“It’s better you got the truth than thinking the worst of me.”
She smiles. “Thanks for saying that.”
He walks her to the door, gives her a hug, and adds, “I’ll see you soon.”
He can feel her nod into his shoulder, then she turns, opens the front door, and leaves.
CHAPTER 29
Judd wakes to his doorbell. He looks at his watch. It’s just after 5:00PM. The sidelight window next to the front door is covered in cardboard. He can’t see who is on his front step. His inner cop won’t allow him to open the front door without knowing who’s on the other side.
“Can I help you?” he says to the door.
“Judd. It’s me.”
Judd unlocks and opens the door to see Mei standing in her scrubs. The look on her face walks the line between pissed off and relieved.
Mei says, “Why haven’t you responded to my calls or texts?”
“Lost my phone. Why didn’t you call me on my landline?”
“I didn’t know you had a landline,” says Mei. “Where do you keep it? Next to your steam engine and washboard?” She sighs something sad. “I’m sorry. You’re going through hell right now.I just… I was worried. Iamworried. Why do you look like you just woke up?”
“Because I just woke up,” says Judd. “Come on in. I have a lot to tell you.”
The invitation to Clay has to be delivered in person. Deb reaches Judd on his landline. Deb reaches Zoey through Sue. And Zoey stops at Clay’s house and rings the doorbell. He answers it wearing joggers and a sweatshirt and hair pointing in all directions.
“Rise and shine,” says Zoey. “Deb wants us over there for pizza and to share some new information.”
“What kind of information?” says Clay.
“She figured out Teddy’s password on his cell phone. She’s in. Now come on. Go pretty yourself up. I can’t be seen with someone looking the way you do. I have a reputation in this town. And brush your teeth. I don’t want any bad breath fogging up my windshield.”
When Clay walks into the doublewide, he notices something missing—it’s the hope in Deb’s eyes. He and Zoey enter the living room and sit on the couch. Deb has brought in a chair from the kitchen for herself. She holds Teddy’s cell phone. Judd and Mei have squeezed into Teddy’s old recliner but keep it un-reclined with their feet on the floor.
“Thanks for coming,” says Deb. “I’ve found some disturbing emails and texts in Teddy’s phone.”
“If you don’t mind sharing,” says Zoey, “what was the password? It may give us some insight into Teddy’s state of mind.”
Deb looks down at Teddy’s phone, then lifts her eyes to Zoey. “91279.”
“Any significance?” says Zoey.
Deb nods. “It’s the day Teddy and I drove up to St. Paul and he talked his way into backstage passes at the Clash concert. That’s when Joe Strummer gave Teddy the earring. After the concert, we walked down by the river, and Teddy proposed to me. We were seniors in high school so we kept it secret until we graduated.” Deb manages a sad smile. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. We celebrate the anniversary of our first date. We celebrate our wedding anniversary. But we never celebrate the anniversary of Teddy’s proposal.” She wipes away a silent tear. “Apparently, the date was still important to Teddy.”
Clay glances at his father, looking for the same despair that he sees in Deb’s eyes, but what Clay sees in his father is curiosity. Judd doesn’t know what’s in Teddy’s phone. Deb has waited to tell them together.
“Teddy’s been gambling,” says Deb. “One of those sports gambling sites. He downloaded the app—I can see all his winnings and losses—and the losses far outweigh the winnings.”
“Oh, boy,” says Judd. “Why do people fall for that? Just because they advertise on TV every ten seconds? It’s like Vegas. Think they build those big hotels and give you free drinks because they’re losing money?” And then, almost to himself, he adds, “Come on, Teddy. You know better than that.”
“Where’s the money coming from?” says Clay.
“It appears,” says Deb, “that Teddy opened a checking account I didn’t know about. It also appears that Teddy uses the same password for our regular bank account. I’ve logged into his secret account. All expenditures are for the gambling website. And all deposits are cash. They range from twenty dollars up to a thousand dollars.” Deb looks from her phone to Judd. “Has any of that cash come from you?”
“No,” says Judd. “Teddy hasn’t asked for money in a few years. And that was for getting his car fixed, which he did. I paid the mechanic directly.”
“Clay?” says Deb.
