SEVEN

Janie knocked on Ethel’s door. A few seconds later, she heard the cadence of her friend’s stroll as she approached. She greeted Janie with a warm smile. “Welcome. Um, you do realize it’s only six o’clock, right? Bunco isn’t until seven.”

“I do, but I wanted to show you my idea.”

“Well, come in. Do you mind sitting in the kitchen? I need to finish microwaving the bacon for my carb-free BLTs.”

Janie followed as Ethel continued to talk. “My niece e-mailed the recipe to me. She finds all sorts online. Especially on the one where everyone pins to a virtual bulletin board.”

“Yes, yes.” Janie plopped the folder down with a loud enough snap to obtain Ethel’s attention. It worked. She stopped chatting and reached for it.

“What is this?”

Janie grinned. “A petition.” She pulled a sheet out and read what she’d typed. “Due to the recent rash of burglaries and other crimes in our community, we, the residents of Sunset Acres, hereby demand the board of directors install state-of-the-art alarm systems in each unit, be it apartment, condo, or garden home, including an emergency call device. We agree to pay a monthly fee of no more than $35.00 to receive said services from a reputable company.”

“Very well stated.” Ethel leaned against the counter as the microwave spun. The aroma of sizzling bacon strips filled the air.

Janie smacked her lips. “Hickory smoked?”

“Huh? Oh, the bacon. Yes.” Ethel handed her the package. “Organic. Grass fed pigs.” She tapped the label with her fingernail. “I didn’t know they ate anything except slop.”

“Smells wonderful. What can I do to help?”

“Strip off the romaine lettuce leaves and lather them with my homemade avocado mayonnaise.” The microwave dinged. Ethel put on her oven mitt to retrieve the ribbed tray. She forked the strips onto a plate, poured some of the residual grease into a tin can, and placed six raw pieces in their place. She covered them with two folds of paper towels and tapped in five minutes on the side panel. “Now, about this petition. I gather you have an ulterior motive.”

Janie chuckled. “You know me too well. There is on the site for each of the Bunco biddies to canvass their immediate neighbors. I figure it might be an opportunity to also inquire if any of our fellow residents heard or saw anything suspicious.”

“Aha. Good thinkin’ my friend.” She began to chop the cherry tomatoes in half and lay three to four on each piece of mayo-covered lettuce leaf. Next, she crumpled the strips of crisply cooked bacon, sprinkled the pieces over the leaves, and arranged them on a platter.

Janie took one. “Just testing.” She crunched down. “Yum.”

Ethel beamed. “I added a smidgen of Dijon mustard and lemon squeeze to my avocado-mayo for a bit of a zing.”

The microwave indicated the next batch had finished. The two worked in tandem to complete the dish as they discussed Janie’s latest scheme.

“Did you run this by Blake?”

“Nope. He’s on leave, partially thanks to me.”

Ethel stopped chopping, her knife poised in midair. “Are you kidding? After all he’s done for that department?”

Janie shrugged.

She harrumphed and stood. “Well, I think we need two petitions.”

“No, Ethel. It might just muddy the waters.”

“Well, we should do something. The man is a God-send to this community.”

Janie blushed. “My Melody chose well, though I often wished he’d been a lawyer or an accountant. Being the wife of a detective requires a thick outer shell at times. Many a night I didn’t sleep soundly until I heard Jack’s footsteps on the stairs and knew he was home safe and sound.”

“What do you suggest we do to toot his horn?”

“A few unsolicited letters, mailed several days apart, singing his praises to the mayor or city councilmen might help.”

Ethel chopped four more tomatoes with vigor. “Done. We’ll rally the troops tonight.” She waved her knife like a saber. “For both causes.”

~*~

An hour later Ethel’s living room filled with twelve chatting women as they tasted each other’s recipes. They usually met at Janie’s, but everyone agreed to change the venue this one time since she had just been released from the hospital the day before. No one would allow her to lift a finger. They even brought her a plate of food with a sampling of every dish. Never had Janie felt so pampered, hugged, and loved.

After the women were seated at the three tables for four, Ethel whistled through her teeth. “Attention, ladies. Janie has an announcement.”

She gave their ring leader a slight bow as every mouth shut tight and remained that way for the next few minutes. Eleven pairs of eyes widened when Janie spelled out her plan. She held up the folder. “So, as you leave tonight, please take one sheet with you.”

Betsy Ann raised her hand. “Um, Janie. What if we need more than one sheet?”

“Flip it over and use the back if you like. However, there are thirteen lines, so it should be plenty.”

“I’m drawing an extra line on mine. Thirteen is unlucky.” Roseanne crossed her arms over her chest.

Several ladies agreed, while three others flipped their wrists and shook their heads at her comment.

Ethel whistled again, this time louder. Outside, four dogs in the neighborhood responded with elongated howls. Everyone laughed. Her cheeks turned crimson, which clashed with her peachy rouge.

Ethel coughed into her fist as she waited until the laughter died down. “Ladies, there is a serious issue to be discussed. Blake Johnson was reprimanded for his tactics in bringing down the smuggling ring. I encourage anyone who feels he’s an asset to this community to write a letter to the mayor or contact their councilman. He’s a fine man, and we owe him our gratitude.”

Cheers went up. A few of the ladies stood as they applauded.

Janie wiped her eyes with her napkin, moved by their reaction. “Thanks, everyone. Especially you, Ethel, for opening your home and wishing to exonerate my son-in-law.”

The normally stern and all-together Ethel fanned her face to regain her composure as several others sniffed or dabbed their eyelids.

Mildred clapped her hands. “All right. Enough of that. Let’s begin Bunco. Roll for the head table spot. The first four to land sixes receive the honor.”

The women took their plates, stacked them in the kitchen sink, and settled in to play the game. At the end, Eleanor Franks, the newest recruit, scored the most buncos, and Ethel the most points. The notoriety exempted them from bringing food the next week.

Janie waved the petitions. “Remember. Keep your ears open for an opportunity to ask your neighbors if they noticed anything unusual around the time of the robberies. We’ll meet back here Saturday morning after brunch to see if we’ve missed anyone...if that’s OK with you, Ethel?”

“Fine by me.”

Mildred spoke up. “Why don’t we meet during brunch? They’ll be serving Belgian waffles.”

Ethel crinkled her nose. “And risk getting syrup on these?” She held up her paper. “What would it look like to the board?”

The other Bunco biddies mumbled in agreement.

“Oh, very well.” Mildred jutted out her lower lip in jest.