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Most of my friends, if they have a cup of coffee at dinner, they stay up for half the night. That is not me. I simply closed my eyes last night, and the next thing I knew a strong light was shining in my eyes. The sun had been up for hours, if I was correct about the angle of the rays. I moaned and rolled over, only to come nose to nose with my youngest daughter, Emily.
"How are you feeling, Mommy?" she asked.
As her voice filtered through my ears, I realized I heard quite a few noises coming from the other parts of the house. Homeschooling five children was not a quiet endeavor. From the sounds I guessed someone was in the kitchen, probably Audrey who inherited her father's cooking interest, and two others were in the living room fighting over the microscope.
Pain surged through every bump and bruise as I raised my head to look at the clock. My head thumped back down. Instead, I asked, "What time is it, Sweetheart?"
Her smile beamed as the sun, "It is 11:30, exactly when Daddy told me to wake you up. You sure were sleeping a long time. Daddy said we shouldn't disturb you until now, so Hunter and Skylar have been organizing the school lessons this morning, though I don't like how they teach. They get crabby. I need you back."
"Whoa, slow down, Emily. I need a morning shower before I can catch up to your speed." Not to worry her, I tried to smile. "Why don't you tell Audrey and the boys I will be out in just a moment."
"Sure thing, Mommy. I will tell Uncle Corbin, too."
"He is here?" I sat up suddenly, making the room spin. I definitely need to move slowly today.
"No, but he said to call when you woke up. Speed dial number four! Now you don't need to worry about anything while you take a shower. Daddy said to take care of things because you needed rest." Emily ran off before I could reply to that, allowing me a few blessed moments to plan my day before they all decided to check on me.
Audrey arrived before I could crawl out of bed. "Oh, Em was right, you are awake. You look awful, but how are you feeling? Are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast, or lunch."
I redirected the question to my stomach. A loud grumble reveled the answer. "A small amount of anything would be good, but I think I will refresh with a shower first. I will be ready for food in ten minutes." I would prefer a much longer shower, but optimistic thoughts would be required to survive this day.
I usually showered at night, so I could roll out of bed and hit the floor running in the morning, but today called for the exception. My headache had subsided to a dull temporal pressure, but I needed more Excedrin. I had to be presentable when I apologized to the Chief and signed my statement. Too bad I slept so long. No time for that bath.
This shower was just a bit quicker than last night. Still, every muscle enjoyed another hot water rub down as I mentally reviewed my calendar for the day. Tuesday. Only two days until the Ladies Aid meeting at church leading the city-wide fund-raiser on Saturday. It would be great if Audrey could make some of her Pecan Supreme cookies to share. That meant I would need to go shopping for supplies today. Oh, why did I have to sleep so long? I think I missed the Homeschool co-op planning meeting this morning.
"Mom, Grandpa Koontz is on the phone," I heard Travis, my third son, call through the door.
Dad? He never called unless it was an emergency, and we just left him yesterday.
I dashed out of the shower, threw on my robe without bothering to dry off, and headed to the kitchen phone.
Ding-Dong. Travis handed over the phone and dashed off. I reached for a juice glass and asked, "Hi, Dad, is everything alright on the farm?
"Fine here, but did you get home okay last night? I had a phone message waiting for me after morning chores to call a Police Chief concerning you."
I reached into the refrigerator for some juice, while I figured how best to respond. Telling Martin all the details was one thing, but telling Dad would not be fair to him. He has always tried to be overprotective of me. He wasn't able to spend the time with me growing up that he would have liked. He makes up for it by worrying about me.
"Dad, I am fine. Just a little misunderstanding here," I said.
Skylar, or was he Hunter, the twins could fool even me for a few seconds, called out, "Mom," as he led the visitors into the house. "It's Uncle Corbin, and Chief of Police."
"Uncle?" I heard Chief Flint question, as he stepped from the foyer to the living room. "I thought you were cousins."
Our house has an open first-floor plan, with the living room blending into the dining room. A breakfast bar separated the open rooms from the kitchen. Hearing his husky voice just feet away, I started, standing up too fast, making the world spin a little. I reached for the counter to steady myself, knocking the drinking glass off the counter, and onto the floor with a big crash. At the sound both men turned in my direction.
There I was, wet hair, wrapped in a robe, and the bird clock on the wall started to hoot twelve o'clock noon. 'Just another Rainbow adventure' Martin would say, if he were here.
"Rainbow, are you alright?!" Dad yelled through the phone.
