in ones heart… I
don‘t know where I fit any more…”
Jessica
closed the note book and placed it back into his back pack, zipping it closed.
She regarded Donna as she slept. She understood why Donna would want to go home
during this time. Children grow up, and they learn to find order in their
lives. It kept things normal. For Frank and Ian, and she presumed Tipper as
well, the recent events had ripped the normal away. Under the best of times
victims would require years of counseling. Of course, after growing up in the
Mayberry household, Frank might need even more counseling than he did from
being kidnapped.
Settling
back on the oversized chair Jessica felt her eyes growing heavy. The time
difference was going to take a bit to get used to, and she had informed Donna
that they would eat after everyone took a nap. It just seemed like a few heartbeats
when she woke to the sound of a scream, pots falling and the distinct sound of
Donna being ill. Rising from the seat she hurried to the kitchen and saw Donna
clinging to the counter. A carton of eggs was tipped over and a few had rolled
across the counter. Donna had knocked the frying pan to the floor. Jessica
hurried forward to see what was wrong as Donna swayed and retched again.
It
was then that Jessica saw the eggs. Every single one of them had things drawn
on them. Realistic eyeballs that were bloodshot stared back at her. Some had
the words
“Bum
Nuts” written on them. One had a set of teeth, another had a boogey nose. One
had
“Peep
Inside” and another had “U Crack ME UP!” One looked like it had a very
realistic worm coming out of it.
Donna
straightened up. “FRANK FLETCHER, YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!”
Frank
lifted his head up and looked groggily around. Ian was awake. Frank looked at
the younger boy and said, “Best you stay put, mate - she’s got a full head of
steam and there will be a lot of shouting.”
Going
downstairs he peeked into the kitchen and saw Aunt Jessica was trying to calm
Donna down, and Donna snapping at Jessica, “STAY OUT OF THIS!”
Turning,
Donna saw Frank in the doorway and started yelling at him. Jessica saw Frank
didn’t flinch, though he wore a slightly baffled expression on his face until
he walked forward to the sink to clean up the mess and saw the eggs. He didn’t
try to defend himself, he didn’t try to calm her down, he just stood there and
listened to her as she berated him. He only turned his head when he heard a
catch of a sound in the doorway from the upstairs. She was yelling at him to
continue to clean it up as she saw him leaving the kitchen.
“YOU GET BACK HERE, YOUNG MAN!” she thundered following him, then came up short
as she saw Frank holding Ian as he sobbed.
“I’ll
take care of this, Mum,” Frank said softly. “He is just scared.”
Jessica
touched Donna on the arm and turned her back to the kitchen. “Donna, the eggs
came that way.”
“What?”
Donna gasped turning back to where she saw Frank comforting the younger boy.
“It’s
a marketing strategy they have been trying out to increase poultry sales
because of the cost of shipping the product up here. I tried to tell you.”
“Why
didn’t he - why did he let me yell at him then?” asked Donna stunned.
Jessica
glanced back to the room where the sounds had turned to noisy hiccups. “Because
he knew that disagreeing with you would upset you more. I understand things are
not going well, Donna, and I know how much you want to get things back to what
you can deal with. Sometimes you need to accept the help of others, even if
your heart yearns for familiar comforts.” Jessica escorted Donna back to the
kitchen and into a chair where Donna placed her hands over her face and let out
a moan.
“I’m a terrible mother,” she said before
bursting into tears.
Jessica
saw the two boys enter and go to where Donna was sitting. Ian lifted her wrist
and began to rub the inside of it gently. “Shhh Mum, tis all right,” he said
softly. “Come have a lie about until dinner.”
Obediently
Donna stood and followed him into the front room where he guided her to lie
down on the sofa. In a heartbeat with him rubbing her wrist gently, she was
asleep. Frank tugged a blanket over her and then the two boys left the room.
Ian looked back at Donna for a moment before following Frank and Jessica into
the kitchen to help Frank clean things up.
“Tears
I understand…the shouting scares me the most. Back home, at the neighbors it
was followed by beatings, and screams… and if the Met would come then there
would be shootings sometimes through the walls. I didn’t know where to go to
hide.”
Frank
scooped the egg mess into Lucky’s bowl and called her over. In a few gulps and
a whirl of her tail, the mess was gone.
“That
wrist thing, where did you learn that?” asked Frank, curious. He saw a far away
look in Ian’s eyes.
“Mam’s
been ill with every one of the lot, and Grama Rosemary said Gram used to do it
for her. I watched, and when Grama Rosemary was working an’ Mam was ill, I
would do it and she would settle some. After the crying she did, she’ll nae
want to eat eggs, or bacon, or things of that nature…”
Jessica
came over to the boys. “I will make dinner… Frank, why don’t you take Ian
outside and show him around? Dinner will be in about half an hour.”
