Spring Break Spring Break Keith Richardson, a weather-beaten and today very tired Private Investigator, sat in his office gazing out the window. It was a beautiful day; he should be outside. He just did not feel like doing anything but sit. He had been so busy the past several months solving murders and finding people he was ready for a break. He was restless and bored. Springtime always did that to him. His ex-wife used to call it Spring Fever, he didn’t care what it was called, and all he wanted was out. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now. He could think of at least a hundred places that would be better than this humid, dirty city in the spring. He reached for the intercom, which was buried as usual under a stack of client files and today’s paper. "Annie," he said in the vicinity of the device. "Call my travel agent." "Okay, boss." She said. "Where you going?" He paused. "I don't know. San Francisco," he said, making up his mind in an instant, "and make sure I have a car when I get there. I wanted to go to Big Sur, and sit on the beach.” "Right," Annie sighed. She knew that she would be in charge of the office while he was gone. I'll finally get some work done, she thought as she picked up the phone. "Thanks, Annie, you're the best." Said Keith as he leaned back in his chair clasping his hands behind his head. Now, I can get some rest, he thought. ****** The San Francisco Airport was busy the day Keith landed. Annie had booked him on a mid-day flight that got him into town with enough daylight to make the trip to Big Sur. He picked up his bags and went to the rental car agent. Again, as usual she came through, and he had his car in record time. He slid behind the wheel of the Corolla and breathed a sigh of relief. No cases to worry about, he thought, no clients to placate. Life is good. I'm back home; I hope Mom's home. He turned the car out of the parking area and started down the freeway toward the coast. Keith a native of Northern California, went to school in Monterey, and joined the Navy from there, but, that was years ago. His father was in the Navy and an instructor at the Naval Officers School in Monterey. It doesn't seem that he has been gone five, no six years now, he thought. His mother still lived in the big house on the ocean, just outside town. Keith had spent many hours on the rocks in front of the house watching the tide wash in and out. He missed that sometimes, this was one of those times; he stepped harder on the accelerator. As the rented car lurched forward with the greater speed, Keith noticed that the traffic had thinned out. He was nearly the only car on the road. Suddenly, a red Corvette approached on the left, darted in front of him and was gone before he could comprehend what was happening. His subconscience, however, noted the license. BYE-BYE, he thought, must have been all those years of being a cop. I feel as if I should be chasing him or at least giving him a ticket. He grinned. "No business, remember!" He said out loud. He enjoyed the rest of the familiar drive, without once reverting back to his years as a cop. It was a very restful drive. ****** It was just past eight o'clock when he pulled the car into his mother's driveway. There was only one light on, in the den. She must be reading, he thought, I should have called. He climbed the stairs that he used to play on, when he was a child. His heart felt lighter; somehow he felt twenty years younger just standing there. He resisted the urge to jump off the porch like he did that time when he broke his ankle. He knocked on the door. This place hasn't changed a bit, he thought as he gazed upon the beautifully kept rock garden "Keith?" Said the tall slender woman with salt and pepper hair and a warm, inviting smile. "What are you doing here? Did you quit that horrible job? Tell me you have, I worry about you all the time." "Mom," he said, as he hugged her. " I'm still a Private Investigator. I just thought I'd come for a visit." "A darned rent-a-cop." She sighed. “Why can’t you get a real job? Like your cousin Jeff, he works for a computer company, and makes good money at it.” "Mom." He said flatly. "I thought I would stop here tonight and then head for Big Sur in the morning. That is, if you want to have a 'rent-a-cop' in your house." She smiled and let him in the house. Keith smiled, for the first time in months; it was a sincere smile. "You look thin,” said Mrs. Richardson, “have you been eating right?" “Well,” he hesitated. “Good,” she said. “You can have this tofu and alfalfa sprout sandwich. I’ll make another.” “Thank you, Mom." he said, taking a bite of the sandwich, " I sure have missed your cooking." The woman smiled broadly as she sat down with her own sandwich. ****** Keith awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and after a long hot shower he joined his mother on the patio for breakfast. "Granola?" She offered. "I know it’s your favorite." "Thanks, mom." He said and poured himself a bowl. "Tell me what's been happening around here." "Oh nothing, the same old thing. You know, Hazel has been in the hospital, she doesn't eat right you know. Jo Anne has