Chapter 78

Jack pulled into the driveway just as Claude was pulling away. They must not have recognized each other because neither acknowledged the other that I could see.

It was pretty chilly out so I closed the door. A minute later I heard Jack trudging up the stairs. I went to the door and opened it. He was on the landing with a big green trashcan at his feet.

"I already gave at the curb," I said, pretending to close the door in his face.

"That's fine," he shouted through the door. I'll just send the rest of the mice up here. With their rat cousins."

I opened the door and let him in.

He eyed Laurie and said, "Have you seen any mice, Little Girl? Ah, there's one," he said, diving forward.

"That's Posie," she said giggling at him.

"Are you sure? It looks like a mouse to me." He turned to me. "Are you sure it wasn't Posie that ran across the floor last night?"

"I'm sure," I said.

"Well, then, I have just what you need." He took off the lid and reached into the trash can. He pulled out a hard hat like the guys wore when they worked on the apartment.

"No big game hunter can go hunting without her pith helmet."

"This isn't a pith helmet," I said, holding it away from me.

"Close enough. The mouse will never know the difference. Here, put it on." He put it on my head. The ring inside wasn't adjusted and it fell down to just above my eyes. "Do you know why they call it a pith helmet?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, it all started when a big game hunter was out in the wilds of Africa in his Land Rover and all of a sudden found he was surrounded by lions. He got scared and pithed in his helmet."

"That's sick," I said, taking it off and putting it on Laurie. She reached up and took hold of it with both hands, tilting it back so she could see.

"Here. Let me see that," he said to her. He turned it over and pulled the band inside as tight as it would go. "Now try."

He placed it on her head and it stayed up where it was supposed to. Laurie moved it around a bit until she was satisfied with its placement.

He looked back to me. "Let's see what else the wizard has for you, Little Girl."

He reached into the trash can and pulled out a flat package, maybe 5" by 10". He held it out to me.

"Ta Daaaah."

I took it cautiously, holding it away from my body. "What is it?"

He put on his best WC Fields persona. "This miracle of modern engineering contains a concoction that will summon mice from miles around..."

"I don't want mice from miles around!"

"Ahem. What I meant was ... This miracle of modern engineering contains a concoction guaranteed to lure mice in the immediate vicinity. Once they land on it, they discover that the surface is coated with a glue-like substance that prevents them from departing. Like quicksand, the more they struggle, the more trapped they become. There is also a substance mixed in with the glue that gently lures them to sleep, never to bother you again. They come four to a pack. I suggest you use two at a time. One under the kitchen sink and the second in the laundry closet, near the dog food. Leaving them out in the open is almost guaranteed to catch a larger beast, such as the afore-mentioned Posie." He dragged out Posie's name, the way Fields would have.

"That's better," I said. I tore open the package. Inside were four pieces of cardboard. You could see a half inch border and then it was a different color in the middle. I pushed down on the colored portion with my thumb and it had a little give to it. I looked closer and saw that there was a sheet of paper, similar to the old waxed paper they used to use for sandwiches over the whole top. I got the corner and started to peel it off. Once I got into the sticky part, it started fighting back.

When I almost had it all off, Jack said, "Careful that doesn't bounce. It'll stick to the hair on your arm and it'll be hell getting it off. And I'd hate for it to put you to sleep."

I doubted that would happen but I took my time and used caution anyway.

I started off towards the kitchen with my first trap.

"Make sure you put the sticky part up," Jack called after me.

I opened the cupboard under the sink and turned the trash can sideways. That meant the mouse would have to go on the side of it if he was in there. I put the trap down next to it, taking up most of the floor space. I got a jug of ammonia from the back and moved it up in front of the trap. There. Now he'd have to run across the trap if he was going in or out under there.

Laurie came into the kitchen with another one, peeled and ready. She was holding it out in front of her, as far as she could reach. She'd already taken off the hard hat. I carefully took the trap away from her.

"Thanks, Honey."

"Welcome."

I went over to the laundry closet. After I pushed the trash can with Bozo's food in it back a couple of inches, I had room to put the trap down between it and the accordion door.

We went back into the living room to find Jack bent over with his head in the trash can. He pulled out another package.

"This must be your lucky day. Look what I found."

I put on my best Mae West and said, "Uhmm, you're a regular Mary Poppins with that thing."

He tipped a non-existent hat and handed me a package. There were a couple of mousetraps inside. They did the same as the old fashioned ones with the spring and the bar that would practically cut a mouse in half but these were made of plastic. There was a spring inside and a plastic tongue that you put the manufacturer's mouse attractant or peanut butter on. When they stepped on it, the thing closed. Sort of like an alligator's mouth. Open and waiting, then it slams down on you when you check inside.