Frank
checked the clock on the kitchen wall then nodded to Jessica, and borrowing her
cane for Ian, the two boys went out the back door. Ian looked at the rose
garden and then buried his nose into one and looked up at Frank. “I read about
a place like this, that all they grow is flowers … never thought I would live
to see the day, though…” His fingers traced the soft petals of one and he
breathed in the scent of the rose again.
Taking
Ian by the hand Frank led him to the swing and helped him sit on it before
sitting down on it himself. “I didn’t see much of
He
saw Ian stand up and walk to the edge of Jessica’s property and look into the
yard of
Letting
out a careful breath Frank said softly, “I don’t know what’s going to happen to
us. I’m not particularly chuffed about going to live with Grandma and Grandpa
Mayberry. I want to stay here, but I understand Mum wants to be with her
family. “
“An’
your da lets her get away with tha’? Back home, it was what the man of the
house said, an’ the women listened.” Ian blinked a few times and then looked
away.
“Was
your dad like that?” asked Frank softly.
“My
Da was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die like he did in the factory. Mum
would have been there too - and even with Grandma Rosemary, we would have been
sent to the Orphans’ Asylum. The girls would have a chance at being adopted,
but, well, I’d be on my own.” Ian dragged a design with his foot in the dirt.
“It
won’t ever come to that now Ian. You have a huge family now.”
Frank
saw the sadness in Ian’s eyes. “It already has happened, me being packed away
and shipped here. Gram is 97, she’s nae going to be able to teach Pattie very
long. Toot’s been remanded for the killings, though Inspector George says
that’s just until the judge signs the papers to release him, an’ that could be
ages. With the new babe on the way an’ Margarita, well, even at Mither’s there
wasn’t enough room for me. Mum wanted a proper raising for me around a man, nae
so many women. I keenly miss Pattie, though. Nae used to sleeping without
someone else in the room, even if it is a little one.”
The
porch door opened and Jessica’s voice came wafting over to them. “Dinner is
ready, boys.”
It
was later that evening that Donna looked in on them. Ian had nestled next to
Frank who had his arm around the sleeping younger boy protectively. He looked
up at his mother as she crossed the room and sat on his bedside.
“Frank,
I am so sorry…”
“Mom,
I love you, but I can’t deal with your problems and mine at the same time. I
can’t even handle the thought of moving in with Grandma and Grandpa Mayberry - I
want to hide in a corner and rock myself, or throw up, and I can’t breath. I
want to scream and throw things. I need to heal inside, Mom. I can’t do that if
every time I turn around I get hurt with you yelling at me for things beyond my
control. I know you don’t mean what you say, or the anger that comes out. I
think that it’s in best interest of our family and my best interest if I stayed
here, for good. I ...“
He
saw Donna shaking her head, and the look in her eyes. Reaching over he took her
hand in his and covered it with his own. “Every day for the longest time, months,
you’ve yelled at Dad, or me, or the landlord, and neither Dad nor I deserve it.
‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean anything anymore because tomorrow you will yell, and
the next day, and the next day. I can’t tell you what to do, Mom. You have to
decide, but if all the doctors that you have seen can’t make you feel well enough
to get through a day without causing the people who love you distress, then
it’s time to see a different type of doctor, even if it’s one that you just
talk with.“
Frank
saw the tears well up in his mother’s eyes. “I’m scared, Mom. I love you,” he
said, sitting up and wrapping his arms about her. “Gabe told me that there are
times that we do what is best or what is right and it depends on what is the
most important thing. I know its right for you to feel comfortable with the doctors
that you know, maybe, though it would be best if you just spoke with Willie.
The most important thing is the baby to be born alive, isn’t it?”
“Frank,
please don’t make this any harder than it already is… you don’t understand,”
she said softly.
“Help
me understand, then,” he said urgently.
“The
baby won’t be able to breath right, it will probably have many birth defects,
and if it does survive, chances are that the baby will be mentally challenged…
profoundly…”
“That
wouldn’t change how we love her,” he said, taking his mother’s hand. “She could
be just fine as well. Just think about it, okay?”
Donna
sighed then nodded. Kissing Frank on the cheek, she pushed him back down on the
bed and tucked the covers over him. “Goodnight, honey,” she said softly.
“’Night,
Mom. Mom?… I love you.” Frank watched
his mother smile as she stood up and stood over the bed.
“I
love you too, honey,” Donna said, then went out of the room and closed the
door.