another man living with her." "Really, what happened to John?" "Oh, he was two back. Now it's Jason or something like that, and he's young enough to be her son! Imagine the nerve, he conned her into buying him a Corvette. He even got one of those fancy license plates. It says BYE-BYE. And he drives it like a bat out of hell." "You don't approve do you?" "No. Well, yes, well, I guess I am kind of jealous. It's been a long time since your father passed away. I've been lonesome." "You miss Pop don't you?" "Yes." She sighed, looking at his curly hair and slender features. "You're a lot like him you know." "So, you keep telling me." He looked out on the ocean and sighed. Suddenly, they heard a gun shot. Keith ducked under the table, and pulled his mother right off her chair. "Keith, son," she said, pulling away from him, as the gunfire continued. "That's just Mr. Carter trying to keep the rabbits out of his garden. His reflexes aren't as good as they used to be." "Oh," said Keith carefully climbing back onto his chair. "I'm sorry, it's just the stress of my job." "See there, it's hurting you. What do I keep telling you, you're going to be dead before you're 30." "Mom, I'm 42." "Really? No, has it been that long?" “Yes,” he sighed, “it has.” “I’m sorry, I forgot.” She said. "It's okay, Mom." He looked the window and noticed a nicely shaped woman and an athletic looking man walking hand in hand on the beach. "There she is," whispered his mother, "that hussy." "That's Jo Anne?" Asked Keith, stunned. "I thought..." "What? Oh, no, she's really about your age. That man she's with is so much younger, she should be ashamed of herself." "Right, mom," smiled Keith. She want's me to fall for Jo Anne and move back here, I don't think I could stand that, he thought with a shudder. "I'm going to catch some 'rays' at the beach." Keith said as he got up from the table. "I'll see you this evening." "Okay, I'll have dinner ready at the usual time." "Sure, Mom." He said as he retired to his room to prepare for a day at the beach. ****** He waved at the beautiful woman on the porch next door as he climbed into his rental car. He thought about how nice it was going to the beach again. He was looking forward to sitting in the sun, and gazing at the ocean. He would just relax and forget work. All of his problems were left at the office. Yes, a nice relaxing vacation, he thought. ****** The red Corvette lay upside down wedged between two trees. The driver had been thrown from the car and lay a hundred yards from the mangled mess, which used to be her pride and joy. She was seriously injured; she knew it. She also knew it was only a matter of time before someone would notice her car and come to her rescue. She had lost consciousness several times, and did not know what day it was. One time during the night a raccoon had touched his nose to her face, but it ran away when she yelled. It was cold and damp in the forest, she could not move her legs, and her arms were getting weaker by the moment. She stayed there and waited, all she could think of was how he was going to miss her and how silly she felt. The brakes had failed and she plunged over the cliff into the trees. He loved this car and now it was ruined. Then her mind wandered back to an earlier time, in Dallas. She remembered when she met him and how they had fallen in love. She could see his face and that memory was comforting to her. She closed her eyes and drifted off. ****** The sirens wailed and lights flashed, as the tow truck pulled the wrecked Corvette out of the trees and up the steep embankment. The coroner's vehicle was about a hundred yards away. Keith stood at the edge of the road and watched. He shook his head in pity as he moved closer to hear what the Paramedics where telling the Police. "Looks like she's been there about two days or so," said the Paramedic, "but it's hard to tell. It's a hell of a mess, hard to get her out of there, she hit that tree hard and really messed up the car." "Too bad," said the police officer, "she was such a beautiful woman." "Yes," said Keith. "Who," said the officer as he spun abruptly around, "are you?" "Keith Richardson, Private Investigator." "Is there something I can help you with?" Said the officer. "No,” said Keith, “I was just passing by and wondered if I could lend a hand?" "No, thank you. We have everything under control, now go on about your business." "Yeah, sure." Said Keith as he started to walk away, but turned around abruptly. He noticed something glittering in the sun. He went over to it and discovered it was a small silver purse, buried in the grass. He picked it up and looked inside. It contained a makeup compact, a pack of gum and a wallet. The driver's license in the wallet belonged to Jo Anne, his mother's neighbor. "Excuse me." He said to the officer. "Did you see this?" "No," said the officer, taking the purse away from Keith. "Where did you get that?" "Right here, in the grass." "It's evidence. Thank you." "Sure, it's part of my job. I have been helping the police at home." The officer snorted. "Don’t mention it." Keith said as he hopped into his car. He thought about the last time he had