“Yes.”
“Then check if she is outside.”
He sighed. Gary swallowed and Jake could see his Adam’s apple rise and fall from across the room. He heard the air conditioner humming as he got up and walked to the door. Right before he looked in the peephole, he realized something. He wasn’t sure what he would see.
He saw nothing.
Nobody.
“It’s fine. No one’s there.”
“Good. Perhaps I was being overly suspicious.”
“When I was on the other side, in heaven,” Gary announced, “they told me not to hold grudges. They said I should trust in my fellow man.”
Jake tried not to laugh.
“You think you went to heaven?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t realize you’d had time for conversations.”
“Many.”
“So you really think you died?”
“If I didn’t, then how would I have known to trust my fellow man? Logic, Jacob. Wisdom.”
Charlotte coughed again and Jake looked at his empty notebook. She focused her eyes on his.
“Trust is good. But sometimes, certain parties have interests that are more important than trust. Like money. Power. Jealousy. Those are all the things I’ve encountered in the past month.”
“I see.”
“Are you willing to be a part of this?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“So will I,” Gary said. “By the way, do you have any cookies?”
“Cookies?”
“Yes, Or crackers. Anything will do. You see, I am a diabetic.”
“Oh.” She looked toward her kitchen. “I can check if I have anything.”
“He’s not a diabetic,” Jake said. “He just says that when he’s hungry.”
“No, I will find you something.”
When she used her walker it changed her. She seemed alive when she was sitting, leaning forward. But her back didn’t straighten when she stood. It was stuck that way. When she stood she looked as old as she was, and the effort made her seem tired. Jake wanted her to keep sitting.
“Don’t worry about him. Tell us your story.”
She complied and breathed in. She looked scared but started talking.
“Recently, Sheryl Goldfein hasn’t invited me to play bridge. I’ve played bridge with them for the past five years, every single week. Now they won’t let me play with them anymore. It’s an outrage.”
Jake sighed. He rested his pen on his notebook, but she just sped up.
“I have gotten better, if anything.” She was excited. “And they just got an extra day each week to use the common building. It’s unfair. I don’t know why she did it, but quite a few things I’ve found are suspicious.”
“I see.” Jake closed the notebook. “Gary, what do you think?”
“This is the story I died for?”
Charlotte sniffed.
“I think you should write a story about this Mr. Russo. It has betrayal. All of a sudden, everyone hates me. It’s Shakespearian.”
“Everyone hates you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” He stood up. “I should probably be going.”
He was too busy to be nice. He had to be aggressive. He couldn’t waste the day listening to stories about bridge games.
“I don’t understand.” She was shaking. “I’m making waves in this community, and nobody else here likes it. Your readers should know.”
“Right, I’m sure.” Being tough was as hard as he remembered. “Gary, I can get your stuff.”
“Thank you Jacob.”
Charlotte stayed seated, leaning forward. She held her arm out one last time.
“There’s more.”
Her eyes were shinier now. It seemed like she might cry.
“Yes?”
“I received a threat on my life.”
He put down Gary’s camera case and sat down in the chair.
This was worth getting out his notebook.
CHAPTER 6
Charlotte waited until he was ready. She spoke in a whisper.
“It all began a week ago. I was about to go to sleep. Before I go to bed, I always close the blinds for the night. A week ago, I was closing the blinds when the telephone rang.”
He wrote it down in shorthand.
“I answered the telephone and I heard a clicking noise. My hearing has stayed sharp over the past few years, and I remember hearing that noise. The next thing I heard was a very deep voice.”
Her own voice shook a little and her eyes shone. Jake reached out to her.
“What did it say?”
“I…I can’t…repeat it. I wrote down what he said.”
A white note emerged from the purple fabric of her dress. She handed it to Jake. It was folded at least four times, and he uncreased it slowly so he wouldn’t rip it. He read it silently.
I see you closing your blinds. If you want us to stop watching you, then you have to stop watching us. Or else.
She was shaking. Jake folded up the piece of paper and looked at her. He recorded the words in his notebook.
“What does it say?” Gary asked.
“Gary, please. It’s sensitive.”
“What does it say?”
“Here.”
Charlotte was still shaking. He slipped Gary the piece of paper.
“I’m sorry about him. He’s just curious.”
“The voice hung up after that.” She seemed calm again. “I haven’t heard anything since.”
“Jacob!” Gary shouted.
“What Gary?”
“I don’t have my reading glasses.”
He was rotating the paper in his hands.
“Jacob, I can’t read this note without them.”
“Charlotte, let’s get back to your story.”
Gary was holding the note up to the light. Upside down.
“What does it say? Just tell me.”
“Later.”
“It won’t make sense if it’s later.”
“Not now.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
Charlotte looked worried again. Jake stood up and Gary followed. Jake cupped his hands over Gary’s ear and whispered. Gary shouted back.
“Why are you whispering?”
“Come here.” He led him to the hallway. Jake closed the door and told Gary what the note said. When they walked back in, Gary began arching his eyebrows uncontrollably.
“Some note, Charlotte. That’s very scary stuff!”
“It was very frightening,” she continued. “I’ve been fine since then. But I haven’t…”
“What?”
“I used to like sunlight in the daytime.”
She looked down at the floor and Jake looked up at the shut blinds. That’s why they were closed. She didn’t want the man who called to see her again.
“I’m so sorry. Do you want me to open them?”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Did you tell Mel?”
“No, I haven’t told anyone. I don’t know who I can trust.”
Her hair fell in front of her face, gray lines like a pencil sketch. Gary touched her shoulder and whispered that she’d be OK. Jake tapped his notebook with his pen.
“Well, I think you will be fine. One prank call can’t mean anything. Let’s try to figure out who made it.”
She looked up.
“How will we do that?”
“We have to figure out what’s really happening. If we don’t do that, then we’ll just be scared.”
“I don’t know who the voice was.”
“Right. But who might it have been?”
“I don’t know.” She crossed her arms over her knees again.
“You think this started because of bridge?”
“Yes, I know it.”
“Well, why would they be upset if they kicked you out?”
“I suppose I’ve been making trouble since then. I’ve made some noise about starting my own game, and I’ve also been making some investigations. Private investigations. I admit it.”
“I see. And who would be upset about that?”
“Everyone. Everyone plays bridge.”
“I play bridge,” Gary said proudly. He swallowed. “Oh, but I’m not mad at you.”
“Thank you.” She smiled faintly. “I just know it must have to do with bridge. I’ve started getting very, very good. But then when I came home one day, I received a call from Sheryl.”