She
found Jessica downstairs still up sitting in the parlor with twin cups of tea
on the side board. She picked up the tea cup with trembling hands and regarded
the dark hot liquid.
“Frank
used to act up. Now he is soft spoken, and considerate, and responsible. He
doesn’t want to come to my parents’ house. What changed him, Aunt Jessica? I
used to be able to out think him… now I can’t do that. I feel as if I have lost
my son in all of this. I’ve lived my whole life with traffic outside the door,
and people who didn’t know you and a place where people are still up at ten pm
and the sun comes up at a proper hour. He wants me to talk to Willie, and
everyone keeps telling me to do that, and I know I have to be the one to make
that decision, but …”
“What
is your reservation about speaking with him, Donna?” inquired Jessica gently.
There
was struggle on the young woman’s face. A single tear traced down it.
“Is
it about the dreams that you had? When we were in
Jessica
saw Donna close her eyes against the memory. There was pain, greater than
Donna had ever had. She heard herself screaming - writhing, to escape it. There
was a noise behind her- music that she didn’t understand. She felt hands
reaching into her body, and looking up she saw Willie’s face as he lifted something
up from her belly. He bent over and then lifted his head. There was blood on
his mouth, blood all over him as she felt her world slip away.
The same dream had come to her every night even
before she had met Willie, even before she had learned she was pregnant. The
dream had come to her every night for months, and it was only afterwards that
she had a name to put to the face. She had found him kind and gentle, but the
memory of the recurring dreams had made her disinclined to consider the thought
of seeing him as a doctor. Dreams that she couldn’t confide in anyone, only tell
the people who had been awakened by her gasps from the nightmares that it was
just a bad dream. Considering all that had happened, it wasn’t unexpected.
There were others, too - other family members who had bad dreams when they were
together at the bed and breakfast, but none would talk about them. Tipper’s had
been the most pronounced, but given the fact she had survived two nightmarish
moments it wasn’t surprising.
“Donna?”
She felt Jessica take her hand in hers. “Are you all right?”
Donna
opened her eyes and looked at Jessica. “I’m afraid of him, Aunt Jessica.”
“Afraid?
How?” Jessica asked, perplexed.
Donna
swallowed. Jessica could see the younger woman’s hands were trembling as she
picked up the tea cup and took a sip then set the cup down on the saucer with a
clatter. “He is kind, and sweet and charming, and my son adores him. He has a
way about him that people listen to, a charisma that makes people follow him
and accept him. A sort of magic… I had the same dream, before I met him. He was
in the dreams that I have been having. I… I died in that dream by his hand,
Aunt Jessica, and so did my baby… and now everyone is trying to convince me to
go to him about the baby, and I can’t… I can’t.”
“Would
it help if Seth was there?” inquired Jessica.
Donna
shook her head then sniffed back tears. “No. Frank thinks that I should go see
a psychiatrist. What should I do?”
For
a moment Jessica regarded Donna in silence. “How do you feel about seeing a psychiatrist?” she asked.
Donna
studied the pattern of the tea leaves inside the cup awhile before looking up
at Jessica.
“I
need to speak to Willie - about the baby, and my dreams, don’t I?“
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Althea
Blair strode into
“Hello,
Ms. Blair, is it? “ The young woman nodded as the frumpy school secretary
extended her hand to her. “Mr. Charles is still away; he was delayed in one of
his interviews and is in
“Enrollment
is down this year, which is sad of course – it’s always nice to see little ones
growing up over time. There are still five more weeks of summer left for the
students, but it’s never enough time to write the lesson plans and prepare for
next year. I know Mr. Charles said that you were going to teach 4th
grade, but that may be changed to 5th grade if Jake, um, if Mr.
Edger takes over the 6th grade, or they may split it - the budget is
a bit tighter this year, and while in the past we had one teacher for each
subject, the board has decided to have one teacher per grade this year. It cuts
out four head teaching positions, though we still need someone to cover the
science department two days a week. The state was pretty firm about that. While
your little monsters are having their science lesson, you will be helping cover
either lunch or recess for the students, depending on the schedule. Oh, here is
your classroom. You should know, no contract with the town has been signed that
has a budget that is going to work. The increase in the elderly population has
decreased the amount of revenue that we can gather. It used to depend on how many
children you had going to the school at one time. Even though you’re told to go
out and buy whatever you need for the projects, there is no money to reimburse
you. We’re lucky just to have enough paper for the first six weeks. The books
are in the storage area, and your students will have lockers 400- 425. Ohhhhh,
there he is… There’s Jake Edger!” She said softly to Althea, “Don’t let him
break your heart, dear, he’s a horror with women to love.”
