Missouri in a Suitcase ~ Chapter Four

Chapter Four

 

Lizabeth woke to the sound of an engine bellowing outside her window and got up to see what was making that kind of noise at this time of the morning.  When she pushed the curtains aside, she saw Tommy on a riding mower.  Feeling as if she had swallowed her heart, she picked up her housecoat and raced down the stairs and out the front door.  Gabe was standing between her and Tommy watching him at his task.

“Gabe!  Gabe!”

He couldn’t hear her yelling over the roar of the engine, so she came off the porch and headed in his direction.

“Gabe, what is he doing?  He’s never done that before!  He’s going to get hurt!”

Gabe looked at her with a smile that was characteristic of his jocular personality, and replied, “Lizzy, he isn’t going to get hurt.  He’s old enough to mow the grass and it will do him good to have something to occupy his time.  Don’t worry, I’ll watch him.”

She looked at him prepared to argue her case.  Her mouth opened, but no protest came out.

“Other than the fact that he doesn’t speak, he is a normal little boy who should be treated like one.  You have to stop worrying so much, Lizzy.  You can’t coddle him forever!”

Feeling her defenses aroused, she said, “What do you know about it?  I appreciate everything you’ve done Gabe, but you just don’t understand how it is with Tommy!  I’m his sister and I don’t always understand everything!”

He looked at her, his eyes filled with understanding, and replied, “But it seems to me that you’re willing to try and that’s half the battle.  Maybe you just have to try something else, something he’ll find easier to relate to.”

She searched his face for answers, not that she believed he had any but she had been at such a loss for so long, she felt desperate.  Looking towards Tommy on the mower, she lowered her head while forming her thoughts into words.

“You know, it kills me to see him like this.  He was always such a vibrant kid, a jokester, always happy.  Seeing Tommy like this tears me up inside.  I guess maybe I do worry too much, but I don’t know how else to be with him anymore.”  Her words came out almost apologetic and he could read the pain on her face.

“Lizzy, no matter what you do for him or how badly you beat yourself up, he has to want to come back.  And until he decides it’s time, all you can do is offer him emotional support.”

She turned toward him; her eyes alight with questions.

“How do you know anything about this?  You don’t even know what happened or why he’s like this to begin with.  How can you possibly know what he needs or where he is?”  Her tone was pleading, just this side of insulting, making him realize he had said too much already.

Trying to conjure a plausible excuse, he hesitated before answering.

“Well, I read a lot and from what I’ve learned, most people are in control of their own mind.  He has to get it into his mind that he wants to function as he used to.”

Glancing at her to see if she was showing any signs of suspicion, he turned away, content that he had given her an answer she would be satisfied with—at least for now.

She turned first toward the house and then wheeled back to face him, and asked, “Are you sure you’ll watch him on that thing?”

He offered one of his characteristic smiles, and answered, “Yes, I wouldn’t leave him alone.”

She gave a slight nod of her head, and then turned back toward the house before coming to a halt when he said, “And by the way Lizzy, you look great in see-through silk.”

She felt the heat sweep across her face, certain she was blushing.  So she kept walking, not wanting him to see the results of his remark.

Once safely back inside the house, it occurred to her that she hadn’t seen the suitcase that had become like an appendage of her brother over the last couple of months.  She looked out the window to see it strapped to the mower between his legs.  She let out a sigh, realizing she should have known better than think she could separate him from it.

While she dressed, she thought about what Gabe had said.  Could he be right?  Was she overprotective of Tommy?  Giving it more thought, she decided that he couldn’t possibly know what he was talking about.  So many specialists had worked with Tommy; surely, one of them would have told her the same thing if there were any truth to it.  After all, they were the ones trained in this area.  On the other hand, she couldn’t see where they had been able to help him very much and thought that giving Gabe a chance couldn’t hurt.  She was willing to give just about anything a try at this point.

She then thought about Gabe’s devil-may-care attitude, how he possessed the ability to look adversity in the eyes and come out of it with a positive outlook.  She admired that in him, although guessed it might have been easier for him, as it wasn’t his adversity.  Nevertheless, he did seem to have a way with Tommy and at this point, she considered that a Godsend.