seen Jo Anne, it was just this morning. No, he thought, the woman I saw on the porch wasn’t Jo Anne. It must have been last night then when I saw her last. Mother will be upset; I’d best go back and tell her what‘s happened. ****** Mrs. Richardson sat in her kitchen staring at the ocean. Her son sat across from her and patted her hand gently. "Mom," said Keith. "I know it's hard for you. Jo Anne was your neighbor and all." She looked at him, a tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm just concerned about her husband and children." "What? I thought that she had four boyfriends or whatever." "She did, but she was married too. In fact, so was her first boyfriend. They left their spouses and came out here to live together, and then he left her. I guess to go back to his wife. Since then she's had many different men, they would last about three or four months then leave." "How many different men?" Keith said, trying not to sound like he was interrogating her. "Well,” she said, “since she moved in about two years ago; three, I think." "Jason, and the first guy. What was his name?" "John. Then there was Chris." "When did he leave?" "Oh, about three months ago. One day, he just wasn't there. Funny though, he left his car." "Really?" "She sold it later. She had kept John's truck, so she didn't need another car." "John left his truck?" "Yes, he left in such a hurry he didn't have time to take it with him." "Mom,” said Keith carefully, “don't you think it's kind of strange that a man and a woman would leave their spouses and then the man feeling guilty would, one day abruptly go back to his wife?" "No,” she said, “that’s not strange. Do you think it is?" "Yes, I do." "It must be that awful job." She said, retrieving a plate from the counter. "You need to eat something. I've made a wonderful vegetable lasagna." "No thanks, Mom,” Keith said. “I don't feel like eating right now. I need to find out what happened next door." "Why can't you be like other son's? Why can't you have a real job like Hazel's son Robert?" "Robert? What does he do?" "He builds computers. There's lots of money in that you know." "I know, but, I like what I'm doing." "Okay dear, as long as you're happy. Just tell me you'll think about it though." “Think about what?” “Going into the computer business. Your cousin Jeff and Hazel’s son Robert are both making lots of money doing that.” "Okay, I'll think about it." Keith finally conceded. "Good." She smiled as she stared out the window. ****** Keith knocked on the door of the neighbor’s house next to his mother. A man answered and told him that Jo Anne wasn't home. Keith went back to his mother's house and took up a seat near a window that overlooked the house next door. His mother came into the room once and left shaking her head. He sat there all night and into the next day, then about 10:00 Jason and a woman left. Keith took that opportunity to climb over the fence that separated the houses. He crawled over the balcony and peeked through the sliding glass door. He did not see anything out of the ordinary. He walked over to the railing and looked out at the ocean, then down the cliff. It reminded him of the accident the other morning. He sighed, and turned around. Nothing here, he thought as he kicked absently at a loose board. It pulled up. Under the board was a piece of cloth, he pulled on it. To his surprise, the cloth was attached to a partially decomposed arm. Dropping it fast, he backed up; then he jumped over the balcony and flew over the fence. Back at his mother’s house he called the police. ****** The sirens wailed and the lights flashed. Keith stood in the driveway between the two houses, chatting with a cop. "So, you discovered the body?" The officer said. "Yes, I did," nodded Keith. "What were you doing on this man's porch, with him not home?" "I was looking for my mother's cat." "Uh huh." The cop said with a frown. "You know that could be considered trespassing." "Really?" Said Keith, with an innocent look on his face. "I'm sorry. I thought that Buffy might have fallen through that hole in the porch." "Buffy is the cat, right?" "Yes." "Was the cat at your neighbor's house?" "No, when I came here to call you, she was waiting for me at the door." "Okay,” said the officer, “Mr. Richardson, thank you for your time. If we need anything more from you we will be in touch. And, sir, try to have a good vacation." "I will." Said Keith trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Thank you." The cop nodded and returned to the house. Keith went back to the kitchen and sat at the table, where he had a good view of what was going on next door. He saw the police milling around in the house and talking to Jason, who had just arrived. He appeared to be shaken, in fact, to Keith he looked surprised. Keith believed that Jason did not know there was a body under the porch. Suddenly, one of the police officers on the porch shouted that there was another body. At that point, the officer nearest Jason put handcuffs on him and shoved him into a patrol car. Keith's mother arrived just as the police were leaving. "What's happening over there?" "It's a long