Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series (Books 4 - 6) Read online

  LUCILLE PFIFFER MYSTERY SERIES

  Books 4 - 6

  Tanya R. Taylor

  Copyright© 2021 Tanya R. Taylor

  All Rights Reserved.

  No portion of this work may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the Author.

  This is a fictitious work in its entirety. The author bears no responsibility for any possible similarities concerning names, places or events.

  CONTENTS

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  Book Seven in This Series

  BLIND FURY - Book Four

  BLIND FLAMES - Book Five

  BLIND RISK - Book Six

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  BLIND FURY

  Book Four

  Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series

  Tanya R. Taylor

  1

  _________________

  (You Don’t Miss The Water Until…)

  “I swear I’m going to die! I didn’t know I could miss that annoying, old hag as much as I do right now.” I was drenched in tears as Anthony tried his best to console me.

  We were outside on the back porch while Nilla went on one of her running sprints back and forth across the yard. She often did that, but for a long time I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe sometimes she was ticked off at something or perhaps thought she needed the exercise. That dog was so unpredictable at times that I stopped trying to figure her out and just let her be her special little self.

  The weather was gorgeous that Saturday afternoon. Yet, I couldn’t appreciate it as Merlene had been missing without a trace for more than a week and Sheriff Cooke and his crew didn’t have anything promising to report. Whenever I checked in with him about it—which was every single day, without fail—I got the same bloody answer: “No luck yet, Lucille, but we’re still lookin’.” Every time he said that I wanted to choke him. He was starting to sound like a scorched record.

  For all I knew, my best friend was probably dead and buried somewhere, never to be found. I didn’t give a rat’s behind if the sheriff thought I was a royal nuisance. I was about to march down there to that station and tell them all to get up off their tired, lazy derrieres and get busy looking for Merlene. She couldn’t have just vanished off the face of the earth!

  “Now, now…” Anthony gently patted my arm as he held me near. “Before you know it, Merlene will be back home again and you two will be at each other’s throats just like you’ve always been.”

  It sounded so sweet the way he said it. Anthony knew just the right words to make me feel at least a little bit better.

  “You think so, Anthony?” I asked right before I blew my nose on my late husband Donnie’s old handkerchief. I’d already lost him several years earlier and now Merlene. I just couldn’t bear it! I was a complete mess.

  “I know so,” Anthony replied.

  “Ready to go?” Theodore walked in after pouring some motor oil in his car. He was about to take me over to Merlene’s house to check on David. I’d called David earlier but he was out again looking for any sign of his mother. Theodore and Anthony had joined him for the first few days after Merlene’s disappearance and wandered a good distance out of town too. None of us was dumb enough to solely depend on the Chadsworth police to find her.

  “Yes, I’m ready,” I said as Anthony obviously felt the need to help me up. I’m sure by now both boys could’ve seen that I managed quite well getting around on my own. They probably figured I’d memorized each section of the house, but never imagined that I could actually see every section of the house. Sir Clement had been very kind to me for a good while before Merlene and I managed to solve his murder. There was no spitefully dangling my inner vision over me, then yanking it away for any undetermined lengths of time before it reappeared. I hadn’t seen him since that day in the courtroom when he bothered to show up to watch the crooked judge testify about how he conspired with others to kill him. Lord knows the revelation of it all almost killed me. I couldn’t believe so-called upstanding people could be so heartless and family for that matter too.

  Nilla had finished her sprinting and was now back inside eagerly drinking water from the small bowl I’d recently purchased for her. It was spotted with cute images of fashionable female Shih-tzus whose beauty still paled in comparison to my Nilla’s.

  “Come here, cutesie wootsie.” I reached down and picked her up after she’d quenched her thirst. “Momma’s going out for a while, but Uncle Anthony will be here to keep you company, okay?” I kissed her on her precious, little forehead and she licked my cheek. That’s one of the things I loved about Nilla—she was so understanding. Had much more intelligence than a large majority of humans I knew.

  “I’ll take her.” Anthony reached for her.

  Although Nilla had her fiercely protective side for those of us she loved, I’m sure she relished all the kisses and cuddles she got every day. Theodore wasn’t as loveable whenever she gently sunk her teeth into those toes of his, particularly when he was wearing Nilla’s favorite white cotton socks—his actually.

  “I’ll see you two later,” I told them as Anthony caressed Nilla’s fur.

  “Yep. Time to go; it’s getting late.” Theodore patiently stood in the living room with both hands shoved inside of his jeans’ pockets.

  I collected my purse and cane from the sofa before heading out the door.

