Goody Goody Gunshots Read online

  “I think she’s watching us.”

  This sent a shiver down my spine. Grandma Honey stepped around me and dashed for the door.

  “Grandma Honey, I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said as I rushed after her.

  She didn’t listen to me as she dashed out the door and onto the sidewalk. I followed after her. I couldn’t allow her to do this alone. The woman had put down the binoculars. I noticed the bright red nail polish on her fingernails and the red lipstick on her lips. The woman avoided looking at us as she started the SUV. Grandma Honey had waited for cars to pass before she rushed across the street toward the woman.

  “Stop right there,” Grandma Honey called out.

  Of course, the woman didn’t listen. She wouldn’t even look at us. As we got near, the woman pulled the vehicle away from the curb. Tires screeched as I grabbed Grandma Honey’s arm and yanked her out of the way.

  “She was going to run over us,” I said breathlessly.

  “Who was that woman?” Grandma Honey asked.

  “I know who I think it was,” I said as I watched the SUV grow smaller and smaller as it faded into the distance. “I think that was the realtor who came by here and tried to get me to sell the place.”

  “So now she’s stalking you?”

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I don’t know what to think.”

  “We should get to the bottom of this,” Grandma Honey said.

  I hated to admit it, but she was right.

  “I tried,” I said.

  “We’ll find her,” Grandma Honey said as we crossed the street and headed back for the candy shop.

  I knew Grandma Honey was right. She would find Joy.

  ***

  Grandma Honey hadn’t lied when she said she would find Joy.

  “How did you track down her address?” I asked.

  Grandma Honey studied her bright pink fingernails and nonchalantly said, “I have my ways.”

  “I’m sure you do, but I’d like to know what these ways are,” I said, placing my hands on my hips.

  Finally, she looked at me. “You remember my friend Helen? She works at the discount store by my house?”

  “Okay…,” I said. “What does Helen at the discount store have to do with Joy?”

  I didn’t recall Helen, but I would act as if I did to make Grandma Honey happy. She hated when I forgot anything she’d told me. She expected me to have complete memory of every detail she’d ever shared.

  “Helen’s daughter works somewhere… oh, I don’t know the name of the place. Anyway, the daughter was able to look up information for me.” Grandma honey smiled.

  “You don’t remember where she works?” I waved my hand. “Never mind, I don’t even want to know. You know that is completely illegal.”

  “I didn’t do it… her daughter did.”

  “You asked her to,” I said.

  Grandma Honey held up her finger. “That’s where you’re wrong. I never asked. Hinted, maybe, but never asked.”

  “You don’t think we’re actually going to this address, do you?” I asked.

  “Duh. Of course we are.”

  See? I told everyone Grandma Honey was sassy, but they never believed me.

  “I know what you’re thinking and I’m going to say no in advance,” I said.

  Grandma Honey scoffed. “As if I need you to go along.”

  I stared at her. “You wouldn’t go alone, would you?”

  “Oh, wouldn’t I,” she said with a click of her tongue.

  There was no way I could let her go alone. My grandmother knew that too. She knew I would give in and go with her.

  I sighed. “Fine, but we shouldn’t tell Mary Jane or Ruth. It’s better that just the two of us go. I feel if there are too many of us there then we’ll be caught.”

  “Go where? Who will catch us?” Mary Jane asked.

  I looked over my shoulder and realized Mary Jane was standing back there. So much for not telling them. There would be no way to explain the comment. Grandma Honey knew what I was thinking.

  “I found the address for Joy and we’re going to check it out,” Grandma Honey said.

  Mary Jane’s eyes widened. “We are?”

  “Not you,” Grandma Honey said. “It’s just going to be me and Reese.”

  “What?” Mary Jane asked in a loud voice. “You can’t do that.”

  I held my hand up. “Don’t worry we’re not doing that.”

  Mary Jane eyed me and then Grandma Honey. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, we’re doing it,” Grandma Honey said with a chuckle.