Jack said, "If you use peanut butter, make sure you don't use it on a mouse who's allergic. I'd hate to see you get sued."

"Yes, Dear."

The instructions said they worked best against a wall that mice were known to walk by with the open side facing the wall. The only one I knew of that fit the description was under the sink. There's an overhang where the cabinets come out a couple of inches past the baseboard so that would be a perfect place to put them. I just had to watch my step when I was at the sink so I didn't set them off. I wasn't afraid of hurting myself but I knew there was a good chance I'd scare myself if I walked into one and it snapped at me.

I got some peanut butter and went to put the first one down on the floor. I must have used too much force because it snapped shut. Of course, I squeaked and jumped back. My two friends thought it was the funniest thing...

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh, you two. Just don't forget who's making you dinner."

"At the rate you're going, we're guaranteed it won't be mouse stew."

I stuck my tongue out at him and Laurie said, "Eewww."

I set it again and gently put it on the floor, using the handle of a big spoon to push it into place. I set up the second one and placed it, too. I put them under the outside edges of the cabinet doors so I would have plenty of room to stand in front of the sink without hitting them.

"You got anything else in your magic trash can?" I asked.

"Nope. That's it for tonight."

"OK. It's just about 5:30. What time do you want to leave?"

"We should be OK if we leave by 6:30."

"Is there a Sam's or a Costco on the way?"

"Sam's isn't too far out of the way."

"How late are they open?"

"I don't know. Probably eight."

"Let's leave as soon as we can. I want to pick up some more coffee. I have an idea we'll need it over the long weekend."

"OK. I want to put the dog food in the new trash can. Slowly, so I can make sure I don't put any mice in it. That'll take me five or ten minutes."

"OK. I'll start dinner. Laurie? You want to go down and watch Jack?"

"OK."

I called my father's cell phone and went right to voice mail. I told him I was feeding Laurie and that we were leaving as soon as we could and would take her back to Mary. I also said that just because Wanda was gone didn't mean he could just dump her on Mary.

I got my big pot and put some water on to boil, throwing a little salt in it before I put the lid on.

We had part of a whole chicken we roasted in the refrigerator so I got that out and started tearing meat off it and put it in a Pyrex pie plate I had. Once I got all the meat, I put some plastic wrap over the plate, leaving one edge open, then put it in the microwave for four minutes at reduced heat.

I checked the water but it wasn't boiling yet.

I got a jar of spaghetti sauce out of the cupboard and poured it into a saucepan. That went on the stove on medium heat. The water was starting to bubble so I got my spaghetti out and broke some in half, stirring it into the water.

The microwave beeped and I used an oven glove to pick up the pie dish and my plastic spoon to shovel it into the spaghetti sauce. I stirred everything and made sure it was OK, then felt the pie plate. It was cool enough so I could put it on Bozo's rug and let the two of them lick it out without fear of burnt tongues. There wasn't much there, just a little juice from the chicken, but it kept both of them entertained for a minute or two.

While they were licking off food that wasn't there, I got plates, silverware and glasses for us. I had some grape juice in the refrigerator so I filled the glasses. I felt like a cup of coffee but we really didn't have time if we were going to stop at Sam's before going to the Silverwood's.

Jack and Laurie came in and I sent them into the bathroom to wash their hands. I took the pie plate away from the dogs, much to their dismay. Both of them sniffed where it had been in search of anything that might have fallen out. I put it in the sink and filled it with water and squirted in a little dish washing soap. Nothing like dog saliva on glass...

I checked the spaghetti and it was ready. I turned off the sauce so it wouldn't burn and got my colander down from its hook and put it in the sink. I put on both of my oven gloves and poured the spaghetti into it, letting it drain. I put the pot back on the stove and emptied the spaghetti back into it, then topped it off with the sauce. I used my spaghetti claw to mix it all together.

I got a towel out of the linen closet and put it on the table, folded up so it was big enough to set my big pot on it. Jack and Laurie were back so I had them sit down. I got each of their plates and scooped food onto them, then did the same for mine.

Jack took a bite, then said, "What's this, Babe?"

"Just some spaghetti with store bought sauce and some leftover chicken in it."

"It's good. Have you made this before?"

"Hundreds of times."

"For me?"

I thought about it while I chewed the forkful I'd just put in my mouth. "I don't think so."

"It's good. We should have this again."

"The next time we have leftover chicken, I'll think about it," I said. "So, did you find any mice in the dog food?"

"Nope. A pig and a couple of goats and a giraffe that got away but no mice."

