Jess helped load the golf clubs into the back of the Escalade and they made their way to the last neighborhood. As they drove, they casually discussed that Jess, who often looked for vintage clothing at the garage sales, had yet to make a single purchase.
Being at college halfway across the country was a little like having two homes. Jess had a condo in California, but she still had a lot of things at home; clothing for one thing, after all, who needed winter clothing in California, and of course her bedroom furniture. During her first year at college, she’d been in the dorms, but on spring break she’d announced that she wanted to stay that summer to take classes and go on auditions. So Lane had flown out over a weekend and they’d gone condo hunting. A condo of course meant that Jess would also need her car and, over Memorial Day weekend, before summer classes started, Jess flew back home to get her car. Lane had been worried about Jess making the drive alone, but Jake had finished classes and was going to drive back to L.A. with her. The kids had talked Lane into letting Jamie go along too.
At the last neighborhood, Jess finally found some vintage clothing and had picked up a pair of jeans. The homeowner had set up a little dressing room in a back corner of the garage, so Jess was able to try them on.
When Jess came out of the dressing booth Lane chuckled. “Back in the day, those were called elephant bells.” The jeans fit tight through the hips and thigh, then, at about the knee, flared out.
Jess put her feet out one at a time and then did a little model turn. “I love them.” As she went back into the dressing booth she said, “Mom, will you see if there’s a top that would go with them?”
Lane picked through the clothes folded on the table, and found a peasant blouse. She walked back to the booth. “Here try this on.” She struck up a conversation with the woman, who appeared to be in her thirties. “How did you end up with all of these clothes from the seventies?”
“I went through my grandmother’s attic and found clothes that had belonged to my mother and my aunt. They had no use for them anymore, so I added them to the sale. I’m glad your daughter found something she likes.”
Jess stepped back out wearing the whole outfit and looked in the full length mirror the seller had leaning against the wall. “They’re great,” she said as she rummaged through the items on the table one more time. She found a pair of beige crepe palazzo pants and a wrap-around blouse and went back to try them on. Lane found a maxi dress and handed it to Jess when she came back out. Then Lane picked through the vintage jewelry and found a couple of items that would go with the clothes Jess had found. When Jess was in the dressing booth, she quietly purchased them as a surprise for her daughter. Jess came out of the booth dressed in her own clothes and made her purchase.
Lane couldn’t believe their luck today. She’d gotten a beautiful bracelet and earrings that would be a perfect birthday gift for Evelyn, some great items to match Jess’s purchases and a nearly new set of golf clubs to start lessons with next week, and Jess had gotten three vintage outfits. No furniture for the room formerly occupied by Jake, but there would be more garage sales and there was a new vintage / consignment furniture store that had opened on Metcalf recently. She hadn’t been there yet, but maybe she could drag Ben there sometime soon.
Lane’s cell phone rang and she answered it through the blue tooth in the Escalade. “Ben, what’s up?”
“Tanner and I finished at the Club. We got photos of everything. Tanner’s going to go over them. If there’s anything to find, he’ll find it.”
“Jess and I just finished for the day and are headed home.”
“Great. Want to meet for lunch?”
“Sure, I’ll meet you anyplace but the Club. I may never have lunch at the Club again,” Lane said laughingly. Ben and Jess laughed too.
“So, how about meeting me at McHale’s?”
“Okay. I’m about 20 minutes away. Does that work for you?”
“Absolutely, Red, see you then.”
“Mom, the house is between here and McHale’s. Would you mind dropping me off at the house and meeting Ben alone?”
“Are you sure? Would you rather I cancel?”
“No, Mom. Go, you missed date night last night. Besides, it’ll give me time to make some calls to friends.”
Lane unloaded the golf clubs; but before Jess could pick them up, Lane handed her the little package of jewelry she’d gotten for her. Jess opened it and gave her mother a hug. Jess carried the golf clubs into the garage, and they gave each other a little wave as Lane backed out of the driveway and headed toward McHale’s.
McHale’s was a little Irish pub in a strip mall. The strip mall was located between Lane’s and Ben’s houses. It was a place they went often. Lane pulled into the parking lot. She saw Ben’s dark Lincoln Navigator right away and parked behind it. She went into the pub and easily found Ben in a booth near the back. Ben stood up as she neared the booth. He waited for her to sit before taking his seat across from her. He’d already ordered a glass of iced tea for her and it sat on the table. She picked it up and took a long drink.
“So, Red, tell me about the day’s haul. Did you find old books or jewelry for Evie? Did Jess find any clothes? And last, did you pick up any furniture for Jake’s old room?”
“You know me so well.” Lane laughed. “Yes, I found some jewelry for Evie. A bracelet and some earrings that will make a great gift for her birthday next month. No books or furniture today; but I did find a good set of used golf clubs, so I’ll be ready to start lessons at St. Andrew’s next week. And Jess picked up three vintage outfits. I also found some perfect vintage jewelry to go with her new outfits. All in all, it was a good day. What did you and Roy find out at the club?”
“We got pictures of everything. We found a little blood on the edge of the counter. There was a lot of blood on the floor. We’ll compare our photos to the ones the crime scene techs took and see what we can figure out.” He took a drink of his Coke.
“The autopsy came back. The cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma and blood loss. The skull fracture could have been made from the edge of the counter or by a weapon. So the medical examiner isn’t ready to rule on method of death yet. For now it’s just ruled a suspicious death, so the detectives will continue their investigation.”
Shamus McHale brought over a steaming dish of shepherd’s pie and put it in front of Lane and set a plate with a burger and fries in front of Ben. Lane hadn’t even had to order, Shamus had put the order in as soon as Ben said Lane would be joining him.
Lane smiled and thanked him. Shepherd’s pie was great in cold weather, but Lane loved his shepherd’s pie so much she ate it year round. She stirred the potatoes and beef, allowing it to cool. “So, I’m not in the clear yet?”
Ben reached across the table and squeezed her left hand. “Red, come on. I know it’s easy for me to say, but relax. I know you didn’t do anything, you know you didn’t do anything, and the cops will figure it out too.”
Lane continued to stir her food. “And even if they don’t figure it out and God forbid I get arrested, I do have the best lawyer in town.” She smiled. She was so lucky to have him in her corner.
~~~~~
They’d met three years earlier when she’d first moved to Kansas from Omaha. The church she attended was having a garage sale and since she was gutting and remodeling her kitchen, she had donated the appliances that had come with the house. Ben had come with a truck and a helper to make the pick-up. Since Lane was donating an entire set of kitchen appliances - stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and a washer and dryer as well, it had taken more than one trip. Ben had seen all of the boxes around the house and had come back alone after the last trip just to see if she needed help with moving anything.