Hiding In The Dark. Sava Mathou

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      When Ellie had first come into their new store many years ago, Sue saw a woman who was obviously wealthy and carried herself with such dignity and grace. The thought brought a tear to Susan’s eye. Sue had been nervous to approach the woman in her store. Sue was a simple Montana farm girl and was immediately intimidated by the woman and her appearance. The thought now brought a smile to her face. Sue couldn’t have been more wrong about Ellie. As soon as Ellie asked her about a book she was wanting, Sue had felt a toughness and a warmth from this woman. They had been friends ever since.

      Sue moved back over to the sofa and put her arm around Ellie. With her other hand, she reached up and pulled Ellie’s head softly to her shoulder. Remaining in their tender embrace for many minutes, Ellie cried out her loss in the protective touch of her friend. It was a moment that could only be shared by two old friends. Family.

      Whispering, Sue rocked Ellie and said, “Shh now. It’s all right. Let it all out. This has been coming for a while now. Shh. There now. It’s all right. You just take your time and cry it all out.”

      *****

      Driving back home, Ellie thought she had temporarily lost her mind. She had begun to blurt out everything to Sue. Sue never said a word but just sat back on the couch and listened. She didn’t know if Sue was too shocked to say anything, or was simply being a friend and taking it all in. When her outburst of emotion was over, Sue had sat back, thinking with her chin in her hand. Ellie knew this was never a good sign. Sue usually only did this when she was powering up to let someone have it with both barrels. Instead, she heard this.

      “Well, woman, it’s about time you get off your duff and stop feeling sorry for yourself. I have been wanting to kick you in the butt for holding everything in all this time. But I should know by now that this is typical Ellie. Just waiting to spill over before picking up the pieces to move on. Now for this private detective business. If this is what you want to do, then I am all for it. Really. It doesn’t surprise me none. You have had your head in those dime store novels for years. God knows that if anyone is going to do this, then it’s you. You’re gonna have one heck of time explaining this one to the kids. Although that’s a conversation that I would love to hear, if only to be a fly on the wall.”

      Ellie could see the glazed look in Sue’s eyes as she dazed off with a rueful smile at thought of their conversation.

      Heck, Ellie had to laugh too. If her kids thought she was incompetent before, then they would now have some fuel for the fire.

      Opening the door to her home, Ellie began to feel a course of loneliness seep in. Before it could grab hold, the phone’s ring had snapped her out of it. She dashed across the foyer to answer the hall phone.

      Out of breath, she answered, “Moore residence.”

      “May I speak with Mrs. Moore, please?”

      “This is Mrs. Moore. How may I help you?”

      “This is Dylan from the Price Private Detective School, returning your call.”

      *****

      Ellie had stayed in Missoula for the six weeks of schooling it took to get her private detective license with the State of Montana. She had stayed with her daughter Janet and her husband while going to school.

      It had been one heck of a conversation, telling the kids about the new adventure in her life. Janet and Dave had sat stone faced and closed mouth as she told them about her schooling that would begin in the morning. John Jr. had silently waited for his mother to finish her speech before diving into a million questions over speaker phone. It was the grand inquisition being performed on her by loved ones. She knew this was a battle she would have to face. It was a battle she must win to show her loved ones that she had regained her life and was moving on.

      She had been impressed by the kids. After what seemed like hours and hundreds of questions later, they knew their mother had made up her mind. They didn’t have to like it, but they were going to respect her wishes.

      For now.

      However, one hint of danger, and she knew they would come storming in hell or high water because nothing was going to happen to their mother. She briefly wept at their courage and sincerity and love for her. Then she laid down some of her own ground rules.

      “First and foremost, I am your mother, and I love you all for giving me the best children a mother could ask for in life. Second, I am a grown and capable woman, and I have thought about this for many years. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor is it one that I have given little worry too. I know the danger and boredom this type of work entails. However, I need to move on with my life.

      “It’s been very difficult for me since your father passed away. It’s been hard on all of us. I need a new direction, one that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. All my life, I supported my husband’s career. Then as a mother, I joyfully took on the role of a parent. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. They made me very happy and fulfilled. Now at this time in my life, I want to do something daring and outrageous and completely for me. I know you love me and want what is best for me. I just want your love and support while I do something for me that will make me happy and want to live again.”

      There was a round of murmurs.

      Finally, John Jr. spoke up. “I must admit that the thought of you out in the middle of the night, tracking down God knows who scares me to death. I know once you have made up your mind that there is no changing it. So with a bit of unease, I support you. Scared for you, but I support you.”

      “We do too. My mom a private eye?” Janet said in more of statement of wonder.

      Chapter Two

      Ellie decided to rent an office down town close to Books by the Volume rather than work out of her home. She wanted a place to go to every day, and this would make her get up and get moving. Plus that big old house could be a bit lonely at times. This way, she was close to Chuck and Sue and could pop in for coffee runs and some downtime visits. Also, it put her downtown closer to the action of where she needed to be. She wouldn’t have to run all the way in from the North Hill area where her home was located. She would be close to the jail, courthouse, library, DMV, and any other placed that she needed to do research for a case.

      The office she rented was a basement floor two room office with its own bathroom. The tiles in the ceiling were dull with age and had collected a few water spots over the years. The walls were painted a dull gray, and at first glance, it was dismal to look at. Ellie saw freshly painted walls and ceiling and a new desk near the basement office window where she could see right out onto Last Chance Gulch.

      She loved the idea of being able to watch the world pass by from her hidden cubby hole. It already gave her a sense of excitement of the forbidden, looking into people lives as they passed by, the people not knowing that they were being watched from beyond their line of sight.

      She saw bookshelves in the far corner for her reference library and files. In the center of the room, she would place a sofa and some comfortable chairs for research and meeting with new clients.

      In the back room, she would fix up as a make-shift mini apartment. This way, if she was working late on a case, she could catch up on needed sleep and not have to drive all the way out into the valley to her home. Plus it would be a great place for cat naps on a slow day.

      Over the next couple of weeks, Chuck and Sue helped clean the place up and got it ready for СКАЧАТЬ