Laurie put her hand over her mouth and laughed.

"He's pretty silly, isn't he?" I said to her.

She nodded her head, still covering her mouth.

Jack was looking at something behind me and to the side. "Here it comes ... here it comes ... wait for it..."

I heard a SNAP! and a surprised yelp. Jack started cracking up. I turned around to see Bozo looking foolish, like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"What the... ?" I said.

Jack slowed down his laughing enough to say, "He was checking out one of your mouse traps."

I looked back at him. "Stupid dog! You're lucky it was pointed in toward the sink or it would have gotten you right on the nose. Jeez. No wonder I named you Bozo."

Posie went over to him and sniffed, as if she wanted to make sure he was OK.

I turned around. "OK, you two. Hurry up and finish so Jack and I have time to go to the store before our appointment."

We finished and I got a plastic container and put the leftover food in it. I put the pot on the dogs' rug and let them go for it. At least there was something worth going for in this one.

I knelt down and got the trap that Bozo had set off. Poor dog. I'm surprised he didn't leave a puddle on the floor. I re-set it and put it back where it was. "Stay away from this," I said, pointing at the trap while looking at Bozo. He glanced at me quickly, then averted my gaze.

The food went in the refrigerator and I rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Jack and Laurie came out of the bathroom after washing up.

"Did you talk to Myra today?" Jack asked me."

"Nope. Just Claude."

"Charlie's dad?"

"Yeah. He was just driving off when you got here."

"Oh. I didn't see him. How's he doing?"

"Better than when he got here. Let's get going and I'll talk to you on the way."

I got Posie away from the pot and we went down to the house. Bozo was still working on it so I didn't have to go through any gyrations to keep him in the apartment.

I opened the kitchen door, gave Laurie a quick kiss, said "See ya, she's been fed, we've got to run," to Mom and closed the door.

It was five till six when we left. I told Jack about my talk with Claude.

"Hmm. Skilled carpenter. Did you tell him about Silverwood?"

"No. Why?"

"Jill, weren't you listening to him. Every other word out of his mouth was 'quality'. I bet he has a hell of a time finding qualified workers. He'd probably hire Claude in an instant."

"Shit, I never thought. Should I call Claude?"

"Not yet. Let's talk to George and see. I'll bet you a buck Claude will see him tomorrow for an interview."

"That would be sooo good. From the way he was talking, I know he wasn't making anywhere near what he's worth. I bet he would if he worked for George."

"Let's let the two of them worry about that. We'll talk to him and see if he can use Claude. But don't forget, the main reason we're there is to put a web page together for him."

"Yeah, I know."

We pulled into the Sam's Club parking lot. Jack drove up in front of the entrance and stopped.

"Go get your coffee. I'll keep an eye out for you. I want to call Myra while you're in there."

"OK. I'll try to get out as soon as I can."

I ran into the store and went over to the far aisle from front to back of the store. I'd gotten regular coffee from this store so I assumed the whole bean stuff would be nearby.

There was a big display of coffees all in red bags at the end of the aisle. I also noticed a commercial coffee grinder for the customers to grind their coffee. I picked up a bag of Columbian and some French Roast. Good thing I took a closer look. The Columbian was decaffeinated. That's all I'd need. I checked and found some high octane Columbian.

I lucked out. A guy was opening a register when I got to the checkouts. A woman with a cart full to the brim was unloading. "Is that all you have?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Go ahead, Hon."

I gave him my card and the two bags of coffee and said, "Thanks a lot."

She smiled and then the guy called out the total. I gave him a twenty and he gave me back my change, my card and the receipt.

I pulled a juggling act, getting my change into my purse while carrying the two bags of coffee. I put the receipt in my mouth and opened my wallet to put the card away. When the guy asked for the receipt, I shoved my face at him. He looked at me with the receipt in my mouth and said, "You're fine. Drive careful."

I looked around for Jack when I got out but didn't see him. After about thirty seconds, I saw him come out of the second row of cars on my right and turn towards me. I crossed the road and he pulled up next to me, leaning over to open the door for me.

"That was quick," he said while I was buckling up.

"Yeah. I found the coffee right away and then a lady let me go ahead of her at the checkout."

"You lucked out. People are in such a damned hurry these days that courtesy like that is becoming rarer and rarer."

"That just make it so much nicer when someone does let you go ahead of them."

"Yup."

"Did you talk to Myra?"

"Yeah. She was on the way over to Julie's with her proofs. She's supposed to call Jessica when she's done and she'll go over there if it isn't too late."

"I don't think Jessica would care how late she is."

"Yeah, but her mom would."

"You know, you and I were pretty lucky with the parents we got."