  I sighed. “What I mean is you’re going with us, Mary Jane.”

  Mary Jane’s eyes widened. “Now we’re talking. When do we leave?”

  I looked at the time on my phone. “Well, if all of us are going then I guess we’ll have to wait until time to close the shop.”

  “What about Hunter? He can stay here for a bit,” Grandma Honey said.

  I grimaced. “I’d rather not do that.”

  “I was hoping you would say that,” Mary Jane said.

  Needless to say, I was anxious as I waited for time to make our excursion. When it finally rolled around to closing time the four of us gathered at the front of the shop. I held the keys to lock up in my hand.

  “So are we clear on what we’re doing?” Mary Jane asked.

  I nodded. “I’ll tell Joy I want more information about selling the building?”

  “And don’t get too nervous,” Grandma Honey said. “When you get nervous you get fidgety and she’ll think you’re up to something.”

  “We are up to something,” I said.

  “Yes, but we don’t want her to know that,” my mother said.

  I sighed. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  After locking the door, I headed over to my mother’s car. Grandma Honey had wanted to drive, but we’d all said no in unison. Grandma Honey sat up front with my mother. Mary Jane and I were in the back.

  “I still don’t see why I couldn’t drive,” Grandma Honey said as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “Because you can’t see at night, grandma,” I said.

  “Oh, pshaw. I see just fine.”

  “Okay, what does that sign say?” My mother pointed.

  “It says might your own business,” Grandma Honey said.

  Mary Jane and I laughed from the backseat. My mother started the car and pulled out onto the street. I had to admit that I was nervous. The farther we drove away from the candy shop the more my anxiety took over. I tried to remind myself to breath and stay calm. If I let Joy see my nervousness she would know I was there for the wrong reasons.

  “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Grandma Honey asked my mother.

  “Well, I’m driving toward the address you gave me. Are you sure the address is correct?”

  “Oh, Helen wouldn’t give me the wrong information. I’m sure it’s the right address,” Grandma Honey said.

  We drove a little while longer and my mother made a right turn. “This is the street, right?”

  “Well, is that what the computer voice just told you?” My grandmother was referring to the GPS in my mother’s car.

  “Yes, but I wanted to make sure I entered the correct address, mother,” my mom said.

  Grandma Honey looked at the piece of paper she had with the address written on it. “Yes, this is it.”

  I started counting down the street addresses. “It’s an even number so it’s on the right.”

  We were getting close.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” Mary Jane whispered so that Grandma Honey wouldn’t hear. “This doesn’t look like a residential area.”

  Mary Jane was right. This was mostly businesses.

  “This is it coming up,” I said.

  The address was a business for sure. There were people lined up in front waiting to get in. A flashing sign with the words Club Dance glowed above the entrance.

  “This is a ni
ghtclub, mother.” My mother drove by slowly.

  We all stared in silence as we cruised by the location. Once we passed we stopped at the red light.

  “Well, that’s obviously not the correct address,” my mother said.

  “What do you mean obviously?” Grandma Honey asked. “She could live there. Heck, living in a nightclub sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “Do you know what the traffic light said to the other traffic light?” Mary Jane asked.

  I hesitated and then asked, “What?”

  “Don’t look I’m changing,” Mary Jane said around a laugh.

  I stared at her.

  “What? I’m nervous. I thought a joke would ease the stress,” she said.

  My mother groaned as she made a left turn. “What do we do now?”

  “I think we should go in the nightclub and ask about Joy,” Mary Jane said.

  “See, Mary Jane has the right idea,” Grandma Honey said.

  “I don’t see how that will help us at all,” my mother said.

  “We should wait until the morning and you can call Helen and confirm it’s the right address. Maybe there’s another street with a similar name,” I said.

  “Are you implying that I don’t know what I’m doing? You think I’m senile, don’t you,” Grandma Honey said.

