Sunday morning was quiet despite the fact that I had a house full of people. Porgy managed to make his way on the bed again and I didn’t move him. My daughter was scot-free and sleeping safely down the hall, but a crime had been committed. There were too many unanswered questions.
Maybe Mary’s house was about to be burglarized and she surprised the thief. The thief killed her and then decided it wasn’t worth taking anything. It would have been real easy to leave a fingerprint or fibers somewhere for the cops to pick up on.
No longer wanting to look at the ceiling, I decided to start breakfast. I didn’t know if I could round up everyone for church later in the morning, but breakfast may help.
Porgy beat me into the kitchen. I filled up his bowl and set fresh water down. Filling up a coffee pot with fresh water, I decided it would be good idea to introduce my baked cheese grits to the rest of the family.
As picky as Kisha was about eating, she seemed to like the grits. Then again she was like her grandmother; anything with cheese was alright with her.
An apron lay across one of the kitchen chairs. It was the one I gave Amos to wear yesterday to protect his clothes. I guess that’s why Junior had such a strong reaction since it was his father’s apron.
I’m still not sure what all happened yesterday. It been awhile since I’d had my entire family together. God answered many prayers of mine in one swoop. I blinked in order to keep the rush of tears that flowed into my eyes from falling down my face. It didn’t work. I heaved and then wiped my wet face.
Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy. You are so good to me and I know I don’t deserve it.
I heard a noise behind me. My eyes met my firstborn son. “Junior, what you doing up so early?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Kind of early to be starting breakfast.”
“There’s a lot of people in this house. Even Cedric stayed over last night. Want some coffee for starters?”
“Sure!” Junior pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. “So you and Mr. Amos an item?”
Now my hand wasn’t wet, but the coffee cup I grabbed from the cabinet went sliding and then crashed to the floor. “Not that cup.” The large mug had been with me for years. In fact it was a past Christmas gift from Mary, at least ten years old. Why did I suddenly recognize all these memories of Mary? She seemed so much a part of my life and other times, a distant memory.
I missed her more than I ever thought I would.
Junior jumped up and grabbed the broom from the closet. “I’ll get it.”
I pulled down another cup and poured the brewed coffee. Porgy came over to inspect the pieces on the floor with his nose. “No, you don’t. Come here.”
I picked up the dog that covered my face with what must be doggie kisses. I didn’t quite have that in mind. “Okay, you. That is not necessary. You are a little mess.”
“You are really keeping that dog?”
“Of course I am. I like animals. Your dad didn’t like them at least not in the house. Porgy here will make good company.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a watch dog.” Junior swept up the remains of the cup and after he emptied the shards he added quietly, “And you have Amos?”
“Excuse me.” I am not interested in Amos and even if I was I surely wasn’t discussing my love life with my son.
“I’m just saying, he’s a nice guy. We had some great conversations yesterday. He seemed real keen on you.”
I stopped petting Porgy at this point. “What does that mean?”
“He helped you look for Leesa. Wants to solve who killed Mary.”
“He is a former detective, which I appreciate. A very helpful neighbor.” I emphasized neighbor as I looked at my son. “He does cut the grass for me. Cedric never seems to have time to get over here.”
“Must make you feel good to have a man looking after you.”
I frowned. What was wrong with the boy? That kind of talk I expected from Cedric, even Leesa, not Junior. “Son, are you okay?”
Junior sighed and then took another slurp of coffee. “I guess it didn’t hit me until last night, being back in the house.” He continued, “It just kind of put me at-ease some, that you had a decent neighbor especially with what happened to Louise. You didn’t tell me about her being attacked the other night.” His voice turned accusatory.
Louise. My dear friend. I didn’t get to go by the hospital to see her with all the excitement of Leesa’s return. “You know I need to get to the hospital and see Louise. Did you know her son, William, is in town?”
“Really, I hadn’t seen him in years. What’s he up to now?”
“I have no idea, but the last time he spoke he was threatening to put Louise in a nursing home. I don’t know if I would like that at all.”
“People have to do what they need to do to protect the folks they love, Mom.”
“Yeah, well he could have thought about visiting his mother more. That woman pined away over him.”
Why did William just show back up in town out of the blue? That slipped my mind too. He came back just as his mother was brutally attacked. I let it go and concentrated on the meal. Soon the rest of the family woke up and to my delight everyone attended church.
The Brown twins stared and I grinned back. I was a proud mama this morning and really didn’t care what they were thinking.
Back at the house as I watched my family laughing and talking my thoughts turned to Louise. I needed to go see her. When Louise woke up she could surely send the police in the right direction. If she’s lucid enough, she could possibly help them sketch out the suspect.
Then another thought sent my heart pounding. Who’s to say Louise was completely out of danger now. Someone might not be too happy about Louise waking up.