"Yeah, we were. Two of them would have been nice, but if it had to be just one, I can't think of anyone better than Mom."

"Same with me and Daddy. Did you meet Julie's parents while you were there?"

"No, they were both off doing something for work. I got the idea they don't spend much time with each other and even less with her. The horse started off as a way to keep her occupied so they wouldn't have to be bothered."

"That's a crime. If you aren't going to take care of kids, why have them in the first place?"

"I don't know, Jill. All I know is it's something our kids aren't going to have to worry about."

I moved over and grabbed his arm, snuggling into him. "I'll hold you to that."

"Good." He kissed the top of my head. "We're here. It's Show Time."

He grabbed his camera and I got my laptop. Jack put his arm around my waist and we walked up the path with me leaning against him. The front door was double, made out of solid wood with glass in both doors. Jack pushed the button and I heard the doorbell play a few notes, something between chimes and a gong.

Marge opened the front door for us.

"Right on time. Good to see you. George is on a call and will be with us in a moment."

We followed her into the living room and sat on the couch. "Can I get you anything to eat? Drink?"

"Maybe later," I said. "We just finished dinner and we're OK for now."

George came out. "Hi there. I was just talking to Russell, my salesman. He was supposed to be here at seven but he's running over on another appointment. He should be here in a half hour or so."

Jack said, "That's fine. I noticed your front door. Did you make that?"

"One of the guys who used to work for me did. He was great. A Master Carpenter. He retired on me a few years ago. I really miss having him around."

"How do you get your help?"

"It's tough. We have a newspaper ad going all the time. Used to be we could go around to the woodshop classes but they don't have them anymore. Sometimes one of my employees knows of someone who's willing to work. I can't tell you how many people we've trained only to have them quit on me. They don't want to work with wood the rest of their lives, their girlfriends don't like the sawdust, I've heard every excuse in the book."

I said, "I've got a friend who's a carpenter. I don't know if he's a Master or not. He built his own dining room set years ago out of maple. He just lost his job."

"Oh? Where was he working? Maybe one of my competitors."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't one of your competitors. He worked as a foreman for a place where they make furniture out of pressed wood and something else. Not plywood, but..."

"Particle board."

"Yeah, that's it. His wife is down in Mexico at a clinic and he took time off to go be with her. He came back and they promoted one of the Mexicans to do his job."

"I'd be very interested in talking to him. We don't touch pressed wood or particle board, but if he's worked with hardwoods..."

"He said he spent close to six months, working evenings. Dining room table, a dozen chairs, a corner cabinet with leaded glass in the doors and a hutch and a wall thing ... uh..."

"Knick knack shelf."

"Yeah, that's what he called it. He gave me a card from the place he works with his cell phone number on it. He crossed of the information but you can probably still read it. I'm pretty sure I put it in my wallet and that's in the car."

Jack said, "I'll go get it for you."

George started questioning me on what else Claude could do.

"I'm sorry. He's the father of one of my best friends but I didn't even know what he did until earlier today. Charlie's going with Jack's sister and he's been staying at the house while Claude was in Mexico with his wife. He got in late yesterday and talked to Charlie about getting together tonight. I guess he was planning on getting back to work, then found out he didn't have a job anymore. He stopped over to talk to Charlie and didn't look too good when he was leaving."

"How old do you think he is?"

"I don't know. He's older than my father. Charlie's 18. I'll bet he's close to 40."

"That's good. At least he's not ready to retire."

"No, I'm pretty sure he's got a few good years left in him."

Jack came back in and sat next to me. He handed me my purse. I got my wallet out and found the card.

"Harrison Bedroom Furniture," I said.

"Never heard of them. That doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of those places around."

"Would you like to talk to him?" I asked, pulling my cell phone out of my bag.

"If you don't mind," he answered.

Marge looked at him. "George, I don't want you using this as an excuse not to do the cabinets. I mean it."

"I know, Honey. I promise you. We'll do the cabinets as part of the web site."

I dialed Claude's home number and he answered on the second ring. I told him who I was and said I had a couple of questions for him. He said that was fine and I asked him to give me some details on what kind of carpenter he was. I just repeated what he said for George.

"He's done finish carpentry and cabinetmaking. He's been a carpenter for 26 years and a master for 18."

George had his hands outstretched. He was practically salivating.

"Claude, I've got a friend I'm going to do a web site for. His name is George Silverwood and he owns Silverwood Cabinets. Oh, you have. We've been talking about how hard it is to find experienced people and I mentioned you. He'd like to talk to you. No, now. He's right here. OK. Hold on."

I handed the phone to George and said "His name's Claude Dandridge."