  “No, of course not, Grandma Honey,” I said.

  “Well, prove it and let’s go to the club.”

  It sounded to me like Grandma Honey just wanted to go dancing.

  I sighed. “Okay, it’s fine with me if Ruth wants to go.”

  “Fine, your mother will go.” My mother glared at me in the rearview mirror.

  “I’m not really dressed for a nightclub. I have chocolate on my shirt and taffy stuck to my pants.” I wiped at the fabric, but the stains didn’t budge.

  “No one will even notice,” Grandma Honey said.

  “I hope no one I know sees me there,” I said.

  “I doubt that will happen.” Grandma Honey laughed.

  My mother made a loop back around and we searched for a parking spot.

  “There’s one.” Mary Jane pointed.

  My mother whipped the car behind a white Ford sedan and we all got out.

  “I still can’t believe we’re doing this,” I said as I shut the car door.

  Grandma Honey led the way down the sidewalk. A short distance later and the sound of pulsing music spilled out from the club invading the peacefulness of the night air. The four of us stood at the back of the line.

  “How long do you think this will take?” Grandma Honey asked.

  I hated to tell her this, but I doubted we would get into the club. The line wasn’t moving.

  “Maybe we should go up there to the entrance and ask the man if he knows Joy,” Mary Jane said.

  That sounded like a crazy thing to do, but at this point I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask. It was better than nothing, I suppose.

  “Okay, I’ll go up there and ask him. You all stay here and keep our place in line,” I said.

  It wasn’t as if I thought they needed to keep or place, but it would look even stranger if we all bombarded on this guy and asked about some random woman.

  “Okay, but don’t go in without us,” Grandma Honey warned.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t think that will be an issue,” I said.

  A couple of people had walked up and were standing in line behind us. Leaving Mary Jane, Grandma Honey, and my mother in line, I marched down the sidewalk past all the people patiently waiting. They glared at me, as if wondering who did I think I was for going to the front of the line.

  “Just asking a question,” I said, motioning toward the muscular man at the front of the line.

  More strange stares as I continued down the sidewalk.

  “Just asking a question,” I repeated as I moved by more angry faces.

  I’d reached the front of the line now. The man wearing the shirt with the words security written in bold yellow letters hadn’t even noticed me.

  “Excuse me,” I said.

  The guy never looked my way.

  “Excuse me,” I repeated.

  Still no reaction from him. I tapped him on the arm since I couldn’t reach his shoulder.

  He wrapped his gigantic hand around my wrist. “Don’t touch.”

  “Sorry,” I stammered.

  After a few seconds of glaring at me, he released my arm. “Back of the line.”

  “I just wanted to ask if you know Joy Cadbury?” My voice wavered.

  He eyed me up and down. “Never heard of her.”

  Well, that did it. We obviously had the wrong address. It was time for us to get out of here. I didn’t offer a thank you. He wouldn’t care anyway. I turned and headed back toward the ladies. Again, I had to walk by the staring faces, which were now full of smug smiles.

  “I just wanted to ask a question,” I said, trying to explain that I hadn’t been turned down entry.

  Though we all knew I would have been turned down. Actually, he had ordered me to the back of the line before I’d asked my question. Never had I thought I’d be standing in line at a nightclub with my grandmother. Wait. Maybe it wasn’t so shocking. After all, it was Grandma Honey. If any grandmother ever wanted to go to a nightclub it would be Grandma Honey.

  When I reached my partners in crime again, Grandma Honey asked, “What did he say?”

  I shook my head. “He said he never heard of Joy Cadbury. So I guess we can get out of here now.”

  Grandma Honey shook her head. “No way. I don’t believe him. Helen knows her stuff. If she says this is the address, then this is the address.”

  “Do you think we could ask someone else?” Mary Jane asked. “I mean, maybe since he works the door he doesn’t know everyone around the nightclub.”