At the same time Corbin commanded, "Don't move, Boo."
Trying to put the best construction on yet another disorganized mess in my chaotic life, I smiled at the Chief, "Phone for you."
At the sound of breaking glass, the children rushed in. Corbin, being used to my family at its chaotic best, quickly established order. He sent Travis to guide the Chief to the school room phone extension, handed Audrey a broom to sweep after the twins finished picking up glass. I dashed into the bedroom to change into something a little more presentable. Emily soon followed with my favorite instant breakfast: chocolate-chip toaster-hot waffles.
I slid into my favorite stonewashed jeans, and opted for a button-down shirt instead of t-shirt to attempt a little class. I switched my slippers for tennis shoes and headed out to face the doom. Bummer. I forgot the headache medicine again.
Chief Flint was just getting off the phone. "Mrs. Bailey, I assured your father that you were alright. He also confirmed the time you left yesterday."
"Hey, Mom, you have an alibi." Emily slid up beside me. She looked to the Chief solemnly, "I just learned that word last week. Does that mean my mom was a suspect? Because I will tell you right now that is just plain silly. My mom wouldn't hurt our friend. She wouldn't hurt anybody."
I almost laughed out loud as the Chief's face turned a little pink. "Uh, yes. Um, no. That is..."
Taking little pity on the newest member of Charlottesville, I interrupted, "Chief Flint, let me introduce Emily, our youngest. She is seven and recently discovered the mystery section of the children's library."
I led the way into the living room continuing introductions along the way, "You have met Travis, who directed you to our school room. He just turned ten last week."
Tousling his brown curls before he dashed out of my reach, I continued, "Audrey, age twelve, inherited her father's cooking ability, and is probably responsible for the warm muffins and coffee available. Help yourself."
Corbin and Chief sat on the blue couch, while I claimed my favorite rocker recliner. The children settled down on various surfaces: the twins on the floor, Travis and Audrey on the dining room chairs and Emily on the arm of my recliner. Finishing introductions, I added, "And you met Skylar at the door", pointing to the boy in the blue shirt, as by then I was sure which was which. "This is Hunter in the green shirt. They are both fourteen and growing like weeds."
"Mom!" they both sighed in exasperation.
Once we were settled, I attempted to clear up some of the Chief's confusion. "Chief Flint, let me answer your question from earlier."
The Chief looked puzzled, but I just plowed ahead. "You were asking why the kids call Corbin their uncle. Corbin is really my first cousin. But my mother died when I was four. My Dad is a farmer with long work hours. His sister Irene, and her husband, offered to help raise me. Corbin was born a year later. Dad and my two older brothers would drive the two hours to see me as often as they could, but I mostly grew up in Charlottesville, with Corbin as my brother."
"However, I am sure that is not why you made the trip here." I added.
"Mrs. Bailey, you were supposed to come in this morning and sign your statement. I asked Mrs. Dillon from the office to call your house for the last two hours, but the line has been busy. You weren't chatting with your friends this whole time, were you?"
"Never!" I insisted.
Audrey spoke up, "I can explain that, Chief Flint. The phone started ringing as soon as the local early morning news hit the air waves."
"Five phone calls in five minutes," piped Travis.
Audrey continued, "Dad explained Mom had a long headache night and needed her sleep, so he just turned off the ringers and let the answering machine screen the phone calls. They have been fairly non-stop all morning."
"I only answered Grandpa's call because I recognized his phone number." Travis added.
Hunter cut in, "And the muffins on the counter are not from Audrey, Mom. They are from Mrs. Anderson."
"We also have five casseroles, two pies, and three bags of cookies in the downstairs refrigerator," Emily counted on her fingers.
Skylar explained, "We have been taking turns answering the door before they could ring the bell."
"Oh, my. Did you remember to make a list?" I asked, already dreading the Thank You notes I would have to write. Dear Abby, I am not.
Audrey listed, "Name, food item and type of container written as they arrived so we can give each one back to the rightful owner, just as Grandma Irene taught me."
"Excellent! I am so glad you remembered. I wonder why people are bringing us food," I mused. "We aren't related to Harvey."
"Sheri, er, Mrs. Dillon, heard at the police station that some are bringing food here, and others are taking it where Harvey lived at Harvest House." Corbin mentioned, receiving a stare from the Chief.
"Dad said it is because you had such a shock, they expect you to be in bed for days," explained Audrey. "It is like they don't even know you, Mom."
Finding an opening in the conversation, Chief Flint asked, "And what do you know about last night?"
