When Bentley answered, I did my best to keep my voice from shaking. “I have really bad news. Luella’s been…murdered.” I had to push the word out. “And I was the one who found her. The police are at her house. I’m going to take the rest of the day off.”
Bentley wanted details, and I explained what I could before telling her I’d park her car in front of the agency and leave the keys in her mailbox. Knowing I didn’t have it in me to face my coworkers, I did just that and quietly left the building.
I stood on the sidewalk, wondering exactly what I could do to escape from the chaos swirling within me, and I had a sudden image of the yellow scooter parked outside the Secret Garden. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to put on the black helmet, become invisible to the world, and drive until I ran out of gas.
Clutching to this vision, I set off for the Secret Garden.
Addison was sitting on one of the little stone benches in the outdoor décor and statuary area, chasing a bag of corn chips with a jumbo-sized bottle of Mountain Dew. She smiled as I approached.
“Hey! I heard you might wanna buy my scooter.” She offered to share her snack, but I shook my head.
“I’ll pass on the chips, thanks, but I am interested in the scooter.”
She pulled a Hello Kitty key chain out of her apron pocket. “Take it for a spin. As long as you want. If you like it, I’ll give you a really good deal. No one else has been lining up to buy it, and I need cash to pay the insurance bill on the Volvo. My brother bought me a gorgeous Duke blue wagon and offered to pay for the insurance, too, but I’ve got my pride.”
“What a gift,” I said, thinking that the price tag of a new Volvo station wagon was well over thirty thousand dollars. “Your brother sounds very generous.”
“He is. He’s actually my half brother, but he’s the only good thing that came out of my mom marrying again after my dad died. I’d never tell my brother this, but his father’s kind of a jerk.” Addison’s eyes grew glazed, and she looked away. “Gary didn’t buy my brother a thing,” she said, pronouncing her stepfather’s name with a hiss. “As a kid, he had no toys, no new clothes, nothing. Then Gary marries my mom and buys me everything under the sun to impress her. Guess it worked, because she’s still with him.”
I couldn’t think of much to say in response, so I nodded in mock understanding.
Addison gave me a self-effacing grin. “Sorry. Too much info. Here.” She held out the key chain. “Seriously, keep it until closing time.”
I closed my fingers around the keys. This was exactly what I had hoped would happen. “Great. When do you get off work?”
Addison pulled a face. “My shift ends at six. If you want the scooter, I’ll sign the title over to you the second I hang up this apron for the day.” She told me her asking price and, after glancing at her watch, said she needed to hop on a register before her manager returned from his break.
In the parking lot, I put on Addison’s helmet, released the kickstand, and turned on the engine. I’d had a scooter during my college days and hoped I could operate this sleek, chic Vespa GTS with the same ease.
I needn’t have worried. Unlike my old scooter, which required manual shifting by moving the gear switch on the left handlebar, this Vespa was a variable automatic, so I only had to worry about accelerating with the right handlebar and braking by squeezing the brake levers like on a bicycle. Within minutes, I was racing through the streets of Inspiration Valley, the yellow scooter zipping through the open air like a goldfinch released from its cage. By the time I hit the road leading to Althea’s house, the tension I’d been holding between my shoulder blades began to dissolve and my spirits lifted.
As I passed by fields of buttercups and grazing cows, I knew that I was going to blow the remainder of my savings on the Vespa. I hadn’t felt this carefree for a long, long time, and damn it, I was due for a measure of happiness.
Pulling up in front of my mother’s house, I couldn’t help but grin to see her standing on her front porch, hands on her hips, shaking her head with disapproval.
“Aren’t you a bit long in the tooth for that kind of toy?” she asked. “You look like you’re ridin’ SpongeBob, for cryin’ out loud. And what are you gonna do when it rains?”
I put down the kickstand, took off the helmet, and shrugged. “Wear a raincoat, I guess. Listen, Mama, I can’t depend on you to chauffeur me around. I’m already living in your house rent-free. I’ve got to start working my way back to an independent state.”
My mother put her hand over her heart. “You were meant to stay here a spell, to figure out what you want from this life. Same goes for Trey.” She frowned at the scooter. “But if you’re tryin’ to look like a teenager, you’re gonna have to stuff yourself into those god-awful skinny jeans. No more banana bread for you.”