GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE
CHAPTER 2
Shirley was curled up on the sofa, absorbed in a book. A half-empty wine glass sat on the coffee table nearby and the house was shatteringly peaceful. The three youngest of the brood were in bed and Laurie was in the kitchen, talking to Dina Firmly on the phone; Keith was still on his date with Samantha. After the ruckus of rehearsal that continued into dinner, Shirley was grateful to have some time to herself. It wasn't often that she got this kind of silence, though it was about to change in one mere tiny little instant.
The doorbell rang, and Shirley was so into her book that she didn't hear it the first time, nor the second. It wasn't until Laurie poked her head through the kitchen door, the receiver still up to her ear that she was even aware of anything but the mystery unraveling in the pages before her.
"Mom, are you going to get that?" Laurie asked.
Shirley looked up. "Hmm?" She seemed only mildly distracted. The bell rang again, sounding agitated, and only then did she put the book aside. "Oh, I'm sorry, Laurie, yes, I'll get it."
She got up, stepping quickly to the door. Upon opening it, she saw a very unnerved Reuben Kincaid standing there.
"Oh, Reuben, I didn't expect you here tonight!" she said, stepping back to let him in.
He grunted, his narrow eyes searching the living room as he entered the foyer. "We've got trouble, Shirley, big trouble. Where's Keith?"
Shirley frowned, her dark eyes following him as he strode past her into the living room. "He's on a date, why? What trouble are you talking about?"
"Then you haven't seen the news?" He turned, looking at her.
She shook her head. "Haven't had the television on all night. Why, what's the matter? Is Keith all right? He hasn't had an accident or anything - !" She half-expected a yes, and she tried to brace herself.
"Shirley, a young girl attempted suicide in the bathroom of the bus station this afternoon." He tried to make it as painless as possible.
"Oh, dear, that's terrible! But what has it got to do with Keith?"
He closed his eyes. "She had a magazine picture of him clutched in her hand when they found her."
Shirley put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, dear Lord…!"
The police are starting an investigation, and the press is after me for a statement. Shirley, we've got to find him."
"They don't think that Keith…"
"They don't know. I don't know; no one knows. She's in San Pueblo General right now." Reuben looked completely harried.
"Then she isn't dead."
He shook his head. "She tried to overdose. They had to pump her stomach. She's awake, but not talking. There's no identification on her, but she won't give them any information." He sighed, taking a seat on the couch arm. "Keith hasn't dumped a girlfriend or anything lately, has he? I mean, she would have to have some reason to involve him like this!"
"Oh, Reuben, Keith has had so many girlfriends, I've lost count…we'll just have to ask Keith."
The front door opened, and the Devil himself stepped in. Having heard his name, he smiled. "Ask Keith what?" He unzipped his jacket, closing the door behind him.
Reuben stood up, his eyes almost wild. "You, mister, are in some serious trouble!" His voice rose as he pointed at him.
Keith's smile faded. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
Shirley took Reuben's arm, pulling his hand out of Keith's face. "Keith, a young girl tried to kill herself today, and she was holding your picture."
The news stunned him. "You're kidding," he said softly. "Who was she? What's her name?"
"No one knows, honey. She doesn't have any identification, and she won't tell anyone who she is."
Keith's brown eyes widened. Seeing the look on Reuben's face, he felt sick. "Reuben, you've got to believe me, I had no idea…"
"We know, honey," Shirley put her hand on her son's shoulder. "What should we do, Reuben?"
"Well, the press is gonna drive us crazy until we give them something. I can release a generic statement, and in the meantime, you should call the hospital and the police and get whatever information you can on this girl. Then, Keith and I will hold a press conference and tell them our side of this."
"Good idea. I'll call the hospital right now." Shirley gave Keith an encouraging smile as he shook his head, blowing out a breath.
"Man, Reuben, this is all so unreal. They're not saying I had anything to do with her trying to kill herself, are they?"
"Well, when your picture was found in her hand, you became involved, involuntarily though it may seem. The police are starting an investigation."
Keith swallowed, his face pale, now. He sank down onto the sofa, pulling his jacket close around him. He knew he could be sick at any second.
Reuben reached over, putting his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'll pull you through this one."
He looked up, his eyes full of pain. "I know, but what about the girl? Who's gonna pull her through this?"
Reuben gave him a half-smile, having no answer to that.