 

“C’mon, lunch.”

They had been out there for hours, first mowing then raking.  She figured they must have been getting hungry considering all the exercise they had today.  She was very anxious to see if there was any light in Tommy’s eyes after spending the entire day with Gabe.

As Tommy climbed into his seat, she barked, “Oh no you don’t!  Get those hands over to the sink first!”

He sat his case on the floor and held his hands up to scrutinize them.  They were covered in shades of green and brown, visible proof of the dirty work he’d done that day.

As the pair stood side by side at the sink, they shared friendly horseplay, splashing one another with water, when finally Gabe said, “I don’t know about you but I’m so hungry that if I finish my lunch first, I’m going to start on yours.”

Before the last word escaped his mouth, Tommy turned and headed to his seat, wiping his dripping hands on his pants.

Lizabeth sat in silence, watching what was transpiring between the two of them.  Somehow, and maybe completely unknowingly on his part, Gabe had gotten through to him.  Tommy’s eyes were the bluest she had seen them in months and she was certain there was a light in them that had faded the day their father died. 

Tommy had the most remarkable eyes.  When he was happy, they would shine an intense, bright blue, when he was sad they would dim to an almost lusterless gray and when he cried, they would become light blue.  Although she also had blue eyes, they weren’t iridescent like his and she had always envied them.  Today, his were shining, beaming the bright blue she always thought set off his face so well.

“So, you guys certainly have been busy.  The yard looks great!”

Gabe smiled over at Tommy, and replied, “He’s quite the worker!  This old man is having a hard time keeping up with him!”  He focused his attention on her and offered a wink while Tommy looked at her, unmistakable pride gleaming in his eyes.

Trying to make light of the conversation and keep Tommy from feeling self-conscious, she decided to make small talk with Gabe and include Tommy in subjects that wouldn’t trigger his guard up.

“You said you work nights.  What is it that you do, if I’m not being too nosy?”  She glanced up from her meal to see if he showed signs of offense for her asking.

“Not at all, I’m a lieutenant with the Steamboat Springs police department.”

Sputtering and coughing sounds filled the room, as she nearly choked on her sandwich.  In one swift motion, she was at the sink filling a glass with water to help her to catch her breath.  Her temples were pounding and she thought quickly, trying to find a plausible excuse for her sudden loss in composure.

“Are you alright?”  Gabe asked out of concern but seeing that she was indeed fine, he added, “I know the Heimlich maneuver, do you want me to use it on you?”

She couldn’t help but display a gracious smile while shaking her head.

“I’m fine!  It just went down the wrong pipe, that’s all.  Why is it that seems to happen when someone is with you?  It never happens when you’re alone and wouldn’t be embarrassed.”  She stammered, trying to recover from her shock.

Knowing that she wasn’t being completely honest, he ignored her excuse, and replied, “Because then there wouldn’t be any one there to do the Heimlich if you needed it.  It’s better to be embarrassed in front of someone than to be alone and die, right?”

Wiping her mouth with the towel on the counter, she nodded in agreement.  “I guess you have a point there.”

Just as she took her place at the table, the phone rang.

“Excuse me,” was all she said, secretly grateful for the opportunity to regain her poise and think of something to talk about besides his occupation.

“Hello.”

“Hello, may I please speak with Lizabeth Porter?”

“Speaking,” she answered the unfamiliar voice.

“My name is Steven Lassiter; I’m an attorney and I represent your uncle, Bob Porter who has asked me to call you.”

Without even knowing the reason for the call, she felt her chest tighten with anxiety.

“Is something wrong, why didn’t he call me?”

The brief pause before he answered only helped to assure her it wasn’t good news.

“He’s been arrested for the murder of your father and is being held in the County Jail.  He wanted me to call and tell you what has happened.  Do you have a minute?”

She fought with sudden feelings of vertigo, grabbing hold of the phone table to steady herself.

“Yes… but, how could they possibly think it was him?”  She hoped her words came out calmly.