story, mom." "Okay, I've got time." ****** Keith explained what had happen the past three hours, and that the police had uncovered more bodies. By the time it was over, five in all had been found. Mrs. Richardson noticed that the porch was a mess, the yard was torn up and the inside of the house looked as if a tornado had struck. She sighed and sat down to a cup of cappuccino with her son. "Keith,” she said, “you've got to find out what's going on there. I know Jason is innocent. I know he can't be responsible for all of this. I just know it." "Mom,” said Keith, “I watched him when they discovered the second body, he was genuinely shocked. He had no idea what was there. I don't know what went on, but I will do what I can to get to the bottom of it." "Oh, thank you, son. And, I'm sorry about what I said this morning. You know, I just want you to be safe and happy." "Mom, I am happy." "But, what about safe?" "Mom, I have work to do. Please let's not talk about it right now. Okay?" "Okay. What do you want for dinner?" "You know, I was thinking of taking you out to dinner, to get you away from all of this." "But, son, that costs so much. I don't..." "I do. Besides there are some things I want to check out in town." "I knew you had an ulterior motive." Keith grinned and shook his head. ****** The restaurant was just down the street from the police station. Keith and his mother sat in a booth that was within earshot of several officers. "That was really gross." Said a female cop. "Can you believe it, there were five bodies under that porch." "I bet the house smelled bad." Quipped a cop next to her. "I wouldn't want their air freshener bill." Snickered another woman. "You should talk, Sue, you work in the morgue." Said the officer across the table. "Yeah, so." Said Sue. "Well, you got to see all of the bodies when they came in. What was it, three men and two women?" "That's what they think. A couple of them were terribly decomposed." "Do they know who they were yet?" "No. They are going to have to use dental records, that could take awhile." "Why?" The female officer lowered her voice and told the other two cops something that neither Keith nor his mother could hear. Then, the officers got up from the table and left the restaurant. "Darn," said Keith's mother. "It was just getting interesting." "Uh huh," sighed Keith. "You know, I was thinking, I know someone who works at the police station." "Really?" Said Keith, eagerly. "Who?" "He's a cop, you don't know him." Keith frowned. "We went out a couple of times, but he’s much too young for me. Our relationship was just pure sex." "Mother!" "Well, it was. We just stopped seeing each other. I think I could find out something from him that might help." "Well, Okay, but don't tell me how you are going to do it." "Don't worry, son, I won't," she said, with an evil grin. "Good, you get started on that, and I'll get a room at that hotel, so I can watch what the police are doing." "That's fine. It's a nice hotel." "I don't want to know how you know that." Keith said, with a smile. ****** Keith sat in the antique rocker in front of the window in his room at the Bradshire Hotel. It was a nice room, with an antique four poster bed, an antique dresser on one wall and an antique nightstand next to the bed. He really did not care about the room; he was more concerned about watching the comings and goings at the police station. He saw his mother walk in and about fifteen minutes later she walked out with a tall blonde police officer of about 30. They crossed the street and got into her car. Keith cringed; she's looking for information. I have to remember that, he thought. After about an hour, Keith’s mother still had not reappeared with her policeman friend. He shuddered at the thought of what his mother might be doing. To his relief, a black sedan pulled up in front of the police station. Two men in dark suits got out and ran into the building, Keith watched as an ambulance pulled out of the parking lot at the same time. Suddenly, the backside of the police station exploded in a ball of flames and debris. "Oh shit!" Keith said, as he ran down the stairs. On his way across the street, he passed a stunning woman in a very tight black jumpsuit. Her red hair cascaded across her shoulders and down her back. She smiled at him. He smiled back politely. "So, Richardson," said the police officer to Keith as he approached the scene. "You seem to be around whenever there is something going on. This used to be a quiet town before you got here." "I grew up here," Keith said. "I just came back to visit my mother." Trying to sound as innocent as possible. "Then visit the lady and leave us to our job!" Said the Officer, maybe a little too sternly. Keith raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought, that the men I saw go into the police station just before the explosion may be of interest to you." He said. "You saw some men just before the explosion?" "Yes. They were driving a black Lincoln." "Were they wearing dark suits?" "Yes. You saw them?" "Of course, they are friends of the Chief. He left with them just before the explosion." "Hmm. It's a shame that it was