27

 

Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny. Late autumn breezes tugged at the colorful balloons that swayed blithely on the patio. It was a perfect day for a family reunion.

Cora and Emily were up early, and Dahlia arrived shortly after with her tasty contributions for the dinner.

Countless pictures were taken of Cora and Emily, as their smiles cut across the lost years. Introductions were made as their guests arrived.

Tears pricked Cora’s eyes at the sight of her grandchildren. She threw her arms open wide and pulled the teenagers close. “I’ve really missed you kids.” She smoothed Heather’s long, dark hair as they walked into the living room. “I like your new hairdo. Did Josie help?”

“Yeah, and she helped me pick out this new outfit, too.”

“Stylish.” Cora turned to her youngest grandson, Todd, who sported a hint of a mustache. “You look so debonair.” She looked at sixteen-year-old Jason. “I hear you’re driving.”

The lanky teen grinned and kissed her cheek. “Dad was gone, and I was stressing about the written test. Josie helped me study, and I got all the questions right.”

Within minutes, Dahlia went into drill sergeant mode, and barked orders to the men who positioned picnic tables in the yard. She withdrew to the kitchen while their task was accomplished. “Get that BrewMeister cranked up, girls, an’ don’t skimp on them scoops.” Dahlia sighed and pushed up her sleeves. “I need me some high octane this mornin’.” She looked out the kitchen window. “It’s sure quiet out there. Now where’d the men-folk go?”

“I believe your troops went AWOL.” Emily laughed. “Jeff told me they’re playing golf. Just nine holes so they’ll be back by noon.”

Jocelyn and Heather entertained the La-La girls in the den, while their mommy and Aunt June prepared the picnic tables.

Dahlia continued to busy herself in the kitchen.

Cora and Emily filled serving dishes, in various shapes and sizes, and placed them in the refrigerator.

“Josie,” Cora called. “Would you do me a favor? Our neighbor, Letitia called and asked for someone to pick up the dessert she made for us. Would you go for me? I don’t have time to chat with her today.”

“Sure, I’ll be glad to.” Josie turned to her stepdaughter. “Want to go with me, Heather?”

The teen shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s see if we can take the munchkins with us. It might get rid of some of their pent-up energy.”

Cora carried a stack of dishes out to the patio while Rebecca and June discussed the seating around the picnic tables.

Rebecca picked up her sister-in-law’s camera. “Hey! Are you sure you brought enough film?”

“Becky, this is the 21st century. I’m using a digital camera. It doesn’t use film.” June carefully took the dishes from Cora. “That baby has enough space to capture the whole family several times over with no problem.”

The whole family.

Grief surfaced and once again, Cora’s shoulders drooped. Her entire family wouldn’t be together because Vanessa wasn’t here. The feeling of loss emerged with a vengeance. Her heart was crushed.

Cora’s eyes misted as she watched her granddaughter play with the dog next door. The fourteen-year-old girl looked so much like her mother. She had Vanessa’s easy smile and dark hair that tumbled about her shoulders.

For a moment, Cora imagined it was her daughter. It was difficult to pull away from the bittersweet scene and face reality. Vanessa was gone. She had to accept it and not allow the enemy to take her prisoner again.

She turned to see the concerned looks of Emily and Dahlia at the door. Cora smiled and squared her shoulders slightly. “I’m fine.” She took a deep breath, and clapped her hands. “Let’s get busy, girls. Those men will be back from golfing soon and they’ll be hungry.”

 

****

 

Golf clubs clattered and men’s voices grew louder as the golfers scurried into the backyard. All the men patted Jeff’s back, to congratulate him on his successful last round.

“I taught him everything he knows,” Ed playfully announced.

Jeff gave a winsome smile. “Yep, I learned it from all those years of watching you play on TV, Uncle Steady.”

Emily and Cora stood on the sidelines to sort out the various relationships represented within the group. The initial awkwardness of this family of strangers didn’t last long as they discovered the uniqueness of their blood ties.

The lively La-La girls entertained with preschool songs and newly learned tap dance steps.

Cora and Emily giggled at the delightful innocence of the three little sisters in look-alike dresses. A round of applause filled the air as the youngsters ended their mayhem of missteps.

All the excitement provoked Letitia Bockman’s French poodle into a round of howls. An invisible fence kept Tinkle-Belle contained as she danced along the property line.

Dahlia placed her fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle. “Hey, y’all!” she called. “It’s time to mosey on inside an’ watch your television show.”