Althea
looked in the direction that Gibby had indicated and felt her heart skip a
beat. Jake Edger had peeked from his office by sliding his chair out the door
and waved in their direction. Too tall for the chair, his lanky frame sprawled
in it. His wavy dark hair was cut short, and his smoldering black eyes were
intoxicating even from a distance.
Swallowing,
Althea nodded. “I know the type.” She saw him unfold his frame and stride down
the hall casually until he came to where the two of them were.
“Now,
Mrs. Gibby, you’re not spreading rumors about me, are you?” he said in a deep
mellow voice, flashing a perfect grin in her direction. He turned, regarding
Althea. “Hello, Ms. Blair,” he said, extending his hand. “It has been a while.”
Shyly Althea took the offered hand and shook it firmly.
“You
know Mr. Edger?” asked Gibby, raising her eyebrows.
“Ms.
Blair was one of my students several years ago. One of my top students, one of
the three that was able to take my ‘Awful Awful Final’ and receive a perfect
score… How is Al’s mother doing?” he asked politely.
Gibby
didn’t miss the pause in Althea’s voice. “She went into remission. I will let
her know you asked about her… she always liked you,” she said, then thought to
herself, “When no one else would!”
He
regarded Althea as she smiled at something Gibby said to her.
“Well,
we will let you get back to your work, Mr. Edger. Now, Ms. Blair, down here we
have the art department. If you want to put on any plays with your students,
you will need to work with Cynthia Bohen. She has to account for every ounce of
crayon that is used – a pity. Some of the students are quite talented, and
there are lots of things they could be doing…so much… but we are stuck
with the basics. I would hope to think that we enable the children to use their
imaginations to their fullest potential,” she said with a sigh.
“Do
you have any applicants in mind for the science teacher position, or will that
be added to the curriculum that we will be teaching?”
The
older woman sighed. “Well, our last vice principal was the science teacher as
well as the physical education teacher, but his heart attack this spring sidelined
him and we haven’t really been able to fill in with someone who can do
everything. It was after that the school board voted to return to having each
teacher teach everything - it didn’t leave as many holes. Hopefully the person
our principal has in mind will accept the position.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willie
Mac exited the brightly lit room and closed the door behind him, shaking his
head. He saw
“Well?”
she asked, curious.
“Don’t
know. Oddest way that I have ever had exams before. Thousands of questions and
none of them specific. Three ways to end the exam: two an a half hours pass and
the screen goes dark on ye, or if out of all of the questions ye answered enough
to pass, or enough that you wouldn’t pass. Na a bloody leaf in sight to say, ‘Aye,
tha’ would certainly put hair on his chest.’ But the most distracting part
about the whole thing was knowing that just outside the door, you were waiting
for me…” he said, his voice dropping softly as he pulled her close for a tender
kiss.
Taking
a breath they parted. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “You were only in
there for half an hour. That rules out that you exceeded the time, leaving either
you failed - and I can’t believe that you would - or that you passed your
boards for the State of
“It’s
been awhile since I practiced medicine, Wife. Things have changed and a lot of
it is different than what I would do. Prescribing bits in tea wasn’t on what
they had as questions. I was thinking in reverse terms in there - I knew the
plants, I knew the way to use them and the chemical, but in there they had the
chemical, and then how to use them. It was agony. Pill photographs with numbers
and manufactures, knowing the difference between colors to tell the dosage, an’
some of the new fangled treatment protocols - an even if I do pass this, it
won’t make a bit of difference except the letters after my name that I could
put on my checks.“
“In
three months you could take it again, if you wanted to. You don’t have to,
Husband.”
“Gram
said as much. If I am to be a proper teacher for Ian, though, I ought to be
able to have some practice for him with the real live persons,” he said
ruefully.
He
gave her a curious look. “Odd? Ohhhh. Well. Nae, we won’t be starting out with
much more than learning the plants first - that takes well over two years before
they even learn to take a pulse. Pattie may be present when her mother gives
birth, but only since Gram will be the midwife.”
“And
what will happen when our children are born? Will Ian be there?”
“Wife,
I’ve nae ever delivered triplets. Owing to the possibility of complications,
would you be wanting to have the delivery in the hospital, with Seth helping,
or somewhere else? If it’s at the hospital, nae, Ian would na be able to be
present at the birth.”
“I
don’t know. Let’s see how today goes, and the months ahead…” She saw the door
open and a thin man peek out. She nodded to him, and was a bit surprised when
he came out from the room and closed the door, approaching Willie.