  The daisies along the sidewalk were in full bloom as well as the magnolias a little ways off from them. Tom, my new gardener, had taken the landscaping to another level, as opposed to Jack’s subpar work. I had to, as politely as I could, send Jack on his way after he became a drunk when his twentieth girlfriend left him. Whenever he did show up at work, all he ever did was cuss at the wind telling Chrissie or Christie—or whatever the hell the woman’s name was—that he was gonna get even someday. Of course, he was drunk as a skunk whenever he said that. The final straw was when he puked over my pink roses and had the nerve to wipe his mouth with a few of the leaves. I heard all the vomiting from inside the kitchen and was really concerned for the guy until I realized a full two hours had passed and he hadn’t lifted a finger in the yard. I’m sure my beloved Donnie was horrified when I spewed out a few impolite cuss words toward Jack, but the rebel in me sometimes just can’t be contained.

  Merlene loved those pink roses. She said they were her mother’s favorite flower. I couldn’t help but tear up a bit as I passed them, wondering if I’d ever see Merlene again. She was annoying for the most part, but that’s what made her so darn special! My closest friend, my confidant, the one who got me kidnapped, held for ransom and almost got me killed. She was second in my life only to Nilla. The boys—my tenants—were tied at third. Never mind all the bickering Merlene and I did, we loved each other and the insults were never enough to keep us apart. Theodore rested his hand on my shoulder as we walked to the car. Like the perfect gentleman he was, he opened the door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before heading over to the driver’s side.

  For a while we quietly listened to a local talk show until Theodore changed the station and decided to listen to love songs.

  “So, you’ve finally found someone that’s not a hoochie?” I asked.

  “Huh?” He lowered the radio’s volume.

  I repeated the question.

  “No!” He laughed.

  “So, she’s a hoochie?”<
br />
  “No. I mean…I’m not seeing anybody.”

  I sighed. “You’re how old now, Theodore?”

  “Thirty-something.”

  “Don’t you think it’s about time you…”

  “Found a serious girlfriend?” he said.

  “No. Moved out?”

  I saw the shock on his face. Guess he thought I’d finally be kicking him out for not getting a hang of aiming straight into the toilet whenever he sprinkled. “I’m just kidding.” I patted his knee. “I needed somebody to bother. Since Merlene’s not around, I guess it’s only you and Anthony now.”

  He gave me a pitiful glance. “You talk as if she’s gone for good. You mustn’t allow yourself to think that way, Miss Pfiffer.”

  At that moment, I was at a loss for words. Most people probably appreciated those rare instances whenever that happened. I was sure as hell Merlene did.

  “The cops will get some sort of lead soon,” he said. “Either that or Merlene will just show right back up as if she never left.”

  I shook my head slowly. “Something about her disappearance worries me,” I replied. “Other than the fact that we don’t know where she is.”

  “What is it?”

  “She’s been missing for more than a week and no one’s made any demands. Maybe she’s not being held somewhere for ransom. Maybe she’s...dead.”

  2

  _________________

  As we pulled up onto Merlene’s carport, I heard David speaking rather loudly to someone inside the house. It was no surprise to us who it might be since a black jeep parked along the street in front of the house was marked with the Sheriff Department’s logo.

  “I wonder if they found her.” I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt.

  As we started toward the front door, it suddenly swung open and two familiar men stepped outside.

  “You guys need to do your damn jobs and focus on finding my mother!” David shouted from the doorway.

  “David, what’s the matter?” I asked.

  “Would you believe these two jokers are still in the ‘questioning’ phase while my mother’s God knows where?”

  “Questioning?” I grimaced.

  The officers slowed down as they approached Theodore and me.

  Detective Lance Matthews still carried around that cocky look of his. I swear he was losing whatever hint of attractiveness he had every time I was cursed to see him. And his bad-mouthed sidekick Tyrone Stewart must’ve known when it came to good looks there was absolutely no hope left for him.

  “Yeah,” David went on. “More than a week has passed and they’re back here questioning me about the day Mom went missing as if they don’t have all the facts already.” He glared at them. “What? You’re gonna try and frame me now for my mother’s disappearance after you couldn’t make the charges stick against me for my girlfriend’s murder?”

  I’d never seen David so upset, other than the day he got home to discover that Merlene had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth.

  “What is this, Detective?” I asked Lance.

  He gave me a conceited look. “You’ve gotten your eyesight back, Mrs. Pfiffer?”

  Oops! Forgot. I knew I had to come up with something that made sense. “I smelled you,” I said.

  “Excuse me?” He appeared both shocked and insulted at the same time. And mister yellow teeth next to him had a smile on his face, but I could tell he wanted to laugh.

  “My sense of smell is impeccable.”

  Lance shook his head and I knew he wished he could put me in my place.

  “I asked what’s going on?” I repeated myself.

  “Not that it’s any of your business,” Lance started, “but I’ll entertain you since I suspect that’s what the Chief would want. We simply came here to get a recap from David as to what he discovered the day his mother went missing, just in case he recalls something that he probably hadn’t before. We’re simply trying to help his mother; nothing more.”

  David started going off on them again, but Theodore stepped in to calm him down.

