Thelma was quiet. “Not that I know of. Is something going on?”
I gave her the lowdown on the Cupids, hoping she didn’t instantly buy a plane ticket home.
“It sounds like you need help,” she said hopefully.
“No, I really don’t. I’m not involved in the case at all,” I said. “I’m just a witness. I can’t have anything to do with it.” No way on Earth would I tell her about Nick’s case. “I just wanted to get the lowdown on Lenny.”
Her disappointment came across the line. “He’s a nice enough guy. I really don’t see him robbing anybody, but I also don’t think he has a lot of money,” she said. “I wish Georgiana was here, but she’s out snorkeling. I’ll ask around and get back to you. I know he lives somewhere in Timber City over by one of the new subdivisions, kind of north, but that’s about it. I don’t even know what he did before he retired,” she said. “I’ll find out.”
“I appreciate it,” I said. “You guys have fun, and no hurry on this. I just wanted to see if you knew anything.” I also wanted to check in and make sure they were safe. I felt like I’d adopted them, as well.
“Sounds good, honey. Bye-bye.” Thelma hung up.
I pushed my phone away and started on my sandwich, pleased that Oliver remembered to add pickles. They were my favorite. I finished and then dialed Aunt Yara.
“Hi, Anna,” she answered.
“Hi, Yara. How’s Violet?”
Yara sighed. “Difficult at the moment. She didn’t want to talk about running from me on the way home, so I didn’t push her. I’m not quite sure what’s going on in her head.”
“Should I talk to her?” I asked.
“She’s at school now,” Yara said. “I feel like we need to give her a little space, then ask her what happened at the courthouse.”
I trusted Yara’s instincts implicitly. “She could always talk to Cousin Wanda.”
“I know. I thought of that,” Yara said.
Cousin Wanda worked in my building as a psychiatrist. She was distantly related to me, but in my world, family was family. “Let’s keep that in mind. What do you think about the basketball game?”
“What basketball game?” Yara asked.
Oh, yeah, I hadn’t talked to her about the plan yet. “The judge suggested that we watch his basketball game on Friday with Violet so she can see him as just a normal person before having to be in a courtroom with him. He also offered to have hot chocolate with us if that would help.”
“That’s excellent. What a nice man. I’ll think about the basketball game Friday after I speak with Violet. I’m just letting her be for the moment.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Yara.”
She cleared her throat. “Are we in trouble with the court?”
“No, I think we’re okay,” I said. The judge had seemed like he really wanted to help.
“Good,” she replied. “I’ll talk to you later, honey. Bye.”
“Bye.” I clicked off and worked on paperwork for a while. I called Nick’s mom and arranged a time for us to meet the next day, and then made notes on what I knew about the case. Around five, my phone rang, and I noted the caller.
“Hey, Donna,” I said, happy to hear from my older sister. “What’s going on?”
“Tess and I are going to meet and have a drink after work,” Donna said. “You want to come with us?”
I glanced at the darkened night outside. “Absolutely. Sounds like fun. How about the Clumsy Penguin?”
“Clumsy Penguin? You want bar food?”
Bar food was one of Donna’s least favorite things, but the ambiance at the Clumsy Penguin on the lake was always nice. Plus, I couldn’t help but be slightly curious about the whole Cupid situation, and while I was just a witness, it wouldn’t hurt to ask a few questions.
“Yeah, I think that sounds like fun. Tell you what, if we go to the Clumsy Penguin, it’s on me.” I mentally checked my bank account and then winced. I’d have to put drinks on a credit card.