“Might
I have a moment of your time?” he asked, opening the door on the other side of
the hall.
Willie
and Taylor entered the room. There was a desk with a large chair behind it, and
three in front. He closed the door behind them.
Willie
turned to
Dr.
Norris nodded again then indicated they should sit down. “I’m going to be very
direct here. I’ve questions for you, and while the board would feel a hearing
may be in order, I would rather clear up anything before the results are
posted. Quite frankly, you currently hold the fastest time for taking the exam
in the State of
Willie
raised an eyebrow. “That your testing system is lame-ass backwards. Ye canna
know what’s wrong with someone from general terminology nor understand what really
may be wrong with them without caring for the whole of the body. I’ve na been
fond of the pills under the tongue or down the throat because they are bits of
poison that may do more harm than good, but give me the plant and I can tell
you how much would do better than what comes from a man who failed the hard
work in medical school.”
Willie
felt a tap on his arm from
“It
implies that you had the answers before you took the exam.”
“Well,
of course I had the answers. Did ye think that I was lollygagging away the
years awhile back? An’ if I didn’t know what I was doing then, I shouldn’t a
been with a patient in the first place.”
“Oh…
My Gram is a healer. All my life I have been around the plants that go into the
wee pills, an’ when I was of age I was sent off to formal learn - I knew,
though, most of what they were trying to teach everyone, an’ so I spent time in
research. I did work in hospitals as a doctor for several years until, well,
until I went home and found there had been a great deal of trouble going on. I
only applied to take the test today because my wife wished me to be able to
practice in your fair state. The outcome doesn’t change how I live my life or
what I would do with it. I’ve been told by a young friend of mine that if my
name was …” He turned to
“Google,”
“Aye,
that’s it. If you would use your computer you could Google my name and see some
of the papers that I’ve written. Imagine my surprise to see that after all this
time anyone can take a peek at the thoughts I worked out - all over the world
an’ nae even be a doctor, though unless you were, or had quite a bit of
understanding on the subject, it would be nonsense.“
Dr.
Norris leaned forward and looked directly at Willie. “Please explain to me why you took this exam?”
He
saw Willie frown. “The same reason why everyone takes it: to be licensed to
practice medicine in the State of
“Am
I to understand that you have already passed exams for the university that you
attended?”
“Oh,
aye. Top of my class. Top of ‘most all of them, come to think about it…” Willie
said, puzzling over it.
“I
see… Well, thank you for your time - you will be notified by mail of the
decision within two weeks. Good day.” Dr. Norris stood and held the door open
for them.
They
heard voices coming down the hallway as they exited the room.
“Hullo,
Mr. Murphy, what brings you to
The
tall man took his offered hand and shook it warmly. “Gordon Charles, principal
of
“Mr.
Charles, your offer is tremendously kind. I will have to discuss this at length
with my wife and will let you know what has been decided. It was lovely to see
you again, Mr. Murphy. Gentlemen, good day,” Willie said, inclining his head to
the men. Placing his hand to the small of her back he escorted her out to the
car. He opened the driver side door for her, waited until she got behind the
wheel then got into the passenger side and buckled himself in. “I’ve got to
bloody well learn how to drive on the wrong side of the road, don’t I?” he
asked, frowning as she pulled into an open slot between the cars on the road
and began the trip home.
“You
could just walk, or ride a bike to the school if you decide to take the job, or
take the bus with Ian. He will have to go to school here, you know. Maybe when we are settled in, we can arrange
to have him tested to see where he fits into the curriculum. I dare say he may
be a few grades ahead… Did Gram say what she thought was going on?”
“I
was small for my age, too… but even Seth noticed how thin he is. Pattie said he
gives the little ones most off of his plate, saying he wasn’t hungry. She’s
heavier than he is, and a mite taller too. It’s like he stopped growing two
years ago. Sara said that was the last time he had new shoes and they still
fit, even his clothes are the same. He may need to snuggle up with us until he
gets used to having a room by himself… though I don’t think Aunt Jessica would
mind keeping him just one more night while we are on the box - we are, after all,
still on our honeymoon…”
“Mmm,
well, I will leave it to you to explain to
“Ah,
that says a lot regarding your virtue, Wife,” he said, teasing her.
“Yes,
it does, and you’d better be prepared, because she’s not used to being in a
kennel and she may be a bit peeved that you were the reason why.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank
heard the car pull up to
Jessica
looked out the window and saw
Frank
looked back at Jessica, a bit perplexed. “Why wouldn’t they come over to get
Ian?”
“They
will, probably tomorrow. Willie has had a long day, and I expect
Frank
gave Jessica a look. “Uh huh,” was all
he said.
