Gag Me: A Friday Harbor Novel by Susan Wingate

Author:Susan Wingate [Wingate, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roberts Press
Published: 2022-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

Thirty

“Paul said he thinks something weird happened right after Dennis left the bar, but he won’t tell me.”

Connor asks Mom, “Have you tried to call him?”

She nods. Then goes into her Marilyn Monroe routine, the jealous lover routine. “He better not be fooling around on me.”

“Oh, gag, Mother. And by the way, there’s a bit of irony at play.”

Connor doesn’t let you finish your thought and says, “Jane, I’m sure he’s not. It’s most likely a business deal issue.”

She pours wine into the empty glasses in each of your hands. Wilkey refuses to stay in the car even when you impress upon her she should. You don’t want her to know your family, plus she’s not the brightest light on stage, and you remember a guy from Mensa telling you he could hang around with someone like you because you’re smart. Then he rambled on about how there is a plus one minus one tolerance to IQs—people within the same plus one minus one curve will get along while those outside the curve will not. You told him to get the eff away from you.

“What kind of business deal involves fooling around?” Mom’s not letting it go.

“Jane,” Connor repeats, “I’m sure he’s not.”

Connor sniffs and grimaces. The house smells like cigarettes and bleach. She cleans when she’s upset, cleans and smokes. It’s a sight to behold, a cigarette hanging from her mouth while she’s scrubbing a toilet, dousing the cig in the toilet, thereby creating some yet invented gaseous combination. Mom sits in one of two chairs at the kitchen table, a round glass number that is pushed into a corner between the kitchen door and the counter. There’s only one other chair and Wilkey takes it. She grabs your mother’s hand to comfort her. You’re starting to loathe Wilkey.

Connor starts in again. “Okay, from the top.”

“Dennis was at the bar talking with Paul about some business.” She shoots me a cloying glance. You put your hand over your mouth. She pauses. You see that this is her confession to you that she’s using again. It had to come out sooner or later.

“And…” You sense that Connor doesn’t want this to become a family argument, so you drop your hand and lean against the kitchen counter. Connor is standing between your mom and Wilkey.

Your mom focuses on Connor. “And he said he needed to take care of a problem.”

“Dennis said that?”

“Yes.”

Wilkey is still holding your mom’s hand.

Connor takes a few steps toward me and then back toward the door.

“Jane, do you know where Paul is right now?” Connor asks.

“At the bar I would think.”

“And Reeve?”

“Who?” Your mom and Wilkey say together.

You decide to chime in. “Parnas. His name is Reeve Parnas.”

Connor shoots you a glance. You’re not sure if he means for you to shut up and let him do the questioning, give the answers. “What?” you say.

“Okay,” Connor says. He leans in and grabs her hand out of Wilkey’s. “Call us if you hear anything at all from anyone. Will you do that?”

Your mom nods.

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