Everyone stood to make the trek into Ed’s den. Wendell put up his hand to stop them and announced, “Be sure an’ watch close when they innerview me. I got to tell ‘em about my daddy an’ his daddy afore him bein’ Texas Rangers.”

Dahlia frowned at her crowing spouse. “Ya didn’t cough up that ol’ hairball again, did ya?” She stepped away from the door to let the group inside.

“Well, I think it added a li’l somethin’ to the piece,” Wendell turned to check the heat of the sizzling grill. “I’ll be ready for the chicken in about fifteen minutes, Dahlia Sue.”

Inside, the children and teens huddled on the floor in front of the TV while the adults squeezed together on the furniture. Dozens of eyes were glued to the set. Everyone was ready to view the McGibbons’ tape of the twin’s segment on Mysteries of the Rich and Famous. Members of the family waited excitedly to see themselves on the nationally aired program.

Cora noticed when June nervously checked her watch. A few minutes later, the family historian tiptoed out of the room. Where was she going? As the show’s theme music swelled, Cora’s attention was drawn back the television.

A fervent command arose from the back of the crowd, “Hey! Turn it up, I can’t hear.”

“Shhh!” was the reply. A photograph of Cora and one of Emily filled the screen as the announcer’s deep voice blared, “It was a mystery that spanned nearly six decades. Cora Timms, wife of legendary golf pro, Steady Eddie Timms, and her identical twin, Emily Morgan, were separated and given up for adoption at two years of age. They grew up only ninety miles apart, not remembering their twin existed.

“Ed and Cora Timms live in this high-end complex outside of Phoenix. The pleasant community is home to over three hundred senior adults who co-existed peacefully…until one stormy night, when Cora thought she witnessed a murder in her own backyard. Days later, the decomposing body of the Timms’s neighbor, Patrick Hyde, was found in a nearby garage. This would be the first of three murders to ravage the serene neighborhood.

“The story took an unexpected twist when Emily, who lived in Grand Sands, Arizona, came to Phoenix to visit her son, Dr. Jefferson Morgan.”

The scene on the television changed to show Jeff as he sat on the corner of his desk. “You can imagine my surprise when Steady Eddie Timms came into my office with my mother. When I got close enough to hug her, I realized she wasn’t Mom. That’s when we discovered Mom and Cora were identical twins.”

The show’s host added, “For some time, the sisters had been mistaken for each other throughout Phoenix and the surrounding area. Convicted embezzler, Jack Thurston, was no exception. He worked with one of the sisters at Mathelcorp in San Francisco. She and her husband had been close, personal friends of Thurston and unknowingly played a key role in his embezzlement scheme.”

Emily and Cora held hands while Thurston’s intricate plot was exposed to the viewers. A bird’s-eye view of the California prison aired. “For ten years, Thurston had been incarcerated here at Stockton Correctional Facility for Men. While serving time, he learned that his now-widowed friend had remarried and moved out of state.

“Weeks after his parole, Thurston found an article promoting Saguaro Valley Retirement Complex. A photograph of Steady Eddie Timms and his wife, Cora, caught his eye.”

While the announcer gave further details, Emily leaned over and whispered in Jeff’s ear. He replied with a simple shrug.

“Thurston,” the announcer said, “naturally assumed she was Mrs. Morgan, the former employee and close personal friend from San Francisco.”

Emily grabbed Cora’s elbow. “Wait! What did he say about me?”

“Shhh!” came a choir of voices from the back of the room.

The program reverted back to the Saguaro Valley Complex. “Thurston secured a job as a handyman in the community where the Timms’s live. Soon, he was harassing Mrs. Timms over the phone, trying to obtain his property, which he thought was stored in their home safe.

“When Mrs. Timms didn’t comply with his demands, he increased his fear tactics and recklessly pursued her on the way back from Phoenix one evening. Cora Timms was nearly run off the road. However, she was able to break away from her stalker on the outskirts of a nearby town. When she arrived home, the stalker’s car was parked in her neighbor’s drive. Mr. Timms recognized the auto as being that of George Shipley, his former employee. This blatant effort to put his wife in danger alarmed Steady Eddie enough to contact the police. Officer Norman McNulty was there to answer the call.”