Jessica
pulled the blind down to give them privacy then tossed a sock at Frank. “Come
on, only two more baskets to go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Althea
shook the sleep from her mind as she walked up the steps to the apartment that
she was renting and gathered the mail that had been pushed through the slot of
the door. She knew that Jake taught at that school, knew that in all of the
years that she had worked as a teacher, trying to get his attention, that he
was a rat when it came to the heart. Sorting through the mail she saw a letter
from Al and opened it, dropping all of the other mail onto the table. Al was at
the other end of the spectrum. Patent, kind, sweet, he was taking care of his
mother, and she had told him she understood. She would wait. He wasn’t dashing,
though, and he didn’t have a clue regarding the effects that a roguish grin had
on the heart of a young girl. How even going for a simple cup of coffee could
set one’s heart a-flutter.
Dear Thea,
I hope that this letter finds you well, and that everything is
in order for your new job in Cabot Cove. Mother says hello. She is improving
slightly since you last saw her, though there is little hope that the
improvements will last long. She said I couldn’t possibly abandon her now when
she needs me the most. She said you would understand…’
She
sighed as she stuffed the letter back into the envelope without reading the
rest. Althea did understand. There were some women who could use guilt to get
what they wanted, and Al’s mother was one of them. Al had been a classmate of
hers; both of them had Jake as a teacher at the same time, and it was only Al’s
lumbering patience that had prevented Jake’s barbed remarks from upsetting the young
man. Coffee had led to going to the movies, but all the dreams that followed
were just that - dreams.
Glancing
around, Althea noticed that half of her boxes still needed to be unpacked. She
really was going to do that - sometime or another - it was just that she wasn’t
sure until that very day if she could face up to Jake, or flee back home to her
parents’ house and give up being a teacher.
Teaching
had been her life’s dream. Teaching jobs were far more difficult to get: there
were far more teachers exiting the universities than teaching positions. Once
in a while the school would have retirements, or someone would move on to a
different position. Small schools had very little money, but the dangled offer
of housing within a mile of the school with utilities included was an incentive
she couldn’t resist. She now could offer Al a place to move into - after, of
course, his mother died. Althea wondered sometimes if she should worry that Al
would perhaps fall in love with the nurse who cared for his mother, and if she
should look around herself and find someone to spend the bleak winter hours
with… There is always, Jake, she thought to herself, smirking. Even if
he was twelve years her senior, the age difference wasn’t that noticeable.
Guilt
worked both ways. Jake owed her more than he could ever pay back, in ways he
couldn’t ever understand. His departure two years ago from the private school
three states away had been unexpected to the staff and students who were
reeling over the tragic death of two of their classmates when the raft they had
been using overturned during the summer vacation. Jake had been grief-stricken
and blamed himself for the accident. He had encouraged the girls to try
something new, and being young, without fear, they did. Both had life jackets
on, but the autopsy showed they had indeed drowned in the river. Why they
didn’t have an experienced guide to take them down was unknown. Jake had leant
them the equipment, and had instructed them who to contact before they went
down.
Althea
had seen the looks the girls had given him the day school let out, the hugs he
had given them and the quick look in his eyes. She had seen that look before,
and known the same hugs. The day she turned twenty-one was the day things
changed. He became distant, polite, and was seen taking the two girls out for
coffee when he had promised that he would take her out for her first big event -
going to celebrate her being twenty-one at the local bar. He hadn’t shown, and
after two hours of swirling her olives, she decided to walk home. She was in
the mood for coffee - she needed something sweet. He never saw her, never
looked up to see her standing stunned as his head bent over the table in low
discussion with the girls. The accident happened two days later, or rather,
their bodies were found two days later. Water deaths were a bit tricky when it
came to determining the time someone had died. The caskets had been closed, and
in his grief Jake had disappeared up north. Althea was able to follow where he
ended up by the subscribing to the peer review circulars that listed job
postings. She knew her job was far more important than the feelings lurking in
her heart, and she would remain professional no matter what he did, or tried to
do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
slow chug of the lobster boats leaving the harbor at four am woke
Willie
opened his sleepy eyes and glanced up as
He
shook his head. “Who was that on the
answering machine?” he asked, picking up the milk carton to give it a shake.
The lumps moved inside of it. “Ooohhh, cottage cheese!” he said before dumping
it down the sink, followed by water to rinse down the smell.
“Just
“Ah…
so, you knew what she was going to say without listening to what the message
was?”
“Yes.
Every time she comes around there is trouble, and it winds up being very
expensive, both financially and emotionally for me. It only suits her, and the
rest of the time, I don‘t exist. From the time stamp on the calls they began
right after the story broke regarding the discovery of the treasure.”