“Ms. Porter, it appears that your uncle and your father had taken out a large life insurance policy for the garage.  Each was beneficiary of the other in case of death.  It seems that the insurance company conducted their own investigation and believes they have sufficient evidence to prove that your father’s death was not an accident.  However, that doesn’t necessarily mean…”

Before she lost total control, she broke in, “But that doesn’t mean he murdered him.”

The man on the other end of the line cleared his throat before continuing.  “I realize that and I’ve taken the case on that belief.  I will need to speak with you about everything concerning the garage if I am going to have any chance to build a solid defense.  Would it be possible for you to come to Missouri as soon as possible?”

“I can’t.  I mean, I can talk to you of course, but I don’t know how I could possibly help, I didn’t have anything to do with the garage.”  She pushed her hair back from her face in an exaggerated motion, wishing this were a bad dream she could escape merely by opening her eyes.

“Ms. Porter, I’m not only concerned about the garage, I need to know about your father’s personal life, his habits, and his friends and, yes, even his enemies.  I need to know your father as well as you did, if I can hope to help your uncle.”

As much as she dreaded it, she knew it would seem odd and even suspicious if she didn’t meet with him.  She knew her uncle didn’t do it and didn’t want to see him pay for something he had no part in, but couldn’t tell this attorney the one thing that would set Bob Porter free.

“Certainly I’ll meet with you, Mr. Lassiter, but I’ll have to make arrangements for my brother first.  If you want to give me your number, I’ll call you when I have definite plans.”

“Thank you very much.  You can reach me at, 417-555-7717 and I look forward to your call.”

After writing the number down, she hung up the phone feeling dizzy and not yet ready to face Gabe and Tommy in the kitchen.  She knew that her sudden absence would have to be explained when she came back but she would worry about that when it was necessary.

 

Later, after finishing dinner mostly in silence, she excused herself and went upstairs.  She ran a bath, hoping that it would relax her enough so she could muddle through her feelings.  Her blood seemed to race through her veins as her mind wandered from one thought to the next.  Her lack of honesty where her father’s murder was concerned made her feel dirty, even unscrupulous, yet she didn’t see herself having any other choice.  Now that they arrested her uncle for murder, she would have to re-think her strategy.  Until two months ago, she had never been a deceitful person—not that she was now—it was just something that had snowballed, and the bigger it got, the deeper involved she got.  Now she didn’t know how to get out without causing exactly what she had lied about, hoping to avoid in the first place.

With her nerves now at bay, she decided to call her aunt and see if she could find out why they had reason to believe her uncle was guilty.  Surely, a large insurance policy wasn’t enough of a reason to arrest him.

Not knowing if Gabe and Tommy were still in the house, she made her call from upstairs to insure privacy.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Aunt Veronica, its Lizabeth.  I just got a call from Uncle Bob’s attorney.  He told me what happened.”

She expected the voice at the other end to be somewhat upset if not overwrought but instead it was very unemotional, as if she weren’t concerned with the events of the last day.

“Yes, they were here to pick him up late last night.  Is there a particular reason you’re calling Lizabeth?”

“Of course there is!  I’m concerned for my uncle!  You seem to be taking this much better than I am, so maybe you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions for me.”

Veronica met her sarcastic retort with an air of indifference, as she began to speak.  “I don’t see much reason to be getting all upset; it’s just a misunderstanding that will be cleared up soon.  But I have to tell you Liz, if he hadn’t lied to everyone, he wouldn’t be where he is now.”

“What do you mean, lied?”

“Well, the day in question, he was supposed to be at the dentist, at least that’s where he told me he was going.  When they checked, they caught him in an out and out lie!  Not only wasn’t he there, he didn’t even have an appointment.”

“Did he tell you why he lied?  Have you talked to him yet?”

“No, he didn’t tell me why and no, I haven’t talked to him,” she replied with sarcasm in her voice.  “Listen, this really isn’t a good time.  If I hear anything, I’ll give you a call.  Goodbye.”