Gasps were audible throughout the room as film footage of two covered bodies were removed from the Shipley’s home. Officer McNulty appeared on-screen. “When we went to question the suspect, we found the bodies of both Shipley and his eighty-two-year-old mother, Gertrude. They had been fatally shot and rigor mortis had already set in.” McNulty’s jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed. “This was proof that they were dead prior to the car chase, and that Shipley hadn’t been Cora Timms’ stalker.”

Mug shots of the criminals were shown as the announcer added to the story. “According to the police, Thurston’s accomplice, Rita Santalis, acknowledged that he murdered Patrick Hyde and the Shipleys. In an effort to throw suspicion onto the dead man and off himself, Thurston used Shipley’s car to tail Mrs. Timms.”

Greek music filled the air and viewers were transported to the Pegasi Cafe.

Emily squeezed Cora’s hand as the dark-haired reporter stood in front of the bubbling Pegasus fountain. “Pegasi waiter, Ben Shafer, told of the confusion when he had mistaken Mrs. Timms for her sister.” He held the microphone up to the waiter’s mouth.

“You should have seen Mr. Timms’ when I told him his wife was here every week.” the waiter grinned and added, “With Dr. Morgan.”

The announcer’s voice grew soft and mysterious as he faced the television camera. “This revealing bit of information led Steady Eddie and Cora to visit Dr. Morgan, who fortunately held the key to the puzzle. Once the mystery was solved, the twins met for their first tear-filled reunion in many years.

“The next day, Mrs. Morgan went to her sister’s home. While alone, the ladies heard noises in the house and discovered Thurston ransacking the Timms’s home office. Unbeknownst to Thurston, Emily Morgan used her cell phone to take pictures of him. Later, he found the women hiding in a food pantry. Emily had taken medication for a heart problem and the ensuing headache rendered her helpless. There was a struggle. It was then the twins were kidnapped and held hostage in room 19 at the Catchpenny Motel.”

One of Vi’s photos of the repulsive room appeared on the screen. That picture changed to the be-robed twins, sombreros, duck slippers and all.

Cora moaned and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t watch.”

Emily nodded. “Sorry to say, they got this part exactly right.” She smiled at June, who returned to the room.

Wendell’s voice boomed throughout the den. “OK, here it is. This is where I get to talk. Listen, he calls me detective.”

“While doing his preliminary search,” the reporter said, “Detective O’Givens found the cell phone with the incriminating evidence.”

Wendell stomped his foot. “Aww, he got my name wrong an’ I even spelt it for him. I didn’t catch that whilst I was tapin’ it. No wonder I ain’t been gettin’ no calls.”

Then, Wendell, in his Stetson, appeared on camera. “Once’t I found Emily’s phone, I stuffed it in this here pocket. Later, she called me on it an’ asked me to come get ‘em.”

“Weren’t you afraid the kidnapper would catch up with you?” the correspondent asked.

“Naw. I was raised to be a lawman. My daddy an’ his daddy afore him was Texas Rangers. I got their blood a’gallopin’ through my veins.”

As the camera broke away from Wendell, the local police station came into view. A motorcycle roared past while the announcer stepped into the building. “Mrs. Morgan’s cell phone was found and surrendered to the police. It held enough evidence for the Saguaro Valley police to arrest Thurston on breaking and entering. Charges for kidnapping the twins, and the murders of the Shipleys and Patrick Hyde were quickly added.

“While abducted, Emily Morgan’s quick thinking thwarted her former friend’s attempt to follow through on his death threats of her newfound brother-in-law, Steady Eddy Timms.”

Emily stood up. “Wait! Former friend? They’re still getting us confused, Cora. I never met Jack Thurston until that first day I came to your house. Remember he thought I was you.”

“What are you talking about, Em?” Cora asked. “He hasn’t worked here that long, and I’d never met him. I’ve only heard about him through Wendell.” She frowned. “You have to be Jack’s old friend.”

“No, it’s not me. I’ve never been to San Francisco, and I certainly didn’t work at Mathelcorp. Besides, that beast kept calling me Cora. So, I just naturally assumed he mistook me for you.”

Ed turned the television off, “Let me get this straight. All this time you’ve had to discuss a relationship with Jack, and you’ve never brought up the subject?”

“We wanted to put all that negative stuff behind us,” Emily explained. “It was important to learn about each other and just enjoy being together.”

Cora nodded. “After all the phone calls and crazy things going on, bringing up our kidnapper was the last thing we wanted to do.” She cleared her throat. “That still leaves us with one unanswered question. If it wasn’t either of us working for Jack, who was it?”

A voice came from behind. “It was me. I worked for Jack.”