****
The garage was dark, pitch black almost, when Laurie opened the door. The moonlight behind her gave the room an eerie blue look and she fumbled for the light switch near the door. The light came on and she saw Keith sitting there in front of the drum kit, his arms wrapped around his guitar, his chin on the neck of it.
"Keith, are you all right?" Laurie asked, tentatively stepping around the plethora of instruments in her path.
"Oh, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He sounded weary.
She moved to join him. "Well, it's not that often that I find you sitting here alone in the dark," she said, taking a seat next to him on the floor. "Mom told me what happened."
He closed his eyes. "I don't know her, Laurie, I swear I don't know her." He was trying hard to convince them both.
"They're thinking she's a runaway who just came here to meet you." Laurie put a comforting hand on his arm.
He looked at her, the exhaustion showing clearly in his eyes. "Then, why didn't she try? I'm not exactly Howard Hughes. The whole town knows where I live, go to school…why would she just try to off herself like that?"
"Maybe you did meet, and you didn't know it."
He shook his head. "I doubt it. I haven't run into any strangers in the past few days. The police already asked me that. They classified her as a stalker. That's a pretty frightening term, isn't it?" He put the guitar aside, crawling to his feet. He began to pace, absently playing with the ring on his pinkie finger.
Laurie sat there, watching him walk back and forth. "When's your press conference?"
"Tomorrow." He gave a meaningless laugh. "The cops don't want me to even go to school for a while for security reasons, can you believe that?"
"It all sounds so bizarre…you know, like the Twilight Zone," Laurie said, shaking her head.
"What did Mom find out about this girl? I mean, she's got to have a name, a hometown…"
Again, Laurie shook her head. "She's not talking, Keith. All they know is that she isn't from around here and she came here because of you, for some unexplained reason."
He looked ceiling ward, his shoulders sagging. "I think I should talk to her."
Laurie's eyes grew big. "Do you think that's a good idea?"
He turned to her. "How else are we gonna get to the bottom of this? If I'm the reason she's here, then maybe I can get her to tell us what her bag is." He sighed. "I'll talk to Reuben about it."
"Better do it tomorrow. It's almost midnight. You'd best get some sleep before the press conference," she told him.
He nodded.
CHAPTER 2
Shirley was curled up on the sofa, absorbed in a book. A half-empty wine glass sat on the coffee table nearby and the house was shatteringly peaceful. The three youngest of the brood were in bed and Laurie was in the kitchen, talking to Dina Firmly on the phone; Keith was still on his date with Samantha. After the ruckus of rehearsal that continued into dinner, Shirley was grateful to have some time to herself. It wasn't often that she got this kind of silence, though it was about to change in one mere tiny little instant.
The doorbell rang, and Shirley was so into her book that she didn't hear it the first time, nor the second. It wasn't until Laurie poked her head through the kitchen door, the receiver still up to her ear that she was even aware of anything but the mystery unraveling in the pages before her.
"Mom, are you going to get that?" Laurie asked.
Shirley looked up. "Hmm?" She seemed only mildly distracted. The bell rang again, sounding agitated, and only then did she put the book aside. "Oh, I'm sorry, Laurie, yes, I'll get it."
She got up, stepping quickly to the door. Upon opening it, she saw a very unnerved Reuben Kincaid standing there.
"Oh, Reuben, I didn't expect you here tonight!" she said, stepping back to let him in.
He grunted, his narrow eyes searching the living room as he entered the foyer. "We've got trouble, Shirley, big trouble. Where's Keith?"
Shirley frowned, her dark eyes following him as he strode past her into the living room. "He's on a date, why? What trouble are you talking about?"
"Then you haven't seen the news?" He turned, looking at her.
She shook her head. "Haven't had the television on all night. Why, what's the matter? Is Keith all right? He hasn't had an accident or anything - !" She half-expected a yes, and she tried to brace herself.
"Shirley, a young girl attempted suicide in the bathroom of the bus station this afternoon." He tried to make it as painless as possible.
"Oh, dear, that's terrible! But what has it got to do with Keith?"
He closed his eyes. "She had a magazine picture of him clutched in her hand when they found her."
Shirley put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, dear Lord…!"
The police are starting an investigation, and the press is after me for a statement. Shirley, we've got to find him."
"They don't think that Keith…"
"They don't know. I don't know; no one knows. She's in San Pueblo General right now." Reuben looked completely harried.