“It
might be something else! It sounded as if she called you a dozen times and you
don’t even see what she has to say.”
“Three
dozen times. I got tired of being invisible. I became tired of having what I
did, what I look like, how I dress, criticized as not being good enough. I
could never fall in love with the right person, and nothing I did was good
enough. If I said anything regarding her behavior I would be curtly informed
not to step on her toes.
Willie
noticed the small beads of sweat that were forming on
There
was a knock at the back door. “I’ll get it,” he said, kissing her lips gently.
Striding to the back door he pulled the blinds up and saw Tipper standing on
the back porch with
Tipper
entered in the kitchen and placed
“Well,
I think there is just one more that I have to get through, and then I may well
hang up a shingle…though I was approached yesterday by Mr. Charles to be the
new science teacher at the elementary school. That would mean more testing,
though, and some other paperwork, I am sure."
Tipper
nodded. “They tend to test you on everything you might possibly have to teach.”
There was a faint whirring from her pager on her hip. “Uh, gotta go. I’ll take
you up on the cuppa later. Welcome back!” she said brightly before heading out
the back door.
Willie
closed the door and put two mugs in the microwave. It wasn’t the most proper of
ways to make tea, but it would do. While the unit counted down, he leaned on
the counter and began to sort the mail. It went into two piles, bills in one,
circulars in the other. Tossing the circulars in the trash he was about to dump
the carrots in the bin on top when he saw the corner of an envelope that had
missed his sorting. Curious, he plucked it out and flipped it over to see what
it was. In neat script he saw just
Folding
the letter he pushed it back into the envelope and left it on the counter.
Being very careful he dropped two infusers with tea into the cups and dunked
them a few time as what he had read worked through his mind. When the tea was
done he carried it to where she lay and placed it on the coffee table. She sat
up so that he could sit in the corner of the sofa and then laid her head on his
chest. His arm went around her waist and his hand rested upon her belly.
“Wife?”
he asked softly.
“Yes,
Husband?”
“Were
you concerned that if you told me about
“So,
if she decided to come to Cabot Cove for an extended vacation, how would you
handle it?”
It
was Willie’s turn to take a breath and let it out slowly. “In the mail was a
letter, just addressed to you, and I didn’t know if it was a bill, or ad, so I
opened it … an’ she is coming with her son and a few others. She said they would
be arriving sometime today. I’m na
doubting ye, wife, I just don’t know how the two of ye could have come from the
same womb and be so different. Ye could have told me about her, and that you
didn’t want her there before we were married, and I would understand…”
She
rolled on the sofa so that she faced him. “I am afraid for our children… I am
afraid what may happen if she tries to get her way and I have to get the brunt
of it…I can’t deal with her any more…”
“Shhh,
Wife… You won’t have to. I‘ll take care of things.” He saw tears beginning to
form in
“I
don’t want you to get hurt by her…”
“Dearest
Wife, there’s na much that she could say to me or about me that hasn’t already
been said. In all the world, though, there was only one who looked past what
others saw first, directly to my heart…The most fairest sight my eyes had seen,
and that my life took new meaning for.“ He kissed her gently. “I think today,
Wife, you will have a fair bit of resting to do while I play man of the house
and wear an apron to do the cooking… if that’s alright with you? Then tonight,
you may have your way with me…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica
heard the familiar thump-bump of Ian coming down the steps in a hurry as he
dragged his small duffle behind him and took it to the door. He was washed and
dressed and, she could tell, eager to go over to
“Whoa,
slow down! It’s just five - they may not even be up yet! And you haven’t had a
proper breakfast!” said Donna from the corner of the kitchen.
Ian
turned and saw what she was eating, saw the pot on the stove, and shook his
head. “Thank ye, no, I ... I’m na all that hungry this morning.”
Frank
came up behind him rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Don’t be daft. Lunch is a
long way away, and you don’t have to have oatmeal. We have other things to eat,
all sorts of cereals and toasts…”
Ian
shook his head again. “Wouldn’t be right to take more from ye,” he said softly.
“Nae while there is good food tha’ ye made.”
Frank
guided Ian to a chair and helped him get comfortable. “Let’s have a cup of tea,”
he said, getting the kettle and placing water in it.
Donna
was about to say that tea wasn’t proper for young boys to have at all, but then
she saw Ian nod, and give a sigh. She looked at Jessica, who was studying the
interaction between Ian and Frank with concern. Turning, Jessica opened the
bread box and withdrew a loaf from within then pulled the toaster from the
corner and popped two slices in. While they cooked, she retrieved butter and
orange juice. She poured two glasses of the juice and slid it in front of the
boys. Leaning over she said softly to them, “Donna can’t abide orange juice. I
thought she would like it. Could you help me finish up the carton?”