the morgue that was destroyed," said Keith, eyeing the officer. "How did you know it was the morgue?" "Lucky guess. What happened to those bodies that were found next door to my mom's?" "They were destroyed, it's a shame, all of the evidence is gone. We had to let your neighbor go." "What a shame." "Yeah, sure." Said the officer shaking his head. Keith walked back across the street to the hotel room. Something is wrong, he thought. That was just too easy. He reached for the phone and called his mother. "Hello," she said. "Mom, what have you found out?" He asked. "Keith, can it wait until morning?" "You still have company don't you?" "Yes." "Sorry, can you come here when you’re, um, done?" "Yes." "Did you hear about the explosion at the police station?" "Yes," she sighed. "Oh David, stop that. It was on the news. David! Oh David! Keith I’ve got to go." The line went dead. Keith shrugged and hung up the phone. "I guess I should get some sleep." He said as he lay on the bed and closed his eyes. Bang, a shot rang out, breaking the window next to the bed. Keith quickly rolled off the bed, grabbing his gun out of the nightstand on his way to the floor. After a moment, he fished around in the bottom drawer of the nightstand and found a small hand mirror. He held it up over the windowsill and was able to see what was going on outside. But, it was already dark; he could only see the glare of the streetlights below, and nothing else. He crawled out the door and quickly went to the front desk. ****** "You're going to have to pay for that window, you know," said the desk clerk. "But, here's a new room anyway, number 659. Try to keep this one in one piece." "Thanks." Keith said taking the key. I am just going to go up to the room and try to get some sleep. He thought. I’ll continue this in the morning. As he climbed the stairs, he passed the stunning red head he had seen earlier. She must be staying here, he said to himself. The next morning the phone rang early. "Hello," said Keith groggily into the phone. "Hello, son." Said his mother. "Could you come by here soon?" "Sure," he yawned, "when?" "Right now, if possible." Her voice sounded strained. "I've got bacon and eggs for breakfast." "Mother?" He said with surprise. "Are you feeling all right?" "Certainly, son, never felt better. You get right over here now, the bacon is getting cold." "Yes, mother, I'll be there in a few minutes." He said. Something is wrong, he thought, Mother is a strict vegetarian. ****** Inside the big house by the ocean, Mrs. Richardson sat at her kitchen table. Across from her were two men in dark suits. When Keith arrived, his mother answered the door and invited him inside. He greeted the men and immediately realized why his mother had been acting so strange on the phone. "You got here in record time, Richardson." Said the first man. "Would not have expected that, since your trouble last night." Said the second. "What trouble?" Asked Keith's mother. "Nothing to worry about, Mom." He said. "What do you want?" He asked the men. "We wanted to thank you," said the first man. "For finding three of our missing agents," said the second man. "Three?" Asked Keith. "There were five bodies found next door." "Yes," said the first man, "we still don't know who the other two are." "Could they have been the killers?" Asked Keith sarcastically. "Great idea," said the second man enthusiastically. "We'll check into it." "Okay," said Keith, "but, why bring my mother into this? Why not meet me at the hotel?" "We wanted to make sure," said the first man, "that you would cooperate with us." Keith looked at the men. "The next case is going to require your undivided attention." Said the second man. "We wanted to make sure we had it." "Oh, you've got it." Said Keith. "Good," said the first man, "we will visit you when you get home." "Enjoy your vacation," said the second man. "Thank you," said Keith, holding the door open for them to leave. "You work for them?" His mother said with a note of disgust in her voice. "It's a long story, mom, a very long story." He said pouring himself some coffee and sitting down to the table. He explained to her about the case of the girl with the missing identity, and how he had gotten involved with these men while trying to help her. His mother listened very politely and at the end Keith fully expected her to tell him to get out of detective work completely. But to his surprise, she didn't. Instead she nodded and kissed him on the forehead. "I can see how much you enjoy your work." She said. "The little bit I have been able to help you, I can see why you like it. But, please be careful. I don't trust those men." "Mom, neither do I." He said, into his coffee cup. "Neither do I." He looked up into her eyes and could see the concern. "You know that's how your father died." She said. "I know. I promise to be careful." ****** Back at home, Keith found that he was invigorated, even happy, although, somewhat apprehensive about what those men had in store for him. He vowed not to take another vacation, because this one had turned out to be harder work than if he had stayed at home.
Copyright © 2000 Arlene Mason |