"Just what Dad told us after it was on the morning radio, that Mom fell into the dumpster while reaching for our calculator and fell on Harvey who was dead," Hunter recited.
The twins usually finished each other's comments, so Skylar added, "Dad said Mom had a late night and needed to sleep in, so we were not to bother her unless it was an emergency, but we should wake Mom at 11:30 at the latest."
"I opened the window blinds and let the sun shine in," Emily smiled.
"Yeah, Mom just got up so we haven't heard her side of the story yet." Travis loved reading adventures, so I knew he anticipating hearing all the gory details.
Remembering Corbin's speech about not talking, I thought I better keep things moving. "Chief Flint already knows my story. And now I better get to the office to finish my side of the paperwork, so they can continue work on Harvey's case."
Corbin and the Chief arose as I stood up. "Just let me check in with Martin, so he knows I am up and moving, and I will be at the station soon. I promise. Did you bring my van? Oh, and my purse? I don't want to drive without my license."
Corbin glanced at the Chief, as he cleared his throat, "About the van. We are still processing it. Same for your purse. But I made a copy of your driver’s license. Here are the keys to a loaner van from Wilson's Garage. He said you could use it for a few days."
I walked to the window and moaned, "Not the Purple People Eater! Couldn't they borrow one from his brother's shop in Portmore?"
The monster twelve-seater was so named for two reasons: the deep plum paint job and Mr. Wilson's favorite song. It came in handy for church youth groups to conferences and scout trips camping. If truth be told, it was probably the only vehicle in town with enough seat-belts in town to carry my family of seven.
Corbin put his hands up to stop the tirade. "You have driven it before, when your transmission blew."
This was all the new Chief's doing. If Corbin was still interim Chief then I would still have my van. If my children hadn't been right there, being the learning sponges that they are, I would have ripped him up one side and down the other about his treatment of me, a responsible citizen whose only crime was reporting a crime. But for the sake of teaching respect and patience to my children, I slowly counting to ten before responding, "Alright, if you think it will help you find Harvey's killer. But only for a few days."
I walked to the phone, leaving Chief Flint and Corbin to field more questions from the children, and was shocked to see the children were not kidding. The answering machine listed twenty-three messages. They would have to wait, Martin and the Chief would not.
I caught Martin during the lunch rush, "Have you been extra busy today?"
"You could say that. Same number of high schoolers, but a larger number of concerned citizens asking about you." Martin replied. "If you feel up to it, it would be good for you and the kids to be seen out and about like nothing happened."
"I agree. See you soon." I hung up and turned around, right into Chief Flint creating a wall right behind me. He towered over me, feet apart and arms crossed. "Well, Mrs. Bailey, will you be coming with us to the station now?"
Most people towered over me. His attempt at intimidation would not work. "And leave my children here, unsupervised? No. There are too many people stopping by." I leaned in closer to whisper, "What if the killer is one of them?"
He whispered back, "What if the killer is right in front of me?"
"I couldn't have done it. I have an alibi from my father. You said so yourself." I rolled my eyes.
He shrugged, "You are not off the hook yet. Parents lie all the time for their children. Either way, you are still my best suspect. Now, do I need to arrest you to get your official statement?"
Silence. The hustle and bustle sounds of my children getting ready to leave had suddenly come to a stop. Mothers of young children know that silence is not always a good thing. I leaned around the Flint wall to see all eyes and ears of my children focused in our direction. Even Corbin held his breath, his mouth set in a frown.
Enough was enough.
Smiling up at him, "Chief of Police Johnathan Flint, I sincerely believe if you had enough evidence to arrest me, you would have done so already. But you don't and never will, because I didn't do it." I put my hand up to stop his interjection. "Now, I really want to do my part so you can find the person who treated Harvey, literally, like trash. However, my children's protection comes first. I am taking them to the Pit Stop Sub Shop to be with their father for a quick lunch. Then I will come straight to your office to answer as many questions as you like."
"I have enough to hold you up to seventy-two hours." The Chief's hazel eyes narrowed, "Why should I trust your plan?"
"Simple." Calling on my teacher voice, I explained, "With this small town's grapevine, there is no place I can go that tongues won't wag. If I deviate from that plan, it would be easy to track me down, especially in that purple monstrosity of a vehicle, which, I am sure, that was your plan all along."
Offering a peace treaty, I added, "Also, you are welcome to join us for lunch if you wish, to keep tabs on me. My husband makes the best chicken salad around."