Ian
nodded, his nose twitching at the smell that wafted from the toaster. “What is
that, Aunt Jessica?” he asked, curious.
“It’s
cinnamon bread. It goes very well with tea and juice.”
His
nose twitched again. “Does it now?” He
watched fascinated as the toast popped upward. Jessica carefully lifted the hot
bread out of the toaster and spread fluffy butter over each slice then cut them
into fourths before placing the plate in front of the boys. She put two more
slices in the toaster and depressed the button.
Donna
watched as Frank placed two of the squares for starters before Ian. Ian studied
the bread, then with his fingers tore off a small bit of the bread and placed
it in his mouth. He chewed it for a while before taking another bit off the
edge. His eyes widened as Jessica slid the next two slices on the plate besides
the first ones.
“Oh,
ye shouldn’t be going to such fuss, Aunt Jessica. This is a plenty,” he said,
pointing to the half he was working on.
“Well,
Mum’s gone for thirds on the oatmeal, and Aunt Jessica’s had her breakfast, and
I can’t finish all of that, so you will just have to help eat it,” said Frank,
trying to keep his voice steady. Ian glanced at the sound of a slurp coming
from the corner. Frank and Jessica followed his gaze and were surprised to see
Donna lowering her bowl from her lips. There were patches of oatmeal on her
face and a milk mustache.
“Would
ye care for some cinnamon toast, Aunt Donna?” Ian asked as his hand went to the
plate to offer it to her.
Donna
gave a shudder. “Noo, noo, noo," she said, waving her free hand. “No thank
you. I was never one for cinnamon.”
Frank
turned back to Ian. “Close your eyes and open your mouth.” Puzzled, Ian did as
he was told. Frank lifted the piece of cinnamon bread and placed it in Ian’s
mouth upside down. “Bite down now…” said Frank. He saw Ian’s eye brows go up in
surprise as he began to chew with increased interest.
“Oh,
that’s lovely,” he said after swallowing. He took a sip of tea then blinked. “You’re
right, Aunt Jessica, it does go well with the tea.” Glancing down Ian saw Frank
had slipped the lion’s share of the toast onto Ian’s plate.
“I’ve
eaten my share, that’s yours,” Frank said, holding up another corner upside
down for Ian to eat.
In
short order the breakfast was finished and the dishes cleared away from the
table. Frank saw Lucky lift her head as
Ian
stood up and went to Jessica. “Thank you, I had a lovely time.” Nodding to the
others, he gathered his duffle and went out the back door over to
Frank
closed the door. For a moment he just stood not moving. When he turned Jessica
and Donna saw tears in Frank’s eyes. “He is going to die if he doesn’t start
eating more, isn’t he?”
Jessica
sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. “We don’t know. Willie and Seth are
going to do everything they can for him.”
“Then
with Ian coming here, it isn’t to learn about being a healer, is it?” Frank
asked, needing to know.
“Oh,
yes, Willie will be teaching him everything he can… He is in very good hands,
Frank, and I am sure that things will work out,” said Jessica, brushing the
tears from Frank’s eyes. “In the meantime, perhaps you could get changed, and
take your mother for a walk down to see how much the docks have changed since
she was last here.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jake
Eliot strode past the small tourist shops down to Ye Ole Tyme Mini Mart.
Fishing several quarters out of his pocket he approached the pay phones and
lifted the receiver. Leaning against the building he turned to watch the people
as they strolled along the sidewalks. He heard people calling hello to someone
and shifted his interest in that direction. “Now there is a dish worth dipping into…” he
mused, watching Tipper enter into the mini mart.
A
short, curly haired young man who was oddly dressed nodded as he stepped into
the sweet shop that was next door to the mini mart. A younger boy that Jake
didn’t recognize was helping a ditzy blond past the ice cream shop, scolding
her for something - she had chocolate on her face and he was trying to get her
to wipe it off as she slurped ice cream from the bottom of her cone.
His
eyes panned the crowd and found his mark. Althea was a creature of habit. In
the two days that she had been in Cabot Cove it had been simple to follow her
morning routine. Early rise, coffee, and then a brisk walk. She was right on
time. Glancing at his watch he knew that things were about to become
interesting. He hung up the phone and followed Althea a few paces behind her.
He knew she would take the short cut across the lower harbor. He was counting
on it and ignored the babble of voices behind him.
Feigning surprise he calle