"Then she isn't dead."
He shook his head. "She tried to overdose. They had to pump her stomach. She's awake, but not talking. There's no identification on her, but she won't give them any information." He sighed, taking a seat on the couch arm. "Keith hasn't dumped a girlfriend or anything lately, has he? I mean, she would have to have some reason to involve him like this!"
"Oh, Reuben, Keith has had so many girlfriends, I've lost count…we'll just have to ask Keith."
The front door opened, and the Devil himself stepped in. Having heard his name, he smiled. "Ask Keith what?" He unzipped his jacket, closing the door behind him.
Reuben stood up, his eyes almost wild. "You, mister, are in some serious trouble!" His voice rose as he pointed at him.
Keith's smile faded. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
Shirley took Reuben's arm, pulling his hand out of Keith's face. "Keith, a young girl tried to kill herself today, and she was holding your picture."
The news stunned him. "You're kidding," he said softly. "Who was she? What's her name?"
"No one knows, honey. She doesn't have any identification, and she won't tell anyone who she is."
Keith's brown eyes widened. Seeing the look on Reuben's face, he felt sick. "Reuben, you've got to believe me, I had no idea…"
"We know, honey," Shirley put her hand on her son's shoulder. "What should we do, Reuben?"
"Well, the press is gonna drive us crazy until we give them something. I can release a generic statement, and in the meantime, you should call the hospital and the police and get whatever information you can on this girl. Then, Keith and I will hold a press conference and tell them our side of this."
"Good idea. I'll call the hospital right now." Shirley gave Keith an encouraging smile as he shook his head, blowing out a breath.
"Man, Reuben, this is all so unreal. They're not saying I had anything to do with her trying to kill herself, are they?"
"Well, when your picture was found in her hand, you became involved, involuntarily though it may seem. The police are starting an investigation."
Keith swallowed, his face pale, now. He sank down onto the sofa, pulling his jacket close around him. He knew he could be sick at any second.
Reuben reached over, putting his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'll pull you through this one."
He looked up, his eyes full of pain. "I know, but what about the girl? Who's gonna pull her through this?"
Reuben gave him a half-smile, having no answer to that.
****
The garage was dark, pitch black almost, when Laurie opened the door. The moonlight behind her gave the room an eerie blue look and she fumbled for the light switch near the door. The light came on and she saw Keith sitting there in front of the drum kit, his arms wrapped around his guitar, his chin on the neck of it.
"Keith, are you all right?" Laurie asked, tentatively stepping around the plethora of instruments in her path.
"Oh, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He sounded weary.
She moved to join him. "Well, it's not that often that I find you sitting here alone in the dark," she said, taking a seat next to him on the floor. "Mom told me what happened."
He closed his eyes. "I don't know her, Laurie, I swear I don't know her." He was trying hard to convince them both.
"They're thinking she's a runaway who just came here to meet you." Laurie put a comforting hand on his arm.
He looked at her, the exhaustion showing clearly in his eyes. "Then, why didn't she try? I'm not exactly Howard Hughes. The whole town knows where I live, go to school…why would she just try to off herself like that?"
"Maybe you did meet, and you didn't know it."
He shook his head. "I doubt it. I haven't run into any strangers in the past few days. The police already asked me that. They classified her as a stalker. That's a pretty frightening term, isn't it?" He put the guitar aside, crawling to his feet. He began to pace, absently playing with the ring on his pinkie finger.
Laurie sat there, watching him walk back and forth. "When's your press conference?"
"Tomorrow." He gave a meaningless laugh. "The cops don't want me to even go to school for a while for security reasons, can you believe that?"
"It all sounds so bizarre…you know, like the Twilight Zone," Laurie said, shaking her head.
"What did Mom find out about this girl? I mean, she's got to have a name, a hometown…"
Again, Laurie shook her head. "She's not talking, Keith. All they know is that she isn't from around here and she came here because of you, for some unexplained reason."
He looked ceiling ward, his shoulders sagging. "I think I should talk to her."
Laurie's eyes grew big. "Do you think that's a good idea?"
He turned to her. "How else are we gonna get to the bottom of this? If I'm the reason she's here, then maybe I can get her to tell us what her bag is." He sighed. "I'll talk to Reuben about it."
"Better do it tomorrow. It's almost midnight. You'd best get some sleep before the press conference," she told him.
He nodded.