Skylar suddenly stepped between the Chief and I. "Mom? Should we call Mr. Timberland to meet you at the police station?"
I turned to the Chief, "Do I need a lawyer to sign a statement?"
Jacob Timberland, our family lawyer, was also the mayor of Charlottesville, and the Chief's new boss. A fact not lost on him when he finally responded. "I expect to see you in my office in one hour, no more."
I resisted the urge to salute him as he moved to let me pass.
Hustling five children out the door and into a strange van takes time. I put the breakfast food away and wiped down the counter tops. Every spring we fight off an invasion of ants. I hated using chemicals so clean surfaces was our first defense. While Audrey helped Emily gather a few workbooks into a pink backpack, the boys grabbed their band instruments. Tuesday was band practice day.
To the Chief's bachelor eyes and ears, it must have felt like being in a three-ring circus, though I hoped his stony expression was due to lack of sleep from the night before. Too bad he didn't even try Audrey's strong coffee. That would have perked him up.
Finally, we walked outside with our bags. As I locked the front door, the children began to fight over the seats. Every day, the children rotated who would sit in the front passenger seat and control the radio. Travis hopped in front, while Emily stood looking in.
"Where do I sit?" Emily asked me.
"Good question," I replied, turning to Corbin and the Chief. "State law requires Emily to be in a car seat until she is age eight."
"Don't you have two of them?" Corbin reminded me.
"Yes, but the second on is in Martin's van, which is already at the shop." I turned to the Chief. "Do we wait for it, or will one trip without it get me into trouble?"
The Chief sighed long, as if even he was counting to ten or even twenty. "One trip without it is permitted."
"Yippee! I claim the whole back seat." Emily cried as she crawled over seats to the back.
"I will make sure she is buckled in tight," said Audrey, climbing in after her.
I thanked Audrey as I climbed up into the full-sized van. Mr. Wilson did a great job to maintain his favorite vehicle, but it found ways to show its age. The springs creaked with my weight, and I had to hold the key a full three seconds before the engine would turn over. Once it was started, the purple monster purred like kitten, which changed quickly to a roar when I added any gas. I had Travis turn the radio off, not to hear the engine better, but this van only played one station- the oldies.
By the time we arrived at the Pit Stop, business had slowed to a crawl. We usually had two big groups come through. The high schoolers have an early lunch period, and Martin creates quick lunch size portions at student prices. As the upperclassmen rush back for their next class, the town workers come in for lunch.
Martin had the day's special laid out for us in the upstairs room. Usually he brings home some lunch a little later in the afternoon, unless we have activities that bring us to his side of town. This means we have later dinners in the evenings, when he gets home. The adjustment to fit Martin's schedule is one of the reasons we home-school. With his odd hours, the children would not otherwise be able to spend time with him. No one ever complained about Dad's leftovers, either, as he was a fantastic chef. It worked great for our budget and less food went to waste.
I had heard the Chief's stomach growling as we left the house, but he declined to join us. Corbin accepted the invitation, ostensibly to make sure I meet the one-hour deadline, but I knew he had an alternative motive. He had been around Martin's delicacies enough to know what his taste buds would be missing.
Martin pulled me aside as our hungry crew gathered around the table, "I am wondering if we should call John Timberland to meet you there."
"Has Skylar been talking to you? I don't need a lawyer. I didn't do anything but find and report the body."
"Yes, Skylar and Hunter both have and I agree with them. Chief Flint is from the big city and sees things differently than we do," Martin replied.
"Corbin will be there," I offered.
"But he is already walking a fine line, between his boss and his family. As you well know, this is the exact reason the city hired someone from outside, to prevent favors."
"And I don't want, nor need, any favors. All I did was report a body." Giving Martin a big hug, I reassured him. "But I promise to take all that into consideration, and I will call John if I think I need to."
He squeezed me back, "You know I am just trying to take care of you."
"And I know I do not make it easy for you," I whispered. "There is one way you can take care of me right now."
"Oh, yeah?" He said looking at me.
"Find me some headache medicine. It is not as bad as last night, but I could use some help in that department."
"Glad to be of service to my lady." Martin bowed and kissed my hand before heading to the First Aid cabinet.
Once the food was put away and the table cleaned up, we split into two groups. The girls stayed with Martin while the boys jumped in the van. Hunter claimed it was to make sure they arrived at their jazz band practice on time, but I knew better. The boys were hoping for more details on Harvey's demise. I could tell by the perfect angelic look on their faces. Still, it would save time if they were along for the ride.