  “I think he’d know if she lived here.”

  “It will be a long time before we get inside that nightclub,” my mother said.

  “We didn’t come this far to stop now. I want to speak with a manager,” Grandma Honey moved around me and headed toward the doorman.

  “Oh no,” I said, taking off after her.

  Mary Jane and my mother followed me.

  “Grandma Honey, what do you think you’re doing?” I called out.

  “I’m going to tell him that I want to speak with the manager.”

  “He’s a scary guy. I think he will body slam us if we give him too much hassle,” I said.

  “He wouldn’t do that to me. I’m sure he’s a pleasant man. You just have to know how to talk to him.”

  Again, we got stares from the people waiting in line.

  “Just asking a question,” I repeated.

  A few people rolled their eyes at us. The bouncer was allowing a couple people to enter as a couple more stumbled out.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Grandma Honey said.

  His eyes widened when he looked down at my gray-haired grandmother. At least he hadn’t body slammed us yet.

  “Kind sir, we need to enter this establishment to speak with a manager.”

  He eyed Grandma Honey up and down. Was he really going to allow us to enter this time? If Grandma Honey got us in, then I would be totally impressed.

  The bouncer shifted his attention to Mary Jane, my mother, and then me. His eyebrow quirked when he saw me. Apparently he remembered my face.

  “No can do,” he said, turning his attention back to the door.

  Grandma Honey placed her hands on her hips. “What do you mean no can do? You had better let us in or else.”

  His faced turned red. I grabbed grandma’s arm and Mary Jane grabbed the other. We pulled her away from the bouncer.

  “This is completely uncalled for. I’m calling your supervisor,” Grandma Honey yelled as we pulled her away.

  I didn’t bother looking at the line of people this time.

  When we reached the end of the line, Grandma Honey yanked her arms away from us. “Is that any way to treat your grandmother?” She straightened
her blouse and smoothed down her hair. “This isn’t over. I am getting into that nightclub.”

  Oh no. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any crazier.

  “Grandma Honey, we need to let it go. We’ll think of another way to contact Joy,” I said.

  Grandma Honey turned and headed toward the edge of the building. “There has to be another way inside.”

  I raced toward her with Mary Jane and my mother following.

  “Mother, you get back here right now.” my mother yelled out.

  Grandma Honey hurried to the back of the building.

  “She’s tiny. Lift her by the legs and I’ll get the upper body,” my mother said.

  “You will do no such thing,” Grandma Honey snapped.

  Grandma Honey reached the back of the building first. When we caught up we all paused,

  “Okay, see that door there?” Grandma Honey sounded like we were on a covert operation and she was giving us orders for the plan of attack.

  “You don’t think we’re sneaking in back there?” my mother asked.

  Grandma Honey repeated my mother’s question using a mocking singsong voice. Mary Jane laughed.

  “The door is locked. How do you think we’ll get inside?” I asked.

  “Someone has to come out of there eventually,” Grandma Honey said with a wink. “When they do we’ll march right in behind them.”

  I shook my head. “That is a terrible idea. Besides, it could take a long time before someone opens that door.”

  The words had barely left my lips when the door opened. We watched in silence as a young man carried a bag of trash over to the Dumpster. He had no idea we were even standing there, much less watching him.

  “Come on. Let’s go.” Grandma Honey motioned over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

  I suppose this was a sign that we were meant to get in since the door had remained open when the guy stepped out. We had to hurry if we wanted to make it inside before he turned around and saw us. I hoped no one inside noticed us coming through the back door. The other bouncers inside would hoist us back out the door like that bag of thrash the guy had just taken out. We rushed inside the door. Adrenaline surged through my body. My heart pulsed in rhythm to the pounding music. We had made it inside and no one noticed.

  Grandma Honey looked back at me with a smile as she led the way down the hallway to the main area of the club. Since the space was dark the only thing leading our way was the glow from the strobing lights over the dance floor.