Veronica hadn’t even waited for her reply before hanging up.  What was it about her aunt and that conversation that wasn’t sitting right in her mind?  Something was off but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

She had always viewed her aunt in the same manner her father had, as a nonentity in her uncle’s life.  She had been his choice and, for his sake, they all tried to get along with her but she seemed no more than a means to dispose of his weekly paycheck, the prodigal shopper who cared little of others’ feelings, but constantly demanded attention for her own.  Although too proud a man to admit his mistake, Lizabeth always sensed a degree of regret where his marriage was concerned.

Lizabeth knew she wouldn’t get any answers from Veronica, for she was far too deep in her own delusions of grandeur.  Although trying didn’t exactly hurt, she now had to decide what to do next.  It would help if she knew what the police knew before going to see her uncle’s attorney.

She headed downstairs, wiping her face, trying to stir the circulation back into it.  She had no one to help her in her plight, knowing she had to organize her thoughts and come up with a plan.

She opened the front door in search of Tommy, but before she could get past the porch, she heard voices coming from across the street.  Upon a closer look, she saw Tommy flying through the air on a swing, with Gabe giving him a push as he reached him.

Happiness over seeing Tommy in better spirits juxtaposed with feelings of helplessness over their current situation left her drained.  Seeing him throwing his head back—actually looking like he was enjoying himself—she had no regrets, no remorse for her decision to bring him here.

Realizing how much time Gabe had been spending with Tommy, she decided to walk over and see if he was ready to have time to himself.

“Hey there, you two look like you’re having fun!”  She offered a wan smile and scanned Gabe’s face for a look of displeasure, only to find his typical carefree grin.

“Yeah well, you looked like you could use a little time to yourself and I had something I wanted to show Tommy anyway.”  His expression grew slightly more serious as he added, “Is everything alright, Lizzy?”

Her gaze went from him to Tommy and then to the ground.  There was a part of her that needed someone to talk to and another part that couldn’t bring her to open her mouth, especially to Gabe, a police officer who would undoubtedly turn her in the second she told him what she’d done.

She nodded and waited for the words to come.  “Everything’s fine, just some loose ends to tie up in Joplin but then again, who doesn’t have some sort of problems.”

By this time, Tommy was swinging rather high and Gabe thought he’d be all right on his own.  His training and instincts told him that there was a lot more to her troubles than loose ends.

“Lizzy, first of all, I’m not prying.  Second, I’m not asking you to tell me what’s wrong, but if you should need anyone to talk to, I’m here.  I know you aren’t familiar with too many people here—not that you know me much better—but if I can help, even if only by listening, you can talk to me.”

She stood, rocking back and forth on her feet, trying to muster the most nonchalant expression she had in her, before answering.

“I appreciate that Gabe but really, I’m fine.  I just have a lot on my mind and I can’t say that I’ve been myself lately, that’s all.”

“You can say that again.”  His words came out along with a flirtatious smile.

Offering a mere half-smile she replied, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.  “You may not remember me but I remember you.  It never mattered what we were doing, you were always determined to do it too.  You were headstrong, single-minded and eager to show us how tough you were.”  His face growing very serious now, he added, “Now, you seem lost.  Your loose ends are eating you alive.”

She turned away, unable to face him and the words she knew to be true.

“There’s a lot you don’t understand, Gabe.  When you knew me, I was a kid and everything was simple then.  I’d give anything to go back to that time.”  She pushed her hair off her face and looked him in the eyes, before adding, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you just how complicated my life was right now.”

Unexpectedly, he reached over to push back the loose tendrils of hair she had missed, which caused her to inhale deeply at his touch.  He began speaking as if what just happened was as natural as the conversation they’d been having.

“I can’t say whether or not I’d believe you but I can tell you that I have no reason not to.  If you were going to lie to me, it would be easier not to tell me at all.  If you choose to talk to me about it, I would presume it’s because you need help or a friend.  And either way, I would take for granted it was the truth.”

She was processing his words as if to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of confiding in him.  She found him to be sincere, carefree and eager to help but also a threat to the secret she was guarding.

In an effort to relieve her of the embarrassment she was obviously feeling, he motioned toward the house with an exaggerated movement of his arm.

“C’mon, let’s get something to drink.”