  “I see. Well, I’m sure you understand that David here wants nothing more than his mom to be found,” I said. “And at this point, he feels like the police should have something—anything to report as far as progress is concerned. He’s upset and rightfully so. Let’s do less talking and more walking, shall we? Merlene is out there somewhere hoping you guys can actually connect some pieces to the puzzle and do what it takes to find her.”

  Stewart glared at me the entire time. I really didn’t think he could’ve helped himself.

  “From now on Detectives, when you pay the man a visit, make the visit count, huh? Have something concrete to give him. Don’t make him feel like he’s being harassed again,” I said.

  “We don’t harass nobody, lady. And what gives you the right to think you can speak to us this way?” Stewart barked.

  “You’re harassing me now, Detective,” I replied.

  “How you figure that?”

  “By having to inhale that cheap perfume you’re wearing. Is it your wife’s? Or do you just like women’s perfume that smells like toilet water? Real toilet water.” A few moments passed. “Guess cat’s got your tongue?”

  Lance sighed. “We’ll be on our way.” He gave David a nod and said,“We’ll be in touch, Mister Bostwick.”

  Theodore had a wicked grin on his face as we headed inside. “You never cease to amaze me, Miss Pfiffer.”

  It took a good while for David to collect himself. He’d clearly lost about ten pounds since Merlene disappeared, so I guess he and I were in a race to see who’d become a skeleton the quickest.

  “I can see you’ve not been eating anything much, David,” I told him.

  “I eat,” he said. “Guess it just burns out as fast as I get it in. I’m constantly moving around, wrecking my brain concerning Mom’s whereabouts and I haven’t been getting much sleep at night.”

  “Both of you need to keep up your strength,” Theodore remarked. He and Anthony were concerned that Merlene’s disappearance was going to send me to an early grave.

  “Miss Pfiffer’s barely eating. She’s really taking it hard too,” Theodore told David.

  “I can see that.” David lowered his head. “I haven’t seen a tighter friendship than what you and Mom had.”

  “Has,” Theodore emphasized.

  “Right,” David replied.

  “It’s just that the worst thoughts cross my mind. It kills me to think what she’s going through…if she’s still here or what they might’ve done to her. I’ve searched everywhere I could think of at least twice and I don’t know what else to do.”

  He clasped his hands behind his head.

  “What about the private investigator you hired last week?” Theodore asked.

  “Nothing yet. He says I have to give it time. I told him we don’t have much time.”

  I could’ve imagined what he’d been feeling, not knowing where his mother was. He was an only child and Merlene’s heart-string. I couldn’t bear the thought of him having to live the rest of his life without her. I didn’t know how I was going to keep it, but I felt I had to make David a promise. “David, honey, I want you to know that Merlene will be found and I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens. I will search high and low and will spare no expense to do just that.”

  “Thank you, Miss Lucille.”

  I’m not sure if it gave him any comfort since I had no idea where to begin, but he must’ve known me well enough to know that I’d start somewhere and when I made a promise I tried my hardest to keep it.

  After we left David’s house, I turned to Theodore and told him, “Take me to the Sheriff.”

  “When?”

  “Now!”

  Theodore took the left turn on the T-junction at the end of Merlene’s subdivision. He then merged onto the left lane of the main thoroughfare which would’ve taken us to the police headquarters. He didn’t ask any questions and I didn’t offer any exp
lanation. It was time Cooke saw my face again to remind him that even if he thought Merlene was dead, I sure as hell wasn’t.

  * * *

  Every time I walked into that godforsaken police station, I could feel the tip of those officers’ eye-daggers on my back. As Theodore and I headed toward Sheriff Cooke’s office, I thought it fitting to make an announcement to the officers seated or standing around their cubicles. “Like I always say, I may be blind, but I’m not stupid. If you fellas are tired of me showing up here, I want you to try and stop me.”

  “Miss Pfiffer!” Theodore spoke softly. “Let’s not make a scene, okay? We’re in the police station, for crying out loud!”

  “I’m well aware of where we are, Theodore. It doesn’t take away my right to freedom of speech,” I replied. “Now roughly, how many officers do you see in this area?”

  “How many?”

  “Yes. How many?”

  He quickly scanned the room. “Maybe thirty or close.”

  With gratitude, I said: “At least twenty-eight of them could’ve been out there trying to find Merlene. But what are they doing? They’re creased up in here collecting a paycheck for doing close to nothing!”

  Theodore nudged this time, trying to quiet me down.

  “I’m not quieting down!” I barked, rather loudly.

  “Mrs. Pfiffer, can you please take a seat until the Sheriff is ready for you?” a sergeant told me just as I arrived at the waiting area outside of Cooke’s office.

  “You didn’t have to tell me that, young man. You think I like standing on these old knees longer than I need to?”

  “No, ma’am,” he answered.

  Theodore and I took our seats.

  “Excuse me, young man…Could you tell your boss I don’t have all evening to wait? It’s getting dark out and I must get back home for my beauty rest.”