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Authors: Patricia Sprinkle
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the bag of keys. There were several on the ring, plus a silver disk engraved with Cindy’s name and her cell phone number. “Do you agree that you left these keys in the ladies’ room?”
Cindy nodded. “Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Judge, if necessary, are you ready to testify to what she said?”
“If I have to.” I felt like I was cutting my daughter-in-law’s throat, but I have sworn to uphold the courts.
“What keys are on the ring besides your car keys?”
“Our house keys, my parents’ house key, and a key to Walker’s office.”
He called to one of the deputies. “You still got on gloves? Come here a minute.” He instructed the deputy to open the bag and remove the car key and the gizmo that unlocks the doors from the ring. “You can have these, Judge. The rest ought to be sufficient to establish they are Mrs. Yarbrough’s keys. We’ll bring her home after I’ve talked to her some more.”
“I’m gonna call Walker to come home,” I promised Cindy before I headed out.
Walker was somewhere in the wilds of North Carolina at the moment, on something called a Corvette cruise. I knew that because the previous Friday I had come back from making our deposit at the bank across the street to find Walker’s whole family inside my office. Tad and Jessica were still in their private school uniforms, but Walker and Cindy wore matching yellow polo shirts and khaki slacks. Matching outfits is one of those things Cindy likes that used to drive me crazy.
At thirteen, Jessica was already taller than I am. Tad, at eleven, was up to my eyebrows. Both Cindy and Walker are tall, so I figure there will come a day when I’ll have to look up at all of them. The trick will be to make sure none of them ever looks down on me.
“What’s happening?” I had asked. They were all bouncing on the balls of their feet like they would burst from holding something in.
“Come see!” Tad shouted. “Come see what Daddy’s got!”
I followed them out to the parking lot. A bright blue Corvette gleamed in the sunlight. “Electron blue!” My son stroked the top like it was a new wife. “They only made this color a couple of years. I was lucky to find one.”
Two years before, Walker had bought a guitar and gone so far overboard with country music that he neglected his whole family. Cindy finally took their kids and went to her mother’s for several months, which nearly scared me to death. I could not bear to think those children might grow up without their father and away from us, but Joe Riddley had assured me, “Walker’s just having his midlife crisis a tad early. He’ll come around.” Sure enough, Walker had come to his senses, settled down, and been a real good husband and father ever since.
Does a man get to have two midlife crises?
I couldn’t help a shiver of worry as I stood there looking at that car. Then Walker put his arm around his wife and squeezed her good. “Cindy bought it for me. We’re going to join a Corvette club and go on cruises all over the country. If you and Daddy will babysit, that is.”
“We want to go! We want to go!” his children objected in unison.
“You all can go sometimes,” he relented, “but the first few times your mama and I want to be alone.”
“So they can smooch,” Jessica told Tad.
He screwed up his face and made gagging sounds.
I was still trying to get my mind around the idea of a car cruise. “You take the cars on boats?” I could picture one of those huge cruise ships with a hold full of Corvettes, but I couldn’t see the sense of it.
Walker laughed. He must have been seeing the same picture I was. We do that sometimes. “No, Mama, we cruise the highways. We meet up someplace and all drive together for a few days. Doesn’t that sound great? I’m going on one up in North Carolina next week to get the hang of this baby, but I’m going alone. Cindy won’t come.”
“I have to be here for the investment
Cindy nodded. “Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Judge, if necessary, are you ready to testify to what she said?”
“If I have to.” I felt like I was cutting my daughter-in-law’s throat, but I have sworn to uphold the courts.
“What keys are on the ring besides your car keys?”
“Our house keys, my parents’ house key, and a key to Walker’s office.”
He called to one of the deputies. “You still got on gloves? Come here a minute.” He instructed the deputy to open the bag and remove the car key and the gizmo that unlocks the doors from the ring. “You can have these, Judge. The rest ought to be sufficient to establish they are Mrs. Yarbrough’s keys. We’ll bring her home after I’ve talked to her some more.”
“I’m gonna call Walker to come home,” I promised Cindy before I headed out.
Walker was somewhere in the wilds of North Carolina at the moment, on something called a Corvette cruise. I knew that because the previous Friday I had come back from making our deposit at the bank across the street to find Walker’s whole family inside my office. Tad and Jessica were still in their private school uniforms, but Walker and Cindy wore matching yellow polo shirts and khaki slacks. Matching outfits is one of those things Cindy likes that used to drive me crazy.
At thirteen, Jessica was already taller than I am. Tad, at eleven, was up to my eyebrows. Both Cindy and Walker are tall, so I figure there will come a day when I’ll have to look up at all of them. The trick will be to make sure none of them ever looks down on me.
“What’s happening?” I had asked. They were all bouncing on the balls of their feet like they would burst from holding something in.
“Come see!” Tad shouted. “Come see what Daddy’s got!”
I followed them out to the parking lot. A bright blue Corvette gleamed in the sunlight. “Electron blue!” My son stroked the top like it was a new wife. “They only made this color a couple of years. I was lucky to find one.”
Two years before, Walker had bought a guitar and gone so far overboard with country music that he neglected his whole family. Cindy finally took their kids and went to her mother’s for several months, which nearly scared me to death. I could not bear to think those children might grow up without their father and away from us, but Joe Riddley had assured me, “Walker’s just having his midlife crisis a tad early. He’ll come around.” Sure enough, Walker had come to his senses, settled down, and been a real good husband and father ever since.
Does a man get to have two midlife crises?
I couldn’t help a shiver of worry as I stood there looking at that car. Then Walker put his arm around his wife and squeezed her good. “Cindy bought it for me. We’re going to join a Corvette club and go on cruises all over the country. If you and Daddy will babysit, that is.”
“We want to go! We want to go!” his children objected in unison.
“You all can go sometimes,” he relented, “but the first few times your mama and I want to be alone.”
“So they can smooch,” Jessica told Tad.
He screwed up his face and made gagging sounds.
I was still trying to get my mind around the idea of a car cruise. “You take the cars on boats?” I could picture one of those huge cruise ships with a hold full of Corvettes, but I couldn’t see the sense of it.
Walker laughed. He must have been seeing the same picture I was. We do that sometimes. “No, Mama, we cruise the highways. We meet up someplace and all drive together for a few days. Doesn’t that sound great? I’m going on one up in North Carolina next week to get the hang of this baby, but I’m going alone. Cindy won’t come.”
“I have to be here for the investment
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