As they walked toward his house, they had to walk by Tommy on the tire swing.  When he saw them approaching, he jumped off while it was still moving rather high and dove onto his suitcase.  Lizabeth gasped and stopped walking, but before she could say a word, Gabe took hold of her hand and continued to the house.

“What do you like to drink?  I have soda, milk, coffee and iced tea?”

Giving him a perplexed look, she answered, “Iced tea would be fine.”

When they were out of earshot from Tommy, she looked at Gabe, who was still holding her hand.

“What was that all about?  He could have been hurt!”

“He didn’t look hurt, and he would have started to cry if he were.”

She continued walking toward the house with a wounded expression crossing her face.

He stopped and turned her to face him.  “It wasn’t about whether or not he was hurt Lizzy, we both know that.  It was about the suitcase.”  He looked up toward the sky as if searching for the words he was looking for.

“Didn’t you ever have a doll or maybe a blanket when you were a kid that went everywhere with you?  Even once it got ratty and began to smell, you still couldn’t bear to part with it?”  He didn’t wait for her to respond before he continued.  “Well, that’s his blanket.  For whatever reason, he feels connected to it.  You don’t walk around with your doll anymore and one day, he won’t walk around with his suitcase but for now, he isn’t whole without it.”

Looking deep into his omniscient eyes, she saw the answers she needed.  Although his remark was a little obscure, somehow, she knew that he was well aware of what he was talking about and that she could confide in him.

She turned back briefly to check on Tommy.  Seeing him once again on the swing, she turned her attention to Gabe.

“When is your next night off?  I’d like to take you up on your offer; I really need to talk to someone.”

He gave her hand a squeeze before finally letting go, and replied, “Is tomorrow night soon enough?”

She nodded without giving a verbal confirmation.  Tomorrow, she would try calling the Joplin police and see if they could shed some light on what they had on her uncle and then she would be able to give Gabe a clearer picture when she related everything to him.  Her mind was telling her that the most fool hearted thing she could do would be to talk to a cop, while her heart was telling her that this was her only answer—and Tommy’s only hope.

“Iced tea, as ordered.”  He handed her the tall glass and turned his attention toward Tommy.

“Hey little man, are you getting thirsty?  Come and get it.”

He set the extra drink on the railing and sat on the glider next to her.  She noticed that their thighs were touching, as he had left no room between them.  With the troubles she brought to Muddy Creek, she didn’t have the time or inclination for romantic feelings.  That wouldn’t do her any good in her current situation.  Still, she had to admit, she found him attractive.  He had the most genuinely distinctive eyes she’d ever seen, with the exception of Tommys'.  Each tiny, gold fleck scattered among the dark-brown threw off a twinkle, causing his eyes to look like they were dancing.

She had been staring at him longer than she intended to, and abruptly turned her head away.  The last thing she needed to cope with was desirability for Gabe, no matter how attractive she found him.  It would only serve to confuse her already complicated life.

They sat and watched Tommy play, neither saying much when finally, she stood and handed him her empty glass.

“I really better get him home now.  I want to thank you for spending the day with him; I haven’t seen him this happy in a very long time.  He appears to have taken a liking to you.”

“As I told you before, he’s a great kid.”

“Goodnight Gabe.”

He nodded without speaking until she had taken her last step off the porch.

“By the way, I’m glad you fought off your urge to kiss me, I wouldn’t want Tommy to get the wrong idea.”

She froze where she stood.  How could he have known that?  She turned toward him to see a knowing smile cross his face but her open mouth was empty of words.  With a hand on her chest, she gave a slight shake of her head and slowly turned back toward Tommy, wishing she could blink her eyes and find herself back in her own house.  If anyone else had said what he said, she would think they were trying to ridicule her.  Somehow, it was different with him.  She instinctively knew that his purpose was not to make her feel like a fool, it was only to let her know that he was aware of what she was thinking.  Why was it that he seemed to be more in accord with her thoughts than she was?  In addition, why did he seem to have such a handle on Tommy?  She would have to be much more careful of what she let show on her face in the future.

Reviews

[Tommy]

You have done really good so far with this story. It is truly well written and I like the twists and hints to the mystery of what really happened to Lizzy and Tommy's father.
RLG,
Tommy